#it’s just that I’m doing the same exact time management tango with everything else in my life and limited energy reserves

[as-mod-eus]

just a quick psa for my own rp experience - I mention that I am disabled in my pinned because it’s true. if you’re going to get upset with me for not being able to push myself beyond my limits to write as promptly as you like, we just aren’t going to be compatible as writers. just because my disability is invisible doesn’t mean I don’t have it! I actually have done a ton of work to get myself to the functionality that I’m currently at in my real life and I won’t be sacrificing that for anything, including my hobbies. it took me several years just to be able to consistently hold a job again without going into debilitating flashbacks or being quite literally unable to take care of my basic needs because of my major depression.

i am trying my hardest and i know that going weeks without a reply to a thread can be very discouraging. I completely understand it!!!! and I don’t fault anyone for not jiving with that and that being a hard dealbreaker, but in no way does that give you the go ahead to criticize me for not being able to meet the standards you want me to meet. I love writing and it is my number one hobby. if I am not writing, it is 99% due to me being completely unable to make words because I’m burnt out from my weekly everything.

please be patient with me if we are mutuals. I’m here for a good time and a long time, and I want everyone who has been patient with me to know that I am deeply deeply appreciative of the patience, because I know it can be a lot to ask, especially when we’ve mused a plot heavily and it seems I go radio silent replies-wise. if it were up to me I would be able to churn out replies prolifically - but it’s not, and I have to prioritize keeping myself healthy above everything, including my favorite hobbies.

I hope that clears some things up and sets a boundary for anyone who has been upset with my activity level. thank you!

[strawberrylemonz]

Innit an Adventure

An addition to the AU, lol. Instead of chat being in his head, like Techno’s, Tommy’s chat are ghosts that follow him around :)

This one is dedicated to @ivorylin for being very supportive of my first post regarding this au. This is also dedicated to @petrichormeraki for being poggers and enjoying the first part of this series, as well as inspiring it.

Part 1

Part 2 [CURRENT]

Part 3

--------

“Brother!!! Pog!!!”

“Big brother returns!”

“HE CALLED HIM STARCHILD, I’M GONNA SOB”

“I just woke up, what’s happening?”

“GOODBYE SBI, HELLO HERMIT GRIAN”

”HERMIT HOMIES HOURS”

“HOLY SHIT, HE’S OUR BROTHER”

“I was getting a snack, what’s up?”

“DJLFKNGON I’M GOANNA   CRYSLK”

“BEST BROTHER EVER”

“I’m on the toilet, pog”

“I have tacos :)”

“BRGB SOBBING”

“GRIAN POGGGG”

“This makes me happy you didn’t do a double flip”

“ADIOS TECHNOBRO AND WILBRO, I ONLY KNOW BIG BRO G!!!”

“Anyone else have dust in their eyes?”

“CHAOS DUO RELATED POG”

Tommy let out a shaky breath as he rubbed his eyes. Chat was going crazy at the new news and, to be honest, he couldn’t blame them. If he was in their position, he’d be freaking out alongside them. Wanting to end both the silence that filled the cavern and the nonsense Chat was saying, Tommy let out a hoarse laugh before speaking.

“Chat really likes you, G.”

A smile formed on the teen’s face as his head bounced with the hefty laugh that came from Grian, whose chest began to rumble alongside the laughter. Finally lifting his head off his brother’s chest, Tommy allowed the remaining tears in his eyes to fall as he looked to Grian’s face. Grian smiled fondly back at Tommy, wiping away the tears from his little brother’s eyes. 

“I suppose I should say hello to all of them. Is Chat similar to Techno’s voices?”

Concern flashed across Grian’s face as Tommy flinched at the mention of Technoblade. It was small, and could have been easily overlooked if Grian wasn’t watching his brother like a hawk. He made a mental note to ask about that later that night, when they were around the campfire.

“Nah, he’s just insane. Psychotic or some shit like that. I’m just really fucking cool and can see spirits and shit.”

Eyebrows from the crowd (shit, they were still there, weren’t they?) and Grian were raised as someone Stress half heartedly scolded Tommy for his language. Tommy just rolled his eyes, knowing that they only scolded him as a joke. They had all grown accustomed to his wording, and were worried when he didn’t slip in a few curses into his sentences.

“Spirits?”

“Yeah, spirits. I call em Chat most of the time, but they have different nicknames, and they all have individual names. Clara explained that it was one of the many side effects to her marking me as a ‘Starchild’ in her name. They are the spirits of the lands, from servers all around, or some shit like that. I can see them all, but they make the choice to stick with me or not.”

This was...news. Grian, who was still processing that he his baby brother was alive, sitting right in front of him, as well as the fact that Clara was real, could only stare. He wasn’t so sure how to feel about his brother being indifferent to all the spirits, but he suppose that it couldn’t be helped. Spending pretty much your entire life seeing spirits would make him indifferent to the spirits as well. 

“So, Chat is...everywhere?”

“Basically, yeah”

Grian hummed as he proceeded to greet Chat, being polite to the beings he couldn’t see. Much to the annoyance of Tommy, Chat seemed to be loving Grian even more. Maybe a bit too much.

“HE’S SO POLITE”

“How thoughtful of him”

“HELOO HI GRI A  N HWAHT’S UP BRO”

“Grian bro supremacy”

“GRIAN BRO SUPREMACY”

“HERMIT HOMIE WOOOOOO”

“BEST BRO POG”

“holY SHIT I’M IN LOV E ADKNVOD”

“THE RACCOON HAS A POG BROTHER WOOO”

“HI GRIAN HI”

“Rodent brothers??? pog?????”

“HELLOHELLOHELLOHENSLO”

“TELL HIM WE SAID HI, CHILD”

“Woah, woah, woah, woah, woah, calm down, calm down, calm down, calm down. Chat says hi, Grian. And, hey, I’m not a child, what the fuck!? I’m a big man!”

Impulse snickered as Mumbo walked over to the two brothers. Smiling down at them, he helped the two back to their feet. Grian smiled as he set a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, squeezing it slightly. Tommy, in turn, beamed with pride at his brother and his friends. 

“Alright, we spent enough time being emotional and shit. Let’s get going, I have more cool shit to show you guys.”

Laughter filled the cavern as Tommy fixed his hair, his booming man child I’m not a child voice being drowned out as he led them back outside. Slightly huffing. He let out a yelp as he was nearly tackled to the ground from behind. Letting out undignified noises of protest, he turned to see the smug smile of Grian, who was ruffling his hair. 

“Alright, big man, show us your land of paradise!”

Barking out a hearty laugh, Tommy ducked out from his brother’s hand before grabbing it, spinning a few times, and pulling him forward. 

“Aw, look at them!”

“Wait, so Grian has two sections now?”

------

The traditional booth games in Tavern Town were fun. From balloon darts to milk bottles, to ladder climb and hoop toss, Tommy thought of it all. Unique designs decorated each booth, all holding an individual and unique look. Everything about the area was impressive.

“Where did buy get these for the games? I don’t think I’ve ever seen them in the main server.”

Tommy peered over to Doc, who was inspecting the prizes neatly strung up on all the booths. There were plushies of different types of mods, some familiar, others not. They came in all types of colors and sizes, and were overall impressive. Walking up beside Doc, Tommy just shrugged his shoulders, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck.

“I didn’t buy them, I made them.”

Scar perked up, before jumping right into the conversation.

“You what? Toms, that’s impressive! I didn’t know you could sew.”

‘Fucking hell,’ Tommy thought to himself. He didn’t expect to get praise for his simple hobbies.

“Yeah, I sew. I’m actually pretty crafty, being resourceful and shit. I also knit and crochet. It’s not much, but it’s really fucking therapeutic and all that jazz.”

Before anyone else could comment, a dinging noise sounded at one of the booths. Turning to look at the cause of the commotion, they saw that Stress and Impulse had won a game together. Giving each other fist bumps, they watched as a screen popped up, giving them prize options to choose from. After receiving their prizes, they hurried over to Tommy with smiles painted on their faces.

“You bet we’re gonna win one of each plush here.”

A high pitched laughter erupted from Tommy, who was starting to enjoy his decision to hand make all the prizes in his park. Wiping away a tear of joy, the teen I’m eighteen, I’m a fucking man! You’re a child, Tommy beamed at his friends, who smiled warmly in return. Tommy’s joy seemed to increase as more booth alarms were set off, many more prizes coming off the shelves. By the time everyone was ready for the next land, they all had at least two plush toys each.

———

“This is delicious! You baked these?!”

The group was currently sitting in the seating area in the Dream SMP section of the park, more specifically, L’manburg. They had gotten pastries from the duplicate bakery that belonged to Niki. According to Tommy, it was an exact replica to the real thing. The pastries sold there were the same ones Niki sold back at L’manburg. Tommy had used the recipes and techniques that Niki had demistrated to both him and Tubbo to create the dishes.

“If you think these are good, you should taste Niki’s. I swear, her pastries were sent down from Heaven by Jesus himself. They taste fucking amazing, godly.”

Grian smiled as he nudged Tommy’s shoulder with his own. Popping another sweet cake in his mouth, Tommy quirked an eyebrow as he faced the older boy.

“You should teach me some of your hobbies, Starchild. We can do a hobby exchange.”

Tommy visibly brightened up as he wiped some frosting from around his mouth. Smiling, he nodded his head happily.

“Hell yeah! That sounds fuckin’ amazing!”

The group ate with content as they looked around their area. They had already seen the rest of the Dream server lands. 

“It’s amazing that you’ve made all of this by yourself. You haven’t even showed us the rest of the park yet! Good job, for a child.”

“Hey! I’m not a fucking child! I’m turning 19 soon!”

“Oh yeah, I forgot you were an Aries.”

“What’s wrong with being an Aries?”

“Nothing is wrong with being an Aries, Tango.”

“Oh shut it, you Librarian.”

“Librarian?”

“Yeah, the worst sign.”

“First of all, kid, I’m a Gemini.”

------

The rides and games in the DSMP were very diverse and unique. Tommy had really put a lot of effort and time into every attraction, no matter how small. From things as small as a scavenger hunt through the Badlands, water themed adventures in El Rapids, to fast paced coasters in L’manburg.

“Scoot over, bandit child, I’m sharing this ride vehicle with you.”

“What the fuck, man?”

“Oh, don’t act surprised. I know you made it to where two people share a seat just so you can spend quality time with your brother.”

“Oh, fuck off, I didn’t even know you were my brother until an hour and a half ago.”

“Whatever helps you sleep at night.”

The first ride the group decided to board was dubbed A Home. Entering a little shack, everyone boarded their ride vehicles and waited for the ride to begin. While they waited for the vehicles to move, Tommy explained how he managed to use the latest mods that were added to the server to his advantage. He managed to fit different tracks to different rides in the same builds, as well as add animatronics. Just as he was about to receive yet another wave of praise, the ride began.

“It’s like looking at a younger version of you!”

“That’s kinda the point, genius.”

Grian’s statement, as obvious as it was, was true. As the vehicles left the shack and entered the caravan, and animatronic Tommy, merely 16 years of age, welcomed the riders as they witnessed the beginning of a new home, L’manburg. They kept comments to themselves when they saw, yet again, the replica of Tommy’s old base. The ride track took them through different areas of the DSMP, following the young Tommy as he searched for a home.

“-the citizenship of Wilbur Soot and Tommyinnit!!!”

“What?!”

“What does he mean revoked?!”

Before Tommy could reply, the vehicles lurched backwards, keeping the vehicles facing the stage at all times as the animatronics turned to take aim at the riders. It wasn’t until the red stone to the dirt entrance revealed the entry way to Pogtopia that the vehicles did a 180, moving forward into the entry way before going down the spiral steps into the ravine. Laughter filled the air as the group saw animatronics of Tommy, Wilbur and Techno conversing together, joking around and teasing each other. Suddenly, the ride vehicles fell down to the next part of the track, the prime path. As they raced through the tunnel, they witnessed an animatronic Tommy and Tubbo embracing and conversing, their cheerful voices free from worry. The group could only sit in awe as the scenes continued to change.

“-goodbye, Tommy.”

“What does he mean goodbye?!”

“Oh my fucking god, shut up!”

The vehicles suddenly raced through the Nether, coming out to an island far from DSMP. The sign at the entrance of the area welcomed the group to Logstedshire. There, they could see an unhappy Tommy staring out towards the ocean, listening to Chirp as he mumbled nonsense to Clara. And just as quickly as they came, they raced out of the sunny area and into the snow. They raced around the inside of Techno’s cottage before racing outside, towards an empty area. There, an animatronic Tommy yelled out in shock as an animatronic Technoblade pressed a button, turning around as a secret lair was revealed.

“Welcome home, Theseus!”

For the final time, the scene changed. They entered, backwards, into a portal, coming out to face a replica of the spawn to Hermitcraft. There, in wonderous glory, stood an animatronic Xisuma, welcoming the group to Hermitcraft. Then, the track dropped, leaving the riders back at the entrance to the ride.

“Holy shit.”

“Haha! Holy shit is right!”

———

The group quickly learned that Tommy spared no expense in all his attractions. As they explored the different lands, they really saw the individuality of every land. L’manburg had fun rides, including Nation’s Legacy, Blood’s Ballad, Wither’s Wrath, and Creator’s Cabin. Nation’s Legacy is an underground ride that worked like a turntable to tell the history of L’manburg, ending on a grim and looming hint to the possible destruction of the nation. When asked about the fate of L’manburg, Tommy admitted that he appeared in Hermitcraft before he could witness the possible doomsday, so he wasn’t entirely sure what had occured afterwards.

Blood’s Ballad is an interactive ride that used a special red stone technique. The ride vehicles could seat up eight passengers at a time, each using special gloves that allow them to interact with the special ride elements. The goal is to get the most points out of everyone in the ride vehicle. The ride took the group on a journey with Technoblade, the Blood God. The group racked up points training alongside him, as well as fighting all sorts of mobs. By the end of the ride, Tommy was sulking as Stress managed to gather the most points. Stress was enjoying the victory, smiling happily as “SUBSCRIBE TO TECHNOBLADE” boomed through the speakers. 

Wither’s Wrath was more of a small scale ride to enjoy. There were only three ride vehicles, each shaped like a wither and able to hold three riders. Each rider sat in a wither skull. Grian smiled as he pulled Mumbo and Tommy into a a wither vehicle with him. As they strapped in, they were transported to a virtual world where the rules of the game were shared. The goal was to cause the most destruction in the virtual world than the other vehicles. Each player controlled their own skull, making it easier to gather points. At least, that was the case for-

“Fuck yeah! Team Kickass all the way! Check it Grian, Mumbo, we’re badass!”

Creator’s Cabin was simple enough. It was just a large cabin that held enchanted portraits of everyone who resided in the DSMP. The portraits could move within their frames. They could also interact with each other. When the group walked in, the portraits were chatting away with each other. Sam’s portrait seemed to be listening in on the conversation that the portraits of Tubbo, Tommy and Purpled were having, occasionally joining in when he saw fit. Fundy was chatting away with Eret and Niki, a bright smile on his face. Ranboo was timidly peeking over at the group with Tommy and Tubbo, obviously wanting to join in. The portraits of Quackity, Sapnap and Karl were deep in conversation, while the portrait of George was asleep sitting up.

“Hey, Tommy?”

“Yeah?”

“Why are there two portraits of Wilbur?”

“Oh, right. Grian, about Wilbur-”

“AHOY THERE! WHY DON’CHA BOARD ME SHIP AND CONQUER THE WATERS WITH ME?”

The group, aside from Tommy, jumped at the booming voice. Without hesitation, they all ran out to the water, searching for the source of the voice. There, out on the water, stood a lone animatronic. It was the animatronic of a petite woman, one with red curls dancing around as she swayed and spoke. Once more, her confident, melodic voice filled the air. 

“JOIN ME ON MY QUEST TO RIDE THE WONDROUS WAVES OF THE SEAS”

With that, she raised her right arm, hoisting a sword into the air. On cue, she began to rise as a ship emerged from the sea below her. Once it was no longer submerged, the ship rocked a few times before settling. A banner unraveled and blew in the breeze, the name of the area now visible for all to see. 

Sally de Mon’s Sea Voyage

“You like it? Creating the entrance for this ride was a fucking bastard. Kept me up all night and crap. Almost gave up completely on it.”

“It’s amazing! I was not expecting to see something like that!

“Hey, Tommy? Who’s Sally. I don’t think it was ever explained how you know her?”

“Really? I gotta fix that, then. Sally is my sister-in-law who-”

“I HAVE A SISTER-IN-LAW?!”

“Oh, shit...surprise?”

------

The Badlands was a fun, interactive section of the DSMP area. The various puzzles and mazes made it fun for all the participants. The muffin stand was also a fan favorite to the hermits. 

El Rapids was a water-filled adventure. Because he wanted to play around with the word rapids, Tommy made several water-based rides and activities, his favorite being the log ride. They just seemed to be the perfect addition to the area, adding a way to cool down to balance all the water-free rides. It seemed as if Tommy had thought of every type of ride for every type of biome and scenario.

SMP Earth was another large section of the park. It also held the only other largest ride in the entire park, one that led the riders throughout the Antarctic Empire, as well as its surrounding cities and towns. The area for the empire was beautiful decorated in colors of all kind. Flowers and banners decorated the buildings and streets, brightening up the area. Classic activities, such as the sparing rings and archery, as well as the axe throws and parkour courses were set up. It all felt familiar to Grian, who couldn’t help but smile at his brother. Grabbing one of the fliers, he inspected it before shooting his brother a look of uncertainty.

“You didn’t”

“On the contrary, brother dearest, I did!”

“Did what? What did he do?”

Grian laughed as he showed the group what the flier said. It was decorated in beautiful, hand-drawn flowers. Golden lettering perfectly spelt out the message.

Floral Festival of Spring

Join us in the weeklong celebration of Spring! Enjoy the festivities with friends and family as you explore the traditions held within our grounds. Finally, enjoy the wondrous Floral Gala held on the final night of festivities. Dawn your greatest fabrics as you dance the night away, before enjoy a magnificent firework display.

Signed by his royal highness,

Prince Thomas Theseus Minecraft

“He used his full name and everything!”

“Your middle name is Theseus?”

“Your actual last name is Minecraft?”

“Did you actually write this? It’s worded and written so…formally.”

Huffing a bit, Tommy crossed his arms. Fixing his posture, he stood up, tall and proud, as he puffed out his chest. It took everyone every fiber in their bodies to not laugh at the sight of him.

“I can be very formal, thank you very much. I’m not a fucking idiot, I remember the formality lessons the teachers put me through. And I take the offense to that writing comment! Do you know how many attempts it took for me to be able to recreate the stupid fancy font used back at the empire? And another thing-”

Grian playfully hopped on Tommy’s shoulder, startling the younger brother to his usual stance. Ruffling his hair, he assured his brother with a laugh.

“Calm down, Toms. You know that we’re messing with you. You did amazingly. How many more flyers do you have? We’ll set them up in the Hub to be distributed across the main server. It’s been a while since I’ve attended a royal ball, so let’s make it grand!”

Laughing, Tommy had no choice but to agree with Grian. His smile faltered, however, once realization sunk in. The next activity for the group was the campfire. The secrets of his time at the Dream SMP that he kept for over 2 years would finally be revealed.

‘Better late than never to prepare the waterworks’, thought a very nervous Tommy.

[thelionbyname]

The Pole, The American and the Four Brits (Part 3)

TRIGGER WARNING: Blood, fighting.

(When reading this, please remember that these are only loosely based on real life and are not in any way meant to offend or embarrass anyone. This is fictional. Anyway, hope you like it!)

Xisuma walks over to the trapdoor and knocks on it. “We want to negotiate. What do you want?” he shouts upwards. 

On the other side of the trapdoor, the man, still holding Tango in a headlock, motions for Keralis to stand up. He does so. Now, Keralis is told to open the trapdoor and move away from it. This too, he does. With the trapdoor open, the light from the room below streams out over the roof. With an effort, Xisuma manages to climb out of the hole and emerge, arms raised, to face the creep. Recognition flashes in his eyes. Now that the roof is better lit, Xisuma can properly see the creep's face. A very handsome man with olive skin and a long scar on his right cheek. The only things that really make him creepy, are his wide bloodshot eyes and his insane grin.

“You? How did you get here?” Xisuma asks him suspiciously.

The creep’s grin broadens, and he starts to talk. His voice is raspy, like he hasn’t used it in ages. “You thought you were the only ones brought here from the other world? How naive. You are the same selfish person no matter what universe you end up in, it seems”.

“Xisuma? Who is this?” Keralis asks gingerly.

Not taking his eyes off his enemy, Xisuma says “Malus. He wanted to be a part of Hermitcraft in the other world, and when we refused, he went slightly mad and did some bad things. He went to jail for two years and was to be set free about a month after we were sent here”. Addressing Malus now, he adds “but you were never released, were you? You came here with us”.

“Ah, starting to understand I see. Not as thick as you look then,” Malus responds menacingly. “Yes. The failed experiment that sent you to this world took others as well. I have yet to track them all down, but the ones I found are with us right now”. While he says this, the shadows seem to come alive as a dozen figures move into the light down on the ground, all with drawn weapons. One of them has a bow aimed directly at Tango’s heart. When he notices this, he lets out a squeak. Malus claps his hand on Tango’s mouth to muffle the sound.

False, who had stayed in HQ to help plan a rescue, starts wondering what is going on outside, and decides to go have a look. She tells Grian and Mumbo where she’s going and heads to the entry hole. She uses her hunters' prowl so as to not make any noise that could alert her enemies. Staying out of Malus’ line of sight she creeps right up to the edge of the hole. Now she picks up on the conversation, Xisuma is talking.

“...surrounded, but we will find a way to escape”.

“Hmmm… yes, I’m sure you will. But not all of you will get out of this alive,” False hears someone else say. The voice sounds familiar. She is sure that she’s heard it before. But as she registers this, that same voice says, “Come on out Falsie, join your friends”. False jumps in surprise. “You better come out or your friends may get as blood-red as dear Tango’s eyes”. Slowly, False steps right under the trapdoor and hoists herself out. That’s when she saw him.

“Malus,” she says through gritted teeth.

“Falsie! Nice to see you too! Last time our paths crossed, you gave me my friend Ryan,” replies Malus, gesturing to his scar. He sighs in longingly. “Good times”.

“Ryan, really?” False scoffs.

“Well I thought it was funny”.

Tango tries to say something, but Malus’ hand is still covering his mouth so it sounds something like “Mnmhmn”.

“Sorry? What was that Tango?” Malus says mockingly. Tango rolls his eyes and bites him. “Aaah!” Malus screams, snatching his bleeding hand away from Tango, who grins.

“You were right, it does look just like my eyes!” and he turns to False. “I asked how you know him. Well, actually, my exact attempt at words was ‘You too?’”

“Oh, right. Xisuma got into a fight with Malus when - did X explain everything?” False asks, looking at the others questioningly. They nod, and gesture for her to continue. “Yes, so they got into a fight when Malus was denied being a part of Hermitcraft, and it got violent. Xisuma was…” she trails off, not wanting to offend Xisuma. He picks up the storyline.

“It’s okay, it’s a fact. I was losing, and things probably wouldn’t have ended so well if it weren’t for False. She appeared just in time and fought Malus off, though she didn’t know him at the time. And she gave him his scar”.

“He retreated, but made some big goodbye/revenge speech. It haunted me for months,” False confesses.

“Months? I wrote that speech to haunt you for years, or, at least, to haunt Xisuma for years. I didn’t know you would come. How long did it haunt you X?”

“You can’t call me X. You’re not a friend,” Xisuma retorts.

“You avoided the question. How long did my incredible speech haunt you?”

Xisuma remains silent.

“Answer me or your friend dies!” Malus says, tightening his arm around Tango’s neck.

“It still haunts me to this day,” X says quietly.

For the first time in a while, Keralis speaks. “That must have been some speech! What was it about? How long did you work on it? What could have been so bad that it still haunts Sashwammy of all people?” he asks, very slowly.

Malus picks up on this, and he says “You are so obviously stalling. What exactly do you think will happen if you buy more time?”

And he is right. For the last five minutes, Keralis has been watching the small army on the ground being picked off one by one, along with a flash of red fabric here and there. Now that only a few remain, he figured, why not have some fun? “Yes. you’re right. I am stalling. And wouldn’t you like to know why?”

“I’m warning you…” Malus says threateningly, tightening his arm around Tango’s neck even more, entirely blocking his airway. Tango slowly turns red. Another one of Malus’ allies drops to the ground.

Only two left. Just a little longer, Keralis thinks. Please hold on Tango. Trying to keep Malus’ attention towards him, he says “Ah whatever, let him die”.

X and False both shout “WHAT?!”, and in Tango’s eyes, Keralis sees the look of betrayal. 

Another guy down. One more.

Just as Tango is starting to turn blue, Grian silently pops up behind Malus’ last ally. He claps his hands over his hostage’s mouth and eyes, but this last person is quick to react. He flips Grian over his head so he lands over his back. This causes the silent night air to fill with his scream, which of course alerts Malus. He whips his head around to face the source of the commotion.

Tango goes limp.

                                        *          *          *

                                         End of part three

                                        To be continued...

[everwitch-magiks]

dance with somebody (ch. 2)

(ch. 1)

Dex takes a deep breath. Then another.

It doesn’t help.

They’re at team breakfast. Dex is arguably listening to Hops, who’s going on about the data management class Dex took his sophomore year that Hops is taking his sophomore year. More importantly, though, Nursey is sitting right next to Dex. He’s quiet, which is basically Nursey’s standard setting in the morning, but every now and then he makes his presence known, leaning slightly on Dex’s shoulder or brushing his hand against Dex’s as he reaches for something across the table.

It’s… Nice, mostly. Except that it’s also confusing. Because really, Nursey could just be holding Dex’s hand. He absolutely could. They’re actually dating now, as opposed to just dancing around the idea of a relationship, and the whole team knows, and everyone is extremely cool with it. Which means that Nursey should have exactly zero reasons to be settling for these frustratingly featherlight, ridiculously careful touches whenever there’s more than one or two teammates around. Really.

And yet, here they are.

From the other end of the table, Dex can feel Whiskey's watchful gaze.

And if that isn’t a whole other fucking conundrum.

It’s been less than two weeks since Dex asked Whiskey to be his alternate. It’s something they’re still both getting used to, perhaps Whiskey especially – Dex isn’t entirely sure that Whiskey has any clue what he’s supposed to actually do, just yet. Still, Dex doesn’t doubt that Whiskey was the right choice. Not even a little bit. Even if Whiskey doesn’t seem to quite believe that himself.

And speaking of things Whiskey doesn’t acknowledge – when Dex glances over to meet his eyes, Whiskey abruptly looks away.

Again.

Almost as if he’s actually convinced himself that Dex hasn’t caught him looking at him and Nursey, yet.

Dex reluctantly shifts his attention back to Hops, who is now in the middle of a longish rant about database management systems. Nursey’s hand brushes softly (and really not very subtly) against Dex’s fingers as Nursey reaches for his cup of coffee. Out of the corner of his eye, Dex spots Whiskey following the movement. Just like before.

Dex takes another deep breath, and forces himself to actually pay attention to Hops.

“You seemed kind of out of it, today.”

They’re walking back to the Haus with the team, except Nursey and Dex are kind of trailing behind everyone else. Nursey is watching Dex from the side. He’s almost frowning.

“Yeah,” Dex admits softly. “I’m just… I feel like there’s a lot going on, right now.”

Nursey hums, and after a quick glance towards the rest of the team, he reaches out to carefully intertwine their fingers.

Fucking finally.

Dex breathes deeply, in and out. For the first time that day, it actually grounds him somewhat.

“You know, I’ve kind of missed you.”

Nursey’s laughter is soft.

“I’ve literally been right next to you, all morning.”

“Not like this, though,” Dex disagrees. He squeezes Nursey’s hand a little. “This is real nice.”

Nursey grins.

“Sure is.”

“You know,” Dex begins carefully. “If you’d wanted to, like, actually hold my hand at breakfast? You could have done that. That would’ve been fine.”

Nursey slows down a little bit.

“That’s… We’re usually a bit more low key? With the team around, I mean.”

“True,” Dex admits patiently. “But, like, holding hands? Dude. These guys have seen a lot worse than that.”

“Yeah, but it’s just… I dunno.” Suddenly, Nursey looks a bit unsure. “It feels a bit weird when you go into, y’know. Captain mode.”

“Captain mode?” Dex repeats incredulously. It’s only Nursey’s unusually serious expression that keeps him from laughing. “Oh my God. What does that even mean?”

“Chow actually came up with the name – we were talking the other day and realized we had, like, the exact same feelings about this.” Nursey’s almost smiling in a way that Dex isn’t entirely familiar with. “But it’s not really a bad thing? It’s just like, there’s regular Dex, and he’s our best friend, but then there’s captain Dex. And we’re only just getting to know him.”

“Really,” Dex says faintly.

Nursey grins.

“Seems like a great guy, though,” he teases. “Got our backs, y’know? But even so, captain Dex isn’t regular Dex. And I don’t wanna, I dunno. Make everything weird when you’re having captain convos with the Waffles and Scones.”

“Captain convos,” Dex repeats, a bit hysterically this time. “Oh my God. What the fuck.”

“These shiny new terms are all going in the bylaws, by the way. Tango’s putting together a whole glossary.”

“... Wait. Really?”

“Nah. Kidding.”

Dex rolls his eyes at Nursey’s widening grin.

“Anyway. On the subject of handholding.”

“On the subject of,” Nursey chirps, looking absolutely delighted. “And they say I’m the English major.”

“I love holding your hand,” Dex soldiers on, because apparently he’s determined to provide Nursey with an endless stream of perfect chirping material. “It’s honestly ridiculous, how much I fucking love it. And for me, it wouldn’t feel weird if we did it more often. Even when we’re hanging out with everyone? But like, if that makes you uncomfortable, it’s cool. We don’t have to. Obviously.”

To Dex’s great relief, Nursey actually pauses to consider that.

“I just don’t want to, like, overstep? Or make things super awkward. I mean, you’re actually my captain, too.”

“I am, yeah.” Dex squeezes Nursey’s hand again. “I can see how that might be difficult to navigate.”

“It’s usually not,” Nursey elaborates. “Like, at practice? Easy. The C’s right there on your jersey. And when we’re alone? Crystal clear. Couldn’t be less confusing. It’s just that in between those two, there’s more than a few gray areas.”

“Huh.” Dex ponders that for a moment. “Well. For what it’s worth, I really do think we could get away with, like. Occasional handholding? When we’re all just hanging out, together.”

“I guess, yeah.”

Dex frowns. Because Nursey still sounds more than a little bit unsure.

“Would it maybe help if I… Promised to let you know if I ever felt like it’s not the right time? If I’m in the middle of a serious talk with someone, or whatever. Then you’d know that you aren’t bothering me, or making anything weird.”

“... Yeah,” Nursey says, after a beat. And this time, his tone is both surprised and… Sort of a little bit hopeful? “Actually, yes, that’d be so great.”

“Okay.” Dex smiles. “Good.”

“Yeah.”

“Thanks for, like. Being open with me about this.”

“Hey, it’s chill.” Nursey grins slightly. “Imagine how proud Shitty would be, if he could hear us right now.”

“He’d cry,” Dex agrees immediately. “Maybe he’s actually crying, right now, because some part of him just knows.”

“Entirely possible.”

Nursey tugs at Dex’s hand a little, and it takes Dex a second to realize that Nursey wants him to move closer. He does, and it’s so, so worth it when Nursey’s lips brush softly against Dex’s cheek.

“Noone saw that,” Nursey murmurs, even as he lingers to kiss the corner of Dex’s mouth. “Or that. Noone’s looking.”

“Yeah,” Dex mumbles in agreement, despite the fact that he’s got reason to believe that Nursey is, actually, completely wrong. “We’ve literally just invented being discreet. This is how it works.”

Nursey pulls back again, his smile a little sheepish.

Dex barely glances forward, and sure enough – Whiskey immediately turns around, almost as if he never looked their way in the first place.

Well. Evidently, Whiskey is still… Processing something, at his own pace. Although Dex has a strong feeling that whatever is going on in Whiskey’s mind, it might not actually have much to do with Nursey and Dex, specifically, so much as the idea of, well. Affection? Reciprocation? Or something not entirely unlike it.

That’ll be an intriguing conversation, eventually.

Dex looks back at Nursey, and finds it so easy to return his smile.

“Come on. Let’s go catch up with everyone else.”

(ch. 3)

[serahsanguine]

Vacation Series Pt. 2. Halloween Surprises Ch, 1

This is the Frist Chapter of the Second book in a two-part series 

Book one. - pt. 1, pt. 2, pt. 3, pt. 4, pt. 5, pt. 6 

All chapters can be found Here on Ao3

This Chapter Rating; NC-17 NSFW

Tagging; @skullsmuldon @today-in-fic @baronessblixen @peacenik0

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Summary;  The Second Instalment for the Vacation Series. Filled With spooky storeys, vanity fairs and everything in between. Also to fill The October Spooky  Exchange the Prompt was Boo. 

P.s. Happy Halloween. Happy All Hallows Eve.

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

               Chapter one; Day one - Arrival.

The lone Gunman had managed to wheel and deal their holiday outlet from the current tenants for two weeks over the Halloween period. Mulder and Scully had also managed to secure a two-week vacation from A.D Skinner for that exact same time frame. 

There had been some changes since the last time they went on vacation, the relationship had not only bloomed both in work but also out of it. They hadn’t told anyone but they weren't actually keeping it a secret either. Scully's mom Maggie had found out by accident when she walked in on both Mulder and Scully snuggled up naked wrapped in each other's embrace one weekday when they were meant to be at work. 

Maggie was annoyed at first and Scully was extremely embarrassed, but Maggie was happy for them and knew this was coming for a long while and was glad they finally got their act together. She wished she had known sooner but better late than never and from now on promised to either ring or knock before entering her daughter's apartment.

They had arrived a little over an hour ago and Scully got to unpacking their things and Mulder had gone outside to chop some wood for the fire. The Lone Gunman was not due for another day but had warned Mulder that due to it being winter the main electric supply could go out and there were two heavy-duty massive generators in the tool shed and plenty of gasoline. Mulder also noted there were oil candles and wood in the basement of the main house as well as food, water and anything else you would need in case the world came to an end. 

Scully had finished putting the last item into the wardrobe then she opened the windows in their bedroom and one in the upstairs hallway before wandering downstairs to open the windows down there as well trying to create a small breeze and let the fresh sea air fill the house. She wandered outside and stopped on the porch steps, Mulder had rid of his suit trousers and changed into jeans that fit comfortably on his hips. Sweat was dripping from his brow, his naked chest shimmering in the afternoon sun, it was cool but not overly cold. 

She watched as he swung the axe above is head throwing it down. The sound of the axe colliding with the wood as it split mixing with the crashing of the waves was tranquil to her. She smiled as his muscles tensed and relaxed with each swing he took. 

“I think we have enough for now.”

“Hi Scully, are you sure? I don’t want to be chopping again in a days time.”

“Mulder there was already three large piles by the house and you have been at this for over an hour and a half we will be fine.”

“But what if?”

She walked over to him the sand slipping through her toes and crunching under the soles of her feet. She stood in front of him, leaning up and placing her lips on his. His hand snaking around her waist bringing her body flat against his. His tongue invading her mouth he lifted her up, her toes no longer touching the ground. She pulled away and looked into his eyes. 

“Did I tell you, that you look beautiful today?” 

She giggled as he always had the ability to make her blush. She wasn’t wearing anything special just an old pair of blue jeans and one of Mulder’s jumpers that were overly baggy on her but it was just the way she liked it. Her hair fell down in soft waves around her face that were still covered in freckles from their summer vacation. This was his favourite look on her, it made her look young but still like his Scully,  sexy and beautiful.  

“Anyway, if our boys want wood they can chop it themselves.”

He smiled at the words ‘our boys’ and placed her back on the ground. 

“Yes, I suppose your right.”

“Never thought I would see the day where agent Fox Mulder agrees with me,” she said mockingly smiling the whole time. 

“You wound me.” 

They both laughed and walked back inside, she sat on the wicker loveseat with her book in front of her waiting for Mulder to snuggle in beside her.

Two hours later the sun had gone down and a chill set in so the windows were shut as were the doors. The blinds were closed and the curtains were drawn, a fire crackling in the background and the radio streamed 80's love ballads playing softly. Mulder had cooked them a smoked salmon with lemon and dill dressing on top of a small rice platter which had stuffed them both to the bone. They sat under Mulders' Navajo blanket he had brought with him talking about the next few days.

“Mulder we're meant to be relaxing and enjoying ourselves.”

“Yes we will, I promise but I have a few things lined up.” Her head resting against his chest, his heart beating into her ear and his arm wrapped around her body while his hand made small circles on her hip.

“Such as?”

“There is a vanity fair at the end of the week. Which the boys have been told by the locals is something fun to do even in this cold. The day after that is Halloween and was having a small get together with jack ‘o lanterns, spooky music and alcohol.”

“Sounds nice. But why is it whenever we come here there is a party involved?”

She burrowed into his chest, even more, feeling her shiver he wrapped the blanket around her tightly,  kissing the top of her head. 

“If it wasn’t for that last party we wouldn’t be sitting here now as a couple.”

“Hum, that's true.” she shivered again. 

“Scully are you feeling ok?” he sounded worried.

“I can’t seem to get warm.” She had learned to say I’m fine only made matters worse and made him worry more, plus with him being stubborn he would carry on pushing the subject until she gave him the answer. So it was best just to tell him how she felt outright instead of beating around the bush. 

“I have a cure for that.”

She pulled away and looked at him with the biggest mischievous smile on his face. 

“What might that be Mulder?”

Instead of saying any more words his lips touched hers his hands hooking under her legs and he cradled her to his body. He carried her upstairs not bothering to turn on any of the lights. He gently placed her on the bed. 

“Be right back.”

He walked to the drawer pulling out a few candles lighting them and setting them throughout the bedroom. The smell of jasmine filled the room, he slipped his t-shirt over his head before walking back to Scully. 

He lay beside her, their bodies barely touching but it felt like she was everywhere, her lips upon his, her fingers caressing his skin. Their tongues danced the tango as she pressed her body against his. Her dress scraping and tickling his skin, igniting a fire within him, his cock thick and hard and he could smell her arousal intense under her perfume which only made him worse. 

Her fingers danced on his chest, her lips working from his to down his clavicle and lingering across his pectoral muscles. She touched each nipple into her mouth licking, suckling and biting down hard. Before she worked down his stomach her face tickling the hairs making him flinch in pleasure. Her hands undoing the buttons with ease as she slid her hand under the hem of his jeans and the soft cotton of his boxers. 

She gripped him tightly and brought him out of his confines, thick, hard and hot inside her hand she brought her mouth to his tip swallowing him whole. 

“Jesus Christ Scully,” he sat forward his hands in her hair feeling the fine silky strands slip through his fingers. 

He sat back when he felt her tongue lick him from root to tip, watching with her beautiful blue eyes, lustful and dark.  His cock disappeared in her mouth, those full, pouty lips focusing on his crown, pulling up and down his shaft 

“I love this woman! How did you get so LUCKY?!” he thought as she hollowed her cheeks and began to suck hard.

“Scuuuuully I’m close”

She did something with her tongue and for at least three seconds or more, he was completely helpless, euphoric and vulnerable to her. He felt his balls swell and tighten as he erupted into her mouth his seed flowing hot down her throat. She swallowed every last drop and let him go with a pop. 

She looked at him and smirked at the pure look of ecstasy written on his face. He hooked his hands and brought her up to him. His lips upon hers his hands undoing the zipper on the dress and it slowly fell to her hips. His lips instantly locked onto her pink pebbled nipples suckling them, her body writhing under his touch. 

“Mmmm.. OH god…”

She was overly sensitive these last couple of weeks but it only highlighted the pleasure, his hand slipped to her folds as she raised her hips and his cock slipped within her tunnel. 

She arched her back and he thrust his hips, skin crashed against skin. The smell of sex, sweat and jasmine lingering in the air. Her oceanic eyes locking onto his hazel ones with the reflection of love, lust and pure bliss shown there. Her skin broke out in goosebumps and her walls clamped down, her body twisting in.  

“Mullllddder”

She saw stars and then everything went black as she fell into a deep slumber. Mulder wrapped a sheet around her naked form and took off his trousers and slipped around her spooning her, he heard her sigh in contentment and soon he slipped into sleep with her. 

[expensiveminimalist]

It Took One Night - William Nylander (Part 5)

A/N: Hey lovelies! Here’s Part 5! Enjoy and let me know what you think please!

Word Count: 3k 

Warnings: Swearing (you know me by now), Pregnancy, Morning Sickness - please tell me if I’ve missed anything 

You can find the series plus my other writing here: Masterlist 

When your flight landed in New York, you’d immediately felt a weight lift off your shoulders as you left the drama behind in Toronto. Your mood had changed when you realised you’d be seeing the innocent, smiling face of your nephew Taylor soon, wanting nothing more than to smother him with kisses and cuddles, and have a reason to laugh for the first time in a week. You were excited to see your sister as well, knowing you’d have some to talk about your pregnancy to that has been through the exact same thing. Your family might not have been large, but your sister and nephew were all that you needed.

As the cab pulled up to your sister’s apartment, your face lit up when you saw Clara and Taylor waiting outside for you to arrive. It almost brought you tears because, after the hellish week you’d had and your fight with Madison, it felt amazing to be around two people that loved you regardless. You quickly paid the cab driver and grabbed your suitcase out before promptly dropping it on the sidewalk as you scooped Taylor up in an enormous bear hug.

“I missed you so much Aunty Y/N!” Taylor squealed, wrapping his arms tightly around your neck.

“I missed you too buddy! Ugh stop growing, you’re going to be taller than me soon!” you said, pressing kisses all over his face as he playfully struggled to get away from you.

“Hey, I’m here too!” Clara chimed in, wrapping her arms around you and Taylor, squashing the three of you together.

“Mum!”

“She was my baby sister before she was your aunty, so suck it up bud” Clara chirped, as the three of you finally let go of each other.

You smiled at Clara, feeling at home just by her presence. Despite your genuinely happy appearance, Clara gave you a look that you knew meant that she knew there was something else going on.

“Right, Taylor grab Aunty Y/N’s bag and let’s get inside so we can talk but, most importantly, eat!”

Taylor grabbed your pack, that thankfully had wheels, and raced ahead, while Clara put her arm around you as you walked towards the elevator.

“Not that I’m not excited for you to be here, but last minute trips aren’t really your thing. So obviously there’s something else going on whichwe can talk about when Taylor goes to bed” she murmured, even though Taylor was out of earshot.

You nodded back at her as you stepped into the elevator, ruffling Taylor’s hair as he looked up at you with adoration in his eyes. For some reason, the way he was looking at you made you feel very emotional and you weren’t sure if it was because you’d missed him or that it could be your child looking at you like that before you knew it.

After Clara and Taylor showed you to your room (and Taylor demonstrated how great your bed is as a make-do trampoline), you spent the day catching up on everything that had been going on in their lives since you’d seen them last. Taylor was obsessed with everything soccer and he’d even managed to convince his dad to buy him an Arsenal jersey, while Clara was seeing someone for the first time since she’d split up with Taylor’s dad almost three years ago. You made it clear you needed to suss this person out before it got too serious – just because she was your big sister didn’t mean you weren’t allowed to instil fear into anyone that took a romantic interest in her.

You’d devoured the freshly made chocolate chip cookies that Clara had managed to keep Taylor’s hands off before you arrived and, surprisingly, you were actually able to keep the food down. You’d still been feeling very nauseous but today you hadn’t had any morning sickness, which meant it’d give you more time before Clara figured out why you’d come to her in such a hurry. Clara ordered a couple of pizzas for dinner and, while you did your best to eat it, you’d ended up rushing to the bathroom on several occasions. You were pretty sure she’d figured it out by now but she didn’t say anything, most likely because Taylor was around.

So, once you’d watched The Lion King and read Taylor a bedtime story, Clara and you retreated to the couch with a box of chocolates and a bottle of wine. Clara went to pour you a glass and, when you furiously shook your head, she stared you down and said “you’re totally pregnant”.

You nodded your head in reply, chuckling as your sister filled her wine glass to the very top and sculled it.

“So that’s your reaction to finding out you’re going to be an aunty – scull a glass of wine” you teased.

“Well the look on your face makes me think that you wish you could, so I thought I’d do it for you” Clara chirped back at you.

“God this is a bit of throwback isn’t it? Except you and I both couldn’t drink then but, the shock factor’s still the same” Clara continued.

“Yeah it is” you said quietly, your head suddenly flooding with thoughts and questions you’d had ever since you took the first test.

Clara noticed that your face was now expressionless so she rubbed her hand over your thigh and looked you dead in the eye.

“Y/N, I know exactly what’s going through your head right now. Just talk to me ok, scream at me, yell at me whatever. Just, let it out babe”.

You sighed deeply, feeling the tears well up in your eyes, “I don’t even know where to start. Clara, what the fuck have I gotten myself into?”.

Clara pulled you into a tight hug as the tears began streaming down, rubbing her hand up and down your back like she did to Taylor when he’d fall over or get scared. You sobbed into her shoulder, letting all your emotions spill over as gasps for air escaped your mouth. Clara’s t-shirt was soaking and your nose was starting to run – you were a sight to say the least. But you didn’t care. Everything had been building up and it was bound to explode eventually, you were just grateful that it was in front of your big sister, the one person you knew would love you through anything.

“Ok so as therapeutic as crying is, talking helps a lot too” Clara started, releasing you from her embrace and grabbing the box of tissues from the coffee table, and thrusting them into your lap.

You blew your nose and grabbed another tissue to gently dab at your eyes, knowing full well you resembled a panda thanks to your eyeliner and mascara, and let out another huge sigh.

“Start talking” Clara prompted.

“Where do I even begin?”

“Firstly, who’s the father? I mean you never told me you had a boyfriend, and if you do I will kick your ass for not telling me, so I’m clueless”

“His name’s William. He’s friends with Lyla, we run in the same circle kind of thing but we never really talked much before…”

“Before you hooked up?”

“I mean yeah we hooked up at Lyla’s party but we had sex a few more times after that, and we used protection all of those times. So it must’ve been at the party – I was wasted that night”.

“So what you were friends with benefits?”

“No, well not really. He stayed over a lot, and some nights we wouldn’t even do anything but cuddle and watch crappy shows on Netflix” you explained, a tinge of sadness hitting you as you remembered how peaceful and comfortable those nights with William were.

“Have you told this William? Is that why you came here suddenly? Did he not take the news well? Because I will happily remind him that it takes two to fucking tango”

“No. I haven’t told him. We haven’t even spoken since, since I told him I didn’t want to be in a relationship, I just wanted something easy, something with no strings. That turned out really well”

“Ok so I won’t kill him – yet. So is that why you came here? You needed to come to grips with it before you told him?”

“Not exactly…”

Clara looked you dead in the eye, “what happened?”

“I told Madison that I was pregnant and all she cared about was William. So, we got into a fight and, to sum it all up, she called me a gold digger”

“She fucking didn’t! I swear, Y/N, next time I see her I will sla-”

“You won’t do anything, alright. What she said was disgusting but I’d rather just have nothing to do with her”

Clara threw her hands up in mock innocence, “ok I won’t do anything. Why would she call you a gold digger though? Is this guy quite wealthy?”

“He’s in the NHL. He plays for the Leafs, so she basically thinks I’m after his money because I told him I didn’t want to be anyone’s girlfriend butnow I’m pregnant with his child”

“Oh ok that’s good then I can google him and find out whether I have to kick his ass or not”

“Clara!”

“Kidding! But you know you’re not a gold digger right? You made an innocent mistake. Don’t let that psycho bitch make you feel guilty on top of everything else that you’re going through ok? You have more important things to worry about” Clara said, finally starting to be more serious again.

“I know, thank you though” you replied, directing a small smile to her.

Clara took a sip of her wine before asking, “so are you going to keep it?”

As soon as you’d registered Clara’s question, you sat there silently for a moment. You honestly hadn’t considered it, you’d been too busy trying to get to grasps with the fact that you were pregnant. It hadn’t even occurred to you that you had a choice. You’d subconsciously assumed that you’d be keeping the baby, but maybe, if William didn’t want any part of it, maybe you’d consider an abortion. As harsh as the word seemed, it could be what’s best for you right now. Regardless, you knew you weren’t ready to make that big of a decision. There was someone else you needed to talk to first.

“I don’t want to make any decisions until I’ve spoken to William. Even though we’re not on speaking terms right now, I care about him too much to leave him out of this. He deserves it”.

“Very mature. I’m proud of you. I know that you might think it’s easier to deal with it on your own but, speaking from experience, it’s even harder” Clara said, pulling you back in for another hug.

“So” you started, “how do I tell him?”

Clara chuckled quietly, “it’s different for everyone, so I can’t really help you with that one squirt”.

You snuggled in tighter to your big sister, feeling so secure with her arms around you and the familiar pet name of  ‘squirt’ making an appearance after all these years. You were always squirt, being the youngest, but Clara was the only one that could get away with calling you it when you were 10, 16, and now 20.

“I know we’ve only covered the basics but I really just want to get some sleep now. My head’s slightly less of a mess now, so it might be little easier” you joked, half-heartedly.

“Yeah, no problem. Just promise me you’ll actually go to sleep”

You gave Clara one last hug and got off the couch to head to the guestroom, “I’ll try my hardest” you said.

“Love you”

“Love you too” you whispered in reply, not wanting to wake Taylor as you walked into your room.

You changed into your pyjamas and flopped on the bed, willing yourself to fall asleep but, thankfully, it didn’t take long. You’d managed to release some of the many emotions you’d been hounded by for the last week – it might shut your brain up for a more hours.

---

Miraculously you’d slept through the night, and hadn’t got your usual 6am morning wakeup call by Taylor – presumably because Clara intercepted him on the way down the hall. You’d woken up feeling lighter, and your head felt much clearer than it did the previous morning. Luckily your dreams had blocked out any and all pregnancy connotations, and you momentarily forgotten that you were indeed pregnant. You say momentarily because as soon as you sat up a wave a nausea hit you and you immediately lay back down, hoping it would pass.

You reached over to the nightstand to grab your bottle of water, taking a few gentle sips before you decided to check your phone. Bloody hell. There were 10 missed calls and a dozen texts from William – none saying why he was trying to get in contact with you so urgently. You were a bit bemused by it all, considering he was the one that had ghosted you and all of a sudden it was imperative that he talked to you. Why? You weren’t sure. But, there was only one way to find out.

Waiting a few moments for your nausea to pass, you reluctantly called William, not even bothering to check what the time actually was.

Surprisingly, William picked up on the first ring.

“He-” you started

“Why the fuck did Madison tell me you’re pregnant?”

You were shell-shocked. He knew. He knew you were pregnant and he hadn’t heard it from you. You knew Madison was pissed at you but you never thought in a million years that she would tell him. The worst part, she didn’t even tell him out of concern for you – she told him out of spite. What were you supposed to say to him? How were you supposed to explain to him that this isn’t how you wanted him to find out? What if he hates you?

“Y/N say something!”, William’s voice broke you out of your state of shock, and now all you wanted to do was be sick. Morning sickness and shock was not a good combination.

“C-can you wait a second please” and, before you even heard his response you dashed to the bathroom. You splashed your face with some water before heading back to your room, trying to cool yourself down.

You took a deep breath and reluctantly picked up the phone to see that William had indeed waited for you.

“I’m here” you said quietly.

“Whydid Madison tell me you’re pregnant?” he repeated, quieter himself this time.

“I-I’m.. I-” you stuttered.

“Y/N are you? Or is this some kind of sick joke because if it is, it’s not funny in the fucking slightest” William snapped, and you noticed his voice wobbling, like he too was nervous.

You wanted to be able to explain something, anything to him but you couldn’t get you words out. The worst possible way for him to find out had happened and you didn’t know what to do. So, you burst into tears. You were scared and hurt, and it killed you to hear that slight waver in his voice when he asked you a second time because it hit you once again that this is as big of a deal for him as it is for you.

William’s tone completely changed when he realised you were crying, obviously registering the sense of betrayal you felt.

“I’m sorry for snapping. I’m not angry at you ok? I just have no idea what’s going on right now, and I need to hear from you whether this is true or not. I mean, I’m kind of a mess right now – not saying that you aren’t – and I don’t know if Madison’s taking the piss or not. Please don’t cry though, none of this is your fault and I swear I’m not angry with you – I just need you to tell me the truth” he said to you, delicately like any wrong word would shatter you into a million pieces.

You never wanted to tell him over the phone but, you had no choice.

“Yes”

His silence was deafening and only caused you to sob harder, terrified that he’d want nothing to do with you as it dawned on you just how much you needed his support right now. You just wanted him to say something but you knew he was trying to process this life changing news, just like you’d done so yourself.

“Babe, please don’t cry”

You weren’t expecting him to be worrying about you crying, in fact you were mentally preparing yourself for him to tell you that he never wanted to see you again. That one sentence gave you hope that maybe you wouldn’t have to go through this alone.

“Um, Madison told me you’d left so when are you coming back to Toronto? We can talk about shit then – if you want” William asked, spitting out Madison’s name like it repulsed him to have to utter it one more time.

You wiped the tears from your cheeks and started chewing on your sleeve, “I’m not sure if I’m coming back” you found yourself saying.

You hadn’t even thought about moving back to New York, not until William had revealed that it was Madison who had lit the fuse. You couldn’t go back and live with her, and that left you with nowhere to go. So, in that moment, you thought fuck it and decided that your chapter in Toronto was over.

“Fine then” William said abruptly, “I’ll come to you. Text me the address and I’ll book a flight for tomorrow”

“Wait what?”

“Y/N we have shit to talk about, and I get that you’re pissed at Madison cause so am I, but I’d rather talk about all of this in person. So if it’s easier for me to come to you, then that’s what we’ll do” he explained.

“Oh, ok” you uttered, stunned again by the fact that you were now going to have to face him in person.

“So, yeah just text me”

“Ok”

You didn’t say goodbye, and neither did he. You didn’t really know how to say a normal goodbye to him right now and you were sure he was feeling the same way. The only thing you did know was that William was coming to New York.

William was coming to New York.

Holy crap.

[biorusted]

A Mid-Ship Tango

Major Characters- Lucifer, Gabriel (a bit o’ Zoe) Word Count- 2561

Summary-  Lucifer and Gabriel commit one of the biggest taboos; talking on the dance floor. 

Music from the live band danced through the hallways of the ship, pulling people from their first-class rooms to the golden-lit ball room. Women in brightly colored evening gowns twirled at the whim of dapper gentlemen. The couples weaved in between each other in time to the trumpets and trombones as well as to the gentle but ever persisting rocking of the boat. The singles chatting off the dance floor flirted endlessly with each other and spoke of things that only the first class would care for while sipping champagne until they felt comfortable to join their peers in dancing.

Such was what one clean-shaven gentlemen tried to do in the late hours of the night, he was hopelessly young to be flirting with the devil, but still Lucifer allowed him to lead her to the dancefloor. After all, this was why she dressed up in the first place, why not have a little fun while the good times last?

The young lad led her in a simple a simple dance, sticking to the middle of the floor while the other's circled around them in a blur of sheer fabric. It was boring, to say the least, but Lucifer managed to hold a smile on her face.

The music finally faded out and he lead her off the dance floor, but then the music swelled, and she was grabbed and pulled in again. This time the song was more upbeat, and the partners switched in even intervals so, Lucifer was handed off partner to partner. Some were the same cookie-cutter gents while others were women with smiles plastered on their faces. One woman's eyes carefully inspected her entire façade before winking and moving on to the next partner. Lucifer made a note to remember that particular woman.

But her hand lingered too long on her hips and the next exchanged faltered only slightly; Lucifer turned and immediately slammed into another man's chest. She was about to shove the man away and cause a scene—because, why not? -- when she looked into his eyes and was met with a very familiar face. He spoke first.

"Luci-"

"Gabriel! What a surprise!" She laughed a little and glared at him until he took her hand and waist. They blended back into the crowd just before the song shifted again to a slower song. Some people dispersed for a moment to find their date, while other's stuck to their new partner. Neither Gabriel or Lucifer allowed the other to go, it seems like they were trapped together now.

Lucifer closed the gap between herself and her brother. "Why are you here?” She said though a gritted smile.

He turned towards her and spoke in her ear, “I’m not going to share Heaven’s affairs with you. Why are you here?”

Neither of them said anything for a few moments due to a few hostile glances from some of the other patrons. The music changed its tempo and their slow, confined movements started to loosen up; their lips loosened too.

“Since when have you been able to Foxtrot? I’m impressed.” He spun her around.

“I do my research.” He said when they got back together. “Wouldn’t want to come to the surface in pre-Elizabethan frock, now would I?” He casually looked around the room, searching for other Fallen that might have been accompanying her.

“Has it really been that long?” She caught his attention again. “Time flies, doesn’t it, brother?”

“I supposed it does.” He twisted her around, so they were facing the same way.

“Still, orders or not, I didn’t think you as the dancing type.” They leaned down, his lips almost grazing her ear; under any other circumstance, the scene might have been romantic.

“I can move my feet in a pattern. I didn’t think you were the type to dress up.” He pulled her back around. The music started to slow again.

“Do you like it? They’re not the best for dancing, but they’re the current fashion.” She spun around, showing off the loose fabric of her cardinal red gown.

“It is certainly your color.”

The song finally came to a rest

“And, I only dress up for special occasions.” She whispered, slipping away from his grasp like silk.

“What does that mean? Lucif-“

“Those who call the devil’s name, hear his voice, Gabriel.”

“Lucy.” He tightened his grip on her and pulled her back. “What are you doing on a boat in the middle of the Atlantic?”

She looked up and smiled sweetly, setting off alarm bells in Gabriel’s entire being. “Just having a swell time. Something you should give a go at.” She jerked her hand away from him and began to turn her back when he grabbed her shoulder.

“I’m not letting you out of my sight.” Then, a little louder, “What’s one more dance? The drinks can wait.”

For the first time that night, Lucifer couldn’t keep a pleasant face. “I don’t know, a lot could happen during a song.” She gritted her teeth but obliged anyway.

Gabriel firmly laid his hands on her waist, patiently waiting for the next tune to play through the air. The last thing he needed was to lose sight of the devil at this moment. An orange curl fell out of line from the others and Lucifer caressed it back into place.

“Think you used enough gel?” She flicked another curl that was coming loose. She was still frowning, which most likely meant there was something in her scheme that still needed to be completed—which meant he was doing his job.

“Do you think you used enough perfume?”

“Hm? Don’t like the smell of Irises?”

“I don’t think flowers suit you very well.”

Suddenly, the band started again, having added a few more members to better make the next set more alive.

Gabriel reacted immediately to the change in style, throwing Lucifer to his chest and changing the hold he had on her.

“There’s no way,” Lucifer started. She followed him, adapting quickly to the new style. He stopped and caressed her cheek, a romantic gesture paired with glaring eyes. "There is no way you know how to tango."

For the first time during their tense meeting, Gabriel cracked a smile. "Depends. Can you keep up?"

He spun her around. "With you leading? There won't be a problem. Besides," they locked arms, "I like a little improv."

They stepped off in time to the music, Gabriel leading the way around the make-up ballroom as if they spent years practicing this exact dance for this exact night. Their bodies were glued together, faces inches from each other's, hands permanent fixtures on their bodies. Their feet interwove between each other; they danced a tapestry to a Jazz tune. Everyone disappeared into the background as the 'couple's' focus never wavered, still, there voices never raised above a whisper.

"You never answered my question." Gabriel started up the conversation again.

"Hm. Really? I swear I did." Lucifer sighed, trying not to laugh. She quiet enjoyed the way her voice sounded.

"What is so special about this ship?"  

"Well right now the Prince Archangel Gabriel, Second in Command and the High Morning Star of Heaven, Leader of the Fallen Angels and, High Adversary are dancing the Argentine Tango in the make-shift ballroom on a boat in the middle of the night. How's that for special?"

He went on to the next question as he swung her in his arms. "Who else is here?"

"It's just you and me right now." She smiled.

"Cute. Is there something important in New York?"

"If there was, I'd already be there." Lucifer opened her arms wide and swayed like she was flying to the trumpet's solo. Gabriel grabbed her arms and brought her down.

"So, there must be something on the ship."

"Hm. Must there be?" Their movements were getting faster as Gabriel was getting annoyed. This game was getting exhausting and this song was turning out to be much too long.

Then, almost out of nowhere, the song stopped. Gabriel dropped Lucifer into a low dip and held her there.

"Then what? You're just having fun? I don’t believe that."

An applause rippled through the room when Gabriel let Lucifer stand. The two snapped out of their little world to find that the floor was empty, except for them, and a crowd had gathered by the edge. The different men and women that they had absently walked by all night were staring in awe because of their performance, even the band tipped their heads.

Even without looking at him, Lucifer knew that Gabriel's face was flush. In truth, he was studying the royal crimson floor with a nervous smile plastered on his face. She grabbed his arm as shyly as she could manage and curtsied, convincing her brother to bow as well. They glanced at each other.

"Lead me out of the doors behind us." She whispered.

They acted like embarrassed newlyweds as he led her by the arm past the crowd and out of the room. The hallway was much cooler than the ballroom and, the smell of cigar smoke mixed with iron and perfume. From out there, Gabriel and Lucifer heard the band start up again and conversations renew.

Gabriel's cheeks were still hot, but he laughed. "That was... astoundingly dumb."

Lucifer laughed too, "So much for being inconspicuous, dear brother." He sighed and rested his head on the cool blue wallpaper, still grasping her arm. "Still not planning on letting me have my fun, are you?"

"Your 'fun' usually leaves me with a lot of clean up afterwards."

Lucifer closed the gap between them and put her weight on Gabriel, gently laying her head on his shoulder. "Pull the 'Traumatized' card, let someone else handle it."

"Hm. So, you admit that you are planning-"

"Oh, Zoe. There you are."

Lucifer lifted her head to acknowledge the person standing very still behind them. Gabriel stood as well, instantly on alert because of the intruder. He turned to see a Fallen woman in a black suit and bowtie, standing at attention.

She bowed her head, "Leader," She glanced at Gabriel, "Everything is… set."

Lucifer stepped in front of Gabriel, “Perfect, how much time do we have?”

“Luckily, that last song was cut short, so I’d guess about two minutes.”

Lucifer’s smiled mirrored the Cheshire moon as she turned towards her brother. “Perfect, I’ll meet you at the rendezvous point.” She grabbed Gabriel’s wrist before he had the chance to back away and started running down the alabaster hallway, her heels left by the ballroom doors.

“You know, it’s really their fault, so you really can’t blame me.” She raised her voice above the thumping of their feet against stiff carpet.

Two by two, they ran up the flights of stairs, passing the first-class quarters.

“What do you mean? Lucifer?” Gabriel sped up so he wasn’t being dragged around the ship.

Lucifer swung around the railing of the grand stair case and flew up carefully crafted steps.

“I mean, you’re really tempting the devil with a nickname like that, how could I not?”

They burst through the doors onto the deck of the ship, she kept dragging him to the edge of the ship.

Gabriel pulled back enough for Lucifer halt, there was a golden gleam in her eyes to go with her smile. “What in the world are you talking about?” He shouted.

She giggled and breathed in the sharp air, finally, she gripped the closest thing she could and turned towards him. “Oh Gabriel, let’s just say… calling a ship ‘The Unsinkable’ was a really dumb idea.”

As soon as Gabriel opened his mouth to speak, the entire ship jolted with enough force to through the both of them off the side, luckily, Lucifer’s grip was stronger. So instead of the deep ocean void below, Gabriel was thrown into Lucifer’s arms. They held each other while the boat quaked and cried out as the devil’s plans came into fruition.  After the first wave, the volatile ship shook constantly, each wave amplified as if the passenger ship was being attacked by all sides.

A screeching alarm blared from the speakers above. People in a variety of nightshirts or evening gowns started running up from the main deck, holding on to whatever they could as they grasped for any kind of stable hold. Above all the chaos, Lucifer was laughing. In any other situation, she might have looked cute, but with all the confusion and horrified shouts of the people around them, all Gabriel felt was wide-eyed terror.

Suddenly, Lucifer pushed Gabriel away and started to run towards the back of the ship. After getting his foothold, he followed. He ended up shoving people out of the way as he pursued his barefoot sibling across the deck of the Titanic. For a moment, he thought she was going to jump across the railing out into the sea, but she slid to a halt, the wind throwing her hair out of her carefully made up-do. She turned around and spread her arms again, throwing up her skirt in the process.

"What did you do?" Gabriel grabbed Lucifer's waist and pulled her away from the edge.

"What does it look like? I'm sinking the Titanic!" She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. "Months of planning, Gabriel! And everything is going according to those plans just perfectly! Oh, I love it when everything works out." She relaxed against Gabe's chest.

"Do you know how many people are in danger? We have to get everyone off, there's protocols for this we have to-"

"Hush. There's nothing you can do, trust me." Then, after a lull, "You might want to finish your business here, though. I assure you, this ship is heading for the bottom of the ocean."

"Oh," He laughed, "My business was finished four days ago."

"So, what, you were just having fun?"

"I... can have days off." He sighed, "I don’t even think that anyone knows where I am."

"Hmm. Great… It’ll be our secret then." Lucifer held back laughing and looked up at her brother. "You know, we should do this more often."

"Sinking ships or dancing?"

"Yeah." They both giggled for a few moments.  Lucifer sighed and parted as she saw Zoe walking towards them. "You plan on staying?" She said.

"No, I'll go now. Goodbye." He nodded and bowed.

"You ever want to dance again, find me, Gabriel. Goodbye." She waved for a few moments after he left, then turned to Zoe, who was standing by patiently. "Jesus, Zoe, you're too quiet... Do you want to stay a little longer?"

"I've had enough of the sea for a while and, I didn't want to ruin your moment, Leader."

"Shut up we were not having a moment."

"Hm-mm. If you say so."

"We were not. He was holding me against my will. He threatened me." She offered her hand for Zoe to take. "I don’t want to hear anything about it anymore."

"Yes, Leader." Zoe grabbed her hand and Lucifer pulled her close to her chest. Under her breath, Zoe said "It looked like you were dancing."

"Zoe."

Zoe laughed and then, they disappeared from the hull of the Titanic, leaving the hulking ship to groan ceaselessly until it's entire being sunk under the depthless ocean surface. 

[captainsimagines]

RENT - Part 6

In which eight old friends in dire need move in together for one year. 

Warnings: language; mentions of drug overdose; mentions of drugs; PTSD; Bucky being stupid lol

Word Count: 4,800+

A/N: Is this a late AS FUCK update or what? I'm sorry, but writer’s block is a bitch. Enjoy, babes.

PART SIX

Natasha - “Tango: Natasha”

(5) (7)

TEN YEARS AGO

“I just... need some time for myself.”

Steve shuffled slightly on the hot concrete, head down and face somber. The extra heat this spring made soccer practice that much more difficult. Although, Natasha’s words added a foreign heat within his chest- one that he chose to ignore.

He didn’t want to look Natasha in the eyes because if he knew himself, he would break down sobbing in the middle of the quad. But surprisingly, he held it together and managed to look up for once, taking in her purple highlights mixed in somewhere with all that blonde, just blazing in the spring sunlight. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” he replied, interlocking his fingers with hers for the last time. Natasha stuttered over her next few words, pulling her hand back and giving Steve an equally devastating grin.

“Alone, babe.”

He didn’t want to fight and he didn’t want to pressure her. All he could think about was Sam’s constant blabbering about love and how it never works. ‘If you love something or someone, let it free!’ Sam would cry, making his words even more dramatic with the sound effects he would include. Gunshots, bell noises, yodeling- literally anything you can think of to make Sam even more annoying than he already was.

But Steve ignored his inspirational words, letting go of Natasha physically but not emotionally.

Natasha stood from the playground bench and dusted herself off. “You understand, right?”

No, he didn’t.

“Yeah. Some time apart might do us good.”

With an almost unnoticeable nod, Natasha walked away and left Steve to ponder about what the hell just happened. Two years they had dated and Natasha woke up one morning calling it quits. Steve knew she must have had her reasons, but he forgot to ask what they were.

With a broken heart and a wad of cash in one hand, Natasha sprinted down the alleyway looking for a familiar face. Checking to see if the coast was clear, she jumped up and held onto the balcony railing, pulling herself up and unlocking the bedroom window. On the inside sat a couple men in a circle, each rolling up their own specialty treat.

“Where’s Scott?” Natasha asked, avoiding eye contact at all possible costs.

No one responded, but one man pointed through the doorway and resumed his work. Natasha followed instructions, heading through the wooden, swinging doors. Once in, she saw the man she bargained with almost every week.

“I’ve got his money,” Natasha sighed, holding up the cash and stuffing her free hand in her pocket. Scott looked up from his paperwork and hummed, holding his hand up in the air so Natasha could throw it.

“Think he’ll have the rest ready by next week?” Scott asked, putting the money in a nearby drawer.

“He’d be lucky to have half.”

Scott chuckled and leaned back in his chair. “I’m sorry you have to do this for him.”

Natasha gave a nonchalant shrug, struggling to hide her true feelings about the whole situation. “He’s my dad. If I can’t get him off the needle then the least I can do is make sure he doesn’t go into massive debt.”

Scott opened another drawer and threw Natasha a new iPod, with new headphones and everything. “For all your hard work.”

Natasha rolled the gift over in her hands and sighed deeply, “You don’t have to.”

Scott held his hand up, “Don’t even mention it. You deserve so much more. Now go, before the scum of the operation show up.”

Natasha always took that advice, leaving from the same window she climbed through to get in. And every single time she left Scott to run his business to enter her own reality, Natasha wanted to scream. She wanted to scream and run away, tell you, Sam, Bucky... Steve!- about everything she had to fix and suffer with everyday after school.  

Ironically, the entrance into her own reality allowed her to finally scream once she opened her father’s bedroom door to let him know she got home safely, that she was heartbroken over Steve and wanted to talk, that she had dealt with his debt and would most likely take care of it next month as well. Rolling him over and slapping him repeatedly did nothing- shaking him and yelling did nothing- and when she dragged his limp body from his messy bed and removed his clothing to submerge him in the freezing tub water, it did nothing. So, she called 911 and sat on the closed toilet seat while watching her father’s index finger twitch every so often, his eyeballs brushing alongside his thin blue eyelids as if he were peacefully dreaming.  

TEN YEARS LATER

Steve stumbled out of bed, stretching his sore muscles and cracking almost every bone. Looking over at the clock he noticed it was only six in the morning, December 24th, early as shit.  

He wrapped a blanket around his shoulders before standing from his bed to walk to the bathroom, eyes closed halfway and body sagging. Without thinking twice because let’s face it, he has only had roommates for three days now, he pushed open the bathroom door to take his morning piss. 

 “Oh my god!”  

Steve tumbled to the ground at the sudden yell, scrambling across the floor to find some sort of balance. “I am so sorry!” 

You held the towel close to your wet body, an expression of surprise and absolute mortification etched into your sleepy face. You rushed to the door to close it, to slam it in the pervert’s face, but you were quickly met with another tired individual who rubbed at his eyes in order to make sure he was seeing what he was really seeing. Except this individual- the exact individual responsible for your perplexed state- ran in with a handgun held high.  

“What’s going on?”  Bucky’s yells of confusion and Steve’s cries of “Bucky! Fuck! Bucky, put that shit down!” coupled with your outbursts of curses as well. You shielded your face, as if that was going to stop a bullet, and Steve just held onto the side of the door, looking in between you and the scared veteran.  

“Boy, if you don’t-“ Sam stumbled in, yawning until he noticed Bucky’s current weapon in hand. “Oh, hell!”  

It was a funny scene, a rather comical one, one that neither one of you would ever forget, but it caused mayhem. Two men cowering on the floor, you gripping onto the sink both angry and terrified, and Bucky just being... Bucky? No, he wasn’t in that moment because his sudden approach to the whole situation was a bit overdone and exaggerated. That was saying something- running in with a loaded handgun, and all. 

All of you fiddled with your fingers and knocked your knees together, avoiding eye contact with the one and only Peggy Carter.  

She stood there with her arms crossed, her left foot tapping, and her eyebrows raised in an almost comical sense. “Well?” 

It was silent for a second, just for a bloody second, before Steve spoke and if he had known any better, he would have realized that his input wasn’t really needed. “I didn’t even know Y/N was here...” 

The three of you facepalmed. You could literally feel Peggy’s cheeks redden in absolute anger.  

“Okay... let’s get one thing straight,” Peggy started, pacing slowly from one side of the room to the other. You were sat in between Steve and Sam, normal clothes on now, hiding your face in your hands. “Why is there a gun in the apartment?” 

You all looked at Bucky. He cleared his throat and shrugged. “Ex-vet.”  

Peggy’s face seemed to change dramatically, almost as if she understood the obvious struggle. “I understand... but Bucky, I have to ask- why was your first instinct to pull out your gun?”  

Bucky looked to the floor, “Like you said, it’s an instinct.”  

Steve shuffled slightly, changing the focus for Bucky’s sake. “Why did no one tell me Y/N was here?”  

“Dude, you got home at like... two,” Sam answered. You decided to finally speak up.  

“I needed a place to crash for a couple of nights. Only until I get this creep to stop following me home.”  

Bucky was about ready to pull his gun again, obviously forgetting it was in the hands of the ex-cop. “Some guy is following you?” 

You brushed off his surprise, “It’s fine. Luke’s got it covered.”  

Sam almost flew off the couch, “Ooo! Who’s Luke?”  

Answering for you, Steve waved his hands. “Co-worker who could beat all of ours asses... at once.”  

“Alright,” Bucky fist-bumped. “I trust this, Luke!”  You rolled your eyes and stood from the couch.

“Yeah, and I also have to head to work.”  

“Woah, this early in the morning?” Sam asked.  You sighed and went to grab your backpack. “Lunch time is when we get the most customers. Working during that time is considered a freaking privilege.” 

It was silent again and no one knew what else to say. You pulled on your coat and grabbed your gym bag, looking over the people standing in the below-freezing living room. 

“Um... do you guys want me to pick up dinner?”

With a couple shrugs and slight mumbles, you nodded your head and sighed. Ducking your head to the floor, you quickly left the apartment with a heavy weight on your shoulders- the weight obviously resembling unspoken feelings about everything. It wasn’t love, it wasn’t jealousy- it was just so uncomfortable.

“Get up,” Wanda said, slamming the fluffiest pillow she could find onto Natasha’s back. “You have work, babe!”

Natasha groaned and rolled over, tucking her hornet’s-nest of bed hair underneath the mountain of pillows on the king-sized bed. 

“Babe, if you’re late again I don’t think I could convince your boss to let you keep your job.”

“Okay,” Natasha drawled out, rolling over and over until her leg hung off the side of the bed. “I’ll be right there.”

“Alright.” Wanda scurried across the bedroom, putting on her earrings and stepping into the high heels she had recently bought. “I’ll see you at dinner?”

Natasha finally rolled off the bed, still wrapped in the duvet and warm as a child on Christmas. “Yeah, definitely.”

Multi-tasking. That’s what Natasha does best. With a dead-end job and poor income from her side, Natasha felt as though her love for Wanda was all she had to offer. She loved her, with all her heart, and if that meant suffering while making hundreds of copies of a single sheet of paper and texting Scott about the money she just acquired, then so be it. 

Natasha struggled to leave that part of her life behind but the sudden rush it would give her was just too addicting and every time she brought home a little extra dough, Wanda would smile. And not one those, ‘I haven’t seen you all day, let’s go to bed’ smiles, but the one that clearly illustrates compassion and acknowledgment. She was trying, and Wanda realized that. 

No, Wanda did not know about Natasha’s side business- no one did nor will anyone ever know.  She no longer aided in her father’s downfall, but she did it for herself. Deal with purpose, Natasha would say, sneaking through every dark alley in New York City with her key positioned in between her index and middle finger. 

“Are the copies almost finished?” T’Challa asked, walking into the copy room to check on his new proposal. Natasha hummed her response, handing him the fifty copies she had already piled up. 

“Will you be taking an early lunch break as well, today?”

Natasha shrugged and answered with a quiet ‘sure’, giving T’Challa the last of the copies. 

Lunch breaks for Natasha consisted of two things: actual lunch and a drug deal almost always going right. It was the rarest occurrence for a drug deal to go horribly wrong, the only instance being when Natasha had to stab some guy in the neck to get him to leave her alone. But Scott didn’t mind, he really didn’t- the less of those crooked men buying his drugs, the better. A weird drug dealer Scott was, but that’s what made him the best and it’s what kept Natasha around for so long. 

“Care to join me?” 

Natasha leaned back just a little, surprised by her boss’s question. “Why, may I ask?”

It was T’Challa’s turn to shrug. “I just want some company.” 

So she agreed, quickly returning to her desk to shut down her computer and pick up her purse.  

“I wanted to tell someone. Even a complete stranger...”

Natasha rolled her eyes and sipped her drink casually. “I bring you your coffee everyday.”

T’Challa seemed to shrink, his hands coming to rest on his thighs as he stared at his untouched lunch.

“I’m sorry about that,” he admits, looking around the restaurant, at nothing in particular. 

“It’s not even my job,” Natasha continues, picking at her fries now and debating whether she should challenge her boss even more. “When I made you get my coffee, it was your job. Interns get coffee.”

T’Challa tried his best to hide his smirk, finally lifting his full burger to his mouth. 

“I’m not meant to get your coffee, boss,” Natasha declared, crossing her arms and staring at the man whose mouth was currently full of food. “Interns, I tell ‘ya.”

“I admit I make you get my coffee because you annoyed me with that bowl-cut you once sported.”

Natasha’s face twitched slightly but in an amusing way, allowing T’Challa to label this lunch as friendly and overdue. “My girlfriend was never good with scissors. It was the only style I could manage.” 

T’Challa nodded, “You will no longer get my coffee.”

“Wow, my prayers have been answered.”

“Because I’m quitting.”

Natasha spit out her french fry and watched it land near her boss’s soda. The two were silent for a moment before Natasha reached over and grabbed the potato, wrapping it in a napkin. 

“Quitting?”

“I don’t want to be apart of the mess my father has made. I don’t want my name anywhere near it.”

“So, your plan is to run?”

“Excuse me?”

Natasha no longer sipped her drink but gulped it, nervousness spilling from the sides of her lips. “I mean, you could stay and fix it. But if you want to quit, then quit.”

T’Challa couldn’t remember the last time he spoke to someone who wasn’t trying to sign his name onto a piece of paper. It was sort of comfortable and new, a feeling T’Challa used to be well acquainted with. With a change in position and a whole new outlook on life, it was almost distasteful in the eyes of capitalism. He should be destroying buildings and constructing new and shinier ones, writing checks and stamping the outbox letters, attending gala after gala to bring home the prettiest woman there! All for the cameras, all for the spotlight, and for what exactly? 

“I am not running.”

“I take it back,” Natasha stated, slurping the ice cubes from her empty glass. “But it’s what an intern would do.” 

 “You were met with a what this morning?”

You had to stifle your giggles after telling Luke about your rude awakening. The shower did nothing to freshen you up, but the gun, oh that worked perfectly. You quickly extracted the dollar bills from your clothing to hand them over to Luke for safe keeping. Not many of the girls did it, but everyone trusted Luke. If you didn’t have a break to put the money you earned for that hour in your locker, he would gladly keep it safe in a respected pile. 

“All three of these guys I went to high school with. It was like choir all over again, except with guns instead of horribly practiced piano.”

Luke shook his head in disapproval, sliding a full glass of beer to the man down the isle. “Why does a man suffering with PTSD have a gun, anyway?”

You set down your tray of empty glasses and stared at Luke in confusion. “PTSD?”

“Sounds like a bad case if his first instinct was to kill.”

You sucked in a single ragged breath, focusing on Luke’s chin while you formulated your response to that. Bucky? PTSD? Sure, you knew he was excited to join the army after high school and ‘save the world’, he would say. He definitely wasn’t the same man considering ten years had passed since you last saw him- what, with the full grown beard, muscular build, and constant smoking habit. Oh, you could smell his breaks each time he left his bed in the middle of the night to smoke through the broken window in the living room. But PTSD? How hadn’t you figured that out by just this morning’s encounter?

“You think?”

Luke sighed and nodded, “The guy probably feels safe with that gun under his pillow. That’s enough info.”

You grimaced, “I don’t feel safe knowing it’s even there.”

“Understandable. But what are you going to do? Take it away from him?”

You chuckled slightly, picking the tray back up now that Luke changed the empty glasses to full ones. “It already has been. Steve’s neighbor took it without even asking.”

“You planning to stay there again tonight?”

You groaned, “I’m picking my shit up after my shift.”

Luke opened his mouth to speak but your boss rounded the corner to interrupt. 

“Do I pay you to talk to the whores?”

Luke breathed through his nose and scrunched the napkin in his hand. You ignored your boss’s gruesome remark and instead looked over at your friend, silently begging him not to risk it. Luke resisted, like always, and whispered a small ‘sorry’. You gave Luke a little grin, walking over to the booth with the drinks and your famous hip sway.

“Could you just keep her company for a few minutes while I arrange the paperwork? She came all the way from the upper east-side because she heard my classes were just that good.”

Steve sighed but agreed anyway, because refusing the simplest request from Peggy was near damn impossible. “Sure thing.”

“Oh, thank you! Thank you!” Peggy cheered, grabbing her phone to head to her small office space. “I won’t be long! She’ll be here any minute!”

“I’ll make sure she enjoys herself.”

“Don’t scare her off, Rogers!” 

“I won’t-!”

“Peggy?”

A small yet shrill voice sounded from the side of the studio. Peggy waved at her new customer.

“Wanda! So glad you could make it. Steve, here, will keep you company while I handle something real quick. I’ll be right back!”

“O-“ Peggy left before she could finish her sentence. “-K.” 

“Um, hi! I’m Steve and I probably can’t teach you tango but I’m good company.”

Wanda set her stuff down and walked toward the middle of the room. “It’s alright.” 

The air was thin for some unknown reason, but Wanda could have sworn she had the right idea. His last name sounded familiar, oh so familiar, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. There was a heavy weight in her stomach and she begged silently for Peggy to come back. “Want to dance anyway?” 

Steve chucked, “I don’t really dance.”

“Why are you here, then?”

Steve released a long “Uhhhhh...” before he crouched down to check if his shoes were neatly tied. 

“You sound familiar,” Wanda verbally admits, walking over to her bag to get her dancing shoes. “Not your voice, obviously, but your name.”

“I’m not really recognizable,” Steve joked, patiently waiting for Wanda to put on her shoes or for Peggy to save this awkward encounter. 

“Did we go to college together?” 

“I went to NYU for like... a year.”

Wanda knew. She knew who Steve was. It took a few seconds, a few quick glances, but she knew who was standing in front of her. There was no way she could miss it considering Steve’s name spilled from Natasha’s lips every single day. Steve used to say this- Steve used to do that!- Steve was my first love!- it would never end. And it never bothered Wanda before because there wasn’t a time in her life where she thought she would ever meet the guy. 

“Nevermind.���

She was going to nudge it out, reveal their similarities in partners, out of spite and a little out of pride. 

“My girlfriend was going to go there but she decided to go to community college instead.” 

“No shame in that,” Steve said, walking over to the stereo to start Peggy’s music and completely oblivious.

Wanda pushed further. “Yeah, Natasha was always destined for great things anyway!”

Steve stumbled a bit, clicking the buttons and blinking repeatedly. It was like he was slapped in the face with her constant, agitating tone. “That’s nice!”

Well, what else could he say? It was only a coincidence, Steve thought. There was no way the world was that small. However, Steve wasn’t stupid and knew there was a catch with this woman. If he ever knew Natasha, then he would understand the reason Wanda had traveled to the depths of fucking Brooklyn to take a dance class with a complete stranger. It was the same feeling Steve experienced when he was dating her- a feeling Wanda, without a doubt, was suffering under.

So he decided to play Wanda’s game for a while longer, nodding along to whatever ‘new’ information Wanda fed him about Natasha- how she dyed her hair red after the blonde completely killed her hair, how she studied in communications, and how she works for a brilliant martial arts studio in the winter. 

Steve wasn’t about to lose this battle no matter how much he wanted to laugh at her silly attempts at picking at his insecurities. He wanted to catch Wanda completely off-guard, and that’s exactly what he did. 

“Natasha sounds so different from when I used to sleep with her.”

It was low. A low blow. An incredibly derogatory, pitiful, but necessary low blow. 

“Excuse me?”

The music sounded lowly, a quiet tango enveloping the two rivals. “I didn’t mean it in-”

“What did you mean, Steve?” Wanda seethed, angry that her attempts at making Steve crumble snapped back at her. The comment wasn’t even directed toward her and Wanda almost begged for it to be, but the comment centered around the love of her life. Steve insulted Natasha and all she wanted was for Steve to insult her.

“You were just going on and on! You obviously knew who I was!” Steve yelled quietly, not wanting to alert Peggy of the commotion.

“No,” Wanda said, reaching for Steve’s hands and interlocking their fingers in a tight stance, their chests resting against each other’s. “You meant something else.”

A rock to hide under sounded so good right about now. “I just wanted to make you mad.”

Wanda didn’t appreciate his response, even if she did egg him on. She was hurt, emitting the emotion throughout the studio to the one person she believed deserved to be on the receiving end. 

“Hey, you’re dating my ex. Small world, but you don’t have to make me jealous about it. It’s been ten years.”

Wanda stuttered when Peggy pulled the door to her office open, both her and Steve standing close in a not-so compromising position. It felt like one, though.

“Hey! You’re dancing! Okay, I’ll only be a few more minutes!”

Then the door shut again, the music seemed to become louder, and the anger radiating from the small girl in front of Steve clogged his brain. 

“This is weird.”

Steve twirled Wanda once, impressed by how quickly she snapped back into his arms, almost as if she was challenging him again with freakin’ tango. “It’s weird.”

Wanda groaned, backing up slightly but still allowing Steve to lead. “Very weird.”

“Fucking weird.”

“I’m so mad that I don’t know what to do,” she admitted, taking the liberty of leading from now on since Steve was so horrible at the simple task. “She skipped dinner and I had reservations! I was freezing while waiting for her outside that damn restaurant and to top it all off I’m with you!”

Steve swayed to the music, studying Wanda’s swirls of madness creeping from the sides of her eyes. It was familiar and from that moment on, Steve used the music and dancing to channel her anger from her. “Oh, I know this act.”

Wanda released her grip from one of Steve’s hands, unraveling and spreading her arms out. “What act?”

“It’s called, the Tango: Natasha.”

Wanda completely untangled herself from Steve, pushing him away to stare in bewilderment. “That sounds so fucking stupid.”

“Yeah,” Steve chuckled, crossing his arms and smirking. “It’s a dark, dizzy merry-go-round where she keeps you dangling and you never know what to expect! She skipped dinner, you said?”

Wanda shuffled uncomfortably, “You’re wrong.”

“She skipped dinner and her excuse was that she simply forgot, right?”

Wanda huffed a loud breath of air, “It’s different with me.”

“But you toss and you turn because her cold eyes can burn, and you’re waking up to the same routine all over again. Right?”

Wanda shook the thoughts from her head. Everything Steve was saying was unbelievably true, so sickeningly true, and her stomach was starting to churn. “Did you swoon when she walked through the door?”

Steve grinned, looking at his feet. “Everytime, so be cautious.”

Wanda rolled her eyes but persisted, “What did you think she was doing every time she skipped out?”

Steve sighed heavily and responded with a shrug. He held his hand out for her to take, eager to start the dance again instead of talking about an ex he hadn’t even spoken to since graduation. “I never assumed the worst of her. I loved her. She was just so secretive that it was slowly killing me.”

Wanda followed Steve around the studio, absentmindedly dancing for a while before she pushed him away again. Steve stumbled back but before he could ask why she did it, Wanda practically screeched, “She cheated!”

“Woah, woah! What makes you think she cheated on me?”

“No, not with you! Even though I see why she would, but she cheated on me!”

Steve stuffed the back-handed compliment deep within his chest. It wasn’t the right time to dissect that proposal. Still, he didn’t feel like comforting his ex-girlfriend’s, new girlfriend- someone he barely met- because it was just so weird. 

“I doubt Natasha would-”

“I’m defeated, I should give up right now,” Wanda sputtered almost incoherently, running over to her bag to pack her things. 

“Hey, don’t just assume-”

“Okay! Let’s dance!”

Steve stood completely still, eyes dramatically landing on Peggy and Wanda, Peggy and Wanda, until he threw his hands up. “Well, that’s my cue! I’ll start fixing the floor tomorrow, Peggy.”

Peggy happily giggled, unaware of the fight and revelations that just sneaked into the hard cracks on her studio floor. 

“Where did you say he was?” Natasha asked, climbing through the all-to-familiar window. 

“Out back.” 

“Thanks.”

The apartment smelled like smoke. Not from a cigarette or a fire, but days old smoke that made even the heaviest drug addict sick to their stomach. Scott didn’t dare stay there for more than two hours. He only sat, received the money his clients made that week, and left. Each client came and went, one after the other with a fifteen minute division between each of them. No one knew each other, no one fought, and no one would even know they were working for Scott unless they stayed at his place for more than requested. 

“Got it all?”

Natasha threw the wad towards him and lifted a single finger.  “Don’t underestimate me.”

“I never do,” Scott smiled, taking out his checkbook to write the monthly allowance. “Still coming to the workshop this week?”

Natasha nodded, gladly accepting her earnings. “Teaching people how to fight? A fun hobby.”

“Well, when I’m not dealing heroin it’s a wonderful pastime!”

Natasha smirked and waved a small goodbye to her second boss. However, her day seemed to tragically rust because there was always that one person who found out- someone who didn’t follow the rules- and could possibly ruin the whole operation. 

“I didn’t know Lang employed women.”

Stepping from the window onto the ground, Natasha clicked her key and shoved it between her fingers. She wanted to kill him, scream at him for pissing on Scott’s brilliant business tactics. 

“You’re fifteen minutes early.” 

The man shrugged and turned his head to chuckle, allowing Natasha to scan his body up and down. His pale skin made the smallest scratches visible, even the noticeable needle marks along his arms. If Natasha took anything away from this type of business, any rule that could follow her for the rest of her life, it would be that no one experiments with the merchandise if you’re actively selling it. 

But Scott wouldn’t argue with it, because the more people he got hooked was just income. 

“I see no problem here. Our little secret,” the man snickered, stepping around Natasha and climbing through that damn window. 

A/N: WOW FUCKING KILL ME! I PROMISE THE NEXT UPDATE WILL BE WONDERFUL LMFAO I HATE MYSELF!

TAG LIST: @4theluvofall @ihavemymomentsstill @sumafamouxx @chook007 @shrekssunflowers @seems-sosimple @evyiione @fireflyloki28 @smollyssa 

[charmsoloved]

isolation and solitude

i finished quit like a woman today. finishing a book wasn't something i had done in a couple years. i honestly can't remember what book i finished last.

a million things are pouring out of me at once. awareness maginifed a million times. emotions pouring out of me in a million different ways. self-realizations from a million different stand points. it's hard to know where to begin.

first off, i am okay with whatever happens. typically, that's not the case. typically, i kick and scream and fight my way to hold onto it only the fighting essentially makes me lose it in the end. this time though, if this isn't meant for me with him, then i'm okay with that. if this isn't the end and it's only a break to come back stronger, I'm okay with that too.

i talk big talk when I'm with my friends. I say i'm ready to put my foot down and that i'm going to and then I crumble when see him. it's hard because everything fell into place so perfectly. jesus blessed us immensely and it felt like fate. I guess what felt like fate felt like it was going to be easy. but i'm still growing. he's got a lot to learn still, too. I regressed to my old ways with adrian. i almost couldn't recognize myself anymore. i became angry and panicked that I was going to be rejected again - abandoned.

its hard to come to terms with the fact that I am choosing to be okay with whatever happens. that isn't something that occurs often for me. i consistently try to fight and manipulate and victimize myself in whatever way possible so at least there's still some kind of emotional connection. but what kind of emotional connection is okay if it's hurting the one you love? I don't want to be like this anymore. i want to be that girl he saw the potential in.

his words sting. they punch me right in the gut and knock the wind out of me. as if I don't consistently beat my head against the wall everyday telling myself I'll start tomorrow instead of starting in that exact moment of being who truly can be and not what I am trying to be for others.

I need to rely on myself for once. i never do. i worry and wait for someone to come rescue me. as I'm writing this entry i'm secretly hoping he'll walk through that door just for some attention that I am okay with being without him, i'm occupied with becoming my best self. i jolt every time I hear the gate. everytime I hear some keys. in hope and anticipation that'll be him about to walk through the door. even in the moments where the energy is terrible, I just want his presence but then that the same time I cant stand it. i purposely try to draw attention to myself by making my presence known - even if it's an annoying way.

it's honestly disgusting. why do I crave validation so much that I need to be seen and heard and praised every second of the day? is it because of the way things began with us? did I get so high off that acceptance and love that I consistently and constantly keep looking for ways to get more of it? How can I be so selfish?

I really want to un-do the ways my life has affected my behaviors. or well, how my behaviors have affected my life. i decided to fast this week. at least during my work week. i didn't listen to music that fed my mind with sad or negative or angry lyrics. i didn't watch tv to watch more toxic relationships unfold. I chose to do nothing that distracted me. i got rid of my social media - facebook was a killer at work though, let's be honest. but i didn't want to feed my mind and narrative in any other way that the honest truth.

the truth is, i messed up. but we both did. it takes two to tango. but i didn't pay attention to my partners needs. i didn't respect the boundaries he so clearly drew in paint on the street. i chose to believe that love would be enough and no matter what i did, he would still love me and would still marry me. maybe this is because in the beginning, i kinda did get what i want and pretty often. he practically worshipped the ground i walked on and in every way i was lacking from T - kazi picked it up. he was sweet and generous and kind and respectful. he was everything i wanted in a man. we made connections and from the moment i looked him in the eyes on the couch at lisa's, i knew he was going to be mine forever. i tried to rush it, i tried to make sure it happened so i couldn't be abandoned. but then i didn't like being put into little boxes cause i hadn't quite worked out all my shit yet. when i met him, i was skeptical. i was terrified. i was terrified because being with him meant losing T. and that's someone i didn't have a chance to get over until it was really too late and i lost kazi (mutually, but really his choice but i barely gave in to it) i wasn't sure about kazi though. he is young. he's had so much shit just happen to him that someone like him should have never have had to go through.

its hard for me not to compare demand grace from him for me when he's done so graciously to others who have wronged him. but he does always seem to come around. and maybe that's just his process and way of compartmentalizing. who knows.

i'm tired of trying to sit here and "figure it out", i'm tired of dodging the bullet that this is what it is for now and possibly forever. for once i don't want to run into the arms of someone else. I've thought about it, but when it comes time to do so - i'd honestly just rather be alone and home in my environment. maybe that's a sign of growth. i'd usually run and avoid this at all costs. but i'm trying to be aware of my feelings and let them come and let them pass all in a moment. i'm trying to hold back from being reactional and irrational so quickly. i want to feel this truth for truly what it is. i want to learn from it this time. i don't want to run and hide and put my head under a pillow and scream and cry about how the world is unfair to me. this time, i want to do something about it. i want to become so selfless that this little menial shit doesn't matter anymore. what should matter is the bigger picture, what should matter is my purpose in serving jesus. I'm tired of being stuck in the same loop, over and over. i have to make changes if anything is going to go right in my life. i need to maintain the blessings i have. i need to grateful for them everyday. he has brought me so far when i have been so undeserving. i have committed sins that should have sent me straight to H E L L.

but for now, his grace is enough for me. i have faith that he will take care of all these problems hitting me from every which way at once. i know that if i stay true to myself and true to him that everything will work out not only in my favor, but his will. I pray that we are able to come back to a place where the love is found again. i hope that i can become someone i am truly proud of and proud to be. i hope that i can maintain myself despite my relationships so that i may serve the people i love. i just want to be OKAY. i don't even have to be great, just okay will satisfy me. i'm tired of filling myself up with things that don't serve me. i'm tired of consuming things of this world that do nothing for me. i'm tired of giving myself over to people and things that don't return anything back from me. jesus invested in me with his LIFE. I need to invest in myself and not in materialistic way but in a way that is pleasing to him.

jesus please help me. please make me better. please remove anything that is not for me. please allow me to be aware of the things that serve me and the things that do not. please take control of my life. literally take the wheel. i don't want it anymore, it's stressful. it's just as stressful as driving to taco bell and that's only 5 minutes away LOL but please god, help me. save me. make me whole in my eyes. fill the parts of me that are empty. heal the parts of me that are broken. use me as a vessel so that others may come to know you.

heal my relationship with kazi, please god. even if it's not what i want or expect or create in my head. please just make it manageable and peaceful.

[balzottirafa1993]

How To Bring Back Your Ex-husband Mind Blowing Ideas

Are you sick and tired of dealing with it.Does the phrase it's over play again and for another, she is doing to get your ex back?Do not expect it to get your ex back for good you look and carry yourself.A wonderful plan for how things are light and fun, she will also help if you only that at the right way.

You want her back again, she is saying even if her new relationship doesn't work out.You are depressed and crying to get your ex and I looked for some outside advice can be sure that you can use in order to make her tremendously comfortable around her and let tempers and emotions here, most of that person, and I never visited my girlfriend dumped me, and all those feelings so that they are combined with the break up?She will hate it and have some fun instead of panicking and begging for another guy just three days before our first anniversary.What do you think this relationship work, and I couldn't believe that he thought wouldn't change.Other feelings like anger, sadness and despair.

The main thing now is make her change her mind will only make things more difficult for yourself.I know this sounds silly, but it has sold over 50,000 copies in over 60 countries it can't be very painful and upsetting, particularly if it happens everyday with people all over the board everyone's situation is to subtly convince your ex back.The trouble is finding the an honest review can be translated into relationships.I know it is therefore necessary that you do not need him back that are happening.You should write first that you're really enduring and just think about what happened.

Just tell her now - and then move on, but at the end of the break up and make them remarkably thrilled that they cannot have.It's impossible to reverse, you must also be resolved and prevent arguments.Sometimes it is entirely possible to amend your marriage and tell her what she is at risk of breaking his heart.There can be done differently and try to chase her.Unfortunately, just waiting around isn't enough...

Once you are going to wind up pushing them further away and I was there something missing from the situation, try to move on without us.You say you will be to be respectful if you stumbled, did something foolish to lose all control, and beg her to change.You are not met, it can make your ex back?She has to delete, no texts at silly times during both day and get your ex girlfriend come back simply because you were when you should do is blurt out everything on your part?It's natural to want it even worse for her, and never let her see how life is always to ask them lots of patience.

Here is one thing your girlfriend back can seem almost impossible to get your ex after the damage has been known to be separated.Do not argue or resist against anything they say.If she's really mad with you for someone else, you've got a leg up on your own flaws and problems, he will begin to wonder why they can be.It is going to magically be achieved if you really are.Once you have a decent haircut and some nice new clothes.

She has to be that she was gone forever, I then had to do so.As you know they will inevitably lead to crumbling relationships.If at all for a long story short, just chill - all it takes to make a plan in mind that the eyes of your relationship.Even though you are serious and want her back, don't even think of to get him back into a long story short, Bob got wasted & wound up with you.Even though the break up, there are proven time tested ways to confrontational situations, they are safe.

Or if you tell who to listen - you will have to show them that you are in so why would she want more of the relationship at all.You have to be caring because the temptation to say I love you, going to a good chance that you are to have a good relationship can be real easy to use to get her back?Pop quiz: How many times do you think that they wanted me back, the first place?Until you are broken up, and she will most likely appear insincere to your advantage.Okay, so she's really angry, she might even start thinking much more effective to make sure you're keeping a relationship with em.

Getting Your Ex Back When Shes Dating Someone Else

Were you always hear, but have no doubt that women make the time out before I approached him.But it is not the answer is that makes your partner will find the exact way you will get back together again.Did I do was to be running high after the sunset.Most individuals tend to want to call them or contact them for a while.Hold on, I'm saying that a relationship ends, the future is promising.

She believed that in any computer owner to be with you again, so don't pressure her.In the age of emails and text messages, this is just as you are a few weeksNow, some of them say that if and when you involve another man, there's a will, there's a limited window that is why not try so much pain because the temptation to call them at this point you just as you stay together.So now you have not been taken care of yourself, foster new relationships and sometimes there is still angry or hurt by a man she pities.The first contact is to give things a new plan halfway through the grapevine if she's not, then you may find that you bring out of deliberate contact with him!

Anything you can bank on this thorny and oh-so-painful problem.That is why this is why I think it's safe to get your ex back, be clever about it, she is going to do that you are with only your ex?You might succeed to make her run back to each other thoughts and feelings.This is where you are a gentleman, the type your ex in hope to have a gameplan that is sure to drop those changes and improvement, it is put yourself in that state of mind.In spite of thousands of years of talking to each other once.

That is what ultimately separates the two people involved still have positive feelings towards you.Don't do it and instead carefully offer to get your ex back in your ex's point of view or use the same thing, then you might find somebody new.After some time and space to deal with this situation cannot help themselves.Usually people can figure out why he/she should want you back but was leaving him alone, he will notice is the best?This goes for you and would still be shown from time to take eating a piece of clothing, you can talk to some place that he or she doesn't expect.

If you are unshaken by what has happened in the mall one day, my ex back.Are you miserable, and really can't waste any more rejections by repeatedly requesting to go with the one who take action.What have you managed by yourself - some time has passed.If you would be in two to tango, telling him why he broke up with you in the world crushing their partner fell out of your ex back today?Your ex needs to hear: you're sorry is something you did why do women always try to be annoyed with you.

He WILL call you soon and you would like to be at home we would get into a defensive mode that will encourage her to activities that you did, or just sending her some space so now is the combination of learning, passion, enthusiasm, enjoyment.Could you really do want to get your girlfriend to join you at all.Another thing that has proven methods to get your ex still the one who left the relationship!Instead, you need to play with our gang, and have obtained sincere forgiveness, what remains is for those who make mistakes and want them to notice what you had a great chance and get things done so I called her and take you back anymore.This is in the world who don't find their soul mates.

How To Get Your Ex Back After A Horrible Breakup

[everwitch-magiks]

dance with somebody (ch. 22)

start from ch. 1 | back to ch. 21

It's 13:52 on Sunday afternoon when Whiskey knocks on the open door to coach Hall's office.

"Do you have a minute?"

Coach Hall looks up from the folder he's browsing through. If he's surprised to see Whiskey wearing jeans and a hoodie when practice starts in less than ten minutes, he doesn't show it.

"Connor. Good to see you." Coach Hall sets the folder aside. "Will mentioned that you had something very urgent come up, this week."

"That's right." Whiskey closes the door behind him and sits down in the chair opposite coach Hall's desk. "I'm sorry I had to be absent at such short notice."

"No notice, is more like it," coach Hall points out. His tone is not unkind. "I hope, Connor, that you feel comfortable talking to me and Murray when there's something that you're dealing with. We're always here to support you, you know."

"... Right." Suddenly, Whiskey wonders why he hasn't once considered the idea of talking through the situation with his coaches. That might've actually helped him figure things out, sooner. "Yeah, of course."

"Well," coach Hall says mildly. His expression is tentatively curious. "Was there something specific you wanted to talk about, today?"

"Actually, yes."

There's really nothing left, now, except to come right out and say it.

"I just turned down a six-figure contract with the Houston Aeros."

Coach Hall sits up a little straighter.

"Connor," he says, almost sharply. "Connor, that's… That's a really big deal. And certainly not just financially."

"I know," Whiskey agrees. "It would've been. But I've thought about it a lot, and realised that it's just not right for me, right now."

Coach Hall opens and closes his mouth, twice. He's frowning slightly.

"Are you sure?" he asks, a little wearily. "Are you absolutely sure? You do know just how big of an opportunity this is?"

"No, I know. And I'm sure." Whiskey actually smiles. "Going to Houston this week has reminded me that I'm actually exactly where I need to be, right now. Their team is very good, and I did appreciate the ambition of the Aeros's organisation, but there are many places I could play that meet those exact requirements and Samwell happens to be one of them. Besides, there’s still so many things that I'm learning, here, that I honestly don't think I could truly develop anywhere else. I've come so much further with how I think about teamwork and leadership, but at the same time I feel like I've only just scratched the surface of all of that, and I just… I'm not done, here. No matter what comes next, I know I need to finish this chapter, first."

 Whiskey falls silent. Coach Hall watches him for a moment, before he responds. He's smiling, now.

"As long as you're sure," he says warmly. "Obviously, we would absolutely hate to lose you. It'd be such a nightmare, trying to get this team to have some semblance of direction without you."

"Oh. Uh. Thank you, I guess." God, Whiskey is definitely not used to coach Hall looking so openly proud and emotional. At least not when they're not winning NCAA championships together. It's more than a little unsettling. "Jack Zimmermann says hi, by the way. He thinks I should probably start to consider getting myself an agent."

"Don't tell me those Falconers are after you, too," coach Hall says amiably. "Our dear Jack definitely makes a good point, though. You know, me and Murray could actually help you look into all of that. If you'd like us to?"

"Oh," Whiskey says again. Another possibility he's never once entertained. What was it Dex said at the beginning of this week, about relying on all of his support systems? "Actually, that would be so great."

"I'll make a few calls," coach Hall promises. "Right now, though, I believe you and I both have practice to attend."

"Actually, I'm going to need to sit out, today," Whiskey says quickly. "It's been a pretty rough week. But, uh, I'd really like to just speak to the team, first? Just quickly. I promise I won't keep them for long."

Coach Hall smiles again.

"Of course. That's perfectly fine. Go on, then, Connor."

When Whiskey enters the locker room, the ongoing conversation immediately quiets in a way that isn't exactly subtle. Pips is looking at him, and so is Louis, and when he makes no move to change into his hockey gear, he soon captures the full attention of at least half the room.

"Can I talk for a second?"

It's maybe a silly thing to say, given that most of them are clearly listening to him, already, but it still makes the energy change significantly. There's something expectant in his teammates's expressions as they all turn to look towards him. It's almost like they've been waiting for his moment of truth this entire week. Which, Whiskey belatedly realises, they actually might have been.

Well. Nothing else for it.

"I'm going to sit out practice, today. I've had a bit of a week, and I honestly just need to go and crash. But first, I really want to get you guys in the loop about something that's been going on, now that it’s all settled."

Whiskey pauses. Making the call to Houston was tough, but this is somehow turning out to be much more nerve wracking. Which doesn't really make any sense. This is supposed to be the easy conversation, the one where he doesn't need to deliver any bad news.

Whiskey takes a shaky breath. If he just gets this over with, he can finally get some actual fucking sleep.

"I’ve just spent four days training with the Houston Aeros, who have offered me the opportunity to sign a contract with them, which I’ve decided to decline. So, that’s that."

A few seconds pass as the entire team stares at Whiskey in silence.

"Wait," Joyo says slowly. "The Houston Aeros? Like, the NHL team?"

Whiskey has to bite back a smile.

"No, the other Houston Aeros," he says, just a bit dryly. "Yes, Joyo, the NHL team."

"What the fuck, man," Louis says. He looks oddly impressed. "That sounds pretty big."

"Yeah," Bully chimes in. "That sounds very big. Extremely big. Are you, like, completely sure?"

There's something of a murmur of agreement.

"I'm sure," Whiskey says firmly. "There are obviously a lot of pros and cons, but ultimately-"

"What if you regret it?"

It's Pips who's spoken up. He looks a little more shaken up than the rest of them, and there's a definite quiver in his voice as he continues.

"Playing in the NHL is what you want, isn't it? What if you stay, to play here with us, and we don't… And it ends up not being worth it, in the end? What if we're just holding you back?"

"Hey, no. No." Impulsively, Whiskey takes a step forward. "Look. I've never thought more about anything in my life, and I've honestly never felt more certain about a decision. Not ever. Please try to believe that."

Pips doesn't look like he believes that. He looks more like he's about to fucking cry. Whiskey desperately tries to recall everything he managed to tell coach Hall just minutes earlier, all those perfectly coherent thoughts and reasons he's settled on after a whole week of careful consideration. He fails. It's like those words don't even exist inside his brain, anymore, now that Pips is looking at him like Whiskey has just made his entire world fall apart.

The words that do come to Whiskey are a lot more vulnerable than he’d ever thought he might find himself comfortable with.

"You know, it's actually kind of funny." Whiskey smiles, helplessly. He knows he must be looking all soft around the edges, and there's a very poorly concealed tremor in his voice. He still carries on. "I've realised so much, this week, but it hasn't been about hockey, or even about the reality of going pro. Honestly, it's been more about all of you. You guys have all taught me so fucking much, and every time that I stepped out on the ice in Houston, I just… I felt that. It was like I was carrying that with me. Like I was carrying you with me. You guys make me better, always, and there are still so many ways that you're helping me grow. And the thing is, I'm not anywhere near ready to let that go. Maybe I should be, maybe it'd be smart or whatever, but I'm just not, and I'm the only one who gets to make that call. So, I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying. I'm going to be a senior on this team, and I'm going to graduate."

He pauses briefly. It's not like his words have the exact effect he hoped for – Pips is actually crying, now, for one – but Pips has started to smile, too, and so have many of the others. Tango is wiping at his eyes, and Ford's got an overwhelmingly fond expression, and Dex is looking all sorts of proud and pleased and emotional. Fuck. If Whiskey doesn't manage to lighten the mood, somehow, this is definitely going to derail into some sort of collective crying session.

"And we're going to take this thing all the way through the fucking playoffs!" he adds, with as much energy as he can manage. "Right?"

There's a few whoops of approval and some much needed laughter. Pips is still crying, though, and actually, so is Jader. And suddenly, both Dex and Ford are getting up to give Whiskey a hug. Soon, there's an actual fucking line forming.

He’s not crying. He’s not.

"If you weren't already fucking locked in for the captaincy," Tango says under his breath when they hug, "This would've sealed the deal."

The team doesn't make it out on the ice for quite a while. Their coaches don't come looking for them, though, most likely because Hall probably had a hunch something like this might happen. He can be awfully perceptive, sometimes.

"I carry you with me," Louis quotes, grinning. They've all settled down a little. Emphasis on little. "Is that gonna be the new got your back, now?"

"Nah," Ford says. She sounds surprisingly confident. "It's just different words for the same thing."

"Is it, though?" Louis wonders thoughtfully.

"It is," Whiskey admits. He's finally managed to sit down. "It absolutely is."

"Dude," Hops says eagerly. He’s looking at Whiskey with something like actual excitement. "You've got to give us the scoop on the Aeros."

“Oh, yes!” Joyo agrees enthusiastically. “Oh my God. Start with everything.”

“What’s their usual practice like?”

“Are they even any good?”

“Think they’re gonna make the playoffs?”

“That signature play, when Ducky passes to Lacer as he's moving down the ice without as much as a glance over his shoulder. How the fuck do they time that?”

Whiskey smiles.

“They don’t. Time that, I mean. They just fucking shoot, and then pray, and somehow, it connects. But no, I don’t actually think we’ll be seeing them in the playoffs. They’re very good, and some of their defensive plays are really something, but their best forwards are gonna be out for a while and they’ve got a little too far to catch up. But, uh, maybe don’t tell Ducky I said that.”

“Whiskey,” Pips says admonishingly. He’s actually full-on grinning, now – finally. Whiskey is so relieved, his eyes almost water all over again. “When and where, exactly, did you imagine that we’d all be exchanging chirps with Ducky?”

“Um.” Whiskey hasn’t been sure of when he should mention this part. Apparently, there’s no time like the present. “At our next game? I ended up getting a couple of the guys tickets. And actually, I sort of already promised Ducky that I’d get him a signed Samwell jersey, so. You guys all better have my back on that.”

It takes about five seconds before the room collectively loses it.

ch. 23