#so my best friend of 17 years ended our friendship today because I explained to her that HP and JKR make me uncomfortable and angry

[danikatze]

:/

[simplyeu4ria]

chapter 3:the werewolf heartthrob

🐺 ❁

Pairing: Werewolf! Jungkook x Unknown identity! Reader 

~(severely unedited: started 02/05/2022 ended 01/06/2022)~

Genre: high school au, werewolf au, angst, uncomfortable moments but only on a couple of parts, lots and lots of fluff, family abuse (mentions only) but Namjoon saves the day

Rating: +17 au

Summary: You are y/n the simple orphan girl, who lives with your step-parents who don’t treat you right. The school make a laugh at you but when Jin and Jimin help you your life changed from the bad to the good. Jungkook the heartthrob is not what you think behind those cold stares that you get across the classroom. With him and his six other stepbrothers and a couple of girls they reveal they are more than just the popular…

Word count: longest story I have written so far 45004

(and coincidently 4 versions of this story, 5 weeks to make, and 4 years of loving BTS)

Warnings: some uncomfortable moments, mean talk, mention of degrading names, mild swearing

a/n: first request/story on this account; since this a popular type of oneshot for Jungkook I am sorry in advance if this like another oneshot, have fun reading

I have noted similarities in other ffs throughout, please notify me if you find another

I can say that this original and that its my own work, but since this is not subjected under copyright because its Tumblr please do not copy my work you will feel guilty in the end, trust me.

Happy indulging into an infp-t’s mind common things you will see;

Subtle reference to books that I have read

Very romantic moments

Things that don’t make sense but makes sense in my head

Maybe a spoiler to the next oneshot idea

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Tuesday 22nd December 2020

In the morning, everybody decided to go out on a walk since, it snowed last night.

The snow looked to good not to be enjoyed making a large blanket covering the whole town of where you lived. So, you put on your clothes and grabbed some snowshoes one of the girls had lent you. The only problem was you didn’t have a jacket. Prior to your packing days the weather forecast had shown that it would not snow for the duration of the holidays, so you didn’t pack one. None of the girls had one to lend to you, for today.

But Jungkook took one look at you before running upstairs and grabbed his grey reflector jacket and handed it to you. You smiled and thanked him, before putting on the jacket and headed outside with him towards the rest of the group before heading down the nearby walk to the forest.

It was a quite but comfortable walk due to the silence of everyone and the nature around. Rose stayed behind to walk with you whilst the boys walked further up ahead in their own smaller groups. Rose then asked you ‘So did you manage to get his Secret Santa present?’

You nodded. Before explaining when you got it, before looking ahead and realised that you are far away from the group. So, you ran and caught up with them giggling with Rose as you ran up the path.

Eventually your path had led the group in the middle of a large clearing where you could you see forest as far as the eye can see. You sat down on top of a large rock with your legs tired from all that walking. Everyone else followed suite and sat down around you, either chatting amongst each other or looking at the surroundings.

Then Namjoon looked at you ‘Hey y/n?’ He asked. I looked at him I saw his worried eyes but oddly I saw that they were also filled with trust.

‘Yes?’ you questioned.

‘We all have something to tell you, something important, us boys and the girls have known for a long time. However, since you came into our friendship recently and now, we all completely trust you and we think it’s a right to tell you and be honest.’ You nodded curiously, looking at everyone, they all looked at you, with some urgency.

Then you turned to your best friend who looked back at you desperately. His brown orbs shined with so many emotions which are hard to decipher.

You looked back at Namjoon before nodding to continue.

‘You know those magical beasts/hybrids, of legend like vampires, werewolves, and fairies?’ Namjoon asked and you nodded.

‘Well, those are all real, as many more other magical beasts, but humans just can’t see those ones. We boys are all werewolves. We are a sub-pack in a larger pack called the Eclipse pack.’ Do you widen your eyes at their statement, then you thought about the boys themselves, they did function like a pack you thought Namjoon had the leadership role since all of them listened to him, but it was hard to decipher the others place in a pack, but you had never seen them, shift?

‘Does that mean you guys shift or something into large wolves like Twilight?’ you asked before looking at the boys. Jungkook chuckled, of course you did compare fantasy to a book. Namjoon sighed in relief. ‘Well, that was a better reaction than I thought.’

‘And to answer your question, no we are not like that dipshit. We do turn into wolves but not that big, we can change at will. Whenever we want, unless on the full moon then we change into wolves in the night, with human wolf hybrid in the day.’ Suga explained.

‘We also have ranks in the pack,’ Namjoon further explained. ‘I am the head Alpha, first leader, Jungkook and Suga are also Alphas but are like secondary leaders. Taehyung and Hoseok are betas, 1st in command. With Jin and Jimin being deltas, or 3rd in command.’

‘Are you guys’ normal humans then?’ you asked the girls curiously; they were currently staying quiet in this part of the conversation.

‘Well… we are werewolves. But we as girls, don’t turn at all. The boys turn at 5 to 6 years once they full get control of it. We don’t know our rank since we are not meant to have one. Since we are not pure bloods, we only found out the boys were werewolves last February.’ You nodded.

‘What are pure bloods then?’

‘Where both your parents are from the magical lineage. The half-blood gene is when one of your parents is magical. But girls can’t change into wolves regardless of their status, either it will be pure or half, beta, omega, or delta.

Since Alpha children are always male, it’s hard to know if the female Alpha can carry the shifting gene. Alpha females don’t usually pass the age of 10.

Because being female and an Alpha makes you an easy target, to rogues (werewolves without status), stupid Alphas who don’t know what mates are and other species.’ Jin explained. You nodded taking in that information.

‘Can I see one of your wolves?’ you asked the boys. Jimin volunteered and ventured deep into the woods, and a couple of minutes later you heard pit patting and you turned your head seeing a grey wolf, you presumed it was Jimin since all the boys nodded in greeting.

They were right though, they are big as normal wolves, but smaller than the ones showed in Twilight. You got up and walked over to him before reaching to pat his head once you did Jimin whined in response, and you realised this was Jimin’s wolf. You smiled before itching under his chin and then he rolled onto his side, and asked you to give him belly-rubs, you giggled when his legs moved in response of getting a good itch.

Then you heard a loud growl, and you turned your head to Jungkook. And you raised your eyebrow. Before patting Jimin’s head and he whined again before walking back to change into his clothes. You walked back to Jungkook and looked down at him while he looked away from me.

You chuckled before scratching his head, before whispering ‘Good boy.’ He then suddenly grabbed you and toppled you on the snow. You screamed out before laughing loudly whilst he laid on top of you whilst tickling your side before stopping and lifting himself off you. You sighed before rolling away from him to sit up, Jungkook back hugged you whilst you sat in front of him, and you were chatting with them like normal.

Soon it was time for you all to head back to the house, and you held Jungkook’s hand.

‘Hey y/n, I am really happy that you accepted us.’ He said.

‘Of course, I would. Not everyday you meet werewolves let alone be friends with them. And besides, I am already in too deep in your world so much so that I don’t think this will be gone so easily. I can’t leave you all, you mean too much to me. Just as much as I mean to you.’ You said whilst looking at the sky before looking at Jungkook, who was already smiling at you.

Thursday 24th December 2020

Christmas was tomorrow, you thought it was odd to say you weren’t excited, you were happy, so happy that you didn’t exactly think about…going on a walk, out into the snow, at 6:00am when everyone else was asleep so or you thought.

You were walking in a random direction, and you had gone for 20 minutes turns out you went in the direction of the clearing that you visited yesterday with the boys, you smiled at the clear white blanket that covered the ground for miles, with the bare trees and a couple of coniferous bunched together sprouting high above the ground.

You also saw a dark green ivy curtain covered in snow against a large hill that was covered in coniferous trees, you then saw the large archway of ivy and ferns you got curious at the sight. So, you walked closer to the archway, so you decided to take a picture with the polaroid you just so happen to take with you.

You then walked to the archway, moved the ferns, and found a long corridor, you didn’t think much before entering the archway. At the end of the stone corridor, you saw a large door. You then pressed the ancient doorway eventually a large rumble occurred, and the door moved open.

You then walked closer to the cracked door, and you peaked inside before seeing large amounts lilac dew-like flowers, you are gently the left the door so you could enter the further.

You walked through; you saw a large area covered in the purple flowers. You also saw a large willow tree which had pink leaves you glance at the tree in wonder before walking closer, you also saw a large clearing, with a lake just under the hanging pink leaves, they were just touching the ground.

You gasped when you saw a large statue of a women with beautiful features looking at her hands with your head you saw a flower, a lotus flower, it was closed but it seemed well even in this cold. You looked back at the lady she was wearing a crown, with moons and stars, and a gentle flowing dress, you saw her bare feet covered with many flowers, which were more lotuses, but they were all in bloom unlike the one in her hand, which was weird considering the weather outside.

You then realised how warm it was inside, so you took off your coat revealing your pyjama top, before sitting down at the side of the of the clearing facing away from the lady statue to look at the lake and the rest of the clearing.

-‘y/n!’- you heard Jungkook’s voice, worried.

You turned around and saw a wolf, not Jimin, but … Jungkook. ‘Jungkook?’ you said.

The wolf nodded before rushing forward towards you were about to pat him, but he started to sniff you and walked around you. You raised your eyebrows.

‘What wrong Jungkook?’ you said whilst looking at the worried Jungkook.

The wolf then turned into Jungkook, he looked at you worriedly,

‘I was worried about you, I didn’t see you next to me when I woke up and I got scared, then I got even more scared when you weren’t present in the house, your scent was faint. Then I saw your shoes were gone and I shifted and ran out after you. Namjoon was mad at me for the commotion but when he smelled my scent, he found out that my mat-you had left out in the cold without tell me. I am glad I found you her though’ He rambled.

He gently shivered, you widen your eyes before realising he was shirtless and that he was cold, so you quickly gave him my jacket wordlessly, looking away shyly at his nakedness.

Thanking you quietly Jungkook put on the jacket which turned out to be his one that he lent you earlier. Before he gently grabbed your hand to hold in his, you gently squeezed in response, and you looked back at him.

‘What do you mean by her?’ you asked Jungkook’s eyes then turned to look behind you. You then turned to find the statue, behind you. ‘Oh…her.’ You looked back at Jungkook. He returned your look before getting up and lead you to her whilst holding onto your hand tightly. You looked at the linked hands between you two, you wondered what it was like to hold his hand if you were in a relationship. You tried not to think to much about it and looked ahead at the statue again before looking at Jungkook. He met your eyes after looking at the statue with a smile.

‘She is the Moon Goddess, she is the deity for werewolves, and other night species, but she goes by different names depending on the species, but she means the same thing, our creator. When she had met the male Alpha King who was wolf, they fell in love and mated. She became the Queen Luna; then soon after the union, the children emerged as werewolves. For other species that part of the story is different but one thing in common is she fell in love and had children of them with the Alpha male King of the species.

‘Eventually over generations, werewolves and other night species population increased, but humans got scared of them and hunted them to extinction. Werewolves were then wiped from the human history, thanks to the Moon Goddess. She also made these safe havens for us to thrive, but soon werewolves modernise and do mingle with humans just not often, as we did when we attend school.’ He explained.

I looked at him shocked. ‘I know a lot to take in.’ he chuckled.

‘What is this place then?’ you asked whilst looking around.

‘This is a place for ceremonial uses, the official ceremonies take place outside in the large clearing that we were at yesterday, but the more personal parts of the ceremonies takes place here, so you have the blessing of the moon goddess.’

‘For example?’ I asked.

‘Mating unions(after the mates are officially united in front of the pack(s), they ask for blessing from the moon goddess), welcoming a new pack member (after they have been accepted by the Alpha), unions between two packs and funeral ceremonies (to help the werewolves to move onto the next life).’ Jungkook stated.

You nodded before realizing you are shivering because of the cold, Jungkook noticed and started to stand up.

‘Come on let’s go back home.’ Jungkook said, he took of his jacket off before handing it back to you, before changing back into his wolf.

‘Does it hurt when you change into a wolf?’ you asked when you started to zip up the jacket. Jungkook shook his head not before saying, 

-‘It hurts at the beginning when you change into your wolf for the first time, but you get used to it the more you change.’-

‘How are you talking to me then?’ you asked.

–‘Mind-link ever since Namjoon accepted you are part of the pack by mind-link, but you can’t talk through it because you are not actually part of the pack…yet.’- you thought you heard that last bit incorrectly, but you shrugged you shoulders and climbed on Jungkook’s back before he ran back home.

Little to say you did enjoy riding on Jungkook’s back he was bigger than Jimin maybe because he’s an Alpha he can take care of the extra weight without a problem.

✧✧✧

Later that afternoon…

You and everyone else were back at home decorating the house for Christmas, the boys cleared the outside whilst you and the girls did the inside. The boys had carried the Christmas tree inside (whilst you were out with Jungkook in the ceremonial place) and put it into place, so all you girls had to do was to decorate it. Irene and Seulgi decorated a half of the house. The downstairs and the terrace. Whilst you, Rose and Lisa took care of the other half (the hallway Namjoon’s study and the TV room).

The Jimin and Taehyung are clearing out Taehyung’s room for their parents, Jungkook, Namjoon and Hoseok the driveway and the terrace because of the snow. Yoongi and Jin are going on a shopping trip for food and some other things that they need.

Soon the whole house was decorated and there were Christmas stockings decorating the fireplace next to the TV in the main area, Two black, blue, green, purple, red and white. For the colours of the pieces of paper for our rooms, with our initials sewed on them. Containing the secret Santa presents from our secret Santa that we played during November.

Jin and Yoongi wordlessly handed everyone a bag to say to get changed for Christmas. ‘We need to be in a Christmas vibe, and they are all matching…to your roommate.’

Soon you were all wearing Jumpers and jeans to get into the Christmas vibe, you were wearing a beige jumper with a Christmas wonderland pattern. Jungkook was wearing the same but navy blue. Jimin was wearing a grey turtleneck, Taehyung was wearing green one. Lisa and Rose were wearing a pink Christmas Jumper with cute reindeers. Hoseok and Namjoon were wearing red and burgundy Jumpers. Yoongi and Jin were wearing white ones.

You then heard the door and Taehyung volunteered to get it before revealing a man and a woman possibly both in their 50s it was hard to decide because of their soft youthful faces. They smiled at the boys, and they all came rushing to give them a hug whilst shouting ‘Amma! Appa!’ You smiled at the cute interaction before standing up with the girls as you walked over to greet the newcomers.

‘Hello girls!’ the women said gently. ‘Oh, and who is this?’ she said looking at me curiously. Jungkook then whispered in her ear. ‘Ahh!’ She then I presumed by mind-link since her eyes turned silver told her husband. ‘Well, my dear one, I am the Luna and this the Alpha, and we are the parents of these groups of boys.’ she said. You bowed to her and smiled.

‘Well, we should get changed and head upstairs so we can have lunch with each other and then we can start talking.’ The Alpha said.

‘Thank you’ you whispered to Jungkook.

‘Anytime princess.’ You blushed at the nickname before helping Jin do the last of the cooking and the rest of the group helped clear the table and place the things needed for Lunch.

‘So I am guessing you are human then y/n?’ Mr Kim asked, and you nodded.

‘And you are from the same school as the boys then?’ he asked again and you also nodded.

They kept on asking you questions, but you kept on nodding or shaking your head, Jungkook then saw how uncomfortable you were and signalled to the guys to start talking about something else. But the Kim’s questions kept on coming.

‘I think we can get desert, then since everyone is finished.’ Jin said, whilst everyone nodded their head, so Jin was about to get up. ‘No Jin. Let y/n do it since she doesn’t talk to us, she can go beside if she doesn’t talk, she is not needed in the conversation.’ Ms Kim said. You nodded and was about to leave the table; Jungkook then said ‘Let me help you y/n.’ he said, you were about to tell him no its fine. But Ms Kim beat you too it and said ‘No Jungkook she can do it herself.’ She demanded.

Jungkook was clenching his fist on the table you knew what was going to happen, so you gently grabbed his hand, he looked at you with red eyes, to be honest it scared you.

‘Jungkook it’s all right you don’t need to defend me. I can get the desert myself since I am not useful in this conversation. And plus, its not rude to go against a Luna let alone an Alpha. I am just respecting your parents for the whole entire conversation; they haven’t told me to speak yet, so I have not spoken yet. Besides if they told me to speak, I wouldn’t have listened anyways, since I am uncomfortable with new people.’ I said before turning to the Kims

‘I am sorry I haven’t spoken to yet Alpha and Luna Kim. I am not yet comfortable with you so please be patient; don’t worry I am going to get the desert by myself.’ You stated before finally leaving to get the desert.

✧✧✧

Soon after desert had finished in silence. Y/n had cleared up the rest of the plates without another word. Jungkook tried to help her even the rest of the others tried to, but y/n was persistent to do it herself and didn’t listen. The whole table was clean within 15 minutes, whilst everyone looked stunned. Y/n didn’t bother to say goodbye, other than a small smile to the others; but a lone tear went down her cheek when she looked at Jungkook. She wiped the tear quickly before heading upstairs, you could hear a loud bang and as the bedroom door closed.

Namjoon’s eyes then darted between the three people Jungkook was looking at his adopted parents angrily if looks could kill they would be dead by now. Namjoon’s parents didn’t dare to look at him in the eye, they knew they did something wrong to get Jungkook angry like that. It was well known in the family that Jungkook was cold since the beginning when he came into the family at the mere age of 9, and this wasn’t his usual angry self. It took time for everyone to let Jungkook warm up to them, But Hoseok was closest to Jungkook, Namjoon’s parents were the last. But with this development, Namjoon knew they had to work on their relationship better.

-‘Jungkook stop getting angry it won’t help.’-

-‘But they hurt my mate, who is just human she didn’t do anything wrong.’- he looked at Namjoon.

-‘Go to her Jungkook and comfort her. I’ll tell Jin to take care of the packing of the remaining food.’- Jungkook nodded at Namjoon’s orders.

Before standing up, he was the first in 5 minutes to everyone looked at him wearily, even as werewolves they could smell his angry pheromones. Mrs Kim was about to apologise to Jungkook, but the younger male was faster,

‘Don’t you dare to apologise to me, Mother. You both must apologise to her not me. Didn’t I not tell you that she was my mate, the one who is going to be with the rest of my life. Don’t you also know that she is now scared of you.

I thought that when you visited, you’d give her a sense of family I even reassured her. And you didn’t even give her a hug like you always do to other girls, who just want us for our status and money, she doesn’t care about those things.

Her parents don’t even care about her; they are never even at her home. But when they are, they make her do all the chores. This was the first Christmas without her parents was going to be free for once in her life. Just because she is human you don’t have to discriminate her. I thought you might love her for who she is, the person who I fell in love with. You instead just made her feel worse. You didn’t just hurt her; you hurt your son. Apologise to her first; then I’ll think about accepting your apologies.’ Jungkook said with authority and left to go upstairs to go and comfort you, his mate.

✧✧✧

You closed the door of Jungkook’s room a little to loudly for your liking. Before you shuffle to go and sit on the ledge of the window pulling your legs close to you, as you looked at the snowy outside.

You had started to wonder why the boys’ parents hated you so much. They were only nice to the girls and the boys, but now you just saw them very differently to how they had been explained, the rest of your group. You wondered if Jungkook would accept your love, after what you did to his parents.

Before you know it, tears had flown down your cheeks, whilst being lost in your thoughts. You headed towards the bathroom to clean up your face. Once you exited the bathroom, you saw Jungkook sitting on the edge of the bed with his hands in his hair, he looked stressed. You hurried over to him and crouched down to the ground and remove his hands from the top of his head, he looked into your eyes with worry.

He suddenly grabbed your hand and pulled you off the ground from your squatting position, releasing a yelp from you. He pulled you up on his bed, with his back against the bed rest only to sit in front of him, in between his legs. He pulled you closer to his chest.

‘I am so sorry you had to see that y/n, I thought they’d treat you nicely since you are important to our group especially to me, I don’t know what has gotten into them.’ He whispered, you nodded indicating you were thinking about the same thing before you lifted your head up to look at the doe eyes above you.

He was already looking back at you smiled for the first time properly that day, since you were so nervous your usual smile wasn’t present. But now it was and Jungkook was happy. But then he heard a knock on the door, he knew it was Hoseok.

-‘What’s up Hobi-hyung?’-

-‘Just wanted to check if you both were ok, but I think you and y/n should leave the house for a bit. Namjoon, Yoongi, Jimin, are giving mom and dad a piece of medicine, in Namjoon’s study. But Jin and Taehyung are trying to calm them down before it goes wrong, but it currently not working. I don’t think y/n would want to see the family fight, because of her problem with our parents she would become more upset.

Take her out to the town. You can get her happy make sure you stay there for the entire afternoon including tea. I’ll tell you when things calm down and we start making dinner, so you can come and join us, before we go and put the presents under the Christmas tree.’-

-‘Yeah I will do that, thanks hyung.’- Jungkook said.

-Anytime, Jungkook.’- Hoseok said before walking back downstairs and closing the door.

‘Who was that?’ you asked.

‘Hoseok-hyung, he was checking if we were both ok after what had happened downstairs, anyways instead on dwelling on those bad things lets go out on a walk-in town?’ Jungkook suggested.

You smiled and nodding at him before getting your shoes and Jacket whilst Jungkook got his and the both of you headed downstairs and quickly headed outside onto the driveway before heading towards the town.

✧✧✧

Meanwhile in Namjoon’s study…

Hoseok entered the study after heading to Jungkook’s room to enlighten him of the situation.

Irene also told him about the clean kitchen after cleaning the dishes. The girls were going upstairs to Namjoon’s bedroom to watch some movie. He thought the girls were lucky to watch the movie without having to deal with loud shouting in the study. Once he opened the large oak door, loud shouting was immediately heard, and he quickly entered through without letting the sound to enter the hallway upstairs. Luckily, the door was soundproof.

Hoseok then took his place near Taehyung and Jin the only calm ones in the room, whilst the other 5 were shouting to each other. ‘So did you tell him the idea?’ Jin asked Hoseok, he nodded whilst looking around the large dark rectangular room. Namjoon was leaning against his desk at the back with his hands against his face. The 2ndoldest brother Yoongi was busy having a heated debate along with Jimin, who was leaning against the bookshelf, going up against their parents.

‘You need to start to learn how to respect people, not just you and your opinions. Good Alphas listen to everyone especially to their children and newcomers, since they have down to earth opinions about the pack, and they are always honest. You just scared the future of this pack away just because she is human.

If my mate were human or even a vampire, I would still accept her no matter what regardless on what you think, just like Jungkook did. Y/n did not even flinch after hearing that we were a totally different species, she still cares for us the same, yes, she asks us questions, but still respects our privacy, but now she’s Jungkook’s mate at least you could give her is some respect, since she is going to be the newest pack member.’ Yoongi said whilst looking at his parents angrily.

Jimin just rolled his eyes when his father tried to speak but he beat him to it. ‘Shut the hell up no one asked for your opinion, just like Yoongi said you really need to start earning respect from your family members.

To be honest I still can’t believe that y/n still decides to respect you even after what you did to her.’ He spat back at the oldest people in the room.

Soon the three quiet boys saw Namjoon, the wisest brother, stood up. He took one look at Yoongi and Jimin they went silent but stood behind him when he went to go a sit on the armchair facing his parents. One look from Namjoon and they also both went silent. The two betas and the Delta knew what was going to happen, so they just stood quietly watching from the side.

‘Why did you keep on asking questions to y/n?’ he asked.

‘Because…we wanted to make sure that she was going to be a good mate to Jungkook.’ Mr Kim spoke.

‘She already was. Didn’t I tell you to be nice to her? Because she is afraid of new people? Should I also remind you both that you are behaving like little school children, thinking that Jungkook would leave his mate for some gold digger/whore that you picked out for him?’ Namjoon further asked the two people who are in front of him. They both nodded, whilst looking at each other before looking at their hands.

‘Let me tell you something. Jungkook holds a better responsibility to the pack than I ever will, just because I am your favourite child doesn’t mean I will follow your rules. You will never be my pied piper, as I will never be your mouse. Jungkook and y/n are mean to be, regardless of what our grandparents told you. We are not into an arranged marriage like you two, we don’t reject our mates and just get married for the money and glory.

‘Jungkook knows to be a better leader, I am just the brains but Jungkook he’s the true Alpha of his pack and I will more than happy to respect him as my leader. Y/n on the other hand is the perfect Luna, I saw this immediately after meeting her for the first time and seeing how she interacted with everyone knowing when to speak and when to act. I saw how caring she is and how much she takes pride in helping others more than herself.

‘Just like you I was warry of her, when I didn’t meet her, just heard about her. After Jimin and Jin told me that she likes to draw wolves in her spare time, and that they looked just like us. I was curious did she know about us? Our identity? But then after meeting her properly for the first time on our dining table she is truly the nicest person. Whilst looking at the stars that night, doing my usual night readings, I realised this was fate, it was meant to happen.

‘I realised there was more about y/n than meets the eye, when Jungkook became conflicted of his feelings for her. I consulted him here in this room I was sat here, whilst he was sat there right in between you two. Then he told me everything from start to finish. How she always got his attention, whenever she walked by, he could smell her sweet scent. How she laughed at Jin’s jokes.

How she blushed at Jimin’s affection(not being used to any beforehand) And how Jungkook would stare at her angrily, getting jealous without really knowing why. And many other little things that made him fall in love with her. One thing was for sure she was always on his mind, and that it was annoying, to him. That’s why he gave her all those stares, then I told him ‘Now you can think.’.’

He said before leaning forward closer to his parents, elbows on his knees.

‘The next day we went to school and when he saw y/n for the first time, properly this time. He realised that she was his mate and that he loved her. He didn’t know when it happened, but his brain was doing it subconsciously, which is why he was staring at her without him or his wolf knowing. Since he was more cold to people, he didn’t care till now about mates until we had our conversation.

‘The day after that, Jungkook saves her from the mean girl of the school, and they became best of friends till now. Jungkook is going to confess to her soon on winter solstice ball. Just like Yoongi said she didn’t even flinch when we told her we were part of the supernatural and one of the dangerous night species. She still treated us the same, she was more fascinated because she reads supernatural books though, that the humans made up about us,’ he chuckled all the boys smiled remembering that day.

‘Speaking of supernatural books…’

Namjoon then shuffled back to lean against the armchair whilst looking at the ceiling for a moment going quiet for a few minutes before Yoongi cleared his throat. Namjoon snapped out of his trance, before getting up to one of the bookshelves.

He was muttering quietly shuffling along a series of book before grabbing the dark purple book. Letting out a small sound ‘Aha!’ once he found the book, the boys, presumed he was looking for. Flipping through the page whilst moving back to his original seat in front of his biological parents, he place a blue-ribbon mark on the page before placing it in front of him on the dark oak coffee table.

‘Y/n has been through some family abuse and even school bullying, yet she was still kind to you and everyone else who hurt her, sometimes I wonder what makes her put up with that stuff, you might have to ask her that.’ Namjoon said sipping through his coffee.

‘But let me tell you…I am, and I will give up my position as the future Alpha of this pack and give it to Jungkook, and then y/n will be the Luna. Jungkook deserves it more than me and Yoongi, he also agrees. As of the end of the holidays I am giving the role of the Alpha couple pack to Jungkook and y/n. End of story.’ Namjoon explained before sliding the book to his parents, he then pulled out sketchbook from his dark blue denim jacket.

‘I suggest you read the rest of the pages after the ribbon bookmark in that purple book till the next chapter and to look at that sketchbook fully. It will explain why y/n has more potential than you think.’ Namjoon said before leaving to go upstairs to his bedroom, the other boys followed suite.

His parents looked at the book in front of them. It read Legends of the midnight creatures: werewolf collection. Before opening the page marked by the ribbon. Raising their eyebrows at the title? The page was open to the beginning of a story tale of the called True Alpha couple… they knew the story though. They then put the book down keeping it in mind glancing at the thin black A5 sketchbook next to the mythology book. On the front page, was a large writing saying DREAMS. At centre bottom border, was small scribble in black calligraphy ink

property of l/n y/n.

The parents then opened the pages, beasts of all shapes and sizes scattered the page, demons, faes, vampires and many more. They were drawn to such detail, from every brushstroke to every pencil line.

The colours were seamlessly blended too, some were bright colours, of faes and magical beasts. Others were in grey scale, with the occasional colour to highlight the details. The darker pictures were covered in strokes of pain and desolation, with many containing many species attacking wolves. They looked like visions in real life more than imagination and dreams.

But when they looked at the incomplete 2nd half of the book. They found the many wolves painted in water colour with a forest background behind them, they were happy sensing of the colour scheme. Majority were a big group of werewolves with a white female and a Black male leading through. They were seen more often, playing a prominent role in y/n’s better stage of her dreams.

Some of the others like Namjoon had mentioned, looked like all the boys. Jungkook’s wolf was seen more frequently, the dark matte black coat with the shining grey eyes, with his occasional red pair in some drawings, when he challenged his Alpha.

Then they saw a large landscape painting covering the final page of drawings. From the point of view looking into a lake. Instead of a familiar figure of y/n they saw a pure white-pearl wolf. The rarest colour type the only seen in females born of the Alpha bloodline of southern isles, they were hunted because of their shifting gene, being the last pure-blood alpha females on the planet. In the reflection of the lake, the wolf looked surprised but more confused at the unfamiliar form. Both parents looked at each other with surprise in their eyes.

✧✧✧

On the walk…

Jungkook and you had walked all the way to town’s centre and headed inside the main shopping hall, to escape the cold outside. The shops were decorated for Christmas to attract customers for the festive season, many people were walking around with their families. As you walked ahead hand in hand all the way to the centre of the mall, they could see various vendors in the middle selling. Talking about their products, to the walking neighbours, with many foods or gifts decorating the countertops.

Y/n smiled at some of them, they smiled back and waved in response. Jungkook noticed and was about to ask the girl next to him, only to realise the girl wasn’t present and he looked around worriedly. Only to find her walking ahead fast to a waiting lady’s arms, he realised as Sejun Noona. Y/n was hugging her tightly, she knew her. Jungkook sighed in relief before heading closer to the stall which the lady owned.

‘Well, if it isn’t my favourite customer, what brings you here this Christmas I thought you were with some friends for the holidays.’ she asked the young girl who smiled brightly back at her, she turned around to look for Jungkook who was already walking towards her.

‘Unnie, this is Jungkook I am staying at his family house with his brothers and some girls for this Christmas.’ She said as she pulled Jungkook closer to lady. Jungkook politely bowed.

‘Hello, Sejun-Noona!’ he said happily. ‘I hope you are doing well.’

‘I am doing just fine thanks.’ y/n looked curiously between the two, ‘Jin’s friend, we ask for her take-outs all the time. She knows our secret.’ Jungkook explained. Y/n happily nodded, before her stomach rumbled very embarrassingly loudly.

‘Y/n didn’t you not eat properly?’ Jungkook asked worriedly. Y/n blushed before nodding.

‘How come?’ Sejun asked. concerned

‘My parents.’ Jungkook said clenched his fists, y/n quickly held his hand and he relaxed. Sejun nodded, she knew already have met them before when they came as a surprise visit.

‘Well let’s not dwell on that I’ll make some food, free of charge. Since the store is closing early today, just like many others, I need to get back to my parents. But I think they’d be fine for a little while longer. Sit down I’ll get you something to eat.’ The two nodded before sitting down on the side of the stall.

‘Hey, y/n how do you know so many people here?’ Jungkook finally asked.

Y/n looked around before saying ‘I know these people, since I buy the food for the house I go here often for the good, fresh, and cheap foods. My parents, usually go to the supermarkets, but I always come here. When my parents got mad at me for some reasons, they’d leave me outside my house without food and I’d walk all the way here and wander the stalls.

‘Eventually Sejun-unnie got curious about me and found out from secretly following me home and spying on me, she found about my bad relationship with my parents. When she saw me again, she allowed me to have free food on her stall for free. Everyone was confused about it at first, and started to spread rumours about the businessman’s daughter, but Sejun stopped the rumours.

‘Eventually that’s how Kira found out a way to offend me since she hates me, and she spreads the rumours. The guy that Jin and Jimin confronted on the first, when they first met me, likes Kira. He thought it was cool to make fun of me.’ you explained.

‘Now that I am are here, no one dares to spread rumours, after what happened to Kira. So, they shut up about it and everyone is nice now because all the bad people left, for being with on Kira’s side?’ Jungkook said. You nodded.

‘Chicken dumplings cooked in anchovy broth for y/n. And pork dumplings with chicken broth for Jungkook.’ Sejun said. You both thanked her and started to eat the dumplings.

‘I made you a small amount so you could have Kalgaksu later. Since I made extra dough. It might take a while, though because of the cold.’ Sejun said, and the both of you nodded since your mouths are full.

Soon the shops were starting to close around you since it was 1.30 pm in the afternoon. You had already finished the dumplings and already went on a wonder to the nearby open stalls, under the watchful eye of Jungkook.

Jungkook was busy eating his last dumpling whilst looking at y/n who was buying food. Then he heard ‘Jungkook?’ Jungkook teared away from the young girl, who was looking through her bag before turning towards the female voice. ‘Hmm?’ Jungkook looked at Sejun-Noona, curiously.

‘Do you really like y/n?’ he nodded before finishing of chewing his last dumpling before saying ‘I do, she is my mate. She means the world to me, she the only chance I have at love, I am glad it’s her though not that stupid Kira.’

‘I am glad, I can say she is the one for you. Don’t worry I am just looking out for my younger Dongsaeng.’ She said chuckling before heading back to make food. Soon y/n came back holding a blue plastic bag along with her shoulder bag. Before placing it on the ground next to her feet before taking off her shoulder bag. ‘What did you get?’ he asked. You explained that Jin messaged you to get some foods, which weren’t present in the house. When you had just started to wander around the stalls. Jungkook nodded before you both talked about some things

‘1 large vegetable Kalgaksu in Chicken broth.’ Sejun said. And you both started to eat the Kalgaksu together, halfway through the bowl, one long noodle you put into your mouth and Jungkook did the same, you were eating the noodle and it started to tug you.

You didn’t bother until you felt a warm wind of something against your lips, you turned your head only to open your eyes and found Jungkook’s lips against yours, he was also surprised. But you bit down on the noddle before something could have happened between the two of you.

You blushed and looked down at your hands. Jungkook smiled at your adorableness before he started to eat the rest of the Kalgaksu. And you started to eat as well.

Unbeknownst to the both of you Sejun was looking at the two of you before smirking at the cute interaction. ‘Mission Accomplished.’ She said before chuckling before she finished off closing the stall.

You thanked Sejun-Noona for the food before you started to walk again around the town. Eventually you both settled down in a café; with a hot tea and a mocha with a couple of chocolate chip cookies later, and a long chat it was time to go home.

[embracethecringeside]

OK, here's one: do you think that there's any genuine good in Rick? I can't make up my mind about that one. I don't think he's evil or a sociopath (a lot of fans called him that in the early days, that term is so misused), but his intense self-hatred seems to be the only redeeming thing about him. He must have some sense of morality because he knows he's done horrible things, but he makes zero effort to stop doing horrible things unless it benefits him somehow.

My short answer is yes, Rick has genuine good wrapped up in there but my full answer is a bunch of examples from the show that I would like to call Soft Sanchez moments, where Rick either does something good/says something real and genuine/or his goodness is talked about in some fashion.

Meeseeks and Destroy 

Morty: Look, I want to leave now. You win the bet, okay? (Searches Rick's lab coat for the portal gun) Just give me the portal gun and let's go, please!

(Rick sees the badly beaten Mr. Jelly Bean walk out of the bathroom and pieces together what happened)

Morty: Please, I just want to... go h-home. (Tears up and holds onto Rick)

Rick: Okay. Listen, Morty. I just won a bunch of shmeckels. Why don't we use 25 of them to pay slippery stair here for a ride back to the village, and then we'll give the rest of the shmeckels to the villagers, huh?

Morty: Really?

Rick: Sure, Morty. Yeah. You know, a good adventure needs a good ending.

Rick: Good job, Morty. Looks like you won the bet.

Morty: Thanks, Rick, but I don't know if I should. You know, you were right about the universe. It's a crazy and chaotic place.

Rick: Well, you know, maybe that's why it could use a little cleaning up every now and then, you know. This one's wrapped up neat and clean because we did it Morty style.

(They portal away, but Rick makes another portal back and sticks an energy pistol through it and shoots Mr. Jelly Bean, splattering him all over the screaming villagers)

A Rickle In Time

(Puts his own collar on Morty, who disappears) 

Rick: I'm okay with this. Be good Morty. Be better than me. Holy shit, the other collar! I'm not okay with this! I am not okay with this! Oh, sweet Jesus please let me live. Oh, my God I—I've gotta fix this thing, please God in Heaven, please, God, oh Lord, hear my prayers. Yes! Fuck you God! Not today, bitch.

Mortynight Run

Rick: Screw this. I’m out.

(Rick forms a portal and leaves through it. Morty tries to start the car as a Gromflomite approaches, but it stalls.)

Morty: Oooh…! Come on, come on!

Gromflomite: Get out of the vehicle made of garbage or we will open fire!

Morty: *still trying to start the car* Oh no no no!

Gromflomite: Open fire!

(A portal appears directly above the guards and water pours out of it, flooding the room. Another portal appears on the floor, and the water and Gromflomites are sucked into it. A third portal then appears and Rick emerges through it, walking up to the car.)

Rick: Stupid-ass fart-saving carpet-store motherfucker! *shoves Morty out of the driver’s seat and takes the wheel* Move!

Auto Erotic Assimilation 

Rick: You got that right. But... baby, listen. Y-you're talking about taking over planets and galaxies, you gotta... you gotta just... remember to let go sometimes, you know.

Unity (Administrator): I can let go! Hey, look! You see that town across the river? Watch this.

(Planes fly past and bomb the town, blowing it all up)

Rick: Whoa!

Unity (Administrator): Ha ha! Woot!

Rick: Whoa! That's not what I meant!

Unity (Administrator): [laughing] It's okay! It's okay, I evacuated! I evacuated the town, look!

Unity (Townspeople): Hey! Right here! We’re fine!

Rick: (laughing) Oh, that was awesome! My grandkids weren't in that town, right? A-are my grandkids alive? ... H-hey, my drink is empty

Get Swifty 

Rick: Take it from me, Ice. *burp* You can’t just *burp* float around space not caring about stuff forever.

Morty: Tammy… gross. Birdperson, you always stick up for Rick, but he doesn’t care about anyone but himself. He doesn’t think about the consequences of anything he does.

Birdperson: And as a result, he has the power to save or destroy entire worlds. And he is the reason you and I know each other. And the reason I’m alive at all.

Look Who’s Purging Now

Arthrisha: Wait, stop! Please, don't kill me! I-I never intended to harm you, I swear. I am trying to end the festival. W-w-what do you mean? I was going to use your ship to destroy the rich assholes that run our society and save my people from the horrors of this yearly festival.

Rick: I'm not here to judge. I'm just a guy from another planet. But this girl is one of your poor people, and I guess you guys felt like it was okay to subject her to inhuman conditions because there was no chance of it ever hurting you. It's sort of the socio-political equivalent of, say, a suit of power armor around you. But now things are evened out, so, Arthrisha?

Morty: I can't help but feel ashamed about what I did back there, Rick. I guess you were right. I've got a lot of repressed stuff. I need to deal with. 

Rick: Don't worry about it, Morty.Remember those candy bars earlier that we got in the first act? 

Morty: Yeah, what about them? 

Rick: Turns out they have a chemical in them called purgenol that amplifies all your violent tendencies. 

Morty: Oh, boy. Whew! Thank goodness for that, huh? That's a relief. 

Rick: Yep. Don't even sweat. You're still the same old Morty. Your character's totally protected. (camera pans out to reveal the label on the chocolate bars reads “now purgenol-free”)

The Wedding Squanchers

BirdPerson: The guest list at this wedding includes 17 of the federation's most wanted. We have committed numerous atrocities in the name of freedom.

Rick: But... but... Here's the thing. Birdperson is my best friend, and if he loves Tammy, well, then I love Tammy, too. (Cheers and applause) To friendship, to love, and to my greatest adventure yet... opening myself up to others.

The Whirly Dirly Conspiracy

Rick: And you know what? I’ll cop to it. I put a lot of strain on your marriage. It wasn’t fair. I’m sorry.

Jerry: What?!

Rick: I didn’t respect your marriage. I certainly didn’t do it any favors. And for what it’s worth, I’ll apologize to Beth for it when we get home. Whoo! Whirly Dirly! Yeah!

Pickle Rick

I’m trying to let the scripts show all the ways Rick is good before I jumped in but since this is really weird without just watching the episode I’ll just explain that Rick doesn’t kill Jaguar after he finds out he has a daughter and then they work together to escape. 

The Old Man and The Seat

Tony: Can I look at a photo of my wife while you kill me?

Rick: Sure, but I'm doing her a favor. She either has terrible taste, or she's trapped in a marriage to a toilet thief. 

Tony: She's dead. And I don't mind joining her. Life has been hollow since I lost her. Using your toilet was nice, though. I'm a bit of a shy pooper. I'm ready when you are. 

Rick: Stay there. (goes through a portal, comes back with another Tony) Tell him what you told me.

Other Tony: What is this? What's happening? 

Rick: Tell him what you told me. 

Other Tony: My wife's still alive. Sh... sh... she went into remission 10 years ago.

Rick: And what did you do today? 

Other Tony: Oh, I, uh, pooped on a really awesome toilet I found... Oh, ow, ow, ow, ow, oh! (Rick shoves him back through the portal)

Rick”: Don't use your dead wife as an excuse. You ( Bleep ) on my toilet because you don't know your place, and your place is nothing. So next time you stumble onto a toilet that feels too good for your ass, trust me, it is. 

Tony: You're not gonna kill me?

Rick: Don’t tell me what to do!

Tony: You can make a perfectly-realized, toilet-filled simulation of heaven, but you can't share a toilet? 

Rick: Don't insult my craft. The chemical is Globaflyn. It connects the whatever-you-want section of your brain to the whatever-you-have section. If your heaven is toilets, that's on you. 

Tony: All of these people... 

Rick: Are living their wildest, meaningless dreams and leaving me out of them.

Tony: People you refuse to kill and refuse to let into your life.

Star Mort Rickturn of the Jerry

(Rick reveals he has saved what he could of PhoenixPerson)

Okay and on to the big one where I am actually going to talk instead of just letting the script go off Rest and Ricklaxation. We see two sides of Rick, Healthy Rick and Toxic Rick. After Healthy Morty slaps Healthy Rick, and he slaps him back, he discovers the machine doesn’t actually know the difference between what is truly healthy and whats actually toxic, it goes by each person’s individual definition. Shortly after we as the audience learn that Healthy Rick? Is actually apathetic. He doesn’t care about others. All the caring and emotions are wrapped up in Toxic Rick. Everything Healthy Rick did and said is all stuff he believes are good, he apologies, he takes responsibility for his actions, he’s polite, he’s trusting, and he doesn’t try to control others, but he is doing all of this simply because he thinks he should. So it is completely selfless when he makes the bargain so Toxic Rick will merge with him, because, and he even says it, he hates having what he considers his toxins inside of him, but it’s the right thing to do.

Then of course Healthy Rick calls Toxic Rick out, knowing that he is the one with all his, “irrational attachments” as he puts it, and as much as Toxic Rick no longer wishes to be a part of Healthy Rick, he merges with him under the pretence that he will then be able to save Toxic Morty. Both act selflessly for different reasons, Healthy Rick believing it is the right thing to do, while Toxic Rick does it for Morty. 

So do I believe that there is good in Rick?? Heck yes!! Good is stored in the garbage grandpa! 

[unfriendlyamazon]

tagged in this thanks to @dominocity and i spend more time looking at my ao3 stats then i care to admit...

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

36 works on AO3, plus one on my super secret (not really) second AO3 so I don’t contaminate my fandoms.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

165,078

3. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Baby Dragon - jurassic park if it was a romcom

Liking You and Me - this one is one of the earliest kaijou fics i wrote (besides the one i deleted), and i don’t even know if i like it anymore... but i get frequent kudos and comments so i guess it’s good!

In Awe of Flowers - they don’t even kiss!!! also @jadenvargen drew me a comic in the comments and i never thanked him for it because i was too scared to talk to him and tagging him now so long after the fact seems pretty ridiculous but um thank you jay for real.

Sweater Weather - kaijou for when you had a bad day

A Hand to Hold - kaijou hand kink this one i am actively embarrassed of (also, before i saw the light on trans joey)

4. Do you respond to comments, why or why not?

I try really hard to! If the fic is really old I don’t (i don’t know why i can’t explain it), but I really appreciate when people take the time to comment and I want them to know it.

5. What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending?

I don’t... really have any?? I write plenty of angsty situations. Competitionverse (my duke/seto business business au) is probably the angstiest one and the one I have the worst plans for. I have some secret fanfic of 1930s gangster Joey that I’ve kind of put out in the world so maybe that?

6. What’s the fic you’ve written with the happiest ending?

Haaahaha what drew me back to fanfiction after not writing it for at least a decade was domestic portraits of kaijou so, like, that’s what I write. Probably Baby Dragon or In Awe of Flowers.

7. Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written?

Not crossovers but I write... a lot of AUs and in fact did an entire compilation one year for NaNoWriMo I never finished. Most niche is the Black Tapes AU that yes I do have a full outline for including timelines for every characters and how they intersect with the grand conspiracy, and maybe the wildest is Long Way to a Small Angry Planet just for making Joey a feathered reptile alien.

8. Have you ever received hate on a fic?

I’ve gotten some comments over writing Duke as non-binary and kind of a weird one on my super secret FE3H fanfiction fighting me on a plot point??

9. Do you write smut? If so what kind?

I didn’t, but now I do. I don’t post 90% of what I write, which is maybe weirder?  It’s been really good to be pushed there by friends and develop that part of my writing, so maybe I’ll post more. Probably not tho. I feel like I’ve branded myself as the KaiJou hand kink person but I still don’t write it enough to be anyone’s go-to.

10. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

No?? I don’t think so???

11. Have you ever had a fic translated?

No but it’d be super cool.

12. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I guess not technically. Me and @saggiclowns bounce ideas off each other, write fanfiction for each other’s fanfiction, and have definitely developed things together, so maybe that counts? But our IP is individualized.

13. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I have almost exclusively written KaiJou so you think that’d be the obvious answer. I think my actual all time favorite ship that sends me to the moon is probably Marceline/Bubblegum from Adventure Time (the history!!!! the animosity!!!!! the friendship!!!!!!!), I just... don’t want to read AT fanfiction.

14. What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will?

Hahahaaaaaaa. I am WIP queen!! Back in the day I’d start a hundred fanfics just to abandon them! The same’s true of today I just don’t post every thought that comes into my head. Star Trek AU deserves so much more of my attention and I do have a plan for it and I bought a special little Star Trek notebook to keep all my thoughts ideas and notes in and then when it comes to writing it I struggle.

15. What are your writing strengths?

Genuinely, to toot my own horn, I feel I write very naturalistic dialogue and for the longest time writing dialogue was the easiest thing in the world to me, to the point that sometimes I would skip over anything else. Also, gosh I love world building. I could go from a blank screen to a fully articulated society complete with maps, pantheons, and intricate histories for every location. The problem is then writing it.

16. What are your writing weaknesses?

I tend to get very stuck on things and struggle to skip over them. Last year’s NaNoWriMo was a testament to that, and I kept rewriting and getting frustrated and will inevitably end up trashing the whole thing. I pick up new ideas constantly and then discard them for the next thought in my head. It’s part of why I’ve only really let myself write one shots and short fic, but I do have some longer WIP I’d love to actually finish.

17. What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic?

This is a tricky one and I’ve read and listened to a lot of people talk about how other non-fluent languages are presented in all kinds of different art. I personally don’t have a strong opinion. Best practice is to find someone who is fluent in that language to help you translate it (and there used to be whole blogs dedicated to helping people with this, I don’t know if they’re still around), but that doesn’t mean I’ve never jammed anything into a translator.

18. What was the first fandom you wrote for?

This... is interesting because the answer is YuGiOh. Back in my middle school days my friends were very into ygo and wrote silly like chat formatted fics that we posted on DeviantArt (???) that were just really bad and stupid and silly, and the only reason I even thought about ygo was because all my friends liked it. The first fandom I actually really got involved in was Teen Titans, and ATLA I was, like, a recognizable presence. I fell off extremely hard probably thanks to college and have spent most of my life focusing on original fiction and writing my own characters. Then my best friend sent me a piece of fanart that unlocked my childhood memories, and here we are now, in the only fandom.

19. What’s your favorite fic you’ve written?

I wrote Bite Hard and it might be one of the best things I’ve written... and now I’ve kind of repurposed it into an original fiction??? I think the main characters might always be buddies no matter how much I’ve manipulated them, but it’s kind of spun off into it’s own thing? That’s what fanfiction’s for! Experimentation, playing with ideas, having a sandbox to build in! And then I EL James it and make millions! (jk)

@saggiclowns doesn’t post to AO3 that much, and i don’t know if @danieco even has an AO3 but they are extremely good writers!! also if you write fic, please share your own!

[let-me-write-shit]

Somebody To You: 17

Friendly reminder to please Like and/or Reblog. It helps more than you think! :)

A/N: A MASSIVE shoutout and credit to this dream of a person, @nnevrmind​, who not only gave me ALL of the information on Rome and the historical significance of the places mentioned (and also made me want to visit Rome even MORE now), but also inspired a large chunk of this chapter and upcoming chapters. You’re an actual angel and I’m SOOO appreciative of you reaching out and helping me with this! Thank you thank you thank you!! :) <3 

Word Count: 3,861

Click Here For Previous Chapter & Other Completed Stories

PLEASE let me know what you think

------------------------------------------

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:

Sleep had never been so comfortable before, which was unheard of for Zoey when she was in a bed that was not her own. She almost thought the whole trip to Italy was a dream. But as she stretched and fluttered her eyes open, a smile spread across her face, looking passed the white canopy that surrounded her bed through the window that overlooked the beautiful acreage of property that the sun shone down on. She wished that she could blink and have this image ingrained in her mind forever. 

Zoey’s phone had automatically adjusted to Rome time, seeing that it was only 7 AM. Her hair had dried after last night’s shower, so she put it in a simple low messy bun, pulling strands of hair out to frame her face and heading downstairs to see if anyone else had woken up yet, deciding not to change or put makeup on as she didn’t know the plans for today. 

The first person she ran into was Nancy who’s voluminous curly dark hair was messy and diffused on her head. She sat cross-legged on a barstool at the kitchen island, still in her pajamas, eating a bowl of fruits.

“It’s early,” was all she managed, the sleep in her voice still evident.

Zoey snorted out a “morning,” when she heard smacking of feet against the tile behind her.

Harry came into view, grinning. His puffy eyes and cheeks made him look five years younger as his deep, raspy voice greeted them, followed by, “I thought I heard someone leave their room. I didn’t want to be the only one up. Coffee?” he offered.

“Please,” she nodded, allowing him to pass.

Zoey decided to step out onto the back terrace and take a seat at the couches by the firepit that was now laden with ash from last night’s fire. The view was incredible. It’s no wonder Italy is considered one of the most beautiful countries in the world. She couldn’t imagine ever getting bored with this. Harry had disrupted her thoughts, stepping out of the french doors that lead onto the stone slab and carefully making his way over with two mugs in hand. 

“Thank you,” she grinned, taking hers and wrapping her hands around it while he sat beside her. 

Harry nodded, placing his arm on the armrest and looking out at the garden, “Incredible, right?”

“I can’t believe people get to live here.”

He nodded, “That’s why it’s one of my favorite places to visit. Never gets old.”

It’s like he could read her mind. Why did he have to do that? Why did he have to make it so hard not to like him? Couldn’t he just be a creepy weirdo like most of the guys she knew? She turned to him, trying to force the thoughts away, and smiled, “You picked an amazing place to stay at. Thank you. It really is beautiful here. All the artwork and old detailing in the house. It makes you wonder how old it is and who all lived here.”

“Well, I had to make sure I picked a place with character,” Harry smirked, “Couldn’t have you come out here and stay at a place like my house in LA.”

She chuckled, only lightly checking his shoulder so as not to make him spill his coffee, “Well, at least I know you’ve got good taste.”

“In some things, I guess,” he turned to her, “I’m alright in vacations and music. Not so great in the girl department, am I?”

Zoey shrugged, “I don’t know. I think you’re pretty good at picking them. You’re just not good at the follow-through.”

“How has she been?”

Zoey knew he meant Aurora. And her heart panged a little thinking he might still have feelings for her. She had noticed the occasional glances between each other last night, and although she wasn’t worried that Rory might make a move, Zoey couldn’t help but wonder if there was still a spark between them or if they regret ending things. Still, he didn’t know about Aurora and Brett, and she’d rather he found out by her than in passing in case he did still care for Aurora and was hurt by being caught off guard.

“She seems alright. Brett asked her to be his girlfriend.”

“Oh. So they’re dating?” Harry asked, earning a nod from Zoey. 

Her eyes lingered on him, unblinking, waiting for a reaction. And hearing those words hurt, but not because Rory was taken now. He was happy for her, genuinely. But it hurt because it was so easy for someone else to do what he couldn’t seem to do. It took no time at all for Brett to figure out that he liked Aurora enough to make it official. This wasn’t the first time this has happened to Harry. In fact, there were several instances where Harry was too afraid to commit that he got beat out by someone else. When would he learn?

Harry nodded, “Good for them. He seems alright.”

Zoey snorted, rolling her eyes, “Just last week you were calling him a...what was it? Little bitch?”

Harry smirked, taking a sip of his still-hot coffee, “I was in a bad mood.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Besides,” Harry shrugged, looking out at the view again, “Maybe the guys are right. Maybe I need to branch out more. I always go after the same type of girls. Maybe I should see what else is out there. Try something new.”

“Uh...hello? I’ve been saying that, too! I mean, there’s no shame in going after the same kind of girls. You like what you like. But it doesn’t hurt to venture. I’ve found it to be fun.”

“Yeah, I know all the fun you’ve had! Mama’s boys, virgins, and guys that are stuck on their exes. Tell me again how venturing has been doing for you?” Harry teased.

“Not fair. Just because I haven’t had any luck doesn’t mean I haven’t had fun doing it. Plus, I’ve gotten free food out of it, so it’s not all a loss.”

Harry laughed before turning to look at her, a smile hidden behind her coffee mug as she took a gentle sip, looking back out at the fields. The sun made her navy eyes look brighter and gave her a skin a soft glow. She brushed the strands of hair that framed her face out of the way and turned to look at him with a hesitant grin when she noticed he was already looking at her. 

“What?” she asked, self consciously.

Harry shook his head, trying his best to sound flippant, “Nothing. Just thinking about how my friends keep joking around saying I should date you.”

He noticed Zoey’s cheeks began to blush as she forced a laugh, sarcastically saying, “Could you imagine? Talk about not your type.”

Harry let out a chuckle, a little staggered by how put-off she sounded, “Isn’t that the point? To date someone who’s not my type?”

Zoey paused, staring at him, her eyebrows starting to furrow as she stuttered, “Wait, I’m confused. Are you asking me to go on a date with you?”

His heart started pounding nervously and a hole formed in the pit of his stomach when he thought he noticed a hint of discomfort in her face. Quickly he stammered, “No! No that’d be weird. I was just saying...nevermind.”

“Well, damn, you didn’t have to sound so disgusted,” she chuntered.

“No, I’m not disgusted. It’s just-” he rambled before noticing the amused smile on her face and realized she was joking. They both let out a laugh and Harry relaxed saying, “We should wake everyone up. We need to get going soon.”

The two recruited Nancy to help, and as they attempted to wake Andy, Aurora, and Katie, Harry couldn’t help but replay their conversation over and over in his head. Was she weirded out at the idea of them dating? Was that really an expression of discomfort on her face or was it something else? He couldn’t recall hearing a tone of annoyance. Maybe she wasn’t completely uninterested. 

What if they did go on a date and it turned out to be awkward or bad? Would it ruin their friendship? He didn’t think he could handle losing her. But what if it went well? What if it was the best date he’s ever been on? What if they actually started dating? He’d always wanted to bring her back home to England one day to meet his friends and family. What if he introduced her as his girlfriend? Surely he wouldn’t hear the end of it from his friends. He could hear the endless amounts of ‘I told you so’ now. 

No, he couldn’t. That’s too weird. They’re best friends. Besides, he practically dated her roommate who is here with them now. Even if Aurora is dating Brett now, how weird would it be to hook up with Zoey on this trip with his ex-fling only feet away? Pretty fucked up.

Over a quick breakfast, Harry explained the plans. He had hired a guide to take them on a tour around Rome for the day. It would be as private as they could manage, as the company was made aware that Harry would be there and they did their best to arrange accommodations so that he could be in attendance without worrying about being hounded, though there was only so much they could do with high-tourist attractions, especially outdoors. He had explained to them to make sure they wore clothes that covered their shoulders and knees in case they visited any holy places to show respect and to make sure they wore comfortable shoes. 

As soon as everyone had finished getting dressed, they all piled into the SUV and headed towards the colosseum where they were lucky enough to find a car park nearby. The group walked the rest of the way, Harry walking in the lead with Nancy while Aurora talked to Katie, and Andy and Zoey linked arms together in the back. They circled the Colosseum until Harry saw a tall, tanned, long, dark-haired man wearing a red lanyard, his muscles popping through his tight, light blue button-up. 

“Please tell me that’s our tour guide,” Andy muttered, looking him up and down, causing the girls to laugh.

“Buongiorno!” the man called out, shaking hands with Harry first, before greeting everyone else. “Ciao. It’s so nice to meet you all. My name is Marco,” he introduced himself before getting everyone else’s name, “I hear you’ve come to Italy to celebrate someone’s birthday?” Everyone turned to Zoey, pulling her forward and she blushed at the attention. Marco smiled and she got a good look at his perfect teeth and beautiful brown eyes as he said, “Ah, Zoey, right? When is your birthday?”

“Tomorrow,” she said, holding his gaze. 

He lowered his voice, a slight smirk appearing on his face, “Well, happy almost birthday to you, then. You stay by me while I show you around. Front row seat to the show,” he winked, earning a smile and a nod from Zoey. If Jess were here to see this she’d shit her pants.

As Marco explained the process of the tour to the group, Zoey caught Andy’s eyes who mouthed, “OH MY GOD!” to which Zoey mouthed back, “I KNOW!” making her little sister giggle.

Eventually they followed Marco, with Zoey by his side, past a long line of waiting people and into the colosseum where he told them all about its history as an amphitheater that not only held gladiator and wild animal fights but also could be filled with water to hold mock naval battles.

Marco talked with such passion and enthusiasm that it was hard not to be interested. Harry snuck a peek at Zoey as they roamed and smiled as she scanned all around with such wonder. He could tell she was really taking in the scene and the information, completely invested in learning more about the history. 

It wasn’t until they were finishing up at the colosseum when someone had recognized Harry. He gave a quick grin and waved at the passing girl, ducking his head a little more as they made their way on over to the Forum, which was just next door. Marco did his best to inform them of the old marketplace, but the group became increasingly more interested in the Italian tour guide, interrupting frequently to ask more about himself, which he didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to get enjoyment out of it. 

“Please tell us you’re single, Marco,” Andy boldly said, looking him up and down behind his glasses that sat perched on the tip of his nose.

Marco laughed and nodded, “Yes, I am single. What about you all? Has anyone here found their soulmate?”

Harry felt a nervous pit in his stomach when Zoey snapped her attention to him with a playful wink and he jokingly rolled his eyes at her before Nancy spoke, “Oh, honey. We can all be single if you want us to be.”

To which Rory coughed, “Except me. I’m the only one taken.”

“You have your pick,” Andy flirted.

“We don’t pick women here in Italy,” Marco laughed again and side-eyed Zoey before turning to her and saying, “but maybe the birthday girl was brought here for a reason.”

Harry watched as Zoey’s eyes widened, blushing, and trying to hide a smile while her friends all whistled at them. Annoyance began to sink in. Why was it that Zoey was always getting hit on? Zoey hardly said a word outside of asking more information on the history of the ancient architecture they visited, why the interest in her? Nancy was practically a model in her own right and Marco clearly got a kick out of her considering the number of times she made him laugh throughout the tour so far. Couldn’t he have gone for her?

“What’s next on our stop?” Harry interrupted, changing the subject.

As they made their ten-minute walk to the Trevi Fountain, their last stop before lunch, Katie and Zoey held hands, talking inaudibly with Marco while Andy and Nancy were behind them confessing their attraction towards their tour guide. Harry and Rory dragged in the back, trying their best to avoid eye contact with passerby’s in case anyone noticed them.

“Think she’ll get his number before we leave?” Rory whispered to him, nodding towards Zoey.

Harry shrugged, “Doubt it. We’re only here for the week.”

“I don’t know. You know her, wanting to be more adventurous and all that. What’s more adventurous than a fling with a hot Italian guy?”

“Skydiving,” Harry said simply.

Aurora laughed, looking over at Harry. But when she noticed he wasn’t joking, her smile faltered, eyeing him a little longer than usual before shaking her head, “Well, we’ll see. Maybe she won’t. Either way, she’s having a great time. I’ve never seen her smile so much. She’s like a little kid in a candy shop. It’s so cute.”

“Yeah,” he nodded, finally grinning, “She’ll definitely remember this birthday.”

The Trevi Fountain was packed with people so they couldn’t stay long in fear of it getting too crazy around Harry, so Marco quickly went over facts and the legend.

“Turn your back to the fountain and with your right hand, throw a coin over your left shoulder. One coin means you’ll return to Rome. Two means you’ll return and fall in love. And three means you’ll return, fall in love, and marry. I’ve got a few coins here for you all,” he passed them each one coin and they all squealed, squeezing their way through the crowd to the very edge of the fountain. 

Harry’s been here several times before, and for some reason, this was the part that always seemed to get to him. Out of the hundreds of beautiful buildings and ruins, the Trevi Fountain was always the spot that jerked at his heart. He was the first to throw the coin over his shoulder and stood back to watch the rest of his friends experience this moment. He laughed as Nancy and Zoey screamed at Andy, “Wrong shoulder, you idiot!” after he threw the coin over his right shoulder.

“Fuck! I panicked!” he shouted back.

He watched Zoey take a deep breath, close her eyes, and gently toss her shining coin over her left shoulder, turning just in time to see it ‘PLOP’ right in the water. He saw Marco step up closer to her brandishing another coin and heard him through the busy sounds of the plaza say, “One more. For the birthday girl. Maybe you’ll find love in Rome.”

He felt the heat rise in him, annoyed that Zoey was eating this up. And she wonders why she had such bad luck with guys. These are the type of men that she’s falling for. These typical sleazeballs.

“She better work,” Andy snapped, quietly cheering as she stood beside Harry, following everyone back through the crowd and towards the river to grab some lunch. 

Harry had made a connection with the chef of a wonderful restaurant last time he was in town and was invited to bring his friends for a free lunch, to which he refused to not pay, but did kindly ask if it were possible to have private seating towards the back. The chef graciously agreed, sectioning off a spot for them in anticipation of their arrival. 

Seeing the relationships Harry had made and the interaction between him and the wait staff made Zoey feel proud to know him. Every time she got to see him talk with a fan or someone that held him on any kind of pedestal always put into perspective for her how famous and admired he was. And to see him always be kind was no matter the circumstance was something that made her want to be a better person. She smiled, watching him converse, shake hands, and take pictures and videos with each worker that came up. He caught her looking and shot her a silly face, which only made her smile more. She was sure that this crush phase would be over at some point, but for now, she just loved the fact that this man was in her life.

Besides, at least there was Marco here to distract her for the day. A tall, smart, handsome Italian? Yes, please!  He was very forward, which startled her at first, but once she got used to him she was able to have very nice conversations about interests and even family. He seemed to like how close she and Katie were, expressing that he had a younger brother around the same age whom he was close to. 

“How about any older brothers?” Nancy joked, making them all laugh.

The lunch was incredible. She knew authentic pizza would be good, but she was guaranteed to dream about it for years to come. They all sang their praise and thanks to the chef before heading out. Zoey walked beside Marco, teaching them all about the Vatican, and made their way towards the museum. She took this time to look back at the group, seeing Harry and Aurora laughing with each other in the back. He looked happy. She couldn’t help but feel slightly jealous that it wasn’t her back there with him. It was silly to think he’d be over Rory just like that.

As soon as they got into the museum, her worries of Harry and Aurora seemed to float away as she became completely enthralled by the artwork that was displayed on the walls, the mosaics on the floor, and the sculptures that lined the perimeter. The Sistine Chapel was truly magnificent. Lined with Michaelangelo’s frescoes, you couldn’t help but get a little choked up. Nothing could even come close to describing the pure cultivated beauty. 

But St. Peter's Basilica was even more wondrous, captivated by the enormity and grandeur of the church and its architecture. The way the light shone through the dome of the church, hitting the beautiful artwork surrounding. Zoey was speechless.

Marco explained, “According to an agreement between the Italian state and the Vatican, Rome cannot build a taller building than the chapel. It guarantees the chapel the most amazing view of all of Rome. But, to get to the top you must walk five hundred and fifty-one steps. There’s an elevator that takes you up almost halfway up to the first terrace, but you’ll have to climb the rest of the way. It’s worth it for the view. Would any of you be up for it?”

“I would,” Zoey immediately agreed, eager to see the view.

“I’ll go,” agreed Harry.

“Nah, my ass is not climbing five hundred steps,” Andy shook his head.

Nancy pouted, “I didn’t wear the right shoes. My feet are killing me.”

“I can take them wandering around and meet you back here in thirty minutes to an hour?” Rory suggested, earning nods from Marco, Harry, and Zoey where they broke off and began their climb.

Admittedly, it was tiring. The steps got tighter as they neared the end and they began to feel slightly claustrophobic from the walls seeming like they were leaning in on them. But by the time they reached the top and stepped out to take in the view they were sold. Marco was right, the climb was worth it. They gripped onto the railing, overlooking the city amongst the other visitors that were too distracted to notice them. Marco had run into a friend of his at the top and excused himself briefly to talk to him, but they were too enthralled to care. 

“I cannot believe I’m here and get to see this,” Zoey breathed.

Harry turned to look at his friend who stared out at the view, captivated, with strands of hair flowing in the breeze. He grinned, “I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”

“You don’t understand,” she turned to look at him, almost teary-eyed, “People like me and my sister? We don’t get to go to Italy. We would have never been able to come here if it weren’t for you.”

She was always so genuine and grateful for everything she was given. Even if it was as simple as someone grabbing her a spoon. She must have thanked him over a dozen times for this trip already and it hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. Zoey stared at him and he was at a loss for words, unable to break his attention from her navy blue eyes. 

Finally, he managed to build the strength to tease, mocking her, “...are we about to kiss right now?”

She laughed, looking back over the city, “I could kiss you right now.”

He swallowed, frozen, staring at the shape of her plump lips, forced to imagine how soft they might be or what kind of kisser she was. Was it sloppy? Stiff? Calculated? How did she taste? Surely she still had a hint of sauce and cheese in her breath after the pizza they just ate. He wouldn’t mind. 

Shit. Maybe his friends were right.

KEEP READING

------------------------------------------------

Taglist for Somebody To You:

@thurhomish , @stilljosiegrossie , @odetostep , @apples2019 , @stylesmioamore

[firstdegreefangirl]

Love Starts With a Toothbrush

Word Count: 3772

Original Pub Date: 5 June 2020

Relationships: Evan Buckley/Eddie Diaz

Author’s Notes: I really should be banned from listening to country radio in the car, but this is completely and utterly inspired by Brad Paisley’s song “Toothbrush.” If you haven’t listened to that yet, check it out here

Read on ao3 here

Tagging: @theycallmebobbob @rebeccaofsbfarm @thisissirius @hearteyesforbuck @dramamineontopofme @twinien @meloingly

Buck looks at himself in the mirror, pondering his own reflection and the way the white foam covers his chin before breaking his own eye contact and tipping his chin back. He focuses his gaze on his jawline as he pulls the razor over his skin, watching the blades slice through the light stubble and push the shaving cream out of the way.  

His touch is light, his strokes are careful, and he can’t think of a time he’s shaved more carefully since he was 17 and half-convinced that he’d slit his own throat with a Bic safety razor identical to the one he’s holding now.  

The stakes tonight are equally high, just as life-or-death, but in an entirely different way. He thinks about it as he rinses the razor, flicks his thumb downward across the blades to clear any stuck hairs from between them. He’s going out for dinner with Eddie, just like they’ve done probably hundreds of times in the time they’ve been friends. This time is different though, in the way Eddie couldn’t look him in the eye when he asked, the way he’d tentatively added “... it could be a date, if you’re OK with that,” when he’d mentioned an Indian restaurant he’d been meaning to try.  

Buck wonders if Eddie is feeling the same amount of pressure he is tonight, if he’d tried on half a dozen shirts before settling on his favorite go-to, then realized that he needed to take the shirt off and shaved before he gets dressed. 

Part of him hopes that Eddie isn’t so uncertain about the night they’re going to share, hopes that he’ll have enough bravado for them both. But he also wants this to mean as much to Eddie as it means to him.  

Because it means everything, he realizes as he drags a wet washcloth across his skin, lets the warm water clean the last dregs of shaving cream from his face and rinses it out. He leans up over the sink, examining his skin closely to make sure he didn’t miss any stray hairs. As blond as he is, it’s not like they’ll show up, but he still wants to make sure everything is perfect tonight.  

Satisfied with the shave, he shakes the razor dry and sets it back in the medicine cabinet, reaching for the tube of toothpaste on the shelf above.

He squirts a blob of the mint-flavored gel onto his toothbrush and sticks it into his mouth. Dental health isn’t usually such a focus for Buck; most of the time he squishes the foam around his mouth and spits as soon as every tooth is mostly brushed.  

Tonight, though, he scrubs every tooth carefully: front, back and top. He angles the brush down to get his gum line, and even gags himself when he brushes his tongue. It might be the first and only time he’s actually brushed for two minutes, and he briefly wonders how weird it would be for him to call his dentist in the morning and brag.  

Very weird, he decides as he plucks a soft blue paper cup from the dispenser on the counter and fills it with water to rinse his mouth out. As the foam swirls down the drain, he rubs his favorite aftershave across his hands and his hands over his face, wincing at the sting against the freshly shaven skin.

It’s the scent he saves for special occasions; he can’t remember the last time he wore it, the last time something felt important enough to warrant the high-quality leather notes that pair perfectly with the fresh citrus scent of his best cologne.

He grabs his shirt from where he’s hung it on the shower door handle and shrugs it on. The buttons are straightforward, but take just enough time that he decides he needs to run a comb lightly through the edges of his hair again.

When that’s done, he looks down at his phone. 7:28, the screen reads, and Eddie is supposed to pick him up at 7:30. He makes it halfway down the steps, though, before he’s turning around and ducking back into the bathroom long enough to swish some mouthwash around and rinse it down the sink.

It’ll probably wear off before they’re even through eating, but hey, who can blame a guy for trying?

Buck doesn’t think about it again until Eddie is walking him up to the front door at the end of the night. But the hope that the mouthwash is lingering on his breath is his last coherent thought as Eddie backs him up against his doorbell and leans in for what has to be the longest single kiss Buck has ever had.

They’re both breathing hard when Eddie breaks away, lingering just long enough to murmur a ‘goodnight’ against his lips before he walks away, leaving Buck standing there in a daze, hoping he’s not imagining the minty taste Eddie left behind in his mouth.  

Two years later, to the day, they’re dropping Chris off at Pepa’s, promising to pick him up on Sunday night and waving from Eddie’s truck as they back down the driveway. Buck looks at Eddie as they turn the corner, sees the way he’s worrying his bottom lip.  

“Hey, you’re sure about this? We can go pick him up, bring him with us. Or ditch the plan altogether, do the big ceremony in a few months.”

“No, I’m sure. I want to marry you tonight. And I like the idea of that being just for us.” Eddie sighs, and Buck wishes he believed him. “I just … feel bad for lying about the double shifts all weekend, telling Bobby we needed the days off for a ‘family thing.’”

“This is a family thing. It’s us, becoming a family. Legally.” Buck rests his hand on Eddie’s hand, wrapped around the gearshift.  

“We’re already family, Buck.”

“I know, but this makes it official. And we’ll talk to Bobby and Athena when we get back, see if we can borrow their backyard for a big reception. Everything else can be for everyone else, but this? This here, our wedding? It’s for us.”  

Eddie nods and releases his lip.

“Yeah. You … you’re right. Pre-wedding jitters, am I right?”

They laugh together, relaxing as Eddie drives them a couple hours up the coast. He’s not sure where they’re going, taking directions from Buck, who’s reading off of a list of turns he’s scribbled on the back of a junk mail credit card application.

He’d taken every other aspect of this to the n-th degree, as soon as Eddie suggested that they stop trying to plan the perfect wedding for their friends and family and just have the perfect wedding for them. Just the two of them, wearing the best suits they already owned and brand new matching ties, standing somewhere beautiful and private to pledge their lives to each other.  

Buck had looked for close to a week before finding the perfect spot: a tiny beachfront town with a little wedding chapel. He’d found the referral on a same-sex wedding forum, with a litany of stories and photos from couples praising the picturesque waters and friendly staff, willing to personalize intimate ceremonies for a reasonable cost.

All he had asked Eddie to do was make sure their bags were packed and pick him a ring. Everything else was a surprise, from Eddie’s brushed steel wedding band with its fine gold stripe pressed into the pocket of Buck’s jeans to the three tiny crystals on the tie clips: each of their birthstones and Christopher’s in the middle.

The ceremony is everything they could have imagined; every last detail Buck planned went off without a hitch. And he couldn’t help but privately noticing that the officiant who pronounced them husband and husband resembled the surviving half of the elderly gay couple he’d met on the car accident scene only a couple of months after Eddie came into his life.  

Mitchell, he’s pretty sure.

It’s coincidence, he’s sure, but it feels fitting nonetheless. Even if it was still over a year before their first date, talking to that man, hearing him tell Buck that a truly lasting love is made, not found, was a pivotal moment in his relationship with Eddie. It was the first time he let himself consider making something more than a friendship with him, so it feels fitting that Mitchell would visit him again today, give him a sign that he’s in the right place, marrying the right person for him.

Not that he needed a sign, not after he saw the way Eddie’s eyes watered when he ran his finger across Buck’s tie, understanding the gems the moment he saw them.  

He knew he was making the right choice.  

Even if he did have to go all the way down to the lobby of their hotel that night, get a couple of flimsy plastic toothbrushes from the desk agent.

“Really, Eddie? The only thing you had to do was pack our bags. You got the suits, you got my shampoo, but you left our toothbrushes on the counter?” He rolled his eyes as Eddie shook the toiletries bag open on the bedspread, no toothbrushes to be found.  

Of course, Eddie was fresh out of the shower, so it fell on Buck to go downstairs, sheepishly explain that he hadn’t packed for their trip (even if he did preen a little bit when he said ‘my husband was in charge of the luggage,’ the new title feeling perfectly at home on his tongue) and ask if they had any for sale.  

The clerk had come back with two barely opaque white-handled brushes that Buck is pretty sure he could have broken in half easier than a pencil. But they’re free, and they’re better than nothing, so he smiles gratefully at her and accepts the brushes and packets of toothpaste.

After their teeth are brushed, when Eddie is tucked in and waiting for Buck to join him in bed for their first night as a married couple, he snaps a quick picture of the cheap toothbrushes.  

It’s the sort of story that will make a good memory years from now, he knows already, and he never wants to forget this moment. He never wants to forget the way he feels two days later, either, packing up to leave and slipping the disposable toothbrushes into the bottom of his bag, tucking them away to be remembered and laughed about later.  

Their love wasn’t found; they made it between toothbrushes and minty fresh kisses along the way.

The first day off Buck and Eddie have together as husbands is spent boxing Buck’s loft and moving his life into Eddie’s home.  

Their home.

They’d talked about it, over breakfast on the beach the day after their wedding, thrown around the idea of buying a new house, a place that they picked together and decorated as a family. But ultimately, they decided that Eddie’s place was almost perfectly located between the station and Christopher’s school, it was already accessible for him, and Buck has long felt at home in Eddie’s living room.

He didn’t need a new house, he just needed Eddie in his bed and Christopher right down the hall, every night for the rest of his life.  

So he’s the only one moving, a whopping 17 minutes from where he had lived. And he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Especially when Eddie suggests redecorating after Buck gets settled, giving the house a new feel for their new lives together. It’s just turning to summer, the days growing warmer and longer enough that they can start with the backyard. Eddie puts out grass seed, plants a couple of twigs that will hopefully grow into lemon and orange trees.  

Buck takes it upon himself to watch a dozen YouTube videos and visit the hardware store, borrowing Eddie’s truck to haul cords of lumber home with the promise of a picket fence around the back of the house.  

He’s never built a fence before, but Bobby lends him a small table saw, spends an afternoon standing in the yard and teaching him how to use it before leaving him to finish building his fence. As with everything, Buck throws himself completely into the project; every spare moment he’s got is enough time to cut a couple of boards, drill a few holes.  

It’s one of the most fun projects he’s ever embarked on, especially when Christopher starts joining him in the backyard, plopping down on the fresh grass with a book and reading out loud to him, or telling him stories from his latest sleepover. Sometimes, when he’s got a brand new board, all 10-feet of it to control against the vibration of the saw blade, he’ll ask Chris for a hand. He’s got a tiny pair of safety goggles, bulky enough to go over his regular glasses, and kid-sized work gloves, and he’s always excited to help hold the long end of the board, tiptoeing forward as Buck pushes his end across the saw blade.  

Digging the post holes is its own kind of challenge, especially when driving his foot against the top of the shovel makes the pain in his leg flare up. But for those moments, Eddie is there. He’s always watching Buck out the kitchen window or from the back deck; Buck can feel his gaze following him around the yard, especially when the high heat of the summer gets the best of him and he pulls his T-shirt off.  

But when his leg start to hurt, almost like Eddie can feel the pain too, he appears beside Buck, pulls the shovel gently from his hands.  

“Here, I got it,” he says, squeezing Buck’s arm gently. “I’ll dig for a bit.” When Buck starts to protest, tries to tell Eddie that he’s fine, he can keep working, Eddie raises an eyebrow. “I know you can, but it’s almost lunchtime, and if you don’t cook, I’ll have to.”  

They both know it’s a cop-out. Eddie can handle sandwiches and pouring lemonade from the gallon jug in the fridge. But it means that Buck can take a break, sneak back to the bathroom and swallow a couple Advil when no one is looking, without having to admit that his physical limitations stop him sooner than they did before his myriad of near-death experiences.  

It takes a few months, but then their fence is up, pine boards marking the edges of a backyard that Christopher keeps mentioning is probably big enough that they could get a dog now, since he’d have somewhere to run.

“Maybe for your birthday, Superman.” Eddie ruffles his hair, shares a knowing glance with Buck. The three of them admire the handiwork for a few minutes longer, then Buck jumps and pulls Eddie’s truck keys out of his pocket.

“Ooh, hang on, I forgot the last part. Chris, you up for a trip to the hardware store? Think you can keep me on track?”  

“Sure! Dad, I gotta go make sure Bucky doesn’t get lost.” With that, they’re gone, chasing each other out the new gate and around the house. Buck hears Eddie’s confused shout, and feels his phone vibrate in his pocket. He doesn't have to look at the message to know that Eddie has sent him a long string of question marks, but he and Chris have a mission.

They’re back 45 minutes later, Buck hauling a five-gallon bucket in each hand as he follows Christopher around the back gate. He hears the back door open as he’s taking the plastic sack from Chris and pulling out paint trays and rollers.  

“Alright, what’d we talk about, kiddo?”

“Dad! Buck says I can help paint, but only if you wrap me up in a trash bag first so I don’t get messy!”  

Eddie laughs but leads Chris into the house. They emerge a few minutes later, Chris covered in a trash bag with sloppy holes cut into the bottom for his head and arms. The three of them spend the afternoon painting, and most of the next day too, but when they’re finished, the picket fence is a crisp white, contrasting starkly with the grass around it.

Except the parts of the lawn that got their own coat of white paint, but Buck can’t bring himself to care. The grass will grow, he or Eddie will cut it short and no one will be the wiser. And they’ll still have their backyard, with the white picket fence that he built, for his family.  

He’s pretty sure this sort of thing is the best that his life is ever going to get, that nothing could ever top the feeling of standing here, Eddie’s arm around his waist and Chris leaning against their legs, admiring something they made together.  

Buck grunts as he lifts their toddler out of the bathtub and wraps him in a towel.

“Jeez, you’re getting big, Trey.” He rubs the 4-year-old's hair dry and helps him tie the belt on a tiny camouflage-print bathrobe. “Alright, what’s next?”  

“Brush teeth!” He shrieks with delight and grins at his papa.  

“That’s right, let’s go brush your teeth with Daddy and Chris!” Buck scoops him up, without grunting this time since he can get a better angle to lift from, and carries him down the hallway to the master bathroom. Eddie and Christopher are already standing in front of the mirror, trying to untangle Chris’s curly hair enough that it’s not totally insufferable in the morning.  

He’s 11 now, old enough that he can get most of it on his own, but there’s a patch at the back of his head that’s hard to reach, so Eddie helped him with that while Buck and Trey had a rubber duck war in the bathtub.  

“Daddy! Time to brush teeth!” Trey grabs for the side of Eddie’s pants leg as Buck situates him on the step stool beside the counter. “You can help me?”  

They’ve had Trey for almost two years now, and he’s always been very diplomatic about dividing his attention between Buck and Eddie. If Buck helps make his lunch, Eddie can sit with him while he eats. On the days that Eddie drops him off at preschool, he likes it best when Buck picks him up.

When Buck gives him a bath, Eddie helps brush his teeth.

“I sure can, kiddo. Chris, you’re all good. Get those pearly whites, bud.” He passes a tube of bubblegum-flavored toothpaste to his older son, watches him carefully squeeze a blob of it onto a blue toothbrush with a distinctive red ‘S’ logo on the handle. Christopher hands the tube back and jams the brush into his mouth while Eddie reaches for the smallest toothbrush in the cup.

Buck isn’t sure when it started, but somewhere along the way, all four of them started sharing a bedtime routine. Sure, that’s parenting, but this is a little bit more. The boys have their own bathroom, full of plastic boats and low-hanging towel bars, but still all four of them gather in Buck and Eddie’s bathroom at night to brush their teeth together.

He’s scrubbing across his own teeth as he thinks about it, white minty foam gathering at the corners of his mouth. When he catches Christopher looking at him, he turns his head and growls playfully, baring his teeth.

“No, Bucky! Don’t get me!” Chris’ toothbrush is still in his mouth, so the words are distorted and he sprays pinkish flecks all over the mirror when he cries out.  

Buck laughs, splattering his own toothpaste foam to create some sort of abstract bathroom art that he knows Eddie will wipe away while he sees the boys down to their shared bedroom.  

Trey leans back against Eddie’s hip, tipping his chin and opening his mouth.

“-Eddie, -addy!” He tries to say, without moving his jaw. ‘Ready, daddy!’ they both know it means, and Buck leans forward to spit as Eddie starts brushing carefully through their son’s mouth. He counts the teeth out loud, just like every night, even though the number hasn’t changed since six months after they welcomed him into their home.  

Buck leans back upright, looking at his family in the mirror as he reaches around Chris to take a paper cup from the dispenser he brought with him when he moved in. He fills it with water, freezing when he sees the design on the side.

The water flows over the top of the cup, down his hand, and it’s enough to shake him from his stupor. It shouldn’t have surprised him; he’s the one who’d purchased the box of planet-themed bath cups, remembering how excited Christopher had been to be able to recite all nine planets in order. He's staring down at a smiling planet, Mars, according to the reddish label beside it.  

Even if it were a surprise, there’s no reason that a Mars cup should stop him in his tracks like this. But he’s suddenly thinking of a different day, a different paper cup in a different bathroom. That cup was blue, plain blue, and he’d stood alone in the bathroom.  

He remembers every detail, the sting of the aftershave and the way the mouthwash tingled against his gums. And he remembers everything that came after, too, right up to Eddie kissing him against his front door. He’d gone inside that night and imagined a future with Eddie and Christopher. But never, not even in his most elaborate fantasies had he dreamed of having all of this.  

This is the most in love Buck has ever been, standing here in the bathroom with his family, watching Eddie hold a light-up toothbrush in one hand and a Jupiter cup in the other. He’s helping Trey spit into the sink – not onto the counter – and Buck feels his heart swell at the simple routine of it all. He puts his own toothbrush back into the cup and thanks his lucky stars for every moment like this, every night he gets to be a part of this. Every time life has caught him by surprise, every day that was better than the one before it, even when he hadn’t thought that would be possible.  

There are four toothbrushes on his counter, three people at the center of his world, and he thinks it again, this is the best moment I’ve had in my life.  

Because love, he’s come to learn, isn’t found in any of the obvious places to look.

Love starts with a toothbrush.

[twoidiotwriters1]

Pure Blood 16 (Sirus Black x F!Oc)

Words: 2,096

Masterlist:

Chapter 15 // Chapter 17

"Did he lecture you for not killing that family?"

Remus couldn't believe what his friend was saying. For a long time, he heard many stories about Sirius's cruel family and when he started the meetings with Persephone, he believed that it would be something similar, but with this… The Singhs won the worst family competition.

"Yep," she replies as she took a bite out of her cookie.

"That's a horrible thing."

"My family is,” Persephone recalls what happened to her older sister and is debating whether to keep the promise with Juno or warn her friend.

"Say it already, it always smells burnt when you think,” Remus jokes causing her to scoff.

"It's nothing, and don't think I forgot our exchange,” He stops laughing and his hands start to shake a little.

"First you must tell me how you knew it,” He sighs.

"It was just clues, remember when we fought in third year because the other three idiots were out of their dorms at dawn?"

“No," she looks at him in surprise.

"Didn't they tell you?" Remus denies confused and she sighs.

"One night... I-” Persephone suddenly blushes. "I was going to see a boy from Ravenclaw- before you say something, nothing happened, it was just kisses- then everyone went to the bedrooms, on the way I ran into them, Pettigrew just trembled with fear but James and Sirius started yelling at me. To tell the truth, I was too happy at the time, I didn't mind seeing them, I wasn't going to accuse them– I was also breaking the rules, but they yelled at we started arguing. Obviously Filch discovered us,” Remus’ body tenses. “It struck me that you were not with them. I started to notice you more. Your wounds… sometimes you seemed sick, I didn’t understand why they were awake that time, but I suppose that in time I discovered your secret. It was their fault if you think about it.”

"That explains a lot of things.”

"What do you mean?"

“I remember it, third year. It was when they couldn't go and I broke my arm” He shakes his head. “I ... I was bitten by a werewolf when I was just a baby, I have lived with this thing all my life…” His eyes water. Persephone decides to take his hand as support. "They discovered it and they wanted to help.”

"What did they do?"

Remus chuckles.

“Animagi."

She raises her eyebrows in surprise.

"Sirius is a dog, James a stag, and Peter’s rat.”

"Padfoot, Prongs, and Wormtail,” She rolls her eyes and Remus laughs.

“Moony," He adds, pointing at himself. “At first I tried to refuse, but they ignored me. Since then, they have been working to be animagi, until they got it later. When it is a full moon, they transform and help me not to hurt myself or others. Werewolves don't hurt other animals. "

“Wow…”

“I know they’re not your favorite people, Percy. But thanks to them, my Little Furry Problem - that's what they call it - is more tolerable. They are my best friends, I owe them too much,” Remus adds totally honest.

"That's... well, having friends," says Percy and he looks at her.

“Jenna would surely do the same.”

She laughs. "I don't think so, that is, I know that she would support me in everything, that's obvious, but looking for a way to change yourself to help a friend, even I couldn't think of something like that.”

Her thoughts drift and she can't help but envy Remus. He’s very lucky to have them and Sirius as part of that group. She remembers the adventures they once had, the stories they shared, the sadness they comforted together.

"You're lucky, Wolfie.”

Remus smiles.

"You too, it's not to brag, but from the marauding group, now you have me,” She watches him with a sad smile. "We are in this together, Percy.”

—————————————————-

Percy’s POV

The weeks pass and the exams end, everyone can breathe, my meetings with Remus continue without problems and regarding my research on Muggles, I think I have improved, I know much more. I must admit that it was not easy to understand some things– Luckily, Lupin is patient, with each meeting our friendship has grown stronger, which I appreciate.

The potions classes with Sirius are... quiet, to tell the truth; we’re a great team, but we barely share a few words and they’re only to pass ingredients. I guess that's than to yell and push. We don’t dare to look each other in the eye and I don't know how to feel about it, Slughorn is pleased with our performance and doesn’t miss the opportunity to show it off to all the students and teachers.

"How is it possible that he keeps talking about us being so drunk?" Sirius whispers.

I giggle as we both watch Slughorn talking to a student, who only nods at the professor's babble.

I turn to Sirius, who’s dressed in a black shirt, with some of the buttons undone, dress pants, and his usual tousled hair.

"Apparently he's glad to finally have you on his pedestal of students," He grimaces.

"It was never my intention,” I laugh again and he does it too. "You look... pretty today, Singh.” He says quickly and then take a little from his glass.

I feel my cheeks burn and tuck a lock of hair behind my ear. Right now, I appreciate Jenna lending me her red dress. I was surprised that she had one like this, with no neckline, medium straps, a small bow under the chest, pretty straightforward, reaching just above my knees. To tell the truth, since Slughorn invited us to one of his “exclusive” parties, I didn't really want to, but both Jenna and Lily forced me to come.

"Thanks, you don't look too bad either…”

"Do you think this circus also has to do with us? He usually does these parties during Christmas…”

"Surely he wanted proof," He nods.

"Do you think if we leave now, he'll notice?" He walks to be in front of me.

"I don't think so, it won’t take long until he tries to show us off with a broom," Sirius bites his lip, drowning his chuckles.

"I need to talk to you. Can we go somewhere else?" I raise my eyebrows and he rolls his eyes. “It's important.”

I nod and we both leave the room, we walk through the empty corridors, only the moonlight and a few torches lighting our way.

"And?"

"I thought about what you said– you know, in your house,” We stop. "I know that maybe I don't usually think things before I say or do them- that's what Remus says- that's why..." He cocks his head a little. "I can only tell you that, no matter how the plan turns out–” He looks me in the eyes. “I… I wouldn't force you into something you don't want, and if everything goes wrong…" He stutters.

"I understand,” I see sincerity in his eyes.

"I know I hurt you, Persephone," I feel shivers when he says my name. "I'm sorry.”

"It's a little late for that, Sirius.”

"I know, I just-"

"Why did you walk away?" I interrupt him, he seems surprised.

"I- I don't... I don't know.”

"You replaced me, you never worried whether if I wanted to be with you, just... you pushed me away."

"I don’t know.”

I nod and walk away a little, fighting back tears.

“All right.”

________________

After that, everything passes quickly and our fifth year is over: Ravenclaw wins the house cup and everyone gets together on the train back home.

As for me, everything changed: Apollo and Isis returned to their homes with their families, Balder will stay with his friends for a while, my parents didn’t object.

My parents and Juno barely speak to me. It’s sad to see how my family is slowly breaking down and I can't help but feel guilty, my letters to Remus express it very well, but he keeps telling me that this is not my fault. I guess he can't understand it anyway…

My only help for not going crazy were the letters between Remus, Lily and Regulus, and truth be told, I was quite surprised when I received one, earlier in the holidays.

‘Singh,

Obviously I write this to you by force, Remus demanded that I do it, I don't know why he doesn't do it, but anyway.

Given our truce period, I should start with: How was your vacation? Although I don't care, you can answer this letter... or not.

We’ve been in the Potter's house, I suppose that my vacations do not compare with the hell you’re living, somehow I feel… sorry for you.

And that's why I remembered something that I think is vital for the plan to continue. What happened with your family that made them hate you so much?

I tried to get information out of Lupin, but he refused. My family has a thousand and one reasons to hate me, I can't understand why Ares's favorite girl can be so loathed.

I have to go.

SBx’

The end of the parchment has a huge ink stain.

At first I thought it was a joke, but I decided to answer him, something very brief, I couldn't tell him about my parents that summer by letter, I don't know when I can tell him, but apparently my answer reassured him. Another surprise was that we both continued with the letters, without realizing it, I was looking forward to the Potter's owl.

Sixth year

"I can't wait for the exams,” says the redhead with emotion.

"Say something like that again and I'll hit your pretty nose, Evans," I grunt.

She laughs nervously at my expression.

"I just want to pass them, they’ve made me nervous and I studied during the whole vacation," A new growl comes out of my mouth.

“Lily, there’s a reason that it's a vacation, there's no school, you don't have to study. Also, we are just starting, we haven't even had any classes!”

"I can't believe this, but I agree with the snake, Lily flower," comments James, surprising everyone. "I know, I know, but don't get used to it.”

The marauders together with Lily are gathered in the room of requirement. I’m on a huge cushion leaning against the wall, next to Lily, who’s sitting on the floor. The rest are scattered throughout the room.

"Oh, come on. Remus will understand,” The boy blushes a little and rubs his neck.

"Ha!" I laugh, pointing at him. “He didn't study either!– You see, Evans? You're the only one who studied on vacation, you little bookworm,” I say.

"She always gets nervous, it’s normal to want to be prepared," Lupin defends.

"Don't try to fix it, Moony," adds Sirius, putting his arm around the boy's shoulders.

"Okay, let's go back to where we left off: The plan.”

"Yes, the big dance will be in November, James will be there with his family. We should all gather any important information. ”

"We must know which minister will officiate the wedding, then we will see what we’ll have to do…”

"I read that their families have very specific marriage rituals," adds Lily.

Sirius and I wince.

"Don't tell me we have to spend a weekend at each other's house to meet the family," I complain.

"I have no idea…”

“That's quite rare."

"Well, although I love being with all of you, except the snake, and I'm not complaining about your presence, Lily flower– but I have a meeting with the Quidditch team…” James takes his things, the rest of us have nothing else to do now so we get up.

Upon leaving, a new conversation started between the marauders, while Lily told me a story from her childhood.

Sirius's body collides with mine. I can feel his arms at my waist, then he takes my wrist and pulls me toward the entrance to the gardens. It forces me to crouch on the floor under a window frame.

"What the fuck is wrong with you Black?!” I squeal. His hands cover my mouth.

"Shut your mouth, I just saved your life!” I look at him totally confused and he rolled his eyes.

Little by little we look out of our hiding place.

"Sirius?" The others walk up to us.

"No! Please– We’re not here, don’t make it obvious!” He says with worry.

"Who are you hiding from?" Lily asks.

"Trixie Jones!” He whispers in terror.

Taglist!

@treestarrrrrrrr @siriuslysirius1107 @thagreenmoonblack @madmaiden2890 @bloodorangemoonlight  @ren-ela  @avipshamitra  @auroraawrites @findzelda  @lizlil  @siriusmuch   @may-rapp  @chloe-geoghegan1 @reverse-hxlland  @littledeadgirlwalking​

[ramenandchill]

Character criticism

Today’s criticism: The entirety of the show Boruto

Hood day/night my children. How are you all? I hope you all are eating your veggies and drinking your water. I hope you all are taking care of yourselves to the best of your abilities and that your all doing well back home, wherever home may be.

Today, we’re going to be tackling the mess that is essentially the anime,Boruto. Basically why it’s not as good as it could be, and why it has potential. I even have an alternative plot for Boruto, and I thought I would share that with you all, my loves.

So first, let’s summarize what Boruto is;

Boruto:next generations is a spin-off show to the Naruto series. A series that once followed the life of Naruto Uzumaki and his fellow friends as growing shinobi, now follows his son Boruto Uzumaki and his friends, who are the next generation of ninja growing up in the shinobi world.

In depth: the setting takes place in a now peaceful shinobi world, where the 5 great nations are no longer at war or no longer have bad blood anymore. Naruto Uzumaki is now the 7th Hokage of Konoha, and Sasuke Uchiha serves as the shadow Hokage, protecting Konoha from the outside. Most of the Konoha 11 have children. These children are learning to be ninja, and are growing up to become extremely powerful each day.

Though this plot sounds very entertaining, it is far from that and the lazy writing shows through many parts of the Anime. Here are some problems I’ve encountered with the plot and characters itself.

1. The children are extremely overpowered- for one, the children in Boruto are too overpowered. One thing that was interesting about Naruto was that we got to grow with the kids and see them develop their powers. Though some were prodigies at a very young age, we got to see them develop even more and we realized that they weren’t too ultra powerful and that they could be beaten. Once we as the audience realized that our beloved Naruto characters were only kids who weren’t all prodigies, the suspense was amped up quite a lot. The chunin exams is a great example. In the forest of death, many of the genin weren’t too powerful, and we saw a lot of genin groups die in the forest of death. We even saw a Sannin, Orochimaru, sneak into the exams and bite Sasuke, which caused the main plot to kick off. A lot of the times, we weren’t sure that our faves would make it out of their life or death situations. But In Boruto, the suspense is not there. We know that most of the kids, especially the 3 main characters, Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki are all powerful. There’s no “if” they are gonna make it out. We also don’t get to see much hit or misses from the children. We don’t get to see their trial and error with learning their parents jutsus and developing their own so it’s hard to grow with them. Their powers ensure that they get out of most situations, and it takes away from the hard work their parents did to reach the level they are at. Their powers look rather more genetic (which I’m sure they mostly are), than actual hard work.

2. The next generation-another problem is that the kids are essentially carbon copies of their parents personalities. They aren’t their own selves, which very much annoys me. I rather see the kids be their own person, rather than adapt ALL parts of their parents personalities. I don’t mind the children having small parts of their parents incorporated into them, but Boruto really takes it to new heights. The personalities are more copy paste. Most of them act exactly how their parents do or once did. One of the few characters this probably doesn’t go for is Mitsuki, as he’s rather pleasant compared to his father, orochimaru.

3. The lack of screen time- this is a minor issue to me, but I don’t appreciate how a lot of the interesting characters like Sarada are glazed over. The other teams besides Team Konohamaru are usually not shown progressing as much, and are given the much shorter end of the stick than the main characters, which is rather annoying.

4. The Konoha 11- the Konoha 11 have been greased so badly. Their powers seem heavily downgraded, and their character designs look awful. A lot of them look like pedophiles and Shino looks like a can of bug spray. Their powers seem very light, compared to in the Naruto series. For example, Shino not being able to control his bugs and messing up, is a regular for the shows gag unfortunately. That’s so unnatural because we know Shino is very serious and calculated and careful, so that gag is not funny at all. Even Naruto, who’s a master at shadow clone jutsu, has reverted back to his childhood. His clones are ineffective but they do it as a gag, which is dumb. They have made some of the Konoha 11 a shell of there former selves, which frustrates me. They were so cool in shippuden and such, but now their once cool and mysterious powers are downgraded for laughs, which aren’t funny.

5. Naruto and sasuke- Naruto and Sasuke are horrible fathers. For people who should want to make the most of family because they never had any, they don’t even spend time with their kids, which is so dumb. Naruto does Hokage work, but nothing is stopping him from making shadow clones to do the work for him, so that he could spend time with his family. Sasuke is even worse to the point where seeing Sasuke triggers Saradas sharingan because of the overwhelming emotion she felt from seeing him for the first time in years(I also hate how Sarada just bonds with him after an episode. Their relationship would need mending and building considering how long sasukes been gone. He doesn’t know much about her, so he should learn steady over a period of time like how it is in real life). That’s awful. They could be there for their families but their not, which is so weird for characters of their backgrounds.

6. The plot itself- the plot itself drags on for very long and in my opinion isn’t interesting. The plot is constantly jumping. The Arcs aren’t that intruiging and follow benign story plots that could only possibly serve as filler. It takes so long to get to the main plot of Borutos story. Here’s a list of the 17(Yes,17) arcs that have occurred in Boruto so far;

I can tell you that a lot of these are pretty much anticlimactic and waste time. Some are cool to sit through, like the time travel arc or Kara Actuation, but some are like the War arc of shippuden. If something’s like the war arc of shippuden, I rather smell someone’s booty than watch that again. So please, you can even read the plots yourself, and find that they aren’t that captivating.

7.The Villains- last but not least, we have the very copy paste villains. Just recently we’ve gotten some newer villains with a new agenda but it won’t be a breath of fresh air for long. For example, we know that so many of the villains such as Momoshiki, have been just copy-pastes of Kaguya. Their a Naruto and Sasuke level threat which we know that both Naruto and Sasuke could beat them any time. I’m bored of seeing Naruto and Sasuke fight villains that we know they will beat anytime. And with the villains point- I bring to you why Boruto has potential. You see, the Kawaki arc(Kara arc) showed that Boruto could turn into a show about a rivalry, and we saw the clip of Kawaki and Boruto fighting at the very beginning of the series. This is cool that a character like Kawaki who is shown in the end to have a strong resentment towards the ninja world for making him what he is, eventually will try to go the mile to end the age of shinobi. We will have to wait for this, sadly and I wished they introduced this sooner.

Alt plot: my alt plot goes a bit like this. Let’s say that the peaceful world is not exactly completely peaceful. The 5 nations aren’t at war anymore but the smaller countries within them aren’t exactly that peaceful. There aren’t a lot of casualties at all, but some people are still a tad bit resentful.

Let’s say that some of the great nations have become docile. The New generation of kids no longer learn how to be ninjas. Instead they go to regular school and for those who would like to be ninjas, there is a fake kitty-program for them to take. It’s not serious enough for them, though. Jonin still go on message delivering missions. The Hokage is still there, all of that.

Now let’s say a character like Kawaki and an organization behind them, a small one, has been wronged by the shinobi world. They aren’t exactly like the Akatsuki, open with their deeds. However, they are internal threats like Danzo almost, who live within the village. Nobody suspects them because they pose as regular citizens in the lands that no longer practice the way of shinobi life as they once did.

Now let’s say this organization start taking out unsuspecting Jonin. One by one, 2 by 2, Jonin are turning up dead left and right. Nobody can really explain their deaths yet, but their deaths are really disturbing. Next, Anbus investigate, but some of them are even taken out too.

The Hokage and village are becoming restless once again. Then citizens start going missing and dying. This doesn’t just happen in Konoha though, this also happens in other nations. This can make a rift between the nations who think that the other nation is sabotaging them, which can influence bad blood again. These villains are tearing up the almost perfect world from the inside out. They bring back people like Kakashi, Yamato, Tsunade, Kurenai, Gai, basically everyone from the old days, and the Konoha 11 for their lines of defense.

People propose that the children should learn to be true shinobi. Some argue that they shouldn’t, but it is decided that the children should learn to protect themselves and their lands. So now, medical ninjitsu classes are taught, ninjitsu, chakra types, genjutsu. The ninja school is rehashed.

Sasuke comes back to the village and is asked if he’s seen anyone enter the village but the answer is no, which gives a clue.

Soon, the children graduate and learn important lessons about friendship and teamwork. We watch them work hard to learn and perfect their parents Jutsus. we watch the trial and error, but we watch them turn out great in the end. They can even have Boruto face off against this villain when he gets older.

They learn from the oldest Shinobis and earn their powers, instead of just having them materialize them and genetically master them.

(p.s honestly Temari and Shikamaru should’ve had twins, one boy and one girl, have them both be smart but have one learn shadow possession and one learn wind style. The boy is obvi Shikadai who learns shadow possenion cuz that’s already cannon, and the girl Tomoe, could learn wind style from Temari. She doesn’t have to be a carbon copy, but she could still learn her mother’s craft.)

Thank you for coming to my ted talk my loves, and I’ll see you on the next episode of Character Critisims.

[wearingraincoats]

13 years ago today, I fell in love with the Beatles. That’s really specific, right? They’re such an omnipresent musical force, I don’t think most people can tell you when they first heard them or when they really started to like them. I don’t remember when I first heard them-- The Beatles just felt like a cultural given. Like, what are the four cardinal directions, what are four chambers of the heart, who are the four Beatles, it felt like something everybody just knew. I don’t remember the first song of theirs I ever heard... The first memory I have of any Beatle is the commercial they used to play on cable for Paul’s greatest hits CD. I definitely remember the first album I listened to. The White Album was ambitious for me as an entry-way into the Beatles, but I just fucking loved “Blackbird.” The nerd that I am, I read the lyrics for that song in a book and I was immediately enamored; listening to the album was another story. It’s hard to explain, but I just got the weirdest vibes listening to it. I wouldn’t listen to it again all the way through for about 5 more years, it really kind of freaked me out. It was... overpowering emotion, and I wasn’t equipped to handle it.

That was when I was 14. I was 17 when I fell in love with the band. In the years in between, I was a total punk/emo/hipster (I don’t really fall in with any of those labels but it’s closer to what I was lmao). I always said, “I can appreciate their contributions to music, but it’s just not what I like to listen to.” I also would say that the Velvet Underground were the true innovators of 1960s rock music because of that hipster thing haha. What changed? I had started dating my best friend.

Lori had been my best friend since I was 9 years old. We were in kindergarten together and reconnected several years later; after that, we were inseparable... Until I moved the summer before 10th grade. Even then, we would spend hours on the phone every week, and I thought, this friendship was made to last, I couldn’t live without Lori. Things started going wrong when she confessed her feelings for me. I won’t go into our whole shitty relationship because then this post would be 10 pages long, but to summarize, she fell for me and I didn’t reciprocate at first. It took me several months to realize, oh shit, I AM in love with Lori, but I was scared to tell her because even then, I knew that it could only end two ways: with marriage or broken hearts. As I am incredibly single to this day, I think you know what happened.

We started dating March 10th, 2007. I remember because it was two days before my birthday. We broke up May 10th, which I remember because it was exactly two months, as well as the day of my driving test which I failed with flying colors. I spent months recovering. I thought that I truly couldn’t live without her. I was very, very close to throwing everything away. But on April 10th, a month before she dumped me, I had a dream that would save my life.

Out of the ephemera of the universe, though I had maybe spent a combined 10 minutes thinking about either of them throughout the course of my life, I had a dream that night about John and Paul making love. That’s it, that’s all I can remember. But I remember that it was so beautiful and meaningful that as soon as I woke up, I knew I needed to listen to them. I didn’t know then that April 10th was the anniversary of their official break-up. I honestly didn’t know anything about them, apart from very basic facts. But they got me through that horrible break-up. These were two best friends who also fell in love and suffered a horrible parting, but they had made something beautiful in the process, something that helped change the world, as well as myself.

It’s been 13 years since that dream, and now I know just about everything about these men and their music, yet they still manage to provide me with new insights and new connections to songs that came out 30 years before I was born. John and Paul’s love comforts me in a way that nothing else really can. I truly feel like John sent that dream to me, that it was a lifeline when he could see trouble on the horizon. If I didn’t have them, I don’t think I would be alive today, and that’s the truth. Through them, I’ve learned so much about life and about humanity... and about myself. I’ll forever be indebted to this band, and to John and Paul’s love.

[iredreamer]

I know you’ve posted before how Anne & Mariana spent Christmas together in 1834 and that Mariana tempted Anne unsuccessfully, but have you read Moving Between Worlds? Because the author (excerpting diaries) states plainly that kissing/ grubbling did occur during Anne’s visit (12/24/1834 diary entry: “gratify her passion by one parting grubble”). I take you to be the master at all things real life Anne Lister and Ann Walker so I wanted to get your input. THANK YOU for all your posts, seriously!!

hey :) thank you so much for your message! Yes I’ve read Moving Between Worlds, and I’ve also checked Anne’s diary (from the 22nd of December – when she arrives at Lawton – to the 26th – when she goes back to Shibden) to understand better what happened.

I transcribed AL’s coded parts where she talks about what happened with Mariana during those days. At the end you’ll find what I personally think of this whole thing.

EDIT: I updated the post with parts – coded and not – that even tho are not directly about what happened between them, still help understand the context and what went on during those days. I think that the context and the conversations Mariana & Anne had during this time are quite important to understand why some things happened. The only things I left out in my transcriptions are stuff like “I went from there to there, we visited this lady etc.”, things that are quite mundane.

December 22, 1834 (Monday) > (…) at Lawton at 9 – i.e. 8 ¾ by their clocks – Shewn into M-’s [Mariana] room. And she soon came nervous sobbing, but she got over it pretty soon and well – Had a couple of nice little mutton chops, and then coffee – Mr. L- [Charles Lawton] just came in for a minute or 2 but finding we were still going to have coffee said he had had tea, went back to the dining room and we saw him no more – M- [Mariana] and I sat talking till 11.35 by Halifax – She gave me the history of Martha Booth – not good – her head full of novels that she had read before coming to M- [Mariana] – and her principles spoilt by the bad examples of 2 succession cooks – had been deceitful – was too much set up – Mrs. Duff to give me Martha’s character – M- [Mariana] not to tell me anything – I said if Martha left here, I should have nothing more to say to her – M- [Mariana] then gave me the history of Miss Crewe (…) I never felt less in love’s danger. I thought M- [Mariana] prosy but this was better than the way she talked in at first, despairing & as if the sooner she died the better – she would not listen to my proofs that she herself had had things between us all her own way, however I would not give up the point tho’ I pressed it gently – I was very affectionate, spoke kindly of Mr. Crowe & said I would do anything in the world I could for her but there was no love in my manner or thoughts – I merely thought I was glad this was at an end & that I was as I was – Talked of the Norcliffes & Mrs. Milne’s sarcastic manner which seems to have shewn itself to M- [Mariana] at Scarbro – M- [Mariana] said she always appeared to know all about me whether she did know anything or not – She had talked at Leamington of her great anxiety to see Lady Vere as the most particular friend of her, M- [Mariana] most particular friend! I have guessed right, M- [Mariana] does not want to love the eclat of my friendship (…) M- came upstairs with me to my room & staid ten minutes – a little nervous again & hung on me & went off, talks of giddiness in her head & not living long but I said I should do her good, in fact as I shrewdly hinted I shall not be the death of her. Thank God I am as I am. I thought very little of M- as I came along & never felt more calm – Very fine day – till one tonight wrote all but the five first lines of the day – till 1 ½ wrote 2 pp. to A- [Ann Walker] to go tomorrow – account of my journey – good account of things. [SH:7/ML/E/17/0127]

December 23, 1834 (Tuesday) > (Go by the Lawton clocks) breakfast at 10.20 – then sat talking till 12 – from 12 to 2 walked (about 2 miles) to see a poor man (James Shaw) confined to his bed these 30 weeks for having fallen into a hot salt pan – Luncheon with Mr. L- [Charles Lawton] in his room (I not eating) then sat talking in M-‘s [Mariana] sitting room – Out at 4, for 40 minutes (…) then sat talking in my dressing room till 5.40 – dressed – dinner at 6.10 – coffee – tea… came upstairs at 10 ½ and M- [Mariana] sat with me ½ hour – sealed and gave her my letter written last night to A- [Ann Walker], Shibden, to be put into the post before 9 a.m. tomorrow – annoyed this morning to find I was too late for today’s post – the letters must be there at 9, and the mail goes at 10 – Told M- [Mariana] she had never come to me to see if I was up this morning, she said she would but thought I should not like it – I was rather attendrie this morning, particularly after our walk – She told Mr. Crewe had been with her at Scarbro, glad I had not heard of it in York & that she herself was first to tell me of it – He had said he hoped to her happy with the friend she liked best staying with her at Warmingham, meaning to have me with them – I asked if she did not think this speech plain enough – she said it had not struck her much but at last owned it was pretty plain tho she still says she never was in love with him & wonders if she ever shall be – I calmly said “Oh, yes all that would come” – she told me Mr. C- [Crewe] was very calm on that subject – in telling her a story of a chère amie [dear friend] of Brooke? Grevilles said but he & his friend could very well do without those domestic comforts – she still persists that all her love is for me – I led the conversation to A- [Ann Walker], said I really liked [her], was more than comfortable & that whatever might be said money had nothing to do with it – M- [Mariana] asked if it was true that she had three thousand a year – I said no, but our fortunes would be about equal & that we should have five thousands a year – said I had thought of her the first thing after M-’s [Mariana] break off – I was thankful things were as they were for I was determined to have one & certainly could not have done better – Charlotte said A- [Ann Walker] was not ladylike & she & Mrs. Milne thought she [Mariana] should not be flattered if she saw her successor, but that I could not do without money – M- [Mariana] took all well – said she thought I had done right & perhaps she herself was the cause of it, they wondered – Mr. C- [Crewe] does not like Mrs. Milne – she behaved sarcastically & he expected better things after all the trouble he had taken about Hamlyn – He wished M- [Mariana] to get her uncle & Lou to go to Geneva next summer. M- [Mariana] to join them & then he & his two boys would join them all at Geneva & make a tour for with her uncle there could be nothing wrong. I made no remark. But this explained the passage she read from Lou’s letter that came today, that with a little persuasion she thought her uncle might be got to go to Geneva tho she had preferred Scotland on account of not leaving her mother so far –  This proves M- [Mariana] had thought of the plan & seriously too – perhaps she wished to sound me, what will the world say? She protests she feels towards only as a brother – well nous verrons [we’ll see] – I told her that but for him I might have acted differently – said I read her last letter to A- [Ann Walker] but she did not understand it – I had told all that was necessary but not quite all, that is not of our connection – nor did any know of this or ever would – This seemed to satisfy her – Said I was not quite satisfied with her brother’s conduct about Clifton to his mother in paying with so much difficulty, nor with his management of his wife & that he had latterly left A- [Ann Walker] ten days unvisited by him – but this not to be named any more than the brandy & water drunk by Miss. Bagshaw at Mrs. Bewleys – M- [Mariana] has seemed low today at intervals – it seems she does not now like Mrs. Wilbraham who has interfered with the friendly society etc. Mr. C- [Crewe] says how worldly they all are & he cannot endure them – somehow I do not like him – M- [Mariana] says Mr. C- [Crewe] was never conscious of his feelings towards till L-’s [Charles Lawton?] conduct to him at Mr. Woodsin – 1831 – I cannot quite understand M- [Mariana] – she shews me she is still in love with me – I might have her as heretofore without much difficulty. She says she is glad to see me but talks of the difference there is when my interest is hung on another peg – I asked tonight if I was not as much attached & as affectionate as she wished me to be – she made no answer – I pressed her to say yes & she merely replied “yes, you are very affectionate” – she has kissed me as warmly as she dared venture & given me licence enough if I chose to take it, but in answer “do you love me” my “yes indeed I do” bespoke nothing beyond friendship. The fact is I am really indifferent to her – but she would lead me astray if she could – She will send a present to A- sorry I had proposed it as it was her own intention – L- [Charles Lawton?] & I very good friends but no more – very fine frosty day – no use to look at my thermometer – my dressing room having a good fire in it – wrote all the above of today from 11 ½ to 12 ½ tonight. [SH:7/ML/E/17/0128]

December 24, 1834 (Wednesday) > Fine soft morning – jumped up at 8 ½ on M-‘s [Mariana] coming to call me; and we sat talking in my dressing room ¾ hour (…) M- [Mariana] and I then sat talking in her sitting room till 1 – Luncheon with C- [Charles Lawton]. Letter 3 pp. and 1st page crossed (nice, kind, chit-chat letter) from A- [Ann Walker] her aunt all kindness, but nothing transpired about the contents of her sister’s letter – my aunt not so well as when I left her – if worse would write by the next post – if no letter here, wishes me to call (en passant) at the post office at Manchester – M- [Mariana] and I came and sat talking in my dressing room till 2 – she asked to look at the handwriting and I read her the letter, she looking over me, she said it was a nice simple minded letter – she was better satisfied to have seen it – M- [Mariana] and I went out at 2 to see poor old Molly Owen at the Lodge… and then walked about home till 4 ¾ – Much talk about Mr. Crewe to whom for short I gave the name of short – spoke of Micklestone (pronounced Muckstone) & her living there & our all meeting – she said we should be an odd quartette but seemed in tolerable spirits saying she should now try to turn her thoughts that way – glad to have seen me, for till she saw me, could scarce believe things really as they are – she wondered if she could ever love him, perhaps it would come but thought she should feel as if she was breaking the seventh commandment – very well satisfied with A- [Ann Walker] – should like her all the daytime, could not bear her at night, could not bear to see her go off to bed with me – I kindly parried all this – she said if she had not seen me now perhaps we might have not met again – owned it was much better to have met – I told her & explained quietly that it was all her own doing, that no human influence could have done it but her own – spoke highly of A-’s [Ann Walker] high principle & honorable feeling & that even in any case if it cost me life itself I would not willingly give her up easiness she trusted me & she was right if I could do so much in this case what could I not have done in another, but she, M- [Mariana], had never understood me – I was never half as bad as she thought me – Home at4 ¾ and sat talking inmy dressing room till 5 ½ (…) Told M- [Mariana] servants would always be left in the house at Shibden – if ever she wanted a place to go to, the house would always be at her service – but said gently I would rather she was there alone supposing I was absent – she said she should take Louisa or Ann [Mariana’s sisters] – said I had never liked her family and was sorry for it, but somehow I never could get over my feeling of dislike – I certainly owed them nothing & she said she certainly owed them nothing – dressed – dinner at 6.20 (…) on our leaving the dining room M- [Mariana] and I soon came to my dressing room – She being so low she could not stand it – drank cold water sobbed & was almost in hysterics. Then asked if I loved her “yes” said I “you know I do” we then kissed – our lips seeming glewed together & somehow tongues meeting. She sobbed & said “it is hard, very hard, to be a friend for one who has been a wife” – I was attendrie – we both cried our eyes nearly when we were obliged to go down to tea after nine. She came for a few minutes on going but was quite upset I had to go for Watson to call Eugenie & saw M- [Mariana] almost undressed – I just kiss the back of her neck & came away for she seemed worse seeing me again. It occurs to me that I inadvertently kissed her rather too warmly just after dinner. Was it this that upset her for the night? it is very sad – I am very sorry but my own indifference makes me safer that she thinks. I advised her this morning not to meet Mr. C- [Crewe] at Geneva better go with A- [Ann Walker] & me than anyone I had thought of taking Mr. Brown for A-’s drawing if so M- [Mariana] might return with him, but what I could do very uncertain. [SH:7/ML/E/17/0128 & SH:7/ML/E/17/0129]

December 25, 1834 (Thursday) > M- [Mariana] came a little before eight & staid till nine in bed with me – rather in the pathetics – she cannot get over her love for me – but I behaved with perfect propriety. She said “well” if anything happened to A- [Ann Walker] & Mr. C- [Crewe] would I take her back again – I made no answer till she said “would I not” when I replied “I would not shut the door against you” on which she thanked me & said I was very good. (…) Letter from A- [Ann Walker] (Shibden) my aunt better – 3 pp. widely written – nice letter – properly affectionate – wants me back again – (…) M- [Mariana] said nothing & L- [Charles Lawton] said he [Crewe?] was a scoundrel, of which nobody apparently took any notice – M- [Mariana] mentioned it when we came up to bed, seemed low & nervous, I tried to cheer her – advised her going to London to her uncle & Louisa for a week to see little M- till she told me the history at length of L- [Charles Lawton] & Eliza Lawton – then told her not to be away – said I saw her mind wavered about leaving L- [Charles Lawton] but that she must not do it unless he compelled her for refusing to have the girl to live with them or unless something between him & the girl came out – she had taxed with it, with what the girl said & he declared it was a lie – the girl did not like to be alone with him – he out his tongue unto her moth [mouth?]  which, said M- [Mariana], is you know, the last thing, but one to which I agreed – we talked of how the girl’s mind might be debauched till M- began kissing me & we got on to such tongueing warm work that she got excited. I kept my hands over her clothes & my arms decently round her till the right wandered to queer outside till she took up her petticoats & put it to her & I gave her a thorough grubbling – I think she will have her cousin for it – I certainly felt oddish but no wish to be near to her myself, tho she said in the midst “can you not come near to me for a minute or two” I made no reply but went on never opening my eyes. She asked if I loved her, I merely said “yes”. When I did look at her it was in silence neither as if ashamed nor as if attendri nor caring much. I was grave & silent. She said she was better & hoped I should have a good night. What is the meaning of all this? Can this be the conduct of a pure minded virtuous woman! I despise it – she had tried all ways to upset me – I have done what I have done, but she shall never gain more nor ever I hope a repetition ever of this. I could have done without it but somehow I thought gratify her passion by one parting grubble. It ought not to have been but I will try to turn it to some good account by telling her I shall shew her letters & by keeping out of her way – my respect is gone. – She read me Mr. C-’s [Crewe] last letter long & written at different times according to her request nothing absolutely improper might be read aloud but the understanding between them is evident – How will it end? He is a gambler – I told her today I did not think that right & I was sorry for it – She send’s A- [Ann Walker] little pocket book yet she will try to lead me astray from her! But she shall do no worse & I hope & trust the scene of tonight cannot recur. Is this the chaste & quiet M- [Mariana]? I will keep out to her way & Mr. C–’s [Crewe] too as well as I can. [SH:7/ML/E/17/0129 & SH:7/ML/E/17/0130]

December 26, 1834 (Friday) > Had slept in my clothes – M- [Mariana] came before eight & leaned or lay on the bed till I got up – I don’t think she found out that I was not undress, my night chemise hid all that she seemed in good spirits – said she had had a very good night & hoped I had had one too. I said not much on this part of the subject – she saw that I did not think of last night’s business quite as she did I said let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall – she seemed rejoiced at the sort of victory she thought she had gained & argued against my fancying there was any wrong in it – said it had done her good & she was now much happier – begged me not to abuse her in my heart. I said as little as possible not troubling myself to knock down her arguments but saying the only thing I had thought of as a consolation was the telling her I should show all my letters to A- [Ann Walker]. She made no objections, in fact she could not well make any, she was satisfied to have found as she thought that all her influence over me was not gone – she little dreampt the real state of the case, she had fallen in my opinion she had been too much in the style of Mrs. Milne & I mean to be as little in her way as possible in time to come. She said she still could believe herself belonging to anyone but me – the night before last she had left me in an agony quite wet thro & ill – last night she was calmer & could have done without it if I had not been different. I said nothing against all this but let it pass – she said I do not know what it is was to be obliged to restraint where formerly she had only to ask & have, I merely said I saw how she was on Wednesday night & was on my guard – last night I was off my guard & etc. etc. (…) Went down to breakfast at 11 – Mr. L- [Charles Lawton] had waited to wish me good bye – never so attentive before… off from Lawton at 11.50 (…) and at Shibden at 10.55 – all gone to bed but Cordingley and John expecting me, had come down – A- [Ann Walker] jumped up – and came to me in her dressing gown and cloak, delighted to see me back again – had given up in despair – had tea – the first thing we did was to laugh aloud at her droll figure and the bustle I had made – explained, sat talking – Told her I myself was astonished how little I had thought of M- [Mariana] either going or returning. Very glad to be back again. Mentioned how I had offered her the use of Shibden in the event of L-’s [Charles Lawton] death etc. etc. –   [SH:7/ML/E/17/0130 & SH:7/ML/E/17/0131]

Anne Lister goes back to Shibden the 26th. She’s happy to be back and tells AW that she “was astonished how little I had thought of M- either going or returning. Very glad to be back again.” and then she and AW have sex: “One very good kiss after getting into bed & not long after this another not quite so good but very fair.” (December 27, 1834 – Saturday)

So, to wrap this up… Mariana tries to have sex with AL everyday while they’re together, and AL tries her best to stay away (and I mean, they do what they do but they don’t have sex?? at least for Anne’s way of thinking). Anne writes how indifferent she is to it all and that basically she doesn’t even know why she gave in to Mariana’s attentions (and she doesn’t really seem into it anyway). What I think is this: I see it as a moment of weakness, their relationship is so complex and their dynamic is just so established that I think it was easy for Anne Lister to fall in the old ways with Mariana just because it was what she was used to. Doesn’t seem to me that AL was very happy with what happened, with Mariana’s behaviour or her own behaviour. I’m also very curious about why, in everything I’ve read by any historian, everyone says that AL stayed faithful to Ann Walker, clearly no one considered this thing with Mariana an important fact…

The situation between them was quite complex. There are a lot of grey areas, there is a lot of history between them, and as always Mariana has a strong hold on Anne. We’re talking about real people here, with complex feelings, with contradictory feelings. It is very hard to say one thing or the other about this matter, there is so much complexity in their relationship, in what happens and in what Anne feels that I think that reducing everything to “she was faithful” or “she wasn’t faithful” is not the right way to deconstruct/understand the whole thing.

[ladylillianrose]

Seasons of Love a Max Richman/Zoey Clarke fanfiction

A/N: So this chapter is taking place post episode 10 with the Max/Zoey stuff from episode 11 as well. I'm figuring with everything going on Zoey hasn't really had a chance to fill Maggie on what has been happening with her and Max. But no matter what is happening with him and Zoey, Max cares about all the Clarkes as his second family.

Thank you all for the wonderful comments and reponses!

As always I'm just borrowing them, they all belong to the wonderful Austin Winsberg!

Summary: Mother’s Day

This month's song is “Can’t Hurry Love” by The Supremes (Listen here https://youtu.be/uZj032MNIx4)

May 10 Mother’s Day

April 12 Easter

March 17 St. Patrick’s Day

February 14 Valentine’s Day

December 31-January 1 New Year’s Eve/New Year’s Day

Maggie sat at the kitchen island watching as Max prepared Mother’s Day brunch. 

David and Zoey were both hopeless in the kitchen, so when Max started joining them he had volunteered to take over  cooking for Mother’s Day. Something that the whole family was grateful for. 

Max wasn’t his usual talkative self though, there was something bothering him.

“Max, sweetie? Are you okay?” she asked.

Max gave her a small smile as he turned off the stove, placing the french toast onto the waiting platter.

“It’s fine. Nothing big,” he shrugged, he put the platter into the oven to keep the food warm.

Maggie patted the stool next to her, pouring them both mimosas from a pitcher. “Come sit, and tell me about it.”

Max smiled as he took a seat.

“So what’s got you so quiet today?”

Max hesitated, did he tell Maggie what had happened? He could at least give her the rough details of it, without revealing Zoey’s powers.

“This is a little embarrassing,” he began.

Maggie sat patiently letting him take his time.

“I confessed to Zoey that I’m in love with her.”

Maggie raised her eyebrows,  she wasn’t surprised that Max loved her daughter, she had known for a while. What was more surprising was Zoey hadn’t breathed a word of this to her.

“I made a big deal out of it too, because I thought she might feel the same way.”

“Big moment, big memories, kind of thing?” Maggie offered.

Max nodded, “Flash mob at the mall. And at the end of it she left, no response.”

Maggie winced, Zoey did not do well at confronting her own emotions and feelings, she never had.

“Turns out she’s actually known how I felt for a while but didn’t say anything. She knew even when she set me up with our barista, which should have been a sign I guess.”

Maggie frowned, she remembered Zoey mentioning something about Max briefly dating a girl, but that they had ended things after less than a month.

“So we talked, and she explained that she was afraid of risking our friendship and losing me. I told her that I needed some space for a bit, but then she got the news about Mitch’s meds not working.”

That day was still fresh in Maggie’s memory, her whole world had tilted on its axis. She spent all day trying to get a hold of Zoey, so they could support one another. But Zoey had been in her own fog that day, unable to deal with the news or even talk about it.

“That day was rough, and some things she wasn’t expecting to reveal were said. That’s how I found out the real reason she wouldn’t take a chance on us was because she apparently has feelings for both me and Simon.”

Maggie sighed, she knew all about the problems with Simon. She had tried to warn Zoey, telling her of her own past with an unavailable man. She had hoped she might save her daughter from the pain she went through. 

“We had an argument about it and then I got offered the  promotion to the 6th floor. So I took it, needing to put some space between us and to do something for myself. Which led to an even worse argument and now we aren’t really speaking.” Max finished, fiddling with his  glass, unable to look Maggie in the eye.

Maggie shook her head, her heart aching for the young man in front of her. She and Mitch had been hoping that Max and Zoey would end up together. 

Mitch had even commented once how much they reminded him of the two of them in their younger years. Which of course meant that Max had his work cut out for him, just like Mitch had with her.

She reached over and wrapped him in a hug, just as she had done for her own children over the years.

Max released a breath and returned the hug. “Thanks Maggie,” he pulled back and gave her a small smile.

Maggie looked at him, “I know things seem rough right now between you two, but just be patient. It will work out like it's supposed to.”

Max nodded, knowing that the silence wouldn’t last long between them. He wanted to be angry at Zoey, but he also knew how hard things were getting and that he had just been an easy outlet for her anger. 

He heard a throat clear from the doorway and glanced up. Zoey was standing there awkwardly.

Maggie walked over to her and gave her a hug.

“Happy Mother’s Day Mom,” Zoey said looking everywhere but at Max.

“Thank you sweetheart. I'm glad you came.”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Zoey asked, confused.

“No reason. I’m going to go check on your Dad and Howie, can you help Max get everything onto the table?” Maggie left the room before she could respond.

The two of them stood there awkwardly not making eye contact.

Max walked over to the oven and grabbed the food he had placed inside to keep warm.

“Here, I’ll take that,” Zoey said holding out her hands.

Max just raised his eyebrows and handed her the dish wordlessly.

Zoey walked over to the table while Max went to get more eggs from the fridge.

Zoey sighed and put the plate down hard. Max looked over at her startled.

"This is stupid," she said looking at him.

Max opened his mouth to respond.

"No, let me finish," Zoey held up her hand.

"I'm sorry, Max. I'm sorry for everything I said that day. None of it was true. I was angry at everything that was happening and I took it out on you." She fiddled with the strap on her SPRQ watch nervously. "I haven't been a great friend lately. I'm not saying I expect us to just go back to the way things were…"

Max nodded, "I'm sorry too, Zo. I know how tough things have been lately and…"

Zoey interrupted him, "Max you have been nothing but supportive for me and my family. Hell you're here on Mothers Day cooking brunch for my family."

Max smiled slightly, "Well, I couldn't let Maggie starve. "

Zoey looked indignant, "I can make scrambled eggs I'll have you know!"

Max held out a bowl and whisk to her, "Prove it." 

Zoey shook her head and took the tools. "You watch, these will be the best scrambled eggs you've eaten."

Max took a step back watching as Zoey began cracking eggs. He could do this, they could figure out a new normal for them. And maybe someday….

"Max can you hand me…." Zoey began but stopped as she heard music beginning. She glanced at Max as he began singing.

I need love, love to ease my mind

I need to find, find someone to call mine

But Mama said

You can't hurry love

No, you just have to wait

She said love don't come easy

It's a game of give and take

You can't hurry love

No, you just have to wait

You got to trust, give it time

No matter how long it takes

Zoey paused her stirring to watch him as he sang while getting the table ready.

But how many heartaches must I stand

Before I find a love to let me live again?

Right now the only thing that keeps me hangin' on

When I feel my strength, yeah, is almost gone

I remember Mama said

You can't hurry love

No, you just have to wait

She said love don't come easy

It's a game of give and take

You can't hurry love

No you just have to wait

She said trust, give it time

No matter how long it takes

Max turned around to find her staring at him. He knew that look, "I just sang to you, didn't I." He sighed.

Zoey smiled, "It’s okay Max. I like hearing you sing." She admitted.

"What did I sing this time?" He asked, a little wary of the answer.

"Something about you can’t hurry love, you just have to wait."

Max blushed, he wished that her powers wouldn't work on him. Then she wouldn't feel like he was overwhelming her with his feelings.

"Zoey...I…"

She waved her hand at him stirring the eggs into the pan. "Max, it's okay. Really. I can’t help my powers. And I promised to be open with you, so if it ever bothers me I'll tell you."

Max nodded

"Now the eggs are almost done so why don’t you go get everyone, and I'll get them on the table.

"Sure." He headed into the hall, stopping as he heard Zoey softly singing.

I remember Mama said

You can't hurry love

No, you just have to wait

She said love don't come easy

It's a game of give and take

You can't hurry love

No you just have to wait

She said trust, give it time

No matter how long it takes

Max smiled, maybe there was some hope for him after all.

[horansqueen]

AM Conversations : chapter 22

A Niall Horan fanfiction ; rated MA

CHAPTER 1 || CHAPTER 2 || CHAPTER 3 || CHAPTER 4 || CHAPTER 5 || CHAPTER 6 || CHAPTER 7 || CHAPTER 8 || CHAPTER 9 || CHAPTER 10 || CHAPTER 11 || CHAPTER 12 || CHAPTER 13 || CHAPTER 14 || CHAPTER 15 || CHAPTER 16 || CHAPTER 17 || CHAPTER 18 || CHAPTER 19 || CHAPTER 20 || CHAPTER 21

NOTES:

-one chapter is her pov, the next is his. -4.2k. -im sorry, i never proofread, i hate it. -there WILL be smut. but not only smut. -this is a romance, comedy, smut story. -for the summary, check my MASTERLIST.

- if you want to be notified when this is updated, please message me or leave a comment!

- i doubt my skills after writing this chapter. i promise im not saying that to get compliments, i just want to make sure this chapter was ok and that it wasnt too much? youll find out more how she feels and why she did what she did in the next chapter!

- thanks for being patient btw! i work a lot these days and will work even more in the next few weeks (until halloween) so i may not update as often as i’d like. :(

-please, message me, give me feedbacks, it would mean sooo much to me!

Chapter 22 : His chapter

I looked at her when she moved away from me and my eyes roamed on her happy face. I didn't know why she didn't feel comfortable with that double date but the point was not to stress her. I wanted us to spend a nice evening and have fun the way double dates always should be, not that I was really used to them. It did happen a few times but I wouldn't really call those 'dates', they were more like 'hook ups' but I hadn't had any on the last tour because I really didn't see the point. Still, I was sure it would be fun with Liv and even if we were both reluctant about each other's relationship, I knew we could both have a nice time as long as we respected everyone.

"Honey?" she chuckled. "Why that word?"

I smiled slightly and finally looked down at my lap. I couldn't tell her I got that word because of the way she smelled. I had noticed her shampoo was a mix of vanilla and honey scent and I thought the latter was easier to work with. I couldn't lie to myself, I had to admit that in the past few weeks, I had noticed things about my best friend that I hadn't noticed before, like the way she smelled. There was more than that, though, and it felt like I was discovering her again. After all these years, I thought I knew her by heart but I couldn't be more wrong. I noticed the way her nose raised up when she laughed, how her laughter actually echoes on the wall most of the time, and the way I could read all her emotions on her face. I really just had to be attentive and realized there were so many small details I didn't see before but now, I wanted to focus on all of them and memorize them.

"Just seemed like a good idea. It's not a nickname I normally use but I don't think it would bring up suspicions." I shrugged with one shoulder as I explained.

"Yea, i'm sure Maya and Harry will love that we call each other 'honey' on a double date." she chuckled, bringing her hand to my upper arm and squeezing it lightly.

I glanced at her hand and blinked a few times. I knew she had always been affectionate like that but why did it feel like I had just realized it today?

"Oh come on!" I rolled my eyes with a smile. "They gotta get used to it, right? That's just how we are."

When I brought my attention back to her, she was staring at me with a small but fond smile and just just nodded slowly. I could have sworn something had happened today, like something had shifted. I could swear she was hiding something from me.

"Alright, so it's settled."

We looked at each other for a while but it felt natural when we cuddled again to watch the movie together. I was not sure we'd be able to do that again when she'd be officially dating Harry and it bothered me. Was he right? Was I being possessive with my best friend?

"Do you think your lover should be your best friend?"

I felt her tense against my side but waited a few more seconds to turn to her. The second 'Back To The Future' movie was almost over, which meant we hadn't talked in a few hours but it didn't feel awkward at all.

"Uhm, I'm not sure, I guess it depends who it is and how it goes."

I looked down at her but she avoided my gaze as she kept looking at the screen without really seeing it. I had no idea why my question made her so nervous but I just shrugged.

"I was just curious to know if we were still going to be best friend when you start dating Harry."

This time, she sat up^and turned her head my way. Our eyes met and she tilted her head with a frown. I had never noticed how her eyes seemed to express everything she was feeling inside. Was I blind before?

"Okay, look." she started, shaking her head a bit, still looking at me. "I'm not sure I want to date Harry, and i'm not sure what's going to happen. You're my best friend and you've always been, you know that will never change. And, I know I do it too but i'm so fucking tired to talk about Harry, and Maya, and what could happen between us. I miss how things used to be. Before all this."

I was not sure if she meant before the kisses we shared with Maya and Harry, before the last tour we both went on or simply before I was famous, but somehow, I understood exactly what she meant. I missed it too, whatever it was and whatever it meant.

"You remember fourth class?" she finally asked after a few seconds of silence. "When we were in the tree house behind my house for our sleepovers? We made a stupid pact."

I laughed and passed my hand in my hair.

"It was disgusting. Pretty sure I spit in my hand or something like that." I let out with a small grimace, making her laugh. "Best friends forever or something cheesy like that, I remember you made me do it."

"Oh hush, you wanted to." she argued, pushing on my arm slightly.

"Me? Wanting to shake your spit covered hand? Yea try again."

This time a laugh boomed out of her and it made me smile for a reason I ignored. I heard it echo on the wall once again and I enjoyed it.

"Niall! You literally licked my face earlier in the kitchen!"

I groaned and grimaced at the same time.

"It's different." I let out without any good argument.

She chuckled again and my eyes found hers as we both smiled.

"That pact is still going on. We said 'until we die' so I guess you're stuck with me forever."

"Lucky me." I joked before silence fell between us again. All we could hear was the sound of the tv in the background but the movie was definitely forgotten.

"I remember one time, I asked you if you were going to marry me." she pointed out so low I barely heard her.

It made me realize that her voice became softer when she would confess something she was embarrassed about and it was endearing in a way I couldn't explain.

"What did I answer?" I genuinely wondered with a frown.

It's crazy how good her memory was. Most of the things she'd bring up about us as kids were things I couldn't remember. But she remembered everything clearly, every conversation, almost word for word, and I was always curious to hear about it.

"You said no."

"I was a stupid kid." I let out, feeling extremely guilty for my lack of tact. "Why were you even friends with me?"

It made me think of that time we played truth or dare with Harry, when she admitted she used to have a crush on me when we were kids, and I couldn't help but wonder how much it had hurt her to hear that 'no' on that day but I didn't dare asking. Instead, sighed and got up slowly, stretching my arms as she was getting up too. I noticed the credits rolling on the screen.

"Tired?"

We got prepared and once again, ended up laying in the dark, in my bed. The room was quiet, heck the whole house was completely silent, and I didn't have the guts to break it. I liked the intimacy. The feeling of staying in complete silence with someone without an ounce of awkwardness. I liked that I didn't the need to talk just to fill a blank, that I didn't have to make sure it was not weird for her either.

I remained motionless when she cuddled my side again and I felt her leg move over mine slowly, making me hold my breath. I knew she hadn't said anything earlier when we fell on the floor while dancing, but it was impossible had not noticed how aroused I had been. I had barely moved over her but feeling my cock rub against her thigh made me freeze. Her lips had parted and all I could think about was when I caught her masturbating. How she had slid her hand in her panties, how her head was leaning against the bed, how her lips had parted with the pleasure. The more I tried to push the thought away, the more I was thinking about it and it suddenly hit me : if I hadn't caught her, she would have orgasmed on that bed. She would have shook, grabbed the sheets with her free hand, moaned out loud even, maybe... or she would have bitten her bottom lip to make sure no sound would come out so that no one could have heard her.

She was supposed to be my best friend, just my best friend. How many times had I repeated those words in the past week? Yet I had had a sex dream about her, masturbated thinking about her, caught her masturbating and had those images run in my head over and over again. it was at least the third time I was getting hard thinking about her and it was driving me insane. Having sex with my best friend would ruin everything. It would ruin her relationship with Harry and whatever I had with Maya but even worse, it would probably ruin our friendship. Just the thought scared me so much I held my breath again.

"Niall?"

Once again, her voice was soft and it made something twist in my stomach.

"Mm?"

"Everything will be fine." she simply answered as if she read my mind.

"I know petal, I know."

                                                       ----

We had planned the double date for the next day and it was a good thing because I was suddenly impatient to get it over with. Maya was leaving for a contract in Paris in a few days and Harry was apparently busy too with something he couldn't share just yet. I was surprised Liv didn't insist or even seemed annoyed but I didn't mention it.

We had decided on a typical movie date but when we stood up at the theatre in front of the movies, we couldn't seem to agree on anything.

"A romantic comedy would be so nice!" Maya let out in a dreamy tone.

"As long as it's not a horror movie I guess i'll just follow." Liv just shrugged, glancing at me.

I knew she was more into action movies but she was just romantic enough to enjoy a love story on screen and it made me smile.

"The Night Before seemed funny." I pointed out with a shrug as Liv was turning to me, sending me angry eyes. "What?" I just asked, raising my eyebrows.

No one decided to argue with me and I bought four tickets for all of us. I kept my hands in my pockets to make sure I wouldn't have to hold Maya's hand but she just wrapped her arm around mine and I just let her, not wanting to fight again especially not in public. Olivia walked next to me and bent down, raising her nose up.

"I hate those stupid comedies!" she reminded me in a very low tone, making me chuckle.

"Excuse me, but how many times did I watch the Die Hard movies with you? Or the Indiana Jones'?"

She looked up in my eyes and groaned again, moving away as I noticed Harry grabbing her fingers and pulling her closer and away from me. I frowned for half a second but felt Maya hold my arm closer to her and I turned my head to send her a small smile. This date had barely started and it was already awkward. She moved up on her tiptoe and I held my breath, a bit scared that she would kiss me. She simply smiled more and pressed her forehead against mine before moving back down on her feet. When I looked away, I noticed Liv's eyes on us but she immediately looked away and it made me feel guilty for a reason I ignored.

We entered the room and found seats in the back. I ended up between Harry and Maya and I bent down to glance at Liv before my eyes found Harry's.

"Do you mind to switch place with Liv?" I asked in a whisper, bending my head closer to him.

He stared at me a few seconds, a small frown gracing his face, but I kept staring at him without shame and he finally sighed and turned to talk to my best friend. After a few seconds, they both got up and Liv sat next to me, tilting her head back a bit to send me a smile.

"Can't live without me?" she murmured with a small chuckle, making me grimace.

"Don't make me say things I didn't say." I joked, making her laugh more.

We stopped talking when the movie started and I tried to focus on it instead to think about Maya who felt literally glued to my arm. It was funny and I laughed a lot until I turned to Liv who rolled her eyes but she couldn't hide the small smile on her lips. I looked down and noticed her knee pressed on mine. She had decided on a skirt and it was so rare that she'd wear something to show her legs that it was the first thing I had noticed. Her bare thigh was close to mine and I felt my hand sweat against my pants. I moved my hand to place my fingertips on one of her knees and I could swear she tensed next to me. I waited a few seconds but started drawing circles on her skin. I stared at my fingers as they kept moving on her knee but I could feel her eyes on me.

"Niall..." she breathed near my face.

I didn't turn to her but just moved my chin in the big screen's direction to tell her she should watch the movie. She didn't insist and I started thinking about the conversation we had had in the living room. When she mentioned 'Infinity' and how it reminded her of us, I almost thought she was going to tell me she had romantic feelings for me. That thought stayed in my head only for half a second and I was not sure how it made me feel. Relieved? Sad? Maybe a mix of both...

It seemed to take forever for the movie to end and I got up quickly, getting out of Maya's embrace. I was scared we'd have pictures taken on our way out and I didn't want to feed the rumors about us. Liv and Harry started discussing about the movie and Maya joined them but I remained silent until we were all back in the car. I still kept away from the conversation as they all decided on a small cafe to end the night but I couldn't hide that I was happy to be sitting in the front with Harry while the girls were on the back seat. I almost called out our 'safe word' but still decided to give this date an other chance. I knew she was having fun or at least I thought so

The cafe was small enough to be intimate but we sat in the back and I ended up facing Liv while Maya's side was pressed against mine. We all ordered something different and ended up chatting about different things. I noticed the small jukeboxes placed on each table and started scanning the songs before picking one. They all stopped talking when the song started and Liv sent me a smile, shaking her head slightly.

"Smile, though your heart is aching Smile, even though it’s breaking When there are clouds in the sky you’ll get by If you smile through your fear and sorrow Smile and maybe tomorrow You’ll see the sun come shining through for you..."

She sang the whole verse with a large smile while staring at me and I smiled back as she bent closer to me. I knew Maya and Harry were looking at us but I didn't give them any attention.

"You know I can't help singing when it's a song I like!" she pointed out with a laugh, making me shrug.

"I know... hey, remember that time you sang at karaoke last year?"

"Yea I was totally pissed!" she pointed out, laughing louder this time. "It was more of a joke though, I honestly can't sing."

"No actually I was surprised! it was good!"

Most of the time, Liv sings loud and as a joke or hums very low, too low for me to hear well. On that day, at karaoke, her voice was clear and soft, and I had realized that my best friend could sing. Perhaps not well enough to make it a career, but good enough to be enjoyable and even if I knew that alcohol had helped her opening up and getting more confident, I had been surprised of the outcome. In fact, she had just sang a short part of a soft song and her voice sounded nice, although she hadn't sung very loud.

"Okay, Nee." she pointed out, raising her eyebrows with an amused smile. "I'm as good of a singer as you are a dancer."

"I'm an incredible dancer." I joked, pointing a finger at her and making her laugh and nod quickly.

"Of course!"

We stopped talking when the waitress came back to ask us if we wanted something else and Maya asked for a refill while Liv ordered a pastry.

"Karaoke?" Maya wondered with a smile, turning her face to look at me. "That would have been a good date idea! Maybe next time?"

"You.. want an other date?" I asked without delicacy, a bit surprised by her request. "I mean, an other double date?"

She shrugged and her eyes moving to my best friend and Harry before going back to me. I suddenly felt a bit bad for bringing them into this without even asking them.

"Yea, if they're interested." she let out, unsure, as she moved one of her shoulders up. "I just think we should, you know, take all the steps one by one."

I frowned at her words before realizing what she meant. Maya still wanted a relationship and she was expecting all the things it would bring. All the 'firsts' and the dates, every single step that would lead to something steady and official. My eyes roamed on her face and I was not sure I wanted to have this discussion with her again, especially not at this moment.

The silence between us was uncomfortable and she just kept talking, trying to explain herself.

"I mean, it's fun to anticipate thing and where it could go, right?"

Olivia licked her lips and glanced at Harry. I had the feeling they had skipped a few steps on the way to the official relationship and if Maya was talking about sex, she was looking for approval in the wrong place.

"Are you talking about sex?" Harry asked, raising his eyebrows with an amused smile.

I could swear Maya started blushing but before she could say anything, Liv talked.

"What's there to anticipate when you've already did the whole thing?"

That's when I knew I was screwed. I had never really told them that Maya and I had sex but it was implied in the non-answers and the way I would smile at their questions. I couldn't even remember the reason why I had lied and perhaps it was simply because I didn't want to explain why I hadn't wanted to bang someone like Maya.

Maya frowned and glanced at me before looking back at my best friend. I could feel my heart beat all over my body, making my head throb with embarrassment.

"I mean, Niall and I didn't... we never..." she stuttered low. "We almost did but we... we didn't."

Olivia stared at her, blinking a few times as her lips parted but after a few seconds, her head slowly turned to me and her gaze met mine for half a second before falling to the table. She pushed her plate away without taking a bite and I moved my head, trying to catch her eyes but she avoided me and finally closed her eyes and swallowed.

"Honey." I whispered, my eyes roaming on her angry face.

"No." she answered just as low but harshly.

"Honey." I repeated louder in a begging voice.

This time, her eyes met mine and I was shocked to read pain and sadness through them. The way everything was visible through her eyes if you actually took the time to look at her was unbelievable.

"No."

One of my feet found hers under the table and I tried to press my leg against her the best I could. I was totally aware of what our interaction could sound like for the other two at the table with us but I didn't care. I had hurt my best friend and although I was not sure why she was so mad, I just wanted to explain everything to her.

"Please, Liv."

I could swear her traits softened a bit and I stopped myself from reaching to her hand on the table. I didn't want to fight with her again, it was the last thing I wanted.

"I'm sorry guys, I just.. I need to go home, I have a migraine."

"Home?" I breathed out as she got up.

My eyes followed her but she was looking down at Harry while she asked him for a ride. He sent her a gentle smile and I suddenly felt extremely jealous. I got up too, looking at them as Harry moved her chin up to look in her eyes, his lips curling more when their gaze met. She only nodded and sighed, turning to look at us, clearly unhappy.

"T'was nice, thanks for the evening, i'm sorry for ruining it."

"Liv-"

"No." she cut me again. "I'll call you. Goodnight guys."

Harry kissed Maya's cheeks and held his hand out for me but I just stood there, motionless. I didn’t acknowledge him and they finally left as Maya got up too. Her hands reached for my cheeks and it took me all my strength not to move away. It was not her fault, she had done nothing wrong. The truth was, I was mad at myself and I knew I was the only one to blame. I just didn't understand why it hurt my best friend so much.

"Are you okay?"

I didn't want to look at her and I just nodded with a sigh, looking through my pockets for my wallet, noticing Harry had already left a bill on the table that covered everything we had ordered and more. Maya's arms fell back on each side of her and I searched for my keys, realizing they had left us without a car. I called for a cab and we waited outside the cafe. Maya was not holding my arm anymore and it was a relief. I knew I was being an ass to her but at the same time, I didn't know how to tell her more clearly that I was not ready for a relationship.

"Do you invite me home?" she asked low when we hopped in the cab.

I got out of my thoughts and looked at her. I knew she could read in my eyes that I was not in the mood and I didn't even have to answer. She only nodded and shrugged.

"If you change your mind, you know my number." she proposed before giving her address to the driver.

I wanted to point out to her that she had mentioned taking the steps one by one but I feared it would give her the wrong impression about what I expected from this relationship so I kept quiet.

I was not surprised when her lips met mine right after the cab stopped in front of her apartment and I answered the kiss gently, closing my eyes. I knew I should have a conversation with her too but all I could think about was talking to my best friend and solving things with her. I leaned against the seat when the cab started moving again and passed my hand in my face roughly before slipping my fingers in my hair, pulling on it. Without thinking, I grabbed my phone and typed a message quickly.

'I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I love you.'

[thatmultifandomhoe]

Strawberry Cream and BBQ - 19

Pairing: Hybrid Hoseok and Human Reader

Overview: Your best friend knows she can count on you for anything, so when she asks you to watch her hybrid while she’s gone for a study abroad trip for four months, you can’t say no. But when these four months are over, things have changed in a way no one expected.

Word Count: 2,283

Genre: Hybrid AU, Fluff, Future smut, Angst, Best friends to Lovers

Warning: Fluff, a little itty bitty angst.

Master List

Sneak Peak - Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5 - Part 6 - Part 7 - Part 8 - Part 9 - Part 10 - Part 11 - Part 12 - Part 13 - Part 14 - Part 15 - Part 16 - Part 17 - Part 18 - Part 19 - Part 20 - Part 21 - Part 22 - Part 23 - Part 24 - Part 25 (Final) - Move in Day: A SC&BBQ Drabble

©thatmultifandomhoe Do not repost, translate, or use my stories without permission.

You held the laundry basket against your hip, arm stretched out to the side as you walked down the hall to the last room at the end of the hallway. An earbud was in one ear, listening to your favorite music, occasionally nodding your head to the beat of it.

Hoseok’s heat had ended the other night, making it the first time in three days that you got to sleep longer than a couple hours. True to his word, he hadn’t been able to control himself after marking you, showing you another side of him that you never expected but you greatly enjoyed.

Entering the room, you hurried the best you could to the only empty washing machine, setting your basket on top of it to claim it, wincing while doing so. The only down side to rough sex meant that you were sore, and having a mate who enjoyed seeing you covered in hickeys, also meant that underneath your clothes your skin was dotted with various purple love bites.

Inside the laundry room, there were six washers and six dryers, five of which were already taken. The complex provided the machines, but the tenants had to use their own detergents and softeners, which you didn’t see as a hassle as some of the older tenants did. Against the left wall was a six-foot table in length, and a handful of black folding chairs incase anyone wanted to stick around. But there wasn’t anyone else in the room despite the machines running, so you didn’t feel guilty about setting your basket on the table.

You hummed along to the song as you got the water running, turning to separate the clothes. For the last three days, Hoseok and you were stuck to staying in the bedroom for the sake of keeping the rest of the furniture safe from your sexcapades. He already lived up to his promise of needing a new headboard, and you weren’t even positive if the sheets were salvageable at this point. With a shudder, your nose scrunched up at the thought.

As the washer filled with water, you tossed in a load of dark clothes, a mix of yours and Hoseok’s clothing. This was perhaps, the least exciting thing you’ve done since he came to stay with you. But it was the like nothing had changed. You were still you, the same woman who hated throwing all her laundry in the wash at once, unlike your neighbors who would rather toss it all in instead of separating them.

Since the task was so simple, your mind wandered to Sue and your friendship. You weren’t ready to say that it was dying, but you knew that it was nothing like it used to be. It felt like you were seeing her in a new light, one that painted her in a new light. During the last three days, your phone and Hoseok’s had taken turns with receiving messages from Sue, sometimes only minutes apart as she alternated between texting you. For obvious reasons you didn’t respond back. The only time you even touched your phone was when Hoseok went to go get snacks and food from the kitchen for you during the breaks. He didn’t let you leave the bed unless it was for the bathroom, but that was because he saw how sore and exhausted your body was.

You couldn’t help but shake your head, remembering how he had whined when you tried to go to the kitchen the first time after the first couple rounds. He knew exactly what was going to happen but you were being stubborn. It was a good thing he was right behind you when you stood, legs giving out at your attempt to stand. You had to reassure him more than once that you weren’t in pain.

Speaking of pain. Reaching up, you gently touched the bite mark on your neck with your fingers, only flinching a little. It was still sore and needed time to heal. How long it would take, you weren’t entirely sure. A sense of pride rushed through your body knowing that his mark was permanently there. You spent years, trying and failing to find the perfect man, only to realize he had been there all along. Tossing in the last shirt, you closed the lid. Maybe watching all those romance movies was starting to reflect on your life.

“Oops, I didn’t know someone was in here.”

Turning to look over your shoulder, you watched as two women entered the laundry room. They appeared to be a mother and daughter, sharing the same brown hair and thin nose. You knew the mother; her name was Mrs. Whitney and she lived three doors down from you.

“How are you doing hun?” Mrs. Whitney asked, adjusting her teal framed glasses as she went to the dryer against the right wall.

“Pretty good.” You answered, smiling when she looked your way. “Just trying too find the motivation to get a majority of the laundry done today.”

Mrs. Whitney chuckled as she put a basket on the floor. “Mind sending me some of that motivation when you find it?” With a glance over her shoulder, she gestured to her daughter who was sitting on one of the chairs, her eyes glued to her phone. “Better yet, send it to my daughter instead. Somebody doesn’t know when to set her phone down and help her mother.”

You pressed your lips together to keep from laughing. Instead you grabbed your own basket and tapped your fingers against the handle to give your hands something to do.

The daughter, realizing that she was being spoken about, lifted her head and forced a smile when your eyes met. She appeared to be around your age, young enough to have pink highlights in her hair and get away with it, but you didn’t immediately recognize her.

“You asked for company,” she told her mother.

“Yes, I did,” Mrs. Whitney agreed. “But I was hoping that you’d put the phone away too, Beth.”

Beth rolled her eyes, but she did put her phone in her pocket. “What would you like me to talk about?”

Leaning against the washer, you felt a pang of sympathy for Mrs. Whitney. You weren’t extremely close to her, but you were friendly enough to stop and have a conversation with each other if you weren’t press for time.

“Well, I think we have a new tenant living on this floor. I’m not sure what his name is, but I’ve seen him coming in and out. He’s a hybrid.”

You tilted your head to the side, biting back the smile that threatened to take over your face. No matter where you went, Hoseok managed to be the main story to any conversation as of late. “Actually,” you softly interjected. “That’s Hoseok. He’s staying with me while Sue, our friend and his owner, is away on the study abroad program offered at the college.”

Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed that Beth suddenly straightened up, her gaze focused on you.

Mrs. Wright on the other hand, just smiled. “Studying abroad? Well that’s exciting. Wait, Beth, don’t you have a friend doing that too?”

“Yeah, I’m friends with Sue too,” Beth explained. “She’s over in Hong Kong.”

If a dark cloud had the ability to form inside a building, you were willing to bet there was one hovering over your shoulder. You couldn’t recall ever seeing Beth, but the longer you look, she did seem familiar. She probably was friends with Sue. Even though it was a small town, the college attracted students from all over the state. If anything, you might have seen her in passing on campus.

There was just something about her that made your pulse race. Not like how it did when Hoseok was near. No. She gave you the same feeling you experienced every time you had to lock up the bookstore at night and had to walk around back to the parking lot where you kept your car. You felt nervous around her.

“Well isn’t this a small world,” Mrs. Whitney spoke, capturing your attention again.

You gave her a shaky smile, quickly nodding. “Yeah, small world.”

Shutting the dryer, she moved her full basket on to the table, pushing it against the wall to have space to fold her clothes. From what you could tell it was mostly whites and a dozen or two socks.

“That Hoseok, he seems around your age,” Mrs. Whitney sent you a knowing grin, obviously missing the mark that was on your neck. You knew that she meant well – things tended to go over her head sometimes – but she truly was a sweet woman. For the first few months after you moved into your apartment, she was the only one to say hi to you and offer help when you needed it. “Is he seeing anyone?”

Beth snorted, drawing her mother’s attention. “Might want to clean your glasses mom and take a look at her neck. He’s seeing someone alright.” As if to prove her point, she pointed at your neck, her eyes narrowing when you reached up to cover the mark with your hand. But Mrs. Whitney saw it before you could hide it.

“Oh, I didn’t realize…” Mrs. Whitney’s hands grip tightened on the washcloth she had been folding. “I’m sorry hun, I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“It’s alright, Mrs. Whitney.”

The room went silent for a moment, the atmosphere so tense that it felt like it would suffocate you at any moment. Beth sat back in her seat, a smug grin on her face as she pulled out her phone.

“You know, he seems like a really nice man,” Mrs. Whitney softly said. “And as long as he makes you happy, then I don’t see any reason to dislike him.”

Looking up, you saw the gentle smile on her face that was meant just for you. “Thank you, Mrs. Whitney. Hoseok’s about the sweetest man you could ever meet.” Her smile widened as she began to fold her clothes once more, and you took that as your cue to leave.

You rubbed the mark once more before uncovering it, feeling Beth’s stare on it as you wished Mrs. Whitney a good day, hurrying out of the laundry room as fast as possible without drawing attention. Taking a shaky breath, your body moved on autopilot, the steps to your apartment already ingrained in your mind as your thoughts went elsewhere.

This wasn’t what you were expecting when you went to go do laundry. Obviously, there were still people who didn’t see hybrids as equals, but you didn’t think you’d run into someone who thought that way so soon. Especially someone who was a friend of Sue.

It didn’t change your mind or your feelings for Hoseok, you didn’t want to bother with people like Beth. What hurt was that she already had her mind made up about hybrids, and despite how sweet and understanding her mother is, she didn’t seem to be changing her mind anytime soon.

As you walked back into your apartment, you were still thinking about Beth when Hoseok walked out of your now shared bedroom, dropping a black garbage bag on the floor.

“Bad news,” he announced, scratching the base of his dog ears.

Raising an eyebrow, the corner of your lips curved into a smile as you guessed what was in the bag. “We need new bed sheets?”

“I’m thinking we should buy a bunch, that way if they get ruined, we don’t have to constantly go out to the store.” He had the decency to look partially guilty, but it was still amusing. Walking around the bag, he went to take the basket from you when he frowned, his tail stilling as he took in the not so happy look on your face. “Strawberry, is everything okay? If it’s about the sheets, I’m sorry. Ripping them was the last thing I planned to do.”

You shook your head though, effectively cutting him off. “No, it’s not that. Do you recall someone named Beth Whitney?” You asked, setting the basket on the floor. “Pink highlights, apparently a friend of Sue?”

He frowned as he thought about it, moving closer so he could slip his hand into yours. “The name sounds familiar, but I can’t picture her. I might’ve met her at some point, Sue and Colin always had people over. Why do you ask?”

“I ran into her and her mom in the laundry room,” you answered, stepping into his embrace. His arms went around your back as he looked down at you. “She was very interested in the fact that you were staying with me. Beth, that is.”

Hoseok tilted his head. “Well, that’s weird.” But he kissed your forehead and your body relaxed at his touch. These three days had been amazing, and to see you suddenly so sad didn’t sit well with him. “I wouldn’t worry about it though. She’s probably someone who’s nosey. Sue always had a few friends who couldn’t mind their own business. We on the other hand, have to go shopping for a new headboard and sheets.”

That made you chuckle, and as you went to retrieve your purse, you couldn’t shake the strange feeling. It was like a cold breeze that never died down. You tried not to think about it, and when the two of you left, Hoseok wrapped an arm around your shoulders as you headed for the elevator. His touch warmed you up, but you could feel a pair of eyes on you that didn’t go away until the elevator doors closed shut.

[blakelywintersfield]

Help! Part one: Backstory- when I was a kid I saw love triangles & thought well why can't they just all date bc i was a kid & didn't understand polyamoury so my parents told me that polyamoury is no longer acceptable in today's society. So I grew up in a monogamous society & believed that polyamoury was non existent. Then I thought it was wrong, or at least unhealthy. Then I believed that triangle romances were ok but not Vs or open relationships but I still disliked polyam as an idea

I disliked polyamoury as an idea & didnt support that lifestyle but if any1 hated on my polyams I would defend em. Now Im ~accepting/supportive of polyam bc if they communicate (like any relationship) then itll turn out fine (if all parties are poly, that is.) example- i had a friend whos strictly mono but he dated a poly guy who was abusive& treated my friend like a sidechick. When they broke up my friend put his mono ass into another poly romance &bc of his trauma & bpd he was toxic & trying to make his bf mono & felt like he was the sidechick again despite his bf treating both of His bfs equally. & he also had a bad experience with polyamoury so he knew how my friend felt. (Communication is important) Present day- so here comes my issue. I think I might be poly. But I suck at communication & I seem to have internalized issues & polyphobia & I'm not sure whether I "believe" in it or not. Idk what to do & I don't think my parents would approve esp since I don't even approve. What if it's just romanticized or fetishized & I'm not actually poly? I don't want to be poly. I wish society didn't frown upon it bc thst might help. So here I am, a 17yo on Tumblr, asking an older queer for help.

Hi hun! Hopefully, I’m not getting back to you too late on this; sorry it took me a minute to respond!

Firstly, I want you to know that no matter what you turn out to be -- monogamous or polyamorous -- that the way you love isn't unhealthy. Neither type of relationship structure is better than the other; it purely depends on how you feel during it. I know it may be hard to accept something that you were raised to see as immoral or wrong; believe it or not, I was raised extremely homophobic and transphobic, and accepting I was queer and trans was a big shift for me. Hell, I just came to terms with being grey-aromatic -- and that one was hard as hell, because well. I do like romantic relationships. I love that closeness, that bond. Accepting that it was rare as hell for me to feel that towards anyone else was really tough, but it was also liberating. I realized, wow, I wasn't broken because I couldn't romantically connect with others that had mutual interest in me; it's just my romantic orientation. The same may go for you -- if you end up being polyamorous, accepting it can really free you of guilt you may have felt in the past for having a crush on two people and wanting to date them both, because there's nothing wrong with wanting that.

I'm personally monogamous. I know I am because of a few reasons -- I'm worn out very easily by social situations, and even friendships are hard for me to manage just because my social battery is really low. I don't think I have the social stamina to keep up with multiple partners, and I would hate to neglect one or more of my partners, or make them feel unwanted / unloved. I'm a solitary person by nature. And that's okay! I also do have issues feeling insecure, and while I am working on that, I don't think it would personally be healthy for me if I had a partner who was polyamorous, because I'd worry they would get bored of me / leave me for the other. Which is unrealistic -- in a healthy polyamorous relationship, this wouldn't be an issue, but I know my anxiety and relationship insecurity is bad enough that it would put a polyamorous partner through too much stress. Being on the aromantic spectrum too, I just don't know how likely it'd be for me to find a partner, let alone multiple, so that's a personal factor for me, but besides that, my reason for being monogamous are based on how I know myself to be in romantic partnerships.

One of my best friends is polyamorous. One of her biggest reasons is because she feels the need for a support system that goes past friendship -- partners that could live with her, help her raise a family, make sure she stays safe (she has some physical and emotional/mental issues). It makes her feel more secure to know she has multiple people looking out for her, and makes her feel like she's not putting too much stress on one person. The distribution of responsibility makes her feel much more comfortable than having one person take it all on. In a sense, the reason I'm monogamous is the same reason she's polyamorous -- a feeling of security.

Regardless of what kind of relationship you have, it should make you feel secure. Obviously we all have our moments -- as someone with BPD, I have times where I'm insecure just about my friendships, and even my relationship with my parents. Sometimes we all feel insecure, but if it's a constant feeling and it can't be taken care of with reassurance, then you may want to reconsider the relationship -- be it monogamous or polyamorous. Think about your expectations from a relationship; what would you want the outcome to be? If you had multiple partners, what would that look like long-term for you? This should be based purely off what you want / need -- not based off what others may think of you or what negative ideas others might get, because at the end of the day, those who don't support a healthy path to happiness don't have opinions you should judge off of.

There's also different types of polyamorous relationships, and from what I know, most polyamorous people tend to have a relationship set they prefer -- for example, you mentioned open relationships. That's a type of polyamory where, usually, a couple may have another partner / multiple partners, and their position could be anything from a partner to a friend with benefits; the couple usually sets the boundaries on what they expect (i.e. "you can sleep with other people, but I want us to stay the main couple") and then they explain those boundaries to anyone they may wish to engage with. It may seem strange that a couple committed to each other would sleep with other people, but there's a variety of reasons, ranging from kinks to sexual needs to libido (i.e. a couple with a sex-replused asexual who is comfortable with their partner having responsible / safe sex with other people to satisfy their sexual needs). Some people who have needs like my best friend may benefit from Vs; where one person has two partners, but those partners don't date each other. That doesn't mean they're not aware of each other -- that's NOT polyamory, that's cheating. As you said, polyamory takes communication, and without that, it's not healthy polyamory. There's also Triads (three people all dating each other), Fluid Chains (these tend to end up being two people already in polyamorous couples that start dating each other), and much more! I'd say the judgement of you needs and expectations in a relationship should help you decide what type of relationship you'd want.

As you brought up, there's always a risk of getting into a polyamorous relationship that ends up toxic, but that risk is just as likely as ending up in a toxic monogamous relationship -- neither relationship type is "more prone" to toxicity. I'm very sorry your friend dealt with it firsthand, especially because the first experience being a toxic one can make it very hard to get past that trauma. Getting out of any kind of toxic relatinship can leave you with some trust issues and things to work out; it's just as toxic to force a polyamorous person to be monogamous as it is for a monogamous person to be polyamorous. If you're not comfortable with a certain relationship style, you shouldn't force yourself to comform to someone else's, and vice versa.

I know in the recent years, with polyamory starting to become more talked about, understood, and accepted, that it may seem like it really is the perfect way to date. And for some, it is! For others, not so much. I really recommend making a list of your expectations out of a relationship (as I said before), because that may help you clear up whether or not it's just been romanticized to you, or if you may actually be polyamorous yourself. If possible, maybe try finding some local polyamory support groups / meetups, and seeing if you can find other people who are also questioning whether they're mono or poly -- sometimes what helps is talking to others who have questions, because they may also have answers. It may also end up benefitting you because if you end up dating someone else who isn't sure but is open to trying, you can both safely explore that type of relationship without risking the other not being open to polyamory. Since you are 17, I would highly suggest finding groups geared towards those under 21, because regardless of relationship orientation, an older person persuing you is not okay. Anyone involved in your relationship should be around your age, even if you're not directly dating them.

Sorry if this was a little mixed around, if you need to ask for clarifications on anything, or have any other questions, please feel free to ask! Good luck hun! <3

[theotherace]

Day 17

“I think you are wise to choose happiness and love.” – Iroh

[Before reading this, please know that this is incredibly rough and at some points a little weird and mainly dialogue and cuts off very abruptly. It’s a very first, only almost finished draft of an OS, a dump of my thoughts on the matter, that I will almost certainly come back to in the future. Probably next month, when I’m done with all these prompts, because I like the premise, but this isn’t really it. Toph also isn’t in it, this is a talk between Aang and his youngest kid, so the Taang is somewhat implied in that Kavi is Toph’s son as well.  Then, I just have to say that I really hate that quote. I hate that Iroh says it. I hate that Aang gets to live by it. I love that boy so much, but his character developement in Book 3? Shitty. Don’t like it. Writing AU-Fanfic, because they botched it.  Also, slight criticism of Kata*ng (specifically of Aang’s treatment, for lack of a better word, of her), because it’s one of my NOTPs and I couldn’t help myself. I almost could see it working, but, like Aang’s developement, they ruined it. Sunk their own ship. (In my opinion. Everybody’s entitled to their own. I’m just tired and therefore cranky.) Draft under the cut.]

Aang lifted his gaze from the letters he'd began sorting through hours ago, and still the pile didn't appear to have shrunk at all – all enthusiasm to deal with his mail had left him quite a while ago, as it always did, and he mused once again that maybe, just maybe, a secretary wasn't such a bad idea, now that they didn't travel all the time anymore.

Now that they had chosen a home that wasn't Appa's back.

Kavi, leaning on the wall next to his desk, peaked at him from behind the book – The Extensive History of the Dai Li – he hadn't set down since Bumi had sent it to him last week, always scribbling in it and marking passages and making notes, a brush in hands, his fingers inky, and Aang quirked a brow.

"I can feel you staring. What is it, Kavi?"

The brush turned between the boy's nimble fingers.

"I don't wanna keep you from your ... correspondence", he said slowly.

"Keep me from my correspondence, please. I've had enough of it today; it's mostly just people telling me that it hasn't rained in too long or that it's been raining too much. Which I can do nothing about, anyway. What're you thinking about?"

He turned in his chair.

Kavi tilted his head, as if thinking it over again , before he asked: "What's the worst mistake you ever made? Like ... really the worst. I've been thinking about mistakes and regrets and all that a lot lately, 'cause, y'know, Avatar Kyoshi founded the Dai Li and that certainly wasn't a good decision. Obviously, they're not as bad anymore, but that's because they're back to what they were  supposed to be. They're protectors again, instead of ... a weird, brainwash-y secret organisation."

He painted a wet, black line on his face while gesticulating and ignored it in favour of drawing his brows together and adding: "Though I think I already know what you think your biggest mistake is."

"Do you."

"Yeah. You ran away. When you were a kid. I know you regret that. I would. Even though I think I would've run, too, if someone threatened to take me away from you guys. I'd rather leave on my own terms."

The brush twirled around, around, around.

Aang fiddled with one of the letters.

"That was ... is ... indeed my greatest mistake. And I will never not regret that I ran, but ... I have come to accept it as a part of my past that I can't ever change. I will never quite make up for what my absence ... the Avatar's absence ... did to the world, but ... I can try, you know? Try to make this world better place, a more peaceful place, not because that's my job or because I feel guilty, but because that's what's right. Try to be a good friend and husband and father. So that's what I've been doing, every day for the past fourty years ... Well, I haven't been a dad or married for quite so long, but I think you get what I'm trying to say."

Kavi nodded pensively, brows still furrowed.

"I think I do."

He lifted his free hand and rubbed over the ink on his cheek, smudging it.

"Kinda. I don't know if I'll ever really ... understand understand. But I ... understand."

"Hmm", hummed Aang. "My journey to becoming a fully realized Avatar was ... a rather rocky one, I suppose. I was stubborn. And I couldn't've possibly comprehended what fighting a war would mean before I woke up at the South Pole and ... fought a war. So I wouldn't expect you to fully understand. I don't want you to. It's bad enough Bumi's joined the Air Force."

"I don't really remember him not being in the Air Force. How old was I when joined up? Five?"

"Just about, yes."

"He's a Captain now. Aren't you proud of him?"

Aang sighed deeply.

"I am. I'm incredibly proud of all of you. Tenzin's about to become a father, Asha's teaching with your mother, Norbu's an architect, which I know nothing about, but I'm glad he's enjoying doing what he does. You're on your best way to achieve mastery. And Bumi is a Captain. Of course I'm proud of him. I just wish he would've chosen a different career. Something safer, that wouldn't result in him being on the frontlines of a war, should there ever be another one."

He shook his head.

Kavi pulled his knees closer.

"I lived through barely the last year of one, and it was terrible. I don't want any of you to experience what I did. The same goes for your mother. But you're your own people, you make your own decisions. We can't stop you from doing that and we wouldn't want to, either. I can just ... try to lead you a bit as long as you'll let me. Give you some advice, if you ask for it. You want to know about the worst advice I ever got, if we're already talking about mistakes and regret?"

"Oh. Sure", Kavi said, hesitant for just a moment.

"I met Guru Pathik – I've told you about him?"

"Yeah. The guy who helped you master the Avatar State. An old friend of Monk Gyatso. He must've been ancient when you met."

"He was ... a very, very wise man. A mentor when I was in desperate need of someone to look up to and guide me. Unfortunately, when I first met him, I wasn't very ... accepting of everything he tried to teach me. In order to control the Avatar State, I needed to open my chakras. And there were some ... minor ... hiccups, I had to confront myself, my mistakes, my shame, the ... the guilt I felt, ... like I'd ... never had before. And I did it. The problem ... was the seventh chakra."

"The Thought Chakra", Kavi mumbled.

Aang brightened a little.

"That's right. Do you remember how to unlock it?"

"By ... letting go of ... of earthly attachments."

The boy's frown deepened and his hand closed tightly around the brush that had stopped wandering over his fingers when he'd tried to remove the ink from his face – it was still blotchily staining his pale skin.

"I never really thought about that. That's terrible. And you still have attachments. You've got Mom and us. So, ... you haven't mastered the Avatar State?"

"I have full control over the Avatar State, don't worry. Letting go of attachments ... that's not about not loving. It's not about detaching yourself completly from everything. It would be, if you tried to reach true enlightenment, but that wasn't my goal. My goal was to not be controlled by my emotions. You need to be the master of your emotions, not the other way around. With something like the Avatar State at your expense, you can't afford that. Rage can end in a massacre. Grief could as well. No."

He looked at the ceiling for a moment, thinking about how to best continue, then said: "In this case, letting go of attachments meant to learn to not depend. To stand on my own. My friendships with Mom and Sokka weren't a problem; my crush on Katara absolutely was, because I depended on her too much. I relied on her to pull me out of the Avatar State when I couldn't control myself. I wanted her to be my forever girl, because ... well, she was the first girl. She became my everything much too quickly when she should've never been that at all. And that just wasn't fair to her. I placed her on pedestal when I barely even knew her name, and wouldn't let her step down. And when it came to make the decision between her and controlling this ... great power, ... I chose her. And she wouldn't have wanted that, but I didn't understand that, then."

Kavi chewed on his lip.

"So, who gave you bad advice, then?"

"General Iroh."

"Uncle Zuko's Uncle? The guy Iroh's named after? He's supposed to have given the best advice, though! Mom always talks about that and his tea and how he was the original owner of the Jasmine Dragon and stuff. He's supposed to be this super wise guy", he said. "I don't understand."

"Nobody's infallible. Not even Uncle. When I told him of my dilemma – we were on our way to safe Katara and Zuko, right under Ba Sing Se, he told me ... he said that power was overrated. And that I was wise to chose happiness and love instead. And I'm sure he meant well ... and I don't remember how well I explained what I was trying to master. We were also on a rescue mission, and I wouldn't have listened had he told me to go back to the Guru anyway. But this wasn't about taking power, choosing it over love. It was about controlling something dangerous that I already possessed ... His advice was quite dangerous, in retrospect ..."

[yaachtynoboat711]

Fonder 6

A/N: Yes, I’m back like I never left! I’ve been hella busy this summer and I’m just happy to be checking back in. It’s been a little over a year since I began writing and I must say, I’m happy to still be doing this. I love y’all and the encouragement, support, and creative guidance some of you all have given me for the past year!

Word Count: ~3.2K

Warning(s): Fluff, Language, a dash of angst

Thursday, March 19, 2015, 6:19 p.m., Philadelphia

Today was the day: Michael and Khalida were meeting each other’s parents. Due to the filming of his upcoming film Creed , Michael temporarily relocated to Philadelphia. With him three hours away, Yaa was able to visit him as much as her schedule would allow her to. Now, here they were in his car headed to dinner. Both were visibly nervous and reasonably so. Michael paid special attention to the road as he drove his anxiety away. Yaa was deep in her phone checking and responding to work-related emails. In any event of distress, her first choice of relief was work—a drug of choice. As much as she tried to keep her composure, the constant shaking of her foot was the dead giveaway. In an attempt to console his nervous girlfriend, Michael gripped part of Yaa’s thick thigh.

“Hey...it’s ok to be nervous, sugar bear. Not to make you any more nervous than you already are, but my parents can at times be...a lot to handle. Buuut, I’m more than confident that you can be able to handle them. I’ve seen you go against lawyers that’ve practiced law longer than you’ve been alive and you don’t even flinch. So if you can deal with them, then Donna and Michael A. are the least of your concerns.”, Michael comforted as he kept his eyes on the road.

Yaa finally sent her last e-mail for the weekend and locked her phone. “Yeah, but the biggest difference between those old ass lawyers and your parents is that I haven’t slept with any lawyer’s son. Even further, you haven’t met my parents; they take bougie to a whole new dimension. I just don’t know how our parents are going to mix, y’know?” Michael drove in silence, contemplating on what Yaa had just said. “I’m sorry, Kari, that was a lot. I’m just...nervous.” Yaa lowered her head as she realized that she may have spoken too much, at least in her head.

Looking out of the car window, Yaa got lost in the Spotify playlist playing throughout the car. Without a word, Michael took Yaa’s hand into his and kissed the top of her knuckles gently. Her straight face quickly turned into a slight grin. “I love you, Peanut.”, she muttered.

Michael rolled his eyes, “I love you too, sugar bear.”

Forno Rosso, 5:36 p.m.

By the time Yaa and Michael arrived at the restaurant, their parents were already seated and well into conversation. The circular table was located towards the back in a corner, which according to the restaurant’s owner, was the best spot for an intimate dinner despite the sounds of people conversing and plates clacking. The couple walked to the back hand in hand to find the other only Black people in the restaurant--their parents.

“Well, speak of the Devil, there go our babies!”, Khadijah announced as she got up. After the seemingly never-ending round of hugs ended, the couple began introducing each other to parents.

“Mom, Pops, this is my girlfriend, Dr. Khalida Abdullah. Baby, these are my parents, Donna and Michael A. Jordan.”, Michael announced as he observed his parents’ reaction to hearing their son’s girlfriend’s name be prefaced with Doctor.

“It’s a pleasure to finally meet you, sweetheart. Michael hasn’t shut up about you since New Years, and I must say, now it makes sense to see why you were the only thing he talked about. Isn’t she a pretty girl, baby?”, Ms. Donna greeted as she shook Yaa’s hand. With her husband’s affirming headshake, the handshake turned into yet another hug for Mr. and Mrs. Jordan.

“He talks about you two all the time also and thank you so much!”, Yaa replied. “Now, Kari, these are my parents, Drs. Khadijah and Mustapha Abdullah. Baba, Umi, this is Michael B. Jordan, my boyfriend.”

“Well, praise the Lord! Dreams do come true. My ibby has been dating you in her head for about 12 years. Finally a pleasure to meet you, son.”, Mustapha greeted, making sure to embarrass his daughter. Mission accomplished. “How are you treating my baby? Sublime, I hope?”

Michael looked to Yaa, who was in a side conversation with Khadijah. “Of course, Dr. Abdullah. There’s no reason for her to be treated any less or different.”

He was definitely keeping that Gatsby energy up—he sent her a dozen sunflowers every other Thursday and treated the office to lunch every now and again.For Valentine’s, the two went to Paris, where he officially asked her out. Apart from the lavish showering of affection and bomb sex, the two had a friendship and a connection that couldn’t be denied. Unlike Winston, Michael supported her career and her work ethic. In times she had to leave or cancel dates because she was called to emergency meetings? He didn’t want to, but he encouraged her to go on. The countless nights she was knee-deep in research? He definitely understood. Spending the night at the office? You bet your last dollar Michael was up with her. In those instances, he’d be sure to have food delivered to her. He even came to some of the trials she had to serve in. Though he didn’t want to admit it, seeing her in her zone turned him on. He respected her craft and her passion and vice versa. Their budding romance had actualized significantly slower than hers with Winston—she preferred that. Apart from the sugar daddy shit, she was finally in a “normal” relationship.

*****

The group’s dinner was running smoothly. The parents got along surprisingly well. Being that they were around the same age, the four related to each other. As for Michael and Yaa, they got along with each other’s parents really well. Hell, they were the lost son and daughter their parents secretly wanted.

Everyone took turns telling general stories about current life happenings and the parents even took the time to tell embarrassing stories about their children. The more they told stories, the further Michael and Yaa slumped in their chairs in shame. Yaa definitely didn’t want to re-visit her first day of high school, which if you were coming into high school at 11, a nightmare was destined to happen on the first day. Mustapha still found it especially funny after almost 14 years. Thankfully, Khadijah found a way to keep her first-born from dying at the dinner table.

“Enough about Khali’s first day at St. Dominic’s, honey. Ibby’s still a bit traumatized. But since we’re on the subject of first experiences,the question of the hour has yet to be asked or answered: how’d you two lovebirds meet?”

Silence. Because neither wanted to explain to their parents that they’d spent the wee hours of 2015 fucking each other senseless, Yaa especially preferred her father tell more embarassing stories about her awkward middle school-esque experiences at St. Dominic’s Girls Prep. But instead of conveying their anxiety with their facial expressions, the two stared at each other until Michael finally spoke up. “Well, Dr. Khadijah... I had the privilege of meeting your daughter at a Great Gatsby-themed New Year’s party that I hosted. Tanisha told me about her and I would’ve been stupid not to invite her...so I did. We...talked all night and up until the…next morning. We haven’t stopped talking to each other since. ” Michael looked to Yaa from across the table whenever he paused, attempting to make his “story” appear more credible than it was.

“Well...son, I’m happy you’ve finally found someone who makes you happy as Khalida does. Moreover, I’m happy to have met two new friends in Khadijah and Mustapha. Here’s to new beginnings and relationships!”, Donna saluted as she raised her glass of water. The table toasted and continued on with the night.

*************

Even after their children pleaded for them to come, the Jordan’s and Abdullah’s decided to opt out of going to the 76ers-Pelicans game following dinner. Though a blow, Michael and Yaa continued on with their date night. As the two sat in game night traffic, Michael couldn’t help but to take in his girlfriend’s beautiful profile. Her thick, oversized tortoise-shell glasses rested perfectly on the tip of her wide button nose. Her full lips were painted with the brightest red lipstick she could get her hands on. Her simple white turtleneck and jeans outfit was so simple, yet so...Khalida. Since the 76ers were playing Yaa’s New Orleans Pelicans, it was important for her to bring her Big Easy pride to the City of Brotherly Love. Though she wasn’t much for flashy jewelry, she made it a point to wear both her gold fleur-de-lis necklace and her Super Bowl ring. Such a flex.

Wells Fargo Arena, 9:17 p.m.

“YOOOOOO! THAT WAS A FOUL, REF, ARE YOU SERIOUS RIGHT NOW?!?!?!”, Yaa shouted out as she shot up from her courtside seat. Michael was being entertained by the antics of his passionate date. She basically coached the game while sitting down, one hand interlocked with Michael’s and the other hand occasionally used to give direction to her beloved Pelicans, and nursing her second glass of moscato. Michael found himself laughing at her sincerity, gassing her up every now and then to reaffirm her sideline gripe.

“That’s right, baby!” “Y’all heard the lady!”

The two really looked like a couple. Not saying that their chemistry indicated otherwise; but this was their first public outing. The Paparazzi seemed to take notice of the two—cameras from all around the arena were tuning in to see Michael B. Jordan and his non-model date be boo’d up with one another. It was obvious that the two were being photographed. They could’ve given half a collective fuck what social media said about their relationship. If anything, they kinda absorbed the sudden attention.

It was Kiss Cam time. Couples throughout the arena were caught off-guard and gave their significant others quick, yet meaningful kisses.

“Well, damn, I guess niggas on the front row ain’t in love?”, Michael joked as he watched the other couples display their affection.

Yaa downed the rest of her wine, her eyes fixed on her sulking boyfriend.“I know you fuckin’ lyin. I just know you are, Kari.”,Yaa quickly responded as she started laughing.

“Naw, I ain’t. But I’m saying, if you had a date that looked good enough to eat, you’d want for them to be seen, too. That’s all I’m saying, baby.”

Yaa rolled her eyes at his antics, “You’re pathetic, you know that, right?”

Just as it seemed as the segment was over, the cameraman saved the best for last. The camera pointed at Yaa and Michael mid-laugh. Without hesitation, Michael gripped her chin and allowed his lips to taste the wine left on her lips. Damn, he’s a good kisser. Yaa pulled back first, her face more red than an Alabama home game.

“Oh, so you frontin’ for the cameras, I see.”, he whispered in her ear. A genuine cackle escaped her lips. “You gon’ stop, Kari!”

11:36 p.m.

Even though the game was in overtime, Yaa and Michael decided to leave early, in the interest of beating traffic and grabbing some late-night munchies. Clear and confident with their decision, the two made a quick beeline towards the tunnel. Unfortunately, with their decision came a flock of paparazzi behind them. The closer they got to the exit, the more cameras seemed to appear. Fuck. Whatever you do, don’t let go of his hand! Their brisk walk quickly turned into a jog. “Michael! Who’s the lucky lady?” “What’s your name?!” “I thought you only dated models, Mike? She doesn’t look like a model.” That last comment got the best of Yaa. “Aye, ya mammy doesn’t either, yet here we are!”, she scolded. As they made the last left turn to the exit, a group of maybe 10 camera people began their flashing light dance. This time, they weren’t moving out of the way. Michael stopped to assess a strategy.

“The hell you stop for?!”, a clearly shaken Yaa demanded.

“I need a plan. They don’t look like they’re going to move out of the way.”, Michael replied as he stared off in the exit’s direction. Yaa’s chest rose and fell as quickly as her heart was beating. Suddenly, her hand trembled in his and a slight sweat appeared on her forehead. Her fear-driven adrenaline was going into overdrive as the paparazzi came closer.

“Fuck, Winston, they’re everywhere!”, Yaa commented loud enough for only the two of them to hear. But before Michael could get pissed, he snatched her hand and made his way through the thick media jungle. Shuttering cameras, seizure-inducing flashing lights, and loud overlapping questions further added to the circus they walked through.

“Michael!” “Michael!” “ Mr. Jordan!” “Who is she? “How long are you in Philly? “Can you tell us about the movie?” “Michael, who’s your friend?” “How’s Cre—”. The clearly rambunctious questions being asked became muffled as the car doors closed. The two sat in somewhat silence as they tried to catch their breath. “Remind me...to never go anywhere else with you. Because that...that... was... bullshit.”, Yaa remarked in between breaths.

“I’ve never had the paps out on me like that. You ok? That was jus—did you really call me Winston back there?!”, Michael answered.

“I did? Oh shit, I’m so sorry!”

SOMEWHERE IN LOS ANGELES, 8:40 p.m.

“Aye, bro? Your ex, Klarissa, the real thick one, got dreads, right?”, Winston’s college friend Jamar asked as his furrowed brows remained glued to his phone.

“Klari-...you mean Khalida? Yeah. Why you ask?”, Winston asked as he handed Jamar another water.

“Looks like she’s on a date with...hold on…”, he took his glasses off to clean them and put them back on, “...Michael B. Jordan? She all up on this nigga, Duke.”

A date? Winston snatched the phone out of Jamar’s hand, “Gimme that and stop messing around, bro.” Sure enough, Jamar was right.

DEVELOPING: ACTOR MICHAEL B. JORDAN AND CINDERELLA DATE SPOTTED AT BASKETBALL GAME IN PHILADELPHIA

As he read the brief article, he began shaking his head involuntarily. He went numb with every paparazzi picture he saw of his Yaa and Michael holding hands. But when he saw the kiss cam picture and another picture of them exchanging smiles, that’s all his heart could stand to bear.

His chest felt numb and totally void of any sensation or urge of movement. She looks...happy. It’s one thing to lose a loved one in death, but to lose the one you truly love to someone else and to see them happier with them is a different kind of hurt. His heart had been dropped onto a cactus; pricked and pained, but not yet bleeding. In that very moment, Winston wanted to ball up into the fetal position and isolate himself from the rest of the world. Career, family, life in general be damned. Duke...yo, Duke!

“DUKE!”, Jamar snapped Winston out of his moment of despair.

“Yeah?”, Winston replied dryly.

“Aye, bruh, you good?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” He didn’t realize his face and the top of his tank were wet from the excessive crying he’d did. Hell, he didn’t even know he was crying.

“Well, your ex is off dating movie stars and you’re funeral sobbing. She ain’t dead: she’s just moved on. You gotta allow her to move on and be happy. Besides, she ain’t say shit when you were with that crazy ass chick.”

“You know...I’m uh...gonna go to bed? Yeah, I’m going to bed. Lock the door when you leave . Goodnight.”

Before Jamar could get another word in, Winston walked briskly to his bedroom, slammed the door, and began to pace the floor. His chest began to heave as his sobbing intensified with every step. I fucked up, I fucked up, shit, I fucked up. No,no,no, no, no. She’s really moved on? All the women in the world, and he chose Khalida?! MY Khalida?!?! Fuck.

At some point, he was in denial that he saw Khalida in those pictures, because she surely wouldn’t have been kissing Michael B. Jordan. As much as he didn’t want to, he forced himself to go back to The Shade Room’s website to look at the article. Maybe, it could’ve been another thick woman with now ash blonde locs that shared similar tastes in optical wear. Maybe it was another beautiful Black woman that rocked bright red lipstick and wore black nail polish. Maybe, just maybe, the pretty lady in question’s embellished “K” brooch stood for something else, like, Kenya,Kenzie, or Kayla. Yeah, that was it: mistaken identity. Jamar knew how his best friend felt about Khalida and wanted to play around. Yup—case closed. But, when he looked at a new picture, his already confirmed suspicions were confirmed once more. As the two walked out of the arena and into the pool of flashing lights and voices fighting each other to be heard, Yaa naturally shielded her face with her right hand—the hand her Super Bowl ring always inhabited. Damn.

“FUUUCK!” ,he yelled at the top of his lungs.

He took deep breaths to calm down, certain that he’d startled his neighbors with his tantrum. “Why are you doing this to me, Yaa?”

Back in Philly, 12:30 a.m.

The maddening silence in the car made the 25 minute ride feel like a 12 hour ride. For Yaa, the obvious feeling of shame veiled over her. How could she call Michael “Winston” of all people at a time as that? Now, bitch, you knew better than that. You knew not to call that man no damn Winston. Try to fix it now. Her quick glances over to the driver side were calculated in the hopes that he wouldn’t see the shame over her face.

For Michael, it was much different. He knew that he obviously couldn’t be pissed , but he wasn’t necessarily fond of being called an ex of Yaa’s. He took the sound of silence to figure out what he needed to feel. Slight disappointment. Yeah, that was it: upon close self-deliberation, he had determined that he was just disappointed. Yet, the wave of his current emotion wouldn’t overtake him, as he knew that she wouldn’t be a repeat offender. A simple mistake made in the heat of the moment. Besides, he needed to meet that Winston fellow anyways.

Yaa finally broke the silence, “Baby, I’m sorry that I—” Her eyes crossed to take note of the index finger Michael had placed over her mouth. She looked over to see a silent Michael nodding his head subtly.

“You don’t need to apologize, love. I get it: in the heat of emotions and the moment, you reverted to calling a familiar name. You haven’t found yourself to be in a difficult situation with me, so now I understand.”, Michael explained as he finally removed his finger from over her lips,

“If anyone should be apologizing, it should definitely be me. I brought this attention to us. But, I can’t promise that that’ll be the last encounter with those nosy ass niggas.”

“Sooo...you’re not mad?”, a confused Yaa inquired for clarification.

He nodded, “Nah, in that moment, my ego was hurt, but since I’ve been driving, that fake anger was reduced to understanding. You’re good, mamas. Believe that.”

The two exchanged a glance and a laugh. Finally, the tense air had been cleared to play music. Yaa opened up her Spotify driving playlist and pressed shuffle. Ironically, “Say My Name” began playing, prompting a duet of a “Yoooooo!” to play background to the song.

“This shuffle ain’t shit!”, Yaa moaned with disgust.

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