#it needs immense talent to make the most gorgeous man look like that
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stopitbehaveyourself · 15 days ago
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Sometimes I question the things in life.
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Then I look at this photoshoot and question even more things in life.
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freedombooksflowers · 2 years ago
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An Hour-Nineteen
Remus accidentally ended up on a half marathon course and ends up having an interview with a gorgeous reporter. Inspiration Here
After years of telling himself he should start running again like in school, Remus finally got his act together. Remus never excelled at track, but he had been decent enough to make the team. It helped clear his head when things went crazy. Since his break up with Benjy, he felt that need for an outlet once more. Now a few months later he felt good and had a nice routine.
Remus slipped out the door of his building, trainers tied tight and earbuds snug in blaring Bikini Kill. He imagined the sound of his treads on the pavement matched the beats of Rebel Girl and Carnival. All that mattered was his breathing and his heart rate for about 2 kilometers. The time didn’t even matter because this time was for him.
Until he started the 3rd kilometer, when two other runners passed him. He wasn’t in a race, but he felt like it as he rounded a bend between buildings. And shit. Coming out the other side, he swore. On both sides of the street were spectators, cheering and holding up signs. Ahead of him were two runners and a big arch with the banner 5th Annual St. Mungo’s Hospital Half Marathon.
Oh no.
The anxiety coursing through his body made it difficult to turn around and leave the course now all eyes seemed to be on the front of the pack
 which included him! Great. Okay. He needed to just run it out. Going to be barriers probably would make things worse. The only way out is through, that’s what they say. Who said that? Churchill, ugh no. No wait, Frost. Okay.
Jesus. Glancing over his shoulder he found no one else was on his tail. Of course he couldn’t just fall back for a third place finisher who actually registered for the race. Then if he stopped as if he had an injury he probably would end up as some inspirational TikTok as other runners helped him to finish.
So he ran through the cheering spectators and crossed the finish line. In front of him two men were bent over in exhaustion. Well they did just run a half marathon in — he glanced up at the board — an hour and nineteen minutes? Holy shit.
Suddenly a medal slipped over his neck and a cookie was shoved into his hand by a volunteer in a bright yellow vest. He took his ear buds out and went to refuse, “Oh — no —“
“It’s third place! You’re not a loser, wear it with pride, mate.” The man patted him on the shoulder.
Jesus. Okay. He needed to get out of here now. Eyes on a pivot Remus began to move away from the finish line as volunteers and staff around him congratulated him. Now he felt immensely guilty. The poor bloke who was meant to be in third. Shit, this only happened to him.
“Excuse, hi, yes. Congratulations on coming in third. How does it feel to run an hour, nineteen?” A microphone appeared in front of his face after a few steps towards the exit.
“Oh.” He should have just told him he fucked up and ended up here, but then he’d end up a laughing stock and national fucking news, wouldn’t he? God if he just pretended to be in third then it could all just blow over. “Right, well thanks. Er
 it feels
 unbelievable.”
At that moment Remus finally looked beyond the microphone at the person asking him questions. He wished he didn’t because he was gorgeous. Sharp features and grey eyes and a smile that looked like he was up to no good.
“Is the hour and nineteen minutes a personal best? It’s very impressive.” Christ, and his voice sounded like honey.
“Ah, yes. I guess it is.” He rubbed his forehead. How did he always end up in the most ridiculous situations?
“What was your race plan then?”
Ha, god, he didn’t even have a plan to get out of this interview. “I didn’t have one.”
The man’s eyes widened. “Okay, what about food? You must have had a good power meal.”
“No, just
 just raw talent.” His protein smoothie and single egg probably wouldn’t have done much.
“Mmm, can't let the competition know?” The interviewer cocked an eyebrow and Remus wanted to keel over.
“So, what’s your advice to other runners?”
What would marathoners need to do? “Eat well, train hard, and if all else fails sign up for a race at the last minute.”
The interviewer let out a sharp laugh then pointed at his shirt. “You’ve lost your bib. Can I have your race number? What’s your name?”
Remus stood up straight. Of course he didn’t have a bib with a race number, he sort of needed to register for that. “Right from running too fast. I need to, um, run! Bye!”
Surely he ran fast enough out of there to possibly actually make an hour-nineteen for a marathon.
***
The next day, Remus’ embarrassment still lingered. He stayed away from any social media in case he had been found out. Of course he had to tell Alice before it ate away at him inside.
“So you just took the medal and the cookie and ran? My god, Moony, what the fuck?” She cackled, standing between the kitchen and the front of the cafe. It was currently dead aside from the few regulars who were plugged into their computers doing their work.
“I know!”
Alice doubled over, holding her pregnant stomach. “Oh now I’m going to burst. I need the loo, watch up front for a minute.” She wheezed out another laugh. “Only you Moony.”
Remus rolled his eyes as she waddled by him towards the staff bathroom, still laughing. He’d never live it down, but at least it felt less like it was eating away at him now.
The bell above the door jingled, catching his attention away from his misery. That didn’t last long because as soon as he stepped behind the iPad to take the order, his eyes landed on the handsome interviewer from the half marathon.
“Hey, I was right. An Hour-Nineteen, it is you.”
This only confirmed that people couldn’t not actually die of embarrassment or burst into flames over it because if that were true it would have happened then.
“I’ve come here before but you were busy making things. He pointed behind Remus to where he normally worked quickly on baking pastries.
“Oh.”
The interviewer grinned. “Look, this is weird but, I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner.”
Shit. Of course the handsome man only wanted a date when he found himself embroiled in a lie. “I can’t.”
The corner of his lips turned down. “I’m Sirius, by the way. I’m sorry if this is all weird.”
“You’ve no idea.” Remus’ cheeks were burning.
“I apologize if I’m coming off as a stalker, I knew I would. My best mate convinced me it’d be okay.” He shifted a little. “I also wanted you to know I didn’t run the interview.”
Remus let out a sigh. “Okay.”
“I know you didn’t actually run.”
Great so he probably ran a different one and told everyone about the moron who joined the race.
“Three other runners accidentally ended up on the course because they didn’t block it properly. So no one knows who you are and the correct hits place finisher got his due,” Sirius explained as the tension unraveled in his chest. “You’re just some mysterious man. That was some quick thinking though, I thought you were funny.”
Now he blushed for different reasons.
“So I ended up here and now I’m talking a whole lot and you’re standing here thinking I’m a stalker creep.”
“No, no I don’t think that.” Now his cheeks were pink for another reason.
“So, I guess I’ll get a coffee and a cinnamon roll and die of embarrassment.”
“I can get that for you and go double on the embarrassment.”
Sirius laughed. “Thanks for sparing me.”
“You really want to go on a date
 with a person who pretended to run a marathon.”
He nodded, a mischievous spark in his eye. “Yeah, I think you’re just my type.”
Remus swallowed. “Okay.”
Sirius grinned. “Excellent. I can’t promise no teasing.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure everyone knows you stalked me.”
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xxdragonwriterxx · 4 years ago
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đŸ”„The Secret CompartmentđŸ”„
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~~~
“Oh come on, Erwin! I know you’re just as curious as I am!” Hanji whined, leaning with her palms flat against the Commander’s desk, her eyes shining behind her glasses.
“Hanji, it would be wrong,” Erwin said with a sigh, rubbing the bridge of his nose in exasperation.
“Who cares about moral principles? Levi is out for a few hours, this would be the perfect time to do it! You know there won’t be another chance like this again soon, we need to take advantage of it and see exactly what he is hiding from us!”
Erwin met Hanji’s excited gaze, knowing she would not drop this until she got what she wanted. He sighed again, trying to fight off the headache that was forming against his skull. About a month ago, both Erwin and Hanji had noticed a locked drawer attached to Levi’s desk. The pair always knew that their friend was a private person, but it was the only drawer that had a lock on it. There was even one time when Hanji had burst into his office without knocking, only to see him quickly and violently slam the drawer shut with a glare in her direction. They had questioned him on it, only to be met with annoyed scowls and complaints about everyone sticking their noses into his business. 
Erwin would be lying if he said he wasn’t curious, but his anxiety over what would happen if they were caught overwhelmed his desire to see the contents of that drawer. Hanji, on the other hand, had been tailing Levi like a dog with a bone, nearly foaming at the mouth as she continuously attempted to get a sneak peek.
“Come on, Erwin. I can almost guarantee you that it’ll be worth it. Levi could be hiding anything in that drawer. It could be embarrassing things he did as a child, or a secret about his life, or a guilty pleasure he’s hiding. There might even be a diary or journal of some sort in there!” Hanji said.
“I don’t know if I even really want to read Levi’s diary, Hanji. That thing could have anything written inside,” Erwin said.
Hanji threw him a look and Erwin crossed his arms with a frown. Damn, this woman was persistent. 
“We might even be able to use whatever is inside as blackmail if he ever tries to threaten us again. Like when he threatened to tell everyone about the time you got drunk and started going on about creating a new order stating all of the women in the Corps have to sleep with you,” Hanji said, a wide grin spreading across her face at the sight of Erwin’s paled features.
“Fine,”  Erwin said. “But if we get caught, I’ll feed you to your titans. After Levi is done breaking off both of his feet in our asses.”
Hanji squealed in excitement and grabbed the Commander’s hand, dragging him with her to Levi’s office. Erwin fought against the nervousness that was clawing in his stomach as he pulled out the ring of keys he had for every office in the Corps, found the one meant for Levi’s door, and put it in the lock. Hanji pushed past him and into Levi’s office as soon as the door was unlocked, looking around with even more excitement than when she was working on her experiments.
Wasting no time, Hanji moved over to Levi’s desk and bent down, pulling a hairpin from her done up bun. The crazy scientist picked at the lock, her tongue sticking out as she concentrated on moving the pin within the gears until a loud click sounded throughout the room. Erwin shuffled from foot to foot at the sound, the Commander glancing at the door from where he stood awkwardly in the center of the immaculate office.
“You better make sure that everything is put back exactly where you found it or he’ll know,” Erwin said with another glance at the door. He knew Levi was in town for the afternoon but he was still expecting the short raven-haired man to pop up out of nowhere, as if he knew his private belongings were being messed with.
“Erwin
”
The sound of Hanji’s voice, filled with awe and surprise, made Erwin turn to look at her. She was holding what looked like a large, leatherbound notebook, her mouth agape and her eyes wide and sparkling. Despite the anxiety that was still gnawing at his gut, Erwin’s curiosity won and the Commander slowly moved around the desk to crouch beside Hanji.
“Told you it’d be worth it,” Hanji said with a smirk as she tilted the notebook for Erwin to see. Erwin felt his jaw drop. It was a sketchbook, a beautiful sketchbook that nearly gleamed from the tender care Levi had obviously subjected it to. The leather was smooth and cool against Erwin’s calloused hands and the pages were soft to the touch.
“I didn’t even know Levi liked art, let alone that he could draw, especially like this,” Hanji said, her eyes shining as she looked down at the sketches on each page. Some of the pages just had small little doodles while others had full scale scenes and portraits, all of which were immaculately detailed. One page held drawings of kittens playing around, while another was a giant drawing of all of the superior officers standing at attention in a large field.
Neither of them could believe it. All of the drawings were stunning, each mark carefully constructed and purposeful. They probably wouldn’t have believed they were Levi’s drawings if it weren’t for his signature at the bottom of each page.
“Holy shit,” Erwin breathed when he came across an image of Levi’s black stallion, Azriel, the sketch so realistic that he could almost feel the animal’s fur through the page.
“Yeah,” Hanji murmured in response as she continued to flip through the book. Erwin tore his eyes from the drawings for a moment to peer into the unlocked drawer, reaching in to study the wide variety of pencils, paints, charcoals, and colored pencils that lay neatly at the bottom.
He had only been looking at the art supplies for a moment, when Hanji’s breath caught. The Commander automatically looked up at the door, fear lurching in his gut at the thought that Levi had come back, only to find that the door was still shut firmly. Looking down at Hanji, he saw she was grinning like a cat, her gaze flashing with mischievous intent as she looked at one of the pages. Erwin refocused his attention on the sketchbook and grunted in surprise when he saw the drawing in Hanji’s hand.
It was a drawing of (Y/N) (L/N), one of their fellow superior officers. (Y/N) was a Captain in her own right, leading her own squad of efficient warriors that rivalled even the famed Levi Squad. She was a well loved soldier, her compassionate personality combined with her ability to make almost anyone laugh making her a very popular member of the scouts. Despite her vibrant personality, she was also known to be a very talented soldier with a cool headed approach to conflict and a strength that often surprised most people who met her. She refused to take bullshit from anyone, and wasn’t afraid to release the filter on her barbed tongue when necessary, easily putting people in their place.
The drawing was downright gorgeous, by far the most beautiful out of all of the drawings in the book. He had used color when drawing her, one of the very few sketches in which he did, the image coming to life with the splashes of color and detailed features. The image looked as if she could turn her head and wave at them right then, the drawing so realistic it was breathtaking. In the drawing, (Y/N) was laughing, her eyes closed and her head tilted back slightly, her (h/c) hair cascading behind her. Her lips were parted in a wide grin as she laughed, one of her hands just barely touching her chin, as if she had been trying to cover her mouth only to give up when the giggles became too intense.
Hanji and Erwin looked at each other, their eyes wide with shock. Levi had done many portraits throughout the entire sketchbook, even having drawn some of Erwin and Hanji, but this sketch of (Y/N) was by far the most detailed, the most realistic. It was clear that Levi had spent hours upon hours drawing her, each stroke of his pencil done with immense love and care.
The two officers were quiet as Hanji flipped the page, their shock mounting somehow higher as they found more drawings of (Y/N). Hanji ran her finger through the pages once, flipping through the rest of the used pages to find that all of them were of (Y/N). Going back to the page they were on, Erwin and Hanji admired each illustration. Some of the drawings had color just like the first one they found of (Y/N), while others were just black and white, albeit no less detailed.
There were sketches of (Y/N) standing in a sparring stance, riding her horse, shouting down a noble, wielding a sword, reading a book. All of the drawings in the rest of the sketchbook were of her doing different things, each drawing lovingly crafted to make them look as realistic as possible.
Erwin’s eyebrows shot up into his hair and Hanji let out a surprised squawk of laughter when they flipped to one drawing of (Y/N) in a very suggestive position, her (e/c) eyes half lidded and filled with lust, the love in her gaze shining at them even through the page. She was laying down, her hair splayed out on top of the pillow, with her arms crossed over her exposed breasts. A sheet was covering her lower half, but it was hanging tantalizingly low on her form.
Hanji cackled as Erwin covered his eyes and quickly ripped the book from her hands, tearing to the next page, his ears turning pink at the sight of such a provocative image of one of his Captains. Hanji laughed even harder when the next page contained a similar image, this time with (Y/N) leaning back in obvious pleasure, her eyes closed tightly and her mouth open, her palms splayed flat on the ground behind her, her lower half disappearing off the edge of the page. 
Erwin dropped the book as if burned and turned away, his face flushed. Hanji snickered at his embarrassment and grabbed the book again, looking at the few pages of (Y/N) in different arousing positions. Despite the inappropriate theme of the sketches, Levi seemed to keep it relatively modest, never drawing anything that exposed the most private places of her body, merely hinting at it rather than drawing it in detail.
Hanji motioned Erwin back over when she finally got through Levi’s “personal” sketches, finally reaching the last drawing in the sketchbook. The final sketch was a beautiful illustration of the pretty Squad Leader staring out the window, her chin resting on her palm as she watched rain slide down the glass pane. There was a single candle on the table with her, the darkness of the night held back by the small circle of flame, her face accented by the light of the candle, her skin colored with a honeyed glow.
“Wow, Levi sure has been busy,” Hanji said softly as they admired the picture.
“I’ve been busy doing what?” A gruff voice suddenly said, causing both officers to freeze, their eyes wide with terror as an icy feeling of dread shot through their veins.
The pair looked up to see Levi leaning against the door frame, not yet aware of what they were doing due to his desk obscuring his view.
“What the hell are you doing on the floor? And why are you with Shitty Glasses, Erwin? I thought you were busy filling out all of those proposals, which was why you couldn’t come with me into town.”
When neither of them answered, Levi pushed off of the wall and strode towards his desk, a scowl of annoyance on his face.
“Oi, did you two hit your heads or something? What are you doing in-”
Levi stopped dead, his face draining of color when he rounded the desk to find Hanji holding his sketchbook open in her lap, both of them pouring over the pictures inside. He glanced at the drawer and saw the hairpin still sticking out of the lock, the metal bent to jack open the gears.
His eyes flew over the drawing they were looking at, his most recent one of (Y/N) looking out at the rain. Embarrassment washed over him then and he closed his eyes as he realized they had looked through the entire sketchbook. He felt a dark rage bubble up in his chest, boosted by his embarrassment. When he opened his eyes again, they were hard and filled with fire.
Erwin and Hanji both flinched at that look, shame flooding over them as they both glanced down at the book in Hanji’s hands. They knew they shouldn’t have done this. Hanji didn’t regret opening his locked drawer but once they figured out what he was hiding they should’ve put it back. Obviously he had hidden it in that drawer because it was his private book, something he wanted nobody else to see, and for good reason.
“Levi I-” Hanji started only for his nearly feral growl to cut her off.
Levi leaned down and snatched the book out of her grasp and hoisted it under his arm, throwing a deadly glare in their direction. He turned to move the sketchbook somewhere else but paused when he realized there was no other place he could put it without other people noticing it. His locked drawer had been the one safe place for it, the one place where nobody was supposed to be able to reach it.
Levi ended up pacing in frustration as he frantically searched for a place to put it, to no avail. The raven-haired man eventually collapsed onto the couch in the center of the room, sliding the sketchbook onto the coffee table in front of him and putting his head in his hands. He had no idea what to do. He didn’t even want to look at the two people he thought were his friends, not just because he was furious with them but also because of the shame that was hammering against his heart. They had to have seen all of the drawings of (Y/N). There was no way they didn’t if they had reached the end of his filled pages. Which meant they had seen everything.
He had never meant to draw her like that. He honestly hadn’t meant to draw her at all, afraid that if he did, it would be admitting to himself the feelings he had for her. But even though he fought it hard, he eventually succumbed to the urge to draw her when he saw her laughing at a joke he had told her, the moment so perfect he just had to put it on paper before it faded from his mind. He guessed that must have been the moment of his downfall, because after he had drawn one picture, he felt compelled to do more until his sketchbook was filled almost completely with drawings of her.
The more he drew her, the more time he spent around her, his mind subconsciously watching for more perfect moments to paint onto a page, his feelings for her growing until he was completely in love with her. The drawings had gotten more suggestive, his hand moving as if it had a mind of its own as his hunger for her grew. He had never crossed the line of drawing her completely exposed, not wanting to shame her like that, not when they weren’t even in a relationship, but he had gotten pretty close when his hormones started controlling his hand rather than his brain.
Even though he had never been vulgar with his illustrations, he knew what Erwin and Hanji must have thought when they saw it. Knew how disgusted they must be with him after seeing such things in his sketchbook. He feared they might even tell (Y/N), warn her against him so she wouldn’t be uncomfortable. Levi clenched his fists. He knew Erwin and Hanji had never done anything like that before, they were his friends and had always supported him, even when he pretended to hate it. But that was before they saw everything.
“Levi?”
Levi ignored the sound of Erwin calling his name, keeping his hands cupped over his face in mortification. Levi tensed a little when he felt Erwin and Hanji sit down on either side of him, but still refused to look at them, afraid to see the condemnation in their eyes.
“Levi, look up please. We are genuinely sorry about looking through your sketchbook,” Erwin said softly.
Levi looked up to throw him a filthy glare before he leaned back into the couch cushions with a sad sigh, his eyes closing as he fought the shame that reared up in his chest. He felt like throwing up. Or beating Hanji and Erwin to a pulp. Or both.
“They’re, um, really beautiful, Levi. I didn’t know you could draw like that,” Hanji offered.
Levi scoffed.
“They are! Seriously, they look like you could walk right into them. I didn’t even know you liked drawing but here you are with a book full of masterpieces,” Hanji said incredulously in response to his obvious doubt.
“Oh come on, Hanji,” Levi said, piercing her with his stare. “I know you saw them, don’t play dumb. You saw them and now I feel like a perverted bastard.”
“There’s nothing wrong with drawing (Y/N), Levi. You did a wonderful job, really made her look beautiful,” Erwin said, resting a hand on Levi’s shoulder.
“Sure, there is nothing wrong with drawing her, but there is something wrong with drawing her, like that,” Levi snapped wholly embarrassed.
“Levi, relax! You did it because you love her and it is your personal sketchbook, not meant for any eyes but your own. We know you struggle with expression, especially when it comes to matters of the heart. This was just your way of expressing those feelings, an outlet. We were never meant to see it, I’m sorry that we ever did,” Hanji said, her eyes full of sympathy for her mortified friend.
Levi looked at her, doubt still swimming in his eyes.
“It’s true, Levi. Not only that, but you have real talent. I never would’ve thought of you as an artist but you know what you’re doing. Why did you hide this from us? I think it’s really cool that you know how to draw so well,” Erwin said.
“Because it is a useless passion to have,” Levi said. “I am Humanity’s Strongest Soldier, fighting to save the human race in a world filled with man-eating monsters from hell. Being able to draw pretty pictures is pointless; I can’t exactly kill titans with a pencil. The only reason I ever let myself do it in the first place is because I need to distract myself with something mindless sometimes.”
“What are you talking about!?” Hanji squawked. “This is the coolest thing ever! Can you draw another picture of me? I think I need to have more of an obvious presence in that sketchbook.”
Levi scowled at her but sighed softly at the relief that washed over him as the bespeckled woman lightened the mood.
“No, I am never drawing you ever again, Shitty Glasses. I only did that once because I was feeling sick and wanted something to help me throw up.”
Hanji pretended to act offended, gasping dramatically and placing her hand against her chest.
Erwin chuckled at the pair and patted Levi’s shoulder comfortingly. Levi sent a weak glare in his direction but the Commander knew he was grateful.
“Hey, speaking of an obvious presence
,” Hanji said, a borderline evil grin creeping onto her face. “You have the hots for (Y/N).”
Levi growled something Hanji chose not to hear and smiled even wider.
“Why didn’t you say anything? You know she is one of my best friends, I could’ve set you guys up!” Hanji said.
“That is exactly why I didn’t tell you,” Levi said. “I don’t trust you to not do something embarrassing on my behalf.”
Hanji scoffed at him and sent him a playful glare, one that he returned followed by a choice hand gesture.
“Well, now that we know, why don’t you confess to her? From the dates written on all of your drawings, you’ve been dealing with this for a while.”
Levi coughed awkwardly, obviously uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. “I don’t know how,” he mumbled.
“What are you talking about, Levi? You have it easy. Most people would have to buy flowers, or food, or do something else to get the source of their affections to notice them, but you won’t have to do that. You have everything right in front of you. Just give her one of your drawings, and she will surely get the message,” Erwin said with a knowing smirk.
“That’s a great idea! I’m sure she’ll absolutely love one!” Hanji squealed, clapping her hands together like an energetic toddler.
Levi thought for a minute, leaning back against the couch cushions. It could work. He had never purposely shown his drawings to anyone, but maybe trying something like this would be enough to win her heart. Nervousness wormed its way into his gut as he thought about it. What if she hated it? What if she didn’t care, turned him away without a second glance? What if she thought it was creepy or flat out didn’t like the drawing? Levi swallowed.
“Do you really think that would work?” Levi mumbled. “I do not want to fuck this up. Even if we can’t be together, she is one of the few people I call my friend, and I do not want to ruin the relationship I currently have with her because I’m inept at flirting.”
Hanji nodded enthusiastically, her glasses sliding down her nose at the movement. “Oh definitely. She’s going to think they are stunning! And we can be here to help you, if you want us to. Which one do you think you would give her?”
Levi looked at both Erwin and Hanji in turn, rolling his eyes at their identical cheshire grins. He figured he must be crazy, absolutely fucking insane, but he really could use their help, as much as he refused to admit it out loud.
Regardless of his attempts to hide his desperation, Erwin and Hanji saw right through him, their grins spreading wider as Levi scowled at them.
“Alright
,” Levi sighed, getting up from the couch and making his way back to the open drawer, making Erwin and Hanji arch their eyebrows in confusion when he passed by the sketchbook still resting on the coffee table. 
“I’ve had this saved for a while. I didn’t want to put it with the others, it’s my favorite one.”
Erwin and Hanji looked up to see Levi pull out the bottom of the drawer to reveal a hidden compartment. The pair watched curiously as their friend pulled out a piece of paper that was significantly larger than the rest and turned it around for them to see.
“Well? What do you think?” Levi demanded.
____________________________
(Y/N) was walking back from the Mess Hall with her friends when a young scout came running up to her, claiming Captain Levi needed to see her in his office as soon as possible. She smiled brightly at the cadet and thanked him, before turning to her friends and waving goodbye, changing her course to head for Levi’s quarters.
(Y/N)’s stomach fluttered with butterflies as she got closer to his door but she quickly shoved them down and shook her head. She needed to focus. He was probably wanting to talk to her about the upcoming mission and what her plan was for her squad since she had missed the last meeting with the other superiors thanks to an injury she received when she saved a rookie cadet during ODM training, resulting in her crashing into a tree. 
She chuckled to herself at the memory of Levi furiously chewing out the cadet afterwards. She had felt so bad for the poor kid, it had been an accident, but Levi had been no less upset by the fact that she got hurt. The thought sent more tingles up her spine and she growled in frustration, forcing herself to push her feelings to the back of her mind.
Her head finally cleared when she reached his door and knocked, smiling to herself when she heard his deep voice grant her entrance to his office. When she opened the door she found Levi facing away from her, watching something outside his window, Commander Erwin and Squad Leader Hanji standing along the far wall of the room. (Y/N) raised her eyebrows at the sight of them but saluted without hesitation, smiling when Erwin waved her off with a chuckle.
“I’m assuming because the two of you are here that this is about the details of the last meeting I missed?” (Y/N) asked, closing Levi’s door behind her with her foot.
Hanji smiled so wide her cheeks hurt as she shook her head. “Actually, no. Levi wanted to talk to you about something. Erwin and I were just leaving.”
Erwin nodded in agreement and pushed off from the wall he had been leaning against, his own lips twitching as he fought the grin that tried to run across his face.
(Y/N) watched them in confusion as the pair walked around her and left the room, Hanji’s barely concealed giggle echoing in her ear when they passed. Arching an eyebrow at her two fellow senior officers, (Y/N) eventually dropped it and turned back to Levi who so far, had not said a word.
“What’s up with them?” (Y/N) asked, trying to ease some of the awkward tension that had filled the room.
“They’re just idiots,” Levi said, but something about the way he said it seemed off. Maybe it was the lack of conviction. Or maybe it was the quiet, almost hushed way he said it, as if he wasn’t thinking about the odd behavior of their two friends at all, too lost in his own world to pay attention. (Y/N)’s brow furrowed in concern. This was not like the Levi she knew, something was wrong.
“Hey, Levi, what’s going on? You don’t sound like yourself.”
Levi tensed. Damn her for being so observant. He should’ve known she would automatically pick up on his off behavior. She had always been able to read him like a book, it was part of the reason why they were so close, why their friendship worked so well. (Y/N) had always been able to figure out exactly how he was feeling or what he needed at any given moment, why would this be any different?
“(Y/N),” Levi started, taking a deep, shaky breath as he tried to ignore her intense gaze on him. He knew she was worried, but her eyes on him were making him feel nervous. He almost wanted to bail, to claim it was just to help her recap on the meeting she had missed. He even had half a mind to bury his sketchbook, never to be seen again. It would hurt him, to lose that book, and despite what he said, he did love to draw, and having that taken away would be difficult, but at least he wouldn’t have to go through all of this anxiety.
But then he thought about (Y/N). She was standing right there, waiting for him. She had always been by his side, always caring for him, even when he felt he did not deserve it. She made him feel so loved, so strong, so hopeful. He knew that if he didn’t tell her how he felt now, it would drive him to insanity. He had to do this. Clearing his throat, he started again.
“(Y/N), I called you in here because I have to give you something,” Levi said.
“Really?” (Y/N) asked. Now she was really confused.
“Yes.”
“Okay, thank you Levi. What would you like me to do?” (Y/N) asked, keeping her voice soft and steady. It was obvious he was struggling a bit and she wanted to make him feel as comfortable as possible.
“Close your eyes and hold out your hands,” Levi directed.
(Y/N) followed his orders and closed her eyes with her hands held out. She was worried about him, and even a little bit frightened for herself, but she couldn’t deny the curiosity that was gnawing at her gut. What could her fellow Captain have to give her other than reports to finish, or a sword to fight with, or a cup of tea?
She was surprised when she felt something very light and thin land on her opened palms. Her brows furrowed in confusion but she kept her eyes closed, waiting for him. Levi paused once he had rested the picture in her arms. He knew she was waiting for him before she opened her eyes but he couldn’t help but hesitate for a minute. This was it. The moment of truth. Either she was going to love it and his dreams might finally come true, or she was going to hate it and he was going to lose the best thing to come into his life. Taking a deep breath, Levi leaned against the wall as he told her to open her eyes.
(Y/N) gasped loudly when she opened her eyes. In her hands was the most beautiful drawing she had ever seen. It was a picture of her, so realistic she felt as if she were looking in a mirror. In the image, she was sitting bareback on her dapple grey mare, Danika. Danika had her head up and her ears forward, looking off to the side of the page while (Y/N) leaned against her neck, her chest touching her horse’s withers and her arms on either side of the mare’s neck. In the sketch, (Y/N) had the biggest smile on her face, her eyes shining with a brilliant (e/c). Her (h/c) hair looked as if you could reach out and feel it through the page, the strands blowing in the wind.
Levi didn’t say anything as he watched her take it in, crossing his arms and subconsciously biting his lip as he waited for her response. He had drawn this image of her ages ago. It was one of the first few he had drawn of her and it was by far his favorite. He had known that day, when he was striding across the courtyard headed for the training ground, and he turned to see (Y/N) riding Danika, smiling as if she were the embodiment of happiness, that he was head over heels in love with her. 
He had even abandoned his idea of training to rush back to his office, eager to put the picture of her in his head onto paper. It was his favorite one because it captured the exact moment he truly came to accept his feelings for her. It was the one he had always saved for when he was having a bad day, keeping it separated from the others so he could find it easily whenever he needed it, just the sight of her making him feel better.
Suddenly, tears formed in her eyes and Levi felt his panic rise. Oh gods, she hated it. He never meant to make her cry! He had thought it might bring her the same level of joy he got from seeing it, but instead he had just made her sad, or disgusted, or angry. He honestly couldn’t tell which one it was, not that it mattered, it was obvious she was offended by it regardless of the specific emotion it invoked. Maybe she didn’t like the way he had drawn her. He thought she looked absolutely stunning, but maybe he had accidentally accented certain features she was self conscious about? Maybe she hated her smile? Maybe she just didn’t like having her fellow Captain drawing her like a creep when they weren’t even in a relationship?
Levi quickly moved to take it from her, apologies spilling from his mouth like a river. He didn’t even know what he was saying, he was sure he was just blabbering about nonsense at this point, but he didn’t really have the mind to care as he grabbed the drawing from her and moved to put it away. He was even planning on throwing it out after she left. He absolutely adored this drawing but if she hated it, he would not make her more uncomfortable by stashing it for his own desire.
“I’m s-so sorry, (Y/N), I’ll just get rid of it,” Levi said, cursing himself for stuttering. “I didn’t mean to make you upset, I just thought-”
“NO!” (Y/N) shouted, making him look at her in shock.
(Y/N)’s eyes were wide as she looked at the drawing in his hand. She had honestly been rendered speechless when she first saw it, overwhelmed with the tsunami of emotions that had crashed over her. She knew he struggled with expression, so the fact that he had gone out of his way to draw her as a form of confession had brought tears to her eyes, her heart throbbing with her love for this man.
(Y/N) had loved Levi ever since they had become good friends, laughing at his surprisingly funny dry humor, ranting to him when her squad was annoying her, holding him when he had no one else to go to and life just got too hard. But she would’ve never guessed in a million years that he returned her feelings. She had just assumed her feelings would forever be unrequited and forced herself to enjoy what they had, loving him in secret. But here he was, holding his heart out to her, offering her his love and affection in exchange for hers. She almost panicked when he snatched the drawing away, thinking he had offended her with it.
“No
?” Levi asked hopefully, uncertainty sparkling in his breathtaking silver gaze.
“No, don’t you dare throw that masterpiece away,” (Y/N) said firmly, brushing the tears from her eyes.
“So you
, like it?” Levi asked.
(Y/N) finally managed to pull herself together, clearing away the love induced haze that had clouded her brain and striding up to him confidently. When she reached him, she gently took hold of the hand not holding the drawing with both of hers, her eyes meeting his gaze. She blushed at how close she was to him, and had the urge to look away when his intense hues settled on her, but she held firm. She knew he was uncertain, she had to show him exactly how she felt without hesitation, otherwise he would think she was pitying him.
“I love it, Levi. It is one of the most gorgeous things I have ever seen. I can tell it took you hours with all of the detail and color and expression. It looks so real, like looking in the mirror. It is the greatest gift I have ever gotten, from anyone. Thank you.”
Levi sucked in a breath at her words, his eyes wide. She really thought all of that? He had hoped she would like it but he did not expect this reaction at all. In the back of his mind, Levi made a mental note to thank Hanji and Erwin after this was over.
“You really think so?” Levi asked.
“I know so.”
Levi swallowed thickly. “Does that mean
, you accept my confession?”
More tears pricked (Y/N)’s eyes but she nodded enthusiastically, calming his fears and making him release a breath of knee-wobbling relief. He barely had a moment before she launched herself at him, her arms wrapping around his neck as she hugged him. Levi was a little stunned at first, but eventually slid the drawing onto his desk before wrapping his arms around her tentatively, still getting used to the contact.
“Yes, yes I accept your confession, Levi. I have loved you for a long time, I couldn’t be happier knowing that my feelings aren’t one sided.”
Levi’s heart jolted at her confession. “I love you too, (Y/N).”
___________________________
(Y/N) hummed happily as she skipped around Levi’s office, cleaning around the room while she waited for her boyfriend to get back from his one on one meeting with Erwin. Her heart fluttered as she thought about the surprisingly sweet, socially awkward man she was so damn lucky to call her own, smiling widely while she cleaned.
Their relationship was definitely still new and  they were both slowly figuring each other out but (Y/N) had to admit, these past few weeks had been the best of her life. She had been surprised when Levi had confessed to her, but had been even more shocked to discover how long the man had harbored feelings for her, his actions around her telling her exactly how he felt about finally being able to call her his.
(Y/N)’s smile got bigger the more she thought about him and the slightly flustered yet determined way in which he doted on her in an utterly Levi fashion, using his blunt manner and dry sarcasm to fly through his inexperience. (Y/N) moved over to his desk and began to meticulously clean the already polished wood surface as her mind wandered, not really paying much attention to the items on his desk except to gently shift them to give her more space to clean. When she was finally done, she was about to move to another spot when she caught sight of Levi’s third drawer opened just slightly.
With further inspection, it looked as if the drawer had been slammed shut quickly, the rough movement causing the door to bounce back open a little in the process. Under normal circumstances, (Y/N) would’ve just closed the drawer and kept cleaning, but the sight of a leatherbound book caught her attention, her curiosity peaking. Glancing around her to make sure nobody was around, (Y/N) quietly shimmied the drawer open more and grabbed ahold of the book, opening it to lay flat on her lap.
The more she looked through it, the more her face changed from shock, to awe, to wonder as her eyes drank in each stunning drawing in his sketchbook. (Y/N) bit her lip when she reached the middle of the book, her system flashing with heat and surprise at what she saw. Carefully closing the book, (Y/N) slipped it back into the drawer and pushed it closed before standing and making her way to the door like nothing had happened, her eyes sparkling with mischief as she left his office.
_______________________________
Levi looked up when the door to his office opened later that night, a small smile flashing across his face at the sight of his gorgeous lover standing in the doorway. She smiled back at him and sauntered over, her eyes bright as she took in his casual appearance. In (Y/N)’s opinion, Levi looked amazing in everything, but seeing him in a pair of black comfy pants and a loose sleep shirt was hard to beat.
“Are you almost done?” (Y/N) asked once she had made it to him, leaning her hip against his desk.
“Yeah, just finishing up with these last few reports and then we can go to bed. Feel free to head in there whenever you’d like to though,” Levi said.
“Oh, I’ll wait,” (Y/N) said with a coy smile that made Levi pause in his writings. He had never seen that look on (Y/N)’s face before, at least, not in real life. His mind flashed him an image of one of his more provocative drawings of her before he quickly shoved those thoughts to the side, shaking his head a little to clear his mind.
“Do what you want,” Levi said, forcing himself to turn back to his reports.
(Y/N) settled herself on his couch and turned around to face him while he worked, admiring him from over the armrest. Her smile only got wider as she allowed herself to really look at him, his beautiful features making him seem almost painfully attractive.
Levi tried to keep focused on his work, wanting nothing more than to finish up quickly so he could cuddle with his amazing girlfriend, but he kept getting distracted. He could feel (Y/N) staring at him, her eyes on him making the hair on the back of his neck stand up, his nerves tingling. Levi grit his teeth as he attempted once again to read the same sentence he had read twelve times already to no avail, her intense gaze setting him on fire.
‘Focus, idiot! Fucking focus!’ Levi chastised himself despite the hot coil of want that was swirling in his gut. He was trying to be considerate of her and the speed she had set in terms of the physical side of their relationship, but he was finding it harder and harder to appear unfazed when she wouldn’t stop watching him with that expression on her face.
Finally, Levi slammed down his pen and looked up, his scowl deepening when he saw (Y/N) smile innocently at him and his frustration. Forcing himself to take a deep breath and steady his heartbeat, Levi glared half-heartedly at his lover.
“Why the fuck are you staring at me like that, brat?” Levi asked.
(Y/N) smiled even wider and stood from the couch, her hips swaying enticingly as she made her way over to him. Levi could do nothing but freeze in his chair, his breath caught in his throat when she slithered over his thighs, making herself comfortable on his lap. His heart rate skyrocketed when (Y/N) leaned forward, her lips lightly grazing the shell of his ear, her warm breath on his skin making him shiver.
“I saw something, maybe I shouldn’t have
,” (Y/N) said coyly.
Levi froze at her words, panic flooding his system as he thought about his sketchbook. He had no idea how she could’ve found it, but there was nothing else she could be talking about, since he had nothing else he actively kept from her.
“You did?” Levi asked nervously.
“Hmmm,” (Y/N) purred against him. “I did.”
“(Y/N), I am so sorry, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, I don’t even know why I drew those pictures of you. I just really love you and I guess it got out of hand but I am so-”
(Y/N) placed a finger to his lips and rolled her eyes affectionately at her lover’s uncharacteristic rambling. Levi immediately stopped talking and waited impatiently for her to condemn him, his face flushing slightly with embarrassment.
(Y/N) leaned in and surprised Levi by capturing his lips, encouraging him to relax until he finally gave in, the tension melting from his muscles as he kissed her back with a quiet groan.  When she leaned back, Levi was looking at her with half lidded eyes, his silver hues sparkling with love and wonder for her. Her heart clenched and she smiled genuinely at him before it turned sultry, making Levi’s heart flip. Leaning forward again, (Y/N) nibbled lightly on his earlobe before speaking.
“Next time, Levi, draw me without the sheet.”
817 notes · View notes
lettrespromises · 4 years ago
Text
la querelle des coeurs. - kuroo, atsumu, daichi.
@luveranime​ sent a letter : â Me again lmao 😂 could you do one where kuroo, atsumu and daichi’s s/o has a ex best friend and they try to take their bf away from their s/o but then their s/o like angrily lashes out? Then like a cute fluffy ending :) âž
author’s letter : â aaaaa, it’s always pleasure to see you in my inbox!! thank you so much for trusting me with all your prompts, it means the world. ooooh, i love myself some angst to fluff especially with kuroo. i hope you’ll enjoy your promised letter!
sealed with a kiss. sincerely yours, nikki. ❞
genre : kinda fluff, kinda angst. warnings : cursing, toxic friendship.
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Now, now, now, Kuroo like the gorgeous scorpio he is has some kind of sixth sense when it comes to lies, basically, you could consider him as a human lie detector. This talent of his extends to being able to discern people’s true nature- given that he is someone who doesn’t trust people easily, he’s even more careful around people he doesn’t deem as trustworthy.
Truth be told, he doesn’t come as a surprise to him when you tell him that you had a succession of arguments with your best friend, to the point where you felt obligated to cut ties with them. 
You can tell from miles away that the sentence â€œI don’t want to say I told you so, but I told you so, kitten.” is burning the tip of his tongue, begging him to be set free so he could rub his pseudo sixth sense in your face.
From now on, Kuroo morphs into â€˜super protective mode’, he just wants to protect you from any emotional harm, he knows how vicious your former best friend is, after all, he always knew.
He will walk with you everywhere, cradle you into his embrace if you feel the need to shed a couple of tears- he picks up the shattered pieces of your broken self and glues them one by one and seals them with a kiss or a heartfelt compliment.
After several days, Kuroo’s efforts and dedication to make you feel better finally sets in. Your introspection sunk in and you feel the aftereffects bloom- you feel fearless, powerful, and you came to agree with yourself on stating that you are indeed better off alone.
The plot twists in the hallways of your school- your arm is wrapped around Kuroo’s, just the way you like it. His orbs never leave you frame and anyone could tell how the gleam in his eyes reflect his love and adoration for you. 
Needless to say, his favorite time of the day was when he could have lunch with you and listen to your ramblings while observing your divine traits. However, being academically smart doesn’t prevent him from being a airhead at times : â€œKitten, I totally forgot to grab myself something to drink. Will you wait for me at our spot? I’ll be quick.” â€œYou already know where to find me then, Tetsu.”
And with that, he leaves you in the middle of the hall (but not before planting a peck on your forehead.) On his way to the vending machine, he sees none other than your former best-friend, body leaning onto said vending machine, as if they were waiting for him to come out after witnessing your discussion.
The plain expression plastered upon Kuroo’s facial expression speaks louder than a thousand words revolving around the lexical field of anger. Nonetheless, he tells himself that if he ignores them, then there will be no harm done, unless...
“Hey there, Kuroo. I knew you’d miss me! Don’t worry, baby, I missed you just as much.”
The person you once called your best friend orientates their body in a strategic way so they’re closer to Kuroo, their whole body facing him. Of course, he didn’t miss the poor attempts to get him to pay attention to them. Their whole body language screamed â€˜acknowledge me.’
Kuroo remained stoic and pushed the coins inside the vending machine instead. This lack of attention only emphasized their anger and in return, their level of patience diminished gradually. But they had another ace hidden in their sleeve, and this time, attitude matched their actions- your former best friend grabbed the hem of Kuroo’s collar while their other hand was planted at the back of his neck to force him to look on what they deemed as the only important person here.
“Kuroo, baby, I’m so glad you came to see me, because let’s face it : you’re only here because you know you’d see me here. Have you finally realized that Y/N was not good enough for you? You want a real significant other, don’t you?”
If hearing the sound of their voice was disgusting enough, imagine how filthy Kuroo felt when he sensed a foreign body throw themselves on him- his skin was burning under the poisoning touch of your former best friend. 
Now, now. The â€˜you’ topic was quite the sensitive one to Kuroo, given that he would and could put anyone in their place if he happened to hear a ill word about you. â€œI’m going to say this once : don’t play a game you can’t win so don’t say another thing about Y/N.” 
Oh, but would this stop them? Absolutely not. Their hand travelled from the back of their neck to the muscular reliefs on his chest, an area only you had the luxury you to touch and worship. â€œDon’t be like that, Kuroo. I know I can touch you, love you and at least I won’t fake it like Y/N does.” they concluded their sentence with a wink sent his way and Kuroo could already feel the taste of vomit invading his tastebud. 
In one sharp motion, he grabbed their wrist and yanked himself free of their intoxicating clutch. Just his luck, he thought, while your former best friend cursed silently under their breath as they saw you arrive.
“Tetsu, are you okay? What’s taking you so long?”
Oh and here it was, the pure grin which radiated nothing but pure mischief- your presence signed the end and what a beautiful ending it was for him. â€œMaybe you should ask them, kitten. They were rambling about how I should date them instead of you. Can you believe that bullshit?”
Your eyes darted onto a familiar frame, but just by glancing at them, you felt all the inner rage overwhelm you, including all the pain you had to go through. It was like facing your own nightmare, but you’ve never been alone to fight your battles- Kuroo has always been there by your side.
“You said what now?”
Your stare emanated nothing but pure and intense rage, your whole body language testified of your inner envy to make them choke on their own words.
“I said-...”
“If you think for a single second I’m going to let you talk, you’re dead wrong. You’ve been feeding me enough lies during all this time we were â€˜friends’, and now, you’re throwing yourself on my man? You really have nothing for you, do you now? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to go grab lunch with my boyfriend. I’m not sure you’ve ever heard of him but his name is Kuroo Testurou, you know, the man you’ll never get?”
Kuroo couldn’t help but to let a snicker break free from his lips, this scene was wonderful to watch. An immense wave of pride washed over him, and it struck him again, he realized for the umpteenth time how lucky he was to share his life with you.
He wrapped his arm around your waist, tugging you close to his side and delivered a peck full of love upon the flesh of your cheek. â€œI didn’t know you had all of this hidden in you, kitten. Not gonna lie, it’s kinda hot.” 
You playfully rolled your eyes and punched his arm as his words connected with your eardrums, â€œYou’re so lucky I love you.”
“Don’t get it twisted, kitten, I’m lucky one here.”
“Are not.”
“Are too.”
“Are not.”
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It’s safe to say that Atsumu does have a reputation that follows him around, he his the local heartthrob of his school and he secretly takes pride in that. But nothing fills his heart with pride more than being able to call you his.
Being Atsumu’s girlfriend, you are indirectly exposed to threats, insults and other acerbic remarks coming from his fangirls. Sometimes these attacks are direct like dirty talks behind your back when you’re holding his hand in the middle of the halls, and other times, it’s more subtle and the perfect example of that is how the person you used to call your best friend took advantage of your relationship status to get closer to Atsumu.
They made it clear and had no shame hiding behind their shameful shenanigans, â€œDid you really think I was talking to you for your personality? Get real, Y/N, I don’t care about you. I only care about your man.”
These subtle shenanigans hurt the most because they were the most vicious and purposefully hurtful, and the worst part was that they had somehow managed to become friends with Atsumu. Emphasis on the word â€˜somehow.’
As per usual after school, both you and Atsumu could be found at the gym, and oh boy, did he love being able to see you everyday- not only at school but also at the gym as you were the manager of the volleyball team.
However, this time, you had quite the surprise when you entered the gym. Kita had asked all the players to gather up as he explained them the new change amongst the team : â€œConsidering that the nationals are around the corner, the coach and I stated that it was necessary for us to hire a new manager in order for Y/N not to feel overwhelmed. Please welcome your new manager and take good care of them.” 
As his words echoed in the gymnasium, you felt your stomach sink to your heels, your mouth was set agape under the overwhelming feeling of pure disgust. Not them, out of all people. Hell, even Atsumu’s worst fangirl sounded like a better idea right now.
Of course you couldn’t blame Kita for choosing your former best friend as the new manager, but the glance Atsumu threw your way testified of how much he knew this situation was going to eat you up alive. 
After the captain dismissed everyone, Atsumu wasted no time and ran up to you, he felt the need to reassure you and make you feel at ease despite the venomous presence of your former best friend.
“Cheer up, baby, ya’ know I’m here, right? This pig isn’t gonna’ get a piece of me. Now, be a doll and gimme’ a kiss.” 
Classic Atsumu right here, but who were you to deny such a sweet request? So you did as told, and planted a kiss on his plump lips. And that’s when you could pinpoint the precise moment when your former best friend had fallen right into Atsumu’s trap.
“As your new manager, I have to say that it’s not very professional to kiss your significant other on the court. But, I mean, what else did I expect coming from Y/N?” 
Your boyfriend’s arm was protectively wrapped around your waist, tugging you closer. The root of each of his action was to protect you from the incoherent and toxic words dropping from their lips. But deep down, he knew better than to mess with you, especially when the whole team was looking at you.
“Oh, I’m sorry! Did you mean do this?”
There you went again, planting yet another kiss upon Atsumu’s lips who couldn’t help but grin at the taunting nature of your actions. Once you broke the kiss, you could feel the hot breaths of your boyfriend crashing upon your skin â€œThat’s my girl.”
Your former best friend looked around in despair, her eyes scanned the room to seek for help, to back up her actions. Osamu let a small laugh fall free from his lips, Suna rolled his eyes so hard you thought they were going to get stuck at the back of his head, and Kita, out of all people, let out a desperate sigh. â€œAs the captain of the team, I must inform you that it is my duty to let you know that you cannot dictate your way here, and you cannot display a clear lack of respect to Y/N.”
This time, it was their time to be dumbfounded and left in the middle of the gymnasium with their mouth set agape in pure surprise. The silence, although it was broken by a few playful laughs, was agonizing to them. 
“C’mon, new manager, tell â€˜em why ya’ chose to come here.” Atsumu taunted, the smirk plastered upon his face as wide as ever, but he only found silence as an answer.
“Are you sure you don’t want to tell the rest of the team? Alright then. Maybe you should tell them how you only joined our team to flirt with Atsumu knowing very well that we’re dating, what kind of person that makes you, mh?” Each word pronounced was embedded with venom of your own, and deep down, exposing the true nature of your former best friend brought some sense of satisfaction. And thus you began reading out loud each text they had sent you, justifying their one-sided reason to join the team, only to flirt with Atsumu.
“Yeah, ya’ ain’t slick! Sorry to break it to ya’ but I ain’t into snakes.” Atsumu continued, sticking his tongue out before the still dumbfounded personification of a snake.
Pure embarrassment consumed them, the more they were staying amongst the deafening silence of their sour loss, the more they felt vulnerable and the more they realized they lost their own game. The stares of the whole team became agonizing, so agonizing that they felt obligated to leave the gym, head hung low in defeat.
“Byeee! Ya’ won’t be missed!” Your boyfriend concluded his sentence by imitating the hissing sounds of snakes, and you wondered why you were dating a man-child. Nonetheless, knowing very well he couldn’t get his hands off of you and craved for a physical touch at all times, he pressed his lips against yours once more. â€œI ain’t into snakes but ya’ could s-s-s-s-slide your way into my heart, baby.” and with that, Osamu hit the back of his twin’s head with a volleyball.
Maybe he deserved that.
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Being the unofficial dad of the Karasuno volleyball team came with its perks, one of them was the ability to be able to discern if the people you were hanging with genuinely cared about you or not, you liked to joke around and call this his â€œsecret dad weapon.”
Much like Kuroo, he was not one bit surprised when you told him that you had to put your friendship to an end with your former best friend. Of course, he was not angry, but in typical dad fashion, he adorned the oh so famous disappointed dad expression on his facial structure.
He told you not to overthink it, and to focus on the other friendly presences in your life such as the volleyball team or Kiyoko and Yachi, mainly because he knew he could trust them with his eyes closed, but also because he knew he would be able to make them pay if they were to hurt you.
When you started dating Daichi, you grew the habit to join him outside the gymnasium after his training, a bottle of water in your hand in case he overworked himself, which he always did. 
This time, and much to your surprise, you found a note near the doorframe leading to the gymnasium. And if you were careful enough, the slight details and the precise calligraphy hinted that said note was in fact a love note. 
You found it rather amusing at first, perhaps it was a letter dedicated to Kiyoko because this woman was the living and breathing proof that God was indeed a woman. 
But everyday, you would find yet another letter, still carefully written and decorated leaning against the doorframe. This time, however, a calligraphic â€˜D.S’ framed the front of the letter. You couldn’t help but let your stare roam over the fine print of calligraphy over and over again. 
As the saying goes â€˜curiosity killed the cat’, and you were no exception to that common phrase. You meticulously took the letter and unfolded it- it was so beautifully written, the details were placed strategically. It was a proof of pure love in the form of a letter. 
Then, you began reading it :  “Dear Daichi,  Words cannot do justice of how much I love you. Everything about you fascinates me- from the way you spike the ball so roughly to the small smile on your face after scoring a point. If only I could tell you how much you mean to me. Don’t worry, Y/N won’t know a thing. Come to the gymnasium tomorrow at 5 if you wish, until then, accept all my love.”
You read the letter once, then twice, then an umpteenth time until the words were embedded in your brain. You thought it was just a prank, after all, Nishinoya and Tanaka were quite the pranksters amongst the team, but the handwriting was so delicate, too delicate to be theirs. 
You could feel salty pearls coming at the brim of your eyes until they fell onto the surface of the paper, resulting in the texture of the letter now being bloated under the wetness of your tears. 
You kept your discovery under silence, you trusted your boyfriend of course, but given the additional stress brought by the nationals, you refused to distract him from his goal.
But here you were, sharply there in front of the gym at five as indicated on the letter. However, Daichi hadn’t shown up like the anonymous lover requested, he was already stretching anyway. 
Knots started to form in your stomach as you wondered who the hell had the idea to write this love letter to him, after all, it’s not as if your relationship with Daichi was kept as a secret. 
And at 5:01 precisely, your orbs felt on the figure of your former best friend who had the most victorious grin plastered upon their face. Not only these letters were meant to be read by Daichi, but by you too, their main goal was to hurt you where it stung the most.
“What the hell are you doing here? Where you the one who wrote these letters?” You spat, waving the letters between your thumb and forefinger. 
“I’m sorry, Y/N, I know you love to make everything about yourself but I was expecting Daichi, not you.” Although they said they were sorry, there was not one ounce of genuine compassion in their voice.
Anger got the best of you resulting in the sudden apparition of veins on your neck as the volume of your voice only increased : â€œWho the fuck do you think you are? Are you that desperate? If you want a reply to your letter : Daichi doesn’t even know who you are.”
Your emotions controlled each one of your actions, including the severe tone of your voice. The ruckus made its way inside the walls of the gymnasium, until Daichi and Sugawara opened the door in order to find an answer as their interrogation : what was happening outside? 
Daichi’s eyes widened when he saw your frame shaking from anger, it was so unlike you, you matched him in a way because you were always so calm and collected. His mind raced as he wondered what was the cause of this sudden switch of behavior. 
He found the answer to his question pretty rapidly as his eyes darted towards your former best friend who was still wearing that victorious grin on their facial structure. â€œY/N, love, what’s going on?” he asked as his hands were draped over your shoulders, forcing you to look at him.
“Oh, hey, Daichi! Have you read the letters I left for you? I bet Y/N never wrote this kind of letters for you.” It took inhuman strength for Daichi to ignore their taunt, instead, Sugawara sent a death glare their way : â€œJust leave, you have no business being here.”
Sugawara’s attempt at making them leave eventually succeeded after Coach Ukai’s sudden appearance before barking on your former best friend to â€œget the hell out of here” and â€œnot disturb training anymore.”
Eventually, you were left alone with Daichi, your lungs felt constricted and you struggled to breathe. The aftermath of your outburst of anger made tears run down your cheeks as you sought for comfort inside of Daichi’s loving embrace. 
The pad of his thumb brushed your tears away, planting a series of kisses upon the surface of your forehead as a silent way to tell you that he was here and he was not going to let you go.
“Listen, love, I don’t know what happened and we will talk about it whenever you feel ready. But promise me one thing, never doubt of my love for you. Could you do that for me, Y/N?”
You simply nodded against his chest, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat kept the haunting thoughts in your head at bay. â€œI love you so much, Y/N, so, so much.” he whispered, concluding his sentence with a kiss left on your lips.
If only he knew how much you loved him. 
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consumedkings-archive · 4 years ago
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✀ hi hello! my mini passion projects, ancient names + witching hour, have reached 4.9k+ hits cumulatively, and that shit is straight-up bananas nuts to me. i am so so grateful that folks want to be out here reading my content, and more than that, i am so so grateful that i get to ingest content from other incredibly talented writers, who make me a better writer by proximity alone (nevermind their graciousness and kindness in giving me feedback, helping me talk through plot holes, and just all in all being wonderful folks). so! as a way to say thanks, i wanted to gather them all here, so that i can express my admiration and maybe give folks the chance to see their work!
✀ these are listed in no particular order! you will look up these works (ye mighty, and despair). keep in mind this is by no means a comprehensive list and i plan on continuously adding as i go with content creators that i enjoy!
— fearful symmetry by @starcrier; john wick x oc slow burn, SLOOOOW burn, like the most delicious suffering of a slow burn i have ever had the pleasure to experience. star is immensely talented at flushing out ocs and making them feel like they belong in the world and have always belonged there, and we love to see wick with someone who can tell him to go to hell without blinking : ^ )
— pomegranate by @vasiktomis: another slow burn of the delicious variety! if you're like me (and if you're reading this, you probably are) there is nothing sexier than two people arguing for years and then realizing that they actually want to smash each other (unfortunately) (derogatory) (affectionate). yes all of those tags apply. no i will not elaborate. read it and experience the rollercoaster!
— death and the maiden by @shallow-gravy: we've got OBSESSIVE JOHN SEED, we've got TRUCKS BLOWIN UP, we've got FOLKS DOIN HARD DRUGS AND THEN GOING ON A MURDER RAMPAGE, we've got THREE IDIOTS TRY AND DRIVE A TRUCK WITH ONLY ONE BRAINCELL BETWEEN THEM. these are just a few of the many tantalizing features you (yes: you!) might be able to experience in this gorgeous fic! not to mention jess has an incredible handle on character voices!
— searching for hope by @lilwritingraven: drama! drama abound! there's like not a single chapter of this that doesn't have me going 👀👀👀 the WHOLE time. it's perfectly paced with some emotional moments too, really sucks you in to what's happening in the story and you will be shipping the main oc with more than one person (if you have good taste like meeeeeee anyway)! ♡♡
— wildfire by @adelaidedrubman: john seed gets his ass verbally handed to him literally nonstop. you would think this would be enough to make you want to read this (it is) but there's also an incredibly compelling female lead and a cast of gorgeous ocs that are going to flush out an already eclectic group from the canon setting that makes this one of my absolute faves!!!!
— the lamb of god by @romach: JOEY HUDSON X OC. DO I NEED TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE. (yes) but seriously there is such a significant deficit of hudson x oc content out there in the world and izzie serves it!!! it's in the early stages still but i'm so interested to see where their story with georgia goes ♡
— stillness in woe by @scungilliwoman: another john seed x oc fic, BUT i have to say i love seeing content out there in the far cry 5 fandom that isn't limited to the deputy x canon character. amanda is not just a sweetheart as a person but does a great job setting the scene and really pulling you into her work when you're ready!
and hell followed with him by @chazz-anova: i have a type. and that type is blondes who kick ass. sorry to this man (john seed) but i am rooting for veronica to put his ass in the dirt the entire time and i think that's a pretty good hallmark of a good story!! i typically have a hard time with fics that follow events of the game quite closely, but reading this really just feels like getting immersed in the world and experiencing all the little details of it, and it's also one of those that's still in early chapters!
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lonely-t0wn · 3 years ago
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thots on best brandon outfits?
oh god...this is gonna be so long. in an effort to not make this a 300 page dissertation, i’m excluding stuff he only wore in photo shoots and stuff. here we go:
first the red military-style jacket he wore most notably at manchester on the tde tour:
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this look is honestly perfect. he is an actual disney prince and it makes me Insane. he looks so good in red, and the gold details are just chef’s kiss. genuinely one of his Peak Looksâ„ąïž, especially with perfect tde hair before it went full neck curls. does he know i’d die for the one curl in the front? because i would, i really would. if he ever brought this jacket back i would absolutely pass away like WHEN is this man going to climb my tower (😏) and save me from my old ways??
the star shirt my beLOVED:
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in either the classic short-sleeved form, or the more rare long-sleeved version with the vest, this look is so SO good. the tight black pants and combat boots were so simple but make me SO weak. and the way the shirt would cling to him when he got sweaty?? and how the nevada necklace perfectly nestled into the unbuttoned collar??? hello 911? yes there is a woman here who has stopped breathing. pls send help ASAP.
the grandpa/carpet vest:
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UNIRONICALLY this is one of his Best Looks ever and i do NOT accept criticism thanks!!! if you insult it 3 times i appear in your room and k*ll you instantly. the rolled sleeves of the white shirt underneath?? the tightness of the vest? the soft brown color looks so good on him and the pattern is interesting and fun. if the itm/pm tour turns into flamingo 2.0 in terms of looks i DEMAND he brings this back. 20/10, stunning, talented, amazing, spectacular.
sam’s town decennial suit:
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do i even have to say anything about this one? the way his shirt gets soaked (i’m really channeling gemma for this ask, huh?) and is so exposed because of the low-cut vest is SO oppressive. the pinstripes make him look tall and somehow even more USDA Certified Leanâ„ąïž it’s so unfair??? this look is so classy, we love a frontman who cares so much about his look.
sparkly valentino jacket:
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how fucking gorgeous is the way this jacket sparkles when he moves???? the flames and stars give it a lowkey cowboy vibe, but like. a classy one who has an expansive ranch that he hires other people to take care of as his sips sweet tea from the porch in high-heeled boots. it’s really a tragedy that i’m 99.9% sure he wasn’t allowed to keep it because we really deserved to see this beauty more than once. he looks so good in blue and really needs to wear it more.
letterman jacket:
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red is absolutely his color, i will fight you on this. i’m just really so weak for this look, i don’t know what else to say. he looks like the captain of the basketball team and i go to games literally just to watch him. i would let this brandon bully me and shove me into a locker and i would thank him, honestly.
the Gold Suitâ„ąïž:
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how iconic is it that he felt too self-conscious to wear the full outfit during sam’s town but he kept it and absolutely rocked it during ww...king. i also love how his thighs were Too Powerful and he kept busting the seams but it didn’t stop him. literally where would we as a society be without him performing the calling in this outfit??? a true highlight of the tour for sure, i’m very sad at the thought he won’t see it again next tour
this metallic jacket:
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he’s only worn it a handful of times which is really a hate crime against me specifically because it’s??? so???? pretty?????? the bluish green color is just chef’s kiss, and i love how shiny it is under the lights. he really doesn’t wear enough jewel tones but he SHOULD because he looks great
and finally, our lord and savior, levitcus:
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YES this look is A Lotâ„ąïž and shocked me immensely the first time i ever saw it. it really takes your breath away. but i eventually saw the light and realized the true beauty of the long velvet coat paired with the scruff, sunglasses, and weird bead necklace. this was bold and i think began his weird commitment to the aesthetic despite how hot it is when performing.
ask me “thoughts on ______”
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grimoireofwritings · 4 years ago
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Hiii again!! I cant get enough with ur writing. Please if u dont mind making one., again? UMM where Langris is very jealous to the black bull bcoz his s/o (fem) (a member of black bull) and shes very close with them. Or just along the lines? Thank you agaaain!!
Hello again my dear!! No need to apologize, you can send in as much as your heart desires. I am deeply sorry this is sooooo shamefully late. Chronic health difficulties have gotten a bit complicated lately and I'm trying to be more consistent with this blog. Hopefully the scenario was worth the wait!
Also I headcanon William is the squad's therapist on many occasions, you can't change my mind 💀
Scenario: Langris Vaude's fem s/o is in the black bulls.. and he's jealous!!
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No matter how much he pushed the aching itch at the front of his mind away, or brushed aside the little intrusive thoughts he experienced day by day, sometimes even going so far as to manifest them in little growls of frustration and the tightening of his jaw... Langris Vaude was failing horribly... Miserably, even, to set aside his personal emotions regarding the whereabouts of his partner.
She... With those gorgeous (e/c) sparkling hues that always lit up at the sight of something she loved.. and the way the sunlight often glimmered so flawlessly against the soft sheen of her hair - was far too beyond his reach for his comfort. Not only that, it completely wracked at his nerves on a daily basis.. that he... That person.. got to see her and her beauty far more than Langris ever did.
His brother. And the black bulls in general. So unworthy of her presence, her stunning grace. Not only that, he knew about his damn brother. And even he had to admit that he'd be a blind fool not to recognize such a gorgeous woman in his proximity. Considering that shameless flirting habit, it made him grit his teeth knowing that Finral was inevitably wooing her on a daily basis. Beyond his control.
"Does he even realize how lucky he is to be graced with her mere presence?? So undeserving.."
This had been Langris' current obsession for about a month now, and it haunted him, even going as far as losing sleep against his own will. It was getting to the point that he was grinding his teeth and mumbling to himself, much to the dismay and terror of his subordinates as he passed them by in the HQ's long hallways... Probably fearing for their lives being so close to his dangerous aura, permeating off of him like a toxin.
But after one last all-nighter of complete mental torture, he was done in, he had finally caved. It took a lot, and I mean a shit load of stress to force Langris into swallowing his pride. Something he was about to do that morning.
He knew Captain Vangeance was up, even at this ungodly hour. The man seemed to enjoy getting up at the crack of dawn to get a head start on his work load, for the sake of having spare time in the evenings to tend to his private garden. Yet here was he, concerningly deep and dark bags under his eyes, as he paced and debated with himself outside the Captain's door to his office, feeling held back by his own dignity on the line to actually knock.
Eventually though, his choice was made for him, as his mumbling was interrupted by the door opening up. There was his Captain, the same trademark amiable smile on his face as he appeared before him, seemingly in a bit of a preoccupied hurry. He halted completely though upon spotting his Vice Captain, raising a brow, before his expression immediately faltered into a look of concern at the sight of Langris appearing so unhinged. Was something going on that he had failed to notice?
"Langris, good morning. You look troubled. Is there something I can help you with?" He tilted his head expectantly, a friendly and welcoming look in his eyes behind that mask of his. Langris bit his lip.. somehow the open offer made him feel even more on edge than he'd expected. Geez.. why did his Captain have to be such an insufferable softie??
Giving a few reluctant grumbles, the shorter spacial mage gave a slow nod. "Yeah... I came for some.. advice" he said, begrudgingly managing to spit out the last word distastefully. And to his slight surprise, Vangeance didn't hesitate to give a nod and he opened up the door to his office, offering the space for the two of them. "Of course. Step inside."
There was a bit of an awkward quietness as they did just that, Langris being sure to avoid eye contact - as he instead focused on the sensation of a crisp breeze passing by through the opened windows and the faint scent of the flowers William cared for in his office. It brought "life" to the space, the Captain had said.. it had made Langris scoff.
He watched Vangeance approach his desk, but instead of circling around to take a seat, he settled for leaning back against the wooden mahogany top, letting it support his weight. "Alright. What's on your mind?" He asked. It honestly sometimes amazed Langris how the Captain managed to speak in a way that was both gentle and calming, yet straightforward and confident.
"I... Have.... A girlfriend..." He started after an agonizingly long pause. Each word seemed so painfully difficult to force out through gritted teeth. But after another few passing moments, the image popped into his tormented mind again. Finral... That ridiculous, stupid, idiotic grin on his face as he flirted in the most unbecoming, disrespectful way to his precious y/n. And that was it - his resolve broke. And his insecurities became less important than his need to vent.
"She's with the black bulls. She's a magic knight under Yami and... Sometimes I just get so pissed off that my damn good for nothing brother gets to spend far more time with her than I ever can. I'm so busy and swamped with work here that I hardly even have time to make plans.. and take her on dates. I want to treat her with the respect and care she deserves, but.. I can't. And that makes me afraid."
He was gritting his teeth, utterly humiliated as tears began to prick his eyes. Why? He figured it was probably because he hadn't actually talked about his feelings with someone in ages. Perhaps he'd repressed more than he realized.
"Afraid she'll abandon you for something or someone else..?" William prompted gently. And Langris nodded. "Yeah.. I mean, my brother. We all know he was the one out of my family that our peers preferred. I was better, I was praised, I was rewarded on a materialistic level for talent. But I was never.. liked. In the way he was. With that whole soft hearted sensitive guy display. She's around him, all day, every day.. and I just... I..."
He finally cracked a bit more and planted his face in his hands, unable to finish. Completely destraught. And he was forced in that moment to face his own inner ugliness - the insecurities and jealousy he felt so much shame for harboring at all.
William gave him a brief moment, both to ensure he had finished saying all he needed to express, and to truly consider those words. He hummed. "I see. It seems this is something that's been deeply disturbing you and impacting your health, even. A very painful and helpless situation, by the sound of it. It pains me to see you so destraught, Langris."
For a moment, as Vangeance removed his mask and placed it neatly beside him, Langris mistook a look of sympathy and empathy in those eyes for something as disgusting as pity. And he snapped, making an impulsive remark in his state of frightened vulnerability.
"Whatever. As if you have any experience with women to begin with, what with that face-"
He halted abruptly before he could finish. No, that was unacceptably harsh. "I apologize." He mumbled, a moment later. William Vangeance sighed deeply, brushing off the remark. It clearly stung but he was far more concerned about his underling than himself at that moment. "You're forgiven, Langris."
The Vice Captain began to shuffle and twitch nervously, this was going so much worse than he even thought possible. But that changed with William's next words.
"Langris. I think you ought to have a little more faith in your partner's judgement, and her decision making. Despite all the time she spends with the black bulls, and your brother, she still chose you, above them. She developed those special feelings for you, and at the end of the day, you are her person.. the person she loves. Trust that judgement of hers, and that she hand selected you for a reason. Women are smart like that, they hardly waste their time with someone they aren't interested in. I am positive she cherishes you, and thinks of you, every day."
He smiled, and even approached his subordinate with a warmth in his expression. "I think.. perhaps it would reassure you to reach out to her, a bit more. She understands you have a lot of responsibility, but with women, I've definitely perceived that they appreciate even the smallest gestures immensely. Send her hand written notes, flowers, or even sweets. Whatever you know she likes the most, and would appreciate as a gesture of affection. It will remind her that you're thinking of her, and likewise, I'm positive she will respond to you in a way that provides you some peace of mind. Rekindle that romance, and maybe even.. consider opening up to her about your feelings, like you have right now."
Langris interrupted, shaking his head stubbornly. "No. Then she'll know how weak I am" he stated. Vangeance chuckled, his smile softening. "Hmm.. I disagree. I can garuntee you that she will perceive such vulnerability as trust. She'll see that you trust her integrity to confide in her. That will strengthen your relationship with her more than anything else. I promise.. just try it once, and tell me how it works out."
Langris puffed a sigh through his cheeks. "Fine... Fine. Fine." He repeated the word, each time a bit more in defeat. "Listen.. I'll try it, but only because I'm desperate. And because I want to, not because you told me to."
With that, William held back a grin of amusement, and he nodded in satisfaction. "Of course. Hopefully, that will help you out. But besides that.. I think I'm going to give you some time off. Go see her, and spend some quality time by her side. I think it would do you some good."
Langris raised a brow, seemingly a bit confused. "But Captain, all my work-" he was interrupted by a hand, that was held upwards with a sense of finality. "No buts. Besides... Your quality of work is suffering anyway due to your current state of health. I'd rather you go take care of yourself first, then return to finish up your tasks properly. Until then, I'll take care of things. You have my word that everything will be fine."
Langris took a few long moments to ponder this, and his Captain's gesture. He started to realize more and more, working alongside Vangeance, why his squad was so fiercely loyal to him, and that their team was so successful to begin with.
"Alright. I'll accept your offer. Vangeance..."
He glanced up at his Captain sheepishly as he followed the scarred man towards the exit of his office.
"Thank you. Very much."
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lucas-koh · 4 years ago
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Stitches - Bryce Lahela x MC II
Also uploaded to Ao3! Go check it out there if you’d like my user is margotmuses
Doesn’t follow canon, but elements of canon. FWB.
Song: Feel Real - Deptford Goth
Rating: M
Word Count: 3409
Please check out chapter one first if you haven’t already!
Taglist: @lahellacute @tyrilsnightbloom @bubblelaureno
Chapter Two: Suki’s Flip-Flop, Intensive, Very Long Day
On a pretty big whim, Sienna, Jackie, Aurora, and Elijah had decided to look at apartments and move in together on the walk home from Donahue’s. Turned out none of their current living situations were ideal, and as crazy as it sounded, Suki felt like this might just work out. Weirder stuff had happened, right? She’d lived with complete strangers in college, so this was no huge thing, really. Over the following week they scored themselves an absolute bargain of a stunning top level apartment which overlooked the classic Boston skyline. Somehow, they’d managed to convince the landlord to rent to them for cheap, and soon enough everyone started to move their stuff in.
To celebrate their gorgeous new apartment, the group decided that they would throw a housewarming party at some point in the next few weeks. Planning was immense - everyone wanted to do something different, plus finding time where everyone would be off work was difficult. Elijah had never thrown a house party before, so he was overlooking most of the planning, while Sienna and Suki did tasks such as stocking up on cheap booze. Aurora didn’t really want to get involved in the planning side of things, too focused on her studies, but was looking forward to the party all the same. She was crazy grateful to be able to move away from her overbearing aunt. Jackie also wasn’t so involved in the planning, but more out of lack of interest in making plans. After a week or so, they’d decided on a date. All that was left to do was to invite everyone. And, yeah, that pretty much meant everyone.
Suki’s mind had been pretty occupied, mostly by a certain sun-kissed surgeon who’d swayed her to The Stone Roses. Since that first night, Suki had only seen Bryce in passing in the corridors, always taking lunch breaks and the like at different times due to the different demands of their jobs. He’d wink or grin at her and for a moment she’d be completely focused on only that. Not to mention the all-consuming sexual chemistry they had with each other being sparked each time they merely passed by one another. She was continuously bothered by the strange familiar feeling she felt with him, increasingly frustrated that she couldn’t pin it down.
About two and a half weeks in, Suki was suffering from an absolutely awful day. None of her patients were looking at a positive outcome, and she was feeling utterly helpless about it all. Existentialism: Doctor’s edition. She’d shut herself away in a supply closet to be alone with her thoughts. And to cry. What good was being doctor if you couldn’t save lives? And everything felt like a minefield. One wrong move and it could all implode. Misdiagnoses were so easy to make and so incredibly dangerous, she could prescribe someone a medicine they were allergic to and make their symptoms broaden, or even just upsetting someone because there was nothing she could do. She worried she wasn’t ready for this job. It was all very well reading up about illnesses and treatments, but actually putting it into practice? Dealing with real life people? So incredibly intimidating.
Abruptly the door creaked open and Suki jumped back.
“Oh! Sorry, I didn’t
 think anyone was in here.” It was Bryce. Of course it was. He looked just as good as ever, framed in the dark by the light from the hall. “I just needed to get some suture kits...”
“It’s fine, just shut the door,” her voice cloyed but she tried to subtly wipe the tears from her eyes.
He did as she asked and came closer towards her. Even though it was dark, he noticed the red rings round her eyes and wet cheeks.
“Hey, hey. What’s going on?” His voice was soothing and gentle, his usual cocky demeanours put on a shelf.
“It’s just
 I feel like I have too much power. I pretty much get to decide who lives or dies. I get to decide which words to use to ruin someone’s life I-“ she couldn’t help it as the tears began to pour out again. She wasn’t sure why she was baring her soul to Bryce, but something in her knew he would know what to say. He stood and listened, watching patiently. Bryce stepped in so he was closer to Suki.
“If I tell someone I’ll save their life, but I can’t, how am I supposed to live with myself? How do I tell a parent their six-year-old will never see it to seven? Bryce
” she continued, her eyes were wide and glassy as she stared up at him. Hearing her say his name like that stirred something in Bryce he wasn’t quite comfortable admitting.
“I know. But you’re damn good at your job, Suki. If you tell someone you’ll save their life, and you do, how do you not believe in yourself? How do you tell an old man he’s in remission? There are so many good parts to this job. It’s hard as shit, yeah, but we knew that. It was never going to be easy.” He lifted up his free hand and ran his thumb softly along her eyes to clear her tears.
“But it’s my fault. If I fail a patient... Maybe I shouldn’t be here.”
He laughed a brief hearty chuckle. “You made It through med school, climbed your way to the top of the medical interns at Edenbrook, and you really think you’re in the wrong place? I’ve seen those rankings, Moore. You’re good crop.”
She gave him a lopsided smile. His confidence had a way of rubbing off on her.
“Every doctor has their moment of doubt. It’ll pass.” He continued.
“How do you do it?”
He shrugged. “I just know I’m damn good at what I do. It’s still early days, Suki. Just let it come and go.”
She nodded and felt the desire to hug him. Lucky for her, he held his arms out to her and she collided with his hard chest, again. She still had her arms crossed in front of her, but moved to cradle her head into the crook of his neck, shifting her body so she was leaning into him. Bryce’s arms enveloped her, like a large, hard, teddy. She felt like a baby, cocooned and cooed at by the light soothing motion Bryce was drawing down her back. It felt like the most natural thing.
“Shit. I guess you are damn good at what you do,” she said. Her voice was muffled by Bryce’s scrub top, but he heard her all the same, and couldn’t help but grin at the girl in his arms.
“I told you, I’m a talented guy.”
She pulled her head back after a minute, looking up into his brown eyes, which were honey like his skin usually, but deep and alluring in the dimmed light of the supply closet. His arms still cradled her.
She suddenly wanted to tangle her fingers into his hair and kiss him passionately. Because despite the snark, the ego, the cockiness, he’d made her feel better after an incredibly difficult day. And there was definitely something scandalous about being in a supply closet together. The thick sexual tension that had been whirring for two weeks now was at an all time high. Her eyes flirted down to his plump lips, still ghosted with a smile. Her heart was pumping right out of her chest, she was surprised he couldn’t feel it against his own. The chemistry could be cut with a knife. She tightened her arms around herself as she made the flash decision. Without giving him too much time to back out, Suki swiftly moved forward and pressed her lips to his.
He hesitated at first, still as stone, giving Suki a moment to freak out – shit, he doesn’t want to be doing this. I made the wrong call - before he pushed his lips back into hers with fervent want. They reacted to each other like it was something that had been simmering for way longer than just two and half weeks. Their mouths clambered almost clumsily around each other. Bryce’s hands moved up her back and to her neck with a caress, before he steered her round and pushed her up against the shelves. A few bits of equipment fell down, but they didn’t care. Suki pulled him as close to her as she could, hands gripping his waist. She could feel his muscles move under her fingers as they kissed, which sent a jolt through her stomach. She was actually kissing him. For some reason, the idea felt unattainable and the fact that it was happening felt fantastical.
His lips were soft but applied pressure, his tongue demanding and dominating. Suki let out an unintentional moan, causing a gruff noise from Bryce’s throat, and she could feel him smiling against her lips. Caught up in the passion of the moment, and wanting to savour every part of this, Suki lifted up a leg and wrapped it around Bryce’s hip. He responded by pressing his body tighter against hers and removing a hand from her neck to support her leg, copping a feel of her backside on the way there.
Suki didn’t even care that the shelves were digging into her back. All she cared about in that moment was getting as much as she could out of Bryce. Because, god, was he hot. His kisses were practised and skilled, clearly something he’d done a lot. She pulled him closer towards her, and he removed his lips from hers to burrow his face into her neck and suck at that sweet spot. She gasped at the sensation, earning a cocky chuckle from Bryce. If he gave her a hickey, she was dead.
To avoid that possibility, she pulled his face from her neck to meet her lips again, deepening the kiss, and finally threading her fingers through his floppy hair in the way she’d wanted to before.
A loud creak and unexpected light falling on her shut eyelids indicated that the door had been opened. Suki opened her eyes wide and looked over to the door to see an older Doctor. Oh god. She knew this guy. Dr Zaid Mirani – her attending. The leg which had been round Bryce’s hip dropped immediately.
“Can you give us a minute?” Bryce asked, frustrated, eyes shut and forehead against Suki’s, not giving a single shit that they’d just been caught in the act, not even bothering to see who it was.
“I need some scissors. Don’t let me stop you,” Zaid snapped.
At this, Bryce sighed and stepped away from Suki. Suki tried turning away coyly so that Zaid didn’t see her face, moving away from the shelves to give him access. There was a deafening awkward silence as Zaid rummaged through the shelves to find what he needed, Suki looking anywhere but at either of the men in the room. Bryce’s eyes watched her, flattening her hair down on her head and smoothing down her clothes.
After what felt like far too long, Zaid left without a word. The door shut behind him and Bryce and Suki were sent back into dim light. She looked over to Bryce finally, who was leaning against a cupboard with his hands in his pockets, a humorous smile playing on his lips. Even in the dark he looked good, hair ruffled from her fingers and lips swollen from relentless kissing. Ah, shit. He looked so good. Unlike Suki, he hadn’t taken the time to refine his appearance. But, she kind of liked it that way.
“That kinda killed the mood,” he said, pushing off the cupboard.
“
yeah. We should get back to work, anyway,” replied Suki. She was hot from embarrassment, again. This boy sure knew how to get her flustered, both unintentionally and intentionally. That kiss sure had some intention behind it. It had been a nice distraction, and admittedly she felt much better, but it was time to get back to reality.
He chuckled and scratched his thumb over his chin. He didn’t seem embarrassed at all. Then again, asking a resident to leave so they could continue their steamy make-out didn’t strike Suki as something someone who was easily embarrassed would do. Unluckily for her, Suki was a stickler for humiliation. Maybe hooking up with Dr Bryce No-Fear wasn’t something a blubbering blushing mess should repeat.
Bryce walked toward Suki, and she almost jumped back, worried he might try again. For a couple of reasons: worried they’d be caught again, and Suki would never live it down with herself, but also worried she wouldn’t be able to stop at a sensible place. He was too sexy, and too experienced. But he reached behind Suki to grab a suture kit. The whole reason he’d even been here in the first place. He held it up to show her, before making his way to the door.
“You’ll kill it out there, Dr. Moore,” he reassured before opening the door, letting the light flood the room again, and shutting it behind him once again leaving Suki in the dimness.
She crept out of the supply closet, not looking where she was going and accidentally ramming straight into Jackie.
“You look a mess!” Jackie laughed, noting Suki’s scruffed up hair and creased scrubs.
Suki cursed herself internally as she once again started to sweat.
“Oh! Long day, is all. I’m only halfway through, too!”
Jackie side-eyed her blustery response. “I’ve got to get this shot to this patient. You’re lucky this time, Moore.”
—-
A couple of hours later, Suki was finally grabbing a bite to eat when she received a page from Aurora.
Suki rushed into the room, where Aurora was already debriefing the resident. Shit. It was Zaid. She prayed that he hadn’t caught her face before, that it had been too dark and she’d turned away quick enough that he hadn’t recognised her.
“Hey, Aurora. What’s the situation?” She breathed out, exhausted from speeding up there. Aurora looked grateful as she turned to Suki.
“Moore,” Zaid greeted tightly. Something told her that he had definitely seen her face earlier. He didn’t seem like the type to bring it up, though.
“Ms. Redford was admitted for a broken neck, but her blood work looks incredibly strange
”
—-
“So, Dr Mirani’s a pretty grumpy guy, but why do I feel like there was a reason he was short with you earlier?” Aurora asked as the walked down the corridor to their next patient. Damn her for being smart and perceptive.
Suki weighed up whether or not to tell Aurora. It might be quite nice to have someone on her side, to tell all the awkward stories. She hadn’t done the whole secret make-out since college, and back then, she had a roommate to gossip about it with. At the end of the day Suki still barely knew Aurora; sure, they lived together, but they hardly even had a chance to be at the apartment together with their different shifts and the like. And when they weren’t at work, they were sleeping or eating. Maybe that meant telling her would feel like less of a big deal? Then again, even the idea of saying it was making her cringe. Plus, Aurora was great but she might not be too impressed that Suki had been taking time out of work to make-out with a surgical intern. In a supply closet which anyone could walk in on. And, had walked in on. A senior attending. She decided against it.
“I don’t know. I just don’t think he likes me much,” she wasn’t a very good liar, which Aurora seemed to glean; but she didn’t push further.
—-
After what felt like the most exhausting day ever - having difficult patients, a mental breakdown in a supply closet, a hot make out session in the same supply closet, being caught by her attending, and then having hours more of gruelling work – Suki threw herself onto her bed dramatically. It felt like her whole body, including her internal organs, was on fire. She eventually got up to change into her pyjamas, clean her face, and brush her teeth. There was a knock on her door. She opened it to reveal it was Elijah.
“Hey, what’s up?” He asked, it looked like he’d been home a while. Suki was happy to see him nonetheless.
“Just winding down after work, you know.”
“Yeah, today was a long one,” he added awkwardly.
“Tell me about it.”
He seemed like there was something he knew, or wanted to say, but didn’t.
“Movie?” Elijah asked.
“Sure, I might pass out though.”
She followed Elijah to the sofa and let him load up Netflix. She pulled off the fluffy blanket from the arm and snuggled into the crook of the sofa, next to Elijah’s chair. They put on a classic romcom and settled in to watch it, everyone else either asleep or working. Suki and her other roommates had become close quickly, but she still felt she wanted to bond more with them, get to know them better. She truly loved each one of them, and they each had their own personal qualities which enriched the group.
“So-“ Elijah finally came out with about a quarter of the way in, only to turn and see Suki had passed out.
Elijah tucked her in on the sofa and shut the TV off so she wouldn’t be disturbed. He would have to talk to her again another time. He wheeled away into his own bedroom.
—-
Around an hour later, Suki woke with a stir, taking a moment to recognise her surroundings. She must’ve fallen asleep here, and she noticed how she was tucked into the blanket. Elijah. How was she ever going to bond more with her flat mates If she couldn’t even stay awake to watch a movie with them? She sighed, folding up the blanket to place on the sofa arm again, and made her way into her own bed.
In the dark of the night, Suki’s thoughts wandered to Bryce’s lips on hers, his hands on her neck, his lips on her neck, his body close to hers

She thought about that smirk and that laugh, the way his hair felt under her fingers, his taut stomach muscles under her hands. The way he tasted clean, faintly minty, the smoothness of his lips on her own. The feeling of her leg wrapped round his hip. If Zaid hadn’t interrupted when he had, Suki wasn’t sure she would’ve been able to stop. Truthfully, it had been a while since she’d slept with anyone, and a while since she’d actually been so sexually attracted to someone.
But she tried not to think about it. He’d helped her out of a tight spot earlier, and she’d thanked him. Now, she would have to put in all her effort to be a better doctor. Not try to sleep with the other interns. No matter how sexy their body and face and demeanour was. She wondered why he’d been so kind to her, taken the time to reassure her and validate her thought. Perhaps just a ploy to get that kiss, or something more, but Suki wasn’t really sure she cared if it had been. Even so, he’d seemed genuine. She supposed he was a doctor after all, helping people was second nature to him.
Come to think of it, the way they’d kissed in the supply closet struck that odd feeling in her again. How did she know him? Did he know her? Was she just superimposing someone else on to him to make him more appealing to her carnal desires and more of a mystery to solve? Maybe it was that if she let herself get hung up in this completely farcical idea, she could ignore what she was really thinking about deep down: her failures as a doctor.
So, maybe she didn’t know Bryce at all. She just liked how he looked and wanted there to be something. They say if you desire something, it pops up everywhere. So, those feelings of dĂ©jĂ  vu, maybe they were all in her head. Or maybe she was just spiralling, after the ridiculously lengthy and eventful day. Her eyelids started to drop unintentionally. Maybe she would think about this tomorrow, instead

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sweetrupturedlight · 4 years ago
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This week on Sen Çal Kapımı
Serkan's inability to articulate his feelings for Eda has him literally man down, while Eda contemplates their kinda, sorta, maybe mutual feelings and her future. Other stuff happens, but come on, with this episode, Edser takes centre stage as the ship sets sail on the high seas.
Before we jump right into it, last week in this post, I bulleted the things all of us expected was coming. 
Let’s take one moment to note the glorious ways in which all of these things unfolded?
Nursing back to health
Pining
Severe angst
Breaking point
Dear writers of this show, we appreciate you. We are truly blessed.
Now, on to this week. The episode picks up where we left off, with Selin giving Serkan 2 days to decide whether she drops Ferit like a hot potato on the eve of their wedding. Let’s be clear, she wants to dump a man she is supposed to marry in two days to resume a logical and clinical relationship? Is Selin even in love with Serkan? It doesn’t seem like he treated her very well – but then again, it seems their relationship had a very logical genesis – no sweeping romantic gestures, no sweet words, no compliments it would seem! etc. So objectively I’m not sure what exactly makes that prospect better than the one with Ferit – who clearly does love and care for her. But I digress. 
Essentially, this is how it plays out:
Selin: “Let me know in max 2 days if you want to be with me, k.”
Serkan: ...
Eda: Simply exists.
Serkan: Stares directly at Selin as he deliberately grasps Eda’s hand and holds on for dear life.
Now, they say actions speak louder than words... so how is Selin still not clear on the fact that Serkan not rushing to end her marriage means he’s not interested???
Anyhoo, Serkan and Eda spend most of the episode circling around the same.
Did you say yes to Selin?
What is your opinion on my situation with Selin?
Would you stay?
I can’t stay because
 reasons
If either one of these to love-struck puppies took a second to reflect, they would realise that they actually have the answers already. Eda in fact, does consider for a minute that Serkan might actually have feelings for her. Serkan however, is convinced Eda cannot wait to get out of his life - which makes his bold move at the end of the episode a great moment for his own growth as a character. He was operating on his feelings and taking an emotional risk, having no idea how she actually felt. Yes, he had the note she left, but up until 20 minutes earlier, he was still fighting Engin on the notion that she could genuinely have feelings for him.
Speaking on Engin, writers, I have faith that we will see Engin mercilessly tease Serkan in the next episode about his heart eyes and his newfound familiarity with the language of love. This is likely going to bring great comedic gold. Its also not lost on me that Engin can so easily see the love between Serkan and Eda, but is totally clueless about his own romantic entanglements. To be honest, I’m not invested in this romance, so whomever he ends up with - or doesn’t - is fine by me.
Listen, I’m high key bursting at the fact that Eda and Serkan both already see the other in their bed(s). Them facing “each other” with longing was one of the smaller moments of the episode, but one of my favourites. And because this show is so good at parallels, I’m putting it out there that we will get a scene of them sharing a bed without Serkan needing to turn his back to her, but also without Serkan ruining the mood once daybreak arrives. Eda is a snuggler and she loves to sleep. I’m looking forward to bedroom shenanigans. Also, can Eda (and Engin) find the pictures of them he’s clearly carrying around in his wallet at this point? Please and thank you.
SIDE NOTE: according to Laila, Serkan has a conference in London “next week” which has been reserved for two people. Since I’m going out on a limb and saying Serkan won’t be travelling with Selin, will Eda accompany him to the UK? One can only hope for a honeymoon romantic getaway business trip.
Adore the “don’t leave” parallels that the show has been dropping like golden nuggets for the past few weeks. Serkan has spent multiple episodes in a struggle with himself. If Eda wants to leave, he insists its not his style to ask her to stay. But by episodes end he is so frenzied at the thought of his life without her, he’s ready and willing to say it m u l t i p l e times. We love a glow up.
Things I loved about this episode:
The handhold 5 seconds in & Eda’s impulsive kiss on his cheek.
The super cheesy let’s-randomly-turn-on-the-radio-and-awkwardly-listen-to-the-exact-song-describing-our entire-love-story. The way I was lapping it up with shovel. Also, BaƟak GĂŒmĂŒlcinelioğlu’s (aka the actress playing Piril) song Sen Çal Kapımı is beautiful. All the fanvids, all the time please oh talented vidders.
Serkan’s meltdown at the office the minute he realised she’s about to leave. Hilarious. I truly enjoy seeing him a little off kilter and a lot out of control. Just looking at how his employees have relaxed since he’s been more relaxed - due to Eda’s influence - is a great subtle storytelling mechanism as well.
Immensely enjoyed Nurse Eda - especially her traditional approach to checking temperatures. LOL. Just a comment that despite Eda believing Serkan and Selin are most likely a thing, she refuses to leave his side in deference to Selin. I totally loved seeing her stake her claim. And judging by the never-you-mind, irritated way with which Serkan basically told Selin to move along, Serkan doesn’t want people around when he’s sick - but he certainly wants Eda.
Serkan going from unable to communicate to “you’re constantly in my head, in my every thought! You’ve taken over my brain! You’ve taken over my entire life!” #FlingsSelfIntoTheSun
THE KISS. Beautiful cinematography, beautiful direction, gorgeous cast, amazing script. Loved everything about it.
Things that broke/confused me
Serkan being a complete dolt and instead of enjoying the woman he loves cuddled up beside him, he takes the time to reiterate that he doesn’t remember their conversation from the night before. SMH. Eda was about to risk it all one last time, and Serkan’s poorly timed dose of realness is the final straw.
The tears in his eyes when she left the office. He was still fighting being vulnerable, even after Eda basically gave him the roadmap with an x for how to achieve success. Thankfully, by episodes end his own desperation at potentially losing her outweighed his “logic” and self preservation. Eda is teaching Serkan that its okay to need other people and that he doesn’t have to shoulder everything alone. #MyEndlessFloodOfTears
Aydan being unable to see how very much Serkan loves Eda and her - bordering on delusional at this point - push for Serkan to marry a woman who inspires no passion, no interest, no life, no spark in him! I understood it initially. But now it’s just comical. Seyfi is clearly team #Edser. I know the Bolat’s have a history of trauma. But pushing Serkan into a loveless marriage, while hurting Ferit and potentially Eda (and Serkan himself) seems absurd to me.
Ayfer’s reaction to the contract was OOT IMO. The show has been quite light handed with drama and this was the first time I thought the hysterics was over done. I understand that it was a shock, I understand that feelings of betrayal and hurt are natural. But a moment of reflection - as well as allowing Eda to explain - would have easily highlighted what Ayfer already knows - that there is a lot more happening between Eda and Serkan than a mere contract. Furthermore, this “Serkan Bolat is the devil incarnate here to take advantage of our poor Eda” is ridiculous. Serkan is a good person - logical and sometimes aloof - but he isn’t devious. If anything, Ayfer getting to know him during their terrarium creating afternoon left her with a good impression of who he is. So unless there are missing scenes somewhere, her suddenly being anti-Serkan feels like a necessity to serve the upcoming plot, as opposed to an organic happenstance. Not my favourite development. This includes her orchestrating Eda’s scholarship in Italy. Feels out of character. But let’s see how it all plays out.
Things I know is coming:
From the fragman, Serkan names a star or something after her #squee
Selin finally getting it
Aydan not getting it
Seyfi being over the moon - along with Melo no doubt
D R A M A about parents and death and cover-ups but I’m ignoring that for now
And most importantly:
Dating
Kissing
Hugging
Giggles
#FlingsSelfIntoTheEverLovingSun #NotPrepared
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agentfreckles · 4 years ago
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Operation Holidate | Part 1
Part Two, Part Three, Part Four
Rating: General
Word Count: 1,215
Pairing: Felix x Female!Detective (Eris Evergreen)
Summary: With Eris off planning Christmas parties at the station, baking enough peppermint cookies to give to every citizen in Wayhaven, and organizing toy drives for the less fortunate, Felix fears she may be too busy making the town’s Christmas dreams come true to take time to relax and enjoy the season’s splendors herself. With the help of his fellow Unit Bravo members, Felix is determined to surprise his girlfriend with the best holidate  ever by bringing Christmas to the Warehouse in four easy steps. 
Notes: Part one of a four part miniseries serving as a surprise holiday gift for the immensely talented @iristhemessenger. Felix and Eris are one of my absolute favorite UB x Detective pairings and I knew if I was going to even attempt to touch that beautiful pair, I had to come up with something big. Hope you enjoy and I wish you a very Happy Holiday and a healthy New Year!
Also a quick special shoutout to @not-sewell​ for giving me to the support and encouragement needed to finish this thing. Couldn’t have done it without you!
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Tree hunting, as it turns out, is a far more arduous process than Felix had anticipated.
And sure, maybe it had been a bit naive to think he could just waltz into the forest surrounding the Warehouse with an axe in hand, happen across the perfect Christmas tree within the first five minutes of searching, chop it down, and have it sitting pretty in the living room by noon. But he wasn’t expecting it to be this difficult.
It’s not like there aren’t plenty of evergreens scattered around the forest. But they’re all too small or as tall as buildings or their branches are too sparse or they’re not green enough to make the cut. In the near ninety minutes since his tree search began the only things he has to show for his efforts are a couple of fallen pine cones he’d stuffed in his pockets to save for possible use later as a rustic addition to the planned decor for the living room. 
Felix grumbles bitterly to himself as he trudges through the snow, glaring ahead at Adam’s back where the axe he’d set out with currently rests over the blonde’s broad shoulder. He’d made it two steps out the door before Adam stopped him and confiscated the thing (apparently axes are not on Adam’s list of approved objects for Felix to be carrying around -- who would’ve thought?). Leave it to Unit Bravo’s resident party pooper to dash his lumberjack dreams before they even began.
But, axe or no, Felix still needed a tree and since Adam wasn’t about to let him go all Paul Bunyan unsupervised, the Commanding Agent begrudgingly offered to come along and aid in the young vampire’s quest.
Unfortunately, Adam’s suggestions thus far have been...less than ideal.
“Seriously, Adam?”
“What’s the matter?”
Felix casts a judgmental eye on the fir in question. One glance at its skinny branches and dull green needles is all Felix needs to know there’s no way in hell he’s hauling that thing back to the Warehouse.
“Adam, that is not a Christmas tree. It’s a Christmas stick at best. And it’s even shorter than I am.”
“This is a perfectly acceptable tree,” Adam insists, studying his find with a far more approving gaze than Felix had a moment before. How this thing is managing to meet the man’s notoriously high standards is beyond him. “It’s sturdy, manageable. And it’ll likely require minimal decoration.”
“You've got to be kidding me." Felix rubs exasperatedly at his temples. Were he human, he’s sure he’d have a raging headache by now. "What’s Eris going to think when she walks into the living room and sees some little shrub instead of a proper Christmas tree?”
Adam raises a brow. “I’m sure the detective would be perfectly satisfied with any tree regardless of its stature.”
“Come on, Adam! Her last name is Evergreen. Christmas trees are practically in her blood. Getting a tiny tree would be an insult to her family name.”
He places a hand on Adam’s shoulder, gently guiding him away from the shimpy little fir as he continues. “Our Christmas tree’s got to be a real showstopper. The kind of tree that makes you want to sing carols and open gifts and throw a Santa hat on your head. It's gotta be bold, bright, big. Something like--"
Felix trails off, stumbling forward a step as his eyes widen in awe and disbelief. There, a handful of yards away from where he and Adam stand, he spots it.
The perfect tree.
Whereas Adam's pick bore a strong resemblance to that one sad little tree that always ends up left in the back of the Christmas tree lot at the end of the season after all the better trees have been purchased, this tree is the clear star of the show. It's tall -- even taller than Nate by the look of it -- with rich green pines that fan out wide and proud in a most glorious manner. The whole thing looks like it’s just begging to be adorned in ornaments, tinsel, and colorful lights and in his heart Felix knows that this is the one he's been searching for.
He races over to the tree in a blur of motion too fast for the human eye to capture. To his delight, it's even more gorgeous up close.
“Oh man. Eris is going to flip when she sees this!" Heavy footsteps sound behind him and Felix turns to beam widely at Adam as he approaches. "Isn't this the most amazing tree you've ever seen?"
Adam's expression displays little emotion as usual, though a hint of mild interest flashes in his eyes. "I will concede that it is quite aesthetically pleasing."
"Looks like it's settled then. Let's get chopping!" Felix makes it no more than a step before a hand juts out and stops him in his tracks.
"I'm afraid we can't pick this one."
"What? Why?" Felix cries. "You just said yourself it's aesthetically pleasing. Coming from you that's a rave review." He moves to step around Adam, but the Commanding Agent blocks his path, crossing his arms in disapproval.
“Need I remind you that we do not have the luxury of lofty ceilings in the Warehouse? There is no discernable way that tree will fit within the structural parameters of the living room.”
Felix waves his concern away. “Then we’ll make it fit. A little shortening of the trunk here, some careful slicing at the top there. It's easy."
Sensing that Adam remains annoyingly unconvinced, Felix decides to set aside his mental bag of tricks and just give it to the man straight. It's a bit of a risk, he knows. But he knows better than most that underneath that ice king exterior lies a big old softie who just wants him to be happy.
"Look, I know it's a lot to ask. Not just the tree, but the decorations, baking, the whole thing." Felix's gaze falls to the side, his fingers fiddling with the knit scarf draped around his neck. "It's just that this is mine and Eris’ first Christmas as a couple. The first of many to come, hopefully. I just want to make it as special as I can. And I really, really think this tree can help me do that."
A beat passes between them as Felix watches his Commanding Agent with bated breath. Finally, the stony expression he wears softens.
"You're certain this is the one?"
"Without a doubt."
With one last beleaguered sigh, Adam gives a resolute nod. "All right."
The young vampire's face instantly lights up in excitement. He flashes Adam a smile in thanks, one the blonde returns before he strides forward, retrieving the axe from over his shoulder.
"So..." Felix says casually, hands creeping forward in an attempt to make contact with the axe firmly held in Adam's strong grip. "I do the chopping, you do the heavy lifting then?"
Adam pulls the tool away from his reach, fixing him with a stern gaze to silence any impending protests. Despite the icy stare, Felix is pleasantly surprised to find a grin tugging at the edge of the Commanding Agent’s lips. “Don’t push your luck.”
Felix backs off, adopting a wide grin of his own. “Worth a shot.”
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marmolady · 4 years ago
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Growing Pains: Part Three
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PART ONE     PART TWO
Main Pairings: Estela x MC/Taylor (f)
Summary: Post-ending. For Liv and her mothers, Taylor and Estela, a turbulent period of transition is afoot. Set primarily in the distant future of 2033.
Word Count: 5678
More Liv fics here: Livita, Teething Problems,  Milestones and Memories, Mutual Comfort,  All That Matters
Reviews and reblogs are hugely appreciated!
Tagging: @brightpinkpeppercorn, @mrsmontoya, @saivilo, @edgydepressedchoicesthot, @sceptilemasterr, @quinnkellys-wife, @greengroove 
La Huerta, 2033
The sun slowly began to set, and a cool breeze came in from the sea. The reunion was in full swing, and Taylor, had found her way poolside, the traditional centre of all activity. The energy all around her was wonderfully refreshing after all the time she’d spent hiding herself away from the world; the sounds of the most familiar of voices as her friends caught up with one another, therapeutic. She was far too much of an extrovert to isolate herself; she knew that now.
Sitting down at the bar, it only took a few skilled flourishes of bottles before Raj was handing her a signature drink.
“It’s been a little while since I’ve had one of these,” she laughed. The joys of pregnancy. Worth it, but she’d be lying if she wasn’t a little relieved it was all over in time for the reunion. “Mm, that’s fruity! And just the right amount of kick to it. I say this every year, but you really do know me.”
“Another happy customer at the BhandarBar? You know there’s nothing I’d rather hear!” Raj beamed. He came around the bar and sat beside Taylor, sensing a need in her. “I feel like we haven’t hung out in ages-- last time I saw you, you had a baby on board. How has life been treating you, Taylor, my friend?”
“Oh, you know. My whole body gearing up for looking after baby, and then trying to tell it ‘no, that’s not what’s happening, here’; that’s been a bit of a challenge. My mood swings have been epic. I know she already did deserve one, but christ, Estela deserves a medal. Liv as well. I swear I’ve been like a walking hormone or something.”
“Well, if you need someone to lay it all on
.”
He didn’t even get to finish. Taylor had her arms around him, hugging him tight. Where the tears were coming from now, she didn’t quite know. Maybe it was just a release of everything she’d been carrying these past months. But come they did, thick and fast.
“That’s it, bro. Let it all out. I’ve got plenty of shirts if you get boogers on this one--”
Taylor spluttered, laughing until she made herself choke and cough. “I don’t even know why I’m crying! That’s just me right now. A little bit useless.” Well, if you talk like that, you’re gonna be sobbing all night.
“You? Never. We have witnesses! You are definitely not useless. You just need a bit of Taylor Time right now. You’re allowed to take some Taylor Time.”
“For how long?” Taylor sighed. “Liv’s only nine-- sorry, nine and three-hundred-and-sixty-four days. That distinction is important to her. But she needs me. My body’s all geared up to be a mom, but with Liv I feel like I just can’t do anything. Some days I couldn’t even get out of bed.”
“Trust me. I’ve had those days. You know I’ve had those days. And listening when your mind and body need a rest isn’t a bad thing. If Liv was feeling the way you were, what would you have her do?”
Taylor pouted. “Who told you you could use my double standards to pep talk me? Fine! I’d tell her to be kind to herself. Every time.”
“So. What are you going to do?”
“Be
 kind to myself,” Taylor said begrudgingly. Damn you, Raj. I can’t argue with that logic.
“We’re going to home-school Livi. For a year, use that time to reassess where we want to be in life. I’m a little nervous, but
 I like that I’m going to be more proactive in her life. I’m glad I had Michael; having him was one of the best things I’ve ever done, but I want to be able to put my energy into Liv, and Estela, our little unit. Mostly, I’m excited. I am so, so ready to feel like a mom again.”
“Aw, Taylor-baby, you always were. But I getcha, sometimes you kind of lose a part of yourself in all that life throws up. And whatever life wants to throw at Liv, you guys got her back. She’s done all right for herself with you two.”
Exhaling, wiping away those stupid tears-- hadn’t she cried enough?-- Taylor nestled into a warm hug. Raj was a talented man, but no more so than in his ability to make everything feel all right. Together, her family had weathered many storms, and their bond would carry them through any still to come.
  _____________________________
La Huerta, 2027
 A resounding crack of lightning had Liv dive under the blankets, shaking in her Batman pyjamas. To her, it felt as though the storm had been raging for hours. Never had she heard the sky sound so angry. She burrowed under her Mama Estela’s arm.
“Mommy, it’s so loud,” she whimpered.
“I know, mija,” Estela said gently, stroking her four-year-old daughter’s hair. “But it can’t hurt us in here. Our house is strong and safe.”
The creaking of wood in the wind made Liv nervous. If the house was safe, why did it have to complain so much? Was it trying to scare her?
“It’s okay, Livi-sweetie,” Taylor soothed. “We’re all gonna sit this one out together.”
The family trio were sharing the big queen-size bed, Liv tucked up snuggly between her two mothers. There had been no talk of attempting to settle Liv in her own room; she was distressed, and that meant she could take security in the maternal bed.
As the howling wind became a frightening roar, Liv whined softly. At the foot of the bed, the little dog, Fenix, was sleeping soundly. Fenix didn’t have the best of hearing, which on this occasion struck Liv as quite lucky. The cat, Madam Mierdita, seemed more grumpy at the disturbance than frightened, growling and changing colours with every scary rumble.
“Hey, Liv,” Taylor said cheerily, hoping her easy tone would lessen the tension, “Knock, knock!”
Liv peered over the covers. Was now really the time? She’d humour her silly Mama Taylor. “Who’s there?”
“Europe.”
“Europe, who?” Liv asked, then her eyes went wide and she gave a shout of laughter. “Ha! You’re a poo, Mama Taylor!”
“No, you’re a poo!” Taylor chuckled. Saved, once again, by some good old fashioned toilet humour.
Estela rolled her eyes and shook her head exaggeratedly. “Oh, cariƈa, you blow me away with your comedic wit.”
“Yeah!” Liv affirmed enthusiastically, apparently still oblivious to the art of sarcasm. “It was super funny!” She flinched at another crash of lightning, but didn’t hide under the covers.
“Well, my fan club, here comes another one!” Taylor smirked at Estela’s dramatic groaning. If it eased Liv’s fear, they could and would do this for hours. “Why did the toilet paper roll down the hill?”
“I dunno, Mommy. W-why?” Liv asked, her voice wavering as a rumble of thunder seemed to shake the very earth. But if the world was ending, it would surely wait to hear the rest of Mama Taylor’s joke first.
“To get to the bottom!”
On queue, Liv squealed with laughter. “You said ‘bottom’!”
“You know, Taylor, I’m sensing a theme here.”
“Hey-- toilet jokes aren’t my favourite, but they’re a solid number two!”
“Dios mío! Why do I feel like I’m in for a long night?” Estela reached to tickle Taylor’s belly, which served to push Liv ever deeper into her giggle fit. She could never adequately express just how grateful she was that their daughter had that gorgeous dork to see her through the scary times. Don’t you ever change, mi amor.
The storm raged on. Cocooned together in their humble sanctuary, the small family saw it out-- or at least, Taylor and Estela did. Liv nodded off amid the thunder and the lightning, the wind and the rain
 safe in her mothers’ arms.
 _______________________________
 La Huerta, 2033
 â€œLivi-- be careful!”
“I am careful!” Liv hollered down from a towering palm tree. She had everything under contro--
There was a thud, and the squeak of breath being forced from Liv’s lungs as she hit the ground hard.
“Ow.”
Taylor rushed over, but her view was quickly blocked by young Isla, who had gotten there first.
“Where are you hurt?”
“I’m not hurt, Isla. See?”
“Did you hit your head?”
“No.”
“How many fingers am I holding up?”
“Three.”
“Can you move all your arms and legs?”
“Yes!”
“On a scale of one to ten--”
Taylor cut in, feeling simultaneously relieved and incredibly fond of her friends’ little nurse in training. “Thanks, Isla, sweetheart. I think we’re good from here. Right?”
Liv scowled and jumped to her feet as if nothing had happened. “I’m fine, Mom.”
“Oh, Livita, foiled again by your old friend, gravity?” Estela laughed from her comfortable spot on the beach. She’d seen Liv through enough bumps and scrapes to know when there was nothing to worry about.
Taylor snorted, and ruffled Liv’s short hair. “Gravity’s a bitch. Try and respect her in the future, okay?”
Gravity wasn’t just a bitch. Gravity was Liv’s nemesis. A literal pain in her ass. Someday, Liv had decided, she was going to get a pilot licence like her Uncle Jake. That would teach bloody gravity.
A yell distracted Liv from her plotting.
“Hey, Livia! Livia!” Reggie hollered as he pelted up the beach. “The big tortoise came back! Diego said we can feed him! Quick!”
That got her attention. The past two years, the mighty Shore Guardian had lumbered into their midst during the reunion, and it had been an incredible thrill. In an instant, she was off and running.
“Liv, when I say to be careful
,” Taylor started.
“I know!” she called over her shoulder, “ Actually be careful. But you know I’m not scared of some old Shore Guardian, right?”
The tortoise was colossal. Built like a tank; the peak of his pyramid-like shell reached the height of a man. It had come as an immense relief to everyone when the creature started appearing on La Huerta’s shores, that he was of a docile and placid disposition.
“Helloooo there, Shelly!” Liv called, clambering up and over the rocks, a bunch of glowing flowers in her hand. “I brought you a snack.”
“See,” Diego said from his perch, overlooking the beast, “I told you he’d come back. He’s pretty smart. He must know that the reunion happens every year, and that the reunion means kids bearing flowers. I think you’ve started something, though-- the Vaanti kids are all over this guy when he hangs near Elyys’tel.”
“He’s less scary than the yeti-bear. I like the yeti-bear, but Mom and Mom say I’m still too young to give her a pat. Do you think I should make friends with the Sea Guardian next?”
The Sea Guardian was rarely observed. It was something like a plesiosaur with scales all the colours of the rainbow, and even after more than a decade since Cetus’ demise, it seemed as though the monster was only gettng larger. Sighting the beast was something of a badge of honour for young Vaanti, with the bolder among them daring to touch its back-- some even managing to take loose scales when the beast was shedding. There had only been a few serious injuries over the years, but the practice was largely frowned upon-- especially by those old enough to remember Cetus’ wrath. If there was one thing everyone agreed upon, it was that they did not want another Cetus.
Diego chuckled nervously. “Better stick to old Shelly. He appreciates your friendship.”
“Yeah, Livia, you should look after the friendships you’ve got,” Reggie said, huffing and puffing as he came over the ledge. “It’s not like you’ve got many.”
“Hey!”
“Was I insensitive again?” he asked sheepishly. “Sorry.”
“A little,” Diego said. “Why don’t you come closer and feed Shelly with Liv?”
Reggie eyed the hulking beast. “No
 no, I’m fine just watching. A good scientist never interferes with wildlife. You know Jane Goodall used to feed chimps bananas? But that was like
 years and years ago. Now we know that is not the best way to science.”
“Whatever, Reggie,” Liv laughed, “but don’t cry to me when I’m Shelly’s best friend.”
Down on the sand, Liv could feel the enormous presence of the giant tortoise as he towered over her, sniffing.
“Good boy, Shelly. You wanna flower?”
Diego watched her, ready to swoop down and pull her to safety if the beast appeared bothered. “Good job, Livi. Nice and slow so you don’t freak him out. Like
 like you’re Hiccup and he’s Toothless.”
Liv chuckled, and peered into Shelly’s mouth as it gaped open to take a flower. “I think he is toothless.”
“Yeah, but I bet his hard mouth could break all the bones in your hand!” Reggie piped up.
“Shelly would never,” Diego assured. “He knows better than to bite the hand that feeds him.”
The tortoise gave a rumbling grumble of pleasure as he swallowed a flower.
“How have you guys been recently?” Diego probed, keeping it light, but knowing that life had recently been a rough ride for the kids. “I heard Maia moved schools; that kind of sucks. She was pretty great.”
She was pretty pretty, Liv thought, though she kept that to herself. “I’ve been really sad and lonely. But it’s all better now-- we’re all back here! No mean dumbasses. I wish Maia didn’t have to leave though.”
“I decided I don’t like getting in fights,” Reggie said. “I am now officially a pacifist. But
 I guess I’ve gotta make exceptions if people are gonna say stuff about my sisters. They’re only little. They can’t stand up for themselves.”
“Better stick to fighting with your words, Reggie,” Liv said with a little smirk. “I have never seen such a weak-ass punch in my life
.”
“Hey, I did pretty good!”
“If I hadn’t jumped in, they’d still be mopping you off the floor now,” she laughed.
“Well, maybe I’m better at more important things, like actually using my brain! You should try it sometime.”
“Okay, okay,” Diego intervened. “Easy, kids! You don’t want to freak old Toothless out.”
Liv looked up at Shelly. He was calmly chewing on the last flower she’d offered him, not batting an eyelid at the raised voices.
“Tio Diego,” she murmured. “Can I tell you something? And Reggie-- you can know too.”
“Of course, you can, Liv.”
“Well
 it’s kinda
 embarrassing. But I know you won’t laugh. Not when it’s important. I like liked Maia. I thought everyone would laugh at me if they found out I had a crush on a girl. I know it’s not something to be ashamed of, but I was still
 too scared.”
“You’re telling us now-- that takes a lot of guts,” Diego told her. “It is scary. You never know how people are going to react. Most people are pretty cool these days, but it only takes one mean person to make you feel sad and small.”
Liv climbed back up onto the rocks to sit by her uncle’s side. “Yeah. Some of the kids already teased me about my moms. I thought there would probably be at least one mean person.”
“That’s fair,” Reggie concluded. “I mean, you’re probably right. If they were jerks about Erin, probably they wouldn’t be any nicer to you. They already think you’re kinda weird.”
Diego put an arm around his niece, and she leaned close. After all these years, he could always tell when she needed a hug. “Coming out and showing yourself to the world should always be on your terms. If you didn’t feel ready, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. It means a lot that you feel comfortable enough to share with me.”
“Of course! You’re my tio. I can tell you anything. Even the things that are just silly and annoying
 you listen anyway.” Liv sighed, and threw down her last flower to the great, lumbering tortoise, who scarfed it down eagerly. “I’m sad that Maia is gone. I thought eventually I’d be brave enough. I can be brave with stuff like protecting people who need help, but feelings are harder.”
“Feelings can be the absolute hardest. But we’re on your side, whenever you’re ready to share them. Me and Varyyn, and Reggie, and your moms. Your moms are so proud of you, you know? Being sensitive and caring can be tough, but those feelings are what make you strong. Your Mama Taylor told me you’ve been helping her get up every day when she’s been feeling really down. You make a difference-- a good one. You don’t have to be brave enough for everything all at once.”
“Thanks, Tio. You’re smart. No wonder you wrote like, two whole books. All teachers should be as nice as you.”
“Well, I do my best. And in the end, that’s all you really can do. Do you remember from Cinderella? ‘Have courage, and be kind.’ I’d say you’re both pretty good at that already.”
  ______________________________
La Huerta, 2031
 Seven-year-old Liv reached out her hands to a stricken bird as it flailed in distress. The sound of it being slammed against the window of the house by a larger, more aggressive foe had made her all but jump out of her skin, but if something might be hurt, she had to get over her fright quickly and help.
“Hello birdie
,”she cooed. Her fingers gently stroked the feathers on its back. It stopped flapping, but its breathing was laboured, as if it was struggling for air. Blood had risen from its eyes and nose. “It’s okay
 I’m a friend.”
Gently, Liv scooped the wounded animal into her hands and cradled it, crouching over the grass in front of her home.
“Tio Diego! Varyyn! I need help!”
Of course, her uncles came running. They were never far away when tasked with keeping an eye on her; by now they were too well aware of her propensity for wandering into mischief not to be.
“Livita, are you okay--”
“Tio, she’s hurt. I think she’s gonna die. This great big bird got her and hit her against the window.”
Diego was pretty sure Liv had heard the talk about not touching wild animals, especially if they were injured and likely to lash out, but the reminder could wait. One look at the bird told him it was not long for this world.
“She is dying,” Varyyn confirmed, sadly. He exchanged a look with Diego. “It’s very sad
 but we must make sure she doesn’t suffer.”
Liv sniffed. It wasn’t fair. This little bird used to hang around their home, foraging in the garden Mama Taylor had grown. They liked hearing her singing and calling to the other birds.
Varyyn squeezed Liv’s shoulder. “We’ll give her a minute to see if she fades away on her own.  Do you trust us to do what’s kind for your friend?”
“Yeah
 but I don’t want to leave her. I think she’s less scared with me holding her.”
Diego put an arm around Liv. “That’s good. You’re making her feel safe. Everyone deserves that. Just keep talking to her, okay? Hopefully, she’ll go peacefully.”
“It’s okay, birdie,” Liv whispered. “You’re not alone now. You can go to sleep.”
The bird gave a few more rattling breaths, then was still.
“Tio Diego
 I think she’s died.”
“Yes, she’s gone, mija. You did amazing.”
Liv wept, held by her uncles.
“Death is always hard,” Varyyn said gently, “even when it’s kind. You always feel the hole where there was once a life.”
“S-she shouldn’t have died! She wasn’t hurting anyone
 o-or doing anything wrong
 she was just in that other bird’s way.”
“I know. It sad, and it’s not fair at all. But you made her last moments so much better; that counts for a lot. Everyone dies sometime
 all you can hope for is that you go feeling loved, and you made that happen. It’s like
 the circle of life. Nature can be really cruel, but that doesn’t take away the good bits. This little bird probably helped lots of plants spread their seeds.”
“Yes. Even if your friend’s life was short; it had great value.”
Liv raised her head, eyes wide. “Her body becomes the grass, right? Like Mufasa said? She’s got to at least get to be part of the circle of life if she can’t live anymore.”
“Yeah
 yeah, that’s pretty much how it works. If we leave her body somewhere nice where it won’t be bothered, she can feed the earth.”
“Okay. I wanna do that, then.”
A sombre procession carried the little broken body to the edge of the meadow. Liv laid the bird beneath a bush and draped her body with a fallen leaf. Then, she sat and looked over the resting place of her friend, tears filling her eyes. Varyyn was right; already there was a big empty hole. An echoey feeling right in her heart. Liv would miss hearing the bird’s chirruping as she played around the garden with her Mama Taylor. Hopefully, she’d remember that, not just this sad, sad feeling
 of knowing she couldn’t protect an innocent, of seeing a life fade to nothing. Mama Estela told her that was important. That nothing should ever take away what was beautiful about something or someone once they’re gone.
She got to her feet, brushed off the dirt from her hands, then slipped one into Diego’s.
Bye, bye.
  __________________________
La Huerta, 2033
“Penny for yours?”
Estela sat down beneath an old familiar banana tree, settling beside Taylor, who appeared to be a million miles away.
“Oh
 I was off in my own world, wasn’t I?”
“Yes, it looks that way. But you looked happy.”
“I am. Just being here has been a breath of fresh air. I feel like I’m me again, and it’s been a long time coming.”
Estela gave a contented hum and rested her head on her wife’s shoulder. “I’ve missed happy Taylor.”
“Well, thanks for sticking by and waiting out for her. Happy Taylor appreciates it.” Taylor chuckled at the sound of Estela’s quiet laughter. It was infectious. Hell, just Estela’s smile was like the embodiment of sunshine, it made coming out the other side of her dark cloud all the more glorious. “I think we’ve got our Livi back. Or I think we’re on the right track.”
“I know we are. It’s been a slow decline
 I don’t think I even realised how miserable she’d gotten until I saw her snap back to how she should be.” Estela shrank in on herself. What excuse did she have? She had one job; to keep that kid happy. She didn’t have a war to contend with, or the struggle to get by between pay-checks, and she still couldn’t manage it. “I should have done better. I’ve been trying
 I’ve been trying so hard
 but somehow I couldn’t make everything better for her. Or you.”
“Don’t you even think about it! No.” Taylor pressed a fierce kiss to Estela’s temple. “We hit a few bumps in the road, that’s all. I wasn’t counting on an intense case of the baby blues
 or what might actually have been full-on post-partum depression. The timing was unfortunate; really, it sucked. But you carried us through. When Liv got suspended and I couldn’t fucking stop crying because I just couldn’t handle it, you did handle it. You’re pretty great. Ask Raj; he gave me a magic pep talk earlier, I’m sure I could rope him into a repeat performance.”
“Thank you. You’re good at putting things in perspective, I’ll give you that. I know I set my bar too high. Just because Liv has her struggles, doesn’t mean I’ve failed
 it means she’s a human being. And that’s probably what we were aiming for
.”
Taylor giggled. “Godammit, my otherworldly influence has been foiled!”
“Actually, while we’ve got a chance to talk
 I was speaking with Aleister earlier.”
“Yeah, I thought I saw you two hanging out.”
“Well, it seems like we’ve inspired him and Grace. Reggie’s not going back to that school next year either. It sounds like Livi’s gonna have a homeschooling buddy here on La Huerta!”
“Oh, wow! Ohmygod, that’s perfect! It’ll be just like old times; almost half the gang back home again. And
 and the girls? Are they waiting a year, or are they going to teach them as well?”
“You’ll have to ask them, but it sounds like they’re going to get started with Erin and Immy. It’s going to be so good for Liv.”
“Yeah. Really that’s
 that’s wonderful. God, I’m so happy right now!”
Estela found herself laughing. Her dork was back. She took Taylor’s hand. “And then, moving forward, Aleister says they’re considering a permanent move to San Trobida-- obviously under the assumption that we’ll be heading in that direction ourselves.”
“Oh my
 holy crap!” Taylor flung her arms around Estela and hugged her tight. Something in her knew right away
 yes, that’s right. That’s where we’re all meant to be. That gut feeling overshadowed any qualms or fears. “Tio Nicolas is really not gonna know what’s hit him, hey?”
“No; and I think it will be a dream come true.” Nestled in Taylor’s embrace, the scent of her mingling with the La Huerta sea air
 it was, to Estela, the very essence of happiness. The excited yells of children at play had her look up over her lover’s arms; there was her Livita, piggybacking little Erin through the shallows while the terror, Immy, sent up wild splashes of water at their faces. It was time to try something new. For them.
“Aw, ‘Stel, just look at them!” Taylor snuggled in, a giddy grin on her face. She needed a change, and she had a feeling that for her, for Estela, for Liv
 it would be a step towards their best lives. The year to come, and even beyond that, was to be a thrill ride of the most exhilarating kind, and they’d take it on hand in hand. She exhaled her fears and sadness, and let the wind carry them away. “I really love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too, Taylor. Forever.”
 _____________________
Midnight over the Celestial. Or rather, two minutes to midnight. The countdown to Liv’s tenth birthday was on, and the kids-- save for the two little ones who’d long been in bed-- were just about hanging onto the non-grumpy side of overtired.
Ten years. How could that even be? Taylor could see the years in her face and Estela’s, but it still could have been yesterday that they were interrupting the festivities with the announcement that
 ‘uh, I think baby might be coming’. What had followed was a period of some of the most intense hours either of them had lived through, a culmination of two lives’ dreams and emotions. And at the end of it, Taylor had found herself holding in her hands the second love of her life. Her sunshine. As children do, Liv grew. She’d tested her mothers, putting pressure on their weak points and making them stronger. She’d brought them closer, something Taylor wouldn’t have believed possible
 but sharing their daughter’s journey was like watching a miracle unfold; to be touched and changed was inevitable.
Michelle joined Taylor, a knowing look on face as they watched Liv’s impatient jiggling.
“Crazy night ten years ago
 my one and only midwife job.”
Taylor chuckled. “Crazy, crazy night. The best night of my life. I don’t think I’m ever going to stop thanking you for getting us through.”
“Oh, you’re very welcome. Ten years on, it’s stuck with me. It’s amazing to see the young woman she’s growing into. I’m not going to lie, I’m proud of my small part in putting her in the world.”
That change was coming so fast. The transition from that rosy-faced bundle of cuddles into a bright, opinionated adolescent was going to be underway in no time at all. Even now, looking at that giggling ten-year-old, it was hard to imagine.
I’m going to embrace every moment. Every one. You, me, your Mama Estela, we’re on this adventure together. And I can’t wait to see where it takes us next.
Estela put her arms around Taylor from behind, smiling into her wife’s shoulder.
“Is it my birthday yet?” Liv asked, bounding over to them.
“One minute, mija.” She tugged Liv into the hug and covered her forehead in kisses. “Come here!”
The cake was unveiled, and the small girls, Isla, Erin and Immy, erupted into ‘ooh’s, while Liv did a dance in her mothers’ arms. Her family around her sang, all together, celebrating her milestone, and she knew belonging. She looked up to her mothers and grinned, face aglow with candlelight.
The future was bright.
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askamydaily · 4 years ago
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This year -- put a Book on EVERY Bed
This year: put a Book on EVERY Bed
By “Ask Amy” advice columnist Amy Dickinson
10 December, 2020
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Dear Readers: Every year at Christmastime, I delight in promoting a Book on Every Bed. I do so in memory of my mother, Jane, who raised her children to understand that if you have a book, you are never alone.
The idea originally came from historian David McCollough, who recounted the Christmas mornings of his youth, when the very first thing he woke up to was a wrapped book at the base of his bed, left there by Santa.
The most important part is what happens next: Family members reading together.
That’s it! That’s the whole idea!
Over the last ten years, working with my local literacy partner Children’s Reading Connection (childrensreadingconnection.org), this campaign has grown to include schools, libraries and bookstores, who have donated scores of books to families that might not have access to them. The goal – and our dream – is that families will experience the intimate and personal connection of diving into and sharing stories, the way my mother and I did throughout her life.
Over the years, important literacy advocates, such as the Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden and LeVar Burton, and bestselling children’s authors Brad Meltzer and Peter Reynolds, have endorsed and helped to spread the good word.
This year is different. So many of us are alone, hurting, and separated from family and familiar holiday routines.
All of us – not just children – need a good book on our beds.
I have broadened the scope to include specific recommendations for books spanning all ages. I’ve reached out to some of my favorite writers, literacy advocates, and independent booksellers across the country for their special picks.
Whether you purchase a book or share an old favorite, I hope you will be inspired to put A Book on Every Bed this year. It is not necessary to make a Christmas deadline – this idea is one to sustain people throughout what might shape up to be a very long winter.
Following are recommendations for all age groups.
Baby and Toddlers: From Brigid Hubberman, Children’s Reading Connection, Ithaca, NY (childrensreadingconnection.org):
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“Words are the language of love for babies.  The best books for infants should be about the world they know. Parents should choose books to surround babies with an abundance of loving and delightful words.”
Baby Cakes, by Karma Wilson and Sam Williams
Haiku Baby, by Betsy E. Snyder
Shine Baby Shine, by Leslie Staub and Lori Nichols
Ages 3-5: From Lisa Swaze, Buffalo Street Books, Ithaca, NY (Buffalostreetbooks.com)
“If You Come to Earth,” by Sophie Blackall is one of my favorite picture books of 2020. This book is beautiful both visually and lyrically, and it will feel like a warm hug to any child or family who receives it.
“You Matter,” by Christian Robinson is a bright and elegant book that takes children on a journey around the world to make it clear that everyone matters, and perhaps more importantly, reassure them that they matter, no matter what they look like or where they are from.
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Early Readers: From Sandra Dear, owner of The Little Boho Bookshop, in Bayonne, NJ (thelittlebohobookshop.com)
“The Suitcase,” by Chris Naylor-Ballesteros: This beautiful story about immigration, is full of heart and humanity as it teaches our littlest ones about hope, tolerance and kindness.
“Home in the Woods,” by Eliza Wheeler: This stunningly beautiful picture book has fast become a customer favorite. A story about starting over, of overcoming! A story of family, love and joy of being and growing together.
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Middle Grade Readers: From Becky Anderson, co-owner of Anderson’s Bookshop, in Naperville, Illinois (andersonsbookshops.com):
“Ways to Make Sunshine,” by Renee Watson: Watson writes her own version of Ramona Quimby, one starring a Black girl and her family, in this start to a charming new middle grade series about spirit, kindness, and sunshine.  Ryan, a fourth grader, finds the positive in difficult situations and when trouble strikes. She is that character to love and bring in the sunshine!  Grades 3-6
Skunk and Badger by Amy Timberlake, illustrated by Jon Klassen: Winnie-the-Pooh and Frog and Toad meet in a fresh take on a classic odd-couple friendship.  Klassen’s illustrations add much to a story of an unlikely friendship that proves that opposites can see the good in one another. The first in a series.  Grades 3-7
“The Silver Arrow,” by Lev Grossman: Kate’s humdrum life is transformed when her eccentric Uncle Herbert brings her a colossal locomotive train, the Silver Arrow, as her eleventh birthday gift, leading her and her younger brother on a mysterious journey.  The train will remind readers of the Hogwart’s Express. A story that is environmentally aware and calls readers to action. Perfect for fans of Roald Dahl and The Chronicles of Narnia.  Grades 3-7
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YA Readers: Danielle Kreger, Blue Bunny Books, Dedham, MA (bluebunnybooks.com):  "One of Us is Lying" by Karen M McManus: An edge of your seat mystery that takes place in Bayview High school during detention. Simon, a so-called "outcast," never makes it out of detention alive. What follows is a tale of twists and turns that has the reader questioning the reliability of the characters, and the secrets they keep.
"Burn" by Patrick Ness: A fast-paced young adult fantasy that begins with fifteen-year-old Sarah, who meets Kazimir – a dragon who has been hired to help on her family's farm. Still reeling from the death of her mother, Sarah finds herself feeling an intense and unusual connection with Kazimir. As the story unfolds secrets, dangers and Kazimir's true purpose are revealed.
"The New Kid" by Jerry Craft: A spot-on graphic novel about navigating a new school, new friends and identity. Jordan Banks is in seventh grade when he is sent to a rigorous private school and grapples with staying true to himself- his love for creating cartoons, how to maintain his old friends and how he fits in in a less than diverse new school. A totally lovable and relatable character!
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Adult Non-fiction: From Alex George, the author, most recently, of The Paris Hours, founder and director of the Unbound Book Festival, and the owner of Skylark Bookshop, in Columbia, MO (skylarkbookshop.com)
“Wintering,” by Katherine May: This is a deeply personal, quietly beautiful book, written with grace and immense thoughtfulness. We all go through difficult times; by mulling over her responses to her own misfortunes, the author offers insight as to how we might think differently about low points in our lives. Instructive, inspiring, and ultimately profoundly hopeful.
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“The Book of Delights,” by Ross Gay: This utterly charming book of micro-essays by Ross Gay, a beloved and renowned poet, is a perfect gift for – well, just about anyone. Gay set himself the challenge of finding one thing that delighted him each day for a year, and then writing about it. The result is a quirky, brilliant book that you can dip in and out of, always finding something to make you smile, and think. A guaranteed lifter of spirits.
“Intimations: Six Essays,” by Zadie Smith: I’ve always loved Zadie Smith’s nonfiction work, and this small but powerful book shows her talents at their finest. Written during the pandemic, these six pieces are sharp, and funny, and thought-provoking. Smith’s deeply personal reflections on this strangest of years is essential reading. If ever there was a book for these strange times, it’s this one.
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Adult Fiction: Mark LaFramboise, Senior Book Buyer at Politics and Prose in Washington, DC (politics-prose.com)
“The Butterfly Lampshade,” by Aimee Bender: This is a beautiful story of mental illness, the bonds of sisterhood, and the liveliness of a child's imagination.  Francie is 8 years old when the book begins, the daughter of a single mom.  This is the story of her odyssey after her mother is committed to a mental hospital, and she is sent to be raised by an aunt and uncle.
“Luster,” by Raven Leilani: Edie, the young protagonist in Luster, Raven Leilani's debut novel, is daring, sexy, hilarious, super smart, and drop dead beautiful.  Her affair with a married man takes a turn for the strange when she meets and befriends the man's wife and daughter.  Edie is whip smart because Raven Leilani is whip smart and her voice propels this beguiling novel.
“What Are You Going Through,” by Sigrid Nunez: Sigrid Nunez writes so beautifully that plot feels irrelevant.  The writer's confidence and authority are apparent from the first page.  Ultimately, it's the story of a woman who is asked by an old college acquaintance to be with her when she takes her life, after a cancer diagnosis.  But, like her previous book The Friend (about a woman who inherits a large Great Dane), it doesn't matter what story she tells because her words bristle with life.
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Elders: Gayle Shanks, Changing Hands Bookstore, in Tempe and Phoenix, AZ
(changinghands.com)
“Apeirogon,” by Colum McCann: Two fathers, one Palestinian and one Israeli have both lost their young daughters to violence but have decided that reconciliation, not revenge, is what they needed to seek. In the process, they became best friends. McCann describes the insanity and senseless violence bred in the Middle East, the Occupation under which the Palestinians are forced to live, but also the beauty of the country, the migration of birds, the many ways humans overcome adversity and find solace in the natural world and each other. In a series of 1001 fragments, McCann walks us through his imaginary polygon, the Apeirogon of the title, containing an infinite number of sides, an infinite number of gorgeous sentences, and ultimately an infinite number of ways to view the human condition.  
“All the Way to the Tigers,” by Mary Morris: Travel writer Mary Morris’ book, written in small chapters, was in some ways similar to reading Colum McCann's, Aperagon, also written in small bits (in his case 1001, in Mary's -- 112 chapters). Morris travels to India in search of the elusive Bengal tiger, but in so many ways she is searching for herself and her place in the world as she recovers from a serious ankle injury that leaves her debilitated but determined.  
In her short vignettes, she quotes Rilke, Wendell Berry, other writers she admires and reminds us how important it is to listen intently to others as in active listening we are rewarded with deeper understanding.
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“The Chair Rocks,” by Ashton Applewhite: From childhood on, we’re barraged by messages that it’s sad to be old. That wrinkles are embarrassing, and old people useless. Author and activist Ashton Applewhite believed them too—until she realized where this prejudice comes from and the damage it does. Lively, funny, and deeply researched, This Chair Rocks traces Applewhite’s journey from apprehensive boomer to pro-aging radical, and in the process debunks myth after myth about late life. The book explains the roots of ageism—in history and in our own age denial. Whether you’re older or hoping to get there, this book will shake you by the shoulders, cheer you up, make you mad, and change the way you see the rest of your life. Age pride!  
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ohwereusingourmadeupnames · 5 years ago
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I'm sorry you've had a rotten day D:! If it's not too much to ask could you do Fireman Tony losing a bet and having to pose for a calendar set to raise money for a charity (perhaps Peter is the photographer and in charge of said charity)???
do the thing - send in all the prompts.
That’s very sweet of you, nonnie! This was the perfect way to cheer me up, so thank you for that, too! It got a little porny - I hope you don’t mind :P
warnings: NSFW blowies and firefighter Tony goodness
Around the firehouse, frat rules applied. Which meant that toilet seats were never safe and bets were ongoing and made frequently. As the Chief of the station, Tony got to be the facilitator of many of the things that went on around the firehouse. When he set up the calendar photo shoot to benefit the local children’s home, he never figured he’d be actively participating – but that’s what he got for being a hot head and betting on something he never should have.
It all started when Bucky brought UNO in during one of their lull shifts. It took a lot of convincing, because most guys hadn’t played the game in years – but once it got started, things got nasty very quickly. Give men the ability to get competitive and it’s fucking on. They were playing last man standing rules – so everyone with cards in their hands kept playing until there was an ultimate loser.
The round that Tony decided to sit in on was one of the biggest yet. They jammed together six decks of cards and let the game goes at it might. Steve had already bet Bucky that he wouldn’t give the crew a show on the pole, and Clint stood in his boxers for the rest of the night. Aside from all the laughs and the sore stomach muscles, Tony was starting to get a little worried. He’d been hit with three ‘draw four’ cards in a row, and the lack of organization of the cards in his hand made it hard to play quickly – or intelligently for that matter. He held so many cards, it was a wonder that most of them were total shit.
One by one, the guys checked out until it was Rhodey and Tony left – the two leaders of the station going head to head. There were shouts and cheers all over the place, both men starting to lose their cards quickly now that there were only two people and the deck was pretty small. “What’s the bet?” Tony heard when there were only four cards left between them. Looking up, Tony blushed when he saw the look in Rhodey’s eyes – the four years of college they spent together reminding him that his best friend could be ruthless when he wanted to.
Finally, Rhodey filled in the rest of the class – the room going quite when he lowered the deck and looked straight at Tony. “Loser poses for all twelve months of the charity calendar,” Rhodey said, a smirk on his lips. The two of them spent a couple hours planning out the poses just days ago – there were some a couple of very questionable ones that he all of the sudden regretted choosing. Sucking in a breath, Tony did the only thing he could and accepted, his head already hanging in defeat – he was sitting on two yellow 7’s.
It didn’t matter that Bucky slipped Rhodey a ‘draw four’ card in the end, Tony already figured he was doomed to his fate. The men broke into applause when Rhodey slammed down his last card – a triumphant look on his face. “I can’t wait to see this,” he exclaimed, his smile reaching the shit eating territory pretty fast.
Which is why, a week later, Tony found himself being fitted into the outfit and put into a chair that would inevitably lead to him being made up into a shiner, more glistening version of himself. Though he felt resigned to his fate, it would have been nice to be on the other side of this situation, laughing at the fool getting his picture taken – instead of being the one getting laughed at. Either way, he spent a little extra time in the gym over the last week, so he and his body were more than ready.
Walking out into the mostly cleared out station in just his suit and nothing else on underneath, Tony felt himself flush – there were less people in the room than he figured and the whole thing seemed way more natural than some of the other shoots that went down in the firehouse over the years. There weren’t any fancy lights or loud assistants bullying him into this position or that – simply a man, a camera, and the computer the images would manifest on.
For the first time, Tony noticed the younger man – and he was obviously younger, the shine of youth still diligently clinging to molten brown eyes. He was a bit on the shorter side and very lean – though he could immediately recognize the bulge of a bicep when he raised his hand in greeting.
His hands were big – like they were made to be wrapped around the priceless piece of equipment he was holding (or other things – but now wasn’t the time for those sorts of thoughts.) The most important thing for Tony was his smile, though – when it broke, his lips spread until they were practically touching his ears – and his cheeks colored, that fire engine red so beautiful; a swift reminder of the thing he loved the most.
“Hey, Chief Stark,” the photographer started, long legs carrying him over until they were standing face to face. “I’m Peter Parker – I’ll be doing your photos today.” He stuck a hand out between them, that smile on his face spreading a little bit more when Tony finally caught his eye. He carried an air of confidence that not a lot of people his age could even think to achieve, let alone project.
Taking his hand, Tony felt himself smile, too – his customary resting bitch face slipping for just a second. “Nice to meet you, Pete – I hope you’re planning on making me look pretty,” Tony replied, his brow quirking, the smile on his face shifting from soft to playful. He even let himself chuckle when Peter’s blush deepened – the red taking on more of a maroon tint to it now.
“I don’t think you need any help from me,” Peter remarked without thought, his own eyebrows raising in challenge. And who was he to fight with such a thought like that? Especially when it was being delivered from that of an beautiful individual. Nodding in answer, Tony let his thumbs slip under the suspenders of the fire suit, his eyes wide.
“Good answer, Peter Parker – good answer.” He shook his head, turning it after a second to give himself a visual break. It was going to be hard to focus on looking at the camera with anything other than hunger, this kid was too gorgeous for his own good. “So, where do you want me?”
The next hour flew by without Tony noticing much of anything other than the softly spoken cues and explanations of the poses that Peter wanted him to go through. He wet himself with the hose and leaned against the 141 engine, he climbed the ladder with one of the suspenders slid off his shoulder and his suit dragging down until it was almost too obscene – he even let Rhodey throw a bucket of sudsy water on him. Despite some of the humiliating catcalls he got from some of the guys, Tony enjoyed every single second of it.
At the end of it all, Peter finally came up for air, his eyes no longer seemingly like a secondary attachment to the camera in his hand. The kid was talented – there was no doubt about that. Tony didn’t need to see the photos to know just how good they were going to turn out. The natural way he took in the light and allowed Tony to be himself spoke of experience and understanding.
He caught a smile from the young photographer and saw his hand beckoning him over – the kid’s eyes wide with what seemed liked excitement. “You’ve got to check a couple of these out,” Peter proclaimed, his fingers already clicking through the digital roll on the computer. Tony watched them all pass across the screen in hyper speed – the poses moving from one to the next like a flip book. He settled on one and turned the computer so Tony could see it more fully.
Tony immediately recognized the moment – the water was just splashed on his face and he raised a hand to get it out of his eyes – his fingers were tangled in his hair and the water was flinging back off the strands, his face completely lit up from the shock and excitement of the moment. His jaw dropped a little – in all of his time participating in something like this, he never encountered a picture of himself he liked so much. His instincts were absolutely correct – Peter Parker was immensely talented.
“Damn, I look amazing,” Tony couldn’t stop himself from mumbling. Peter’s answering giggle had him turning his head, his cheeks on fire. Peter was looking at him funnily, a hand over his mouth to stop the further chuckles from falling out, probably.
“You’re the hottest person I’ve ever taken photos of, Chief,” Peter whispered. His hand moved from his mouth into his hair, the strands standing on their end after fingers were dragged through them. His bright eyes were mostly pupil and if Tony were reading the room right – it appeared that Peter Parker did in fact like what he saw.
Looking around, Tony noticed that most of the guys were occupied – half of the crew out on a call and the other outside in the gym or playing pick up on the court. He wet his lips and went for it – what could it hurt? “You’re smooth, I’ll give you that, Parker. Want to see the rest of the station? I can show you where the five-time fire station chili cooking championship winning chili was cooked, if you’re interested.”
Peter took the offer for what it was and followed Tony further into the station – the older man pointing out the couple things of interest on his way through the bunks into his office. There was no time for Tony to formulate his next move because his back was hitting the door – the force of impact closing it the rest of the way. Tony smirked when fingers gripped the still wet suspenders, Peter’s eyes totally taken over by the blown pupil now – the invitingly warm brown completely gone. He managed to drag in a chocked off breath before lips were descending upon his own.
How Tony ended up pressed against his office door with the photographer on his knees in front of him, he never would have guessed. Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, he didn’t spend too much time worrying about it, either. His fingers were tangled in the thick curls of Peter’s hair, his hips doing their best not to give in and thrust into the delicious suction. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t keep the moans from slipping from his lips – Peter’s attention on him too damn good.
The younger man’s hand was wrapped around the base of his cock, his fingers tight in their grip. His mouth slid down until his lips were bumping against the fingers there, his cheeks hollowing out to smoothly suck as Peter pulled his head back up and lavished the tip of his cock with his tongue. He would pull off every couple of passes and let the flat of his tongue run from root to tip, Peter careful to spend several agonizing seconds lapping at the ridge right at the head.
There was drool dripping from his chin onto the floor below them – the whole sight absolutely indecent. Tony let his head rest against the heavy oak of the door, his eyes squeezing shut tightly. “Pete – you have the dirtiest little mouth,” Tony babbled, his hips finally giving in to the temptation to press forward into the last couple inches of Peter’s throat. The slight gag had a bead of precum dripping from his length – the feeling a glorious prelude to the lewd pulse of orgasm. Peter moaned around him, the vibrations adding to the deliciousness.
“You were meant to choke on a cock, weren’t you? You look pretty doing it – your eyes a little watery, drool dribbling down your chin. It’s fucking filthy – wonderfully salacious. And you like that, don’t you? Dropping to your knees like this, letting me gag you with my cock.” Tony emphasized the words with a change in the grip of Peter’s hair and a sharp thrust of his hips.
At that point, Tony could do nothing other than hold on for the ride, his body moving on autopilot – mind so strung out from the suddenness of having his brain sucked out through his cock and the severely pornographic sight of Peter unzipping his pants and fisting his own raging erection. A part of him wanted to draw away and spend a little time watching the scene – but he was too far gone, his balls already drawing up with his impending orgasm.
“Fuck, Pete- I’m close. So close,” Tony panted out, his hips coming to a stuttering stop when Peter took him all the way down his throat and swallowed around him. Pulse after pulse of warm cum slide down the boy’s throat – the tension of Peter’s constricting throat muscles pulling even more from him.
Through the haze of his afterglow, Tony watched Peter pull back and gasp, his hand flying over his cock. Watching him cum all over himself and the floor had Tony’s belly clenching with renewed arousal – everything about what was in front of him absolute perfection. Leaning heavily against the door, Tony loosened the grip of his hand in Peter’s hair – his fingers moving until they were resting lightly against the back of his head, instead. “Fuck,” he muttered again, his entire body on the verge of falling over from too much stimulus and a whole lot of fatigue.
After a few minutes, Peter looked up at him, eyes shining – “Will you fuck me against the truck next?”
Suddenly, thoughts of sleep were the furthest from his mind.
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6blackfilin9 · 5 years ago
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Just decided to show that I'm still alive over here
So guess it's LongShitpost Time
A very long post about The Batman's (2004) Penguin
And well, I've been thinking about making it for about a year, so.. here we are, watching me behaving like an easily surprised kid babbling about Oswald and how much I admire him and why
Actually nothin' important or highly moral here. If you still wanna read then just forget it's talk about a character from a kids show, I take this sh🐧t seriously and barely speak English
I like to take a lot of screenshots but can't use here all of them uuUUuUuuUUUUUGH
It's all about the 1st episode of 2nd season of The Batman (mostly, I also mention other my two fav episodes with Oswald)
I like it so much cuz this all just starts with "cat-mouse play" kind of cooperation which leads to "well guess you two will be chillin' in jail in pure mammalian harmony" and ends up with "oh no no no, this is your thievish girl, so you take her back"
"— You two pointy-ears make such a cute couple: his and hers."
"— Hm, made for each other."
I just crack up at this plot line so much
But well, being more serious, this episode unveils some of Oswald's personality traits quite vividly.
Going back to the first episode when he appeared, from the first sight it looked like the most of the time he acts like a mindlessly arrogant jerk who has no clue about what he’s doing, as most of kid-show villains, and tends to lose his temper fast , but if you look closer you’ll see that huge amount of his conduct lines are just a part of the games he plays
Like, he came to the Bruce's party just to take the damn list of guests, that’s the goal
But because of his behavior in public's eyes he wasn't the "strange quiet guy who's been looking around for all the time, than took the list of rich guests from butler and than left while there are robberies of rich people occurring in the city". He was "arrogant snobbish freak who thinks he's some sort of royalty (despite his family lost its place at the top of Gotham's society) so he acts around them as if they were peasants", so, for everyone it looks like the only thing he came for was attention, plus, influenced by negative emotions, people didn't notice such a potty movements as putting some paper in his jacket. I mean none even managed to notice that he stole the motherf🐧cking tray
(Well, for sure Oswald's quite snobbish about his family and it's "blue blood", can’t deny that, though he doesn’t behave that defiantly all the time and the only time when he completely loses it, cracks and explodes about this was when he became enraged hearing Alfred's words whom he took hostage in Bruce's house. That was a very bad day for him)
And come on, Oswald had patience and intelligence to figure out how to teach different predatory birds like ravens and owls, who actually tend to be wayward and even agressive time to time, to steal damn stuff from houses and how to make those f🐧cking badass high-tech umbrellas himself
So, cool man
If that episode showed his enormous arrogance, devotion to his family, resourcefulness, intelligence and hidden potential, this one shows how cunning, selfish, cold, ruthless and at some point insightful he can be
Back to the episode, it literally opens with the start of the strategy competition between Oswald and Selina
First they meet they start with a direct verbal flight for the Cat statue, which Oswald wins. So Selina, willing to get what she wants, desides to get down on a more manipulative subtle level playing love interest
So, of course Oswald gets stunned at first, I guess not every girl treats him this way every day, but he effectively uses this state to figure out his following plan and actions, and immediately starts behaving as a school boy in love.
So the man literally changed his tactics in a couple of seconds and figured out the new plan with the new “puppet” involved. Selina didn’t even notice anything thinking that she managed to hook him up easily so she now can manipulate him as she wants.
(guess Bruce was right, these two are worth each other: both prideful as heck)
So later their game enters the new fervent phase: they both play love interest in front of each other, and Oswald nailes his role just perfectly, making Selina even more convinced of his naivety so she reduces her alertness completely.
But guess he enjoyed this at some point. Like, Selina is a charming beautiful woman able to maintain a pleasant conversation with couple of dry sarcastic notes, so, I think this shade of sincerity helped him to play his part
And well, for quite huge amount of time Oswald makes that devil face with crooked grin which makes him look like a f🐧cking Satan, or just beings grumpy hardened journalist who had seen some shit which makes him look like he's about to have a severe breakdown, but here as he is around Selina in the first part of the episode he's completely calm like a damn fat cat, serious, focused and straight-faced, that's just gorgeous
He cracks up a bit ahead of time just once, when she manages to get the Bird statue
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But as it goes to the showdown he doesn’t show even a hint of genuine sympathy or regret, he’s just like “well get reked Selina” and takes English leave
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Well, I know it’s a kids show, Bruce saves the day and stuff, but Oz did literally put the bomb in the f🐧cking handcuffs so in case one of the two tries to put them off before the police arrive they actually f🐧cking die. I mean, that's kinda rough. But at the other hand it’s quite nobly but shortsighted of him to leave his enemies alive having a chance to interfere him later
And well, maybe Oswald isn’t good at etiquette, but he have never beaten Selina or any other lady if it came to close fight, while Batman did. Ozzie is a gentleman, shame on ya Bruce
And just to be said, the motherf🐧ucker didn’t even blink when the f🐧king half of his god damn umbrella was cut off right in front of his f🐧cking face. And oh my god, how f🐧cking firm Oswald's grip is that the hella heavy umbrella all made of f🐧cking metal didn't even swayed from the impact in the most stout place. Badass.
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And just for a second, Oswald managed to dig to the bottom of that legend about the Bird and Cat statues and started putting the plan into action only after he had found all the necessary information about it (which he had to translate himself from ancient Egyptian), so that the first time he used it, it didn't turn out that he missed something and summoned some ancient shit so now the whole world is in danger (as it happens with villains in movies sometimes).
(The saddest part is that the only single thing that prevented the shit from happening was immense amount of luck. mean Bruce has all kinds of gadgets for literally any situation and knows literally everything just in case. Like, it was very useful of Bruce to study ancient Egyptian just in case someone decides to use egyptian artifacts for evil stuff. And they were so f🐧king lucky the the birds weren’t hungry and didn’t try to peck their faces off while they were climbing the god damn lighthouse which is already hella dangerous even without the maniac birds trying to knock you down)
Well, what do we have so far
Even if Oswald does have some temper issues, he's capable of making some keen psychological tricks, making strategies and keep his head above water, the only thing that actually hampers him is his own pride (like in the episode with Team Penguin. He does have some leadership qualities but he turns from leader into boss quite quickly thinking of himself only)
And, importantly, he is being at some level realistic and objective realizing that none actually takes him seriously.
He understands that for most of the people he’s just a deformed and depraved man with a funny voice, who’s also a descendant of the aristocratic family which ran out of money and lost former authority.
And he uses it for his own good. He couldn't if he didn't, otherwise he'd choose way less twisted ways of behavior
He knew what would the people at the party see in him, so he could predict what behavior would cause the result he needed.
He understood Selina wouldn’t take him as a serious opponent, seeing him as a lonely slow-witted man or whatever, being sure that she can hook him as any other in such an unpretentious way she thought she would be able to make him do all the work instead of her. His awareness made her plans all exposed and clear
But all this negligence combined with his pride does hurt him though, no doubt. There’s a whole episode about it, when he occupied Bruce’s house.
He has his own reasons to envy and hate Bruce, by the way. They both are from rich families, both intelligent, strong and talented, but Bruce is more young and handsome, plus, his family business remained successful. At this point he is much more luckier than Oswald
I mean even if it gets to falling Bruse safely falls on tent and Oswald falls on the dirty ground through hell, fire and high boiling water (I don't give a shit that it had been made for the comedy matters)
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Basically, the only thing Oswald is doing is trying to restore not only the family’s honor, but also his own with help of money and growth of his authority. Maybe even to show others and himself that he’s something more than just a garbage. That he's something more than he seems to be at the first sight
But as far as I can see Oswald has never been that type of poor kid with low self esteem crying in a shower with the lights off and who then starts to hide behind the wall of arrogance as he grows up. I mean right in this episode he says that his mother had always told him that he was a handsome one, so I think his parents loved him, maybe even spoiled at some point, and gave him confidence and warmth he needed.
Though well, to be fair, children are cruel, and of course they would react to the child who lookes like a victim of a crazy geneticist's experiment in a very specific way. Some would avoid him no matter what it takes, for sure some would get used to him and communicate normally, but some would mock and bully him severely. So of course he would start to protect himself
But sadly he went in wrong direction, since his confidence became arrogance and his ways became much more twisted and radical
Even as an adult he’ve chosen a really slippery slope, though. He could've chosen a different path, but (as I guess) he couldn't overcome his sense of injustice and his resentment towards people around him, who actually neglected and loathed him. So he just sank in his negative experience and sharpened himself as the lone survivalist, which made him egotistical to the point when he doesn't care about the others and can actually stumble in some situations, being sure he can't be wrong
His actions can't be justified, but they can be explained. Oswald is really very understandable character
So
There is actually no moral of the post
Just me coming to conclusion that The Batman's Oswald appears to be quite deep in the first seasons
Yes, I just wasted about 5 minutes of your life, and you can't take those back
But I can leave you with a question besides frustration
Why in the bloody hell are they holding each other?!
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I mean come on
Few hours ago they revealed mutual betrayal, he almost killed her, dropped her on the froor so she couldn't run away with the thing he needed, and now they hold each other flying away on a jet-umbrella
And don’t f🐧cking tell me they do this because of the fear that if one of them falls the other will too
No f🐧cking way
Just imagine flying on the f🐧cking jet-umbrella, you will cling to it so tightly that one day you will take it into your grave with yourself because you will not be able to unclench your f🐧cking fingers after a single flight, but instead of holding the motherf🐧cking umbrella they hold each other
So is it a weird joke or a very thick hint?
Who knows
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upontheshelfreviews · 5 years ago
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Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn’t share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being “it has the same plot”. I’ll admit, there are some surface similarities that even the most casual viewer can pick up on: a fairytale where a princess is forced into unconsciousness and wakes up with some necking, the comic relief and villain being the most beloved characters, a little frolic in the forest with animals, the antagonist plunging off a cliff, you get the idea. In fact, Sleeping Beauty even reuses some discarded story beats from Snow White, mainly our couple dancing on a cloud and the villain capturing the prince to prevent him from waking his princess. Yet despite that, Snow White and Sleeping Beauty are two wholly different movies shaped by the era and talents of the time.
I’ve discussed how Walt Disney was never one to stick to a repeated formula, no matter how successful it was. He must have noticed the parallels between his first movie and this one, but decided to make one crucial change for Sleeping Beauty that would forever differentiate the two: the look. We all know the traditional Disney house style: round, soft shapes, big eyes; charming as it was and still is, Walt was sick of it after several decades. Meanwhile, artists like Mary Blair and Eyvind Earle were producing gorgeous concept art that rarely made a perfect translation into the Disney house style.
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Walt wanted to make a feature that took the pop artistry of their designs and made the animation work for it instead of the other way around – which brings us to another animation studio that was doing well at the time, United Pictures Animation, or UPA.
UPA didn’t have the kind of budget Disney normally had for their animated projects, but what they lacked in fluidity they made up for in style. Watch The Tell-Tale Heart, Gerald McBoing-Boing and Rooty-Toot-Toot to see what I mean. UPA were pioneers of limited animation, taking their scant resources and creating some striking visuals with bold geometric designs. Through this, they defined the look of 50’s animation. Though perhaps unintentional, Sleeping Beauty comes across as Disney’s response to UPA, or what would happen if UPA had the funds they deserved. The characters’ contours are angular but effortlessly graceful, defining their inherent dignity and royalty. And the colors, ohhh the colors

Because of the immense amount of work required to animate in this difficult new style (and in the Cinemascope ratio, no less) as well as story troubles and Walt barely supervising the animation studio now that he had his hands full with live-action films, television, and a theme park, Sleeping Beauty had a turbulent production that lasted the entirety of the 1950s. For a time, Chuck Jones of Looney Tunes fame was set to direct. Director Wilfred Jackson suffered a heart attack partway through production and Eric Larson, one of the Nine Old Men, took the mantle from there before Walt Disney replaced him Clyde Geronimi. And even after that, Wolfgang Reitherman teamed up with Geronimi as co-director to get the film finished after no less than three delays. Also, Don Bluth got his foot in the door as an assistant animator for this feature, beginning his short-lived but impactful tenure at Disney. Did all this hamper the movie, or did they succeed in what they set out to accomplish?
Well, one of the reasons why this review took so long was because I had a hard time not repeating “MOVIE PRETTY” and “MALEFICENT AWESOME” over and over. Make what you will of that.
The story begins as most fairy tales do with your typical king, Stefan, and his queen suddenly blessed with a baby girl after years of wishing for a child. They christen their daughter Aurora (middle name Borealis, localized entirely within their castle) and throw a huge celebration in her honor. People come from all over the kingdom to pay homage to the princess and OSMKFKSBFHFGILWBHBFC

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Movie pretty

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Movie pretty

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MOVIE PRETTIEEEEEE

John Hench, Academy Award-winning special effects man and art director, turned Walt on to the idea of basing the look of Sleeping Beauty on classic medieval artwork. Thanks to him and Eyvind Earle’s insanely detailed designs and backgrounds, this is one of Disney’s most visually distinct and beautiful films. A single still from this feature wouldn’t feel out of place up in The Cloisters.
Among the party guests is King Stefan’s old friend King Hubert (Bill Thompson) bringing his young son Prince Philip. Stefan and Hubert wish to unite their two kingdoms and formally announce Philip’s betrothal to the infant Aurora.
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“We were going to do it during the second trimester, but we decided to wait until she was more mature.”
By the way, your eyes are not deceiving you. That is Aurora’s mother, Queen Leah, alive and well and named. And frabjous day calloo callay, she even gets some lines! The most common joke about Disney princesses is that they don’t have moms (even Ralph Breaks The Internet went out of its way to highlight that), so as a hardcore Disney fan who often has to put up with this generalization, Leah’s existence leaves me feeling vindicated.
Once that happy revelation is out of the way, we’re introduced to our main protagonists.
Oh, you thought I was referring to Philip and Aurora? Nonononono, my friends. THESE are the true heroes of Sleeping Beauty, the Three Good Fairies.
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The fairies started off as one-note side characters sharing the same personality. Think pre-Ducktales-reboot Huey, Dewey, and Louie in dresses. But the studio had a difficult time giving Aurora more depth and was having a lot more fun developing the fairies. Naturally, they became so fascinating and appealing that more screentime was given over to them. Now the story’s carried by three wonderfully fleshed out ladies who are distinct in both looks and personality: Flora’s the pragmatic tradition-adhering leader, Fauna’s the sweet scatterbrain who mediates, and Merryweather’s the feisty young upstart.
With the plot now focused on characters who held a traditionally minor role, it’s easy to read this as a perspective-flipped version of the fairytale, but there’s more to it than that. Remember in my Clash of the Titans review how I mentioned the gods literally play chess using the heroes as pieces? I tend to view the main conflict of Sleeping Beauty in the same way. The Three Fairies and Maleficent are in a constant game of good vs. evil, moving Aurora, Philip, and the rest of the royals as pawns in their plans. There’s plenty of plotting and intrigue, with both sides constantly guessing and second-guessing the other’s next maneuver, and even if you’re already familiar with the story’s trajectory you’re still left on the edge of your seat as it inches towards the fiery climax.
And dare I say it but
the fairies and their power dynamic make this Disney’s most feminist film. Yes, really. You could argue that some of the other animated movies from the Renaissance and Revival period have more notable, stronger female protagonists, and many of the live-action remakes try to be woke without really grasping the concept, but consider this: The cast of Sleeping Beauty is mostly female, the leads aren’t objectified in any manner (that is if you count Aurora as a supporting character), nor does their gender factor into their competency, each one differs in age and body type, and most of them are working together towards a common goal as opposed to against each other. Name a movie in the past decade that does the same and still manages to be entertaining (no, really, I’d love to see it). There’s even one scene that unintentionally provides great commentary on the divides in the feminist movement, but more on that later.
Flora and Fauna bless the baby with beauty and song respectively which are accompanied by a short chorus and some sumptuous graphics. I don’t think I need to reiterate that when this movie goes extra with the visuals, it GOES EXTRA with the visuals. Next comes Merryweather with her gift. To this day, no one knows what Merryweather intended to give Aurora. Flora’s the most traditionally feminine of the three so her giving Aurora beauty comes as no surprise. By comparison, Merryweather is the most forward (or unconventional, depending on your point of view). I wouldn’t put it past her to favor Aurora with intelligence, or humor, or passion, or creativity or humility or confidence or decisiveness or physical fitness or great swordsmanship or telekinesis or ice powers or one million YouTube subscribers or comfort in her female sexuality.
Me personally, I think I’ve got the best gift of all:
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“O Princess, my gift shall be
getting all reviews posted on time for once!”
Alas, before Merryweather can bestow such a wondrous quality upon the child, she’s interrupted by a horny party crasher.
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Maleficent. The Mistress of All Evil. Chernabog’s right-hand witch. The Disney villain all Disney villains strive to be. She has it all – the looks, the poise, the power, the laugh, the cunning, the ruthlessness! She doesn’t even need to sing a song because she’s already awesome enough without one. Marc Davis’ gothic design cuts a fine figure and Eleanor Audley’s subtle icy voicework is trĂ©s magnifique. As much as I enjoy Audley as Cinderella’s evil stepmother, Lady Tremaine was but an appetizer in comparison to the four-course banquet of pure villainy that is Maleficent.
This leads to a small point of contention some viewers have with Maleficent in spite of hitting top marks elsewhere: her motivation. Putting a hit out on a child for not getting invited to a measly party? Not exactly compelling, is it? And yes, it isn’t a deep motive
is what I would say if I wasn’t well-versed in folkloric tradition. In the original fairy tale and the movie (though it isn’t outright stated in the latter), the party for Aurora isn’t just your average royal kegger, it’s a christening. Back in ye olden days, christenings were very big deals. To not receive an invitation to one was a grave insult, so not extending an invite to your semi-omnipotent magical neighbor is just asking for trouble. In the fairy tale’s defense, no one had seen the evil fairy for years and assumed she was dead, though I can’t imagine how nobody thought Maleficent wouldn’t find about it eventually.
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“You dare to deny me, foolish mortals? Very well, then! I shall have my own christening! With blackjack! And strumpets!”
Maleficent is proof that sometimes you don’t have to have an elaborate backstory, a god complex, a tragic past or the unfortunate luck to be on the wrong side of a conflict. Sometimes all you need is some magic, brains, class, and a whole lot of flair to be a perfect, intimidating, and unquestionably iconic villain.
Basically what I’m saying is these movies never happened. Got it?
Maleficent is disarmingly polite over being snubbed, even after Merryweather bluntly tells her nobody wanted her to come. She even brought her own gift for the baby – sixteen years of life cut short by the prick of a spinning wheel spindle, because why change into a dragon and destroy everyone all at once when you can draw the torture out over an agonizingly long time and deliver the coup de grace in the prime of a young woman’s life? That’s how Maleficent rolls, baby. She could dole out capital punishment when she has to without batting an eyelid, but causing human suffering is her bread and butter.
Stefan begs the fairies to undo Maleficent’s curse, but it’s too strong for them. Flora and Fauna insist, however, that Merryweather can use her gift to lessen the spell’s potency. Now instead of dying from that fatal prick, Aurora will sleep until she receives True Love’s Kissℱ. Stefan’s not one to throw caution to the wind though, so he orders all of the kingdom’s spinning wheels to be burned in the meantime.
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I just pray his kingdom’s economy wasn’t based on textiles otherwise they’re screwed.
As the peasantry celebrates Guy Fawkes Day several centuries early, the fairies ponder their next move. They’ve been around long enough to know that removing spinning wheels from the equation won’t put a damper on Maleficent’s scheme. This scene is incredibly effective in establishing two things:
Maleficent’s near-omniscient presence in the film
How well the fairies’ differing  personalities play off each other
Maleficent rarely miscalculates her opponents, and that guile puts her one step ahead of the heroes, making her one of the few Disney villains to nearly reach their goal. The only mistake she makes in the entire movie is trusting her henchmen to do their jobs when she isn’t directly supervising them, though that’s more on them than her. The different methods the fairies propose to deal with Maleficent fantastically illustrate what kind of people they are. Fauna believes she’s just a miserable soul who could be reasoned with if they talk things over. Merryweather would rather take the fight to Maleficent and turn her into a toad. Flora, however, is wise enough to know Maleficent’s too wicked to plead to, too clever to bargain with and too strong to face head-on, so their best course of action is to focus on protecting Aurora through any means necessary. Her initial idea is to enchant the princess into a flower (her namesake is her specialty, after all), but Merryweather reminds her that Maleficent enjoys creating bitter frosts just to kill her flowers.
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“Well we could try that but stick her in a castle with a beast for a while
nah, that’ll never work.”
Yet never one to give up, Flora alters the plan so they’ll raise Aurora as a peasant girl out in the woods. This means disguising themselves as humans and giving up magic for sixteen years so as to not attract Maleficent, but that amount of time is like twenty minutes to the fair folk. Stefan and Leah reluctantly agree to the plan, and the fairies spirit little Aurora away from the castle that very night.
Sixteen years later, Maleficent is infuriated that her minions have failed to locate Aurora, even more so when one reveals that they’ve spent the whole time looking for a baby instead of a maturing woman. In an interview with the Rotoscopers podcast, Don Bluth called Maleficent a very flat antagonist because she surrounds lackeys dumber than her so she could be the smart one among them and, again, her supposed lack of motivation. But come on, let’s not entirely condemn the bad guys for having too much faith in their underlings. It’s difficult to find minions smart enough to carry out orders but dumb enough to stay unquestioningly loyal. Usually you have to register as Republican in order to get some.
Maleficent gets her anger out in the most therapeutic way – throwing lightning bolts at her orcs, awesome – then leaves the job of finding Aurora up to her trusty raven Diablo. We then finally see the grown-up Aurora herself, whom the fairies renamed Briar Rose as a nod to the Brothers Grimm version of this tale.
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I know I’ve made the occasional case for the princesses from Walt’s era compared to the present day, and yet I have a hard time defending how
I don’t want to say bland. Bland would mean there’s nothing interesting about Aurora, and that’s a lie. She’s gorgeously designed and drawn, and even in her peasant dress she has an air of elegance and sophistication. She carries herself like a queen; her innate royalty reveals itself in her graceful movements. Mary Costa also gifts her with an excellent set of pipes. Hearing her song echoing through the forest is nothing short of magical. She’s a flower child who can talk to animals. She has dreams of escaping her adopted aunts’ loving but stifling care and being allowed to grow up, see the world, actually talk to people, and even find a life partner. She has some strong potential. It’s not that Aurora’s boring, she’s just not quite as developed as we’ve come to expect our animated female protagonists to be. I’m grateful for what we’ve got, but I only wish we could have more. What was her childhood like? How did she learn to communicate with animals? When did the fairies trust her enough to let her spend time out on her own? Did the fairies ever subtly teach her lessons in royalty through lessons and games? Heck, nobody bothers to keep her informed about Maleficent or her curse, and they act surprised when she’s shocked to learn she was a princess the whole time. I want to see what Aurora could have been like if she had known the truth already and what kind of steps she would take to defend herself. Blame the source material for this; it’s difficult to write a compelling main character when she’s supposed to sleep through most of her story.
The fairies send Aurora on a fetch quest so they can plan a surprise birthday party for her. Merryweather wants to bring their magic wands back out for the job, but Flora insists on taking no chances now that they’re in the home stretch. Fauna gets to live her dream of baking an elaborate cake (it’s thanks to her referring to a teaspoon as a “tsp” that I do it too), and Flora insists on making Aurora a gown fit for a princess using Merryweather as a dummy. And we also get one of the best burns in the Disney canon:
Merryweather: It looks awful! Flora: That’s because it’s on you, dear.
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The fairies fall into reminiscing over raising Aurora and get teary over having to let her go soon. I see where they’re coming from, they’re the ones who raised her for sixteen years. They must have so many fond memories, not to mention they put all that work into learning to properly raise a child let alone live like normal human beings seeing how two of them still can’t sew or cook without magic. I wonder what that was like –
No, NO, you CGI abominations DO NOT exist! Go back to the fires from whence you came!!
“Ugh, I’m gonna need something strong to expunge that from my eyes.”
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There we go.
Aurora wanders through the forest, drawing out the usual bevy of cute woodland critters with her singing. She also catches the attention of a grown-up Prince Philip (Billy Shirley) who’s more dashing and considerably less blonde than he was sixteen years ago.
By this point, the Disney animators were far more confident in their ability to draw realistic but expressive leading men, hence Philip’s expanded role from the story. He’s also the first Disney prince to have a personality; not a terribly deep or defined one, but it’s a step up from his nameless plot-device predecessors. There are some signs of him being a hopeless romantic, he gets a few funny lines here and there, has a sturdy friendship with his horse Samson, and is fiercely determined when it’s time to kick some ass. He does have the same problem as Aurora in he randomly decides to stop talking for the rest of the movie once he reaches the midway mark (at least Aurora has the excuse that she’s sleeping for that remainder), but I suppose you could chalk this up as to him wanting to spite Maleficent with his silence.
The animals steal some of Philip’s clothes so they can pretend to be Aurora’s dream prince. Aurora plays along as she sings the movie’s standout song, “Once Upon a Dream”. Philip and Samson watch until he smooths his way into the dance. Once Aurora discovers the switch, Philip gets a little too up in her personal space for my liking, constantly grabbing her hand so she doesn’t run off and pulling her closer to him. Not as horrible as what the prince does to the sleeping princess in the original story (a questionably consensual kiss is a trifle compared to how the scumbag of a prince treats her there), but still a bit iffy.
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“It’s a good thing my aunts taught me to never go anywhere without a loaded pistol taped to my back.”
But once Philip backs off a little and joins in her song, they both dance together and OEHSGBJSGBLL

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I think I’m going to need surgery to get my jaw off the floor back into its proper place thanks to this movie.
As per Disney tradition, Aurora and Philip’s waltz means the two are head over heels in love with each other. But when it comes time to finally exchange names, Aurora panics and runs away, though she sticks around long enough to tell Philip to meet her family at the cottage that evening.
Back at home, the party preparations aren’t proceeding as planned. Flora’s dress looks as good as my attempts at dressmaking, and Fauna’s dessert wouldn’t feel out of place on Cake Wrecks.
A fed-up Merryweather reads Flora and Fauna the riot act and convinces them to finally take up their wands again. This produces more desirable results, though Merryweather still gets stuck with cleanup duty.
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Enchanting a broom to come to life and do your dirty work? I don’t see this going wrong in any possible way.
Things start to go south when Flora and Merryweather argue over the dress color and it escalates into a full-blown wizard’s duel. This gag was supposedly based on the animators’ arguments over what was Aurora’s proper dress color. I think they should have compromised and combined both colors to make purple, which would go lovely with Aurora’s violet eyes, but what do I know. I’m just the illustration major writing a blog. Unfortunately, while the fairies remembered to cover every door, window, and crack that could expose their magic, they overlooked the fireplace. The sparkly residue of Flora and Merryweather’s fight fly up the chimney, alerting Diablo to their hideaway.
Going back to what I said earlier about this movie providing some commentary on feminism, consider this: Flora is obsessed with pink, a traditionally female color, and she gives Aurora an attribute that is oft preferred in a woman but not the most important quality, beauty. Merryweather, on the other hand, is all about blue, a color usually geared towards boys, and she has much more common sense and practicality about her. Though Merryweather and Flora are able to put aside their differences in personalities and approaches for a common goal, it’s when they refuse to compromise and begin prioritizing which color – ie. which ideology and extension of themselves – that they want Aurora to step into that they lose sight of what’s important, and allow everything they worked for to collapse on itself. It’s played for laughs very well, sure, but if not’s symbolic of the dichotomy between traditional femininity and modern sensibility that tears apart the feminist movement then I don’t know what is.
The fairies manage to fix their messes in time for Aurora’s return. She’s thrilled with their gifts but shocks them all when she announces her new boyfriend is coming over for dinner. They come clean about her heritage and betrothal to Prince Philip, and Aurora runs up to her room in tears over the fact that she’ll never see her one true love again. That and her entire life has been a lie and she’s being carted off to meet parents she knows nothing about to marry a man she’s never met and rule an entire kingdom with no prior experience or knowledge. But mostly the true love thing.
Meanwhile, Stefan and Hubert are making wedding plans over wine with “Skumps”, the preferred toast between me and my friends. Also adding to the humor is a minstrel who keeps stealing sips until he literally drinks himself under the table.
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This was also his way of getting through the Black Plague, co-opted by the rest of the world six hundred years later.
Philip returns and Hubert goes to greet him. He thinks his son is thrilled at the prospect of marrying Aurora but is disappointed to learn that he’s fallen for an anonymous peasant.
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“At least tell me if she’s royalty in disguise so you don’t elope to Sicily!”
Philip rides back into the woods for his big date, leaving Hubert with the unenviable task of breaking the bad news to Stefan. As for Aurora, the fairies smuggle her into the castle and prep her for her homecoming. She’s still blue over having to ghost her forest hubby though, so the fairies give her some time to herself.
Biiiiiiiiig mistake.
So imagine you’re me, growing up watching this movie on tape on a television set with a very standard but not spectacular sound system. Then years later you download the remastered soundtrack and give it a listen while you’re falling asleep. You’ve got the whole score memorized, the volume is nice and low, it’s all good.
And then, just as you’re drifting off, you hear a ghostly voice singing in your ear “Auroraaa
Auroraaaaa
”
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That reminds me, I haven’t had a chance to talk about the music yet, haven’t I? Forgive me for waiting so long to do so but my reaction to it is equivalent to the visuals. The score is taken straight from the Sleeping Beauty ballet by Tchaikovsky, the same composer as The Nutcracker, and it is lush, sweeping, sumptuous, just

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While George Bruns was mostly faithful with how the score was represented within the context of the ballet, at certain points he took the same approach as The Nutcracker Prince and rearranged the music order to underscore totally different scenes to staggering effect. The beautifully ominous music where Maleficent appears as a ball of green flame and leads the hypnotized Aurora to her doom? It’s from one of the ballet’s divertissements where Puss in Boots dances with his girlfriend. But tell me which is more fitting for a musical composition such as this – two cats pirouetting around each other in a crowded ballroom, or eerie pitch-black spiral staircases illuminated by green fire as a cursed princess inches closer to her dark destiny against her will?
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The fairies realize their error and frantically search the maze of secret passages for Aurora. Though the princess resists Maleficent’s commands for only a moment, they are still too late to save her from fulfilling the curse. Maleficent gloats and leaves the fairies to wallow in their failure. It’s made even worse as the merrymaking from the oblivious revelers below ring out while they put Aurora to bed in a tower and mourn over her. It’s heartbreaking: they raised and loved her as if she were their own daughter, and they still couldn’t protect her. Everyone talks about “Baby Mine” and Bambi’s mom as huge tearjerkers, but why is this scene constantly forgotten?
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Stupid onions, stupid stupid onions

Fauna and Merryweather can’t even begin to imagine how heartbroken Stefan and Leah will be, but Flora has a solution: put the kingdom to sleep along with Aurora until she is woken up. I understand her wanting to spare Aurora’s family some pain, but conking out an entire principality for god knows how long to cover up their failure? AND at a time when Europe was all about invading and conquering itself? Are we sure this isn’t just part of Maleficent’s overarching plan for revenge? This sounds more like something she would come up with instead of the leader of the good guys.
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“So what happens if one of the neighboring kingdoms decides to attack while everyone’s sleeping?”
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“Then we’ll put them and their armies to sleep, too.”
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“And once Aurora is saved, both kingdoms will immediately wake up to find themselves thrust into a war they’re barely prepared for, is that correct?”
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“Oh, you’re right, that’s a terrible idea.”
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“Finally, thank you.”
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“I’ll just turn them all into flowers.”
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“THAT’S NOT AN OPTION!!!”
The fairies flitter about the castle grounds spreading their spell over the unwitting royal court, even putting the candles and sconces out. We have another reprise of the “Gifts of Beauty and Song” chorus now altered to sound like a lullaby, providing an interesting bit of symmetry between it and its earlier use in the film. Whereas it first underscored their blessings upon Aurora, now it plays as the fairies are giving the “gift” of sleep to the entire castle.
While Flora knocks out the throne room, she overhears Hubert muttering about Philip eloping with a peasant girl and she makes the connection. The fairies speed to the cottage just as Philip arrives there. But once again Maleficent beats them to the punch. Her goons ambush Philip and she watches them wrestle and bond him with fiendish glee.
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You magnificent, kinky bitch.
Maleficent was only out to capture the one man who could break Aurora’s curse; the fact that he’s really the son of her nemesis’ allies is just icing on the cake. Flora, Fauna, and Merryweather resolve to rescue him from Maleficent’s fortress in the Forbidden Mountain.
Some movies reach the brink of greatness only to falter when it comes to the final act. Sleeping Beauty is not one of them. Everything that happens from the moment we slowly zoom in through the purple mist on to the Forbidden Mountain itself up until the storybook closes is perfection. The perfectly paced action, the animation, the music, Maleficent’s hideaway in all its decaying glory (I swear it’s like Jean Cocteau meets Frank Frazetta meets Giotto) all make for the climax of climaxes.
The fairies shrink to insect size and silently sneak through Maleficent’s creepy domain, narrowly running into guards and gargoyles at every turn. They traverse the stronghold until they find her overseeing a hellish bacchanalia in honor of her supposed victory.
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“My old gaffer would have a thing or two to say if he could see us now.”
Soon Maleficent gets bored and goes to “cheer up” her captive. Then we have it: The Moment.
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I’ve talked about this before, that one small, devious step further the villain takes to make themselves more heinous in our eyes. It’s the Wicked Witch taunting Dorothy with visions of Aunt Em. It’s the Beldam hanging Other Wybie’s remains. It’s virtually everything Heath Ledger’s Joker does. And it is this simple scene where Maleficent details what she plans to do with Philip. She spins “a charming fairy tale come true” of Aurora sleeping without aging, waiting for her prince to come to wake her. And Philip will escape the dungeon, ride to her rescue and prove true love conquers all – in one hundred years, when he’s a broken old husk of a man on the brink of death. DAMN. If you want to know why Maleficent is considered the best of all the Disney villains, it’s not just all her previously praised qualities, it’s her sheer sadism and the pleasure she takes in it.
The fairies enter and free Philip once Maleficent departs. The course of true love never runs smoothly though, so they arm him with the Shield of Virtue (licensed by Carefree Maxi-Pads), and the Sword of Truth to aid in his escape.
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“So, why’s it called the Sword of Truth?”
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“Anyone who’s subjected to it speaks only the truth
as they bleed out and die, of course.”
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“Cool, cool. On an unrelated note, I think I’m gonna go to DC for my honeymoon.”
Diablo sounds the alarm and the Battle With the Forces of Evil kicks off with Philip slashing his Sword of Truth through Maleficent’s goons.
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“I steal lunches from the break room fridge!” “I broke wind last Tuesday and blamed it on the dog!” “I cried like a little girl during The Good Place finale!” “I only wash my hands for NINETEEN seconds at a time!”
Philip makes his getaway on Samson and the music reaches truly operatic levels as Maleficent does everything in her power to end him. Yet Philip soldiers through it like a boss. Crumbling mountainsides, Maleficent hurling lightning from the sky and summoning a forest of thorns to block the way? Fuck that shit, he’s gotta go save his girl.
Then, as Philip cuts his way through the briars, Maleficent looks at her watch, realizes it’s No More Fucking Around O’Clock, zooms over to the castle, throws down the most intimidating challenge ever  –
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“Now you shall deal with me, O Prince, and all the powers of HELL!!”
– and with that, she takes her final form: a massive fire-breathing dragon.
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Every Disney villain who’s gone kaiju in the final act owes everything to this gorgeous terrifying beast. The dragon is an awe-inspiring unholy fusion of style, power and darkness. There’s a reason why she’s the final boss in Fantasmic; the chance to watch a live dragon battle is too cool to pass up.
Speaking of battles, Maleficent’s dragon form was animated by Woolie Reitherman, who previously brought us such gargantuan monster clashes as the T-rex brawl in Fantasia and the escape from Monstro The Whale in Pinocchio. And when you have a dragon confronting a fairytale prince, well, you know what’s coming.
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Maleficent backs Philip on to a cliff surrounded by flames, leaving him only one desperate shot. With a little extra magic from the fairies, he throws his Sword of Truth at Maleficent and it plunges right into her heart.
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“I liked
Frozen 2
more than the first one
”
Maleficent’s spells die with her, clearing the way for Philip. He gives Aurora that wake-up smooch and everyone in the castle slowly rouses, owing their inexplicable simultaneous twenty-minute blackout to the unusually strong wine.
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He can attest to that fact.
The royal families are happily reunited, and the film ends on Flora and Merryweather fighting over Aurora’s dress color yet again as she and Philip waltz together on the clouds using animation Beauty and the Beast would borrow thirty-two years later.
Sleeping Beauty is a movie I can never have on in the background because the moment I look up from my work I am spellbound by it. Do I need to elaborate on how this is one of the most beautiful looking and sounding movies Disney’s ever produced? Sleeping Beauty is the swan song of Disney’s first golden age of animation. For better or for worse, their animation process would switch to the rough, cost-cutting Xerox process starting with their next feature, 101 Dalmatians, and few films would reach Sleeping Beauty’s level of gorgeousness ever since.
Though a massive financial and critical hit on release, it wasn’t enough to make up for the monstrous production costs, not unlike Fantasia. Thankfully, home video sales revived interest and made it Sleeping Beauty of the top-selling VHS tapes of the decade, cementing it as a bonafide classic. It’s one of my favorites from Disney for its stunning visuals, gorgeous music, phenomenal villain and overlooked but great cast characters. Revisit it if you haven’t already.
Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this review, please consider supporting this misfit on Patreon. Patreon supporters receive great perks such as extra votes for movie reviews, movie requests, early sneak-peeks and more! Special thanks to Amelia Jones, Gordhan Rajani and Sam Minden for their contributions!
Artwork by Charles Moss.
Screencaps from animationscreencaps.com
March Review: Sleeping Beauty (1959) Whenever I discuss Sleeping Beauty with someone who doesn't share my enthusiasm for Disney, they have an irksome tendency to get it muddled with Snow White; their excuse being "it has the same plot".
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artificialqueens · 4 years ago
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Galactica, Chapter 12 (Group Fic) - TheDane/Veronica
A/N: Hey all! Thank you so much for your amazing enthusiasm for this story. We love you. Click here if you’re looking for previous chapters (or here if you’d rather read on AO3). đŸ’«
Last Chapter: Raja and Raven made their new engagement known, and Violet left for her much-anticipated date with Pearl.
This Chapter: Tears, misunderstandings, and a handsome stranger.
***
Violet had never felt more humiliated in her life.
The evening had gone so well at first, the two of them arriving at the red carpet, Pearl walking it while Violet had stayed behind. The prize ceremony had been amazing, their seats front and center which meant that Violet had had the chance to really see the winning designs, but then, everything had started going to hell the minute the after party started.
Violet had volunteered to go get drinks for them, thinking that it was a date, an actual real date, but then when she came back Pearl had been dancing with a girl that Violet recognized as a manager from the Calvin Klein store, the two of them making out on the dance floor.
The girl was tiny and curvy, her dress showing off her breasts, her short red hair framing her face perfectly. She was gorgeous, and suddenly Violet felt completely disgusting in her own body, too tall, too mannish, too thin. The girl was everything she was not, which made the fact that Pearl had chosen her even worse.
Shame had made Violet’s entire skin itch as she dropped the drinks, quickly making her way to the lounge, desperate to get away.
***
Violet was sitting in the corner of the main bar, doing her very best not to let anyone know she was crying.
She had stormed to the wardrobe, only to realise that Pearl had their number and that she couldn’t get her coat, the little clutch she had taken with her barely even containing her phone and a few dollars for tipping.
Violet could go to Pearl, should go to Pearl and demand to be given her coat, but there was no way she could look at the other woman without making a complete fool of herself.
“Hey lovely eyes-” Violet felt someone sit next to her. At first, she thought it was a mistake, that the stranger hadn’t actually been talking to her, but then, he continued, “how come you’ve got such lovely eyes?”
Violet snorted. She knew the stranger couldn’t see her eyes, her hair covering her face. “Did you come up with that all by yourself?”
“I did, thank you for noticing.” He replied, his voice dry but humorous. “Here.”
Violet saw a handkerchief making its way into her field of vision. It was a square of dark green fabric, but what Violet really noticed was the faded tattoos that swirled all over the strangers dark skin.
“Thank you
” Violet took it, their fingers touching for just a moment. She quickly dabbed her eyes, hoping that her mascara hadn’t run everywhere. “Not many people carry Frank Leder handkerchiefs.”
The stranger laughed, notes of surprise clear in the warm tones, and Violet felt a little bit better. It was nice to know that even though her evening had gone to shit, she had at least managed to make this kind stranger feel a little bit better.
“Can I-”  She put the handkerchief down, not yet ready to look up, but she did want to do something for the man who Violet felt like was saving her. “Can I buy you a drink?”
“How about I get you one instead?” The warmth was still there, amusement playing just underneath the deep rumble of his voice, “and when I get back, you can tell me what’s wrong?”
Violet didn’t want to talk about her problems, didn’t want to let anyone in, but before she could protest, the man had already gotten out of his seat. Violet straightened her back, pushing her hair behind her ear. She took a deep breath, readying herself to thank him for his offer, but to also let him down gently.
“I got you some water, it’s not exactly a drink, but I figured you could use it.”
Violet turned, and that was when she saw him for the first time.
She recognized him instantly.
It was the same nose, the same height, the same eyes, the same build, the exact same skin tone.
“You’re Sutan Amrull.”
“Hello.” Sutan smiled. He was wearing a deep green suit, a bottle of water and a whiskey in hand.
Sutan was one of Elite Model Management best managers and scouts. He was a legende, his ability to find potential talent and then nurture them with his golden touch was something most scouts could only dream of. Everyone who was anything in Manhattan knew him, his models longed for and sought after and for their beauty, their personality but most importantly their work ethic.
“You’re Raja Amrull’s twin brother.”
“Pleasure to meet you.”
Violet did the only thing she could think of. She snatched her clutch off the table, and tried to run.
“Hey!” Violet felt a hand on her arm. “Don’t run.”
“I-” Violet felt like she should be panicking, someone who was essentially a stranger holding her back, but she was in the middle of a party, she knew his sister, and even though he was touching her arm, Violet could barely feel the grip. “Okay.”
“I’m glad.” Sutan slowly released her, a mischievous glint sparkling in his eyes. “You’re the first woman I’ve met who knows who I am that has tried to run away.”
“I should really go.”
“At least have the drink with me.” Sutan nodded towards the bar, stopping himself as he looked at the selection, “or water, I guess.”
Violet’s night had already gone to shit, the memory of Pearl kissing another girl burned into her brain, so there was really no reason to say no.
“Thank you.”
Violet sat down, and Sutan did the same as he pushed the closed bottle of Pellegrino towards her.
“Now,” Sutan smiled, “since you apparently know my name, and who I am, can I have yours?”
“Violet, my name’s- I, umh. I’m Violet. Just Violet.”
“Hello Violet just Violet.”  
Violet shook her head, but she couldn’t help the smile that crept over her lips.
She had seen Sutan before, of course she had. He was Raja’s twin brother, and Violet had dissapeared into the background at enough cocktail hours, event openings and parties to see the two of them standing side by side, both twins acting and looking like the rest of the world ceased to matter when the other one was there.
“I-” Violet looked over at Sutan, their eyes meeting, the man sipping his whiskey like he had all the time in the world to wait for her to speak up. “I didn’t mean for-“ Violet pauser. “I didn’t intend to freak out. Before, I mean-”
Sutan nodded, a faint hum coming from him.
“And I don’t usually cry at parties.”
“You don’t seem the type.”
Violet felt a strange sense of being seen, like Sutan was playing genuine attention to her, like he was actually looking at her and only her.
“Tonight has been, no, this entire week has been
” Violet sighed. “It’s been interesting, to say the least, and I-” Violet stopped herself, a huff of disbelief coming from her. “I can’t believe I’m actually telling you this.”
“Sounds like it needs to be said.” Sutan smiled, his head resting on his hand. “I’ve been told I’m a great listener.”
Violet nodded. She could absolutely believe it, the man’s entire aura so different from his sister, Sutan almost like a warm crackling fire to Raja’s icy coolness.
“No one, especially a stunning woman on a night of joy, deserves to sit alone and cry.”
Violet laughed, but as she watched Sutan’s face, he seemed entirely serious.
“Oh
”
“Drink your water, talk to me if you want, and when you’re done, I’ll get you a car. Okay?”
Violet bit her lip. She had been on her own for a long long time. Sure, she had had the other students and the teachers at the academy after she turned 13, but she couldn’t remember anyone ever looking at her like Sutan did.
“Thank you.”
Violet had never had anyone take care of her like this, had never had anyone pay attention to her in this manner or treat her like she was something precious, worthy of treasuring, without expecting anything from her in return, and she found herself moving closer and closer, practically fitting herself to Sutan’s side before he finally finally finally put an arm around her, his hand resting on her hip.
***
Pearl hadn’t meant to get caught up on the dancefloor, but she had bumped into one of her more frequent fuckbuddies, the Calvin Klein manager a woman Pearl really enjoyed spending time with.
She had been swept along without a thought in her head, had enjoyed herself immensely  as they danced until her partner had leaned forward and kissed her, their lips meeting, the girl dominating it right away.
Pearl had enjoyed it, she wasn’t made of stone, but as they kissed, she realized that it wasn’t what she wanted at all.
She didn’t want sex and kisses from someone who didn’t matter to her.
She wanted Violet.
Pearl had pushed her away and told her she was on a date, Calvin Klein simply shrugging and catching the hand of another blonde to dance with, leaving her behind.
And then, Pearl had spent the next hour looking for Violet, had called her phone over and over again, but she was completely gone, practically evaporated into thin air.
Pearl was just about to call the police, when she spotted Violet, the other woman sitting at the bar, looking like she didn’t have a care in the world.
A man was with her, a stranger she couldn’t recognize since his back was turned to her. His arm was around Violet’s waist, the two of them caught up in a quiet conversation, Violet actually smiling, and Pearl couldn’t help but see red.
How dare she?
Pearl had taken Violet on a date, had invited her to this amazing party, and instead of waiting for her like she was supposed to do, Violet was now basking in someone else's attention.
Pearl didn’t know what to do, anger burning in her body, but instead of running over, instead of pulling Violet away, she turned around, and went right back to the dance floor.
She’d find Calvin Klein even if it was the last thing she did, and give her so many orgasms she would black out.
***
“Here you go.”
Violet couldn’t help but smile. Sutan had somehow managed to wrestle her wrap away from the check in girl, and while Violet knew his sister could change the mind of even the most stubborn person, she had gotten the distinct impression that Sutan had that exact skill as well.
“Thank you.”
Violet was just about to reach out, and take her coat, when Sutan held it up.
“Oh.”
“I hope you don’t mind?” Sutan smiled.
“No. No, not at all.” Violet turned around, slipping her arms into her coat. Sutan put it down over her shoulders, his hands resting on them for just a moment before he released her.
“Let’s go outside.”
***
“Careful.” Violet said, her voice muffled as she climbed into his car. “I’m wearing Gabbana.”
“I know,” Sutan chuckled, following right behind her. It had been the plan to get Violet a cab, to send her off on her own, but as they had stood outside, Violet wrapped up in her jacket, they hadn’t been able to find one, so Sutan had offered her a ride in his car.
He had arrived at the Vogue Fashion Fund with a date, but right now he couldn’t even remember her name, and if he was honest he had actually forgotten it the moment he saw Violet sit at the bar.
She was absolutely wonderful. Weird and unpredictable, keeping him on his toes in a way he hadn’t tried in years and years.
She didn’t seem impressed by who he was in the slightest, but she wasn’t disrespectful either, his profession, which was so often mocked, something she so clearly understood.
“Remember your seatbelt, young lady.”
“I’m not that young.” Violet looked at him, her brown eyes bright. “I’m 23.”
“And I’m 41.”
It stung a little to say it. Sutan loved his age, loved that he was an adult with a career, that he was in charge of his own life, but right now it truly sucked that he was 17 years Violet’s senior.
“So?” Violet smiled. “You don’t look it.”
“Ouch.” Sutan snorted. “We both know I’m going gray.”
Raja had been ready to kill him when he had shown his twin his first gray hairs, his sister actually hitting him while she had yelled that it wasn’t fair.
“I think you’re beautiful.”
“Beautiful?” Sutan laughed, surprise flushing over him. “You think I’m beautiful?” He hadn’t been called that since his late teens, the choice of word yet another thing that he hadn’t expected at all.
“Mmmh.” Violet nodded. “And I think-” Violet looked at him, a small smile playing on her lips. “I think,  that it would be really nice if you kissed me.”
Sutan hadn’t planned to kiss the stranger he had met in the bar, hadn’t intended for his night to end this way, but as he leaned over the seat, his hand finding Violet’s hair, he didn’t want it any other way.
***
“Bunny!”
Courtney grinned. Adore was waiting outside their favorite pizza joint, and the second Courtney saw her best friend, her steps grew lighter and bouncier. As exhausted as she was after her first week at Galactica, nothing made her happier than a day with Adore, catching up over lunch and then snuggling up on her couch for a well-deserved marathon of their favorite cheesy rom coms.
“Hi!” she cried, skipping up to her and flinging herself into her arms.
They hadn’t seen each other since before her interview, and even though they texted all the time, it felt like it had been forever since Courtney had felt the warm comfort of one of Adore’s perfect hugs. Adore squeezed her back tightly.
“I missed you so much,” Adore said, and Courtney nodded in agreement, face buried in her neck.
“Me too, baby. How are you?”
“Good! The line’s moving quickly, which is great because I am starving! ”
“Awesome.” Courtney laid a head on her shoulder, still not letting go.
“So? How was it? Tell me everything!”
Adore put her hands on Courtney’s shoulders, pushing her back to look into her face.
“Um
”
“Isn’t Fame the best? ”
“Uh, yeah, she’s-”
“She’s practically my godmother,” Adore laughed. “You’re so lucky that you get to work for her and not my sister. Who, you know, I love and everything, but she is such a hardass. But Fame is like, the nicest.”
“Right.”
Courtney had met Adore’s infamous “hardass” sister a few times in passing, while they were in college. And while she was certainly intimidating, Courtney couldn’t remember her being nearly as relentlessly uptight as Fame. Who, Courtney supposed, must be very different outside of the office.
“And she gives the best hugs in the world,” Adore sighed.
“I’ll take your word for it,” Courtney replied with a chuckle.
It seemed a bit unfair--knowing this warm and loving version of Fame existed, and that she’d probably never get to meet her. How could she miss someone she’d never met?
“What, not a lot of hugging in the office?” Adore bumped Courtney playfully with her hip.
“Unfortunately not.”
Adore wrapped her arms around her. “Awww, sorry bunny.”
“I’ll survive,” Courtney said.
They stepped up to the counter to order, then found a small table, perching on stools. Adore, as usual, immediately took a huge bite, then moaned in pain. Courtney laughed, shaking her head.
“You always do that.”
“I know! But it’s just because I love pizza!” Adore whined, sucking on an ice cube from her Mountain Dew.
Courtney giggled again, taking a sip of her root beer.
“So...you haven’t really told me anything! What’s the job like? Is it super glamorous?!”
“Um, it’s mostly like office stuff. Answering phones, scheduling meetings, errands, things like that.” Courtney picked at her pizza crust, taking a small bite.
“Well, is it at least better than the steak house?” Adore asked.
“Yeah, for sure. And most importantly, now I can stay in New York.” Courtney smiled. “Thanks for helping me get the interview.”
“Of course, bunny. I would go crazy if you left. No one else understands me the way you do.” She leaned forward and pressed a sloppy kiss to Courtney’s cheek.
“Same!” Courtney grinned back at her.
“So like...it’s good, then? You’re happy?” Adore’s blue eyes were wide with hope.
It didn’t seem right for Courtney to complain to Adore. Not after she’d gone out of her way to help her get the interview. And certainly not about her “practically a godmother.”
“Yeah! I mean, it’s been a little tough learning everything fast enough, but I think I’m doing alright.” Courtney picked at a mushroom that was falling off of her pizza and popped it into her mouth.
“Of course you are! I would expect nothing else.”
“I just really want to do a good job, you know?”
“Yeah, sure.” Adore nodded, and then gave a sympathetic shrug. “I wouldn’t really know.”
“Well, we don’t all have rich sisters supporting our music careers,” she added.
“I know, what a shame!” Adore laughed. “Speaking of which, pizza and movie snacks are on Bianca today, so eat up.”
“Well...thanks, Bianca,” Courtney said, toasting their invisible patron and then lifting the slice to her mouth for a bite.
***
Pearl was smoking a cigarette, the morning sun shining down. Violet hadn’t answered any of her texts or any of her calls even after she had returned home, and Violet infuriatingly enough didn’t even have any social media profiles she could stalk, so Pearl had done the only thing she could think of.
She had camped out on the roof, waiting and hoping that she’d bump into Violet doing her morning yoga.
Pearl was just about to give up, when the door finally opened and she saw Violet step through, the other woman stopping dead in her tracks, yoga mat under her arm.
“Viole- Hey!”
As soon as Pearl had opened her mouth, Violet had turned on her heel.
“Hey!” Pearl shouted, throwing her cigarette over the rooftop edge.
“Violet! What the fuck, dude?!” Pearl flew down the stairs, but Violet was annoyingly fast; when she finally caught up to her, she had just jammed the key in her door.
“Violet! What the hell is wrong with you?” Pearl groaned, her heart hammering away. “First you ditch me and now you’re ignoring me?!”
Violet spun around, her hair almost hitting Pearl in the face. “Are you high right now?!”
“I-” Pearl straightened her back. “No, unfortunately. But if you’re interested, I do have some weed in my-”
Pearl had hoped for a smile, a laugh, anything, but instead, Violet simply slammed the door in her face.
***
Patrick opened the door, curious as to who it could possibly be ringing their doorbell unannounced on a Sunday evening. He couldn’t imagine the wealthy divorcĂ©e who lived in the brownstone next door needing to borrow a cup of sugar. Instead, he was greeted with a very familiar face.
“Pearl?” Patrick opened the door wider upon seeing the young blonde. She looked a little rough, like she’d been hard drinking all day.
“I’m sorry! I-should have called first. I don’t know why I thought-I mean I didn’t think-”
Patrick’s heart softened, seeing the clear distress that his wife’s latest paramour was in. Patrick knew Pearl, and enjoyed her company quite a bit. She was Fame's favorite and most reliable work playmate, always happy to please her, but didn’t often come to their house.
“Is everything okay, dear?” he asked gently.
“No.” Pearl shook her head.
“Ah.” Patrick slipped an arm around her shoulder, pressing a fatherly kiss to her hair, and guided her inside. He called out to Fame in the kitchen, “Darling! Set another place for dinner!”
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