#okay enough of that. back to having fun with brackets c: | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

awindylife-writes · 3 years ago

Text

Voyage of the Damned Part 2

Relationships: the Doctor x reader, Astrid x reader (platonic), Astrid x Doctor (platonic)

Summary: Voyage of the Damned rewrite. The Doctor and you find yourselves on the Titanic, space edition. You meet Astrid and get ready for a wonderful day, but then a meteor shower hits the ship and it starts falling towards Earth.

Author's notes: There was a number of things l didn't like about this Christmas special so again, l rewrote it.

Warnings: a ship crashes, multiple mentions of dearth bc a lot of people die

"Oi, Steward! I'm telling you, the shields are down!" a new man yelled.

"LISTEN TO HIM! LISTEN TO HIM!" the Doctor desparately screamed in the Steward's face. The two crewmen let him go and you didn't know it, but it was too late.

A moment later the ship started rocking like it was being torn apart, because it was. You lost your footing and fell back as everything turned sideways.

"Y/N!!!!" you heard the Doctor's terrified scream through the noise of the ship's destruction and the cries of other passengers. You couldn't even get a good look at where he was before something in the walls exploded and you threw yourself away.

You found Astrid near you and thank god for that. "I've got you!" you yelled over the noise and gripped her tight as you tried to shield her from the hell around you.

Then there were arms around you too, holding you up and protecting you. You knew those arms.

The Doctor had found you and the three of you clung to each other in that madness. You could feel each shudder of the ship like a wave of an earthquake. You tried to keep yourself steady and upright but you were the snow in a snowglobe someone was shaking. Balance was a mith and everything was being ripped apart. Various pieces of equipment were falling on all sides, there was fire burning all around you; you could feel its heat on your skin and you breathed its smoke. You felt sick from being thrown around but you were too terrified to hurl.

You couldn't close your eyes even though you wanted to. Everything in you was screaming to watch out for danger, but there was so much of it around you you didn't know where to look. You stared at disaster over Astrid's shoulder and the Doctor's arm. Shadow and light mixed into a disorienting mess and the shades the fire threw joined the dance. You coudn't distinguish what was near and what was far but you still looked.

The only thing you could do was clutch Astrid and the Doctor with all the strength you possessed and wish they wouldn't be harmed.

Finally you were thrown to the side in one last bang and then it stopped. You were lying on the floor and partly on the Doctor. He was on his back, still holding you and Astrid.

After a breath he let go, then stood up and swiftly looked around. You sat up, thankful you were still in one piece. You let go of Astrid enough to check her over and relief washed over you when you found out she was unharmed. You were about to yell if everyone was okay but the Doctor sushed you. After a moment of absolute silence he quetly declared, "It's stopping."

He then looked down at you in worry and offered you a hand. "You alright?"

As you quietly nodded, he looked over at your friend. "Astrid?"

She nodded too and took the hand he'd offered her. He pulled both of you to your feet.

"Bad name for a ship," he told you, scowling. "Either that, or this suit is really unlucky."

"We'll get you a new one and then we'll test that theory," you smiled weakly at him.

He looked at you, grateful, and then you heard Astrid suck in a breath.

The three of you looked down at the unlucky officer who was on the ground close to you. The Doctor kneeled to check him over. You saw him shake his head at the Steward and your stomack turned to stone.

The Steward was dead now too. You looked out the door with the Doctor, at the wreckage and the distant Earth. Still beautiful, you thought to yourself. You were a bit dazed, nothing felt real and everything was too real at the same time.

You knew you never wanted to feel so powerless again, but you also knew that drive was in you still. You would help where you could.

You gathered yourself and asked, "What happened?"

"How come the shields were down?" Astrid demanded a second later. You jumped, you hadn't noticed her there. She smiled gently at you, blue eyes kind, and caressed your shoulder. You managed a small, grateful smile in return.

"I don't think it was an accident," the Doctor growled. You figured that.

"How many dead?" Astrid and you asked in one voice, both looking at the Steward's body out in space. She was indignant though, while you were simply sad.

"We're alive," the Doctor answered her and then looked at you. "Focus on that," he told you gently. He knew what people being hurt did to you.

"I'll get you out of here," his voice was soft but firm. Then he turned to Astrid and you followed his eyes. She was trembling, still looking out at the result of the hell you all had endured. You took her hand into yours and squeezed it.

"I will get you both out of here," the Doctor assured her. "Astrid, l promise. Look at me." He held her shoulders and when she found his eyes, he assured her again, "I promise."

You were glad, because when the Doctor promised something, it happened. You needed her to live. Even if she'd want nothing to do with you after this, you needed her to live. Even if she had been anyone else, you would have done your damnest to ensure she survived, but Astrid was extraordinary. To think about the universe without her?

No. No.

After she nodded shakily, he concluded, "Good," and turned around. He went on about reception but you tuned him out. Instead, you looked Astrid in the eye and then pulled her closer. She gratefully accepted the hug.

"You heard what the Doctor said and l'll say it too. I promise we'll get you out of here." You squeezed her shoulder in emphasis.

She breathed deeply and slowly let go. Then she smiled and her bright eyes crincled. "Thank you," she told you gratefully. You nodded and swung your still joined hands.

"You know, l met you about two hours ago, but now l think l've known you for years," she said in wonder.

"Yeah?" you asked her and she nodded, still smiling. "I feel that way too," you told her, giddy in this moment. You both grinned at each other.

"Oh," the Doctor's sad voice cut through.

You whirled around. "What is it what's wrong?"

"That's the TARDIS over there," he told you and you desparately searched for the blue box with your eyes. He was right, it was spinning in zero gravity, so close but still out of your reach.

"What is that?" Astrid asked in confusion.

"It's our ship," you told her, throat tight. "It's our home."

"And it's programmed to lock onto the nearest centre of gravity, and that would be the Earth."

You took care of the other passengers with Astrid as the Doctor talked to the bridge. You overheard enough to know the picture.

"Are we going to die?" Foon asked and everything started going downhill.

The Doctor sushed the frightened passengers. "First things first," he began in a determined voice. "One, we're gonna climb through this ship. B, no, two, we're gonna reach the bridge. Three, or c, we're gonna save the Titanic. And, coming in a very low four, or d, or that little iv in brackets they use in footnotes, follow me."

Good, that was good, you thought to yourself. Always good to establish a goal.

"Hang on a minute." The fricking billionare decided to show he's an ass. "Who put you in charge?" he demanded. "And who the hell are you anyway."

"I'm the Doctor. I'm a Time Lord." Sparks flew behind him and he was suddenly bigger than everyone in the hall.

"I'm from the planet Gallifrey in the constellation of Casterbourus." You were grinning like mad. You could almost hear magestic music playing.

"I'm nine hundred and three years old, and l'm the man who's gonna save your lives and all six billion people on the planet below. And she's gonna help," he interjected, looking at you. "Have you got a problem with that?" he asked the billionare.

"No," the man admitted, baffled.

The Doctor turned to you. "In that case..."

"Allons-y," you said for him with a smile and started walking. You turned back, grinning at the group as the Doctor fell into step with you. You found Astrid with your eyes and nodded your head for her to join you.

"This whole thing could come crashing down any minute!" the billionare whined as he helped you clear the staircase of debris.

"Oh, Brixton, did you get that message?" you asked him sweetly.

He frowned in confusion. "No, what message?"

"Shut up," you told him, not covering up your annoyance.

Then you heard from above, "Bannacafalata, made it!"

You climbed up behind Astrid. You weren't about to leave her alone on this bloody ship.

Foon's screams echoed in the chasm. Death, death, all around you death, whywhywhywhy WHY?!?!

"Alright, when it's ready, that blue light comes on there," the Doctor pointed at the spot on the battery Bannacafalata had given you. Another person you hadn't been able to save.

Astrid frowned. "You're talking as if you two aren't coming with us."

"There's something down on deck thirty-one," you told her, "and we're gonna find out what it is."

"But what if you meet a Host?" She was worried about you and the thought melted your heart.

"Well, then we'll just..." The Doctor wiggled his eyebrows at you, smiling, "have some fun."

"Sounds like you two do this kinda thing all the time," Astrid added nonchalantly.

"Not by choice," you assured her, voice soft.

"Yeah, all we do is travel," the Doctor pitched in.

"Imagine it," you told her, suddenly wishing with all your heart you were out there, with her in the stars. "No stakes, no bills, no boss. Just the open sky." The wonder you felt when you thought about all you've seen seeped into your voice. There was all that space out there, so much room to wonder, so many skies to see.

"I'm sort of, uh, unemployed? Um, now," she answered as you looked at her expectantly. "I was thinking that blue box is, kinda small," she raised her eyebrows, "but l could... squeeze in? Like a stowaway!" Her eyes were so full of hope and your heart was bursting.

"It's not always safe," the Doctor's voice cut through the feeling. And you remembered. You remembered Foon and Morvin and Bannacafalata. How could you have forgotten???

"So you two need someone to take care of you," she protested. "I've got no one back on Stoe, no family. Just... me." She looked at you, blue eyes pleading. "So what do you think? Can l come with you?"

The Doctor smiled and looked at you. You were already grinning and nodding at Astrid, so incredibly happy. It was decided. "Yeah, we'd like that," the Doctor answered while you nodded on enthusiastically.

Her lips stretched into a wide grin and you pulled her close. You hugged her tightly, with a bright future ahead of you.

And then all three of you fell to the ground as the room shook.

"All charged up!" the Doctor yelled as the blue light came on. You all hurried back to the two waiting men. "Mister Copper, look after her; Astrid, look after him." He pointed at them. "Brixton, um..." he trailed off at a loss for words. "Look after yourself," he finally finished.

"We'll see you again," you reassured Astrid. "I promise." You steadily held her gaze so she knew you meant it.

And then you were off, running to the door on the other side of the hall.

"Hold on!" she called after you. "There's an old tradition on Stoe!"

"We've really got to go," the Doctor told her and you swatted his arm.

"Just wait a minute!" she yelled as she ran up to you.

She stopped in front of you, cradled your face and deftly kissed your cheek. "You'll get the other when you come back," she told you, smiling, then turned to the Doctor and did the same.

"See you later!" she called after you when you turned to leave.

"Not if l see you first!" you told her over your shoulder, a huge grin splitting your face.

"What she said," the Doctor joined in.

After seeing Astrid smile in turn, you were gone.

#doctor who #doctorwho #doctor who x reader #doctorwho x reader #the doctor x reader #tenth doctor x reader #10th doctor x reader #the doctor #10th doctor #tenth doctor #doctor who fanfiction #doctorwho fanfiction #reader insert #astrid #astrid pith

63 notes · View notes

leejeongz · 4 years ago

Text

fluffy a-z SEUNGHUN (cix)

🔅i changed some of the prompts from the ones i did before, i hope it’s okay, i just made it more fluffy and less repetitive!🔅

A = Affection (How affectionate are they? How do they show affection?)

okay so first things first has affection is so damn irritating (but u wouldn’t have it any other way of course). you could just be sitting silently and all of a sudden seunghun is nibbling at your ear with his arms wrapped around you. at the most inappropriate times, he’ll hug you from the side, or squish his face against yours without warning. he’s a little odd, but it’s okay because he’s cute.

his hand is always engulfing yours. he does it without even realising it, it just becomes natural at some point for his hand to reach for yours whenever you’re around each other. he’ll sometimes bring yours and his hands that are clasped together up to your eye line and laugh “oh we did it again” like it’s THAT subconscious, but he wouldn’t have it any other way, it’s almost like a comfort bracket for you both.

he loves having you tucked under his arm when you’re next to him, even if it’s in public. his arm just naturally rests on your shoulders while you nestle into his side, when you’re stood up you also rest your arm around his waist for some stability. while you’re like this, he brings up his other hand to ruffle your hair or to playfully give you a noogie (is that the word for it, where you clench your fist and rub your knuckles against someone's head? lmao). if it’s possible, he’d sometimes turn to face you and lower his head a little, waiting for you to turn to face him so he could make a kissy face at you until you actually kissed him.

he LOVES cuddling. any and all cuddling, he’s down. being the big spoon and watching a movie from over your shoulder > watching a movie any other way. getting to hold you and just feel you with him,,, he’s in his element he could spend the whole day just cuddling with you and being goofy.

B = Best friend (What would they be like as a best friend? How would the friendship start?)

okay so seunghun had the BIGGEST platonic crush on you, he’d be so desperate just to talk to you and find out more about you. lucky for you, seunghun made the first move and sparked a conversation with you, he got your instagram just from that chat too, you could both tell that you were gonna get along. you often went out for drinks or on little friendship dates like shopping or to the aquarium and became really really close. he introduced you to all of his friends and the rest of cix so that you could become friends with them too!

he really does know every single little thing about you and you can’t keep secrets from him cos he’ll get it out of you one way or another. he makes you playlists and sends you memes or pictures with “us” as the message. if you’re more on the introverted side, or just more introverted than him, he’ll bring you out of your shell a lot and introduce you to things that you’d never normally try and of course he’d praise you so much afterwards. honestly, he’s just the kind of best friend that everyone wants.

he’s a big fan of being an absolute pain and irritating you as much as possible but like in a jokey way ofc. he’ll bite you when you’re all calm just to see some kind of reaction from you. he won’t stop tapping you when he wants your attention, pouting and humming in annoyance.

C = Comfort (How do they comfort their partner?)

when he notices that you’re sad, the first thing he does before anything else is hug you. he lets you sit in silence or cry it out while you’re in his arms, you don’t have to look at him or explain to him just yet, because it’s okay to think about things and to cry. he slowly start pulling away from the hug and asking you calmly what the matter is, trying to make eye contact with you. his hands would stay firmly on your upper arms so that you couldn’t get away and hide from your problems. once you’d explained what’s wrong, he wouldn’t give you advice straight away, but would rather temporarily cheer you up by being goofy or suggesting an outing that you two could go on to distract you. if it was something serious, of course he’d be on your side no matter what, but he’d just listen and encourage you and support you with whatever you want to do. he would try to give you some advice, but he’d mainly just try to boost your confidence and make you happy again.

he’s not that great at picking up when you feel anxious, especially if it’s brought on by something that is completely normal to him such as large crowds or public transport or something like that. but if you make it known to him, he’ll remember and will comfort you by making you feel protected. he’ll walk in front of you to make a path for you or will do things first to show you that it’s not so bad. he’ll always be holding your hand anyway but his grip would get a lot tighter in order to keep you safe. when you get home, or at least out of the situation, he’ll tell you how proud he is of you for doing what you did, even if you didn’t do anything at all.

D = Domestic (Do they want to settle down? How about kids? Marriage? How are they at cooking and cleaning?)

he really wants to settle down. your relationship becomes pretty serious pretty quickly when that’s what he wants. he’s not there to waste time or use you just for fun. i’d say after a year he’d like to move in with you if you aren’t living together already by that point. he probably doesn’t want to get married, not because he doesn’t like the commitment or whatnot he just doesn’t think that marriage is necessary to show off what you already have, it wouldn’t change anything for him and he knows it would probably leave you in a worse situation. family wise, he’s not desperate for kids, just you and him are enough to make a family, perhaps a pet too. if you end up having kids, of course he’s gonna be over the moon when he finds out, he’d love them a whole lot, but he respects your decision and isn’t gonna pressure you into having any and he’s not that sure that he wants them himself.

around the house, he does most of the work in the category of DIY and fixing things etc. he likes to cook for you too and actually makes some delicious meals, but he doesn’t always have the time to do that. for the same reason, he doesn’t do much cleaning. when he can, he’ll do it, he’s quite a clean person anyway so there’s never really much mess left for anyone to clean up anyway.

E = Equal - Are they the dominant one in the relationship, or rather passive?

naturally, seunghun takes the more dominant role (just because he’s larger and louder lmao). he of course lets you do what you want, get your own way, i don’t mean dominant in that way, but more in a protective way. he’s quick to make decisions that affect the pair of you (and they turn out to be the best choices because he didn’t overthink them) and is very confident when he can see that you’re not. overall, he’s just there for you when you need him. he’s not trying to be oppressive or take away your independence and freedom, he’d just try to help and would never take it too far :).

F = Feelings (How did the confession go down?)

it was always obvious that seunghun had feelings for you, he wouldn’t try to hide it nor would he allow you to be oblivious… he’d make sure that you knew. this just meant that the ball was always in your court, it’s up to you now to confess back. he would flirt with you often and you'd flirt back of course, but he was just waiting for you to explicitly say that you like him so that he could ask if he could take you on an official date hehe.

in the end he just had to settle with you calling him annoying before asking you out because he realised he was never gonna catch you admitting that you like him. he did it in front of an audience of your friends too, to fluster you even more.

G = Gentle (How gentle are they, both physically and emotionally?)

he’s not fragile, but he’s sensitive. there’s a few very specific yet minor things that get to him, that can break him down in a instant, but he’s never worried that people will take advantage of that because if they do, he at least knows that it’s not his fault. which leads me on nicely to saying that he’s a very gentle guy. with himself especially. he never blames himself for things, that’s something he’s learnt as he’s got older. of course sometimes he does believe that things are his fault, but he finds a way to fix it asap. he’s learnt to love himself too. he loves the way he is and he wants everyone else to love themselves too 🥺.

despite being louder than an entire stadium of football fans alone, he brings a certain feeling of “home” whenever you’re with him. you feel safe when you’re around him, like nothing can hurt you, physically or mentally and neither of you even realise that he’s made you feel this way. he’s so gentle with you, that’s just how he is.

H = Hugs (Do they like hugs? How often do they do it? What are their hugs like?)

he quite often gives you back hugs. he prefers back hugs to normal hugs since he thinks they’re more innocent and sweet. he would wrap his arms around your waist from behind and rest his chin on your shoulder, wiggling his chin around to distract your attention away from whatever you were doing. when he talks to you, he talks in pout and real close to your neck because he knows that makes you smile.

of course, he also likes normal hugs. he traps both of your arms by your sides so that you can’t hug him back then acts all offended because “you rejected him”. he starts begging for a kiss to make up for it (and then avoids it and throws a tantrum because you “he made it so easy for you and you missed”). he finds it cute when you get flustered by a hug because he’s so used to hugging his friends that he never really thought of them as being affectionate. when you snuggle in closer to his chest he just smiles to himself and sighs because he doesn’t think he deserves someone as adorable as you.

I = Instant (Do they believe in love at first sight?)

yes. probably also believes in romantic and platonic soulmates too 🥺.

the moment he sees you, no matter what his surroundings, he gets this urge to talk to you and get to know you. he realises that he gets along with most people and always wants to make new friends, but when he sees you it’s different. it’s an instant attraction and he hopes that you feel the same way, and there’s no better way to find out than to start a conversation.

J = Jealousy (How jealous do they get? What do they do when they’re jealous?)

he doesn’t want to get jealous because he doesn’t want to be tHAT toxic boyfriend, but sometimes he just can’t help it. he won’t get jealous over tiny petty things such as liking other boys posts, talking with other boys etc. it’s usually when you decide to spend time with people over spending time with him, and even then it’s nothing argument inducing, he just likes to point out that he missed you while you weren’t with him :((. the thing that gets him the most is seeing things which are relating to your ex. say you have a present that they got for you, or you still have pictures of the pair of you together (maybe it was just a group photo and they happened to be there, but still). he just gets kinda mopey and would pester you about it until you told him what he wanted to hear, that you didn’t care about your ex anymore.

he definitely has his ways of letting out his jealousy (take that as u will besties) but for the most part, he’d just be really clingy with you until he forgot why he’s even jealous in the first place.

you spend most of your time together anyway, and he trusts you, so there isn’t much need for him to get jealous. he’s too protective over you for anyone else to make moves, he’s quick in recognising when others are taking it too far/ when others are flirting with you.

K = Kisses (What are their kisses like? Where do they like to kiss you? Where do they like to be kissed?)

first of all he loves when you kiss his neck!! but your lips actually meet regularly. he likes to kiss you when you’re both tucked up in bed, he thinks it actually helps you both sleep better. he’s forever giving you pecks on your cheek too, but he knows when to stop so that it doesn’t become annoying (taken from my cix as boyfriends post)

he likes when his kisses catch you off guard. you’re eating while sitting beside him, you suddenly feel a pair of lips against your cheek but before you can comprehend what’s going on, he’s already back to eating as if nothing happened. he doesn’t care who’s watching either, he’d even kiss you in front of your family, so what?!

this next paragraph could be considered suggestive so if you’re not into that pls just skip over it.

the longer, more passionate kisses that you share hit VERY different. his thumb and index finger lift your chin, he encourages you to make eye contact with him but you keep getting distracted by him biting his lips/tongue. his lips get closer to your lips, almost touching, and he just stays there for a while. he gets a little scent of your perfume, smiles to himself and then pecks you gently on your lips, just waiting for you to take charge because you're just so desperate to kiss him at this point. you end up going for it but he manages to regain dominance over you, his tongue forcing its way into your mouth, brushing against your own. as he pulls away, he bites your lip slightly and gives you a cheeky little wink. he knows he’s left you hungry and wanting more, but you’re not getting it hehe.

L = Love Confession (How fast do they say the L-word?)

if anything, seunghun is a little fast when it comes to telling you that he loves you. he says it almost everyday and at first it means nothing, he just says it for the sake of saying it without expecting you to say it back. he does really like you, but he’s not really convinced in himself that it’s love. as time goes on he starts to understand the meaning more. when he can’t imagine life without you, when you literally become his other half, he realises the meaning behind the words.

the first time he says it to you meaningfully was over a meal. you were eating, he waited for you to take a mouthful of food before he told you so he could see you react without talking at first, since your facial expressions would definitely tell him more than anything you said ever could. he tells you how much you mean to him, honestly, with a huge sincere smile on his face.

M = Memory (What is their favorite moment in your relationship?)

the first time you held hands is something that replays in his mind a lot. you were comparing hand sizes, you know, common flirtatious practice. you weren’t officially together yet, not even dating, but he just couldn’t help but close his hand around yours while laughing about how tiny your hand was compared to his (even tho it wasn’t that much smaller than his lol).

N = No (What's their pet peeve?)

when you imitate or copy him. sure sometimes it’s cute and funny, but is it really necessary all the time? he’s sort of a bit like “do they have no personality of their own???” and it kind of makes him feel a little bit conscious and overly aware of what he’s doing and saying. that’s not to say that he doesn’t like to be teased every once in a while, just don’t do it too regularly because it will lose its comedic value and fast.

O = Orange (What colour reminds them of their significant other?)

yellow: he literally calls you his honey <3 you're the reason that he smiles, his source of joy and optimism, even in the darkest times.

“the sun came up and i was looking at you” kinda thing.

P = Petnams (What pet names so they call their other half?)

honey! literally his favourite name for you EVER. he calls you “my honey” when he introduces you to people and when he talks about you to his parents too :(.

he also likes to throw in a simple “babe” just in case he hasn't made you feel butterflies in a while (it always works and he knows it).

since day one, he’s been teasing you about looking like a specific cartoon/character so sometimes he refers to you by that name too hehe.

Q = Quizzes (How much would they remember about you? Do they remember every little detail you mention in passing, or do they kind of forget everything?)

he remembers everything important. sometimes, while you talk, he’s just admiring you and not actually listening, so when that happens he obvs doesn’t remember a thing you just said. there are times where he forgets something and stands there clicking this fingers and staring up to the ceiling so that he remembers without you having to remind him. he really wants to remember stuff about you, okay?🥺

R = Rainy day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?)

pester you lmao. “what’s for lunch?” “can we cuddle now?” “give me a kiss” “one more pleaseeee” “games?” you can forget it if you think you’re using the day to get some work done.

he’s around you constantly anyway, so when you’re both stuck at home with nowhere to go, it just makes it 10 times worse (or better, up to you). you both sit on the sofa, legs tangled together and start reading or scrolling through your phone but it’s not long until you end up sleeping, safely in his arms. he’d wake you up just in time for lunch though, asking what you’re gonna make him even though he already threw together a meal for the pair of you the night before. he’d love to see the panic in your eyes and the quick scramble to get to the kitchen so that your boyfriend didn’t starve, even though you’re well aware that he could cook his own meal.

he wants to get out of the house at some point. even though it is raining, and as long as didn’t mind, he’d still like to go on a walk somewhere with you. maybe around a lake, get some cute pictures before heading back home and showering together.

S = Security (How protective are they? How would they protect you? How would they like to be protected?)

he’ll ask lots of questions about what you’re doing, where you’re going, who you’re going with etc. not because he wants to find a reason for you not to go, and of course he’d never say you can’t go, but he just wants to know that you’ll be safe and also, he’s just nosy.

he knows he can’t keep you safe from every little thing that could possibly happen, but he’s gonna try his best and he’s gonna defend you no matter what! he’s always ALWAYS on your side and will never be afraid to fight for you if it comes to it.

he doesn’t feel like he needs to be protected as such, but he’d definitely appreciate it if you did for him what he does for you.

T = Try (How much effort would they put into dates, anniversaries, gifts, everyday tasks?)

a whole bloody lot. he remembers dates that are important to your relationship, your birthday, your anniversary and the not so important dates such as the anniversary of your first date, the first time you slept over at his house, your first kiss, he likes to remind you of them all in his own special way hehe. it’s kind of shocking and scary how he remembers them but can’t remember his own birthday some years lmao.

he tries to take charge of your dates, booking them and planning them (planning being the bare minimum, but nevertheless still planning, sure), telling you about them and hyping them up to be even better than the last date that you went on. he’s not afraid to splash the cash either, he doesn’t mind paying for the majority of things but he’s not gonna be offended or anything if you say you wanna pay/go halves. he takes so many pictures of you (and him) when you go on dates. even if he can’t post them anywhere, he has them and can look back at them whenever he misses you.

the gifts he buys you are more like reminders of memories. he’d make an edit of a vacation that you took together, or a scrapbook of last summer alongside some cute little jokey gifts that would also be part of an inside joke that you share. omg flowers too, he gets you flowers without it needing to be a special day, he’ll just bring them to you randomly, some nice red roses or tulips that you can put on display 🥺

U = Ugly (What would be some bad habits of theirs?)

he tends to ignore others when you’re with him. when hanging out in a group, he only focuses on you. of course, he’ll get involved in the conversation and so on but he’s mainly just concentrating on you, it’s like the pair of you are in your own little bubble even though you’re sat at the same table. this is especially the case when you’re with your friends since he’s not that close to them. there’s lots of affection that he initiates between the pair of you two too, which doesn’t go down well in certain situations while others are around.

V = Vulnerability (When would they start revealing things about themselves? Do they say everything all at once or wait a while to reveal things slowly?)

if he senses that you’re a little shy, he’ll be very open from the beginning. he feels like he has nothing to hide, so why not reveal stuff about himself to get you talking and get to know you better? if you’re not that shy, the conversation usually isn’t that deep when you first meet, it’s silly, flirtatious and quite playful. he started properly opening up to you a few dates in, it’s not that he’s embarrassed or that he has a guard up, just that he never really needed to tell you this stuff unless you asked.

he’s a very open and honest person with you, he’s not hiding anything from you and is willing to talk about anything and everything. he’s not cautious of the fact that you could hurt him with what you know, he believes that the risk is worth it and would probably allow him to realise your intentions with him sooner rather than later.

W = Why (Why do they love their partner?)

you make him smile like no one has ever done before. he couldn’t be happier than when he’s with you and he always lets you know how he feels. he loves that you bring out the best parts of him. but you also allow him to feel sad and down when he needs to and help him out of his slump.

X = Xtra (A random headcanon for them.)

when you’re sick, he brings donuts, a whole box of 12 just for you, some medicine, some of his warmest clothes (including scarves and hats) and of course his radiant smile every time without fail. he lights one of your scented candles that he bought for you (even tho you can’t smell it) and asks you to come cuddle with him until dinner time, when he shall feed you the soup that he made that morning.

Y = Yuck (What are some things they wouldn’t like, but other people love in a relationship?)

honestly, there’s not much that he doesn’t like when it comes to romance, he likes all the traditional stuff and more. one thing that he isn’t really a huge fan of in a relationship is double dates, or “group dates”. as i mentioned before, when you’re out with friends, he’s only focused on you. why bring other people along on your date when it could be just the two of you having fun? as much as he loves making new friends and spending time with all of them, when you’re there, you’re all he needs.

Z = Zzz (What is a sleep habit of theirs?)

he’s a cuddler. he can’t fall asleep without holding you. he might turn over or let go at some point but he always manages to find his way back to you, wrapping his arms around you while you both sleep.

#seunghun #cix #cix imagines #seunghun imagines #seunghun fluff #cix fluff #cix fanfic #seunghun fanfic

93 notes · View notes

cuddlybitch · 4 years ago

Text

Tag game!

I was tagged by the amazing Julie ( @gracechoi ) 💖💖💖

1. What is the color of your hairbrush? Light wood coloured

2. Name a food you never eat I can’t think of any that I really have huge aversions for. I would really try anything LOL...

3. Are you typically too warm or too cold? Too warm

4. What were you doing 45 minutes ago? Working. Still working. Just taking a break by answering this.

5. What’s your favorite candy bar? Twix? Or Snickers.

6. Have you ever been to a professional sports game? Yep. Used to be season ticket holders for my local soccer team.

7. What is the last thing you said out loud? Something about helping me put away the laundry to my brother, probably.

8. What is your favourite ice cream? Strawberry flavoured, Coffee flavoured from the grocery store brands. But from the local ice cream shops, I love their Salted Caramel, and this Honey Lavender flavoured ones.

9. What was the last thing you had to drink? Water

10. Do you like your wallet? I cycle through 2 wallets... One big/regular sized one, one small if I just wanna take a tiny bag... I like both of them.

11. What is the last thing you ate? A meatball sub.

12. Did you buy any new clothes last weekend? LOL I actually did. Bought a cardigan that was on sale for 50% off that I’ve been eyeing for the past year.

13. What’s the last sporting event you watched? Probably the Vancouver Canucks playoff run on TV last summer......

14. What is your favorite flavor of popcorn? Chicago Mix, and butter.

15. Who is the last person you sent a text message to? Does whatsapp messages count? @dead-end-street probably. Or my friend Jing.

16. Ever been camping? Not in a tent. LOL

17. Do you take vitamins? LOL When I feel like I’m about to get sick, I start taking Vitamin C :PPP

18. Do you regularly attend a place of worship? Yes.

19. Do you have a tan? I’m naturally tan, so, yes. I tan even more in the summer.

20. Do you prefer chinese or pizza? Chinese food. More variety in that bracket of food :P

21. Do you drink your soda through a straw? No. That’s so wasteful, especially if it’s a plastic straw.

22. What color socks do you usually wear? I have a lot of different coloured socks. No specific colour.

23. Do you ever drive above the speed limit? Yes. Sometimes you need to pass people, okay?

24. What terrifies you? Superficially, bugs and all sorts of creepy crawlies.

25. Look to your left, what do you see? My closet.

26. What chore do you hate most? Also bathroom cleaning.

27. What do you think of when you hear an Australian accent? “Noice.”

28. What’s your favorite soda? I just like good ole Coca Cola.

29. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive thru? Depends if the drive thru line is long.

30. What’s your favorite number? 3.

31. Who’s the last person you talked to? My brother, physically. On the phone, my aunts.

32. Favorite meat? Beef.

33. Last song you listened to? "Cue Sign" (큐사인) - Lee Won-suk (Daybreak) (Hot Stove League OST Part 1)

34. Last book you read? I re-read The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner a few months ago.

35. Favorite day of the week? Friday.

36. Can you say the alphabet backwards? Same answer as Julie, if I try hard enough.

37. How do you like your coffee? With lots of cream and sugar.

38. Favorite pair of shoes? My Reebok sneakers.

39. Time you normally get up? During the pandemic, while working from home, weekdays at 9 AM. Pre-pandemic, I wake up at 6:30 AM. Weekends, naturally wake up at 7/8 AM, but go back to bed to sleep till 10 AM.

40. What do you prefer, sunrise or sunsets? Sunsets cause I would never wake up early enough to catch a sunrise (except one time when I was visiting Iceland, and we caught the sunrise at Reynisfjara).

41. How many blankets on your bed? One.

42. Describe your kitchen plates - off white coloured, with some floral pattern on the edge.

43. Describe your kitchen at the moment Lots of random kitchen gadgets I bought, and also littered with a lot of snacks. Otherwise clean and usable lmao.

44. Do you have a favorite alcoholic drink? Not really. I don’t really drink a lot of alcohol. There is a lychee-flavoured sake I do love, which I get when I see at the liquor store. So if I do have a fav alcoholic drink, it’d be something fruity.

45. Do you play cards? Against Humanity? Yes. JK. I mean, yes card games in general.

46. What color is your car? White.

47. Can you change a tire? Nope.

48. Your favorite state or province? British Columbia. The whole Pacific Northwest provinces/states are my fav in general. :P

49. Favorite job you’ve had? I like my job now. Good relationship within my team and my team lead/manager, got enough projects to do, etc.

That was fun, Julie! Thanks for tagging me! :) I am tagging: @ficklefackle @dingyuxi @yesdramas @gimme-a-chocolate @hwanginyeop @gangtaes @mercurialhigh @cupcakesandtv - no pressure though!!!! Only if you want to. :)

#tag game #about meme #gracechoi

7 notes · View notes

scope-dogg · 4 years ago

Note

How are you finding MBON? Did you find a main? The selection's good this time, but I just don't like many of them, so I'm really only using three particular suits myself.

I went on a grand odyssey to try out literally everything mobile suit in the game that wasn’t in the launch roster of Gundam Versus (with the exception of the God / Burning Gundam, which was the only DLC I bought for that game,) and haven’t really had time to sit down and pick a favourite yet, there are just so many to choose from, and while a small handful are clumsy to use or just kinda boring, most of them have at least something interesting going for them which makes it hard to choose. It took me playing pretty much all day today and all of last Saturday too just to get through all the new stuff, and there are still a couple that I feel that I should go back to and try out some more to get to grips with them. Plus I need to try some old suits from GVS I liked and see if they’re still fun to play in MBON. That said there were a couple of standouts out of the stuff I’ve been trying.

Out of the 3000 cost units, the Reborns Gundam, Xi and Penelope, Full Armour Unicorn and Gundam Bael all felt extremely strong even for their cost and were really easy to get a handle on pretty much straight away. That said I don’t think there was a single 3000 cost that I tried that didn’t feel pretty strong in its own way. The Ex-S Gundam and Gundam Zabanya were probably the strongest at range. The Tallgeese 3 was basically felt like a jacked up version of the Tallgeese 1 which was one of my favourites from GVS. All that said, If there was a 3000 cost that I would want to put an effort into learning with the aim of making it my main, it’d probably be either the Double X or Gundam Legilis. I just really like both those mobile suits.

Most of the 2500s were pretty nice too, but my favourites by far were the Gundam X Divider and the Spiegel / Shadow Gundam. The latter because it’s just a lot of fun with great animations and the former because A) it’s my preferred variant of one of my favourite mobile suits, B) because it had a really tight and practical moveset that let me do pretty well with it, and C) because Jamil Neate is a huge chad and one of my favourite characters. Again though, there’s a lot of other really good ones, pretty much every Gundam 00 2500 cost felt really strong, like I said earlier I was really pleasantly surprised at how fun the trio of Extreme (X)-phase Gundams were, and there were some other surprise standouts for me like the Strike Noir, Baund Doc and Zeydra. A couple I’d like to spend some more time learning are the Gundam Virsago and the Brave Commander Test Type, the former because it’s another favourite of mine from Gundam X and the latter because I really liked the Union Flag in GVS and the Brave is basically the upgrade to it both in canon and in game. I haven’t really been able to make it click like the Flag did though, at least not yet.

Finding a really good 2000 cost was a little trickier, I think it’s where a lot of the suits that feel kind of bland tend to reside. That said a bunch of the suits that I enjoyed from GVS from that price band made it in so I’ll probably just end up picking one of those, probably the Messala, Mack Knife or Crossbone X2. There were still a couple of fun new ones though, especially the Gerbera Tetra, Gaia Gundam and Nobel Gundam, as well as the vanilla Astray Red Frame. The Perfect Gundam and G-Armour version of the RX-78 were goofy but fun additions too. And speaking of goofy, the Victory Gundam and Gedlav look really interesting but were so weird that I feel like I didn’t really get a proper handle on either. It’s possible that one could end up being really good, so I think I’ll go back and test them some more when I get the chance.

1500s tend to be hard to just pick and be good with right off the bat, so it’s hard to say which I’ll end up adopting as my main from that bracket without spending a lot more time testing them. It’ll be trickier to pick an existing one from GVS as well, because my favourite low-cost units from that game, the Vigna-Gihna, Rezel and GM Custom didn’t make it in this time (though mercifully the Tieren Taozi did.) Out of the new stuff I tried, by far the best 1500 cost suit was the Efreet Kai, which honestly felt like it could easily be a 2000 cost. The Zudah and Kampfer were okay, but honestly everything else I tried from the 1500s felt bad to varying degrees. One that has potential is the Hildolfr, which is an underrated unit from an underrated series, but playing it is just so much different from playing anything else that it’ll probably take a hell of a lot of practice just to get to a level where it feels like you’re performing on par with the other stuff in the game. It might be an effort I try and make though, once the full game comes out.

There’s a good chance that I just end up doing what I ended up doing for 90% of my playtime in GVS, that is just picking All Cost Random in Free Battle over and over until I’ve got a reasonable enough handle on everything, but if you were to put a gun to my head and make me pick a main from each price bracket right now, I’d probably say Double X, Shadow Gundam, Messala and Efreet Kai.

#therosecrest

8 notes · View notes

madeline-kahn · 5 years ago

Photo

Walkthrough of how I make a gold letter for 36 days of type.

I use these brushes (which are actually even cheaper now than when I bought them!!)

(Primarily for @thehurricaneheist2018, also anybody else curious)

These brushes can work in Photoshop CC or Photoshop CS5/6 but in Photoshop CS you have to load them as tool presets and in CC you can just load them as brushes which is somewhat similar except two major differences which are why I use CC instead of CS for this

1) In CS5 they loaded in “alphabetical” order which means Brush 3 and Brush 31 are next to each other, in CC they loaded in the actual order. It’s a small difference but it’s nice to have them in order

2) In CS5 I can’t just hit the B key to go back to the brush because it will go to the default brush, in CC it goes back to the mixer brush.

This video explains how the brushes load and work in a general sense as well as how the palette works so I’m not really going to go over that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDQGRtvd2g4

I’m going to start by opening up the file I did for letter B. It contains folders for both letters B and A, which are similar processes but slightly different. I labeled the layers for both of these letters so that I could remember what’s what.

I organized the tabs so that the brushes and the layers are visible, I don’t need adjustment layers or anything in this project.

Then I duplicate the document by right-clicking on Open in the timeline and selecting New Document, which basically clones the whole psd but it’s under a new name now so I don’t have to worry about overwriting things

Now I’ll duplicate one of the letter folders and delete everything but the text layer with the letter, which begins not visible but I’ll make it visible, change it from B to C and rename the group

Now I’ll start with the brush work. If I refer back to the previous letters (which is why they are in the same document, so I can just scroll down and now have to switch tabs) I’ll be able to remind myself that I do the outline of the letter using brush gold 8.

So I’ll make a new layer and select brush Gold 8 from the Brush panel.

the default size of this brush is too big so I’ll have to make it smaller. When you change the size of a mixer brush though you lose the pattern that’s been automatically loaded and it defaults to what was previously there which in this case is now nothing

So now is time to open up the sidebar palette and sample (using Alt+Click)

I like to sample usually around the top at least to start with

Now that the brush is set I’ll start tracing the outline

Except before I start I remember that I’m actually doing E now, not C

now let the outlining commence

I don’t use a clipping mask or selection or anything because it doesn’t have to be perfect and there will be a lot of layering.

E has more serifs than any letter I’ve done yet so I’m not sure if i want to use the same brush on all the serifs as I did before. I’ll use it for now but I might erase or cover them up later.

Before I forget I’ll label this layer with what part of the letter it is and what brush so that I’ll know in the future. I call this one “outline - gold 8″

I’ll make a new layer for the serifs and I’ve been using gold 7 brush for the serifs because it’s like a line of gold balls that I think works for the little feet.

Label this layer as “serifs - gold 7″ and make another new layer. For ideas of what to do next i refer back to my previous letters (which is why I have explanations of each layer along with the brush).

So next I’ll do the “thick area fill - gold 10″ layer. In theory I could just copy this layer from similar previous letters (B and D) but I don’t want to do that because since I freehand drew the outline and the serifs, the texture might not align perfectly but moreover I don’t want it looking totally uniform between every letter, just similar enough to be cohesive.

One thing I’m doing new on this letter is one pass of this brush above the outline and one below. I’m not entirely sold on just above or just below so I want both so that I can play a bit.

some errant pieces stick out but that’s okay i think and if i hate it later i’ll erase them

referring once again to a previous letter, I used gold 19 for the crossbar in the A which I think i’ll use for the middle part of the E. Gold 19 is a really cool brush because it’s streaky but sometimes that means it doesn’t fit in as well with the dryer more solid brushes

I had to drop the size a lot from where it started but I think I like this. I’m not totally sure what I want to do with the brackets and here’s where it’ll just be some trial and error but to start with I see in previous letters I used Gold 4 for “refining” so let’s try that

It’s nice but it doesn’t really stand out enough from the outline so I might try sampling a different part of the sidebar palette for something darker and maybe shinier?

I like this here but i don’t like it on the middle or bottom brackets so I’ll save the one I like and try to find something else for the others

I think i like gold 3 for the bottom bracket and I cleaned up the outline so it wasn’t sticking out so far.

Now I’m thinking maybe the vertical serifs could be a different brush and not the little balls. Gold 5 also has a jeweled look so I think I’m gonna go with that. I liked it on the top and bottom but I didn’t like it in the middle so I’m trying gold 21 in the middle

to make the middle vertical cohesive with the middle crossbar I’m going over them with the gold 19 with this different section of the pattern from before

now that we basically have the shape fully formed i’ll make the text layer invisible so I can see the gaps

these gaps are so small I could fill them with almost anything. I picked gold 20 just because it’s what my eyes landed on

It’s decent but it’s looking a bit dark and I feel like I can see too much of where the outline separates from the fill and the detail

I did a lot of experimenting and changing my mind.. I added extra texture to the thick section with gold 25, textured up the top and bottom horizontals with gold 1, tried to blend the transitions between sections with gold 9 and extended the gold 7 serifs to meet up overlap with the letter more so they don’t look so tacked on.

I think we’re close so now I’m just gonna add some scatter detail for shine and fun.

scatter here and there alone the flat parts to give it a little crown with scatter 1, then i used scatter 4 on the serif -> letter transition so that it looks more detailed and fun.

i think this is maybe it for now. There’s a lot going on I don’t think I need to add anything more. But I will move some of the scatters a little closer

That’s looking alright I guess. It’s not perfect but if I wanted perfect I should’ve thought of that when I started the first letter.

Final product:

#my graphic stuff #my lettering

7 notes · View notes

kristoffxannafanatic · 5 years ago

Text

Second Chances

Happy Kristanna Christmas in July @epbaker. I am your Secret Santa. I hope you like this little modern au. Thank you to @lukin08 for proofing and helping to make it gift worthy.

Kristoff hated bartending but, it was a job and he had to earn a living somehow. Thank goodness his family always had jobs for him when he was in need. He was scheduled to take the civil service exam in a month. He already had points in his favor for his military service. Hopefully he would get onto a police force or fire department in the area. “Have faith, baby.” That’s what his mom always said. He tried to stay hopeful, but it was getting harder and harder.

During the day he did handy work for Dad’s contracting business and tended bar at Pabbie’s at night. He liked that it kept him busy. It’s not like he had any kind of social life since Rebecca left him while he was deployed. That had been a huge mistake and he regretted dating her. She was nothing like the one that got away from him 10 years ago.

Anna couldn’t believe she was back in her childhood hometown. She thought she would never come back after her parent’s unfortunate accident. But life hadn’t turned out the way she dreamed when she was 15 years old.

Getting back in touch with her old high school friends seemed like a good idea when she first got to town. She found out right away they were all too eager to catch up. But going to meet up with them, she wondered if they had changed at all. Back in school, she had “ran in the right circles”. It was what was expected of her, even if she never had much in common with her friends. But she had changed more than she ever could have expected, and she could hope they had as well.

“Anna, I can’t believe you are back here after 10 years in Europe!”

“OMG! I know! What happened with that Danish prince?”

“I read that you guys were engaged.”

“Oh…yeah we were but only for a hot minute.”

“Eeekkk!! Tell us about it!”

“Sorry Christine, I had to sign a nondisclosure…can’t talk about it.”

“Are you kidding?”

“Brittany, these aren’t just rich people, they are royalty. Look at everything with Harry and Meghan!”

Anna remembered quickly why she hated hanging out with these girls. They were vapid…. still! She was hoping they had matured since she left but…NOPE!”

“Anna why are we going to Pabbie’s for drinks?”

“Pabbie was close to my Dad. Plus, they charge a fraction of the price for the same top shelf cocktails and wine.”

“Like money is a problem for us.”

“Stop Christine, you’re such a snobby bitch.”

Anna tuned out the two girls plus she couldn’t tell them one of the reasons she was moving home was because her trust fund was running low due to that damn Prince. She had to move back into her family’s home and was going to work with Elsa at their parents’ business, Arendelle Investments.

Christine and Brittany walked into the bar all loud and rude. Kristoff looked up at the unusual disturbance and saw the girls walk in. Bad tippers, he thought to himself and went to go back to work. But who came in after the girls is what nearly makes him drop the drink he is making.

Anna Arendelle

She was even more beautiful than he remembered.

Anna looked around the bar and saw an open table. “Come on ladies, I found a table.”

“Anna seriously?! Let’s go clubbing in the city?”

“I like it here plus the club scene is so played out.”

“This place is so lame! The only one in our age bracket is Kristoff Bjorgman.”

Anna’s head spun around. “Wait…what? Kristoff Bjorgman is here?”

“He’s the bartender. I guess the Army didn’t find any use for him just like that skank that he dated. Anna, please don’t tell me you still have a silly crush on that loser.”

“You know what, you guys are the losers! He was kinder to me than either of you ever were. You only looked me up because you wanted to find out about Hans and why I let it fall apart.”

Kristoff watched the exchange go down. He was proud of Anna for telling off those idiots.

“How dare you Anna? Everyone knows he cheated on you and your trust fund is nearly gone.”

“Yeah! And you had to crawl back to your big sister. Go ahead and go lay in the gutter with your maid’s son!”

“You know what��you’re not worth our time. You are a charity case. A broke has been hiding behind a good name.”

Pabbie walked over and interrupted the tirade. “Young ladies, I can’t have this in my place. You are going to need to leave.”

“No problem old man!”

Anna scampered off in the opposite direction to the ladies’ room. She was so stupid to reach out to her so called friends. What made her think anyone in this town could have changed for the better? Pabbie walked over to Kristoff and gave him that an all-knowing smile.

“Son, I’ve got the bar. Go check on your friend.”

“Grand Pabbie, we were childhood acquaintance not friends. I haven’t talked to her in ten years.”

Grand Pabbie rolled his eyes and laughed at Kristoff. He pointed to the ladies’ room. Kristoff knew there was no point in arguing. He gave up and headed in that direction. Kristoff heard Grand Pabbie mumble,” acquaintance my ass.”

Kristoff didn’t have a clue what to do. He didn’t know what to say. He never knew what to say to Anna when they were younger, always stumbling over his words. He wasn’t good talking to girls but with Anna he was a complete idiot. Just being in her presence made him tongue tied.

Anna sat there sobbing and feeling sorry for herself. She didn’t want to call Elsa because she would give her that I told you so speech. She had warned her that those girls had not changed one bit since she left. She didn’t know how she was going to get out of Pabbie’s without looking like a fool especially in front of Kristoff. Just then there was a tentative knock at the door.

“Anna? Are you okay?”

Anna covered an audible gasp when she heard Kristoff’s voice on the other side of the door.

“Do you need me to call you an Uber or…”

Kristoff wanted to be the one to take her home, but he didn’t want to sound like a creep.

“Or what?” Anna’s voice was soft, but she couldn’t hide her curiosity.

Kristoff took in a deep breath. “Uh…maybe…maybe I could drive you home? That is…if you are comfortable with that.”

Anna’s heart soared. She loved how he was always so shy for such a tough looking guy. She has had a crush on him since she was 10 and he was 13. The last ten years had been extremely good to him. He had grown at least 6 more inches and filled in nicely. While she still felt like that plain, freckly 15-year-old.

She remembered the day they met. He had come with his mother, Bulda, to their house to give homework to Elsa when she had missed school for a prolonged illness. Bulda was their maid and cook, his Dad, Cliff was their handyman. She thought back to how kind both of them always were to her. Pabbie even was a good friend of her Dad’s.

“I would love for you to take me home, Kristoff.”

Kristoff’s elation quickly changed as his heart dropped. Now he had to figure out what the hell he was going to talk to her about.

“O…ok. Let me tell Grand Pabbie and we can go. My truck is parked out back, so you don’t need to walk thru the bar. I’ll meet you right here when you’re ready.”

“Thanks, Kris.”

His knees went weak when she called him Kris. She was the only one he ever let call him that. He rushed back to the bar to tell Grand Pabbie he was taking her home.

“Good luck, son.” Grand Pabbie winked at him as he went back to the bathrooms.

Anna washed her face and cleaned herself up before waiting for Kristoff outside the bathrooms. She fidgeted with her jacket while she waited. She had no idea how to talk to him.

“Are you all set?”

Anna looked up into those kind, brown eyes and nodded her head and he guided her out the back. They walked up to his black truck…. used but clearly well cared for and loved. He surprised her by opening her door for her and lending her a hand for her to climb up into the cab.

“Thanks.”

Kristoff shrugged like it was nothing. “It’s no biggie.”

She looked at him with those big blue eyes and with all sincerity said, “No it is a big deal and you will never understand what your acts of kindness have done for me over the years.”

Kristoff was confused. He didn’t think a simple act of driving someone home and helping them into his truck was anything but basic human decency. It got him thinking that nobody ever treated her with manners and kindness. He jumped into the driver’s side and they headed towards uptown where Anna lived.

It was quiet the first 5 minutes. Neither of them knew how to start a conversation. Anna decided to jump right into the deep end.

“So, I heard you were in the Army? Did you get sent overseas?”

“Oh, yeah…yeah, I joined shortly after you left for Europe. I figured it was a good way to get money for college. I spent some time in the Middle East, but I was lucky. I got to help people and didn’t get involved in any squirmishes.”

“Have you gone back to school?”

“No, I haven’t had enough money to cover the balance but I’m taking the civil service test soon. If I do well on that, I can get a job as a cop or firefighter. I did a little bit of both in the Army. Then I will be earning enough to go to school. What about you? Did you go to college in Europe?”

Anna was embarrassed to answer him because while he was keeping our country safe, she was partying around Europe with that Euro trash loser.

“No…not yet. I was a little lost, but I think I am finding my way back into the light. I am going to work with Elsa until I figure out what I want to do.”

“Good for you. Most people can’t admit when they have gotten lost. How is Elsa?”

“Elsa is great…she is so happy that I am back. We have been having a lot of fun bonding again. So, I heard you have a girlfriend?”

“Who, me?” Kristoff let out a sarcastic laugh. “UH...no. Rebecca dumped me while I was deployed. She said she needed someone that was going to be there to service her wants and needs. She also wasn’t a fan of the fact that I hated the club scene. I got a nice letter all about it when I was in overseas.”

“I thought the club scene was for me, but it got old really quick. I guess I am a home body, just needed to find my way back home. I can’t believe she Dear Johned you! How could anyone break up with you, you are the complete package!”

Kristoff pulled up to Anna’s house, slammed the truck into park and looked at her. “wait…. what? I’m the complete package? Are you kidding me? You have it all…the sunny personality, radiant smile, great people skills, beautiful, intelligent, world traveled and the most amazing blue eyes I have ever seen.”

“You think I am beautiful?”

Kristoff couldn’t hold back anymore. He leaned in and captured her lips with his. Anna melted into his embraced. They slowly separated after a few minutes. Kristoff touched his forehead to her’s.

“Sorry for being so forward but I have wanted to do that for ten years. Ever since you left, I have regretted the fact that I never told you how I felt about you.”

Anna just looked at him in complete shock. She grabbed onto him and started to cry.

Kristoff started to panic. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have expected that a girl as amazing as you could ever like a bum like me.”

She pulled away from him and cradled his face. “Oh Kris, these are tears of joy…I have loved you since I was 10 years old. I thought you only saw me as a dumb kid.”

“Anna, may we, may I, could we…maybe go out on a date.”

Anna leans in and kisses him again. “We may!”

Kristoff gave her the biggest smile Anna had ever seen. “So, are you glad you came back?”

She returned his grin. “Best decision ever!”

#kristannachristmasinjuly 2019 #KACiJ2019 #epbaker #My attempt at writing

32 notes · View notes

unproduciblesmackdown · 5 years ago

Note

throwing out some random numbers: 2, 23, 27, 39, 53, 58, 64, 76, 89

that’s the spirit tyvm.....you don’t know what these numbers will give me, idk what i’ll get from them, we’re just gonna see where it goes together

2. chocolate bars or lollipops?

this time i’ll cape for lollipops. they can be fun colors! you can hold the stick in your mouth as something to fidget with.....Fruit Flavor....

23. strange habits?

hmm i mean [autistic behavior] which would seem ~strange~ but only from that certain perspective.......i think One Weird Trick i do is from this nightmare time when like, one semester in college i guess uhhh that was wow a decade ago lmao i had 8 am classes every day for 2 semesters and my roommate and i were night owls so i’d (generally) go to bed earlier and i got in the habit of like, covering my head (or the top half anyways) with like a robe or towel or whatever to block out the light. makeshift sleep mask basically. except i’ve slept like that ever since and it feels weird to Not do so. and i doubt an Actual sleep mask would cut it cuz it’s partially the weight thing. i can only imagine how fun a weighted blanket is lol

27. favorite activity to do in cold weather?

going tf inside!!!!!!! cold weather is garbage. although once i did go ice skating and reasonably enjoyed it. i like skating

39. lemon cake or lemon meringue pie?

i don’t like pie very much lmao i think the Crust is generally disappointing and i’m not big on the fillings. that said, lemon meringue is a Superior Pie and i’ve made it probably at least a dozen times, it’s pretty fun i think. but still the answer is lemon cake. lemon cake is amazing. cake is amazing. no contest between like, do i want some Amazing fancy pie? or do i want this $1.50 cake mix? i would probably want the cake. or i’d at least have to take a moment to think about it even if going with the pie cuz yeah some pie Is good and u can’t quite get the same flavors in a cake, like rhubarb. i don’t know that rhubarb cake exists. but lemon cake is great. lemon Pound cake hell fucking yes Please

53. what is the current state of your hands?

my hands are fine. they’re here and the same as ever. my nails are already a little too long but not to the point i Gotta cut them cuz it’s annoying tf out of me.....they’re not very dry, which is good, cuz yknow sometimes in the winter it’s like oh no i need lotion to live or smthing.....one time it was winter and i had dryass hands and we went to this Concert and i was just clapping enthusiastically and it made the back of one hand bleed lmao like yikes. the back of my right hand has a freckle although maybe that’s a mole, i haven’t been paying enough attention to know for sure lol.....i used to have a freckle in the middle of my palm on my left hand but that faded a while back. speaking of my palms the other day i was like, hmm is there some weird subtle like crepeiness in the surface of my Palm Skin??? it seemed like there was weird like, lattice-forming creasiness going along the Length of my fingers / across my palm. it might’ve been a vitamin d thing so i ate 3 eggs. today my hands seem more normal but the whole thing might’ve just been me making it up + placebo yolks. but either way. very normal hand day i’m having rn

58. four talents you’re proud of having?

man idk lol. i can get shy cats to like me sometimes. you just Be Chill with them and let them get used to you, idk it’s not hard @ anyone who thinks befriending cats is difficult like, probably that’s just you doing it way wrong........i can cook decently well, that’s handy i think and it can be fun even though it’s also this whole involved hassle......i like to Draw Emotively (in that the drawings are emotionally evocative / expressive, not that the way that i draw is particularly emotive) and i like when people like it / read it as Expressively as intended, i guess i’m proud? like, mission accomplished.......oh wait yeah and damn when i practiced ballet for like a whole decade i was proud of being good at that i guess cuz yknow, Effort, same as with drawing lol i’ve been doing it for a hot minute, i can be proud of those results.

64. favorite website from your childhood?

i wasn’t very Online as a kid b/c we had the one computer w/ a dialup connection & just like, whenever i was using the computer lots it was Pc Games......didn’t rly be on the Net much until Late ‘08.......

76. what’s your favorite potato food (i.e. tater tots, baked potatoes, fries, chips, etc.)?

i’ve said latkes but you know who really supports me recently is a Whole potato i just scrub off and microwave and cut up and throw some salt n peppy and Shedd’s Spread uponst. like thank you so much for these nutrients and easy preparation, Staple Food

89. who would you put before everyone else?

hmph i don’t like, like, this Pyramid Tiering of everyone in your life with these higher and lower Levels of mattering-to-youness. i mean yeah sure i think we agree that it’s generally the case that we have More casual acquaintances vs friends vs Close friends and so on, but like. why are we gonna accept this Concept where like “okay but What If you need to only pick One Person.” like we’re driverless cars who need to program ourselves about whose life we prioritize, are we gonna run over This pedestrian or That one, who’s Winningest in the “being important to us” game. like we’re not a parent and the house is on fire and which of our three children do we love the most? well like, whose bedroom is closest. which of them hasn’t already bailed out a window. what if our Favorite isn’t the one we’d help first cuz maybe someone needs our help more at some particular time. like what does this question even mean!!!! what is the purpose of asking it??? i don’t like the premise or accept it. and it smacks of [those Concepts surrounding ~romance~ which i also do not like or vibe with]. no b.a.e........i’d go all out for Friends or for People I’ve Never Met But Respect or for Strangers.......some ppl would not get my all-out effort lmao or will get my nah-i-won’t-lift-a-finger lol but that’s if they’re like reeeal shitty. but like why should we whittle down ppl’s Importance to us to like “okay but who’s the 1 the ONE person who you care MOST about” like goddamn why are we adopting this framework. like ideally we have a Community of ppl in our lives who have different relationships / roles / connections to us, and this is pretty complex and why even Think about like, well there *has* to be the One who you prioritize Most Every Time, and you need to Know who that is......like what does that mean. and you know like. maybe the people who are in your life most intimately aren’t always the ones who have the strongest Help/Support ties to you here......like relationships are complicated and varied and having a network of people is better than like the idea that we should be fine and thriving with [The ~Soulmate~] [the friends who are kinda important but pale in comparison to The Soulmate] [family?] [acquaintances] like well if you Would Die For This Person and They’d Die For You you guys are obviously set!!

anyways i went off about it but i get mad about this stuff like. the stuff that feels like it’s even within 2 degrees of talking about those Soulmates and romantique notions like being incomplete or inherently unfulfilled without That One Special Someone. and even throwing the Romance out the window, why like, have your network of relationships put into a Tournament Bracket where you whittle down who matters most until the Champion emerges????? goddamn

#n(aro)ws eyes......#Normal Hand Day #Anonymous

1 note · View note

thenovelartist · 6 years ago

Text

AU August - Day 31 - Fencing AU

I finally finished the story I started back when the incredible @megs-ils did a few fencing AU pieces. Here and Here. This is the origin story I thought up for them.

“Knock it off, you two,” Mr. Dargencourt warned. “More sparing, less flirting.”

Marinette could feel her cheeks burn at that. Was it that obvious? And here she thought she had her crush under control.

“Flirting?” Adrien jested. “Marinette doesn’t know the meaning of the word.”

“Says the boy who tried a pick-up line from an anime on some poor damsel.”

“At least I can string a sentence together. But then again, I’m certain a blush and stutter does wonders for stealing a boy’s heart.”

She lashed out.

He tapped her.

She inwardly cursed.

He flicked up his mask, revealing that infernal, handsome, cheeky, dazzling grin. She lived for that grin, even at the cost of a loss.

“Touché,” she admitted, lifting her own mask.

“Control your temper, Miss Dupain-Cheng,” Mr. Dargencourt warned. “You could have easily beat him with his sloppy footwork.”

Adrien shrugged, smile still on his face.

Mr. Dargencourt shook his head. “What am I going to do with the two of you. Both immensely talented yet refuse to focus.”

“Send us home because it’s the end of fencing club?”

Mr. Dargencourt looked at the clock. “Aye. That it is. Disband.”

So, they headed to the locker rooms, changing out of their fencing attire and collecting their things. Marinette was the only girl in the female locker room. Sure, it was a shame that not more women were in the club, but it gave her pride knowing that she could beat the boys.

As she exited, Adrien was there waiting for her. As always. “Walk you home?”

She grinned. “Thanks.”

They walked side by side out of the school and towards Marinette’s house. “Are you going to the fencing tournament this weekend?” Adrien asked.

Marinette sighed. Yes, she heard about it. She’d signed up—not that Adrien knew about it—and won the local sparing competition to see if she could have a spot. But… “My parents won’t let me go.”

Adrien looked at her, wide-eyed. “Why not? It would be a blast to watch.”

“It’s too far away, on the other side of Paris. They’d have to drive me and they’re too busy.”

“Oh,” Adrien said with a sigh.

“What about you? That’s sounds like fun.”

Adrien shook his head. “Grounded.”

“Oh! What for this time!” Marinette cried, exasperated.

“I bombed that test—”

“Okay, you did not ‘bomb that test’. No one did well on that test, and you got the second highest grade behind Max.”

“My dad wasn’t happy since it took my grade down.”

“By what?” Marinette exasperatedly challenged.

Adrien remained silent, which was all Marinette needed to know.”

“I think he needs a sabre to the chest,” she grumbled. “Or hilt to the head.”

Adrien chuckled. “I would pay to see that.”

When they arrived at the bakery, they paused at the door. “Do you want to come in for a treat?”

“I’d love to,” Adrien ruefully said. “But I can’t. Father wants me home immediately.”

“Can I send you home with a macron or two, at least?”

He hesitated. “Sure, I’d love that.”

“Give me a second.” Marinette hustled inside, dropping her gym bag behind the counter and earning a warning look from her mother. Quickly, Marinette grabbed small box of pre-boxed macrons from behind the counter and ran back outside to Adrien.

He gave her the softest look. “You spoil me.”

“Anything for my best friend, right?”

It was barely noticeable, but his posture deflated. “Right. Best friends.” He took the box. “I’ll see you at school?”

“Y-yeah,” Marinette said, waving to him as he slowly backed away. “See ya.”

He waved good-bye, but his smile didn’t reach those stunningly green eyes of his.

Once he was out of sight, Marinette retreated back into the bakery, marching past the counter up to her room.

“Ahem.”

Oh… her bag. Right. “Sorry, Maman.”

“And this is why I tell you to take it up to your room.”

She flashed her maman a sheepish grin. Her mother returned the gesture with a fond smile and shake of her head. “What am I going to do with you?” she teased.

“Love me because I’m your daughter?”

Her mother broke out into a full, wide grin at that. “That’s true.”

With one last smile, Marinette took off to her room, dumping her bag on the ground and collapsing on her chaise. “Best friends,” she grumbled. “Yup. That’s all we are.”

…

“Best friends,” he said, dropping his bag on the ground before falling onto his couch. “That’s all.”

He let his eyes drift shut, only to immediately conjure up the most beautiful set of eyes, ones that hardened competitively when faced with a challenge yet could melt a man with the softest and most gentle of looks. Paired with a smile that was dangerous for his heartbeat, he was sure she’d be the death of him.

But they were friends. Best friends. Clearly, that was all she wanted to be.

He sighed and turned on his tv for a distraction. The news was on, reporting on the large fencing tournament that was being set up across Paris. Not only did he want to go just because he loved a good challenge, but he wanted to find a teacher. All the best were going to be there. He’d signed up already and earned his spot in the prestigious competition.

Too bad he was grounded.

Unless he snuck out.

It was really risky. Borderline stupid. There was no way his father wouldn’t notice.

… Then again, this was his father they were talking about.

The only problem was the fact the whole thing would be broadcast. It was quite the prestigious event, after all. The news would be all over it. And if fashion model Adrien Agreste showed up, the news would zero in on him and he would be pulled from school faster than he could blink.

Too bad he couldn’t cover his face.

It took a moment, but a slow smile crept across his face. Well… why not?

…

“Alya, this is a bad idea.”

Alya waved a hand dismissively at Marinette and started the car. “It’s a great idea. Your parents don’t need you and the only thing you need is a ride. How is it not perfect?”

“My parents will catch me.”

“No, they won’t. No way they’ll watch the tourney.”

“But what if someone else sees me then rats me out to my parents and I’ll be grounded for breaking their trust and—”

“Okay, okay,” Alya interrupted, “Calm down. Just wear your mask the whole time. No one will know.”

“But my name will still be displayed.”

Alya frowned, pacing back and forth in Marinette’s room. Suddenly, she gasped. “I’ve got it!” She ran to her backpack, falling to her knees and pulling out a comic book. “Ta-da! New identity.”

Marinette stared at the comic book dubiously. “That’s the best you can come up with?”

“Think about it. Don a mask, a costume, and new name and boom! Instant cover.”

“You’re nuts.”

“Visionary.”

Marinette snorted. “Alya. If you come up with a half-decent idea, I’ll do it.”

Suddenly, Marinette was not liking that smirk on Alya’s face. “You’re on.”

…

Adrien was accustomed to sneaking out to the point he was scarily good at it. He knew how to get all the way across Paris on his own.

With help from Nino.

“Bro, I owe you.”

Nino yawned. “Yeah, you do. You’re paying gas money, lunch, and a new set of headphones.”

When Nino stopped at a light, Adrien pulled out the pair he’d already bought. “Something like this?”

Nino stopped to stare wide eyed at the top-of-the-line pair of studio-quality headphones. “Bro, I love you.”

“You’re welcome.”

When they arrived, Adrien slipped on his mask.

No, not his fencing mask. His black face mask.

Nino stared at him dubiously. “And why’d you think this was a good idea?”

“When don’t I have good ideas?”

“You really want me to answer that?”

Adrien snorted. “Trust me. This is one of my best plans yet.”

Nino stuck with Adrien up to the sign-up table, where Adrien scribbled in his pseudonym Chat Noir.

The sign-up lady looked at him oddly, giving his black fencer’s suit and mask a once over. Adrien shrugged and gave her a charming smile. “It’s my nickname. Most don’t want to cross me.”

She stared at him a while longer before her expression fell back into one of boredom. “Building 1 to the left. Bracket C, number 13.”

“Thank you,” Ad-Chat said before stepping off to the side. “This,” he said, resting a hand on Nino’s shoulder, “is where we part ways.”

Nino held up a fist. “Good luck, bro.”

Adrien pounded it. “Thanks.”

With one last salute, Adrien wandered off to his section. He wondered inside, searching for anything that said Bracket C. Instead, he found a map with several brackets underneath.

He suddenly was no longer surprised the tournament spanned over the three-day weekend. Sure, there had been many long tournaments he’d had to compete in beforehand to secure this spot, but he didn’t realize this one would be the biggest of them all. There were brackets A-P, each consisting of 16 contestants. Today was basically the preliminaries to decide who actually was worthy enough to stay. He doubted any teachers would be here today, but that didn’t mean he could slack. He had a bracket to win.

…

“I can’t believe this was your brilliant idea,” Marinette whined.

“It will work perfectly.”

“It’s nuts.”

“It’s perfect. I’m a genius.”

Marinette sighed, feeling the face mask underneath her fingers.

“So you decide that I, the clumsiest person alive, should be named after the luckiest animal ever?”

Alya tapped the steering wheel of her van. “Well, it matched that red suit you had in your closet. Besides, you need a little ladybug luck.”

“I’m strangling you for this.”

“When you win the tourney and score an awesome teacher, I’ll make you eat those words.”

When they arrived, Alya waited in line with Marinette at the sign-up table. When they arrived, the lady looked her over. “Did I miss the memo? What is it, Halloween?”

Before Marinette could ask what she meant, the lady pushed a sign-up sheet towards her. Marinette signed her name. Well…nickname. Ladybug.

“Building 3 to your right. Bracket L number 7.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, go win, girl.”

“Thanks, Alya. I have the feeling I’ll need it.”

…

Day two, and Marinette felt twice as confident donning the mask. She’d garnered a bit of a reputation of having lady luck on her side and people did not like facing off with her. She was quick, agile, efficient. Matches were over in the blink of an eye and all they would see is a flurry of red.

It gave Marinette a deep sense of pride, and soon she found she didn’t want to lose such a reputation. She couldn’t disgrace the ladybug, after all.

By the end of the day, she couldn’t help but notice a crowd gathering in her corner of the building. Likely to watch her, the Lucky Lady in Red. Alya filmed her success throughout the day. By the end, she was crowned the winner of her bracket.

“Congratulations on your win, Miss Ladybug” a game manager said, shaking her hand.

“Thank you, sir,”

“Tomorrow, you’ll be heading to building B, where you’ll face off with the 15 winners of the other brackets. Best of luck.”

With that, she retreated up to Alya.

“Girl, you were amazing!” she cried, giving Ladybug a hug.

“Thanks,” she said, returning it. “I’m so excited.”

“You should be!” Alya said, “Play like that and you’ll win the whole thing.”

“Fingers crossed.”

They started down the bleachers, setting their sights on the door when they were stopped by a lady in a simple red dress. “I have to admit,” she said. “Your skills should be what I’m looking for, but I’ve always admired a woman in red.”

Marinette stared at the woman for a moment, and once her brain registered who she was talking to, her jaw hit the floor. “Y-y-you’re…”

The woman smiled. “I’ve got my eye on you, Miss Ladybug. Maybe my lucky bet will be on you. I’d say best of luck, but looks like you’ve already got that.”

With that, the lady walked off towards another match.

“Who was—”

“ALYA!” Marinette squeaked, grabbing her best friend by the shoulders and shaking her. “That was Tikki Fu. The Tikki Fu!”

“I’m so lost.”

“She’s a legend!” Marinette squeaked, looking back over to where the woman disappeared. “She was in the world series and won for France in the female’s division.”

Alya’s jaw was now appropriately on the floor with Marinette’s. “No. Way.”

“YesWay!”

The girls squealed. Any jabber that continued between them was now completely undecipherable and pitched at uncomfortably high levels, but neither girl really cared. Not with the high Marinette was riding on. Now, she was determined not to mess this up. After all, a chance to work with Tikki was on the line.

…

At first, he questioned his idea to wear a mask, black suit, and nickname. The looks he had received were mocking and degrading. One gutsy competitor dared call him a pussy.

But that was before Adrien shredded him.

After that, no one mocked Chat Noir.

He grinned like a cat that got the cream every time he landed a hit. He was good; he knew it. And people were quickly growing afraid of his reputation.

“Kid, if you’re gonna be cocky, better not be afraid to land on your ass.”

Adrien turned around to see a man in a black leather jacket standing nonchalantly against one of the arena dividers.

“Not that the little outfit isn’t amusing,” the man said, slowly standing straight and sauntering towards him. “And the name certainly throws people off, but you better have the skill and focus to back it up.”

Adrien lifted his head shield and watched as the man’s eyes crinkled with amusement. “Quite an act.”

“Let’s just say that I don’t want my face anywhere.”

“Been there,” the man said. “But I also learned real quick where to draw the line.”

And that’s when Adrien’s eyes widened with realization of just who he was talking to. “You’re Paul Fu.”

The man snorted, his lips twisting into a smirk. “Nice to know someone knows my actual name. I’m pretty sure that even Wikipedia thinks my name is Plagg, now. That being said, if you’re gonna have a nickname, better make sure your skills are backing it up, not your mouth. Clear?”

Adrien nodded.

“Good. If you want a teacher at all, you’re going to have to prove that. A lot of them won’t take a smart mouth.”

Adrien knew he was talking from experience, so he nodded. “Yes, sir.”

With an amused smirk and tilt of his chin, Plagg walked passed him by.

Leaving Chat Noir with a warning he wasn’t soon going to forget.

…

The final bracket was organized by bracket letters. A against B, C against D, etc. The competition was fierce, and it was made twice as challenging by the fact trainers were there, ready to pick up new students.

If any competitor wasn’t on edge, then they had no idea the stakes.

Marinette was positively buzzing. All the tea in the world wouldn’t touch her anxiety. Alya revoked her privileges to liquids after a while. “You’re gonna end up having to pee in the middle of a match. You’ll thank me later.”

But she was still sweating. After all, winning the competition would be great, but there was nothing more important than impressing Tikki.

She nearly lost her first dual. It was the closest call she’d had. Thankfully, she came out on top. The second was very similar, but once again, she just eked into the lead.

“Girl,” Alya said, patting Marinette’s shoulder when she was on break. “You need to focus. You’re really off your game.”

“I’m nervous,” she admitted.

“Is this because you want to work with Tikki?”

“Yes!” she hissed. “I don’t want to let her down.”

“If you don’t calm down, you’re going to. Come on, girl. You’re better than this.”

“Knowing and doing are two different things.”

Alya hummed. “Then kick back and watch the competition. You still have to face off a couple more, and you need to learn how to shred them.”

Marinette knew she was right. That was probably her greatest strength, after all. She needed to use it.

“But because I’m curious, what do you think about Mr. Chat Noir?”

Marinette really stared at him. He was… a ball of pure instinct. From the few matches she’d seen him in, it was clear his fighting style differed between competitors. He was always stronger in the offensive than defensive, but that was the only similarity between his matches. The only downfall she could see was he was cocky. He subtly taunted his competitors, but it was a tactic that always worked well in his favor. This was a sport of class, usually full of stuck up, over-rich pricks, and having someone taunt them during a match was a great way to throw them off. They weren’t used to such behavior.

“I think he’s going to the final round.”

“I think so, too,” Alya said, continuing to film him. “He’s good.”

“He’s something.”

“Just make sure you beat his little tail, got it.”

“I’ll try.”

“See, it’s that sort of attitude that isn’t going to bode well for you.”

Marinette froze. Because that wasn’t Alya.

One again, Tikki was wearing red. “Come now, have some confidence,” she said, taking a seat beside Marinette. “You notice his faults. You plan ahead. Then you go in there and beat him.”

“But what if I don’t?”

“Oh well,” Tikki said with a shrug. “As long as you give all you’ve got, you’ve got nothing to be ashamed of. The best will lose battles. No one’s perfect.”

Marinette listened, but her nerves didn’t calm.

And Tikki took notice. “This wouldn’t be because you’re nervous about snagging a teacher, would it?”

Marinette whipped around to face Tikki and turned into a sputtering, incoherent mess.

Thank goodness for Alya. “Partly,” she said, wrapping an arm over Marinette’s shoulders. “You see, she’s this really talented and really sweet person who deserves to have a female instructor instead of being the only female in her school’s fencing club.”

Tikki giggled. “Then I guess it’s a good thing that I’ve already decided I want to take you on as a student.”

Marinette turned silent.

Tikki nodded. “You’re very good—obviously, for you to have gotten here—but I have the feeling you’ll be teachable. And I’m not going to waste my time with someone who may be the best fencer here yet won’t listen to my instruction. That, and I’ve always found luck in red.”

Marinette’s heart pounded. “R-really?”

Tikki grinned. “What do you say?”

“Yes!” Marinette cried. “Yes. Please. Really. Thank you. Yes.”

The red-head giggled again. “I knew I liked you. Now, do me a favor?”

“Anything.”

“Be sure to beat Mr. Cocky in the black, there,” she said. “I have the feeling I know exactly who’s going to pick him up and I’d love to shove it to the man.”

Marinette stared at Chat Noir, watching the lazy way he loped back to his seat then looked over the competition with an arrogant air about him.

She’d take him down. He needed a good lesson. “Deal.”

…

It was times like this that he wished his father would be here. He was doing very well in the tournament, beating competitors left and right. He knew he caught the eye of a handful of teachers. He’d love to be chosen by one of them to continue practicing his craft. One in particular had caught his attention, and if the master Paul Fu picked him up, then that would be the best thing ever.

However, Plagg never approached him. Nor did any other teachers. And it was the last round.

“Ladybug, is it?” Chat said, lazy smile on his face. “I was hoping to get the chance to spar with you. You’ve caused quite a racket.”

“Same as you, Chat Noir,” she said, sticking a hand out to shake. “It will be an honor to spar against you.”

He shook her hand. “It will be an honor to beat you, milady.”

She frowned, then turned and headed towards the arena.

The curt dismissal caught him off guard. Seemed she was the serious type, one focused on the match and movements.

He smirked. He knew exactly how to deal with that.

Throughout the match, he kept fishing for just the right comment that would overthrow her. Teases to playful insults to constantly complimenting her style.

But it didn’t help him win.

She was good, and he was a graceful loser.

Even though it stung a bit.

Or a lot.

He stuck out his hand at the end. “Good round.”

She frowned at him but still shook his hand. “Maybe, if you were a little more serious, things could have gone differently.”

With that, she walked off through the crowd of people wanting her attention.

He was bombarded with people, too. After all, he was second place winner. Not too bad in a competition of this size.

However, when he was never approached by a teacher, he was more than just a little salty. And unfortunately, he knew why.

“They think you’re too cocky,” Nino confirmed. “I overheard a handful of them talking. They think you’re good but arrogant and they aren’t going to take you for it.”

“Yeah, figures,” Adrien mumbled. “Let’s just go home.”

“You did well, bro,” Nino said, slapping a hand on his shoulder. “You should be proud. You’re literally the second-best fencer in all of Paris. And technically, the best guy fencer in all Paris.”

Adrien’s smile was small, but still there. “Thanks bro.”

They navigated the parking lot to Nino’s ride, only to stop when they saw a figure sitting on the hood.

“There you are,” he said, sliding off the car and standing to full height. “Wondering when you’d make it out. Quite a match, there.”

Adrien shrugged. “She was good. I lost fairly,” he answered, doing everything he could to hold back his bitterness. Because it was true; she was good. Heck, everyone he sparred with was good.

He just kinda hoped he was the best.

“No teacher?” Plagg asked with a smirk.

“They all think I’m arrogant, apparently.”

“And you want to correct them?”

Adrien opened his mouth to speak, only to pause. “Maybe a little,” he said. “I just…”

“You just, what?” Plagg challenged.

“I’m not a pussy,” he said. “And I am good and I want to show them they can’t mess with me like that.”

Plagg stared down at him.

Adrien didn’t waver under the pressure.

“What’s your name, kid?” Plagg asked. “If I’m going to train you, I’m gonna need a name.”

Adrien froze, staring wide eyed at Plagg.

He just quirked a brow. “Well?”

“Adrien,” he said. “Adrien Agreste.”

It was Plagg’s turn to quirk a curious brow, but his expression turned into a smug one. “Well, if that don’t explain all,” he commented. He handed him a small card with a number and address. “Call me when you have a schedule, kid. And if daddy refuses, well… you’re what? Nearly eighteen. Daddy can’t control you forever.”

With that, he walked off.

“Dude,” Nino said, breaking Adrien from his trance. “That. Is awesome.”

“You wouldn’t mind giving me rides, would you?”

Nino smirked. “I could use some more DJ equipment.”

Adrien grinned and grabbed Nino’s shoulder. “You are the best friend ever.”

…

“Congratulations!” Alya said, tackling Marinette in a hug once she escaped the swarm of reporters as well as teachers all wanting to take her on. She had to turn all them down and did her best to be as polite as possible.

“Thanks, Alya,” she said, returning the hug. “I can’t believe I won!”

“You should!” Tikki chimed in. “You were fantastic. I knew you were my lucky bet.”

Marinette giggled.

“So,” Tikki said. “I’d like to set up a training schedule as soon as possible. However, I’m going to have to know the girl underneath the mask for that.”

Quickly scanning the room for any reporters or other nosy people yet finding no one, she took of her mask. “Marinette Dupain-Cheng,” she said, sticking out her hand.

“She may or may not have sneaked out in order to be here,” Alya cheekily added. “It’s not a normal thing, though. Just on this one occasion.”

“I hope that doesn’t mean you’re going to abandon Ladybug completely,” Tikki said, shaking Marinette’s hand. “I kinda like it.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “Really?”

Tikki nodded. “I think it would be fun to have such an alias, and it certainly creates a buzz, don’t you think?”

Marinette shrugged. “I guess so.”

Tikki grinned. “So, should I give you my number to call when you have a schedule worked out?”

“How about,” Alya said, pitching in. “You visit the Dupain-Cheng bakery for lunch.”

Tikki gasped. “Oh, I knew your name sounded familiar. I love the cookies there. I have such a bad sweet tooth.”

Marinette giggled. “Then can you come over after lunch sometime this week so I can tell my parents everything and get their okay.”

“That sounds perfect,” Tikki agreed. “Monday?”

“Monday.”

“Wonderful. I will see you tomorrow. Until then, congratulations on the win.”

“Thank you.”

With a smile and a wave, Tikki headed out

Leaving Alya and Marinette screaming in giddy, girly excitement.

#mlauyeahaugust #ml au yeah august #au yeah august #miraculous ladybug #fanfiction #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #alya cesaire #Nino lahiffe #Tikki #plagg #fencing AU #origin story

465 notes · View notes

mrkwonandmrchoibabygirl · 7 years ago

Text

Bared To Him -Seungri PT.3

Genre:Smut/Angst/Fluff

Rated:NC-17

Word count 4,119

PT.2

"There's no way your mom and Her Husband are going to let you come out here at night multiple times a week," Hae said, hugging his stylish denim jacket around him even though it wasn't more than slightly chilly. The converted warehouse Parker Smith used as his studio was a brick-faced building in a formerly industrial area of Brooklyn presently struggling to revitalize. The space was vast, and the massive metal delivery-bay doors offered no exterior clue as to what was taking place inside. Hae and I sat in aluminum bleachers, watching a half-dozen combatants on the mats below. "Ouch." I winced in sympathy as a guy took a kick to the groin. Even with padding, that had to sting. "How's Johns going to find out, Hae?" "Because you'll be in the hospital?" He glanced at me. "Seriously. Krav Maga is brutal. They're just sparring and it's full contact. And even if the bruises don't give you away, your stepdad will find out somehow. He always does." "Because of my mom; she tells him everything. But I'm not telling her about this."

"Why not?" "She won't understand. She'll think I want to protect myself because of what happened, and she'll feel guilty and give me grief about it. She won't believe my main interest is exercise and stress relief." I propped my chin on my palm and watched Parker take the floor with a woman. He was a good instructor. Patient and thorough, and he explained things in an easy to understand way. His studio was in a rough neighborhood, but I thought it suited what he was teaching. It didn't get more "reality based" than a big, empty warehouse. "That Parker guy is really hot," Hae murmured. "He's also wearing a wedding band." "I noticed. The good ones always get snatched up quick." Parker joined us after the class was over, his dark eyes bright and his smile brighter. "What'd ya think, Y/N?" "Where do I sign up?" His sexy smile made Hae reach over and squeeze the blood out of my hand. "Step this way." Friday started out awesome. Mark walked me through the process of collecting information for an RFP, and he told me a little more about Seunghyun’s Industries and Lee Seung Hyun, pointing out that he and Lee were the same age. "I have to remind myself of that," Mark said. "It's easy to forget he's so young when he's right in front of you." "Yes," I agreed, secretly disappointed that I wouldn't see Lee for the next two days. As much as I told myself it didn't matter, I was bummed. I hadn't realized I'd been excited by the possibility that we might run into each other until that possibility was gone. It was just such a rush being near him. Plus he was a hell of a lot of fun to look at. I had nothing nearly as exciting planned for the weekend. I was taking notes in Mark's office when I heard my desk phone ringing. Excusing myself, I rushed over to catch it. "Mark Garrity's office - " "Y/N love. How are you?" I sank into my chair at the sound of my stepfather's voice. Johns always sounded like old money to me - cultured, entitled, and arrogant. "Johns. Is everything okay? Is Mom all right?" "Yes. Everything's fine. Your mother is wonderful, as always." His tone softened when he spoke of his wife and I was grateful for that. I was grateful to him for a lot of things actually, but it was sometimes hard to balance that against my feelings of disloyalty. I knew my dad was self-conscious about the massive differences in their income brackets. "Good," I said, relieved. "I'm glad. Did you and Mom receive my thank-you note for the dress and Cary's tuxedo?" "Yes, and it was thoughtful of you, but you know we don't expect you to thank us for such things. Excuse me a moment." He spoke to someone, most likely his secretary. "Y/N love, I'd like us to get together for lunch today. I'll send Clancy around to collect you." "Today? But we'll be seeing each other tomorrow night. Can't it wait until then?" "No, it should be today." "But I only get an hour for lunch." A tap on my shoulder turned me around to find Mark standing by my cubicle. "Take two," he whispered. "You earned it." I sighed and mouthed a thank you. "Will twelve o'clock work, Johns?" "Perfectly. I look forward to seeing you." I had no reason to look forward to private meetings with Johns, but I dutifully left just before noon and found a town car waiting for me, idling at the curb. Clancy, Johns's driver and body guard, opened the door for me as I greeted him. Then he slid behind the wheel and drove me downtown. By twenty after the hour, I was sitting at a conference table in Stanton's offices, eyeing a beautifully catered lunch for two. John came in shortly after my arrival, looking dapper and distinguished. His hair was pure white, his face lined but still very handsome. His eyes were the color of worn blue denim, and they were sharp with intelligence. He was trim and athletic, taking the time out of his busy days to stay fit even before he'd married his trophy wife - my mom. I stood as he approached, and he bent to kiss my cheek. "You look lovely, Y/N." "Thank you." I looked like my mom, who was also a natural blonde. But my Y/E/C eyes came from my dad. Taking a chair at the head of the table, John was aware that the requisite backdrop of the New York skyline was behind him and he took advantage of its impressiveness. "Eat," he said, with the command so easily wielded by all men of power. Men like Lee Seunghyun. Had John been as driven at Lee's age? I picked up my fork and started in on a chicken, cranberry, walnut, and feta salad. It was delicious, and I was hungry. I was glad Stanton didn't start talking right away so I could enjoy the meal, but the reprieve didn't last long. "Y/N love, I wanted to discuss your interest in Krav Maga." I froze. "Excuse me?" John took a sip of iced water and leaned back, his jaw taking on the rigidity that warned me I wouldn't like what he was about to say. "Your mother was quite distraught last night when you went to that studio in Brooklyn. It took some time to calm her down and to assure her that I could make arrangements for you to pursue your interests in a safe manner. She doesn't want - " "Wait." I set my fork down carefully, my appetite gone. "How did she know where I was?" "She tracked your cell phone." "No way," I breathed, deflating into my seat. The casualness of his reply, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, made me feel ill. My stomach churned, suddenly more interested in rejecting my lunch than digesting it. "That's why she insisted I use one of your company phones. It had nothing to do with saving me money." "Of course that was part of it. But it also gives her peace of mind." "Peace of mind? To spy on her grown daughter? It's not healthy, John. You've got to see that. Is she still seeing Dr. Petersen?" He had the grace to look uncomfortable. "Yes, of course." "Is she telling him what she's doing?" "I don't know," he said stiffly. "That's Monica's private business. I don't interfere." No, he didn't. He coddled her. Indulged her. Spoiled her. And allowed her obsession with my safety to run wild. "She has to let it go. I've let it go." "You were an innocent, Y/N. She feels guilty for not protecting you. We need to give her a little latitude." "Latitude? She's a stalker!" My mind spun. How could my mom invade my privacy like that? Why would she? She was driving herself crazy, and me along with her. "This has to stop." "It's an easy fix. I've already spoken with Clancy. He'll drive you when you need to venture into Brooklyn. Everything's been arranged. This will be much more convenient for you." "Don't try to twist this around to being for my benefit." My eyes stung and my throat burned with unshed tears of frustration. I hated the way he talked about Brooklyn like it was a third-world country. "I'm a grown woman. I make my own decisions. It's the goddamn law!" "Don't take that tone with me, Y/N. I'm simply looking after your mother. And you." I pushed back from the table. "You're enabling her. You're keeping her sick, and you're making me sick, too." "Sit down. You need to eat. Monica worries that you're not eating healthy enough." "She worries about everything, John. That's the problem." I dropped my napkin on the table. "I have to get back to work." I turned away, striding toward the door to get out as quickly as possible. I retrieved my purse from John's secretary and left my cell phone on her desk. Clancy, who had been waiting for me in the reception area, followed me, and I knew better than to try and blow him off. He didn't take orders from anyone but John. Clancy drove me back up to midtown, while I stewed in the backseat. I could bitch all I wanted, but in the end I wasn't any better than John because I was going to give in. I was going to cave and let my mom have her way, because it hurt my heart to think of her suffering any more than she already did. She was so emotional and fragile, and she loved me to the point of being crazy about it. My mood was still dark when I got back to the Seunghyun’s Company. As Clancy pulled away from the curb, I stood on the crowded sidewalk and looked up and down the busy street for either a drugstore where I could get some chocolate or a cellular store where I could pick up a new phone. I ended up walking around the block and buying a half-dozen candy bars at a Duane Reade on the corner before heading back to the Seunghyun’s Company. I'd been gone just about an hour, but I wasn't going to use the extra time Mark had given me. I needed work to distract me from my crazy-assed family. As I caught an empty elevator car, I ripped open a bar and bit viciously into it. I was making strides toward filling my self-imposed chocolate quota before I hit the twentieth floor when the car stopped on the fourth. I appreciated the added time the stop gave me to enjoy the comfort of dark chocolate and caramel melting over my tongue. The doors slid apart, and revealed Lee Seung Hyun talking with two other gentlemen. As usual, I lost my breath at the sight of him, which reignited my fading irritation. Why did he have that effect on me? When was I going to become immune to his hotness? He glanced over and his lips curved into a slow, heart-stopping smile when he saw me. Great. Just my crappy luck. I'd become some kind of challenge. Lee's smile faded into a frown. "We'll finish this later," he murmured to his companions without looking away from me. Stepping into the car, he lifted a hand to discourage them from following him. They blinked in surprise, glancing at me, then Lee, and then back again. I stepped out, deciding it would be safer for my sanity to take a different car up. "Not so fast, Y/N." Lee caught me by the elbow and tugged me back. The doors shut and the elevator glided smoothly into motion. "What are you doing?" I snapped. After dealing with John, the last thing I needed was another domineering male trying to push me around. Lee caught me by the upper arms and searched my face with that vivid blue gaze. "Something's wrong. What is it?" The now-familiar electricity crackled to life between us, the pull made fiercer by my temper. "You." "Me?" His thumbs stroked over my shoulders. Releasing me, he withdrew a lone key from his pocket and plugged it into the panel. All the lights cleared except for the one for the top floor. He wore black again, with fine gray pinstripes. Seeing him from the back was a revelation. His shoulders were nicely broad without being bulky, emphasizing his lean waist and long legs. The silky strands of hair falling over his collar tempted me to clench them and pull. Hard. I wanted him as pissy as I was. I wanted a fight. "I'm not in the mood for you now, Mr. Lee." He watched the antique-style needle above the doors mark the passing floors. "I can get you in the mood." "I'm not interested." Lee glanced over his shoulder at me. His shirt and tie were both the same awesome cerulean as his irises. The effect was striking. "No lies, Y/N. Ever." "That's not a lie. So what if I'm attracted to you? I expect most women are." Wrapping up what was left of my candy bar, I shoved it back into the shopping bag I'd tucked into my purse. I didn't need chocolate when I was sharing air with Lee Seung Hyun. "But I'm not interested in doing anything about it." He faced me then, turning in a leisurely pivot, that ghost of a smile softening his sinful mouth. His ease and unconcern aggravated me further. "Attraction is too tame a word for" - he gestured at the space between us - "this." "Call me crazy, but I have to actually like someone before I get naked and sweaty with them." "Not crazy," he said. "But I don't have the time or the inclination to date." "That makes two of us. Glad we got that cleared up." He stepped closer, his hand lifting to my face. I forced myself not to move away or give him the satisfaction of seeing me intimidated. His thumb brushed over the corner of my mouth; then lifted to his own. He sucked on the pad and purred, "Chocolate and you. Delicious." A shiver moved through me, followed by a heated ache between my legs as I imagined licking chocolate off his lethally sexy body. His gaze darkened and his voice lowered intimately. "Romance isn't in my repertoire, Y/N. But a thousand ways to make you come are. Let me show you." The car slowed to a halt. He withdrew the key from the panel and the doors opened. I backed into the corner and shooed him out with a flick of my wrist. "I'm really not interested." "We'll discuss." Lee caught me by the elbow and gently, but insistently, urged me out. I went along because I liked the charge I got from being around him and because I was curious to see what he had to say when afforded more than five minutes of my time. He was buzzed through the security door so quickly there was no need for him to break stride. The pretty redhead at the reception desk pushed hastily to her feet, about to impart some information until he shook his head impatiently. Her mouth snapped shut and she stared at me as we passed at a brisk pace, her eyes wide. The walk to Lee's office was mercifully short. His secretary stood when he saw his boss's approach, but remained silent when he noted that Lee wasn't alone. "Hold my calls, Kang," Lee said, steering me into his office through the open glass double doors. Despite my irritation, I couldn't help but be impressed with Lee Seung Hyun's spacious command center. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city on two sides, while a wall of glass faced the rest of the office space. The one opaque wall opposite the massive desk was covered in flat screens streaming news channels from around the world. There were three distinct seating areas, each one larger than Mark's entire office, and a bar that showcased jeweled crystal decanters, which provided the only spots of color in a palette that was otherwise black, gray, and white. Lee hit a button on his desk that closed the doors; then another that instantly frosted the clear glass wall, effectively shielding us from the view of his employees. With the beautiful sapphire-hued reflective film on the exterior windows, privacy was assured. He shrugged out of his jacket and hung it on a chrome coatrack. Then he returned to where I'd remained standing just inside the doors. "Something to drink, Y/N?" "No, thank you." Damn it. He was even yummier in just the vest. I could better see how fit he was. How strong his shoulders were. How beautifully his biceps and ass flexed as he moved. He gestured toward a black leather sofa. "Have a seat." "I have to go back to work." "And I have a meeting at two. The sooner we work this out, the sooner we can both get back to business. Now, sit down." "What do you think we're going to work out?" Sighing, he scooped me up like a bride and carried me over to the sofa. He dropped me on my butt; then sat next to me. "Your objections. It's time to discuss what it's going to take to get you beneath me." "A miracle." I pushed back from him, widening the space between us. I tugged at the hem of my emerald green skirt, wishing I'd worn pants instead. "I find your approach crude and offensive." And a major turn-on, but I was never going to admit it. He contemplated me with narrowed eyes. "It may be blunt, but it's honest. You don't strike me as the kind of woman who wants bullshit and flattery instead of the truth." "What I want is to be seen as having more to offer than an inflatable sex doll." Lee's brows shot up. "Well, then." "Are we done?" I stood. Wrapping my wrist with his fingers, he pulled me back down. "Hardly. We've established some talking points: We have an intense sexual attraction and neither of us wants to date. So what do you want - exactly? Seduction, Y/N? Do you want to be seduced?" I was equally fascinated and appalled by the conversation. And, yes, tempted. It was hard not to be while faced with such a gorgeous, virile male so determined to get hot and sweaty with me. Still, the dismay won out. "Sex that's planned like a business transaction is a turnoff for me." "Establishing parameters in the beginning makes it less likely that there'll be exaggerated expectations and disappointment at the conclusion." "Are you kidding?" I scowled. "Listen to yourself. Why even call it a fuck? Why not be clear and call it a seminal emission in a preapproved orifice?" He pissed me off by throwing his head back and laughing. The full, throaty sound flowed over me like a rush of warm water. My awareness of him heightened to a physically painful degree. His earthy amusement made him less sex god and more human. Flesh and blood. Real. I pushed to my feet and backed out of reach. "Casual sex doesn't have to include wine and roses, but for God's sake, whatever else it is, sex should be personal. Friendly even. With mutual respect at the very least." His humor fled as he stood, his eyes darkening. "There are no mixed signals in my private affairs. You want me to blur that line. I can't think of a good reason to." "I don't want you to do jack shit, besides let me get back to work." I strode to the door and yanked on the handle, cursing softly when it didn't budge. "Let me out, Lee." I felt him come up behind me. His palms pressed flat to the glass on either side of my shoulders, caging me in. I couldn't think of my own self-preservation when he was so close. The strength and demand of his will exuded an almost tangible force field. When he stepped close enough, it surrounded me, closing me in with him. Everything outside of that bubble ceased to exist, while inside it my entire body strained toward his. That he had such a profound, visceral effect on me while being so damn irritating had my mind spinning. How could I be so turned on by a man whose words should've turned me completely off? "Turn around, Y/N." My eyes closed against the surge of arousal I felt at his authoritative tone. God, he smelled good. His powerful frame radiated heat and hunger, spurring my own wild desire for him. The uncontrollable response was intensified by my lingering frustration with John and my more recent aggravation with Lee himself. I wanted him. Bad. But he was no good for me. Honestly, I could screw up my life on my own. I didn't need any help. My flushed forehead touched the air-conditioned glass. "Let it go, Lee." "I am. You're too much trouble." His lips brushed behind my ear. One of his hands pressed flat to my stomach, the fingers splaying to urge me back against him. He was as aroused as I was, his cock hard and thick against my lower back. "Turn around and say good-bye." Disappointed and regretful, I turned in his grip, sagging against the door to cool my heated back. He was curved over me, his luxurious hair framing his beautiful face, his forearm propped against the door to bring him closer. I had almost no room to breathe. The hand he'd had at my waist was now resting on the curve of my hip, tightening reflexively and driving me mad. He stared, his gaze searingly intense. "Kiss me," he said hoarsely. "Give me that much." Panting softly, I licked my dry lips. He groaned, tilted his head, and sealed his mouth over mine. I was shocked by how soft his firm lips were and the gentleness of the pressure he exerted. I sighed and his tongue dipped inside, tasting me in long leisurely licks. His kiss was confident, skilled, and just the right side of aggressive to turn me on wildly. I distantly registered my purse hitting the floor; then my hands were in his hair. I pulled on the silky strands, using them to direct his mouth over mine. He growled, deepening the kiss, stroking my tongue with lush slides of his own. I felt the raging beat of his heart against my chest, proof that he wasn't just a hopeless ideal conjured by my fevered imagination. He pushed away from the door. Cupping the back of my head and the curve of my buttocks, he lifted me off my feet. "I want you, y/n. Trouble or not, I can't stop." I was pressed full-body against him, achingly aware of every hot, hard inch of him. I kissed him back as if I could eat him alive. My skin was damp and too sensitive, my breasts heavy and tender. My clit throbbed for attention, pounding along with my raging heartbeat. I was vaguely aware of movement, and then the couch was against my back. Lee was levered over me with one knee on the cushion and the other foot on the floor. His left arm supported his torso while his right hand gripped the back of my knee, sliding upward along my thigh in a firmly possessive glide. His breath hissed out when he reached the point where my garter clipped to the top of my silk stocking. He tore his gaze away from mine and looked down, pushing my skirt higher to bare me from the waist down. "Jesus, Y/N." A low rumble vibrated in his chest, the primitive sound sending goose bumps racing across my skin. "Your boss is damned lucky he's gay." In a daze, I watched Lee's body lower to mine, my legs sliding apart to accommodate the width of his hips. My muscles strained with the urge to lift toward him, to hasten the contact between us that I'd been craving since I first laid eyes on him. Lowering his head, he took my mouth again, bruising my lips with a fine edge of violence. Abruptly, he yanked himself away, stumbling to his feet. I lay there gasping and wet, so willing and ready. Then I realized why he'd reacted so fiercely. Someone was behind him.

DUN DUN DUN ....UPDATE TOMORROW!

33 notes · View notes

terresdebrume · 7 years ago

Text

A Fic Rec Post

Okay so @julinettewrites asked me for a few fanfiction recs to get to know the fandom side of things. The requirements were: ‘good character development/introspection’ and ‘doesn’t require in-depth knowledge’ for fandoms she isn’t in. Of course I had to oblige.

Note that several of the fics on that list will be novel-length and beyond (wordcount included in the post) and several of them will deal with mature themes including but not limited to : mourning, death, rape-recovery, slavery, depression and medical torture. Please check the warnings on fics before reading :)

Legend for the brackets in front of titles:

M = Multichaptered fic

OS = One shot (one chapter) fic

S = Series of fic

C = Complete

I = In progress

The first fic on the list is my go-to rec for people discovering fanfiction, the rest doesn’t really have any order of preference, fandom or length. I stuck to fics hosted on AO3 for convenience’s sake, although a detour through my fic rec tag has a couple of little gems for your perusal.

I also included a couple of my own fics at the end, because I’m proud of them, and also because I can.

Enjoy !

I. Others’ fics

[M|C] Spin Control by trovia (Hunger Games, Finnick/Haymitch, 146k+ words, Rated M)

Summary : When Haymitch Abernathy’s alcoholism makes the prime time news, Finnick Odair is sent to live in District Twelve to pick up the pieces. But it’s hard to save a friend if you can barely stand looking yourself in the eye. And it might become impossible once that friend decides to move hell and high water to bring two of his tributes home at once, even if it should cost him his own life.

[S|I] Double Agent Vader by fialleril (Star Wars Original Trilogy, Gen, 78k+ so far)

Series summary : The one where Vader turned double agent for the Rebellion about three years after ROTS, and Leia is now his primary contact with the Rebellion.

[M|C] All The Angels and The Saints by speranza (MCU, Steve/Bucky, 48k+ words, Rated E)

Summary : In which Steve Rogers loses God and finds God and loses God, and also: Bucky.

[M|C] The Weight of the World by bellinaball (Glee, Gen, 12k+ words, Rated E)

Summary : Blaine's parents have given him a present. No matter what Kurt tells him, Blaine knows that his gift isn't a person.

[M|C] The Twin Thrones by Angelike (Merlin +Chronicles of Narnia, Merlin/Arthur, 40k words, Rated E)

Summary : While visiting a neighbouring kingdom for peace negotiations on behalf of King Uther, Arthur finds his attempts to seduce Merlin thwarted at every turn. Hiding in the wardrobe seemed like a good idea at the time.

[OS|C] Migratory Birds by nekare (Supernatural+X-Men, Gen, 11k+ words, Rated Teen & Up)

Summary : When the end comes, one brother is on one side, and the other on the opposite.

[S|C] The Guiding Winds by Fialleril (Star Wars OT & Prequel Trilogy, Gen, 5k+ words, Rated General Audiences)

Summary : The one where everything is the same, except Anakin survives ROTJ. Mostly a connected series of fics written in the same universe, centering on Luke and Anakin's relationship, and written by request - updated on a whim, but each fic is complete.

[OS] different from all other nights by metonymy (Xmen, Gen, 2k+ words, Rated GA)

Summary : "This year we are slaves; next year we will be free." Kitty and Erik host a seder for Passover at the Xavier School.

[OS] In Starships and Cups of Coffee by lorata (Star Wars OT, Gen, 1k+ words, Rated GA)

Summary : Han has no idea when he was born and it doesn’t really matter, it’s what he’s done with his life that’s important, not whatever day he got dropped into the world, red-faced and screaming and smeared with gunk. (Chewie would have his hide for that, but you know what pal, just because his kid had fur from the start didn’t make the whole process any less weird and slimy.)

Birthdays away from home can be complicated, whether you're an orphaned smuggler who doesn't remember, a princess whose home planet exploded, or a farm boy whose native world used an obscure calendar system.

[OS] A Nice Boy (The Family Matters Edition) by pocky_slash (X-Men : First Class, Charles/Erik, 20k+, Rated T&U)

Summary : Erik's not sure whether the problem is that he doesn't want his parents to meet Charles or that he doesn't want Charles to meet his parents. Either way, he never invites Charles to brunch. Why should he? It's not like they're dating.

[OS] Guardian Angels by WerewolvesAreReal (Digimon Adventure 01, Gen, 3k+ words, Rated Gen)

Summary : After the digital portal closes at the end of 01, TK looks for a new guardian angel. This search leads mostly to heartbreak.

Things to know : Takeru’s Digimon is Angel-shaped at his highest levels and died (twice, I think?) in the course of adventure 01. This fic takes place soon after that.

[M|C] The Crystal’s Song by sebastianL (Rogue One : A Star Wars Story, Chirrut/Baze, 160k+ words, Rated Explicit)

Summary : He is a Guardian. He believes in the Force. He is alone. Things change.

[OS] To Have Outlived The Night by stillane (Teen Wolf, Stiles/Derek, 23k+ words, Rated Mature)

Summary : Derek steps away from the window. “You helped me. They took that as a declaration.”

[OS] The Butterfingers G. D. I. Stark to Problem Solving by Epiphanyx7 (MCU, Gen, 18k+ words, Rated T&U)

Summary : Tony begins to notice that things are going missing from his workshop... and discovers that his bots have been hiding a very, very big secret from him. Or rather, a very, very small one.

In which Dummy is a kleptomaniac, You is painfully shy, Butterfingers is a programming genius, JARVIS is a sarcastic sonofabitch, Pepper takes care of Tony outside of the workshop, Bruce is Tony's boo, Thor is Tony's favourite, Clint is actually kind of smart, Steve has terrible timing, and problem-solving is never simple or easy.

Things to know : Dummy, Butterfingers and You are Tony Stark’s robots, the ones in his workshop, which we mostly see in Iron Man 1 & 2.

[OS] Je n’ai jamais promis un jardin de roses by chezvous(XMen : First Class, Gen, 5k+ words, Rated GA)

Summary : Charles had wanted a puppy for his tenth birthday.

(Or: Charles takes care of roses to make up for the fact that he was not loved quite enough during his childhood.)

II. Things of mine

[M|C] Once more, with kissing (Digimon, Taichi/Yamato, 41k words, Rated M)

Summary : In which Taichi has questionable ways to handle his issues, everyone tries to be nice, and Yamato yells at him a lot. Same old, same old, except for the part where there's kissing.

[OS] The Green Teacup (Saint Seiya, Gen, 7k+ words, Rated T&U)

Summary : Aphrodite, after a week-long absence, is finally back in the Sanctuary, which means Deathmask can just yell at him for leaving everyone behind and let things go back to normal.

Except for the part where they don’t.

Things to know : The characters mentioned are all super-powered child soldiers with Tragic Backstories (Deathmask’s takes the cake). In this fic, Aphrodite was sent 200years into the past and has just come back to the Sanctuary (where they all live) a little too late to prevent people from knowing he time-traveled at all.

[S|I] Teeth of the Desert (Star Wars OT, Gen, 9k+ words so far, Rated T&U)

Summary : In which the homestead doesn't burn but Luke is orphaned anyway.

In which he never leaves Tatooine, but learns to know Han and Leia anyway.

In which Luke never becomes a Jedi, but he saves a world anyway.

[OS] Killing zombies, and other fun activities (TWD+Battlestar Galactica, Gen, 4k words, Rated GA)

Summary : Daryl finds Kara in Griffin, roaring drunk and just about ready to die. Things, as it turn out, don’t quite go according to her plan, but she doesn’t really complain.

[S|C] The Boxes ‘Verse (The Hunger Games+Avatar : The last Airbender, Finnick/Haymitch, 7k+ words, Rated T)

Summary : "Remember that time we talked about little boxes? That was ages ago but try to remember it, if you can?" "I can, Mom. I remember it. What about it?" "Well, we're trying to see if it's possible to unpack them."

#My posts #fic recs #julinettewrites #Fic Rec

4 notes · View notes

lily-the-skele · 8 years ago

Text

First Date pt. 1

Here’s the first part of @underopenskies and my rp. It’s so big I have to split it up. Btw this is unedited. I just copy/pasted all the parts together.

[pt 2] [pt 3] [pt 4]

A week went by before Lily worked up the courage to call Adam. She took out her phone and dialed his number and waited as it began to ring. “I-I hope he answers…” She said to herself, feeling more anxious with each ring.

Adam was on the back of his mare when his phone went off, and he sighed heavily. If that was his mother again… He tugged his phone out of his pocket, and answered it without checking the caller ID, pulling his mare to a stop so the clomping of hooves didn’t drown out the voice on the other end.

“Hello?” His voice was smooth and rice even over the phone. “’S Adam.”

Adam’s voice sent a little shiver down Lily’s spine. “O-oh hi Adam, it’s me, Lily!” She fiddled with the hem of her sweater nervously. “I-I was just calling to let you know my ankle is all healed up and I was wondering if-um if I could come over to see you?” She squirmed in her seat apprehensively.

Adam nearly dropped the phone when Lily’s voice spoke from the phone speaker. That hadn’t been who he had been expecting, no sir. Her voice was music to his ears. “Ah! Miss Lily!”

His voice rumbled her name pleasantly over his tongue, like it was a treat to say it, and his tone of voice seemed to brighten. Visiting with his friend- or having his friend visit him- was a good way to get his mind off of less pleasant things. “I’m real glad ya healed up good, sweetheart. Sore ankles c'n put a real damper on ya day. Heh- ’s it is, I’m actually heading in t’ town. I c'n swing by an’ pick you up if ya’d like?”

Lily relaxed considerably at the tone of Adam’s voice. “Heh, yep and it’s all thanks to you!” She swung her legs as she talked. Gigi happened to notice the change in her demeanor and came over to eavesdrop on the conversation.

“Oh wowie that’s great!” Lily couldn’t believe her luck and she had to suppress a squeal of joy. She composed herself before saying, “I look forward to seeing you again and I can’t wait to see your ranch!”

“Are you talking to that stud of a skeleton that was here a week ago?” Gigi suddenly piped up. “Tell him I say hi!”

Lily swat at her guardian, sputtering in indignation, “Sh-shush, Gigi!”

He smiled to himself, and tapped his heels into his mare’s side. She moved into motion again, and he dealt with the background noise of hooves over the ground as he kicked her into higher gear. Adam headed into town.

“I look forward t’ seein’ ya too, Miss Lily.” And that he honestly did.

He tilted his head as he picked up the sound of someone in the background, and Adam felt his face burn as he picked up on what was said. Golly- apparently he’d made an impression. He was glad there was no one else here besides his horse to see him now.

Him. A stud. If his brothers heard that, or his sister, good golly, he’d never live it down.

“O-okay I’ll tell her. See you soon, Adam.” Lily ended the call before letting out squeal covering her face in embarrassment. Gigi let out a snort of laughter.

“Gigi why do you have to be so embarrassing?!” Gigi just continued to laugh in response. “…He said hi by the way.”

Adam tucked his phone into his pocket, a blush staining his cheeks a stubborn hue of blue. Damn. Well. At least he had the rest of the ride to get rid of the blush.

…Not that it really helped. When he pulled his mare to a stop outside of Lily’s house, the big man getting quite a few stares on the equally big horse, he felt his blush rising again. Aw hell, he was blushing like a school boy.

He took a moment to dismount, looping his reins lightly on one of the fence posts, knowing that his mare wouldn’t be running off so soon. All of his family’s horses were well trained- very well trained. For a good reason, too- horses and cattle were their livelihood.

Adam was a bit dusty from being on the road, but he wasn’t too bad as he made his way to the house. His boots clicked up the steps, and Adam let a warm grin stretch across his face as he adjusted his hat, and knocked on the front door.

Lily was quick to answer the door, her greeting caught in her throat when she saw Adam. Well, Gigi was spot one when she called him a stud. It was really the only word to describe him at that moment. He was a tad dusty but that just added to his rugged charm. “W-wowie.”

“Well howdy, partner, it’s good to see you again.” Gigi greeted him, coming up from behind Lily. “Come to sweep my young ward off her feet?”

Lily let out a squeak. “C-come on, Adam let’s get going!” She sputtered out, quickly flinging her Hello Kitty backpack over her shoulder. Gigi had insisted she bring some snacks and a water bottle for their ride to Adam’s ranch. Just in case. She grabbed Adam’s hand and tugged on it. The faster they left the lower the chances of Gigi further embarrassing her.

“You two have fun,” Gigi chuckled.

Adam was a large fellow, so the small lady trying to yank on him wasn’t very effective. But, it was an adorable effort.

And the damn blush was back with force thanks to Gigi. “I’ll make sure t’ treat her like th’ lady she is, Ma'am.” He managed to tip his hat to her, before he let Lily yank him down the steps. “We will!”

Adam laughed gently, and tugged softly to urge the smaller skeleton to slow down as they approached the big mare on the other side of the fence. “Easy, sweetheart. Ya excited t’ go for a ride with me t'day?”

The mare was a black and white mixed breed. There was some Shire horse in there, accounting for the size, but some other breeds kept her small for a Shire, and certainly faster than a Shire. She leaned down as Lily and Adam approached, snorting curiously.

“Y-yeah I’ve been looking forward to this for a week.” That was true, but she couldn’t bring herself to admit it was also because she didn’t want Gigi accidentally chasing Adam away with her embarrassing stories.

Lily stared up at Adam’s horse, eyes sparkling. “W-wowie, your horse is beautiful!” And big; she couldn’t believe she was going to ride on that. She stood up on tippy toes and reached up wanting to pet the mare. “What’s their name?”

The mare dropped her head down to the small hand wanting to pet her, and pushed a soft, friendly nose into Lily’s palm. She puffed warm air over her, and nickered softly.

Adam laughed softly. “So have I, Miss Lily. Was a real treat t’ hear your voice t'day. It’s been a long week, an’ ’s good t’ spend some time with ya again.” He smiled lightly.

The big man stepped around her carefully, so he could pat the mare on her shoulder. “Her name is Bo- she likes ya, Miss Lily.”

“Ah that tickles!” Lily giggled in delight as she pet the mare’s muzzle. Adam’s words filled her with warmth and she blushed a soft pink. “I like you too, Bo. I’m looking forward to riding you.” She smiled warmly at Bo before nuzzling her.

Bo pressed her nose lightly to Lily’s face, and puffed warm air over her again. The big mare shifted as her rider unhooked her reins from the fence, but remained still.

Adam chuckled softly, and offered out his hand to her with a warm look. She was adorable with his mare, the small lady in front of the large and powerful farm animal. He wondered how she’d handle herself in the saddle.

“I c’n take your bag f’r ya, Miss Lily. It’ll ride safer in th’ saddlebags. ‘S hard t’ ride two t’ a saddle with a bag as well anyways. S’ tha’ alright with you?”

Lily let out a squeak and giggled with delight. She looked up at Adam and nodded. “Okay that sounds good!” She slid her bag off before handing it over to the larger skeleton. “I’m really looking forward to seeing your ranch and meeting your family! Do you think they’ll like me?” She gave Bo one last pat on the muzzle.

The bag was tucked into one of her empty saddlebags, and he took care to make sure it was well padded, so nothing breakable could be shattered. Once it was secured, Adam gave a hum, and glanced down to her.

“’S a long ride out, but ‘s a pretty ride. I’m sure m’ family will love ya, Miss Lily. You’re too sweet not t’ like.”

The larger skeleton shifted, and offered out his hands. “Alright, sweetheart- ‘s a bit of a step up int’ my saddle. ‘S it alright ‘f I lift you up t’ it, an’ have ya scoot up flush with my saddle horn?”

Lily blushed at his compliment. She couldn’t get enough of Adam’s sweet talk. Her sockets widened slightly, what he had said could almost be taken as an innuendo for something… lewd. She quickly shook the thought out of her skull, scolding herself for having a dirty mind. She placed her hands in his. “O-okay, I”m ready.”

He gave her a tender smile, hands squeezing hers with gentle reassurance, before he shifted his grasp to her hips. With ease, he lifted her up and shifted her, sliding her carefully into the saddle, and making sure both legs went over the sides of the saddle evenly.

He wasn’t going to let her fall, but it would be easier if she was stable in her seat first. Though… She was adorable in his saddle.

“Jus’ take a firm hold on th’ saddle horn an’ with your thighs, a’right, sweetheart? I gotta swing up too, ‘n the saddle’s gonna rock.”

Lily wiggled slightly in Adam’s hold before she was set down on the saddle. “Okay!” she chirped and she quickly grabbed onto the saddle horn She was a little unsteady at first but after a moment she was settled in and ready to go. “Wowie this is amazing. I’ve never been on a horse this big!” She reached over to pat Bo’s mane.

“She’s m’ good girl.” He waits a moment until he’s sure she’s stable, before hooking his boot into the stirrup. His hand is gentle as it covers hers, folding over the top of the saddle horn to give himself a hand hold- and then Adam is hauling himself up into the saddle behind her.

He seats himself, and scoots flush, large thighs bracketing her on either side and providing her a backrest and support so she wouldn’t fall.

The big mare below them simply shifted her weight, but wasn’t moved by the added weight. “Bo ‘n I have gone through a lot. She’s saved my hide more th’n once when I was out an’ about and had gotten into trouble with wildlife or the cattle on the property.”

Adam’s hand is so big as it completely encompasses Lily’s. She tries to calm the fluttering of her soul, but it doesn’t help when she’s suddenly surrounded by large warm thighs, her back pressed against his stomach. She can practically feel the heat rising from her cheeks. She tries to hide it, her grip tightening on the saddle horn and she doesn’t register that he’s talking to her until it’s too late. She just quickly nods her skull and makes a noise of acknowledgment, not trusting her voice.

He shifts a little bit, hips rocking against her backside as he adjusts himself in the saddle. His arms come around her, one on each side, and act like large barriers, as he takes the reins in hand, and nudges them lightly.

Bo shifts, and turns, taking heavy strides and turning into a slow walk that would take them safely out of town and let her get used to the basic motion of the mare, before he really kicked her into motion.

It takes him a moment, but he notices the tight hold she has on the saddle horn, and laughs softly. He couldn’t see her face- so her flush was safe- but her hands were visible from his angle. Keeping one hand on the reins, the other hand comes around her middle, carefully keeping her secure. “I’ll keep ya safe, sweetheart. Ya don’ gotta hold th’ horn so tight- ya won’ fall, i promise.”

Lily let out a small squeak as Adam adjusted himself but quickly clamped her mouth shut, dearly hoping he hadn’t heard that. She looked at his arms on either side of her and she was almost tempted to reach up and touch them, but she kept a tight hold on the saddle horn

Every shift of Bo’s large body beneath them just caused Lily’s back to rub up against Adam’s stomach. She let out a nervous chuckle as she felt his arm wrap around her middle. She gulped before finally managing a small “Thank you,” before focusing all of her attention on the back of Bo’s head. She could tell this was going to be a long ride.

Riding double with someone wasn’t something that he wasn’t unfamiliar with- but it wasn’t something that he was very used to as well. Every shift and bump of an unfamiliar, though soft, body against his own was a strange sensation, and Adam fought a rising blush on his cheek.

None of that, he had to scold himself- there was a lady in his lap, and he couldn’t be getting any pants snakes while she was pressed so firmly to him. That was just asking for all sorts of awkward problems to arise.

His voice rumbled out gently next to her ear as Bo picked up speed, her slow walk working into a methodical canter that had her bouncing slightly against him. True to word, however, Adam kept her firmly against him, even as they neared the edge of town. “I hope she’s not too rough o’ a ride, sweetheart,” He rumbled softly, “Bo’s a smooth ride for a mare, but she c’n have her rough moments.”

“I’m–ahh–I’m okay,” Lily winced with each bump, her thighs beginning to feel chaffed. She settled back more firmly against Adam, while placing one hand on the arm around her middle to try to keep herself steady. “I-I’m sure I’ll get used to it the more I ride her.” This was her first time riding a real horse after all. “But I am enjoying myself,” she quickly added. She looked back to smile warmly at him.

“First couple o’ rides ‘s always th’ roughest.” There wasn’t anything to be done for it, though. That’s why jeans were the best- even the most experienced legs could get raw in a saddle. His thighs had a few scars from being rubbed raw a time or two from a few hard rides gone wrong. They just happened. “Thick pants c’n help with th’ chaffing, but even I get chaffed from time t’ time.” He admits.

Still, he shifted and kept an eye on her. He lifted a little with his legs, bunching his muscles as he took in her minute winces with each bump of his mare’s gait, and carefully took just a little bit of her weight off the saddle. It wasn’t much, and he couldn’t do it for long, but it would give her a little bit of a reprieve from the chaff.

He gave her a happy grin, eyes closing briefly as he flashed her a warm look from under the brim of his stetson. His arm tightened carefully around her, and Adam brightened a bit. “M’glad, Miss Lilly. Riding ‘s a lot o’ fun once y’ get used t’ the strain ‘t puts on y’ legs n’ muscles.”

Lily’s sweater dress was not helping in the slightest when it came to protecting from chafing. She had to pull it down from bunching up with one hand while grabbing at his pants leg with the other squirming slightly. “I-I’ll have to remember to wear pants next time,” she said before letting out a nervous chuckle.

Her face warmed a bit when she felt the arm around her middle tighten by a fraction. She suddenly laughed and asked, “C-could you imagine me riding a horse this big by myself?” She snorted at the mental image.

Adam chuckled softly and nodded lightly. “Ya, tha’ might be a good idea, sweetheart.” He could feel her sweater dress trying to bunch, and that was giving him all sorts of imagery. Goodness me, he mused to himself, this was going to be an interesting ride.

“Hm….” He hummed thoughtfully, chest rumbling gently against her back, and turned his mare carefully. They exited the town swiftly, and he eased her into a smoother gait. Though it was a big quicker. “Ya could ride Bo ‘f ya wanted t’ ride Bo on your own, sweetheart. But… I got a couple horses ‘t home, n’ we could see if y’ fit a lil’ better on some o’ th’ smaller ones.”

He flushed lightly, a wobbly grin growin’ on his face. “If, y’know, y’ ever wanted t’ go ridin’ with me again sometime. I wouldn’t mind teachin’ ya how t’ ride.”

Lily closed her eyes for a second when she felt the rumbling against her back and and a pleasant tingle ran through her body. Being this close to Adam felt really nice and any discomfort she felt swiftly became an afterthought.

She looked up at him and smiled warmly. “I’d love it if you taught me how to ride especially If it means I get to spend more time with you.” Way to work on the charm, Lily. “I can’t wait to meet all your animals.” She leaned her head back against him letting out a pleased hum.

“Any chance t’ spend time with ya ‘s a lovely thing indeed, Miss Lily.” He smiled at her, one brow lifting cheerily.

A soft laugh escapes him. “Most o’ our cows are wild. But, we got some calves tha’ we gotta bottle feed, so you c’n meet them, n’ you c’n meet our horses.”

Lily let out a small gasp before giggling in delight. “I want to feed the calves!” She wiggled against Adam as she giggled more. “Baby animals are just the cutest!” Her excitement just grew with each passing moment.

“Then we’ll feed th calves.” He laughed lightly. “They’re cute- they like t’ suck on ya fingers too. ‘S real cute- though ‘f ya ain’t careful, they’ll suck any rings ya got on clean off ya fingers. Ma had that happen with a couple o’ her rings when we were younger.”

“O-omigosh that is so cute~!” Lily could hardly wait, the ride feeling unbearably slow all of a sudden. “Nope, I don’t have any rings to lose!” She said, wiggling her phalanges. “I could never find any rings small enough for my fingers anyway.” She let out a small giggle.

“Really?” He looks surprised at that, glancing down at her fingers as best he can. He splays his fingers on her middle, and wiggles them lightly for reference. “Ya can’t either? ‘S hard t’ find rings in either really large or really small sizes, isn’t it?” He chuckles either way, and nods. “Well, either way, ya gonna have a good time with th’ calves.”

Lily placed her hand against the back of Adam’s. She still couldn’t get over how big his hands were. “Yeah and it’s really expensive to get them custom made. I mean I don’t really have use for rings.” She traced his hand absentmindedly. “I mean if anyone ever offered me one I wouldn’t turn it down,” Lily said thoughtfully.

And there goes his face again, as her fingers traced his hand. Her fingers were soft against his fingers, and it felt so strange against the calluses of his hand. She was so soft, so tiny, in his arms and in his saddle. She was petite- goodness she was so small.

“A-ah, yeah, I know what’cha mean, Miss Lily. Heh. I’d have t’ wear one on a chain, actually. Th’ stuff i handle, well, I’d probably lose a finger ‘f a ring got caught on it.”

Lily looked up to see Adam blushing and then back down at what she was doing and quickly stopped letting out a nervous chuckle. “O-oh no we wouldn’t want you losing any fingers! I’d rather you stay in one piece!” She gave his hand a small pat. Just means more of you to love. Wait did she just think that?? Lily blushed and quickly shook the thought from her mind. “H-how much longer until we reach your ranch?”

“You ‘n me both, sweetheart, you ‘n me both.” The small pat let his flush ease off some, and he cleared his throat lightly. “Ah, not long now, Miss Lily. Bo makes good time. See over there?” He motioned with his reins off to the side. In the distance, there was a large herd of animals moving along slowly. “Tha’ should be Tommy’s herd. Tommy’s not here right now, but those ‘r his cows.”

Lily looked over to where Adam was pointing. “Wowie, look at them all!” She watched as the herd meandered along. “So do they just go wherever they please?” She asked curiously.

“Mhm.” He nods. “We free range run our cattle. ‘S more work, but th’ cows are happy.” He clicks his heels lightly, and shifts. It was the last bit of a stretch between the range and the farm house… “Hey, Miss Lily? Ya wanna see wha’ Bo c’n really do? I won’ let ya fall, I promise.”

Lily looked up at Adam, her eye lights sparkling. “O-okay, I trust you.” She tightened her grip on his arm ever so slightly. “I’m ready.”

He beamed happily at her. His arm did, however, tighten around her middle, and Adam pulled her tighter to his frame. His heels clicked against Bo’s side, and he leaned forwards a bit, a rumbling laugh escaping him.

Under them, Bo’s muscles bunched and surged, lurching into a thundering gallop that had Adam’s muscles tensing to keep them both in the saddle as the powerful mare lurched into motion. She surged and ran, her head throwing back as she snorted, tail throwing high.

Lily squeaked when Adam pulled her tight against him and she blushed a bright pink. She clung on to, squealing with delight when Bo broke into a gallop. Wowie she had never experienced something so exhilarating.

The rush of wind was exhilarating indeed, brushing over over them both and tugging at their clothes. Lily would probably need to fix her dress- but Adam wouldn’t look until she had. The farm was rapidly approaching, the sky blue three story house towering into view, along with the multiple barns and stables surrounding it. On the front porch, there was a big rocking chair, with a tiny skeleton sitting in it. Adam slowed Bo down as they came up to the house, and his laughter was infectious.

Lily’s bow had become askew and hung loosely around her neck and her dress had indeed ridden up from all the jostling. She let out a breathless laugh when Bo slowed down. “Wowie that was amazing! I wanna do that again soon!”

Adam let Bo take a few walking circles to slow down, and then brings her to a full stop. He sighs happily, and chuckles gently, glancing down at her with a grin, and carefully dismounting behind her. He’s stable on his feet, but he keeps his eyes off as he realizes her dress has ridden up. “Maybe on another run, sweetheart,” he beams. “For now though, le’s getcha off th’ saddle, an’, uh, fix ya dress.”

“Hm?” Lily looked down to finally see that her dress had hiked up just enough to show off a hint of panty. She squeaked in embarrassment before quickly exclaiming, “N-no don’t look, I’m indecent!” she went to pull her dress down when there was suddenly a unmistakable sound of ripping cloth and she froze in terror. “U-um Adam… I need help…”

Adam was right quick to turn around at the sound of ripping fabric, because lord have mercy upon him, he had partially looked by accident, and caught a glimpse of panties. When someone says don’t look, first instinct is to look, even if it’s just a quick flick of the eyes.

“Ah! H-hold on, Miss Lily.” he couldn’t just leave her there- and there was no one in the house with clothes her size. Even his mother’s clothes would literally be too big. His mother was out on the front deck too- and his brother, sister, and Sister’s man were probably in the house.

It didn’t occur to him to just run in for a shirt- so he simply just tugged his off over his head and handed his shirt back to her. “H-here, miss Lily.” He might have been bare chested, but at least she could put his shirt on, and it would cover her for now. Besides, he often went bare chested.

It displayed the smattering of freckles he had along his shoulders, which faced her, and the few scars he had from the falls he’d taken, and the times he’d caught a horn in his youth that had torn into him.

Lily’s entire skull turned a bright shade of pink when Adam suddenly took off his shirt. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She was in such shock she had forgotten how to speak for a few moments. She couldn’t help but stare at the scars and freckles that decorated his bones.

Finally she reached out and took his shirt, managing out a small, “Th-thank you,” before putting it on over her dress until they got inside the house. “O-okay you can turn around.” The shirt practically enveloped her entire frame.

He had thick bones under his clothes, broad and massive, and they flexed and moved as he turned around. His face was about as blue as the toned body extending down from his bottom ribs, down to under his belt. “Ah- uh… Anyways, s-sweetheart, l-lets getcha out o- th’ saddle, n’ i’ll go get a shirt afterwards.”

Lily nodded and murmured softly, “O-okay.” She reached out for Adam to help her down. This was not how she envisioned this visit to go at all. she just hoped things would get better.

With his shirt on her, he didn’t have an issue with helping her down from the saddle. He braced her close, eased her down, and then carefully fetched her bag for her out of the saddlebag. The skeleton gave her a shaky smile, and glanced to the house as he set her gingerly on her feet. “S-So, uh… This way, Miss Lily.” He offered his hand with a bashful look.

Lily placed her hands on Adam’s shoulders as he lifted her from the saddle, her skull still a bright pink. She tried to focus on everything but his bare chest. As she was finally set on the ground she was both relieved and disappointed. She took his offered hand, smiling warmly at him as she fiddled with the hem of his shirt with the other. Oh stars it even smelled like him.

“I’m, ah, sorry about ya dress.” He murmured, a soft frown tugging at his face as he guided her for the front porch.

A shorter skeleton, almost closer to Lily’s size compared to Adam, came to the edge of the stairs and peered down at the two of them. She arched a brow at her shirtless son, planting a hand on her hip and giving them both a curious look from her aged face. “Well, hello there, sweet thing. Adam said he made a friend in town- didn’t think I’d be meetin’ you so soon. You mus’ be Lily.” Only one skeleton could be the tiny little lady her son had mentioned meeting.

Lily chuckled sheepishly before replying, “I-it’s okay. To be honest it was bound to happen.” She turned her attention to the female skeleton on the porch. “Hello, ma’am. I-um… ripped my dress and Adam was nice enough to lend him his shirt,” she said, feeling like she had to explain for Adam. She gave a little curtsy in greeting.

“I figured as much. I don’ think he’d be makin’ me a Grandma again so soon for ya t’ be comin’ home in his clothes, sweet thing.”

“M-Ma!” Adam sputtered, a flustered look crossing his face as he flushed.

Vera arched a brow at the both of them, and twitched her chin towards the house. “C’mon in, sweetie. I’m Vera McQuillin- You can call me Vera. I’m Adam’s Mother. You’re a wee lil’ thing, but you’ll probably fit better in one o’ my shirts. Or at leas’ we can’ getcha a belt so ya don’ trip over th’ shirt he gave ya, n’ he c’n go get one o’ his shirts off th’ dryer.” Adam’s flush didn’t fade, but he obediently led Lily up the stairs.

Lily sputtered incoherently before hiding her face with Adam’s shirt, her entire skull a bright pink. This was going to be a common occurrence today wasn’t it?

“I-it’s nice to meet you, ma’am,” came her muffled response. “I-I wouldn’t want to inconvenience you… A-Adam’s shirt will be fine.” Lily didn’t want to admit she didn’t want to give it up quite so soon. Her grip on Adam’s hand tightened a fraction as she was led up the stairs.

“Then at leas’ let Adam getcha a belt. If ya’ gon’ be runnin’ around up here, loose clothin’ gets caught on stuff, n’ can get ya hurt if you’re not careful. A belt ‘ll help keep ya from flashin’ my son.” The short matron gave her an arched brow, but a kind smile, and motioned to the house. She padded to the door, and motioned for him to step inside. “Unless ya both came up here t’ use th’ barn loft?”

“Ma!” His face flushed a bright blue as they reached the top of the stairs. “Lily’s a lady! I wouldn’t do tha’!”

“I know, I know. You’re m’ good boy. Now c’mon. Ya gon’ make her face blush brighter th’n yours if ya’ ain’t careful. Go get her a belt, n’ getcha a shirt, while i say hello t’ ya nice lil’ lady friend here, m’kay?”

Lily was silent, her skull practically burning up. After a moment she finally managed out a small, “N-no ma’am we wouldn’t want that.” She didn’t have to be a country skeleton to get the implication of Vera’s words. She’s heard the phrase ‘a roll in the hay’ before and apparently in this case it was literal. She chewed on her thumb as she shifted from side to side, glancing at Vera shyly.

Vera patted her Son’s back as he slipped past her into the house, and then smiled to the small flustered skeleton, and motioned for her to walk with her to the edge of the porch. “So, Lily,” Vera hummed. “You made friends with Adam. Makes me happy- my boy doesn’t have many friends. None o’ my kids do. Lot o’ ranchers have poor social lives ‘cause o’ th’ demands o’ th’ job. So… What do you do, Lily?”

Lily followed Vera over to the edge of the porch as she listened silently to the older woman. “Oh um, I don’t really have friends either… most people don’t take me seriously.” She hesitated, fiddling with her hands before replying bashfully, “I-um… I don’t actually have a real job but I make plushies and sell them online. I-it’s kind of a hobby of mine. People tell me it’s stupid and th-that I should grow up.” Lily looked down at her feet, expecting to hear the same thing from Vera.

“Work’s work, sweet thing. If they’ve ever tried t’ make anything, be it clothes or plush toys or what have ya, they’d know ‘s not easy work. I can’t sew worth a damn, so ya got me beat there, kiddo. If people wanna buy ‘m, then they wanna buy ‘m. Supply n’ demand, i say.” She shrugs. “’Sides, if there’s a market for it, go for it.”

Vera wasn’t going to mock the girl for making plush toys- Thomas could sew, and so could Skylar, but Vera couldn’t sew worth a damn. Adam wasn’t very good at it either. “Adam’s not good at sewing either. Punchin’ embroidery, however, he’s very good at.”

Lily’s face instantly brightened and she replied, “Th-thank you, that really means a lot to hear. My guardian Gigi taught me the basics and I taught myself the rest. I really have a lot of fun doing it a-and the people online really seem to like them. Heh some even say I should raise my prices but I don’t do it just for the money. I like to make others happy.” She blushed sheepishly. “Oh dear I’m starting to ramble. Sorry about that. I tend to do that a lot.”

Vera listened to her excited rambling with a simple smile, and chuckled quietly to herself. “It’s alright, sweet thing. Ya should raise your prices a lil’ bit though. ‘Ya could make a livin’ doin’ it if ya watch ya wages n’ whatcha put out n’ take in. Makin’ folks happy ‘s a good way t’ do it, but y’ gotta think about th’ future too. Future husband or wife, future kids, n’ all that stuff.”

“So, has my Adam been treatin’ ya good? I know ya’ll have been jus’ perfect t’ him. I got t’ try th’ tea he brought home. Was really quite good, Miss Lily.”

A look of panic flashed across Lily’s face at the mention of a family but quickly schooled her expression so as not to alarm Vera. “Th-thank you for the advice. Maybe I’ll raise my prices when I get my own place.” She let out a nervous chuckle.

“Adam has been really sweet to me. He’s such a gentleman and he’s never talked down to me! He makes me feel special. I’m so glad you liked the tea! Let me know when you run out and I can bring over some more,” Lily chirped happily.

Vera was many things- and observant was one. Quite predatory was another. She spotted that look of panic, and her brows half lidded, curiosity flitting through her. She leaned forwards, and peered at her with a curious look. Oh yes. She saw that brief flash of panic at the mention of family. Curious, very curious. “Something th’ matter, sweet thing?”

“I’m glad my Adam has been good to you, sweet thing. I raised him t’ be a good lad. He’ll treat you well, and take care of you as best he can. Mmm, n’ I’ll definitely let you know when we run out of tea.“

Oh no. Abort, abort, abort! Lily gave Vera her most convincing smile. “Hm? N-nothing’s the matter. What would give you that idea? I’m just peachy!” She began to sweat a little. This was almost as bad as talking to Gigi. “You did a good job raising him. E-even Gigi liked him the first time she met him, and she’s a hard nut to crack.”

“I saw th’ look when i mentioned family ‘n stuff, sweet thing. ‘M not dumb. Tha’ sort o’ stuff scare you?” She tilted her head slightly, and gave her a warmer look. “I tried t’ make sure my boys were all raised well. Between me n’ their sister, they were raised right, despite not havin’ their Da’ around t’ help. Tell me about your… Gigi? That’s your guardian, right?”

Lily gulped and nodded. “A–a little… Gigi’s always pressuring me about living on my own and starting my own family. I know she means well but, I start to panic when I think about stuff like that…”

“Y-yeah… I never knew my biological parents. Gigi just sort of found me as a baby bones and she decided to take me in. She… she told me how she couldn’t have children of her own. I love her like she was my own mother.”

“It’s a scary thing to think about.” She says. “Moving out and starting a family is pretty scary. I didn’t start mine until i was thirty.” She laughs softly. “Just don’t let fear hold you back, sweet thing. I did, n’ i regret not bein’ able t’ have been married t’ my husband for longer than i was… Your Gigi sounds like a lovely lady. It takes a hell o’ a woman t’ take in child n’ raise ‘m.”

Lily gave Vera a small smile. “Th-thank you for listening. I just thought I was being a big baby bones but… it helps to know I’m not alone.” “Y-yeah, Gigi is so strong, I wish I could be like her one day. She told me this story from her youth where this big guy was giving her trouble, but by the time she was done with him he was crying for his momma.” Lily snorted and laughed but was quick to place a hand over her mouth. she was always teased for snorting when she laughed.

“Ya ain’t alone, sweet thing. Your Gigi sounds like a lovely lady.” She laughs quietly, but didn’t comment on the snorting. Everyone laughed different. “She raised a fine young lady, from what i c’n see. She should be proud o’ ya.”

Foot steps appeared behind the door, and Adam stepped out again, clad in a dark shirt, and holding one of Vera’s belts.

“Sorry bout th’ wait. Couldn’t find any o’ my shirts on the dryer, or in th’ dryer, so i had t’ go dig one out o’ my room. Was all o’ Thomas’s clothes in th’ wash.”

“Oh was it? Sorry dear, didn’t mean t’ send ya on a wild goose chase.”

“Th-thank you, ma’am. I’m sure you two would get along real well too.” Lily perked up when Adam came back. “Adam, I was starting to worry about you!” she giggled. She glanced at Vera, arching a brow bone in mild amusement. She had a feeling the older woman had done that on purpose. “Heheh oh well, accidents happen,” she said shrugging.

#rp #underopenskies #Lily #Adam #first date

14 notes · View notes

lazrvs-a · 8 years ago

Text

LIST OF RP FAVORITES AND LEAST FAVORITES ! / repost, do not reblog. tagged by: @wifeused tagging: If y’all wanna do; do.

FIRST NAME: Skull FAVORITE FCS TO PLAY: Jensen Ackles tbh if we’re talking rl fc. Otherwise it’s clearly Reaper lmfao FAVORITE SHIP YOU’VE EVER HAD: Honestly? GenjiReaper with @kagonosuzume b/c of how much we talk & develop it plus I’m weak for it FAVORITE FANDOM YOU’VE BEEN IN: I mean, Overwatch. Even with all the issues, it’s still the better one on the list that I’ve stayed in. FAVORITE SONG TO GIVE YOU MUSE: It changes but at the moment I’d give it to My Name (Wearing Me Out) by Shinedown & World War Me by Theory Of A Deadman. LEAST FAVORITE FCS TO PLAY/PLAY AGAINST: I’m really? Not picky honestly. I haven’t met someone with a FC I just don’t like enough to answer this with. LEAST FAVORITE RP EXPERIENCE: People not reading my rules on any blog because I clearly make sure to state to read them. I know when they’re being broken; it’s blatantly obvious. My rules are here for my comfort; break them and you either annoy me or make me highly uncomfortable. I just hate this. It’s so obvious in my rules. If you can’t get to them for fucks sake ask me and I can accommodate. Seriously. And to add onto this, which does ALSO stem from my rules: PEOPLE THINKING FANON = CANON TO MY MUSE WHEN I STATE IT DOES NOT. Stop! That! Damn! Behavior! It isn’t okay!!!!! To do to anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!! ffs. LEAST FAVORITE GENRE OF WRITING: Ehhhhh.... In a sense? Smut tbh. I don’t feel like I can write it well and usually I just end up really ‘meh’ at the end of the day. It’s wishy washy. I’ll do it, but if I don’t super know the partner, I’m soooo iffy about it tbh. LEAST FAVORITE FANDOM YOU’VE BEEN IN: Pokemon. God no matter where I went, OC, gijinka, canon, there were so many stuck up assholes that stuck to their cliques and pushed you out for even breathing in a direction they didn’t like. If you didn’t fall in and worship them you were out. Second least favorite was TF2. I tried to play a Scout and put development and care into him only to have him treated like a common annoyance. I never got threads that lasted, every character treated him the same, and eventually I was pushed out just for being ignored b/c of the character I chose being fanonly interpreted as annoying. LEAST FAVORITE THING PEOPLE ASSUME ABOUT YOUR CHARACTER: Say it with me: Gabe is not abusive. Let’s repeat: Gabe! Is! Not! Abusive! Louder for the people in the back: GABE IS NOT ABUSIVE. Stop. Just stop. I’ve has it assumed legit fucking upwards to three times now; stop doing that shit. I’ve writen it in my hc page which is linked in my rules that my Gabe is not like that. SO STOP ASSUMING REALLY BAD FANON THAT CANON P MUCH PROVES WRONG IS CANON. THANKS. OTHER CHARACTERS YOU’D LIKE TO PLAY: /shrugs. I mean my OC Declan would be fun to play but I prolly would never get anywhere with him

and, for the bonus round, bold whatever rp-related things appeal to you from the list below!

MUSE PREFERENCES: females / males / canons / ocs / corrupted / good / live action / animated/ human / supernatural / other species / hopeless romantic / averse to love / younger (15-25) / older (25+) / easy for you to relate to / hard for you to relate to.

PLOT IDEAS: accidentally married / affairs / age gaps / angst / apocalypse / arranged marriage / boarding school / college roommates / criminals / enemies to lovers / enemies with benefits / exes / fake relationship / fluff / forbidden relationship / friends with benefits / online relationships / pregnancy / prison / professor/student / road trips / rich kids / royalty / smut / supernatural / toxic relationships. ( what I’ve got in brackets is all up to the legality; for the age gaps I usually draw the line at a 20 year difference with some leeway; but I won’t do extremes )

POSSIBLE TRIGGERS IN PLOTS YOU’RE OKAY WITH: abuse / bdsm / daddy kink / drinking /drugs /dub-con / gore / incest / kidnapping / murder / non-con / prostitution / stepcest / stockholm syndrome /torture.

#♛┆「ᴡʜᴀᴛ ᴄᴀɴ ɪ sᴀʏ? ɪ'ᴍ ᴀ ʀᴇʙᴇʟ」( out. )#【here and now i'll express my situation】 //tagged memes #{ayyy :d}

5 notes · View notes

welcometomy20s · 7 years ago

Text

June 13, 2018

Article of The Day

World Cup Preview

Because I have something for tomorrow, I think. I’ll try, but for now...

(In brackets: Percentage out of group/ Probability rank to win)

GROUP A

Uruguay [76%, 10th]: They got really lucky with this group. There’s Suarez and Cavani... and I’m sure others are great, but look at the rest of the group!

Russia [73%, 17th]: They have such high percentage because they are the home team, other than that... who knows. No one knows. We have to see...

Egypt [35%, 24th]: I’m surprised by how low their chances are considering they have Mohammed Salah, but one man does not go far (see exception below)

Saudi Arabia [16%, 21st]: I guess the bottom ranking are pretty random, but they barely made through the Asian qualifying, which is not a good sign really.

GROUP B

Spain [87%, 2nd]: They have came back from their humiliating journey in 2014, and did well in the Euros and qualifying, but they recently replaced their coach one day before the tournament. That’s pretty suspicious, okay.

Portugal [68%, 8th]: Yes, they have Ronaldo and they won the Euros, but other than that... they might just get out of the group, maybe the quarterfinals?

Morocco [28%, 22nd]: Iberia’s southern neighbor and the strikes of Ziyech might be the key for standings in this game. Why the crucial games are set here.

Iran [17%, 30th]: They were in the third pot and now they get nothing. It’ll be a quite a theme in this place, Asia is just not that good anymore. They aren’t. They can play their heavy defense as they always do, meaning... you can go sleep.

GROUP C

France [86%, 4th]: One thing France is solid. They are a strong stable of players. But they tend fade away for some reason. They are not efficient.

Denmark [56%, 18th]: They have Eriksen. That’s it. They might still do well.

Peru [41%, 31st]: Paolo Gurrero came back from a drug ban, and they managed a draw with Messi. They might do well, and they will play hell of a game.

Australia [18%, 28th]: Cahill is old. They stumbled through the qualifiers. Next.

GROUP D

Argentina [77%, 7th]: There’s Messi and strong backup to Messi, and they will probably get through this group, but what happens after? Weak finisher, I say.

Croatia [64%, 9th]: I can’t believe they are ahead of Uruguay. But they have great midfields and great crosses and they were quite strong in qualifiers. Meh.

Nigeria [30%, 20th]: They have nice uniforms. They might pack a punch.

Iceland [29%, 26th]: The true underdogs in this tournament. They have gone through a beautiful run in the past couple of years, and they finally made it to the big stage. Will they deliver? They are dependable, but is that enough. We’ll see.

GROUP E

Brazil [89%, 1st]: Brazil went back after that humiliating defeat and came back stronger than ever. They sailed through the qualifiers and they might sail through here. Neymar is back and Thiago Silva holds for defense. They’ll be fine.

Switzerland [53%, 11th]: They got here on a fluke and they press hard, they are always the unseen contender, so always be in lookout for them in this group.

Serbia [41%, 13th]: What they have is Milinkovic-Savic and honestly that might be enough for them, they just need to get second and get out at round of 16...

Costa Rica [17%, 29th]: They were in a tough situation before, and they got out in a spectacular fashion, but in some sense they are in a steeper hill now...

GROUP F

Germany [90%, 3rd]: They were unstoppable in 2014 and they are unstoppable here. They have been coasting for sometime and so other than that...

Sweden [50%, 16th]: They don’t have Zlatan, but they manage to come here.

Mexico [46%, 14th]: They always get out at Round of 16, and that might be the case, they might get use to it. For political nerd like me, that crucial Round of 16 happens after the election result is likely to be announced. So there’s that.

South Korea [15%, 27th]: Just... forget about them. Please, I’m embarrassed.

GROUP G

Belgium [87%, 6th]: Just look at the roster there, and unlike France they actually use their talents. They might the surprise favorite to win the whole thing.

England [83%, 5th]: Seriously, they might complain that they might not proceed whatever, but they are good. They are really good. You’ll be fine! I promise!

Tunisia [16%, 25th]: This does not look good for you. Msakni is freaking injured. You’re in the most lopsided group in this tournament. Have fun this week.

Panama [12%, 19th]: Hey, stranger things have happened. Can they be the Costa Rica of 2018? Take up the arms of the brethren and rise to the top? No.

GROUP H

Colombia [69%, 12th]: This might be the wonkiest group. Colombia made a splash in 2014 after a long break, and they might repeat it with 2018.

Poland [55%, 15th]: Lewandowski is only thing they have and yet they made onto Pot 1, for some ungodly reason. No tricks here, just bribery, I suppose.

Japan [43%, 23rd]: Face it, they are only one in Asia with any chance of getting out of group stage and I’m all miffed about that. They just got lucky. Hmph.

Senegal [33%, 32nd]: Baldé and Mané and Koulibaly in defense, they shouldn’t be underestimated as seen from the probabilities. They are the mystery.

Tomorrow will be boring anyway, so day after I’ll pick up the coverage.

#world cup 2018 #preview #Sports

0 notes

amtushinfosolutionspage · 7 years ago

Text

Grant Hill Q&A: ‘I Wouldn’t be Shocked if Loyola Cuts Down the Nets’

To put it mildly, the last day of March is a big day for Grant Hill.

The two-time NCAA champion will be calling his fourth consecutive Final Four for Turner Sports with Jim Nantz, Bill Raftery, and Tracy Wolfson, his second biggest accomplishment of the evening. By the time the first game tips-off at 6 PM on TBS (friendly reminder to those stuck on tourneys long past, that’s TBS not CBS), Hill will (officially) be a proud member of the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame. The actual announcement won’t come until Saturday afternoon, but Adrian Wojnarowski’s sources already have Hill in Springfield, Mass. alongside no-brainers Steve Nash and Jason Kidd and Sixers champion point guard Maurice Cheeks.

Given his notorious injury history, Hill’s NBA career is often viewed through a What If? lens, but it’s been a Hall-worthy career that far exceeds his medical records. He’s a seven-time All-Star, made an All-NBA team five times, and of course, there are his incredible years in Durham and 1996 Olympic gold. And not for nothing, but he’s regarded as one of the nicest guys around hoops, which is why he won the NBA Sportsmanship Award three times.

Hill took time out of preparing to call the Final Four—starting with No. 3 Michigan Short Shorts vs. No. 11 Loyola Chicago Fighting Sister Jeans and followed by the No. 1 heavyweight showdown between Villanova and Kansas—to speak to VICE Sports. He talks about the highs and lows of his long basketball life, Duke hatred, hammering on ShaqIlvaine, and trying to keep up with Bill Raftery, in broadcasting and barflying.

First things first, let’s go back to the flat-top days, when Grant Hill yanked a ball out of the sky and his long winding road to the Hall of Fame began…

This interview took place before Hill learned he was inducted into the Hall of Fame. It has been edited for clarity.

VICE Sports: Before we get to the NCAA Tourney, I want to ask how you’re feeling about the Hall-of-Fame announcement, a mere 48-hours away…

Grant Hill: My fingers are definitely crossed. There are some amazing finalists—Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, Ray Allen to start—so it’s a tough class. Prepping for the Final Four this weekend while knowing the announcement is coming is exciting and nerve-wracking all at once.

I think you’re going to get in Saturday because Springfield looks at a player’s entire career, not just the professional years, but that being said, I looked at your NBA stats and had forgotten how many great seasons you had. Do you think your stellar NBA resume gets overshadowed by seasons lost to injury?

It’s interesting, people I talk to across the country tend to put my basketball career into one of three buckets: The Detroit Piston era, a general respect for overcoming all the injuries, or the main one, Duke. Naturally during March Madness, it’s all Duke all the time, but no matter what time of year, it’s what I’m connected to first. The Kansas dunk and the pass to Laettner will live forever. The NBA injuries are a part of my story, but I wouldn’t say it overshadowed the rest of my pro career. It’s more about certain memories stick with fans and mine are generally from college. Even knowing all we accomplished on those amazing Blue Devil teams, I never thought people would still ask me about it a quarter-century later.

One last Hall-of-Fame question, you started out in the iso-ball era, and then spent five-years at the end running with the Phoenix Suns. Nobody in the NBA is playing Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant clear-out hoops anymore, but everybody owes a debt to the Suns. Are Mike D’Antoni and impending inductee Steve Nash getting enough credit for changing the game?

You can’t overlook the Kings of the early 2000s, the free-flowing way they played, or even what Don Nelson was doing on the Mavericks with Steve Nash, but I think D’Antoni has perfected it. The league has transitioned because D’Antoni’s system coincided with rule changes offering more freedom of movement and less physicality. It’s funny because playing against those Suns teams in 2004-05, I looked around and it’s like ‘what the hell is going on out here?’ It was total chaos with their different sets and styles, but then playing with them, it all made sense. Now it’s the entire league and I don’t think D’Antoni and Nash are recognized enough for revolutionizing the NBA. The curious thing is, will it ever swing back?

Let’s switch to college. You may or may not be aware of this, but there are more than a few people out there who don’t care for Duke, placing them on the Yankees-Patriots spectrum of teams fans love to loathe. Are most people good-natured about it, or do you get tired or defensive about the Duke hate?

No, not at all. It’s great. Love or hate ‘em, it speaks to the passion of college basketball. There are themes as to why Duke is reviled, the whole I Hate Christian Laettner idea, but it’s really rooted in the success of the program. You can’t deny the historical domination of the Patriots or the Yankees, and hate Duke all you want, but the same is true for what Mike Krzyzewski has accomplished. It’s about excellence and playing the right way. It’s an honor to have played a small role in his legacy. Duke evokes emotion. Good, bad, or indifferent.

As for fans talking trash? It’s almost always joking and in good fun. But don’t forget, I played in the NBA for nineteen seasons, I can talk trash. I can take it and I give it out too.

Last Sunday’s Duke-Kansas game was an absolute classic—and I know it’s your job as a broadcaster—but inside, is it hard to keep your emotions or loyalties in check when Grayson Allen’s floater somehow misses twice?

I’ve done a number of Duke games, all of them when they won in 2015 [ Ed note: Hill laughed adding ‘‘or when we won it if that’s how you want to put it’], but the responsibility as a broadcaster is to be an analyst and provide insight. When it’s a classic, you get lost in the game, and anything outside of what’s happening on the court vanishes. It’s the exact same thing as when I was playing in close NCAA tournament games. During Duke-Kansas, I was completely captivated and reacting to the action unfolding. Coach K used to prepare us for each NCAA weekend by saying we were playing in a “four-team tournament.” Looking at the 64-team bracket can be overwhelming, so lock in and focus on the four-team tournament, and replicate it three times. I take the same approach to television. As a player or broadcaster, getting lost in the game is the reason for doing it.

After a game like Duke-Kansas, I might wish it went the other way, but as a broadcaster, I get to know coaches and kids from both sides. I love Bill Self. I had a great time hanging out on Saturday with Devonte’ Graham and Malik Newman, and know the heartbreak of losing in the regional finals two years in a row. It’s such a privilege to get to know these kids—Carolina! We called back-to-back Tar Heel Finals with Joel Berry and Theo Pinson, who dapped me up before the tip-off! It’s suppose to be sacreligious as a Dookie, but getting to know kids, and experience their stories like UMBD or Loyola, is the best part of the job.

This is your fourth Final Four, is it akin to your senior year where you know what you need to do down cold?

I actually feel like it’s the fourth game of my freshmen season. Here I am at center court in a huge arena, with the best seats in the house, next to two legendary broadcasters in Jim Nantz and Bill Raftery, so I still get pre-game jitters. Once the game starts, I feel more comfortable for sure, but I’ll never catch up to Nantz or Raft in terms of experience. I’m just trying to get better.

Every year, the bigger part of the NCAA tournament experience, however, is how much fun we have. I look forward to the whirlwind month when Nantz, Raftery, Tracy Wolfson, and myself are joined at the hip. It’s an odd little family, but we generally like each other. The off-screen camaraderie is even more important than the on-screen chemistry.

Question pertaining to my interests: Your freshman year slam against Kansas in the Finals is the most famous, but as a Marquette alumni, I want to ask about another dunk that came two years later in the Sweet Sixteen—

Three years later. You’re talking about the Jim McIlvaine dunk, my senior season.

Ah, so clearly you remember it.

I knew about Jim McIlvaine because he won the 93-94 Defensive Player of the Year, which I won the previous season. Mac was a great shot blocker, no doubt, but I had it in my mind before the game to get him. In the first half I was facilitating, setting guys up, waiting until the right time to step in, and not doing a lot of scoring. But I remember the guy Marquette had on me was just yapping, wouldn’t stopped talking trash. I think he was a small forward—

Roney Eford

Eford, right. First half I was like Okay, Alright… I’d been playing off the ball, so at halftime, I told Jeff Capel let me take the point and go to work. I think I caught an alley-oop, and then later, I just blew by Eford and dunked on Mac. I got him. It was a nice little moment.

What should fans look for at the Final Four? Who’s dancing at the end?

Professional obligations mean I don’t make predictions, but I honestly believe all the Final Four teams have a shot regardless of seeding. They all have guys who excel at shooting from the perimeter, so it’s which team is going to bury 15-18 threes. Playing in a dome can have an adverse effect, it is different. So Villanova has the experience factor, but each team has good spacing and multiple shooters who can get hot.

Do you really think America’s sweethearts, the Loyola Ramblers, can win twice?

To be honest, I thought they would lose their first game, and certainly not get out of opening weekend, but no fluke team makes the Final Four. It’s earned over four games, and Loyola has been fairly dominant with the three-pointer opening up the floor. I’m not a betting man, not Jimmy the Greek, but I wouldn’t be shocked if Loyola cuts down the nets.

Last question. I, like most of America, want to have beers with Bill Raftery. What’s a night out drinking with him like?

For starters, know that Raft doesn’t do beer. Also know his stamina is amazing. Unbelievable. We’ll be at dinner with wine, maybe a nightcap, then the next morning you’re struggling and he’s going like he just bagged twelve hours of sleep. I never know quite how to prepare for a night out with Raft. Do you build up endurance? Or limit participation?

We joke about it on air, but the main thing is, it’s a great time for fellowship. We have a blast.

Grant Hill Q&A: ‘I Wouldn’t be Shocked if Loyola Cuts Down the Nets’ syndicated from https://australiahoverboards.wordpress.com

0 notes