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ambitionsource · 4 years ago

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did you guys ever have voice casts for the characters? like people/singers you think the characters would sound like n all that? if so would you mind sharing them?

This is such an interesting question... admittedly, Es and I hadn’t really thought about it! We especially just think about the actual actors for those who already sing, but we can provide a couple other samples for each person if it intrigues you to know! Let’s see...

FARKLE | Corey actually does sing -- though not often in this version of reality -- but I do believe he has some professional training. We think of this song he’s recorded in particular, which I think is a really good example of how he sounds circa S1 in my head (this song is actually a bop. The YT version cuts out like 20 seconds too early but I found a version on Tumblr last year that was full so now I have it on my phone LMAO let’s go 2015 Corey). Anyway, it’s that pretty stereotypical power tenor vibe. A couple more comparisons I suggest are:

Jonathan Groff -- I think Jonathan Groff is the best comparison I can make. He’s theatrical, he has a pretty impressive range, but he rests pretty comfortably in the natural tenor range. Like he can do Kristoff one minute and King George from Hamilton the next, and I think that is equitable to Farkle’s range. The man key is that he’s a powerful vocalist. I think Farkle’s true center of his voice has a higher resting place than Groff, but it’s close enough. Example track: Bohemian Rhapsody. One of Glee’s best and an amazing display of Groff’s vocal range in one track. Farkle could match this beat for beat, flair for flair.

Chris Colfer -- I think that the flair Chris Colfer brings to a lot of his performances on Glee match well to Farkle’s vocal stylings as well (which is why he’s done a few performances with that version), but to be clear, I think Colfer’s voice is softer / higher than Farkle’s. It’s more about... emotion and inflection here than tone. Example track: Not the Boy Next Door. Farkle did this on the show, so you know we endorse it. This was also the track Esther brought up when I asked for her opinion.

Brendon Urie -- I think that Urie’s range is really akin to Farkle’s. I don’t think Farkle has at all the same kind of flair or inflection that Urie does (and Farkle is obviously more Broadway than radio), but on certain tracks I think it’s pretty cross applicable. Example track: Dying In LA

I’ll continue this under a read more to spare everyone who doesn’t want to read on because clearly this will be lengthy LOL.

RILEY | I have not heard Rowan sing since the thinly attached source material theme song days, so I honestly don’t think of her much as Riley’s voice (though I think she could do it if trained for it). Especially because of all the mains, Riley is one of the ones who is meant to be less trained and unimposing. For me, the most important quality to Riley’s voice is that it’s not overwhelming. It’s beautiful, and leaves an impact when you listen, but it’s never going to be Maya or Zay’s big, brassy vocals. And that’s fine. That’s what makes it unique in the landscape of the show (and why it appeals to Lucas rather than turns him away). A couple more comparisons I suggest are:

Amanda Seyfried -- I admittedly only know Seyfried’s work in the first Mamma Mia film, but she has the right delicate soprano that I envision Riley having. It’s like... a lilting, soft thing that’s enjoyable to listen to but can escalate into strong belting if needed and handle it effectively enough. Example track: Thank You For Music. Literally a perfect track for Riles.

Phillipa Soo -- Another great example of a powerful soprano player. Case in point enough that we’ve had Riley do a Eliza Hamilton song on the show already. Gentle and gorgeous, but sharp and intense when it needs to be. Example track: Burn.

mxmtoon -- First of all, let this be my plug that everyone should listen to mxmtoon. I love her. She has this lovely gentle voice and her instrumentation is so good. Her EP dusk is gorgeous and I cannot recommend it enough. But she is a great non-theater example of what I think Riley’s voice is like. She varies between ukulele and piano, and everything is just really understated and nice. Example track: show and tell.

MAYA | This is easy. I literally don’t have to say like anything. She just is Sab. That’s it. Like Sab is a phenomenal vocalist and she’s brassy and bold and has range and that’s all Maya is. Like literally that’s it LOL. If you need examples, hit her discography, but I’ll specifically highlight “Sue Me,” “Looking At Me,” and “Diamonds Are Forever” aka the Sab songs we’ve had her do on the show.

ZAY | Zay is an interesting one, because I don’t really think he fits any specific category in my head. He kind of defies definition. He definitely has a brassy swing to him that allows him to pull off showstopping numbers (like his Kossal audition with “Ain’t No Way”), but he can pull it back and reshape it to fit breathtaking musical theater renditions (like “Music and the Mirror”) or banging contemporary (think “Consideration” or “Self Control”) in a way that I don’t think Farkle or Maya can. He is the most vocally versatile of the bunch, and that makes his comparisons sort of wide-reaching as well. I’m not really familiar with Amir’s vocal ability outside of rap (so at least we know he can do that), but based purely on what I hear in my imagination, a few comparisons:

Leslie Odom Jr. -- A younger and less polished Odom, to be clear, but this is a big one for me. I think Odom’s vocal strength and range is so impressive, and what really strikes me is how... grounded and resonant his voice is. That’s a big thing for Zay for me -- you never doubt he’ll be able to support his vocals and that they’re strongly rooted. If he ever cracked or ran out of breath, it would be a shock. This is also really tied to Zay because of how much I would kill to see him perform “Wait For It” and how I feel like it’s such a Zay song. But anywho... Example track: Wait For It.

Frank Ocean -- Ocean has such a cool interesting range and does a lot of things with his performances vocally, so that’s why he’s on here in that he also defies definition. I think Zay also considers Ocean a musical inspiration, so it makes sense that he would adopt or emulate some of his style. I feel like he also translates emotion well, which is a key Zay trait too. Example track: Godspeed.

Amber Riley -- Now hear me out here. Obviously, Zay is a baritone and Amber is like a mezzo soprano / alto / what have you, but the reason I’m listing this Glee legend as a comp is because the quality of her performances is so sharp. It’s like, any time Amber performed on the show it was jawdropping. Her vocal runs are insane, the power behind her vocals is awe-inspiring. She captivates you from the first note, and that is why I always think of Zay. That’s how it is when he performs too, especially in moments where he’s trying to sell it (like his Kossal audition). I wouldn’t be giving my authentic comparisons if I didn’t mention this. So there. Example track: And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going (I would sell my soul to see Zay perform this. Please. PLEASE. Maybe I’ll crowdsource with Charlie and we’ll both sell our kidneys).

CHARLIE | Speaking of Charlie, he’s an interesting one, too. I honestly didn’t really... have a concept of how he sounded in my head, but then when I learned that Tanner sings, it was not at all whatever was deep in my head. But I love his voice, so I think I kind of ended up reconfiguring my perception of what Charlie sounds like around that revelation and now I’m still kind of trying to figure out exactly what that sounds like in the context of the show. The thing is, though, I think Charlie also doesn’t really know what his style is (LMAO), so it’s okay that we’re experimenting a little bit. Like in S1, the few times he sang, it was all over the place but mainly radio. Then in S2, he did predominantly musical theater duets. And now in S3, we’ve really just gone all over the map (from punk-rock opera with “Superstar” to bubblegum pop with “Party For One”) and there’s a lot of fun in that. Where Charlie will land, I don’t know yet, but I will share with you all Tanner’s only recorded song at this point and you all can start to orient yourselves from there. But a few other ideas to get the ball rolling:

Norbert Leo Butz -- Now here’s the thing... Charlie doesn’t sound like this LOL. The reason I’m including Butz is because I started writing about Jeremy Jordan and his rendition of “If I Didn’t Believe In You” and Jordan’s rendition is truly just so inferior that I realized no, I really don’t think Charlie sounds like Jeremy Jordan. So then I ended up here, and you know what, here’s the thing. I think an older Charlie would sound like Norbert Leo Butz. Like, give him 10 or so years, and this is where he’ll settle. To a degree at least -- I don’t think he’ll ever go quite as brassy or bold as Butz can lean sometimes, but the way he like... emotes through his vocals feels extremely Charlie, and the range is about right in terms of voice part. Anyway, give him 10 years, and then get to the point with this amazing example track that is one of my favorite musical theater tracks ever even though I hate the character who sings it. Example track: If I Didn’t Believe In You.

Oshima Brothers -- The shape of the O bros vocals don’t quite match how I hear Charlie in my head (they’re a bit too flat), but the essence of their performances resonate with him very strongly. It’s that gentle, soft-spoken acoustic vibe that I think is so core to Charlie’s performing delivery, which is part of why he’s so consistently overlooked even when he proves time and time again that he can bring compelling vocals (i.e. Haverford’s semi-finals setlist). Example track: Cadence.

Harry Styles -- It’s funny to think that if Charlie saw I was comparing him to Harry Styles he would lose his shit, but I want to be very specific about why and under what conditions I’m including him as a comparison (as he’ll show up on another person’s list too). I think Styles specifically works as a comp for Charlie in regards to the general tone and quality of his voice, in particular when it is on a softer acoustic (like “Cherry” or “Sweet Creature”) and when it’s more upbeat (like “Lights Up”). Like I’m not out here being like Charlie is as good as Harry Styles LOL, but I think the core qualities of their voices are similar. Especially when cross-compared with the other examples above along with Tanner’s actual voice. Example track: Sweet Creature.

ISADORA | Isadora is an anomaly of sorts, since she’s that character archetype where they never expected to be a singer but then ended up being talented anyway (Asher is in the same box). I tend to imagine her with a defined alto register, and a slightly huskier, gravelly tone as compared to Maya’s polished, trained vocals and Riley’s gentle, chime-like resonance. So it’s like... gritty, in a way? I have never heard Ceci sing, though I’ve been told she has once upon a time, but I am working basically from scratch in regards to how I imagine her. So without further ado, some comparisons I suggest:

Jorja Smith -- I think Jorja is the most Isa-like track we’ve had her do on the show thus far, to my brain at least. She has this charming edge to her vocals even when they’re on the softer side which is exactly what I envision for her, and I think there’s such a strong definition to when she jumps into her lower register. Whereas with Isa, I think it would be the same, but reaching into her upper notes would be even more of an audible stretch. Example track: Don’t Watch Me Cry.

Dua Lipa -- Another strong alto here, which automatically tracks Isadora for me. Dua especially has that husky quality I was describing. I would recommend all of her Live Acoustic EP to get a sense of what I’m highlighting most as a comparable, but it’s just that like... slight grit, gonna-kick-your-ass alto excellence. It’s so hard to articulate so I hope you get what I’m saying LOL. Example track: Tears Dry On Their Own Acoustic.

Madison Reyes -- I don’t know how many of y’all have watched Julie and the Phantoms yet, but it’s fun. And Madison has a great voice, which made her another good comp for Isadora. Same thing of like that unpolished but compelling belter, slightly gravelly quality. Example track: Wake Up.

LUCAS | Obviously, Lucas doesn’t sing all that often. And when we do give him songs, or roles in songs, most of the time it’s of a variation where he can more talk-sing the words than actually Sing. But he’s not totally exempt, so he deserves a comparison. For me, it’s like... the way Lucas would tell it it’s like he’s the worst singer ever in the history of the universe and you should never hear him, but honestly he’s like. Fine. He’s not great and he would never have gotten into the school for singing, but he’s not terrible. He’s passable. When he tries, it’s charming. I think the biggest key that makes him different from everyone else is he doesn’t have much of a range -- when I pick songs for him, I always try to go for ones that kind of stay within the same octave or register for the entirety so it’s almost like monotone singing, because that’s about what he can handle decently (his performance in 211 being an exception, of course, because it had to be). So, comparing accordingly:

Harry Styles -- I warned you he’d be back again, but this criteria is even more hyper-specific than Charlie. I think Styles is a great comp for Lucas in the very limited tracks where he is not showing off in any capacity and is really just keeping it stripped down and to the point (think “To Be So Lonely”). His cover of “Girl Crush” is another good example of what I mean. It’s basically like the same 4 or 5 notes and very little movement or flash, and his voice kind of takes on a grittier, flatter quality which is what I’m aiming for. Example track: From the Dining Table

That’s really it honestly. He doesn’t perform enough to warrant much else. You get the idea lmao.

ASHER | Although we didn’t expect it back in the days of S1, Asher has certainly jumped up to take spotlight in terms of performing in the last couple of seasons! Ricky (along with Liam) are actual singers and were together in a band for several years, so there’s no doubt they can sing and I think of their voices most often (in particular, I recommend the “Compass” music video, because it’s a good song and allows you to actively see which boy is singing what). But admittedly, Ricky’s handful of solo tracks since FIYM went on hiatus are average at best (and his lyricism... king you need Liam to write your lyrics LMAO), so I don’t usually jump to his music as examples of what I think he -- or Asher -- is actually capable of. So with Ricky’s good vocals as a base, here are some additional comparisons:

Ruel -- Cannot stress this one enough. There’s a reason Asher’s true initial debut was Ruel’s best track (”Younger”). He just has that perfect like... strong tenor with soft edges that feels very teenage twink and very Asher. It’s not quite Diva!Asher flair, but at Asher’s most base vocal style, I think Ruel is the perfect match. Example track: Down For You

Troye Sivan -- Same kind of traits here in terms of like smooth tenor, and in this case it actually is a certified twink singing so the crossover is even more apt. I don’t think Asher is as... electronic as Troye’s production often is, but the general range of his voice is close enough to be considered a match. Example track: 10/10

DYLAN | So same FIYM video shared in Asher’s applies here as well, but I think what works so well about Liam’s voice in regards to Dylan is that I think the key trait to Dylan is that he’s not flashy. When I think about Liam’s voice (and I love his voice, he’s my favorite FIYM member), I often think about when Sue on Glee called Quinn’s voice a “soft, forgettable alto,” but only it’s a tenor and I mean it in a nice way. The most endeared way. Dylan is less about being impressive and more about just like... character. His voice is not the best in the bunch but you can feel how him all of his performances are through his inflections and his energy. That’s what Dylan vocally feels like to me. So aside from his soft, forgettable tenor on the second verse of “Compass,” here’s a couple other niche comparisons for Dyl Pickle:

Princeton in Avenue Q -- Whenever “Purpose” comes on shuffle, I think about Dylan because of how distinct and energetic the delivery of the song is. There’s just so many little quirks and inflections and moments of fun within the vocals, and that reminds me so much of how Dylan performs. Little laughs, free-wheeling runs, stuff like that. Example track: Purpose.

Graham Verchere -- This dude like isn’t even actually a singer and he isn’t that big an actor, but I love love love his rendition of “Thirteen” with Grace VanderWaal and every time I listen to it I think about Dylan and Asher. It captures the other end of Dylan’s range for me (the soft, forgettable tenor thing) in the sense of like... imagining Dylan plucking out songs for fun on his guitar while hanging out with Asher and then playfully serenading him and the two of them doing a carefree, easy duet like this. I just love it. So I’ll include it. Example track: Thirteen.

#Anonymous #ask and you shall receive #i just did the f9 here but if you want to know about anyone else specifically feel free to ask!#i probably included way more info than you needed which is funny since i hadnt thot abt this until a day ago LOL #but i hope this is what you wanted to know <3 #front nine #aaa supplementaries #answered

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skullsandwineglasses · 4 years ago

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Life Lessons

The things you thought you wanted when you were 18 are very different from the things that you realize are important when you’re 24.

1. Meet cutes

You fantasize about running into a stranger at a coffee shop, a book store, a library aisle, a grocery store lineup, etc and that you’ll click with them right away. You think “the one” is out there somewhere. But Ashley from bestdressed put it best: do you really think that out of the 7 or 8 billion or so people on the planet, you were born down the street or a city away from your soulmate? How is life going to be that convenient?

I thought college would be my Debut(TM), especially after a comfortable but uneventful time in high school. But college was quite anticlimactic. I was even less social if that was even possible. It’s hard to make friends when you’re not forced to sit next to the same people everyday. You instead meet people from afar who seem to be living, breathing real-life protagonists: beautiful, smart, witty, stylish, artsy, outspoken. I found myself trying to emulate them. I felt like I was falling behind in terms of who I should be in life.

I tried to take control. If you don’t put yourself out there, how would meet cutes ever happen? So,

I go to coffee shops: but everyone’s too busy to look up from the work on their laptop screens to pay any attention to anyone else.

I go to bookstores: but everyone’s too busy scanning the titles on the shelves to pay any attention to anyone else.

I go to the library: see coffee shop.

I’m in the grocery store and someone asks me about the best coconut milk to use for curry: they get their answer and leave.

I go to a jazz bar: again, everyone’s too busy listening to the band to pay any attention to anyone else.

I go to a swing dance social night: but everyone’s too busy trying to dance with as many different partners as possible in order to diversify their skills to linger any attention on anyone

You can’t say I didn’t try.

Bonus:

Imagine you’re feeling bummed that you got assigned an aisle seat on the plane, only to approach your seat and see that a cute guy is sitting in the window seat next to yours. Could this be the meet cute you’ve been waiting for? You sit down. He says hi. You return the greeting a little too excitedly. You move to the fasten your seat belt. He speaks again: “So, my girlfriend has a window seat a couple rows back. I was wondering if you...”

Stunned, you pull the seat belt back and get up, gathering your stuff. “Oh yea, for sure, no bother at all. I wanted a window seat anyway.”

I kid you not. Cringe writes itself. It was like the opening of a bad romcom where the side character has one romantic failure after another.

-> Moral of the story: Don’t expect to arrive at a place hoping that you’ll lock eyes with someone across the room. People go to places for the services that the place provides, and so they’ll be focused on their purpose for having gone to said place. Taylor Swift songs and YA novels did a wonderful job of misinforming me of how indifferent the social environment is like in public spaces.

2. Exchanging phone numbers

So, maybe someone finally asks for your number. You part ways at the subway station. He promises to talk to you soon. But after 3 days, you wonder why he hasn’t texted you yet. You get a text from him Sunday morning asking you to meet for coffee that evening. You’re outside the cafe at 7:15, waiting. He texts you apologizing for being late because he was jogging around the lake and lost track of time. He says he’s on his way. You never hear from him again.

-> Moral of the story: Even if you do ending up having a cute first encounter with someone at a subway station, it doesn’t mean things will work out. I’ve been ghosted like this 3 times. It’s gets harder trying to give men the benefit of the doubt each time.

I had thought that my self worth depended on how many strangers would approach me for my number. I thought that being liked was the only way to be validated. And while being asked for your number is flattering the first time, the illusion quickly shatters when you learn that the success of a relationship hinges on more than just the circumstance of the first meeting.

3. Reading signs

You’re in line at the airport after returning from a conference trip, waiting to get through customs. You finally reach the customs officer who asks about the reason for your trip.

“A conference,” you say.

“For?”

“Narrative. You know, like storytelling”

He hands you back your passport. “So are you an author?”

“Oh no, I just study the psychology of storytelling”

His face lights up. “Wow yes, storytelling is so important. It’s the foundation of civilization. That’s great”

“I’m glad you’re able to appreciate it. Not many people do when I tell them.”

“Well that’s because they don’t understand how important storytelling is to the basis of civilization. And for me too as someone who works in law enforcement.”

“Yes, for sure,” you say nodding. You look at the line behind you and start to move to leave.

“Well, it’s too bad we can’t talk more. Have a great day, miss”.

You walk towards the exit where the baggage claim is, and your head’s a blur. Was he...flirting? You’ve never met a stranger who was that interested in your research before, much less a border officer who was willing to stall the line just to ask you more about what you do.

You begin to wonder if you should have left a card or a number so that you could talk later. You know, for research purposes. It’s always nice to make a friend outside your field who shares the same interests as you. But none of that matters now anyway because #ACAB. What’s done is done. But you still wonder about what his intentions were when he started that conversation. It’s too bad we can’t talk more. Yeah. A shame.

-> Moral of the story: Be more assertive. Offer a way to connect if you’re interested. Why do we keep reinforcing the idea that women can only be acted on and can’t act themselves?

4. To love or be loved

Like many young adults, I often question if my mother really understands what it means to be in love. She seems to like the idea of love, the idea of the perfect fateful meeting, but proudly says that she never fully gave her heart to anyone. She’s always warning that it’s better to receive love than to give it. That you end up at a disadvantage if you love first and love more.

But I think I’d rather have the agency to make that choice than to be chosen. All throughout high school and in the media, we seem to glorify having someone choose us and love us unconditionally. But that’s unrealistic. There’s no such thing as unconditional, but I do hope to get as a close as possible to it. I want to love someone even if they might not love me back. I want to know how it feels like to put someone else first. Maybe this is just another teenage fantasy that has re-manifested itself in adulthood, but I want the freedom of stretching my feelings out than to feel the weight of that of someone else’s whom I can’t reciprocate.

It also has to do with how much the alpha male is romanticized in our culture. I realize that I don’t want a domineering male version of my mother, who herself is controlling, obsessive, and possessive. I want a friend, not someone who thinks that I constantly need to be coddled and protected for my own good.

It’s also a stupid expectation to have of real life men. If the men in my life are any indication, then they have goals and ambitions that they want to pursue. Everyone does. A relationship is a mutual support system. It’s not about how much as can take from someone.

5. Choices

Some people say that you can fall in love with a city by falling in love in that city.

TW: Sketchy interactions in ubers/taxis

I was grabbing coffee with a guy that I just met in a foreign city that I was visiting. It was approaching 9pm and he said that he had work the next morning, so we decided to call it a day. I was heading towards the subway station when he said that he called an uber and could drop me off at my hotel. Obviously, warning bells went off, but I was so worried about disappointing him, even though I knew that I wouldn’t see him again anyway after that evening. I just didn’t know how to say no. I reluctantly got in the car with him and instantly regretted it. He moved closer, but when he saw that I was uncomfortable, he moved away. Thankfully. We had an awkward conversation, and the driver dropped me off at my hotel after 10 minutes. I was lucky. I knew it. But looking back at the encounter now, I do wonder what would have happened if I had reciprocated the interest. I mean, I was definitely was curious at the time, but mostly because I was inexperienced and a little desperate to be completely honest. But, I knew that I didn’t want my first kiss or first whatever to be with a stranger who I knew I would never see again since I was leaving the next day. I knew about the emotional confusion that it would cause. I also wasn’t prepared to go as far as I thought he wanted to go, so I didn’t want to give him any wrong impressions and assumed that it was just easier to not show any interest at all. From time to time I still wonder about him and how he’s doing and whether I’ll ever run into him again if I’m back in the city.

-> Moral of the story: Learn to say no and to stop worrying about whether you’ll offend someone because you want to keep yourself safe. I should have never gotten into that car, and my friends always remind me of that every time I tell them that story. I also acknowledge that some people might not always have that choice, and we should never victim blame.

For me in that situation, I had a mix of different emotions. Curiosity, attraction, anxiety. My friend told me that I should have told him what I felt at the time and what my boundaries were instead of shutting off. But at the same time, he should have been vocal to me too and voiced what he was thinking, instead of just moving closer in the closed space of an uber. Sketchy af.

6. Fate (is a lie)

I like to believe in the idea of fate and soulmates. My mother always tells me how I was the product of fate and so a part of me feels entitled to a little bit of that magic too.

But I got my wake-up call when I walked into a dive bar one Friday night and could have sworn that I saw my first crush from middle school sitting at a table in the centre of the room with a group of his friends.

We made eye contact, but it was too dark to know for sure. I walked past the table to the bar and asked for a table for one. I sat in the corner and watched him and his friends, curiously.

No one just walks into a dive bar and suddenly decides that the first person you see when you walk through the door is someone you once knew from middle school. I was almost sure that it was him. Was he?

I was in a city an hour away from where we went to middle school. What are the odds. Was it fate? Was it a coincidence? After 12 years of having never seen this kid, I run into him in a dive bar I’ve never been to before in a city I only go visit maybe once every 2 months.

Out of all the kids I went to middle school with, I had to run into my first crush? Seems like a joke. What kind of message was the universe trying to send?

In the end, I finished my sangria, and left. He never took one look back at me. And I walked out knowing that I’d never see him again. What seemed like an impossible coincidence just ended up mounting to nothing.

That’s when I learned that coincidences are just coincidences. There’s nothing more to them unless you decide to make something out of them.

Concluding remarks:

Maybe y’all are smarter and more perceptive than I am and already knew about these things when you turned 18. But these are lessons that took me 6 years to learn and then some. And even at 24 and having a couple of serendipitous experiences under my belt, I’m still no closer to being the confident, mature, and level-headed adult that I think I should be. I still feel 18 with the unrealistic expectations and mentality embodied by someone that age. Hell, to be honest I’m not entirely sure I remember when it feels like to be an 18 year old anymore. I just feel like an inadequate 24 year old. I shouldn’t be insulting 18 year olds like this.

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mayquita · 5 years ago

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Damn You For Making Me Love You (1/15) - Creep

I can't believe the day is finally here!! I'd like to express my gratitude to the moderators of @captainswanbigbang for creating this event and giving us the opportunity to finish and/or rewrite our previous works. It seems I work better under pressure, only in this way am I able to finish my stories, so thanks again for making it possible.

This is a finished and improved version(I hope) of my previous incomplete work. I included everything that appeared in its predecessor, that's why I decided to keep the same name, but I have also made some minor changes and, above all, I added quite a few more scenes, mostly flashbacks, which I hope have served to get to know the characters better and give them more depth.

This story includes 4 different POVs, Killian, Emma, Liam, and Elsa's. I found it interesting to offer the vision of the relationship between Emma and Killian through other people's eyes. It's not an angsty story, in fact, I had a lot of fun writing some scenes, so I hope you enjoy it.

Beta-Reader: Thank you so much, @ultraluckycatnd I couldn't have asked for a better beta. Thank you for all your effort, your suggestions, your advice and for always being there when I needed you.

Special mention to @saraswans and @onceuponaprincessworld, thank you so much for your perpetual support and for believing in me and in the story.

Summary: Emma Swan and Killian Jones are close friends and co-workers. And both are in love with each other. The problem? They keep their feelings secret not only to the other but also to the rest of their friends. When Elsa, Emma's best friend and Liam, Killian's brother and Emma’s boss find out, they decide to form an alliance and work as a team with a clear goal, to get Emma and Killian to take the next step in their relationship and confess their love for each other.

Rating: M

Word count: ~ 7800 (98k total in 15 chapters)

Also: Ao3 / FFnet

Here we go... I hope you like it :)

Prologue - Creep

Four years ago...

What the hell am I doing here?

I don't belong here.

The Kraken

The bar was located in a bland building, with nothing of interest to make it stand out except its spot near the marina. Even the sign with the name seemed dull and unwelcoming. Emma couldn’t help wrinkling her nose in disapproval while inspecting the facade of the premises carefully. If someone asked her, she would say that her goal was to gather information about the place where she might be working in the future. If she got the job, that is. The reality was a little different, though. She was simply using an excuse to delay the inevitable, reluctant to take the step that would carry her inside.

It wasn’t that she was a picky person in terms of job opportunities. Even without knowing what she would find inside, she was sure that she had worked in worse places. She had her standards, though, and she hadn’t worked her fingers to the bone to get her degree just to end up working in a damn bar.

"I need the money," she whispered to herself in an attempt to convince herself that she was making the right decision. She was the only one to blame for being in this precarious situation, after all. That's what happens when you run away from the person who broke your heart, leaving almost everything behind. Only one suitcase with a few belongings and her camera accompanied her on her escape.

In spite of everything, she should be grateful to have people around who cared about her, like her friend Elsa, who had welcomed her into her home with no questions and asked for nothing in return. That's why she was here today, in front of this building, because she couldn’t live forever under her friend's wing without having anything to contribute. She needed to feel useful.

I may not even be chosen, she thought.

Before deciding to enter, Emma grabbed her phone and looked for the job ad that had brought her here.

We are looking for new candidates to join our crew to help us refloat our ship before it sinks. If you are a creative, passionate person who likes challenges, this could be your opportunity. We only ask you to have knowledge in advertising and social media. If you are interested, contact our Captain for more information.

It was quite imaginative, she gave them that, with all that naval vocabulary being used in a clear reference to the name of the bar. But it also implied that they, the owners, had resorted to a somewhat desperate measure, probably because they were in a precarious position as well. She was not sure yet if that was something favorable to her interests. Anyway, there was only one way to find out.

After taking a deep breath, she opened the door with more determination than she really felt, hoping that maybe this time she would find the opportunity to start again on the right path.

In retrospect, she could say that the first thing that attracted her attention after entering The Kraken was the male figure located on what looked like an improvised stage, guitar in hand. Love at first sight and all that shit, as her friend Anna would say. Actually, that was the second thing that caught her attention. The first thing her eyes caught was the luminosity that radiated throughout the huge room.

Emma had to blink a few times at the unexpected and intense lighting of the bar, something she had not expected from such a place. She only needed a simple look around to discover the source of the illumination: the two walls in the far corner were adorned with huge, picturesque windows that were allowing the light to come streaming in. Her eyes widened with interest when she discovered a kind of gadget connected to what looked like two white curtains that were drawn back at the time.

When you were here before

Couldn't look you in the eye

The melodious voice of the guy in the middle of the stage distracted her momentarily from the inspection; her gaze was immediately drawn towards him.

She wasn't sure if the guy was deliberately ignoring her presence there or if he was so focused on his task that he hadn't even realized that someone was watching him, but at least that gave her a few seconds to appreciate the vision that appeared in front of her.

There was something hypnotic in the way his nimble fingers slid over the guitar strings and in how he was able to modulate his voice, creating a powerful melody that enveloped her immediately, causing the lyrics of the song to also slip from between her lips in a soft hum.

Maybe it was the unusual lighting of the place, or the nerves that reverberated inside her, or it might be the lyrics of the song that seemed to acquire a new meaning when sung in the voice of the stranger. Whatever it was, Emma felt the air charged with electricity as she approached the stage almost without realizing it, as if she was being attracted by a magnet.

It was then that he subtly moved his head, directing his gaze to her while still singing. Emma could swear that time stopped at that moment, while she also remained frozen in her position unable to look away from the bluest eyes she had seen in her entire life.

A shiver ran down her spine when the guy sang the next verse as if he was singing directly to her, his intense eyes never abandoning hers.

You're just like an angel

Your skin makes me cry

You float like a feather

In a beautiful world

Emma shook her head in an attempt to get out of the trance as she pressed her lips together, holding back the humming. At least with the next verse, she came back to reality, suddenly remembering the reason for her presence there and her previous doubts.

But I'm a creep, I'm a weirdo.

What the hell am I doing here?

I don't belong here.

She certainly didn't seem to belong there, not with a guy too gorgeous for his own good. Although she wasn't even sure if the man worked there; someone like him around implied distractions that she neither needed nor wanted.

He hadn't spoken any words to her, but still managed to make goosebumps rise all over her skin, not only with his impressive voice but with his enigmatic and piercing gaze and his dark hair falling on his forehead. Even his scruff with a shade of ginger was attractive. It was as if the guy had a danger sign over his head, so her instinct pushed her to turn around and run away from there. She would have done it too if it wasn't for the fact that the guy finally decided to stop singing and addressed her directly.

"It's for the sails."

"I'm sorry, what?"

"The artifact, the one you were looking at before. It's for hoisting the sails."

What the hell was this guy talking about? The confusion was probably written all over her face because he raised an eyebrow while pointing behind her. Her brow furrowed as she turned her head in that direction. "The curtains are meant to emulate the sails of a ship. You know, naval decor and all that stuff."

He had an accent. Of course, he had an accent. Emma hadn't been able to detect it while he sang but just a handful of words had been enough to show it.

Reluctant to look at him again, her gaze focused on the curtains for a few seconds. It was quite creative, she would concede that. Even now that the curtains were raised, she could imagine the effect it would cause with dimmer lighting. The gears of her brain began to work, looking for the possible potential for that design.

"I thought you would like to know, given your apparent interest."

When she turned again she found a disarming smile and a smug expression on his face. As if that were not enough, he also had the audacity to wink at her. Seriously ? Emma would have stood there paralyzed with her mouth hanging open, unable to process what had just happened had it not been for another voice stealing her attention right at that moment. A voice that was addressing her from behind the bar.

"Hello, lass. What can I do for you?" The man who was speaking offered her a kind smile to which she responded with a timid one of her own as she forced her feet to step away from the stage and head toward the bar. The man looked somewhat older than the musician and, although they shared similar features, his hair was curly and his blue gaze less intense. He also sported a warmer expression, much to her relief.

"Uhm, I'm Emma. Emma Swan. I came for the job interview."

The man's face lit up immediately as his smile widened. "Emma Swan, of course. Nice to meet you." He offered his hand before continuing. "Welcome to The Kraken, lass. I'm Liam Jones, one of the owners and The Captain of this fine vessel." He waved his hand to encompass the entire room and then pointed toward the stage, so Emma had no choice but to look there again. "And that scoundrel up there would be my first mate, also known as my little brother, Killian."

"It's younger," the man, Killian, grumbled, a scowling expression on his face. She heard Liam snort behind her and she was going to turn again to focus her attention on him when Killian softened his features immediately, his lips drawing a bright smile and a special sparkle appeared in his gaze. "Pleasure."

He was trouble, she was aware of it. She didn't need trouble in her life. She was looking for a job, not a hot guy who had the ability to make her feel as if she had melted from the force of his penetrating gaze.

"Well, now that the introductions are made, what do you think if we get to business?" Emma had to suppress a sigh of relief when Liam came to her rescue. Yep, business, that's what she was here for.

After one last look at the stage, she turned back to Liam, but before they had time to start talking, a sound coming from the stage caused a chill to run down her spine. The bastard began to sing again.

I wish I was special

You're so fuckin' special

The corners of her lips twisted up as the lyrics of the song seeped deep into her, causing a strange sensation to settle in the pit of her stomach.

She ignored that feeling and focused on Liam's warm smile and the cozy decor that surrounded her. She found herself beginning to envision all the possibilities to boost the business, detecting with a simple glance the huge potential that it hid. Kilian might mean danger, but she had dealt with worse. Yes, she definitely might belong there, at least professionally speaking.

Emma Swan - October 2019, present day

The streets of Boston passed before her eyes at full speed, wrapped in the lights and shadows typical of the night in a big city. When the cab stopped at a red light for what seemed like the millionth time, Emma groaned quietly, unable to hide her displeasure. She could feel Elsa's inquiring gaze directed at her, but showing off her stubbornness, she chose to ignore her while she kept her head turned towards the window.

The trip home had become torture. She couldn’t wait to get to her apartment, lock herself in her bedroom, and bury her head under the pillow. But it seemed like that wasn’t going to happen anytime soon. A huff of annoyance escaped between her lips as she cursed inwardly. Damn Irishman! The person who had ruined her night had a proper name. Killian Jones.

At least Elsa, sitting next to her, had the good sense to remain silent. Emma, though, could see from the corner of her eye that her friend kept giving her inquiring glances that also contained a hint of concern. Damn Killian, she repeated to herself as she closed her eyes and leaned her head against the back of the seat.

And to think that the night had started so well, full of expectations... For the first time in what seemed like ages, her boss, Liam Jones, had taken pity on her and Killian and given them the whole weekend off.

She didn't remember anything like that in the four years she had been working for him. Well, there was that weekend, when the three of them went out of town to do some purchasing, when... Don't go there! She stopped that escalation of thoughts before it was too late. Certainly, the memories of that glorious weekend weren't going to help improve her current mood. Even so, she didn't have enough willpower to stop thinking about what had happened just half an hour before…

"It will be a quiet night, I'll manage with only Ruby and Robin. The bar can survive for a couple of days without you. Now, guys, go out and have fun," Liam explained to both she and Killian. He used that condescending, patronizing tone of his, as if he were speaking to his own children.

Any other time, they would have reacted the way they usually did when Liam used that tone, rolling their eyes or raising their eyes to the sky praying for patience. On this occasion, though, they were so surprised by the offer that they simply looked at each other with wide eyes and mouths hanging open, as if they didn't quite believe their luck.

That's how she ended up organizing a girls' Friday night with Elsa and her sister Anna, a night she hoped was full of good music, drinks, and great moments with her two friends.

Everything went well for a while. But then, in a twist of fate, he appeared in the same damn bar they were in. Killian Jones, in all his splendor, with his swagger moves, his devilish grin, and his bright blue eyes with the ability to pierce hearts.

The problem? He wasn't alone.

Their gazes connected for a brief instant, in spite of the crowd around them. Everything else ceased to exist at that moment, at least until her eyes moved to his left. Killian's left arm was placed around the shoulders of a petite brunette. Belle. His friend. HIS FRIEND. His best friend forever, the one he had grown up with was in the city. With him. Fuck!

Emma knew of Belle's existence, of course. She had met Killian shortly after he had traveled from Ireland with his father and brother after his mother passed away. Belle had been their neighbor, the first person to help them adapt to the differences of a strange country for them. Over time, and after their father abandoned them, the two brothers had moved to a new city in search of new opportunities but they had never lost contact with her.

Although Emma would never acknowledge it out loud, she had always been a bit jealous of Belle; not at a sentimental level, but rather at one related to friendship. Belle was the one who shared the memories of a lifetime with the Jones brothers, while she had to settle for those created during the last four years. They were pretty amazing memories, but not enough, not if she compared them to Belle’s.

She had always managed to hide that irrational jealousy, a fairly easy task considering that Belle didn't even live in the same state. She had always been a distant figure for Emma.

Until now.

Today she was here with him, and her thoughts began to spiral, gathering in her mind and gradually clouding her mood. 'Why didn’t Killian tell me anything before? Oh! Is that why Liam gave us the weekend off? So that Killian could hang out with Belle? Isn’t she smiling at him too much? Why does he still have his arm around her shoulders?'

Everything went wrong from that moment. He came to where the women were and introduced them to his friend. All Emma managed to hear was how Belle was addressing her, grateful to finally meet her in person, but she barely paid attention. She didn't mind being rude, she’d have time to regret her behavior later. She was busy putting all her efforts into keeping her face straight enough to hide her inner agitation. He, on the other hand, also acted strangely as he met them, glancing around absently, shifting his weight from foot to foot, hand scratching the back of his ear.

After a few minutes of awkward conversation, Emma just left the bar, alluding that she was tired, with Elsa following on her heels without saying a word while Anna remained there, chatting with Belle and Killian.

Fuck, Fuck! Why on earth had he ended up in the same bar as her? As if there wasn’t an endless amount of bars in the damn city.

Emma came back to reality when she realized that the cab had finally stopped in front of her building. She didn’t even bother to pay, she left the vehicle quickly, thinking that perhaps, if she hurried enough, she could reach her bedroom and lock herself in there, thus preventing Elsa's interrogation.

Luck was not on her side tonight, of course. She lost precious minutes trying to find the keys inside her purse, as a series of curses escaped her mouth. “Where are my damn keys?" she muttered in frustration.

It was then that Emma remembered she had left her keys forgotten inside the apartment, something that didn’t concern her at all at first since Elsa accompanied her. She groaned, smacking her forehead slightly against the door.

How could she be so stupid?

"Were you looking for these?" Elsa arrived at that moment, her hand held up holding her keys and an inquisitive look on her face.

A sigh of resignation escaped her mouth as she stepped aside, allowing Elsa to finally open the door, the possibilities of locking herself in her bedroom without having to give any explanation completely vanished.

Still, she was reluctant to confess. If she had managed to keep the secret of her feelings for... an eternity, why should she give any explanation now? Maybe if she dropped herself on the couch and pretended to fall asleep…

In fact, that was the first thing she did as soon as she entered the apartment and removed her heels. She collapsed on the sofa, covering her face with her right arm.

"Okay, enough. I thought the ride home would calm you down, but it seems like it's not like that, so tell me, what's going on, Emma?" Elsa's soft voice reached her ears but she did not respond at first, remaining in stubborn silence.

Elsa sighed and for a moment Emma thought she would let things be. She was wrong, of course. "Since the night has been ruined, I have a few hours to go, so I'm going to sit right here, right in front of you, and I'll wait for you to stop behaving like a child. I'm an older sister, remember. I know all the tricks."

Emma moaned inwardly, finally giving up and sitting down. "It's nothing, I was just tired,” she mumbled, avoiding her friend's gaze.

"Tired..." Elsa cocked her head slightly as she narrowed her eyes. "You know I'm not buying it, right? Come on, Emma, I know you always keep to yourself how you feel, but I also know this never ends well. So tell me, what's wrong?"

What’s wrong? That's what I want to know, she thought. She wasn’t able —or more like she didn’t want to — put a label on her feelings, at least out loud. Killian was her best friend, for the love of God. Since both of them worked in the same place, they spent most of the time together, either in the bar or in either one’s apartment, or having dinner with Liam... But this situation had caught her off guard and it had served to realize that perhaps she wasn’t going to keep Killian for herself forever. A groan escaped her mouth at the thought of that, though she sealed her lips hastily, unwilling to voice aloud how she felt.

Elsa looked at her expectantly for a few seconds, but seeing that Emma was remaining silent, she sighed again showing her frustration. However, she didn’t give up, much to Emma’s dismay. "Okay, you're not going to talk, so I'll have to figure it out for myself." Her eyes narrowed and her brow wrinkled in thought. "The night was going well, we were having fun, we had just got our drinks..."

Don’t go that way…

"Then we met Killian. We were talking for a while..."

Don’t.

Her eyes widened when she finally realized. "Oh my God! This was all about Killian! But why? Did he say something that bothered you or..."

No, no, go back, go back.

"He wasn't alone... he wasn't alone! This is because of Belle!"

Emma moaned in response, putting her hands on her face.

"Emma..." Her voice softened. "You kept telling me Killian was just a friend, a very close friend, okay, but nothing more."

"It's the truth," she replied, not proud of the unconvincing tone of her voice.

"But you feel something more for him, don’t you?" Elsa insisted in a gentle but firm voice. Emma didn't even bother to answer this time. Her friend took her silence as an admission as she continued on that path. "Since when?"

Since when? Since ever? Since she entered The Kraken for the first time to do a job interview four years ago. Since the first thing she saw when she entered the bar was the hottest man she had ever met playing the guitar and singing. Since she met the deep ocean of his gaze as he continued singing as if he did it just for her... Oh, God ... "For a while," she mumbled.

"For a while," Elsa echoed her words. "You're telling me you've had feelings for Killian for some time, and you're not gonna do anything about it?"

"That’s exactly what I’m saying."

"Oh, Emma, you know that at some point you'll have to open your heart again, right? We're talking about Killian; not all men are like Neal or Walsh.”

The mere mention of their names caused her to flinch, another sign of how broken her heart was still due to those two assholes. As if feeling her discomfort, Elsa approached and sat down beside her, taking her hand in hers and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"I don’t want to risk losing what I have with Killian." The connection she felt with him went far beyond physical attraction. It was something difficult to explain in words, but that connection caused endless sensations swirling inside her. She didn't want those feelings to ever end. "I would rather keep him as a friend than lose him forever."

"But this is affecting you, Emma. Just look at your reaction from tonight. By the way, how could you be jealous of Belle? Besides, he's surrounded by girls all the time, flirting and flattering them. You witness that every day."

"It's not the same," Emma replied in a weak voice, feeling an incipient headache approaching. How could she explain how she felt? "At the end of the day, that's just a role. He doesn’t hook up any of those girls, hasn’t for quite some time anyway. We just close the bar and go home. But today... " She paused, trying to gather her thoughts. "It's not just for his friend.” Although she couldn’t deny that for a moment Belle had been a threat. Once again, the feeling of not being enough had made an appearance. “Before he approached us, he looked happy and carefree. He not only had Belle by his side, but he could also have been able to get any of the girls from the bar."

"Maybe he would have chosen you..."

"No." She shook her head firmly. "It's... I didn’t expect to see him there, even less to see him accompanied by a woman, but everything is going to return to normal. It's the best thing for us.” She tried to convince herself, stubbornly ignoring Elsa's hopeful gaze. She wasn’t going to risk their friendship...

Damn it! She was so fucked up.

Killian Jones - October 2019, present day

What a weird night!

Not only the night, actually. A strange sensation had accompanied him throughout the day. It was as if, after his brother had given them the whole weekend off, he didn't know what to do with that unexpected free time, apart from lying on the couch with Netflix as his only companion. Especially when he couldn't count on Emma as a source of entertainment either since she had decided to spend a girls' night with her friends.

But in a matter of minutes, everything had taken an unexpected turn. His childhood friend, Belle, had called by surprise for a brief visit. She would be in the city for less than a day, but had the afternoon off, so Killian quickly formulated an improvised plan.

That's how he'd ended up in the same bloody bar Emma had come to. Seriously, what were the odds? Of course, he blamed himself for having flatly refused to take Belle to The Kraken. — It's my free night, love. The last thing I want is to spend the evening in the same place as always. I know you want to see Liam, but he will be with you at the airport tomorrow .—

"Killian? Are you sure you're okay?"

Belle’s voice, coming from beside him, took him out of his reverie. He cleared his throat before answering. "Sure, love, just tired." He felt Belle's gaze scrutinizing him, but she just nodded without adding anything else.

They continued walking in silence, his hands in the pockets of his jeans and Belle's arm hanging from the hollow formed by his arm. It was a warm night, despite being in early October, so they had decided to walk back to the hotel where Belle was staying.

For a few minutes, he tried to focus on anything, the weather, Belle, the sounds of the street, but all his thoughts invariably ended up with one name that night. Emma Swan. So, despite the momentary interruption, his mind bent to remind him again and again of the situation he had lived merely an hour earlier.

The choice of the bar had been totally random. It turned out to be the closest to the hotel where Belle was staying. But luck wasn’t on his side that night, or maybe it was because, within minutes of entering the bloody bar, a vision appeared before his eyes. A vision that was becoming his downfall. Emma Swan.

The person he had been secretly in love with for four years was right in front of his eyes.

It was a pleasant surprise since he was so used to seeing her every day that, although he could not be happier to have a free Friday night, the possibility of not seeing Emma for a whole day was not so appealing.

At least he had been lucky enough to notice Emma before she realized his presence there, which implied that he would be able to put into practice one of his favorite hobbies, observe Emma while she wasn't looking.

No, he wasn't a stalker, but he enjoyed those little moments, such as seeing Emma with a wrinkle of concentration across her brow as she edited photographs, sitting in her favorite corner of the bar. Or watching how she got into the role of a tough lass when one of the customers tried to go too far with her. He also enjoyed hearing how she hummed his songs when she believed he was not listening. Or watching as she slept, unable to stay awake on one of their Netflix nights.

He treasured those little moments as something precious, something that made Emma more real, but that at the same time served as a reminder that those moments were the most he was going to get from her. She was seemingly unreachable.

What he saw at that moment took his breath away. She was impressive that night. Not only did she look sexier than ever, but her eyes glowed in a special way, and her carefree smile did nothing to placate his agitation. When their gazes finally met through the crowd, it was as if everything else ceased to exist. At least for a few seconds.

He then approached her and the spell broke.

The smile faded from her lips the moment he met her and introduced her to Belle. From there she began to act quite strangely, avoiding his glance, answering with monosyllables, becoming even a little rude to Belle. Why did she act like that? Was it because of him? They had talked in the morning and everything was normal. What was it then?

A feeling of unease settled in the pit of his stomach, something unusual in reference to Emma. His relationship with her had always been easy; they shared such a special connection. Unfortunately, that connection didn’t help him tonight, because he not only seemed unable to understand her strange attitude, but he himself began to act strangely.

After the first few minutes of awkward conversation, an idea began to settle in his head. Emma might feel uncomfortable about his unexpected appearance because she was looking for something different that night. Maybe a one-night stand... The mere idea made him feel sick to his stomach. When was the last time she...? No, he didn't even want to remember it.

For his luck or misfortune, Emma excused herself after only a few minutes, alluding to the fact that she was tired and saying goodbye with just a nod. Elsa, her friend, followed her, not before giving both him and her sister an apologetic look.

Anna stayed with them for a few more minutes, but then she also left with the excuse that she was going to meet her boyfriend Kristoff in a nearby bar now that the girls’ night had been ruined. In a matter of a few minutes, he found himself alone again with Belle and with the endless troubled thoughts that had begun to gather in his head.

“Killian?”

Belle's voice brought him back to reality again, noticing then that they had just reached the hotel entrance. Killian scratched behind his ear, casting an apologetic glance towards his friend. "My apologies, love. I got a bit distracted."

"Oh, I can see that." Belle crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head slightly, her eyes filled with curiosity. "Now, are you going to tell me what's happening?"

Killian swallowed, averting his gaze and directing it toward his feet. His feelings for Emma were something only he knew and he had every intention of keeping that fact hidden. That made things easier. "I don’t know what you're talking about, love," he mumbled, keeping his gaze on his feet.

“Oh, please.” He didn't even need to look at her to know she was rolling her eyes. “You've been acting strange from the very moment we met Emma. It was an awkward moment there at the bar, not just for you, but for her as well.”

"Ah, about that. I apologize on her behalf. Emma ..." Why was it suddenly difficult for him to even pronounce her name? He let out a deep exhale while rubbing his eyes before turning his gaze back to Belle. "She doesn’t act that way normally."

"You don't need to apologize." Belle stared at him for a few seconds before continuing. "She's not just a friend anymore, is she?"

“I don’t know what you are talking about, love." He plastered a fake smile on his face before continuing. "Emma is my friend, that's all." He was not lying actually. They were just friends, though all the fibers of his being craved for something else.

Belle held his gaze for a few seconds longer, as if she wanted to go through his armor and reach his secrets. Finally, she sighed, giving up. "Whatever you say, but you should talk to her at some point. There was a weird tension there. Whatever it is, you should fix it." She raised her index finger in warning.

"It's Liam's fault. He makes us work so hard that when we find ourselves with so much unexpected free time, we don’t know how to act. We’re not used to it." Killian tried to lighten the mood with an ingenious comment that would divert attention.

"Oh, of course, blame your brother. He's such a slaver." She rolled her eyes again as she let out a snort. But then her gaze softened, her hand caressing his arm gently. "You know it's time to move on, right?"

A lump in his throat kept him from speaking for a few seconds. He nodded, the corners of his lips pulled up in a small smile. If only she knew that he had already decided to move on for some time... But the fear of losing Emma had him paralyzed. He was unable to consider taking their relationship a step further. At least not until Emma was ready. And as it was currently with their situation, that didn’t seem to be happening any time soon. But he preferred to have what they shared now than to have absolutely nothing.

"Talk to her, or to your brother," she asked, pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Have a safe flight, Belle. We’ll talk soon."

After saying goodbye to his friend with the promise of seeing her soon, Killian was reluctant to go home. The image of Emma in that ethereal dress and that dazzling smile didn’t stop tormenting him. The fact that her smile had turned into almost a grimace when she noticed him didn’t allow him to think of anything else.

The restlessness and confusion that he felt, far from appeasing him, had settled in his stomach. He had to do something to distract his mind. That's how he ended up at The Kraken, with the full intention that music and rum would cloud his senses enough to get Emma out of his system, at least for a while.

Liam noticed him the moment he entered through The Kraken's door despite the crowd, showing off his sixth sense towards him. Fortunately, he was serving some other customers, so Killian was spared the inquisitive glances of his brother.

He chose the bar area farthest from Liam and collapsed on one of the stools. He would have preferred if one of the two new bartenders were to serve him; they would have treated him as one more customer. But it was Robin, one of their oldest bartenders, the one in charge of that section of the bar, so he had no choice but to resign himself while waving his hand to get his attention.

"You look like shit, mate," Robin said while putting a shot of rum in front of him. At least he didn't need to even bother talking, his friend already knew his favorite poison. "And what the hell are you doing here on your night off?"

"Missed me?" he wiggled his eyebrows before schooling his features so as not to betray his inner turmoil.

"Actually I miss Emma, she's much nicer than you."

The fake smile faded from his face at the mere mention of her name. Luckily for him, Fridays were a busy night at The Kraken, so Robin’s attention was required by another customer, leaving him finally alone with his thoughts and his rum.

He brought the glass to his lips, letting the amber liquid slide down his throat, feeling the pleasant burn on its way to his stomach. Only when alcohol entered his system did he feel the courage to take the phone out of his pocket. He wondered if it would be a good idea to contact Emma, his fingers sliding across the screen without ever pressing Emma's name. After a moment of hesitation, he finally decided. He couldn’t leave things like this.

Did I do something tonight to bother you? - KJ

Emma answered instantly, to his pleasant surprise.

Hey! No more than usual. ;p Why do you ask? - ES

A sigh of relief escaped his mouth, not just by her words but by the inclusion of that emoji. It was amazing how two simple characters could conceal so much meaning.

You acted strange tonight - KJ

No more than you... I was just tired - ES

Aye, me too - KJ

By the way, I'd like to apologize to Belle. I acted like an asshole to her. - ES

Nah, it's okay. Are you sure you're fine? - KJ

Promise. And you? - ES

I'm fine too. Ah! You looked stunning tonight, love. - KJ

You were not so bad yourself :) - ES

Any plans for tomorrow? - KJ

Pizza and Netflix? - ES

My apartment or yours? - KJ

Yours. Since Liam will be working, we'll be able to choose freely. - ES

Smart lass. Night Swan. - KJ

Night Killian - ES

A sigh of relief escaped between his lips as he felt a weight removed from him, his lips pulling at a smile as he continued to stare at the screen.

"What are you doing here?" Killian looked up from the phone to find Liam, arms folded across his chest and a scrutinizing look on his face. "I seem to remember that I gave you the night off."

Killian grabbed his glass and raised his hand to Liam as if to toast. He took a sip of the drink before answering. "I'm here as a customer, brother."

At that moment, Liam reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out his phone. Killian watched as his brother's brow furrowed as he stared at the screen. He also detected Liam's eyes briefly straying to look slyly at him. A strange sensation washed over him as he stirred uncomfortably in his seat. This couldn’t be good.

Liam carefully placed the phone on the counter and folded his arms over his chest again. "So... what's wrong with Emma?"

"What the hell are you talking about?" His heart tightened into knots as his gaze drifted to Liam's phone. Little traitor. .. he thought. What the hell was he thinking when he decided it was a good idea to come to the bloody bar?

"Enlighten me, little brother."

Killian loved his brother, but he could be a real pain in the ass sometimes, pressing all his weak points until he ended up pissing him off. This time his tolerance level was so low that he only needed a little spark to light the wick of his anger.

He clenched his jaw as he felt a growing rage running through his veins, urging him to act. Out of the corner of his eye, Killian glanced at his brother's phone one last time, and in a swift, fluid movement that left no chance of a reaction from Liam, he seized the device.

Liam's eyes widened in surprise at his brother's maneuver, but then he reacted, grunting as he tried to reach for the phone. "Give me my bloody phone, Killian!"

"Ah, ah!" Killian moved away from the bar, enough so that his brother couldn’t reach him and without further delay read the contents of the last message received.

Hey, Liam! We missed you this evening. I met Emma, at last. But I think something happened between her and Killian. Ask him, it seems that our "bro" has something to tell us. See you tomorrow. - Belle

"Bloody hell." The words slipped out of Killian's mouth without him doing anything to stop it. "She's such a traitorous lass," he hissed, the urge to throw the phone against the nearest wall almost uncontrollable.

Bloody hell... he repeated, this time to himself. He began to feel like a fish out of water, desperately in need of air. Killian had for so long hidden his feelings in front of his brother that he found it extremely difficult to expose them now; especially because he was fully aware that Liam would be excited at first for him, but then he’d feel as if someone threw a jug of cold water on him when he discovered that, whatever Killian felt towards Emma Swan, nothing was going to change their relationship.

Killian returned slowly to his seat, placing Liam's phone on the counter again. He gestured to the bartender on the other side of the bar to get another drink; the idea of confessing his feelings with more alcohol running through his system seemed more appropriate under the circumstances.

"You know it's rude to read private messages from someone else," Liam said to him in that calm, characteristic tone of his, one that was hiding a condescending hue that annoyed Killian enormously.

"Not if that damn message speaks about oneself," he mumbled. Killian didn't care at that moment if he behaved like a rebel teenager in front of his father.

"Have you argued with Emma? What is it this time? Netflix, the choice of dinner?"

"How many times do I have to tell you? Stop treating us like children. I'm not your son and Emma is obviously not your daughter."

"Then act like an adult and tell me what's going on."

"It's nothing. We met Emma in a bar. I don’t know what Belle was talking about."

"Okay." Liam grabbed his phone and began to slide his fingers across the screen.

A sensation of panic settled in the pit of his stomach. "What are you doing?"

"Calling Emma, of course."

"Don't you dare, brother," he hissed, casting a murderous glare at Liam as he again regretted coming here. What on earth was I thinking?

Liam seemed to think better of it because, after staring at him for a few seconds, he sighed and put the phone back on the counter. He then changed his attitude, softening his features as he addressed Killian. "Listen, it's obvious that something is happening. You know I care a lot about Emma. I just need you to tell me if everything's okay with her, brother."

Seeing his brother's face full of sincere concern stirred something inside Killian so, without even stopping to think of what he was doing, he confessed, kind of.

"It's nothing, really. We met her unexpectedly. For some reason, she started acting in an offhand way when she saw us and after a few minutes, she just left. But I texted her a few minutes ago and everything was fine." After a pause, he continued almost without being aware of what he was about to say. "I thought at first that my presence might have bothered her, in case I might be interfering in some way, preventing some guy from approaching her, but it seems she was just tired."

Liam's features changed subtly, as if a flash of realization crossed his face. His eyes widened slightly as one eyebrow rose slightly. "And that would have been a problem for you?"

Killian closed his eyes as he sighed. After two deep breaths, he set out to confess for the first time in four years. "Aye, it would."

Liam's eyes widened even more as a smile began to appear on his face, a smile in which his brother was depositing his relief and his hopes. Something that, unfortunately, Killian would have to cut.

"Before you start to get your hopes up. Yes, I have feelings for Emma. No, I do not think she feels the same, or at least I don’t think she's ready yet to open her heart. So nothing is going to change between us. Emma is my friend and so it will remain until she decides otherwise."

"Does Emma know?"

"About my feelings? Of course not."

After the initial impact of the confession, Liam seemed to react. He shook his head and brushed his eyes with one hand. "How could I know nothing? I mean, I know you care about her, and that you two are very good friends, but how did you manage to hide your feelings from me? I spend most of the damn time with you two!"

Killian ignored him, suddenly exhausted after the events of the day. But before he went home, he had to make sure of something. "Promise me you won’t tell Emma anything."

"Killian..."

"No, just promise me. Let me do this my way."

With a sigh, Liam agreed. "Okay, but promise me something in return. Promise me you'll be careful, okay? You finally have a chance to be happy, brother. Do not miss it, please. And don't hurt her."

The corners of his lips rose slightly at Liam's words. It was no secret that his brother adored Emma in a fraternal sense and that he cared for her almost as much as himself. He couldn't be more grateful that she had such a support group around her.

"Believe me, Liam, that would be the last of my intentions."

His initial idea when he arrived at the bar was to wait for his brother until closing time came and then return home together. But after what happened, he changed his mind. His only desire was to lock himself in his bedroom, bury his head under the pillow, and try to sleep with the vain idea that Emma's image wouldn’t appear in his dreams to torment him.

After finishing his drink, he murmured "I'll see you at home" to his brother while he waved and left the premises.

His walk home meant being alone with his thoughts. Far from vanishing, Emma's vision became even more powerful, filling all his thoughts. His mind was determined to remind him of the image of Emma in that damn dress that molded to all her curves and that neckline that hinted at what was forbidden to him. His body started to react, liquid heat heading straight south. By the time he got home, his pants were tight, a series of curses escaping from his mouth. He was helpless.

Killian reached his bedroom and undressed without bothering to put on his pajamas. He collapsed in bed, the need for release was almost painful so he had no choice but to take care of himself. As the strokes increased in pressure and speed, Emma's image became more real in his mind; her pink lips silently begging to be kissed, her defiant glance, her perfect body. His release came at last as he pronounced her name between pants, imagining that Emma was the one with her hand around his length. Bloody hell...

He was so fucked up.

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Thanks for reading. Let me know what you think :)

What to expect in the next chapter? We'll have another flashback of Emma's early months at the bar and we'll also see Liam's first attempt to push them together.

#cs ff #captain swan #csrt #captain swan rewrite a thon #cs au #cs au ff #damn you for making me love you #mayquita writes #my cs writings

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misssophiachase · 5 years ago

Note

Omg can you please do a klaroline sports stars drabble? :)

Hey nonnie :) Thanks for the prompt. My computer decided not to work this weekend so I’ve had to do this on my phone. Apologies for any formatting errors. This was fun, hope you like it :)

Fire and Ice

XXIV Olympic Winter Games- Beijing, China

Feb 1, 2022, Capital Indoor Stadium,

7:17am

“Nice form, love,” he murmured. She was leaning against the rink post practice and not expecting him to be there, let alone so close. His hot breath tickling her ear wasn’t helping matters.

“Are you spying on me again? Do I need to get my bodyguard to kick your ass?” She asked turning around and taking him by surprise.

He was dressed in his navy, Team UK uniform, and Caroline had to admit he did it justice. It didn’t hurt that the shade of his uniform matched his eyes perfectly.

“You and I both know that Lorenzo St John couldn’t hurt a fly.”

“I’m officially offended,” a familiar voice intervened, breaking their intense eye contact. “And what have I told you about calling me that, Niklaus?”

“Not to but I can’t help myself,” he smirked knowingly. “Especially when you feel the need to emulate my siblings when they’re not around.”

“Au contraire,” he argued. “Rebekah is on her way as we speak, your brothers not far behind.”

“That broomstick of hers certainly can go the distance,” he teased. Caroline couldn’t help but crack a smile.

“That’s not very nice,” he chided.

“If anyone is going to kick my ass it’s the wicked witch of the west, not you buddy.”

“We both know I could give you a run for your money, Mikaelson.”

“I’ll believe that when I see it,” he smirked, his left dimple making an unexpected appearance. “I suppose I should get to my training session so we can wipe the floor with your American teammates, Forbes.”

He was gone before she could defend the Men’s US Ice Hockey Team. He always was such an arrogant asshat.

“Why did you date him again?”

“Why must you remind me about my past indiscretions?”

“So you won’t repeat them,” he teased. “Although it seems like every time I turn around you’re rubbing up against each other like two very needy canines.”

“Yuck, Enzo! We were doing no such thing and, for your information, he approached me.”

“So, how do you explain that little incident in the elevator yesterday?”

Caroline blushed, unable to stop herself. One minute she’d been heading to training, the next her back was up against the lift wall and he was dangerously close to using those crimson lips in an entirely non innocent way.

Sometimes she hated that the attraction between them was so strong. It was like a curse. Given they lived on different continents their break-up two years earlier was easier but being thrown back together at the Winter Olympics was a distraction she didn’t need.

For Caroline the break-up was never about feelings, she still loved the idiot, but if she wanted to be the top figure skater in the word she needed to focus.

His recent reappearance was doing nothing to help matters.

“We were talking,” she spluttered unconvincingly.

“Yeah that’s how I talk to my friends,” he scoffed. “Look, Care Bear, you know me and Klaus go way back to Oxford University and I love him like an annoying brother but..”

“We need to stop talking.”

“Yeah if that’s what you call it,” he muttered. “I’m only looking after you both, it doesn’t help that you’re sports royalty and the media are well aware that you dated and are desperately hoping for an Olympic reunion.”

“Wow and I thought a gold medal was pressure enough,” she growled, her breath hitching in her throat as he effortlessly took the ice, hockey stick in hand. “Let’s get out of here before I freeze.”

“That look is anything but cold, Forbes,” he chuckled.

Olympic Village, 10:39pm

“Took your time, love,” he growled, pulling her inside his room and kissing her before she could speak.

His stubble tickled her cheeks as his lips explored hers. He smelled like soap and mint and she melted into him. He was warm and intoxicating and Caroline felt like she was floating.

She always did with Klaus.

“Mmmm,” she murmured, reluctantly pulling away. He kept his arms securely around her waist, a satisfied smile tugging at the edge of those crimson lips. “Enzo insisted on watching Legally Blonde and took ages to fall asleep. He’s like my very own guard dog. On another note, what are you wearing? Or not wearing?”

Naked except for a pair of grey, boxer briefs, Caroline was struggling to concentrate.

“You’re complaining?” She gave him a look which clearly said his arrogance wasn’t welcome. “I was taking a shower and then you knocked on my door, see my hair’s still wet.” He leaned in rubbing his cold locks over her face.

“Klaus!” He didn’t relent, finding her weak spot and tickling her mercilessly.

She attempted to wriggle free from his grasp and run away. He chased her around the hotel room and before too long they ended up limbs intertwined on the large couch.

“I’ve missed this,” he murmured into the crook of her neck. “I’ve missed you.”

Caroline sighed, knowing just how he felt. “I’ve missed us.”

“And just how good we are together.” His eyes were on hers now as his hands caressed her skin slowly. “Why did we break up again?”

“For our careers,” she replied, running her hands through his damp curls. “And yet here we are distracting each other right before the biggest moment of them.”

“I can’t quit you, love.” She smiled, despite the hurdles they faced. “Did you ever think that being apart isn’t doing us any favours professionally or personally?”

“Maybe, when this is all over, we reconsider our decision?” He didn’t reply but Caroline could tell he agreed by the way he was placing kisses along the length of her neck, his arousal rubbing against her teasingly.

Caroline stopped thinking, she just wanted to forget all about the competition right now and lose herself in him.

4:23am

Caroline couldn’t believe the time, she’d intended on going back to her room but had fallen asleep in his arms.

It wasn’t altogether surprising given how good they felt.

She haphazardly threw on her clothes and let herself out of his room. It was then that Caroline noticed a familiar figure walking towards her.

Hayley Marshall.

Her teammate but also her biggest rival. She mentally kicked herself for staying out past curfew.

“Fancy seeing you here,” she purred, a hint of triumph in those doe eyes.

Caroline didn’t bother responding, knowing there was no point in trying to appeal to her rival’s non existent sensitive side.

Not even five hours later and news of their late night rendezvous had found its way to the media. No doubt due to Hayley Marshall’s big mouth.

While the media was rejoicing in the possible reconciliation, her coach wasn’t. Caroline was put on strict curfew which meant no Klaus.

It didn’t, however, stop him sending cute, love notes via Enzo. She knew he was secretly a Klaroline shipper!

Fast forward two weeks and both Caroline and Klaus left with gold medals, their sacrifices for their careers worth it.

Well almost.

The King and Queen of the Ice made it official, marrying one year later with Enzo acting as celebrant.

It was only then that Klaus and Caroline knew their ultimate dreams had been realised. After winning multiple titles and medals between them they retired and had their very own hockey player and figure skater to continue the family tradition.

#thanks anon #klaroline drabbles #klaroline fanfic #misssophiachase #klaroline #my writing #fire and ice

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lucidpantone · 5 years ago

Text

Visitations Preview Chap 5: The Finale

**Go and grab your tissue box. You’ll really need to stop being so emosh. @cph-dreaming @fehmyn @hopetofantasy @cleocc @msmesasha. If I forgot to tag you am sorry. It’s only one memory and that's all you're getting.**

Disclaimer: Same rules apply.

Italics is the past. If not, it's August 15th at any point in the day I chose to drop you into.

“Just one?”

“Yeah” Robbe responded, acknowledging the cashier.

“To Amsterdam?”

Robbe nodded.

“1st or 2nd class?”

“1st please.”

“That will be €54”

Robbe shoots the cashier a nondescript smile as he sticks his credit card into the card reader and enters his pin to complete the transaction. The cashier hands him over the purchase receipt and signals for the next customer to proceed. Robbe begins to walk away and clumsily walks back a couple of steps and asks “In what direction is platform 3?”. The cashier signals towards the left hand side exit of the post office. Robbe sees the platform in the distance as he exits the store and runs towards it with a couple of minutes to spare before departure. He makes it in just the nick of time and settles into a window seat, anxious to reach his final destination.

The nostalgia of his final stop always caught Robbe off guard. Every time he came back here whether on his own, or with him, everything seemed to have stayed exactly the same since the first time. This place was a strange kinda of place wrapped up in its own personal deja-vu. Housing an unknown poltergeist where earthlingly oddities roamed and mother nature dared to roll around with the solar flares of the sun between her legs. A consequence of all the zygotes that got produced here seasonally. Robbe really didn’t care though, he loved it here, he always found himself here. There was something about this place; rudimentary in its makeup at best but possessing a sense of serenity, with a dose of mystery, even some romance, a portal to another universe. This place always felt like home. Robbe would visit old haunts, walk the dunes of time, revel in the taste of sodium in the air. He’d hit up familiar store stalls, check out the best vantage points but eventually he’d always find himself back at their old place.

It was restaurant style. Not the fancy type made out of linen.It was white with miniature clams embossed atop, 2ply, 15 inches across but folded down the middle, then folded into 4’s and then once more to emulate the size of a standard envelope. Robbe had seen them in different colors but most people in the world only saw them in that pearl white that the standard restaurant napkins were made of. He just stared into the pattern recalling the day when this senseless artifact became an urn that stored the ashes of his love story.

“This is so stupid, I mean it's basically a pipe dream. It’s never gonna happen.” Sander told Robbe as he pulled out a marker from his back pocket.

“Come on just do it for me.” Robbe begged. Sander chuckled because he knew once Robbe made a request he was going to appease it.

“Okay…. So my dream tattoo shop would look something like this.” Sander drew out three squares lined up horizontally next to each other like carriages on a train atop the restaurant napkin.

“So the whole concept would be based on the idea that it wouldn't even look like a tattoo shop but a gallery space. Operationally it would be a place of business but functionally it would double up as a tattoo shop/community art space. You know people always associate tattoo shops as these dark and dengy out posts but when you’d walk into mine you’d be flushed with a burst of light making the whole place feel airy. Like a sense of wholeness or something.”

Robbe found Sander’s light up smile endearing as he walked through his imaginary tattoo shop schematic. Robbe rubbed the top of Sander’s hand with his thumb encouraging Sander to continue explaining his future’s prospects.

“I love the way you think baby. You're always so thoughtful and creative.”

“Like I said it's never going to happen but you never know right….life is full of surprises.” Sander was downplaying how much he wanted this future to become a reality.

“No no no. Don’t say it’s never going to happen. We’ll find a way to make it happen.”

“Oh are you going to learn how to tattoo now?” Sander gave Robbe a cheeky grin because Robbe couldn’t even draw a rectangle correctly. Well at least not yet...

“No but I’ll find a way to chip in. I could run the reception or something.” Robbe knew that wouldn’t be much help but that's the best his nineteen year old self could come up with at the time.

“Promise we’ll find a way to make it happen?” Robbe always did this to Sander. Whenever Sander lacked belief in himself Robbe would make him promise on whatever desire he was discounting.

“Only if you promise we’ll do it together?”

“Deal, I mean that’s not a hard request. You know I always keep my promises.”

Robbe and Sander both giggled because both of them knew that Robbe’s promises never faltered. Robbe was the most reliable person Sander knew. Sander couldn’t help but indulge Robbe’s interest in their never gonna happen future.

“Anyways I’m thinking the color scheme would go something like white in the gallery, black in the tattoo shop and then maybe an entry to a garden or patio area.”

Sander rambled on and on about how eventually the gallery space could host events or have fun community sessions. He could teach art to youths since he knew how much art had helped him when he was younger. He had completely mapped out the potential of a place like this and the excitement in his voice was insatiable to say the least.

Robbe loved hearing the sound of Sander’s voice in this particular amped up pitch. It was so tranquil and soothing to him.

“Excuse me, do you need this? It was stuck in between the euros on top of your bill.”

Robbe looked up from the napkin and took inventory of his surroundings. He had got lost in his own memories again. It was becoming a frequent occurrence as of late. He looked up at the waitress who was attempting to hand him over a waxy piece of textured paper. He thanked her and took hold of it.

It was the post office receipt.

Robbe had almost totally forgotten about the dread of having to text Luc to let him know he had mailed back his stuff today. Specifically his GIRL brand skateboard that he adored so much. They hadn’t spoken since their break up but as Robbe went to grab his phone to text Luc he saw a text from Kes.

“Sorry, this is awkward but Luc asked me to ask you if you mailed back his stuff yet?”

- Kes

“I did it today. It should get to him in 3-5 days. I mailed it 1st class.”

“Umm how’s he doing? Has he said anything to you?”

- Robbe

“Look, That's my best friend.I don’t want to get involved. All he said to me was that you weren’t ready to invest in love….”

- Kes

Luc always had a way with words. Always knew how to make Robbe feel guiltier than he already felt. Luc was as blunt as a knife's edge so when he stabbed you he made sure it was torturous and never swift.

As the waitress laid down Robbe’s change from his paid bill he took one final glance over to the broken down booth that he and Sander used to call “their spot”. It stung seeing it empty but he still smiled at the memory of his younger self sneaking the diagram that Sander had penned atop the napkin into his brown jacket. Not knowing then that eventually he’d get to remind an older Sander that sometimes dreams do come true.

The walk back to the house on the beach was refreshing. A light zephyr surged around the pier’s promenade creating an idyllic breeze that seemed to galvanize the local pelican community into flight. The whole ambiance of this beachy hideaway gave Robbe a much needed reprieve from the conflict ensuing in his mind. A litany of doubtful thoughts with no real answers. Continued avoidance was working so far in his favor but Robbe knew that Sander’s patience would wear.

They hadn’t spoken much since the break up. Sander had stuck around for a few days after the initial night to keep Robbe company but the whole ordeal lacked morality. They'd lay in bed together watching TV while Sander just held Robbe tightly. Practically bruising Robbe’s arms. Every few hours Robbe would be stricken with a wave of guilt over what he had done to Luc and he’d need Sander to fuck it out of him. The situation was dire and the irrational had somehow become the rational. Robbe needed to get his shit together and stop his dopesick lifestyle. Sander could not become the dragon he needed to chase to stop the withdrawals. He didn’t deserve that. Robbe had done what he had done and he needed to learn to live with it.

He did eventually kick Sander out after 4 days of this delirium stating that he needed time and space and he just needed Sander to respect that for now. He also called his boss explaining the situation and begging him to forget his resignation. Robbe was lucky that the firm was understaffed and had just signed on new business because otherwise Thibaut would have never agreed to it. At least that was one crisis averted, his apartment on the other hand was in shambles. Everything was in packing boxes and everything needed to be rehoused which was a painstaking process but he did it. It took him a couple of weeks but he did eventually put the pieces of his life back together. Finally waking up one morning after a three week haze with an impulsive craving to head to the house on the beach. Robbe wasn’t sure why he needed to go there, he just knew that it was calling and thus why he now found himself wandering down the promenade on his lonesome. A sherbet sky as his backdrop.

Robbe welcomed the change of scenery of his beachy escape. A part of him loathed his apartment now it was covered in a slime of memories he could not scrub away. Though the house on the beach was nothing more than some worn down furniture he welcomed the opportunity to grab his guitar and lay out on the garden bench outside his room and just strum the night away. It was that time of the day anyways. Sander and Robbe barely spoke or texted during this reflective period but they did communicate in the best way they knew how. See these siloed lovers had their own traditions. Sander had established it but Robbe had developed it. When either one of them didn't feel like talking, usually Sander they communicate in their most comfortable non-verbal formats. For Sander this was his usual set of drawings and for Robbe it was always his guitar. So keeping in line with their usual pattern Sander would text Robbe pictures of his drawings daily and Robbe would return to sender a voice clip of whatever chorus he had strummed together for the day. So that was what he was in the middle of doing when he saw it.

Robbe looked out onto the rainbow sherbet sky; it was an apparition in the distance. He blinked to make sure it wasn't an illusion then a second time for confirmation but it wasn’t a trick of the mind. A figure began to materialize over the sand dunes in an all black attire sporting some laced up Doc Marten’s.

Robbe’s body tensed up. How could it even be possible that he was here too... but as soon as the affliction of concern took over him it quickly dematerialized as the apparition in the distance came into focus and took on corporeal form. Robbe definitely didn’t know her but he couldn't stop observing her. She had a juggernaut presence, he was in awe, curious too but more so because she felt so familiar. Her lavender pinkish locks stood out; they helped frame her face with a dose of softness which was in opposition with the rest of her appearance.

She made a b-line towards Robbe’s direction approaching him with haste. She passed the candy strip ballards and walked onto the wooden planked walkway that paved the entrance of the house on the beach. She stopped at the teal colored Kalise cooler. She opened it and evaluated whatever she found inside and walked right over to the wooden garden bench where Robbe sat legs up strumming his guitar. Robbe shifted his focus downward in an attempt to avoid her gaze.

“Are you the manager here?”

Robbe looked at her completely bewildered recalling the previous time he was asked that same question. Before he had time to think of a cheeky retort she interjected into his thoughts.

“I just wanted to pay for a beer from the cooler”

Robbe kicked his legs off the bench and sat up.

“Oh those are mine actually but feel free to grab one. Free of charge of course”

Robbe shot her a wink.

She was pretty, he thought. Robbe had to double check his senses for a moment. He had never been drawn to a woman like this before. He took a moment to evaluate his entire life choices but it definitely wasn’t that. It wasn’t that kind of connection but there was something about her. It's like his body was reacting to some strange paradox in the universe that had hashed out this otherworldly eidolon sitting in front of him.

“Ummm do I have something on my face or something?” She asked as she brought the rim of the bottle to her lips.

“No…” Robbe replied with a hint of embarrassment in his voice.

“Ok so what are you staring at?”

“Shit sorry, you just seem so familiar. Am just trying to put my finger on where I may have seen you before. Are you from around here?”

“Do I sound like I am from around here?” She slapped back with a hint of sarcasm.

Robbe felt like an idiot as soon as the sentence left his mouth. She clearly had a heavy accent and she definitely wasn’t from around here. Her dutch was terrible but conversational. Her whole vibe screamed from somewhere south.

“So whose heart did you break?”

“What?” Robbe scoffed in disbelief. The reminder of guilt sinking him back into his seat.

“Come on..a pretty boy like you strumming his guitar with this as his backdrop” She pointed out to the sherbet bleeding sky; currently highlighting a color mixture of tangerine and cadmium rouge.

“A bit cliche don’t you think?”

“How’d you know I broke someone’s heart and they didn’t break mine?”

“With a face like that. You’re definitely the culprit.” Robbe was blushing but he didn’t disagree; he just stretched out the bottom half of his jaw in a slight twitch.

“Come on I can smell the guilt coming off you? Trust me I should know, it’s my favourite scent.” The pretty girl shot him an eyebrow raise to check Robbe’s temperature. Making sure she hadn’t offended him.

“I don’t even know you….”

“That’s the best part. You can tell me everything and I’ll be honest with you”

At first this sounded ludicrous but then again Robbe hadn’t told anyone the events that had actually occurred that had caused his downward spiral. He was deeply ashamed of how he handled everything and couldn’t bear to see the judgement across Jens or Lia’s face.

“I am Robbe, perpetual dumpster fire of a person. What’s your name?”

The pixie doll apparition shot her focus downward and whispered out, “Whatever you want it to be Robbe?”

“Pick a name for me?”

Why all the mystery? Robbe thought to himself. A didactic approach, Robbe could recognize a fellow strategist when he encountered one.

“No no no, you don’t get to do that. I can’t be the only one telling my secrets.”

She scoffed.

“Fine fine. Call me C.J.”

Robbe pulled a face, “That is not your real name.”

“You said you wanted a name, you never said anything about it being my real name. Take it or leave it.”

God she really did remind him of someone.

“Ok Robbe, I kept my end of the bargain. So tell me your secrets.”

Robbe rolled his eyes at her. There was something about her that was positively unbearable but also highly comforting.

“I recently broke up with my boyfriend…..” Robbe murmured out. She waved her hand in a circular motion indicating to Robbe that she wanted more details and to keep going.

“Because I think i'm still in love with my ex….”

“You think? Or you know?” C.J. questioned.

Robbe put his guitar down on the side of the bench and buried his face in his hands as a display of his frustration.

“I gather that means you know.”

C.J. pivoted her entire body towards his and scooted over rubbing Robbe’s shoulder very lightly. A strangely intimate gesture to exchange between strangers.

“It’s okay, I mean it's not, but you know what I mean.” C.J. attempted to quell Robbe’s worries.

“Ok your gonna need another beer so you can tell me what happened.”

C.J. got up and scurried to the Kalise cooler and hurried back with a beer in hand.

Robbe took a large gulp as soon as she put it in his grip.

“I slept with my ex-boyfriend as soon as me and my new boyfriend broke up”

C.J. shocked her head back and forth as a sign of some weird understanding.

“How long after the break up?”

Robbe buried his face back into his hands. He didn’t want to look at her reaction.

“Like an hour…..”

Robbe clearly heard her shocked snort which was preceded by heavy coughing.

“Sorry, choked on my beer there for a second. An hour? How? Did you drive a ferrari to his house?” She was definitely mocking him now.

“No he was waiting on my doorstep?”

“You got him delivered? His not takeout Robbe.”

“But I gotta admit you Belgians are impressive. We don’t have those types of delivery services from where I'm from. At best you can get a lukewarm pizza to your doorstep.”

Robbe looked at C.J. who was clearly trying to ease the tension and crack a joke. Robbe felt a genuine smile come across his face. He’d been struggling to get one of those to appear as of late.

“Look, I am not gonna sugar coat it. You're a real life asshole.”

“Excuse me?” Robbe responded a bit offended.

“Yeah I mean who breaks up with their boyfriend and has their ex delivered to them within an hour? Kinda of an asshole thing to do.”

“You know what, I don’t need to explain myself to you.” Robbe’s tone had hardened.

“You don’t, but you want to, right? I know because I've been there. Am the biggest asshole I know.”

“So here we are two of the biggest assholes drinking a beer together. Cheers!”

C.J. tapped her beer onto Robbe’s.

Though his instinct was too feel offended by the words coming out of C.J.’s mouth his heart and his head felt a bit of relief finally letting it all out. No matter how ugly his truths sounded out loud.

“Have you ever done something like that yourself?” Robbe questioned C.J. hoping for a bit of camaraderie.

“Not something like that but I’ve put my girlfriend through some serious bullshit. Why do you think I'm in some foreign country driving towards home?”

C.J. pointed at herself, “Total asshole remember”.

“Look Robbe when you're young, a teenager even. You can make mistakes like that and people give you the benefit of the doubt but when you're older everything counts. It's harsh but true.If you keep messing up at our age you become a pariah, a write off, beyond repair, ready to be put out to pasture.”

“But at the same time life’s complicated. People are complicated. Your love story sounds complicated. So ask yourself this, would he really stick by you through the good times, the bad and the motherfucking worse? Because everyone swears they would but in reality that’s not really true. They have no idea how bad it can really get. How bad you can really get. So I’d ask yourself this, would he fight for you? No matter the outcome?”

Robbe just stared at her. He kept wanting to say something but he couldn't seem to construct a sentence. Then it clicked like osmosis.

“You remind me of him, you know. The way you talk. Your whole vibe.” Robbe did a wax on/wax off gestures in C.J.’s direction.

“Who knows..maybe we’re the same person. Do you believe in parallel universes?”

Robbe's head violently spun around. A tidal wave of deja-vu was submerging him. He just nodded in confirmation. Robbe was definitely a believer of parallel universes.

“Yeah I thought so. Kindred spirits and all. We tend to find each other.”

Robbe knew what she meant. It was weird but somehow he felt like they had been here before.

Robbe and C.J. just sat there in silence for a while watching the colors of tangerine and cadmium rouge disappear into midnight hues. Robbe occasionally strumming some chord changes into the air. C.J. humming out some impromptu melodies both go them going back and forth discussing guitar legends that one another should check out. Until it was time for their rendezvous to end.

“I should go. I have a long drive ahead of me tomorrow.”

Robbe frowned a little disappointed. He didn’t want her to leave.

C.J. noticed and pouted in response. Both man and woman giggled into the breezy night. Before C.J. stood up she left Robbe with a nugget of truth as she drank the dregs of what was left of her last beer. Wiping her mouth down on her long sleeve shirt as she finished her drink.

“Robbe……” She sounded somber.

“The world never wanted people like you and I to be lovers. They bullied us into becoming fighters and we’ve been trying to get back to loving ever since. Just look at our past”

“My advice, look out for the small stuff. Signs. You can build a foundation off those. If you’re willing...”

C.J. began to get up from the bench.

“You’ll be fine either way Robbe but if you do have someone worth fighting for I try to protect that from the world. Remember through the good, the bad and the mother fucking worse. No matter the outcome.”

Her words struck a chord in Robbe.

“Promise me if you find that. That you’ll jump?”

C.J.’s dark brown eyes felt like they were pinning down Robbe’s soul down. Holding him to some unknown truth but he couldn’t say no to her.

“I promise” Robbe affirmed.

C.J. smiled and quickly broke the seriousness of the entire exchange.

“Right time to go. This was great. Best one night stand of my life. I didn’t even have to put out.”

“Are you ever just normal?” Robbe teased.

“What’s so great about being normal… am an enigma Robbe.” C.J. began to walk down the wooden sandy planks when Robbe shouted out to her.

“Hey, How do I find you again?”

“You don’t Robbe. This was just a random anomaly. We were never meant to meet in the first place.”

Though normally this would seem like a brush off. Robbe somehow understood the dyadic transaction that had just occurred.

“I guess we’ll meet again in another universe?” He let out.

C.J. stopped dead in her tracks.

She twirled back around, her entire self looking back at Robbe and said.

“I’ll be waiting for you.”

#wtfock #wtfam #sobbe #sander x robbe #robbe x sander

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ginnyzero · 4 years ago

Text

Completely Harmless Ch. 50

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

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

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

Chapter Fifty The State of Hillcrest

Ginny frantically called Lily. “Pick up, pick up,” she hissed.

“I have picked up,” Lily said. “What’s the matter, Ginny?”

“Mr. Kemball has let slip some crucial information about Hillcrest. We’ve been, like, okay, hounding his ass to build our Arena properly out of materials that will match the older buildings of Crescent Moon Village rather than trying to emulate his favored modern styles because yuck, but anyways, he gave information and I recorded and I don’t know if it’s legal or not.”

“Email the recording to Linda, she can send it to the Baroness.”

“We have to move quickly. People are either hurt or dying in there and Mr. Kemball doesn’t care.” Ginny’s voice hitched.

“Send it to Linda,” Lily urged. She waved her hands at the girls. “We’re headed back to the Manor as fast as we can, Ginny. I will keep you updated.”

Ginny hung up.

The club gathered around on their horses.

“Mr. Kemball has spilled the beans to the Bulldogz about Hillcrest,” Lily said grimly. “Ginny is sending the recording to Linda who will no doubt take it to the Baroness. Time to get back home.”

The girls all nodded and they found a transport to get them to the manor. Once there, they untacked the horses, gave them a quick brush down, and stabled them up. They ran to the library.

The doors between the library and the dining room were already open.

“Come in here girls,” the Baroness said. “Bernie, you can’t turn a blind eye to this. You simply can’t. There are people in that town. They’re behind a wall. G.E.D. didn’t evacuate anyone.”

“It was a mining accident,” Bernard Winterwell’s voice came through the speaker phone.

“And why did you give them permission to mine there anyways, right under the town, possibly destabilizing the entire mountain?” the Baroness snapped.

Bernie didn’t say anything.

Another voice drawled. “I take it by your silence, you didn’t give them permission. How big was that bribe, Bernie?”

“I wasn’t bribed, Arthur,” Baron Winterwell said.

“There’s only one thing we can do,” the Master Ranger said. “We have to get them out and shut this down for good.”

“I agree,” another woman’s voice said.

Lily raised an eyebrow at Linda.

“Countess Marchenghast,” Linda mouthed.

“This will have to be a well coordinated attack,” The Baroness stabbed the table with her finger. “Lily, what do your girls know of the site?”

Lily cleared her throat. “According to the Stormgarden Red Pandas and the New Hillcrest Bulldogz, the G.E.D. have a building site between the Stormgarden and the wall. The building site is surrounded with chain link, wood, and barb wire fences that are taller than our horses can jump. Inside the site, they can see buildings going up and excavation equipment. There’s a radio tower on site too. They had to use a zoom lens to see the wall. Now, according to Amelia of the Singing Swans, Herman says, and yes, I’m getting this third hand, sorry, that the Sunfields and the Goldspurs used to have a secret back way through the Grey Mountains to get to Hillcrest.”

“So, they’d have a way out.”

“Right. For themselves at least. I don’t think it’s a way they could get out any of the equipment,” Lily grimaced. “Getting the secret out of the farming families may be a challenge.”

“Not if they know their duty to Jorvik,” the Countess said.

Lily cleared her throat. “I can approach Herman and have him approach the Goldspurs and try to do a scouting run up the mountain to see if it is possible for more than horses or not. Though, keeping Herman from wanting to do more than scouting the trail may be difficult.”

“I can call the stables and have a chat with Herman, you show up,” the Countess said briskly. “He’ll have his orders and know what it will mean to go against them.”

Linda spoke up. “I know Herman, and so does Alex. We’ll go with Lily. I can fill her in on what Mr. Kemball said on the way.”

“Do so,” the Baroness said. “You two are dismissed.”

Linda got up from the table. “Thank you, Baroness,” she murmured. “Barons, Countess,” she said at the phone.

She and Lily headed quickly towards the stables.

“Mr. Kemball confessed that while they were digging in the mountain they came across a mysterious crack. As soon as they unearthed it, it started pouring out noxious smoke,” Linda explained. “Then these black balls of shadow burst out of it in a blast of pink light. Mr. Kemball thinks its nonsense but the workers won’t go back.”

“Why does this crack sound so familiar, gee,” Lily said her voice laced with sarcasm. They tacked up their horses and mounted.

“The black balls of shadow are definitely from Pandoria,” Linda pushed up her glasses. “They take your life for food.”

Lily shuddered. “Lovely.”

They took a transport to Jorvik Stables and left their horses in the stable. With a nod at Johanna they went and knocked on Herman’s door.

Herman shoved it open and looked around. “I was waiting for you two girls. Linda,” he grinned.

“Herman,” Linda nodded.

“Good to see you. How is Meteor?”

“Hungry, as usual.”

Herman chuckled. “Countess Marchenghast has briefed me on the situation.”

Amelia spoke up from the kitchen table. “And I’m here to help. Angus and Idun are good friends. They might help if it’s Herman and I asking.”

Lily nodded and blew out a quick breath. “This is just a scouting mission. We aren’t to go in yet until the Rangers and whoever else the Countess and the Barons want are ready.”

Ginny shifted on her feet by the stove. “CHILL is going to be plenty upset at us ruining their slow and careful plans.”

“Has CHILL actually gotten any useful information?” Lily’s voice turned cold.

Ginny shook her head.

“I don’t want anyone getting hurt or captured,” Lily narrowed her eyes and let them rest on Herman. “We’re scouting the lay of the land and that’s it. Take pictures. Get out.”

Ginny nodded. “If we have enough Rangers to cut off their avenues of escape, they’ll be trapped.”

Linda cleared her throat. “It’s a rift, Herman, from Pandoria.”

Herman sat down quickly. “That would explain much.”

“We’re going to have to close it.” Lily looked at Linda. “The people will have to come first. The rift last time though was already closed by the time I used the Star Fragment on it to heal the land.”

“Alex knows how to draw the energy out of the rifts,” Linda nodded. “She can get it drained enough that we can close it, I think.”

“All right, we’ll work out a plan of attack from there,” Lily said. “But the people have to come first.”

“Let’s go talk to the Goldspurs,” Herman said.

A loud thunk came at the door.

Herman ran over and pulled it open.

Starshine huffed at him.

Linda giggled. “Starshine is here to carry you around during the rescue.”

Herman’s face lit up. “Starshine!” he bellowed and wrapped his arms around the stallion’s neck. “I missed you. Where were you? Where’s Lisa?”

Starshine neighed and nuzzled his back.

“Lisa’s in Pandoria, as is Anne and Concorde,” Linda said gravely.

Herman let Starshine go. He paled. “No. They’ve been captured.”

Starshine pounded his hoof on the concrete pad that served as Herman’s porch.

“Elizabeth doesn’t want to do anything. She says we must wait and be careful and have patience,” Linda crossed her arms. “But we’re going to get them back.”

Herman hmmed. “Elizabeth says, huh,” he murmured. “She must be forgetting her own youth once she got her legs under her.”

Starshine neighed again.

Lily didn’t need to understand him. “She says she’s grown up. I have video.”

Herman eyed her. “You have video huh. You must be Lily. You look like a Lily.”

“I have no idea what that’s supposed to mean.” Lily rolled her eyes. “I look like myself, Herman and that’s enough.”

“Well, once bitten, twice shy, is the term. But one thing at a time, Hillcrest.” Herman slapped his thighs. “Let me find you some tack, Starshine, and we’ll be on our way.”

They mounted up and together and rode through Jarlaheim to the Goldspur farm.

Angus didn’t know anything. So they went to talk to the family patriarch, Jakob.

“Now why would I know anything about that?” Jakob scratched his head and settled his cap back onto his tightly curled hair. “I’m just an old man.”

“Jakob, this is on the orders of Baron Winterwell, and Countess Marchenghast,” Herman said gravely. “The path might lead straight into the G.E.D. camp up there on the mountain. And we don’t want any of them to get away when we go to free Hillcrest.”

Jakob sucked his teeth. “Orders of the nobles.”

“Please, Grandpere Jakob,” Amelia said.

Jakob flushed and muttered. “All right. All right. Since you asked nicely.” He took off his hat and turned it in his hands. “We Goldspurs do know the way to get over the mountain, and for years, my family kept the secret written in an old journal. But my grandfather didn’t think it was good enough see, so instead, he created a path, a compass with milestones to show you how to get to the path.”

“And the journal?” Linda asked.

“He tore that bit out and burned it,” Jakob shrugged. “The point is, I don’t have the compass.”

They all restrained sighs.

“The twins wanted to look at it and then they done hid it on me, and well, then Idun was crying out it was dinner time and it wasn’t so big of a priority.” He coughed. “Maybe you can get it out of the Amelia.”

Amelia pursed her lips. “Little monsters, oui?” She turned her horse and trotted off up the hill.

They followed her. She avoided the road and instead went through the G.E.D. worksite waving at the workers who nodded at her.

“They know that I work for Ms. Drake,” Amelia said off handedly.

“Does she trust you yet?” Lily asked in a low voice.

“She’s getting there. She didn’t see me in Epona.”

“That’s good.” Lily nodded. “We don’t want her to think you’re part of the trouble surrounding me.”

“If Ms. Drake pays attention to rumors outside of having to do with herself, I’d be surprised. She’s upset about Luciana and Rania, of course. But your name hasn’t crossed your lips. Boys! Hannibal!”

Hannibal ran over. “Amelia!” He grinned at her cheekily. “Have you come to play?”

“Oui, I’ve come to play a little game called hide and seek the compass,” Amelia mock scowled at him. “Where did you hide it on your granpere, Hannibal?”

“We hid it so well, you’ll never find it!” Hannibal giggled. “It will be secret forever!”

“You forgot,” Lily said blandly.

Hannibal’s face fell. “That’s no fair.”

“What do you remember, sweetie?” Lily asked.

Hannibal chewed his lip.

“We won’t tell on you,” Lily promised. “All we want is the compass.”

“It was somewhere high up,” Hannibal confessed.

“Somewhere you aren’t supposed to be going, petite?” Amelia rolled her eyes.

Hannibal giggled.

Amelia rummaged in her saddlebag. “Here,” she held out a couple balls of bright red candy.

Hannibal grabbed them and cheered. He took off giving one to his brother.

“Those are fireballs,” Lily said in a low voice.

Amelia smirked. “Ouias.”

Lily laughed as the boys began to run about shouting about how the fireballs were hot!

Amelia rolled her eyes.

“Get some milk, you little twerps!” Lily shouted at them.

“High up,” Amelia looked around. “What do you want to guess?”

“The silos,” Lily sighed. “That’s where I would go if I was little and not supposed to be getting into the things.”

“Because it can kill you.”

“Yep,” Lily said slowly. “But, you know, little kids.” She waved at the twins still running around waving their arms.

They went up the silos together. It was the last one they checked, because of course it was. They returned to Jakob carefully holding the precious compass.

“Where was it?” Jakob asked.

“Where little kids aren’t supposed to go and the first place you should always check,” Lily said dryly. “Don’t punish them, Jakob. They’re just being little kids and we’ve got the compass.”

Jakob grumbled.

Amelia held out the compass.

“All right, this here is a magic compass. And to make it work, you have to say the magic words.”

Lily and Amelia groaned.

Jakob glared at them. “Yes, yes, I agree. It’s a bit over the top. But nobody asked me. Listen closely, Oh Golden Compass, hear our plea, Goldspur’s Guardians beg of thee, tell us where the path may be.”

“Not exactly Shakespeare,” Linda said.

The needle on the compass started spinning.

“Now, when you get up there, you have to say, Oh, Golden Compass, the way you’ve shown, led Goldspur’s guardians to this magic stone. Wash. Rinse. Repeat. He was always a bit theatrical, my grandfather.” Jakob held out the compass.

Lily took it. “Well, it’s pointing that way,” she pointed upwards.

Linda finished scratching out the words onto her clipboard. “Do I have it right, Grandfather Goldspur?” She held it out for him to read.

“Exactly right!” Jakob beamed at her. “Dunno know the compass can’t show you the beginning of the path the first time and instead makes you jump through hoops like this. But he was pretty special like that.”

They thanked him and followed the guidance of the compass to the pass behind the upper mill.

Lily said the magic words once they found the stone, which was indicated by the needle spinning about rapidly in circles.

“More like a pain in the arse,” she said as the needle moved in a different direction.

The compass took them around the base of the Greydew Mountains, under a bridge of the Eastern Trail, up the hill a ways towards the Wolf Hall Inn, and finally just outside the Hollow Woods on the opposite side from where they started, was the last stone and the beginning of the path.

No one was particularly impressed.

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

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

#star stable #star stable online #sso #fan fic #jorvik reimagined #star stable salt #silverglade reimagined #really why haven't we dealt with this #this is a high emotional stakes plot #completely harmless #many nods to ruth westside #merry christmas #happy christmas

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anonbebe97me · 5 years ago

Note

Hyungwon: reader wants to break up with him bc he's always cold and distant but in reality he's afraid of getting his feelings hurt if he gives his ❤️ to her... He begs reader to give him one more chance and it ends with steamy, emotional make up sex 😉 and him giving his ❤️ to her if course!

(A/N: Hey! it took me forever and i know it’s long but I tried my best

Warning: Smut.

“Hyungwon…tell me what I did wrong…” Tears fall in streams down her face as she begs on her knees for him to look at her, her hands reaching up to rest on his cheek only for him to harshly yank his head away from the gentle touch.

“Y/N, get up. You’re embarrassing yourself…” He looks away, tears threatening to form in his own eyes, though he quickly stifles them.

Her heart shatters at his cruel tone but her hand clutches at the fabric of his pants, “Hyungwon…please. This isn’t fair. If I’ve done something to you-”

“God, Y/N, Don’t you get it? I don’t love you,” His voice is almost a bark as he throws her hands off of him and stands up, “I can’t love you. I’m fucking incapable of it.”

His long legs carry him to the front door, but he pauses for a moment to look back. She’s still on the floor; eyes fixed on where he was sitting.

“Hyungwon, what did you get out of this? Stringing me along like a dog- did it give you some twisted pleasure? Did making me feel like shit for the past eight months make you feel good about yourself?” Her voice is quiet, but it’s steady.

He looks down and shakes his head as the tears finally fall from his eyes, though she can’t see him.

“If you walk out of that door right now, then this time…I want you to stay gone.”

The feeling in his chest can only be described as…sinking.

His hand grips the door knob hard enough to turn his knuckles white,

“So, you want me gone…?”

She stands up, back still turned to him, “If you won’t face your own feelings…then I need you gone.”

As she finishes her sentence, she finally turns around to face him; when she sees his pained expression, she’s so tempted to run to him and tell him she’s sorry for being so hurtful.

But she doesn’t. She can’t.

He takes a deep breath and purses his lips, “Then I’ll go.”

His knuckles tighten around the handle of the front door and he walks out, not bothering to close it behind him.

Somehow, she’s able to keep it together just long enough for him to get out of sight, and then- she’s a sobbing mess in the doorway.

_________________________________________

The tiny screen is blinding in the pitch blackness of his bedroom.

2:00AM.

He’s wide awake, and the night feels so heavy on his heart.

Though…it isn’t really the night that feels heavy, is it?

Instinctively, he scrolls to her contact. His thumb hovers over her name for a moment, but then he shakes his head and throws his phone next to him.

He quickly jumps out of bed and pulls on some jeans and a t-shirt before grabbing his wallet and phone.

The drive to her house seems endless. His heart is pounding in his chest, and his mind races with fears; what if’s and should I’s almost make him turn the car around back to his place, but something in him propels him forward until he’s finally parked in her driveway.

He grips the steering wheel for a moment before letting out a deep breath and getting out of the car.

He slowly walks up her front steps and raises his fist to the door, before deciding it might be better to call her instead.

The phone rings once, twice, three times before the call’s finally picked up.

“What?” He expects a hoarse, tired voice, but she sounds as awake as he is.

“Y/N, I wanna talk…”

“So now you wanna talk? It’s 2:20 in the morning, Hyungwon. This call can wait until later.”

“Actually, I’m- I’m at your house…”

“…what?”

“Could you please open the door…? Y/N? Hello?”

He takes the phone off his ear and sees that she hung up.

Standing there, he wonders if he’s made a mistake in coming, but as he’s about to let that part of his brain convince him to leave, there goes the click of the front door as it opens up.

Visibly upset and still in the clothes she’d worn earlier on in the day, she stands in the doorway, letting her arms fall limp at her sides,

“Why did you come?”

She does her best to emulate the same tone he’d used on her only hours before, but she can’t muster enough conviction to be truly convincing.

He runs his hand nervously through his hair and looks down, “C-can I come in?”

He’s acting different than she’s used to. He’s usually calm and collected, or incredibly cold- but this is new.

Is he…nervous?

Against her better judgment, she steps aside and motions for him to come in.

He walks past her and sits down on the couch, in the same spot he’d sat in as she begged him for his love.

She slowly makes her way over to the other end of the couch and sits down.

“Are you going to answer my question?” She asks, turning slightly to face him.

He’s been avoiding her gaze this whole time, afraid of possibly seeing rejection in her eyes.

Finally, he gathers the courage to look at her…and it all seems to go quiet; every fear, thought, doubt…gone.

He stands up and gets in front of her.

Her eyes are big as she looks up at him, waiting to see his next move

Without another word, he gets on his knees and leans forward into her lap; the sound of his sobs fill the room.

She’s stunned by his sudden show of emotion, and she almost can’t think of what to do.

“I’m so sorry…” He says through broken gasps.

This time, it’s him clutching at her legs with a shattered heart.

She wishes she could push him off, or echo the words he’d said to her when she was in that position…but looking down at him in this state, all she wants to do is hold him.

She gently brings her hands to his head, running her fingers slowly through his hair.

“Hyungwon…” Her voice is soft.

He comes back up and wipes his tears with the back of his hand, “Y/N…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know I’ve been an asshole. I know I’ve been cold and distant… and I know you haven’t deserved any of it.”

She meets his eyes, her heart breaking at his tear-streaked face.

“When we first met, I told you about my parents’ divorce- about the courts, the lawyers… but I didn’t tell you about just how badly it fucked me up…” He took a deep breath,

“I’ve never let myself fall…not with anyone I’ve ever been with. It was soo easy to just cut it off once it started getting too real- but then…”

“But then…what?” She asks, leaning back to better look at him.

“But then you came along…I thought I’d be able to do to you what I’d done to those other girls. I thought I’d be able to hide…but you just won’t let me. And… I don’t ever want you to let me again,” His tears come to a halt as he stares into her eyes.

“Y/N… I love you.”

Her heart stops in her chest.

“What?” She can’t believe her ears.

A part of him still wants to run; to push her away again… but as she reaches for his face again, that part of him gets smaller and smaller.

“I said…I love you,” He moves his hand up to his cheek to grab hers and bring it to his lips. He kisses the back of her hand gently and then flips it over to kiss her palm.

She leans forward and brings her other hand to tilt his chin upward, “I don’t want you to say it if you don’t mean it…” She lets go of him and puts both her hands in her lap, looking away from him.

“I do mean it,” He says, scooting forward so that he’s only inches from her face, “I’ve loved you for a long time, Y/N…” His voice is low and steady.

She can feel the heat radiating off of him, and it sends her heart racing even faster than it already was. She finds herself leaning in closer to him as he says, “Maybe from the moment I met you.”

He closes the distance between them, pressing his lips gently against hers, his hand coming up to rest on her cheek as his thumb grazes the corner of her mouth.

She steadies herself by clinging to his t-shirt, simultaneously pulling him even closer.

At some point, their lips part, deepening the kiss- if asked whose lips gave entrance first, neither would be able to answer; they’re completely entranced with one another, and soon, Hyungwon’s hovering over her on the couch, propping himself up on the back and armrest.

He pulls away, breathless as he rests his forehead against hers, looking into her eyes for a moment.

“Say it back.”

“What?”

He leans back, “I love you. Say it back.”

She can’t help the blush that spreads across her cheeks at his sudden boldness.

“I… I love you, Hyungwon.”

He’s heard her say it before, and in the past, he’s always brushed it off, changed the subject, ignored it… but hearing her say it now- hearing her saying it back; it’s everything.

He smiles softly and then sits down in the space next to her, “Come here,” He says, motioning for her to sit in his lap.

As she’s about to do as he asks, she gets another idea; with one swift movement, she positions herself so that she’s straddling him, her knees elevating her just enough so that he has to look up at her.

She rests her hands on his shoulders and then leans in to kiss him again, this time, letting her tongue graze his bottom lip gently. He wraps his arms around her waist, enjoying the intensity of having her so close, though she quickly pulls away to bring her hands to the hem of her blouse.

Locking eyes with his, she gently raises the blouse up over her head. She holds it in her hand for a moment, admiring his slack-jawed expression at the sight of her, before letting the blouse drop to the floor.

He leans forward, bringing her closer so that he can reach up to trails kisses along her collar bones. Eyes closing, she focuses on the sensation of his lips on her skin, her mouth falling slightly open.

“Hyungwon…” She whispers,“Come.”

She carefully gets off of him and grabs his hand. He stands up and goes to pick up her blouse, but she yanks him forward,

“Leave it,” Her voice is gentle, yet commanding.

As she leads him down the hall to her bedroom, she feels the familiar thrill of what’s to come.

Taking a few steps into the room, she hears the door close quietly behind them, but as she’s about to turn around to face him, he comes up behind her, gently sweeping her hair off of her shoulder as he lowers his lips to her ear,

“Is this what you wanted?” His fingertips drag gently down her arms and all the way to her wrists.

“Goosebumps,” He smirks, though she can’t see it- she’s lost in his touch.

“Stop teasing me…” Her voice says softly.

He chuckles and takes a step back, bringing his hands up to the back of her pretty, black bra, “Fine.”

He undoes the clasp, and she feels her heart flutter at the sudden freedom.

Gently, his fingers push the straps down her arm until it falls to the ground.

Her hands instinctively come up to cover her naked breasts, and they don’t move even as she feels his lips on her neck. He moves his hands to rest on top of hers, “Why so shy all of the sudden?”

She doesn’t know how to answer; his presence is too deliciously overwhelming to focus on anything else.

He slides one hand down slowly, further and further until his fingers are undoing the button on her jeans and then slipping under the waistband of her panties.

Her breath catches in her throat as she feels two gentle fingers circling her sensitive clit.

He bites his lip when he realizes how wet she is, and though he can’t see her face, it’s enough for him to just hear her short gasps.

“Mm,” She whines, finally dropping her hands from her breasts, removing his only barrier to her chest. Instantly, he cups her right breast, simultaneously taking her nipple in between his index finger and thumb.

She buckles forward, bending over ever so slightly, making her ass go backward a bit.

She can feel his bulge against her ass, and it only adds to her arousal.

He takes his fingers out of her pants and she instantly turns around, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him on top of her as she lays down on the bed.

“Do you love me?” She asks.

He nods, pressing his forehead into hers, “Yes.”

“Prove it.” She lets go of him and leans back, locking eyes with him.

Without another word, he’s hooking his fingers onto the waistband of her jeans and pulling them down slowly, enjoying the reveal of her naked legs.

His hands run down the smoothness of her skin, and he lifts one of her legs up, gently placing a kiss on her ankle, and then trailing upwards to her knee. Gently, he places his hands on her inner thighs and spreads them slightly- just enough to reveal the small wet spot on her thin panties.

“You’re so beautiful,” He whispers before coming back up to lay between her legs. His lips are level to her breasts, and he cups one with his hand. She bites her lip as she marvels at how his big hand covers the entire surface of her boob, and she can’t help but bring her hand up to entangle itself in his jet black hair as she brings his face to her chest.

His tongue finds her nipple and he licks slowly around it teasingly as he takes his hand off of her other breast and brings it back down into her panties; this time, he slides his index and middle finger inside of her, keeping his palm firmly against her clit.

She juts forward slightly, a gasp escaping her parted lips,

“H-Hyungwon.”

Her moans motivate him further, and he wraps his lips around her nipples, gently sucking at it.

She closes her eyes and lets her head fall back, pleasure overtaking her weak body.

He’s always been good in bed, but right now, she’s convinced it’s the best he’s ever been.

The way his fingers curl into her, stimulating every single nerve…it’s sending her over the edge.

“Hyungwon,” She whines as she feels the build in the pit of her stomach, “W-wait-”

It’s too late- her legs are locking around his hand as her body erupts in waves of her delicious orgasm.

He smiles up at her, his hand slowing down slightly, though he doesn’t quite stop, “That’s not all, is it? I know you can give me just one more,” He whispers, gently kissing her nipple, “Can you give me one more, princess?”

She nods, breathless as she tries to recover.

He takes his hand out and locks eyes with her as he brings his fingers to his mouth, licking the taste of her off of his fingers.

She grits her teeth;

He’s so fucking beautiful…

She grabs him by his collar and brings him up to kiss her, “I want you.” she touches the hem of his shirt and pulls it upward.

His labored breath bounces off of the bedroom walls as he feels himself harden even more in his jeans. He yanks his t-shirt over his head and tosses it aside before he gets up on his knees to undo the button on his pants.

She watches him, biting harshly on her bottom lip as she feels her arousal full force, as though she didn’t just cum all over his fucking hand just a minute ago.

He lowers his jeans and boxers just enough to expose his long, throbbing member. She salivates at the mere sight of him like this.

He brings his hand to the top of her panties and gently peels the wet fabric off of her, sliding it down her legs to toss them somewhere on the bed.

He goes back in between her legs, propping himself up by his arms on either side of her head. He lowers himself to kiss her gently, and she brings her hand down in between them to gently guide his dick to her entrance.

When he pulls away, his eyes are fixed on hers as he slowly enters her. He can’t help it when his eyes fall closed. Her wetness combining with how incredibly tight she is- it makes him utter a low, deep moan.

She wraps her arms around his neck and brings him closer, “You love me, don’t you?” Her lips are so close to his ear as she speaks.

“Fuck yes,” He says through his teeth.

“You love how tight I am?”

“Yes!”

Her eyes roll back as he picks up his pace, his pelvis making contact with her clit.

“You fucking love me, don’t you?” She asks, eyes still closed.

“Yes, Y/N, so much,” His muscles strain as he grips the sheets- the only touch of reality he has to keep himself from getting completely lost in the feeling of…her.

“I love you too,” She whimpers, feeling her second orgasm approaching.

He groans, “Say it again.”

“I love you!”

His steady pace becomes more brutal as he slams into her, her words drawing out the deepest moans from within him.

“Say it again, Y/N,” He begs.

“I fucking love you, Hyungwon!”

Suddenly, her walls clench around him as she reaches her climax, her face contorting as he thrusts one final time, cumming hard inside of her.

His thrusts slow slightly before he collapses, desperately trying to catch his breath. She brings her hands up to the side of his face and crashes her lips against his, melting into the warmth of his body.

She’s exhausted, but she can’t focus on anything but the fulness in her heart, and his heartbeat against hers.

“I really do love you…” He whispers, dropping his head to the crook of her neck, “So much…”

She smiles and leans her head on his, “I’ve always known…I just needed you to realize it for yourself…”

#kihyun #Minhyuk #hyungwon #jooheon #changkyun #wonho #shownu #bringwonhoback #fightforwonho #monsta x ot7 #ot7 #fluff #Smut #angst #kpop #kpop stans #fanfiction #imagine #monsta x imagines

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romansrgn · 6 years ago

Text

{ghostin...}

Summary: A night of expected passion brings unexpected consequences for Roman Reigns.

Roman Reigns x OC, Jimmy x Naomi, Jey x OC

Warning: 18+ for SMUTTTTT, angst and infidelity

Word Count: 4947

“1..2..3” the crowd counted along with the referee.

“Braelin hits the facelift for the win.” MIchael Cole announced at his spot at the announce table.

“And still the Raw Women’s champion, Braelin.” Jojo announced.

Braelin rolled out of the ring to greet the screaming fans only stopping when she saw a poster of the four black horsewomen of the WWE: Naomi, herself, Sasha and Bianca. She grabbed the sign from the fan “This is what its about,” she said before kissing the fan on the cheek and headed back to the gorilla position where Stephanie McMahon was waiting for her.

Green eyes rolled “No botches, no wardrobe malfunctions and no one got hurt tonight.”

“I saw the match.”

“Well then there’s nothing for us to discuss.”

Stephanie fell into step with Braelin as she eyed the knee brace on her right knee “How’s your knee?”

“It’s fine. It’s practically made of steel.”

“I highly doubt that. Which is why you’re on a non official leave from the ring.”

That stopped the Raw women’s champion in her tracks “What?”

“You heard what I said. You still need time to recover and you can’t do that while wrestling every week.”

After injuring her knee over a year ago Braelin has worked her ass off to get back into the ring. She’s finally at a place where she wants to be career wise and now they’re pulling her? “So you’re stripping me of my title is that what your saying?”

Stephanie shook her head “No, you won’t be wrestling but you'll still be needed for any new storylines that may come up or even as a valet.

Braelin squinted “You’re joking right?”

“You don't see me laughing. I think this could be exactly what you need. It puts you in a position where you’re not over exerting yourself but you'll remain in the spotlight."

“Right! because you clearly give a damn about my health and what happens to my career.” Braelin laughed bitterly.

“Contrary to what you believe I’m not out to get you.”’

“Yea, I believe you.” Braelin said stopping in front of her dressing room. As far as she was concerned this conversation was over “Are we done here?”

Stephanie sighed “For right now. But I want—” she didn’t get a chance to finish what she was saying because the door was slammed in her face.

Braelin ran a frustrated hand through her hair and picked up her phone. She had six missed calls from her mother and five from her big brother. She bit her lip deciding if she wanted to be lectured before or after she had a hot shower and a drink. She bit the bullet and dialed her mom “Hey, momma. I just got back to my dressing room.”

“Are you ok? I just saw your match and it looked like you took a nasty fall on your knee.”

“The brace caught most of the blow. I’m sore but I’m not hurt.”

“You need to come home so I can take a look at it.”

Braelin rolled her eyes suddenly happy that her mother wasn’t there in person to see her do it, “Momma you’re a neurosurgeon.”

“Don’t you roll your damn eyes at me little girl.” Braelin’s eyes ballooned “Now get your narrow behind here so I can take a good look at you.”

Braelin knew better then to back talk her mother but she also knew how her mother was when she was worried about her “I have a show next week Saturday in North Carolina. I’ll come and see you then.”

Feeling placated her mother sighed “Momma loves you, Brae. You know that. I’m just trying to keep you safe and even if I can’t protect you from everything I can make sure whatever hurts, hurts a little less.”

Braelin smiled and wiped at the tears under her eyes “I know momma. I love you too. Give daddy a kiss for me and tell Keyon to stop calling me.”

Naomi looked at her watch “She’s late.”

Braelin laughed when she heard her mother repeat what she said to her brother before hanging up. She really did miss her family. She pulled her wrestling top over head to shower. It was definitely time to go home.

Jimmy laughed “We’re early. Just relax, baby. Uce isn’t even here yet.” And just as soon as he said it Roman came walking up the arena’s exit with his bags in tow “Where’s Braelin?”

Roman stopped in his tracks and scanned the parking lot “I don’t know. She’s not out here yet?”

Naomi shook her head “I’m going to go see what’s taking her so long.” she attempted to head back into the arena but Roman stopped her.

“You stay here.” he said putting his bags into the car “I’ll go find her.”

By the time he made it back into the arena there were fewer people in the building “Braelin.” he yelled down the hallway of her dressing room “Braelin” he yelled again and knocked on the door before entering

Roman looked around seeing her packed bags but not her. He heard the shower running and saw that the door was ajar, He knocked again “Braelin.” he pushed the door open when he didn’t get a response “Are you–”

“Roman,” Braelin yelled attempting to cover herself “What the hell are you doing?”

Roman swallowed and turned around.

Braelin wrapped the towel tightly around her body “I’m decent.” she huffed.

“Naomi, Jimmy and Jey are waiting for us outside.” he said with his back still turned to her. His jaw clenched slightly.

“Damn, I forgot. Ok, let me get dressed and I can meet you guys outside.”

When she finally came out of the bathroom she was wearing a pair of legging, a sports bar and a track jacket, Her long hair was still slightly damp “I completely forgot we were all riding together. “

“Don’t worry about it. Just get dressed. I can wait for you out here.” he said picking up her bag and blindly handing it to her.

Roman shook his head not believing that shit for a second. Every second he waited for her to get dress and come out of the bathroom his anger mounted “Did you? Or did you take your sweet ass time because you knew I would come looking for you?” he stood walking towards her.

Braelin brows furrowed “I never asked you to come looking for me, Roman. And I sure as hell didn’t ask you to stay here with me either.”

Roman scoffed “Get your shit and let’s go.”

“I called my mom, we talked for bit and then I jumped in the shower. I must have lost track of time.”

Braelin narrowed her green eyes and walked passed him leaving Roman to collect her bags. By the time they made it outside she had a full blown attitude “Next time, don’t send him to look for me.”

Naomi laughed when Roman rolled his eyes “I didn't. He volunteered. What were you doing anyway?”

“How is she?” Jimmy asked climbing into the driver’s seat “I know it’s been a minute since we’ve seen her.”

Jey opened the back seat door and helped Braelin in when he saw her struggling to get in the truck “Is your knee still bothering you?”

Braelin promptly ignored the heated stares from everyone after that assessment, especially Roman’s “My mom is great. I’m actually going to see her after our show in North Carolina.”

Naomi nodded “You didn’t answer the knee question but I��ll let that go because I know how much you miss auntie, Brae.”

Roman cleared his throat loudly putting the last of her bags into the trunk before climbing in on the opposite side of her.

“I’m not talking about my knee anymore. Stephanie and my momma are both giving me enough shit for it. I don’t need it from you guys.”

Jey held up his hands “I know when to my mind damn business.”

Jimmy shared the same sentiment “But if you need anything, little sis. You’ll tell us right?”

Braelin nodded silently. She looked down at her phone seeing a text message from Roman.

we need to talk asap.

Braelin and Roman locked eyes briefly before she deleted the text message. Ignoring Roman’s slight growl she tapped Naomi’s shoulder “Hey, Nao. Turn that up.”

“AYEEEEE.” Naomi yelled hearing the sound of a train before the opening lyrics of “C’mon N’ Ride it” by the Quad City DJ’s came blasting through the speakers. “We use to cut up to this song when we were kids, remember Brae?”

“I still remember the dance routine we made up to this.”

Braelin and Naomi were cousins who did pretty much everything together. They ran in the same circles, went to high school and attended the same HBU despite the three year age difference between them.

Naomi was like a role model to Braelin growing up. Everything Naomi did she wanted to emulate. Naomi was the reason Braelin took dance classes and the reason Braelin didn’t become a doctor deciding to purse wrestling instead.

Her mother was still a little bitter about that.

Jimmy looked over at Naomi who was shimmying in her seat “You go show me that little dance later?”

Naomi winked “Maybe if you–”

Jey quickly interrupted making a face “Don’t nobody wanna hear that. Y'all wild.”

Everyone laughed.

Roman leaned in to whisper in her ear “I don’t know what the hell is going on with you but we are going to have that talk.”

Braelin shivered but said nothing.

At the hotel Jey started handing out room keys.

“We still down for tonight, Uce?” Kofi yelled in the lobby

All three cousins yelled “Yea.” causing Naomi and Braelin to shake their heads

“Who was he talking too?” Naomi asked clearly amused.

Roman gave a short laugh “Does it matter?”

“Alright, yall... I got 319. Jimmy and Nao have room 321. Uce, you got Room 325 and little sis you got 327.”

Braelin grabbed her key “Well, I’m going up to crash.”

Naomi tilted her head to the side feeling a little affronted “You’re not going out with us?”

Braelin shook her head “Nah, I’m good. Besides my knee is killing me.” she laughed rubbing her knee and limping to the elevator dramatically.

“Get your butt outta her Brae. What about you big dog?”

Roman was to busy watching Braelin exit the lobby that he completely missed her question “Whatchu say?”

Naomi folded her arms over her chest “You’re still coming out with us, right? You told Kofi you were.” She tacked on that last part for good measure.

Roman snorted “Yea, I just need a hour to chill, shower and change.”

Jimmy and Jey looked between Naomi and Roman suddenly feeling the tension there “Yea, let’s head up to our rooms. It’s been a long day and its finna be an even longer night.” Jimmy said grabbing Naomi’s hand.

By the time Braelin made it to her room she had already kicked off her shoes and turned off her phone. She had no plans to do anything outside of jumping into bed head first and just as she was on the verge of doing just that there was a knock at the door. She looked through the peephole and cursed before slightly opening it “What?”

“Let me in. We need to talk.” Roman said with his hands in his pockets.

“And I don’t feel like talking. So now what?”

Roman sighed at her being difficult “I don’t want to fight with you. I Just–” he ran a frustrated hand over his face “Just let me talk to you, please.”

Braelin stared blankly at him for a few moments before opening the door wider to let him in “Five minutes.”

Roman entered the hotel room and watched as she closed the door behind her. He sighed when she remained posed at door “First, I need to apologize to you for being a dick earlier. I just hate that you’ve been ignoring me. We use to be able to talk about shit but now it seems like we can’t even be in the same room together without other people.”

Running a hand through her hair she nodded “I get it. I hate not talking to you too. But I need time to not miss something that use to be mine.” Braelin knew she was leaving herself wide open by admitting this but she needed to get this off her chest. She just wanted this entire thing to be over “Even though we've been over for while now there are still times when I wake up in the middle of the night and I reach for you and you’re not there.” Braelin stepped a little further into the room “So this is me trying to get use to not having you and I can’t do that if you’re always around.”

Roman and Braelin met each other back in 2009 when Briyanna (Braelin’s big sister) through Naomi a birthday party and invited Jimmy and all of his friends and family. Roman of course attended the party and although they hit it off nothing stuck because at the time she had a boyfriend and he was dating his college sweetheart, Janelle.

Even though nothing happened romantically between them after the party they never lost contact with each other. In fact, they became best friends. They were there for each other during their eventual break ups with their respective other’s, Braelin’s decision to pursue wrestling, her training, Roman’s call up to the main roster and his first injury. Among other things.

Shortly after that things got serious back in 2012 when they made things official and started dating.

Everything was great for a good three years but then things started to change. Roman started pulling away from her and at the time she didn’t understand why. The sex between them was good, but when they were together it always felt like he somewhere else. Braelin later found out it was because he’d gotten back in contact with his college sweetheart, Janelle. She knew he wasn't cheating on her but she knew Janelle brought along unresolved feeling she didn't know he still harbored.

Braelin never had to spend hours agonizing about what was going on with him because she already knew. He was feeling conflicted. To Braelin there were too many people apart of this equation. If he loved her the way he said he did there was nothing to be confused about.

So she didn’t stick around to see what his choice would be. They broke up mid 2016.

Braelin found out from Jimmy and Naomi that Roman was engaged. He later married his college sweetheart Janelle at the end of 2017.

They’ve been married every since.

You would think after almost two years she would be over it. Maybe it was the bitterness of having to sit back and watch the man she love marry another woman without a single thought of her. Or maybe there was apart of her that thought he’s been waiting for Janelle the entire time while he was with her. She didn’t know and maybe that’s why it still hurt so much.

Roman wanted so badly to pull her into his arms to kiss, hold and make love to her. He wanted to do whatever she needed to make this better for her but he couldn’t do that.

They both knew that at the end of the day another woman was sharing his last name. That kind of hurt will take a long time to heal and the only way she’ll be able to try move on was if she let him go.

“I love you, Roman and I don’t think there’s a part of me that will ever stop loving you. But I need–”

What happened next was beyond his control. Roman would blame it on the fact that he couldn't take hearing the words he was sure were seconds away from leaving her mouth.

Roman closed the distance between them his large hands cradling the sides of her face as he kissed her hard and deep and with the same amount of passion as two lovers reuniting after being separated from war. He pulled back licking his lips “One night. One night to be inside you. One night to fuck you or make love to you or both. I just need you right now, baby. Don’t deny me.”

Braelin looked into his eyes and as hard as she tried to ignore it she saw it as plain as day: that love, that need and that hint of desperation in those grey eyes she always got lost in “Make love to me.” she whispered removing her track jacket.

And as if he was trying to engrave how those words sounded coming from her lips he closed his eyes and savored it.

Roman once again captured her cupid bow shaped lips with his. She moaned wrapping her arms around his neck. His large hands slid down the curve of her spine grabbing handfuls of her ass missing the feel of her in his hands and lifted her into his arms urging her to wrap her legs around him as he carried her over to the bed.

Braelin moaned at the feel of his thick tongue licking a hot trail from her collarbone to her neck as gently placed her down on the bed. She pulled him up by his hair forcing him to look at her “This ends tonight. Do you understand?” she said pushing him off her so she could remove the sports bar she had been wearing.

Roman’s only response to that was the removal of his wedding ring before setting it on the nightstand next to the bed. A hint of guilt flashed across her beautiful features.

Braelin knew the right thing to do was to put the brakes on this entire thing before it went any further. But whenever Roman touched her she felt nothing but heat and any and all doubts she had melted like butter in a pan.

He reached down and tugged her leggings and soaked panties down her curvaceous legs. The feel of them in his hands were almost enough to make him cum “You had amazing legs baby.”

Braelin shivered “You have on way too many clothes.”

Roman laughed softly and pulled the shirt over his head. His large hands dropped to the waistband of his sweatpants. His eyes never leaving hers as she sat back and enjoyed the view.

Not at all surprised that he wasn’t wearing any underwear Braelin got a good look at how bad he wanted her. The thick muscle corded in veins jutted out long, hard and leaking precum.

Her mouth watered.

Braelin made herself comfortable at the edge of the bed pulling him closer by the hips. She gave the tip of his dick a experimental lick before relaxing her throat taking him in inch by tortuous inch.

Roman tilted his head back “Shit.”

She worked him with her tongue, mouth and the parts she couldn’t reach, her hand. Roman brushed her hair to side so he could see himself sliding in and out of her mouth “FUCK.”

Roman looked down at her with half lidded eyes and watched as she sucked his dick like a pro “What are you doing to me baby? SHIT.”

Flattening her tongue Braelin dragged it ever so slowly on the underside of his cock and that did it. Roman groaned deep shooting his load into her mouth.

Swallowing, Braelin stared up at him with a devilish grin on her pretty face. When it came to fellatio her head game was on another level even with Roman's stamina she always knew how to bring him to his knees “I still got it.”

Roman’s eyes narrowed tossing her to the middle of the bed. “Your little ass is getting it tonight.”

Roman kissed his way down to her hot core and inhaled “I love the smell of your pussy. I would know you anywhere.” he said before licking her from asshole to clit. His large fingers massaged her as he sucked hard on her clit.

“Oh my god.” Braelin moaned and fisted the comforter in her small hands. She couldn’t explain what was happening but her entire body felt like it was on fire. When she looked down at Roman his face was so embedded into her snatch that for a second there she thought she might be suffocating him so she attempted to pull away but his right arm displaying his polynesian tattoo proudly kept her in place. “Roman, please.”

Braelin propped up on her elbows watching as his wicked tongue danced along her bundle of nerves driving her closer to the edge. She didn’t know how much time has passed but she was done for the minute his tongue started repeatedly tap dancing against her G spot. She came instantly.

Lax and practically purring Roman climbed over her, his big body covering hers “Don’t fall asleep yet, baby. We’re just getting started.” he covered her mouth with his inserting his tongue so she could taste herself.

Braelin felt him at her entrance and with the clever thrust of his hips he was buried to the hilt. She instantly tensed the hell up at the mixture of pain and pleasure. A year without any real kind of sexual activity would do that and Roman’s dick was a lot larger than her fingers and any of the toys she had.

“Are you ok?”Roman said with slight groan starting a slow rhythm. Fuck she felt incredible.

Braelin nodded wrapping her legs around his waist “Fuck me harder.”

Roman kissed her neck and started a new rhythm that was slow, hard and deep until he was pounding away “So wet. So tight.” he groaned loudly repeating it over and over again.

Sweat dotted her hairline and Roman’s forehead as he fucked her like a man on a mission determined to get them where they both needed go. Braelin attempted to match his thrusts with her own “That’s right. Take this dick.”

“I’m finna cum. Roman, shit. I’m finna cum.” she moaned.

Angling his hips just right Roman started in on her sweet spot “Cum for daddy.” he groaned rubbing her clit.

Her back arched and that tell all gush of liquid between her thighs let her know she just had the best fuck of her life.

Roman continued to pound into her chasing his own release until he came, hard. Every vein in his neck was on full display as one expletive after another flew from his mouth.

Coming down from his high Roman nuzzled her neck “Can I spend the night?” he said looking into her green eyes.

“Roman,” Braelin sighed “They’re expecting you and I told you--”

“I just want to hold you. I’ll be gone in the morning. I promise.” he said rubbing his thumb across her lips.

Braelin's small hand went to the hair at the nap of his neck and rubbed gently. That little action caused Roman to close his eyes “Ok.”

Roman gently pulled out of her warmth already missing the feel of her. Braelin laid on her side with her back against his chest as he wrapped his arms around her. “I know nothing I say will change anything. But I wish things could have been different.” he said softly kissing the top of her head.

Silence.

“You’re right. It won’t change anything.”

That was almost a three months ago.

The hall of fame was next month and Naomi, Braelin and Briyanna were at the third fitting for their dresses for the hall of fame.

“Sunk it in Brae.”

Braelin huffed “If I suck it in anymore my ribs will fracture. This is obviously not the one. I'm just going with the balmain one.”

Naomi shook her head “I don’t understand. You had a fitting with Alexander McQueen last month and this dress worked.”

Braelin rolled her eyes “Well, I’m feeling a little bloated.”

“Bloat doesn’t make you go up an entire dress size in a month.”

“Ain’t nothing wrong with getting thicker, stop.” Briyanna looked at Naomi.

“I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with it especially when I got what I got. But, Brae–”

“First of all, stop talking about me like I’m not here. Maybe I just won't go to the hall of fame, period.” Braelin tugged the dress down her body leaving her in nothing but a bra and panties.

“You have to go. We’re inducting Jazz.” Naomi said heading to the back of studio to switch out her dresses.

Briyanna got a good look at her little sister through the mirror. For her stature, Braelin was always a curvy little thing. Just like her if Braelin gained a few pounds she gained it in her hips and ass. But what Briyanna was looking at was a curve to her sister’s stomach and her face had gotten a little fatter.

She knew what was happening here and after giving birth to three kids herself she would be able to point it out when she saw it. But she still needed confirmation.

Braelin frowned slipping on her sweater and then her jeans “Why are you oogling me?”

“You’re pregnant?”

Braelin blinked “What?”

“Don’t what me? The weight gain, the mood swings, the occasional morning sickness that you claim is just food poisoning. Not to mention you have a whole ass baby bump, Brae.” she whispered heatedly.

Braelin tugged Briyanna to the side “Will you be quiet.”

“How far along are you?”

When Braelin remain quiet. Briyanna folded her arms across her chest “How far--”

“I’m 12 weeks today.”

Briyanna’s eyes ballooned. She opened and closed her mouth not knowing what else to say “How the hell did you manage to hide this?”

It wasn't easy. She’s been medically cleared to do in ring work for three weeks after their show in North Carolina but during the stint of their entire tour in the south she came down with what Braelin thought was the flu. So their agents sent her home so she could rest. But her flu had gotten worse and it turned into some weird stomach bug, it got so bad she had to go see her doctor. After running a few tests her doctor then informed her that she didn’t have the flu but instead she was in fact pregnant.

Braelin left the doctors office stunned and completely dumb founded. She didn’t understand how this could happen since she was on the pill. But of course her doctor informed her the pill wasn’t always effective.

The following week Stephanie informed her that she would be making her in ring return in a tag team match with Sasha against The Bella Twins. It wasn’t until then that everything started to sink in and she broke down.

Confused by the response she had gotten Stephanie had closed the door to her office so the could speak with Braelin in private. In that moment Braelin had no choice but to tell Stephanie she was four weeks pregnant.

Briyanna nodded suddenly everything was making sense “So it was Stephanie’s idea to milk this knee injury until…what? you’re ready to pop and then what?”

Braelin shrugged helplessly “I don’t know.. I just didn't want anyone to know.”

“Including your family? How long do you plan on keeping this from mo–”

“I’m going to tell her. I was going to tell you guys but I needed time. I’m scared shitless right now, Bri.” Braelin said in tears “I’m alone and I don’t know–”

Briyanna wiped the tears from her baby sister’s eye’s “Shhh, now. I’ve got you. You were never alone because I’m here, now. And you know momma, Daddy and Keyon will no doubt be there for you whenever you're ready to tell them. Naomi, you know she’s going to be by your side no matter what.”

Braelin nodded “I’m so scared to tell Naomi and Momma. I don’t want them to be disappointed in me.”

“Why would I be disappointed in you?” Naomi said now dressed in her nike jogging suit.

Braelin tensed but turned slowly to look at Naomi who was standing a few inches away “The reason for the weight gain” Briyanna rubbed comforting circles on Braelin’s back something she often did when they were kids “it's because I’m three months pregnant.”

Naomi’s only response was to engulf Braelin into her arms “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I don’t know. I was embarrassed, terrified but mostly it’s because I didn’t want you to be disappointed in me.” Braelin mumbled still Naomi’s arms.

“Brae, you have succeeded in everything you've attempted. There’s no way I couldn’t be anything less than fucking proud of you. You’re going to be an amazing mother.” Naomi held the small woman in her arms as they both cried.

Briyanna shook her head “I told y’all, y’all act more like sisters than we do.”

All three girls laughed as they hugged in the middle of a dress studio.

12 weeks pregnant? Could a married man be the father of her cousin’s baby? Naomi thought.

AN: Feedback, likes and retweets are always appreciated. I planned on writing only one or maybe two multi-chapters stories but the muse had other plans. Let me know if you want to be apart of my taglist. Until next time!

#roman reigns fanfiction #roman reigns smut #roman reigns fan fic #wwe smut #wwe fanfiction #roman reigns #roman reigns x oc #key writes

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graygreygreys · 6 years ago

Text

Listen.

This has also been posted in Ao3 under Superfruties_08 with the same title, enjoy!

^^^^^

Levi Schmitt was used to a lot of things. He was used to his hair not willing to cooperate in the mornings before his shift. He was used to having to walk just a little bit faster after the attendings while he briefed them on their patients. He was even used to tripping over himself in the OR whenever he was offered a chance to do more than suction. So you could say that he’s used to changing for the people who surround him, rather than those people changing for him.

Or at least he used to be like that, up until a few weeks ago when he stopped ignoring his true self. Until he had Nico.

The weeks after the windstorm and the ambulance were some of the best weeks of Levi’s life. He and Nico went on cute, late night dates and early morning breakfasts even when one of them didn't have to be on call. He essentially got to take the lead on Dr.Hunt’s paralytic mishap in the OR. He was also finally able to put his contacts in without help (after weeks of Taryn or Nico helping him.) So Levi guessed it was inevitable that he had a bad day sometime soon, and today happened to be the day.

He’d spent the last couple of nights at Nico’s since the fellow was closer to the hospital than his Mom’s was and he had three straight days of early shifts. Today was day three of three and Levi’s alarm shrieked loudly into his ears, disrupting him from an otherwise peaceful sleep. Nico’s hold on the smaller man tightens and made it even harder for Levi to move.

“Nico, I have to get up. If not for work, then for my bladder.” Levi rasps out, trying to lift the arm that’s currently wrapped around his chest off. Nico grunts and obliges, albeit very reluctantly if the pout Levi receives when he returns has anything to do with it. He sent a sympathetic smile Nico’s way as he pulled his hoodie on and tried to fix his hair to look somewhat presentable.

“Do you think the person who makes our schedules hates us?” Nico asked while lifting himself up off the bed to watch Levi get ready. It’s not like he has anything better to do since he’s off today. He thinks he could probably go for a run when Levi leaves though, which gives him the perfect reason to be up this early in the morning. Levi laughs at that, and Nico watches in adoration as his head falls back and his bright smile takes over his features. It definitely wasn’t the funniest thing ever, but considering Jo Karev makes the intern's schedules and Link makes Nico’s. He could easily imagine the two of them plotting while making purposefully conflicting schedules.

“As much fun as that is to imagine, I highly doubt that. I’m on my way out, and then I’ll probably stop at my place before coming over. We’re still on for breakfast before your shift?” Levi asks, grabbing his keys and glasses slipping the latter onto his face. He’ll put his contacts on later at work, he couldn’t be bothered right now. Nico hummed an affirmative to his question and puckered his lips for an obligatory goodbye kiss.

Levi leaned one knee onto the bed and pecked Nico quickly and tried to pull away, but Nico grabbed the front of his hoodie and deepened the kiss slightly before pulling away so their foreheads rested against each other.

“See you later, piccolo,” Nico whispered to him, the blush blooming on Levi’s cheeks making him feel accomplished. He still couldn’t believe that he got to be with this man every day.

Levi kissed him again quickly before actually leaving and heading to Grey-Sloan. He was probably going to be late, but how could he care when he thought about the reasoning?

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Levi wished his shift could have emulated his morning because it was not going well. He was only halfway through and he’d had to deal with a major three-car accident involving a teenager that had stolen a car. His patient had suffered severely from having been in the middle car. Every time Levi thought she was in the clear for a while she started seizing so he was on Sheperd’s instruction to monitor her closely for the rest of the night. Which meant he was probably going to have to postpone his plans with Nico in the morning.

Levi checked her vitals and updated her chart before stepping out towards the nurse’s station and pulling out his phone to send Nico a text.

hey, I don’t think I’ll be able to do breakfast tomorrow :( raincheck?

sure but why not? is there a trauma coming in? am I gonna get paged?

no, not a trauma. shepherd wants me to observe a patient overnight.

damn, okay babe. we’ll just have to reschedule, want me to bring you some food for dinner?

would you? I doubt I’m gonna have time to grab anything.

of course, I’ll stop by in like an hour. <3

Levi was justs about to reply when he heard his patient’s heart monitor begin to beep rapidly. He pushed his phone into his pocket and quickly ran into the room. Nurses began to flood into the room, one pushing a crash cart.

“Can someone page Shepherd?! She’s seizing again!” Levi exclaim while he pushed one of epinephrine. He finished just as Shepard ran into the room.

“What are you doing, who gave you the authority to push one of epi!” Amelia yelled while she pushed Levi out of the way. He stumbled and his back hit the wall behind him. He huffed and got himself upright again. He knew it was the right choice, Amelia had taken at least two minutes to get here if he hadn’t he patient would've started losing too much oxygen to her brain.

“Dr.Shepherd I-”

“You obviously think you know more about this than I do. Go get me OR 2 and page Helm, you’re off my service.” Amelia snapped, raising the guards in the bed and beginning to roll the patient out towards the elevator.

Levi couldn’t even breathe, let alone stand up for himself because Amelia didn’t give him the opportunity.

He made his way to the stairway while his anger continued to build up. He knew it was the right decision, he knew it was what Amelia would’ve done if she had been there. Where the hell does she get off just yelling at him for no reason? She’s the one who told him to watch the patient!

As he made his way to the pit, paging Helm to OR 2, he ran into someone. He knew that chest anywhere, it was Nico.

“Oh hey, I was just looking for you! I brought you a sandwich and some soup since it’s chilly in here. I know how- hey babe? What’s wrong?”

Levi huffed out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. All his anger seeped out and he was left exhausted and in his exhausted and frustrated state, he could feel a tear make its way down his face. Nico pulled the intern into the nearest empty room and shut the door behind them.

“What happened? Why are you crying, Levi?” Nico asked, his tone laced with concern. He placed their dinner on the bedside table and pulled Levi into a comforting embrace. The intern hugged him so tightly, his face buried in Nico’s chest. The taller man could feel Levi body shaking with what he could only assume was sadness.

“Baby, what happened? Talk to me.” Nico pleaded, running his hand down the back of Levi’s head and placing a kiss to his forehead. Eventually, Levi pulled away and wrapped his arms around Nico’s neck instead.

He explained what happened with Shepherd, and told Nico that he was more upset by the fact that he knew he did the right thing. He felt like he wasn’t being taken seriously at this hospital despite knowing that he was one of the best interns in their program right now. He wanted them to show him a little more respect. He would never have done it if he wasn’t 100% sure. Nico listened attentively and felt for his boyfriend. He knew how hard it was being an intern, and things like this made it hard for interns to be respected.

“I can go talk to her for you? Tell her that you know what you’re doing?” Nico suggested, thinking that maybe Levi just needed someone higher up to back him up.

And it would be really sweet to Levi if it didn’t feel like Nico wasn’t hearing what he was saying. The intern rolled his eyes and backed out of Nico’s embrace.

“Are you listening to me, Nico? Like actually hearing what I’m saying? I don’t want or need anyone to vouch for me. I want them to realize that just because I’m an intern doesn’t mean they can treat me like shit. Especially if I’m not wrong.” He explained getting frustrated that Nico didn’t quite get him. Nico’s face exuded confusion. Levi et out his third frustrated sigh and was about to explain what he meant when he got paged to the pit.

“I have to go, another trauma’s coming in. Thanks for dinner you can just like put it in the intern locker room fridge, I’ll get to it eventually.” Levi said as he left, giving Nico a small, fake smile as he went.

Nico shook his head as he stood in the room. He and Levi were going to have to talk about this again eventually.

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Levi couldn’t be happier to get off this shift. Since he was no longer on Shepherd's service he was able to leave on time. He texted his mom as he got dressed, letting her know he was going to stop by and asking if she needed anything. He was closing his locker when he spotted Amelia walking towards him into the intern lounge.

“Hey Schmitt, I know you’re heading out but I just wanted to apologize for earlier. I have some personal things going on and that’s not an excuse to yell at you for something that wasn't even a mistake. This is a teaching hospital, so the fact that you felt comfortable in doing the procedure that you know I would have done if I’d been present means I’m doing my job right. I just wanted to apologize again.” Amelia said to him, placing a light hand on his shoulder.

Levi was stunned because the attendings didn’t usually apologize to interns. He knew she was in the wrong, but he never expected her to apologize.

“Uh, yeah it’s fine. Thank you for apologizing.” Levi sputtered out in shock. Amelia nodded and was on her way out.

“Wait, Dr.Shepherd! Did you happen to talk to Dr.Kim today?” Levi asked cautiously because as much as he loved Nico’s protective spirit, this isn’t what he wanted.

“No, he wasn’t even here today. I just realized that I was being an ass. Have a good night.” She said in genuine confusion towards his question. She left and Levi was shocked for a few minutes before he smiled to himself slightly. Maybe his day was starting to look up just a little bit.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

After stopping at his mom’s to get some clean clothes and dropping off some groceries she’d asked for, Levi arrived at Nico’s. As he walked into the building he was thinking of all the ways he could properly apologize for his misplaced anger towards his boyfriend. He used the key Nico gave him (for emergencies, or so the fellow had said,) and opened the apartment.

He was instantly hit with the sight of Nico sitting on the couch, watching The Office with his blanket thrown off his legs. He was just nodding off when Levi walked in.

“Hey, I tried waiting up for you but I’m obviously weak. How’d the rest of your shift go? Get any easier?” Nico pressed, opening his arms up for the younger man. Levi settled into Nico’s lap and laid against his chest.

“Thank you, I’m sorry,” Levi whispered to him, squeezing tighter when Nico chuckled a bit.

“Why’re you thanking me for something you asked me not to do? Also, how’d you know?” Nico asked while cuddling his boy.

“Well, Shepherd never apologizes so I figured you had something to do with it. But she seemed genuine which made it okay.” Levi explained his reasoning. He knew his boyfriend wasn’t going to be able to resist. And Nico always meant well so Levi never really actually minded.

“Damn, I’m getting predictable. I’m losing my mysterious charm.” Nico teased reveling in the giggle that escaped from Levi’s lips. He gave the boy a longing kiss since they hadn’t been able to since that morning.

The kiss intensified and soon Levi was straddling Nico’s legs on the couch his arms wound around the taller man’s shoulders and his hands pulling the hairs at the base of his neck. Levi mumbled something between kisses that Nico couldn’t understand.

“What do you want baby?” He asked while they rested against each other catching their breaths.

“I said, If I asked you to fuck me on this couch right now would you listen?” Levi repeated, looking down to watch Nico’s reaction.

Nic just smirked as he lifted Levi and laid him in his back. This boy was going to be the absolute death of him and he really wouldn’t want it any other way.

#greysanatomy #greys #schmico #levi schmitt #nico kim #comfort #fanfic

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tumblunni · 6 years ago

Text

Make me play awful games!~

A cool idea to both provide you some laughs and help me pay off my broadband debt! If tumblr bloggers can get paid to eat a crayon then maybe i can sell my pain at playing awful video games?

Request me the worst, just goddamn trashiest games you can even imagine!

The consoles i'm able to record on are pc, ps4, 3ds, ds, gba, ps1, ps2 and any android game that can run on a european phone. (I'm still so mad that Dragalia Lost is america only!!)

And yes i will do ALL kinds of awful games! Low funds means i dont have any objection to Suffering Online, yknow? But i mean even if its torturously bad itd be less awful than it usually would, cos i'd be able to laugh about it with my friends!

Games i will otherwise NEVER play on my channel, but will play for money: horror games (cos im a huge wimp), anything with n/s/f/w content (cos i'm asexual AF lol), really extreme gore or something, really really fuckin awful bigoted depressing trash i.e racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, lo/lic/on, abusive relationships/consent issues/homophobia/all the common bad stuff in dating sims that i'm always vigilant for because this genre has such a weirdly high proportion of trash. ALSO: platformers and shooter games. Not because they morally disgust me but because i have shaky hands and poor spatial awareness while i have my glasses on, so i fail sooooo bad, lol! It could be fun to watch!

Only rule is that you need to give me a vague idea of what kind of bad is gonna be in the game, so i can at least mentally prepare myself. Yknow, not film the SUPER bad ones on a day when i'm already depressed? It doesnt have to be a big explanation cos avoiding spoilers would make my reactions more funny lol. But just like i dunno "it has some abusive relationships somewhere" or whatever.

Also, i think maybe prices depend on the Suffering? Like if you request a game that's just Bad aka glitchy or awfully written, then i might do that for free cos it'd be fun, yknow? But stuff with heavy sex/gore or really dark personally offending content would be a "no i'm sorry i'm not doing that without getting paid".

I dunno how much people usually charge for this sort of thing but i was pretty much thinking "throw me £1 and i will be your dancing monkey, i am just that desperate". And a fiver to make me suffer the worst of the worst, lol! Tho of course thats for free to play games or stuff i can emulate, itd kinda ruin the whole purpose if i was losing my own money in the process. Tho i think after my financial dilemma is over i might keep doing this as a "if you can pay at least half the cost of me buying the game, i will play it for you" thing.

Also everybody who's previously donated to help me with my bills, you get free requests for life! Even the maximum suffering!! After all, i'm only making this post cos i felt so bad that people were kind enough to give me money for nothing. I cant think of anything else i can give you guys that would really earn it, yknow?

Oh and just to add that i do already have one or two ideas i could do for this. There's a legendarily awfully disgusting l/olico/n game i got once in a steam sale due to the goddamn game description NOT SAYING ANYTHING ABOUT HAVING HORRIBLE CHILD NUDITY IN IT! I got fuckin jumpscared by lil girl panties!! And the worst part is that the game actually had really good gameplay?? I was enjoying it for like an hour before The Thing Happened, and my eternal rage will never cease because i hate thinking that a good budget went into this grossness. I wish i could steal all of its ideas and make them wholesome!! Srsly i really like "raising a daughter sim" type games and theyre so rare that i was excited to find one that looked decent and then ABORT ABORT ITS ABOUT RAISING A CHILD SEX SLAVE! So yeah i'd love an excuse to basically rant for three hours about how much this thing traumatized me and how awful the developers are. Also i originally noped out at just the first sign of horrible perviness so you guys can laugh at me dying at the no doubt even worse stuff that is probably there!

Also i'm sure this goes without saying but i'll be covering all the horrible sex stuff with censor bars. I don't wanna get kicked off youtube and i dont want you guys to feel the full awfulness of that game, just to enjoy my reactions to that awfulness. Also DUH i dont want any actual pedos to get off on it and follow my channel thinking they'd see more, that'd completely destroy my will to live...

I probably wont censor out other kinds of bad stuff tho? Maybe gore? Does youtube have a rule against gore? I just wanna play it safe. I wanna give you guys the fun of seeing me Die Inside instead of making you also Die.

#bunni plays games #also if anyone gave me money to punch myself in the face or lick a slug i would also do that #honestly i have no shame #i cant be mad at crayon eater cos ive been that desperate before lol

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lukeyork · 7 years ago

Note

☃ ✈ ☤ - Indiiii

For my muse’s reaction to getting hit with a snowball thrown by your muse

For the time being, they were walking in silence, side by side along one of the winding pathways in Central Park, immersed within the frigid New York City weather. It likely emulated what they both knew was imminently coming, having to say goodbye sooner before later now. Luke was certain he’d never met anyone like her, someone who mutually understood him, shared similar interests like she did. Additionally, he couldn’t remember the last time there hadn’t been anyone he’d completely, genuinely enjoyed the company of. She no doubt was strikingly beautiful in every way. The issue? Time wasn’t on their side at present to take the next step, further pursue what he and Indiana could potentially be. What they were, meant more than just rendezvous and hanging out. Luke wanted her to come with him, but it wasn’t feasible. She had a life, studies to finish herself. He understood that much.

Say something, anything to her, his mind practically screamed, yet Luke’s hand only balled anxiously within the confines of his jacket pockets. He only remained frustrated at himself. Mouth opening, attempting to speak, Luke suddenly realized Indiana had disappeared walking alongside him. Panic began its course, eyes darting around. “Indi?!” He called out. How in the..his mind didn’t even have time to process as his face was whacked dead center with Now splattered snow. What the…? His expression grew irritated, scowling, just when hearing the sound of a perfect, chiming laugh he easily recognized anywhere. Well, that was one way to literally break the ice..and mainly have fun while they both still could.

His lips upturned into a widening, mischevous grin then, already bending downward, balling up a snow wad of his own. “Yeah, you better get a head start right now, Harper!” Luke called out to her through a laugh.

For now, things might as well stay as perfect as they could be.

For my muse to get nervous on a plane and seek comfort from your muse

Of course the plane was delayed. Of course. Even with the plane he’d managed to put together for them thanks to the ones that were usually used for his archaeology work. Sighing unnervingly, he settled back into the set as much as possible once they finally had taken off, and started cruising at a decent altitude. “I’m sorry.” Luke looked over to Indi, having her beside him now was practically like an instant calming. “It’s just..we’re thrown off now.” He wanted nothing more than to surprise her with seeing the pyramids first.Although with Indi’s hand reassuringly in his, Luke squeezed it back slightly tighter. Her soft expression she gave him in return was right and he knew it. She’d certainly inspired him to improve on reasoning with himself. “I know, we just have to re-work things around now.” Following an airy breath, he gave Indi a genuine smile. This was finally happening, they were finally doing this. Running away with one another had become a reality. After how long talking about it with her? Regardless, Luke never wanted to break this promise. He was granted the chance, more than ready to share the places he’d been freely, with someone he undoubtedly had unwavering feelings for. Perhaps what made him the most on the edge was the fact that this all could be some trick of the mind, a desert mirage…but gaze locking on Indiana’s, their hands intertwined, it all reminded him that this was truly real. She was truly there, and this would be just the two of them, being together, despite any obstacles.

“— We did it.” With a more prominent grin, his hand gave hers another squeeze.

For my muses reaction to finding yours in a hospital bed.

He didn’t even catch the details he was told upon being contacted, everything had turned into a stunned blur upon hearing the words, “Indi admitted to the hospital.” Not her. Nothing else mattered at the moment. The phone was already halfway away from his ear, feet already carrying him towards what he felt would be the fastest m eans of transportation. Quickly muttering a ‘thank you,’ Luke abruptly ended the call, solely focus on getting to the hospital. Stat.

Practically sprinting towards the main desk once arriving, he received the details of where she was and stormed off once more towards the nearest elevator to the specified floor. The second those doors slid open, Luke kept up the same pace, nearly running straight into others through the hall until reaching the particular room number. He felt his breath hitch within his throat in the worst way spotted a flash of brunette hair, frame lying stagnant in a sea of white. Stepping inside, the steady, wired beeping became static as he went right up to her bedside.

This should be me again. Just let me take her place. I’d take her place without a thought. His thoughts raced defiantly over and over. No way should Indi, beyond beautiful, and with a bright future ahead should be in this position. Crouching beside the hospital bed, Luke did nothing to fight his eyes welling at the sight. Leaning forward, a hand reached upward to brush a piece of her hair back. “I’m here.” Luke softly stated, unsure if that even made a difference in the situation, or to her, but his opposite hand held onto hers regardless. “I won’t leave you.”

And somehow, within mere moments, those deep, glistening brown eyes began slowly opening, his expression lifting more at the sight. “Maybe you really should start listening to me. “You really should start listening to me, huh?” He couldn’t help but grin through the oncoming tears a bit for a second, shaking his head. One of their many inside jokes. Those deep brown eyes surely would open. It was more than due she received the faith, the belief, she always effortlessly emulated unto others. He should be so lucky that it would be him to do so. “I won’t leave you, I promise.” You’ll be alright. { @indianaharper }

#avasawycr #answered #catchhh #also going to put multiples under read mores babessss!

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thomcoldman-blog · 7 years ago

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Don’t Call It A Throwback

The “new old” is a phenomenon hardly unique to games, but a large corner of the medium can be identified as an intentional recreation of interactive entertainment's past. In film you have the 2011 silent film The Artist, in traditional art you naturally still see paintings in the style and approach of painters from centuries ago, and popular music is nothing if not big on recycling past sounds – just look at the turn-of-the-decade revival of 80s synth sounds in the UK. But it's in games where the past isn't so much referenced for new inspiration as it is recreated wholesale; brought out of the loft, dusted off and presented anew for a new generation of players.

Just look at the number of older games re-released in some form over the last 12 months. Off of the top of my head, I can think of Final Fantasy XII, the original PlayStation 1 Crash Bandicoot trilogy, Okami, Street Fighter 2, Pokemon Gold & Silver, PaRappa the Rapper, Yakuza (as Yakuza Kiwami), Mega Man 7 through 10, Full Throttle and the swathe of games released under the Arcade Archives and SEGA Forever banners. These releases include remasters (preserving the game with technical enchancements), remakes (building the game anew from the ground-up, often with new features) and more-or-less straight dumps of the original code running on emulation software. Whatever the format, publishers and developers are now fully committed to the notion that bringing old games to new platforms – and new players – is a winning strategy.

This is nothing new, of course, as anyone who remembers Super Mario All-Stars or the glut of Final Fantasy collections on PS1 can attest to. But classic titles working their way into the catalogues of new consoles does create an interesting juxtaposition in 2017 – as technology improves and games get more sophisticated, and new design trends emerge, what purpose does making old games readily available serve? Many new titles supplant or enhance their gameplay – of the above franchises mentioned, Pokemon, Final Fantasy and Street Fighter never slowed down, and games like Parappa and Full Throttle evolved into modern day titles like Rock Band and Telltale Game #353 Episode 1. So is it really the classic game feel that people are seeking? Or is the pull of an oldie simply born out of rose-tinted mythologising?

A handful of titles released in the last year make the argument that, actually, it's both. In 2017 SEGA released Sonic Mania; Terrible Toybox released Thimbleweed Park; and Playtonic released Yooka-Laylee. Each of these titles exists solely to recreate a particular style of game from history in the style you remember it, positing that, yeah, these games did play well, and still do. They occupy a fascinating space between ruthlessly chasing the cutting-edge, evoking classic gaming to explore more contemporary design like so many independent releases do, and bringing old titles to new platforms. In rebuilding a piece of the past that was left behind, each title ends up standing out as more interesting than they otherwise may have been in their heyday, or if they simply conformed to the modern-day standards of their genre playmates.

Let's start with Sonic Mania, a game that feels like it should have existed years ago in two ways. Firstly, it's a clear continuation of the original Sonic The Hedgehog platformers from the Mega Drive – a mission statement of the developers being to create the Sonic that the Sega Saturn never got to have. This results in a game that looks dazzling, and yet in line what with came before – this is Sonic The Hedgehog 2 with far more detail (and an extremely welcome 16:9 upgrade). This is a defining trait of the “new breed” of retro, in that it keeps what worked about the original games visually, and buffs it to a shine without it becoming unrecognisable. Sonic has always enjoyed rich sprite work and detailed backgrounds, and Mania feels as good on the eyes as players in the 90s maybe remember those original titles looking. You can imagine it being around circa 1996, blowing minds with new visual tricks like silhouettes, polygonal special stages and Sonic, Eggman and the gang's gorgeous animations – just looking a bit fuzzier on a CRT, of course.

Sonic Mania feels remarkably overdue in more recent terms, too – it has a slavish adherence to how Sonic span, rolled, bounced and launched in the Mega Drive/Mega CD quadrilogy, making the hedgehog feel better in the hands than he's felt in years. Dodgy physics and a wrong-headed speed emphasis in modern Sonic titles should have provoked a re-examination of the classic title's feel a good while ago. It's a cliché in Sonic conversations that the new is in the shadow of the old, but the idea that design progression does not necessarily mean a genre has objectively improved is a good one to keep in mind, despite it being otherwise scarcely considered. Mania doubles-down in proving the original Sonic feel needed a second outing; the physics and level design philosophy resurrected, developers Christian Whitehead, Headcannon and PagodaWest polish their levels with modern considerations including a dearth of cheap tricks, more inventive level gimmicks than those seen in the originals and an aural accompaniment that bridges poppy jazz, fidgety hip-hop and slowed-down mood music. It feels “old”, but almost only ever in ways that make the whole endeavour fun and surprising.

Thimbleweed Park mostly follows that same philosophy, and is largely as successful with it. Thimbleweed is an adventure game ripped straight out of the late 80s and mid-90s, complete with roughly a third of the screen lost to an ever-present inventory and list of possible actions. Akin to Maniac Mansion, you have a handful of characters to use at any time, and progression requires solving puzzles that tend to require an item being used in a particular way on a particular object or character. Like Mania, Thimbleweed takes that structure – one that used to too often be riddled with obtuse puzzles married to logic from the thirteenth dimension – and refines it, with puzzles following more earthbound ways of thinking and a handy hint system riffing on the old hint lines that no doubt rang up some hefty phone bills in the point'n'click heyday.

As someone who was born the year before Day Of The Tentacle released, I've had to experience classic point'n'click through reissues, which has occasionally been a frustrating experience. Thimbleweed felt like a more comfortable ride, a game I saw through to the finish with the right ratio of time being stumped and time making progress. The game has a lovely, corny sense of humour that always feels to follow Lucasarts' (and Double Fine's) games about, and the game's look is gorgeous sprite work – again, like Sonic, this is an old aesthetic as they truly imagined it. The game isn't necessarily a better time than, say, Day Of The Tentacle – it's not as funny or as clever at its heights, and the ending is maybe a little too self-indulgent – but its flaws never felt like they came from its inspirations. This type of adventure game, a remotely hands-off experience with plenty of opportunities for experimentation and getting stuck, felt relevant again.

Having not played Yooka-Laylee, I can't comment too much on its success, but based on commentary it sounds rather similar to something I have played – 2008's Mega Man 9, one of the earliest original titles to turn back the clock on gaming's progress. That game was brutal – its 8-bit style offered minimal improvements over what was capable on the Nintendo Entertainment System, and so did its gameplay, full of rock-solid boss encounters, pixel-perfect jumps and overwhelming enemy opposition. It felt like an old Mega Man game, but as someone who only played their first Mega Man game in 2007, it felt /exactly/ like a Mega Man game – my time with Mega Man 3 (that is, dying a lot) was more or less the same time as I had with MM9. It felt squarely for classic fans – a novelty, though undoubtedly a well-made one. As far as the commentary I've seen surrounding Yooka-Laylee, it sure sounds similar, stringent design authenticity taking the place of considered design. I don't want to write off a game I haven't played, but as exciting as the new breed of “original throwback” is, this is an important pitfall to signpost.

There are other examples of this kind of throwback, of course – 2014's Shovel Knight is a keenly-made mash-up of elements of Castlevania, Ducktales and Zelda 2, and like Sonic and Thimbleweed it beautifully maintains a era-appropriate look whilst working with more colours and on-screen objects than that hardware could manage. Its level design is tight, challenging whilst constantly incorporating new ideas to keep the whole thing fresh. It's a bizarre concept, a game on the surface unnecessarily slavish to the old school ending up feeling refreshing in the finer details and overall experience, but Shovel Knight, Sonic Mania and Thimbleweed Park all manage to pull this off with aplomb, and they set an exciting precedent for die-hard fans and embattled veterans to spruce up long forgotten gameplay styles. To answer the original question, is there an appetite for the way old games play? Sure – but a side of 2010s artistry sure helps it go down well.

#gaming #sonic mania #thimbleweed park #shovel knight #yooka-laylee #mega man #retrogaming

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