#i have so many more where these came from. Hope Everyone Likes Looking at Tom Cruise | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

heygerald · 6 months ago

Text

Falling Without A Harness - Chapter 5

AU where Tom Ryder is still an asshole, just not a psychotic one. When he has good news, but no one to share it with, Parker invites him along to her brother's birthday party. A moment of weakness, or a moment for him to prove he's more than just his Hollywood ego?

read the story here: prev / next

"—and Jody said she was going to wear something simple, maybe jeans and a t-shirt, but I'm not really sure I want to match that vibe or go for something a little more, you know, fun. Maybe I could finally break out the bucket hat tonight," Colt's voice droned on from the phone tucked indelicately into the crevice of her neck and shoulder. Parker was only half listening, as was the usual when it came to her brother's incessant rambling about anything related to the pretty blonde camerawoman, and while he talked, she made work of slowly peeling strips of painters tape from the freshly painted wall. The ball in her hand was nicely sized by this point of the conversation. "So, anyway... uh, wait, what was the point?"

"Was there a point?" she mused aloud. "I stopped listening when you started talking about some pony she rode once at her twelfth birthday party."

She heard him snap his fingers. "Right—the birthday party."

"Hers or yours?"

"Mine! Listen, I know that you all put a lot of work into planning this shindig—"

"Shindig? God, you're old!"

"—but I would really appreciate if you told me what to expect tonight. Just a hint will do. I'm not trying to show up wearing dress shoes to a disco if you know what I mean."

Parker stuck another piece of tape onto the ever-growing ball with a blithe snort. "I never know what you mean."

"Park," he whined, much like a child, and not the thirty-something year old man that he was. Was this year number thirty-seven or thirty-eight? She should probably figure that out before putting candles on his cake. "Come onnnnnn. Just tell me. Just a hint!"

"And ruin the surprise? No way, Jose."

"But it's my birthday surprise! You can spoil it for me. I mean, realistically, no one would blame you if, maybe, you accidentally let the surprise slip. It'd be expected coming from you, actually."

She frowned. "What do you mean it would be expected coming from me?"

"Well, you know, you can't keep a secret to save your life."

Parker tossed the ball of tape into the trash and picked up the broom with an indignant scoff. "Excuse me, I am a very good secret keeper."

A long winded and high-pitched whine followed, and she winced at the volume of it. Parker switched the phone to her other ear, certain that between her brother and Melissa she had permanent hearing damage.

"Oh, so now all of the sudden you're a locked vault!" he blathered on. "Where was this dedication to silence when I got sick at Macy Lindwigs wedding and you spent the entire evening telling everyone you could find?"

An image of Macy Lindwig, dressed to the nines in a beautiful handmade wedding dress, staring in horror as her brother puked in an azalea bush three minutes before the ceremony started came to mind.

"Oh, I totally forgot about that," she snickered, the memory almost too sweet to ignore now that it had been brought back up. "You ruined her heels that night, you know. What was I supposed to do? Not tell everyone?"

"For starters. Or, at the very least, you could have refrained from blabbing about it at Christmas," he muttered petulantly. "Grandma never looked at me the same way again. She still won't let me near her rose garden."

"Cause and effect," Parker chirped. "You drank one too many tequila shots the night before, and thus, you have to suffer the fate of Grandma judging you every Christmas Eve."

"Miami Vice premiered the night before!" he argued, shouting, in what she suspected was a deranged manner. Parker hoped he was somewhere public; perhaps a grocery store or laundromat. "Just another example of how you can't keep a secret for the life of you, not even when your brother's good name is at stake. Your only true sibling, might I add."

"And here I thought I was an orphan found in a box."

She could hear Colt kicking something, palm clasped over the speaker as he whined, before he was back. "You're worse than Judas, you know. You ruin lives just for the fun of it, no silver needed."

"Are you offering silver?"

A cough. "Uh, I mean, I'm a little tight on silver at the moment. I think I have a free sub from Publix somewhere around here."

"A coupon. Wow. So generous."

"It's a punch card, and those aren't easy to fill out, you know," he huffed indignantly, obviously put out that Parker wasn't going to accept his lackluster offer. "What if I say pretty please?"

"Ha! Nice try. I happen to like Jody, so even if I wanted to tell you what we're doing tonight—which I don't—I'm not going to. She was really excited to help me plan this year."

Some spluttering followed her resolution, before he was kicking something again. Apparently, whatever he kicked was harder than he thought, however, and the next moment her brother was wheezing in pain.

"Jesus, take it easy, alright? You're going to need your toes for tonight."

In a breathless voice, he weaseled, "tonight at...?"

But Parker was no novice when it came to keeping secrets from her brother, and so she didn't fall for the trick. "Ha, nice try," she snorted while stooping to sweep her pile of dust and paint chips off the ground. Shades of green and white stained her hands, but she didn't bother to clean them off. It would be a pointless endeavor, after all, considering what they had planned for Colt's birthday party later that evening. "I'm trying to stay on Jody's good side."

"Both of her sides are good sides," was his immediate response, something wistful coloring his tone. "She's gorgeous. If you haven't noticed."

"Trust me," Parker deadpanned with a blithe glance at her own disheveled appearance, "I've noticed."

"Do you think I should bring her flowers?"

"To your birthday party?"

"Girls like flowers. Plus, she's planning the whole thing."

"I helped!"

"I'm not bringing you flowers to my birthday party, Park. It's not about you, you know."

"Right, of course, how could I have forgotten?" she deadpanned. However, despite his disinterest in showing her any gratitude, Parker smiled at the concept that there was a man out in this world so infatuated by a woman, that he not only spent all his time talking about her, but he also wanted to bring her flowers for no good reason. If only she could find someone like that who wasn't her brother. Wishes and wants, she supposed. "As nice of a thought as that is, don't bring her flowers tonight. They'll end up wilted by the time she gets back home from the party. If they aren't totally trashed first, that is."

His tone pitched higher, eagerly. "Trashed? Why would they be trashed? Are we doing some floral vandalism tonight? Oh!" Colt cried, hands clapping together. "Are we going to a wreck-it room? I've always wanted to do something like that. You know, somewhere that wasn't on a set, anyway, where I'm being beat up for a living with props."

Parker covered the speaker of her phone to curse at herself. While she hadn't ruined the surprise, Colt was like a dog with a hambone, and was not likely to let it go anytime soon.

She cleared her throat and attempted indifference. "Not even close," she said, but it didn't sound super convincing, and with an exasperated huff, she threw her hands up. "Jesus, Colt, you're going to get me into trouble! Just chill out. Jody should be picking you up soon, anyway."

"Picking me up soon for...?"

Colt's whining was interrupted by the tinkle of the front bell, and as she switched her phone back to her right ear, Parker took a moment to scoop up the paint-splattered tarp sprawled across the floor.

Melissa had been on to something with her suggestion to repaint the store, and while they had only gotten the walls finished over the past two and a half weeks, the mossy green color with gold accented picture frames really gave some life back to her shop. It still had that musty smell, as well as a pair of flickering lightbulbs from the janky electrical sockets, but they were definitely taking a step in the right direction. The color made everything feel cozier, and once they coated the bookshelves with shades of blue and yellow and replaced the overhead fluorescents with something warmer, she thought it might look like an entirely new store for the price of a few gallons of paint.

Not to mention the color stood out from the recent tan and brown trend that had swept across Hollywood hills. Win, win.

"Ugh! Stop trying to spoil your own surprise and let it happen, alright? You're going to love it," she pacified half-heartedly while booting a stool out of the way. Too deep of a breath had the smell of laquear and paint fumes killing off some braincells, and Parker dropped the tarp along with the rest of the paint materials with a cross-eyed huff. "Plus, it was all Jody's idea, so if you hate it, I would keep that to your..."

Parker paused halfway up the aisle.

On the far end of it, a brown and black colored dog sat patiently wagging its tail at her. Its tongue was sticking out of the side of its mouth, but despite Elon Musk's predictions about the existence of intelligent life in the galaxy, she was pretty sure that the local population of Hollywood mutts had yet to grow opposable thumbs capable of opening a door.

She blinked at it.

"Er, listen," she muttered into the phone, gaze darting past the dog, but not seeing its owner. "I have to go. There's a dog situation that I need to take care of."

"A dog? I've been asking you for years to get a dog, and now you finally decide to get one on my birthday! That's so totally fu—"

Parker hung up before he could complain any further, and slowly tucked her phone into the back pocket of her jeans. The dog barked at her, as if excited to finally have her attention.

"Er—hi. Did you—how did you get in here?" she asked.

It responded by tilting its head to a ninety-degree angle. She stared, waiting, as if the language barrier would suddenly disappear.

Unsurprisingly, it didn't. The dog barked a second time.

"I don't have any treats on me," she said again, not sure else what to say, but certainly feeling like she should say something. It trotted towards her, and though it seemed friendly at first, when it stuck its head into her crotch to take too deep a sniff for comfort, Parker jumped backwards. "Ah—fuck! Buy a girl dinner first, huh?"

She sidestepped the dog, hands splayed out in front of her like she was a robbery victim, and did her best to avoid being felt up as the dog followed her towards the storefront. It nosed her rear end, and Parker let out an undignified squeak.

"Jesus! I know the humane society is underfunded and all, but this is a little ridiculous, don't you think?" she asked it.

The dog darted in front of her, nose going right back for the crotch, and Parker just barely managed to leap onto Melissa's sunken reading chair when an increasingly familiar head of blonde hair stepped out from behind one of the bookshelves.

"Talon, Jean Claude," he said, and as though the dog hadn't just been harassing her, it plopped down onto the floor right beside him. Dog and owner blinked at her in bemusement. "Don't seriously tell me that you're afraid of dogs."

Parker shot him a disgruntled glare in response, but Tom didn't seem to mind the heat packed behind it. Instead, he smirked at her, crossed one arm over the other, and languidly leaned back against the front counter.

It was obvious he was laughing at her, and not with her, and Parker added it to the list of all the things she couldn't stand about Tom Ryder. Worse though, she couldn't help but subconsciously smooth a hand over her hair, because where Jody was effortlessly gorgeous, Parker required quite a bit of effort not to look awful. And right now, with paint-stained pants, a half-assed pair of dutch braids, and miscolored converse, she was certainly not showing him her good side.

If she even had one, that is.

"I should have known you would have a pervy dog," she said while looking down her nose at him. Literally, too, considering she was still standing on the chair. Parker flushed a bright red at the realization and none-too-glamorously clambered down onto her feet. "And French, too. I think that's stereotyping, Ryder."

Despite the distrustful look she shot the dog, he seemed a whole lot less pervy and rabid now that she knew he had an owner, and when she approached it, its tail flapped back and forth excitedly.

"Insulting an entire country?" Tom harrumphed as she started to scratch the dog between its ears. "Maybe you should sit through PR training with me next time Gail hosts a session."

She blew a bland raspberry as she read the dog's name tag.

Jean Claude. Huh. Cute.

He let out a low whine when she hit a particularly sensitive spot, and in delight, he rolled onto his back with half-lidded eyes.

"Is this the one you were talking to the other day, or do you have any other expat mutts that I should know about? I can only be felt up so many times before I file a harassment complaint."

"Jean Claude isn't a mutt," he corrected her, disdain at the very idea of owning a mutt. Parker supposed adopting a kennel-dog was likely below him, being a superstar and what not. "He's an Australian Kelpie, pure-bred, and he certainly wasn't fucking cheap. His parents are award winning cattle dogs in the Australian circuit."

"That's an award category?"

"Hmph. Laugh all you want, but I'd bet he's better trained than you are. He's even trained to attack someone in the balls on command."

"So am I," she sassed while making kissy faces at Jean Claude. "Oh, he's cute. Yes, you are. Yes, you are," she cooed.

He ate it right up, tail flapping in every direction, and when she spared Tom a glance, she could feel the jealousy rolling off him that someone else was getting more attention. Dog or not. Parker snickered.

"Sorry you're stuck with this one," she added, jerking a thumb over her shoulder to gesture in Tom's general area. "But trust me, you're way cuter, and probably lower maintenance than he is."

Tom cleared his throat. "Are you done?"

"Jealous?"

"Of a dog?" he deadpanned, rolling his eyes beneath a pair of expensive Ray Bans—not at all disproving the theory—and Parker smiled at her private joke. "Hardly."

She leaned closer to Jean Claude, and spoke in a stage whisper, "I think he's jealous."

And—yup—that seemed to do it.

Tom pushed off the counter with a sharp huff, unamused by her teasing, and make a command in French. Jean Claude bounded onto his feet, trotted to where Tom was, and curled up between his legs.

Parker stood and planted her hands onto her hips. "Real mature."

"I can always show you his attack command," Tom threatened. "I doubt you'll find him as adorable when he attacks you. It's always a hit at parties, watching someone get their balls bitten off."

"I think I'm missing a critical component for that trick to work," she pointed out with a dry smile. "But, anyway, what are you doing here? If you came to return my books, they're yours, considering how much you paid for them the other day."

He shrugged. "Maybe I want my change."

"You came all the way here, through traffic, to get your change?" she echoed, clearly disbelieving his piss poor excuse. Under her stare, Tom shuffled uncomfortably on his feet. "Hm. I thought I was supposed to be the penny pincher between the two of us."

"Maybe it's not the money I care about. It's the principle of the whole thing."

"Ha! You expect me to believe that you have principles?"

Tom huffed, but she caught the crooked upturn of his mouth. Still, he played the victim—always acting, this one. "You're right. I don't just deserve change. I should get a full refund, considering how awful your book recommendations were. Not to mention the books practically fell apart when I touched them. Clearly, you sell cheap products."

"Clearly," she muttered, while flipping the sign on the front door from OPEN to CLOSED. There wasn't much going on outside, anyway, and she doubted she would be missing any customers by taking the day off early.

"You want to tell me what you're really doing here? Because we both know you liked my recommendations," she said matter-of-factly, moving to the cash register now. She had made a few sales throughout the day, more than a typical Friday, and so she carefully began stacking her receipts. "I mean, who wouldn't? Those are good books I gave you. Contact is in my top ten."

Tom leaned on the counter. "Books I bought."

She waved him off, stack of receipts in hand, as she locked the lower cabinet. Tom could complain all he wanted, but she did know that he liked her book recommendations. He had finished them all within a week, when he likely should have been spending more attention devoted to practicing for his audition. Granted, it was a sci-fi movie he was auditioning for, but—

She startled.

"Oh, duh!" Parker sprung to her full height with a curious look. "Did you get the part?"

Tom smirked.

It wasn't bashful or pleasant or soft like authors typically described their tall, dark, and handsome characters, but it was so very him that she hardly minded it. In fact, Parker sort of liked it. It crinkled the soft lines by his eyes, loosened the tension in his shoulders, and made him look younger. Nicer. Cuter.

"Of course I did," he sassed. "I told you I was going to get it."

She ignored his blatant peacocking to punch him in the shoulder. The action seemed to shock him, and Tom clutched the spot with his other hand—as if she had done some real damage—while Parker grinned. "Holy shit, that's great! I mean, sure, you were a shoo-in or whatever, but this is a big deal. Right? It's a big deal? You must be jumping off the walls right now!"

Tom gave a bemused huff, eyes darting over the length of her face, and nodded. "Biggest movie I've gotten yet," he said. "My first sci-fi film too, so, that's going to get my name out there even more than it was. I mean, if I thought I was well known before... after this, everyone will know who Tom Ryder is."

"That's awesome!"

Tom rolled his eyes at her enthusiasm, clearly not buying into it, and though Parker was so excited on his behalf, Tom seemed like he was fighting off indifference to the news. "Yeah, well, a role's a role, you know."

"Well, yeah," she hedged, waving a hand at him, "but this is your first sci-fi role, and it was one that you even told me you wanted to get. You must be at least a little excited for it. Sci-fi is so interesting, I bet filming it is gonna be a ton of fun."

"Sure," he echoed dryly. His smirk had returned, and though she wouldn't necessarily classify what his face was doing now as a smile, it was certainly close. "Fun. That's what I'm aiming for in my career: fun."

"Oh, please," she clucked her tongue at him, receipts shoved hastily into their folder. "You can be a huge movie star and still have fun doing it. I mean, isn't that the point? Doing something you love and all that. I'd imagine it's going to be a whole new experience for you, stepping into a sci-fi set."

He hemmed, mouth twisting between a smile and a frown. "I guess."

He didn't sound all that convinced. In fact, when Parker thought about it, she seemed to be far more excited about the role than he did. She tilted her head at him suspiciously. "Alright, well... what are you doing to celebrate?" she asked. "A vacation? Buying yourself a new car? Oooh—Legoland?"

He furrowed his brows at her in surprised. "Legoland?"

"It's what I would do," she shrugged. "Probably, anyway. I've never been because the tickets just don't seem worth the price, but if I had just landed a giant role in a giant blockbuster, I think buying a ticket would be the least of my worries. You could probably even write it off on your taxes."

He blinked at her. "Poor people are so sad to me."

She stuck her tongue out at him, and took delight in the way that he huffed in amusement. "Well? Come on—make me jealous—what are you doing?"

Tom shrugged. "Gail's throwing a big party next week to announce the role. She always does that. Invites her producer friends and talent agents and that sort of stuff. There'll probably be some sort of attraction, singers or a zebra or something."

"Casual," she snorted.

"She has a weird thing for exotic animals, I don't know."

"Seems like it. But that's what she's doing, what are you doing?" she needled further. "I mean, I assumed you would do a big party with your friends before then. You know—cops get called, party crashers—the whole scene."

Tom hesitated to answer, and when he did, he didn't sound all that much like himself. "Well, I can't really do that—she controls when I make go public with the news—has the whole timeline figured out, and manages all the press for it. She doesn't let me tell people ahead of time."

"I'm people."

He rolled his eyes. "You're a nobody," he said. Not to be mean; no, Tom was very clear in his words when he intended to be mean. Instead, he had said it nonchalantly, as if it was a universal truth that everyone understood. And, in all honesty, Parker got it. "I mean, who are you going to tell that would care, you know?"

"Okay, ouch," she muttered still, before barreling on. "Don't you have any non-work friends that you can go get drinks with?"

"All my friends are work friends."

"What about people that don't know Gail?"

Tom huffed and waved a hand at her. "That's the same thing, you know. She introduced me to everyone I know in the industry. Other than some set hands, we have the same circle."

Parker sank onto her heels, feeling slighted on his behalf, but knowing that she didn't really have a right to. Surely, Tom Ryder would have stood up to Gail if he didn't like her hands-on, helicopter parent approach to managing his life. And clearly their work relationship was beneficial to them both. He certainly didn't need a nobody like her feeling sorry for him.

And yet, she did.

Because, as she listened to him talk, it felt like he had to give up everything just to be a somebody in Hollywood. And while it might have been the norm for him, it was absolutely not the norm for everybody.

Did he even realize that?

"Fuck that," Parker said before she could think better of it, emotions getting the better of her. Colt always joked that she had a bleeding heart, but she had never thought there was anything wrong with that. "Come hang out with me, then."

Tom arched a brow at her, mouth parted dumbly. "...what?"

She shrugged, feeling a little like a specimen beneath a microscope, and struggled to explain herself. "I mean, you just said that Gail doesn't want you telling anybody that matters, and I only hang out with people that don't matter in the grand scheme of Hollywood politics. I'm getting ready to head to Colt's birthday party after this, and if you're not doing anything else, you may as well come with me. It won't be a celebration for you, obviously, but... it'll be fun."

He blinked at her slowly, surprise written in the fine lines of his face.

"We're not going to murder you," she huffed indignantly.

"I—I never hang out with Colt or those guys."

"Yeah, for good reason. They all sort of hate you for being an asshole on set to them. Like, all the time. I wouldn't want to hang out with you outside of work either, if I was them."

He scowled. "Oh, well, when you put it like that," he huffed. "Obviously, they're not going to want me to come. And, I may be an asshole, but I try not to gatecrash birthday parties."

She waved his concern away with a paint-stained hand. "First off, you won't be gatecrashing, I'm literally extending an invite. And secondly, they only hate you because you're a prick on set. What better way to prove that you're not a prick, by coming to Colt's birthday party, and—you know—actually being nice for once. Just don't be a dickwad. Or an asshole. Or any sort of thing that you usually are on a normal day."

"I think the saying is 'always be yourself'," he deadpanned.

"That absolutely doesn't apply here."

"Smartass."

Parker nudged him in the shoulder with an exasperated look. "Come on! What else are you going to do? Do some irresponsible spending and buy everyone a round of drinks. I bet they'll think differently of you after everybody is a few beers in."

Tom didn't seem too convinced with her logic. "Crashing his birthday party doesn't seem the best way to get on Colt's good side. I didn't even know it was his birthday."

"Now you do," she shrugged, as if it wasn't a big deal. And—well—her brother was probably going to bitch about Tom's presence at the party, but Parker also believed that after a few shots of liquor, everyone would get over the issue fairly quick. Not to mention the party itself was designed for stress relief. Bringing Tom may actually make the night. With a conniving wiggle of her brows, Parker tried again. "I know for a fact that there's room for one more. Jody and I planned the whole thing together, and if she's allowed a plus-one, so am I. Jean Claude can even come. Colt loves dogs."

Tom seemed to sway a little further with her reasoning, and with a slow nod, he finally agreed. He certainly didn't look happy about it though.

Parker punched the air. Oh, Colt is going to love this.

"Awesome! Give me a minute to lock up, and then we can go."

"Fine," he huffed, not too unlike that of a sulky toddler. "But I'm driving."

Parker smiled. Her car was a piece of shit that barely worked on a good day. She was going to insist he drive in the first place. Plus, now, she could get really drunk.

"Fine by me," was all she said, not eager to give away that piece of information just yet. "Just promise me you won't be an asshole. I won't be able to keep my reputation of favorite sister if you ruin the night."

"I'm not going to ruin the night," he snarked with a petulant glare. Parker shrugged, grabbing her things, as he asked, "...wait, I thought you were his only sister?"

"Exactly. Now, come on, I want to get there before they start assigning teams."

The bell rang as she stepped outside, Jean Claude trotting with her, and Tom hesitated for a brief moment before what she said caught up to him.

"Wait," he called, jogging after her. "What do you mean teams?"

---

Tom's presence did not go unnoticed. In fact, it had taken a mere three minutes before Jody was elbowing her to the side, a stern, disbelieving look furrowing her brows. She had let it go in a huff, however, when Parker pointed out that Tom had promised to be on his best behavior, as well as promised to buy the first round of drinks once the game was over.

That had been a lie, of course, but she supposed she could deal with that tantrum later.

Colt, on the other hand, hadn't been so easily placated, and as the twenty odd players stood in a circle, listening to the instructor drone on about safety, he weaseled next to her with a glare.

"I can't believe you brought Ryder," he hissed for the third time that night, hot breath on her face. She would have shoved him away if the instructor hadn't already reprimanded then twice for being distracting. "I mean, seriously Park, I can't stand the guy."

"Oh, really? I couldn't tell."

"Really!"

"Well, I'm sorry," she shrugged, although the apology was half-hearted at best, and Colt seemed to know this as he narrowed his eyes at her irritably. She huffed. "What was I supposed to do? Leave him behind?"

"Yes," Colt whisper-yelled. Dan glanced over his shoulder at the pair, and in perfect Seavers' sibling unison, they plastered fake smiles onto their faces with a friendly wave. He shook his head at them, but likely didn't think they were worth whatever trouble they caused, and faced forward once more. "That's exactly what you should have done!"

"It's not that easy," she argued, hissing as well. "He looked so sad! Like a little abandoned puppy dog that had just been kicked. It was a moment of weakness!"

"Oh, really?" Colt drawled. Together, they glanced over at Tom to find him ignoring everyone in the group with his head stuck in his phone. When a fly buzzed too close, he swatted at it with an icy glare. "That? You couldn't say no to that?"

"I said I was sorry!"

Parker's voice hitched higher than she intended, and the instructor paused in his speech to glare at the duo. She gave him a weak smile in return, mouthing, a guilty, sorry!

The man only got two words back into his speech, however, before Colt started whining again.

"Look, I'm totally stoked about the surprise party, okay? You did a stand-up job on it and the guest list. So how could you fuck it all up so close to the finish line?"

"What the hell does that even mean?" she asked in bewilderment. Parker shook her head. "Seriously, you need to update your sayings."

"Update my—?" Colt bit off a groan, pinching the bridge of his nose to take a long, overdrawn breath. "Why was he even at your bookstore? Since when did you two become friends? What happened to the whole—asshole, asshole, asshole—bit you had going on?"

"I still think he's an asshole," she shot back. But, well, when she caught Tom's gaze across the grass, she faltered. Did she think he was an asshole at his core? Or had he simply become someone she was beginning to understand—a dog that lashed out when someone got too close? Parker rubbed circles into her temple. "And we're not friends. And, even if we were, you have no one to blame but yourself."

"Myself?" he echoed in disbelief. "What do I have to do with this?"

"You're the one that gave him my phone number."

Colt snorted, shaking his head at her. "Fat chance of that," he said. Parker, thinking he was joking at first, fell silent when he caught the look in his eye. But, if Colt hadn't given Tom her phone number, then who had? she wondered, mentally counting down the list of people it could have possibly been.

Bigger fish to fry, she reminded herself when the list made her go cross-eyed.

"Whatever. We're not friends or buddies or whatever you think we are, so you can stop worrying about that."

Colt snorted. "Oh, sure you're not. He just happens to hang out around your bookshop and you share recommendations and, oh yeah! You bring him as a plus-one to my birthday party!"

Parker scowled. "I made the guest list, I think I have a right to bring someone along with."

"Sure, someone. Not Jaws over there."

She frowned at him, thrown off by the random insult. "Jaws?" she echoed, crinkling her nose distastefully. "What does a shark have to do with this?"

Colt sighed. "No, not the shark, the James Bond villain."

"That's a stupid name for a villain."

"I didn't write the damn thing."

"Okay, well, maybe he has the arrogance of a James Bond villain, but at least pick one from this century."

"Silva?"

"Nah. Whose the the one with the weird eye?"

Colt hummed thoughtfully, gaze darting over towards Tom. "Le Chiffre?"

Parker snapped her fingers and pointed at him. "That one!"

"Yeah, alright, I'll give you that," he conceded, nodding. "He does give off Bond villain vibes with the sunglasses and hair-do."

"Right? Oh you should have seen these glasses he was wearing last time. They were huge, and yellow tinted; like Tony Stark would wear. They were so ridiculous."

Colt snickered for a moment, enjoying mocking Tom with his sister, before realizing that he was currently mad at her. He threw his head back with a subtle groan. "Stop doing that! I'm still mad at you!"

Parker gave her brother a blithe look. "I think you're looking at this all wrong."

"Wrong? What other way should I look at it?" he snarked. "With my eyes closed?"

Resisting the urge to smack him, Parker instead gestured to their instructor, the paintball gun in his hand, and then towards Tom. "You literally get the chance to chase down and shoot, Tom Ryder, bane of your existence or whatever. Shoot him. Think about all the welts and whining and, maybe, if you're lucky, the tears you can get out of this experience. Legally. Without getting fired or arrested. What's better than that, huh? It's your very own personal rage room."

Colt considered all of that silently. He swept his gaze from the large pile of paintball guns set off to the side, to the acres of arena in front of them with inflatable obstacles, and then to his blonde alter-ego sulking at the edge of the group.

He slung an arm around Parker's shoulder with the boyish grin. "Have I ever told you how much I love you?"

Parker snorted, amused by his mood swings. "Not nearly enough. It's all Jody this, and Jody that anymore."

Jody, having finished listening to the instructor's demonstration, peered around Colt's shoulder to blink at the siblings. "What about me?"

Colt and Parker shared a silent look.

"Nothing," she said, whilst he cooed, "just talking about how pretty you are."

Jody blushed a bright rouge instantly, and Colt obviously took pleasure in that when he slung his other arm around her shoulder. Taking a deep breath, he let out a happy sigh. "My two ladies. Paintball. The smell of tears and blood on the horizon. What better way to spend a birthday?"

Parker glanced at Jody, expecting her to roll her eyes, but the camerawoman instead just smiled with something soft in her eyes.

Parker responded by wiggling out of Colt's reach. "Ew, blegh, that's disgusting. They say cooties are contagious you know."

"What on Earth are cooties?" Jody asked.

"An STD," Colt replied, only half joking, and though Jody appeared mildly disturbed by his joke, Parker had known her brother long enough to appreciate his odd ball sense of humor. "And they're not contagious if you have a shot."

Jody, not wanting to know if he was serious or not, let it go as the group slowly filed forward to get their guns, face masks, and coveralls. They followed shortly after, snickering like kids the entire way through.

In the end, Colt and Jody both got white, while Parker and Tom were given black ones.

Karma, she supposed, is that she wouldn't be able to shoot the asshole after all.

"Somehow, this is a step up for your usual clothes," said asshole chirped, pinching the baggy material hanging at her waist between his forefinger and thumb. Parker swatted him away, only for Jean Claude to bark at her. "Easy, you want to get taken down before the game even starts?"

"Please, you're lucky we're on the same team," Parker teased. He didn't seem to buy it if the blithe look he shot her was anything to go by, and she huffed at him. "I bet I could have gotten the first hit on you if we weren't on the same team. I have mad skills at paintball, Ryder. Seal Team Six type stuff., you don't even know."

Tom rolled his eyes at the same time that Colt reappeared, face mask propped on the top of his head, looking just a tad too comfortable in his onesie. Jody and Dan flanked him, and Parker didn't like their smiles one bit.

"What?" she asked.

"You suck at paintball," Colt egged. "Remember Tallahassee? You were covered in welts for weeks!"

Tom snorted, and Parker considered him the greater threat considering the fact he was standing closer to her than Colt was. She glared at him to state, "I'm not joking. I could literally take you out. Any of you," she added with a stern point of the finger sweeping through the group. "All of you!"

Not a single person believed her.

Tom went so far as to snicker at her. "I don't buy that. for a second. You're a total klutz."

She gasped. "Am not!"

Colt raised a hand. "Are too. Remember when you broke your ankle trying to play hopscotch?"

"Just—stay out of this!"

He did not, in fact, stay out of it. "What was it you said, Park? Cause and effect? You suck at sports, and the effect of that, is you're about to go down on the course."

She blew a rather wet raspberry at her brother. "Please, if you and Tom were on the same team, I would smoke both of you."

They bickered for a moment, amusing some, but boring Tom, and the A-lister broke up their argument with a long-weary sigh. "Oi! Whose to say either of you could get a shot on me?" he taunted.

The siblings turned to face him.

"Is that a challenge?" Parker asked, hands planted on her hips, whilst Colt raised his brows.

Tom shrugged, unconcerned.

"In fact, I bet I'll make it a whole round without getting shot once," Tom tacked on, ego puffing his chest out as he smirked at the group standing around. Dan rolled his eyes, while Jody coughed into her hand to hide an obvious laugh at his showboating. "I'm serious. First one to hit me gets five hundred dollars—"

Thwack! Thwack!

Tom gaped at his chest, now dotted with one yellow and one blue splatter. Parker and Colt stood in front of him, guns still smoking, and while his eyes widened in anger, the pair of siblings were more concerned with claiming the prize to notice.

"First!" Colt cried.

"What? No fucking way," Parker argued. She waved at the yellow paint splatter haphazardly, almost taking out Jody as she did so. "I was so first. Tom! Tell him!"

Tom, now even more unamused by their bickering, blinked in wide-eyed disbelief at them both. "Are you fucking serious?" he shouted. "The game didn't even start yet!"

"But you just said—"

"I meant during a match. Christ, Parker, we're on the same team," he blustered, attempting to wipe off the paint, but only managing to smear it further down his chest like a bad Jackson Pollock painting. "Fuck!"

Colt, sensing a blow-out was coming, swung his gun behind his back with a wide eyed, innocent look. "Hey man, it was all her," he started. "Totally uncool. And immature. And, really, if you need me to smack her around a little after this I totally can."

Tom glared at Colt, effectively shutting him up in seconds, before turning to Parker. Everyone watched in baited breath, nervous what he might do, and while Parker hadn't been on set long enough to know what his meltdowns looked like, the ones most familiar with Tom were left stunned by his reaction.

Or, really, how utterly tame this one was to the hundred others they had seen.

"Are you happy now?" he asked.

Parker hemmed and hawed for a moment before deciding that honesty was the best policy. "I mean, I'd be happier if you gave me my five hundred dollars."

"I'm not paying you shit."

"Oh, come on," she rolled her eyes, popping a hip as she did so. "It's not like you're cash poor or anything. You're just upset that I shot you."

Tom gaped at her in disbelief. "No shit!"

Parker, shifting her gun over her shoulder, waved the other at him blithely. "You'll get over it once the game starts. It's—heh—surprisingly therapeutic."

"Shooting me is therapeutic?"

She paused, caught up in her own statement. "Er, well, not you exactly. Just someone, in general, you know." Parker swallowed when Tom continued to stare at her. Awkwardly, she laughed. "Just... wait till you get out there, and you'll see."

Tom remained silent, blinking at her for a long, tense, moment before he rolled his eyes with a heavy sigh. And—

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

His gun went off before anyone could stop him, and Parker gaped at the trio of yellow paint that was now splattered across her chest. "Fucking ow!"

Tom smirked at her, blowing the muzzle of his gun for extra flare, before swinging it over his shoulder. "Huh. I guess you're right. I do feel better."

"Asshole!"

"Yeah, well, takes one to know one, right?" he snarked.

And—oh.

She could kill him. Really, seriously kill him.

But, well, the longer she stared at him and he stared at her, eyebrow cocked and a daring smirk in place, Parker realized above the hatred simmering in her chest, she felt something kindred and wanting flutter like butterflies. Something amused by the curve of his smirk, flushed by the scorching burn of his gaze, and—dare she think—understanding at the retaliatory strike. She had, afterall, shot first.

He had only lowered himself to her level; played by her rules.

And with a strong suspicion that Tom Ryder wasn't so much an asshole as he was just looking for someone to understand him, Parker's only response to that was to throw her head back and howl in laughter.

Despite this, no one else moved for a long moment, too busy darting their gazes between Parker and Tom in case they needed to intervene, but in an even more surprising turn of events, he laughed as well. Not so outright, and not nearly as loud, but he did. Prompted by his positive reaction, it wasn't long before Colt started to laugh, and then Jody, and then suddenly everyone was knelt at the waist in laughter.

It wasn't until their instructor honked a blow horn at them, none too amused with the pre-game warfare, that they calmed down. He honked the horn a second time at Parker and Tom, threatening to kick them out if they kept breaking the rules, and while they managed to stay straight-faced, the moment he turned his back on the group, they shared matching grins.

Maybe, she thought as they got into place, it hadn't been such a bad idea to bring him along.

And maybe, her brother thought at the exact same time, Parker and Tom being friends wasn't the end of the world.

#the fall guy #falling without a harness #tom ryder x original female character #ofc #tom ryder imagine

53 notes · View notes

tomscocksleeve · 8 months ago

Text

In another life

Summary; Tom is your lover from elementary school and you felt a close connection but end up growing apart

Pairing: Tom (2005 + 2010) x female reader

Genre: sad idk?

Reblog to support your favorite writers (for everyone) 💖

Word count: 723

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。. .・。.・゜✭・.・✫・.・

You and Tom were dating for a few years. How it started was you guys had an elementary romance that cute little thing kids do where they believe they find their soulmate. As years passed you really started to believe he was yours and he believed that too. Once middle school started you guys were still together but he started having other passions which you completely supported. His brother and him wanted to be in a band together and make music and you supported them every step of the way. You were amazed by Tom and his guitar skills.

He told you about the bullying though and you’d always stick up for him and comfort him to your best ability because you loved him so much and seeing him sad was a stab to your heart,to your other half. You would hold him close and kiss his head and overall stay by his side and help him when he wanted to practice. You loved going over and spending time with him. “Y/n can you help me please I keep messing up” Tom said pouting. You chuckled and helped him. “Liebe it’s like this.” You said helping him and he smiled and chuckled at his silly mistake.

Eventually Highschool came around and by late 10th grade he started becoming popular. His band started taking off and you were so happy for him. You and him would celebrate and you’d sleep over with him and he’d tell you how amazing the little shows would be and the smile on his face warmed your heart. Later, they released the song Durch Den Monson and you loved the song so much. You liked that Tom was forced to sing a little bit and when he found out he was shocked and it warmed your heart when his voice cracked. He changed his look a bit and Tokio Hotel fully took off.

You watched and supported them from the sidelines loving every moment of it. Having him tell you about how the shows went but one day you were waiting for him and he looked a little unsure with himself or upset and it piqued your interest. “Love what’s wrong?” You asked, grabbing his hand lightly and looking into his eyes. “The band… we are finally making it and we have tours now.. and fans” he said and he avoided eye contact for a bit but you had a soft smile. “Isn’t that amazing?” You asked confused about his sadness. “I’ll have to leave you to tour for months” you smiled, having hope. “It’s okay darling… I’ll be here supporting you every step of the way.” He smiled, placing a kiss on your cheek. You smiled and kissed his lips instead.

Months later all these interviews came out and Tom would often talk about the girls he was meeting on tour and you saw the interviews and it shattered your heart. “What…” you thought to yourself. Once he came back for a break you confronted him about it and his response was so… upsetting. “Listen… I’m famous now and I have so many girl fans I have to keep them you know?” You sighed. “Fine…”

As more and more interviews came out more and more he talked about the women he was meeting and your heart shattered every time. This hurt so bad. You couldn’t take this anymore. You called him breaking up with him telling him that everything was too much and you were feeling neglected in the relationship. And he just shrugged it off later.

5 years later you were walking around one day and you Tom,with a girl of course. You weren’t upset or jealous matter of fact you were happy for him. He had his fame and his girls and seeing him happy made you happy even if him being with other girls broke you. You went up to him and talked to him and eventually you both hugged being happy for each other. Your souls felt so connected at that moment but for both of you it felt like you were losing a part of yous and he put his hands on your cheeks before saying. “In another life… I promise… I’ll come back for you” placing a gentle kiss on your forehead as a final goodbye.

#tom kaulitz angst #tom kaulitz #bill kaulitz #gustav schäfer #georg listing #tokio hotel #y2kcore #y2k aesthetic #y2k #2000s #early 2000s #early 2010s #2005 #writers on tumblr #small writer

86 notes · View notes

pleasantglitterflower · 4 months ago

Text

My in-laws' daughter (Joe Burrow x OC)

Many things are difficult to tell your family, making certain decisions is a challenge and you can go from mature to embarrassed very quickly.

Exactly for this reason, Juliana, in her 22 years of life, has always tried to be as careful as possible when it came to revealing something to her parents, whether it was from wanting to cut her hair to her shoulders, making her mother purse her lips, to finding out that she threw away three years of college, because that course was definitely not what she wanted for her future anymore, but rather hair, everything that had hair

But this time it's different, the event she feared the most has arrived, that of introducing her boyfriend to her parents, with a big catch.

-Have you been together for six months?- The woman is surprised, letting her tone of voice overflow in the restaurant, quickly trying to contain herself.

-You didn't have to hide anything from us, you just had to say that you're together, what's the problem anyway?- Her father shrugs.

-Leo, you know it's not like that- Her mother said.

-Let the girl enjoy herself- She said again.

-Yes, of course, I just want to say that we need to make sure that he's a good person, a nice guy who treats her well, there's no problem with that-

-That's exactly why I called you here- She smiled a little embarrassed.

-What do you mean, he's here?- Her mother discreetly looked for any guy lurking around.

-No, I called you to let you know that I want to schedule a dinner with everyone and introduce him- She revealed, earning a big smile from her mother.

-That's incredible, I can't believe it, we need to plan everything and when are you going to introduce him to your father's side?- Gisele already commented, suggesting as if it were going to be a separate event.

-The thing is, I'm just going to schedule one dinner and then we'll all go, that way we'll save time- She explained.

-Oh dear, your father has a lot to do, he has a lot of work and girlfriends and you know, I have a lot of meetings, advertising, trips and the routine with your brothers - She changes the subject, hating the idea of having dinner with him.

-Don't forget Tomtom - She cuts her off with a half smile, knowing that now her mother will be annoyed.

-What Tom? - She looks at her, holding the glass in her hand.

-My ex-stepfather - Juliana and Leo's smiles contrast sharply with Gisele's shock.

-Of course, daughter, no problem, but what's his name? Show me at least a picture - She changes the subject trying to be as attentive as possible.

-But you know him - Ju finished her salad, now getting really nervous, feeling her stomach churn.

-We know him? - Leo looks a little confused, changing his eyes between the two.

- It's Joe Burrow - He revealed.

The two looked at each other in disbelief.

But telling Tomtom would be even stranger.

He took advantage of the best moment to talk to him, when he was playing golf.

-Boyfriend? - He asked intrigued, watching her swing.

-Yeah-

-You're not old enough for that kind of thing - He implied, making her laugh.

-So I'm going to lose my golf buddy on Saturdays? - He lamented, watching the girl sitting on a stool.

-Never- She smiled at him, who smiled back, relieved.

-But show me a picture of him, who are we talking about? - He finally asked, going to the girl in the hope of seeing the picture.

-Do you know him? - He shrugged his shoulders.

- Where do I know him from? - Tom couldn't hide the fact that he found it strange.

- It's Joe Burrow - He gave a half smile to his ex-stepfather, who stamped his foot and ran his hand through his hair.

- That damn guy -

Tom started to remember some things and it was inevitable to ask.

- How did you meet? -

- It was thanks to his barber -

He wouldn't need a single word more than that, and Juliana remembers that day well, when she was spending time at her friend's house, whom she met thanks to her stepfather. Steve didn't have any clients that day, but an emergency came up.

-We need to fix this, the team scheduled a surprise online interview and I had to interrupt my vacation to pretend to be focused on the next season and suddenly, I need to appear on TV and not even my cap can save me anymore- Joe chattered until he got stuck in the doorway, when he saw another person he didn't expect that.

-This is Juliana..- He cut her off.

-It's really hard not to know who she is with this family- He observed her with some curiosity.

-Believe me, if it were up to me it wouldn't be like this- She commented with her discomfort with the subject, she hated all exposure.

-Well, let's get to the haircut then- Steven called Joe again, trying to break the awkward atmosphere in the place.

It wasn't hard not to fall in love with her, in terms of beauty it was undeniable, but she was more than that, she knows and likes golf, his favorite pastime, she started getting haircuts and various hair cream mixtures for free, they were able to talk about everything.

But the silence was always better, when they just looked at each other and realized that they were really by each other's side and enjoying it, the ease she has with the countryside, which surprised him a lot, maybe the hustle and bustle of her parents' lives made her fall in love with the silence and calm of sitting on a deck and just drinking tea.

Even so, one thing in particular impressed him in a bad way and in a good way.

She doesn't understand anything about American football, how was that possible when she lived her whole life with their biggest star? He doesn't know, but it was a fact.

Since that moment, the contact between them became natural, Juliana could no longer stand having to hide how in love she was, even avoiding having her life exposed like her parents, even though he is a player and it was impossible, they were trying their best, before it became a scandal they needed at least her parents to know, since she spent several weekends with his parents and playing with his nephews.

Gisele and Tom have found a way to talk about the subject, without anyone suspecting anything.

-How did she meet him?- Gisele whispers as if it were a big secret.

-She assured me that she didn't go to any of my games and that at that time, she had no interest in him- Tom assures.

-That's good, otherwise it would be really weird- The woman sighs thoughtfully.

-That's what I thought-

-Tell me a little about this guy- She asked, earning a confused look from him.

-Tell me a little about him, I don't know him, we just played against each other sometimes, it's not enough to know him- She shrugged her shoulders.

-Of course it's possible, he must have been mumbling something on the bench?-

-The benches are very far apart and when he was on the bench, I was on the field- Tom explains.

-But during the game, didn't he swear, say anything strange, have any strange habits? - His wife's concern and anxiety are starting to worry him equally.

-Look, not that I remember, he was quiet, not everyone makes a fuss or swears

-And scandals in the media, no, or rather scandals in the locker room, have you ever played with someone who played with him and knew something dirty?

-We both know how it is to deal with that, I don't think it's cool to keep commenting and no, I don't know of any scandals, or dirty things involving him, no player with any gossip, they just said he was polite and a good leader - Tom shrugged his shoulders and Gisele finally had no more questions.

At the hotel, unlike them, Juliana and Joe are simply in different sync.

-We already have couple pajamas, we're wearing our couple shirts, finishing our couple mugs, you know we're missing a couple plate, right - Joe reminds her charmingly, brushing his mug.

-We need paintings too, one for your house, the other for mine-

-What other stupid couple thing should we do?- He leaves his paintbrush under the table, thoughtful, while Juliana takes the opportunity to kiss his cheek. Joe, who was a little surprised, was surprised again by a paintbrush stroke on his face before he could react.

Before he could retaliate, the person in charge of the place arrived, finding the paintbrush stroke on his face strange.

-Joe, you're so clumsy- She grumbles, earning him an intrigued look.

The other woman laughed softly at Josh, gathering some materials on the table.Until finally, the day of dinner arrived.

-I think I can stay calmer for a game than for this- Joe comments still in the car, since they both need to gather the courage to go to the house.

-I'm also pretty nervous- She half-smiled without looking at him.

-Relax, you don't have to meet Gisele Bündchen and Leonardo DiCaprio as in-laws and also see Tom Brady not playing against you, but actually being your girlfriend's ex-stepfather. - He joked, moving his arms restlessly, while she knew exactly what he meant.

-It's an awkward situation, I never thought I'd be in this situation. Promise me we'll eat and leave? - He almost begged.

-Sure, but since you're the first one I'm taking home, I don't think any of them will know how to deal with it. It's horrible being the firstborn. - She lamented, but Joe turned abruptly to face her.

-What do you mean the first one?

-Yeah, I've never introduced anyone to my parents- She sighed.

-Why?- He watched her without answering.

-I've never met anyone I took seriously or that I thought I should do that- She finally looked at him, who couldn't hold back his smile.

-I was even embarrassed- He laughed all silly.

Juliana approached Joe, until she realized something that made her not know how to react, is it better to laugh or cry? She wondered.

-I think my mother and my ex-stepfather were watching us through the curtain- She commented looking towards the window, where the cloth still sways.

-Why do you think that?- Joe laughed, believing it was mainly paranoia.

-Because I saw them both run as soon as I looked at the window and someone pulled the curtain that was swinging- She said, making Joe a little more nervous.

-We better go then- He sighed, observing the house, for a moment wondering what he was getting himself into.

Walking next to a guy towards your mother's house is very strange, especially while holding his hand and feeling your stomach churn and your face burn.

It could all go well, just as it could all go wrong, like she forgot to tell him that Joe was allergic to something or someone made a bad joke.

There are many possibilities.

She put her hand close to the door but to her surprise, it opened before she could even knock.

-Sorry for the delay, I was at the back of the house- Gisele gave her best smile.

-We noticed- Juliana couldn't contain herself.

-Oh my God, you're here, what a surprise- Tom commented, almost lying down in the armchair to see the two of them at the entrance, for some reason refusing to get up from the armchair, making Juliana look at her mother as if asking what was going on.

The two of them just went inside the house, Gisele greeted Joe with a handshake, Leo did the same and Tom just waved without getting up from the armchair.

-We're looking for something on TV, do you like watching football?- Tom asked, earning some confused looks.

-Yeah, you could say I like it, but at this time of year it doesn't go away- Joe reminded him, only then did Tom realize what he had just said.

-Don't be silly, soccer is always on on Sundays- Gisele changes the channel and Joe swallows with all his might the urge to say it was Soccer, since luckily Juliana warned him.

And Gisele knows exactly what she's doing, since she patted Joe on the shoulder twice as she passed by.

-Daughter, I didn't know your type was Marlon Brando- She mumbled, but Joe, since he didn't know him, looked back wondering what that meant.

-He's a hunk Joe, you don't need to worry- she smiled nervously.

-Yes, he is a hunk- Gisele smiled equally trying to hide it.

-Without a shadow of a doubt a hunk- Tom finishes, leaving Joe alone instead of calm, suspicious of that.

The exchange of glances between the rooms was strange, even more so for Leo who was paying more attention talking to a woman on the phone than to them.

-Shall we eat? Each of us made a dish and I think mine is wonderful and will be the highlight of the evening- her mother stuck her nose up in a smug tone, starting a debate with Tom.

-Mine is not better by any means, you know I'm a meat expert- he defended himself.

Leo preferred not to go in, since he had only bought something ready-made and didn't want to be embarrassed by saying so.

Juliana let everyone leave the room, Joe in particular being accompanied by his mother, while Tom remained seated.

-Let's eat- She pointed in the direction everyone was going, receiving an embarrassed smile from him, who stood up all awkwardly, covering the seat with a cushion.

They kept an eye on each other and walked around the armchair, until she was quicker and pulled the cushion away, revealing a pair of binoculars.

-You two are more professional than many paparazzi- she joked, hiding the binoculars in the armchair again.

-I don't know what you're talking about- He shrugged.

-I saw you at the window- She revealed, making his eyes widen.

-Us? You must be excited about the situation and looking for problems in our excellent creative management, how could we be stalking Joe everywhere we can and calling journalists, looking for information? Juliana, these are serious accusations, we trust you in your vast love experiences, your heart, your rationality and your good taste in men, we would never make that mistake of toxic and slightly jealous parents, a child is raised for the world- He says in a serious tone, but clearly joking with her, calling her for a hug.

She can't deny it.

-Come on, before they notice us missing and start thinking I'm trying to get you to turn against him or scold you in some way- He put his arm around her neck and they continued walking to the dining room.

The table was set with great care by Gisele, who made sure to lead Joe to a chair next to hers.

-You can eat as much as you want, there's no need to be shy or think about dieting, I want you to feel at home- She told the boy who gave a shy smile.

-There's no poison in anything, don't worry- Gisele joked, placing a glass in front of the boy, who looked at his girlfriend worriedly.

And in fact, she didn't stop following Tomtom.

-Now everything is explained- He pursed his lips when he saw Juliana and Joe arrive at the course, she with a caddie on her back.

Although Tom didn't like it at first, he saw that it would be very good when Joe's first shot was played.

-Now you'll have to put up with me for the rest of your Saturday, until our dinner at a burger joint of dubious origin- Tom joked with a smile.

-Why dubious origin?- Joe adjusted the ball on the tee to take the next shot.

-Because we never go back to the same ones and that brings some pretty bad consequences

29 notes · View notes

andreisvechnikov · 1 year ago

Text

Andrei Svechnikov: A Primer

written October 5th, 2023

BASICS:

Born 26 March 2000 in Barnaul, Russia

Right winger on the Carolina Hurricanes (who drafted him 2nd overall in 2018)

6’2 and 195 lbs

Andrei’s first and foremost a family oriented person. One of the most important people in his life is his brother, Evgeny. He followed Evgeny everywhere, including to Michigan in 2016, where in juniors he played for the USHL’s Muskegon Lumberjacks; near Grand Rapids where Evgeny was playing for the Red Wings AHL affiliate. Svechnikov led the team in scoring and was named to the All-USHL Team and declared USHL Rookie of the Year. He then was selected first overall by the OHL’s Barrie Colts and later won the Emms Family Award as rookie of the year. After being selected 2nd overall by Carolina, he chose the number 37, the same as his brother.

On their childhood:

“We didn’t have much money,” Evgeny said of their childhood in Siberian Russia. “We ate from the same plate. We did everything together.” “I’ve waited for this my whole life,” Andrei said, sweat still dripping. “It’s my dream. My dream came true.” “It’s huge,” Evgeny said of both the goal and their relationship. “It’s everything.” “They moved from job to job every city,” Evgeny said. “They sacrificed so much for us.” If you ask Evgeny, there was “no doubt” Andrei would make it from the time he started dominating older competition at 5 years old. Evgeny was 8 when he fostered that opinion. Clearly he was on to something. (X)

The brothers have a special handshake and Evgeny wears a bracelet Andrei gave him everyday.

In the NHL:

Andrei made NHL history being the first player to ever score a lacrosse style goal. Seen here.

And is the only player (so far) to do two successfully.

But he can do tricks off the ice too. His first few years on the Hurricanes, he enjoyed learning magic tricks. Here's one with former beat reporter Sara Civian.

Andrei is loved by many, if not most, current and former teammates, coaches, media, and more.

Praise from others:

“I’m just proud of the kid in general,” Brind’Amour said after his first win as coach and Svechnikov’s first point. “He’s a great kid. He wants to learn and he’s got a lot to learn, but he’s going to be a great player in this league. You gotta remember how young he is, and that’s something I have to keep reminding myself. He’s just a kid, and he’s out there in the NHL and he doesn’t look out of place. We’re very fortunate to have him.”

(X)

Former Muskegon Lumberjacks GM John Vanbiesbrouck once told me he didn’t want to drop a bomb too soon, but yeah, he could see hints of Gordie Howe in a young Svechnikov. Vanbiesbrouck was more comfortable with a comparison to Todd Bertuzzi. “You know what? He’s hard to compare to anyone because there’s not a lot of guys like him,” he said after Svechnikov’s NHL debut. “Because sometimes he drives the net or sometimes he’ll see a play. He’s so multi-talented. When he drives the net — Todd Bertuzzi, one of the best net-drivers I’ve ever seen. He’s got an acute way to make plays and find lanes and shoot in place. There’s not a lot of guys like him in that way and how he can play a speed game, then a slowed-down game.”

(X)

“We were just hoping, when we got the pick, that we would get someone who was a star,” Carolina owner Tom Dundon says. “And I think we did.”

(X)

He is a gem. Always has time for everyone. Can’t wait to see him back in action next season for the canes - Justin Williams

(X)

Here's a snippet of a very heart felt interview the Svechnikov brothers gave before their first match up.

What’s his best quality as a person? Evgeny: Humble. Humble, shyness, respectful. There’s not just one word. But one thing (that) comes in my head, humble and respect(ful), of anything: parents, people around, polite. Just a good kid, man. He’s just a good kid. Andrei: I feel like he’s just a kind person — he’s always going to care about you, he’s always going to ask you if something’s wrong. He’s a culture guy. But obviously he gets a little emotional sometimes (laughter) … He’s gotta work on that a little bit, probably. When have you been the proudest of him? Evgeny: Just one thing? … That he doesn’t let himself get down, and anything happens, nothing stops him. But I think he learned that from me (laughs). And yeah, he doesn’t give up and he keeps going. Nothing bothers him, and he’s like a tractor, just keeps going, and I’m telling you, he learned that from me. Andrei: Every day, to be honest. Every day I am proud of him, to be completely honest. He’s been through a lot, there have been a lot of hard things. He was injured, now he’s here in the show. It’s going to be fun to play against him. I’m proud of him every day. Anything else you want to add about him? Evgeny: That I love him so much. He’s a great brother. Andrei: I don’t know, really — did he say anything interesting? The Athletic: He said he loves you so much and that you’re a great brother. Andrei: I love him so much, too. He is my hero.

Read the rest here.

A big mama's boy. (1)(2)

Friends on the team:

When he first joined the Hurricanes, Andrei became good friends with Dougie Hamilton and Warren Foegele. They all lived in the same building and new to the team. The Hurricanes even made a video of them hanging out and talking about their friendship called the “Three Amigos.”

Even after both Dougie and Warren were traded to other teams, he remains good friends with them. (X)

**Fun fact: Both Dougie and Warren had to pick new numbers with their new teams. Dougie, formerly #19, picked 7, (at the time, Pavel Zacha already took #37) and Warren, formerly #13, picked 37.

Andrei has always been good friends with alternate captain, Jordan Martinook. Taken under Marty’s wing from the start in 2018 when they both joined the team, Jordan has a pre-game tunnel tradition to scream Andrei’s last name to hype them up. Martinook will occasionally add in other players but he always exaggerates ‘Mista Svechnikov’ the most. Like another older brother figure, Martinook enjoys messing with Andrei in practice and in general.

After Dougie and Warren were traded, Andrei became closer with Martin Necas. Always good friends, they started going out to eat together more and attended the US Open Men’s Final in 2023.

With Seth Jarvis joining the team, Andrei gained the opportunity to be the "big brother" for once. Pulling pranks and messing around with Jarvy.

Another player who’s allowed Andrei the opportunity to grow as a leader on the team is Pyotr Kochetkov, fellow Russian and a goalie. The two have become good friends, Andrei acting as a guide and translator.

Andrei loves Carolina, and Carolina loves Andrei. One of the many reasons he agreed to an eight-year, $62 million contract with the Hurricanes in 2021.

Andrei has always loved animals. He’s good with both cats and dogs, looking forward to the annual calendar photoshoot, and adopting one of his own in 2023.

Andrei has never met a penalty box he didn’t like.

(1)(2)(3)(4)(5)

“I just love that style. Just hit hard, you know?,” Svechnikov said. “I think I’m playing a hard game, and that’s why I think I’m scoring goals. I’m gonna hit, then I’m gonna go to the offensive zone and someone’s going to give it to me and then I try and shoot it into the net. Good tries for me. I love that style of play.” (X)

He made the 2023 All Star Game, winning the Fastest Skater competition. The first person he called after was his brother.

He suffered a tear in his left ACL a couple months later, and missed the rest of the season and playoffs. However, he had fun sounding the siren and joining his good friends in the broadcast booth. He had a successful surgery and is recovering well, hoping to start the 2023-2024 season on the right foot.

#andrei svechnikov #carolina hurricanes #primer

73 notes · View notes

gloriousburden · 3 months ago

Note

I agree with your take on Mobius so much! People treat him like a cinnamon roll. Which he isn't. He is a horrible person but no one wants to acknowledge that. Sylvie is terrible too, but at least people acknowledge her flaws which is something I guess. Oh, and I had watched season 2 of Loki series, and Mobius was so ooc in the first episode. Like, he randomly went from torturing and manipulating and gaslighting Loki to suddenly risking his life for Loki. It made me wanna throw up. I have never seen such a random 180° turn. Extremely ooc. And Lokius shippers eat that shit up. Like, I don't know whether you have watched Season 2 or not, but there's a scene where Mobius volunteers to do something extremely risky to save Loki. And yeah, I don't believe that crap at all. Tomorrow they might suddenly show Thanos risking his life for Loki too. I think season 2 episode 1 should have came with an OOC warning attached lol.

Have a great day! ❤️

Unfortunately, I have watched all of the series. I may talk about Lokius shippers a lot, but Sylki shippers (though there’s only like… two of them nowadays) have the same issue that Lokius shippers have. They only acknowledge the flaws of the character from the opposite ship, and not the flaws of the character they ship with Loki. Sylvie fans hate Mobius, Mobius fans hate Sylvie. There’s issues with both characters! Are you kidding me?

YES EXACTLY. He was very OOC… I guess he got some kind of “redemption”/“change of heart” or some shit behind the scenes. Why do you suddenly love Loki so much? Of course the shippers eat it up. They’d eat literal garbage if it was orange color coded with grey hair, and green color coded with black hair or played by Tom/Owen.

Nothing towards either actors BTW hope it doesn’t come off as that. I mean this towards the fans, not the actors!

It’s just… these aren’t even the same characters anymore. That’s not even Loki! And Mobius, though I have no love for him, isn’t even himself anymore. The writing is so fucking inconsistent not only with Loki, but with EVERYONE.

Yep. I do know what you’re talking about. Why so lovey dovey and knight in shining armor all of a sudden? Why would he suddenly risk his life for someone he threw into a time loop to get physically assaulted without a second thought? Oh why cause they hugged so it’s okay now? 🤦🏻‍♀️

Look, if Mobius had apologized or even acknowledged his previous behaviors, then I wouldn’t be so freaked out by the way the fandom treats him or the OOC-ness (because obviously they’re gonna let shit slide for a mediocre ship) But… NONE OF THAT HAPPENED! Think I spoke about this in one of my last posts but so many Loki “fans” TRULY believe Loki needs to be humbled. That’s why they don’t bat an eye at the abuse coming from Mobius. As well as them being eager to excuse absolutely anything in order to not ship the “straight” ship.

It’s getting really weird. Some of them want Lokius to be canon just because “Ooh gay ship” and not because they really believe Loki and Mobius go along well together and they’re opposites attract and one’s a god one’s a human and so on. Whatever tropes you can throw in there.

And Lokius fans pretending to be so much more morally superior/holier than thou for being against Sylki because of the selfcest shit… YOU EXCUSE MOBIUS VERBALLY DEMEANING LOKI AND HAVING HIM BE PHYSICALLY ASSAULTED… HOW IS THAT BETTER?! This is like the pot calling the kettle black. Like I’ve said before, If Mobius was female.. People would hate his guts! And the amount of people shipping Lokius would be so, so much lower. And they’d actually see the flaws of the show.

Hope this does not sound like me trying to defend Sylki/Sylvie in anyway, Both are HORRIBLE, bottom of the barrel, and garbage ships. Sylvie’s writing/actions are not excused just because she’s female. It’s just Lokius shippers are more prevalent, therefore more annoying to me. And for some reason, Lokius shippers tend to be a lot more immature. I think because they’re usually younger than Sylki shippers.

I understand people want representation, but there are so many ships that have been done better. You don’t need to grasp for straws just because you only now learned that Loki is bisexual!

THE THANOS POINT LOLLLLLLL EXACTLY. That cracked me up, I won’t lie. I wouldn’t be surprised if that became a thing. They’re just so desperate to ship anyone and everyone! Can we think critically about these characters/movies/series for one moment?

Thank you! You too ❤️

#thanks for the ask!#ask #asks #anon ask #my answers #anti loki series #anti mobius #anti sylvie #anti lokius #anti sylki #loki 💭#loki #loki mcu

18 notes · View notes

5and3nevermind · 7 months ago

Text

🐱: Jimin, let’s get you shirtless and do a dance just like that.

🐥: I’m on it.

🎬: [cut]

⚠️ 🤡 Speculation ahead:

Ok, I included that moment at the top because I want to start with something positive before we get into this.

I don’t believe in the “2018/2019 break-up” theories. I just don’t see it. And trust me, I’ve looked for it because let’s be honest…you can’t have a break-up without a relationship to begin with, right? In other words, you could argue that it would actually help prove that yoonmin is “real.” Not to mention the fact that many yoonminers see a rift during that time. It’s human nature to want to see what everyone else is seeing. No one likes feeling like “I must be missing something.” But…I have looked and I don’t see it. During that time, we do see some restraint when it comes to their physical affection, but there are enough wonderful moments scattered throughout that time that I just don’t see a break-up. That’s my opinion, and I understand I’m kind of on my own on this. 😉

Now…where I do see some bumps in the road is late 2019 and early 2020. This includes Jimin’s visit to the Shadow set, which clearly didn’t go the way Jimin had hoped and which was still the subject of some debate a couple months later at the MOTS7 purple sweater day. (Sorry, I can never remember the official name of anything.)

The Black Swan contemporary dance reaction video, where that screenshot at the top came from, was released on 200119…in other words, right in the midst of this period.

I see good and bad here. Yoongi says Jimin should do a shirtless dance too. Jimin says that Yoongi’s video (I assume this was a reference to Interlude: Shadow) was amazing.

On the other hand, there were some little bickering moments in this video that don’t quite feel like the “for fun” Tom-and-Jerry bickering that we’re used to.

But enough about that! Rather than dwelling on the negative, what I find incredible is the way we are able to see them repair this problem (whatever it was). Because that’s what people who are extremely close do. With Yoongi and Jimin, we see them making extra efforts to fix things throughout mid 2020. They put in the effort and emotional energy to rectify things. And we see the result of this effort during surgery era when Jimin was so attentive and concerned about Yoongi, and Yoongi in turn was appreciative and outspoken about Jimin’s support.

- at the MOTS7 event, Yoongi mentions that Jimin showed up at the Shadow set and that he appreciated it even though he didn’t express that at the time. Remember, at this point we hadn’t seen the visit yet. So Yoongi isn’t saying this for our benefit. He’s saying it for Jimin.

- radio live in May 2020: Yoongi brings up the fact that Jimin did not show up to the Daechwita set and asks why. They discuss it pretty openly, the fact that Jimin had wanted him to ask. He wanted to be appreciated more fully/openly. 🐱: “Do I have to beg?” 🐥: “Of course!” Bravo to Jimin for being up-front about this and telling Yoongi what he wants. And bravo for Yoongi for listening and then demonstrating that he understood…

- also during that live: Yoongi lists the times in which he’s publicly stated that Jimin is special to him. He also mentions that he originally wrote People for Jimin.

- and let’s not forget Yoongi’s absolutely glowing intro for Jimin that day, and Jimin getting so giggly and telling Yoongi he loves his radio voice.

- during ITS, Yoongi invites Jimin into the trailer to listen to songs he is working on. We know one of those songs was Amygdala, which is very special and personal to Yoongi. We also know this song was for Yoongi’s solo album, not BE. So, Jimin’s role as Music PM was not the reason Yoongi invited him to hear the song.

- also during ITS, we see Yoongi make an effort to spend time with Jimin. They ride together in the car, do woodcarving together, play video games. Yoongi makes an effort to invite Jimin to participate, especially in the gaming.

- Yoongi was very vocal about wanting Jimin to be the music pm for BE, and he praised him more than once for his efforts during the BE promotional period.

- and then sprinkle in a dash of matching shirts during the yoonminjin dance live.

We are talking about real adults in a real relationship/friendship/partnership/whatever you want to call it. There will be challenging spots along the way. That’s an absolute guarantee. What tells me a lot about yoonmin and their bond is that we see a problem and then we get to see them implement a solution. To me, from my perspective as a yoonminer, I think all of this shows that they’re willing to put in the effort to overcome hurdles when they come across them. It also shows a lot of emotional maturity/emotional intelligence on both of their parts.

Sorry I didn’t link to receipts for all of this because I had a lot to say, but feel free to ask if you’d like a source for any of this.

#yoonmin #2020 #i’m rambling #speculation

23 notes · View notes

callsign-phoenix · 1 year ago

Text

I wrote this for my 1.5k follower celebration, I hope you like it!

It is a Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky x gn!reader blurb, requested by @gigisimsonmars.

The prompt requested is: your s/o remembering small things you’ve said.

Warnings: this is only proofread by me

Tom was an amazing boyfriend, even though he had a demanding job.

You had met because your best friend was also in the Navy, and from the very first moment he had set eyes on you he hadn’t been able to look away.

Your friend knew Tom and saw his interest in you before anyone else really did, but they also saw that Tom was far more reluctant, maybe even a hint insecure, than when he usually asked others out.

He only managed to come up to you shortly before you wanted to leave, and he actually seemed kind and caring, not like the man of bravado everyone else had gotten to know.

To you he seemed sweet so you agreed to meet him the following night after making some small talk, deciding to meet at that same bar again.

When you arrived he had already ordered you your favorite drink and he was so charming yet always a hint nervous, you couldn’t get enough of him.

From that first date onwards he always remembered things you said, and you developed the most amazing relationship either of you had ever had.

You loved spending time with him and he always seemed to find things that you loved to gift to you, even if it was just your favorite type of tea or that he immediately remembered how you like your coffee, he seemed to guess or always remember what you loved.

Tom had asked you if he could take you on a date he planned on his own, without you knowing what he was up to, and while you were nervous you had faith in him.

He came up to your home one afternoon and escorted you to his car, an album of your favorite band already playing when you entered it and the temperature was perfectly to your liking.

You had spent one night laying on a picnic blanket in his garden stargazing, and you had mentioned that you had always wanted to visit the Griffith Observatory, because it wasn’t only a beautiful building but the views and exhibitions were incredible.

You arrived shortly before the observatory closed, which was strange to you, but Tom just sent you one of his disarming smiles.

He took you by the hand and lead you to the entrance, where the woman at the reception already smiled at you.

It turned out that Tom had once again listened to you far more than you would have thought, and that he had remembered something you had said after reading a romance novel by one of your favorite authors.

The main characters had been on a date in an observatory that had been closed over night, and you hadn’t been able to stop gushing about the romance of it all.

As a pilot Tom could tell you about the constellations and stars as well as any guide could have, and he lead you through the darkened observatory, showing you around and explaining everything to you while holding your hand.

It was the epitome of a perfect date and it was just one of oh so many things you had casually mentioned that he decided to pursue, building a fairy tale life for the two of you.

tagging: @starkleila @mayhem24-7forever @green-socks @letsfvckingdance @shadeds-library @yespolkadotkitty @whateverbagman @neptunes-curse @sweetheartlizzie07 @top-gun-rooster @iloveprettyboysblog @ateliefloresdaprimavera @imjess-themess @littlebadariell @angstyjellybean @marchingicenotes7 @midget713 @supernaturaldawning @gspenc @adorephina @bespinnn @malindacath @aerangi @kassieesworld @kwanimations @18crazybutcutealsopsycho @marvelandotherfandomimagines @mavericksicybabe @kendra-rose @desert-fern @mavrellover91 @allivingstone01 @rhettabbotts @withakindheartx @trikigirl271 @cherrycola27 @bonitanightmxres @ratcatcher2world @glowingtree @wingmanvenus

(please tell me if you want to be added to the taglist, or use this link)

#tom iceman kazansky imagine #tom iceman kazansky #tom iceman kazansky x you #tom iceman kazansky x reader #tom kazansky x reader #tom kazansky imagine #tom kazansky x you #iceman top gun #top gun iceman

102 notes · View notes

lnfours · 2 years ago

Note

Cutest blurb🥺

How about Tom made a handmade gift to Y/n like a scrapbook or a jar something like that and Y/n is like 🥺🥺🫶💓💖💖💞🥹

anon, this is so cute 🥺 sorry i'm just now getting to writing your request, i hope you like it!

cleaning out my inbox 💌

tom wasn't the crafty type. everyone who attended the failed paint and wine knew this. he was terrible at art, couldn't even draw a stick figure if he tried.

and beings you were the crafty type, ever since then he was determined to make you something special and 'cute'. he wanted to give you a gift that wasn't store-bought, he wanted something special to give you. something that came from the bottom of his heart.

so he thought of a brilliant idea, a scrapbook.

he had asked his mom for a few pointers beings she had made baby books for him and his brothers when they were younger. she had given him all the tips and tricks he could think of.

he even took notes.

when his mom said that it'd be nice to include things from dates the two of you had went on, his mind immediately went to the keepsake box that you had at the top of your side of the closet, the one where you kept all the photo-booth strips, restaurant receipts, movie and event tickets, everything you could possibly ever think of.

and of course he had asked you if it was okay if he went through the box, wanting to get your approval on what to take and what not to take. you were a little confused as to what he was planning.

"just go through the box and pick," you smiled, "but, can i ask why?"

he grabbed the box from the top shelf before humming back at you as you laid on the bed, "mmm, no reason. just wanna look through. maybe it'd be cute if we put together a collage and hung it up in a picture frame or something."

you furrowed your eyebrows, thankful he couldn't see your confused expression, "yeah, sounds good, babe."

and for the next few nights when you'd wander up to bed to read a few chapters of your book before falling asleep, he'd stay downstairs. in the dimly lit dining room, rummaging through the tickets and photos, picking out how he wanted each page to look. he had even made a special trip to the craft store earlier that morning to pick out stickers, fancy markers and pens, the glue dot runner his mom suggested for the photos and tickets, scrapbook paper, and designed washi tape.

he was excited to get to work. he was even more excited to see your reaction to the finished project.

and after a week and a half, and many 'is this good?' texts to his mom, the scrapbook was completed. just in enough time for your anniversary.

he had ran out and got flowers and your favorite candy to give to you along with his handmade gift. the two of you always kept it simple on your anniversary, beings it was in the middle of valentine's day and his birthday.

when you got home, he was eager to give you your gift. you laughed as he basically ran to you as you opened the door when you got home from work.

"hey," you laughed, "eager to see me?"

"always," he smiled, kissing your forehead sweetly, "come on, i've got a surprise for you."

you didn't even have time to kick off your heels before he was dragging you into the kitchen. he smiled as your eyes landed on the scrapbook, flowers, and candy. immediately 'aww'ing at his gesture.

"aww, tom," you cooed, grabbing the scrapbook from the island, "this is adorable."

the smile never left his face as you flipped through the pages, each page being a different date that the two of you went on. he had made special pages for the tickets you saved to each of the marvel movie premiers you two had gone to together. he even had the pictures he had taken on his phone of the two of you printed out so he could stick them on the spider-man scrapbook paper.

yes, he paid $15 for spider-man scrapbook paper.

the last page of the scrapbook paper was white, lace trimming on the top and bottom. you read the letters over and over again, taking in the detail. there was a diamond ring sticker, along with 4 words in white and black block letters:

'will you marry me?'

you turned to see him on one knee, smiling up at you. you laughed softly, closing the book and putting it back on the island. your vision became blurry the longer you looked at him as he sat on one knee.

"will you marry me, darling?"

you smiled, immediately nodding your head, "do you even have to ask?"

he chuckled, standing as he slipped the ring onto your finger, "is that a yes?"

you leaned up and kissed him, cupping his cheeks in your hands. his cheeks were warm as you took in the smell of his cologne and after shave. it smelled like home.

"a million times yes." you smiled, nose rubbing against his before he leaned back down and kissed you again.

"my fiancée sounds a lot better than girlfriend, huh?" he smiled, brushing a few loose strands of hair away from your face.

"couldn't have said it better myself."

133 notes · View notes

el-dritchknight · 11 months ago

Text

hand in ungloved hand [binxhera playlist]

a soft, sweet playlist for the weaver of fate and her knight of darkness. art by kathe gravel.

my first @d20exchange gift for @ljsarts !! happy holidays 💜

if my heart was a house - owl city

Chills run down my spine / As our fingers entwine and your sighs harmonize with mine / Unmistakably, I can still feel your heart / Beat fast when you dance with me

i wouldn’t mind - he is we

Carefully we'll place for our destiny / You came and you took this heart and set it free / Every word you write and sing is so warm to me / So warm to me I'm torn, I'm torn / To be right where you are / I'm not afraid anymore / I'm not afraid

stand by you - rachel platten

Hands put your empty hands in mine / And scars show me all the scars you hide / And hey, if your wings are broken / Please take mine 'til yours can open too / 'Cause I'm gonna stand by you

hold my hand - jess glynne

Break my bones but you won't see me fall, oh / The rising tide will rise against them all, oh / Darling, hold my hand / Oh, won't you hold my hand?

through the dark - one direction

When the night is coming down / We will find a way through the dark

different kind of love - kid runner

It must've been something / Oh something you said / You're pulling me under / Holding me close Inside of my head

i see the light - mandy moore, zachary levi (tangled ost)

And at last I see the light, and it's like the fog has lifted / And at last I see the light, and it's like the sky is new / And it's warm and real and bright, and the world has somehow shifted / All at once everything looks different / Now that I see you

dream state - lucy dacus

Without you, I am surely the last of my kind / We had a lot to measure / We had more past than pleasure / And time grows deep like weeds / You catch me when I'm falling

back up plan - maya hawke

The dream you planted in your forest / Your winter coat in summer storage / Your favorite game, your secret shame, your eyesore / I wanna be anything you've lost that you might be lookin' for

heal - tom odell

And take a heart / And take a hand / Like an ocean takes the dirty sand / And heal, heal, hell, heal

sweet nothing - taylor swift

They said the end is coming / Everyone's up to something / I find myself running home to your sweet nothings

king and lionheart - of monsters and men

And as the world comes to an end / I'll be here to hold your hand / 'Cause you're my king and I'm your lionheart

ready now - dodie

You said, "I will listen / Tell me it all You don't like the ending / Then we'll find one that's yours"

when he sees me - sara bareilles

What if when he sees me I like him and he knows it? / What if he opens up a door / And I can't close it? / (What if I only open up?) / What happens then?

entropy - beach bunny

'Cause somebody's gonna figure me out / It's what I am, it's what I was, it's what I wanna become / Yeah, somebody's gonna figure us out / And I hope they do 'cause I'm falling for you, whoa

i would be so pleased - tim di pasqua, deedee magno hall

Is it what I'm worthy of? / Still I have my doubt / Could I live my life for love, after life so long without?/ There's so many ways to go It makes it hard to see/ I need so much more to know, if it's where I'm meant to be

if you love me for me - sierra nelson cover (from barbie: princess and the pauper)

What you see may be deceiving / Truth lies underneath the skin / Hope will blossom by believing / The heart that lies within

#ljarts #d20exchange2023 #binxhera #binx #andhera #acofaf #a court of fey and flowers #dimension 20 #d20 #els playlists

26 notes · View notes

igotanidea · 2 years ago

Text

Selflessness : Matt Murdock x fem!reader pt 1

Request: Ages ago (I'm so, so, sorry) @somest1 gave me an idea: in her free time from law school(*) reader does kind of volunteering - helping people in the church under the guidance of Matt's mom. Season 3 where he is healing in the church, so she basically helps him, but doesn't know who he is.

I changed it a bit and decided to divide it into parts (probably up to 3 or 4) but the main idea stays unchanged. Once again, I'm sorry and hope you enjoy it :)

***

„I’ve taken care of the kids in the room 6, sister Maggie. They seem unruly, but to tell the truth all they need is some care and attention.”

“Thank you, Y/N. You are a saint.” Sister Maggie Grace smiled lightly at the girl. Normally, she was far more reserved in her opinions and praises but this girl brought on the softer side of the nun.

“I assure you. I am not. I made a lot of mistakes in my life. Some worse than others.” Said girl looked down, a bit ashamed of her past.

“We all did, Y/N. What is important is that you are trying your best to do good. You help people.”

“I still think like I’m not doing enough….. Like there are so many men and women and kids who are suffering …..”

“You sound awfully like someone else I know…..”

“Really? Who?” that little tone of curiosity In her voice was not a good sign. Y/N was the nicest person even but also the one who wouldn’t take no for an answer. If she wanted to do or know something there was no power in earth, heaven or hell that would prevent her from it. She would charm her way around, getting exactly what she set her mind to.

“Doesn’t matter. But he has the tendency to put himself on the cross and take the pain and suffer from everyone in the name of greater good.”

“Seems like a charming person.” Y/N smirked

“Oh, you poor girl…..” Maggie sighed and shook her head. It was better to just distract her little helper from whatever was going on inside her head and heart “if you are done talking here, off you go. You might have covered for 6, but little Tom has been crying all night again. I have no idea why, but you are like the only person who can get to him, so why don’t you focus on the job?”

“On it, sister Maggie.” Y/N flashed her most beautiful smile and with her sunshine and rainbow attitude left the nun by herself.

“Don’t you think she could be the one to help our guest downstairs, Maggie?” the second Y/N was out of sight father Lantom emerged from the adhering porch.

“No.”

“Maggie.”

“No, Paul. I’m not putting her into this mess. She’s been through enough.”

“And you are wondering who Matt took his stubbornness after.” Lantom muttered, but it was done with his representative sympathy. He was not the one to mock people. “I’m just saying, that perhaps she will help him see the other side of life. Not all the darkness and evil. And bring him back up. She has a natural talent for it, and you know it.”

“If anything it would consume and crash her. Just like it did to Matt. I’m not letting another kid go through something like that.”

“She’s not a kid.” Lantom shrugged but turned serious under the nun’s stern gaze “Just think about it Maggie, that’s all I’m asking. She’s been through a lot and nothing broke her, so maybe she’s stronger than you presume.”

“Hm.” Maggie scoffed

“Promise me, you’ll consider it. You know I only want what’s best for both of them.”

“Fine, fine, I promise.” she threw her hands in the air “you are so persistent at times. God have mercy on us all if they were to meet.”

***

Y/N Y/L/N was a perfect kid. Obedient, helpful, cheerful. Great student coming from a good family. An only child, never causing any trouble. Listening to her parents, her teachers, her lecturers. Graduated with honors and getting her MD, even if it came as a surprise to those who knew her. She always gave an impression of a person who would focus rather on some humanistic studies like literary science or philology.

Her choice however was deeply rooted in her past, in her good family heritage.

You know this saying that every family has its secret. Some of them have more than it seems, and sometimes so called good ones are truly the worst, after you strip them from all the window dressing and hypocrisy.

Y/N had to be good and avoid trouble. Otherwise, any manifestation of disobedience, even the slightest would be met with extensive punishment. Most of the times leaving her with literal bruises, that she had to learn to cover and in tears and sobs that she had to muffle to avoid harsh words and accusation of her being weak and pathetic. Both of her parents were esteemed at work, mum being a CEO and dad a computer programmer and were extremely busy. To say the least, they have little to no time to take care of a kid, more often than not leaving Y/N wondering why the hell did they decide to have one in the first place. Their relationship was based on the how was school, did you do your homework and what grade did you get from the test questions. And that was only from her mother, her dad never cared enough to even form them. Excusing himself with tiredness and the argument that woman should be taking emotional care of the kid, especially a girl.

All things considered, Y/N was lonely. She did not really have any friends, because how can you form any relationship if you have no good patterns of how it should look like. How can you connect with someone when all you know are quiet evenings filled with work and avoiding another members of the family. What was surprising about her, was that despite all this gloominess and coldness stemming from her closest surrounding she developed this quiet, inner happiness, calmness and peace. When there was problem she was the one to keep straight head and solve it. When someone was in distress she was the one to ease the situation and placate the conflict. But despite that, she was lonely. Always looking for something more, trying to make it better for people who were less privileged then her. And that was how she ended up volunteering at the convent under sister Maggie’s guidance.

She quickly proved herself to be great working with kids, and Maggie warmed up to this optimistic, energetic soul in a way that surprised and delighted father Lantom. It’s been three years of her work there now and she gained sympathy and trust of both.

***

“Hey there little guy” Y/N entered the room when Tommy was placed. His back was to the door but he turned around as soon as he heard the girl’s voice.

“Hi, miss Y/N.”

“Some little bird told me you had a hard night?”

“I wasn’t sleeping” he rubbed his eyes with fists, looking so small and fragile, Y/N heart was breaking.

“Come here.” she sat on the edge of the bed and opened her arms, in which the boy immediately dived in. This poor little one, abandoned by his mother was in desperate need of warmth and whatever little joy could be given. And Y/N was more than willing to give hugs to him. “Did you have nightmares, again?” he muttered something, hiding face in her sweater “come on, Tommy, I need you to use human language.” She laughed

“It was the clown.” He pulled away, a few tears dripping down his cheeks

“Again? Oh, you poor thing.” Y/N caressed his cheeks rubbing the water away “was it that guy at school again?”

“Yes. He’s making me scared…..”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll settle that matter” she embraced him once again rocking gently from side to side “and in the meantime…..”

“Why is the time mean?”

“Oh, no, it’s not like….. “ the girl could not stop the giggle. Luckily the boy smiled as well, dispelling her worries that he might feel laughed at “ you know what, in fact, we are going to have a really, really nice time. I got a new book if you are interested. No clowns there. How does that sound?“

“Ok.” he mumbled

“Ok? Good. I’m gonna pick it up in just a second…..”

“Can you hug me some more?” the boy asked

“Sure, Tommy. We got time here.”

“Y/N?” Lantom was like a literal ghost, appearing out of shadows, out of nowhere “how’s out little fella doing?”

“I think it’s nothing a good story and a serious talk with certain guy from room 11 could not fix.”

“Was it Anton again?”

“Mhm. Unfortunately. I’ll talk to him.”

“I think this boy may need some more seriousness than you can treat him with.”

“I can be serious.” She scoffed moving towards Lantom with twinge in her eyes, causing Tom to hold onto her tighter and whimper.

“That’s good. Because we got one serious matter we need to discuss.”

“We being me and you, father?”

“We being you, me and sister Maggie.”

“Oh. I don’t know if I’m worthy enough.”

“You are the most trustworthy person we know, Y/N.”

“All right then. I’ll meet you after I make sure Tommy is taken care of.”

***

“You want to me to take care of a guy in the basement.” She repeated, both Lantom and Maggie watching her reaction carefully. She showed no emotions and it was hard to guess what was going inside her head. “Is he in need?”

“Yes.”

“All right then.” she shrugged “I’ll help.”

“Just like that? No more questions?”

“Why would I need any? If you trusted him enough to take him in. It’s not like he is the daredevil, right?" she smirked (not realising how shocked her interlocutors were for a moment) "So of course I’ll help. Should I go now?”

“You know the way.” Lantom managed to say, since Maggie couldn't force herself to say a word.

“On it, father.” she smiled, using her typical sentence and walked away.

“I think we made a mistake here, Paul.”

“She’ll be fine. She’s gentle but not naïve and know how to take care of herself.”

“I still think we made a mistake.”

to be continued (part 2 is up)

@pinksirensong

138 notes · View notes

bonefall · 1 year ago

Note

I wanted to ask something queer because it’s pride month but I can’t think of anything… do you have any queer bb rewrite stuff to talk about?

HERE, have a queer jumble of a bunch of the gay changes in BB;

As far back as DOTC, Thunder Storm was transmasc. His childhood best friend is also his lover; Lightning Cry.

There is a third gender in Clan Culture; Meewa. Gray Wing was Meewa and to this day, the role is associated with parenthood and wisdom.

Bumble and Turtle Heart were mates.

The Clanmew parental terms are decoupled from gender; the Mi is the primary parent, a Ba is a secondary.

For an example; Breezepelt is the Mi of his litters, Harestar and Heathertail were both Ba.

In Clanmew, Harestar had so many Ys in his warrior name (Yywayayiaoyyr) that Breezepelt got the kits to call him Yya.

Bluestar was queer. She had strange relationships with almost everything personal, but the only thing that matters is how much she LOVED her friends and how far she would go for them

The entire Forget-me-not friend group was queer in some ways.

And Bluestar’s friend Rosetail, turns out she's aromantic!

She loves romance, matchmaking, but eventually realized she doesn't like being in one. She just likes the idea a lot.

So of course Thistleclaw was PISSED when his sister claimed Queen’s Rights and adamantly refused to name a father.

She matched up her son Redtail with Runningwind, I like to think she was a very "when am i getting grandkits" kind of mom

Redtail was trans, but also gave birth to his children. That was Sandstorm and Longtail.

Redtail's transness was why Bluestar gave Dustpaw to him, she could see that Dust was working something out and hoped that Red would help

Dustpelt is genderqueer! He doesn't conform to the expectations of toms for his society; construction is largely a molly activity.

One-eye was a legendary builder in her time. It was a high honor when she came out of retirement to mentor him, when she was nearly 20 years old no less!

Cinderpelt was a lesbian, but there wasn't really anyone in the Clan she was interested in. Meh.

I do want to write a little scene where she goes to BloodClan to learn about mobility devices to help Wildfur, and has an AWOOGA moment at Cody

Leafpool and Mothwing are in love with each other, and look forward to every meeting. But they serve their Clans above all. The yearning.

I am very partial to Daisy x Squirrelflight, loooong in the future, after Squirrelflight has found fulfillment in her family and mentorships.

Conversely the untapped potential of Spiderleg x Bramblestar is unmatched. Nightmare husbands, this is the funniest thing I've ever heard of

Heartbreaking! the worst people you know have gotten gay married

Brokenstar and Runningnose were so gay I don't even have words for it, there's homosexual and then there's whatever the hell is going on over there

"My childhood best friend is a manifested curse and I would do anything for him, so I dedicated my whole life to becoming a more ruthless and brutal asset to serve his wants and desires, rejecting the stars and walking into the netherworld with glee, and only finding that it is hell because he isn't there. When you look between us, it's impossible to tell which of us was the monster, and which was the man, and yet I have never made a choice that I wouldn't make again."

Blackstar was aromantic! Russetfur was his lifelong best friend and partner, her death devastated him

He had flings and friends with benefits, though. Specifically, he's homosexual/aromantic.

Russetfur was gay too, I'm not sure if she ever had a wife though

I haven't drawn her yet but I see her as butch. Also she had large eyebrows.

Rowanclaw, honor sired for Newtspeck, was transtom

His apprentice, Talonclaw, survived the mauling because Smokefall did not die in the mountain this time around! They had a summer wedding

Irony struck when Rowan's kid Tigerheart also ended up being trans, but transmolly

Funny coincidence that everyone around Rowan ends up being queer

Tigerheart, who later becomes Heartstar, was in love with Dovewing from the moment they were apprentices on the Beaver Quest, before she even hatched

Dovewing dated Bumblestripe, even choosing him and ThunderClan over the instability of running off with Tigerheart

But when she got pregnant she SKEDADDLED

Lightleap and Shadowsight are biologically Bumble's, but Heartstar adopted them immediately

Heartstar is incredibly smug about this. "My wife. My kids. Cry about it"

Ivypool went through something similar, in a pretty bad relationship with Blossomfall and eventually getting with Fernsong

Only Fernsong is NOT smug, he's an ex-kittypet who joined during ThunderClan's Tempest and BOY HOWDY did he not want to make waves

But now he's dating the deputy's grandchild (thru Lionblaze), has an angry Blossomfall on his ass, and.... it's worth it lmao, have you seen his wife? Marvelous

He is the Mi of the children, this is the life for him

Thriftear and Plumstone are gay

Over in RiverClan, Hawkfrost and Reedwhisker were an item and were going to get serious... but then, well. Hawkfrost went through TNP and ended up dead.

In SkyClan, Violetshine, Dragonfly, and Tree are a polycule

I'm not quite sure what's going on with Echosong, Leafstar, and Billystorm. But Leaf and Billy are together, and I think Leaf has a thing with Echo. But Echo and Billy are not together, and Echo isn't involved with the kittens.

This isn't a queer thing but Sharptooth's wife Cherrytail was spayed. I think Hawkwing and co were surrogated by Echosong, but I'm not sure yet

But I do know that Cherry did not birth those kittens

Over in WindClan, I combined Jake and Sparrow into one character. Tallstar’s Collapse is reworked into Talltail traveling around with him and his group, until ultimately, he realizes it's not that easy to leave his Clan behind

I want to approach it as a tragedy, that he couldn't stay somewhere he was truly loved and happy

He was raising kids with Jake, two orphans they found. One of them followed him, even though he tried to tell him to stay with Jake and his sibling

That kid becomes Flytail, and then Flylight as an honor title

Sunstrike and Furzepelt are gay, and Furze is going to be an AVOS save thanks to Brushblaze, Breezepelt, Harestar, Heathertail, Crowfeather, and two more cats I haven't picked yet

Speaking of Brushblaze, Leo is an ex-BloodClan trader who joined WindClan to be with Onewhisker

It fell apart and he's been bitter about it ever since

Onestar is a disaaaaaaaster

He had a fling with Firestar before Fire realized he was aromantic, and it never would have worked anyway since Firestar was leading a clan

He always had an excuse for why he wasn't doing PDA with Brush, but while he was going through apprenticeship (despite being a qualified adult cat, very frustrating) Onewhisker was seeing Smoke

I kinda just want to remove Onewhisker having Whitetail as a mate entirely, I already fixed the apprenticeship thing but I kinda just like him having someone honor dam for him and he raised Heathertail alone

And lastly, Firestar

Firestar is totally aromantic.

He honor sired Sandstorm's kittens and raised them with her, because she is a deeply reliable friend and ally. They're in a QPR!

There's definitely a couple I missed (toadnettlepool, Sedgecreek x Greenflower) but that's enough for now

#HAPPY PRIDE MONTH #Queer #Better bones au

114 notes · View notes

destinyc1020 · 6 months ago

Note

What a truly weird comment from that Robert Daniels guy (and he is someone who hasn't even seen the show to decide for himself). To say that Tom's only 'life experience(s)' have happened in show business. That is a really callous, to act like he hasn't lived like a human in love and loss and disappointments and achievements outside of his work, like we ALL do. To dismiss him as just some one dimensional product of the industry with no life is just gross to me? And the same critic replied with laughing emojis to someone who said it was generous to even call him an actor. Just a huge, huge yikes. I am really getting just a nasty, nasty vibe from some of these critics. Even IF Tom was someone who acted as poorly as someone on a soap opera (which he certainly doesn't, he has turned in some truly fantastic performances in his career and thats just a fact), no one deserves to be spoken about like that from people who are supposedly professionals. People seem to take a really disrespectful kind of joy in insulting him, I know that people can be absolutely vicious to anyone in the public eye, but this just seems truly WAY too much.

The positive reviews from actual publications outweigh the negative. Someone did a review roundup where the count was 17 that had 4-5 stars, 5 with 3 stars, and 3 with 1-2 stars. The narrative I'm seeing on twitter just does not reflect the reality of the reception - it was received WELL. Anyways, sorry for the rant Destiny, but I expect this kind of behavior from trolls, but from professionals living their Twitter mean girl fantasy it gives me a big ick. I'm just glad the audience reception and the majority of critics have appreciated him and Fran's performance and Jamie's production, and I'd just like to see more clickbait about THAT instead of this strange negativity that's cropped up.

Also, am thinking about you and sending you lots of love and condolences, I hope that fandom can be a positive distraction for you in a tough time. Thank you for your discussions on this blog, and I hope you take care of yourself first and foremost

First of all, thank you so much for this.🙏🏾 I really appreciate it 🥰❤️

Re: Robert Daniels....

I assume you must be referring to this comment he made on Twitter?

Yea girl, I felt like his critique of Tom was just kinda cruel?? 🥴 Like, it's one thing to critique someone's acting, but when you start making all kinds of ASSUMPTIONS about someone and what kind of life they've had, etc, I'm sorry, but that's hitting below the belt imo. 🤨

And I usually don't resort to going in on people's looks and outward appearance when I'm trying to do a rebuttal to smthg I didn't like that someone said, but whew chiiiiilllle..... 👀

Talk about a face only a mother could love lol

Anyway....

I really do hope that Tom just doesn't even pay any mind to the critics and just continues on to enjoy doing this play as simply a passion project for himself and himself only.

Idk what people's obsession is with hating on him on Twitter (I guess he's become Twitter's new "Whipping Boy".... it happens to MANY actors 🙄), but whenever I see ppl en masse hating on someone for seemingly NO GOOD reason, my spidey senses start tingling and I figure that this person must not be as "bad" as people claim, cuz if he were, you wouldn't need such a mass mud slinging and hate campaign against this person. Everyone would be able to see with their own eyes how awful this person is. Jmho 🤷🏾‍♀️

You don't need to convince people so hard when there's actually smthg to really hate about a person imo.

Tom's acting is fine. Don't worry, the stans came after that Robert guy lol 😆 😂

If he's a real, valid, professional critic, then he was kinda unprofessional imo.

But, then again, that's not uncommon for critics. Critics can sometimes go for the jugular if they don't like you, or don't like your work.

Unfortunately, this isn't the first time a critic has been harsh about an actor. 😔

Thankfully, Tom has a HUGE fanbase (just look on IG!), so we don't have to worry about the people who don't like him or his work.

18 notes · View notes

lostfirefly · 11 months ago

Text

You’ve Got the Same Dream as Me (Ch.7)

Hello, kiddos! The idea for this fanfic came to me from a dream (again) I had about a month ago. Тhe main characters were Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill (don't ask me why), but with a light hand they have been replaced (sorry, guys). The main action of the dream took place somewhere in the sands. Аlthough this fanfic will feature Sir Crocodile and our beloved Buggy, the action shifts to the desert. No marines, ships etc. Sorry, not sorry :) The devil fruit's abilities are preserved. Catch the Mummy and Indiana Jones vibes :) I have no idea how many chapters there will be. Different titles and names from the original source material will be used to emphasise the general OP's vibe.

Since English is not my native language, errors may occur. As always, feel free to share your thoughts :)

And thank you to my dear @yujo-nishimura and @laurasoretta for believing in me :)

Description: Catherine, a librarian who is searching for the trail of her sister who went missing on an expedition. Notes in books and diaries lead her to Cairo. There she finds a retailer from an artifact shop who, in exchange for selling her a map and equipment, insists that Catherine take her along. They get into a little (or maybe a big) adventure..

Warnings: One light naughty joke (again). F words. Small tension. Adventures and fun are still here. Buggy x OC, Sir Crocodile x OC.

I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Words: 2468

Note: Croco's hand reminds me of "a beehive".

The title is taken from «You've Got the Same Dream as Me» (Sonya Belousova & Giona Ostinelli) (One Piece, Netflix)

Taglist: @gingernut1314

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

• Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6

✎﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏﹏

"I have to admit, it's really impressive", Catherine looked up at the high sand mountains floating in the sky. "Reminiscent of a sci-fi film where the mountains turned out to be waves. And here the sand mountains are floating somewhere.... Just wow! But I was more surprised to see a little deer wearing a pink hat, in the middle of the desert when we were driving here".

"You don't see that in your library, do you?" Buggy came up behind her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm not even gonna argue with that", she didn't realize she'd put her hand on his. "Oh, sorry.. I-I didn't want to..".

She moved her hand to the side.

"Well, folks, I think we're here", Rika laid out the map on the ground. "But this is where the map says the trail ends".

Catherine sat down on the ground and opened her diary.

"Yes, according to the map the trail ends here. Bu-u-ut according to the diary, there's a way further. And... if you believe this magic compass and what it shows", she lay down on the sand and pointed the compass at the map, "we have to go somewhere that way... But why does the map end here?"

"Maybe it's just my guess, but what if the coordinates in the diary are from Alabasta's book", Rika shrugged. "Maybe he got further than everyone else. And your sister just, I don't know, rewrote the whole thing".

"God, I don't understand anything", Catherine rolled over onto her back. "Why would my sister want to come here? What are we even looking for?"

"I'm looking for treasure. That's all I want. And when I find it, I'll be king", Buggy walked over to Catherine and held out his hand to her, "Get up."

"King of what? Of bars and booze? What are you going to do with that treasure? I'm sorry, but you don't look like the man who likes to invest", she took his hand, and he helped her up.

"The first thing I'll do is buy you a private jet, so you can finally fly back to your home and get out of my life".

"You know what? Shove your private jet up your a..".

"Catherine, is there anything else in the diary?" Rika asked, coming up behind her.

"What? Yeah.. One moment… There's some kind of drawing of a cliff or a hill. And there's some kind of entrance drawn here. Buggy, you've been here, haven't you? Where do we go now?"

"Honestly, this is the first time I've been to this side of the cave. I've never been able to find this way before. Let me see", Buggy's got the diary in his hand and ran his fingers along the lines. "Hey, Egyptian girl. What's written here?"

"Fuck you…", - Catherine took the diary and started reading. "Journey. cave.. Byp.. Oh! Listen!

To continue your journey just go through the cave, catching the trail which looks like a sky wave. It seems like the road is dark and bypassed, but a ray of light will show the trodden path."

"Fuck, I'm starting to hate everything Egyptian", Buggy rolled his eyes. "What does mean? It's just a bunch of words. You know, I think the Egyptians lived an even more boring life than you and their only entertainment was rhyming everything. Cat-bed, night-fight, greed-shit, Buggy-Muggy.. Oh, I like that!"

Catherine covered his mouth with her hand.

"Do me a favour, clown. Stop annoying me and give me a minute, ok?".

Meanwhile, Rika was studying the map.

"Folks, the beam is clearly pointing forwards. I think we should follow its trail. And we need to go-o-o…", -she ran her fingers over the map, "tha-a-at way. To the cave".

"Well, my pies, I suggest we have to take a little walk, but first, let's get ready. We’ll figure it out on the spot!"

"Oh, of course! Going somewhere without a clear plan is your strong point, as I understand it", Catherine shouted after him without taking her eyes off the diaries.

"Shush, woman! You're with “The One and Only” Buggy the Clown. I don't need a plan".

"Fuck, I have no idea what we're going to do", he muttered under his breathe, went to the car and took out a large bag.

"I think I have everything we need. We've got small axes, flashlights and matches, and some different shit. Rika, this is for you", he handed her one flashlight and a small axe, "and this is for you, Cathie-pie".

"Matches? Are you serious? I mean.. Don't you want to give me something bigger? Are there any other weird people in these parts who ate the devil fruit? What if I’m attacked by some minotaur man? Or by a mantis man with daggers in its paws?"

"Well, then you’re out of luck", Buggy laughed, "and watch out for the rubber boy in the straw hat, in case he's out there too".

He turned around and slowly walked away.

"I hate you", she muttered an exhale, cast her eyes around and glanced behind Buggy. "Wa-a-it. You're kidding, right?"

She rushed after him.

⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭

They walked through a small gorge surrounded by soaring sandstone cliffs. With each step, the passage grew narrower and narrower, and the sun's rays penetrated it less and less.

"God, because of your stupid jokes I think we're being followed", Catherine looked around.

"By whom? A big mantis? Or a minotaur?" Rika replied snidely, looking at the map.

"Can you stop mocking me? Maybe it's common for you to see such strange things every single day, that's not how I spend my free time in Loguetown!" she grabbed onto Buggy's arm. "Quiet! Stop. You hear that?"

"What are you talking about?" Rika asked in surprise, looking up from the map.

"It's like water running. Can't you hear it?" Catherine tried to figure out where the sound was coming from.

All three of them stopped. A light, cold wind blew through the gorge. It was so quiet inside that it seemed that if the rocks began to move, it could easily be heard.

"There!" Catherine abruptly snapped out of her seat and ran in the direction of the sound.

"Hey, Catherine, stop!" Buggy ran after her.

As she ran through the narrow winding path, Catherine felt something grab her by the collar of her jeans and pull her backwards.

"Are you out of your mind? Running off alone in the dark, not knowing where you're going. You don't know the local road. It could be anything. Holes or cliffs or God knows what", she heard Buggy's irritated voice behind her. He walked over to her and took his hand from her denim jacket.

"Fuck, Buggy. You can't scare me like that. Damn you and your chop chop shit. Don't you ever do that again!"

"Don't do such stupid things again, you understand?" he grabbed her by the shoulders and looked into her blue eyes intently. For a second Catherine thought she saw concern in his eyes.

"Why are you suddenly so worried? Are you afraid you won't find your gold without me?"

He grabbed her hand and moved to her face closer.

"Because I…I.. I’m... even you’re the most annoying person in the world.. I don't w-", he took a long time to find the words. "Because I don't want my guide to the gold to get killed somewhere along the way. Because I want to get to the treasure, go home, pick up the first girl in the bar and have a fun night with her".

"W-why.. you sa-… Y-you're an asshole!!"

"Is everything ok?" Rika asked, approaching them and holding the map in her hand.

"Yes, totally", Catherine turned away and discreetly wiped away the tears that had appeared. "Are we on the right track?"

"According to my thoughts.. yeah. According to the map.. probably, yeah", Rika scratched her head and turned on the flashlight. "But I don't see any water. Look, guys! There's a little path ahead and there are some words on the walls".

"Wait.. To continue your journey just go through the cave, catching the trail which looks like a sky wave. It seems like the road is dark and bypassed, but a ray of light will show the trodden path. Those words were in the diary!"

Catherine began to run her hand along the walls, muttering words under her breath. She walked from side to side a few times with her hands on her head.

"Do you need help?" Buggy asked, watching Catherine walk back and forth.

"I don't need your help. If it were up to me, I wouldn't talk to you at all!"

"I guess, I missed something interesting", Rika looked at both of them questioningly.

"Ladies.. What did you say, Cathie-pie? A sky wave? I don't know anything about your spells, but that road over there looks like a wave, huh? - Buggy pointed to the torpid road.

"Right!… You’re not a fool, my friend. Light. Light. What's light got to do with it again?" Rika looked around. "Of all the light here, only those rays of sunlight that barely hit here".

Catherine ran over to Buggy and started rummaging through his bag.

"Honey, all you need is to ask", he smiled cheesily. "What are you looking for?"

"I'm looking for a mirror. And I know you have it, stupid clown".

"I don’t even want to ask about the mirror", Rika shook her head.

"Oh, found it! Now get your ass up, I need your help. You're tall. Stretch out your arm and try to catch a ray of sunlight on the mirror", Catherine stood with her back to him and moved closer, "Just a little more... and more".

"I bet you'd love to repeat that to me under different circumstances", Buggy grinned.

"You’re disg…"

"Holy fuck!" Rika jumped up and ran to Catherine.

A faint ray of sunlight fell on the mirror. A curved path of light, clearly repeating the undulating shape of the road, fell against the cave walls.

" …The trail which looks like a sky wave", they whispered in unison.

"Shall we go?" Rika asked.

"Em... Ladies… Look at the map. Could you please explain what the fuck is this?"

"Do you see that road appearing on the map, too?" Rika asked with surprise in her tone.

"Yes", Catherine struggled to find her words.

"Thanks God", Rika said with a slight laugh.

"If it means I'm one step closer to the treasure, then let’s go, ladies!" Buggy could hardly contain his joy.

⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥫⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭⥭

They walked for about 10 minutes before they reached the larger and looser part of the cave.

"Turn on the flashlight, you can't see anything", Catherine asked Rika.

"Now, give me a second".

The small light from the flashlight illuminated the space.

"Folks, we're either damn lucky or something else, but there seemed to be a torch... right there", Rika said, pointing the flashlight at a small object.

Buggy detached his hand and took the torch off the wall.

"And you were complaining about me trusting you with matches. Your way out, my cotton candy!" he said, reattaching his hand back.

Catherine growled, reached into her bag and pulled out matches. It was only on the third attempt that the torch was lit. Small paths of old stone could be seen all around.

"God, it's like I'm in a fucking tomb", Catherine muttered under her breath.

"Well, now where do we go?" Buggy asked in a whisper.

"Yes, now where do we go, princess?" a lower male voice suddenly came through.

Buggy and Catherine raised their heads at the same time.

"The beehive?!" Catherine asked with surprise in her voice.

"Crocodile?" Buggy's jaw dropped.

"Why are you so surprised? By the way, you forgot to say hello to your friend!" he pointed the torch at Rika's face and put the hook to her throat. "It would be a shame to cut that pretty face".

"Hey, beehive or whatever your name is, let her go!" Catherine was about to take two steps but felt Buggy gently pull her behind him.

"Look, clown, she's got character, but no brains at all. Well, you and she are alike in that", Crocodile grinned.

"Shut your mouth!" Buggy hissed.

"You heard him, honey, he told me to shut my mouth", he said to Rika. "Funny, isn't it?"

"Very funny, my love!" she laughed, and Crocodile lowered his hook. "God, you've found me at last, I was tired of listening to their lovemaking all the way".

She turned to Crocodile, put her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately.

"First of all, you're a bitch. Second of all, what I just saw is ew", Catherine's face twisted. "I just don't understand one thing. Why all this?"

"Why? Thanks to your sister, we found out about the coordinates in the diary. But since we didn't have the diary, we had to wait for you. She knew you'd get worried and go looking for her. I just didn't think you'd be dumb enough to believe the first girl you met and take her with you. Okay, that clown, his brains never worked", Crocodile lit a cigar.

"Hey, watch your mouth!" Catherine bellowed, clutching Buggy's arm.

"Geez, that's nice, she's sticking up for him. Isn't that sweet, dear?" Crocodile asked Rika, stroking her cheek.

"Please spare me from this. I've suffered enough already", she replied with a chuckle and took the cigarette from his hands.

"Blah, blah, it's like I'm back in kindergarten. And frankly speaking, you're like a villain in a stupid movie, sitting there and telling me everything. But you stole the book, what the hell else do you want", Catherine asked.

"See, here's the thing. A book without a compass and a map isn't very useful. Unfortunately. Those two things are. They're marvellous. They'll lead me to the treasure", Crocodile took two big steps towards Catherine.

Buggy instinctively took two steps back, nudging her.

"Well then, take your map and compass, go look for your treasure. But let her go", Buggy nodded at Catherine.

"No, no, no, I need her. Her sister is good at reading maps, but not so good at ancient languages. Your girlfriend is good at it. And I could use you too. You've got the same dream as me, clown. But you stole something that belongs to me".

"Factually, it doesn't belong to anyone", Buggy grinned.

"The fact is, I have everything I need now. Compass, book, map, key. Your girlfriend. Oh, and I've got a surprise for her. Two, actually. Laura, darling! Where are you?" Crocodile sat down on the sand and took a drag on his cigar. "Do you recognize them?"

"Brown-haired bitch!" Catherine's eyes widened. "And.. Jules?"

12 notes · View notes