#i can do maths for fallen london. i can enjoy doing maths for fallen london! but grids simply. break my brain

[jaegeraether]

Sunsets and footballers (Part 44)

Lucy Bronze x Reader (39) & Jordan Nobbs x Leah Williamson Mini (3)

Masterlist (other parts here)

((**This is now my largest chapter at 7.5k. Enjoy!**))

YFN had instantly fallen asleep in her seat on the plane and woke to the jolt of the landing gear absorbing the impact on touchdown. She shook her fatigue away and took her phone off flight mode. 11:15am UK time. She gave a sigh of relief that the flight had been quicker than usual. She knew she’d been cutting it close with the flight time and instead of Ruby picking her up as planned, she’d told her to go to the stadium instead so she could get an Uber. It worked out well, because it meant she had time to speak to Jordan without feeling rude talking in front of Ruby.

She collected her bags and timed the Uber well, hopping in immediately as she exited the building. The stadium was thirty minutes from the airport so she’d be arriving just at kick off. She wasn't too concerned, though. Bridget and Emily were also in Manchester for a 1300 game between Man City and Brighton and were getting a bit more experience up onsite with Ruby at her game. She was lucky to have such good workmates.

She slid into the cab with a polite hello and found the only contact with a fish in it.

“Hey chicken! How was Barcelona?”

“Oh my god, Dory, it was amazing. Absolutely amazing. But I’m dead on my feet.”

Jordan laughed. “I’m guessing Lucy didn’t let you sleep much?”

“Don’t be cheeky. But you are correct.”

“How many hours are you running on?”

She counted. “I had two hours sleep on the plane so…about five hours?”

“What?!”

“I think…I remember we had a ‘midnight snack’ but that was about 4am so…”

“You’re unbelievable. Priorities, right?”

YFN chuckled. “I have no regrets beyond the struggle to walk-”

“Oh god! I don’t want to hear it.”

They both laughed together.

“How are you? Tell me everything.”

Jordan hummed and then proceeded to tell YFN about her dreams and the flowers and note that morning.

“Why didn’t you lead with that?!”

“I don't know. Good news before bad?”

“You think the flowers and note are bad news?”

“I don’t know. My head’s all over the place from the dreams. They were good and bad, but it’s just wrecked me emotionally.”

“I understand that…it’s not great for game day. Are you on your way there now?”

“Yeah, I’m on the bus. We have another hour and a half to go.”

“Well, you can’t resolve these emotions before the game because that would be a miracle. So how about you put a movie on and distract yourself? Don’t sleep, you won’t be able to.

“Yeah, I think I’ll do that to be fair…”

“Perfect. Have you messaged her?”

“No. I can’t do that today. Trying not to mess with my head before the game.”

“That’s all good, I was going to suggest maybe not responding until after the game.”

“You’re doing two games today, aren’t you?”

YFN’s mouth almost dropped open. “You have no idea how proud I am that you remembered that? I told you a while ago...”

“Oh, sorry, I should probably keep up my forgetfulness, right? Who are you again?”

YFN laughed. “I love forgetful Dory. She’s my favourite. Along with cuddly Dory. Football Dory though…jeez she’s terrifying.”

“I definitely will be today.”

“Get those emotions out, girl! Just don’t hurt anyone or get red carded please.”

“No promises.”

“As for your question, yep. I have the 1200 Man United versus West Ham game at Leigh and then the 1845 Arsenal versus Leicester game at King Power.”

“Oh that's right! Kyra…”

YFN had obviously told Jordan about Kyra. They both thought it was cute.

“Yes ma’am.”

“Our bus will drop us back at Villa Park about 7pm tonight…I can drive and meet you there?”

YFN could tell that Jordan needed comfort, and most of her friends were in London. She did the timing math in her head.

“You’d arrive about 8pm tonight with the traffic…how about you get a lift with my guy, Matt? He’s relocating to my game and then driving me back to Birmingham after it’s done.”

“Oh, yeah! That works out brilliant, that does. God, you’re so good at this logistics stuff. I just kick a ball around.”

YFN had a giggle at the visual image and messaged Matt. “And you look great doing it. Plus, you do more than that and you know it.”

“Yeah, yeah.”

YFN bit her lip as she thought a little. Jordan needed some love, and she knew just what to do. “What do you think about us asking Katie and Caitlin to stay the night? We’ll all finish up around 9pm in Leicester so they’ll have overnight accommodation. If I message them then they’ll have time for the team to cancel their room. They can come home with us.”

“Ohhh I didn’t think of that! See, this is why you’re the best.”

YFN grinned at the sound of genuine happiness in Jordan’s voice. She knew she missed them a lot.

She looked up and could see the stadium approaching in the distance. “I’m excited! Okay, I’m almost at the stadium. I’ll message the group.”

“Okay, love you!”

“Love you more. I’m so excited to see you tonight! Have a good game today, please. Smash it.”

They hung up happy and she opened a message from Matt that replied with an excited yes. Being a Villa supporter meant his dream just came true. YFN wondered how the car ride with them would be to Leicester and couldn’t help but be amused.

YFN then put a message in their little four-way group. Caitlin was usually the first to respond whether it be message or Instagram, and today was no exception. She’d answered an unequivocal yes for the both of them before she’d even stepped foot into the stadium.

The national anthems were playing just as she arrived and met up with her workmates. Bridget was running the boundary line, excitedly videoing the singing while Emily and Ruby were taking photos.

“Hey, Em.”

“YFN! Hi!” She gushed, wearing her purple and yellow Lumos hoodie. YFN was wearing Lucy’s hoodie so she opted for a beanie instead. “How was your flight?”

“I slept the entire trip,” she admitted with a chuckle.

Emily snapped a few shots of the starting line-ups.

“How are you and Bridget?”

“Oh, great! Yeah, we’re excited to be staying in Manchester tonight. Because we all have tomorrow off, we have plans to sight see and visit some family.”

They chatted for a little longer when YFN recognised the photographer from the last game she’d been to. The one who followed her home. She pretended to not notice him as she kept speaking to Emily and then made her way around the field to get a few good videos and say hi to Ruby and Bridget also. Bridget was running a mile a minute as she usually did, and Ruby mentioned that she had a date with Matt the next day. Ruby also ran a mile a minute, just with her mouth rather than her legs like Bridget. The whistle blew.

“Oh are those two already leaving already?” She asked rhetorically as Bridget and Emily waved on the way out. “Aw I didn’t say bye! Anyways, Matt said he’d take me on a date but I don’t know where-” she snapped a few photos and then cringed at the tackle she’d just captured, “-and I know it’s going to be amazing because we’ve been talking for a while now and…well not a while but since we all met and we were first partnered up-” she jogged further up the field to take another and came back when she was satisfied, “-and we’ve both been talking about supervising this next group of people coming in and we’re so excited for them to join us-” she took photos while YFN pulled her phone out to get a good Instagram video of Man United’s goal as they were both standing just a few metres from the West Ham goal. Goal number one, just three minutes in. YFN uploaded the video straight to their social media with an update on the score, “-and I just think it’s going to be amazing to have so many people with us. Is that guy staring at us?”

YFN turned to the photographer who’d been following her around the boundary, more focussed on her than the game.

“Yeah…just ignore him. He won’t hurt us.” She said, repeating what Catherine had said to her. Phone still on video mode in her hand, she pressed record but before she could lift her arm up to video him, they were interrupted.

“Now, now, physical violence isn’t my thing.” The voice teased from behind them.

YFN didn’t even have to turn, but she did out of polite habit as Mark stepped next to her, his eyes focussed on the game. She kept her phone on record and down near her body, but angling the mic towards him.

“Mark.”

“YFN. I hear you had a lovely trip up to Edinburgh to meet your…controversial leader.”

Ruby frowned, not understanding.

“He’s just teasing,” she assured. “Could you give us a minute?”

Ruby nodded and headed back up the field.

“So none of them know then?”

“What could you possibly be referring to, Mark?”

“Joanne.” He almost hissed. “That heartless woman.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Well let me be clear, then. I know your boss. She took something from me, so I’m going to tear her whole fucking business down.”

“Which business would that be?”

“The only one not protected by a board. Lumos. Her baby that she’s trying so desperately to hide. And you know exactly how I’m going to start?”

“By getting a photographer to follow me?”

He gave a grin that sent shivers down her spine. “Something along those lines.”

He handed her a large yellow envelope. Against her better judgement, she took it and looked inside. She found several printed photos of herself and Lucy kissing at the airport. The photos weren’t the best quality, they looked like they’d been taken on a phone, but still…it was disturbing.

She turned her attention back to the game as if she were unbothered. “Congratulations. You gave me photos of my girlfriend and I. You do realise that we are public? We have nothing to hide.”

“You don’t think that someone in your position dating one of the most famous footballers of all time is a conflict of interest? Let me give you some advice…people will care. Whoever Joanne has investing in her company will. And this is just the start. I’ll get more and more dirt on not just you, but your workmates also. I’ll drag you all into the fucking ground.”

She sharply breathed in. “You want to ruin a good thing for a little rivalry?”

“A good thing?” He scoffed. “Nobody wants to watch women play. Look around you. The stands are only filled with friends and family. As for everyone who works at Lumos…” He shrugged. “Collateral.”

YFN let herself look at him. He was determined and deadly serious.

“See that photographer? Get used to seeing him around. As for Joe…tell her I’m going to tear down her company before it even begins.”

It was a dominant display by Manchester United who ended up winning 5-0 with five different goal scorers. YFN felt for West Ham who she’d grown a soft spot for since her visit, and especially felt empathetic for their Captain, Mackenzie Arnold, a fellow Australian, as she was the goalkeeper. She couldn’t imagine how hard it must have been mentally after a game like that. You’d feel like it was all your fault while having to be the one to pull the team together.

A few of the players wandered over to her after the match, one being Mackenzie. She gave her a hug and surprisingly agreed to an interview. She interviewed her alongside Mary Earps, letting the two talk business. Mary didn’t exactly have a quiet game, she’d had shots that she’d saved and they both bantered about that, with YFN steering the questions when and where she wanted. The fact that they both pointed out the brilliance in several different moments of each teams and gushed over not just their team but the opposite was the exact reason she’d fallen in love with women’s football. After those two, she interviewed Kirsty Smith and Riko Ueki with Ella Toone and Lucia Garcia. The dynamics of who she put together were interesting and got the results she wanted. She felt like she was Graham Norton putting interesting guests on and leading them here and there with questions, making sure they each felt acknowledged and appreciated for their time and their skill on the pitch.

They finished up around 2:30pm and stopped for a late lunch and some quick editing and posts before they started their two-and-a-half-hour drive to Leicester for their next game. It was only early evening, and YFN could already feel herself getting tired.

As they got into the car, Ruby noted that and told her to get some sleep. She had no idea that Ruby could be quiet for long enough and was pleasantly surprised.

Just before she went to sleep, she sent the video recording of Mark’s voice to Catherine who she knew was busy with few royal duties, and then she fell asleep just after she put her phone on charge.

YFN woke to the loud sound of her phone ringing and she jumped, her face feeling half numb from the window. The car was stopped and she looked outside to Ruby who’d noticed her wake and gave her a thumbs up from the fuel bowser. She gave one back and answered the phone without checking the caller ID.

“YFN! Are you okay?!”

She recognised the voice immediately. “Cath- I mean. Joe? Wow, you really did a great job of sounding not yourself before we met.”

Catherine gave a light chuckle. “One of my secret talents. I listened to your video. Did he threaten you?”

“Not physically, just what you heard on the video.”

“He’s absolutely insistent and much more of a pain than I’d expected.” She sounded annoyed and that was amusing to YFN as she was always painted as the perfect Princess. “I’m so sorry. I spoke to Joe and even she is surprised. He will not hurt you. If you feel unsafe at all, I will hire security.”

“That’s okay, I think we’re okay for now. He seems to be all bark at the moment..”

“He is, I assure you. Also, there is no conflict of interest here. I’m aware of your relationship. We are not even covering her games yet and when we do, it is absolutely not a conflict of interest. The man doesn’t know what he’s talking about. I know you, I chose you for a reason and your judgement, and your actions won’t be compromised by your relationship. Not only that, but there’s nothing in which to base these allegations on just yet. I understand the implications that may occur with you interviewing her and potentially being seen as biased, but I’ve seen your work, I’ve seen you interview friends and colleagues without that bias. I chose carefully.” She sighed. “My plan was for us to build your reputation in the field so high it would surpass any of these allegations before they even occurred.”

“I appreciate the support, and I promise that anything to do with Lucy or her team against another team will not be an issue. I want everyone and every team to be represented, regardless of if they’re against her or not.”

“Perfect. We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it, I think. In the meantime, you don’t need to hide your relationship. I’d never ask or expect that of you.”

“Thank you…also I’m assuming part of your security check on us is that you look for anything controversial which may be used against us like this?”

She hesitated. “Yes. I don’t like it, but we need to protect ourselves and the business from any potential threats…”

“I understand, and I agree.” Ruby hopped back into the car then with a grin. “You have my support…Joe.”

Catherine took the hint. “He won’t find anything controversial on the other employees because there is nothing. We just need to stay a tight knit group and continue our jobs.”

“Copy that, will do. Would you like me to send out a group memo about him?”

Ruby started to drive again.

“Yes, absolutely. If you don’t mind, I’ll write it and you send it?”

“Perfect, that saves me the work.”

“Lastly, the office won’t be ready tomorrow.”

“Oh?” Her interest peaked at that. She could be with Lucy on her day off. Jonatan had been giving her more days off with her knee. She only had to train four days this week, Tuesday to Friday.

“It’s all related. Mark somehow managed to talk to the local council…anyways I’m sorting it. It’ll be ready by Wednesday, I promise you.”

“Okay. That’s perfectly fine. I’ll meet up with the real estate agent and then the original ten of us will settle in and prep for the new group to arrive.”

“I thought it would be best to start the new group on Thursday instead because of the timing with the office date moving, but I wanted to check with you first to make sure you weren’t losing too much preparation time with them for the next round?”

YFN thought about it a little. Their first game was Saturday, and it was the only one. Catherine had gotten permission for ten employees at that game which allowed her to send two original crew with a full new crew to train. “I think Thursday will work. It’ll give us two full days to cover everything which is enough, and for eight of them, they’ll get experience on Saturday at Stamford Bridge. If I feel we need more, I’ll organise Saturday with the others not at the game to prep more.”

“Agreed! We think very much alike, you know.” It was a compliment that made her blush.

Catherine asked if she had any more questions before the call ended. She wasn’t surprised it wasn’t a long conversation, as she knew she’d been busy all day with regular duties and then Mark’s drama in the background. She couldn’t help but think about the possibility of booking a flight to Barcelona to spend the next two days with Lucy, as she knew she had the next day off. She could explore Barcelona with Narla and do a bit of work on the Tuesday while Lucy was training… She bit her lip and shook her head. Jordan needed her. Jordan was her priority. Thinking of, she looked up Jordan’s game which was almost finished. It had been fairly even all game and Jordan had been subbed on in the 65th minute, having a goal attempt in the 66th minute. YFN smiled as she watched Jordan running around, looking frustrated which was so opposite to her everyday self. Aston Villa were up 1-0 and she watched while Ruby listened to the end of the game. Multiple fouls were made by both teams. Aston Villa scored a second goal. A foul by Jordan at the 90 minute mark. And then it was over. Jordan had only played 30 minutes, but she’d made an impact. YFN sent Jordan a message saying how proud she was of her.

They arrived in Leicester around 5:45pm and stopped at a local café for another snack and a drink before the game. Being too early at the stadium meant boredom. They made sure to arrive around 6:15pm and set their equipment up, capturing the players during warm up. The Leicester players exited first to warm up and a few came over to chat. Luck have it, Courtney was one of them. Australians tended to flock together outside of Australia, she realised. YFN asked if she’d do an interview after the game and she agreed for the price of a hoodie. She liked Courtney and could see why Kyra did too. They were both cheeky.

“Hey stranger.”

YFN turned to see Leah’s smile as she stepped next to her. She was alone and not in kit, not quite ready to play after her ACL.

“Leah!” She smiled, pulling her into a hug. She liked Leah, regardless of her issues with Jordan, and she’d previously spoken to Jordan about their little growing friendship. She was okay with it, of course, otherwise YFN wouldn’t have been so forward. “How are you?”

“Oh mate, desperate to get onto that field, I’m telling ya.” She looked longingly at the pitch and then back to YFN. “I watched your interviews. They’re great! I don’t know why anyone hasn’t interviewed like that before.”

“The ones from last week?”

“Yeah and this morning. I loved it, honestly. I’ll be happy to do interviews anytime with you, just let me know.”

“That’s just given me an idea…” She hummed as she thought.

“Taking me up on the offer already?” She laughed.

“Actually I’ve been trying to work out different segments and ideas that would make us stand out from other companies….you’re not playing today. There are always players who are not playing but watching their teams. So it might be a good idea to get players willing to on the sidelines with us to interview and to film some of the snippets we upload with their own perspective and jokes and insight. Sort of like when you’re excitedly screaming motivation at the girls from the bench, but this time they’d be in snippets for our social media. It’ll promote the team and show just how supportive all of the players are with each other. Plus, I think it'd be hilarious.”

“Sort of like when they mic up the cricket players?”

“EXACTLY.”

“Put me in, coach. I love the sound of that. Plus, if it mucks up, you can just blame me.”

“You are 100% my scapegoat if it goes bad.” She laughed. “You’d be willing to today?”

She shrugged. “I have nothing else going on and I’m used to the camera so why not.”

“Perfect! Yeah, oh that’s so exciting-” She stopped and bit her lip as she thought of Jordan.

“What is it?”

“Um…maybe not today? Maybe next game?”

The frustrating thing was that she didn’t know yet if she’d even be at Arsenal’s next game. It depended on the roster.

“YFN, just tell me.”

“So…hm…here’s the thing…”

“Please don’t tell me this is about Jordan?” She asked, a little upset. “I was hoping that wouldn’t affect our relationship…”

“It won’t! Dory’s fine with us being friends. It’s just…”

“Spit it out, mate.”

“She’s going to be here in under an hour.”

She swore Leah paled. She definitely froze. “Oh.”

“Yeah…so she’ll already be with me on the sidelines for company.”

“She just finished a game…” she looked at her watch. “…so if she’s coming here I guess it’s to talk about us?”

“Leah…”

“She told you about this morning?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.” She groaned and ran her hand through her hair. “Look, I don’t know your opinion on everything and I don’t want to drag you into it all, but I promise you I just want the best for Jordan.”

“And the best for Jordan is you?”

Leah held her eye contact. “Yes. Just…I know I don’t have the right to ask but I will. Can you please maybe tell Jordan it wouldn’t be such a bad thing to go with me this Friday night to the awards? I want to win her back, to be there for her but I can’t without opportunity to actually be around her.”

“I won’t convince her to do something she doesn’t want to…”

“I wouldn’t expect you to. Just…advocate for me? You don’t have to push it. Just…please?”

“I’ll have a talk to her,” she murmured.

“CHICKEN!”

The Arsenal players were headed out for their warm up and most were headed her way led by the Irishwoman who was being overtaken by a smiley, wavy Kyra.

“Thank you, I really appreciate it. Also, I can still do that thing with you, I can be over the other side away from Jordan if she doesn’t want me near.”

“Thanks Leah, I’ll ask her about it when she gets here,” she replied with a smile.

“Ask who about what?!” Kyra asked as she landed on YFN’s back. YFN’s hands immediately caught her legs.

“Oof. You do realise I’m small, right?”

“Yeah, but I knew you’d catch me. When’s Nobbs here?”

A few of the Arsenal girls looked awkward because Leah was there. “It’s okay…” she assured them. “She’ll be here during the first half.”

“Okaaaaay.”

“Oh, also Kyra invited herself tonight.” Caitlin said as she wrestled Kyra off of YFN so she and Katie could give her a hug.

“Tonight? Where was our invite?” Beth asked.

YFN grinned sheepishly. “Our apartment isn’t big enough for the entire Arsenal squad…”

“I’m just joking, this one wants an early sleep anyways,” she said as she nudged Viv who looked unimpressed as usual.

“Aw what a granny!” Kyra teased.

YFN couldn’t help but laugh at the look on Viv’s face. Kyra giggled at her joke, ducking away from Caitlin’s motherly swat to the back of the head when a blue shirt appeared amongst the red and Kyra stilled.

“Hey…”

“Courtney!” YFN replied, making sure she didn’t feel left out. “Hey!”

Courtney looked around, her eyes finding Kyra and then tearing them away pretending she hadn’t looked at her. “Just letting you know Sam and Sophie are both good for the interview after the game. Do you know who it’ll be with?”

“Awesome! Yeah, I was hoping Beth and Frida would be up for it…”

“Me? Yes please! Not sure if I’ll be subbed on though,” Beth said eagerly.

Viv rolled her eyes. “She’ll be subbed on.”

“FRIDA!” Katie yelled.

“FRIDA!!” Beth yelled shortly after. Viv covered her ears and YFN chuckled at that.

The blonde spun around and jogged over. “Yes?”

Frida Maanum was a Norwegian midfielder who’d been with Arsenal since 2021. She was rarely chosen to be interviewed and softly spoken, so YFN thought it’d be great to involve her and help her confidence out with Beth who she could always rely on to talk if she didn’t.

“Want to do an interview with me after the game? YFN wants to know.”

Frida looked over at YFN with a polite hello wave. “It’s going to be with Sam Tierney and Sophie Howard from Leicester. You can absolutely say no if you want.”

“You want me?” She sounded surprised.

“Of course she wants ya, you’re amazin’.” Katie said with a playful grab of her shoulder.

“O…okay. Yeah.” She smiled at YFN which made the Australian feel good for asking.

“Aw, I’ll look after you mate! No need to be nervous!” Beth said loudly, extending an arm around her shoulder.

“So…Beth and Frida,” YFN said to Courtney with a smile. “And then you and Kyra. Is that okay Kyra?”

“Yeah that’s cool.” Kyra said, suddenly quiet.

Courtney’s eyes widened hearing that she’d be interviewed with Kyra. YFN knew it was sneaky of her but it was an opportunity for Courtney to reject the idea before she surprised her with her ex. Not that they were ever public knowledge.

“Okay. I’ll see you after the game.” She said, directed straight at YFN but she knew it was more for Kyra from the tone of it.

Caitlin and YFN shared a sheepish look.

“Come on girls, Jonas is about to kick our asses. Let’s get warmin’ up!” Katie ordered.

“If you see me shouting from the sidelines, it’s because I’m mic’d up!” Leah warned them and received some amused looks in return.

“You’d better not be focusin’ on my ass.” Katie teased.

Caitlin messed up Kyra’s hair. “You’d better be focusing on this one’s debut!”

They all jogged off and Leah turned to YFN.

“Okay boss, where do you want me?”

Jordan and Matt arrived just after 7pm, both with wide grins. Matt because he’d just spent a car ride with Jordan and Jordan because of YFN.

“Dory! Come here!” She took her friend in a hug big enough to lift the footballer off the ground and a few Arsenal fans spotted Jordan and shouted their love for her as she did so.

“I missed you.” She mumbled into Lucy’s hoodie.

“It’s been a day. Needy, hm?”

“I’m always needy.” Jordan grumbled as she put her down.

“I missed you too.” YFN chuckled before turning to Matt. “You look excited, mate.”

He was still grinning ear to ear and nodded.

“I think I tired him out with all the talking, to be fair.”

“I’m glad you two got on for the drive then. Matt, are you okay taking a few of us back to Birmingham tonight? If not, I can ask Ruby…”

“Yes!” He almost shouted and then cleared his throat. “Um, yes, of course. Who..?

“Uh Dory, Katie, Caitlin, Kyra and myself. Oh actually that won’t work… Ruby will have to take some of us anyways… maybe those three and I’ll ask Ruby if she can take Kyra and I.”

“Done.”

“How was the game?”

“Yeah, great. Noel and I got some great footage. A few of the girls were asking about interviews but I said we’d start next week.”

“Next week hopefully… and congrats on Aston Villa’s first win for the season?!”

“Yeah!” Jordan grinned. “I wasn’t on for long but I think I did alright.”

Loud noises from the crowd turned their attention to Leicester running towards goal. The ball was pushed out by Lotte for a corner.

“I’ll go record that.” Matt said as he ran towards the goal up the side of the pitch. Jordan spotted Leah behind the goal then.

“Leah…?”

“You had to have expected her to be here,” YFN teased.

“Well yeah but…is she recording with a phone?”

“I have her mic’d up for some footage. Trying something new out and she’s helping.”

Jordan frowned but her eyes remained on her, mixed emotions in her eyes.

The crowd went wild as Leicester scored from their corner. Jordan swore. The game reset.

“She really wants you to go with her on Friday..”

Jordan’s eyes flicked up to meet hers. “She said that? What else did she say?”

“Nothing you don’t already know… that she wants the best for you, she wants to win you back, and she wants an opportunity to do so.”

Jordan groaned. “I can’t. We rarely went to events together before. Now she wants to show me off to the world like I’m hers when I’m not?”

“I think she just wants a night with you, Jords…”

“Nope. No way. Unless she has another plus one and you come to chaperone us.”

YFN tilted her head. It wasn’t football but… “I could get an invite?”

Jordan spun back around. “You could?”

“My boss can 100% get me a ticket. Now, did you mean it?”

“I mean…” she looked over at Leah. “If you’re going, I will.”

“And is this really what you want?”

Jordan got a little frustrated and pouted, trying to think. She was a bundle of confused emotions and the dreams wouldn’t have helped. YFN put her arm around her and pulled her close.

“What do you think?”

“I think whatever this is, you need to resolve it. The best way to do that is communication. I think you should go. Sooner or later it’s going to be clear to you if you do or don’t want to have her back in your life.”

Leah looked over at the pair, her and Jordan looking at each other. She nodded. “I’ll go.”

“You’re sure?”

“I think I wanted to, I just didn’t want to admit it. Plus, you’ll be there now so it’ll be less awkward.” She grinned up at her.

YFN rolled her eyes and messaged ‘Joe’. Just as she finished the message, Leicester was surging forward, forward, forward, and tucked away their second goal. Two goals in two minutes. A terrible start for Arsenal.

Jordan settled next to YFN, following her and her camera around, watching the game intently. She always wanted the best for Arsenal. They had more of a catch up in between photos that she’d changed to as Matt was now doing the videography. YFN didn’t miss Leah off and on staring across at them just as longingly as she stared at the pitch she missed. Jordan and YFN gradually moved closer to Leah through that first half, though Leah ducked away to the change rooms for half time with her girls.

While it was half time, Ruby, Matt and YFN on worked on their footage while they talked.

“New office tomorrow?!” Matt asked excitedly.

“Oh…no. That’s been delayed until Wednesday. Waiting on approvals. New group are now starting Thursday.”

“You’re not going to Barcelona?” Jordan asked. “Doesn’t Lucy have tomorrow off?”

“You spoke with her?”

“Yeah she messaged me. I assumed you suggested it,” she laughed, “she’s terrible at messaging.”

“Not with me.” YFN winked. “Also that was all her, I promise.”

Jordan rolled her eyes and nudged her almost off her chair. “She misses you.”

“I was there this morning…”

“You miss her too.”

“Dory…” She groaned.

“No.” She said, putting her hand on the camera YFN was playing with which made her look up at her. Ruby and Matt shifted a little nervously as they could do nothing but listen. Jordan looked serious. “Don’t you dare stay here tonight just for me. You barely get any time with her as it is. She’s my friend too, and I like to see her happy. And you happy. And you’re both never as happy as when you’re together.” YFN opened her mouth to argue but Jordan continued. “Let me live vicariously through you. You’ve already done enough, I have Katie and Caitlin and Kyra tonight! They need a bed.”

“You’re kicking me out of our apartment?” YFN laughed.

“Only if you can find a flight.”

She put her camera down and took Jordan into a warm, long hug, mumbling into her. “I love you, Dory. You know that? If we’re both single in five years, I’m going to propose.”

Jordan laughed but they were both emotional. They just wanted the best for each other. “Okay but Blu will be ring-bearer.”

YFN laughed back into her and sat back, wiping tears away that she didn’t even know had formed.

“You’re putting Kyra on the couch?”

“I’ll let her share my bed if she shuts up.”

“She’s only small, she’ll be asleep before you all finish dinner. She tends to tire herself out fast, the little baby.”

“Little baby,” Jordan mimicked adoringly. “Now look for flights. I’ll message Lucy.”

“Or…how about we make it a surprise?”

“I love it! If she thinks you’re robbing her and knocks you out though, that’s not on me.”

She did wonder what Lucy’s reaction would be. She found a flight from Birmingham to Barcelona at 11pm.

“Won’t you need her to unlock the door?”

“I have keys…”

“You two are adorable.”

“I found an 11pm flight from Birmingham…”

“Do you think you’ll make that?!” Ruby asked. “I’m happy to take you…”

“That…sort of works out perfect because then the girls will all fit in Matt’s car. Um…the game finishes at 8:30pm. Interviews until 9pm. Arrive at the airport around 10pm. Cutting it close for international but it’s a late flight and nobody will be there… I think we can make it?” She shrugged and booked the flight anyways. If she didn’t make it, it wasn’t meant to be.

Jordan grinned. “Tell her to thank me when you get there.”

“Honestly, I’m probably going to be passed out from fatigue all day and not even get the chance.”

Her phone buzzed. It was the flight confirmation.

“Are you sure?” She asked Jordan. Sure, she’d already booked the flight, but it was cheap and she didn’t care. She wanted Jordan to be okay.

Jordan grabbed her around the shoulders and smiled. “I promise it’s okay. You’ve really cheered me up today and helped with my Friday night decision. Plus, I have the girls tonight. We both know you’ll just pass out anyways.”

“How dare you…” she laughed as the crowd began cheering loudly as the players re-entered the field. Ruby and Matt got to work. She stood to do the same when her phone buzzed again.

Joe: Done, they sent us through two invitations. Check your emails. Enjoy!

She grinned at the message and then at Jordan.

“What?” She handed her phone over and Jordan took it, an ecstatic look crossing her face. “Yes mate!”

She took her phone back and pocketed it, holding her camera up to take photos of the players as they ran out.

“One condition.”

“Anything.”

She jerked her head towards Leah who was wandering over to the pair. “You tell her.”

Jordan groaned. “Okay but at the end of the night. She can sweat until then.”

YFN chuckled at that.

Starting the second half 2-0 against them meant Arsenal had to push deep. And they did. Arsenal kicked six goals in the second half. Their first came at a hesitation from Courtney which YFN felt terrible for. She was next to Leah when that happened who filmed a mic’d up scream of joy from behind the Leicester goal as the shot went in. Slowly Jordan gravitated towards Leah more during the match, Leah managing to let her come at her own pace. The rest of the match was an absolute riot. Caitlin with an assist and a goal, Katie with an assist, and Kyra with multiple attempts at goal. She was shocked when she saw Courtney take Kyra down in the 83rd minute and wondered just how much of the history between them she didn’t know. The game ended 2-6 Arsenal. A complete second half dominance that had Leah screaming with joy on the sidelines. It turned out to be the perfect day to test the mic’d up segment, as she posted the live updates with video’s Leah had taken of her yelling at the girls running towards goal and screaming, turning the camera around on herself to show her celebrating. It was great content.

Regardless of the outcome, the Leicester players still came over for their interviews. First she had Sam, Sophie, Frida and Beth who actually did get some game time and almost a first goal since she’d come back from her ACL tear. Beth was the loudest, of course, and helped Frida to open up a bit. Frida had some back and forth with the Leicester girls talking about some of the plays including Sam’s goal. Overall, she was happy with the results of the interview, and how much the girls had come out of their shells.

Next was her interview with Courtney and Kyra who seemed equally nervous next to each other. They knew each other well though. YFN waited to sense the overall mood before she allowed herself to go in with some cheeky questions about Courtney’s tackle on Kyra, and Kyra’s debut. Her goal was to get them to start teasing each other, and it worked. At first, they didn’t want to address each other, and after a few comments here and there, it was more them talking and throwing cheeky comments to each other, and YFN could almost sit back and enjoy watching the show. She had to steer it a few times of course, both were young, but the tension between the two was obvious. For the sake of the viewers and their privacy, YFN made sure to make it known to the camera that they were teammates and brought up that they went to school together as justification which started a whole other line of questioning about their start in football.

Only when she was satisfied that she’d helped them break whatever awkwardness they’d previously had, did she end the interview, but not before she told Kyra how proud she was of her on camera for her debut. Courtney gave her a proud shove for that too.

Being Australians, and women, they all hugged their goodbyes, Kyra whispering a thanks into her ear. As they were packing up, she could see them still chatting as Courtney was being called away. She gave Kyra her phone and she typed into it what YFN assumed was her number. Courtney gave an awkward wave, obviously not knowing whether a hug was appropriate, and ran into the change rooms. Kyra turned to YFN with a grin and a little fist pump. It was adorable.

She looked past Kyra to where Leah and Jordan were standing, Jordan telling her she’d go on Friday. Leah’s expression flashed excitement before she contained it, and then it went a little shy as she pretended to be calm about it. They didn’t speak for long, just enough for Jordan to agree before she wandered off with Leah’s eyes following her longingly. She watched for a while until she met YFN’s eye and blushed, having been caught. She mouthed a ‘thank you’ to which she gave a smile in return.

“We really need to go.” Ruby stressed. She looked at the time and groaned. She only had time for quick goodbyes with everyone and a threat to Katie and Caitlin to not have sex in her bed. Katie seemed to enjoy the idea of the threat, to be honest, and that terrified her.

She rushed through security as quickly as possible and was the last person to board the flight, sweating and grateful she’d made it, though cursing herself for having to stay longer just to make sure Kyra and Courtney were good. As with her morning flight, she passed out immediately and wished she had a chance for a shower before seeing Lucy. Instead of a shower, she tidied herself up in the bathroom at the Barcelona airport when she touched down, changing her clothes and washing away the day. She brushed her teeth and did her nightly makeup routine, ignoring some funny looks. She sure as hell wasn’t going to let her skin suffer more than it already was with the change in weather between the UK and Spain.

Her Uber dropped her off at just before 3am and for some reason she was nervous, jiggling the keys Lucy had given her in her hands and playing with the little flags. At the front door she took a deep breath in and unlocked the door, entering as quietly as possible so as to not wake Lucy or Narla. She kicked off her shoes and left her suitcase in the entrance, not wanting to risk the wheels waking them. The smell as she walked into the house was home. Vanilla and bitter orange, and whatever the hell Lucy had been cooking for dinner. She swore she could even smell the big breakfast they’d had that morning. She looked at the trophy Lucy still had out and smiled, putting her phone on charge next to it before tip-toeing her way into the bedroom.

Lucy was quite literally dead asleep. She was on her back facing YFN’s side of the bed, one hand touching the pillow YFN had been sleeping on the night before. She was beautiful. She loved seeing her so vulnerable and herself. Her dark hair was spread out over the pillow, another thing she loved. Lucy with her hair down. She clicked the door closed quietly and snuck around to her side of the bed, avoiding Lucy’s collection of shoes around the bed. She carefully laid down and when she touched Lucy’s hand to move it, she jerked awake, her head rising and her eyes opening.

“It’s just me.” She whispered and put a hand to her cheek, coming closer so Lucy could see her better without her glasses.

“What? What?” She was dazed and confused, her body tense.

“Shhh. Shhhh.” She comforted and cuddled up to her, her head finding Lucy’s collarbone. “It’s okay, it’s just me. I’m sorry for scaring you.”

“Little one?” She asked, unbelieving. “You…you’re here.”

Her arms wrapped around YFN tighter than they ever had before, holding her close to her body, her own body softening into her. “Is everything okay?!”

“Everything’s fine, Luce. I have the next two days off. I’m all yours.”

Lucy groaned happily and kissed her wherever she could reach.

“Sleep now, Luce.”

“You’re home,” she whispered huskily with emotion, her voice already fading.

“I’m home.”

[marat]

Can anyone rec me some good games for pc or xbox1? Games that you can play intensively for like a week or two and don't have to think about again. For reference, last month I got a WoW subscription, played it for hours on end for a week or two, then canceled the subscription before the next pay cycle. And please not stuff with required multiplayer, as I get weird video game social anxiety

For reference to my tastes, I enjoyed undertale and deltarune a lot, I'm really into the elder scrolls (morrowind is the best one) but can't get them to work on my laptop, I enjoy minecraft when the stars are perfectly aligned. I can still play assassin's creed unity for hours simply because it's fun to do parkour in revolutionary Paris and it's fun to shit on the egregious politics and historical analysis of it. RPGs with deep character customization are top tier and I've never been good at first person shooters. or games where you have to do math. I'm also really into fallen london but also suck at reading things

[scapegrace74-blog]

Mister April

A/N I had an angst-ridden update to the Metric Universe all queued up, and then I thought, nah.  The sun is shining, people are getting vaccinated.  Angst can wait.  So this little ficlet fits into the Metric Universe after The Second First Christmas, but before Calculation Theme.

The entire Metric Universe, now chronologically ordered, can be found here.

March 16, 2019, Spittalfields, London, England

“Wait.  You mean you’re actually Mister April?!”  Several bottles into the six-pack of Tennant’s lager that he had brought home after work, Claire’s exclamation was too incredulous for Jamie’s liking.

“Aye.  Every year since I signed on, save one.  At first t’was flattering, but now, weel...” He peeled the label from the bottle held between his knees, cursing the trajectory of their late night conversation.  The idea had been to take advantage of the fact they were both off tomorrow to spend some time with his girlfriend, listen to a little music, get a bit sloshed, then hopefully fall into bed together.

“Can I see?” Claire interrupted his momentary sulk.  “I mean, I’ve been dating a veritable calendar boy for almost two years, and I’m only just now figuring it out.  Seems a bit unfair, don’t you think?”

“Seems to me ye’ve seen me wearing far less, Sassenach.  But fine, look yer fill.”

Grabbing his laptop, Jamie entered his name and London Fire Brigade Charity Calendar into a search engine.  A stream of results filled the screen.  Claire’s eyes goggled and she grabbed the computer, opening the first image.  A much younger Jamie appeared, rugby shorts hanging from the graceful arcs of his hipbones.  He reminded her of a Thoroughbred race horse, not an ounce of flesh to spare, kinetic energy in masculine form.  She checked the date: 2012, before they had ever met.

Further clicks brought her to subsequent years.  Each showed a beautiful man in the prime of youth, fit, cocky, a devil-may-care gleam in his cornflower eyes.  She knew it was her Jamie, but she barely recognized him.

He was missing from the 2015 calendar.  Claire did the math and realized that he would have been in the hospital when that year’s pictures were taken.  Instead of primping and smoldering for the camera, he had lain in an ICU bed for weeks, before undergoing painful rehabilitation and numerous skin grafts.  The brash young man of the earlier images had disappeared, erased by an industrial explosion in an instant.  In his place, the Jamie she knew had emerged. More cautious.  More prone to sadness, but with a limitless capacity to spread joy.  Would she had fallen for him, had they met before his transformation?  She honestly couldn’t say.

By 2016, the pictures had changed.  Jamie posed in a shirt, sometimes unbuttoned to the waist, but always with his shoulders covered.  The gleam in his eyes had dimmed, and instead of an infectious grin, his smile was forced.  She was certain no-one buying the calendar would notice.  He was still a beautiful man, with his burnished curls and Nordic bone structure.  But she could see what those photos cost him.  She knew.

“Dougal wanted me tae show my scars.  Figured t’would be good publicity, I reckon. Heroic firefighter burnt like a human candle comes back tae fight fire ano’er day. I told him I wasna some charity case he could trot out when it suited him.”

She fetched his hand from his lap, giving it an understanding squeeze.  Jamie had once confessed that he felt comfortable bearing his scars to her alone because she had already seen him at his worst, and that left no room for pity.  He was a proud, stubborn fool, and she loved him.

“You know what this means, don’t you?  There’s only one way to make this right.”

Not waiting for his response, she rose, sought her balance for a moment, and went to grab her phone.  Connecting it to their TV audio, she scrolled her music library, looking for a suitable choice.

“Aha!” she exclaimed, pressing play.  A synthetic tambourine and clap bass filled the room.  He recognized the opening lines of OutKast’s Way You Move.

“What are ye on about, Sassenach?”

“You’ve been sharing your glorious body with the Greater London area and god know who else on the Internet for years, Jamie.  As a philanthropist, I applaud you, but as your girlfriend, I’m a tad perturbed.  I am hereby re-asserting my rights to exclusive content.  Now stop lollygagging and get your fine ass off the couch.”

“Sassenach...” he laughed, starting to grab hold of her meaning and feeling a shot of adrenaline course through his veins.  Even before his accident, he had never...

“Don’t make me put it on repeat, Fraser.  Oh, look, here comes the chorus!”

Claire sat back on the sofa, her legs tidily crossed on their coffee table.  The room was dark, except for the undying city lights outside.  No-one was there to see except the one person he trusted to look without staring, to laugh without mocking, to understand without judging.  He’d never known Claire to ask for something she didn’t truly want, and he wanted to give her everything she desired.  Even if it came at the expense of his dignity.

“Ye ken I canna dance fer shite, right?” he said as he stood, taking an extra long pull on his lager.  He was going to need all the liquid courage it could offer.

“I’m well aware.  But as the woman who shares your bed, I can testify that there’s nothing the matter with your sense of rhythm.  If it helps, don’t think of it as dancing.  Think of it as upright simulated sex.”

His face was already hot from the alcohol and embarrassment, but with Claire’s words he felt the heat spread downwards across his chest and towards his groin.  Almost without willing it, his hips began to twitch in time to the beat.

“Now we’re talking!” Claire exclaimed with a grin, leaning back like the only patron at a very private strip club.

He was still dressed for work.  The navy shirt he wore beneath his jacket had no buttons, so he began by easing it from under his belt, baring his navel briefly before sliding it back down.  Claire sulked dramatically, making him laugh.  

With the song’s next horn flourish, he reached behind his neck and lifted the shirt clean off in a single tug, shaking out his hair afterwards.  When he next glanced at the couch, his girlfriend’s smug smile was gone, replaced by a blatant leer that sent shivers down his spine.  She wasn’t even pretending to look at his face anymore, spending her time somewhere between his shoulders and his waist.  He wasn’t really sweating, but he made a point of wiping his pecs before letting the shirt fall to the ground.

“Enjoying the show?” he asked, already a tad breathless.

“Immensely.  Don’t stop now.”

Fortunately, his boots and socks had already been removed, so with the next verse he made a show of unbuttoning and unzipping his blue trousers.  Claire’s eyes followed the movement of his fingers like she was memorizing them for the exam.  He could feel his cock grow heavy.

With a shake of his ass for good measure, the pants hit the floor.  Only a tight pair of boxer-briefs stood in the way of utter nudity.  They were doing a poor job hiding his belated enthusiasm for Claire’s request.  The fact that her eyes were now glued to the bulge of his erection only encouraged his excitement.

As the repeated chorus faded away, he carefully slipped the waistband over his now-rigid cock.  The material slid down his legs and he stepped free.  If someone had mentioned his scars in that instant, he would have no idea what they were talking about.

In the ensuing quiet, Claire sat up and very deliberately began to disrobe.  Once naked, she came at him like a heat-seeking missile, one hand reaching around his back to pull him tight and the other dragging him into a kiss.  They collapsed to the floor, rolling around on the area rug in a fight for dominance.  He let her win, because feeling her rise and fall over his length like a cresting wave was the best runner-up prize he could imagine.  

The sex was torrid, and frantic, and not at all polite.  The kind that left bruises and invoked daydreams for days.  Afterwards, they lay in a sweaty heap, trying to catch their breath.

“See?  I knew you had it in you,” Claire muttered into his clavicle.  “A bit more practice and you’ll be as good as the pros.”

“I didna realize I was auditioning fer a second job.”  He brushed Claire’s curls away from where they were tickling his nose.

“Oh, I have no intention of sharing your talents, lad.   Never fear.  But I wouldn’t object to a repeat performance.   Besides, I was so distracted by the show, I completely forgot to film you!”

Jamie groaned, pulling her tighter against him as sleep called him away to dreams.

[wastelandcth]

spooky baskets - cth

anon requested: u can use this for a blurb if you want but I was just:( thinking of dovey and cal packing care packages to all their friends in quarantine and since they live together and take care of each other all the time it's kinda pointless to make ones for each other but each of them does that without the other knowing:( and they're like ~surprised but not really since they're soulmates so they could have seen it coming~ but the things inside??? so precious omg:(

summary: spending halloween season in quarantine means that Dovey has to resort to other fun ideas, like spooky baskets. 

author’s notes: thank you to the anon who requested this! i know quarantine has been a hard time for everyone (trust me, i know) but i hope this blurb brings a little joy to these uncertain times. 

masterlist || request

As the weather switched from the hot summer heatwaves into the cooler nights where Dovey was finally able to sit outside in the backyard wearing a sweater without wanting to melt, she knew that eventually, the seasonal sadness that crept its way into Calum's soul would come. She knew it would mean that as the sun set earlier and came out later in the day, Calum's mood would change and the already quiet personality he had would be heightened. So she'd come up with a plan to get him out and be productive while still being safe and socially distant from the crowds of people that seemed to think the pandemic was over. 

"Hey Dove, do you think we could pop over to the store tomorrow? I was thinking we could make care packages for everyone, it's been almost two months since we last saw anyone in person and I think it'd be a nice surprise for them." she had offered while they both ate dinner, a rerun of a show playing softly out from the television. "I was thinking we could make them spooky baskets!" 

"Spooky baskets?" Calum asked softly and chuckled, raising an eyebrow at his wife as he looked up from his bowl of roasted veggie pasta. "What are spooky baskets?"

"Oh you know, they're like care packages but they're themed to Halloween! It'll be nice for everyone to have a little Halloween basket. We could get them some candy, pumpkin spice stuff, oh! Fuzzy socks and maybe even like wine." she nodded excitedly and chuckled. 

And that's exactly what Dovey and Calum found themselves doing the very next day. Dovey had woken Calum up with some banana protein pancakes he'd been meaning to try for the past couple of weeks and a cup of coffee. She'd been excited to go out ever since Calum had agreed that care packages for their friends would be a nice way to celebrate Halloween in the current state the world was in. So with both of them wearing a mask and Dovey's bag stocked with a bottle of hand sanitizer and wipes, they made their way into Target to browse for anything they could use for their spooky baskets. 

It wasn't long before their cart was filled with candy, gummies, multiple bottles of wine, and anything that Calum and Dovey deemed appropriate for a spooky basket. Dovey had even managed to sneak in a couple of items for Calum, who she was sure hadn't noticed as he'd been too busy looking for things the band would like. Calum however, had been too busy looking for things that Dovey would appreciate, having snuck an extra orange pumpkin bucket that he knew she would never notice since she wasn't the best at simple math. By the time they had reached the self-checkout and had managed to hide each other's presents from one another, they were in the car sanitizing their hands and driving back home. 

"I think Ashton would prefer to have the socks and Michael would enjoy the hand lotion," Calum said as they sorted through bags of Halloween themed self-care. "Maybe we could give Luke the set of nail polish? I know he's been itching to get his nails done but doesn't want to risk it by going out to a salon." 

It went on like that for a while, Dovey showing Calum a pair of socks or a shirt or any of the other things they'd bought for their friends and then they'd both discuss who they thought it would be best for. Soon enough, they had a line of spooky baskets on their dining table and all they had to do was finish writing on their Halloween themed cards which Dovey had specifically picked out for every single one of the baskets. 

"Do you mind finishing up the cards? You have a way with words, I would just say something weird and you're poetic. I'm going to take a shower and then we can watch a movie?" Dovey asked as she handed Calum the stack of envelopes and cards, walking down the hallway to their bedroom where she had hidden the bag filled with everything she'd gotten Calum for his basket before he had time to even notice. 

Calum sighed in relief as he saw Dovey walk away into their bedroom, waiting a few moments before he made his way over to his office where he'd hidden his bag of treats for Dovey under the desk. He worked silently, arranging everything he'd snuck into their shopping cart while Dovey had been distracted looking at homeware and Halloween mugs, and when he was finally done, he set the basket back under his desk before making his way back over to the dining table to finish up writing the cards for their friends. 

The next day, the morning sky was grey and the cold air had made its way in through the bedroom window that Dovey had insisted stay open throughout the night. Calum wished he could've stayed in bed all day, knowing that there was nothing he and Dovey could do either. Tour had been rescheduled and all their trips and vacations had been put on hold, with no guarantee of when he could fly back home to see his parents or even fly to London to see his sister. He'd rather stay in bed and sleep the day away, knowing there was nothing else to do but stay home and stay safe. Dovey, however, had different plans and when he heard music playing from somewhere in the house, Calum knew she'd come in with plans to take on the day. It wasn't too long after Calum had woken up that Dovey walked into their bedroom, holding two mugs with coffee and the smile that Calum knew he could count on seeing every day. 

"Ready to deliver spooky baskets?" she asked as she sat down next to him in bed and handed a skeleton mug over to him. 

A few hours later, after many sneaky deliveries of spooky baskets, Calum found himself in Dovey's arms while they laid on the couch. He'd been taking a nap, the cold air from outside had seeped into his bones and he'd been in Dovey's arms covered by a blanket to chase off the cold. She'd been watching television while he slept, her fingers raking through the curls which had grown out ever since the start of a lockdown. His short hair transitioning from a pink that Dovey had been obsessed with to a blonde quiff that made him look golden, and now into a mess of brown curls that she couldn't help but run her fingers through whenever she got the chance to. It wasn't until she felt Calum's lips on her shoulder that she realized he was waking up from the nap he'd accidentally fallen into. 

"I have a surprise for you," Dovey whispered into Calum's hair, a soft kiss pressing onto his forehead which brought Calum back down to Earth and into his lover’s arms. "Need to get it from our room though, I'll be right back." 

Calum was still half asleep as he sat up and watched Dovey wander off to their bedroom. He let out a yawn and let himself stretch out onto the couch, his eyes closing again as his mind tried recalling whatever dream he'd been having a few minutes ago. It had made him warm, flashes of Dovey's smile and her laughter mixed in with little ones chasing after Duke. He knew if he kept his eyes closed for a while longer he'd slip back into the dream and stay a little while longer. 

"Dove?" At first, it seemed like Calum had slipped into his dreamworld and the love of his life was roaming the halls of a house filled with love and kid's toys, but as he felt a hand on his cheek, his eyes opened again and he was met with Dovey's eyes, who seemed to hide the excitement. "I have something for you." 

Calum's eyes wandered down to Dovey's lap, which was currently holding an orange basket that was filled with flowers, candy, and gift-wrapped boxes. Calum's yawn was met by a laugh from Dovey who placed the basket in his lap, her body practically bouncing in place as she waited for him to open everything. Inside the basket, Calum unpacked a new coffee mug with a painted dog wearing a sheet over it making it look like a ghost, a blanket which was so soft Calum was surprised that Dovey hadn't kept it herself, and along with some more candy and snacks that Calum loves, he found a new journal with a polaroid picture of Dovey and Calum inside of the cover. 

"Sweet girl, this is amazing. I, I can't thank you enough for this." Calum nodded and pulled her into his arms, "I have a surprise for you too, you know? Guess great minds think alike." he chuckled and set the basket down to go grab Dovey's own spooky basket from his office. 

Dovey couldn't hold back the laughter in as she saw Calum walking into the living room holding a basket that resembled the one she had made for him, filled with goodies and self-care needs she loved. When Calum handed her the basket, she looked through it, her own heart swelling as she unpacked candles, lotions, and all the sour gummy worms she could dream of. It was everything a spooky basket should've been and all she could do was pull Calum into a kiss. 

It wasn't until a while later when candles had been lit on the coffee table and the Doves were laying in each other’s arms under the world's softest blanket that the group chat all of the guys and their partners were in started to go off, with pictures of the baskets Calum and Dovey had worked hard on. Calum couldn't help but chuckled as he read through the messages his friends had sent to them, answering their praises with memes he had saved from conversations with Dovey. It wasn't until he heard a sleepy whine coming from Dovey that he realized she was asleep and the constant buzzing from her phone was probably going to wake her up soon.  With a goodnight to the group chat and with fall candles being blown out and covered, Calum carried Dovey over into their bedroom and laid her down in be, making sure that the window was open before he laid down and closed his eyes, yearning for dreams of Dovey and the big house filled with laughter, love, and spooky baskets. 

[yellow-faerie]

misc-9?

Yes! Of course! (I’ll be doing Daemags because I haven’t written them properly in a few weeks and that is sad)

Misc 9 - “Stop being grumpy, it’s lame.”

Whoever said elves couldn’t get sick clearly had never been to London. On only a three day trip to that germ-infested hellhole, Maglor had managed to contract something that the internet said was either a cold, the flu or pneumonia.

It felt far too bad to be the former and Maglor really didn’t want to deal with the latter, he decided that he had flu and been confined to the bedroom by his husband.

“We’re home!” Daeron calls, as he opens the front door and throws the keys into the dish on the hallway table.

“Atya!”

Maglor had just been falling asleep and lets out a soft groan as Ivárë runs into the bedroom and jumps onto the bed, throwing her book bag off the edge.

“Shoes,” Maglor lightly chastises, concerned about the sheets even half-awake.

Ivárë pouts and kicks them off. Daeron will complain about the scuffs on the heels and that they aren’t neatly paired, but Maglor is tired and ill and that will have to do.

He sinks back against his pillows, trying to ignore an oncoming headache.

Ivárë scrambles upright and examines his face, her own much too close. “Stop being grumpy,” She says, sitting back onto her heels. “It’s lame.”

“Are you disturbing your father Filegol?” Daeron appears in the doorway, smiling slightly as he slips his hands into his pockets and leans against the doorframe.

“He’s grumpy. It’s lame anyway.” She sighs dramatically and flops back on the bed. “Everything’s lame, you know? School and people - all the people are lame - and...and peas! Peas suck.”

“Ah.” Maglor is trying to listen, he swears, but it is rather difficult.

“Do you have homework Filegol?”

Ivárë groans, scowling before flinging an arm over her face. “I don’t want to. It’s stupid.”

“Maybe so,” Daeron says placatingly, coming into the room to nudge the shoes together and to pick up her book back and the scattered papers that had fallen out upon the bags unceremonious flinging. “But you don’t want to be told off by Miss Jones tomorrow, do you?”

Still scowling, Ivárë drops off the bed and snatches the bag moodily from her father’s hands. “Fine. I’ll do the stupid, lame, sucky homework. But I won’t do it well!”

She stomps from the room.

“There. That’ll keep her busy for a few minutes.”

Maglor sighs, his mind slowly whirring to life. “Do you think school was right for her?” He asks, speaking Quenya - he doesn’t think his mind can deal with any other language right now.

“What do you mean?” Daeron, despite his distaste for it, speaks in the same tongue in his reply. The accent is thick but Maglor appreciates the effort.

“She’s not enjoying it.”

“No.” Daeron perches himself on the edge of the bed. “And she doesn’t have any friends that I can work out. We’ll probably have to go back to homeschooling. I’d like her to be happy at least.”

Maglor nods, not fully taking in the words.

“But you’re unwell. We’ll have this talk when you no longer have a fever.” Daeron presses his hand against Maglor’s forehead and it is blessedly cool against his burning skin and checks his temperature via the thermometer. “You’re going to hate me, but I’m taking the duvet away.”

“No!” Maglor looks at Daeron pleadingly.

“I’ll give it back when your temperature has gone down.”

“But it’s cold!”

“It’s just for a little bit, I promise. When the shopping comes, I’ll bring you an ice lolly and you can have a blanket.” Daeron leans forward and presses a kiss to Maglor’s cheek. “Now, I have a daughter to give maths homework help to.”

“You’re terrible at maths,” Maglor mumbles, curling up and shivering miserably on the bed.

“Wish me luck then.”

He leaves, shutting the door carefully behind him.

Maglor frowns, feeling freezing but knowing that his body is lying to him.

It doesn’t stop it being (in the ever wise words of his daughter) stupid, sucky and lame.

He promises himself he’s not going to any city for at least the next three hundred years.

[chockfullofsecrets]

FFH: Name That Hero

(Read on AO3)

Rating: Gen

Summary:  Peter discovers who coined the name for his European counterpart and decides that this deserves some kind of retaliation.

Wordcount: 943

A/N: I wanted to write something short and sweet to get back into the swing of things, and I hope you guys don’t mind too much that this is a different fandom than usual! 

Two days after getting off the plane from London, things were back to normal. 

In Peter’s case, that meant an afternoon in his room doing linear algebra homework with Ned before a short evening patrol. Fairly boring, especially in comparison to flipping across the rooftops of foreign architecture, but Peter had come to really, really appreciate normal. Even when it came with reduced-row echelon forms.

“Hey, Ned, what did you get for number four?”

“Uh...four by four matrix with almost everything over three?”

“Ugh, most of mine are over six. And this isn’t even an odd problem - can I see yours?”

“I’m working on seven, one sec.”

They were both sitting on his bed, so it was a matter of seconds for Peter to shuffle across and hook his chin over Ned’s shoulder. “I just want to see what you divided by in the third step-”

“Whoa, I’m being attacked by Night Monkey!” Ned didn’t even look up from where his mechanical pencil was rasping against the paper, but Peter saw him grin seconds before he reached around with his free arm and started poking Peter in the ribs. “He’s trying to steal my math homework! Peter, what should I do?”

“Ga-ah! Hehehey!” Peter giggled, squirming over to Ned’s other side where his arm couldn’t reach. “Let him have it! He needs it to save the world!”

Ned laughed, writing a few more numbers in his notebook before passing it over to Peter. “I’d give it to Spider-man, maybe. But Night Monkey? No way!”

Peter clutched Ned’s homework to his chest like the brain-saving treasure it was and flopped back onto his pillow with all the force of someone who had been punched. “Ned,” he groaned, “Night Monkey is such a stupid name.”

Ned looked weirdly offended, late afternoon sunlight catching the side of his face as he grimaced. “Hey, it’s not that bad!”

“What if SHIELD makes me dress up in a black suit again? Why would Betty even-”

He stopped, eyebrows still furrowed, and sat up very slowly to look Ned in the eye. “Ned?”

His friend promptly dropped his pencil, fumbling to pick it up again. “Uh - yeah, Peter?”

“Did you tell Betty that my name was Night Monkey?”

“No?”

“Ned.”

“I had to!” Ned burst out. “I told her I’d read about you in the news, and she asked me for a name - I didn’t know what to say!”

Peter just kept staring. “Night. Monkey.” 

“I was distracted by love! And fear! I’m usually good under pressure-”

“Are you? Are you really?” Tossing Ned’s notebook neatly to the other end of the bed, Peter grabbed one of Ned’s shoulders and wrestled him backwards onto the covers. “You wanna bet?”

Ned didn’t seem very reassured by his crazed grin, flailing in a useless attempt to right himself. “P-Peheter, come on - AH! AHAAAA! NONONO!” 

Peter felt his smile stretch even wider as he kept Ned down with one hand and scribbled rapidly over his belly and sides with the other. “No? Why not?”

“I - hihihi - I cahaHAn’t! PeheTER!”

 Peter just hmmed and started poking around for particularly bad spots. “Nah, convince me, you’re - whoa, whoa, stay still! - you’re good under pressure, right?” He leaned a bit harder on Ned’s shoulder, forcing him still, and hovered a handful of wiggling fingers over the bare skin where his shirt had ridden up. “Well?” 

“Ha-ha-” Ned was panting, schooling his face to look as stern as possible despite seeming like he could burst into nervous giggles at any moment. “Peter, no. I gave you my homework!”

 “You tickled me first,” Peter reminded him casually. “But okay, you got me.” He shifted back, both hands coming up in mock surrender. “Peter won’t.”

“Really?” Ned blinked. “I didn’t think that was going to work.”

Peter shrugged. “Night Monkey totally will though.”

“Oh, shi - hihi! HAHAHA!” 

Ned had no hope of shoving off a mischievous superhuman, and Peter knew his friend was way too ticklish to enjoy this for long - he only kept the assault for a couple seconds, squeezing fleshy sides and wiggling a finger briefly around a defenseless navel, before backing off and letting him catch his breath. “Okay, okay, I’m done.”

Ned flopped bonelessly over Peter’s legs, both of them wincing as a textbook toppled off the side of the bed. Peter couldn’t help laughing a little in the newfound silence.

Ned just groaned at him. “Dude,” he said. “Fine, it wasn’t my best moment. Okay?”

They were both still smiling. If they started talking about Ferris wheels and green shields and that night in Prague, they wouldn’t be smiling anymore, so Peter decided to just - not do that. “Three years of academic decathlon, and you couldn’t come up with a better hero name than Night Monkey.”

“Academic decathlon is about remembering stuff, not coming up with it!” 

“Still.” Peter let his upper body slump across Ned’s back in mock dejection. “Spider-man can never wear black again.”

“I like your new suit better anyway,” Ned declared loyally. “Night Monkey can stay in Europe where he belongs.”

Peter rewarded him by freeing them both from the Jenga tower of limbs he had created. “Thanks, Ned.” He scooped up the fallen textbook and flipped it back open. “I’m never going to get to wear my suit again if I don’t finish this assignment, though.”

“You’re the one who got distracted in the first place!” Ned teased. He sat up, rearranging his homework materials back into order, and gestured for his notebook. “Come on, let’s check out number four.” 

[fionnlydarling]

a letter from tommy

so i wrote a dunkirk one-shot! please give credit if you reblog and let me know what you think, if you’d like to read more, or if you would like to request your own imagines, drabbles, etc. 

Pairing: TommyxReader

Word Count:  2004 words

Prequel to Tommy Gets Hurt & Tommy Healing

It's been weeks of nothing. Not one letter for ages. You’d been following the news, every morning rising with the sun and being one of the first to buy the day’s paper. Every day your eyes frantically scoured the registry of fallen soldiers, praying that you wouldn’t see his name written in the paper, his name amongst the hundreds listed. Tommy, your Tommy.

You’d heard about Dunkirk. Everyone in England and around the world had heard about Dunkirk. You’d listened to Churchill’s speech, read how civilians had come together to get their boys off the beach. A staggering 338,226 had been saved, lived to fight another day. You were glad for the lives saved. Really you were. But you’d done the math, worked out that there were at least 10,000 soldiers who hadn’t gotten off the beaches. Ten thousand soldiers who had died or been captured by the Germans. You know, you know the majority made it, but you still can’t stamp out that horrible voice deep inside your mind whispering what if? What if he’s one of those 10,000?

The paper didn’t have his name on it after all, thank God, so part of you can breathe now. You can now go spend the rest of the day focusing on your nursing training, pretending that you don’t know that there’s still at least a week’s worth of soldiers the papers haven’t received yet.

Your family and friends had been confused when you’d announced that you were moving to London to study nursing. It had never been your goal to be a nurse. You’d always wanted to be a teacher. But then the war happened and everything changed.

It was a difficult job. You were expected to be at the hospital little after dawn and you didn’t usually get back to the flat you share with two other nurses-in-training until well after the sun has set. The country needed all the trained and knowledgeable nurses and doctors they could spare, and that meant trying to cram what was typically a three year training program into just one year.

But it was rewarding, and you enjoy the sense of satisfaction you get from feeling like you’re doing your part to help with the war, this horrible war. It was difficult work and you felt like you hadn’t gotten any sleep in over six months, but that was alright. It helped distract you from the fear, all the wondering.

You finally get to the flat. Lily is already there and she’s holding up an envelope, her red lips painting a smirk, and you know. You don’t even think about where you drop your bags and snatch the envelope from Lily before going to lock yourself in the bathroom, for privacy and also because you’re not keen on sobbing in front of your flatmates.

It’s a miracle you don’t tear the letter as you rip open the envelope you’ve been waiting weeks for, finally in your hands and your eyes start to well with tears because a quick glance at the date written in the top-right hand corner tells you that Tommy made it out of Dunkirk and he’s alive. You wait until you’ve relaxed enough to stop shaking and you force yourself to take a breath as you see clearly the familiar scrawl of Tommy’s writing and read.

My darling,

I hope you can forgive me for the silence, I know it’s been weeks, but I’ve finally found a moment to sit and write. I’m currently at some camp I can’t be bothered to remember the name of. It’s all been a blur since Dunkirk. I’m sure the papers have given all the details and you’ve probably read Churchill’s speech. I don’t have much more to add other than how hard it is to connect Churchill’s words with what we went through. I wish this war would end.

We’re just waiting now. A few days rest before we get deployed again to God knows where. A bloke I met at the beaches, Alex, reckons we’ll have at least a week, but it’s difficult to say.

But I don’t want to talk about the war any more. How are you? I hope you’re not overworking yourself too much with the program. I’m happy to hear that you enjoy it at least. I knew you would pass the preliminary exams with top scores. You should give yourself a little more credit. Do you like your new flatmate? In the last letter I got from you, you’d said you and Lily were still looking for a third girl to help with the rent. If you go back home some weekend again, will you tell my parents you’ve heard from me?

Home. It’s strange to think of it now sometimes. There are days I think I can still see the meadows and taste the raspberries from my parents’ garden. But there are other days, the harder days, I can hardly remember the faces of our school mates, or the name of the reverend who’s been at our church since before I was born. I get scared sometimes that I’ll forget everything.

Everything feels like such a blur half the time, like none of my memories are even real. The only thing that makes any sense sometimes is you. You are always in my thoughts. I can still feel your hair running through the gaps between my fingers, your smile, the sound of your voice. Sometimes I swear I can almost hear you.

I wish I could write more, but the paper here is scarce and so is time. So, I’ll just end with the only thing that matters: I love you. I miss you so much I can feel it in my bones, an ache that just won’t go away, not until I see you again. All I want is to come back home, come back home to you. I haven’t forgotten our promise.

All my love,

Tommy

You close your eyes, your mind spinning with the words you have just read, words written by Tommy, safe and alive. All the anxiety you’ve been carrying for the past few weeks, trying not to worry that the worst had happened, just melts away.

A part of you wishes the letter had been longer, that you have hours worth of writing to help you get through the coming weeks that will surely be filled with more silence, but you’re grateful.

You try to imagine Tommy wherever he is now. You hope he doesn’t feel too alone, that this Alex bloke he mentioned is a good man and helps watch over him. But you try not to think too hard on it. You’ve learned from experience that thinking about Tommy in his soldier’s uniform for too long makes you start imagining other things: the whoosh of bullets flying past, the pained sounds of injured men, unseeing eyes, hazel eyes.

So you shake your head and instead think of other memories, memories that sometimes feel now like they’re from another lifetime.

You think of the first time you’d seen Tommy, how he was the most beautiful boy you had ever seen and how warm your cheeks had felt when he’d turned around and you’d quickly looked away, hoping he hadn’t caught you staring. You think of how his hand had brushed against yours sometimes those evenings he’d walked you home, and you’d spent all night wondering if it had been intentional. You remember the Williams wedding and how he’d blushed when he’d asked you for a dance.

You think of the first time he’d kissed you, your first kiss. How his fingers had grazed the skin of your cheek, how his lips had moved so seamlessly with yours. How closely he’d held your body against his, like he never wanted to let you go. You had been in that moment that you’d been waiting for after the countless glances exchanged, the shy and awkward but wonderful stolen moments, the accidental touches. Weeks of waiting and wondering if he felt the same or if you were just going mad.

He’d left before they could start a real life together, the life they had talked together about those evenings they’d stolen away together in the meadows near the cliffs. All their plans. The promises.

You think of the last promise you’d both made to each other, the day Tommy had left with all the other young men of their village.

He’d held your hands in his larger ones, forehead pressed against yours as you breathed together, hoping and wishing you could just stay in this moment forever, still together. They’d had to part eventually though. He’d started bringing up The Possibility, the one he’d vaguely brought up before you’d quickly shot it down, a possibility you refused to think about even now. You remember how tentatively he’d brought it up then.

“But...if I shouldn’t come back-”

“Tommy, stop. Don’t.”

“We have to talk about it-”

“No-”

“I don’t want you to be waiting forever if something happens to me-”

You’d put your hands over his and stood straighter, your entire body vibrating with conviction. “I won’t, because you’re coming back. You’re coming back to me Tommy. You do whatever you have to do to come back to me because I don’t intend on starting a life with anyone else but you, you hear me? So promise me,” your voice had cracked at this point, and you’d had to wrap your hands around his coat for a moment to gather yourself, “promise you’ll come back.”

Tommy’s lips had curved into a smile then, and he’d brushed the wetness from your cheek as he’d whispered, “I promise, I’ll come back to you and when I do, we’ll start our lives together.”

A part sob, part laugh had torn from your throat and Tommy had kissed your eyes and the tears off from your cheeks before crashing his lips to yours one last time. There was one last exchange of ‘I love you’s’ and then you were watching him walk away to war, a war neither one of you knew how long would last.

That felt like so long ago, but you can still remember the taste of him, the rough pad of his fingers and the smell of his cologne.

You bring the letter to your chest and in that movement accidentally drop the envelope it had come in. You kneel down to pick it up and that’s when you see there still something peeking out from inside the envelope. He’d sent something else with his letter.

You pull it out and gasp, bubbling with joy. Tommy had sent a picture, a picture of himself.

You smile at the black and white photo, your eyes greedily taking in every detail of his face. Your fingers trace over his eyes, staring in awe at how the photograph managed to capture the characteristic intensity in his gaze that you’d fallen in love with.

It’s a long time before you think that others might want to use the bathroom eventually, so you gather your letter and photograph to your tiny room. You decide you’ll write back tomorrow and see if you can find some time during lunch to find somewhere to get a photograph of yourself to send to Tommy. For tonight, you’ll reread his letter, proof that he’s alive and well and thinking of you, and keep his photograph close to your heart and pray that soon you’ll see him in person again.

Being away from Tommy while he’s at war has been the most difficult thing you’ve ever had to do, walking through life as though you aren’t worried every moment of every day for the safety of the one you’ve fallen in love with. But you’ve kept his promise close to your heart and you know that it will all be real one day.

He will come back to you, you’ll start your lives together. It will happen, because he’d promised and you believe in him.

You’d wait for him, no matter how long it took.

[feminarrie]

under the same moon - prologue

a/n: hello, hello! happy new year, my loves. i’m excited to be posting the prologue for the au that i have absolutely fallen in love with! 

please let me know what you think. lemme know if you’d be interested in a tag list for this fic, as well! 

banner credit ⇢ @booksncoffee

A nervousness twists Hanna’s stomach into knots as she stands in line, her position aligning with her boarding class. She’s settled a cheetah print neck pillow, a present from her mother, around the back of her neck. She bumps the top of it with her jaw as she nibbles the already jagged edge of her thumbnail. If the nibbling of her nails wasn’t enough to portray just how anxious she was to board her flight, her dark chocolate irises shift between the agent scanning tickets and passengers preparing to board the same flight. 

Hanna isn’t nervous about the flight. She actually enjoys the momentary butterflies and weightlessness she feels when they’ve begun to climb in altitude. The anxiety has more to do with flying across the globe—ten hours and over five thousand miles—to spend two weeks exploring all London had to offer. She is more than excited to see all of the sights and literary landmarks she has only dreamed about. But, she had a hard enough time moving down the coast of California. So, it really is no wonder that her hands are shaking as she hands over her boarding pass. 

She’s adjusting the straps of her backpack after a tight-lipped smile to the agent who had wished her a safe flight. The same toothless smile is repeated as she passes three flight attendants at the front of the plane. The remainder of the time before takeoff passes by in a blur and that’s likely because Hanna has already managed to tuck her nose between the pages of a book when the protocol for emergency landings was broadcasting across the screen imbedded in the back of the seat before hers. And truthfully, she should be paying attention, but she’s nearly finished reading A Christmas Carol and she’s invested in the happenings of Ebenezer Scrooge. 

In addition to it being one of the five books listed on her winter reading list for the course, Hanna had thought it was only fitting to start it during the holiday season. She managed to read fifteen page chunks between packing her bags and sorting through recently gifted items that she’d brought home from San Francisco. That had only been two days ago and typically, Hanna would have finished a hundred-page book within a few hours, but the nerves and packing, and repacking had consumed her time. But, as she’s nearing the final stretch during their ascent, she’s grateful for the distraction. 

Ten hours, a four hour nap, and a terrible in-flight movie later, Hanna and her group of fellow classmates are preparing for the descent. The lights above indicate that she should be strapped in to her isle seat while the pilot recites the temperature and time as they approach Heathrow. 

11:15am and 7 degrees Celsius. 

She attempts to convert the temperature in her head, but a furrow of her brow and a pout on her lips makes it evident that math still isn’t her strongpoint. She just knows that it was cold. Much colder than Los Angeles was when she had left. And she’s grateful that her outfit is a pair of leggings and a thick sweatshirt that very nearly reaches the top of her knees. The letters CSUN are written in red across the black fabric and the sleeves are much too long. 

“Right, everyone.” Her professor, Dr. Higgins, says in an attempt to gather the attention of those that are awake. “After baggage claim, we’ll be boarding a bus to our hotel. From there, you’ll get your room assignments and you’re free to do whatever you’d like until we reconvene for dinner at seven.” 

Hanna nods attentively, having turned in her seat to see and hear Dr. Higgins better. They make momentary eye contact and Hanna shares a polite smile. Dr. Higgins, though Hanna has come to a first name basis with them and often refers to them by Anneliese, has been a blessing during her years at the university. She’s worked with Hanna to better understand some obscure concepts hidden within an assigned novel or clear up any confusion regarding an upcoming paper. More poignant, however, Anneliese has opened her doors to Hanna when the stress of school and a dumb boy had almost proven to be too much for her. She had offered Hanna a shoulder to cry on and given her advice that kept her on the right path to graduate next spring. Something that Hanna doesn’t think she will ever be able to repay her for. 

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Hanna’s grateful and relieved to find that Ira would be rooming with her. The first person to introduce themselves when Hanna had finally settled into her dorm room, Ira had quickly become a close friend. At least for a time, but it’s an age-old story. Someone becomes fast friends with the girl that keeps her door open, hoping that someone will walk in or agree to watch a movie just to ease the tension of move in. By the end of the spring semester, the two drifted apart as they found their individual friend groups. But, there’s no bad blood between them. Only a comfortable silence as they each unpack their carry-ons and luggage. 

Hanna wheels a nearly empty suitcase—brought with her just to store souvenirs and possible new outfits—into an open closet while the other sits at the foot of her bed. Eight books sit atop neatly folded clothes and barely differ from the five that Ira has sat next to her bedside. The covers seem less worn than Hanna’s, but loved just the same. 

“Ready to see what London’s got to offer?” Ira asks, zipping up her black cross body purse and smiling brightly at Hanna. 

With an anxious, but excited smile, Hanna nods and follows Ira into the historic city. 

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

The first week of her stay had gone by fairly quickly. It was a whirlwind of long bus rides to and from Stonehenge, a long day spent at Oxford, and the fair part of Friday was spent at the Tower of London. Each tourist trap separated by early nights and cups of tea in the dark corners of coffee shops. She had even managed to slip in a few beers and shots when she allowed herself to be torn away from the pages of Alice in Wonderland. 

Hanna’s finished all five books by the end of that first week. And true to the Hanna Reyes formula, a series of nights out before writing a paper were planned. She had even convinced Ira, who had only been out with Hanna once in the year that they had known each other, to try on one of Hanna’s outfits and hit the town. 

Now, three tequila shots and one beer deep, Hanna isn’t quite sure how she and Ira ended up in a fish and chip shop. Close to 2:35am, if the digital clock on her lock screen is accurate. But, as the smell of grease and fried food wafts through the air and overcomes her senses, she doesn’t really care all that much about the logistics of their journey. More preoccupied with finding something on the menu to appease her drunken appetite and lessen her inevitable hangover. 

Yet, the text of the menu blurs in front of her. Perhaps due to the alcohol in her system, but it’s more likely that the glasses sat on the bedside table in her hotel room have something to do with it. Ira’s managed to wander off to the bathroom while Hanna narrows her eyes at the red and black text. She even leans forward, black heeled boots lifting momentarily off the ground as she pushes off the top of the counter. 

“Halibut’s the best on the menu, if you ask me.” Someone speaks from behind her. 

Hanna sets her feet back down on the worn linoleum tiles before pivoting to see who had spoken to her. She’s greeted with a smiling brunette; whose glossy eyes and flushed cheeks mirror her own. His hair is messy atop his head and she can smell the beer that appears to have been spilt on him fairly recently. It darkens the navy blue shirt that hangs over the top of light blue skinny jeans. 

“Oh,” she offers a smile in his direction, “Thanks. Forgot my glasses.”

A deep belly laugh erupts from the stranger and it stretches the existing smile on Hanna’s face. It’s a joyous sound that bounces off the walls of the fairly empty fish and chip shop, only matched in volume by the rowdy group of boys he appears to be with. The three of them rival him in terms of intoxication, though. Stumbling and laughing while they stand behind him. 

“S’better than being too drunk to read, like this lot.” He gestures behind him with his thumb, a playful smile on his face that just barely shows his teeth. 

“I’m sure the tequila probably doesn’t help my vision, though.” Hanna replies, raising her shoulders in a shrug. 

There’s a short, comfortable pause that follows. The pair look at each other, eyes sparkling and glossy as a result of their separate nights out. The moment is only interrupted by the clearing of someone’s throat behind the counter and it has both of their faces flooding with color. 

Hanna pulls her attention away from the stranger, but her body is still angled toward him. Toe pointed in his direction and left hip jutted slightly outward. Hanna thinks the liquor in her system is rearing its head because before she can stop herself, she’s offering to pay for the meal of someone she’s only just met. Though, she’s done arguably worse things than this. She could even list their names if she dug deep enough in her memory. 

He attempts to tell her that he’s absolutely fine paying for his own meal, but the jeering of his friends behind him forces him to relent. A thankful and apologetic smile forms on his pink lips. Hanna simply waves him off with a few flicks of her wrist before she’s placing her order. 

“And whatever...” she pauses, glancing back toward the handsome stranger. 

“Niall,” he introduces himself, stepping forward and nearly pressing his stomach to the edge of the counter. “And I’ll have the same.” 

Hanna gives her name to the cashier after she has paid. Her name falls on Niall’s ears as he moves in tandem with her as she steps aside, his group of friends taking their place. And it’s then that Hanna sees Ira stood behind the group of university students. She’s tugging her hood from beneath the strap of her cross-body purse when she makes eye contact with Hanna. Ira smiles brightly at her, just as intoxicated as Hanna albeit slightly less wobbly on her two feet. 

“Cheers, Hanna. Didn’t have to pay for me.” And the two syllables sound heavy and thick with his accent, and Hanna thinks it’s the best her name has sounded. 

“Don’t worry about it,” she says, tucking her wallet back into her purse. “I’ve done worse things when I’m drunk.” 

.     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .     .

Perhaps going back to a near stranger’s flat wasn’t high up on the list of smart things she’s done while intoxicated. But, Niall seems friendly enough and Ira is sat comfortably beside her. Besides, his place doesn’t look like a serial killer’s lair. It does, however, look like the apartment of a typical college male. A couple bottles of beer are scattered across a well-worn coffee table and pizza boxes are folded into themselves in an attempt to fit them into a bulging trash bag. 

“Sorry ‘bout that. Me and my mate Liam weren’t expecting company.” Niall had said when they first arrived, collecting the bottles and tossing them into the recycle bin. 

Hanna just smiled at him, allowing herself to sink into the comfort of a well-worn couch. Now, Ira’s thigh is pressed tightly against hers as Liam, Niall’s roommate, squeezes to sit beside them. And it forces Hanna to move just a fraction of an inch so she’s pressed more against the arm of the black couch. 

Niall is bent over his laptop, the neck of a freshly opened beer bottle between his fingers as he searches for a playlist. He glances between Ira and Hanna before asking if they have any specific requests to be queued. Ira shakes her head silently, too caught up in watching the screen light up with the beginning scenes of Mario Kart. 

“Can’t Feel My Face, is a good one.” Hanna offers, unable to think of many other songs. 

Niall gives her a short smile, one that still meets his eyes but would’ve been missed had she blinked. The song begins playing from the laptop speaker and is accompanied by the video game sound effects before Liam is reaching to mute the television volume. 

And they spend the remainder of the night like that, really. Half lidded eyes trained on new acquaintances and the television. Tired voices talking about anything and nothing. 

Hanna is nearly in Niall’s lap when the sun begins to peek over the horizon. The sky is beginning to color with muted oranges and yellows, a sign of the impending sunrise. Hanna whispers a soft fuck when she looks between the time on her phone and the sun. It makes Niall laugh, and it is a scratchy noise that conveys his lack of sleep. 

“Ira and I should’ve been back long before now,” she says with a sigh. 

Ira is contorted in a seat that sits to the right of the couch. Her breathing is soft and even, and a tad bit of drool pooling on the pillow in Liam’s lap. And Hanna hadn’t realized the pair had fallen asleep until just then. Who knows how long they had been like that. 

“I could give you a lift?” He says, and the offer sounds nice. But, Hanna hardly thinks it’s fair to make him drive when he is just as sleep deprived as she is. 

“Ira and I can just get a taxi.” Hanna shakes her head, attempting to keep a yawn at bay as she speaks. “Thank you, though. I appreciate it.” 

And it’s Niall’s turn to shake his head, already nudging Hanna’s legs from his lap and pushing up from the couch. He stretches his arms above his head while simultaneously shifting his weight to his toes. Hanna can hear his should blades roll and pop, and it sends a shiver down her spine. She has never liked it when people cracked or popped their bones around her. It makes her skin crawl, if she’s honest. 

“Taxis are too expensive, love. All I require is a cup of coffee and the best way to contact you.” Niall says, a cheeky smile adorning his features and the lilt in his voice has her hanging on her words. 

And after Niall’s continued hospitality and sweetness, how could Hanna deny him such simple repayments?

feedback? | series masterlist 

[daisworld-app]

Think Investing in stocks yourself is better than going through mutual funds?

Think again – This D-I-Y may be one of your most expensive mistakes ever!

 Having taught the basic principles of Financial Planning and wisdom for years now via my college lectures and one-to-one courses,  I have met my fair share of people looking to be financially literate. I help people speak the language of their accountants, wealth advisors and fund managers but that doesn’t mean one must necessarily replace them.

Recently, one of the students came up to me and asked me for my blessings on his new career move.

He said he had found his calling and that he was going to be a “stock market trader”. I asked him how he decided on this career path and told me he was “killing it” in the stock market. Since he had started investing (roughly 1.5 years ago), he was generating returns of 70% p.a.!!!!  

Need I dare caution him??  Of course. After this little reality check:

For all investors who entered the stock market after the crash of 2020, if you did not generate good returns, you are doing something horribly wrong! Generating profits in a bull market is rarely a feat – in fact you are as good as any other investor. The real challenge is to be able to keep up this return of 70% for the next 7-10 years.

Then I will cede and admit it that this may as well be your calling!

Most people who invest in the stock market as a side hobby DO NOT have the time, skills or the capital to do so. There is a reason the popular AMFI TV commercial, we have all seen during the IPL matches says “mutual funds sahi hai”.

Let me give you an example to explain better:

Imagine when we go to the market with a small amount of ration money looking to buy some fruits for our family. We zero in on some apples and buy two kilos. On biting into the first one, we find a worm and realize that the apples we bought are rotten. There goes all the money!

 What if we had the option of buying a fruit basket - with a little apple, some oranges, grapes, maybe a slice of a watermelon, some foreign fruit like mangosteen? And all this at the same price at which we would’ve purchased a dozen apples?!!

Which would you choose? - Buying two kilos of apples or getting the whole fruit basket?

OF COURSE, you will pick the fruit basket. I surely would! Not only are you getting a good variety, the fruits have been picked by a fruitwala who knows his fruit! He does it for a living for most hours in his day, every day!

Putting this into context - A mutual fund is like your fruit basket. Investors pool their money into this giant basket. In return they get a % share of this basket in the form of units (Smaller fruit baskets). The value of each unit is dictated by a term called NAV (the price of each basket).

Our money is now being invested by someone whose job it is to know the goings-on of the stock market. The Fund manager’s sole purpose is to track the news, politics, economics, socials, fundamentals and technicals of the stock market and make investment decisions. It is his living for most hours of his day, every day!

Still not convinced? Take a look at index funds that track the performance of the top 30 (Sensex) or 50 (Nifty) companies in the stock market. What do their returns look like? They should be your first benchmark. Do you know why? Because these Funds just do one job - Passively copy the actual index, no brainwork required.

With your effort, you should at least be able to beat them.

 And if you are still not convinced and are fancying a hand at the stocks game yourself, then at least go armed with the following pointers:

1.     You MUST have time to invest: Not only must you keep up with all the financial press, you must enjoy the process of researching, reading up and regularly tracking your investments.

2.     You MUST BE willing to get educated: Investing is beyond just making money from money, it also involves tax planning and minimizing costs. You will have to learn about how your investments are taxed so that you book profits and losses effectively. Dividends are now taxed in the hands of the investor (you!). You will also have to learn about Brokerage, SST, GST and other trading costs ensuring you don’t over-trade.

 3.     You MUST UNDERSTAND the concept of opportunity cost: You are obviously sacrificing some time from whatever business or day job you have, to start investing on your own, the time you are spending doing this is being taken away from something else you could have been doing. Is it really worth it? Do that math before you take the plunge.

 4.     You MUST Identify your risk appetite and stick to it: When we see an investment making money, we are tempted to go all in. We have all heard this tune on TV “stock market investments are subject to market risk” they don't just say this because they have to warn us (legally!) but also because we must identify our risk-taking capacity and adhere to it.  

 5.     You MUST NOT get emotionally attached to your investments: Most of us find it hard to cut our losses and move on. People when investing their hard-earned money themselves cannot book losses and exit when a stock has fallen way below expectations. They wait and wait and pray and pray. One must consciously not fall prey to fear, greed, overconfidence and a God complex. This is not only eroding your wealth; it is also costing you precious compounding elsewhere.

 My final word: If you are hell bent on DIY, try maybe doing both? Give some of your wealth to the experts (Afterall what harm can it do?), DIY some of it, put some in negatively correlated instruments like GOLD (Sovereign Gold Bonds are a good way to go about it) and keep a portion of it in a guaranteed return type investment (FDs, liquid funds) – Hoping you still have some good fruits in your basket when the markets don’t cooperate.

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

Minakshi Todi, Founder of The Finance Box and Vidyabroad is the heart and mind behind this mission movement of Financial Wisdom for the everyday user.

Armed with an MSc. Finance from Cass Business School London, she quit an illustrious career in Investment Banking and took up Financial teaching as her life’s purpose.

 She believes that in order to go smoothly through life, one must understand why money matters and the need to manage it in the simplest terms possible.

Her ‘students’ are aged 10 to 70 years and she is often quoted in noted business dailies for her thoughts on personal finance.

You too can participate and learn from her short one-to-one online courses. Of course, privileged access and special offers apply to Dais Readers. Click here to begin your journey.

  Feel free to reach us at assist@dais.world to know more or tell us more and we would be delighted to experience the connect.

[name-n-pronoun-validation]

Can you do the name Marsh with ae/aer pronouns? I really like cosmic horror, and I like to make art. I'm really interested in Leonardo da vinci, math, and the game Fallen London! I like to write, but I am not very good at it yet. My favourite animals are rock doves and argentine ants.

This is Marsh! Ae is a hella cool person who likes cosmic horror and art, as ae should! Aer favorite animals are rock doves and argentine ants, I had to google both but EXCELLENT choices my dude. Ae is also a fellow Fallen London fan!! Ae also enjoys math and writing, which ae is improving on every day. One of aer favorite people is Leonardo da Vinci and who could blame aem?? He’s pretty cool. I hope that ae is doing well and that aer week/month/year is fantastic💙

[ninnetta153gaming]

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[the-tevinter-biscuit]

i was tagged by @lypreila thanks! this is long so im gonna put it under a read more

tagging: @valroyou @gothic-princess-witch @nireos @her-majestys-watchdog @hennigreygoose @xiz0r @pi3pr0xy @shivanessa @fallenkey

1ST RULE: tag 10 people you want to get to know better 2ND RULE: BOLD the statements that are true

APPEARANCE: I am 5'7" or taller  I wear glasses I have at least one tattoo I have at least one piercing I have blonde hair (at least until tomorrow) I have brown eyes I have short hair My abs are at least somewhat defined I have or have had braces

PERSONALITY: I love meeting new people People tell me that I’m funny Helping others with their problems is a big priority for me I enjoy physical challenges I enjoy mental challenges I’m playfully rude with people I know well I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it 

ABILITY: I can sing well I can play an instrument I can do over 30 pushups without stopping I’m a fast runner I can draw well I have a good memory I’m good at doing math in my head I can hold my breath underwater for over a minute I have beaten at least 2 people in arm wrestling I know how to cook at least 3 meals from scratch I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES: I enjoy playing sports I’m on a sports team at my school or somewhere else I’m in an orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else I have learned a new song in the past week I work out at least once a week I’ve gone for runs at least once a week in the warmer months I have drawn something in the past month Fandoms are my #1 passion I do or have done martial arts

EXPERIENCES: I have had my first kiss I have had alcohol I have scored the winning goal in a sports game I have watched an entire season of a TV show in one sitting I have been at an overnight event I have been in a taxi I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year I have beaten a video game in one day I have visited another country I have been to one of my favorite band’s concerts

RELATIONSHIPS: I’m in a relationship I have a crush on a celebrity I have a crush on someone I know I have been in at least 3 relationships I have never been in a relationship I have asked someone out or admitted my feelings to them I get crushes easily I have had a crush on someone for over a year I have been in a relationship for at least a year I have had feelings for a friend

MY LIFE: I have at least one person I consider a “best friend” I live close to my school My parents are still together I have at least one sibling I live in the United States There is snow right now where I live I have hung out with a friend in the past month I have a smartphone I have at least 15 CDs I share my room with someone

RANDOM SHIT: I have breakdanced I have had a teacher with the last name that’s hard to pronounce I have dyed my hair I’m listening to one song on repeat right now I know someone who has gone to jail I have broken a bone I have eaten a waffle today I know what I want to do with my life I speak at least 2 languages I have made a new friend in the past year

LAST:

Last drink: Orange juice

Last phone call: my friend from college to find out where he was lol

Last text message: “yeah” to my friend in response to asking if i was waiting for my bus

Last song you listened to: Battle Born by Five Finger Death Punch

Last time I cried: couple days ago?

HAVE YOU EVER:

Dated someone twice: no

Been cheated on: nope

Kissed someone and regretted it: not really

Lost someone special: i guess yeah

Been depressed: yes

Been drunk and thrown up: nope

IN THE PAST YEAR HAVE YOU:

Made a new friend: yes, shout out to @valroyou

Fallen out of love: nope

Laughed until you cried: maybe? 

Met someone who changed you: ehhhhh

Found out who your true friends are: ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Found out someone was talking about you: people are always talking about me

GENERAL:

How many people on tumblr do you know in real life: just one. 

Do you have any pets: 1 doggo, 1 cat, and 1 bird

Do you want to change your name: id like to go by Charlie irl more 

What time did you wake up this morning: 6:45am for college

What were you doing last night: uhh watching jeremy kyle lol

Name something you cannot wait for: dying my hair tomorro!

Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: my teacher is called tom so yes

What’s getting on your nerves rn: gotta do an unnecessary presentation next week :l

Blood type: O+

Nickname: Charlie

Relationship status: single pringle

Zodiac sign: leo

Pronouns: they/them

Favorite tv show: just finished breaking bad and that was pretty good!

College: going right now. 

Hair colour: blonde but will be purple tomorrow hopefully :P

Do you have a crush on someone: nope

What do you like about yourself: uhhh good question. my eyes are kinda pretty.

FIRSTS:

First surgery: never had surgery!

First piercing: never had anything pierced

First sport you joined: netball at school

First vacation: first proper vacation was to London in 2012

First pair of sneakers: heck idk

Eating: packet of quavers

Drinking: uhh i mean i used to sip alcoholic beverages off my family all the time growing up

I’m about to: probably take a nap or play sims

Listening to: battle born by fiver finger death punch

Want kids: no no no definitely not

Get married: noooooo thank you

Career:  dont even talk to me about that

WHICH IS BETTER:

Lips or eyes: eyes

Hugs or kisses: hugs

Shorter or taller: uhhh...taller i guess? doesnt matter much to me

Older or younger: older

Romantic or spontaneous: romantic. spontaneous gives me anxiety

Sensitive or loud: sensitive

Hook up or relationship: relationship

Troublemaker or hesitant: mmmmmm hesitant

HAVE YOU EVER:

Kissed a stranger: nah

Drank hard liquor: yes

Lost glasses/contacts: dont need them

Sex on first date: no

Broken someone’s heart: yeah

Been arrested: no

Turned someone down: yea

Fallen for a friend: nope. well. not really.

DO YOU BELIEVE:

In yourself: lol

Miracles: no

Love at first sight: nope

Heaven: nopeeee

Santa Claus: um. yes. of course.

[imaginedilestrade]

An English Blizzard- Part 3

Warnings: None!

A/N: So this is the third part and the last part you’ll get until tomorrow 😉 Enjoy!’

—————————— Chapter 3 ——————

“At least it’s warmer in here than outside,” you whispered to a glasses-free Greg as the two of you looked up to the ceiling filled with stars.

Greg looked down you to, you were lying back further in your seat so it meant he could gaze down at you without noticing.

You somehow managed to catch him almost every time he looked at you.

“How beautiful is this?” You whispered full of awe “I feel like too many people take stars for granted. I mean how lucky are we? We can look up and just be blessed with them. They don’t ask for anything from us but the least we could do is appreciate them a bit more.”

Greg couldn’t help but admire you more. He was completely infatuated with everything about you from your voice, your smile, the way you’d talk so passionately about things, your laugh…oh he loved making you laugh. That sound was like music to his ears.

You went wide eyed feeling something warm take hold of your hand. Greg had subconsciously slipped his hand into your own and was about to pull it away after he realised what he had done but you laced your fingers with his with a small smile on your face.

You shifted yourself up a bit and placed your head on his shoulder “It’s only been like three days since I met you,” you smirked “But it feels like I’ve known you for a lifetime…in a good way!”

“Good,” Greg chortled “Because I feel the exact same way…incredible isn’t it?”

“A whirlwind…” you whispered.

—

After the stargazing experience you and Greg agreed on a nightcap at the pub before parting ways.

Greg got in the drinks and you told him stories of your experiences at university. “So I argued with this girl until I was blue in the face about Romeo and Juliet. She genuinely thought it was an incredible love story and that they were ‘so in love’” you rolled your eyes and made inverted comma marks with your fingers. “So I told her it was a tragedy and that Romeo and Juliet were stupid, rebellious, horny teenagers. I mean Romeo isn’t exactly a romantic…he said ‘Juliet is the sun’. What man compares a woman to a huge burning ball of hydrogen and helium!” You laughed with Greg as you both took a sip of your drinks.

You held your hand up in defence and swallowed your drink “Now I know Romeo, in that context, is saying she’s inspirational and what not but still…you think of the sun and the first thing you think of is the star in our sky.”

Greg scooted forward slightly, bumping knees with you “So how did you get into law?” You asked him.

“Well,” Greg lightly shrugged “I was always interested in it and when I studied it at Oxford I realised I was more interested in sharing what I had learned and passing it on to others. I want them to be just as passionate as I was when I was a student.”

“Oxford?” You went wide eyed “Very impressive! Almost puts me to shame!” You jokingly laughed.

“Oh don’t say that,” Greg placed his hand on top of yours making your laughter hitch slightly at the sudden contact “I’m sure you’re great at what you do.” The warmth from his hands spread through your body and even though you had felt his hands interlocked with yours a mere hour ago, it felt as if each time he touched you was the first. “I should take you home,” Greg pulled out his phone to check the time “It’s getting late.”

You involuntary gasped seeing the most adorable picture on his phone screen “Is that your dog?”

Greg turned on is phone again to show you “Yeah that’s Cooper my border collie. I adopted him a few years ago.”

“My god he’s adorable!”

“Who’s more adorable? Me or Cooper?” Greg asked.

“Cooper wins, hands down!” You laughed and Greg let out a small groan while rolling his eyes. “But you’re still pretty adorable…” you bit down on your lip and you could see Greg’s tinge a light colour of pink.

He took you out to the cold, only now it was snowing and a stillness flooded the streets of London. An unpredicted blizzard. You walked home in a comfortable silence, the only sound coming from your feet crushing the fresh snow, with your hand wrapped around Greg’s. It soon began to get heavier, luckily you were almost home and Greg could get a cab back to his before the weather got worse. “I’ll wait with you until it comes,” you insisted and huddled closer to him like you were two penguins.

“You’ll catch a cold,” Greg shifted and sheltered the both of you with his scarf, only bringing the two of you closer. You looked up, you were both hidden from the world and more importantly, the windows of your flat. Greg turned his head slightly just as you moved yours, your noses almost bumping.

“Should we be doing this…?” You asked in the quietest whisper to ever leave your mouth.

Greg gazed into your eyes as if they held the secrets to the universe “Well,” he whispered just as quiet as you did “It is our second date.”

You smirked as you closed your eyes and gingerly pressed your lips to his, just applying enough pressure to feel warmth spread though your body. You pulled back, but barely. Greg’s hand found itself on the back of your neck, it was the catalyst that brought your lips together again only this time with much more force and passion. He tasted like beer and honey and it made your heart flutter.

He slowly removed his hand and pulled away “That’s my cab,” his warm breath danced over your face, it fought with the cold air circulating around you. “Can I see you tomorrow?”

“Yes…” you replied with your eyes still shut. Greg pecked your lips once more before leaving you for the night. You turned your back to the can with a smile, it was only then you realised you still had his scarf. You turned on your heel but by that point the taxi had already gone.

You walked back to your flat with it in your hands, constantly feeling the soft material between your fingers. You could smell his cologne as you brought the scarf to your nose and hugged it tightly against your chest.

The flat was silent, everyone was asleep. You carefully made your way to your room and changed into your pyjamas before climbing into bed. As you got comfortable your phone vibrated with a message you opened it and the biggest smile overtook your whole face. It was a photo of Greg with his dog with the words 'Cooper and I say goodnight x’

You bit down on your lip to refrain your mouth getting sore from smiling so much and held his scarf closer to you. 'How did I get so lucky in just a matter of days?’ You asked yourself. You had completely fallen for the brown eyed lecturer. How could one man be so incredibly perfect?

—

Mary and Molly both wolf whistled as you walked into the living room wearing a black dress with lace all over it and black tights underneath to protect your legs from the cold. You felt your face burn and waved off their whistling “Very nice! Where are you off too?” Mary asked.

“Y/N will be seeing her fancy man she’s been out with all week,” Sherlock smirked and you narrowed your eyes.

“I’m not Sherlock!” You gritted your teeth in embarrassment “I told you I have dinner tonight with dad and Seb and a few of their friends.”

Sherlock, Mary, John and Molly shared unconvinced glances. The day after your second date with Greg they found out you were seeing someone, but didn’t know who. They had been tirelessly guessing all week.

“Sure…” John drawled out with a grin.

“Don’t you start, Watson! I’ll be back late or I’ll stay over at dads. Depends how bad the weather gets.” You glanced outside and were thankful that the snow had melted over the last few days. “See you all later!” The flat filled with 'goodbye’ as you grabbed your coat and bag and left.

Your dad was a five minute was down the road. He lived in a townhouse split over three levels on the bottom there was the kitchen, dining room and living room, on the second floor was your room, guest room and the bathroom and on the top floor was your dads and Sebastian’s room.

You let yourself in and the heat smacked you in the face as soon as you walked in “Only me!” You called out and slipped off your heels by the door, instantly changing into your novelty slippers that were always waiting for you by the doorframe. As soon as you slipped them on you were home. You smirked at them every time, bright green slippers that were like dinosaur feet, they had brown claws sticking out them and everything.

“Hello you!” Sebastian peered his head around the corner and walked over to you to give you a hug. He engulfed you in his muscular arms and pecked your temple.

“Where’s dad?” You asked pulling away.

“Right here,” he walked forward with a large smile on his face “Trust you to be the last one to turn up. We’re all waiting for you!” He brought you in for a hug before pulling away, he still held your arms “Square root of 3721?”

“Jim stop pestering her with math questions!” Sebastian groaned.

“61 dad,” you smirked and Jim pecked your forehead with a proud smile.

“Come on I’ll take you through, dinner’s almost ready.” Your dad took you through, still holding your shoulders “Got some friends over tonight did I tell you?” You nodded as a response “Well there’s Mycroft, Sally Donovan and-”

The last name you already knew. Greg’s eyes were almost as wide as yours.

——————— Tags: (Let me know if you’d like to be tagged/Untagged)

@adorablebadger @damnitman-jamlocked-inthetardis @daynaan @rikkachloechan @holmes-maev @cutie1365 @wcsteland @theyre-my-divsion @gotham-s-lover @littlepostitnotes @chrissydarlingwrites @laterthantherabbit @annkli @-waythe- link not working

[starvelingcatgirl]

TAGGED BY: @littlestengineer TAGGING: @huntercollective, @p53biasfactor (you have enough muses for more than one tag, lol), @frillyfacade

1ST RULE: tag 9 muses you would like to know better: Anyone that wants to do it!! 2ND RULE: BOLD the statements that are true for your muse.

APPEARANCE:

I am 5'7" or taller

I wear glasses

I have at least one tattoo

I have at least one piercing

I have blonde hair

I have brown eyes

I have short hair

My abs are at least somewhat defined

I have or have had braces

PERSONALITY:

I love meeting new people

People tell me that I’m funny

Helping others with their problems is a big priority for me

I enjoy physical challenges

I enjoy mental challenges

I’m playfully rude with people I know well

I started saying something ironically and now I can’t stop saying it

There is something I would change about my personality

ABILITY:

I can sing well

I can play an instrument

I can do over 30 pushups without stopping

I’m a fast runner

I can draw well

I have a good memory

I’m good at doing math in my head

I can hold my breath underwater for over a minute

I have beaten at least 2 people in arm wrestling

I know how to cook at least 3 meals from scratch

I know how to throw a proper punch

HOBBIES:

I enjoy playing sports

I’m on a sports team at my school or somewhere else

I’m in an orchestra or choir at my school or somewhere else

I have learned a new song in the past week

I work out at least once a week

I’ve gone for runs at least once a week in the warmer months

I have drawn something in the past month

I enjoy writing

I do or have done martial arts

EXPERIENCES:

I have had my first kiss (Fallen London verses only)

I have had alcohol  (Fallen London verses only)

I have scored the winning goal in a sports game

I have watched an entire season of a TV show in one sitting

I have been at an overnight event

I have been in a taxi

I have been in the hospital or ER in the past year

I have beaten a video game in one day (God Eater verses only)

I have visited another country (FL only)

I have been to one of my favorite band’s concerts

RELATIONSHIPS:

I’m in a relationship

I have a crush on a celebrity (Mr. Eaten verses only. Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah. Ah.)

I have a crush on someone I know

I have been in at least 3 relationships (FL only)

I have never been in a relationship (GE only)

I have asked someone out or admitted my feelings to them

I get crushes easily

I have had a crush on someone for over a year

I have been in a relationship for at least a year

I have had feelings for a friend

MY LIFE:

I have at least one person I consider a “best friend”

I live close to my school

My parents are still together

I have at least one sibling

I live in the United States

There is snow right now where I live

I have hung out with a friend in the past month

I have a smartphone (GE only)

I have at least 15 CD’s

I share my room with someone

RANDOM SHIT:

I have break-danced

I know a person named Jamie

I have had a teacher with a last name that’s hard to pronounce

I have dyed my hair

I’m listening to one song on repeat right now

I have punched someone in the past week

I know someone who has gone to jail

I have broken a bone

I have eaten a waffle today

I know what I want to do with my life

I speak at least 2 languages

[scifiphan]

92 Things About Me

tysm @sleepwalkerphan  for tagging me in this! it’s 2am and I’m procrastinating the heck out of writing so this is perfect lmao.

also I’ll put most of the things below the cut so keep reading if ya wanna know 92 fun facts about me

edit: this took me almost an hour to do and towards the end, I basically confess my entire life so have fun reading that lmao. like i seriously have a realisation about how idk what i’m doing with my life hahahaha

THE LAST..

1. Drink : Water #stayhydrated 2. Phone call : mum 3. Text Message : a gif of phil being scared in bed (even my irl friends are trash) 4. Song You Listened To : currently listening to Taro - alt-J 5. Time You Cried : On sunday I cried over a renovation reality tv show (??? yeah idk either, bro) the apartments just looked so nice and the team I liked got kicked off the show.

HAVE YOU EVER..

6. Dated Someone Twice : nope 7. Been Cheated On : nope 8. Kissed Someone And Regretted It : YES (smh @ me) 9. Lost Someone Special : thankfully no 10. Been Depressed : i honestly don’t know. i think I have but am so freaking stubborn at admitting I have had depressive episodes in the past 11. Got Drunk And Thrown Up : YES OH MY GOODNESS I HAVE HAD SO MANY BAD TIMES. DON’T DRINK WINE AND THEN A MILKSHAKE AND THEN DANCE ON A BEACH. YOU WILL ONLY END UP THROWING UP IN A GARBAGE BIN OUTSIDE A KEBAB STORE (it wasn’t even after midnight, that’s the most embarrassing thing) 

LIST 3 FAVOURITE COLOURS :

12. Green 13. Pink 14. Turquoise

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU..

15. Made New Friends : yes!! so many new and amazing friends 16. Fallen Out Of Love : nope. 17. Laughed Until You Cried : laughing until I cry is me every time 18. Found Out Someone Was Talking About You : yes (you would think that adults would stop teen behaviours lol) 19. Met Someone Who Changed You : yes, the last year included so much change. 20. Found Out Who Your True Friends Are : Yes. Just gonna put it out there: traveling for an extensive period of time overseas really shows who your true friends are and who are the snakes. 21. Kissed Someone On Your Facebook List : hahahaha yes (too mant rip) 22.How Many Of Your Facebook Friends Do You Know In Real Life :  probably almost all of them (so like 550) only a few on there are my internet friends 23. Do You Have Any Pets : nope and I probs wont get another pet for a long long time 24. Do You Want To Change Your Name : NO!!!!!!! Teddii is a blessing although I would change my last name (it’s two surnames joined together and it makes life difficult because it’s so long) 25. What Did You Do For Your Last Birthday : went out for dinner at a mexican place, won a few dollars on the pokies and then went out clubbing (also i got a fine rip me) 26. What Time Did You Wake Up This Morning: 11am OOPS (i slept in and missed uni) 27. What Were You Doing At Midnight Last Night : probably making a gif 28. Name Something You Cannot Wait For : FINISHING UNI AND MOVING TO THE UK (hopefully to do my masters in global terrorism at the uni of london but if not i really wanna get a 1 year working visa and just do some hospitality work before I start a career) 29. When Was The Last Time You Saw Your Mother : like 4 hours ago when we were watching tv 30. What Is One Thing You Could Change About Your Life : I wish I had a UK passport, it would make life a lot easier for me if I had dual citizenship instead of a boring Australian passport 31. What Are You Listening To Right Now : alt-J, a live performance of Taro  32. Have You Ever Talked To A Person Named Tom : I know so many Tom’s it’s ridiculous 33. Something That Is Getting On Your Nerves : PEOPLE!!! WHO!! THINK!! THAT!! IF YOUR DEGREE!! ISN’T STEM!! THEN IT ISN’T!! HARD!!!! (i’m looking @ every friend who does a stem degree and always laughs at how my degree must be so easy because it doesn’t include math)

34. Most Visited Websites : tumblr, youtube, my uni’s website, facebook 35. Elementary : v great time, got bullied heaps but still had fun 36. High School : problematic fave. honestly my time at high school can fill a 500 page essay. being right next to a beach and river was actually gr8, the endless issues weren’t so good. 37. College/University : it has been a wild ride. I swapped degrees so I still have around 2 years left but uni has been my fave so far 38. Hair Colour : PINK!!!! (naturally ginger) 39. Long or Short Hair : long 40. Do You Have A Crush On Someone : nope (which is a shocker) 41. What Do You Like About Yourself : I like my individuality and independance 42. Piercings : 2x lobes, 1x helix, 1x nose. (i’m thinkng about getting my conch in a few weeks) 43. Blood Type : O+ 44. Nickname : ted, teddii bear, sideshow bob, cotton candy 45. Relationship Status : hella single 46. Zodiac Sign : Cancer (aka my birthday is soon hell yeah) 47. Pronouns : she/her. 48. Favourite Tv Show : STAR TREK: VOYAGER WILL ALWAYS BE MY FAVOURITE 49. Tattoos : crescent moon on my right wrist (i sorta don’t like how it turned out but after a year I have grown to appreciate the meaning) 50. Right Or Left Hand : Left handed (aka another reason why Dan is my spirit animal)

FIRST..

51. Surgery : i got a bunch of teeth removed when I was like 4/5  52. Word : baba or ma  53. Sport : soccer  54. Vacation : i actually can’t remember my first vacation. probs Sydney tbh idk I went a lot of places when I was young 55. Pair Of Trainers : probably something Adidas tbh

WHAT ARE YOU..

56. Eating : nothing 57. Drinking : water 58. Reading : nothing at the moment besides uni textbooks 59. I’m About To : I should say sleep but I’ll probably just watch youtube 60. Listening To : Breezeblocks by alt-J (can you see a recurring theme with my music questions?) 61. Waiting For : GoT SEASON 7 AKA MY BIRTHDAY (honestly feel so blessed to grow older and watch new GoT on the same day) 62. Craving For : MONEYYYYYYY. ya girl is unemployed thanks to the bad habit of planning last minute overseas holidays 63. Do you wanna get married : eventually but at the same time it doesn’t worry me 64. Going To Do When You Get Older : ????? ?????? ????? you would think I would have an idea but tbh idk. I’m studying International Relations and I want to do a postgrad in global terrorism. But career wise I have no bloody idea. I would like to work in the UN or UNESCO or for the Australian Government in an embassy. but at the same time I also want to be a travel photographer and just ignore my degree (idk adult life is hard)

YOUR TYPE..

65. Hugs or Kisses : HUGS 66. Lips or Eyes : eyes! <3333 67. Short or Tall : tall guys!!! but short girls are my weakness!! 68. Young or Old : HA haHA HA old 69. Nice Arms Or Nice Stomach : slight preference for nice arms because tummys are cute no matter what 70. Sensitive or Loud : I am both of those things so, por que no las dos? 71. Hook Up or Relationship : relationship (although I can’t relate because i am eternally single) 72. Troublemaker or Hesitant : I prefer when people are upfront instead of hiding stuff from me so I guess that means troublemaker?

HAVE YOU EVER..

73. Kissed A Stranger : yes 74. Drank Hard Liquor : yes (love me some vodka) 75. Lost Eye glasses or contact lenses : not yet thankfully 76. Turned Someone Down : YES! (there is nothing wrong with turning people down.) 77. Sex On First Date : no 78. Broken Someone’s Heart : yes and I still feel bad 79. Had Your Heart Broken : yep 80. Been Arrested : yes (kind of, long story) 81. Cried When Someone Died : yes. although I tend to go more numb instead of crying. idk it’s weird because I cry about everything but death kinda makes me become numb 82. Fallen For A Friend : yes (oops)

DO YOU BELIEVE IN..

83. In Yourself : yes although I need to believe in myself a lot more 84. Miracles : yes 85. Love At First Sight : yes and no. I believe it exists but I feel like a lot of people believe that they are experiencing love at first sight when in reality it is infatuation/lust. 86. Santa Claus : this question conflicts me because the logical side of me says no but the optimistic child side of me refuses to accept the truth 87. Kiss On The First Date : yeah 88. Angels : nah, not for me

OTHER..

89. Current best friend’s name : do i have a best friend? not really. again, it’s a weird time for me when it comes to friends. 90. Eye Colour : um blue with green and grey mixed in (it’s so hard to describe but yeah, those three) 91. Favourite singer/Band : Ed Sheeran, Mumford & Sons, al-J (i love them all a lot.) 92. Favourite Movie : Avatar. yes the blue alien one. It’s lame but I fell in love with the na’vi culture and it kinda helped get me obsessed with scifi.

And that’s a wrap!

If anyone actually read all that I hope you enjoyed my (very) late night confessions. Idk who to tag so if you see this and want to do it feel free to do so! Also, come hit up my inbox/messages if you wanna be my friend after reading this, I wanna make some friends on this hellsite

[themalhambird]

In Which The Duke of Aumerle Contrives to hide the deposed Richard In his Bedchamber Without The Knowledge of his Father, Mother, Their Servants and Most Notably His Cousin Bolingbroke (part 10 /19)

Henry rode into the courtyard of York Castle with Northumberland hot on his heels and the rest of his train not far behind. His uncle and aunt waited to great him, as did his cousin; and a number of his uncle’s retainers. Everyone knelt as he dismounted and, as always, it filled him with unease. How Richard had ever enjoyed everyone bowing at him he would never understand- though perhaps he ought simply to pride himself on having avoided Richard’s streak of vanity and leave it at that. His eyes fell on Aumerle – Rutland- as he gave all leave to rise. His cousin helped his father to his feet, gripping York’s arm and raising him up with a gentleness that belied the fact that the last Henry saw of Edward, he was refusing to so much as speak to his father, let alone help him. Reconciled then, Henry decided, and felt instantly at ease. If Rutland and York were friends again, it could only mean that Rutland had come to see Henry’s accession to the throne in the same light that his father did: the best thing for the kingdom they all loved and lived in.

“Your Majesty,” York greeted him. “You do me much honour in coming here.” “Not at all, my lord; you honour us with your hospitality,” Henry replied. “Madame,” he added, bowing to his aunt and kissing her hand. “We are glad to see you looking so well,” “And I am glad to see you looking likewise, your Majesty,” his aunt said, dipping a graceful curtsey. Henry inclined his head, acknowledging the compliment, before turning his attention. “Cousin,” “Your Majesty,” Rutland replied, bowing. “I have notes from the interrogations of all parties involved with the disappearance ready for you to review whenever it is convenient to your grace.” Northumberland gave a suspiciously fake cough from behind the King’s shoulder; Henry couldn’t fail to note the flash of loathing that passed across his cousin’s face when Rutland’s gaze shifted to Northumberland for a moment. It was gone as he returned his attention to Henry, however, and the King knew that however reconciled to the fact that it was now he who sat on the throne and not Richard Edward might be, he was never going to reconcile with Northumberland -whom he had never liked in the first place, and who had taken every opportunity to rub Richard’s defeat and his own loss of status in Rutland’s face while Rutland had still been in London. “We thank you, cousin, for all your efforts in trying to find-“ what to call Richard? It was a question that had been plaguing him for the entire journey and he had yet to find a satisfactory answer. ‘The former King’ only reminded him that he had not naturally ascended to the throne. “Richard” would not do either – even the absence of the word ‘King’ in front of that name sounded loud as a bell and called to mind Richard’s trite about how, without the crown, he had no idea what name to call himself. “Our cousin?” Rutland suggested, as Henry realised his silent deliberations had taken longer than he had intended. Henry inclined his head. “Indeed, our cousin,” he said, grateful. ‘Trying to find our cousin’- it made it seem as if Richard were nothing more than a younger, wayward relative who they were trying to bring back to safety and who would face upon return nothing more severe than a scolding, and a demand that he promise never to worry them so much again. “We would not trouble you with such things tonight, however; the hour is already grown late.” A lavish feast had doubtless been prepared in his honour; he would be expected to give it his full attention. If he began to look over what they knew about Richard’s escape, he would be drawn in to it and think upon nothing else until he slept and he would be poor company.  He knew already that his Court was considered dull and unentertaining, and that his company was not thought as enjoyable as Richard’s had been, by some at least. He did not wish to dishonour his uncle by being a surly and ungracious guest “Might I show you to your chambers, my lord?” his aunt stepped forward, extending an arm back to the castle, a ‘come inside’ gesture. Henry smiled. “That would be welcome, madam. It has been a long journey and I would welcome the chance to refresh myself.” *** I swear father sat me next to Northumberland to get back at me for hiding Richard, Aumerle thought as he impaled a piece of soused herring on the end of his dagger and vehemently wished it was Northumberland’s smug face rather than a dead fish he was stabbing. Northumberland continued to brag about how his star was in the ascendant, while Aumerle’s own had crashed and burnt to nothing like a comet fallen to earth. He concentrated on stuffing his face so he didn’t have to reply to Northumberland’s snide insinuations about how Aumerle “…must miss the King’s favour a great deal, I know how that used to keep you warm at night…”, and other such petty comments, hoping that if he ignored Northumberland the man might cease his prattling. So far, it wasn’t working. A half hour or so later, and the fish was exchanged for meat: his ankle was nudged by an inquisitive nose. Aumerle pushed his chair back and peered beneath the table, expecting to find one of his father’s hounds: instead, two paws were placed on his knees and a very familiar greyhound shoved his face in to Aumerle’s. “Hello Mathe!” he exclaimed, dropping his knife to pet Richard’s dog with both hands. “What are you doing here?” he asked; Mathe made no answer, for which Aumerle was greatly pleased, but Northumberland did, which made him less so. “He’s King Henry’s now, but bringing him was my suggestion. If any creature can sniff out Richard…” Northumberland looked at him speculatively; Aumerle ignored him in favour of feeding Mathe chicken and petting him some more. He had a horrible feeling that Mathe might just sniff Richard out; he wondered if Mathe could smell Richard on him and that was why the greyhound had come to him in the first place. He pushed the worry aside, however, in favour of cooing as Mathe licked his fingers. “Good boy,” he said, gently pushing the greyhound off his lap and back to the floor. “You sit. Sit!” Mathe obediently sat on Aumerle’s feet, and Aumerle rewarded him with another piece of chicken. “