#malatesta x yvonne

[choicesislife-blog]

Endless Summer Fantasy AU Chapter 2

A/N: Another annoying author's note in the way! Either way...these r things you should be reminded about...

Ships present in the fanfic:

Jake x Female! MC (Taylor)

Estela x Male! MC (Travis)

Zahra x Craig (Namasiao)

Sean x Michelle (Seanelle)

Grace x Aleister (Graleister)

Varynn x Diego (Variego)

Malatesta x Yvonne (Malavonne)

If you haven't checked out Chap 1, do check it out! :D Hope you enjoy!

The night had struck the kingdom. Silence is present in the grand palace of Aethiopia...

In her bedroom, Taylor watches the clock as its hands slowly tick its way to midnight. The moment they do reach midnight, the princess grins.

"The perfect time to strike." Taylor smiles to herself.

The princess rises from her bed, and dons a black cloak before exitting her bedroom. Lucky for her, her twin brother's room was just across hers. Taylor raises her fist and gently knocks on the door.

Tapping her foot in slight impatience, the pale-skinned girl knew that she had no other choice but to wait.

Finally, the door swings open. Travis strides out of the bedroom in the same black cloak Taylor is wearing, sleepily rubbing his eyes.

"Gee, do we really have to?" Travis says.

"Come on, we don't have all day...!" Taylor says in a hushed tone.

She grabs her brother's wrist and drags him with her.

"Are you sure Aleister won't reprimand us for sneaking out of our rooms at midnight?" Travis blurts out. "He did say we have a curfew..."

"At least we have a good reason to be awake," Taylor says, irritated.

The twins continued their way down the dimly lit corridors.

"If we get caught, I'm definitely going to blame you." Travis muttered under his breath.

"Hey, you were the one who said you'd help," Taylor says.

"I didn't know we'd do it tonight," Travis whispered back. "Where the heck are we going, anyway?"

"You'll see." replied Taylor.

Taylor pauses once she's reached a pair of large, tall doors. Travis stops right behind her.

Travis's brows raise, "The library? Isn't it locked right now?"

"True," Taylor hums. "but I have a key."

"Say what?" Travis exclaims. "How?"

Taylor grins, tossing her platinum-blonde hair over her shoulder. "Perks of being a princess."

Taylor inserts the key into the keyhole, twisting it...

"Is...that the key itself or a duplicate?" Travis asks in curiosity.

"The key itself," Taylor responds. "but don't worry, we'll put this back to where it belongs."

Taylor pushes the doors open, revealing a vast library filled with numerous bookshelves.

"Come on, I'll show you my progress." said Taylor, beckoning her brother to follow her.

Travis stalks off behind her, taking a few moments to gaze at the beautifully lit library. Taylor stops in her tracks before a long, brown table. Files and books were stacked on top of it.

"That's all I've got," said Taylor, pointing at the documents and books piled up.

Travis takes a book, beginning to flip through its pages. "This reminds me of the history lessons we'd take under Aleister's tutelage, to be honest."

"Believe me, I've spent hours in this library..." Taylor sighs.

Travis sits atop the desk, while Taylor takes a seat on a nearby chair, with both of them reading.

"All I see here is the history of Aethiopia," commented Travis. "How's that supposed to help us find the killer of our parents?"

"Well, it's important to know the history of the realm." Taylor says, shutting a book she'd just finished reading closed. "That way we can find out who's against our kingdom."

"I guess you have a point," Travis nods thoughtfully.

An hour passed, and the twins had already finished reading all the documents and books Taylor had stacked up in her hours of research.

"Still nothing?" Travis asks, turning to his twin.

"No...unfortunately." Taylor bites on her lower lip.

A curtain of silence draped over them...

"Why are you so desperate to find out who...murdered our parents?" Travis says ever so suddenly. "I mean, I know I'm upset, but...--"

"I'm scared."

Taylor's words made Travis pause mid-sentence.

"...What?" Travis asks, confused.

Taylor releases a heavy sigh, "I'm scared that it might happen to you, Travis. We lost Mother and Father before, and I...I don't want to lose you like we lost them. So I thought that if we'd catch our parents' killer...no one would harm our kingdom."

Travis's eyes softened. "Hey...you won't lose me, sis."

Travis climbs off the table, taking a seat beside her and flashing his signature smile at her. "In fact, we'll make Mother and Father proud. We can start by becoming great leaders to our people."

Taylor forces a small smile. "Thanks, Travis."

"Say...wanna keep searching?" Travis asks.

"You bet." Taylor beams.

The next morning, Taylor is seen sleepily snoring on her bed. She and her brother had gone to sleep at around three in the morning, so they barely got enough sleep.

The door to her bedroom slammed open, and the Royal Advisor, Aleister angrily stormed inside.

"Princess Taylor, your sleeping habits are completely intolerable!" Aleister yells.

Taylor groans, removing her sleeping mask. "What's the big deal?"

"Don't act like a fool, Princess Taylor." Aleister glares at her. "You've overslept, yet again!"

Taylor yawns, rising up from her canopy bed. "Yeah, yeah...Sorry 'bout that."

Aleister sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose as he shakes his head. "I'm quite disappointed in you, Princess Taylor."

"Well, I'll leave you be to dress properly for breakfast." said Aleister, walking off to exit the room. "I'll be expecting you to be in the Dining Hall in the next few minutes."

Taylor sighs as her advisor leaves. A dark-skinned beauty enters the grand bedroom, wearing a pale-orange maid dress with white frills.

"Your Highness," the maid politely curtsied.

"There's no need for the formalities, Grace..." Taylor says.

"O-Oh...I see." Grace meekly responds. "Here...let me help you prepare for breakfast, Princess."

"Taylor's just fine." said the young princess.

"I understand, Pri--I mean, Taylor." Grace quickly corrects herself.

Taylor smiles and takes a seat in front of her vanity, while Grace begins to brush her pale-blonde hair.

In the Dining Hall, Travis drums his fingers on the table, glancing around the room to find something that'd entertain him. Aleister enters, looking stressed. "Aleister," said Travis, snapping his head up to look at him. "Where's Taylor?" Aleister sighed, taking a seat across him. "She is still preparing, as usual. Your sister has been late seven days straight."

"That's my sister for you," Travis sheepishly laughs.

Aleister simply blinks.

"Uh...never mind." Travis awkwardly says, scratching the back of his head.

A/N: Just note that I wanted to make this fanfic for fun! Also, I’m really sorry if there r no ship moments yet! I wanted to introduce the characters first (at least two new characters per chapter). I hope you liked, reblogged, and left a comment/note! ^_^

[endlessflame]

Malatesta x Yvonne

[princediavolos]

every clue in endless summer, explained

technically the title is kinda misleading because some clues simply have no explanation, they just are. still, there’s a lot of pieces to be put together over the three books, and there are clues found in the first book that aren’t explained till the last one. (if you’re confused about the clues, here’s the fandom wiki for book 1, book 2 & book 3.)

before i dive in, here’s some clarifications:

i’ve used mc’s default name, taylor, and neutral pronouns wherever i’ve referred to them. the endless is also referred to by neutral pronouns.

acts 1, 2 & 3 fall under book 1

acts 4, 5 & 6 fall under book 2

acts 7 & 8 fall under book 3

each act has one bonus scene, so if i’m referring to bonus scene 5, it implies to the scene shown after act 5.

ok so unnecessarily long exposition under the cut!

ACT 1

i. tranquilizer dart: found by taylor and diego upon landing on the airstrip. presumably used on the sabretooth, t'kal, to keep it docile. likely done by rourke or his henchmen, but it is also highly possible the endless tranquilized t'kal in order to keep it from killing everyone.

ii. strange creature: a colourful flying seahorse, found by quinn and taylor along the beach in a premium scene. as shown in bonus scene 1, rourke knows of the creature, as he examines it with interest through his binoculars.

iii. weird lights: lights resembling the auroras displayed at the control tower, found by taylor and jake. it is later explained in book 2 chapter 10 by grace, that the lights are caused by the doppler effect, due to the dilation and contraction of time around la huerta. the vaanti call it the lights of vaanu, said to bring them good luck.

iv. vintage wine: if taylor goes to the ballroom with zahra, quinn notes that every bottle in the room predates 1924. as revealed in book 3 chapter 7, the wedding in the ballroom was that of flora and arthur, and group arrived there due to the time anomalies of the island.

v. sharp tooth: found by grace by the pool, near the fence. according to her, the bars were all twisted. presumably belongs to t'kal the sabretooth.

vi. old note: a note found by taylor and diego in one of the upgraded honeymoon/rainforest suites. it was written by flora sullivan to eugene rosencraft, before her wedding to arthur barnaby. it also references neptune cove, where the second half of the island's heart is found in book 3.

vii. pirate coin/wolf symbol: can be obtained either by going to the waterfall with quinn, or by hiking the cliff with jake. the doubloon is probably a remnant of malatesta and yvonne's loot, while the wolf symbol could have been left behind by the endless. the symbol also matches the stamp on jake's dossier.

viii. shoe prints: a set of muddy shoeprints were found by the celestial's shelter. no solid explanation or implication towards who these belong to.

ix. gas mask: found by taylor underwater in the cavern. it looks very old, and as noted by diego, probably from the world war times. it would have probably belonged to kele, a world war ii soldier who paddled his way into la huerta while escaping from the germans.

x. padlock: the unbroken padlock to the burning hangar, which implies that the hangar was unlocked and jake's plane sabotaged. in one of the memories taylor receives from the endless, lila is shown to deliberately sabotage the plane in order to keep everyone on the island, implying she may have done it in this timeline, too.

ACT 2

i. cufflink: lila is discovered pocketing the cufflink in rourke's office, which she probably did to discover his whereabouts later on. in bonus scene 2, rourke is shown to remove all his clothing, including his cufflinks, before he steps into the containment pod. the cufflink can also be used in book 1 chapter 10, where rourke's dna on it reveals a footage video of him complaining about strange occurrences on the island.

ii. dossiers: files containing data on sean, grace, raj and estela are found in the paper shredder, intact. each of them is stamped with symbols of the constellations aquila, cygnus, centaurus and draco respectively. the symbols are left behind by the endless.

iii. whiskey notes: a note discarded by rourke in the vip lounge, referencing the satellite uplink at the la huerta observatory. this is also shown in bonus scene 2.

iv. frying pan: a frying pan embossed with the centaurus symbol on it, which raj says he feels very drawn to. this was also left behind by the endless. he also uses this pan to deflect a sedative dart aimed at taylor in book 1 chapter 16.

v. arrowhead: an amber arrowhead is found lodged inside the king crab's shell, as found by taylor and estela. as the vaanti have been shown to use amber weaponry (as well as in other ways, such as the catalyst idols), it is implied that one of them may have attacked the guardian with an arrow.

vi. dossiers: files containing data on jake, zahra and diego found in the room inside the observatory. they are stamped with the symbols of the constellations lupus, corvus and canis. symbols left behind by the endless.

vii. strange gun: a futuristic gun found by either estela or jake. in book 1 chapter 16, it is revealed to be a tachyon accelerator, used to move objects forward in time. in bonus scene 5, lila refers to the gun as a temporal perforator.

viii. star map: a holographic display of constellations, as seen by taylor and sean as they go up the pod. sean points out that the stars in the sky over la huerta don't have the usual constellations, and that the stars have not looked like this for a million years. this is confirmed in the book 1 epilogue, when aleister notes that atropo's eruption has caused la huerta to go back to the hadean eon.

ACT 3

i. dossiers: files containing data on quinn, michelle and craig found by taylor and diego by the marina. they are stamped with the symbols of the constellations delphinus, pavo and ursa. symbols left behind by the endless.

ii. rourke's ship: if taylor and lila venture into a familiar-looking boat, they will discover it is rourke's ship, the daedalus. he was seen on the ship in bonus scene 1, and he presumably destroyed it along with the other boats on the marina immediately afterwards.

iii. plastic explosive: the semtex explosive is found by taylor in the back of the boat. it's what was used to blow up the other ships in the marina, but this one malfunctioned.

iv. strange shell: a blue-purple coloured shell that repeats the speaker's words over and over. in one of the memories taylor receives from the endless, varyyn is seen tearfully listening to the shell echoing diego's voice, saying 'i'll always love you, varyyn' over and over again as it gradually fades away.

v. telepathic vision: varyyn telepathically communicates with taylor, showing them what would happen if the catalysts didn't go with the vaanti. it is later revealed to be a depiction of atropo erupting, setting the whole world on fire and destroying it.

vi. numbers: in the wine cellar, 1908 refers to a lever to the underground tunnel, disguised as a vintage wine bottle, as well as the cheat code to rourke's arcade game, most wanted 2. rourke also uses an override program on iris called the directive 1908, explained in book 3 chapter 9, which makes iris prioritise the goal she was created for -- to utilise imogen rourke's knowledge on cloning to provide an heir to rourke. another program, directive 8091, forces estela into the omega mech cockpit in book 3 chapter 10, as she is rourke's 'true' heir.

vii. dossiers: files on taylor and aleister are found inside the security centre, both stamped by the endless with symbols of constellations andromeda and serpens. aleister's dossier is newer, printed recently by iris upon discovering that he was aboard the plane to la huerta.

viii. healing plant: leaves of the plant, when wrapped around aleister's bleeding palm, heal it with unnatural speed without a trace. grace and aleister theorize this may be due to some cellular reconstructive properties the leaves may contain.

ix. necklace: worn by varyyn in book 1, the necklace is seen to have time travelling properties, as it brings back jake/estela/sean/quinn/diego back from the dead. it is unknown if the endless facilitated its use or it is associated with rourke.

x. pirate cutlass: the cutlass was forged by malatesta and was stolen from him by admiral higgenbotham, who was presumably killed alongside malatesta's crew in the flashback taylor experiences, by the vaanti. yvonne then stole the cutlass from higgenbotham's corpse, naming it chouchou. it is unclear as to how the cutlass ended up on a display case at the celestial.

ACT 4

i. hydra caduceus: a staff found in rourke's library, which when placed in the statue's hand in the atrium, turns it into a sundial. iris says that the caduceus is the only item in the library she cannot find the origin of.

ii. crimson glove: a futuristic, yet battered metal glove put on display in rourke's underground museum; taylor realises that the person's arm was probably cut off. the glove belongs to the endless, who tells taylor that they learnt very soon that 'the laws of time can be very unforgiving' with reference to their loss of limb.

iii. shotgun shell: michelle and taylor find the 12-gauge armor-piercing shell casing, as identified by jake, during the time loop. he notes that whoever shot this meant business. the shell probably came from one of the arachnids who were on the island searching for jake.

iv. snowy hills: taylor, with either jake or estela, finds snow on the hills and by the lake on a hot and sunny day, indicating time is in disarray throughout different parts of the island, much like the northern and southern parts of the island.

v. wedding ring: a wedding ring is found on the hand of a statue of a masked bride, in the valley of tombs by jake and taylor. the statue is of flora sullivan, and the ring was given to her by eugene rosencraft which she had turned down. it was after this she wrote him the note found in act 1.

vi. tattoo: uqzhaal has a back tattoo of the legend of the threshold. it is the place where yvonne finds the endless in bonus scene 5, and where yvonne, taylor and uqzhaal meet the endless after collecting all the catalyst idols and solving the puzzle.

vii. words on the wind: the voices at the singing cliffs tell taylor that something is coming across the sea, destroying everything in its path. this could either be an immediate reference to yvonne's arrival the next morning, or a vague prediction about the omega mech used by rourke in book 3.

viii. musket ball: yvonne concedes the gold musket ball at sharktooth isle in exchange for their services to find her 'treasure.'

ix. antique compass: yvonne's said treasure turns out to be an antique compass which she tries to conceal; malatesta made her walk the plank for stealing this compass, which she did in order to find the fountain of youth. the compass also leads her to the threshold in bonus scene 5.

x: oath blade: seraxa's gift to taylor for saving taari, saying that debts must be repaid in accordance with vaanti culture. she is shown to threaten the catalysts with this blade in book 2 chapter 4.

ACT 5

i. silver sap: the sap that drips from elyy'stel's tree aids the catalysts to walk in between dimensions. it is the consumption of this sap by eugene and flora that gradually turned them feral and eventually into the vaanti.

ii. deep fissure: if taylor keeps rewinding until they can't go any further, right up to the ancient sea, the catalysts witness the forming of a fissure in the ocean bed. this fissure was caused by vaanu crash-landing on the earth, and it eventually becomes mount atropo, and forms the bubble surrounding la huerta.

iii. the island's heart: one half of the island's heart, which was formed right in the crux of the volcano, found by the catalysts in the base of elyy'stel's tree.

iv. the mask maker: the masks worn by the vaanti bear the name of their maker, rosencraft & sons, 1921. this explains the masks worn by guests at flora and arthur's wedding, which also took place in the rosencraft manor. the rosencrafts were said to be bankrupt, and that the estate belonged to the banks.

v. burning shard: a burning crystal shard that glows green and reacts the same way that quinn did while possessed by the island's heart. it is one of many crystal shards scattered across the island, originating from the crux of the volcano.

vi. mansingh crater: a crater found near the chasm bears the name of mansingh transglobal tech, the company run by grace's mother, blaire hall. it is suspicious to both taylor and grace, as it implies blaire hall was somehow involved with rourke. no further explanation has been made about the crater.

vii. newspaper clipping: a scrap of an article is found by taylor in the elysian lodge, detailing the deaths of arjun and subhanu sethi due to a car accident, also killing their son and putting their daughter in a critical condition. this daughter is lila, and this article implies that rourke (or someone else) was doing a background research on lila.

viii. rourke's note: an old note written by rourke to look into the new junior researcher, as they look familiar. this is most likely a reference to olivia montoya, although it is not known where he recognises her from.

ACT 6

i. rourke's plan: out of agitation, lila blurts out rourke's plan to save the world through a machine at the masada facility. this machine turns out to be the omega mech, and rourke's plan happens to be controlling the world and its people's existence on his whims.

ii. tracking device: a tracking device is found by taylor, attached to the yeti's fur. this was placed there by the arachnid. this tracking device relays location details back to them, as seen in the military humvee by michelle, jake and taylor, where the code name for the yeti is arktos.

iii. garbled message: a distorted voice reveals the date and coordinates of jake's location, received by the arachnid through an anonymous transmission, which is how they came upon la huerta in the first place. this voice belongs to jake himself, who did so using a 'time-phone' in order to merge realities and help them escape through a helicopter from the masada facility.

iv. crashed satellite: varyyn, while talking about shooting stars, says a satellite once crashed to the ground from the skies. it is probably a stray satellite that got caught in the la huerta time bubble, or it belonged to rourke.

v. omega mech: olivia montoya demonstrates rourke's plans for the omega specimen, aka the endless, through a vr headset. she urges the viewer to understand the destruction the specimen, and rourke, are capable of.

vi. missing guests: rourke claimed that the guests at the celestial were evacuated in time at the beginning of the book, but it is shown that he had them put in containment pods. as seen in bonus scene 4, lundgren and the other arachnids were a part of these guests, but were released by rourke upon striking a deal with him to capture jake.

vii. charred skeletons: skeletons of people are found in the flames and ashes at hartfeld, proving that people did not escape the eruption.

viii. havana cigar: lundgren's cigar at the masada facility implies that he was snooping around where he shouldn't, and that he didn't trust rourke. this distrust is confirmed in bonus scene 6.

ACT 7

i. temple/ancient map: if taylor, yvonne and uqzhaal find the endless, they will give the whereabouts of no'ox naj temple to yvonne, where the fountain of youth exists. if they don't find the endless, taylor and yvonne find a carving of the la huerta map on the walls at the threshold, also hinting towards the temple. the whole group meets the endless for the first time in this temple in book 3 chapter 4.

ii. scout: a mechanical spider with a spy camera is found by taylor while they go windsurfing to win malatesta's bet. like the tracker on the yeti, this was also placed by the arachnid to track down their locations.

iii. padlock: a weathered padlock bearing the inscription, 'no land, no sea, no one will keep us apart. flora & eugene, 1920,' found by taylor in a coral reef. after turning down eugene's proposal (the ring clue, book 2), she tried to make it up to him with this padlock and by asking him to show up at neptune cove (the note clue, book 1). when he failed to show up, flora gave up on him and somehow ended up in a forced marriage to arthur barnaby a year later.

iv. pen: a tarnished silver pen bearing grace's name is found in the shrine at no'ox naj temple. it is implausible that she was at the temple, as she was under rourke's custody the whole time. it is also the same pen seen in grace's catalyst idol, returned to her by aleister and ultimately found near professor diaz's car which she had smashed up.

v. silver sap: one of the drinks served at the anachronists' party at quarr'tel is the silver sap from elyys'tel's tree. the creation of the vaanti myth, which is said to have started at a masquerade theme wedding, is that of flora and arthur's, where the former gets shot after confessing her love for eugene at the wedding. in an attempt to save her, eugene gives her some of this sap. this consumption eventually turns them into the feral vaanti.

vi. spirit's identity: the anachronist, clockmaker, refers to the faceless spirit as vaanu. in reality, vaanu is simply an alien being from another planet (the prism dimension) who crash landed on earth when its planet was destroyed. upon communing with vaanu, taylor discovers they are vaanu's creation, made for the purpose of returning la huerta to its normal state, allowing vaanu's departure.

vii. aleister's note: aleister writes a note to grace, apologising to her, and how he feels genuine remorse over his betrayal. he mentions that he hopes to redeem himself in her eyes.

ACT 8:

i. painting: at the rosencraft manor, there's a painting titled 'depiction of the divine' portraying rourke writing the ten commandments dressed in roman attire. the attire probably matches the statue of himself in the atrium, which opens up the sundial to his museum.

ii. communicator: the anachronists provide sean, raj and michelle with antique communicators which lets them coordinate the attack on cetus.

iii. path to the core: vaanu shows quinn the way to the core of the volcano, where the island's heart belongs. this core is the place where vaanu landed on earth.

iv. molten crystals: a crystal orb with claw markings in it, made by the oryctoraptor that dwells inside the volcano. referred to by varyyn as the deep guardian, it is the most reclusive of the four. it is also responsible for the orb found in the cavern in book 1 chapter 5, and possibly the orb that causes the time loop in book 2 chapter 2.

v. the endless' musings: zahra finds a diary belonging to the endless at the base of the volcano, in which they speak of how the sentience of the crystals probably drew the four guardians (cetus, king crab, yeti, oryctoraptor) to establish order on the island, but they were driven mad. the endless also believes it is possible the crystal created the creatures. this is possible, as it would explain the existence of the colourful seahorse, t'kal and furball (although they have not been affected like the guardians have.)

vi. closing words: the closing words spoken by seraxa during the handfasting ceremony, which is customary as 'it was for the first bride and her beloved.' they are the same words that were engraved in the padlock that flora made for eugene.

[marmolady]

Broken Chains: On a Knife Edge

Book/Series: Endless Summer

Main Pairings: Estela x MC/Taylor (f)

Summary: Part 4: Post-ending (Endless ending). Devoid of the essence that gave her life, Taylor has been left fighting for survival. For Estela, the reality of what they’ve done is about to come crashing down.

Word Count: 7355

Warnings: Probably rated M to be safe, for language.

Previous Chapter/Next Chapter

AO3

Estela woke slowly from a drugged haze, and found herself lying in a bed, crisp sheets tightly surrounding her. Beginning to make sense of the world around her she blinked, taking in the medical room. In the bed next to hers… Taylor. Lying prone, broken, lost to her. The air felt to be sucked from Estela’s lungs, her heart in her throat. It all flooded back.

Oh god, she’s gone. She’s gone.

“Taylor…” she croaked. No… please, no….

As she clumsily lurched to get up, Estela was firmly pushed back into her pillow. Michelle stood over her, an expression of stern resolve on her face.

“Let me--” Estela protested, but even as she did, her body seemed to give out on her.

“Did you see what you did to your leg? You’re not going anywhere.” Michelle lurched forwards, wrapping Estela in a strong hug, feeling resistance at first, then a pull inwards. “She… she’s very weak,” she said. “No response to anything; her pulse is slow… her breathing… but she’s stable.”

Both women had tears in their eyes as they came apart. The lump in Estela’s throat wouldn’t shift; she couldn’t breathe. Neither could she bear to look away from the shell of her brave Taylor, laid out, helpless, on the next bed. Her mind took her back to the caverns beneath the volcano; the blinding light overwhelming her as she clung desperately to Taylor’s form as it grew limp in her arms, adrenalin pulsing through her as she fought off the raptor’s relentless assault. It was like a nightmare, and she couldn’t wake up. Agonised, she looked at Michelle questioningly. What had happened?

Michelle bit her lip. It had not been long ago that she’d been ready to drag Estela for putting everyone through such a scare, but now she could only feel a mixture of relief and pity. “She did it. We can go home. We have a home.”

Estela’s gaze fell back upon Taylor, hooked up with wires and tubes. She watched her laboured breathing. The woman she loved was all but destroyed. The world and everyone in it, saved, but the price was far too much to bear. If Taylor was gone… what did home mean anyway?

“Here,” Michelle said quietly, offering her hand. “I’ll help you over to the other bed.”

Unsteadily, held up by her friend, Estela hobbled to the next bed and carefully curled up against Taylor’s side. She nuzzled her face into the crook of her neck; it was oh so familiar, and yet all wrong. What have we done?

“Estela… I promise we’re doing everything we can for her. It’s just… this isn’t something we can read about and know what to do. Varyyn said that Vaanu left her with just a faint spark of life and the parts of her that are human. But she never was human… I don’t know if there’s enough left of her…”

Her eyes stinging, Estela squeezed them shut defiantly. She had force herself to believe that there was still some hope, that the Taylor she loved was still there, somewhere. But it felt like she was holding onto an empty shell. Even without looking, she could feel Michelle observing her, playing the doctor. “She’s strong,” she snapped. “There’s something there, and I’m not giving up on her. And you can quit looking at me like that. I’m fine.”

“I’ve given you some pretty heavy painkillers. But if I see you up on that leg, I will personally chain you to the bed. It took a lot of stitches and those godsend leaves, but with a solid treatment of antibiotics, it should heal.”

“Some good surgery experience for you,” Estela grumbled bitterly. “You’re welcome.” Her injured leg barely registered as a problem. It was probably a bad wound --she hadn’t yet had a good look at it-- but wounds healed. Taylor might not.

Estela stared out the window over Taylor’s shoulder, dazed. A light shower of rain made the sea appear misty. The world around her seemed to grow in clarity, but she could hardly take it in. As she became more aware, she could feel the throbbing in her leg, all the way down to her foot. But all that mattered was the woman lying next to her. With lethargic movements, she stroked Taylor’s cheek with a grazed and bandaged hand, pausing intermittently to wipe away her own tears.

After a long while, Estela felt awake enough to acknowledge Michelle again.  “Was this right? To let her use herself as a sacrifice? One life to save billions, I get it. But we were gonna survive this together. All of us.”

Michelle gingerly sat on the bed beside her. “It was Taylor’s choice. I think… as hard as it is… she did what she needed to do. You both did.”

It didn’t feel right. Not to Estela. How dare the world keep on turning, millions and millions of people continue their lives, oblivious to the fact that the person who’d saved them-- the bravest person she’d ever known-- lay battered and empty? Even the thought that her tio was out there gave small comfort. How could she return to him, continue her life as normal? How could he begin to understand everything that had happened? Estela knew she couldn’t phone. To say what? That she was waiting at her wife’s deathbed? No, she would wait. She’d ring him up, tell him that she couldn’t wait to introduce him to her beautiful soulmate, tell him that she’d be home soon, and that she was happier than she could remember. Taylor would return with her to San Trobida… she’d share with her the places and memories from her childhood… they’d stargaze, looking upon constellations that Taylor had never seen before… they’d plan a future, start a family. The painful lump in Estela’s throat finally gave way, and she cried and cried.

 __________________________

The island had dissolved into a state of confusion. In times of crisis, Taylor had always fallen effortlessly into a leadership role among the Catalysts, somehow managing to find balance between the often-clashing personalities of her friends. It had taken several hours for the news of all that had happened to spread; it was only when Quinn returned from Elyys’tel that the whereabouts of half the group was explained. The atmosphere was bizarre. There was ecstatic jubilation and relief, as though the loss of their home and everyone in it had been a nightmare they’d just awoken from. But then, there was no question of leaving. They were a unit, and they’d go home together or not at all. That the miracle had come at such a terrible price weighed heavy… the shock of being on the brink of losing one of their own felt so much more real than the resurrected world beyond. Already, there had been the bittersweet realisation that Kele, along with Yvonne and Malatesta, had returned to their own times. Quinn, having already been emotionally strained by long hours in the medical room, had been distraught, and she and Michelle had cried together until they finally drifted to sleep.

When the inevitable rescue boats came, they were directed them towards the remains of MASADA, where the hotel guests remained in hydrodynamic stasis, awaiting revival. All Vaanti had to distance themselves from the coastline or hunker down within their homes to avoid detection during this time. Ensuring everyone’s safety was a mammoth undertaking that left Varyyn torn between protecting his people and being there for his distraught husband. Many had been unwilling to leave Elyys’tel, wanting to keep vigil for not only one of the Catalysts of legend, but the person who allowed Vaanu to leave at long last. In the end, the village was like a ghost-town by the time the rest of the Catalysts reconvened there. The only visible sign of life was the sprawling wall of flowers, gifts, and messages that piled high at the front of the medical centre. Knowing what it represented, it was a sobering sight. Even desperate as they were for contact with home, and for some semblance of understanding over what had happened, when it came down to it, what mattered most to every single one of them was to be near to Taylor and Estela in their time of need.

Agreeing on an explanation for what had happened since their being cut off from the rest of the world for a year and a half ago was another challenge. At the centre of the shifts of timelines, La Huerta had been totally unreachable. Rescue boats that attempted to approach simply found themselves in empty sea where the island was supposed to be. Baffled scientists could not explain the phenomenon. Eventually, everyone had agreed to plead ignorance. All their methods of transport off La Huerta had been destroyed, and they’d simply tried to survive while avoiding Rourke and the Arachnid soldiers. Anything that had gone on beyond that… was a mystery.

Aleister had been quick to point out the potential dire consequences of the suspicious disappearance of his father, who remained a high-profile figure. That he’d fallen into a hole in space-time would hardly be believed. Certain that any amount of investigation into Estela would leave her appearing guilty as sin, he busied himself with collecting evidence of Rourke’s instability, the use of assassins and the Arachnid troops to apply lethal force, and the generally unstable condition of the island itself. The damning evidence he found for foul play on Arachnid’s part would also no doubt be of great use in securing Jake’s freedom and letting Mike be remembered as the hero that he was. For safety’s sake, evidence of Olivia Montoya’s murder was destroyed. With Zahra’s hacking wizardry, there was soon no sign on any system that there ever had been a Dr. Montoya working for Rourke International. Aleister suspected he’d have hell to pay when Estela got wind of it, but he was by no means going let her take the fall. The ‘official’ story they’d relay to the Costa Rican authorities was that Rourke had been knocked into the lava flow during an attempt on the Catalysts’ lives. For Aleister, it was easier to focus on the logistics side of things rather than to queue up for what would undoubtedly be an awkward visit to the hospital bedsides. He didn’t imagine there was anything he could say to bring Estela comfort, so he cared for her in the only way he knew how-- at a safe distance.

  __________________________

“Taylor… it’s me. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’m right here. I’m right here, baby. Please… please just give me something, just a little movement to tell me you’re still with me. Taylor? Please. I’m… scared. I don’t know what I’m gonna do if you can’t come back to me. Taylor…”

There was no response, just cold, lonely silence. Tears in her eyes, Estela pressed a kiss to her wife’s forehead. “It’s okay… you can take your time. I’m not going anywhere.”

There was a creak as the door opened, and she instinctively bristled. As much as she appreciated that their friends wanted to be near, she just wanted to be left alone… to feel close to Taylor… to even begin to wrap her head around all that had happened.

“You mind if I sit with her?” Diego asked hesitantly.

Estela didn’t look around. If anyone could understand how much she was hurting, it would be Diego. At any rate, Taylor would have wanted him there. If Estela was her soulmate, Diego was the next closest thing. “Go ahead.”

Diego moved the chair around to Taylor’s side of the bed and sat down. It was hard to look at her, and within minutes, his eyes began welling up. “I, uh, asked Varyyn to try and reach her with his mind.” He heaved a painful sigh. “Nothing. He couldn’t find a trace of her.”

The words hit Estela like a kick in the guts. If Varyyn couldn’t make contact telepathically, it seemed impossible that Taylor could hear her pleas for her to wake up. For a long while, the two friends held vigil in silence, which Estela eventually broke, needing to ensure Diego understood why… even while she didn’t herself.

“She didn’t want to put you through this… she hated it,” she said quietly. “There just wasn’t another way to put things right.”

“You should’ve stopped her…” The words tumbled out before Diego could help himself. He glanced worriedly to Estela.

Estela said nothing, wondering if he was right. Staring past Diego to the sea beyond the window, she let herself escape back to a happier time. She could hear Taylor’s laughter ringing in her mind as she playfully ran and splashed through the shallows. But Taylor could not have remained happy knowing that she could heal her friends’ hurt. Could Estela have convinced her to stay? Perhaps, but it would only have brought suffering. Estela had suffered before; she’d try to survive it again if it meant sparing Taylor that burden. Besides, Taylor had stood by her when she’d been walking her own trail to self-destruction, never wavering, offering advice but never pushing. She’d owed her the same faith and trust. Now oblivious to Diego’s presence, Estela snuggled closer and lovingly brushed Taylor’s cheek with the backs of her fingers.

Diego watched the show of affection as the tears kept coming. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said that.” Tentatively, he reached out to put his hand on Taylor’s, while trying to gage Estela’s response to what might be perceived as an intrusion. She glanced back to him, her expression soft, before focusing her attention back to her wife. “I should thank you for taking care of her all this time. I wish I could have been there for her, but she had you. It would have meant everything.”

Estela gave a small, appreciative nod, but remained quiet. Totally drained, trying to engage was simply too much. Diego was prone to bouts of verbal diarrhea, but for now, shell-shocked by the condition of his best friend, he seemed able to take the hint.

Together they continued a silent vigil. Exhaustion getting the better of him, Diego eventually fell asleep draped over Taylor’s weakly rising and falling chest. Estela, however, would not allow herself to close her eyes for fear of any change. Settling in for the long haul, she put an arm around Diego’s slumbering form and buried her face in Taylor’s silky blonde hair. She would keep her safe.

 ___________________________

Night fell, with no change in Taylor’s condition. By this point, she’d received visits from the whole gang at one time or another, though these were kept brief for Estela’s benefit, and the collection of flowers by her bedside was already growing steadily as a result. Only Diego, Michelle and Quinn, who had been there from the beginning, were around for extended periods.

“Hey,” Zahra said dryly as she pushed the door open.

Estela ignored her for several long moments before finally acknowledging that she had company. “I’m guessing you’re on the night-shift,” she stated.

“Insomnia’s got it’s uses.” Zahra wandered over cautiously, then reached out to ruffle Taylor’s hair. “Still holding out on us, Tayls? And I thought I was the uncooperative asshole.”

Estela twitched, fighting with the urge to swat the newcomer away. She really was not in the mood.

“So, uh,” Zahra broached, “you think she can hear us?”

No response. Zahra sat down on the other bed, crossing her legs. She was already regretting that she’d signed up for this. It looked as though she could look forward to long hours of uncomfortable silence. What was she supposed to say to Estela? Nice was not her forte. She sighed heavily as her eyes rested on the two women in the bed beside hers. Taylor was so still, and Estela looked… afraid. Zahra didn’t think she’d ever seen her look scared, not like that. It was kind of unnerving.

“Hey, Estela… you can sleep, okay? I couldn’t even if I wanted to. You can trust me. You know Meech is gonna flip her shit if you don’t rest. If anything changes at all, I’ll wake you.”

Estela rolled over just a little, glancing towards Zahra. There was something like kindness in Zahra’s expression. Someone was way out of her depth. “If I fall asleep, I fall asleep. But I don’t see it happening. I want to know if anything changes.”

“I get it. But at least you don’t have to force yourself to stay awake.”

“Thanks,” Estela spoke softly, her voice a little muffled as she buried her face in Taylor’s hair. “Sweet dreams, Taylor,” she whispered. With a small kiss, she closed her eyes but fought to remain focused on the sound and feel of her wife’s breathing. Her whole body felt heavy; she’d not slept since their anniversary night… it felt a lifetime ago now. But she was so tired… so very, very tired…

Estela leapt awake in the split second that a high-pitched beeping began to sound. “Taylor!” Before she had a chance to properly come to, she took Taylor in her arms, feeling immediately what the alarm had told her; that she’d once again stopped breathing. “Get Michelle- now!” she cried, and desperately began compressions. Come on… come on…

Michelle burst back into the room as Estela was doing mouth-to-mouth. She watched intently, but gave her space, ready to jump in if needed. The monitor’s reading picked up, and she realised that she’d been holding her own breath as she watched for Taylor’s.

“Let me take a look…”

“I can feel her pulse” Estela panted, stepping aside just enough to let Michelle in. Her heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest.

“She’s breathing,” Michelle said with a nod. “You did great; you acted fast.” She was impressed, but not really surprised. Estela could always be relied upon to be level-headed and capable in a crisis. Her eyes, though, were filled with panic. Michelle reached out and drew her into her arms. “Deep breaths….”

Estela pulled away angrily. “I’m fine.” She couldn’t sleep now. Trembling, she lay down on the bed, pressing her body protectively against Taylor’s. She stroked away the blonde hair from her face and kissed her cheek. That had been so close. So close. She’d felt Taylor dead beneath her hands, beneath her lips. It could happen again at any second. She whispered lovingly against her ear. “Don’t scare me like that…”

“Look,” said Michelle, “I’m gonna sleep in the other bed. If it happens again, I’ll be on it in a second. But you need to rest.”

“I’m in bed, aren’t I?”

Michelle huffed. “Don’t fight me. We don’t know how long she’s going to be in this condition. If we have a crisis, Taylor will be a lot better off if you’re not a sleep-deprived wreck.” She thought she caught a growl. “You know I’m right.”

Knowing was one thing, but that didn’t make it easy. Waking suddenly to find Taylor slipping away… even for Estela to close her eyes felt impossible after that. Letting her guard down had almost killed Taylor; she’d failed her. How could she ever sleep again? Next time, she might be lost for good. She breathed in the scent of Taylor’s hair, and felt overwhelmed with love. But love became fear.

“Estela, close your eyes. I need you to trust me.”

Something in those words stirred the stricken Estela. She trusted Michelle with her life. But Taylor’s life meant so much more.

“Estela! Do as you’re told, for once in your life!”

Zahra couldn’t hold back a snicker. “There’s no way in hell you’d be that brave if she didn’t have a banged-up leg…”

“Shut up, Zahra! Estela, please. I swear I’ll take care of her… but she needs you to be taken care of too. Please. Close your eyes.”

Scowling, but knowing in her heart of hearts that her friend was right, Estela obliged. There was nothing for it but to tell herself that her wife was in safe hands. She tried to imagine that this was just any other night. Taylor was just sleeping in her arms, safe and content. She made a little grumbling sound but relented. “I trust you.”

A couple of hours later, a bored Zahra sat herself on the bed beside Taylor. Estela had reluctantly dropped off to sleep a little while after Michelle, leaving Zahra with the responsibility of keeping Taylor safe solely on her shoulders. As she looked over her friend, her heart felt heavy. All those months ago, she’d wanted to go home-- she hadn’t wanted it at the expense of a good person, someone who she cared about. If any of them had known, they’d have tried to talk Taylor out of it… though of course that would have been why the idiot kept the plan a secret for so long.

Estela blinked awake, and protectively clutched Taylor closer to her chest. She was just so tired, but she was too alert, too anxious to settle.

At the sight of Estela stirring, Zahra moved back, defensive. She scowled instinctively, preparing to be slapped away, but her expression quickly softened. “I… didn’t mean to disturb you.” While the other woman appeared tense, a frown etched onto her face, she seemed accepting of the company. “It’s just weird, you know… it’s been a day or so, but I miss her. She seems far away. Everything that’s going on, she’d be in the middle of it fixing everyone’s stupid problems. Damn Taylor, always the one to hold us all together; without her everything feels… different. I can’t even explain it.”

Estela’s body relaxed a little, and she sat up, intently staring at her companion.

“Good to see you’ve still got your serial killer stare on top form.”

Embarrassed, Estela averted her gaze. “You almost sounded nice for a moment there.”

Zahra sat back on the end of the bed and crossed her legs. “It’s not as if anyone else can hear. Besides, it’s gonna be a long night if I’m just sitting here in silence watching you sulk.” She paused, self-conscious. “I don’t go around caring about a lot of people. You and Taylor… you matter to me. To be honest, I’m pissed. This whole sacrifice thing is bullshit. Maybe the best person I’ve ever known, and she’s basically been forced to kill herself. It’s seriously screwed up.”

“You’re not wrong.” Estela sighed heavily, flashes of memory whirling through her head. Taylor had been so, so brave; but she never should have had to be. “She did it for you. All of you. Which kinda makes it worse; someone who cares that much shouldn’t be taken away. If she’s gone, I… I don’t know where I go from here….”

For a long while, Zahra said nothing. Probably, she imagined, this might be where two less emotionally repressed people might hug it out. A silent battle raged in her head, before finally, hesitantly, she crawled forward. “C’mere,” she mumbled, avoiding eye contact, while drawing Estela towards her. Strong arms grasped hold of her, the grip painful. She patted her roughly on the back. “For someone so smart, you can be a real dumbass. Whatever happens, we’ve got you, all right? And that’s coming from me.”

Estela slumped against Zahra, taking deep breaths. Everything might fall apart at any moment, but at least she was not alone. Again, it was all because of Taylor. Had it not been for Taylor’s open heart, she couldn’t imagine having the courage to build the bonds she now relied on, to love her friends so deeply. She came away, offering Zahra just a nod of understanding.

With a glance over to Michelle, Zahra moved to get up. “Look, it’s pretty obvious you’re not sleeping anytime soon. Meech looks dead to the world-- I could sneak you a coffee. Or something stronger.” A mischievous grin flitted across her face.

“I could really use a rum right now… but I’ve gotta stay alert. You know… just in case.”

“Eh, another time. One caffeine hit coming right up….”

A little while later, she returned with two steaming mugs.

“Colombian, just for you. If you could down it before the doc wakes up and puts my head on a pike, I’d appreciate it.”

“She’d have to go through me first.”

“Aaayyyy, there’s that scary bitch I love!” Zahra sat on the foot of the bed and leaned in to chink her mug to Estela’s. She almost, almost caught the shadow of a smile. “Here’s to getting through; one long, night of hell at a time.”

Estela looked sadly at Taylor, lying still beside her. “One night at a time…” she murmured.

 ______________________________

  The next day brought more of the same; a steady stream of visitors to Taylor’s bedside, while arrangements were made to deal with the broader aftermath of the Catalysts’ time on La Huerta. Estela feigned sleep for most of the day, not having the energy to socialise with well-meaning friends. The occasional dumbass comment from the likes of Craig brought her close to sitting up and chasing them off, but it simply took too much effort. She just lay there quietly as they talked to Taylor, offering their heartfelt thanks and expressing their care and concern. Even as she lay unconscious and broken, Taylor seemed to be the go-to listening ear. Completely drained, Estela would have preferred everyone would just back off. They had their families back- they should leave her with what time she had left with her family. The love and care they showed was deeply appreciated, but she was just so tired. Raj, at least, had come bearing a piled-up plate of patacones with an array of toppings. Somewhat suspiciously as far as Michelle was concerned, Estela had been wide awake for his visit. Still, she reasoned, at least her patient was eating, even if she point-blank refused to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time. Small victories….

The woman who’d saved the world kept herself at the centre of everyone’s attention, firstly when she caused another scare --the fifth by Estela’s count-- and secondly as a result of her inconvenient official non-existence. Every room she’d stayed in at the Celestial was being methodically ransacked with the hope of recovering a passport. Vaanu had conjured her luggage, so the hope was that somewhere, some hind of official documentation would exist. Zahra was confident that she could get into a government computer and put something together, but there was the unfortunate hurdle being that Taylor was not awake to have a passport photo taken. Quietly, Diego was not averse to the idea of his best friend remaining with him and Varyyn on La Huerta, but he cared for her freedom of choice, and diligently led the search team. After almost giving up, he did a go-over of Taylor and Estela’s hut, and found a shiny new passport beneath a pillow, belonging to one ‘Taylor Montoya’. He gave a happy cry; the name on the document told him that it couldn’t have been created on the plane journey to the island… Vaanu must have had some hope that she’d survive her sacrifice if they’d left a ticket home as a parting gift.

With a wonderful new sense of optimism, he hurried to Elyys’tel to share the discovery with Estela.

For most of the day, Estela had been despondent. Taylor was existing on a knife edge, and she couldn’t bear it. Hearing her friends relaying conversations they’d had with their loved ones, unable to hide their excitement, it made her heart ache for Taylor. She’d done that. She’d literally given them the world. But a what the hell was the point of a world if Taylor wasn’t in it? While her friends were taking their lives back, Estela could literally feel hers slipping away. When Diego handed her the passport, it was like salt being poured in the wound. ‘Taylor Montoya’? They’d never had a chance to be a family together. What did they need a passport for anyway? Taylor wasn’t going anywhere. She was so damn weak that a stiff wind would probably finish her off, if she didn’t simply stop breathing one time too many.

“Estela?”

She pushed the passport back into Diego’s hand. “Uh, thanks.”

“You don’t get it-- this wouldn’t have your name on it if Taylor had it the whole time. Vaanu must have given her this when she gave their essence back… she’s meant to come home!”

Estela’s expression was stony. His positivity was that of someone who hadn’t sat awake for most of the night ready for the next close call. He didn’t --couldn’t-- understand.

Getting the hint, Diego left, giving one last kiss to Taylor’s forehead. He edged past Jake, who was hovering in the doorway, having pointedly not taken the hint.

“What’s with the face, Katniss? You’re gonna scare off all your girl’s visitors.”

“If only.”

“Look, it’s been a rough ride, but you two always come up fighting. I’ve got the bruises to prove it. She’s got this.”

Estela growled. “So, we’ve got another doctor? You? It’s pretty clear Taylor’s not going home. If you can’t offer anything that actually helps, just leave us alone.”

“Wait, you’re serious? You’ve actually given up…?”

Her eyes closed, Estela’s mind flashed with the traumatic memory of Taylor writhing in agony as the light overtook her. “We can’t do anything….”

“This sure as hell ain’t you. Since when do you give up on anything? And this is Princess…”

Turning on a hair, Estela suddenly snapped, throwing a mug that narrowly missed Jake’s head, smashing instead against the wall. “Get out!”

“Woah-- wha--?”

“Get out right now, or I will come over there and make you get out!”

Jake recoiled, startled. “Easy, Katniss… I didn’t mean…”

“Who the fuck do you think you are? Do you have any idea what this has been like? Feeling her stop breathing again, and again… how many more times? Am I supposed to be pushed to the brink over and over, and act like it’s okay? Just get the fuck outta my face, asshole.”

Michelle burst into the room, having heard shouting. “What’s--?”

Singed by the glare that bore into him from the bed, Jake slipped towards the door. “I’m leaving… I….” He paused. There was nothing he could say that wouldn’t simply add fuel to the fire, however pure his intentions. He dared meet Estela’s eyes, seeing only fury, but hoping that she’d still feel a friend looking back. With a silent nod, he moved past Michelle and left.

“Estela….”

Her face buried in her hands and shoulders heaving, Estela shook her head. “Just go. I need to be alone.”

  __________________________

For the next day or so, everyone kept their distance, with no one visiting except when trying to convince Estela to sleep properly. By the time a generously paid doctor made a house call from the mainland, Taylor had survived yet another brief heart-stopping moment, but the professional opinion was to simply keep on doing what was being done. Michelle was pleased with the progress that had been made. Taylor remained fragile, there was no doubt about that, but her pulse and breathing rate had generally improved considerably. If anything, the immediate concern was more for Estela, who seemed to be retreating deeper into herself.

“Hey, Estela,” Diego, on night duty, slumped into the chair, exhausted. He’d nervously kept clear for a little while, but he couldn’t stay away from his stricken friend for long. Such was the nature of his relationship with Taylor, that Estela was far more tolerant of him hanging around her than she was anyone else-- except for when Raj brought food. “Taylor’s not been getting up to trouble since I’ve been gone?”

“Still the same,” Estela murmured. She edged over and gently moved Taylor with her, leaving a space on the bed. “You can sit with her if you like.”

That was new. With an appreciative smile, Diego joined them. There was barely enough room, but it felt wonderful to properly get his arms around his dearest friend. Beside them, Estela closed her eyes with a sigh.

“You know, she looks better,” he said. “It’s probably hard to see when you’re stuck to her like glue twenty-four-seven, but she doesn’t look like she needs to fight so hard.”

“Michelle said that. Part of me thinks she’s just trying to trick me into letting my guard down.” Estela had been so reluctant to believe it, fearful of getting her hopes up after so many close calls.

Diego looked over her with concern in his eyes. She looked a wreck, her eyes outlined with dark rings, her hair unkempt. It was hardly a surprise. From the small pieces of information he’d managed to extract, Taylor’s sacrifice had been planned many months ago. Estela had kept it together for an awfully long time, no doubt to make it easier on her partner. Sooner or later, it had to catch up with her.

“How’s your leg?”

“Fine.”

“Did you get any sleep last night?”

Estela just shrugged her shoulders. For a long time, they sat in silence, Diego wondering how he could break through the barriers that only seemed to be getting higher.

“It must be weird… everyone talking to people back home. All happy, excited. I mean, they care about Taylor, they love her, but there’s that nice bit of comfort to take the edge off.”

Finally stirred, Estela opened her eyes and sat up a little. “I’m happy for them. But… it feels so far away. Not important. I can’t even call my tio while she’s like this.” She paused, considering Diego quietly. “You… haven’t called home?”

He shook his head sadly. “It’s stupid, right? Spend all this time crying over losing my family, but they get resurrected and --whoosh-- back to rejection city. I’m happy they’re okay… I just don’t think I can handle them right now.”

“I’m sorry.”

Diego sighed. “Don’t be… it’s been long enough, I know how it is.”

“Bet you could really use your best friend right now. She’d know what to say.”

“Yeah, but at least I can give her a hug. I really believe she’s gonna wake up. I mean, she’s come this far.” He gave a dry laugh. “I just wish she’d do us all a favour and get on with it… but I’m pretty sure if she was here, she’d tell you to stop being so freaking stubborn and get some sleep.”

Estela rolled her eyes. “Maybe.” She looked over at Diego, her brow furrowed. “What’s wrong with your parents? Is it just… uh… the whole gay thing?”

“Eh, mostly. But even before I came out, I was never what they wanted. ‘Wasting my life away on childish nonsense’, ‘out of touch with the real world’, all of that. When they found out I liked guys, I guess that was just one massive disappointment too many.” Self-conscious, his cheeks flushed, and he awkwardly looked away. It suddenly occurred to him that he’d very rarely had one-on-one conversations with Estela-- aside from when they’d speak Spanish together for the sole purpose of teasing Taylor who was very far from bilingual. He’d certainly never delved into anything sensitive.

“I don’t get it,” Estela said. “Maybe I’ve spent too long here, where no one gives a damn, but it just seems so tiny a reason to turn on someone you love. You don’t deserve that. You’re a good person, one of the best.”

“Thanks,” said Diego with a weak smile. “See, you’re not all that bad at the best friend pep talk. I could hire you as a short-term fill-in.”

“No.”

He laughed. “You didn’t… know… you know, before Taylor?” he ventured. “That you liked girls? No one in your family would have known?”

As if by reflex, Estela held Taylor a little closer. “I didn’t have feelings like that for anyone. There wasn’t room in my life for that. I mean, there still wasn’t room when Taylor came along, but for her… it didn’t matter anymore. She was just… special, I guess. I don’t even know what Tio Nicolas would think. He has strong opinions about things.”

“Like you.”

“Almost. He still can’t beat me in an argument. But I think he would be okay. He’s seen a lot of war, and hate, people dying. When you’ve got that perspective, it doesn’t make any sense to get riled up over someone loving another person.”

Diego was thoughtful for a moment. “Huh. Maybe if San Trobida has another civil war, you should enlist my parents.”

In spite of herself, Estela chuckled. “If they fight like you? Not a chance in hell.” With a glance to Taylor’s still face, she caught herself and sighed. Was she improving? Afraid to hope, she struggled to see it. But Diego did. It was clear in his face. Once in despair, he now looked at Taylor as if there was something left in her. There had to be. What the alternative was, Estela couldn’t bear to fathom.

“Hey…” Diego said gently, nudging Estela’s shoulder, “she’d want you to take care of yourself. She’s been stable for more than a day now; I think the worst is over. Go take a shower, put on some fresh clothes, and actually get some rest. You’ll feel better, and maybe you won’t feel the need to throw projectiles at visitors anymore. Otherwise, poor Taylor’s gonna wake up to a miserable, stinky zombie in her bed, and I’ll have to go through the trouble of getting you two together all over again.”

Estela gave him a filthy look. She hesitated, but then gingerly got out of bed. “You won’t leave her…”

“Not a chance.” As she limped out the door, Diego thought to himself, I absolutely cannot believe that worked.

 _____________________________

It was some twelve hours later when Estela finally awoke, properly rested after several days of what she was pretty sure amounted to torture. Taylor was fine. No scares. It was clearly not over, not by a long shot, but the hope she felt was no longer false-- simple, angry defiance… it was real. Just maybe, Taylor might be strong enough to come back to her. Even as she thought it, though, she held herself back. You can’t drop your guard. She could be gone at any moment.

There were footsteps outside the door, then a voice. “Knock, knock?”

Estela felt heat rising behind her ears. Jake. This could be awkward. “You can come in,” she grumbled.

“No weapons on hand?” When he received no response, Jake entered the room. “It’s been a while… thought I’d better check in.” He looked her over cautiously, trying to read Estela’s mood. It would be so much easier if she didn’t have a near-permanent frown. He approached the bed, uncomfortably avoiding eye contact. “Look, I…”

“Wait! I uh… I…” She gave a little huff, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. It was never about you. I just couldn’t hold the anger back anymore.”

“Hey, I know that. I’m sorry for the most spectacularly flubbed pep talk in recent history. Honestly, Katniss, after everything you’ve been dealt, I reckon you’re entitled to a dummy spit. We’re just lucky it was me; if you’d unleashed that on Brainstrust, she’d still be cryin’ now.”

“Grace wouldn’t be stupid enough to go around pushing my buttons. But it… means a lot, you know, that you understand.” Estela’s shoulders slumped. It all seemed to catch up with her all at once. The weight of her sadness, and that gut-churning fear. “It didn’t make me feel any better. This isn’t your fault… it’s not anyone’s fault. There’s no one to hunt down, to punish for this.”

“Ya know, I don’t think she’d want that for you anyway.”

“No. She wouldn’t. But I don’t know what to do.” Estela looked into Jake’s face searchingly.

“Look, I… I don’t have the answers for ya. But I’m not goin’ anywhere. We can talk, get a back and forth goin’. Sooner or later, our Princess’ll have to wake up just to tell me to shut my smartass mouth.”

Estela gave a rare smile, even as she rolled her eyes. “Cabron…” And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the tears came, fast and uncontrollable.

For a moment, Jake froze, but then he sat beside her and rubbed her back as she dissolved into sobs. “’S all right. But please don’t tell her I made you cry…”

Estela laughed through her tears but couldn’t keep them from coming. So much had been bottled up for too long. After an age, the tears slowed, and she was left hiccoughing into her friend’s shoulder.

“Feel better?”

“Maybe… a little. I’m just… sorry I lost my shit with you. This has just been…” She shuddered.

“Water under the bridge. But, if you wanna talk…? The usual host of sharin’ circle can’t be with us, but I’ll try and keep the sarcastic comments to a minimum.”

Estela nodded, but for a long while remained quiet. Some things she didn’t talk about, not to anyone. Not to anyone except for Taylor. But, she told herself, Taylor was right there with her. She grasped her wife’s soft hands gently.

“This… isn’t easy….”

“Ya don’t have to--“

“No, I… I do.” She took a deep breath. “So… uh…just before I got the letter saying my mother had died, she wrote to me, begging for help. She knew her life was in danger, that she was running out of time. Tio Nicolas and I did everything we could, but there was no getting anyone in or out of La Huerta without going through Rourke. I’d been trained all my life to take care of myself, but the only person I wanted to protect was so far away, and scared… and I couldn’t reach her. This… feels the same. I’m helpless, Jake. I can see Taylor right there in front of me, but she might as well be miles away. And the whole damn time I know that any second she could be ripped away from me forever, like Mom was. I can’t stand it.”

Jake rubbed her shoulder pacifyingly. “I think I’m getting why you took my head off…”

“Touchy area, yeah. For so long I wasn’t scared of anything, I figured I had nothing to lose. But then I found Taylor. And now…”

“… now you’re basically re-living your worst nightmare come true.”

Estela bit her lip, holding back from crying, and nodded. “It must have been like this for you… with Mike. I’m sorry. I just… miss her.”

For a few moments, Jake was quiet, forced into reflection. He certainly did know that feeling; having survived what should have been the worst trauma of his life, only to go through it all over again. Meeting Estela’s eyes, he felt the understanding that flowed between him and her. “Hug it out?”

Comforting as the embrace of a good friend was, it was hard for Estela not to yearn for Taylor even more. No one could hold her the way she used to. Taylor could put her arms around her and somehow ease every pain in her heart. The only other person who had that healing touch upon Estela had been her mother. But Jake… he cared, and it meant a lot.

“She’s comin’ through this, all right? It’s just a damn shame she’s deaf to your snoring… anyone else would’ve woken up by now and smothered you with a pillow.”

“I don’t-“

Jake snorted. “Got it, got it. My mistake. I’m obviously confusing you with some other freight train.”

Estela smiled appreciatively and held tighter. “I’m not giving up. I might lose my mind, but it doesn’t matter how long it takes. I won’t leave her.”

“So, we’ll keep talkin’ to her. She’ll hear. I mean, this is our Princess. Listening to everyone offload their shit on her is pretty much her thing.”

“I hope you’re right.” Estela said softly. She leaned back over to her wife and lovingly stroked a strand of hair from her face before kissing her brow. “You’ll come back to us, Taylor. There are a lot of people missing you right now. I miss you. I miss you every goddamn minute of every day.”

Jake reached his hand out to take Taylor’s. “We’re not leaving you in peace, so you’d better get used to the idea. Sort yourself out, Princess. You might have brought the world back, but there’s no way in hell we’re leavin’ crazy island without you.”

[sherereadssthemanuscript]

A SMALL PSA THAT MALATESTA X YVONNE IS REAL SO SUCK IT HATERS

[ryderxstanxsquad]

Upcoming Posts

Betrand, I’ve Ate the Cake - a story request, oneshot, TRR Maxwell centred.

Empty - a story idea I had, oneshot, TWs necessary, ES Aleister centred.

The Royal Romance MC x [Character] Playlist - MC x LIs + Olivia playlist. 1 song per couple.

Endless Summer The Blood Series AU - AU for Endless Summer based on my series’ universe.

Endless Summer Playlist - ten songs about Endless Summer, a theme song for each character (except Kele, Lundgren, Fiddler, Tetra, Mike, Yvonne, Malatesta and most Vaanti characters, just focusing on the main cast really). 

Tyrant’s Kingdom (name pending) - a Mafia-esque AU where a tyrant rules Cordnia and every few years takes five to twenty applicants/attendees of Hartfield to build an army that dabbles in defence and crime. 

[the-light-of-stars]

es x hunger games

Oh damn okay, that would make for an interesting crossover!

Since it’s only 12 characters in the main group in ES, I’d say there’s only one tribute from each district, though?

-Okay, so Estela as Katniss - who else

- Maybe MC as Peeta? But they’d have to come from a different district, because like I said we don’t have enough characters

- the others from the ES group as other tributes

- I guess Rue would be either Diego or Quinn, but I’m not sure who of them

- Rourke as President Snow, of course

- And the hunger games are on La Huerta, which makes everything worse, because the different climate zones there

- And they’d also have to fight against the monsters, like Cetus and the crab.

- I’m not sure where exactly the Vaanti would be in this, though

- Yvonne and Malatesta probably would be former winners, and therefore mentors for the tributes

- I’d say Lila would be brought into the whole thing mid game, as some sort of special tribute / replacement for a dead tribute , but in the end she turns out to be a trained agent, who was placed there undercover to make the games even more dramatic and tilt the odds

- IRIS as Effie Trinket?

- and yeah, in the end only Estela and MC would survive :/

[renzeifeng]

4 12 38 50 sawma

medina….medino,,, medinka pls…

4. Favorite book of The Freshman/The Sophomore?

omg probably the first or second book of the freshman if i’m being real…..it seems like when vasquez died mc inherited not being able to mind her own business and it’s just not a good look on her!

12. Do you look like any characters from Choices?

god i fucking wish

38. Opinion on Maxwell as a LI?

oh if i didn’t have an epiphany one day and realise how Butt Fucking Ugly he actually is he’d probably be my love interest 🤧 i love him and the ship had SO much potential but apparently it’s not that satisfying now that it’s happened 😔

50. 5 nOTPs?

hmm hana x maxwell, julian x autumn, fucking aleister x lila, YVONNE X MALATESTA, sam x dave

[princesskennarys]

1, 14, 22

Thanks for asking, anon!

1. What OTPs in your fandom do you just not get?

Honestly, there are several. I’ve seen a lot of people ship Jake/Estela with Yvonne, and that’s completely ridiculous in my opinion. Yvonne x Malatesta also makes me want to scream, since it would obviously be pretty abusive, and a generally unhealthy relationship. And....well, okay, this is a pretty unpopular opinion, but I don’t like Maxwell x MC at all. I think it’s great that he’s an LI for people who want him, but I see him entirely as a friend, and his romance arc appears very rushed.

14. Unpopular opinion about your fandom?

I think the fact that a lot of people seem to hate people for liking other LIs. I think it’s reducing, which is great, but also really annoying. Just let people ship whoever they want, as long as it’s not problematic. Other than that, the fandom is great.

22. Popular character you hate?

I’ve got to say.. Yvonne from ES.. Maybe hate is a strong word, but I don’t like her character very much, and I dislike the way she’s written, as if she’s an ugly caricature of a French person, with her constant cheek kissing and strange French exclamations. She just annoys me. Also, I don’t really like Michael from HSS very much.

[choicesislife-blog]

Endless Summer Disney AU

Hello! No one's probably gonna see this...but I just wanted to make a Disney alternate universe of ES and see how I do! Btw, these AU fanfics r made mainly bcs of...my OTPs and ships. If you don't ship that pairing, then don't read it lol.

So...let's start off with the easiest (probably) one!

Jake x Female! MC (Taylor)

Hm. This one's easy for me. I think the movie Tangled suits this couple. I THINK. Here's my explanation:

Taylor, as I'd like to call her, seems like an adventurous and outgoing girl. Much like Rapunzel, who's been locked in a tower for so long by Mother Gothel.

Rapunzel wanted to...explore the world and find out what those lanterns meant to her and stuff like that (No hate pls XD I don't rlly remember much abt the Tangled movie). So I think Taylor & Rapunzel are similar in a way.

Jake and Eugene/Flynn are similar to one another too. Both are practically running away from...idk public life I guess (Eugene/Flynn didn't want to get caught, and Jake...well, I think he's hiding from the public and what-not after the incident with Lundgren). And I guess they both have dry, sarcastic sense of humor.

Btw, just a note, Lila will be Mother Gothel. Maybe. Idk. XD

Zahra x Craig (Namasiao)

Okay. This one's tough. Ihdk what to do with them! They're one of my OTPs in ES (if not, they're my ultimate OTP)! Let me try to elaborate their character traits here...

Zahra is a computer whiz...since she's shown to have hacking skills. So let's say she's a couch potato, who's always sitting in front of her laptop/computer and drinking coffee. I'd assume she likes staying indoors, since it could be implied she's always on her computer. So...which Disney princess/female character stays indoors?

Welp...Cinderella.

I know. I suck at this. XD

Okay, I KNOW Cinderella & Zahra are NOTHING alike. But...they do share a trait of staying indoors. Cinderella stays indoors because she needs to work for her stepmother and stepsisters and what-not...Zahra, meanwhile, stays indoors for her own pleasure and comfort.

I guess Zahra & Cinderella r both dedicated to their work/hardworking...? Cinderella to her chores, and Zahra to...idk hacking?

Craig & the Prince? I don't even know anymore XD I'll try thinking this through. The stepsisters could be...erm...uhhhhh....Michelle & Estela?

Okaydon'tgetmewrongIloveMichelleandEstela

Buuuut for the sake of the story, I feel like...

ERGH! WHY DO THINGS HAVE TO BE SO HARD--

Idk. Estela & Michelle acted a bit hostile towards MC in the beginning...so why not make them the stepsisters?

And if you guessed that Lila will be Lady Tremaine? You're damn right XD

Varynn x Diego (Variego)

This one's tough too. I think...I think the film/series Aladdin is suitable for the pair. Think about it! There's no...boy x boy in Disney movies (I think. Sorry if I'm wrong).

Diego could be Aladdin? Idk. I feel like Diego is the type who wants to explore the world...kinda like Aladdin maybe.

Varynn...I feel like he also wants to explore the world (with Diego duh XD). Idk if he could be Jasmine tho. XD This might be weird...

And Diego can "show him the world" XD

Erm...anyway!

Diego could be Jasmine...since Varynn is the one who rescues Diego and stuff...similar to how Aladdin saves Jasmine buuut for the sake of me not trying so hard, I'll just...make things easier for me XD

Jafar (is that how u spell his name? XD) could be Rourke, I guess...?

Sean x Michelle (Seanelle)

Yay! One of my fave ES ships! Buuuut I had a VERY hard time choosing an appropriate Disney film for them!

I picked Sleeping Beauty to be the Disney film for the couple! Hopefully my explanation can convince you...

Okay, I don't know much about this movie...but I think Aurora & Michelle are similar in a way.

I consider Aurora to be...elegant, regal, and...idk whatever describes her. Michelle can be considered elegant and regal too, I mean c'mon!

Aurora...I guess she could be delicate? Like a rose (cuz uh...Briar Rose?)? XD I suck at this

Michelle could be considered delicate once you break through her shell...

Sean & Prince Philip (however u spell his name)...idk what their similarities are. I guess they're both heroic since they, like, save people?

I don't even know what to do anymore lmao

Grace x Aleister (Graleister)

I had a tough time picking for these two (yes, I know I've said that almost a hundred times now buuuut it's true lol).

I wanted Beauty & the Beast for them both...'cuz...

Grace & Belle r both bookworms

Aleister & the Beast were both hostile towards their love interests at first Buuuuuut...

Eh...I feel like Beauty & the Beast is suitable for another couple tbh. I'll explain that later.

I think Swan Lake/The Swan Princess (even if it isn't a Disney movie) is fitting. Grace's Hadean zodiac sign is the swan/cygnus, so...why not?

Aleister...idk.

I just feel like Swan Lake/The Swan Princess is more suitable, and not Beauty & the Beast.

I honestly wanted it to be Snow White buuut who'd be the seven dwarves? It'll be hard for me lol

Plus, who'll be Grace's father (if I'd pick Beauty & the Beast for the pairing)? XD XD

Estela x Male! MC (Travis)

This one's hard too......

Maybe Mulan could do? XD Idk.

I'm a Chinese so it's REALLY hard for me to pinpoint which Disney movie is suitable for that certain pairing.

Estela is warrior-like in a way, and she's capable of fighting and doing her own stunts. Travis, as I prefer to call him, isn't as...skilled as Estela (as what I've observed in the ES books...).

Eh, I don't really know.

Instead of having Estela as Mulan and Travis as Shang...why not swap it? XD Estela cld be Shang so she'd train Travis (who is Mulan)...and what-not.

...Moving on.

Malatesta x Yvonne (Malavonne)

This may be my favorite storyline...

I was doing a bit of research...

And I thought, "Why not Beauty and the Beast?"

Okay. Even if I decided to erase this thing from my head, I still think B&B is suitable.

Think about it, B&B (Beauty & the Beast) took place in France. In the beginning, the townspeople greet each other and/or Belle with a "Bonjour!" which is "Hello." in French.

Yvonne & Malatesta r French so...why not?

Who'll be the father tho, you may wonder...

Soooo...Belle's father is named Maurice. And we don't know Yvonne's father so...

...I kinda, sorta, maybe, changed some details.

So instead of having a father for Yvonne/Belle...I just changed it to a brother! ...Since Yvonne has a younger brother named Patrice! How convenient!

Well, Yvie & Mal clearly didn't get along much at first, but they soon opened up to one another (like before I guess?). Similarly to Belle & the Beast.

Quinn x Kele (Idk what to call this ship lol)

Not really a shipper of this, but it seems cute I guess. (No hate if u don't like this ship lol pls)

The Disney film I chose for them is...the Little Mermaid!

Cuz...umm...Quinn is a dolphin lover and dolphins r kinda similar to mermaids... Okay, idk if Kele cld be Prince Eric tho...

Maybe, maybe not.

They seem like the type of guys who venture throughout the world and stuff like that...so I could see similarities.

Quinn cld def be Ariel, since they both want to go out to the world and live the moment...

Onto the friendships!

Estela & Quinn

Okay, this isn't a ship. This is simply like a Brotp. Upon doing some research, I thought of...Frozen!

Personally, I'm not a huge fan of Frozen, but I feel like Frozen can suit their friendship.

I thought Michelle could be Elsa...but, eh...I kinda changed my mind. Estela and Elsa are similar to one another. They're quick to anger (I guess?), introverted, and they don't want their loved ones to get hurt. And plus, their names start with an 'e' and end with an 'a'...

Quinn & Anna are similar to one another. They're both outgoing, sociable, and bubbly. However, Anna gets a frozen heart bcs of her sister Elsa and it can cause her death. Quinn, meanwhile, has Rotterdam's.

[choicesislife-blog]

Endless Summer Fantasy AU Fanfic Chapter 1

A/N: So...um...I’m a big Choices fan, and I especially enjoy reading Endless Summer. I’ve been playing the game for about 2 years, more or less. I’ve created drafts for my Endless Summer fics...but I was too shy to even make a Tumblr account. Heck, I’m too shy to reach out to anyone!

Ships present in the fanfic:

Jake x Female! MC (Taylor)

Estela x Male! MC (Travis)

Zahra x Craig (Namasiao)

Sean x Michelle (Seanelle)

Grace x Aleister (Graleister)

Varynn x Diego (Variego)

Malatesta x Yvonne (Malavonne)

Btw, I had a hard time deciding Male! MC’s name...so I just decided to pick a boy’s name starting with a ‘t’. And yes, those are my Endless Summer OTPs. Taylor & Travis are twins in this fanfic...just a quick reminder. So, in this first chapter...the ships wouldn’t really be elaborated on, sorry.

Don’t get me wrong, I also ship the ES MC with Sean and/or Quinn. I just rolled with Jake & Estela for this fanfic. Also, a warning, I MAY make the characters a bit too OOC (make that way too OOC)...Also...I don’t really know if anyone made some kind of fantasy au of ES so if my fanfic is a bit similar to someone else’s fanfic...I’m REALLY sorry. XD I’m sorry if my author’s note is super long lol.

^_^ Hope you enjoy!

"Taylor, you feelin' okay there?"

The blonde-haired princess turns around to face her brother, who had just entered the grand bedroom. Taylor releases a heavy sigh, turning her gaze back to the tall glass window.

"N-No...not so much, to be honest." Taylor responds with a sigh. "But thanks for asking, Travis."

The prince walks over to her canopy bed and sits beside her.

Travis runs his fingers through his spiky brown hair, "Don't you have etiquette lessons and what-not?"

Taylor remains quiet, her blue eyes fixed on the scenery outside.

"Taylor...?" Travis says, waving a hand in front of his sister's face.

Taylor blinks, then shakes her head to snap herself back to reality. "I'm sorry...I was just thinking."

"You worried about being queen?" Travis asks, glancing at her.

"Obviously..." Taylor says, another sigh escaping her lips. "Our kingdom had lost its king and queen ever since we were young, Travis...and until now, there's still no chosen ruler."

Travis's forehead creases. "Yeah..."

"That certain ruler would be one of us," Taylor continues, directing her gaze to her brother.

The twins held each other's gaze for a long moment of silence...

"Geez, you make me feel like I'll make a bad king." Travis laughs in a sheepish manner.

Taylor couldn't help but giggle, "You aren't alone in that."

The blond girl stands up, her legs taking her to a nearby desk. Her brother watches as she picks up a small envelope.

"What's that?" asks Travis, tilting his head in curiosity.

"...The last letter Mother sent us." Taylor solemnly replies.

Travis's chest tightened a little. Just the mention of their mother made him crack.

"Oh..." Travis manages to say.

Taylor pulls out a piece of paper from the envelope, grazing her fingers over her mother's elegant handwriting.

"If Mother and Father were with us, things wouldn't be this...complicated." Taylor speaks up, looking over her shoulder to glance at Travis.

"Taylor..." Travis says, his eyebrows furrowed.

Taylor sets down the letter on the table, taking a deep breath before facing her brother. "So I decided to do a little bit of research."

Travis raises a brow in confusion and slight curiosity, "Research?"

"Mhm hmm." Taylor hums in agreement, nodding. "To find out who killed our parents."

"And? How'd it go?" Travis says.

An unsatisfied frown crosses Taylor's delicate features. "...Bad."

"Bad? As in, kinda bad, or bad-bad?" Travis blurts out.

"The latter." Taylor answers.

"And this is the part where you ask for my help, right?" Travis clicks his tongue.

"...Yeah." Taylor sighs slightly, combing her platinum-blonde hair with her fingers.

"What can I do to help?" says Travis.

Taylor's blue eyes brightened, "You're willing to help?"

"There's nothing else to do, anyway--"

Taylor cuts him off with a tight hug, "Oh thank you so much, Travis!"

Travis chuckles, patting her back. "No prob, sis."

They both release from the hug shortly afterwards.

"So...when do we begin?" Travis asks.

"Tonight." Taylor beams.

A/N: Hey, readers! I know, first chapter is crappy af. Sorry if this doesn’t satisfy you...but I assure you, I’ll write ship moments in future chapters! Just not now...I felt like introducing the twins first.

I hope you enjoyed this post! Hope you like, reblog, and leave a comment/note! Do tell me if you have requests and questions for me! :)

[endlessflame]

Hate sex?