#like how he dated these nice pretty latina women because he thinks that's what his parents would like (especially with Ana)

[avatar-anna]

hey! i adoree your writing (i think i've read your jealous fic with harry and latina!reader like a 100 times lol) but i was wondering if you could do a super angsty harry x latina fic? maybe like where harry says smth dumb/mean about the reader behind the readers back and the readers sadd but happy endings ofc. also im venezuelan (from maracaibo!) and it would be so cool if the reader was too. have fun with it and dont be afraid to change anything!! idk i live for the angst! much love <3!

“You can’t be serious.”

“Do I look like I’m joking? Take your shit and go.”

“Lovie, don’t you think you’re being a little dr—”

“You wanna make it two nights?”

Harry sighed and hung his head, realizing that he needed to stop digging himself a deeper hole. Mumbling, he said, “No.”

“Then go on,” you said, handing him his pillow.

Taking it, he trudged away, his head still bowed as he walked downstairs to sleep on the couch.

“Serves you right for talking shit behind my back,” you muttered.

Turning back into the room you and Harry shared, you got ready for bed. As you finally settled in for the night, Harry’s absence was palpable. It wasn’t like when he was away on tour because he was physically here, just not in bed with you.

You’d overheard him talking on the phone with someone. You weren’t sure who, but he was complaining about how loud you were. How long you the two of you been dating, and he never once brought it up? Why did he feel the need to vent to a friend instead of just talking to you about it?

That was the thing that pissed you off more than anything. You’d been quiet all throughout dinner and as you were cleaning up the kitchen, and when Harry asked what was wrong you said mumbled something, but he couldn’t hear you, so you said, “Oh, sorry, can you not hear me? I thought this was how you preferred women to speak.”

So he might’ve been right about you being a little dramatic, especially when you banished him to the couch for the night. But it just struck a chord with you in a way he couldn’t possibly understand. Harry was the kindest, most respectful person you knew, but in that moment, you felt reduced to a stereotype.

You knew that wasn’t what he was doing, that he would never think that way, but he needed to know how hurt you were his stupid comment. So it was the couch for him, which was really punishment for you too because now you had to sleep alone.

It wasn’t cold outside, but you put on one of Harry’s sweatshirts anyway, wanting to be as wrapped up in the feel and smell of him as you possibly could.

And when sleep still didn’t come, you sighed deeply through your nose, getting out of bed to bring Harry back to bed. When you got downstairs, his eyes were closed, legs dangling over the edge of the couch uncomfortably.

You nudged his foot a little, smiling when he opened his eyes immediately. “Come back to bed, bubba.”

“Really?” You didn’t think he’d been sleeping for very long, but his voice was already low and scratchy.

Nodding, you helped him up. “Yeah, I missed you too much. No matter how much you incense me.”

“Incense?”

“Word of the day,” you shrugged. “But that’s beside the point. I was mad at you, but I can’t sleep without you, so...”

Harry grinned at the implication. Standing up immediately, he hoisted you into his arms and proceeded to carry you up the stairs.

“I’m sorry for saying all that. It wasn’t nice and you had every right to be angry with me,” he said, his words muffled as he spoke against your neck.

“Did you mean it?”

“Yes, but not in the way that you think,” Harry admitted. When he reached the top of the staircase, he leaned back just enough to look you in the eye. “Sometimes you yell on the phone, and sometimes it’s a little overwhelming when I’m wearing headphones.”

That was...pretty harmless, you decided. You could admit to being a little too excited while talking on the phone.

Still, “You could’ve just told me that.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Kiss?”

You leaned in, lightly gripping the curls that framed Harry’s face. His kiss was sweet, tender, full of love and apologies. It was the thing you needed to go to sleep. A proper good night kiss.

Harry carried you the rest of the way to bed, not giving you any sort of space after he set you down. His face was flush against the crook of your neck, his hands casually resting beneath your hoodie. You fell asleep like that, your hand scratching his scalp as Harry did his best to fuse himself to you.

[sunflowers-n-rocknroll]

Do I Wanna Know?

Pairing: Jensen x latina!reader

Warnings: angst

Word Count: 1,988

A/N: This was written for @anaelsbrunette​ Yas’s POC Reader Challenge. This was based on the song Do I Wanna Know? by Arctic Monkeys. I’ve never written POC reader before so hope you like it. ;)

“Everybody welcome Jensen Ackles to the stage!” The applause and cheering were so loud you winced. Jensen Ackles stood on the stage looking as if he owned it with a leather jacket and some dark jeans. You couldn’t lie he was good looking, but good looking boys were the ones that always knew how to break your heart in the worst ways.

You sighed once again wondering why you had agreed to come to work again. The place was small but packed. Apparently, it was some sort of VIP event and only those with enough money could pay to attend. But not you. You weren’t here to enjoy some guy in a leather jacket and guitar sing you were here to work at the bar and that was it.

People coming and going ordering a million different drinks was slowly driving you insane. You hoped this would be over soon. Someone like Jensen Ackles was probably busy and didn’t even have a moment to breathe.  

Song after song you handed out drinks and refrained from lashing out at the rude people. You needed the job.

“Thanks, everybody for coming out tonight, said Jensen. “I’ll be playing one last song tonight.” 

“Oh, gracias a Dios,” you breathed out a sigh of relief and your friend smirked over at you. 

“Have you got color in your cheeks?

Do you ever get that fear that you can't shift the type

That sticks around like summat in your teeth?

Are there some aces up your sleeve?

Have you no idea that you're in deep?

I've dreamt about you nearly every night this week

How many secrets can you keep?

'Cause there's this tune I found

That makes me think of you somehow and I play it on repeat

Until I fall asleep, spillin' drinks on my settee…”

The women were going wild and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. He was just a human, a human with an incredible voice and an equally attractive body. Sure you enjoyed music, but you knew this type of celebrities, they thought they were like gods.  

By the time the song was over, you were ready to go home and sleep preferably forever. The crowd started to diminish and you began cleaning up. 

“Oh my god! Did you see Jensen Ackles he was so hot,” your friend was basically jumping up and down. You were waiting for that comment all night and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes. 

“Cristina you fall in love with basically everybody.”

“I do not,” she gasped.

“What about that boy at the coffee shop yesterday? Or that guy that opened that door for you at the supermarket? Or that girl-”

“Ok ok fine I get it,” she held her hands up in surrender. “But you can’t deny it.”

“Cristina, there is nothing special about him. Sure he can sing, ¿y que? So what? I know about a dozen other people who can do that.”

“I’m sorry to interrupt,” said a voice behind you and you turned only to find Jensen Ackles sitting at the bar. “But uh can I get a whiskey?” 

You cleared your throat your face burning. “Uh yeah.” turning to grab a bottle you glared at your friend. “¿Cuánto tiempo ha estado allí?” 

“Since you started talking,” she whispered.

You turned around placing a coaster and glass in front of Jensen Ackles. You tried not to look at him as you poured whiskey into his glass but you felt his gaze on you. Some guys came by saying goodbye to Jensen and making plans for the week. Not that you were eavesdropping but they were right there. 

“It’s close to midnight and my sister is coming to pick me up, you need a ride?”

“No it’s fine I’ll be closing anyway. I’ll get a cab.” She nodded before hugging you and grabbing her things. 

You realized Jensen was still at the bar and you hoped he would leave already so you could go home. He stood placing some money at the bar before leaving. Ten minutes later you were making your way outside.

“Hey,” you turned. “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you.” Jensen was standing there with his hands raised as if you would’ve tried to hit him. And you would have.

“Well, you did.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah, you said that.”

“I thought you might need a ride.”

“I don’t.”

“Look it’s almost midnight-”

“I am not  sleeping with you.”

“What- no I am not-”

“Listen, pretty boy, I don’t need a ride from you. And I am not going to your place,” you slung your bag over your shoulder before turning around. 

“No, wait. I didn’t mean it like that. I was just offering a ride. Nothing else.”

“Why?”

“Because walking through the city in the middle of the night is dangerous.”

“And getting into some stranger’s car is not?” He looked down, one side of his mouth turning up. 

“Touche.”

You sighed knowing that you couldn’t deny his offer. “Ok fine.”

His head snapped up, “Wait really?”

“Just warning you, I will punch you if you try anything.” 

You gave him your address once in the car and waited for some comment about the area you lived in, but it never came. Surely someone like him had a nice house or apartment in the nicer part of the city. 

“Thanks for the ride,” you said.

“So there is nothing special about me?”

You winced, “You heard that?”

He chuckled, “I did.”

“Listen I’m sorry-”

“No no, I think that is a very fair opinion. But, I think you can make it up with a dinner.”

You opened your mouth then closed it not sure what to answer. He was asking you out?

“I’m sorry, you don’t have to I was just-”

“I uh I need to go,” he nodded and you got out of the car. Making your way to your door. You heard his car leave once you were inside. 

“He asked you out!” You and Cristina had a free period a decided to catch up on some homework outside. 

“Cristina stopped screaming. Yes, I already told you like a hundred times.”

“And you said no,” you stared at her. “Okay fine, fine.”

“And technically I didn’t answer.” 

“But it was Jensen Ackles!”

“Yeah, that’s why.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, he’s on his way to becoming some great musician. And I’m a bartender still in school. And still living with my mom. Nada va a suceder. It’s going to be a good date and then that’s it. On to the next thing he knows he can get.”

“Y/N,” she pointed behind you, and standing right there was Jensen Ackles. “I uh gotta go back to class,” she grabbed her things before taking off. Great.

“You uh left this in my car yesterday,” standing up you took your jacket from him.

“Thanks. How did you know I was here?”

“I asked around in the bar.”

“Right.”

No one said anything before you both started talking at the same time. 

“I also didn’t get your name last night.”

“How long have you been there.”

You glanced away, “I’m Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N” 

“Jensen.”

“I know.”

He cleared his throat, “Right.”

“Listen I didn’t mean to be rude with what I just said.”

“Most people want to be with me for the money and fame. I don’t care about any of that.”

“I’m not most people,” you said. “I also don’t care to have my heart broken.”

“One date. One chance. Just- let me show you I’m sincere.” 

“Why? You can literally have anybody you want.”

“But I don’t want anybody. I just- there is something about you that I can’t figure out about you and it’s driving me insane.”

“One chance,” you said.

You were nervous and you weren’t even on the date yet. Cristina had come over to try and calm you down but you were having second thoughts about saying yes. 

“Y/N, mirame, hey look at me. If things go sideways you call me and I’ll pick you up.”

You nodded the knot in your stomach twisting tighter. The doorbell rang and you took a deep breath. Jensen was standing there in a flannel and some jeans and you couldn’t deny he looked good.

“Uh te-te ves hermosa,” he stuttered.

You smiled, “How long did it take you to learn that?”

He looked down rubbing the back of his neck. “All afternoon?”

It was late by the time you came back home, your stomach hurting from laughing too much.

“Gracias, thank you, for the date,” you smiled up at him. He was so close that you could smell his cologne. 

“It was my pleasure.”

“I uh- I better go.”

He cleared his throat, “Yeah, I’ll text you.”

It went like that for a week, Jensen showing up and taking you some place, nothing fancy or expensive but somewhere you could be together. Sometimes he would take you to one of his concerts and even though you teased him about it you enjoyed being there. Everything was good maybe just too good and of course it had to end. 

Coming late home from the bar one night all you wanted to do was sleep, your mom was in the kitchen, phone in hand.

“Hey what’s going on?”

“It’s your abuela, está enferma.”

“She’s sick? Is she going to get better?”

Your mom shook her head, “We have to go back to Mexico.”

Two days later you found yourself packing your bags. You had given your notice at school and at the bar. Cristina had come to say goodbye and it hurt to leave her. You were putting your bags in the car when a familiar car pulled up. Jensen stepping out with a frown on his face. 

“Hey what’s going on?”

“My grandma is sick and we have to go back home. Back to Mexico”

“For how long?”

“No lo sé. Couple of days? Maybe weeks?”

“And you weren’t going to tell me?” He sounded incredulous and you wished this conversation had happened when you were miles away and not be able to see the hurt on his face. 

“Jensen-”

“Y/N you were going to leave for who knows how long and not tell me?”

“I was going to tell you.”

“When? When you were miles away?” He nodded, running a hand down his face. “No, you can’t do that just because you’re scared.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’re scared Y/N! You’re scared about this, about what we have!”

“Jensen this was never going to last! This was nice, but we both know you weren’t going to end up with somebody like me and I am not going to end up with somebody like you. Lo siento. I have to go,” you turned getting in the car, trying not to look back. The better he accepted the truth the better it would be for you. By the time you were back in Mexico he would probably already have found somebody else. 

Jensen stood there not knowing what to say or do. She was leaving. She was leaving him. But she felt something for him. He hadn’t just imagined the past week. And it wasn’t just some simple crush that he felt, this went way deeper than that and he had to find out if she felt that same way for him. He saw your friend come out of the house by the time your car was pulling away.

“Cristina it’s Cristina right? Do you know where in Mexico Y/N is staying?” she nodded and he knew what he had to do because she had caught his eye in that bar even before he had ordered that drink. He couldn’t let her go. He had to know, even if the answer wasn’t what he wished for it to be, he had to know. 

TAGS: @akshi8278​

[rebelcap]

We are not just friends — Part 5

Chris Evans x bi!latina!character (Sofia is a people of color, she's brown.)

Chris and Sofia meet when their best friends started dating, it all started at friends with loads of bumps on the road.  

Warnings: drinking, smoking, drug use (weed), assault, Chris being Steve Rogers, commitment issues, my girl Sofia kinda messy, lots of fucking (eventually) 

This is slow burn at its best, at least emotionally. 

Series masterlist

Part 1 — Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4

5. LA, still.

The first thing Sofia asked after greeting everyone was where was his baby Dodger.

“Oh, he's running around in the backyard. Wanna meet him?” Chris asked her, still arm around her shoulders.

“Are you kidding? yes.” She said with an enthusiasm that makes Chris smile bigger, he likes it when they love Dodger.

Specially likes how she loves his dog.

Chris showed her the backyard, sliding a gigantic glass door open and the rescued big puppy come running.

“Dodger!” Sofía kneeled on the grass and the dog went straight running to her and started licking her face as she pets him and kissed him all over. “Oh my God!, he's so pretty!” Sofía screamed back at Chris making him let out a laugh as he sat down in the grass beside her.

“He is.” He agreed as she kept scratching his ears, Dodger had made his way into her lap and was sitting there, like a lap dog.

“I love you, Dodger.” She said hugging the dog and buried her face on his fur, with a smile she let him go do his thing and Chris was looking at her with a wide smile, heart fluttering and he had that weird ringing on his ears when his anxiety picked a little.

“Oh man, I can't believe I just meet him.” She said with a pout but a smile tugging her lips. “I miss my dog.” Sofía mumble feeling her throat constrict but the sudden emotion, she took a deep breath and push it all down.

Chris noted that, making him sigh at how Sofia never let any sudden emotion take hold of her, in all this time he had never seen her shed a tear for anything. It was a little frustrating, he had seen her mad, pissy, quiet, and really happy but he had never seen her sad and crying.

It's not like he wants her to be sad, no. He just wants to be there for her and for Sofia to know she had someone, besides Amanda, to lean on.

Chris justs wanted to her to open up.

“I'm hungry, let's eat something and watch that game of yours.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“So, you're Chris's friend?” Brad, one of LA Chris's friends asked sneaking up on the kitchen where Sofia was in pizza duty while they watched the game (which she couldn't care less).

“Yeah, I am. You're Chris's friend?” She asked not falling for the bullshit he was about to spill, she didn't need to be a rocket scientist to know where this guy was going with asking that question.

Brad let out a laugh and walk up the few steps that separated them, Sofia didn't even acknowledge him as she put the pizza the oven to warm for a little bit.

“You need something?” She asked crossing her arms and laid her hip on the counter.

“Um, maybe but I just want to check if you and Chris are fucking so I can ask you out.”

Sofía’s brow went up as he spoke and let out a laugh of surprise.

“That's forward,”

“I don't like playing games,” Brad's and licking his lips and Sofia considered, he was kind of hot… he had that frat boy douchebag thing going on. He was tall, not as tall as Chris. Brunette and hazel eyes… She would totally one night stand a guy like him.

“So…?”

“So, what?”

“Are you guys fucking?”

“I'm going to say no otherwise, you shouldn't bother man.” She smiled up at him, taking the pizza out of the oven.

“You don't want to go out with me?” Brad asked he was kind of surprised. Apparently, girls didn't say no to him.

“Nope.”

“So you're fucking Chris then?” Brad asked, thinking that this would be the only good reason.

Sofia stared at him because she was in no mood to explain why she didn't want to go out with him.

“I don't understand how that had something to do with you asking me out?” She asked looking back at the counter and grabbed the pizza to walk back.

“I'm trying to know if you're off-limits.”

“Off-limits.” She laughed and shake her head. “I already said no, consider that off-limits.”

She walked off with the pizza in hand and put it on the coffee table in front of the TV.

“Man, I like your friend she brought us pizza.” One of the other guys said and Sofia let out a laugh. Chris laughed and grabbed Sofia and put his arm around her shoulders.

“Yeah, she's awesome.”

Chris ended up wrapping his arms around Sofia from behind and watching the game just like that. She kept whispering about how much Tom Brady was an asshole and how she would definitely fuck Julien enderman because he had a nice ass.

“I kind of see the appealing… a little.” She confesses in the midtime drinking a few beers.

“Now you like it? it's because of the hot guys?”

“Of course, why wouldn't you started there in the first place?” She told him with a wide smile and Chris shale his head with a smile.

“You had no idea how happy I am that this beer is going to be here,” Chris said with a smile enjoying the last of the six-pack Sofia had bought her.

The game had ended almost half an hour back and slowly but steady everyone leaves, leaving those two enjoying each other's company in the backyard, feeling the lukewarm air and the amazing view Chris had from his backyard.

“I'm happy that you're happy, should I talk with Ron and tell him that Captain America wants to sponsor them in exchange for a lifetime supply of beer?” She asked, kind of joking kind of not.

Chris looked at her, considering the offer.

“Will he accept?”

“His eleven-year-old is a fan of the Avengers. He's in the loop, so yeah. I would like to think so.”

“Okay then,” He laughed and Sofia took a swig of her Stella artroia. “Can you arrange it?”

“Of course.” She said and make him a face. “I feel like I should thank you.”

“Why?”

“I probably just got a raise, maybe a promotion.” She laughed. “Ron is gonna shit his pants.”

“He didn't know?” He asked. “About us, I mean that we're friends.”

“Nope,” Sofía said looking at the empty bottle. “I'm not that kind of person, I'm not your friend because you make movies. I'm not looking for something—” She said looking at him, feeling a little guilty about the whole sponsor thing. “Chris, you don't have to do anything, seriously. I'll still get you free beer. I wasn't setting you up, you know that, don't you?”

“Hon, it never crossed my mind. I know the kind of girl you are, Sof.” Chris said reaching up and grabbed her hand, he entwined his fingers with hers and kiss her knuckles.

“The phrase ‘kind of girl’ always makes me think about sexual things.” She teased as Chris smiled against her hand, his lips lingering there.

“Mmm… now, do I .” He said and Sofia let out a chuckle. Caressing his soft beard with the tip of his fingers.

“I'm probably that kind of girl.” She laughed. “Now that I think about, I'm the kind of girl that girls say… I'm not that kind of girl.”

“And what exactly that girl is?” Chris asked, brow raised.

“That's down to fuck, do casual sex. All that shit, you know.” She explained letting go of his hand and laid down on the grass and her arms behind her head.

“And?” Chris asked, looking down at her body. How her hoodie and shirt underneath, she laughed. “That's not a problem, Sofia. You're entitled to enjoy your sexuality.” He added taking his eyes off her for a second and smiled looking at the hills for a second.

“Well, thanks, Captain.” She said stretching her arms, with a suggestive smile.

“What's that?” Chris said after a very known deep blue shirt popped underneath her hoodie. Sofia laughed as she lifted the hoodie on. “Oh my, take it off. Take it off!” Chris reached out and started to pull out her hoodie with a smile on his lips when he saw the Patriots logo.

“It supposed to be surprised, I kind of forget about it.” She laughed pulling her hoodie off her and Chris gasped putting a hand over his crotch. Making her laugh even harder.

“How could you forget this surprise,” He said looking for his phone on his pockets. “Hold still, baby girl. I need photographic proof that this is happening.”

She laid back on the grass, putting one arm behind her head and blow a kiss to the camera. It was a silly cute photo, the thing that Chris wouldn't know if that he will come to cry looking at this in just some time.

“Imma put this as my lock screen,” He said lying down next to her and show her the picture. “Look how fucking cute you look with my Patriots shirt.”

The action was interrupted by an incoming call that someone he was avoiding at the moment.

“Isn't that you girl-ex?” Sofi asked peaking at the phone. Chris sighed and nodded, sending the call to voice mail.

“Mmm yes.” He said putting the phone away and stayed quiet, Sofia was staring at him.

“Do I have to ask?” she raised an eyebrow at him.

“I was at an event, she was there… I was feeling lonely and you know.”

“Oh, you regretted now?”

“Yes, I don't—we're not good for each other.” He said and gave her a wide smile. “But I'm used to her,”

“Like an old habit,” Sofía said.

“Yes.”

“You need a new habit.” She shrugged like it was an easily fixable thing. “There's plenty of women, especially for you.”

“It's not easy for me to date anyone, I can't trust someone that easily.” He said, a little upset. “Some of them had ulterior motives.”

“Shit… I couldn't ever sell someone like that, much less someone I care about.” She said with a frown.

“I know,” He nodded. “I know that we are known for almost a year, but I trust you.” He smiled at her and Sofía smiled back and bite her bottom lip.

“That means a lot to me,” Sofía beamed and Chris laughed, she was endearing and Chris's stomach tighten.

Without much thought, in her semi-drunken state, she leans over and presses a firm kiss in Chris's mouth. He was taken back for a moment but he'd grip her waist and pull her close.

~~~

There we go!

Thanks everyone! ❤️❤️❤️

Taglist. Please let me know if you want to be tagged!

@letsdothemonstermash

@lunaticbarnes

@firstangeldragonranch

[shannygoatgruff]

Big Scary Love

(Header made by the talented @flowers-in-your-hayr​)

For @a-mess-of-fandoms​ Kayla’s 1K Writing Challenge: Prompt #20 (prompt in bold in text below)

Characters: Ivar || Ubbe

Genre:  Romance

Warning: None

Rating: PG

Summary: A little brother seeks approval as he’s about to make the biggest decision of his life.

A/N: I was supposed to have written and submitted this one-shot for @a-mess-of-fandoms​​ months ago, but I suck! I have struggled with this thing so much. I have literally rewritten it 19 times. I don’t know why one-shots are so hard for me. The only have to be one scene, but I struggle with did I choose the right scene, how much do I want to say about it, did I find resolution? Needless to say, I was never happy with anything I wrote. It still didn’t turn out exactly as I hoped, but it’s close.

Congrats on your many followers! I’m sorry I’m so late.

Big Scary Love

Lothbrok’s Bar and Grille sat approximately two miles south off of exit 131B  between Kattegat and Hedeby. 

Established in 1990, the bar was built from the ground up by the Sigurdsson brothers, Ragnar and Rollo, as a place where the blue-collar people of both towns could get a good meal and stiff drink. It was also the place where Ragnar’s sons had grown up and naturally where they chose to carry on the childhood tradition of their monthly family game night. 

Dating back to when Bjorn first taught Ubbe and Hvitserk how to play Go Fish, when they were the ages of 6 and 4. respectively, the boys would meet at a table in the back of the restaurant to play games. It helped keep them close, especially since Bjorn lived in Hedeby with Lagertha and the other boys lived in Kattegat with Aslaug. But, the bar was in the middle, on neutral territory. It provided a place where they could all gather and remain close when distance and the common dislike between the adults threatened to tear them apart.  

Almost thirty years later the tradition continues at 7:30 pm on the third Thursday of the month. Bjorn and his wife Gunnhild, Ubbe along with his wife Torvi, Hvitserk and his girlfriend Amma, Sigurd with his boyfriend Kalf, and Ivar who vowed to start bringing his girlfriend, Cami, would gather, at the table in the back left corner, to play the game of choice according to whose name was next on the chalkboard. 

Watching the door, Ivar’s brows raise when he recognizes his older brother cross the threshold. Slowly, he continues to organize the colorful money so that all the faces aligned in the same direction and before placing it back in the bank. A quick nod acknowledges the fact that Ubbe is headed to the bar to get a drink before he takes a seat at the large table in the back corner of the room, already set for the brothers’ monthly game. Tonight’s game is his pick, Monopoly.

Ubbe shivers slightly, trying to knock off the outside chill as he brushes the fresh snow from his black wool pea coat. As he approaches the bar, he removes his gloves and smiles at his younger brother. “Hvitserk,” he sings, clasping the younger Ragnarsson’s hand before drawing him into a manly hug, “How’s it going, brother?”

“Pretty good,” Hvitserk answers patting his brother on the back with a smile, “What are you doing here so early? We’re not supposed to meet for another,” he looks up at the clock built into the ship’s wheel on the far wall, “hour.”

“Ah,” Ubbe puts one his foot on the wooden rungs of the bar stool and balances his weight on his other leg while he plays with the coaster, “Ivar asked me to meet him here early.” He looks over his right shoulder toward the table in the back and holds up a finger to his youngest brother and then points to the bar to ask if he would like a drink. “Do you know what’s up with him?”

“He probably wants you to help him cheat,” Hvitserk explains as he takes the towel from over his shoulder and wipes down the side of the bar to Ubbe’s left. “The usual?” He prepares two drinks, when Ubbe holds up two fingers, for both of his brothers. “Oh, Angrboda just made a huge pot of Helga’s seafood stew.”

Ubbe’s eyes light up as he nods his head, “That sounds great. I’m fucking freezing. Send over a large bowl with bread, yeah?” He knocks on the bar twice, as is customary, before picking up the glasses and makes his way to the table.   

Ubbe sits the drinks on the table and smiles cheerfully, “Hey, baby boy.” He walks around and hugs his brother’s head before leaning down to kiss him on the top of his hair, “How you doing, kid? You good?” Receiving a pat on his forearm, he playfully pushes Ivar away before flopping down on a chair beside him.

“Hey,” Ivar answers watching his brother sit, holding an awkward smile on his lips, “thanks for meeting me early.” He takes a look out the window at the falling snow covering up his uneven footprints on the sidewalk, “It’s getting bad out there?”

“Nah, not really. Should have a good covering come morning, but nothing too bad.” Ubbe picks up his glass and takes a drink, stretching his lips across his teeth as the sour taste of the vodka gimlet settles on his tongue. He takes note of the way his brother is arranging the game pieces and watches for a moment before he speaks, “So…what’s going on? Why did I need to meet you here before the others?”

Ivar takes a sip of the Guinness Stout and picks up the Chance cards to arrange them all in the same direction, “Well, uh, Ubbe. I wanted to talk to you, about…about, Camille.”

“What about her?” Ubbe isn’t sure where this conversation is headed. He’s only met her a handful of times and she seems nice enough, though he’s not sure she’s the one for Ivar. There’s no reason for him to feel that way, it’s just something in his gut that says the relationship will be short-lived. 

“So,” Ivar takes in a deep breath. Having rehearsed his speech for the better part of the day, he struggles to remember to pace himself and breathe, “You know we’ve been together for a little over a year now and things are going in a really good direction with us. She’s moving in with me. We’ve even talked about looking for a small house together.” He looks up from the game box to gauge his brother’s reaction. Unable to read Ubbe’s face he continues, “I want to ask her to marry me.”

Ubbe coughs down the gimlet that gets caught in his throat as he swallows. He sits back in the chair and leans against the backrest folding his arms across his chest. He tries to keep his mouth closed to let his brother finish but the words start to spill out his mouth, “Oh, Ivar,” he chuckles, “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.” 

“Why because she’s Afro-Latina and not Viking? I thought you of all people would understand that our differences don’t matter to me. Hell, I’m different, and it didn’t stop her from wanting to be with me,” Ivar defends.

“Of course not, brother. I’m not a dick,” Ubbe places his hand on his brother’s arm to calm him, “I only meant that she’s your first girlfriend. I get that you’re excited, and everything is still pretty new with you two. But, you don’t have to run out and propose to the first girl that you -” he raises his brows and ducks his head to signal Ivar what he’s talking about. “You will have lots of relationships. You will meet a ton of beautiful women that will blow your mind in bed. Hell, you might even want to marry them all. We all know Bjorn tries to,” both brothers chuckle at that, “but it’s not necessary.”

“You don’t understand, Ubbe.” Ivar interrupts, “it’s not like that.”

“You don’t understand, kid. Bjorn will never release your shares from this place before you’re 30. Especially not if he knew you would be just turning it over to some girl and knowing you it would be without a prenup. Without the interest on that trust, what will you do for money, huh? Work for Hvitserk?” He raises his brow at Ivar while ignoring the flash of anger in the younger man’s eye. “Rollo and Father put every dime and ounce of sweat they had into this restaurant to give us a legacy. You are too young to remember, but there were nights when Father would not come home because he was here laying the foundation, brick by brick. There were also many times when Mother had nothing but soup to feed us all because there was no money to buy meat; father spent it all to see his dream come true. His dream was for us to have a better life and we did. When he died, we all got a piece of this place and the money from it is for our future.”

Ubbe blinks his blue eyes thoughtfully at the younger man beside him, “Besides, baby boy, you are so impulsive – as soon as you get an idea, you jump on it. You don’t always think things through. Have you really thought about this?”

“When Bjorn decided to join the Army and go to war, we didn’t tell him he couldn’t go. We let him go live out his dreams of being one of the Avengers. And was Hvitserk being impulsive when he decided that he wanted to take this place over after Helga died? He did not know the restaurant business. Liking to eat and running a restaurant are two different things, but none of us tried to talk him out of it?” Ivar rolled his eyes and slammed the game cards onto the board, “We all rallied around him and pooled our money together to help him remodel this place how he wanted. We promised that even if he fucked up we would pitch in and help keep this place afloat. My money is here, too. I should be able to have it if I want it.”

“But, Ivar…”

“I’m not finished, Ubbe,” Ivar runs his fingers through his long, loose hair and pulls it over to one shoulder, “When you decided to marry Torvi, a woman that had three children that weren’t yours, did any of us say anything? No. We could see that you loved her and that she made you happy and that was enough. And Sigurd? He was scared as hell to tell us about Kalf, but in the end, it was fine, because he’s our brother and we support each other. But why not me?”

Ubbe takes another drink and sets his cup down silently. He regards his little brother and smiles at him softly, “Because you, my little Ivar, are my baby brother and I don’t want you to get hurt.” He squeezes Ivar’s shoulder lovingly, “I have always looked out for you. I have been your legs since you were a child. You are a part of me, brother, and I must protect you.”

“You can’t protect me from love, Ubbe. She’s my big scary love,” Ivar’s eyes drop bashfully as the blush stains his cheeks.

 “Your what?”

“That’s what we call it – big scary love. You know that love you feel all the time, but sometimes you wake up in the morning and you just say to yourself, ‘I love the fuck out of this woman?’ It’s that love that after a year I still feel fluttering in my chest when I hear her ringtone and why my world spirals out of control when I see tears in her eyes. And she loves me that way, too, Ubbe. I mean, look at me,” he opens his hands in surrender, “In my opinion, the best thing you can do is find someone who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you. Well, she does. She loves me like that and so much more. My legs, crawling around, breaking bones, the pain, my temper...hell, she loves me despite those things. To her, they are just additional sides of me to love.”

Ubbe listens to his brother, trying to keep the tears that threaten to spring to his eyes at bay. He can hear it in Ivar’s voice that he is truly happy. Now, he regrets not getting to know Cami better, but he admits to himself that he did not think that their relationship would last. “I am happy that you found love, Ivar.”

 “She’s pregnant.”

Ubbe unintentionally holds his breath as he tries to think of something else to say, but no words will come out. Why can’t Ivar see what he’s doing? This is all the more reason for him not to make this mistake.

“That’s not the reason why I want to marry her, though.” Ivar smile doubles in size as he thinks about the prospect of becoming a father, “I’ll admit the idea of having a baby is like…fuck! But, I want to marry her because I want to make her my family. I want it all, Ubbe; a family of my own, with her. She’s it for me.”

 “So, what do you want from me?”

With a shrug, Ivar relaxes, “Your permission? Your blessing? Congratulations? I don’t know. You’ve always been my favorite brother – I guess I just want to know that I’ll still have you in my corner. I don’t give a fuck about the money from the restaurant. If Bjorn wants to be an ass and tie it up for years, so be it. I’ll get a real job and stop living off of the family name. The only thing I want is Mother’s ring. I want to propose the right way…and maybe you in my corner.”

Ubbe cups one hand around Ivar’s cheek and gives him a few hits, “My baby brother has finally grown up!” Leaning in, he places his other hand on Ivar’s other cheek before pulling his face toward him to kiss him on both cheeks, “You’re going to be a father and husband! I’m so proud and happy for you! Of course, I will stand up for you, brother. All I have ever wanted was for you to find your own happiness.” Ubbe can’t stop the laughter coming from him as he notices Hvitserk coming over to the table. “And it would be my honor to give you Mother’s ring.”

“Sorry, it took so long. Porunn was late for her shift again. Know any good people needing a job? I could use some help around here.” Hvitserk says, sitting the bowl of soup on the table. He looks at his brothers and smiles at them laughing like loons, “What are you idiots up to?”

Ubbe gives Ivar a knowing smile as he hugs him around the shoulders. “Nothing. Just our brother here has some wonderful news to share tonight when the others arrive.”

Nodding, Hvitserk punches Ivar’s arm and picks up Ubbe’s glass to toast, “Well, to whatever your news is, Ivar,” he clicks glasses with his youngest brother and finishes off Ubbe’s drink. “I’ll get you another, Ubbe.” As he turns to walk toward the bar, he yells over his shoulder, “And you’re not banker during Monopoly tonight, Ivar. You always cheat!”

 Tags:  @youbloodymadgenius​​​ @idea-garden @kol--mikaelson​​​ @mooniemouse​​​ @didiintheblog​​​ @waiting4inspiration​​​ @tempt-ress​ @where-beauty-goes-to-die @crazyaboutmotleycrue​​​ @oddsnendsfanfics​​​ @geekandbooknerd​​​ @ivarthebloodyking​​​ @honestsycrets​​​   @xbellaxcarolinax​​​  @zuxiezendler​​​ @inforapound​​​​  @a-mess-of-fandoms​

[siriuslyblack12]

high school paracosm

this might be the start of a mini-series where i share little bits and pieces from my paracosms/paras out of all of my current paracosms, this has the least world-building yet the most character development. it’s my second-oldest and definitely has a special place in my heart (i would literally die for any one of these characters lmaooo). it’s essentially about a group of british high school students dealing with all kinds of angst, drama and a fair amount of happiness.  i’m very scared to post this so we’ll see how it goes.

vanessa pierre

cis woman

bisexual disaster

dating cass johnson 

scouse

bottom set

she’s a natural ginger but dyes it black. blue eyes. white.

funniest person you’ll ever meet

shitty home life (to be specific, her dad left and she hasn’t seen him in years and her mum is addicted to alcohol and drugs. she tries to help her mum, but a lot of the time she has to sleep at cass or ruby’s house, or in the worst circumstances on the street.)

because of this, she always gives spare change or food to homeless people even if she didn’t have much to begin with.

her home did get better after her mum’s new boyfriend daniel checked her into rehab and group therapy to get help. everyone’s trying their best to make it work.

dyes her own hair. it’s part of her aesthetic.

friendship wise, she is closest to ruby. although she loves cass more than she loves herself.

cass johnson

non-binary 

attracted to women but doesn’t really label it.

dating vanessa pierre

top set

light brown hair with an undercut. brown eyes. mixed race.

the literal kindest, most caring and least judgemental

has a good relationship with their parents and 12 year old sister violet who are all very supportive of anything they do. definitely the type of family to  buy out the front row of every concert cass is in.

their biggest passion is musical theatre. a very talented actor and singer, their most notable role being ‘belle’ in the school production of ‘beauty and the beast’ that they also directed.

animals are also another big interest. when they get out of school they want to become a vet to help and care for all kinds of animals, and throughout high school donates any spare change to animal charities.

they’re pretty close with everyone, but particularly ezra and jonah

quite insecure about their body, but masks it with positivity and kindness. 

makes everyone around them happy.

ruby diaz

cis woman

straight and a very big ally

dated jonah blue for a year or so, but currently single

top set, very much what people would label a ‘tryhard’, ‘sweat’ or a ‘nerd’

dark curly hair. freckles. latina.

twin sister of asher diaz

she’s a very empathetic person, more often than not putting everyone else’s needs above her own. this could be to her detriment, but she’s making an effort to balance her own mental health

divorced parents, but she stays positive. goes to her dad’s house on weekends.

she likes to think she doesn’t care, but at heart she’s a hopeless romantic. the biggest shipper of every couple in the school, but particularly her brother asher and cole.

speaking of her brother, it’s one of those dynamics where they play fight constantly but would certainly die for the other

the cutest pet dog lmao

she’s a very outspoken activist, often lecturing her mum and older family members about their implicit biases

closest to vanessa and asher

asher diaz

cis man

gay

dating cole harrison-singh

middle set

dark hair. blue or brown eyes. latino.

twin brother of ruby diaz

coming out was really hard for him, as it is for a lot of queer people. he hated the fact that everyone made it such a big deal, and that they treated it as this big thing even though he’d been feeling this way for as long as he can remember

plays guitar and sings quite well, in the school band

his relationship with cole is tentative, but once they figure out their dynamic they’re extremely cute. we love to see it.

he was more affected by the divorce than his sister, and now feels quite protective over her as a sort of father figure that they no longer really have. definitely some issues he needs to work on.

very athletic

him and ezra are best friend goals, and he’s also obviously close to ruby

jonah blue

cis man

pansexual

dated ruby diaz, but currently dating erin saeli

top set, but one of those people really talented people that can get good grades without breaking a sweat

shaved head. brown eyes. darkskin black man.

his main hobby is swimming and he’s on an elite team that probably trains 6 or 7 times a week. sometimes he finds it hard to juggle that and school and a social life but he could never give it up

art is his hidden talent. mainly because he keeps it personal, but also because no one really expected someone as confident and outgoing as him to enjoy drawing and painting.

he and ruby stayed really good friends even after their breakup

if anything it made them closer 

closest to cass

ezra cheung

trans man

aro/ace

single

bottom set

dark hair. blue eyes. chinese.

he first figured out he was aro/ace when he was about 14/15 and everyone around him started to feel more comfortable in their own sexualities. his friends would talk to him about crushes and he’d just smile and nod.

mental health is something he really struggles with. fitting his life around bad days and episodes is a chore in and of it’s own. 

but he’s trying his best to get the help he needs and reach out to his friends whenever he needs someone to talk to.

would punch transphobes except he’s too nice

closest to asher and cass. him and cass bond over gender and cute kittens.

minor paras:

cole harrison-singh

cis man

gay

dating asher diaz

top set

brown hair. blue eyes. white.

adopted by lesbian mums, lily harrison and naveena singh. these two are an absolute power couple

he and asher met through the school band and he’s a very skilled piano player. despite this, he gets very shy when it comes to performing in front of other people so doesn’t do it often.

experiments with genderless clothing and makeup

just an all around good person

martha quinn

cis woman

straight

single

top set

ginger!! blue eyes and lots of freckles. white.

a teahcer’s pet to her core, would sell anyone out for validation (honestly me too)

doesn’t get along well with any of the other paras, but does warm up to them and make an effort to be a better person eventually. character development

crushed on jonah when he first moved to the school but got over it quite quickly

erin polka

cis woman

bisexual

dating jonah blue

middle set

long dark hair. thai.

works at mcdonalds part time

a girly-girl who is no less amazing and strong than the other women (i will have no internalised misogyny anywhere near me thank you very much)

big introvert. when she does speak or show passion in something you know it’s well thought out and communicated.

very very pretty. if she was real i would date her.

[goodesgoodies]

Home Away From Home-Chapter 1 (Gigi x Crystal)

Hey guys, this is my first fanfic hope you enjoy! It’s about Gigi who had just moved from L.A to small town Missouri turns out she has a little crush on the girl across the street. But the girls heart might belong elsewhere. Might do a chapter two!

CRYSTAL

"Crystal! Come here please!" Mrs. Methyd called from the kitchen. Crystal sat up and got out of bed with a groan, and skipped her way down the stairs entering the kitchen.

"Yes mom?" Crystal said politely despite being slightly annoyed after being disrupted "We have some new neighbors that just moved in across the street! I heard they have a daughter just a year younger than you. Why don’t you go welcome her and find out if she’s going MSS (Massori Secondary-School)" "Uhm, okay" But before doing so Crystal went up the stairs looking to get changed out of her pajamas but still not really caring much about what she looked like while throwing on some sweats and a t-shirt.

Crystal slowly made her way across the road taking her time, and then making her way up the driveway passing two cars one was a fancy sports car she would’ve never been able to guess and the other was a BMW and then rang the doorbell. As she waited at the door she got a text from her friend Heidi and decided to wait to respond she then heard footsteps approach the door but she wasn’t expecting that when the door opened it would reveal a beautiful girl she began to examine the girl and caught sight of her she was tall with defined cheek bones, ice blue eyes, and golden blonde hair. Crystal was star struck and felt as though she should’ve prepared herself better instead of her grey sweats when she realized the girl’s beautiful sundress. "Uh.. my names Gigi, I just moved here" the girl stated. Then Crystal snapped back into reality "Oh, I’m Crystal! I uh live across the street" she said extending her arm out to shake the beautiful girls hand, and Gigi did the same. "I wanted to come and welcome you to the neighborhood, so welcome!" "Thank you very much" Gigi then said "Uhm.. would you like to come in?" She continued "I’d love to!" Crystal says a little too eagerly being thrilled due to how gorgeous Gigi is.

After briefly exploring Gigi’s house they run into her dad "...Hi dad" Gigi says "Hm? Oh hello Genevieve" he said politely but it felt strangely cold "Hello! I’m Crystal" Crystal began to introduce herself "Hello, I’m Mr. Goode" Crystal took a mental note of that 'Gigi Goode' they then made their was up to Gigi’s room where there are still a few boxes scattered around the room. It was a light purple that was decorated my posters and in the center a white bed complimented with black and grey bedding "Your room is very cute!" Crystal says while still scanning the room still and noticing a pride flag hanging out of a still packed box. Crystal was surprised at the sight because she pictured Gigi being a jock dating cheerleader time by her house and the way she dressed but she wasn’t complaining the only other two lesbians she know are Jackie and Jan and she’s pretty sure they’re into each other "Thank you!" Gigi said grinning. Crystal went to the box and picked up the flag as Gigi beganto look stressed "Oh sorry I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, shouldn’t have touched your stuff" she chucked nervously "No, don’t worry" Gigi giggled "So are you going to 'MSS'?" Crystal asked "Yes, is that where you go?" "Yeah!" Crystal spoke thrilled. *bing* a noise came from Crystals back pocket, then reached to her phone.

Mom

Hey! Dinners ready!

Crystal

Okay! On my way Mom

"Hey, I gotta go. Will you be at school tomorrow?" Crystal asked the girl she found herself lusting after "Yep!" She replied "Well.. I could drive you to school if you want?" Crystal sheepishly asked "That would be great! I’ll see you tomorrow!" But before Crystal could leave Gigi grabbed her arm and a pen and wrote down her number Crystal said nothing but indicating she’d text her with a small wink.

She then went home and greet her mother and father then sat down to eat dinner with them "So was the girl nice?" Her mother asked while continuing to eat her enchiladas "Yeah she’s really nice!" Crystal then spaced out at the thought of Gigi, her mother picked up on it "Is she cute?" Her mom asked causing Crystal to blush. Crystals parents were very supportive of her being gay but they didn’t talk about it much "Uh.. I-I dont know" her mom laughed at her and then after diner Crystal went back up to her room and called Heidi "Hey! Sorry I didn’t answer your text my mom wanted me to welcome my new neighbour to Missouri" Crystal said after Heidi picked up the phone "Don’t worry about it boo" she replied "are they going to MSS?" "Yeah!" Crystal replied once again too eagerly "Ouu, is she cute?" Heidi said giggling "How’d you know they were a girl?" "You’re too excited for it to be a guy" Heidi teased "Oh shut up" Craystal said giggling then continued "She gave me her number.. should I text her?" "Obviously you idiot, but don’t forget about your flirt feud with Jaida. I think she might be into you" Heidi said quickly "Jaidas not even gay!" She said defensively "Not so sure about that girl, but seriously text this women" Heidi returned with "Okay! See you tomorrow love ya" then Crystal hung up the phone

Crystal

Hey! It’s me Crystal

Gigi

Hey Crystal! Excited for school tomorrow, it was great meeting you

Crystal

Great meeting you too! Maybe we can hangout sometime?

Gigi

I’d love to. See you tomorrow! Goodnight 💗

Crystal

Goodnight 😊❤️

Crystal was very excited to see Gigi but she also couldn’t stop thinking about what Heidi said about Jaida.

* * * * * * *

GIGI

After a long night of thinking about the girl next door she woke up excited to go to school with her new friend. She got out of bed and got changed into a little black top, leather pants and some gold hoops. She posed in the mirror to see her perfect figure staring back at her she truly was perfect even if she didn’t know so herself, she then continued on with her daily routine and after siting on her couch waiting for Crystal to be ready. *ring* Gigi jumped up off her couch at the sound of the doorbell knowing it was the girl she met the prior night and rushing to the door. Then taking a breath and keeping herself composed to open the door and see the girl "Hey Crystal!" She said excitedly more so then she wanted to come off while noticing how beautiful Crystal looked today and how her red curly hair reflected the sun off it "Hey, you ready to go?" Crystal saying much more relaxed then Gigi had seconds before "Yup, and thank you again. I was slightly nervous about going into this knowing nobody.." Gigi confessed shyly "No worry’s!" Crystal said with a smile on her face that was worth framing a photo of. They walked up to Crystals car it was older and kinda dirty not what Gigi was used to but she figured it does the job of getting Crystal from A to B so it didn’t exactly matter.

They arrived and prepared to part ways for the day "Hey, you wanna eat lunch with my friends and I?" Asked Crystal "Really? Of course" she said as she grinned "See you later!"

* * * * * * *

The day flew by Gigi had done similar things at her old school in L.A so she wasn’t very far behind the rest of the students in her classes. She ended up having Crystal in her spanish and she then picked up on her being Latina by her tan skin and her perfect accent when forming the words and answering the questions of the teacher. Once lunch came around she asked one of her teachers the way to the lunch room and they directed her to where it was m. She felt weird going to the lunch which confused her since she’s usually very confident, but she ignored it.

"Hey Crystal!" She said walking up to her new friend at a table with one other person "Hey! This is my friend Heidi" "Hey, Heidi!" she said regaining her usuall outgoing personality "Hey Gigi, I heard a lot about you" as Jackie snickered which made Crystal blush and Gigi’s heart flutter. Then two other girls approached the table "Hey I’m Jaida! Gigi right?" One of the new girls said the sitting down next to Crystal "Hey, Baby" the Jaida girl then said to Gigi’s new neighborhood and the words made Gigi’s heart sink, but before she could here what else Jaida had to say to Crystal another girl approached Gigi "Hey, I’m Jackie! Nice to meet you" "Uh.. yeah good to meet you too, I’m Gigi" she said sweating a little after feeling so stupid about thinking Crystals wink the night prior was a signal so she kept her mouth shout throughout lunch.

The rest of they day passed by and Gigi decided to ignore Jaida calling Crystal baby, they just met anyway it’s no big deal. But she was a little let down because Crystal reminded her of her friends back home she was so endearing she just wanted to be around her all the time for some reason which wouldn’t be difficult living across the street from each other. As Gigi was about to walk home hoping to avoid Crystal because she was still a little let down but she then heard foot steps racing up behind her turning around to see Crystal "Hey! No need to walk I’ll take you home, we live across from each other anyway" Crystal hoping Gigi would wanna come with her "Oh yeah.. sure I guess" Gigi tried to sound normal

They walked to the parking lot side by side approaching Crystals car "So... do you not drive?" Crystal asked trying to prompt a conversation "Well I’m only 15, so no" she replied awkwardly "Oh yeah! I forgot you look older to be honest" Crystal replied "You’re 16 right?" Gigi forcing herself to engage in the conversation so Crystal wouldn’t think she didn’t wanna be friends "Yeah!" She said opening the car door for Gigi then going over to her own side. "Hey.. I know we don’t know each other well but you seem off are you okay?" Crystal asked puzzled due to Gigi’s quietness since lunch period "Yeah.. I’m okay"

They pulled up to Crystals house "Thanks Crystal" Gigi said as she exited her car "Anytime sweetheart!" The pet new took Gigi by shock but she ignored it and went over to her house and walked through the door confused about the way Crystal acted around her despite the girl Gigi had met that addressed Crystal as baby. Her dad wasn’t there to greet her when she arrived home as usual. She missed her mom they got along much better but when she passed they moved back to her dads hometown. Gigi’s dad had the money to live in L.A still, he was very welthy but he decided against it despite Gigi’s begging to stay. Gigi made her way up the stairs to her bedroom and pulled out her phone and called her friend Caleb "Hey Geege, how Missouri?" He said after picking up the phone "I don’t know.. but I sure miss home" "Oh no what happened?" Caleb picked up right away "It’s no big deal honestly.. just this girl that lives across the street" "Wow she must be something if she can shake Gigi Goode" he joked they went on to talk about Crystal and Gigi explained to Caleb what happened "Geege it sounds like she’s interested, which is weird since you said she has a girlfriend.. are you sure they’re dating and not just being friendly?" He questioned "Well not exactly but they seem very close and touchy so it’s pretty obvious" *ding* "Oh! Gotta go Caleb someone’s at the door call you later" Gigi then hopped down the stairs to see who it was then opening the door to be greeted by Crystal.

[twinklecheeks]

Friends With Benefits (Jeff Wittek Imagine) Part 5

Summary: Jeff and Y/N have been hooking up for a while. The whole vlog squad assumes they’re dating and Y/N does too but Jeff doesn’t like labels. He eventually starts to express interest in Natalie.

Note: Planning on making this a multiple part series, depending on how good it does.  You’re 21 & Latina in this (maybe) series. Also, I’d like to apologize for the typos, if there is any. I’m just illiterate lmao.  

Warnings! pregnancy.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4

Word Count: 1.7k

David’s house:

You walk into the house and everyone is already making bets on what are the genders. Zane,  Heath and Todd bet both boys, Matt & Corinna bet a boy and a girl, Mariah/Carly/Erin bet both girls. Y/n: “Hey Natalie, can I talk to you in the car outside?” Natalie: “Sure. How are you feeling? I feel like we haven’t talked in months.” Y/n: “I’m doing great but I have to talk to you about something important.” Natalie: “Like what?” Y/n: “All the girls know who the father of my twins are and I don’t want you to freak out…” Natalie: “Why would I freak out?” Y/n: “Because Jeff is the father...” Natalie: “Wait, Jeff cheated on me?” Y/n: “NO NO NO. We kind of had this friends with benefits for months before you dated. He ended it with me before he asked you out. He was the only person I’ve been with during those months so I know it’s his.” Natalie: “Does he know?” Y/n: “No…” Natalie: “Why doesn’t he know?” Y/n: “Because he didn’t treat right. He was a player and I was under his charm. I was basically wrapped around his finger until I had enough.” Natalie: “I mean… I’m not surprised… Jeff looks like a player.” Y/n: “I just hope I don’t ruin your relationship. I told him during our last fight that I hope he treats you better than he treated me. If he wants to be in their life, that’s fine but if he doesn’t, I’ll ask him to sign his rights away once they’re born.” Natalie: “Thanks for telling me… Are you going to tell him?” Y/n: “Yeah but I wanted to tell you first incase he blows things out of proportion.” Natalie: “Understandable. I’ll go get Jeff.” She gets out of the car and goes into the house to tell him to go talk to you in the car. You see him walk out and you panic a bit. 

Jeff: “ummmm hey?” Y/n: “Hi.” Jeff: “Nat said you needed to tell me something.” Y/n: “Okay but you can’t blame me for not telling you sooner. You have been such an asshole to me.” Jeff: “Telling me what sooner?” Y/n: “These babies are yours…” Jeff looked like he saw a ghost. He went pale like he was gonna pass out. Jeff: “Excuse me??!? How the fuck you know those babies are mine?” Y/n: “Pretty simple. You were the only guy I slept with since New Years until you dumped me for Natalie.” Jeff: “I don’t believe you. I want a paternity test once they’re born. Until then, I don’t want anything to do with you.” Y/n: “what the fuck do you honestly believe I just slept around? Wanna know something dick head?? You were the only person I wanted to sleep with because I was fucking in love with you but you treated me like shit and I let you do it for too fucking long. I was blind with something that was never going to happen. But I finally realized what I deserved.” Jeff: “Oh boo hoo I don’t want to hear you sob story and you better keep your fucking mouth shut about this.” Y/n: “Oh honey, you are way too late for that. The girls and David know and I just can’t wait to tell the rest of the guys.” Y/n runs out of the car so fast and locks Jeff in her car. Jeff: “WHAT THE FUCK YOU CRAZY BITCH.” You quickly run inside and lock David’s front door but Jeff get’s in through the back door. Y/n: “hey to the guys who don’t know who my deadbeat baby daddy is, it’s Jeff. Jeff runs in right as you finished that sentence. He basically doesn’t want anything to do with me or the kids he helped conceive until he knows for sure.” Jeff: “YOU SHIT THIS IS WHY I DIDNT WANT TO FUCKING BE WITH YOU. YOU ALWAYS FUCKING THINK YOU’RE THE RIGHT. YOU DON’T EBER FUCKING LISTEN WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU SHIT. YOU ARE EXACTLY LIKE CIERRA TRYING TO ACT LIKE YOU’RE BETTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE. WELL GUESS WHAT SWEETHEART, YOU’RE A NOBODY.. Y/n: “honey the difference between me and Cierra is that she cheated on you and dumped your ass cause she realized how much of a low life you are. You are such a piece of shit. I wish these babies weren’t yours cause I hope they don’t fucking turn out like drug dealers and go to prison. I don’t need you. Sign your rights away once they’re born because I’m fucking done with you saying lies about me.” Y/n turns around to Natalie. Y/n: “Natalie. Good fucking luck.” Jeff was livid. He hated when someone brought up his past mistakes so when you mentioned that you hope the twins don’t turn out like him, it stung. Jeff: “I’ll gladly sign my rights away cause It’d be hell dealing with you and those things for the next 18 years.” Y/n: “don’t fucking call my children that.”

The whole vlog squad were stunned with how Jeff was treating you. Natalie: “Jeff…. WE’RE DONE.” Jeff: “babe plea-“ Natalie: “Save the apologies. It’s too late. You think I’d pick you over her. Girl code bitch.” Todd: “dude, just leave.” Everybody is just so disappointed in Jeff. They thought he was a nice guy but he never showed that side of him. Natalie: “y/n I’m so sorry. If I knew I would’ve never gone out with him.” Y/n: “it’s fine. He seems like Prince Charming at first and then becomes a snake.” Heath: “baby, just know all of us are here for you. It takes a village to raise a baby.” Zane: “she’s gonna need 2 villages.”

1 day later (the night before the gender reveal)

(Y/n is spending the night at Kylie’s house since the reveal party is gonna be at her place)

Y/n: “I told Jeff he’s the father.” Stass: “NO FUCKING WAY.” Kylie: “HOW DID HE REACT.” Y/n: “It was bad… I explained everything and he completely flipped out. So I said if he doesn’t want anythng to do with me or these babies, sign his rights away so I can have full custody.” Stass: “Did you tell Natalie?” Y/n: “Actually, I did. Natalie and I have known each other for longer than we’ve both known Jeff. I knew she wouldn’t get mad at me. And I made sure to tell her that I wasn’t trying to get in between her and Jeff. That ship sailed months ago but she saw all the horrible stuff he was saying and dumped him.” Kylie: “Damn I would’ve loved to be there for that. I Would’ve ripped him a new one.” Stass: “We should get to bed. We have a big day tomorrow! What do you think it’s gonna be? I hear there’s a bet going around.” Y/n: “It’s a tie between twin boys vs twin girls.” Kylie: “Let’s just wait and see what the colors are tomorrow.”

Gender reveal party

Y/n is officially 4 months pregnant and it’s reveal day!

Kylie: “Wake up sleepy head. I know you’re tired with carrying 2 babies but we gotta get you glammed up. Y/n: “Ughhhhh why can’t I just be lazy and stay in bed.” Stass: “Cause you’re finding out what you’re having.” Y/n: “You can just tell me right now :)” Kylie: “ABSOLUTELY not. Kylie’s team then comes in and spends 2 hours doing your hair, make-up and picking out your outfit. You had to choose between a pink and blue maternity dress. You picked the pink dress and have your nails painted matte baby blue (Pictured below how you look)

Once you’re ready, you head downstairs and a bunch of your friends are there. You were glad to see your family, including your dad. He still wasn’t talking to you but he was there. Everybody was having a good time eating, playing the classic shower games like guessing what chocolate is in the “poopy” diaper and other stuff like that. Kylie: “Okay guys! Gather around so we can find out the genders of the twins. Final voting. How many people think they’re boys?” About half think boys, and the other half is equal between boy & girl twin and just girl twins. Kylie: “So y/n is going to be revealing baby A and you guys are going to be revealing baby B.” Kylie gives you the powder cannon. Kylie: “Are you ready?” Y/n: “AHHHH I NO IM NOT BUT I AM.” Everybody: “3! 2! 1!”

Y/n: “IT’S A GIRL!!!! AHHHHH.” Everybody is screaming. Stass: “To the people who bet, y’all better be praying that you’re right.” Kylie and Stass hand powder cannon to everybody at the party and the countdown begins again. 3.. 2… 1!!!

IT’S ANOTHER GIRL!!!!!! At this point, you’re just sobbing. You’re having 2 girls. The only thing you care about in the moment are your baby girls. Zane: “Man we lost the bet. I thought it was gonna be boys.” Mariah, Carly & Erin: “Ayyyye we won!!! Now give us our money.”

A couple of hours later

David: “So I guess you’re not naming one David Jr.” Y/n: “You thought I would?” David: “HEY! You promised for 250k...” Y/n: “I was never going to accept that. A joke is a joke.” David: “How you feeling knowing you’re having 2 girls?” Y/n: “I think it’s pretty ironic. Jeff treats women like shit and look what happened. I’m having girls. But I don’t mind. Baby girl clothes are way cuter than boy clothes.” David: “I just wanted to let you know that I’m in it for the long run.” Y/n: “Huh?” David: “Y/n, I have had a crush on you since before I met Liza. I was crushed when she dumped me and you were always there. You were the only one who was always there for me through thick and thin. I know this is bad timing telling you this but it’s because I was too much of a scared little bitch to tell you. I will be there every single step of the way. I’ll go to your appointments with you if you want me to and be there helping you through labor if you want me to.” Y/n: “I’d love it if you were there for me all the way.”

--------------------------

Yoooo I AM SO SORRY I SAID I WAS GONNA POST EARLY. I had the chapter mostly done but it felt very boring so I basically rewrote most of the chapter. I might take longer than usual for the next chapter cause I have no Idea what to write next... Also, sorry if this chapter sucked.

Comment if you want to be on the taglist!

Taglist: @elvlogsquad @siemprestan @zavidzobrik @galxydefender @iminlovewithenchilidadas @ilsolee

[ironwoman18]

Garvez Moments part 5

Chapter 5: Feliz Navidad

Penelope discovered that her boyfriend does not have any social media account. And if you think about it you would understand why.

Especially after Phill's situation. It still hunted her everytime she saw Lou running around with Roxie.

So she could not find photos of his family and she does not have the FBI data to know about them so he had to ask the old way.

She decided to ask him about them. He told her his mom was an USA citizen and his father was from Mexico but fell for her and brought her in the country and got married.

He had two sisters and a brother. His father died when he was in the army so he could not be there for his mom.

He hated that but could not do anything about it. He never talked about her or another member of his family as he was scared men like the one who killed Phill went after them. Something he learned with his last team.

She told him she wanted to go to meet them at Christmas, Luke was reluctant to do it but knew that his girlfriend did not accept a no for an answer so he gave up and accept it.

She planned the trip to stay even for New Year. She booked the flight some days before Christmas Eve and some days after the New Year Day.

That way she will able to enjoy Miami City with him.

"Did you booked a hotel?" He asked as he got their clothes in the suitcase.

"Yes. I'm agree with you it's least awkward for everybody to have their own space. Beside we will stay for more than a week and I'm sure those are enough days to cause troubles" he laughed "Newbie" she called him now and then as their own joke "I will take Sergio and Roxie to their babysitter"

"Sure chica" she kissed him gently and left with their pets. She was so happy to have a boyfriend as animal lover as her.

When she returned home everything was ready, Luke was waiting for her to leave.

"Hey chica I talked to my mom and she said she'll cook a Mexican dish for us my abuela taught her some dishes and she cooked them as if she was from there" he laughed.

"Now I'm excited" she laughed too and the couple left to the airport. They check-in their luggage and walked to the gate to wait. While they waited, Penelope walked around to buy presents.

She bought some Washington souvenirs for his family and he mentioned one of his sisters has kids so she bought somethings for them.

By the time their flight arrived she returned with four bags full of presents.

"Why am I not surprised?" He said helping her with the bags.

"You know me. I love buying things" she laughed as they walked through the door to get in the plane "I got something for you too and of course for our furry kids" he laughs more and kissed her forehead.

"I love you" he said wrapping an arm around her.

They sat down in their seats and after the usual safety instructions they took off.

The flight was nice and smooth, and after a few hours they arrived to Miami airport. They landed and after waiting some minutes they walked out and headed to get their luggage.

After that they headed to their hotel which was a small hotel close to Palm Beach. One of his sisters arrived to the hotel to picked them up.

"Lucia!" He said hugging her tight "I missed you" he said with a smile "this is Penelope, my girlfriend" he introduced her "and Penelope this is my sister Lucia"

"It's a pleasure to meet you" the blonde smiled and hugged her.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet a Luke's girlfriend" she laughed "let's go mama is cooking something delicious" she said leading the way to her car.

They talked happily about who they met and how they ended up together.

"So you met at the FBI, she hated you then became kind of friends and ended up dating"

"Yeah that's pretty much the story of our life together" the woman laughed "did you grow up here right?"

"Yeah. We were born and raised here in Miami. Our dad own a bar in the beach and mom was a waiter" said Lucia "I'm the older one and Luke the younger"

"Aww the little boy" she said pinching his cheeks.

"I'm amazed he let you do that, he was always so serious. He doesn't have the latino happy and open character"

"He still doesn't let me do things like this in public but he stop saying no when he understood my stubborn attitude" she smiled at him.

"Yeah but I think he really loves you" she smirked at her brother.

"I'm still here" the two women looked at him "just so you know I'm hearing you" they laughed but continued to talk.

He bit his lip to hold a smirk. Those women were evil.

When they arrived his mother hugged them tightly and kisses her son and Penelope.

"She's really sweet"

"Yeah she may be from here but I think she's more Latina than my dad" he hugged her and kissed her head.

Then they talked until more family members arrived and everyone got along with Penelope instantly.

Telling her embarrassed stories about Luke which made her also tell them about how they met.

Everything was laugh and good mood. They ate some Mexican food his mother made for them.

"Oh my God, I loved this food. It's been a long time since I hate real Mexican food" she smiled "I just ate the tex-mex things and they aren't the same"

"I'm agree with you" said Luke looking at her "I ate some Mexican food when I was on a mission a few years ago but this is like home for me" he smiled at his mom "te amo mama" he kissed her forehead.

"I love you too my son" she smiled with tears. Then they spent the day playing board games and chatting.

The next few days were busy, they bought the ingredients for their family meal. They helped cooking the day before and the Christmas Eve day.

That day Penelope gave him the present she bought him.

"It's a tie. But it has some of your favorite places in Washington and I wanted you to remember them here in Miami. I hope you liked it" he smiled and kissed her.

"I love it and I have a present for you to but this will be for the after party" he winked at her and she blushed deeply.

And for the... Third time? Penelope Garcia was speechless. He smirked because it had became his specialty.

After that they went to his mother's house and spent some of their best time together. Drinks, food, dance and at midnight presents.

They left some hours passed midnight and went to the hotel.

"Your family is amazing" she said hugging him "and they are so funny and Francisco, your brother, dance salsa like a pro"

"He studied arts so he is a pro" he laughed "but yeah he learned from a young age" she nodded and hugged him "I'm glad you had fun chica and that you got along so well with them"

The rest of the week was amazing as well and they even spent time at the beach. Those were the best vacations they had so far as a couple.

New Year's Eve was at the beach with fireworks and midnight kisses between them. A perfect ending for a magic week of holidays.

OOooOOooOO

This one was a little hard to pull off but I hope you enjoyed it. I wanted to show a different dinamic with his family.

I liked it and I had fun writing this. Tell me in the comments what would you like to see first. I know I said this was not a long fic but a bunch of moments between them so you can pick moments from the future. Maybe their engagement or their wedding, you tell me.

[petitetiddiez]

Favourite of your own characters.

Oh that’s really hard! It changes a lot, but as of right now I think it’s this:

1. Preeti - She’s honestly like the world’s hottest lesbian to me??? This gorgeous, outdoorsy musician who’s just a little big egotistical, but has a soft side. Kind of stereotypical, but I just love it. I’m a sucker for that kind of oc. Plus, she’s really cute with her girlfriend (who was almost on the list but JUST BARELY missed it)

2. Helen (who is now latina/indian like she DESERVES) - A huge brat that I’ve owned for many many years and who has been through MANY different fandoms (including some original work set in medieval times). She’s my baby--she’s complicated and deep and has one of the most in-depth backstories of any oc. She’s fun to ship and I can always think of good interactions for her. I just. Would die for her.

3. Tiffany - She’s new, but she’s another stereotype I really like: bimbos who are smart, but just unconventionally so. She’s obviously based really heavily on Elle Woods from Legally Blonde but also has developed her own kind of thing. She’s girly, but knows how to speak her mind; she’s privileged, but tries to be aware of it and put other people in the spotlight; she’s gay, but wants what most girly teeny-boppers want out of a relationship. She’s just fun to write, and I really love ocs that are just NICE FUCKING PEOPLE. Plus, her hair is super fun to draw!

4. Phaerie - I love old school Punk and other counter-culture movements, so that is what Phaerie encompasses. I also used to have a HUGE fixation on Drow (dark elves, a race in Forgotten Realms and other fantasy settings) and that’s originally what Phae was. She’s wild and fun and impulsive, she’s hilarious, she’s EVERYTHING I WANT in an oc! She’s so fun to rp as well. She has her soft side, her talents, her flaws, but they all feel like the most sensible ones? Like her actions are wild, but her motivations and development is simple and relatable. She struggled and felt like she had to force her way into the world, so she forces her way into EVERYTHING and fuck anybody who doesn’t like that. Plus, it’s fun to draw super punky or glam rock outfits for her to wear AND she’s based on Pizzazz from Jem and the Holograms so where can you go wrong??

5. Xander - So he’s uh... Also based on some existing characters. But, he’s become enough of his own oc to where I feel comfortable sharing.

My favorite game EVER is Baldur’s Gate, and there’s a certain mod that makes you able to romance the character Xan... Who I totally love and always end up romancing even though I’m a lesbian. This is Xan

MY Xan has developed into a super depressed bartender. He’s Jewish and anxious and has an insanely huge family that constantly picks on him because he’s anxious and easy to pick on. He grew up into a mess of an adult, especially since his only real skill is cheap magic tricks. He can’t keep a relationship because he’s so cynical and self-sabotaging, but he REALLY wants one and is a freak for romantic comedies. Whenever he manages to date a girl for long enough (and he usually picks girls who treat him badly because he doesn’t think he deserves better), he tries to make some big romantic gesture and fucks it up. He’s a mess and a slob. I adore him.

6. Xanthe - Yet another anxious wreck of a person, but this time the MOST anxious wreck there is. She’s agoraphobic, overly-critical, and her entire life is online. She’s a lesbian, but hasn’t figured that out yet and instead thinks she’s aro/ace. She’s very good with details and complex problems, which manifests in her being a talented programmer. SHe’s also a hacker by trade, paid to hack into company servers and point out their flaws so the company can patch those up. She also likes models and dolls--anything with lots of tiny parts and details that she can obsess over to pass the time.

7. Jules - First of all: he’s Helen’s half-brother and I love him. Jules was a really dramatic character back in the day, but after meeting his future wife he’s developed into more of a comedic character. He’s a loser musician--not UNTALENTED but also lacking any of the motivation to do what he needs to do to make a living with music. He’s... basically a slutty bisexual bard who has settled down and chilled out. Idk, he’s just funny. I love him. He also has the MOST detailed backstory of all my ocs--it’s about 20 pages long if written out. It’s. Whew. A lot.

8. Manda - Based on one of my best friends, she’s another extremely detailed oc (probably #2 behind Jules). She would’ve been my favorite, but since I’ve kind of ‘finished’ her story I find myself not using her much. She’s the spoiled child of a shady ass celebrity lawyer and doesn’t care about much of anything EXCEPT her skill as an actress. She struggled in relationships, thinking she was bi pretty much until she met her wife and NEVER UNDERSTANDING WHY she got so attached to the women she dated. She met her wife on a reality show, they dated long distance, and then Manda flew her to California to be together forever. Her story is crazy (she was married to her weed dealer for a while??) and I think her becoming the head of a production company after a successful film career is the perfect ending for her.

9. Nia - Not a lot to say about Nia, but more I love her design and I’m excited to develop her more? Mom friend lesbian ballerina twin. Love it. Really outspoken and direct. 

10. Rae - I have a huge soft spot for Rae because I think she’s the most similar to me?? Creative young girl from a small town who desperately wants to go somewhere more accepting. Spent most of her time online, and when she finally goes to college she goes ALL OUT trying to join every club, befriend all kinds of people, follow all the trends, and be the ‘It Girl’. It’s exhausting and she ends up crashing a lot of the time, but her optimistic/bubbly personality keeps her going. I said before that I love perky nice characters and that’s Rae to a T. Also she’s poly/bi so that makes her fun to work with when it comes to shipping

[lovemesomerafael]

It’s Complicated                           Chapter 2:  The Rest Of The Story

Source:  @fortheloveofbarba

Read Chapter 1

The man in the box was a good candidate.  He’d been arrested trying to fence items stolen from not one, but two of the victims.  Not only that, but he was angry and uncooperative, and his interaction with Lieutenant Benson and Sergeant Dodds thus far in the interrogation was certainly nasty enough to be consistent with the guy Dr. Rojas had said they were looking for.  However, he wouldn’t give them DNA, and he had alibis for the times of the rapes.  Fin and Rollins were out at that moment checking them out.

Barba and Rojas stood on opposite sides of the one-way glass in Benson’s office, as far apart as they could, as they watched the interrogation, hoping for a break.  Over the three weeks they’d been working together, things had not improved between them.

“Y’all trippin’,” sneered the skinny, tweaked-out kid. “You wastin’ your time.  I told you where I was when them rapes went down. Just check it out.”

“We’re doing that,” Dodds said.  “In the meantime, maybe you can tell us where you got the stuff you were trying to sell.  Because it’s pretty suspicious that it belongs to two of the women who were raped.”

“I done told you that.  Some dude gave it to me.”

Dodds sighed and moved closer to the suspect, whom Dodds dwarfed.  “Describe the dude,” he said, slowly and distinctly.

“I don’t feel like it.”  

Barba was scowling thoughtfully.  “This kid knows a lot about this case that he’s not saying,” he muttered to himself.

Frankie cut her eyes to him.  She’d just been thinking the same thing.  “But he’s not our guy.”

“No. And we’re asking the wrong questions.”  

“Have you noticed his weird affect?  I can’t pin it down, but there’s something…” 

As she looked at Barba while he stared thoughtfully into the interrogation room, Frankie noticed for the first time how well-cut his hair was.  She knew an expensive haircut when she saw one.   She wondered whether that was what Amanda had been talking about when she’d called him hot. He did have a nice profile, she supposed.  To be fair, he wasn’t ugly by any stretch.  And since Amanda had mentioned his green eyes, she had noticed those, too. But hot?  Barba?  Not with that personality.  

Suddenly, it struck her what the witness’s behavior reminded her of.  “You ever see a little kid try to keep a secret?  How they’re just busting with it, dying to tell?”

Barba looked over at her, nodding.  “Yes.”  He looked back through the glass, still nodding.  “Yes.”

As he watched the suspect, he had to admit that was a good description of his behavior.  After just that brief look at Dr. Rojas, he also had to admit that she was wearing a very nice suit today, which fit her extremely well.  He’d noticed that all her accessories, from the necklace that - though subtle - probably cost as much as his suit, to the chic shoes that elongated and accentuated her legs without drawing attention to themselves, showed excellent taste.  Barba usually liked well-dressed women, but on her, the effect was ruined.  Rather than appreciating her outfit, Barba found that it left a sour taste in his mouth.  He knew that he would probably have admired her if he hadn’t known who Francisca Rojas was. But he did.  He knew that she was one of them. She might be Latina, but she wasn’t one of his people.

Rafael Barba was insightful enough, at least, to recognize that he had a particular chip on his shoulder when it came to Dr. Rojas and the rest of her privileged class, to whom everything came entirely too easily. People who expected that, and believed it to be no more than their due, and who had very little regard for people like him and his family, who had to earn their achievements.  Any display of unearned wealth disturbed him on a deep level wherever he saw it, and he was looking at it right now.  Her father might be self-made, but she was not.

He had met far too many of her type in his life. His parents had sacrificed to send him to Catholic school so that he would get the best possible education, which meant all his friends from Jerome Avenue were together at public school while he was incarcerated with all the posh kids from the surrounding area.  With the fierce cruelty of children to anyone who stands out, his classmates had made sure he understood his inferiority, mocking everything about him that set him apart, even the fact that he was smarter than any of them.  It didn’t get better in college, it was just more well-concealed.  And at Harvard…  Well, Rafael had actually preferred Catholic school.   At Harvard, the culture of overt prejudice against “scholarship kids” was not only blatant but encouraged, and highlighted by an irremediable difference of wealth and social class that no amount of achievement could touch.  It was there that Rafael’s dislike of the trappings of wealth and social distinction was honed to a razor-sharp hatred.

Getting nothing further from the suspect, Benson and Dodds eventually had to end the questioning and arrest the suspect for nothing more than receiving stolen goods.  None of them thought he was the rapist, and none of them thought he was going to give them anything that might lead them to the rapist.  When Fin and Rollins returned, having confirmed his alibis for the times of the rapes, no one was surprised.

As the suspect was being led out of the box to be booked, Olivia signaled.  “Rafa, Dr. Rojas, can we talk in my office?”

Hearing that, the suspect involuntarily flinched and turned to look at Frankie, lighting up with interest.  Trouble was written plainly in his sudden wide smile as he gave her an insolent once-over.  “You’re Frankie Rojas?  I know someone who is looking for you.”

“Oh?”  She asked, too surprised to hide her reaction.

“Yeah.  Alan sends his best,” the skinny punk laughed as he was led from the squad room.  

Frankie blanched and appeared to falter as she put a hand out to steady herself on the nearest desk.  Barba and Olivia shared a look.  What was that?  

They headed into Olivia’s office and took positions around the small room, Olivia behind her desk, and Barba and Rojas on opposite sides of the couch.  Mike Dodds started to close the door but was stopped by a tall, very good-looking man with dark hair whom no one had noticed enter the squad room.

“Hey, Porter,” Dodds said, holding the door open looking expectantly over at Lieutenant Benson.

She smiled regretfully.  “Ten minutes, Dean.  I’m sorry, we just need to have a short debrief.”

Frankie surprised everyone by standing up from the couch and saying, “No, I think he should come in.  And I think he should stay.”

All eyes turned to her as she looked at Olivia’s live-in boyfriend, FBI Agent Dean Porter, who had come to take Olivia to lunch. Normally, that would have been cause for a fair amount of suggestive joking, since the relationship was fairly new and rumored to be very physical, but not today.

“He’s here,” Frankie said to Porter, the fear in her voice unmistakable.  “Porter, Alan is here.”

“Fuck,” Porter said, and closed the door.

Olivia briefly scanned the faces in the room, paying extra attention to Rojas and Porter.  She looked from one to the other, saying, “Is someone going to explain what’s going on?”

Porter held out a hand to Frankie, inviting her to speak.  He and Dodds remained standing while she collapsed back into her seat.  She took a deep breath and exhaled it forcefully before beginning.

“Everything you know about me is true.  Porter and I did meet at Quantico and we did… work together. When you hear ‘we worked together’, that sounds like we were partners or on the same team or something, and we let that impression stand.  We were both working Major Crimes, but that’s not… that’s not how we knew each other. We knew each other because I was a victim in one of his cases.”  She sighed again.  “There was a man – is a man named Alan Canady.  Long story short, he wants to kill me.”

After dropping that grenade, Frankie simply waited for questions.  None came. She looked around for help, but everyone in the room was too skilled an interrogator to think of interrupting.  

So she continued.  “We met in San Antonio, when I first started with the Bureau.  He and I dated for about six months.  It’s the textbook story we’ve all heard a million times.  At first, he seemed entirely normal.  But then, over time, he got progressively more possessive.  It happened so slowly I didn’t realize it at first.  Have I missed any of the clichés yet?”

Olivia muttered, “Stop it, Doc.  We’re familiar with the pattern, yes.  But we don’t judge our victims here.  Just tell us what happened.”

Frankie smiled thinly in gratitude.  It was one thing to be the one who got to say those things.  It was another to believe them when they were said to you.

“One day, something happened.  It was so small, just one of those little, stupid things that happen every day.  I had to work late, and then my car wouldn’t start.  By then, Alan had all these rules. I was supposed to call him any time I wasn’t going to be where I’d said I would, but we didn’t even have a date that night, and we didn’t live together or anything… And then when my car wouldn’t start, one of my coworkers was right there, and he gave me a ride home.  I didn’t even think about it until we got to my house, and Alan was there.  He was seething.  He accused me of… well, this isn’t a very original story.  You know the rest.  It was the first time he hit me.  And then it escalated, like it always does, until I ended up in the hospital.  So I broke up with him.  He went nuts, stalked me for a while, and was such a general pain in my ass that I decided to take a position in Virginia to get away from him. I thought that was the end of it, until he showed up there.”

“He followed you to Virginia?”  Barba asked.

Frankie was having a hard enough time working around the shame of having to reveal this to her new colleagues.  She simply couldn’t respond to Barba, of all people.  She could only imagine what he would be like to work with now.

“He followed her and torched her house,” Porter answered for her.  “With her asleep inside.”

“Shit,” Dodds hissed.

“I don’t think he was trying to kill me at that point.  It was easy enough to get out once I woke up.  He was just trying to scare me into taking him back.”  Frankie pointedly did not look at anyone but Porter, who knew the whole story.  “Anyway, that’s when I met Porter.  Alan was always one step ahead of us.  It doesn’t look like he moved to Virginia, which is part of why he was so hard to trace. He just visited enough to make my life miserable and keep me scared.  But he escalated.  That’s when Porter started to recommend that I leave town.  In retrospect, I should have, but I fought it for a long time.  I was so pissed!  I didn’t want to have to start over in a new city, again.”

“So what happened?”  Dodds asked.  

“Porter came to New York to be with Olivia and the Bureau assigned a new Special Agent to the case.  When she came on, she took one look and said I had to get out of Virginia. Alan was trying to kill me for real, and he was going to succeed one of these times.  She said that Porter and I were like those frogs in the pot of water. You know that saying?  You turn up the heat gradually enough and they’ll just get used to it until they’re boiled alive, not realizing how hot it is?  She said it was too hot for me to stay at Quantico, and she went over my head to get me reassigned.  She called Porter, who knew about this job because of Olivia, and here I am.  You can read the file if you want.  You probably should.  Because now Alan’s here.  Already.”

The room digested the new information.

“How do you know?”  Porter asked.  “How do you know he’s here?”  

“We were questioning a suspect just now,” Dodds answered.  “When he heard Liv call her ‘Dr. Rojas’, he recognized her name.  He called her by her first name and he told her ‘Alan sends his best.’”  

Porter looked concerned.  “What was the suspect’s crime?”  

“We’re charging him with receiving stolen goods, but we were questioning him because the stolen goods belonged to two victims of the rapist we’re calling Pattern 20,” Rafael answered.  He was watching Dr. Rojas carefully.  From the complex look on her face, she wasn’t thinking anything good.

“Is he good for the rapes?”  Porter asked.

“We don’t think so,” Rafael responded.  He thought Rojas was suddenly very quiet for someone who enjoyed sharing her opinions as freely as she did.    

“How’s this tweaker kid know who Frankie is? How’s he make the connection between her and Alan Canady?”  Porter mused, looking at Olivia but not particularly asking the question of her. Frankie looked at her, too, hoping she’d have an idea, because that was the question bothering Frankie, too.

“That’s what we’re going to ask him,” Olivia answered. “Let’s get lunch while he’s being booked.”

The group filed out of the office, with Dodds holding the door.  Due to her position in the room, Frankie was the last one to reach the door.  

“Doc, a word?”  Dodds asked.

“Sure,” she said, hanging back while he re-closed the door.

“I’m sure the Lieu won’t mind if we borrow her office,” Dodds said, indicating the couch.  They both sat.  

“What’s on your mind?”  She asked.

“That’s my question to you, actually.  Guy tries to kill you multiple times, runs you out of two cities and chases you to a third…  I’m guessing you have some thoughts about that.”

“You trying to shrink the shrink?”  Frankie’s smile didn’t reach her eyes.

Mike simply replied, “Yes.”

Frankie stood, hugging her arms to her waist and looking out the window into the squad room.  “I appreciate it, Sergeant.  I do. And you’re right.  I question what it was about me that this prick thought he could treat me the way he did.  I feel like a damn imbecile, choosing him to date when I’m supposed to be an expert on this kind of stuff.  But most of all, now I’m fucking scared again.  And that pisses me off.”

She turned around to look at him again.  “That about what you expected to hear?”

He shrugged.  “Just about.  You’re the psychiatrist, and you have more experience in this field than I do, but all that sounds pretty damn normal to me.”

“It is.  But that doesn’t make me hate it any less.”  

Dodds nodded but didn’t say anything, just giving her an opportunity to talk if she needed to.

“I appreciate the shoulder, Sergeant.  But I’d appreciate an arrest more.”

“Understood.  And one other thing.”

“Yes?”

“You’ve said ‘fucking’ in front of me now.  That means you get to call me Mike.”

Frankie insisted upon being in the room when they questioned the tweaker kid again.  When Barba refused to allow it, she initially tried to talk him around, but he refused even to consider it.  The harder she pushed, the angrier he became, until the argument became so heated, Olivia insisted they go into one of the other interrogation rooms to work it out. She then had to stop Carisi and Rollins from using the speaker to eavesdrop.  Even without the speaker, it was easy enough to hear Barba and Rojas shouting at one another in Spanish.  Olivia knew just enough to recognize that some of the words they were using were not polite.

“This is my life, Barba!  I am going to be there.”

“’This is my life?’  Really?  Isn’t that what teenagers say when their parents won’t let them drop out of school to become beat poets?”

“Don’t you fucking patronize me!  I have as much right to be in that room as you do, and you cannot keep me out.”

“In fact, you don’t, and I can.  And I am.”

“This man has tried to kill me multiple times. He’s here to try again.  I’m not playing games here.”

“Neither am I, Doctor.  I’m doing my job.  I’m making sure that your little tantrum doesn’t destroy three separate criminal cases. One of which, I might add, is yours.”

“My little tantrum…?”  

“I realize you aren’t all that familiar with the word ‘no’, but I also realize you have a law degree and, although you’ve never practiced law, you should at least recognize the concept that having the victim do the interrogation is a bit of a conflict of interest.”

Frankie was too angry to form a coherent sentence. “You egotistical son of a…  strutting around like a tin-pot dictator in your little fiefdom…”

“Calling names is not particularly refined discourse, Doctor.  But if we were calling names, I’d call you a fresa[1] and suggest you go have your nails done and let the rest of us get to work.”

”A… A…  you did not just call me a fresa to my face.”

“Nothing wrong with your grasp of the obvious.  I’m going to…”  He started moving toward the door, but she stepped in front of him, stopping with their faces very close together as they shouted.

“I am a fully-qualified Forensic Psychiatrist with all the credentials.  I’m perfectly qualified to take part in questioning this suspect.  I happen to be very good at interrogations, which you would know if you ever took your eyes off the mirror.  I also know this case.  That is why I should be in that room!  Anything else you might think is utter bullshit.”

“Really.  I can’t help but notice you’re quite unhappy about being one of the lowly victims we work so hard to protect.  It’s lovely to play the lady bountiful in your pristine Elie Saab, but it must be terrible for you to have to rub elbows with the great unwashed…”

“Stop talking.” She growled.  

“With pleasure.  Get out of my way.  I have an interrogation to attend.”

For a very, very long moment, they stood there, glaring at one another, their breath heaving in their anger.  Rafael was furious and completely frustrated by her irrational, petulant refusal to see reason.  He was also painfully hard.  Before he lost control of his urge to bend her over the table in the middle of the room, he stepped around Frankie to the door and left without another word.  Frankie knew she wanted to throw him to the ground at that moment.  What she didn’t know was which she wanted to do first, fuck him or punch his lights out.

 [1] Literally means “strawberry”, but is Mexican and Latin American slang meaning stuck up, fake, snob, one who thinks they’re better than everyone else because they were born rich, and are well-educated.

[dunk-that-touchdown]

I saw on your other blog that you did a post about which KNB characters would date girls outside their race and I loved it! I was wondering if you could do the same for the Haikyuu boys! Thank you!

I said it on my other blog so here it is again for this blog:

While I do  have a pretty strong preference for Asian men, I do realize that not all Asian men are attracted to people outside their own race/ethnicity (for a number of different reasons). However, I have thought of some characters that I think would seek out a relationship with someone outside their race.

Note: Remember these are fictional characters and this list is just of characters that I THINK would be down for it. In no way is this meant to be offensive or exclude anyone in an offensive way,it is only what I think, not what is set in stone or canon. Also, remember that everyone has their own preference to who they are attracted to and that there is never any malice behind it. We just like what we like, ya feel?

______________________________________________

Koushi Sugawara:

I totally see him being super into European women, especially Russian and German women. He is completely in love with their way of life and culture and the women are absolutely breathtaking. In the (hopefully near) future he would like to date some European women and hopefully get with one serious enough that he gets to marry one.

Yu Nishinoya:

Black and Latina women (and men BYE) are what he is most attracted to. Their bodies, language, culture, and what of life take him on a trip. He loves how they conduct themselves so confidently and how expressive they are. He has never gotten a lot of hands on experience with these types of women, but from what he has heard from friends and has seen on TV and social media, he can tell that he would do well with these sorts of women.

Ryuunosuke Tanaka:

Latina women are his kryptonite. He likes himself a strong willed woman, one that doesn’t take any nonsense from anyone no matter who they are and Latina women are just that. Their confidence and charisma make his knees weak and not to mention that their language makes him feel as though he is floating on a cloud. He has only ever met a handful of Latinas but he has had a crush on each and everyone of them. He wants to one day experience their culture and way of life in person and start a family with a mixture of both his and his girlfriends culture.

Chikara Ennoshita:

Much like Suga, he is super attracted to European women, though European women with sun kissed skin make him absolutely weak. To him they look so pure and angelic, he just can’t help but  stare at them like a love struck puppy, simply hoping that they come to talk to him because he is too stunned by their beauty to move.

Tobio Kageyama:

Black women or just any woman with darker skin tones. He thinks that people with darker skin tones are so attractive and actively seeks them out, but black women and their culture are always going to be something that he seeks out. He is fascinated with them and wants to learn more and be one with their culture. 

Kei Tsukishima:

Black and Vietnamese women!!! He’s not really sure why he likes them, but he finds himself looking at them more on social media and being interested in their culture and way of living. He has never met any black or Vietnamese women, but he is actively hoping that one day he can meet some and start a relationship with them. 

Keishin Ukai:

Chinese women. He thinks that they are the cutest women on the planet. They’re all a lot smaller than he is and waaaayy more efficient than he is. He loves their culture and way of life, having spent some time in China himself in his earlier years. When he was there, he didn’t get the chance to date a Chinese girl, but he always found himself picturing himself with one and maybe even starting a family with one. 

Tetsuro Kuroo:

Black women have his entire fucking soul man. Their attitudes, culture, lifestyles, range of body/hair/skin types drive him insane. He wants to be able to immerse himself in their culture and learn more about them and what better way to do that than through dating one? He wants to be able to bond with someone over introducing one another to each other’s culture. 

Morisuke Yaku:

Russian ladies, he is your man, but only in terms of dating sadly. He has dated a Russian woman before and finds himself very attracted to them but his family is pretty strict and only wants him to marry a Japanese woman. However, until he has to actually marry and settle down, he will want to date as many Russian women he possibly can. 

Taketora Yamamoto:

This boyo here loves all women. If they are cute or give him the time of day, chances are he’s going to be head over heels for them. He isn’t one to discriminate someone due their skin color or race or culture. He’s full of love for all the girls in the world if they would just stop sleeping on him!!!! GIVE THIS BABY MORE LOVE YOU COWARDS

Sou Inuoka:

American/Canadian girls, preferably white. He loves the American/Canadian culture and food and would love to be able to experience it with someone from either of those places.

Lev Haiba:

He too has a love for all women from any kind of background/skin color/culture. He likes to be able to learn about his girlfriend and her heritage.

Tooru Oikawa:

Listen, if you have thick lips, thick thighs, and dyed hair, Oikawa is going to drop to his knees in front of you, okay? Doesn’t matter your race or culture, just as long as you have those things he is good. Although, if he had to just pick one, I think he would more so be attracted to black women for those same physical qualities but also for their culture and food. 

Issei Matsukawa + Takehiro Hanamaki:

Both these absolute goofs love each other themselves a Korean woman. They are a lot feistier than other Asian women and they love that. The want a woman that knows when to put her foot down when it comes to their shenanigans or speak her mind whenever she thinks the time is right.  

Hajime Iaiwzumi:

American/Canada/British women. It wouldn’t matter what her skin color or heritage or culture is, he just loves women from these places because they all seem a lot more outgoing than the women he is used to. He likes women that can take charge every now and again, and from what he has seen and experienced, women from these places know just how to do that. 

Kentarou Kyoutani:

Black women. He finds them a lot more accepting of both personalities and looks as well as temperaments and actively seeks them out. He loves their different ranges of skin tones and loves that they are so unique from one another yet still all have the same culture and stick to it and own it.  

Yasushi Kamasaki, Kenji Futakuchi:

Same as Nishinoya, they are mainly attracted to black women or women with darker skin tones (tan to dark chocolate). From their bodies, to language, and culture, they are both just so interested in learning about it, wanting to be apart of it and experience it with the help of their girlfriends. They love how confident and real they are and how they have no issues  expressing themselves.

Kanji Koganegawa:

Korean women. They just look so soft yet strong to him, he can’t help but want to be around them and learn more about their culture and heritage and how it differs from his own. 

Koutarou Bokuto:

Black and Korean women. Both drive him absolutely wild because of how confident and expressive they are. They’re bold, sexy, accepting, and amazingly talented and he melts whenever he gets the chance to talk or be around these types of women. He will actively seek out these types of women and want to get to know them, hopefully ending up dating one and getting into a pretty serious relationship with them that can hopefully end up in marriage.  

Yuuji Terushima,��Daiki Ogano

Loves all women but finds himself liking more black women on social media. He thinks darker skin tones are so beautiful and diverse. He isn’t exactly picky about he race or culture of said women, just as long as they have darker skin and a nice figure. He isn’t really sure he’ll get the chance to date a woman like this either, but if the chance does present itself, he’ll want to really invest all his time and love into it, learning more and coming to appreciate and love their culture. 

[echoes-of-realities]

be my fire in the cold (and I'll be waiting by the mistletoe) - 6/25

* * *

[From the Start] // [Fanfiction] // [ao3]

[Previous Chapter] // [Next Chapter]

Chapter Summary: Brittany’s never believed theatre rumours; Brittany really doesn’t like bullies.

Notes: Warning for minor homophobia

Chapter 6: sure we'll be laughed at, but we all know

///

Brittany wakes up to the faint smell of bacon and hash-browns. She’s disorientated for a second, wondering how in the world her window managed to change walls in the middle of the night and when her pale yellow sheets turned grey, before she realizes that she’s curled up in Mercedes’ bed, the afghan that’s usually draped over the foot of the bed tangled around her shoulders under the comforter. The skin of her face feels raw and tight, the kind of tightness that comes from not wiping away her tears before falling asleep, and she’s somehow still exhausted despite her deep, dreamless sleep. She can hear Mercedes in the kitchen, frying pans knocking together and the kettle screaming, and Brittany sighs and buries her face in one of the pillows thrown around the head of the bed; it smells like Mercedes’ lavender shampoo, and a hint of Sam’s cologne and her own honeysuckle and jasmine body wash from when they all have movie nights and curl up in Mercedes’ room because she has the comfiest mattress. Brittany breathes in deeply, hoping the scents she’s always associated with her best friends will soothe her.

It doesn’t really manage to take her mind off Lord Tubbington though.

The door eases open and Brittany can tell Mercedes is hovering in the doorway, debating whether to wake Brittany or let her sleep.

“Morning,” Brittany croaks, making the decision for her.

Mercedes sighs, so softly that Brittany barely hears it, and crosses the room, settling on the bed somewhere by Brittany’s hip. She hesitates for a moment, but before Brittany can say anything, her warm body is pressing to Brittany in a fierce hug; she smells of breakfast food and coffee and clean from her morning shower. Brittany sighs and sinks back into the embrace. “How are you feeling?” Mercedes whispers.

Brittany manages a little shrug. “I dunno. Sad and, like, empty, I guess. Like when you’re really, really hungry in the middle of the night and you can feel how empty your stomach is empty, except everywhere.”

Mercedes nuzzles closer, and Brittany can picture her face, her brows drawn a little together and the skin around her mouth tight. “I’m so sorry, Britt-Britt,” she whispers.

“Thanks,” Brittany mumbles.

Mercedes is quiet for a moment while Brittany stares blankly out the window. It’s surprisingly clear out, sunbeams streaming through the thin curtains and making swirling patterns on the carpet. “You could take the day off,” Mercedes suggests finally.

Brittany shrugs. “I dunno,” she mumbles, “I just want the day to be normal, you know?” Mercedes hums against her shoulder in acknowledgement. “Besides, dancing always helps me forget about everything, and I kinda need that right now, you know?”

Mercedes hums again, and Brittany sighs. She doesn’t really feel teary anymore, just tired and empty and lonely, even with Mercedes pressing comfortingly all along her back, breathing in sync with her. Eventually Mercedes crawls off the bed and tugs Brittany up after her, and they both follow their noses back to the kitchen where Mercedes has breakfast set up all along the counter, a mug of steaming hot chocolate sitting in front of Brittany’s stool at the kitchen island, whipped cream piled so high it hasn’t even melted all the way in yet. Brittany smiles at Mercedes’ back, feeling warmth curl in her chest, grateful that she has a best friend who knows her so well. They dish up breakfast quietly before settling into their usual spots breakfast spots and eat in comfortable silence.

“I forgot to ask last night, because of— Everything,” Mercedes finally says, “But how did you get home? I didn’t realize my phone was on silent until this morning and I’m so sorry if you tried to call me for a ride.”

“Oh, no it’s fine,” Brittany shrugs a little and pokes at her eggs, “Santana and I shared an Uber home.” She points to the southeast, where their front door is, with a forkful of eggs. “She lives like ten-ish minutes that way.”

“That’s nice of her,” Mercedes says, smiling just a little bit at Brittany.

Brittany feels the corner of her lip turn up in return, just a little bit, and the ache in her chest eases at the warm smile on Mercedes face. “Yeah,” she says simply.

Mercedes hums and, despite the slight smirk tugging on her lips, she remains silent. Brittany insists on cleaning up since Mercedes did all the cooking, before she heads to her room and calls her mom. Her mom puts her on speakerphone with her dad and her sister, and they spend most of the morning reminiscing on Lord Tubbington’s antics. By the end of it Brittany finds herself feeling a little bit better; talking about how much they all loved Tubbs and laughing about how many times food would suddenly go missing and Tubbs would suddenly get fatter makes her feel lighter, until the ache behind her eyes is almost gone. And when Mercedes knocks quietly on her door so they can head to the theatre, Brittany doesn’t feel quite so alone anymore.

//

Mercedes has to go talk to Kurt about something as soon as they get there, so Brittany ends up wandering the theatre by herself after they check in at the call board. She stops in at her favourite rehearsal room in the hopes that she can blast some music and forget about everything for a little while before she has to start warm ups with the company, but instead finds Jake and Jane practicing the Pas de Deux from the second act. They call out greetings to her and she waves at them before heading back the way she came.

“Hey, Brittany!”

Brittany glances over her shoulder and finds Puck coming up behind her, his arms full of props. “Hey,” she greets quietly.

“Do you mind giving me a hand?” he asks, and Brittany quickly relieves him of the box blocking his view. “Thanks,” he pants, “I thought I could do it all in one trip, but I don’t want Lopez seeing me and going all crazy spicy Latina on me again for dropping something like she did last time.”

Brittany’s nose wrinkles up. “That’s racist,” she says idly.

Puck doesn’t seem to have heard her; he never does when she calls him out on something. “Speaking of Lopez, did you hear?” he asks, obnoxiously waggling his eyebrows at her. Brittany frowns at him; he looks a little bit like a cartoon character, struggling to see past the props still in his arms, his dumb mohawk stuck to his sweaty forehead, a smirk tugging at his lips that Brittany recognizes as the lecherous leer he gets whenever a new dancer—especially those without any knowledge of his reputation—joins the company. “There’s a rumour going around that she plays for the other team, if you know what I mean,” he says in a stage whisper.

“I’m pretty sure she only works here,” Brittany says tiredly, “it’s part of her contract.”

“Not like her job, Brittany,” Puck explains slowly, and because Brittany is trailing behind him to fit through the entryway that leads to one of the back hallways of the theatre, he doesn’t see her roll her eyes. “Like who she takes to bed type of team.”

Brittany’s not quite sure what to say to that, not because she thinks of Santana any differently now, but because she’s pretty sure this is not something Santana wants floating around the theatre; despite working in the arts, Brittany’s encountered a surprising amount of homophobia, and something about Puck’s leer makes Brittany’s skin crawl.

“Did you hear me?” Puck asks, looking around a candy cane prop blocking his view so he can catch Brittany’s eye, it kind of makes Brittany want to take said candy cane and start beating him with it.

“Yeah, I’m just trying to process how gross you are.”

Puck smirks. “What can I say? Lopez is hot, I’m sure she has hot taste in women, and I like hot things.”

The urge to beat him with the candy cane is growing almost too strong to ignore now; Brittany’s never been particularly prone to violence, and she’s not sure if it’s her grief over Lord Tubbington messing with her emotions, the fact that she likes Santana and hates that there’s already rumours going around about her, the fact that she hates bullies, or some combination of all three, but she’s pretty sure if they don’t reach the prop room soon she’s going to snap.

“Wow,” Brittany says slowly, “You might just be the dumbest person on Earth.”

Puck just shrugs. “Maybe,” he agrees easily, smirking, “But I heard it from Finn who heard it from Santana herself.”

“Why was Santana talking to Finn?” Brittany wonders aloud. Finn’s half-way decent about thirteen percent of the time, and Brittany’s pretty sure his partial decency only exists because he sleeps about thirteen percent of the time.

“She wasn’t, he was down in the principal hallway bringing some extra Christmas ornaments up from storage and he overheard Lopez and Tina talking. Tina was asking if Lopez had been on any dates lately,” Puck pauses until Brittany glances at him before he finishes, delighted like a kid waiting up for Santa on Christmas Eve, “With a girl.”

Brittany shrugs. “Your point?”

“With a girl,” he emphasizes, a far off look in his eyes that makes Brittany feel like she needs a shower, “Like a lesbian.”

“Puck that’s gross,” Brittany says.

“No, it’s hot,” he leers.

Brittany scowls at him. “No, I mean you’re gross for being a creep.”

Puck shrugs. “What can I say? I’m a guy.” Brittany dumps the box she’s carrying on top of the pile in Puck’s hands, making him stagger under the unexpected weight. “Hey! I thought you were helping!”

Brittany just shrugs as she spins on her heel and walks back the way they came. “I don’t really think I can provide the help you need,” she deadpans over her shoulder.

//

She doesn’t see Santana at all before the show, not even for notes, but she hears the whispers of gossip that Puck mentioned as she heads for the stage during intermission. It makes her blood boil, especially after last night because her emotions are still a little all over the place. She can feel the angry creeping along her fingers and sticking to her stomach, and she can’t quite control the scowl she gives some of the snow corps as she walks past them; they’re the group who is almost always at the root of any rumour.

But before she can do more than glare at them for their whispers, she’s running into something warm and solid and groaning. Her hands automatically reach out to steady the source of the groaning, and then deep, dark eyes are locking on her own.

“Brittany,” Santana says breathlessly, “Sorry, I didn’t see you there.” Brittany easily shrugs, searching Santana’s face for any sign she’s heard the rumours about herself, but Santana’s face is only open and warm and concerned. Brittany suddenly realizes that her hands are still on Santana’s shoulders and she hurriedly pulls them back to her, playing with the hem of her tutu. Santana quickly pushes her headset off of her ears until it’s hanging around her neck, giving Brittany her full attention; it makes Brittany feel vulnerable and important, because she can hear the tinny sound of voices through the headset, but Santana barely seems to notice them. “How are you?” Santana asks, her voice quiet and more tender than Brittany’s ever heard someone’s voice go.

That sharp ache of pain arcs through Brittany’s chest, but she manages a small smile. “I’m good,” she says.

Santana’s face changes a little bit, like she doesn’t quite believe Brittany but doesn’t want to say anything. She leans closer, her voice even quieter. “It’s okay if you’re not,” she whispers, “I get it. I would have understood if you hadn’t come in today.”

Brittany’s breath catches a little bit, like someone reached into her chest and squeezed, and she’s suddenly blinking back tears. “I wanted something normal today,” she finally admits, “You know, to keep my mind off it.”

Santana’s hand suddenly brushes over hers, and the ache in Brittany’s chest eases just a little bit at the gentle squeeze of Santana’s fingers around hers. “I get that,” she murmurs. Brittany’s eyes catch in the deepest groove of Santana’s for a moment and Brittany can see exactly how true Santana’s words are; Brittany’s a little glad when Santana’s eyes dart away because those dark eyes make her feel like a little bit like she’s free falling from an airplane without a parachute, a little bit dangerous and a little bit scary and a whole lot exhilarating. “But if you need anything,” Santana continues, shrugging a little, “Time off or a hug or a friend, I’m good for any of it.”

“Thank you,” Brittany whispers, desperately ignoring the prickle she can still feel behind her eyes. Mercedes already had to help her reapply her makeup once today, and Brittany’s due on stage too soon for her to reapply it again.

Santana seems to realize this and her fingers slide across Brittany’s wrist as she pulls back a little bit; Brittany suddenly realizes she can breathe properly again without ever realizing her breath was caught in her chest in the first place. “Are you up for notes after the show?” Santana asks.

“Oh yeah, you didn’t come for notes earlier,” Brittany says, her question implied rather than outright asked.

Santana rolls her eyes so hard she tosses her head back a little, and Brittany bites her lip at how cute the gesture is. “Yeah, Puck tried to take all the props down in one trip, like a dumbass, and dropped them, of course, and broke a bunch of them. I swear to god this is the only prop department I’ve ever worked with that isn’t completely anal about taking care of the props, but nope, he just cost the company a couple hundred dollars.” Brittany smirks at the image that rises to her mind; she’s not sure if she necessarily believes in karma, but she can definitely admire its handiwork. “Anyways, I went down there for check-ins before half hour and found him trying to clean it all up. He was being,” Santana pauses for long enough that Brittany wants to hug her, and then go and beat Puck with that candy cane prop, “weird, I guess. But after I chewed him out for being a dumbass and not making more than one trip, he shut up pretty quick.”

Brittany laughs a little bit, and her chest feels light for the first time all day. “Emma’s really, really anal about the props, but whenever she’s out sick Finn and Puck completely fall apart.”

“Yeah,” Santana mutters, “So do the props.”

Brittany giggles, and is about to respond when she catches sight of one of the snow corps out of the corner of her eye sneering at Santana. Brittany’s pretty sure her name is Brynn or Bree or something, though she doesn’t pay much attention to the more malicious members of the snow corps; but even if she doesn’t recognize her, there’s this glint in her eyes that Brittany knows all too well, and the sneer on her face carries in her voice as she calls across the stage.

“Watch out there, Sugar Plum,” she snarls, “You wouldn’t wanna get to close. I’m pretty sure lesbianism is contagious.”

Brittany can see the exact moment that Santana processes what was just said, her dark eyes go wide for a second and her spine straightens with a jolt as if someone just yanked on a string at the top of her head. There’s burning anger in Santana’s dark eyes, but Brittany’s pretty sure she could scrape it away with her fingernail and reveal the bright, aching pain underneath.

Brittany feels that bubbling anger she’s felt all day start to give way and she scowls at Brynn or Bree or whatever. Her own anger is bright and flaring, all of the frustration and grief of the last couple weeks surging like liquid fire through her veins. “I’d rather catch lesbianism than whatever it is that’s made your face look like that,” she says, her voice so quiet and dangerous that it shocks Brynn or Bree or whatever into taking a startled half-step backwards. “Is it the snow that makes your face freeze like that or is that just how you’ve always looked?” Brittany continues, slipping into the practiced confusion that’s served her so well over the years, “Either way, don’t get too close to a fireplace. You might melt.”

Brynn or Bree or whatever gets lost in the sea of dancers gathering for the start of act two and Brittany takes a deep breath to calm the blood rushing in her ears before she turns back to Santana. She’s still frozen, her wide eyes on Brittany’s and the set of her shoulders stiff. “Hey,” Brittany whispers, carefully moving closer to Santana, as if she’s an overly cautious bird that might fly away at a sudden movement, “Are you okay?”

Santana blinks, her gaze darting between Brittany’s eyes. Brittany lets Santana stare at her, hoping she finds what she’s looking for. “I— Uh— Yeah,” she stutters. “That was— I mean,” her brown eyes finally still and settle on Brittany’s, and Brittany feels warm all over. “Thank you,” Santana says earnestly, the glow her dark eyes making something in Brittany’s chest shiver.

Heat crawls under her skin and she already knows the pink splotching her cheeks is obvious, even under the dim stage lights. “I’ve been looking for a reason to call her out,” Brittany admits, “She’s always been awful.”

“I—” a particularly loud voice comes through the headset still around Santana’s neck, and Santana jumps a little, only now seeming to realize that one of the other stage managers has been trying to get her attention for a while. She gives Brittany an apologetic, slightly helpless look, but Brittany easily waves her off. Santana quickly pulls her headset back over her ears and mutters something into the mic. She listens intently right as one of the stage hands starts wandering through the dancers, calling five minutes to the end of intermission, and Brittany starts a little, not realizing how much time has already passed.

Santana sighs deeply and draws Brittany’s attention back to her; she’s worrying the notebook in her hands and scowling into space. Brittany smiles a little at the furrow in her brow; she’s not sure what it is about this woman, but pretty much everything about her is adorable. Brittany touches her elbow to draw her attention, and the way her face instantly clears into a small smile when she looks at Brittany makes Brittany feel a little bit like she might be floating. Brittany points towards the curtains and Santana nods quickly. She covers the mic with her hand and her eyes go liquid soft for a moment. “Thank you,” she whispers.

Brittany can feel her heartbeat pound everywhere. “Any time,” she promises.

//

Santana shows up at Brittany’s dressing room just as she’s heading out, and there’s something easy and light in her expression that wasn’t there earlier. Brittany smiles at her until Santana’s dimples crease her cheeks and she looks away breathlessly. “No notes?” Brittany teases.

Santana shrugs and looks shy for a moment, before she takes a deep breath and gestures towards the hallway, waiting until Brittany’s locked the door and they’ve started heading down the hallway to answer. “Not tonight, I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing,” she says easily, bumping her shoulder against Brittany’s, “You did amazing like usual, by the way. Especially, you know, considering everything.”

Brittany smiles a little, and despite the ache in her chest she feels less empty than she did this morning. Between talking to her family this morning, Mercedes being an amazing best friend, and Santana’s understanding, she’s realizing that she has pretty great people in her life. Sure, she misses Tubbs just as much as she did this morning, and she doesn’t think that will every go away completely, but having so many people around who care about her makes her realize that she’s never going to be as lonely as she was when it felt like Tubbs was the only one who understood her.

“What was he like?” Santana asks softly.

Brittany feels her lips curl up a little. “His name was Lord Tubbington,” she says, watching Santana out of the corner of her eye to gauge her reaction.

She does admirably; after letting out an involuntary giggle, she bites down on her bottom lip to stifle her amusement. “Lord Tubbington?” she manages in a mostly calm voice.

Brittany nods seriously. “We called him Tubbs for short.”

Santana turns sparkling eyes on her, and despite the teeth sunk into her lip to contain her smile, her cheeks still dimple. “That’s cute,” she says, her voice bright with amusement.

Brittany grins, and Santana relaxes a little. Brittany glances around the hallway, even though she already knows it’s going to be empty, before leaning close to Santana. She smells of citrus and vanilla and pinewood underneath the clinging scent of the theatre, and it makes something in Brittany’s chest fall into place. “He was really fat,” she whispers.

Santana’s teeth release her lip as she throws her head back with a delighted laugh. “Please tell me you have pictures,” she gasps.

Brittany grins and quickly struggles to tug her phone out of her pocket. She opens it and quickly finds her photos app, pulling up the album of Lord Tubbington’s best pictures. They end up hovering near the end of the principal hallway, huddled over Brittany’s phone as they scroll through pictures of, what Santana deems, the fattest and most adorable cat in the world. Brittany narrates some of Tubbs’ best moments, including the time he somehow got onto the table one New Year’s Day supper and shoved his head into the cheese fondue, and the time he got out of the house only to be picked up and cared for by a biker gang until they saw his lost posters and brought him back home. Santana’s completely enamoured by the stories Brittany tells, and it’s fun and therapeutic to reminisce on all of her adventures with, in Brittany’s humble opinion, the best cat in the world.

Mercedes had already left to pick up some snacks for them because, despite it being almost ten o’clock at night, she always knows how hungry Brittany is after a show, and since Santana’s ride had to go met up with her mom and dad, Santana offers to share another Uber back to their apartments, much to Brittany’s delight. Brittany quickly texts Mercedes that she doesn’t need a ride and she’ll meet her back at the apartment instead.

They reach the back exit and spill onto the street in a fit of giggles as Brittany narrates how the first and only time she tried smoking when she was fourteen, she heard her mom coming in the front door early and promptly framed Tubbs for the smell of smoke lingering on her clothes so her mom wouldn’t get mad at her (it didn’t work, of course, but her mom found it so amusing that she let Brittany off with only a stern warning that, if Tubbs ever did it again, he’d end up grounded for the rest of his life).

They direct the Uber driver to Brittany’s apartment first, and Santana keeps asking questions about Lord Tubbington, much to Brittany’s surprised delight. Santana hangs onto her every word, as if she’s the most interesting thing Santana’s ever seen, and it makes something lifting and bright curl in Brittany’s chest. They reach her and Mercedes’ apartment far too soon in Brittany’s opinion, and she quickly gives Santana money for her half of the fare, insisting on it when Santana tries to refuse because Santana didn’t let her pay her half last night. Santana eventually accepts, though with much whining reluctance, and Brittany grins, triumphant, and turns to get out of the car. Her fingers have barely wrapped around the handle of the door when Santana’s hand on hers freezes her. “Hey,” she whispers.

Brittany feels something deep in her chest leap to attention. “Hey,” she whispers back.

“I’m really glad you told me about Lord Tubbington,” Santana says quietly, “And I’m really glad to see you smiling again, even though I know you must still be hurting.”

Brittany’s breath leaves her all at once and all she can manage is a small shake of her head and a soft smile. “Thanks for listening,” Brittany whispers.

Santana’s nose scrunches up a little and those dimples crease her cheeks. “Anytime, Britt. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight, Santana,” she whispers, finally crawling out of the car and carefully shutting the door behind her. She watches as its taillights head east towards the first set of lights before turning south towards Santana’s apartment.

Brittany takes a moment to breathe in the crisp night air before turning and heading into her apartment building; she still keenly misses Tubbs but, unlike she had that morning, she’s doesn’t feel so lonely anymore.

[the-council-of-new-york-vampires]

Can you please submit Adam's past!!! As well as some headcanons on him ;(

Out of Character:

Adam’s past is in the works… You see, I started some day in December and didn’t do so much work on it since. 😅 Technically, it’s finished, but it’s especially hard to edit, because it’s the longest one I’ve yet written, and I really do want it to be perfect. But don’t worry, I’ll def publish it. ☺️

Lemme start with my headcanons:

My biggest one: Adam is a psychopath. So, sometime ago, I asked people on their opinion on that topic and legit no one replied… Thanks for that, guys. 🙃😂 Anyway, I have been drowning myself in research for several weeks now, and I know that there’s a lot of misinformation about psychopathy online. Like, psychopaths have very little to do with Hollywood movies, and it’s not a mental illness but a neurological disorder. I differentiate between sociopaths and psychopaths as well, as in: Psychopaths are born, sociopaths are made, and they behave and think differently. I have been analyzing Adam’s behavior and scenes carefully and, as far as I’m concerned, he meets all the signs for psychopathy. I know it’s kind of a critical topic to discuss, but I’d love to analyze Adam’s behavior and thoughts and compare it to psychopathy, in a separate post. (I am not looking to insult or offend anyone with this, I just love giving interesting characters more depth and exploring their minds and ways of thinking, especially when it comes to villains.)

Fitting the above one, Adam was a con artist at some point. I always thought of this job he would be so good at, but never knew the name until I came across it during my psychopathy research. Con artist! That job is made for him. I headcanon, some day after being a politician as a human, he came to America and started working as, I don’t know the name, but those people who came to people’s houses and sold them bullshit. He didn’t do that for a long time, though, because I don’t think it makes good money and it has a low social standing. However, that’s how he slipped into the con artist job or how he calls it “working in the finance sector”. He did that for, I don’t know, ten years or more, before he decided he had made enough money with it. He wanted to get into poilitics again to satisfy his desire for power, and quit being a con artist, because it would have been too risky to do both at the same time. (I doubt he was ever caught, but conning people is obviously illegal.)

It was slightly hinted at by Adrian that, sometimes, Adam kills women after sleeping with them. I think when he was around Priya’s age, he did that very often. Just sought them out and killed them afterwards, because he liked the feeling of power and control it gave him. In the present, it is more likely that he has contacts for things like that, contacts he does not kill, because it would be a huge scandal, obviously. Still, he sees all people as objects, humans more so than vampires, and attractive young women primary as sex objects to use and discard, and he thinks it’s pathetic that they adore him and seek him out the way they do, that they ‘let’ him kill them. But of course, he pretends to be this super elegant gentleman. I do think he was taught to treat women with special respect, but, if you consider his actual personality, it’s highly unlikely that he keeps that mask on in the bedroom. He displays it in public, because most women love gentlemen, but, unless his lover needs to be manipulated by him or he wants something from her, he is totally different, degrading even, in the bedroom.

I think Adam is very vain to the point that he needs longer in the bathroom than some ladies. I think he has a personal barber, stylist, you name it, and they come over every morning. He loves his appearance and - sorry - I can definitely see him making out with a mirror. At least, whenever he walks by, he does admire the guy he sees. But how could you not? How could women not? At least, that’s what Adam thinks. And lemme judge: he’s damn right. Adam’s About 183 cm tall (I just know), he’s muscular, he has a nice haircut, a fancy beard, great taste in fashion… And those, lemme guess, thick 7 inches. 😌😏 Hehe.

Pretty sure that Adam has a wild, irresponsible streak in him that he must live out somehow. I mean, he dated Priya and as if she would ever date anyone boring. Adam loves partying, irresponsible sexual acts, the adrenaline when seeking thrills. Despite what people think, I can definitely see him as a reckless driver, especially when alone. This guy has no fears. He is similar to Kamilah in some ways, but that’s one where they differ: I think he can let go better than she can, he just needs the right circumstances, right people, right situations. He is a lot more likely to play Roulette and bet on black just for the hell of it. With Priya, he did many irresponsible things, thinking “I don’t care. I love it.” Icona Pop knows. 😉

As a mortal, Adam had a family and children. Considering the historical context, this is more than likely. People often say they can’t imagine him as a father, and in a way I agree: I think he was a very neglectful and absent father who had a lot more kids than he wanted (considering the fact that he wanted none 😂). Furthermore, he was a very disloyal husband, married more than once, got women pregnant who he wasn’t married to, banished them or forced them into an abortion (people knew there were ways to miscarry)… I’m guessing the probability for him to cheat in a relationship to be as high as 80%. I see no reason for him not to cheat, because he has no moral compass and he believes he can have anyone, deserving of as many lovers as he wants. However, if she would cheat, he would either be incredibly angry or totally careless. Anyway, if there is one person seeing a crying toddler and thinking “Damn, I’m glad my kids are dead”, it’s Adam.

Back to his roots: Adam grew up Catholic. This is not me saying religion makes people bad (I’m religious myself), but me saying he grew up at a time and in a country that was certainly Catholic. However, I highly doubt he ever believed in any religion, simply was raised into a strictly religious environment. In that way, he broke rules very early such as no lying or no touching yourself, and this is how he learned to be sneaky about it. This theory explains his name as well, as Adam was the first human created by God, and he was likely named after him, not as the first human in the world, but the first baby born to his parents, a noble couple. I’m very sure he grew up in a big family. However, he is only focused only on himself since… all the time.

Obviously, regarding sex, Adam has done almost everything there is to do. I think he is much more animalistic and pleasure-focused than people think, and he loves to break taboos the same way he breaks rules as he considers himself above them. Imagine anything nasty and I bet he has done it. Either with someone kinky like Priya or he just persuaded a ‘normal’ person into letting him try whatever ‘sick’ fantasy he had. Also, he loves group sex with, like, four women who cater to his needs. I tried to widen this headcanon a bit by bringing guys into it as well. While I think Adam is definitely heterosexual, I wouldn’t be surprised if anything happened between him and a man. I headcanon something like: He was at an orgy, drunk or whatever, centuries ago, doing his thing, and a guy just approached and gave him oral. Lol. And he let him do it, because why the hell not? Meanwhile, I find kissing a bit too intimate, but I can imagine he has done it, too, out of manipulation or because a guy just kissed him. With Priya, I headcanon he seduced young women, killed them… and they had fun with them, like… blood play and stuff…

I think Adam’s basic directive is “I don’t care”, regarding the other members of The Council as well. Of course, there are things he cares about deeply, like killing the Clanless or getting votes, but all of that serves no one but himself, the only person on Earth he actually cares about. You could give him any person’s name and ask if they shall live or die and he wouldn’t care at all what happens to them (unless that person’s existence is useful or bothering for him). Yeah, he has no conscience and he gives zero shits. His emotions are super limited. Like, when Gaius presented them his morbid plan, Adam was careless to the point that he had to observe the others’ reactions to be able to form and voice an opinion. He is calm by default and rarely gets angry (the anger he showed in several scenes was fake in order to appear believable).

Regarding lovers, Adam has a type. He likes young women (22-28), naive and ‘stupid’, women he can easily control, and he sees himself deserving of having all the pretty ones, like trophies or possessions. When someone doesn’t have the right age or look, he considers them not good enough for him and would find it pathetic if they asked him out. He doesn’t like independent women, he likes women he can make dependent on him. He always needs to be the superior one, financially as well as intellectually. All this explains why he never had and never ever will have a thing for Kamilah. She is everything he can’t control, can’t subject, and that’s why he respects her and can openly express a platonic liking for her. But deep inside, women like that threaten him and he wants to destroy them, because they are too smart to fall for him. And women (people) he can’t benefit from, who refuse to obey him, who he can’t manipulate, have no use to him. Regarding one night stands, which he had a lot more than gilfriends, he only targets very attractive women. He likes dark types, like himself, rather than blondes, and women who are particularly feminine. Long hair, long nails, dresses, high heels… I think that attracts him. And he loves asses. And Latinas. Sorry.

I think Adam has more than two faces. To the public, he is that super friendly, charming guy who wants the best for anyone. To The Council, he is that friendly guy who has drastic measures, but still puts a lot of importance on their team-spirit. Part of the mask is off, but he still presents himself as friendly and interested in the well-being of the public. Like, he greets the members happily and calls them his “friends”, but everyone does know they shouldn’t turn on him. (The Baron even said so.) When dating Priya, he showed a different face again. More of that easy-going guy, a great sport, overly protective of his ‘loved’ ones. He always alternates between “Hello, I am super friendly and chill, you can talk about anything with me” and “I am super dangerous and you better not fuck with me”. Then, in reality, he is a cold-hearted snake who cares about no one but himself. Now imagine him around his Clan. I think his mask slips off even further than it does when he’s with The Council, in a way that they might even fear him, because they know what he’s capable of. Or they admire him because he leaves the mask on, like the nerd in the train to the Ball does, who obviously has a crush on him? It is so different to assess Adam, because he is a great actor and he can legit be anyone. He can be the kind philantrophist you support, the sexy celebrity you admire, the relaxed guy who is your best friend, the intelligent Clan leader, the most caring boyfriend you have had, the most abusive boyfriend you have had… or the man who is actually planning to murder you.

[three-drink-amy]

The Final Rose

Amy begrudgingly accepts becoming the newest Bachelorette after Gina sneakily signs her up. The prospect of meeting 25 new men all vying for her affection seems intimidating and ridiculous. But the first night, she meets a man named Jake who is kind and makes her laugh. The only problem: he’s not one of the contestants. 

Her hair was being done. A long, sparkly dress was hanging on the door behind her. Her makeup was being applied carefully. Amy was getting ready for what would inevitably be a very notable night of her life and she still had no idea how Gina (and the producers) had talked her into it.

When Gina laughed and told Amy that she’d signed her up to be the next Bachelorette, Amy laughed too. She never thought that a boring New York detective would be chosen to be on a dating show. But in a few weeks, she was proven wrong. Apparently Gina had put together a very compelling video about Amy’s love life. Or rather, Amy’s lack of love life. Gina wouldn’t let her back out. She tagged along to the meeting with the producers to make sure Amy agreed.

The producers explained that while they usually just picked the one of the rejected girls from the Bachelor, Gina’s video about Amy intrigued them into picking a fresh face.

“Wait,” Amy had asked, “You weren’t even looking for a new Bachelorette?”

“No,” one man explained. “We usually pick someone from the season of the Bachelor before. We were stalled trying to pick the contestant that would attract more viewers when we got this video from your friend.”

Amy looked over at Gina and glared. At the time, “friend” seemed like a strong term. Gina smiled and nodded happily at the turn of events. Amy really couldn’t back out. “So why do you think a nobody will attract more viewers?” Amy wondered aloud.

“Because everyone is expecting us to pick Ashley H. from last season, but she declined,” another producer explained. “We were also leaning toward Emma but we weren’t sure she’d have enough draw. And then we realized that we could target everything differently with a fresh face.”

“Plus we could draw in new viewership with our first ever Latina bachelorette,” the first producer added excitedly. Amy wasn’t very convinced. They could seemingly tell. “Look, we understand that this could be a big step. But it could also help you meet the love of your life,” he concluded, raising his eyebrows.

It wasn’t the producers’ less than compelling pitch that had Amy signing a contract, but rather Gina’s watchful eye. Amy knew that if she turned down this opportunity that Gina had offered her, she’d never be able to whine about her love life ever again. Skeptical as she was, Amy signed on to be the next bachelorette.

So there she was, getting primped to go meet 25 men who had signed up to try and win her love. It was the strangest situation she’d ever been in. Amy slipped into her dress, put on her startlingly high heels, and walked out to talk to the producers before the limos started to arrive. To say she was nervous would have been an understatement.

The producers had left to let her greet the guys. She tried to keep all their various pieces of advice in mind, but she was reeling. Amy was wringing her hands when one of the cameramen set down his camera and walked over to her. She thought she was in for a scolding. He smiled kindly to her.

“Nervous?” he asked. She laughed breathily and nodded. “Well if it makes you feel better, it’s my first time on the show too,” he added with a grin. “So there’s always a chance the footage will look like something out of the Blair Witch Project and no one will be able to see how nervous you are.” They shared a laugh at the thought. “Plus, if you think about it,” he continued, “they’re probably nervous to meet you too.”

Amy laughed. “I doubt that.”

“They don’t know you. They’re making the same risks you are. Except they have 24 guys to compete with. I don’t see 24 other girls out here, trying to upstage you,” he said with a raise of his brow.

“Hmm,” Amy mused. “That’s a fair point. I guess it won’t matter if they think I’m a huge, unlovable nerd. I won’t be the one who gets sent away.” She laughed almost evilly at the thought. The producers weren’t going to kick her off because she wasn’t appealing enough.

The thought startled Amy though. She wondered when it was that she got worried about being kicked off. She didn’t want to be here. Shouldn’t want to be here. Was she worried about being kicked off? No, she’d be fine going back home and trying to find dates the normal way. Maybe she was worried that getting rejected by 25 different men would be an epically humiliating moment.

The cameraman was saying something else. Amy was caught up in her thoughts and missed the beginning. “I’m sorry, what did you say?”

“I just said that even if there were 24 other women, you’d still be a standout,” he said kindly. “That’s a really pretty dress.”

Amy smiled, looking down at her dress. “I didn’t pick it out,” she replied lamely. He nodded awkwardly, picking up his camera and walking back to his mark. Amy shook her head at herself. Why couldn’t she just accept the compliment? He was being nice. She looked over at him as he positioned the camera on his shoulder. “So obviously I should be working on my small talk skills?” she asked with a tone of self deprecation.

He laughed loudly. “Yeah, maybe just a bit.”

Amy was about to make another joke when someone called that the first limo was arriving. Amy steeled herself for a night of inevitable awkwardness and potential humiliation. For the hundredth time, she cursed Gina. She glanced back to the cameraman for another second to see him smile and nod encouragingly as the first limo pulled into view.

The night was filled with meeting too many people. Amy was usually good with names, but this was a whole other level. It was one thing to meet new people, but 25 at one time was a bit ridiculous. Plus by the end of the night, she had to decide the best one she’d met. She hoped the cameras weren’t able to catch how much she was actually drinking. At the end of the night, Amy gave the first impression rose to a guy named Luke. Soon, the guys all wandered up the stairs of the mansion. Amy was more than ready to go to her separate home to sleep for a while. She wasn’t sure of everything that was going to happen the next day, but she knew she needed sleep.

Amy bent down and took off her heels before walking toward the door. The kind cameraman from before stopped her before she could leave. “Hey, Amy,” he called from a door just off the main room. She looked over at him curiously. “We need some interview stuff before you can leave.”

It must have been the alcohol that made Amy sigh and roll her eyes without even trying to hide it. She nodded reluctantly and followed him to the room. She’d barely been sitting for two seconds before the makeup artists descended on her to touch up everything about her appearance. Once they approved of her look, they backed off to stand behind the cameraman. He looked at her appraisingly for a moment. Amy briefly wondered if there was something on her face before deciding that the stylists would have leaped in to fix it.

“You’re not very comfortable are you?” he asked.

“I’m...tired,” Amy answered, sticking to the acceptable truth.

He turned around and looked at the other five people in the room. “Duncan gave me the targets for this interview. I think it might go better if there wasn’t a crowd. She’s still not used to the audience. I think we’ll be fine.”

“What if her makeup needs to be touched up?”

“Then we’ll send up a flare,” he joked. They all looked skeptical, but one by one, they filed out of the room.

Amy hadn��t even gotten the cameraman’s name, but she felt like he understood her. She was instantly appreciative that he was working her season of the show. He ducked to make sure the camera was set up properly for the shot. “So how does it feel having 25 boyfriends?” he teased.

She couldn’t hide her laugh. “I’m waiting to see how fast they can all reject me.”

He scoffed as he played around with the camera. “Can you imagine someone actually having 25 significant others?”

“It’s insane, right?” Amy asked, latching on to the topic. It was something she’d been thinking about a lot. “I mean, millions of people watch this show, but if I had 25 boyfriends in real life, I’d be called a whore easily.”

He laughed as he straightened up and looked at her. “You’re not wrong. Or maybe you’d be a boss. I mean if you had 25 boyfriends and they all knew about each other and they weren’t all killing each other or you? Well, I’d want to know your secrets.”

“I’d want to know how I got 25 boyfriends at the same time,” Amy said with a shake of her head.

“Well yeah, that would be the secret I’d want to know too,” he corrected with a small smile.

“Gee, if they’re looking for new faces now, you could always be the next bachelor,” Amy joked. “My friend, Gina is really good at sending in videos she pieced together showing how sad my love life is.”

He tilted his head back and laughed. “Well maybe it’ll all work out and one day you’ll be able to thank her.”

“I’m not counting on it.”

“There’s that first night optimism,” he teased. “Okay, so basically we want to hear your thoughts on the first night and meeting all the new guys. Sound good?” He asked, getting back to business.

“The truth or the tv appropriate version?”

He narrowed his eyes at her. “I’m thinking the one that will draw in viewers.”

Amy sighed. “Okay.” She shook her shoulders a little as she straightened up in her seat. Plastering on the best smile she could, Amy tried to think back on the night without the filter of anxiety. She opened her mouth to speak but he stopped her.

“Stop,” he said quickly. Amy was confused. “Now I’ve only watched this show with my friends, I mean Rosa only hate watches it but I think she’s secretly as obsessed as Charles, but during these interviews on the first night, they’re always excited and seem like they really want to be here.” He sighed, stepping out from behind the camera. “I’m guessing it wasn’t your choice and you don’t totally want to be here.”

“You’d be right about that.”

“Well we’re going to have to work on your acting skills as well as your small talk skills then,” he said with a kind smile. “You can do this. We’ve just got to have you looking like you’re happy and not like you just had a man tell you that you should smile more.”

Amy laughed, her hand reaching up to cover the snort that resulted from it. “Fair enough. So what do you want me to do?”

He walked back behind the camera, eyeing her thoughtfully. “How’d your parents meet?”

She stared at him, wondering how this would help. Getting a bit more comfortable in the chair, Amy recalled the story of her parents meeting. “My mom had just moved from Florida to New York City. A week after she got there, she went to the laundromat. There was almost no one there. At one point she opened a top dryer to throw in a load when she opened the door into my dad’s face. She was so embarrassed that she volunteered to do all of his laundry as well. She found him ice and they talked for a few hours as they did their laundry and my mom tried to prove that she wasn’t trying to maim him. He said his clothes turned out better when she did them than when he does. He wrote down his number and told her to call him so she could tell her all of her laundry secrets. But my mom said it would be simpler if he just asked her out like he wanted to anyway.” Amy smiled happily at the memory of her mother regaling her with the story. “And the rest is history.”

“There’s that smile,” he said softly from behind the camera. Amy realized she was smiling naturally and that had been his plan all along. “So trying to maintain that, how was tonight?”

Amy felt her smile grow, not by thinking of the night, but by realizing what a gift this random cameraman had. He knew how to get the authentic feelings out of her that she needed to sell the show. So Amy talked about the guys and how kind and goofy they seemed. She talked about how excited she was to have this journey with these men ahead of her. While still trying to hold on to the same feeling, she even managed to choke out a line about hopefully finding the man she could fall in love with.

Amy sighed as the cameraman held up his thumb, signalling that they got the desired footage. He walked over and shook her hand. “I think we have more than enough. Thanks for being a good sport.”

Amy laughed. “Thanks for understanding that I’m not a natural for the camera.”

He smiled brightly. “I think you are. You just need a little encouragement. Everyone does now and again. I can’t imagine how terrible I’d be.”

Amy tilted her head and looked at him with an appraising gaze. “I bet you’d be better than you think. But really, thank you. It helps to have someone who seems cool with my awkwardness.”

“Can’t wait to see that on a date with ten guys,” he joked.

Amy cringed. “Ugh, please don’t make me think of it.” She shook her head as she took her heels off again.

“I’m pretty sure that’s tomorrow,” he said apologetically. “But I can find stuff to throw at you from behind the camera to loosen you up a bit if you’d like.” He smiled goofily at her.

Shaking her head, Amy laughed, imagining how that would go down. “I’ll think about it.” Amy picked up the train of her dress, turning to finally leave the mansion for the night. She opened the door before turning back to look at him. “You know what, I don’t think I ever got your name.”

He looked up, a surprised expression on his face before he smiled. “It’s Jake.”

Also posted on AO3!

[thoughtfulpaperback]

Television and White People problems I cant relate to

I might make people mad, but I am just gonna say it. A good half the time I cannot relate to the problems and motivations of white people on TV. But I am going to list some scenarios that I cannot relate to

1. Unaffectionate Parents/parents that arent around much/parents who are strict = bad parents who ruin thier children

Listen purposefully withholding affection from your child as a manipulation tactic does equal bad parent. Never allowing your child to make meaningful connections outside of the home as a way to control them = abusive parent. But like shows like Gilmore Girls have the main character and side characters acting as if she has been horribly scarred by thier parents not letting them listen to rock or run around and dirtying an expensive dress. Or they excuse or justify a characters bad behavior because thier parents aren't around (usually these are rich characters).

I am a working class Latina and I always felt this was total BS. My grandparents were not affectionate people. There were no hugs or I love yous after the age of 5. Both worked long days and I was constantly left in charge of my siblings. I wasnt allowed to wear makeup until after I was 15 (I didnt start wearing it until I was 18) and when I did my grandpa constantly made comments like "what do you have on you face?" "Only ugly women have to wear makeup!" "If God wanted your nails to change color every month he would have made it so they could without that junk (nail polish)!". I wasnt allowed to listen to rap music. If my grandma bought me an outfit I wasnt allowed to do anything to get it dirty

I wasnt allowed to stay the night at a friends house until I was in high school and even then my grandparents preferred people stayed the night at our house versus me going to someone elses.

Guess what...I am fine. I never was rebellious. I knew they loved me. I knew they cared. I wasnt a teen parent. I can tell people I love them. I am affectionate with people I am close to. I graduated college. I was a good, friendly, well adjusted kid. All of my Latina friends were too. But like every other white "bad kid" or "jerk" is that way because of thier parents supposed lack of interest.

Listen I get the validity of loneliness or even anger at feeling as if your parents are not interested in you. I am just saying it is something that is not in my experience, so I have a hard time relating to it even though it is a very common troupe.

2. Cutting out family members/estranged family.

Ok so my Latina self has never, ever understood this movie plotline. Like I have extended family who may not even be related to me that are big idiots, which everyone recognizes, but I still see them at all the family events because it is rude not to invite them when they are family. Like we do not stand physically abusive people in my family. But that is what you have to be in order to be cut off from us. Stupid? A Mooch? Toxic? Prejudiced? A very annoying drunk? All those things are okay warrant toleration because you are family. And again this is extended family. In movies or shows where the child has cut off the parents from thier life or that make snide remarks or talk back to them...OMG not only can I not relate but I cannot even process.

Again I am not saying that people should have to tolerate any behavior which causes them anxiety or makes them uncomfortable. But like the idea of ever cutting out my grandparents or even my mother completely out of my life is unimaginable. Right not agree with the things they do or say, and I may not make an effort to reach out to my mom, but I will never purposefully avoid or talk bad about them to any one. And believe me my mom is pretty toxic but I would never hinder her ability to reach me if she needs me. I will no longer go out of my way to please her, but moving away having children and not letting her be part of thier lives. Nope not doing it.

Most of my latino friends live in multi-generational homes (grandparent, great-parents, parents, self and thier children). So just the idea that your grandparents or parents live in a different home than you was hard enough to wrap my mind around while watching TV. The idea that you moved across the country to get away from your family unimaginable.

Again not condemning any one who does that just explaining why minded just cant relate.

3. 18=Adult and going crazy

I am 25 (I think, I forget) years old. I am a virgin, I didnt have a sip of alcohol until I was 23 or right when I turned 24 (again I forget). I've never had a boyfriend. I have only been on like 3 dates with 1 person. I still ask my grandparents permission to go places, I tell them my plans and who I am with. I do this unprompted. My grandparents dont demand that I do it. I just do.

Dont get the wrong idea, I have had lots of fun. I lived on the dorms as a college freshman, I made lots of friends and was in multiple clubs, played intramural sports, worked as an activities coordinator at the college and hung out with friends. I've gone to concerts, I've traveled to multiple countries and studied abroad. I vacation with friends.

Like I could never relate to teenagers or college kids on television as a teen and I still can't as an adult. Dont get me wrong freshman year of college I met the Wild kids all testing thier boundaries and exploring thier sexuality now that they were out of the house.

But that just wasnt me. I didnt feel the need to. I didnt want to drink (my house wasnt anti alcohol or anything like that). I didnt want to experience getting drunk or trying drugs. I didnt have the need or urge to do anything sexual with anyone. It wasnt because I was ashamed of my body, saving myself for marriage, or emotionally scarred by my grandparents about the subject. I just didnt want to. My grandma always tells people when they ask her how she raised me to be such a good kid (although thinking on it I should resent being called a kid at age 25) that my brother and just came out perfect or the closest thing to perfect. Like I am not saying that to claim that I am, but just to give y'all the idea of how non wild I am.

18 was a wierd age for me. I was exploring mostly myself as an individual seperate from my family. Figuring out what I liked because when you live with so many people you kind of blend interests. Sometimes I dont know if I actually like an activities that I frequently do or if I frequently do it because one of my siblings likes it.

Making friends outside of family. I always had friends growing up but my closest friends were my siblings and cousins. College was the beginning of meeting people from different backgrounds and becoming friends based on common interests rather than out of convenience. A great transition to my next unrelateable troupe.

3. Peer Pressure and letting bullies get away with it.

So like for the longest time, TV made it seem like it was hard to stand up to bullies, like it was Big deal and hard decision to stand up for someone else. Like to an extent some more recent shows still do it (Glee for one). And I just cant relate.

I never cared what other kids thought of me. I was always secure in who I was and happy with myself. While I wanted to please my family, i never felt pressured to please anyone else to to follow the mass consensus on what is cool or not. I also could never stand a bully.

In elementary school I flipped over my shared desk when my desk mate called the new girl (who was on medications that made her fall asleep during class a re***d) and told him that if him and the entire class that if they have a problem with her then they can fight me and I am obviously not kidding. (My very first outburst and threat of violence). In the 7th grade a couple of girls were harassing a girl in the bathroom for telling thier secrets. Even though it wasnt any of my business and these girls were known for actually fighting other girls, I still told them that they were being stupid and to leave her alone. Which earned me a shove against the wall and a "you want to fight me?". To which I stupidly responded "I am not afraid of you" which was a huge lie.

My childhood friends who werent related to me were usually the people who nobody wanted to be friends with. Mostly kids werent considered "able" or were too "annoying". I hated the idea of people being shunned because they werent "able" or because they didnt have a concept of volume control, personal space, or the ability to read a room) or because we were related. I straight up yelled at a guy in the middle school lunch room because he was saying that I was so nice for hanging out with the special kids especialky Bob (not his real name) because everyone hated him for not being able to shut up or go away. Bob has asperger's syndrome or was adhd I honestly dont remember. He had an assigned aid and would get too close to people and once he started talking he wouldnt stop so classes were hard for him and making friends was hard to.

In 9th grade band class I stood up and called out the drum section for laughing and calling the drum majors (a Male and a female) a f*g, ugly crack baby, and other slurs while they were conducting and then told the substitute that I refused to continue playing until they were sent to the principles and dealt with accordingly. I then walked out and put my instrument away very loudly in front of the band and pulled a chair up behind the drum majors so I could glare the entire class down while they played.

In 10th grade a made a huge scene when a guy thought he'd be cute by saying that the only reason my friends and i were doing well in Spanish class was because we were "sucking mr.------ balls". I stood up and shredded into him about how that accusation was basically calling mr.----- a pedophile and that it showed how much of a sexist pig he was that he has to basically accuse successful ladies of having to used sex to be successful because that is easier for his ego than admitting his laziness inattentiveness, and bad attitude are the reason he is failing a class about his first Language.

I also yelled at a girl in the middle of the school grounds for saying there should be a holocaust for gay people.

Apparently I am the queen of making a scene. I list these things not a bragging thing, but because they werent hard for me. Most of were just reactive. I never understood why TV made doing the right thing seem like it was so hard and that you were being a freaking martyr.

I was never bullied. I knew that kids didnt like me but no one every messed with me or harrassed me the way they did other people. Doing the right thing did not make my life harder. Standing up for people wasnt some herculean task that took like two days of thinking and emotional preparation. The "majority" of people allowing mean spirited people to harrassed others never swayed me to let it go. Indifference was never an option in my mind.

So I was always really frustrated by characters who didnt automatically help a person who was being harrased. It is my least favorite TV or movie plotline. And again I can't relate.

Again this isnt to bash on anyone or to suggest that making a scene or putting yourself at risk are the only ways of helping others and standing up for others.