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to-killtime · 2 years ago

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can broken hearts be mended? [mycroft x reader]

Chapter 1:

The saying that timing is a bitch is, well, true. You had found the perfect person, a man who had the same mindset as you, someone who would understand your relationship with work and vice versa, someone with whom silence was comforting and many more yet, it had come crumbling down due to being at the wrong time.

It has been 5 years since you last set foot in London, and this was half by choice. Your job as an auditor was demanding, to say the least, but it was also the job that granted you an opportunity to leave the place of memories behind and start on a clean slate. It was also, however, the job that required you returned.

Auditing was something that you chose considering the prospects but one of the prospects you didn’t expect was acquiring a boyfriend. It was a coincidence really; you were performing an audit for one of the clients which happened to be involved in a financial scandal. It was a rather important client for your resume as well. However, the case had blown up and had involved the government and that was how you met him. The man who was said to only have a minor position in the British government was Mycroft Holmes. He was a man of few words yet the words that were spoken always got your attention.

While working together, the both of you had amazing chemistry, words and actions bounced off of each other and it was surprisingly efficient. Never having such an effective environment before was something the both of you appreciated. That was the first step. The second was when you, or him, you can't remember, asked the other out for dinner since you two were the only ones left.

Having dinner with someone allows you to learn so much about a person. The similarities you had were common, both attending to work almost 24/7, not advocating for relationships, citing emotions as a burden, and having the love of books as well as many others. It had been a long time since you had fun but time decided to flow faster than it should have. The little time to yourself you had at home was spent thinking back on the conversations you had. He was starting to take an effect on you and it seemed to be the same for him as well.

It started with dinners after work but once the work was done, there wasn’t a need to meet for dinner anymore. However, not wanting to let the good feelings go, you took up some courage to exchange numbers. Through the exchange, you had come to realize that he was quite the avid texter, which you didn’t expect. Due to the constant interaction, the spark within your heart had begun to grow, threatening to evolve into a fire.

Nothing would have happened if the two of you had only continued to text but somehow, one way or another, you were able to find a day where you two would be relatively free and had planned on getting dinner together. If you weren’t sure of your feelings before, this dinner was the one that confirmed it. After maybe days or months of texting, you had finally gotten to see him again in person and he still looked great. Dressed in his usual three-piece pinstriped suit, a red tie, pocket watch and his umbrella, he was dashing. Every time you looked into his blue eyes, you get lost in them, as one would if you were in the ocean alone.

Dinners that ended with you back at your place alone had slowly turned into ending up at either one of your places with each other. It had become a routine of sorts to stay over at his place whenever the two of you met. It wasn’t often due to your schedules but the two of you made it work and had committed to having dinner at least once a week together. Slowly, you were introduced to his younger brother Sherlock, he was quite interesting and quite the kid, as well as his group of friends. They happened to hold a Christmas party once and you were taken as Mycroft’s plus one. Everyone was so endearing and you never had a dull moment.

All would have been well but as the months go by, one missed meeting, with an advanced notice and apology gift, turned into two, which turned into three. It reached a point when you would go over to his place, once in a while, just to get a glimpse of him and to talk things out but you’d end up heading to bed before he came back and woke up when he left, you assumed he came back by the look of his missing clean suit.

Failure after failure had eventually taken a toll on you. You were still finding the small amount of time after your busy schedule to talk to him, yet he couldn’t do the same. Sure, he is much more important than you were but it still didn’t warrant this treatment. Having had enough, you conceded and made his your temporary home until you two were able to have a proper conversation.

That day came soon enough. For the first time in months, he had come back earlier than you did but instead of the living or bedroom, he was in his study, with more work but at least this was a change.

With a knock on the door, “Mycroft, we need to talk.”

He simply answered with a hum.

“Please look at me. Just 5 minutes.”

It had been such a long time since you had last locked eyes with him. However, instead of getting butterflies, you were filled with sadness.

“I would like to know how you plan for us to move forward or if we are even planning to. The past months have been tough Mycroft. We used to be able to find time for each other and yet now it is more difficult to see you than if I had an appointment with you. I would appreciate it if we could even just get dinner together once in a while. I… miss talking to you Mycroft.”

This wasn’t even half of what you wanted to say but you lost confidence when you saw the look on his face, an uninterested or rather a poker face. There wasn’t a single hint to whatever he might be thinking and that threw you off. Did he lose interest in you or were you just worth that little to him? Having been the one to pull the weight, you were tired and ended up letting your emotions get the better of you, “quite frankly if I can’t even have that then I can only say we want different things and that we should end it here."

For the first time, the silence between the two of you was deafening. It had been a minute or two of locking eyes before he breaks away to answer his ringing phone. Taking that as his reply, you took no time at all to pack whatever little belongings you had over and left. Never looking back once.

5 years could either be a long or short time depending on the person who is asked. For you though, it was in between. Things had happened yet it wasn’t something that made it feel like time was passing quickly. What was the main change? You left London alone but came back with someone.

link to ao3.

#mycroft holmes #mycroft bbc #mycroft x reader #mycroft holmes x reader #idk what I'm doing #decided to try a post on tumblr

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canary3d-obsessed · 4 years ago

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Restless Rewatch: The Untamed - Episode 02

Warning: Spoilers for all 50 episodes!

(Masterpost ) (Previous Episode) (Next Episode)

Donkey Riding

way ho and away we go, donkey riding donkey riding way ho and away we go, riding on a donkey

Wei Wuxian and Apple are doing their best for the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.

Xiao Zhan had trouble riding the donkey sitting side-saddle, so the Department of Questionable Practical Effects made him a fake leg to wear while riding regular style.

Can you spot it? It’s very hard to spot. It is very convincing.

Simple Pleasures

Wei Wuxian takes his time wandering up the nearest mountain, and half of the cultivators in the land also wander up this mountain because...Night Hunting! The cultivators are hot and thirsty from walking because they forgot that they all know how to fly.

Wei Wuxian relaxes by a well and listens to people stanning him.

Also

I’m going to say it: Wei Wuxian never met a drinking vessel he couldn’t blow.

Everything is Beautiful at the Ballet

The actress who plays A-Yan is named Zhang Linran. She probably has studied dance since she was 4 and now she gets her big break which turns out to be feeding an apple to a donkey. So let’s pause for a second to look at how beautifully she moves.

Reunions are Awkward, Part 1

Wei Wuxian meets up with one of his family members and it goes super well.

I...like Jin Ling? He’s much less of a douchebag than his dad, his uncles Jin, Jiang, and Mo (the three stooges), and every damn one of his Jin cousins. He’s genuinely brave (his Dad’s primary good quality) and his hair is on fleek. He’s still a whiny diaper baby, but I like him.

(much more after the cut!)

Then Jiang Cheng shows up, looking fine as hell and radiating peak arrogant-prick energy.

When he discovers that ‘Mo Xuanyu” stuck a piece of paper to Jin Ling, he tells the child to literally murder him. Excellent uncleing! A+++++ would recommend.

“In fact, literally murder anyone who uses Yiling Laozu’s tools, like talismans, lure flags, or spirit compasses - basically murder everyone in the Lan Clan plus those other fanboys we saw coming up the hill. Then get out there and make some friends, goddamn it!”

These nets full of cultivators on this daytime night hunt are the only time we ever see anything in a net during a night hunt. In fact dudes constantly go night hunting and the only prey we ever see is rock lady, murder turtle, and a couple of rag mops in the lake.

You Are Not Qualified to Speak to Me

Also radiating arrogant-prick energy on this occasion is Lan Wangji. He has been using pettiness as a weapon since long before he met this Jiang Cheng turkey, and he *brings it* when Jiang Cheng tries to have a conversation with him.

Letting your eyes wander everywhere except to his punchable face while you ignore his passive-aggressive questions? Quality work.

Dropping a silence spell on his child and then letting your own child explain it to him? Golden.

Lan Wangji is never ever going to forgive Jiang Cheng for what he did on cliff day, and his silence here is as pointed as an ice pick. I suspect the last words Lan Wangji actually spoke to him were “Jiang Wanyin, stop it,” sixteen years ago.

Jiang Cheng is actually the bigger person in this particular interaction, visibly mastering his temper and telling Jin Ling to take his medicine.

Reflecting

Wei Wuxian hangs out by a beautiful river and hallucinates for a while. River Jiang Yanli is nurturing and River Jiang Cheng is pissed off, so there are no surprises there. River Jiang Cheng thinks that Wei Wuxian is a promise-breaking douchebag. He’s not exactly wrong.

Courtesy of convenient gossiping cultivators, Wei Wuxian discovers that the 16 year old arrogant kid from the Jin clan who his brother from the Jiang clan has custody of is actually and quite obviously Jin Rulan.

Well fuck I guess now I care about something, that’s inconvenient.

Needing to help parent the child of the sister who parented him is what draws Wei Wuxian fully into his new life.

As soon as he has this realization, Apple comes back from roaming around, and never gives him any trouble after this for the rest of the story. Which...probably doesn’t mean anything.

Wen Gravesite

Does Wen Ning hang out here because it’s where he and his (dead) people came from? Oh great, now I am sad.

Judging by all the leaves on this grave thingy I’m going to say that this grave tender dude is, ah, not very good at his job.

Get him, Jingyi!

I feel like maybe we all focus too much on how Lan Jingyi is so hilarious and sardonic and not enough on how he is a such a biscuit.

Soul Grass

As mentioned in the previous post, Chinese spiritual concepts don’t always translate well into English. Soul grass? Sure, why not.

This is where Wei Wuxian’s Sherlock Holmes brain starts to work, although he still doesn’t remember really basic stuff about Dafan Mountain. Dying and changing bodies is rough on the old neurochemistry. This creates more opportunities for flashbacks, however, and if there’s one thing The Untamed deffo needs more of, it’s kissing flashbacks.

Temple Statue

Presumably grave-tender dude is also in charge of clearing away spiderwebs at the temple, because it’s not getting done.

Jin Ling walks into the temple blaspheming at full volume.

Since this isn’t a Greek story, he isn’t immediately struck blind for this. Then when he wishes for the statue to come alive, it obligingly does. Everything’s coming up Rulan!

Wei Wuxian shows up to rescue all the kids by throwing talismans at the monster which does not tip anyone off to who he is.

Baby Cultivator Babysitting

Lan Wangji chills out in the cultivators’ pavilion with Jiang Cheng and their mutual hate boners.

Meanwhile, Wei Wuxian forgets all about his nephew and turns into cool professor guy, explaining the basics of soul-eating to the baby cultivators and gleefully encouraging their fear of Hanguang-Jun’s punishments.

Because the Lan babies are good filial children they are super respectful and engaged with this random adult who is lecturing them. They also - like their own Hanguang-Jun at their age - see and admire Wei Wuxian’s intellect. It’s easy to forget how extremely smart Wei Wuxian is, because of how extremely dumb Wei Wuxian is.

Lan Jingyi suddenly figures out Wei Wuxian is not crazy.

Bis. Kit.

Then Rock Lady shows up and Jin Ling sticks 6 arrows into her while Lans Jingyi and Sizhui stand around not bothering to draw their swords.

I see a lot of comments about the bad effects in the statue sequences but I think Rock Lady is all right. The figure animation is decent and the lighting is no worse on her than on everything else in the scene. Her hair is nice, for a rock person.

Admittedly I just finished watching Guardian which has CGI monsters so bad they may have injured my retinas and possibly also my DNA, so the bar, for me, is pretty low. Rock lady clears it with room to spare.

Note: Wei Wuxian’s flute playing does zippity towards controlling the statue. Not sure what his plan was here.

Wen Ning Kicks Ass

Now we get to meet Wen Ning, who appears to be a stone-cold badass. Later we will discover how hilariously inaccurate that assessment is.

While all versions of Wen Ning are delightful, this version of Wen Ning is also...strangely attractive? He’s got a Patti-Smith-Horses-Era vibe here, instead of his more usual lost-baby-dork vibe. And his dreamy “I have nails in my head” expression is intriguing.

I mean, he’s not a total snack like zombie Song Lan or pre-zombie Song Lan or blind Song Lan or post-zombie Song Lan, but this look is a good one for Wen Ning, is what I’m saying.

Reunions are Awkward, Part 2

Lan Wangji, who has 99% already recognized Wei Wuxian because of the haunted sword and the fierce jawline and beautiful neck and tiny tiny waist, is summoned by his flute playing as inexorably as the Ghost General was.

Jiang Cheng also recognizes Wei Wuxian and goes into full beatdown mode, thwarted (silently) by Lan Wangji. Wei Wuxian attempts to preserve his incognito by sassing Jiang Cheng in as sibling-like a manner as possible.

Hanguang-Jun’s Pro-Ghost Agenda Has Been Clear for Some Time

This Jiang/Lan fight is hilarious when you consider the implications.

Macroexpression vs. Microexpression

Mo Xuanyu brought Wei Wuxian back using sacrifice summons, a dark ritual invented by Wei Wuxian that he, most likely, did NOT show to Lan Wangji back in the day. So it’s a pretty safe bet that Lan Wangji doesn’t know that Wei Wuxian was gifted a body, rather than stealing one.

when your brother turns around, you must whip him you will never live it down unless you whip him

When Jiang Cheng lets loose with Zidian, it’s not just because he’s angry. He’s using purple power to force Wei Wuxian’s ghost out of the body he’s apparently possessed. And Lan Wangji instantly STOPS him from doing that.

Clan Leader Jiang: this person has been possessed, against their will, by an evil ghost

Future Chief Cultivator Lan: Counterpoint: I am banging the ghost

Flashback Time

Welcome to your 30-episode flashback!

Once I used to join in Every boy and girl was my friend Now there's revolution, but they don't know What they're fighting

Let us close our eyes Outside their lives go on much faster Oh, we won't give in We'll keep living in the past

Road Tripping to Summer School

Gosh I’m looking forward to younger, kinder, more relatable Jiang Cheng.

...prick.

Incidentally, until now this episode didn’t know that Jiang Cheng has smile muscles, and neither did the person who glued his wig on for him.

I Like Rabbits

Here we have our first rabbit in a large collection of rabbit iconography that appears in The Untamed.

Instead of sending everyone to the Wikipedia page for Tu'er Shen I’m going to take this opportunity to rec the short film Kiss of the Rabbit God by Andrew Thomas Huang (tw: blood, tw:body-mod cutting) which you can read about and watch over at Nowness.com

Particularly if you are a queer person of Chinese heritage, check it out.

So. What the fuck are these? Are they food?

Are they made from wax? Or corn starch? or pig intestines?

Wei Wuxian runs off to get laid drunk and Jiang Cheng grumps about it. Jiang Yanli reminds him that being free is a Jiang Clan Rule, so really Wei Wuxian is following the rules by not following the rules. Does that mean he’s not free? My head hurts.

Jiang Cheng: yes but grump grump grump

Jiang Yanli: Nothing bad will ever happen because of A-Xian’s choices, trust me

Outro

Wei Wuxian faint tally: one Caught by: the cold hard ground

Soundtrack: 1. Donkey Riding by Great Big Sea 2. Living in the Past by Jethro Tull 3. Whip It by Devo

Fic prompt: Lan Wangji’s internal monologue while he sits in the pavilion with Jiang Cheng

If you write a fic from this prompt and want to share, please post a link in comments!

Bonus: Wang Zuocheng, macro-expression king

Episode 03 Restless Rewatch coming soon!

#the untamed #fytheuntamed #the untamed spoilers #the untamed gifs #the untamed stills #my gifs #my stills #restless rewatch #restless rewatch the untamed #canary3d-original #wei wuxian #jiang cheng #lan wangji #lan jingyi #c-drama #bl drama #the untamed memes

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birdhaslostit · 4 years ago

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🦇💀🕷🕸 What the Lupin Gang would do/wear for Halloween! 🕸🕷🍬🍭

This may be OOC, but it’s Halloween, and nobody is themselves on Halloween. That’s the whole point. It’s time to let loose babey

🎃 Lupin:

Lupin would wear something suave yet spooky. (A vampire is a tried-and-true option.) Whatever it is, it has to leave some of his face showing- how else is he supposed to woo the ladies at the party? Other costume choices include a pirate captain, Jack Skellington, and a joint costume with Fujiko as Victor and Emily from Corpse Bride.

Lupin has ABSOLUTELY dressed up as Dr. Frank N Furter from Rocky Horror Picture show. Definitely more than once.

Lupin would definitely get WAAAAAAY into Halloween. Like, the first of October, BAM. Orange jacket with a black shirt and an orange tie. He makes all of his October heists Halloween-themed, but he doesn’t steal on Halloween because that’s when he goes ALL. OUT.

Each year he picks a different city to celebrate in. He spaces out wherever he goes so he doesn’t get caught, but rumors about Lupin spread, so each year people make a guessing game of where he’s gonna go for Halloween. Each year, he picks a hideout in the most popular trick-or-treating area of that city and decks it OUT with Halloween decorations. A large chunk of the decor expenses was probably taken from the Halloween Jacket heists from that year.

Lupin never sends invitations for it though- this is the one time he won’t do it. He insists that it adds to the “illusion of mystique.” He leaves it up to the trick-or-treaters to spread the word. News quickly gets around that the cool house down the street might be Lupin, and without fail, it turns into a block party within the first 2 hours or less.

On Halloween, he gives out candy to literally everyone. He spoils the little kids with king-size candy bars. He encourages the teens to go egg/TP houses of rude people in the area (he staked them out in advance specifically to do this.) He hypes up the costumed adults and hands out Halloween-themed drinks.

The day after Halloween, the hideout looks deserted, like nobody was ever there. Nobody can ever figure out how he packs it all up so quickly, without anyone noticing. The only thing he leaves, every single time, is a jack-o-lantern with his face on it.

🎃 Jigen:

Something classic and/or low-effort. First thing that comes to mind is a werewolf.

Lupin might bug him about stealing his trademark, but Jigen fits the image better. He’s gruff and hairy and may perhaps shoot you if you make fun of his costume.

Jigen might also go for a classic Dracula if Lupin isn’t a vampire that year. He’s also been a cowboy several times.

He doesn’t really interact with the crowd unless they come up to him first (which is rare because he doesn’t exactly exude “friendly,” and it’s usually a little kid, because they don’t really notice.)

If it’s a little kid though, Jigen’s always nice to them. Especially little boys who like his cowboy costume. (He wears that one the most as an excuse to carry his magnum around without people getting suspicious.) He’ll put on the southern drawl and everything. He doesn’t want to break the illusion for a kid, especially not on Halloween.

One time a little boy called him Woody, Lupin overheard, and teased him about it the whole night because he thought it would bug Jigen. Jigen secretly thought it was the funniest/sweetest thing ever, and snuck the kid extra candy in his bucket before he left with his mom.

Jigen won’t take any crap from teenage trick-or-treaters who are rude. You know, the ones who take too much from the bucket so there’s none left for the little kids. He’ll turn them away at the door. It’s never come down to him having to pull out the Magnum, because his glare alone is enough to scare the crap out of them so they’ll leave. Same goes for tipsy adults who’ve had one too many Halloween-themed drinks and get too rowdy.

One year Lupin made a joke about how Jigen should give some candy cigarettes out to kids for Halloween, and Jigen shut it down FAST. He doesn’t want to encourage kids to start his bad habit, so he doesn’t smoke around other people at the party, and makes extra sure that kids aren’t around when he does.

One year, Jigen gave out out tiny water pistols with the candy. Lupin got some for him to hand out because they reminded him of Jigen at the store, and even though Jigen brushed it off at the time, he appreciated it.

🎃 Goemon:

Goemon secretly loves Halloween, but will literally die before admitting it to anyone. It took him a while to warm up to it, though.

He still sticks to tradition- his costumes all have something to do with Japan. Kabuki Ishikawa Goemon is a classic that he returns to often. He’s dressed up as various oni/yōkai/yūrei before, and several figures from Japanese folklore.

Goemon has also been a samurai for Halloween, even though it’s just his regular clothes. It’s for the kids, really- he secretly enjoys the attention.

He will make jack-o-lanterns with Zantetsuken, but only for little kids that he thinks are especially polite. Lupin whines every time because Goemon won’t make him one too.

He always insists on getting Japanese candies for the candy bowl, like Pocky and the various flavored Kit Kats they have in Japan. At first he insisted on more traditional treats, then he realized they might not keep well and opted for these. Plus, it’s for the kids.

He does keep things like konpeitō and wagashi for himself to snack on throughout the night. He’ll share, but the same rule applies as the jack-o-lanterns- only for the super polite kids.

One time Lupin made a bet with Goemon, and if he lost, he had to be a geisha for Halloween.

He lost.

He doesn’t like to talk about it.

Everyone else does, every single year, without fail.

Goemon has also become the de facto Guardian of the Punch Bowls. Lupin keeps them out for both the trick-or-treaters and the partygoers. One bowl for the kids, and an alcoholic one for the adults. The adult punch is clearly labeled. Now, you should never drink the punch at a party because you don’t know what’s in it, but Lupin is the exception in this regard. No funny business is happening with that punch bowl. And Goemon will make damn sure of that.

Nobody ever assigned him the position of Punch Bowl Guardian, he just picked it up himself. Before Halloween one year, Lupin was (rightfully) worried at first that someone would try to put something dangerous in it, and was about to opt out of having a communal punch bowl. Then, Goemon spoke up that he had it covered, and thus, he was made the Punch Bowl Guardian.

Nobody has ever tried to spike it with anything, and nobody ever will. Lupin gets to mingle instead of guarding the bowl, and Goemon gets to relax away from the crowd. Everybody wins.

🎃 Fujiko:

If you don’t think Fujiko hasn’t been a Playboy bunny at least once, you’re lying to yourself. She has also been a mouse, à la Mean Girls, and basically a sexy version of anything you can think of. Except for a cop. She wouldn’t stoop that low.

Occasionally, it wasn’t originally supposed to be a sexy version of the outfit/character. Lupin sometimes replaces the original with a raunchier outfit the night before, and waits to see if she notices.

She always does.

Sometimes she likes that version better and sticks with it, and if Lupin ever asks about it on Halloween, she denies it all. If she doesn’t like it, she knows that Lupin kept the original and will put it back before she wakes up on Halloween. They’ve been playing this game for years, and there’s never any malice behind it. It’s just their customary brand of Halloween trickery.

One time she planned to dress up as Lupin, purely to see if he’d replace his outfit with a risqué version the night before.

Of course he did, why would you expect anything less???

She laughed so hard at it that she tripped and fell, and he rushed in to see if she was okay and also to see if she was wearing it because he wanted a peek

She then made HIM wear it on Halloween, while she wore his regular clothes. He was cool with it, had a blast, got blasted on too many cups of adult punch, and then got a little too into the outfit, so Jigen had to bribe him to take it off at the end of night.

Her favorite costume that wasn’t ‘edited’ by Lupin is from the year she dressed up as Pops. She swiped it from his disguise collection, and hid it where he wouldn’t find it before he could notice it was gone. Her decoy costume was a bumblebee. She’s just as good at disguises as Lupin is, so when she showed up as Zenigata, Lupin nearly shit a brick.

Goemon will never let him forget it.

🎃 Zenigata:

Zenigata probably dresses up as an old-school detective or Sherlock Holmes, which isn’t really too different from his normal attire, but it makes him happy regardless.

He will not arrest Lupin on Halloween.

Zenigata knows about the parties, but turns a blind eye to them at this point, because it’s a fruitless endeavor trying to catch a master of disguise on Halloween. He has tried in the past, but only once. When Zenigata first discovered that Lupin threw these parties, he found out where Lupin was on Halloween and came to arrest him.

He walked up to the hideout and saw Lupin handing out candy to a pair of kids. He couldn’t go through with it, because wouldn’t you know it, their costumes were tiny versions of him and Lupin.

He immediately did a 180 and started to leave, since Lupin wasn’t technically breaking the law at the time, and he’s a sucker for kids. (He got a little misty-eyed at the sight of a tiny little girl drowning in a trenchcoat that looked just like his, with a pair of cheap plastic handcuffs in the pocket. He’d hate to show it in front of Lupin though.)

Lupin, of course, knew Zenigata was coming before he even arrived, grabbed his shoulder, and stopped him from walking away. The girls were too young to see past Lupin’s costume and had no idea that it was him, and they had assumed that Zenigata was also in costume. Zenigata told them it was really him, and, of course, they are THRILLED.

They ask him about his adventures with Lupin, and he tells them the G-rated versions of the stories. Lupin joins in, after leaving for a ‘bathroom break’ and coming back as himself. The two spend the night answering their questions, telling stories, and doing party tricks. Zenigata shows how quickly he can handcuff Lupin while blindfolded, and Lupin shows how he can dislocate his joints to get out/pick the lock.

When the girls’ parents show up, they see their kids sitting next to these two adults in the same ‘costumes.’ They seem to be good people, so the parents compliment their costumes and go home with their kids. The girls insist that the two men were the real Lupin and Pops, but the parents brush it off.

Every year since, Lupin leaves another jack-o-lantern with his face on it besides the one he leaves at the hideout once he’s gone. No matter where the party is, or how far it is from where Zenigata is staying, Pops always gets one too. Usually with a piece of candy next to it, and a calling card for his next, non-Halloween-themed heist.

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nightswithkookmin · 4 years ago

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Hello. Thank you for all your all post and analysis. I LOVE LOVE your mind. I'm new to BTS and all the skinship was confusing to me. I blame heavily edited YT videos and my own definition of what a committed relationship should look like. I have 2 small questions. 1) How can anyone resist Park Jimin? Once you Jimin you can't Jimout is real... 2) Do you see any of the other members being a temptation to JK or JM this far along in their relationship?

Woke is what you are. And you are right about most shippers making a big deal out of skinship. It can be confusing especially if you have no idea the difference between conventional shipping and alternative shipping.

Honestly, it's cute and I don't see anything wrong with that as long as that is not the basis for determining if two people are in fact LGBTQ plus and in a relationship with eachother.

Any member being a temptation? As in Jikook being attracted to any other member besides eachother?

I-

Sorry. That was a good one. Lol.

No but seriously, all the boys are handsome and attractive and have qualities that are equally legitimate and attractive. So I guess in that regard, any of them can be a temptation to Jikook?

I mean they are human...

But for anyone within the group to be deemed a threat or temptation to either of Jikook they must possess not just looks but qualities that are absent in either of Jikook that results in an emotional need that Jikook may want to look else where for the fulfillment of such said need because the other couldn't meet them.

They must be fulfilling a need that either of Jikook cannot and have not been fulfilling in each other.

I haven't seen Jimin or JK express the least sexual interest or romantic interest in any of member besides each other in that regard.

I've not seen them demand emotional fulfillment from the other members the way they demand emotional and physical fulfillment from each other either.

Whatever needs they have, they fulfill it for eachother and where the other person falls short I see them negotiating and bargaining until those needs are met.

What I mean is, Jimin wants JK to be the one to meet all his emotional, sexual needs and he often negotiates with JK till JK fulfills them. Jk does this too. Isn't that what I said had been going on between them? Jikook asserting themselves against each other?

Jk not wanting to hide their relationship, Jimin wanting the Kumbaya of the group, yadda yadda yadda?

They don't allow the others to fulfill their needs nor do they use others to fulfill their needs. Nor do I think the others can fulfill their needs. Especially when the others for the sake of the longevity of their careers would rather they hide their relationship when hiding is the last thing JK wants?

No one in the group is a temptation for JK. No one. LMHO.

They are eachother's romantic and sexual awakening as I've said several times and that I feel is sacred to them too- especially JK who is a hopeless romantic.

Jimin has said he wants the person he falls in love with to be the only one for the rest of his life- I think that's the bell that sold JK. Lol

Jimin has said his ideal partner is a cross between JK and RM- RM because of his intelligence and ability to have deeper conversations about a broader range of topics I believe.

But funny enough, RM is the one member JM has expressed the least romantic interest in. I mean did you see his face when RM bit off food and placed it back in its box? This is the same dude that ate a cake JK blew his nose on- nasty ass but only for JK. Bless him.

Then I've seen JK drool over Tae's body? I'm not talking about the new Jersey VLive where he was touching Tae's chest and biceps. No, no, no, no- this is worse.

Remember that wet photoshoot they did? Dude leggit yeeted JM out of the way so he could have a better view of Tae's wet back emerging from the pool with his wet shirt clinging to his chiseled back- if I remember correctly. It's in Taekook sexual tension edits find it.

Plus he also seem to have a fetish for RM's thighs? Chileeee. These boys are weird as fuck. Lmho.

While others may see all these and yell gay, cheater and other slurs born out of nothing but insecurity, I've been around boys enough to know it's typical of men.

We are being exposed to the intimate inner workings of male masculinity and masculine behaviors and interactions in a way most people just aren't privy to in their day to day encounters and that can be a bit confusing for most people.

Truth is men do admire each other's bodies a lot especially aspects of the male body they want to have in order to appear equally masculine and attractive.

Masculinity is the sum of traits that make men feel like a man- having a dick is not enough apparently. No shade to dicks. But men want to look a certain way, speak a certain way and appear a certain way.

JK is a man too, wants to be seen as a manly man as RM has said. So of course he is going to admire other features in other men.

But how are we going to joke about JK packing and bench pressing after Jimin admired another idol with hyperbolic masculine traits and then fail to see how Jin's broad shoulders, RM's thighs or Tae's biceps would be features JK would equally want to have too because those features are deemed attractive in typical masculine men? Something he wants to be seen as?

As a queer person I find men and this whole masculinity business exhausting. But as a girl, I admit we do it too. Big boobs, snatched waist, phat ass while being skinny- can't relate but I want it if it will get people off my back. Naa, just kidding. Y'all fat phobic bunch can kiss my ass.

Seriously though, imagine being told you are a lesbian and attracted to a girl simply because you find another's girl's nails as fab. To men that's what it is.

Women express their femininity through their looks, the hair, makeup, nails, bags, heels etc. Men do the same with their six packs, chiseled jaw, broad shoulders, Gucci belts and others too.

I think it's bizzare to associate a person's expressions of femininity or masculinity with their sexuality. It's really weird.

My point is, as strange as these things JK does may seem, they are also very typical behaviors of the Male species.

And so to me when JK is doing all that I'm not going damn he wants to jump Jin's bones, I'm thinking wow so that's a quality he wants to have too- good for Jin.

That's not to say when JK is clutching his groin region while watching JM dance that he wants to have lean muscles like Jimin too. Lol

Jikook admire eachother. But I find they admire eachother's work ethics, talents and skills rather than their expressions of masculinity. Jimin's masculinity is not exactly something JK admires or want to be nor does JM want to be JK or appear as masculine as JK.

Often if you find them checking eachother out it's because they want to jump eachother's bones. In my opinion. Bless them.

In the their earlier dynamics, before 2016, I find that was the phase they were exploring and experimenting with their sexuality in my opinion and so the lines looked a little blurry- for both of them: Jimin with his dark eyeliner, hypersexualized persona and come hither look. JK with his hyperactive alertness to judgement magnifying his inner inhibitions thus making him appear most times passive to others' sexualization of him *cough cough- if you know you know* which I feel he sometimes lowkey enjoyed and at times partook in or initiated- definition of Stock Holmes. Lmho.

Pre 2016 was wild. BTS back in the day were wild and dangerous- sneaky hormonal teenagers. Bless them. But they have since outgrown that phase and any substantive relationship post their teenage era has been formed and solidified.

Thus any sexual entanglement can and will have serious consequences on the groups dynamics so I honestly don't think they even let their minds wander there to be honest.

That being said, again they are human. But I really don't think or see them as attracted to anyone within the group besides eachother- not emotionally, not physically.

Jimin I believe is JK's ideal man and partner and I don't see anyone similar to him in any way that can be tempting for JK. There's only one Park Jimin.

Jk is equally Jimin's ideal type. I just think he thinks there's more room for improvement there and JK seems bent on doing whatever it takes to be that person for Jimin.

As for Park Jimin, we don sold our souls to an androgynous she devil. Not that I'm in a hurry to free myself. *Wink, wink.

Signed,

GOLDY

#ask response #ask about jikook #ask about kookmin #ask about bts ships #jikook #Kookmin #kookmin theories #jikook theories #jikook analysis #kookmin analysis #ask GOLDY #GOLDY #nightswithkookmin

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crowdedimagines · 5 years ago

Text

BFB - Harry Styles

best friends brother an// y’all don’t care but pretend holmes chapel has a big airport lol. 2.6k

“How long are we planning to keep this from her?” Harry asks, tracing his fingers lightly over my bare shoulder. I lean against him, pulling the covers a little higher as the air is cold on bare skin. It’s a question we’ve been struggling with the answer for a long time now.

“I don’t know. You know that Gemma would absolutely freak out if she found out about us.”

Harry and I have been dating for about eight months now. It’s been bliss, better than I could even imagine, other than one thing. We’ve been hiding it from his sister and my best friend. I’ve never kept anything from her before, nothing like this and it’s killing both Harry and I.

“She’s going to hate me.” I whisper, thinking of how angry I’m sure her reaction will be, “I can’t lose either of you.”

“Gem could never hate you, you’re her best friend.” Harry presses a kiss to my temple, “You won’t lose me ever.”

Gemma and I met a few years ago and became fast friends. We bonded over similar personalities and being in need of a loyal friend. She brought me to meet her family one random weekend because her brother was finally home. The whole drive there she talked about how friends in the past have tried to hit on him, or they only get close to her with the prospect of meeting Harry Styles. She made me promise to stay away.

I reassured her over and over that I wasn’t interested in the man that I had never met, I mean sure I would have to live under a rock to have not heard of him. We met that same day for dinner. Both Harry and Anne excited to meet the best friend Gemma was always hanging out with.

I was never expecting to make such a connection to Harry. I wish more than anything that I didn’t know how she felt about Harry because I would’ve asked for his number that night. She caught on to us right away.

After eating we all settled in the living room to continue talking. I should’ve known that getting along with Gemma so well it would apply to the whole family as well. Anne is a sweetheart, making me already feel so welcome in her home.

“I see what the two of you are doing.” Gemma states as soon as Anne goes back into the kitchen.

“What?” I ask turning away from Harry who had been talking.

“Harry, you’re flirting with her, you’ve been eyeing her up since she walked in the door!!”

I grow quiet, unsure of what I could even say to that.

“Gem-” Harry starts.

“I don’t care. Y/n is my friend, you’re not ruining this for me. You two aren’t happening.” Gemma sits a little straighter.

“Sure, the two of you could maybe date a few times, fuck, whatever, but at the end of the day, I still want my best friend. I don’t want to have to separate you after Harry doesn’t call or Y/n doesn’t like the fame. It’s never gonna happen.” Gemma finishes right as Anne comes back with a plate of treats. We all drop the subject and put on smiles, not wanting Anne so suspect anything. Harry and I are silent, still digesting what Gemma just dropped on us.

After that day I shut down even the idea of being with Harry for two years. It didn’t matter that I had never felt that connection with anyone before, Gemma was my best friend. At least it didn’t matter until my job relocated me to Los Angeles.

It was a hard decision to move, but it was a promotion after all so I made the decision to return to the states. Gemma helped me pack up all my things, then I flew across the world for Harry to help me unpack. He was glad to have another friend in Los Angeles. He’s taken up residence in Malibu while working on a new album.

We hung out more and more, Harry happy to have a reason to get out of the studio for a little while and I was just happy to have someone to hang out with that I didn’t work with.

One day however it changed, I drove out to his house for a movie night and one thing led to another. We didn’t let our shared person hold us back for once, and once we did it was impossible to go back to being just friends, but we didn’t want to.

After that we started dating, sneaking and hiding from paparazzi, hiding more importantly from Gemma. We were our own little secret. Harry’s band were the only ones privy to the information. It was hard for them to not figure it out anyway once Harry came in the next day, happier than they had ever seen him. He finished his album and released it, now he finally has some time off before tour starts next year.

“Alright, so you’re coming home for Christmas?” Gemma asks, cheering into the phone.

“Yeah, I’ll be coming home for Christmas.”

Harry looks up and smiles, he loves the fact that I’ll be flying back with him and spending the holiday with his family.

“Thank god, I haven’t seen you in so long! I need my best friend. Do you at least love it there? Otherwise you can totally move back.”

“I miss you too, and yes I love it here. You might have to just move out here instead. I’m out here, your brother’s out here. If you did then we could definitely convince Anne do make the move too.”

Harry smiles once again, I can tell he’s not focused on the book in his hands, rather he’s focused on my conversation.

“I don’t know, I don’t think I’m much of a L.A girl. Do you ever see Harry?”

Her question catches me off guard, Harry too when his head snaps up to look at me.

“From time to time.” I answer.

“Well if you see him before you’re back for Christmas, tell him I say hi.” She laughs.

“I will. We actually booked the same flight so we’ll be flying in together.”

I swallow, hoping that she’s not picked up on anything.

“That’s lovely! It’s a long flight, plus that means only one trip to the airport.”

“Yep, it’ll be good.” I smile, “I’ll see you in a few days, love you.”

“Love ya!”

I hang up the phone and let out a sigh. I throw my back down against the mattress, successfully knocking into Harry’s legs.

“This is killing me.” I groan.

“Only a few more days and then we can tell her.” Harry reminds.

“I know I know, I’m just so nervous. I have a bad feeling.”

“At least we know that my mum will have a good reaction!” Harry crawls down to the end of the bed.

“Yeah?” I turn to face him.

“I’m sure she’ll be thrilled. She’s loved you almost as long as I have.”

“Shut up.” I roll my eyes, I pull lightly on his shoulder so he falls on top of me, “You’re so cheesy.”

“Don’t act like that’s not one of your favorite things about me.”

Only a few days later we pack up a suitcase and board a plane to go all the way to Holmes Chapel. By the time we land, it’s technically Christmas Eve.

“Ahh!” Gemma screams, running towards us as we leave our gate.

She rushes forward to pull us each in for a hug.

“You’re both here!” She smiles.

We walk to Gemma’s car, it’s a short drive to Anne’s house. Harry takes the backseat and lets me sit in front with Gem.

“Y/n, you’re glowing!” Gemma grins and looks between me and the road, “California is treating you right?”

“Yeah, I absolutely love it. I wasn’t so sure at the start, but now I don’t think I’ve ever been happier.”

“Meet any cute boys yet?” She asks.

Harry starts profusely coughing, causing everyone’s attention to go to him.

“Jesus, do you need some water?” Gemma asks.

“Nope, I’m okay. I just had a catch in my throat.”

“Before Harry almost started dying I asked you a question.” Gemma sings the tease, reminding me of her question.

“Yeah, there’s been one guy.”

“One guy?” Gemma cheers, “Give me all of the details.”

“Let’s do it later.” I look out my window and avoid anymore questions for the rest of the ride.

We pull into the driveway and Anne comes out before we even get the chance to grab our luggage.

“Merry Christmas!” She pulls Harry into a hug first. I smile at the interaction.

“Y/n!” Anne says with glee. She pulls me in for a big hug and it makes both of the siblings roll their eyes.

“She’s always been the favorite.” Harry mutters with a laugh.

“Mhm.” Gemma agrees.

Anne pulls away after a while and we all make our way into the house.

“I set up the guest room for you, Y/n.” Anne explains.

“Thank you.”

We all stay up in the living room talking for a while, Anne eventually calls is quits and goes to bed.

“Gem, I need to talk to you.”

“Ooh, is it about your mystery boy?” She grins, setting down her tea. She turns to look at Harry and I on the couch from her spot on the chair.

“Uhh, yeah.”

I look back to Harry for reassurance, he gives me a nod.

“Gem, first and foremost, I love you.”

“Yeah, I love you too.” Her brows furrow, “What’s going on?”

“Harry and I are dating.” I blurt.

She doesn’t even flinch, the room fills with silence. She stares at me, completely unwavering. It’s like she’s waiting for a just kidding or one of us to say ‘gotcha’. It never comes though, I turn to see Harry looks just as concerned as I do.

“For how long?” Her voice is a whisper.

“Eight months.” Harry answers.

“I trusted both of you.” She tries not to whimper.

“We’re both sorry Gemma. We didn’t mean for it to happen.” Harry explains.

Tears fill Gemma’s eyes while she looks between the two of us before she settles on me.

“Everyone has always loved him more. You were the one person that was mine, you were my person. You let him steal you away.”

“No, that’s not what’s happening-”

“Isn’t it though? I can’t believe I thought you were my friend.” She scoffs.

“I’m still your friend!” I cry out.

“Gemma!” Harry scolds.

“No you’re not. You’re his now.”

“Gemma, please.” I sigh, she quickly gets up and starts stomping towards the stairs.

“What? So you don’t love him?” She stops in her tracks to look at me. I come up with no words, I can’t lie about this, “That’s what I thought.”

“Please, Gem, wait!”

“Gemma, come on.” Harry suddenly speaks out

“No, Harry. You’re an ass! You couldn’t let me have one thing? You get everything you want, you always have. Y/n was the one thing.” She yells. I can only hope that Anne is completely out of it.

“Do you want us to break up?” I shout, “Is that what would make you happy, to have both of us miserable? You’re being selfish! You’re supposed to be my best friend and you’re using me like I’m some trading card. I’m a person, I’m not a way for you to one up your brother.”

“Wow, so I’m the bad friend? You’re the one who broke her promise.”

“A promise from over two years ago. A stupid promise.” Harry reminds.

Gemma rolls her eyes and continues up the stairs.

“Cheers, I hope you both are very happy together.” Her words dripping with sarcasm.

We both hear her door shut and neither of us follow her. I turn around in Harry’s arms, he rubs slowly up and down my back as the sobs start.

“I told you so.” I laugh bitterly, tears still falling.

“I’m sorry, love.” He presses a kiss to my forehead.

Harry and I stay like that for a while until the exhaustion hits. I go up to my room and change into pajamas. Harry goes to take a shower before he’ll be back. In the past few months we’ve spent very few nights away from each other. Harry decided he’s going to sneak in.

I tuck myself in, turning out the lights. The bed is big and comfy, but I’m staying up until Harry comes in.

“Come in.” I answer the knock at my door. Why is Harry knocking?

The door opens and I can see with the hall light that it’s most definitely not Harry.

“Gem?” I sit up.

“Can we talk?” She asks.

I nod and pat the spot next to me for her to lay down. She wordlessy walks over and slides in the covers next to me. We both lay on our backs and stare at the ceiling.

“I’m sorry I’m selfish with you.” She states.

“I’m sorry I hid this from you.” I reply.

Without a word she reaches to connect our hands.

“I really do want you to be happy, and if it has to be with him than so be it.”

“Thank you.” I smile.

The door opens again and this time is actually is Harry.

“Oh, hey.” Harry notices Gemma is in here too, “Are you guys talking? I can just go.”

I look to Gemma and raise my brows and she rolls her eyes.

“You can stay.” Gemma says, catching him before he walks out.

Harry smiles and walks back in, climbing into bed on my other side. Thankfully it’s a big bed, we all three fit easily. I roll my eyes, having a jealous Styles on each side of me.

“You know you’re lucky, right?” Gemma sits up to look at him. “You can’t screw this one up.”

“I know, Gem.” Harry smiles.

We all fall into a comfortable silence, we’re all just thinking.

“This is actually going to be really amazing!” Gemma cheers, completely changing her attitude from an hour ago.

“How so?” Harry asks.

“Now she can actually be a part of the family! Y/n, you’re going to be my sister!”

“I thought I already was your sister.” I question.

“You are, but once you both get married, you’ll actually be my sister.”

“Woah, Gem.” Harry laughs.

“I think you’re moving faster than we are.” I tease.

“Whatever, I know both of you. I give it a year before you’re engaged.”

I roll my eyes, but I can’t help but get excited at the prospect of it. I’ve known Harry for years, and I’ve never felt a love like this. I know that if he asked me tomorrow even, I would say yes.

“We’re telling mum about us tomorrow.” Harry informs.

“Please let me be there. This is going to be her favorite Christmas present.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s been dying for you to be a permanent part of our family for a while now. Plus, she always wanted a second daughter.”

I turn to look at Harry and he nods agreeing with her. His eyes are closed with a smile on his face. I reaches out to put his arm around me, pulling me a little closer to his side of the bed. I let out a loud yawn, it’s been a long day.

“So, are we having a sleepover?” I ask.

Both of the Styles children chime in with yes, making me grin. I didn’t know if it would work out, but now I have them both. Best friend and boyfriend and the best family I could have ever been thrown into.

#harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #Harry Styles #gemma styles

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spine-buster · 4 years ago

Text

The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for all the love. Black Lives Matter. I stand with those who are actively dismantling racist attitudes, behaviours, and systems, and want to remind you that you are always welcome on my blog.

October 31st, 2019

Aberdeen Bloom was dressing up.

Her hair, long and wavy and a bit frizzy on its own (thanks dad) was now teased, crimped, and made purposely frizzy. She outfitted herself in a blazer embroidered with poppies, leaves, and other floral insignia, a pair of 1970s style black pants, and a ridiculously ruffled shirt. She looked over at Kasha, whose own hair was curled and crimped then teased, a pair of skin tight light wash jeans, a plain tank top, and a Japanese cherry blossom-printed kimono-style cardigan left loose but tied around her waist.

They were Jimmy Page and Robert Plant of Led Zeppelin. And they were going to the Leafs’ Halloween party willingly dressed like this.

The purchase of the exact replica blazer embroidered with the poppies was probably one of the most ludicrous purchases Aberdeen had made in her life, but she now had a Halloween costume for life. It wasn’t exactly her parents’ proudest moment, but they made explicitly clear growing up that any money she made was her money and she was free to do with it whatever she wanted. Did that mean buy an exact replica Jimmy Page blazer? Probably not. But Aberdeen didn’t hear it that way. All she had to do for the rest of her life was find a friend or partner (or three friends or partners) to be the rest of the band. That proved harder than she thought.

“I can’t believe you’re bringing me to a party with the Toronto Maple Leafs,” Kasha said as she layered some mascara onto her lashes in front of the full-length mirror in her room.

“I can’t believe you agreed,” Aberdeen said, applying her own mascara as she sat on the floor in front of the same mirror.

“Hey, I only agreed for an hour,” Kasha reminded her. “Then Evan’s picking me up and we’re going to his friend’s house party.”

Aberdeen didn’t want to think about the fact that Kasha would have to leave her alone with the Leafs after only an hour. She should be thankful that Kasha was coming in the first place. “What does Evan think of your costume?”

Kasha chuckled slightly. “He dressed up as John Bonham. Fake moustache and everything.”

Aberdeen swooned. “That boy is in love with you,” she said. Kasha stayed silent. “But why doesn’t anybody ever want to be John Paul Jones?”

“Oh, one of his friends is being John Paul Jones.”

Aberdeen almost poked her eye out with her mascara wand. “Okay, can I come to your party instead? You guys obviously need a guitarist.”

“Um, no. It’s not every day that someone gets invited to a Leafs party,” Kasha said, a devilish look on her face. “Besides, I bet Will is looking forward to seeing you.”

Now Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “Stop.”

“No way. Do you know what he’s dressing up as?”

“No idea.”

“Maybe he’ll dress up as John Paul Jones. He’s definitely got the hair for it.”

Aberdeen laughed. “I don’t think he even knows who Led Zeppelin is.”

“I barely know who Led Zeppelin is,” Kasha quipped, making Aberdeen laugh. “The only reason I know is because of you and your dad.”

“And thank God for that.”

***

“Aberdeen! You made it!” Travis Dermott greeted her at the door dressed up in a unicorn onesie. He didn’t move to hug her but he gave her a very obvious up-down to take in her costume. “Are you supposed to be the seventies?” he asked.

“Jimmy Page,” she pointed at herself, then moved to point to Kasha, “and Robert Plant. From Led Zeppelin.”

“Well, rock on baby,” he smiled. “And this is…?”

“This is Kasha, my roommate. Kasha, this is Travis Dermott.”

He led them further inside the venue, The Burroughes, before introducing them to his girlfriend, Kat, dressed in a matching unicorn onesie. Zach Hyman came up to them as well, introducing his wife Alannah. They were dressed up as characters from Stranger Things, which Kasha got a kick out of. Morgan and Bee came to say hi too – Bee was dressed up like Bruce Springsteen, and Morgan as Courtney Cox from the ‘Dancing in the Dark’ music video. Aberdeen got a kick out of that.

“Where’s Jason?” she asked Morgan as he led them to the bar, looking around for him. He was the one who invited her to be here, after all. She thought he’d be running up to her to say hello.

“Jason’s trick-or-treating with his kids. Where else would he be?”

Her face dropped. That little bastard. He invited her to the Halloween party and then didn’t even bother to show up. She thought for sure he’d take delight in watching her squirm the whole night and interact awkwardly with the team. “Oh, that’s nice. He was the one who invited me.”

Morgan smiled. “He was the messenger,” he said, almost underneath his breath. She saw Bee try to discreetly elbow him.

“What does that mean?”

“What are you ladies having to drink?” Bee asked, changing the subject completely. “Everything’s on the house.”

Aberdeen ordered a gin and tonic while Kasha ordered a Tom Collins. A few more of the guys and their girlfriends came up to say hi, confused by their costumes until she explained them. Their costumes were much cuter, much more couple-y, like Alex Kerfoot and his girlfriend, who dressed up as Curious George and The Man in the Yellow Hat, or Mitch Marner and his girlfriend Steph, who dressed up as Fred and Daphne from Scooby Doo. Even Nic Petan and Frederick Gauthier dressed up as Holmes and Watson. Bee soon started chatting up with Kasha, which left Aberdeen sipping on her drink and vulnerable to Auston Matthews seeing her approaching her.

“I must say, I think you’re the only person in the world who would get invited to the Leafs’ Halloween party and not dress up in something provocative,” Auston said, a drink already in his hand.

She knew Auston was Auston, but she still rolled her eyes. “I work with you people. We have to see each other tomorrow.”

“And you’re not trying to impress anybody?”

“No!” It was the most ridiculous notion in the world. Most of them were married or in long-term relationships. Plus, she was an employee. Did he not read the MLSE Employee Handbook? “In case you forgot I work for Brendan Shanahan. You know, the president?”

“Whatever,” he rolled his eyes playfully at her. “What are you supposed to be, anyway?”

“I’m Jimmy Page,” she said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. It should have been, since he was dressed up as Freddie Mercury. She assumed he would know his rock stars if he dressed up like Freddie Mercury.

“Who’s that?”

“Led Zep—you know what, never mind,” she shook her head, trying not to laugh. “Maybe I should have dressed up like Justin Bieber. Then you’d know.”

“Is there something going on between you and Willy?” he asked suddenly.

Aberdeen practically spit out her drink. Was he already drunk? “No,” she said firmly. “Why would you think that?”

“I don’t know,” Auston shrugged his shoulders. “He’s always just kinda looking at you. And when Kappy hit you in the face with the soccer ball…he was so red afterwards from being so angry I thought he was gonna murder Kappy.”

Aberdeen got defensive. She couldn’t help it. “Well, there’s nothing going on. I don’t know why you would even think that.”

“I think he’s got the hots for you,” he tried to provoke her.

“Oh, shut it, Auston,” she said. “You’re just trying to get a rise out of me. I’m just trying to do my job here. What Willy does or does not feel is none of my business.”

As if on cue, William appeared behind Auston, dressed as Batman. So stereotypical. She wondered who was his Robin. For a brief second, she wondered if he brought a girl. “What’s none of your business?” he asked, throwing an arm around Auston but looking directly at her.

“What Kyle Dubas’s coffee order is,” Aberdeen thought on her feet, answering quickly. “He’s got Peter for that. Although I think he’s partial to a latte.”

She could see William giving her an up-down and briefly got self-conscious. “Are you a rock star or something?”

“Jimmy Page.”

“Who’s that?”

Aberdeen rolled her eyes as Auston laughed out loud, turning to walk away to find someone better to talk to. She felt a rush of blood flood her cheeks as William continued to look at her. Kasha was still talking with Bee, and she wished to God either one of them would pull her into their conversation. But they didn’t. So she was stuck with William. “Who’s your Robin?”

“Would have liked it to be you, but it’s Rasmus,” he said. It made her head spin. “Who’s your…I don’t know, partner?”

“Kasha, my roommate,” she pointed quickly to her. “She’s Robert Plant. The lead singer.”

“You got my texts that day, right?” he asked, changing the subject quickly like Auston had.

She gulped. “Yeah.”

“Why didn’t you text me back?”

“Did I have to?” she asked.

William shrugged his shoulders. “Would have been nice.”

“How’d you even get my number?” she asked.

He smiled. “Don’t worry about it.” He looked down at her drink. “Cucumber mule?”

“Gin and tonic.”

“Ah, that’s right,” he smiled. “You’re more of a gin girl, right minskatt?”

Her heart fluttered in her chest at those words. My treasure. My treasure. She’d told Kasha about it and Kasha almost teared up. “Don’t call me that.”

“Don’t call you that?”

“At least not here. Not in front of everybody.”

“So I can call you that when we’re alone?” he countered.

He was really dead set on making her heart fluttered out of her chest. “When are we ever alone?” she asked, looking around the room at the team that surrounded them.

“We can find time,” he said. “At least I will.”

“Aberdeeeeeeeeen!” she finally heard Kasha’s voice call out her name, tugging on the elbow of her blazer. “Aberdeen, you have to see how cute Bee’s cat Bruce is! Oh my God, he and Minerva can be best friends!” When Kasha noticed Aberdeen wasn’t moving, too busy staring at William still, she looked at him. He looked just as she remembered him from that night in June. Blonde hair, blue eyes. A total dreamboat. A total hottie. What she should have done is pat Aberdeen on the back for landing him. “Hi, I’m Kasha,” she extended her hand to shake his. “I’m Aberdeen’s roommate and best friend.”

“Nice to meet you Kasha,” he shook her hand, taking his eyes off Aberdeen momentarily. “So, roommates, huh?”

“Mhm,” Kasha looked at him knowingly.

“Here’s Bruce!” Bee intervened, bringing her phone up to Aberdeen’s face. “Kasha tells me you have a grey ragdoll? That is adorable.”

***

Kasha was too good a girl to break her promise to Evan, so over an hour into the party, she told Aberdeen he was here and she had to leave. They had spent the first half of their time talking to William, who wouldn’t leave Aberdeen’s side, and the second half talking to Bee, Aryne, and Alannah. But even when it was just the girls laughing and giggling, ordering drink after drink, whenever Aberdeen’s eyes left any of the women’s, she found William somewhere in the room staring at her.

As Kasha hugged Aberdeen goodbye, Kasha held her in place to whisper in her ear. “Okay, but listen. He’s so sweet. And he said he wants you, Aberdeen.” When she pulled away, her eyes flashed and she nodded slightly, signalling that William was probably coming back.

“Kasha, don’t leave.”

“Evan’s waiting.”

“Kasha, if he’s coming, please don’t leave.”

“Leaving so soon?” Aberdeen heard William’s voice asked as he saw the two girls hugging.

“My boyfriend is here to pick me up. I’m going to another party,” she informed him.

“Boyfriend? Auston’s gonna be heartbroken,” he smiled as he hugged her goodbye.

“Tell Auston there’s no way he’s getting near her,” Aberdeen said immediately, skeeving at the thought of Auston hooking up with Kasha. Kasha would never, but still. There was only one fuck up that was going to hook up with a Maple Leaf, and that was Aberdeen.

“I’m sure I’ll be seeing you sometime soon,” William said to Kasha as they let go of their hug. Kasha raised her eyebrows at Aberdeen when she heard William’s words before turning on her heels and walking through the door.

When Aberdeen turned around, she saw Kasperi and his girlfriend Saylor, dressed as what looked like the twins from The Shining, approaching her and William. For a guy who apparently wanted alone time with her, tonight or otherwise, it looked like William wasn’t going to get it. “You must be Aberdeen,” Saylor said, smiling at her. “I’m Saylor.”

“It’s nice to meet you,” Aberdeen shook her hand politely, but smiled awkwardly.

Saylor grabbed her hand, leading her towards the bar. “We have so much to talk about.”

“We do?”

“Did you know my boyfriend and Will used to be roommates? Oh my God, it was a disaster.”

Saylor liked to talk. Aberdeen didn’t know whether to chalk it up to the fact that she was a bit drunk or that she just had a lot of information and gossip to tell, but she did about 95% of the talking throughout their “conversation”. Aberdeen would nod her head and laugh along at the stories Saylor would tell, but at the end of the day, they were just stories Kasperi told her of when he and Will lived together when they were like, nineteen. She wasn’t around then, and so these were just second-hand accounts.

It was 12:30 in the morning before Saylor stopped talking, and Aberdeen was finally able to realize she was tired and wanted to go home. Everybody was quick to take the group picture, and when they finished, she began saying goodbye to everybody. John and Aryne first, then Morgan and Bee, and then she saw that William was watching her give goodbye hugs and waves.

He made a beeline towards her, like if he didn’t get to her quick enough, she would disappear into thin air. “Are you leaving?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m exhausted. Listening to Saylor took a lot out of me.”

“Can I walk you home?” William asked, his tone hinting on the side of desperate.

“Unnecessary.”

“Why not?”

“It’s only a twenty minute walk away,” Aberdeen explained.

“Are you joking? All the more reason,” he defied her.

“Will.”

“It’s late at night, it’s dark, and there are drunk people everywhere from Halloween parties—”

“—William—”

“—Who knows if one of them will scare you or throw up on you or God knows what on the way home…I wouldn’t feel right knowing you’re out there walking alone and—”

“If I say yes will you shut up?”

William smiled. Aberdeen rolled her eyes. “Let’s go.”

They left the The Burroughes rather inconspicuously, beginning their walk along Queen Street. If it was any other night, of course, they would have looked ridiculous – Robert Plant and Batman walking along the street together – but tonight nobody even gave them a second look. William kept looking over at her, though. The only pair of eyes on her.

“So, you and Kasperi used to live together?” she asked, trying not to feel awkward with his eyes on her as they walked down the street.

“Yeah,” William nodded his head. “He’s actually one of my best friends because of it.”

“Does he know?”

“No,” he answered automatically, shaking his head. “The only person that knows is my brother. I told you I wouldn’t tell anybody on the team. I don’t break my promises.” He was so soft spoken that Aberdeen felt bad for insinuating she wanted him to shut up not even five minutes ago. “Do any of your friends know?”

“Well, Kasha knows. She is my roommate,” she said, suddenly nervous. “And I told my sister Siena.”

“Are you guys close?” he asked.

Aberdeen nodded. “Kasha’s one of my best friends but Siena is my sister and my best friend. She’s the person I’m closest with in the whole world,” Aberdeen explained. “I know I can tell her anything. And I mean anything.”

“Sounds like me and my brother,” William smiled slightly. “He’s the person I trust most in the world.”

“Yeah. That’s Siena for me too.”

There was a moment of silence between them before William spoke up again. “I mean what I say, you know. I’m not going to tell a soul.”

“I believe you, Will,” she said, well, because she did. When she really thought about it, he gave her no reason to think otherwise. If he wanted to be vindictive, he would have told the entire team already, maybe even spoke to Brendan about it. But he didn’t.

“Why do you call me Will?” he asked.

“That’s how you introduced yourself to me,” she said.

“But you hear everyone else calls me Willy.”

“So? You introduced yourself to me as Will.”

He smiled at her again. “I like it. I like it a lot.”

She blushed again. She wished they had taken the streetcar because she didn’t want keep blushing in front of him because of his cute, stupid, adorable, dumb one-liners that made her swoon and his cute, stupid, adorable, dumb smile that made her swoon even harder. “So your brother. What does he do?” she asked.

“He plays hockey too.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah,” he giggled. He thought she would have googled him by now. “He plays for Chicago.”

“That’s pretty cool. And then? I remember Kasperi mentioning in Newfoundland there’s three others or something?”

“There’s three girls after us,” he explained, loving that she remembered that from all the way back in September. “And my older half-sister before me. So it’s Michelle, me, Alex, Jacqueline, Stephanie, and Daniella.”

“Oh my God, there’s six of you?” she asked. William nodded. “God bless your parents,” she said, causing him to giggle again.

There was another moment of silence. Aberdeen didn’t know if it was her or William that had slowed down the walking pace, but she noticed. She wasn’t going as fast as she usually did. God, it was probably him. He clearly wanted to spend time with her. He left his entire team to walk her home (in a Batman costume) and now he wanted to elongate the experience as much as possible, regardless of how ridiculous they looked. He wanted to spend time with her. He found time and got her alone, like he said he would.

“Has Ethan done anything else I should yell at him for?” William suddenly asked, taking Aberdeen away from her thoughts.

“No no, don’t worry about it,” she said, shaking her head. He’d made some comments here and there, but again, she wasn’t going to let William know about it. The most annoying was that he kept referring to her as Girl Friday instead of her name.

“I told Mike about it, thinking that he’d say something to Brendan,” he explained. “He decided not to. But I can go to him if you want.”

“It’s fine Will, don’t worry,” she continued to shake her head. The absolute last thing she wanted to do was cause a ruckus with an established member of staff. “I know I’m like, the rookie around the office, and he’s just trying to test me. I get it.”

“That doesn’t make it right,” Will said strongly. “He still shouldn’t be doing that. Rookie or not.”

Aberdeen bit her lip. Clearly Will had a protective side that she hadn’t seen yet, and was only getting a small glimpse of now. “Did you get hazed when you joined the team?” she asked.

“If you count paying for an entire team’s meals and bar tab, then yeah. But that’s the extent of it nowadays. Harmless stuff,” he said. “Anything worse is just bullshit. Plus the media would pick up on it and it would become a shitshow.”

“Brendan tells me the media in Toronto is ridiculous,” she said.

“They are.”

He didn’t say anything else. Clearly, he didn’t want to talk about it. Maybe something had happened to him in the past and that’s why he didn’t like them. She didn’t really read about what they said about the team – she left that to Brendan. When she got home from work, she didn’t really want to think about work. She never googled articles about the team or anything like that. She wanted to keep that portion of her life separate from the one she lived outside of work.

She changed the subject, bringing it back to hockey and playing with Alex as they continued their walk home. He was much more upbeat talking about his close relationships with his siblings, particularly Alex. The endearing smile on his face couldn’t be missed – he clearly loved his family. When she spoke about Siena and Camden, there was a similar endearing smile on her face, too – one that William wished would never fade. He heard about the shenanigans she and Siena would get into as young kids, and she even recounted the day she went to the hospital to see Camden for the first time. She and Siena had to end up sharing a room so the baby could get his own.

Sometimes, their hands would brush against each other’s, and William would feel a jolt of electricity surging through his body.

They stopped outside her condo building. His smile was still on his face, as was hers. Their walk was nice. Their talk was really nice. Aberdeen held her breath. She didn’t expect to enjoy it so much. She looked him in the eye, and suddenly, her word vomit got the best of her. “You don’t regret that night, do you?” she asked before she even thought about what she was saying, or its implications.

“God no,” William said in less than a millisecond. The notion was absurd to him. “No. Never. Why would you even ask that, minskatt?”

She couldn’t think for a moment because he said that name. Again. “I don’t know…I just…”

He purposely reached forward slightly to brush his fingers against hers, like he was going to hold her hand. He could hear the breath hitch in her throat. “Don’t ever think that again,” he told her.

Aberdeen didn’t say anything. She couldn’t say anything. All she could do was look into his eyes. She was doing that a lot lately, apparently.

Then he moved closer.

And closer.

And looked down at her lips.

And licked his.

And then he leaned forward.

“Will…” she whispered, moving back slightly. He looked her in the eye. “We can’t, Will.”

He bit his lip, sighing. “I’m sorry. I know. Fuck, I’m sorry.”

“It’s alright.”

“You just…I can’t help myself sometimes when I’m around you,” he confessed.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Exactly what you think it means,” he said, cocking his head to the side.

Aberdeen could only handle so much of William making her heart flutter in one night. She felt like she was going to develop heart palpitations if she stayed any longer. “I’m gonna go upstairs.”

“Aberdeen…” he said longingly.

“Goodnight,” she said, turning away from him.

“Aberdeeeeeeen…”

“Goodnight Willy,” she said as she looked at him over her shoulder, walking into her condo building.

William stood outside, watching until she disappeared down the hallway towards the elevators. He brought his fingers up to his lips, rubbing them gently as he chuckled to himself, turning on his heels as he walked down the street.

#william nylander #william nylander imagine #william nylander fic #william nylander fan fic #toronto maple leafs #toronto maple leafs imagine #toronto maple leafs fic #toronto maple leafs fan fic #nhl #nhl imagine #nhl fic #nhl fan fic #hockey #hockey imagine #hockey fic #hockey fan fic #the president wears prada series

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skygirl5 · 4 years ago

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12 Prompts of Christmas - #10 Santa

TEN - Santa

Standing on the New York City sidewalks wearing jeans and an oversized red Santa coat, Richard Castle gathered together the group of pre-teens trailing behind him and lined them up against the side of the building to address them. They were all festively dressed in some way: one girl had a headband that also mimicked elf ears, another had a hair clip fashioned out of a Christmas wrap bow, and a third wore a festive sweater beneath her purple coat. Rick’s own child was fully decked out with a green ribbon in her hair, Christmas tree shaped earrings, and bells tied onto her shoes with red ribbons.

Smiling down at them, he asked, “Okay ladies, are we ready?”

“Yeah!” they chorused back to him.

“Great. Then we’re all ready to go but remember: stay close to me while we’re inside. You wouldn’t want someone to accidentally think you’re a police officer,” he told them with a dramatic wink.

“Dad,” his daughter, Alexis, groaned.

Rick held up a finger signaling for her to hold on a moment. Then, he donned his red Santa hat and from his pocket he pulled out a white fake beard which he hooked on using loops that went over his ears. Once it was in place, he reminded her, “Not Dad—Santa.”

Now fully outfitted, Rick led the parade of kids into the police station, proud he was getting to spend his afternoon not only helping the hard-working members of the NYPD, but also teaching impressionable young girls an important lesson about giving back and being kind.

Inside the police station Rick walked up to the welcome desk and pleasantly said, “Good afternoon.”

The cop at the desk eyed him a bit suspiciously and asked, “Can I help you, sir?”

“Yes, I called ahead. Richard Castle. The elves and I are here to deliver Christmas cards to the brave officers of the NYPD,” he said, stepping aside and gesturing towards the four girls clustered around him, who each held a shopping bag filled with goodies.

Now smiling, the female officer nodded and reached for the telephone on her desk. “Ah, right. Hold on, I’ll call an escort for you.”

“Thank you very much.”

The group waited patiently for about five minutes before a woman dressed in a black business suit approached them and asked, “Hi, I’m Denise from PR; are you from Spenser Academy?”

“That’s us!” one of the girls exclaimed.

The woman smiled at her, then addressed the group as a whole, “Well on behalf of the NYPD I’d like to thank you for your generous gifts. What have you brought us today?”

“We have about three dozen holiday cards and some handmade ornaments and decorations to hang up if that’s okay,” Rick said to Denise.

“Absolutely! We appreciate everything you’re willing to give to us. Let’s go to the third floor, okay? they haven’t had any Christmas visitors yet.”

“Have you had many other schools visit this year?” Rick asked as they shuffled their way towards the elevator. He knew there were several other groups from Alexis’s grade as well as the one above hers participating in the holiday cheer project, though some were donating décor and cards to fire stations and hospitals as well as the NYPD. He also believed other private schools in the city were participating in similar projects.

“Just one other one here so far, but I’ve had several others at other precincts.”

“That’s nice. It’s such an important time of year to give back.”

“I agree. You’re a teacher at the school?”

Rick checked and put his hand on Alexis’s shoulder. “No, no—parent volunteer. This is my daughter, Alexis.”

“Hi,” the young redhead said demurely.

Denise smiled down at her. “Hello. Well, we do appreciate your time.”

Rick nodded in appreciation. He had always enjoyed volunteering at Alexis’s school and never really thought of it as a chore or even an obligation. As someone who loved children, he found it a joy. Plus, as his career enabled him to be both a full-time writer and a full-time stay-at-home Dad, he always felt a duty to volunteer for what he could because he knew that many of Alexis’s classmates had two working parents, and it was not always possible for them to chaperone field trips or organize bake sales like he could.

When the elevator’s doors opened again and Denise led the way out into the hall, Rick asked her, “What department is this?”

“The homicide division.”

“Ah,” Rick said hesitantly. While he wouldn’t have minded poking around that floor, he wasn’t sure it was entirely appropriate for ten- and eleven-year-old girls. Nevertheless, their visit was not intended to be a long one, so he stepped forward and turned so he could address his group. “Well, okay ladies, here we go. How about…Paige and Hannah hand out the cards while Alexis, Ryder, and I hang up some decorations, okay?”

Their girls swapped their shopping bags around to match up with Rick’s duty assignments and then the two with the holiday cards scampered off. Meanwhile, Denise directed Rick and the remaining two girls to a room centrally located on the floor. “You can hang your decorations here in the break room.”

“Perfect. Thank you,” Rick said to her and led the way inside the room. It was empty save for an officer talking on a cell phone, who walked out the opposite door when they entered. Rick led the girls over to one of the tables in the room and they opened up their shopping bags and began to unload the decorations. From the bag he carried, Rick pulled out a few rolls of tape. He handed one to Ryder and told her to hang up the snowflake decorations they had on the break room windows. Then, he turned to his daughter and asked, “Do you want to hang up the snowmen?”

She nodded. “Yeah, let’s put some on the cabinets,” she said, pointing towards the kitchenette in the room which had a sink along with a counter that had a coffee maker, toaster oven, and microwave. Off to the side was a refrigerator, all of which was surrounded by cabinets.

“Sounds good.”

Alexis put a snowman centrally located on each of the doors to the bottom row of cabinets. Then Rick brought a chair over from one of the tables so she could climb up on it and reach the upper cabinets. She was still too short, though, so he had to help hang the last row of snowmen.

He was about halfway done when he heard the breakroom door swing open and a female’s voice say, “Oh! I didn’t realize anyone else was in here.”

“Yep, sorry; we’ll be done in a minute,” Rick said as he struggled to get the sticky tape out of the dispenser.

“We’re decorating!” Alexis said.

“I can see that,” said the female voice.

With the last snowman tacked into place, Rick stepped back, helped his daughter off the chair, then quickly grabbed it so it was not in the way if the woman wanted to access the kitchenette counter. “Sorry about that,” he said again, only glancing briefly in her direction, “Alexis, what else do you want to hang up?”

“Let’s put the stars on the refrigerator,” she suggested.

Rick hesitated and glanced over his shoulder to see what the woman was doing. When he saw her at the coffee pot, he agreed with, “Okay, but let’s make sure not to stand in this nice lady’s way.”

“Oh, it’s fine; I don’t need to get into the fridge,” she assured them. With her mug now full of coffee, she turned to face them and Rick finally met her eye. Immediately, he felt like he’d been smacked in the chest. Her face…he knew her face, but from where?

“Are you a police officer?” Alexis asked the woman as she hung up the stars.

“A detective, actually.”

“Ohh!! I’m in fifth grade, but I might want to be a detective when I grow up—a private detective, just like Sherlock Holms!”

“Oh wow, that’s neat!” the detective said.

“Santa, I finished hanging the snowflakes. Santa? Santa!”

“Wha—oh, sorry Ryder,” Rick apologized, when Ryder tugged on the sleeve of his coat. He’d been too busy staring at the female detective wondering where he’d seen her before. “What do you want to hang up next?”

“Um…maybe some of the garland chain along that window ledge?”

“Sure thing.” Rick walked over to the shopping bags and pulled out the long chain of “garland” the girls had made, which consisted of round circles of alternating light and green construction paper all stapled together to form a chain. “Alexis why don’t you come and help Ryder once you’re done with those stars?”

“Okay, Da—Santa!” She grinned at him then ran past him to help her schoolmate.

When Rick turned back around, he was pleasantly surprised to see the female detective was still in the breakroom, eyeing him curiously. “Sorry, ah, this is our first year as a decorating committee; we’re a little rough around the edges.”

“Oh, that’s okay. I think what you’re doing is really nice. Are you…are you also associated with the two girls running around giving away Christmas cards?”

The writer frowned behind his Santa beard. “Oh no are they running? I told them not to run.”

She laughed and said, “It’s fine,” but the words barely registered in his mind because with her laugh came the solid recognition he’d been seeking. Yes, he definitely recognized her, but he could hardly believe it was her—her—the woman he’d encountered so briefly their interaction felt more like a dream.

So caught up by the sudden recognition, Rick failed to realize he’d gasped, “Oh—it’s you!” out loud until her brow wrinkled and she asked, “Excuse me?”

“Sorry, sorry. I mean—you’re Kate, aren’t you?”

Her brow crinkled further. “Do we know each other?”

“Yea—oh, sorry. Crap! Sorry!” he grunted as he tried to strip off his fake beard and hat, which until that moment he had forgotten that he was wearing. No wonder she didn’t recognize him!

With his face fully exposed her confused expression melted into one of surprise. “Oh! Rick. H-hi.”

“Hi,” he echoed, his grin a bit dopey. Once again, he had run into this mysterious, beautiful woman by chance and he could not say he was remotely disappointed about it. Since they’d first met, five Decembers prior, he’d thought about her occasionally over the years, mostly over the holidays, but occasionally during trips out to his beach house since the water combined with the vacation atmosphere connected it and the lake cabin in his mind. He’d never gotten to the point of actually trying to find her, but he’d thought about it several times. Now, it appeared fate was nudging him and he wasn’t going to deny it.

“We’re done!”

His daughter announcing the completion of their task pulled Rick back to the present and he stammered a bit. “Oh, um, ah, yeah—is there anything left to hang up, girls?”

“No,” Alexis said. She gazed around the room and frowned slightly, adding, “I guess we didn’t have that much to decorate with.”

“Oh no—I think it looks much more festive in here,” Kate chimed in.

Rick gave her a grateful expression then turned back to the girls. “Okay, ladies, why don’t you gather up the bags and tape dispensers and then let’s go find the others, okay?”

“Thank you for decorating our break room,” Kate said to them before heading towards the door. Before she could open it, Rick stepped towards her.

“Wait! I mean, um, how are you?”

Looking slightly amused she said, “I’m okay, how are you?”

“Good, good. Um, I was just…well, wondering if I might be able to take you out for coffee and, um, pick your brain a little bit about the NYPD. Always doing research,” he confessed with a little shrug. In reality his heart was racing, and he felt like a teenager again. God, what was he doing? He wasn’t even trying to ask her out on a date as his romantic situation was…complicated…at present.

She arched an eyebrow at him. “If I recall correctly: you already did that.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “But you weren’t a detective then.”

She chuckled lightly and then waited about seven seconds before agreeing, “Okay, sure. Coffee.”

“Great!” Rick said, elated. He fumbled for a moment, trying to get his wallet out of his back pocket when the bulky Santa coat hung down over it, but he managed. Then he handed her a business card and said, “Call me, please? we’ll set something up.”

She took the card with a nod. By that time, the girls had collected their bags and had joined them at the breakroom door, so Kate pushed it open and let them all walk out. As they did so, Alexis wished her a merry Christmas and she reciprocated with, “Merry Christmas to you, too; and thanks again for the decorations.”

“You’re welcome!” Alexis said cheerfully.

After giving Rick a head nod, Kate walked off. He watched her disappear into the crowd of her coworkers until the high-pitched squeal of a ten-year-old girl drew his attention and he knew he needed to get back into chaperone-mode before the girls caused too much more chaos for the homicide floor.

#castle #caskett #castle fanfiction #castleficathonwinter2020 #12PromptsofChristmas #my fic: 12 Prompts of Christmas

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maddie-grove · 3 years ago

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Little Book Review: Sammy Keyes and the Runaway Elf

Author: Wendelin Van Draanen.

Publication Date: 1999.

Genre: Mystery middle-grade fiction.

Premise: It's almost Christmas, and seventh-grader Sammy Keyes is being blackmailed into solving the kidnapping of the talented Marique (a tiny dog who can jump through hoops). Can she fit this into a busy schedule of processing her abandonment issues and Tell-Tale-Hearting her nemesis Heather Acosta?

Thoughts: The Sammy Keyes mysteries often have a film-noir/hardboiled-detective-fiction feel, but Runaway Elf is a standout in that regard. Sammy's first visit to her blackmailer made me think of The Big Sleep or Double Indemnity. The blackmailer's mansion is huge and its owner is obviously well-connected, but the details of the decor and the interactions of the blackmailer with her daughter hint at turbulence and instability. (I mean, the fact that a grown woman is blackmailing a tween indicates really obviously that something is wrong, but you get what I mean.) Sammy spends much of the rest of the novel skulking around bars and spying on shady adults, which adds to the vibe.

This installment is also remarkable for its emotional intensity. Sammy finds herself dealing with a trifecta of fraught situations. First, she's recruited into babysitting Elisa, a five-year-old who's been acting out since her father's sudden death. Second, Mrs. Graybill (her elderly neighbor who constantly threatened to report Sammy for illegally living in seniors-only housing with her grandmother) has been moved to a nursing home following a stroke, and Sammy feels compelled to visit her. Third, Sammy's mom, who left her with her grandmother to try to make it as an actress in Hollywood, is visiting for the holidays. Saving the big emotional beats for the "Christmas episode" is a pretty common practice, but Van Draanen sets them up with a thematic elegance that I enjoyed. Sammy is confronted with images of her past self (Elisa, fatherless and grieving and appreciative of a nice cross-generational friendship) and her potential future self (Mrs. Graybill, consumed with self-defeating bitterness). They both inform her complicated feelings about her mother and, although she understandably continues to dislike Lana's selfish/prissy/bizarre actions in later books, she's able to acknowledge that her feelings are more complicated than simple anger.

More cheerfully, the weirdness of Santa Martina is fully on display by now, starting with the disproportionately big Christmas parade and ending with some seriously intense drama in the dog-owning community. This book also marks a turning point in Sammy's feud with Heather Acosta; they still hate each other, but Sammy is able to deal with Heather's egregious antics without putting a lot of emotional energy into it. Which is good, because she definitely needs all the emotional energy she can get for the situation with Lana.

Hot Goodreads Take: "Instead of my kid's teacher encouraging the students to read a classic mystery like Sherlock Holmes, she let them read this 'age appropriate' book," laments one father. Imagine being a teacher, underpaid and overworked, and this guy gives you shit for letting his kids read a kids' book. It doesn't sound like the book was required reading; rather, the kids were supposed to choose a book (maybe with some restrictions re: reading level/genre, maybe not) and read it on their own time. I'd be more sympathetic towards the dad if it were required reading; it would be unchallenging for most middle school students, and it'd be hard for a parent to counteract that less-than-ideal choice by trying to get their kids to do the same work for a more advanced text in their spare time. (Plus, it's fourth in a series, so it'd be a weird selection.) But, if it was just optional, like for a book report or whatever, why couldn't the dad encourage the kids to read Sherlock Holmes himself? They could probably read this book and a Sherlock Holmes story.

#little book review #sammy keyes and the runaway elf #wendelin van draanen #his kids had just heard of bbc sherlock and had Doubts #it was 2013 but they could sense where the wind was blowing #this is just like when my nana was annoyed #because my middle school drama club didn't put on Our Town #instead of a Shrek-like play about the trial of the big bad wolf #like i get it but let's chill for a sec

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trashyswitch · 4 years ago

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Stupid Tomodachi Life...

Roman and Remus are playing Tomodachi Life together, and announce some of the Sanders Sides ships that have actually become canon on their island. Then, Remus makes the mistake of revealing Mii Patton's baby's new nickname and well...You'll see.

For @kanene-yaaay.

2 Fics in one day! *claps happily* I'm really proud of myself, actually! And yes, one of these ships is a REAL THING on MY Tomodachi life game! So, I hope you enjoy some tickletober crack!

TW: Slight mentions of Adolf Hitler! If you’re triggered by the mere name, please click off and look for a new fanfic to read. I’ve got hundreds.

This is Tickletober Day 9: Ganged Up On

Roman jumped into the room with his 3DS in his hand. “THOMAS! GUYS!” He shouted.

Virgil jumped and hid on the steps. “Roman!” he yelled angrily.

Thomas stuttered and threw his karate chop arms at him, Logan jumped and fixed his glasses, and Janus full on slapped him across the face with his hat. “What.” Janus replied, putting his hat back on.

Remus popped up next, to shout with him. “THOMAS AND LOGAN TIED THE KNOT!” Remus and Roman both shouted.

“I-Excuse me?” Logan reacted, feeling offended by the accusation.

Thomas shook his head. “No we didn’t. We’re the same person.” Thomas reminded them.

“In the game, I mean. Mii Logan and Thomas are married!” Roman mentioned.

“Oooh.” Logan replied, thankful it was just in a game.

Thomas snorted. “Logan and Thomas are married in the Sims?” Thomas asked.

“No. In Tomodachi Life.” Remus clarified.

Thomas blinked in confusion. “Wait...Tomodachi Life allows gay couples now?!” Thomas reacted.

“Well no…” Roman replied.

“We sorta...had to…” Remus continued.

“Set us all up in 2 separate genders: Male and Female.” Roman explained.

“That way, we can determine who would fall in love with who, without gender bias!” Remus declared.

Logan lifted up his index finger. “That…” Logan lowered his finger as he realized something surprising: “...Is exceptionally clever. Good job you two.” Logan complimented.

“So, female Logan and male Thomas got married!!” Roman declared happily.

Logan rolled his eyes and let a small smile show up on his lips. “Oh no. Next will be the baby in the baby carriage.” Logan reacted.

Thomas giggled and fluffed his hair, much to Logan’s unamusement. “...Really?” Logan asked, narrowing his eyes at him.

“Come on, Logan. It’s kinda cute.” Patton attempted to cheer up.

“Plus, Logan might get Pergenat!” Roman declared.

“Or Prefnat.” Remus added.

“Or Gregnant!” Roman added, looking at him.

“Or Bregant!” Remus laughed.

Or PRAGNAN!” Roman joked.

“Best misspelling in 3...2...1!” Remus ordered:

“PREGANANANT!” The twins shouted at the same time. Roman and Remus bursted out laughing at the same time as well, while Logan just walked away in disappointment.

“OH! And Patton got together with...Get this: WILLIAM AFTON!” Remus declared.

Logan’s walking skidded to a halt, before Logan turned around. “WHAT?!”

Virgil guffawed and bursted out laughing. “THE IRONY!” Virgil laughed.

“Who’s William Afton?” Patton asked.

Virgil only bursted out laughing even more, as Remus, Roman, Logan and Thomas all yelled “PURPLE GUY!” at the same time.

Patton blinked. “...Who?”

Virgil paused his laughing to start scream singing the lyrics to “It’s been so long’ by Tombstone. “THE MAN BEHIND THE SLAUUUGHTERRRRR!” Virgil scream-sang.

“The...the killer in FNAF.” Thomas explained.

Patton frowned and looked at him with sad, scared eyes. “...I’m dating a killer?” Patton asked.

Thomas giggled and patted his head. “Only in a game.” Thomas replied.

Patton let out a breath of relief. “Well, I have killed spiders before.” Patton mentioned. “So, that wouldn’t be far off.” Patton added.

Roman started watching Remus play on Tomodachi Life. “Awww! Baby Hitler is all happy this morning!” Remus declared.

Roman gasped and ripped the 3DS out of Remus’s hand. “HEY! Patton named his child after Bob Ross! You don’t have the right to nickname him Hitler!” Roman yelled.

Patton growled and full on tackled Remus to the ground. “YOU CHANGED THE BABY’S NICKNAME FROM BOB ROSS TO HITLER?!” Patton shouted. Remus was just laughing at his reaction, while everyone else was either concerned or enjoying the scene.

“Whahahat ahare yohohou gohohonna dohoho ahahabohout it?” Remus asked.

Patton smirked evilly and started squeezing Remus’s sides and hips. “NohoHOHOHO! PAHAHAHAT!” Remus shouted quickly.

Patton giggled. “I’m gonna treat you like I treat all my kids, fake or real: like the tickle monster’s prey!” Patton declared.

Patton growled evilly as he lifted up Remus’s shirt and blew a big raspberry on his belly.

“HEHEHEHEY! HAHAHAHAHAHA!” Remus screamed.

“Suffer, Remus!” Patton declared.

After drilling into Remus’s hips, Patton blew another raspberry onto Remus’s lower belly. “HAHAHAAAAA!” Remus laughed, before falling into endless cackles.

Patton giggled more and continued to raspberry him like there was no tomorrow on his sides, belly and ribs. Remus was squealing and DYING of laughter while rolling all over the place! He was like a wiggly child!

“PLEHEHEHEHEHEASE! IHIHIHI NEEHEHEHEEEED TO BREHEHEHEHEATHE!” Remus shouted at him.

Patton giggled and nodded as he stopped tickling him. “Here you go, Remus! Breath all you need to.” Patton replied.

Remus happily took in some oxygen and started to get over his breathing. “Do you regret naming the child after a german leader?” Patton asked.

Remus nodded his head and clicked the ‘Edit Mii option on the child. With the child ready to be edited, Remus moved to the nickname spot and changed his name.

There!” Remus replied, showing Patton the nickname. Patton smiled and said ‘thank you’ before looking at the name:

[H.H. Holmes]

Patton growled, closed his 3DS and placed it down before quickly lifting his hands up in the air and tickling his armpits.

“WaitWaiT-WAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!” Remus shouted, bursting out laughing once again. Patton had started attacking the right armpit, tickling down Remus’s ribs, tickling his belly and squeezing his hips before going back to his armpits to repeat the cycle.

“Are you going to stop your lollygagging and change the nickname back to Bob Ross?” Patton asked.

Remus only laughed more. “NOHOHOHOHO! NEHEHEHEVEHER!” Remus shouted back.

Patton smiled. “Awwww...that’s too bad! Looks like I’m gonna have to resume raspberrying you!” Patton declared before blowing a raspberry on Remus’s neck.

“WAHAHAHAIT! PAHAHAHATTOHOHOHON NOOOOHOHOHOHOHO!” Remus screamed.

“Ohohoho! Patton YES!” He replied. “That is, unless you change my Tomodachi baby’s nickname back to Bob Ross!” Patton offered.

“IHIHIHI-...NOHOHO! IHIHIHI’LL NEHEHEHEVEHER!” Remus shouted back.

Patton took in a big breath, and blew another neck raspberry while squeezing his right hip. Remus shrieked super loudly, and fell into silent laughter! “How about now?” Patton asked with a smirk.

Remus took advantage of the break and breathed heavily to regain his oxygen. Finally, when he was somewhat capable of it, Remus looked at Patton and spoke through his breaths. “F...Fine. You...win…*huff* I...I’ll *huff* *huff* change it...back.” Remus replied.

Patton gave him a toothy smile. “Good boy!” Patton reacted as he let him go and gave the 3DS back to him. Remus sighed as he opened the 3DS, and clicked the ‘Edit Mii’ button yet again, on the Tomodachi character. With a few quick clicks and a save button press, Remus handed the 3DS back to Patton.

Patton looked at the nickname and groaned in exhaustion:

[J. Stalin]

Patton completely gave up. “That’s it. I’m done. I can’t do this anymore.” Patton replied. Finally, Patton took the 3DS from Remus and changed the name himself.

[Bob Ross]

Patton clicked the save button on the game, and shut the game off. It was finally fixed. Patton gave Roman the 3DS back, and walked away.

“You okay, Patton?” Thomas asked.

“Yeah, I’m alright. Just tired.” Patton replied.

“You think YOU’RE tired?!” Remus reacted, referencing his intense tickle attack from earlier.

“Mentally I mean, Remus. I’m mentally tired.” Patton replied.

“Oooh. Okay. Good night Patton! Have lovely dreams, my wife!” Remus teased.

Virgil and Roman bursted out laughing at this as Patton walked away from the blursed group.

It didn’t take long for more gameplay to show up, and for Roman and Remus to watch the characters interact with each other. The characters watch curiously and intently as Henry Emily confessed his love for Female Virgil. But the sides quickly expressed their disappointment as Virgil turned him down.

Meanwhile, Virgil smirked as he ate a bag of chips on his own. “Good job Virgil. You don’t need a man to make your life any more miserable.” Virgil told the character.

Roman, Remus, Thomas and Logan all slowly looked at Virgil.

“What? It’s true!” Virgil reacted.

...Let’s just say it didn’t take long for the sides to gang up on him as well...

#ticklefic #lee!remus #ler!patton #tomodachi life #mentions of intruality #mentions of analogical #angry patton #chaotic remus #crack fic

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tabloidtoc · 4 years ago

Text

Life & Style, January 4

You can buy a copy of this issue for your very own at my eBay store: https://www.ebay.com/str/bradentonbooks

Cover: Brad Pitt destroys Angelina Jolie after her affair with Johnny Depp is exposed

Page 1: Photo Flash -- it’s been just under four months since Simon Cowell underwent six hours of surgery after breaking his back in an electric bike accident forcing him to cancel all his work duties for the rest of the year but you wouldn’t know it to look at him -- on his annual tropical vacation with his family to Barbados Simon appeared to have made a full recovery as he took to the water on a jet ski

Page 2: Contents

Page 4: The top 10 red looks -- Dove Cameron, Meghan Markle, Scarlett Johansson, Maya Rudolph, Danai Gurira

Page 5: Emma Mackey, Ciara, Kathryn Hahn, Daisy Ridley, Kat Graham

Page 6: Britney Spears’ father Jamie Spears is speaking out amid his ongoing legal battle with Britney, saying he loves his daughter very much and noting that he hasn’t spoken to Britney since August when she requested to have him officially removed from her conservatorship -- he added when a family member needs special care and protection families need to step up as he has done for the last 12-plus years to safeguard and protect and continue to love Britney unconditionally -- while Jamie’s attorney insists that he and Britney have a normal father-daughter relationship insofar as there has always been mutual love and respect for each other Britney’s legal team claims that Britney is afraid of her father and will not perform as long as he is in charge of her career

Page 7: Nicole Kidman is earning rave reviews for her role in the hit drama The Undoing and Reese Witherspoon can’t stand it -- the last episode of The Undoing drew in the network’s biggest audience since Big Little Lies’ season 2 finale and there’s already talk of Nicole sweeping awards season -- tensions between the two leading ladies threatened to boil over in 2018 when Nic won an Emmy and a Golden Globe for BLL beating out her co-star Reese both times and to make matters worse Nicole recently signed on to star in a new show based on BLL author Liane Moriarty’s book Nine Perfect Strangers without Reese -- Nicole and Reese used to be the best of friends but now they barely talk and it’s only a matter of time until they stop speaking altogether

* Throwback -- Jordin Sparks

* Biggest Spenders of the Week -- Ellen DeGeneres, Tom Brady, Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds

Page 8: Ben Affleck is no stranger to getting inked -- he has five tattoos including a phoenix rising from the ashes on his back and a dolphin on his hip but when he asked girlfriend Ana de Armas to go under the needle she told him no way -- Ben wanted Ana to get a small tattoo but she refused and she would do almost anything for him except get a tattoo because her family would kill her

* Armie Hammer and Rumer Willis have called it quits over his refusal to commit -- the two were first linked in September shortly after he split from his wife of 10 years Elizabeth Chambers but Rumer wanted something more serious but Armie wasn’t ready to settle down

Page 10: The Week in Photos -- Prince William and Duchess Kate Middleton treated Prince George and Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis to a special pantomime performance at London’s historic Palladium theater

Page 11: Kelly Clarkson congratulated The Voice contestant Desz on making it to the Top 5, Brooke Burke filmed a challenge for her app in Malibu

Page 12: Cameron Mathison was joined by his daughter Leila while hosting Hallmark’s Home & Family

Page 13: Rebel Wilson at the Rockefeller Center ice rink, Bethenny Frankel and her pups Biggy and Smallz by the Christmas tree

Page 14: Hailee Steinfeld and Jeremy Renner on the set of their upcoming series Hawkeye

Page 16: Stars Behaving Badly -- Selling Sunset’s Christine Quinn left little to the imagination stripping down for a Playboy shoot at the famous Chateau Rose in Bel Air, Blake Shelton used a safety cone as a megaphone on the set of The Voice, Malin Akerman couldn’t resist jumping on the bed at a Hotel Style collection event in NYC

Page 18: Say What?! Garcelle Beauvais on filming The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, Rumer Willis on father Bruce Willis’ baby boy dreams after welcoming five daughters, Dolly Parton who turns 75 in January, Meghan Trainor on refusing to get intimate with husband Daryl Sabara during her pregnancy, Jason Momoa on his go-to form of exercise

Page 20: Dakota Johnson was seen sporting a massive emerald stone while out shopping in L.A. sparking speculation that she is engaged to Chris Martin -- there’s no big announcement yet but Chris has quietly proposed and he and Dakota already act like a married couple and they’re excited about finally making it official -- Chris’ children with Gwyneth Paltrow Apple and Moses really like Dakota and will obviously be an important part of their special day and there’s a good chance that Gwyneth who couldn’t be happier about the engagement will be invited to the wedding too

Page 21: Cardi B is giving her marriage to Offset another shot -- she filed for divorce in September after growing tired of not seeing things eye to eye but withdrew the petition without prejudice a few weeks later and now that they’ve rekindled their love she’s asked her husband to renew their wedding vows -- Cardi wants Offset to recommit to their marriage and she wants him to do it for them and for their daughter Kulture so that her little girl can see just how much her parents truly love each other

Page 22: Cover Story -- Brad Pitt gets revenge after Angelina Jolie’s alleged affair with Johnny Depp is exposed -- as his custody battle with Angie drags on Brad might have Johnny to thank for giving him a path to victory -- Brad always suspected something may have gone on between Johnny and Angie when they were making 2010′s The Tourist at a time when they were two of the sexiest and most successful movie stars in Hollywood

Page 26: Kim Kardashian and Kanye West separate lives -- after six years of marriage Kim and Kanye are barely interacting -- Kim is focused on her own projects and on raising the children and Kanye’s interests don’t align with hers anymore -- Kanye is thoughtful and does nice things for Kim but there is no real chemistry or romance left in their marriage; the spark is no longer there -- while Kanye obsessed over Kim for years before they became an item his love and attention as well as hers is now trained on their four kids

Page 28: Cameron Diaz: This is the happiest time in my life -- with her acting days behind her Cameron feels fulfilled at last -- a lot of people do it the other way around ...they get married and have a family in their youth Cameron notes but she’s doing it in the second half of her life -- Cam says she cooked every single meal for Benji Madden and Raddix during the first four months of quarantine and loved it; they’re her everything

Page 30: Royal TV War -- Duchess Kate Middleton and Prince William seem poised to steal Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s spotlight -- Will and Kate want to branch out and expanding their media reach with The Earthshot Prize is just a springboard for them and there are a host of projects they’d like to get off the ground including giving people a more down-to-earth picture of what their life is like behind closed doors -- The Earthshot Prize which will award five monetary prizes each year for the next 10 years launched with Cate Blanchett and Sir Richard Attenborough and Shakira already signed on as judges and Will and Kate aren’t done recruiting stars though and they like the idea of teaming up more formally with personalities they respect and admire and exploring the world of documentaries and streaming platforms and radio broadcasts and other aspects of the internet is the perfect way to do that -- royal family members were said to have raised eyebrows over Meghan and Harry’s deal with Netflix so the couple now finds it surprising and suspicious that Will and Kate are following their lead and there’s a potential for fireworks if they step on each other’s toes

Page 32: Who Lives Here? Leslie Jones

Page 36: Fashion -- 2020 Style Recap -- all about loungewear and masks -- with no red carpets to attend Hollywood hit pause on glam and embraced comfort in sweats and athleisurewear -- Vanessa Hudgens, Hilary Duff, Hailey Baldwin, Alessandra Ambrosio, Addison Rae

Page 37: Brie Larson, Jennifer Lopez, Olivia Munn, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley

Page 38: Beauty Beat -- new year, new zen -- Kendall Jenner, Elizabeth Banks, Camila Cabello, Madelaine Petsch

Page 40: Diva or Down-to-Earth? Sara Bareilles had a helper hold her umbrella -- Diva, Katie Holmes browses for books -- Down-to-earth

Page 41: Julia Garner requires a primp posse -- Diva, Jax Taylor mows the lawn -- Down-to-earth

Page 42: Social Stars Posts of the Week -- Andy Cohen and son Benjamin, Tim McGraw, Kourtney Kardashian and Kendall Jenner, Jonathan Scott and girlfriend Zooey Deschanel

Page 44: Horoscope -- Capricorn Sienna Miller turned 39 on December 28

* They’re Not Together But They Should Be -- Leo Kate Beckinsale and Sagittarius Jake Gyllenhaal

Page 48: What I’m Into -- Kristin Cavallari

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ephemeral-writings · 5 years ago

Text

Everything I Need // 05

oh sehun x reader

genre: angst, fluff

word count: 4.4k

Everything I Need // oh sehun teaches you a thing or two about life. but falling for the boy who lived across from you was not what you had anticipated.

A/N– Hope you guys are doing well, staying safe and healthy. Please feel free to talk to me if you need a place to displace any anxiety you might have. Also, thank you to anyone that’s still reading this otl i’m sorry for the turtle--snail pace updates, but truly, thank you if you’re still showing interest in this story💓 Please leave me your thoughts!!! Enjoy reading!!

Also, happy birthday to the love of my life, oh sehun; you’ve been my muse since day one and you’ll be my muse until the end.

Part 01 / Part 02 / Part 03 / Part 04 / Part 05

//////

Somehow the dinners with Sehun became a common part of your routine. You would come home from your shift some nights, and Sehun, as if he had memorized your schedule, would knock on your door just minutes after you had returned, asking you if you had eaten yet. Before you knew it, a month had flown by, and then another half.

A friendship, dare you say, was beginning to bloom between you and Sehun; however, whatever feelings you had reserved for the man was left unexplored.

Sehun proved to be a man full of surprises, a new layer of his personality unveiling itself with every time you met up. One minute he’d be a gentleman, grilling meats and plating them on your plate before his own, or swapping dishes with you if you expressed even a mild dislike to the food you decidedly ordered. But next, he’d be teasing you nonstop about your small quirks like your tendency to neatly clean up after a meal-- you called it server tendency-- or how you might have a more serious case of RBF than he does. That argument was still up for debate.

Sehun, from the moments you’re allowed to ponder the man, was nothing you’d expected. His quiet nature that you once thought was from a place of cockiness and judgment turned out to be him being quite the shy and soft-spoken man. His actions, however, were what struck you the most surprised. Like when he’d randomly press his palm to your lower back whenever he ushers you back into your apartment at the end of the night, as if his body had naturally adapted to being close to you; or when he’d stare so intently into your eyes while you’re talking, towering over you easily with his stature, that you feel like he’s looking right into the depths of your soul-- the theatrics of it all was disconcerting. For the most part, despite all the chords he struck somewhat unconsciously, you were set in favor of his presence.

The end of November was creeping in, and so was the cold weather. You realized that once you began layering a long-sleeve underneath your work shirt, and Chanyeol’s music was becoming a new definition of cozy.

“So,” Chanyeol started. “My friend hooked me up with a gig this weekend. I’m thinking about inviting my partner. Thoughts? Comments? Suggestions?” He listed off as you’re both closing for the night. You’re closing out the register while Chanyeol stacked the chairs and swept the floor.

“Give me a sec. You know better than to talk to me while I’m counting, Yeol,” you grumbled, finishing off your till five minutes later. “Okay, what’s up?”

“I’m looking at this opportunity to show off my music a little, ya know? Plus, she’s also been more responsive, less edgy. Do you think she’ll agree to go?”

“It doesn’t hurt to ask.” You offered. “Where’s this again?”

“A pretty popular club among the kids at uni actually, called Love Shot,” he said. “You heard of it?”

You racked through your head at the familiar name, and you finally realize that it was the club that Sehun worked at.

“Yeah,” you said, nonchalantly before adding, “Went there for a party once.”

Chanyeol stopped sweeping all together and looked at you as if you had five heads growing out of your neck. “Wait, you went to a party? At a club?” He half asked, half accused, and you almost got offended by his tone of voice, when he added, “And I wasn’t invited?”

You reddened at the realization at how pathetic you must look to other people when you’ve quite successfully hermit yourself from social events, to the point that even Chanyeol finds it unbelievable. “Whatever, Yeol, that isn’t important right now. We’re talking about you.”

“Nu-uh, this changes things. I wasn’t gonna pressure you to come because I know how you are,” you frown deeply at that, to which Chanyeol only points a knowing brow at you. “But, now you have to come, Y/N. You could wing-man me!” He exclaimed as if it was the most ingenious idea he had ever manifested.

“First of all, I don’t know the first thing about wingmanning, you don’t want me to wingman-- or is it wingwoman? you, dude.” You quickly objected to the idea flat out. You could just see it now, you trying to hype Chanyeol and inadvertently making him look stupid instead(not that he doesn’t play part in that himself alone), and by the end of it, you’ll probably make a fool of yourself by trying to rectify what was never there to begin with.

“Please, Y/N,” he begged. “I want you there when I perform some of my new stuff.”

Chanyeol tried persuading you to go watch him perform at Love Shot for the remainder of the night until you finally relented. You don’t really even know why you’re so hesitant on going, but thinking about the night of Jongdae’s birthday makes your stomach churn anxiously.

“Shit, it’s raining,” Chanyeol said when you’ve both clocked out. He nudged you with an elbow, saying, “Let’s go, I’ll drive you home.”

Chanyeol drove a Jeep, one that you find very difficult to get in and out of, but you suppose a free ride home was better than getting caught in the rain.

“You wanna come up? I could make something for us to eat?” You offered when nearing your apartment.

“Sure,” Chanyeol shrugged, claiming anything was better than cereal for dinner. He parked his Jeep in the allotted spot for your unit and cut the engine while you’re pulling your hood over your head for the oncoming rain. “Wanna race?”

“You could run, but you’ll slip and end up hurting yourself.” You chortled, imagining his lumber worth of limbs flailing in the air. Chanyeol ends up half walking, half jogging, heeding your warning as an afterthought than anything else.

While you’re searching for your keys in your purse, footsteps coming up the stairs and voices belonging to young men echoes through the hall. It was Sehun, and he had friends with him--one of which you’ve met before in passing when he had dropped by Sehun’s place while you were also over(for only 5 minutes as you had to use his printer because yours had jammed).

“Oh, it’s you again,” the guy aforementioned spoke, greeting you brightly afterwards. You returned the greeting, ever as awkward, shooting a less stiff one to Sehun as well while he returned a thoughtful look that had your cheeks warming.

“Hi, I’m Baekhyun,” he said, thrusting a hand forward for Chanyeol to take.

“Park Chanyeol,” he replied, voice booming loudly, though not unkindly.

The other man seemed familiar, and you realized after a closer look, it was the other bartender you saw the night of Jongdae’s birthday; he introduces himself as Kim Jongin.

“Did you just get off?” It was Sehun who asked the question that was directed towards you. You nodded, characteristically shy from the attention of both Sehun and his friends.

Something suddenly clicked in Chanyeol’s head then-- you distinctly recognize the spark that flashes across his pupils-- and you think absolutely nothing good could come from whatever he has working in his head.

“We just got off; we work together. And you are?” Chanyeol questioned, tone nosy and maybe a tad bit menacing, but maybe it was because you knew him better. Sehun, having gone quieter than usual, simply tells him his name with no further insertion that would’ve qualmed Chanyeol’s brewing curiosity.

“What a coincidence, these two work together, too,” Baekhyun said, gesturing towards Sehun and Jongin, and because Chanyeol felt like conjuring his inner Holmes, he inquired the said place in which the two--

“Awe fuck,” you thought, brain finally catching up with Chanyeol’s, and with the help of Baekhyun, Chanyeol’s formless scheme began taking shape.

“No shit,” Chanyeol said, stretching out the first word as he turns to you with a sadistic almost-grin. You glared at him, attempting not to wear the anxiety on your face that could possibly, wordlessly confirm his suspicions that might or might not have already gone too far into his head. Chanyeol doesn’t mind your silent pleas to shut up.

As the silent(and painful, for you) interaction between you and Chanyeol transpired, the three male stared, perplexed by the whole ordeal; one man in particular being more bothered by it than the rest.

Sehun hadn’t expected you to talk about him to your friends or anything(even though he does to his’), but he’d be lying if the revelation didn’t strike him as surprising, or made him a tad bit upset.

“Is something wrong?” Baekhyun eventually asked with a wry smile, breaking the tension between you and Chanyeol .

Chanyeol promptly turned to them, slapping on his wide and creepy smile as he explained, “Y/N gets moody when she’s hungry, and she’s supposed to be making us food right about now.” They laughed hesitantly, not quite sure what to make of Chanyeol’s statement, until Sehun spoke up.

“Don’t let us keep you, then.” Sehun nodded curtly, and without further ado, marched into his apartment with Baekhyun and Jongin following. Once they were out of sight, Chanyeol steered you into your own unit, muttering, “Guess I’m staying a little later than planned.”

The week goes by bizarrely quick, what with Chanyeol’s constant tormenting through work and text. After that night, according to him, Sehun was your secret boyfriend whom you’ve been hiding, which was absolutely ridiculous, and you never failed to reject the notion every single time it was brought up.

Thu 15:21 delivered

‘Stop. Tagging. Me. In’

15:22 delivered

‘Relationship memes.’

Yeol Thu 15:24 received

‘im being supportive’

‘its ur first relationship after all’

Chanyeol sent with the stupid face emoji blowing in a tissue attached to his message.

Thu 15:25 delivered

‘im blocking u’

In a blink of an eye, the weekend was at your doorstep. You spent over half an hour agonizing over what to wear, fumbled with your scant collection of makeup only to end up with a few strokes here and there to brighten your dull complexion and to open up your eyes from the evident lack of sleep, and in the end, you looked...decent.

Suddenly, your phone dinged from across the room where it was charging. Chanyeol was reminding you that he was going on at 9pm, and also telling you how nervous he was because he just saw Eun walk in.

20:24 delivered

‘go say hi to her!!’

Yeol 20:25 received

‘GOING’

‘pray i don’t choke’

You grinned, sending him all the luck in the universe so that he doesn’t make a fool of himself. He’s worried about nothing, you thought, for Chanyeol was a kind, thoughtful, and humble guy, not that you’d ever tell him that yourself. Likewise, you’d like to think that he saw the good in you, despite it being so difficult for those qualities to reflect in your eyes, and it was why your friendship was so easy.

As you’re walking out, your phone dinged again. It wasn’t from Chanyeol, but Sehun instead.

Sehun 20:34 received

‘Hey, did I just see your friend at loveshot?’

‘Chanyeol? I think’

20:34 delivered

‘yeah, he said he’s performing there tonight’

You debated adding the fact that you were heading there right then, when suddenly, you contemplated your state of emotions, whether you were excited or anxious to see Sehun again, at Loveshot no less. It was certainly out of your comfort zone, hence the anxiety that bubbled away in your stomach, but Sehun was familiar now and Chanyeol’s a close friend, so it shouldn’t be that terrible. Right?

Sehun didn’t reply immediately, to which you assumed was due to the fact that he was presently on duty. You arrived shortly after, seeing a decent sized queue outside of the club. You were about to shoot a text to Chanyeol to let him know you’d arrived when two messages came in at the same time.

Yeol 20:52 received

‘U here yet?’

Sehun 20:52 received

‘does that mean i’ll see you tonight?’

Ignoring the latter message that short circuited your mind for a second, you responded to Chanyeol’s, and not two minutes later, he emerged from the club’s entrance, peeking around the crowd for your small stature.

“Y/N!” He beckoned you over, whispered something to the bouncer’s ear, and you’re both walking back into the lively albeit dim space before you knew it. Chanyeol’s looking the best you had ever seen him; dressed to the nines in his dark denim over white graphic hoodie, paired with ripped, black jeans and chains draped along his right thigh, you think that this Eun girl would be a fool if she couldn’t see his efforts to impress her when Chanyeol lives in essentially five different hoodies.

“I’m actually shocked that you made it, was sort of expecting you to flake last minute,” Chanyeol said, giving your outfit a subtle once-over and grinning when you rolled your eyes at him. You’re wearing a tight-fitting tank top, one that has lace edging the bust and cropped to your midriff, and to cover up from the cold, you wore a cropped black puffer jacket. Your bottom’s a pair of black high waisted jeans, the slightly flared at the ankles making you look longer than you really are especially with your ankle boots.

“But then again, your secret boyfriend is working tonight, so maybe you’re really here for him, who knows,” he smirked with mirth swimming in his eyes. At that, you remembered Sehun’s message, its implications bringing warmth to your cheeks.

You shoved the tall idiot with an elbow, though it does little to affect him. He’s cackling to himself stupidly all the way until you both reach the bar, a destination you hadn’t noticed you were even heading towards, not with how Chanyeol’s dumb teasing had distracted you, making your cheeks flushed and heart race for nothing. Subtly, you scanned the vicinity for Sehun but spotted him nowhere in sight.

It was Jongin instead that took notice of you first. “Hey, it’s you again,” he said, voice throaty and silvery at the same time. The tone could easily be menacing had it not been for the kindness floating in his orbs or the disarming half-smile he gives you, as if he knew something that you didn’t.

You managed a polite smile in response before Chanyeol abruptly pushed on your shoulders, forcefully planting you on one of the chairs, directly in front of the bar.

“I’m gonna head up now,” he tells you. “Get yourself comfortable before I introduce you to Eun later, cool?”

Letting go of your petty bickering for a moment, you gave his forearms a placatory squeeze while wishing him good luck and off he went.

“Can I grab you something to drink?” Jongin asked when Chanyeol was out of sight. You told him the same thing you told Sehun last time, giving him the freedom to choose for you.

“Sehun’s slacking off somewhere,” Jongin said suddenly, distracting you from watching Chanyeol as he introduced himself. You clapped along with the crowd, though your brain had separated itself and you could only respond to Jongin with a questioning look. What made him think you were looking for Sehun?

“Oh,” he exclaimed, staring over your right shoulder. “Speaking of the devil.”

Sehun ignored the other boy all together, only looking at you as he spoke. “Hey, you never answered my text.” You turned to face him, his expression at first hard then gradually dissolving into something softer the longer he stared at you; he was in his uniform again, minus the velvet bow tie and plaid vest that you assume was specially worn for Jongdae’s birthday event. Even with just the striped button down, a few buttons undone from the top, he managed to garner more looks than you could’ve imagine. His arm goes to prop himself on the countertop as he leaned closer to you since his height was towering over you and glaringly so. You caught a whiff of his scent as you breathed in, attempting to calm your nerves, but laced with the familiar seaside breeze came the all too familiar acrid smell of cigarettes. It was nowhere near the stench that clung to your father’s breath, clothes, and skin, but the effect was there nonetheless.

“Y/N?” Sehun had repeated your name twice before you realized where you were, who he was, and how far you were from the past. His hand had barely grazed your arm when you snapped out of it, unknowingly with a recoil under his touch, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by both Sehun and Jongin. The former leaned in even closer, and asked in a hushed tone, “You okay?”

Not trusting your voice, you only nodded while giving him a weak smile. “I - need to use the restroom, excuse me.” You tried to ignore Sehun’s imploring gaze on you as you got up and walked towards the direction of where the restrooms were.

“Get it together, Y/N,” you muttered under your breath as you stared at your reflection in the mirror. You willed your mind to focus on something-- anything-- that was presently in front of you, needed to get a grip on reality. It felt like your brain was being dissected, that your eyes were so distanced and while out of one window you saw your reflection, pale and panic stricken, you also saw your childhood home. You saw your father sitting in his chair with a lit cigarette between his fingers, and his face looking so far gone that he doesn’t even notice you standing right in front of him.

“Well, well,” a voice started, echoing so suddenly on the tiles of the restroom that the image of your father dissipates all together at once. “It looks like my night just got a whole lot more interesting.”

You turned your head, finally grasping onto something real, however unfortunate it was to be no one other than Liah. You groaned internally, from the dull pain in your head or from the prospect of the upcoming headache that the girl will cause? Take a wild guess.

“Wow, didn’t know my existence had such an influence on you. I’m flattered,” you said, face blank as ever.

Liah clucked her tongue, looking annoyed which was no surprise to you. “Don’t be a smartass, Y/N, no one likes a smart,” she drawled. This time you outwardly rolled your eyes, turning to the mirror again as you prepare to tie up your hair. It was getting uncomfortable with how heated your skin got after your little episode.

“But I suppose it’s an upgrade from being a coward, hmm?” She mocked sympathy as if you keeping quiet to her belittling all those years ago wasn’t a result of how miserable she made your life.

You’re trying hard not to lose your cool because the last thing you wanted was to stir something up that frankly shouldn’t be touched. But the word coward pulsates in your ears, clinging adamantly to your memory as it digs and digs for all the names your father has called you, worser than coward. Liah doesn’t mean shit to you, not anymore, you told yourself.

You’ve washed your hand after successfully tying up your hair; it’s messy and unruly but you tell yourself it’s a damn look, especially as you turned, once again, to stare at Liah directly in the eye, and said, “Smartass or coward, I’d rather be those than someone who feeds off of other’s weaknesses.”

If you’d bothered to stay and watch Liah’s reaction, you would’ve seen the utter hatred within her eyes as she tried to stare you into the submission she once did.

You headed back to the bar, thankfully unscathed, but the unwelcome trip down memory lane mired your thoughts as you tried to recomposed yourself.

Jongin was the one who caught your approaching figure first. He nudged Sehun who was polishing a glass by his side before taking a few steps away to tend to some patrons, leaving you and Sehun alone. Well, alone as alone could be when you’re standing in the middle of a packed club.

You plopped back on the same chair from earlier, making as little eye contact as possible with the man.

“You’re flushed,” Sehun bluntly noted. He stopped what he was doing to really look at you. With your hair up, there’s no hiding the rosy hue painting your cheeks and ears. You’d feel too hot with it down, so you bear Sehun’s scrutiny for the moment.

“Because it’s getting hot in here,” you said in a ‘duh’ tone. “Are you making my drink again?”

Sehun squinted at you before deciding to drop questioning your suspicious behavior. “Do you want sex-”

“You don’t have to say the name, y’know,” you tell him quickly, a little panicked and fully blushing. Sehun outrightly smirked and somewhere between the music playing, you imagined Jongin’s laughter.

“Your friend’s growing a fanclub up there,” he said, starting on the drink.

You spun in your seat to see that Chanyeol indeed has some girls fawning over him. A few more tenacious ones slid, not-so-discreetly, crumpled up napkins with what you assume to have scribbled phone numbers on them. You gave credit that Chanyeol politely declined all advances on the spot; with a boyish grin and shake of his head, no one could get mad at that. It made him appear professional, but you also didn’t miss the way he would glance at a certain someone every time it happened.

You snort while muttering, “Way to be subtle.”

“What was that?” Sehun voiced.

Turning your body back around to face him again, you said, “Nothing. Just that there’s gonna be some hearts broken, is all.”

You don’t notice the way Sehun’s grip on the tumbler becomes tighter from your words.

Sehun, for the most part, kept you company for the night. Jongin jumped in every once in a while, and you found him to be quite the clumsy yet the most suavest guy you’d ever met. He reminded you of another tall ogre and that in itself was something that allowed you to release your inhibitions for the night.

“Alright, alright,” you slurred, “What do you call a bear with no teeth?”

Jongin squinted at you, seemingly deep in thought, and opened his mouth to answer but someone else had beaten him to it.

“A gummy bear! Why’re you going around telling my jokes?” Chanyeol blurted. He took advantage of the slouched over position you were in to give you a noogie.

“Ugh, get your crummy hands off of me,” you groaned in protest, not bothering to lift your head to glare at the man. Instead your eyes settled the girl standing next to Chanyeol. “Oh? You must be Eun.”

“And you must be Y/N,” the girl smiled, and you could’ve sworn you heard Chanyeol’s heart beat right out of his chest. She offered you her hand, and before grabbing it, you suppressed the tickle in your bloodstream. You looked more sober in that split second than you probably felt.

“Jeez, how much did she have to drink?” Yeol asked the two tenders.

“Not too much,” Jongin supplied. “We cut her off after she started reciting psych theories to us,” he continued, to which you sing-songed replied with, “The more you know.”

It made Eun giggle so that’s all that mattered. She easily slid into the seat next to you, and left Chanyeol towering over behind you two. Seeing as you were getting acquainted, he excused himself to go talk “business” with the owner.

“Don’t go trying to make yourself sound cooler than you really are, Yeol,” you reprimanded, earning a half-smirk-half-shy-grin from Eun. Jongin offered to show Chanyeol the way to the owner’s office, leaving Sehun to tend once more. You whined for another cocktail, but the man remained steady in his stance to cut you off for the night. Eun doesn’t drink, so he offers her, and yourself, some club soda instead.

Eun was surprisingly easy to talk to; her voice seemed to lull you in like a siren and you think-- it’s no wonder Chanyeol was so taken by her. You have half a mind to straightforwardly tell her, “you know-- Chanyeol’s like-- ready to bust the fattest uwu for you, right?” but then that didn’t seem quite the way to go. You snort like an idiot, stopping Eun mid-sentence. Sehun and Eun exchanged looks.

“You okay there, darling?” It was Eun who asked you while Sehun simultaneously mumbled, “Maybe we should’ve stopped at the first drink.”

You repeatedly tell them “no, no no it’s not that,” but “I was just thinking about how good you and Chanyeol would be - together.”

There was a pregnant silence after that, and you realized that wow, that was a big Not-a-Good-Wingwoman thing to say. Eun looked thoroughly blindsided, and if you could see clearly enough, you would’ve seen the quirk in her lips by your honest words. You let out an indignant sound from your throat, ready to apologize for your stupidity, when Eun suddenly let out an awkward but hearty laughter. Sehun had appeared amused whereas you looked like a fish out of its bowl.

“Thank you, for saying that,” she smiled, making you beam in relief. You knew then that there was more to Eun than you realized. Her eyes glimmered with hope, or maybe it was apprehension, at the prospect of Chanyeol’s affection.

Right then, Chanyeol’s voice boomed, “Alright, ladies,” startling both you and Eun. “Deal’s been sealed. You’re looking at a regular DJ of Loveshot,” he boasted, and as if you had planned it, you both rolled your eyes followed by the mandatory kudos, even by Sehun himself.

“You girls ready to go?” Chanyeol asked.

At the same time that Eun replied yes, you chimed, “I’m gonna stick around for a bit.” Chanyeol sent you a doubtful look, to which you fail-winked back at him while Eun wasn’t looking; he smiled, grateful at first, but then it morphed into something mischievous when he detected the man behind the bar watchful gaze on you.

“Right then,” he echoed, then stared at Sehun when he asked, “Do you mind taking her home?”

Sehun, who had really only glanced at Chanyeol when he spoke to him, returned his eyes on you, and asked, “Do you mind waiting a bit?”

How he manages to sound so soft and gentle yet all the same impassive in his speech unnerved you. You found yourself shaking your head, agreeing with him and whatever was to come.

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malereader-inserts · 6 years ago

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Lean on Me

Fandom: BBC Sherlock Pairing: Sherlock & Brother!Reader & Mycroft Summary: Sometimes, Sherlock and Mycroft are a tad too much for your liking but they have your best interest at heart Word Count: 1,534 Request: “Can I request a Mycroft x brother reader x Sherlock (platonic obviously) where the reader is just so innocent compared to Sherlock and Moriarty and not really that smart so the reader always kind of gets into trouble.”

“You what?!”

Sherlock hissed as John timidly stood behind his best friend, with Greg rubbing his temple and looking at the great detective.

“You know when I heard there was another Holmes, I immediately thought “Oh God, another one!” But, I hadn’t expected him to be so...” Greg was lost for words as you sat in a holding cell with purple and blue splattered against your pale skin.

“Idiotic?” Sherlock suggested as he looks over to you, his eyes narrowing down you as you offer him a simple smile, “I’m not amused (Y/n).”

Your shoulders deflate as you offer a weak, “Sorry?”

Greg shakes his head as he unlocks the cell, Sherlock stands in the doorway as you lift your arms up allowing Sherlock to hoist you up to your feet. You hiss under your breath.

“You deserve that,” Sherlock hummed, obviously not being gentle with your fragile state, “What on earth were you doing trying to get into an apartment?”

“It was mine,” You mumbled after adjusting yourself to balance on your feet, patting Sherlock on the shoulder, “I got locked out of my apartment and the key snapped, it was one in the morning - what did you expect me to do?”

“You could have come to mine,” Sherlock stated, “Did that not occur to you?”

You blankly stared at your brother, blinking very slowly as you watch his wandering eyes deduce you before an amused smile had tainted his lips. You huffed and shook your head, scoffing in disbelief or perhaps it was an annoyance.

“Shut up,” You growled under your breath, wobbling your way out of the cell as Sherlock had lit himself up.

“You hadn’t thought about coming to mine at all?” Sherlock teased, “God, you’re an idiot.”

“Yeah, but the only tolerable idiot in your life, dickhead,” You scowled as you stood next to John, “Hi, I’m (Y/n) Holmes the only sane Holmes.”

“Kid, you tried to break into your flat - I’m not sure that’s sane.”

“You had better ideas?” You asked Greg who looks over to Sherlock, who was beaming, “Oh sod off you smug bastard.”

Sherlock ruffles your hair as he grabs your arm, though appearing to be a tight grip however it was very gentle, you hummed as Sherlock bids his thanks and dragging you out to the front, hailing a cab as John stood on the other side of you.

He gazed over to you, you were a weird mixture of Mycroft and Sherlock. Tall, somewhat lean, you thank the Holmes genes for good metabolism, with curly scruff hair. Sherlock sits next to you in the cab as John sits in the front, he wonders why Sherlock or Mycroft have ever mentioned you.

You’d think that after the Eurus situation, they would mention that there was another Holmes. John sat there silently, it was awkward really, Sherlock tapping away on his phones as you stare out of the window.

“Mycroft is waiting,”

There was a whine that you made as John chuckles, that’s the same reaction most people do when they hear the elder Holmes arriving. You sunk further into your seat, crossing your arms over your chest and knitted your eyebrows together, there was a pout upon your lips.

“Don’t be such a five year old, (Y/n),” Sherlock chides, “It’s not a good look on you.”

“Nor is it with you, and yet here we are,” You huffed, complaint, rolling your eyes, “I’d rather be scowled by mother and father than you and Mycroft.”

“Well, tough, there has to be someone to keep you in your place,”

“I wasn’t doing anything!” You threw your hand up as you see the man pull up to Sherlock’s street, you shake your head and exit the car, slamming it close.

Sherlock watches in disapproval, “Sorry about him, children... Am I right?”

“I am in my twenties!” You exclaimed as John watches the two brothers interact.

It was interesting to see as he exits the cab, whilst Sherlock paid. Sherlock and you bicker, Mycroft and Sherlock argued, that was the key difference. Sherlock had more patience with you and found Mycroft utterly hopeless. Sherlock was calm around you but always in a raging mood with Mycroft.

“Oh hello, who are you?” John locks the front door as Mrs Hudson exits her kitchen and sees you standing by your brother.

“This is (Y/n), my brother,” Sherlock introduced, “A moron really.”

“I can introduce myself,” You snapped, before smiling at the older woman, “I hope my brother doesn’t give you grief.”

“Alright, up we go,” Sherlock dismissed the conversation as he moves up the stairs, two steps at the time.

“Prick,” You muttered as John pats you on the shoulder.

“I know.”

You chuckled before following John up the stairs, in which he offers to make you coffee or tea, you politely ask for tea and told him how you take it. What John could note about you was that you were far more soft-spoken, only you change tone when you’re around Sherlock and Mycroft. You were average of intelligence, John could probably push your intelligence just above average.

He could tell that you weren’t naturally clever as your brothers, he could tell that you’re smart by working for it. You and he enter the apartment to see Sherlock and Mycroft sitting, being civil. You audibly sigh as you sit on the kitchen chair that is placed between Mycroft and Sherlock.

“Well, have at it.”

Just then, Sherlock and Mycroft scowled at you, your recklessness, whilst Mycroft pesters you. He was concerned as he was disgusted to see the nasty bruises on you, Sherlock continues to rant and rave about how completely thick of you not to come to his house to crash for the night before sorting your home problem.

John comes over and offers your mug of tea, he looks at your hand, his eyebrows furrowing when he noticed he saw cuts on your knuckles. John bits in the inside of his mouth before pulling up another kitchen chair and his medkit, this action hushed your scowling brothers.

“Methinks that these cuts are from defending yourself,” John hums as he holds out his hands, “Don’t worry, I am a doctor and I can be gentle.”

You hesitate before giving in, your other hand holding your mug as you watch John gently tend to your wound.

“I may not know much like your brothers but I certainly know when someone has tried to fight off people,” John continues.

You shoulders deflate, “I was only out to have a good time,” You look at your brothers, who silently watch, scoffing, “So much for being so smart and deducing legends.”

“(Y/n)-” Mycroft noticed the bitterness, “You’re allowed to have fun with your life but when it involves you in a jail cell that’s entirely different-”

Sherlock nods, “You are the youngest and you’re our brother, we’re supposed to protect you.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt him,” You softly admitted, “I ran, I ran home and I panicked when they came up behind me. I snapped my keys so they couldn’t get into my apartment and I just climbed up. I couldn’t think about going to yours Sherlock.”

“Then, you were busted and they ran off making you look like you were stealing something,” Mycroft concluded, sighing as he stares at you. Sometimes he just sees a little fragile boy, wide eyes and full of curiosity.

“You forget something, brother,” Sherlock hummed, leaning back in his armchair as John completes wrapping your knuckles, “You’re a Holmes, they mess with you, the mess with all of us.”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” Your voice was soft, almost scared as you revealed it to your brothers.

John wanders out to Mrs Hudson, figuring that it was best to let the brothers just have a moment together. You look up from your mug of tea, Sherlock leans forward and lightly grabs the mug and placed it down on the coffee table.

You look up, shy and flushed cheeks.

“You could never bother us,” Sherlock reassured, his sharpy icy eyes were soft towards you, “Plus, you are the only painfully average sane Holmes children there is.”

“Sherlock,” Mycroft hissed as he turns to look at you, “You’re above average, (Y/n).”

“I know my worth, after all, I have the confidence of a Holmes,” You replied, waving your brothers off, “Though, I’m sure I’ve broken a rib or two.”

Sherlock and Mycroft looked at each other, nodding, “Think we’ll get away with murder?”

“Oh, yes,”

You shake your head, “I might not be the smartest but that is the dumbest thing you’ve ever planned.”

“Oh, but brother, sometimes the dumbest irrational thing is the only way,” Mycroft stands up, straightening his back, “I’ll find these rascals for you, (Y/n) then I’ll let Sherlock do whatever with them as long as I tag along.”

Mycroft strides out but giving you a forehead kiss before departing. You looked over to Sherlock, his hands clasped together, he was thinking.

“You’re not being serious in killing people are you?”

“Of course not,” Sherlock sounded offended, “Perhaps maiming will suffice.”

Well, there isn’t a way to stop them now.

#sherlock BBC #sherlock imagine #sherlock bbc imagine #sherlock and mycroft imagine #sherlock holmes x male reader #mycroft imagine #mycroft holmes imagine #mycroft x male reader #x male reader #platonic

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notbecauseofvictories · 6 years ago

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Reading Recs

Because studying for the bar is terrible, all the time, I have been reading a lot of fic to make up for how terrible it is. So have some (completely random, no two fandoms alike, plus some journalism) recs!

AN EVER-FIXED MARK by AMarguerite [pride & prejudice, elizabeth/darcy, elizabeth/colonel fitzwilliam] \\\ One would think that having the name of one's soulmate appear on one's wrist on one's sixteenth birthday would make matrimony much less complicated. It mostly does not. And not at all for Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourne.

why you should read it: This is a full-fledged novel, clocking in at 190k, and delightful from start to finish. (I started reading at 11pm and didn’t stop until 6am---screwing up both my sleep and study schedules. It’s just that good.) The author calls it a deconstruction of the “soulmate mark” trope, but it’s more of an imaginative exploration, lovingly done. It deftly interweaves British history, Napoleonic politics, and a healthy dose of Austen-like humor, as well as a cast of characters from both the Austen canon and history. (Not to spoil anyone, but the appearance of the Duke of Wellington is fucking delightful.)

There are a couple places where it feels a little too postmodern (mostly dialogue in some of the later chapters) but overwhelmingly it’s a fantastic love letter to Elizabeth and Darcy, the era, Austen, and both friends-to-lovers and soulmarks.

THE LADY AND THE KNIGHT by Jack Hawksmoor [labyrinth, sarah/jareth] \\\ Sarah's made a great life for herself, but Jareth has a problem. Will Sarah help him? What will it cost her if she does?

why you should read it: I read one of this author’s other Labyrinth stories first---“Sanctuary” which is also very good---but this is the fic that came out of nowhere and roundly punched me in the teeth. The Jareth/Sarah dynamic is so fey, so distinctly fairytale, with all the strangeness and grasping connotations of that. (I’m a sucker for a love that is profoundly selfish.) It also balances perfectly with the worldbuilding, which is done so well. There’s absolutely no dull expositional explanation just....the world and the stories therein, the way Sarah interacts with it as a Hero.

It is a decade old now, and there are places where it reads very....00s-era fic, but since I was around reading fic back then it was a fun trip back into nostalgia.

HERMIONE GRANGER’S HOGWARTS CRAMMER FOR DELINQUENTS ON THE RUN by waspabi [harry potter, harry potter/draco malfoy, ensemble] \\\ ‘You're a wizard, Harry' is easier to hear from a half-giant when you're eleven, rather than from some kids on a tube platform when you're seventeen and late for work.

why you should read it: Another alternate universe novel, though this is more canon divergence than fusion. Honestly, the best part is how the author portrays the ensemble---Hermione, Ron, Malfoy, Neville, Ginny, and Luna, all interacting with each other and with a Harry they don’t know is fantastic, and the sense of warm humor is very much J.K. Rowling in her “schoolboy antics” prime. Obviously the stakes are considerably higher in this fic, since the gang has left Hogwarts and is on the run from the Death Eaters, but it still manages to be quippy, and intimate.

Also, Hermione is wonderful.

LET ME LOOK AT THE SUN by telanu [the good place, michael/eleanor shellstrop] \\\ They’re eleven months into attempt 801, and Michael thinks this might be the reboot that finally takes.

why you should read it: I freely admit to getting on the Eleanor/Michael train (trolley?) purely because Ted Danson and Kristen Bell act the crap out of their scenes together. Also because it amuses me, but that’s my reason for everything. Either way, this fic takes the dynamic of “human garbage fire, on the verge of redemption” Eleanor Shellstrop and “not human, but maybe not completely evil” Michael and dials it up to eleven, underscoring both how similar and how different they are.

It strikes completely the right balance between cruelty and kindness, and also there is discussion about monsters. My kind of thing.

THE HILLS ARE ALIVE by MirasolAbeille [discworld/sound of music, susan sto helit/georg von trapp] \\\ Captain von Trapp and his children get rather more than they bargained for with the new governess.

why you should read it: Crossovers have never been my cup of tea, but I love a somewhat-ridiculous premise taken very seriously, and that’s what’s happening here. Half the fun of the fic is Susan’s internal narration, which imports all the uncompromising pragmatism and irony of the character, and neatly skewers some of the....more twee aspects of a very twee musical. It also brings out a much more interesting depiction of Captain von Trapp---with a more formidable governess, he’s allowed to be smarter and harder, enthralled with Susan’s will and cunning rather than innocence.

This is a work in progress, but I’m definitely keeping my eye on it. Mostly because I have to know how it ends.

LIVE IN THE QUESTION by valeris [marvel, darcy lewis, some darcy lewis/bucky barnes, ensemble] \\\ In which Darcy is the Alpha child of two famous Omega Rights activists.

why you should read it: I honestly just love the worldbuilding on this. Darcy’s mother and father, her friendships, the dynamics complicated by designation, are all extremely interesting---ironically, the best way to get me interested in A/B/O fic seems to be lots of discussion of fictional gender roles and gender politics! Who knew.

ARCANA by rosa_acicularis [sherlock, f!john watson/sherlock holmes] \\\ Sometimes, her grandmother has said, in the simplest, strongest of magics that’s all that’s required – a sacrifice and an intent. Her blood, and his words: I want to forget. (In which Joanna Watson is a witch, Sherlock Holmes is himself, and every spell has its price.)

why you should read it: Hey, we were all there in 2013, okay. Sometimes, you just want to return to the warm bosom of fandoms-gone-by, and this is one of my favorite Sherlock fics for a reason. Rosa_acicularis has been doing fairytale fusions since the Doctor Who days, and they’re always effective and interesting. Joanna Watson is wonderful, and her witching is wonderful, and it’s just....good.

THE REAL BANISHMENT IS THE FAMILY WE MADE ALONG THE WAY by scioscribe [thor: ragnarok, loki & hela] \\\ Hela did not ask for company in her sealed-up world, but evidently Odin is economical in containment strategies for his misbegotten children.

why you should read it: Loki gets punted into whatever terrible pocket of space Odin kept Hela in. They kill each other, and awkwardly bond over being a murderous family disappointment. This fic nails the dynamic, and even when they’re getting along, Hela and Loki are mocking and prickly and hateful. It’s exquisite.

+PLUS

I’ve mentioned before how much I love the nosleep reddit, and I finally found the time to sit down and catch up with the last.....couple months. Has anyone heard of the Left/Right Game? has to be my favorite since the Search & Rescue story, or maybe the Florida Pill Mills. I’m just a sucker for a sense of “further up and further in” where our everyday awareness is a thin layer of normalcy laid over the profoundly weird and deeply horrific.

Finally, in journalism, Chicago Magazine’s Journey to America made me homesick like crazy. A really good depiction of the midwest, in all its wonderful small-town weirdness.

#there's no way I'm going to be able to tag all these fandoms so I won't #fic recs #I'm terrible at comments so @ all these authors pretend I left comments instead of raving about you randomly on the internet #from the bookshelf

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