#maybe the people who invented breakfast food were onto something there

[glitteratti]

daydrunk in tha bathrub while my roommate with a degree and career does her fancy buisinessgirl work in the room next to me. #baristawin

bought the cheapest bottle of dry sparkling wine aldi had and some oranges since i have tomorrow (VALENTINES DAY!!!!!) off so you KNOW what that means: breakfast in bath with mimosas!!!!!!!

[fanficsandthings]

Through the Years, Ch. 3

A George Weasley Fanfiction

A George Weasley x Slytherin reader story. Each chapter shares events in one year of George and reader’s life together.

Word Count: 3k

Year 1, Year 2

Year 3: Redheads 

The snow fell heavily as you looked out the shop window, and it occurred to you that they would be rounding up all the students soon. They would want you to get back to the castle before the weather got too out of hand. Looking around Zonko’s one more time, you left the shop with the items you had bought and started to look for the twins.  Honestly, you were surprised that they hadn’t immediately beelined it to the joke shop, but maybe they were off thinking about their own little inventions. Fred had started to dabble in making potions he shouldn’t be messing with, and George was happy to learn right along with him, no matter how disastrous things could turn out. A couple weeks ago at breakfast you were sitting at the Slytherin table, having an idle conversation with Adrian Pucey about the latest quidditch match, when Lee Jordan walked in, the whole of Gryffindor turning their heads to look at him.

Adrian leaned across the table to whisper to you. “I heard the entire Gryffindor tower woke up in the middle of the night last night because there was an explosion in the third year boys’ dorm.” Your head went into your hands, and you let out a small grumble. “It was the Weasleys, wasn’t it?” “From what I heard, yes,” Adrien said to you, your forehead now resting on the table as you stared down at your lap. “They’ve been getting in a lot of trouble recently.” You slowly raised your head to look over to where Lee was now sitting at the Gryffindor table, the twins nowhere in sight. “They’ve been on a prank kick lately. Excuse me; I may need to make sure they aren't dead.” You got up from your seat and made your way over to Lee, who you noticed had lost a few inches of his hair overnight. “Hey, Jordan!” He turned to look at you. “Have a rough night?” He let out a laugh and said “No, I just woke up with my hair on fire is all. You can thank your boyfriends for that.” Ignoring his comment, you pressed him further. “What’d they do this time?” “I’m not sure exactly, but it involved standing over my bed in a very creepy fashion. And a loud explosion. And then fire. And then going to the infirmary,” Lee explained. “They’re still there?” you asked him. He nodded. “And I’m assuming it’s not too bad since no one seems to be in a huge panic.” “Just a couple burns that’ll take a day to heal fully,” he said. “Thanks, Lee,” you said, starting out of the great hall towards the infirmary. You entered the infirmary, your eyes finding Fred and George. They seemed to be the only ones in the room, sitting upright in parallel beds as they enjoyed a meal that must have been brought to them. They looked relatively normal besides the fact that Fred was missing half of his right eyebrow, a faint red burn mark making its way from just beside his right eye up into his hairline. George looked perfectly fine. and You thought maybe he had made it out of this incident unscathed, and he was just giving Fred company in the hospital wing. He must have caught a glimpse of you out of the corner of his eye, because he suddenly stopped his conversation with Fred and waved his hand at you, telling you to come join them. That’s when you saw the bandage on his left hand, wrapped around his palm and halfway up his arm. “I saw Lee Jordan a few minutes ago. What antics did you two get up to last night?” you asked the both of them, sitting on the edge of George’s bed. You reached over to his plate and attempted to sneak some food off it, but he smacked your hand away before you could. “Hey!” George gave you a glare, pulling his plate farther from you. “We’re the injured ones here. Get your own breakfast.” “You wouldn’t be injured if you didn’t try ridiculous stunts at two in the morning,” you informed them, looking between George’s hand and Fred’s face. “Now seriously, what were you trying to do to poor Lee?” “We were only testing out a potion,” Fred started to explain. “We thought we had it correct.” “Well, unless it’s a potion that causes explosions, I would say you’re very far from perfecting it,” you said, laughing at them. “It was meant to change the color of his hair,” George told you, now offering some of the food on his plate. You gladly accepted it. Fred continued on explaining. “We wanna make something that has a permanent effect, unless magically reversed.” “We know Zonko’s has a product that’ll change your hair color, but it’s only for a matter of minutes,” George told you. “We’d like to go for a more dramatic effect than that.” While the twins were talking, you absentmindedly studied the bandages around George’s palm and wrist. They were fresh, having been changed recently. You wondered what his injury looked like underneath. You feared it was worse than Fred’s, seeing as his warranted no bandages. You knew that by now, Madam Pomfrey had healed them as best she could, and they would be perfectly fine by this time tomorrow, but you still worried. “Try boxed hair dye next time.” you stated absentmindedly, your hand moving closer to George's on it's own accord. “What?” they both asked at the same time, looking at you in confusion. You snapped out of your thoughts, moving your hand back to your side. “You’ll have to be sneakier about it, and it’ll take longer and be 100% harder than using magical means, but it works,” you said, continuing your speech without really giving them an explanation. “You could put it in someone’s shampoo. Now, that’d be funny. Imagine Malfoy coming out of the shower with bright pink hair.” You let out a loud laugh, mostly to yourself, as Fred and George still had no clue what you were going on about. “Would you like to explain ‘boxed hair dye’ a little further?” Fred asked you. You looked between them, confused. A circuit in your brain connected after a few seconds. “Right, right, right. Muggle stuff. It’s literally just a dye that you put in your hair to change the color. Comes in a little box with instructions. Some of it stains your hair, and some of it washes out after a couple showers, so you’ll definitely want one that’s known to stain.” “Could you get us some?” they both asked. “I could ask my parents to mail me some, maybe.” You pondered this thought for a moment. “I think I have a better idea though. I’ll get back to you on that thought in a few weeks. I should get going, classes start soon.” You got up to leave, but turned around quickly. Glancing between their injuries real quick, you settled your eyes on George’s hand. “Please no more injuries. You worry me.” You turned back and hurried out the door, hoping not to be late to your morning class. “She was looking at you when she said that, George,” Fred teased his brother with a wink. George half heartedly threw a pillow at his brother. “She was talking to both of us.” “But she was looking at you,” Fred said, picking up the pillow and throwing it back. —————— Now, stepping outside Zonko’s, the wind was harsh, so you wrapped your scarf tighter around your face. You wanted to make a quick stop at Honeydukes before heading back to the castle. From down the street, you spotted Fred and George leaving the sweets shop. They started to walk in your direction, and you were about to scoot past them when they grabbed onto both of your arms and pulled you to the side.   “What’re you two doing?!” you scolded them as they dragged you into an alley. “I wanna go to Honeydukes real quick.” “No need for that,” Fred said as he let go of your arm. George pulled a small brown bag out of his coat pocket. He held it out towards you. “We bought you your favorites.” You took the bag apprehensively and looked inside. Everything seemed to be fine with the sweets inside. You looked between the two of them. “Why?” The twins spoke at the same time, but completely different sentences this time. “Because we’re such good friends,” is what George said. “Think of it as a sort of bribe,” is what Fred said. You narrowed your eyes at George, staring at him as you asked, “What sort of bribe?” You turned your head towards Fred for an answer. “It’s been weeks since you said you had an idea for our hair color predicament, and we haven’t heard a thing about it,” Fred explained to you. You rolled your eyes at them. “Be patient, boys.” You pulled the bag from Zonko’s out of your pocket and took a small vile out of it. Opening the vile, you drank it and watched the twins as your hair slowly turned to a bright ruby red color. “Now we’re all red heads, huh.” They both let out a small laugh, and Fred said, “We told you we already know about Zonkos, but we want something more permanent.” “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I heard you the first time,” You said, handing the rest of the bag over to George. “There’s five more bottles in there. Use them to deconstruct the formula. You don’t always have to start from scratch, you know. You’re both smart enough to find a way to make that permanent.” As soon as the last word was out of your mouth, Fred scooped you up into a tight hug, lifting your feet off the ground. “You’re smarter than the both of us combined. I can’t believe that we didn’t think about that. Why work harder when you can use other peoples’ successes to further your own?” “If that’s what you want to take from that, then sure.” You laughed as Fred sat you back on the ground. You looked around Fred’s shoulder at George, who was examining one of the viles. “Think you can figure it out, Georgie?” He looked up at you smiling, partly because he liked it when you called him that, and partly because this idea was absolutely brilliant. “Definitely.” “Good. Now we should get going before we get caught in a blizzard,” you said, looking up at the sky. The snow fell heavily, easy to see against the dark backdrop of the buildings you were standing between. You reached and grabbed Fred’s hand, ready to pull him with you through the crowd. You stepped close to George to grab his hand too, but you stopped short when you remembered that hand was the one that had been burned. It had been weeks ago, and you knew it was completely healed by now. There wasn’t even a scar; it was like it had never even happened. Still, you were worried that you might hurt him if you grabbed it too hard. It was an irrational fear, but you couldn’t help it. You quickly grabbed his other hand, hoping he hadn’t noticed your hesitation. You pulled them both behind you, and you were just about to step out of the alley when you stopped suddenly, the twins almost running into you. You could see little footprints in the snow. Pawprints, leading to a small crate at the edge of the alleyway. Following the small prints, you could see the tip of an orange tail sticking out of the crate. You let go of the twins hands, and slowly walked over to the crate, careful not to startle the creature. The twins looked between each other, confused, but they quietly walked up behind you anyway. Making little clicking sounds with your tongue, you urged the creature to look at you. It’s tail disappeared fully into the crate, and you were disappointed for a moment before you saw two orange ears pop up, and then you could see the creature's whole face. It seemed to be just a common house cat. You bent down to be eye-level with the cat, pulling the twins down with you, hoping not to scare it away. You slowly raised your hand up, leveling it a few inches from it’s face. “Come here, sweetie,” you urged it. “What’re you doing out in the cold all by yourself.” It stretched it’s neck out to sniff your hand carefully. After a moment, you felt comfortable enough to try to scratch behind it’s ear. It let you, and you slowly let out the breath you were holding. Fred and George hadn’t moved at all behind you, and you were thankful for their stillness. The cat hopped out of the crate and made it’s way to rub against your leg. “Aren’t you the sweetest thing,” you said down to it. The cat moved from you and rubbed it’s head on the top of George’s shoe. You smiled softly at the two of them. “I think it likes you, George.” He just smiled back at you as he scratched the stop of the cat’s head. “I think we should take it back to the castle,” you said suddenly. “What?” Fred asked you. “This could be somebody in town’s pet.” “Look at it,” you said, gesturing vaguely to the animal. “It’s very skinny, it doesn’t have a collar. I say it’s a stray. What do you think, George?” “Hmmm?” George looked up at you from the cat. “Why does my opinion matter?” “You’re the tiebreaker,” you told him. He thought about it for a minute. “Mum doesn’t really like cats.” You frowned at him. “Well, it wouldn’t be your cat. It’d be our cat. And I’d be more than willing to bring it home with me on holidays.” George was still bent down, and the cat now had both of it’s front legs on top of one of his knees. “Then I say go for it. It is pretty cute.” You let out a laugh of pure happiness. You bent down fast, careful not to scare the cat away. Hugging George from the side, you squeezed him as tight as you could, almost losing your balance. George felt you both falling and put one hand on the ground fast enough to catch you. “I could kiss you right now, George Weasley. I’m so happy.” You looked from him to the cat in front of the two of you. You watched it as it scratched it’s ear with it’s back leg. You didn’t even notice George freeze completely solid underneath your arms as you said those words. You did kiss him. Quickly on his cheek. He barely even noticed it, but afterwards his entire face lit up almost as bright as your current hair color. As you let go of the hug, George did fully lose his balance, falling completely into the snow. You unwrapped your green and grey scarf from around your neck and slowly approached the cat with it. You were careful when you picked it up, examining it quickly before you brought it close to your chest. You wrapped it loosely in your scarf, hoping to keep it warm. You knew that as soon as you left this alley, the wind would be much worse “It’s a girl,” you told Fred and George as you turned back to them. Fred was currently in the process of helping his brother off the ground. “I think we should name her Minnie.” “Minnie?” George asked as he wiped some snow off his legs. “After McGonagall,” you explained to them. They both laughed at that and agreed. Minnie it was. You quickly handed her to Fred and brought a disposable camera out of your coat pocket. “I wanna remember this moment exactly.” The twins huddled together as you stood in front of them, and Fred held Minnie to the side of you. You took a quick picture, hoping it would look good when you got it developed over the holiday. You slipped the camera back in your pocket and grabbed Minnie back from Fred. “She looks good in Slytherin colors, don’t you think?” you asked, admiring her wrapped in your scarf. You looked at the scarves the twins were wearing. “Much better than that ugly red.” You laughed and dodged out of the way as Fred tried to hit you on the arm. You stepped out of the alley and suddenly felt the wind harshly on your face. Your hair whipped around; you could see that the red had already faded from it. You shivered and pulled Minnie as close to you as you could, pushing your face down into your jacket. Suddenly, there was a flash of red in front of your eyes, and you turned to see George wrapping his scarf around your neck as you walked. You wanted to object, but you felt warm and fuzzy, and you didn’t want that feeling to leave you. “You look pretty cute in that ugly red,” George whispered as he pulled away from you. Knowing your cheeks were now burning the same color as the scarf, you buried your face into it, hoping to conceal the blush. You chose to ignore him, instead looking down at Minnie, who was basically asleep in your arms. You took in a deep breath, taking in the scent of the Gryffindor scarf you now wore. This was honestly the happiest you had ever felt in your life. George fell behind you to walk in step with his brother. “I told you I could flirt back.” Fred grinned at his twin. “Well done, George. Well done.”

[thetomorrowshow]

Slower Than Words Ch. 4

1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12

Another week, another chapter! This one’s a bit more intense than the last two have been, so be careful. Just let me know if I missed anything in the content warnings!

cw: food, suicidal thoughts and measures (in the form of a lack of self-care), starving oneself (as an act of defiance)

~

Time passed. Days, weeks, perhaps even months. Slower than either of them would have liked, but it did pass. Virgil sometimes laughed at the thought of someone watching them communicate—the precise spelling had begun to evolve into complex combinations of squiggles and pats, a sort of shorthand, their fingers blurs as they spoke the language they were inventing. It was slower than speaking loud, and probably slower than sign language, but much faster than the spelling of every individual letter that they'd begun with. The two men were connected in some strange way, almost knowing the other's meaning before it was spoken.

Every night before falling asleep, both would flick the each others' wrists (their sign for 'pay attention'), then press their knuckles into each others' arm. Virgil wasn't quite sure what it meant, but for him it meant a mix of 'good night' and 'I'll be there when you wake up'.

Then one day, Patton was not there when he woke up.

Virgil tried to refrain from freaking out. Patton was probably just in the sectioned-off area, everything would be fine. Virgil took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm himself enough that he could hear over the pounding of his own heart. “Patton?” he called out, knowing the other man couldn't hear him. A clang! shot through the air; Virgil leaped out of bed and drew his fists up to his face, rocking back on his heels. Fight-or-flight had kicked in, and fight won out. As he waited, though, nothing happened. No familiar arms pulled his hands down, silently whispering words of comfort. No rough hands grabbed him and dragged him away. Nothing.

Moments later, his heart slowed slightly and Virgil realized that the noise that had scared him so badly was the chute opening to drop food in. And Patton still wasn't there, Patton who normally woke him up wasn't there to hold him and let him know that everything would be all right and with a shock, instead of blind panic, Virgil noticed his face heating.

Did he . . . did he have a crush on Patton?

Now we don't have time to unpack all of that, his mind helpfully supplied. Virgil snorted before striding toward the curtain in the corner, waving around it before eventually pulling it back and stepping in.

Patton wasn't there.

“Patton?” Virgil called again, his walking no much less steady than a few moments before. He checked the spare bed, then walked the room in a sweep. Nothing, there was nothing, Virgil was all alone again after months of having someone to hold him and he couldn't handle it. There was a tray of food on the floor, but he couldn't bring himself to eat anything, a pit of anxiety boiling in his stomach. After sweeping the room three more times, Virgil curled up on the still-warm bed, choking out a few despairing sobs. He was alone, he was all alone and soon the rough people with mean voices would grab him and drag him away to that room, that room where—

Virgil wrenched his mind away from that train of thought, knowing that the blurry memories of the room would only scare him more. He had to keep a clear head, figure out how to get out of here and save Patton.

So, naturally, Virgil pulled the blanket over his head and sobbed.

-

Hours passed, and still Virgil didn't come out. He didn't know why; some instinctive part of him insisting that he stay hidden, perhaps, but it wasn't like the blanket was stopping him from seeing any threats. If anything, it was muffling his hearing. It didn't seem to matter, though, as he was left alone all day and night. At intervals he knew he should be expecting, the metal flap at the base of the door would unlock and make a loud noise as a food tray was pushed in or pulled out, but no one ever entered the room.

Virgil never got up to eat, though he knew he should. It gave him some sense of satisfaction to know that they wanted him to eat, and it was in his power to refuse it. Hopefully he was making more of a statement than throwing a fit.

“I'll eat if you bring Patton back,” he croaked out, pulling the blanket down enough for his head to pop out. There had to be a camera somewhere in this room, even if Patton had never mentioned one. He cleared his throat. “Seriously, that's the only way you're gonna get me to eat. Bring him back.”

Nothing. The thought struck Virgil that maybe they didn't care about whether or not he ate, but he shoved it away. If they didn't care, they'd stop giving him food. Another thought—what if Patton escaped? Virgil threatening his own health would just make them look for Patton harder, and he didn't want Patton back here.

Right?

Well, no. He wanted Patton free, yes. But . . . if he wasn't free, then couldn't he be here? Just thinking that made Virgil feel guilt tear at his insides. Of course he would give up Patton if he had the chance to be free! Of course he would!

Virgil physically shook his head, then pulled the blanket back over himself. He was going to sleep, because then he could escape his own head. Patton usually was there to help if he was anxious, but before. . . .

Before was so long ago. What had he done before? He'd normally just . . . dealt with it, hadn't he? He'd had Patton there to work through it with him for so long, he could barely imagine doing it by himself again.

In time, Virgil fell into a restless sleep, tossing and turning with nobody to ground himself to.

-

Virgil was hungry.

Nine meals had passed since Patton had disappeared. That was a full three days, and Virgil was beginning to wonder if he would be able to hold out until Patton came back. He'd been drinking cupped handfuls of water from the tiny sink behind the curtain, but his legs were growing too weak to walk across the room to it. The most recent time—several hours previous—he'd fallen halfway there and crawled the rest of the way, pulling himself up onto the toilet to even reach the faucet. Then he'd dragged himself back to the bed, forgoing the easier task of resting on the closer, unused bed for the one he and Patton had shared.

Come to think of it, why had they shared a bed? The mattresses were twin-sized, there was no way that had been comfortable.

Again, Virgil weighed his options. They hadn't pulled away the meal tray yet, so he could roll out of bed one more time and get something to eat, keep his strength up. More importantly, though, what was the point?

Without Patton, Virgil had nothing. No hope. No eyesight. No one to talk to. No one to hold him when his nightmares got particularly bad. Absolutely no one, and Virgil was a nobody, so it all worked out. Whether or not Patton came back, Virgil was certain they were watching him. Studying him. Whatever they did to his eyes, they did it on purpose and now they were watching to see what he'd do. Well, it was too bad for them, because Virgil would rather die than let them win. In all honesty, he'd rather die than do a lot of things, but this one was the most important at the moment. So they thought they could take Patton away from him? He was going to take himself away from them.

His mind made up, Virgil rolled over to face the wall, despite the fact that being turned away from the door caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand up. It didn't matter anyway, he couldn't see any signs of an attacker. Besides, he didn't care who came in unless it was Patton.

Die out of spite? Virgil was pretty sure he could do that.

-

Virgil's plan to die out of spite was cut short the next morning, about an hour after the tenth meal was pushed in.

He'd been seriously reconsidering his death, but Virgil was nothing if not stubborn. Not to mention he wasn't sure he even had the strength to get out of bed by now. He was contemplating what he'd say to Roman if he were here, when a loud noise roused him from his daydream.

A thud and a cry met his ears, then the same slamming noise as before—surely the door closing. The voice was recognizable too, but Virgil couldn't let his hopes get up; many times before, Patton had laughed wheezily, as if he wasn't sure that a laugh was supposed to have sound (which was probably on the nose), and even more often, he'd made unconscious noises of exclamation. That was his voice, the sound Patton would make if he were thrown to the ground.

Thrown to the ground—?!

Virgil rolled out of bed, almost forgetting his weakness, and crawled in the direction of the hitching breaths until his reaching fingers met fabric. Quicker than he knew he could move, Virgil found the person's arm and flicked his wrist, then pressed his knuckles up against it. It had to be Patton, he'd know that arm anywhere, and sure enough, the person's fingers traced a light P into Virgil's arm.

Virgil realized, suddenly, that he was crying, babbling Patton's name over and over again as he pulled Patton into his lap, freezing when the other man hissed in pain.

You okay? Virgil spelled onto Patton's arm, hoping it was nothing too bad. There was a long moment in which Patton didn't move, and Virgil held his breath.

Put stuff in my ears. Hurts.

Virgil let out a choked cry, then hugged Patton as gently as he could. At that moment, he was reminded of exactly how jelly-like his bones felt. He reached out, and as he assumed, the tray with breakfast was just beside them.

Virgil ate slowly, supporting Patton so that he could eat as well, though he claimed to not feel like it. Virgil made sure to leave half even so.

“I've got you,” Virgil muttered as he helped Patton to the bed. “Don't worry, we'll make it through this. We've got each other. We can survive.”

Virgil didn't know if he was talking to Patton (who couldn't hear him), or himself, but it didn't really matter. They were together. Everything was so much better than it had been alone, and everything was going to be okay.

~

Taglist (I’d love to add you, just let me know!): @enragedbees @gotta-love-alejandra @bunny222 @basiic-emo @patt0n-sanders @rosiepupper @fangirlgeekandfreak @dn-fan21 @that2000skid @remy-the-lemon-berry @itsadastraperaspera @xionbean @sanderssides-angst @hell-yea-we-gay-tonight

[freddiesaysalright]

Tale As Old as Time - Chapter 1

Rami!Prince Adam x Reader

Summary: A prince cursed. A young woman aching for adventure. The classic tale of seeing beauty within.

Word Count: 4.3k

Tag List: @psychosupernatural​, @someone-get-a-medic​, @bensrhapsody​, @deakyclicks​, @crazylittlethingcalledobsession​,@minigranger, @crazyweirdocalledfriday​, @the-moving-finger-writes​, @assembledherethevolunteers​, @rose-writes-prose​, @queenlover05​, @26-7-49​, @drowsebaby​, @im-an-adult-ish​, @xviiarez​, @rogerina-owns-me​ If you’d like to be added, let me know!

A/N: Let’s meet our heroine! You! Not much Rami in this chapter, but he’s coming!

Warning(s): None!

Moodboard

Prologue

Chapter 1 here we go!!!

You woke to the chirping of birds outside your window. The sun was just peeking over the hillside and through your curtains. You groaned, stretching your limbs to wake yourself up. You had errands to run today, and you needed to finish early to help your father with his newest invention. You shivered slightly as you pushed your covers back. 

You changed into a plain dress for your walk to town. Then you slipped on your boots. You stopped by your father’s bedroom to peek in on him. He was snoring, his shoulders rising and falling with his breath. You smiled to yourself, grabbed a basket, and headed out.

The crisp autumn air felt refreshing against your skin. You began to hum to yourself as you walked. The sleepy little town was also waking up. You smelled the fresh bread from the baker, heard the thud of a knife hitting wood from the butcher, and saw the bright white flowers at the florist. You waved to each of them as you passed.

“Good morning, Y/N,” said the florist. 

“Good morning, Elaine,” you replied sweetly.

“How’s your father?” she asked.

“Sleeping soundly,” you replied with a smile. 

“On your way to pick up his medicine, I assume?” she guessed.

You nodded. “It’s that time. I’ll be by later to pick up some flowers for my mother’s grave. Is that alright?”

“Of course, darling,” she assured you. “I’ll start an arrangement.”

“You’re the best!”

You waved once more and started toward the apothecary. Your father had a dreadful illness which caused him to cough. At first, you wrote it off as dust from all the things he built. But then he began to cough up blood, and you insisted on taking him into town. The pharmacist gave him some herbal treatments, which was manageable, but it wasn’t a cure. You wished you could take your father to a big city to get a trained doctor to treat him, but you couldn’t afford it.

With a sigh, you entered the apothecary. The pharmacist - Lyle - beamed at you.

“Good morning, Y/N!” he greeted. “I’ve got your father’s medicine ready for you.”

He indicated the small package on the table.

“You’re always prepared, sir, I can’t thank you enough,” you replied. 

You dropped some coins on the counter and picked up the parcel, placing it carefully in your basket.

“How is old Paul, anyway?” he asked.

“He’s fine,” you answered. “I know he’s got big plans for today, though I don’t know what.”

“Tell him to be careful,” he warned. “That dust is not good for him. And we don’t want him to take a turn.”

“I’ll let him know,” you said. “Thank you again!”

You left, dreading having to tell your father once again that he needed to stop his work. His work drove him. It broke your heart that it was also killing him.

You went to the bakery and picked up some bread. Then back by the flower shop for the little bouquet for your mother’s grave. Then you headed to your favorite spot in town - the library.

You adored books. As a simple country girl with a bit of time on her hands, you found your adventure in stories. That was the one thing you had always craved - something more than caring for your father and visiting the village. To experience something you had never seen before. The closest you ever came was through a book.

“Good morning, Jean!” you called to the librarian as you came through the door.

“What’ll it be today, Y/N?” he asked kindly.

“Has anything new come in?” you wondered, scanning the front desk for a fresh title.

“Actually, yes,” Jean said, picking up the book off the top. “I think you’ll like this one. It’s about a prince under a curse, and a fight to break it.”

“Say no more,” you replied, taking it from him. “You know how I feel about magic.”

“I do,” he chuckled. “You know, you could experience some of your own if you got out of the village every once in a while.”

You sighed. “You know I can’t leave my father. Besides, I couldn’t afford a trip.”

He shook his head and tutted. “Y/N, you’re such a bright girl. You’ve got so much going for you. It’s a shame that you’re stuck here.”

“Maybe, but I love my father,” you said firmly. “He’s given me his whole life.”

“He doesn’t want you to return the favor,” Jean insisted.

“There’s still the cost,” you said. “We spend enough for Papa to go to contests. That’s all we can really do. Really, Jean, I’m happy with how things are. At least for now.”

“Because you have my books?” he teased.

You grinned. “Precisely.”

“That’s due back in a week,” he said.

“I’ll have it back before then!”

You waved and headed back onto the street. Immediately, you began poring over the book. You were so invested that you crashed into someone before you finished the first page. The collision knocked you flat on your bum.

“I’m so sorr-!” you began to say, but then you looked up and saw who it was.

Victor. You bit back a groan.

“Good morning, Y/N,” he said with a cocky grin, helping you to your feet.

“Good morning, Victor,” you replied. 

He picked up your book and handed it to you. “What are you doing with this?”

“I’m reading it,” you said. “I’m afraid I can’t stay, I’ve got a lot to do today.”

You pushed past him and kept walking. To your dismay, he followed.

“Y/N, I’ve been doing some thinking,” he began.

“Oh, how rare for you,” you said.

You didn’t mean to be snarky, but Victor was so conceited and arrogant. He was handsome and had money, but because of that, he was spoiled. For some reason, you had caught his attention. But he hardly knew you. He didn’t catch your jab.

“Don’t you think it’s time we got married?” he said. 

You scoffed. “What makes you think that?”

“Well, you’re the most beautiful woman in town, I’m the handsomest man, why shouldn’t we get married?” he said with a shrug.

“Do you really think looks are all that’s required for a successful marriage?”

“What else is there?”

You stopped walking and looked at him in disbelief. You searched his face for any hint that he was joking, but found none. He genuinely believed appearance was that vital.

“Victor, I’m flattered, but no,” you said. “I have no interest in getting married just now. Not when I have my father to care for.”

“That may be precisely the reason to get married,” he argued. “I’ve been thinking of buying the old palace, but if my dear father-in-law needed care, well - I might consider something smaller to get him what he needs.”

You froze. That offer was tempting. But Victor was just so...all brawn and no brain. How could you spend your life with him? 

“Victor, I can’t marry you,” you said simply. “I don’t love you.”

“Honestly, Y/N, whether or not you love me is of little consequence,” he said. “You’ll learn to love me. You don’t have to make a decision just yet. But do promise me you’ll think about it.”

You sighed and looked away. “Sure. I’ll think about it.”

“Wonderful!” he cried. “I’ll come by later to get your answer. Have a good day, Y/N!”

With that, he was off. You saw him join a few other men who had gathered on horseback. Victor had a fine, black horse, which he mounted gracefully. The group galloped away for their weekly hunt. You found it absurd that other people couldn’t see past Victor’s good looks. He was a shallow, empty person, with money and some charm.

You started back toward your house. Only, as you started to walk, you caught the eye of three other young women. They tended to follow Victor around and swoon over him. He ignored them completely. They were glaring fiercely at you and you heard them whispering, surely speculating how you could possibly need time to answer a man such as Victor.

Rolling your eyes, you began walking. Your house came into view through the trees and you walked up the stone steps. Your father was out of bed and already tying on his inventing apron.

“Morning, my dear,” he said cheerfully. “How was town?”

“Fine,” you replied dismissively. “I picked up a new book.”

He chuckled. “Just like your mother. Always have your nose in a book.”

“You say that like it’s a bad thing,” you teased.

You placed the bread on the counter and began cutting it into slices for toast. 

“Have you eaten anything yet, Papa?” you wondered.

“No, but I’ve been looking forward to your blueberry preserves all morning,” he told you.

You giggled. Over the summer, you had taken to gardening after reading a book about it. You had a natural knack for it. Over the summer, your blueberries came in sweet and ripe, so you took about half of  the bush and turned them into preserves for the fall and winter. The rest, you and your father ate fresh. 

“Coming right up,” you assured him.

You toasted the bread over the fire and then retrieved your preserves from the pantry. You spread it generously over the bread, and enjoyed the breakfast treat with your father. He groaned at the taste.

“Y/N, these are just delicious!” he praised. “I hope you keep growing all our food!”

“I’ll need more practice for that, but thank you,” you returned. 

“So, did you see anyone in town today?” he asked.

“Well, I saw Lyle,” you began. “Speaking of which, your medicine is on the counter, don’t forget to take it. Then Jean at the book shop. And Elaine arranged some flowers for me to put on Mama’s grave.”

“How nice,” he said.

“I, uh…” you trailed off. You wondered if you should tell him about Victor’s offer. “I also saw Victor. He told me something interesting.”

“Oh? What’s that?” he wondered.

You quickly changed your mind. 

“He said he’s thinking of buying the old palace.”

“I wasn’t aware it was for sale,” your father said.

“With enough money, you can get anything you want apparently,” you said, half to yourself.

Your father set down his toast, mid-bite.

“Now, Y/N,” he scolded. “That sounds like bitterness.”

“I don’t mean to, Papa,” you said apologetically. “But I feel like Victor gets everything, whether he deserves it or not, simply because he has money and a way with women. It’s maddening!”

“I know, but it’s the world we live in,” he said gently, placing his hand atop yours. “All we can do is be as kind and helpful as possible.”

You smiled. “You’re right, Papa, I’m sorry.”

“Besides, he’d have to appeal to the royal family,” your father continued. “Their living relatives will have claim to the palace before Victor. Besides, the prince may still be alive.”

Your brow furrowed. “I always heard the whole family was killed that day.”

Your father shook his head. “Not true. The king and queen were found. But the prince never was. He simply vanished, it seems. I think he escaped that night and is still alive somewhere.”

“That’s awfully hopeful,” you remarked.

“I can’t help it,” he said. “That prince was a kind boy. He used to come into town and -”

Your father stopped and was hit with a coughing fit. He hacked into his napkin, his whole body racking with the force of it. You jumped up. It had never been so intense before.

“Papa!” you cried, concerned.

“I’m alright,” he wheezed, but blood dribbled out of his mouth and down his chin. “I’m alright. I just haven’t had my medicine today, that’s all.”

“Papa, this is more than before,” you said. “It can’t just be your medicine.”

“Don’t fuss, Y/N,” he returned. “Now, I’m going to take my medicine and head down to the cellar for my new invention.” He cheered up. “I can’t tell you much just yet, but we’ll see how it works!”

You opened your mouth to argue further, but he held up a hand to stop you.

“Go see your mother,” he said gently. “I’ll be just fine.”

He took his medicine down the stairs with him before you could say anymore. With a huff, you grabbed your bouquet and headed out to the cemetery. 

Your mother was buried on a grassy hill about half a mile outside the village. It was wide and spacious, and strangely the place you felt the most free. You took your book along since you sometimes read aloud to her. Other times, you leaned against her headstone and read to yourself. Today, your heart was too conflicted to read. 

The choice before you was clear: marry Victor and get your father the help he needed or refuse the proposal and let your father continue to suffer. Either way, you were trapped.

You placed the flowers before your mother’s grave.

“Oh, Mama, I don’t know what to do,” you sighed. “I can’t win in either scenario.”

You paused, hoping for some inspiration. You considered what your mother would do. She was a very giving woman, but she believed in genuine love within a family. She certainly had not married your father for money. And yet, she would have done anything to save the people she loved.

“Maybe Victor isn’t so bad,” you said, trying to convince yourself. “Maybe I haven’t given him enough of a chance. Sure, he’s vain and shallow and self-centered, but he isn’t cruel. I could certainly do worse.”

You paused and heaved a sigh. It seemed so unfair.

After about an hour, you headed back. You went right down into the cellar to help your father, who was still not telling you what this new invention was. And from the looks of it, you couldn’t even guess. All the while, he coughed. He took several breaks, becoming winded after short bursts of work. All this after having taken his medicine.

You worked well into the afternoon. Then you headed upstairs to start dinner. You were just at the door, wiping your hands on your apron, when Victor walked up. You hastily wiped some soot from your cheek.

“Y/N, hello!” he said cheerfully. Then he frowned. “My goodness, what have you been doing? You look like a field hand.”

You narrowed your eyes at him. “I’ve been helping my father. It’s not exactly neat work.”

“Don’t you have sewing or...ladies work to do?” he wondered.

You resisted the brutal urge to roll your eyes.

“Actually, Victor, all my ladies work is reserved for Tuesdays,” you said, but once again, he did not detect your sarcasm.

“Y/N, I’ve come by to see if you -”

“I know why you’re here,” you cut across him. 

“Well, have you thought about it?” he asked.

“I have,” you said, heart pounding. “After careful consideration, I have decided to change my original answer. I will marry you, Victor.”

You felt like vomiting. But you knew what you had to do. Your father needed this.

“Wonderful!” he cried, punching a fist into the air. “Shall we set a date? How about a week from today?”

“Woah, settle down,” you said. “A proper wedding takes months to plan. And I want it to be done the right way, not the quickest way.”

“Ah, of course,” he replied. “Then, shall we go and give your father the good news?”

“I’ll tell him myself,” you said. “I don’t want to overwhelm him.”

He took your hand, pressing his lips to your knuckles. You tried not to cringe.

“I’m sure he’ll be happy for you,” he said. “There’s no better match in town.”

You forced a smile. “Yes, I...well…”

“I can see you’re speechless,” he chuckled. “I’ll let you and your father have some time. I’ll come back tomorrow to pay him my respects.”

“Thank you, Victor,” you said. “This is going to change our lives.”

“It certainly will,” he agreed pompously. “Good day, Y/N...dear.”

You winced as he released your hand and returned to his horse. He mounted, blew you a kiss, and then trotted away with a wide grin on his face. You watched him disappear through the trees. Disgust crawled over your skin, and weren’t sure if it was for yourself or Victor. Now there was the issue of telling your father.

With a groan, you headed back down to the cellar. You heard a loud whistle of the machine he’d been building, which made you stop. You watched as everything began. Springs coiled and released, steam erupted from lids, wheels turned. All of it led to an axe - attached at the front - rising up, and coming down hard enough against a piece of wood to chop it cleanly in half.

Your mouth fell open.

“Papa!” you cried.

“Can you believe it, Y/N?!” he returned, jubilant. “It works!”

It made you sick to think you were going to have to ruin his good mood.

“Papa, I’ve got something to tell you,” you began.

“I tell you, Y/N, with this one, we’ll go far,” he continued, ignoring you. “This is going to be my greatest yet!”

“Papa, I -”

“Chopping wood is back breaking, people will be clamoring for this!” he went on. “We’ve got to celebrate! How about we -”

“Papa, listen!” you insisted.

He stopped short and looked at you. His brow furrowed at your watery eyes. He switched off the machine and the room went silent.

“I....I have more news,” you said quietly. Dread made your stomach turn. “Victor was just here.”

“Oh? Any updates on buying the old palace?”

You shook your head. “It wasn’t about that. He...well, you see...he…”

“Out with it, Y/N,” your father pressed. “Don’t leave me on tender hooks here.”

“He asked me to marry him,” you blurted out.

You found it difficult to meet your father’s gaze now. Shame made you fix your eyes to the floor.

“What did you tell him?” your father asked gently.

You looked up. “I said yes.”

Paul’s eyes went wide. You knew you had shocked him.

“Y/N, I...I didn’t think you wanted to get married,” he said. “Much less to Victor. From the way you spoke this morning, you seem to hardly even like him.”

“Well, it’s not always about what I want,” you said, crossing your arms over your chest stubbornly. “This is about what’s best for us.”

“Us?” he questioned. “Heavens, I’m not the one marrying him. What’s he got to do with me?”

You squeezed your eyes shut with frustration. A tear slid down your cheek.

“He can take care of you, Papa,” you said softly. “He can get you proper care. Better than Lyle.”

“Y/N, you can’t pledge your life to someone for my sake!” he cried, crossing over to put his hands on your arms. “You should marry someone for love! And no other reason!”

“And what, watch you die right in front of me?!” you shot back. “When I could have done something? Papa, you’re the only family I’ve got left!”

“I’m not a reason to waste your life!” he insisted. “You’re my child, I’m supposed to go before you do! And what happens then? You’ll marry a man you don’t love or respect to give me just a few more years?”

“I need you!” you argued, tears falling freely now. 

“You can’t sacrifice your life for me, Y/N, I won’t let you!” he shouted.

You sobbed and collapsed into his arms. He held you against him and let you cry, patting your back soothingly. Pressed to his chest, you could hear his rattling breaths. It reaffirmed your decision.

“I won’t let you die,” you whimpered.

“Y/N, there’s a contest in the city this week,” he said. “Before you go through with this, let me go and try to win some money. If I can do that, I’ll get treatment, and you won’t have to marry Victor. Okay?”

“I’ve already accepted him, Papa,” you said, sniffling.

“Engagements can be called off,” he returned. “Let’s give my inventions one last chance to save us.”

You pulled away and looked at him. “Alright, then.”

He cupped your face in his hands, gently wiping your tears away with his thumbs. 

“Have some faith, my girl,” he said. “At least this one works.”

“Oh, Papa,” you laughed.

You went up and had dinner together. 

The next day, you rose early and helped your father pack up the wagon. You hitched up the horse as well. As Paul climbed into the seat, he looked at you.

“What shall I bring you if it’s good news?” he asked.

“A rose,” you replied. “The kind you always brought home for Mama.”

He smiled. “A rose it is, then.”

You stepped up on the hitch and kissed his cheek.

“Good luck, Papa,” you said. “I love you.”

“And I love you, Y/N,” he returned warmly. “I’ll see you in three days.”

“Three days,” you repeated, stepping back down.

When you were safely on the ground, he flicked the reins and he was off. You watched him go. The sun began to creep over the horizon, and with it came new hope. This invention worked, and it was incredibly useful. There was a chance.

Paul started at a brisk pace, determined to make it to the city by the afternoon. Then he’d have a whole day to sell the new invention. He was certain it would do better than the last few. It had to. His daughter’s whole future was at stake this time. 

The only trouble was, getting to the big city quickly meant going through the forest. And Paul had not made the journey in over a year. Either his memory was failing him, or the path had changed. He couldn’t be sure which. But it seemed suddenly the world had gone dark, though he knew the sun still shone above the trees somewhere. 

“Where are we?” he wondered aloud.

He brought the horse to a slow stop. Then he looked around. There were no signs to indicate which direction to go from there. Worried he was missing something due to the darkness, he reached into the wagon for a lantern. He lit it, which helped some, but still there was no indication for where he wanted to go. He dug around in his bag for his map. As he did so, a soft pattering through the leaves got his attention.

Rain came down, dampening his clothes. He blinked and looked up. Now it was clear why visibility was so bad. Clouds blocked out the sun. Dark, wicked looking clouds.

A jolt of fear ran up Paul’s spine. A storm would mean a cold, which was something his lungs couldn’t take right now. Not when he had to go and present his wood chopper. He needed to head back home and try again tomorrow.

He tugged the reins to the left to begin his journey home. A low rumble of thunder confirmed his decision. Then…

CLAP!

Thunder sounded almost right above them. Paul shivered as the rain came down harder. The horse whinnied nervously, backing up. 

“No, Phillipe, forward,” Paul urged, flicking the reins again.

BANG! FLASH!

Lightning struck the tree in front of them and it immediately burst into flame. Phillipe neighed and reared back, throwing the wagon off balance.

“Phillipe!” Paul shouted, in an attempt to calm him.

The flames warmed the air around them. Thunder boomed above. The dry, crunchy leaves on the forest floor caught the flames from the tree. Phillipe turned tail and took off into the woods, away from the fire and further away from home.

Paul gave a yelp of surprise and held onto the reins. The wagon bumped along over the roots and rocks, and he was just trying not to be thrown off as they galloped through the darkness. The rain picked up, pelting the man’s face and eyes. Paul lowered his hat to try and shield himself, but it was already soaked through.

“Phillipe!” Paul yelled through the noise. “Phillipe, stop!”

The horse did not listen. His animal instincts had completely taken over and he was focused only on escaping the fire and storm. They hurtled through the woods without any direction or destination.

When Phillipe could go no further, he slowed, panting. Paul peered out from below his hat. He hoped he could discern where he was, but the only thing in front of him was an old, wrought iron gate. It was elaborately designed, and now that the rain had eased up, Paul could see why. Behind it was a lush garden. The most prominent growth was a stunning rose bush. Thinking of his daughter, he had Phillipe halt so he could get down. He retrieved his pocket knife and reached through the gate.

To his surprise, it squeaked open. He gasped as he lost balance and stumbled through. He brought his arm back through the bars and then walked onto the little path into the garden. The roses really were some of the finest he had ever seen. The bushes were tall so it felt like walking through a maze. Unwilling to venture too far in, he stopped before the first curve.

A large rose bloomed out from the bush. The petals looked so delicate with the rain drops adorning them. He brought forth his knife once again, and he cut the stem, carefully avoiding the thorns.

He heard a low rumble nearby. Assuming it to be thunder, he started to jog back to Phillipe. Only it wasn’t thunder, he quickly realized. A great, looming shadow had appeared above him. As he took in the shape before him, he stumbled backward and let out a scream.

[confusedweasleys]

Mission Accomplished - George Weasley x Reader

A/N: I’mmmm back! I wrote this requested imagine at you guessed it, crackhead hours. It turned out a lot longer than I thought it would, but I think I like it. As always, leave feedback! Xoxo

Request: @iluvharrypotter172 Could you do 33 from the fluffy prompt list with George Weasley x reader preferably with the reader saying it to George. Thanks in advance!

Prompt: “how’s the hangover?” (#33)

Triggers: Cursing, Drinking

Word Count: 2,295

———————————————————————————————————

    I woke up with a splitting headache. And I mean splitting. I painfully pushed myself into a sitting position from my spot on the floor and glanced around my surroundings. I was sandwiched between the twins’ beds, covered in a heap of blankets and pillows. The occupants of the two beds both snored peacefully, making me feel almost guilty for what I was about to do. Almost. 

“Accio,” I whispered, summoning a metal pot from the kitchen. I steeled myself and banged the pot onto the metal railing of the beds. I winced.

“Shit.” Two voices cussed simultaneously as the twins woke up. 

“Morning Weasleys,” I said, wincing again. That had not been my best idea. “How’s the hangover?” I said, throwing a hand-knit pillow at the younger twin as he sat up. He attempted to bat it away and missed. It him square in the face. I chuckled as he groaned. 

“I haven’t felt this awful since Madame Pomfrey made me drink an entire bottle of Skele-Gro in the third year,” George said, flopping back down onto his bed. “I don’t remember a thing from last night.”

I sighed. “I don’t either.”

“Well that tends to happen when you drink an entire bottle of Firewhiskey,” Fred said, rolling his eyes. I stuck my tongue out at him and tried to go back to sleep.

        Most days, everyone loved mornings at the Burrow were my favorite. Today was not one of those days. For George and I at least. Everyone else seemed perfectly fine. In fact, Harry, Ron, and Hermione had gotten up early to make everybody breakfast, since Mr. and Mrs. Weasley were still out of town. 

“Just coffee for me, thanks,” said George.

“George, you had better eat something or you’ll just feel worse,” Hermione said, sliding a plate of toast his way. “You too, Y/N,” she said, frowning and adding more toast to the plate. George mumbled something into his plate that sounded a lot like ‘Thanks mum’.

“How come you’re so chipper?” I said to Hermione. “In fact, how come all of you seem fine while I feel like my actual brain is bleeding?”

“Because we didn’t drink an entire bottle of fire-whiskey last night,” Charlie said, chuckling. Shit. An entire bottle? I thought Fred had been joking. I didn’t even want to know what happened last night. 

“We might liquor you up more often Y/N, if it makes things as interesting as last night was,” said Ginny, grinning at me. 

“What does that mean?” George said, looking alarmed.

“Yeah Ginny, what does that mean?” I asked.

“Let’s just say you two had a lot more than anybody else,” Ron said, looking up from his food. Fred, who was sitting next to him, smacked him on the head. Ron looked sheepish. I looked at George, who shrugged and mouthed, no clue.

“Seriously guys, what happened last night?” I said, looking around the table.

“Yeah we deserve to know,” George said indignantly. “Fred, are you really not going to tell me?” 

“Sorry Georgie, I can’t help you if you don’t remember,” his twin said with a smile and a shrug. 

“I guess you two will just have to figure it our yourselves,” Harry said. 

“All right listen up you lot, I am tired and I am hungover. I am not in the mood for what ever this little game is. So what the hell happened last night?” I said sternly, looking around the table again. Ginny, Ron, Harry, Hermione, Fred, and Charlie all stayed silent. I groaned. “Fine,” I said. I got up to go back upstairs, only to be stopped by Hermione. 

“Hold up Y/N, Mrs. Weasley left us chores. Plus, we’ve got a lot of cleaning up to do from the party, and Mr. and Mrs. Weasley get back from St. Mungo’s tomorrow.” She then gave us a list of chores that we had to do, half left for us by Mrs. Weasley, and half to hide the evidence of the party we had last night. I had to de-gnome the garden with Ginny, then clear out the broom shack (where we hid most of the rubbish and alcohol from the party) with Fred and George. 

    Not that de-gnoming the garden was ever pleasant work, but a bad hangover and Mid-July heat made it so much worse. 

“Ginny, come on, you have to tell me. What the hell happened last night? And what was Ron on about this morning?” I asked, watching her as she flung a particularly fat gnome over the Burrow’s walls. She glanced over at me. 

“I’m not supposed to tell you,” she said in a sing-song voice.

“You’re in a good mood, I said, changing the subject. “Has that got anything to do with me seeing Harry leaving your room this morning?” She looked over at me and grinned.

“It might,” she said. “But you shut up about that. I don’t want to know what’ll happen to Harry if any of my brother hear.” Perfect.

“I might be persuaded to keep my mouth shut,” I said innocently. “If my best friend was to clue me in on the happenings of last night. Otherwise, who knows what might slip out.” I grinned and shrugged my shoulders. Ginny rolled her eyes at my and flung another gnome over the wall.

“You wouldn’t dare,” she said. “Because then I would be forced to let slip to a certain one of my brothers that you have a crush on them.” Ginny grinned as I went pink. 

“I regret telling you that every day,” I grumbled. I took my frustration out on a gnome that was attempting to escape from its relocation. It sailed a good 30 yards beyond the wall. Ginny giggled.

“Relax, you know I’d never tell,” Ginny said. “Unless I was bored,” she added. “I’m only joking!” she said as I shot her a look. “Anyways, you’re in luck. I’m rather cross with my dear brother Fred at the moment, since he tried to force a very drunk Harry to make an Unbreakable Vow that he would never kiss me again.” 

“How does that help me with my situation?” i asked. 

“It helps you,” she said, “because i am not in the mood to help Fred with another one of his plots at the moment. It was his idea to keep you and George from knowing what happened last night. Which means I’ll tell you what happened last night.”

“Oh thank God. So once again, what the hell happened last night and why is everyone being so weird?”

“Well, I’m sure you remember, the party started pretty much the moment Mum and Dad left the house. You drank about half a bottle of Firewhiskey, which is when I’m pretty sure your memory stops.” I nodded. She was probably right. “And George,” she continued, “well he had about an entire bottle of Firewhiskey. He was gone about an hour after you, right about when Ron said he wanted to go swimming.”

“Which is when we went to the lake,” I said, remembering someone jumping into water last night. Ginny looked at me, alarmed.

“You remember last night?” she asked.

“No, no, I just had a flash of...Charlie, I think, jumping into the lake. Anyways what happened next?” I asked, looking at Ginny.

“Well, once we got to the lake Fred suggested we play Wizard’s Truth or Dare.”

“Wait, what the hell is Wizard’s Truth or Dare?” I interrupted.

“A game Fred claims to have invented. It’s practically muggle truth or dare, except Charlie or Fred, since no one trusted you or George with a wand, would hex you if you whimped out of dare and put Veritaserum in your drink if you chose truth.”

“Sounds like a fun game. But how does it relate to people keeping last night a secret from George and I?” I asked. 

“Well, you got a dare to spin the bottle around the circle, and George got upset. He said no one else in the circle or anywhere else was gonna kiss his girl, and you said you weren't his girl, and then he kissed you.”

“What?” I said. Ginny suddenly looked uncomfortable.

“You guys kissed and then that’s when everyone kinda decided the party was over. Fred told us we weren’t supposed to say anything because it was clear you guys weren’t going to remember anything in the morning and we all agreed it would better if you guys didn’t know. That’s why everyone was acting so weird this morning.” To say i was confused was an understatement. After a while i just said,

“Well - that’s a lot to take in.”

“What’s a lot to take in?” Fred said, walking down the steps to the garden with George. Damn he looked good - even hungover.

“The rules of Wizard’s Truth or Dare,” I said quickly, watching George go a little pale.

“Oh that’s Georgie’s new favorite game,” he said, clapping his brother on the back. George glared at him. Fred shrugged glancing around garden. He clapped his hands together. “Time for new chores little ones!” I groaned. As bad as de-gnoming the garden was, at least it was outdoors. Normally, I would look forward to being crammed in a small, cramped space with George, but not after what I just learned. I hoped he didn’t know, or it would be a very awkward hour.

“That’s not the right attitude,” Fred said, shaking his head at me. I faked a smile at him. “That’s the spirt. Now I’m going to go help Ickle Ronniekins clean up the lake.”

“No Fred, you’re supposed to clear out the shack with George and I,” I shouted at his retreating figure.

“Plans change Y/L/N. Turns out the damage we did at the lake was a lot worse than we thought. Besides,” he yelled. “I’m sure you two have a lot to talk about!”

“What’s the supposed to mean?” I said under my breath. George heard me.

“Ginny didn’t tell you?” George said, speaking for the first time. i looked over at him as we made our way to the broom shack

“Tell me what?” I asked. I knew what he was referring to, but I wanted to hear him say it. Maybe I would be able to tell how he felt about it. I still wasn’t sure how I felt about it myself. Of course I liked him. I’d had a crush on George for the longest time. But it would just be so horrible if we kissed and he didn't feel the same way about me. Not to mention, our friendship would be practically ruined.

"Y/N,” he said, waving his hand in front of my face. 

“Oh sorry what did you say?” We stopped walking as we reached the broom shack, and I stepped into the cramped, dark space. I felt George step in behind me. I turned to look at him. George sighed. 

“I said...” He paused scratching behind his ears, which had began to go red. “Well, apparently we weren’t supposed to know, but it was easy enough to get out of Ron. But we uh- we kissed last night,” he said quickly, looking down at the floor.

“I know,” I said, turning around and grabbing the empty bottles as an excuse not to look at George.

“You know?” he asked, confused. “Then why did you make me tell you?”

Now it was my turn to stutter. “Well- I just- I wanted to see if they told you the same story.” He looked at me. 

“Y/N, I’ve known you since we were seven years old. I can tell when you’re lying. What was the reason?” I sighed.

“I wanted to see how you felt about it.” I looked anywhere but his eyes.

“Oh,” he said looking surprised. “I mean I thought that part was pretty obvious. I’ve been wanting to do that forever. I was just always to scared you wouldn’t feel the same way, and that it would ruin our friendship.” He sighed again. “Some Gryffindor I am, needing a bottle of Firewhiskey to kiss the girl I fancy.” I snapped out of the daze I had entered when he started talking. George fancied me? “Anyways,” he said. “I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to make you feel awkward, and i would never want to ruin our friendship-”

“George,” i said, laughing, cutting off his rambling. I pressed a kiss to his lips. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do that?” He blinked. “Forever.” He smiled, and wrapped his arms around my waist.

“Forever?” he asked. 

“Yeah.”

“Well then this worked out rather well, didn’t it?” he said, leaning down. 

“Yes, I would say it did,” I replied, connecting our lips again.

.........................................................................................................

“Do you think we should tell them that they didn’t actually kiss last night?” asked Ginny, watching Y/N and George walk out of the broom shack hand in hand. She looked over at her brother.

“No I don’t think so,” her brother said, his eyes still on the couple. “Besides, if we hadn’t done something, those two never would have told each other they had feelings for one another. And I don’t think I could’ve taken much more of George’s whining about her. ‘Oh Fred, I like her so much, her hair smells so good, do you think she likes me too?’ Merlin, it never stopped!”

“Do you think Y/N didn’t talk about him all the time too? ‘Do you think he noticed me in Qudditch today? Did you know George held my hand today?’ Honestly, it’s a miracle they were able to admit they had feelings to each other even with the plan. My god, they are so blind.”

“But the plan worked, sis. Mission accomplished.”

[hms-chill]

RWRB Study Guide, Chapter 9

Hi y’all! I’m going through Casey McQuiston’s Red, White & Royal Blue and defining/explaining references! Feel free to follow along, or block the tag #rwrbStudyGuide if you’re not interested!

Too close to the sun (239): A reference to the myth of Icarus; his father built him wings so that they could escape from a tower they were trapped in. Upon gaining his freedom for the first time in years, Icarus celebrated by flying as high as he could. The sun melted the wax on his wings, and they fell apart, leaving him to plummet to his death.

Alexander Hamilton and John Laurens (239): Alexander Hamilton was an American politician, and John Laurens was a revolutionary fighter and abolitionist. Every biography of either of them is like “yeah wow they sure were GOOD FRIENDS” or “They had a ROMANTIC FRIENDSHIP” (an actual phrase I just read). 

Chernow’s biography (240): The most popular biography of Alexander Hamilton; the one that the 2016 musical Hamilton is based on. He concludes that “at the very least, we can say that Hamilton developed something like an adolescent crush on his friend”.

King George III (242): The king against whom the American colonies revolted.

Eliza (243): Eliza Schuyler Hamilton was Alexander Hamilton’s wife. The pair absolutely adored each other, and according to at least one of Hamilton’s letters to Laurens, she was conscious of and completely alright with their relationship (and also maybe down for a three-way).

Allen Ginsberg to a Peter Orlovsky (245): Allen Ginsberg was an American poet of the Beat movement, which was characterized by a dissatisfaction with 1950s America. Peter Orlovsky was an actor and took up poetry after beginning his open relationship with Ginsberg. The pair continued this relationship until Ginsberg’s death in 1997.

Henry James to Hendrix C. Andersen* (247): Henry James was an American/British writer whose works often explore the contrast and overlap between those two cultures. Hendrix C. Andersen a sculptor (known for a sculpture of Jacob, um... “wrestling” an angel). The two met in Rome in 1899, and James immediately bought a bust sculpted by Andersen, which he placed above his mantle, declaring “I shall have him constantly before me as a loved companion and friend”. (more, including a deeply gay love letter)

“Loco in Acapulco” (248): A 1988 song by the Four Tops about partying in Acapulco, a Mexican beach city. (listen here)

Chambray (249): Chambray is a fabric native to South France, it is lightweight and made of a weave of light colored and white threads.

“Here You Come Again” (249): A 1977 country/pop song recorded/performed by Dolly Parton, about a lover coming back into her life. (listen here)

“Summertime” (249): A DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince hip-hop song from 1991 about how summer is a break from the hectic rest of the world. (listen here)

45 (249): Texas State Highway 45 runs in a loop around Austin.

Mexican Coke (250): Coca-Cola made in Mexico is typically made with cane sugar rather than high fructose corn syrup, and many believe that gives it a more natural taste.

Lake LBJ (250): The history behind this lake is pretty well covered in the book, but it is popular for boating and water skiing because of its normally constant water level (meaning it is not significantly impacted by things like rainfall or other weather issues). 

“Jumbo”** (250): LBJ apparently had a sizeable “little” friend. He tried to have the White House shower altered so to have a stream shooting directly onto it. He would show it to people all the time. He asked to have his pants tailored to accommodate it.  

Henry VIII*** (250): Henry VIII is a British king best known for taking six wives, most of whom he either killed or divorced after they failed to give birth to sons. He invented the Church of England so that he could legally divorce his first wife and it went downhill from there. 

Strawberry daiquiris (250): A strawberry daiquiri is a mix of rum, sugar, and citrus. They are often frozen and are a popular summer drink.

Hacienda school of home decor (251): “Hacienda” is the Spanish word for an estate; this style is typically defined by high ceilings, open, arched doorways, and sprawling floor plans. “Hacienda” homes are associated with Mexico and the Southwest United States, and are generally designed as cozy outdoor/indoor spaces.

Pemberton Heights (252): One of Austin’s wealthiest and most historic neighborhoods.

Chente (252): Vincente ”Chente” Fernández Gómez is a Mexican actor and musician known as “El Rey de la Música Ranchera" (The King of Ranchera Music). He started his career playing for tips on the street, but has since risen to stardom. (listen here and here)

Cotija and crema (253): Cotija is a Mexican cheese, and Mexican crema is a thickened cream often used as a topping for Mexican foods. 

Elotes (253): Elote, or Mexican street corn, is a popular summer dish made with sweet corn covered in crema, cotija, chili powder, and a variety of other toppings.

Candy-ass (254): A wimp or person who’s not especially tough.

“Not bad for a European” (254): The general stereotype in the US is that European folks, especially English folks, are generally smart, but not very tough.

Santa Maria (256): Saint Mary, the mother of Jesus and greatest of all Catholic saints.

Tamales with salsa verde (256): Tamales are a Mexican dish made of a corn dough wrapped and steamed in corn husks, and salsa verde is a tomatillo-based salsa. Tamales are often made with help from an assembly line of family members. 

Frijoles charros (256): Frijoles charros, or “cowboy beans���, are a Mexican dish made of pinto beans stewed with onions, garlic, bacon, and other elements such as meat, peppers, tomatoes, and cilantro.

Sangria (256): An alcoholic beverage from Spain made of red wine mixed with fruit.

Johnny Cash (256): An American musician who began his career as a country singer, but branched out into rock and gospel as well. He was known for his humility and his free prison concerts, and for context within the book, June is named after his wife. (listen here and here)

Selena (256): Selena Quintanilla-Pérez was a Mexican-American singer/ songwriter/ model/ spokesperson who is known for catapulting Tejano or Tex-Mex music into the mainstream. (listen here and here)

Fleetwood Mac (256): Fleetwood Mac is a British-American pop rock band formed in 1967. (listen here and here)

“Annie’s Song” (256): A John Denver song written as an ode to his wife; she described it as “a love song [that] became a bit of a prayer”. (listen here)

Chile de árbol (257): A small, potent chili native to Mexico.

Jazz brunch (258): A brunch with a jazz trio playing in the background. They’re typically associated with older folks on vacation.

Migas (262): Mexican migas is a traditional breakfast dish made of a crispy tortilla with scrambled eggs on top. The Tex-Mex variation includes extra ingredients like onions, peppers, tomatoes, cheese, or salsa.

The heir and the spare (263): This refers to the idea that a king should have at least two sons: one to be the heir to his throne, and a backup “spare” to keep the kingdom from a succession war in case that first died. 

------

*Fun fact; Hendrik Andersen is related to Hans Christian Andersen (the fairy tale author), who was also queer!

** I now know... far too much about this.

*** The musical Six gives each wife a stage to voice their side of the story, and it’s very good.

----

If there’s anything I missed or that you’d like more on, please let me know! And if you’d like to/are able, please consider buying me a ko-fi? I know not everyone can, and that’s fine, but these things take a lot of time/work and I’d really appreciate it!

—–-

Chapter 1 // Chapter 8 // Chapter 10 

[varibean]

figuring out how to fit

ch 1 of a multi chapter fic! 

It had taken them a few days to get back on their feet, the thrill of the Chickeraffe chase slowly leaving their systems only to be replaced with the dread of figuring out what to do next. There were many things that they wanted to do of course, but as was the way of the world adventure cost bruckles and the only way to get them (legally that is) was with a job. 

Sam, as charming as he was, had never held down an honest job before. His energy and smile were infectious, everyone who came in contact with him could agree that no matter what he decided to do, he would do it with a spirit that couldn’t be beat. However that itself was a problem. Though he was a Who of many skills, none of those skills could technically be considered among the legal variety. He had the charisma, but not the work experience to match. 

Guy on the other hand had the experience and the know how, it was getting through the front door that was the problem. Though inventing was his passion, he was well equipped to do just about anything the market called for; whether it be paint watching, flubberhorn polishing, vipperyvip repair, or filing. But even after his adventure, he lacked a certain level of charm that could dazzle an interviewer and set him apart from the hundreds of other applicants. 

In their short rut period Michellee had, of course, put them up at her house for a while, something both of them were eternally grateful for. Sam would cook breakfast in return and Guy helped E.B with her homework and pandog catching inventions. It was a nice set up for a few days, but there was a limit to how long a couch and a lounge chair were comfortable and even without that fact in mind, both Guy and Sam were a bit restless. 

Michellee constantly insisted that they were both fine to stay for as long as they needed, even going as far as to joke that they could stay forever if that’s what they desired. But they both knew they could never do that to her, couldn’t abuse her kindness in such a way. Sam had never stayed with so many people in one place before and even with the constant job hunt Guy felt like he would become an unspoken burden to the kind hearted Michellee.

Luckily, the question of how long they would need to stay was answered faster than anticipated. The worry and festering feelings of becoming a nuisance were lifted when, two weeks into the search, Guy found a job. 

He discovered that, while all of his own inventions exploded, repairing other’s inventions seemed to be a success. It was a fact that came as both a relief-he would get to work in the field he loved-and a bit of a blow to his pride-the thought that maybe it wasn’t his inventions that were wrong, maybe it was just him. But steady work was steady work and if he was meant to be an Domahicky Repair Man, then so be it. 

One week and his first paycheck later, Guy and Sam found their own apartment a city over. E.B had been upset that her friends were leaving but still smiled a teary goodbye as she hugged Sam goodbye, making him promise to visit on the weekends and to call her with a report of all the new adventures he was sure to have in the city. Michellee insisted that they could stay longer, save up a bit more money, but in the end she too relented on the Weekend Visit condition along with the frequent phone call. 

“Remember, we’re just half an hour away if you need us.” Michellee said as Guy finished loading his and Sam’s matching briefcases into the taxi.

“I think I recall you saying that once or twice in the last ten minutes.”

“I mean it Guy, if you need anything at all just ask. Bruckles, home decor, someone to talk to…”

Michellee’s voice trailed off at the end as she looked up at Guy with a smile. They’d both decided a few days after Mr. Jenkins went home that they were better off as just friends, but Guy had been telling the truth when he said she made him feel safe. Something about her calmed him in a way that few other people could. She’d become his confidant and in return he was her’s. It was a comfortable friendship, an easy going understanding that they shared between each other. 

“And good luck with-” Before Michellee could finish, she was interrupted by Sam sticking his head out the taxi window.

“Come on N.A.B-New Apartment Buddy-we gotta hit the road if we want to beat lower Sneetch Town traffic!”

Guy rolled his eyes and gave Michellee and apologetic smile before hugging her and climbing in the back of the taxi with Sam.

They both waved behind them at Michellee and E.B until the two Whos faded into dots in the distance. 

Sam threw his arm around Guy and pumped a fist excitedly in the air.

“Onto the next adventure!” 

___________

It hadn’t been discussed beforehand that Sam would move in with Guy, it had just been a given like so many other things in their relationship. Guy didn’t even question Sam’s correct assumption that they would be moving in together when the news dropped that he found a job and a nice little place to live in the lower Whoville area. He even brought Sam to the place a few days before moving just to get the other’s approval.

The apartment was small, the front door leading right into the tiny living room, the kitchen attached to that, another door leading to the bedroom, and a small bathroom on the side. It was fine for them, they both agreed. Guy didn’t need much space and Sam spent most of his days outside as it was. 

The first week after moving in there had been a period of adjusting, of making the area their own. Sam stocked the fridge with green eggs and packaged ham, leaving Guy to follow up behind him and put actual food in there as well. 

Sam also seemed to have a knack for decorating as well. His decor wasn’t exactly tidy, but it wasn’t sloppy either. It was an endearing sort of messy; splashes of colors everywhere with trinkets placed on all available surfaces. It only took a few days for the cookie cutter apartment to become an area that felt almost like home. A month ago, Guy would abhor the bright painted colors, the various useless things decorating the wall, the odd additions to the counters and side tables. But now he looked at them with a certain level of fondness that he hadn’t felt in a long time; the crowded living area wasn’t crowded at all, in fact, the more Sam added too it the easier it was to breathe. 

It was as if the life given to the room was radiating out and infecting him with his own splashes of color. When Guy came home, it was with a smile and a fond sigh as he looked around at the area that was slowly shaping to become theirs. 

Sam was also more than happy with their arrangement. Still struggling to find a job and give up his past life, after the decorating was done in the first few days he threw himself into helping around the community. By the end of the first week he had introduced himself to the neighbors, walked around town acquainting himself with the locals, and familiarized himself with the best diners in town. He wasn’t bringing in an income yet but that didn’t matter at all to Guy. Seeing the little Who exhausted and smiling from a day full of social interaction and free of crime was enough to give them both a sense of peace. 

Of course, there were slight drawbacks. The job Guy found was nice, but he didn’t get paid an extraordinary amount. It was enough to keep them both content, but there were certain things they had to cut back on. 

Their dishware was bought second hand, the pieces they were missing replaced with reusable plastic. Organic eggs and ham were out of the question, along with eating out for anything that wasn’t take out. Couponing became a must and Guy was always on the lookout for a sale. Most of their furniture came mix matched from thrift shops and online marketplace sales. 

But there was one thing that stood out the most among all of the little cutbacks: The apartment only had one bed. _____________

The first night they spent in the new apartment Guy was only mildly surprised that there was only one bed. The landlord had assured him that sleeping accommodations would be included with the down payment, but staring at the bed and thinking back to the conversation Guy realized that he hadn’t specified that this single bedroom would be shared by two people. An oversight on his part. 

“I guess this makes us Same-Bed-Buddies too huh?” Sam joked, but there was an unusual tension to his tone, as if he were more upset with the arrangement than Guy was. 

“After being shipped in a box with you this might as well be a California King.” 

Sam laughed in response and then threw himself onto the mattress, giving it a good bounce. 

Guy thought that would be the end of it and prepared himself to get nuzzled to near death in his sleep, but later that night he was surprised to find how reserved Sam was.

The little Who would toss and turn, inching closer to Guy, then suddenly catch himself and scoot back as if he were in trouble. It was odd, considering how touchy Sam was during all other aspects of their life. Guy mused that maybe he was trying to give him his space; they’d learned a lot about each other on their adventure, including how to be more considerate of each other’s boundaries. It was a sweet thought if true, even if a bit misguided.

An hour was spent with Sam tossing in a restless sleep and Guy, eyes wide awake, growing more and more frustrated as each minute passed. There was sadness mixed in there as well; the realization that this must’ve been how Sam always slept, twitching and alone and desperate to cling but being unable to find anything (or anyone) to hold.

The tossing and turning got to such a point that Guy’s nerves just couldn’t take it anymore. 

“Oh for the love of yip, just come here.” 

A groggy Sam slowly opened one eye, trying to take in the dark surroundings, but before he could respond to what was going on, Guy pulled him into his arms.

The little Who was still for a moment, the shock of being woken up and pulled into an embrace rendering him silent for a rare moment. After a minute or two, he wrapped his arms around Guy and buried his face into the soft ring of fluff around the Knox’s neck. 

“You’re kinda chubby.” Sam said sleepily, voice muffled by fur. 

The Who must’ve felt a rebuttal coming because he soon followed his words with a content sigh and pressed his body closer against Guy’s.

“I like it…’s comfy.” 

There was nothing Guy could say to that. Sam seemed to drift off into a now much quieter sleep, warm and contently pressed against Guy’s weight and soft fluff. 

Guy had to admit to himself that he didn’t hate the scenario. Quite the opposite in fact. He found that he enjoyed the feeling of Sam wrapped around him, the other’s little body tucked perfectly against him as Guy adjusted his arms so that they wrapped around his friend in return. Something about the feeling was...safe. Secure. The only drawback in his mind was that at some point in the morning, he would have to let go. 

That night they both slept with more peace than either had felt in a long time. 

[bechloeislegit]

THE HEART WANTS WHAT IT WANTS

EPILOGUE

A/N: This is set fourteen years after the end of the last chapter. Beca and Chloe are celebrating their fifteenth wedding anniversary.

~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~

Chloe woke with a smile on her face and Beca nibbling on her neck. Chloe sighed and asked, "What time is it?"

"Almost eight," Beca said as she continued to nibble on Chloe's neck.

"Mmmm," Chloe sighed. "I'll give you twenty minutes to stop that."

Beca chuckled softly. "I'm afraid we only have about five before we're going to be overrun by young people."

"Well, then you'd better kiss me properly before they get here," Chloe said and turned to wrap her arms around Beca's neck.

Beca leaned in and kissed Chloe; properly. "Happy Anniversary, babe."

"Happy Anniversary," Chloe responded. "Can you believe it's been fifteen years?"

"Fifteen of the best years of my life," Beca said, kissing Chloe again.

"Mom! Mama!" voices could be heard shouting as the sound of thundering feet came down the hall.

"Here they come," Beca said as she and Chloe sat up with their backs against the headboard.

"Happy Anniversary!" four voices sang out as the kids rushed in and jumped onto the bed.

Beca let out an "oomph" as fourteen-year-old Sophie and nine-year-old Charli landed on her. Their thirteen-year-old son Dylan, and nine-year-old son Ben landed on Chloe who let out a groan.

"Oh, my gosh," Chloe said as she started laughing. "You kids are getting too big for this."

They were all laughing as they untangled themselves. They managed to pull themselves together and sit in a more orderly fashion around their moms.

"Are we going to Aunt Jessica and Aunt Ashley's diner for your Anniversary breakfast?" Dylan asked.

"Of course, it's tradition," Beca said. "So, everyone go and get ready and we'll leave in about forty-five minutes."

The kids squealed and hurried out of the room to get ready. Chloe grabbed Beca and kissed her hard. "We'll continue this later?"

"I promise," Beca said and gave Chloe another quick kiss. "You can shower first."

Chloe got up and made her way into the bathroom. As soon as the door closed, Beca's phone pinged with a text message. She read it and a big smile came to her face. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her clothes for the day.

Beca read through some work emails and was surprised when the bathroom door opened after only twenty minutes.

"That was quick," Beca said when Chloe walked out.

"I didn't need to wash my hair," Chloe said and kissed Beca. "Plus, I'm excited about going to the diner for our traditional anniversary breakfast. Go shower while I get dressed and make sure the kids are getting ready."

Beca kissed Chloe and hurried into the bathroom. She showered in record time and got out; Chloe was already out of the room. Beca hurriedly got dressed and went looking for Chloe.

"Chlo?" Beca called out. "Where are you?"

"I'm in Sophie's room," Chloe called back.

Beca made her way to Sophie's room and looked in. "Everything okay in here?"

"Get the rest of the kids and we'll be down in a minute," Chloe said.

Beca saw the look on Chloe's face and knew they were having a mommy-daughter conversation.

"Okay," Beca said with a soft smile on her face. "You've got ten minutes."

~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~

"Do you think mama will be mad?" Sophie asked Chloe.

"No, sweetie," Chloe said with a smile. "She'll feel bad that you didn't ask her yourself, but she won't be mad. She loves you so much and she'll be there for you no matter what."

"But, she said I couldn't date until I was sixteen," Sophie said.

"It's a special occasion," Chloe said. "I'll talk to her tonight. We'll need to shop for a nice outfit for you to wear."

"Maybe we can do it after breakfast?" Sophie asked, giving Chloe the puppy dog eyes and pout.

Chloe laughed. "That look doesn't work on me. I invented that look. But, yes, we'll go shopping after breakfast."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," Sophie squealed while hugging Chloe.

"Come on," Chloe said. "Your mama will be yelling for us any minute."

Sophie and Chloe both stood from the bed and made their way downstairs.

"It's about time," Beca said. "Let's go. We're all hungry."

"I'm taking my car," Chloe said. "Sophie and I have plans for after breakfast."

"Um, okay," Beca said. "I'll take the other monsters with me and meet you there."

"Stop calling our children monsters," Chloe said with a laugh.

"Fine," Beca said and pulled Chloe into a kiss.

"Awww," the kids all said, causing Beca to flip them off.

"Beca!" Chloe yelled and slapped her arm.

"Can we please go eat already?" Dylan groaned and leaned his full body weight onto Beca. "I could die of starvation."

"Get off me, you big lug," Beca said, shoving Dylan off her.

"Let's go," Chloe said, holding the door to the garage open for Beca and the kids to exit.

Beca stopped in front of Chloe. "Everything okay with, Sophie?"

"Yeah," Chloe said and gave Beca a quick kiss. "Just some girl stuff. I'll tell you about it later."

"Okay," Beca said and ushered Chloe out the door.

~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~

"How was everything?" Jessica asked.

"Superb as always," Beca answered.

"Those bananas foster pancakes were amazing," Chloe said. "I think they're my new favorite."

"Glad you liked them," Jessica said with a smile. "What's in store for the rest of your anniversary?"

"Sophie and I are going shopping," Chloe said with a big smile.

"Can I go shopping, too?" Charli asked.

"It's up to Sophie," Chloe said. "She's the one who asked me to take her."

"Sure, you can go," Sophie said, smiling at her younger sister. "We'll make it a girl's shopping trip. It will be fun."

Charli smiled and thanked Sophie. Dylan and Ben looked at Beca.

"No," Beca said, shaking her head.

"Please, mama?" Ben said with a pout. "We haven't been in ages."

"Ben's right," Dylan said. "And you promised that the next time mom took the girls out we'd go."

"You did promise them, Becs," Chloe said.

"Do you want them to kill me?" Beca asked. "These two take after you and are waayyy too competitive."

"You say that like it's a bad thing," Dylan said, causing Chloe and Sophie to laugh.

"Fine," Beca said. "But, we can only play one round. I have something to do at home before your mom gets back."

"What?" Chloe asked.

"That's for me to know," Beca said with a grin. "And you to find out."

"Is it a surprise for me?" Chloe asked, leaning into Beca.

"Maybe," Beca said and kissed Chloe.

"We need to go so we can get home before the girls," Ben said, standing from the table.

"Um, sit down, please," Beca said, looking over at him. "We have to pay the check and then we can leave. Besides, your mom and sisters are going shopping. We won't see them for hours."

"It's your anniversary," Jessica said, waving away Beca's credit card. "Breakfast is on me and Ashley."

"Thanks, Jess," Chloe said and stood to hug her.

"Hey, you leaving already?" Ashley asked as she approached the table.

"Yeah," Beca said. "Chloe and the girls are going shopping, and I'm taking these two monsters to play laser tag."

"Sounds like fun all around," Ashley said. "You guys have fun."

"Thanks, Aunt Ashley," Ben said and hugged Ashley.

"Don't forget me, handsome," Jessica said, holding her arms out.

Ben rolled his eyes and went over to hug Jessica. The rest of the family took turns hugging Jessica and Ashley.

When it was Beca's turn, she discreetly handed Jessica a house key and whispered, "I should be home by one. Text me if you need me to pick up anything on our way home."

"You got it," Jessica whispered back before letting Beca go.

~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~

"Hey, Jess," Beca said as she and the boys entered the kitchen. "The food looks great."

"Thanks, Beca," Jessica said, as she was putting the finishing touches on a cake. "Ashley, Aubrey, Stacie, and Bella are decorating the living room."

"Thanks," Beca said. "What about Amy and CR? Any word from them?"

"Amy's picking CR up at the airport and will be here as soon as she can," Jessica said.

"Perfect," Beca said and turned to the boys. "Go shower and change. Put on some clean jeans and a button-down shirt."

Dylan and Ben ran ahead of Beca and headed upstairs. Beca took a look around and smiled at seeing Aubrey overseeing the decorating.

"Hey, Aubrey," Beca said. "It looks really good in here."

"Thanks," Aubrey said, shooting a smile at Beca. "What time will Chloe be home?"

"I told Sophie to keep her out until about four," Beca said. "That should be plenty of time to have everyone here. Is Emily here yet?"

"She'll be here shortly," Aubrey said. "She was picking up Chloe's folks and your mom from the hotel on her way over."

"Cool," Beca said.

"Hey, Aunt Beca," Bella called out.

"Hey, Bella," Beca said, walking over to the teenager to give her a quick hug. "How's everything?"

"Good," Bella said. "I think you giving Aunt Chloe a surprise anniversary party is sweet."

"Well, she deserves it for putting up with me all these years," Beca said.

"I'll second that," Stacie said as she came over and hugged Beca.

"How was the flight?" Beca asked as she pulled back.

"It was fine," Stacie said.

There was a knock on the door and Beca excused herself to answer. She opened the door to see Emily with her in-laws and her mother.

"Hey, everyone," Beca said. "Come on in."

Everyone entered the house and hugs and greetings were passed around. Emily hugged Beca and went to help Stacie and Bella.

"Hey, mom," Beca said as she hugged the woman.

"Where are my grandchildren?" Sarah asked.

"I was going to ask the same question," Charlotte said as she and Carl walked over to Beca and Sarah.

"I'm doing well, thanks for asking," Beca said with a grin.

"Oh, hush, you," Sarah said. "We love you. It's great to see you. Now, where are our grandchildren?"

Beca laughed and said, "Dylan and Ben are getting dressed. And, Sophie and Charli are keeping Chloe busy. They will be coming home around four."

All eyes turned to the stairs when they heard feet stomping down the hall. Ben and Dylan hit the stairs, pushing and shoving each other as they came down.

"That's enough, you two," Beca said and they immediately stopped shoving each other and walked down the rest of the stairs.

"Grams!" Ben yelled, running over to Sarah.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" Dylan yelled and ran over to Charlotte and Carl.

The grandparents hugged the boys and started chatting with them.

~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~

It was after three when Beca excused herself to shower and change for the party. Beca knew Chloe would be wearing jeans and a button-down shirt of some kind today so she asked the guests to dress the same; they were going to keep it casual.

After showering, Beca dried her hair and put on her jeans. She had taken longer than she had planned so she hurriedly fixed her hair and makeup before grabbing a shirt and putting it on. She started buttoning it as she walked out of the bedroom door.

Just as Beca reached the bottom of the stairs, her phone pinged with a text notification. She pulled out her phone and read the text.

"Okay, everyone," Beca called out. "Sophie just texted and they should be home in about ten minutes."

Everyone started buzzing with excitement. Beca got them quiet.

"They'll be coming from the garage," Beca said. "We should all just stand here so Chloe will see us as soon as she walks through the door."

"Is that when we get to yell surprise?" Ben asked.

"Yes, that's when we'll yell surprise," Beca said. "You boys come stand with me so mom sees us first."

Dylan and Ben walked over to Beca. Ben stood in front of Beca, while Dylan stood to her side. After a few minutes, they hear the garage door opening.

"Okay, everyone," Beca said. "Quiet down."

They stood quietly as they heard voices in the kitchen.

"Becs?" everyone heard Chloe call out. "Becs, where are you?"

"In here," Beca called back.

Chloe came through the door. "Becs, the car was making a-"

"SURPRISE!" everyone yelled causing Chloe to let out a squeal and grab her chest.

"Oh, my God!" Chloe said, looking around at all the smiling faces. Her gaze fell on Beca and she rushed over to her. "Did you do all this?"

"I had some help," Beca said and kissed Chloe. "Happy Anniversary."

"Happy Anniversary," Chloe said and kissed Beca again.

"Happy Anniversary, mom," Dylan said and hugged Chloe.

After that, there were quite a few more hugs and Chloe had tears in her eyes as she thanked everyone for coming.

"Did we really surprise you, mommy?" Charli asked.

"You did, sweetie," Chloe said and pulled the young girl into a hug. "Thank you. I love you guys."

"We love you, too," Charli said.

Beca walked over with the other three children and joined in a family hug. After a moment, Amy joined the hug, and then Stacie, Aubrey, and Bella, and everyone else until it was just one big hug.

"Okay, okay," Beca's voice came from somewhere in the middle of the hug. "That's enough for now."

Everyone laughed as they pulled out of the hug. Beca kissed Chloe one more time.

~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~

About an hour into the party, Amy got everyone's attention.

"Okay, everyone," Amy said. "Get a drink and find a seat. I have a special presentation for Beca and Chloe."

"You find us seats; I'm going to get us something to drink," Beca told Chloe as she made her way to the kitchen.

Everyone got their drinks and came back to find a seat.

"Make sure you can see the TV screen," Amy said.

The last person sat and Amy looked around to ensure everyone was settled.

"We collected pictures and videos of Beca and Chloe, starting from our Freshman Year at Barden," Amy said. "Emily and CR put them all together in chronological order so we can watch how Beca and Chloe progressed from friends to something more."

The video started with various pictures of Beca and Chloe. Chloe standing next to Aubrey during the Activities Fair. One of Beca working at the radio station, frowning as she stacked CDs on a shelf.

Next were pictures from the Bellas rehearsals. Beca looking at Aubrey with her resting bitch face. Chloe 'helping' Beca with choreography.

The next was the Bellas performance at the Sectionals.

"Are you stewardesses?" Ben asked, causing everyone to laugh.

"Nope," Beca said. "Those were the outfits we performed in."

"You look like stewardesses," Ben said, shaking his head.

Beca grabbed him around the neck and kissed the top of his head.

Next was the video for the ICCA Finals in New York.

"I like these outfits better," Charli said.

"Me, too," Beca whispered, causing Charli to laugh.

"We were hot," Stacie said.

"Mom, no," Bella said. "We're all family and we're not going to talk about my moms and my aunts being hot."

"Why not?" Jessica asked. "We were hot."

"What do you mean were hot?" Chloe asked. "We're still hot."

"I'll vouch for that," Beca said, leering at her wife.

Chloe laughed and slapped her on the arm.

"AND back to the video," Amy said.

As soon as the Kennedy Center performance came on, Beca and Chloe both covered Dylan, Ben, and Charli's eyes.

"Amy!" Beca squeaked. "My kids do not need to see your...down under."

Ben and Dylan tried to pull Beca's hands from their eyes. Fat Amy fast-forwarded through the wardrobe malfunction.

The video continued and the kids got a kick out of seeing Beca hanging from the bear trap at the 'retreat.' Everyone watched and comments were made as the video progressed.

During the video of the Bellas' performance at World's, Beca told the kids, "Your Aunt Emily wrote this last song."

"She did?" Charlie asked wide-eyed.

"She did," Beca said.

There were photos of the apartment Beca, Amy, and Chloe shared in New York. More of some of the nights out they shared.

Soon, they reached the USO Tour. Pictures of the Bellas with their security escorts popped up and Chloe bit her lip and glanced at Beca. Beca was leaning forward, a bit stiffly, but showed no other signs that she was bothered. That was until a picture of Chloe and Chicago came on the screen. They were standing together and laughing. Chicago had his hands on Chloe's hips, and Chloe had her hands on Chicago's chest.

Beca swallowed and chewed at the inside of her cheek to keep from saying anything. It felt like the photo was on the screen for an exorbitant amount of time.

"Who's he?" Sophie asked, causing Beca, Chloe, and the rest of the Bellas to all look at her. "What? I was just curious. He's kind of cute."

"Oh, God, no," Beca mumbled.

"He was one of the military escorts provided as security for us," Aubrey answered. Chloe mouthed a 'thank you' to her.

The picture changed and the video of Beca performing her first solo concert started. Chloe wiped a tear when Beca pulled them all on stage. Beca sat back and took Chloe's hand. Chloe looked at her and Beca gave her a smile and squeezed her hand. She leaned in and whispered, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Chloe said and turned into Beca to kiss her.

The next part was when they went to L.A. for Beca's first album release party.

Amy looked over at the Mitchell kids. "This is when your moms finally got their heads out of their as-"

"Amy!" Beca said, glaring at the Aussie.

"Right, sorry," Amy said. "This was when your moms finally proclaimed their love for each other. Oh, this is where your mom proposed to your mama."

Everyone watched the screen as Beca walked into the room and you could hear the Bellas start making music with their mouths.

Beca couldn't help the laugh that escaped when Chloe came from behind the Bellas, singing Will You Marry Me while wearing her hospital gown.

"Mom? What are you wearing?" Sophie asked with a grimace.

"It's a hospital gown," Chloe said. "I was in the hospital."

"Why?" Charli asked.

"I had appendicitis," Chloe told her. "They had to take my appendix out."

"Oh," Charli said and went back to watching the video.

"Oh, this is our wedding," Beca said and sat up. She pulled Chloe to her as they watched Emily perform their wedding ceremony.

"Is Aunt Emily a minister?" Dylan asked, looking over at Emily.

"No, Dyl," Emily answered. "I became a marriage officiant for the day so I could marry your moms. They were in a hurry and didn't want to wait any longer than necessary."

"What's that?" Ben asked, pointing to the screen.

"That's the day Sophie was born," Charlotte answered. "We were all there."

"Everyone?" Sophie asked, wide-eyed.

"Yep," Beca said.

There were more photos of Sophie with Chloe and Beca alone, and together. A new video started.

"Amy," Beca said eyeing the screen. "Where did this come from?"

"I took it," Amy said.

"Um, can we maybe not show it?" Beca asked, her cheeks red.

Amy paused the video and everyone balked. "Beca, it's a great video. You should be proud." She turned to Sophie. "Sophie, you'll want to watch this. It's a very special moment between you and your mama."

Sophie looked curiously at Beca. "Can we please watch it?"

Beca grimaced and looked at Sophie. Sophie pulled out the puppy dog eyes and pout. Beca huffed, and said, "Fine. Go ahead, Amy."

Sophie smiled and leaned over to kiss Beca on the cheek.

"Let's see it, Aunt Amy," Sophie said.

"This was when you were about six months old. You had been crying for quite some time. Your mom tried to calm you down. I tried to calm you down. But nothing worked. Your mom was exhausted and so your mama took you and went to your room to try and calm you down."

Amy started the video back up. It opened showing Beca pacing back and forth with Sophie in her arms.

"It's okay, Soph," Beca said as Sophie continued crying.

Beca's arms were getting tired, but she continued rocking Sophie back and forth in her arms.

"Shhh," Beca whispered. "Mommy's really tired so I need you to go to sleep so she will, too. Can you do that for me?"

Sophie let out another cry. Beca looked worn out when an idea came to her.

"I know. I'll sing to you. Okay? How does that sound?"

Sophie continued crying and Beca continued pacing and rocking. She began singing.

In my daughter's eyes I am a hero I am strong and wise And I know no fear But the truth is plain to see She was sent to rescue me I see who I want to be In my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes Everyone is equal Darkness turns to light And the world is at peace This miracle God gave to me Gives me strength when I am weak I find a reason to believe In my daughter's eyes

And when she wraps her hand around my finger How it puts a smile in my heart Everything becomes a little clearer I realize what life is all about It's hanging on when your heart has had enough It's giving more when you feel like giving up I've seen the light It's in my daughter's eyes

In my daughter's eyes I can see the future A reflection of who I am and what will be And though she'll grow and someday leave Maybe raise a family When I'm gone I hope you'll see How happy she made me For I'll be there In my daughter's eyes

Sophie looked over at Beca with tears running down her face. Beca looked at her and gave her a teary-eyed smile. She reached behind Ben and took Sophie's hand.

Beca finished the song and wiped at the tears on her face. Sophie had quieted down and was now staring at her.

"You did rescue me, Soph," Beca said. "You and your mommy. I pushed people away and was headed for a very lonely life. And, now, when I look at you, I see nothing but a long and happy life ahead of me. You helped give me that, kiddo. Just by being."

Beca continued to rock Sophie back and forth. She patted her back gently.

"I love you so much, Soph," Beca said through her tears. "And I will never let anyone or anything hurt you. You have to believe that. You can count on me. Always."

Beca looked down to see Sophie fighting to keep her eyes open. She smiled and continued rocking Sophie until she was fully asleep.

"Goodnight, sweet Sophie," Beca said quietly as she kissed Sophie's forehead. She gently held her as she lowered her into the crib.

That video ended and Amy paused it again. Everyone in the room was wiping tears from their eyes.

"Why haven't I seen that?" Chloe asked, her voice thick with emotion.

"I didn't share it with anyone," Amy said. 'I wanted to wait for a special moment and this seemed like the perfect time."

Sophie moved so she was standing in front of Beca. She sat on Beca's lap and threw her arms around Beca.

"I love you," Sophie mumbled into Beca's neck.

"I love you, too," Beca said and kissed the side of Sophie's head.

"I told you," Chloe said, causing Sophie and Beca to look at her. "You're a marshmallow mama through and through."

Beca laughed and scoffed. She wiped her tears and said, "Nope. Badass mama all the way."

"Okay, enough of the mushy stuff," Sophie said as she wiped her face and made her way back to her seat. "Let's see what else you got."

"My pleasure," Amy said.

More photos of the Mitchell family popped up. Soon another video started. This one was Chloe laying in a hospital bed with Beca standing next to her, holding a newborn baby.

"Everyone, we'd like to introduce you to the newest Mitchell," Beca said into the camera. "This is Dylan Carl Mitchell."

A sniffle was heard off-camera. "You named him after me?" Carl could be heard asking.

"We did," Chloe said. "We both liked the name Dylan, and we needed a strong middle name. And we couldn't think of a better name to use than yours."

"That's, um," Carl said, his voice thick with emotion. He sniffled again and said, "Damned allergies."

"Must be this L.A. air," Carl said with a sniffle.

Everyone laughed as the video continued. Videos and photos of Dylan mirrored a lot of those for Sophie. First steps, first time seeing snow; all the firsts every child goes through.

There was a montage of various anniversaries and birthdays that followed. Then another video came on. This time Beca was the one lying on the bed holding a baby wrapped in blue and Chloe was standing next to her holding a baby wrapped in pink.

The camera panned around and showed Charlotte holding Sophie's hand, then Carl, then Sarah holding Dylan's hand, and then the Bellas standing around the room. The camera turned to Amy who was taping.

"We're all here again to witness the birth of the newest Mitchells," Amy said. "Beca didn't want to have to go through pregnancy again, so she had twins."

"Amy," Aubrey can be heard and Amy turned the camera toward her. "That's not how it works. You can't-"

"Don't bother, babe," Stacie said. "Go ahead, Chloe. What did you name them?"

"Well," Chloe said as the camera panned back over to her. "This little darling is named Charlotte Sarah, after the two most amazing women we know. We're going to call her Charli."

Charlotte and Sarah could be heard sniffling. The camera zoomed in on Beca.

"What's the lad's name, Beca?" Amy asked.

"Um, we chose-" Beca stopped as a tear slipped down her cheek.

Chloe walked over to her and sat on the bed, cradling Charli to her. She put an arm around Beca and looked at the camera.

"We named him after Beca's dad," Chloe said. "Everyone, this is Benjamin David Mitchell."

Sarah walked over to Beca and kissed the top of Beca's head. "Your dad would be so proud of you," she whispered.

Beca let out a small sob. "Could you take him for a minute?"

Sarah reached down and took Ben from Beca. "Hello, my handsome boy," Sarah said, looking down at Ben.

Beca wiped her face and looked at Chloe. Chloe, in turn, looked over at her mom. Without a word being spoken, Charlotte walked over and took Charli from Chloe. Once Charli was safely in her grandma's arms, Chloe turned to her wife and pulled her to her.

Beca grabbed the front of Chloe's shirt and cried into her chest. The Bellas wiped their faces and hovered around Sarah and Charlotte, 'oohing' and 'ahhing' over the twins until Beca could pull herself together.

Sophie pulled away from Aubrey and ran over to her mommy. She looked up at her with her big blue eyes and Beca noticed her.

"Hey, Soph," Beca said, wiping her eyes. "Come give mama a hug."

Chloe pulled back from Beca and lifted Sophie onto the bed. Sophie snuggled up next to Beca and Beca held her tight.

"Me hug, too," Dylan said as he ran over to Chloe.

"Come here, my big boy," Chloe said. She lifted him up and placed him on the other side of Beca.

Beca wrapped an arm around Dylan and pulled him and Sophie to her.

"I love you, guys," Beca said, kissing the tops of their heads.

"It's been nine years," Stacie said as she wiped her face. "And that video gets me every time."

"Yeah," Ashley said. "Damned allergies."

Everyone laughed as they wiped their own tears.

Beca didn't say anything. She sat there and Chloe put her arm around Beca's shoulders and pulled her into a hug.

"You okay?" Chloe asked quietly.

"Yeah," Beca said with a smile. "Watching all this has made me realize what a great life we have together."

"I love that song you sang to comfort Sophie," Chloe said, leaning her head on Beca's shoulder.

"I sang it to Charli, too," Beca said. "Thankfully, no one was around to film it."

"Too bad," Chloe said, lifting her head to lay her forehead against Beca's temple. "Just confirms what I've been saying. You're a big marshmallow mama."

"When can we eat?" Dylan asked, causing everyone to laugh.

"It will be a few minutes," Ashley said. "Then we can eat."

"That's pretty much the end of it anyway," Amy said and stopped the video.

Jessica and Ashley went toward the kitchen. A few of the girls followed to help them.

Beca and Chloe stood and walked over to Amy, Emily, and CR. They grabbed all three women and pulled them into a hug.

"Thank you for that, Emily and CR," Beca said. "You, too, Amy. It means a lot that you guys put that together for us."

"It was very special and we will treasure it always," Chloe said, wiping another tear.

"Well, you have everything you need," Amy said. "And, you can buy yourselves whatever you want. This was something that money couldn't buy."

"You got that right," CR said.

~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~

Later that night, the kids and Chloe had gone to their rooms while Beca did some final cleanup from the party.

Beca came back in from taking out the trash and was surprised to see Sophie sitting at the kitchen counter.

"It's late," Beca said as she sat across from Sophie. "I thought you went to bed."

"I did, but, um, I wanted to talk to you about something," Sophie said, chewing her bottom lip.

"Do you need mom for this talk, too?" Beca asked.

"No, just you," Sophie responded.

"Okay," Beca said. "Want some water?"

Sophie nodded her head and Beca got up to grab two bottles of water from the refrigerator. She sat back down and handed the bottle to Sophie. Sophie took it and started peeling at the label while looking down at the counter.

"Hey," Beca said quietly, causing Sophie to look at her. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

"Yeah," Sophie said. "I, uh, wanted to know if you know anything about my father."

Beca's face showed her surprise. "Um, I don't know if I should say anything without your mom present."

"I wanted to ask mom," Sophie said. "But, I figured it would upset her. I was hoping you'd be honest and answer my questions."

"Wow," Beca said and let out a breath. "Um."

"I'm sorry," Sophie said with a tear in her eye. "I know that you guys chose a donor to have Dylan, Charli, and Ben, so I know they were planned. I also know mom was pregnant with me before you got married. Was I the result of some drunken one-night stand? Was I even wanted?"

Sophie started crying and Beca hurried around the counter and pulled Sophie into her arms.

"Oh, Sophie," Beca said with tears in her eyes. "I swear we wanted you, so much."

Beca stood holding Sophie for a while until her tears subsided. Beca let her go and sat on the stool beside her. She reached over brushed the hair off Sophie's face.

"I don't think I should be the one to say anything about your father," Beca said. "I think your mom would upset that you knew. Especially if she's not the one to tell you."

"Please, mama," Sophie said.

Beca was conflicted but hated seeing Sophie upset. She bit her lip and looked at Sophie.

"I can only tell you a bit, okay?" Beca said with a sigh. "I'll tell your mom what I told you and then maybe you two should talk about it."

"Okay," Sophie said. "What can you tell me?"

"Your mother liked this guy and they got together," Beca said. "Except she didn't know he was married. It was during the USO Tour and about a month after she came home, she found out she was pregnant with you. She called the guy and that's when she found out he was married. He told her that his wife was pregnant and- This part may hurt you. He said he didn't want anything to do with you or your mom. She was understandably upset and wasn't taking it very well."

"What happened?" Sophie asked.

"She was depressed," Beca said. "She wasn't taking care of herself and had stopped talking to your Aunt Aubrey. I tried to reach her and she was ignoring me, too. So, after a couple of days of not being able to reach her, your Aunt Aubrey and I flew to New York to check on her. She pushed me away and I left. Your Aunt Aubrey called grandma and grandpa and took your mom to Atlanta where they came and got her."

"So, how did you two finally get together?" Sophie asked.

"We finally talked and after some feelings were revealed, we decided to be friends again. Although we both wanted more, we were both too emotional for anything at that time. I flew back to L.A. and finished my first album. Your Aunt Amy paid to fly everyone out for my first album release party. While there, your mom was rushed to the hospital and had to have an appendectomy."

Beca took a deep breath and let it out. "When I heard your mom was in the hospital and the surgery could cause her to lose you, I was beside myself. I rushed to the hospital and thankfully everything turned out okay. She had to stay for a week and the doctor didn't want her to fly so we made arrangements for her stay with me until you were born. She had been in the hospital for three days when I proposed to her and she said no."

"Why would she say no?"

"Because she asked me for the wrong reason."

Beca and Sophie both jerked their heads to the kitchen doorway to find Chloe leaning against the door jamb. Beca gave her a soft smile and Chloe walked over and kissed her. She turned and leaned back against Beca so she could see Sophie. Beca put her arms around Chloe's waist and leaned her chin on Chloe's shoulder.

"How long were you standing there?" Beca asked.

"Pretty much heard everything," Chloe responded.

"I'm sorry," Beca said. "I told her she needed to hear the rest from you."

"I know," Chloe said, and lifted Beca's hand to her lips and kissed it.

"So, what was the reason mama asked you to marry her?" Sophie asked.

"I didn't have health insurance," Chloe said. "Your mama was willing to marry me so that I, so that we would have insurance. I was in love with your mama and I told her I wouldn't marry her unless it was because she was in love with me, too. So, I asked her and she said yes."

"We got married four days later," Beca said. "And I've never been happier. So, Sophie, you may not have been planned like your brothers and sister were, but you were definitely wanted."

"Were you ever planning to tell me who my father is?" Sophie asked.

"We were," Chloe said. "But, not until you were eighteen and could decide for yourself whether you wanted to see him or not."

"We were selfish and wanted to put it off as long as we could," Beca added.

Sophie looked back down at the counter, chewing her bottom lip. Chloe pulled back to look at Beca. Beca looked at Sophie.

"Do you want to know who he is?" Beca asked.

"No," Sophie said quickly, surprising both Beca and Chloe "He's had almost fifteen years to find me if he wanted to. I mean, you're Beca Mitchell, and we've been all over the entertainment media sites with you during most of that time. Everyone knows your name and mom's name, and they know who we kids are so we, I, wouldn't be that hard to find." Sophie looked at her moms. "He was in one of those pictures in Aunt Amy's video, wasn't he?"

"Yes, he was," Chloe answered.

"Too bad for him," Sophie said. "He'll never have the chance to see me. It's his loss really."

Beca and Chloe both chuckled at that. "That it is," Beca said. "Because you are awesome and I am so thankful that he didn't want you. It means that I get to call you my daughter and that means the world to me."

Tears sprang to both Sophie and Chloe's eyes. Sophie leaned over and pulled Beca and Chloe to her in a hug.

"Thank you," Sophie said. "For being my moms."

"No better job in the world," Beca said, pulling her two girls tighter to her.

After a minute, Sophie pulled back and looked at Beca. "There's something else I wanted to ask you about," Sophie said.

Chloe knew what Sophie wanted and pulled away from Beca to stand next to Sophie.

"Is this about why you guys went on that little shopping trip today?" Beca asked, looking between Chloe and Sophie.

"Yes," Sophie said, nodding her head.

Took in a deep breath. "Okay," she said. "What is it?"

Sophie looked at Chloe, who nodded her head. "Well, my best friend Kelsey is having a birthday slash pool party for her birthday. It's after mine, ours. And, it's going to be a, um, boy/girl party."

"You mean like you'll all have dates?" Beca asked with raised eyebrows.

"Yes," Sophie said. "I know I'll only be fifteen, but there's this guy at school who I really like and I was wondering if I could ask him to go with me."

Chloe looked at Beca and Beca looked back at Chloe. "You knew about this earlier and couldn't give me a heads up?"

"I told Sophie I would talk to you for her," Chloe said. "She took it upon herself to ask you."

"I'm guessing you don't have a problem with her dating before she's sixteen," Beca said.

"Not really," Chloe said. "But, I told her it was up to you and I would support your sticking to the no dating until she was sixteen rule if you said no."

"I see," Beca said. She crossed her arms and looked down at the floor.

Sophie was getting anxious and looked at Chloe. Chloe put a hand on her back in support and waited.

Beca took in a breath and looked up. She couldn't help the laugh that escaped from her lips. She was looking at the two look-alike redheads giving her the Beale puppy dog eyes and pout.

"You two don't play fair," Beca said with a laugh. "Okay, you can-"

Sophie squealed and jumped off the stool to grab Beca in a hug.

"Wait," Beca said, causing Sophie to pull back from the hug. "I'll agree to the dating, but on two conditions."

"What conditions?" Sophie asked.

"One, we have to meet this boy before the party," Beca said. "And, two, I get to be a badass mama and give him the 'you hurt my daughter and I'll hurt you' speech."

"Mom," Sophie whined, looking at Chloe.

"Don't look at her," Beca said. "We, as in the two of us, agree to those two conditions or it's a no go."

Chloe leaned in and whispered something to Sophie. Sophie smiled and nodded her head. She looked at Beca, held out her hand, and said, "Deal."

Beca narrowed her eyes and looked at Sophie and Chloe. "Why do I feel like I just got played?"

Chloe laughed. "I just told her that is she didn't agree, she would have to wait until she was sixteen to date while all her friends would already be dating."

"Okay," Beca said. She took Sophie's hand and shook it. Sophie grabbed Beca into a hug, then turned and hugged Chloe.

"It's late," Chloe said as she pulled out of the hug. "You should go up to bed."

"Goodnight, mom," Sophie said and kissed Chloe on the cheek. "Goodnight, mama." She kissed Beca and skipped out of the kitchen.

Chloe moved to stand between Beca's legs and put her arms around her neck. "Total marshmallow mama."

"Yeah, well," Beca said, putting her arms around Chloe's lower back. "I love that kid. I also trust her and she's got a good head on her shoulders."

Chloe leaned in and kissed Beca. It progressed a little bit before Chloe pulled back and stared into Beca's eyes. "I seem to recall a promise of some anniversary sex. We have-" Chloe leaned back to check the clock on the wall. "We have fifteen minutes left for our anniversary and you always keep your promises."

"That I do," Beca said and pinched Chloe's butt.

Chloe squealed and pulled away from Beca laughing. "Last one upstairs is a rotten egg."

Chloe took off with Beca close behind her. Both were laughing as they reached their bedroom. Beca grabbed Chloe and pulled her to her. She kissed Chloe while fumbling around for the doorknob behind Chloe's back. She pulled back with a laugh as the door opened and they stumbled into the room. They were both giggling as Beca pushed the door closed behind her.

Down the hall, Sophie smiled as she drifted off to sleep to the sound of her moms giggling.

~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~ ~oOo~

Song used: In My Daughter's Eyes by Martina McBride

A/N: Sorry for taking so long to post this. This is actually the third Epilogue I wrote; I had almost completed two others but scrapped them because they were becoming too angsty and I wanted more fluff. I hope you enjoyed it and the rest of the story.

[gotmeringinghellsbells]

Your Going

Fandom: My Hero Academia 

Characters: Eijiro Kirishima, Katsuki Bakugou

A/N: I love the two heroes movie and have been getting various ideas form it. This was one of them but was more or less a writing warm up. 

Description: Kirishima wants to go to the small lecture being held with in the I-Island convention. Free food, a lot of friends and same cool inventions! It sounded nice, especially after the long day he’d had with his best friend. The best friend who would rather not go at all. Well, the red head wasn’t going to have that.

__

“Aw come on man!” Red eyes rolled before closing. “Why the hell would I want to go to that boring ass event? It’s just a bunch of old geezers talking.” A pout was presented on the rock puppy’s face. “Yeah but we get free food out of it man. Free, gourmet food!”  

Bakugou wasn’t budging. Of course not. “I don’t have any formal wear dumb ass.” That should end the conversation. “I figured.” Wait. “That’s why I brought you stuff!” Damn it. Red eyes snapped open as the blonde sat up with a huff. “Are you shitting me shitty hair?!” The other smiled proudly as he held up the two suits. 

“Come on man, I’m hungry! We’ve hardly eaten all day!” Mainly because Bakugou got one glimpse of that purple bastard and took off in the other direction. One distraction lead to another and they only had breakfast today. They’d also been running around and enjoying various events together that required a lot of movement. 

“Then I’ll take you out for ramen or some shit. I’m not going.” He turned his head with a scowl, arms crossing. “Yes, we are.” The red head hooked the two suits on the shared dresser before turning to his friend. “Says who?” 

There was extra weight on the bed. “Says me.” Bakugou hadn’t bothered to move his legs when the rest of his body had resituated, which Kirishima made a note of. “I’m really hungry and this is my first formal event. Come on man, please?” His best friend looked cute with a small, soft smile and pleading eyes, but Bakugou was a strong man…. teen. 

“Then go by yourself. I’m sure the extras will be there.” The smile turned into a pout before Kirishima sat down beside the other. “So now our classmates are extras?” He just didn’t want to talk about this! He just wanted to stay in their room, maybe go into town and get something to eat, and come back and go to bed. A new day meant more villain things to destroy !

“Eijiro, it’s getting close to eight. Either go alone, or come get dinner with me at some diner.” The other pouted. “But…. your my best friend!” It was a sad attempt of persuasion but one nonetheless. “Do I look stupid and made of metal?” The boy narrowed his eyes. “He’s a great guy, alright?! He didn’t get invited, and you did.” He leaned in closer, thumb point towards himself. “And you chose me to be your plus one. So why would you not only invite someone who isn’t your best friend, share a bed and room with them, hang out with them all day, and oh yeah offer to buy them dinner if they weren;t your best friend.” The other smirked as the blonde looked away in defeat. 

“Whatever dumb ass, I’m still not going.” The smirk fell as the redhead pouted again. “Katsuki, come on. Don’t make me use force.” The other actually snorted with a large smirk on his face. “Are you threatening me? I’d like to see you try shitty hair. Besides, didn’t I beat your ass in the sports fest?” 

There was a crack of the knuckles before the other sat up more. “Maybe you need another ass whopping?” Kirishima smiled a bit. “Oh, I don’t think so. This time I’m taking you down.” His hands weren’t fists, they were clawed. Bakugou hesitated, shit. He wasn’t!

“Because I know your weakness Katsuki Bakugou.” Shit, shit, shit! The blonde grabbed the other’s hands, interlocking fingers as he pushed against him. “Weakness? I’m not the one that’s quirk cuts out because of even the slightest threat of being tickled. Not to menttion I don’t ask my superior friend for more and make him stop what he’s fucking doing,” he pulled the other up and onto the bed, back down first as he threw a leg over the red head. “No matter if it’s studying ot trying to train. Make me stop what I’m doing to cheer you up because your anxious, because you had a bad day, because you need the attention.” Kirishima’s face heated up before he used all his might to flip the tables. Strong hips. “How about less insulting and more laughing, huh jerk face?” Eijiro was getting hangry. 

He freed his hands, dodging attacking ones before digging into his best friend’s ribs. Bakugou’s hands pulled back to cover his mouth, eyes squeezed shut. Legs pushed the blankets around as heels dug into them. Damn this bastard! Bakugou had let him get too close, to friendly. He knew all his spots and how each would react. With that said, the blonde knew the same about Red Riot. 

But like hell was Ground Zero about to uncover his mouth to fight back. Why the hell would he give this little shit the satisfaction of hearing him laugh, huh? “Something the matter Kats-ski, I know you wanna let it all out. All you have to do is move your hand away.” That tease! That’s it! “Huh? Pff-! Whahahait! Ahahaha, S-Suki!”

The red head fell back onto his butt on top of the other’s thighs, arms crossing to try and protect himself. “Come on man, I wanna eat!” He let out another soft giggle as a hand found his tummy. “You need to get a damn shirt for your costume dumb ass. And my name is Katsuki.” The redhead’s eyes widened as he felt the mattress come up beneath him again. 

Oh no. He looked up with fear to see the evilest smirk ever just peering into him. His hands were above his head as fingers moved dangerously close to his quiet zone. “Huh? Wait a second! I-I didn’t even touch your worst spot!” Of course the blonde would fight dirty, but this wasn't going to be a fin dirty. 

He was trying to hide in himself, whimpering and giggling with slight anticipation. “This is mean Katsuki!” Was it? Probably. “Then let’s forget this childish crap and get some food!” The other wasn’t going to give up like that. “There’s food here! Just put the freaking tux on and let’s go!” Such nerve for someone who was still exposed to the enemy. 

“It’s going to be fucking boring and past my,” ah shit. He paused. “Your bedtime, I know, I know! But you can sleep in! Please? I’ve really never been to anything like this and I was really excited. It’s not the same to go alone or with the others. I want to go with you, man. Your the one who brought me here.” 

Operation puppy dog eyes were a go! But ineffective. “Seriously Ei? It’s a dumb gathering of people who talk about things neither of us will understand. I’ll make you gourmet crap when we get home if you want. My grandmother has a few recipes.” Nope, the other wasn’t giving up. Bakugou could see this himself. 

“I don’t want to go.” 

“How often are we going to get to do this?

“When we’re famous, whenever.” 

They were like a married couple. Kirishima went to shift weight again but was held down firmer. “I will use force. I’m not going Kirishima.” Soft giggles escaped as mouth that attempted to hide itself as the hardener started to react to soft scratching under his arm. “Nhahahao!” The blonde thought it over. 

This meant a lot to the other and he really didn’t want to see his friend disappointed. It wasn’t like Kirishima bent over backwards for him, but he was…. Caring and considerate. He normally respected Bakugou’s wishes or gave up fighting them after a while. But not this. He really wanted to go to this and the blonde could see it. 

Frankly, Ground Zero didn’t have an excuse for not wanting to go. Not a good one anyway. “I don’t want to be bored,” he stated as he slowly stopped. The red head was panting softly before he looked up to his best friend “Huh?” 

The blonde wore a soft blush as he climbed off his friend. “I just don’t want to be bored. I don’t care baout this stupid place, you just seemed like you wanted to go. The only thing here I actually have liked are the training games. I didn’t come here to hear a bunch of nerds and geeks talk tech and future, I don’t care about what they have to say. “The food I could care less about. I’d rather have my evening free and pay for food then sit through a lecture until who knows when, eat, and wake up late for what could be training.” Oh. Red Riot hadn’t thought of it that way before. He frowned. Was he a bad friend?

“Those nerds and geeks are talking about stuff that even Hatsume would find amazing. Improve our quirks, improves society, new inventions, all these amazing things and you don’t want to hear about them? Midoriya was telling me about a helmet that let you see all around your body when you put it on. A deep sea diving suit that makes you look like something from another planet.

“All Might is here too, so he’ll probably be there too. Maybe they’ll get him to say a few things.” Pulling out the All Might card, was he? So be it. “I’m not stopping you from going.” Come on man! That was it. Before the blonde could process he was on his back, an insane ticklish sensation shooting up his leg. “PFFFF! HAHAHA!” He covered his mouth quickly as he tried to fight back with his free foot. 

That bastard! “Come on dude, just come with me!” Too ticklish, too ticklish! The other kicked harder, especially when his best friend went for the toes. Okay, too much! “FINE ALREADY YOU LOSER!” Finally! Kirishima stopped quickly before just dropping the foot and walking back to the dresser. 

The smile on his face irked the blonde. Both knew the younger would be getting it later. “Awesome! So… roses or bland?” This was going to be a long night.

[newagexheroes]

Elise sat with her arms crossed over her chest, seated in a chair that once belonged to Tony Stark. After the original Avengers had passed on, Stark Industries had fallen nearly to dust. Though thankfully Elise was able to win at least the rights to all of Tony’s intellectual property so it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands -- as a memorial to them all the Avenger’s Facility stays standing, were Elise runs the new group of young unruly superheros. She took the liberty of making Tony’s office somewhat of her own. She merely just uses it as a place where she can be found.. Everything still belongs to Tony -- right down to JARVIS.  

“I hope you know I’m having a pretty hard time believing you. -- You show up here unannounced, claiming that you’re gathering a team of the strongest heroes to travel across different universes to fight a creature that is destroying them in its path, and expect me to just abandon my own universe?” The woman across from Elise seems to nod easily, as if it was a reasonable request. 

“What makes me the woman for the job? You’ve got plenty of young spry heroes around here to choose from..” Elise of course was asking rhetorically, not truly expecting an answer. 

“-- They won’t know how to work with these other people, but you will.”  The mutant explains, sitting forward a bit in her seat as she hands over a file. “The one universe to survive Thanos.” Elise’s stomach dropped, and she swears that her heart jumps from her chest. Her senses were suddenly full of ash and blood, the weight of the bracelet that sits on Elise’s arm that Tony made for her out of Bucky’s arm feeling like it weighs a thousand pounds. 

“Every - single - person.” The mutant answers a question, that Elise wanted the answer to but didn’t have the courage to ask.

“Who said I was going with you?” Elise questions.

“The look on your face.” And Magik is right. A universe where everyone she holds dear is back? Elise would be a fool not to go, not to just see them all again. “I’ll inform them you’re coming, I’ve already collected a few mutants from other places -- That universe’s Stark will have a room for you when I come and get you tomorrow. Be ready.” 

Without another word, Magik disappears from view and Elise is left there with the file that sits far too close to her for comfort. Though she has to read it, she knows she does. So reaching over, Elise opens the file -- its a rather all encompassing explanation of Thanos’ defeat. Elise smiles to herself, she can tell it was written by Steve. The words flow together easily, she almost expects there to be diagrams drawn by his hand as she continues to look through the pages. She could feel the tears start to well in her eyes the further she read, Carol got the chance to snap in that universe and saved them all. A wave of jealousy washed over her, jealous that they all got to survive.. And that all of hers had to die. But was her chance, a moment to have closure, to be able to really say goodbye this time.

So Elise called a group meeting in, the young superheroes all sat at attention as she explained. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone, or if I’ll even be back. This threat is not just their universe, it’s ours too. We have our own troubles here and you all know it, so I need you all to stay here and defend just as you are. You all will tell no one I’ve gone, Stark’s inventions need to remain the property of the Avengers and the Avengers only. I’m passing the torch now. You are the Avengers. You’re duty is to protect this earth and everyone one it. I trust in all of you.” 

It wasn’t so much as a tearful goodbye but a good send off. Elise had bigger fish to fry than some silly bad guys trying to rule earth, she’s got a whole goddamn multiverse to protect now. The nerves really started to set in once she was finally alone, packing up clothing. Her fingers run over the worn cloth of Bucky and Steve’s clothing as she packs it into a bag. If Elise is not to make it back, she doesn’t want anyone to have any of their things. She feels.. entitled to them. Elise is sure to pack her suit, the one that resembles her boys closely. Her stomach gives a sick turn, she’ll see them again. According to what she read in the report.. Bucky is alive. Her Bucky died long before Thanos came along, Hydra’s revenge -- if they couldn’t have him no one could. Elise slowly zipped up her bag, everything she needed was now stored away in one duffel bag. The night passed slowly, what little sleep she got, it was all bad dreams, just reliving death over and over again -- tormented by it. So when Magik finally arrived, Elise was exhausted already, hands shaking as she pressed the blue button on her bracelet, the metal coats her arm like an armor. Elise grips her shield a little tighter as the other woman opens up a portal.

“By the way, I didn’t tell you before but I don’t think you existed in this universe. So take it easy on them..” Elise hardly had time to process what she had said before Magik was taking her arm and pulling in after her. The light was blinding and Elise felt a thousand pounds and light as a feather all at once. Before she knew it, Elise was suddenly in a very familiar room.. though these faces were not ones Elise has seen in awhile. All eyes were on Elise, well -- more so her metal arm and her shield, both very similar to men they know.

“This is Elise Burke, on her universe she’s known as Captain Winter.” Magik informs the group of avengers and it’s taking everything in Elise not to lose herself right now. Her hands shake violently but she schools her face, forcing herself to think about her Hydra days -- remembering how to keep her composure. Though murmurs break across the room, Elise keeps her gaze trained away from the two people she knows will break her. Elise forces herself to give a nod to those around her, eyes hardly focusing in on one person. This was a hell of a whole lot more challenging than she expected to be. “We’re glad to have you here to help.” The voice made chills run down her spine. She hadn’t heard that voice in years and even then she didn’t have to look to know who it belonged to. It was a challenge in itself to hear his voice but to then look over at him was like a physical blow. The last time she had seen Steve, he couldn’t even speak -- she had heard his heartbeat stop and his breathing disappear. Yet here he was, standing broad shouldered, his uniform closely matching the one that she was now wearing. His hand rested on his utility belt, like it always did when he was in Captain mode. It would have made her smile if she wasn’t trying not to cry. Elise took a step forward, offering out her metal hand to shake, her other still gripping the shield in a death grip to keep from giving away her shaking hands. “It’s my honor.” Elise responds back easily, thanking whatever god is out there that her voice came out even. Taking a step back, Elise let her gaze finally fall over to Bucky, another blow to her chest. It had been even longer since she’d see Bucky.. Though here he looks different, just a little bit. He has more lines on his face, his shoulders look heavier, and dare she say sad. The urge to cross the room and cradle is face is strong, all she wants to do is fix that look on his face.. To make whatever he’s feeling better. Though she refrains, as she begins to make her rounds introducing herself. Next to Bucky, he decides to shake her hand with his good one. The rest was a bit of a blur to Elise.. She finished introducing herself the rest of the team, despite it feeling wrong to her. She already knew them too well she might say but she knew them.. And yet they all looked at her like a stranger. 

Elise was led to her room by a SHIELD agent, she was staying near the training floors. When she was finally alone is when Elise let herself break down. The door barely closed behind her before the first cry left her lips. Her back hit the door with a soft thud as she slid down it. Her shield hits the floor next to her as she just lets herself collapse. Elise hadn’t realized how hard this was going to be. She had built something up so different in her head, that this would somehow be closure. But god, she was wrong -- this was just opening up old wounds. Wounds that Elise had barely stitched together, and now she has ripped them open with her teeth. 

The next morning wasn’t much easier, she was woken up at the crack of dawn by the rudest intern they must have had. A loud bang -- bang -- bang on her door at Elise at alert not rolling out of bed. Shield already in hand before realizing it had been a wake up call. “Breakfast downstairs, training in 30.” Elise ate breakfast on her own, not wanting to sit with anyone in the little cafeteria. She sat on her own, outside -- she wasn’t ready to sit down and chat with people that she had seen die. So she mostly picked at her breakfast, not feeling all that hungry, maybe it was from the interdimensional travel or maybe it was the odd grief that was filling every inch of her body. She didn’t realize how long she had been just staring at her food until Natasha was sliding out of the door.

“We’re testing all you newbies out downstairs -- you can follow me.” Nat informed her.

“I know where it is, I have to grab something from my room. I will meet you down there.” Elise rose from her spot and headed towards her room. Tucked away under the comforter was Basil, her snake that she had a telepathic connection with. She had snuck the snake in her bag. Elise will find time to get her a proper enclosure once she’s settled but for now Basil is content sleeping with Elise. Carefully slipping her hand over the covers the snake curls onto her hand. Let’s go scare some new avengers. 

Elise knew the place well enough and that meant so does Basil. The snake slithers a different direction than Elise but she knows the snake will make an appearance and scare whoever Elise is paired up against. A line of people stood on the lower floor of the training room, Elise had no idea who any of them were, so she figured that’s where she’s supposed to be. In the mood to show off, Elise jumped from the platform onto the floor with light feet. She joined the line up with the others, truly wondering how much combat training they had. No one in this room expect her knew she had been trained by Hydra, experimented on by Hydra. She’ll be much stronger than anyone expects and that’s what she’s counting on. 

Ready. A gentle voice in her head informs her, Basil laying low somewhere nearby. This is training, no lethal. Elise informs the snake, knowing if she doesn’t Basil might go overboard. She is just a snake after all. 

As each of the Avengers was paired off, Elise was matched up with Nat. Without all of Elise’s extra assets, they two would be pretty evenly matched -- at least they were back in her universe. She could assume the same here. With a quick push of a button, metal coated her arm and Elise stood her ground. 

The room falls still, silence as everyone looks on, the two women locked eyes -- a bit of moment between the two, each daring the other to move first. Nat made the first move and Elise had all the advantages here -- she had known Nat in another life, knows the moves she likes to deal out first -- which she’ll use in desperation. Elise supposes eventually she’ll have to tell them that she knows all their weaknesses but that can wait for a little later. Nat wasn’t one one to pull her punches, and frankly Elise wasn’t either. The fight a little more brutal than the rest, but Elise expected as much. A few hits to the face from each other had Elise pulling out her best and favorite asset. 

Basil, go. Remember, training. Elise orders the snake, and she decides to help Basil out -- she decides to go on the offense. Using the metal arm, she pulls her punches a little bit, not wanting to actually harm the other woman -- with it’s full force she knew it could. When Elise felt the snake slip between her legs that when she stumbled backwards. It was a quick movement, one they’d dome a million times before. Basil shot out from her coil, heading straight for the other woman’s neck. Basil wrapped around her neck quickly, forming more of a choker necklace rather than actually choking the woman.

There was a commotion from the platform above, obviously Elise had gotten their attention. With Nat’s focus on attempting to free the snake from her neck, the blonde took the moment to finish this. With a crouch and a swift kick to her legs, Elise sends Nat to the floor. 

Basil, feet. She tells the snake as Elise’s metal hand replaces where the reptile once laid. Though she doesn’t squeeze, her hand and knees on Nat’s arms keep the other woman in place. Basil wraps eagerly the woman’s feet, this time squeezing so that Nat can’t break the hold. It feels better than she expects to fight alongside her friend.. It’s been a long time since she’s been able to train with people on her level. 

“I hope you don’t hate surprises.” Elise teases a bit as she backs off and Basil takes the notion and releases as well, happily trailing up the woman’s back to sit on Elise’s shoulder. The woman offers a hand down to Nat and helps her to her feet. 

Elise’s eyes look up to the top platform, she can feel the restless energy. “You got a two for one deal, sorry I forgot to mention. This is Basil, we communicate telepathically.. Hydra took their snake kink a little too literally.” She raises her metal arm to gently pet the snake’s head. 

The blonde feels a little more like herself, a little more at home. This is how it’s supposed to be..

“So, who’s next?” 

[the-coconut-asado]

Oh Stumptown my Stumptown!

Portland likes to keep it weird. Officially. You could even buy the tee shirt if tee shirts weren’t so predictable.   

From a poster invitation to “Hear my TED Talk about DIY and Impending Doom” to the Big Legrowlski (sic) night club that hangs carpets on the walls -  not to balance the sound for the band but because they really bring the room together -  the City has an off-beat vibe that feels authentic even while it gets you scratching your head. And where else would you queue round the block for a voodoo-doll shaped doughnut with a pretzel stick through its ‘heart’?

You probably won’t be surprised when I tell you that Portland is  the Hipster Capital of the World. You know it’s hipster because it sells more coffee and has more microbreweries per head than anywhere else in the US.

We came for the food because People That Know told us to. It’s not simply that everything is delicious but that chefs, cooks, carts and food enthusiasts are trying to do different. It’s like Masterchef has landed in Twin Peaks. Entrepreneurs are making ice cream out of chickpeas and it works. A pastry chef has re-interpreted her favourite childhood book on a plate and you rejoice in the complex flavours of her tiny reconstructed bunny. So who’s the bunny boiler now?

One thing that puzzled me is why the City changed its name from the original Stumptown (pretty weird) to Portland (the Holiday Inn of city names). Devon, a local lawyer who we chatted to most mornings in Baristas Cafe, explained that Portland was never officially called Stumptown.  It became its nickname due to all the trees they had to cut down to build it, leaving the eponymous stumps in their wake. Stumptown is also the name of their iconic coffee brand, which I always assumed was NYC’s greatest invention. This is one of the many ways in which travel expands your mind.

Devon embodied something else about Portland: its friendliness. Even the passport officers are anxious that you have a good time. Full disclosure,  it wasn’t just Devon that we sought out each morning - it was Pepper, his cute little dog. I would eat Barista’s fresh, flaky rhubarb hand pie just to drop crumbs that Pepper would breakfast on. 

Devon put us onto a couple of great places to eat - one we made it to, one we didn’t. But more of that later.

Where to begin to describe this steel guitar food odyssey? Let me take you through our many highlights from the  mountain of food we consumed. Set it to the soundtrack of Chris Isaak’s Wicked Thing.

Our first evening, tired and hungry, we stuck to our guns and found Andina, the City’s Peruvian eatery. When you are both tired and hungry it’s easy to get seduced by posters boasting ‘Meatball Monday’ and forget your mission, but our persistence paid off. That legendary Portlandia hospitality squeezed us into a nook where there really wasn’t a free table, and we dined greedily on humitas, ceviche, lamb shank and seafood, washed down with Oregon’s finest home-grown Pinot Gris. I didn’t quibble that they brought something different from my order. In my fractured Spanish ‘Arroz con Pato’ probably did sound like ‘Seafood Risotto’  - and the risotto was obviously going to be delicious before fork met lip, so I didn’t send it back.

Next day, which coincidentally was Taco Tuesday, we hit the street food. 

Portland is big on street food (see: hipster capital of the world). Most food vendors have carts - permanent fixtures where the chef builds enough of a following over months or years to be able to open a small restaurant. Nong’s Khao Man Gai was just one of these. They do one dish - a Vietnamese poached chicken with a secret chilli sauce, accompanied by rice cooked in the chicken broth. You can also have a version with shrimp, pork or Tofu. We bought a bottle of the sauce to bring home. Life’s too short.

It’s not all carts - there are a fair few trucks too. 

One which specialised in cheese toasties challenged “ Come and relive the taste of your childhood. But if your childhood sucked, we’ll share the memory of ours”. Have you eaten a cheese toastie recently? I mean really felt the embrace of  a sandwich of molten cheese and fried bread? Maybe your childhood did suck after all.

That evening it was the turn of The Hairy Lobster restaurant, and that bunny dessert I mentioned earlier. Little Bunny Foo Foo to give it it’s full name. A delicate carrot cake, covered in cheesecake mousse, accompanied by a ginger crumb, caramel sauce and a marshmallow rabbit. 

Despite it’s show-stopping appearance and fusion of flavours, it was their roast squash with curry sauce and pumpkin seed praline that was the stand-out dish for me. The Lobster picnic for our main was pretty damn good too.

Friday brings me to Devon’s first recommendation, Pok Pok,  a teeny Thai eatery in the suburbs. Getting there had the added advantage of passing through a neighbourhood full of rambling old houses in the Amityville Horror style. I recalled the first time I had heard of Portland was from a TV thriller full of witches and jabberwocks called Grimm. They had definitely filmed it’s eerily beautiful moments around here.

If I had to single out a food highlight in a week of next-to-no food lows, I would choose Pok Pok. It gave me my first food coma in a long while. Something about it’s smoked aubergine, pork belly curry, marinated chicken with two dips, sublime mango with sticky rice and that rhubarb blush cocktail… I sense I am sharing my food coma with you now. Their signature dish is hot spicy chicken wings. The couple on the table next to us were too full to finish theirs so offered them to us. Maybe it was the wings that tipped me over the edge. I’ll never know.

And so to our last day, and the big daddy of Portland nights out: Jake’s Crawfish. Over 100 years old, walking into Jake’s is like walking into one of Sinatra’s memories. It has a justifiably stellar reputation, and seems to have maintained it for a century. I ate Steel-head trout for the first time, fished on their doorstep from Oregon’s Columbia River, coated with a horseradish crust, and preceded by half a dozen of the plumpest oysters I have ever eaten.

I haven’t yet mentioned Portland’s biggest hipster foodie habit: brunch. No matter what day of the week, the restaurants that brunch are always full. For most of our trip, we were waking up too early to really do brunch justice. Those rhubarb hand pies at Baristas had satisfied our hunger by around 8AM so a mid-morning banquet wasn’t really on. One day, however, we made it to Tasty & Alder in the Pearl DIstrict of the city and managed to sneak in a table for two before the queues built up. Worth it for their Green Frittata with salsa verde (who ever thought of doing that before?) and lightest, fluffiest American biscuits. We never made it to Devon’s second recommendation: Burmasphere, his friend’s Burmese cart on the other side of the river. And now we have an excuse to return.

When it came to rustling up some recipes that take me straight back to Portland weird, I whittled my list down to three: my version of Tasty & Alders’ green frittata with feta and salsa verde; a less labour-intensive version of Andina’s Arroz con Pato, made with chicken or guinea fowl; and in the spirit of weird, though by no means original, a cake inspired by Churros con Chocolate. The best possible end to a Taco Tuesday.

I messaged a friend of mine that had moved to Portland a few years back and asked why she had ever left. “ Too much rain and not enough art.” she said.  

You missed the point Sweetie. Great Food IS great art. And if you can’t stand the rain, get into the kitchen.

Green Frittata with Feta and Salsa Verde

A great little brunchy-lunch dish packed with flavour for the carb-conscious. If you want to add some carbs, slices of toasted sourdough will go down a treat. Serves 4

Ingredients

8 large free-range eggs

1tblspn, double cream

100g asparagus spears, chopped into 2 cm chunks

100g shelled garden peas or petit pois

50g feta cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the salsa verde:

Small pack of flat-leaf parsley (around 15-20g)

½ a small pack of mint leaves

3 tbsp. Capers

7 anchovy fillets

1 clove garlic

1 tbsp dijon mustard

8 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

How to make:

Bring a small saucepan of salted water to the boil, then add the peas. After a couple of minutes, add the chopped asparagus and continue simmering for another 2 minutes. Drain and refresh under cold water. Put to one side.

Next, make the salsa verde. Put all the ingredients except the olive oil into a blender, season generously with pepper and go easier on the salt (anchovies and capers are already pretty salty). Then, add the olive oil and blend again. Don’t over blend at each step - it's nice to keep the texture a little rough.

Put a skillet on the stove and melt a knob of butter. Beat the eggs, add the cream and season. Lightly saute the green vegetables in the butter for a minute or two. 

 then pour the eggs over and crumble the feta cheese over the top. Cook for a couple of minutes until the bottom is starting to brown.

 pop under the grill to continue cooking, until the top is a light golden colour and the frittata has firmed up with a slight wobble (keep a close eye on this, probably takes 2-3 minutes).

Cut the frittata into 4 wedges and serve with a dollop of salsa verde on top.

Arroz con Gallina Picante

I never did get to eat Arroz con Pato in Andina, but while I adore the rich flavour of duck, devoting two or three days to confitting it before finishing the dish is only for the dedicated dinner party cook. This version with a spicy chicken and a feta-enriched herb sauce (based on a Melissa Clark recipe)  goes down just as well - or the richer Guinea Fowl, which I have used here. And Peruvian aji amarillo is now more available by mail order - substitute ordinary chile powder if not. Serves 4.

Ingredients:

1 medium-sized chicken or guinea fowl, jointed into 2 breasts, 2 drumsticks and 2 thighs (discard the back or freeze to make stock at a later date)

For the marinade:

6 garlic cloves, crushed

3 tbsp light soy sauce

1 tbsp paste made with aji amarillo powder and olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

1 tsp sriracha sauce

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

2 tsp ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce:

½ a large bunch coriander leaves, broken up

2 jalapeno chilies, chopped

75g feta cheese, crumbled

1 garlic clove, crushed

Juice of 1-2 limes

2 tsp chopped fresh oregano

½ tsp dijon mustard

½ tbsp aji amarillo paste (see marinade earlier for method)

1 tsp honey

1 tsp ground cumin

½ cup extra virgin olive oil.

For the Peruvian Rice:

3 tbsp sunflower oil

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 onion, finely chopped

3 heaped tsp aji amarillo paste (see marinade earlier for method)

½ large bunch fresh coriander, broken up and blended till smooth with a tblspn water

500g fresh chicken stock

300g bottle of beer or lager

2 x small green chillies, chopped finely

500g basmati rice

1 red pepper, chopped into small chunks

100g fresh garden peas or petit pois

How to make

First, make the marinade. Mix all the marinade ingredients in a large bowl, cover the fowl of your choice in it, cover with cling film and pop in the fridge for at least 4 hours or overnight.

For the sauce: put all the ingredients into a blender, and blend till smooth. Pour into a bowl, cover and refrigerate, taking out about 15 minutes ahead of eating to bring to room temperature.

For the rice. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a saucepan, add the onion and garlic and saute until starting to turn golden. Add the blended coriander and chili paste  and cook for a couple of minutes until the paste has thickened slightly and smells delicious.

Pour the beer into the saucepan, cook for a few minutes then add the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, season, then take off the heat, cover and put to one side.

Heat the oven to 200C. Pat  the chicken or guinea fowl pieces dry, then pop onto a shallow baking tray, season and drizzle with olive oil. Put the tray into the oven and roast for 35-40 minutes.

While the meat roasts, finish the rice. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a medium sized saucepan, add the peppers and cook for a couple of minutes. Then add the rice and stir into the oil and peppers until it starts to crackle a little at the bottom. Add the peas and chilies and stir again, then add the stock, beer and onion garlic mix. Stir, season if needed, then cover and simmer on a low heat for 25 mins.

Fluff up the rice and spoon onto plates. Top with the chicken or guinea fowl pieces, and crown with a dollop of sauce.

Churros Bundt Cake with Dipping Chocolate Sauce

I love churros, and I love a Bundt cake. If you want all the flavours but none of the faffing or frying, then give this a try. The cake will keep, covered in a tin. Just remember to reheat the chocolate sauce for dipping or pouring each time. Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

For the cake:

2 ¾ cups plain flour

2 tsp. Baking powder

2 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp. Salt

170g unsalted butter

130g caster sugar

50g soft brown sugar

4 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1 375g punnet of sour cream

2 tsp. Vanilla extract

For the cinnamon sugar ‘glaze’

2 tsp ground cinnamon

4 tsp caster sugar

For the chocolate sauce:

½ cup cocoa powder

Pinch chilli flakes

100g dark chocolate (70%)

1 cup double cream

½ cup dark brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

How to make

Preheat the oven to 160C. Grease and flour a large bundt cake pan (make sure to get into all the nooks and crannies).

Beat the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl (ideally using an electric stand mixer) until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one by one and continue to mix between each addition, finishing with the egg yolk. Add the sour cream and vanilla extract and beat again until just incorporated.  Mix all the dry ingredients, add them to the butter and egg mix and fold in until smooth. 

Pour the cake batter into the bundt tin and bake for around 50-55 minutes until a skewer inserted near the middle comes out clean (I usually check the cake after 45 mins). Invert the cake onto a rack to cool.

Mix the remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Melt the butter and paint all over the surface of the cake. Dust the cinnamon sugar over the buttered cake, making sure you pat it in places to stick.

To make the chocolate sauce. Pop all the ingredients into a saucepan, then cook, stirring constantly, on a low heat until the chocolate has melted, everything is smooth and custardy. Let it bubble slightly then turn off the heat.

Serve slices of the churros cake with warm chocolate sauce poured over. There are some who prefer their chocolate sauce served cold. That’s fine too.

[btskismet]

Kismet (Chapter 4): A BTS Jin imagines fanfic

First ever fanfic. Contains fluff and some smut. Please read sequentially as it is a long story arc. Please provide feedback! My IG is btskismet.

She was on a boat, skidding quickly to a destination. She was looking beyond the water but couldn’t see anything past it. Then a flash of light appeared and she was suddenly underwater. She first saw blue, then black and dark red. She could see movement of shapes in the water but couldn’t tell if they were fish... or something else.

Then she saw the ground, wet with rain. The water turned the ground to mud and around her were bodies of people. She was the only one sitting on the ground, her blue pants covered in mud. The other people around her were not moving. She was crying, her face wet from her tears and the strong rain. She looked up and could see men in front of her. Soldiers looking down at her.

She heard a soft click of a door and she opened her eyes.

It was a dream, she thought. She could see the white ceiling and was trying to remember the dream but as soon as she opened her eyes, she started to forget. All she had were fragments. But the feeling was there; she felt it in the pit of her stomach - this sadness and fear all bundled up from what she dreamt. 

She was so disoriented from her dream that it took her a minute to realize she was still in Japan. She recalled being at Ono-san’s restaurant. She has been there almost every night in Osaka. 

Seokjin... 

She looked beside her and the bed was empty. Was it a dream too, she thought. No, he was here.

She then felt the ache of her back, her thighs and down there. The good ache that told her she had a really enjoyable night.

Gosh, it’s been so long, she wondered with a smile. 

Everything came flooding back. Seokjin on top of her, his scent, his soft and torrid kisses, his shoulders all hunched up from grinding in her hard...

“Jin?”, she called out. The divider that separated the bedroom from the kitchen area was closed but she could sense that no one was on the other side. Maybe he’s in the bathroom, she thought to herself.

She stood up and wore a set of pajamas she got from the closet. All of her clothes from last night were on the floor. Ok, this is proof we had sex....

She checked the bathroom and it was empty. She decided to use it to freshen up. Better to wash away the sleep before he comes back, she thought as she was putting the toothpaste onto her toothbrush.

She realized that if he already left, he may not come back. So, she looked around and didn’t see his wallet, keycard and glasses. His shoes weren’t near the front door either.

I guess he had to leave right away. Gosh, what time is it? 

0730. He spent the whole night with her. She smiled but then eventually got worried because she thought of PDNim and the managers.

Oh no, they might fire him! I have to know what happened.

She frantically looked for her phone to text him through LINE. After she sent the message she heard a chime. Jin left his phone on top of the refrigerator. 

Craaaap! He left it! What do I do? I don’t even know which hotel he stays at!

She was about to wear her jeans to catch up to him but then Jin opened the front door.

“Joe eun a chim! Uhhh.. sorry, sorry. Good morning!”, he greeted her with a smile.

She looked at him and gave a sigh of relief. Jin had a few bags filled with food from Lawsons.

He went to the refrigerator and placed some drinks inside. He got his phone and checked it for a few seconds, set it aside and got the earpieces for the translator. He gave one to her and wore the other then gave her a soft peck on the lips which surprised her slightly.

“I’m sorry I didn’t wake you. You were sound asleep.”, Jin said. “I checked if you had any food to cook for breakfast but all you had were eggs. Got a few things for us to eat. Yaaaa!”, he exclaimed and showed her the bags of food.

She smiled. She remembered that he wakes up at least 2 hours before the other BTS members so he most likely did the same thing to her.

“Are they not looking for you at the hotel? I thought you went back already. Jin, I am so worried that they will fire you or punish or both!”

Jin touched her nose and said tutt-tutt-tutt, waving his finger in front of her face. “Stop worrying. I texted them and told them that I am an adult. As long as I go back and be discreet, I should be able to keep my job. Besides, if they fire me, they will lose the most handsome visual with the awesome voice... who is also the best dancer!”

She raised one eyebrow at the last statement and said mmmmhmmm. 

“Wohh, you are mocking me with that expression! I am the best dancer in the group! Do you know that I invented the best dance steps in one of our songs! It was the greatest!”, Jin declared.

She laughed and said, “Do you mean the steps to ‘Spring Day” or the ones in ‘Spine Breaker’?”

“See! You know them! That’s because they were the best! They’re sooo complicated and you need to be very limber to do them!”, Jin replied and started doing the hand gestures he “invented” for Spring Day.

She laughed so hard that she was clutching onto the divider as he was flailing his arms around. He then smiled a big toothy grin and then hugged her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

“Seriously though, please don’t worry. I will work it out. I don’t want to leave yet. I want us to eat first. I got us some yakiniku sticks and udon. Also some chocolate milk and hot coffee. Plus, I want to cook you an omelette!”

She felt so touched by how doting Jin was to her. She didn’t expect that he would offer to cook and it would be an honor just to try his cooking!

The time was spent him cooking the omelette and preparing the food. She wanted to help him and she was thrilled that he showed her how he cooked his omelette. It felt comfortable being beside him and assisting him in the cooking. She felt they were made to cook together and though it logically didn’t make sense to think that way, it just felt... right. 

They enjoyed the food they ate. Jin gave her bits of food every now and then with his chopsticks and it reminded her of the videos she saw of him feeding the maknaes. So, he really is like this, she thought. She felt grateful she had a chance to validate it for herself that Jin was being genuine in those videos.

She washed the dishes as Jin was checking his phone, furiously texting people. Or playing a mobile game? Gosh, she couldn’t tell. She’s seen more videos of him playing on his phone than texting but he held his phone upright now instead of horizontally.

“Is everything alright?”, she asked while still washing the dishes. Her worries were coming back and she wondered if anyone recognized him at Lawson’s this morning.

She felt Jin’s long arms around her waist as he hugged her from behind and softly kissed her neck. “Everything is fine. I will take care of things.”

“Alright. I trust you.”, she whispered.

0945. Outside the window, people could be seen walking around and on their way to work. Shops were opening up to get ready to welcome people by 10am. Saturday mornings in Osaka were busy and a mixture of locals and tourists could be seen walking about. The chimes of the arrival of the trains and the tones coming from the pedestrian cross walk can be heard in the distance. Just another cold but slightly sunny day in Osaka.

“We’ll be at dress rehearsal from three to six today.”, Jin said. “But we’ll have an interview with Fineboys magazine later at 1pm.”

“Guess that means you have to go then.”

Jin took her in his arms and gave her a long kiss. “You still have a week to stay here, right?”

She nodded. She saw Jin ruminating over this and then he said: “Alright. It’s our last day for our concert here in Japan tomorrow. Then the next one is in Taiwan after 2 weeks. I won’t go back to Korea with them after tomorrow night. I will stay with you.”

“Wait, what? Won’t they prevent you from doing that? I’m sure you have other engagements when you go back before the tour starts again.”, she said quickly. 

“It’s our time off for two weeks before we fly out to Taiwan so if there are any gigs before then, as long as it isn’t a performance, I can opt out.”

She sat down and motioned Jin to sit beside her.  “Seokjin, listen. I... don’t want to ruin your career. Trust me, what happened to us last night and today is magical and mind-blowing and... it’s indescribable. Never did I imagine in my whole life I would become intimate with you. It’s the stuff of fantasies.”

Jin smiled and winked at her after she said that which then made her giggle. “Stop that! I’m trying to be the voice of reason here.”

“And you are starting to sound like my manager. You’re my noona, not my manager.”, Jin said jokingly. He felt a hard slap on his right arm which made him shout waaaaahhh.

“Kim Seokjin, I’m trying to be serious here. I’m really worried for you. I care a lot about what happens to you and I know being involved with someone is against your contract.”

Jin raised his right eyebrow and said: “How do you know it is against my contract? Have you seen it?”

She opened her mouth to say something but she stopped midway. Yeah, he’s right, I haven’t seen it. I just assumed it would be.

Jin held her hands. “So, like I said earlier, I will take care of it. But I will stay with you after the concert and until you go back home. I want to travel with you. I don’t know how much time we will really have after next week but I want to spend as much time as I can possibly get. You know it, there’s something different about this. You and me. I can feel it in my bones. I want to know what that is and you can’t change my mind anymore.”

He squeezed her hands and she squeezed them back in agreement. 

“But... what about JK and Jimin? Won’t they tell on you?”

He smiled. “I never kept you as a secret to our manager since last night and I’m sure they didn’t as well. They love you and they enjoyed the time with you yesterday. So, they’ll be ok with this...”

She nodded as he was talking but interjected: “What about Namjoon? He’s your leader. Wouldn’t he have a say on this?”

Jin laughed, “He’s our leader but I’m still his hyung. Actually, I think he’s going to feel jealous instead. I have a girl and he doesn’t!” He smiled, feeling so proud of himself.

She felt that she was blushing as she tried to absorb what he said. He has a girl and that girl is me. Ohmigod.

A chime went off from his phone and he checked the message. “I sent them the location of this place so they can pick me up. They’re about 5 minutes away.”

He stood up and got all his things. He wore his face mask halfway and his glasses. He held her hand and brought her to the foyer so he could wear his shoes.

Jin then took her face into his long hands and said: “Plan our trip for next week. Let’s go wherever you want. If you want to go far, we can do that. Text me when you get back here later - I know you’ll go around today and if you’re still going to Nara, let me know. I just want you to be safe, alright?” 

She nodded with a soft smile. He handed the earpiece to her and then gave her a passionate kiss.

“Bogoshipda.”, Jin said before he brought up his face mask and stepped out.

She went to the balcony to see if the car was already there. She saw a black Starcraft van out front. She then saw two guys come out of the van, looking at the entrance to the building. When Jin came out, one guy patted him on the back and the other ushered him inside the van. Then the other guy looked up and saw her on the balcony. Despite the black mask, she recognized that it was Jungkook. He gave her a quick wave. She gave a meek wave back before JK went back inside the van. 

The van quickly sped out, tasked to bring Seokjin back to the hotel. She felt a wave of emotions after seeing him leave. Let’s wait and see then, she thought. 

“By tomorrow, I will know if this fantasy will continue.”, she said out loud before going back in to escape the cold air outside.

---- to be continued---

[diveronarpg]

Congratulations, DOM! You’ve been accepted for the role of HELENUS. Admin Jen: You have no idea how overjoyed we were to finally receive an application for Helenus, and Dom, you completely blew our expectations out of the water! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about what drew you towards Hugo; your passion really shone through and to see that it wasn’t directed solely towards him but towards so many other characters, it left me so thrilled to see all that your portrayal has to offer -- and it surely didn’t disappoint. The interview was fantastic, but I have to admit, it was the plots that had me sold on your Hugo. They were so intricate and well thought-out and I was living for the duality you explored in Hugo’s relationships with Roman and Halcyon. Trust me when I say that I cannot wait to see it all come to life on the dash! Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours.

WELCOME TO THE MOB.

Out of Character

Alias |  Dom

Age | 20

Preferred Pronouns | she/her/hers babey!

Activity Level | I mean, I go to college, and I may need a 20 min allowance to freak out over responses, but I’m consistent and enthusiastic.

Timezone | EST

In Character

Character | Helenus / Hugo Kim

What drew you to this character? | Honestly it was the relationship between him and Halcyon, who I know is Hippolyta from a Midsummer’s Night Dream, but struck me - within the context of Troilus and Cressida - reminded me the Greek’s relationship with Helen. This kind of fascination by people towards another person they confuse with the sublime is kind of incredible, and always misunderstanding, and generally tragic. Like Pierre, with Natasha, in War & Peace. I think Anne Carson does the most justice towards characters like Helen by acknowledging them as a characters that cannot be acknowledged - she is too large for those around her, and too large for the text itself (and its author) to understand her completely. For all her brightness, she is shrouded by accidental but inevitable misreading. I’d like to work with that misreading, and I think it would be fun to play with being confused like that.

That being said, I’m also interested in his relationship with Roman Montague. Who if Hippolyta is a sun to Helenus, then Romeo must be a warm spot at home. There exists a potential for a type of softness between them that I think could catalyze a really interesting stronghold for both of them.

I’ve read Troilus and Cressida of course, and all I remember of Helenus was his dual occupation as a priest in a soldier’s camp. He’s barely mentioned or active in the text - He has one line I think, against Troilus in their debate about returning Helen or not, and one off-hand description of him by Panderus in a line-up of men Cressida asks about. He’s not a soldier, and is not expected to fight, nor does Paris (?) arm him I think. The text is never kind to him. It reminds us time and time again that Helenus is not a soldier, and because of that, a coward. I don’t think anyone was supposed to be sympathetic to him until I read your adaptation of him. The line Troilus snipes at him with: “You are but dreams and slumbers, Brother Priest” takes on a much more poignant meaning with Diverona’s new addition of gentleness. It’s not so much an insult, but a reason why Helenus probably won’t last long in this war, the kind person he is now he’ll wake up from someday, him not much more than dream.

Also don’t get me started on debt, and brothers, and goodliness in the face of extreme acts of violence by your own hands.

Excited to work with Easton - Edmund is one of my favorite characters from Shakespeare’s list, and seems like another fun personality to work with. Damned brothers. Maybe Easton’s got some points.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character? |

Where do you see this character developing, and what kind of actions would you have them take to get there? 3 future plot ideas would be preferable.

IT WILL COME BACK:

Even since his brother’s death, he’s been spinning the story. It wasn’t him who pulled the trigger, but the thug. His father, the only other person alive who knows, has retreated into himself. And the Capulets’ are more than ready to help their pastor keep his secret - assigning Albert’s death to a nameless criminal, and keeping the theft of Hugo’s store an uncomplicated,  and more importantly, anonymous tragedy. This way Hugo accumulates pathos and stays out of jail. But one day, his father drinking, a slip of the tongue from one of the higher ups - and all of Verona knows the pastor they’ve trusted is guilty of fratricide. It suddenly comes to light that Hugo is Cain, not Abel, and if Hugo can’t even be his brother’s keeper, how can he possibly hope to keep the faith of his congregation?

HACYLON AND ON AND ON:

Hugo admits to himself he has feelings for Roman, the Montague. But with every favor Hacylon asks of him, it cleaves him further and further from his fair-hearted love. If Halcyon is a woman written large, something centric, around which people can’t help but rotate around like she’s the North Star, then though what she asks feels immoral, she’s what must redeem Hugo. She’s what reminds him he belongs in the shadows, not lit by the sweet torch of Roman’s look. Hugo had stumbled what must be miracles, Roman and Halcyon independently,  and finds himself too impure in the aftermath. However, when Halcyon asks him to do something that will bring Hugo to the brink of a life already full of wickedness, will he stay his hand?

GO WITH GOD:

Hugo has become comfortable in his dual role as pastor and soldier. Days he can openly denounce what he does in secret at night. Sure, a few people know his secret, like his brothers in arms, and most of the upper forces of the Capulets, but he is working off his debt and soon he’ll be free to try a true repentance. All he’s doing now he can tip the scales back from again, with hard work and prayer for the rest of his life not spent in the Capulet’s debt. He is working off his brother’s labor, and what’s more biblical than that? Then one day the Capulets strongly urge Hugo to start writing into his sermons a Capulet bent, turning his services from neutral arguments for peace to a more propagandistic tint. If preaching and helping others is all that Hugo has left, then what will he offer to not sacrifice that respite?

Some other plot ideas include him getting addicted to Measure by Measure fighting, him overhearing some plot at To Tame a Soup, and Hugo maybe starting his own web of debts, starting with Lawrence.

Are you comfortable with killing off your character? | Of course. If it makes sense.  

In Depth

Please choose between the interview or the para sample (or both, if you like!)

In-Character Interview: The following questions must be answered in-character, and in para form (quotations, actions written out if applicable, etc). There is no minimum or maximum limit for your response - simply answer as you would if you were playing the character.

What is your favorite place in Verona? |

If this weren’t a Capulet interview, if this weren’t the first of many an annual interview gauging his psychological state as a soldier, Hugo would have grinned, leaned in close, and joked ‘Measure by Measure.’ He’d only be half-joking of course, and the uncertainty of whether he was telling the truth or not would add the perfect amount of charming deviance to make his conversational partner - probably from his congregation - chuckle nervously and then louder. They’d hit his arm with the same coquettish flavor, and say something about youth pastors being too agreeable nowadays, and they remember when priests were people to be scared of. Not him. God turns the other cheek. And so do the guys getting knocked out in the ring. Haha, joking.

No, but this wasn’t a question from a parishioner, and was an official Capulet interview, so Hugo unfolded his hands with a nervous, you-got-me shrug. “To Tame A Soup. Well - maybe that comes as a surprise. I could’ve said the church.”

He could’ve said the restaurant. A few years ago he would’ve. He loved the wall the lights splattered onto the floor in little bushels of pale, creamy yellow like somewhere to fall asleep in. They’d let cats come in and sleep in the sun pockets, to the shock of some customers. Splattered like his mother onto the floor. He’d scrubbed out the blood, not his father, not the Capulets. He’d seen the white turn pink when the light hit in the morning.

“But what can I say? I love my church as well. I’m as predictable as I seem. I like helping people. Maybe To Tame A Soup was the wrong thing to say. I know it’s in Montague territory, but it’s a good place set up to help the good people of Verona in need. That’s something above territory. It’s esteemed.”

What does your typical day look like?

Hugo nods his head back and forth, like the day’s hypotheticals are rolling out in front of him so he can best read it off. “Well first I have to open the restaurant, which means counting the safe to figure out how much money is in the restaurant before first shifts, filling the register, making first deposit…prep work for breakfast and lunch, all the heavy-duty cleaning, setting up tables — Dad’s still the owner, of course, but after the robbery it’s just easier for me to open, as long as I’m home from school anyways.

“Unless it’s Sunday, which means I’m at church by six to prepare for a seven thirty service and I’ll be there the whole day.

“Otherwise the restaurant keeps me pretty busy… Inventory, cash control, food cost analysis, etc. And in the minutes I can squirrel away to myself, I’m still usually drafting sermons for the next week.” Hugo wonders if his interviewer can hear the envy drifting into his voice. His life sounds boring, normal. He finds himself salivating over what he’s invented for himself, wants to continue listing things that don’t involve blood, or debts, debts paid off by blood. None of what he’s saying is untrue, it’s just separate, distinct. Good, honest work. He takes a breath back to composure.

“I donate whatever time I can but —” Hugo bites his lip. “My day isn’t really my own. I’m mostly where I’m sent.” Nights he doesn’t sleep well. He paces. He cracks his knuckles in a distracted, painful way. Goes out and wanders the streets, watches people silhouette their windows. Catalogues the city into dangers.

“Which is a blessing in and of its own, I suppose. Routine is just another word for complacency. Or so I’ve been told. And in a grander sense, the day is a duty I’m happy to serve.”

What has been your biggest mistake thus far?

Oh religion and its capacities for accountability. Guilt. On a more realistic, fundamental level, maybe the mistake had been going away to seminary school. Straying his eye away from his brother. Letting one, two, three years go by with not a single word traded between them. The egotism, the pride of turning to God by turning his back on his family. If he wasn’t being punished, then…maybe it had been thinking any of them, even his family, could escape the conflict that had consumed even the best hidden corners of Verona like air. More literally, if he hadn’t fallen asleep that night, lulled into a demonstrably false sense of safety. He doesn’t blame Albert, victim of a system —

Hugo blinks out of it, shifting in his seat. He looks over his interviewer again. “Biggest mistake. Yes. Hm. I find myself failing on the pulpit. People are scared. And unforgiving. Without remorse, this city’s come to gorging on itself. I think I’ve slipped into preaching — I don’t mean to lecture you — but there’s no room for forgiveness when there’s no impetus to feel remorse for the enemy blood that’s been spilled. I’m not sure how to help Verona see itself as a city of brothers and sisters again. I feel —even worse, I see — the consequences of that failure every day.”

What has been the most difficult task asked of you?

Hugo catches himself, faltered and recovered in an instant. He should know better. The questions seem routine, and he knows he knows how to keep it together.

“I guess it would depend on what we define as something capable of asking. Who asked what of me? God? My brother? The gun, that had the trigger? My mother? Did she ask of me, in heaven? You of course know what happened. I’m not trying to make you uncomfortable, I’m just trying to understand the question.” Halcyon?

Keep it general. Keep it a parable. Lessons of moral inequality are never unexpected from him, and seem to put people at ease.

“Verona asks me to walk a difficult path every day. And Verona asks we go nowhere for help. The city has built itself so that no one leaves the same way they came in. I don’t know if that’s the most difficult thing asked of me - or of you - but it’s the most prominent.”

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

A soft smile. Hugo thinks about Halcyon, and from her lips sweet as antifreeze, new marching orders. “Of course any endorsement of war would be immoral. Blood waters tragedy. That’s not saying anything new.” It hits him that a smile might not have been appropriate.

“But I don’t think it’s traitorous to admit either. I’m loyal to the Capulets, that’s never been in question. Leaders who discourage complicated emotion towards violence in their name should employ animals, loyal only to violence, not men. The Capulets have given me the gift of loyalty by accepting me into their ranks ..no matter the reason.. and that alone cements my allegiance, even if I don’t always agree with…all this.”

“War, more than anything, is a set of volatile conditions.” Hugo focuses on his hands, moving them in a haphazard pattern, an airplane crash. “I’m realistic enough, neutral enough — and I guess some might mistake that for ambivalence, but — I’m realistic enough to question who of us will survive it, especially those of us small enough our stepping on will go unnoticed. Little ants in the atomic blast. I’m trying to say, the flock, especially, is who I’m worried about, not so much the lions laying down with them. Even me.” He smiles again.  

[theshippigconnoisseur]

Chapter 5: The Unblinding Truth

It had been an eventful week, All the restless love making from the has put this young mug into an endless routine. Not that he liked having sex with his kettle but just the fact that his heart beat fast for him was enough to know that his love for his him was strong. So every day the mug boy would work out in the fields, go to the marketplace, and work on maintenance inside and outside the house as usual. Outside the realms of his home he was his old Mugman self, hardworking and reliable all across the land, but when he gets home, safely behind closed doors, his mind focused on one thing, his grandfather. Every day he would give him a kiss in the morning and one in the evening. Like before it was all a routine.

It wasn’t weird per say to the open eye but it didn’t bother the two in the slightest. Suppose it was just a matter of time before they expose their love to the world.

On the other end, Elder Kettle was his normal self as he went along the other areas of the house to see how his inventions were operating. In Short he was basically trying to move his body after all the sexual encounters he had with his grandson. He didn’t mind taking a few extra poundings here and there but it was more so checking to see if his inventions weren’t soiled in bodily fluids or destroyed from their rough housing.

It was interesting that an elderly person much so like elder kettle would have the capabilities to create such fascinating gadgets. He wasn’t like other elderly people, Ooooh no, this Kettle’s true passion is creating new inventions for his grandsons, and maybe possibly for others as well. Spending most of his time tinkering, hammering, and fiddling with screws and wires.

In the deepest part of the house, the elder stood at his work desk fiddling with something in his messily gloved hand. “Hmmmmm that should do it.” Readjusting the object in his hand. It was early in the morning, probably around the time that Cuphead left for “work”. Sun had yet to seep through the hillside where no roosters cawed at its suspecting radiance. The mug boy was still asleep in his own chambers only for the time being. Reason for that is because they didn’t want to give away any suspicions for cuphead to notice. For now in this very moment the elderly kettle was at peace, it was a relaxing day to just sit and mind his own business and his inventions.

Pressing a button, a sudden “BZZZZZZZZZZZZ” sound came from the object. “Works good.” He stated as he began stretching his arms above his head. The sound began to continue and the elder pressed another button to make the object change to different vibration patterns. “Hmmmm Maybe I should adjust it by a sinch.” He retorted as he fiddled with the contraption. Soon after he was done, the elderly kettle pressed the bottom to turn it off and looked over at his somewhat messy form “I better get breakfast going.”

With that he got up and walked across the deep hallway to an open room. He sighed as he gazed upon an empty messy bed next to mugman’s. “Hehehe messy as always.” He chuckled. A sleeping form was slightly shuffling in the covers of it’s bed. The elder walked up to it and placed a warm welcoming hand on the blanket. “My boy, better wake up soon, I’ll be making breakfast by the time the rooster crows.” With that, he walked his way out the room and left to wash up.

An hour later..

Coming into the kitchen, the mug boy spotted his grandfather cooking some breakfast by the sunlit window. “Morning Grandpa” Walking up to his lover and embracing him from the back. “Had a good night’s rest Mugman?” Earning a kiss on the cheek, “I did.” The elder looked over his shoulder at his grandson, who is still holding onto his Grandfather’s torso. “Hehe Mugman, I’m cooking right now. I don’t want you getting burned from the stove.” Another kissed was placed on his neck. “But I love you sooo much.” He moaned. The elder playfully shoved him “Mugman.” The mug boy retreated “okokok hehehe.”

Breakfast was served and they both ate in silence. It was the typical pancakes and syrup from the pantry. It was really good to the young mugs perspective “Breakfast tastes great.” He grabbed another fork full of pancakes. “Your being too generous my boy, it ‘s a simple recipe.” He smiled as he too continued to eat his early morning meal. As they continued to eat the elderly kettle looked up at his well fed grandson “While you were sleeping, I was making something in my studies.” Mugman paused and looked up at him with some reminisce of pancake on his fork. His face covered in crumbs.

The kettle continued “I believe you might like it my boy.” While finishing up the last stacks of pancakes. Mugman couldn’t hesitate and hastily finished up his breakfast. When it comes to inventions it made him, and also his brother cuphead, eager with anticipation.

It was a usual reaction whenever their grandfather made something.

I wonder what grandfather whipped up this time, he ate excitedly. The elder saw his fast pace scorging, “slow down Mugman, I don’t want you to choke on your food.” He stated, cleaning up his plate in the sink. “Oh Shorry gramma.” Face full of food.

“Be sure to clean up your stuff when your done.” The elder stated and left into the living room. Mugman looked over at his meal, seeing that it was almost done. He used the remaining time to finish and clean up the kitchen table. This took about thirty or so minutes to complete, which was enough.

“Grandpa, I finished my-” he spotted his grandfather on the window side looking over the outside autumn leaves that flushed out the colors in the breeze. Mugman thought he looked radiant.

“Um, Grandpa?” The elder looked over him. “Sorry, I was just admiring the change in the leaves” looking back at the window. “It’s subtle, but very beautiful don’t you think?”

The enlightened mug sighed, “Grandpa..” he walked across the living room and sat next to him. “You know I love you right?” The elder nodded. “I want to hear from you…” he looked down in hesitation but continued. “What are your thoughts on our relationship?”

The elderly kettle stared back at him in awe. “Mugman.” He tenderly cupped his grandson’s cheek. “Have I not told you before? My love for you is unconditional.” The mug’s eyes softened at his elder’s touch, leaning into his palm like it was their last meeting.

“Grandpa” The mug boy was edging in closer to his kettle. “My heart beats for you.” Grasping his elder’s hand and placing it against his chest. “Always.” He smiled.

“And as do I my boy.” The slowly leaned in taking in each other’s scent. One of scented metal and porcelain that instills the perfect combination.

They shared a loving kiss. Mugman wrapping his strong arms around his lover, embracing every moment. And elder kettle reciprocated the same in return.

They both stayed for a long while. Sparks continued to fly in all sorts of directions. Well… most likely steam. As soon as they parted from their intimate moment the dazed mug stared lovingly down at his grandfather. “What’d ya say we change things up a bit in bed, grandpa.” He purrred. “Your still horny as always my b-“

A sound thumped to the floor…. both Mugman and elder kettle stopped in their tracks as they traced the noise back to the entryway of the kitchen. A grocery back from the marketplace filled with produce and other necessities lie format. But the owner of it all stood before them…. in petrified shock. There…. stood in the midst of it all, Cuphead.

His face contorted in a most horrific look that anyone could’ve mustered. Mugman was sharing the same look as the one person that hated this kind of relationship… stood at the opening of his demise.

“How… I…. Wha-“ the cup boy was frozen. His hands trembled. He couldn’t believe his glassy eyes, tears began forming in the corner. “Cuphead I can explain!?” Cuphead flinched, taking a step back. Why…. why did he have to come home to…. this….

Mugman stood trying to approach him like he was a scared wounded animal. “Please, j-just let me expla-.” “WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!!!” The cupboy sudden anger began showing.

“Cuphead, Calm Down!!” The elder retorted. “NO! NO! NO! I REJECT THIS!!! I-I CAN’T!” The cautious mug was in front of his brother and lightly grasped his shoulder.

The scared cup jerked himself away and pushed his brother. “YOU’RE FUCKING SICK!!!! THATS OUR GRANDPA!!!”

“Cuphead I-“ the mug tried to explain but his brother beat him to it. “F-FUCK!!” Tears began falling from his eyes “No… I can’t take this! Not like this!” Mugman tried to interview but cuphead has rly bolted through the back Listen and out the door.

“CUPHEAD WAI-“ the elder grabbed his shoulder. “Wait Mugman, don’t this will upset him even more.”

“But I can just let him be! Who knows what he could do.” Hot stream of tears trailed down his eyes. “I don’t want to lose my brother.” The elder hugged his grandson. “I’m sorry my boy.” Joining his melancholy upbringing.

“I truly am….”

End (or is it?)

[iatethepomegranate]

(Belated) DickTiger Week Day 7: Picnic

This is so late I’m sorry. Happy birthday @iontorch

Masterlist (including AO3 links)

Title: We Should Do This Every Day

Rating: Explicit

Length: 4k

Summary: Dick and Tiger can't go very far for their honeymoon, but Dick has some ideas on how to make the most of it.

Notes: The park is VERY LOOSELY based on Colt State Park in Bristol, Rhode Island. I got some ideas on what to do from there and then went off and did my own thing.

The last scene is unabashed smut. I have also forgotten how to write smut.

We Should Do This Every Day

So maybe just hopping a few states over for a honeymoon wasn't what he'd had in mind, but Dick's siblings tended to get antsy when he was too far away for too long... as if he was about to fake his death again. Besides, he married Tiger because he liked the guy, not just because he loved him. If they couldn't enjoy each other's company anywhere, why get married at all?

Tiger was also hilarious during long drives... mainly because he became increasingly exasperated with Dick's attempts to entertain himself.

“I swear,” Tiger said from the passenger seat, “if you sing that damn song one more time...”

“Oh, come on. It's Batman's theme song.”

“You probably invented it,” Tiger grumbled, bumping the back of his head against the headrest.

“Not this one, no.” Dick shot him a grin before focusing back on the road. They'd been driving for a few hours and didn't have much longer left. Somehow, they hadn't killed each other, which boded well for their marriage. “We rescued a moderately famous band when I was Robin, so they wrote a song for us. It charted for a few weeks, actually. The local radio station still plays it sometimes.”

“I pity everyone who lives in Gotham City.”

“Just for the music?”

“Yes. Gotham City is a perfectly safe place otherwise.”

Dick snorted. “Can you believe I used to think you had no sense of humour?”

“My sense of humour is simply more refined than yours,” Tiger replied.

“That's just a fancy way of saying you don't find as many things funny.”

“Yes.”

Light was fading by the time they drove into town and reached the hotel. Dick and Tiger had alternated driving, so both were tired and strung-out and ready to sleep. It took a herculean effort to strip off their clothes before falling into bed. The mattress was hard, but that would just mean more leverage... when they weren't exhausted.

“At least we already knew we could get through a trip like that without killing each other,” Dick said, staring at the darkened ceiling. “Going on the run from Spyral is still paying off a year later.”

Tiger grunted into his pillow. Dick flopped across his back. They'd spent their wedding night in Gotham so they wouldn't keel over from exhaustion. Just as well, because they both fell asleep like this.

Of course, Tiger always rose early to pray, so Dick woke to find himself rolling gently across the bed, a whispered apology in his ear. It was Dick's own fault, really.

When Dick woke properly some time later, thin cracks of light lined the edges of the curtains and birdsong drifted in from outside the window. Tiger snored against his back, their legs tangled together under the warm covers.

Dick wanted to wake up like this for the rest of his life. Hell, if he had anything to say about it, he would... or as often as possible. Tiger still had his duties as Patron calling him away at times. This week, though? It was just for them.

Tiger shifted awake, rubbing his beard against Dick's bare shoulder. Dick rolled onto his back. Tiger settled against his chest, letting out a sigh as Dick stroked his hair.

“Morning, sunshine,” Dick said, his consonants still loose and lazy from sleep.

Tiger huffed. “Sunshine.”

“Shh. Let me call you things.”

“Hmph.” But he wasn't complaining.

Dick rubbed a hand over his face, yawning. “We should have breakfast.” They'd gone to bed early the previous night, and he was waking up faster than usual. That was nice. More time to spend hanging out with his BFF-slash-husband.

Tiger rolled out of bed, hunting for clothes. “Wash up. I will find you something to wear.”

“Should I be worried?”

“Yes. Fear me.”

Dick stripped off and stepped into the shower. Tiger had washed up earlier, so he wasn’t surprised when he didn’t join him. The alone time gave Dick a moment to think. He’d been in touch with the hotel beforehand and had gotten some advice for what to do in the area. They’d also agreed to help him source a few items to help things along. He’d spent a few minutes on the phone at a rest stop the previous day confirming that everything would be ready.

But first: a light breakfast.

Fortunately, the clothing Tiger had picked out for Dick was inoffensive. Probably less awful than what Dick would’ve chosen for himself. They’d mostly packed light, given the weather forecast, with a coat or two just in case. Dick tied his sweater around his neck like an asshole, mostly because Tiger hated it.

They had breakfast out on the patio, feet nudging together under the table. Tiger had taken his suggestion to eat lightly to heart, and he hadn’t questioned why.

“Aren’t you a little bit curious?” Dick asked him, spoonful of cereal forgotten in his half-raised hand. Tiger had that effect on him.

“I am,” Tiger admitted, reaching over to guide the spoon into Dick’s mouth. “Now eat, you child.”

Dick swallowed his mouthful. “Come on, man. You normally complain a lot more than this.”

“I am biding my time.” Tiger gave him a sharp, toothy smile. “You enjoy my complaints too much.”

“True. You’re cute when you’re grumpy.”

Tiger’s cheeks coloured a little, and he seized on the sudden chattering of birds in flight above them to look somewhere else. Dick rested his cheek in his hand, watching him. He could stare at Tiger for hours and not get bored. For a spy, he was rather emotive once you knew what to look for, mostly in the eyes and eyebrows. A single raised eyebrow could tell stories that Dick needed hundreds of words to tell.

Tiger caught him staring. “What?”

“Oh, nothing.” That all-too-familiar feeling of affection rose in Dick’s chest so quickly he had to let it out. “I just love you.”

Tiger’s eyes darted downwards for a moment, but then he reached out and slotted his fingers between Dick’s hand and his cheek. “I love you, too.”

They could’ve happily gone back to the hotel room and spent the whole day in there, but Dick had put a lot of planning into today and he was going to use it. The hotel had come through and sent what he requested to the nearby state park, where they’d pick it up from the ranger station. Dick wanted to keep Tiger in the dark until the last minute.

They borrowed a pair of bikes and set out. The roads were quiet today, and they were on a bike track in no time. There was just enough room to ride side-by-side, with good visibility in case someone needed to get past.

“Do you intend to tell me where we are going?” Tiger asked. There was something funny about seeing him on an ordinary bicycle after seeing him on motorcycles and tanks. It did great things for his thighs, though.

“Soon,” Dick promised. “I wanted to surprise you.”

The trail turned out back to the road soon enough, and they had to ride single file the rest of the way. They left the bikes chained up outside the park and walked inside, hands linked together. Tiger was observing the rolling green lawns around them with a little frown. Dick wanted to kiss the crease between his eyebrows.

They reached the ranger station and Dick finally grabbed the important piece of today’s outing: a picnic basket full of goodies from the local shops around town. Tiger watched him silently, a peculiar look on his face.

Dick opened the basket to check that everything was in order. “Everything okay, T?”

“I…” Tiger cleared his throat. “Yes.”

Dick grabbed his hand, leading him along the winding paths towards a spot the hotel staff had promised they would love. “Come on. What’s going on?”

Tiger kept his eyes on the greenery around them. “I do not know how to… no one has ever…”

“This your first picnic?”

“Yes.”

“Nervous?”

“I suppose.” The fact Tiger could admit something it spoke volumes of how far their relationship had come since those first days of trading barbs and trying not to kill each other out of frustration.

“You don’t have to be super cool and knowledgeable about everything, you know.” Dick looped his arm around Tiger’s, leaning against his shoulder as they walked. “It’s okay to feel out of your depth sometimes.”

“I always feel out of my depth with you.”

“That’s love, T.”

Tiger made a soft, possibly amused, possibly rueful, noise. “You know I am not used to people… doing things for me.”

“I’ll give you plenty of practice.”

His frown eased off the tiniest bit, which was the equivalent of a relieved sigh in Tiger-language. Dick nuzzled his shoulder and caught the corner of Tiger’s mouth lifting a little.

They finally reached the spot and Dick laid out the blanket. There was an open-air chapel nearby that was apparently popular for small weddings. It was just an archway and some white benches, but it still made Dick feel emotional as he laid out their spread for lunch. Dick and Tiger had married in Alfred’s rose garden. Bruce had enlisted the batkids’ help to build an archway and decorate it with the roses Alfred was willing to pluck from the garden. The park’s setup here was much simpler, but it still had Dick a little choked up.

Two men in suits were under the archway, with a small handful of people looking on. The men were wrapped up in each other, as if nobody around them existed. Dick knew that feeling well.

Tiger fed Dick a ribbon sandwich, capturing his attention once again. Eating from Tiger’s hands always went one of two ways: either the food tasted infinitely better, or he’d get so distracted that he no longer tasted the food at all. Tiger’s fingers caressing his cheek put him into that second camp.

They fed each other sandwiches, keeping an eye on the ceremony nearby. The men were crying, their foreheads pressed together.

“Do not start,” Tiger warned Dick. “Please.”

“As if you’re not getting a little misty-eyed over there,” Dick teased. They’d already finished the sandwiches without really tasting them. Then came bread and cheeses and grapes and figs.

The couple under the arch kissed. Dick leaned back against Tiger. He could almost smell the sweetness of those roses again. Their first kiss as a married couple had been tender. Tiger had cradled the back of his head like glass and dipped him like a princess. Dick didn’t mind feeling like a princess sometimes, especially when it came to the romantic stuff.

Tiger wrapped his arms around Dick’s shoulders, kissing the top of his head. “They look happy.”

“Yeah.” Dick still felt teary; he’d always had an overabundance of empathy. Couple that with memories of one of the happiest days of his life, and he had no chance. “I’m happy, too.”

“As am I.” Tiger rested his cheek where he’d kissed. He wasn’t normally this affectionate in public.

“Would you kill me if I took a selfie right now?”

“No,” Tiger said warmly. Dick got the impression he wanted to remember this moment, too.

Dick wrestled out his phone and snapped a picture of them cuddled up like this against a backdrop of green grass and distant sea. The sky was bright blue and clear. It looked exactly how Dick felt. He texted a copy of the photo to Alfred and then put his phone away. Tiger held his attention far more easily than anything else in the world.

Dick rested the platter on his lap and fed Tiger grapes over his head. Tiger would sometimes grab one and shove it into Dick’s mouth instead. Lying here, being lazy and shoving food in each other’s faces was such a stark contrast to their usual panicked running-around-trying-to-save-the-world-from-burning-down lifestyle that Dick realised this had been the right decision. Anything more elaborate than this would’ve been exhausting. They needed to relax for once.

And maybe cry over other people’s weddings.

Soft music floated over from someone’s phone at the ceremony and the two men were slow-dancing in a circle. Tiger gave Dick a squeeze. They’d felt too awkward to dance in front of the handful of people that had been at their wedding, which had been Dick’s family plus Helena, but they’d swayed together in their room afterwards.

Dick rested his head against Tiger’s chest, closing his eyes. He could feel the rise and fall of his husband’s breaths. It was one of the most comforting things he’d ever experienced. Sometimes he just liked to lie on top of him with his ear pressed against Tiger’s chest, listening to the beat of his heart and the gentle rushing of air.

The wedding party was gone when he opened his eyes; he must’ve fallen asleep. Tiger’s lovely green eyes watched him with amusement as he sat up and stretched. Dick threw a grape at him.

They quietly packed up the remnants of the picnic, nibbling on leftover bits and pieces as they went. Tiger shook the blanket and folded it away. There was still plenty of time in the day, though, and Dick didn’t want to leave yet.

He rested the basket on one of the chapel benches and led Tiger to the arch. It was a pretty lattice design, pure white. The grass had been worn down to dirt beneath it, and there was something beautiful in that, in the fact so many people had stood there with the one they loved and said the words to tie their souls together. So many hearts poured out in this one spot.

“We are already married, Dick,” Tiger reminded him, but he was smiling a little.

Dick gently swung their joined hands side-to-side. “I want to live in that moment a while longer.”

“It is a good moment,” Tiger agreed, tugging Dick towards him. He slid an arm around Dick’s waist, keeping the other hand firmly clasped in his. “Our first dance was an afterthought. We should do another.”

Dick let Tiger lead their swaying. It was less awkward doing this in front of random people walking by than a small group of people he knew well. The birdsong was their music, their hearts the rhythm.

Tiger rested his forehead against Dick’s and they both closed their eyes. Tiger freed his hand from Dick’s and slid it into his hair. They kissed slowly. Dick could almost smell the roses again. Wherever they ended up in the future, he’d have to plant some.

Dick lost track of time. He laid his head on Tiger’s shoulder and their swaying turned to gentle rocking on the spot, their arms wrapped around each other.

“I love this,” Dick whispered. “We should do this every day.” He felt Tiger smile against the side of his face.

“We should.” Tiger didn’t bring up the fact he would likely be absent for weeks, if not months, at a time. They’d deal with that later. This week was for them. No worrying allowed.

It was almost dark by the time they returned to the hotel. Tiger headed upstairs to pray while Dick spoke to the hotel staff to thank them for their help organising the picnic.

Tiger was sitting cross-legged in the of the bed when Dick returned. His fingers reverently traced the edges of his Quran as he gently closed it.

“I enjoyed our picnic,” he said quietly. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome, babe.” Dick climbed onto the bed beside him. “Did you want to read for a bit longer?”

Tiger shook his head. “One moment.” He slid off the bed to put the book away, and then lay down in the middle of the bed. Dick couldn’t help but trace the bridge of his nose with the tip of his finger. Tiger just smiled up at him. He smiled so freely with Dick these days. Dick loved that smile, so he kissed him.

Tiger slid his fingers down Dick’s neck and shoulders, coaxing him closer. Dick lay on top of him, and Tiger pressed his hands his back, fingers digging in. He pressed his thigh against Dick’s hip and Dick held him there.

They shed their clothes clumsily, unwilling to spend more than a few moments with their lips apart from each other.

“What do you want, babe?” Dick said, nipping Tiger’s ear.

Tiger snorted at the nickname, his legs wrapping around Dick’s waist. Dick got the message and reached for the lube he’d thrown on the nightstand at some point.

Tiger sighed when Dick slipped a finger inside him. “Finally.”

Dick kissed his stomach, grinning as his muscles shuddered. They were more than capable of going days without sex if necessary, but they didn’t like it… especially now. If they hadn’t been dead tired last night, they probably would’ve been up all night.

Dick pressed his tongue to the tip of Tiger’s cock. Tiger swore under his breath, grabbing fistfuls of bedcovers. So Dick licked him from base to tip, wrapping his lips around him and sliding back down. Tiger grabbed his hair, biting down on the pillow.

Dick pulled off, replacing his mouth with his free hand. “Sensitive tonight?”

“Do not stop. Please.”

“Well, since you asked so nicely…” Dick busied his mouth with things other than talking. Tiger grabbed the headboard, groaning. He didn’t take long to come into Dick’s mouth. Then he silently beckoned Dick towards him. Dick straddled his torso and Tiger grabbed his cock, twisting his wrist just so, enough that Dick had to put his hands down on the bed before he lost his balance.

“Fuck me,” Tiger said, his voice already rough.

“Won’t you be too sensitive?”

“You are a clever man, Dick. Find a solution.”

Tiger got so bossy when he bottomed. Well, he was bossy during sex in general, but he took that to impressive heights at times like this. Dick didn’t waste any time, grabbing the condom from the nightstand.

He settled between Tiger’s legs and gently pressed inside. Tiger let out a long breath and relaxed around him. His cock twitched, but it wasn’t quite ready to get hard again. Dick was going to have a hard time keeping himself together for long enough, but he’d always relished a challenge. At least Tiger had a short refractory period compared to some other (non-metahuman) guys Dick had slept with in the past. He could usually be coaxed into getting hard again with a few minutes, at least the first time.

Until then, though, Dick had to be gentle. Every movement brought out a reaction in Tiger, such a stark difference from the man he’d thought Tiger was when they first met.

Tiger caressed Dick’s cheek. “You can go faster.”

“You’ll tell me if it hurts, right?”

Tiger rolled his eyes. “Yes, Dick. We have established this.”

“My blood really isn’t in my brain right now, T. Cut me some slack.”

Tiger chuckled, which reverberated through his whole body, including his ass. Both of them had to take a breath.

“That was interesting,” said Dick.

“Mm.” Tiger nudged Dick with his thigh. “That was not an invitation to stop.”

“Yes, sir.”

Tiger grumbled about that, but Dick’s slow thrusts didn’t let him stay coherent for long. He was getting hard again, so Dick moved faster. Tiger jerked himself, breaths coming in pants, until he threw his hand away, grabbing more blankets in his fist instead.

Dick brushed his hand across Tiger’s nipples and down his chest. He trailed his fingers across his hips, barely touching the hair around his cock. Tiger grabbed Dick’s ass, pushing him in deeper. Dick was not going to last much longer. He changed his angle, and Tiger moaned, arching off the bed.

“Dick. I need… ngh… more. Roll over.”

If there was anything hotter than Tiger splayed out beneath Dick, panting for his cock, it absolutely was Tiger on top, riding his cock until they both saw stars.

Dick’s back hit the mattress and Tiger sank down on top of him. He set a punishing pace that Dick absolutely needed right now, his cock rubbing against Dick’s stomach. Dick grabbed Tiger’s hips and thrusted upwards to meet him.

Tiger leaned down and kissed him, all tongue and teeth. They had to break apart every few seconds to breathe, but fuck it was hot. Dick dug his fingers into Tiger’s hips. Their rhythm stuttered, breaths tearing out of their throats. Tiger grabbed the headboard for leverage, eyes squeezed shut, face screwed up as he moaned.

“Fuck, Tiger. I’m gonna… ahh.” Dick couldn’t take it anymore. He came inside Tiger.

Tiger grabbed his cock and fucked into his hand, spilling over onto Dick’s stomach. He was beyond sound, breaths coming out in short puffs. Dick caressed his thighs until he collapsed on top of him.

They lay there for a while, listening to each other’s breathing. Tiger shoved his face into the pillow for a moment, until he could find the energy to slide off and curl up against Dick’s side. His eyes were already closed.

Dick cupped his chin. “Tired?”

“Mm-hm.”

He kissed the man’s forehead. “Good day, huh?”

“Mm.” Tiger opened his eyes. “Thank you for everything. And fuck you.”

“Wow, man. I just made you come twice and that’s the thanks I get?”

“Now I have to take you on a date just as good as this one,” Tiger replied.

Dick snorted. “Well, if it makes you feel better, we’re married now. You can do that whenever you want. Hell, bring me donuts on patrol and blow me in an alley to the dulcet tones of a police siren and I’ll call it even.”

Tiger barked out a laugh, shoving a hand over his mouth as if hadn’t realised how loud it was. “I will do it, Dick.”

“Looking forward to it.” It was nowhere near the weirdest sex thing either of them had done, together or with others. “So, you definitely liked it?”

“Dick. I loved it.” Tiger ran a light finger down Dick’s throat. Dick wouldn’t normally let anyone touch him there—did anyone?—but it was somehow sweet when Tiger did.

“Okay. Good.”

“You know I loved it.” Tiger cuddled closer, planting a kiss on Dick’s lips.

“Maybe I wanted to hear you say it again.” Dick tangled his legs with Tiger’s. “I love you lots.”

“I love you too.” Tiger touched his forehead to Dick’s and they both closed their eyes.

Dick was going to make sure they had more days like this. The look Tiger had given him when he learned they were having a picnic was hard to forget. He wanted Tiger to experience more amazing new things he’d never had the chance to try before. He was going to spoil him rotten, just like Tiger loved to spoil him.

They’d had to fight to get here at all. Dick was not about to take that for granted. Every day with Tiger was full of laughter and wonder and so much love Dick felt like he was going to burst from it sometimes.

Tiger relaxed into sleep and Dick watched him. His breaths were slow and calm, his beard lightly scratching Dick’s shoulder. Dick wanted more of this, too, and he knew he was going to get it.

They were married now. The thought still made Dick want to do somersaults, but right now he was content to grab the blankets and cosy up to his wonderful husband. He was going to kiss him senseless in the morning.

Whatever happened in the future, however much Tiger had to travel as Patron, they would always have this. They would always come back together.

They would always be Tiger and Dick: partners, lovers…

Husbands.

[thewritenerd]

Victor and Adam: NaNoWriMo Day 22 & 23

‘You don’t know if you like her?’ Maram suggested. Adam nodded. ‘I’m still new to a lot of things. And there are a lot of things I’m still figuring out.’ Marram looked thoughtful. ‘We need to get to class now. But we’ll talk more at break.’ With that she and Oscar said goodbye to Adam and went off down the hall as Adam made his way up the stairs. ‘Hey Adam.’ Shreya said as she came over to him. ‘So who was that you were talking to?’ ‘Oh just some kids from science.’ Shreya nodded. They didn’t say anything as they made their way to the computer rooms. Adam wanted to say something to her but what? Should he ask about the book? Or would she be upset he hadn’t figured out what it had meant? Shreya stopped just outside her classroom and turned to face Adam. ‘Uh Adam, I was wondering. Do you any chance want to do something together this weekend? There’s going to be a funfair just outside of town. Or if the weathers bad we could just get a drink?’ she cocked her head to one side and looked up at him with a small smile on her face. The thought of spending a day with Shreya did sound nice. But the thought of going into town made him want to be sick. He shook his head. ‘Sorry I don’t really feel like doing that sort of thing. You’ll have to ask someone else.’ Shreya’s smile fell. ‘Oh well never mind.’ She said as she slipped into her class without another word. Unsure what had just happened Adam made his way to his class two doors down. Once inside he spotted Chelsea in their usual spot and took a seat next to it. 

‘So how was Chem?’ Chelsea asked. ‘Fine.’ He said. Chelsea frowned at him. ‘Something happened didn’t it?’ He shrugged. ‘I’m not sure.’ ‘Adam.’ He sighed and explained what had happened in the hallway and what Maram and Oscar had told him. When he was done Chelsea just sat staring at him. Then slowly it began to shake its head at him. ‘You are an idiot.’ Adam frowned. ‘I’m not…’ ‘A girl asks you on a date and your response is ask someone else?’ It was Adam’s turn to shake his head. ‘She didn’t ask me if she wanted to go on a date, just…’ ‘Just go out together just the two of you with no one else?’ ‘Yeah.’ ‘While openly flirting as she did so?’ He shrugged, truthfully he hadn’t been entirely sure what she’d been doing had been flirting. Though thinking back maybe it should have been more obvious to him. ‘Well should you really go out with someone if you don’t know if you like them?’ Chelsea looked thoughtful. ‘Well not if you know you don’t. But if you’re not sure sometimes it’s good to give it a go. If it turns out you were wrong you break up. Maybe someone cries about it. Then you both move on. But if you don’t give it a go then you’ll never know.’ ‘I don’t want to make anyone cry.’ ‘No one does. But it may be too late to worry about that.’ Adam looked down at his hands. His mind was running in circles. He probably did like Shreya. But he was scared. And how could they be a couple if he couldn’t even go anywhere without being yelled at in the street. ‘Just think about it okay.’ Chelsea said turning to its computer screen.

***

It was Victor who picked Adam up from school at lunch. He explained he’d had a meeting and as he had the car he and Igor had figured it would be easier if he picked Adam up. Adam didn’t say anything in response instead he just sat staring out of the window. ‘I brought you some lunch. Seeing as you didn’t have any breakfast. Adam looked at the paper bag and pulled it open. A strong greasy scent emitted from the bag. It shouldn’t have been appetising but it made Adam’s stomach growl. ‘You’d better eat it now. If Igor finds out I’ve given you junk food we’ll both be in trouble.’ He glanced over to Adam. ‘Thanks.’ He said as he reached in and opened one of the cardboard boxes. It wasn’t until he’d started eating that he realised just how hungry he had been. By the time Victor parked the car he had eaten everything but the chicken bones. ‘Thought you’d be hungry.’ Adam nodded. ‘Yeah. Thanks again.’ Victor began to climb out. ‘Go and throw all that away. In the outside bin. Then you can just go and do whatever you like.’ Adam stepped out of the car and made his way over to the bins which sat just behind where the car was parked. Making his way inside he wondered what to do now. He supposed he should use his free time working on his invention. He’d lost two days of work already and he’d promised Dr Ramaker he’d have it done in a month.

 Victor

Justine arrived on Wednesday not long after Igor had left to pick Adam up from school. Victor had seen the taxicab drive up and had come out to great her. She quickly made her way over and threw her arms around him. ‘How are you?’ he asked once she’d released him from her grip. ‘Better now I know I’ll have some time away from all… that.’ Victor nodded. ‘Well Igor’s not here but I can help you with your bags and show you your room.’ He picked up his sister’s old high school gym bag and a plastic carrier bag filled with her various soaps and perfumes. Justine took out her suitcase and swung her backpack onto her back. She called her thanks to the taxi driver, who gave her a thumbs up before driving off, before turning to follow Victor inside. He lead her up the stairs and along the hallway. ‘My room is just around the corner.’ He said as he pushed the door to her new room open. And at the end of that hallway you’ll find the stairs leading to Igor’s quarters. If you ever need either of us.’ Justine nodded and set her bags down on the bed. ‘We usually eat dinner at six.’ Victor continued. ‘Igor insists we all eat together unless I’m on a deadline for work. Speaking of which I’m sure this goes without saying but while I’m in my office I expect everyone to be quiet while moving around the ground floor.’ Justine nodded smiling a bit. ‘You really haven’t changed.’ She teased. Victor shook his head. ‘Well I’ll leave you to unpack.’ With that he left. It wasn’t long before he heard Adam and Igor coming through the front door. Making his way to the front door he nearly got knocked over by Adam who was rushing past. ‘Sorry.’ Adam called as he ran off. ‘Don’t run in… And he’s gone.’ Victor turned to face Igor. ‘What was all that about?’ ‘He asked if he could go to the ruins. I said he could as long as he was back in time to washup for dinner.’ ‘Right. Doesn’t explain why he’s in such a hurry but never mind. Anyway speaking of dinner Justine’s here and I’d like you to make Coq Au Vin. It’s her favourite you see.’ Igor nodded. ‘Of course sir.’ With that he left to begin preparing the meal.

***

Come dinner time Victor found himself being the last to arrive. Adam was already sat at his usual seat at one end of the table and Justine had been seated somewhere in the middle. ‘Sorry I’m late. Had to make a phone call.’ Victor explained as he took his seat at the other end of the table. Justine reassured him it was fine, Adam simply shrugged. Igor served the food and poured the wine for Victor before turning to Justine. ‘Any wine for the lady?’ he asked. Justine blinked. ‘Uh. Yeah sure go on.’ Igor poured her drink before leaving to put the bottle away. Justine sniffed at the red liquid before taking a sip. ‘Hmm.’ She said nodding to herself. ‘Not bad. So what’s the occasion?’ she asked Victor. ‘Nothing.’ He replied as he picked up his fork. ‘I always have a glass at dinner sometimes a little more on a weekend. I’m not a big drinker but I find it adds something to the meal.’ Justine nodded before turning to Adam. ‘What about you? You ever drink?’ ‘Adam is underage.’ Victor said a little more snappily than he would have liked. Quickly he composed himself before continuing. ‘I doubt Igor would approve of me giving a minor alcohol.’ Justine gave him a look that said, I’m not falling for it. He hated that look mainly because whatever conclusion she had come to usually turned out to be undeniably correct. Even when Victor didn’t know it himself. The majority of the dinner conversation was taken up by Adam and Justine who had asked him to call her Auntie Justine. Adam had seemed delighted at this. Once they’d finished eating and waited for dessert, fruit salad with a dollop of cream, Justine asked Adam if he’d ever seen any ghosts. ‘Ghosts?’ Adam asked looking from Justine to Victor. ‘Yeah ghosts old building like this must have some. I saw a ghost once.’ Victor let out a long sigh. ‘For the last time that wasn’t a ghost. That was Elizabeth getting a glass of water. You and your friend scared yourselves over nothing.’ ‘That’s what you think. But how do you explain it happening just after we’d summoned a ghost.’ ‘Coincidence. You used that Ouija board at the same time Elizabeth always goes downstairs for a drink.’ Justine shook her head. ‘I’m telling you it wasn’t Liz.’ ‘I’m sorry but could someone please tell me what a ghost is?’ Adam asked. Jusine turned to look at him. ‘You’ve never heard of ghosts. A ghost is the spirit of a dead person who hasn’t moved on to the otherside. Some are pretty peaceful just wandering around the place they died. But some are really aggressive. Attacking anyone who comes near. Or even just specific people. But what these ghosts really want is to reap their revenge on the one or ones who wronged them. And until then they’ll never know peace.’ ‘Justine that’s enough!’ Victor said slamming his fist down. He turned to Adam who had started to shake. ‘It’s all nonsense ignorant people thought up when they scared themselves over thinking every little shadow. There are no such thing as ghosts. Justine’s just trying to scare you.’ ‘Well it worked.’ Adam said sounding close to tears. ‘Oh sweetie I didn’t mean to freak you out so much. I was only messing around.’ Adam nodded but wouldn’t look at her. He ate his dessert quicker than usual before standing up and rushing out without a word. ‘What the hell was that about?’ Victor hissed at Justine the moment he was gone. ‘Telling him all that nonsense. Especially after…’ ‘I know. I’m sorry I wasn’t thinking about that.’ ‘I don’t think you were thinking at all.’ Victor scolded. He knew he should probably drop the subject but he couldn’t stop thinking about how scared Adam had seemed. ‘The boy has enough trouble sleeping. I don’t need you to make things worse.’ Justine simply nodded and finished her fruit in silence.  Once he’d finished Victor decided to make his way up to Adam’s room to see if he was okay. He found him sitting at his desk working on another invention. This one looked like it was quite far along and Victor was surprised Adam hadn’t mentioned it. ‘What’s that?’ he asked. Adam jumped snapping the small strip of metal he’d been holding in two. ‘Shit.’ Adam hissed before turning round. ‘Uh it’s nothing.’ Victor raised an eyebrow. ‘I’ll pretend I didn’t hear you cursing. Anyway you don’t usually refer to your inventions as nothing.’ Adam shrugged. ‘It’s not an invention perse. I’m just experimenting with different mechanisms.’ Victor nodded. ‘So what have you found out?’ Adam shrugged looking at the ground. ‘Well there’s no point doing experiments if you can’t even remember what you learnt from them. You need to write this stuff down. I could get you some notebooks, that one you’ve got is probably getting pretty full by now and it’s best to keep your notes separate. Would you like that?’ Adam simply nodded but didn’t say anything. Victor sighed. ‘Justine didn’t mean to scare you so much. Though I suspect she wanted to scare you a little. I’ve had a word with her about pulling something like that.’ ‘Did you tell her about, about me going to therapy?’ Adam asked. Victor shook his head. ‘It didn’t seem relevant.’ ‘Good. Because I don’t want people knowing. They already think I’m… I don’t want to give them anymore reason to treat me like…’ ‘Justine wouldn’t do that. But if you want to keep it quiet then that’s what we’ll do.’ He turned to leave before stopping. ‘Oh and I got a call from your school. Something about destroying one of the science rooms?’ ‘It was one bench. And it wasn’t deliberate. An experiment went wrong.’ Victor chuckled a bit at the indignation in the boys voice. ‘Yeah I figured as much. Don’t worry I’ve dealt with it.’ He left and headed back downstairs.

Adam

Adam woke up with a start after another nightmare. This was a new one. He’d dreamt he’d looked out of his bedroom window and seen that little girl looking up at him. He’d taken a step back away from the window and heard a horrifying crunch from underneath him. Looking down he’d see William lying on the floor with his skull completely crushed under Adam’s foot. The dream had been so vivid even now he was fully awake Adam could swear he could feel the brains between his toes. He started pacing up and down his room clawing at his wrists as he did so. He should really take his meds, but had it been six hours since the last dose? And if he took them now he’d only be able to take them one more time over the next 24 hours. And with another Chemistry lesson and English and a therapist appointment all he would probably need two doses over the course of the day tomorrow. Deciding he needed to save his pills and too worked up to try and sleep he sat down at his computer. He found two new follow requests on Instagram from Maram and Oliver which he accepted straight away. He found links to another couple of sites on Oliver’s account so he clicked on them and followed them. One turned out to be a youtube channel and to Adam’s surprise he found he’d posted a few videos. They seemed to be mostly educational with titles like; Dating a Hijabi Muslim (ft. My Girlfriend), How to Use an Epi Pen and Trans Male vs Trans Masc What’s The Difference. There were also a couple of gaming videos. Adam decided to give one of those a watch as he didn’t feel like anything too heavy. He found a video of Oscar playing a dating sim. This sim was about a man who had moved house with his daughter to a street where most of the people living there were also single dads. He remembered Nate had played it himself and kept going on at Adam and Chelsea to play it. ‘I thought you were aromantic?’ Chelsea had joked. ‘Yeah so? That doesn’t mean I can’t enjoy a good love story.’ Adam still had no desire to play the game himself, but he was curious as to what it was like. He clicked play on the video and sat back to watch. It was clearly an older video, Oliver had no braces and notably less piercings than Adam was used to seeing him with. His hair was also orange and pink rather than the various shades of blue it had been the other day. Though Adam noted the haircut was the same. He’d only meant to watch a couple of episodes to get his head to calm down but before he’d known it the sun was coming up and he was still awake. Well at least I got some sleep. He thought as he got up. There was no point even trying to go to bed now but it would be a while until Igor made breakfast. Deciding to take another trip to the ruins Adam quickly got dressed. And made his way downstairs, taking care to tiptoe when passing Justine’s door. Once outside he started to make his way to the trapdoor. He wasn’t going to go down it, not again. He’d been down there the night before to see if he could find a couple of things to use in his invention in Victor’s lab. Technically it was stealing, but they were such small items he doubted Victor would miss them. No he wouldn’t risk going down there so soon after he’d just done so but he did want to see that trapdoor again. As he approached though he suddenly saw something, or should that be someone darting across the ruins. Now there was no doubt in his mind he had been seeing someone. This person was as solid and as real as the stones around them. Adam couldn’t see their face as they had their back to him and they wore a dark blue hoody, the hood up concealing their hair. But he could tell they were not a skinny individual. Though anyone who would assume this figure would be slow because of this they would have soon changed their mind upon seeing them run. Adam charged after them but couldn’t quite catch up. The chase ended when he tripped over a small pile of stone and the stranger disappeared into the woods. ‘Shit.’ Adam hissed as he tried to sit up. ‘Ahh! Shit shit shit.’ He said a little louder at the pain that went up his left arm as he put weight on it. Trying his best not to lean on it he struggled to his feet using his right arm to push himself up and made his way in doors.