#part of me wonders if Kal would have had a conversation with him about Things Not To Say once contact was established

[thelightismine]

Love this interpretation of Fi's character and behaviour; I also found it jarring for KT to say in ImpComm that they'd not spoken to Fi in two years, when in O66 Dar mentioned snatches of conversation and messages back and forth - as you said, it would simply be strange for them to know their brother is alive, witness the start of his healing, but never speak to him once he's doing better, even disregarding the fact they served together for half the war.

One other element to this to consider, separate from his own internalised emotional issues, is that by virtue of his presence on Kyrimorut Fi knows about Kad, about Ko Sai, about all the dealings going on at Kyrimorut that Kal (at the point in O66 that Darman mentions speaking to Fi) has not come clean to Omega about. Poor Fi is probably terrified to open his mouth and reveal something prematurely, especially considering I doubt he had much contact with Etain after she left, so wouldn't have any idea if she had told Darman about the pregnancy yet, and could only ask Kal or the Nulls what was going on outside Kyrimorut. I can't imagine being essentially stuck on a planet lightyears away from your closest brothers, surrounded by evidence of secrecy and witnessing events like Kad's birth, and being unable to say anything to them. This ties in with what you said above, about not wanting to bother them/worry them with anything serious so they can stay focused on whatever’s on their plate - but also folded into this, alongside the guilt of perhaps getting to live the life he spoke of so often whilst they do not, of sitting out the remainder of the war, is probably a certain feeling of guilt for knowing things of great significance that they don't, yet.

This happens in ImpComm, when he brings up the Jedi on Kyrimorut to Darman and puts his foot in things. Imagine if he'd told Darman about Kad before Etain or Kal did? How differently those confrontations would have played out? Poor Fi, trapped with all this information and no way to tell anyone about it.

So in Imperial Commando, Niner says that he hasn't spoken to Fi in nearly two years, and that bothered me a little. (Well, more than a little.) I just find it a little strange that we know that Skirata personally takes the time to check up on the hundred or so commandos he trained, yet he can't find time to arrange anything between Fi and Omega and make sure that Omega gets to check up on Fi. It also makes me wonder whether Omega ever asked to communicate with Fi directly (even just to record a message for him or something,) because it seems like they would so *what happened and why didn't they.* Basically I'm wondering how to square Omega being so tight-knit and caring about each other with the fact that they don't actually interact with Fi for almost two years once he's on Mandalore, and I find it difficult to believe that at no point during those two years did they have even 5 minutes to talk to him. My instinct here is to ask why Skirata might find it beneficial to keep Fi and Omega apart, and I can't tell if I'm unfairly on an anti-Skirata kick here, but maybe he sees their separation as something that will help establish Kyrimorut via Omega's dependence on him as the "keeper" of Fi? (I know this is very rambly and I apologize but I want your thoughts here!)

Hi! Again, you don't have to apologize for rambling. I'm not exactly free of sin myself here, and I don't mind, anyway.

So I was thinking about this, and I checked, and you're right that in IC Niner and Darman both comment that they haven't seen Fi in a couple years. Darman even goes one further and acts relieved that he's able to talk to Fi now, which sort of implies he wasn’t able to before:

Which surprised me a bit, because I remembered this part in Order 66 (that I had to go back and find to make sure I wasn’t imagining things), where Darman mentions that Fi left them messages sometimes:

Granted, leaving messages isn’t really the same thing as being able to talk. It’s still something. It’s less clear if they’re able to respond, but them receiving texts from a dead man apparently isn’t a security issue, so I feel like they must have a secure enough method of communication that they might be able to reply too, at least sometimes.

And I mean, at the very least, they should have been able to use Jusik as a messenger, since he’s noted to have been updating Omega on Fi’s condition this whole time, and they are able to talk to him.

It’s likely KT just forgot, and she sort of went off the rails with characterization continuity in IC anyway, but I agree with you that it’s strange if she shifted to the idea that Omega never got to talk to Fi. I mean, canonically it didn’t happen. They did have some form of communication as per the above. But it would be very strange.

But since it didn’t, and in order to square it with Darman and Niner’s comments in IC, I’d bet that communication coming from Fi has been exceptionally sparse and thin on substantial topics, and doesn’t feel emotionally satisfying. They’ve gotten updates, but they haven’t talked. If you only saw someone you love for barely ten minutes over a year ago and barely exchanged hellos, will you count that as “seeing” them within the last two years, or will you count the time instead based on the last time you saw them where you were also able to spend quality time with them? (Holy cow, that sentence.)

That’s the best explanation I could come up with, anyway.

As for the rest, I agree that it doesn’t really fit with Kal’s MO, either, except in the way that Kal tends to forget about people having relationships that don’t involve him. I don’t feel like he’d deliberately cut Fi off, not even in that way he does where he tells himself he has a good reason for it. He’s too proud of Omega as a concept. Rather, I think it’s more likely this is similar to the way he doesn’t ever really think about the Nulls talking to and missing each other in a way that doesn't involve him, so he probably just doesn’t even think about whether Omega are talking to each other or not. Not even in the vein of wondering how Fi’s doing. Not deliberately malicious, but just a consequence of his own self-centeredness. Being fair to him, though, while he is someone Fi respects and looks up to, and while his advice would carry a lot of weight with Fi, Skirata’s not actually responsible for Fi’s recovery. He’s not a medical professional, and unlike Parja he hasn’t tried to insert himself as a medical authority in Fi’s life regardless. If he’s keeping his nose out of it unless specifically requested, that’s not wrong of him (though a check-in probably wouldn’t really be amiss, I’m pretty sure it just literally has not occurred to him).

So I wouldn’t really place the blame for this at his feet. If I were to try to come up with an in-universe rationale for this, I’d probably say that it looks a lot like Fi’s self-isolating.

Whoever is helping him with his recovery should be encouraging him to reach out to people who care about him, but either they’re not, which isn’t great, or they are but Fi’s dodging the issue, which isn’t exactly something they can help. Lead a horse to water and all that, and they can’t make Fi utilize his support network. Unfortunately, I do think it’s very likely Fi would dodge communicating with Omega every chance he gets. He likes to pretend things that upset him aren’t happening, and with his own struggles with his self-worth, I can see him neglecting to communicate with his squad. It might make things too real for him, it might make him wonder why he’s “wasting their time”, and he might even be resentful of them sometimes. The rest of Omega isn’t in a situation to apply force to the situation either, not until Atin makes it to Mandalore (after which, we rarely see Fi anywhere without him, so).

This was interesting to think about. Let me know your thoughts?

[cosmereplay]

😠 kaladin / syl

😠 What annoys me about this ship

There are so many interesting things to consider about this ship, and what annoys me is that a lot of people in the fandom equate "this ship makes me feel icky" with "everyone who ships this is morally repugnant" and the conversation can't go anywhere from there. Moralizing based on gut reaction doesn't make anyone smarter.

So yes, Syl is a thousand years old and also four years old post-transition to the physical realm. Kaladin describes her as childlike, especially at first when she was perky and had memory loss and other cognitive problems. A lot of people reading the books, including me, kind of put her in a little sister category, and the revelation of her continued cognitive development and physical presence by the fourth book made a lot of people, including me, uncomfortable in anticipation of something that might not even happen.

Now I'm not a literary person, I'm just a people person, so I can't speak to how those kinds of tropes play out, but I recognize and respect the people who are annoyed by this ship on a literary level. Go listen to them too, they're very smart.

But the way I've come to see Syl is more like she was a full spren adult in the cognitive realm, and after her transition to the physical realm she became disabled for a couple years, as if she'd had a brain injury and needed to relearn how to do everything. We all know she's not actually a child, and a part of me wonders if there's some ableism in applying that label to her and assuming she's incapable of being in a romantic relationship. Especially by rhythm of war when we meet other honorspren and we can see clearly that they made a choice to cross into the physical realm or not. But again for me it's more about her ability to consent than it is about whether or not she's perceived as childlike because she's fanciful and curious.

There's also a lot that could be said about the monsterfucking potential of a human/spren ship. But the thing I enjoy talking about the most with Kal/Syl is the power dynamics between them. So for example:

- Kaladin has the power to make Syl a deadeyes

- Syl has the power to remove his abilities at any moment based on how she's feeling about what he's doing. Related to that, Kal depends on Syl to show up when summoned

- Syl depends on Kaladin for her cognitive capacity and connection to the physical realm. She needs him to say more oaths to have a clearer mind and remember things

- Syl can read Kaladin's mind and emotions

- Kal can only get a vague sense of her emotions and can't read her mind

- Kal has more experience with the physical realm and other humans

- Syl understands the nature of bonds, spren, and the cognitive realm better

Basically the nature of the bond means that they're already in a bit of a codependent relationship. Personally I don't ship them earnestly, I like their deepening friendship in canon, and all of these interesting power issues already exist within the bounds of that friendship. I could imagine Syl wanting to experiment because she wants to be more human, but I don't think canon Kal would go for that.

Now other spren/human relationships I could see getting pretty freaky, but personally, I don't see this one going in that direction. Have I written sexy fanfic that includes Kal/Syl anyway? If course I have, for I am a freak.

Ask game

[stoptellinglieslois]

Principal of pleasure part 17

As the sting starts to kick off Dick get’s unexpected news.

Superman x Nightwing 

Dick

We are in full swing with the sting we even got to talk to the trafficker by asking casual questions about the time the bar opens up trying not to alarm anyone, We had to move a bit slower to really advance on them. It is simple but it became a bit trickier for us I told Kal not to go in all bravado and wait to take them down.

We’ve been here for eight weeks now when I thought we would leave sooner we stayed a bit longer then what I expected to.

We stayed at a park all though there were no grass or blue sky just a vast sand and tree’s things I have never seen before in my life. But this planet is a wonder of all the universe It looked like an underground evolve sandy utopia.

Since the day in the kitchen me and Kal have been having a lot of conversations about our situation. We are somewhat on the same page about most of the subjects I wanted to make sure that we understood each other. 

And I hope he would keep up being on the same page we are in I wanted to stay in that state of understanding each other. 

I sighed as we sat here watching the bar type gambling club where the trafficker frequents there.  

We had earpieces that connected us to the watch tower The Batman Green arrow and Green lantern had earpieces and a camera that is linked up to us in the form of a triangle pin that is clasp to are tunic.

Whatever me and Kal have to say to each other it could wait till later so far we sat here for over an hour not saying one word to each other, Watching the costumers go in and out of the bar.

I looked down at Kal’s hand how was drumming the wooden rustic bench, As I watched and listen to his fingers hitting the wood in a rhythmic sound and observe, it sounded like a heart beat he was mimicking I touched my chest as I look at Kal it was my heart beat he was hearing I couldn’t say anything I looked at him wide eye we didn’t say anything he looked over at me and smile at me and kept drumming his fingers to the beat of my heart.

“Whoa whoa I see the pink haired woman again.” The light pink haired woman Green lantern is referring to is the trafficker she is wearing leather pants and a hot fuchsia leather halter top she was medium built curvy shaped figure fair skinned evil little foul person. I wonder what planet she came from I wanted to know more about her I wondering if she had family and if she would traffic them maybe for the right prices there just some beings that are just not even beings.

“Good she keeps coming in and out of the club. She hasn’t left the club in days that space craft hasn’t moved in a week now.”

“Just stay on the bench they can’t see you guys so are cover isn’t blown.” Batman said the pink haired women finally went in the beaten up space hover craft and took off.

“Boys stays on that bench and see when she will come back.” Green lantern said the unsuspected woman didn’t know the whole planet was under arrest and on lock down the government of Axis and the guardian of the universe are surrounding the whole planet there is no violence here there is no murder’s here crime is none existence here.

And they intended on keeping it that way I agree I think they picked here to do there crime because this place is not on anyone’s radar.

We stayed here for three hours while listening to the trio in my ear talking planning and talking to galactic officials. 

Suddenly another hover craft station itself in front of the bar and the pink haired lady is not there but two men who looked human carried the crate in the bar.

“Superman use x-ray to see what’s inside it.” Kal stares at the wooden box. “There’s two children in there a boy and a girl in there.” Kal replied he looks at me as he says it.

“Ok so we need to advance on them sooner then later we won’t wait for another week we need to move in within twenty-four hours.” Batman said. “I link both of you up with the officials tonight we will commence the sting.”Batman continued the two other hero’s disconnected with us preparing for are bust.

We get up but Batman has not disconnected from us. “Dick I wanted to tell you some news before you prepare for the bust.” Batman's deep voice sounded so open as far as open go’s that was a mile stone. “It’s about Batgirl.”  Kal turned his head to me looking at me with no expression just a blank look.

“Yeah what’s up.” I said nervously I knew Kal could hear my heart because it was pounding hard. 

“Congratulations Dick she is expecting.” I breathed loudly through my nose I started laughing I put my hand over my hair and ruffled it. “Are you serious I can’t believe it oh my god B.” I was so excited and shocked that all these emotions are exploding inside of me right now. 

“Ok I delivered the news.” And Bruce disconnected with us still in shock I looked at Kal who was surprised but not that shocked he had a warm smile on his face.

And he started walking waving me to follow him we reached our small place. I took off the earpiece and camera Kal do’s the same I rubbed my face and looked at him my hands on my cheek in disbelieve. “Kal I’m going to be a father.” I said as he approach me and hugged me tightly.

I shivered as he held me and he kissed my nose. “Welcome to the club.” I looked up at him he wasn’t pissed or upset he looked at me with love in his eyes. “What do you mean what club?” I asked him.

“The father club I’m happy for you my little bird.” He snuggled his face on my throat and kissed it. “Nothing changes how I feel about you any less it actually makes you even more desirable to me.” I looked up at him and it was there right there I knew one thing I understood today it didn’t matter if I had a football team of a family or just one kid Kal was going to pursuit me anyway.

End of part 17 next is part 18 

Thank you for reading 

[snelbz]

Life As We Know It {Chapter 24}

Summary: After the sudden deaths of Nesta’s sister and Cassian’s best friend, they gain guardianship of their nephew, Nyx.

Based on Life As We Know It (2010) and a prompt sent in by anonymous for our Nessian fanfic contest. This is a modern au.

Instead of doing a tag list for this story, we have decided to have a set posting schedule. Chapters will be posted weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Occasional surprise chapters could be posted at miscellaneous times. Chapters will be posted on both my and Tara’s blogs! >> @tacmc.​

Life As We Know It Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

A/N: Sorry for the late post! My baby shower was today, so Tara and I have been extremely busy! Look for Chapter 25 on her blog on Monday!

Warning: 18+ content.

Cassian got to the restaurant and took a look around. There were people everywhere, bustling about, getting ready for the night’s grand opening.

It had become the talk of the town - and the local groups on the internet - so they were expecting a good turnout.

At least, that’s what Cassian’s guess was.

He hadn’t talked to Nesta since he stormed out two days before, with the exception of one text exchange.

Cassian had texted, Tell Nyx I love him and I will see him tomorrow.

Nesta had replied, Ok.

Now, he was searching for that tiny little man with a mop of dark, black hair.

When he finally found Nyx, he was in his stroller eating cheeto puffs off the tray. When he saw Cassian his eyes lit up and he was instantly reaching for him.

Cassian laughed as he unbuckled him from his stroller and picked him up, giving him the biggest hugs. “Hey, buddy. I missed you, too.”

“This is his third helping of cheetos,” Helion said, from where he leaned against the wall. “Sorry about the next diaper.”

Cassian chuckled. “All this going on and Nesta stuck you on baby duty?”

Even saying her name out loud hurt, but he didn’t let it show.

He gestured toward the kitchen and said, “She’s been here since six and she’s in one of her moods. I decided I’d rather be on baby duty than caught in the crossfire.”

He winced, figuring that didn’t bode well for the two of them today. “I’ll stay in the bar, then.”

“That’s probably a good idea,” Helion replied, looking him up and down, before pushing the stroller behind the counter. Cassian had the distinct feeling he was looking for a crack in his armor. He didn’t bother telling him that he’d been broken for two days, and the only person who could fix him was currently yelling at some poor employee in the kitchen.

Cass crossed the threshold into the bar area and let out a low whistle. He’d had a hand in the design, but most of this was all Nesta. It accented the restaurant perfectly and he immediately loved the place.

“Nice, right?”

He turned to find Kallias carrying a tray of fresh glasses from the dish area and the smile on his friend’s face was infectious.

Cassian nodded as Kallias said hello to Nyx. “Yeah, it looks amazing.”

Kallias nodded. “You and Nesta did good.”

“Thanks,” Cassian muttered, not wanting the conversation to go any further. “How long have you been here?”

“Just got here,” Kallias said, as Nyx started playing with the strings on Cassian’s hoodie. “Viv will be here soon to help out. She said she can watch Nyx while we work.”

Cassian nodded. “That would be great.”

It would be helpful, of course, to have Viviane help out watching Nyx. Cassian had a ton to get done in the next six hours before the opening began. He didn’t want to let Nyx go, though. Two days. It was the longest he had been away from Nyx since...everything happened.

“Well, little man, until then, you get to help me unpack liquor bottles,” Cassian said, trying his best to sound excited.

Nyx giggled. “Ba ba ba ba ba ba.”

“Yeah, different kind of bottles,” Cassian chuckled, and carried Nyx with him into the back room.

Kallias had been at the bar for the past two days, getting most of the stock ready to go. A few texts to explain the situation was all he’d needed and Cassian was thankful he had such a loyal friend and coworker.

Elain hadn’t been as understanding the first night he’d been there, but after talking to Nesta, even she backed off. He had no clue what Nesta had said to her, but her frustration turned to sympathy and she was back to treating Cassian like the brother-in-law she loved and not like a man who’d hurt her sister.

After pulling the carrier out of Nyx’s stroller, he strapped the baby to his chest and set to work, carrying case after case of liquor up to the bar. Kallias was busy stocking the assorted glasses they’d need, so the two worked in silence for the most part.

He had just walked back into the store room, short one case of whiskey, when he heard Nesta talking from the dry pantry separating the store room and kitchen. Cassian’s heart lurched and he was about to make his way back into the bar, but Nyx squealed as he heard her voice.

The swinging door flew open as Nesta hurried into the store room, wondering how Nyx had gotten in there in the first place. She froze when she found Cassian there. Their eyes locked and she blinked.

“Hey, Nes,” he said, quietly.

“I…didn’t know you were here,” she breathed.

He shrugged, turning back to the boxes of bottles. “Got here about an hour ago. Didn’t want to interrupt you.”

Nyx was reaching for her, so he unclipped the carrier and gave him to her. He giggled happily as soon as he was in Nesta’s arms, but she froze, unsure of what to say. “You should have let me know you were here.”

Another shrug. “You were busy, and I knew what I needed to do. Kal said Viv would be here later to watch him.”

She nodded, silence filling the space again.

Nyx pointed at Cassian, reaching for him. “Dada.”

Cassian stilled.

He opened his mouth to say something, then closed his mouth.

A second passed.

Then, at last, he said, “What did he just say?”

“Dada,” Nyx repeated, and clapped his hands together. He reached for Cassian. “Dada!”

Cassian took Nyx, although he was moving slowly, stunned into silence. Nesta watched as a thousand different emotions crossed his face.

“Dada?” Cassian breathed, looking from Nyx to Nesta. “He just called me-.”

“He’s been saying it for the past two days,” Nesta said, staring at a spot on the wall behind Cassian.

For a moment, Cassian didn’t say anything, but then he asked, “You didn’t bother to tell me that?”

Nesta’s eyes narrowed and she slowly met his gaze. “You left.”

“A simple text letting me know that Nyx said his first word wouldn’t’ve killed you,” Cassian snapped. “Especially since his first word was…” Cassian shook his head, that fury fading as quickly as it had come. He looked at Nyx and chuckled, softly. “Dada, hmm?”

“Dada,” Nyx said, taking Cassian’s face into his hands before patting his stubbled cheeks with his chubby little palms.

Cassian watched Nyx for a moment, chuckling softly, before asking Nesta, “Has he said anything else?”

Nesta shook her head, even though Cassian wasn’t looking at her. “Just that. Probably wondering where you were. He’s been saying it nonstop, after all.”

“I’m sorry, bud,” he said, softly. He kissed the top of his head. “I’m still right here though.”

He was about to buckle him back into the carrier when Nesta reached for him. “I can take him. You’ve got a lot to do.”

“No more than you,” he said, settling him back into the carrier. “And I’ve missed him. Viv will come see Kallias when she gets here. Let me keep him.”

Her hands fell to her sides. “Fine.”

The tiny room felt like it was closing in on him, looking at her. They were so close together, whether they wanted to be or not. Without another word, Cassian grabbed the closest box and shouldered his way back through the swinging door.

Kallias caught the look on his face as soon as he came back. “That must have been the first conversation you two have had.”

Cassian grunted in response, letting Nyx continue to pat at his face.

“And how’d it go?” He asked, leaning against the bar.

“About as well as you think.”

Kallias watched his old friend for a moment before nodding, deciding to let the conversation drop. Cassian was grateful for it.

He was thankful for Nyx, too, for an endless amount of reasons, but right now, he was a distraction. With Nyx here, he was only thinking about Nyx, not about Nesta.

Cassian spent the next couple of hours lining up liquor bottles, and when Viv got there, she happily took Nyx and let Cassian work.

Once Nyx began playing with Viviane, Cassian’s thoughts were once again on the last person he wanted to be thinking about.

He continued to work, trying his best to keep his mind on that. It was kind of hard, though, when the owner of the restaurant was Nesta. He guessed he was part owner now, too - owner of the bar, anyway.

The hours flew by and by the time Cassian decided to check his watch, he realized he only had thirty minutes until the doors were opening for the main event.

He needed to get out of his old hoodie and into something nicer.

After making his way into the stockroom, he pulled off his hoodie before digging into his backpack for the black henley he’d brought. It wasn’t fancy by any means, but it was sure better than his ripped hoodie.

The door swung open as he was pulling his shirt over his head, and when he turned around, he saw Nesta, once again.

She stilled just in front of the door. “Are you planning on being in here every time I come in?”

It was meant to be a joke, something to lighten the mood, Cassian knew, but the light didn’t exactly reach her eyes.

He looked down at his shirt. “Just had to change. Didn’t think a hoodie was appropriate for an opening celebration.”

Nesta nodded, giving him a forced smile. “Couldn’t have gone all out with a button down?”

“This is Azriel’s,” he said. “All of my nicer things are at…home.”

He said the last word hesitantly.

Nesta’s eyes fluttered shut. He knew she was dying to say something, but what it was he couldn’t tell. He thought he knew her well enough to read her face. It seemed he was wrong though.

“I’ll come by and get my things on my day off this week,” he said, saving her the request. He pulled the Henley over his head, leaving his backpack against the store room wall. “You won’t even know I was there.”

“Cassian…”

He pushed back through the door without waiting to hear what she was going to say.

This was agony. Every moment of being around her hurt, because every time he saw her, he knew that he’d wasted the past three months of his life. He’d wasted his time falling in love with her, because she still hadn’t said it back.

“Dada!”

Nyx and Viv sat at one of the new tables, Nyx munching on some crackers, and even Kallias’ eyes dragged to him. Nyx’s blue eyes were the only ones he cared about though.

“That’s new,” Kallias said, from where he leaned across the bar.

Nyx’s new favorite word was one of the few things that had made him smile all day. Even if it tore him apart at the same time.

He didn’t mind Nyx calling him that. He was still too young to understand what had happened to Rhys. So one day, he’d explain to him who he really was, and who Rhys was. But until then, he was content to be Dada.

Cassian lifted him out of the high chair he was in and smiled, wistfully. “Hey, buddy.”

On the other side of the room, Nesta pushed through the double doors and into the restaurant, making sure everything was in order as the clock ticked down.

Cassian couldn’t keep his eyes off of her.

He wondered if she knew.

*

This was the biggest night that Nesta had in quite some time. A new bar would be amazing for business, and she was expecting a hell of a crowd.

And she wasn’t disappointed.

At exactly six, people began to pour in. They sat, and they ate, and by the Mother, they drank. She was amazed at how well Nyx was doing. She kept expecting to see him sleeping in a corner with Viviane, but he was being passed around to Viv, Kallias, Helion, and Cassian, having the time of his little life.

Nesta was glad someone was enjoying their night.

She should be enjoying her night, should be pumped at the booming business, but she could hardly focus.

All she could think about was him.

Cassian.

Every time she even got a glimpse of him, she wanted to run into his arms and tell him that she loved him. But she couldn’t do that. She had no clue what the repercussions of their relationship would do to Nyx, especially if something were to happen. If they were to break up, would this be their future? Barely speaking, passing the kid back and forth, both of them in misery?

Even when Elain and Azriel got there, both giving her hugs and warm smiles, the one on her face wasn’t real. She knew Elain could tell, knew she wanted to pull her aside, get the whole story, and quite possibly talk some sense into her, but she wouldn’t.

She couldn’t.

Not tonight.

As much as she tried to spend most of her time in the dining room, greeting guests and asking how they liked the drinks and new menu items, she kept ending up in the kitchen.

She got word that there had been a small grease fire on the line and she was about to rush into the kitchen when Helion stepped in front of her.

“Take a breath.”

“I can’t,” she replied, pulling her hair back off of her face. “There was a fire and-.”

“And it’s under control,” he said, gripping her by the shoulders. “It’s been put out, and I can go deal with Emrys and Luca and any potential fallout. Go have a drink, relax with your sister. You deserve a glass of wine and a moment to sit down.”

Nesta hesitated, but Helion wasn’t having it.

“Go,” he said. “Kallias is currently manning the bar. Go order a drink before the next wave of people come along.”

With a huff, Nesta nodded and exited the kitchen. True to Helion’s word, it was Kallias that was behind the bar. The second he saw Nesta coming, he was pouring a glass of wine.

She took a sip as soon as she reached the counter. “Vodka.”

Kallias blinked, then obliged her. He poured her a shot, Nesta downed it and thanked him, then took her glass of wine around the room to greet people. She eventually found Elain and Azriel, and was getting ready to take a seat by them, until she noticed Cassian already sitting with them, Nyx in his lap.

Bypassing their table, she gave them both an apologetic smile, before redirecting herself towards the bar. She breezed past it and Kallias, draining her wine and leaving it by the sink, before she entered the store room.

Cassian must have handed the baby off to Elain or Viviane, because not even a few seconds later, he was right behind her.

“Is this how it’s gonna be, Nes?” He asked, not stopping until he was right in front of her. “Are we just going to avoid each other, unless Nyx is concerned?”

The door hadn’t even finished swinging shut, but she noticed Kallias stacking a few boxes in front of the door.

For all intents and purposes, do not enter.

Their first night working together and already a fight. She couldn’t blame his frustration, this was all her fault.

“It hurts to see you,” she breathed. “It hurts to see you because I don’t know what the hell is going on.”

“You don’t know what the hell is going on?” He asked, incredulously. “I don’t know what the hell is going on! You’re so-.” His words fell away and his eyes shut as he rubbed his temples.

Nesta arched a brow. “I’m so what?”

“Infuriating,” he said, and met her eyes with a pained expression that knocked the breath out of Nesta. “It hurts for you to see me? It kills me to see you, but you know what? That’s on you. I wasn’t the one that started questioning everything. And you want to know what’s ironic? You’re pushing me away because you’re afraid it won’t work out. But, it’s not working now, Nesta. In pushing me away, you made what you’re worried about a reality.” He shook his head, slowly. “What the hell is the point of that?”

Nesta didn’t say anything. Her jaw locked and she refused to break his gaze, no matter how much it tortured her.

“It’s better for it to happen now rather than later,” she said, and hated herself for it the second the words left her. “It’s better for it to end before it really begins.”

Cassian chuckled, humorlessly, and shook his head. “That's bullshit and you know it. It already began, Nesta.”

He took a step toward her, and in such a small room, it left very little space between them.

Nestas breath hitched, and judging by the way Cassian’s eyes flared, he definitely noticed.

“Tell me you don’t care about me, and it’s done. We’ll pretend these past few weeks never happened, and we can move on,” he whispered, and she could feel his breath fan over her face. “Tell me this all meant nothing to you, and it’s over.”

Her eyes flashed down to his lips before meeting his own. “I can’t do that.”

Cassian wasn’t sure who moved first. If he grabbed her face or if she leaned up and pressed her lips to his, but before he knew what was happening, he had her back pressed against the store room wall. Gods, it had only been a few days, but kissing her again, the feel of her lips on his, it felt like he hadn’t been able to breathe.

Her hands were clawing at his back and he found her thighs, lifting her up to wrap her legs around his waist. He hadn’t even noticed she’d changed into a loose, sundress but thanks to her own wardrobe change, there was very little fabric between them as she let go of him to fumble with his belt buckle and jeans.

There were no words necessary, not when they both needed the other as badly as they did.

Their lips never broke, that contact remained, hungrily, needily, as Nesta pulled Cassian’s cock out and, moving the thin scrap of fabric beneath her dress aside, he pushed himself up into her.

Nesta moaned into his mouth at the feeling of him filling her. He bit her lip, and that moan deepened as he began to thrust deep inside of her, over and over again.

There was no foreplay.

Foreplay wasn’t necessary, not this time.

Two days, two nights, had been far too long when they had become so accustomed to this same ritual every night, time and time again.

Cassian’s head fell back as he fucked her, relentlessly, then he met her lustful gaze. His forehead fell against hers as he slowed his pace. With a soft, reverent curse, Cassian breathed her name.

She clung to him, the smell and taste and feel of him making her feel far more drunk than the wine or liquor had. Nesta buried her face in his neck, trying to cover the sounds tumbling from her.

He captured her lips again, knowing her body better than his own at this point, and thrust into her as hard as he could.

The bottles on the shelves rattled gently, but he didn’t care if anyone could hear them in the bar. He didn’t care if anyone caught them. All he cared about was that he was deep inside of her, listening to the quiet whimpers and moans that she couldn’t stop.

There was no way she could walk away from this.

Not just from the sex. Which, yeah, was incredible, but there was more to it than that.

Their souls were connected, which is what made the sex so mindblowingly phenomonal.

It was more than just sex.

It was something that Cassian swore no one else had ever witnessed before. Or, maybe they had. Maybe this is what it felt like when you found the person you were meant to spend forever with.

No, Nesta couldn’t walk away from this.

He swore, hoped, prayed she couldn’t.

He wanted to say those little words. Wanted to tell her, so desperately, that he loved her, but he didn’t.

He just kept saying her name over and over and over again with every thrust of his hips.

I love you. I love you. I love you. I love you.

“Nesta,” he breathed, and she cried out as her legs began to shake around him. He cursed, his fingers digging into her thighs as his body flooded with the need to explode.

As soon as her release slammed into her, he met his own, her name a groan as he spilled into her. They stayed like that for a moment, him still buried inside her, even as his seed started to drip down her legs. Thankfully, the sound of the party out front had covered any and all noises they’d made. Her breathing was still uneven as he pulled out, and he pulled that ripped hoodie from his backpack and silently used it to clean her up.

Tossing it back towards his bag, not caring if it made it inside or not, he paused in front of her, and tried to tilt her face up to his.

She refused.

He breathed, “Look at me, Nes…”

She shook her head, and damn him if those weren’t tears starting to spill down her cheeks.

He gripped her chin, forcing her eyes up to meet his. “Damn it, Nesta, talk to me. Just talk to me and tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I think you need to go,” she breathed.

He hesitated. “What?”

“You need to go,” she repeated, but there was no bite in her voice.

Cassian took her face in his hands and brought her eyes to his. “I’m not leaving. Not after that.”

“Go,” she repeated, and another tear slid free. “Go, Cass, please.”

He shook his head, fury, frustration, utter misery filling his core. He dropped his hand and stepped back. “Damn it, Nesta! What do you want?!”

“For you to leave,” she hissed.

“You’re a fucking liar,” Cassian snapped. “You say you can’t tell me that you never cared, you fuck me in a damned store room, then you ask me to leave?”

“You’re making this harder than it has to be.”

“I’m making this harder?” he asked, breathlessly, unable to stop his darkened laughter. He looked away from her and sucked in his bottom lip.

A moment passed, and Cassian refused to meet her gaze. “I don’t get it,” he said, at last. “I don’t get it. I don’t know what you want. I don’t know what you want from me.” His words were coming out rushed, frazzled. “Know what? Fine. If this is the way you want it, this is the way it is. I’ll be at Elain’s and Azriel’s tonight, and I’m taking Nyx with me. I’ll bring him by tomorrow, when Viviane is there.”

With that, he was gone.

And Nesta was left alone, her hands flying over her mouth as she sobbed, still able to feel the soft, tender, alluring feeling of his lips on hers.

[itstheimpossibledream]

It’s Only A Play -Part 3

Word Count:3244

Pairing : AU Henry Cavill x FemBlack!Reader

Summary: We love a good slow burn. SMUT

The bag crackled in his large hands. You found yourself wondering why he even bothered delicately tearing the wrapping, when he could easily smash both the wrapper and cookie open in one fist. The fortune seemed so small in his hands.He held the paper back a bit further than you would have expected and you realized he was probably one of those people who needed glasses but refused to get them.He cleared his throat again."It says 'The art of living is taking the biggest chance.'"

"In bed." you said quickly

"What?!" his eyebrows flew up in shock but,he laughed to keep from appearing to hopeful.

"It's an American thing. You read a fortune cookie and at the end you add in bed. It makes every fortune cookie funnier, I promise."you said not breaking eye contact. He threw his head back and laughed even harder. It was a childish trick but, something about it tickled him so much he hardly noticed when his hat fell off of his head and onto Kal who had been peacefully sleeping in the slice of floor behind Henry's chair. His baritone chuckles echo through the apartment and you’re amazed that neighbors didn't even cross his mind as a concern in this place.Realistically he probably wasn’t even home enough to get a noise complaint. His laughing had lessened and you could feel him watching you. You knew people who had embarrassingly nice apartments but, nothing like this. This was just lavishly ridiculous.

"It gets lonely being here alone." He said evenly,reading your mind. "Family doesn't visit much and keeping friends with a schedule like mine is just..."

"Not easy ." you finished for him.You could feel his eyes boring into you carving out a space in your heart for him and you try to will yourself to stop. You both sat comfortable on the silence for a while, momentarily mutually mourning the lifestyle you lost to live your dream.

"Okay read yours!" Henry gestured to you cookie. You smashed it to bits,gingerly pulling out the paper fortune. You sat up tall clearing your throat trying to figure out if this fortune would be equally funny or if your childish trick had run it's course.

"You Are very talented in many ways in bed." You say bursting out laughing as he doubled over again.

"Come on! How come I couldn't have gotten that one" he jokes shrugging his shoulders.

" Just wasn't your fortune."you tease winking at him and getting up from the table.Okay so you were flirting with him,definitely flirting with him. But a highschool showmance was so unlike you. You knew the golden rule was to never go for your co-stars and yet here you were winking and shit. Maybe he'd ignore it , he really knew nothing about you outside of your work.

"So what made you like this story? When you got the script when did know you had to do it ?" He had moved from the table, his eyes shown brightly as he recovered his hat from the floor on his way. At the end of dinner you assumed it would be normal to grab your jacket and go back to your room.It's not like he had really planned for you to be over, and you weren't even friends so staying up this late with him to gossip wasn’t exactly in the cards. You had already learned so much more about him than you had expected to. He expertly moved to the kitchen,uncorked a bottle of wine he had chilling in the refrigerator and returned to the couch handing one of the glasses to you. So, now you were staying, I mean it’d be rude to turn down wine.

"Uhhhhh- well I think the relationship is relatable, it's real. It's not about these two perfect people but, it's about this perfect love they have... ya know?" You whirl yourself onto the seat on the couch next to him."To imagine what they were going through as a couple I mean- it must have made everything harder, these characters are from completely different worlds and they still choose each other in their own way. " He nods next to you , this was new. Geeking out with him about work wasn't what you expected but, you were actually enjoying it.

"So let me ask you something?"he pushes leaning in , He wrings his hands together and you’re distracted by the veiny passageways that mark down from his forearms."When do you think it would actually be necessary for them to have a sex scene?"he asks timidly.

"Right!" you exclaim! "I love Stephen but the way he directs it makes it feel so clunky !"you emphasize with your hands and he chuckles saying "Okay I'm so glad you noticed it too- like who has sex like this robots?"

"You know his partners have to be weird." you laugh , noticing how pointy his canines are. God, he looks like one of those twilight vampires, his stupid skin probably did shine in actual sunlight Not that New York would get any though,you acknowledge while making a mental note , not to drink to much of the wine that was clearly causing you to get distracted. You finish your glass and set it on the coffee table.

"Yeah I don't know i just think it's an unconventional love story and we need more of those." you smile , sheepishly meeting his eyes , going back to the topic of the show. His lower lip juts up as he nods,in agreement.

"Soooooo what's next?"you pop up, moving to his kitchen opening random cabinets, trying to find his liquor stash. You come across the empty bottle, of what must have been the wine you just drank and turn to him in the living room with a fake pout. It wasn’t that you were bored, or even that you didn’t want to spend time with him sober ;as much as it was that you desperately needed to cling to the idea that he wasn’t a good man for you.

"O. you can smoke out on the terrace if you want, and I don't have any more drinks here but,I can call down to the frontdesk to run and get you something.” Your eyes rolled so hard they almost fell out of your head.

"Of Course you have a front desk."you chortled to yourself.

"Hey, this is the flat the show is paying to keep me in not my own." he pointed at you in mock sternness

"No I'm okay. I don't smoke and drink all the time " you chided at him,he probably didn't really think that. He was just trying to drum up some conversation.

"and here I thought you were a real New Yorker." he jokes breaking into a toothy grin.

" I'm from a very small town-" you divulged with a sigh"definitely not New York.”

"Yeah- there's not many people from where I grew up around here either." he said plainly , moving to take off his rehearsal sneakers, for what was probably the first time since you had gotten to his place.

"You miss it a lot huh?" you ask

"I mean I go back often but, it's just much nicer to not have camera's up your ass all the time."he huffs, moving to the second set of laces.

"Ahh that good old Hollywood fame." you joke, with a sigh. He just smiles at you, beaming embarrassingly knowing he can never seem to say the right thing around you. For some reason busting his balls was somehow so much better than admitting to a feeling that you were becoming increasingly aware of,you wanted him.

"I'm not like a smoker smoker" you say, slicing through the silence "I picked it up from my ex and it just kinda stuck." you admit with a flippant gesture of your hand." But, only when I'm nervous or something."you felt the need to clarify.

"And why would you be nervous?"He smirked, pushing his shoes under the decoratively simplistic coffee table across from him and sliding down the front of the couch to sit on the floor. His thighs seemed abnormally large as he spread his legs out and started stretching. This time it was your turn to look away from him.You peeled your eyes,just as quick as he had before your shower. The confidence that radiated from him was absolutely maddening. You couldn't understand how any man could be so aware of their looks and yet still come off as slightly shy.

"I'm always nervous the first days of rehearsal.The new schedule, the new people, it's all just overwhelming at times." you divulged honestly. He pulled a knee into his chest heaving a sigh as you continued. "I wish I never started smoking though." you circled back.

"Do you wish you never met him too?"Henry asked, inquisitively peering up from under his hat as he switched knees. You exhaled slowly,fighting for the right way to answer that question.

"Sometimes yes" you nodded. "When I first moved to New York it was really tough, I felt really lonely too." you allowed your voice to trail into a whisper. There is a silence and then you can feel his eyes on you, your cheeks burning red-hot and the more you avoid looking at him the stronger the urge is.

"So that's why you're single." it was brutal but, you weren't upset.Long ago you had come to a similar realization about yourself. Plus, european’s had a way of sounding rude while simply stating facts, it’s part of what makes them so trendy.

"You've allowed life to make you become tough and jaded so you just don't date?Is that it?" he perked an eyebrow in your direction while removing his baseball cap.While you took no offense to his comment, that didn't stop you from hating it.

"Why do you care?" you asked immediately, choosing the defensive instead of going deeper and chasing him down the rabbit hole of honesty.

"See what is that?" he questioned.It was clear he was not going to be letting this go anytime soon.

"I'm trying to do the assignment. I'm trying to get to know you and you push me away."

"Don't be ridiculous."you roll your eyes toward him once again."I'm not pushing you away I just have boundaries and things I don’t want to discuss with you."

You push up from the couch and head in the direction of your room. It was not within his right to pry about your personal relationships,and truly there was nothing more to discuss. Plus, you knew if you stayed close to him a moment longer, you would give into his eyes and the beautiful vanes bulging in his large hand.

"Why?" he asked jumping to his feet,his agility momentarily shocking you as you turn to leave.

"Because I don't want to ! Because you're not-"

"Not what?" he pushes" I've been working around you and this thing between us and I don't why you can be blunt about everything else except this !" He got dangerously close to raising his voice and it stirred the butterflies in your stomach. Something about him being so stern with you set your sex drive ablaze. You could feel yourself biting down hard on your bottom lip and the more you refused to break eye contact with him the more fired up you became. You could see the honesty behind his eyes, he was trying with you, he was proving himself every step of the way and you hated how much you loved it.

"Fine. What is it? What's the THIS?" you ask sarcastically, staring directly at him. His face looked blank and you wondered for a moment if you had asked the right thing. He grabs your hand,falling back onto the couch and pulling you onto the couch on top of him.You quickly realize you are able to put yourself in a position where you can straddle him as he grabs your face, pulling you down to kiss him. You kiss him back slowly , taking time to explore with your tongue. You can feel his hand tangled in your hair at the back of your head and it does something wild to you. You grind down into him and you hear a slight moan escape his mouth.

You bite down suddenly on his bottom lip before coming up for air and he simply can't take it anymore. He wraps his arms around your legs and lifts you up by the bottom of your thighs, carrying you into the bedroom. You feel ridiculously delicate in his arms as he carries you. You break from the kiss momentarily, to make sure your head is ducking all the way under the doorframe as he holds you,smiling into your kiss.

You pull your own shirt off, letting it hit the floor with a loud 'thwack'. The noise momentarily wakes you out of your horny haze. As he lays you on the bed,you bring your forearm up to cover your eyes, in the vaguest attempt of shielding yourself from your own embarrassment. He pulls your pants off and while unsure ,you don't protest as he gingerly splays your legs open for him to see the wetness that had pooled in your underwear.

"O you're so wet for me now."he smiles from ear to ear as you peek through your hand just enough to see his perfectly chiseled chest and you shut your eyes again wondering if this could be real, if he's real.

" We're not done ."he smirks, grabbing you by the legs and pulling you towards him. He then gracefully flips you over onto your hands and knees facing away from him.He pulls your panties down and drags his large fingers over your wet slit and you arch your back at his touch. He settles one hand on your hip as he uses the other hand to work himself into you.You had imagined he was big, but when you feel his head poking into you, you knew your fantasies could never compare to the reality. He uses the hand on your hip to slowly pull you further onto him until you are taking in his whole length. Moving painstakingly slowly, in and out of you. You hear him moaning above you and then he whispers "Fuck” in that stupid accent before snapping his hips into you and pushing you forward. He uses his other hand to prop you up because he knows he's pushing way to hard for someone of your size. Slamming into your pretty little cunt over and over again. You let out his name and you allow plea after plea for him to let you cum. He pounds into you grabbing your hair and pulling your face up to meet his.After a few more thrusts he finally graces you with a reply.

"No." he says and then pulls out of you. Your body immediately feels drained, completely and utterly fucked out and somehow all you want is more. You hold the position for a minute breathing into the lack of movement when you look back to see Henry watching you. Working himself in his large hand, the veins in his arms bulging and a slight bead of sweat beginning to work it's way onto his forehead.

"Turn over" he commands, and as much as you want to move quickly your legs feel like jelly,the smile line at the corner of his mouth fades as he walks towards you and flips you over himself. He positions himself above you again and says "I want to see that pretty face you make when you cum." he smiles down at you sweetly. Pushing in between your hot folds again and the noise you make is downright pornographic. You know it , he knows it and only fuels the fire behind his thrusts . He reaches for your neck again, giving you a pale necklace of fingers and veins that contrasts with your skin . With his other hand you feel him grab at your hand and interlace your fingers with his, above your head. Your eyes fly open and he is looking directly at you, smiling a bit and you can tell he is taking you in. Revelling in all the tiny noises and ways your body responds to his. You can feel his pace quicken as his moans increase, it almost feels as though the longer you look at him the harder he fucks into you, challenging you, seeing if you can handle him. His curls begin to dampen and stick to his forehead, you watch while he looks down on you. He momentarily breaks having his hand at your throat to bring his own pointer to his mouth. You watch as he lighlty bites down on it while letting out a moan.It's almost as if he's trying to keep himself quiet, or burn this view into his brain, but he's to turned on to focus. He fucks into you harder and harder, you can't take it, seeing his teeth around his own finger made you absolutely feral. You cried out his name immediately and before you could realize what was happening you felt your walls tightening again under him. Your legs shook as waves of pleasure washed over you and you could feel yourself clamping down on him. He fucked you through the orgasm, and when it seemed as though you had recovered, he climbed up your body, forcing his cock down your throat, and came instantly. He shudders and makes deep grunts on top of you. You can't help but gag a little on his length as you try to take in the art that is his unclothed body. He hears you struggling for breath and immediately pulls himself out of you. He holds a thumb at the bottom of your chin and watches as you swallow every drop of him. When you're done you look up at him, giving him your best attempt at doe eyes and he turns your chin up for him to kiss you . Fuck. Fuck. you were not supposed to fuck your coworker.Especially not this coworker, you barely even liked him. After a few moments of making out the contact fizzled and eventually he was just laying next to you, breathing heavily.

"It's purely physical." you sighed, watching the small curly hairs on his pecs as his chest heaved.

"Is it?" he began laughing. His smile shone bright in the dimness of the room. He turns to face you, leaning in for a kiss again and you're to weak to deny him.

"Dammit." he whispers between your lips. You grab the back of his head pulling him closer to you, your mind to blissed out and high for you to think.He kisses you hard and then pulls back. He hops off the bed, chest heaving as he uses his forearm to wipe away the sweat. You sleepily roll over to face where he's going. Some minutes pass and before you know it your overly fucked body is begging for rest.You drift of to sleep feeling euphoria in the big bed.

[towerlight]

Dalinar fucking up in ROW part 74

Among the number of things that irks me about Dalinar in ROW is his silence to Kaladin after meeting Roshone. You can argue that Dalinar should have known Kal had beef with Roshone after their conversation when Dalinar meets him in prison in WOR (plenty of thoughts on that wretched convo but that's not the point). Upon seeing that Roshone was Kaladins former Highlord it's pretty fucking simple to put the pieces together that he is responsible for a great deal of Kaladin's pain. This is pain Dalinar has never bothered to ask about but I digress. How the fuck does Dalinar not mention it at ALL. After undoubtedly understanding the connection, he refuses to acknowledge let alone apologize for his and his family's part in Kal's suffering. Im not gonna sit here and list the things Dalinar owes Kaladin, the list is too fucking long, but I will say a note about Roshone would have been below the bare minimum.

I can just picture a wonderful arc for Dalinar in ROW that reinforces so much of what this series is about. I don't think the man is redeemable, but I think besides the cool glowing swords a lot of the series is about personal growth, specifically through the lens of constant struggle and fighting to be your best self (Lots have said is more precise and accurate but you get the point). So much of what Dalinar says in the back half of this set of books is about how he is a new BETTER man. But imagine if Dalinar had to go through the journey of understanding that you can do better, but neither denial nor acceptance can fully divorce you from your past actions. I just can see ROW where his next step was about seeing his past actions through the eyes of his loved ones and choosing to be a better father, commander, husband, etc. using the understanding that he deserves the anger of the people around him. I just think it would fit nicely

[oddsnendsfanfics]

Unraveling the Mystery

Genre: Fan Fiction

Pairing: Henry Cavill/OFC

Warnings: N/A

Rating: PG

Length: Short Story

Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.

A/N: I have been sitting on this idea, for a while. It's taken forever to get it just right, what can I say? I can't get away from these folks.

Henry Cavill Master List

Sitting in the backseat of the car, Ivan huffed. Arms across his chest, Kal laying quietly beside him, his head on the boy's lap. He was not amused by his parent's Saturday excursion. In the front seat, Nell checked her phone, looking at emails and appointments for the upcoming week. Henry had his eyes on the road, navigating through the small city with expert care and attention.

Saturdays spent as a family were supposed to be fun. Ivan wasn't exactly having fun. Grumpy all morning, he hadn't turned his scowl upside down once. Whatever. His parents didn't seem to notice or care that he was in a pissy mood. Why should they?

When they'd left home, Henry had mentioned going to the next town over, but didn't really say why. Nell had been too worried looking for paperwork. Ivan wasn't stupid, he'd heard them in the office last night. They thought he had gone to bed, which he had, but they didn't know their son had gone back down stairs for a drink. Walking by the door, he'd stopped, originally to say “good night”, again but decided to hold out.

Ivan laid his head back on the seat, Kal nestling in for the remainder of the ride. How could his parents do this to him? The bits of conversation had replayed in his mind all night.

"But if we adopt, then we know it's a girl." Sighing, Nell rubbed her eyes. "I am outnumbered."

"Yes, but what if we can't find the right girl?"

Ivan furrowed his brow, listening through the cracked door. His parents were clearly discussing something that would be a huge part of their family, yet chose to leave him out? 

Standing quietly for a few seconds, trying to peep around the office door, he saw Kal sprawled out on the floor. Sleeping soundly. At least his position wasn't going to be given away. 

"And we will need to take him. I don't want to bring him home a sister, to find out he's pissed off." Henry continued. 

Gee, thanks dad. Ivan rolled his eyes, tears stinging. 

Inside of the office his mother's chair scraped the floor. Time to move along. Quietly rushing to get upstairs, before he was caught. 

They were adopting and didn't even bother to ask how he felt? What if he didn't want a sibling? What if he was content being an only child? Nobody had bothered to ask him and it hurt.

“Almost there,” Henry announced. Ivan huffed, Nell hummed, and Kal sighed. “Not the response that I was expecting, but okay.”

“I'm excited, I'm busy is all.” Nell glanced at her husband with a warm smile. “Someone has to keep you in costume and Ivan on track.”

“Whatever.” Ivan muttered, rolling his eyes. So now they pretend to care.

“When we're finished, do you want to go for a walk and grab something to eat?”

Leaning around in her seat to see Ivan; Nell smiled. “What do you think wild boy? Should we grab something to eat after? I hear they have a great sushi place just around the corner.”

“Whatever.”

“Is that all you can say today?” Nell raised her brow.

Ivan shrugged.

“Well, then. I guess you don't have an opinion, then we will go wherever we see fit.”

“Why ask me where I want to eat, you didn't care to ask me if I even wanted to come.”

“We thought that you'd enjoy an afternoon out.” Henry answered, checking that he was clear to make the right hand turn. Pulling into an empty space, he killed the engine. “We're here.”

“I'm excited.”

“I'm not.” Grumbled Ivan in reply to his mother's enthusiasm.

Leaning over, Henry was the one turned to face his sullen son. “Okay, before we go in. Care to tell me what's going on?”

In the back seat, Ivan tried his best not to allow his tears to fall. If they began then they may never stop. Dramatic? A little. He couldn't hold it in any longer, his parents had truly hurt his feelings and trust. Why had they not trusted him to tell him the truth? If he hadn't heard them talking, would they have simply brought another child home and told him to deal with it?

Sniffling, he wiped his hand across his cheeks. How silly did he look?

“Ivan?” Henry prompted, gently reaching out to his son.

Shrinking away, Ivan continued to sniffle. Shaking his head, Ivan opened his mouth to answer, but only a sob came.

“Are you okay? Ivan, you can talk to us.” Encouraging her son, despite her heart clenching, Nell tried to smile.

He had been out of sorts all morning. Taking it as he was annoyed to be woken so early, Nell had ignored his bad mood. She'd figured it would change, when they arrived to meet the puppy. On the seat beside him, Kal laid with his head still on Ivan. Nudging him gently with his nose.

“You didn't even ask me, how-how I felt.” Ivan whispered.

“Felt? About what? Are you not feeling well?” Concern etched Henry's face.

Ivan shook his head. “About adopting. Why? Why would you do that and not talk to me? A sister is a pretty big thing and you didn't even ask, if I wanted one.”

In a second, Henry could nearly feel his heart breaking for his son. Clearing his throat, he rubbed the back of his neck. Nell sprang into mom mode. Taking over, giving Ivan a soft smile and passing back a tissue from her bag,

“Oh, wild boy.” Cooing, Nell shook her head. “No, I think you have it wrong.”

“Do I? Oh really?”

“Yeah, we're um...we wanted to keep it a secret, in case Kal didn't get along with her. But then we were so excited, we had to bring you. Ivan, we're here to see about adopting another dog.”

“A dog?” Ivan sat up his interest fully engaged. Henry laughed and nodded. His mood changing faster than a speeding bullet. “A dog? We're getting another dog?”

“Maybe.” It was only fair that Henry laid down the rules now. “If she and Kal get along, then we will take her home. For a week. If they manage well, then she is ours. If they don't, then we have to bring her back. We didn't want to tell you, because we wanted to surprise you.”

“You better like her.” Ivan gently booped Kal's nose. Kal snuffled and yawned.

“I wish you had told us, how you felt. Oh god, I'm sorry.”

Last night, while in the office, Nell had heard a creak outside the door. Assuming it was another feature of the older home, she had ignored it, continuing her conversation with Henry. Shit. Now she felt terrible. How Ivan must have felt, beyond her comprehension. No wonder the poor boy had been in a rotten mood. Assuming his parent were making life decisions and not bothering to inform him.

“It's okay mum.” Ivan shrugged, “I shouldn't have assumed.”

“Wild boy, we would never adopt another child, without talking to you. Honestly.” Nell informed her son, her caring smile growing.

“Unless something changes, drastically, we will never have that conversation. So I think you are safe.”

“But I thought you wanted more kids?” Eyeing his father cautiously, Ivan wiped his nose on the tissue and snuffled once more. His tears dried on his cheeks.

Henry shrugged, glancing at Nell and smiling. “Once upon a time, I would have loved to have a dozen kids. But, I think that time has gone. You're older now and I know that you enjoy being an only child. Besides, your mum and I don't have that energy anymore. Chasing small children, it's too much work.”

“Well, now that we have this cleared up. Shall we go meet the potential, puppy?”

“Yes, please.” Ivan sprung up, grabbing Kal's leash to get the big dog out of the car. Opening the car door, he shuffled out to join his parents, promptly handing Kal to Henry.

A shift in his mood, Ivan could barely contain his excitement, asking his parents all kinds of questions. The short distance from the car to the shelter didn't give them much time to answer, but Nell did her best to fill in any information that Ivan was requesting. They had found the puppy on the website, not really looking for another dog.

Her name was Tilly, she was almost a year old, an energetic doxie pinscher mix. Her mother rescued a few weeks before Tilly and her two brothers were born. Ivan didn't even have to see her, to know she would be the best dog – best small dog – ever. Clearly Kal was the best dog ever. Henry allowed Kal a few minutes outside, while Nell and Ivan went inside to inform the staff that they had arrived.

“Mum,” Ivan whispered standing beside her, in the lobby, waiting for the assistant to join them, “I'm sorry.”

“It's okay, wild boy. You have nothing to be sorry for, but the next time come talk to me. I don't like it when you are upset.” Nell wrapped her arm around him, kissing the top of his head.

“Mrs. Cavill?” A tall woman asked walking into the room. Nell nodded and smiled. “Hi, I'm Aly. I'll be hanging out with you today.” She glanced at Ivan and smiled. Carefully looking passed Nell, she shifted. “You mentioned bringing your dog?”

“Yes, he's outside with my husband. It was a bit of a drive up. Can you go let your dad know that he needs to come in?” Nell ruffled Ivan's hair.

Nodding, Ivan did his best to control his excitement, reminding himself to walk towards the door. Calmly, he took a breath. Spotting Henry and Kal on the small patch of grass, he waved opening the door to call his dad. Excitement, contain. Breathe. Ivan straightened his posture before walking back across the office to his mother.

“He's coming.”

“Do you want to follow me in, when he comes in then I can have them sent back?”

“Sure, sounds good.” Following Aly behind a set of doors, Nell and Ivan walked hand in hand. It was not at all what Ivan imagined. There were no rows of barking dogs, instead it was a calm and quiet group of rooms. Each one with large windows and a door. Inside the floors had patches of fake grass, tile flooring, and a few toys.

“The last time that you were here, I know that you and your husband had met Tilly and Anduin.” Holding open a door to one of the rooms, Aly addressed Nell. Ivan raised his brow. So his parents had been here before? “Did you want to bring them both out?”

Slightly blushing, Nell gave the assistant a sheepish smile. “I'm not going to lie, I really adored Tilly. I agreed to bring Anduin out, to humour my husband.”

Ivan giggled. Of course his dad would have wanted to meet Anduin.

“Ah, I understand. Okay, well I am going to get Tilly. You can make yourselves comfortable.”

Ivan sat in one of the plastic office chairs, swinging his legs lightly, his feet not that far from the floor. Nell stood in the corner by the floor to ceiling window, watching for Henry and Kal. Humming contently, Ivan tried to picture what this new dog would look like. She would certainly be smaller than Kal, not even the size of Kal's leg. He giggled at the idea of the little dog bossing the old bear around.

Would Tilly like them?

“What's Anduin like?”

“Huh?” Nell turned her head to look at Ivan, she had been lost in her thoughts of upcoming projects and school sport schedules.

“Anduin, you said that you only saw him because Dad wanted to.”

“Oh, he's a nice dog. But he's big and bouncy, he's still young and they said he had a bit of an aggression problem to work through. I'm sure he'll make someone a great dog, but he's not what we need. Not right now.”

Ivan nodded in understanding. As much as they loved Kal, one big dog was enough. He sat looking around the room, when he and his mom spotted Aly at the same time. Taking a step back from her post, Nell held out an arm to Ivan, indicating she wanted him to join her.

Entering the room, Aly had a small dog in her arms. Licking her face furiously, the dog wagged her tail, excitedly enjoying the interaction.

“Here is Tilly,” bending to sit the puppy on the floor, Aly smiled at Ivan. “Why don't you take a seat and get to know her?”

“Mum, momma, mum.” Ivan tugged on Nell's sleeve. “This is the best surprise.”

“I'm glad you're excited.” Nell kissed the top of his head. “Do you want to play with her? Get to know her a little, before Kal comes in?”

On the other side of the windows, Nell caught sight of Henry and Kal approaching. Kal looked around cautiously, following Henry into the small corridor. Nodding to his wife and giving a slight wave, Henry smiled. He would wait right where he was, until asked to bring Kal in. Kal sat at Henry's side, watching through the window, a slight whine when he saw little Henry playing with the ultra small dog.

Sitting down on the floor, allowing the small brown dog to climb on him, Ivan giggled. Her whole body shook with her tail wag, as she bounced on and off of the boy's lap. Aly smiled, watching the two interact.

“They certainly get on well.”

“Ivan loves dogs.”

When Henry and Nell had come to see the dogs, it had been Henry on the floor giggling like a child, while the puppy had climbed all over him. Nell had joined in, sitting and tossing the ball for both Tilly and Anduin. But Ivan was by far the one in his true element.

“Let's see how Kal does, shall we?”

“Of course.” Nell waved for Henry to bring Kal in.

Opening the door, Henry gave a gentle tug on Kal's leash. The big, black and white dog was hesitant to enter the room with the smaller creature. She was full of the zoomies and her bark was fierce.

“Kal.” Henry called to his companion. “Come on. It's fine.”

Reluctant, Kal shuffled into the room, snuffling and snorting. Making sure to keep Henry, Nell, Ivan, and the strange woman between him and the small fur missile. The small brown dog darted around Nell, between Henry's legs and right up to Kal. Pulling back on his leash, Kal was wide eyed. No! No way! She was growing closer.

Without warning Tilly stopped a few inches from Kal, reaching out she sniffed his foot and took off. Too concerned with her return, Kal was having a hard time relaxing. His fear was soon soothed, when Nell reached down to offer him a biscuit. Oh so now they were buying him off with food? Eh, fair enough.

“Why don't you pick her up, then she's not as bouncy.” Aly smiled at Ivan.

Scooping the puppy into his arms, Ivan smiled when she began to instantly lick his face. “Tilly.” He giggled, holding her out to his dad.

“Come here, sweetheart.” Henry accepted the puppy. She was tiny compared to Kal, even as a baby. Henry smiled holding the wiggly body, trying to control her enough to let Kal get a proper look. “Look Kal, see the baby.”

Kal huffed, sinking down to the floor. His head resting on his paws. How dare they.

“Have a look, bear.” Henry encouraged the older dog. Bending down with the puppy, he laughed when she licked his chin, giving playful bites. “She's okay. Easy fella.” He steadied Kal, who had lifted his head a little. Sniffing towards the puppy, he sat up. His head tilted slightly. Henry eased Tilly closer.

Reaching out, she yipped in Kal's face, but didn't shy when his big nose poked her in the belly. Licking at Kal, she wagged her tail fiercely.

“I know that you love being the only dog, but would a friend be terrible? She's a friend. Not a chew toy.” Nell eyed Kal.

Huffing, Kal sniffed the puppy once more, before scooting back as Henry let her go on the floor. Instantly zooming around the room, Tilly bumped into Kal. Reacting less dramatically, Kal groaned and flopped down onto the floor. His eyes following the puppy, his desire to chase the small creature almost void. He was too old for this shit.

“I think we should take her home, what do you think?” Henry glanced at Ivan.

“Yes, please.” Ivan nodded eagerly. “What about you, Kal? Do you want a sister?”

Kal huffed. He didn't care one way or another.

“I think we will definitely be taking her.” Nell smiled. Stooping to scoop up the puppy, she scratched Tilly's ears and smiled wide.

“Your mum has a new mate,” Henry nudged Ivan in he side, gesturing to Nell snuggling the puppy.

“Maybe this means she won't bother me so much to do things.” Ivan snickered.

“Don't bet on it,” Nell smirked, she'd heard their chat. When would they learn, she heard everything.

Settling the final paperwork, gathering instructions, and all the legal work that went with adopting dog had taken mere minutes. The shelter were efficient, set up, and knew their business. Henry admired that. Nell had been the one to find them, assuring him that they were reputable, reliable, and a decent place to work with. She wanted nothing but the best, when it came to their newest addition.

Thanking Aly, posing for a few photos – as was custom for the shelter, when an animal found a new place, and making sure they had all of their paperwork, instructions in case Tilly needed to come back. Ha! They were on the their way, the five of them.

Kal led the way to the car, he had snacks waiting and needed to finish that nap he'd been taking. Henry opened the door, allowing Kal to get situated, before Ivan and Tilly joined him. Giving the big dog word of encouragement, telling him how fantastic he'd been with the entire thing.

“Mum, momma, mum.” Ivan bounded towards the car, at his mother's side “I'm sorry for being upset this morning.”

“You have nothing to apologise for, wild boy.” Carrying Tilly; Nell wrapped her other arm around Ivan. “But do me a favour, the next time you want to eves drop, come to us before assuming things.”

Tag List Chat

[fangirlincorporated-blog]

The Lucky Australian

~~ 7 Almost~~

I wouldn't know where to start

"Sweet Music" playing "In The Dark"

Be still "My Foolish Heart, "

Don't ruin this on me

It had been a few days, and even though he had tried to keep himself busy, she was always floating around his mind.

It didn’t help him that whenever his phone would buzz he was always hoping it was from her, he’d been disappointed to notice that she hadn’t messaged him as much as he had hoped. There had been a few selfies and an occasional funny text through, he knew she was seeing a few friends and doing all the touristy stuff, but he had still wanted all more attention form her.

Henry couldn’t work it out, was she apprehensive to contact him more? Was she trying to play it cool? Logically, he knew that she was just enjoying her time in London, and he had no right to demand all her time, but still…he had just wanted her.

He had spent his day gaming, broken up by hanging out with kal when Charlie called, with nothing better to do and not hearing from Aurora for a few hours, he found himself at the pub. The warm summer air lifting his mood as he and his brother downed a few pints and surveyed their surroundings.

“You looking for anyone in particular?” Charlie whispered.

Henry sighed and put down his beer

“No. Not really”

Silence filled the space between them.

“Henry, what’s wrong?” Charlie sighed

Henry shifted in his seat, unsure of how to explain to his brother that he missed a woman that he had only known for days. How he wanted to be greedy with her time but not smother her, how he wished that every time his phone buzzed he was hoping it was her. How, he wanted to know every part of her mind, body and soul. He wanted her completely, but what if it was only lust on his part? What if it was only just a fire and no slow burn…The many what if’s were enough to drive him crazy.

“How did you know Heather was the one?” Henry asked, the question even surprising himself.

Charlie let out a breath and twirled his glass in his hand.

“I don’t know how to answer that one Henry. I guess for me, it was just an instant click, my head and my heart were in perfect unison at the time, I had that little voice that just told me this was it” he shrugged.

“You moved your whole life to Canada, weren’t you scared?”

“I was terrified, but the overwhelming feeling I had was that when I was with her there was no place I’d rather be, and that I’d be ok, no matter what happens”

Henry looked down at his glass.

“Is this about a certain Australian you met a few days ago?”

Henry looked up at Charlie and nodded, his insecurity and worry must’ve been plastered all over his face as Charlie’s features softened in response.

“It’s just…I only spent a few hours alone with her after we were at the pub, and the next day and no, we didn’t have sex Charlie”

“I wasn’t asking”

“You were thinking it”

“Thought never crossed my mind. Continue…”

Sometimes Charlie really knew how to get under his skin and piss him off, Henry couldn’t blame him, having siblings meant never being able to get away with anything.

“I had a really great time with her, it just felt like everything fell into place. She said she would call me in a few days because she was meeting up with friends and sightseeing, and I’m a rational man, I get that Charlie, I do. Its just…I want all her time, I want to be with her, I want to talk to her, I want to message her all the time, I want to know her, I want to be in the same space as her. I know I shouldn’t be demanding of all her attention, but every time the damn phone buzzes I hope its her, and I cant fathom for the life of me why she isn’t messaging me all the time or talking to me”

Charlie hadn’t stopped looking at Henry. Henry continued.

“I know, like I fucking know that she’s just with friends, but the other part of me keeps questioning, why isn’t she calling me? Is it too much, too fast for her? Is she not as interested as I thought she was? What if me being me is too much for her? What if its just lust? What if she’s not over her ex?”

“Her ex?”

Henry sighed and rubbed his eyes

“They were together up until 3 years ago, whatever happened she still has nightmares about”

“Whoa Henry, what-“

“Charlie, I don’t know. Aurora said it was a great relationship and it ended. I only found out after she told me because her friends imessages were popping up on her ipad, she said she would tell me later”

Charlie stretched his arms out in front of him.

“That’s a bit of a red flag”

“Yeah, but I cant force anything out of her” Henry growled in frustration.

Charlie didn’t miss the anger, he didn’t miss the hurt or the confusion that draped itself over Henry. Picking his words carefully, he continued.

“Henry, from what you have said already, I think you really like this girl, hell, you might even love her at this point and you don’t know. You have never spoken about any other women you’ve dated or seen, like you have Aurora and you’ve only known her a few days. I think, this is something worth trying for. I think she might be it for you, but you’ve only just net her, you cant demand everything now, no matter how hard you want it. That’s the thing with love and all that shit. It’s irrational, its intense and it doesn’t make sense. Be open, communicate and be honest, that’s all you can do. You will both navigate anything else that comes your way.”

Henry looked up at Charlie, he always had this way of being right about everything. Maybe he was right, maybe all those feelings he was having were a precursor to something deeper that he cant explain, maybe his heart knows before the path is laid out.

“Henry, why don’t you message her and ask her to meet you? Even if she’s already busy with friends, she would make time for you”

He looked at Charlie and back at his beer, he pulled his phone out of his pocket and just stared at it.

He heard Charlie sigh.

“I’ll get more drinks while your compose your sonnet” He laughed, making his way to the bar.

Henry ran a hand over his face and started typing out a message.

~~~~~~~~

“So, its 3pm, I’m going to start getting ready. We’re meeting at her place for pre drinks, then onwards to this gay bar she said I would like” Raphi said as he looked over at Aurora

“Does that mean its time for my boots Raphi?”

“Bitch, its always time for them boots. First though, I’m using the shower.” Raphi grabbed a towel and moved to the bathroom.

The past few days she had been shopping with Nate and his husband, she had travelled up to leeds to see an old friend and then went all the way down to bath to see an old work colleague. Never mind in between all that, partying with Raphi and Hanhan. She was glad for the few days she would have alone in Italy coming up. Even then, she would be visiting family. Holidays are supposed to be relaxing, she thought to herself.

She picked up her phone, wondering if she should message Henry. She had spoken to him on and off, but didn’t want to bombard him with unwanted messages, especially if he had changed his mind. He had still seemed interested but she didn’t want to push it, not to mention she had been seeing friends, which was a welcome excuse to try and get her mind off a certain brown haired, blue eyed Adonis. Dating was a lot much harder than she remembered

Suddenly, her phone buzzed in her hand, her face lighting up seeing is name on her screen.

Hey, this seems incredibly stupid, but…I really enjoyed my time with you. Wondering if you’re free tonight? Maybe we could catch up?

She started her reply, yelling questions through the bathroom door to Raphi. As she was halfway through, another message popped up.

I miss your company.

Her heart melted a little.

I’ll come meet you for a drink, I wont be able to spend as much time as I want with you, I’m being dragged to a club. I miss your company too.

Short and to the point. Mere seconds later, Henry replied.

Same pub we met at? What time?

She smiled, replying as fast as possible before throwing down her phone and getting her boots on.

~~~~~~~~

Charlie watched Henry as he continued to throw glances towards the pub door.

It had been 3 hours since Aurora said she would meet him. As it neared 6pm, Henry started getting nervous, bouncing his leg up and down under the table, not focusing on conversations and forever checking his watch. Charlie smiled into his beer as he took another sip. He remembered those butterflies and those nerves.

Charlie was able to distract Henry for a few minutes when something caught his eye, he looked up and the first thing he saw were boots, followed by Aurora, he snuck a glance back to Henry who hadn’t noticed her yet. Charlie looked back at Aurora as her eyes found them in the pub, she smiled and made her way over to them as Charlie kicked Henry under the table. He looked up, startled and then looked to where Charlie was pointing. Charlie knew the moment Henry laid eyes on Aurora, he was in trouble.

Henry’s mouth fell open as she came toward him. She was wearing all black jeans with a black top, her outfit simply hugging every curve of her body, but the standout feature was the thigh high boots she was wearing.

They were covered in silver rhinestones. This woman knew how to make an entrance.

Henry was still stuck to his chair when she walked up behind him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Sliding into the spot next to him he didn’t notice her friends following her and seating themselves at the table.

Henry was silent, just staring at her. All the sounds around him evaporating as he took all of her in.

“I’ll shout you guys a round before we have to go.” She laughed. Henry looked at her and was silent for a moment just staring at her until Charlie broke his silence when he spoke to her. Suddenly, the world came crashing back into Henry, the sounds of the pub, the warmth of Aurora next to him and the smell of the perfume she wore invading all his senses.

She laughed at something Raphi said. Henry looked at her, his hands itching to touch her in some way. Slowly, pretending to be interested in a ring she wore, he reached out for her hand, and just held it, not wanting to let go.

Charlie observed them while the rest of the group entertained themselves. Aurora, talking and joking with her friends, for the most part didn’t seemed fazed at all by Henry's need for closeness. It almost came natural to her that she expected Henry wanted to that contact. Everything about her demeanour and her body language seemed so relaxed, like this relationship had existed for years rather than days. Henry on the other hand, seemed hyper aware of every movement and touch of Aurora’s, his nervousness and almost giddy appearance that he was in the same space with as well as the physical contact of the woman he was infatuated with, betrayed his usual tough looking exterior. Basically, he became a big teddy bear.

After what only seemed like a few minutes to Henry, Aurora and her friends announced their departure. Their excitement and slight buzz from the few shots they downed evident on their faces as they got up to leave, ready for the night ahead. Noting it was only 8pm, Henry felt cheated those 2 hours had flown by, and became a little depressed at the thought of her leaving.

Aurora looked Henry.

“If I survive tonight, I promise I will call you tomorrow and we’ll go on a proper date!” she smiled

“Bitch, what do you mean if you survive tonight? You’re getting as fucked up as us!” Hanhan laughed at her.

“Listen I’m going to be the most sober one there, god knows this one wont bend over the toilet bowl to throw up” She pointed at Raphi with her voice taking on a slight Italian accent, hands moving with every word.

“There we go, there’s the Italian!” Raphi yelled over his shoulder, making his way out of the pub. Aurora laughed.

“I better be getting chicken nuggets at the end of this night is all I’m saying” Aurora leaned down to kiss Henry goodbye like it was the most normal thing in the world and walked out of the pub following Hanhan and Raphi.

Charlie looked over at Henry watching her go. He knew, in that moment, that Henry would be spending the rest of his life with Aurora.

[stoptellinglieslois]

Principal of pleasure part 25

Now it was Clark's turn to get a phone call from Bruce and Dick is not happy.

Superman x Nightwing pairing

Clark

"Don't pick it up Kal please."

"I have to pick it up."

"Why? you don't need to he's going to talk about his feelings."

"No he won't he said he is not pursuing me so there is no need to be on edge."

"Just let it ring."

"If I don't pick it up I think it will be worse."

"Don't indulge him then leave it."

I picked up my cell and put Bruce on speaker.

"Hey Bruce."

"Hey Clark how are you I need to ask you if you'd like to come to dinner at the manor, Dick and Barbara are doing a small little celebration for their little one." I didn't like his tone of voice he sounded so seductive and it threw me off guard, I thought this call was going to be an easy task.

I decided to decline his invitation to dinner. "No Bruce I don't think I will be able to come I'm really swarmed with work at the planet right now." I knew something was up he was sounding to care free and that didn't do.

Dick sat up on the bed looking quite angry but silent at the same time. "Maybe I could pursue you because Dick told me he wanted to make you the godfather of his child." Are eyes went wide Dick put his hand on my arm and squeezed it hard, But he kept his mouth closed he shook his and a look of disbelief on his it looked like it was a surprise for me and Bruce ruined it.

"Wow I didn't know he chose me that's great." I laughed a little and looked at Dick I touched his face and caress it.

"Wow I'm surprised he never told you about that Barbara told me that a few weeks ago they both did." I knew Bruce was trying to pull me out of hiding so I could be exposed for whatever he wanted to see but I won't let him.

"This is not a game Bruce tell Dick thank you but I won't be coming." I wanted to end the call right then and there but Bruce had other things in mind.

"What's so great about Lois do's she have something that I don't." Me and Dick looked at each other and I didn't know what to say to that. I didn't like it he told me he was going to drop this whole thing and he didn't.

"I thought we were friends Bruce this is not what friends do or say to each other why did you call you to push me to say yes to you I made it clear we are friends." I wanted him to reveal something anything so I could hang up but right now he was making it hard.

Dick was pissed sitting on the bed this conversation aggravated him. "I will go to dinner and I will bring my family." I thought quickly Dick raised his eyebrows at that.

"That's fine Clark I would love that and Dick would love that it's good you are supporting him." Hmm there was something in his tone I also didn't like when he mentioned Dick name the voice drop and sounded more sad.

"Yes Dick is a good man I would do anything for him you know that." I pushed to see what would come out of the other end.

"I know he's amazing I know he sees you as family when he was young he saw you as a god he couldn't believe a force like existed. I told him yes you are unique I'm wondering how the name Nightwing came he never told me." I was getting nervous but not that nervous I gave the story of Nightwing to Dick I never told Bruce and I guess Dick never did either.

"It's maybe what kids think of." I winced when I called Dick a kid he just looks at me he's thinking about something else.

"But he is not a kid anymore is he." Yes I needed to end the call.

"Bruce I will come to dinner I will see you tommorrow then." But Bruce pulled me in for more.

"I want you to come and please don't let my ramblings scare you off. I just have this thing for you I can't shake off." I didn't know what to do or say I didn't have those feelings for him and I needed to hang up.

"Goodnight Bruce."

He sighed. "Goodnight Clark." The line went dead I looked at Dick and he looked at his face in thought.

"I think we need to watch him while we are at dinner."

"I agree that he's not quite sure but he's sniffing around I think he thinks I'm cheating on Lois, But he doesn't know it's with you that's what I'm picking up." Dick said getting up and ringing his hands together.

"Oh I won't put it past him thank you for letting me be the godfather." I thanked him this was a big surprise for me that he would pick me to be a part of his child's life in a way that was more official, He thought of me and that was more than enough for me.

"Kal we need to focus on Bruce is suspicious of us." I took a double take when he said that.

"Oh what makes you say that."

"Because he keeps going on and on about me I know he wants to piece things together and we are starting to fit those pieces." I grimaced I don't think he knows but we will be careful in the future.

"I don't think he knows but he has feelings for me so we do have to be extra careful sometimes when people are in love they tend to see more than they should." I reached for him and tugged his wrist towards me to make him sit down.

"God if he ever finds out this would be the.... the worst thing I could imagine is that it will be hard for us at that point." I told him. "We could always come clean to everyone." I felt that could be one way to just get it out our chest me and Dick are free no matter the out come.

"No Kal it would be hell on earth." Dick said ignoring what I said and looked a million miles away from here.

"No matter the outcome Dick I won't let you go."

End of part 25 next is part 26

Thank you for reading

[angelic-kisses13]

Haven’t Forgotten You

Warnings: Angst, Assumed Cheating, Swearing, Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Happy Ending

Authors Note: Sorry it took me so long @beyond-antares​, its been a very very bad couple of weeks. Hopefully this is what you wanted, if it isn’t let me know and I will write you another. Much love!!!

‘Hey.’  You frowned as you looked at the text you had sent Henry early this morning. It wasn’t often that you got jealous or insecure but it had been two weeks since you last had a conversation with him. It was beginning to eat at you and you weren’t sure what you should do to remedy it. 

Two weeks was a long time for both of you, especially when you knew he was only an hour away shooting. He was supposed to come home for the weekends, had made the plans and everything, but when the weekend finally came around, you were disappointed. 

He had his secretary email you, saying he couldn’t make it because of some issues with the contract. It wouldn’t have bothered you if he had sent that email that morning. But instead, you had gotten up, went and got your hair and nails done. You had bought a brand new set of lingerie and you had even gone out of your way and watched a youtube video on how to do a bold look with your makeup. All to have yourself sit in your living for two hours, the special dinner you had cooked for Henry went cold on the dining room table. The fact he hadn’t bothered to contact you was the icing on the cake. 

You knew he loved you, but it was times like these that you questioned just how much. He could get so carried away with his characters and his fans and you loved that about him. But you were here too, you wanted to at least be in his top five list of important things. Clearly, that wasn’t the case. You bit your lip as you threw your phone onto the couch, not even caring where it landed. If he didn’t want to talk to you then that was fine. There was plenty here for you to do. 

Two hours later and you found yourself curled up in your bed, a batch of cookie dough in your lap and a tv show playing in the background. You had been scrolling through your Instagram when you saw it. Your throat tightened and you struggled to hold back the fierce stab of pain and betrayal. Henry was stood in front of a restaurant, his arms around a tall beauty, his award-winning smile on display. The other woman was in heaven, her head was turned up towards him, a smitten smile on her lips, her arms wrapped around his back, and one hand resting on his chest in an intimate caress. Looking up at the name that had posted it you saw that it was the same girl in the photo. Apparently, she had a friend hide and take the picture as they were leaving. 

She had the gal to mention you and Henry both in the post, claiming how happy she was to finally go on the date with him. You could feel your chest tighten and your breaths started coming in shallow pants. 

Your eyes filled with tears as you set the bowl of cookie dough aside, your hands shaking in fear. Was she why he hadn’t been messaging you the last two weeks. Had he finally realized that he deserved better? He had hadn’t he? It all made so much sense. He was done with you and knowing the heart of Henry he couldn’t handle telling you face to face. You must have been missing the subtle clues the whole damn time. 

‘God, how stupid could you get?’  

It wasn’t long before your phone started lighting up with messages from friends and family. All wondering why you weren’t with Henry. All asking who the other woman was. You didn’t have answers, you were in the dark just as much as they were. What you did have the answers to though, was the fact that Henry was with another girl and you weren’t going to stay and find out why. 

Just as you were grabbing your clothes from the closet your phone rang. It was Henry’s ringtone, it was the first song you two ever slow danced to. In fact, it happened downstairs, Henry had made you dinner and had found an old swing record, turned out the swing record was a slow instrumental. He had been so disappointed but you had loved it, you had grabbed his hands and pulled him to you, just barely managing to not trip over Kal who had run between the two of you. Henry’s arms wrapped around you, encasing you in his warmth. 

Blinking, you were brought back to the present when the phone stopped ringing. You bite your lip as you try to decide if you should call him back or not. The decision was made for you when it started ringing again. Taking a deep breath, you grabbed the phone and answered the call. 

“H-Hello?” You answered, your voice shaking. 

“Babe? Oh thank God, I wanted to talk to you before you went to bed.” 

“Oh, what about?” Your response was nonchalant and straight to the point. There was a moment of hesitation before Henry’s voice picked back up. It was slightly deeper than his usual timber and your eyes narrowed. He only got that tone when he was feeling guilty for something or he was lying. 

“There was a photo that got shared on Instagram. I wanted to clear things up before you jumped to conclusions.” Your jaw clenched and the muscles in your neck tightened. Your whole body was wound tight, it would only take a few words or actions to get you to snap. 

“You mean the one with Shelby?” A wince was heard on the other line and your lips pulled up into a malicious smirk. 

“Listen, babe, it really isn’t what it looks like. I had no-,” 

“That’s the oldest line in the book, Henry. Were you there with her for dinner?” 

“Yes, but baby-,” 

“Then it is what it looks like Henry. I don’t see why you have to explain yourself to me. Clearly you would rather spend your time with her and not me. I got the message loud and clear. Don’t worry about me, go back to Shelby and have a wonderful night. In fact, don’t bother coming home at all, I won’t be here. Goodbye!” You were positively seething by the time you managed to get your little speech finished. 

You hung up the phone and for the first time, wished that you could slam it as you hung up, really sending the point across. Instead, you threw the phone and grabbed a pillow, before burying your head in it and screaming yourself raw. 

Your eyes were flooded with tears and your mouth wouldn’t stop quivering as your nose runs. You hadn’t cried this much since you were sixteen and your first boyfriend broke up with you. 

______________________________________________________________

“Babe. I’m home.” Henry called out as he sat his luggage by the door. Kal was sniffing around the house, his tail wagging when he came across a scent he recognized. Henry frowned, he wasn’t expecting you to come racing down the steps and into his arms, just like you always did, especially after the argument the two of you had but the house was too quiet and he was beginning to become concerned. 

“Sweetheart, are you here?” He asked as he pushed open the bedroom door, but his suspicions were confirmed when he was met by the dark silence. Not a single sign of you. He pulled his phone out and dialed your number, it went straight to voicemail. Putting his phone back into his pocket he switched the light on and he looked around. 

There, sitting on his pillow was an innocent purple paper, folded in half. He walked over to the bed and picked it up, his heart was racing and his palms were sweaty. Taking a deep breath he opened the letter and began to read. 

Dearest Henry, 

I know it was sudden and I know I owe you more of an explanation on why I left but frankly, I don’t want to. You did the one thing that you promised you would never do. I don’t know what I did to make you forget about me and stop loving me, and whatever it was I hope I can do better with the next man. 

This letter isn’t meant to make you feel bad, I never want you to hurt. But I need you to know that seeing that other woman replace me hurt more than you can imagine. I thought what we had was good, I know it wasn’t perfect and I never wanted perfect, what I wanted was you. All of you, not just random parts, but everything. 

I guess I never shared that information with you, maybe if I had you would have stayed longer. Maybe you would have seen how much I really love you and just want to be your everything. God knows you were my world, everything revolved around you. You were my sun and my moon and I never wanted to go a day without seeing your smile or hearing your voice call my name. 

But like all love stories, I guess ours had to end too. Its a shame it ended the way it did. I hope you find peace and happiness Henry. I will always love you. Remember that for the rainy days. 

Sincerely, 

Yours. 

P.S. I don’t want you to ever blame yourself for what happened Henry, I know you were trying to tell me you weren’t happy anymore. But we both know how dense I can be at times. I have one request though, Find happiness in everything you do. I don’t want you to ever stop smiling. 

Henry felt the air leave his lungs in a choked gasp, quickly he got up and headed to the closet, hoping beyond hope that her clothes were still there. What awaited him was naked hangers and a coldness that seeped into his bones. She had really left, he should have gotten here faster. No, he should have been here from the beginning. He should have told Shelby that he wasn’t interested and left. His choice had cost him the one good thing in his life. His girl was no longer here and was ignoring him to top it off. 

He sat on the bed, head in his hands as he tried to come up with a plan to get her back. He had, no he needed, to get her back, and soon. 

He felt Kal nuzzle at his hands, his wet nose cold against his skin. A low whine was heard and he looked down at Kal, trying to blink the tears away before they could fall. 

“We are going  to get her back, buddy, I promise.” 

______________________________________________________________

It had been two weeks since you had left Henry and you looked and felt awful. You had bags beneath your eyes, your hair was a rat’s nest and you couldn’t remember the last time you had eaten a meal that wasn’t chinese noodles and ice cream. 

The thing that had gotten to you the most was the fact that Henry had fallen off the face of the Earth. He hadn’t contacted you and the media had no idea where he was. His fans were worried about him and so were you, much to your annoyance. The man could probably stab you and you would be more concerned about him than you. 

Sighing, you grabbed your coffee cup and made your way outside to sit on the porch swing. You had rented a cabin from an old friend, it was in the middle of the woods, a meadow and a dirt road stretched out in front you, keeping you isolated from the media and your troubles. 

You had just settled down when you noticed a dust cloud in the distance, not thinking much of it, you turned your gaze away to the pond beside the porch. A family of deer had made it their watering hole and you smiled as the fawn pranced around in the water, splashing its mother every couple of seconds. 

Turning your attention away from the cute sight you cocked your head to the side when you noticed that the dust cloud was getting closer. You frowned and watched it, trying to decide if it was freak weather. No-one but your friend knew you were up here, and she wasn’t planning on visiting or she would have called. 

Fear churned in your stomach as a black car came into view, spooking the dee family. Your fingers clutched the cup tightly, your knuckles turning white. You stood up and quickly moved back into the house, closing and locking all the doors and windows and pulling the shades down tight. 

Grabbing your phone, you quickly pulled up the keypad and typed in a number. You waited as you heard the car pull up, tires crunching on the dirt and rock. The engine cut off and you moved further from the door, a car door opened and shut and footsteps moved closer to the cabin. 

Your breathing was heavy and you clapped a hand over your mouth, trying to keep yourself as quiet as possible. Thuds echoed on the wooden porch and your thumb hovered the call button. Silence greeted your ears and you peered around you, trying to figure out what the next move would be. 

You jumped when the front door was knocked on, your thumb accidentally hitting the call button. Your face paled when you realized just who it was you were calling. 

Air left your body when you heard a familiar ringtone from the porch and you stood in the middle of the living room, waiting to hear the voice that belonged to the phone. 

“Y/N.” The one word response held such relief and joy that your body trembled. Even from the other side of the door, you could make out the unmistakable tenor of Henry. 

You quickly marched forward and wrenched open the door, phone falling to the ground as you launched yourself at the man. He stumbled back, not expecting you to come at him this way. 

“You scared the shit out of me!” You breathed as you clutched at the back of his neck, your hands tangling in his dark curls. You could feel his beard scratch at your neck as he hugged you tightly to him. His face nuzzling against you, trying to inhale your familiar scent that he had missed. 

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.” he chanted over and over. His frame shaking as he kept you pulled against him. 

“I missed you so much, and I swear nothing happened with Shelby, it was just a dinner to get some more information about a new movie.” You pushed away from him, or at least tried, Henry seemed keen on making you apart of his body. 

“Henry, I can’t talk to you this way, let me see your face.” You said as he finally released you. You took a few steps back, taking him in. He was wearing an old t-shirt that you bought him and some jeans, sneakers on his feet, his eyes were bloodshot and he appeared to have permanent bags under his eyes, his skin a pale white. 

Your heart broke at the sight, but you also felt elated that he looked just as affected by you leaving, as you did. 

You hesitated before asking, “You wanna come inside? I can make some tea or coffee?” Your fingers picked at the hem of your shirt as you awaited his reply. 

“Yes, please.” His response was just as quiet as your question and you gave a weak smile. He was just as scared as you. Reaching out, you grabbed his hand and guided him into the cabin, he stood by the door as you walked around and opened the shades, letting in the natural light. 

He followed as you moved towards the kitchen and got the kettle ready. You dug through a couple of cabinets before coming across some tea leaves. It was quiet, to quiet, and it unnerved you. Your hands fumbled as you measured out the tea into mugs. Your hands were halted by his as he grabbed the spoon from you and set it down on the counter.

You tensed as his arms wrapped around your waist, pulling your back against his chest. 

“You need to breathe, slow deep breaths and then exhale.” His chest rumbled as he spoke, his fingers linking with yours as he placed your hands onto your chest, allowing you to feel each breath. 

“Good girl, I have you now. Not letting you go.” The weight of his words hit you hard and tears blurred your vision. 

“But you did let me go. You just left me, for her.” Your voice broke and every bad thought and insecurity hit you at once. Your knees buckled and Henry caught you as you fell. He guided the two of you to the floor, his legs criss crossed as he settled you into his lap. 

“I never left you, you left me. You didn’t even give me the chance to explain.” Your head shook vigorously, hair getting caught in your tears, sticking to your face as you sobbed. 

“You forgot me, replaced me with her. I was never good enough for you or the media.” You were silenced by Henry’s hands coming up and covering your mouth, not caring about the snot that was staining your face. 

“I haven’t forgotten you, and I sure as hell did not replace you. Do you hear me?” He gently but firmly turned you around to face him. His blue eyes were shiny and he blinked a couple of times, willing the tears to go away. 

“I took you for granted, thought you would always be there for me, even though I wasn’t for you. I am so sorry, sweetheart. I never meant to hurt you, ever.” 

“Nothing happened?” You asked as you reached out and wiped a stray tear from his cheek. 

“No, I was there with Shelby, yes, but there was also someone else I was having dinner with. Her name is Avery, she is producing a new movie that I have been trying to get in for a couple of months. Shelby is best friends with Avery, she was there to put a good word in. I tried to call you and let you know but I wasn’t able to get through to you. I had Liam email you the details, I didn’t think to check it before it was sent. I swear it wasn’t a date, I would never cheat on you.” 

“It was for a movie? Why didn’t you tell me about this before? I had no idea you were trying to get an audition.” You could feel anger and guilt build up in you but also confusion. Why wouldn’t he tell you something like this. His eyes softened and his fingers reached up and rubbed your frown away. 

“I wanted it to be a surprise, it's based off of your favorite book. I wanted to tell you when I was sure I had the part and I could come home in costume, make it really special.” A new sob tore from your throat and you crushed your lips against his. He was taken by surprise but quickly recovered, fingers tangling in your hair as he pushed you closer to him. 

“I’m sorry I left and overreacted…” You winced as you pulled away, your fingers twirling a piece of hair, “also for leaving you a goodbye letter.” Henry breathed deeply as he licked his lips, his eyes searching yours. 

“I’m sorry for keeping secrets and making you feel like you weren’t important and replaceable. I hated that I couldn’t be here with you, time always passes slower without you, even more so when I’m the one that made you leave.” A rueful smile touched his lips. You both sat in comfortable silence, your head resting on his chest as you listened to the beat of his heart. 

  “I discovered something else when you left.” He murmured, his lips pressed to the top of your head.

You grinned softly, “I did too.” 

“Say it together on 3?” He asked as his hands rubbed up and down your sides. You smiled and titled your head up, lips brushing, you whispered, “1...2...3!”

“I love you.” 

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[operationcavill]

Untangled - Part 2

“Would ya look who’s here,” Y/N’s heart drops and she can’t bring herself to turn around. There’s no way he’s here for a second time. “He’s wearing a white henley,” her sister leaves with hopes that her little sister gets some juicy gossip and most importantly, breaks out of her shell. A white henley was her weakness on any man but Henry, she was done for.

Inspired by: Butterflies // Kacey Musgraves

Y/N - Your name

S/N - Sisters name

B/I/L - Brother-in-Law

B/N - Brothers Name

It’s been exactly one week since Henry met that funny girl at the bar. Y/N. Even her name sounded sweet. He couldn’t help but think about her legs, and how nice her ass looked, but he also couldn’t knock the thought of how shy she was and how cute her blushing mannerisms were; her fingers fiddling with the neck of the beer bottle or thumbing at the necklace she wore. Y/N just radiated something, and it was too enticing to him. Those fingers and the way her nails would feel digging into his scalp when he,”Hey, Henry,” a PA snaps him out of his daydream, “it looks like rain isn’t letting up so they’re halting until it passes. See ya tomorrow.” He nods and sends a text to his brother who is currently keeping Kal company while he’s working overseas.

H: Did Kal get a walk in today?

B/N: Took him and the kids out twice. Checking in early today. Got plans this evening?

H: I haven’t decided but probably just going out to dinner with some work mates again.

B/N: Liar.

H: What?

B/N: You’re gonna go back to that bar.

H: Hey, it was a nice bar.

B/N: It was a nice girl.

H: I can’t forget a cute face.

B/N: Alright lol be careful out there

Henry slides his phone in his pocket and heads to his car. The grey clouds bring him back to that evening on the patio once again. He was so hung up, just after a couple of hours. What’s gotten into him? His drive back to the hotel was quiet. He was trying his best to concentrate on the car, just the care and nothing else. But maybe she’d let his hand rest on her thigh while he drives. Would she hold his hand on the way back his room?

He exchanges nods with the hotel staff he passes on the way to the elevator, being him usual polite self even when exhausted.

——————————

Henry watches a small group enter the bar and to his enjoyment, she walks in with them. He excuses himself to the restroom, but his fellow crew mates know better, he’s going after her. He rolls his eyes at their snickers but lets out his own chuckle.

“Would ya look who’s here,” Y/N’s heart drops and she can’t bring herself to turn around. There’s no way he’s here for a second time. “He’s wearing a white henley,” her sister leaves with hopes that her little sister gets some juicy gossip and most importantly, breaks out of her shell. A white henley was her weakness on any man but Henry, she was done for.

“Hey there,” He looked even better than before. The Shirt.

“Hello.” She hopes he can’t hear her heart pound in her chest, “Becoming a regular, are we?”

“What can I say? I like a good cocktail,”

“Benny does know how to make on hell of a drink.” She winks at the bartender and they share a laugh.

The bartender blows her a kiss, “Anything for you, Tequila Princess,”

He raises his eyebrow and smirks, “Tequila Princess? What is it about you and tequila?” He becomes confused as Benny scoots two shot glasses in her direction.

Y/N sighs as she turns toward Henry, “Thanks, Benny,”

He glances at the small glasses, “I’m actually not a tequila guy.”

She laughs, “These are both mine.”

“Oh,” He’s adorably wide-eyed, “is this that trick your sister mentioned?”

“Yes,” Y/N holds the two glasses in front of her face, “cheers, Henry.” After placing both shot glasses in her mouth, she rest her hands on her thighs, throws her head back and gargles the liquid before swallowing. She took the drink with absolutely no grimace or chaser, no salt or limes. Her face is completely still as if it were water. “and that is the trick. It’s not exactly mind-blowing and it’s a gross sound.”

“What the hell,” He backtracks in case he offended her “I mean, how are you not positively sick right now?”

“I can’t taste it.” He throws her a look, “It doesn’t burn or anything. So, in school I told a few friends that I couldn’t taste tequila. They dared me to gargle it to prove it, and being young and stupid, I did. That’s where the Tequila Princess came from.”

“Am I entitled to use that nickname?” He’s so handsome.

“Only if you want me to walk away right this second.”

He surrenders his hands in the air, “I shall never call you Tequila Princess ever again.”

“Good,” He offers her a beer but asks for a water instead, “thank you.” Henry looks visibly tense as the bar gets a bit more crowded. She can sense it in him, he’s getting a nervous. She assumed he would be used to it.

“Hey, look, our bench is free.” He liked that, that they had a bench. “How have you been?”

“I’ve been good, tired, but good.” He looks into her eyes and notices that they’re a darker shade than before, “How was your week?”

She smiles sweetly, “It was great, actually. Sorry to hear that you’re tired.”

Y/N is turning Henry into a puddle of mush with her kindness, “S’alright. We actually cut it short today cause of the rain.”

Pointing at her sister and brother-in-law, “Those two almost didn’t want to come this weekend because S/N hates driving in the rain.” He admires how close she must be with S/N, and wonders if they fought like monsters as he did with his brothers when he was young, do sisters do that?

“Do they visit every weekend?”

“No, you just happened to be here when they do visit,” Something splashes and she hears a playful, ‘oops’. She looks up to find a very beautiful woman holding an empty glass and a grin you could compare to the Cheshire cat.

“I’m so sorry. I hope I didn’t ruin your, um, shoes.” She looks at Y/N’s boot with what seems to be distaste.

“It’s ok, we all get a little clumsy.” Y/N is not the type to be confrontational, especially when she knows people are watching, “I’ll just go get some napkins.”

Henry interjects, “Please, let me.” He gets up so quickly that the woman in the conversation can get a word in.

Her eyes follow his behind before turning back, “Listen, I don’t want to come across as a bitch, but there’s so many guys here at this bar that are on your level.”

Y/N raises her eyebrows, “My level?”

She clears her throat, “Yeah, like you’re super adorable but come on.” She’s younger than Y/N. She has those extra long legs and perfect eyelashes, her boobs still up to her neck.

The frustration in her chest grows as she tries not to put little miss spider legs in her place, “All I had to do was smile to get his attention. You had to interrupt us and spill your drink on my shoes.” S/N notices the glare in her sisters face, this doesn’t seem friendly at all.

She makes her way over, trying not let Y/N notice. She hears her hold her own, which isn’t surprising but she knows her anxiety can get the best of her. She almost wants to laugh at how bold this girl is. S/N knows she’s very nosy but this is her little sister, is she supposed to ignore such a situation? She peeks and sees Henry eyeing the two as well. He’s not that far away, he has to be hearing this.

Spider legs rolls her eyes, “He’s just really-“

Henry arrives with the napkins, bending down to wipe off her boot, “Really into the conversation we were having, excuse me.” He stands, turning his back to the woman before sitting down. He’s not sure who is more shocked, this rude woman or S/N as she pretends not to eavesdrop behind a topiary. “You are adorable, by the way,” He wipes her knee, even though there isn’t a trace of liquid on it, “Beautiful, really.”  The secondhand embarrassment is almost too much for Y/N to bear, why is spider legs still stand here? I feels like an hour before she finally marches off.

“That was sweet of you,” Her voice is smaller than he expected but he can see the rose tinge in her face, “thanks.”

He gives her a full smile this time, “I have a feeling things might have gotten a bit out of hand if I didn’t step in.”

She scrunches her nose, “I’m not exactly argumentative, but —”

“Not you, Darling,” Darling, “your sister his trying to hide, just there.”

Y/N watches her sister rush off from behind the plant and act like she didn’t hear a word, “Jesus, S/N.”

He was completely sure of it now. Henry was more than intrigued, he wanted every part of her, “You’re very feisty.”

“Feisty?” She’s never heard that one before.

Henry does his best to put on a feminine impersonation, “All I had to do what smile to get his attention,”

“Shut up,” She flirtatiously swats at his hand, “being shy or, like, reserved, doesn’t make you a doormat.”

Henry could grab her and kiss her right here on this bench, their bench. “Come on. Let’s get back to it,” He nudges her leg with his elbow, “what do you do? Tell me some fun facts.”

"Fun facts?” She clasps her hands, “Ok. Um, well, I’m a painter, sometimes photographer. I live in a tiny apartment with a loud neighbor. I like crime books, like to read when I can. This is not my natural hair color, and I actually don’t care for alcohol that much. People are usually surprised by my tattoos. I also have an obsession with travel sized toiletries. Hows that?”

He’s always gone for the creative type, he should’ve guessed it, “A painter with tattoos who likes to read, and likes tiny shampoo. Got it.”

“Your turn,” She takes a sip of her water, “oh, you can’t say acting because that’s too obvious.”

“Hmm, Ok, I like coffee over tea. I’m really into horror movies and gaming. I enjoy cooking but hardly get the chance. I hate running. I think people who sleep in socks are complete psychopaths. I also like to read. Like visiting home. God, I sound boring,” he laughs, “what else? Ah, I really like mornings. I like working out first time in the morning.”

“You’re not boring at all,” She smiles, “I can’t say that I like working out. I like to cycle, but that’s about it.”

He blurts out, “That explains it.” Oh no. Did he just accidentally talk about her ass?

“What?” To his horror, he has no way to recover from his remark.

He tries to change the topic, “Oh, nothing. You need another water?”

Y/N narrows her eyes, “No, explains what?”

As her sister walks by and hands Y/N a plastic cup full of lemons. She matter of factly states, “He’s talking about your ass, idiot.”

“Ohh,” This time they both blush. Henry hasn’t had cheeks this rosy since he was a boy.

“I didn’t mean for it to come out like that.” He awkwardly bites his lip and tries not to die of embarrassment, “Well, um, anyway, I’m, uh,” Y/N looks up at the sky and jumps as she gets a chill. He watches her tear into a lemon wedge, “Are you just eating lemons?”

“I like sour things,” Her eyes squint, as if she’s expecting something.

He tries to see what she’s seeing, “What are we looking at?”

“It feels like it’s gonna rain again.”

He shakes his head, “Nah, I think we’re ok,” He watches her eat another wedge, “do you two have some sort of lemon ESP?”

“Of course, we’re sisters. I didn’t check the weather but it definitely seems like it’s gonna rain storm.” She scrunches her nose again, he takes note that it must be a habit of hers.

“I hope not, I like sitting out her with you.” Henry listens to her go one about how her and her sister have always just ‘got’ each other, more so than others with their own siblings. She has a best friend, B/F/N, that she has a very similar relationship with. They share stories of their teen years and the dreaded mishaps that are the early twenties. Henry, with beer in his mustache, says, “I should’ve grabbed more napkins,” he wipes his mouth, letting Y/N see the time on his watch. She grabs his wrist to get a better look, but doesn’t state the time. He looks, “Oh, it’s almost 3 hours since I got here,” He checks his phone to see that his fellow co-workers let him know they were headed back to the hotel. It’s just him now.

She opens her mouth to speak but a large rain drop hits her forehead, making her go a little cross eyed, “Well, would ya look at that?”

“I’m sure it’s just a little bit of sprinkling.” Theres a sudden crack of thunder and the sky lights up, welcoming an instant downpour.

He makes sure Y/N gets back inside first, wishing he had a jacket to cover her with, “I told you it was gonna rain.” He absentmindedly tries to cover her head with his left arm, but he was too late. Her hair has fallen victim to the chilly October rain, as has Henry’s clothing.

She can’t help but look at his body, just like the rest of the women in the bar, “You alright?”

“Yeah, just a little cold,” She wants to tell him that his shirt is sticking to him, making him look like a greek god. That god damned henley.

Henry awkwardly shifts, pulling his shirt from his skin, “It is kind of cold, isn’t it?”

S/N arrives and he knows this is his last chance with Y/N, “We’re gonna go back to the hotel before it gets bad out here. Johnny said he’d stay, if you want to stay.” S/N Looks at Henry and back her Y/N, wanting her to take a chance.

“No, I’ll come,” She looks at him, hoping to God her mascara didn’t run too much, “Well, um, I’m going to go before it get worse but it was wonderful seeing you,” She touches his arm only for a few seconds, “maybe I’ll run into you again.”

“Hopefully,” He watches her leave, thanking whoever invented the stationary bike, but already missing the conversation. Her icy fingers gave him goosebumps of his own, but he welcomed it. They were soft and he liked her sparkly nail polish. It reminded him of a hot wheels truck that his nephew gave him. He loved how cozy she looked and, shit, Henry didn’t give her his number. He forgot twice. He thinks to himself, “What the fuck is the matter with me?”

[Note: Please excuse any writing mistakes. Thanks for reading 💕 ]

[theonetheycallhannah]

The Treatment of Captain Syverson-Chapter Eight: Heat/Ice

Pairing: Captain “Sy” Syverson x OFC (Shane Benton)

Summary: Playing hooky leads to more delicious food (Sy cooks! Swoon!), some deep conversation, and new revelations about Shane’s past.

What? You’re behind? Don’t worry! CLICK ME to catch up before reading this chapter!

Word Count: 2.5k

Warnings:  Language, mature themes, more food sluttiness, shameless nerd speak, unfettered and shameless sappiness.

Author’s Note: So, guys, I’m sorry. I really wanted to get this chapter to you Sunday. Life has just been a bit disheartening of late. Between being upset over some personal turmoil some friends are going through (two of my oldest friends are getting a divorce!) and coming home from work utterly exhausted on all possible levels, it’s been hard to write about lovey dovey things. As I said in my recent reblog of my masterlist, though, I’m working on some prologues, one for each character. I don’t plan on them being terribly long, but I want you guys to have some more back story.

Disclaimer: Unfortunately for me, Henry is not mine, le sigh, and all mention of him, his characters, any characters from his films, or his precious doggy, Kal, are strictly for transformative and recreational use. I neither ask for, nor accept payment for the work I post on Tumblr or AO3. Unbeta’d because this is for fun and escapism.

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Hope I’m not forgetting anyone! If you want to be notified when I post a new chapter or work, I’ll be happy to add you to my tag list! Stricken blogs are getting personal messages from me when a new chapter is uploaded because Tumblr’s faulty tagging system will not stand in the way of me delivering what the people want!(?) lol! (Although…their lackadaisical notification system might…sorry for that. I have no control. lol!)

It was hard to feel guilty for calling out of work for the afternoon under false pretenses when she was curled up on the sectional in Sy’s “nerd lair” with his head in her lap as they watched John Wick on the massive TV he had down there.

“You mean to tell me we watched the entire Bourne franchise upstairs on that…that iPod Touch, by comparison, when we could have watched down here on this majestic monolith!? In what is essentially a theater!?” She’d asked immediately, derailing the grand tour of the museum of things she would soon find amazing.

“Hey, I haven’t been coming down here a whole lot since I hurt my knee. Stairs haven't exactly been easy or, ya know, possible. I had my gaming computer down here for weeks, too, couldn't do a damn thing about it, because I didn't trust a'one of my buddies or my neighbors to haul her up the stairs for me. Leia's a custom machine worth thousands a' dollars. If she's getting' broke, it's all gonna be on me."

"You named your gaming computer? Leia?" So many emotions were flooding her. Adoration, sympathy, lust, and just a sheer need to squeeze the bejeezus out of him.

"Yeah, it's a common thing. And…not to be that guy, but…you do know who Leia is, right?

"If by Leia, you mean Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan, true daughter of Darth Vader, adopted by Bail Organa at birth, sister of Luke Skywalker, hero of the Rebellion against the Empire?"

"Hey, I thought you wanted to take things slow, sunshine." he pulled her close, flush with his body. "Then you go talkin' all sexy to me like that." he lingered at her cheek with light kisses.

"Well, you did the same with your baseball talk the other night." she moaned into the contact with relish.

"I can't help it if certain sports terms have made their way into everyday speech. Your…exposition there, about my boyhood crush was intentional."

"You had a crush on Leia?" he nodded, shyly. "I had a crush on Han! Heck with Cap and Widow, THERE'S our couple's costume for next Halloween!" she said, excitedly!

"Oh, I didn't know you were talking about costumes for public use." he said, a naughty smirk in his eye.

"Stop it, you. Finish your tour. I want that soup on the stove." she said, patting her tummy.

He showed her the various memorabilia he'd procured over the years. Posters from a few of her favorites, and a few others that she recognized but wasn't as excited about. Die Cast models of several famous film vessels and vehicles, and a "life size" LEGO R2-D2 which would have had her salivating even if she hadn't been hungry. Apparently it took him almost a month to assemble the droid, but he did it all by himself.

"Aww…I wish I could have helped." she lamented.

"Maybe I'll pick up the Death Star and we can do that one together."

She nodded excitedly, eyes wide, rubbing her hands together in front of her chin with greed.

"Okay, little mouse." he chuckled. "Let's fill that belly and start this movie."

They filled massive bowls with generous portions and took the crackers down stairs so they could start the marathon. If they wanted to get through all three films tonight, they'd best get started.

They were both fairly quick eaters out of habit given her often truncated lunch breaks and his typical ten minutes in the mess hall. Even savoring the delicious creamy, cheesy concoction, as she tried to do, it was hard to slow down on. It did give her something to focus on during the first, emotionally devastating part of the film though. Once she finished, she expressed a final  groan of delight and thanked Sy, kissing him on his cheek as she held the other. She felt the smile bloom across his face as she prolonged the contact.

They were about halfway through the movie, a big fight scene in a night club, when something dark and grim hit Shane in the chest. Watching Keanu Reeves pretend to beat up and kill all of these actors and stunt men, it occurred to her that the man with his head resting gently on her lap, long body taking up the rest of that side of the sectional, had fought and killed. The man letting her play her fingers through his hair and beard had shot and blown up people. He was told to do it. Ordered to do it. But even though he was doing it lawfully and by military order, as far as she knew, it was still his job…at least some of the time. She knew that was an oversimplification of the function of the armed forces, but…sometimes, it was an apt description.

She had never thought of Sy like that before. Someone other than the strong but gentle teddy bear that had come to be such a comforting presence in her life. She needed that, after all she'd been through…she tried not to think about the hurt of her last relationship. She hadn't discussed it with Sy. It was history. Ancient history. But she was, after all, a believer in the fact that those who knew nothing of the past were doomed to repeat it. She'd tell him…one day. Everything that Elliott had done to her…had put her through. But not tonight. Suddenly, she thought being on the arm of a soldier, someone who'd lived the kind of life that Captain Logan Syverson had lived, might make her feel more safe than she had in ages.

"You're awful quiet, sunshine." he said, cracking a beer open and handing it to her before doing the same for himself and sitting down with his thick arm around her.

"Just…trying to be respectful of the movie experience. You know." she smirked at him as the menu music to the second movie played.

"It ain't that. I know this is still new, what we're doin', but I've watched enough movies with ya over the last few weeks to know that you don't keep quiet for a full length feature." Shane worried the tab on her cold Miller Lite. She wasn't sure how to bring this forward. "Spill it, sweetheart. What's eatin' ya?"

"What…what do you think about when you're watching movies like this, Sy?"

"Guess, same as anybody. How awesome the fighting and driving is. Wondering when Keanu got to be a badass. And if there's really an underground society of assassins. Why, hon?"

"I, umm, I only wondered if it…it doesn't make you miss…your job?"

The smile he gave her was both bemused and amused. "Come 'ere." he prompted her to lean her head into him, and sat his beer down on the buffet behind the couch so he could better hold her. "Do we need to go over the function of a captain of the Army of These United States? Because as flattered as I am that you think so highly of me, I'm no John Wick, nor do I know anyone like John Wick. Or five guys that would make one John Wick. Ten guys. Maybe twenty."

"The fighting doesn't bring anything back?" she smoothed the creases in his shorts as she tried not to act like she was over thinking his past.

"That fightin’s…it's like dancing. It's choreographed, precise, and the outcome is predetermined. Real fights are the exact opposite. They're chaos, unpredictable, and the right guys don't always win. Trust me, I've seen a lot of them go south in a big way." they both let a moment of silence pass before Sy broke it. "What’re ya really askin’, Shane?"

She wanted to ask so many things. The questions seemed to clog the ventricles of her brain like leaves in a rain gutter. Bottlenecked traffic.

"I just…couldn't help but think…about things you must have had to do when…when you were active, and I just…if you need to talk about anything, I'm here." She imagined that taking someone's life, no matter how personal or impersonal the act itself seemed on the surface, would create some level of emotional scarring.

“Oh, sweetheart." he kissed the top of her head, making her feel as warm and cozy as the soup had…perhaps more so. "You are important to me for so many reasons. You've shown me how to smile again. Laugh. Real, genuine happiness. No sarcastic shit like I had to use on my men in my squad. But although I'd feel comfortable talkin' to ya 'bout near anything, there's a counselor on the base who's specifically trained to help guys like me. Who've seen what I've seen and been through…similar situations. He makes sure I don't feel like less of a man for what happened to me. You make me feel…like more than a man…something stronger than I thought possible."

She was straining hard to corral the tears within her waterline, but they broke free when he squeezed her tightly to him with both of his massive arms.

"So…that HEP I gave you is working?" she laughed, knowing full well that his home exercise program had no bearing on the strength he meant.

"Come on, Shane." he raised an eyebrow at her, challenging her to see herself the way he saw her. "Them handouts you give me don't mean a hill o' beans in this conversation and you know it. The way you hold yourself, speak to others. There is so much quiet strength in your kindness that comes right out of your beautiful little heart. Some days I'll see you working with kids, if I get in early, and I know they annoy you and freak you out, but you never let that show." He looked into her eyes, misty from emotion, and he wiped away the tears from her cheeks. "I'll never be able to explain it right, the way you inspire me to be a better and stronger man. And my heart just breaks to hear you put yourself down. And don't say you're just kidding, because I know you think you are, but behind every one of those jokes is a truth, at least as you see it." He'd seen her make to argue and knew her tactic before she had attempted it. "Give yourself some credit, Shane."

"I'm too busy blaming myself for the bad stuff to give myself credit for anything good." she sniffed. "You're the first guy I've…I've been involved with that's acted like I was worth anything more than a meal ticket. Someone who was only suitable for enough sex to make it an official relationship just so they could have a place to live, and do whatever quasi-job was a thing. First serious boyfriend was a freelance writer, but he never seemed to be writing. Then there was the guy with the internet start-up…but he could never tell me in a satisfactory way what the company actually did…so that was brief."

He seemed to know she was bracing for something big. Something difficult. He gave her silence and stroked her shoulder in encouragement to continue. She took one of her deepest ever breaths.

"Then came Elliott. Elliott Thomas. My last boyfriend. The worst of them all. Most useless and greatest offender. I ignored all of the signs, of course. He had a YouTube channel and an Instagram that he was trying to gain followers on and become a so-called "influencer." she rolled her eyes. "He had no life skills. He had a bit of an eye for photography and he could find humor in uncommon places, which he thought made him insta-famous and vlog-worthy."

"I hate him already." Sy growled.

"Well, maybe I shouldn't tell you the rest, then." he asked her to go on. "He always seemed to find these ways to cheat on me and lie to me that I couldn't quite prove, but I was just certain of. But I just…I didn't want to believe it. I wanted THAT one to work. Well. I came home one night after work, and he had another girl in our bedroom. I told him he had until the next day when I got home to leave. Things got a little physical, but I can hold my own." she said, proudly, "and I bolted with my purse. I stayed with Heather, our evening secretary, and we hashed it out, and got a little blitzed on moscato, and cried together."

"Wow."

"He was gone the next day. All I heard from my landlord was, 'you shouldn't be hearing from him anytime soon.' so I guess he had his cop buddies send him a message. He blocked me on all social media and I haven't heard a peep from him since. That was five years ago."

"What a scum bag." he stated, obviously.

"Yeah, I haven't been able to really think about a relationship since then…until…" she let the word hang there, knowing they both knew what the end of the sentence was. "Until I met you." Drifting unsaid in the ether of the unspoken.

"It's been a long time for me too. I mean…I haven't quite been a monk, but I haven't…I haven't cared for a girl since…actually, I've never felt this way about anyone."

"I didn't mean to unpack all of that tonight when we're only a third of the way through our marathon. I really wasn't even going to bring it up at all. It's just…been on my mind. Ya know. I once heard a very poignant parable about keeping your mouth shut if you're warm and happy. I was attempting to do that." she chuckled.

"Yeah, but we need to be able to open up to people in this life. Keeping a bottle stopped under pressure ain't no good for the bottle. Or what's inside."

"Such wisdom. You know just what to say to me." she grinned into him.

"Just seen what keeping yourself closed off can do to a person. And the people they love."

Love…there was that word in the air. Not officially said, but felt in all ways. They held each other close as the opening to the second movie played.

Up Next: Chapter Nine-Group Therapy

[sif-the-tsunami]

Ropes and Roses part three

Summary: Elizabeth Rosehill is a talented dance instructor and a force of nature that beguiles her famous student. Events in her life, however, have led her to search for more creative ways for her to keep herself afloat. What will she do to keep her dreams secure and what will it mean for her blossoming relationship.

Warning: this passage contains some drunken shenanigans, heavy petting, making out, self deprecating humor, stripping down to ones underwear, sexual frustration, some insecurities, and angst. Oh and the beginning of Elizabeth showing her dominant side. If I missed anything please let me know

Word count: 2500

A/N: If you read it and like it, it would mean a lot to me if you could say something nice!

“And what will the lady be having?” The handsome bartender asked from behind the wooden top.

“Gentleman Jack, two fingers, neat. Please and thank you.” Elizabeth had her face all smooshed up in her hands, cradling her own head, resigning to the feeling of utter defeat. Gregory Chapman had called her and told her that the movie had lost its funding. The promises he made her were now as empty as the glass in front of her. As was her bank account. At least the bartender quickly remedied the empty glass problem. Henry saw her sitting there, her perfect posture was replaced by the pose of someone who wanted to be as small as possible.

“Oh shit, you are taking the news way harder than I thought you would. I also had no idea you liked whiskey.” He saw that her eyes were puffy, she had rubbed the winged eyeliner tip off on one of her eyes. He took the hand closest to him and gave her a gentle squeeze. The best part of having had their lessons was they had grown comfortable with touching each other. He appreciated the intimacy they shared, even if he though it had been platonic on her part. “Cancellations happen pretty often, don’t beat yourself up too much.”

“You were getting so good too.” Her voice came out as a whine, she took a sip of her liquor.

“I was mediocre at best, I just happen to look good while you dance around me.” The gold tinged light above them made her eyes and the drink the same color. Everything about her right then seemed angelic to him, even with her sad expression she glowed. “My only regret is that I won’t get to see you as much. I’ve enjoyed our time together.”

“That is very kind, Henry.” Elizabeth laced her fingers with his. “It was a pleasure to teach you.”

I love how she says my name, he thought. “So, what happens next for you?”

“I have to work harder to try to keep my dance studio open.”

“What do you mean? You have some great teachers, you have full classes.”

“Greg had told me that once he was given the funding he planned on investing in the dance studio with some of his earnings. I’m not sad about the movie being canceled, I’m just sad that this is just one more thing to have gone wrong this year...” she trailed off.

“Want to talk about it?”

“If I start, I will not shut up, I’m sure you don’t want to listen to me bitch and moan for an hour. Don’t you have more important things to be doing?”

“I could listen to you complain all night. Besides, nothing is more important than us getting drunk and possibly finding people to snog with tonight,” he said with the intention of making her laugh, but with a quick look around the pub, it looked like the their options would be limited. “I bet you could charm the pants off that lad at the end there.”

The lad was an older gentleman wearing a newsboy hat and a sweater with patches on the elbow.

“Oh Mr Cavill,” she said in a dreamy, playful voice, “he’s just my type. Do you think he’ll like me?”

“I don’t know Ms Rosehill, you might have to show him a little clevage.”

She pretended to pull the top of her dress down a little, big shit eating grin on her face, “How’s that? Better? Oh please, sir, notice me. Please come tap my ass like a keg!”

The remark caused Henry to choke on his drink. After a deep gasp of air he looked at her incredulously “never mind, you’ll kill the man. Give him a heart attack talking like that.”

The two talked, Elizabeth told him about how earlier that year she had gone through a bitter divorce, her ex had left her with more debt than she would be able to handle by herself and then her mother had passed away. She felt like she was drowning and the first life raft that had been thrown her way was being pulled from her.

“But you know what? I am a pretty damn good swimmer, and my momma didn’t raise no bitch.” She stated. She sat back sagaciously for a moment, “I think that might be the whiskey talking.”

Henry chuckled to himself. They were both a few drinks deep into their conversation and she was feeling it. He paid their tab and took her with him, “Come on, you lightweight, let’s go put some food in you so you don’t black out on me.”

Trying to get the teacher to do anything while she had been drinking was like trying to get a cat to cooperate. Every time they walked for more than a few minutes, she would wonder off some where distracted by anything that caught her attention. He stood there the fourth time when she stopped to look at display of macrons in a window.

“Are you like this every time you drink?”

“No, only when I forget to eat during the day before hand, I’m so hungry, I would perform unspeakable acts if I could get my hands on some fried pickles right now. Are those even a thing here?”

“Fried… pickles?” He responded moderately concerned for her sanity. “Why?”

“Do you want the drunk answer or the athlete answer?”

“Both. Oh my god woman, would you get off of that. You are like the worst version of the worst mission in video games. No, no, no, you wrap your arm around mine right now, I will get you food, I promise. Stay with me, Lizzie, tell me about the pickles.”

“Drunk answer is that they taste good, you know what takes a sandwich from eh to great. Pickles.” She tucked her arm right into his, with his other hand gently resting on top of her arm ready to guide her along. “Athlete answer is that they help re-hydrate you, after work outs, after drinking. Drinking pickle juice always cures my hangovers. Although chips work too, especially with salt and vinegar.”

They found a place still open that was serving delicious smelling fried food. He was together enough to set her down on a curb. “Please stay here. I’ll be right back.”

She leaned against him as soon as he sat down and handed her their snack. It was beginning to get late and a chill in the autumn air was starting to creep in. “You called me Lizzie earlier, I haven’t been called that since I was a little girl.”

“I hate to break it to you, but you still are a little girl. Well, compared to me anyways.” He nudged her with his elbow a little to get a smile out of her. “I hope you don’t mind, I won’t call you that again if you hate it.”

“It is totally fine, I’ve gone by Liz, Lizzie, Lizbeth, Beth. Just please don’t call me Libby. My middle name is Louisa, my ex would call me Libby-Lou, knowing how much I hated that nickname. Made me feel like I should be living in Whoville, waiting for the Grinch to steal my Christmas dinner.”

“They can be the worst, ex’s. They always know where they can jab at you with a mean joke or poke at an insecurity. One of mine would make comments about what I was eating, especially if I was between jobs.” He wrapped an arm around her shoulders and felt her whole body shiver.

“I’m sorry, you never deserved that.” She said softly. He looked into her eyes, the eyeliner had somehow gotten more smudged, she looked as exhausted as she sounded.

“No, neither did you. I don’t know what all he did to you, but you deserve better too.” His voice came out low and husky. “Do you want to come back to my place, I live pretty close by and you look like you are about to freeze.”

“I don’t know, Mr Cavill, I seem to remember you mentioning something about finding someone to make out with tonight, will I find one there?”

With the straightest face he could possibly muster, “As long as you don’t eat all of my pickles.”

***

A twenty minute walk later, they were in Henry’s home. They were both greeted by a very excited Kal, who snuffled and snorted at his daddy’s new friend. A warm welcoming glow came from the living room where the lights had been left on for his dog. He offered her one of his hoodies to help her warm up and planted her on the couch so he could take his boy to do his business outside. He came back as quick as he, honestly expecting to find her asleep. Instead, she was looking at him with her whiskey colored eyes. He had wanted another drink, and brought them both another glass of the liquor. He sat down at the other end of the couch, trying to respect her space. “Are you comfortable, can I get you anything else?”

“No, I’m warming up well, thank you. You have a beautiful home, it’s nice and cozy.”

“Thank you, I like it here a lot, it is just enough for me. And Kal, for that matter.” His furry buddy was pressing as much of himself against the spot Elizabeth sat on the couch. She was delicately rubbing the area between his eyes and cooing at big beast, his fluffy tail wagging happily. “I think he likes you.”

“Oh good, I’m glad His Lordship approves of me.” She moved her hands to rub his chin. “You are just a big softy aren’t you? Good man, Kal.”

Henry watched them get acquainted, allowing himself to melt into the couch, legs spread apart. She turned her attention to the beautiful man before her. Maybe the booze was making her feel more bold than usual, but damn did she want him. Her mind was still swimming from their earlier adventure. Hopefully, it was an invite to climb between his powerful thighs. She shot back her glass and put the empty cup on his side table. He reached over to her and pulled her close. She positioned herself to face him and straddled his lap. His breath caught in his throat for a moment.

“If I’m being to presumptuous, I can stop. I will go sit on the other side again.” She said quietly.

“No, I want this. I want you.” He reached up, fingers were gently touching the back of her arms.

She leaned forward and pressed her forehead against his, “Before you... we… whatever it is here that we are doing, I need you to know that I don’t know what all I can give to you right now. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I think you are worth the risk,” he whispered to her and they connected.

Henry had wanted this from the first time he placed her hands on him. Every nudge, posture correction, hand offered to help him, whenever he felt her skin on his he felt the current between the two of them and it was electrifying. He felt himself grow hard as she invited him to explore her body. His hoodie was off was off of her body as soon as they started, and then shortly after came her black dress. They continued to make out as she unbuttoned his soft flannel shirt.

He fingers searched the back of her bra for it’s clasp. She broke off their kiss long enough to lean back and unhook it from the front. Henry could feel the pressure building in his jeans as he looked at her body.  All she had left on were knee high black boots and a pair of silky purple panties. Elizabeth gave him a lopsided smile as she leaned back into their embrace. Her fingers danced and tickled down his chest running down to to the bottom hem of his shirt. Henry stopped himself before she removed the cotton undershirt, ever so gently. “Before I take this off, I want you to not be disappointed.”

“Disappointed?” she asked breathlessly.

“I don’t look like Geralt right now. I’m in my off season, and I don’t know what kind of expectations you have...” Elizabeth slowly ran her hands back up his chest.

“I like you, Henry: your beautiful, overthinking, intelligent mind; your sweet nature; your burning passions. You as a person.” peppering his neck and face with tender kisses, her hands tangling in his hair. “Everything else is just sprinkles on a cupcake.”

“Sprinkles on a cupcake?” he smiled. She nibbled on his ear and he moaned, hungry for more.

“Cupcakes don’t need sprinkles to be delicious, I have never refused a cupcake because it didn’t have sprinkles on it.” She ran her fingers back down to the bottom of his shirt. “So, Mr Cavill, do I have permission to take your shirt off?”

“Yes, Ms Rosehill, you do.” The woman on top of him pulled the garment off, never breaking eye contact. After it’s removal, she kept a firm grip on his arms, inching ever closer to his wrists. With her hands on them, Elizabeth pressed her weight against his wrists and pinned him as best she could to the back of the couch. She ground her pelvis against his as she started nibbling and kissing his neck, her torso against  his. Appreciating the nuzzling and nibbles on his neck, he closed his eyes for a moment, waiting for her to continue.

All he felt was her soft breathing against his skin. A moment later her hands dropped from his wrists. Henry tried to move himself to see what what was going on when a soft snore came from his would be lover. He rubbed his face, not believing what had just happened.

“Liz… Lizzie… wake up, sweetheart.” He tried kissing her cheek to wake her. The only response she gave was tucking her arms to her chest and adjusting her head on his shoulder. He groaned, but knew what he had to do. Elizabeth was as limp as a rag doll, so he guided her arms through his flannel shirt, placed her down gently on the couch and prepared his guest room for her. Making sure his warmest duvet was on the bed, he left a bottle of water and some Tylenol on the bed side table for her. He carried her to the room and tucked her into bed, making sure a pillow was wedged behind her back to keep her on her side.  Henry then went to his room, fell face first into bed and yelled directly into a pillow. 

[warrioreowynofrohan]

Rhythm of War Review

PART 1

It feels a little separate from the rest of the book to me at the moment because I read it pre-release, but I think it did a good job setting up the rest of the plot. I greatly enjoyed Navani’s perspective and ideas throughout the book, and the first section established her much more firmly as a character than any of the previous books; her couple of chapters in Oathbringer were more focused on politics and her relationship with Dalinar, so it was great yo see much more of her scientific side.

When I first read Part 1 it felt very Kaladin-heavy, but after completing the book I see how it was necessary to establish his burnout in order to set up the rest of the plot. And Chapter 12 (A Way to Help), in addition to being our only chance in the book to see our trio together, did a great job setting up Kaladin’s later work with mentally ill people, both by establishing the need and showing what kind of help was needed. I was nonetheless quite frustrated by Kaladin reacting to Shallan’s DID with “that would be nice...”. She’s having serious problems, Kal! She’s your friend and could use support, not you regarding her issues as a neat way to take a holiday from one’s own brain! Kaladin’s very kind and caring with those he chooses to protect, as we see with Bridge 4 in TWOK and the mentally ill people in Chapter 25, but sometimes I think he’s not a very good friend. I know he was not in a good place, but in Oathbringer when they were in Shadesmar Shallan had just had a complete breakdown and she still went out of her way to emotionally support Kal, so it would be nice to see his friendships become a bit more two-way. (For similar reasons, I liked seeing the moments of Shallan-to-Adolin emotional support in Shadesmar in ROW, because a lot of their relationship in OB was her relying on him; it felt balanced in ROW as both supported each other.)

PART 2

I loved the Shadesmar arc! The emotional arcs for both main characters were very strong - I had been looking forward to seeing Adolin’s reaction to (in-universe) Oathbringer, and it did not disappoint; the conflict between genuinely loving Dalinar and being unable to forgive what he’d done was well-drawn. I was so pissed off at Dalinar in that last conversation! You burned his mom to death, you do not get to take the moral high ground and lecture him. And I do see a difference between killing innocents, as Taravangian does, and killing someone who’s effectively declared war on you and has a history of treason.

I also liked Adolin’s sense of being generally at sea with his purpose in the world. He’s been trained primarily as a warrior and general, and his combat skills have been made virtually obsolete by the Radiants. And at the same time, the reader can see what makes Adolin special, and it’s not combat skills - though those do give him a big heroic moment in a pinch - it’s his care and compassion for others. The way he interacts with Maya and slowly brings her life is absolutely beautiful. Chapter 35 was such a wonderful Shadolin moment (and starspren are amazing!); he really gets her and understands what she needs. Chapter 24 was sweet too, though super cheesy.

I spent the entire Shadesmar arc side-eying Veil and Radiant, especially with Veil’s takeover stunt at the start, but in the end they genuinely were supporting and helping Shallan. So in retrospect I do like scenes like the one with Veil trying to draw Shallan out by drawing Adolin badly.

Spoeking of drawing, I love the spren art, it’s some of the best art so far, and fascianting to see how they all look!

Kaladin finding non-violent ways to protect, culminating in pioneering Rosharan therapy - and Teft insisting on staying to support him - was everything I wanted for him. His arc could have just been that, and I’d have been perfectly happy. Chapter 25 (Devotary of Mercy) is still my favourite in the entire book.

Unfortunately, then Odium’s forces had to show up and SPOIL EVERYTHING. I’m rather appalled by how quickly Urithiru fell - the enemy forces were literally in the pillar room by the time anyone noticed them.

PART 3

Part 3 was a real slog for me, partly because it is a slog and partly because I hit it at the height of my sleep deptivation. (It’s really...not a good thing to be reading on zero sleep at the literal darkest-hour-before-dawn.) Kaladin’s arc in Urithiru is just so exhausting; he’s so clearly worn to the boneand everything feels so hopeless. Kaladin’s had bad times before - Bridge 4 in TWOK, for example - but then the reader could see progress even if Kaladin couldn’t. (Kaladin: I’m getting nowhere and failing at everything! Everyone else: Kaladin, you were literally just miraculously resurrected.) Here, though - well, I genuinely spent the whole book from Part 3 through to the climax thinking that they would lose Urithiru.

Navani’s arc, and Venli’s, I did enjoy.

The other section of Part 3, in Emul, just felt rather disjointed. It had some interesting moments, but it didn’t have a sense of cohesion or of where it was going. I was entertained by Dalinar’s musings on the merits of despositism and the need to free Queen Fen from having - horrors! - a parliament. (I wonder if the Fourth Ideal will be something like “I will recognize that it can sometimes be beneficial to have people oppose my decisions.”)

PART 4

Again, adored the Shadesmar arc. Really strong character arcs for both Adolin and Shallan, combined with excellent plots and a strong sense of momentum. I was pretty sure Maya would be crucial in the trial, but that didn’t make the moment any less powerful (though Sanders probably shouldn’t have tried quite as hard to replicate his “You. Cannot. Have. My. Pain.” moment from Oathbringer). I need to put together a proper post on the theme of choice in Oathbringer, because that moment - combined with Kaladin’s fourth ideal and the conflict with Lirin over the way he’s inspiring the resistance - really crystallized it for me. To treat a person’s choice and sacrifices as something done to them is to devalue their volition, their agency. Maya is put in the horrifying situation of being used as a prop and treated as evidence of a point that she is diametrically opposed to and turned into a weapon against someone she loves, and it’s enough to drive her to regain her voice and speak for herself. I am very curious to know what specifically led the spren to agree to the Recreance!

I did not remotely guess what Shallan’s secret was, even though in retrospect the Cryptic deadeye should have made it incredibly obvious. I think her fear that she’d lose Adolin if it came out was overblown - he already knows she killed both her parents, he’s not going to be fazed by “I was so distraught over having to kill my own mother in self-defence at age ten that I broke my Radiant oaths”. But obviously it’s not something Shalkan would be able to consider duspassionately. Her arc was rather terrifying once I realized that Formless was, well, basically her, but more specifically, Shallan’s idea of the monster that she was, and her breakdown was driving her to “accept who she was” as being that monster. I like Shallan and was never that into Veil - though she was fairly good in this book and went out well - so I’m not sad to see the back of her.

I haven’t managed to work through all the espionage/mole elements. Yes, Pattern used the box to talk to Wit, and Radiant killed Ialai so Shallan wouldn’t, but who’s Mraize’s spy close to Dalinar?

This arc ended too abruptly. I think Sanderson could easily have traded a Kaladin chapter in Part 3 for an extra chapter wrapping up events in Shadesmar; maybe one where Shallan first goes to see Testament.

I enjoyed the Urithiru arc in Part 4 as well. Switching to Bridge 4 points of view other than Kaladin was a good move - we already know he’s worn to ribbons, so we don’t need to be inside his head to see it. “The Dog and the Dragon” was amazing, and the most appropriate story ever for Kaladin. (I get how Wit’s schtick of telling incredibly topical stories and then saying “no, I don’t have a point, what point?” would be really aggravating in person.) It was nice to see him be gentle with Kaladin for a change, the way he is with Shallan - his two previous encounters with Kaladin read as rather baiting, which annoyed me.

Dabbid was - I don’t know quite how to say this, but his inclusion struck an amazing balance in this book. Navani’s arc is all about two amazingly smart people doing science and making incredible breakthroughs, and that is sincerely valued and given importance by the narrative, and then you get chapters like Dabbid’s and one of Taravangian’s emphasizing that a person’s value and ability to contribute is not determined by their intelligence.

Navani’s arc continued to be excellent. All of her research, and the way the story took you through the process, and her complex relationship with Raboniel, was great.

I loved Venli’s character development, and growing willingness to take risks for the sake of others. To me, her arc parallels Dalinar’s in the last book in some ways. If we can love the story of a bloodthirsty conqueror growing to become a good person, why can’t we equally love the story of a coward coming to become a good person? There seems to be a tendency to be more drawn to strength, even in its most terrible forms, than to weakness. To me, Venli’s confession to Rlain and acceptance of his disgust at her was one of the book’s great moments. (And I can’t understand people saying her arc took up two much space. She had 5 chapters in Part 3, and 4 in Part 4. That’s not very many! I’ll grant that the flasbacks packed less punch than some earlier flashback sequences because we already knew the main events - Brandon acknowledged that even before the book came out - but I still liked them well enough, and Venli’s present-day arc was excellent.)

Anyway, the amount of space I’ve spent on this section relative to Part 3 is another strong inducation of the differences in how I feel about them!

PART 5

I should probably start this section with a discussion of Moash. I’ll try to keep it summarized. here - I could, and may, write a short essay on his development through The Stormlight Archive. The first thing that jumps out about Moash’s arc in this book is his reaction to Renarin’s vision in Part 1. I think that vision is showing Moash who he could still be, in a similar way to Shallan’s inspirational drawings of people - both use the Surge of Illumination. So it’s not that Moash is irredeemable; Renarin is specifucally holding out to him the possibility of redemption.

And Moash’s reaction is to run away in terror. Because he desperately wants his decision to be irrevocable. He desperately wants there to only be one possible path forward for him. Because if there are alternative paths, it means he can choose them, and that would mean facing guilt, facing the fact that his past choices were wrong, and his current choices are wrong. And that is exactly what Moash sought to avoid by giving up his pain and sense of guilt to Odium.

Moash is, nonetheless, very much Moash and not Vyre, as evidenced by his continuing obsession with Kaladin. As with his above need to not be wrong, here he needs to feel that he’s right, and the only way he can feel that he’s right is if Kaladin - whom he still deeply admires - makes the same decision as him, and if Moash can convince himself that he’s doing Kaladin a favour in driving him to that point. It’s ironic that he’s given up almost all feeling abd become almost enturely detached, but his worst actions are driven by his attitude towards the one person in the world who he still does have very strong feelings about. By the end of the book, he’s comprehensively broken, to the point that even when his ability to feel is restored he’s unable to even feel genuine remose over the cold-blooded murder of a friend. I don’t know where he’ll go from here - it would be ironic if he was only ever really appealing to Rayse-Odium, and Taravangian-Odium found Moash too much of a flat villain for his purposes and cast him off.

As the plot climaxes go, I thought the ones for Navani and Venli were excellent and very satisfying. I enjoyed Kaladin’s as well and found it cathartic, but it a was moment we all knew had to come, so it didn’t have quite the kick of some of Kaladin’s other big moments. I did love his reconciliation with Lirin. One of the themes of the book was finding common ground despite deeply felt disagreements - with Navani and Raboniel, with Navani and the Sibling, and with humans and singers/Fused more generally - and Kaladin and Lirin’s reconciliation fit well with that. I am far more favourable to Lirin than most people - if you’ve lived as a pacifist in storming Alethkar, which values the lives of its people slightly more than it does crem, you’re going to have been right a solid 95% of the time, where everyone else was wrong. I can make allowances for the other five percent, especially when Lirin’s life lesson from the last five or so years has been “resisting oppression and standing up for what you believe in will destroy everyone you love”.

And on the topic of finding common ground, Leshwi’s reaction to the revelation that Venli was a Radiant was one of the single most beautiful moments of the book, and one of my absolute favourites. It’s gorgeous and moving, and at the same time rather tragic, because - what might have bern different if Venli had revealed herself to Leshwi at the start of the book? How much of the conflict could have been avoided. Singers don’t appear to attract spren as strongly as humans do, which makes Leshwi drawing joyspren particularly powerful. And then the bittersweet note from “My soul is too long owned by someone else”. (Come to think of it, this is another inverted paralell to Moash. This is someone realizing “I was wrong about everything and I’m so glad about that because it means I have a chance to be someone better than I was.”) Oh my goodness, I would love a Leshwi chapter in a later book, just to check in on her and see how she’s doing in her new life with the Singers.

I also loved the climax of Navani’s arc, and was so relieved, because up until that very moment I wasn’t sure if the Sibling would survuve uncorrupted. I know that some people weren’t pleased because the Sibling didn’t even like her, but to me that became a core part of the story, like I said above - people who deeply disagree finding common ground and common cause. That is a key element of being a Bondsmith - the process of bringing people together in spite of their differences - and something that fits Navani so well given the rapport she found with Raboniel. (Though I was conflicted about the latter. On the one hand, she made amazing discoveries that enabled her to save Urithiru. One the other hand, she...kind of collaborated with the enemy and gave them terrible weapons out of intellectual curiosity and a desire to prove herself?) I will grant that it makes the series, and the characters with the most crucial importance to Roshar, rather Kholin-heavy.

For Taravodium, all I can say is - YIPES. I have no idea how to process the implications of that, but I feel like it will be bad. Really really bad. (Taravangian is probably my least favourite character in the entire Stormlight Archive. The attitude of “I am so brave and selfless for doing evil things and look at how wonderful I am for sacrificing my own morality for the benefit of all, you petty selfish people wanting to be good could never make such a grand sacrifice” drives me absolutely nuts. It’s a complete inversion and twisting of morality, and intensely arrogant.)

Dalinar’s encounter with Ishar was fascinating, and I’m very curious to see where this goes. The spren experiments were deeply creepy! And the way Radiant Oaths can temporarily restore a Herald’s sanity was fascinating - I’m very eager to see where this goes in the next book. I suspect that Dalinar may have made a very serious mistake with regards to this trial my combat, and I have no idea how/if they’re going to fit Szeth’s whole arc into the ten days before the duel. I’ve been eagerly anticipating Szeth’s arc ever since The Way of Kings!

[tinabean37]

My Superman Part 4

My Superman Part 4

Catch up with Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Summery: Reader and Henry make plans for their date.

Warnings: None

Important: I do not know or own Henry Cavill. The characters in this story are made up by me.

**This chapter took forever to write, and I apologize for that. I started and restarted this chapter more times than I can count. I hope I came up with something you all like. Feedback is definitely appreciated. Let me know what you all think! And also...Asks are open. Send me ideas. :)**

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The harsh sunlight of the new day shone brightly in your bedroom window. With a groan, you grabbed your phone off the nightstand to check the time. You were met by a notification for an unopened message from Henry, and that made you smile. You clicked on the message and the smile stayed on your face while you read his reply.

“Y/n. I was absolutely serious about getting together again. Tonight was one of the nicest times I’ve had in a while. I would love to see you again this week if we can? Think on it tonight. Sweet dreams darlin’.” He was serious? And wanted to see you again? This was the best news. You decided to fire off a quick reply before you got ready for the day. You were too eager to wait.

“Good morning Henry. This week would be wonderful. I am free tomorrow night, so if that works for you, I would love to see you again.” You hit send and put your phone away so you could clear your racing thoughts and be prepared for your day.

Once you got in the office, you were quickly met by your 2 workmates who you went out with the previous night. They were quick to apologize for leaving you and to see how the rest of your night went.

“Y/n, we’re sorry we left off last night. We met up with some gorgeous guys that we couldn’t say no to. Was the rest of your night alright?” Your friend offered. As you told them of last night's events with the horrible stranger, Andy, you decided not to be upset with them. If they hadn’t left you all by yourself, you most likely wouldn’t have met Henry. Which you told them as much. When they heard about your amazing chance encounter, you could pick up on their obvious jealously. You were unable to call them on it, however, as your boss took that moment to call the meeting to order.

When the meeting was over, you hurridly checked your phone on the way back to your desk. There were no unopened messages yet. Slightly disappointed, you sat down and decided to distract yourself with the project your boss set upon you this morning. This worked because the next thing you knew, your friends were at your desk inviting you to lunch, to make up for the night before. Taking them up on their offer, you grabbed your bag, threw your phone inside it, and headed off to grab a bite to eat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Henry had barely made it through his door from his early morning meeting when he heard his cell phone ringing from the kitchen. He quickly ruffled Kal’s head, as he came to greet him, and rushed to grab it before the ringing stopped. Before he swiped to answer, he saw the name and face of his brother shining on his phone.

“Hey, Hank. how’s it going, man?” Henry's brother Charlie always gave his mood a pick-up. They were always close growing up, as they were the closest in age.

“Not too much. I just had a meeting with the studio heads. My new project starts up in a few weeks.” Henry continued to fill his brother in on his latest project and where that would take him and for how long. Afterward, Charlie updated Uncle Henry on how his nephews were doing, as well as what was new in his life. The brothers spoke at least once a week and always had a lot of catching up to do. Those Cavill boys were a busy bunch.

“That’s great, Henry, about the new project. But away for 4 months? Do you still not have anyone there who would miss you, and want you home?” Charlie always found a way to steer the conversation back to Henry’s love life. Or lack thereof. He didn’t do it to be mean. He legitimately cared about his brother and wanted him to be happy.

“Charlie, you know how bare that area has been. However, I did meet a girl last night. Might see her again too. She’s great. It was at the pub last night. Just walked right up to me. No idea who I was, and asked me to pretend to be her guy to scare off some arsehole who wouldn’t leave her alone. We got talking after that, and really hit it off.”

“Talk about chance encounters.” Charlie joked. He heard the excitement in Henry’s voice when he spoke of the girl, hoping for him that this worked out. He let his brother gush about this new girl for a bit longer, and after an agreement to keep him up to date on how it goes, the brothers ended the call. As Henry was about to put his phone back in his pocket, he saw the envelope icon on his phone, and his heart jumped as he saw that y/n had replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You and your workmates were having a coffee after lunch when you heard your phone buzz. You were so excited you almost threw it across the cafe with your jittery hands. Two pairs of excited eyes watched you intently as you stared at your phone, your mouth erupting into a giant smile.

“Y/n, don’t leave us in suspense. Is it from him?” You only nodded, too flummoxed to speak, as you handed your phone over to your friend to read the text message you received.

“Y/n, I hope you weren’t late for your early meeting this morning. I know I kept you late. I cannot wait until tomorrow. I haven’t been able to get you out of my head all day. I will pick you up at 7 at your flat. Until then, xo.” After the message was read aloud, your phone was roughly handed back to you with a scoff. That huge smile was still beaming on your face when your eyes fell on your two workmates, and couldn’t ignore their jealous edge. They passed looks between them two that you couldn’t ignore. You decided to finally put them in their place.

“I cannot believe my luck. Thanks again guys for leaving me at the bar last night. I really owe this to you.” You knew that comment may have taken things over the line with them, but you couldn’t bring yourself to worry about it. They didn’t seem to worry about you last night. You packed up your lunch, tossed the rubbish in the trash, and made your way back to your desk. When there, you sent your response.

“You have been in my thoughts all day as well. Tomorrow seems so far away. I will wait impatiently until then.” You put your phone down and dove back into your work. You had to keep yourself busy to keep your thoughts on track. 7 pm tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

[imnotwolverine]

Happy beginnings

Henry Cavill x OC Lisa - multi-chapter fic

Author’s note: Just a little fluff to quench your quarantine thirst. 

Word count: 4.061

Disclaimer: fluff

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This is part 2 of the Tea for Two story. 

Find the masterlist here.

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< Back to part 1

Another work week followed, that had made the last week seem like child’s play. Many changes had to be made. Overtime. A 16-hour workday. I barely had time to sleep or eat. By the time the last shoot was rolling, I had trouble keeping my eyes open, barely taking in the directing orders. Henry had steadily texted me throughout the week, drank tea with me once, be it rushed (a good 5 minutes), but other then that our contact had been minimal.

I was walking like a zombie towards the bus stop, hearing a car honk, making me fly up from my dazed state. I looked around, squinting my eyes to see. It was him. I sighed, letting out a breath of cold air, and walked up to his window. He looked equally exhausted. ‘Hey.’ I said meekly. ‘Hey you. Can I drive you home?’ ‘You sure?’ ‘Yes.’ He said with a confirming look, then nodded with his head to the other door. I walked over sluggishly and climbed in. He rubbed my leg and sighed. ‘These are the rough weeks.’ He said half yawning. ‘Tell me about it.’ I yawned, stretching myself, then looking at him. Even exhausted he was a thing of beauty. I touched his cheek with a drifting hand, which he caught, kissing it, then looking back at the road. It was rather quiet on the road as it was just past midnight. I felt my eyes flutter with sleep, making the struggle to stay awake, quite real.

We arrived at my place and without question we got inside my apartment, dumped our stuff, locked down and moved straight to bed. ‘I ..eh..got my period yesterday. So you know.’ I whispered, while we laid down in bed, snuggling. He kissed my forehead. ‘You okay?’ ‘Other then exhausted and moody? Pretty alright. I’ve had worse.’ I sniffled, snuggling even closer into his chest. We shared a quick good night peck, after which I fell asleep rather quickly, only waking up at some point since he was moving me so he could roll to his side, immediately embracing me again. I felt his hot breath in slow deep heaves heating my neck. His left hand folded protectively over my lower belly. The next day a heat wave broke through. Around 10 am we rolled out of bed sweating. I slumped to the bathroom to clean myself up, while Henry took a leak, making me wonder how comfortable we already were around each other. Usually it took a good 5 months before someone would pee openly next to the other..right? I guess not. This was more like 1 month. I snorted at his casual behaviour and moved to the kitchen to make some breakfast. It was time I got more food in my fridge, because with his appetite I ran out of food at an alarming rate.

Eating breakfast he looked at me sheepishly. ‘They are …starting to notice you.’ I looked up in dazed confusion from my bowl of muesli. ’They?’ ‘Colleagues. Asking ..what we are to each other.’ I smiled, remaining quiet. He continued. ‘I eh…would like to say we’re dating..but..are you okay with that?’ I looked up with an amused smile. ‘Of course. If anything I don’t want, it is for you to have to lie. We are dating. They may know that.’ ‘Good.’ He smiled, content. ‘May I tell my family about you?’ ‘Uhm…’ I looked up again at him. ‘Do you tell them about every woman you date?’ ‘No.’ I looked at him in disbelief. ‘So….’ ‘I really really like you. I want them to know about you first through me. Not the press.’ I nodded slowly, then shrugging. ‘I guess that’s a valid point. Thanks for asking. You can tell them if you want.’ He smiled, taking another large bite of his eggs on toast. I studied him for a moment. His large body sat on that tiny chair, hovered over a small breakfast plate with toast and eggs. His chest hair peaking out of his tight shirt, his hair disheveled, lost in thought while studying some advertisements that got into the mail. He eventually noticed me, smiling warmly at me.

We sat there for a bit before he sat up, ready to leave for the rest of his appointments that day. Despite his already completely exhausting work schedule, he had some sword training this afternoon and of course Kal required some attention. We kissed tired, languid kisses. I could see words on his tongue he did not speak when he cupped my face for a moment. Instead he just took a deep, hesitant breath and touched his forehead to mine. We stood there for a minute, just breathing each others breaths, sniffing each others smells, in the hallway of my apartment. A moment he eventually broke by pressing one more lingering kiss on my lips before he left. About an hour after he left, he send me an emoticon that made my breath stop for a moment. A heart. It said enough. But I wasn’t sure I could…return it. I did not give my love lightly. Wasn’t this just lust? I didn’t really know him all that well just yet. I instead sent back a blushing emoticon.

I went for a run, did some grocery shopping and snuggled all evening with Bib. She seemed even more slow than usual. A soft concern panged at my heart. She was 17. And the vet had already told me that she already was way past her due date. No teeth, near blind, scruffy pelt, hanging belly, weak muscles. I stroked her. ‘Hey you. Are you in pain?’ She didn’t even look up, while laying on her heated blanket. I tilted my head. I felt frustrated..I couldn’t go to the vet tomorrow, didn’t have a car to bring her to the vet hospital 10 kilometers away. I sighed, knitting my eyebrows together. Then again, there was little the vet could do, other then putting her to sleep. Forever. A silent tear billowed over my cheek. I eventually lifted her up, to which she didn’t respond, and put her next to me on the bed. I fell asleep stroking her scruffy pelt.

The next morning it was done. Bib’s body no longer showed life. She had gone slightly hard and cold. Tears started billowing over my cheeks. And despite it all, I pulled myself up by the bootstraps, put on clothes, pushed a few bites of breakfast inside my cheeks and pushed myself to walk out the door and go to work. I felt so lonely. I felt tears burn behind my eyes while colleagues muttered I was late and everything had to be changed again. I felt frustration I couldn’t just go home. Why couldn’t they just do it themselves? I huffed in frustration and went to the toilet to regain my senses. Sitting down in the stall of the women’s toilets I looked at the door. It said Kim Heart Henry. I blinked slowly, before deciding it was just another fan. I picked up my phone, then started scrolling back in me and Henry’s Whatsapp messages. It all left me cold for a moment, my eyes just gazing over the short conversations. And then I saw the first picture I sent to him. Bib. Tears started billowing over my cheeks. I sat there for a few minutes, just balling my eyes out. Not really caring that other people might hear me.

‘Hey..you okay girl?’ A heavy texan accent. I sniffled, wiping away the heavy tears. ‘Uh…Hi. Sorry.’ ‘Did he dump you?’ She said a touch more quietly. ‘What? Oh..no. Uh.’ I got up, flushed away the toilet paper I used for tissues and opened the stall door. It was one of the make up ladies. ‘My cat died.’ I sniffled in quiet voice, feeling not quite strong enough to fake a smile, my lip trembling. ‘Awh.’ She snickered motherly. ‘Oh honey!’ She wrapped her flabby arms around me without question, squeezing me tight. ‘That sucks!’ I laughed a shivery laugh. ‘She was old. It was coming. Still..sad.’ ‘You had me worried there for a moment. Thought he had gotten enough of you…like all those girls.’ I wiped away some tears and moved away from her a bit. ‘You’ve probably seen them all.’ ‘Yep. Coming. Going. He’s definitely searching.’ I splashed my face with some water, then dried it off with a paper towel. ‘You don’t seem to mind.’ I grinned, smiling at her, my eyes still red from tears. ‘I think many women don’t realise he’s a real person, not just some wet dream.’ She giggled. ‘Oh he ..is adorable, isn’t he? He reminds me so of my son.’ She flipped out her bag and revealed some make-up. ‘Let’s fix you up. First lesson in dating Henry. Don’t look too much of a sad mess or people will start spreading gossip like wild fire.’ I grinned sadly, allowing her to put on some eyeliner, blush and concealer. She was remarkably fast. ‘Wow, you’re fast.’ I said, looking into the mirror. She shrugged. ‘Don’t need to beat around the bush. And don’t want to hide your curious beauty.’ She tugged at my chin like a proud mother. I looked at her. She looked happy. I felt honored. ‘Thank you…?’ ‘Merle.’ ‘Merle.’ She winked. ‘Come on then gal.’

That evening on set, finally getting time to look at my phone, I noticed a bunch of new texts. ‘Hey..I heard about Bib. So sorry :( Want a hug?’ Sent an hour ago. I texted back. ‘Yea. Gosh. Had a little crying sesh in the bathroom today and Merle mothered me *sad smiley* Such a sweet woman.’ Quite immediately I saw the two checkmarks appear. Message read. I looked a bit at my screen in a daze, then had to move since some large decor pieces had to be moved. Not long after I noticed a white wig moving in the crowd, walking into the hallway, clearly looking for something, dodging moving crews, smiling at people talking to him. Henry. It took a good while before he was able to move through the crowd, before he saw me. And I just stood there, phone in hand, somewhat staring at him. He gave me a sad smile, sighed in relief and made quick way to me. Without saying a word he crushed his lips against mine. I could hear some gasps around me. For many the news hadn’t spread that we were in fact dating. So surely they were at best surprised, at worst in shock. But that didn’t matter. He cupped my face with his large hands and looked deeply into my eyes. ‘Sweetness.’ I just gave him a slow smile, my eyes still sad. His thumb stroked my cheek. ‘You could have texted me.’ ‘I know.’ I looked up into his eyes. We didn’t speak, just looked at each other. “CREW 1, shoot starts in 2. HALL 2.4. REPEAT. CREW 1, shoot starting.” I saw his lip pulling, his ear peaking at the speaker. He nodded, then looked back at me. ‘Off you go.’ I said, offering him a smile. He breathed in, pulling me in for one more kiss, a kiss that made him have to rush to get back on set in time, so slow and sweet. Like a prowling cat he jumped past people, disappearing again in the buzz.

One of the women came up from behind me, whispering: ‘It won’t last honey.’ I looked around, but seeing so many different people passing by, I couldn’t possibly know who it’d been. I looked around some more, then decided to shrug it off and get back to work. Just one more hour for set to end. Back in the bus homeward I opened our text conversations again. I sent him a kissing emoticon. ‘Thanks bear.’ He didn’t respond until I was in bed. ‘Rawr!’ With a smirking emoticon. I fell asleep with my phone in hand. Bib’s cold body now wrapped in a blanket next to me. Like she always enjoyed sleeping. But it didn’t feel so lonely now. Henry was there in spirit.

The week crawled by at excruciating slowness. Apparently the gossip train had started. I noticed people whispering, staring at me. And I decided to just smile at them, giving them the nod, or just plain ignoring them. By Friday I even got a comment from the bus driver. ‘Hey..aren’t you that gal that’s…hmm..where do I know you from?’ ‘I did a hair commercial once?’ I suggested. I saw him struggling to remember and he eventually shrugged it off. I never played in a hair commercial. I grinned, checked in and walked to the very back of the bus. The lights flashed by. Just one more day. I had, with pain in my heart, discarded Bib’s body at the vet’s office. It was empty in my house. No loud meows. Then I noticed a card on my door mat. I clicked on the lights and pushed the door closed. Curly handwriting. I pried open the envelope and pulled out a gold inscripted grey card. The premiere date for the new season we shot last year. I smiled. I sent a picture of the invitation to Henry. ‘You there Witcher?’ He responded with a selfie with an equal invitation, giving the oh-you-look. ‘They’re sending these invitations way ahead. Damn.’ ‘Hollywood…otherwise you’ll find nobody show up hehe. Besides. The storm following for dress shopping.’ ‘You’ll surely look darling in a dress.’ I sent with a wink emoticon. ‘Too soon to ask you along?’ ‘Too soon.’ I replied immediately. He sent a shrugging emoticon. Followed by a screenshot of some online webshop with dresses. ‘Red might be too daring right?’ I snickered. ‘Pick blue, fits your eyes. And halter, so your shoulders pop nicely.’ He sent an emoticon in laughter.

Henry is typing… I poured myself a cup of tea, keeping an eye on the screen. ‘I’ve told my mom about you :)’ ‘That’s so sweet. How’s your mom?’ ‘Good. Busy being a grandma to all my brother’s kids.’ Wink emoticon. Henry is typing…Removed. Henry is typing… I felt my heart racing again. ‘Was wondering. Do you go back to family over the holidays? Christmas?’ I looked in bafflement at that question. It was 3 more months till Christmas. 3 More weeks till we moved production to Poland. Then just one more month together on set before I moved to the UK. ….Then two months apart till Christmas. I sighed, feeling my heart jump. I clicked the call icon in the corner, waiting for him to pick up.

‘Hi.’ ‘Hi.’ ‘Christmas huh.’ ‘Too soon….?’ ‘It’s hard to go slow with you Henry. Uhm. I’m actually visiting my parents first day of Christmas. But’ll be back in the UK the second. Shooting starts again the…uh..Monday..after, I believe.’ ‘So, would you..like to maybe, visit my family then? Late Christmas? My mom cooks up amazing turkey.’ ‘Haha..If we still date by then, sure.’ ‘I’m glad.’ I heard him release a held-in breath. ‘Henry?’ ‘Yes?’ ‘Are we…exclusive?’ I heard him snicker. ‘You are my one and only. Don’t let jealous women get to your head.’ ‘I know. I don’t even think you’d have time for anyone else. I just. Wanted to check.’ He didn’t hesitate: ‘Do you have time this Sunday?’ ‘Yea. Just not in the evening. Dinner with friends.’ ‘Care to go on a date with me?’ He said in smooth voice. I smiled through the phone. ‘I’d like that.’

And so it was Sunday morning. I had just got groceries for the dinner party when Henry showed up. I had left the door on a crack so he could let himself in. Which he did. ‘Honey! I’m home!’ He said happily. I grinned. ‘Kitchen’ I said. And there he was. With a box of fresh herbs in mediterranean pots. ‘For you.’ He said, kissing me sweetly. I snorted. ‘That is just the cutest. Thank you.’ I smiled giddily while putting the pots on my window sill, next to my other kitchen herbs. I turned around to kiss him, passionately. He wrapped me in his arms, then broke our kiss to add. ‘I hope you are in use of some relaxation, I ordered us a private spa session.’ ‘Oeh!’ I said, slightly impressed. ‘Never had that before.’ He grinned, then looked at me slyly. ‘I overheard you are however quite a good massagist yourself.’ ‘Gossip travels fast.’ He raised an eyebrow, shrugging. ‘I guess, confirmative. Yes, I gave one of the builders a massage the other day because he was groaning like a stifled old men. He was completely elated after, earning me quite a few requests from other colleagues.’ ‘Well, now someone will massage you.’ He kissed me, fetching my hand to tug me along.

We talked like we hadn’t seen each other in months, driving up to the spa. And laughed and laughed. I forgot about my week altogether. And the spa session was great. Relaxed. At some point painful. Then very good again. I felt stress flow out of my body like water retracting from shore. The more sad it was when it was over and we had to go. Driving back we were more quiet. Relaxed. But quiet. ‘Hmmm..that was absolutely divine.’ I hummed. ‘Thanks.’ ‘You are more than welcome.’ ‘So are you the cook tonight?’ ‘Yep. My friends can’t cook.’ ‘Lucky basterds.’ He said. I grinned. ‘And you, any plans for tonight?’ ‘Don’t know actually. Watch some baseball with Kal?’ He looked awkwardly, shrugging, keeping his gaze at the road. I looked at the route planner. We were near his house. ‘You know. We could pick up Kal and you could join me and my friends for dinner?’ He had to stop for a red light. Looked over at me. ‘You sure? …Not too soon?’ He asked playfully, though with an undertone of seriousness. ‘I’m sure. Besides you’ll gush over their nerdiness. We play D&D sessions and stuff.’ ‘My girlfriend is such a nerd!’ ‘I’m not your…girlfriend.’ I stated. He checked the map, then turned right, to get to his house. ‘Do you want to be?’ He said, looking up at me after having turned the corner. I felt my throat turn dry. ‘I..eh.’ He slowed down the car. It was a quiet street so other traffic was not irritated. He kept looking straight at me, while pressing the breaks. His gaze got soft. I took a breath. ‘I would like that.’ I finally said, smiling awkwardly. His face broke into a smile. He leaned over, catching a kiss. ‘Misses Cavill!’ He hummed. I poked him fiercely. ‘And definitely not that.’ He snorted cheekily, laughing a million dollar smile at me. He started the car again and drove up to his house.

Coming inside to pick up Kal, we made out like there was no tomorrow. I laughed and laughed, while he blistered me with kisses. Kal was jumping around us in excitement. Eventually Henry cupped my face and eased, just looking at me. ‘I love you.’ He breathed. I touched his hand with mine, looking at him dearly. ‘I will love you.’ He nodded, then pulled me in for a tight hug. ‘Okey, let’s fetch things. We need to get moving.’ He said, clapping his hands, play fighting with Kal while striding towards his bedroom. I snickered.

For dinner I made a Mexican taco feast with numerous toppings. And a lot of it too, these men all ate soo much. Not long after my friends arrived, with a game board, some bottles of wine and lots of smiles. I had moved the kitchen table to the living room where I had folded it open to its full extent, making it possible for 8 people to sit shoulder to shoulder. My friends were at first EXTREMELY awkward around Henry, making continuous Witcher and Superman jokes. But after a glass of wine, and seeing how relaxed and normal Henry was, the mood changed. Henry looked at me often. In love. I knew that look. And my friends saw it too. Giving me the oh-damn-girl-look. And we ate and ate. Laughing as we went along. I had just cleared out the table with one of my friends when I caught a conversation between one of my friends who’d had a serious crush on me for years, and Henry. ‘You know, I’d always figured she’d come around with some trump card. She’s way too pretty to be a nerd.’ ‘How so?’ Henry asked in honesty. ‘Look at us. We’re glad if ANY woman even looks at us, let alone like us. And there she was, not giving a shit. We even met her dutch friends. Equally nerdy. She isn’t even a fake.’ *some noise of mixed voices* And you play D&D?’ Henry’s voice asked. They all got excited and the conversation became more erratic - probably everyone was speaking of their characters.

’So…how in the hell did that happen?’ My friend Ben had followed me into the kitchen, now leaning against the kitchen top. ‘His dog Kal had escaped one morning and I happened to catch Kal before he could. And that’s how we met. I didn’t really think much of it, until he popped up next to me at the coffee bar at work. Again. And again. And again. I invited him for a hike. We hiked. I invited him for dinner. We dined. And… Now we’re here.’ ‘Girl. What the fuck.’ ‘I know right.’ I grinned. ‘Life’s weird.’ ‘Well, he IS as hot as we thought he was. Bloody hell.’ I smiled, pushing Ben back to the living room. The rest was still boasting about their D&D group. ‘Boys! Tea, coffee, liquor?’ Henry was snickering, seeing my friends’ faces light up with joy. ‘Oh we’ll do that fair lady! Do sit down.’ ‘Thank you.’ I nodded, taking a seat opposite of Henry. He gave me a knowing look accompanied with silent nod, then turned a big smile while Ben started asking questions about Kal, who had found a liking to Ben, sliming all over his lap.

My friends left around 11, after some more wine, a board game and lots of catching up. We scheduled a last D&D session before I would leave for Europe. ‘Better get out of that darn dungeon this session. We’ve been there for weeks man.’ I shrugged. ‘Let’s hope so.’ We all burst into laughter, hugging and saying goodbye. ‘You keep surprising me.’ Henry whispered in my ear, while I waved my friends goodbye atop the stairs. He waved as well, then quickly pulled me inside, closing the door. ‘Girlfriend.’ he said darkly, then kissed me passionately. ‘There’s so much you don’t know.. boyfriend.’ I said playfully, pinching his nose, then escaping his grasp to run to the bedroom. He chased me down, pinning me down on my bed, his breath hot in my neck.

His eager hands almost tore the zipper out of my dress while he unzipped it, wringing me out of the clingy fabric. I giggled at this, slightly tipsy from the wine. He grunted as he pulled the dress off completely. I wasn’t wearing any fancy lingerie, just some sports bra and simple knickers, and yet he looked at me like he saw the most gorgeous woman laying beneath him. I blushed as he climbed on top of me, letting his large hands roam over my almost naked body. ‘Hmmm.’ He hummed as he leaned forward, catching my lips with his. ‘Ready for a happy ending?’ He smiled against my lips. ‘Only if it’s a happy beginning.’ I sniffled. He laughed huskily, kissing me more passionately. ‘Can do.’ He said, while reaching his arm to my night stand. He grabbed a dusty box of condoms out of the drawer. ‘..Well there’s one of your secrets.’ He snickered, sitting up a bit to read the expiration date in the dim light. ‘This is over a year past its expiration.’ He stated, giving me an *oh you* look. I gasped in horror, shielding my face with my hands, letting out a giggle. A giggle that soon turned into pure laughter when Henry folded away my hands carefully, wiggling a condom in front of me. ‘Good thing I brought a backup.’ He smiled. And it was a good thing indeed. 

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Part 3 >