#if/when i finish this ill do cream and daisy next

[scribblekatz]

a wip i have yet to even attempt at finishing but. what if we were both girls and pink

[lancermylove]

Flowers (Valentine’s Day HC)

Fandom: Twisted Wonderland

Pairing: All x gn!Reader, Ortho platonic.

Warning: None

Prompt: Type of flower he would give you on Valentine’s Day.

A/N: Happy Valentine’s Day! 💝

———————————————

Prologue: 

You went to get breakfast with Grim, hoping to get a glimpse of your boyfriend. He was nowhere to be found, but when you returned to Ramshackle, you found a gift from him.

———————————————

Malleus 

A bouquet of pink, lavender, and white Gerbera Daisies sat on the living room center table. A pink bow was neatly tied around the stems, holding the bouquet together. 

"Today is Valentine's Day, correct? Fufu, human holidays are quite intriguing. Lilia said gifting flowers is a must and asked me to choose carefully. It seems as though each flower has a different meaning. A variety of gerbera daisies in a single bouquet represent innocence, beauty, and cheerfulness. What better flower to gift you? You are always the reason behind my smile, but today, let me be the reason for your smile. ~Malleus Draconia"  

Lilia

A simple gray ceramic pot with pink orchids sat in front of the Ramshackle entrance. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, my dear! Did you know orchids symbolize love, beauty, and strength? They reminded me of you~ hehe. You're such a lovely and strong person. I don't know if you realize this, but you are the strength of the people around you. Also, don't forget that I will always love you. ~Lilia”

Silver

A single red and pink anemones sat on the dorm's doorstep along with two notes.

"I will protect you forever. ~Silver"

"Hey, it's Lilia. I saw Silver's note and couldn't help myself. That boy didn't even wish you Happy Valentine's Day, nor did he explain the meaning of anemones to you. These flowers symbolize protection, so Silver choose them for you. Also, (Y/N), thank you for being by Silver's side. I couldn't ask for anyone better. ~Your future father-in-law ;)"

Sebek

Grim ran up to the door and picked up a bouquet of white calla lilies. A crimson-colored bow was tightly wrapped around the stems. There were two notes next to the flowers. 

"These are for you. ~Sebek"

"Hey, it's Lilia. I feel like I'm going to be spending the whole day trying to fix Silver and Sebek's blunders. These lilies reminded Sebek of you, and he couldn't stop saying how beautiful they looked. Of course, he didn't know I was listening, hehe. I hope you have a good Valentine's Day...let's hope your date with Sebek goes well. Wait, was I suppose to mention the date? Hehe, oh well! ~Lilia"

Riddle

Riddle gifted you a bouquet of white gardenias in a clear glass vase. 

"Happy Valentine's Day. I am not used to giving gifts, so I hope you find these flowers beautiful. I couldn't help but think of your purity when I saw these gardenias. Please come to my dorm when you receive this note. I will be waiting for you. ~Riddle" 

Ace

A single pink hydrangea flower sat on the coffee table with a sloppily written note. 

"Pretty flowers, don't you think? Trey senpai said something about hydrangeas representing beauty and grace. They kinda remind me of you. Hope you like it! Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day. I'll stop by after classes! ~Your handsome boyfriend Ace" 

Deuce

When you returned to Ramshackle, you found a clear vase with a bunch of sunflowers inside. 

"Happy Valentine's Day. When I saw these flowers, they reminded me of your smile. Cater senpai told me sunflowers symbolize warmth and happiness, so I thought they were perfect for you. Do you want to...um...go on a..nevermind! See you after classes. ~Deuce"

Trey

Trey gifted you a bouquet of pink peonies wrapped inside a cream-colored gift wrapping tissue paper. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, my beloved! These peonies are for you. They represent romance and are good luck charms, bringing fortune to those who receive them. I hope these flowers bring you luck. Don't forget about our date later tonight. Also, I baked your favorite dessert. ~Trey"

Cater

A bouquet of blue iris inside a clear vase sat on the living room table. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, my love! Sorry for not giving these flowers to you in person...I have classes. T~T Aren't irises breathtaking flowers? They're rare and unique, like you. <3 I'll see you after classes! Can't wait to go on a date with you!! :* ~XOXO, Cater"

Leona

You saw a single sugarbush protea sitting in front of the main door with two notes next to it. 

"Here. Now come to my dorm, I want to nap with you. ~Leo"

"Happy Valentine's Day, (Y/N)! Leona asked me to deliver this flower to you, and when I saw his note...haha...he's even lazier than usual. Lemme tell you why Leona picked this flower for you. The florist said Proteas represent courage and transformation, and I think Leona's trying to say you're his courage. Shishishi! Don't tell him I said this! He's going to get so mad if he finds out. ~Ruggie"

Jack

Jack left a bouquet of yellow primroses inside a round vase on your doorstep. Next to the vase were two notes.

"You are perfect the way you are. Don't ever change. ~Jack"

"Shishishi. How sweet of Jack to say this. Oh, sorry, I saw him write this note and thought to tell you the reason why he chose this flower. The florist said primroses are a symbol of new love and new beginnings. Guess Jack wants to start a new life with you? Shishishi. I see marriage in your future! Don't tell him I sent this note to you. ~Ruggie"

Ruggie

Ruggie gifted you a bunch of yellow dandelion flowers. 

"Happy Valentine's Day! Did you know Dandelions are tough and can endure anything? Just like you. They also have healing properties and are healers, like you. Shishishi. Oh, did you know you can make tea out of these? They help with all sorts of pain and illnesses! ~Ruggie"

Azul

Azul gifted you a bouquet of purple tulips, neatly tied with a lavender satin bow. 

"Hello, love. Happy Valentine's Day. My apologies for not handing these to you in person. I promise to make it up to you later. I thought quite a lot about what flower to give you, but I could think of none better than tulips. They convey comfort and warmth, and when I'm with you, I feel wanted and loved. You mean the world to me. ~Love, Azul"

Jade

When you walked into Ramshackle dorm, a radiant sparkle caught your eyes. Getting closer, you saw a pink glass rose sitting atop a note. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, my dear. I noticed quite a few men handing their beloved fresh flowers, but why gift an item that will wither? I do hope you like the glass rose. Its charm, radiance, and delicacy reminds me of you. Visit the Monstro Lounge once you're finished with classes. ~Jade"

Floyd

In the living room, you found a bouquet of forget-me-nots held together by a jute string.

"Hey, Shrimpy, Happy Valentine's Day~! Jade went flower shopping, so I joined him and found these flowers. They look like you, tiny and cute. Come to my dorm after classes~ I made something for you. ♡ Floyd” 

Kalim

You entered Ramshackle, hoping to find Kalim; instead, you saw a gold rose on the living room sofa. Beside the metal-flower sat a cream-colored paper with a gold border. 

"Jamil said I shouldn't give you this and should choose fresh flowers. But I don't wanna give you something that'll wilt. This rose is better 'cause it'll stay with you forever! Oh, Happy Valentine's Day! Come to Scarabia after school~ I'm gonna throw you the best party ever! ~ Kalim :)" 

Jamil

When you returned to the dorm, you found a thin glass vase with a single pink lotus inside and a note next to it. 

"Happy Valentine's Day. I hope your day has been well so far. I don't know what your favorite flower is, so I got you a lotus. You know about lotus, right? They bloom from mud but are unaffected by the muck around them. Lotuses remind me of you...no matter how dirty the world around you, your beauty remains untouched. ~Jamil" 

Vil

You strolled into your dorm and saw Grim running towards you with a single red rose and a note in hand. 

"Happy Valentine's Day, my lovely. What better flower to gift you than a red rose? Red is the color of passion, whereas a rose represents classic beauty. This particular rose has been cultivated with the utmost care. Flawless, is it not? Be ready by 4 for our date. ~Your beautiful Vil"

Rook 

You entered the living room to find a bouquet of Casa Blanca lilies in a white vase sitting on the table. Around the neck of the vase was a green satin ribbon holding a note. 

"Bonjour, mon amour. You like flowers, oui? These are Casa Blanca lilies, known for their beauty, class, and style. They suit you quite well. Now come, we shall go on a date and make memories. ~Ton amour, Rook"

Epel

As soon as you walked into the living room, you saw a bouquet of lavenders and a basket of apples. 

"Hello. Today's Valentine's Day, right? So, um...Happy Valentine's Day. I got these lavender flowers for you. They smell good, right? Meemaw - I mean grandmother, loves them a lot, so I thought you would like them too. Speakin' of Meem- grandma, she sent apples for you and asked me to give them to you today. I planned a date today...I'll meet you in front of your dorm at 2. ~Epel"

Idia + Ortho

You entered your bedroom to find a bouquet of pink alstroemeria and a bouquet of white daisies on your bed, along with two circular device. When you touched the device, a holographic note appeared.

"H-Hello. Happy Valentine's Day. U-Um, these alstroemerias are for you. You are my only f-friend, and I want to gift you these flowers to show my d-devotion to you. T-Thank you for staying by my side. ~Idia"

You tapped the smaller circular device and saw a holographic projection of Ortho. The child spoke in a chirpy voice. 

"Hello, (Y/N)! Happy Valentine's Day! I know you are big brother's valentine, but I wanted to gift you these flowers. Daisies represent innocence, happiness, and friendship. These blooms are given to those who put a smile on your face. You always put a smile on big brother's face, so thank you for that. Oh, and I hope you like the flowers Idia picked out. He wasn't sure what to get you, so I suggested alstroemeria. See you in a few hours! Ortho signing out." 

———————————————

➣ Twisted Wonderland Masterlist ➣ Buy me a Ko-fi or Commission?

[justthehiddleswrites]

As You Are | Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Daisy)

Pairing: Tom Hiddleston x OFC (Daisy)

Summary:  Daisy is dating Tom but she is insecure she doesn’t stack up to her previous girlfriends. Her insecurities get her into a spot of trouble when she purchases a dress too small for the red carpet event. Tom comes to her rescue.

Warnings: Implied Smut, Angst, Fluff, body image issues, Body Image, Self-Esteem Issues, OFC is short and curvy 

-

Daisy felt the cool metal of the tea canister graze across her fingertips as her perch on the counter gave way and her prize slipped from her grasp. Her bare feet hit the kitchen tile hard, and she stumbled as she lost her balance.

“Thomas!” she yelled into the silence of late morning. Nothing. “Tom , ” she yelled again, more pleading as though she would burst into tears at any moment.

This time she heard the water shut off upstairs in the master bathroom and moments later the padding of large feet down the wooden stairs. Tom emerged, his long locks still dripping from his after run shower, a towel wrapped around his waist.

“What is darling?”

Daisy’s head slumped down, and she jabbed her figure at the tallest shelf in the cupboard. “You did it again. I can’t reach the tea.”

Tom gave a small smile as he moved to retrieve the tea for Daisy. “I am so sorry, darling.”

“It’s been four months, Tom. Four months since I moved in and you are still putting things on the top shelf.” Daisy pouted as Tom handed her the tea.

She turned to finish making her breakfast. Tom’s arms wrapped around Daisy’s waist. “I am a creature of habit.” He bent at the waist kiss Daisy’s neck. “I will endeavor to improve.”

“I have heard that before.” Daisy snipped as she measured out the tea and placed it in the strainer before setting it in the cup off to the side.

In a single motion, Tom grabbed her by the waist, spun her around, and placed her on the counter facing him. “Have told you I love you?” Tom leaned in to place a kiss on Daisy’s rosy lips.

“Only twice today.” Daisy muttered against Tom’s lips. She wrapped her legs around his waist and pulled him close, his towel falling by the wayside.

Tom broke the kiss and smiled down at Daisy. “We must remedy that immediately.” He tugged at her shorts and tank top.

-

After several orgasms and a shared shower, both Tom and Daisy dressed for the day. As Daisy pulled on her scuffed Converses, Tom settled onto the couch with a large script.

“What are your plans for the day?” Tom slipped his glasses onto his face.

“Just some errands and lunch with Chelsea.” Daisy responded, avoiding eye contact.

“Did you get a dress yet?”

Daisy pretended to hunt for her keys in her purse. Tom looked up. “Daisy.” his lips pressed into a thin line. “You told me you had it under control. The red carpet is only three weeks away.”

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She turned so Tom wouldn’t see. “I will take care of it today.”

Tom stood from his seat and walked over to place his hands on her shoulders. “I am sure whatever you pick will be stunning.” He kissed her hair before she stepped out and he returned to his work.

-

“Chels!” Daisy hollered from the depths of the posh dressing room. Her friend burst through the door.

“What is it?!”

“I can’t get the zipper in the back. Can you help?”

Chelsea giggled as she moved to help Daisy. “Wouldn’t you rather your strapping boyfriend help you out, I mean into your dress?”

Daisy threw a dirty look over her shoulder. “Not funny, Chels. You know my feelings about Tom and my appearance.” Daisy squirmed. She confided in Chelsea about her insecurities. Daisy, at only 4’ 2” and curvy as all get, felt she couldn’t measure up to Tom. Literally and figuratively. She never said a word to Tom but begged off invitations to attend events with him. Until now. Tom insisted she attend.

“I don’t know what you are insecure about, your body is amazing and Tom wouldn’t just date anyone.”

Chelsea’s words fell on deaf ears. “He could have anyone in the world, why me?”

“Because you are smart, funny, kind and right now, not fitting into this dress.”

Chelsea got the zipper halfway up on the navy satin A-line dress. Daisy frowned. This was the twelfth store, and she was no closer to a dress. Tom would not be pleased. “Can you see if they have a larger size?” Daisy pleaded.

Chelsea left and located a thin salesgirl with a pinched face just outside the dressing room. In the meantime, Daisy stepped out to peek in the three-way mirror. But for half of her back spilling out, the bottom of the dress looked perfect while the sweetheart neckline accentuated her cleavage.

“Do you have the blue satin in a larger size?” Chelsea asked, gesturing to Daisy’s frock on the sales floor. The girl glanced at Daisy admiring herself in the mirror before turning her nose up at Chelsea.

“Sorry we don’t carry plus sizes here.” the girl spat out the words “plus size” like they were curse words. Daisy’s eyes burned with tears as she stormed back into her dressing room before peeling the dress off her body and getting dressed.

“Daisy—” Chelsea started before Daisy emerged from the room, dress in hand. She walked up to the salesgirl.

“I’ll take it, can you ring it up, please?” Daisy plastered on her sweetest smile.

The girl sneered for a moment. “Right this way miss.”

-

Daisy pushed up the door with her hip, her hands ladened with purchases. The cool tones of evening replaced the sunlight of the day. Tom was missing from the couch. Daisy placed her packages in the arm chair.

“Tom?”

“In the kitchen, darling?”

Daisy followed the enticing smells of food. She found Tom hovered over the stove. “What smells so good?”

“My specialty, Bolognese.” Tom turned and offered her a taste. She blew on the red sauce before taking a sip. “Needs salt.”

“As you wish.” Tom smiled and grabbed the salt cellar. “Why don’t you take a shower and it will be ready when you come down?” He kissed her lips and Daisy shuffled upstairs.

About ten minutes later, Daisy padded down the stairs. She tugged on her pajama shorts as they rode up as she walked. Tom placed a large plate of pasta at her place at the table. Daisy’s mouth watered. She inhaled the aroma of garlic and wine and grabbed her fork to dig in. Tom took his seat next to her at the head of the table with his own plate.

“How was shopping?” Tom asked in between bites. Daisy gestured to the chair overflowing packages. Tom smiled. “Successful then. Is there a red carpet dress somewhere in that pile?”

Daisy looked over and nodded. She spied the garment bag hanging over the back and flashed back to the scene at the store and lost her appetite. She put down her fork.

“What’s wrong, darling? Did I put too much red wine in it again? I’m sorry.” Tom reached over and rubbed his thumbs over her knuckles.

“No, it’s fine. I’m just full from lunch.” Daisy lied. she picked up her plate and placed on the counter.

“Don’t worry about that. I will take care of it.” Tom offered. Daisy nodded and headed into the living room to gather her purchases to take upstairs. “Do you need any help?”

“No I got them!” Daisy yelled back. “I could use the exercise.” she muttered under her breath as she heaved the heavy bags onto her shoulders.

-

Three weeks came and went in an instant. Daisy spent them watching her food and attempting to exercise. After a week of crash dieting, she forgot all about her intentions to eat healthy and ordered pizza. Which led to ice cream and cookies. Before long, any weight, she may have lost was right back. And tonight was the night of the gala. Daisy stood in the bathroom, praying for a miracle. The water running behind her in the shower as Tom prepared for the night.

Daisy took her time applying her makeup, making sure every detail was perfect. Tom stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around his waist. He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“You look ravishing. I can’t wait to see the complete outfit.” He kissed her forehead to not muss her hard work and turn to get dressed.

She finished twisting her hair into an elegant updo and wrapped her robe around her tight before ducking into the walk-in closet. The garment bag hung like a ghost. Haunting and taunting Daisy. She gulped and pulled the dress out. It looked beautiful on the hangar. She dropped the robe and slipped the dress from the hangar. As she stepped into the dress, she hoped it would zip. Daisy shimmied the dress up past her hips and slid the straps on her shoulders. She reached behind for the zipper, but could grasp the delicate tab.

“Tom, can you help me with your zipper?” Daisy asked through the door, regretting her hasty decision three weeks ago.

Tom appeared in a flash, his top two buttons and cuff undone. “Of course, turn around.”

Tom’s fingers slid down her back and sent shivers through Daisy. Tom chuckled as he pulled on the zipper. As Daisy feared the zipper stopped about halfway up. Tom tugged but to not avail.

“Darling, the zipper seems to be stuck.”

Daisy burst into tears. “I’m not going!” and she ran out of the closet and the bedroom before slamming the door to their spare bedroom.

Tom stood for a moment stunned at what took place mere moments ago before following after Daisy. He opened the door without a word and sat at the edge of the bed.

“Darling…” he tested, rubbing her stockinged ankle.

Daisy sobbed into the pillow.

“Darling, I can’t fix this unless you talk to me.”

Daisy lifted her head to face Tom, eye makeup ruined. “Why would you be with someone like me?”

Tom pulled Daisy to a sitting position before sliding his arms around you. “What do you mean like you?”

Daisy gestured at the ill-fitting dress. “I’m no supermodel or actress. I’m.. I’m…” Daisy sobbed as she looked up at Tom’s pleading blue eyes. Tom’s brow furrowed.

“Do you think you are not good enough for me?”

“Well look at me and then look at your ex-girlfriends.”

“Who are ex-girlfriends for good reason. They did not have your heart, your smile, or your spark.”

Daisy managed a weak smile. “But the press…”

“The press can stuff it. Is this why you have been acting so strange these past weeks? Have you been trying to fit into this dress?”

Daisy nodded. “I just wanted to look like someone who belonged with you.”

Tom wiped away the smeared mascara and took Daisy’s face into both of his hands. “I love you just as you are. You never have to change for me or anyone else. You are enough.”

Daisy searched Tom’s face for any malice but saw only sincerity. She smiled and Tom leaned in to kiss her, pulling her onto his lap. Daisy’s hands twisted around Tom’s curls.

“Now,” Tom slapped his knees. “we need to get you sorted.” Tom took Daisy’s hand to lead her back to their room. “You need to fix your make-up while I come up with a solution.”

Daisy opened her mouth to protest.

“I won’t hear of you not going, now go.” Tom shooed her into the bathroom.

Daisy examined the damage in the mirror and regretted her outburst. It took fifteen minutes fix everything. She stepped out into the bedroom to find Tom dressed. There was an extra white dress shirt on the bed.

“What is that for?”

Tom smiled. “That is for you, darling. If it is good enough for Sharon Stone, it is good enough for the love of my life.” Daisy blushed at his words. Tom held up two safety pins. “But first, turn around.”

Confused, Daisy complied. Tom tugged the satin away from Daisy’s back. “What are you doing?”

“Securing your zipper to prevent any red carpet accidents.” Tom weaved the safety pins into an “X”.

“And where did you learn that?”

“The theater. I have seen my fair share of wardrobe mishaps. One picks up these kinds of things.”

Daisy giggled as Tom skimmed his fingers down her bare arms. He picked up the white dress shirt and held it up for Daisy to slip her arms in. The shirt was oversized but Tom spun Daisy around and buttoned several buttons before tying the bottom of the shirt into a knot off to the side.

“There.”

Daisy stepped into the bathroom to look. She was shocked. You couldn’t see the half zipped zipper and the white shirt accentuated her curves. She skipped out of the bathroom into Tom’s arms, crushing his lips into a passionate kiss. Tom’s wandered down the curves of her body and he sat on the bed pulling her to straddle his lap. She pulled him deeper by his neck. Their embrace interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

“That would be the car.”

“Make them wait.”

“I can’t be late.” tom sighed as he slid Daisy off his lap, straightening his tie. “But don’t think I am done with you.” Tom whispered into her ear, promising a late evening.

-

The event blurred before Daisy’s eyes. The flash of photographers and the microphones and screaming. She now understood why Tom came home exhausted from red carpet events. Now they sat in the back of the car, Tom’s hand making lazy circles on Daisy’s knee. His movement moved her skirt up inch by inch with each swipe. Daisy blushed. Tom leaned over and nipped behind her ear.

“You are delicious. I can’t wait to devour you.” His lips trailing down to the crook of her neck.

Daisy suppressed a moan. “Tom…” Tom tugged at the collar of the shirt, exposing more skin. “not in public.”

“I shall have you wherever I want you.” Tom continued as his hands snaked around her waist. “The car, the bed, the couch, the wall.” He punctuated each phrase with a kiss. Daisy;s underwear dampened.

“Is that a to do list?” Daisy breathed, trying to suppress the pornographic sounds threatening to leap from her throat.

Tom pulled back and his lips curved into a devious smile. “You will have to see.”

As if on cue, the car came to a stop, and the doors opened. Tom pulled Daisy into the house with lust in his eyes.  

[speaknowslut13]

Hello honey bunches!

I am also dead after yesterday’s announcement akdhskhska Red was not at all what I was expecting to come next but I’m so excited! Red holds such a special place in my heart ugh 🥺 which songs are you most looking forward to??

Gross, I’m sorry to hear that the fire season is already bad there. It’s predicted to be a bad one in my home state too, but it usually doesn’t come in full force until august. I do not miss the smokiness at all. It hasn’t quite hit triple digits here yet, but close, and it’s so humid, I feel like the air is sticking to me. Hopefully it cools off just a bit soon for both our sakes!!

Awe that’s so cute! 🥺🥺

Well maybe I’ll take a dive into black panther this evening while I lay in front of my fan hahaha. Oh I didn’t realize Deadpool was marvel! I love that movie, Ryan Reynolds is *chef’s kiss*

The answer is NEVER to downsize books oml 😶😶 I have four bookshelves at my parents house, one at my friends house where I lived for five summers, and one where I currently live. Someday they will all be back with me, but that day is not today sadly

Awe okay love that! I’m happy for you that you’re all close 🥰 I don’t remember if I’ve mentioned but I have one younger sister and I miss her terribly.

Ohhh interesting! Coding goes way over my head, I’ve tried a few free online courses to like learn the basics but I just can’t quite seem to get there. I love watching resin pouring videos, it looks so cool! WhT kind of stuff would you want to make?

Okay but like it’s a fun poem. And that last stanza is really touching! Honestly if it speaks to you, why not want to have it read? Ahh sonnet 130. We spent probably too much time analyzing it in my Shakespeare class but I still can’t hate it because it’s so beautiful. I just finished “The Carrying” a collection by Ada Limón that was pretty good! Quotes from her work sometimes float around on here.

Satire is good when I like it and bad when I don’t, hope that helps 😌 A Modest Proposal is always a fun one to read, and as far as contemporary stuff goes, every once in awhile reductress has something good. That’s so funny about your husbands reaction tho hahahaha would’ve loved to have seen his face.

Ohhh that ones had been on my TBR for awhile, I read Daisy Jones & the Six by that same author and loved it, so your recommendation may have just bumped Seven Husbands up on the list!

What have you been up to over the weekend? And what’s your favorite flavor of ice cream? 🍦

Thanku for the flowers omg sunflowers are my favorite 🥺 here’s some back to you 🌹🌷🌻

During the actual school year, I work part time as an assistant English teacher at a high school/English lecturer at a college, right now I’m doing online tutoring! I definitely want to stay in education long term.

Sending you big hugs! Xoxo 💖 Drew

Hey Drew my dear! I’ve had time to process red being announced. I’m a little bummed because we have such a long wait. I fully anticipate being a complete wreck when it drops. I love almost all of red. I’m looking forward most to the unreleased tracks and that ten minute song we all know is all too well.

It was funny in ironic way that she described red as a heartbroken person. I was baffled when the academy told her it wasn’t cohesive enough to win Album of the Year. I’ve always argued that they missed the point. That grief isn’t traditionally sonically cohesive and that’s why it actually is sonically cohesive. Just not in the way they expect. She said it way better than I ever could though.

Ryan Reynolds is top tier amazing. Any movie he’s a part of I instantly like. I’m pretty sure Chase and I would both leave each other for him if he asked. No questions. And we’d both understand entirely. 😂

I need to get my hands on a copy of Daisy Jones and the Six. I want to read that one. But unfortunately, the public library and I aren’t on speaking terms and going and buying a book recently hasn’t been exactly easy. I can’t wait to go into a half price books again. I’m just waiting to do all the non necessary shopping. My daughter obviously isn’t Vaxxed yet. I’m hoping they approve the vaccine for her age group soon. 🤞🏻. I’m nervous to send her back to school in August. But it’s important. She’s on an IEP. So this last year has been rough on all of us. Now the district won’t offer online again so it’s in person or not at all.

Yay America! 🙃

We spent the weekend doing errands and swimming. I have a job interview this week. I haven’t worked in years but I feel like I need to again. There’s just multiple complicated facets to my life that I’m not sure how to juggle. Hopefully I will figure it out. Or it’ll be all for naught.

So I have a few favorites. Like coffee, orange sherbert, and chocolate. But I can’t eat any of them anymore. I have to avoid dairy. I can have a little dairy here and there but milk and ice cream irritate my digestive system too much anymore.

I love food. Love it. Salsa is amazing. Pizza. Wonderful. Spaghetti and marinara dishes are my entire world. Do you know what all that has in common? 🍅 in the last couple of years I’ve not only developed a slight dairy intolerance, but a tomato allergy and a gluten intolerance! I’m sad 😞 Tomato is in everything though. It’s like I can’t get away from it. It really sucks.

I 100 percent don’t recommend chronic illness. If I was leaving an Amazon review it would be one of those “have to give it one stars but it’s really zero” reviews.

Bless you, Drew. I admire anyone who educates. It’s a skill set that I have very little patience for. So anyone who can is like a god to me.

So my little ADD brain almost forgot to talk about the resin! It’s a cute little idea we have for Dungeons and Dragons. But I’d also like just to create all kinds of different things. Plus it’s an excellent reason to acquire a 3D printer.

Chase and I are trying to learn how to play DnD. He’s always been interested and I’ll follow him anywhere 🤷‍♀️ plus character creating is fun! When it comes down to the actual playing, I don’t know if I’ll enjoy it or not. But I’ll try almost anything once.

I hope your weekend was splendid and I can’t wait to hear back from you soon!

[megalony]

Goodnight buddy

Another Roger Taylor imagine that is part of my Loving Charlie series which I hope everyone is enjoying so far.

Taglist: @lunaticspoem @butlegendsneverdie @langdonzvoid @jennyggggrrr @luvborhap @radiob-l-a-hblah @rogertaylorsbitontheside @chlobo6 @rogertaylors-lipgloss @sj-thefan @omgitsearly @luckytrashgooprebel @scarsout @deaky-with-a-c @killer-queen-ofrhye @bluutac @vousmemanqueez

Series masterlist

Enjoy.

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

Glancing his tired eyes to the doorway of his room, Charlie felt the tiredness washing away when he saw Roger stood there. For the past two days, Charlie had only caught Roger just before he went to bed or when his dad was leaving for work in the morning. He thought tonight Roger would be home after he was asleep.

Walking over to the bed, Roger sat down on the edge, barely managing to sit before Charlie was suddenly in his arms. Running his hand up and down Charlie's back, Roger opened his mouth to say something but stopped when he narrowed his eyes on something resting on Charlie's bedside table. Burn cream. That was something they had to have a lot of with Charlie since he couldn't feel anything hot or cold, he simply felt a neutral temperature no matter how cold or warm it was outside or the temperature of the water.

As a toddler, he was always burning the roof of his mouth which had scarred beyond belief. He burnt his hands a lot too when trying to run a bath for himself leading him to rely on the shower since that had a temperature dial. He wasn't allowed to turn it above number seven or below number four because that would be scolding water or too cold and make him ill.

Gently patting Charlie's back, Roger moved his head as Charlie slowly pulled back enough to look at Roger who clearly wanted to say something.

"Did you burn yourself today?" Roger asked gently, scanning Charlie's eyes as he looked away for a moment before leaning and resting his chin on Roger's chest so he could look up at him. Shaking his head no with a small smile on his lips. Watching his dad raise a brow in question, clearly not believing the answer he had been given. "What's the cream for then?" Roger ticked his head in the direction of the table holding the nearly empty tube of burn cream.

"It's nothing... I wanted to make some tea." Charlie spoke quietly, part of him wishing Roger wouldn't ask so he wouldn't get mad at him but the other part of him wanted Roger to ask. He wanted Roger to fuss because right now it was just the pair of them, no siblings to steal Roger away from him and Charlie could never get enough of these moments of just the pair of them.

Roger leaned his head to the side as a small sigh escaped his lips that Charlie knew well. It showed he wasn't angry with Charlie but he was feeling a bit perplexed because Charlie had broken a rule.

"Buddy, you know you aren't allowed to use the kettle." Roger tried not to whine but they had rules for reasons just like this. Charlie couldn't run a bath, either Roger or (Y/n) had to do that so he didn't run it too hot or freezing cold. He couldn't use the kettle because that was steaming water that he could spill and burn himself with and he couldn't use the oven or stove for any reason. There were many more rules that they had and Charlie usually stuck to them because he didn't want to get hurt even if he wouldn't feel the pain. He always got upset or worried when he had broken a bone or cut or burnt himself, just because he didn't feel pain didn't mean he liked the feeling.

"I know, b-but mum was busy. I thought I could do it." Charlie hadn't wanted to bother his mum when he thought it was a task that he could do himself. The kettle had already been full, all he had to do was switch it on and slowly pour the water into the cup with the teabag. It seemed so easy but he still managed to burn himself.

"It's not a case of can you do it, it's a case of we don't want you to because it's more dangerous for you. Please don't go near the kettle buddy." They hadn't set the rule because they thought Charlie was too young or incompetent to be able to pour a cup of tea. It was there because hot water with someone who couldn't feel pain was a bad combination and they didn't want any accidents. "What did you do, touch the kettle or spill the water?"

Charlie had been informed if he ever for any reason had to touch the kettle or move it, he had to hold the handle and nothing else. When it boiled the kettle itself was scolding so it was only safe to hold the handle.

"Spilt the water onto my hand." He whispered the words as he looked down to Roger's chest when he felt his dad gently pulling his arms from around his neck. Holding both out in front of him to see Charlie's right hand was full of small red and white blisters and tainted with a small red rash that crept up his fingers too. He must have been holding the cup with his right hand and pouring the kettle with his left since he was left-handed.

"Touch the kettle again and there will be trouble." Charlie nodded at the words that were spoken gently to show that Roger wasn't being rude nor was he angry with him.

Leaning over, Roger grabbed the burn cream and pulled open the top drawer of the side table, grabbing a bandage roll. The top drawer contained a thermometer, antiseptic wipes, plasters, different creams, bandages, an old sling for emergencies and some tablets. It was like a small medical kit for when Charlie got hurt.

Charlie scooted back a little on the bed before holding his hand out to Roger, watching silently as Roger gently rubbed the cream on the back of his hand before he started to wind the bandage around. Not wanting Charlie to catch the blisters on anything or make them worse or scratch them like he had done in the past. When he'd finished, Roger kissed the back of Charlie's hand before moving and laying down beside him on the bed. Feeling Charlie snuggle up to his side under his arm.

The pair of them quietly talked about their days as the tv played a movie in the background that neither of them was interested in for the time being. Charlie silently hoped Roger would stay with him for the night, or at least until he got to sleep. Roger always used to stay with Charlie until he went to sleep when he was little or Charlie would sleep with him and (Y/n) on the nights he was afraid he would fall out of bed and hurt himself. Recently Roger was either working late, tending to Evie and the twins or he would pop in and out to check on Charlie when he was trying to sleep. Charlie wanted him to stay with him, to have Roger to himself just for a while longer.

"Daddy!" Both their heads turned when the door slowly creaked open, revealing a very tired but surprised Danny standing in the doorway. One hand holding the door handle as the other was rubbing at his eyes, adjusting to the change in brightness.

Sometimes when the little boy couldn't sleep he would either go to (Y/n) or try and stay with Charlie for a while. He usually just crept into bed with Charlie to watch some tv or to try and sleep if his brother was asleep. Though Charlie wished he was an only child a lot, he never minded his brother coming in. He was the quiet one who made no fuss, Charlie could handle that, he didn't mind.

"Hey buddy, someone's up late tonight." Roger smiled, watching Danny slowly but eagerly trot over to them before scrambling into bed with them. Tucking himself under Roger's other arm, happy and surprised that Roger was now home.

The drummer had gone into the twin's room when he came back but both of them were asleep so he had kissed their foreheads before disappearing so he didn't wake them. Roger waited for a few minutes for Danny to fall back asleep, turning to talk to Charlie again in hushed whispers before he decided it was time to take Danny back to his own room. Both boys were alike in the sense that they liked other people in the room with them to be able to sleep, or more in the bed with them. Daisy didn't need that because she was more hyperactive, if her parents tried to stay in her bed with her she would just chatter away or not sleep.

"Right, I'm just gonna go put him back to bed." Roger slowly pushed himself so he was sitting up, gently picking Danny up and resting him against his chest and shoulder. When he noticed the look on Charlie's face he quickly clarified what he meant. "I'll come back here, I promise." Charlie clearly thought Roger was going to put Danny to bed and then go to his own room or downstairs.

"He didn't speak today." Charlie muttered, nodding towards his brother dozing away in Roger's arms.

"At all?" Roger questioned as he got to his feet slowly so he didn't disturb Danny. His face falling when Charlie shook his head. All-day (Y/n) had been trying to get Danny to speak but he either hummed, muttered something so quietly they couldn't hear or just nodded and smiled. He seemed to just like being mute, he either didn't see the point in talking or just didn't like it.

Roger nodded, his mind drifting as he carried Danny out of the room and turned left, going into the next part of the long, sectioned hallway that led to various rooms. He headed into the room on his left that both the twins shared. Both (Y/n) and Roger thought it would be better for the twins to share a room rather than have separate rooms since they seemed more at ease together. Daisy liked to be close to Danny and talk to him and make up games and Danny was calmer when he was with Daisy.

Going into the baby blue bedroom, Roger moved over to the right where Danny's bed was. Gently settling him down in bed before tucking him in, deciding to keep the pale cream night light turned on just in case either of them woke up. Danny didn't like going to sleep in complete darkness and Daisy wouldn't get out of bed at night if there wasn't a light on in the room. She hated shadows or dark corners.

Leaning down, Roger kissed Danny's temple, brushing his scruffy hair back from his eyes, instantly seeing Danny calm down at the action that always soothed him.

Roger knew he was going to have to talk to (Y/n) about Danny and see if they could come up with something. They couldn't have him getting more and more introverted and saying nothing like this. They had talked before about trying to talk to him more and set up little rules such as he needed to ask what toy he wanted to play with or verbalise things he wanted to do or watch. Just little things to try and encourage him.

When Danny slowly reached out for Roger's hand when he tried to move, Roger sat back down no the side of the bed again. Continuing to run his hand through Danny's hair as the four-year-old turned so he was laying on his side. Not bothering to open his eyes, simply patting his hand around the bed until he found his toy dog, plastering it to his chest as he leaned into Roger's hand.

Satisfied after five minutes that Danny was asleep, Roger slowly pulled his hand away before getting to his feet. Moving over to where Daisy was laying, he kissed her forehead, pulling the covers over her before exiting the room as quietly as he could.

When Roger went back into Charlie's room, Charlie had tucked himself under the cover and turned the lamp off so the only source of light was the tv that was playing The Goonies. He smiled tiredly when he noticed Roger coming back into the room, watching his dad walk over and climb under the cover with him. Moving his arm so Charlie could burrow back into his side, thankful Roger hadn't taken too long settling Danny to sleep and that Danny hadn't stayed in his room for long at all.

Roger couldn't help the wide smile that spread on his features when Charlie kept inching closer and closer every so often until he was laid on Roger's chest. He closed his eyes, pressing the side of his face into Roger's chest as he kept his arms around him, listening to the movie rather than watching it.

Looking down at Charlie after a few minutes, Roger moved one hand that was resting on Charlie's back so he could pull Charlie's lower lip that was resting between his teeth. He didn't want him to suddenly bite down without realising, he had already bitten through his lower lip once when he was younger and that was not something Roger wanted to repeat. He started to run his hand through Charlie's hair like he had previously done with Danny, watching his elder son calm down, slowly drifting to sleep.

"Shh, don't do that buddy." Roger whispered, lowering Charlie's hand when he started scratching at his nose right near the corner of his eye. Roger wasn't sure if Charlie was absentmindedly doing this or if he was awake or asleep but either way he couldn't have him scratching, that was not a good combination with feeling nothing.

When Charlie rubbed his bandaged hand against his nose and cheek, Roger took his hand and interlocked their fingers to get Charlie to stop. His other hand rubbing up and down Charlie's back as he felt his son's breaths evening out against his own showing he was falling asleep.

Roger waited a while, focusing on the movie as Charlie shifted again, snuggling more against Roger as he kicked his legs out, pushing the covers off both of them. With Charlie's condition, he couldn't feel the heat or the cold, he didn't even sweat or start shivering in different temperatures or weather conditions. Every so often when it was cold outside (Y/n) and Roger would come into his room during the night and pull the covers back over him so he didn't get cold, well so the cold didn't make his muscles tense up since he didn't feel cold. Or they'd remove the covers from him if it was too warm so he didn't overheat his system.

Moving his hand, Roger pulled the covers back over them since it was a rather cold night. Gently turning to his left, Roger eased Charlie back onto the bed instead of him being on Roger's chest. Watching the eleven-year-old roll onto his side, their hands parting as Charlie curled up, pressing his back into Roger's side as if checking he was still there.

Roger stayed for a while longer, watching the ending of the movie as Charlie laid his head on Roger's left arm, his back pressed to his dad's chest. When the movie ended, Roger turned the tv off, sighing when he saw Charlie was back to rubbing and scratching at his nose with his burnt hand. Slowly easing himself from the bed without Charlie knowing, Roger went to the chest of drawers and rummaged around until he found a pair of socks and the fluffy black gloves with grey spots like stars in the midnight sky.

When Charlie was a baby they bought onesies with no gaps for the hands so his nails couldn't scratch him. When he was too old for those they got him mittens and then gloves so when he went to bed he wore them. (Y/n) noticed a few months ago that Charlie would no longer wear them to bed so she and Roger waited until he went to sleep and slipped them onto his hands if he was scratching without realising or caring.

Roger sat back down behind Charlie and moved the covers so he could put the bed socks on his feet in case he rubbed his feet against his legs and started to scratch his legs. Then he slowly put the fluffy gloves onto his hands. The good thing about Charlie not feeling hot or cold was they could put the gloves on and his hands wouldn't overheat and make him realise he was wearing them. Waiting for a moment, Roger watched Charlie rub at his nose, too far gone to realise or react to the fluff brushing against his nose rather than his hand.

Leaning over, Roger gently kissed Charlie's temple before pulling the covers back over him and tucking him in. Knowing he would be back in an hour or so to check on him before he went to bed himself.

"Goodnight buddy."

[bisexualterror]

i was challegened by @queen-of-salt-and-fury to finish the entirety of the 🌼🌿botanical asks🌻🌙 thanks for the tag babe!!😘

jasmine; what mythical creature do you wish actually existed?

mmm,  i gotta go with dragons 😆

lavender; soundcloud or vinyls?

vinyls for sure

primrose; what book does everyone right now need to read?

hmm, i don’t know, i read more fanfiction than i do books

lunar mist; do you like wearing other people’s shirts/jackets?

yeah, but i don’t do it very often

bird of paradise; what was the best thing that happened to you this month?

i updated my fanfic not too long ago and my reader's comments were really so sweet

gardenia; what’s a promise you’ve recently made to yourself?

to stop being so hard on myself 

lion’s fairytale; would you rather be the sky, the ocean or the forests?

 i’m curious about the ocean and what secrets it hides so probably the ocean

whirling butterflies; would you kiss the last person you kissed again?

i was so young i don’t even remember who it was beside the fact it was probably a childhood friend and definitely a girl. so.. no i probably wouldn’t

marmalade skies; do you plan your outfits?

depends on how early i have to wake up on that day and where i’m going. otherwise? nope.

apricot drift; how do you feel right now?

excited

everlasting daisy; what’s the last dream you remember having?

uhm i was living in an underground, scientist lab that kinda looked like my basement but bigger. first i was studying a space parasite and then the next i knew i about to bang Ares from Xena but then i got distracted by daenerys running past us, chasing after baby viserion. my alarm woke me up before it got better.

queen’s cup; what are you craving right now?

rasberry chocolate

lavender dream; turn ons/offs?

same here, intelligence is a big turn on. my turn off would probably be just anyone who is a dick.

water lilly; when was the last time you cried? why?

mm i was probably last month, it was either about dany or another character because i rarely cry about anything else these days 😅

lily of the valley; did the one person who hurt you most in your life apologize?

mm, not really. it didn’t come off as an apology to me, more like an excuse.

winterberry; do you bite or lick your ice cream?

lick

honey perfume; favorite movie ever?

mmm, that’s a hard one, oof. uhm, i guess i’d say the princess bride

desert rose; do you like yourself?

eeeh depends on the day, but i’m trying to be better

snapdragon; have you ever met or seen in person a celebrity?

sjskksk i don’t go out in the world, so no

night owl; how many countries have you visited?

i have sadly only seen america and not even that much of my own country

heliotrope; have you ever been in a castle?

nope never. hmu if you own a castle and want me to haunt it tho

creams and sky; what’s the craziest/bravest thing you’ve done?

i’m a coward. no joke. does helping my mom get her life a little bit better count a brave thing?? 

lantana; what’s on your mind right now?

the list of things i should be doing. spoiler: i am not doing them today.

pumpkin patch; what’s your zodiac sign?

capricorn bby

tulip; name 5 facts about yourself 

i have visual snow 

i’m obsessed with cinnamon

my hands are always freezing cold

i love baking

daphne; do you believe in karma?

yeh, kind of

queen of the meadow; ever been in love?

i have confessed my love to many people before, but i don’t think i really was in love with them if only because of how young i was was

wisteria; whom do you admire and why?

i agree that i do admire celebrities who use their fame to help others. 

angel’s face; what was your favorite bedtime story as a child?

i don’t remember anyone read me a bedtime story, but if someone did, it was probably also a bible story

remember me; did you make someone laugh today?

yes. my mom and a friend.

iris; do you believe in ghosts?

sometimes i think it’s bullshit, other times i’m like 👀👀

lilac; if you could go back in time which time period would you visit? 

lol, as a black woman, this question is always so hard because - racism and sexism. i guess i’d go with 1920′s 

caramel kisses; would you want to live forever? why/why not?

yeah, i’m down. i wanna go live on a different planet one day, or at least visit one. and who the fuck knows what kind of crazy shit we humans will have invented by then. and the humor? god our humor is weird and hard to explain now, imagine what it’s gonna be like in a 100 years now. 

primula; what makes you sad?

now we don’t have time to unpack all of that. off the top of my head though, it’s sad that so many people choose to be cruel instead of kind and half of those cruel people are in power over entire countries.

rain lily; was today typical? why/why not?

yeah. i just stayed home. took care of my mom. wrote some.

queen anne’s lace; who do you trust the most?

oof..no one. i know it’s pathetic but,,, i don’t have friends in real life right now and i have a complicated relationship with my family. so no one really.

lady’s slipper; what did you have for breakfast today?

cereal and toast with strawberry jam

forget me not; do you have any regrets looking back in your life?

a lot. i wish i had focused more on bettering my life than distracting myself. i also wish i had been a nicer kid online and hadn’t isolated myself from childhood friends who kept trying to be my friend. trying to make up for it now.

lunaria; what’s your favorite fictional universe?

it’s between harry potter or doctor who

violet; favorite tv show?

im obsessing over the witcher and the mandalorian right now, it’s my raging daddy issues coming into play 

sunflower; share a favorite quote

“I have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.” ― Sarah Williams

snowdrop; what does your ideal day look like?

waking up. reading. showering. eating. taking care of my mom. writing. going for walks.

tiger lily; do you have any hobbies?

painting, writing, drawing

peony; share a small random book passage that means something to you

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

rose; what’s something you always wanted to do but were too scared?

get a tattoo

honeysuckle; do you usually date people your age or older/younger?

FUN FACT: i have never dated anyone ever. unless you count that one time i had an online boyfriend.

sweet pea; who means the world to you? why?

my online longest online friend, she was the first person i came out to and even tho we don’t talk much anymore i love her and tell her pretty much everything

love in the mist; best books you’ve ever read?

i cannot choose?? how do you choose??

foxglove; who is your favorite cartoon character?

it’s between batman and lisa simpson

magnolia; coffee or tea?

both, but i drink coffee more

crown imperial; would you rather be extremely rich or extremely loved?

on one hand, i need more money, on the other hand i’m an attention whore...hmmmm i gotta go with loved

snowflake; are you a dog or a cat person?

cats

bell flower; what is your biggest addiction?

reading fanfic and creating ocs for every fandom i’m in

cosmos; do you ever think about the galaxy?

fuck yeah!

moonflower; what’s your favorite color?

green or purple. or gold. or red. but mainly purple.

freesia; do you have a good relationship with your parents and siblings? why/why not?

not really. my dad lives barely an hour away from me but i haven’t seen him in years and only hear from him maybe two times a month. enough said.

my mom and i are better than we were before but i’m bisexual and still in the closet and everyone in my family is very homophobic and set in their Ways, so that could change. 

both of my siblings are half-siblings. my older sister i haven’t seen in since we were kids or talked to her in years and while i could continue to blame that on our family...she’s older than me and has a car.  i’m closer to my brother because we live together he’s almost ten years older than me so we’re not super close

sundrop; are you a morning or a night person?

night person

poppy; have you ever dealt with a mental illness?

yes. my mom.

clover; how would your friends describe you?

idk, clingy?? sksksk probably sweet.

dandelion; do you consider yourself and extrovert or an introvert?

introvert

lilly; what’s something you love watching/reading but you are too embarrassed to admit you do?

fanfic. the thing is, even if i’m embarrassed i’ll probably randomly tell you anyway 

anemone; describe yourself in 3 words

tired

horny

smiley

lotus; best memory as a child?

pretending to be a naruto style ninja with my brother

angelonia; what is your eye and hair color?

brown eyes. black hair.

dahlia; do you like crystals?

yesss

 buttercup; if you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?

but.. but i have so many. i know it sounds cliche, but world hunger.

baby’s breath; what’s your hogwarts house?

i can’t remember the first house i got, but all i remember is getting so upset with my result that i ended up retaking it just so i can be in slytherin. 

calendula; biggest pet peeve?

people who talk over me, or people who are just so set in their ways that they’re unwilling to listen to reason

blanker flower; would you rather go to a cocktail party with your best friends or stay home and read a book/watch a movie with your pet?

i’d prefer the second one, but what about a third option, i could invite some friends over to watch a movie and we could drink together while cuddling with pets

blazing star; share a secret

i had bad habit of pretending to be someone i’m not so that people will like me and so sometimes i worry that i’m still doing it and i’m just a fake person who doesn’t have their own opinion

carnation; would you rather live longer or happier?

happier

petunia; who’s story is your biggest inspiration in life? 

a long list of fictional characters

bluebell; do you wear glasses?

yes. yes i do.

nymphea; forest or river?

forest

orchid; do you like exercise?

nope, which is why i’m overweight lmao

pansy; do you like poetry?

yeah!

morning glory; any special talent that you have?

i can pick up things with my toes sksksk uhm that was true but i guess i’m good at making people smile(✿◕‿◕✿)

i tag @mutantsandproud and anyone else who wants to join!!

[slytherin-puffskein]

Withered Orchid

Note: the / / / symbol followed by italicized text, then finished with / / / again represents a flashback. I also want to stress on the fact that this is an Alternate Universe. It is not the canon Barnalau story.

* * *

/ / /

“If you mess with Merula, I’ll vanish your bones” Barnaby said with a cocky voice, a smile on his face as he tilted his head.

He couldn’t look more proud over what he just said. Now, he was showing exactly why Merula chose him ! Because he was strong and scary ! By seeing him, King will definitely falter, and Merula won’t have problems with him anymore ! After all, his threatening skills were pretty damn solid... right ?

Laurent Dorian King, however, didn’t look impressed. He barely stared back at Barnaby, checking his nails instead and

( mmm, they’re starting to get long, I should clip them )

not paying any sort of attention to Barnaby. After a few more seconds of silence, during which Barnaby did his best to keep on his smile, Lau finally looked up.

“Oh... so you were, like, already done ? Vanish my bones and that’s all ? That’s juvenile”

Barnaby’s eyes widened, so much that for a second, Lau feared they might fall out of their sockets and fall on the floor ( plop ! ). Finally, though, the other Slytherin opened his mouth to speak... but he realized he had no idea what juvenile meant. Lau rolled his eyes, and took a step forward, which made Barnaby almost jump in surprise.

“Now, you’re the one who is going to listen to me, Mr.I’m-Merula’s-New-Pet. The last thing I need is you and Ismelda trying to bother me, so we’ll make a deal, all right ?”

He suddenly pressed his index finger against Barnaby’s chest.

“You are going to leave me alone, and I am going to leave you alone ! Is that a deal ? Oh wait, I’m gonna answer for you: yes, it’s a deal ! So now you better walk away and never speak to me again”

And with that, King spun around, his wizard robes fluttering around him, and he left the Potions Classroom. Barnaby Lee was now alone... if you ignored Snape who was giving him an annoyed look.

/ / /

The sky is in different tones of grey as Barnaby keeps marching forward. His cheeks feel cold, as well as his hands, and he can feel his fingers tremble sightly. He should have checked the weather forecast before dressing up, he would have brought a coat. Now, because of the snow twirling in the air, his shoulders were covered in white powder. Luckily, it was pretty light, and would drag itself away as soon as Barnaby would move. At least, he was lucky with that.

Shit, did he shave ? He brings his fingertips to his chin, feeling the slight stubble. Oh, no. He totally forgot... but hopefully, people will be willing to ignore it and simply avert their eyes.  How deeply he wishes that... but that scenario might not happen. He is well aware that everyone’s attention will be on him, and him only. He nervously squeezes his small orchids bouquet. Purple, and absolutely beautiful. Like his own little orchid. His own small, redheaded, beautiful orchid.

( stop calling me that, you numpty !, Lau would giggle. )

It was probably the only times he didn’t mind being called as such, and that said a lot. He keeps walking, the snow crunching under his footsteps.

/ / /

“I don’t understand anything” Barnaby whined, before pulling his textbook away and slamming his face against his hands.

Merlin, what kind of class was Herbology anyway !? Watch over a bunch of weird flowers, water them and take notes !? What... what was interesting about that anyway ? Laurent King, however, seemed absolutely fascinated, and he giggled at Barnaby’s reaction.

“Come on, Barnaby, it’s not that bad. Your Valerian is in pretty good shape, in fact ! It might just need a little bit of water... and dragon dung... and...”

He quickly trailed off as he realized Barnaby’s Valerian might not be as good as he initially thought, and smiled shyly... before stepping closer to Barnaby.

“Come on now, Sprout isn’t looking” he whispered. “Let me help you !”

Barnaby finally removed his hands from his face, and he stared at his small friend.

“H-Help me... ?”

The last person who helped him in any class was Merula Snyde, and she kept calling him an absolute idiot. For a moment, he dreaded that Lau might do the exact same thing... but the redhead gently smiled at him, then observed his Valerian.

“Yes, help you ! I’m a sucker for Herbology, Barnaby. Follow my advice, and your Valerian will look absolutely beautiful !”

Valerian, what a pretty name, he couldn’t help but think. He then stared at Barnaby with a smile.

“So ? What do you say, Barny ?”

And his eyes widened as the nickname showed up by itself. Barny !? Oh Merlin, Barnaby will hate it, Laurent was certain of it...

But as he looked at Barnaby Lee, he saw that the boy was beaming.

“I’m in ! Teach me everything, Lau !”

/ / /

As he finally reaches his destination, Barnaby spots a familiar figure. Once he gets closer, he recognizes Merula Snyde. She, as opposed to Barnaby, checked the weather forecast, and she decided to wear a fancy black coat, her hands stuffed into her pockets. Her cheeks are sightly rosy, surely due to the terrible cold. It seemed like whenever a second passed, the air would suddenly get chillier. Barnaby couldn’t help but wonder if by midnight the entire city will be a block of ice.

“Hey, Barnaby” the young woman finally says.

Barnaby simply nods. Maybe the cold prevented his lips from moving too much. Or maybe he just wishes to not speak at all. Whatever the reason, Merula keeps speaking anyway.

“Gotta say, we all have a terrible timing” she mutters. “Everyone’s gonna freeze their asses off by the time it’s over”

“Well, there’s dinner at my place afterwards” Barnaby shrugs. “I guess I’ll just have to make something warm...”

“What, were you planning to serve ice cream or something ?” the young witch exclaims.

Barnaby can only shake his head. Speaking that amount already exhausted him, since he haven’t been talking much since the past few days. His vocal chords were strained, and trying to push out a single noise from them demanded great effort. For a few minutes, there was only silence between them. The snow kept slowly falling, and Barnaby watched as it landed on Merula’s hair.

( Ah, just a lot more and she’ll start looking like a snowman. I should get a carrot... )

“Remember when you first met Lau... ?” Merula shyly asks. “You told me he pretty much yelled at you the entire time... what is it you told him, already ?”

A weak giggle escapes Barnaby’s lips.

“If you mess with Merula, I’ll vanish your bones”

“Wow, were you even that good at magic to do that ?”

“Probably not, I just wanted to... impress him, sort of scare him”

A small smile shows up on Merula’s lips, but silence falls upon them again. It seems as if none of them are able to carry the conversation.

“Did you... did you know ?” Merula finally asks.

And Barnaby feels himself freeze.

/ / /

It was a warm summer day, and Barnaby Lee had never felt this good before. He was relaxed, he was calm, he was... happy. And all of this was because Laurent Dorian King was with him. He was certain that this was the sole reason of his great mood. Not the fresh grass they were laying on, not the clear blue sky without any clouds, not even the delicious pie that they will bake later. No, he was happy because Laurent was with him.

On this weekend, Charles Edward King had a business trip in order to try and associate the King-Clemence farm with bigger, more successful farms. As a way to take advantage of the situation, Lau invited his friend for a weekend of unrestrained fun. After all the struggles they had that were linked to the past school year, they needed some time to relax together at least once during vacations.

“This feels so good...” Barnaby breathed out.

He never thought that laying on a field would be this great. Lau was right next to him, making a flowercrown with a bunch of orchids he found. Purple, his favourites. Barnaby, on the other hand, 

( why do you like orchids so much ?, Barnaby had asked him once )

( because people see them as pretentious flowers, Lau replied. I decided to not judge them as fast )

preferred sunflowers. Huge, beautiful sunflowers. Maybe one day he can ask Lau to make a sunflower crown for him... that would be pretty cool. He turned to his friend to ask him, but he suddenly saw his expression: a profoundly sad and thoughtful one, and Barnaby immediately learned that he hated seeing his dear friend like this. He frowned, looking at Lau.

“Lau... ? What’s wrong ?”

Lau’s hands suddenly froze... and he slowly turned to Barnaby. Their eyes met, chocolate and emerald. As Lau weakly smiled, Barnaby’s chest tightened. He’s so caring, he doesn’t want me to worry...

“You know how I told you my mom died from an illness, right ?”

Oh yeah, Lau definitely told him about that... he nodded slowly, wondering what Lau exactly wanted to talk about. His friend suddenly turned to look at his orchids again.

“My mum loved daisies. And orchids. I guess I lied a little to you, that time you asked me why I liked them so much... I like them not only because they are misunderstood, but also because my mum adored them. Tending to them... feels like I’m still with her, in some way”

With his fingertips, he gently caressed a purple petal. He might have been too harsh, though, since it slowly fell on his chest.

“She was sick... so sick, Barnaby. It was unbearable to see. She... she looked like a zombie, a few days before she died. And she wouldn’t speak, she wouldn’t move. She’d just stare. Stare at us without a word, not even a smile... and that was terrifying”

For a seven years old boy, at least. He sighed softly, staring at the sky and extending his arm, as if he was aiming to catch it.

“Sometimes, I wonder if she’s out there, looking for me... cheering for me. Because I try so hard for her, Barnaby. I try so hard to live so that her death will mean something. That despite what happened, I’m still able to... to do my thing, you know ? And I know she would have hated it if I had simply let grief swallow me up...”

Barnaby listened carefully, as if he was listening to the most serious, yet most fascinating tale. By the time Lau was over, they were hugging each other, in that large, empty field.

Then they made a strawberry pie.

/ / /

“I knew” Barnaby admits at last.

Merula stares at him... but she doesn’t say anything. That’s Barnaby’s cue to continue.

“He told me how his mother had it, and how terrible it was for him. He was... he was just a child, and he had to see this... I don’t know how he managed to stay this positive afterwards”

Back in Hogwarts, you would rarely see Laurent Dorian King with a long face. He’d always be smiling, giggling and trying to cheer his friends up by offering them flowers or comforting words, sometimes both. Merula can’t hold back a sad smile.

“It’s Lau. That’s just how he is...”

A little ray of sunshine, Barnaby thinks. A beautiful orchid, misunderstood yet beautiful.

Because boy, did people misunderstood Lau. Weak, fag, coward, all of these words would be said about him only because he dared to be his delicate, flower loving self. Whenever he’d stand up against bullies, people just seemed to turn a blind eye to that, and only focus on what was deemed as ‘girly’, therefore ‘weak’ to several mean male students..

“Yeah, that’s just how he is...” Merula repeats herself at last.

“He didn’t tell me it was hereditary” Barnaby suddenly confesses. “He thought it wouldn’t get him. He thought he was strong enough to avoid it”

“Emphasis on the word ‘thought’” Merula replies bitterly.

Indeed, huge emphasis.

“Let’s head inside” Barnaby says at last, eyeing the giant building.

“Yeah, let’s do that. I’m freezing”

He wraps his arm around her shoulders, mostly because he needs to be close to someone.

/ / /

“Merlin, can I say how terrible Madam Puddifoot’s Tea Shop is ?” Lau asked, laughter in his voice. “I can’t believe Tonks and Charlie made us live this complete mess !”

Barnaby started laughing as well, and he wrapped his arm around Lau’s shoulders. It was getting darker, so it was starting to get cold... but really, his main objective wasn’t to warm Lau up. It was, in fact, his second. His true goal was to simply be closer to him... and Merlin, did that feel good.

“How about we plan our second date already, to forget about that Tea Shop ?” Barnaby joked. “We could have a fun time in the Magical Creatures Reserve... that would be amazing !”

“Oh, yes !” Lau exclaimed, his eyes suddenly filling themselves with stars. “And think about how many flowers we can find there ! Maybe beforehand we can also have a nice picnic in front of the Great Lake...”

And he gave Barnaby his most charming smile, and the Slytherin’s heart skipped a beat. He’s so cute.

Suddenly, however, Lau froze, and turned to Barnaby.

“Does that... does that mean you want a second date... ?”

A smile immediately showed up on Barnaby’s lips... and he nodded.

“I’d absolutely love to, Laurent. But only if you want to”

“Of course I do ! I-I’ve just been so scared I screwed up the date. I mean, the Tea Shop was terrible”

“But you know what wasn’t... ?” Barnaby asked with a shy look on his face. “You. It might sound cheesy, but... this was my most amazing date”

“But you told me you never had dates before” Lau said, skeptical.

“Yeah... true. But it’s the best, because... because it was with you, and I’d love to have a second date with you...”

And now, they were blushing. As bright as tomatoes, the both of them.

“I, too, would love to have a second date with you, Barny” Lau whispered softly.

Then... it simply happened. Lau tip toed closer to Barnaby, and Barnaby wrapped his arms around Lau’s waist.

And they were kissing.

/ / /

And everyone was now looking at him. Him and his orchid bouquet. Penny Haywood, Andre Egwu, Bill and Charlie Weasley, Tulip Karasu... everyone. And Barnaby can only lower his eyes in an attempt to avoid all of these glances. He decides to focus on how the room looks.

A lot of red chairs, as if they were all blood stained. Neatly arranged in rows, just like in a classroom. But in front of them is no teacher. No McGonagall ready to teach them about Transfiguration, no Flitwick telling them to ‘swish and flick’ their wands, no Kettleburn and his missing limbs. Instead, there are colourful flowers everywhere. Roses, daisies, chrysanthemums... orchids. All of these beautiful little things surrounding a large, open casket. Barnaby quietly steps towards it, his heart beating against his chest. On either side of the casket, small wooden pillars were holding large orange candles.

( Orange, his favourite colour )

A slow music was playing as a background noise. Le Temps de L’Amour, Françoise Hardy. Barnaby takes a step closer, looks inside the open casket. His heart twists itself inside his chest, and he wants to scream.

Laurent Dorian King is here, and... he looks peaceful. He looks normal. The mortuary cosmetologist did a great job with hiding traces of the illness, and Lau only looks as if he is sleeping and he’ll wake up at any moment. His eyes will flutter open, he’ll smile at Barnaby and stretch himself... and then ask him to bring him home.

However, as Barnaby keeps staring, Lau doesn’t moves. The illness definitely took him, and sweetly tucked him inside of that casket.

/ / /

“Everything is at stake now, isn’t it ?”

Lau’s voice piped up into the darkness, and Barnaby slowly opened his eyes. Of course they weren’t sleeping... who would, now that Lord Voldemort was at his full power ? And to think that all possible hope was resting on young Harry Potter’s shoulders... he was only a child ! He should be relaxing and hanging out with friends, not saving the world !

“I... I guess it is” Barnaby whispered.

As if speaking any louder would summon Death Eaters. Lau was a muggleborn, after all. He was greatly at risk, because of something he couldn’t even control: his blood status.

“Do you think he’ll make it ? Harry, I mean ? Merlin, Barnaby, he’s just a boy... he’s only seventeen... I know he’s technically an adult, but still !”

He choked up, and Barnaby could guess that Lau was crying. He immediately turned around in the large bed, and pulled his lover against his chest.

“Everything will be alright, Lau... when the moment comes, we’ll be here to help him. Us, Tonks, Lupin, Bill... everyone. And You-Know-Who will bite the dust”

“Promise... ?” Lau softly whispered.

Barnaby kissed his forehead.

“I promise, Lau”

( and as soon as this war is over, I’m marrying you )

/ / /

Now comes the time to carry the now closed casket. Barnaby is one of the pallbearers, as well as Tulip, Merula and Penny.

It’s heavy. Usually, Barnaby has no trouble with carrying heavy weights... but now he finds himself deeply struggling, even with the help of his friends.

( I used to be able to carry you so easily, it was almost ridiculous. How come you’re ten times heavier, now ? How come a huge casket is keeping us apart ? How come I can’t see your smile again ? )

/ / /

“Barny ?”

It has been about a year ever since Harry Potter defeated Lord Voldemort. Ever since the constant fear was gone. Ever since Barnaby Lee married Laurent Dorian King.

Barnaby took some time to find Lau, but he finally found his other half in their room. He was sitting in the bed, wearing Barnaby’s old Slytherin sweater. Man, despite all this time, it was still too big for him. He sat next to Lau, a smile on his face, waiting for what he might say. Considering the fact that Lau was also wearing his boxers, revealing his long, sexy legs, he quickly had... ideas of what Lau might want.

But his husband’s face said many things, and it certainly didn’t say sex. Lau finally turned to Barnaby, a weak smile on his face.

“My mother’s illness, Barnaby... it’s hereditary. I didn’t tell you about it at first, because I didn’t think I’d have it... I thought I was strong enough to fight off the virus before it even touched me...”

A tear suddenly rolled down his cheek. Barnaby wiped it away.

“I’m sick, Barnaby”

/ / /

Speech. He must make a speech. The casket is right here in front of him, in the cemetery. Everyone is, once again, looking at him. He still haven’t let go of his orchid bouquet. He holds them tightly, as if they are a safety buoy and he is drowning. He surely feels like he is drowning... but he can’t stop that horrible feeling. It attached itself to him ever since Lau closed his eyes for forever.

Another look at the casket. Merula lowers her head.

“Lau... when I first met you, you basically told me to go fuck myself”

A few giggles, but they died down rapidly. That’s bullshit, Barnaby thought. Lau would have wanted people to laugh at his funeral. He wouldn’t want people to be this sad over him.

“A-And... Merlin, I can’t believe I’m doing this right now... I can’t believe this is happening... you were my forever, Lau. Did you know that ? As soon as we kissed, I knew it instantly. That... that you were the guy I was going to love and marry. And I loved you, I loved you so much... and I married you. I married you as soon as I could, and our wedding was probably the best day of my life”

He takes a step closer to the casket, tears now streaming down his face.

“Remember when I told you I liked sunflowers ? I... I always felt like one whenever I was with you. You were my sun, my wonderful sun, and I was instantly drawn to you. I had to look at you all the time, I had to love you all the time, because... because that’s how things simply were”

He takes a pause, and uses it to cry for a moment. His tears splash against the orchids.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t fight this illness off you, Lau. I wished I could have found a way to get rid of it... seeing you suffer everyday was terrible... and yet you were so caring. You’d always worry about me, never yourself. You didn’t want me to feel sad... you wanted me to be happy for the remaining time we had together. And I think this describes you pretty well. You hate when people are sad and worried, you want them to smile and laugh. And that makes you the most beautiful person to be... the most beautiful orchid to be”

He leans down to place the orchid bouquet on top of the casket, among the other flowers on it.

“I love you, Laurent Dorian King. I loved you, I love you, and I will love you. You’ll always be in my heart... and there won’t be a single day during which I won’t think about you”

( because you are my sweet orchid, misunderstood and yet perfect )

[sad-trash-writing]

Who’s The Hero of Your Story?, Ch. 10

AO3 Link

The next day, Jemma headed back to the coffee shop. She had mixed up the compound she made from Raina’s sample with some general antiseptics and moisturizers and made a cream out if it to give to Daisy. Whatever got into the wound from Raina would hopefully be blocked by it and allow the scratches to heal. 

Daisy’s scratches looked even worse today. Hopefully this worked. 

Without a word, Jemma held the tiny jar out to Daisy. 

“Thank you,” Daisy said, taking the jar with a smile, “What exactly is it?” 

Jemma shrugged. “Just a little something I came up with in the lab.”

Daisy snorted. “So you’re getting a PhD in making face cream?”

“Biochemistry, actually. Mostly focusing on the various uses of genetically altered plants,” Jemma replied. 

“Huh,” Daisy muttered inspecting the jar, “How do I know your lab experiment won’t kill me?”

“I guess you just have to trust me.”

Daisy smirked. “Alright, I’ll give it a try. I know where to find you if I suddenly start sprouting leaves.”

Jemma blanched. “I’m sorry?”

Daisy waved the little jar in the air. “This has mutant plants in it, right? If I turn green, I’m gonna be annoyed.”

Jemma huffed out a nervous laugh. “Right, well, that shouldn’t happen. I, uh, have to meet with someone in the lab. Bye!”

Jemma scurried out the front door and took a few deep breaths. She thought for a moment she had blown her cover and Daisy figured out who she was. Telling Daisy about her research was probably a bad idea. She would be able to figure out who was behind the super villain who had a mutant plant attached to themselves if she really thought about it. 

Jemma’s phone dinged with a new email. It was from Raina, requesting a meeting in two days to discuss 'her next extracurricular project.' Jemma took another deep breath. She could only hope that they had changed their minds about killing Quake and this would be a meeting about a symposium for her to attend. 

Jemma rolled her eyes at herself. As if her life could ever be that normal.

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

Jemma checked back in with Daisy the day of her meeting. She made sure to go in the lull between the morning rush and the lunch rush so she would have time to grill Daisy on the compound she gave her. That was definitely the only reason she was checking in today. Not because every time she talked to Daisy, her chest felt fluttery and her vines started doing a weird, wiggly dance. 

Still, Jemma had to wait in line behind a lady with an expression like she had just bit into something sour berate the manager while Daisy stood next to him and texted, looking thoroughly unimpressed. 

When the lady was finally satisfied with her yelling and moved on, Jemma sidled up to the counter.

“Well, you’re looking much better,” she commented, noting Daisy’s scratches. In the two days since she had been in, the red, inflamed cuts had faded into tiny pink lines across Daisy’s cheekbone. They probably wouldn’t even scar at this point. 

“Yeah, whatever you gave me was magic,” Daisy replied. “What was in that, by the way?”

Jemma shrugged. “Just a bit of general antiseptic and some experimental extracts. Nothing too mysterious.” 

“Huh. Strange.”

Jemma frowned. “Why?”

“Well, at first I thought I was having a bad reaction to it, because it felt really weird and tingly.  And then for awhile I couldn’t use my…arms. They just kind of felt weird, but it wore off pretty quickly,” Daisy said with a ¯\_(ツ)_/¯.

Then, Jemma saw the purplish bruises up Daisy’s arms and gasped. “What happened? That didn’t happen after you used the compound I gave you, did it?”

“What? No!” Daisy tugged her sleeves down over her hand. “Well, yes technically, but it didn’t cause it. I, uh, took a kickboxing class the other night and got my ass handed to me.”

Jemma eyed Daisy. Maybe the compound blocked her powers as well as whatever got into her scratches from Raina. Maybe the blocking of Daisy’s powers directed them back into herself as opposed to out, causing the bruises. 

“Well, at least your cuts are healed, so you don’t need to use it anymore. I didn’t realize there would be such strong side effects,” Jemma muttered. 

“Hey, it worked. I can’t complain about the side effects too much,” Daisy said. “Maybe you’ll let me buy you a drink sometime as a thank you.”

Jemma smiled, in spite of everything inside her saying don’t encourage her. “I—“

Her phone chirped a reminder about her meeting with her advisors in ten minutes. And she was an eight minute walk from the campus. 

“Shoot, I’m going to be late for my meeting. I—I have to go, I’m sorry. I’ll talk to you later?” Jemma called on her way out the door. She didn’t pause for Daisy’s reply. It was probably best she didn’t see Daisy’s expression because she was sure Daisy would just think Jemma was blowing her off. 

Unfortunately, she would have to worry about Daisy later, because, if she was late, her advisors were going to kill her. 

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

Jemma skidded into Raina’s office with two minutes to spare. She got a raised eyebrow from Quinn, since normally, Jemma was a solid five and a half minutes early. Since Garrett still wasn’t there, no one commented, though. 

Garrett sauntered in three minutes late, earning him a glare from Raina and an exasperated eye roll from Quinn. Great, so everyone’s in a good mood already.

“Now that everyone has elected to show up—” Raina shot another glare at Garrett, who seemed unperturbed, “—we have another issue to attend to: Quake is still alive.”

“You don’t have to remind me of that,” Garrett grumbled. Jemma noticed then that he had a black eye and bandages wrapped around the half of his arm that hadn't been amputated. 

Jemma fidgeted in her seat, before she realized that none of them were looking at her. 

“Apparently, our initial try has failed somehow, so we’re back to the drawing board,” Raina growled. 

Jemma frowned. “I’m sorry, but what was the initial attempt?” She knew she wasn’t included in all the trio’s plans, but since she was originally given this task, she figured they would have let her know if there was a change of plans.

Raina sighed. “One of the only good things to come out of my thorns is that they’re tipped with a low-potency venom. Anything I scratch, within a few days, will burn, itch, and eventually, shrivel up and die. Somehow, Quake got scratched, but didn’t get affected, as Garrett learned last night.”

Jemma’s stomach sank as Garrett recounted his latest altercation with Quake. She didn’t realize that those infected scratches were part of a conscious attempt on Daisy’s life. When she thought of Daisy’s bright smile every morning, Jemma found it hard to feel guilty about interfering. Unfortunately, they weren’t having this meeting just to talk about one failed attempt. 

“Simmons,” Raina spoke up, interrupting Garrett’s graphic story. “You know what this means?”

Jemma gulped. She had a feeling that she did. 

“Good. You’re Option Two and we’re running out of time for more options. We’ve got big plans coming up and we can’t have Quake getting in the way before we’ve gotten started,” Raina finished. 

Jemma was tempted to ask about the 'big plans,' but her throat felt like it was closed up and her mind was reeling with what they were asking her to do. 

Quinn spoke up. “You have one week.”

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

Apparently, her advisors didn’t trust her to come up with a plan in a week, since, two days later, Jemma got a notice of another meeting. Also, a 6-inch long dagger mysterious appeared in the lab with a holster that would snap perfectly onto the belt Fitz built in to her bodysuit. 

Jemma quickly tucked it into a drawer and tried to forget it was there. The next day, she went up to Quinn’s office. The whole trio was present, but Raina was, unusually, sitting off to the side with Quinn, giving Garrett the run of this meeting. Garrett laid out a blueprint of a government building downtown that would be their (Jemma’s) stage. 

With a marker, he drew X’s all over the building’s access points and security checkpoints, as well as where valuable documents were stored. She wasn’t actually going in to take anything; she was just causing enough panic and noise to summon Quake. 

“—And then, once you barricade the door, she’ll Supergirl her way to the roof and BAM!” Garrett slapped the table dramatically causing Jemma to nearly fall out of her seat. “If you’re lucky, maybe a news chopper will be there at that point to catch the finishing blow on camera. Then, no one will ever mess with us again.”

Jemma felt sick. Like she was about to be physically ill. She was sure if she looked in a mirror right now, she wouldn't be able to distinguish the color of her face from her vines. 

To disguise this fact, she just nodded along to what Garrett said without a word. Her mind raced through thousands of possibilities of ways to get out of this whole arrangement. All of them ended in death: hers, Fitz’s, her family’s, hundred of stranger’s. 

Quake’s. 

She couldn’t. But she also had to. 

This was the point of no return. So far, she had only robbed a few people and caused some destruction of property. But murder? That was something she could never come back from once done. She would be a super villain now and always. 

She eyed the framed diplomas on Quinn’s wall. Was it worth this? Jemma knew if she backed out of this and somehow didn’t end up dead, there was no way she could start another doctorate anywhere else. She would be blacklisted from every school in the world. How would she continue to do her research, to solve problems? 

To make the world a better place. 

That was why she wanted to go to this school in the first place. She wanted to solve problems in the world in whatever way she could. Her research was supposed to minimize bad things in this world. How could she do that if she was working for people who aimed to create so much bad?

“We’re really counting on you for this, Simmons,” Raina piped up. “We’ve got big things in the works and we can’t put them off anymore.”

This was the second time Raina had brought up their 'big plans.' If Jemma wasn’t already staring at the blueprint of the most abhorrent thing she could think of, she would be inclined to ask what her role would be in those plans. As it was, she couldn’t stomach knowing who else was getting hurt or robbed or killed while she sat back and did nothing. 

She thought of Fitz down in their private lab, pounding out as many projects as he could. She thought of the burly security guards that led them to the lab the first day and knew, despite Garrett’s assurance, that they could access the lab whenever they wanted and do whatever they wanted with no witnesses. 

She thought of Daisy. A virtual stranger to Jemma, but another good-hearted person just trying to make the world slightly less evil. 

She didn’t know if it was intentional or not, but Jemma suddenly realized that she was sitting in the lowest chair in the room. Garrett towered over the desk in front of her. Raina was now leaning against the doorframe. Quinn was hovering by the windows.

All eyes were on Jemma and all exits were blocked. She was physically and metaphorically trapped. 

“So?”

“I’ll do it.”

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

The designated day finally showed up. Jemma spent the day frantically testing and retesting her plants, hoping that maybe they wouldn’t actually be ready and The Plan would have to be postponed. 

Unfortunately, the one time she wanted failure, Jemma got success. Her plants were responding perfectly to everything she wanted them to do. She wondered if she could get away with lighting them on fire and pretending it was an accident. 

That afternoon, the two plants were carefully transferred to nondescript containers and transported to the roof of the building Jemma was supposed to infiltrate. 

She spent the rest of the day avoiding contact with anyone. She didn’t want to see Fitz because he would ask for updates on Jemma’s super villain activities and Jemma didn’t think she could manage lying to him right now. 

She briefly considered making a stop at the coffee shop, but that thought was quickly thrown out. She knew if she had to make polite conversation with Da— with her target— the last bit of her resolve would crumble.

Jemma camped out in her apartment until it was nearing dusk and then suited up. She slid the dagger out of the sock drawer she had moved it to once the plan came together and snapped it onto her belt. It wasn't overly large, but the weight of it suddenly felt like it would drag Jemma into the ground. 

She tugged on a hoodie and sweatpants over her suit and slid out the fire escape toward the roof. 

Right on time, Quinn’s helicopter appeared and hovered low enough that she could grab on and pull herself up. 

The first of many horrible plans of this evening happened right away. As soon as they approached the building, Quinn handed her a rope that was tethered to one of the handles in the interior of the helicopter and given a three-second countdown. 

On three, she jumped. 

Keep your feet straight out as soon as you jump. If the rest of your body hits the window first it’s gonna hurt, Garrett’s voice echoed in her mind.  

She clung to the rope with all her might as she swung through the air. In the split second before she hit the window, she looked toward the ground a dozen stories below her. She didn’t have time to worry about the height before her feet were crashing through the nearest window. 

Entering the building on one of the middle floors will limit the amount of security you have to bypass and shorten the distance you have to cross to get to the roof. 

Jemma let the rope slip out of her hands as she tumbled through the window. Jemma hissed as she felt a sharp sting in her hands. A thin cut stretched across her palm from landing on all the broken glass. She was pretty sure she felt a matching one on her cheek. This was one of the many ways Jemma could tell this plan was entirely concocted by Garrett; he was more concerned with style than what was considered practical. Yet another reason why this was the worst plan Jemma had ever been involved in. 

Outside the window, Quinn’s helicopter sped away. At the other end of the hall, Jemma heard panicked voices and the thunder of footsteps rounding the corner. 

Before they made it into her line of sight, Jemma pulled out a device stolen from Fitz and slapped it on the keypad on the nearest door. It whirred angrily until the keypad flashed red and the floor’s alarm sounded. That ought to attract some attention. 

The first group of guards was small, only having three. Jemma lunged towards them, landing a punch to the first one’s nose and knocked him back a few paces. The other two spread out as much as they could in the narrow hallway. The second tried to grab her wrist, but she slipped out of his grasp and kicked him in the knee. The third managed to get behind Jemma and loop his arms under hers to try to immobilize her. One of her vines snapped around his neck and squeezed just tight enough that he panicked and released her to try to claw it off. Once free, she ducked down and flung him into the second guard and knocked them both out cold. 

The first guard made a lunge for Jemma again. She jumped over the unconscious forms of the other two guards and snapped a vine around the first’s wrist before he could move. 

Quake monitors police dispatch in her free time. That’s how she always knows where to find us.

“Change your radio to the frequency of the police dispatchers,” Jemma commanded. The guard’s eyes went blank and he reached for his radio. “Now, call for backup.”

“This is Officer Jones of the Federal Building, requesting immediate backup—“

“Sound a little more distressed,” Jemma whispered. His voice was rather deadpan and didn’t sound too urgent. 

“—requesting immediate backup.” the guard’s voice kicked up an octave. “There is a powered intruder, repeat: powered intruder.”

Once the call went out, Jemma pulled off the guard and he fell to the ground. She found the stairs to the next floor up and sprinted up them. 

She only had one more floor to ascend before reaching the roof and this one had a larger guard presence. Still, Jemma’s intense training with Scarlotti seemed to be holding out and she managed to disarm them long enough to slip into the next stairwell. It helped that she had around 20 limbs to work with. She barricaded the stairwell doors and headed to the roof. There was only one access point to the roof and it was through this door, so she shouldn’t have any unwelcome intruders. 

Once she passed through the door to the roof, she snapped another one of Fitz’s devices to it to instantly weld the door shut, like it had at the bank. Now, all she could do was wait. 

The sun was just setting on the western horizon, casting everything in a purple and orange glow. The clouds shifted slowly, giving the impression of a watercolor painting coming to life. She could see the entire city and even some of the outlying suburbs. Jemma would have admired the view if she wasn’t focused completely on what she came here to do. 

She saw plants 3.1 and 3.2 tucked into boxes the same color and shape of the vents on the roof. If she didn’t know what to look for, she would have been none the wiser that they were even out of place. 

Jemma fished out the tiny electrodes she designed and stuck them to her temples. She concentrated on experimentally moving the vines of the plants across the roof from her. It was much more difficult than moving the ones on her back, which acted more like an extra set of limbs. These new ones were more like moving puppets with strings made out of slinkys. 

When she was confident they were obeying her thoughts, Jemma tucked them back away and waited. 

The distant sound of police sirens was all Jemma could hear from this height. All the security guards were still stuck a floor below her, so she couldn’t hear what they were doing to try to break down the door. Jemma hoped that maybe Daisy would be taking a night off from being Quake and wouldn’t show up. It wouldn’t be Jemma’s fault if she couldn’t complete her mission then. Unfortunately, fate was not on Jemma’s side and she saw a shadow streak up the side of the building. The roof trembled as Quake slowed her descent. She landed and her eyes found Jemma straightaway. 

Quake frowned slightly, more in confusion than anger. “Really? You graduated from jewel thief to, what, stealing people’s mortgages?” 

Jemma rolled her eyes. Just a few more feet. 

“So, where are the rest of your cronies? I thought you were all in this together?” Quake teased. She strolled a few steps forward. Just a little closer. 

“They’re taking the night off,” Jemma replied. “This job is only for me.”

“Really? Surprised they trust you that much. They don’t seem to give you anything important to do. It’s almost like they don’t treat you as part of the team,” Quake said. 

That much was true. Except in this instance. Quake took a few more steps. Perfect. 

“So, what are you really here for?” Quake asked, sounding bored. 

Jemma locked eyes with Quake. “You.”

Plants 3.1 and 3.2 snapped to life. Vines coiled around Quake’s elbows. Next, they wrapped around her knees, locking them together and forcing Quake to her knees. A sick part of Jemma’s mind thought she liked Daisy in this position, but she pushed it away. 

“Impressive,” Quake murmured. She scrunched up her face in concentration and then hissed in pain. She flexed her hands and glared in confusion. 

“They’re coated with a compound that temporarily blocks your powers. I wouldn’t try to use them or you’ll just hurt yourself,” Jemma informed her. She was hoping to sound aloof and in charge, but she genuinely didn’t want to cause Daisy any pain. She would be doing enough of that shortly, anyway. 

Quake suddenly looked concerned. “Okay, that’s new. At least this gives me time to talk to you without having to beat you up first.”

Jemma narrowed her eyes and sauntered across the roof towards Quake. A distant boom drew both Quake’s and Jemma’s attention. A few blocks away, a cloud of smoke was clearing from another skyscraper. Police cars swarmed the area below it and, above, Jemma recognized the Quinn helicopter that dropped her off dangling a rope down for the forms of Raina and Garrett to climb. Garrett appeared to have a large bag of something tucked under his arm. Jemma could practically hear his maniacal cackling from here. 

Jemma frowned. They hadn’t mentioned doing another job tonight. They said they would be on standby to come swoop in early in case anything went south for Jemma. Instead, they were using her as a distraction, to both temporarily and permanently get rid of their nemesis. 

Daisy growled and squirmed against the vines restraining her. She snorted when she saw Jemma’s face. “Wow, must be rough to not be included in the big plans. They’ve really got you in the minor leagues still.” 

Jemma glared. Daisy continued when Jemma didn’t stop her. “Listen, if you’re trapped or you don’t want to work with those guys, you don’t have to. I work with an organization that helps people like you and me. They can help you and protect you from whatever you’re caught up in. You have a choice.”

Jemma paused. That was surprising. She always pegged Quake as the solo vigilante-type who never needed help from anyone. Though this ‘organization’ she mentioned could just as easily be the police. 

Something nudged Jemma’s hand, but she ignored it, wanting to hear more of what Quake had to say. Quake very obviously noticed it, though, and her eyes went wide. 

Jemma looked down. One of her vines had retrieved the dagger from its holster and was helpfully trying to press it into her hand. Jemma rolled it into her palm and stared at it. 

Quake noticed the glint of the metal now in Jemma’s hands and started struggling harder. 

“Okay, seriously, you don’t have to do this,” Quake pleaded. “I can help you. We can help. You can use your powers to do something good.”

Jemma took a few steps closer to Quake. She had to do it. She couldn’t go back now. Her advisors would go after her family, her friends, anyone she loved. She had to do this one thing for them and then could worry about squirming out of their grasp. 

Quake was visibly panicked. Jemma didn’t think she had ever seen so much fear in her eyes. “Okay, I know you said I don’t know what kind of person you are, but I know you’re not a bad person. I can see it in you. You haven’t hurt anyone yet, and that’s not an accident. Quinn, Raina, Garrett. They’ve hurt hundreds of people, but not you! Because you’re a good person!” 

Quake--no, Daisy was practically begging at Jemma’s feet. Jemma tried to tune out her words. It was only making it harder for what she had to do. 

Logically, it was so easy. Aim for the heart, the guts, the throat. Jemma knew the human body like the back of her hand. It would be so easy.

Emotionally, Jemma couldn’t separate herself from the person in front of her. Quake was trapped and at her mercy, but all Jemma could see was the friendly barista who flirted with her and gave her free snacks. Beyond that, Jemma could see the superhero, whose only crime was trying to make things a little less dark and to help people. Even people who had a knife pointed at her. 

Jemma gripped the dagger a little tighter and glanced towards the building her advisors had just robbed. The helicopter had disappeared into the distance and not reappeared. Quinn was supposed to circle back and pick Jemma up once ‘the job’ was done, but it appeared she was on her own. 

She looked back at Daisy. She had given up trying to squirm free and was staring at Jemma with wide, pleading eyes. 

Jemma wondered if Daisy was right. Was she a good person? Does a good person compromise their entire moral compass for the approval of three terrible people? 

Does a good person use their scientific mind and research to commit terrible crimes?

Jemma’s eyes fell on her plants, the ones she worked tirelessly to create for months. They were still tightly squeezing Daisy’s arms together. Was this really their intended purpose?

Jemma felt her resolve crumble into dust. This wasn’t her. No degree or fancy lab equipment or even a lifetime of charity work could make this go away if she went through with it. 

The dagger slid out of her hands and clattered against the roof. 

She turned and ran. Jemma sprinted towards the back side of the building and jumped. 

There were no police cars on this side, as expected. The city’s police department really needed to work on their siege tactics. 

But there was a gutter. Jemma shot out a vine and wrapped it around the gutter. She yanked herself closer to it and grabbed it tighter with her hands and all her vines to slow her descent. 

Her hands burned from the friction, but she held on as tight as she could. She hit the ground just slightly too hard to be comfortable, but immediately jumped to her feet and scanned the back alley. Her eyes found a sewer cover. It wasn’t ideal, but it would have to do for now. 

She hoisted the cover, slipped into the sewer, and swung herself onto the concrete ledge. 

Jemma slid to the ground and tried to catch her breath. Her hands were still shaking and, once her weight was off them, her knees felt wobbly too. She peeled the electrodes off her temples and tossed them into the scummy water rushing by. Hopefully, the plants would relax now and Daisy could get out of there before the police broke through to the roof. 

Jemma buried her face in her hands and tried to breathe deeply. She was so screwed.

[chickenfetus]

softly whispers all for the flower ask

baby’s breath: 5 things you associate yourself with

chickens/eggs

lance lol

cereal….. everyone in class is stealing my trademark…

water

memes

bleeding heart: what makes you heart go mushy?

fuck,,, my fav characters?? and if i like someone then them i guess? but rn my heart belongs to 2d

bell flower: what’s the title of the song that makes you want to jump around out of joy?

mm it changes?? right now its either this cover (its in japanese) or this song (english but its a tad bit scream-y)

evening primrose: what’s your sleeping playlist (give me 5 songs)?

its all soundtracks from anime lmao,, 

from kimi no na wa’s soundtrack we have this, this and this 

from free!’s ost we have this song that killed every mh shipper lol 

and lastly, not from an anime ost, its shelter 

none of these actually help me fall asleep but i like them,, hell i dont think theres any song that can help me fall asleep

forget-me-not: who is your favorite blog who isn’t following you?

miyu//keis does this ensure it doesnt show up i hope it does i recently followed them while lurking in the mi//sawa tag lol theyre a good graphic person??? idk what theyre called;;

daffodil: what is one plant that you want to have but can never get?

the succulent things but i wouldnt be able to care for it bc i succ (perfect match)

calla lily: are you more of a sunny day or a rainy evening?

im a sunny day and rainy evening person… ok maybe sunny day if im not directly under the sun because i do enjoy the sun’s warmth rainy days are nice too,, only if im indoors.. rainy evening is perfect,, as long as no bugs can get it im safe and secure and chill

foxglove: what is your favorite color and in what shade?

blue!!!!! is sky blue a shade

lavender: what is something that you’ve always wanted to be/have/get but can never have?

a cat…..

love in a mist: what is the latest dream that you remember?

ok ive had dreams every night this week but now i cant re oh wait i do remember last night’s dream but only the lame part,, ok so i dreamt i had a 4* hina on bang dream..,,, i dreamt of another thing but i forgot :-( the 4* was indeed a dream though sad i havent gotten a single 4* yet lmao my luck is awesome oh but i did get a 5* and two 4*s on enstars so thats cool

daisy: what is your favorite flavor of cotton candy, ice cream, and juice?

cotton candy,, has flavours????? 

cookies and cream!!

i like water juice

painter’s palette: are you more of a singer, dancer, painter, or instrumentalist?

none??? i guess i paint when i have to although i rly wanna paint but im just a lazy fool

tulip: what is your most favorite make-up product? do you like it more natural, dark, or etc?

i dont use make up i am a youngin also what does the second question say i dont understand

waxflower: are you a bee or a butterfly person? a dog or a cat person?

neither lmao i have a fear of butterflies and bees… bees fear me i fear bees its mutual fear i like cats better but i like dogs too

sugarbush: do you have sweet tooth? if yes, what’s your favorite sweets? if no, why?

yes,,, i was gonna ask if it was even possible to have a favourite but then i remembered i do actually one although its more of a jellybean thing its poifull!!

sunflower: would you like to be a fairy or a mermaid?

mermaid bc i wanna live in the water

sweet pea: what would you like to call your significant other?

ok i just finished acca so naturally i still think abt it and jean called nino his ‘partner in crime’ so nnow i want one (a partner in crime i mean not a nino but thatd b cool 2)

sea lavender: can you swim? which strokes can you do?

yes i havent been in a pool in like 3 years oh boy,, breaststroke is the easiest lmao i forgot how to do any of the others

windflower: list 5 of your favorite blogs and explain why you like them

softshouyous, well i followed her bc she talks in her tags so thats one thing,, shes also super nice?? and helpful!!! a good friend and mutual!!!! im also comfy enough with her to like,, be sarcastic and we can shame each other freely.. without worrying abt offending one another,, theres also the fact that she understands me (ok this may b what i like 2 think and falen actually doesnt get me but its COOL) idk man i just love her,,, my bud whens our one year friendsivary i gotta search that up :0

(i almsot forgot to do the rest go me anyway) next is,, youhavebeentraceyd bc shes one of my first mutuals (sorry to the one who was actually my first) who i actually talked to!!! we both watch daiya and i didnt rly follow anyone who liked daiya previously and oh!! we had the same notps LOL i love tracey’s art and hell i think she dragged me to mochi hell kudos to u tracey idk i jsut enjoy her presence on my dash and get v excited to see her art on there we may not talk as much anymore but i still appreciate her a lot!!! bless u tracey and thank you!!! (for being alive i wish u all the best in life)

alpacarara i like her bc shes basically my tumble mum,, the mum i actually talk to and ask for help/advice she gives good advice too and shes v approachable,,,,,,, a v good friend,,,,,, u r appreciated by me,,,, yes........... shizu chan also appreciates ur existence momther,,,, thakn u 4 all youve done 2 helpme a good pal.... bless u,

clearly these r  getting hard bc my mind is goddamn empty rn but ill manage,, kacchan whose url is not spelt like that but thats ook bc one day it will be but now im starting to think i shouldnt leave it as that bc someones bound to stumble upon this extra post in the kacchan tag goddammit,, annYWay i like kacchan bc theyre friendly! and also v relatable,,,, theyre also kinda scary but thats ok bc its the good kind of scary idk man kacchan is just, great?? we dont talk but thats cool bc ik we’re still friends even if we dont have full blown convos!!!! id b 2 nervous 2 talk 2 them not bc theyre bad or anythign im just a ??? a bad conversationalist and also v lazy ok  thats besides the point i like kacchan bc kacchan is kacchan so??? theyre a good friend and we tag each other in things and i like that friendship its a good type of friendship,,, idkdkdk?? theyre just. chill not literally chill but just chill. this doesnt make sense anymre gomenasorry

lAST ONE uh hhhh every one of my mutual’s blogs why i like all of them?? bc theyre not problematic!! they post good content trademark and r lovely even if we dont talk much!!! i love everyone period

golden rod: are you more of a baker or a cook?

i am more of a Disaster in the kithcen

bloom: what is something that you would like to tell your children?

u guys shld b surprised yall even exist (if i am the True Parent)

if not,, then itd b u guys r with me and my partner in crime,, who is actually a real person,,,,,, be shocked idk im just trying t o make it clear that in the event i do get married id surprise myself bc me/?? have a good and lasting relationship????? impsossible 

peony: what is something that you wish your parents could’ve told you?

they shouldve told me to stick with cereal

prairie gentian: do you have a significant other?

doe s lance count

september flower: are you more of a sunshine or sunset person?

was this supposed 2 say sunrise,,,, anyway sunrise i guess bc im a morning person (when i WILLINGLy wake up by myself) on hot ass days sunset bc then i wont b sweating 24/7

bird of paradise: do you wake up early? do you sleep early?

yEAH LOL i wake up early on weekends bc i want to and i have to wake up early on weekdays so,,, i prefer not to sleep later than 12am bc i am Fear and in the event that i do sleep later than 12 its bc im talkin 2 a friend i like a lot

marigold: what’s your favorite tea?

water tea english breakfast,, havent had that in awhile tho

peruvian lily: what are the names of your pets?

i have non

hyacinth: do you name your plants?

i have nnone but i dont even nickname my pkmn so 

lilac: would you rather sleep and be cozy or hang out with your friends?

depends? on the tme??? if its late at night id rather b asleep and cozy if its in the day then maybe.. .. .

poppy: do you like to dip your fries or do you like it as is?

i like all of my food plain and dry (cereal) unless its noodles,, i need my noodles iin soup

dandelion: any special talent that you have?

drinking water

[notgonnarememberthis]

A Better Tomorrow- Chapter 3

Hello! Long time no see! I’m so sorry for not updating sooner but life ended up taking over and getting hectic. I lost my best friend and I had to deal with rejection from a college that I really wanted to get into. I fell into a really bad mental state but I’m back now. I hope you guys like this chapter and if you guys still want it I will try to get it up as soon as possible. To the reviewer who asked if this was completely based off of The Last of Us, I’m not going to lie I’m pretty shitty at creating a completely different plot off of an AU idea I get. Not to mention the interaction between Joel and Ellie is so reminiscent of Melinda and Daisy I can’t deny writing it in this way. I’m sorry you already know the turn out but I hope you will still enjoy it anyways. I will add in separate scenes as best as I can but I make no promises.

“You’re kidding me right?” Melinda deadpans staring at Andrew.

“Lin…” Phil starts stepping towards her.

“Take her somewhere else Phil. I need to talk to Andrew.” She says narrowing her eyes at him. Phil simply nods before escorting the girl away, despite her fervent protests. Melinda’s head snaps around to the man in front of her who was now leaning on the wall for support, clutching his side. “What the hell?”

“Hear me out Melinda,”

“Don’t call me that.” She growls.

“All you have to do is deliver her to the capitol building. Simple.” He says gently.

“That’s all the way across town!”

“I know you’re capable.” He chuckles. She wants to storm out. Her vision is nearly turning red in frustration. He deceived her. He lured her here with promises, and what does she get. Some girl. He knew what happened. He knew damn well. “She’s not Bobbi.”

Melinda advances quickly grabbing him by the collar and pushing him up against the wall. “Don’t you ever say her name.” She threatens. “Or that wound in your side won’t be the only thing you need to worry about.”

“I can repay you. More than repay you. I’ve got plenty.”

“I want to see them.” She says crossing her arms.

“What?”

“Let me see the guns.” Andrew hesitates for a moment almost contemplating her demands. It was ridiculous. All he had to do was show them to her.

“I’ll take Phil. We’ll meet you and Daisy at the apartment.”

“Excuse me?”

“I trust you with her more than anyone. I want you to look after her. There’s not a chance in hell I’m dragging her into that part of town. I’ll take him to our base, get myself patched up, and he will meet you back at the apartment.”

Melinda looks him up and down for a moment, her jaw wired shut. She gives a brief nod before turning on her heal. “You’re with me.” She nods towards the girl. She looks to Phil passing him the pistol strapped to her side. “If anything happens…”

“It won’t.” Phil assures her with a smile. “See you.”

“See you.” She answers back quietly. “Come on Daisy.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Melinda flops backwards onto the couch with a long sigh. They had walked to the apartment in half silence. By half silence, meaning of course Daisy asking multitudes of questions with Melinda ignoring every single one of them.

“What are you doing?” She asks.

“Resting up. You better do the same.” Melinda states with a sigh. She throws one arm over her eyes to block the light pouring in through the broken window. She tenses as she hears Daisy walk past her body. In her mind, she’s able to track her movements through the apartment. The kid needs to learn the ability to be quiet or she’s bound to get herself killed.

“Your watch is broken.” Daisy points out. Melinda’s body tenses, her eyes snapping open against the skin of her arm. She clenches her teeth remembering all those years ago. She lets out a small huff, almost a warning to the girl before forcing herself to calm. Just a few more hours. That’s all she needed. A few hours…

It was dark when Melinda sprang awake to the sound of loud laughter. Her hand automatically settles on the knife buried in her belt. She only allowed herself to relax once she recognized the voice as Phil. She waits for a second relishing in the sound. It was so rare that he would let out a true, genuine laugh. He was getting more and more reserved as the days go on. Ever since Maria had left them years ago things just weren’t the same. Sure she’s caught him smiling now and again, but never a true laugh. Not in a long time.

“You did what?” Daisy shrieks.

“Five hours.” He chuckles, “I left her in the bay for five hours.”

“You better be telling the right version of that story.” She deadpans tiredly from her spot on the couch.

“I told you I was maintaining my cover! I didn’t abandon you for coffee!”

“Likely story.” She mutters pushing herself off the couch. “We got to get going. If we’re going to make it to the justice building before dark that is.” Daisy lets out a disgruntled whine at the indication that story time was now over. Time to get back to the real world.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They had been walking for hours and she could tell Daisy was getting a tad restless. The hours were either filled with silence or quiet chatter between the two trailing her. It wasn’t unusual for her to look back to make sure they were still on task.

“We’re stopping by Peggy’s.” She states suddenly as they walk down a road of apartment complexes.

“Who’s Peggy?” Daisy asks. A frown overcomes her face and she decides to let Phil do the talking.

“Peggy was the woman who trained Melinda. Practically helped her through her adult years.”

“I can’t wait to meet her.” Daisy smiles. Seconds later she seems to understand as a solemn look settles over Phil’s face. “She’s dead isn’t she.”

“Has been for a while. Lin used to take care of her every day. One day she just passed away in her sleep. It was a peaceful death for the chaotic world we live in right now.” Phil sighs kicking at the ground.

“She died of old age?”

“She was a fighter.” Melinda mourns for a second before shaking her head. “We need a break and to pick up ammo. I’m running low.”

“So how has this lady’s house not been ransacked?” Daisy asks curiously.

“Best damn agent I’ve ever seen. Every part of her house as reinforced to the max. The only one who even knew how to get in was Melinda herself. Lin trusted me though after she had gotten sick.”

“You got sick?!” Daisy exclaims. Melinda’s head snaps around to shush the girl.

“The flu. Unfortunately just because we got a deadly virus roaming around the world doesn’t make us all invulnerable to common illnesses.”

“I’m sorry but I just can’t see her wrapped in a blanket eating a bowl of tomato soup.”

“Chicken noodle. Believe it or not Phil is a damn good cook.”

Daisy fell silent for a moment as if taking in the information herself, “I can see it.” They fall silent once again until they get to the apartment complex. The building towers that used to tower high into the sky is now crumbled half way down. Jagged edges of concrete and metal stretch towards the sky like a threatening crown. A warning to leave.

Melinda is so distracted she doesn’t hear the quick pattering of feet until it is too late. She braces her arm against the throat of the body crashing into her. In the twist of walking into the entrance she had been caught off guard by a lingering zombie. The momentum is enough to end her crashing back into the wall behind her. Melinda shouts out as pain rips its way through her shoulder cutting deep into her skin. She keeps her good arm braced against it’s throat though, keeping it’s gnashing teeth just centimeters from her face.

Phil reacts first catching the blade strapped into his belt and burying it into the side of the monsters skull. The body goes limp against her arm, only collapsing to the ground once Phil has freed it from his knife. He flicks the excess blood off the metal in disgust by shaking the handle towards the ground.

“Oh no.” Daisy whispers, her eyes staring at Melinda’s shoulder.

“No no no.” Phil whispers rushing to her side. He almost breathes a sigh of relief when he spies the metal sticking out of the wound. Upon the crashing off bodies she had been pushed into loose rebar that had cut straight through her shoulder. “No bite but we need to get that stitched up fast.” He says grabbing her carefully. Almost automatically as he comes to help her off of the bar she tucks her head into his shoulder. She bites down hard on the collar of his jacket to keep herself from hollering in pain. The last thing they needed was more zombies to know their location.

Before Phil even gets the chance Daisy has shedded her own jacket pressing it to the now profusely bleeding puncture. Melinda can feel her head beginning to spin as they navigate through the halls almost nostalgically.

“In here.” Phil says walking up into the door and punching in multiple codes. The door slides open upon command as he ushers the two of them inside. “Daisy I need any alcohol you can find. I’m going to take Melinda to the back to get her patched up.”

“Yes AC.” She grins and she’s off.

“AC?” Melinda questions as he guides her to another room.

“Agent Coulson apparently.” He chuckles.

Phil gets to work easily on patching up her arm once he’s assured that her wound is thoroughly cleaned by a bottle of vodka Daisy had found. He’s just beginning to apply a weird looking cream before she speaks up.

“What’s next?” Melinda asks suddenly.

“What do you mean?” Phil’s head raises from his task momentarily to meet her eyes.

“I mean, after we turn the girl in.” She states sure that Daisy is out of earshot of the conversation. “What do we do after this?”

“We go back to living I suppose. There’s not much else we can do.” He sighs. “It’s not the old days where we used to be able to finish one mission and start the rest.”

“I remember more of kicking your ass in sparring in the ‘old days’” She states with a smirk as he begins stitching the wound.

“Maybe if we join SHIELD…”

“No.”

“Hear me out Lin. Maybe things could be the same, hell maybe even better.” He smiles. “Missions with SHIELD, just you and me-”

“And Andrew.”

“We don’t need to be around Andrew. SHIELD is all over. I know you saw the graffiti.” He states knowingly. She knew exactly what he was talking about too. Plastered over maybe every brick wall they could see was a rough outline of a bird in a circle stretching it’s wings wide. “We could go back to missions just like the old days.”

“Nostalgia’s fine Phil but it’s time to live in the present.” Melinda frowns, “You know what happened with Maria-”

“Yes, they left her for dead when she got surrounded by a horde but she escaped. Things are different now. SHIELD is stronger, we are stronger.”

Melinda takes a moment to put thought into the situation before letting out a long breath. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“It won’t. I’ve got you to protect me.” He smiles jovially.

“I’m serious Phil. I care about you… a lot.” She says slowly, her eyes turning from his. He cuts the string as he finishes up the last stitch.

“I care about you too Melinda.”

“I can’t lose you.”

“Hey!” Phil states grabbing her chin. “You’re not losing me just like I’m not losing you. Got it?” He asks. She finds herself nodding numbly catching herself getting lost in the sensation of closeness. They had danced around this boundary for years never daring to cross it. Now he was mere centimeters from her, his beautiful eyes glancing down at her own lips.

Using her good hand Melinda fists his collar in one hand crashing his lips to hers. He tasted of sips of vodka and sweat. His smell was intoxicating. She resisted groaning against the pain that spiked through her shoulder just to pull him closer. Why the hell did they wait so long for this?

“Hey!” Daisy’s voice has them pulling away like a couple of guilty teenagers. She didn’t bother yelling at the girl this time since she was positive that the place was soundproof. “This lady has beef jerky! Sweet!”

For the first time in a long time Melinda allows herself to indulge in silent laughter, burying her face into Phil’s shoulder once again.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

They’re back on their feet again within an hour. They allowed themselves moments to relax as well as indulge in some food and reloading on ammo. She pretends she doesn’t see Daisy sneak Peggy’s old switchblade into her pocket. The girl would need to protect herself after all. It’s evident enough that she doesn’t have the experience shooting a gun otherwise Andrew would have armed her with the many weapons he apparently has in stock.

They’ve all fallen into a comfortable silence with Daisy occasionally basking at their surroundings. Part of her can’t help but wonder how long Andrew had kept this girl inside, underground, in tunnels. Hidden from the very light of day in order to keep her safe. Safe from what though? The question has her steps stall as she stops from half a second. She plays with the idea of asking. What made this girl so special? What does Andrew, or more importantly SHIELD have to do with this? What does she have to do with any of this? Why hasn’t he been training her to fight for herself especially in the world they currently live in? SHIELD had plenty of good fighters as far as she knew. You either sided with the military or you rebelled with SHIELD. Phil and her were one of few conceders that had been involved in fighting in their previous lives. What made Daisy different?

“So what’s your deal? Are you a big shots daughter or something?” Phil asks as if reading her mind.

“Something like that.” Daisy breathes uncomfortably.

Melinda shrugs off the climbing suspicion scaling the ladder to the outside of the tunnel they had been making their way through. “Patrol up ahead.” She quietly warns. Once they’re out of sight they work quickly, covering up the hole from which they had come with a loose board she had pushed out of the way.

“Holy shit,” Daisy sighs. “I’m actually outside.” Melinda frowns for a second imagining being contained within those walls all her life. She shreds that crawling feeling of pity as she quietly scales the tipped over shipping container. It must have fallen from the crane nearby before it had collapsed but it acted as a bridge between elevations. Unfortunately it acted as a damn good blind spot too because as soon as Melinda had exited out the other side she found herself being knocked in the temple by a rather large gun.

Her head reels as she falls to her knees. She grunts in pain hearing rather than seeing the man point his gun at Daisy. Melinda goes to fight back when another soldier presses the edge of his gun to the back of her head.

“Don’t do anything stupid.” He warns gruffly. “You two on your knees.” He gestures with his flashlight attached to the barrel to the spot on the ground beside her. Begrudgingly the two of them move to kneel beside her.

“Agent Ramirez: calling in about three strangers found roaming the grounds.” The man looks to his partner with a grim frown. “Scan them.”

Melinda resists her urge to fight as the man presses the scanner to the back of her skull. She hears Phil make a bargain but he’s not answered with any more than a gruff shove as they finish his scan. Melinda curses slightly as she realizes what will happen. They will unfortunately be forced to waste their bullets on these two morons. She just had to wait until the other got off the radio as not to raise suspicion. Suddenly as they go to scan Daisy the girl tenses. Her face falls and it looks suspiciously like she’s going to cry. She has to give the girl credit, she can move pretty damn fast. The girl buries Peggy’s switchblade into the thigh of the man behind her.

Melinda’s on her feet next shooting the injured man in the heart from behind before he can fight back. Phil reacts next shooting the reporter between the eyes.

“Man they’re just beating you up today.” Phil jokes lightly gesturing to the cut across her eyebrow where she had been hit.

“Funny.” She deadpans.

“You actually killed them.” Daisy whispers horrified. Phil moves to the abandoned scanner on the ground consumed with suspicion before she even thought of it. His entire body seizes as he glares down at the words before throwing the scanner over to her. The red words glare up at her menacingly.

“You’re infected.” She seethes. Of course she was. Why else would she be carting this girl across the city? Andrew had probably thought her another charity case that could be saved. What kind of horrid experiments would she be subjected to?

“I’m not! I swear! I can explain.” She shouts scooting back as far away from them as she can get. Her back hits a crate behind her and Melinda can see it in her eyes. So much fear. Guilt scrawls through her stomach as Phil points the pistol at the young girl’s head.

“Explain. Now.” Phiil’s voice is uncharacteristically deep, laced with betrayal.

Daisy rolls her sleeve up thrusting her arm out in front of her. Sure enough Melinda can see the indentation in her arm. The teeth marks glare up at her, harshly mocking her for beginning to believe of goodness in the world. “Look, this is three weeks old.”

“You’re lying. Everyone turns after two days if not sooner.”

“Why would Andrew set you up? He told me about you May. You were his wife. You wanted a family.”

“Shut up.” She growls.

“You had a daughter. Her name was Bobbi. You adopted her.”

“You do not talk about her!” Melinda shouts pointing her gun threateningly.

“Melinda.” Phil’s concern is evident in his voice. Sure enough she can see the headlights of a car rolling up. They must have realized they were not getting any feedback from them anymore.

“Run! Now!” Melinda shouts. She leads the way with Phil and Daisy heavy on her footsteps. She dashes into an abandoned building where they take cover for the next two hours until they hear the tell tale of tires driving away from them. She looks to Daisy whose shoulders are now shaking with sobs.

“What now?” Phil asks.

“Let’s finish this.”

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The morning light is just beginning to creep up the sky as they reach the justice building. They had a few more attacks into the night. One zombie had actually managed to tackle Phil and get him onto the ground before she could react by quickly shooting him off. Melinda shakes the memory, the fear that had crawled through her.

Daisy freezes just as she begins to reach towards the door. Her hand is slowly lowers to her side before she turns back towards them. “Before we finish this just let me say this,” Daisy sighs. “I’m really glad Andrew hired you.”

“I’m glad too. Now let’s get you where you need to be.” Phil smiles. Daisy leaps forwards wrapping her arms around his abdomen. Almost as if natural to him, Phil tucks her head beneath his chin hugging her back. For a moment she’s almost certain she can see tears glistening in his eyes. However, the moment is interrupted when Daisy switches to her, crushing her into a surprisingly strong embrace. Hesitantly Melinda allows herself to run a gentle hand across the girl’s back.

Melinda leads the three of them, opening the door. As light pours into the cracks she can spy fallen bodies. Crimson spreads from wounds like halos marking the place of death. As she steps inside it is evident to her that there were no survivors in this massacre. These were the people they were supposed to hand off Daisy to.

“No.” Phil whispers running up to a body and searching it frantically.

“What now?” Daisy asks.

“What are you doing?” Melinda asks ignoring Daisy’s question.

“They had to have had a map Lin. Or some sort of guide to tell us where we are going. This can’t end here.”

“We gave it our all. We got her here.” Melinda says. “It’s over.”

“No. It can’t be over.” His voice is almost breaking at this point. “We can get her where she needs to go. Where is it? Where was this lab?”

“West?” Daisy asks. “Andrew never gave specifics.”

“Phil.” He snaps his head up towards her. “This is not us.”

“What do you know about me Lin?”

“What are you talking about I’ve known you for over thirty years!” She shouts back. “You’re being irrational. First you suggest working with SHIELD and now you are talking about taking this quick mission and turning it into a road trip?”

“We can take her to Maria. Maria will know where to go.” Phil assures. “We-”

His voice is cut off with the sound of tires rolling up the streets purring through the shattered windows. “We have to move. Now.” Melinda states.

“I’m not coming.” Phil states

“Excuse me?” Her eyes snap back to him. He’s looking at her with such sadness. His eyes are torn between her and his choice. “No you promised me. I’m not leaving you here.”

“You don’t have a choice Lin.”

“No.” Daisy whispers from the outside of the conversation. “He’s infected.”

Melinda’s head snaps back towards him begging him to deny the claims. Not him. Anybody but him. “That one that jumped you.” She whispers. Phil tugs back the collar on his shirt to reveal the nasty looking bite. It was already beginning to fester, he was turning quick.

“I’m not turning into a monster Melinda. This only happened two hours ago. Hers has been three weeks. This is real Lin.” He whispers.

“You said I wouldn’t lose you.” Betraying tears are already beginning to form in her eyes.

“What was that you said? Nostalgia’s fine. But you need to live in the present.” He seizes the opportunity to press a quick, sorrowful kiss to his lips. He pulls away much too soon leaning his forehead against his. She takes the moment to memorize every detail of his face. To take every inch of it in and never forget it. “I saw an escape through the upstairs window. Take her to Maria. Save her for me Melinda.”

“I-”

“I know. Me too.” With that Melinda grabs Daisy by the hand dashing up the stairs. They are just about to reach the door when the main one bursts open. Daisy is crying substantially now. There is no way they can make it to the door right now without being tracked for movement out of the corner of the soldiers’ eyes. Melinda tugs Daisy to the ground throwing her hand over the young girl’s mouth.

The both of them watched as Phil pulls out his pistol shooting down the first five men. For a moment Melinda believes he will win. He will take them all out without a problem. As if in slow motion she watches as Phil stumbles backwards. A red spot forms in the middle of his chest. He falls to his knees slowly. He flopped over dead, crimson spilling from the wound onto the stained white tiles beneath him. The bullets then begin to rain making sure that he was truly dead. Daisy lets out a heartbreaking scream, all the fight leaving her body as she slumps against Melinda sobbing into her shirt.

Melinda takes the moment of chaos and allows them to duck out onto the streets. It isn’t until they reach a place to sleep that Daisy breaks once again. Her knees give out from under her and a scream tears from her throat. Her body compulses with sobs and Melinda has to resist giving in with her. Sobs rip her vocals to shreds as she weeps for the one person that had shown her kindness. The one person that allowed her to laugh. Her small arms cradle her chest, fingers clawing at the clothes that restricted her breathing. The shaking didn’t stop and neither did the screams

“You left him! You left him to die! I could have saved him!” She cries. Her eyes are so full of anger and hatred Melinda begins to wonder if it could’ve been possible. She wonders if by any chance she could’ve saved her best friend. She feels guilt creep up her throat as she leaves the room leaving the girl to her sobs.

Melinda waits until the girl has cried herself into a fitful rest that Melinda allows the sobs compressed in her chest to filter through the air. Quiet cries bubble through her lips as she remembers how his eyes lit up when he talked about Captain America, how he had bit his lip in deep concentration when doing homework at the Academy, how his face turned solemn and dangerous in battle. She thought of how he had held her during Bahrain, how he stroked her hair after Bobbi died, how his lips had felt against hers, how he had smiled, how he had laughed, how he had loved...

“You said I wouldn’t lose you.”

[michaelfallcon]

Holden and Gwen

You wake with the setting moon but open your eyes just enough to remember your surroundings, though they are as familiar to you as your hunger. The dim light filters through curtains so old that the hand painted daisies you once despised have faded to the rumor of yellow. You exhale dust. Your mind swims through the grayness of the room, beyond the room, the streets, the town, searching, sniffing, hunting.

Your bones know what time it is, and your bones know that the next two are close, though not so close that you can yet capture their names.

Harold, maybe, and Grace?

Part of the price you pay is the quiet agony between waking and rising, before time, which returns to you only when you sleep, comes slowly again to a halt. It’s as if the passage of time must be wrenched from your body on these mornings and exposed to the air to stop it from working its slow inevitabilities. When you were young, when you still thought of this life you live as a gift, you imagined you were giving birth to all your magic at the beginning of the day after a rare sleep. Now, you just think of it as brutal and meaningless pain. This nourishes you in a way that more romantic notions did not, gives you the energy you need to keep up with the world as it changes around you… or to try.

When your feet touch the floor, the pain stops abruptly and sour relief washes over you, draining into the floor with the last ticks of the clock that is your heart. Into every life, you remind yourself, only so many heartbeats are given, so you stop your heart whenever you wake, on your way to living the length of three lives. You were 14 when you stole the daisy painted curtains from a neighbor’s house where you poured out your first spell. That was over 200 years ago.

“Holden and Gwen,” you whisper to the wooden floor. The floor creaks its assent. The walls breathe, waiting. As you rise, the crooked body that slept in the bed falls away. You stand straight and tall and firm. You part the curtains to stare out into the old night, listening. Lovers. No. Brother and sister. Yes. You moan. Even better.

“What do they need?” you ask the cold air, as wrinkles drop off your skin.

“What kind of house should we be, for Holden and Gwen?”

Not a gingerbread facade, no, and perhaps never again. Those days have faded away like the daisies. You’ve adapted and the house along with you, always shaping itself to your wishes, shaping itself into the lures that attract lives in pairs, entwined in some way that feeds you even before you eat.

Boardinghouse. Flophouse. Counting house. House of ill-repute. Warehouse. Frat house. Schoolhouse. All of these and more have been webs woven because you need them to come. Husbands and wives. Mothers and sons. Brothers and sisters. Best friends. Even great enemies, and countless relationships you couldn’t understand, have entered your house searching for something small or something grand, something mundane or momentous. It doesn’t matter. They all find you and your long hunger.

What sort of house this time, you wonder, standing now on the porch, eyes closed as you reach out to touch the minds of your prey. The house begins to fashion itself behind you.

You are watching again from the window as the people of Cutterswood, Connecticut, begin their day. They glance at Cora’s Coffeehouse on the corner of Thompson and Arne, where it’s been since… they don’t quite remember. They keep walking and they don’t think about it again.

“Hello,” you sing, as the door opens. This is always the delicate part, when you find out how well you’ve performed the dowsing of their minds and how well the house has read your intentions. You perceive a lack of recognition on their faces. Cora’s Coffeehouse is not what Holden and Gwen were expecting. You are not what they were expecting, in your dark brown dress and yellow apron. But you’ve played this game many times.

“Cora is my daughter,” you say, “and this is her house… her coffeehouse. I’m afraid she’s been called away, so I am here doing my best in her absence.”

Holden and Gwen nod in unison, the way you’ve seen so many brothers and sisters do before. They seem satisfied by this explanation and remain wary of nothing more than the unexpectedness around them.

“I was hoping for a vanilla latte,” says Gwen, “with nonfat milk?”

You smile. “Oh dear, I’m afraid we are all out of the lotties today.”

Gwen looks confused. Holden looks curious. “They don’t even have an espresso machine,” he says. “I get it. You only do pour-overs or something, probably all single origin?”

“A single cup or as many cups as you like,” you say, turning to the large percolator on the counter, an exact copy of the coffee making machine inside a movie house version of your house, where you once lured a young couple on their first date. They were delicious. When was that? It couldn’t have been that long ago.

You recognize the glance that passes between Holden and Grace as resignation. They are not happy. No one who comes to your house is ever happy to be there. But they decide to stay, like they always do, because there is nothing better next door or a block away or even within miles. This is, perhaps, your truest talent, being the worst and only option.

You pull the lever and the coffee splashes into yellow cups on matching yellow saucers, the same yellow as your apron, the same yellow the daisies once were. Holden and Grace are talking behind your back as if you are not there about how they just need a cup of coffee and how they don’t care, they just want some coffee. When you place their coffee in front of them at the counter you don’t ask if they want sugar or cream. They drink. The door locks and the shades on the windows come down slowly. The lights dim. Only you notice.

Candy. Coins. Cake. Coffee. It’s always the same. These two needed coffee. You gave them coffee. They accepted. The spell is poured out and working now.

“This is coffee,” says Gwen.

“Tastes Perfect,” says Holden.

“It’s always good,” you say.

They finish and push their cups forward without speaking. You fill them again. Now, they need your coffee in a different way. It’s no longer a simple desire, it’s a necessity, increasingly urgent and demanding. The pattern is set.

They drink.

“This is coffee,” says Gwen.

“Tastes Perfect,” says Holden.

“It’s always good,” you say.

This continues, your appetizer, for a long time that you do not know how to measure, until that beautiful moment when their inability to speak or lift their cups anymore coincides with the zenith of your giddy anticipation. They have fallen to the floor, but you continue to pour coffee into their mouths to watch the temporary relief bloom on their faces.

“This is coffee,” you say.

“Tastes Perfect,” you say.

“It’s always good,” you say.

When you finally stop giving them coffee, their eyes—the only parts of Holden and Grace still moving—fill with panic, and so you begin, as you always do, by first licking the sweet sweat of desperation off their skin.

Mike Ferguson (@aboutferguson) is an American coffee professional and writer based in Atlanta and currently part of the marketing team at Olam Specialty Coffee. Read more Mike Ferguson on Sprudge.

The post Holden and Gwen appeared first on Sprudge.

Holden and Gwen published first on https://medium.com/@LinLinCoffee

[shebreathesslowly]

Holden and Gwen

You wake with the setting moon but open your eyes just enough to remember your surroundings, though they are as familiar to you as your hunger. The dim light filters through curtains so old that the hand painted daisies you once despised have faded to the rumor of yellow. You exhale dust. Your mind swims through the grayness of the room, beyond the room, the streets, the town, searching, sniffing, hunting.

Your bones know what time it is, and your bones know that the next two are close, though not so close that you can yet capture their names.

Harold, maybe, and Grace?

Part of the price you pay is the quiet agony between waking and rising, before time, which returns to you only when you sleep, comes slowly again to a halt. It’s as if the passage of time must be wrenched from your body on these mornings and exposed to the air to stop it from working its slow inevitabilities. When you were young, when you still thought of this life you live as a gift, you imagined you were giving birth to all your magic at the beginning of the day after a rare sleep. Now, you just think of it as brutal and meaningless pain. This nourishes you in a way that more romantic notions did not, gives you the energy you need to keep up with the world as it changes around you… or to try.

When your feet touch the floor, the pain stops abruptly and sour relief washes over you, draining into the floor with the last ticks of the clock that is your heart. Into every life, you remind yourself, only so many heartbeats are given, so you stop your heart whenever you wake, on your way to living the length of three lives. You were 14 when you stole the daisy painted curtains from a neighbor’s house where you poured out your first spell. That was over 200 years ago.

“Holden and Gwen,” you whisper to the wooden floor. The floor creaks its assent. The walls breathe, waiting. As you rise, the crooked body that slept in the bed falls away. You stand straight and tall and firm. You part the curtains to stare out into the old night, listening. Lovers. No. Brother and sister. Yes. You moan. Even better.

“What do they need?” you ask the cold air, as wrinkles drop off your skin.

“What kind of house should we be, for Holden and Gwen?”

Not a gingerbread facade, no, and perhaps never again. Those days have faded away like the daisies. You’ve adapted and the house along with you, always shaping itself to your wishes, shaping itself into the lures that attract lives in pairs, entwined in some way that feeds you even before you eat.

Boardinghouse. Flophouse. Counting house. House of ill-repute. Warehouse. Frat house. Schoolhouse. All of these and more have been webs woven because you need them to come. Husbands and wives. Mothers and sons. Brothers and sisters. Best friends. Even great enemies, and countless relationships you couldn’t understand, have entered your house searching for something small or something grand, something mundane or momentous. It doesn’t matter. They all find you and your long hunger.

What sort of house this time, you wonder, standing now on the porch, eyes closed as you reach out to touch the minds of your prey. The house begins to fashion itself behind you.

You are watching again from the window as the people of Cutterswood, Connecticut, begin their day. They glance at Cora’s Coffeehouse on the corner of Thompson and Arne, where it’s been since… they don’t quite remember. They keep walking and they don’t think about it again.

“Hello,” you sing, as the door opens. This is always the delicate part, when you find out how well you’ve performed the dowsing of their minds and how well the house has read your intentions. You perceive a lack of recognition on their faces. Cora’s Coffeehouse is not what Holden and Gwen were expecting. You are not what they were expecting, in your dark brown dress and yellow apron. But you’ve played this game many times.

“Cora is my daughter,” you say, “and this is her house… her coffeehouse. I’m afraid she’s been called away, so I am here doing my best in her absence.”

Holden and Gwen nod in unison, the way you’ve seen so many brothers and sisters do before. They seem satisfied by this explanation and remain wary of nothing more than the unexpectedness around them.

“I was hoping for a vanilla latte,” says Gwen, “with nonfat milk?”

You smile. “Oh dear, I’m afraid we are all out of the lotties today.”

Gwen looks confused. Holden looks curious. “They don’t even have an espresso machine,” he says. “I get it. You only do pour-overs or something, probably all single origin?”

“A single cup or as many cups as you like,” you say, turning to the large percolator on the counter, an exact copy of the coffee making machine inside a movie house version of your house, where you once lured a young couple on their first date. They were delicious. When was that? It couldn’t have been that long ago.

You recognize the glance that passes between Holden and Grace as resignation. They are not happy. No one who comes to your house is ever happy to be there. But they decide to stay, like they always do, because there is nothing better next door or a block away or even within miles. This is, perhaps, your truest talent, being the worst and only option.

You pull the lever and the coffee splashes into yellow cups on matching yellow saucers, the same yellow as your apron, the same yellow the daisies once were. Holden and Grace are talking behind your back as if you are not there about how they just need a cup of coffee and how they don’t care, they just want some coffee. When you place their coffee in front of them at the counter you don’t ask if they want sugar or cream. They drink. The door locks and the shades on the windows come down slowly. The lights dim. Only you notice.

Candy. Coins. Cake. Coffee. It’s always the same. These two needed coffee. You gave them coffee. They accepted. The spell is poured out and working now.

“This is coffee,” says Gwen.

“Tastes Perfect,” says Holden.

“It’s always good,” you say.

They finish and push their cups forward without speaking. You fill them again. Now, they need your coffee in a different way. It’s no longer a simple desire, it’s a necessity, increasingly urgent and demanding. The pattern is set.

They drink.

“This is coffee,” says Gwen.

“Tastes Perfect,” says Holden.

“It’s always good,” you say.

This continues, your appetizer, for a long time that you do not know how to measure, until that beautiful moment when their inability to speak or lift their cups anymore coincides with the zenith of your giddy anticipation. They have fallen to the floor, but you continue to pour coffee into their mouths to watch the temporary relief bloom on their faces.

“This is coffee,” you say.

“Tastes Perfect,” you say.

“It’s always good,” you say.

When you finally stop giving them coffee, their eyes—the only parts of Holden and Grace still moving—fill with panic, and so you begin, as you always do, by first licking the sweet sweat of desperation off their skin.

Mike Ferguson (@aboutferguson) is an American coffee professional and writer based in Atlanta and currently part of the marketing team at Olam Specialty Coffee. Read more Mike Ferguson on Sprudge.

The post Holden and Gwen appeared first on Sprudge.

from Sprudge https://ift.tt/2PwrBKz

[hydrangeaguard-moved-blog]

💘 Ume/Joey

HEADCANONS MEME: DATING EDITION!!

@xaconite

where they first met and how - Umeko and Joey met outside of the flowershop they both work at! From there their relationship became that of co-workers. Umeko needing money as she had just finished college in the states and not 100% comfortable with going back home.

how long their ‘flirting’ phase was before feelings got involved - Umeko and Joey slowly got into their flirting phase, and I’m pretty sure Joey had feelings pretty quickly once he hung around Umeko more. Ume however was a bit slower as she worries and isn’t as secure about such feelings like Joey is. Granted she isn’t as bad as she was in high school so dating doesn’t take too long for their flirting to drag out to be unbearable.

who fell for who first ( if applicable ) - JOEY! Granted that boy is full of love.

where their first date was and what it was like - Their first actual date without Kian or Cass tagging along would have to be when Joey at the last minute invited her to grab a bite to eat. It was around closing time when Umeko was a little homesick. Joey suggested a place that had some boba tea. It was really sweet of him.

who asks who out and how ( with a sign? spelled out on a cake? just a simple ‘will you go out with me’? ) - Joey more often then not springs up with dates and ideas for them. Nothing fancy often a text, or just coming over to Umeko’s home. Dates ranges to restaurants, parks, arcades, and any cool attractions that he wants someone to go with him. Sometimes Umeko will say something sounds interesting and Joey will just be like “Cool! We’ll do it tomorrow!!”

who proposes first - Umeko; while Joey is often talking about how much he loves her and wants to marry Umeko it’d be her to genuinely pop the question. Like they are at work making daisy rings. And Umeko slips one on his finger and is like; “I’ll give you a proper ring, but for now can you accept it.” Joey would laugh and then it would hit him hard. Then soft smooches right after.

if they keep / kept their relationship secret or let everyone know right away - They don’t have a reason to hide, and these two are pretty open. Everyone knew at the shop they’d end up dating.

where the proposal happens and how ( kiss cam at a baseball game? on a hillside surrounded by ducks? at a disney park? ) - Now for an actual ring proposal Joey would plan it to make it as perfect as possible. It’ll be a day filled with fun stuff for the two of them. It’ll be somewhere simple, and nice like a botanical garden or a butterfly sanctuary. Its SOFF OKAY??

if they adopt any pets together - I feel like after Kuma and Bruce they would get a few more pets. With living in an actual house and having two kiddos and their partner Emmett it’d get a bit crazier. Maybe another cat, and a few more dogs. It’s a lively little home.

who’s more dominant - Umeko is not that Joey minds.

where their first kiss was and what it was like  - Outside of Umeko’s apartment door when they finished a really cute dinner date. It’d be a little peck on the lips and Jo whining he doesn’t want to leave. But Umeko shushes him between giggles and gets him to head home.

if they have any matching couples stuff ( mugs? sweaters? pillowcases? ) - THEY HAVE MATCHING MUGS DEFINITELY. IF THEY WENT TO DISNEY MAYBE A CUTE MATCHING COUPLES SHIRT. Nothing too dumb maybe just a unisex shirt they both wear around together.

how into pda they are - Very! Joey brings out that side of her!

who holds the umbrella when it rains - Joey is the taller one so it works. But Umeko will initially hold it so she can worry over Joey who is soaked for some reason.

where their usual ‘date spot’ is ( if applicable ) - A cafe and a diner near the shop knows their orders by heart at this point.

who’s more protective - They both are in their own right! Joey doesn’t like her parents/family speaking ill of Ume and will defend her with all his heart. Umeko would go into rage if anyone dared made Joey upset.

how long it is before they sleep together ( can be as in ‘had sex’ or as in ‘shared a bed’ ) - It took a while since Umeko wasn’t really sure if Joey ever wanted that. But he does it just takes a while. It isn’t really necessary for their relationship, but they both enjoy the quiet/fun intimate moments it creates.

if they argue about anything - Sometimes. Like the time they argued about Umeko’s family. But for small things too as Umeko does feel like she’s mothering a big kid. Which can be stressful. But they make up rather quickly.

who leaves more marks ( lipstick, hickeys, scratchmarks etc. ) - Umeko. RIP Joey.

who steals whose clothes and how often - Umeko will steal Joey’s bigger flannels and t-shirts. Jo could probably rock one of ume’s shirts and it might turn into a crop top by accident. Ume doesn’t mind.

how they cuddle ( spooning? facing each other? ) - Depends on their mood. Umeko might be big spoon some nights or the little spoon. Joey likes when she jetpacks him. But other nights Umeko will rest her head on Joey’s chest. Only on really bad nights where Umeko has to wake him up from his dreams does he rest his head on her chest.

what their favourite nonsexual activity is - Gardening of course!

how long they stay mad at each other - Joey doesn’t like to stay mad long when it comes to Umeko, and Umeko hates being mad at Joey but will stay mad for a longer time then he does. In the end they make up.

what their usual coffee / tea orders are - Joey probably has gone to the tea side thanks for Umeko and just goes for a black tea with cream and sugar. He might double cream and sugar his coffee too. But Umeko sticks to a small amount of sugar in her own tea.

if they ever have any children together - Yup! They have two kids, Arisu and Hachi. maybe more

if they have any special pet names for each other - Nah? Umeko calls him Jojo or Jo, while Joey just calls her Ume. Maybe Joey might call her pet names which makes her laugh and cringe a little. “My honeybun!” “Joey please we’re in public;;;”

if they ever split up and / or get back together - Nah.

what their shared living space is like ( messy? clean? what kind of decor? ) - They can keep things clean when it comes down to it. Joey is Joey, but he likes a clean space like anyone else and helping out makes Umeko happy. They have a lot of florals and some odd conversation pieces they found whilst thrifting. They probably use a few odd mugs for smaller plants around the house.

what their first christmas / hanukkah / etc as a couple was like - A tad sad since Umeko would be leaving the next day to get ready for new years with her family. It doesn’t get any easier, and Umeko really wants to take Joey with her one day.

what their names are in each other’s phones - For Umeko Joey’s name is written as ( Joey💖☀️💖) As for Joey Umeko’s name is written as ( 🌺🌼💖 Umeko !! 💖🌼🌺)

if they have any ‘couple traditions’ ( buying a new mug for their collection every year? baking every friday evening? ) - thrifting I can see would be the newest tradition. Probably they go on date walks with Kuma every Friday when the weather is permitting.

who falls asleep first and who wakes up first -  Joey will fall asleep first usually, unless Umeko is crazy tuckered out. But Umeko rises first almost always as she is used to doing so.

who’s the big spoon / little spoon - It switches! Umeko is often little spoon though as Joey has the height advantage.

who hogs the bathroom - MMM over time there is no hogging they’ll both be doing their business in the bathroom. However Umeko does take a tad longer as she enjoys taking baths.

who kills the spiders / takes them outside - Umeko will merder or carry the little spiders away. Depends on the size of the spider. Or Joey is begging her to let them go free.

[caddyxjellyby]

Alcott Readathon 2018: Jo’s Boys (1886)

"Miss Alcott's books are all delightful, and Jo's Boys is one of the best of them." - Boston Evening Transcript

"Thousands of readers will approach this later book with keen curiosity. They will find it lacking in some of the spontaneity of its predecessors, yet still an interesting volume[.]" - Unknown

"Its romance has a singular strain of youthfulness about it, which hardly enables one to feel in it the dignity of real love, courtship, and marriage." - The Critic

"The fault of the story is that there is too much of it. One is bewildered by the numerous boys and girls, and finds it hard to keep the run of 'who is who.' " - The Providence Sunday Journal

"A trifle labored and tedious." - The Graphic

In 1882 LMA helped start Concord's temperance society, destroyed most of her mother's diaries, raised her niece Lulu, and mourned her hero Emerson. In October she started Jo's Boys, originally intended a St. Nicholas serial. That same month Bronson had a stroke. In February 1884 she described the book's future as uncertain.  In December 1884 she started again, writing two hours for three days, which made her ill with vertigo for a week. In April 1886 she mentions working on it for one hour a day, a limit ordered by her doctor. In June she moved from Boston to Concord and was able to finish 15 chapters. July she turned in the manuscript and it was published in England in September and America in October.

1: Ten Years Later

Mr. Laurence is dead and left his fortune to found Laurence College. Marmee is also gone. Hannah is not mentioned. Mr. March is the school chaplain.

Franz is in Germany with his merchant uncle. Emil was sent on a long voyage in the hopes that he would give up on sailing, but the opposite happened. Dolly, George, and Ned study law. Nan and Tom study medicine. It's not mentioned where Nan went, but LMA's friend Dr. Rhoda Lawrence went to Boston University School of Medicine.

Jack is in business in Chicago. Nat attends the Conservatory. Dick and Billy are dead, the narrator claiming "life would never be happy" for them which is both disgusting and an odd contradiction of statements made in Jack and Jill. Rob is gentle and quiet but manly inside. Ted is loud and mischievous. Demi disappointed Meg by becoming a reporter, as LMA's elder nephew Frederick Pratt did. Daisy is "her mother's comfort and companion." Josie, 14, amuses them with her love of theater. Bess, 15, is tall and beautiful. Dan went to South American for a geological expedition, then Australia for sheep farming and is now in California.

Nan and Tom walk to Plumfield. He's in love with her and she brushes him off. He got a blue anchor on his arm to match hers. Josie runs after Ted, who stole her copy of The Lady of Lyons by Edward Bulwer-Lytton.

The four meet Jo, Meg, and Daisy for tea. Demi arrives with the news that Emil will return soon and Franz is engaged to Ludmilla.

2: Parnassus

Amy and Laurie's house. Laurie critiques Bess's clay baby. "You can't see beauty in anything but music," she answers. Amy made marble busts of Beth and John.

Nat's about to leave for Leipzig. He loves Daisy, but Meg disapproves because they don't know his family and music is a hard living.

Josie and Ted ask their grandfather to weigh in on their debate.

'Why, we were pegging away at the Iliad and came to where Zeus tells Juno not to inquire into his plans or he'll whip her, and Jo was disgusted because Juno meekly hushed up. I said it was all right, and agreed with the old fellow that women didn't know much and ought to obey men,' explained Ted, to the great amusement of his hearers. 'Goddesses may do as they like, but those Greek and Trojan women were poor-spirited things if they minded men who couldn't fight their own battles and had to be hustled off by Pallas, and Venus, and Juno, when they were going to get beaten. The idea of two armies stopping and sitting down while a pair of heroes flung stones at one another! I don't think much of your old Homer. Give me Napoleon or Grant for my hero.' Josie's scorn was as funny as if a humming-bird scolded at an ostrich, and everyone laughed as she sniffed at the immortal poet and criticized the gods. 'Napoleon's Juno had a nice time; didn't she? That's just the way girls argue—first one way and then the other,' jeered Ted. 'Like Johnson's young lady, who was “not categorical, but all wiggle-waggle”,' added Uncle Laurie, enjoying the battle immensely. 'I was only speaking of them as soldiers. But if you come to the woman side of it, wasn't Grant a kind husband and Mrs Grant a happy woman? He didn't threaten to whip her if she asked a natural question; and if Napoleon did do wrong about Josephine, he could fight, and didn't want any Minerva to come fussing over him. They were a stupid set, from dandified Paris to Achilles sulking in his ships, and I won't change my opinion for all the Hectors and Agamemnons in Greece,' said Josie, still unconquered. 'You can fight like a Trojan, that's evident; and we will be the two obedient armies looking on while you and Ted have it out,' began Uncle Laurie, assuming the attitude of a warrior leaning on his spear.

They're interrupted by Emil, Josie's favorite cousin, who has presents for everyone. Nan's earrings are skulls, but Josie says she won't wear them.

3: Jo's Last Scrape

Several years before, when Plumfield was in bad shape, Jo "hastily scribbled a little story" about herself and her sisters. To her astonishment it became a bestseller. Rumors exaggerate her fortune, which makes me wonder about the rumors because in 1887 LMA gave John and Frederick Pratt $25,000 each. In then dollars.

Rob reads her fanmail over breakfast - people seeking autographs, advice, donations; a love poem; and a little boy who thinks her books are first-rate.

Ted tells a reporter who visits that, "She is about sixty, born in Nova Zembla, married just forty years ago today, and has eleven daughters." (Forgive me the mixed quotation marks.) A woman and her three daughters come, Fritz with a bunch of his students, and a woman collecting a grasshopper and a shawl to put in a rug.

Jo retreats to her room, determined to finish 30 pages, but there's a man who won't leave. It's Dan. "I've been longing to see you for a year," she says.

4: Dan

He tells her about California and the money he got from investing in mines. He doesn't recognize Bess - "I thought it was a spirit." "Two years have changed you entirely," she replies.

Everyone starts making plans to head West. Dan thinks he might settle on a farm or return to the Montana Indians. They're dying of starvation, "a damned shame."

I don't think I understood before that "she never grudged her Jack a glass" referred to alcohol.

Jo calls the girls and the seven boys "the flower of our flock" and mentions for the first time Alice Heath, a Laurence College student.

Dan brought Ted a mustang, Josie a dress to play Namioka in Metamora, and a buffalo head for Bess.

'Thought it would do her good to model something strong and natural. She'll never amount to anything if she keeps on making namby-pamby gods and pet kittens,' answered irreverent Dan, remembering that when he was last here Bess was vibrating distractedly between a head of Apollo and her Persian cat as models. 'Thank you; I'll try it, and if I fail we can put the buffalo up in the hall to remind us of you,' said Bess, indignant at the insult offered the gods of her idolatry, but too well bred to show it except in her voice, which was as sweet and as cold as ice-cream. 'I suppose you won't come out to see our new settlement when the rest do? Too rough for you?' asked Dan, trying to assume the deferential air all the boys used when addressing their Princess. 'I am going to Rome to study for years. All the beauty and art of the world is there, and a lifetime isn't long enough to enjoy it,' answered Bess. 'Rome is a mouldy old tomb compared to the “Garden of the gods” and my magnificent Rockies. I don't care a hang for art; nature is as much as I can stand, and I guess I could show you things that would knock your old masters higher than kites. Better come, and while Josie rides the horses you can model 'em. If a drove of a hundred or so of wild ones can't show you beauty, I'll give up,' cried Dan, waxing enthusiastic over the wild grace and vigour which he could enjoy but had no power to describe. 'I'll come some day with papa, and see if they are better than the horses of St Mark and those on Capitol Hill. Please don't abuse my gods, and I will try to like yours,' said Bess, beginning to think the West might be worth seeing, though no Raphael or Angelo had yet appeared there. 'That's a bargain! I do think people ought to see their own country before they go scooting off to foreign parts, as if the new world wasn't worth discovering,' began Dan, ready to bury the hatchet. 'It has some advantages, but not all. The women of England can vote, and we can't. I'm ashamed of America that she isn't ahead in all good things,' cried Nan, who held advanced views on all reforms, and was anxious about her rights, having had to fight for some of them. 'Oh, please don't begin on that. People always quarrel over that question, and call names, and never agree. Do let us be quiet and happy tonight,' pleaded Daisy, who hated discussion as much as Nan loved it.

Jo, Meg, and Amy all vote for the school board; Demi says he'll escort Nan and Daisy next year.

5: Vacation

Funny how in books like this and The Secret Garden, exercise makes you grow less thin because working up an appetite makes you eat more.

Demi takes photos, particularly of Bess. Nat and Daisy hang out all they can.

At the good-bye dance Laurie takes Jo on a tour. Emil sits on the roof serenading girls with Mary's Dream and tossing them roses.

The second window framed a very picturesque group of three. Mr March in an arm-chair, with Bess on a cushion at his feet, was listening to Dan, who, leaning against a pillar, was talking with unusual animation. The old man was in shadow, but little Desdemona was looking up with the moonlight full upon her into young Othello's face, quite absorbed in the story he was telling so well. The gay drapery over Dan's shoulder, his dark colouring, and the gesture of his arm made the picture very striking, and both spectators enjoyed it with silent pleasure, till Mrs Jo said in a quick whisper: 'I'm glad he's going away. He's too picturesque to have here among so many romantic girls. Afraid his “grand, gloomy, and peculiar” style will be too much for our simple maids.' 'No danger; Dan is in the rough as yet, and always will be, I fancy; though he is improving in many ways. How well Queenie looks in that soft light!' 'Dear little Goldilocks looks well everywhere.' And with a backward glance full of pride and fondness, Mrs Jo went on. But that scene returned to her long afterward and her own prophetic words also.

Nan takes a splinter out of Tom's hand; he says it's the only time she was kind to him and too bad he didn't lose his arm. "I wish you'd lost your head," she says because his hair pomade stinks.

Ted poses on a stool as Josie and others give commentary. Jo explains they're planning for the upcoming play.

George and eat while complaining about the unladylike amount the girls eat. It proves that studying is bad for them.

A girl says to another that the dress she thought was elegant at home looks countrified here. Second girl tells her to ask Mrs. Brooke for advice.

Nan and Alice interrogate the young men over whether they believe in Women's Suffrage (yes, yes, and yes). You know what I really like? When people recognize that voting isn't the be-all end-all of women's legal right. When people recognize that legal rights aren't social rights and the former existing doesn't magic the latter into existence.

6: Last Words

Meg, weren't you married at 20? Isn't Daisy 20? I'm just saying.

"Girls, have you got nice pocket handkerchiefs?" jokes Jo as her sisters leave for church.

Jo talks to Nat about himself and about Daisy, claiming it's better to have no promises made until his return. "No one will be quicker to see and admire the brave work than my sister Meg. She does not despise your poverty or your past; but mothers are very tender over their daughters, and we Marches, though we have been poor, are, I confess, a little proud of our good family. We don't care for money; but a long line of virtuous ancestors is something to desire and to be proud of."

On the roof she lectures Emil on his new duties as second mate. "Jack ashore is a very different craft from what he is with blue water under his keel," he says. The narrator hints he'll remember this later.

Dan confesses that in San Francisco he gambled a little. Jo cautions him against it and he reassures her. He knows his biggest fault is not gambling but his temper, and he's afraid he'll kill someone one day. She gives him Undine and Sintram to borrow.

7: The Lion and the Lamb

With their parents at the mountains and the Laurences at the shore, Rob and Teddy have the run of the house.  Dan's dog Don won't eat or play. Ted suggests he's sicks; Rob says he's just pining for Dan and goes back to writing Latin verses. Ted switches Don, Don gets angry, Rob jumps in front of Ted and Don bites his leg. Nan decides it must be burnt with a poker. Rob takes it like a trooper but Ted faints.

Jo and Fritz note that Rob's even more serious and Ted's a little less wild. Ted claims it's his brother's influence but Jo coaxes the truth out of them.

8: Josie Play Mermaid

Josie's idol Miss Cameron is also at the shore, but she has a private beach and it's hard to see her. One day she loses her bracelet and Josie dives down to fetch it. Miss Cameron invites her over and Josie gives Ophelia's mad scene and a bit from a farce and Portia's speech.

"You've a good voice and natural grace," says the actress and advises her to finish her education and start training when she's older. They blah blah about purifying the stage. Josie starts hitting the books and piano to the delight of her family.

9: The Worm Turns

Tom appears at Jo's with an awful scrape: he's engaged. Oh no Nan didn't! says Jo, but it's not Nan, it's Dora West. Nan mentioned her in Chapter 1.

Down at Quitno he was rowing and the boat capsized but she wasn't mad about it. Later she was riding on the back of his bicycle and a donkey kicked it and they fell. She cracked up and said "Let us go on again" and he replied about going on forever. Jo thinks it's hilarious and a good match. Dora's ability to take things in stride will serve her well if their hypothetical future child is anything like young Tom.

Tom hints that Demi flirted with Alice. "A great dead of courting goes on in those [tennis] courts."

Nan is pleased and resolves to buy Dora a medicine chest for a wedding present. He gives up medicine and goes into business with Bangs Sr.

10: Demi Settles

Demi tells Meg he quit reporting and she's very glad. He got a place at Jo's publisher as Frederick and the real John did.

They talk about Josie and the upcoming plays and Demi promises he'll protect her if she treads the boards.

Josie teases him, via a reference to The Old Curiosity Shop, about spooning with Alice and he tells her not to be silly.

11: Emil's Thanksgiving

My favorite chapter! The Brenda, Englishman Captain Hardy commanding and his wife and daughter Mary aboard, is en route to China when there is a FIRE IN THE HOLD. ABANDON SHIP. Captain Hardy is pushed overboard by a falling mast and knocked out.

They float for three days and then start to worry. During the fourth night two sailors steal the brandy bottle and fall overboard.

A sail appears, but it's too far away to notice the little boat. Emil despairs during the night until Mary singing a hymn he knows from Plumfield brings to mind Jo's talk.

Then it starts to rain and a ship comes to rescue them. What day is it? Emil asks. Thanksgiving!

12: Dan's Christmas

Dan, traveling west, befriends a younger boy, Blair, who reminds him of Ted. Some guys cheat at cards with Blair, Dan calls them out, one draws a pistol, and Dan punches him. The guy hits his head on a stove and dies. Dan gets sentence to a year in prison.

A real life incident appears. LMA and Bronson visited a prison in 1879 and she told the occupants a hospital story. The Sunday before Thanksgiving, the same thing happens to Dan, and it inspires him to not participate in the revolt the other men are planning.

He sends Jo a note at Christmas.

13: Nat's New Year

In Leipzig, Nat brags a little too much about his connections, so people assume he's upper-class and invite him to balls and plays and beer-gardens. He spends a little too much money and plays the gallant with Minna, whose mother confronts him about his intentions. When the bills and a letter from Plumfield arrive at New Year's he resolves to stop being a socialite.  His landlady gets him a job teaching English. It must be nice to have connections.

14: Plays at Plumfield

"As it is as impossible for the humble historian of the March family to write a story without theatricals in it as for our dear Miss Yonge to get on with less than twelve or fourteen children in her interesting tales, we will accept the fact, and at once cheer ourselves after the last afflicting events, by proceeding to the Christmas plays at Plumfield; for they influence the fate of several of our characters, and cannot well be skipped."

Everyone is excited by Miss Cameron's attendance. First a farce with Alice as Marquise, Demi as the Baron, and Josie as a soubrette. An accident with the scenery leads to Nan plastering up Demi's injury, but the look on Alice's face makes it worth it to him.

Meg stars as a country widow with Demi and Josie as her kids.

Up until now I thought Owlsdark Marbles was a real play, but turns out it isn't. Laurie is a professor who introduces the audience to his statues: Ted as Mercury, Josie as Hebe, Nan as Minerva, Demi as Apollo, Jo and Fritz as Juno and Jove, someone (Tom?) as Bacchus, and Bess as Diana.

Dan's letter arrives but he gave Jo no address.

15: Waiting

Word reaches Plumfield of the shipwreck and they all mourn Emil. Jack writes and Ned actually visits. Josie takes it very hard until Miss Cameron tells her to take her tragedy like her fictional heroines do. They learns he's not dead and Ted expresses it: "Now is the winter of our discontent / Made glorious by these sons of Bhaer!"

Nat studies hard, gets a visit from Franz and Emil (a good potential fanfic scene), and is chosen to play in a London concert.

Dan counts the days til he's released in August. He can't bear Ted and Jo knowing his shame so he decides to head back to Montana.

16: In the Tennis Courts

Josie and Dolly play tennis and drag each other's schools. Bess chimes in that the cousins are accustomed to sensible conversation, not gossip. Dolly asks why she wears Harvard's color if it sucks so much and she tells him her hat is scarlet, not crimson.

The cousins leave and Jo brings finds Dolly and George. "I knew the boys would be killing themselves with ice-water; so I strolled down with some of my good, wholesome [root] beer. They drank like fishes. But Silas was with me; so my cruse still holds out. Have some?"

She lectures them about overeating, alcohol, and having sex with girls from the Opera Bouffe.

17: Among the Maids

Jo, Meg, and Amy host a sewing circle for the young women.

Here Mrs Meg was in her glory, and stood wielding her big shears like a queen as she cut out white work, fitted dresses, and directed Daisy, her special aide, about the trimming of hats, and completing the lace and ribbon trifles which add grace to the simplest costume and save poor or busy girls so much money and time. Mrs Amy contributed taste, and decided the great question of colours and complexions; for few women, even the most learned, are without that desire to look well which makes many a plain face comely, as well as many a pretty one ugly for want of skill and knowledge of the fitness of things. She also took her turn to provide books for the readings, and as art was her forte she gave them selections from Ruskin, Hamerton, and Mrs Jameson, who is never old. Bess read these aloud as her contribution, and Josie took her turn at the romances, poetry, and plays her uncles recommended. Mrs Jo gave little lectures on health, religion, politics, and the various questions in which all should be interested, with copious extracts from Miss Cobbe's Duties of Women, Miss Brackett's Education of American Girls, Mrs Duffy's No Sex in Education, Mrs Woolson's Dress Reform, and many of the other excellent books wise women write for their sisters, now that they are waking up and asking: 'What shall we do?'

One girl would like to be George Eliot and Jo likes her but not as much as Charlotte Bronte. I haven't read Eliot and I love Jane Eyre the character but not so much the book.

Amy's friend Lady Ambercrombie visits them.

18: Class Day

I used to think Class Day was a Victorian thing, but I found that Harvard and Yale still use it. Harvard's website has

a piece on its history from the year JB was published.

Ted dandies up, leading Jo to call him "the ghost of a waiter" and Josie a "long, black clothespin." For part of the day he wears a false mustache which leaves some visitors thinking there are three Bhaer sons.

Alice gives the best speech of the day.

While everyone's chilling and singing a carriage rolls up. Out step Franz, Ludmilla, and Emil with Mary. "Uncle, Aunt Jo, here's another daughter! Have you room for my wife too?" Wouldn't you love to see this scene on film? I so would. Why not tell us? asks Jo. Because you thought it was hilarious when Uncle Laurie did it, says Emil.

19: White Roses

Demi wants to tell Alice; Josie suggests he copy a Maria Edgeworth story and send her three roses - bud, half-blown, and full-blown. Josie delivers them and Alice ponders the questions. Her parents are ill and need her at home. Is it fair to ask him to wait? She overhears Meg and Daisy praising her and John.

They meet at the party and good old Tom interrupts them. "Music? just the thing." Alice starts to play Bide a Wee, which describes her situation so well she can't even sing the middle verse. It was one of the first things I ever researched on the internet.

20: Life for Life

Dan chances upon a mining friend who hires him as overseer. The mine caves in and Dan leads the rescue of the miners. He gets injured but they all survive. The family learns about it from a newspaper. Ted runs away to see Dan and Laurie chases after him.

When he's better they bring him to Plumfield. He confesses to Jo about prison.

21: Aslauga's Knight

Everyone fusses over Dan; Josie reads to him; Bess molds her buffalo head in his room. He asks Bess to read him Aslauga's Knight. She and Jo are surprised he likes that story. Jo realizes he's in love with Bess. Dan confirms it and tells how he used to dream of Bess in prison.

22: Positively Last Appearance

Laurie's connections get Dan a post as a Native American agent. He startles Bess by kissing her good-bye.

After Dan leaves, Nat returns. It's a bit strange that barely interact in this book. Daisy cries and hugs him. He plays the same song he did at the beginning of LM.

Epilogue time. All the marriages turn out well. Nan, Josie, and Bess have successful careers and the younger two find "worthy mates." I love how mates doesn't mean husbands. "Dan never married, but lived, bravely and usefully, among his chosen people till he was shot defending them, and at last lay quietly asleep in the green wilderness he loved so well, with a lock of golden hair upon his breast, and a smile on his face which seemed to say that Aslauga's Knight had fought his last fight and was at peace." George is an alderman and dies of apoplexy. I don't think LMA likes him. Dolly finds himself in a tailor's employ. Rob is a professor and Ted follows in his grandfather's footsteps as a minister "to the great delight of his astonished mother. And now, having endeavoured to suit everyone by many weddings, few deaths, and as much prosperity as the eternal fitness of things will permit, let the music stop, the lights die out, and the curtain fall for ever on the March family."

The final line gets brought up a lot. IMO it reflects LMA's state of mind and her struggles with her health. She died less than two years later.