#love how the bow tie obviously came off straight after the show finished

[davidtennan-t]

*barking noises*

[ijustwant2write]

Stalkers-Aziraphale x Reader x Crowley

(GIF credit to @fuckyeahgoodomens​)

Requested by anonymous: ‘Would you do a platonic Good Omens imagine where Aziraphale & Crowley become close to human graduate student and they follow her on a date (and she notices them) because their protective (you can decide if the date goes good or bad)?’

Characters: Aziraphale x Reader (platonic), Crowley x Reader (platonic)

Meanings: (Y/N)=Your name

Warnings: Mentions of break ups and cheating, FLUFF FLUFF FLUFF

                                        *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

(Y/N) strolled around the corner of a book shelf, arms swinging with a book in one hand as she approached the till, where Aziraphale was waiting with a customer. She held out the book to him, a big smile on her face.

“(Y/N), that’s the wrong book dear.” Aziraphale awkwardly said.

“Oh!” the young woman gasped, looking at the cover. She was meant to find a novel about a dystopian future, with conflict and struggles of hierarchy. Looking at the cover, she realised she had picked up a romantic tale.“I am so sorry, I will go and find the other one-”

“No!” Aziraphale blurted out.“N-no, don’t worry. I’ll go find it.”

“OK, sorry again.”

Once he had finished with the customer, Aziraphale went to find (Y/N), who was stacking books on the shelves. She smiled at him as he approached her, and he copied, but it was clear to see that he was uneasy.

“I just want to talk about what happened earlier.” he started.

“I’m really sorry about that again. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“It’s not that, I’m not concerned about embarrassment. I’m more worried about you.”

“Me?”

“You know this bookshop back to back. You’ve worked here since you started university. It was just a shock that you picked up the wrong book, and took so long to get it.”

“I wasn’t that long was I?”

“You took fifteen minutes.”

“I mean, people make mistakes.”

“Of course they do, nobody is perfect. But it’s so out of character for you. Are you feeling well?”

She nodded, returning back to her job.“Absolutely fine.”

“Because you know you can tell me.”

“I know.”

“If anything is wrong, I am always here-”

“I’ve got a date tonight.”

He hadn’t expected that answer.“A-a date?”

She nodded.“Yeah, uh, it’s with this guy from one of my lectures. We’ve been friends...well, sort of friends for the last year, but he asked me out the other day and obviously I’ve said yes. So I’m freaking out a little bit.”

Aziraphale was shocked by her quick rambling, stumbling over his own words as he processed everything.“O-oh, well, that is very exciting! Why are you worried?”

“Because I haven’t been on a date since...well you know.”

“Oh, of course. You are going though, aren’t you?”

She sighed.“I was-”

“You should! This is great news!”

“But what if I’m awkward? If I’ve forgotten what it’s like to date?”

“Tell you what,” he started to take the books out her her hands,“you take the rest of the day off. Go relax, get ready for tonight, and enjoy yourself!”

“Aziraphale, I really shouldn’t-”

“I won’t take no for an answer. You need to relax and calm down before tonight. I think you’re going to be surprised with how much fun you’ll have.”

“If you’re sure...I mean, I am a bit excited.”

Aziraphale grinned at the sight of his friend blushing.“Good! Keep in high spirits and you shall have a great evening.”

(Y/N) put on her coat, saying her goodbyes to Aziraphale as she slung her handbag over her shoulder before putting her earphones in. The angel kept the smile on his face until the door shut, then his true feelings were unleashed. Panic struck him, mumbling to himself as he stressed over his friend. He knew he needed help on this, instantly calling Crowley to the bookshop.

Crowley had been bored out of his mind that day, so when the phone rang, he answered far too quickly, having to put on a reserved attitude as he spoke. Hearing Aziraphale’s tone made him agree to come straight away, even though he didn’t know what the problem was. Bursting into the bookshop (thinking another Armageddon was approaching), he called out for the angel, who popped out from nowhere, his eyes wide.

“Oh thank God you’re here.” Aziraphale sighed in relief.

“Well, I wouldn’t be thanking him-”

“It’s (Y/N).”

Crowley didn’t care about his smooth persona anymore, not when it came to (Y/N).“What? What’s happened?”

“She’s got a date.”

Crowley stared at him, mouth open. After a few seconds, he spoke,“That’s what you called me here for?”

“Yes! How are you not worried?”

“Because it’s a normal thing for young adults to do?”

“But this is (Y/N)! You remember the last relationship?”

Crowley softened at that.“Oh, you have a point.”

(Y/N) had not been attending university for long when she first applied for the bookshop. She was just eighteen when she started, much quieter and shy back then, but Aziraphale decided to take her under his wing (no pun intended). He and Crowley had become friends with her, watching her grow as she studied hard, not without stressing herself out at times of course. However, they had also been there when the first boyfriend came onto the scene. (Y/N) had been so excited, infatuated with this boy. They had dated for a year and a half, it had been so lovely at the beginning. Even the angel and demon liked him; until he made the fatal mistake of breaking her heart.

That boyfriend had all but ripped her heart out of her chest, torn it to pieces in front of her face before stamping on it. After all the dates, the presents, the studying together, supporting each other through their studies, the cute pictures and talks about their future, he randomly decided to sleep with someone else. The man (Y/N) thought she could see a future with had never showed any signs of leaving her, or no longer having an interest. He flat out admitted it when she confronted him, suddenly expressing how he didn’t find her attractive anymore and that she had been a waste of time. It broke (Y/N), and although she wanted to believe that someone would come along and cherish her just as he did in the beginning, it was extremely hard to imagine such a thing after those harsh words.

“I know I shouldn’t judge others, especially since I don’t know the man...” Aziraphale said.

Crowley removed his glasses.“Well, how did she look when she told you?”

“Happy, she was nervous but giddy. She’s worried that she’ll embarrass herself, though I could see the excitement in her eyes.”

“Well that settles it then.”

“What?”

“We have to follow them.”

“How did that make you think of following them?”

“(Y/N) has mixed emotions, she may not think straight because she’s overwhelmed.”

“She’s a smart young lady, she’ll be able to tell if she likes him or not.”

“Still, we don’t know this guy. I think to be on the safe side, we should tag along.”

“A-a double date?”

“What? No! We need disguises, we need to follow after them.”

“So, stalk them?”

“Stop making it weird. Come on, let’s figure out what we’re wearing.”

(Y/N) couldn’t stop staring at her reflection. She had spent more time than needed on her hair and makeup, picking out her jewellery before putting on the outfit she decided on (which also took a while to pick out). Although she always presented herself well everyday, she hadn’t dressed up in a long time. It was almost refreshing to see herself like this, she felt beautiful. Smiling at herself, she was broken out of her trance as her phone buzzed. Quickly grabbing it, she saw her dates name pop up, stating they were on their way to the restaurant they chose to go to. It was now or never.

Crowley and Aziraphale waited down the road from (Y/N)′s student house, seeing her leave and head in the opposite direction. Crowley was more confident sneaking around, purposefully walking quickly so Aziraphale would keep up with him and not think about backing out of this. For disguises, they decided they needed to dress young, blend into the crowd; Aziraphale wore an oversized jumper with an equally long striped scarf, his usual bow tie still on, as well as jeans and converse. Crowley had on a black denim jacket with a black and white patterned silk shirt, black jeans with boots definitely meant for hiking, as well as blacked out circular glasses and a beanie. Aziraphale felt ridiculous, hating how people stared, but Crowley was too focused on the mission to notice.

They followed her to the restaurant, casually leaning against a building across the road as they watched the man and woman embrace. He kindly held the door open for her, gesturing for her to go ahead.

“He seems gentlemanly.” Aziraphale pointed out.

“No, this is their game you see. He wants her to think he’s a gentleman, when he’s the total opposite! I’ve seen it happen many times before. They’re all ‘Mr Nice Guy’ just so she’ll go home with him.”

“That’s a little extreme, don’t you think-”

“Come on!” Crowley grabbed Aziraphale’s wrist, dragging him across the street. 

(Y/N) thanked her date as he tucked in her chair for her. It wasn’t a high end restaurant, and it was only late afternoon, but this is how they wanted it to be. They were already friends, it would be awkward if they were properly dressed up in a posh place. He had already complimented her, making her blush, and they were able to slide into a conversation. It was like any other time they had been hanging out, except there was a romantic element to it all.

“There they are.” Aziraphale whispered to Crowley as they entered the building. 

Not waiting to be seated, Crowley guided the pair towards the couple, finding a table close enough that they could watch their every move without being spotted. Sitting down, Crowley shoved a menu into his friend’s hands, holding it in front of his head with his eyes peering over the edge.

“He tucked in her chair for her, that’s sweet of him.” Aziraphale smiled.

“Remember what I said.” Crowley frowned.

“Perhaps we’re being a tad dramatic. I was paranoid this morning, but seeing them together has calmed me.”

“I’m not sure. He could be pretending.”

The squabble was disturbed when (Y/N)’s laugh rang out, along with her date’s. Her friends turned to see her covering her mouth as she continued giggling, her eyes still on the man across from her.

“That doesn’t count.” Crowley quickly protested.

A waitress came over to their table, surprised by how quickly the men ordered their food and the lack of eye contact. What shocked her the most was when she tried to take the menus away, but they gripped onto them with their lives. It was the only way they could hide from (Y/N). She backed away, not too phased because when you work in this sort of service, you do get your weirdos. 

“Maybe we should just leave...” Aziraphale felt less stressed, he had a good feeling about this man. She looked much more calm, more natural with him than she did with her ex, and this was only the first date. 

“But we’ve ordered.” Crowley moaned.

“I feel like we’re imposing. I know we wanted to check on her, but (Y/N)’s an adult, she knows how to handle herself.”

“Let’s at least wait for our food-”

“But what if they spot us! We can take it to go.”

“It’ll be cold by the time we get back, and we’ve ordered drinks!”

(Y/N) tried to concentrate on her date’s words, she had been invested in his story until a couple on another table started bickering. It was just human nature to pry, and she had glanced a few times over at them. They were an extravagant pair, wearing clothes that made them stand out. It wasn’t a bad thing, people were allowed to express themselves.But there was something about them that made her keep staring. 

“Hey, I’m just going to quickly pop to the loo.” (Y/N) said, smiling at her date just as he did, before she stood up, heading towards the odd couple.

Aziraphale and Crowley were too caught up in their argument to notice that (Y/N) had left the table, and was headed right towards them. She suddenly appeared at the table, crouching down on the other side so her date couldn’t see her.

“What are you two doing?!” she harshly whispered.

They were shocked by her, flinching in their seats. Aziraphale sighed.“I knew this would happen!”

“Are you two following me?”

“It was Crowley’s idea!”

“You were the one who called me!”

“Enough you two!” (Y/N) quietly exclaimed.“Do you know how much you’re invading my privacy right now?”

Aziraphale had a calm tone to his voice.“We just wanted to make sure you’re alright. And how did you know it was us?”

“Have you seen your outfits? You stick out like a sore thumb.”

“I thought these were very on trend?” Crowley said.

“In 2013 maybe.”

“We’re sorry. We were only thinking of you, your safety, your happiness. And we were going to leave, but Crowley is complaining about the food-”

“It’s good food here!”

“As long as you two don’t interfere with my date, you can stay. Just don’t stare, or watch.”

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Aziraphale smiled.“He seems like a lovely gentleman.”

Crowley groaned.“Stop calling him that.”

(Y/N) relaxed a little.“He’s...he’s a sweetheart. I feel comfortable with him, happy too. I’m having a great time...was having a great time.”

Aziraphale placed a hand on her shoulder.“We promise we won’t do anything. Honestly, I’m quite hungry and parched now that I’m thinking of our order.”

(Y/N) pondered for a moment.“Fine. You’re right, the food here is pretty good, I can’t take that away from you. But next time you do a stake out, try to blend in, yeah?”

[yukheisrosie]

F4 Fanfic!!! BTS x EXO!! Chapter 5~

Will be titling them 'Chapter' instead of 'Part' LMAO - i'm a mess whoops.

Word Count: 2,810

A BTS x EXO fanfic!!

Based off the netflix series 'Meteor Garden' :-)

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

"I still can't believe you scored us invitations to F4's Senior party of the year." Namjoon claps his hands together, checking himself out in the mirror

"I knew becoming your friend in second grade was gonna pay off." He sighs confidently before getting a pillow thrown at his face by Chelsy

"Are you sure we have to wear tuxedos?" Yoongi asks, pushing Namjoon out of the way to look at himself

Namjoon just fixes his blazer in annoyance as well as fixing his hair in the process

"It's hosted at Sehun's mansion." Chelsy says from her chair

"Jungkook said to dress as fancy as possible." She sighs, finishing up her powder

She glances at her reflection on her vanity for the umpteenth time before finally turning around to face the boys- instantly catching their attention

"Okay." She puffs, smiling at the wide eyed reactions across from her

"How's this?"

She motions to her outfit, hair and makeup, completely oblivious at the fact they were practically drooling over her beauty

The boys were silent until Namjoon gladly spoke up

"You look beautiful, Chels!" He smiles brightly

"Absolutely stunning." He nods

"You're going to be the prettiest one there." He continues to compliment and Chelsy lets out a soft laugh before fixing her dress

She then looks over at Yoongi, who was more in awe than anything

Quickly brushing it off, he holds back a compliment, keeping himself grounded

"Who are you trying to impress?" He asks

"Is the president coming?"

Chelsy rolls her eyes at his sense of humor, then questioning back

"Are we all ready?"

Both boys nod as Namjoon nods in a faster pace than Yoongi

"Who's driving?" Namjoon asks and just as Chelsy was going to reply, the doorbell from the front of the house interrupted the moment

Chelsy sends her two friends a bright smile before motioning the both of them down the stairs

She lets out a quick breath, calming her already beating heart down before grabbing the handle and opening the door completely, revealing a well dressed up Jungkook standing there with a warm smile

She tried everything within her to collect herself from melting at his handsomeness

Jeon Jungkook in a suit and tie waiting outside her doorstep was ten times better than what she expected

"Hello." The boy smiles, bowing in respect towards the girl

"You look very lovely in that dress." He compliments before looking behind her at the two boys

"And very nice pick for both of you if I might add."

"The red napkin is a flashy touch." He smiles towards Namjoon

The two boys just squint at him for a bit as Chelsy stares in awe, frozen at her stance

She quickly clears her throat, snapping back into the moment- placing a hair behind her ear

"Ready?"

Jungkook fixes his posture, stepping aside to the let the three out first

"After you guys." He smiles

Chelsy bows, hiding her blushed face while walking out quickly to the car

Both Yoongi and Namjoon take a long look at Jungkook before taking their time to walk past him, Yoongi letting out a small scoff on his way out

Jungkook just keeps his smile up, letting out a small laugh while closing the door before following them down the driveway

"You really didn't have to get a limo." Chelsy scoffs as Jungkook watches the three friends from across the other side of the car

"My family owns three." He smiles brightly

"It's how I get around from place to place."

He takes a sip carefully from his glass of wine in his hand

"Care for a glass?" He offers

"There will be plenty more at the party- but if you guys wouldn't mind a sneak peek."

Namjoon gulps a bit as Yoongi keeps his arms crossed against his chest

"You don't drive your own car?" Joon asks, leaning over and gladly taking a glass from his hand

"I do." Jungkook smiles

"But I only do that when I want to clear my head."

He sighs, taking another sip

"Majority of the time I like to be by myself." He confesses

"So some days I take a long drive out to the city."

A light 'pfft' escaped from Yoongi's mouth, having the other three let out a shared laugh at the obviously jealous boy

The rest of the car ride consisted of Namjoon being in awe from absolutely everything, Yoongi keeping his 'i couldn't care less' look smeared on his face, and Chelsy discovering more reasons to admire Jungkook

The two would exchange small smiles along the way, making Yoongi grow more irritated

once they got to the house, chanyeol noticed how quiet and in shock the three were

He laughs at their reactions before sitting up tall, fixing his blazer

"Shall we?" He suggests and not even a split second after, both doors on each end of the car open

Chelsy looks to her side to see one of the body guards with his hand out, offering help out of the car

"After you." Jungkook smiles as she looks at him for the a-okay

Chelsy lets out a small scoff before clearing her throat, allowing the bodyguard to lead her

As the four walk up towards the front doors to the mansion, Namjoon couldn't help but ask

"What did his family invent again?"

It was a small silence until Jungkook came in

"Sehun hyung's great great great-" He pauses, smiling

"Great great grandpa was the original king of Oh Dynasty from over a million years ago." He explains

"The throne was passed down for decades up til today." He continues his story as they approach the stairs to the doors

"Now Sehun's parents are the most recent generation and they decided to expand their family riches- creating the first successful bank in Korea."

Chelsy stands there, trying to process everything as Jungkook just calmly continues to talk as if he had told this story countless of times before

"They're a pretty big deal here."

"I'm sorry-" Namjoon scoffs, shutting his eyes for a moment

"Let me get this straight-"

He lets out a breath before opening them again

"You're telling me, Sehun is both royalty AND apart of one of the biggest things to ever happen in Korea?" He asks, lightweight freaking out

Jungkook just smiles as he watches him unfold

"How rich can a man get?" He laughs, looking at the view of the house from behind and back to the front door

"Money is unlimited when it comes to hyung and his family's history." Jungkook replies, facing the door, waiting patiently

"Growing up, everything was given to him."

"No matter how many times he wanted to go out and achieve things on his own-  Sehun hyung's parents believe that as long as you're wealthy, you never have to work a day in your life."

"That's pretty heavy." Namjoon responds and Jungkook sighs in agreement

"It's also one of the main reasons why Sehun reacts towards everything the way he does."

He looks over at Chelsy from aside him

The girl just looks up, meeting eyes for a split second until Jungkook faced forward again

Chelsy was going to butt in when suddenly the two large doors in front of them opened to a grand staircase that lead two ways up the stairs

All of the three's eyes grew at the entire inside of the house as Jungkook casually walks in, greeting the first people he sees-

Which just so happens to be the remaining part of F4

Baekhyun and Lucas smile as the familiar face approaches them

"It's about time you came." Baek teases, placing a hand on his shoulder

"We thought you were going to miss dessert."

Lucas looks behind his shoulder at the three other people standing like statues at the front door

"I see you brought your guests." He lets out a laugh as Jungkook joins the two to look

"She didn't want to come unless her two other friends came." Jungkook replies lightly

"I didn't want her to feel uncomfortable."

"Since when did you care about how other people feel?" Baekhyun raises an eyebrow

Jungkook couldn't help but sigh a little

"I've always cared, hyung."

"Leave the boy alone." Lucas nudges his arm, defending Jungkook

"He's been through a lot."

"Especially ever since Rosie-"

"I'm going to go get them to properly introduce you guys." Jungkook interrupts with a smile

The two boys look over at him in silence as Baekhyun clears his throat, nodding

Before Lucas could even get out a small apology, Jungkook had already turned around and started to walk back towards the door

"Nice going, you idiot." Baekhyun squints, slapping the back of Lucas's head

"You already know how hard it was for him when she left." He curses

"At least show some decency."

Lucas just rubs the spot where Baekhyun had hit before the two were joined in by Jungkook and his company

"Yoongi, Namjoon, Chelsy- Baekhyun hyung and Lucas." He introduces with a smile as the two members bow their heads in respect before greeting them

"Broken phone girl." Baekhyun smiles

"That was pretty brave of you- what you did during lunch hour."

"Yeah, we've never seen such a bawlsy girl like yourself." Lucas adds in

"You don't think it's going to be awkward when you and hyung meet again?"

He looks at the girl and suddenly it hit her

She was so far up her fantasy with Jungkook, she didn't realize this was most likely a horrible idea

"Sehun hyung knows she's here, right?" Lucas asks, now looking at Jungkook

Jungkook just remained in his calm ora when their attention was caught from the host himself-

Walking towards them from across the room

It was kind of like a slow motion scene you'd see in the movies

Where the handsome guy walks through, catching everyone in awe or admiration-

Except his looks were the only good thing about him

Chelsy brushed the small infatuation he had given her and let out a quick breath, trying to calm her heart down the closer he approached

Sehun just kept up a small smirk the entire way, bowing at the guests he had invited, and even greeting the elder ones with a soft hug before walking all the way up to the group

Chelsy gulps a little noticing how close he was to her

She looks over with wide eyes as Sehun completely ignores contact, keeping his attention amongst his friends

"The place is well put together, hyung." Lucas smiles

"He's right." Baekhyun agrees

"You really showed your mom your responsible side when you thought this out."

"We're proud of you for taking over the family business."

Sehun holds up a cocky smile before agreeing with the two

"It's not in my hands just yet." He says

"We'll find out by the end of this semester."

He lets out a sigh, placing both hands behind his back

"Nothing can distract me for this not to happen."

It was then in that moment where Sehun felt as if the group was a little bigger than usual

He looks to Jungkook's side as he meets eyes with a familiar face

Chelsy holds in a breath as the two stare at each other

She started to feel her palms clam up as she tries to look other ways, but the cold stare was hitting her hard

She couldn't tell if he was mad or not

Then all of a sudden Sehun looks away, and towards the other two guys- in which he has never seen before

"Jungkook-ah." Sehun clears his throat, meeting eyes with Namjoon before looking at his friend

"I'm guessing you invited these freshman?" He asks, trying to remain calm

Jungkook just smiles before stepping forward

"You broke her phone, hyung." He scoffs

"This is the least you can do."

Sehun continues to look at him before turning back to face the girl

"Don't get too excited." He warns

He leans in close, making Chelsy quickly take a step back

"This is just a one time thing." He continues

Baekhyun and Lucas roll their eyes from the side, shaking their heads in disbelief towards both Yoongi and Namjoon in reassurance

Chelsy remains quiet before brushing off her nerves

She quickly fixes her dress before standing up straight again

"No offense but I wouldn't enjoy myself here even if the president himself walked through those doors right now." She snaps back, catching everyone off guard

Sehun furrows his eyebrows at the girl in anger as the rest of the group let out small laughs

He quickly sends them all a death glare before facing the girl again

It looked like he wanted to say something but had to restrain himself from doing so

Instead, the boy just stands up straight- fixing his blazer again

"I'm going to greet the other guests." He says, still looking at Chelsy

"You know, the ones who were actually invited."

He clears his throat, giving the guys one last look before shoving past Chelsy who just rolled her eyes in response, crossing her arms over her chest

It was quiet until Baekhyun came in

"I think it's time for a drink." He suggests, sighing into a smile

"He's right." Lucas nods

"Follow us, we'll show you guys around."

He motions with his head as Jungkook stepped aside for the two to follow ahead first, having him and Chelsy be the last ones to catch up

"If I made things a big deal, you could tell me." Chelsy says as they follow the rest of the group throughout the halls

"He's right." She confesses, sighing a little, looking down

"We weren't invited." She continues

"We have no right to be here."

"But you were invited." Jungkook replies calmly, looking straight ahead as Chelsy watches his side profile

"All three of you."

"By me."

"But you're not the host." Chelsy slightly argues back

Jungkook glances at her, cracking a smile before going back into his position

"F4 is one unit." He responds

"What's their business is also mine."

He keeps his smile up

"Hence towards the fact he couldn't do anything but agree." He explains

"That and because he knows this party is way too important to deal with a useless situation."

Chelsy stays quiet for a bit as Jungkook smiles down at her before continuing to walk

The rest of the night Chelsy tried to brush off the feeling of being unwelcomed and tried to instead enjoy her moment being at such a fancy and royalty party

She accepted each new drink given her way by both Baekhyun and Lucas, fascinated by the story on how each bottle was both made and imported

It wasn't long before she realized Jungkook had disappeared from the group

She looks around at the unfamiliar faces before excusing herself from the small conversation- going out on her own to find the boy

Walking around, she lets out a small sigh- and just as she was going to take her last sip out of her cup, she notices a familiar figure on the balcony, overlooking the view

She smiles to herself before placing her cup down and walking towards him

Jungkook didn't seem to be fazed by Chelsy's company as she quietly approaches him

She takes a look to where his attention was on before looking back up at the boy, noticing him just staring out into the distance

She wanted to say something, but nothing could come to her mind

That was until Jungkook was the first to speak

"Do you know the distance between time, from here to California?" He asks out of nowhere

Chelsy steps back, thinking a little

"Seventeen hours." Jungkook answers for her

He pauses for a bit, letting out a small sigh- keeping both of his hands in his pant pockets while his eyes were still on the view before him

"The people in the U.S-" He starts

"Their days always start when mine ends."

Chelsy remains quiet as Jungkook finally breaks his stance to turn towards her

"I'm not sure if I understand-" She lets out softly

She sighs in disappointment at herself as Jungkook replies with a simple smile

"There's no need." He says, letting out a little laugh

"We should go back to join them." he suggests, now changing the subject

"Otherwise they'd be worried."

Before Chelsy could nod and agree, Jungkook was already on his way back inside

She stays there for a while, letting out a soft sigh

She turns to look out into the distance, trying to figure out what he meant

'why did he mention California?' was all she could think about

Letting out another sigh, it was clear that there was more to Jungkook than just a quiet, friendly personality-

And she was dying to find out more about him

[katefiction]

Black Velvet (smut)

by katefiction (Maria) / 2012

Disclaimer from Maria: I never wanted my adult stories to see the light of day again! But I’ve been told some people want to read them. I want to make clear that I’m absolutely mortified with embarrassment at these adult fictions. They make me cringe into the depths of my soul and I think the sex scenes and dirty talk are awful. But there we go. Enjoy!

The camera flashes were blinding as William placed a hand on the small of his wife’s back and led her to the car.

Once safely inside, Kate let out a long sigh, ‘I’m emotionally exhausted’, she said, leaning her head on his shoulder and their driver pulled out into the road.

The night had been a glamourous one, with Kate wearing a form fitting strapless black velvet gown and rubies draped around her neck; but the stories of the military heroes had taken centre stage.

‘You’ll get used to it’, Will said, giving her hand a squeeze. ‘God, your hands are freezing!’

It was December and Kate had come out without a coat. Kate sat up straight and placed her hand on his knee, across the middle seat that separated them.

‘Warm me up’ she said. He took her hand between both of his and rubbed them together.

‘How can I be so tired, yet have so much energy buzzing through me?’ she said, staring aimlessly out of the window, watching London’s night whizz past.

‘That’s the problem with these events’, he said rubbing each of her fingers in turn. ‘You always feel like you need to release some energy afterwards.’

She turned to him and cocked her eyebrow.

‘What?!’ he laughed. ‘I didn’t mean that, but obviously it’s on your mind.’

‘Mmm’ she replied simply, aware that there was no glass between them and the driver and he could hear their conversation, despite very professionally acting like he couldn’t.

A few minutes went by as they faced away from each other, both watching the journey out of their windows, William’s hand placed on top of Kate’s, still resting on his knee.

He felt her hand slide from under his, down to inside his leg. Slowly, while still looking away from him, her delicate fingers grazed upwards, until they found the bulge of his crotch.  

At first her strokes were gentle, her fingers merely playing with him as if she was playing the piano. It was relaxing having her caress him like this, William thought, as she often did to his hair after a long day at work. Deep in his own thoughts, he failed to notice this as anything different until they began to move deliberately, rising and falling, up and down, over the fabric. William looked at her, suddenly aware of her intentions.

He knew she could feel him looking at her, but she didn’t flinch. He cleared his throat to get her attention, but nothing. Taking her hand, he lifted it off him and placed it back on his knee, but as soon as he turned his head, it was back on his growing bulge.

‘Kate’, he said finally in a whisper, trying to sound firm. ‘Stop!’

She turned around and gave him a wry smile that told him he was fighting a losing battle. She continued, only now it was firmer.

As they drove through the streets of London, William willed himself to stay composed and not get an erection as Kate teased him. But then came what he was dreading and longing for in equal measure. Kate undid the button on his trousers and drew down the zip so slowly that it made him wince.

She slid her fingers into the flap of his boxers, her now warm skin making contact with his. She pulled his penis out of the his boxers and through his trousers and began to stroke its length with her soft palm. William let out a grunt, but tried to disguise it with a cough in case the driver were to turn around.

‘How long until we get home?’, Will asked the driver loudly.

‘Five minutes sir’, he replied.

William wasn’t sure he would last that long. As if Kate knew what he was thinking, she moved her attention to the tip using her two forefingers to run over the sensitive head. William gritted his teeth. He knew how mortifying it would be to get caught, but he didn’t want her to stop.

Finally he saw Kensington Palace in sight and was nearly fully erect in her hand. As they pulled up to the drive, Kate whipped her hand away. William stuffed himself back into his trousers as Kate let herself out of the car.

‘Thank you, goodnight’ he heard her say to the driver. William looked down. His hard on was obvious. Pulling off his jacket, he folded it over his arm to cover his crotch. After thanking the driver, he followed Kate into the palace, of which they had to walk through to reach their cottage on the grounds.

William walked fast as he saw the bottom of Kate’s dress sweep around a corner.

‘Oh your royal highness!’, a footman called from behind him as he was about to catch up with her. He turned around. ‘Sorry to bother you at this late hour, but Mr. Lowther-Pinkerton asked me to give you a message…’

The footman went on excruciatingly slowly, telling William about a meeting the next day. All the while, his penis was straining to burst through the fabric.

‘…So he asked me to give you these notes’, he finished. William lifted his arm to take the notes, inadvertently lifting his jacket, revealing his tent-pole erection.  

The footman noticed, but composed himself quickly, ‘well, yes…that’s all. Good night sir’.

‘Goodnight’, William replied , turning and rushing away. ‘She is in so much trouble’, he said to himself.

                                                    ***

There was silence when William opened the door to Nottingham Cottage. ‘Kate!’, he called, throwing his things on the sofa. He stepped into the kitchen, where he found her drinking some water behind the breakfast bar.

‘Hello’ she said innocently.

‘Catherine, do you realise the footman just saw my hard on?’

‘What have I told you about flashing the staff?’, she retorted.

‘You’re not funny’, he said walking around to her side of the table. ‘And you’re going to pay for that, come here.’

She backed away from him and laughed, ‘I don’t think so’. He reached out his arm to pull her in, but she slipped out of his reach.

‘Oh, it’s like that is it?’, William said and pounced suddenly, chasing her around the table. Kate squealed as they ran in circles around it, but she was slightly disadvantaged by her dress.

William grabbed her from behind and pinned her against the table, his penis hard in her back. He brushed the hair from her neck and kissed it.

‘Now Mrs. Wales, you’ve been a very naughty girl and you need to be punished’.

She was turned on immediately. ‘I didn’t do anything’, she said sweetly.

‘Come on’, William said, taking her by the hand and leading her to the bedroom.

                                                   ***

William shut the door behind him. Sitting down on the small one seater couch that faced the bed, he undid the top buttons on his shirt and untied his bow tie.

‘Take that off’, he said smirking, eyeing her dress up and down.

Kate stood in front of him, took off her necklace and placed it on the bedside table. ‘There’ she said.

‘Don’t play games with me’ he said, shaking his head. ‘Your dress – now.’

Kate narrowed her eyes. She wondered how long it would take him to give in and let her have some control back. Pulling down he zip, her dress fell to the floor, landing in a heap at her feet.

William surveyed her body, naked but for her thong. He patted his knee with his hand and Kate stepped out of her dress to sit on his lap.

William brushed his lip on her shoulder. ‘I’m going to show you what happens when you misbehave’, he said, trailing his undone bow tie up her thigh. She shuddered as he swept it gently between her legs.

‘Go lie on the bed.’

She did as she was told, lying on her back as William rummaged in the wardrobe.

‘What are you looking for?’, Kate asked.

‘Just wait’, he said, producing two of Kate’s long silk scarves.

‘Put your arms up’. She placed them above her head. With one of the scarves, he tied her hands to the headboard, tight enough to keep her there, but loose enough to give her some leeway. With the other, he placed it over her eyes.

Kate heart began to pound as she lifted her head so he could tie it. All she could see now was a thin shaft of light.

She suddenly felt William’s hands on her, caressing her body. He leant down and she felt his lips on her neck, her chest, and then her nipple, beginning to suck and tease. Her hand was creeping up her thigh and she began to breathe heavily. William stopped and watched her.

‘Why have you stopped?, she asked, not knowing where he was.

‘I don’t think you want it enough.’

‘I do. Of course I do! Please just keep going!’

‘Because…?’

‘Because I’m so turned on baby.’

‘Or how about because you’re too horny for your own good? I mean look at you.’ He slipped a finger under her thong to feel the slick wetness beneath. ‘You’re so wet already, so fucking wet and I haven’t even started yet.’

‘I know – ’ she couldn’t continue as his finger nudged at her entrance. He hooked his fingers over her thong and dragged it down her legs.

‘Fuck’ he said, looking at the inside of the thong, which was covered in cum. ‘Here feel how wet your pussy is’.

‘Oh!’ she gasped as he rubbed her wet thong over her hard nipples. It felt incredible. She groaned and arched her back. ‘Please…’. Kate spread her legs willing him to enter her, but he merely laughed.

‘I love it when you beg for my cock.’

‘Come on, you’ve made your point, I need you now.’

‘I haven’t made my point just yet.’ He leant down. Kate could feel his breath on her before he licked the cum gently off her pussy. With her legs wide open, he made a beeline for her clit, flicking it with the tip of his tongue.

‘Oh god…’, Kate groaned as the blood rushed to her clit, making it hard.

‘Oh you love it don’t you? You love me eating your pussy out’ Will said, increasing the speed of his flicks.

‘Please Will…’

With that, he thrust his tongue inside her deeply, pulled out and repeated it again just once. Kate was in shock as his thick tongue slid out of her. I was different to having his penis inside her, more intimate as he was interested in her pleasure alone.

Will leant up and kissed her deeply on the lips, ‘turn over’, he murmured. She flipped over so she was lying on her front.

‘Will?’. She felt his weight lift off the bed. He removed all of his clothes and returned, stroking her gently from her back to her ass.

‘Get on your knees.’

She manoeuvred with some difficulty as she tried to hold herself up with her hands tied together. Finally though, she managed to kneel into the doggy position.

Mercifully, William pulled off her blindfold as he stood behind her.

‘Now naughty girl, I think you need a spank don’t you?’

Kate bit down on her lip, embarrassed to say it.

‘Well?’ Will urged.

‘Yes’ she whispered.

William stroked her ass, which was high in the air and spanked one buttock with his hand.

The vibration sent reverberations through her pussy. ‘Again’ she begged, and he bought his hand down on the other one. It hurt, but was exhilarating. Kate expected another one, but Will didn’t oblige. Instead, he took the scarf that he’d taken off her eyes and tied two large knots in it.

Threading the scarf between her legs he said, ‘let me hear you scream.’ With a hand on each end of the scarf, he pulled it gently back and forth between her legs. First came the smoothness of the fabric, and then an unexpected bump as the knot drove over her pussy. She gasped as the knot bumped over her clit.

‘Fuck’ she whispered, as the fabric swept in and over her folds. William pulled the scarf back and forth gently until Kate began to moan loudly. ‘Faster!’, she pleaded, but Will was not going to listen, carrying on with the same pace and rhythm.

Kate began to move her hips to try and control the pleasure he was giving her by grinding into the knot each time it passed. Finally she managed to drop her knees so the knot was caught between her legs. William let go of it, amused to see what she would try. She began humping the mound, desperate to come, but it kept slipping away from her, and without the use of her hands, she had no chance.

Frustrated, she let out a cry of  desperation. All the while, William had been watching her, pulling at his cock,

‘Now now’, he said. ‘No need to be like that.’ He threw the cum covered scarf to the floor.

‘I just want you to fuck me. Please just give it to me.’ Her new tactic was to be calm.

William lifted her butt off the bed and put her back into the doggy position. Kneeling on the bed behind her, he held the tip of his penis to the soaking lips of her pussy.

‘Yes’, she said relieved and expectant.

‘You like my cock don’t you?’ Will said.

‘Push it deep into me’, she replied, thinking she’d got her way.

He swirled the tip around her entrance and dragged it up and down her slit until she started to push backwards, trying to get him inside her. But he had something else in mind.

Jumping off the bed, he walked over to the other side. Kate was greeted with his erection right in front of her. Her cum was glistening on the tip.

‘See how good you taste’, Will said. She opened her mouth to receive him and licked her cum off the head. William held her head up and gently pushed his cock fully into her mouth. She tightened her lips as he pushed in and out of her.

‘You love my cock in your mouth don’t you?’ he said and she nodded. ‘Of course you do, because you’re a very naughty girl, a naughty girl who loves sucking my cock’. He pumped into her mouth and she pulled away.

‘Please, let me touch you’ she said, pulling at the ties. He knew she wanted to play with his balls, to tease him in that way that drove him crazy. But he wasn’t going to let her do that.

Stroking the hair from her face, he bent down and kissed her, slipping his tongue into her mouth. She caught his tongue with hers and her knees began to buckle.

‘No no no’, he said, helping her back into position. ‘I’m gonna give you a good seeing to.’

Kate whimpered in agreement. Will walked back to the other side of the bed, getting up on his knees once more.

‘Open your legs’ he said. She spread her knees wide apart and hitched her ass into the air.

From behind Will held his penis and edged just the head into her entrance. She moaned immediately, making William laugh dirtily.

‘You want a good fucking don’t you?’

‘Oh yes’ she said. She could feel her clit pounding. He pushed in an inch further and she moaned again, prompting William to spank her hard on the ass.

Her pussy reacted with force at the slap, clenching tight around his thumping cock.

‘Oh fuck!’, Will yelled as her walls closed in around him.

‘Fuck me deeper’, Kate said, turning her said to try and see him. He thrust more of his length into her tight pussy. She screamed, almost weeped with desire. She pulled at her bindings trying to get free, so she could grab him and ride him as deeply as she desired. But she was completely at his will. He alone could make her orgasm.

‘That’s it, moan for me babe’. He pushed the rest of his cock inside her.

‘Yes!’ she cried. Finally his thick shaft was completely inside her. William held on to her hips and started to fuck her hard from behind. They bounced back and forth with the force, as his erection slid in and out. After every few thrusts, William spanked her ass again. All Kate could see now, with her head hanging down between her shoulders, were her breasts, her nipples now large and erect.

‘You want to jack me off in the car, mm? I told you, you needed to be punished didn’t I?’

‘Yes baby! Oh I needed it…god I love it when you fuck me hard!’

William laughed. ‘You naughty girl, you naughty, dirty fucking girl.’

‘Fuck me baby..’ she cried as he continued, ‘…baby fuck me…my clit babe, rub my clit, it’s pounding, please…’

He pulled out of her, his cock ready to burst and covered in her cum. Leaning lower, he pushed the hard tip over her clit, and rubbed it over and over furiously.

Kate’s body began to rise, her orgasm forming.

‘Oh god, oh god…’ she moaned.

William drove himself straight back into her pussy, rubbing hard against her walls. He dipped his hand beneath her and rubbed her erect, thumping clit with his finger.

Kate’s orgasm cracked suddenly. An hour of sexual frustrations and teasing crashed around her. She thrashed wildly, screaming William’s name over and over.

Will burst into her. Long shots of his cum exploded deep inside her, coming hard into her from behind. He too called out, his words incomprehensible, but filled with satisfaction.

                                                            ***

Kate collapsed onto the bed, with Will not far behind. He encased her body and reached up to untie her. Finally she could touch him, and turned to face him.

‘You ok?’ he asked.

‘Fine’ she said, totally spent, kissing his bottom lip lazily. ‘But my bottom’s a bit sore.’

William grinned. ‘I’m sorry, but you had been very naughty.’

‘I know…I must be naughty more often.’, she said, taking his penis, and giving it an affectionate stroke.

[tired-college-student-writing]

Beautiful Versions of Brokenness pt. 2

Summary: Marinette is different. There was no denying it, but none would have guessed that the true reason was soul deep

Continuation of Prompt: If you're into Black Butler, maybe something with that and Miraculous ladybug? Or Black Butler with Demon Bim? I just think you'd do a good job with the Black Butler characters.

Part 1

____________________________________________

Chat Noir reluctantly left so that Ladybug and Sebastian, shortly after, promised to meet up on the next patrol night so that they could properly discuss their unlikely reunion.

Instead of going home, Marinette leads them to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Parisians are used to seeing their heroine and a black figure at the top of the tower, no one would think twice if she arrived there. Sebastian follows as he always did.

“This isn’t my first life after Ciel then,” She hummed, once she arrived, deciding to deal with the first question on her mind.

“No,” Sebastian agreed, as her timer slowly beeped towards its end, “This is my 37th time meeting you since your contract was created. The 21st time you’ve awoken your Phantomhive memories.”

Her eyebrows rose, “it’s only been 130 years since Ciel died, how have I been reborn 37 times?”

The demon all but scoffed, “Really mistress? All these years with beings of heaven and hell toying with your life and you still believe we are playing by earthly rules?”

Marinette just glared, “You’re telling me Hell lacks linear time then? When I die, my soul just flies to any time period it pleases and becomes whichever child it can find?”

“Precisely,” Sebastian smirks, “There have only been a few rules your soul seems to follow, your eyes remain virtually unchanged, still the strikingly blue and purple hues they have been since our contract was sealed, your hair an inky black and your memories return within a year of the age you took your earldom, thirteen, or not at all. Other than that this is the eighteenth time you’ve taken a female form, fifth where you’ve been of mixed races, tenth of being Asian descent, you’ve been of African descent six times, middle eastern eight, Native American three times. You’ve been of peasantry or slavery six times, on three different continents. Though being enslaved has triggered your memories flawlessly every time and allowed for you to rise in the ranks of society with grace. Sixteen times you’ve been of noble birth in multiple different royal families across the globe. It’s been an adventure each time

“What about Lizzie?” She finally asked,” She never sold her soul, and yet Chat Noir is clearly my fiancé.”

Sebastian frowned, “To be quite honest, she’s never appeared before, or at the very least never awoken. Human souls are not supposed to be reincarnated so quickly, even by heaven’s terms we should not have run into Miss Elizabeth before the 30th century and I’ve never heard of the average reincarnation remembering their memories as vividly as Chat Noir did.”

“Who would know?”

The grimace was fleeting on the demon’s face but Marinette knew what he was getting at.

“The Grim Reapers,” She groaned, “Grell hanging around anywhere?”

“What makes you so certain that pest is still working off their debt?” Sebastian countered

Marinette glared, “Because I’ve seen a shockingly familiar red figure watching the Akuma battles before, but only the ones that might have high casualty counts if we had lost. Plus you’re always aggravated whenever I came back from those types of battles and she was the only one that I know that gets under your skin that badly. If she wasn’t so… open about her desires I would have loved to see her around more.”

The demon sighed, “Observant as always my lady. Grell Sutcliff, William T. Spears, and Ronald Knox have all been given special assignments to follow your reincarnated soul around as they are used to our unique brand of chaos. They are given time off when your soul is inactive, and this works counts as double time for their repayment… containing the destruction left in your wake.”

Marinette hummed, as her time finally wore out a Tikki appeared next to her.

“Sebastian,” Tikki greeted, cooly, drawing a wicked grin on the young girl’s face.

“Miss. Tikki,” He offered with his polite butler smile, the one Marinette knew meant he wasn’t happy, “A pleasure as always.”

“Oh, you’ve met then?” Marinette laughed with twisted glee “I haven’t seen you look so constipated since we had to do those Phoenix poses!”

She could practically hear the teeth grinding behind his forced smile, “I haven’t a clue what you’re talking about Mistress, I think the reincarnation process has scrambled your mind.”

She hummed, cheeky grin not falling as she passed Tikki her emergency cookie, “Either way, we need to plan. Obviously, we can’t play the butler and Earl roles as we once did so we must figure out new roles that we can play, and create a fake hero identity for you if you plan on continuing to help out during Akuma battles.”

The smirk he gave showed off far too many teeth, but instead of unnerving her, it filled her with a sense of comfort, “Allow me to handle everything, mistress. What kind of demon would I be if I couldn’t manage a simple cover story and superhero outfit.”

________________________________________

Marinette awoke the next day to find it starting off horribly. Not only had she overslept without the ever-present tapping on her balcony door Sebastian normally did whenever she slept through her alarm, but as she was rushing she tore her blue contact, only to find it was the last one she had in stock, her new order not set to arrive until later in the week. She decided to give the demon a pass just this once since he most likely was still coming up with proper identification and dwellings for him to stay at now that she required him to be more than just a bird.

Looking in her closet she paused at her normal outfits, plink blossoms, pink jeans, and ballet flats. It just… felt wrong with her new memories of the Earl rattling around her head. She wasn’t unhappy being a woman in this life, still feeling as comfortable as ever in her own skin, but the overly modern and feminine dress just didn’t sit right with Ciel’s memories so fresh in her mind.

Instead, she pulled out a peter pan collared button-down shirt with the collar and large buttons navy against the cream of the rest of the shirt, a forest green western tie clasped in the front. She also pulled on a pair of straight-legged green pants and a navy blazer adding a tan pair of thick heeled ankle boots.  For her final touch, she deep parted her hair, pinning it over her right eye and pulling it back into a bun securing a cream ribbon in a bow around the base of the bun once she was finished. Satisfied she grabbed her bag and took off at a run, bidding her parents goodbye as she attempted to make it class before the bell rang.

She arrived seconds late and found the room reorganized, seats had been moved and the open seat on her normal side of the room was right up next to Adrien. Well, she had to admit her previous actions around him had been overboard in retrospect, and while he was still cute but with Lizzie back in the picture it seemed almost like cheating on her old fianceé.

“Good morning, Adrian,” She greeted, choosing to stand in front of the desk instead of sitting down yet.  

The blonde turned to her and perked up, “Marinette! I’m loving the new look, very Victorian esque”

“Thank you!” She laughed, “I felt like a change, You look great too!”

She could feel the eyebrows around the room go up as she smiled gently at the boy, but it was a good change of pace for him, his usual sneakers, jeans, and T-shirt had been swapped out for shiny dark brown dress shoes, a fitted pair of emerald green pants, with a crisp dark blue shirt tucked in. When he turned she could see a silver lace embroidery cutting a wavy path from his left shoulder to his right hip shimmer. He even wore a simple silver ear cuff to finish off the look.

“I picked it myself,” He preened under the positive attention, “Father usually is so strict about what I wear in public but he said I did well with this one!”

“Well, I have to agree,” She hummed, “You should experiment more often, I’d love to give you critiques now that we’re desk partners.”

“Girl what?” Alya finally interrupted, “That’s not your seat, you’re sitting in the back now.”

She could stop her smile from falling into a stony blank look as she turned around, “Excuse me? Who made that call?”

“Well,”  Nino piped up with a slight weariness at her look, “She’s got hearing issues so we had to put her upfront, to make it work Ivan sat next to Mylène, Nate sat next to Alix, and she came up with the idea of moving me up here, so I could spend more time with my girlfriend.”

Marinette raised a brow making the majority of the room fidget, “Who exactly is she?”  

Before any of them could answer Ms. Bustier opened the door and started her normal classroom announcements, “Good morning, students. I'm sure you've all heard by now, but Lila's home from her trip to Achu and she's back in school with us again.”

The Italian girl all, but bounced into the room to greet everyone, receiving a warm answer back as Marinette’s mouth thinned.

The fox paid her little mind as she pretended to gasp in surprise at the empty seat next to Adrian and started gushing, “Oh, a seat in the front row! You all remembered my hearing issue! You're such sweethearts, all of you!”

Marinette tilted her head, “I didn’t realize you had a hearing issue, Lila.”

Green eyes flashed towards her as she painted on a self-conscious smile, “Oh Yes, I suffer from tinnitus, a constant ringing in my left ear. I've had it ever since the sound of an airplane engine burst my eardrum on the runaway when I was saving Jagged Stone's lost kitten,”

“Really?” Marinette questioned with a raised brow, “Well I am sorry to hear that, but I would like to know why your disability is ranking above my own.”

Lila froze as Bustier paled eyes widening with realization. The room grew silent before Kim slapped the desk, “Oh my god, we forgot Marinette can’t see!”

She laughed, shaking her head, “I’m not blind Kim,”

He waved her off, “You know what I mean.”

Nino groaned, slinking down, “You aren’t even wearing your contacts today!”

“I ripped one this morning,” She sighed in explanation, “My replacements aren’t coming until Wednesday. So I really can’t sit in the back of the room even if I wanted to.”

Alya’s face scrunched, “I’m missing something,”

Marinette stared up at her unblinkingly, “I have a severe vision problem that causes me issues with depth perception and distance, especially if I’m not wearing my contacts. As noted by my doctor I need to be sitting within the first two rows of the classroom, and to have a seat partner is willing to give me notes that I may have missed if my vision acts up. It has been on file since I was six years old.”

“Ivan and I can move to the back,” Mylene offered quickly, “I’m sorry for forgetting Marinette!”

She offered a soft smile, “It really is no issue, as long as it gets sorted.  While I must admit I believe the origin of Lila’s disability is fabricated, I am sympathetic to her for having said disability, but I refuse to not have my accommodations met just for someone else’s to be met.”

“Fabricated!” Lila gasped tears welling in her eyes, “How mean! You don’t like me, do you! You’re trying to make me look bad and have a hard time due to my disability!”

The ice that entered Marinette’s eye before she turned to the Italian girl sent a shiver down the class's spine, causing Chloe to shrink back and Adrian to sit up stick straight. Marinette felt an odd calm fall over her as the Phantomhive came out to play.

“You claim that you received hearing damage from being too close to an airplane because you ran onto an active runway to save Jagged Stone’s kitten from a jet preparing to take off,” Marinette repeated slowly, “ Not only does Jagged Stone despise cats, but he’s despised them since he was a child after one attacked and killed his parakeet, Juniper. This is an easy fact to look up as he’s mentioned it several times in multiple interviews. The pet he currently owns and has owned for almost twenty years now, is Fang, a freshwater crocodile that Jagged hatched himself. No one is stupid enough to forget the animal they heroically saved from a vehicle that’s accelerating an average of 32 meters per second squared, wasn’t even a mammal when I know that Fang weighs almost 200kg.”

Lila tried to break in but Marinette just straightened her back, and crossed her leg at the knee before continuing, “Furthermore, no airport in this day and age would allow for a teenage girl to make it to the runways where a plane was taking off without being tackled by security, nor do I believe that your mother, a diplomat, would be moronic enough to allow you to be placed in that much danger. If it did happen there would no doubt be multiple stories run by the media about it, internationally so since Jagged Stone is such a big name and you are the daughter of a diplomat, this would not be the first we would be hearing it.”

Marinette grimaced as she moved onto the next point, not even paying mind to the sputtering Lila was doing, “Based on these facts I’m going to assume the claims that he wrote a personal song for you that have been bouncing around are also false as if they’re not it does not paint a good picture that a famous man in his forties is writing and dedicating songs for you, a young teen fan. If these accusations were true, I'd be forced to believe that Jagged Stone is a hebephile or at the very least grooming you.”

Marinette simply crossed her arms as the room grew deathly silent, “Lastly, nothing suggests that sitting closer to the front of the room helps tinnitus, as the persistent ringing would not change and make little difference in a room this small. Most students with tinnitus require the student being given the option to move to a quieter location if the condition is triggered during class, groups the student is working with being given the option to move to a different area in case group work gets too loud during group activities and being placed near a low-level sound, such a small fan, computer, a heating element, or an open window, as complete silence can irritate the issue. I did enough research when helping Aurora fight for proper accommodations made in her own classroom on the subject to know that much. Or as by the way you are dressed and the fact you claim to have spent the last few months traveling the world, your family clearly has money so buying one of the many options of hearing aid out that that has been developed to assist and almost eliminate tinnitus would be overly easy. They sell them for around 270€, fairly cheap for accommodation products, and if your family truly took you on trips across the globe then you can’t convince me they don’t love you enough to shell out a few hundred euros to make your life easier. So tell me again why I’m making a big deal about making sure my own disability is taken care of?”

Lila sputtered, before bursting into tears, “I was too embarrassed to tell you the real reason! I didn’t want you guys to think less of me for taking a break with Prince Ali to go see a concert, I didn’t mean to get so close to the amps but… the hearing loss is so new I’m still adjusting”  

Marinette glared at her, “Save the tears. Lies are pathetic tools to use and earn you no lasting loyalty, and to accuse someone of being ableist for questioning the origin of your disability, not even the disability itself is vile. Not a single person in this room would have been upset at you if you told the truth instead of tried to force the issue of fake heroics.”

She sniffled, “I’m sorry Marinette, I didn’t mean to make accusations about you or your character. I’m still on edge from the whole situation…”

Marinette let her glare drop and gave a cool, “It’s forgiven this time, now can we please figure out the seating situation?”

“Well,” the teacher stepped in, “Since Adrian agreed to be Lila’s tutor to help her catch up-”

“Actually, Miss Bustier,” Adrian raised his hand sheepishly, “I was going to bring it up with you later in private, but I really don’t think I’d be a good option to tutor Lila given how full and sporadic my schedule is already, I really would hate for her to fall enough further behind.”

“Oh crap,” Alix swore, “We didn’t even think of that when Lila suggested you!”  

Adrian just gave a slight shrug, eyes not looking up from his desk, “It’s okay, I do want to help out the class as much as possible, I feel bad never being able to help out with anything after school.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Kim brushed off, “We get your dad is really on you about everything, we’ll just have to find stuff you can do in class instead!”

“Maybe,” Mylene squirmed a little in her seat as everyone turned to face her, “I mean just a suggestion… but maybe Adrian could be Marinette’s seat partner and help her take notes. You rarely miss actual class time for your activities and this way you’re helping out without committing to any extra time that your dad might not let you come for.”

Bustier clapped, a blinding smile on her face, completely missing how Lila’s face had twisted into an angry mask, “Excellent idea! Let’s all find new seats again, Marinette and Adrian stick together in the first two rows, Lila why don’t you sit on the left side of the classroom by the windows to see if that helps your tinnitus for now. I’ll call your mother in for a proper evaluation over the next few days and we’ll find a proper course to deal with your disability. If someone would like to volunteer to be Lila’s primary tutor please take the seat next to her. Everyone else please fill in!”

Slowly the room began shifting once again. Adrien and Marinette simply switched seats to allow her to better see the room as Alya, Nino, Chloe, Sabrina, Rose, Juleka, and Nathaniel stayed in their same seats. Ivan and Mylene did move to the back row together as Max broke away from Kim to sit in the second row next to where Lila ended up and Alix slid across the aisle to take his old spot.

Alya was still looking at Marinette as if she had three heads, “Girl, what on earth was that? You’re like sunshine personified, but you just tore Lila apart like she was tissue paper.”

Nino huffed a slight laugh, “Keep forgetting you’ve only been in the class for a year, babe. You’ve never seen a Marinette takedown before.”

Marinette smiled, “Do not lie and do not do anything that might have permanent consequences. If they can not follow those two simple objectives in my presence then I will gladly set them straight. Lila not only lied but accused me of being a bigot, I will not tolerate slander.”

“Well I think it was badass,” Adrian commented, causing her to smirk wickedly.

“Thank you. It’s always nice to know my skills are appreciated.”  

“Oh do you need any notes from the last few days,” Adrian asked suddenly, sliding his notebook between them as the lesson started.  

She gazed down idly, “Not that I can think of but thank-”

Marinette had to keep her eyes from bulging as her words faded off, because in the middle of the page, squished between two facts about the Roman empire stood a simple sentence in perfect English.

I didn’t think I would see you until tonight, Ciel.

“How on earth were we this blind,” Marinette mumbled in English, earning a laugh from his once betrothed.

“Excuse me?”

The pairs heads snap towards the door as a worryingly familiar voice sounds through the room.

There in the doorway was a tall teen with shaggy raven hair as he sheepishly held out a paper towards the teacher, “Are you, Miss. Bustier? There seemed to be a mix up with my transfer papers. Mr. Damocles told me just to head down and you should have all of my forms by tomorrow, but he didn’t want to prevent me from starting today as planned.”

“Oh I hadn’t realized I was getting a new student today,” She apologized, taking the paper and skimming it briefly before turning to the room, “Class it looks like we’re getting another new face today! I want you all to welcome him with open arms! This is-”

He was shorter, a little lankier and with a rounder face then they typically saw him, looking every bit the fourteen year old he was in no doubt playing, but there was no doubt who it was.

“Sebastian,” The demon introduced, mirth dancing in those burgundy depths as he grinned up at the reincarnated duo, “Sebastian Michaelis. I look forward to joining your class.”

___________________________________

Tag List: @lividdreams9

[jovialyouthmusic]

Silver Service

The Royal Charity Tour continues with Portaveira’s fashion show - but with no models, what will Penelope do? Madeleine is looking for information.

Word count 3565

A/N No warnings, just some fun and some plot development

17 Stepping Out, Showing Off

Penelope was in a panic, and consulted her best friend, Kiara.

‘It’s going to be a disaster’ she whined, but Kiara rolled her eyes.

‘Calm down Penny’ she snapped ‘Emmeline is asking round for volunteers to model. We still have all the stylists and dressers, and once we’ve got some recruits we can go over the basics of runway logistics.’

‘Runway what?’ Penelope said in a panic ‘I don’t even know what that means.’ Kiara sighed. Penny wasn’t the brightest spark at the best of times.

‘You know, how to walk, how to show off the clothes, that sort of thing.’ At that moment, Emmeline came back into the room.

‘Okay girls, we had six models, but they’re used to changing quickly between costumes. If we try to find at least eight to replace them and take it a little slower we should be fine.’

‘Do you have anyone yet?’ Kiara asked hopefully as Penelope crouched and ran her fingers through Morgana’s curly coat to calm herself down. The little dog nuzzled her hand reassuringly and she reminded herself to breathe into her belly. Her heart rate steadied and she sighed, feeling a little better.

‘I have four from the staff – two maids, one of the kitchen assistants and the housekeeper’s daughter.’ her mother counted them off on her fingers.  ‘I’m having a little trouble finding male models though, so if you have any ideas…’ Just then she caught sight of Sophia passing in the corridor outside. She didn’t know her very well but knew who she was – and she looked just perfect for the job.

‘Miss Turner?’ she called ‘I wonder if I could ask you a favour.’

------

Olivia took her seat next to Liam in the front row next to the runway.

‘Feeling any better?’ he asked, and she sniffed disdainfully.

‘I got hold of a Lythikan remedy’ she said ‘I won’t be feeling queasy again’

‘Are you sure it’s safe to take something like that?’ he murmured.

‘I’m sure it will be fine’ she said ‘and Sophia said she’d get hold of a test for me’ Before Liam could tell her to keep her voice down, the lights went up and a very nervous Penelope and her mother appeared on the stage, the young woman squinting in the spotlight. She held a microphone in one hand and a dog lead in the other. Her little poodles accompanied her and wore outfits that matched her own. They sat quietly at her feet, attracting a few ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from the audience. She cleared her throat.

‘Good – good afternoon, Your Majesty, Lords, Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Portaviera. I’d like to extend very warm greetings to King Liam on his first official visit as monarch to our beautiful county. Many thanks to him for sponsoring this and other events this season, and for travelling to attend in person’ She made a little curtsey, and he stood to bow and wave. Cameras clicked and flashed and the audience made a low sound of approval. As he sat, Penelope went on ‘Ladies and gentlemen, your Majesty, lords and ladies, you may know that last month we had some intense storms, and our coastline was very badly affected. Many businesses have suffered a drop in income or had to undergo expensive repairs, and some of our citizens have been made temporarily homeless’ Her voice shook to start with, but it steadied as she went on. ‘This afternoon we will be seeing some collections from local designers, and our very own Ana de Luca has donated some of her latest pieces to be auctioned here today to help those who have been so badly affected. Already we have sold many tickets toward the cause.  There are no fixed prices, and I hope you will all give generously to help our charities. We have provided lists of the designs and sizes available and you can begin bidding straight after the models finish, so please make notes’ She stopped and looked to her mother, who took the microphone.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, we have a surprise for you today. Unfortunately, the models who were going to show you our exquisite designs today were taken ill, so we have some volunteers in their place. Some of them are from my own staff, and some of them you may recognise.’ There were interested murmurs from the audience. ‘Without any further ado, we will begin. Please give a warm welcome to our volunteers’

Music started up, and a young woman appeared from the wings of the stage as Emmeline and Penelope stepped to the side. She was dressed in a flowing boho dress and strappy sandals and paused for a moment as Emmeline introduced her, before striding out along the runway. ‘Here we have Daisy, modelling a lovely dress by Christiana Kalos’

‘Well, that’s unconventional’ said Olivia quietly to Liam ‘that young woman poured my coffee this morning’ Liam smiled and clapped as the young woman stopped at the end of the runway, posed, and turned back as the next model appeared and was announced. He smiled in recognition

‘And this young lady brought me my shirt’ he remarked. Two more staff appeared in succession as the show went on, and after that Olivia laughed out loud

‘Oh my, that’s Lady Hana’ she said ‘It’s a wonder she’s not showing her own work, I happen to know she made an exquisite dress for Riley’ The crowd clapped enthusiastically to see a noble on the runway.

‘Talk of the devil’ Liam murmured as Riley appeared next, striding out confidently in a figure hugging cocktail dress and stilettos. ‘Oh this is very entertaining’ he chortled as Sophia appeared in a chic fitted blazer and pencil skirt. She smiled down at them as she passed, poised and elegant. The final model to appear before the staff came out again was Lady Kiara, who stalked along seductively with a sultry expression. Liam stared at her, mesmerised until Olivia reached across to hold his arm and squeeze so hard that he jumped and came out of his trance. The eight models went through a few changes before there was a pause and a change in the music to something more aggressive.

‘Ladies and gentlemen, your Majesty, we haven’t forgotten the men in the audience. Please welcome our volunteers, starting with young Jamie, wearing a tuxedo by Germain LePost’

‘Oh, that’s Emmeline’s chauffeur’ Liam laughed, and after that came one of the wait staff.

‘Oh. My. Goodness’ gasped Olivia, as Maxwell appeared on stage with a flourish, dressed in a sharp tailored suit. He threw back his head and strutted to the music, dramatically pausing from time to time to look around and point finger guns at the audience. He took twice as long as any of the other models, obviously lapping up the attention of the crowd, but finally his turn was over, and next…

‘Is that Bastien?’ Liam asked, squinting. It was indeed the Captain of the Guard, posing for a moment, his steely gaze and impassive features giving him gravitas as he posed for a moment in an indigo dinner jacket, bow tie and tailored black pants, his pointed black shoes polished to a mirror shine. He held the ivory topped cane that Liam had given him, and used it to stroll with poise to the end of the runway. He paused and tilted his head, furrowing his brow and looking off into the distance as if the crowd watching him wasn’t there.

‘Well’ said Olivia as he strolled nonchalantly back to the stage ‘I think Mr Lykel missed his vocation’ Liam nodded

‘He’s a natural’ he agreed ‘who would have thought?’

-------

Just before he had joined the King’s Guard, Bastien’s foster parents had suffered a financial setback when his foster father had been made redundant. Money was tight, and to help them out he had applied for as many jobs as he could. A modelling agency had told him he was just what they were looking for, and he had turned up for a photo shoot to find that the product he would be modelling was underwear. He was taken aback, and although he had an interview with the Guard, he had gone ahead with the shoot, hoping it wouldn’t come to light. He had almost finished his initial training when his superior, Jackson Walker discovered the photographs in a catalogue.

He had been certain he would be let go from the training programme, as it could compromise any undercover duties he might have in the future and perhaps bring the King’s Guard into disrepute. Luckily this was before widespread internet usage, Jackson was lenient and had the catalogues recalled for printing errors. Bastien’s file at the modelling agency had been destroyed. It was his first and only misdemeanour before he graduated at the top of his year group, and he still held an otherwise spotless record. Since then, only Lewis had equalled that record, and Sophia was the only person he had ever confided in.

He frowned at her, silently laughing as he changed into the final outfit behind the stage at the fashion show.

‘I told you about my history with the modelling agency in the strictest of confidence’ he scolded in a low tone. Sophia wiped her eyes and drew a calming breath.

‘Relax, Bastien. I didn’t tell anyone – it was Emmeline who suggested you as a volunteer’ she assured him ‘It was long enough ago that nobody would remember, surely. How could it possibly damage your record after all this time?’

‘I suppose it would be okay’ he grumbled ‘I couldn’t very well say no when I knew Maxwell Beaumont had jumped at the chance. If I hadn’t been here to calm him down we’d have had a pantomime instead of a fashion show’ Sophia put her hand on his shoulder.

‘Bas, you’re doing fine. From the reaction of the audience, we’re going to get some really good donations for the flood charities’ He lifted his chin in a gesture of resignation.

‘Well I suppose that’s some consolation. Come on, it’s us next’ The two of them linked arms and at the beckoning of the co-ordinator they stepped out along the gangway for the finale.

-------

That evening Liam and Olivia were relaxing in his lounge after dinner. There was a knock on the door and Sophia and Bastien entered. Olivia got up as Sophia rummaged in her purse and got out a paper bag, handing it over.

‘Thankyou Sophia’ she murmured as Liam shook Bastien’s hand and they started to discuss the security arrangements for the next day. ‘I’m still feeling odd. I’m not convinced I’m pregnant but it’s worth putting my mind at rest. I’ll take it later’ Sophia nodded

‘I’m sorry things are so complicated right now’ she said consolingly ‘How are things going with Anton?’ Liam heard what she was saying and indicated to Bastien that he should pour some drinks for himself and Sophia.

‘He’s asking for his own security team’ he said, tight lipped ‘We’re basically stalling him as much as we can while our teams look for a loophole. Meanwhile Lucretia refuses to say anything else and Anton is still demanding that Olivia visit him.’

‘I take it he wants staff that are loyal to him rather than the Crown’ Bastien said ‘If we ask him specifically who he wants, we can vet them and stall a little longer’ Liam sighed heavily.

‘I’m beginning to think he’s got a good case’ he said ‘If we don’t find something in the next week, we may have to give in to his demands’

‘What do you think he’ll do if I am pregnant and he finds out?’ Olivia asked. Liam passed his hand over his face.

‘Probably accuse you of treason as well, or adultery. I really hope it doesn’t come to that’

------

‘Well done, Penelope’ Madeleine said, arranging her face into what she hoped was a sincere smile. The jubilant young noble bent down to pick up her little dogs and snuffled nose to nose with them. She was just like a poodle herself, Madeleine decided, shuddering at the insanitary gesture. ‘I know I wasn’t very supportive of you when we were competing for Liam’s affections, but I’m sure we can be friends now’ Penelope smiled happily, pleased at the success of the fashion show.

‘Oh Maddy, thankyou’ she trilled ‘I’m so sad you didn’t get to be Queen, you would have done a super job’ Madeleine kept the saccharine smile as she replied.

‘Well, he’s not picked anyone, so perhaps there’s still hope’ She dropped the smile, instead looking serious ‘It would have been so good for you to be one of my ladies in waiting you know’ She gritted her teeth and gave one of the little dogs a pat on the head. It snarled and she snatched her hand back.

‘Naughty Morgana’ Penelope scolded ‘Maddy’s a friend. Now come along, shake paws like a good little doggy’ The creature sat on its hind legs and gave her a sceptical look but obeyed, holding out her little paw. Gingerly Madeleine reached out and gently took it, making two mental notes – one, make sure she had antiseptic wipes in her purse, and two, look for some doggy treats to slip to the dogs when Penelope wasn’t looking.

‘Can you imagine how it might have been?’ Madeleine went on, drawing back her hand and masking her distaste. ‘Of course I understand now how important your little – dogs - are. I’m sure they’d be very cute accompanying the court’

‘Oh do you really think so?’ Penelope answered, her eyes shining, then her butterfly mind fluttered on to another subject. ‘Liam really needs to get an heir as soon as he can, you know’

‘I know’ Madeleine smiled, and moved closer to her, lowering her voice ‘Do you know, he’s been very friendly with Lady Olivia lately. Tell me, are their rooms close?’ Penelope wrinkled her forehead.

‘Actually, he did ask for adjoining suites. After all, Lythikos is a very important duchy. Just imagine if anything were to happen to the new King – she might be Queen instead. It doesn’t bear thinking about. We have to be nice to Olivia, in case she ends up on the throne’ Madeleine didn’t have to pretend her disgust at that thought.

‘Dreadful’ she said ‘You know, it really would be better if I could somehow persuade Liam to make me his Queen. If only I could find out just how close he is to Olivia. Who knows, she might be in league with Anton. I don’t entirely trust that American woman even though she’s smooching with Drake – or the English woman with Bastien’ Penelope looked shocked at the thought.

‘I could ask the maid who’s cleaning their rooms’ she said, slowly, and Olivia widened her eyes in mock surprise. She paused a moment as if what she said next hadn’t been in her mind all along.

‘You’ll be far too busy sorting out the donations and arranging the delivery of the clothes from the fashion show, surely Penny’ she said, pausing again as if her mind was ticking over ‘If you told the maid to report to me it might be better – I’ve not got much to do at the moment’ she said brightly. Again Penelope frowned, and Madeleine almost screamed in frustration as she pictured the cogs turning in her head, but at last her face cleared.

‘You’re right Maddy, it’s so complicated and I’ve got so much to do. Thanks for offering - I’ll call Susan straight away and you can tell her what to do’

-------

Susan was a slight young woman, unobtrusive, quick and efficient. But what Madeleine liked most about her was her inquiring nature. To put it mildly, she loved gossip, and had plenty to tell.

‘That Lady Olivia, she’s so snarky’ she said conspiratorially ‘She doesn’t like me being in her room so I have to clean when she’s out’ Madeleine affected a casual expression of interest – it was all that was needed for her to tell more ‘That’s not difficult’ she continued ‘She barely uses her rooms and you’d think she doesn’t sleep, her sheets are hardly ruffled when I go to change them.’ Her eyes narrowed ‘The King – now his bedclothes are always of a tangle, he must be a very restless sleeper’ Excitement built inside Madeleine – should she prompt her to put two and two together?’

‘Their suites are next to each other, aren’t they?’ she asked

‘Oh yes, Miss Penelope said he asked specific to be close’ she affirmed. Her eyes grew wide. ‘You don’t think…’ her face was a picture of astonishment ‘Oh my, do you think they’re…’ her voice dropped to a whisper ‘sleeping together?’ Inwardly crowing with triumph, instead Madeleine looked shocked.

‘Oh my goodness, just think!’ she said ‘I can see they’re close, but that close?’

‘Look here’ Susan said, drawing closer so Madeleine could smell the bleach she used ‘I can keep my eyes open, let you know what I find’

‘That would be interesting’ Madeleine said thoughtfully ‘After all, if he’s not engaging with anyone else, perhaps I still have a chance to be Queen’ Susan’s eyes grew round. ‘You know, if I was Queen, I’d have Penelope as one of my ladies in waiting’ she went on ‘and I’m sure she’d want a member of her staff to go to the Palace with her…’ Susan nodded enthusiastically

‘I get your drift’ she said ‘You scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours. Leave it to me, I’ll find out just how close the King is to Lady Olivia’

‘It might be as well to keep an eye on the other ladies’ Madeleine smiled warmly ‘You know, the American and the British woman’

‘Say no more – I’ll be your eyes and ears, Lady Madeleine’ Susan asserted, and this time, Madeleine’s smile was completely genuine.

------

Olivia stared at the line in the window of the pregnancy test. Positive. She couldn’t quite believe what she was looking at. A few weeks ago, before she knew about her betrothal to Anton, she would have been happy for this to happen. Now her head throbbed and her heart pounded and her mind raced. Liam waited politely on the other side of the door. It wasn’t fair to him to have to wait, she thought, but she couldn’t move. He had been nothing but supportive since she suggested the arrangement – bear the heir without insisting on being Queen.

Where did that leave her now? If the marriage to Anton was found to be unbreakable, she was guilty – of what exactly? If Anton was King and she, his Queen, was pregnant with another man’s child – not just another man, but the deposed King… She hung her head and tried to steady her breath. Anton could claim more treason – and what would he do with the baby? He was, by all accounts, a very driven man who stopped at nothing to achieve his aims. Would he allow her to come to term? Discard her, have her ‘disposed of’? Her mind raced. Would he adopt the child and subvert it to accept him as its father? Would he have it taken away? A sob escaped her before she steeled herself and got up unsteadily to open the bathroom door. Liam sat by the window, and looked up at her in query. Her face told him all he needed to know, and he leapt up and came to her.

‘Livvy’ he pulled her into his embrace ‘I’ve got you’ he said, his deep tone vibrating to the centre of her being. She loved him, wanted to make him happy, but she wasn’t sure how to do it any more. ‘We’ll face this together’ he said, and another sob escaped her. His hand made soothing circles over her back. How did he know just how comforting she found that, she wondered.

‘Another human being’ he whispered ‘I’d give my life to protect it’ She steeled herself and looked up at him.

‘I really hope you don’t have to’ she said quietly ‘you’re not the only one who wants to fight for him – or her. To my last breath’ She drew away from him and stood tall.

‘I want to go back to Lythikos’ she said. Liam looked alarmed.

‘We have a while before it’s your turn to host the charity tour’ he pointed out ‘We have the polo match in Krona, and the golf tournament in Comery Isles before we’re due to go there’ Olivia’s mind spun. She had to protect her unborn child and her future was uncertain.

‘There’s no reason for us to be together now I’m pregnant’ she said coldly ‘If I’m in Lythikos it will deflect any interest in me for now – and Anton won’t find out. If he’s successful in his bid I’ll find my way out of Cordonia. If he’s not, we can be seen together again.’ Liam’s face twisted.

‘Livvy’ his voice broke ‘I want to be with you…’ She laughed harshly, her heart breaking. All this time, all these years when she had longed for him to say those words. But it was impossible right now.

‘I don’t think we can’ she said bitterly ‘Perhaps when the business with Anton is concluded – one way or another’

@emceesynonymroll @sirbeepsalot @cora-nova @stopforamoment @drakeandcamilleofvaltoria

@drakesensworld @katedrakeohd @pedudley @indiacater @texaskitten30

@be-still-my-aching-heart @hopefulmoonobject @dcbbw @classylady1234 @ladyangel70

@rainbowsinthestorm @nomadics-stuff @gardeningourmet @furiousherringoperatortoad @kimmiedoo5

@bascmve01  @ibldw-main @addictedtodrakefanfic @trappedinfandoms @princess-geek

[luniellar]

It’s You: 03 (Previously Eternal Sunshine)

A/N: I’m back with a new title, fam. It’s the song title that I put on repeat whenever I’m writing this. Also, I’m halfway done with my next chapter! I know I’m leaving a bit of a cliff hanger here, but rest assured the next chapter is coming soon. I promise.

+ a quick thank you to you guys writing comments! I write for the 3 comments I recieve LOL

Summary: Chris, Sebastian, and Julie (Fictional Character) have been friends for a long time… even before Chris and Seb started their acting careers and landed a role in the Marvel Universe. Friendship opened a new path to love and it’s starting to look… complicated.

Pairing: Chris Evans X Julie (Fictional Character), Sebastian Stan X Julie (FC) 

Genre: Romance | Drama

Audience: PG-13…? (Jk there are some F-bombs and inappropriate language that might be suitable for the young)

Navigation: Prologue | 01 | 02 | 03 ... Masterlist

Present Day [A/N: This picks up from the end of the Prologue]

The air around me felt suffocating. Seb turned off the car engine and I took this chance to unlock the car door and step outside. The cool night breeze blew at my face and it felt nice like I could breathe again. I crossed my arms as I leaned against the car door staring at the empty darkness. The sand and dirt swept against my heels. After everything that happened tonight, this peace was mentally and physically welcomed.

A second later, I heard the car door open and close behind me. As Seb walked up to me,  I watched him take off his suit jacket. He stood in front of me as he wrapped the jacket around my body. I felt his warmth radiating against my body. The feeling was equivalent to burying yourself on your bed after a stressful day at work.

Seb softly leaned against the car next to me. “What are you going to do?”

“Go home,” I replied.

“You know he’s going to be there whether it’s the hotel or your place back at Boston,” Seb sighed and paused. “You can stay over at my place.”

I exhaled in defeat. “I didn’t know I was supposed to be running from him. It’s just Chris.”

“It’s not just Chris.”

“He’s the same Chris you and I knew for years, Seb. I’m going to be okay.” Was I trying to convince myself?

“I don’t want you getting hurt,” he whispered. From the corner of my eyes, I knew that he was staring at me, but I didn’t want to look at him. I knew the moment I turned, I wouldn’t be able to hold back my tears. I kept my eyes facing forward.

“Seb,” I started. “I appreciate everything you did for me today, but this is my problem and I can take of myself,” I said. I didn’t know if this was true, but I thought if I said it out loud, maybe it would happen.

“I’m not saying that you can’t take care of it, Julie,” he paused. “I just don’t want you getting hurt from this.”

“It’s too late,” I whispered. My heart was torn... no, shredded into microscopic pieces. I remembered Chris’ last text before arrived at the premiere.

Stay at the hotel.

I bit my lips and looked down at my feet. “Seb, why am I so stubborn? Why did I turn back?” I heard my voice wavering as I was fighting to hold my tears back. Sebastian reached out his arm, wrapped it around my shoulder and pulled me in. I smelled the subtle hint of his familiar cologne greeted me as I buried my face into his chest. The moment my face touched his shirt, the tears quietly rained down uncontrollably.

Between my sobs, I heard his soft voice.

“Shh, it’s going to be alright,” he muttered.

- - s a m e  d a y  ,  f e w  h o u r s  a g o 

Beep. Beep. Beep.

My phone alarm blared. Frustrated, I threw the blankets on top of my head shut the alarm, but realized my phone was inside my blankets. Ugh.

“Fine!” I shouted as I got up from my bed. The sun was beaming through the hotel room windows and I glanced over at the digital clock on the end table.

10:03 AM

I would have long past overslept if this was a regular work day (adding the three hour time difference from Boston), but today was my debut on the red carpet. I glanced over at the red gown hanging on my small clothes rack. Well, okay let me rephrase that. It wasn’t my debut. It was Chris and Seb’s Avenger’s Endgame premiere.

I looked over at the simple and modest dress I settled on after months of searching. I had the hardest time looking for a classic even gown and finding one that fit my budget was close to impossible. Celebrities had luxury sponsors and I had a trusty old friend, Google. I looked over at the mirror and my half-awake wildling-self looked back at me.

Yep. I had a lot of work to do.

I turned on the hot water for the bathtub as I threw my PJs on the floor. Chris offered to have a limo come pick me up for a full A-list treatment tonight, but I refused. I wanted to put in the effort to prepare for this. Especially if what Chris said was really happening. I felt my cheeks blush just at the slightest thought of what was going to happen tonight.

“I want us to go public,” Chris said casually as he was washing the dishes.

I turned to look at him in confusion as I added the last dinner plates to the sink. “Huh?”

He turned off the water and turned his body towards me. His hands were still covered in soap and dripping with water. “You know, you and me going public.”

“What do you mean going pu-” I stopped my mid-sentence as I finally understood what he meant. He wanted to tell people about our relationship. I almost choked on my own breath. “Chris,” I started.

“I’m sick of these pointless articles always pairing me up with people,” he finished. “You know, the other day Robert linked me a fanfiction novel pairing me up with him.”

Huh, he obviously didn’t look the numerous fanfictions with him and Seb. I smiled at my voice inside my head and he frowned. “Jules, I’m serious about this.”

I didn’t lose my smile. Too much time around Chris did this to you. “Chris, the fanfics can’t be controlled. We might have to brainstorm another way to deal with that.”

Chris took a step closer to me and reached for my hand. He intertwined his soapy fingers with mine. “I want to make us official. It’s been two years. I know I want to be with you.”

My heart skipped a beat as I gazed at his baby blue eyes. “Mmn… is this supposed to be a proposal?” I asked and he shook his head.

“This is just me trying to let the world know about the most beautiful, kind-hearted, and warm soul I’ve kept to myself all these years.”

I glanced over at my phone again.

4:05 PM

I had a car scheduled to pick me up from my hotel in an hour and I just finished my eyeliner after a straight hour of drawing and erasing. My sensitive skin around my eyes was begging me to stop. My eyes constantly shifted from the time to the mirror. I hurriedly made finishing touches with blush, soft-glowing highlighter, and mascara. I grabbed the matte red lipstick from my purse and put it over my lips. I let my soft waves down and looked at myself in accomplishment.

You look beautiful, Jules.

Chris’ voice echoed my head and I felt my face growing warmer. I couldn’t wait until we were back in my apartment in Boston after all this. Shaking my head, I quickly threw my phone and my lipstick in my small clutch. I walked over to my gown and got in my dress. I pulled out a new pair of nude heels I bought for this event. After I was done, I stood in front of the full-size mirror and looked at myself.

I felt beautiful.

This feeling was rare and much welcomed right now.

This was exactly how I wanted to look “going public” with the man of my life.

The Lyft driver was so confused when I gave him the address to the premiere. After circling the area a dozen times to be stopped by blocked roads, he dropped me off about two blocks from the location.

“This is the best I could do,” he said in a monotone as the car came to a stop.

“Thank you,” I said as I got out of the taxi holding on to my gown. I didn’t expect my Lyft to pull up to the red carpet, but I also didn’t think that I would be walking myself to the premiere. Thankfully, these streets were empty and I only got one or two glances from the occasional dog walkers. I watched as my driver drove off and I stood there on the sidewalk with my long scarlet evening gown. I pulled a hair tie from my clutch and put my hair up to a messy bun. What was the worst that could happen?

I walked the streets leading to the Los Angeles Convention Center. As I got closer, the people on the streets exponentially duplicated as well. I saw people dressed up as Iron Man, Captain America, Captain Marvel… wait did I just see a Groot? While I was busy staring at all the cosplayers, I realized that my red dress was noticed less and less. Whew.

Was I just supposed to show up? Where was the entrance? Chris told me to just tell the guards to get him, but I was convinced that was the number one way to get kicked out by security. I reached for my phone in my clutch. When I looked at my phone, I had one text from Chris. Perfect timing.

Stay at the hotel.

What?

I stood there staring at my phone in confusion. The text arrived 5 minutes ago. What did he mean? I was about to press call when a loud honk startled me. I looked over at the street where a pitch black Cadillac sedan was stopped.

What was this guys problem?

I took a few steps and the car slowly matched my pace next to me. Was it following me? I stopped and the car did the same. I saw more people staring at my direction as they walked by. I turned to face the car and the passenger side door opened. From the seat, Frank (Seb’s newbie assistant) came out of the car.

“Fra-” I started to say as he turned and opened the back seat door facing me.

“Ms. Julie,” Frank said bowing with his cute black tux and bow.

By this point, every pair of eyes were on me at this and I quickly made my way into the car. When I got in, a familiar figure was sitting on the other side.

“Were you really planning to walk yourself there?” Seb asked and I sighed in relief. The car drove off once Frank got back in the car.

“How did you find me?” I asked and he looked back at me diverting his gaze to my dress. Oh, jeez. I was about to throw a comment about how I actually took a Lyft here when I realized it could wait. He was wearing a fitted light blue suit with a simple white shirt underneath. He always looked good no matter what he wore.

“You look nice,” I said, smiling.

“Thank you. And you look stunning,” he smiled back. There was something about the way he said that. I was flattered by his genuine compliment, but something felt missing.

“Where’s Chris?” He asked.

Chris.

The name reminded me of the text and I frantically reached for my phone.

“Jules?” Seb asked.

I opened the text again. No replies or anything. “Seb, I think I have to go back to the hotel.”

“Huh, what do you mean?” he asked, but it was too late. I didn’t realize the car had already stopped and Frank was on the other side of the open door.

“Just go straight from here and it will take you to the purple carpet path,” Frank said as he held the door for me to get off. I stood by the car after I got off and Seb got out from the other side.

“What do you mean you have to go back?” Seb asked again. I handed my phone to him with Chris’ text pulled up. His face narrowed and handed my phone back to me. “He should be around here somewhere. I’ll look for him and Frank can take you to the venue.”

Frank nodded as he shut the door behind me. Seb jogged off toward the carpet area and the car drove off leaving me and Frank behind.

“Don’t worry,” Frank assured me with a nervous smile. “You can follow me.” [A/N: This is some foreshadowing, you guys already know if nothing were to happen after this there would be no story.]

[bbclesmis]

Composer John Murphy on Creating A New Musical Identity for ‘Les Miserables’

John Murphy returns from a personal hiatus to score PBS Masterpiece and BBC’s adaptation of Victor Hugo’s classic novel.

When you hear the title Les Miserables, you automatically think of the bombastic and overly played Broadway musical that came to a city near you. Or you saw the film adaptation that won Anne Hathaway her first Oscar a few years back. Since it debuted over 3 decades ago, Les Miserables has won the hearts of millions around the world. John Murphy, however, isn’t really a fan.

You’ve heard the music of John Murphy but you may not know it. I had no idea that he was the man who created that jolting music behind the opening sequence of 28 Weeks Later, and he also composed the lyrical and epic sound to Danny Boyle’s Sunshine (not only an underrated film, but an underrated score).

After taking a personal hiatus to focus on family and his personal life, Murphy wanted to jump back into scoring something completely different. If you look at his resume (you can sample his music here), there isn’t anything like Les Miserables on it. This is a classic tale of redemption with a sprawling scope and massive cast, and that wasn’t lost on Muphy. The score shows a huge amount of range, and he really digs into the minds of the characters. One moment the minds of Jean Valjean and Javert are amplified by the incessant plinking of simple piano strings and the next we are witnessing the horrors of Fantine literally selling her body for the sake of her child.

It’s a familiar story, for sure, but the execution is sophisticated and smart. The music is classic and enthralling in a way that a staged musical never could be.

You haven’t done a big project like this in a long time. Why return from your hiatus with Les Miserables?

I had enough of the movies, to be honest with you. I wanted to spend time with my kids. The spark had gone from me, and I felt that I was going through the motions. I wanted to feel like a human being again. When I decided that I was going to come back, I went in to see my agent, and we sat down to figure out what I wanted to do. I didn’t want to pick up right where I left off—with the wall of the sound, post apocalyptic sort of edgy thing I was getting known for. I wanted to do something a bit more grown up with more weight. I wanted something with gravity. A few days later, my agent said there was interest in my doing Les Miserables. I just cracked up, because, of course, I was thinking of the musical.

I do think that’s everyone’s immediate thought.

I hate musicals. I told my agent that I’d be the worst person for that—I’d mess it up. When he told me it was the book, something clicked. I remember that I read the book years ago. I used to tour a lot, and every time I was on the bus, I’d take a big stack of books. On a tour through France, I read Les Miserables. I loved it. I’ve never seen the musical, and I never want to—it’ll ruin it for me. It’s got everything. It’s got these dark characters wrestling with demons, good versus evil, death, betrayal. When I found out that it was going to be a 6 part adaptation and that it was going to be written by Andre Davies—who did the last War & Peace series—I knew I had to do it.

I had a Skype interview with the producers and the director, Tom Shankand. He was so passionate that I knew he was the real deal. He wanted to go back into the Victor Hugo book. It’s like a French Uncle Tom’s Cabin. Part of what Hugo was trying to do was let the world know of how these people were suffering. He was a brilliant man. He was trying to change legislation—he was a real champion of the poor. Tom wanted to get back to what the story was about and keep it raw. I was sold. A week later I was lucky enough to sit in a read through with the actors. Normally, I get brought onto a movie and they’ve practically finish the cut. It was interesting because they hadn’t even started filming yet.

Oh wow.

Yeah, I got to sit in and listen to their inflections the first time they were reading through it. There were ideas straight away. Lily Collins is this tiny thing, so that vulnerability was there immediately. I got to see Dominic—this huge guy. It was very inspiring. When I came onto it, I thought they weren’t going to start shooting for another 2 or 3 weeks, so I thought I’d have 6 months to wait for it. Then Tom and producers told me they wanted songs written, and I was like…hold on, what do you mean songs. There are these little songs and piano pieces in Hugo’s novel. They asked me if I wanted to do it, and I told them that I had never written anything before they started shooting ever. So I had 3 or 4 weeks writing these things.

With sitting in on that first reading, did it feel like the music could change with the characterizations or maybe that it would even help build the characters? I’ve never heard of a composer getting to see that so early.

Neither have I! With these great actors, it was amazing to see them. With David Oyelowo, you could see the posture he adopted—just reading it aloud. And I thought to myself, “That’s not natural.” There were all these different things I was watching—with him especially. When you’re composing in a medium that you already know about, you’ve got to make the distinction that you’re not scoring the book. You’re scoring this new retelling of the story. You have to be sensitive to what this new version is going to me. So, for me, watching David to his read through, he did a very quiet, controlled voice. It was different than the book. The same with Dominic. Dominic was a lot warmer with his Valjean than I remember the character being. I was putting notes in my phone and a lot of the things I felt that day helped me later on.

Once they started shooting, I just faded back to LA, and I was on my own. Just being there that day and cross referencing that with the scripts allowed me to write most of the scenes before they dropped the first episode with me. I got a real head start. I couldn’t write anything to picture, obviously, but by the time they gave me the first episode made such a big difference. I was lucky that when I agreed to do it, the read through was 5 days later. It was an amazing experience.

The miniseries has such beloved characters—whether you’re familiar with the book or the musical. Was there someone you really liked writing themes or motifs for?

It’s obviously to say the two main characters, but for them that was the biggest well. And it’s not just character scenes. I think some of my favorite things in there were the hulks scenes. I wanted to have something that felt utterly repetitive. What would be the repetitive sound of nothingness of this guy’s life? I ended up climbing inside the piano and muted some strings and was tapping one of the low piano strings with my finger to get this “dun…dun…dun…” It was this annoyingly repetitious thing that is so uncomfortable because you’re waiting for the chord to change. And it kind of doesn’t for ages. His biggest fear is getting caught. As soon as Javert sees him again at the factory you hear very quietly the “dun…dun…dun…”  I was trying to do the John Williams thing with Jaws. If he can do it with two notes, I wanted to do it with one. I thought it was a way to be effective without being necessarily musical. It’s not necessarily the character themes, but it’s the situational themes.

That repetitiveness feeds into Javert’s obsession with catching him.

You’re absolutely right. Javert’s version of it was much lower. His driving force throughout the whole story is his skewed sense of justice. In episode 3, 10 years have passed and he’s receiving the Medal of Honor, and when the camera comes to his face, it means nothing to him because this one man got away. You see him go to his room afterwards and when he starts eating his meal, you can see he does not taste it. Then you hear the lower version of the same theme and this hunger will never go away until he’s caught Valjean. It was a nice way to tie in the repetitive life of Valjean in prison with Javert’s mechanical obsession. It’s sort of Javert’s state of mind theme actually.

One of the most distinct pieces of music is when Fantine cuts her hair off and her teeth are ripped out of her mouth. The music feels like the score of a horror movie.

It was such a difficult decision to do it that way. Some people at the BBC said, “You can’t do it that way!” We had this scratchy viola when she gets her teeth pulled out. I thought it’s more gruesome without music. I argued with Tom because I thought that you need to hear the sounds of the teeth getting wrenched, and he said it’s too hardcore. We needed music to remind people they are watching television. I had that little theme for her on a music box with whole carnival. I wanted to do it a bit more macabre cinema—a bit otherworldly with this circus vibe. The guy who does the teeth pulling already has this painted face and hands, so I played into that. What changed it was I had this wonderful violist named Andy.

I need something to be whimsical but also be kind of fucked up and edgy. We had him in the studio and we were working through some articulations. We tried it with harmonica and tried it with the bow going one way and then the other, and then we tried putting it all together. We came up with this sound and I take no credit for it—it was him. It was swirling around and it was so fucked up. So we pulled the picture up, and we started as if we don’t know what’s going to happen to Fantine. Like she’s just going to get a haircut but we know it’s going to get bad. When we go into the teeth pulling, we were going let loose a little bit. There’s a moment when the old woman grab’s Fantine’s shoulders and pulls her back, and I thought wouldn’t it be cool if we did a viola version of the great guitar crash of Radiohead’s “Creep”? I asked him if he could do an 18/16, Johnny Greenwood crash in when he goes to take the teeth. He did it in one take. It made it completely over-the-top, but sometimes you gotta say fuck it. We may get hung for this, but let’s go for it.

I was going to ask if you used any nontraditional sounds in that sequence.

It sounds like a Les Paul with a lot of pedals with a lot of distortion. It was just the sound that we were getting from the viola. Once we had that sound, we wanted to use it in other places.

The scratching sound reminded me of the sounds people are scared of when they go to the dentist. It helped that she’s getting her teeth yanked out, so thank you for scaring the crap out of me with that.

We did use some non-orchestral sounds, but in that moment it just happened to be an orchestral instrument making that metal scraping sound. I hate the dentist too, so that sound really helped. It’s what you get with great musician.

There is obviously a lot of heavy material with this piece of fiction. When you get to do something different for the story—like the sweeping romance for Cosette and Marius—was that a welcome change?

It really did. Tom had an idea of what he wanted, and I had an idea of how I wanted to do it. He wanted a very gnarly folk score and to just use the music of the day. My original idea was 1816 Velvet Underground meets classic French 60’s romantic film music so we had these really light highs with grungy darkness. We ended kind of meeting in the middle. Some of the Velvet Underground stayed. What we both loved was when we went to the world of Cosette and Marius, we went to a stylized version of what she thinks love is. She’s just this abused kid who goes to live in a convent, so she has no idea what it really is. She’s 16, so she has every right to be romantic about everything. When we got to play her frame of mind, we got to play this romantic style. It was a relief after all the dirty stuff we’d be doing. I never thought I’d say that I was ready to get into some of that love stuff.

Since it’s 6 hours, this version really feels like 3 movies stacked on top of one another. Did the size of it all intimidate you?

I’ve done movies that have become big. My first thought was like, “I can’t win here.” Even though I’ve never seen the musical, people are going to watch it and wonder where those songs are. I didn’t think it was intimidating, but I did feel like I had a monkey on my back. Whatever I do, it’s not going to be the musical. A cloud that was always there. The only way to get through that is to completely own it. It’s clear that we aren’t trying to reference the show in any way. The first time I got the first episode, I think I was in denial. When I told people that I was doing it, they got so excited. But the first time I saw those famous two words come up on the screen, I thought, “Fuuuuck.” I had a beer and calmed down and we were fine from there. One small moment, and I got my shit together.

Les Miserables is streaming now.

https://www.awardsdaily.com/2019/05/06/john-murphy-interview/

[goldenhemmings]

Rivals (Part One)

AU where Shawn and Y/N are working on opposing political campaigns. They meet and tension ensues. Enjoy bitches.

“Y/L/N! Where’s Y/L/N?” you picked your head up from where it was dutifully bowed over your computer screen and forced your fingers to stop flying across the keyboard as you heard your boss’s familiar call. You stood up to walk out from behind your desk, adjusting your dress as you went. You poked your head out of the doorway of your small office to find Mr. Clark speed-walking down the hallway, flanked by a harsh looking middle-aged woman with her hair in a tight bun, pad and pencil tightly in hand. Mr. Clark smiled as he locked eyes with you, smoothing down his navy blue suit and red tie. “Ah, there’s my favorite personal assistant! Y/N, meet Rebecca Carter, Rebecca, meet Y/N.” You stuck your hand out for the woman to shake, and she returned the gesture with a kind smile, which seemed out of place on her otherwise harsh features.

“Pleasure to meet you, Ms. Carter.”

“Pleasure’s all mine,” she replied. “From what Mr. Clark has told me, you’re quite the young woman.”

You smiled. You were fresh out of college and had somehow managed to land a job working as the primary assistant for one of the most reputable politicians around. One of the biggest elections of the decade was coming up, and Mr. Clark was one of two names left on the ticket. The other, of course, being the infamous Dr. Robinson, a woman so loved by the people yet feared by her council. She was a walking paradox, but if anyone could beat her, it was Mr. Clark. His policy ideas were revolutionary, and he only hired the best of the best to work on his campaign. Your youth and energy somehow seemed to fit the bill. You knew how wonderful of an opportunity it was to be in such close council with Mr. Clark--after all, you had worked your way to be so high up in the campaign that most of the people answering to you were longtime political vets at least twice your age.

“What can I do for you, Ms. Carter?”

“Please, call me Rebecca. I’m with the Daily Tribune. I have a few statements here from your opposing campaign that I’d like a response to. I asked Mr. Clark to personally respond, but he is obviously a very busy man.”

Mr. Clark joined in. “I told her the only other person I’d trust to speak on my behalf was my lovely right-hand-woman Y/N. And here we are.” He turned to face you, clearly in a hurry. “Now, I’ve gotta run. Just respond to the statements as well as you can, and don’t say anything that will get me in trouble. You’ll do great, kid!” You returned his smile as he bounded off back down the hallway, in awe of how he remained so upbeat with everything he had on his plate. The election was less than two weeks away, and the whole office was buzzing nonstop. You turned to Rebecca, gesturing for her to follow you into your office.

The questions were fairly standard: How would Mr. Clark respond to Dr. Robinson’s claim that such-and-such policy would be detrimental to the economy? What will his response be to Dr. Robinson’s new campaign strategy? But it was the last one that stuck with you and put you slightly on edge: How do you respond to the claim that Mr. Clark’s campaign is poorly staffed and managed?

When Rebecca finished the question, you were quite taken aback. Poorly managed? The campaign staff members were putting in crazy hours just to stay two steps ahead on the unofficial to-do list. Clark’s campaign manager and strategists were brilliant leaders and organizers, so you just couldn’t seem to wrap your head around the merits of that claim. You denounced the statement articulately, but couldn’t help yourself from asking where it came from.

“May I ask who said that, Rebecca?”

“I really shouldn’t say,” she replied, shooting you an apologetic smile.

“Please,” you insisted, “It’s only to satisfy my curiosity.”

“Well, I spoke earlier with Dr. Robinson and several of her staffers, but I believe that particular statement came from a…” she trailed off, reading back through her scrambled notes. “Ah. A staffer by the name of Shawn Mendes.”

You frowned. For someone making such bold claims, you didn’t recognize his name. “Thank you, Rebecca. Now,” you began, taking out a sticky note and a pen, “Here’s my phone number.” You scrawled your cell on the yellow paper, folding it once and handing it to the reporter. “If you need anything at all, even if it’s just another series of statements, don’t hesitate to call.” She accepted the paper, smiled graciously, and let herself out of your office while thanking you.

Still bothered by Rebecca’s final question, you decided you were going to confront the source. Your work for the day was essentially done, and you trusted the other staffers to be fine without you. Besides, if Mr. Clark did desperately need you for whatever reason, Robinson’s campaign headquarters were only a few minutes away.

After getting in your car and driving a couple minutes down the road, you pulled up and parked in front of Mr. Clark’s opposing campaign’s office. You grabbed your small tan purse from the passenger seat of your car and smoothed your dress as you got out, locking the car behind you as you started for the main entrance. Once inside the main lobby, you noted that it was just as sleek and well-kept as Mr. Clark’s. There were a few couches and chairs on the left side of the lobby, and the right side held a small refrigerator right next to the receptionist’s desk. You started to walk past the desk towards the offices, ready to hunt down this Shawn Mendes’s office, when the receptionist called after you.

“Excuse me.” You stopped in your tracks and turned to face the young receptionist as she leaned over the side of the desk to catch you. “Can I help you with something?”

You smiled, taking a few steps back towards her. “I’m here to see Mr. Mendes.”

“Do you have a meeting?”

“He’s expecting me,” you lied, and the receptionist looked uneasy. She clearly didn’t recognize you, and why would she? You’d had no reason to step foot inside Dr. Robinson’s office until now.

“Well, why don’t you sign in on the clipboard and I’ll go tell him someone’s here to see him.”

“That’s not necessary,” you said kindly, hoping to ease her into letting you go yourself. You wanted to confront this man; not have it the other way around. “Like I said, Mr. Mendes will be expecting me, and I’m already running a bit behind schedule. I’m perfectly fine to escort myself.”

“O-Okay,” the receptionist stumbled, confused, but you could tell she wasn’t going to argue with you. Having just come from work, you looked like you meant business, and you did. “Just down the hall and to your left. Mr. Mendes’s office is the second door on the right.”

“Thank you,” you smiled, hoping to convey your gratitude. “Have a nice day.”

You followed the receptionist’s directions, walking down the corridor and to the left until you found the second office on the right. The door was open, and you were met with a young man in a gray suit, his feet up on a mahogany desk, tapping along to the soft sound of a John Mayer song coming from a speaker on top of the desk. His hands were behind his head as he reclined in his office chair, his eyes closed.

You tapped twice on the open door, stirring the man from his trance as he opened his eyes to see the source of the knocking. “Hard at work, I see,” you scoffed, quite amused at the irony of the state you found him in. Whose office is poorly staffed now?

He smiled, revealing a row of perfect white teeth. He slowly retracted his feet from the top of the desk and lowered the volume on his speaker, turning again to face you. “I’ve actually finished all of my work for the day, but I’m sticking around for a little while in case my boss needs me for anything.”

“How diligent of you, Mr. Mendes.”

“Shawn,” he corrected, cocking his head to the side, eyebrows slightly furrowed as he took you in.  “And who might the beautiful stranger in my office be?”

You smiled, leaning against the doorframe. To your dismay, his words made your stomach twirl, but you tried not to show it. “Y/N Y/L/N. A member of the campaign staff you so eloquently denounced as inadequate.”

He let out a little laugh, suddenly understanding. He couldn’t hide his amusement at the fact that someone had actually shown up at his office to call him out. “Now let’s not get carried away, sweetheart. I didn’t say that.”

“No, you didn’t. Not exactly, anyways. It meant the same, nonetheless.”

“You know, I thought you looked familiar when I saw you,” he said, standing up from his desk and crossing to the front of it, leaning back against it with his arms crossed over his chest. “Never thought I’d be face to face with Clark’s go-to girl. You look better in real life than you do in all the pictures.”

“So you do know who I am, then. Funny, because I’ve never even heard of you.”

He smirked. “Ouch.”

Up close, you couldn’t deny that he was gorgeous. You hadn’t expected him to be so...your age. And attractive. His gray suit fit his broad shoulders perfectly, and he was tall, maybe 6’1” or 6’2”. His brown curls were just the right amount of messy, styled up off of his forehead with one loose strand hanging down over his eye. You sighed. It was always the hot ones that were the biggest assholes.

You turned your head to the left side of his office, finding a spot on the wall right next to the door where his diplomas and several awards were hung in matching frames. “Harvard,” you noted, running your fingers over the glass frame that contained his Bachelor’s degree. “Impressive.”

“Wanted to get out of Canada for a little while, get my degree in the States. You seem surprised,” he laughed, never taking his eyes off of you.

“Not surprised. Just...impressed,” you reiterated.

“Is there something I can actually do for you, sweetheart?” he asked, licking his lips as he tilted his head to the side again, never losing his smirk.

You smiled back, standing up straight so that you were no longer leaning on the doorframe. “Just wanted to see if you were as bold off paper as you sound on it.”

“And what’s the consensus?”

“I’ll let you know.”

He smiled smugly at the ground before looking back up at you, taking a step closer. “Hmm. Well, why don’t you let me take you to dinner? Maybe it will aid in the decision making.”

You were surprised by how shamelessly forward he was. “Probably not a good idea, considering we’re kind of working against each other.”

He grinned, seeming unphased by your rejection. “Well, I’m sure I’ll be seeing you anyways, especially with the debate coming up. I’ll keep an eye out for you.”

“I’m flattered,” you teased, though his overconfidence got slightly under your skin. You adjusted your purse strap over your shoulder and turned your back to walk out of his office. “Have a nice night, Shawn,” you said over your shoulder.

You could hear the smile in his voice as he called, “You too, sweetheart.”

[writingevanhansen]

A Performance to Remember (Actress!Reader x Davey Jacobs)

okay so i know my user is writingevanhansen but like...newsies is a thing that i want to write for. so here we are.

requested by: ME lol

Word Count: 1,756

Summary: You are a new actress working for Medda, and Davey sees you perform at your first show.

Brushing your hair back, you stare at your reflection and go over the words to your song for what felt like the millionth time. You quietly mumble the tune to yourself, pinning your hair into place. It was your debut performance Medda, and she graciously gave you a solo, even though it was your first show with her. You placed your makeup brush in some powder, singing a little more confidently. Glancing over to your right, you noticed that your costume was missing. A gentle hand was placed on your shoulder, and you turned around with a smile, thankful to see Medda’s familiar face. You could tell she knew you were anxious by the concerned look she wore.

“Now honey, tell me, why are you so nervous?” She said, rubbing your back. You shrugged, folding your hands in your lap.

“I just...Medda, what if they don’t like me? What if I forget my words or get boo’d? What if I fall off of the stage? Just...What then?” All of the ways your performance could go wrong began to swarm in your head. Medda shook her head.

“Hun, you’re just gonna have to step out there and leave it all out on the stage. Forget that the audience is there and be yourself! You’ve done it perfectly so many times during rehearsals, and I wouldn’t have given you a solo if I didn’t know you could handle it.” She leaned around your shoulders and squeezed. You placed your hands on her arms and leaned into the hug.

“Thank you, Ms. Medda.” You said with a smile. Before you could ask her where your costume was, you got cut off.

“Ms. Medda! How are you?” A newsboy came running down the stairs, approaching Medda with open arms. He was followed by two more boys: one that was very obviously younger, and another that caught your eye. He wore a button up and a vest, with a striped tie around his neck. His hair was neatly brushed under his hat, unlike the other two. Just by looking at him, you felt butterflies start to form in your stomach and your heart begin to quicken. It took every ounce within you to stop staring and to begin focusing on your makeup again. Before you could turn back, however, Davey’s eyes caught yours. Flustered, you looked away immediately, turning back to the mirror.

Davey, however, kept staring, struck by your beauty. Your dress was simple, and he couldn’t help but to admire how you looked in it. Jack discussed Medda’s next backdrop as Les listened, and by some power, Davey began to approach you. He didn’t know what he was doing. Nobody knew what he was doing. But he knew he couldn’t leave without saying something to you.

Your breath hitched when you looked up from your makeup and saw Davey next to you. You stared at the boy with wide eyes. He was even prettier up person. His lips, his eyes, especially his nose.

“Hello, ma’am. I’m David Jones.” He said. You smiled softly. David was a wonderful name.

“I’m (Y/N).” Davey smiled. He stared at you, breathless. There was a few beats of silence because he forgot why he came over. Oh, right! He had no idea why. Quickly, he began to think of a talking point.

“I-I’m sorry if I’m taking up your time, but, are...are you new here? I’ve been to Medda’s before and I haven’t seen you around.” You nodded.

“Yes, tonight will be my first performance! Are you staying for the show?” Davey hadn’t considered it; he had seen a lot of Medda’s shows and wanted to make sure Les could get home in time for bed, but he might just have to stay tonight.

Davey nodded. “Yeah! That’s why we dropped by.”

“Hey, Davey! You ready to go? Or are you too busy talking up poor (Y/N) over there?” Jack called. Davey screamed internally, and you laughed.

“Change of plans?” You asked with a smile. Davey chuckled.

“Well, you caught me.” You shrugged, smiling at Davey’s response. “I think I’ll stay anyways, if the boys don’t mind. I’ll go ask ‘em.” Davey strolled away as you watched. You placed your head in your hand as you waited for him to come back. He was really, really attractive. Just the way he held himself was cute to you. Was that weird? Davey walked back quickly.

“Good news!” He said. “We’re all staying,” Davey rubbed his hand on the back of his head, “...and I think a few others are coming, too.” You kicked your legs a little at his response, not dropping your smile.

“Who are the few others?”

Davey sighed. “A few boys that we sell papers with. They’re nothing to worry about, though. They’ll all be well behaved and good audience members!” You nodded.

“(Y/N), sweetie, half hour ‘till call!” Medda called, sending a wink in your direction. You nodded.

“Thank you, Ms. Medda!” You said back. You turned to Davey, and you were pleasantly surprised when you saw that he was bowing.

“Well, Ms. (Y/N), I’ll leave you to your work. I’ll be in the audience cheering you on!” Davey stood up straight, and you swear you could’ve swooned right there.

“Maybe I could see you after the show? If things go well?” You asked. Davey’s cheeks turned pink.

“I’d be there even if things went terribly.” Davey tried to sound smooth, but the comment didn’t feel right when he said it out loud. “I mean-not that they will! I’m sure you’ll be amazing! You look amazing, so, I mean, not that your looks equal how talented you are, I just mean-”

“Thank you, Davey.” You cut him off, reaching out and giving his hand a squeeze. He smiled and walked back to join Jack and Les, and they all walked off together to greet a few of the other boys. Your makeup is finished, and now you had to find the costume that seemingly walked off. You approached Ms. Medda, who was fixing her hat in a mirror.

“Ms. Medda, I can’t find the dress I picked out. Do you know where it may be?”

“Oh, lands, that thing? I put it in storage. I couldn’t let you go on wearing that.” Honestly, you weren’t that surprised. It was fairly simple, especially in comparison to Medda’s taste.

“Do I need to wear what I’m wearing now, then?” Medda laughed.

“I’m so sorry, I forgot to show you your new costume! Follow me, sweetheart.”

From her dressing room, Medda pulled out a navy blue leotard covered in silver crystals to form a stunning pattern. A small bunch of silver fabric was placed above where your tush would go. A matching pair of silver heels, some tights, a blue feather, and a silver fan was also placed in your arms. Flustered, you argued the ensemble.

“I don’t think anyone would want to see me wear this! It’s quite showy and I’m just not the...showy type of gal, y’know?” You said. Medda shook her head and led you towards a corner where you could change.

“If you aren’t showy gal then why are you in this show?” She laughed. “At least try it on. I guarantee that you’ll like it.”

Sure enough, once you stepped into view of a mirror, you loved how you looked. The blue was flattering on you, and though you never thought you could pull it off, you felt confident in the costume. Medda smiled and gave you a hug. “That’s my star!” She shouted, and you beamed. “Alright, sweetie,” She pulled away from the hug and placed her hands on your shoulders. “Remember. When you step onto that stage, just let go. If the audience cheers, you’re doing something right. Soak it up, and let it power your performance. You are wonderful!” She hugged you again, when the stage manager busted in.

“Ms. Medda! Places!” He shouted. Giving you one last squeeze, she glided out the door and onto the stage. From where you were standing, you could hear the large audience shout. Your stomach filled with nerves once again, but you let out a sigh and placed the feather in your hair.

“Ms. (Y/N), it’s almost time. Are you ready?”

With one last glance in the mirror, you nodded. You walked and stood in the wings, watching Medda shine. You took a deep breath and smiled. You were proud of yourself! You were no longer nervous and were rather excited. That was, until you remembered who was out there. You suddenly felt as if you melted into a pile of nerves. You had totally forgotten that Davey was in the audience, and now he was going to see you dressed like this! You paused and thought it over. ...Was that really such a bad thing?

As Medda took a bow, Davey clapped and cheered with the others boys. Jack, Davey, Les, Romeo, Race, and Albert all sat in an empty box, enjoying each moment. The lights came up, and the piano glistened. There was a single spotlight on a girl with her back turned to the audience. Her costume was, well, revealing, but very classy. The music picked up and the girl whipped around, using her large fan as a guide. Davey tensed. The girl was you. Race whistled and Romeo clapped. Davey gave a playful punch to both. “Ay!” Race muttered. “What’s the big idea?”

“Be respectful!” Davey whispered. Race rolled his eyes.

“Is that the girl you were talking about?” Romeo asked. Davey’s said nothing, but his face turned a deep red. Jack smirked, knowing his friend had it bad.

“Well, she is soitenly a sight for sore eyes!” Race said with a smirk. Race gasped for air, grabbing his side. Davey had elbowed him in the ribs.

“Ay, Davey. Calm. We all know she’s off limits now cuza you.” Jack said, smiling at his lovestruck friend.

But Davey didn’t hear. He was enthralled in your performance. The way you sang, the way you danced, the way you...looked. The lights shone off of your costume, and the crystals reflected all around the theater. Davey’s eyes never left you for one second.

When the music cut off, and you were alone on the stage again, the audience cheered, Davey most of all. He even gave you a standing ovation (and Les, too).

When he sat back down, Davey turned to Jack. “That’s the girl I’m gonna marry.”

[pingjoseph2-blog]

Bulls beat Wizards in OT 126-120

It hasn't been a good season for the Bulls with the epidemic of injuries, a coaching change, a major trade, slumps, doubts, questions. Those less kind, and nobody's naming names—for now—suggested they have been dogs. Wednesday in the United Center in a 126-120 overtime victory against the Washington Wizards, the Bulls were proud to be dogs. It enabled them to take a bite out of the Wizards and former teammates Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker.

"That's two dogs," Kris Dunn was saying after the game about he and substitute starter Shaquille Harrison, who combined for six steals and helped hold the Wizards without a field goal in the overtime.

Dunn led the Bulls in overtime with eight points among his season high 26 to go along with 13 assists, making back to back threes in overtime that effectively knocked out the Wizards. Harrison getting his second consecutive start with Otto Porter Jr. out with a shoulder injury and Zach LaVine also sidelined with a thigh problem, added 18 points with a second straight game of four steals. Lauri Markkanen returned to February form with 32 points, 13 rebounds and five of eight threes, though he's still really a puppy.

Kris Dunn's a leader. He's a dog. I'm a pitbull and he's a rotweiler. We're defensive guys and we want to get after it.

Shaquille Harrison

"Two dogs running around," said Dunn about the backcourt pressure with Harrison. "We help each other out. We make it easier for each other and I think we make it easier for the team. He plays hard. He has great feet, great hands, athletic. He's a dog."

For his part, Harrison, one of five G-league veterans the Bulls played among nine players available, showed more bite than bark. Especially when teamed with Dunn as they pestered Bradley Beal into seven of 19 shooting and a team worst plus/minus rating.

"I love playing with Kris," said Harrison. "He's a leader. He's a dog. I'm a pitbull and he's a rotweiler. We're defensive guys and we want to get after it. We don't want anything easy. You're going to have to go through us to get hard, tough buckets."

Talking about making it ruff, ruff for the Wizards.

Bulls vs Wizards recap.

So these Bulls playing G-league veterans for two starters can take a bow for a wow night.

I'm not sure how far I can carry this, though with back to back wins even at 21-52, the Bulls are starting to show some teeth and a growl.

OK, that's it.

"One thing we talk about is the next man up," said Bulls coach Jim Boylen. "We also talk about it doesn't matter where you're drafted. It doesn't matter where you're from. It doesn't matter if your family has money or no money or whatever. You step over the line and compete and good things will happen for you. Guys competed. I just love that. Win or lose, I love it when guys do that. That's really cool for me."

Though the resurgence of Markkanen and the renewed commitment of Dunn were probably the headlines to the game, it was an impressive ensemble effort from players who have been career strays (OK, that's really it).

Shaquille Harrison attempts a layup.

Harrison played a career high 39 minutes in starting along with Antonio Blakeney and also had at least two blocks from behind that were clean and obviously so surprised the officials fouls were called. Boylen indicated Porter could miss a few games, though Porter prior to the game told Chicago media he would not miss the rest of the season with nine games remaining. Both Cristiano Felicio with 15 points and Timothy Luwawu-Cabarrot with 13 points had season highs, the beleaguered Felicio with a second straight game scoring in double digits. Ryan Arcidiacono hustled his way to seven points and his allotment of charges taken in what is becoming that time of year, Arch Madness.

"When you got Kris and Shaq back there you've got two guys who played football, two guys who are as tough as nails," said Boylen. "Then you throw Archie out there, who is one of the toughest guys I've ever been around. Then you got RoLo (Lopez) who is tough and Lauri who is seven-foot and long and smart. We had our toughest guys out there to finish the game."

In this upside down season, the Bulls are putting Lopez back in games for offense. And he came up a fraction late with a drive that could have won the game in regulation.

The Wizards had tied the game with 2.4 seconds left in a wild close on a Beal baseline jumper after all sorts of shenanigans and lead changes that included a flagrant foul on Markkanen by Portis. It didn't seem willful, though Bobby was known to swing his arms around.

"I don't believe it was intentional," Markkanen agreed, though he did seem to spend the review period searching for his nose. "I don't think he's like that. The thing about Bobby is he just always plays so hard. Some stuff happens. But I don't think that was anything intentional."

Markkanen made both frees throws with 50.5 seconds left to give the Bulls a 112-109 lead after their eight-point margin with 3:36 turned into a 109-108 Wizards lead with 1:36 remaining on a Parker full court ramble for a score. Parker clearly likes to make his points to the Bulls, leading Washington with 28 coming off the bench. He had 20 against the Bulls right after the February trade.

Markkanen after averaging 26 points in February hadn't scored 20 points since the March 1 four-overtime game. He'd been averaging about 16 points the last 10 games, often hesitant on his shot. But he returned to his quick release, planting himself for catch-and-shoot opportunities. The Wizards finally figured that out, so they crowded him late. Dunn tried to set up the play where he'll make a step toward the lane to draw the defense and pitch back to Markkanen. The Wizards were ready, but Markkanen faked and drove for a score, a move he'd been uncertain with recently. That gave the Bulls a 110-109 lead. Washington committed a turnover and Markkanen rolling in for a layup got mashed in the face by Portis attempting to make the block, though with arms too short to get too close. The officials looked, Markkanen checked for his nose, and got the flagrant foul for two free throws and possession. So a three-point lead with 50.5 seconds to go.

Markkanen shoots the ball.

"Last year I was kind of able to surprise teams," said Markkanen. "I'm not surprising anybody this year, so I have to figure out how to get around different coverages. I didn't change anything. I just kept working on it every day. There were a couple times where I was fading away and short. So I was trying to stay focused on my follow through and being balanced."

The Bulls could have ended it there, but Dunn missed a three (attempting a season high seven). The Wizards then got a driving score with 15.3 seconds left and fouled Arcidiacono, who made one of two for the 113-111 lead with 14.2 seconds left. The Wizards spent about five passes searching out Beal for the tie. So the Bulls had a play left. It was supposed to be for Markkanen, who was inbounding to get the ball back. But the Wizards wrapped him up—perhaps improperly—and Lopez was stuck to drive. He needed about another second.

All of us know Kris can score. He can turn it on and be aggressive when he wants to. He's a really good player. He has been doing a good job of finding people.

Lauri Markkanen

It had been the Bulls game most of the way with a 35-28 first quarter lead with Markkanen scoring 10 points. The Wizards opened the second quarter fast behind Parker's 13 second quarter points, taking a 49-44 lead before the Bulls got some unusual help from Luwawu-Cabarrot for a 60-60 halftime game. The Bulls reclaimed the lead in the third with Markkanen working with Dunn.

"It kind of reminded me of last year," said Markkanen. "All of us know Kris can score. He can turn it on and be aggressive when he wants to. He's a really good player. He has been doing a good job of finding people. He's been trying to focus on that. He might not be scoring as much, but he's a really good player. Me and Kris played together a lot last year with Zach being out a long period of time; we built chemistry."

Dunn drew the postgame walkoff interview with NBCSports and got a water shower from Blakeney and LaVine about to when Dunn pleaded for mercy and perhaps to avoid electrocution from the microphone. It's been a difficult season for Dunn even after the return from a meniscus sprain. He never seemed able to discern how much to be a facilitator versus a producer, which he talked about at length.

"We had to fight through injuries," Dunn said. "It was an all around great game for us, the staff. Getting back to doing what I do, playing with swag. Be aggressive. I said it before, I sacrificed a lot for this team. I don't know if it helped the team or not. But I got to get back to what I do."

With just a few games left, it's still a vital time for Dunn given so much community conversation about the point guard position. Is he the one? He was against the Wizards.

"If anything, tonight was a confidence booster for him to hang in there," Boylen said. "Stay the course, keep grinding, believe in yourself and it will turn for him."

The Chicago Bulls

Boylen stuck with his underdog bench the first half of the fourth quarter and they maintained the lead with three Felicio scores. He's still a bit slow to react, but he has been rolling aggressively and finishing effectively the last few games, It was tied at 98 with 5:10 left when Dunn scored on a drive and Harrison chased on a fast break and a three-point play after the Bulls retrieved Washington turnovers. The Bulls would have 66 points in the paint and lead the league in inside scoring for the month, the product of Robin Lopez's drop step moves and the emphasis in interior play with modest three-point shooting. The Wizards came back once again, but they were not about to muzzle these Bulls.

Kris Dunn drives the ball.

"I wouldn't say more on my shoulders. I would say more on the team's shoulders," said Dunn about the latest absences. "With Zach and Otto being out, Shaq stepped up, Timmy stepped up. RoLo being a vet for the team was unbelievable; Lauri made big time plays. I fed him, too. It was a great all around effort."

Best in show, as it were.

Close related photo gallery overlay.

Source: https://www.nba.com/bulls/news/bulls-beat-wizards-ot-126-120