#i’m sure there are others it’s just been awhile since i’ve played through

[eliks-edge]

I love the idea of a death wizard who parallels Malistaire pre-Sylvia’s death working together with Cyrus so much. Cyrus sees his brother in this child and it hurts because he misses his brother so much but it also worries him deeply. The wizard and Malistaire are so similar he can only hope that the trauma the wizard will have to live with after dragonspyre (and even more so after future worlds) will not make them into the man Malistaire is now. And really and truly, Malistaire is just a man overrun with grief over a loved one, which could so easily happen to the wizard. I think it would so interesting to see a villain arc very similar to Malistaires with the wizard

[ladykailitha]

Of Butterflies and Backstrokes Part 2

Woohoo!!! I'm back with the next chapter of this lovely fic.

Steve and Eddie start circling each other, but they aren't there yet.

Since it's been awhile (three weeks eekk!) I'd go back and read part one again. ;)

Part 1

~

Eddie got home that night, tired and aching from a long day of grunt work. He found he didn’t hate Murray, but he if he had a choice of passing him in a dark alley or turning tail and running the other direction, he would chose the latter every time.

Murray would spend the first week watching over him and helping him when he made mistakes then next week he’d have to do it all on his own.

Eddie worked from eight to four and the pool opened at 9am and closed to the public at 6pm. Then it was given the rich toffs with their personal coaches until eight or nine. But from when they left and until ten, staff was allowed to use the pool for personal time.

The rec center itself opened at 6am for all the people who wanted to work out before before they had to work. The pool used to open then too, but they had to stop doing that. It was without lifeguards and during that time there were huge ass signs that declared no lifeguard on duty. But because some idiot woman left her kids to play in the kiddie pool while she did yoga or some shit and the little shit goblins got into the big pool and one of them almost drowned. If there hadn’t been one of the trainers arriving early to set up for his class, the shit goblin would have died.

So because of one asshole, the public wasn’t allowed to swim in the mornings before the lifeguards were on duty, that left staff able to use it during that time. And oh boy did Eddie abuse the hell out of that on Saturdays. He, of course, double and triple checked with Joyce and Murray that he was considered staff before he did it the first time. But for three hours one day a week, the pool was mostly his.

Sure, every once in awhile he’d see a lifeguard or a trainer come take advantage of the quiet time, but mostly he was alone. He loved it.

In fact he got to know the lifeguards and trainers. Well all but one of them. Robin, Jonathan, and Nancy were all trainers. Vickie, Carol, Nicole, and Tommy were all lifeguards. All but Steve.

Steve didn’t use either of the two Olympic sized pools, but rather stayed in the endless pool, which was in a separate room. Eddie had been tempted to try it, but he’d have to ask someone how to use it and he just didn’t have the guts to.

He decided that lifeguards were snotty know-it-alls, with the exception of Vickie, and all the trainers were the cool kids.

Nancy trained the advanced students, Jonathan trained intermediate, and Robin with Steve trained the beginners. Which apparent had four different classes. Adults, teenagers, eight to twelve year olds, and the baby and toddler class.

During the day, Eddie would watch the swimming classes and he started noticing a strange pattern. Steve never went into the large pools. He would crouch on the sidelines with his little whistle and blow it when he wanted his class to stop. Then Robin would get into the water with them if she wasn’t there already and correct them.

Or they stayed in the kiddie pool if they were young enough.

Murray caught him staring the second week. “See something you like?”

Eddie wrinkled his nose in distaste.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he huffed going back to restocking the towels. They had gone through them faster today than usual. Or what counted as usual to Eddie in his two short weeks.

“Sure you don’t,” Murray said with a sneer. “I’ve seen you watching the pretty lifeguards and trainers.”

“Well, I’m not going to stare at the coaches,” Eddie said, rolling his eyes and moving on to the laundry baskets. “Considering I’m out of here before they even deign to show up.”

Murray barked out a short laugh. “There’s a reason for that.”

Eddie paused what he was doing and straightened up. He turned to look at his supervisor. “Why’s that?”

Murray just shrugged. “Let’s just say coaches and trainers don’t mix well. Like oil and water.”

Well, Eddie thought, that was cryptic as fuck and annoying as hell. But instead of pressing him, he just got back to work. After all they weren’t paying him for this shit and he just needed to get it done.

“What’s Harrington’s deal, anyway?” he murmured as he pushed the laundry cart past Murray.

“Not my story to tell.”

Eddie sighed. Apparently his supervisor was going to dangle a carrot only to yank it way. Story of his life, honestly.

Which was to say it fucking sucked.

~

Steve came out of the men’s dressing room a couple of weeks later to find the new maintenance guy watching them again.

The guy turned away when he got caught and bent over to put something away.

Steve turned to Robin. “Does that guy give you creepy vibes?”

They started walking to the kiddie pool for their first class of the day. Teenagers. God, he hated teenagers. They were only there because their parents made them, they never listened, and one or two of them would end getting into trouble, every god damned time.

“Who, Eddie?” Robin asked, looking over at the guy who had began mopping the endless puddle by the towel dispensary.

“Oh is that his name?” Steve asked, curious.

Robin nodded. “Yeah, he’s actually here doing community service. Got caught dealing and was sentenced to working here for about three months.”

Steve chewed his bottom lip. “Still not beating the creep vibes there, Robs.”

“Yeah, yeah,” she said and threw her head back, laughing. “But no, he’s really nice guy and you’d like him if you actually joined us on Saturdays.” She poked his side for emphasis.

He wiggled and squirmed away fro her. “You know why I can’t.”

She sighed and cocked her head to the side knowingly as she sized him up.

Robin and Steve had actually had the same swim coach growing up, her parents applying to some disadvantaged kids program.

Steve excelled at it while Robin merely enjoyed it. After she graduated from high school she went into linguistics and then learned there aren’t that many jobs for a polyglot. So she became his interpreter at international events like the World Championships and the Olympics.

Especially the Olympics as the primary language is French.

After his accident she got them the job of teaching kids how to swim. Joyce was fine with their little arrangement as she called it and most parents were understanding once they found out why a swim instructor didn’t like deep pools.

There were always those that complained, but Joyce would refund their money and tell them to go elsewhere. First complaint and bam! They were gone. She trusted Steve and that’s all that mattered to her.

“I know, dingus,” she said linking their arms together. “You’ll figure it out eventually.”

“Thanks.”

They got to the pool and found five spotty teenagers waiting for them. Four boys and a girl. One of them, who had gangly limbs and freckles on his arms and face sneered at him.

“What are we doing at the kiddie pool?” he whined the second he saw them. “It’s for like kids.”

Steve raised an eyebrow. “I could toss you in the deep end the main pool and see how well you fair, if you’d like?”

The other kids stared at him in shock, clearly not expecting Steve to bitch back.

“You wouldn’t!” the snotty teen huffed. “You’re not allowed to do that!”

Robin and Steve shared a glance and then Steve just shrugged.

“It’s what we do with the babies and toddlers,” he said, nonchalant, batting his eyelashes innocently. “I mean if it’s good enough for babies, it should be good enough for you, right?”

The kid’s mouth opened and shut without a single word coming out.

“You know,” Robin said dryly, “moving your mouth like a fish doesn’t mean you are one, so I’d close it if I were you.”

He snapped his mouth shut with an audible click and gulped loudly.

Once Steve was satisfied he wasn’t going to say anything else, he started the class.

Then when they in the pool learning how to float, Steve looked up to see Eddie grinning at up him. He blushed and looked away. He didn’t know why his insides suddenly felt like liquid metal had been poured down his esophagus but he knew he liked the feeling.

~

Okay, so maybe Eddie liked how pretty Steve was and how he would take down the Chads and Karens when they threw fits and how Joyce backed him up every time. But he really did try to keep the staring down to a minimum.

Which he absolutely failed at if Joyce’s teasing and Murray’s snide remarks were to go by. Like the only people who hadn’t teased him about it was Hopper and his Wayne. And he figured it was only because they never saw how flustered he got when Steve came around.

The trainers teased him, the lifeguards teased him. His friends teased him. God he wanted to murder Jeff in his sleep sometimes.

“Look, man,” Jeff said, “you’ve got to at least talk to him. Robin even said that he thinks your staring is creepy.”

Eddie let out a pained sigh. “We don’t have breaks at the same time and he never comes into the main pool area if he can help it.”

Jeff scratched his chin. “Maybe he’s afraid of water.”

“Like a swim instructor could be scared of going into the pool,” he scoffed. “He teaches in the kiddie pool and the endless pool, so it can’t be all water.”

Jeff just shrugged.

But the comment wouldn’t let go his brain. It created an itch at the back of his mind every time he saw Steve.

The closest he ever got to the pool was just out of arm’s reach. One time he even caught one of the teen-aged beginners try for him and missed.

Steve got up and walked away and the kid was forced to do pedaling exercises until the class ended. And even then Steve still hadn’t come back from class.

He needed to mop the men’s changing room, so he called out. “Maintenance! Hey anyone in here?”

When Eddie didn’t get a response, he walked right in with mop and bucket. The rec center liked to keep the area as dry as they could even though there were signs everywhere: CAUTION WET FLOOR.

He started by the showers and slowly made his way to the changing rooms, when he got to the last stall he actually found it locked.

Shit.

He hoped he didn’t have to crawl under the gap in the door to reach around and unlock it because little kids were shits. More than once Eddie had seen them lock the door and crawl out, leaving it locked and any appeals to their parents fell on deaf ears.

But as he crouched down to look he could hear the sounds of someone crying softly. He then spotted the soft shoes that a lot of the swim staff wore again, color coded like everything else in this place. White for trainer.

Eddie’s heart sank.

“Hey, Harrington, that you?” he called out gently. All their last names were on the backs of their polos.

There was a sniffle or two before the weak, “Yeah, yeah. Sorry, just give me a minute and I’ll be out of your way.”

The door opened and a very disheveled Steve came out of the stall, head down and shoulders rounded.

“You sick or something?” Eddie asked, tilting his head to get a better look at the man.

Steve let out a bitter laugh. “Yeah you can say that.” He went to the sinks and splashed water on his face couple of times before drying it on a paper towel and throwing it away.

Eddie watched as the trainer exited the changing rooms leaving him with more questions then he had answers.

~

Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15

Tag List: FIVE SLOTS REMAINING

1-@mira-jadeamethyst @rozzieroos @itsall-taken @redfreckledwolf @zerokrox-blog

2- @gregre369 ​@a-little-unsteddie @chaosgremlinmunson @messrs-weasley @cryptid-system

3- @maya-custodios-dionach @goodolefashionedloverboi @val-from-lawrence @carlyv @wonderland-girl143-blog

4- @justforthedead89 @irregular-child @bookbinderbitch @bookworm0690 @forgottenkanji

5- @anne-bennett-cosplayer @yikes-a-bee @awkwardgravity1 @littlewildflowerkitten @genderless-spoon

6- @dragonmama76 @ellietheasexylibrarian @thedragonsaunt @useless-nb-bisexual @disrespectedgoatman

7- @counting-dollars-counting-stars @tinyplanet95 @ravenfrog @swimmingbirdrunningrock @lingeringmirth

8- @gutterflower77 @a-lovely-craziness @just-a-tiny-void @w1ll0wtr33 @beelze-the-bubkiss

9- @chameleonhair @sadisticaltarts @dreamercec @xxfiction-is-my-realityxx @mac-attack19

[turretistrying]

Infected/Zombie Reader helping RE men (Leon K., Carlos O., & Ethan W.)

Somewhat based on that one zombie reader post by @qdbs-writes because honestly it was really cute and this idea has been bouncing in my brain for a bit. I’m going to preface that I’ve only played RE2R, but I have a vague understanding of the RE lore and stories, i’m only doing these three because I know them the best, if I knew chris better I would’ve added him

(this is just a suggestion but here’s what’s damaged on your zombie body: right eye gone, right cheek crewed off, left shoulder nearly gone, and several bites all around)

Leon S. Kennedy (RE2)

You’re one of the many, many, people who fled to the RPD to escape the growing hoards of zombies, unfortunately you were infected early on and hid out in one of the many storage rooms as you succumbed to the virus

…but your conscious stays somewhat intact, sure every thought is slower and less verbose but you still have some of it left, speaking is hard as well but you can speak to some degree

you stay on the third floor, observing Marvin and eventually Leon once he comes in

You’re enamored as soon as you see him, so you decide to try and help him as he goes through the entire RPD, placing some ammo here, some boards there, in general helping out behind the scenes despite how slow you move

This slowness bites you when you go down to the main hall to place a green and red plant you had found next to the typewriter, since Leon had been limping for quite awhile around the RPD

You gently place the two plants (still in the containers, you can’t grind them up due to the shakiness in your zombified hands) but you hear Leon coming down from the second floor library so you try and shuffle back into a room to hide again, until you hear the click of his gun

You turn around and see Leon, gun raised to likely give you a headshot like he’s given to plenty of the other zombies around (you know since you’ve seen plenty bodies with exploded heads..)

So you just, start shuffling backwards with arms raised in peace, mumbling ‘sorry.. sorry.. please, no.. hurt’ as best you can with your undead voice, which comes out pretty rough

Leon was about to shoot you but as soon as he saw you back away and mumble what sounded like human speech and not just growls and rumbles, so he lowers his gun slightly, tilting his head at you

You escape into the west office, and Leon fully lowers his gun and then looks at the plants you left him (he uses them, he’s not an idiot to ignore a healing item when he’s been at ‘danger’ for 2 hours)

When Leon unlocks the Goddess statue you come out from hiding and softly approach, and hand him some ammo and healing items “good.. byye..” you say to him look at him with your singular eye (you lost the other one when you got infected) before starting to walk off

Leon watches you walk away, about to hide again and he hesitates before saying “Wait, would you… like to come with me?”.

He watches you turn slightly and grumble “..you.. sure?”

He nods at you and you walk back up to him, and follow him as he goes down the stairs

Bonus:

During the G-3 fight you help by throwing yourself at him and stab one of the eyes with a knife Leon gave you, smiling in triumph when you stab an eye fully

Ada is very cautious and nearly shoots you several times, she thinks you’re just in the early stages of infection and she doesn’t want you killing her pawn (leon) before he gets the virus for her

When you get on the train Claire and Sherry are a bit wary of you but during the trip they start to like you, Leon’s account helps a lot as well

Carlos Oliveria (RE3)

Similar to Leon’s, you’re one of the people who fled to the RPD and got infected, and hid in a storage room (this storage room was clearly for all the Christmas decor… the bells gave it away)

You picked off the bells and kept them in a small box, as well as stealing post-it notes and a pen from the west office

From the second floor you watch Carlos and Tyrell make their way in, watching them scope out the place

As soon as you saw Carlos, you muttered under your breath “he..h.. scruffy..”

You noticed he was having a hard time with the Lickers, so you decided to make use of the bells you took, throwing them down hallways out of sight of Carlos so the Lickers chased the noise

He heard the chiming, making a remark like “The hell is that coming from?”

After awhile of doing this, you decided to just gift Carlos the bells

You place them on a desk with the brightest sticky note you could find

He finds it, noticing the stark contrast of the gloomy environment of the RPD, and reads the note

‘For the licks! Hold tighy in hnd then throw, it loud so they chse! : )’ was written on the note, it was hard to read being a shaky and messy handwriting but he got the general idea, chuckling at the squiggly smily face on it

He opens and sees 4 tiny golden bells

He looks around, hoping to maybe find who put it there but finds nothing, nothing but a hunched over dead (?) zombie next to the desk “Whoever put this here, Thanks, and thanks for probably being the reason for saving my ass a few times”

He leaves and you say to the air “no.. problemmm..!”

You start following him around and so he eventually notices you, and nearly shoots you on the spot before you move your hand to ring the golden bell you kept and attached to a string as a necklace

He relaxes a bit but keeps his guard up until he realizes that you’re just an innocent smart (questionable) zombie!

Bonus:

Before realizing that you weren’t gonna hurt him, he really thought you were because you kept staring up at his head… In reality you just really wanted to pet his hair, but because words are hard when you’re a zombie and you didn’t wanna get shot you just didn’t say anything

(You eventually did get to touch his hair, muttering a “soooft.. so.. soooft!”)

In that helicopter cutscene when Nicholai is about to shoot Jill, you jump from nowhere and tackle the guy by the neck; Carlos shouts in exclamation “Hell yeah! Get him!” before Nicholai punches your jaw right off (ouch)

Ethan Winters (RE7)

In this case you’re kinda like Ethan if he didn’t get all his memory and body transferred (does.. does that make sense???)

Since the moment Ethan stepped into the Baker House, you’ve been watching him

While you can’t remember most of your past, you know you were human like him, and watching him brings you a sense of… comfort. So you watch as he explores the house, trying to find Mia

Sometimes you forget what you’re doing and make noise, making Ethan more paranoid as he goes through the house (you felt bad every time you accidentally spooked him)

Watching him getting attacked by Mia was a nightmare, and you felt like you shouldn’t intervene… until Mia stabbed him in the hand

You emerged from the shadows (and mold..) and pulled her off of Ethan, giving a soft growl at her before she tried to attack you. You sidestepped and pushed her into the wall, which caused her to knock her head against the wall and faint

You stared down at her before turning to Ethan, who was a bit put off by your appearance

“You’re… hurt. Follow.” and you start walking to where a first aid liquid was hidden away and hand it to him

After patching him up you go over to the boarded up door and started to remove the wood with ease, before Mia got back up and threw Ethan through the nearly open door. You yelp (with some scratchiness) at that before running up to try and help, but then Ethan swung an axe into her neck.

You look at him and see the horror in his eyes at what he’s just done, you reach out to touch his back before slightly withdrawing; “you… oo-kay?” You asked in a low voice, and he shook his head before standing up and making his way deeper into the house, fully ignoring you after that.

So you follow, wanting to make sure he’s okay. He’s the only thing human in this house (for now)

Then Mia comes back again, of course, stabbing Ethan in the hand with a screwdriver this time. You run up and start trying to pry it out of the wall and his hand, before you see Mia coming with a chainsaw. She slashes with the chainsaw, cutting you in half at the shoulder before hitting Ethan’s wrist.

You blackout for awhile, coming to after about an hour as your body of mold stitches itself back together into one solid form again

Submerging into the mold, you reform in the living room adjacent to the nightmare dining room, seeing the back of Ethan tied in one of the chairs

You carefully untie him from the chair, before being noticed Marguerite pulled you up by the hair unto the table

You reach into a clump of mold and pull a smoke bomb before pulling Ethan out of the chair and away

From there on you helped him the best you could

Bonus:

You alway try and take the hits for him, he’s still fleshy and human, you can take it! He’s still worried for you despite the fact you can patch yourself back together.

When Ethan dies and becomes mold, you feel bad for him. You don’t tell him, since if he thinks he’s still human, then he’s still human to you.

After the BSAA comes you don’t know what to do, you assume you’re going to be left there or be experimented on… but Ethan calls your name (that you told him at some point, it’s one of the only things you have left from before being molded) and gestures you to come with him, you come close before fearfully looking at Chris, but he just nods and lets you on the helicopter.

OKAY WOW this is… something. I don’t know. I kinda gave up in that last one despite Ethan being my favorite next to Leon. I really hope, that this is good, im some way, amd i hope i didnt totally screw the canon, ahhh. Hope people like thissss,,, would’ve done art but i’ve got art block

[razorblade180]

Home Sick

[inn room]

Stelle:*walks in* I’m back…

Dan Heng:Find anything entertaining for yourself?

Stelle:I am entertainment.*lays down* What I found was fleeting distraction. Emphasis on fleeting. *hands over face*

Dan Heng:Are…Are you okay? You’re not your typical playful self. Even when you’re doing work.

Stelle:…I hate it here.

Dan Heng:What?

Stelle:I said I hate Amphoreus. *sits up* The conflicts, the betrayals, the senseless death and uncertainty. Not to mention I got a dose of memories about someone I thought I hate! Let’s not forget, all these grand mechanisms and yet nothing to get in contact with the Express! The others probably saw us get shot for all we know! What if-

Dan Heng grabs her by the shoulders, causing her to flinch. She didn’t even notice he had gotten so close, or the obvious look of concern on his face. Stelle looked down at her hands to find them trembling.

Stelle:Hehe…been awhile since I’ve this worn out. *tearing up* I’m loosing my head.

Dan Heng:I’ve never seen you look like this to begin with.

Stelle:That’s what happens when you stay on the train while people start dying in a dream. Caelus and Himeko had to calm me down. Maybe I should’ve followed your example for once and stayed behind? I…I really miss those two right now. Same with March and Welt.

Dan Heng:…I miss them too.

Stelle:I’m sorry you’re stuck here with me of all people. *covers face* Caelus is far better at planning ahead between the two of us. Here I am, leading the charge into battles like always but I can’t begin to make heads or tails of the bigger picture. It’s so exhausting!

Dan Heng:You’re not doing this alone.

Stelle:I’m not doing any of it! That’s the issue! *looks at him* Before we knew it, the two of us bound and headed towards execution as means for someone else’s agenda; my gut knew something was off but in the end we-

Dan Heng: Outwitting Lady Aglea isn’t something either of us were prepared for. Let’s not forget, we are on an unknown planet having to learn everything as things develop. Playing it by ear is all we can do, and we’ve both been doing a pretty good job in my opinion.

Stelle:How can you still be so level headed despite everything?

Dan Heng:You make it easy. Even if I were used to be sociable, I’m nowhere near as captivating and genuine as you are. You and March have that quality in spades. Though between you and I, you’re the bolder one. I doubt she’d roll with the punches as well as you do.

Stelle:Yeah well, that’s what happens when you take most of the fighting requests instead of management. Kinda regretting it though. *wipes tears* Maybe I shouldn’t have put so many management tasks off onto Caelus. It’s so weird; being away from him this long has really worn me out. I wonder if he’s feeling the same?

Dan Heng:Perhaps since the two of you are connected, being apart is having some sort of impact we weren’t aware of.

Stelle:To be honest, I’m just an anxious person at heart. I just also happen to be incredibly funny so nobody notices.

Dan Heng:Funny is…one way to describe your personality.

Stelle:Heh. Dan Heng, I’m really glad you’re here. Although if I’m being real, seeing you freak out would make me feel like I’m not losing my mind. This place is crazy.

Dan Heng:Hehe, well I’m not sure what your definition of “freaking out” would look like, but I’ll admit it, you might find what you’re looking for if I don’t get to sleep under a night sky soon. It’s far too bright here for my liking. *smiles* We’ll get through this and see everyone again.

Stelle:Thanks. I…know you’re not much of hugger, but-

His arms wrap around her without a second thought. Stelle immediately does the same to him, firmly holding onto Dan Heng as a shaky breath leaves her lungs. He might’ve hugged her for as long as she needed to, but Stelle still chose to end the embrace first.

Stelle:I probably look like shit right now, don’t I?

Dan Heng:You look like a Trailblazer charting the course. Get some rest. When you wake up we can eat; maybe find some distraction together until it’s time for the next step.

Stelle:Sounds like a plan. Night, or I guess, see you later. You’re right. Constant daylight sucks.

Dan Heng:Hehe, perhaps it’s stopped you from getting proper rest too? Goodnight, Stelle.

She lays back down, her body feeling a little lighter than before and her eyelids a lot heavier. Dan Heng returns to his favorite spot on the balcony. He can’t help but sigh. Genuine was the right word to describe Stelle. It’s not that he hid his worries better. Far from it. He simply wasn’t as expressive about the sheer chaos unfolding. Still, what he said wasn’t a lie either. He had full confidence in their ability to persevere and reunite with everyone. Whenever that may be.

Dan Heng:I hope all of you are fairing better than we are.

xxxxx

Outside of a sleeping young woman’s frigid room, Caelus sat with his back against the cold metal door as he stared off into the stars towards Amphoreus. At this point, the unknown felt more inviting than the idling he was forced to do. Still, he would wait to lend a hand. It could be for March’s sake, his far off friends, or both. Regardless, he would do his best and wait.

Caelus:Stay strong everyone.

[bangtanhoneys]

BTS & Grace: BTS Songs

SEOKJIN - EPIPHANY

The piano stared at him. 

Well, he stared at the piano in the most accusing stare he could produce. It had been awhile since he played anything, and the last time had been a bit of fun before he had to go and do his military duty. Now that he was out and now in production for his first solo album, his skills seemed to have vanished. 

“What’s the piano done?” Grace asked, putting the iced coffee on the table of the practice studio and kicking off her shoes. 

“Hmm? Oh, I feel like I’ve forgotten how to play,” Seokjin admitted as his long fingers hit the keys in what he thought was the correct pattern, but it didn’t sound right. 

Grace said nothing as she sat on the piano bench and glanced at the music score set out, realising he had been trying to play Epiphany. A special song to both of them if the tattoo on her ribs was any indication. 

“So you’ve forgotten how to play, or are you not confident?” She asked, glancing up at her partner for many, many, years. 

“I’m confident! I’m World Wide Handsome! I’m always confident!”

The stare he got in return had Seokjin deflating as he sat on the chair that was next to the piano. “Okay, I’m nervous. That’s probably the right word.”

Grace knew a little of what Seokjin was feeling. He was the last one to bring out an album, and there were very high expectations from everyone: from himself, from the fans, from the boys, from the company. He hadn’t exactly had time to hone his skills again after coming out of the military, as he had jumped face-first into other projects, but as Grace knew, trying to do an album that fully displayed all your skills was a hard thing to do.

She didn’t fully know how to play the piano; her skills were more in her voice and dancing rather than an instrument. But, for Seokjin, she could try.

“Let’s sing it first,” she said as she got comfortable.

The first notes of Epiphany started, and Grace didn’t look at Seokjin, keeping her eyes fully focused on the keys and the notes. And it was if by instinct that the lyrics flowed from Seokjin without any trouble. She knew the more he sang it, the more he would feel comfortable, the more he would be inclined to touch the piano, the more other lyrics would come to him for his future album. 

He just had to have his little epiphany first. 

YOONGI - DAECHWITA

Grace still didn’t know how she managed to find herself on the set of Yoongi’s new music video but here she was, sitting in the director’s tent as she watched the camera be set up for the cameo of Jungkook and Jin who would ‘perform’ behind Yoongi. 

The energy on set was unmatched and she could see props being carried around, costumes being adjusted and Yoongi being run through what was the next couple of scenes. For Grace, she was here as moral support. She didn’t have to do anything other than watch, drink tea, offer a suggestion every now and then and laugh at the beard they had managed to stick to Jin’s chin. 

It did look good to be fair, if he could grow one properly. 

Next to Grace was one of her favourite directors and long time BTS collaborator, Lumpens. His eye for detail and hidden meanings was well known amongst the fandom and Grace wondered what hidden details he would manage to slip into this movie video. 

A historic battle between Suga and AgustD, his two personas - modern and old. 

Daechwita was becoming one of Grace’s favourite songs to hit the gym with. 

“Are you sure you don’t want a cameo?” 

Grace glanced over and shook her head as Yoongi stood next to the monitors, watching as the crowd was being set up along the lane. “I’m good, thanks. Jungkook and Jin are pretty much going to steal the show at this point and you’ve done most of the work. Plus, it’s not like I can slip in un-noticed.”

“You could be the concubine,” Lumpens teased.

The snort of laughter was almost missed as Grace gasped in mocked outrage. “Concubine? Here I thought I would have the higher role of queen, thank you very much.”

Yoongi’s shoulders shook with laughter as he left the area, hurrying over to tell his hyung and maknae what had just happened.

“Concubine,” Grace muttered to herself as she huffed and crossed her arms. Little did she know, less than a year later, she would be performing said song on stage and modernly dressed as a concubine but hidden by a fan until revealed later on in her verse. 

But for now, as she watched the scene revealing Jin and Jungkook, she couldn’t help but mutter again, “Concubine,” with a pout. 

J-HOPE - BOY MEETS EVIL 

The video was never meant to see the light of day, after it was deemed by the company to be too sexy, but with Grace’s solo career about to start and Hobi now about to be discharged, Big Hit Entertainment finally released the full version of Boy Meets Evil with Grace in it. 

It caused a storm on social media after many watched the video, now fully understanding why they had seen the behind the scenes video but not the actual thing. 

“Here’s my dance partner,” Hobi told the camera with a big grin on his face, as if he didn’t know what exactly was about to happen. 

“We’ve gone full sexy for this one,” Grace sighed as her lips were touched up with bright red and her hair that had been newly dyed red with black highlights was fluffed up. She was dressed similar to Hobi, but in black leather pants and a loose white blouse, bright red heels on her feet. 

While her vocals were in Boy Meets Evil, but in the background and somewhat disguised, Grace’s character was heavily influenced in the WINGS album and story. Her video for her solo song, Dangerous Woman, would be the introduction to Hobi’s video which is why the team thought it would be a good idea to film a version of Boy Meets Evil with Grace in it. 

The choreography had been confirmed only two days ago with Grace’s moves to match Hobi’s and there was one move which Grace knew would cause a ruckus, when Hobi would bend his knees to the floor, she would be laid on his back with her chest to the ceiling and her hand reaching up.

It was daring, perfect for the themes but maybe it was too daring. 

“Sexy is fun though. It’s been awhile since we’ve seen dark red Grace. Danger has come back,” Hobi teased which brought a small laugh out of Grace. It wasn’t that was unused to being sexy, she had to do it for Skool Luv Affair and Dark & Wild but this was sexy to the extreme. The dance routine for Blood, Sweat and Tears was proof of that.

NAMJOON - PERSONA

The final selection of different recordings of Namjoon’s solo and the introduction to the new album played over the speakers in the recording studio with PDogg and Hiss Noise at the deck as they twiddled with a couple of buttons and sliders. So far, it was sounding good with the samples of Intro: Skool Luv Affair but it was clear they were missing something as Namjoon had dragged Grace into the studio with him for the last recording day. 

“I think it sounds great, what’s missing?” Grace asked when the song was finished playing.

“There’s just something missing,” PDogg shrugged as he played the song again and got to the part of the song that was clearly troubling him. It was the third verse after the chorus and Grace frowned, not sure what could be missing that was needed to give the extra jump. 

“Maybe you need a bit of a high pitched ‘woh’,” she suggested. “Every after line of Joon’s, just add that in so it adds that emphasis on what he’s saying.”

Clearly, from the look on the three men’s faces, that had been the perfect suggestion as Grace then found herself in the booth with headphones on and a sheet of lyrics in front of her. She’d be in there for another three hours as they played around with different tones, different sounds, going high, going low but it was always over the same part.

“My name is R,” played in Grace’s ears as she waited for the parts where she thought she could add that bit of extra something to the third verse and after doing it for the final time, the producers plus Namjoon were satisfied.

“Ah thank you Gigi,” Namjoon beamed as he all but slumped into the chair.

“I’ve never done so many woh in my life,” she sighed but at least the song was done and marked for completion. She just had to go and finish her own now. 

JIMIN - LIE

WINGS was a major project, and it had Grace being pulled each way. She was in discussions over costumes, doing research with Namjoon to figure out the major points of what was the 'story’ behind the album, and while all that was going on, she was in discussions over her ‘character’ and her own solo song for the album.

Which is why Jimin felt bad when he came to the small office that had been her old office from her secretary days and now turned into a small studio. One wall was covered in images that helped with inspiration, and the computer on the desk was currently playing the instrumental version of Blood, Sweat and Tears while printing out various pages of something in English.

“Noona?” Jimin asked, poking his head around the doorway after gently knocking on the frame. 

Grace glanced up from where she was highlighting something and arched an eyebrow, knowing full well Jimin should be in recording right now. “Everything okay?” she asked, putting down the highlighter and swinging her chair around. 

“PDogg has a special request,” the young man sighed.

She snorted and grinned, shaking her head. “I bet he does. What do you need?”

“There are these parts in the song where we need ‘a haunting female vocal,’ his words not mine and he’s tried to replicate what he wants and I’ve tried but we can’t quite make it work,” Jimin pulled out his phone and pressed play on what had been recorded in the session.

The vocals were the opener to what would then be LIE, Jimin’s solo song, and the vocals would haunt the rest of the song. PDogg had tried to pull off an almost operatic ‘yeah’ in some parts, but with the way Jimin winced, it clearly didn’t work.

“Okay, let me see what he wants me to do, and let’s see if it works. I’ve got an hour spare before I’m dragged to another meeting with Namjoon,” she sighed as she grabbed her WINGS notebook and her cardigan, swinging it on just before Jimin flung his arms around her.

“Ah noona, you’re the best. I’m going to owe you one if this works.”

What Grace managed to produce in an hour was kept on the final edition of the track. Many would compliment the way it made perfect sense to have her do those parts to accompany what her ‘character’ represented throughout the whole album and BTS universe. 

TAEHYUNG - INNER CHILD

“You want me to sing the whole song with you?”

Grace was a bit astonished when she had been pulled into another meeting with the producers and the team behind Map of the Soul 7.

“Well, sort of. We’re going to mix your vocals in with Taehyung’s and this is at his request because he feels like he can’t do the song justice without your vocals alongside him,” PDogg shrugged.

“But his version is amazing and he’s a talented singer without me and anyone else backing his vocals up,” Grace tried to argue but she knew better than to argue with Taehyung over what he wanted. It was his solo song on the album and while she had provided vocals for nearly everyone else, Taehyung was one of the few who asked. But if wanted Grace on this song, doing what she used to do best, then that’s exactly what she would do. 

The next day, in the recording studio, Taehyung was already in the booth and waiting.

“You’re here early,” Grace chuckled as she shrugged off her coat and set her tea down on a table off to the side.

“It’s not often I get to sing fully with my noona,” he grinned. 

With headphones on and a sheet of paper handed over to her where Taehyung had underlined the lyrics where he wanted to hear her voice as well as notes on where her backing vocals were needed, Grace settled herself on the chair in the booth next to Taehyung.

And in the final edit of the track, you could tell it was a female’s voice but they had mixed it in a way that you couldn’t quite tell it was Grace’s. Hidden but there and for those who knew Grace’s vocals well, they could easily hear her by the time verse three rolled around as she clearly sang with Taehyung. 

JUNGKOOK - SHOT GLASS OF TEARS

They were known for being able to sing a rough guide of a song and make it something magical. Any song Namjoon, Yoongi, J-Hope, PDogg, PDBang or anyone sent to them - let them just sing it and the song made itself. With Jungkook’s perfect pitch and Grace’s adaptability from English to Korean, they made a good team.

When it came to Golden and the final song of the album, there was only one person Jungkook wanted to do his background vocals for him. It wasn’t like any of the other producers argued with him either, he was all the way in Korea and they were in America and so Jungkook sent out the special request to his noona. 

The answer, as expected, was a resounding yes.

Grace, personally, thought that she didn’t need to do much as she sat there with the headphones on and listened to what was being called the last rough cut. She could hear Jungkook’s own background vocals blending in and she glanced at the sheet where there had been notes on what she needed to do.

“I’m proud of you,” she said suddenly as Jungkook joined her in the booth to act as a vocal director for her. He blinked and turned bashful, knowing this album was completely unexpected of him with its suggestive lyrics and cursing but he was an adult now and Grace was starting to see that. 

She reached over and gently pinched his cheek, causing him to frown at her. “Come on,” she laughed and pulled the microphone closer. “Tell me where you want noona to do what she needs to do.”

[yourlocalmerchgirl]

Congrats on 100 followers 🥳 Could i please request Rafael Barba with enemies to lovers/smut? Maybe reader is a detective and they’re constantly butting heads over cases and they’re forced to work together on his office on a case to sort it out and things progress from there 😏

Anon! Thank you so much for this task! It was so nice to write someone thing for Barba again 🫶 I’m so sorry that it took me awhile to get this to you! I started one but didn’t like how it was coming out so I started over and came up with this. It’s a little different than you asked for it’s more lovers-enemies-lovers with smut and a healthy does of everyone’s favorite bestie Carisi! I really hope your enjoying it. If not I can try to write something else for you!

Warning: MDNI 18+ NSFW

Fighting, mentions of alcohol. Undefined age gap. Mentions of therapy. Reconnecting. Strong language. Unprotected P in v. Pet names

You were getting ready to go out, so excited to see your old friends. One of your best friends bands was touring and they were playing in the city tonight. You hadn’t seen any of them since the last time they came through and they called to ask if you’d come out and run their merch table for the night. Rafael wasn’t super happy about you going. With the types of cases he dealt with every day he always worried about you when you went out without him. You didn’t go out often like this unless you had friends coming through to visit.

“What’s the plan again?” he said for piece of mind.

“I’m walking to the venue now while it’s light out to meet up with everyone for a pre show dinner. Then Carisi is going to pick me up after since it’s right near the station and bring me home. If he doesn’t the band will bring me home or I’ll just walk to the station”

“You know I can come pick you up?”

“I know, I asked Carisi because I know you’ve been working so late and are stressed with work, so I’m just trying to let you rest”

“I’m not going to get any rest worrying about you”

“Rafa, I’m going to be fine. This isn’t my first time on earth” you giggled

“I’ve gotta get going to dinner, I love you!” You said as you stopped to give him a big hug and a kiss.

—————-time lapse————

The show had just started and you were all set up at the merch table.

9:30 Carisi: Hey, it’s been a quiet night so I’m out now. You want some company or I can come back later for you.

9:31 (Y/N): yea! Come check out the show, I think you’ll like it. You can help me sell merch!

9:32 (Y/N): I put your name on the guest list. So just give the door guy your name and they’ll let you in.

About 15 minutes later Sonny shows up, a couple drinks in hand. “This is awesome! Are these your friends?” He said excitedly. “I got you a drink if you’d like one”

“Sure, Thank you! My friends are up next”

You didn’t drink much but you, Rafael and Sonny went out for drinks sometimes so he knew what you drank.

Your friends band takes the stage and you guys are having a blast. After they played Carisi bought a round of drinks for the band and the two of you. You were so excited to see him having such a good time and you were excited to have people from both of your worlds together.

You guys were all hanging out around the merch table with the band and this guy comes up and starts talking to you.

“Are you here with anyone? Can I buy you a drink?”

With out thinking you reach for Carisi’s hand, who’s standing behind you. When you do he turns around and puts his arm around you while your still holding his other hand.

“Sorry I’m here with my boyfriend” you said

Carisi pips up with a “beat it pal she’s taken.”

The guy apologizes and walks away. Your thanking Carisi for going along with it when your hear someone yell “what the fuck is going on here” You turn around to see Rafael. “Why is your arm around her?!” He yelled.

“Rafael it’s not what you think, please don’t yell.” You said. You could feel your face turning beat red. Everyone was staring at what was going on.

“Well it certainly looks like you two have something going on behind my back”

“W-what? Rafa do you hear….”

“Get your stuff we’re leaving” he said cutting you off.

The car ride home was silent, neither of you said a word. You just sat there looking out the window not even looking at him. He barely put the car in park before you got out and headed inside to the elevator. He caught up to you while you were waiting for the elevator.

“So your not just not going to say anything?”

“I’m not doing this right now. I’m not going to get into a screaming match with you in the common areas of our building. It’s late, I’m not going to ruin anyone else’s night with this.”

Once inside our apartment he started in again. “So how long have you and Sonny had this thing going on?”

“There’s nothing going on with Sonny”

“Your really going to stand here and tell me that holding hands all cozy with my best friend is nothing?”

“It’s late and I’ve been drinking. I don’t really want to get into a screaming match with you over nothing right now. This guy was bothering me so I told him Sonny was my boyfriend. That’s literally all it is.”

“You expect me to believe that” he sneered

“Jesus Christ Rafa! I’m not fucking Sonny and Sonny is not fucking me! I was just trying to keep myself safe from someone who was bothering me, if you refuse to stop and think about things rationally and listen to me then that’s not my fucking problem.”

“If that’s true, then why the fuck was he there already? I though he was just giving you a ride home” he shouted with so much anger in his voice. The tone of his voice made your eyes well up with tears.

“He texted me part way threw and said it was a slow night, he was out early so he came to the show.

He just stared at you, like he didn’t believe you.

“I don’t know what you want me to fucking say Rafael if you don’t believe me ask Liv. We all know you love talking to her anyways.” You regretted it as soon as it left your lips. You didn’t mean for it to come out that way.

“Don’t ever fucking say that again he shouted before smashing the glass of scotch he had in his hand against the wall.

Compete shock rushed over your face. He had never done anything like that before.

He looked over at you to see you start trembling. You could feel your chest start to feel tight as a rush of dizziness followed right behind it. You knew you were having a panic attack.

“C-Cariño are you ok? I…I don’t know what came over me” his voice cracked.

You couldn’t get any words out, you just sat there trembling with you head in your hands trying to breath normal.

“Are you having a panic attack, let me help you Cariño”

Your head sprang up fast when you heard his foot steps getting closer to you.

“Don’t fucking come near me Rafa” you said putting your hand out to stop him.

He stopped dead in his tracks his eyes filled with tears and regret.

“I need to lay down, this is all to much for me right now, I need to relax so I can get this panic attack to subside.”

“Let’s go to bed” he said reaching out his hand for you.

“I…I’m more comfortable staying out here”

You curled up on the couch and stayed there until he finally shut off the lights and went to bed. You knew he would never be physical with you but the whole situation really shook you up. His wanting to protect you from the world was turning into jealously and it was escalating.

1:10am (Y/n): I’m really sorry about the situation tonight. I didn’t want any of that to happen. I was just trying to be safe.

1:11am Carisi: I’m very sorry too. I’ve never seen him like that before. Are you ok?

1:12 (Y/N): I’m really shook up, we got into a really bad argument once we got home. I really don’t think I can stay here right now. Do you think your brother in law would let you borrow his truck?

1:13 (Y/N): I don’t know where I’m going to go but Rafa and I need sometime apart.

1:15 Carisi: Stay here, you’ll have our own space and all the time you need to figure things out. I insist, I want you to be safe and feel safe. Can I ask did something happen? Did he hurt you? I’ll come there now.

1:15 (Y/N) I can’t do that to you, he already doesn’t believe that nothing was going on he might never speak to you again if I move in there. I don’t want to do that to you. No he didn’t hurt me.

1:16 Carisi: I’m not just his friend. Your my best friend as well. Your like my little sister and to me this is part of the promise I made him a long time ago that if he wasn’t around for any reason I’d do everything in my power to keep you safe.

As you wake up to a knocking on the door, you realize you must of finally let your body fall sleep. As you walk towards the door you hoped it wasn’t one of the neighbors that heard the fight last night. You didn’t even notice what time it was. You were still wearing last night clothes. You must of fallen a sleep in them. You catch your reflection in the mirror in the hallway. Your eyes were puffy and red from crying. You don’t bother checking the peep hole to see who it was. You open the door slowly to see Carisi standing there. “Shit shit shit is it already that time” you though to yourself. You hadn’t gotten any of your stuff ready. Looking down at your feet “I’m really sorry I have nothing ready yet, I woke up to you knocking on the door. I must of finally fallen asleep and not woken up when Rafael was getting ready for work.”

“It ok, I brought some boxes for you, I thought you might need some I don’t mind helping you”

You go into the bedroom and start packing up your clothes and personal items out of the bathroom while Carisi packed up your stuff from the rest of the house. Most stuff was Rafael’s or your stuff together so you didn’t have a ton of just your own stuff. The two of you finished packing and got the truck loaded up. “Go ahead down and I’ll be down in a minute, I want to leave a note for Rafa.”

Rafael,

I think it’s best for us to take a break and for me to not live here right now. I’m truly sorry for what was said on my part to upset you. You are my world but I need to figure out what’s best for me.

♥️ Cariño

The car ride to Carisi’s place was quiet. You were just so mentally and physically exhausted, your heart hurt and you really just didn’t know what to say.

You guys got everything all moved into the your new room, it would just take time to get settled. Carisi had gone out before he picked you up and bought you a bed so that would have one.

You were eating dinner in your room with the door shut. Not because you didn’t want to eat with Sonny but because you were trying to decompress from the last couple of days and just zone out without having to talk. You also didn’t want Sonny to see that you weren’t very hungry because you didn’t want him to worry.

You start To doze off when you hear Rafael’s voice talking to Sonny.

“Do you know where (Y/N) is? She moved her stuff out but I don’t know where she went.”

“She…she is here, but I’m not really sure if she wants to talk to you right now”

“What do you mean?”

“I should of known she was here, where is she? Is she in your bedroom?”

You here foot steps start to move around.

You open your door and step into the doorway.

“It’s ok Sonny I’ll talk to him….as you can see I’m here in my own room. Not in Sonny’s room because once again we’re not together.” You say with complete exhaustion in your voice.

Sonny goes into is room shutting the door to give you privacy but knowing he would come right out if things got heated.

“I got the note you left” he said talking it out of the pocket of his dress pants.

“If your not messing around with Carisi then why did you move in here?”

“Because I needed somewhere safe to live while I figure out what to do.”

Cutting him off as he started to speak.

“And before you start. I’m not saying it’s not safe at home. I’m saying we need some time apart to work on ourselves before we think about getting back together.”

“I-I just don’t get it. I don’t understand why you needed to move out and move in here if nothings going on. We can work things out.”

“If you don’t understand why you smashing a glass against the wall in our kitchen wouldn’t absolutely terrify for me, then I just don’t know what else to say to you. I shouldn’t of made the comment I did about Olivia. I admit that and I’m sorry that I said it, I regretted it the second that I did. But the anger in you voice and in your eyes that night when you threw that glass was scary. I’ve never seen that in you before. You got so heated about a situation you wouldn’t even let me explain to you. So I felt it was best to leave for a while. I love you so much Rafa, but the way our relationship has been functioning for a while now isn’t healthy for either one of us. We both need to work on ourselves if this is going to work. You need to work on not treating everyone in your life like there a victim from one of your cases. You need to trust people more and not work yourself to death constantly. That night I did something I’ve been doing since I first started going out to concerts with my friends, which was tell any guy that was being creepy or making me nervous that I was dating which ever guy friend I was there with so that they would back off or leave me alone. It’s simply something I’ve done to keep myself safe over the years.” By this point tears are streaming down your face. Sonny must hear you crying because he comes out of his room.

“It’s ok (Y/N) go into your room I’ll check on you when he leaves” he says softly before turning to Rafael.

“Think you should go Barba, the last few days have been a lot for the both of you.”

“I-I fucked up so bad Carisi”

“If she needs time and space then give her time and space. It’s apparent to anyone who sees you guys that you two are madly in love. You just need some time apart to work on yourselves and if meant to be, you guys will find yourselves back to each other. Until then I will keep my promise to you and keep her safe anyway I can and make sure she has what she needs.”

t felt good to be back home in Manhattan, you had been back and getting settled in for a week. You had been in (state or country) helping Casey after the birth of her baby and loss of her husband for the last nine months. But you came back when her mom was able to move out there with her. It’s was a nice cool fall day, your birthday was in a couple of days so you decided to go to your favorite coffee shop, grab a drink and wonder around. When you walked in your favorite baristas we’re excited to see you. “(Y/N) your back! Would you like your usual?!” One shouted. You pay and move to the pick up counter to wait for your order.

“Here’s your order (Y/N)” “Thank you, I can’t believe you guys remember my order” you say smiling from ear to ear.

As your putting your straw in your drink you hear a voice from behind you.

“Cariño is that you?”

You don’t even have to turn around to know who it is.

“Rafa!” You exclaim as you turn around with a smile, and without thinking you put arms open to give a hug.

He squeezes you tighter than he ever had before. The biggest smile across his face.

“I’m surprised to see you here” you say.

He blushes a little “ well I started coming here after you left to work on cases…it reminded me of you. I-I didn’t know you were back”

“ I’ve only been back for a week” you reply.

“Would you want to take our coffees and go for a walk around Central Park? I hear the trees are beautiful right now.” He asks nervously rubbing the back of his neck, something he always did when he was nervous.

You grab your stuff turn back around and reply “I would love that” unable to control your smile.

You underestimated how happy you would be to see him, to hear his voice.

“Ok, I’ll grab my stuff and we can go!”the smile never leaving his face.

“Shall we” he says holding his out hand to motion leaving.

“We shall”

He held the door open for you as you guys made your way to the park.

You two wonder around the park chatting. You start fawning over the colors of all the leaves.

He lets out a chuckle with a warm smile.

“What?” You reply chuckling yourself.

“You’re so cute when you get excited about something that you love. It always makes me happy seeing you so happy and filled with excitement about something.”

You blush not really sure what to say. You manage to softly say “Thank you” as you try to stop from completely turning red.

“I always loved our fall trips upstate to go to all the farm stands around your birthday, so we could get all the fall treats”

Him saying fall treats remind you that you have a apple hand pie still from the coffee shop in you purse.

“Well speaking of fall treats” you say pulling the hand pie out of your purse. You both bust out laughing about it.

“Want half?” You say as you break it is half.

“Your so damn funny” he says as he takes the half.

“What can I say I like to make people laugh.” You say teasing.

“Want to go sit by the water and watch the ducks?” You suggest

“Sure, I’d love too” he reply’s

You two find a bench to sit at away from everyone else.

“We’re you back home staying with family when you were away?”

“Oh Sonny didn’t tell you? I thought for sure he was telling everyone”

“No I didn’t ask him anything other than how you were, I didn’t want him to feel any pressure”

“No I was in (state or country) staying with Casey”

“I was out there helping her out with her new baby”

“Did her husband recover from his accident?”

“I can’t believe you remembered about his accident”

“No…no he didn’t….he passed a couple weeks after I-I…after I moved out” you said looking down at ground. It made you sad thinking about both events. Not wanting to be reminded of either. Tears started to slowly fall from your cheeks. You try to turn away so that he doesn’t see you, but he does. He reached his hand over gently whipping the tears from your face. You lean into his hand a little, you missed everything about him. He slides closer to you on the bench putting his hand on your thigh, hoping you meant to lean into his hand. You leaned your head down onto his shoulder. You both let out a comforting sigh at the same time. You lift

you head up to look at him.

“Cariño I am so sorry for everything that happened. I regret the the moment I ever started treating you like that. But most of all I regret the night I smashed that glass and scared you. I’ve thought about that moment and the look in your eyes since the day you left. I fucked up, I know I did, I’ll never forgive myself for that. But I’ve been working on myself to change for the better. After the way we left things with our final conversation, it made me realize how jaded work and all the cases were making me. I realized I truly was treating everyone in my life like victims in my cases. I was running myself ragged, not taking care of myself properly which made me on edge and angry all the time. I’ve started going to therapy every other week, a couple days a week I don’t work as late and if I am going to work late I’ve been trying to bring it home with me more or go the coffee shop instead of just going to the bar and doing it. Which in turn has made me cut back on drinking. I’ve missed you terribly (Y/n)”

“Oh Rafa I’ve missed you terribly too” you say reaching up to cup his face in your hand, caressing his cheek with your thumb.

“I’ve been really hard to work on myself too. I also started going therapy while I was out there. I found a therapist from here that would do virtual session so that when I came back I could still go. I’ve been focusing on trying not to hold things in until I snap and everything comes out wrong. It’s a work in progress but I’m trying hard. Some of the things I’ve said to you or the way I acted wasn’t fair and for that I’ll always feel guilty for.”

He puts his arm around you and pulls you close to him squeezing you tightly.

He puts his head in the crook of your neck, you could feel his warm breath lightly on your neck. You two stay like that for a few minutes melting into each others arms.

Your phone rings and you step aside to answer it. He hears you say, “I’ll be home for dinner, why are you being so weird” before saying bye see you soon as you hang up.

You walk back over to the bench and sit down.

“Your boyfriend?” He asks nervously rubbing the back of his neck.

You turn to him quickly while scrunching your face up at him.

“No you loser, it was just Carisi.” You say teasing. Followed by “I haven’t been seeing anyone” in a softer tone.”

The look of relief washed over his face.

“Me either” he said softly.

“Did you get invited to dinner at Sonny’s tonight by chance?”

“I did…” a puzzled look on his face.

“He’s up to something he’s been weird all week since I got back…I think he’s planning something for my birthday”

“ Yea I was under the impression that we were video chatting with you for you birthday”

“Who’s we?” You ask inquisitively.

He shrugs knowing he probably said to much but he was also equally confused.

4:15 Carisi: When you get here will you come in and get her to wait a a few minutes and then have her come in? It throws the plan all off you guys seeing each other lol. Everyone else doesn’t know she will be here and she doesn’t know everyone will be here it’s a surprise for her but there’s also a surprise for everyone.

4:25 Barba: she knows somethings up but sure I’ll get her to do that. Sorry, weren’t expecting to run into each other. But I have to say it’s so nice to see her.

He stands up from the bench, and holds out his hand. “Shall we? I’ll walk with you” he says, not wanting to be apart from you. He wanted to hold on to the feeling of being in your company again for the first time all over again.

You look up at him with a smile, the sun lit his face up perfectly. “I’d love that.” You say as you take his hand and stand to meet him. He quickly laces his fingers with yours causing you two to hold hands. You didn’t even flinch, it just felt right. You guys just strolling through the city holding hands making your way back to Carisi’s apartment. It felt as though time stopped and you two were the only people on the planet.

“Ok so Carisi wants me to go in, have you wait 10 minutes and then you come in. Don’t ask me why.”

“Hahaha ok”

So he goes inside, you hang out in the lobby of the building for 10 minutes then head up to the apartment.

You unlock the door and slowly open it to a dark apartment. You turn around shut the door and take your shoes off. As you turn back around all the lights flick on and everyone jumps out and shouts “Happy Birthday (Y/N)!!” Even though you knew something was going on, your completely surprised by the party. “Amanda, Liv, Finn, Rafa I can’t believe your all here!” You say starting to cry from pure joy, it had been so long since you had seen your friends. “Dodds and some of the rookies took over for the night so we could all come, we wouldn’t miss it for the world, we’ve all missed you.” Liv said but everyone echoed the same sentiment. Your excitedly catching up with everyone when there’s a knock at the door.

“(Y/N) you should answer the door.” Carisi says a smirk on his face.

“I swear to god Sonny, if this is going to embarrass be in front of everyone I’m gonna kill you!”

You open the door cautiously, knowing it could be one of those famous Sonny pranks. You’re completely shocked when you open the door.

“Oh my god, Nick!” You shout In excitement.

You hear everyone behind you “What?! Amaro’s here?”

Carisi shouts “Surprise everyone!”

“I can’t believe your here!” you say before he gives you the biggest hug.

“Well Carisi said you could use some cheering up, so I thought it was about time I made a visit back to visit everyone” he said happy to see all his old friends again.

You were as close to Nick as you are with Sonny, after all he’s the reason you have all these amazing people in your life. He’s the reason you met Rafael and ended up with him. You met Nick through a friend you made when you first moved to New York, she was dating one of his friends at the time and the 4 of you guys would get together sometimes. You and him hit it off quick and became fast friends. Nicks wife was in the army and overseas for a couple years and you were new to the city and didn’t really have many other friends, so you guys would hang out often on his days off to offset each other’s loneliness. One night when your best friend from home was in town visiting you, you ran into Nick out with the squad celebrating the end to a case with a drink. That was the night I met Rafael for the first time.

After taking a trip down memory lane in your mind you snap back to reality. You motion everyone to come in for a big group hug, you start tearing up as everyone is hugging each other. Amanda noticing your crying. “(Y/N) is everything alright?

“I’m fine, all of you guys are all the most amazing friends a girl to ask for. I’m so lucky to have all of you guys in myself. This is truly the best birthday ever. “

Everyone gathered around the table for a incredible Italian feast. Sonny cooked all your favorite Italian dishes. You had a couple drinks and just sat there taking in how good it felt to be surrounded by your friends again. Dinner wrapped up and everyone had cake and sang happy birthday. Liv and Amanda said there goodbyes as they had to go in and take over for Dodds. Sonny, Finn, Rafael and Nick set up to play a few games of cards.

You hang out with the guys for a little while while they were playing poker.

You stretch and yawn. “Well enjoy your poker and beers boys, I’m gonna go lay down and watch tv”

“You really outdid yourself Sonny, thank you so much for making this happen.” You say as you thank everyone for coming and say your good nights.

You put on your comfy shorts and top and curling up in bed, putting on one of your favorite comfort shows. You’re dozing off when you hear a knock at your bedroom door, you tilt you head up and sleepily say “come in.”

You watch the door open and see that it’s Rafael.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” he says rubbing the back of his neck.

“No it’s ok, I was just comfortable” you say shyly.

You pull the blankets back a little.

“Rafa, Will you lay with me and watch a movie?”

His face lights up. “Id love too Cariño”

Fin, Nick and Sonny watch him go into your room and shut the door.

“Saying goodbye my ass, those two are defiantly getting back together” Fin jokes.

“Is it ok if I get more comfortable and just wear my undershirt and my suite pants?”

“Of course it it is” you say moving over in the bed to make room for.

He climbs in the bed, gets comfortable and then puts his arm around you rubbing your back with his hand.

You slide down laying on your side and nestle you head on his chest with your arm around his stomach.

You tilt your head “is this ok? I can move if it’s not” You ask with nervousness in your voice.

“No this is ok, I-I missed this” he says kissing your forehead and pulling you in tighter.

You hand the remote to him “you want to pick the movie?”

He puts on one of your favorite movies you two like to watch together.

In this moment your so relaxed, the feeling of him softly rubbing his hand up and down your back and the smell of his cologne put you at ease. You missed everything about him. You dozed off for a couple minutes but you were awoken by him playing with your hair. You tilted your head back to look at him, giving him a cute sleepy smile.

“Your getting tired Cariño, should I go?”

“No it’s ok, don’t go” you barely got the words out of your mouth before he leaned down and kissed you passionately. You sat up, putting your hand behind his head kissing him back. He licked your bottom lip for entrance, which you granted him. Your tongues dance together, your whole body burned. His touch sent shivers down your spine, making you instantly wetter than you’ve been. He moved to kissing down your neck and along your collar bone. You let out a breathy moan in his ear, as you do he pulls you on top of him. You sit up straddling him, you can feel his rock hard cock underneath you. As you take your top off he runs his hands all over your body, exploring every inch of it. He sits up too, kissing down your neck and the top of your breasts as he reaches around you to unhook your bra. He slids it off your shoulders and down your arms before throwing it on the floor. He kisses all over your breasts before making his way to you nipples, licking, bitting and sucking on them. Your body is on fire and your panties are completely soaked, you needed his body.

You step down off the bed onto the floor. You motion for him to stand too, getting down on your knees when he does. You undo his pants and pull them down, taking out his rock hard cock. You tease him at first running your tongue all around his tip. He lets out a deep breathy “fuck” as you take the the rest of him in your mouth, he runs his hands through your hair, leaving his hand on the back of your head. Your sucking gets stronger as as your motion gets quicker, occasionally pulling back to just the tip to tease him.

You stand up and turn your back to him, bending over in front of him. Pulling down your shorts and panties giving him a show.

“You’re so fucking sexy” he says in a deep voice as he comes up behind you spanking you hard and grabbing a hand full of your ass.

You stand up and when you do he wraps his arms around you from behind pulling you up against him, his hard cock pressed against your ass. He starts rubbing your clit, you throw your head back moaning as he starts kissing your neck at the same time. “Fuck me Rafa, I can’t take it any longer” you moan out already ready to climax, your body burning from head to toe. He bends you over the side of the bed. Running his hands down your back and spanking you hard when he gets to your ass. You moan out in a long breathy moan, enjoying every second of it.

“Spread your legs for me” he says in his deep voice as he’s rubbing your ass. He teases you, rubbing the tip of his cock against your clit, before sliding inside of you. He grabs your hips as he pulls in and out of you, pushing deeper with every thrust.

“Mmm Rafa, I’m so close” you moan out.

“cum for me baby” he reply’s as he spanks your ass. His thrusts get faster as he reaches around you and starts rubbing you’re clit as he’s thrusting fast.

You push your self up with your arms arching your back. You start to feel your self release as you start to climax.

“Fuck Rafa, don’t stop I’m so close.” You scream as you moan out. As your muscles tighten and you climax all over his cock.

He moans thrusting all the way in before he pulls out, cumming all over your ass. It was something he liked to do, but he also did it because he didn’t know where you two stood and he didn’t know if you would want him to cum inside you. You slowly stand up trying to catch youre breath. He hugs you from behind kissing your shoulder and whispering, “I’ve really missed you.”

“I’ve really missed you too” you whisper back before you both climb back into bed.

“Come home, Cariño”

[likeadevils]

Red Timeline (Pt. 1)

This is a very long post that puts all the songs on Red in order of Taylor making them, with as many specific dates as possible. I’ve also included other songs she wrote while writing Red and quotes from Taylor and her collaborators talking about her process. 

Because she wrote so much for Red, I’ve had to split this timeline into two parts. This one covers the songs she wrote in 2010-2011:

State Of Grace, Red, All Too Well, I Almost Do, Stay Stay Stay, Sad Beautiful Tragic, Starlight, Begin Again, The Moment I Knew, Ronan, Better Man, I Bet You Think About Me, Both of Us (B.o.B.), Safe & Sound, and Eyes Open. (2012 songs here)

If you don't want to read the whole post, check out this playlist of the album in order or this playlist of her entire discography.

Key:

Song Dates:

🟢: There is some type of official source for the date

🟡: There isn’t an official source, but everything points to that date

🟠: I’m pretty sure that this is when it was written, but I wouldn’t be shocked if I was wrong. Or the period of time is just too large to be a definite date

🔴: Unknown, year comes from copyright

Other:

✍️: Record of Taylor (possibly) writing a song

🎤: Record of Taylor (possibly) recording a song

📌: Misc. Album activity

🟠 Summer 2010: Stay Stay Stay (First Draft)

The copyright for Stay Stay Stay says that it was created in 2010 (The only song on the album besides All Too Well). In January 2012, Taylor said that she had been writing songs for Red since before Speak Now came out. It's possible this was written towards the end of the year, but Taylor has mentioned a period of intense writer's block around that time, so I'm inclined to place this earlier.

📌 Late 2010: Six month long writer's block

Taylor: [All Too Well] came after a six-month writing drought that followed a particularly toxic relationship. "There's a kind of bad that gets so overpowering you can't even write about it [...] When you feel pain that is so far past dysfunctional, that leaves you with so many emotions that you can't filter them down to simple emotions to write about, that's when you know you really need to get out." Liz Rose: “When we wrote [All Too Well], I hadn't heard from her in awhile. She hadn't really been writing.”

We don't know what six months she's talking about. The last song she writes for Speak Now is The Story Of Us, in June 2010, and the first song she writes for Red is All Too Well, in December, exactly six months. However, she stopped writing All Too Well for months at a time, so it's also possible she's talking about October 2010-March 2011, when she finishes writing All Too Well, which would line up with her relationship with Jake Gyllenhaal, and with the quote about writing songs for Red since before Speak Now came out.

🟡 December 2010: All Too Well (Rough Draft)

Taylor: "The first song that was written was 'All Too Well', and it was a day when I was just like a broken human walking into rehearsal just feeling terrible about what was going on in my personal life. And I walked in and I remember we had just hired David Cook… I think it was his first day meeting me, and I think I ended up just playing four chords over and over again and the band started kicking in, like Amos Heller on bass, and people started playing along with me. I think they could tell I was really going through it. And I just started singing and riffing and sort of ad-libbing this song that basically was All Too Well. And it started with 'I walked through the door with you, the air was cold' – like it literally just was that song, but it had probably seven extra verses. And it included the f-word, and I remember my sound guy was like 'Hey, I burned a CD of that thing you were doing, in case you want it.' And I was like 'Sure!'" Taylor: "The lyric I'm most proud of on the album is from 'All Too Well': 'And you call me up again just to break me like a promise / so casually cruel in the name of being honest.' That was something I came up with while ranting during a soundcheck. I was just playing these chords over and over onstage and my band joined in and I went on a rant. Those were some of the lines I thought of. I was going through a really hard time then, and my band joined in playing, and one of the first things that I came up with, just, like, spat out, was 'And you call me up again just to break me like a promise, so casually cruel in the name of being honest.'"

🎤 December 13, 2010: Photographed entering and leaving a recording studio.

Probably for this radio interview, but in the interest of being thorough, I'm including it.

🟢 February 2011: All Too Well (First Draft)

I like to think she wrote this after attending the Vanity Fair Oscar party on February 27, but all we know for sure is that Taylor started actively working on All Too Well in February.

🟡 March 1-4, 2011: All Too Well

Taylor: "I ended up taking [the recording from rehearsals] home and listening to it and I was like, 'I actually really like this, but it definitely is like 10 minutes long and I need to pare it down, so I'm going to call Liz Rose. [...] And she came over, I played it for her, and she was like 'Whoa, I love this.' And so we kind of edited it and pared it down to what it is now, but that was a very serendipitous creation of song" Liz Rose: "I was in Nashville one day, slowly moving the last bits of junk out of my garage so I could move to Dallas. […] I was in my driveway and my phone rings, and it's Taylor saying, 'Man, I've got this thing and I really need you to help me with it. Can you write today? What are you doing today?' [...] It was the first song she wrote for that record, I think. She had a story and she wanted to say something specific. She had a lot of information. I just let her go. She already had a melody and she started singing some words, and I started writing things down, saying, 'Ok, let's use this, let's use that.' She mentioned a plaid shirt, and I wrote that down in a corner, and when we got to the end, I said, 'Let's put the plaid shirt in there.' That turned into one of the best lines."

Taylor left for tour on March 5 and was gone the rest of the month, meaning it had to have been written sometime in the first four days.

🟡 March 20, 2011: Better Man

Taylor: "I remember I was on tour, and I wrote it alone in a hotel room. And I remember standing in front of a mirror—I think the first thing I thought of was, 'I wish it wasn't 4am, standing in a mirror, saying to myself, 'you know you had to do it." That was an actual visual from my life that ended up being the first thing I wrote, and then I expanded outward from there. And it was a song that I really thought belonged on the album and there were just too many songs I loved that I had written in that period of time, so some of them had to be left off. I think I chose All Too Well over Better Man. I think that was what happened. I was either going to put on All Too Well or Better Man, and then I left off Better Man." Taylor: "I was in Madrid, and I was in my hotel room all day. And I was going through this crazy, emotional thing and I wrote a song about it and it'll probably be on the next record. I'm telling you that. I'll tell you the title afterwards."

Taylor had a tour date in Madrid on March 19, and then her and her band stayed there an extra day

🟢 March 2011: Begin Again (First Draft)

Taylor: "The first inspiration [for Begin Again] came when I was on tour in Europe [in early 2011]. I'd been alone for a while and had time to think about my past experiences. But I wrote it in pieces-I'd start and then second-guess myself. I had to sort through my own insecurities." Taylor was on tour in Europe from March 5-March 30, 2011.

✍️ March 24, 2011: Twitter: Writing a song all afternoon in my hotel room. Dublin, Ireland.

🟠 Spring 2011: State of Grace (First Draft)

Taylor: "'State of Grace' was a song that I wrote at the beginning process of making this album." Taylor: "When I wrote [State of Grace] I had that feeling like, ‘This is going to start the show, this will be what we start the show with.’"

By "the beginning process", she could mean the first half of the album, which was written in 2011 and produced by Nathan Chapman in Nashville, but that gets contradicted by her immediately saying Red (which was also written in 2011 and produced by Nathan Chapman in Nashville) was written "halfway through" making the album. So, I'm going to take the quote on its face value, and say State of Grace was written towards the beginning of the writing process, sometime in Spring 2011.

🟠 Spring 2011: The Moment I Knew

This could've been the song she was recording on her birthday in 2010, but I think that was from a radio interview she did that day. Taylor has talked about experiencing some pretty tough writer's block around that time, only broken by All Too Well, so I'm hesitant to say she wrote another song right before that. Furthermore, The Moment I Knew is copyrighted as being created in 2011.

📌 May 22, 2011: Billboard Music Awards interview: "Um, a timeline for the next album... I have no idea right now. I think that, for me, I just write whenever I'm inspired to do so– I've been constantly writing lately."

✍️ June 11, 2011: The New Yorker interview: She had written about ten* songs so far for her next album. Asked to characterize them, she said, "They're sad? If I'm being honest." The most recent one, she said, "is about moving on." *Grain of salt: The amount of songs Taylor says she wrote for Red at different points doesn't add up, so give or take 5 songs. 

🟠 Early June, 2011: I Almost Do

It's possible we never heard that song about moving on that she mentions in The New Yorker (out of the roughly 25 songs she wrote for Red in 2011, we have heard 12). It's also possible she was talking about Begin Again; in an interview with People Country, Taylor mentions working on it throughout 2011. But I think she's talking about I Almost Do. This is partially because her arm lyric on June 4 was "​​I guess we're all one phone call from our knees" and partially because she's confirmed to have written I Bet You Think About Me, which shares similar themes, later this month.

🟠 June 2011: Starlight (First Draft)

Taylor: "I get a lot of style inspiration from the 1960s, so I'll go and look at black and white pictures, and look at photos from the '50s and '60s, and I came across this picture of these two kids dancing at a dance. It immediately made me think of how much fun they must have had that night. It was back in the late '40s. I ended up reading underneath that it was Ethel Kennedy and Robert F. Kennedy. And they were, like, 17. So I just kind of wrote that song from that place, not really knowing how they met or anything like that. And then her daughter Rory ended up coming to a show a couple weeks later and I told her about the song and she was like, 'you have to meet my mom, she would love to meet you.' So that was kind of what that song was about."

By August 2011, Taylor had finished a 900 page book about the Kennedy women, wrote a Robert Kennedy quote on her arm, and visited JFK's grave. By this point, it's safe to assume that Taylor would've known how Robert and Ethel Kennedy met, ergo Starlight needs to have been written before August. I lean towards June, mainly because of the following diary entry.

✍️ June 17, 2011: Lover Diary entry: "I've become blissfully happy with my life. [...] I've noticed this onset for a while, but it's really hit me in the last week, and especially since I wrote those 2 new songs. I really do need to create in order to live and feel worthwhile. [...] I'm happy that tomorrow morning I get on a plane to Pittsburgh, play a stadium of 60,000 people, then fly home. I'm happy that the next day, I'm recording 2 new songs."

🎤 June 19, 2011: Per the previous diary entry, Taylor recorded two songs.

🟢 June 24-26, 2011: I Bet You Think About Me

Lori McKenna: "A couple days before she gets here, I'm eating dinner with the kids, and I get a FaceTime from a number I didn't know [...] And I answer it because we were like, 'Who's FaceTiming me?' And it's Taylor like, 'Hey, I'm coming to town. Would you have some time?'" McKenna and Swift share a mutual friend – songwriter Liz Rose. McKenna had met Swift once or twice, and McKenna said sure. [...] "It's one of those real fun co-writes where you're just the cheerleader. You're the coffee maker. You'll get a sandwich if they need to eat or something, but you're there for moral support." Lori McKenna: "She had this little nugget of a song which was 'I Bet You Think About Me,' she knew that was the hook," Swift had asked her if she should lean in the folk direction (which they did) and after that, the rest flowed blissfully as McKenna recalls, "I don't remember anything other than sitting here watching how incredible she is. She knows what she wants to say and when she says the right thing, she remembers it. She didn't write anything down. There was no recording of the song [...] If the line is right, she knows it's right, and she remembers what it is." Taylor: "'I Bet You Think About Me' is a song I wrote with Lori McKenna, who is one of my favorite singer-songwriters ever. I'd always wanted to work with her. And I wrote this with her at her house when I was playing Foxboro Stadium on the Speak Now Tour. We wanted this song to be like a comedic, tongue in cheek, funny, not caring what anyone thinks about you sort of break up song, because there are a lot of different types of heartbreak songs on Red. Some of them are very sincere, some of them are very stoic and heartbreaking and sad. We wanted this to be the moment where I was like, 'I don't care about anything.' And we wanted to make people laugh with it, and we wanted it to be sort of a drinking song, and I think that that's what it ended up being."

Over the years, Lori McKenna has said it was written either the day before, the day of her first show, or the day of her second show at Foxborough Stadium for the Speak Now tour.

✍️ June 30, 2011: Taylorconnect: "Lately, I've been writing a LOT. Like, all of a sudden, everything I've wanted to say, express, or just let out for the past several months has just recently become a song. I'm really excited about that. It's a freeing feeling when all of a sudden one day, you're able to verbalize exactly how you feel in a verse, chorus, verse, bridge, chorus pattern."

🟢 August 26, 2011: Cannonball

Justin Bieber (August 26, 2011): "#writing" Kuk Harrell (August 27, 2011): "Wow!! Got to see @//justinbieber & @/taylorswift13 write a song together last night!! SMASH!!!! SMASH!!! SMASH!!! Let's do it again Yall!!!"

This is an unreleased song that was intended for Justin Bieber’s album, but Scooter Braun allegedly cut it.

🟢 September 8, 2011: Red (First Draft)

Taylor: "'Red' is a song I wrote halfway through this album, and it changed what this album became [...] because, to me, this song is very different, very descriptive, and it has an edge to it that, to me, kinda expanded what I wanted to do." Taylor: "It was really one of those songs that made me think like, maybe I want to be expanding what I'm trying to do with my music, sonically." Taylor: "Red came about halfway through the two years. And after that, I felt like it was such an interesting direction that I wanted to follow it, and I wanted to go and write with people I’ve never written with, work with people I’ve never worked with." Lover Diary Entry (dated September 8, 2011): "It was a long flight, but I'm so happy I chose to come home. Mostly because I wrote a song on the plane on the way home called 'Red'. [...] In the evening I went to Nathan's studio to record. When I played Red for him, he lost it. He absolutely freaked over the lyrics. I was so happy. As we started recording it, it got more and more awesome, with banjo and this affected vocal part that runs under the chorus going "re-e-e-e-e-d". I'd love to name next album red. Scott came over because I called him and he was still working at the office. He said this song takes it to the next level. He lost it over this song. My mom loves it too. It's so different than anything we've done. I can't even tell you how alive and worthwhile I feel when I'm writing a new song and I finish it and people like it. It's the most fulfilling feeling, like getting an A+ on report card. Recording again tomorrow."

📌 September 13, 2011: Vogue interview conducted:

Swift is working on her fourth album: "There’s just been this earth-shattering, not recent, but absolute crash-and-burn heartbreak," she says, "and that will turn out to be what the next album is about. The only way that I can feel better about myself—pull myself out of that awful pain of losing someone—is writing songs about it to get some sort of clarity." [...] "The only time in my life I have ever been starstruck was meeting Caroline and Ethel Kennedy," she says. "I got to spend the afternoon with Ethel a couple of weeks ago. She is one of my favorites because you look back at the pictures of her and Bobby and they always look like they are having the most fun out of everybody. You know, eleven kids, all these exotic animals on their property. I’ve read a lot about them."

🟢 October 2011: Both of Us

B.o.B: "She actually arranged for me to come to Dallas, and brought me out and I played her the song, she liked it and it just naturally happened, you know what I mean?" B.o.B: "I played her the song at her show ... and instantly she loved it. She was like, 'Bob, I have tears in my eyes. I love this song. I'm down. I want to be a part of it." ... And she sounded amazing on the record. (She) actually rewrote some of my verses as well."

B.o.B was a special guest on the Speak Now Tour on October 9, 2011.

🟢 October 4, 2011: Sad Beautiful Tragic

Twitter (October 4, 2011): "Leaving Little Rock, headed to New Orleans. Writing a song on a moving bus." Taylor: "'Sad Beautiful Tragic' is a song that I wrote while I was on tour, and I was on a tour bus that was moving, and I just started playing this really haunting, sad chorus, and it just, kind of was very simple, like "What a sad beautiful tragic love affair" and it was just reflecting on something that was lost, y'know, and you can't get it back. And I went home and I called Nathan Chapman and said "Hey, I wrote a song. Please please please can we record today" and, of course he said yes, and we use that original demo on the album because it just came across so pure and raw." Taylor: "'Sad Beautiful Tragic' is really close to my heart. I remember it was after a show and I was on the bus thinking about this relationship that ended months and months before. The feeling wasn't sadness and anger or those things anymore. It was wistful loss. And so I just got my guitar and I hit on the fact that I was thinking in terms of rhyming; I rhymed magic with tragic, changed a few things and ended it with what a sad beautiful tragic love affair. I wanted to tell the story in terms of a cloudy recollection of what went wrong. It's kind of the murky gray, looking back on something you can't change or get back."

✍️ October 18, 2011: Hollywood Reporter interview conducted: "I've written 25* songs so far, so it's coming along really well. I've been writing a lot, and I like to take 2 years to make a record. We're at the end of year one and I still have a year left to go to write. It's looking really great." *Grain of salt: The amount of songs Taylor says she wrote for Red at different points doesn't add up, so give or take 5 songs.

🟡 Late October 2011: Ronan

On October 21, 2011, Taylor invited Maya Thompson, Ronan's mom, to meet her backstage at her show. Maya gave Taylor a personalized letter about Ronan's story, and Taylor told Maya that she'd been reading the blog for over a year. She didn't tell Maya that she had written a song for Ronan until September 4, 2012, so it's possible Ronan was written anytime between May 2011-September 2012. That being said, I lean towards it being written in October; there's a couple blog posts* from October 2011 that Taylor seems to directly reference, and Taylor mentions having just written two songs at the end of the month. *TW for suicide

✍️ October 30, 2011: Lover Diary entry: "I've written two songs in the last few days. I want to record them so bad, but my voice is shot from being so run down."

📌 November 10, 2011: CMA's acceptance speech: "The reason I obsess over [performing songs] so much is that I obsess over writing them so much… With this next album, I'm so excited because I've been writing so much. We're still in the first gear of making it, so as we finish songs and demo them in my producer's basement, I can picture them being played on the stage."

🟢 November 2011: Eyes Open

Taylor: "I was working with T-Bone a lot on the soundtrack, just you know, putting songs together. There’s another song on the soundtrack that I did for it, so we were working on that song [before writing Safe and Sound]."

🟢 November 19, 2011: Safe and Sound

Taylor: "The movie studio came to me and said ‘Would you be interested in making music for this movie?’ and I immediately read the book. I read it in like, two days and fell in love with it [...] When I got the call, I thought, from what I'd heard about the movie, 'It's an action movie, right? We're probably going to be writing a song that's like, "We're going to win!" ' And then I read the book, and I thought, 'No, we're going to have to write sort of a death lullaby, it's so different from what I thought.'" Taylor: "[T-Bone Burnett] said ‘Do you think it would be good to call the Civil Wars and see if they’d want to come write?’ and I said ‘Absolutely’. I’d had this title that I’d been working with called Safe and Sound, and I just knew that I’d wanted it to deal with, sort of the empathy, sort of the more sensitive, sad, bittersweet side of this story. [...] And we all got together and as soon as John Paul got his guitar and started playing this melody, me and Joy started singing over it, and it happened so quickly." Taylor: "We wrote this song and recorded it in one day, the same day we wrote it."

The Civil Wars posted these two photos on instagram, with the captions dating the writing session to November 2011. The only time Taylor was in L.A (and not spending all day at an awards show) in November was the 19th.

📌 December 1, 2011: MTV interview conducted: "I can't tell you [what emotions I'm writing about on TS4], because it's a secret. It will be unveiled when it all comes out, because they all seem to have a theme to them, the records that we've put out so far, and this one is no different. It's very different in what it's about, but it's no different in the fact that it has its own name."

🎤 December 13, 2011: Twitter: "Studio/birthday/new album/red shoes" and "Took a break from the studio to visit the label, where they gave me this!"

🟡 December 2011: State of Grace

On Red, Taylor has two Nashville studios credited. The first is Pain In The Art, Nathan Chapman's home studio, which Taylor largely used for demos and first drafts. The second studio is Blackbird Studios. On Red, there are five songs credited to Blackbird Studios: State of Grace, Red, Stay Stay Stay, Starlight, and Begin Again. Looking at the musicians credited, you can further divide it into two recording blocks: State of Grace and Stay Stay Stay, and Red, Begin Again, and Starlight. Red, Begin Again, and Starlight all have solid evidence of being reworked at a later date (more on that later). State of Grace, on the other hand, is a bit more speculative. Taylor has always talked about Red (the song), as a big sonic departure, something that sounded nothing like anything she'd written before... and it doesn't sound that different to State of Grace. Don't get me wrong, they're definitely two different songs, but the stuff she cites as being revelations on Red are also found on State of Grace. So, it makes sense for State of Grace's production to have been retouched after Red.

🟡 December 2011: Stay Stay Stay

State of Grace and Stay Stay Stay have identical studio personnel. Furthermore, Nick Buda, Chad Carlson, Eric Darken, Leland Elliott, and Matt Rausch all only have two credits on Red, and they're for State of Grace and Stay Stay Stay. This leads me to believe they were recorded around the same time. It also makes sense for Stay Stay Stay to have been retouched, seeing as it would've been written a year and a half before, and possibly not even professionally recorded.

🟡 December 2011: Red

Scott Borchetta: Borchetta, the president of her record label, heard a version of her song "Red" produced by her usual collaborator Nathan Chapman. Borchetta says, "The song was brilliant–great melody. But I told them* that the way it was recorded, guys, the production just doesn't match the song. It needs a pop sound." So Chapman and Swift asked Borchetta if they could take another crack at it. They did–and it was worse, Borchetta says, than the first pass. "And Taylor basically said, 'All right, would you call Max [Martin]?'" *Grain of salt: Scott Borchetta has a habit of taking credit for things that were likely Taylor's idea.

Scott Borchetta said there were three drafts of Red. The second draft had a more pop sound, but was still just Taylor and Nathan Chapman (possibly recorded on September 9). Then, the final draft with a new producer. Borchetta says Taylor wanted the new producer to be Max Martin, but for whatever reason they ended up going with Dan Huff, who has a producer credit on the version released in 2012.

🟡 December 2011: Begin Again

Taylor: "I wrote it in pieces-I'd start and then second-guess myself. I had to sort through my own insecurities."

🟡 December 2011: Starlight

Starlight has slightly different studio personnel from Red and Begin Again, suggesting it was done at a slightly different time. However, there are still clues that Dan Huff got called in at a later date— the biggest one is the electric guitar is credited as "Conceived by Nathan Chapman, Played by Dann Huff" (credit to @taylor-on-your-dash for this theory)

📌 December 13-24 2011: Harper's Bazaar interview conducted:

"As an artist you have to be really self-aware. As a songwriter, especially [...] You need to be aware enough to catch yourself creating similar things to what you have created before and steer away from that. You have to grow, otherwise you will lose people's attention and you will get bored with yourself." So, will her fourth album, due later this year, be a major departure? "I think so," she says cautiously. "The tone is a little different. This one is focused on an all-encompassing, heartbreaking thing that happened, about the rise and fall of a relationship [...] I really, really, really, really want to nail this next record. I'm probably going to go into that semi- crazy, mumbling-to-myself-in-public, hysterically, ridiculously rambling, lyric-editing mode that I go into in the last six months of making a record. There are about 25* songs I have written so far, and the trick is going to be paring them down to the ones that will make this something I am more proud of than anything I have done before." *Grain of salt: The amount of songs Taylor says she wrote for Red at different points doesn't add up, so give or take 5 songs. This is also the same number she gave on October 18, 2011.

📌 January 2012: Moved to LA to work with new producers

Taylor: "With Red, [Scott Borchetta] came to me in January and said, 'I think the album's finished.' This time, I said, 'No, it's not – I need to keep writing.'" Taylor: "I turned in 20 songs and I had this immediate sinking feeling, this can't be done, this can't be it. I think the reason I said that was because I made the record exactly the same way I made the last three. I knew I hadn't jumped out of my comfort zone, which at the time was writing alone and working with Nathan [Chapman]."

That's all for this timeline! Red Part 2 is here, and you can check out the other albums in my pinned post!

[lou-struck]

Wax On..

Atsumu Miya x reader

~ After Losing a Bet with his brother, Atsumu finds himself in a hairy situation.

WC: 1.7k

Warning: Mentions reader having experience with waxing some of their own unspecified hair, Atsumu being in pain, hair removal as a punishment.

A/n: this prompt has been on my list for awhile, I'm glad I finally found the motivation to work through it!

Atsumu’s leg hasn’t stopped shaking since he begrudgingly slid into your passenger seat. A paper shopping bag hanging limply at his side, swaying like a sardonic metronome.

“You really don’t have to do this, Tsumu,” you offer him a small smile as you take in every inch of his terrified features. There is a coldness to his skin that wasn’t there an hour ago, and his breathing is all kinds of shaky as he tries to brace himself for the harsh reality he has created for himself when he gets home.

“I gotta do it,” his voice wavers, and he presses his cheek against the glass window and closes his eyes. “Samu won’t let me forget it if I chicken out.”

“I’ve done it before, Tsumu; I promise it only hurts for a minute,” you say, hoping to reassure the athlete, but it only makes him sink farther back into his seat. 

“It will still hurt, though,” he mumbles, crossing his arms childishly in front of his chest. Almost as if what was about to happen wasn’t entirely his fault. 

It was.

He was the one who proposed the damn bet in the first place…

It all started the other day when you met your boyfriend and his twin Brother for a picnic in the park. The three of you were having a great time until you saw a children’s volleyball match starting from across the grass. 

From the first sound of the whistle, the twins’ ears pricked up like dogs, and they turned their full attention to the match. Cheering on the little guys eagerly as they take the outdoor court wearing puffy knee pads that look like marshmallows on their little legs. At first, it was cute, until they had a disagreement on which team would bring home the win. 

The Miya twins are known to be ridiculously competitive, but this was a bit ridiculous.

Trash was talked, and the stakes kept getting raised until Atsumu boldly told his brother that whoever team loses will have to get their legs waxed.

Guess whose team won?

With Osamu’s blue team securing a victory over Atsumu’s green one, there is now a brand new waxing kit nestled securely in your boyfriend’s swaying shopping bag and an uncomfortable silence in your usually chatty car, the only sound that can be heard aside from the soft blowing of the air conditioning is the steady stream of taunting text messages, and waxing fail videos being sent to Atsumu by his brother.

“Hey now,” you scold as you glance out of the corner of your eye and see your boyfriend pressing play on one of the many videos. “Don’t watch that; you’ll only get yourself more stressed out.”

At the sound of a pained yelp, his body tenses up, and he shuts the device off quickly. “Why didn’t I bet somethin else like shaving an eyebrow,” he whines, looking at you with a pouty lip.

“Don’t ever do that,” you giggle, taking one of your hands off the wheel to grab his own. “You have great eyebrows, Tsumu. Why can’t you just bet your brother a cup of coffee like a normal person.”

He throws his hands up in the air in disbelief at your suggestion. “Just a cup of coffee?” he exclaims. “Where’s the fun in that?”

“I’m just saying, next time you make a bet, don’t bet your body hair unless you know for sure you are going to win.” you tease, turning the wheel sharply into the driveway. He is slow to get out of the car and slower to the front door. Each step he takes is reluctant and heavy with regret, but his pride is much too great for him to back out now.

“Here we go,” he breathes, stepping into the house at last. To him, buying the supplies and coming back inside was half the battle, albeit the less painful half but still half. His hands, calloused from many years of intense workouts, shake in apprehension as he pulls the package of teal-colored wax, the applicators, and the paper strips themselves from the confines of the paper bag. 

Carefully remove the packaging and read each step. Toss the wax cubes into a microwave-safe bowl and heat them in small increments until they have melted completely. While you do that, Atsmu changes into a shorter pair of athletic shorts and sits on the freshly cleaned-off dining room table that has been pushed against the wall whilst awaiting his fate. 

You bring the now-melted wax over to the table edge for Atsumu to see; the blond looks down at the bowl in your hands with the slightest bit of curiosity written on his features, “Looks nice,” he comments on the shimmering bowl of wax. “M’ glad we didn’t choose the red one; it woulda looked like blood.”

“That’s true,” you snort, dipping the wooden applicator into the teal wax and stirring it around one final time. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

“How bad can it be?” he chuckles nervously, sitting back in a more comfortable position. “I gotta show ya how tough I can be off the court.”

“You’re plenty tough, Tsumu,” you say, scooping up a small test glob of the wax onto the applicator and applying it to the inside of your wrist to check whether it is a safe temperature to use. The smooth thickness of the wax, along with the comfortable warmth on your skin, tells you that it is safe to use.

“It’s not hurtin’ ya or anything, right?” he asks, watching your features carefully. Although he is the one who is about to be in a world of pain, he still worries about your own comfort above his own. The gesture makes your skin heat up under the shimmering wax.

“Nope,” you grin, holding out your wrist for him to feel. “It’s all ready.”

“Can I get a kiss for good luck?” he asks cheekily, leaning in closer to you with puckered lips. 

When he looks at you like that, who are you to say no to your sweet yet sometimes overconfident boyfriend.

“For luck,” you giggle, meeting his lips with your own. The stress that he had been feeling up until this moment decreases, and his shoulders tense Your kiss draws out the stress he has been feeling like a salve to a wound.

“Feel better?” you ask, pulling away a bit too soon for your liking, but the cooling layer of wax on your wrist reminds you that the two of you are on a deadline. 

“I’ll need more later,” he winks, leaning back up against the wall; as you turn your attention to scooping a layer of wax back onto the applicator, you see Atsumu clenching his fists into balls. His eyes never leave the ever-approaching wax. 

“You got this, Tsumu,” you murmur, spreading a smooth layer onto his shin in the direction his curly leg hairs are growing. Once on, you smooth the waxing strip over the layer of teal in the same direction, pressing down until it sticks together. 

“Are you gonna pull it off?” he asks nervously. There is so much trust in his eyes, you know that the best way to help him through this little predicament is to do it as quickly as you can. Before you respond to him, you rip the sheet off of him in the opposite direction from where you applied it. 

“Owwwwww,” he whines, closing his eyes tightly, practically jumping off the table in surprise. He squirms as you try and clean up the waxed area of any stray hairs. Once you stop, he stills and looks at you with red cheeks. 

“How was it?” you ask. “I heard the first one is always the worst.”

“It stung…” he mumbles, unclenching his knuckles. “That damn Samu knew this was gonna hurt.”

Not wanting to remind him that this was entirely his idea, you look down at the strip and see the large patch of hair stuck to it. “Woah, look at all that hair Tsumu,” you murmur, showing him the strip in fascination. 

“That was all mine?” he asks in disbelief. “No way.”

“Do you want me to prove it?” you ask, getting another strip ready. 

He looks a bit nervous but nods. “C-can ya hold my hand while you do it?” he asks, reaching out for your unoccupied one. Doing this one-handed may slow you down, but how can you say no when he looks at you with so much trust. 

“Of course, I can.” you giggle. 

Strip after strip comes on and off of Atsumu’s leg as he whines, cries, and curses aloud. But despite the unfamiliar pain, he doesn’t tap out or ask for a break. Finally, you pull the last stip off of his leg and pause, looking over the slightly red and hairless limb for any missed strands. 

“A-are we all done?” he pants, looking up at you with big eyes, fat teardrops resting on his waterline, threatening to fall any moment.

You shoot him the tenderest smile in the world and sweep a few sweaty locks of his dyed blond hair from his forehead. “Take a look.”

Using you as support, he shuffles to sit upwards and takes a look at his right leg. Despite a few irritated patches of skin and a few droplets of teal-colored wax, his leg looks baby smooth and shiny, not a stray hair in sight. Gingerly he runs his hand along the surface in wonder. 

“It’s so smooth, babe. You gotta feel this,” he announces, looking up at you expectantly. The look of pride and relief on his face makes your heart swell as he grabs your hand and runs it down the length of his shin. “Feels good, doesn’t it?”

“It’s very smooth, Tsumu.” you giggle, giving the hairless skin a playful little smack. “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

He rolls his eyes playfully. “Not bad at all,” he drawls overconfidently and starts to spin himself around to jump off of the dining room table. 

“What are you doing, babe?” you ask, reaching to grab his shoulder, effectively stopping him in his tracks. “We still have to do the other leg, remember?”

Tagging: @enchantedforest-network

[you-can-be-what-you-want-to-be]

People aren't mad because John/Arthur aren't canon, people are mad because the creator made fun of the fans that ship them in the Christmas special

I see… the post has been deleted

I’m just very used to being in bad fandoms where something as small as “I don’t ship them personally” is taken as a homophobic statement, and people have been saying forever if it’s not canon it’ll be queer bait, so I assumed which I maybe shouldn’t have done but with it coinciding with the “John is a child episode” it just made sense

now, I do have to say though, that while I don’t know a whole lot because I’m not on the Patreon, I was for awhile. Again take this with a HEAPING load of salt for that reason since I clearly don’t know the specific situation. Everything I’m going to say I will try to say from an objective viewpoint since I don’t know the situation and will only focus on the facts I do know.

But how is this new? For the karaoke creep special they keep calling it weird to call each other romantic terms. And when Arthur died by not sacrificing the little guy last season Harlan was ROUGH. He said anyone who voted to not sacrifice were children smashing dolls together, that they forgot the story they were in and hopefully this punishment would remind them that actions have consequences. He basically said this is your fault for being stupid. He ended up having to post a semi apology saying it’s eldritch horror story, it’s supposed to be about harshness and not knowing the consequences before hand, and that he teases his audience and that if they don’t like that this isn’t the right show for them. His phobia play through he did a bit as Arthur and John where he was like “and we are NOT doing anything in the shower no matter what the fan fictions say” “let them dream John”

I also would like to mention that word of god should be ignored in these stories and that Harlan does NOT have a PR team. Again I don’t know the situation. I don’t know if he was ad libing live, in which case he should be given more Lee way as self editing in the moment is hard, I don’t know how if he said the most vile stuff alive, or if he said something a little mean but harmless like the “no we are not doing this” “let them dream” or what. Maybe it is bad and he deserves to be roasted, idk.But making jokes about a non canon thing can be a normal thing, especially if it’s a thing people keep bugging you about.

I do know that fandom as a whole has a problem attacking people over though, being someone who frequently got called homophobic for headcanoning single characters as aro, this one specifically has already harassed him about this ship which I’m sure gets annoying, and that he has explicitly said he will poke fun on the Patreon, and that he has said Jarthur won’t happen, and that he is one guy without the means to sort through hate mail removed from situations and doesn’t have a PR team to tell him “hey this off the cuff joke is a bad idea”

all that being said, again I do not know what he said specifically. I think either way a lot of people need to reassess if this is the fandom for them. I’ve seen a lot of people only get into the show for shipping and then get mad when there’s eldritch horror and the attitudes of eldritch horror in the eldritch horror podcast. If he said something that bad then maybe consider getting out since he writes about delicate subjects and it will only get worse. If what he said wasn’t that bad and people are getting mad about being lightly teased but it wasn’t confrontational or homophobic, they might want to leave because that’s just what Harlan does, tease people, and it’s not new and will continue, especially about non canon stuff in his own work. And if you got into and are only staying for the shipping…. Yeah. If that’s the only thing you want maybe it’s time to move on.

and if you decide to stay, know that. Know and be warned ahead of time that you will be teased so it isn’t a surprise next time

edit: so I did get the full context quote and it’s literally just “we want to hang out together alone for Christmas” “platonically, as in canon” “oh of course of course.” This. This isn’t bullying. It’s a little tongue in cheek sure but the whole thing is just saying it isn’t canon. I’ve heard complaints on comments on this post about other stuff he’s done, which I don’t know much about but is also applicable. I did my best to say “either way, this is stuff related.” As someone who writes and has written things before where every single chapter people kept pushing for something I wasn’t going to write I get it. I’m not saying anything he might have done is right but I think it’s understandable at the very least, for a writer to be upset about his stuff being constantly misinterpreted and having fans try to push it where he doesn’t want it.

him reminding people it won’t happen is fine, especially when people keep accusing him of queer baiting. I still think what I said earlier stands even hearing other opinions, because although I can’t say either way, it seems like everyone who is upset says this is a repeated behavior, and if you stay you can’t be surprised by it every time. If it’s going to bug you you have to either be prepared for it to keep happening or leave.

That isn’t to say no one can be upset about anything else but this specific thing I don’t think is worthy of that. All he did was jokingly repeat canon in character (which is much better than like. Someone who keeps hinting at something and never giving it) in a teasing manner. He didn’t say anything negative about shippers, or anything homophobic, just said “hey remember kids, we aren’t into each other like that.” Which is. Fine. It’s annoying but it isn’t malicious.

If the issue is mods or his interactions with people say that. Don’t make it about him light heartedly going “don’t accuse me of queerbaiting.” it makes it so when actual issues like what people are talking about in the comments (if they’re legit, again I try to stay only in the actual content part and abstain from knowing about creators) come up no one takes them seriously because so many molehills were mountained.

If you’re pissed about how he talks to his fans say that, don’t make it about a lack of queer rep when he said day one there wouldn’t be any. Make it about the issue itself. You don’t mention that someone’s a domestic abuser for example after you say “and they have NO CHEESE in their house thats MONSTROUS who does that.” If you want to be taken seriously about a problem you focus on the thing that matters which is. Hurting people.

I guess at the end of the day I’m no one’s boss, but I am tired of not knowing what to believe or not when someone saying something like “no comment” on if characters they wrote are together is homophobia, or a character who’s been Described as a dick acting like one and then the creator gets accused of being shitty (random examples not to do with this specific fandom). If everything is a big deal that makes someone the worst when the subject is not actually hurting anyone… it’s exhausting. Idk anything about Harlan. At the end of the day I’m here for my little horror stories. But I will say definitively that I don’t think it’s bullying to say a ship is not canon and that to act like it is makes it impossible for people who actually care about morals and what someone is doing to keep the energy to stay that way without becoming part of a mob just taking people at their word.

If it upset you I’m sorry, it’s always disappointing when our take on media is dismissed, especially by the creator. And it’s fine to be disappointed. I get that. But don’t blow it out of proportion, and don’t make it about something it isn’t. If you’re upset about the quote say that it’s disappointing without saying it’s punching down. The author is dead and it’s one of the biggest podcast ships out there. If you’re upset about anything else make a post about that issue without tying it to this fun bonus non canon episode. You are allowed to be upset just and if it is about shipping: stop making someone disagreeing with you about a ship a big controversy. You can ship whatever you want regardless of canon and no one is trying to stop jarthur shippers, and if it isn’t about that stop making things about shipping if that’s not what it’s actually about.

[macsmoods]

CAUGHT

Hobie Brown

Summary: Earth-138 is full of so called “villains”, you being one of them. After months of messing with Spider Punk he finally catches up to you. Was all the antagonizing just for fun or flirting? Was he really not able to not catch you or was he playing along?——————————————————————— You weren’t some amazing spider-man that was able to swing around the city and stick to walls, yet every time it seemed you escaped the praised Spider Punk of Earth-138.

You showed up a couple months ago. It started with petty thefts of gas stations to being known as the silencer. You had developed the art of being unnoticed and silent.

No you didn’t have any special powers. Sometime you have to do all that’s possible to survive.

Tonight was the perfect night for an easy gas station theft. You were hungry and don’t feel like paying tonight.

Walking along the crowded sidewalk you knew he was near. The slight wind gusts and shadows over head gave you the hint.

You weaved through the crowed sidewalk making it to the station. Pulling up your hood you entered the establishment ready to begin.

The bell rang but the cashier saw no one enter. He went back to reading his newspaper making it perfect conditions for you.

Carefully your grabbed your favorite bag of chips, doritos. Only the slightest crinkle could be heard, barely even audible to your ears.

Next, you needed a drink. Making your way you tried to decide between an Arizona tea and a redbull. Knowing you could just take both you did.

Last you wanted a sweet treat. You decided on thin oreos. Checking the corner you watched the cashier help another customer.

Slowly but surely you made it out of the gas station, snacks in hand. Pulling back your hood you blew out a sigh.

Beginning to walk away you were encased by webs, flown up to the top of a building.

“fuckkkk” you groaned out as you were hauled up. Making it to the top you are met with spider punk. “Hey buddy” you exclaimed giving a shy wave.

You watched as he walked towards you. He studied your face before falling to your hands. “mmm doritos my favorite.” he said snatching the chips out of your hand.

“Oh c’mon” you moaned. He simply chuckled at you before he bang to munch on the chips. “Really is this your plan? Just to stand and eat my chips in front of me.”

“You know i’ve been meaning to meet you for awhile. I’ve heard your pretty scrappy.” he stated.

“Why don’t you undo these webs and i’ll show you.” you retorted at him. At that he let out a loud laugh before undoing the webs leaving you standing there sticky.

“Aren’t you bubbly, babe.” he laughed.

“Shut up and don’t call me that.” you snarled. He went and sat at the edge of the building patting the spot next to him. You stood wary as he took off his mask.

Slowly you made your way there pausing to look over the edge.

“Don’t worry babe i’ll catch you.” he said winking. You scoffed as you sat next to him. You opened your tea as you stared over the city.

“What the hell!” you exclaimed as he opened your redbull.

“You can share. I mean it’s only fair since you’ve caused me a lot of trouble at HQ.” he said. You gave him a confused which he only shook his head at. “I’ve been chasing you for awhile and i think your fully aware i could have caught you months ago.”

“I have no idea what your talking about.” you said stuffing an oreo in your mouth. You refused to make eye contact.

He laughed before beginning again. “Now if i’m not mistaken and maybe i am, we’ve been flirting for months.” he said seriously. Your cheeks blushed at that. “See that already gave me my answer.

“We don’t even know each other’s names so i don’t know what makes you think that.”

He sticks his hand out to you. “Hobie Brown, and your name is?” he asked.

“Y/n.” you answered.

“Well then y/n hold on tight.” he said as he threw his arm around your waist and jumped.

“WHAT THE FUCK! HOBIE PUT ME DOWN!” you screamed as you swung around. He laughed as your screamed. You righted your hold around his neck as he swung.

It took awhile but you got used to it and began to love it. You laughed as he swung you through the city.

Finally he landed on another building. Your heart slowed as you finally got to your feet. “Oh my god that was amazing Hobie!” you yelled throwing your arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around your waist hugging back.

Leaning your head back your cheeks turned pink realizing your proximity. Both your eyes were moving from each other’s eyes and lips.

Hobie moved his hand to your face as he connected your lips. It was soft and warm.

You pulled back looking at him again.

“You should have caught me a long time ago.” you said exasperated. ——————————————————————— Authors note

Hiii! This was so fun to write. This was kinda inspired by Lana Del Rays song Playing Dangerous. I was just listening to it and it seemed like a Hobie song😭 Anyways hope you enjoyed✌️

REQUESTS: OPEN

[fablesrose]

Leverage Rewrite Ch 1 - Phone Calls

Series Masterlist

Pairing: Eliot Spencer x Ford!Reader

Words: 3054

Summary: We are introduced to y/n Ford and her relationship with Nate through some phone calls. Takes place directly after the Bank Shot Job and goes through most of season 1.

Warnings: drinking, swearing, canon level stuff

A/n: okay, so I may be up over my head on this one, but here it is.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The ringing of my phone snapped me out of my lackluster concentration. I enjoyed freelancing, I really did, but this job was just not coming along like I wanted it to. I couldn’t even drag my eyes off my laptop to see who was calling me. It was always work related though.

“This is y/n Ford, how can I help you?” I made sure to turn on my best chipper voice, though I could tell my perplexed expression didn’t change. 

“Don’t use your customer service voice on me, y/n.” The voice was very familiar and I sighed in relief, turning away from my computer. 

“Oh, hey Nate. I didn’t look at the phone, I thought it was work… How are you doing?”

“That’s alright, I’m doing fine. I saw that you called a little while ago, I’m sorry it took awhile, I was working a job.” He sounded tired, but different than the last few times I had talked to him.

“Yeah, I just hadn’t heard from you for a bit, but a job? I didn’t know you were working again. How has that been going? What are you doing?” 

It was good that he was getting out and doing things again. He had been in a deep rut since he left I.Y.S and got divorced. And of course since Sam… passed. It has only seemed to get worse after that. I have tried to check in with Nate at least every couple months, more frequently when possible. Sometimes he doesn’t get back to me for a while, which seemed to be the case here. I’ve been worried about him, but maybe this will lead him to the up and up.

“Uh, I’m not sure if I can explain what I’m doing right now, birdie. It uh, it's a bit complicated and maybe more dangerous than you would like…” He sighed, and I didn’t even have to see his face to know he was giving a slight wince at what he said. I smiled, both at hearing him call me the nickname he had given me years ago, as well as his conscientiousness of my feelings. 

“Well, I hope you can tell me about it sometime. Are you happy doing it?”

He thought about it for a minute, “yeah, I am. I get to help people.”

“Are you alone? Do you need help?”

“No, I’ve got people.”

“Then that’s good enough for me. I still worry some, but you’re a grown man, you can take care of yourself… or should I say old man?” I smirked, knowing that it would bother him a bit. 

He barked out half a laugh, “I’ll let that one go. I’m glad you worry about me… You know you’re my favorite niece right?”

It was my turn to laugh sarcastically. “I’m your only niece. Don’t be a stranger.”

“Okay.”

I set the phone down after he hung up. Nate practically raised me. My parents died when I was a kid, an accident, and he was the only family I had left… Or the best family I had left. Grandad Jimmy barely counts. Even with my parents around I was always close with Nate, he always had little puzzles to teach me or games to play. I knew it was hard on him, to take care of me, but we had each other, and it got better. We both had to grow up fast, and when Maggie and then Sam came along, it seemed like the world was giving back a little bit. We were a happy family for a while. I graduated, moved out into the real world, and tried to be to Sam what Nate was to me. It all came crashing down. Nate had his own process though. This was worse than when my parents died, understandably, but I knew he was the only one that could work himself out of it. I try to let him. 

My eyes flipped back to my computer from where they were staring at the abandoned phone on the table. I can’t afford to reminisce any longer, I have deadlines to keep.

—---

Across the country, Nate absentmindedly tapped his phone against his knee, thinking. He gingerly moved his right shoulder, trying not to test his stitches too much. The team had just finished up the bank shot job. He knew he needed to take it easy while he healed up from his gunshot wound, but he could feel a slight itch to keep going in the back of his head. To take his mind off of it, he looked back at his phone, thinking of y/n.

He did miss her. Nate knew he had been distant recently and that she worried about him. He felt awful when he thought too hard about it. Here his niece was, worrying about him, a grown man, the one who raised her, who should be worrying about her. It made him want to reach for a drink. The truth was, he didn’t worry about her. Not often anyway. She was every bit of her parents, something Nate was glad for. His older brother was always the better one, he thought. He would have never become… Never become what Nate had, under the circumstances. 

He didn’t know what y/n would think about what Nate was doing now. He didn’t want to leave her in the dark, they had always worked together through Nate’s changing careers and her own progression through life. He also knew that this work was dangerous. Nate winced as the stitches pulled a bit as he shifted. He didn’t want her to worry about him more, or worse, get caught up in it if she didn’t have to. 

Nate went to pour himself a drink before heading back to rest. He set his phone down at his bedside table, looking at it for a moment longer. 

He would find a way to tell her somehow.

—----

It was about a month later when I was getting ready for bed that I got an email to my personal account. I usually don’t check emails this late, but it was from Nate. 

Hey birdie, I know it’s late over there and you probably don’t want to work, but I have this script that I need to make sure is believable for an actress. Do you mind looking over it? 

Attached was a pretty large file. Opening it up showed that it was around ten pages and it held two scenes. He was right, I didn’t want to, but it was Uncle Nate asking a pretty small favor. I read it through and answered.

So… the scenes themselves are decent, good pacing. Leaving the boy orphaned with the nun and mother dying will be sure to pull some tears. But the overall plot? That’s just awful, I’m sorry. Not sure how you fix that. 

It wasn’t too long before I got a reply.

Good enough, thanks. 

I sighed as I finished getting ready for bed. I didn’t know what in the world he was doing anymore, but at least he was still alive. 

I had started to forget about the interaction when a few days later he called.

“Wow, I hear from you twice in one week? What’s the occasion?”

There was a lot of noise in the background indicating he was in a busy place, “Yeah yeah I just… I finished this job and was thinking about you, so I thought I’d call.”

I smiled, “Appreciated… Is that your job, fighting werewolves with NATO troops? Is that why it's so dangerous?”

He groaned, “Please don’t mention the script, I want to wipe that from my memory. It uh,” he paused, thinking and I could hear some background announcements like he was in an airport or train station. “I was able to help some orphans this job, and… I- I’m just glad that you were able to come live with me, that we had each other when. When your dad passed, and mom.”

I took a moment before answering, “Me too Nate…” 

There was a moment of silence when I heard a deeper voice a bit further away from the phone, “Nate, come on, we gotta catch our connection. Last call.”

“I’ve gotta go.”

“Okay, talk to you later.”

He said a quick goodbye before hanging up the phone. It seemed like his new job was exciting, and I was interested in seeing where it took him next… If I could ever figure out what it was. 

I started to look forward to his calls even more now, and they happened more frequently as well. I always speculated what little details he would drop about his most recent adventure, if he shared any at all. One call he talked about a wedding and the fiascos behind it, from a woman he worked with that seemed to peeve him at times to appetizers. He insisted that when I got married (after he asked if I wanted to) that he wouldn’t attend if it was going to be a large crap shoot like the one he was just involved with. I simply laughed, I didn’t interject more than that to ask him about it as he was in a rush and clearly exasperated. 

The next phone call mentioned the same woman, of whom I learned her name was Sophie. I could tell he was still a bit peeved at her, but there was something else there as well, an interest. I smiled to myself as he talked, but didn’t mention it… yet. There were so many other questions I had about what he was doing now. I finally pried a bit more.

“Nate, come on, you’ve got to give me something. What are you doing, what is this job you are working?”

He paused like he knew it was coming, but still not prepared, “I am the lead of a… consulting team. We help people when no one else will, when no one else can.”

“Well that’s very noble of you Nathan. I’m not getting any more than that right now am I?” I laughed a little bit towards the end. 

“Yeah, uh, that is it for now. I’ll tell you more about it some other time.”

“You promise?”

“Promise.”

The next call was not as cheerful or exciting as the previous ones. I was already coming down with a cold, and another project had hit a standstill because of the lack of cooperation of people within the client’s company. Much more of this and I would back out of the contract. Luckily my contract states that I will get paid for the work completed, not necessarily at completion, and if I have to cancel a contract due to certain circumstances such as lack of cooperation, I get to keep funds in relation to work completed as well as the deposit. In other words, it would be their loss. 

I could feel I was developing a headache, but I answered the phone anyway, “Hello?”

“Heyy, how’s it going? I um… I can’t remember why I called…” There was a slight slur in his voice that I immediately picked up on.

“Nate? Are you drunk right now?” I asked accusingly, my headache getting worse. 

“What? No… what time is it… maybe.”

I groaned, “Damn it… You said you were getting better. You said you would quit!”

“Hey, I never said that-”

“Am I gonna have to kick your ass to keep you around?”

There was a pause on the other end, “No, Eliot can do that, he said he would keep me in line if he had to.”

“Well…” I took a moment to collect my thoughts, “I don’t know who this Eliot character is, but hopefully he’s good on his word, cuz I don’t want to fly all the way out there for that. I’d rather you stick around for a while.”

“I know.”

I sighed knowing I wouldn’t get much farther with him right now, “Well, sober up a bit. I can’t handle much more right now Nate, I’m getting sick. We both better go get some rest.”

“You’re sick? I’ll ask around for some recipes to help you feel better.”

Before I could stop him and tell him don’t bother, he hung up. I sighed again, stopping to get my bearings before starting the trek to the bathroom to take some medicine. 

I had grown a bit lax on Nate with his drinking. I made sure he didn’t drink himself to death after Sam’s death and the divorce, but once he made it to somewhat functioning, I just grew tired. There wasn’t much else I could do, so I figured he could sort himself out when he needed to. That seemed to be the case over the last couple of months. I could tell in his phone calls as they became more frequent that he was drinking less and getting better. I had exaggerated a bit when I said he promised me he would quit. I wish I had made him promise, but I guess it was just a conversation and some hope on my end. 

I didn’t know the rest of his team, but I hoped they could help him, or at least keep him on this side of life. Or that he had someone to rely on out there. I felt useless here in Boston while he was out in LA. Maybe I should have moved out there when his life had gone down hill, despite his protests. I could theoretically work anywhere. 

I started to slip into sleep as I thought about it. I didn’t fight it.

The next morning I woke up to an email on my phone.

Hey, I’m sorry I called you while drunk. Eliot gave me some soup recipes, hopefully they will help with the cold. Feel better birdie.

Below were the recipes promised. I looked them over, and they all looked really good, and relatively simple to make. This was good as I could feel the congestion in my head was worse than the night before and knew simple would be essential to any new meal the next couple of days. I’d like to meet this Eliot someday. 

—---

Over a month later Nate sat in his chair, staring at the drink in his hand reflecting back to the last phone call he had with y/n. He was drunk, and she was clearly upset at him. He hated to admit it, but, while he didn’t want to worry her, he should have felt more guilty about it. For that reason he hasn’t talked to her since he sent that email with Eliot’s recipes. 

What an unfortunate coincidence it was when he had to go into rehab with the mark for the next job. His mind kept going back to the group session they had with Sophie talking about the healing power of apologies, or something like that. She asked him if there was anyone he wanted to apologize to for burdening with his drinking problem, highly suggesting to him that he apologize to her and the team. What really got him was when she mouthed the words “like your niece?” 

Maybe that’s why he blew up a little. He didn’t need her to be brought up. The fact that Sophie knew so much about him unnerved him sometimes. He thought he kept her underwraps, out of whatever mess Nate found himself in. He obviously needs to brush up on those skills.

—---

I got a somewhat urgent call from Nate, the first one since he called me drunk that night. I was gearing up for a serious talk about his drinking, boundaries, and whatnot. This did not seem to be the case. 

“You’ve done mock trials before right?”

That stopped me in my tracks, “in highschool? Yeah, but that was a long time ago, what is going on?”

He explained that he was in a similar situation with him and his team. The plaintiff was a widow whose husband died from taking an energy supplement. She was suing the supplement company, but was not doing well.

“How would you win for this widow?”

I took a moment to think it over, “I mean… You have your three persuasive techniques, logical, emotional, and reputation, to paraphrase. You can either tear down the company and their arguments on these fronts and slash or build up your own. I don’t know all the data behind the supplement or if you have health records for the husband before and after the supplement, but that could help. If you want to go the dirty route you can tear down the credibility of the company and their witnesses and experts…” I hummed and hawed for a bit, still thinking. “Also considering, if this is a jury trial, play into the emotional side, get their sympathy, show that it is someone’s fault that this husband, father? Is he a father? You know, etc etc. Just keep with the triangle, logic, emotion, and credibility. Not sure what else to give you without more research or context.”

I heard a distant voice that said, “That just might work,” suggesting to me that I was on speaker phone. 

Nate talked to this other guy, “see, just put on your bowtie and talk to them like you’ve been doing your whole life.” He turned back to the phone and spoke to me, “That’s perfect, thank you, bye.”

He hung up and I just stared at the phone in my hand. What kind of consulting business is this?

I got a call I wasn’t expecting one day from someone I haven’t heard from in a long time. 

“Hey y/n, how have you been?”

“Maggie? I’ve been fine, just working freelancing… What’s up?” While she and Nate have been divorced for a couple of years now, she still played a role in my life as an aunt. We definitely drifted apart, but I thought we were both dear to each other. 

“That’s good, I’m glad you’ve been doing okay. I do have a favor to ask you though.”

“Okay… What is it?”

“I’d imagine it’s been a while since either of us have gone to a fancy party… What do you say?”

I hated to say it, but she was right. “Tell me when and where.”

[dtan0914]

I have a few random questions.

1. Have you seen the crap Jim Cornette has said about our guys? He said he doesn’t like them because they would call each other their actual names. (I won’t say their names because I don’t know them personally, I feel it’s disrespectful)

2. What does dragon fruit taste like? I really want to try it but it’s expensive in Indiana so I don’t want to buy it without knowing what it tastes like.

3. How did you meet Alex and Chris?

4. Who is your favorite female wrestler?

5. What is your favorite photo you’ve taken/ most proud of?

6. When you give wrestlers rides do they stay with you at your house?

7. Did Chris have a good birthday? Hopefully his wife (she is insanely gorgeous) or husband took him to play with some cats.

8. Did you see the Taco Bell donuts that Alex posted on his stories? They look so good. I’m definitely going to try them when they come out.

9. If you were having a bad day which Gun would you reach out to?

Final question. Who gives the best hugs? Do they smell good?

That’s a lot of questions and I’ll do my best to answer them!

1. I have heard it but I think it’s not him judging their in-ring action, just how they act backstage by calling everyone by their real names. Both of MCMG are like this and they’re the reason why I learned so many people’s real names backstage. I call them both by their shoot names since I’m close with them.

2. This is a really hard question to answer because the grocery store ones taste like absolute garbage. Your best bet would be to buy the frozen cubes of red dragon fruit that’s used for smoothies or in pitaya bowls. The fresh fruits are picked when they’re green so they’re only at about 50% of the sweetness they can get. I think the closest fruit to taste and texture would be like a kiwi. Although there’s hundreds of different types and I grow about 30 of them.

3. I met Alex through PWG. He made his return in 2021 and after his match he crawled over to me and asked me to kiss him. The bit became a thing and I feel really blessed that I was the only girl he had kiss him at ringside during the past few years. 🤷🏻‍♀️ I met Chris officially in 2022 after Alex and I had been talking for awhile but I’ve watched Chris wrestle IRL since 2014.

4. Kairi Sane, AZM, Masha Slamovich, and Jordynne Grace are some of my favorites. Candice LeRae for nostalgia sake.

5. Probably my photo of Eddie Kingston vs Gabe Kidd at NJPW Resurgence last year.

6. No, they typically did not stay at my house since we don’t have too many shows down in San Diego where I live. Talents are treated a lot better now than they were in the past, and most promotions book them hotel rooms. I’ve only had one wrestler stay at my house recently when she missed her flight.

7. I only talked to him briefly on his birthday but he seemed pretty happy! I think they worked on RAW the night before so they probably took it easy. Alex and Chris don’t actually live super close to each other now, so they usually meet halfway between their houses in Ann Arbor.

8. I did see it! I hope he actually tries them because whenever I tell him we should get donuts he’s always like, “nooooo I can’t do it” 😂

9. Alex for sure. We’ve been through a lot together and he is very caring.

Final: Chris gives very good hugs! I have had many sweaty hugs from Alex which uh… y’all can leave to your imaginations!! I don’t really pay attention to how they smell tbh since wrestling locker rooms have an overwhelming smell of IcyHot (for obvious reasons).

[filmfanaticsblog]

Sodapop x Fem reader where they're playing seven minutes in heaven at a party and theyre friends but they have to go in the ✨closet✨ together and it'd a little awkward but he confesses his feelings. You decide if it's fluff, smvt, or angst! But the people at the part leave them in there for over 7 mins so yea! Tysm

«Kk»

Sodapop x Fem!Reader Playing Seven Minutes in Heaven (Fluff!)

(a/n: thank you so much for the ask! also, in this universe, the church burnt down and johnny and ponyboy saved the kids, with only minor injuries. Johnny is still alive, meaning so is Dally. it’s pretty irrelevant to the story, but just wanted to note that!)

word count: 580

You and Soda are great friends, you knew each other from the start. Your parents were great friends, and you have been inseparable since the first playdate. You always kept each other grounded and were their for each other, especially when one of you needed it the most. Such as when Mr. and Mrs Curtis passed and when Sandy left Soda. You were there for him. And he’s been with you through all of the big tragedies in your life, never leaving your side.

One night, he tagged along to one of Buck’s parties with some of your friends. You, being close with Buck, stayed after the party with Soda and your friends.

“Hey, let’s play a game!” Your (pretty drunk) best friend Annie blurted out. You all agreed, and settled on Seven Minutes in Heaven. The first couple rounds weren’t that interesting. The way you all decided who was going in the closet with who was that you guys pulled names out of hats. Around the fourth round, your name is called first.

You start to get a little nervous because there was a chance the other person drawn would be Sodapop. Sure, he was your best friend, but you had been trying to deny your feelings for him a long time. But of course, his name was drawn after yours.

Instant butterflies. You get so nervous you could puke, or maybe that was just the alcohol. You and Soda look at each other, you can feel yourself blushing. Wait, is he blushing too? You couldn’t tell for sure.

You guys went into the closet and sat down. You were both a little tipsy, so you weren’t sure how this was going to turn out. Would it be something you regretted?

Sodapop starts a conversation, being the extrovert he is.

“Sooo, how are you?” Kinda awkward.

“I’m doing alright, and you?”

“I’m doing fine.”

You sat there in silence for about 30 seconds. Man, is this awkward. He looks at you, and you look at him. “Where is this going to lead?” He asks you.

“Wherever you want it to.” You reply, with butterflies in your stomach.

He starts, “I’ve liked you for awhile, Y/N. You’re beautiful, kind, and just overall an amazing person.”

You feel yourself blushing. You then started saying, “I’ve liked you too, Soda. I’ve been trying to deny these feelings for awhile, I just didn’t want to ruin our friendship. What we have is already special, and I didn’t want to demolish it by telling you how I feel. I would’ve told you if I had known you felt the same way.”

He leans over to you, giving you a short, chaste kiss to your lips. You felt the heat radiating off of his face, which told yoy he was blushing.

You guys then started talking, and planned a date to the drive in the following night. You then talked for about half an hour, and then realized how long you had been in there together.

The others had heard you guys talking about going on a date, so they left you alone and went home.

The date at the drive in went great, apart from some socs glaring at you and Soda, but they didn’t pull anything so it was all alright. You then became boyfriend and girlfriend, and got married a couple years later. Sadly, Sodapop died in 2023 trying to do a tiktok dance and fell and broke his hip. THE END!!!!

(a/n 2: sorry about the ending. i didn’t know how to finish it off 😭 and sorry if the rest of it is bad as well, still trying to figure out how to write :) )

[reds-fluff-extravaganza]

Leaving this idea here because I thought it was cute.

Steven is canonically a gamer, so what about a little date with his partner? But what he wasn't expecting was to enter Y/N's home for the first time and find a HUGE collection of videogames. Old ones, new ones, classic ones, indie ones, everything. All of them on huge bookshelves, which are completely filled with just games. And every possible console, of course! And a huge TV so they can play the games on full HD!

Baby boy realizing that his partner is also a gamer!

Oh, and have some cookies! 🍪

- Fairy Anon 🧚🏻‍♀️

Wait where was that ever mentioned??? I don’t remember that. But I guess it’s a good thing he is because I have something else I’m working on :3c also I hope this alright and sorry if the ending seems rushed ;;

While you and Steven had been dating for quite awhile now, going on about a year, you had never invited him over to your house. Sure, he’s picked you up from your house and such, but he’s never been inside. You just never saw the need to, since you two usually were out and about. However, you decided that you wanted a more… casual date, so you decided to let him come over to your house and play games with him.

You were brought from your thoughts as you heard a knock on the door. You already knew who it was, but you went up to the door and opened it, looking up at your tall boyfriend.

“Hey, Steven.” You smiled softly and moved out the way, allowing him into the house. Steven walked inside and you closed the door behind him.

“Come on, I’ll show you the game room.” You took his hand into your own and walked with him towards another room in the house. You watched as Steven’s eyes lit up while he looked around the room. In the room was several bookshelves filled with all kinds of video games: new ones, old and classic games, indie games, along with many different genres of games include fighting games, adventure games, RPGs, and much more. And in the room was every console possible, as well as a huge tv to play games on.

“Well? What do you think?” You asked him. He was silent for a moment, as if still in awe of your game room, before he turned to face you, placing his hands on your shoulders before he said:

“If I didn’t love you before, I definitely do now.” Which made you laugh a bit in response.

“I thought I told you I play video games?”

“Well, yes, but i was not expecting all of this.”

“Well, you’re more than welcome to come by any time and play games with me, Steven.” You reached up and kissed his cheek. “Now come on, let’s find something to play.” You walked over to one of the shelves and started looking through your collection, Steven walked up to you, now standing by you as he looked for a game to play with you as well. After a few minutes of looking, you had grabbed out (2 player game of choice) from one of the shelves, and hooked up the console before inserting the game into the console.

“You ready to play?” You asked as you and Steven sat down on the couch, you handing him the spare controller. Steven nodded as he sat beside you, taking the controller from you.

“Of course.” You started up the game, and the two of you ended up playing together for a few hours. As you two played, you made little jokes and comments here and there, occasionally having to pause the game because you two were laughing so much you couldn’t breathe.

Other than that, you two continued to play games until you got hungry, and stopped to make some dinner.

“Hey, Y/n?” Steven spoke up as you two sat down at the table.

“Yeah? What’s up?”

“How did you get into gaming, anyway? I’m just curious.”

“Oh! It was because of my grandmother/family member. She/he/they got me into playing games, and ever since I’ve just enjoyed them.”

“I see.” He smiled faintly at your response, and the two of you sat in silence for a few moments as you ate your dinner.

“How long did it take you to collect all of those games and such?”

“That took me several years, especially the older consoles and games as they’re more difficult to find than modern ones.”

“Fair enough.” Steven chuckled a bit in response. He was happy that you were also a gamer, and he was definitely going to be coming over more often for gaming dates.

“You ready to get back to the game?” You asked him, snapping him back to reality. Steven nodded and stood up, grabbing his plate and walked over to the sink, helping you clean up.

“You didn’t have to do that, love.” You told him as you put the dishes up to finish drying

“Y/n, I’m not going to have you do everything, I’m not heartless.”

“Thank you, I do appreciate the help. Now come on, let’s go back to the game.” You grabbed his hand and walked with him back to the game room, sitting on the couch with him beside you.

“Ready to get your ass kicked again?” You chuckled a bit, him playfully rolling his eyes in response. You two had been playing (super smash bros/other fighting game of choice) before you stopped to eat dinner, and the last round, you had completely defeated him.

“That last round was a fluke and you know it.”

“Sure, sure, let’s just play.” You two chose your characters and stage before you were back at it again, laughing and smack talking, in a playful manner of course, as the two of you ended up playing games together for the rest of the evening, until you two got tired. However, due to how late it had gotten, you had Steven sleep at your house, as you didn’t want him walking around late at night, despite the fact that you knew he was capable of making it home by himself, but you just wanted to spend more time with him.

[oigimi]

arthur’s sequel - chapter 1

Translation notes provided at the bottom. Any text in italics is from a flashback. This process takes awhile but I’m re-falling in love with Arthur cuz of this. Pls enjoy!

There was a crescent moon in the sky the night I traveled from the Louvre Museum to 19th century Paris. It’s as if it was laughing at destiny itself…

I reminisced about it, and about my visit. I had experienced the worst encounter with “him,” and also the best love.

Arthur: Ah, you’re a good girl, so don’t act violently. Don’t be so rude and indulge in me. I’ll take care of you if you do.

With his vampire fangs peeking through, he uttered a nastily sweet whisper.

The flirtatious playboy mystery author, Arthur Conan Doyle. Even though he was the one I should’ve been the most cautious of, I became naturally drawn to him. He was like a gentle breeze caressing my cheeks.

Arthur: Well, MC. Why don’t we wager?

MC: Wager…?

Arthur: Whoever is first to kiss the other loses. When I win, I plan to capture every part of you. Your body, your heart, and even your destiny.

When we were together, it was so much fun I felt my heart soar. But the game of love was so painful it tightened my chest. Before long, I got to know the Arthur behind his smile, and the dark past he hid.

Arthur: I won’t kiss you. I can’t. Because if I want you, you’ll be gone. Isn’t that right…?

I’ll always be here for him. I want to protect Arthur, who smiles fleetingly, and his heart that is truly so kind and beautiful, no matter what.

A strong, irresistible feeling overcame a cruel fate. And…

Arthur: I can’t think of anyone else who makes me as obsessed as you. You’re the only opponent I’d ever want to lose to.

MC: Then will you let me win our game of who can make the other happier?

Arthur: That’s…

Arthur: Sorry. I won’t lose there.

Beyond the time where we weren’t supposed to meet – we’re still playing these happy games, even now.

--------

Since choosing to live in this world, several seasons have passed. I saw my colleague in his butler uniform at our meeting place, and trotted over.

MC: Thanks for waiting, Sebastian. I bought everything!

Sebastian: Thanks for your help, MC. I’ll carry the heavy bags.

I thanked him for so casually offering, and walked alongside him. The Parisian streets were bathing in sunshine, and lively with working people and energetic children all coming and going. As I felt my mood and movements lighten in the atmosphere of it all, Sebastian looked at me and tilted his head.

Sebastian: You’re in a good mood. You’ve been smiling for a while now. Did something good happen?

MC: Actually, the owner of the produce shop gave me some really nice apples as a bonus because the other day we helped his child find a lost toy!

But it wasn’t just the apples that made me happy. The owner also said, “Please also say thank you to that detective gentleman.” I’m gonna tell him as soon as I get home. I’m sure he’ll be so happy. Just imagining his expression makes me joyful myself.

Sebastian: I see. Well that solves the mystery of the apples I didn’t intend for you to get. So it’s a gift for playing detective?

Sebastian: …No, it’s not even playing anymore. Our great detectives are just as good as Sherlock Holmes!

The chiming of the bell tower mixed with our laughter.

Sebastian: Oh, is that the time? We need to get back to the mansion. Shakespeare is coming over to visit Vincent today, so I want to show some hospitality.

MC: Oh, uh… Sorry, I realized I forgot to buy coffee beans. Please go ahead home, Sebastian.

Sebastian: Will you be okay by yourself?

MC: It’s still daylight. And things are different from when I first came here. Leave it to me!

With pride, I split from Sebastian…

(At the shop)

I’d fallen into quite the pinch.

Man: Well, well, well. I’ve defeated this young woman. Now how are you going to pay me?

Playing cards were scattered across the table, and the man sitting across me had a nasty grin on his face.

I was fooled!! He was just pretending to be a shopkeeper!! When I went to buy the coffee beans, he said, “If you can win now, you’ll get a bonus! Come on now!” He greeted me with a smile, and before I knew it, I was entrenched in a betting match. I was careless, but I’ve been getting better at deception…

MC: I don’t have money. But you were cheating, weren’t you?!

Man: Oh? You’re going to whine now? Ha!

MC: Ah!

I threw my hands up, scared of his furious expression. At that moment…

???: Hey, stop!

A voice light as wind hit my ears, and I looked up.

Are you coming to rescue me at a time like this?

Arthur: Yoohoo, MC~

-------

MC: Arthur!

Arthur slammed his hand down on the table to block the man, and an arc drew on his lips. When I saw his always-relaxed smile, my whole body, which had been stiffened, was relieved.

Arthur, I hadn’t expected you to come…

Arthur: It’s quite easy for you to get caught up in these situations, isn’t it?

MC: Sorry, I was trying to be careful, but…

Arthur: Don’t worry about that now. We need to get out of this pinch first.

As he said that, Arthur sat next to me. The man glared daggers at the sudden intrusion.

Man: Hey, man. What do you think you’re doing butting in like this?

Arthur: Alright, here’s my conditions. You and I are gonna play another round. If we win, we get the full amount offered. If not, we’ll pay ten times the amount.

Arthur: Well? Sound good?

Man: What?! Ten times is a lot! Alright, fine. Let’s do it.

With that grin on Arthur’s face, I could tell he had a trick up his sleeve.

MC: Arthur, please be careful. This guy’s a cheater.

Arthur: Mm~? Oh, there’s no problem here. I have a goddess of victory at my side, and she’s got your name.

MC: Joking at a time like this…

Arthur: Don’t worry, MC. Don’t you trust me?

His eyes were an unwavering blue, like a glass ball. They pierced right through me, and I...

[CHOICE OF 3: I picked “Arthur’s got this.”]

MC: Of course I do. You’ve got this.

Arthur: That’s what I thought. I can’t show you my lame side anyway!

Even through his joking words, I began to relax. Things were going to be okay. Arthur and I laughed a little bit as we locked gazes.

Encouraged by Arthur’s reassuring presence, I also looked at the man head-on.

Arthur: Well isn’t this quite the development! I’m getting a sense of deja vu.

Man: Huh-?

Arthur: Nothing to do with you. Alright, let’s start the game.

The battle finished in the blink of an eye.

MC: Pontoon!

Man: What?! You’ve gotta be kidding-!

Arthur: And just like that, we’ve won.

Just like in the past, we triumphed brilliantly.

---------

Free from that man, Arthur and I walked in the evening streets, side by side.

Arthur: The shopkeeper reported him, so I don’t think we’ll ever see him again.

MC: That’s good, it saves others from getting caught in their trap. Thank you so much for your help, Arthur…

MC: But I can’t believe you had such good timing. Did you happen to be stopping by the store?

Arthur: I suppose it just happened. I was on my way to the publisher to talk about my new book.

Even in this time, Arthur continues to write under a pen name. He gets more popular every time he releases a new book, and even has been getting requests for serialization.

Arthur: And then I remembered you were shopping in town, and decided to visit the store you frequent. Aaaand bingo. Everything was fine up until you got in trouble.

He remembered the store I always go to. There’s his keen observation for you. Seeing my impressed face, Arthur grinned and looked at me.

Arthur: It really was like old times. Remember? When you were trapped in a game of pontoon?

MC: Of course! Yeah, I remember too.

That was way back when I first fell into this world. Arthur helped me when I was in trouble then, and he did it again today.

Arthur: MC, do you need my help? If you ask for it, I’ll give it to you. What do you say?

MC: Arthur… please help me…

Arthur: Mm, okay! And if I win, you need to do what I say.

MC: I was so relieved when you came.

I still thought of Arthur as dangerous and flippant back then. But now, it’s a treasured memory.

MC: Well thank you again, Arthur. You really are my hero.

Arthur: Your hero? Well, that’s just the biggest compliment I could receive.

Uttering it so quietly, Arthur gave a soft smile.

Arthur: Well it’s a golden rule as a hero to rescue my love in need.

MC: Ah! Well from now on, I’m going to be a lot more careful. I need to be more vigilant, and a little more suspicious of other people.

As I reflected on my carelessness, Arthur raised his eyebrows.

Arthur: I wish you had a way to protect yourself. Your virtue lies in your ability to face people straight, because you don’t doubt others.

MC: You think so?

Arthur: I know so. I fell in love with your pure and beautiful heart.

My heart trembled a bit, presented with Arthur’s true and honest feelings like a surprise attack.

Arthur: You’re my one and only. The girl I want to protect more than anything. And that’s why I always will. So you can always smile, MC.

--------

Arthur… My cheeks, growing warm, must’ve been dyed even redder by the setting sun. As I failed to control my swelling emotions, a cold rain began to fall on my cheeks.

Arthur: Ah, I thought I could smell rain. It actually did start. Let’s go, MC.

He took out and umbrella and opened it. Holding out one hand, he invited me into a gentle embrace.

Arthur: My apologies, I only have one umbrella.

MC: Thank you Arthur! Ah, I’m remembering again. When you saved me the first time, it rained that night too, didn’t it?

Arthur: That’s right. Even the weather is the same! Today’s the day to stroll down memory lane!

That time, Arthur gave me his umbrella and we parted ways for the night. But today, we are lovers, walking shoulder-to-shoulder under the same umbrella.

MC: Ah, Arthur! Did you know in Japan we call this “ai ai gasa?”

Arthur: “Ai ai gasa?” What’s that? Is it like a lovey-dovey umbrella?

MC: Lovey-dovey? Pfft… Ahaha!!

Arthur: Hey, why is it you’re the only one who understands? Haha, you’re so cute.

MC: Sorry. It’s cuz it’s a silly conversation between lovers. The meaning of the words is a little different, but it means the same in the end.**

I looked up, and a soft kiss touched my lips instead of the cold rain.

Arthur: Then what’s a lovey-dovey umbrella?

I pretended to poke Arthur in the chest and couldn’t help but grin like an idiot. I wished days like this would last forever. With the man I love more than anything else in the world next to me, life is just so dazzling and dear to my heart.

But the destiny awaiting us was about to make a huge move...

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Translation notes:

**ai ai gasa (相合傘) is a trope in romance media where two people in love share an umbrella. I think the joke here comes from Arthur calling it “raburabu kasa” (ラブラブ傘), which isn’t really a term, and literally means “lovey dovey umbrella.” I think this will be better explained in the official eng translation lol

Most of this is stuff we’ve seen before (like damn MC, two times at the shop?). I tried my best to not do a literal translation of everything and give the characters their voices I pick up on in the jpn and eng versions, so I took some creative liberties so it’s nicer to read.

[xxx-inhibitionless-xxx]

What A Week.. Chapter 03 : Day Two ( Brian & Aaron’s Morning )

The next morning, I was awakened by Aaron shaking me, telling me to wake up. Come on Bri, wake up, we’ve got to go.

 What time is it, I moaned, I’m still tired.

 I know you’re tired, we were up all night tied naked to a gate at the mall, jacking each other off in the mall parking lot, riding home naked with Jason Wetherby’s frat brothers, then jacking each other off again once we got here, Aaron recounted. I guess we fell asleep, my parents are already gone, Matt’s gone too but he left a note. I guess he filled them in on what happened and headed home to finish getting ready. They must have thought the alarm would get us up in time to get to school.

 Wait, what, I asked, finally coming to my senses, what time is it ? It’s time, he paused as he looked at something out the window, to catch the bus that just left our stop and took off.

Oh great, now what are we going to do, I asked.

 It was a moment before Aaron replied, well, since we’ve already missed the bus, we could play hooky and explore a bit more of the teenage boy hormones we enjoyed last night.

 I started getting hard again just thinking about the possibilities, I was excited and afraid, the three of us had been naked around each other plenty of times, we’d jerked off in front of each other, jerked each other off a couple times, but never really explored anything beyond normal teenage boy experimentations. I…, I… don’t know Aaron, we should get to school, I stammered out meekly.

 Aaron recognized the quiver in my voice, he knew me too well, you want to, you know you do, you enjoyed what we did as much as I did, didn’t you ?

 He really knew me too well, yeah, I admitted embarrassingly, I think I did.

 I knew it, Aaron said with excitement, I’m pretty sure Matt did too, we should have done more way sooner, said Aaron, as he rummaged through his drawers looking for something. We’ll just have to make up for lost time, he continued to say, as he pulled out a pair of padded hand-cuffs.

 What in the world are those, I asked, where’d you get them, how long have you had those, have you ever used them ? I bombarded him with questions.

 I’ve had them awhile, he said, Zach got them for me. Zach was Aaron’s older brother who was away at college. I’ve been too afraid to do too much with them, Aaron said looking at me, until now. Come on, this will be fun, he pleaded, looking at me with those wonderful green eyes.

 I can’t believe we’re going to do this, I said, the waiver in my voice belied by my now raging dick nearly busting out of my sleeping boxers.

 Come on, lose the boxers, little Brian wants to get started.

 For some reason, it was decided that I would get to try the cuffs first. I was still a bit hesitant, so Aaron secured them around my wrists with my hands to the front. How do they feel, he asked, testing them to make sure they were locked and taking the opportunity to feel me up as he grabbed my dick. A jolt of excitement shot through me as he did, seeing that I enjoyed it, he gave it a few tugs, guess it feels pretty good, huh ?

 Oh yes, I moaned, jerk it, jerk me off, make me cum. Enjoying his new found power, Aaron decide to prolong my agony. First, you need to go grab some whip cream from the fridge.

 What, I exclaimed, downstairs, in the kitchen ? I’m naked Aaron, with handcuffs on.

 I know, hurry up, no one is home, you’ll be fine, and keep your hands off your dick or I’ll hook them behind you.

 You are just plain evil, you know that ?

 Yup, now move it, he smirked, patting my butt, shoving me out of his bedroom.

I can’t believe this, I said to myself, I was too excited too care, though, raging boner pointing the way, leading me too whatever it would take to get Aaron to finish what he started and satisfy the desire to get off. I made my way down the hall to the stairs, Aaron looking on from his bedroom doorway, making shooing motions with one hand while jerking his hard rod with the other. My own dick jumped at the sight and washed away even more inhibition as I started down the stairs to the kitchen.

 Knowing no one was home didn’t help any as I still went slowly, peeking around every corner before moving on to make sure the coast was clear. At the foot of the stairs, making sure the living room was empty, through the living room, check the dining room, finally getting to the kitchen.

I heard Aaron shout from upstairs, hurry up, what’s taking so long. I went over to the refrigerator and began looking for the whip cream when I heard something. My heart froze, it sounded like the front door. It couldn’t be, everyone was gone, no one should be home, but I heard voices and the definite sound of a key opening the door !

 I was in a panic, the only way back upstairs was through the living room and past the front door ! I looked around trying to find somewhere to hide, something to cover up with. The dining room would be visible from the door so that was out, the only other place to go was the laundry area and the back door.

 I headed for the laundry area to hopefully hide there when I heard the distinct sound of Aaron’s Mom’s voice yelling at Steven, Aaron’s little brother, to grab his pack from the laundry area. The same laundry area I was currently trying to hide in, naked, with handcuffs on.

I couldn’t let him find me like this so I decided to step out the back door and hide in the backyard. Aaron’s backyard had a high wooden fence surrounding it, that should be enough cover so the neighbors wouldn’t see me, I can leave the backdoor open just a crack to make sure I can get back in, let Steven grab his pack so they could leave, then I can get back upstairs, get dressed and never do anything this risky again.

 I quietly opened the backdoor, snuck out, closed it as close as I could and hunkered down waiting. It was only seconds before more panic set in and I decided that I needed more cover. What if Steven happened to just look out the backdoor window, he’d see me for sure.

 Aaron’s Dad’s pick-up was still here, backed up into the driveway. If I could get to it, I could hide under the bed cover long enough for Aaron’s Mom and brother to finish what they were doing and leave so I could get back inside. There was just a small distance between the house and the truck that was not covered by the fence that could be seen from the road but I’d have to risk it. I practically leapt the few feet to the truck, opened the rear gate and climbed into the bed under the bed lid.

Steven came through the kitchen, around the corner to the laundry room, grabbed his pack, but then noticed the back door was ajar. Taking a quick peek out, he shut it and latched the deadbolt before heading back to his mom. Meanwhile, Aaron was upstairs slowly working his dick, not wanting to cum before Brian got back.

 Aaron had been interested sexually with his friends since their very first escapades. He had always been afraid, though, that they would never accept his advances and he’d lose the best friends he’d ever had. Now, after the events of the last 24 hours, he was regretting never making a move. We’re going to make up for lost time, he said to himself, waiting in lustful agony.

 What was taking Brian so long, he wondered, hurry up he hollered down to his friend. Would they still be just friends after this, he wondered, would they or could they become something more ? He got even harder thinking about the possibilities. Oh my god come on, pent up with sexual frustration, he grabbed his favorite hockey jersey of his brother Zach’s, it was large for him, hanging down to his knees but it made a great nightshirt, plus it made him feel close to his older brother.

 Heading downstairs after Brian, distracted by thoughts of what he and Brian were going to do, Aaron did not hear his mother and little brother come home. He rounded the corner coming into the living room to find himself face to face with his mother.

 Mom, exclaimed Aaron, what are you doing home ? Found my pack Mom, said Steven, coming from the dining room, hey Aaron. Aaron’s eyes went wide as he realized that Steven had come through the kitchen and dining room from the laundry room, which meant where was Brian ? Aaron’s mother brought his attention back, what do you mean why am I home, what are you still doing here, you’re supposed to be at school.

Um, um, Aaron started to stammer but recovered quickly, after Matt left, he began, Brian and I woke up late and missed the bus so he went home to get his Mom’s car to drive us, I was just coming down to meet him.

 What have I told you about staying out late on a school night, his mother said exasperated, well, just call him and tell him to go on to school, your brother and I will drop you off on our way.

 That’s okay mom, I’ll wait for Brian.

 Go get in the truck Steven, I said we will drop you off, she addressed Aaron, now grab your pack and get in the truck, you can call Brian on the way, I am already late.

 But mom, implored Aaron.

 Now, mister, I will not tell you again, where is your pack ?

 I left it at school.

 Then let’s go, now.

 But mom, Aaron tried once again.

 Aaron Samuel get your flip flops on and get in the truck we are leaving now, she practically threw Aaron out the front door with barely enough time for him to grab his flip flops from the shoe matt by the door.

Stepping barefoot onto the front step brought a sudden sense of doom and sheer panic to Aaron as he just now realized that beside the flip flops he just grabbed the only other thing he was wearing was his brother’s hockey jersey ! Mom, wait, I have to go back in, he pleaded.

 Get in the truck, we do not have time for this, said his mother. Aaron had no choice, the wrath he would face from his angry mother paled in comparison to anything else, so reluctantly and ever so carefully, he piled into his father’s pick-up, his mother got in the driver’s side while Steven was sandwiched in the middle.

 I cannot believe any of you, said their mother, are all the men in this family just idiots ? Steven left his pack, you miss the bus, and your father decides that he wants to take my car to the shop. I guess it worked out though, since we got everything taken care of all in one shot, except for running behind schedule.

Aaron couldn’t focus on anything his mother was saying, being more obsessed with the fact that he was sitting there next to his mother and younger brother practically naked, with nothing on other than an oversized hockey jersey and a pair of flip flops !

 Worse, yet, that meant Brian was still in the house, completely naked and handcuffed ! Aaron hoped Brian had found a hiding place and would be okay until he managed to get home after school. Aaron shuddered at the thought because of the implications that brought forth.

 Aaron was to the point of total panic at not only having to sit here in the truck nearly naked, the fact that he was headed to school to be dropped off and would have to manage an entire day at school with nothing on under his brother’s hockey jersey but he’d have to ride the bus home after school ! Aaron had never wished to die more than right now. Brian may be handcuffed and totally naked but at least he was safe at his house, Aaron thought, completely envious of his friend.

 He didn’t know it at the time, but I was not safe at his house, I was in fact right behind them in the bed of the truck hiding under the cover lid ! Sheer terror does not even begin to describe what I was feeling right now.

 I had snuck out the backdoor of Aaron’s house when I heard his mom and brother come home and then hid in the truck thinking I would be safe there until they left. Imagine my surprise when I felt the truck doors open and close and the truck start up ! I could not believe what was happening.

 I was totally naked and handcuffed and now being taken on a joy ride to who knows where. What in the world was I going to do ? Where were we going ? What if someone opens the back of the truck and finds me here ? My mind was racing, and now to make matters worse, I had to pee.