#she liked me though she told me I was nice and alba made her feel better so that was nice

[kiefbowl]

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[clarisse0o]

Camp Wiegman-Part 81

Lucy Bronze x Ona Batlle

Alternative Universe: Military School

Words: 5K

Masterlist

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Sunday, April 17th; 2:30 PM - Porto Beach.

“So, how’s it going with your in-laws?”

I’m gazing at the horizon when Alexia's question drops. We decided to have a relaxing day for this first day of vacation in Porto. Jenni is exhausted from the work at the gym, and she wanted us to start off slowly... Well, as slowly as we can, I guess. Alexia and I are soaking up the sun on our towels, while Lucy and Jenni have decided to play a game of volleyball not far from us. It’s hot today for an autumn day, so it’s the perfect opportunity. The beach isn’t crowded, but the sun has brought out a few people anyway. I get it. It’s nice to enjoy this unexpected warmth.

“Well... I had a strange conversation with my mother-in-law this morning.”

“Really? Was it at least in a good way?”

“Oh yes, yes. She straight up told me, ‘Welcome to the family, Ona,’” I mimic in a deeper voice.

Alexia bursts out laughing and props herself up on her elbows. She looks at me through her sunglasses.

“Oh wow, that’s classic. Honestly, you didn’t land the best mother-in-law... Jenni’s parents are lovely compared to her.”

“They seemed pretty nice last night, that’s true. Is it going well with them?”

“Totally, yeah. They’re adorable to me. According to them, I’m her longest relationship... I didn’t know how to take that.”

“I can imagine.”

I laugh before we lapse into a silence. I gaze at the sky where a few clouds are floating, but not enough to cover the sun. It’s strong today. I had to put on sunscreen just in case. With my fair skin, I burn quickly.

“You look like something’s bothering you.”

I sigh and turn my head in her direction. Unlike me, O seems to tan easily. I’m a bit jealous of that. I wish it would happen to me too.

“I think Lucy is hiding something from me.”

She furrows her brow.

“Go on. Why do you think that?”

“She made some vague comments last week, and she’s been acting weird since we got here.”

“Really? I don’t find her behavior different.”

“She’s tense, and I don’t know. I can tell something is bothering her.”

“And do you think there’s a particular reason?”

“I think she went through something here that she’s trying to hide... Or maybe forget. I don’t really know. She barely talked to me about her life here.”

“You sound pretty sure of yourself.”

“It’s a gut feeling. Maybe I’m wrong.”

“Well, ask her.”

“It’s more complicated than that. I don’t want to push her, you know. I feel like she thinks whatever she reveals will change everything between us.”

“That’s silly.”

“Yeah... I know, right?”

I groan and lie down on my stomach. I’m trying to alternate so I get some color on both sides. My friend quickly follows my lead, sighing at the same time.

“I don’t know what to say. Maybe there’s nothing at all. It’s just a feeling, after all.”

“Hmm.”

I’d like to believe that’s the case too. Unfortunately, I don’t think it is.

“And what about you? How did it go between Jenni and Alba? And the party we missed? Was it good?”

She laughs and nods her head. I rest my head on my arms, making sure I can still keep my eyes on her.

“Surprisingly, everything went well. Maybe our big fight wasn’t for nothing. Alba was calm.”

“That’s great!”

“Oh yes, totally. It was a bit tense during their first meeting at the party. Jenni wasn’t comfortable at all at first. Not only did she have to face Alba, but it was also the first time she saw all her students again as my girlfriend, you know?”

“It’s hard to picture her feeling uncomfortable, though.”

I tease, but Lucy reacts the same way. It must be strange for them.

“She was, I swear,” she teases back. “It was funny to see.”

“I bet. Anyway, I’m glad everything’s going well for you. So, how did it go?”

“My sister was cool. She was also a bit tense, but everything went well. They shook hands and, as the evening went on, they started talking.”

“Like, big sister talk?”

“No, no. Alba was genuinely interested in her. Like, she wanted to get to know the person I’m with, you know?”

“Wow. Cool. And our friends? How did they react when they saw Jenni?”

“Shocked,” she laughs. “They didn’t understand anything until they connected it with the school story. No one saw it coming.”

“I can imagine. And last week? Did you all stay together as planned? I think that’s what Alba wanted.”

“Yes. Misa and her helped us out with the gym. I think Alba appreciated that she had such an ambitious project. Plus, it seems like playing tough girl bonds them together. They even managed to laugh together.”

I giggle, burying my head in my arms.

“Well, that’s good then... Everything’s finally falling into place.”

“Yeah. We’ve made so much progress, you and Lucy are going to be surprised. Some furniture is already in place now. It’s totally different from when you left. Oh, and, you were right about one thing. Misa isn’t so bad after all.”

I laugh heartily. She finally understood. Her week must have been interesting. I almost regret not being there.

“I know,” I replied.

I have to admit I’m quite surprised after Alba’s outburst when he overreacted. He managed to reassess himself before the meeting. That’s good. Things are getting back to normal. It was about time.

“But still, something was missing.”

“Oh yeah? What?”

“You and Lucy, of course! I can’t wait for school to be over so she can finally spend time with them. You two were really missed at the party.”

“There are only three weeks left now. We’ll manage to hold out for what’s left.”

“Definitely.”

“Just three more weeks...”

I sigh and close my eyes, burying my head between my arms again. All’s well that ends well, finally. I feel reassured. I can go back to relaxing. However, this peace doesn’t last long. After just a few minutes of tranquility, a wet body comes to lie against mine. I gasp at the coldness it brings. When I open my eyes, I spot some brown strands mingling with my blonde hair. I have nothing to worry about when her lips come to kiss my neck.

“You’re wet,” I mumble, making my girlfriend laugh.

“Sorry, I wanted to cool off before hiding your body.”

“Hiding it, huh?” I giggle.

“Well, yes. A group of guys has been watching you a little too closely for a while now.”

“Oh really? Then it’s better to chase them away,” I tease.

“Exactly. Make some room for me.”

“You really can’t just take your towel, can you?”

I grumble, but I still move to the side to let her lie under me. I half-drop onto her with a sigh of contentment. Actually, no. It’s more comfortable this way. Lucy giggles as she wraps her arms around me.

“No, I can’t. You’re starting to get sunburned, though. Are you sure you’re from Portugal?” she laughs.

“Put some more sunscreen on me instead of teasing.”

“Anything for my princess.”

She wiggles around to grab it from our bag above our heads. Once she gets it, she spreads some in her hands before rubbing it on my back. I enjoy her little caresses as she applies the lotion.

“Thanks,” I murmur.

“It’s my pleasure.”

“So, guys, what are we doing tonight?” Ale asks.

“It’s already planned,” Jenni announces.

“Oh yeah? And what is it?” she asks curiously.

- "Well, that’s up to Lucy to ask."

- "Oh, so you’re doing things behind my back now?"

- "Nonsense. I had the idea, and Jenni approved it this morning," she defends herself.

- "And what’s this idea?"

- "Well... I thought of you. I remembered that you like football matches, and there happens to be one tonight."

- "A football match?" Alexia comments. "What a great idea! It’s been ages since I’ve seen one! Did you get the tickets?"

- "Yes, this morning..."

I smile at Lucy, who's been watching me the whole time. I can tell she’s gauging my reaction. The last time I went to a stadium was with my father.

- "That’s a great idea," I tell her.

I kiss her to accompany my words, and I can feel her relax immediately. Her arms tighten around me, and I rest my head against her chest. I smile at Alexia, who has a small smirk.

- "Well, you two look even closer than before... It was already hard to top that, but now..."

I chuckle softly, snuggling against Lucy. She’s right. I think we’ve reached a point in our relationship where there’s no turning back. If a breakup ever happened, it would be devastating.

- "Hmm... You’re right."

- "What did you do in Lisbon last week?"

- "Not much," Lucy replies. "Lots of rest, hikes, and evenings at the beach."

- "Hmm, hmm..."

Her smile grows, and I roll my eyes with a small laugh. I have a feeling she’s going to grill me when we’re alone.

- "Hey, there’s an ice cream vendor passing by. Do you want one?" Lucy offers.

It seems like I’m not the only one trying to dodge the conversation, which makes me laugh again.

- "Good idea, I’ll go with you."

- "Yeah, go ahead, run away instead of telling us what’s changed so much between you two!"

We laugh heartily at Alexia's playful shout as we walk away. I kiss Lucy, who holds me tightly with her arm around my shoulders.

- "I love you," she whispers to me while I’m still giggling.

Sunday, April 17; 9:45 PM - Stadium.

Everyone is shouting around us, Alexia being the loudest. The atmosphere is wild. I don’t remember it being this intense. Lucy had a great idea, and I’m so glad we’re here right now. She’s the best girlfriend. I never thought she’d remember such a small detail I’d told her a long time ago. It’s just a league match, but the fans are giving their all for their team.

- "I can’t believe it! How did she miss such an easy chance!?"

- "I didn’t know she liked football this much," I whisper to my girlfriend.

She laughs, watching my friend who’s now standing, fuming. She’s one of those people who hate when the home team is losing by just one goal.

- "Me neither."

- "Pff! Unbelievable," Alexia says as she sits back down beside me.

- "Sweetheart, maybe you should calm down a bit," Jenni tries to soothe her.

I can’t hold in my laughter anymore, and neither can Lucy. This scene is just too funny. It seems I’m also witnessing a very uncomfortable Jenni.

- "But seriously! Even I could do better than them!" she says, crossing her arms.

- "Oh, really?" I tease.

- "Hey, don’t laugh. I played football for a long time in high school. The only issue was that we kept changing schools."

She crosses her arms and continues sulking.

- "Oh, I didn’t mean to upset you," I giggle. "I didn’t know you played football."

- "Well, now you know. But seriously, this amateur team can’t even equalize," she continues with exaggerated gestures.

This time I burst out laughing. She’s clearly making our night.

- "We really need to think of bringing her along every time we go to a match," I say to Lucy.

- "Oh no, please don’t," Jenni begs from her other side.

The poor girl’s going to have to endure this for a while longer. Halftime eventually arrives. Lucy and Jenni had left a bit earlier to grab something to eat since we hadn’t stopped anywhere before. Alexia has finally calmed down, though she’s clearly upset that her team hasn’t managed to close the gap.

- "So, are you finally going to tell me what’s up with you and Lucy?" she asks.

- "Tell you what?"

- "Don’t play innocent," she says with a mischievous grin. "Something’s different, I can feel it."

- "There’s nothing special, I assure you," I giggle. "I think being away from school has been good for us."

- "Did you tell her about Feli? You know... what she doesn’t know yet."

- "Briefly, yes. She had a feeling, but she cut me off. I think she doesn’t want to know, and that’s fine with me."

- "So, Mapi was wrong in the end."

I chuckle and nod.

- "She doesn’t need to know. Otherwise, she’d be upset."

- "Mum’s the word, I promise," she says with a wink.

I smile sincerely at her. There are perks to being close to two friends at once. If I can’t tell one something, I can tell the other.

- "The important thing is that you were able to let it out. I’ve never seen you so relaxed. You’re at peace."

- "She’s made me feel at peace," I reply.

- "Have you been able to enjoy her company?" she asks, raising her eyebrows suggestively, making me laugh.

- "Stop," I say, blushing.

- "What? You’re not going to get shy about this now, are you?"

- "And what about you and Jenni?"

- "Oh no, no, no. This isn’t about us. Your situation is more complicated."

I roll my eyes. Well, she’s not wrong, but she doesn’t need to remind me. To make her think otherwise, I respond:

- "Well, actually, this trip has been very... fruitful. We’ve enjoyed ourselves... especially in the evenings."

- "Really?" she says, surprised.

- "Oh yes. Lucy is a goddess," I admit, blushing again as I think back to our nights together.

She laughs loudly.

- "Wow... She must have really put you in some kind of state for you to blush like that."

- "Stop, it’s not funny."

- "It’s crazy, though."

- "What is?"

- "Well, a few months ago, she hated me for getting her best friend kicked out. Now she’s dating a student, and we’re even spending time together at her place. I seriously never saw that coming."

- "I believe you."

- "I’m so glad you came to the school. It’s the best thing that could have happened to me. Not only do I have a best friend now, but you’ve completely changed my circle. Everything could have been so different without you."

I smile sincerely at her. I totally understand what she means.

- "I know exactly what you mean. If I hadn’t come here, I’d probably still be in my room, feeling sorry for myself. Or who knows, maybe I’d have left home again to go back to drugs."

- "Don’t say that. I don’t think you would’ve sunk that low."

- "You’re wrong. I think I would have. I had nothing to hold on to before. Now I have Lucy, Mapi, you, and everyone else. And let’s not even talk about my future. I never would have worked in the arts without Lucy."

- "As they say, ‘if’ changes the world. We were lucky that only good things came our way. Not everyone gets that."

- "That’s true," I sigh. "In the end, the school has every reason to exist. It really does work miracles."

Alexia laughs, nodding in agreement. Unlike me, she’s believed in this from the start, but I’m only realizing it now. It’s a good thing it exists. When you're surrounded by good people, everything changes. You lose that hatred for the world. You only see the good. That’s how I feel right now.

- "Do you already know if you’re going to meet Lucy’s family? Jenni told me they all live nearby and that she’s close to them. She thinks you’ll be meeting them soon."

- "Are you reading their minds or something?"

- "Why do you say that?" she teases.

- "When we got back from the beach to change before meeting you, her parents told us they’re organizing a big barbecue. They want me to meet everyone."

- "Really? That’s cool."

- "Yeah... I hope you’ll be invited. That way, you can support me."

- "Oh, I don’t think you need to worry."

- "You just said she’s close to them. What if they don’t like me? What do I do?"

- "Well, nothing at all," she giggles. "Lucy loves you. She’s not going to leave you over that."

- "Hmm..."

"Don’t make that face. I’m sure they’re going to love you. »

- We’ll see.

- You managed to win over her mother in just one day. I think you’ll be able to handle the rest of her family, right?

- Yeah… You’re probably right.

To be honest, her mother is quite something. Even Alexia noticed it after just one meal with her.

- Anyway, all that matters is that Lucy loves you. She’ll never let them bring you down. She doesn’t let anyone do that.

I sigh softly. Now that I think about it, she’s right. Lucy always takes my side, as long as I’m doing the right thing.

- Is she just as nervous about meeting your family? Because she’s going with you to your mother’s wedding, right?

- Yes, but I don’t think so. She hasn’t mentioned it. On the other hand, she’s more anxious about meeting my friends. Well, she already knows them, but you know… being the “commander” and all, she’s not exactly at ease.

- That’s strange, I think… I’ve been thinking since you talked to me this afternoon.

- About what?

- Well, you know, about that feeling you have regarding Lucy.

- And?

- Well, we’re in their hometown, right? What did you do the first time you went home during your first leave?

- Uh…

I frown, trying to remember. I’m not sure where she’s going with this, but I’ll play along.

- I spent time with Mapi, and we went out the next night.

- Exactly. They lived here until at least high school. Don’t you find it odd that Lucy or even Jenni never talk about their friends here? Of course, they have friends in Manchester, but they should have some here too, right?

The thought strikes me. Indeed, Lucy has never mentioned her friends. There’s Jenni, of course, but that’s it. Otherwise, she only talks about her family.

- Hasn’t Jenni ever talked to you about it either? I asked her.

- Well, no, but I’d never thought about it before. Only after what you said this afternoon.

I nod.

- It is strange, indeed...

- I’ll help you investigate if you want, but for now, we’d better change the subject. They’re coming back.

- Thanks, but it won’t be necessary. I’m sure Lucy will talk to me about it when she feels the need.

I turn to see them climbing the stairs. When they reach us, we stand up to let Jenni sit next to her girlfriend. I sit back down at the same time as Lucy, taking my drink and hot dog from her.

- Thank you, that’s sweet.

I give her a kiss, which she accepts with a smile I can feel against my lips. I appreciate that we still show affection for little things. It really expresses our feelings.

- You’re welcome.

- We almost got caught, comments Jenni. There were already a lot of people.

- It’s fine, the second half hasn’t started yet.

- Well, just barely, I point out to them.

The players are returning to the field. It’s crazy how everyone’s eyes are glued to their seats.

- Cool! Finally.

- Please, babe. Try to calm down. Our neighbors are going to lose their patience at this rate.

It’s true that we’ve had several disapproving looks between Alexia’s shouts and our laughter.

- Hmm… Anyway, I’m hungry, she says, taking a bite of her hot dog.

We eat ours while watching the second half. Alexia seems to have taken the hint because she remains much calmer during this time. Maybe it’s because the team managed to equalize as soon as they came back. It’s past eleven when the match finally ends. Everyone is in high spirits, singing along after the team’s victory. Alexia is in total euphoria.

- They fought like tigers! It was amazing.

- So, there’s no stopping her, I tease softly.

- At least she brings good vibes.

I snuggle closer to Lucy, who keeps me close against her. A huge crowd has formed to exit the stadium. It’s a good way to avoid getting lost on our way out.

- We could still go for a drink, my friend suggests.

- Oh, it’s almost midnight, her girlfriend points out. We’re all exhausted.

She looks at us for support. She really seems drained. After all, she’s been working non-stop to get the gym ready to open on time. It must be something, considering she still works another job to cover her rent.

- Well… Why not? Lucy responds. Our car is downtown anyway. Unless you’re too tired, Jenni.

- You’re abandoning me now? I thought we were supposed to stick together!

My girlfriend chuckles softly.

- Sorry, but I thought it was a good idea.

- Come on, babe, Ale pleads. You’re not going to be a party pooper, are you? Even Lucy said yes!

She sighs, running a hand over her head.

- We won’t stay long, I assure her.

- Fine, she mutters. Let’s go then. But I really don’t want to stay out late. I won’t be able to keep up all week otherwise.

- You’re amazing! I promise we won’t stay long!

She leads the way, almost skipping. Lucy laughs at Jenni’s exasperated look.

- Really, Lucy? What’s gotten into you?

- Oh come on, relax. It’s just a beer. You’ll have time to sleep tomorrow morning.

- Hmm. You’ll pay for this.

I smile as I watch them closely. I know they’re close, but I think I’m starting to understand why now… I just don’t know the reasons yet. I hope Lucy will tell me soon, otherwise I’m not sure I’ll be able to resist investigating, and I doubt she’ll appreciate that.

[taylor-on-your-dash]

Swift Ascent - Dolly Magazine - May 2009

Original Scans; Conducted on March 14, 2009 in Sydney

As usual, this was transcribed for the interviews spreadsheet.

DOLLY's Emma V meets Taylor Swift and discovers she's the perfect antidote to trashy starlets like Paris and Lindsay, proving once and for all that nice girls really do finish first.

I'm standing in the middle of an excited crowd on a Saturday night in March when a tall blonde walks onto the stage. "I feel like we should get to know each other," she says into the microphone "I'll start - my name's Taylor, I'm class of 2008, koalas ave my new favourite animal, and I officially love Australia". The crowd roars in approval, while 19-year-old Taylor Swift grins from ear-to-ear. Watching her flit across the stage ina micro-mini green sequined dress, it's hard to believe we're just a hop, skip and jump away from Mount Kosciusko at the "CMC Rocks the Snowys" country music festival. But like the festival itself, which is free of line-dancing and boot- scooting. Taylor is a contradiction Born in the small US town of Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. Taylor surprised everyone when she developed a passion for country music "The kids at school thought it was weird that I liked country -they'd make fun of me," she confessed recently. But Miss Swift didn't let a little thing like peer pressure put her off "discovered Shania Twain, Faith [Hill] and the Dixie Chicks, and I found all these things in their songs I could relate to country music told stories that made me think."

RELUCTANT SUPERSTAR As I wait backstage for my interview with Taylor, it's obvious when she enters the room, even though I can't actually see her due to all the people trying to catch a glimpse - I haven't seen so much fuse over ane person since interviewing Jessica Alba! Despite the hangers-on and the gaggle of minders rushing around, she appears relaxed and cheerful as she records a TV interview. Watching all the craziness unfold, it's hard to believe the statuesque teen (she stands at 180cm, the same height as supermodel Gisele Bündchen) was a loner at school. "Junior high was actually sort of hard, because I got dumped by this. group of popular girls," she revealed during an interview recently. "They didn't think I was cool or pretty enough so they stopped talking to me when I'd sit down at the lunch table, they'd get up and move. Or as I was setting up my equipment to sing karaoke at the town summer festival, the kids would shout horrible things."

TAYLOR BY NUMBERS Costume changes in her live show: 1 (she ripped off her black tee and jeans to reveal a green sequined shift dress) Signed first song-writing deal at 13 Scored first number-one at 16 Number of friends on MySpace: 1,177, 650-and counting! Number of albums sold: 6,000,000+

THE TAYLOR EFFECT Finally it's my turn to chat to Miss Swift, but before I sit down, she extends her hand and says, "Hi, I'm Taylor." I'm impressed -most celebrities fail to observe basic pleasantries when you meet them. As we chat a number of things strike me: her skin is like porcelain- I have to fight the urge to ask if it's real. Her hair is her signature thing-flowing curls which are naturally honey blonde (she's never coloured her hair), and her eyes-even when the questions get more personal, her blue eyes atay fixed on me the whole time. Many industry people say it's this natural air that sets Taylor apart from other young musicians. "I didn't want to write songs about being on the road and being in hotels and missing your family and missing your friends," she says. "I'm inspired by boys and love. Those are my favourite things to write about." After Joe Jonas dumped her in a 27-second phone call, Tay didn't get angry: she simply used the experience to pen the track "Forever & Always" which was a late inclusion in her top-selling alburn, Fearless. I ask her if she worries about whether potential boyfriends will be scared off by her candid song-writing style. She pauses, before saying, "I think my motto on that is that if guys don't want me to write bad songs about them, they shouldn't do bad things". It's a little piece of Taylor wisdom to take home, along with a photo and a hug that makes me think we could all use a bit of Taylor's sunny outlook in our lives.

TAYLOR TALKS, ER, SWIFTLY ON

HER DEATHROW MEAL "A huge cheeseburger, large fnes and a chocolate milkshake." WHAT MAKES HER SMILE "When I've just figured out the perfect word to go in that gap I was missing [in a song that s when I am at my happiest." BEING IN LOVE "I don't think I've had one great love of my life. Love is interesting because you can feel like you are in love and then after, you realise that if it had been that great love, then it would have lasted." HER SECRET TO MYSPACE SUCCESS. "My success on MySpace has come from not treating my MySpace as a promotional site, like I just wanted to get a lot of fans and use them to buy my albuma. I just wrote on my MySpace [about] who I am as a person, what I like, what I don't like. I think that being real with people is the best that you can do Just be yourself if you keep having to reinvent yourself, eventually you'll run out of things to be." HER LAST BIG SPLURGE "I bought a tour bus this year-that was a big splurge! But that's like where I live, so it's sort of like investing in a new house on wheels. It has a treadmill out the back, it has a shower, a complete bathroom, wood floors, a huge bed and a chandelier over the bed. It's really fun!"

[madillhethen]

KnK ep 5 part 2

It swaps over to Mikiya side after Shiki is captured and I think this was really cool. Going back in time and showing what Touko and Mikiya were up to. (Especially since there was that one scene with Enjou sitting with them.)

Mikiya does some PI work-he could be in a supernatural criminal minds show-while working with Touko. That conversation about Mikiya loving Shiki regardless of gender was just hilarious to me, how oblivious he is to the reactions of those around him. He really loved Shiki.

Though I’m not fond of dolls, I have to admire the art exhibit scenes with TM Willy Wonka aka Alba and Touko. Touko makes some pretty interesting dolls (unless all three of the former friends have a doll making career, I’m assuming Alba buys Touko’s art?).

I think this is where the whole Fate connection comes in play in this episode. Souren is searching for the Root—the whole reason the Holy Grail War was created was the attempt to reach the root, made by three ‘friends’. Makiris, Tohsakas, and Einzberns—which I want to point out that Touko and her friends are kind of reminiscent of those three. (Or vice versa since KnK came before Fate).

Touko makes doll like clones, pretty similar to how All the homunculi are made in Justeaze’s image. Souren’s been searching to obtain the way to the Root for years just like Zouken. And Alba…I have no idea if he has any similarities to the Tohsaka ancestor besides Alba running around in a red color scheme. (Souren even says he had feelings for Touko, I’m not sure if he was confessing but hmm I thought someone told me Zouken was in love with Justeaze, not sure how true that is.)

I think Touko really takes center stage here. We get to see how badass she is. Apparently she has a briefcase with demons inside (Newt Scamander?) but Souren has accumulated boundary fields over the years and he easily ‘kills’ her.

When I saw her die I was a bit surprised. It was real quick, no one to grieve, a shocking moment but definitely not a good sendoff for a prominent character.

And true enough, Touko reappears just in time to save Mikiya and utterly kills Alba for calling her a name. I find it funny Souren heard Alba say it and basically was like ‘yeah, no, you’re on your own’. The real Touko is never explained in the movie but with how much dolls she makes I’m thinking every Touko is a doll. I’ll probably find out more in LN.

Which brings me to another point that I didn’t realize before but Touko was in Heaven’s Feel, Huh?

Sakura and Rin pass her by. Shirou’s body is artificial but it’s basically a ‘normal’ body that functions like a regular human. Hmm, so Touko made his body, perhaps? Well, regardless it was a nice touch for ufotable to add this since they spent a long time animating the KnK movies.

Shiki ends up killing Souren but not before Touko can have some final words to him. We learn that despite his evil methods, Souren’s wish was a pure one. He saw people die endlessly and wanted to find a reason for it all, and if I understood correctly, he wanted them to be remembered.

There was something I just really liked about this scene between Souren and Touko. Just the fact, it’s calm and it almost feels like she’s sending her long time friend off and not so much they were enemies, I didn’t feel or see any enmity in his final moments between them and that was nice. I also really loved their exchanges before Touko’s ‘death’ and his, just that for every question he had an answer and for every answer she had another question. It really did feel like they were friends once and from this exchange you could definitely see it.

“Araya, what do you seek?”

“True wisdom.”

“Araya, where do you seek it?”

“Only within myself.”

“Araya, where are you trying to reach?”

“That’s obvious. To the end of this paradox spiral of a world.”

I actually really liked that this isn’t the end of the series, we still haven’t even gotten the answer to everything revolving Shiki and yet the main antagonist is gone. It just goes to show that Souren has a greater influence in this whole ordeal whether alive or not and I think that’s great, problems don’t just disappear because a character does, there are still lingering effects.

[seancekitsch]

Duty: A Cahir x Reader fic in the Intended series

Warnings: oral and penatrative sex, butchering of the tale of lady ragnell and sir gawain bc i remembered it wrong from my childhood, the slightest twinge of angst if you squint, hints to book canon events, 3k of unedited smut as literally always

You shiver has Cahir pulling the blanket up over your shoulders as you snuggle closer to him. Instead of east which proved two years ago to be completely unfruitful, you head north now, having heard something on the road about the Nilfgaardian army heading north. Wherever they were headed, you both figured your cousin might be. How excited you think she’ll be to see you alive. A family member not lost to the flames. Maybe she wouldn't recognize you anymore, now that you wear trousers and travel with a fugitive. Though you never felt hot summers in Cintra, going even farther north set the chill in even longer into the year. You figure it will be the height of the summer before you stop shivering. You wonder how Cahir handles it. Sweet Cahir who grew up in the south, the tropical heat of Vicovaro.You love the stories of summers by the Alba river, the warm summer nights under the stars. At this point, it seems like you'll never see it for yourself, so you vicariously live it through the stories he tells you. You ask him to tell them all the time, probably something he’s extremely tired of repeating, but it keeps away the chill, at least for a while.

He pulls your naked body a little closer to his, something he always says is that body heat helps to warm your bones. You think it might just be something he says to stay naked in bed with you a little longer. Since being able to pick up a little work on your travels, finding a room at an inns that the innkeepers would look the other way when you arrived, you can now afford to do this with him, rather than laying beneath the stars. You almost forgot what a bed felt like, but now every night your back thanks you for the new sleeping arrangements.

Your arm snakes around his waist, giving him as squeeze as you press a quick kiss to his pectoral. Contented sighs are common between the two of you, these relaxed nights frozen in time where you can be your most vulnerable on a continent that works its hardest to beat the vulnerability out of everyone.

Your eyes catch sight of the sword on the chest of drawers. Your sword. Not the dagger, not the sword Cahir lent you for practice. The sword he bought you and specifically had made for you. A weapon as an act of true love that means the world to you. He seems to catch the sight as well, you assume with his next words.

“What shall you name your sword?” he plays with your fingers, tangling your hands together. Your hands are soft compared to his, but he suspects that won't be for long.

“Ragnell,” you answer without hesitation.

“Ragnell?” he repeats.

“Yes, it's from a story that I heard as a child. There was this man that told stories the elves knew in the library.”

He presses a kiss to your knuckles, then realizes, “Aren’t the stories of elves taboo?”

You chuckle, and press a kiss to his chest.

“Oh I’m sure he would lose his keep if I squealed. Good thing I can keep a secret,” You hum, recalling the story, “There was a knight, and he was the nicest knight. And he fell in love with this woman who was cursed to be very ugly. She did not think he would actually love her, but he did and he married her. On their wedding night half of the curse was lifted, and she said: do you want me ugly during the day when others see me? Or only at night when it's just you seeing me? The knight, I forget his name, says: You may choose, I will be a good husband and love you either way. That act of love and freedom frees her from the curse and she can choose how he looks. It was my favorite story.”

Ragnell was the cursed woman, and he realizes it's the perfect name for the sword. A beautiful piece of metal but used for ugly purposes. He stares up at the gauzy canopy above your heads, the mauves and dark blues swirling together like the night sky. Like so many nights he spent with you in his arms next to the campfire.

Cahir wishes he knew you when he was younger. Knowing his fair share of stories of Nilfgaardian knighthood and bravery, he was as much a storyteller as a rambunctious child who used to run around the grounds of Darn Dyffra with a wooden sword in his hands. Had he met you earlier, you might have grown up loving one another. Maybe already married, living as count and countess of Darn Dyffra, destiny wouldn't need either of you in what it has plans. If only. He knows that even when he was young, he dreamt of you. Your features blurred and distorted, but it was always you. It took seeing you in the flames of Cintra that night to see you in focus, but it was always you. For a man who valued his pride, his accomplishments, he cannot help but to see his failures now as blessings. The intuition he felt in Cintra, the failure of what was to be his most important mission, utter failure but it was all to bring him to you.

“Ragnell it is,” he repeats your words, the name sounding nice on his tongue now that it has meaning, “May she serve you well.”

And then he kisses you on the mouth, lips capturing yours, open and eager. His tongue quickly finds yours, passing through your mouth like a promise, the sealing of a contract between your lips. He shifts to be on top of you, slotting his legs between yours as the hand not supporting him above you roams your body. After two years, affection like this doesn't feel stolen between the two of you, not rushed and fumbling like it used to feel. He moves from your mouth to your jaw, to your neck and then to your collarbone as his groping and fondling continues, spurred on by your soft moans and your skin feeling oh so hot under his touch. He kisses at your collarbone, licking and sucking a mark there, but before he continues you stop him.

“You don't have to, my love,” You lazily assure him, “You're tired.”

“I do,” he says, kissing down your body, from your chest, the valley of your sternum, your navel. You gasp sharply as his tongue darts out of his mouth to lick a stripe up along your hip above the bone. He continues farther, scooting to the edge of the bed, parting your thighs, pressing a lewd kiss to the inside of each of them.

“What kind of a knight would I be if I did not fulfill my duty to you?” There's playfulness in his tone that makes  your heart race, and you prop yourself up on your elbow to look him in the eye. You feel as if you’ll combust if he doesn't touch you more.

“So this is your duty to me? This specifically?” The image of you looking down at him, chest heaving and eyes wide is all he needs to want to dive headfirst into your heat, to spend the rest of his night between your legs.

There's something devilish in his eyes as he chuckles and presses another kiss to the inside of your thigh, nipping at it gently as you gasp.

“It is my duty to keep my lady satisfied, or else she chooses to leave me for another,” he mumbles as his lips move up closer to where you want him.

“Cahir,” your breath hitches as he tests the waters, licking teasingly at your clit, almost silencing you, “You have to be the only person I’ve chosen in my life.”

That's music to his ears. He licks again, this time with more precision, more purpose, earning him the ghost of a moan, the first of many. Each lick earns him a moan, but they’re nothing compared to the shaking moan that turns into a closed mouth whine as you head falls back into the sheets, his lips coming around the bud to suck on it.

“Cahir,” his name falls from your lips with a sigh. He watches you intently, giving your cult another harsh suck before dipping lower, licking you open and tasting your arousal.

“Better than the sweetest honey that exists,” he hums, mostly to himself, but your breath hitches again in response. He licks up as much as he can, tongue as deep in you as he can manage. One of your hands finds his hair as you chant his name, first running fingers through it gently, then starting to rake and pull as his ministrations pick up the pace.

Every time Cahir’s tongue is inside you, it's a dedication to your pleasure and your pleasure alone. You’ve long since forbidden him from apologizing again and again for the circumstances of your meeting. All in the past, you always say, but he hopes every time you come undone on his tongue he repents just that much more for the harm he caused you so many months ago. Cahir drinks you in, indulging and loving every second of it. Your back is arched off the bed, legs thrown over his shoulders as you grasp at his hair and the bedsheets. He loves the sting of your nails against his scalp.

It’s when he adds two fingers that your body reacts like lightning, replacing his tongue and again his lips attaching to your clit. There are tears, beautiful tears in the corners of your eyes as he watches you start to lose yourself. That’s right, he thinks, fall apart for me love. Your moans are beautiful, ragged from breathlessness and sounding like a prayer of his name and only his name, and he pulls them from you with every thrust of his fingers. He feels your muscles going taut under his touch, he can feel you ready to come.

“Give it to me, love, let go,” he urges, his free hand reaching over to grab your hand. He holds your hand as you come, shaking with a silent scream from your lips. His mouth and fingers work you through your peak, letting you down gently; his mouth licking up every last drop of your wetness.

“But what about you?” you ask as he comes back up to lay with you.

“You needn’t do anything tonight love,”Cahir whispers as he kisses you, mouth still wet from you. You taste sweet on his tongue, delving into your mouth as you regain your breath, body pliant beneath his gentle touch. But as much as he can say that, you can feel him hard and straining against your thigh, body begging for you even if he won't voice his needs.

“No, Cahir, let me reward you for taking care of me,” you break the kiss, a mischievous smile gracing your lips, “Think of it as MY duty to you.”

Your hands grab his shoulders and push him back onto the bed, now it being his turn to lay back and enjoy himself. You kiss him again on the mouth sweetly while you maneuver your legs over his hips to straddle him, soft hands cupping his cheeks as you do. Those stormy blue eyes watch your every movement as you start to move, rubbing yourself against him. The noises that tumble from his lips are beautiful, little whimpers and moans from someone who anyone but you would consider fearsome and formidable. To you, he's just Cahir; Cahir that’s oh so reactive to your touch, Cahir that’s so very vulnerable. A low, throaty moan reverberates from his chest as you line him up with your entrance and sink down onto his length inch by inch.

“Beautiful,” he sighs as his hands find their place on your hips, holding you against him. You lean back down, kissing him again as you start to rock against him, catching little moans of his on your tongue as you slowly bring him to the edge. His warm hands hold you tightly, gently guiding your hips as he thanks you through kisses. You take such good care of him. You kiss him again, and then pull away.

“I’m close.”

“Again?”

You nod, and he squeezes your hips a little tighter, your head dipping down, almost close enough to kiss him, resting all of your weight on your arms as your hips pick up their pace, thrusting yourself onto him as you chase your high.

“With me?”

He nods, and starts to buck his hips up into yours, meeting your gyrations. You fall over the cliff into ecstasy together; sweet quiet moans of each other's names as you watch each other's faces contort with the pleasure.

You tumble onto the sheets next to him, thighs aching and panting for breath. Cahir’s arms are immediately pulling you back in, against him. He kisses your hairline, your eyebrows, and just holds you there, allowing you to catch your breath on his chest and regain your bearings. He feels every breath in your lungs with his palm against your back. In, out, in, out. He feels every muscle in your body tense and relax under his touch, welcoming him in as embraces you, the way you think the kind knight might have embraced his wife, if they even existed in the first place. You sigh, face stretching into an easy smile, wishing this moment could just remain.

He will never get used to this, he thinks. No matter how many nights he gets to fall asleep by your side, no matter how many mornings he gets to wake up with you in his arms, he will never feel broken in. Not with you, and Cahir finds he doesn't want it to.

You let yourself be pulled in by Cahir, gladly molding yourself to his chest and lazily smiling at the feeling of his soft lips against your head. How strange it is, to feel love as a verb. To actively radiate it and push and mold it in your hands against another person. Perhaps that’s what the kind knight had in mind with his cursed wife. Your tired fingers flex against his sweaty chest. You want to get used to this. To have his touch feel like second nature, to fall into a routine of waking and falling asleep next to him. You want it all to feel like you’ve always had it, and you always will.

“I should marry you as soon as possible,” he mumbles into your hair, an admission of his desires as much as an admission of guilt. In his mind he’s thought of himself as yours forever since he learned your name. It’s been far too long— over three years— that he’s known you and hasn’t been officially yours. His hand runs along the flesh above your rib cage, smoothing out a muscle there. It’s not so much he wants you as a wife, he does, but it’s not his wish to possess you, more for you to possess him. He wants to be yours, and shout it from the peak of the highest mountain. He should have asked you sooner, in a more elegant way. Grand romantic gestures would embarrass you, but this seemed almost shameful to blurt out at this hour.

“We should get married.” He says it again, a fool for love. As much as he doesn’t think this is proper, he wants it to be known his intentions with you.

“Not yet,” you whisper, hoping you aren’t being careless with his heart. It isn’t that you don’t want to marry him. You do. You have since Brugge. Every fiber of your being wants to be his, only his, forever. While you sleep beside him you dream of doing it until you’re old and frail. You dream of retiring from a life of adventure happy to know your remaining family is safe, not in Vicovaro unless something drastic happens with the war, but somewhere nice. Somewhere warm where you can see the sun tan his skin and there can be a garden. But your gut is telling you destiny won’t let it happen just yet. Like if you marry him tomorrow like you so desperately want, everything will come crashing down. Marriage or celebration right now would be a harbinger of doom. You feel him stiffen beneath you.

“Not yet, you handsome thing, but soon. We have a cousin of mine to find. Once we confirm her safety, then we can be husband and wife. Maybe open up a shop to keep ourselves; become farmers together,” you sound pleading, wanting him to understand you without telling him of your gut feeling. You don’t want to scare him with your superstition.

“I can’t give you much,” he begins, but you lean up to silence him with a kiss.

“It’s not that, Cahir. You already gave me Ragnell. That’s more than a wife could ever want. Soon. Once we find Ciri.”

He understands now. Destiny and duty first. He nods, and kisses you back.

“Then I will belong to you,” he promises. You press one more kiss to his jaw, and then he pulls up the sheet around you and you settle in to sleep, tangled up in one another.

He falls asleep hoping you find Cirilla tomorrow so he can marry you the day after. He falls asleep with you soundly in his arms, holding him like you’ll never let go.

[moved-to-void-kissed]

Secrets in the Springs

Document link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WDYCocrod_P7bcyH9DIaacjpIXv9I8r-UEkdmWANdxw/edit?usp=sharing

Sapphire, Pyra, Mythra, Nia and Poppi spend an evening relaxing together in Mor Ardain’s famous hot springs, where a couple of secrets begin to reveal themselves. In the process, Pyra makes an important decision. (1650 words) Replaces the XC2 cutscene “Secret in the Springs” from the start of Chapter 4. Content warning for some description of an old significant physical injury.

Tag list (use this to be added to it!): @softskiesahead | @dragonsmooch | @thatslikesometaldude | @lilacslovers | @insomniaships | @goldenworldsabound | @setzale | @candyforthebrain | @elf-and-a-heart

This is a piece I originally posted to my old blog, but I’ve updated it slightly to reflect some changes to the storyline and figured it would be good to post again! Don’t worry, it’s mostly much happier than the previous writing I posted here - especially once you get to the end, hehe~

Reblogs are appreciated, but by no means required! Comments should be on, and there’s also a transcript of the document under the readmore!

The sandstorms from earlier in the day had thankfully settled down - the evening was still very warm, but a soft wind drifting through Alba Cavanich made the heat much more pleasant. Behind the inn that rested on Smùide Mountain, the group had taken the opportunity to relax in the local hot springs - Rex and Tora had gone earlier in the evening and appeared much more refreshed for the experience, but now it was the ladies’ bathing slot, and all of them were eager to spend the evening enjoying a relaxing bath together.

Sapphire in particular was not used to the arid conditions on Mor Ardain’s Titan, given that her homeland within Uraya was a much more subdued and watery kingdom, so she also relished the opportunity to try out the hot springs. By the time she had gotten ready, Poppi was already happily playing about in the springs, while Nia had her back to the entrance and only her head was above the water. Finally, Sapphire tentatively poked her head around the corner of the changing room, so that it was all that could be seen from within the baths themselves.

“It’s just us here, right?”

“Yeah, don’t worry!” Nia turned her head to smile, though Sapphire did think she looked somewhat nervous. “The inn seemed pretty much empty when we first got here, so I don’t reckon anyone else’ll be coming in.”

Poppi nodded in agreement. “Probability of interruption from other people very small. Therefore, is perfect time for all to enjoy springs together. The water very nice temperature, even for Poppi!”

“Hang on.. Should you even be in the bath?” Nia had turned back to face the mechanical girl, and was now looking at her with a tilted head to show confusion. “Won’t you rust or something?”

In response, Poppi shook her head and kept smiling, eyes bright as ever. “There no problem. Poppi made from special alloy. No rust or need for oil!” The faint orange glow of her leg joints was visible even through the water, showing that she was kicking them back and forth in her usual manner.

Sapphire smiled at this, only to then jump when she realised Pyra was standing right behind her. Except it wasn’t Pyra - where she expected to see kind red eyes instead lay cold golden ones, and the familiar short bob of red hair was replaced by flowing blonde strands.

“Wh- Mythra?!”

“Yeah?” She looked unamused.

“Sorry, mate, you really startled me there!”

Wanting to give Mythra some space, Sapphire stepped out from behind the entrance to the changing room into the proper springs area, prompting Poppi to look surprised and Nia to turn around because of that. Although she still had a towel around her body, the other girls could now all see several swathes of what looked like very old grazes on Sapphire’s arms and the backs of her legs. They seemed to have healed, yet still appeared somewhat serious.

“Wait, what happened to you?!” Mythra was first to speak up, sounding more worried than she ever really had. Her usual short temper still shone through, however - she seemed almost annoyed for not noticing the injuries beforehand.

“Oh, these?” Sapphire raised her arms halfheartedly, looking somewhat embarrassed. “Don’t worry. These are just left over from.. how I got to Uraya. Don’t worry, most of it’s all healed up by now. So nothing’s going to mess up the water or anything, I promise.”

There was a silence.

“..I guess I never told you guys about that, huh.”

“No, you didn’t. Not that I was awake for, anyway.” said Mythra.

“You don’t ‘ave to tell us if you don’t want to, though.” Nia added. “Only share what you’re comfortable with.”

Sapphire nodded. “Thanks, Nia. Um.. this isn’t exactly the place to go all in-depth about that kind of thing, so, ah.. I’ll just say that, from what I know, my parents and I were on a ship crossing the Cloud Sea when it capsized and got washed into Uraya’s Titan. A bit like you guys did, I guess, though there was.. a lot more of an impact. Honestly, I don’t even know how I managed to stick around long enough for Dad and his mercs to find me on one of their checkups.”

“Oh.. Are you sure you’re okay? That must have been hard..” continued Mythra, still looking worried. There was a flash of glowing energy, and suddenly Pyra was stood in her place, looking even more concerned.

“I’m so sorry for what happened to you, Sapphire! Nobody should have to go through such a horrible thing..”

“Pyra, please, I’m fine! It’s okay!” Sapphire said, a little too suddenly - quickly realising her mistake, she hastily tried to recover: “I- I really appreciate that you care so much, but, I promise I’m fine. Come on, let’s just enjoy the springs together.”

As she turned around to put her towel on the rocks behind her before lowering herself into the blissfully warm water, the true extent of Sapphire’s injuries became clearer - the old grazes were nothing in comparison to the massive streak of half-healed scar tissue covering most of her back and shoulders. Parts of it seemed to somehow reflect the low light from the torches and the glow of Poppi and Pyra’s Core Crystals, as if there were tiny specks of something shiny in there.

Nia’s worried expression had returned. “Saph, that really doesn’t look good.. You sure you’re alright?”

“Yes!” She still seemed slightly on-edge, but being in the water was clearly very relaxing for her. “I already said, it doesn’t really hurt. I’ve had all this for as long as I can remember; it’s just how I am. Trust me, it was a lot worse when I was little.”

“Poppi worried about Sapphire..” said Poppi, sounding sad. The stillness of the water and the glowing lights visible under its surface showed that she wasn’t playing about anymore.

“Aww, it’s okay, Poppi!” Sapphire turned and smiled at her again. “I’m fine, honestly!”

Pyra still wasn’t convinced. “You’d tell us if you weren’t, though, right..?” She crouched down at the side of the water and reached over to take Sapphire’s hand in her own.

“Of course I would, silly. Come on in, the water is amazing..”

This made Pyra feel more at ease, and she happily took the chance to sit next to Sapphire, who in turn was all the more grateful to be able to enjoy Pyra’s natural warmth in close proximity. Another silence then settled, though this one was much more natural, and the girls were able to take the time to properly enjoy the heat of the water and relax in the hot springs.

Eventually, never the quiet one, Poppi had something to say.

“Poppi has question for Nia.”

“Huh?”

“Why does Nia have-?” The artificial Blade’s inquisitive tone was quickly interrupted by none other than Nia herself, who at this point was almost entirely submerged in the water.

“Oh, I know what you’re gonna say, I think. Don’t- don’t worry about it.”

At this point, Mythra returned, automatically shifting away from Sapphire as she turned to face Nia herself. “I had noticed, too. It’s true, then, that you’re..?” She trailed off, not knowing how to properly word her own question.

“Mmm.. yeah.”

Mythra nodded. “Do you want us to keep it a secret?”

“I was.. a little bit embarrassed about all this, but.. Yeah, if you could, that’d be grand. Not like I could hide it here when it’s this dark, anyway. As long as you guys are all okay with me being here, then-”

“Of course, mate!” “Poppi is fine!” “Why wouldn’t we?”

The chorus of reassuring voices brought her an incredible comfort.

“Thanks, guys.”

==========

Later that evening, once everyone had retired to their rooms for the night, Mythra noticed within herself that Pyra seemed nervous.

“Something wrong?”

“What? No! I mean.. We share memories, so you’d know if something was wrong, surely?”

“I guess that’s true. But, you seemed like you were coming to a decision of some kind. And I mean, I don’t really wanna pry if I don’t have to.”

“Haha, thank you for that.. And, you’re right about the decision. So, um, Mythra - what do you think about Sapphire?”

“Uh.. she seems pretty nice? But she isn’t someone you want to make angry, given how mad she was at Malos and Akhos. I wasn’t awake yet for all that time you two spent journeying through Uraya, so this was kind of the first time I’ve gotten to interact with her properly. I can’t say I was expecting you to get into a relationship, but.. You two make a good fit for each other, even if she is a little more energetic than you tend to be.”

“You really think so?”

“Wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t.”

“Ah, I suppose you’re right.. Sorry!”

“Why’d you ask that, anyway?”

“Well, it’s just, um.. It was so great for me to know that she’d be able to come with us after we left Uraya. I know she’s probably still worried about Vandham, but.. if his injuries have really been patched up as well as they seemed to, then he should recover without too much of a problem, right?”

“Yeah, Nia said Dromarch was able to get him stable once I took Obrona out and the ether came back.”

“Right, that was it. And, um.. Since we’ve been here in Mor Ardain, I’ve been thinking about something, and.. after that time we all spent together tonight, and being around her like that, I think I’ve figured it out. Sapphire is the person I really want to be with, for the rest of my life. ..However much longer that even ends up being.

I have no idea how I’m going to go about it, but..

I think I’m going to ask her to marry me.”

[pianoandcookiedoughlover]

bitches say they’re gonna write up a list of things that would be cool to see in s6 of jamie johnson and then don’t follow up with that for like 2 years

it’s me. i’m bitches

as a preface this is just kind of a shitpost from start to end and they’re not really fully developed ideas but yeah, it’s something at least

jamie and dillon at northport

- see friendship strengthen, still with same dynamic that they’ve always had, very playful and with a lot of sarcasm

- jamie struggling with taking risks after injury - since you start learning to drive during these years in the uk, maybe fear of driving now?

- jamie defends dillon with homophobia that may arise, no wavering from that

- elliot has to fucking come back, dealing with a romance there, where dillon is really shy at first, doesn’t reveal his feelings for a little bit

- maybe foxborough make a comeback, tension with homophobia there? i don’t know if they seem like the homophobic type

- both finding their way as the youngest on the team - how do the older players handle it? are they pretty vengeful and jealous or are they impressed? maybe one of them has some kind of backstory that will intertwine with jamie or dillon’s, like a real-life mentor

- will we get a comeback of the guy who wanted to steal jamie for some team in china, i believe it was?

- maybe seeing some stuff from hawkstone with their new prodigy, highlighting that they never really cared, they only were worried about the money, which in turn makes jamie feel bad

- SIENNA MAKE A COMEBACK WITH A GIRLFRIENDDDDDDDDDD AND SEE ELLIOT AND DILLON TOGETHER

- okay, not likely, but like lowkey it makes sense to bring her back because duncan is going to be a more significant figure in this season, it would be nice to see him improve as a father and strike the balance between handling the club but also taking care of his daughter, who is going through a lot in her teen years, it would be nice to see them have nice moments at home together

- but like actually give her a valid storyline besides social media, what does she want to do when she gets older? i can see her almost doing something artistic, like designing outfits or something, but whatever we does, it would be nice to see her not feel so restricted by her father’s work and go along her own path outside the club

- sienna and dillon become friends again and people are like, “oh my god you have a gay best friend” and she becomes really vocal about that being literally the dumbest thing ever, the show can demonstrate this type of homophobia that’s kind of “in disguise,” not as in your face as dillon’s dad

- progressive queen and then realizes she can use her platform on social media to spread awareness, since that is what she enjoys doing

- but at the start of the season wanted to step away from it, reminded her too much of everything with her dad and wanted a break, she thought it was toxic but realizes she could do good with her voice

- jamie and jack reunite, even if it’s not playing against each other (i don’t think that would work), but meeting each other now when they’re both where they wanted to get to

- can we finally get that romance between them

zoe and kat at hawkstone

- talking about body image for women in sports

- it would be really cool to have transgender girl on the team, and some of the struggles she faces being an athlete while also being trans

- or talking about disabilities in sports, that would be really nice to see

- zoe falling in love with kat, but like no comment on sexuality, it just is what it is

- IF SHE BROUGHT KAT HOME AT THE END OF THE SEASON AFTER BEING SO HIDDEN ABOUT IT OH MY GOD AND SHE MET HER MOM

- like zoe’s very private because she’s worried that kat won’t like her if she talks about her mom, which is silly, but then seeing kat support her and learning how to be in a relationship with someone with a lot of responsibilities at home

- maybe her mom’s situation interferes with her place at hawkstone

- do they meet up with jack’s team again? would they even play against her (like are hawkstone and st. george’s even compatible?)

- exploring more of kat’s backstory, maybe why she’s so superstitious and what kind of an impact her grandmother had on her

- i believe she mentioned having a brother who plays (gave zoe his old boots) so it would be interesting to hear how having a sibling doing the same thing has affected kat, in a different way to the whole competition between dillon and liam

- watching kat lose some of her superstition in that she’s able to believe more in herself and her abilities and allow herself to make mistakes

- they’ll probably have a lot of pressure on them since hawkstone just started this new women’s team, maybe there could be a lot of competition with the boys’ team

- zoe is not going to do the whole, “being jealous of other girls” thing anymore, okay? she’s grown out of it

- honestly would like to see some dillon and zoe moments, wlw mlm solidarity

boggy our absolute hero

- boggy finding his passion outside of helping sports, unless that is his passion

- friendship between him and jamie struggling at first when he finds what he wants to do, but proving that you can stick together even with not exactly aligned interests

- schoolwork getting more intense with whatever tests they have to do at his age (i have no idea how the british education system works haha)

- check in with his therapy, see how that’s going, we actually see him get to go to one appointment, maybe, hopefully he’s built a good relationship with his therapist and we see the show promoting finding professional help if you need it

- maybe tries to get through a panic attack himself, with coping mechanisms he’s learned in therapy, i don’t know if the building pressure of school would be what induces it or not, but if his storyline is more about getting to see him outside of football, i doubt it would be because of anything related to the sport or stats or whatever

- anything about his family? like how they react to his diagnosis (unless he’s already told them what’s been happening), how close he is with them, if some of the pressure in school comes from at home, whether he has any siblings - we want to know more!!

- would he and nancy cross paths after he finds the thing he’s interested in, since it might be the same thing, or at least something similar, they realize they’re really good together and supportive of each other

- i can see them really pulling through, and it would be nice to see nancy being there for him with his panic attacks and learning how to be a supportive girlfriend to someone who does have problems with anxiety, panic attacks, etc

u14s at phoenix

- i want them to get a comparable opportunity as the gothia cup, something else though, so that they get the experience they missed out on with the whole duncan situation, the season will center around them working towards that thing, i don’t really have any suggestions since i don’t know football but i’m sure there’s something else for them out there

alba and ruby

- her and ruby get further apart, doing their own respective things, now that ruby isn’t playing football anymore, for some reason i feel like she’ll be into either art or psychology, but i can also see her trying to do some activism-esque stuff after her experience growing up in foster homes and now finally being adopted (!! i’m still so happy for them)

- now that she’s not playing at phoenix, we have no idea who ruby’s friends with, maybe she has some at school? i would like elliot to come back and the two of them to bond

- i can see ruby wanting to know more about her background but alba not being so much into that, which causes tension between the pair, ruby just feels like she doesn’t have a solid idea of who she is and wants to know where her roots are, whereas alba is in a good place at phoenix with a sense of being in a family there and doing what she loves

- alba’s anger management is poor, her and ruby bond over futsal or whatever after a period of time not talking after whatever issues come up between them

- the trio made up so it doesn’t seem like she has any issues with freddie or eric, but i want to see her grow more into the captain’s role and take on the responsibilities and stresses of getting the team to whatever opportunity they’re doing, maybe working more with duncan and him being more willing to help the team

eric

- i want to get a look into his home life, maybe how that affects him at school and just in general the emotional impact it has on him

- what happens to his family after the team get that comparable opportunity to gothia, compared to what ryan was doing? 

- we’ve just heard little snippets of his life and it sounds like a really complex story to explore which i think would be really cool, dealing with grief and the loss of a family member, and how it affects day to day life

freddie

- once they get this formal opportunity, freddie would be asked to be more serious on the team, kind of always the jokester and not fulfilling his full potential

- he doesn’t know where he fits in and who he wants to be, was there something in his past that made him feel like he had to feel that jokester role (like how wozza with adhd always wanted to crack the jokes and make a fool of himself so people were laughing with him)?

- it would be great to see him get a bit vulnerable and open up about some of his motivations, but eventually he finds the balance between putting in effort and not getting distracted and also being his normal fun-loving self

- please keep commentating because that was lots of fun, freddie

liam

- i want to see him bond with one of the three when they’re in a bad spot, happened to be there by accident and they’re going through something that maybe he can relate to, that’s why he is able to help, that way it isn’t a planned way to get people to forgive him, but rather, just natural, now that he’s growing up a bit

- does he even want to do football anymore? or was it always a pressure from dillon being so good, and he’s found other interests? or maybe he just doesn’t want to be as good as dillon, i feel like there’s a lot of emotional manipulation from the dynamic at home, and i can see him realizing that he never liked football for football, he just liked winning and making his dad “proud”

the johnson family

- is karen dating someone new? i would like to see her on her own and she absolutely doesn’t need anyone to help her, but i also feel like she deserves someone that truly would be there for her and support her, especially after everything that’s gone on with ian

- i also want to hear more about her own career endeavors, and how that intertwines with jamie now going pro - she’s always been there to support him but it’ll be interesting to see how family impacts professional players in general, and ones that are really young like jamie as well

- is mike staying at phoenix? literally what’s the point of his character, does he even want to be with the now u14s? or is he going to try and interfere too much in jamie’s career, which he wouldn’t want because he’s now pro? maybe i’m just still kind of annoyed at mike and have a very negative view of his intentions, so ignore this

- ian can just disappear forever, please, unless he comes back for one episode because that’s what ian does

- what about feeling guilty for literally running his own son down bitch, i thought we were going to get a whole arc with that but maybe the point is that ian is such a flawed character and sometimes people don’t change and -

- who would teach jamie to drive, karen? new boyfriend? depending on who it is, it might present different issues with jamie learning to drive if they do want to explore him being a little nervous after the accident

TL;DR

i just kind of want to see more of the characters in their own individual element, bring in school more (season 2-3 vibes) and get a more well rounded view of some of the characters we don’t know a lot about. i think they’ve left it in a place with a lot of interesting storylines to be explored, i just hope we don’t get another freddie-eric-aisha love triangle situation

...

i was going to say stan stormzy for clean skin but it took me way too long to figure out what her name was so that is no longer a valid statement

[reallytenaciousphantom-verified]

Jane the Virgin

my mother and i watched this as a quarantine binge and I loved it! Jane the Virgin was, for a long time, one of the shows that i didn’t watch, but i followed. I knew most of the big plot points (aka, Michael!) and what not. But it was such a different experience to actually watch it. I just wanted to make a list of all the things i loved about it. 

1. The communication. Throughout the show you keep seeing the characters talk and talk through their issues in (mostly) healthy ways. I love that. It felt authentic. yes, there was so much drama (it is a telenovela, afterall) but having the characters be not-stupid was really nice. And because of this, all the characters grow

2. the fact that negative emotions are not seen as evil (aka, Xo’s jealousy). Particualarly with Xo, we see her being petty and jealous on many occasions (i.e. when Ro still works with River after she makes a move on him in season 5). what makes it so great is that Xo calls out her feelings her self (sometimes, and sometimes in retrospect) and even admits that feeling like that doesn’t feel good. but being jealous and angry aren’t immediately bad things, they are normal and working through and with those feelings is just as important as realizing that walling in them is bad. 

3. Petra. To be honest, she is one of my favorite characters. she really grows alot and, unlike jane and alba, she knows she is changing and makes and effort. her growing to understand consequenses as not something (else) you have to fix but something that you can’t fix was really cool. 

4. Jane’s virginity. After jane lost her virginity/had sex with michael she felt lost. of course, having sex /when you decide to have sex is a personal choice and shouldn’t ever be shamed, however, for people in Jane’s situation when your whole identity revolves around your virginity and your concept of purity - the toll it takes on you after you are no longer “pure” is real and extremely hard to come to terms with. I appreciated the complexity of this storyline and that it wasn’t brushed over. I also appreciated that after she was no longer a virgin, the title card changed for each episode. that was a nice touch. both because it was funny and because it meant that jane wasn’t defining herself by sex anymore. 

5. honestly, so many other things. Rogelio and his personality and “follow your dreams” goal (and how hard that is in general, and with the added struggle of being a poc), the dealing with complex family dynamics (aka, step siblings), Petra’s bi storyline, the unwillingness to flinchaway from therapy, depression, antidepressants, and other medications, petra’s mother, the bilingual aspect, immigration, Jane’s long term anxiety due to rose, Luisa’s struggle (though this was seen minimally, you know she was traumatized, and we see first hand how hard it is to remove yourself from this kind of situation (even if this one was sort of unbelievable)) and so much more. 

Things I wish I had seen more of: 

1. Rogelio and Michael’s friendship AFTER Michael got his memories back. even, for example when Michael and Charlie came back to talk about the life rights, i wish Jane or michael had mentioned michael seeing rogelio before he leaves town again. 

2. Jane’s “fight” with Jorge (season 5). Jane is upset that her Abuela (Alba) is waiting on her new husband’s (Jorge) hand and foot. Jane asks Jorge for support when dealing with Mateo and his newfound ADHD. When jane asked, it is true she had an internal bad attitude about it, however, she approached Jorge with respect and gave him the option to say no or offer different soloutions. jorge told alba. (side note: i can’t help but think that Alba over reacted because she does have a temper, as we see throughout the series, however, i believe that if Jorge had an issue with jane he should have told her directly or had a sit down with Alba and jane to talk about boundaries). the reason this bothers me and the apology jane makes to Jorge seems like an inappropriate resolution is because, yes, the house is now Alba’s and Jorge’s but it is also Jane’s. Jane should not have to apologize for asking for help. She should have apologized for her attitude (sorry if i put you on the spot/made you uncomfortable - is there a better way to approach topics like this in the future?). Because, yes absoloutly jane made mistakes in this situation, but also she shouldn’t be punished for struggling. I don’t know why, but this bothered me a lot. i don’t think it would have in another show, but this show does so good at being honest and making sure that the whole entirety of the situation is seen (aka, alba saying “why is it okay i take care of you but not Jorge?” and admitting that jane can’t see the entirety of the relationship - was really well done) but this particular thing bugged me. i know jane needed the push to move out, but i felt there was more to this than what we saw. 

i did not proof read this so y’all are stuck with it as is. 

[axe-trio-commanders]

The Whole Truth

Yeah, beginning of PoF was... rough, for Seremnis. That’s what happens when the commander disappears after fighting a deity in a volcano, though. Spoilers for PoF, lws3, and personal story, as well as mention of death, grieving, and a whole lot of not knowing how to communicate properly. Also Kasmeer!

---

It was... nice out, tonight. Seremnis supposed having less clouds in the desert was... natural. She’d heard, once, that somewhere out here they’d built an Astralarium- looked out at the stars from some form of impressive building. It... it’d been a little while since she’d looked at the stars- the real ones, since she’d begun simply replicating them in her dreams, but it was... she needed the comfort. And while it’d be... nice, maybe, to share the view with someone...

She’d only allow a small twitch of her ears in recognition of it, but she felt someone else approaching- familiar, not an enemy, but who exactly it was she wasn’t quite...

...Seremnis looked as they sat down beside her, hardly making a sound- recognizing with unhidden surprise that it was... Kasmeer, of all people. She’d doubted it would be Rytlock, but Canach... honestly, she’d been hoping to talk to him anyways.

“...Couldn’t sleep?” The mesmer asked, attention focused on Seremnis- who, on her part, looked back up to the stars.

“...No,” she answered, after some thought. It... didn’t seem smart to-

“Why not?”

...Well. There went that option. For a moment, she imagined it, floating off into the distance, on the wind... right into a forged camp... gone, burned to ashes... there it went. “...There’s a lot to think about.”

“...Care to be any more specific?”

Seremnis... tried not to wince at the irritation in her tone. It wasn’t like she could blame her- they’d just come out of Kormir’s temple, attacked by the follower of another of their gods- not to mention that Marjory wasn’t there. But... given what relatively little she knew about Kormir, she’d... expected Kasmeer to be the hardest to talk to out of all of them. She’d expect the truth. Likely all of it.

“...Not really.”

Seremnis didn’t have to look at Kasmeer to know the answer only made things worse, but... she wasn’t sure what to say. How exactly did she articulate the vast number of problems she was currently dealing with in an even vaguely succinct way?

“Seremnis.” ...Oh, pale mother help her... “I know Aurene trusts you. I know the commander... trusted you.” Seremnis dug her fingers into the sand, tensing. The commander wasn’t gone, she was just- ...missing. For now. They’d find her. “But I find it hard to trust you to lead us when you never tell us anything.”

And... there it was. Honestly, she expected it sooner, but... she supposed there hadn’t really been time until this... long roadtrip north. And as much as she’d stayed up at night thinking about it, she was... no closer to a solution.

“...You could... find someone else,” she eventually suggested.

“Now? In the middle of a desert, chasing after the Herald?” Kasmeer responded dryly.

“I’m not going to start listing off secrets because you asked me to,” Seremnis muttered back.

“And why not?”

“It’s not that simple.” Seremnis paused, noting the bite in her own tone and forcing it back down. “...I am... aware that this is... a lot. And I am also aware that we see the matter of truth differently.” Seremnis finally looked back at Kasmeer, trying to judge how she was... taking that. She didn’t look... happy, or... convinced, but it wasn’t... worse...? “...You... follow Kormir. A god of truth. You’ve worked as a detective for... a while now, discovering truth.”

“...And you’re in Whispers?” She said it like it was an excuse she’d heard too many times before- and Seremnis bristled, forcing her own mouth shut until she’d managed to calm herself down again. She still... wasn’t exactly comfortable with anyone knowing that, but... it probably was inevitable, at this point.

“...And I awoke into the cycle of Night,” she continued, doing her best not to grit her teeth. “We can see the value of truths, yes, but also the value of secrets. There are things certain people are better off not knowing.” ...Examples, maybe? Examples might help. “Our firstborn luminary, Malomedies, is an astrologer and mathematician- he finds truths, though it’s... difficult to get close enough to him to get him to share them in earnest. And... Caithe is a night bloom as well.”

“...Didn’t Caithe keeping secrets end up hurting?”

“Not all of them. If she’d told everyone what sylvari were much earlier, you would have-”

“No. Mordremoth I understand, to a point, but you said yourself that she never told you about Faolin.”

Seremnis... paused, unsure of how to respond for a moment. “...I learned anyways.”

“But don’t you think it hurt her, not to tell anyone?” Seremnis refused to look at her, but she could still feel Kasmeer edging closer. “The truth is a risk, but so are secrets, and you’re keeping so many that none of us have any idea who you are. You’re only going to hurt yourself if you keep that up.”

“Then I’m the only one hurt, and you don’t have anything to worry about,” Seremnis concluded smoothly- becoming aware, rather immediately after, that this was probably the worst way to respond.

“I have you to worry about! I have Dragon’s Watch to worry about! How in the six can you not see this is a problem?”

Seremnis shifted in place, uncomfortable. “It’s not- that I don’t see it, I...” She trailed off, desperately trying to find some way to justify this.

“Then why haven’t you fixed it?”

“...I don’t... know how,” came the final... pathetic answer. It was an excuse, and it was a terrible one, and she... honestly hated that it... really was the entire truth of it.

A long, and... heavy silence followed. Seremnis didn’t quite care to see what Kasmeer thought of it- nothing good, she was sure- but... she was sure Kasmeer would need more than that to believe it.

“Like... like I said, I was... born in the night cycle. It doesn’t... trusting someone with the whole truth doesn’t come naturally to me like it does you.”

And, then... more silence. Was- was that not what she’d wanted? Was it something else, was it not enough? She didn’t know any better way to explain it, she’d never known how to explain...

“...That must make finding close friends hard.” ...Seremnis looked at Kasmeer in disbelief, trying to verify what she’d just heard. Not even the words themselves, really, just the... lack of anger, the... even her expression was so soft all of a sudden.

“I... suppose,” she managed, hoping to whatever happened to be listening that Kasmeer wouldn’t notice the slight increase in bioluminescence.

“Could you see yourself trusting me like that?”

“I... I don’t know. It only seems to happen out of obligation.”

“And afterwards?”

“...Try not to lose them.”

She... hated this. She hated faltering like this, not knowing what else to say- shouldn’t they want her to at least act like she knew what she was doing? Inspire confidence? She wasn’t- she wasn’t Zori. She couldn’t lead a group, couldn’t bring people together by accident like she seemed to, she... oh, pale mother, she wished Zori hadn’t disappeared... she took a long breath, rubbing at her face with the heel of her hand, trying to think of ways to change topic.

“...Is that all you came here to ask?” Seremnis eventually asked, noting, and not really fighting, the tiredness that crept into her voice.

“No, but it’s a good start,” Kasmeer answered evenly.

“To... what, exactly...?”

“Understanding you. Difficult as it might be, you’ve told me a lot.”

Seremnis looked over to her again, warily. “...Like... what, exactly...?”

“That this is... difficult, for you. Trusting. Just keep in mind that, while I’m sure some secrets you’re keeping for good reason, you don’t have to keep all of them.”

She looked away again, looking out into the vast sands, spotting some fires beyond it. “...I’ve listened in on enough conversations to know they’ll all come out eventually.”

“...That doesn’t have to be a bad thing.” A pause, and Seremnis heard her shuffle a little closer. “So I’ll ask again. Why are you still awake?”

“...Why are you?”

“Seremnis, please.”

She rolled her eyes, then focused on the middle horizon again. So she had to do this, then? ...Fine. It... it shouldn’t be this hard. Just pretend it was...

...Demmi.

...Her hand unconsciously rose again to her opposite arm, squeezed a little. Still, before anything good came, and... mother, there was so much more of it- still, emblazoned in her mind was the bloodstained carpet, Demmi’s face so much paler than it should be, and even when she closed her eyes the feeling of life force ever so slowly fading even when she was trying so desperately to keep her there, just a little longer, she still had so much to say...

...It took... a little less time, now, for it to... pass. The feeling of something trying to escape her throat, an emptiness in her chest... homesick for a home that she hadn’t awoken to. She wondered if she’d recognized the feeling of home when she had it. She... wondered if, had she the time, she would’ve mourned Tybalt like this. She hadn’t even seen him die...

“...I’m not meant for this.”

It wasn’t... everything she could have said- she couldn’t protect them, she wasn’t strong enough to lose them even with how little she still knew them, after everything- how was she supposed to lead when talking to Kasmeer had been so hard-? ...Would she... ever have anyone like Demmi to talk to again...? Someone who already... knew, accepted... everything... she only realized, upon a glimpse of Kasmeer’s concerned expression, that her own eyes felt wet. And, upon noticing, she’d force herself to take a deep breath- notice, with irritation, that it shook- and close her eyes, focusing again. What... had she said, again...? 

“I’ve never... lead before.” A pause. No, that wasn’t... entirely the truth, was it? Oh, mother, if she hadn’t met Albas, she would’ve never trusted a mesmer like Kasmeer with... 

Seremnis took in a breath, let out a breath. Kasmeer would see through that. “...Not... well. Not without casualties. I... I can’t be the commander.”

She caught Kasmeer smiling a little. “...You know, I don’t think she thought she could be either. I’d always guessed that’s why she asked us to call her by name.”

Seremnis paused, then smiled a little herself. “I’d thought it was because she wasn’t sure any of us actually knew it.”

Kasmeer laughed, and Seremnis... found herself smiling a little easier. She... deserved to laugh, after everything that’d happened. Maybe they all did. Maybe... maybe she was doing something right, here.

“At the time, she was probably right.” Kasmeer shook her head. “But- point is, you don’t... quite need to know how to do this.”

Seremnis stiffened- noticeably- at the feeling of another hand’s fingers touching her own, light and hesitant as the touch was.

“...You’ll have us with you. Everyone here’s got your back on this, alright...?” Kasmeer continued.

Seremnis... pulled her hand away, slowly, but nodded. “...Right.” She... supposed she already knew Canach did- as smooth as he played it, she knew he’d been waiting for them; one didn’t just casually go to Amnoon, legal gambling or not. And... being honest with herself, he... might know more about her than anyone else in this guild. She... she really should find time to talk with him later- but for now... 

She pushed herself up, brushing some sand off of herself- not like it’d get all of it, but it was an attempt- and, one last time, looked up at the stars.

“...Kasmeer...?” She began, faltering slightly. How did she say...

“...Mm?”

“...Thank you.”

[littlesliceofmarvel]

We Don’t Collaborate

Request/Synopsis: Steve has a romantic interest in the reader, and when the team is forces to work with the Fantastic Four, he becomes extremely jealous and over-protective when Johnny Storm keeps flirting with the her. She gets slightly irritated and kisses Johnny just to annoy Steve, but all ends well.

Warnings: Swearing

Pairings: Steve x Reader

A/N: This is my longest one yet! Ok, so I haven’t seen Fantastic Four in like, ten years, so forgive me if there are characteristic mistakes! This is also based off of the Fantastic Four movies with CEvans, Jessica Alba and those guys, not the remake from a couple of years ago. As always, gif isn’t mine, enjoy! x

THIRD PERSON POV

The minute that Fury had told the team that they were going to join the Fantastic Four for the next mission, tension had gone out of the roof throughout the Avengers HQ. They were used to working with familiar faces, the trust being put into each other and only each other. It was always a big deal when a new member joined the team, but now, having to join with another team was enough to get the entire room in a frustrated groan, Fury rolling his eyes at their reaction.

“That’s ridiculous,” Steve said, voicing everyone thoughts.

Natasha couldn’t help the sarcastic laughter that bubbled through her, “Fury, you really think we’d get along with another team of ‘heroes,” she added in quotations, “Some of us don’t even get along with each other.”

Fury rolled his eye, facing the annoyed Avengers, “I’m not asking you guys to get along, I’m asking you guys to have each other’s backs, that’s it.”

Tony and Y/N shared an eye roll amongst each other, knowing damn well that their combined sass and smarts would be enough to get the Four to reject them without so much as a second glance.

“With Stark on board, you really think we’re going to rub off the right way?” Y/N asked with a playful tone to her voice, making Steve chuckle slightly as Tony let out a fake gasp of mock hurt, swatting her in the shoulder lightly. 

“I was more worried about you, Agent Y/L/N,” Fury shot her a look, making her squint, tilting her head to the side, challenging what he meant. 

“Oh, please,” Y/N smirked, “I’m a joy to work with.”

Fury dismissed her comment and turned back to the team, “They arrive at the compound tonight, please make them feel welcome.”

And with that, he left the room, leaving the Avengers to sulk. Y/N was the only one who didn’t totally see this as a bad thing, as she loved challenges, and with the feeling that the Avengers and the Fab Four weren’t going to get along, she knew it was definitely going to something. 

She sat there, a small smile on her face and fire in her eyes as the team argued, and Steve couldn’t take his eyes off of her. She absolutely captivated him and every time he was around her, something sparked within him to want to make her smile, laugh, and make sure she was always safe. She was witty, sarcastic, brilliant, and one of the strongest people he knew. Everyone on the team absolutely adored her, but she caught Steve’s eye from the moment she walked into his life all those years ago.

“Well, while you guys sulk about this collaboration,” Y/N stood up off her chair, cutting off Tony who was ranting about why they didn’t need more hands on board, snapping Steve out of his thoughts, “I’m gonna go eat.”

Natasha stood up as well, “That sounds like a great idea, I’m with you.” Y/N walked over to Natasha and linked their arms together, walking out of the conference room, Steve’s eyes lingering on the girl who captured his heart as she smiled at Natasha. 

“Steve, are you on board?” Tony asked, leaning his arms on the table as he faced the blond soldier, knowing he was paying absolutely no attention to a word he was saying.

Steve’s eyes widened as he looked around the room, “Sorry, what?” Bucky scoffed, holding back a laugh at how obvious Steve was being. 

Tony rolled his eyes, “Of course you weren’t listening,” he pointed to the door Y/N had just walked out of, “Ask her out already so you can actually be focused instead of looking like a ten year old boy who has a crush on a girl way out of his league.”

Steve felt his cheeks heat up as he rolled his eyes at Tony’s comment, “Shut up, Stark.” 

-

The rest of the day went without hiccup. Y/N, Natasha, Wanda and Clint trained in the gym, working themselves to a near breaking point before ordering pizza and watching TV, like true superheroes. Steve, Tony and Fury clarified the mission that they were going on before joining the others in the living room. 

“So, quick briefing,” Fury stated, causing Clint to pause the Golden Girls episode that had stolen their attention, “Wanda, Clint, Scott, Reed Richards and The Thing will go with Tony. Bucky, Y/N, Natasha, Sue Storm, and Johnny Storm will be with Steve. Sam, Bruce, T’Challa, Parker and Rhodey won’t be joining this mission.”

Y/N raised her hand like she was in a classroom and Fury let out a sigh before he pointed at her, causing her to cock her head to the side.

“Yeah, so like, what are their powers? What can they do?” 

Fury pulled out a hologram and showed them the information they wanted to know, “Reed Richards can stretch himself like an elastic, Sue Storm can become invisible, The Thing is kind of like their hulk, and Johnny Storm is known as the Human Torch, self explanatory.”

Y/N raised an eyebrow at the information, “Human Torch, huh? He must be hot,” she joked and Natasha groaned from beside her, throwing her head back at her friend’s bad joke, “Oh, c’mon, it was funny.” 

Steve couldn’t help the slight sting of jealousy pour through his body at her calling someone else hot, but he pushed it back when he snapped it into his head that it was a joke. 

Fury told them that the Fab Four were showing up at around 8, and that a meeting was to be placed as soon as they showed up. Everyone took note of it and Y/N nagged Clint to play the episode once again. Steve found himself with nothing much else to do so he sat next to her, and she felt herself almost lean into him, but had to force her body against it. There was a certain feeling of comfort that he brought to her, and she hated to admit it, knowing damn well he was he weakness. 

“So, we’re on the same team,” Y/N smirked up at Steve and he smiled, nodding, “Guess we gotta watch each other’s backs, can’t trust these newbies.”

Steve chuckled slightly, “I’ve always got your back, don’t worry.” Her Y/E/C eyes sparkled at his comment, turning back to the TV as Nat gave her a small shove to the shoulder, signifying she was missing something. She gave her a look as to say ‘I was paying attention’ and Nat chuckled, shaking her head. Steve couldn’t take his eyes off of Y/N, though. Her bubbly attitude just captured his attention, and although she didn’t know it, she loved that she could always make him smile. Steve’s dazzling smile brightened her day, and his constant determination helped her break through when she first joined the team. They helped each other out in more ways than they could even know.

The rest of the team eventually wandered into the common space, snacking and browsing through the lame channels on the TV, awaiting the dreaded arrival of the Four. 

“Do we have to greet them?” Clint asked, reaching his hand into Y/N’s popcorn bowl, making her smack the archer on the back of the head.

“Yeah, we do,” Wanda said solemnly, “But no one’s forcing us to be nice, right?”

Y/N let out a small laugh at Wanda’s comment, “We want them to have our backs, no? I wouldn’t trust someone I didn’t get along with.” This was easy for her to say, considering everyone got along with her, but she was right. Going into something dangerous where you didn’t trust the people alongside you was a terrible combination.

“Y/N’s right,” Steve spoke up, “We want them to trust us, and we need to trust them, so making a good first impression is usually pretty important.” Y/N’s heart fluttered at how he sided with her, but she kept a neutral expression and shot Clint a death glare as he reached his hand into her popcorn once again, eyes focused on the television as he couldn’t care less about the drama. 

“Do we have to talk about this again? It’s not that huge of a deal,” he spat popcorn all over Y/N as he turned his head to talk to the team, causing her to flick him across the forehead.

The team realized he was right, that they were dragging this out to be a bigger deal than it should be, so they dropped the subject and went off to do their own thing, waiting for Fury to drag them into a conference later on.

Y/N waltzed over to the kitchen, stretching her legs from sitting criss crossed on the couch for about two hours, and headed towards the coffee machine, the smell of freshly made coffee being too much for her to turn down. She poured herself a cup and took a small sip, letting herself taste the delicious coffee without burning her tongue to a crisp.

“Good coffee, huh?” Tony smirked to her from where he was sitting on the kitchen island, “You’re welcome.”

Y/N rolled her eyes at his comment, sitting herself between Bucky and Wanda, facing the billionaire, “You may have built the coffee machine, Stark, but you didn’t invent the drink itself.”

He was about to respond with a witty comment, but was interrupted by Fury entering the room, gathering everyone’s attention.

“They’ve arrived, so please meet us in the conference room in 10,” with that, he exited the room, leaving everyone looking at each other before stopping what they were doing, making their way to the meeting. Steve rushed up from the couch to stand next to Y/N, but she was too focused on getting over there to notice that he almost appeared from nowhere. 

As they walked over, Clint mumbled comments about how he knew they were going to be douches just because they put ‘Fantastic’ in their name. Y/N chuckled at his antics, but noticed Steve was feeling quite the opposite. As he walked next to her, she could feel the tension radiating off of his body, and she placed a hand on his forearm, causing him to turn his blue eyes to face her.

“You good, Rogers?” She asked, her soft features laced with clear concern, making him melt on the inside.

“It’s just, the last time I led a team with people who didn’t get along, it didn’t exactly end the best, I’m hoping this goes better than we’re envisioning,” he said, turning his attention back to the front as he walked and she nodded, understanding where he was coming from.

“We’re not going to war though, Cap, I’ll do my best to play nice for you,” she smiled up at him as they approached the conference room, Clint being first to open the door and lead them inside. When they stepped inside, the four new people sitting around the table caught Y/N’s attention.

Her eyes dragged over Sue Storm, who was a beautiful blonde woman, her hair falling neatly over her shoulders as she sat upright with perfect posture. Rich. She noticed Reed Richards, whose messy dark hair and warm eyes looked comforting, but he didn’t seem like someone Y/N would aspire to be friends with. You already had a feeling him and Stark might not get along. The Thing stood in the corner, obviously too large to sit on a chair, arms crossed as his eyes scanned the room, a dull expression on his cracked face as he looked around. Lastly, Y/N’s eyes fell on Johnny Storm, who if she wasn’t mistaken, had insane similarities in facial features to Steve Rogers. She glanced her eyes back and forth between the two and Steve picked up on it, rolling his eyes as to say ‘don’t compare me to him.’ She laughed and took a seat between Steve and Bucky, the room going silent as Fury stood up.

“So, for introductions, team, this is Sue Storm, Reed Richards, Johnny Storm, and Ben Grimm, also known as The Thing,” Fury spoke, “Fantastic Four, these are the Avengers,” Fury waved his hand to point at them, “Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Y/N Y/L/N, Bucky Barnes, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Scott Lang, and Natasha Romanoff.”

After Fury made the introductions, he pulled up a bunch of files on what would be the upcoming mission, telling everyone whose team they were going to be on for clarification. Y/N tried her best to focus on Fury, but she could feel Johnny Storm’s eyes piercing into the side of her head, a small smirk on his face as he did so. She immediately felt a cocky vibe coming from him but chose not to focus on it, nodding along to Fury’s words. 

Steve also picked up on the way Storm’s eyes lingered on Y/N, his jaw slightly tense, but he didn’t want to make a big deal of it, so he let it slide as Y/N gave him a small smile. The rest of the conference went smoothly, no one ripping each other’s throats out, no one really speaking to each other even. Y/N was surprised at how calm Tony stayed when Reed Richards made a small jab towards Iron Man at one point, but really, she was surprised at how she stayed calm. Defending Tony was like instinct to her, so the fact that she didn’t launch herself across the long glass table and knock the guy out made her feel collected. 

Fury finished off the meeting with letting everyone know they were taking off tomorrow night, 7:30 sharp, two jets for two different teams, “Please get to know and trust each other before then.”

Everyone stood up and walked out of the room, Y/N walking next to Bucky who was upset at the way The Thing looked at his metal arm, a string of quiet profanities leaving his mouth, even calling The Thing, ‘the stupid sand guy’ making her laugh. Steve stood on the other side of her, not really saying anything, and she decided to break his silence after Bucky went off rambling to Clint about the same thing.

“Steve, did you notice how much that guy looked like you?” Y/N grinned up at the blond who rolled his eyes at her.

“Shut up, we don’t look alike,” he grumbled silently and she noticed how he didn’t seem to be in a playful mood, “I did, however, notice the way he was staring at you.”

Y/N scoffed, “Right? That was intense.” Right as she finished her sentence, Johnny’s figure approached the two of them, but his eyes were more focused on her than Steve.

“Hi, Johnny Storm, it’s an honour to be working with you guys,” he smiled down at her, making Steve instinctively step closer to her, Johnny’s eyes scanning her body.

Steve let out a small cough, “Hi.”

Y/N noticed Steve’s cold tone and looked up at him before turning her attention back to Johnny, “Of course it’s an honour to work with us, we’re the freaking Avengers, thank you very much.”

Steve loved the sass in her voice as she placed her hands on her hips, a small smirk on her lips as she faced Johnny, who raised an eyebrow and chuckled at her comment.

“Of course,” he smiled, “I’ve seen you on the news, you’re quite incredible.”

Y/N’s eyes widened slightly at his comment, not expecting a compliment, “Oh, I’m only good because I kick Barnes’ ass in training,” she spoke loudly, catching Bucky’s attention as he gave her a small flip of the finger, making her laugh.

Steve wasn’t sure how to feel about the interaction, he knew Y/N had a sassy, lovable personality, but she was also a natural flirt. She was charming, and she knew it, usually using it to her advantage when they needed something from someone, and maybe that’s what she was doing now, but the way Johnny’s looked at her, Steve wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and take her away from him.

“You should show me what you’ve got, then,” Johnny smirked, and Y/N took her hands off of her hips, crossing her arms as if to challenge him.

“You definitely wouldn’t be able to handle me, fire boy,” she teased, and Steve could feel the overwhelming jealousy pour through his body like lava, his entire body tensing up at the way she was talking to him, and he knew he had no right to be jealous, they weren’t dating, but he was so infatuated by her that he wanted to be the only one she teased and flirted with.

“Tomorrow morning, we’ll put this to the test, deal, darling?” Johnny smirked, sticking his hand out to which Y/N gladly accepted the challenge, shaking his hand with a small smirk on her face as well. She could feel the warmth coming from his hand, making her instantly relax, feeling somewhat at ease around him. She realized he was flirting, and she could feel how tense Steve was from next to her, so she thought she’d play around with this and have fun. Afterall, if Steve was jealous, it meant he liked her back, right? Now, if only she could get him to admit it...

The next morning, Y/N woke up with a headache, quickly walking down to the kitchen in her shorts and sweatshirt to take some medication, probably making herself a coffee in the process. She had agreed to train with Johnny this morning, but with the way she was feeling now, she wasn’t sure if that was the best idea, she needed to feel her best for tonight’s mission.

“Good morning, Y/N,” Natasha smiled at the girl when she entered the kitchen, stopping herself from laughing, “I’m really liking the hairdo, it’s very fashionable.”

Y/N rolled her eyes at Nat’s comment, trying her best to smooth out her hair with one hand as she searched the cupboards for a glass, “Sorry, Nat, not everyone is blessed with beautifully bouncy hair.”

Natasha laughed, pouring Y/N a cup of coffee, “I think that-”

The redhead was cut off when Tony and Clint walked into the room, arguing about which was better, Star Wars or Star Trek. 

Y/N let out a small scoff, “It’s too early to be arguing, you nerds.”

Tony raised an eyebrow, walking up to her, “Too early for arguing? Sorry, who was it that burst into my room at two in the morning last week to cuss me out about something I did in her dream?” Y/N looked down at the cup of coffee in her hand, slightly ashamed at her argument with Tony that he clearly didn’t understand. 

“Me,” she mumbled, defeated by his point. Tony let out a hum of content, turning away from her. Steve and Wanda had now piled into the kitchen in search of food as well.

“No training session with fire guy this morning?” Steve asked her, a hint of attitude behind his voice, causing her to let out a sigh. She knew he was jealous, but if he was going to have an attitude about it, she was going to get fed up real quick.

“No, why do you ask?” She questioned him, a small smirk on her face as she turned to look at him. Natasha and Tony shared a look between themselves, both of them knowing about Steve and Y/N’s attractions towards one another, but realizing that they were going to drag this out.

He shrugged, “No reason, just wondering.”

Y/N nodded, pretending to understand his ‘just wondering’ about her training session, walking over to sit next to Natasha along the kitchen island as Bucky and Scott walked in, both looking half-dead. 

“Good sleep, boys?” Y/N laughed as Bucky shot her a death glare, Scott flipping her off with his head shoved in the fridge. This is how most mornings were spent, the team lounging around the kitchen together as they made small talk, having breakfast and coffee. It was Y/N’s favourite time of the day, she loved just being with her best friends. 

The day went by quickly, extremely quickly, and before she knew it, Y/N was piled into the Quinjet with Steve and the team, going over the floor plan of the building they were about to break into. She locked her guns into her belt and thigh holster, clipping on her suit that Tony designer, tying her hair up into a high ponytail to avoid the loose strands flying into her face.

“You understand your roll, Y/N?” Steve asked her, “You’ll go into the control room, handle the four guys in there, and join me in the room over here where I’ll wait for you to join, we’ll download their files onto this hard drive after you hack their systems in there, and we’ll meet up here once we’re all done, clear?” 

The team nodded, all understanding their roles. Y/N sat in the back of the jet next to Bucky, stretching her body to prepare for physical combat. The brunet soldier looked up at her from where he was sitting and motioned for her to come over. She tilted her head, confused, but walked over and sat next to him, eyeing him over to ask what was wrong.

“So, you and Steve..” he started, but Y/N cut him off with a glare, making him immediately stop talking.

“I appreciate you wanting to look out for your friend’s love life, Buck, but you’re imagining things,” she stated, turning away from him to look at Steve. Her eyes wandered down his body, looking so damn fine in his stealth suit, and her eyes might have lingered on his ass a little longer, not that she’d ever admit it.

“Look, I know it’s none of my business,” Bucky stated, causing her to draw her eyes away from America’s Ass, facing him once again, “But from what I’ve seen, Storm boy over there seems to have some sort of interest in you, I don’t want you to get sucked into that when Steve’s really got it for you. Bad.”

Y/N sighed, understanding what Bucky was saying, but her stubborn mind spilled out the words before she could process them, “Well, until Mr Independence Day wants to confess his feelings, I’m free to flirt with whomever I want.”

Bucky let out a sigh as she smirked, but he understood that she was partially going to flirt loudly with Johnny only so Steve could give in and confess his feelings. He didn’t get a chance to continue the conversation, though, because Johnny motioned for Y/N to come over, and she did so with a smile on her face.

“Hey, quick question,” he asked her quietly and she leaned in to hear him, “Do you think Captain’s making a solid decision by sending you into four guys alone?” From the other side of the jet, Steve rolled his eyes at Johnny’s comment, but Y/N only threw him an amused look.

“Steve knows my abilities better than anyone, I’ve taken him down quite a few times, so yes, he knows I can handle four security guards,” she placed a hand on her hip, leaning against the vibrating wall of the jet, and even though Steve wanted to be mad at her for carelessly flirting, he had to admit that she looked beautiful. Before a mission, she had a spark in her eye, excitement, determination, and thrill, and it took his breath away. 

Johnny chuckled, “That’s fair, I can’t wait to see you in action.” He finished it with a smirk, reaching his hand across to brush a loose strand of hair out of her face, tucking it into her ponytail.

Y/N noticed the innuendo but decided to brush it off, “Oh, you will.”

Natasha scoffed from the pilot’s seat of the jet next to Clint, “Oh, shut it, you two, keep the flirting for once we’re done.”

“Yeah,” Steve said coldly, sitting next to Bucky, “It’s honestly a little disturbing. There’s a mission at hand, focus on that instead. You’re a good agent, Y/N, don’t change my mind.”

She almost couldn’t believe the way Steve spoke to her, and she couldn’t help her involuntary jaw drop as the blue eyed soldier shot her a dark glare, sending shivers down her spine as she crossed her arms, approaching him.

“What’s that, Rogers?” She challenged, “You doubting me?”

Steve immediately felt bad for what he said, not wanting to sound so harsh, but he wanted nothing more than to stop the flirting between the two. 

“I’m not doubting you,” he said lowly, “But I’d appreciate if you acted more like you cared about the mission than him.”

Y/N felt the anger bubble inside of her and had to clench her fists to prevent herself from punching Steve in the face, “You saying I’m letting some guy prevent me from doing my job?” Steve could feel the anger radiating off of her, “You may be from the 40s, but times have changed, Steve. Women can fight, and they can do whatever the fuck they want to do with men, alright? Not that what I do is any of your business anyways, though.”

She raised an eyebrow when he had no response, and turned back to re join Johnny who luckily, didn’t hear the full conversation.

“What’s his problem?” Johnny asked her quietly, motioning his head in the direction of Steve. Y/N didn’t answer, but when she felt the jet slow down, she knew that she wouldn’t have time to answer. Steve and Bucky joined the team at the small table in the middle, clarifying out entrances as Nat and Clint landed the jet. He handed everyone their comms and they all turned them on, ready to communicate once they went their separate ways. Sue and Johnny hugged it out, wishing each other good luck. Y/N and Natasha gave each other a fist pump and Y/N wanted nothing more than to give Steve a good luck hug as they always did, but she was too upset at him right now to do it.

When the jet landed, they each went their separate ways. Y/N went to the security booth and eyed the four men, Steve and Nat went to the side door of the building, waiting for Y/N to take them down and disarm the camera and security systems before going in, Sue, Johnny and Bucky were going to jump in through the second floor window to cause a distraction, and Clint stayed guard over the jet.

“On your go, Y/N,” She heard Steve’s voice through her earpiece and took this as her start. She quietly walked over to the glass booth where four men stood around computer screens in their security guard uniforms.

“Boys, I’m lost, mind helping a girl out?” She asked innocently and within a second, the four men had their eyes on her, one even with his hand placed on the gun in his belt.

“Oh, no need for that,” she smirked, “Let’s have some fun, shall we?” 

It didn’t take long for her to take them down, leaving them all bloody on the floor, barely breaking a sweat herself as she sat down on the swivel chair, easily accessing the computer as there wasn’t even a password.

“I’m in, gimme three seconds,” she spoke and Steve and Natasha gave small noises to let her know they heard her. Through her earpiece, she could hear Johnny, Sue and Bucky creating a fine distraction upstairs, taking the people out of the room Steve and Nat were about to go into.

“Wonderful job, Y/N,” Johnny’s voice made her crack a small smile as she opened the security software, easily disabling it, letting Steve and Nat know they were good to go in.

“Why, thank you, darlin’,” she grinned, stepping over the bloody bodies to make her way out of the security booth and into the building.

“Shut it, you two,” Steve sounded annoyed, but before she could answer him through the comms, she entered the room where him and Nat sat at the computer, downloading the important files onto a USB drive. Y/N stood guard of the two as they hurried to download what they needed.

Two men ran into the room, guns pointed towards them, but they didn’t have time to even place their fingers on the trigger before Y/N shot the two down, not even batting her eyelashes.

“Second floor is clear,” Bucky said softly, “We’re coming down to you.”

Nat finished hacking into their software and downloaded everything they needed, pulling the USB drive out and throwing it into the pocket on her bodysuit, giving Steve a nod.

Johnny ran into the room, followed by Bucky and Sue, and Y/N almost shooting them as they startled her, and grouped up, ready to head back to the jet. Clint gave them the OK that Tony’s team got everything they needed and that everyone was good to go.

They took off out of the building, hearing more men running after them, but they were quicker than them. Y/N made sure to stay at the back, ready to fire at anyone she saw that wasn’t part of their team. They rushed onto the jet and Clint closed it up, lifting off right away. Natasha showed off the USB drive proudly, making Y/N high-five her. 

“That was extremely quick, nice work guys,” Clint gave the team a thumbs up, making them all smile. Steve went around, telling everyone they did a good job one by one, like the true professional leader he was. 

“Did I disappoint you, captain?” Y/N sassed, taking her weapons out of her suit and placing them on a table, not daring to look at him.

Steve, although upset with her, was grateful she didn’t get injured, “No, you didn’t, good job, Y/N.”

Y/N almost felt bad for her petty remark, but before she could say anything else to him, he had walked away to go talk to Bucky. She was confused about her feelings towards him, she was crazy about him, there was no denying it, but she hated the way he had treated her like she was incapable before. She wasn’t sure how to feel, but she knew damn well she was going to have to bring the flirting up a notch to annoy Steve even more. She realized how childish it sounded in her head, but she just wanted the soldier to confess his feelings. So, she was about to push him to the brink.

She waltzed over to Johnny who sat quietly in the corner of the jet, and without having second thoughts about what he was doing, she grabbed him by the neck and pulled his face down to hers, pressing their lips together. Steve felt his heart stopped, looking over to Bucky who looked just as bewildered. Natasha rolled her eyes, knowing damn well what she was doing. Johnny tensed up, but quickly eased into the kiss, wrapping his arms around her waist. Y/N almost instantly regretted it, knowing she probably pushed Steve too far, and pulled away, giving Johnny an awkward nod as she walked away from him, not letting him say anything. 

Steve felt his blood boil, he couldn’t believe what she just did. Bucky had always told him she had feelings for him, but now, he was incredibly pissed. 

“Y/N, what the hell?” Steve asked in a harsh whisper, following her to the other end of the jet where she sat down slowly, pressing her lips together as she hid her face in her hands.

“I don’t know, that was a mistake,” she mumbled quietly, regret taking over her whole body.

“Damn right that was a mistake, what were you thinking?” Steve asked, a little softer this time as he realized she was feeling bad about what she just did.

Y/N gave in, not wanting to argue with him anymore. She just wanted everything to get thrown out in the open.

“I like you, Steve, a stupid amount,” She began and Steve felt his heart pick up speed, “I saw how agitated you were when he was flirting with me and I wanted to push it so you’d ask me out, but clearly, you wanted to put me down instead. I’m sorry.”

He looked over her, realizing that she couldn’t be lying. Her fingers were shaking and her cheeks were slightly flushed, Steve had never seen her like this. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing, and she couldn’t believe what she was saying.

“You thought kissing him was going to make me ask you out?” Steve asked, a slight bit of amusement lacing his soft voice as she brought her eyes up to look at him. Her heart stopped when she noticed the small smile Steve wore on his face, the anger from before fading away.

“I guess,” Y/N mumbled and Steve chuckled, placing his hand over her thigh, sending goosebumps through her entire body at his warm touch.

“Well, not exactly,” he looked over at her, “But what you just said makes me want to. I’ve liked you for quite a while too, so how about we go to dinner tomorrow, just the two of us, and have a good time?”

Y/N couldn’t have nodded her head fast enough, breaking into a huge smile. She looked over and saw Johnny now in a conversation with Sue, so she didn’t feel like going over and explaining everything now, but all in due time. Natasha threw Y/N a subtle thumbs up, making her laugh, missing the thumbs up Bucky gave to Steve. 

The two sat in silence for the rest of the flight back to HQ, just happy to finally have everything out in the open, both of them buzzing with excitement for their date to come.

[ladyreapermc]

Fic: This isn’t a rom-com 11/17

Summary: Keanu and Lilah meet at the set of John Wick. Rom-com shenanigans ensues

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6  Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

Author’s notes: let’s pepper a little conflict on this, shall we?

Wordcount: 3056

Warnings: lots of fluff, some sexy teasing, but basically a very tame chapter.

As Lilah slowly blinked her eyes open the next morning, a slow, lazy grin spread over her face. This was the third morning in a roll that she woke up like this, surrounded by Keanu’s embrace and she was quickly getting used to it. Lilah was pretty sure she hadn’t slept this well since she started grad-school, which should really say something about the state of her life in the past six years, but Lilah wasn’t gonna think about it now.

Not when she was warm and comfy and sated and pleasantly sore, wrapped around Keanu’s arms in the early hours of a Sunday, the milky light of the morning filtering through the curtains and shining over their tangled legs.

Last night, after the mind-blowing sex and their nap, they ordered Chinese food and just talked way past midnight since neither of them actually had to work the next day. Lilah felt a little bad that they didn’t manage to go out on their date, but she loved having Keanu all to herself, without worrying about being seen by paparazzi and all that.

She loved curling on the couch with him and talking about everything and nothing, getting to know each other even more. Lilah shared a little more about her family, how her stepdad Frank met her mom Alba when he was working abroad for Doctors without Borders. They met and fell in love rather quickly. Back then, her mom had just lost her husband in a car accident, while Frank was fresh off a messy divorce.

They got married six months later and Lilah and her mom moved to the US to live Frank and his son James, who was just a year older than Lilah. She didn’t remember much about that adaptation period, but she knew it was pretty hard. Frank was always working, her mom’s English wasn’t the best and James was a spoiled little brat

All Lilah really remembered was feeling sad all the time because her mom was always crying. It took a while, but things slowly got better. Her mom picked up English quite fast and James’ mom finally moved on from the divorce. Lilah had mostly happy memories of her childhood, even if as she grew older, she felt this growing sense of being out of place, of not really belonging.

She was the only Latina in her class in the private school she went to and people made fun of her accent, which was why she worked so hard to hide it. As a matter of fact, all through school Lilah struggled to hide her heritage, basically who she was. It wasn’t until college, but especially grad-school, that she started to actually feel comfortable in her own skin and with who she was. Not only that, but Lilah felt she was doing finally something right, something she was good at and she was truly proud of her research. Even if it wasn’t her first choice, she really learned to love what she did.

It was very nice to be able to open up to Keanu like this and see him doing the same. He told her about his own father and his mother multiple marriages and his own struggles with school and dyslexia. Lilah was curious and fascinated about everything she learned about him because she knew not many people had the privilege of seeing that side of him. She latched on to even the smallest of things because they always seemed to have a story behind it, like the little scar on his neck.

“Where did you get this?” Lilah asked, running her finger over it gently. They had moved back to bed supposedly to go sleep again but ended lying on their sides, facing each other and just talking a little more instead.

“Neck surgery,” he explained, taking her hand and placing a kiss on each fingertip. “I had a spinal fusion, so they put a plaque in my neck.”

“Shit!” Lilah massaged his nape. Keanu hummed in pleasure, closing his eyes and leaning into the touch. “I can’t believe I didn’t know. I thought I knew all your scars.”

Keanu cracked one eye open and just arched his eyebrow at her, a smirk playing on his lips and Lilah could feel her cheeks burning. And here she thought she would stop blundering with her words now that she was so comfortable around him.

“You like my scars?” he asked with a husky voice and Lilah grinned and nodded, raking her nails over the one on his stomach and Keanu groaned.

“This one still my favorite, though,” she whispered meeting his lips for a kiss, that turned into two and then three and then into more until they were sated and collapsed tangled together, exhaustion lulling them to sleep.

Which was still how Lilah found herself in the morning and as the sleep fog dissipated. She felt her limps aching and hurting from the awkward angles and did her best to pull away without waking Keanu, but he grumbled and just tightened his hold around her, rubbing his cheek against her neck and making Lilah squirm and giggle.

“Morning,” he spoke against her skin.

“Morning,” Lilah replied and this time, when she pulled away, Keanu actually let her go. She managed to stretch her body and groan. “Everything aches.”

“Good kind of ache?” he asked, peeking at her, hand moving up her thigh.

“Some, yes.” She smirked, catching his wandering fingers before they could go far. “Now, someone promised me pancakes last night…”

Keanu groaned as he turned on his back and rubbed his face.

“I knew I was gonna regret that.”

“No take-backsies,” Lilah teased, poking his side and making him jolt startled and grab her hands, pinning her down on the bed.

Her breath caught in her throat as Keanu used his weight to hold her down, knees on either side of her legs to keep her in place, gaze hard and intense. Lilah felt herself going breathless as her arousal grew. She pushed back against his hand, which was large enough to wrap around both of her wrists, and Keanu tightened his hold just a little, almost as if in warning making Lilah whimper. He nipped at the skin under her jaw and she tilted her head back to give him more space.

“You like that I can do this, don’t you?” Keanu asked against her ear, his voice still rough with sleep. Thet sound making her ache with want “That I'm bigger and stronger and I can pin you down, have you at my mercy?”

“Oh fuck, yes!” Lilah gasped and licked her lips. She was so wet she was could feel soaking her panties almost uncomfortably.

Who knew a control freak like her would be this turn on by the fact that Keanu could pretty much do anything to her, and she would gladly submit and say thank you?

“Breakfast first,” Keanu whispered, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips. “Then…” she could feel the weight of his hungry gaze over her skin. He was off her before Lilah could even register what was happening. “I’ll start the pancakes while you shower.”

“You’re a mean one Mr. Reeves,” she said with a pout and Keanu just laughed as he put on a pair of sweatpants and left Lilah with one last kiss.

She lingered in bed, grinning to herself, before finally getting up and heading to the bathroom, giddy with excitement because Keanu’s bathroom was perfect. From the huge raised tub, which Lilah still had to try out, to the large shower stall with directional jets and all kinds of heat controls.

Lilah let the hot water wash away all the kinks from spending the night in an awkward position, before finally stepping out, skin still flushed and tingling as she dug through Keanu’s closet for something to wear, settling for a pair of boxers shorts that hang loosely around her hips and one of his ARCH shirts.

She walked into the kitchen and her lips tilted into a smile at the sight of Keanu flipped pancakes at the stove, spotting a severe case of bed hair. Lilah wished she had her phone close by so she could register the moment, but before she could even think about looking for it, Keanu noticed her, his expression shifting into a gorgeous smile that made her knees weak.

“I hope you don’t mind that I took some liberties,” she said gesturing to her attire.

“Don’t mind at all,” he replied, piling the last pancake on the plate as Lilah followed the smell of coffee. “You look good in my clothes.”

“Where do you keep your mugs?” She asked.

“Second door above the coffee machine,” Keanu replied, turning off the stove. “But that’s… what did you call it again? Chafé?”

“I figured, but my need of caffeine is bigger than my distaste for American coffee,” Lilah said pulling the cabinet door open and let out a huff of frustration as she noticed the mugs on the top shelf and out of her reach. “Keanu?”

He turned around to look after he set their plates on the counter, his lips twisting into a smirk. He walked over, pining Lilah against the counter as he easily took out two mugs and handed it to her.

“Have I mentioned I hate all tall people?” she complained with a pout, making Keanu laugh. “I mean, you’re so tall even if I’m on my tiptoes, you have to bend down so I can kiss you.”

“Well, I like that you’re short,” he said, voice laced with amusement and something else. His hands fell to her ass, pulling her flush against his body. Lilah could feel the edge of his cock against her belly as Keanu bent his head and nibbled at her earlobe, making her shiver and gasp. “I like that I can just pick you up in my arms, carry you around or pin you down or bend you over,” Keanu whispered against her ear, breath as hot as his words. “My tiny little Lilah. Lil.” He kissed her cheek, then her mouth.

“Are you always this horny in the morning?” she asked against his lips, blindly setting the two mugs she was still holding on the counter so she could wrap her arms around his neck.

“Maybe,” Keanu said with a sly grin. “Is that a problem?”

Lilah shook her head with a matching smile before kissing him. She licked into his mouth, tasting the cigarette he must have had while she was in the shower. He lifted her up again until she was perched on the counter and for once Lilah was taller than him. She pulled back from the kiss and just stared at him for a moment, tracing his face and the laugh lines around his eyes.

And how come she never noticed he had freckles on his nose? They were faint, but they were there. Just she never noticed there were some stray greys in his beard… He was so damn handsome and wonderful and perfect. Her heart felt like it would bust out of her ribcage from just looking at him.

“What?” he asked with a cute little frown of confusion.

Lilah shook her head and bit her lip to keep the words at bay. She wasn’t ready for them yet. Neither of them was.

“Nothing,” she replied, kissing the tip of his nose making him chuckle and catch her lips in another kiss. Before Keanu could even think about dragging it on, the sound of her phone cut them off.

“Is that the theme from Psycho?” he asked with an amused huff as Lilah scrambled away from him and off the counter so she could rush to answer it.

“Dr. Williams, hi!” she greeted, hoping she didn’t sound as out of breath as she really was. “What can I do for you?”

When Lilah answered the call she was expecting her advisor to ask about her data analysis or something about the paper she submitted for publication yesterday. She certainly wasn’t expecting to be asked for brunch.

“Right now?” she asked, looking at herself, reminded of the fact that she was at Keanu’s and her only clothes here were the red dress she wore yesterday. At the same time, she knew none of Dr. Williams' requests were really requests. “Sure. Where do I meet you?”

Anticipating her need, Keanu moved closer with a notepad and a pen so she could scribble down the name of the restaurant before hanging up with a sigh. When Lilah finally looked up at him it was hard to miss the look of disappointment on his face.

“It’s Sunday,” he said simply and Lilah stood on her tiptoes to hug him.

“You seem to think that matters to her. It doesn’t,” she tried to joke, but the frown on his expression didn’t waver. “I’m so sorry, babe, but I have to go.”

“I know,” he sighed, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I was just looking forward to spending the day with you.”

“Me too,” she assured pecking his lips. “I’ll let you know as soon as it’s over. Will you meet me at home?”

“Yeah,” Keanu agreed with a nodded. “Go get changed.”

Lilah let go of him with a sigh, heading back to the bedroom to put her dress back on. Sometimes she really hated grad school. It’s was a full-time job that didn’t really have any regulations which meant her advisor could pull shit like this. If only Lilah could have some sort of guarantee that this would actually be a productive endeavor.

Stepping into the restaurant, Lilah adjusted the skirt of her dress, feeling understandably overdressed among the rest of the diners, but there wasn’t much she could do at this point. She quickly located her Dr. Williams, surprised to see she wasn’t alone. Then Lilah remembered they were supposed to be receiving a visiting professor from Oxford for a few seminars. However, Lilah wasn’t expecting him to be this young and blonde and with such bright blue eyes.

“Lilah! Nice of you to join us!” Dr. Williams greeted looking her up and down. “Lovely dress, dear.”

“Thanks.” She could feel herself blush.

“You two haven’t met yet, right?” Williams gestured at the man who had been on his feet since Lilah approached the table. “Lilah, I’d like you to meet Arthur Pierce.”

“You’re Pierce?” the words escaped her lips before she could stop herself. Lilah had been referenced this man all over her dissertation and he couldn’t be that much older than her. He chuckled and nodded, shaking her hand.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Bennett,” he said with a smile as he pulled a chair for her. “I’ve heard a lot about you and your research.”

Brunch ended up being a very pleasant affair. Pierce wasn’t kidding when he said he heard a lot about her research. He seemed to know as much about it as Dr. Williams herself and was more than happy to give Lilah a few pointers and suggestions. Dr. Williams would interject every once a while, but it was basically Lilah and Arthur going back and forth with each other. So much so that it took Lilah a moment to realize that Dr. Williams had disappeared at some point, leaving them alone.

“I think she said something about the loo…” Pierce commented, frowning. Apparently, he hadn’t noticed her absence either. “I have to say Lilah it has been a real pleasure to talk to you. I mean, your research is incredible.”

“Thank you,” she replied with a proud smile. That compliment meant a lot coming from someone like Pierce.

“It’s about time we have some more research on media influence on behavior, especially when we’ve been spending so much of our time in front of screens.”

“That’s exactly what I think! And you can’t just ignore the influence that movies have in the way we perceive the world.”

“You know, I actually got some funding to start a laboratory. It would be something between psychology and social communication and I was looking for researchers to work with me. Dr. Williams told me you were almost done with your dissertation.”

“I mean, I’m still writing it…” Lilah pointed out with a shrug.

“But you could do that anywhere, right? And just come back to defend it.” Arthur asked, sipping his tea with an expectant look that had her confused.

“Wait. What are you saying here?”

“I’m offering you a research position, Lilah,” he clarified with a bright smile. “I mean, you’d have to teach too, but…”

“In Oxford?” she croaked; eyes wide. “Like, in England?”

“Well, yes. You can begin next term, but don’t worry about housing and visa, if you agree, my people can take care of everything…” Arthur trailed off, noticing the look of shock and panic and her eyes. “She didn’t tell you, did she?”

“Who? Dr. Williams? No.” Lilah shook her head and gulped down her water. “You’re serious about this?”

“Yes, I think you’d be perfect, Lilah, but I can see I’ve blindsided you with this. Why don’t you think it over and let me know?” Arthur said, offering her his card. Lilah took it with numb fingers, still too stunned to say anything else.

She remained stunned all the way back home, where she found Jean and Isaac hanging around couch, barely containing their matching grins of excitement.

“Look who’s doing the walk of shame,” Jean teased, jumping to her feet.

“Jean, not now. We have more important stuff to discuss!” Isaac interrupted getting up too and Lilah noticed he had his hands behind his back. “You know, we really should check our mailbox more often. This has been sitting there for three days!”

He pulled out an envelope from behind his back and showed to Lilah and even through her haze of shock, she recognized the logo for NYFA on it.

“You got in!” Isaac cheered, pulling Lilah into a hug.

“We’re gonna have words because you didn’t tell us about this,” Jean complained, joining in the hug. “But I’m so proud of you! Congratulations!”

Lilah held the envelope in her hands, to frozen to say or do anything. Shit. She got in. What was she gonna do now?

x(tbc)x

Go to part 12

Tag list (give me a shout if you want to be added or removed):

@theolsdalova @krazycags01 @beyond-antares @cumberbatchbaps @sgt-morgan @futuristic-imbecile @howtoruin-someones-perfect-day @a-really-bi-girl @fanficsrusz @nonsensicalobsessions @poisonedjoinery @soarocks @kindainlovewithkeanu

[discsters-a]

( jessica-alba. thirty-five. cisfemale. she/her. ) in texas, CAMILLA MENDOZA is known to most as cam. they have been riding with the 𝑫 𝑰 𝑨 𝑩 𝑳 𝑶 𝑺 for twenty-two years. they originally from newton and the PRESIDENT t is known to be very irascible & fiendish  but the other club members will tell you they are diligent  & resilient. as the years go by, they’ve gained a lot of respect in the club and around town. they rarely ever drive a car but when they do fire by beartooth is usually heard blasting. ( the sound of bruised and blooody knuckles cracking. worn off boots and ripped skinny jeans. victoria’s secret lingerie hiding beneath a leather jacket. half empty whisky bottles. cold metal of a gun touching the skin on her back. ) 

( jessica alba. thirty five. cisfemale. she/her. ) in texas, CAMILLA MENDOZA is known to most as cam. they’ve been living in newton for HER WHOLE LIFE and currently HELPS MANAGE DESEO WITH HER FATHER. some say they are IRASCIBLE & FIENDISH but i’m more inclined to believe those that say they’re DILIGENT & RESILIENT. if you walk by their house, you can sometimes hear TOWER OF PAIN by FIT FOR A KING playing from their window.  ( the sound of bruised and blooody knuckles cracking. worn off boots and ripped skinny jeans. victoria’s secret lingerie hiding beneath a leather jacket. half empty whisky bottles. cold metal of a gun touching the skin on her back. ) 

i suck at intros.... buT here i am, anyway, already loving every single one of you ! oH hi, by the way. i’m liz. a total disaster. obsessed with making gifs & currently absolutely in love with netflix’s the witcher. lover of cinnamon hot chocolate and way too obsessed w/ baby yoda memes. & before i ramble too much, i want to present u the first one of my characters : the love of my life. camilla !! ( seriously i want to marry jessica alba, i’m not even kidding )

p.s. i love plots. infact, i’d die to plot with ALL of you ! so, just click the lil grey heart on the post to give it a like & i’ll mssg u for all the angst & nice connections ! (i’ll probably invade all ur im’s anyway... but yeah) or you can also just directly add me on discord tbh ! @ geralt of rivia#5816

basics.

FULL NAME: camilla sofiá mendoza 

GENDER / PRONOUNS: cisfemale, she/her

AGE / DOB: thirty-five, february 2nd 1984

SEXUAL / ROMANTIC ORIENTATION: bisexual, biromantic

ETHNICITY: latina

NATIONALITY: mexican

EDUCATION: none, ditched high school in senior year

OCCUPATION: assistant manager at deseo , former president of the diablos.

LANGUAGES SPOKEN: english, spanish

ZODIAC: aquarius

PERSONALITY TYPES: estj-a / ravenclaw / lawful evil

DOMINANT TRAITS: haughty, adroit, alluring, enigmatic, materialistic, ardent, assertive, candid, captivating, diligent, abrasive, incisive, meticulous, cynical, sagacious, vehement, brazen, reticent

character inspirations.

peggy carter. buffy summers. annalise keating. nancy mckenna.

background & personality.

BEFORE BEING SHOT

okay, so camilla grew up in newton and is only one of a few children of antonio. mendoza. she’s the closest to her half-sister lu, even though cam grew up with her mother for the longest time. obviously, because her father was always out and about and little cam wasn’t allowed to stay with him in the deseo. but god, she hated her mother and how she wanted cam to become little miss perfect and walk around in flower dressed and pink shoes. she rather liked to wear the old leather jacket her father gave to her after a trip, immediately falling in love with the back print of the diablos - and she knew at that moment, that she wanted to have such a jacket herself one day.

especially because her mother always wanted her to be so perfect, she rebelled against her even more. she started to skip school, drink alcohol and start smoking at a way too young age. even worse, the drugs started, too. and with the age of fourteen, she left her mother without a warning. she just couldn’t be around that woman anymore. she stole some money of her mother’s wardrobe, knowing exactly where she hid the cash, and made it’s way to the deseo. of course, at first, no one let her in. she was a fourteen year old girl after all - and that was no place for her. but she didn’t leave, told the security multiple times that her father helped run this place and that she just wanted to talk to him. she finally wanted to be closer to him. after she waited a whole night out in the cold, she finally met him, totally drunk, but he immediately took her in one long hug, and she had needed that so much.

even though it took some arguing, he finally let her stay in the end. it didn’t take long and she soon was allowed to ride with him on his bike, join the gang to some trips, learn more about the business that was going on inside. she dropped out of school to focus on the diablos, but always still subtle since she wasn’t officially allowed to be a part yet.

as soon as possible, she got her driver’s license and her first own bike and with 21, she finally officially joined the diablos and at first, was responsible for the armory and taking care of it. a simple job, but she loved it more than anything and the diablos soon became her real family.

she had been a loyal member ever since, not once doubting her own gang. she was so dedicated to the gang and put so much heart and blood into it, that it was only a matter of time before the people voted her to become the next president.

she successfully has been working as the president for four years now, and is basically responsible for everyone. while some diablos still have a part-time job or have a proper family, the diablos are her complete life. she spents every second trying to improve the gang, to be there for everyone, to make it seem like home. she does have a good heart, but only to them.

to everyone else, she seems rather cold. she’s tough and has experienced a lot already. she knows how to properly break someone’s nose (or even kill someone), has way too many business contacts in the world and therefore knows her value, isn’t afraid to shoot before she speaks/thinks, and doesn’t hesitate for a second to kick someone out who brought any harm to the gang. she doesn’t let emotion get to her because she’ll only know it make her weak.

AFTER BEING SHOT

it was all a blur to her. since the moment she felt the bullet hit her chest , she didn’t remember what exactly happened . who exactly shot her , just that it was not a familiar face . neither reaper nor diablo . but not like she cared , not like she even wanted to go back after her life turned out to be in more danger than she ever thought it would be .

money buys everything , even a fake death certificate & a news reporter that spills the death of the famous camilla mendoza . she even enjoyed it a little , finally not having a target on her head anymore & being able to just run away . just have time for herself for once . 

she quickly grabbed her bags from her apartment at night , not one being able to see her , before she stole a car & made her way to new york . a city she always wanted to visit , where no one would recognize her between million of faces . where she could just try to be herself for once , to start a new life .

but as much she tried to forget her past because it simply turned her angry , especially the fact that she couldn’t seem to trust anyone anymore . even if no reaper or diablo shot her , someone of them easily could have given the order . there was no one , besides the two people she called family , she actually trusted anymore . yet , it was her family & important part in her life was missing . she didn’t feel complete . she missed the danger . the thrill . the action .

so , as much as she hated it , she couldn’t last longer than two months in the big city . she needed to come back , needed to face certain people . right now , she didn’t want to be a part of the diablos’ anymore , yet they were still somehow family to her . she just needed to feel home again  --- and to be close to her father and half-sister . 

[mtvswatches]

Jane the Virgin 2x06 Chapter Twenty-Eight

Spoilers disclaimer (please read before sending messages or writing comments.)

Click here for previous recaps!

Stray thoughts

1) I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned before but I really love how every episode begins with a flashback of a special moment for the Villanueva women. It’s a great reminder that in spite of the whole love triangle stuff, these three women are the show’s central characters.

2) So, Jane is grappling with having cut ties with Michael – how long is that going to last, anyway? – and all I can think of is maybe you shouldn’t have asked your former lover to be your kid’s godfather?

3) Okay, so Michael had contacted Nadine to get her to work with him and catch Sin Rostro.

4) I’m actually kind of surprised that Jane would agree to have Rafael be in charge of Mateo in case of her death. I mean, of course, Rafael has every right to raise his own child, but I think Jane just doesn’t trust him enough around Mateo, and I think that if it wasn’t just a hypothetical situation, she would definitely want her mom and grandma to take her of her child…

5) So, Mateo is worth 40 million… Interesting. 

6) I think I haven’t mentioned lately how much I love Rogelio, have I? Well, I do.

7) Why does everyone want to abuse Petra? I’m getting tired of that shit.

8) Are Magda and Petra going all Prison Break or something?

9) Oh, the guy from Roswell!

10) I think this wouldn’t have happened if she had told her professor why she needed to take the call…

11) I wasn’t expecting to feel all warm inside because of Rafael, but here I am…

12)  

RAFAEL: Let me ask you something. Do you like Mateo?

JANE: I want him to stay grounded.

RAFAEL: I just it seems pretty austere. "Money for health and education costs, with everything else left in savings - until he's 50"?

JANE: He needs to learn the value of hard work.

RAFAEL: Won't he learn that from us?

JANE: Well, yeah, but it's different.

RAFAEL: What is?

JANE: Growing up knowing that you can just buy ten backup loveys if something goes wrong.

I get where Jane is coming from and I agree that children should learn the value of hard work, but there’s a difference between teaching your kid to work hard and purposefully denying them access to certain resources in order to teach them a lesson. I think there must be a middle ground between the points of view of Rafael and Jane.

13) So… Petra wants Jane and her family to talk in favor of Magda’s release… Hmm. I still can’t get over the fact she pushed Alba down the stairs.

14) Don Juan Draper? Hombres Locos? Sign me in!

15) Oh…

DOCTOR: Mateo's got a fairly pronounced case of what we call plagiocephaly. And that sounds worse than it is. Basically, it means he's got a flat head. JANE: A flat head? RAFAEL: Why? DOCTOR: Well, he's probably spending a little too much time laying flat on his back. Because babies need to sleep on their backs, we really need to be vigilant about tummy time. Look, it's largely cosmetic. But Mateo's condition is pronounced, so there could be some visual disturbances, dental problems… Which is why some parents choose a helmet. RAFAEL: A helmet? DOCTOR: To reshape the head. It has to be custom-fitted, so Mateo would wear it 23 hours a day for about three months.

My godson had a similar issue, but he didn’t have to wear a helmet. His mom only had to make sure he wouldn’t sleep on the same side every time and she had to hold him a certain way and the head got back to its natural shape on its own.

Anyway, I hope this doesn’t mean Jane starts second-guessing her decision to go to grad school…

16) PETRA’S HAVING TWINS!

17) Magda’s out…

And she’s got her own prison tat…

18) She’s having problems writing, but…

She could definitely draw some inspiration from her own life, right? I mean, this further cements my theory that the narrator is actually Jane telling her own story.

19) What a beautiful trainwreck…

20) He makes a GREAT point…

JANE: I'm raising a rich kid. And that's just not the way I grew up. You know, and you said that your childhood was all screwed up.

RAFAEL: Yeah, but not because I had money. I was screwed up, because of my family.

But please, NOT THIS AGAIN!!!!

21) So the mommy from the mommy group wants to date Rafael, and on the one hand, Jane has no right to be jealous, but on the other hand, that mommy has some nerve! Also, I’m loving Jane’s new friend, he tells it like it is. I hope he doesn’t turn out to be evil.

22) So, she only did the telenovela so that she could make fun of Rogelio…

23) I mean, it’s nice that Jane is trying to be the bigger person by giving Rafael her “blessing” to go out with the mommy, but I think it would’ve been much healthier if they just acknowledged that yes, it is weird, but they have to find a way to deal with it.

24) And now she’s on academic probation for falling asleep in class.

25) #BIGMOOD

26) So Petra did listen to Jane and turned Milos in for committing internet scams.

27) This was nice.

28) WTF!!

WHY THE FUCK WOULD SHE GET A HOOK?! WHAT TIME OR PLACE ARE THEY LIVING IN?

29) Petra and Jane keep bonding and I’m HERE FOR IT!

30) See? It’s moments like this that make me overlook the tedious love triangle plot…

I'd like to thank my parents, of course, for instilling in me the desire to give back. Thank you to my mentors, Michelle Obama and Angelina Jolie, whose fight to make sure all girls receive an education led me to the Peace Corps and Let Girls Learn. I'm here at the UN because more than 62 million girls do not have access to an education… I'm sorry, I have to go pee-pee.

I really love how the show has found a way to organically fit social commentary into the show.

31) So Hombres Locos is going to get made. We’ve all been blessed.

32) So three months have gone by…

I guess she’s not getting back together with Michael. Yet.

33) NOT AGAIN!!

I get that “enough time had passed” in the show, but for us, it literally was just one episode when Jane was head over hills for Michael and saying how he was her forever. I’m beyond tired of this constant back and forth. Why does the show keep doing this? Is it ever going to stop? I know I’ve complained about this before, but it seriously puts me off watching the show… I LOATHE THIS STORYLINE. I just want Jane to make up her mind, EITHER WAY, I don’t really care who she chooses, but she SHOULD JUST CHOOSE SOMEONE AND STICK WITH THEM FOR A WHILE! AT LEAST TWO EPISODES, MAYBE?!

34) And of course, Michael’s back right when Jane “has moved on”…

35) Oh, you duplicitous bitch!

But this was kind of predictable considering they did the exact same thing last season when Jane befriended that girl from her writing class who turned out to be Michael’s ex. This means that no one will ever approach Jane without having some kind of ulterior motive.

36) Look at Magda, back at it again with the murdering people!

37) Will the Jane-Michael-Rafael triangle ever end? Don’t answer, it’s more of a wish than a question. BUT SERIOUSLY THOUGH.

38) Hope you enjoyed my recap, and, as usual, if you’ve got this far, thank you for reading! If you enjoy my recaps and my blog, please consider supporting it on ko-fi.Thanks!

[justjensenanddean]

When I worked on Dark Angel I created a character, one of Max's missing siblings, who as a child was the mythmaker of the group. He kept them from losing faith in themselves by telling stories in the darkness of the dormitory, stories with heroes and spirits and demons, and now that Max is all grown up and the group is scattered and in hiding, she finds that people are being murdered according to the mythological details of those childhood stories. Her beloved storyteller has grown into a serial killer. This was a tough role to cast. You needed someone you could believe was a genetically engineered human; who could, when necessary, radiate both intelligence and menace; who could be scary one minute, and who could give you a lump in the throat the next from his sheer vulnerability when he admits to Max that he's broken and begs her to kill him. I sat in casting as actor after actor came in. It was one of those evenings when you listen to the words of the script and wonder how they can sound this horrifyingly bad -- dear god, am I truly that wretched a writer? Then Mr. Ackles walked in. The first scene involved his character sitting handcuffed as he tries to convince Max to let him go. It was tonally challenging, because although he's cuffed, you have to have the impression he's extremely dangerous -- that in fact just listening to him is dangerous because he'll screw with you psychologically. "Mind if I sit on the floor?" he asked calmly, in the voice of one who's worked it all out ahead of time. He put his arms behind his back, did that scene, and wow. Young Hannibal Lecter, hello! Then he did the death scene, made my eyes tear up, walked calmly out, and we looked at each other. This was exactly the character I'd envisioned. It was clear to me that if anybody else got this role, I would have to commit ritual suicide. Fortunately everyone else wanted him -- except one highly placed producer. Now, although Hollywood as an entity has issues with women, my personal experience on writing staffs has been almost uniformly positive. This producer happened to be an extremely rare exception -- and it's not that he was in any way meanspirited; he was a perfectly nice guy, kind and gentle, but sometimes your head snapped back just listening to him. He was upset by the fact that the people in casting that night had been mostly women; that we all liked Jensen Ackles; and that he was a good-looking actor. Because, clearly, that must be what was influencing us. "Something very disturbing was going on in that room," he insisted. Leaving his opinion of our emotionality aside, I asked what his issues were with Ackles -- hadn't that been a terrific reading? He admitted the reading was fine, but -- "He doesn't have muscles." "What?" "He doesn't have muscles, he doesn't look like a soldier. If he was genetically designed to be a soldier, wouldn't they make him strong?" My head spun for a moment. I said, "Our heroine is Jessica Alba." And yes, she'd worked out pretty hard for this role, but she was still a slender-looking, gorgeous young woman, who was usually shorter and much lighter than the men we regularly showed her throwing around with such abandon. I said, "Clearly whatever genetic manipulation was going on involves strength that's not determined by the sheer volume of the muscle." I'd reached this conclusion the moment I saw the pilot, and thought it was unarguable, given what we'd been portraying on screen for the past season. But he had a reply to that: "She's a girl," he said -- clearly bewildered that I would even bring this up. Sigh. But the angels smiled for a moment, Jensen Ackles got the role, and though my script was rewritten it did still retain a certain amount of what I'd been going for. The direction was tight, the acting full-throttle, and the episode was so well-received that the series was sold for a second year on the idea of "more like this!" I, however, had moved on to Smallville the following year. There, we discussed casting for one of the early guest roles. "Jensen Ackles!" I said. The executive producers went away, returned, and I was told with compassion, "I'm sorry, Doris. He's just been booked for the year." "Really? Where?" "Dark Angel." Yes. The producer who'd been so opposed to him? After seeing his work in that episode, he hired Jensen as a regular. And apparently he also made him bulk up -- because boys need muscle. I said, "But we killed him!" "He's back as a clone." Damn you, science fiction, and your wicked genre ways! Someday, Jensen Ackles, I muttered. Time passed and I found myself on the second season of Tru Calling. We had a character, a medical student, whom we first meet as a sort of golden boy -- a nice guy, funny, the sort who tries to do the right thing. Brilliant, but with some self-esteem issues that have kept him from his full potential. Tru and he become friends, and as time passes, they start to become more deeply involved. Then, partway through the season, he dies; and Tru, who's had enough of death, resolves to stay awake until someone somewhere asks for help and her day rewinds -- thereby allowing her to save Jensen as well. (Yes, shockingly, he ended up with the name Jensen. I think it was my sheer repetition doing subconscious work.) I'm going to quote here from an earlier post: ============== But Jensen's soul is already committed -- it can't return, but his body, memories, and the habits of his personality continue after the time he "died." The idea was that over the course of the arc we would gradually see anomalies of character develop -- unsettling moments, as the imprint of Jensen's personality disintegrates, at the same time it becomes fascinated with death, in an almost wistful way. This would be pretty damned creepy, coming as it does alongside Tru's growing physical intimacy with him. Jane Espenson wrote a beautifully disturbing scene that I'm sorry you'll never get a chance to see -- on one level, it's just Tru and Jensen talking on the sofa during a movie, and on another level, oooooh. As the arc plays out, we hear the jarring comments he'll occasionally make, the way the things that used to mean something to him -- like his need for his father's respect -- are just no longer vulnerabilities. We see scenes that suggest a growing involvement with violence, in an unsettling but ambiguous way, so Tru can't be sure it's there or not. Till one morning Tru wakes in bed with Jensen and goes about her day, which rewinds over the murder of Jensen's father. Just before the rewind she learns that not only did Jensen do it, he's been behind a string of recent killings (born of his fascination with learning about the thing he's apparently been barred from -- i.e., death). She rewinds -- and wakes up in bed next to him, knowing now that he's a monster. And that she created him. This was once a young man who won her with his generosity and understanding, his good humor and sweetness. He's still bright, he's still clever, there's no evidence against him. And he'll be creating a lot more victims, starting on this rewind day with his father -- unless she takes the responsibility for putting an end to him. So she finally turns to the person with experience in ending people's lives: Jack. =============== Now, obviously this was going to be the kind of role where you can't count on a pretty face to pull you through. (And sometimes there's pressure to go with a pretty face, even when the necessary screen power is not behind it. This doesn't make sense, because it means the audience will never spark to that role the way they should, but sometimes executives think the fact they can promote the show using a particular actor's name makes up for that. The unfortunate truth that you can get people to watch once, just long enough to drive them away permanently if the goods aren't there, doesn't always sway the decisionmakers.) We needed someone who could say long words as though they know what those words mean -- and I'm not being sarcastic here; that's harder than you think. But someone who could also be funny. And sweet. And boy-next-door. Oh, and also turn on a dime and scare the beejeezus out of you. "Jensen Ackles!" I said, pretty much every time the subject of casting came up. But the process ground on a bit slower than we anticipated, and one day I was informed -- again, with compassion -- "We're too late; he's booked elsewhere." I asked where. "Smallville," they said.Smallville? Those bastards, how dare they listen to me? Who told them to respect my opinion? This was clearly my fate -- to make so much noise about Jensen Ackles at any show I'm on that they'll grab him first chance they get, which will inevitably be when I'm at my next show trying to get him. One of the writers, hearing this news, turned to me and asked, "Are you solely responsible for this guy's career?" The answer to that would be no. Clearly he doesn't need my help, but you have to admit that the aura of Ackles doom I bring to each production is amusing, at least. At the time I said to myself, sour-grapes fashion, "Well, I hope that Smallville role is as interesting and layered as this one will be," and went on with life. As it turned out, we were fortunate at Tru. Eric Christian Olsen took on the role, and it was clear from the very first look at his reel that we were in safe hands. (In fact, when I first saw his work I had that sense of awe I always feel in the presence of good acting, because it is so very much something I cannot do. Really, I have no idea what button actors push to suddenly convey, "This is real," but I know it when I see it, the way Robert Graves says you know a true poem when you hear one. Recently I was talking with a medical consultant and mentioned that I'd just come out of a read-through of a script. "It's always cool to hear the script at a read-through," I said. "Why?" he asked. I was surprised at the question. "Because they do that magic actor thing," I said. Why else?) In any case, I'm sorry you never got to see the character's turnaround, because I have no doubt he would have been compelling. And as it turns out, since the show was cancelled mid-season, maybe Smallville was the better bet after all. And now I'm at House, and surrounded by such talent that it would be the height of ungraciousness to do more than note that Mr. Ackles has a show of his own this coming season. And while it's not mine, I'm forced to admit that that might not stop it from being, well... good.

[ Doris Egan, Posted on 2005.08.18 ]

[magic-marvel]

Normal

Chapter 3

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2

Pairing: Peter Parker/Spider-man x Reader

Summary: A night out leads to an encounter with our favorite masked hero.

Word Count: 2830

A/N: I love pupusas?? they are literally my life??

It was late into the night. You sat at your desk, finishing up some Stats homework.

The problems went through your head, blocking any thoughts of The Incident. Yes, that moment where you asked him to come over. Peter Parker. You're newfound problem.

Your phone rang on your desk, a picture of your mom sticking her tongue out appeared on the screen.

“Hey, Mom.” You answered, fitting your phone to your ear.

“Hey sweetie, I'm staying a little late at the diner so you have to figure out dinner for tonight.” She spoke, plates clanging and orders being yelled can be heard in the background. “There's probably some cash in my dresser, and don't even pretend to not know which dresser I'm talking about.”

You let out a chuckle, you figured out where your mom hid some money years ago.

“Yeah, I think I got it covered.” You picked up your wallet, checking it's contents. “I'll let you know though. Thanks, Mom”

You told her to have a good night, she told you not to get into trouble. You hung up the phone, heading towards your closet for a jacket.

You could go down the street to the deli, but you also were feeling a little more of those hand-made pupusas from the mom and pop shop a few blocks away. They always seem to make their food with love.

It was also a little chilly out, you realized, so warm and freshly-made pupusas would be perfect.

You walked down the street, pulling you jacket tighter around you to fight off the cold. You securely held onto the strap of your bag, the material was worn against your fingers. You should get a new bag soon, you thought.

People passed you on the street, some giving you a polite smile as you walked. You forget sometimes, that there were genuine people in the world.

People like Spider-man, you remembered.

You reached the shop in no time, the couple behind the counter greeting you kindly.

“Number 2, right?” Gabriel asked you as the door closed behind you.

“Yep, I don't think I'll ever get anything different.” You added, handing the gentleman what you owe.

“You should at least try some pan dulce, they never disappoint.” Alba spoke as she prepared your order.

You eyed the various desserts behind a panel of glass, the different colors and shapes mesmerizing you.  You read the small  labels, some of the pastries holding different flavors or jellies inside. You seemed to be drooling by the time Alba finished your pupusas.

“Here, try this one.” She grabbed one of the pastries with a tong and shoved the good in a small paper bag. “You can never go wrong with a concha.”

You reached back into your bag to pay for the pastry, but Alba stopped you.

“On the house, sweetie.” She smiled at you, handing you the bag. Gabriel finished packing the hot box into a plastic bag, tying a quick knot at the top before handing you that as well.

“Que te vaya bien, mija!” Alba called out as you opened the door, you waved back at her and thanked her for the food. They were such kind people.

You walked under the street lamps, a light buzz would ring from them as you passed each bulb. Your hand slightly swaying the bag by your thigh, the corners bumping into you as you walked. Cars whizzed past you on the street, laughter and yelling could be heard as you passed apartment buildings or late night shops. New York really never slept.

You stopped on front of the steps to a different building, adjusting your grip on the bag and fixing the strap of your purse.

“I'm starting to think you like walking alone at night.”

You turned with a jump, the voice scaring you.

“Maybe I'll stop if you scare me like that again.” You answered, a hand on your chest.

Spider-man chuckled, he took a tentative step forward.

“Then I should probably scare you again.” He answered back, the ends of your lips curling up ever so slightly.

“Don't you have some crime to stop? A neighborhood to protect?” You asked, switching your bag to the other hand.

“Been a slow night.” He replied. “Saw you walking and thought I'd say 'Hi'”

Your smile widened, a flutter in your chest.

“Hi.” You spoke. Your eyes trying scanning over the white panels of his mask.

“Hi.” He breathed, the stretch of his mask betraying the grin hiding underneath. You looked at him so innocently, unaware of the effect you had on him. His heart doing flips in his chest and his skin heating up like an oven.

You swiped a lock of hair behind you ear, “So you gonna stand there or walk me home?” You asked, unsure yourself where the confidence came from.

His knees melted at the question, he wanted to collapse. His whole body weight suddenly enough to break his super strength.

“Yeah, yeah let me grab that for you.” He stepped forward, grabbing the bag from your hand.

“It's not heavy, just some food.” You assured him, but he still pulled the strap from your fingers. You held onto the pastry bag, wrinkling the corners of the paper bag.

You both walked in relative sync. You were a little more verbal this time around talking about the chem quiz from the day before. He mentioned that Chemistry was his favorite subject, you joked that he was a nerd.

“It was a weird day though, some dudes were at our school and they just looked out of place. Kept asking me a vague question. Pretty much getting in my face. Principal said he'd look into it, but I haven't heard about them since.” You explained, unaware of Spider-man's involvement in the situation.

“That's crazy, they just let some guys walk on campus like that. Must of been scary.” He mentioned. His grip around the plastic bag tightening.

“Well, it was at first.” You started, smiling lightly to yourself. “But someone helped me out.”

Your thoughts then ran over the events that occurred afterwards, The Incident. You cringed to yourself, your smile disappearing from your face.

“Someone?” He asked, his interest peaking.

“Yeah, this guy in my class.” You began. “I think he was just doing something nice. He probably thinks I'm weird.”

Peter furrowed his brows, the mask doing it's best to display his expression. You kept your eyes forward, unaware of his change in demeanor.

“Why do you say that?” He asked, worried his rejection caused more damage than he thought.

“Uh, well it's embarrassing.” You stated. You began to rip at the ends of the paper bag, curling the ends in your fingers.

“Trust me, I've lived a lifetime of embarrassing.” Peter tried to assure, hoping you would explain to him how you took the situation.

You let out a light chuckle, a smile returning to your features but it didn't quite reach your eyes. It made Peter worry.

“Well I kind of invited him over, mentioned some lasagna. He probably thought I was going to kidnap him or something. I just wanted to return the favor.” You looked to your shoes as you both continued walking. “But he basically said no, so I think I took a step too far. We had talked for the first time so I probably just creeped him out.” Peter felt bad, he didn't realize how this made you feel.

“I'm sure he doesn't think you're weird or anything. Maybe he already had plans, ya know?” Peter tried to assure.

“Yeah, that would make sense. I guess I just didn't get that vibe... I don't know, just the look on his face seemed as if he didn't want to go. He couldn't look me in the eyes, sorta stuttered out his answer.” You sounded disappointed, your brows furrowing together as you retold the events.

Peter wanted to assure you, tell you that it had nothing to do with you. His rejection was for the greater good, he choose his responsibilities as Spider-man over lasagna.

You slowed to a stop, Peter following as you both stood in front of the apartment building.

“Thanks for walking me again, Spidey.” You smiled at him, he let out a light laugh at the name. His own cheeks heating under the mask.

“Anytime. Have a good night... uh...” He started saying your name, catching it before giving away that he knew it.

With a gentle giggle, you told him your name. He listened intently, your lips going over every syllable smoothly. It was perfect, you were perfect.

“I'm assuming I can't catch yours though, right?” You questioned jokingly, a smile finally reaching your eyes. He melted.

You reached for the keys in your purse, walking to the door.

“Have a good night, be safe Spidey.” You spoke over your shoulder, you flashed him one more smile before making your way inside.

Once he was in the clear, Peter let out a sigh. His head falling back and eyes staring into the stars. You were so wonderful and beautiful, he just wanted to hug you and tell you that it wasn't you. I'm just dumb he wanted to say, every nerve in his body tingled as he held back telling the truth. Moments like this made him hate that he had to keep his identity a secret. He let his arms fall to his side, and a crinkle resonated.

Her food.

Peter eyed the bag before shooting his glance upward. He held onto the bag and silently cursed to himself.

You set your purse and paper bag down, stripping your body of the jacket. You couldn't help smiling to yourself, your hero managed to walk you home twice now. And although he wasn't Peter, you thought, he still caused a flutter in your stomach.

And on cue, a growling resonated from deep within. You were starving at this point, and you couldn't wait to dive into those pupusas.

You scanned the counter top, the plastic bag missing. You were confused for a moment before realization hit you, Spider-man still has your bag.

You head back to your room quickly, turning the light on so you can find your jacket again. Maybe if you hurry, you can still catch him outside. But as your hand wrapped around the door nob, a quiet knock could be heard from your bedroom.

Your mind immediately goes to your recent obsession with Ghost Adventures, maybe the spirits are trying to contact you.

Then your mind decides to reboot, landing you in a more logical and realistic scenario.

You grabbed the closest thing on the kitchen counter, a spatula your mom must have left this morning from making her breakfast.

You took calculated steps towards your bedroom, your hand tightening around the handle. Pushing it forward, it opened with a creak. Each crack deafening to you. Taking a quick look around, you find nothing out of place. Your room was somewhat a mess, but it was your mess.

Another shy knock grabbed your attention, you spun with the spatula wielded in front of you.

You dropped your arm, your hand slapping onto your face as you let out a breath. Making your way to the window, you pushed it open.

“What are you doing?! How do you know where I live?!” You asked, Spider-man sat on your fire escape.

“You left this,” He held out the bag to you, your eyes seemingly glowing at the sight. “And I just waited for a light to come on, figured you would be the one coming in.” He answered honestly.

He handed you the bag, you took it with care. Your package was delivered safely, and you couldn't be happier.

“Were you going to hit me with that?” He asked, pointing at your weapon of choice.

“Well if you were a murderer, yeah!” You answered, now noticing how ridiculous your weapon was. “You can't just go around knocking on people's windows like that. It scares them.”

He let out a laugh, shaking his head.

“Well be sure to rate me five stars on this delivery, ma'am.” He joked, standing from his position. He was already turning to leave.

“Wait!” You called out, your voice a little louder than you intended. “Umm...”

You started, you looked down at the bag and then back to him.

“If you don't anything to do right now, y-you can come in?” You asked, the scenario once more repeating itself. “I always order extra to reheat later, but you can grab some if you'd like?”

You held up the bag, your eyes desperately scanning his mask for any sign of emotion. His eyes whizzed, widening at the proposition.

Don't mess this up, Parker.

“S-Sure.” He finally let out, his heart pounding in his chest.

A smile broke out on your face, “Really?” You asked.

“Yeah, I-I mean if there's no one home.” He tried looking behind you, checking the inside of the apartment. “Not that I want that! I just... I don't want you getting in trouble for letting me in. Doesn't look all too good, ya know?” He clarified.

You stepped aside, moving away from the window to give him room.

“It's just me Spidey, Mom won't be back for a few hours.” You answered. Peter took a step forward onto your desk, his foot careful of the work you left littered on the surface.

He landed on the floor with a soft pat. The carpet absorbing most of the impact. He stood straight once he held his balance, his face looking down to yours.

He's in your room, Spider-man is in your home and standing right in front of you in your room.

You snapped out of your thoughts, turning towards the door. You motioned him to follow.

“We should eat out here,” You led him to the counter top. “Sit where you'd like.” You offered.

Opening the fridge, you offered him water. You grabbed a bottle for yourself before setting plates in front of yourself and him. You opened the bag, the heat from the styrofoam box rising up to meet you.

“Ohh... they're still warm.” You spoke, happy to see they stayed warm on this cold night. Peter let out a chuckle.

You grabbed a few pupusas for him before piling some onto your plate. You slapped some salsa on yours and offered it to Peter. He did the same.

Peter then looked down at his plate, unsure how to go about eating. You were already digging in when you noticed.

“Wait, I can turn around if you'd like? I promise I won't look.” You figured he wanted to keep his mask on, despite how curious you were to see him.

“No! I'll just...” He pulled at the bottom of his mask, the material rolling up to his nose. He looked a little funny.

You saw his lips, how they smiled at you when he gave you a thumbs up. The way they curled up and revealed his pearly whites. Your eyes followed his jaw line, how his cheek clenched when he chewed. He looked young, you concluded. You were so glad your mom wasn't home.

“You okay?” He asked between bites.

“What?” Your eyes finding their way back to the eyes of his mask. “Oh! Uh, yeah. Sorry.” You grabbed your bottle, finishing the water in one go.

You both ate in silence. It wasn't uncomfortable, but it did little to distract you from the lower half of Spider-man's face. Although, there was a sense of familiarity, you just couldn't put your finger on it.

You cleared the counter top when you both finished. He was busy eating his half of the pastry as you washed the dishes. You had tried a bite and it was absolutely wonderful.

He stood in your room, his mask back over his face. You looked down at your feet before he finally spoke up.

“Thanks for the food, I usually don't eat until I get home.” He said. You looked up at him.

“Well, thank you for walking me home.” You smiled at him, that same heart-melting smile.

You looked at each other for a moment before he turned abruptly. He already began climbing out the window when you spoke up once more.

“Feel free to come by whenever you can. I'll make sure you're fed.” You offered, his mask stretched trying to hide his smile.

“Thanks, I'll keep it in mind.” He answered before squeezing onto the fire escape.

You both said good night, and you shut the window behind him. The pastry wasn't the sweetest thing to happen tonight.

Chapter 4

My short, and lovely taglist: @missrowle (thank you, my love)

[othercat2]

fic: (they flow from form to form) 14/?

==>Karkat: get stuck in the “Groundhog Day” episode of this supernatural rom com

This is a thing that happens:

Time passes. Dad wakes him up in the middle of the night and they throw a few days’ worth of clothes and food into the trunk of the car. They manage to make it to the next town before they are stopped and taken back to Alba.

They manage to make it to the next town. They are stopped. They try to fight and Karkat gets away. Karkat spends most of his life running from the town and from occultists. He is not able to escape the Gods.

They try to fight and Karkat is killed. So are the Adepts. Dad is not killed. He makes a deal and a large portion of Alba is destroyed.

They try to fight and Karkat and Dad are killed. So are the Adepts. A large portion of Alba is destroyed.

Dad and Karkat fight. Both get away. They spend most of their lives running from the town and from occultists. They are not able to escape the Gods.

Time passes. Dad and Karkat learn rites and spells. They learn how to placate the Gods. They leave the town. They manage to make it to the next town and the next town after that. Occultists make their lives unnecessarily interesting. The town makes attempts at convincing them to come back.

Occultists make their lived unnecessarily interesting. They stick out. They are noticeable. Their lives become a supernatural monster of the week drama. They occasionally run into members of the cult who are hunting down this or that artifact or questing for this and that purpose. (Or who are just going to college/living Outside and find themselves in trouble and ask for help.)

The town makes attempts at convincing them to return. Some are friendly, some are not. There are friends who might be in danger because of conflict between the factions, and Blood would be able to mediate between them in a way that other Aspects can’t. The Gods are a continuing presence, sometimes dangerous by accident, sometimes dangerous by intent, relentlessly protective.

Time passes. Karkat and Dad learn rites and spells. They stay in the town, which is up to its ears in factions and simmering discontent and dislike of change. Politics happen.

Karkat is living through this and it’s not quite like reliving the same day over and over again, so there’s less repetition, but there are themes and possibilities and he is living all of them without knowing why. He’s confused as hell, wondering if he’s lucid dreaming or something. He can’t really wake up; he’s tried. All he does is go into a new arc of possibilities. He has no idea of how long this has been having objectively. It might have been only hours, it could possibly be days.

Karkat is going through an arc involving leaving town to go through college. He’s packing his bags (again) and someone is sitting on the bed. It’s a boy his own age, with dark hair, brown skin and an overbite, glasses and brilliant blue eyes. (And sometimes blue skin. And sometimes gray skin and horns. And sometimes extra arms, extra fingers, extra eyes.) “Why is this happening again?” Karkat asks the boy, who is Breath.

The boy grins. “I was wondering when you were going to ask that!” Breath says cheerfully. “It was funny at first, but now it’s getting dumb. And boring.”

“Boredom is obviously the worst thing ever,” Karkat says sarcastically. “What’s going on?”

“The most important thing you’re going to learn is that you shouldn’t treat spells like they were recipes,” Breath says. “I mean, they are, but they’re a recipe where you’re as likely to get cookies as you are to get I don’t know, bagels maybe, with the same set of ingredients and specifications if you don’t know what you’re doing.”

“Did I try to cast a spell?” Karkat asks. “I don’t remember. I’m not even sure what day it is.”

“You didn’t try to cast a spell,” Breath says. “It’s Monday, just after noon.”

“I have Finals!” Karkat protests. “Who cast this spell on me?”

“It’s not like you’ll be behind if you miss a day,” Breath says with a shrug. “And it wasn’t cast on you. This is…friendly fire.”

Karkat frowns. Friendly fire? Dad, he immediately thinks. “Dad wouldn’t just randomly cast a spell like a character in a bad horror movie though,” he says.

“It wasn’t random,” Breath says. “Pretty sure your dad was trying to find the best options for getting out of town. He really should have consulted with Si, but he was afraid to talk about it, so he picked a spell he thought might work, waited til you went to bed then boom, Groundhog Day!” Breath lifted His hands so they framed His grinning face and held them palm outward, waggling His fingers.

“Would Si really have helped us get out of town?” Karkat asks skeptically. “Wouldn’t he get in trouble?”

“With the priesthood maybe,” Breath says. “We wouldn’t like you leaving. We’d be pretty upset and things would probably happen.” There’s a beat, and then Breath says. “No that wasn’t a threat. Things happen. Like a storm knocking trees down. Like birds shitting on a car. Like stepping on a Lego in the dark! Things are less likely to happen because we have priests and Spouses. We’re balanced by the rites and ceremonies.”

“We aren’t confined here; this is just where Our temple is.”

“Okay,” Karkat says. “How do I get out of this?”

“I’m pulling you out now, actually,” Breath says. “You’re kind of peripheral to the spell, and it won’t be too hard.”

“What about Dad,” Karkat asks. “Can’t you do something?”

“I could, but I might hurt him,” Breath says. He wiggles His fingers again, this time as if he were playing an invisible piano. “I can tickle the ivories but I don’t have a touch delicate enough to free him from the temporal knots he’s tied himself into without hurting him. There’s some things it’s better for Our People to do, than for Us to try. Another Adept, preferably one of Mind needs to go in and nudge him back into [concept.]”

[Concept] kept changing inside Karkat’s head. It either meant “material, physical world” or “a precise moment in local space/time in which someone who is not a god exists.” Karkat almost asks how to get into touch with an “Adept of Mind,” but then he remembers: Terezi and her mother Latula. They were both Mind. “Shit,” he mutters. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to go talk to Terezi or her mother, even if Kanaya had hinted that he should. (But he had to, if they could fix this.)  

“You could ask Si for help instead,” Breath says.

It’s a tempting thought. On the other hand, he had to talk to Terezi sometime; he couldn’t just avoid her forever. (Never mind that she seemed to be the one avoiding everyone else, since she’d been ditching school.) “Just get me out of this,” Karkat says a little abruptly. Then, realizing his tone he says, “uh assume I made some kind of super respectful and flowery entreaty there.”

“That was a super respectful entreaty from you,” Breath says cheerfully. He holds out His hand, and after a moment’s hesitation, Karkat takes it.

There’s a moment of red-shot darkness, and then he’s sitting on his bed. For a moment it doesn’t seem as if there was a change, but then he notices the lack of a suitcase on the bed, and the difference in the light. Something is growing on the walls of his room, from the ceiling, like vines, or maybe roots. The “roots” are a bright, translucent red and they grow as he watches them. “What.”

“The spell from outside,” Breath says. “It shouldn’t be spreading like this. It should be a nice contained fractal.”

“Is it dangerous?” Karkat asks. He starts to get up, wanting to do something, try to get to his Dad maybe, but he wobbles and starts to fall. Breath catches him.

“Careful,” Breath says cheerfully, and nudges him back to the bed. “How do you feel?”

“Dizzy. My ears are ringing.” He is also suddenly, horribly, achingly hungry. “And I’m really hungry.”

“No surprise,” Breath says. “Your last meal was dinner Saturday evening! Let me get you something to eat.”

“Okay.”

“The dizziness should go away. The ringing is the spell,” Breath says. “Let me get you something to eat.” The God steps back and cups his hands as if holding something, and then he’s holding a paper bag and a plastic cup. “Bacon cheeseburger, fries, large Coke,” he says. “Don’t eat too fast.”

Karkat takes the food from Breath, wondering if it had be created, or maybe stolen somehow. He has a sudden image of Breath waiting in line to order, His human disguise looking just wrong enough to be disturbing. Karkat takes the bag and the Coke from Breath, and sets the cup on the nightstand. He fishes the french-fry carton out of the bag, and the cheeseburger. He unwraps the cheeseburger and lays it on top of the bag in front of him on the bed. “Thanks,” he says.

Breath grins and immediately steals one of the fries.

Karkat eats slowly, watching the roots spread. “You didn’t say whether this was dangerous,” Karkat says.

“Not immediately,” Breath says. “You have plenty of time to eat and decide who you’re going to go to for help.”

The Pyropes were actually closer by a couple of blocks. (He still didn’t want to go over there yet. He maybe never wants to go over there.) On the other hand, Si was his and Dad’s teacher. Karkat picks up his cell phone, intending to send a text but there’s an “out of service area” message on the screen. “What the hell?”

“That happens sometimes,” Breath says. He’s kneeling behind Karkat on the bed now, peering over Karkat’s shoulder.  “You might get better reception out on the porch.”

Karkat pulls on a pair of pants and a t-shirt, then heads out of his room and down the stair. There’s more of the red roots spreading all through the house, the main trunk seems to be growing from his dad’s office. Almost, Karkat heads for the door but Breath tugs him out of the house and onto the porch. Out on the porch he’s able to send a text: SI DAD TRIED A SPELL AND SOMETHING WEIRD HAPPENED.

II can be over there iin thiirty minute2. Can you tell me what happened?

Karkat explains the situation and then adds, I WAS TOLD AN ADEPT OF MIND WOULD BE ABLE TO HELP DAD.

One wiith 2eer talent2 by preference, whiich would be Latula’s liittle giirl. But 2he ha2n’t been doiing two well, and you maybe aren’t ready to talk two her yet, let alone ask her for help.

KANAYA SAID I SHOULD TALK TO HER.

Kanaya’2 not wrong. 2o here i2 what you’re going two do. Go two the Pyrope hou2e and tell Latula what you told me. Tell her I’m going two need her help and that you’ll 2tay with Terezii.

Note that talkiing two her iis not a requiirement and not liikely two be a thiing that happen2 because agaiin 2he ii2n’t doiing well.

Karkat almost asks what was wrong with Terezi, but instead he sends back. OKAY. I’M ON MY WAY. Then he shoves his phone in his pocket and heads for Terezi’s house. Breath is not around, though a pretty strong breeze kicks up at Karkat’s back, rustling through the leaves of the trees. He starts out at a fast walk, and ends up running the last half block to Terezi’s house. He’s a little out of breath when he gets to the front door and rings the bell.

Ms. Pyrope--Latula--answers the door within a few minutes of his ringing the bell. “Karkat?” She frowns at him, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

Karkat repeats everything he’d told Si, ending with, “Si says he needs your help, and that I should stay with Terezi.”

“Are you sure, Karkat?” Latula asks. “You don’t have to stay here. I can call Mituna and have him pick you up.”

Karkat shrugs. “It’s okay,” he says.

Latula nods. “There’s some TV dinners in the freezer, and some leftovers from last night in the fridge,” she says, letting him in, and heading off into the house. Karkat stands awkwardly by the door while he hears Latula thump around in the house. She comes back a few minutes later with a briefcase, wearing a kind of hooded teal robe over jeans and t-shirt advertising a reading program at the library. She has a sword in some kind of holder with a strap slung over her shoulder. “You might end up spending the night depending how long this takes. Are you sure you’re going to be all right?” She asks, giving him a worried look.

Karkat nods, though he doesn’t feel sure at all. “Yeah. I’m good,” he says.

Latula nods, and heads out the door for her car. Karkat shuts the door behind her, and locks it. He hears her car start up, and move out onto the street.

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