#indigo graves

[msmercury84]

Wedding Anniversary on the Beach

*Author's note: Wild Bill purchased a rundown beach house in New Jersey. He did construction work until the house was completely remodeled. He, Frannie and their eldest son stayed in the house on occasion. This was before the birth of his second son. Guarnere sold the house and bought another beach house to restore and selling it when it was remodeled. This information is in the book he wrote with Babe. Bill commented, "I've always known how to make a few extra dollars." He also said, "Old enough to eat, old enough to work."

The story about Augusta hitting the judge and the hit and run driver on the head with the judge's gavel and Joseph Guarnere hitting a police officer is true. It's also true that Bill's godfather punched a police officer. Augusta really told a woman in the hospital's office to "Keep him (Bill)!" This info came from a collection of letters belonging to Dick Winters that I found online. The line about "lumping the judge" with his gavel also came from the letters.

Bill was known to be largely non materialistic. This info came from his book. He often said, "We were happy with what we had. Now people keep buying more and more stuff."

The idea of paying his nephews to help him finish the first house on the beach came from my imagination, as did the backstory of the elderly nudists who were the former owners of the house.*

************************************************************************

In the winter of 1946, Bill purchased a run down beach house in New Jersey. He intended to fix up the house for himself and Leigh to use. Guarnere intended to eventually sell the house and perhaps buy and restore another house for extra income.

He hired Maria's and Julia's sons to do construction work with him and Bill paid the teenage boys fair wages. Guarnere and his nephews finished the house in time for his one year wedding anniversary with Leigh.

She was eager to see the house and they decided to spend their first anniversary on the New Jersey shore. During the drive to the beach house, they were reminiscing on how they met. Bill told Leigh,

"When I saw ya kickin' that guy's ass at Toccoa, that reminded me o' Ma. You're fiery, like her."

"What makes you say that, Honey? I'm not calling you a liar, but I've never seen Mama acting that way. Guarnere laughed,

"Let me tell ya about somethin' Ma done when I was 15. I was out roller skatin' in the street. Some guy in a car hit my ass. It was a hit an' run. I had to go to the hospital an' I was there four days.

The cops got hold o' the guy an' he paid off the judge. We went to court, an' the judge wanted to dismiss the case due to lack o' evidence. It made Ma furious an' she went up, grabbed the judge's gavel an' lumped him on the head wit' it twice."

"Oh, my God! I can't picture her doing that."

"That ain't all, Baby. After she done that, she lumped the hit an' run guy. Then, a cop tried to get hold o' her. Pop punched him. Another cop got after Pop, an' my godfather punched him. Nothin' happened 'cause they figured the judge didn't want word to get out that the case was fixed."

Leigh was shocked, then she started to laugh.

"If ya think that's (he pronounced the word as 'dats') funny, wait until I tell ya about Ma an' the hospital bill. I got better an' I was ready to go home, but we didn't have $45 to pay the bill.

Ma talked to some lady in the office an' she said I couldn't be released until the bill was paid. That got Ma fired up, an' she said, 'Keep him!'" More laughter ensued from Leigh, and Bill joined in.

When Bill pulled their car into the driveway in front of the beach house, Leigh looked at the white one story house,

"Honey, it's beautiful! You and the boys made it look new." Bill was proud of his work and he was extremely pleased that Leigh liked the way the house looked.

"Wait 'til ya see the inside, Baby. We redid the wirin', the plumbin', we put new linoleum in the kitchen an' new carpet in the bedroom. The boys an' I kinda scrounged around an' found furniture for the dinin' room an' the bedroom. I refinished the wood, stripped the old stuff off an' it looks brand new."

He got out of the car, went to the passenger side door, opened it for Leigh and they walked hand in hand to the front door. Bill got the key from his pocket, opened the door and carried Leigh into the house.

"I wanted to carry ya over the threshold, Sweetheart." He put her down in the living room. The floor was light colored hardwood that would be easier to keep dirt and sand free than carpet.

Augusta had provided white Priscilla curtains for the windows and Bill bought the blinds. He found a good deal on a tan colored couch with matching chairs that he purchased from a co-worker. The co-worker included a nice coffee table and end tables, both light colored wood and two tan colored lamps with white shades.

Julia donated two snake plants in neutral colored planters. Maria made new covers for the throw pillows on the couch that complimented the tan coloring. Teresa bought a small radio for the living room.

Leigh smiled as she looked around the living room,

"It's lovely, Bill." He explained how his sisters helped and how he got the living room furniture.

"Ma gave us the curtains, an' everybody kicked in an' gave us a completely stocked kitchen. Sure, most of it's used, but I got a new set o' dishes an' silverware. I've been savin' some money for this place an' I wanted to get a few things. I got a new set o' sheets for our bed an' a nice bedspread from that fancy store where I bought your red dress.

I waa hopin' maybe you could make some o' them embroidered pictures for the walls an' we could bring a few pictures from home. We got a copy o' our weddin' picture an' the portrait like we gave to our folks."

"I'd be delighted to make some counted cross stitch pictures, Honey. The portraits will really make it like home."

Bill showed her the kitchen, with a new white linoleum floor and light yellow paint on the walls. As promised, the kitchen table and chairs looked new.

"I didn't wanna choose curtains for ya, Baby. Maybe you could sew some?"

"I already have some ideas, Bill. This kitchen looks so cheery and bright. Look at that view of the ocean! It's gorgeous!" She noticed a wooden walkway from the kitchen door to the beach.

"Bill, it's just like something from a magazine. This is such a wonderful place." Leigh embraced and kissed him.

"I'm glad ya like it, Baby. C'mon, let me show ya the rest o' the place!" He led her to the bathroom down the hall. The floor was white linoleum. Blue and white tile covered the walls. The cabinet was freshly painted white and new silver colored faucets gleamed. A white bathtub with a shower and toilet completed the room. Guarnere opened a cabinet by the door that was at shoulder level.

"We made this big enough to hold towels, washcloths an' cleanin' stuff. It's up higher, so when we bring our kids, they won't be able to reach the cleanin' stuff. That'll keep 'em from gettin' poisoned." Leigh smiled,

"You'll be a wonderful Pop. You're already thinking ahead of their safety. This is a beautiful bathroom, Honey." Bill was pleased with Leigh's remark and he tenderly kissed her.

"Thanks, Sweetheart. You're gonna be one hell of a good Ma. Speakin' o' kids, follow me. We can use this for the kids' bedroom." They left the bathroom and walked a few steps down the hall to a small room with a window overlooking the beach. Bunk beds were set up by the window. The room was painted white.

"I bought the bunk beds, pretty cheap, from another guy at work. I redid the finish on 'em an' they're in real good shape. 'course there's the light fixture in here. We could get a night light if we need it." The room had the same light colored hardwood floor and the white Priscilla curtains as the living room. A light blue throw rug was beside the beds.

"I can picture sea shells on the window sill that the kids would find on the beach." Leigh looked to the right of the bed and saw a small wooden box with a hinged lid.

"You made a toy box! That's good planning, Bill." He grinned,

"We've gotta have a place for their toys." He crossed the room and opened a door,

"Here's the closet."

"It looks great, Honey."

"Now, come see our bedroom." She followed him to the room at the end of the hall. Bill stepped back, allowing her to enter the room first. She saw the beige carpet, a bed, end tables, a dresser with a mirror and a chest of drawers, all in light colored wood.

Beige wallpaper with white sea shells covered the walls. White Priscilla curtains covered a window overlooking the beach. An obviously new white chenille bedspread with small, beige sea shells covered the bed.

"Honey, this room is beautiful! You could do construction professionally." Bill walked up to stand behind Leigh, embracing her. He kissed her neck before replying,

"Thanks, Baby. I wanted to make everythin' look nice, 'specially our bedroom. It took a long time to get this room done, but it's worth it, knowin' ya like it."

"I love it! The bedspread really pulls everything together. Where did you find this lovely wallpaper?"

"The wallpaper came from that paint an' wallpaper store that's close to Ma's and Pop's house.

This room has a closet, too. I shoulda taken some pictures o' this place before we fixed it up. Everythin' was run down, kinda old lookin'. I've gotta admit doin' this kinda work is relaxin' in a way. I like workin' wit' my hands."

"I didn't realize you knew how to do all of these things, plumbing, wiring, hanging wallpaper and doing the floors and the tile in the bathroom."

"I learned real young. Pop would put me an' my brothers to work. He would always say, 'Old enough to eat, old enough to work.' We learned somethin' useful an' it could make money for us, too. I've always known how to make a few extra dollars.

Let me show ya one more thing." Bill took Leigh's hand, leading her to a set of French doors on the opposite side of the room. He opened the door and Leigh walked into a small portion of the yard that was surrounded by a tall white fence.

"This will be great for private sunbathing and we can also use it for a patio." Bill chuckled,

"The guy an' his wife who owned this before I bought it are about 80 years old an' they're nudists. I ain't got a problem wit' that, but, Holy God! No wonder they put up a fence. Nobody needs to see that."

"I have to ask, were they nude when you met them."

"No, thank God!"

After they carried in food and luggage from the car, Leigh fixed supper. While the food cooked, they got everything put away. Leigh ensured that they had a fresh can of coffee. Bill loved coffee and he drank several cups per day.

She asked Bill before they went on their trip about his choice for their anniversary supper. He wanted his favorite dish, spaghetti with one meatball, so she brought homemade pasta and made his favorite gravy (sauce) with Italian sausage. Leigh also had homemade antipasto, homemade garlic bread and she bought a bottle of their favorite red wine.

The table was set with a new tablecloth, yellow and white dishes, silverware, wine glasses and candles placed in antique milk glass candle holders. She lit the candles and Bill helped her serve their meal. He pulled out her chair before sitting down, then he asked the blessing. After supper was over, Guarnere told her,

"Sweetheart, ya done an excellent job wit' the food, as usual. You're like your Ma an' my Ma, one hell of a good cook."

"I'm glad you enjoyed it, Honey."

"I like seein' you in those pants, Baby. They show off that sweet ass." Leigh was wearing cream colored trousers, a matching short sleeved blouse and sandals. Bill was wearing a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, black trousers, a belt, socks and shoes.

They washed the dishes together and then they listened to the radio until twilight as Bill smoked a cigarette. A full moon was out. Bill and Leigh decided to take a walk on the beach.

Leigh brought an old blanket to spread out on the sand. Bill had a small picnic basket containing two wine glasses and a small bottle of champagne that was removed from the refrigerator before they walked down the path to the beach. There was enough champagne for each of them to have two glasses.

They held hands and strolled down the wooden walkway to the beach. A full moon was out and the beach, as far as they could see, was vacant. There was no need to carry a flashlight to navigate on the walkway or the beach. The bright moonlight allowed them to see without extra light.

Leigh felt the small box containing Bill's anniversary gift gently striking her left hip through the pocket in her linen trousers. She had the cream colored trouser legs rolled up to her shins to allow herself to easily walk in the sand or wade in the surf.

Two months before their trip, she and Bill were talking while they washed, dried and put away the supper dishes. Bill was talking about a friend with whom he worked.

"Gene was showin' me a present his wife gave him for his birthday. It was a sterlin' silver cigarette lighter. The place where Annie bought it did free engravin', an' she had his initials put on it. It looked real classy. Somethin' like that is probably real expensive."

Leigh took note of his statement, because Bill rarely spoke of material things. He was content to live modestly. Still, she knew him well enough to deduce that the lighter was something he would like to have.

The following day, during her lunch break, Leigh called Teresa at work and asked if the jewelry store had sterling silver cigarette lighters with free engraving.

Teresa told her that the store charged per letter for engraving, but she lowered her voice and told Leigh the name of the jewelry store that did free engraving. Leigh thanked her sister-in-law for her help.

Then, Leigh went to the jewelry store and purchased the lighter. She had Bill's initials on one side. The other side of the silver lighter had the date of their wedding and a message, "I love you."

The clerk placed the lighter in a box and wrapped it in heavy silver colored paper with a white ribbon. After work, when she got home, Leigh hid the gift in a box of tampons, knowing that Bill wouldn't look for a gift in that location.

Leigh sat beside Bill on the blanket, resting her head on his left shoulder. Guarnere had his arms wrapped around her.

"I talked with Maxine Andrews the other day before I left work. They have a new song called "Near You" that's about to be released and I adore it. She began to sing,

"There's just one place for me, near you.

It's like heaven to be near you.

Times when we're apart and I can't face my heart.

Say you'll never stay more than just two lips away.

If my hours could be spent near you.

I'd be more than content near you.

Make my life worthwhile by telling me that I'll spend the rest of my days near you."

"That's beautiful, Baby." He moved his right arm away from holding Leigh so he could get the gift wrapped package out of his right trouser pocket.

"Just so happens that I got a little somethin' for your anniversary present." Guarnere handed her the box.

She unwrapped the small box and lifted the lid, seeing a necklace.

"Honey, it's beautiful! What kind of jewels are on this?"

"Teresa said those are moonstones. I never heard of 'em, but I thought the necklace would look good on ya. The chain is gold. Do you like it, Sweetheart? I can exchange it for somethin' else an' my feelins won't be hurt."

"I love it! You shouldn't have spent so much money. Still, I'll have to admit that I'm glad you did. This necklace will remind me of this beautiful moonlit beach. Would you please put it on for me, Honey?"

"Baby, I wanted ya to have somethin' really nice. You've done so much for me. I wanna let you know I appreciate ya." The manager of the jewelry store allowed Bill to put the necklace on layaway. Bill felt proud that he could buy something nice for Leigh.

Guarnere took the necklace out of the box and kissed Leigh's neck before he carefully fastened the clasp of the necklace. He grinned at her slight shiver when his lips made contact with the soft skin on her neck.

"It looks real nice on ya. Teresa said I could get a gold plated necklace, but I wanted somethin' that would last a long time."

" You're really good at selecting the perfect gift for me." Guarnere smiled when he heard Leigh's comment about his gift selecting skills. She added, "Honey, I know you appreciate me. You've always been very sweet and appreciative."

Then, she removed the small box from her trouser pocket and handed it to him.

"I have something for you, too." Bill unwrapped the box. Lifting the lid, he had a big smile on his face when he saw the lighter. He took the lighter out of the box and saw his initials carved on the front.

"Oh, Baby! Is this sterlin' silver? It looks classy wit' my initials on the front. Thanks, Sweetheart! I never thought I'd have somethin' like this." Leigh was pleased that Bill liked his gift.

"Yes, it's sterling silver. There's something else written on the back of the lighter. Guarnere turned over the lighter, reading the inscriptions.

"You're somethin' else, Leigh. You got the happiest day o' my life put on there. I love you, too, Baby." Bill gave Leigh a passionate kiss. After the kiss ended, she cupped his face in her hands, telling him,

"It's the happiest day of my life, too. We had such a beautiful wedding,everything was perfect, including what you told me at the altar."

"I'll never forget how I felt when I saw ya in your weddin' dress. You looked like a real, live angel. Let's have a toast to our first year as husband an' wife." Bill got the bottle of chilled champagne out of the picnic basket and two wine glasses. He undid the wire around the cork, popped the cork and poured a small serving of champagne into each glass. Then, Bill raised his glass,

"To my sweet, gorgeous baby. Thanks for makin' this date the best day o' my life." Leigh smiled and raised her glass,

"To the love of my life. Thanks for making this date the happiest day of my life. Here's to at least 80 more anniversaries." They gently tapped their glasses together and sipped the champagne.

"This is the same brand of champagne you ordered when you proposed in Paris. I remember its delicious flavor. Where did you find it, Honey?"

"I bought it in that fancy department store. A guy at work told me they started carryin' champagne. I kinda remembered enough o' this stuff's name to tell Julia. Her friend found it in stock an' gave me a real nice discount. I'm glad ya like it, Baby. I wanted it to be somethin' special." Leigh finished the champagne in her glass.

"You're so thoughtful, Bill. This is another perfect night, just like the night you proposed. The weather is perfect and we're in a beautiful place." Guarnere felt pleased that she liked his surprise gift of the French champagne. He finished his serving and asked,

"Would ya like a little more o' this, Sweetheart?" Leigh agreed to another serving and Bill poured more champagne for both of them. They sipped their drinks and cuddled as they watched the waves break on the shore. Leigh was smiling as she recalled their wedding reception.

"More than anything, I will always remember the unbridled joy at our reception. I don't think it was just my imagination. It seemed that everyone there was genuinely celebrating our marriage.

"It wasn't your imagination, Baby. I noticed it, too. We had all that great food, good music and dancin'. I think everybody already knew how much we love each other, an' they were celebratin'. Ma told me the other day, when she saw us dancin' together at the weddin' reception, she told Pop that their prayers had been answered. That was a sweet thing for her to say."

"What Mama said was very sweet. I think part of the reason people were celebrating was because the outcome could have been much worse had you not been so tough and determined to live. I still thank God for allowing you to survive." Guarnere carefully placed his wine glass on the blanket, ensuring that it wouldn't spill.

He gently took the glass from Leigh's hand, carefully setting it down and he wrapped his arms around her. Bill tenderly kissed her.

"I married an angel, ain't no doubt about it. He's why I made it, an' you played a big part in gettin' me healthy again. I don't think I could ever do enough to pay ya back for everythin' ya done for me." He gave her a tender kiss that turned passionate. After the kiss ended, Leigh replied,

"Honey, you don't owe me anything. There's no need to pay me back. If you insist on paying me back, you can do it in the bedroom and you can pay me back with some sweet babies when we're ready to start a family. Think of how much fun we'd have taking the kids to play on this beach. We could have a picnic, swim, gather sea shells and make sand castles." Guarnere smiled, imagining playing with their children.

"That would be real nice, bringin' our kids here. I don't think I'll resell this house for a few years so we can enjoy it as a family. Baby, I like that idea o' payin' ya back in the bedroom. I'm always willing' to make love to my beautiful an' sexy angel."

"I'm tempted to wade in the ocean. Would you like to come with me?"

"I'm not tryin' to be your boss, but wadin' in the ocean at night ain't a good idea. I've always heard that the sharks get a little closer to the shore at night. I don't want nothin' bad happenin' to my angel." Leigh slightly shivered at the notion of being attacked by a shark.

"Thanks for telling me, Honey. I didn't know that. No wading at night for me. If I'm attacked or eaten, I want you to be the one attacking or 'eating' me, so to speak." Bill chuckled,

"You little fireball." They decided to go back to the house. Leigh folded up the blanket and carefully placed the champagne glasses and the champagne into the basket. Bill once again insisted upon carrying the blanket and basket. They walked hand in hand to the house.

Leigh decided to move two of the dining room chairs to the fenced in area outside their bedroom. While Bill used the bathroom, she decided to put the blanket on the ground, next to one of the chairs. She had a small surprise in mind for Bill.

Once his business was finished in the bathroom, Guarnere washed his hands and went into the kitchen. He offered to wash the champagne glasses and put them away. Leigh told him to let it go until the following day, but he insisted on taking care of the task.

"Honey, when you get finished, meet me in the yard outside our bedroom."

"Sounds like ya got somethin' planned, Baby." She winked before telling him,

"I have a little...entertainment planned for us."

Leigh took this moment to go to the bedroom and put on the black lace bra, the black lace bolero bed jacket, garter belt and stockings with which she surprised him in Paris. She also inserted her diaphragm and decided to forego wearing the see-through black silk panties, recalling how much Bill enjoyed seeing her with the black lace garter belt and the black silk stockings, minus the panties.

Then, she put on her black high heeled pumps, touched up her lipstick and brushed her hair. She opened the French doors, leaving them open for Bill. Leigh quickly spread the blanket on the ground.

She decided to stand by the edge of the blanket, ensuring that Bill would see her as soon as he walked through the French doors. The thought of making love outdoors fueled her passion. Leigh heard Bill walking down the hall.

"I got everythin' done an' I wanna see what ya got planned for us." He stepped through the open French doors and saw Leigh beneath the full moon. Guarnere froze in his tracks as an extremely wicked grin appeared on his face.

"Oh, Christ! You look so fuckin' gorgeous. I love that outfit." He looked again and noticed her panties were missing. Guarnere walked over, standing in front of her. He removed his shirt, letting it fall on the blanket.

"Baby, I love seein' that beautiful pussy. There's somethin' extra hot about bein' outside like this." He pulled Leigh close to him and they shared an extremely passionate kiss. She ran her fingers through his hair while Bill gently held her ass in his hands. He reluctantly broke the kiss and stretched out on the blanket.

"C'mon over here, an' lower yourself down so I can taste that sweet pussy." Leigh's legs shook slightly as she complied. She was aroused beyond reason and she remembered how good it felt the when they did this on their honeymoon in Columbus, Ohio.

Bill's tongue licked the lips of her sex as he worked his way up to her clit. Then, his lips surrounded her clit and he gently sucked on it. In a few minutes, Leigh shivered as she came. She did her best to keep quiet since she didn't know if anyone was walking on the beach. He continued making love to her with his lips and tongue as she rode out her climax.

Leigh moved to sit on the blanket. Bill sat up, pulling her close to him.

"Seems to me that you're still wearin' too many clothes, Sweetheart." He unfastened the black lace strapless bra, allowing it to fall on the blanket.

"That's better. I love to see all o' you." Guarnere caressed Leigh's breasts, giving special attention to her hard nipples, alternating between licking and sucking them. Leigh whispered into his ear,

"Your baby needs a good, hard fucking." Bill slightly groaned, hearing her reply. He helped her stand and then he got up to stand beside her.

"Ya know what that does to me, hearin' you say that. How 'bout you bend over an' hold on to that chair." Leigh quickly followed his advice. She was extremely wet and ready.

Bill stood behind her.

"Seein' your sweet ass in the moonlight is drivin' me crazy. You oughta be a nudist, at least around here. I don't wanna share my sexy angel wit' anybody else."

"I don't want anybody else to see me. I'm all yours, Honey." Bill unbuttoned his trousers and pushed them and his boxer shorts low enough so he could make love to her.

Guarnere guided himself into Leigh, groaning at the feel of her wet sex engulfing him.

"I love how you're always ready for me. Feels so damn good!"

Then, he gripped her hips and began thrusting slowly into her. Leigh backed up against him, urging him to go deeper and faster. She could help but moan as he filled her. This was her favorite position for love making.

Guarnere eagerly picked up the pace. He wanted to go slower and make it last longer, but speeding up felt so incredibly good. He had no desire to slow down.

Both Bill and Leigh got more vocal with their sounds of pleasure. Leigh shuddered as a small orgasm passed. Soon, a bigger orgasm built. In a few minutes, she cried out as it overtook her. Guarnere felt her contracting around his cock. His thrusting got deeper and slightly off rhythm. He had an explosive orgasm, calling out,

"Fuck, yes!" He withdrew from Leigh and sat in the empty chair, pulling her onto his lap. Bill held her close, kissing her.

"You're so damn good."

"Thanks, Honey. I have a very good teacher. You're amazing."

"Do ya think ya might go around naked out here again before we go home? I like makin' love outdoors." Leigh grinned,

"Oh, definitely! As long as I get results like this, I'd gladly strip in this area. How about trying this during the day?"

"I like the way you think, Baby. How 'bout we get cleaned up an' go to bed? We need to get that room kinda broken in later, if ya know what I mean."

"Great minds think alike, Honey. I'm all for it." Bill put on his boxer shorts and trousers. He picked up his shirt and Leigh's lingerie. She took the blanket inside. They both took a bath, not together since the bathtub wasn't big enough and went to bed. Leigh kept her promise and they had some erotic adventures outdoors in the sunlight.

On their way home to South Philadelphia, Bill chuckled,

"It's a good thing I ain't in the Army now. One o' the guys, probably Luz, would see me in the shower an' say somethin' about having' a sun tan on my ass." Leigh laughed,

"I'd have to explain my all over sun tan. No regrets, though. We need to go to the shore again before it gets too cold for outdoor activities."

"Baby, that all over tan is super sexy. Thanks for the sterlin' silver lighter. That's all I'm usin' from now on."

"You welcome, Bill. Thanks for this lovely necklace. These moonstones will also remind me of making love outdoors. Thanks for buying and renovating the house."

"I'm glad ya like it, Sweetheart. If I kept the house long enough, ya might be a nudist like the older lady who used to live there."

"Who would want to see an old, naked lady?"

"When I get old, I still wanna see you naked." They both laughed and then continued talking on the way home.

"How 'bout we get started on makin' a baby when we get home?"

"I like the sound of that idea, Bill. I'm ready to start our family." Both Bill and Leigh hoped that a baby would soon be on the way.

[homewardial]

At a little chapel, during golden hour, this couple got hitched.

[foxceus]

post-indigo disk team that is real TO ME.

[bipanicoverthegravessiblings]

oh no I have a type

[roxannarambles]

Answering an anon from my Inbox but it has a big spoiler to my most recent fanfic, Bloodmoon Graves. I also talk briefly about the Indigo Disk, no massive spoilers but I do discuss a few details. So I'm gonna do this behind a Read-More cut!

Thank you so much, anon!! ❤️ That seriously brightens my day to hear, I'm so glad you enjoyed it. I was definitely trying something new with that story, so it's a relief that somebody read it, haha. I've always enjoyed horror as a genre and it was fun to go past my comfort zone a bit in terms of writing and try it out.

I just finished the main storyline of Indigo Disk/got the credits roll. I enjoyed the Doubles format and increased difficulty of the battles a lot. Some of the locations were very pretty too (the re-creation of Unova's Chargestone Cave was one of my favorites). I was . . . less thrilled with the actual plot, though, alas. Let's just say I may need to write an Indigo Disk fix-it fic in the future. . .

In addition to a potential fix-it fic, I do also have a few ideas in mind for other stories. One is possibly a sequel to Picnic in Paradise since somebody had asked me if I'd consider doing one. I also might pick back up my Rika/Juniper story now that the second DLC is out. Mmm . . . we'll see. (As if the universe is calling out to me, ~Rika's song~ came up on the internet radio station I listen to just as I was typing this. I am dorky and have a particular song I've decided reminds me of her, lol)

You're certainly free to throw suggestions at me, though! No promises I'll do them, my brain is a fickle beast when it comes to writing, but there's no harm in throwing stuff out there.

[prof-polaris]

so you're gonna wait in that office, surpise him, and force him home?

doesn't that seem a little cruel...?

Quil has decided that either he is going to kill that zoroark or that zoroark is going to kill him.

i do not want my son to die.

also it is in desperate need for therapy. which is its own can of wurmples.

i am not going to force him home. i just want to talk to it. make him see reason.

[crabussy]

fun fact!!! my opinions about colours are purely subjective and based of biases I developed from my upbringing. it's indigo to me and that's all that matters <3 peace and love!!!

a gentle reminder

[iceunhie]

— out of this world (and into another) : genshin impact

premise: you could've sworn the transmigration curse didn't have an effect on you... so what exactly are you doing here?! (alternatively, you tumble straight into your favorite video game; and you're kinda fucked)

...or, a genshin manhwa otome game inspired au.

act i: scaramouche, alhaitham, wriothesley.

↳ act ii: lyney, neuvilette, kazuha, kaeya. (next)

warnings. fem!reader but can be imagined as genderless if u'd like hehe, a shit ton of manhwa tropes in one, this is a hot mess aka not proofread all that much, half clunky half decent writing

a/n: as promised via the poll heh,, while i do plan to make this an actual au, im not that sure ^^; just the tip of the iceberg here tho!!

MAIN MASTERLIST | AU MASTERLIST (coming soon)

YOU — unsuspecting civilian turnt transmigrator

you've always been too attached to fictional characters for your own good.

yes, even the ones that are remarkably irredeemable (the power of a backstory is very formidable) and complex (complexity is a virtue!)

villains have always been destined to die, be cursed, or destined to curse others. it was heartbreaking, really. you've wished for a chance to rewrite their fates for them to find even a sliver of happiness, even when the fate of their plot says otherwise.

which is why when you find yourself awake into the game of your dreams, “Teyvat's Seven Stars”, like any lover of cliche novel and manhwa tropes, this is the time you think that maybe life wasn't so shitty on you.

....there's only one tiny, teensy, itty bitty problem here, actually.

you're not the protagonist. you're not even one of the protagonist's faithful friends and underlings that light protagonist's road to conquering the world and its men (and as of the 4.0 update, it's women); no, you're none of those.

you're a no name extra, and not to mention, a character involved with the game's main villain characters who are coincidentally the love interests of the game's black route!

[ unlock transmigration package: ultimate transmigrator's route ( ????? MODE ) ]

[ no ] [ yes ]

( 国崩 ) SCARAMOUCHE — the tyrant

“as of today, you will be engaged to crown prince kunikuzushi, who is her grace the shogun's rightful heir to the throne.”

when given approval to stare at your so-called soon to be husband, you expect the worst, mostly. the multitudes of character dialogue you've played through detailing his rather discourteous personality (which basically meant he was a huge asshole) don't exactly paint a pretty picture.

however...

who was this tender hearted looking scaramouche that ‘obliterated armies in the blink of an eye?’ the t in tyrant stands for tyrannical, not timid!

eyes like lighting framed by the longest eyelashes you've ever seen and an unfairly pretty face, comparable to a fair lotus. after fawning over his otherworldly countenance, a sinking realization of dread pools in your stomach.

oh, you are so screwed.

essentially tied to the indigo-haired ticking time bomb of a future tyrant due to the strong standing of your family for a period of until the main story starts, you're destined to never get crown prince scaramouche's affection, being his fiancée who scaramouche is arranged to for political means only.

not to mention, you're in an even more deadly position; of all the characters you switched souls with, it's the one that essentially dies by their own fiancé's hand because they were horrible to him! what atrocious luck!

frantic, you wrack up about three ways to survive.

plan a) win over the shogun's favor by being an appropriate partner unlike the original flavor of this body, who resorted to bullying the innocent prince and unknowingly digging their own grave or b) be a guiding friend to scaramouche as he learns the ways of the world and c) make sure you don't end up giving the protagonist a bad ending via his twisted personality.

weighing all these options, you decide to do all three in hopes to cement a life instead of a deathflag. prevention is better than the cure (aka: the protagonist) after all!

(you may also just want to spend time with your favorite character. having a time limit and a sign that says ‘i'll die in the future!’ should at least warrant you extra time to show some affection to scaramouche, at least.)

so, you do what anyone in your position would do: give affection! lots of it.

admittedly, it wasn't all flowers and rainbows. scaramouche—ahem, kunikuzushi—was very shy and reserved indeed, with his mother ei even worse off! (besides, who trains and studies all day and has to stop crying every time they were injured?! that was just too much!)

it was rather hard at first, the frigid atmosphere of the usually silent Tenshukaku Palace almost impossible to permeate. but with your amazing charm (read: deathflag radar) and social skills, you manage to let the members of the Royal family open up to you.

speaking words of praise in ei's cooking (a very difficult feat to accomplish), spending afternoons with your fiancé and teaching him ‘how to be a shoujo worthy male lead, name-version’ (very confusing to explain), and the cherry on top, driving away that vile teacher of his—the Doctor—once word got out that he'd been taking advantage of scaramouche as a political puppet king in the future. trauma enabler destroyed! look at your immeasurable powers!

(“you're not a failure.” clasping kunikuzushi's hands in yours as he reels back from you. damn that doctor.

his tears shot a wave of heartache through you. you can't bear to see your favorite in such suffering. “whatever happens in the future, i won't abandon you.

no matter what, i'll always be on your side, okay?”

kunikuzushi looks at you with something in his eyes—something like adoration. “do you promise that?”

“yeah.” you say without hesitation, the glow of the sunlight hitting your face so dazzlingly that kunikuzushi's eyes widen that his mouth hangs agape in awe. “i promise, kuni.”)

to your greatest delight, your efforts worked in your favor.

ei now spends time with her son, and though it's almost always just a tad bit awkward, you and the guuji yae miko get the two to strike up conversation, and overtime, kunikuzushi becomes more open to you.

(“[name], what kind of man is your type?”

“huh? well...” you think for a while. this was a great opportunity to say it, right? that life changing protagonist quote!

“to me, the only person i'll ever like the most is you, kunikuzushi.”

“do you really, really mean that?” and oh, he looks so cute—flustered and red from your words. worth it.

“yup! now, i made some shimi chazuke, try some—”)

(admittedly, lots of favoritism is involved.)

—and while you reap the fruits of your hard work, you spend warm, sunlit afternoons with ei at tea, even learning about other nations from scaramouche's aunt nahida and even befriended a few of his future affiliates—childe (though for some reason, kunikuzushi always pulls you away from him whenever he spots the two of you together), signora (she tolerates you, you think) and etcetera.

(“then, if i do well, can you kiss me on the cheek, [name]?”

you agree, much to his delight. scaramouche avoids the gaze of a certain pink haired fox eyeing him questionably. unbeknownst to you, he glares at the woman's scrutiny.)

unprecedented things unrelated to the plot happen too; like how your family, which basically only saw you as a political bargaining chip and an unwanted child they could get rid of easily—no longer sent you any demeaning letters demanding money once scaramouche found out....

(“they've been leeching off of you for how long?” so scary... is this was kunikuzushi is like when he's worried?)

(“...kunikuzushi, how long will you keep up that weak-hearted facade of yours? if they find out how.... dishonest you are....”

“i don't need the reminders of a foxy old hag that doesn't know her place. this is fine as it is.”)

(you don't need to know.)

but, you're nothing compared to the inevitable flow of the plot. inazuma is wracked with war, and it just so happened that you'd been unceremoniously kidnapped by a certain resistance leader's trusted general, used as a hostage bargain for approximately the majority of your life. in the worst moments in your dreary cell, there's only one thought in your mind.

....kunikuzushi's face, devastated when he tries to reach for you, before slipping away from him like sand— face morphing into an unbridled state of rage that's too natural, too familiar. when did he learn to make a face like that?

(they say the kingdom was wracked with thunderstorms all night that day.)

afterwards, fate doesn't make it kind for you.

years go by in the blink of an eye, with your capture fervently forgotten in the midst of the growing animosity of the two conflicting forces.

although you did hear that yae sent out a search party for you while at the resistance's base, the shogun's forces never reached you.

eventually, you got released secretly by sympathy of kokomi, the leader of the resistance, who felt pity for you getting caught in the crossfire. letting you go under the condition that you'd likely never meet any of the precious characters you've gotten to know and change was a heavy price to pay, but you didn't have any choice.

indeed, no matter how much you tried to divert the plot, your duty as an extra has ended, and you were even lucky to even be alive. you could only hope that your fiancé—ex-fiancé—took note of your lessons well, bidding farewell to inazuma as you hop on the boat to mondsdat.

by now, you at least hoped that scaramouche and the protagonist met, his true chance at happiness starting now that you were basically dead.

(even if your heart felt like breaking into a million pieces.)

....is what you thought would happen, but why is it that after three years from your supposed capture, inazuma was still at war?

“that crazy prince... he's still working to find his former fiancée... and he's razing almost every village apart looking for them!”

“—didn't the shogunate say that whoever finds her would receive almost 3 million mora?”

“the entire lot of them are lunatics, i tell you. all because of a missing person, too!”

what's more, why was it still going because of you?!

( 艾尔海森 ) AL-HAITHAM: the information guild master

to be fair, normal people don't really run into one of their favorite characters often after transmigrating.

but to be fair, again, you certainly didn't think you'd actually be in your favorite video game franchise caged in bed with essentially one of its main love interests.

eyes wide and unceremoniously looking—definitely not ogling— at the toned body that's currently enveloping you in its arms, the soft tuft of ashy gray hair caressing the crook of your neck, murmuring incoherent mumbles of—is that another language?

???????

you blink, looking down at the bare body currently embracing you. oh. oh.

you're an extra.

you're just an extra, but why are you in bed, currently being served breakfast by the most gorgeous man you've ever laid your eyes on, with a pretty view of the rainforests' canopy?

“you should lie down. if i recall, sufficient sleep is required in order for the human body to perform its basic bodily functions. although our partnership is temporary, to let you fall to harm is a situation i'd like to avoid as much as possible.”

“....what?”

“...?”

the guild master, al-haitham, is a character in Teyvat's Seven Stars that is heavily debated on whether he's technically a villain or not. in the game, he's the right hand of sumeru's leader, nahida, working as the overseer of the AKASHA, a guild that gathers information to the nation's leader. he's a pretty shady character—always working behind the scenes and very unfalteringly blunt—and a ‘villain’ for crown prince scaramouche's route, helping the protagonist escape his clutches.

he's often the subject of comedic ire, his banters with a certain broke architect always the highlight of any bonafide al-haitham fan.

“we're expected to work together by lord kusanali's decree in the duration of investigating the hivemind project the lord suspects the baron siraj is partaking in.”

right, that one scene in the game where al-haitham needed to go undercover to infiltrate a coup de etat staged by one of the factions against nahida... right... what.

you were that extra! the one that fell in love with him and pined for his affection!

(“well, i get that part, but does sleeping together really have to play a part in this...?”

al-haitham gives you a mere quirk of the lip, tilting his head. “we do have to play the part of a married couple in dire straights, do we not? this cover is more efficient.

...besides, i don't have anything to complain about. you're certainly better company than kaveh.” )

in truth, al-haitham wasn't bad company. far from it. aside from the internal giggling and fangirling (you) and the incredible stack of books (alhaitham) that you have to see more than the grey haired man on a daily basis, the two of you work out a rapport that stems from memories of the body you transmigrated in.

he's nice to be around, surprisingly considerate when he wants to be—he tells you about the books he always reads....

(who even reads ‘20 Tongues Language Memorization Guidebook: A Basic Overview of Vocabulary and Terms’ for enjoyment?

the content makes your head run in circles because of how complicated it is; but who wouldn't like to listen to an extremely attractive man overexplain to you with a calm and pretty voice?)

...is generous enough to provide meals and cook dinners that have you crying tears of gratitude because you know how awful yours compares (it was either too bland or too seasoned; al-haitham is surprisingly picky when he wants to be)

(you assigned al-haitham the title of “absolute s-tier husband material”— his capabilities are out of this world!)

by chance, you once gave al-haitham a little tidbit of information that proved to be valuable later in the investigation—courtesy of your avid game knowledge—when you two had been lost to the psychological illusion magic cast by siraj when you two finally broke in his estate.

(“whatever happens, if siraj messes with your mind, just make sure to think of me instead of anything else.” al-haitham lets his hand find yours.

“you once asked me if i trusted you, [name].”

“....” you're treated to one of al-haitham's rare smiles, one that warms you up from within. “i do. so don't let yourself get hurt.”)

however, your temporary partner had faltered for once, flinching when siraj took the form of his old grandmother who'd passed to exploit al-haitham's mind, hesitating and frozen in place while siraj inched ever closer to finding out his weakness.

and you couldn't stand it, the character you cared for—the al-haitham that always had a plan, always knew how to stay calm, had looked so unsure and hopeless.

(“wake up, al-haitham!”

with you cradling his face, al-haitham stares back at the only constant in the memories of his grief, eyes meeting yours. “you don't have to do it all alone. i'm right here, aren't i? believe in me.”)

your (fake) husband snaps back to reality, finally allowing enough time to apprehend siraj and put a stop to his malicious project.

(“thank you.” al-haitham tells you solemnly. it hits you that this may be the last time you may ever see him. “i'm grateful that you brought me back to y— to my senses.”

there's a sincerity in your voice that rings from your heart. “anytime, al-haitham.”)

you thought that was the end of it.

defeating siraj meant you two no longer had to associate with each other, but somehow, to your great surprise, al-haitham doesn't stick to the plot at all. you were sure you didn't interfere with the game, though?

for some reason, al-haitham doesn't erase himself from your life, unlike the original route's flow.

in fact, he's become... easy to run into, a constant in your otherwise mundane life. he takes you out to lambad's tavern for an occasional drink, says he's lending you his headphones when you find yourself overwhelmed by the city (you were never good with noises) and even helps you out as you vent your problems to him.

(the day after, said problem conveniently disappears. how strange....)

and most of all, allowing you to enter his personal space... leaving kaveh's jaw dropping when he accuses al-haitham of having a lover.

“you're always going who knows where with them! what else is there to figure out?”

“...we are merely friends.”

“a friend that you let into your personal library? do they know that you still keep the ‘fake’ ring in a box inside the closet?” kaveh laughs. “nice try, al-haitham.”

(after all, kaveh could never unsee the way al-haitham's eyes softened at the feeling of the head on his shoulder lean onto him, with you no doubt asleep. he even took his headphones off! kaveh has never seen him actually take them off in order to keep the person who's sleeping on his shoulder as undisturbed as possible.

in fact, kaveh doesn't think he's ever seen al-haitham be this touchy or considerate with anyone this much before.

.....and most importantly, kaveh would never forget the way al-haitham, a man who found no merit in politeness and preferred bluntness, a man who preferred solitude rather than company—deliberately getting close to someone—pressing a fleeting kiss on the crown of your head.

kaveh blinks. it seems even the throes of love can reach even the most unconquerable of peaks....)

( 莱欧斯利 ) WRIOTHESLEY — the monster duke of the north

“—i need you to gather information on duke wriothesley. serve him undercover as one of the prisoners of the fortress.”

the duke of meropide—a man swamped with terrible rumors. they say he was exiled from the nation due to murdering his entire family. they say he possessed a face worthy of the title of a beast— grotesque, littered in scars. they say that any who end up in his estate, the iron prison of the north, meropide, never saw the light of day again.

(“only criminals of the worst kind are fated to be sentenced there. nobody returns, so we've stopped questioning it...” )

so to say you're not fearing for your life that bad right now is a massive understatement.

“now, mind telling me how you were able to sneak into the most impenetrable prison in all the land, miss prisoner?”

how did it end up like this?

so you wake up and find yourself in jail. lovely.

seriously, of all the places you can transmigrate into, why did it have to be fontaine?! Teyvat's Seven Stars chapter 4's main starting point, the nation of justice is littered with dark themes and high difficulty capture targets.

.... such is the case with the man in front of you. unlike what the rumors of him say, duke wriothesley paints a rugged yet dashing picture of a nobleman, even if he was —if you recall— one of the hardest capture targets to conquer in the game.

a villain character who you played once during one game route, acting as the driving force during one of the love events of one of the protagonist's other love interest, lyney. duke wriothesley almost assassinates lyney's younger brother, freminent, leading lyney to rally up a certain group to bring the nobleman down.... a typical side character villain, who's existence was added as late as 3 patches away from lyney's.

(even inazuma would be better than this! at least the tyrant route could be avoided, and let's not mention the easy sumeru route as well...)

“well, miss prisoner, cat got your tongue?”

in summary: fortunately for you, the body you transmigrated is in the position to spy on the current affairs of the fortress of meropide, with courtesy and with permission of one of Fontaine's leaders, neuvillette. unfortunately for you, it seems our dear monsieur wasn't able to inform wriothesley beforehand, leading to the current situation.

aka, you're pressed dangerously close to wriothesley's chest, with a knife at his throat and his hands pinning you against the wall, noses almost touching. you're not sure if this is even the kind of tension that two people who are trying to kill each other are supposed to have...

(“i'm an ally!” you sputter out. wriothesley raises an eyebrow at you. “monsieur neuvillette sent me.”

“how am i supposed to trust you after i saw you slinking around here, knife at my throat?” he replies, eyes narrowing. “i know that i'm labelled as a beast, but i don't really know what came over that pretty little head of yours when trying to sneak into my chambers.”

what does he take you for?! “...are you accusing me of something indecent?!”

“just saying — i've met lots of prisoners with your excuse, my lady.”

“i'm prepared to use this knife, you know.”

“hah.” wriothesley grins. “how aggressive. more aggressive than most. do you want me that bad?”

“stop twisting my words!”)

in any case, you hate wriothesley. you know he's one of the characters in Teyvat's Seven Stars and is a villain for one of the easy love interest routes in the game, but his personality is... a real piece of work.

you'd rather the protective and kind kazuha, or even the charming and elusive lyney! why did it have to be him?

not only did he not believe you, he even told you to prove your authenticity! you're just glad that his assistant sigewinne had been there to vouch for you — you're not sure if you'd even be on your two feet right now if she didn't.

so now you're stuck constantly on your feet, running to and fro — helping the dark-haired man record new prisoners, establishing trading routes to the main city of Fontaine, and treating other prisoners of the fortress with sigewinne.

your biggest surprise by far, though, is just how... different the duke is from the rumors. his scars were merely battle scars of honor (to which sigewinne rolls her eyes, “your grace, please stop trying to look cool”) he got from various succession fights, not scars to show how he was cursed to turn into a beast. he has a love for tea, but always seems to have a cup of your favorite blend with him when you feel tired after a long day of working (laboring) for him and the estate.

(“your daily report of new convicts, your grace.”

“-this is the tea you like, your grace. i've prepared it in advance.”

“you're very adamant on proving yourself. aren't you sick of such tasks by now, miss prisoner?”

“no.” wriothesley's expression screams 'why not?' on it. “ it's because of my own misjudgement of you.”

“...elaborate.”

“i may have had unnecessary prejudices on your conduct thus far. but you're... not like what the rumors paint you out to be.” you say sincerely. “you're more amazing and incredible than anyone else. i truly do admire you.”

wriothesley's expression; you couldn't decipher it. “i see.”)

he's battered, but caring. sigewinne makes you watch (in horror) as she doodles cartoonish looking characters on his face when he's asleep — wriothesley never fusses, only an exasperated sigh to his assistant. he's harsh with his tasks and duties, but is the first to rush you into sigewinne's infirmary to tend to you after you pass out from overwork.

(“don't worry, [name]. the duke may not look it, but he's very gentle!” sigewinne giggles. humoring the little girl who was the first to show you actual decency in this place, you try to nod. sigewinne doesn't seem convinced.

“i'm serious! after all, compared to other people who've snuck into the fortress, you're the first he's treated this way.” she says cheerily.

“what does that mean?” you can't help but scoff at that. “so he just works someone to the bone from the get go?” you shudder. damn production zone...

sigewinne blinks. “ oh no, not like that. it's just that he's never been so lenient before. in fact, when you fainted, he even gave me the order to prioritize treating you over anything else.”)

well, this wasn't exactly what you thought you would be doing when you transmigrated into your favorite game, but you suppose you can take it.

besides, you'd miss a certain duke otherwise. life truly is full of strange twists....

a/n: thank you for making it this far! if anyone asks why wriothesley's was short, listen, this was completely impulsive and i was out of inspiration LOL, but i do hope you enjoy! look forward to new parts though hehe :3

@ ICEUNHIE: do not repost translate or plagiarize my works.

[thebibliosphere]

Am I reading this right? You have been beating yourself up for not 'working more' and not 'doing enough', but, the mere act of being AT YOUR DESK is extremely painful? Sitting at your work station, just SITTING THERE, caused you PHYSICAL PAIN, but you were still under the impression that you should be able to just 'power through that' to do, what? How much more are you expecting out of yourself? A book a month? Its not like you've STOPPED WORKING. What time table were you holding yourself to???

Here's the thing, my body has always hurt.

Even when I was a child, I was in a lot of pain that was dismissed as either "growing pains" despite the fact that I never got past 5 feet tall at the age of 11 or "attention seeking." So, I learned to stop talking about it. (The trick is now getting me to shut up about it.)

And for most of my teens and twenties, the pain didn't really stop me too much. It was bad, and it sucked, but for the longest time, everyone kept telling me that "everyone" felt that way, so I just sort of learned to power through and hide it under the assumption that "everyone" feels this way.

Well, turns out that was a mistake because my body hit its breaking point, and what might have been a mild genetic disability that could have flown under the radar is now a severe one that greatly impacts my daily life to the point where sitting at my desk causes me pain (because everything causes me pain).

Couple that with some new-age religious trauma about willpower, positive thinking, and whatever the fuck else my parents thought I was capable of as an 'indigo starseed' and the fact that I was trained to mask my ADHD by being a hyper-competent workaholic-- I really don't know what a healthy baseline is.

(I mean, heck, I wrote the first book of Hunger Pangs while literally dying. I assumed it would be edited and published posthumously. Jokes on me because now I've got to edit the rest of the fucking thing.)

I didn't, obviously, and ever since then, I've been trying to learn what a healthy baseline looks like for me post-recovery, and I think I'm doing quite well at it and enforcing my boundaries when people ask too much of me.

But none of that makes up for the shrieking frustration I feel that I can't do the things I want.

I want to be creative and do fun things, but I can't because my body won't let me. I want to write more, but I can't because I'm swimming in brain fog most of the time. Yes it hurts to sit at my desk, but I also need to earn money so the financial burden of everything isn't solely on my partner. (Something which he argues I shouldn't even be worrying about right now, but it's hard not to worry as I watch him work himself to the bone taking care of everything because I can't.)

I promise you, I'm not hustling my ass into an early grave. There is, in fact, zero hustle about how I work. I am very, very slow these days compared to how I used to be. There's no timetable for one thing. I get done what I get done, and that's it.

I'm just perpetually frustrated that my hyperactive brain is trapped in a malfunctioning meat suit. And my blog is where I talk about it and work through my emotions because, well, that's what I've always done long before Tumblr was even a thing. It just so happens now I've got an audience.

[msmercury84]

"Viva Las Vegas! Is Stardom in the Cards for Leigh?" "I Double Dare You-A Rendezvous With Destiny"

*Author's Note: Bill Guarnere enjoyed trips to Las Vegas where he had fun in the casinos. This information came from podcasts and interviews with his granddaughter.*

In February, 1946, Leigh got a call at the CBS radio station from Maxine Andrews. She was surprised when Maxine asked her to join her and the other Andrews Sisters for a few shows in the up and coming gambling mecca of Las Vegas.

Maxine explained that the sisters were performing at the Flamingo casino and resort on the same bill as Louis Prima. She told Leigh that all expenses would be paid by the manager of the popular trio.

Leigh happily accepted the offer of a two week vacation, providing that her and Bill's bosses would agree to their taking time off from work.

Since Bill had never taken his vacation time from his government job, he was cleared to go. Leigh's boss gave his approval quickly, knowing that the CBS affiliate would get publicity.

After leaving work one afternoon, Leigh decided to do a little shopping for the Las Vegas trip. She bought a light gray , long sleeved wiggle dress with pleats at the bottom of the back of the garment. It fastened in the back with a row of small scarlet buttons. The buttons began after a sharp 'v' in the upper back of the dress.

Then, she purchased some scarlet pumps and some scarlet gloves to accent her dress. Bill had bought a brooch for her that looked like a red rose on a slender gold stem and Leigh planned to wear it on the dress.

Leigh found an excellent bargain in the same downtown Philadelphia department store where Bill bought the red wiggle dress and the red satin bra, panty and garter belt set for their first Christmas as a married couple.

She bought a coat in the same shade of scarlet as the buttons on her dress. It had faux black and gray fur trim on the cuffs, the top and the bottom of the coat. It had been reduced to 50% off the ticket price and Leigh was delighted to pay $20 for the well made garment.

Later that day, after the supper dishes were washed, Leigh told Bill,

"Honey, I bought a dress and some new items for our trip. Will you let me know if you like them? I'll model them for you." Guarnere agreed to give his opinion on the dress and whatever else she bought.

Leigh went upstairs to their bedroom. She took the dress out of the bag from the department store. Then, she took off her day dress and put on the new dress and the new red pumps.

It was a little difficult for Leigh to button the dress, but she was able to get it fastened. She walked downstairs.

"Here's what it looks like from the front." Leigh then turned around to let Bill see the back of the dress.

"That dress is really doin' somethin' to me, Baby. It's almost as sexy as the black lace set ya bought in Paris" He walked over to stand behind Leigh and he embraced her, pulling her close to him as he kissed her neck.

Leigh could feel that Bill was becoming aroused and she moved her behind against him, prompting a faint groan from Guarnere. He nibbled her right earlobe, whispering,

"Baby, ya know what that does to me. You're beautiful all over an' that dress shows your sweet, sexy ass off to perfection. Do ya have a coat to go wit' this dress? I can't go through the train station like this."

She moved forward slightly, giving herself enough room to reach back and gently stroke Bill's hard cock through his trousers.

"You would certainly attract attention this way. Let me go upstairs and get the coat I bought and see if that helps. I bought this on sale with money from my check. Honey, I don't want you to think I'm spending your money foolishly." Guarnere kissed her neck,

"You don't have to explain, Baby. I know you wouldn't do anythin' like that. You're always very careful wit' money. If you want somethin' or if ya really need it, like a new coat, let me know. I'd like to spoil ya once in awhile."

"You're so sweet and understanding, Honey. Stay nice and hard for me until I get back."

"All I have to do is think o' you in that dress, Baby. I'll be ready for ya." Leigh went upstairs to their bedroom. She took her coat and her red gloves out of the bag from the department store and put on both items.

Before leaving the bedroom, Leigh quickly unfastened her garter belt, removed her panties and fastened the garter belt again. She placed her panties in the hamper.

Next, she went into the bathroom, removed her red gloves, inserted her diaphragm, washed her hands and put the gloves on. Leigh walked downstairs to find Bill in the same spot, patiently waiting for her.

She turned in a small circle, modeling the coat and gloves.

"You look like a movie star in that coat an' those gloves. Baby, you're a beautiful, classy lookin' woman. You're gonna turn some heads in that outfit."

"Thanks, Honey. The only head I want to turn is yours. Does the coat help your...condition?"

"It will at least let me walk through the train station wit'out drawin' attention to myself. You really look like a million bucks in that outfit." Leigh carefully took off the coat and gloves, placing both items on the coffee table.

"I have a little surprise for you. If you're still in the mood, do you want to find out what it is? You'll have to unbutton those buttons in the back to see it." She winked at him.

Guarnere had a slightly wicked grin as he replied,

"I'm always in the mood where you're concerned, ya little fireball. If you turn around, I can get to work on those buttons." Bill kissed Leigh's neck again before he started to unbutton the top three buttons on the dress.

He saw that she was still wearing her bra, so he unbuttoned a few more buttons. Leigh ground her bottom against his hard cock, prompting a slightly louder groan from him.

Guarnere unbuttoned a few more of the scarlet buttons to reveal the top of her garter belt. He grinned, knowing that Leigh probably wasn't wearing panties. Bill unfastened two more buttons and slid the dress down slowly to reveal her bare ass beneath the garter belt.

He slid the dress down her legs, asking her to step out of it. Leigh complied and Bill gathered up the dress, carefully folding it and placing it on the coffee table.

Guarnere cupped her ass in his hands. He nibbled her ear and whispered,

"You look so goddamned hot, Baby. I wish you'd go wit' out panties all the time. Let's take this upstairs. We don't want anybody payin' a surprise visit, catchin' us gettin' busy." He picked Leigh up and carried her to their bedroom.

He placed her on the bed and quickly disrobed. Leigh removed the bedspread, the top sheet and the pillows. Bill removed her bra and began gently sucking on her nipples.

Leigh ran her fingers through his hair, loving the feel of his lips. A few minutes later, she was on the verge of coming. Bill abandoned her breasts for a moment as he traced kisses down her torso, pausing to look at her.

"You wanna watch me, don't ya."

"Oh, yes, Honey. It makes everything more intense when I watch you licking and loving my...pussy."

Bill groaned softly,

"Goddamn! I love it when ya say that. Let me show ya how much I love it." He maintained eye contact with her as he gently sucked her clit between his lips. He alternated licking and sucking until her hips rose involuntarily.

"Oh God, Baby that's so good!"

Guarnere continued to look into her eyes as he worked two fingers into her warm interior.

"You're soakin' wet. That's my sweet angel." He broke eye contact for a moment to devote his attention once again to her clit. Leigh watched him and that quickly sent her over the edge. She called out his name as a glorious climax swept over her.

Bill never stopped, he helped Leigh ride out her orgasm. He was proud and happy to know how much he pleased her. Once she recovered, Leigh was trying to pull him up, wanting to continue their lovemaking. Guarnere grinned,

"My baby's ready, ain't no doubt about it. Tell me what ya want, Sweetheart." He stayed still despite his need to get relief for his nearly aching cock.

Leigh arched her back, trying to get him inside her. She knew what Bill was doing and it further inflamed her desire.

"I want you to fuck me!"

"Oh, hell, yes!" He moved up as Leigh slightly closed her legs, making it easier for him to enter her. Bill easily slid his cock into her.

He thrust into her, saying,

I'm fuckin' the hottest...(he thrust into her again) the most beautiful...(he thrust into Leigh again) an' the sexiest woman in town." Leigh tried a technique that Julia told her about. She tightened her grip on him with her vagina, being sure to meet his every stroke.

Bill quickly picked up the pace as Leigh grasped his ass, pulling him into her. They kissed passionately until Leigh broke the kiss, calling his name.

Guarnere loved to hear her saying his name.

"You're so good at fuckin'! Bill circled his hips and they continued, going at a frantic pace. Leigh felt another orgasm building. When she contracted around Bill's cock as she came, his thrusting lost rhythm and he groaned as he came.

In the afterglow, Leigh lay in his arms. Guarnere ran his fingers through her hair.

"Baby, I don't know what ya were doin' inside, but it was hotter than the fires of hell."

"A woman I know told me how to do that. She said it drives her husband crazy."

"I'd like to thank her, 'cause I loved it. Not that I haven't enjoyed the way ya make love, you're perfect, Sweetheart." Leigh giggled.

"You can call and tell her any time. You already have her telephone number." Bill stopped running his fingers through Leigh's hair.

"Baby, please tell me it wasn't Ma who told ya how to do that." (He pronounced the word as 'dat') Bill was greatly relieved when Leigh assured him,

"It wasn't Mama, Honey."

"I don't have that many phone numbers for people except Maria an' Julia."

"It wasn't Maria."

"Holy God! It's Julia. Oh, hell, that's more than I ever wanted to know about her an' Sal. I'm glad she told ya, but, Jesus! Knowin' what my sister does in the bedroom, I could do wit'out that part." Leigh couldn't suppress her urge to laugh.

"Does this mean that you never want me to do this again?" Guarnere quickly answered,

"Oh, hell, no! I loved it. I'll just enjoy it an' try to not think about how ya learned it."

Bill and Leigh departed Philadelphia on a cold, snowy day for Las Vegas. The trip would take several days on the train. Leigh wore the new gray dress, the scarlet shoes, scarlet gloves and her new coat.

She and Bill were treated to a private sleeper room on the train, courtesy of the Andrews Sisters' manager. The room had a bed that could also serve as seats, should they decide to stay in the room.

They enjoyed the accommodations and discovered the experience of making love while traveling at about 60 miles per hour on the new diesel engine train.

Bill and Leigh enjoyed their suite at The Flamingo hotel and casino. This trip began their love of casinos and Las Vegas. While the temperature was cool, it was warmer than the weather in Philadelphia.

Leigh met with the woman in charge of the Andrews Sisters' costumes. She eagerly accepted the sisters' generous offer of a custom made dress for the show. The dress would be a sleeveless wiggle style dress made of red silk. Patty, Maxine and Laverne now wore cocktail type dresses for their concerts.

The night of the show, Bill had a corsage of a white rose edged in a thin gold colored stripe and tied with a thin gold metallic bow sent to Leigh by a courier.

Midway through the show, Leigh did a solo as the sisters took a break. She told the audience,

"My next song, " Ooh, Papa, Do," is dedicated to my husband, Bill Guarnere. Honey, would you please stand up?" A stage hand directed a small spotlight from the stage to illuminate the area where Guarnere was standing.He was wearing a white dress shirt, black trousers and black shoes. Bill smiled as the audience applauded.

She walked to a concert sized grand piano, sat down and started to play the introduction to the uptempo song. The band joined in and Leigh started to sing.

"I've got a man who loves me, I swear by the stars above. And every night, we dim the lights, he tells me of his love. When he kisses my cheek, all I can speak is 'Ooh, Papa do, Papa do.

He lets me know he needs me. This I do declare. This much I know, I love him so, I'll take him anywhere. When he says goodbye, all I can cry is 'Ooh, Papa, do, Papa do.'

"Ooh, Papa do, do the things you do. It sets my soul on fire. Ooh, Papa, do, I really go for you. You're my heart's desire.

When time comes for him to leave me, I stand with tears in my eyes. This much I know, I love him so, he's the man I idolize. And when he holds me near, all you can hear is, 'Ooh, Papa, do. Papa, do. Ooh, Papa, do. Papa do. Ooh, Papa do. Papa, do."

Bill enjoyed the slightly suggestive lyrics of the song. He thought,

"My baby is outdoin' the singin' she did in Paris. She's lookin' an' soundin' super hot."

The following day, Maxine Andrews called Leigh. Louis Prima's wife, Keeley Smith, had to have an emergency appendectomy. Prima wondered if Leigh would be interested in filling in for her. This would be his last show since he was taking time off to help Keeley after she got home from the hospital.

Andrews didn't have to wait for an answer. Leigh happily accepted the offer. Bill was delighted with the news and he promptly called Augusta to tell her the good news.

Since Leigh was a fan of Prima's music, she was familiar with the way he and his wife performed the songs on their record albums. She needed no coaching on how to perform. Keeley was known for being the 'straight man' to Louis' humorous interpretations of some of the songs.

Of course, Prima and Leigh rehearsed, but she effortlessly stepped into the new style of performing and singing. Lacey Davis and one of her friends decided to attend the Prima show.

Both women moved to Las Vegas in hopes of finding work as singers or chorus girls. Davis had yet another job as a receptionist. Her friend was still looking for work and they shared a small apartment on the outskirts of town.

Lacey wore a wiggle dress in emerald green with matching shoes. Davis's green eyes and red hair was accentuated by the color of her dress and shoes. Her roommate Angie Shane, a tall blonde, wore a cocktail dress made of blue taffeta. She wore matching blue shoes.

Before the show began, a man in a tuxedo walked onstage to tell the audience,

"Keeley Smith is in the hospital. She had to have her appendix removed. Fortunately, an extremely talented woman performing with the Andrews Sisters here at The Flamingo will fill in for her.

Leigh Guarnere, formerly known as The Songbird of the 506th, will appear with Louis Prima." Angie noticed the sour expression on Davis' face. Lacey felt her stomach clench as she heard the name of her perceived rival being announced. She cursed under her breath.

Then, she briefly filled Angie in on the backstory of how Leigh got everything Davis ever wanted, from their days as USO performers to the present time. Shane reserved judgment of Leigh since she was also a fan of her singing.

Leigh had the audience alternately applauding and laughing throughout the show. Bill was wearing the charcoal gray suit tailor made by his father for his Christmas present from Leigh, a white dress shirt and black shoes. He had a beaming smile as he proudly watched her perform.

In the middle of the show, Prima told the audience that Leigh was "married to a paisano from South Philly who fought in the 101st Airborne. Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause for this paratrooper who served our country." A spotlight shone on Guarnere as the audience applauded.

Lacey,a Rita Hayworth lookalike, told her friend,

"I will never understand what the hell a good looking guy like that sees in her." Angie correctly thought that Davis was jealous, bitter and petty, especially after Lacey told her,

"He lost most of his right leg in the war. Crippled men do nothing for me, they're disgusting, but I'd overlook the lost leg for a roll in the hay with him." At the end of the show,after Leigh had a standing ovation with two encores, she started to walk to her dressing room. Louis Prima approached her.

"Kid, there's someone who wants to talk to you. He's waiting in my dressing room. Looks like you just made a big break in show business." Leigh thanked Prima, who walked with her to his dressing room. After she entered the room, Louis went to a pay phone to call the hospital to find out how his wife was faring after surgery.

A tall, thin man with gray hair, wearing a tuxedo, shook hands with Leigh, telling her,

"Mrs. Guarnere, my name is Martin Beckley. I'm a talent scout for Decca Records. Please, have a seat. I need to discuss some business with you that could change your life in a big way.

After hearing you with the Andrews Sisters in Paris, I wanted to sign you to the Decca label as a recording artist. Then, the Andrews Sisters told me about your husband being seriously injured in the war and I wanted to wait to offer you this opportunity until he was well again.

Louis Prima, the Andrews Sisters and I all agree that you have the talent to become a major singing star. I realize that this is very sudden, but I need you to think about signing a contract with Decca to be our next big recording star. You can think about this for a few days and we can meet here."

Leigh was stunned for a moment by the news. This was the realization of a dream she had for many years. She saw no sense in making Beckley wait for an answer, so she told him,

"Mr. Beckley, I appreciate this offer and I'm both honored and flattered by the fact that you and four professional vocalists think that I have the potential to become a star." He smiled, waiting for Leigh to continue speaking. A look of bewilderment replaced the smile on his face as she added,

My husband and I are planning on starting a family. There's no way I could be a devoted and nurturing mother if I toured the country doing concerts and promoting my records.

Sir, my husband fully supports any decision I make regarding a singing career. It would be highly unfair to make him the sole parent of our child or children.

I love my husband very much and I intend to be a devoted wife, too. It might not make sense to you, and I know you don't make an offer like this without great consideration, but I'm very content to keep my life as it is right now. Thank you, Sir, but I need to turn down this offer. Knowing I'm good enough to be a star is completely satisfying."

Beckley could tell that Leigh was serious about refusing the recording contract.

"I respect your decision, Mrs. Guarnere. I can't help but feel that you're throwing away the opportunity to live a financially comfortable life. If you ever change your mind, please call the telephone number on this card." He paused to get one of his business cards from an inner pocket of his tuxedo jacket, handing it to her. Leigh thanked him for the card. Beckley added,

"If I'm not available, please let one of the Andrews Sisters know if you change your mind. Their manager could then contact me. I would be happy to help you book shows here in Los Vegas whenever you would like to perform. A voice like yours will never go out of style, no matter what type of music is popular. " He shook hands with her.

"I appreciate your offer to book me for concerts here in Las Vegas. That sounds like something I'd enjoy doing." Before she left to go to her dressing room, Beckley told her,

"If that's the case, I will keep in contact with the Andrews Sisters and Louis Prima. I'm certain that they would enjoy sharing a stage with you again ." Leigh then exited the room and walked down the hall to her dressing room.

Bill was sitting on a chair in her dressing room, patiently waiting. He noticed a strange expression on her face as she entered the room. By his estimation, Leigh appeared to be stunned.

"Baby, is everythin' OK? What goin' on?" She hugged him and pulled a chair close to where he was sitting and sat down.

"Bill, Louis Prima told me that someone was waiting to meet me in his dressing room. A producer from Decca Records, Mr. Beckley, was waiting for me. He's wanted me to sign a contract since the time of the Paris concert. All this time, he kept in touch with the Andrews Sisters and he wanted to wait until you were healed from your injury before he made me an offer." She paused, wondering how to phrase the rest of the news.

"Go ahead, Sweetheart, this sounds like somethin' big."

"Mr. Beckley said that he, Louis Prima and the Andrews Sisters all agree that I could be a recording star." Bill excitedly and loudly told her,

"Holy God! I knew you were gonna make it big! Baby, this is amazin' news! I gotta call Ma an' tell her ya signed a recordin' contract. My baby's gonna be a star!" Leigh took Bill's hands in hers,

"Wait a minute, Honey. Please listen to me before you call Mama. I didn't sign the contract." Guarnere looked puzzled,

"Leigh, what's goin' on? Your dream finally came true."

"That was my dream before we met. Remember when we discussed this in Paris? I haven't changed my mind. As I told Mr. Beckley, we're getting ready to start a family. I can't be a devoted mother if I'm on the road constantly doing concerts. I want to be there for the baby's first words, the first time he or she crawls, the first steps..." Bill cut in,

"Sweetheart, think about this. You're throwin' away a chance only a few singers get. You know I'm behind ya 100 percent. I'm willin' to do whatever it takes for ya."

"Honey, I know that and I appreciate your devotion. Babies need their mother, too. How can I bond with him or her if I'm not there? Chances are excellent that we would have to move, too.

I love our life in South Philadelphia. Everything we need is at home. Being a devoted wife and mother is more important to me than any recording contract. Not going to sleep and not waking up beside you would be unbearable. My mind is made up, Bill.

Mr. Beckley told me that I could do concerts here anytime and I like that idea." Guarnere realized that he couldn't change her mind. He put his arms around Leigh, pulling her close to him, giving her a passionate kiss. When the kiss ended, he tenderly cupped Leigh's face in his hands.

"Baby, you mean the world an' everythin' to me. Knowin' you gave up bein' a star to be a devoted wife to me an' a devoted ma to our kids makes me love ya to the moon an' back. How 'bout we start a family after our first anniversary?"

"I'm glad you understand, Bill, and you mean the world and everything to me, too. That's fine with me. I'm honored to be the future mother of your children. You're somethin' else." They kissed again and departed the room.

Midway down the hall, Leigh realized she left her purse in her dressing room. Bill needed to use the men's restroom, so they agreed to meet further down the hall.

After Guarnere exited the men's room, he waited for Leigh to return. Lacey Davis lied to a security guard about being a friend of Leigh's since their time as USO singers to gain access to the dressing room area behind the stage. She hoped to run into Bill. Lacey's eyes brightened and she smiled as she saw him standing in the hallway. He was surprised by her saying,

"Hello, Handsome. Remember me?" Bill slightly frowned.

"I remember ya."

"How about we slip off and have a drink together. We can get caught up on everything that's happened since the last time I saw you."

"No thanks. I'm waitin' for my wife. She forgot her purse." Lacey moved closer to him,

"Oh, come on, one little drink with an old friend won't hurt anything."

"No offense, but you ain't exactly what I'd call a friend." Lacey noticed Leigh coming out of her dressing room. She waited until Leigh was close enough to see her, then she put her arms around Bill as she gave him a passionate kiss.

Guarnere was angered by her behavior. He pushed Lacey away from him, taking care not to hurt her. He glared at her as he said,

"What the hell do ya think you're doin'? Like I told ya before,I love Leigh an' I'm a happily married man." Leigh heard Bill's question and she told Davis,

"As my husband asked, what the hell are you doing? You're really pathetic, Lacey, throwing yourself at a man who obviously isn't interested in you." Davis sneered,

"Little Miss Perfect, God's gift to showbiz.Your hubby is too much of a gentleman to do anything in your presence. I bet I could change his mind if you weren't with him." Bill angrily asked,

"Who the hell do you think you are? You don't know me! I don't want anybody else, Leigh has my heart for eternity." Leigh added,

"As you can plainly see, my husband can think for himself. If you ever touch him again, you'll be wearing one of my stiletto heels up your ass." Bill couldn't help but grin when he heard her reply to Lacey. Davis ignored Leigh as she concentrated on another way to manipulate Guarnere. She thought,

"He's fiery and passionate. I like that." She couldn't understand why Bill wasn't receptive to her. Other men were, for the most part, easy to convince and seduce. Davis honed in on what she thought would appeal to Guarnere.

"You need an experienced woman who knows how to please a man. I can do things your little wifey doesn't know how to do. No doubt you were goody two shoes' first lover." Bill turned away from her, putting his arm around Leigh's shoulders. Before walking away, he gave Davis a verbal parting shot.

"My baby is perfect at makin' love. Nobody could please me more than Leigh. The Army had trainin' movies about broads like you. They said avoid 'em 'cause those broads had so many men, a guy could get the clap or syphillis." Leigh laughed at Bill's words and the stunned expression on Lacey's face. She decided to add a parting comment,

"Lacey, Bill is absolutely dynamic and highly skilled in bed. Of course, you'll never have that experience with him." Davis's face turned red with anger and she stalked away from the Guarneres. Bill burst into loud laughter. He told Leigh,

"That's tellin' her, Honey. Thanks for complimentin' me."

"You did an excellent job telling her off, too, Bill. Thanks for your rave review about me, too."

She and Bill laughed as they headed for their suite in the hotel. Two days later, they started their trip home.

While Bill and Leigh were on the train to Philadelphia, they were unaware of an article in the top entertainment publication, Variety. Beckley immediately contacted a reporter and told him about a woman who turned down a chance to be a recording star in favor of being a devoted wife and mother.

Lacey Davis spotted the story as she read the publication. She angrily threw it in the trash, thinking to herself,

"What's wrong with that stupid bitch? She threw away the chance of a lifetime! I would literally kill to have a recording contract. It makes me sick that a big time guy like Beckley thinks she's star material. If I could get an audition with Louis Prima, he would see that I'm just as good as she is."

Lacey forced herself to snap out of her musing about Leigh as she boarded a city transit bus to get to her audition.

The elder Guarneres and the Spencers were happily surprised to learn about the offer of a recording contract to Leigh. They weren't surprised at her decision and both couples were looking forward to becoming grandparents.

[homewardial]

[fyuyushia]

It wasn't love.

: ̗̀➛You only ever realize someone's worth until they leave you.

: ̗̀➛ft. A longing wanderer

In recent years, wanderer found himself reminiscing about the past more often. Indigo hues idly stare at the night sky, counting the stars, tracing the patterns they made with his hands.

Ah.

He stops himself when his hands begin to stretch out, as if trying to reach for the stars. He blinks, snapping out of his daze. He retracts his arms, shifting his eyes to look at his palm. His brows furrows, I'm doing it again. Closing his hands to form a fist, he breathes out a sigh and rests it on his lap.

Wanderer has been reminiscing frequently these past weeks.

Perhaps it was because of the blonde traveller and the wretched archon's influence; his interactions with them guided him to be more intact with his feelings after all. Or maybe it was because a certain date was drawing near, and he subconsciously associates it with the past—with a ghost—either way, he's been thinking. His lashes flutter, finding himself more distracted than usual.

His jaw clenches, your image is too vivid. You're engraved too deep—he knows you too much, it pisses him off. Your visage is tattooed on his eyelids, every detail carved on his brain. He thinks of you too much, too long it's irritating.

He doesn't understand why now out of all times he's starting to think about you. Your smile, your lips, your eyes—your voice, you're too inside his head and he admits he's scared. He's lost, why are you so relevant now when you've already left so many years ago? Why now, when he's never cared?

He doesn't understand. Why are you in his head?

A stupid question. Deep down inside, he knows exactly why he thinks of you. He knows why he sees you in everything. In the stars, in the clouds, in the traveler, in everywhere—he knows why everything reminds him of you. He knows why he hears your laughter echo on the back of his mind, he knows why he turns around everytime he finds someone who looks the slightest bit like you—but he'll never admit it.

He'll never say it.

Instead, he'll say it's hate. He'll bury your memory, lock it in a cage and toss away the key. He'll ignore your silhouette, close off his heart and throw away anything that remotely reminds him of you. He'll burn your image, drown you in poison and sully your name with curses he knows he won't let anyone say to you.

But even if he does all that, even if he'll write a whole book explaining how little you mattered, nothing could make him forget the way your hand gently cradled his face. Wanderer can never forget the sweet words you've whispered, the stolen glances between silent exchanges, the harmless bickering, you. You were too much a core memory to easily let go.

It's not love.

Wanderer grits his teeth, glaring at the stars that had led him down the spiral into that mess of a time. He covers his eyes with his hands, trying to erase the memory of you that always grew stronger whenever that certain week came.

It's not love.

It wasn't love when he didn't mind letting you rest your head against his shoulder because you were sleepy. It wasn't love when he followed your lead and bid you good mornings and good nights. It wasn't love when he allowed you to be the weak spot in himself. It wasn't love when he spent years searching for a way to elongate your life—It wasn't love when he dug your grave himself—barehanded all night just to ensure you were resting in a place you'd approve of. It's not love.

It's not love, he repeats like a mantra.

He sits up, rubbing his eyes with his hands that were too cold to mimic the warmth of your touch. He breathes out a heavy sigh, clicking his tongue in annoyance.

He thinks of you too much, damn it

"Maybe I'll go give them a visit."

He says, yet his voice sounded defeated. Because even if he says all those things—he knows damn well it's more than love.

[tiredfox64]

Little Red, Big Bad Chaos

Prior notes: Ah yes look at me use my homework for a piece of fanfic. Let me just forget how I connected Little Red Cap to being about womanhood (I bet it ain’t but my professor just wanted an analysis essay)

Pairing: Havik x Afab Reader

Warnings ‼️: NSFW, semi public sex or nature sex (one with the trees), dry humping, biting (I know I never stop), creampie, nipple play, pain (like the good kind but only a bit)

Havik was pent up. Not even causing chaos or killing anybody made him feel relief. There had to be a different way to handle this. Luckily for him, you walked by.

Aren’t you just a pretty lady. And all by yourself? With such a red, velvet cloak that makes you stand out no less. Oh dear, you must be careful. Stay on the path and don’t talk to strangers. For if you should do so, you may well provide relief for an anarchist.

Collecting things from the nearby woods was enjoyable to you. That could be rocks, moss, flowers, herbs, mushrooms, maybe even frogs. So much to do. But unbeknownst to you, there was something dangerous lurking around, or someone. You heard the crunching of leaves and twigs behind you which made you turn around. No one comes around here, it’s usually just you.

You gasped once you saw Havik. His face was…mutilated. He seemed so tall. There were so many sharp objects on his body. He approached you slowly as if you were a deer ready to bolt away. He couldn’t have that happen, he needs you close.

“Aww, don’t be afraid. I just want to get a closer look at you.” You heard him speak in such a deep, gravely voice.

You flinched just hearing him speak. You froze up, unsure of how to handle this. Closer and closer he came. You started to see the scars on his body and just how messed up his face was. How could he still be alive you wondered.

“Who are you?” You asked with a quivering voice.

He just laughed at you with such a maniacal laugh. It made you even more uneasy yet you still wouldn’t more.

“Don’t worry about that. You will know of me very soon. I just want to get a good look at how pretty you are.”

You swallowed hard as Havik came right up to you. You had to look up at him that’s how tall he was. The only way you could think of get out of this is by acting polite.

“Oh well, thank you. You seem like a very…handsome man. But I must get going now.” You tried to excuse yourself.

Havik didn’t move but just stared as you walked away. He was already planning ways to get close to you. Real close to you.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

You still walked the same path, but you tried to ignore Havik. Sometimes he would speak, sometimes he would stay quiet. He’d walk behind you with a bit of distance. You felt like you were being hunted but maybe ignoring him more will do the trick. Ehh, not really. I mean in a way you almost started seeing him like a stray dog. He seems so vicious but will start to randomly follow you.

He was way too pent up by this point. It’s amazing he has some patience and strength to hold himself back from pouncing on you. The thing is he can’t risk scaring you away. You’re the only one who didn’t run away and never return after seeing him. You’re the easiest prey and that’s all he needs.

You spot something on that ground that you can add to your collection, some other smooth rock or even an Indigo Milk Cap. You made the mistake of bending over to collect your newest addition to your collection. That’s when you felt a pair of hands grab your hips. Any guesses on who those hands belong to?

You didn’t even flinch or stand back up. At this point you expected behavior like that. You just kept ignoring Havik and collected your items. But you couldn’t ignore when you felt him start to hump you. He really was like a dog.

Because you didn’t react, Havik thought he could do whatever. He took that opportunity to give himself relief. His clothed cock rubbed against your ass. Havik needed much more than that but this will have to do for now. You could hear him groaning as he continued to hump you. Alright, probably a good time to say something. You brought yourself back up to a standing position before speaking.

“Is there something you need?” You asked as politely as you could.

“Isn’t it obvious.” He answered, plain and simple.

He could have at least responded a little nicer. But you were left thinking of what to do. If this is what he’s been wanting well what would happen if you just gave him what he wants? He could keep returning to you for more. But he could also leave you be after he gets what he wants. The next time he gets pent up maybe the usual stuff like causing chaos will actually relieve him. You’re weighting your options here that you just say fuck it. No one needs to know what you have done.

“Are you trying to get more out of me?” You asked yet you received no verbal reply. Instead Havik decided to just bend you over again and tried to tear off any piece of clothing he could.

“Alright wait-!”

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

Your beautiful red, velvet cloak laid nicely folded on a tree stump with your basket of items on top of it. That’s the only thing you could manage to take off nicely before Havik got impatient and just teared whatever he could.

The woods are usually filled with leaves rustling and the birds chirping. But now there is the addition of moans, groans, and skin slapping together.

You held onto the tree in front of you as Havik rammed into you. His hands gripped your ass as he watched his cock go in and out of your pussy. His eyes couldn’t look away from your wetness that coated his cock. How easy it slipped in and made a wet sound when being pulled out.

You’re not fully regretting this decision. It is pretty exciting being out in nature and having you being pounded into. And Havik did have an impressive size. You practically announced it to the flora when you saw it. You’re only regretting who you are doing it with. Havik is still a stranger to you. But you can easy forget that every time he slides back in.

His body was pressed up against yours as his hands went to grab your breasts. You groaned at the feel of it. His hands were so rough, especially the one that had some sort of clawed glove on it. The claws pricked at your skin before going to your nipples. You winced in pain when he pinched them yet somehow it excited you more. Maybe cause he never stopped fucking you that’s why you got wetter. Whatever it was Havik enjoyed your reactions, even letting out a low malicious laugh. One nipple felt the roughness of his skin rubbing against it while the other dealt with metal claws pinching it. What a combo.

“I’ve never seen someone react like that to pain. I wonder if you will like this.” Havik said before pulling you closer to him and biting down on your shoulder.

That was the loudest you moaned from the whole experience. You couldn’t hide that fact you were loving this. Your pussy squeezed his cock when he bit you.

Havik might have just found his perfect lady. He was way too excited at this point and just start pounding into you hard. It was too much for you. His teeth that sunk into your skin, his hands still playing with your nipples, and of course his large cock fucking you. Well how could you not cum all over it. And how could he not cum right inside you. It’s just how nature goes.

══💤══╡°˖✧🦊✧˖°╞══💤══

It took a bit of effort to get Havik to pull out of you. He did not wanna budge. He didn’t say it out loud but he wanted to keep his cum inside of you for as long as he could. When you did manage to make him pull out his cum slowly start to drip down your legs, forcing you to quickly put your pants back on.

The prick tore your clothes up a good amount. He was too impatient. Luckily, you still had your red cloak to cover yourself up with. Better cover up that bite mark. You did your best not to look so disheveled and like you just had sex in the woods.

“Well…I must be on my way. You have a good day.” You still acted polite with Havik even after that experience.

He watched as you slowly walked away. You will return to the same path. This path is the best place to find items for your collection, so why move. Plus, you are hoping to find Havik again someday. Maybe not soon but someday. And Havik has the same thing in mind. He got his relief and he doesn’t expect to get this certain craving for a long time. But damn did he love your reactions. He’ll return soon and enjoy his lady in red again.

After notes: …if I see a hint of orange come rolling in I’m scattering to the wind…🦊. Ah, got to the end and realized I ain’t learn anything in my analysis class, I am scum. Anyway I’m meal prepping these fanfics cause I gotta work on my Kobold. I hope I can please the Havik girlies with this. He gives me post ovulation clarity and I don’t even ovulate, I’m not broken just on the pill. Have fun fools. Adiós!

[tragicdruid]

I absolutely lovee your fics, esp the Scara ones 🥰 What abt scara and roommate/dorm mate reader? That would be soo cute

Pairings: Scaramouche x Reader

Contains: Modern AU, fluff, platonic(?) relationship

Word Count: 300+

Summary: Having Scaramouche as a roommate isn't all that bad — so long as you don't bother him or make a mess. Unfortunately for him, you're a terrible cook with just as terrible luck.

------x------

This was bad. This was really really bad.

You swear you had walked away from the pot of mac and cheese for only a second. However, judging from the splattering of cheese all over the stove, countertop and floor, it was certainly more than a seconds. You had chosen mac and cheese specifically because of how easy it was to make, and yet here you were, standing in a cheesy grave.

Scaramouche was going to kill you.

"Why god...." You groan, dragging your hands down your face as you stare at the mess before you. You glance at the clock on the microwave and quickly jump into action. Scrambling around the kitchen, you wipe and scrub everything you can, but it's as if the cheese is fighting back.

You're on your knees, scooping up some of the macaroni into a napkin when you hear a scoff of disbelief behind you.

"You've gotta be kidding me," comes Scaramouche's deadpanned voice. His arms are crossed as he takes in the scene, indigo eyes scanning the disaster before him and eventually landing on you.

"How the hell do you screw up mac n cheese, idiot?" He groans as he pinches his brow.

"I swear I walked away for a second!" You whine pathetically, turning your attention back to your macaroni filled napkin.

That earns a grunt of disapproval. Scaramouche walks over to you and squats down, clean napkin in hand. He takes your chin and tilts your head upwards towards him, wiping away at some cheese that somehow got on your cheek.

"Next time, leave the cooking to me. Keep those pretty little hands of yours out of the kitchen," He huffs in frustration despite how gently he cleans away the mess.

"Yeah, yeah. Okay." You concede with a defeated sigh.

"Good. This place better be spotless when you're done."

You groan and purse your lips as you give him a helpless look, "Oh come on, you're not gonna help?"

That earns you another scoff, though more amused this time. "Maybe if you beg I will."

[thebeingmerf]

RQ aftermath thoughts as I watch- aka mostly just things that stuck out to me (Note: it’s been a LONG time since I rewatched RQ, at least a year. I don’t remember much of the ending)

————

• M’s official cloak being tailored to have a hood on it like his other one😭

• REBUILDING THE ORIGINAL RED KINGDOM? HELLO? AND A NEW ACADEMY??

• I need to draw the scene with M visiting Sabre’s grave (or technically memorial? There wasn’t a body to bury).

• I love that it shows the process of putting up Sabres memorial. Ik we got a glimpse at the end of RQ, but the sentiment of it is still sweet

• HAPPY (🟧) JOINING THE COLORLESS GUARD 😭

• orange steves helping build the new red academy

• Sol being the only prisoner HELP 💀

• O/Y/G trading (not surprising in hindsight but I just never thought about it)

• I love that all the chromatics can have a successful attempt at living together this time. The rainbow kingdom was made in a time of stress and fear, tensions were bound to rise. But with nothing to be scared of anymore, it’s nice that they can fully integrate their lives without force

• what mod did they use for green wood planks??? (Side note; my favorite color is green, and I’m still salty that my MC houses always have to be made of wool and moss. Yes I know concrete and terracotta are options, but that’s a lot more tedious.)

• green leader listening to his people 👏

• Greens wanting to explore and find ancient plants 😭 I love that so much- and the fact that they love lush caves. THEY MADE IT THEIR NEW HOME?? AWW 😭✨ my plant babies

• they would love sniffers fr

• Blue leader experiencing The Horrors™️

• at least the green steves are safe from the ghouls I guess?- since they didn’t want the redstone towers

• Indigo :((((

• indigo trying to keep busy 24/7 to avoid depression hes just like me fr

• wondering if they have Colorless guard members that are blue or indigo to go to their respective dimensions. I noticed the colorless guards have portals to each colored kingdom, but mortal steves wouldn’t be able to go to the world beyond

• steves canonically turn dull when they die.

• one of the green steves from the new settlement died D:

• “emotional effects of the darkness” brother that’s depression 😭

• THERAPY FOR EVERYONE ‼️‼️‼️ take notes American healthcare system

• oooo Violet Steves + Alchemy is such a fun concept. And I love that they’re getting green and red steves involved to help (in case of injury, and to help with knowledge respectively)

• if Assistant Steve can be affected by potions, does that mean he’s a cyborg (partially robot partially human) instead of a robot (100% artificial)?

• Violet Steves teaching potion brewing to others 😭✨✨✨

• I love that the Violet Steves are falling into more jobs/trades and not just being ‘the flowery love guys’ if that makes sense

• THE LEADERS VISITING SABRES GRAVE TOGETHER 😭