#since i have to kinda... delay arthur

[the-commonplace-book]

ngl folks i said i was working on my next we happy few fic chapter after like a year hiatus and then i only wrote like two paragraphs before going off to work on my silly self-indulgent ya fantasy book for days oops

[queers-gambit]

Aces

prompt: ( requested ) during a terrible storm, you're invited to stay at your boss' house. years of tip-toeing around one another comes to an end when emotions are finally laid on the table.

pairing: Tommy Shelby x female!reader

fandom masterlist: Peaky Blinders

word count: 3.5k+

warning: honestly, it's pretty tame. some cursing, kinda-sorta one bed, most def OC Tommy, fluff, author is def on the Grace Hating Train but it's mild.

With a grunt, you threw the file of paperwork from your hands across the empty room; scattering across the floor. You were agitated, grouchy, beyond exhausted, and yet, there was no use in trying to leave when the worst storm to ransack England was being unleashed from the seediest parts of hell.

All you wanted was to go to bed for about 16 hours, but as midnight ticked closer and closer, that dream was dwindling. You'd be lucky to get a few hours at this point since your job was demanding enough to warrant early mornings and late nights. But this night was later than ever before.

You often wondered if your employer's antics brought this hell-storm upon you all, but figured, God didn't care that much about Small Heath. He most certainly didn't care for the Devil running it.

"Woah!" A voice laughed when the file went flying. "Gott'an arm on yah, love! Nearly took me fuckin' eye out!"

"Ha-ha," you mocked John Shelby, your employer's younger brother. "What're you still doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same," he smirked, squatting so he was in front of you with an exaggerated pout. "Why're you still here, love? Tommy's still gotcha workin'?"

"No, it's my own vocation."

"Tommy don't pay overtime, sweetheart."

"No shit," your eyes rolled. "In case I'm the only one capable of seeing it, there's an outlandish storm outside that prevents me from getting home." You gestured around where you sat on the floor, surrounded by files and other paperwork, "So, what else was I gonna do to pass the time?"

"It's not that bad," he waved you off. "C'mon, I'm off t'the Garrison, come with me, love. We can drink 'til the storm passes, huh?"

"John, seriously, I'm warning you," you deadpanned, watching him adjust his flatcap.

"C'mon, sweet cheeks, we can endure it," he laughed, opening the door and literally being shoved back by the force of the wind. You didn't make a sound, just reaching to hold down the papers around you as he grunted and groaned, trying to shut the flailing door; only able to once he threw his entire weight into it.

"Told you," you mused, his face and coat dripping wet from the short time the door was open.

"So, you're staying here, then?" He asked, panting, trying to play off the entire ordeal.

"I figured I'd get some more work done, it's not like Tommy gives any days off," you shrugged.

"He'd give you whatever you asked for," John smirked, taking his coat off.

"No, he needs me to do shit on the daily, there aren't days off, John Boy," you rolled your eyes playfully. "But I knew what I was signing up for when I agreed to work for you idiots."

"Hey," he pouted.

"Oh, honey, if it helps any, you're my favorite idiot!"

"Good," he pointed at you with a small laugh. "But seriously, love, if you need the day off, Tommy would do it."

"No, there's so much to do here," you frowned. "We're on track to reopen in a few weeks, and if I take a day off, we'll fall behind, and you know Tommy doesn't do delays."

The gambling den the Shelby's operated was getting a make over now that The Shelby Company Limited was soon to be up and running. Hence why you were there in an empty room with only files around you and a dimly lit lap, you were trying to get shit organized before furniture could be moved back in.

You would have to restock Polly's office, Tommy's, Arthur's, and John's - all of who were Company members and would need their space to work. Not to mention the completely different office Tommy was currently eyeing to use as his base of operation, something you, as his personal assistant, was expected to help with every step of the way. Honestly, it was a miracle Tommy was ever able to get shit done before you - an organizational Goddess.

"Well," John sighed, looking around for a moment before shrugging and placing his hands on his hips, "want some help?"

You chuckled, "No, it's all right, John, you go on. Surely the lads will be home soon - "

Speak of the Devil! And He will appear!

The door burst open, sending your files every which way from the gust of wind; several bodies shoving their way inside before the lone, single body of Tommy Shelby stalked in last. He shut the door without issue, being a force of nature himself; a professionally observant, silent, lone menace that commanded the attention of any room he walked into. People on the street parted for him like the Red Sea, flocked to the darkened parts of the streets just to get a glimpse of the gangster in motion.

For as long as you can remember, you've harbored overwhelming affection for your boss, but never once vocalized it out of sheer fear of rejection.

He was Thomas Shelby. He was an enigma; a mysterious, stoic man that instilled a sense of fear and respect from those around him. You included, but yet never dare let your admiration for your employer be known in public. You loved him from a distance; admiring him and feeling yourself fall further into your unrequited love due to the intimate proximity you shared. He's always treated you as exactly what you were - a valuable member of the Company and his personal assistant. You worked intimately together on a daily basis, and each night you went home, you would scream into a pillow out of sheer frustration.

Being his personal assistant meant you were constantly in close proximity, and no matter how hard you tried to fight your feelings, it was impossible. He was Thomas bloody Shelby - insanely suave, charismatic, a deep nut to crack, but once he opened up, he was insanely loyal, caring, even decently amusing. He was all you wanted, but never felt secure enough to admit your feelings for him.

You were greeted happily by the men, all piling into the Shelby home to take refuge from the storm. You were left to silently rock to your feet and start gathering the papers that had gone flying in their entrance, glancing up when a hand offered help in rounding up your supplies. "Thank you, Mr. Shelby, but I got it," you insisted quietly, accepting the pages he handed you.

Tommy always had a soft spot for you.

He was silent for a moment, then asked, "What're you still doin' here?"

"Storm makes it impossible to get home," you shrugged. "I was waiting until it lessened, but it doesn't seem to," you glanced out the window, still shuffling files and papers together.

"You've worked all day," he sighed, "c'mon."

"Uh... Where?"

"Think you've earned a drink," he eased, already striding out of the room. You quickly finished gathering your papers, stacking them all together, but was pleasantly shocked when Tommy returned to the empty room with two glasses and a bottle of whiskey.

"Mr. Shelby, don't - "

But he was already sat on the ground, back against a wall, watching you with amusement. "Think a man's too good to sit on the floor?" He asked, uncorking the bottle.

"When their suit is so expensive that I have to take it to a specific cleaners, perhaps, then yes," you answered truthfully.

"I've money to spare, I can send this suit to be cleaned by another errand boy, you won't have to any longer," he poured two glasses of whiskey, "but tonight's company is too good to pass up."

You laughed, "Oh, no, what did you do?"

"Hmm?"

"You're kissing my arse a little, what've you done? What mess do I have to clean tomorrow?"

He smirked as you finally sat beside him, a bit stiffly, but accepted the drink he served. "Nothing, love, this storm's put a halt on everything," he gestured to the window, unaware that your heart stalled in your chest when you heard him call you 'love'. "What is it you were working on?" He asked, fingering the few files stacked between you. "Ah," he mused, reading the titles of the packets, "trying to get a jump on tomorrow, huh?"

"Not very much else to do," you shrugged. "I... I got a little frustrated. I think I'll need Polly to go over a few things with me."

"I'm sure you've got it," he spoke quietly. "I wouldn't have hired you if incapable."

You nodded, "Right, of course, sir."

Mr. Shelby offered you a look, taking a swig of whiskey. "You know, after hours, you don't have to be so professional."

"You didn't hire me to be unprofessional, though."

"No, I didn't, but this isn't a work meeting," he offered his glass. "We can still be friendly, can we not?"

You clinked his glass with yours, "Sure, of course we can..." How the hell could you be 'friendly' to the man you've pined after for the past two years? "So, I heard Grace skipped town," you started, instantly wincing when you realized what you said. "I-I'm so sorry, Mr. Shelby, I didn't mean to - "

But he chuckled, "You heard correct." He waited a long moment, then offered, "She's gone - for good."

You tested the waters, "Is... That a good thing?"

"It is."

"I thought you liked the barmaid?"

"I thought I did, too, but I've been wrong before."

"I doubt that."

"No, truly," he smirked, "I've made my fair share of mistakes."

"That you'd be willing to admit to?"

"Well, that's a different story," he mused, downing the last of his glass. "C'mon," he decided, sitting up, "the others are in the den, if you'd like to join?"

"Oh, no, I don't wish to intrude."

"Where were you going to sleep, then? If this storm doesn't die off in the next hour?" You gestured to where your coat and belongings were bunched up beside you, shrugging lightly. "No, absolutely not," he glared when he took in your makeshift bed, "you're coming in, you'll stay the night here."

"No, you lot are having family time - "

"And why do you assume you aren't family yet?" He asked sharply, making you reel back a little. "Three years, you've worked with my family, a portion of that before any of us came home. C'mon, love, you're more family than others wish to pretend to be."

"You mean that?" You worried softly.

He offered a look of mild offense, "I don't speak to hear the sound of my own voice. I would not say it if I did not mean it."

The whiskey in your system encouraged you to offer a sharp look, snipping, "It would not kill you to just say, 'Yes, I mean it.'"

Tommy smirked lightly, nodding, "Yes, I mean it. Come, you'll stay here tonight."

You couldn't fight off the smile even if you tried. With your coat and purse in one hand, Tommy took the other to help you off the floor. Like a gentleman, he took your belongings before leading you further into the Shelby home; leaving the empty gambling den to find the others all stuffed around a table with a card game loudly being played; fireplace stoked to life.

Polly greeted you happily, not knowing you were still here. Tommy set your things to the side as Arthur wrangled you into the seat beside him - insisting you had to be on his team! A quick sniff of his tea mug assured he was waist deep in the whiskey.

"Okay! New player at the table!" John announced, yanking all the cards back to hand over to Polly. They were all smoking, minus you and Finn. "You all know the rules - hey, hey, hey, no! Tommy's not on her team!" He pointed at you and his brother, who had sat beside you to sandwich you between Shelby's.

"Why not?" Tom asked, accepting the tea from Polly as Finn handed you your own.

"Thank you, little love," you whispered, pecking his cheek as he giggled.

"Becuase you two can communicate without words - it's fucking weird!" John insisted. "All right! Polly, you're with Tommy - the fucker likes to cheat."

"Being better than you isn't cheating, John Boy."

"Is when there's money on the line!" John laughed, Arthur leaning over to explain to you the game. He was actually a very good teacher, and even for a few rounds, you weren't a "viable player" just to let you watch and get the gist of things.

However, when you joined the game, it was far more intense than you had given credit for. But the Shelby's were competitive lads, Polly just happy to laugh and remind the boys of the rules; letting them dominate the table as you were content to just watch, laugh, and sip your tea. After a few rounds, Finn came over and hopped up on your lap, declaring you two a team now, and believe it or not, you won the next three hands!

"CHEATERS! AYE!?" John yelled, laughing right after as a boom of thunder rattled the home.

"No, call that beginners luck!" Arthur tried to defend, Tommy lighting a new cigarette.

"Or maybe John's just not accustomed to losing?" You grinned. "Especially from a lady?"

"I lost to a lady? Where? Where is she?" John looked around comically, earning a swift kick under the table that rattled the tea cups.

"All right, all right, next hand, we play for money, come on, come on, bets in the center," Polly instructed. "Finn, don't," she warned and you reached up to push the lad's hand down as he was ready to toss in a few pounds.

"Here, I'll cover us," you told the little lad, both grinning when you offered money to the center. Unknown to you, Tommy was keeping mental track of however much you were betting - intent to pay you back. Yet he didn't say anything, content to watch you and Finn have fun together.

Arthur and John were the most vocal of the group, arguing about scores and tallies and who won which round. You chuckled as Finn leaned into your chest, everyone waiting for the two to finish arguing; Polly looking over with a broad smirk before dropping her gaze. Tommy had seemingly naturally moved closer to you, one arm extended behind your chair to keep you close to his warmth.

Neither seemed to notice.

Not even when you would turn to crack a joke directly in Tommy's ear, his lips spreading in an easy smile that made Polly fight off her own grin. Grace was something special to Tommy, sure, this was true, but after the time together, she could tell that the two of you had become something more - without even verbalizing it.

Never realizing.

Hours passed, the storm still raged, two cartons of cigarettes was smoked between the lot of them, and there was no clear winner in sight. Finn had fully deflated into your embrace, asleep despite the loud thunder and blinding flashes of lightning. Your head had lulled onto Tommy's shoulder, sleep clawing at your eyelids as you listened to a drunken John and Arthur still argue about the card game. Polly eventually called it quits and bid everyone a goodnight, smiling softly when she noted the cozy seating between you and Tommy.

The longer you sat there, you more exhausted you became.

"C'mon, love," Tommy whispered softly, rousing you from your half-sleep, "let's get you to bed. C'mon, up you get," he smirked, aiding you from your chair as you kept a firm hold on his little brother. "We'll see you lot in the morning," he told his brothers.

"Night," John and Arthur waved, still deep into their argument, but smirking to one another when Tommy lead you up the stairs. When you were gone from sight, John leaned in and asked his eldest brother, "Think Tommy'll make a move tonight?"

Arthur glanced up the stairs, musing, "If he doesn't, he might be stupider then we thought."

John agreed.

Upstairs, Tommy opened the bedroom door and let you lay Finn softly on his bed, pausing to tug his shoes off and cover him with his blanket; moving his stuffed teddy bear closer and watching his sleeping hand naturally curl around it. You snuck out of the door, Tommy shutting the door, and tangled your hand with his.

Silently, he lead you to his bedroom.

It was small, ridiculously small, but it was enough for his single person. Tommy shut the door after you, moving around, muttering, "You can sleep in this," as he handed you one of his shirts, "and I'll be in the drawing room if you need me - "

"Tommy, I'm not kicking you out of your room," you sighed. "I can sleep on the sofa for the night, it's not - "

"I'm not letting you do that," he refused sharply.

"Then we seem to be at an impasse," you decided with perked brows. "Either we're both sleeping on the sofa or we both crash your bed. You choose."

He chuckled dryly, "And here I thought the whiskey would make you less stubborn."

"Wishful thinking."

He nodded, letting you have the room to change and get under the covers. It was decently cold in his room, more so without pants; the storm doing nothing to remedy that, and when Tommy returned, everything felt different.

A good different, but still different.

Neither of you made eye contact, him joining you in the absurdly small bed after blowing the candles out. You settled on your side, facing the wall, and after a few moments of adjusting, Tommy was settling down - but hesitating to deflate in comfort.

"Is it all right if I, uh... If I...?"

"Yeah, 's all right, Tommy," you whispered, reaching for the hand that hovered over your waist and pulling it so he was curled around you. It was all he needed to readjust, sigh to himself, and deflate against your back. You shivered slightly when his warm breath fanned over your neck and shoulder; his hand splaying over your belly and rubbing his thumb mindlessly. "Thank you for letting me stay the night," you whispered.

"Wasn't gonna send you home in this weather," he answered, voice vibrating the shell of your ear. "Besides," he whispered in a sigh, "this is where I wanted you, and where I wanted to be."

You chuckled, "Oh, yeah? So cold in here you need a warm body in bed with you?"

"No," he whispered, "but I've been in love with you for months now that I didn't want you far from me. Doesn't feel right, seeing you go home without me - everyday. I was overjoyed to come back and see you still here."

"What?" He didn't let you turn around, just kept you both there; locked in your spoon. "Tommy, what're you saying?"

He took a sobering breath, "That this is what I want, this is where I want us to be."

"That's the whiskey talking."

"No, love, it's you," his lips danced across your ear, making you shiver. "It's always been you, but I wasn't in my right mind to do anything about it."

"And now you are?"

"I might be, I couldn't go another minute with you thinking I don't want you - that I don't value you in my life. The fact that you were ready to sleep downstairs hurt me more than I'm willing to admit," he sighed, "and I knew, I needed to confess a few things so you know, you're welcome in this family. You won't ever sleep downstairs, love, you're meant to be here... With me... If you want to be."

You had to slap his hand to get him to loosen his grip and let you turn around to face him; but his hand remained on your, moving up to grip your ribs. In a whisper, you asked, "You're being honest? Genuine?"

"I can't lie to you, you can always tell. So, am I lying?"

"I don't think so," you whispered with skepticism, eyes narrowed. Neither of your voices rose above a whisper, "Why say any of this, Tommy?"

"Because the idea of going another day without at least trying to tell you how I feel was beginning to feel suffocating."

"What about Grace?"

"It's taken me a bit, but I know now that I was infatuated with her simply because I had already decided you were out of my league."

"Do you hear yourself?" You grinned, caressing his cheek. "You're everything I've wished for, Tommy, but know I can't have. You're the one in a league of your own, I'm the one unable to touch you."

His head shook, "You're all I've wanted and more. I wasn't sure you'd think it appropriate - my affection for you - given you work for me."

"The same reason I feared voicing my affection for you, too."

"Now that it's in the open," he whispered, "how do you want to proceed?"

"We can figure logistics out later," you smiled, tracing your fingertips over his face, "but for now, I just want to enjoy this. I never thought you'd look at me the same way, and now that you do, I don't want to look away."

"You won't have to," he whispered. "I'm in this for us, my sweet, if you are."

"Nowhere I'd rather be," you whispered, cuddled close, and simply breathing the same air. For a single moment, Tommy felt unparalleled peace; the shovels quiet, heart content, and body warm.

requesting rules and masterlist

Peaky Blinders masterlist

[brummiereader]

No Son Of Mine (One Shot)

Summary: Justice had finally been served in the wake of John's death. But with all acts of violence comes consequences, one Tommy must face when his trusted friend Johnny dogs stumbles upon the now orphaned baby of the traitor and his wife he and Arthur had both murdered in cold blood all in the name or revenge. With no child of their own and Graces refusal to send him to the orphanage, Tommy begrudgingly takes the child into his care. Will Tommy ever show young Oliver the love of a father he deserves? Or will he continue to see him as nothing but a burden the heavens had cruelly punished him with?

Warnings: Language, mentions of murder, mentions of blood, angst, fluff

Authors note: A lovely reader of mine popped into my messages and kindly asked me if I could write this story for them. I'm sorry for the long delay hun, I can only blame my procrastinating brain for my tardiness. Anyway, I hope i did your prompt justice. Enjoy!

"Right, we done?" Tommy said raising a brow as he wiped the blood that had splattered onto to his crisp white evening shirt looking to his brother Arthur nodding his head in response, his chest heaving up and down as he brushed his bloody hands through his hair, both having been sidetracked from the nights festivities.

" Fucking scum" Arthur sniffed wiping his mouth with the back of his hand as he gave one last kick to the lifeless body at his feet. A cascade of events since John's death had led up to this very day, and Tommy and Arthur both simultaneously agreed without the need of words that justice had finally been served. Luca Changretta had been dead for almost a fortnight, the vendetta was over for all but the two surviving older brothers. That was until tonight when both Arthur and Tommy were unexpectedly called away to the news that Johnny dogs had found exactly who they'd been looking for. The traitor, the informer, the bastard that had given John's address to the Italians. A Peaky Blinder, one of their very own men.

" What about her?" Arthur spat a splutter of saliva laced with blood to the ground, the result of one lucky punch from the chancer that had tried his luck with the towering gangster. He'd put up a decent fight, one Arthur enjoyed watching before his patience grew thin and he pummeled his fist into him, each snap and break of his bloody face crumbling into something unrecognizable before being shot point-blank in the head. No one wanting or willing to hold him back. Not even Tommy. No forgiveness was given that dark night, only the sweet mercy met at the end of the barrel of a gun.

" Collateral" Tommy replied as he rubbed a cigarette across his lips not giving the nights events one ounce of remorse. This was for John after all.

" Collateral?" Arthur sniffed feeling a pang of guilt hit his stomach. Women and children were not to be harmed, an unspoken agreement before time in all dealings in war between men.

" Yes Arthur, fucking collateral alright?" Tommy snapped as he marched over to his brother whose eyes hadn't left those of the lifeless woman laid on the muddied ground below him " She ran into the line of fire brother. She all but killed herself" Tommy finished growing impatient with Arthur's weighing guilt. The last thing he needed was his number one soldier to be hit with a moral compass.

" Lads, we've got ourselves a wee problem" Johnny rushed over breathless as he loosened the neckerchief from the vein pumping angrily on the side of his neck. Fuck sake, Tommy thought to himself as he threw his cigarette to the ground. Things could never go smoothly, as smoothly as murder could go that was.

" What kinda problem?" Tommy replied as he and Arthur followed him into the small bedsit from the courtyard that two dead bodies had yet to be disposed of. The commotion resulting in the curiosity and twitching of the neighbours curtains, not one of them daring to or even contemplating in the slightest to inform any person of authority. Who would they go to? The police? The mere thought was laughable.

"Just a small one" Johnny replied taking two steps at a time up the rickety wooden stairs elaborating no further on what exactly had thrown a spanner into the works.

"A small problem Johnny eh? That's a big fucking problem!" Tommy ranted shaking his head as the three men entered the flat met with the sound of a newborn baby wailing in his woven bassinet, his bottom lip wobbling with each cry that furiously left his little lungs.

"Well he's small ain't he?" Johnny replied as he tilted his head looking down at the baby boy bundled in a white knitted blanket. You'd think with the the small army of children Johnny had fathered he'd be in his element. But that couldn't be further from the truth. Johnny was a natural with children, but a natural with children that had been weened, potty trained, and able enough to drive a four wheeled vehicle and shoe a horse. In basic terms, teenagers. But nonetheless wee babbies in his eyes. Newborns were all but a loud messy mystery to him.

" Jesus fucking Christ..." Tommy huffed pinching his brow as his mind frantically tried to come up with a solution as to what in the hell he was going to do now.

" Bloody hell, bloody fucking hell!" Arthur bellowed as he kicked the chair beside him, the gravity of what they had just gone hitting him far more than any sin from the long list he had committed in the past. They had made a child an orphan, and Arthur's regret and new-found faith in the almighty was about to turn into a furious rage of self-inflicted guilt.

" Hey, hey!" Tommy said cupping Arthur's head in his hands in a vice grip, trying to snap him from the pit he was intent on falling in. " Johnny take the child and go start the car" Tommy said loosening his hands as Arthur's head cast down with shame at his sudden outburst. No reading of scriptures would ever be able to tame the raging fury from igniting within him at any given moment, no matter how hard he tried. " And Johnny, light a fire. Just as we did for John" Tommy finished reminding Arthur who this was for, who they were avenging.

" He won't quit!" Arthur panicked as he held the baby in the back seat of the car, fumbling with the hand stitched blanket as Tommy drove full speed down the country lane back to Arrow house were the night of meeting with dignitaries was surely over.

" He ain't a bloody chicken is he?" Johnny said as he reached over from the passengers seat taking the bundled up child into his arms. " Like this, look" Johnny added resting the baby's head on his shoulder as he silently prayed to every ancestor to take pity on him, promising them that the next child to be birthed with his last name he'd be the epitome of a modern father to.

" Shut him up Johnny!" Tommy shouted, his jaw clenched at the increased wailing in his ear, his nerves on edge by the constant reminder of the nights events he now had to deal with as he slammed his foot down on the pedal with Arrow house in sight.

"Grace!" Tommy's voice bellowed through the walls of the their house. Every guest had already left, the grand entrance cleared of tables of the most prestigious of all champagnes imported from France mere hours ago. A night of free food, free booze and music in return for them delving into their pockets. But with the host having been otherwise occupied for most of the evening it was a night wasted, one he would begrudgingly have to endure for a second time.

" Tommy..." Grace said as she hurried down the stairs pulling her ivory night gown around her as she watched Tommy pace back and forth with a cigarette hanging from his lips in the grand hallway.

" Here. You wanted a baby, now you have one" Tommy said as he took the child from Johnny's arms placing him into hers before storming off to his office and slamming the door shut, leaving his wife wide-eyed in confusion as Johnny and Arthur stood there sheepishly without a word.

" Frances, some warm cows milk and another blanket please. That will have to do until the morning" she said softly not wanting to startle the child anymore as she gently hushed his sobs away into small whimpers and sniffles. " One of you going to tell me what happened?"

It had been an hour, three whiskys, a packet of cigarettes and the rubbing of one's brow back and forth as a pounding headache settled onto his forehead since Tommy had shut himself away in his office, shutting himself away from the consequences of the night.

" Tommy?" Graces voice quietly announced as she entered the room with the newborn bundled in her arms soundly asleep as a flash of love at seeing his wife in her element softened her husband's face. Her motherly instincts that had been waiting to be freed finally being put to use after the longing for her own child.

" I've rung the orphanage" Tommy bluntly replied, the sweet moment that had captured him bitterly snatched away by no one else but himself as he stubbed out his cigarette. " They're coming first thing tomorrow to..."

" The orphanage. Tommy..." Grace interrupted him, her angered voice raising just above a whisper in response before being cut off herself.

" I won't hear anymore on it Grace. He can't stay here, that's the end of it" Tommy stood up throwing his lighter on a stack of paperwork as he rested his hands on the mahogany desk in front of him, looming over the list of numbers he had been calling as he huffed out a cloud of smoke.

" The end of it is it Thomas?" Grace scoffed as she walked forward, her eyes narrowing in on her husband with every step she took. " You made this child an orphan, he is your responsibility now. That's the end of it" she said coming to a stop in front of his desk as her husbands jaw tightened at her words.

" What about John's kids eh? They've been made orphans, hm? Grace? " He said as his wife turned her back on him as she headed for the door, Tommy's raised voice enough to startle a small whimper of cries from the baby boy now waking up from a deep slumber.

" When will it end Tommy?" Grace said as she came to a stop at the door. Tommy's relentless need for revenge against anyone who had dared to cross him leaving a string of orphans, elderly burying their own children and children burying their own parents. " A son Tommy, isn't that what you've wanted? What we've wanted?" she sighed, a deep wave of sorrow filling her heart as she looked down at the sweet child in her arms, a child she had yearned for during the unforgiving nights she had held onto her husband as tears streamed her face. Loss after loss breaking her already shattered heart.

" He'll be no son of mine"

Six years later...

" Elbows off Oliver" Grace reprimanded with a small smile of affection at the breakfast table to the child who had grown into a dimpled cheeked young boy as she rubbed her swollen stomach.

" Yes mummy" he replied kicking his legs back and forth as he wiped his cheeks from the egg soldiers he had just enjoyed as Tommy eyed him over the newspaper in his hand, reaching to caress his wife's stomach.

" He'll be here soon" Grace smiled to her husband lacing her fingers between his as she glanced over at her son that had no knowledge of who his birth parents were or the night that had brought him into their life, never wanting to or willing to send him into turmoil with the truth at such a young age "A baby brother for you Oliver " she winked to him as he grinned from ear to ear at the idea of having a sibling all whilst trying to stack the remaining pieces of toast into a strong hold that would keep the soldiers from the fiery dragon his imagination had conjured up. His attempts rendered futile when his tower of toast came crashing down onto the recently polished floors.

" Grace..." Tommy huffed folding his newspaper in half throwing it on the table in front of him, his patience easily tested with anything the small boy did that caused the slightest of inconvenience.

" Don't play with your food darling" she corrected him as Oliver's eyes darted to his father and the irritation clearly expressed in the creases of his furrowed brow. "Go clean up those buttery cheeks before I leave ok?" She smiled as the boy nodded in response while sliding off his seat only to stand on the scattered toast below him, causing a mountain of crumbs and further mess.

" You heard your mother" Tommy huffed lighting a cigarette as he looked down at the waste of food and the disorder that came with the child that had created it. " Oliver" Tommy pinched his brow as the little boy stood there doe eyed looking up at him nervously through his lashes.

" Go on" Grace smiled reassuring him as he ran to the door. " You're to harsh with him, he's scared of you" Grace said snapping her head to Tommy as he left the room.

" He doesn't listen" Tommy stated as he stood up taking a drag of his cigarette as he watched the boy through the crack of the door running up the stairs. " Stands there looking gormless whenever I tell him to do something, just like his traitor father"

" Tommy!" Grace said as she put the breakfast dishware down, crashing them onto the table in one loud clatter of knives, forks and spoons as she hurried to shut the door. " Don't ever let him hear you talk like that!"

" Well maybe he should know, eh Grace ?" Tommy said coldly stubbing his cigarette out, the pain from his brothers death never fully grieved, only ever making itself clear through the unfair coldness he showed to the child his wife had lovingly taken in all those years ago, raising him solely on her own over the watchful eye of him always standing from afar.

" You'd like that wouldn't you Tommy? Wouldn't have to keep up your facade anymore" Grace replied as she walked around the table. " Your his father, he knows no different. Just like this one" she said resting her hand on her stomach. " You're breaking his heart Tommy" she said taking his hand trying to reason with his stubbornness and the relentless friction he had undoubtedly created in the house the three of them shared. "I'm going to miss my train" she sighed as she closed her hand around his placing a tender kiss to his lips before turning to leave as Tommy followed behind her, watching from the door as she knelt down to Oliver in the entryway.

" Can't i come?" the young boy sobbed as she brushed his tears from his rosy cheeks. " Please?" he sniffed turning to see Tommy leaning against the door frame watching from afar, always from afar.

" I'm sorry darling, not this time" she replied a look of concern in her eyes about leaving him alone with Tommy, silently wishing this one time he would push his unenthusiastic demeanor aside and at least try if not for her then the little boy who thought the world of him. The same little boy with a determination that matched the very man who would brush off any attempts he made to impress him. Tommy's hate for the man that had fathered him clouding every parental instinct in his body. " I'll bring you something back" she winked giving him a hug before she fixed her hat and hesitantly turned to the door, leaving the young boy standing in the hallway sobbing as Tommy cruelly turned his back on his tears and shut the dinning room door behind him.

" Dad, Johnny, watch me!" Oliver shouted as he precariously placed one foot in front of the other climbing the large oak tree shading the evening sun on the grounds of Arrow house as Tommy and Johnny dogs watched on from the patio door. The young boy hell-bent on getting to the very top after seeing his uncle Arthur climb the very same tree two weeks earlier as he watched on in awe.

"That 'a boy!" Johnny shouted back pulling his cigarette from his mouth as he waved back. " Found 'em Tom" he turned to Tommy in a hushed voice as he leaned in. "They live up north in Yorkshire, factory workers in the local pressing center. Dirt poor, drunk ol' man that beats his wife within an inch of her life and too many mouths to feed" Johnny added as he watched Tommy's eyes following Oliver's every move.

" He's gonna fucking fall" Tommy huffed under his breath as he stood up straight, already on guard for the inevitable. He never fucking listens, why would he never listen to him?

" Tom, you listening ?" Johnny said as he pulled the address of Oliver's uncle from his pocket. " Grace will never forgive you Tom, he's her whole world" Johnny added as Tommy took the piece of crumpled paper from him, the decision to send Oliver to his family having been made after the unexpected news of Grace's pregnancy, a decision made solely by him without her knowledge. It's better she didn't know, better for him that was. And when the day did come, he'd tell her his family claimed him back. What grounds would she have to fight them? She'd be distracted with the birth of their son, she'd forget...wouldn't she?

"Dad look!" Oliver shouted trying to get his attention, determined to show him how far he could climb, how he was as fearless as any other Shelby before he misplaced his foot and came tumbling down to the ground.

"Oliver!" Tommy shouted throwing his cigarette into the grass as he and Johnny ran over in a panic. " What did I tell you eh?! What did I fucking tell you?!" Tommy shouted, all words of expected comfort and love absent from his voice as anger and frustration took over.

"I'm sorry..." he sobbed looking up to his dad as Tommy removed his cap from his head, running his hands through his hair as he looked down at the bloody cut on his hand, every ounce of his being telling him to cradle the boy in his arms that knew nothing but him as his father.

" Ay, up you get" Johnny said helping him as he gave him a pat to his back. " Just a scratch Oliver ay? No broken bones. Nout to worry on. Ain't that right Tommy?" Johnny said in attempts to reassure the sobbing boy and Tommy who was about ready to snap again, his jaw tightened at the sight of Oliver's cheeks streamed with tears, muddy and red from the blow of the fall.

"Get inside" Tommy said placing his cap back on as he started marching back to the house, ignoring the pit of fear in his stomach at how things could have taken a turn for the worse under his watch of the boy Grace had entrusted him with. " Boys don't cry Oliver. Soldier up and wipe those tears" Tommy harshly stated as he left him and Johnny by themselves as he made his way to his office, shutting himself once again away from any more responsibility, anymore damage his presence caused.

" Come on lad" Johnny said putting his arm around him as Oliver sniffed back his tears feeling foolish that he had not only fallen but cried In front of his father, the man that never cried.

Sitting back in his leather chair Tommy rubbed the weight of the guilt that had settled on his forehead with the tips of his fingers as the night drew in, the soft hue from the crackling fire the only source of light in the blackened room he had locked himself in for the remainder of the evening. The impending birth of his child had unexpectedly thrown Tommy's thoughts into an uncomfortable disarray. Out of sight out of mind had been Tommy's only solution to the feelings that had started to arise in him that fatherhood had threatened, that fatherhood had been threatening him with for six years. Oliver was more like him than Tommy dared to admit. The child's strong will and refusal to listen one of his own cruel making. Why couldn't he love him like he already loved his unborn child? How long could he keep this up? Would he be that man, unashamedly favoring one child in front of the other? With too many questions dominating his thoughts and his wife's gentle voice absent to soothe the demons he had created for himself, Tommy did what he only knew how to do. Drink himself to the bottom of a whisky bottle. Heading up to the second floor of Arrow house with the finest bottle of Irish whisky in his hand he stopped at the top of the stairs, small whimpers and cries coming from the room at the end of the hallway capturing his attention. Oliver's room.

" Frances!" Tommy called out as he waited for the the housekeeper to deal with what he knew he couldn't. "Fuck sake" he huffed under his breath after waiting in place for someone to come before he found himself walking down the hallway to Oliver's room. There, with his knees curled up to his chest Tommy watched though the crack of the door as Oliver rubbed his hand back and forth over the bandage wrapped tightly around his injured wrist, his small frame illuminated by the cast of the gentle moonlight shining through his bedroom window. Running his hand down his face Tommy opened the door as Oliver quickly turned around pulling the blankets up to his chin.

"Oliver?" Tommy questioned placing the bottle of whisky on the side cabinet as he walked over. " Why aren't you asleep?" Tommy said more bluntly than he intended to as he stood by the bed, feeling a wave of unease wash over him as he noted the small blanket Oliver was clutching onto. The very same blanket he was wrapped in the night they had found him. Grace had kept it, something he would have known if he had ever sat and read him a bedtime story, if he had ever woke in the night to hush the nightmares away from his worried mind, if he had ever even entered his room in all of the six years he had lived under his roof." Let me see" Tommy said in a gentler tone as he sat beside him on the bed. " Oliver let me see" he said when no response came from the whimpers the small child was trying to stifle. Boys don't cry. " Please?" Tommy sighed resting his hand on the child's back as his head fell into his other, the guilt of six year of taking the life of his parents settling on his shoulders pushing him further into his elbow digging into his leg as his head grew heavy with regret. Sniffling, Oliver turned around with his hand out as Tommy cradled it gently in his own, the difference in size causing Tommy's throat to go dry. The hate for his father's betrayal that of a grown mans doing, not this young boys that Tommy had cruelly burdened him with for six years " First of many battle wounds eh?" Tommy smiled to the young boy as Oliver's face stayed unchanged, unresponsive to Tommy trying to ease his worry. Had he done this? Made the child is his care so frightened of him he couldn't even a coax a smile from him?

" Soldiers don't cry" Oliver said pulling his hand away, his bottom lip turning down at the thought he wasn't as strong as his father, a soldier like him.

" They do Oliver" Tommy said as his brows knitted together at the thought that young Oliver had taken his words to heart. What else had Tommy said in the past six years, what else had he unknowingly taught him?

" You said boys..."

" And I shouldn't have " Tommy answered before he could finish as the boy wiped his tears from his youthful cheeks whilst a small silence filled the room, the strain from their relationship left empty with nothing further to say as Tommy desperately tried to search for the comforting words he knew Oliver needed to hear. " You want your mum don't you?" Tommy said swallowing harshly as he turned his head to the rays of moonlight cast on the wooden floor " I'm sorry Oliver, I'm..." Tommy huffed pinching his brow as he clasped his hand around the child's shoulder. "... I'm not very good at this. You gotta help me out here. Will you help me?" he said as he gently squeezed his shoulder, rubbing his thumb back and forth as the barriers Tommy had kept up started to fall around him as he desperately scrambled to gain back the wasted years he had been adored, loved unconditionally, a love he had never once reciprocated . " Get some rest" Tommy sighed patting Oliver's shoulder, his plea for help left unanswered as he stood up when a small hand grabbed hold of him.

" Tell me a story, please?" Oliver asked as he sat up in his bed looking up to the man he had always looked up to, always waiting for an ounce of affection.

" That what your mum does eh?" Tommy replied as he sat back down, adjusting the covers lovingly around the boy, if not a little overly enthusiastically as Oliver was now in a tight cocoon of covers and blankets with his arms securely fastened by his sides. " A story..." Tommy mused aloud, his eyes looking up at the ceiling as his brain mulled over all the potential tales that could see him sleeping in the guest room for an undefined amount of time if Grace ever found out, when the corners of his mouth turned up into a smile you would think had never seen the light of day let alone witnessed by anyone but himself. Arthur had made him swear in blood to never mention the day his gangly legs had gotten in his way causing him to fall from would could have been the very same tree Oliver had fell from earlier that day in attempts impress a girl three decades ago. " Arthur made me swear never to tell anyone, but you won't tell him I told you, right? Tommy said as the boy nodded his head, understanding the severity of pinky swears and the fate of death if you ever spilled.

" Cross my heart" he nodded with all the seriousness he could muster as his little face twisted into a stern expression, a worthy match to Tommy's own infamous pout. He was a Shelby after all, Tommy thought to himself as his heart suddenly filled with pride.

" That's my boy" Tommy said as he turned to sit beside him, wrapping his arm around his shoulder as Oliver nestled into his side " My son eh? Tommy nudged him into his body as the boys eyes beamed up at his father's loving gaze. "My son..."

[claire-starsword]

The Guardiana Magic School Run - Part 8

Well, last time was tough, but at least now we get to chill on a little sea voyage.

Except of course we don't. Let's go beat up some zombies instead I guess.

Sadly, the chapter ends as soon as we finish Shade Abbey, so this is our last chance to buy stuff. I still don't have enough money for the Zombie Charmer nor got to win it in yesterday's disaster bonus, but I don't care much. Everyone is hitting hard enough in this team by now, my worries for the next battle are all defense-wise. The Charm Ring will not help because none of the enemies use magic, but it's our last chance to buy them so I'll get a last one anyway. It goes to Gong because I'm still mad. I did check the deals section beforehand, there's nothing new.

The bonus is just money so it's not that pressing, but (hubris incoming) eight turns does not sound like much in a tiny battlefield like this.

Max being alone there worries me little because he's overpowered. Anri and Arthur starting in the front though is a horrifying sight. Thankfully we're all faster than the enemies.

See, there's no need to worry.

Also I just remembered Max is already up for promotion, I honestly have no clue if it's better or not to delay his promotion or whatever, I tend to just promote people whenever they start finding weapons that require promotion. Spellcasters however have a problem in this version that I'll explain later when we aren't, you know, in the middle of battle.

"Yes, we can always make time for a lesson."

"But let's clean up the classroom first."

I'm curious as to how much the Zombie Charmer would be doing, but as you can see the Power Staff is doing just fine.

This guy however is hopeless. Jk, the skeletons do have greater defense. And he's only 3 exp away from his first level up, so any scratch counts. And he indeed gets it next turn, honestly there's not much else to talk about, this battle is super easy compared to the last one, Max isn't talking much damage even when poisoned, and the enemies are downright turning to avoid other characters sometimes, it's ridiculous.

Arthur's level up gives him +0 attack and +0 defense.

sigh. we have a long way to go with this guy.

In the meanwhile Tao continues to have so much fun. The skeletons only take 6 damage though, so there's definitely some resistance afoot despite the game not showing it. Usually that's the case for elemental resistances, but that's weird since fire is often advertised as the element good against undead.

We're at turn 5 and only the Ghoul is left.

Max clearly won't have any trouble unless this thing has absurd attack or something. He also levels up, but gets very little stat increase. I feel Max should be promoted early because his epic level ups have chilled by now.

Which feels weird, because you can see growth rates in this version and, aren't the attack/defense/speed ones implying they grow better at late levels? That's kinda the opposite of what's happening.

Hey, that's more than I expected! Despite being the boss, the Ghoul still has less defense than Skeletons. Arthur gets another level up for his efforts, gaining +1 defense.

Like, just that. 1 stat point. Oh Arthur.

Again his curves imply the opposite of a late bloomer to me, either I'm messing up badly at reading these or there's something wack here.

Also I forgot the Ghoul could do this. This man can't catch a break, but I was actually gonna let others get the exp anyway. Sleep man. Dream of better boats.

Hey, again with this! Stop lying to me about resistances! (Anri used Blaze 1 here).

Because of this nonsense, it takes an extra turn for Anri and Arthur to finish off this guy, but we still get the clear bonus with a turn to spare, because we're that awesome.

Anri also reclaims a relic of Guardiana from the undead forces. I'm legit wondering if he's the only one to drop this, in which case it's very interesting, is this guy supposed to be the real priest? I'd expect zombies to be made from older corpses. Though there was a whole line of Anri relatives buried here anyway. Why am I discussing lore in the middle of a challenge run, see this is what happens when the battle is too easy.

Let's move on, not that there's much else here, we say hi to Amon and Balbaroy and head to Bustoke, ending the chapter. I find it kinda weird that Balbaroy says "let us know when you're ready" but you're not given a chance to get back to town. Feels bad.

But in the end it's good that the post is short so far. We have business elsewhere after all.

And that business deserve it's own post actually. See you soon :)

Losses: 0 Deaths: 2 The expected deaths on Narsha interludes: 0/3

[rt2417]

[Hymn of Serata on the Requiem Night] Chapter 3

Rutile: J-Just now, something passed by…

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Location: Remote Central Village

Time: Day

Akira: (Perhaps that’s why…… I wonder if that’s the reason why Faust approached the villagers.)

(Come to think of it, Arthur is the Prince, so there’s the chance someone could’ve recognized him. Moreso, Cain’s wound from the Calamity prevents him from seeing others…)

Even without using words, Faust was able to make the right decision for the situation naturally. It’s a reassuring thought, having his presence by our side on this mission.

Faust: In the meantime, we should continue discussion about the investigation. Is there anyone with concrete information on the time and location of when the anomaly happens?

Woman with a Mole: Um, well… I happened to catch sight of something in the direction of the plaza. I believe it was a bit after sunset…

Graying Old Man: I also saw something just down the hill. This was late at night, around the time when most people are already in slumber…

The villagers seemed much more at ease now than a short while ago. All of them answer Faust’s questions in loud voices.

According to their reports, the anomaly only occurs during the night. Moreso, the sightings themselves can be seen all over the village.

Bearded Man: Sightings outside of the village are rare, but I’ve seen them once or twice by the right hand side of the animal trail entrance.

The end of that trail stops at a sudden steep cliff, which is why most of the village folks don’t go near it……

Cain: I see. Well, then it’s probably best to keep our investigation inside the village, yeah? If we come out with nothing, we can start looking outside.

I’ll go around shaking the villagers hands while gathering information. It’d be kinda a hassle if I can’t see them.

Faust: Right, if you would. To start off, let’s prioritize the residences with missing livestock and the areas that sustained the most damage.

Once night falls, we’ll regroup in the plaza and share our findings.

Time: Night

Rutile: As we were running about, it seems like nightfall has caught up to us.

Akira: I agree… It was like I blinked my eyes and suddenly the sun had already begun to set.

With no lit street lights or house lamps, it was hard to believe the scenery was the same as it was in the day. Everything had been enshrouded in darkness.

Since the anomalies only ever occurred at night, it was reasonable to guess that whatever it was probably wasn’t the best with light. Therefore, even the smallest lights were extinguished.

Arthur: I’ve gone and asked the residents who live around here to spend the night in other houses… but, it’s really pitch black now.

Cain: Yeah. Man, if we don’t keep talking we might even end up losing sight of each other.

Gathered in the plaza, so far, are a few of us who have already finished our investigation. The only source of light was from the moon, which occasionally flickered through the clouds.

Faust: I see that everyone has assembled. Lennox, Rustica, and I have returned.

Lennox: Apologies for the delay.

Rustica: Oh my, hearing everyone’s voices in the darkness makes it so much easier to enjoy the sound of them.

Riquet: Welcome back. Per Faust’s instructions we’ve been waiting without any lights turned on, but so far I haven’t noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Cain: Ow! Rustica… My foot, you’re stepping on it!

Rustica: Oh my, excuse me. Cain, have you somehow managed to lose a few inches?

Arthur: Rustica, Cain is over that way. I’m Arthur.

Akira: We’re all at the mercy of the darkness, it seems… It’s cloudy today, so even the moonlight is dim.

Although my eyes are adjusting to it, it’s so dark you wouldn’t even realize if someone tried to pinch your nose. So, please, be careful…

Bradley: Nose? That’s a strange way to put it, ain’t it? Hey!

Akira: Guh. W-Who!?

Bradley: Hahah! You really can’t see, can ya? In a condition like that, you’ll totally get captured by the monsters!

Akira: Bradley! Oh my god…… I really thought you were the anomaly.

Faust: Seriously, what are you doing? If you keep these foolish games up, you’ll miss anything abnormal happening.

Lennox: Still, with this level of darkness, it proves quite challenging to observe anything without paying close attention.

Rather, I honestly find it easier to tell if someone is pinching my nose than this…..

Lennox says as he surveys the nearby surroundings. Then, something faintly emerges across his face.

It looks akin to a white spider. However, even as I strained my eyes, before I could clearly see it, the cover of night masks its presence.

Akira: (Was I mistaken…?)

Cain: Hey, did you guys just see that? I could’ve sworn I felt something from where Lennox’s voice was coming from……

As I look in the direction of Cain’s voice, something white quickly crosses my field of vision.

Akira: Gh…!?

Rutile: J-Just now, something passed by…

Riquet: Rutile, it’s near you!

Rutile: Wah!

Bradley: Heh… So ya got the nerve to come out now?

I could hear Bradley’s laughter from nearby, and finally, I came to see it clearly. Unconsciously, I let out a scream.

Akira: H-Hands! We’re surrounded by a bunch of white hands…!

I quickly became all too aware of the many white hands floating in the darkness, encircling us.

It was undoubtedly a bizarre spectacle. A myriad of hands float in every direction around us, swaying as if they were watching our every move.

Lennox: Kenja-sama, please stay behind me.

Akira: R-Right…!

As I take a step back, Faust recites his spell.

Faust: « Salliuqnart • Mullcredo »

As Faust finishes, an orb of light appears, illuminating the surrounding area. Naturally, everyone gathers around the orb.

Even after the light was released, the white hands persisted, moving about as they pleased. At that moment, we came to a realization.

Lennox: This is…

Akira: H-How should I put this…… Their movements are surprisingly quite unique.

Riquet: Yes….. They walk on the ground using their fingers, and sometimes mimic flying by forming wing shapes.

Rutile: They almost look like they’re swaying and dancing on a swing; giving off a relaxed feel to them, don’t they?

Cain: It’s no doubt peculiar…. Even when they appear, there’s no notable sense of weirdness. That remains true even now.

Arthur: Agreed. I don't sense anything strange or feel any hostility. If it were so, we would’ve been attacked by now.

Rustica: Then, shall I get acquainted with them? Come, extend your hands my way.

Akira: Wait, Rustica!

Rustica, who approaches gracefully, gently extends his hand towards the eerie floating white presence. The younger wizards, startled by his actions, instinctively widen their eyes.

Rustica: Oya…

Riquet: I-Is holding your hands out suddenly like that even okay…!?

Faust: How careless…. Well, never mind that; is there anything unusual?

Rustica: No. But this is quite the surprise. « Amoresuto • Viesse »

Bradley: If you wanna make the light brighter, at least give a heads up. My eyes’ are gettin’ strained.

In an instant, the white hands halted their movements, as if taken by surprise, after being bathed in the bright magic.

In that short time, I could see the details of the hands.

Akira: Could it be that….. All of them are gloves?

Rustica: That’s correct. Each one has a different shape, but they’re all crafted with high-quality materials and craftsmanship.

Arthur: Now that you mention it….. There are consistent stitches on them.

Lennox: The inside of the gloves are empty as well. They get caught by the wind, and the hem flutters about.

Rutile: It’s quite the peculiar scene, isn’t it? It feels just like a world from a picture book.

Cain: Even though it’s a picture book, it’s more so the type that suits a specific kind of audience. Hence why the villagers find them creepy instead.

Rustica: Yeah….. Still, it gave me a mysterious feeling. It was as if I was holding the hand of a young maiden…

Bradley: Hands or gloves, it doesn’t matter. Stop fuckin’ around and kick their asses instead.

Akira: Ah.

Faust is deep in thought when the gloves begin to move silently, inching closer from behind Bradley.

With that knowledge, it takes hold of a strand of his hair and yanks forcefully.

Bradley: You, whose hair do you think yer pullin’ at!?

In an instant, Bradley stretches out his hand, but the gloves slip through the gaps between his long fingers.

And then, in a dash, they quickly escape with a whoosh, moving up and down in place as if cheering ‘Banzai!’

The other gloves present express their approval with an applause.

Rustica: My, how wonderful. Racing through the night at the speed of a shooting star, such a marvelous display of agility. Allow me to offer my own applause too.

Cain: Haha. Somehow, it feels like I’m watching a game of chase or something.

Akira: How do I say this…. They seem quite mischievous, I’m beginning to find them somewhat cute now.

Faust: Still, we can’t afford to let them run wild. Without understanding the cause or background, I can’t devise proper strategies.

Lennox: That’s right. In any case, for the time being we should use magic to catch….. Ah, Faust-sama.

Faust: What is it?

Lennox: Please stay where you are. There is something on your shoulder...

Faust: ! Say it promptly. « Salliuqnart • Mullcredo »

Without hesitation, Faust extends his hand to grasp the thing on his shoulder and begins to recite his spell.

However, the gloves immediately float up, nudging his glasses in the process.

Akira: Woah, it’s coming over here….! It’s pretty quick, isn’t it!?

I also try to reach out for the gloves, but they slip through, flying towards Rutile. Then, they start circling around him at high speed.

Rutile: W-Would you please…. be still for a moment? U…Ugh…. My head…. is spinning….

Cain: Arthur, there’s one diving into your cloak!

Arthur: Cain, your sword is being poked at too!

Cain: You’re right. Hey, back off! If my sword comes out, your fingers are gonna get cut!

Riquet: Ah, give me back that bag! I just got it from the villagers!

Akira: E-Everyone is getting caught up with the gloves….

Bradley: Tch, so damn irritating. « Adno Potensum » !

Bradley’s spell rings out, like aiming to take down a flying bird.

In that moment, the glove, which had been suspended in mid-air as if paralyzed, suddenly vanishes into the darkness.

Bradley: Hah….? It just poofed out of existence.

Arthur: « Pernoctant • Nixzo »

…It’s true. These gloves, do they lack an actual form!?

Rutile: Now that you mention it, I think it also slipped through Rustica-san and Faust-san’s fingertips a little while ago…?

Riquet: It’s like they’re ghost gloves or something….

Faust: ……..If we continue like this, we won’t get anywhere. Let's change the plan, everyone. For now, let's prioritize the safety of the village.

Lennox: I agree….. We can't keep playing cat and mouse with them until morning.

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[viviskull]

madame-modes-shelter​:

Haba jumps at the the loud noise of head meeting metal. The impact is strong enough for it to echo into the ground. She watches the person -human? Likely, but not definitely- wiggle and writhe under the van until they slide out from under it. She gives the person a small wave and the polite-but-neutral smile for greeting purposes.

The girl in front of Arthur is, from the looks, a first-grader, tops. She wears a long rosa dress, that reaches to her bare feet. Her straight hair is of a dusty rosa colour and reaches over her shoulders. Bangs cover her forehead and reach to her amber-coloured eyes, whose stare feels more intense by this. While polite, her smile does not reach the eyes. Not fake, it also doesn’t seem purely sincere. Her grayish pink skin makes her look pale, but not quite so at the same time.

Taking the person in front of her in, Haba muses. Beard, so most likely a man. He has blonde hair, but his facial hair is brown. Haba assumes he has dyed his hair, but is not really good at it. Humans like to change their appearance for many reasons. Haba finds it curious, indeed. “You hurt yourself,” just stating the obvious, but that’s how human smalltalk works. Though it might be feasible to chose a comforting action first. “Don’t worry, pain is just temporary. And while there is a small chance for an intracranial hemorrhage, the chance for it occurring is seldom. Your body evolved to survive tumbles and icks.” Squatting down in front of him, she pats his hand and Haba watches the man orient himself. Unblinking, her eyes follow the path of his. He even looks behind her as if he expects someone else to pop up. She giggles at the visibility of his train of thought. Additionally to that the movement of his big, expressive eyebrows are truly entertaining.

Finally, he speaks. Haba perks up. It is English, but very far away from the clear cut city English she encountered just today. Much more r’s, but other sounds are lost or words squished together. Which is a quirk to remember, but nothing to care about right now. Since the man has collected himself, Haba is curious now. Her words are quick and fast, while her expression shows much less enthusiasm. She fills the short silence between Arthur’s words with her own. “Are you often stuck under vehicles then? Since you stress that you aren’t stuck in this moment. But you don’t seem squashed or hurt by reoccurrence. Do you like it? I am not allowed to slither under things, though I don’t tend to get stuck. Tío Graf had a heavy blanket, he threw on me once. I liked balling myself up under it! Then he tried getting it back, but I bit him. I got in trouble for it. It is my blanket now.”

Haba huffs. She crosses her arms and turns her head away: “I didn’t sneak just now! Sneaking contains the indubitable intent of subterfuge and hiding. I did neither of those. You merely failed to detect me. That is no fault of mine. And… while I am very much have the ability to sneak, I do so neither normally nor all the time. I use sneaking when I hunt, but my brother prefers I don’t eat live.”

Kid? Haba thinks about it. Yes, she is a kid, but that is a very broad descriptor. Oh! “Forgive the delay of introduction. You may use "Haba” to address me. I am not giving you the name nor does it come with any implementation of power over me. If you want to continue calling me Kid, I give you my consent, but I do not adopt it as a name. Tell me yours.“

Through the lack of a better term, Arthur was kinda at a loss of words.  On a normal everyday basis, it was often always a strange occurrence for him whenever he had a kid walk up to him, let alone one who seemed to just appear out of the blue, for a strange knowhow chat.  This kid didn’t seem like a ghost by normal means, but their light-tone appearance didn’t look entirely human either.  If that strange headache he often got, whenever he happened to be around any mythical creatures, with the bizarre powers his Wife bestowed upon him (which, by the way, always happened involuntarily) meant any indicator of that?  He may as well be glad this young sprout didn’t appear to be a mean spirited vampire.  That or he could only hope his temples were only just aching due to whacking a crack into his skull; and thank Vivi his forehead wasn’t bleeding either.  Yet knowing his luck, he can never trust when life suddenly decided to throw him into the frying pan at random.

Maybe it's best to play it safe.  At most, this kid’s probably got some autism or something of the sort.  If the familiar sort of literal language didn’t indicate that, maybe his own radar wasn’t too far off from it.  Only the spirits know he and his friends had waited a long time for their own diagnoses.  Any case though, he had at least something he could call upon if he needed to find some common ground with this little lass.

Blinking one more time, the cogs in this mechanic’s head finally start to turn into overdrive.  Many questions are threatening to choke him as he tries to find the words again to form a more concrete sentence.  Alright, still your nerves, Kingsmen.  Focus.  Already moving to sit up to better level his eye contact with the other, the little piece of cardboard he still sits upon gives a soft hiss the moment he pushes himself up with the help of his van to pull himself off the ground.  His vehicle gives a protesting squeak, but sits put up with his quick grip, too.  When man could trust one thing, a good machine always stayed loyal to whoever had its key.

If this was a kid without one of their parents?  Lance would so not let him work a shift alone again if he ignored an odd situation like this.  That or at most lose his music privileges for sure.

Finally, getting his tongue to cooperate with him again, Arthur says, “E-Eh, uh, yeah… only if I was a dead man, maybe.  However, I don’t think I’d be much use to anyone if they found me dead while trying to tighten one of this machine’s bolts.”  Alright, we’re throwing in a joke here that’ll totally fall flat on this child.  He grips the tool he’s holding into two hands now.  It’s a start with his customary icebreakers, but normally his husband was more decent at this sort of stuff.  “But, uh–,” he blanks for a second before their name comes back to him the next–, “Ha-Haba, what’s this about you being an outstanding sneaker?  If you can steal yourself a blanket from them alright, is there any reason Tí.. Tío Graf isn’t with you right now?”

For another second, he pauses for a moment.  His brain’s still trying to catch up with him, but when it’s going a million miles per hour to keep this child’s attention.. Wasn’t it proper manners to teach a kid to return mannerisms?  He still hasn’t returned his name.

In that instant, he offers a late, awkward smile.  It’s more nervous than anything, but instinctively he had to mirror the other’s; even when it wasn’t as sincere.  “Th.. The name’s Arthur by the way, Haba.”  He says.  “Most stick to Artie or Kingsmen if you don’t feel like learning the long tale of it.  You seem more like the explorer type, from the looks of it.”

starter for @viviskull

Haba’s eyes wander across the room. It is nice that Tia Mode’s place rarely looks the same. Somehow it seems like only Haba herself finds amusement in the fact that the shapeshifter owns a shapeshifting tavern. Even the regulars are seldom purely human. So any new face could be anything, really. And that is exciting. It can be dangerous, but danger is something for the adults to handle. Haba slides from her seat near the window. The outside harbours a rainy city that Haba does not recognise. It seems full of humans and bustling with life. More than one bright red double-decker bus has passed the window in the last five minutes. Even the buses are full of people. And all of them seem to be in their own little world, barely glancing at each other, much less at Madame Mode’s. The few people that detect the little cafe, come in with a gust of cold, wet air. They order with a very clear and pronounced English that Haba has heard a few times, but where it originates from is beyond her knowledge. Fewer of the customers stay for the drink, nearly everything is to go as they need their morning drink before work. It has wound down a bit for now, but the next rush will come soon.

With a loud thump, Haba’s naked feet connect with the floor. It sounds hollow today and the grain of the wood leaves a pronounced tactile impression under her feet. The whole cafe looks wooden today. It has the charm of an old pub. Wooden panel walls, wooden bar, the bar stools have metal parts, but the backrests are, again, wooden. Everything seems to be made from a dark wood. It gives the cafe a dim expression that even the lights right over the bar are unable to brighten up. Haba hopes that at least the floor will stay like this for a while as she traipses to the counter and climbs up a barstool next to one of the regulars. The grey-haired man gives her a wink and tousles her hair, but does not give her any attention, otherwise. Her brother, the barman, has his chin in his hand as he listens to the customer with disinterested amusement. He throws Haba a glance as the other takes a short pause, before he returns his focus on the guest. Accompanied with a decisive wave of his hand, her brother says: “No can do, amigo. Last time I tried to do one of your ideas - as a favour- I might add, the machine was clogged up for days. Blood meal is no coffee grounds.” Haba rolls her eyes. It is all in benign humour, between her brother and the vampire. It is a discussion, an argument, a stage play and it is completely boring to watch. The other takes an offended gasp and starts with an expressive “But!” as Haba slides from the bar stool. 

She waves at her brother and the vampire and exits the barroom through a door behind the bar. A short visit to her room leaves Haba frustrated with nothing to quell her boredom. In the end, she finds herself pacing one of Madame Mode’s many corridors. Random doors get opened to catch a quick peek of whatever place hides behind them. In the beginning, Haba is unsure what kind of place she wants to find. One room has walls that are a mixture out of paper panels and wood. The floor seems to be some straw mats. The other leads to a beach. As Haba inspects the door, a toilet sign is painted onto it. The next one leads into a little kiosk. Outside, heavy rain is falling onto a dirt road. 

Then a dark, starry night sky fills her eyes. In awe, Haba steps through the door. The air is dry and cool. It reminds her of her birthplace, though, checking her surroundings, she is standing on an artificial trash hill on a plane, not a mountain range. Behind her flickers light from an old telephone booth from which she stepped from. The receiver has been ripped off ages ago and the cables are sticking out in the air. Haba clicks her tongue with her hands on her hips at the many, many metal things around her. How unsightly. Then she carefully scrambles down the skeletons of cars, refrigerators, bikes and more. From under a hood a rattle snake hisses at her. For a moment Haba considers taking the snake up on their challenge, but they look like a young one that doesn’t know better. Haba leaves her be, since she knows to be better than that. 

The metal graveyard is surrounded by a wall. It takes her a few minutes to find the exit to a big parking space and a big house with a bigger garage. Kingsmen Mechanics is written on it in big lettering. Even though it is deep in the night, the garage is still lit. Without a sound, Haba walks over the dirt and gravel towards it. The garage houses not many cars right now. One is propped up. But with the exception of a bright orange van, they all seem to rest right now. The van is in the centre of the light source of the garage. Haba hears grunts coming from it as she walks around it. There are two legs sticking out from under it. It looks like there is enough space for the person to get out, but then again, why would they grunt otherwise. “Are you stuck?,” the girl asks the pair of legs.

[zodiyack]

Who’s Watching

Requested by @cai-neki​: May i ask a request; Youngest Shelby!reader one an angsty again, where someone's haunting the reader (she couldn't grasp if it's a past memory or person) ending up into various looks from her brothers thinking she may have a trauma but it turns out there is really someone following her around. Kinda long and messsy but yeah.

Pairing: Shelby & Gray Family + Shelby!Female!Reader

Warnings: Stalkers, swearing, my horrible reference in the title, angst

Words: 1,642

Summary: (See Request)

Taglist: @matth1w​, @redspaceace-writes​, @peakysputain​, @fandom-puff​, @darling-i-read-it​, @cai-neki​, @simonsbluee​, @marquelapage​, @sebastianstanslefteyebrow​, @thewarriorprincessxo​

Masterlist | Peaky Blinders Masterlist

Her chest heaved with uneven breaths as she slammed the front door shut behind her, back pressed against it. Her brothers walked in to see what the noise was about, surprised to see their sister’s disheveled body blocking the door.

“What the fuck happened to you?” Arthur exclaimed first. He eyed her with wide curious eyes, not all that sure whether he should be mad at her or getting revenge for her.

“S- some- someone-” She couldn’t form a full word with how heavy she was breathing, gasping for air as she rested her hands on her knees.

“Someone what? Did they follow you?” Tommy moved to the windows, looking around before drawing the blinds. “Are you alright?”

“W-wat-wah-”

“Water. Get her some water, Finn!” Arthur yelled before turning back to his sister. “Nod or shake your head. Are you alright?”

She shrugged.

“Do you need help?”

Again, she shrugged.

“Did they want to kill you?”

She shrugged once again, this time taking the water as Finn passed the glass to her.

“Can you stop fucking shrugging?”

A few gulps of water later, the cold liquid soothing her dry throat, she spoke up. Her breathing was still off, but she was recovering. “Someone was following me. I don’t know if they’re trying to kill me or if they followed me home, I just know that I did the thing you taught me-”

“What thing?” Finn furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Tommy. He told me that if I got a bad feeling about someone walking in the same direction as me, to turn a couple times, walk in directions off-route. This person followed me even then. As soon as I realized that, I ran as fast as I could. I didn’t even take the time to look back.”

“Good girl.” Every head in the room turned to Pol, who leaned against the door-frame of the family room. She slowly walked forward, moving her niece aside to look around outside the door before shutting it and locking it. Tommy gave her a questioning glance, to which she replied, “all clear at the front door.”

“Alright. Finn, go check the back, Arthur, can you patrol the house? If one of the doors were unlocked, they could have gotten in while we were talking.”

“Yep.”

The three waited in the main room for over an hour. Tommy and Polly took turns comforting Y/n as they waited for the boys to return. When Finn and Arthur did indeed return, Tommy was suddenly more doubtful than Y/n expected. Finn confirmed that all the doors were locked, Arthur reporting no one but themselves in the home.

Thomas turned toward his sister. “Are you sure someone was following you? Did you forget a turn and assume they were?”

“What?” Y/n’s face morphed into an expression of disbelief, hurt that her brother would question her. She was horrified, looking as if she’d seen a ghost, when she ran inside. The entire time she was running, her body felt uneasy, like she would faint had she stopped for even a second. It felt like her stomach had dropped.

“Are you one-hundred percent serious?”

“Yes- well- I-” It was ironic. She’d looked like she’d seen a ghost and for a split second, she thought it was a ghost. Had she been hallucinating? No, the chase felt too real. Whether it be a person or something from long ago, she knew it was after her. “I don’t know if they were human but-”

“You don’t know if they were human?” Arthur cackled. “Tommy, she thinks a mummy ran after her!”

“I never said that!”

“Was it a werewolf? Was he going to eat you? Gobble you up?” Arthur continued to poke fun. Only Thomas, Polly, and Y/n remained straight-faced. Polly noticed Y/n tearing up, the genuine hurt in her eyes saying that whatever it was, she was still terrified for her life.

“Arthur. Stop.” Although he continued to chortle, Finn’s laughter faded as he made eye-contact with his aunt. “Arthur.”

Finn nudged Arthur harshly. He stopped laughing and turned to Pol. “Yeah?”

“Stop teasing your sister right this damn moment or I’ll find whatever was chasing her and let it have you instead. She was beyond terrified. Look at her!” Polly snapped. “Can’t you see she thought she was literally going to die?!”

As the arguing went on, Y/n sighed and headed to her room. Her aunt was a great save, but that didn’t mean she believed her either. Only defending her due to catching how mortified she was. The embarrassment gifted to herself by a simple overthinking thought. ‘What if I was only imagining things...’ her brothers made her second guess herself.

The night went on, lights turning off, Shelbys and Grays lying in their beds, until everyone in the home was fast asleep. The windows and doors were locked, blinds drawn, and home quiet. The creaking of the wood, however, was new. It sounded like someone was stirring, but no one was awake to hear it.

Screaming awoke the members of the Shelby home. John had just returned, Ada as well, and had a head start to their sister’s room. She had sat up so quick it felt like she should’ve gotten whiplash. When the other four got to Y/n’s room, Ada was sitting on the bed beside Y/n, holding her close to her, and John was sitting on the edge of the bed, shooting her a sympathetic look.

“Did you see them again?” Finn inquired. Arthur slapped him up the back of the head, earning a glare from his little brother. “I’m being serious!” He whisper yelled at Arthur, only to be ignored.

“See who?” Ada looked at her family with widened eyes of confusion. She turned to her sister then back to her brothers and aunt. “What happened?”

“Ada. I’ll um...tell you in the study, okay?” Polly mumbled softly. Ada nodded and rose from the bed, hugging Y/n reassuringly before walking to her aunt. Both women stopped in their tracks as Y/n’s voice sounded again.

“I had a nightmare. The same person. They were in...here. My room. They opened my door and began to walk over to my bed. I couldn’t move. I was terrified. I thought it was all over, but another door opened and the person ran away. I screamed when I could, but for some reason, it was delayed.” She didn’t even take a break to breath or rethink details. It was like she was reliving it even at that very moment.

Tommy looked concerned. He whispered something to Pol before gathering his brothers and the other two females. They left the room, Tommy closing the door behind him, and left Y/n by herself to meet in the study.

“She’s got some kinda flashbacks or something like that.” Finn commented.

“We went to war, she...well, whatever happened, it wasn’t as bad as war. I doubt it’s some kind of thing she’d seen. Perhaps it’s her imagination again.” Arthur grunted in response.

The three older brothers had dealt with PTSD before, the effects similar to Y/n’s awakening, but Arthur didn’t believe she was hurt. He couldn’t bring himself to believe it. The man wanted his little sister to be safe, and knowing he couldn’t keep her so would hurt him more than the war did.

“I say it’s a trauma.”

“What kind?” Ada was quick to question Thomas, as per usual. “Injury related or event caused?”

“Either. If she hit her head, perhaps walked into something on the way home, or if she saw something she didn’t want to see...”

Unbeknownst to the family in the study, Y/n was on the other side of the doors. She pushed them open with a furry. “I’m not traumatized. Nothing that happened is from my imagination or some injury! This person is real and no matter what you do or say, they won’t stop.” She stormed out just as quickly as she stormed in, leaving her family to dwell in her warning.

She hadn’t left the home all day. It concerned the family, but they understood. No one had spoken a word to her since she’d made her point. When it was time to sleep again, Ada and Pol were the only ones to bid her goodnight, the boys cowardly, even more so when it came to admitting it.

The creaking occurred again. Y/n was awake this time, wide awake. The dream felt just as real as her escape had. Last night, she’d fallen asleep, given the person an advantage. Not tonight, she swore, not tonight.

Footsteps grew louder as they neared her door, the small squeak of the door opening causing Y/n to clench her eyes shut. Cold air followed the stranger; Y/n thought to herself, the person must have opened a window...but they were all locked, were they not?

She couldn’t be certain.

They stood over her bed, hesitating for whatever reason. Y/n had her own advantage this time. She wasn’t in sleep paralysis, she wasn’t incapable of showing the stalker what Shelbys learn since birth. Right as they reached for her, the mirror next to the wall by her bed positioned so she could see them, she slid under their squatted legs and darted out her bedroom door.

Behind her was not her concern as she ran for a specific room. Their footsteps thundered loudly, yet not loud enough to wake the rest of the family. Hot on her trail, they aggressively swung for her, but her distance was just far enough that they couldn’t reach her fully.

Reaching the room, she grabbed the first gun in sight, turning and firing. A few seconds later, steps padded throughout the house and stopped at the door. There they saw their little sister with a gun, standing over the person who’d been stalking her, wounded but not dead.

“Told you.”

[rigelmejo]

So while I’m not fond of Peppa Pig, I do find this discussion interesting. And it did make me go check if I could follow Peppa Pig (I can, easily, I know most of the words if not all - though I’m watching without subs so I might miss a little bit). 

*This is a show that WAS recommended to me, if you want to watch a simple show for kids that’s easy to comprehend - 大头儿子和小头爸爸 (and it is cute, it reminds me a little of Arthur and shows I watched when I was little)  : https://youtu.be/bpO2W9Xaigc

Ok back to Peppa Pig discussion, of all things lol.

So on reddit, someone was discussing how they’d been studying chinese 8 months and still could not understand Peppa Pig. I found the discussion between everyone very interesting. All I really think on my end is like? I also could not understand Peppa Pig (or any shows super well) that early on so it is partly a matter of “you just gotta study chinese for a while.” (The reddit discussion: https://www.reddit.com/r/ChineseLanguage/comments/mk4665/fed_up_with_my_poor_chinese/ )

But also? I am a big believer in “it gets easier the more you practice.” So if you want to do something in a language, try to DO it. And try to keep doing it - because partly yes, you will likely realize you need to learn more words/grammar and the ‘doing’ may just be a catalyst to ‘make you study more’ so that next time you try to DO you know more and its easier. But also, doing it involves building the skills of getting USED to listening, used to recognizing words you studied in a different context, getting used to recognizing and understanding grammar in real time instead of on a delay (like in a textbook when you can slow down and really look at something and figure it out) etc. So partly, how ‘easy’ it is to read or listen has to just do with how often you’ve done it. Have you done it enough that the parts you HAVE studied you can grasp immediately? Or have you done it so little that even things you ‘studied’ don’t click right away - but they might on a rewatch or if you pause and read a subtitle slower, replay a line, etc. The part of the skills you pick up by DOING you really have to just... do to get better.

I found a few responses from people who are years into studying chinese and still find Peppa Pig difficult. And I think in that case, it might be the same situation as my japanese was (studied for 2 years and could still barely read a manga for bare gist). I think partly at that point, lack of understanding has to do with not practicing understanding by Doing. Someone who’s studied a couple years, likely knows a few thousands words+? If they practiced listening or reading regularly for a few months, they’d likely see a TON of improvement. Because they probably ‘learned’ a lot already they just need to develop stronger skills to comprehend what they studied when engaging with shows/audios/novels etc. And if they just ‘wait’ to engage with material until it feels ‘easy’ they may be unnecessarily holding themselves back. Because a major part of ‘why’ it might feel difficult is simply that they don’t practice the skills of USING what they learned. If they practice more, it will get easier. But if they wait to immerse until ‘easy stuff FEELS easy’ when they first try? Then they aren’t challenging themselves nearly as much as they can probably handle...

Like? I’m not that good. I still only kinda comprehend a LOT of things. But that doesn’t stop me from watching chinese dramas I wanna watch in chinese only. And I think a big reason I can comprehend ENOUGH now to follow the plots of shows I wanna watch? Is because when i was 8 months, 10 months, 12 months into learning - i would watch 12 minutes and look up lots of unknown words, or watch an episode and pause to read hard sentences, or make myself watch when i ‘just’ got the gist of an ‘easier’ show and hope that the more i did it the more i’d understand. And somehow, that did work out. (Also it motivated me to keep studying new words in other activities lol, hoping that would make watching easier). Now I’m at a point where i can turn on new shows I want to watch, and watch them, and follow the main gist and pick up some details. Its nice. Its nice and its getting a bit easier each time i do it. And if i had ‘waited’ until ‘easy stuff’ like Peppa Pig was easy? Or until stuff like “Granting You A Dreamlike Life” was easy? I probably would not comprehend this much right now. I tried to watch gyadl like 8 months in and it was pretty rough... even rougher because i only paused a handful of times an episode to make things go faster. But now? When i watch a show ‘about that hard’ that’s mostly slice of life? I can pick up a ton more easily than before. Doing the ‘hard’ thing eventually made it easier. 

So if there’s anything I think about all it, its just... don’t be afraid to challenge yourself sometimes. Sometimes doing hard things makes the ‘easier’ things finally Actually easier. And sometimes waiting until you can ‘understand’ the easy things means just never trying the easy things - when its trying and doing, that will eventually MAKE them doable for you. At least that’s advice to myself ToT I wasted a ton of time in japanese when I didn’t do this, and helped myself a lot in chinese by doing this. I also did it with french even though i wasn’t really aware what i was doing back then.

Some links:

Peppa Pig in mandarin (let me know how much YOU can follow an episode! - if you can... sit through one): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1dhSMSAXxI

Konglongmandarin - a site that teaches mandarin utilizing Peppa Pig episodes. Which, while I do not like that cartoon much, I really appreciate the concept behind this site and its lessons. And I think its a really cool way of making comprehensible input lessons (which I think are a quite easy and Direct way to teach things that click well with my learning style and probably some other peoples’). I am checking the site out currently: https://www.konglongmandarin.com/lessons/

AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER IN MANDARIN - its on WeTV! I didn’t know that! It’s all just free to watch so like?!! I guess I’m doing a rewatch! The downside is these have no subs. The upside is I guess it makes good listening practice since you can’t rely on reading skills. Also, if you’ve watched atla before like me, then you likely have enough context already you should be able to follow what’s going on and pick up some new words: https://v.qq.com/x/cover/m0t0ud0mjg6td5t/v00225ojbpd.html

Again 大头儿子和小头爸爸 - its a show that was recommended to me by a language partner, and its good if you want a show for kids to practice comprehensible input with (I find it a lot more nice to watch then peppa pig but that’s just my preference): https://youtu.be/bpO2W9Xaigc

Two Souls in One - a cdrama I’m watching right now, its really good! Its only in chinese subs rn but I imagine youku plans to english sub it since its on youtube. Its magical premise mixed with mundane reality, a lot of fun identity and gender shenanigans. At my comprehension level its reasonably easy to follow - since most of its slice of life or actor-genre lingo. I think for most people who know 1k-2k common words this should be very doable to watch (just like Granting You A Dreamlike Life was doable to watch and follow the gist of). https://youtu.be/zaX2pdVpmUY

[akampana]

Other love triangle that you don't treat much and that are part of your ship.

The Proto-Boys!!! Cu, Arthur, Gil.

Pre - 5 Gen - 4 Love - 4

*gets email notif* *sprints to the keyboard*

Modern AU Proto Cú x Arthur x Proto Gil (fun fact, this is also related to "Dog House", the WIP I talked about before. Arthur exists there too as Arturia's older twin. The OG Gil isn't in that universe at all.)

Pre-relationship 5 Did either of them try to resist their feelings?

The proto boys have the rare privilege of not being riddled with that much drama. What pervades their lives is an irresistible, continuous stream of competitiveness that does wonders for them (just not for everyone around them, they leave a trail of destruction in their wake).

It doesn't help that literally anything can be a gadfly to Proto-Gil, because the mad lad has an Ash Ketchum worthy desire to be the best, and therefore he will put every effort into making sure he's the best kisser, hugger, fuckelover in the polycule. He'd already had the hots for Arthur right off the bat, but as soon as he realized the blonde came with a blue-haired accessory, he decided welp, guess this is now a threesome.

Proto-Cu met Arthur first, through Arturia, who was bffs with Lancer Cú. Although Arthur had just gotten out of a bad relationship (which made him want to delay officially asking Cú out), he pretty much knew he liked Proto right from the start.

Gil came into Arthur's life pretty soon after he met Proto Cú, because they were stacked against each other during an intercampus university competition in fencing, which Arthur won. And though Gil mainly competed for archery, he wouldn't let that loss go and just kept pestering Arthur for rematches until he eventually realized they were kinda dating. Plus Cú was always with them, but he never got mad at Gil being there, he just enjoyed being with Arthur.

So Arthur, being the responsible, caring guy he is, decided they were all dating and nobody said no.

General 4 Were they each other’s first anything (kiss, relationship, etc.)?

Arthur and Gil were Cú's first boyfriends. (Since all the other Cú's also exist, Proto is the youngest and Ferdiad, Medb, and Emer are attributed to his older brothers) He's the youngest in the polycule, and is a full year younger than the other two. Although he's the least experienced, he's also the most enthusiastic. Arthur was his first kiss.

Gil's first everything was Enkidu, and although he and Enkidu are still close friends, Enkidu eventually decided to court their first love, Shamhat. He's had a few casual experiences since then.

Arthur used to date Lancelot. Arturia used to date Guinevere. Uhh...shit happened. Anyway, while he's had a boyfriend before, this is his first time having two. Does that count?

Love 4 How often do they cuddle/engage in PDA?

Arthur, being the gentleman as always, tries to avoid overt amorous displays. He shows he cares by opening doors and offering his elbow to escort his two partners, but apart from that he's rather reserved. On special occasions, however, he does pull out the flower bouquets and movie tickets. (He'd bring chocolate but the Chulainns are severely allergic.) He took them both to a carnival fair last year and they went around trying all the booths.

Cú and Gil are not shy at all when it comes to showing affection, and because of their nature, they always try to one-up each other whenever they're out together. Poor Arthur has to deal with getting glomped pretty often. Its a good thing he can still walk even with both his partners clinging to him. Advantages of 181 cm (RIP to Arturia, but he's different) even though he's technically still the shortest.

Ahahaha thanks for the ask! :")

Ask meme

[nineteenninety-six]

A Tragic Birthday

REQUEST: Could you do an imagine where the reader is a Shelby sister and Tommy’s favourite sibling and one day a deal goes wrong or something and she dies but kinda how grace died, in Tommy’s arms and it’s all hectic. Thanks:)

I was going to take a little break (only to the weekend) because tumblr was stressing me out and annoying me but when I started this, I couldn’t stop and I don’t like sitting on fics.

TW: Death

WORD COUNT: 2681

[PART TWO]

It was (Y/N)’s eighteenth birthday coming up in a week and it was safe to say that she was excited. (Y/N) had been looking forward to that day since her older brother Tommy had promised her a large party to celebrate the year before, and now that it was literally only days away she couldn’t stop buzzing about it, no doubt irritating her older siblings.

(Y/N) was the youngest of the Shelby siblings, a few years younger than Finn and was primarily raised by her Aunt Polly and her eldest brothers Arthur and Tommy. (Y/N) and Tommy were the closest between the siblings and had a special bond, that none of the others could replicate with their youngest sibling but that didn’t mean that she wasn’t close to her other siblings, because she was. In fact, it could be said that she had a special thing with each of her siblings; with Ada, they were close because they were the only girls in the family, Finn was the closest in age to her and they grew up as each other’s best friend, Arthur was the closest thing to a father she had and (Y/N) knew if she needed comforting then he would be the person she went to and John was someone she could rant to without judgment and he was always willing to help her out whenever she got in a sticky situation.

But the bond (Y/N) had with Tommy was different and there was no doubt that they were each other’s, favourite siblings. When their mother had died, Tommy had taken on the role as her primary caretaker, he changed her nappies, bottle-fed her and pretty much did anything a father would do. Polly had told her about how when she was a baby, Tommy would get a large piece of fabric and wrap her in it and secure her to his chest so that her cheeks rested on his chest because she would cry whenever she wasn’t being held by him and that it allowed him to keep her calm and content while he got some work done.

Just as much as (Y/N) hated being away from Tommy, Tommy hated being away from (Y/N) just as bad. He was overly protective when she was born, only allowing his Aunt Polly to get involved and help him out because despite thinking he knew everything, Tommy most definitely did not know how to handle a baby, especially not a newborn but he learnt and adapted and became a dad to her.

(Y/N) were three when Arthur, Tommy and John had to leave and go to war and Tommy to this day still has nightmares of how she screamed and cried to the point where she was almost sick at the train platform where he and the hundreds of other men from Small Heath were leaving from. (Y/N) didn’t understand what war was or why were her brothers were leaving but she did understand that her Tommy was leaving and she hated it.

Tommy had made a thousand promises to (Y/N) as he held her in his arms that day on the platform, repeatedly promising to come back alive and well and that he would never abandon her again and Tommy wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to keep them but he made it his goal to come back to her and the rest of his family.

But he didn’t break those promises and four years later, he was sobbing into the dress of a seven-year-old (Y/N), who was crying just as hard into his neck. The only time (Y/N) ever left Tommy’s arms the rest of that day was to hug her other brothers but other than that, (Y/N) was stuck to Tommy’s side. She was silent at first, slightly awkward around her brother who she hadn’t seen in years but it didn’t take long for her to become comfortable and start to quietly mutter into Tommy’s ear about everything he had missed whilst he was away and Tommy sat there in shock as she did so, marvelling at how much his little girl has grown. When he had left, she had just started to string sentences together but now she could speak in full sentences and was chatty, something he guessed she picked up from Ada.

That night as (Y/N) was curled up into a ball asleep beside him, Tommy cried once again. He was glad he was back home and alive but he knew nothing was going to be the same anymore but he was determined to keep things as normal as possible for her whilst she grew up and he was going to create a good life and world for her to live in.

And now eleven years after he’s returned home from the war, he’s pushed all his work to the side to prepare for the birthday of his little munchkin. Tommy had been dealing with an issue for the past week which involved one of his clients thinking he was overpaying for the Peaky Blinders services and was now demanding a refund. One that obviously Tommy refused to give.

Tommy called in the person who had knocked on the door, not even bothering to look up from the paperwork he was looking through.

“Hello to you too, Tommy.” The person said as they stepped into the office, moving to sit in one of the chairs that sat in front of Tommy’s desk.

Tommy grinned when they spoke up, instantly recognising the voice,

“Good morning (Y/N), what have I done to be blessed with your presence this early in the morning?”

“I have the finalised cost list for the party.” Tommy pushed his other work to the side and took the piece of paper from (Y/N)’s fingers and skimmed his eyes over it, letting out a low whistle at the final amount,

“You plan on bleeding me dry eh?”

(Y/N) rolled her eyes and smiled, “Don’t even try it. I know my party costs less than what the Garrison re-opening did.”

“How do you know how much the Garrison cost?” Tommy raised an eyebrow.

“I just do.” (Y/N) raised her eyebrows, a smug look on her face.

“Stop tricking Arthur into letting you see the company files” Tommy pointed a non-threating finger at his youngest sister who only rolled her eyes.

(Y/N) bit her lip in nervousness before she spoke up, “It’s not too expensive, is it? I can remove some stuff if you want!”

Tommy got up from his seat and walked around his desk and leant on it, patting (Y/N) on the head, “It’s not expensive, don’t worry, I was only teasing I’m sorry. You don’t turn eighteen everyday eh?”

“You’re the best Tommy!” (Y/N) leapt up and tightly hugged her brother.

“I know.”

Tommy laughed at (Y/N)’s scoff.

“Any plans for today?” Tommy asked as he went back around his desk and sat back down.

“Ada’s taking me down to London to pick up my dress.”

“Hmm, spending the whole day?”

“I think so. I mean we might as well. Karl and Finn are coming along too so we should be able to find something to do.” (Y/N) made her way to the door.

“Have fun.”

“Will do!” She called over her shoulder as she left his office

It was the day before (Y/N)’s birthday and the clients of Tommy’s that thought they were being scammed have only become an irritant to Shelby brothers, making threats and destroying property has become their form of revenge and attention-grabbing at the moment but none of them could do anything at that moment, all three of them making a promise to their youngest sister not to do anything gang related on the day off or the day before her birthday. (Y/N) desperately not wanting her birthday to be ruined and her brother understood and promised her that they wouldn’t. It was bugging Tommy that he had to wait on retaliating on them but he told himself years ago that his family came above everything else, especially his (Y/N).

On the morning of her birthday, (Y/N) slipped out of her bed and crawled into Tommy’s, his arm automatically wrapping her shoulder as she curled into his side. This was a semi-common occurrence between the two of them, originating from when Tommy started to try and put (Y/N) in her own bed in her own room for the night when she was a year old but it only took a few hours before (Y/N) was climbing out of her bed or Tommy himself took her back to his room. Though it had become less of a thing as (Y/N) grew up as her room was pretty much the only place that she could get peace and quiet and privacy from her wild family. (Y/N)’s room became her sanctuary.

“Good morning, Tommy!” (Y/N) chirped

“G’morning princess.” Tommy lit himself a cigarette, “Happy birthday.”

“Thank you.”

“Here.” Tommy had pulled out a jewellery box from the draw in his bedside table and held it out to her.

“What’s this?” (Y/N) didn’t open the box straight away.

“My gift to you.”

“I thought the party was your gift to me”

“Take the gift (Y/N) or I’ll throw it in the bin.”

“Alright alright, christ almighty.”

(Y/N) slowly opened the box and gasped at what laid inside. It was a diamond necklace, simple yet elegant. Exactly (Y/N)’s style.

“Oh, Tommy. It’s gorgeous, thank you.”

“Glad you like it. Now get washed and dressed, I’m still taking you out for brunch.”

(Y/N) quickly kissed his cheek and left his room, not wanting to delay.

After their brunch, (Y/N) spent the rest of the day getting ready for the party and running around fretting about the smallest things, only settling down after a threat from Ada. After several impatient shouts from John and Finn, (Y/N) was finally making her way downstairs to the rest of her family who made of a series of appreciative noises when they saw her, causing her to smile.

“You look wonderful darling.” Polly walked over to her and gave her a hug before leading her outside and towards the Garrison where the party was being held, the rest of the family following behind them.

“How’s your day been so far?” Polly asked her.

“Good! Brunch with Tommy was great as per usual.” (Y/N) grinned.

(Y/N) usually had brunch with Tommy and then dinner with the rest of her family on her birthday but because this year was slightly different, they were doing dinner the next day.

“I’m glad.” Polly patted her hands and they continued their journey with small nonsense chatter, Ada and Esme quickly joining in.

The party was already in full swing when they arrived, drinks were being passed around and the music was pounding and as soon as she stepped foot into the pub, (Y/N) was dragged away by her friends, the bunch of them squealing and giggling. Tommy and his brothers were sat on a table tucked away but placed somewhere where they can see pretty much the whole room but despite that, they couldn’t see who had slipped into the pub.

Tommy too deep into conversation with Jeremiah Jesus and one too many drinks deep meant that he didn’t notice that something was up until the music suddenly stopped and screams erupted, and as he looked up to see what was happening, his blood ran cold at what he saw.

His little sister trapped in the arms of the client that was pissed off at him, with his gun held to her temple. The man wasn’t by himself, he had brought along two other men. (Y/N) was frozen in shock, afraid that one small mistake would result in her getting hurt.

Tommy slowly stood up and noticed his brothers and other Peaky Blinders do the same thing, each of them pulling out their guns. They easily outnumbered the three men but that didn’t matter as Tommy’s top priority was (Y/N)’s safety

“Thomas Shelby! We’re tired of being taken advantage of by people like you. We’ll have it no more!” One of the men shouted.

“Okay, alright. I hear you. Let’s talk, okay? But before that, I’m going to need you to let all these people go okay, they’re innocent.” Tommy gestured to people plastered to the walls of the Garrison, (Y/N)’s friends crying.

The man nodded and everyone quickly ran out, the only people left in the pub being Tommy, Arthur, John, Finn, Polly, Ada and Michael.

“Now, let the woman in your arms go. She’s just a teenager.”

The leader was the man holding (Y/N) and hesitated before he stood his ground, “No! If I let her go then you’ll just kill me. I want my money back Shelby!”

Arthur grumbled unhappily and shifted, causing Tommy to hold out his arm in warning.

“If you let her go we won’t.” Tommy placed his gun on the table as a sign of truce, “Just let her go.”

The man slowly nodded and loosened his grip allowing (Y/N) to slip through a take a slow step forward, sobs spilling through her lips. “You’re alright, you’re fine. C’mon.” Tommy held out his arms for (Y/N) and took a step towards her.

“No! Stop letting him win, it’s not fair!” One of the man’s sidemen shouted in rage before a loud bang sounded.

The room was silent as everyone tried to understand what had happened and it was until stuttered gasps left (Y/N) did Tommy understand what had happened.

“No!” Tommy raced over to (Y/N) and caught her in his arms just as her legs buckled.

“Fuck! Fuck fuck fuck.” Tommy slowly lowered himself to ground with her in his arms. (Y/N)’s blood spilling through her dress and on to him.

“(Y/N), n-no p-please. O-oh god no”

(Y/N) let out a soft noise of distress as Tommy harshly pressed on the bullet wound.

“I know precious, I know it hurts but I have to do it.” Tommy didn’t even realise he was crying until (Y/N) gently flinched when a tear fell on her face.

“Polly! Polly help!” Tommy heard the clicking of his aunt’s heels before he felt her pushing his hands away. “Polly-- no I’ve got to help her”

“Tommy, let me check on her okay?” His aunt convinced him to move away so check on (Y/N)

Tommy had been so engrossed with (Y/N) that he had no idea what going elsewhere until a hand on his shoulder brought him out of his trance. It was Arthur and John was right behind him, both had blood splattered on them. Finn was crouched down by (Y/N)’s head softly brushing her hair back as he whispered into her ear, Tommy could see the tears slowly sliding down his face.

“Tommy” His aunt had a defeated look on her face and slowly shook her head.

“No! You’re wrong!” Tommy pushed past his aunt and shoved Finn aside so that he could fully bring (Y/N) into his arms, slowly rocking for side to side, loudly sobbing.

(Y/N) was in too much pain to speak and used the remnants of her energy to squeeze Tommy’s hand as tight as she could before she finally passed.

Tommy felt (Y/N) slightly slump in his arms and knew what had happened, letting a loud cry of pain. Tommy heard the cries and shouts and tears of his family around him but he couldn’t find it in himself to care, he was too wrapped up in the pain of his youngest sister that was more like a daughter to him an how her death was his fault.

His darling girl was dead.

[metaldragoon]

Finished RDR2 tonight, first game I’ve beaten this year.  An absolutely amazing game, blown away by how good it was and I would recommend it to anyone who even remotely enjoys a Western setting. That said, I love to complain! So my four big problems with the game: 1. People are so god damn impatient in the game.  You take three seconds to smell the roses after murdering 50 people and the whole crew is like “JAYZIS ARTHUR (where) THE HELL ARE YA?!?!?!?”  Relax. 2.  The controls are kinda unintuitive.  I probably played around 80 hours and I was still messing things up to the very end.  I get it’s a very deep game and a controller only has so many buttons but it just ruins the immersion to be messing up.  It was also oddly difficult to interact with the correct item you wanted, so like SQUARE is to wear a hat but also pick up stuff in general, so I just see a nice hat on the ground since I lost mine but instead I lift up some corpse, now I’m a disgusting sicko lugging bodies around so I have to drop it before someone sees, so I just psychotically launch the body off my shoulder with no empathy for the dead. 3.  A lot of the animations were kinda clunky in terms of they take like a second or longer to do (such as like hiding behind cover) and it would just delay the time before you could actually react.  So, with the controls being confusing a lot of the time I’d “use cover” facing the wrong way in the middle of a gunfight and get shot twice before being able to correct my mistake.  And then they do make the animations so good so I like to go nice and slow and appreciate looking cool but back to problem #1 everyone is ready to blow their brains out with how long I am to get to the objective. 4.  The only serious complaint, I felt like the ending was kinda missing everything it had been building up to?  The game starts out with us on the run from fucking up the “big heist” at a location called Blackwater, and that just never gets explained.  We don’t know what happens, and we never go back to get our money.  Also we have a big rivalry with another gang the whole game, and then the rival gang’s leader is captured by the police and hung, why don’t I get to be the one to bring him to justice?!?  Man’s kidnapped and tortured me and no one at all cared!  Also I feel like the end of the game (during the epilogue) had the perfect ending, the 2nd last mission, and then the final mission kind of threw it all away for “revenge” which kinda seemed to be the whole point of the game is that “revenge isn’t worth it.”  I get that the last mission had an important thing to wrap up but I guess maybe they should have just dealt with who got dealt with earlier.  

[kyloswarstars]

PETRICHOR Peaky Blinders • Oneshot

Bonnie and you. You and Bonnie. It’s perfect. And then it’s all gone. Grieving is a strange, complicated thing to do and you don’t have a single clue on how to survive without him.

Pairing • Bonnie Gold x Shelby!Reader

Words • 5.4k

Warning • some swear words; mentions of death/murder

A/N • i still cry every time watching that scene; for years i wanted to write some Peaky Blinders fanfiction and out of all the ideas i have, this is the one which burned under my fingernails to be written a few days ago. so here we are.

/////

For once, you felt completely and utterly peaceful. It’s been a long time since you last felt that way. The hectic of accomplishing Peaky business and dealing with Tommy’s tantrums had worn you out. For Tommy it may have been Grace’s death to turn him even more away from the man he once used to be. For you it’s been John Boy’s death three years ago – three fucking years ago already – that turned everything upside down. Sure, before that a lot of deaths happened too and scarily disturbing shit you’ve been involved in, including a lot of eyes cut out by razor blades. But when the first of your siblings was killed – and that it would be only a matter of time when the next will be taken away, maybe even you, who knew – it changed something completely. The Shelby’s weren’t invincible. Never were and never will be, no matter how intensely Tommy tried to make everyone believe it. Not even by the order of the Peaky fucking Blinders.

Right now, though, with this cold airstream on this foggy morning, sitting on the steps of this caravan, wrapped up in a blanket – everything felt okay for a short while.

Last night you had been sitting at the bonfire and enjoyed the warming flames like the couple nights before. Lately you spent more and more time out of the city, trying to escape the business and Tommy’s orders.

They didn’t know. You never told them. All this time you spent with him and no one knew. You didn’t want them to know. The chance of them ruining it all was so fucking high, the only way you saw was hiding it from them. You thought, maybe they would start to worry where you were. Maybe. But they didn’t. So, those nights at the bonfire with him belonged to you two. Occasionally accompanied by his family, but mostly it’s been your nights, chatting away, making out for a while and roasting the rabbits or squirrels over the fire you had hunted during the day.

The fire had been burning brightly, dancing up into the night sky and competing with the stars. The booze in your veins had made you dance along with it, circling it like druids performing a summoning, until raindrops started to extinguish the bonfire. For a moment you looked up to the sky, feeling every raindrop slowly touching your face – then the rain changed its mind and rushed down onto you like someone opened a faucet. He had grabbed your hand and ran to the caravan with you.

His laughter still echoed in your ears as you sat on the steps. It was the only sound you heard in this early hours of the day. No birds had woken, no wind was finding its way through grass and leaves yet. Only his laughter in your ears, igniting a warm feeling in your chest and spreading through your whole body.

The smell of the earth was lingering everywhere. It had been the reason why you woke up so early in the first place. It was the best thing ever, how soil decided to send out this beautiful scent after rain had poured on it. The best thing, after him.

He stirred behind you and got out of the bed. His steps were creaking on the caravan’s wooden flooring. Without any words, he sat down behind you and wrapped his arms around your body. 

He rested his chin on your shoulder. „Why are you sitting here, Y/N?“

„Enjoying the woods, Bonnie.“

„How long have you been sitting here?“

You shifted in his arms to meet his eyes. „For a while.“

He tried to pull you even closer to him. Of course he knew what was struggling you. Of course he knew you weren’t only enjoying the woods. The short period of peace slowly faded and made room for the exhausting reality once again.

„I’m sick of it“, you whispered. Back in the day, when the boys came back from war, in your childish mind you thought everything would get better or at least back to normal or to a new normality. It never did. You grew up and with every blink of your eyelids another month passed, full of events that happened at such a fast pace you could hardly understand what was going on most of the times. And then you had met Bonnie and everything stopped for a while. And when the world started to spin again, the speed had slowed down a little. Not much, but enough for you to be able to breathe again.

„I know, my love.“

„Unfortunately, I have to go back“, you mumbled and heard Bonnie sigh. „I need to show my face and get some work done. Can’t stay here forever.“

„You could…“ Bonnie’s warm breath on your neck was giving you shivers. His voice was still raspy from his deep sleep. You loved to wake up next to him. „We could just go away, take the caravan and leave forever, Y/N. Imagine how perfect life would be. Imagine how cute little you’s would be.“

You tried to picture it. Traveling from one place to another with Bonnie, living in the woods and find food in the wilderness. Freezing during winter and warming each other in bed, sweating in the summer and skinny dipping in a lake to cool down. Growing his child in your belly. Giving birth, becoming a family and repeating it over and over again until you two had a whole soccer team. With Bonnie, this idea didn’t feel scary anymore. With Bonnie, everything seemed pretty easy actually. With Bonnie, it always felt like you were running through a field full of wild flowers, brushing against your skin, and making you feel exactly as beautiful as all the blossoms around you.

„Okay“, you agreed, feeling his arms hold onto you even tighter. „I’ll find a way.“ But first you had to go back to sort everything out.

Bonnie hardly ever wanted to let you go. When you got up and tried to get dressed, his hands were all over you and his lips tried to delay your departure. As always, he ‚helped‘ you getting dressed. First, he inspected every piece of clothing, to see if you could really wear it, then delicately put it on you with a lot of fumbling around to expand the time he had with you. The most dangerous part of it all was, when he came to the last piece: the shirt. He made you stretch out your arms over your head and when he pulled it on and the shirt covered your face, he would most likely try to grab and carry you back to the bed. And that is exactly what happened again. You tried to somehow get out of his grip but had to surrender in laughter. He didn’t seem like it at first glance, but he was so incredibly strong, not even the giant Goliath had a chance against him in the end.

„Bonnie, stop it!“ Laughing under his tickle attack, you tried to get your head out of your shirt to see at least what was going on. Instead of accomplishing it on your own, he pulled down your shirt and freed your head. Only to press his lips on yours and make it even harder to want to go back to the city.

„This.“ Kiss. „Is.“ Kiss. „What.“ Kiss. „Will.“ Kiss. „Await.“ Kiss. „You.“ Kinda out of breath, he rested his forehead against yours. He stared down to you, even though in this proximity eyes couldn’t focus anymore. „God, how much I love you, Y/N. Do you even know how much I love you?“

„I don’t know“, you couldn’t suppress your grin, „maybe to the moon and back?“

„No.“ Bonnie’s grin was probably even bigger than yours. „More than that. To every single star in the sky and way beyond what’s in the darkness lurking between them.“

That’s probably the most perfect description of what your love felt for him as well. „I love you, Bonnie.“ Your lips brushed against his briefly. „But I really have to go now. The sooner I go, the sooner I’ll be back and we can go wherever the wind blows us.“

Groaning, he let himself fall next to you on the bed so you could stand up and fix your clothes. 

He stood as well, when you reached for the car keys and pulled on your Peaky cap. It was a quick walk to where you had parked the car – Bonnie wouldn’t let go off your hand. And he didn’t let you close the door for a while when you were sat behind the steering wheel.

The birds still didn’t chirp, nor were any other animals being heard. The silence was still there, still granting you some peace, even though it wasn’t the same as on the steps.

„Don’t take too long, okay?“ One hand on the hood, the other on the door, he leaned down to kiss you once more.

„I won’t. I promise“, you smiled. Starting the car, Bonnie softly closed the door and watched you drive off. You saw him getting smaller in the mirror, didn’t really want to leave him, but you would see him soon again. And when that time came, you wouldn’t leave him again.

/////

Parking the car in front of the house on Watery Lane, you already felt uncomfortable being back in the city. Out in the woods everything was so much more easy. Especially with Bonnie by your side. But, this, and only this, would soon be everything you had to care about. The blue sky above your head and a loving Bonnie, who you would share freedom with.

Isiah was making a beeline for you, the second you entered the building. That can’t mean any good. „What’s it, Isiah?“

„Where the fuck have you been?“

„Language! I’m the fucking boss here“, you snarled, not very seriously. He just rolled his eyes with a little smirk. „What did I miss? Short story, please.“

Shelby’s weren’t supposed to do the dirty work anymore. But someone had to supervise those who did the dirty work for the Shelby’s. When Arthur became Chairman, you gladly inherited the job. You couldn’t stand paperwork or all the other serious business stuff, your work field was more physical.

As a teenager, while the Shelby’s tried to consolidate their position within the betting world, you had been part of the razor gang like your other siblings as well, except for Ada. You hadn’t been treated differently, only because you were a girl. You had grown up with them, with the violence, and to be honest: none of them tried to hold you back from taking your spot within the rows as they did with Finn. You wouldn’t have left them.

You were awaiting a ‚normal' report, but what you got was far from normal.

„Well… Finn got shot for the first time and Michael’s back, got married on a ship, was being held captive and knocked up his lady.“

„Are you kidding me?“ That was already too much drama to comprehend for only being back two minutes.

He shook his head, being dead serious. „Oh and Charlie wants you at the yard. Didn’t say anything else.“

„News from Tommy?“

„No.“

Good. That gave you the opportunity to check on Charlie right away. Leaving the house, you chose to walk over. Maybe it would be the last time to do the stroll, who knew. The dirty alleys of Small Heath and their people had been home for all your life. It would be strange to leave it all behind but an adventure would be waiting for you. Bonnie.

People were greeting you on your way, you returned it with a tap to your cap. To be a Shelby wasn’t always bad. You loved being a Shelby. Sometimes, it could just get a little too much for you. Especially after John died and wasn’t there anymore to defuse tensed situations with his silly jokes. 

„Charlie?“ Entering his yard, no-one was to be seen at first. Your call was answered soon, though. Curly was running up to you, throwing his arms in the air.

„Yes, Y/N. Yes.“ He was smiling. You always enjoyed Curly’s presence and friendship. „Sorry, sorry, not Charlie needs you, I do. Help me, yes?“

„Of course, Curly. What’s the matter?“ Besides being the dirty-work-supervisor, you also spent a lot of time in Charlie’s yard. Helping them with every sort of work they were going after or just hanging out – sometimes with Finn, trying to maintain your bond.

Curly was returning to the shed he came out of, you followed behind. „I just found them. Couldn’t leave them just like that. Have to take care of them, you know?“ There was an old box, lined with hay, which he knelt down in front of. In it were laying a dozen tiny kittens, meowing in an unrhythmic canon. How cute. Curly just could never see an animal in need. He always took care of them. And more than one time, you had helped him with nursing them back to health.

Promising Curly to organise some milk, you left for the Garrison. It never failed to amuse you, that the noise died down for a moment when a Shelby entered the pub. When they realised you didn’t care for their business, they continued with their chats again. Grabbing some bottles of milk from the back, you went to the office and tried to call Tom. You probably wouldn’t return to the Arrow House tonight and spend it at the yard, just wanted to let him know, but he didn’t answer. 

Afternoon and evening was spend trying to feed every kitten some milk. Once you accomplished it and were done with every kitten, the first one cried out for more already. 

At some point you must’ve fallen asleep in the shed. When you woke in the middle of the night and returned to Watery Lane, Finn was sitting in the kitchen. „Why are you not at home?“ ‚At home‘ meaning Arrow House you had been living in with Tommy.

„Tommy called. Sit down with me.“ By his foreign facial expression, you feared they somehow found out you were in love with Bonnie. You hadn’t even told Finn, just to make sure. What if they ruined your plans on going away with him? „I wanted it to be me to tell you because–“

„You know of me and Bonnie?“ For a second you were scared that maybe he didn’t find out and now you just revealed it on accident.

„Of course I do. I’m your twin, Y/N.“

„So did the others find out? How mad are they?“

Finn flicked his cigarette into the fireplace and fully turned towards you. He reached out for your hands and took them both. „I told them but this is not what this is about right now.“ Taking a deep breath, he locked eyes with you. „Bonnie was killed today. He’s dead.“

Slipping from this room, you must’ve fallen through the floor and deep down into the ground. You went somewhere dark, where your body couldn’t breathe anymore, your eyes unable to see and your mouth not able to let out the scream that was building up in your throat.

No. Impossible. „This can’t be right. I was there this morning.“

Finn didn’t answer.

He swallowed and got up, wanted to hug you, but you refused. You got up from the chair, stumbled backwards and crashed into the wall. All you could do was stare at him. You were waiting for him to say that he was wrong and Bonnie wasn’t dead. It didn’t happen. His face didn’t light up, it only got darker.

You had a stare down and kept the distance between you because if he came closer, you might’ve started to cry.

When the front door got opened, your attention was drawn away from Finn to the person coming through it: Tommy. The moment you saw him, everything crashed for you. He wouldn’t have come if Finn’s words weren’t true.

Tommy was wordlessly coming over, seemed as if he had been in a rush to get here, but you stumbled away from him, using the wall as guidance. „No!“

„Y/N–“

„NO! Stay away!“ Your heart was starting to pump blood through your veins at an incredibly high speed, it roared in your ears and made your lungs speed up in sync. Hyperventilating and almost sinking to your knees, you didn’t know what to do. What should you do? What could you do? How could Bonnie be gone if you wanted to get back to him as soon as possible?

„Y/N, let us help you, okay?“

„No!“ Still with your arm stretched out in front of you, to keep them away, your mind was running wild on what the fuck to do. „Where is he?“

„Y/N, you can’t go–“

„Where the fuck is he, Thomas!“ Maybe you were waking up everyone on Watery Lane but you couldn’t control the volume of your voice. 

„Aberama put him in his caravan–“

Rushing past him to get out, you heard him shout and come after you. „You can’t go and see him.“

Fumbling for the keys in your pocket, Tommy was faster. The last thing you remembered was a sting in your neck, then everything went black as if you fell asleep.

/////

You were soon to understand why Tommy had prevented you from seeing Bonnie that night. He had drugged you so you wouldn’t rush out to the woods and find him like that. Not when you just found out he was dead. 

For a whole day you had locked yourself in your old room at Watery Lane. After Tommy told you why and how Bonnie was gone, you couldn’t stand anyone around you without going after their throat, especially Tommy’s. You had just sat on the floor, staring at the wall and tried to understand it but you couldn’t. Not until you saw him. That’s why you told Tommy to go fuck himself, when you finally went downstairs, and drove to the woods you had last seen Bonnie at.

The caravan looked just like you had left it. Climbing the steps, you were scared to open the door.

„Go on in“, you suddenly heard someone speak, startling you. Aberama had appeared from between the trees, holding an axe.

„I’m scared I won’t leave it once I stepped in.“

„You will, Y/N. There’s work we have to do.“ He disappeared again and some thuds were to hear, almost like he was mauling wood.

You opened the door. You stepped in. You found him. And instantly turned your back to him. You started to sob so hard – crying for the first time actually – because looking at him for only a second was devastating. It took some minutes to get in control of the situation and turn to him again.

Bonnie was laying on the bed. Aberama probably didn’t have the strength to clean him yet. He almost didn’t look like himself anymore. Like the handsome, adoring guy with those dark eyes you fell for so hard. The dried blood, brown on his skin, covered all of his face. Eyes were closed. Jaw unnaturally misaligned. A big hole in his head. 

Bonnie was crucified. They had been beating him up and hung his body on a cross. 

Bonnie was shot in the face. Killed merciless. 

Bonnie was a fucking message. To your brother.

„Bonnie, please open your eyes.“ The sobbing started again when you sat down on the bed next to him. His hand still felt the same when you intertwined your fingers with his. The coldness made your crying worse, though. It didn’t stop. You couldn’t and didn’t want to for a while. For a long, long time. Until your body felt completely numb and unable to cry more before you hadn’t refilled it with water. But that didn’t make you leave just like that. Deep down you knew he wouldn’t wake up but you still called his name again and again. You told him to wake up, so you could leave and go wherever you wanted. You wouldn’t waste another day, trying to sort everything out. You didn’t care. All you wanted was him. And he… he was laying there and didn’t wake up.

Following the thuds outside, you found Aberama still slamming an axe to the ground. It wasn’t the ground he was hitting, though. You tripped over your own feet when you realised that the wood to his feet must’ve been the cross. 

„Tommy gave me his word that I’m going to kill that Billy Boy scum.“ He stopped in his motions.

„Tommy’s word is as much worth as that scum,“ you huffed and let yourself drop to the cold ground. You didn’t expect an answer or anything else. The night you were told Bonnie was dead was when you lost any expectations. You just stopped caring. Except for one thing. „When… when do you want–“ Unable to finish your sentence, Aberama stopped once again.

„To burn his damn caravan?“ Throwing the axe to the remnants of the cross, he sat down next to you. „Never did I think I had too. Always thought he would burn mine one day.“ 

Against your assumption your body couldn’t cry anymore tears, it started again. This time leaving out the intense sobbing, though. „Can I help you clean him?“

„I’m not ready.“

„If we wait until we’re ready one day we will never do it, Aberama.“

„You know, Y/N, he was so incredibly happy to have met you. He was my son, so I knew from the moment he came walking up to me, wearing that big grin, that he met someone very special.“ Aberama joined in with the quiet crying. „There was only one thing he wanted more than being the best boxer to ever live.“ Bonnie’s dad placed an arm around your shoulder and pulled you closer to him. „To love you for the rest of his life.“ You totally lost it with his last words, crying your fucking heart out which you were sure would burn with Bonnie in that caravan.

It’s been his sisters that pulled both of you out of your grief. They were bringing water and some fresh cloths.

Cleaning him up, together with his father, was a rather monotonous thing to do. Saying goodbye not so much.

How the fuck were you ever going to say goodbye to him? 

Losing Bonnie was unbearable. In the past two years he had brought you more joy than the nineteen years before you fell in love with him. He had learned you to love someone so deeply, it pained to imagine ever being without him. So you never had. Out of all the people, you never thought his time would be up next. How could you switch places with him? You’re a Shelby, why did they not choose you to send a message with? 

Leaving Bonnie was like stabbing ten knives into your own lungs. You held your breath when you brushed through his hair one last time. Some tears were falling down to his cold skin when you pressed your lips to his temple one last time. The moment you placed down his hand and stood, gathering the strength to turn your back on him, asked for every small amount of willpower left in your body. Your feet didn’t move further than to the door. You didn’t want to go. You knew he wasn’t there anymore, even though he was so close.

„I love you“, you whispered and then let your eyes slip from his face and opened the door. Every step hurt but you pulled through with it. You didn’t know how or who told him but Finn was standing outside when you exited the caravan.

He took your hand and you let him. Being able to hold onto someone was very much needed when Aberama lit fire under the caravan.

And just like a few nights ago, the fire was winding its way up, dancing into the stars. Bonnie’s words were echoing. To every single star in the sky and way beyond what’s in the darkness lurking between them. That’s where the wind was taking him now. Not to another forest with you together how it should’ve been. No. You drove off, saw him getting smaller in the mirror and just like that, he slipped from your grip forever without you even being aware of it.

/////

For months you wished you wouldn’t have been so good with protection. That maybe, somehow, within the last few times you had slept with him, something of him found its way to stick in this world. That he left behind something, someone, of himself. But he didn’t. There was nothing, no little him or you, that would be left of him. He would never live further than this stupid year of ’29.

It was hard. Every day. Since he was gone there hadn’t been one day where it didn’t feel like his absence tore you apart completely.

You quit work, just couldn’t work under Tommy anymore. You didn’t really know anymore if it was justified, if he could’ve prevented it somehow, but for a long time you found him guilty for Bonnie’s death.

The only one of your family you still talked to was Finn. And only then if it was a nonchalant topic. You didn’t want them to know how broken you, Y/N Shelby, were. And you didn’t want to be around while Tommy was working together with the man who killed Bonnie. That just wasn’t an option at all.

Phantasies about killing this Billy Boy were haunting you. Mostly in your daydreams because the nightmares were filled of Bonnie at a cross or Bonnie with no face. Or the worst: Bonnie still alive. When you dreamed of him being alive and woke from the sleep, you didn’t even stand up that day. Had someone told you a few years ago that love could do something like that to a person, to you, you wouldn’t have believed it in eternity.

The only reason you didn’t leave yet, ignoring Tommy’s deal and went after this McCavern’s life: You felt like it was Aberama’s place to take that bastards life. 

For the last months you’ve been staying with Aberama’s family. The only solace you were able to find was with the people that grieved for Bonnie as well. They were beautiful beings, cheering over his life rather than being sorry for losing him. And yes, it helped some, but no, you couldn’t just adept their mentality like that.

When the news came, that the assassination of Oswald Mosley didn’t work, that Aberama was stabbed to death, another time, everything crashed. For a few more days you were able to stay with Aberama’s kids and his sister, then you couldn’t fight the urge to go after McCavern anymore. 

You went away only by horse – Bonnie’s horse. With some blankets and the Peaky cap on your head, you made your way up north to Glasgow. The first three days it was only cold, which was endurable. When snow started to fall, it got harder to continue with your route. You spent the nights curled up in your blankets, trying to shelter from the snow under a big tree. None of it could’ve stopped you, though. Your determination was stronger than the weather. So you kept riding, kept freezing in the nights.

On the seventh day, not far away from Glasgow anymore, everything fell into place suddenly. You heard voices. Something had aligned everything perfectly well for you.

Getting of the horse and tying it to a tree, you snuck your way through the bushes to the street. You had followed it in some distance for a while now.

A car was parked on the side, three men tried to fix a tire. One of them was Jimmy McCavern. You had seen him back at Charlie’s yard from afar. No doubt, it was him. 

You didn’t expect luck would grant you such an opportunity but there it was. Remaining covered in the bushes, you waited for their discussion about the tire to come to an end. For a second you thought they would start throwing punches but then McCavern ordered the two men, he had travelled with, to go and find the next village and steal a new car. They obeyed his orders and started to walk away.

He watched them leave and muttered some slurs you couldn’t understand. You waited. Until at some point he did, what every man did: pee at a tree.

The snow covered the sound of your steps when you moved out from behind the bushes and crossed the road. After imagining his death for such a long time, in so many different scenarios, it surprised you how calm you actually were. Arthur was always so furious. Tommy so cold. John was a miracle. And Finn… he was just not meant for the Peaky business and that was a good thing. To be honest, you expected to be just like Arthur in this very moment but that wasn’t the case. You creeped up on the man who had killed Bonnie and you couldn’t be more calmer. The fact you would be able to close this chapter in a few seconds was astonishingly relaxing.

He just finished up his business, when you pushed him to the snow covered ground and held him there. You quickly removed his gun and threw it behind you. He didn’t have any other weapons on him.

Bonnie’s boxing lessons had made you a lot stronger, so you turned McCavern around to face him. The swearing, which again you didn’t understand even though being way closer this time, stopped. You didn’t know if he knew who you were or if he was surprised you were a woman. You didn’t give a fuck, though.

„Time’s up“, you hissed. Your full body weight held him down and the arm under his chin prevented him from talking. Slowly, you reached out for your head, grabbed the Peaky cap and revealed the razor blades. That’s when his eyes showed some sort of realisation.

„This is for Bonnie.“

/////

You waited for three days. But nothing changed. You didn’t feel better. Right after taking McCavern’s eyes and cutting his throat open, bleeding to death, you fled from the scene back south as fast as possible. One more death, the one death you had longed for in such a long time and it didn’t change a single thing. Bonnie was still gone, vanished from your life without a possibility to ever get him back. And revenge didn’t change a single thing inside of you. The bleak beast was still eating your insides.

You waited for three weeks. But nothing changed. You went to Aunt Pol, didn’t know where to go anymore or what to do. You told her what you had done. She was grieving for Aberama. She wanted you to stay and you decided to do so. But only a couple hours later you heard her phone Tommy that you were here – so you left again. Still with McCavern’s blood on your razor blades.

When the third month came around, something odd happened. You sat on the steps of your own caravan somewhere in the woods all by yourself. Rain must’ve fallen the previous night because the smell of mother nature rose. It wrapped around you like Bonnie’s arms always used to. Like he did on the day he died. Half a year had passed and nothing changed. You felt guilty, you felt left and lost but the scent of soil filling your nose brought some peace to you. The first time ever since Bonnie was gone. 

His laughter still echoed in your ears and his words remained with you, repeating themselves every night before you fell asleep. You knew he wasn’t here anymore but you also knew he would never leave your heart. You wouldn’t let that happen. And that’s when you realised what to do next.

[buckthegrump]

I’ve Been Trying Hard Not To Talk To You - 2

Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Summary: Y/n hates Bucky Barnes. Absolutely loathes him what makes it worse is that she has to share her office with him. Now with a promotion on the horizon she has to find a way to work with him and not against him.

Warnings: Angst (kind of), it’s an enemies to loves, there’s not fluff in this part

Word Count: 1473

A/n: anyway please leave feedback

Peter Parker lucked out in Y/n’s eyes. He was a paid intern. The paid internships when she had first started looking into publishing companies had been few and far between. But they had since changed their ways, lucky for him. She knew that he still lived with his aunt and helped out with the bills, and he was the sweetest kid.

Sorry, not a kid. Or so he reminded her every time she called him that. But Bucky got no back talk when he called Peter kid. Any time Y/n pointed that out, Bucky said it was because Peter had a crush on her, there were a few flaws with that logic. The first one being, no one had a crush on her. Not ever. She hadn’t even ever dated anyone, and she was almost 28 years old.

The second problem being that - no, just that.

Not that any of that mattered. What did matter was that it was Monday, and that meant that Peter was back. Thank the lord because Y/n was about to go crazy if she had to go another week without some sort of buffer between her and Bucky. He’d been incredibly annoying last week.

“Hey, Peter!” Y/n called, and not three seconds later, Peter was standing at her office door out of breath. 

“Yeah, boss?” He smiled at her.

“Is everything ok?” He nodded, still smiling. Y/n wasn’t sure if he ever didn’t smile. “Ok, well, I was supposed to be getting a package from -”

“From R.R. Williamson, yes, I think someone just dropped it off at my desk -” Peter looked as if he was about to run off back to his desk.

“Parker,” she stopped him, and he looked at her, “You don’t have to run. No one’s going to fire you or take your internship away if you walk to do your job.”

“Yes, boss,” he nodded. And he started to walk away, got about three steps, and ran the rest of the way. 

That kid was always go, go, go. And at some point, this kid was going to have to slow down. He ran back, but before he got to the door, he slowed down to a walk, and as casually as he could, walked over to her desk.

“You’re not fooling anyone, and thank you,” she reached out her hand as he handed the package to her.

Y/n often didn’t like to do a read through on the computer. She would get constant headaches staring at the screen. So she did a lot of her work on paper before making the edits on the computer. And she had a pair of blue blocker glasses that she kept in her drawer at work, not that she wore them all that often with Bucky sitting so close to her.

Speaking of Satan’s right-hand man, where was he. It was almost eleven, and she hadn’t seen him all day, meaning he was late. But why? Did he have an appointment? Was he sick? Not that she should care. No, she should focus on doing her fucking job.

“Stop running in the office, Parker,” she called after him as he walked out of the office, “one of these days you’re going to run into someone, literally.”

“Yes, boss.”

“You can call me Y/n,” she said.

“Yes, boss.”

Y/n rolled her eyes as she opened up the envelope. 

* * *

The hours seemed to tick by, and she was having a hard time focusing on the words in front of her. She hadn’t even made it through half a page.

She looked at the clock, 11:30am.

“Are you fucking kidding me?” She whined and slammed her head on her desk.

“Ahh, sunflower, had I known that my absence was going to drive you to insanity, I would’ve left you all alone much sooner. Did you miss me?” Bucky’s voice filled the room.

Y/n groaned into the paper, unwilling to look up to her office mate. If this last half-hour was any indication as to how the week was going to go, this was gearing up to be the longest week of her life.

“Yes, here you are. And my life is so much better now that you’re here and back at the office,” she said, sarcastically lifting her head slightly, “oh, please take me away from this place and be my part-time lover.”

“Awe,” Bucky patted the top of her head.

“Binky get your hands off of me,” she snarled.

 He groaned at the nickname, Y/n smiled to herself. She thought of that nickname after she had babysat her niece, Monica, and watched Arthur. And on that glorious children’s TV show had a character called Binky Barnes. She didn’t use it often, but his reaction to it always made her happier.

Bucky sat down at his desk and started typing away at his computer.

“Hey, kid!” He called after a few minutes.

It took Peter a few seconds longer than usual. Y/n was about to be proud of him for not running over, but clearly, his delay was because he was further away than usual. He showed up at the door, looking disheveled.

“Yes, Mr. Barnes.”

Without looking at the poor boy, Bucky held out a pile of small envelopes. “Take these down to the mailroom.”

“Yes, Mr. Barnes.” Peter grabbed the mail and walked away.

“You could be nicer to him, ya know,” Y/n told him.

“If I wanted your opinion of how to treat my employees, I’d ask. But alas, I didn’t ask, so keep it to yourself,” Bucky winked at her.

Y/n glared at him as she contemplated how to kill him. He continued to smirk at her, god did she hate him.

“Well, I’m just pointing out that if you’re nicer to the intern,” she leaned back in her chair. “Who’s internship ends at the end of October, by the way, and if we want him to come back to be our assistant, we have to be nice to him.”

Bucky let out a laugh. “There’s no worry about the kid coming back.”

“Why?” She asked, but she wasn’t sure that she wanted the answer.

“The kid is in love with you. It’s cute that you can’t see that. He practically worships the ground you walk on. Why do you think he runs in her any time either of us calls for him? Oh sunflower, you don’t realize the power you hold over that boy, do you?”

Y/n stared at him. The mere idea of Peter, really anyone, being in love with her, was laughable.

“First of all, using someone’s feelings against them to get what you want is terrible. Just be nice to him. Second of all, he’s not in love with me,” and because she couldn’t stop herself, she gave him finger guns as she said the next thing, “and my history would suggest that I am unlovable.”

Bucky’s face twisted into what she might have called confusion if she hadn’t known him any better.

“Anyway, be nice to the intern, he’s a good worker, and I don’t like how you’re treating him,” she continued before he could say anything.

“Are you in love with him?” Bucky chuckled. “Oh, sunflower, he’s a bit young for you, don’t ya think? It would be taking advantage of him if you decided to pursue that relationship.”

“You’re really funny, Binky. Binky Barnes,” she said, falling back on her true and true. “Binky Barnes, love expert. You should write a book. Maybe you might even be able to get it published.”

She beamed at him and gave him a wink. He huffed and turned back to his computer.

The rest of the day flew by after that. But all she could think about was what Bucky had said, more accurately what she’d told Bucky. About not being loveable, and the face he gave her after she said it.

It would’ve been so easy to not say anything.

“Is your car still in the shop?” Bucky asked as they rode the elevator together. Breaking their routine again. Or (the tiniest voice in the back of her mind interrupted) starting a new one.

“My car was never in the shop, my friend Carol needs to borrow it while her’s is in the shop,” she corrected. “She needs a way to pick up her kid. And I’m not making my niece suffer through this terribly cold autumn.”

“Are you going to continue being stubborn, or will you accept a ride home today?” Bucky asked.

Y/n furrowed her brows and looked him up and down. “This whole trying to be nice thing, it’s kinda scary.”

He opened his mouth to respond, but the doors opened on the lobby floor, and she walked away from her.

[deadbiwrites]

Hi there!....I couldn't pass this up for sure, my pick would be number 8, “I don’t know how you get yourself into these situations.” but really I'd love to see you do any of these :)

(holy crap how long has this ask been here I'm so sorry)

For @vox-ex, a probably VERY delayed response!

“I really don’t understand how you get yourself into these situations,’’ Lena mutters around the knife clasped in her teeth as she uses both hands to tug at the waterlogged netting. Satisfied that it’s far enough away from Kara’s skin, she begins hacking at it.

“What was I supposed to do, just let them fish there?” Kara asks, standing semi-meekly in a puddle of seawater on Lena's italian marble floor.

Lena grunts as she manages to saw through one of the ropes. “No, just… how?"

Kara flushes crimson. “I was dropping off a friend.”

“A friend,” Lena repeats flatly. “In the middle of the Pacific?”

“Yes.”

“Did this friend have gills, perchance?”

“... maybe.”

“Kara,” Lena laughs, shaking her head. “We’ve talked about this.”

“I know, but I just… she needed help. And the DEO-”

“-isn’t what you thought,” Lena murmurs, eyes sympathetic. “I know.”

“Anyways, I was like, so close, too- I’d already gotten her where she needed to be, and I was on my way back-, then I heard a dolphin, and it was clearly hurting, so I went down, and he was tangled in a bunch of netting- illegal netting! And it wasn’t just him, a few other dolphins were too.”

Lena’s eyes flash. “Did you see the boats? What company they worked for?”

“Oh, I saw the boats,” Kara grumbles. “My friend Arthur took care of them, though.”

“Arthur…?”

“Oh! Um… Aquaman?”

Lena snorts. “Jesus. Of course, why would you not know Aquaman?” At Kara’s pout, she continues her careful sawing. “Alright, sorry, continue.”

“Anyways, I’d already been up for a long time, and I was like, really pushing my powers to the limit on that trip out there. And then there were all the dolphins, and I was holding my breath a bunch and having to swim pretty deep- by the way, it like, royally sucks, being that deep underwater. There is no light, at all. And it sounds weird, and it’s-” She cuts off, shuddering slightly. “I dunno. The ocean is beautiful and amazing and must be protected, but it freaks me the heck out."

"That's fair, it's not my favorite either. So, the net?"

"Right! So turns out, I like, sapped my powers doing all the ocean rescuing, and I got my foot caught and I struggled a bunch and sorta kinda almost drowned…"

"Kara!" Lena yells, slapping at Kara's legs through the netting.

"Hey, I am weak right now, woman! That means no hitting!"

"Sorry, I'll hit you when you feel better."

"... thanks, I guess? Anyways, obviously I'm fine, Ar-Aquaman saved me. Even brought me back here! He's a nice dude."

"If your friend rescued you and dropped you off, why are you still wrapped up in a fishing net?"

"..."

"Kara?"

"Okay, so he's not that nice: he said he thought it'd be funny."

Lena snorts, grinning victoriously as she finally cuts the last bit of the net free, moving to her feet just in time to catch Kara as she staggers forward. "Hey there, Supergirl, take it easy."

"'m tired," Kara murmurs, soaked to the bone and shivering in Lena's firm embrace. "And cold."

Lena tucks a lank lock of hair behind her ear and presses a kiss to her forehead. "Okay. How about the world's hottest bath to warm up and scrub the ocean off of you, and then bed?"

Kara hums in agreement, stumbling a bit as Lena half-carries her off to the en suite, leaving the very heavy fishing net on the kitchen floor to worry about later.

Lena starts the hot water running in her ridiculous, amazing pool/tub before they work together to strip Kara out of her suit (and with as clingy as the material is when it's not soaking wet, that's no mean feat). Finally free of her suit, Kara trips her way into the tub, and when Lena moves to pick up the shopping wet cape, she pouts and makes grabby hands at her. "Please?"

Lena shakes her head, chuckling at her utter inability to say no to Kara ever, before stripping out of her own clothes and lowering herself into the scalding hot water.

"Mmmm," Kara hums happily, wrapping Lena up with arms and legs. "Much better."

"I'm gonna boil alive in here," Lena laughs, dropping her head back onto Kara's shoulder. "This is how I die- turned into soup in my own bathtub."

Kara giggles, nosing at Lena's neck. "My favorite soup." Lena can feel the smile that spreads across Kara's face. "Makes sense, since you're already my favorite thing to ea-"

"No," Lena says firmly (though it's undercut by her smile), clapping a wet hand over Kara's mouth and sloshing some water over the side of the tub. Kara's eyes are squinty and twinkly as Lena feels a trail of wet heat across her palm. She recoils on instinct. "Did you just lick me?"

Kara shrugs with a devilish smile. "You usually respond better when I lick you."

"Oh god," Lena laughs. "You know, I got in here to help you feel better but I think all you wanted was to make terrible sex jokes."

"And for you to be naked," Kara corrects. "That part was very important to me, and it is definitely making me feel better."

"You're a scoundrel," Lena tells her, dropping a quick kiss to her lips before settling down again. 

"I know. Don't tell anyone else, though. I have an image to maintain."

"Noted."

It's quiet for a bit as they just take break, soaking (or boiling) and enjoying each other's company before finally, Lena speaks. 

"I can't believe Aquaman's real name is Arthur," she mutters. "Just... what a nerdy name."

Kara grins. "Wait 'till you hear about Nightwing…"

[tvdoriginal]

3x01: We’re Not Worthy

Welcome back witches! Last night, Legacies returned to us, so let’s get into it.

After the recap, we open up with Raf looking over Hope & Landon, with Landon doing a voiceover. “I’m sad my life has been cut short, but you taught me to live it to the fullest.” LANDON REALLY WAS ABOUT TO SAY ALWAYS & FOREVER.

Alaric addresses the school about moving through the dark times. Alyssa Chang is not being shy about her feelings towards Josie and Hope being absent.

MG has organized the first ever Salvatore School field day...yeah probably won’t go so well. Lizzie tells her dad that she’ll have to revert back to her means girl ways to get everyone to forgive & forget Josie and she’s “just not that person anymore”. However, after Alyssa magically tied Josies laces together, causing her to trip, Lizzie is more than ready to go.

CHAD (his name is Chad, right? Oops, I don’t remember) RESURRECTED THE LADY OF THE LAKE WHICH IS A KING ARTHUR THING I’M GEEKING BYE. Oh my gosh yay, it is Chad.

The Necromancer busts in struggling with Landon who only Rafael can see. Bye Landon is so cute tf how do I go that long without seeing his face.

Let’s get this field day started! WADE GIVES ME LIFE. Lizzie has a plan up her sleeve. She’s challenging Alyssa to be captain so that Josie won’t be alientated. “Yea, she messed up, but you have been messed up your whole life.” Oh hell no, MG told Alyssa that she can choose the game.

Landon refuses to come back in order to prevent the Necromancer from gaining (more) black magic.

Alyssa chose tug of war and is on a team of vampires and werewolves. Lizzie makes Josie the anchor which obviously will not go well. My poor baby Jo gets covered in mud since everyone else dodged out in time.

“Hero moves always lead to tradgedy.”

Josie ends up telling Lizzie and the whole school that she can’t do magic because she put it away. She tells Lizzie she’s making everything worse, just like she used to. The Lady of the Lake comes with Wade, asking for his sword (which is Excalibers). The green knight comes, the sword flies into a stump, and the sky turns red.

Not gonna lie it kinda hurts me that there are people who won’t get the King Arthur references but 🤷🏻‍♀️

Ew so Jed and Alyssa have some flirtationship. Pedro came back!...and the left again.

Rafael tells the Necromancer that he wants him to put Landon’s spirit in himself. Alaric speaks to Hope, telling her that he knows that she knows about Landon’s situation. Her still being in the sleep spell is delaying coming back and feeling that grief.

Lizzie reminds Alyssa that she is also a killer but at least her parents can’t see what she’s become. Which...yeah Alyssa sucks but my jaw DROPPED. But too far Liz. My Saltzman sisters were working together!

Um, so Chaddy tings the bell and is now with the Necromancer, Raf, & Landon. He’s looking for Hope to come defeat the green knight since she’s typically the one to save the day. Kinda hoping she won’t awaken til after tbh, because it gets kinda annoying that it’s always up to her (in my opinion).

JOSIE SAID OK BOOMER MAYBE IN YOUR TIME. OKAY QUEEN.

“Not exactly how I pictured dying, but what the hell.” MG gives directions for everyone and Josie asks: “Wait what are you gonna do? Something stupid, got it.” WHICH! Kaylee said was her favorite out-of-context line. MG punches the knight in the face which earns a growl? from him.

Raf takes Landon to see Hope.

Super squad is attempting holding the knight down the ropes. Anytime magic is used on him he gets angrier and MG unmasked him which had my eyes widening. Yay! Raf is the worthy one...unLESS ITS ACTUALLY LANDON IN RAF which I’m hoping isn’t the case. He stabs the green night, and blue skies return.

Not Landon giving Hope a non-consensual kiss ✋🏼but as fairy-tales go, she’s awaken.

“She thinks I should be the focus for once.”

Josie is going to spend some time with her mom. Handon cuddles and reflects on each other. Raf is such a dork I love him.

Alyssa talks to Chad. He’s going back to the ice cream palace but then like DIES. THE FUCK. Alyssa wonders if the same thing will happen to her since they were linked, but the Necromancer offers her a deal.

See you next week!

[alifeasvivid]

I hc that alfred is a lefty and growing up he had a speech impediment and hated, absolutely hated, talking to others in large crowds. When he was alone with someone he trusted, boy could talk a mile a minute, but when he was in a large crowd, even in groups with kids his own age (like when he physically looked like he was 7 or 10 or 13) he would just stutter over his words the whole time. He worked with with and through the stutter well after the rev war but the biggest breakthrough was when he sat listening to arguments for secession in the 1850s and 1860s, boy WENT OFF every lie or trickle of misinformation set him on fire and when he finally got to speak he was filled with so much righteous fury that this 15 y/o looking kid Alexander Hamilton-ed tf out of secessionist in thar room. They still seceded, but damn did the ground shake when he uttered, 'if the south can not sustain itself without the cruel practice of slavery, then perhaps the south should not exist.'

This is great, anon. It gave me a lot to think about (hence the delay in response)... and I think I like it... however, one thing I can think of is one of the earliest defining factors of the American colonies were their rowdy and vibrant and slanderous and loquacious newspapers. To me, this doesn’t speak of someone who has trouble asserting himself in words.

It could be, however, that he might have been afraid to speak up in person, but had no problem letting people have it in print. I might even be persuaded to agree that he was unable to overcome his stutter until the point you mention. Despite what Hetalia canon says, the American troops during the war for independence were almost completely incompetent, particularly George Washington as it turns out and he himself almost cost them the war a few times. The reason that they eventually won was because the British general (I can’t be arsed to look it up rn) was super hesitant to commit to actually fighting for fear of losing too many troops with no back up handy (and indeed offered freedom to slaves who would come fight for the Brits to compensate). He surrendered because he thought no reinforcements were ever to arrive when in reality they were just on the horizon. >.> TL;DR way of saying there was no epic showdown between Arthur and Alfred, I bet Arthur wasn’t even there and thus Alfred would have had no need to overcome his stutter in that moment; in fact he was probably very hurt and disheartened by Arthur not even showing up to confront him--which might have made him withdraw further and feel unable to speak.

Not to mention that because of the massive political unrest following the revolution, he might have felt uncertain of what to say even if he hadn’t had the stutter.... so yes, I think I can get on board with that.

I think that the moment when they’re all about to tear him apart (over something he knows is wrong and should have been dealt with from the start) could have been the moment in which he for once truly knew himself and therefore finally felt compelled to speak with the conviction he always had felt and I think he can be a great orator when the situation calls for it, but I also see Alfred as a person with a tad more kinetic energy than mental energy, so he prefers doing to saying.

As for the left-handed thing... I mean maybe, but even late into the 20th century, many US schools were taught to "train” (read: force) left-handedness out of children and in the 17th century, Alfred would have been thought to have the sign of the devil and/or be cursed and then beaten severely, probably by Arthur... so since that kinda makes me sad I’m gonna say he’s probably ambidextrous.... I would imagine all of the nation-tans are... when you have the kind of time that they have XD why not teach yourself to write with both hands?