#the bride is a fashion designer and made her own dress which looks great too

[faggotfungus]

Handmade suits embroidered by Die Trying. Photography by Natasha Wilson

[mysticalrambling]

Ommmmgggggg i just read your lates story of steve rogers arrange marriage. And it was the most heartbreaking story evern written. It was really good although my heart got broken reading it😞I read you will take time in fulfilling request, so you can take a lot of time but I m making a small request🙃Like you have written lots of arranged marriage tropes but they all were angsty in the beginning, can you write something from your perspective on steve rogers arrange marriage which has no angst only lots and lots of fluff. like they are still in arranged marriage but there is no angst they are both trying for their marriage because after all the angst i guess a fluff treat would be nice☺only if you want to

A/N: Thank you so much lovely and the plot line is great. I loved writing about it and I made a few additions to the story. Hope you like it.

Perfect Life (S.R)

Steve Rogers Fan Fiction (Fan fiction Masterlist)

Summary: Steve and you get married and you decide to give your marriage a fair chance. You both soon fall in love and you are really happy together. You get pregnant and it is all perfect till the very end.

Warnings: Some mention of blood and angst but otherwise it is all fluff.

._._._._._.

Steve and you were informed by Fury that there will be an arrange marriage. He didn’t give much explanation but simply stated that the government demanded it and you both simply had to oblige. When you were recruited by the Avengers, you were a super soldier just like Bucky under the influence of Hydra. It took a lot of work to get you back from the brain washed state and Steve played a big role in that. You both were partners in the field and best of friends. Many people thought that you both would oppose the idea but you didn’t. Sure, you were confused but you couldn’t fight it if the government ordered it. No one could so you thought you would give it a shot.

You simply asked for sometime to discuss it by yourselves and Fury reluctantly he agreed. He was prepared for a screaming match and being beaten to a pulp by the Captain and the super soldier. However, he was met with calm expressions and thoughtful gazes. It would be a lie if you said that you didn’t feel attracted to one another. So when he left the meeting room, Steve asked you out for dinner. Privacy was needed to discuss this matter and he wanted to do it outside of the compound.

“Are you ready to go, (Y/N)?” Steve knocked on your door at exact eight o’clock. Captain America never liked to be late.

“Yes, I am.” This was the first time he had seen you in a dress. It hugged your curves just right and the maroon dress contrasted beautifully with your skin. You simply looked like an angel. A devil disguised as an angel that it.

“Let’s go.” Steve took you to your favorite restaurant and you felt a little flutter in your heart when you realised that he took notice of the little things.

Clearing your throat, you started to come to the point of the dinner, “So what do you think about this marriage?”

“Um... I am okay with it, I guess. What about you?”

“Same here. I have actually liked you for sometime now and I would be willing to give this marriage a try.”

“I like you as well and same here.” You chuckled when you saw a light blush appear on your partner’s cheek. He found your confidence endearing and that was one of the things that he first noticed about you.

“Okay, good. I just want a simple ceremony with our friends present. Is that okay with you?” There was no point in beating around the bush and so you started the discussion of the wedding arrangements.

“I was thinking the same thing. Let me just text Fury that we are going ahead with the marriage and then we can discuss the rest.” You both enjoyed the dinner to the fullest whilst making small conversation. This was the first time that you actually had fun on a date after hydra and same goes for Steve. They couldn’t keep up a conversation with you when they didn’t know the things you go through on daily basis.

“Do you want to get ice cream? There is a really good ice cream parlor down the street.” Getting out of the restaurant, he helped you get in to your jacket.

You always had a sweet tooth and you were a sucker for ice creams. Steve and you were going to make a good couple because of your similar taste. “Yes, I would love that. So do you know anything about the mission tomorrow?”

“F.R.I.D.A.Y detected some illegal shipment coming from one of the abandoned hydra facilities. We think that it is being occupied and you and I are just going to go there and install some cameras for surveillance.” He ordered two scoops of butterscotch and you decided to take a walk while eating.

“What if we encounter some hydra bastards? Do we get to kill them?” You rubbed your hands together in excitement at the thought of ridding the world of hydra scum.

“No, we don’t. We can’t engage so don’t get too excited about it.”

You both reached the compound and all your friends were waiting for you in the lounge. They all pounced on you as Fury had already informed them about the marriage. Natasha had already planned out the bachelor party while Pepper had booked an appointment with the world’s known fashion designer. You kept laughing at all their thrilled expressions and you were feeling sure of your choice by the minute.

The night passed like it and before you know you were off to the mission. Steve was extra protective this time as he won’t let you move a step forward before double checking the hallways first. You just rolled your eyes but you still found it pretty darn cute. No one has ever cared for you like this. But what you didn’t realise was that there was a secret doorway in one of the halls that you passed and you were quickly ambushed by four hydra agents. You got into your super soldier mode and took on the two to your right while Steve went for the left ones.

“Are you okay, (Y/N)? Cap?” Tony’s voice filtered through the comms.

“We have been ambushed but we have it under control.” You talked while slicing the jugular of a blonde six foot man and kicking the other in the shin. Steve also had it under control as he deflected all the attacks with his shield and threw punches when he got an opening.

“Okay. I have agents on standby if you need them.”

“Copy that.” After about five minutes, you had dealt with all of them and got away with only a couple of cuts and bruises.

“Let’s go to the infirmary together.” Steve purposed the idea when you refused Tony’s order to go get checked by the doctors. He didn’t want you to feel like he was ordering you around but he cared about you a lot.

“Only if you insist and Cap, we are getting married at the end of this week.” Kissing him on the lips, you left for the infirmary while he stood there with his mouth agape.

The whole compound was a mess for the whole week and Tony had benched you and Steve because apparently, the bride and groom can not be injured on their wedding day. You were over the moon about this new chapter in your life and so was your fiancé. This was the best thing that has happened to you in a while and you were glad. The ceremony was over before you even knew it with you both reading out your own vows and kissing sweetly when the priest announced you as husband and wife. You loved every minute of it but you were glad when it was over.

“I just wanted to tell you that we can take it slow if you want to.” As soon as Steve entered the room, he tried to clear things up before they got uncomfortable.

“I don’t want to. I told you I had feelings for you and they have grown ever since.”

“I love you, (Y/N). I know it might be too early but-”

“I love you too. Now, kiss me.” You spent the night with your husband and it was perfect. He made you bed in breakfast the next morning and you just enjoyed the whole day with your husband. It was truly a blessing to have Captain America as your husband because he was truly an honest and a moral man.

The next few days for you were spent as a newly married wife and it was perfect. Your friends threw parties and took you both out for dinners; their treat. You didn’t go back to your job for a couple more days and safe to say, it was peaceful. The days were spent with your friends as you all lounged around in the theatre room. At night, it was just you and your husband and it was much more entertaining.

“(Y/N), I have to go on a classified mission with Buck. Are you going to be okay at home, all alone?” Steve kissed the top of your head as he placed the pancakes in front of you.

“I am not going to ask what it is about but I need guarantee that you are going to back to me in one piece.” You mumbled while shoving pancakes in to your mouth. A girl needs her food.

“I will, promise. Love you, babe.”

“Love you too.” There was a moment of silence before you contemplated about what to do with your day.

Entering the kitchen, Tony asked. “What are you doing?”

“Just resting.”

“I am in mood of some homemade cupcakes. Want to bake them with me, sweetheart?”

“Yeah, I suppose. Have nothing else to do.” You were worried about Steve because it had been a long while since he had gone on a mission without you.

“Cap is going to be just fine and Bucky is with him. No one can win against that metal arm. My invention is state of the art.” Seeing you distracted, he tried to ease your worries. Pretty soon, you indulged into the whole baking thing and time passed you by.

“Hey, I am home.” Steve was shocked to see the whole kitchen filled with baked goods; counter, oven top, coffee table and chairs. Tony and you might have gone a little overboard with the whole baking thing. It was a good distraction so no one should blame you.

“Hi. You are alright.” A sigh of relief escaped you as you crushed him into a hug.

“I never back down from a promise, princess.” He tucked you under his left arm and picked up a muffin with his right. “What do you want to do today?”

“I was thinking we can go to the amusement park today.” You turned in his arms to give him your puppy dog eyes. He could never say no to you then.

“As you wish, princess.” You both quickly got ready with you wearing a sundress that reached your mid thigh and Steve in a simple black t shity and jeans.

The amusement park had been fun up until you decided that you wanted to go on the roller coaster. The moment it fell downwards from the sky, you looked pale and horrified. For someone who was reluctant to go on the ride, Steve was quite enjoying himself. When it stopped, you found the near trash can and hurled violently. Afterwards, you decided to stick to the slower rides. By the end of the day, you were on a ferris wheel with your husband by your side and your favorite ice cream in your hand. You kissed on top of the ferris wheel. Cliche but that was exactly what you were going for. This was all perfect and you wouldn’t change it for the world.

“I love you so much.” You whispered lazily as you laid in the bed with the blankets wrapped around you snugly. Today was wonderful but tiring.

“I love you too. (Y/N), have you thought about kids?” He asked reluctantly as he knew that it had only been a month in your marriage. It was a little too early but he just wanted to know.

“I know that they are in my future but I want to wait a year or two. I want to spend sometime with you alone.”

“This is the same thought that I had. Just wanted to get this out of the way.” Kissing you sweetly, he called it a night and dozed off to sleep.

Three years passed you by like they were nothing, Maybe it was because you were too happy. Of course there had been lows in your life like when you and Steve were on the verge of divorce because you were starting to drift apart. But you both worked through it and you were happier ever since. You almost died once in a mission and you weren’t able to get off the bed for three moths. It was painful and Steve was with you every step of the way.

However, there were too many good things that tipped the scale in your favor. Like when Steve brought a puppy as a gift for your first anniversary, Milo. Your love from him only grew afterwards and when you both found out that you were pregnant with your first child, you were over the moon. A tiny version of you and Steve was growing inside of you and it was the best feeling in the world. Labor was extensive but you got her as a reward. Rebecca Grant Rogers.

“Can you please go see her? I fed her about an hour ago.” You kicked your husband out of bed and he whined before getting up. Sleepless nights were finally getting to you both.

Gently cooing to the three months old, Steve picked her from the crib. “Hey bubs. What happened? Did you have a nightmare?”

“Mmmmm” Becca babbled on as she saw her favorite person in front of her. The four month was attached to his hip and you loved the bond between them.

“Let’s go to our room and try to sleep again.” You had drifted to sleep but you stirred awake when he came back to bed with your daughter in his arms.

“She is not going to sleep?”

“No, this little bug just wants to spend time with her parents.” A toothless grin adorned her face as she kept her icy blue eyes on her parents.

“Do you want me to make you laugh, huh, baby?” Tickling her, you got a smile on your face as she laughed out whole heartedly. She was the mini version of Steve but there were hints of you in her as well, like her chin or her smile.

Time passed by and soon it was 3 in the morning. “Let’s sleep now.”

“Yes. We have to go on a mission tomorrow and Nat and Wanda have said that they will babysit Becca for the day.”

“That’s nice.” Steve laid your little girl in the middle of the bed and you both put your arms around her. It was peaceful and you were content with your life.

“I love you.”

“Love you too, babe. Sweet dreams.” You thank Fury everyday for the decision of getting you two married. Your life was just perfect now and nothing could change that.

Hope you guys enjoyed it!!

._._._._.

A/N: I loved writing about Steve and I am open to requests now. I will be working on my own drafts alongside it. You can send in requests but it will take some days for me to get to them:) Love you guys and do tell me if you want to be added to my taglist.

Tag list: @justile

Like, comment and reblog.

[quietmyfearswith]

perfect fit {ransom drysdale x fem!reader}

perfect fit {ransom drysdale x fem!reader} 

status — completed 

warnings — cursing, unprotected penetrative sex (pls be safe when havinf sex), mirror sex, semi-public sex, degradation (slight), oral sex (female receiving), mentions of blood and being poked (briefly and not detailed)

word count — 3,370 words

a/n — lmao i have no shame i got inspired to write this because of an something i listened to which had a similar premise. i had a sequel in mind but idk if im gonna write that since i have a lot of fics planned out. feedback is appreciated and hope u guys have a lovely day !! :> 

masterlist

It was something no one expected Ransom to do; but he did it anyway.

He was just lounging in his home one day and he took one of the many notebooks he had lying around and suddenly found himself sketching different clothing articles. By the time he was able to tear his focus and hands away from the notebook, it was already 11:45 at night, “Huh, so in the past five hours I was able to design 11 clothes,” he quietly thought to himself as he closed the notebook that contained his ideas and headed to bed.

The following day consisted mostly of doing two things; more designing and making calls. He was looking for possible suppliers who could give him the materials he needed in order to bring his designs to life. He also ordered his assistant to look for tailors who were willing to sew and stitch them to life, as he did not have any intentions on making those himself. Searching for a place to lease to station where the clothes would be made and sold was also something he did.

All of that happened almost 19 months ago; Ransom just suddenly had the idea of creating his own clothing line and he was successful in that endeavor. His brand was known for its eloquent and classy designs, while still being comfortable and affordable. It was also a bonus that the materials they used were cruelty-free and vegan; though this wasn’t really his idea, something his assistant had suggested and something he mindlessly agreed with as he was burying himself in designing a dress.

When his family found out about his current endeavor, there were various reactions in response. Joni seemed to be legitimately excited to see if Ransom’s design would match her taste and even told him how she was willing to post about his line on her Instagram. Meg and Walt finally had something in common as they both teased him and questioned his sexuality since he suddenly became interested in fashion; even his own father silently had the same thoughts and concerns. His mother, however, was somewhat proud of her son following in her footsteps and making a name for himself. While Harlan was surprised on how he was persistent in pursuing fashion, for he always thought that his first grandson would be his successor in terms of writing and in handling the publishing company.

Ransom, having had enough of their judgmental comments and half-assed support, snapped at them once he broke the news as they were enjoying dessert, “Alright, all of you, eat shit! No offense, Mom, but you had a loan from Granddad and without his money you’d be nowhere! Joni, cut the shit! We all know you rely on those brand deals you have and of course, on our family’s money. And Walt? At least I’m gonna make something of my own! Unlike you who just relies heavily on the books Granddad gives you to publish. And what the fuck does fashion have to do with one’s sexuality? If clothes make people gay then why are you wearing that sorry excuse of an outfit? Scared people might find your dick too small?” 

And with that, he left the house as a sea of screams and commotion followed him, but he chose to ignore it of course.

In the span of those 19 months, his clothing line took off. Critics spoke highly of it, consumers couldn't get enough of his designs, and he was being constantly praised for his creativity. So it made Ransom feel as if he was on top of the world.

After his designs being featured on various fashion shows and being worn by numerous celebrities, the pressure to put out equally great designs was taking a toll on Ransom. Hence why he often spends time on the main store and headquarters he had in Boston. The place was fairly spacious — it had an office for where he could have meetings or design some of his clothes, a spacious and luxurious space for the customers to try on the clothes, rows of sewing machine next to an array of cloth for the workers whom he fairly compensated for their hard work, and even a small circular platform placed in front of mirrors for alterations. 

Ransom advised his staff to go home early to enjoy the start of the weekend and he would be the one to close the store and balance what they had already sold and what was left. As he was busy in the counter checking the log and counting the money, he heard the chimes of the bell that hung above the door make a sound, directing his attention to where a lovely woman stepped into the store and it felt as if all the oxygen in his body left his body with how breathtaking the woman was.

“We’re about to close in a few minutes,” was all he managed to let out as the woman stood on the opposite side of the counter; she just smiled as she placed the gown wrapped in plastic down on the counter, “Oh? I’m so sorry but I was just wondering if I can have this gown altered? I bought it hastily last week and only got to try it on two days ago since I was incredibly busy with work and realized how loose it was on me.”

He looked down on the gown as he spoke, “Yeah well we close earlier on Fridays so,” prolonging the word so, he noticed how she moved as if she was about to exit the establishment, but he wondered, “What is the work you do that kept you busy?”

The question surprised both of them; Ransom didn’t know as to why he was curious about it, but it probably had to do with how he just wanted an excuse to talk to her and listen to her soothing voice. While Y/N didn’t realize that those were one of the requirements in order to have a dress altered, she told him anyway what kept her busy.

Nodding his head, he made an impulsive decision, “My assistants just left, but I can take care of it. It shouldn’t be a big problem” Her eyes lit up excitedly and she smiled widely and thanked him for being able to accommodate her. “Just go to one of the dressing rooms and change to the gown, and head to where the platform is — just right across, okay?” She nodded and followed to where his hands pointed to where he’d be waiting for her.

As she scurried off to the change, he found himself questioning himself as he switched off the open sign, grabbed a notebook, pen, and measuring tape, and waited for her to come out. Why the hell am I making such an effort for her? And when she did step out of the dressing room and made her way to step on the circular elevated platform, he remembered just why he was going out of his way to serve her; because she looked fucking gorgeous, especially seeing her wear a gown he designed.

Standing on the platform, she shyly looked at him to which he found adorable, “Why don’t you spin around slowly for me?” She nodded and did so, “What seems to be the problem with the gown?”

With her back facing him, she craned her neck and replied, “I found the length to be too long, I’m afraid I might trip on it,” as she faced him he noticed how he was standing dangerously close, and his facial features were dead serious, “So you just want to trim it a bit?”

She nodded, “Would it be possible to create a slit?” And just as she made that suggestion, she bunched up a bit of the gown and showed him how she wanted the slit to look like; but all it did to Ransom was make him drool with how luscious and soft her legs looked like. “Okay, yeah that’s something we can do.” 

Grabbing a small container full of sewing pins he took hold of the bunched up fabric she held in her hand and told her he got it. “You know when I designed these gowns, you were exactly the target buyers I had in mind,” she tilted her to the side, confused with what he meant so he further explained, “Gorgeous, elegant, and absolutely stunning; especially once they wear my clothes.”

Her cheeks suddenly became a dark shade of red as she tried to shrug off his compliment, “Well I don’t really wear these kinds of clothes, but when a wedding comes, you have to.” As he was placing the pins on the fabrics, he looked up from where he was sitting on the platform, him being eye level with her thigh was doing nothing to prevent him from nursing a hard on, “A wedding you say?” 

Snatching a glance from where her hands rested on her hips to get out of his way, he took note of the lack of ring and voiced out his observation, “I’m not seeing any ring on both your hands, so I’m gonna assume that you’re not the bride?” She laughed softly and shook her head, “No, I'm not the bride-to-be, my best friend is.”

“Good to know,” Ransom said softly and she didn’t hear it well and was about to question what he just said as she felt the sewing pins poke her skin. “Ow, fuck!” She yelped, which made the designer realize that instead of piercing through the dress, he accidently lightly grazed her leg. “Fuck, I’m sorry!” He apologized as he pulled the pin and wiped her upper thigh that started to bleed a little. 

Feeling his warm hand envelope her hand and the thumb swiping away the crimson liquid, made her feel tingly as she looked down on him. Inching his face closer to her thigh, he looked up at her as his lips touched the area that he unintentionally hurt her in, “I’m so sorry for hurting you,” Y/N was stunned as his lips were back on her thigh after apologizing. 

Breathlessly, she just nodded and was surprised both his hands took a hold of her ankles and were softly caressing her just like how his lips were being gentle with her flesh. As his hands were sliding up towards her shins, she could feel the goosebumps on her skin rise, and by the time they reached her thighs, that was the only time Ransom detached his lips from her skin, “You taste divine, baby girl. But I’m not done with making it up to you.”

Having a sudden surge of confidence, Y/N spoke out, “Then keep kissing me if you want to make it up to me.” Ransom too, was surprised because this meek-looking beauty demanded him to do something, “I beg your pardon?” It was her turn to be brave and brazen as she smirked down on him, “Keep on kissing my thighs or else I’ll leave a bad review of your services.”

Quickly, Ransom placed his lips back on her thigh, kissing and smooching every inch he could find; he wasn’t sure if he was threatened with how his business could be negatively affected or was he just turned out at the prospect of being told by this beautiful woman to keep on admiring her figure.

Tangling her fingers on his hair, she tugged at him and guided her where she wanted his mouth as he gave verbal directions, “Higher, baby, kiss me higher.” Though his eyes were darkened with pleasure of having to know what her skin tastes like and aroused with how he met someone who was able to tell her what she wants and bosses him around; he’s never had someone do that to him, for it was always him calling the shots.

Poking his tongue out, he traced over the outline of her lace underwear which resulted in her letting out a moan and tightening her grip on his hair — urging him to keep going. Moving from her thigh, he kissed his way until he was face to face with the center of her pussy. Inhaling her scent, he closed his eyes as he groaned and took in her addictive scent and lunged forward to kiss and lick her clothed core. Even with the fabric in its way, he was nipping on her pussy lips and licking through it, getting a faint taste of her.

“Oh, more please,” she gasped out in pleasure; and with that plea Ransom moaned as he tore his mouth from where he was making out with her clit and smirked as she heard her sigh at the sudden loss of contact. Looking up at her, he gave her a grin as he asked, “Did you honestly think you would be the one who’ll call all the shots, baby?”

Somehow, her crimson red cheeks managed to turn into an even deeper shade of it at what he said. He then moved to pull her panties down her legs, he didn’t even wait for her to kick them out of her as he immediately licked from her clit down to her opening. Moaning out, she trembled a bit and Ransom’s hands latched themselves onto her thighs to help prevent her from falling.

“Careful now baby girl,” he warned her as he looked up to see her flushed face starting to drip with sweat, his lips never fully removing themselves from her clit so with every word he spoke the vibrations was felt throughout her core, “Wouldn’t want you to injure yourself. How are you gonna turn up to the wedding then?” 

As he finished his question, his tongue pushed itself into her tight opening and swirled around inside. Feeling dainty fingers push his face further, he was able to get a better taste of her juices that began to drip down to his tongue and he hissed at how delectable they were. Pulling out his tongue from her pussy, he immediately licked his way up to her swollen clit, “You taste amazing, baby,” he moaned out as he focused his efforts into sucking her clit hard and fast, feeling her thighs began to shake — a sign that she was close to her orgasm.

But Ransom wouldn’t let her cum right away, his left hand left the warmth of her thigh and slapped her clit multiple times, she opened her eyes in shock and looked down on the designer, aroused and elated with what he did. Getting the hint that she enjoyed what he did he teased her by saying, “You like it when I slap that clit?” Seeing how she nodded and bit her lip, he went on and slapped her clit multiple times but with not a lot of force, and his tongue went on to caress her tight opening until she once again began to quiver. 

“God you’re such a filthy slut,” he stated as he stopped the movements his tongue and hand were doing, and went on to bite lightly her thigh, “I’m gonna have so much fun with you. Have to make sure my customer leaves this place satisfied with my services.” As he mentioned the double entendre, his voice was laced with desire and hunger.

Giving her thigh one last kiss, he stood up from the platform and placed his hands on her hips and lifted her so she stood on the ground just like he was. Grabbing the back of her neck, he pushed her against him so their lips met and they began to hungrily make out. Her hands were at his cheeks, softly grazing his cheeks which contradicts how their tongues were roughly dancing with each other. While Ransom’s other hand was feeling for the zipper on her back, unzipping it and pushing the dress off of her.

Moving both his hands to touch her back, he noticed the lack of bra and felt how her nipples harden against the fabric of his shirt, he separated their lips from where they were entangled and looked down to see her breasts, “Such a nasty little girl you are, aren’t you? Wearing this gown with no bra underneath, like you wanted me to see just how good your boobs are.”

She shook her head, “The gown goes well best without a bra,” she defended. Amused with her reply Ransom decided that they’ve had enough foreplay; both his hands planted on her hips and pulled her back so it was flush against his front, “And you know what would go best with your divine body? My cock and cum,” one of his hands grabbed onto his cock and rubbed the tip of it against her folds, feeling her shudder at the sensation, “So come on and take it.”

“Shit baby girl, you’re so tight for a slut,” Ransom groaned as he threw his head back with how her walls squeezed his hard dick in one smooth motion. The hand that guided his cock in repositioned itself and held onto her hair, pulling her head back and arching her back away from his chest, which contrasted the way her ass was pushing back to accommodate Ransom’s cock.

Hand in her hair and the other on her hip, Ransom was pulling her into his cock with sharp, fast, and harsh thrusts; while her moans and whines did nothing but to fuel him to drive his thick meat deeper in her. “You like this don’t you, baby? You like how I’m just ramming into you like you’re nothing but a whore?” He taunted as he let go of her hip and began to rub, twist, and pull at her nipples.

Y/N could only nod, too blissed out to give out a verbal response for the way he was deliciously torturing her nipples disabled her from forming a coherent sentence, much less a thought. Unhappy with how she responded, he let go of her hair and slapped both her ass cheeks, “Answer me! Tell me you like it!”

She went still for a moment due to the sting of his slaps, she widened her eyes and peered over her shoulder to look at him, “I love it! I love how you’re treating me, sir.” The title she had given him made him even more feral as he ordered her, “Look in the mirror slut, look at how desperate you are for me.”

Feeling shy from seeing her blissed out state on the reflection, she instead diverted her gaze on the man behind her who was mercilessly pounding into her. She found it absolutely hot how his jaw was clenched so hard and his eyebrows were furrowed; it made her clench down on him hard which led to Ransom to slam deep inside her and grab onto her shoulders, “You’re close aren’t you, baby? You’re about to cum on my cock aren’t you?” She nodded and whined, “Yes, sir, I’m so close. Please let me cum,” he chuckled in appreciation, she begged him to cum without even telling her to do so. 

Speeding up the pace of his thrusts, his one hand was now alternating with rubbing and pinching her clit, in order to get her right on the edge. His lips were resting against her ear, his pants were only turning her on even more and with a final pinch of his fingers, she was cumming hard and with a loud wail.

Feeling how her walls squeezed him too tight to the point he couldn’t move anymore, Ransom stilled inside her and wrapped his arms around her stomach, “Fuck, you feel good.” After a couple of breaths, Ransom collapsed to sit down on the platform, taking her with him. Sitting down, he took the time to steady his breaths and recover from the intensity of their intercourse and orgasm. 

Snaking his hand to her cheek, he tilted her head enough for him to plant his lips on hers and let her give a faint taste of her own juices and he pulled apart from her not without planting a small kiss, “The gown will be ready in a week, baby. And it’s on me.”

[foreficfandom]

Mystic Messenger - Wedding Headcanons (Bride! MC)

--- Zen ---

Zen's a surprisingly down-to-earth man, and he wanted the wedding to be a modest, but gorgeous affair. It’s a rooftop wedding, where everyone gets to see the two most beautiful people in the world get married amidst a bright, morning cityscape. Zen creates an amazing set of custom vows that make him cry, and it ruins his makeup but he doesn’t care. 

It’s all paid with his and your own money, which isn’t a whole lot but enough to afford a very put-together package. Zen insisted on catering from a famous brewery, and there’s a very nice open beer-on-tap bar.

There’s also a very important scheduled evening dance, of course. Your new husband asks for your hand like you’re royalty, and the two of you begin a very romantic slow-dance with a specific playlist in the background. When that ends, the music picks up and everybody starts getting a little wild. That delicious beer must have kicked in.

Zen’s arm rarely ever leaves your waist for the rest of the evening. He begins to refer to you as ‘my SPOUSE’ to everyone you have a conversation with. His face is literally glowing with pride.

By the time the two of you get married, Zen’s a very established actor, so its a celebrity wedding that attracts reporters and curious starwatchers. The two of you graciously (you more than Zen) accept Jumin’s gift of security guards to keep them off the venue.

The honeymoon is a beautiful week spent in the Maldives, enjoying the therapeutic beach life. Paparazzi end up hounding the two of you a little bit, but nothing can truly ruin this bliss. This perfect love.

--- Yoosung ---

He’s been dreaming of this day and its finally here!! He almost can’t believe it, and spends a lot of the planning just kinda fanboying himself. He can’t decide between themes and packages ‘cause it all seems wonderful to him. His parents end up helping quite a bit, especially on the parts he finds particularly confusing, like booking a venue and managing costs.

The two of you eventually settle on a garden-like wedding, taking place in a beautiful park. He loves the vintage lace look of your dress, and matches with an old-hollywood-style suit. Thanks to the advice from his family, the two of you avoided purchasing entire wedding packages and instead sourced everything from different retailers, which required a lot more research but saved money. 

The two of you said your vows underneath a gazebo lined with flowers, and then walked back down the park to the reception area while everyone tossed bucketfuls of petals upon the two of you. Yoosung was tearing up pretty badly from happiness, and almost tripped twice. By the time you guys made it to the dining tables, Yoosung’s glasses were fogged and he couldn’t stop smiling. 

The reception lasted longer than planned ‘cause everyone was having so much fun. You two had hired a pizza truck that carted their wood-burning oven on-site, along with a massive snack table and colorful cocktail dispensers. Yoosung asked to dance once, twice, and maybe five more times. You had to take off your heels to keep up with him, which just made the moment that much more beautiful.

The honeymoon had to be short, but it was a peaceful five days spent in Shanghai. 

--- Jaehee ---

One of the first things planned was going to local fashion shows and shopping for dresses, since according to Jaehee, it was this season that designers begin to shell out the good stuff. Jaehee settled on a cream-colored silk trumpet dress with an embroidered veil. You chose a dress embroidered with gold-colored thread to match hers. 

And that set the tone for rest of the wedding. Gold decor, pearly-white chiffon, and dots of warm red embellishing the tablecloths, bouquets, and plate settings. Jaehee was always the one on the phone with the planners, since she had That Business Voice which made everything go so much more smoothly.

You married in a temple, an hour away from the city. Jaehee and you met at the altar simultaneously, and held hands over vows. You could see her tearing up for the first time ever. 

The reception was held in a small park nearby, where a light catering was offered underneath a large tent, along with several chocolate fountains and bottles of expensive champagne. Jaehee really wanted to avoid a huge social event, since her past job at C&R required a lot of boring business events. So after speeches were delivered and everyone had their fill of chocolate and wine, you all barreled into your cars and zoomed back home for the afterparty, which was a lot more casual and involved blaring Zen’s musicals on the flatscreen while everyone played drinking games.

The two of you had a long and indulgent honeymoon spent traveling between Greece and Italy, doing everything from spa hotels to skydiving. You ended up with two album’s worth of pictures to remember it by.

--- Jumin ---

You might have thought he’d be pulling out all stops when it comes to the wedding, but the man’s a devoted Christian - even if he doesn’t show his religious side often, it was important to him that his holy union wasn’t too ostentatious. 

But he’s still Jumin, so everything’s designer. The outfits, the catering, the decorations, the transportation, even the invitations sent out were on luxury emboss paper lined with real gold leaf. So your wedding actually begins a few days before it even starts, with a visit to a celebrity spa for a red-carpet all-over treatment, and then you spend hours getting your hair, makeup, and nails done. 

Both the ceremony and the reception are held in a large, lavish hall. There’s a huge crowd of guests for business reasons, along with reporters and other representatives from the press, plus even some politicians. When Jumin takes your hand at the altar, there’s a literal spotlight shining on the two of you while the room grows dramatically dark.

So your wedding is kinda a publicized business event, which isn’t super ideal but Jumin tried his best to keep it as special as possible. He deferred to you when it came to almost all the decisions, such as the color scheme of the decor, and what kind of menu you wanted. Almost everything was based off of your preferences, which is what Jumin wanted. He desired nothing but you as his spouse, and that’s what he was getting. 

Jumin rarely ever gets overly emotional, including at his own wedding, but for the rest of the evening he couldn’t keep his eyes off you, and whenever you turned your head your new husband was smiling, absolute adoration in his eyes.

The honeymoon is a worldwide tour, of course. With cruises, five-star hotels, attending operas, and dining at the most famous places.

--- Saeyoung ---

He’s free from the agency and Mint Eye both, and he has you with him. He never been be happier, or feel more free than he ever did. So the wedding reflects it; it’s held outside, by the sea, lightly managed so there’s almost no schedule to adhere to. 

It’s super important that he makes his vows to you under god. So it takes some digging until he finds an actual church that’s within a short distance from a gorgeous beach. The two of you marry under brightly lit stained glass windows before hopping into one of his sports cars and race to the reception area. The other guests have to catch up.

He cries at the ceremony, of course. He eventually leaves his glasses off because his eyes keep welling up. He recites from the bible. You can feel his hands shaking. 

And at the reception, it’s p a r ty time. There’s music playing and a very important playlist is playing that the two of you made beforehand. The catering is seafood and barbecue. There’s very little alcohol, and lots of dessert. 

It’s a smaller crowd of guests, but that’s what made it so special. You all played at the beach with spontaneous games of badminton, or dunked yourselves into the beach then running off laughing, and joked amongst yourselves for hours, long after night came around and the area was lit up with Saeyoung’s jacked lighting system.

The honeymoon is spent in South Korea, in Jeju-do where the two of you go on sunny car rides along the cliffs, go spelunking in gorgeous caves that light up like the universe, and stay in a traditional bathhouse. 

--- Saeran ---

Saeran will always and forever adore the ‘princess’ aesthetic on you. When you two first met, his Ray alter embodied and obsessed over it, but nowadays he simply enjoys the magical romance of a fairytale love story. It reminds him of his longing daydreams when he was younger, and how it all eventually came true.

It’s an evening wedding, held in a hotel banquet hall, planned and catered by an expensive company he and his brother both shelled enthusiastically to purchase. He didn’t really know anybody aside from the RFA and you, and only made like one or two other friends since beginning recovery. So you invited all your friends and family you knew would support the two of you, and it turned out to be an intimate but loving crowd.

SOOO many flowers. Bouquets dot the walls, sit at every table, and line the isle. And Saeran beforehand prepared your bridal bouquet himself. It was a very carefully crafted arrangement that masterfully relayed a thorough message of love, commitment, and family.

Saeran’s quiet but surprisingly calm. It’s just ... pure happiness. He’s every bit a prince when he takes your hand at the altar. This wedding marked more than the beginning of your union, it was evidence that his life was good.

He wasn’t super enthused about traveling anywhere for the honeymoon, and wanted to spend the time alone with you at home, where its safe and familiar. But you convinced him that an extreme change of scenery can do wonders for his depression and anxiety. So the two of you spent an amazing twelve days in Canada, where he got to experience a world he’d never seen before. He took really well to hiking, which turned out to be a great low impact exercise option for his frail physical health. 

--- Jihyun ---

The reception’s held outside, by the Suncheon Bay area - a beautiful national wetland park with amazingly unique scenery and wildlife. The ceremony beforehand is held inside, and its short and sweet with custom vows.

He’d want a Catholic wedding if it’s okay with you, or if not, a fusion wedding where the vows aren’t religious but its overseen by a pastor, or something like that. 

As a photographer, he’s surprisingly anal about the timing of the event. There has to be the perfect amount of natural sunlight during the wedding. So the ceremony is held in the late morning, then he quickly urges you outside where beautiful pictures are taken of the two of you standing amidst gorgeous nature. 

There’s a surprisingly big crowd. Jihyun is a popular man, so aside from the RFA there’s his various art friends, his other friends, his older friends, not to mention your own friends and family. His father does show up, but it’s sadly stilted.

He’s worldly and artsy, so the banquet is multicultural, with lots of his personal favorites he’s experienced from around the world. You notice a lot of french bread.

And don’t forget, he’s a rich boy! So everything’s quality stuff. You don’t have to worry about expenses with him. He’s not ostentatious to the level of Jumin, but he’s still got a packing wallet.

The honeymoon is spent touring Central America, which he particularly loves for its blazing sun and colorful culture. You split the trip between luxury all-inclusive resorts, and countryside roughing it.

[ingek73]

Here Are 20 Headlines Comparing Meghan Markle To Kate Middleton That Might Show Why She And Prince Harry Are Cutting Off Royal Reporters

Over the years, Meghan has been shamed for the same things for which her sister-in-law, Kate, has been praised.

Ellie Hall

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Last updated on January 13, 2020, at 12:00 p.m. ET

Posted on January 13, 2020, at 10:40 a.m. ET

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex (aka Prince Harry and Meghan Markle) didn't just shockingly "step back" as senior members of the royal family this week — they gave the UK media a big "fuck-you" for years of what they said was biased and unfair coverage.

The couple's new website on breaking up with years of royal protocol laid out — among a lot of other things — their media strategy, stating that they will no longer participate in the traditional royal press system that grants exclusive access to a select group of UK outlets.

Britain’s royal correspondents, they said, are seen as reliable sources of information. "This misconception propels coverage that is often carried by other outlets around the world, amplifying frequent misreporting," they wrote. Removing themselves from "royal rota" coverage has sparked an outcry among UK media and drew a protest from the National Union of Journalists.

This isn't a new complaint from the royal couple — they just took an unprecedented step to do something about it. Harry and Meghan have said publicly that they believe they have been treated unfairly by the UK press since the moment news broke of their relationship — that they are bullied, that there are racist undertones to coverage of them, and that they have been held to a different standard than Harry's brother and sister-in-law, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge (aka Prince William and Kate Middleton).

The UK media outlets that currently make up the royal rota are the Daily Express, the Daily Mail, the Daily Mirror, the Evening Standard, the Telegraph, the Times, and the Sun.

Here is a look at 20 stories from these outlets that appear to show a double standard between press coverage of Meghan and Kate. BuzzFeed News has reached out to all of the outlets featured below for comment.

Kate: "Bumping along nicely! The Duchess was seen placing a protective hand on her tummy as she exited the event." Daily Mail: March 22, 2018

Meghan: "Personally, I find the cradling a bit like those signs in the back of cars: Baby on Board. Virtue signaling, as though the rest of us barren harridans deserve to burn alive in our cars." Daily Mail: Jan. 26, 2019

Kate and William: "Prince William was given one of the green fruit – wrapped up in a bow – by a little boy who's mother is suffering during her pregnancy too... 'He said he'd take it to [Kate] and see what happens – and said good luck for [the boy's] mummy.'" Express: Sept. 14, 2017

Meghan: "The pregnant Duchess of Sussex and so-called 'avocado on toast whisperer' is wolfing down a fruit linked to water shortages, illegal deforestation and all round general environmental devastation." Express: Jan. 23, 2019

Kate: "Royal sources said yesterday that the Queen understood and endorsed William and Kate’s decision not to spend Christmas Day with her. One said: ‘Her Majesty understands that it is a dilemma that many young couples face and acknowledges how close Catherine’s relationship is with her family." Daily Mail: Dec. 16, 2016

Meghan: "The fact is the Queen expects to have the family around her for the festive season... to the Queen, for whom the tradition of the family gathering is a key date in her calendar, Harry and Meghan’s absence will be a matter of great sadness. It will also be a source of frustration." Daily Mail: Nov. 13, 2019

Kate and William: "Creating their own companies will allow William and Kate to bring out, should they ever chose to, myriad items of officially-endorsed merchandise from tea towels to coffee cups... Kensington Palace officials said they were doing the ‘sensible thing’ in protecting the couple’s rights." Daily Mail: Jan. 17, 2014

Meghan and Harry: "The Sussexes want to stamp their name on dozens of products including T-shirts, hoodies, journals and gloves for their newly-created foundation Sussex Royal... Experts said Harry and Meghan were actively preparing to quit the Royal Family months ago by filing trade mark applications to commercially protect their brand." Daily Mail: Jan. 9, 2020

Kate and William: "Prince William yesterday backed brother Harry’s brave admission of his mental anguish — and blasted the monarchy’s 'stiff upper lip' tradition... William said: 'There may be a time and a place for the ‘stiff upper lip’ but not at the expense of your health... '

"'Catherine and I are clear we want both George and Charlotte to grow up feeling able to talk about their emotions and feelings. Over the past year we have visited a number of schools together where we have been amazed listening to children talk about some quite difficult subjects in a clear and emotionally articulate way, something most adults would struggle with. Seeing this has really given me hope things are changing and there is a generation coming up who find it normal to talk openly about emotions.'” Sun: April 19, 2017

Meghan and Harry: "Meghan Markle and Prince Harry have bucked royal tradition once again with their latest TV interview — in which they claimed they were 'existing, not living.' The couple ditched the stiff upper lip of previous Royal Family generations and flew the flag for 'Generation Therapy' as they revealed their emotions to the world - but were they right to do so?

"What you make of 'fragile' Prince Harry and Meghan's comments may depend on your generation. Sun parents and kids reveal what they think of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex airing their emotions in public - and whether they have the right to moan in such positions of privilege..." Sun: Oct. 23, 2019

Kate: "It was reported that new Duchess of Cambridge requested her favorite scented candles and toiletries from luxury fragrance brand Jo Malone be delivered to scent the Abbey. A selection of candles, handwashes and lotions was requested, specifically in citrus spring scents including Orange Blossom, Grapefruit and the ever-popular Lime, Basil & Mandarin." Daily Mail: May 4, 2011

Meghan: "'Meghan wanted staff to go around with these atomizers, like spritzer guns, and spray the chapel with scent before anyone arrived. Royal Household staff stepped in and told her office politely, but firmly, that this was the queen's chapel and it simply wasn't appropriate. I don't believe they said no because they thought it could affect the chapel in any way. It was simply the principle of the thing. This is a place that has held royal weddings, funerals and even contains the royal vault. I don't believe a request of that nature had been made before.'" Daily Mail: Nov. 30, 2018

Kate: "As far as bridal bouquets go there was nothing particularly regal about Kate Middleton’s modest arrangement of simple, seasonal flowers. Like the bride herself the bouquet was effortlessly elegant and understated.

"Yet behind that modest posy lay a secret story. Kate, the commoner-turned-duchess, had painstakingly selected blooms with real meaning. She is evidently well-versed in the language of flowers, a little-known romantic relic from the 19th century.

"Hence the use of lilac in her bouquet, which signifies the first emotions of love, the lily of the valley meaning a return of happiness, hyacinth standing for constancy, myrtle meaning love and the ivy, which represents fidelity. Then of course there was the suitably named Sweet William, which is shorthand for gallantry." Express: Aug. 29, 2011

Meghan: "[Meghan Markle] was holding a wedding bouquet which flowers were replicated in Princess Charlotte and the other bridesmaids’ flower crowns. Express.co.uk can now reveal the children’ crowns were made of flowers that can be deadly, especially for children. Meghan’s bouquet was made of forget-me-nots as well as sweet peas, lily of the valley, astilbe, jasmine, and astrantia...

"Lily of the valley is a highly poisonous woodland flowering plant and ingestion could be deadly... As Meghan’s bridesmaids were so young, having this flower on their heads could be considered a dangerous decision. Other brides have also used this flowers including Kate Middleton, Princess Eugenie and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall." Express: Oct. 13, 2019

Kate and William: "The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh missed the small family affair. The decision is understood not to have been taken on health grounds, and to have been mutually agreed by the Queen and the Cambridges some time ago. The Queen, 92, has a busy week ahead, with high-profile celebrations in central London marking the centenary of the RAF on Tuesday, and a visit by US President Donald Trump in Windsor on Friday." Daily Mail: July 9, 2018

Meghan and Harry: "The situation has surprised some senior staff at Buckingham Palace, who feel that the duke and duchess should have planned the day better. ‘There is huge support for the couple in not wanting to conform to tradition. They are young, they are striking out on a different path from other members of the Royal Family and there is enormous goodwill for them. But they shouldn’t do that without regard for tradition,’ said one. ‘Her Majesty was already scheduled to be in Scotland for her annual Holyrood Week and had a prior engagement at the weekend. There is a feeling amongst some that they should have been more accommodating about the date.’" Daily Mail: July 4, 2019

Kate: "It is a fashion conundrum not many of us will ever face, but what exactly does one wear for tea with the Queen? The Duchess of Cambridge met this challenge head on yesterday by co-ordinating her outfit with the Queen’s powder blue ensemble... The Queen, on her first ­official event to mark her Diamond Jubilee, was dressed in a pastel hat and two-piece coat dress with military-style rows of gold buttons designed by Angela Kelly. Looking relaxed and elegant, her outfit was perfect for what looked like a fun official engagement with the girls." Mirror: Feb. 14, 2013

Meghan: "The Queen's aides had told [Meghan] she would be wearing a green hat as a mark of respect to those who died in the Grenfell Tower fire. The Queen is said to have been 'baffled' when Meghan turned up without a hat as she didn't realize she was supposed to wear one too. A senior aide said: 'I don't think the Duchess fully understood. This was not a request. Those are for others to make, not the Queen.' The Queen's staff are said to have noted the Duchess's mistake or 'lack of deference'" Mirror: Oct. 29, 2018

Kate: "We see a woman in her prime: stylish, confident and positively radiant, nailing outfit after outfit in the style stakes — and it’s a joy to witness... That old uniform of girlish dresses, tan tights and nude heels has been replaced by dazzling super-chic outfits to satisfy even the most exacting fashionista." Daily Mail: June 16, 2019

Meghan: "Proper royalty is about tradition and duty, self-effacing service and loyalty — year after year after year, season after season... That is not to say that a monarchy cannot or must not move with the times — simply that it has to resist the temptation to be buffeted by passing cultural trends. Fashion is the exact opposite. And as fashion’s most famous bible, Vogue exemplifies the transient nature of the beast." Daily Mail: July 29, 2019

[citrucentric]

Cranberry

The ideal Holmes is tall and dark with sharp edges and an intelligent look to him, but also posh and with a sense that you could fold him into origami if you really tried. Dresses well, but wouldn’t look out of place sprawled dramatically over a couch in a dressing gown with a pipe and surrounded by drug paraphernalia. Once made a pillow fort and sat in it to think. Caught somewhere between handsome, pretty, and weird looking. Emphasis can be on any of the three. CANNOT have facial hair.

Holmes Adaptations

S-Tier

Miss Sherlock (Yuko Takeuchi) - 95%

You’ll notice, of course, that nowhere in the earlier description did I say Holmes needed to be white, a man, or even human. None of those qualifiers or the lack-thereof prevent someone from looking the part -- it simply becomes necessary to compare them to the characters around them. And when I picture a female Sherlock Holmes, Yuko Takeuchi embodies the exact image in my mind. Her sharp edges, piercing eyes, and impeccable fashion, along with the powerful weird energy she brings to the role, fit Sherlock perfectly. She does look more than a bit like she could kick my ass, but more in the manner she dominates the room, which is perfect for the character.

Sherlock Holmes (Jeremy Brett) - 85%

I haven’t watched this adaptation, though I’ve been meaning to get around to it. So this ranking is based solely on screenshots and promotional images. And honestly, as ugly as i find this guy, he totally nails it. He even kind of looks like the illustrations in the stories. I won’t give him a perfect score because his hair could be darker and his face is a little small, and there’s just barely something missing. But as far as “canon” Holmes adaptations go, he’s the cream of the crop.

A-Tier

Sherlock: The Abominable Bride (Benedict Cumberbatch) - 80%

Definitely the more accurate of the two Cumberbatch Holmes designs, the sleek fashion and slicked back hair complement Cumberbatch’s angular build and “somewhere between pretty and just weird” face. He’s tall, dark, and posh. If there’s anything holding him back it’s simply that even dressed up properly, there’s something still a bit modern looking about him.

Fate/Grand Order - 78%

Given that his design and presentation are a direct reference to both Brett and Cumberbatch’s portrayals, it’s a given he’d place so highly. It’s really hard to nail down a 2D Holmes, especially in the anime style this game employs, since it has a tendency to prettify characters by default. True to form, FGO Holmes is far neater and more precise than I’d like. But he’s by no means a bad design, and depending on the image he can really hit the spot for me; he’s definitely a chart topper in the realm of 2D Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes: The Furtive Festivity (Gregory Johnstone) - 75%

There aren’t many Holmes that we only get to see as an old man, in no small part due to the ACD estate’s notoriously malicious copyright practices. Johnstone ranks so highly not due necessarily to the details of his look, but the overall feel he embodies. This Holmes is soft, affectionate, more than a little floppy. His hair and costume portray a man well grown into his eccentric life, and his face is sharp and mature enough to suggest the brains underneath; even if that’s more wisdom than intelligence in this particular story. This is a Holmes designed by someone who really loves Sherlock Holmes, and it definitely shows.

BBC Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) - 75%

Cumberbatch’s features still naturally suit Holmes well, and he’s tall and striking enough to cover the rest. But this isn’t a rating of his acting performance aside from the visuals it supplies; it’s hard to modernize Holmes, especially since it makes perfect sense for Holmes to gel well with the changing times; he was always a man ahead of his era. BBC Holmes’s trademark trenchcoat and curly locks aren’t traditional Holmes, but they suit him well enough.

Yuukoku no Moriarty - 73%

The long hair is an unorthodox take, but I'm certainly not complaining. YnM's Holmes definitely nails the youthful scientific exuberance of an early Holmes. It's clear they were going for a sort of BBC/ACD mix, but with their own spin. Pretty -- he is an anime boy, after all -- but all sharp edges and full of energy. Decent, way better than most anime Holmes designs manage.

B-Tier

Basil of Baker Street [The Great Mouse Detective] - 70%

Comparing the character to those around them is especially important when it comes to non-human characters, who naturally don’t have the same features. Putting Basil next to Dawson makes this abundantly clear, as they make a perfect portrait of Holmes and Watson. For a mouse, he’s thin, angular, even a little ratlike; all decisions that suit Holmes well. I have some complaints about his ensemble, though; while the dressing gown suits him well, his normal brown coat and hat don’t work so well with his fur; the monochrome look makes him come off a bit scruffy and unrefined.

A Study in Black - 68%

Rules are made to be broken, they say; here’s a Holmes with well maintained facial hair and who’s shorter than Watson, and yet I can without question say they were the right decisions. This Holmes takes a very different design approach than any other on this list, even the other modern takes, but he embodies the spirit of Holmes much more than if he’d tried to match every detail. Holmes is still gaunt and striking, eccentric and fashionable. He looks absolutely great.

The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes (Robert Stephens) - 62%

Stephens in this role is, I have to say, far too soft. But he’s playing a different sort of Holmes, and I can’t resist keeping him here. There are some parts of the look he has down; he certainly looks high class, and the softer elements of Holmes’ character look good on him. Holmes’ traditional costume, the hat and coat, look out of place on him. But that suits the message of the film, and may very well have been intentional.

C-Tier

Dai Gyakuten Saiban - 58%

Not the only blond Holmes on this list, but it doesn’t suit him as poorly. From a character design standpoint, it looks very good. As a Holmes, it’s unorthodox. He’s not gonna be a chart topper with it, but I wouldn’t rule it out. This Holmes’ real problem isn’t his coloration, merely that he’s much too conventionally attractive. His jaw is a bit too wide, curls a bit too lovely, the peek of lavender under his coat a bit too rich, and I can’t look at him for too long without blushing. Do some cocaine and get back to me.

Sherlock Holmes (Basil Rathbone) - 55%

Now, this one might be controversial. I don’t think Rathbone Holmes looks very good. I can’t put my finger on why; his head is the right shape, his nose very sharp, though his face looks very smooth and he seems overall vaguely packed in. Like he was plucked out of the sky just before walking on set. The shapes are all right, it just seems off to me. I guess what I’m getting is that his look is too obviously produced. He looks too much like an actor portraying Holmes, rather than Holmes. But I know he’s gonna be the guy a lot of people swear by, so I won’t defend this placement too hard.

Sherlock Hound - 45%

Really, what is up with the monochrome design on some of these cartoons. Sherlock Hound has the darker hat to make up for it, though, so it’s a little better. Applying the same rubric as Basil to him... doesn’t get the same results. As far as I can tell, this just looks like a normal dog. And a scruffy light-furred one, at that. There’s a contrast between him and Watson, sure, but it could’ve been pushed further. At the end of the day this is an average guy dressed as Sherlock.

D-Tier

Herlock Sholmes [Code: Realize] - 40%

This is a very pretty anime boy. I’d pick him first in whatever dating sim this is. ...Wait, this is supposed to be Holmes? How can you tell? Look, I know it’s hard to make an anime boy Holmes. Holmes’ key design elements aren’t his costume or his hair, they’re the things that make him unpolished. And anime dating sim boys don’t like to be unpolished. But really, this is just a steampunk boy who likes tea. Nothing here reads as Holmes to me.

Sherlock Holmes (Robert Downey Jr.) - 35%

Now, I love this movie. RDJ got me back into Sherlock Holmes when I was younger. And as this character, he has a very specific and well designed look. ...Does that look gel with canon Holmes? I don’t think so. He’s rough, he’s scruffy, he’s short and wide and strong-jawed, and he refuses to go for a clean shave. I like him a lot, but he’s not very Holmesian. He does, however, nail the eccentricity and his costume design works for him well. I do like a messy Holmes. So I won’t go any lower than this.

F-Tier

Basil [Blush Blush] - 28%

So, he’s got the outfit. There’s that. But otherwise... This is just some soft ugly anime boy cosplaying Sherlock Holmes. He doesn’t have a single trait that works in his favor. On top of that, he’s got the same problem the other Basil on this list had -- the all monochrome light brown just looks weird, and not Holmesian at all. And this boy doesn’t have the excuse of literally being a mouse. This is just an ugly design.

Elementary (Jonny Lee Miller) - 25%

Now, I've only watched a few scattered episodes of Elementary. Partially because I'm morally opposed to shows that only gender-flip half of the duo, partially because I’m absolutely outraged by the travesty they made Moriarty. But this isn’t a bad character, per-se.

But, like, this is just some dude. This isn't Holmes.

Sherlock Holmes [Clue] - 23%

I love Clue so much. That probably doesn’t surprise anyone. I have the season pass in this game, which automatically gives me every DLC character they add for free. So I was super excited to hear there was gonna be a Sherlock crossover. ...But this is just ugly. Another light haired square-jawed monochrome asshole pretending to be my favorite character. There’s nothing Holmes about this. (The rest of the designs in the pack are no better, but this isn’t about them.)

Skylar Holmes [Blossom Detective Holmes] - 20%

Now, Blossom Detective is a show that I famously disliked so much I immediately sat down and screenwrote my own Holmes cartoon on the spot. And Skylar certainly feels like she should be in the “part 2″ of this list, but a Holmes she is.

She's cute and she accessorizes well, but she's just not Sherlock Holmes by any stretch.

Sherlock Shellingford [Milky Holmes] - 10%

Now, look how cute she is! Sherlock Shellingford, present and accounted for. She’s got TWO Sherlock names so you know she’s the real deal. Now, this is just an objectively good design. She's exactly what she needs to be to serve the role she plays!

And that isn't Sherlock Holmes. Sorry.

Holmes & Watson (Will Ferrell) - 0%

Get out of my house.

Holmes Archetypes

Not all Holmes’ are meant to be the Canonical Sherlock Holmes, of course; some are just neat references, or characters who naturally fit into his role whether the author intended it or not. Let’s address them here, and remember that not looking the part doesn’t really reflect negatively on these ones as they’re stand-alone.

S-Tier

Dylan Reinhart [Instinct] (Alan Cumming) - 90%

Dylan is so point for point Sherlock Holmes that it’s hard to call him an archetype and not a straight adaptation, or possibly a rip-off if I’m being harsh. But I’m not supposed to be rating him by portrayal, just looks - and he’s really good. He’s the exact right blend of weird looking, though not as angular as he should be. His sharp eyebrows and nose and high hairline work fantastic, and he wears a suit very well. He’s a perfect little bundle of posh and nerves, and though he’s not perfect the fact that this isn’t actually supposed to be canon Sherlock Holmes makes this placement very unsurprising. He wouldn’t look out of place on the other list.

Hubert von Vestra [Fire Emblem: Three Houses] - 85%

Oh? What’s that? You don’t think Hubert von Vestra is a Sherlock Holmes archetype? Okay, then explain to me why he uses the word “sentiment” exactly twice in his supports. Atheists 1, Church of Seiros 0. Anyway. Let’s start with the obvious. Hubert looks like Benedict Cumberbatch. But, he looks like a vampire Benedict Cumberbatch who did a lot more cocaine. And if you don’t think Sherlock Holmes should look like a vampire, youre lying.

A-Tier

None yet. Please submit your Holmes and I will add them.

B-Tier

Heinwald [Dragalia Lost] - 67%

I would never look at this design and think "well, that's Sherlock Holmes". Heinwald looks more like a zombie or the bride of Frankenstein, very Halloween. His look being so specific does come at the expense of his Holmesness, but he's still got more than a few traits down and he’s an absolute treat.

L Lawliet [Death Note] - 65%

This is a very, very weird looking man. Key points: dark hair and eyes. gaunt, sharp, and mostly angular (though with a softer face). Extremely foldable. This man could 100% pass for Holmes, if someone else was dressing him. Put him in a suit, comb his hair? Yeah. It’d really work. But until then, he’s just most of the way there.

Kyoko Kirigiri [Danganronpa] - 63%

Kirigiri really gets jilted here, because she could be much higher. Unfortunately, she has to be part of a series that with only a few exceptions just reuses the same face and body for most of its female characters. Kirigiri definitely has the sharp and focused feel she needs to pass for Holmes, and she dresses well. The white hair is the opposite of the dark he usually touts, but it’s striking. Unfortunately, put her next to any other character in her series, and she blends back in.

Miles Edgeworth [Ace Attorney] - 60%

Feels a little weird to put Edgeworth on here when the actual Sherlock Holmes is in his game, but he fits the character much better if not the narrative role. So let’s go over the looks. His jaw is a bit wide, but he’s very pointy, and I certainly have never gotten the impression he’s a physically strong man. He’s very fashionable, and with his big cravat and sharp hair he makes a cutting silhouette. I’d say he needs a bit more to really nail the look, though.

C-Tier

Will Graham [Hannibal] (Hugh Dancy) - 45%

Despite being a noted Hannibal Lecter fan and possible homosexual, I still haven’t watched Hannibal. I’m taking people at their word that Will is a Sherlock; I definitely would have assumed otherwise looking at him. He reminds me deeply of BBC’s John Watson, and it’s hard to see anything else. But I don’t hate his look; he reads as clever, he looks good in darks, and I wouldn’t complain to see him cast as Holmes. He’s better than some of the lower-tiered canon Holmes actors, anyway.

Ranpo Edogawa [Bungo Stray Dogs] - 40%

This is another submission, and I don’t know who this boy is. I really doubt he’s actually a Holmes, given that he’s named after a real non-Doyle writer, but I was begged to include him. Let’s go. I really like his outfit. He’s got an aesthetic I like. Is it Holmes’? No. This kid looks like he’d fit way better as a Baker Street Irregular; maybe he should audition.

D-Tier

Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) - 35%

Take everything I said for Robert Downey Jr, and just mess up his hair a bit more. House is scruffy, poorly put together, and not wearing anything that costs over $100. As a Holmes, he’d work as one of his disguises; I wouldn’t be super surprised if this guy suddenly cleaned up and looked the part -- but it would take a lot of cleaning. I love his look, though -- again, he isn’t trying to be canon. House is an explicit Holmes parallel, but he’s still his own character.

F-Tier

Walnut Cookie [Cookie Run] - 20%

Given how much “Holmes costume” and “Detective costume” are conflated, it’s possible this gingerbread baby isn’t even supposed to be a Holmes reference, but I’ll take her. She’s an excellent design - but a standalone one. Shes too soft, warm, and curly looking to pull off canon Holmes.

[screamingatanemptyroom]

I Can’t Eat Love Side Part 4 - Edith

One more side part after this one. This is from Edith’s perspective. I’ll go ahead and warn you now, it isn’t happy, obviously. After this though is the Queen, and i’m really looking forward to her part!!

Master post linked here. 

Enjoy!

_________________________

In a previous life…

Everyone has a place in life. A shining spot belonging just to you. And if you are able to sit in that spot, your life will be happy and blessed. This is what I’ve always believed.

There is a girl who stole that place from me.  

I learned about this while I was still young.

“Mother, why doesn’t Father like me?” I was crying, a feeling of frustration and helplessness overcoming me. Even a simple conversation with my father led to criticism, he looked at me as if… as if I were something worthless. Something dirty.

My mother, the Countess of Erand, was a beautiful woman. She had large eyes, a pitiful expression which inspired sympathy and love. She shook her head at my question, smiling strangely.

“That’s because he isn’t your father, silly.” What a shocking thing to tell a young child, but she didn’t seem to sense any inappropriateness to her words. Mother quickly explained my true parentage, that my father was the Duke of Armeny, one of the most powerful noblemen in the kingdom.

“Why don’t we live with him?” I felt upset, looking at the poorly furnished room we sat in. In our home the outer sitting rooms were luxuriously furnished, but it was only a front. The Count of Erand was not a wealthy man, and so our actual living quarters were quite humble. 

“He married another woman.” Mother smiled despite the terrible words. “He didn’t have a choice, his heart will always remain with me.”

I stared at her in shock. “Can’t you win him back?”

“I wouldn’t want him to be unhappy, or mire his name in scandal.” She shook her head slowly. “He has a wife, and a daughter now. She’s actually close to your age.” A small sigh escaped her. “She’s your half sister, but she looks a lot more like your father than you do.” 

“Is she… better than me?” I whispered, my heart breaking at the sight of my mother praising another girl. 

“She’s raised by your father, so naturally she will be more noble and refined.” Mother shrugged, not noticing the despair she caused with these few words. “I want you to become friends with her, but make sure to always treat her well! Don’t embarrass your mother by acting poorly in front of her! She’s HIS precious daughter after all.”

“O- of course, mother.” I smiled, the expression at odds with the coldness I felt in my heart.  I was young, but even I could sense the unhealthy light in my mother’s eyes as she spoke about that man and his daughter. She loved him, to the point of madness, until she could ignore everything and everyone else.

I thought love was a fairly pointless thing, then, if it made you like this. 

I wanted to ignore her words, but a seed had been planted in my mind. No wonder I was unhappy. I wasn’t where I was meant to be. The place in life I was meant to have had been taken, which was the source of all my misery. If I just could take it back…

Thus began my obsession with my half-sister, the girl who stole my place.

_________________________

 “Hi, I’m Lenora.” A smiling young girl, with light colored hair and bright eyes, curtseyed prettily in front of me. She seemed happy, secure, and comfortable in the luxurious environment around us.

I felt immediate dislike for her, a thick wave of jealousy choking in my throat. 

How dare she look so content? How dare she enjoy the shining spot that was meant to be mine? She had wealth, a position of power, and her father at her side.

I wanted… I needed to take it all from her. 

_________________________

I pretended to be Lenora’s friend. It was surprising easy. Despite her position she was desperately lonely, pathetically latching on to any attention I would give her. All it would take was the threat of ignoring her to get her to do what I wanted. Sometimes she would resist, however

“Give me the doll.” I held out my hand, demanding the item she held to her chest with an imperious expression.

Lenora shook her head, clutching the ratty toy tighter. “No, Edith, this was a present from the Queen. I really love it.”

“Why do you care if the Queen gave you a toy?” I smirked. “It’s so poor looking, it’s better if you don’t have it.”

“No! The Queen says one day I’m going to be her daughter! I’m going to marry the prince and live in the castle with both of them!”

She held onto the doll tighter, tears forming in her eyes.

She was going to marry a prince? My gaze narrowed, and without further thought I reached out, ripping the toy from her and tearing it to pieces. 

“If you had just given me the stupid doll I wouldn’t have had to do that! Now it’s ruined and it’s all your fault!”

She burst into tears, the frightened sobs racking her small body. I felt a bright smile form across my face, a relaxed feeling taking over. I knew then, it wasn’t enough to simply take my spot back.

I had to make her regret ever having it in the first place.

_________________________

As I grew older, my methods became more complex. I bought over her personal maid with the money I had saved and the promises of future favors for her brother. With Angela’s help, it was all too easy to dress her in ridiculous clothes, convincing her it was the height of fashion. I took her out to the royal gardens almost every day, urging her to try to catch a glimpse of the prince. I wanted her to love him. I wanted all of her hopes to be set on him.

“Your highness! ” I met Prince Ronan “by accident” one day in the gardens when Lenora was ill. “I’ve heard rumors that you were handsome and intelligent looking, but I think you are even better than what people say!”

Shameless flattery, but from what I heard, Ronan was a simple man.

“I am pretty great!” He smiled brightly at me. “What’s your name?” 

I curtsied, keeping a shy expression on my face. “Edith, Your Highness. I’m a… acquaintance of your fiancé.”

“My fiancé? That foolish girl my mother wants me to marry?” He sneered. “How dare they try to tell me what to do?!”

“I agree… Lenora says that the Queen will force you to marry her no matter what! It makes me so sad to think of a wonderful man like you being trapped by a woman like that!”

I dabbed my eyes with a handkerchief, forcing a few tears from my eyes. From the corner of my vision I stole glimpses of the prince’s face, satisfied by what I saw.

Ronan looked furious.

_________________________

It was simple to pull him over to my side. Constant flattery, with mixed in hints of how Lenora was an arrogant girl who thought she was better than him. As his opinion of me improved, I added on sob stories of being bullied by Lenora, enjoying his righteous anger on my behalf. 

Lenora, foolishly, had no idea. I had made him promise to be polite to her, to pretend nothing was wrong. Of course, if he wanted to pull pranks on her publically, like tripping her at her birthday party… I couldn’t object to that. That was just free entertainment.

Everything was moving along as planned.

_________________________

As we grew older however, I noticed a worrying change in my half-sister. She disagreed with me more often, trying to spend time with other girls and make friends. She frequently quoted the queen when she was disagreeing with me, not immediately capitulating to my opinion as she had in the past. One day I visited her room, only to find her in a beautiful gown.

“What is that?!” I forced a disgusted expression. It was difficult to hide my shock. The dress was beautiful, a delicate violet ballgown with light blue embroidery, highlighting her petite frame.

Lenora hesitated, looking shy. “I designed it myself! Do you like it?”

“Where did you get the idea for something like this?” Every gown I helped her buy was hideous! How could she design something like this?!

“I wanted to wear something more like the Queen.” She smiled brightly, touching the small sapphire amulet hanging around her neck. I hated that necklace. It was a gift from the Queen, a family heirloom that was to be passed down to her daughter.

That should be mine! How dare she wear it!

“You look nothing like the Queen.” My voice was cold. “You look ridiculous in that.”

Her face paled. “I do?”

“Yes. Hurry and get rid of it, before someone sees you in it and laughs.”

I watched her eyes fill with tears, satisfied for a moment. But soon it was replaced with a feeling of panic.

I’m losing control of the situation. I need to hurry things along.

_________________________

 “Your Highness!” I sobbed loudly, burying my face in his shoulder. “Please break off your engagement with that girl! I can’t live without you!”

“Don’t worry.” A warm hand patted my hair gently. I frowned as it mussed up the careful styling, the expression hidden by his coat. “At my birthday, dearest! I’ll be a legal adult, I can break the engagement without my parents’ approval and I’ll announce you as my future bride the same day!”

“Really? What about your mother?” I sniffed, pretending to be consoled by his clumsy gestures. “Won’t she try to interfere?”

“Who cares if she does?”

“The nobility care…” I whispered these words, however, knowing he wouldn’t understand. If the Queen was there she would stick up for Lenora. She doted on her too much already. I knew I would have to take matters into my own hands if i wanted a perfect defeat of my half-sister.

Even though the one she should dote on is me!

A simple poisoned tea made the Queen too sick to attend, and the party went off without flaw. The prince renounced Lenora publically, holding me to his side. His eyes were filled with affection as he looked down at me, but I immediately looked away, all of my attention on the crying young woman being helped out of the room by our father.

WHY ISN’T HE LOOKING AT ME?! 

I was taking my proper place as the future queen. The place Lenora stole from me! She was broken, defeated… but still he only glanced in my direction once at the beginning, with the same haunted guilty eyes he always had when he saw me, before turning back to Lenora.

The glass in my hand cracked under the tightness of my grip. I brushed it off with a gentle laugh, saying I was nervous. Everyone smiled at me, including the prince. I was the center of attention.

But still I could only stare at the empty doorway where they had left without a single glance behind.

I almost quit my plans then. I had taken her engagement, taken her place… I should have been happy. But it wasn’t enough. I had to keep going.

She wasn’t miserable enough.

_________________________

I worked with Angela to intercept all letters between the Queen and Lenora. I started rumors, making sure to repeat them frequently to Lenora, that the Queen had no interest in her anymore. Each time I saw the agony on her face at the abandonment, I felt happy. But the feeling was fleeting. It wasn’t enough.

Even without my help, the Duchy of Armeny came to ruin. Their debts were called in, their home was taken, and Lenora moved out with her parents.

I hired people to keep an eye on her, trying to find enjoyment in the day to day life as a future Queen. It was difficult. Mrs. Rendler, the etiquette instructor, disliked me. She only agreed to teach me after a direct order from the prince, and yet she frowned whenever she was looking at me.

“Lenora was a hardworking girl. Intelligent too. She mastered this much more quickly.” Her words were barbs underneath my skin. I tried to ignore them, but they struck at each weak point I had, making me lash out. I fired her, hiring a new teacher, one without a connection to my half-sister.

Ronan doted on me as usual. The King ignored me, for which I was grateful. His eyes were cold, and I couldn’t help but feel the schemes he hid in his smile. I knew that he would easily destroy me if it worked for his plans. 

As for the Queen…

I tried my best to form a relationship with her. I brought her gifts, invited her to parties, visited daily… but each time she would politely thank me for the attention, and then turn back to the window, where she always looked out, as if searching for someone. It made me furious.

How was she any better than me as a future daughter in law! Why, even when that wretched girl is gone, does she still only think of her?!

I needed to act soon. I had convinced the Queen through messages sent by Angela before the fall of the duchy that Lenora despised her, and never wanted to see her again, but I knew it wouldn’t be long before she looked to see her again. I just needed an opportunity…

And one day it came. A young girl around our age was murdered on the streets. As soon as I got the news, I had one of my people make the face unrecognizable. I then approached the Queen with a sad, teary-eyed face to give her the good news.

“Lenora is dead. They found her body this morning.”

I left her in agonized tears, feeling elated that soon the Queen would see me instead of Lenora. She would forget all about her. And that girl’s stolen place in her heart would belong to me.

But it didn’t work. 

No matter how many months passed, the Queen refused to stop mourning. She stayed in her rooms, with only the butler to take care of her, refusing all invitations. I was furious, but everything I tried was useless.

_________________________

I came across a notice from my men one morning. Our father was dead. He had been murdered by a loan shark who he had borrowed money from, his body recovered in a gutter. I paused as I read the report, unsure of how to feel.

I’m glad that Lenora is in pain. And what did that man ever do to me? He only stared occasionally at me and felt guilty. What use was he? An uneasy feeling remained in my heart, but I irritably brushed it aside.

I lost track of her for a while, after her mother died and she last came to find me. I panicked when my men lost her, unsure of how she escaped my view. I felt empty… confused… lost. As more and more time passed, I worried that she had found a new place, become happy, had taken more things from me.

But finally I found Lenora once again.

_________________________

She was begging streets, slowly starving to death. Wherever she had been, whoever had been helping her was gone, and now she was alone. I was content once more, reading my daily reports on her activities. I arranged to ride by her street with Ronan, flaunting my wealth and happiness. 

I grabbed his arm once we passed by her, smiling brightly. “I’m so lucky to be able to marry a wonderful man like you! But, some days, I just feel so guilty that I stole Lenora’s place…” 

“Lenora? “I’m glad to be rid of her. Who would want her when they could have you?” Ronan reacted exactly as I hoped.

I looked down, hoping she would cry. “Yes, who would want her?”

_________________________

Close to the end, Lenora finally sold the necklace I hated so much. A priceless treasure, all for a loaf of bread. I bought it immediately, and kept it by my side, frequently taking it out to look at it. I considered breaking it to pieces, but still I held on, waiting.

The day Lenora died, I tossed the necklace to the Queen, and told her the truth of what I had done. I smiled at the despair in her eyes, enjoying her pain. I had already poisoned her, so there was no fear of her telling anyone else. It was a painful,l pathetic end.

Exactly what she deserved. Who told her to love Lenora and not me. 

I had won.

A strange emptiness came across me at the thought. I went back to my lavish rooms, sitting down and looking around.

I had done it. I had taken my place back. Lenora was broken, and gone, her body thrown to the forest for the animals to tear apart.

She was dead.

My eyes began to burn, and to my utter horror, I felt tears… genuine tears… fill my vision, overflowing and tracing down my cheeks. My throat burned, my breath came in gasps, and above all I was undeniably… 

EMPTY.

I shook my head. What was I thinking?  I won! I had taken Ronan from Lenora.

I lived in a loveless marriage with a fool I despised.

I was going to be Queen. 

In a country that was financially bankrupt, with a scheming king who saw me as a pawn.

Lenora had lost her parents.

My father died too, never caring once about me except to feel guilty. My mother had died only a day after hearing the news. The horrific end to her obsessive love.

She had lost everything. I had everything!

My entire life had revolved around Lenora. What did I have now that she was gone?  What special place? What bright and happy life? I was more miserable now than I ever was when she had everything I wanted.

I had nothing.

I was…. Empty.

Hysterical laughter gave way to screams of pain, the sounds tearing themselves from my throat as  I sank weakly to the ground.

_________________________

In another life...

“Edith.” A familiar voice woke me from my sleep. I turned in place on my hard cot, looking through the bars. My cell was small, but furnished, having been built for nobility who had committed crimes against the crown. At my status as a count’s daughter I normally wouldn’t have been kept there, but Ronan had requested I be moved there to be more comfortable. The only concession his father would make. I sighed loudly, sitting up and facing my visitor.

“Ronan, what brings you here?” My voice was cold, emotionless. I had no reason to pretend to care for him anymore. I had tried in the beginning, hoping he could pressure the king for my release… but it had come to nothing, and I gave up the farce after a while.

The prince smiled at me, but his eyes were angry. “I wanted to see the girl who ruined my life.” 

“Ruined your life?” I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “How many years have I been locked up again?”

“You deserve it, for your crimes.”

I smiled at him calmly, despite the rage in his voice. “You haven’t visited me in years, and now you come back to berate me about this old matter? I didn’t even manage to kill her.”

“You lied to me!” His hands shook, and he clenched them at his sides. “You told me Lenora was a fool! You convinced me to break ties with her!” 

He began pacing back and forth as he spoke. “But day after day that’s all I hear about. Lenora is a genius. She’s a prodigy at diplomacy and etiquette, a master of business and economy. Tilendria has flourished under her and Nate, becoming much stronger than us!” He paused in his steps, glaring at me. “They laugh at me! Mocking me through songs! I’m the foolish prince who dumped the girl who became a marvelous Queen.”

I felt a pain in my chest at the mention of her, but it was a dull ache, the years spent away from my half sister causing a slow detachment in my heart. I hated her. I despised her still. But it seemed to matter less now, within the confines of this cell. “Why bring this up now?”

“I saw them.” Ronan whispered, his eyes haunted. “I saw them both at a diplomatic function. They were happy, smiling. They spoke about their lives… children.”

BAM!

His fist struck the bars, causing me to jump back a little at the loud sound. “THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN ME! I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HAPPY!”

BAM! 

“YOU LIED TO ME, RUINED MY LIFE!”

BAM! The bars shook, but stayed firmly in place, the skin of his hand tore at the repeated blows, blood dripping onto the stone floor at his feet, but he continued to stare at me, ignoring the wound.

“Because of you that bastard took my place! Nate took my wife, my family, my happiness! Even my mother! His kingdom flourishes, while ours goes under.” He sat on the floor, his legs seemingly giving out from under him.

“The Duchy of Armeny seceded. They officially joined Tilendria. They were the cornerstone of our economy, our foundation… “ He chuckled bitterly. “I will become a king of nothing. And it’s your fault.”

“Is it really?” I stared at him, a flicker of recognition within me

He nodded. “Yes! You and Nate! He took everything from me! He took my place! My happiness!”

“…” A silence fell between us.

I began to laugh. A quiet, almost silent expression, which soon grew louder and louder, echoing off the bare walls of my cell. It took a long time to regain my composure, but I slowly did, looking up at my former fiancé whose face was pale with rage.

“It was never your place. None of it belonged to you. Even if I hadn’t lied to you, even if you had married her, you would have never been as happy as they are now.”

“How could you say that?”

“Because we’re the same.”

 I had a feeling deep down, that even if my plan had succeeded, I wouldn’t have been happy. How could I have been content when everything in my life had always been focused on her happiness?

I stared at the prince sadly for a moment. I knew if he was saying these things to me, he had likely said them elsewhere too. I had heard rumors that Lenora kept spies in Reterand, and had a feeling she would show little mercy if he tried to plot against her family. He would not have a happy end if he continued down this path.

“Go home, Ronan. Try to forget them. Find your own place. Find your own happiness.”

I leaned back on my cot, staring up at the ceiling, refusing to look his way again.

“Before it’s too late.”

I closed my eyes. 

“Before you end up like me.”

[smkkbert]

We ended as Lovers (9/12)

Summary: Three years ago, Felicity’s life was perfect. She was offered a job at two great companies. Her boyfriend just started his own fashion label, and they picked a perfect apartment to live in together. The more heartbroken she was when Oliver got cold feet and it all ended. Now, Felicity is coming back to Starling City, well aware that she is destined to run into her ex-boyfriend there. While old feelings revive quickly, the pain still goes deep. Besides, for some reason Oliver seems to be angry with her. 

Previous Chapters: 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8 or read on Ao3

* * *

Chapter 9: The old-fashioned way

Closing her eyes, Felicity took some deep breaths. She still felt like she was on the edge of breaking down or flipping out or some other hysterical reaction to everything that had happened yesterday. She just knew that she couldn’t let that happen today.

This wasn’t her day and, as the good friend that she wanted to be, she didn’t want to make it about her. All she had to do was make sure that Sara spend a comfortable and enjoyable morning before they would head to the mansion to get dressed and ready for the wedding. After she hadn’t had it in her to stay at Sara’s side and help her through the first evening with her mother and her sister in years, the least she could do was make it up by being the perfect maid-of-honor today.

Felicity shook her head when she thought back to how she had come to Starling, telling herself that she would focus on Sara and Nyssa’s wedding as well as her deal with Queen Consolidated. In hindsight, she had done a lot, but that. She had closed the deal with Robert, but she had done way too little for her friends.

Taking in another deep breath, Felicity eventually found the courage to knock at Sara’s doors. She had already lifted her hand, but the buzzing of her phone distracted her before the knuckles of her hand met the door.

While Felicity was pulling her phone from the back pocket of her jeans, it buzzed yet again.

TQ: I wanted to wake Nyssa with breakfast in bed, but she was out for a run. Girl doesn’t know what it means to be a bride on her wedding day.

TQ: How are working things out for you and Sara?

Felicity smiled, shaking her head at the thought of how disappointed Thea must have been when she hadn’t found Nyssa sleeping in her bed. Thea was certainly not a traditional kind of person, but she did love wedding traditions. She had been the one to suggest that Sara and Nyssa spent the last night before their wedding apart. When Sara and Nyssa had agreed, Felicity and Thea had decided that they should make sure the brides were spending a good morning that allowed them to get in the right mood for the wedding already.

FS: Just arrived, so we’ll see. I’m sure Sara isn’t out for a run though.

Sara loved sports. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have the muscular body that she had. Unlike Nyssa, she wasn’t that kind of person that jumped out of bed before eight to run a dozen miles before breakfast. Felicity had lived with her long enough to know that.

With that thought in mind, Felicity nodded at the door. It was opened immediately, and Sara stood at the other side, a bright smile taking over her entire face.

“I almost thought you would never knock.”

Chuckling, Felicity lifted her phone and waggled it in front of Sara’s face.

“I was about to do so when Thea distracted me.”

“How is my wife-to-be?” Sara asked. “Does she get cold feet because I could swear that, if anyone gets cold feet, it’s going to be her and-“

“Nyssa is fine enough to anger Thea by escaping the mansion for a run.”

“So, she’s perfect.”

Sara beamed with happiness at the news, knowing that Nyssa being her usual self was a good sign on a crazy day like this. She’d only be worried if her wife-to-be gave up what she loved to give into Thea’s ideas for the wedding day. Until that happened, it was safe to say that Nyssa was feeling great, which meant that she would probably show up at the altar.

Felicity couldn’t see her skip her wedding either way. Firstly, Nyssa loved Sara so much that she certainly wouldn’t miss the wedding. Secondly, Nyssa might be bolt, but she knew that Thea would chase her to the end of the world if she did anything to ruin this day.

At least in some ways, this was Thea’s big day after all. She had put so much time and energy into organizing all of this that she certainly didn’t want anything or anyone to ruin it for her or the brides.

“You look perfect too,” Felicity said eventually, looking Sara up and down, “not at all like a nervous bride.”

“My heart does feel like it wants to jump out of my chest.” Sara took in a deep breath, still beaming with happiness. “I do feel very well-rested though.”

At least one of them, Felicity thought, but she didn’t let that show. She just continued smiling back at her friend.

“I guess Thea made sure of that?”

“Is there anything she didn’t make sure of?” Sara chuckled. “I didn’t drink much last night and then Thea made sure that I didn’t get home late. That way, I had a good couple of hours of sleep.”

“I guess the wedding can come then?”

“The sooner, the better.”

Beyond happy for Sara, Felicity pulled her friend into her arms and hugged her tightly. She couldn’t possibly be happier for Sara and Nyssa. They hadn’t always had it easy, so it meant all the more that they finally got their happy ending.

Eventually, the two friends released the other from the hug. Sara laced her fingers through Felicity’s and pulled her with her into the spacious living area. She had already set the table, so they could just sit down and start having breakfast.

Pouring both of them a mug of coffee, Felicity bit down on her tongue. After what had happened last night, she wanted and needed to know if Sara and Nyssa had had at least a little fun. Felicity just didn’t want that question to turn into a conversation about what had happened between her, Oliver and Adrian. Today was just not the day for it.

“It sucks that you missed the rehearsal dinner.”

Surprised by Sara’s words, Felicity lifted her gaze to find Sara’s eyes already on her. She took her in intensely, her eyes just slightly narrowed. It was like she had seen in Felicity’s face that she had wanted to know about this, but that she just hadn’t known how to address.

“Was it good?”

“Great even.” Sara nodded her head and bit into her croissant. “The food was delicious. The atmosphere was good. I didn’t kill my mother or Laurel which I am very proud of. It was the best way I could have spent the evening before my wedding.”

“Sounds great.”

Felicity wished that she could have been with Sara during that evening. These last three years, they didn’t have many chances to spend time together and a wedding was such an important part of a person’s life. Felicity should have been there with her. Well, Felicity guessed she could add that to the long list of things her father and Adrian had ruined for her.

Although she could taste those words on the tip of her tongue, she didn’t say them. She knew that Sara would feel sorry for her, and that was the last thing she wanted. If someone should feel sorry, it was Felicity.

“I am sorry, Sara,” she whispered without thinking about it twice, “for that scene yesterday. That was supposed to be your and Nyssa’s day, and I ruined it for you with that scene. There is nothing I can say to excuse it. I am just really sorry.”

Sara frowned slightly, shaking her head. She dropped her croissant to her plate and reached out her hand. She grabbed Felicity’s hand and squeezed it.

“You didn’t ruin anything for us,” she said honestly, “because the evening wasn’t ruined. Even if it had been ruined, it wouldn’t have been your fault. Adrian was the one who caused all of that mess.”

Rationally, Felicity knew that Sara was right. Oliver had confronted Adrian, and he had attacked him, so it would have been his fault rather than hers. Not even Oliver could be blamed for his actions though, not with everything Adrian had done to them the last few years.

Felicity still felt her stomach tighten when she thought about how she had spent the last three years, thinking that Adrian was one of the best friends that she had ever had. She had texted him about a lot of things that had happened to her in Gotham and in Hub City, making sure he was updated, so they would keep in touch with each other. And all the time, he had just wanted to increase Oliver’s miserableness.

“So, what happened after you left?” Sara asked eventually, cocking her head. “John Diggle mentioned that you were looking for Oliver, and he sat you into a limousine to take you home.”

Taking in a deep breath as her memory still made her stomach clench, Felicity nodded her head. She wished she could buy time before she really told Sara what had happened, but maybe it was better to just tell her now. After that, they could change the subject and just go on. The longer she’d wait, the more the subject would hover over them like a dark cloud.

“I went to OJQ. He was there and-,“ Felicity tried to find the right words for the destruction he had caused, “took everything apart. Papers, designs, furniture.”

“Sounds a lot like Ollie.” Sara nodded her head. “Let’s just hope that he didn’t destroy the designs for the collection he is supposed to present in a couple of days because there have been months of work in that, and Moira is going to kill him.”

Felicity managed a weak smile, but she doubted that it reached her eyes. From the way she had seen Oliver, Felicity thought that it wasn’t impossible that he had destroyed the designs for his newest collection. He had been blind from rage.

“I guess Adrian’s words really hit him.”

Felicity nodded her head, feeling her throat growing shut. A thick lump was building there, almost making it hard to breathe.

“Did you two talk about what you want to do with that news now?” Sara asked and took another bite from her croissant. “I mean I get why you have been so angry with each other for the past three years now, but that anger was based on false information and Adrian’s intrigue. Maybe there is a way for you to-“

“We didn’t talk,” Felicity interrupted Sara, shaking her head, “because neither of us was feeling like it yesterday. Besides, I am not really sure that there is a lot to talk about either.”

Sara perked up an eyebrow doubtingly, and Felicity got it. Although Felicity hadn’t told her that she had had sex with Oliver twice since she had come back to Starling City, Sara had certainly caught up on the attraction that was still there between them. As many angry feelings as there had been between them, it must have been impossible to miss.

Attraction wasn’t enough to fix the break that had gone through the relationship they had had. Three years of bottling up angry feelings for each other was a lot to overcome. Even with all motives bursting like a bubble, it didn’t change that they had had those feelings inside of them for years. Felicity wasn’t sure that there was an easy way back from that.

Three years. It was just so incredibly long.

“I think you two have a lot to talk about,” Sara said quietly, “even if it’s just for the sake of getting a clean cut.”

A clean cut was the only thing she had hoped to get from her stay in Starling City when it came to Oliver and her. She had given up on getting this clean cut days ago already. Maybe this was her second chance at getting this clean cut after all.

Sara shook her head. “If I just think about how you could have still been together now if it wasn’t for Adrian and his lies, I could just-“

“We shouldn’t talk about this,” Felicity interrupted Sara and shook her head firmly, “because today is just not about that or about me. Today is all about you and Nyssa.”

Sara rolled her eyes. “Just because it’s my wedding day, I won’t just forget the basic rules of friendship. If one friend suffers, the other is morally obligated to have an open ear to listen.”

“Not on her wedding day,” Felicity insisted with another shake of her head, “but after today we can gladly meet again and catch up.”

“Nyssa and I are leaving for Thailand tomorrow morning.” Sara smiled. “We try to escape the trouble before Nyssa has to be on the runway for OJQ’s next fashion show.”

“So we meet and catch up after that.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “We will make it work.”

“Hopefully, because we haven’t spent enough time together since you moved to Gotham.”

“True.” Felicity nodded her head. “We will change that though. I promise.”

Sara smiled with satisfaction, and Felicity smiled back at her. She knew that she hadn’t invested enough time or courage into making sure she was seeing her friend regularly. She would change that now.

 * * *

 “Wow.” Felicity looked herself up and down in the mirror thoroughly. “You really worked miracles on me.”

Given how crappy she had looked about an hour ago, Felicity felt like that really wasn’t exaggerated. After the sleepless night that she had had, she really looked terrible. Her skin had been pale. Dark shadows had shown under her eyes. Everything about her had looked shiftless and exhausted.

After the one-hour-procedure she had been put through by the two hair and make-up stylists, she barely recognized herself in the mirror. She looked like she was a natural beauty despite all the layers of make-up on her face. With Oliver’s dress, the light updo of her hair and make-up that consisted of several layers and still looked so very natural, she really looked stunning.

“I really think that’s an underestimation,” the stylist said and shot Felicity a look back over her shoulder, “because we work magic on a daily basis. This was so much more than that.”

Felicity knew that she should probably be offended about this commentary, but she couldn’t help herself. She didn’t mind. The stylist was saying the truth anyway.

Turning away from the mirror, Felicity looked at Sara. She was still in the comfortable leather chair while two people were working on her hair and two others were making sure that her make-up was perfect. The same situation with half the people had stressed Felicity out minutes ago, but Sara was just leaning back with her eyes closed. She looked like she enjoyed it, but she was probably used to this and worse from the photoshoots she had done for OJQ.

“So, lovely bride,” Felicity said with a smile and stepped as close to Sara as the stylists allowed her to, “is there anything your maid of honor can do to fulfill her duty?”

“Actually, there is.”

Sara made a movement with her hand, and all stylists let go of her immediately. They distanced themselves, giving Sara and Felicity some room. When Sara turned her chair around, so she was facing her, Felicity took two steps closer to her, doing her best to ignore the pain in her ankle.

She would have to spend most of the evening on her chair, resting her foot after wearing high heels during the ceremony. Since the dress had been fit with high heels on, she didn’t have much a choice but wearing the planned pair of high heels. It made her foot hurt like hell, but it was better than risking stumbling over her feet and breaking her ankle once and for all.

“Could you please check on Nyssa for me?” Sara pushed her bottom lip forward and looked at Felicity pleadingly. “I am not worried that she has run off. I know she will be there, but I just need to hear from someone I trust that she is really doing fine.”

Felicity smiled and winked at Sara. “I will make sure she gets everything she needs to be all relaxed when she’s supposed to say yes.”

“Thank you, Felicity.”

Felicity only winked once more before she turned towards the door. By the time she had reached it, the stylists were back to turning Sara into the elegant bride she wanted to be. She looked utterly relaxed being made up like that.

Closing the door behind her, Felicity turned to the northern wing of the mansion which was where Nyssa was being styled for the wedding. Thea had organized everything to the second, making sure that both brides had the space they needed to get ready for the ceremony and they wouldn’t run into each other before they were supposed to.

When Felicity crossed the gallery upstairs, she saw all the hustle and bustle that was going on downstairs. People were hurrying around, putting the last pieces into place. The first guests had probably arrived already too. There were always some early birds who thought that it was best to come quite some time before the wedding. With the expansive champagne the Queens certainly offered, Felicity got it.

Felicity stepped into the hallway of the northern wing. She was focusing on walking evenly the way she should during the ceremony later. With her injured ankle, it wasn’t easy, but she was doing the best she could. The more she practiced now, the more hopeful she was that she would get this right later.

Turning into the hallway to her right, Felicity stopped as she saw Oliver tugging Thea into one of the rooms. She sucked her bottom lip between her front teeth and looked back over her shoulder. From her time with Oliver, she knew that there was another way to the guest room where Nyssa was being prepared for the wedding. She wasn’t sure if she would still find it though, and, even if she did, her foot would protest at it.

For a split second, Felicity considered going back and telling Sara that Nyssa was fine. After all the times that she had screwed up being the friend for Sara that she wanted to be, she felt that it would be utterly wrong to do so.

Straightening her shoulders, Felicity did her best to pass through the hallway as quickly as possible without listening to what was happening behind the door where Thea and Oliver had disappeared.

She had already walked past it when she heard her name being said. She faltered, wondering if she shouldn’t just continue her way to Nyssa’s room nonetheless. Her nosiness won at the end. As quietly as possible, she took some steps back. Since the door had been left ajar, she could push it a little more open without anyone noticing.

Oliver and Thea were standing in the middle of what looked like another living room, somewhere to read a good book or draw a new painting. While Thea was all dressed up and prepared for the wedding, Oliver had the bowtie wrapped around the collar of his shirt loosely. He wasn’t wearing the jacket of his smoking yet, and the shirt wasn’t stuffed under the waistband of his pants.

“What good is that going to do, Ollie?” Thea asked her brother in response to whatever he had said before. “Felicity and I are friends, and I told her that I didn’t want to be torn into any of this. I am not the one who had anything to make up to her either. It would just mean so much more if it’s coming for you. Besides, Felicity is the head of her own company. She can’t just stay here because a friend asks her to without any real reason. If someone she loves-“

“I have to earn back her love,” Oliver interrupted his sister, shaking his head, “but that just takes time. I can’t just do it in the next couple of hours that we have before she goes back to Hub City.”

Felicity felt her heart skip a beat or even two. There was a softness and a passion in Oliver’s voice that she hadn’t heard in a long time. That he wanted to earn back her love the right way, taking his time to do so, meant a lot to her. She might not know yet exactly how she felt about the fact that Oliver wanted to earn back her love in the first place, but she couldn’t deny that it meant something to her.

“I need more time.” Oliver put his hands to Thea’s shoulders and looked at her urgently. “The fashion show is coming up in two weeks. If you just ask Felicity to stay here for that show, maybe I will have a chance at making her fall back in love with me. But I really need your help.”

Thea grumbled, obviously not too pleased with the idea. Since Thea hadn’t wanted to be pulled into their fight a couple of days ago, Felicity was sure that she didn’t want to be part of any possible reunion now either. She was probably the happiest if everything turned out right without any kind of involvement.

As Oliver’s sister and her friend, she was caught between two stools. That was anything but easy, so Felicity got why she wanted to be kept out of it.

“Make her fall back in love with you?” Thea asked. “I am sure there isn’t much needed for that and-“

“There is a lot needed for that,” Oliver interrupted her yet again, shaking his head firmly, “because I want to do it the right way and that includes making good for all the things I have said and done these last couple of days. A cheap apology is not going to be enough.”

Although Oliver did his best to make Thea understand how much he really needed her help, she still hesitated. Even his puppy-like eyes that were looking at her pleadingly didn’t help. Thea was still uncertain.

“Felicity is one of the three leading ladies of her own company. I doubt that she can just stay away that long easily.”

“Maybe there is a way to make it work. With Lena Luthor and Lily Stein, she has the back-up to make take off a little longer. It’s at least worth a try, and it would be my best chance at trying to win her back before another couple of years have passed.”

“Why can’t you just ask her yourself?” Thea asked her. “It would be so much more honest than sending me to ask her.”

“Because she won’t stay if I ask her too,” Oliver said in a low voice, pain and quite some guilt sounding through every syllable, “she might stay if you asked her though. I am not too proud to ask you to do it.”

Felicity lowered her eyes to her feet, wondering if what Oliver had said was true. Was she really going to turn him down more easily than she would turn Thea down? Felicity wasn’t sure of that.

It didn’t really matter who would ask her though because a longer stay in Starling City wasn’t a possibility. Just like Thea had put it, she was one of three leading ladies of a company. Taking those few days off for the wedding had already been troublesome because the wedding had come at a really bad time. There were a thousand things for her to do in Hub City.

“I didn’t treat Felicity the way she would have deserved to be treated.”

“Because you thought she had sex with Adrian,” Thea reminded him, “I am sure that she understands. Besides, with the bombs Adrian dropped at the two of you, there are a lot of unanswered questions for the both of you. I’d say she wants to know the answers to them as much as you do. You should ask her.”

Oliver seemed to realize that maybe there was some truth in what Thea had said. He turned away with a frustrated grumble falling from his lips. He tore his hair, shaking his head again and again.

“I was terrible to her, Thea,” he said, his voice not lacking frustration either, “like really, really terrible. I don’t know why she would forgive me. I don’t know why she would even listen to me. What am I supposed to say? Just tell her I am sorry for not trusting her or her love for me enough to not think that she would screw Adrian the second she thought we were broken up? And then ask her in the same sentence if she could give me another chance?”

“Well, that would be a start.”

Only when both Oliver and Thea turned their heads towards her, Felicity realized that she had actually said those words out loud. Heat rose to her cheeks, and she was sure that a deep blush spread there too. Since hiding was no longer an option, she opened the door and stepped in.

Oliver’s gaze caught hers immediately, and she could see the deep desire in his eyes. He looked her up and down, taking in the way his dress looked on her body. The expression in his eyes was so intense that it made Felicity’s skin crawl and goosebumps spread all over her back.

Felicity wanted to look away, trying to escape the intensity of Oliver’s gaze. As much as she tried to, she just couldn’t do it. His gaze was captivating her.

“I guess I will just-“

Thea pointed her thumb towards the door. Felicity flashed her a quick smile, grateful that she understood that she and Oliver just needed a moment of their own. Now that the shock wasn’t as raw as it had been last night, maybe they finally got their chance of talking things out.

Once the door was closed behind Thea, Oliver approached Felicity. She couldn’t stop herself from tensing slightly, unsure what he was about to do. Oliver caught up on it immediately and stopped. He lifted his hands slightly, almost like he was trying to prove to her that he didn’t mean any harm to her.

“I am sorry for yesterday.” Oliver cleared his throat and pushed his hands into the pockets of his pants. “To begin with.”

Felicity shrugged her shoulders. She wished she could push her hands into the pockets of her dress too. She was sure there weren’t any though, so she just moved her hands over the fabric of the skirt nervously. To her surprise, she found that she was wrong though, and she dug her hands deep into the pockets of her dress.

Oliver really knew her, Felicity thought to herself. After all these years, he knew that she would feel better with some pockets. She liked to keep her phone, a tissue and maybe some other stuff close.

“I needed some time too,” Felicity replied, shrugging her shoulders, “I just didn’t know at that time I showed up at OJQ.”

Arriving at her hotel, she had felt terrible. She had stripped herself off he clothes and crawled into bed. With the blanket pulled over her head, she had tried to find some sleep, but of course it hadn’t been that easy. She doubted that she had even just dozed off for a single second.

“Yesterday was quite heavy.”

“Underestimation of the year.”

Felicity mumbled the words in a singsong and rolled her eyes slightly. It made the smallest of a smile spread on Oliver’s lips. As soon as it had spread, as quickly is faded from his face again.

“I have been pretty out of myself which made me blind for the way you were feeling, so I have to ask now,” Oliver said, “how are you doing with all of this?”

Sucking in a deep breath, Felicity felt tears welling in her eyes. Those were tears of sadness and anger at the same time. Just thinking about everything Adrian had done to her by trying to hurt Oliver angered her, and it hurt so damn much. She didn’t even want to consider what it would be like once she really let in the thought that she had trusted Adrian all these years. It would make her feel stupid and naïve which wasn’t attributes that she would usually use to describe herself.

“Not good,” she admitted, shrugging her shoulders in a gesture of helplessness, “I mean Adrian and I have been friends for the last few years. At least I thought that we have been friends. Obviously, he had something else in mind, but I really trusted him. I liked him.”

Oliver nodded his head. Putting his hands to his hips, he lowered his eyes. He almost looked like he was feeling guilty.

“This is my fault.” He really was feeling guilty. “And I am very sorry, Felicity. If it hadn’t been for me and my actions, Adrian would have never tried faking to be your friend. I was careless before I have gotten together with you and knew that you were everything I wanted. If it hadn’t been for me, Adrian wouldn’t have pretended to be your friend when he was really the one who chased you away from Staling three years ago. He also wouldn’t have gotten in our way if it hadn’t been for what I did. I mean-“

Felicity shook her head, and it was enough to interrupt Oliver. He fell silent instantly, looking at her with so much urgency like her words were the only ones that could possibly take away the guilt he was feeling.

“What happened wasn’t your fault. It was neither not my fault.” Felicity shook her head lightly. “It was all Adrian.”

Maybe they could have prevented the measures all of this had taken if they had reacted differently to what Adrian had done. That didn’t make any of this their fault though. At the end, Adrian’s actions might have driven them apart the way they had done one way or the other.

Oliver was still looking at her intensely. He looked like he was trying to figure out if she was serious or just saying this to comfort him. As hard as it was to keep her eyes on him, Felicity forced herself to keep looking at him. She wanted him to know that she was honestly thinking that it wasn’t either of their fault.

“Felicity, I-“

Before Oliver could say whatever he wanted to say, the door opened. They both turned around, seeing Moira entering the room in a beautiful rosé-gold dress.

“Here you are,” she said with a smile despite the strict expression in her eyes, “you gotta hurry. The first guests already arrived and both brides were just put into their wedding dresses.”

Felicity shot Oliver a brief glance. She could see that he wasn’t happy about the interruption. His thumb was moving against his other fingertips nervously.

Biting down on her bottom lip, Felicity turned her head away. She would have liked to hear what Oliver wanted to say too, but she was actually kind of relieved that she didn’t hear it yet. If it was anything close to what he had asked Thea to ask her, she wouldn’t have known what to answer to it.

“I will go check on Nyssa,” she said eventually, clearing her throat, “I promise Sara I would do so.”

Moira nodded her head with a smile. “I will send someone to tell you when it’s safe to leave the room, so Nyssa and Sara won’t meet each other before they are supposed to.”

“Alright.”

Felicity shot another brief look back over her shoulder to find Oliver’s eyes still on her. She flashed him a half-hearted smile and headed towards the door. Her heart felt heavy and her head was spinning.

Everything about this situation just continued to suck.

 * * *

 With a low sigh, Felicity put her glass of champagne and sank down on her chair. She felt like she had been standing or rushing around forever. She doubted that she had sat down since she had gotten up after dinner. Even the ankle she hadn’t sprained seemed to hurt now.

Felicity took a quick look around to make sure nobody was watching her. She hurried to slip out of her shoe and elevated her injured foot to the empty chair next to her. With another sigh of exhaustion, she leaned back in the chair and allowed herself to relax for a moment.

Her gaze fell onto the newly-weds. Sara and Nyssa were the only couple dancing on the dance floor. They had their arms wrapped around each other tightly. Their foreheads were resting together. Their eyes were closed. They both looked utterly content and happy, like they were exactly where they were supposed to be and where they wanted to be.

Their content easily infected Felicity. She felt it spread inside of her chest like a wave of warmth. It made her feel all fuzzy and good.

This day had certainly been everything Sara and Nyssa had hoped for, probably even more. After all these years, they were finally wife and wife. The joy of being married suited them both. It made them look so incredibly happy, and with the way their wedding bands sparkled in the light of the canopy, they would surely get some perfectly romantic photos of this moment too.

Looking at Sara and Nyssa, Felicity realized how far, far away something like this was for herself. There had been a time that she had really wanted all those gestures of romance and love, too. She had thought that they had been quite in reach for her, just there to grab and never let go. Through the last few years, she had completely lost sight of it though, and she wasn’t sure if she was even remotely the same kind of girl that had wished for something like that for herself.

With Helix Dynamics, Felicity was very busy. There wasn’t much time for a relationship which had been one of the many reasons why she and Ray had decided to break up. They had both been so very busy with their jobs that there hadn’t been enough time to be a couple. It wouldn’t have worked, and Felicity didn’t see it working with anyone else currently either.

She had no idea how Lily did it and how she would continue to do it with a baby. Since it was Lily, Felicity was sure that she would make it work though.

“Hey.”

Flinching slightly at how close the voice was, Felicity turned her head quickly. She had been so deep in thought that she hadn’t noticed that Oliver had approached her. He was standing right next to her, his hands pushed into the pockets of his pants and his shoulders hunched. Although she couldn’t see it, she was sure that his thumb and fingertips were rubbing together.

“Hi.”

Felicity’s voice was quiet, and she did her best to hide her insecurity behind a smile. She had known that Oliver would approach her to restart the conversation they had needed to interrupt for the wedding earlier today. She had feared and simmered for this moment with same measures.

From everything Felicity had heard of the conversation between Oliver and Thea, she knew that Oliver wanted to ask her to stay. She still didn’t know how to react to that though. She knew that she couldn’t stay, even if she wanted to. She just didn’t know if she wanted to, which meant that she didn’t know what exactly to tell Oliver if he asked her to stay.

Clearing his throat, Oliver pulled his hand from the pocket of his pants and held it out for her. Felicity looked at it like she had never seen a hand before, staring at it for a long moment, before she lifted her gaze to Oliver’s face.

“Would you like to dance?”

Felicity perked up an eyebrow, causing Oliver to press his lips together. As much as she tried to hide it, she knew that she failed to not let him see the amused grin that she was doing her best to bite back.

“Really?” she asked him, cocking her head. “You don’t dance, and you can’t dance.”

“I can dance,” Oliver insisted, “as long as dancing means swaying from side to side a little while music is playing. I am just doing it rarely because… well… women insist that I step on their feet all the time.”

“Oh, they insist, yes?”

“Yeah, I have no idea why.”

Oliver chuckled nervously. Since she didn’t take his hand, he moved it through his short hair and stuffed it back into the pocket of his pants.

“Please,” he asked, “just one dance?”

Back when they had been together, Felicity had needed to plead with Oliver for him to agree to one single dance. If possible, he had tried to get his way out of it. He really hadn’t wanted to dance with her, no matter how much she would have liked it.

Since Felicity still hesitated, Oliver whispered, “Sometimes, we all have to bite the bullet.”

Felicity wasn’t sure if he was talking about her or about himself. It didn’t really matter though as Felicity realized that he was right. They had all to bite the bullet sometimes. Oliver did so by asking her to dance, and she would do so by agreeing to it.

“Okay,” she whispered, nodding her head, “one dance.”

Oliver beamed with happiness, holding his hand out for her once more. Felicity rested her much smaller hand in his and let him help her up. Hand in hand, they walked towards the dancefloor where some other couples had joined Sara and Nyssa by now too.

“How is your foot?” Oliver asked when he wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her tightly against him. “Any better?”

Felicity shrugged her shoulders. “Not really, but it is how it is.”

“Maybe you should go and see a doctor.”

Again, Felicity shrugged her shoulders. She wouldn’t be able to say anything even if she wanted to. A thick lump had formed in her throat when Oliver hand rested their linked fingers on top of his heart. She could feel his heartbeat beneath the palm of her hand, and it made her own heartbeat quickens.

“I don’t think a doctor can do more than telling me to elevate my foot and cool my ankle.” Felicity shrugged her shoulders as they started swaying more or less in time with the music. “If it won’t be better in a couple of days, I will go and see a doctor.”

“Dr. Schwartz here in Starling General is really good,” Oliver said lightly. “A few years ago, I had trouble with my knee again, and she took care of it.”

Felicity nodded her head slowly. She knew that Oliver had had trouble with his knee a couple of years ago when they had still been together. He had seen almost half a dozen doctors, but nobody had been able to tell him where the pain had come from.

Now, Oliver’s suggestion was a lot more than a medical suggestion. he hadn’t asked her directly, but his suggestion did sound a lot like he wanted her to stay in Starling for longer.

Oliver seemed to catch up on her insecurity. His arm tightened around her like he was scared she would leave already. His hand pressed her even closer to his chest, so she could feel his heartbeat even more. It had quickened with her hesitation to respond since Oliver had probably realized that it wouldn’t be as easy as he had thought or hoped it would be.

“I am sorry for the way I treated you lately.”

Felicity nodded her head, but it soon turned into a shake of her head. She frowned slightly and dug her fingers into his shoulder.

“You thought I cheated on you.”

“Well, it wouldn’t have been cheating.” Oliver looked at her intensely. “After the way I left you that day, I figured that it might have looked to you like I was breaking up with you. I wasn’t which I would like to point out for the record, but I understand why it might have looked that way to you. That way, it wouldn’t have been cheating, but-“

Oliver squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. The entire situation was way too confusing to talk about it easily even now. The different point of views they had on this were making it hard to talk it out. Maybe they should, but the wedding reception really wasn’t the right place to do so.

“I wasn’t exactly nice to you either.”

“I was worse.”

Felicity bit down on her tongue. She wouldn’t fight him on that. She tried to pull herself together. She wanted to believe that he had tried to do the same. Obviously, his level of patience had always been quite beneath hers.

“I was wondering,” Oliver said slowly and took in a deep breath, “if you might want to stay here in Starling for a little longer, so we could talk it all out. We didn’t really have a chance to do so since Adrian dropped this bomb on us last night. Maybe we could sit down and, I don’t know, talk about what happened back then and what happened since you returned to Starling and what might or could happen in the future.”

Oliver’s voice had grown more and more quiet as he continued to speak. That and the way his heart stumbled in his chest, beating incredibly irregularly, told Felicity how nervous this made him. Oliver barely ever let anyone see how he was feeling, especially when he thought that his feelings were making him weak. That he let her see and feel how he was truly feeling right now was a big step for him.

He was still looking at her intensely. His gaze seemed to crawl under her skin and try to figure out what she was thinking and feeling at his question.

As much as Felicity tried to hold his gaze, she couldn’t do it. She lowered her head, looking at their bodies that were pressed together as they continued to sway in time with the music.

She had wondered if she would want to stay if Oliver asked her to. Now she knew that at least a part of her wanted to. As hesitant as she was about it because she wasn’t sure that it would lead them anywhere, she could feel that, deep inside of her, she wanted to stay and figure out what it meant for them.

Since she had come back to Starling, she had wondered if there was still something between her and Oliver. With what she had believed was their history, even the phenomenal sex hadn’t seemed to be enough to change that they were utterly done. Now that their history wasn’t what it had always seemed to be, maybe things had changed. Maybe they hadn’t though.

Fact was, Felicity just didn’t know.

“I can’t stay,” she whispered eventually, lifting her gaze to Oliver’s again, “I need to go back to Hub City. I am needed at Helix Dynamics.”

It didn’t matter if Felicity wanted to explore whatever opportunities there still were for her and Oliver. She knew that Helix Dynamics should be and had to be her priority. For the past years, it had been the one thing to offer stability to her. It had been everything she needed to recover from her broken heart. Now that the company needed her, she wouldn’t turn her back on it. She wouldn’t refuse to put it first.

“What good would it do for me to stay anyway?” Felicity added, her voice betraying her. It made obvious that she wasn’t sure about what she was saying. “So much time has passed since all of that happened. I don’t know about you, but I can certainly say that I have changed. I don’t know if I am anything like the woman I used to be before. I doubt it actually. You have probably changed too.”

If Felicity was asked about how she had changed in the past three years, maybe she wouldn’t be able to answer. She couldn’t describe all the ways she has changed since she had left Starling City, but she knew that she was very different from the woman who had left the city with a broken heart. It was feeling deep inside of her that told her that she had changed a lot through the years.

That she and Oliver had had sex twice since she has returned showed that they were still physically attracted to each other. It didn’t mean that the bond they had once had was revivable though. When people changed, maybe they were still physically attracted to each other, but that wasn’t nearly enough to fall in love again or to make a relationship work.

“Besides,” Felicity said, clearing her throat against the thick lump in her throat that made her sound so hoarse, “you are busy with your fashion show too and-“

“What if I visit you in Hub City?” Oliver interrupted her. “That way you wouldn’t stay away from Helix Dynamics for too long, and we could still see each other. We could see each other, maybe go out on a date, you know, like the old-fashioned dinner in a nice, Italian restaurant.”

Felicity frowned. She knew exactly what kind of stress there was going on before a fashion show. Presenting a new collection was always exciting for Oliver and there was a lot that depended on the success of the fashion show. It needed to create buzz in the media because that kind of promotion was exactly what was needed to keep a fashion label alive.

If Sara’s suspicion was true and Oliver had indeed torn apart some designs for his fashion show, he had a lot of work ahead of him. Even if the designs were still intact, he certainly had a lot to do. A designer's way from Oliver’s head to the catwalk was quite long and those were just a tiny part of what Oliver’s work consisted of.

“What about the fashion show?” Felicity asked, frowning. “You must have your hands full with work.”

“I do,” Oliver admitted, shrugging his shoulders, “but nothing is more important than this. Nothing's more important than you.”

The deep tone of his voice, saying these kinds of things every woman dreamed to hear at least once in her lifetime, made it even harder to breathe. Given how dedicated Oliver was to his word, Felicity knew that it meant even more. Oliver didn’t offer this lightly, and he certainly wouldn’t offer this to everybody.

Still, there was a little voice in Felicity’s head that warned her not to do it. These past days here in Starling had been like a rollercoaster and not even the good kind of roller coaster. She felt like she had been left with whiplash. If she continued, she might lose her head and her heart completely. She wasn’t sure if she was ready to do so.

“Oliver, I-“

Felicity felt the words getting stuck in her throat. She wanted to get them out, but something inside of her was fighting against it. Something inside of her didn’t want to tell him that she didn’t think this was a good idea. Something wanted him to come to Hub City, so they could talk it all out and figure out what was going on between them without the weight of their past pressuring them from all sides.

Holding her breath, Felicity looked right into Oliver’s eyes. The expression in his eyes was pleading. He would respect her if she turned him down now. He wouldn’t suddenly turn up at her doorstep and ambush her because he knew that she would make the kind of decision that was best for her.

“Okay, fine.”

Felicity was almost surprised that she actually agreed to it, but she felt the thick knot that had built in her stomach loosening. Maybe the decision hadn’t been all bad.

Oliver couldn’t hide his smile. He was more than relieved that she had agreed. She could see it in his face. He was beaming with joy, almost like he was concurring with Sara and Nyssa.

The thought touched and scared Felicity at the same time. She lowered her eyes for a moment and rested her head against Oliver’s shoulder then. His hand moved from the small of her back up to her neck and finally the back of her head. His warm palm cupped her head, his fingers brushing through her neatly done hair. Felicity didn’t mind. She felt somewhat safe and good there which was confusing once more.

With a sigh, Felicity closed her eyes. In a couple of hours, she was back home in Hub City. She would take a lot of impressions with her from Starling City, but she knew that her home, her company and her friends in Hub City would help her to get back a little bit of the stability she had missed here in Starling City.

No matter what had happened or would happen between her and Oliver, Hub City was her home, and she couldn’t wait to get back to it.

* * *

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[fictional-affliction]

Strip Me Down

(Alternate tite “I’m In Lust With a Stripper”)

Words: 2,710

Rating: M/E 

I know I’ve been a bit m.i.a as far as posting and stuff goes, so I hope whatever the heck this is that my brain puked up, makes up for it. Also, yes, it’s an au where Duncan is a stripper, I know I’m trash. 

She should had never agreed to come to this bachelorette party. Bridgette was her best friend from childhood and had been there for her through thick and thin but this isn’t what Courtney had in mind when it came to returning the favor.

She was shocked that Bridgette would ever want to come to a strip club to begin with. Her and Geoff had been together practically since they were teenagers. Sure they had a few breakups over the years that lasted less than a week, but they proved time and time again that they were happiest when joined at the hip, or mouth. So when Geoff finally proposed and Courtney began to fulfill her maid of honor duties and plan Bridgette’s bachelorette party, Courtney asked what Brigette wanted for the occasion. She never expected this.

Courtney  raised her glass and knocked back the second round of tequila shots they’d ordered so far that night. Bridgette was absolutely beaming in her bachelorette sash and tiara, already giggling from the alcohol.

“Are you sure Geoff’s okay with this?” Courtney asked after sucking on a lime and winced a bit as the alcohol burned down her throat.

“As long as there’s no touching he’s cool with it. I had to assure him repeatedly that it’s just for the experience of it and that his body is better than any stripper’s.” Geoff did take great pride in his physique.

Courtney sighed, she wanted Bridgette to have fun, truly, but part of her hoped that she would have changed her mind at the last minute. The other ladies in the bridal party didn’t seem to have any qualms about throwing handfuls of singles at half naked men. Then again, Courtney was considered the prude of the group and stuck out dressed in a blouse almost buttoned up to her neck.

As music flooded the room and different scantily dressed men took the stage, Courtney sat back in her chair let the other girls be the ones to scream and shell out cash. She still watched the show though. She couldn’t pass up ogling attractive men showing off their assets.

It was a lot of the same after a while and when her work phone vibrated, Courtney diverted her attention to her email. Because of this she didn’t really register the rock music that came on next, or how some ladies in the crowd got inexplicably louder, it wasn’t until Bridgette’s cousin, Brooke was nudging Courtney that she looked at what the fuss was about.

Oh...

“I fucking love guys with tattoos, can I have your cash?” Courtney wordlessly handed it over to Brooke without taking her eyes away from the man on stage.

Her eyes raked over his toned but not overly muscular body. His strong arms lead to broad shoulders that were only highlighted by the colored lights bouncing off of the stage. She found herself staring at how his stomach muscles were framed by that perfect v shape. She avoided fanning herself and regretted dressing so warmly.

The ink all over his body was something that she’d vocally frowned upon. She was taught tattoos and piercings weren’t a lifestyle choice for those with lucrative professions, but secretly Courtney thought on the right person they were sexy. They teased a rebellion that she never could indulge in.

He exemplified everything she could never be allowed to want but fantasized about. Shamelessly she watched him strut his stuff on the stage with a smirk that said he knew how hot he was. What could it hurt to give into carnal urges and lustfully gaze at him, it’s what he was being paid for. His vivid teal eyes and killer smile was enough to make her bite lip till it hurt.

The other girls in the bridal party whistled and waved their money in the air when he took off his pants reveling the tight briefs underneath. Her face heated up when he danced his way over to their section. The girls cheered him on except Courtney who sat back with Bridgette.

She felt so dirty staring at a man she didn’t know like he was a piece of meat and she was a starving lioness.

Then he locked eyes with her right as she licked her upper lip.

Quickly, Courtney diverted her attention to her phone, extremely embarrassed. She held her breath while her heartbeat pounded in her ears louder than the booming music. If she just looked down for the rest of his act then maybe she could walk away with some shred of dignity tonight.

“Court...” Bridgette said from her side.

“Mhmm.” Courtney pretended to be drafting an email.

“He’s looking at you.”

“He’s looking at everyone.” She played it off. Bridgette’s hand lifted her chin and gave her no choice.

“No, he’s looking at you...” Dollar bills were flying in his direction and he still gave the audience what they came there for but his gaze was directed right at Courtney. She raised her eyebrows in question, her face now on fire.

In turn he winked at her.

“I’m going to get another drink.” Courtney made up an reason to excuse herself. Bridgette didn’t bother reminding her that her current drink was only half empty.

The bar provided a safer distance for Courtney to watch from. Far enough away that she didn’t feel like she was the one on display. If he was bothered by her exit it didn’t show, he continued to thrust and roll his hips in fashion that gave way to what he could do with them in the bedroom. Courtney crossed her legs and ignored how turned on she was getting. Matters only became worse when he ended his routine by pulling down his underwear and giving the audience a peak at his ass.

Damn he had a great ass.

Courtney chugged the last bit of her red wine before ordering another.

———

Later, bachelorette party sat in a booth, most of them fairly intoxicated, while going on about the different strippers they’d seen. A large chunk of the conversation being about how explicitly they’d have their way with each of them.

Courtney checked her watch, noting that it was past midnight which meant it was getting closer to calling it a night.

“C’mon Court, at least try to have some fun.” Bridgette begged and bumped her with her shoulder.

“I am having fun.” Courtney tried convincing her but Bridgette knew her better than that.

“That one guy was definitely checking you out, you should go home with him.”  

“Bridgette!” Courtney almost choked on her drink at the suggestion.

“What? It’s been like a year since you’ve been laid.” Courtney kicked Brigette hard under the table, when she saw someone approaching their table. It was as if her talking about him summoned him to their booth.

“How’d you ladies enjoy the show tonight?” He asked in his deep tenor that made the hairs on the back of Courtney’s neck stand on end. The other occupants at their table exclaimed their praises, the liquor making them bold.

“Anything more private I can do for anyone?” He cocked his head toward the back of the club where there were secluded rooms designated for one on one time. Courtney felt his eyes burning through her but Bridgette’s cousin Brooke eagerly spoke up.

“You should just come back to our hotel.” She suggested with a forward hand on his bicep. Courtney watched his face and felt a sense of victory at the small hint of disappointment that crossed his features before smiling.

“Sorry babe, I don’t do house calls...anymore.” Courtney couldn’t imagine what that must entail.

“Actually, my friend over here would love a lap dance.” Bridgette interrupted and wrapped an arm around Courtney’s shoulders. Courtney balked and pushed Bridgette away.

“Oh no, I’m good.”

“I’m the bride and you have to do what I say!” The girls cheered at Bridgette’s demand showing their approval. Courtney came up with an excuse.

“I gave all my cash my Brooke.” Bridgette then reached into her purse and pulled out a large wad of cash.

“I’ve got you covered.” Courtney had never seen Bridgette smile so evilly in her life. “You know you want to.”

“Yeah you know you want to...”The stripper looked her up and down. She did want to, she was single and he was hot. She had no reason to object other than her own self consciousness. The party of girls began chanting her name to egg her on, adding pressure and fueling her frustration toward them. Finally, with her heart in her throat, she scowled and stood. With a death glare at Bridgette, Courtney grabbed the stripper’s hand and dragged him toward the back of the club.

——— They entered a room secluded by a curtain that blocked them from prying eyes. It was small but cozy and decorated with a few leather couches. The red lights glowed above hem and the sensual music that played set the mood for what usually happened in there. Courtney was relieved that it wasn’t a sex den equipped with whips and chains. She turned around to tell him nothing would be happening in there but he was right behind her. Courtney’s eyes widened. Their chest were almost touching and he was close enough for her to see the light sheen of sweat glistening on his skin.

Of their own accord Courtney’s eyes wandered from his face to his chest where his nipple ring caught the light, down to his abs, even to his groin and back up again. When she looked back to his face there was a gleam in his eyes and a corner of his mouth was turned up. Courtney immediately felt humiliation take over and that familiar feeling of her face on fire.

“Sorry...” Courtney took a step back.

“I like the way you stare. I liked it on stage too.”

“I bet you say that to every girl.”

“I do, but with you I actually mean it.” He didn’t break eye contact and Courtney found it hard to catch her breath. He gestured over to one of the sofas against a wall.

“Have a seat...”

She could do this, she was a strong independent woman who had taken on high profile court cases. She thrived in a male dominated career. She lived alone in a big city and took care of herself. There shouldn’t be any reason why she couldn’t get a lap dance from an attractive man without looking like a complete spazz. And yet she couldn’t get her body to move.

“Here I’ll help you out.” No sooner he had picked her up bridal style like she weighed nothing. “I’ve got you, Princess.”

All Courtney could get out was a high pitched squeak of surprise and then she was being gently placed on the leather furniture. She had instinctually wrapped her arms around his neck when he picked her up but was too caught off guard to remember to let go.

“I was hoping I would get some time alone with you.” He murmured in her ear. Courtney let her hands go and when he pulled away they unintentionally slid down his chest.

“Name’s Duncan by the way.” Duncan turned up the volume on the stereo, drowning out the noise from the rest of the club. “Any special requests, gorgeous?”

Courtney sat there with her eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights. Duncan sensed her trepidation.

“I don’t think I can do this...” Courtney admitted, mortified that she was chickening out and bolted for the curtain they came in through.

“Hey wait,” Duncan caught her carefully by the shoulders, “it’s okay. We don’t have to do anything that makes you uncomfortable, I’d be happy just to talk to you.”  He wasn’t going to let her slip away now that he had his chance.

Duncan could tell she wasn’t like the type of woman that would normally come here for a bachelorette party and was out of her comfort zone. Earlier, when he spotted her during his routine he knew she was definitely into him too. He just had to get her to let loose a bit.

“Dance with me.” He held out his hand to which Courtney looked at cautiously. “Just follow my lead, Princess.”

This time when she took his hand it was him directing her. He put her hand on his shoulder, her other hand following suit, and put his hands on her waist.

“This okay?” Courtney nodded and followed as he swayed them to the music. Her eyes were down but he could see the small smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.  That pretty little smile alone was getting him excited down below.

There was a shift as Courtney’s reservations began to waver. The tension in her arms began to dissipate and the full weight do them fell to Duncan’s shoulders. She got a little closer, then so did he, until their swaying turned into a slow grind. Their torsos where completely pressed together and one of his legs were wedged between hers.

His erection was hard against her leg but instead of jumping away, Courtney stared at the outline against his jeans in smug satisfaction. Growing bolder, Courtney let her right hand slip from his shoulder and let a finger time drag down his chest, purposefully letting her finger nail catch on his nipple piercing. He hissed and bucked against her leg.

Their eyes met with the same hazy gaze of desire as Courtney continued her journey down his chest, to his abdomen and to the waist of his jeans without breaking eye contact. She hovered there, unsure.

“Like I said...” Duncan rubbed circles with his fingers on her waist “we can do whatever you want...”

Courtney hooked her finger into the waistband of his pants. “Take these off.”

His pants hit the floor a second later leaving him in only his black boxer briefs, his cock even more noticeable. Courtney continued to stare with labored breath but did only just that. She look at him like she was going to devour him yet did nothing. It was infuriating, and incredibly sexy.

Duncan threaded his fingers in the hair at the nape her neck. He was close enough to kiss her full lips but resisted despite how tempted he was.

“What do you want to do to me?” Duncan asked low and eager. His groin brushed against her when she leaned into his words and he gave up on personal space and molded their bodies together again. “I know what I want to do to you...”

Her nose brushed against the stubble on his chin as she inclined her head.

“Then do it.”

Duncan lifted her leg and wrapped it around his waist, then attached his lips to Courtney’s neck. She gasped at the sudden change in position and stabilized herself by holding onto his shoulders. Her gasp turned into a surprised moan when he kissed her skin. He continued the assault up her neck, pausing to suck and nibble against her pulse.

Courtney dug her fingers into his shoulder to keep quiet although all she wanted was to express how good this felt. She was going lightheaded with want and didn’t know how much more of this she could take.

“Duncan...” He lost a bit of control when she whispered his name so wantonly and pulled her against him. The angle allowing his cock to grind between her legs.

This time Courtney couldn’t hide the broken moan that came from the back of her throat. Duncan looked at her with his eyes glazed over, waiting for her next move.

This was it, now or never.

Then fabric rustled as a curtain was yanked back.

“My turn! You’ve had more than enough time with him-“ Brooke took in the situation and raised an eyebrow “Oh, am I interrupting something?”

Courtney jumped away from Duncan, her whole body lit with shame. She didn’t get to see either of their reactions because she kept her eyes down as she pushed passed Brooke.

“Sorry, I tried to stop her...” Bridgette tried to apologize as Courtney claimed her purse, but Courtney bolted for the club’s  exit, desperate to be anywhere but there.

[apieceofcakecat]

Children’s Wedding (Noremma Week - Day 2: Childhood)

   Emma carefully closed the door behind her and tiptoed through the corridors, careful not to be seen. She crept all the way until finally slipping into one of the rooms, where Gilda and Anna were waiting for her

   “Did you make it?” asked the girl in glasses, with expectation.

   “Of course.” the redhead raised both arms and in her hands was Isabella’s sewing kit, which she had taken from her room. “Never doubt my incredible skills.” she said proudly.

   “I never doubted it.” Gilda clapped her hands cheerfully and ran toward her friend, being followed by Anna.

   “Won't we be in trouble?” she asked the blonde, worriedly.

     “Of course not. We'll return him before Mama realizes he's gone.”

   Gilda readjusted the glasses on her face and took the sewing kit from Emma's hands; the three then marched to one of the beds, where there was a fashion magazine and some sheets. Gilda had found the magazine in the orphanage library and while leafing through it with Emma and Anna, she came across a picture of a beautiful wedding dress, which she decided she would make on her own, because she thought it would be a great training to help her realize her dream of becoming a fashion designer in the future.

   As they knew that Isabella did not allow any of the younger children to handle any object that could cut or puncture them, Gilda asked Emma to sneak into the caregiver's room and take the sewing kit. Now that she had the kit and the fabric – in this case, some extra sheets removed from the warehouse – only one model was missing.

   “Emma, you're going to be my model.” said the girl with the glasses.

   “Why me?” questioned the redhead, hanging her head to the side.

   “Anna will help me sew, so I need someone to be the model.”

   “Not to mention that you're going to look really cute in that dress.” completed the blonde.

   “All right! I will help you by being the model.” Emma said, with determination.

   After that, Gilda started working on the process of making the dress, being assisted by Anna, and despite being very young, the girl with glasses was really talented. The time spent flying and the girls were so distracted with their games, the cuts and seams in the fabric that ended up not realizing the hours passing. Before they knew it, the sun was setting.

   “We'd better fix it soon, it's almost time for dinner.” said Anna.

   “But we're not done yet.” said Gilda, gesticulating to Emma. “We're almost there and it's getting so beautiful.”

   Even before the blonde had time to answer something, the bedroom door was opened. The three of them immediately looked towards the entrance to the room, where Isabella was, standing with her arms crossed in front of her chest.

   “What did I say about not touching my sewing kit?”

   “Sorry, Mama. But look, we're fine.” said Gilda, trying to ease the situation.

   “Still, you could have been hurt. Not to mention they disobeyed me.” said Isabella, in an accusing tone. The three of them bowed their heads, almost synchronously. “However, I must admit that you have made a beautiful dress.” your look and tone of voice softened a little, causing the girls to sigh for relief.

     “Mama, isn't it amazing?” said Gilda, proudly.

   “Yes, it's beautiful and Emma is very cute in It.” the redhead smiled when she heard the compliment. “You girls are really talented, but you still disobeyed me. So I want you to promise me that you'll never get your hands on any dangerous objects again.”

  “We promise, Mama.” said the trio in unison.

   “Great. Well, unfortunately I will have to apply some punishment, but for now?” Isabella paused and approached the girls, then took her kit. “I will help them finish the dress.” The trio's eyes lit up and they jumped in celebration.

   Isabella in fact did what she promised; she finished the dress and soon after all went to the kitchen where the dinner was served. And after the meal, Emma, Gilda and Anna were in charge of tidying up the kitchen as punishment.

                                                    [...]

    Norman searched the whole area around the orphanage, but did not find a single trace of Emma. He was quite discouraged, after all, really appreciated the presence of the girl. The albino decided to enter the house to look for her and went straight to the room she shared with other girls in the orphanage.

   “Emma, are you-“ he interrupted himself as soon as he opened the door to the room, seeing an Emma inside wearing a wedding dress, even a veil. Norman's eyes widened a little and he blinked a few times to make sure he wasn't imagining things.

   “Hey Norman.” she greeted him, opening a smile.

  “Emma... Where did you get this outfit?”

  “Gilda made this dress yesterday with Anna's help and she asked me to be a model. Gilda wanted to take a picture of me using him as a souvenir, so she asked me to dress him while she went to borrow Mama's camera.” the redhead explained.

   “Oh.” was the only thing he could say, since he was still a little stunned. Because of this, they remained silent for a few minutes, until Emma decided to break it.

   “What did you think?” the redhead stared at him while he waited for an answer.

    “Oh... W-well…” the nervousness was making it very difficult to verbalize a coherent response and Norman could feel the sweat dripping from his forehead. “I think... I think you're a very cute bride.” he said, feeling his cheeks warm up.

    “You know, Gilda and Anna said similar things to me, but... Actually, I still don't understand what a bride is.”

   “Huh? Don't you know?” Norman asked, blinking his eyes in surprise. Emma nodded in response.

   “Norman, do you know what a bride is? And do you also know what a wedding is? They were saying that word too.”

    “Well, yes. A marriage... Let's see...” although not completely unrelated to Emma's subject matter, the albino's knowledge of marriage was very limited because of his youth. Therefore, he had to think a little to elaborate an explanation that was easy to understand.

    “Weddings are parties where two people wear fancy clothes, such as your dress, and these people are called bride and groom. The bride and groom swear in front of their entire family and friends that they will be together no matter what and that oath will last forever. This is a marriage.”

    “It seems to be very nice.” the redhead's eyes lit up and she held the albino's hands. “Hey Norman, let's get married.”

    “We…What?!” the question came out in a higher tone than intended because of the shock.

    “There's Ray too, but I think he'd definitely call me empty-headed if I asked him. And you said that people who get married stay together forever, and I don't want to be separated from Norman ever. So, let's get married.”

    Those words made the albino's heart melt and his cheeks become redder than ever.

    “Yes, Emma. I will marry you.” he replied, giving a smile of satisfaction.

   In the end, even Isabella ended up being involved in the fun, and she, together with the other children, organized the ‘ceremony’. Norman wore a suit made by Isabella, and the guests – in this case, the other children in the orphanage – sat in the chairs covered with sheets that were scattered around the garden, while watching Ray – who after much reluctance and being bribed with books, ended up accepting the role of ‘priest” – perform the marriage of Emma and Norman.

     Ray recited some excerpts from things he had seen said at wedding scenes in the books he read, and soon after that, Emma and Norman joined their pinkies and swore never to abandon each other. The moment was recorded by Isabella, who took several photos throughout the playful wedding, and when the ceremony was over, she served some cupcakes to the children.

                                                         [...]

    “Hey, what's this picture?” Yuugo pointed to the picture frame that Emma was holding, in which was a picture of a younger version of her next to an albino boy, the two were with their little fingers crossed and smiled at each other.

    “Oh, it's from my wedding. I found it when I was messing with some old stuff.”

    “Marriage?” the man arched an eyebrow.

    “Yeah. It happened before you guys adopted me.” the redhead explained.

    When she was about 11, Emma was adopted by Yuugo and Lucas, who were her parents now. Even though she left the orphanage, she always kept in touch with all those who stayed there, especially with Norman, who was adopted about 9 months after her and the two of them ended up going to the same school. Over time, the bond between the two grew more and more until they finally became boyfriends.

    “I think Lucas will be a little upset when he hears about it. After all, he's always had the dream of going into church with you and all that bullshit.”

    “Don't worry. When we make our wedding anniversary, we can do a renewal of vows.” she said, laughing a little, making Yuugo laugh too.

    The sound of the bell distracted both their attention, and because of the way Emma's eyes lit up, Yuugo didn't even have to answer the door to know who he was.

    “Well, I have things to do. Take care of yourself.” having said that, the man left the room, leaving the redhead alone.

    Emma looked at the picture one more time and a silly smile formed on her lips. She placed the picture frame on the coffee table and walked to the door, not noticing the crack that formed on the glass moments later.

[lilyvandersteen]

Out of the Blue: Chapter 8

Cover Art: @redheadgleek​

Beta extraordinaire: @hkvoyage​

Links: AO3, FF.net 

Author’s Note:

Another big confrontation... And this time around, Kurt is in the wrong.

Chapter 8: Wedding Snags

“When those dances were over, she returned to Charlotte Lucas, and was in conversation with her, when she found herself suddenly addressed by Mr. Darcy who took her so much by surprise in his application for her hand, that, without knowing what she did, she accepted him. He walked away again immediately, and she was left to fret over her own want of presence of mind; Charlotte tried to console her:

"I dare say you will find him very agreeable."

"Heaven forbid! THAT would be the greatest misfortune of all! To find a man agreeable whom on is determined to hate! Do not wish me such an evil."”

(An excerpt from Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

The preparations for Sam and Mercedes’ wedding brought Kurt back to Ohio several times. While dress-shopping with Mercedes, Kurt bumped into Chandler, who now worked at a bridal store, apparently.

“That’s great, that’s great,” Kurt babbled, not really knowing what to say to a sort of ex-boyfriend, even if they’d never had that official status.

Chandler’s expression darkened into a scowl. “Not really great. But it will do. For now.”

“Of course, of course. It’s good to see you again!”

That brought a smile to Chandler’s face again, and he kept up a steady stream of prattle while he flitted around fetching all sorts of wedding dresses for Mercedes to try on.

He didn’t seem to have a good eye, though. The dresses he chose were all wrong for Mercedes’ body type, and too small as well.

Kurt decided not to put Mercedes through the ordeal of putting on outfits that wouldn’t fit her anyway, and invented an emergency at his father’s shop to be able to leave the store at once.

“Is your father okay?” Mercedes asked.

“He’s fine,” Kurt assured her. “I just wanted to get out of that store. The clerk didn’t have a clue what would look good on you.”

“It seemed like… Was it someone you knew?”

Kurt sighed. “Yes. We dated when I was still in high school.”

“Ooooh! How come you never told me about this boyfriend of yours?”

“We were never boyfriends. We just went on two dates, and it never went anywhere. We got along, but there was no spark, you know?”

Mercedes nodded. “Funny that you’ve run into him again now. Maybe this time around, it will work?”

Kurt shrugged. “I doubt it. His fashion sense leaves much to be desired, and his compliments are rather stale.”

Chandler kept turning up like a bad penny, though. They didn’t go to the dress store again, Kurt having decided to design and make Mercedes’ dress himself, but Chandler was at the bakery they went to for taste-testing, because apparently his parents were celebrating their 25th anniversary and were turning it into a big party. He was at the flower shop they ordered the arrangement for the church in, choosing flowers for his parents’ anniversary bash. He was at the restaurant Mercedes had chosen to cater the wedding reception and dinner, vacillating between the fish or meat option, because his mother preferred the one and his father the other.

Each time, he turned to Kurt to help him choose, smiling at him and praising his taste. Kurt’s answering smiles were a little stiff, and he always excused himself as fast as he could.

The night of the rehearsal dinner, Kurt ran into Chandler again at the restaurant. He wasn’t alone this time. Blaine Anderson was with him, of all people, and seemed to have a hissy fit.

Kurt knew what it felt to be on the receiving end of that, and came to Chandler’s rescue, though he didn’t enjoy the liberties Chandler took as a result – taking his arm and calling him pet names.

He saw that Blaine had wine stains on his clothes, and took that to be the reason for his foul mood, so he explained how to get the stains out and advised Blaine to get on with it before they dried in.

Blaine took that to heart and disappeared at a run.

“Phew,” said Chandler.

“What was he angry about?” Kurt asked.

“Me bumping into him,” Chandler said. “We used to date, you see, and then he got tired of me, and he didn’t just dump me, he got his brother to fire me as well. Blackened my character and everything.”

Kurt’s mouth fell open in shock. “Really?”

Chandler nodded, his face grim. “Really. Can’t get a decent job anywhere because of him. So promise me you’ll never date him, no matter how much money he throws at you. Because when he gets bored, he’ll get rid of you, and you’ll be the one picking up the pieces.”

“I think I can safely promise you that,” Kurt said, his lips a thin line. “The way he treated you was horrible!”

Chandler shrugged. “Karma will bite him in the ass one day. Well, I’ll let you get back to the rehearsal dinner. See you around, sweetie!”

Kurt was halfway back to his table when it occurred to him that Chandler had no way of knowing he was here for Sam and Mercedes’ rehearsal dinner. Unless he had been eavesdropping. That was a bit unsettling. He’d wanted to share his piece of juicy gossip about Blaine Anderson with Mercedes straight away, but now decided to wait until they were alone together.

Mercedes had been planning to spend her last night as an unmarried woman with her parents, but during dinner, Kurt and Rachel had been able to convince her to come to the Hudmel house instead, for a sleepover.

While Kurt braided Rachel’s hair, he told them Chandler’s story.

Mercedes pursed her lips. “Are you sure he told you the truth? I mean, Sam has worked with Blaine several times now, and he says he’s such a nice guy. Works harder than anyone else, fixes any problem in a jiffy, treats everyone the same from the lowest intern to the big boss. Sam hasn’t heard a bad word about him from anyone who works with him.”

“Maybe they don’t dare criticize him,” Kurt suggested. “He’s the big boss’s brother, remember?”

Mercedes shrugged.

Rachel let out a giggle. “You’ve had it out for him ever since his rant at the Brittana wedding. And he APOLOGISED for that.”

“Still a dick move,” Kurt grumbled, but he let it drop.

The morning of the wedding dawned cool but bright, and Kurt hummed as he made some last-minute adjustments to the dress. A plate of no-drip, no-stain snacks stood next to him, and at regular intervals, he fed Mercedes a snack and took one for himself, too.

When he had pronounced the dress perfect, Mercedes’ cousin Alma took over, to do the bride’s and the bridesmaids’ hair and make-up, and Kurt slipped into the garden for fresh flowers. Mercedes’ mother was paying a florist to decorate the church, but Kurt had offered to do the bouquets and the boutonnières.

When he arrived back in the living room with the flowers, Mercedes sat on the sofa, looking at her phone and worrying her lower lip.

“Not having seconds thoughts, are you?” Kurt teased her, but if anything, her frown deepened.

“I’d silenced my phone so as not to be disturbed. And now I’ve just looked at it and my mom called me. Five times. And left voice-mails telling me to call back asap. Which I did, but I can’t reach her. What on earth is the matter?”

Kurt patted her arm. “You let ME worry about it, okay? Turn that frown upside down and think of nothing but marrying Sam. Your mom’s at the church, I take it? Checking the flower arrangements and such? I’ll go there at once and handle whatever snag your mom has hit. I promise.”

Mercedes nodded and smiled hesitantly.

“I’ll do the bouquets and boutonnières,” Carole offered.

“And if necessary, I can take them all to church,” Burt promised. “We still have lots of time to get there anyway. You go and deal with the problem, Kurt.”

That was all the encouragement Kurt needed to hurry to the church, where he found Sam in an old T-shirt and jeans with holes in it, scrubbing a swastika from one of the pews, and a teary Mrs. Jones being comforted by Cooper, of all people. When she told Kurt what had upset her, he blanched. Somehow, in less than 24 hours, all their careful planning had been torn to shreds. There had been a fire at the restaurant where the reception and dinner was to take place, so now they had no food nor venue. The church had been broken into and vandalized. Mercedes’ family and friends were cleaning everything up as best they could, but the flower arrangements were destroyed beyond repair. Mike, the best man, had disappeared, and with him the rings. And in front of the church, instead of well-wishers, there were two dozen bigoted idiots who were protesting against the wedding about to take place, because it was a white man marrying a black woman, and it didn’t do to mix races and sully one’s blood.

Kurt rolled his eyes at that. “That’s bogus. We’re all humans. The same race. Colour has nothing to do with it.”

“Yes, that’s all very well to say, but how do we get them to leave?” Mrs. Jones wailed.

Just then, two buses arrived. Out of them stepped about a dozen men clad in riot gear and armed to the teeth. They started herding the protesters onto the buses, and left with them after just a few minutes.

“That’s one problem sorted,” Cooper said cheerfully. “We’ll fix the rest too, don’t you worry about a thing, Mrs. Jones!”

“Flowers,” Kurt said. “I can do the flowers, no problem. It won’t be as grand as what the florist had planned, but it’ll look great nonetheless, I promise. Sam, Cooper, you’ll help once I get back?”

He didn’t wait for an answer but hurried to his car and headed home, where he assured Mercedes everything was under control, except that there had been a mishap with the flowers, and now they needed more. He stripped the garden of its flowers, put them into a few pails of water and ransacked his sewing supplies for ribbons. He also collected all the vases they had.

When he’d found everything he needed, he raced back to the church, and instructed Sam and Cooper to start tying roses to the pews, which thankfully were too sturdy to have been destroyed. They had been graffitied, but Mercedes’ family and friends had gotten most of it off, and had camouflaged the rest with a shimmery gauzy fabric. Silver. Perfect. Carole’s biggest vase was silver too, and Kurt would be using it to decorate the altar.

He carefully compiled a big bouquet for the altar and a few smaller ones to put in front of the lecterns. Then he inspected the arch at the church entrance. The wooden structure was chipped but still sound. The flowers, however, had been viciously shredded.

“Mrs. Jones, is there any more of that silver fabric? I’d put it over the arch and then pin the rest of my flowers onto it.”

Half an hour later, the church looked splendid again.

“What are we going to do about the best man and the rings, though?” he asked Sam.

“We have a back-up guy,” Sam smiled, “and he found us rings, too.”

Kurt hummed thoughtfully. “That leaves the food and a venue for the reception and the dinner. Where are we going to find that at such short notice?”

Sam clapped Kurt on the back. “No worries, man, the minister offered us the use of his garden, which is huge, apparently, and the whole church community is helping out, bringing chairs and tables and string lights and decorations and food and everything else we need. It’s all going to be all right!”

Kurt let out a deep breath and thanked his lucky stars for close-knit communities saving the day.

When Mercedes entered the church a few hours later, looking beyond gorgeous and glowing with happiness, Kurt wiped away a tear and blew her a kiss as she passed him. As he turned around to face the altar, though, he got a nasty shock. He hadn’t been paying much attention to Sam and his groomsmen, but now he saw that the back-up best man was none other than Blaine Anderson.

What on earth was HE doing here? Yes, Kurt had sent the Anderson brothers an invite, but what on earth did Blaine think he was doing, integrating himself into the wedding party?

Right at that moment, Blaine seemed to feel Kurt’s eyes on him. He looked straight at Kurt, nodded and smiled.

Kurt, still outraged at how Blaine had treated Chandler, shot him a glare and looked away to the minister, boiling inside.

He determinedly did not look Blaine’s way again throughout the ceremony, and hurried out of the church to the minister’s garden as soon as it was over.

As promised, the church community had turned the garden into a festive wonderland, and they’d set up an entire buffet of snacks and salads next to two barbecue grills. The wedding cake had arrived, too, and looked pristine and perfect.

“Dibs on this grill!” said a loud voice behind him, and Kurt shook his head with a grin as he saw Burt accept an apron from one of the women who’d be serving the buffet and inspect the contents of the cooler box.

“No red meat for you, Dad!” Kurt reminded him. “Remember what the doctor said!”

“Spoilsport,” Burt grumbled. “Just a teensy piece? Since this is a festive occasion and all?”

Kurt laughed. “All right, then, a teensy piece. I’ll tell Carole to check if it really is teensy!”

Soon, the party was well on its way. Everyone had enjoyed the impromptu barbecue, and now a band had arrived out of nowhere, and all the invitees were singing along and dancing and having a great time.

At Mercedes’ insistence, Kurt was telling her about all the problems they’d had to solve earlier that day, and she gasped and teared up a little.

Kurt was quick to dab the moisture away, “Your mascara, girl!”, and to comfort her. “Everything has turned out fine, hasn’t it? Thank heavens for your church community. They’ve worked wonders here! And everything else was dealt with satisfactorily. Well, except for Blaine Anderson being Sam’s replacement best man. Really? That rude, obnoxious ass? Don’t know why he’s always in a huff about something and throwing tantrums like a toddler or biting people’s noses off, but I’m far from impressed with his attitude. He needs to GROW UP. And seriously, after all that guy did, couldn’t Sam have chosen someone better?”

Someone cleared their throat behind them. They both turned their heads, and Kurt felt his cheeks heat up when he saw that it was Blaine. Had he heard Kurt bad-mouthing him?

“May I have this dance?” Blaine asked with a little bow, holding out his hand to Kurt expectantly.

Taken off guard, Kurt stammered, “Yeah. Sure.”

It was out before Kurt knew it, and there was no way of taking it back, seeing as Blaine took him firmly by the waist and whirled him away at once, beaming as he did so.

“That was a lovely ceremony, wasn’t it?” Blaine said a little later.

“It was,” Kurt agreed. “I’m not religious, but the minister said a lot of things that resonated with me. Yeah. I liked it.”

Blaine smiled at him again, his expression so disarming and charming that Kurt felt short of breath for a moment and had to remind himself of all the reprehensible things Blaine had done so as not to smile back besottedly.

The song changed, but Blaine showed no intention of letting Kurt go, leading him expertly and catching him any time Kurt stumbled over his own feet.

“Mercedes looks gorgeous in that dress,” Blaine said next. “It suits her so well.”

“Thank you. I made it.”

“Well, you’re an absolute wizard with a needle, then.”

Kurt giggled, and then covered his mouth with his hand in horror. Blaine didn’t seem to have noticed, though. He was looking pensive now.

“Why did you glare at me during the ceremony?”

Kurt’s chin went up. “You don’t deserve to be Sam’s best man.”

Blaine quirked an eyebrow. “Did you want that position?”

“What? No! I just mean, after what you did to Britts and San at their wedding, and after the despicable way you’ve treated Chandler, you don’t deserve to be anywhere near Sam, who is sweetness itself and deserves better than a cold-hearted, mean-spirited guy as his best man.”

Blaine had stopped moving now, and let go of Kurt. “Cold-hearted? Mean-spirited? After how I treated Chandler? Don’t you have that the wrong way round? Don’t you know what he did?”

Kurt scoffed. “What did he do to deserve you destroying his chances of ever finding a job again? Bite your dick while he was sucking it?”

Silence fell. Kurt noticed that people were looking at the both of them, and shifted his shoulders uncomfortably.

Blaine’s face was a cold mask now. “I’ve no idea what lies he told you, but you’re wide off the mark. We had good reasons to fire him.”

“Like what?”

“Like that he tried to kill you!”

Blaine turned around and stalked off, leaving behind a gaping Kurt.

What?!!

[lonelypond]

Can’t Get Started, Ch. 4

Love Live, NicoMaki, 3.5K, 4/5

Summary: Bachelorette Party: Maki gets to try to keep Hanayo and Kotori's behavior PG-13.

Chapter Four

Yes, Maki was starting to panic. Dinner had been great; the food was wonderful, Nico’s knee had knocked discreetly against hers under the table fairly often. But now, now, everything was chaos. Rin had laughed at all Maki’s suggestions, carefully researched and designed to get the brides in bed at a respectable hour. But now, now, Maki’s heart rate was racing for non Nico reasons, her fist was starting to clench, and in another ten seconds she was going to be grabbing Rin by the collar of her very pretty dress, and throwing her through the restaurant’s front window. Although, there had been no formal plan, Maki had expected that what would happen after dinner would be a calm, non stressful, group activity, maybe some dancing, if the club were fancy enough and Rin and Hanayo insisted. Then everybody was going to go home, and Maki was finally going to get time A L O N E with Nico. But no, what was happening was Rin and Honoka had each grabbed one of Nico’s arms, and Hanayo was giggling about something Kotori was whispering in her ear and Umi was glaring at Maki like Maki had just torched her beloved dojo.

“No.” Maki stated. To all questions. The “No” echoed. Because she had stated it loudly. And then it bounced off the conversations that were zooming on, completely ignoring her decision. “I said NO.” Maki repeated.

At least Rin had heard her. “No, you have to, Maki. We need to get to know Nico and the brides can’t see each other before the wedding and Kayo-chin wants to go to this place Kotori’s been telling her about…”

Umi paled, which would have worried Maki more if Nico hadn’t been trying to say “hey, let me go” in a not yelling tone of voice. Maki knew from experience that when either Rin or Honoka clamped on, they stayed clamped.

“Rin.” Maki, hands on hip, leaning in a little.

“Maki.” Rin, hands on hips, butting foreheads.

With Honoka still holding Nico in place, Rin dragged Maki off to the side, muttering with frantic urgency, “Look, Kayo-chin R E A L L Y wants to go to this place and I know how she gets and you just can’t go off and have fun with Nico, you gotta help me, Maki. You’re my best woman, you HAVE TO.”

“Rin, that means I plan your bachelorette party, this very tasty dinner, which I did.” Maki crossed her arms, “You’re welcome.”

Rin kept hissing. “No, it means you have to stop Kayo-chin from talking to cute girls.”

“What?” Maki almost skipped back.

Rin’s voice dropped to a whisper, “She’s already drinking, she gets really grabby when she’s drunk, and I know there are going to be strippers…”

If Maki was looking at Rin like Rin had lost her mind, Rin deserved it. “Rin, just tell her it upsets you and she shouldn’t go.”

Rin sighed and shook her head, “Then she’ll think I don’t trust her.”

“Which you don’t.”

“You’ll understand some time,” Rin’s eyes flashed to Nico, “But you have to do this for me.”

“Why can’t Nico come?” It was a whine, Maki wanted to kick her best friend for making all this weird with Nico right there.

“Because I want to make sure you’re not having more fun than I am.” Rin stuck out her tongue, back to full mischief mode and Maki wasn’t certain the surreal discussion about the mild mannered Hanayo and strippers had actually happened. But would she have hallucinated that?

“Maki.” Rin wheedled, tilting her head.

Maki inhaled, “All right, but Nico only goes if she wants to.”

“If Nico wants to what?” Maki jumped as Nico, now free of Honoka, rested a hand briefly on a very very low curve of her hip. Maki looked down into a wink.

“Whatever crime Rin and Honoka are trying to lure you into.” She replied grumpily.

“Why aren’t you coming?” Nico raised an eyebrow.

“Kayo-chin wants to go to The Blue Zoo.” Rin stared at her bride to be who was still giggling with Kotori. Honoka had joined them.

Nico whistled and Maki was surprised by a flash of a frown, “Kotori suggested it.”

“Oh, that’s why your writing partner’s looking pale.”

“Huh?” Maki did a quick Umi check. Yep. Multiple couple PDA levels of pallor.

Nico shrugged, “It’s just a very adventurous show.”

“Have you been?” Maki’s voice screeched a little.

Nico closed her eyes, shaking her head, “No, but I have a…” she sighed, “well, you’ll be meeting her eventually, that’s probably not avoidable.” Bright ruby eyes had an expression in them Maki couldn’t read, “my self proclaimed best friend, Nozomi Tojo, is a” Nico paused, and then her voice got breathier and there was hint of silly giggle that made Maki flinch, “‘connoisseur of the purrrfect tassel twirl.’”

Maki might have blacked out as a mental picture of Nico collided with a dim memory of Christina Aguilera on a piano in “Burlesque”

“Hey Nico, you ready to go?” Honoka’s voice pulled Maki out of her fugue.

“Hey.” Nico slid her hand through Maki’s hair, “Try not to get too…”

“You neither.” Maki nodded, amazed that Nico was this close, that her lips could glisten like that…

“Let’s go.” Rin pulled Nico away, her face contorting into a laughing tease. Maki decided Rin was going to get the ice treatment for at least six months after the wedding.

Umi was buttoning up her long coat. Maki decided to latch onto what would surely be a voice of reason.

“So we’re going to find a different, calmer club, right?”

Umi’s amber eyes were 49 million year old fossil cold, “I am going home. Your choices are your own concern.”

Maki barely stopped herself from grabbing Umi’s shoulders to shake some restraint back into the evening. “Surely you can convince Kotori we all need a solid night’s sleep to look our best.”

“Good night, Maki. I will see you tomorrow.” Umi’s betrayal was crisp and clinical.

Maki should have expected that. Any time Honoka had an idea too outrageous for Umi to deal with, Umi would simply find some other place to be rather than admit her discomfort or escalate to a confrontation. Everyone else had a coat now and Maki realized if she wanted to kiss Nico before her date disappeared for the night, Maki had to act now, before Rin dragged her through the door.

###

Most of the action was happening on a standard, though small proscenium stage, with tables scattered around the room, and waiters moving back and forth with appetizers and drink trays. Unfortunately, sometimes, the performers made their acts more targeted. Maki was currently very very stiff in her seat while a very very underdressed woman made a bench out of Kotori and Hanayo, having crawled from the stage, then across the table, neatly avoiding empty drink glasses. The singer’s current position probably fell under Rin’s request to keep Hanayo away from cute girls but what Rin didn’t know wouldn’t make her call off the wedding. Apparently, Kotori had costumed half of the performers so they were going to get friendly in closer quarters both now and after the show.

A performer onstage was stalking across the stage in a very feline fashion, with ears and a tail and full body makeup and Maki had a brief flash of wondering what Nico’s face would look like if Maki decided...and then her blush started to feel like a fever and she glanced to where Hanayo’s hand was out of sight, reached over, pulled it out from under the too friendly and buxom bewigged performer, being sure to grind the engagement ring into Hanayo’s third finger. The giggle probably proved that being high on alcohol and skin contact had left no feeling in Hanayo’s ring finger. Maki was definitely getting them out of there as soon as possible. She hoped too much of Kotori hadn’t rubbed off on Honoka and the three of them were safely at some relatively quiet club only getting mobbed by people who wanted Nico’s autograph…

Maki almost bolted at that point. Why hadn’t she given Rin specific instructions like Rin had given her? Keep drooling fans away from Nico. Giving up on trying to keep Hanayo away from curves, Maki went back to watching whatever was onstage. A diminutive, dark haired singer with feathers. Maki considered Nico plus feathers. Seemed less dangerous than the Nico on the piano thought.

###

More alcohol, now they were backstage...Kotori had ordered...champagne? Hanayo was drinking from a glass held by someone she wasn’t engaged to. Maki felt like delivering a lecture on why being hungover at your wedding was a bad bad idea, but no one was paying any attention to her. She wondered again what Rin, Nico, and Honoka were up to. How could Rin have sent her here to be buried in giggles, lingerie, and Hanayo with her eyes wide, taking in too many details.

“Maki!” Kotori’s long fingers offered a champagne flute. Maki shook her head. Kotori giggled and shrugged, “You’re not having fun.”

Hanayo, in an unusual echo of Rin’s go to move, grabbed Maki in a hug, “She’s not here to have fun, she’s here to make sure I don’t kiss cute girls.”

Kotori’s giggle tone was disturbing, as she blew a kiss in Hanayo’s direction, “Too bad.”

Maki decided this was her moment and focused on Hanayo, “You know Rin would be crushed if she saw what was going on.”

“This is just silly.” Kotori dropped the champagne flute on the table and picked up a makeup brush, leaning into her friend the fan dancer, who Maki agreed was objectively attractive but refused to make eye contact with or step within 5 feet of.

Instead, Maki shuffled further away from the scrum of people filling the too hot room, “You know Rin always worries she’s not girly enough for you…”

Hanayo’s violet eyes filled up with tears, “That’s so sad, she’s so pretty, you should tell her that, Maki.”

Drunk people were stupid, “No, you should tell her, instead of making new friends.” Someone was sliding their arm around Hanayo’s shoulders, to pour her another glass and as Maki was about to step in and physically break them up, someone tickled her ear with a feather, causing her to whirl, fist clenched, but then Maki forced herself to relax, because otherwise she was either going to hit a random dancer or her second best friend and then she’d probably have to explain it to Rin and...how much did you have to drink to forget the sight of Kotori tracing the cleft between someone’s breasts with a velvet riding crop?

Maki had never felt the urge to drink enough to blank out what was happening, but as she stared at the oddly colored fruit drink in front of Hanayo that the bride to be was ignoring, Maki wondered if she should make an exception.

###

Hanayo had gone missing. And nearly everyone else was blurry. Music was throbbing, Maki thought the walls might be too. The party had been moved to someone’s apartment, two El stops away. Maki had lost count of the women who had asked for her phone number, brushed too close, or offered her a questionable substance. Kotori’s alcohol tolerance was seemingly legendary. And Hanayo had apparently been stolen and Maki was so not going to like having to explain to Rin why Hanayo had run off to Costa Rica with a dancer the night before their wedding.

Maki stood up from the hard backed chair where she had barricaded herself, wavering. No, a quick shake, two slaps of her cheeks, and opening her eyes wide. She was going to find Hanayo and drag her home. There was a door down a hall to the right, Maki heard Kotori’s giggle dominating the stratosphere of drunken mirth and one foot in front of the other, Maki made cautious progress against a surging tide of now mostly uncostumed performers.

She never should have opened the door. Or stepped over the buttocks of a voluptuous mezzosoprano wearing only a Marie Antoinette wig and maybe three cake crumbs in not strategic enough locations. Hanayo was asleep on a couch, wearing at least three silly hats and a mask, but at least she still had all of her clothes. Kotori was swanning around in what appeared to be a just long enough smoking jacket, tapping random partiers on the shoulder with a cigarette in a villainously long silver holder. Maki squared her shoulders and grabbed the cigarette out of it, “I’m taking Hanayo home.” Maki cleared her throat as Kotori fluttered aggressive eyelashes over impossibly wide eyes, “She’s getting married tomorrow.”

Kotori giggled, and breathed some kind of incense fug in Maki’s direction, which Maki waved away, “It’s early yet.”

“No, it’s not.”

Kotori shrugged, leaned back, grabbed a purse, and shoved it in Maki’s hand, knocking the cigarette to the floor. “Wait outside, Maki. We’ll be there in 5 minutes.”

“Really?” Maki knew she was in hell, but was this at least a glimmer of purgatory?

Kotori winked, but when Maki glanced back, Hanayo had moved or been moved somewhere, although the mezzosoprano was still in place, a sprawling grotesque of a door guardian. Forcing herself not to scream, Maki took the purse, shouldered her way through everyone like a Bear’s fullback, and stepped out in the cool air, cloying perfume and heating incense falling away. With a frustrated scream, Maki wound up like a pitcher and let rip with whoever’s purse Kotori had handed her. As she straightened up, Maki found herself staring right into the frown of a uniformed police officer who had been making their way up the walk.

“Hello.” Maki squeaked. “Can I get out of your way?”

Officer shook her head.

“Can I get in the car?”

“Eventually.” The officer pulled out her book and pen, “Let’s get some details first.”

Maki wondered by exactly how many decibels the party was breaking the local noise ordanances now that she was outside of its boundaries

###.

“Okay, Maki, you’re free to go.” Aya Dubois, the youngest partner at the Nishikino’s favorite law firm, gave her client a thumbs up. “Be gay, but don’t do crime for awhile, okay?”

“Ha ha.” Maki grumbled, “Where’s Hanayo and Kotori?”

“Put them both in a taxi awhile ago; they didn’t throw anything at anybody in uniform.”

“Separate taxis, right.” Maki didn’t want to go home and spend the hour before sunrise, thinking suspicious thoughts.

“Don’t you have a home to go to?” Aya looked like she’d had at least 6 hours of sleep. Maki was envious.

“Yeah.” Maki gave up. Hanayo was an adult, Maki had done the best she could for Rin, but anything after this...nope. Rin had no more favors left. And Hanayo would be incredibly lucky if Maki talked to her before 2021. Because...even a quick flash of any memory from the post restaurant activities triggered shudders.

Suddenly, Maki wanted to tell Nico the whole story and get some sympathy, What hotel was Nico at again?

Aya reached into her jacket pocket. “Oh, here’s your phone, I signed for it.”

“Thanks.” Maki turned her phone back on. Double digit notifications...Rin and Nico...what had happened?

N: Well, I talked your friends out of C R I M E so we’re going to go to a show at Second City, you know, the non shake your butt at the audience while singing, everyone stays fully clothed kind of show >:P

N: Oh, and Rin wants the full on celebrity Nico Ni experience so we’ll be going backstage and then to the *spoiler* Peninsula Suite at the Peninsula, so come there instead of The Orrington when you’ve got your half of the brides tucked in.

R: MAKI MAKI MAKI WE BOUGHT SO MUCH STUFF: NICO”S LUGGAGE WAS ALREADY IN EVANSTON AND WE DECIDED TO CHANGE FOR THE SHOW. NICO IS SO MUCH FUN

R: LOOK

And there was a pic of a grinning Nico, Rin, and Honoka, Nico and Rin in cute, short, sexy snazzy little black dresses and Honoka in form fitting black jeans, a burnt orange sweater, and a gray jacket that popped with fashion flair. Kotori had missed out.

N: Rin is exhausting, but cute. Show was great. Honoka’s still laughing. Rin got autographs from EVERYONE and invited half of them to the wedding. And half the Red Stars are meeting us at the Peninsula.

R: MAKI MAKI MAKI There’s a piano and a hot tub and a chef who made me three kinds of ramen and why aren’t you marrying Nico tomorrow ∑(ΦдΦlll

Because, Maki thought to herself, Nico’s barely kissed her. Negotiating schedules for dates was a nightmare, what would wedding planning be like. Then Maki chuckled as she wondered if making Cocoro the point person for wedding planning would be considered revenge.

Maki scrolled through pictures and random Rin texts wanting pictures of Hanayo and then there was Nico’s last text.

N; Guess you’re having too much fun (T＿T)

Maki snorted, thinking of the disapproving sneers from the police.

N: Maybe you shouldn’t send Nico a pajama selfie tonight, in case there’s someone else in the pic. See you at the wedding. If you change your mind, just tell them at the desk you’re the woman the Yazawa party was waiting for.

N: Because you are ❥( ◜3‾)(‾⊱◝ )

N: Good night, Gorgeous. Dream of Nico ( ु⁎ᴗ_ᴗ⁎)ु.｡oO

Peninsula Hotel it was. As fast as she could get there.

“Hey, Aya, can you drop me off?”

“I cost more than a cab.”

Maki shrugged, frowning as she remembered why she was in a police station and not with Nico “You’ll be billing Hanayo and Rin.”

Aya laughed, “Yeah, I just skip bachelorette parties myself. Too much crazy.”

“Wish you’d told me that last night.” Maki said as she buttoned her coat.

###

An incredibly polite front desk staffer slid Maki the elevator passcode. 5:15 ish a.m., no one around, Maki felt like she was clumping across the smooth floors until she hit carpet and then she realized how tired she was, her feet dragging. She knocked lightly on the door, tensed for a Rin explosion, but although the person who opened it was short, wearing a hotel bathrobe, with some kind of weird green goop all over her face, the black hair peeking out from under a pink towel wrap told Maki Nico had gotten out of bed to greet her. Maki couldn’t help the grin or the way stomach twisted at so many rushing thoughts about the woman in front of her.

“Lose your phone?” Nico grumbled and Maki realized suddenly she should have warned Nico she was coming over.

Jump to the truth, hope for sympathy. Maki really really wanted a warm ear, shoulder, or bosom to complain into. “Had it turned off during the show and then the cops took it.”

Maki slid out of her shoes. The marble floor was cold. Nico’s glance was speculative, her mouth a little twisted at the corners of her too tempting lips, and then she reached out and tugged Maki into a hug. For a minute they just stood there, Maki feeling like an icicle too frigid to melt. And then Nico let go. “C’mon, let’s get you more comfortable. Rin and the Red Stars are all over two suites worth of beds, but the couch is comfy, if you want to tell Nico what happened.”

Maki sighed, what she really wanted to do is soak until she fell asleep. What time was she supposed to have breakfast with Rin? Maybe they could just order room service here.

“Actually, how’s the bath? I just smell like…” Maki couldn’t even finish the sentence, remembering feathers and incense and perfume and leather and brightly colored drinks splashing across her sleeves.

Nico leaned in and took a sniff, “Yeah, that’s not an odor that screams sleep. Bath has a beautiful view of the skyline. There’s some candles. Nico can set you up a playlist.”

“Jazz?” Maki asked, hoping a splash of classy would banish sultry parodies from her ears.

“Nico is on it. Ella or Billie?”

“Nancy Wilson, Anita O’Day…” Maki could feel herself relaxing.

Nico was typing things into her phone. “There’s an extra bathrobe in Nico’s suite. You can change there. Nico needs her beauty sleep so no Red Stars. I’ll get the bath ready for you.”

“Thank you!”

Nico nodded and started across the room before Maki realized something. She hopped after Nico. One of the Red Stars hadn’t made it to a bed, but Maki safely stepped over her, “Nico?”

Nico whirled and Maki hesitated just a second, wondering if the green goop was cold. Didn’t matter, Maki leaned down and found Nico’s lips just as warm as she’d been dreaming, “Hi. I’m glad I finally got here.”

Nico’s bright, beautiful grin lit up with more kilowatts than the night view of the city, “Me too.”

A/N: Moving kind of interfered with being in a calm enough mental place to make progress on this, but I'm back. And I wanted to get a chunk posted. So next chapter, we have a RinPana wedding and see where that takes us.

And drop me your favorite Christmas song or cozy cute Christmas movie in the comments, as I consider my Christmas options.Cheers!

[iceartweek]

Final Ice Art Day

Before I get into it, just thank you for being here. Whether you’ve read the mediocre fics I wrote, or contributed art or fic that genuinely I loved and was amazing, or whatever you did, thanks. I know it’s just a trial and wasn’t super huge but I had fun, so thanks for letting me. If anyone still had things I’d love to see it, but even if there isn’t this blog will remain open.

Anyway. Final Day. Future

Marinette stood on her balcony practically bouncing where she was. The sun was going to set soon and the fairy lights that she had lined the park with were lighting up. The ones on Luka’s boat would also light up when everything was ready. In some ways the fact it had got trapped when her miraculous ladybugs fixed the bridge destroyed the akuma was sort of sad especially as Anarka had lost hope years ago of getting it moved, but on the other hand it had meant she had spent her senior years waking up to Luka’s serenades and him always just a moment away. Now she could just see Luka and Kagami in the greenhouse adjusting their outfits and triple checking everything. Her musical prince who had slowly taken over the world with his ballads and volunteering much time to Music Fund. Then her now long haired princess who after nearly making it to the Olympics decided she could do good in the UN as she wasn’t afraid of standing up for what she believed in and after Hawky’s defeat felt weird not helping others. Sure she wasn’t a full fledged diplomat yet but she was on her way. From the small glimpses she saw they looked perfect.

“Are you ready, my love?” Felix asked, Marinette turning to see him extending a hand and looking suave. Even ten years later and he was making her catch her breath every time she saw him. For a while he had helped with his father’s business but focused more on the work than life part, often taking on too much due to a fear of delegation. Eventually they had all convinced him to calm down a bit because between the four of them anything was possible so he might as well follow his dreams. While he figured out exactly what he wanted - lawyer, politician, and air host were currently at the top of the list - he had opened up a quaint little book shop. Marinette already knew how it would end though. He had helped out at the bakery one too many times and with her parents retiring in the next five years he’d likely take over. Tom was convincing. 

“If you think so?” Marinette responded doing a quick twirl in her dress. The hat from way back had served her well in being noticed, especially when she became the girl to refuse Audrey Bourgeois. With Jagged also backing her and personal drive she had started her own label. For a while she dabbled in esports but that turned out to be a flop, and baking was a hobby and not something she wanted to do full time. Fashion just always was there for her and seeing people comfortable in things she made was inspiring to say the least. Especially when it was her loves who could wear a paper bag and still look great. 

“You always look stunning,” Complimented Felix, planting a soft kiss on her lips, fingers playing with the tips of her short hair before going down her arm to grab her hand. “Handsome even.”

“Thank you,” Smiled Marinette feeling the blush comeback. 

As she walked down the steps she considered a bit of what happened in the past ten years from simple high school dramas to Hawkmoth’s defeat. Just how had her pack managed to survive that? It was a miracle. Even Alya and Nino had broken up for about half of that before finding each other again, and Rose and Juleka who had been the perfect couple had split. And they had been perfect. That being said Rose and her new girl Violet a travelling tour guide in south east Asia were just beyond adorable together, shame neither of them could make it. Juleka with Clara was also a surprisingly good fit. 

“If you forgot the rings-” Marinette warned coming back to reality hugging Felix’s arm a little tighter.

“I have them. Your design with Luka’s touches and using Kagami’s old rapier and with the glimmer of Agreste jewels. How could I possibly lose them?” Felix retorted patting his pocket. Originally they had planned to just swap rings. Luka would give the black one he always wore to Kagami, Kagami would give her family ring to Felix, Felix would give his mother’s engagement ring to Marinette, and she would give a family heirloom ring to Luka, but it just hadn’t seemed special enough. “You worry too much.”

“Marinette!” Squealed Sabrina at the bottom of the stairs. Their ceremony organiser because after so long of carrying Chloe it was realised she had a very keen sense of style and amazing time management skills. Wedding, funerals, birthdays, or love dedications like the one today and she was the go to gal. Once she had called Chloe out and set boundaries she had changed a lot, from meek and timid to firm and do not cross her. “You look gorgeous. Everyone is here and waiting!”

“Thanks, Brina,” Marinette gave the girl a quick hug and kiss cheek. “Does that include-”

“We’re not a thing,” Snapped back Sabrina.

“Really?” Felix questioned genuinely surprised. “Could have sworn you were unless we’re talking about someone different.”

“Chloe and I were never a thing. Just friends,” Sabrina corrected clicking her pen a few times. “It’s what she wanted.”

“We better go before Jagged starts doing a rock cover of here comes the bride,” Marinette hurried just wanting to leave the awkward situation. From the limit gossip she knew, when Chloe had tried to be a better person Sabrina had always been by her side, always being ditched for the first hotel heir or prince to walk into view. Everyone blamed Audrey indocrinating Chloe into money and style is everything and everyone is below you, but after a certain age it got old. Sabrina and Chloe were still friends and Chloe was a much nicer person, but somethings were just never outgrown. 

“Good call,” Felix agreed holding the door open for Marinette. They turned into the park, sun very very close to being perfect. Gina and Rolland off in one corner having a hushed argument which everyone could probably guess what was being said. Sabine trying to get Tom to stop crying on his daughters’ day. Tomoe, Anarka, and Felix’s parents drinking champagne, Anarka already laughing a bit too hard. 

“So I can officially retire as your knight now? Contracts signed and they can’t back out anymore?” Adrien joked standing next to the door. Even as an adult he was model material, despite no cameras being on him anymore. 

“I thought you were going to be in Nice!” Marinette exclaimed in surprise, before giving him a tight hug. “Something about Nathalie or family assets?”

“And miss my bugaboo’s big day?” Laughed Adrien hugging her back. When they stepped back he shook Felix’s hand but it was clear even after everything they hadn’t become super close. “As your original crime fighting partner it is my duty to make sure you are not harmed and nothing ruins this day. I’ve already stolen Plagg back from Fu so will cataclysm anyone who has cold feet or any girl wearing white. Give me the signal and the claws will come out.”

“But you’re ok?” Marinette thought back on his face when Gabriel had been defeated and Emilie’s body had been found. Even now they were searching for Emilie who had taken the two miraculouses and fled, somehow managing to escape them. Until she was caught, Adrien couldn’t have peace. He had trusted Nathalie and she had abandoned him and the threat of Hawkmoth, or a version of him, was forever looming. Sure, Adrien was coping but having the tip Nathalie was close by couldn’t be easy. 

For a moment she remembered the reveals and all the rejections. So much heartbreak and drama that at the time seemed world ending. He managed to handle it all with grace though. Just disappearing for a few days after the reveal, before coming back with smiles and jokes, calling Marinette cousin, threatening her royal court that if they ever hurt her they would be dead. He had also threatened Marinette if she ever hurt Kagami but it was a weak attempt. From there they had gone back to friends which seemed perfect. They were still there for each other whether it be late night ice-cream sessions dishing out relationship advice or supporting him when the truth about his family came out. They really were better as friends. 

“Always,” Smiled Adrien. “Trust me, I have the purr-fect cat-itude and your day will be pawsome.”

“Urgh, still? One day you have to stop the puns,” Marinette warned.

“Auntie Mari!” Screeched a kid colliding into Marinette, her arms wrapping around Marinette’s legs nearly making her fall over. Felix put a hand on her back to steady her. 

“Watch it, you don’t want to ruin her dress. Hi Felix and Marinette,” Greeted a blonde chasing after the child and pulling her away. After quick cheek kisses, she stood beside Adrien holding the little troublemaker. The perfect little family. A little over five years ago Adrien had been in a tv studio giving some interview about stepping away from the Gabriel brand when he had run into Paris’ favourite weather girl Aurore. After quick polite chit chat about mutual friends or how crazy highschool with all the akumas was, they realised it hadn’t been chit chat but a two hour conversation. The conversation then turned into current events, and by the end of the month they had been dating. Wedding eighteen months after that which had been beyond stunning - partially thanks to Marinette’s designing the outfits for the whole wedding party and the bakery doing the most exquisite cake - and child ten months later. Marinette had met Emilie a few times and even at such a young age it was obvious she was going to have Adrien’s kindness, Aurore’s determination, and both of their beauty. “Sorry about Em. First wedding.”

“Love dedication,” Corrected Felix, glancing down at his watch. “Legally-”

“Don’t get him started. Please, please, don’t,” Laughed Marinette trying to silence Felix. “We better get started though. Talk to you later.”

Marinette and Felix walked into the park, all conversation falling short as eyes fell on them. Later that night they would listen to Alix joke about how love was dumb before comments on how no matter how many times she bunny hops the four of them would always be the best example of love, adorable, beautiful love which nearly made her want it. They would talk to Alya and Nino who would gush about their current jobs in America, Alya’s latest expose on why not all charities are good, and Nino struggling so hard to not reveal the twist in his movie before spoiling the whole movie. They’d laugh with Jagged and Penny as they told stories about their biography or latest up and comer they were mentoring, Luka still after ten years being flustered when speaking to his idol. Mylene and Ivan still going strong ten years later. Nathaniel and Marc kissing on the dancefloor, and later talking about their latest comic idea or how their old comic was about to hit the big screen, with pleas and begging Luka, Felix, Kagami, and Marinette to play themselves. Chloe would come late, leave early, and  say it was ridiculous the latest scandal. Max would talk about his latest game while Kim talked about the olympics. Bustier, Mendeliev, and Damocles would make sappy comments about how they wish they had students like this now, before ranting about their current students. They would meet with Fu in the bakery, him decked out in all the miraculouses so that the kwamis could see their chosen’s perfect day, all crying and smiling. Sure, there were times miraculouses were still worn by the heroes but those times were getting rarer. Plagg would be there too asking Tikki if she wanted to try it out to see what all the fuss was about. 

But that was all later in the night. For now, Marinette and Felix stood at one end of the park under an arch, sunset painting the sky pink and orange. Jagged was playing a classic wedding march, Penny having a hand on his shoulder to stop him getting too out of control, Adrien accompanying him on piano. They turned to see Kagami and Luka walk into the park, the most beautiful sight Marinette had ever seen. Marinette wanted to tell them to walk faster, so they wouldn’t be so far away and she could pledge her undying love. Sure, legally it all meant very little, but she just needed to the world to know how much she loved them. Felix squeezed her hand, and she turned to look at him, tears in his eyes that were filled with love as he watched their sweethearts walk down the aisle. 

They each took turns saying their vowels. Hurried, messy vowels, full of classic babblenette moments, as they just could barely wait another moment not being married (or closest they would get to married legally). They just wanted to start their lives officially together. They just hated having to wait. They’re happy ending was insight. And maybe life loved to challenge them, make ant hills seem like mountains, but nothing could stop how miraculous their worlds had become. Just two words left to capture everything they felt: I do 

(credit to @autumnlover13moni8 for the final line)

[thewritewolf]

Marinette March Day 1 - Kindness

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31

Well, I’m a bit late, but still doing better than I usually do with these things! For today’s prompt, I’ve decided to showcase just how helpful Marinette tends to be - even at the cost of her own plans. Since this one shot is around 2.5k words, I’ve put most of it under a read more.

@marinettemarch

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Marinette’s phone alarm went off, officially starting her day with Adrien. Well, at least the morning she would be spending with Adrien. A couple hours, probably. She paused with a frown while brushing her hair in front of her mirror. Come to think of it, she didn’t really know how these photoshoots tended to go. From what she could tell from her well-researched Adrien schedule they could last anywhere from half an hour to half the day. Either way, she intended to make the most of this invitation.

An invitation which she had gotten by having her room, plastered with his gorgeous face, broadcasted on television. And yet still his first concern was for her safety and wellbeing. She sighed dreamily - such a gentleman. If today went well, then marriage and three kids and a hamster wouldn’t be such a distant dream for much longer!

Needless to say, she had taken every precaution against being late. The alarm that had woken her up was the first of five - at least her own excitement had helped her sleep lightly. Everything she might need was packed and ready to go, which included a sketchbook just in case he really believed that she was interested in his pictures for the fashion. She patted herself down to make sure she had everything - purse, sketchbook, backpack, drawing utensils, phone, cookies, and the most important thing of all…

“Tikki! Ready to go?”

“Whenever you are, Marinette.” The red kwami flew into place in her purse and Marinette made her way out the backdoor of the bakery. As early as it was, there wasn’t nearly as many people on the streets as there usually was, but that was sure to change soon. Clouds broke up the summer sunlight into mottled patches of bright and dark. “Where is the photoshoot, again?”

Marinette made sure to glance around before talking into her purse. There had been enough instances of people looking at her like crazy. “Not too far, but not that close either. Thanks to the clouds, they’ll be doing an indoor photoshoot, but the place they chose is just barely in walking distance.”

“That great! What about- wait. Is that Nino?”

Sure enough, Nino was standing in front of a flower shop looking about as out of place as he could be. He was biting at his nails at he looked around in uncertainty at the wide array of blossoms and bouquets. The poor boy was overwhelmed, occasionally reaching for a few flowers only to pull back at the last minute. Someone needed to help him. Tikki held her phone up. There was still plenty of time to meet up with Adrien - she had left early after all.

“Hey, Nino!” She tapped him on his shoulder, suppressing a giggle by biting down on her lips as he jolted at her sudden appearance. “You seem lost. Anything I can do to help?”

“Oh! Hey, dude. I’m just, uh,” He rubbed the back of his neck and his cheeks darkened. He glanced around before pulling Marinette into a huddle and whispering, “Listen, I was gonna surprise Alya with some flowers, right? Sounded cool and romantic and stuff, right? But who knew there were this many different types! I have no idea which ones she’d want!” He looked at her with pleading eyes. “You gotta help me, dude.”

She blinked, trying to make sense of the rapid fire information he just unleashed on her. Slowly, a grin dawned on her face. “Aw! That’s so cute! Of course I’ll help. C’mon.” She walked among the flowers slowly, searching very carefully while Nino stayed close behind and wringed his hands nervously. She helped his nervous tick by passing the flowers she found to him. “This one is her favorite, so we’ll have the most of them. Here are some that represent love and joy. And here are some to help balance out the colors and make it smell all the sweeter.”

His eyes lit up as he looked at the finished bouquet in his hand, around a dozen in all. “I can’t thank you enough, dude! You are a total life saver!” She followed him to the cashier. “Is there anything I can do to help you out?”

“Take a photo of Alya’s face when you give it to her, it’d be nice to see how much she appreciated it. Other than that, don’t worry about it, I was glad to help.”

After a brief hug, they parted ways and Marinette was back on track. She’d lost about fifteen minutes, but it was well worth the cost - Alya was going to love it. As she continued walking through Paris, doubt began nagging at the back of her mind. If she stayed on her planned route, she’d only get there just barely on time. Taking the shortcut through the park would save her a few minutes and she’d much rather be early and get that much more time with Adrien. With that precious extra moments, she was sure they would hit it off and then he’d propose and they’d live happily ever after and-

She was stirred from her pleasant daydream by someone crying. The tall trees and hedges did even better work than the clouds in blotting out the sunlight, creating an empty and shadowed section of the park that she had thought was free of people. For a brief moment, she considered turning away. Maybe it had just been the wind, or maybe she had misheard. But then the crying returned, stronger than before and there could be no doubt in her mind. With only a slight pang of regret, she looked for the tearful stranger.

Nestled away on a bench within the hedges, she found a familiar bob of red hair and Marinette once again hesitated. Sabrina may not have been as bad as Chloe, but there were plenty of times where she had caused someone else to run off in tears. This could have been justice, in a sense. Even so, Marinette couldn’t bring herself to leave, instead sitting next to the other girl.

Her head jerked toward Marinette, but the wild hope in her eyes vanished once she saw that it was her. “Oh… hey, Marinette.”

“Something wrong?” It wasn’t hard to tell what had happened - it was a common enough occurence for Sabrina and Chloe to fight, and it wasn’t like Sabrina was close with anyone else. Maybe because of her friendship with Chloe. Still, it wasn’t nice to presume without asking.

She wiped away her tears and tried to stifle her sniffles. “Nothing out of the ordinary.” She flashed a watery smile that went away quickly.

The silence stretched out. What could she say to help her? Past attempts to get her to not put up with Chloe anymore had ended in failure and trying now wouldn’t help much anyway. Which really just left her one choice…

“Did you see the latest episode of Fill My Shoes?”

...Distraction.

Sabrina latched onto the topic and they spent a good long while talking - drifting from the reality show with Jagged Stone to fashion to games, all the while dancing around the topic of why Sabrina had been hiding by herself in a shadowy patch of park. After half an hour, they got up to leave. The redheaded girl gave her a hug and a whispered thanks before quickly parting ways with Marinette.

She stood still and waved as Sabrina left, only hurriedly digging around for her phone after she had left her field of view. Now she was late - very definitely late. Her shoulders slumped in defeat.

“Don’t give up just yet, Marinette!” Tikki chirped from her purse. “Maybe they started late, or maybe it’s a long photoshoot! There is still hope!”

Smiling down at her kwami, she nodded. “You’re right. Even if it is a shorter photoshoot, there should still be an hour left, right? Plenty of time to get Adrien to fall for me!”

“That’s the spirit. Now let’s go.”

With a bit of forced cheerfulness in her step, she resumed her journey to her dream day with Adrien. Yes, this wasn’t ideal, but she could still make it and have at least a nice time with him. Hopefully. Besides, the first half hour was all prep work probably. Did she really want to watch them apply make-up to Adrien? Yes. Yes she did. Well, he wouldn't be able to chat with her while they did so, thus it probably wasn’t a big loss. Everything was fine!

Until she heard the commotion and wailing come from inside the church she was passing by. She crouched into a combat stance, completely prepared for the panicked screams to start up, but it seemed that Hawkmoth had better things to do today. The door to the church was open and Marinette was curious, so she stepped inside.

It was pandemonium. Great care and been taken with elegant decorations. The church was practically packed with men in suits and women in dresses, all murmuring worriedly among each other. Every now and again another round of sobs could be heard coming from the back. Right at the entrance stood an older man in a suit, glancing nervously towards a backdoor.

Marinette tugged at his suit sleeve. “Excuse me, sir? Is something wrong?”

“My daughter’s wedding gown got torn when someone stepped on the bridal train and ripped the hem. They are trying to figure something out, but the store we got it from is closed and it would be expensive to get another tailor in without the warranty paying for it.”

“Well… I do design work in my spare time. Maybe I could try to fix it?” The man looked down at her dubiously. It sparked a competitive fire in her and she puffed out her chest pridefully. “I won a design contest by Gabriel Agreste, the fashion moghul.”

He seemed to weigh the options before shrugging. “Well, it’s worth a shot. Come with me.” They navigated the field of haggard loiters, the fraying best men, and the panicked bridesmaids. The door swung open and Marinette’s eyes widened. The dress was beautiful, to be sure, but what the man had described as a tear was even worse than he let on.

The harried bride turned at the sound of the opened door and Marinette saw the familiar flash of dashed hope when she saw it was just her and the older man that had entered. “Any luck, dad?”

“No word from the store, but!” He added quickly as he put a hand on Marinette’s shoulder. “This young lady thinks she might be able to help.”

She sighed and shook her head. “If you’d brought in a high schooler an hour ago, I would’ve declined. But now I’m desperate.” She walked over to Marinette. “What’s your name, sweetie?”

“Uh… Marinette. Marinette Dupain-Cheng”

“And do you think you can do it?”

Squaring her jaws, she reached into her purse and retrieved her pocket sewing kit. This was a challenge, just like any other. “I know I can, miss…?”

“Emilie.”

“Sit tight then, Miss Emilie and I’ll get this fixed in no time at all.” At least, so she hoped. Fixing it wouldn’t be the problem so much as how long it would take it pull it off. On the bright side, she had lots of practice with working under pressure.

In truth, Marinette didn’t know how long it had taken her to pull it off. After she had taken the silky material in her hands, the outside world faded away and it was just her and the task in front of her. That was the part she had always enjoyed about creating - everything becomes much simpler when the world shrinks down to pouring herself into her work. Emilie seemed curious at first of her industriousness and impressed when it actually looked like she would be able to pull it off. Once she had reached the final stretch, Emilie gave her a round of excited applause, all stress melted away.

“And to finish off, I’ll close this last little seem with some baby blue thread.” Marinette smiled up at her. “Something blue, right?”

Emilie hugged her as close as the dress would allow, and kissed her cheeks. “It looks fresh from the tailor! I can’t thank you enough, Marinette. Is there anything I can do to help you?”

“No, no I just need to get going. I’m running behind for a date.”

“Oh? I’m so sorry for holding you up! My father can drop you off, it’ll be a little while before we can get started again anyway.” She held up a hand to cut off Marinette’s protest. “Please, it is the least we can do, my little hero.”

Marinette, growing slightly desperate, accepted and found herself in front of the building where the photo shoot would be taking place. And she was only… two hours late, she realized with a wince. She didn’t even have the opportunity to build up any hope before it was broken, since she saw camera equipment being moved out from the space and into waiting vans. She shambled into the building, completely drained and slightly depressed. Maybe she could still at least see Adrien. Then she could pretend like this had all been worth it, pretend that she hadn’t shot herself in the foot with this. Or maybe she should just slink out the way she came and pretend she had been sick today. At least then she’d have a believable excuse.

“Marinette!” At the sound of her name, she turned around, only realizing mid-turn that it was Adrien’s voice. He was frowning, worried. “Hey, I was wondering where you were. I saw Nino’s post about you, so I was sure you were going to be here on time.”

“Post…?” She pulled out her phone, and noticed the notifications - she’d been tagged by Nino. It was a candid photo of Alya smiling, eyes misty as she held a familiar bouquet in her hands. Marinette found herself smiling as well. Nino had remembered to take the picture for her. “Y-yeah, I got side tracked…”

“So I heard from Chloe. Apparently she and Sabrina had a fight, but Sabrina came back and they talked it out. You came up at some point in the walls of text she sent, so I guess that was what held you up?”

“Well, uh, sort of. See there was this wedding-”

A car horn blared from outside and they both looked back to see Adrien’s bodyguard standing outside his car, staring at the both of them. Adrien glanced back at her, then at the car before saying, “Could you stick around for just a minute?”

“S-sure…” He walked away and Marinette collapsed onto a chair in the lobby. She’d only managed to get a couple minutes with him, and she’d basically implied she’d had more important things to do than hang out with him. There was no doubt in her mind that he wouldn’t be inviting her to any more photoshoots and she couldn’t blame him.

Her bitter reflections were cut off when she saw Adrien’s car drive away, and she felt the tears coming on. Before she could really work herself up into a good cry, Adrien appeared, smiling.

“Hey! I just convinced the Gorilla to give us a couple hours to ourselves. Do you want to hang out? After the day you’ve had, I’m sure you could use something to eat. You can tell me all about it over lunch.”

Feeling like her soul had left her body, Marinette could only nod as Adrien took her by the arm and started walking her to their lunch date.

[salty-apples]

My first memory of a wedding dress is a little vague but I can still remember the feelings of awe and wonder it inspired. It was my cousin’s wedding and I was her flower girl. I was decked in a frothy, flowery pink dress and my cousin who seemed to fill the room with her height (I was tiny then and everything looked huge from my perspective) was in the biggest ballgown I had ever seen. Struck by the beauty and sheer mass of the dress, I began to look forward to the day I too, would get my ballgown moment (opinions have since changed- I am no longer a ballgown aficionado).

Since then, I have been on a quest to find the most beautiful wedding dresses in the world- and from my rather hyperbolic title, you can tell that today’s post is going to be a doozy.

Hello and welcome to another post where I fangirl over a topic.

Today, I’m going to be pulling together all the wedding dresses I’ve ever loved, from cinema to real life, you name it! This particular post is in two parts and I’ll be discussing why I love the dresses and why I think they make the top ten all-time list.

First up, wedding dresses from film.  

Carrie Bradshaw’s Vivienne Westwood dress from Sex and the City

The Sex and the City universe was a fashion trip. Although I never actually watched the series, I was glued to the products of Carrie Bradshaw’s wardrobe in the movies. The photoshoot for the magazine after her engagement was announced was amazing, giving us shot after shot of what happens when you get the all-star treatment. The dresses from the designers were works of art but none embodied the fashion forward spirit of our heroine than her Vivienne Westwood dress. To even begin to understand why the dress is so special, you’ve got to first look at its creator. Vivienne Westwood is known as the godmother of punk fashion, and to dip her nib in the wedding ink, you know that such a designer is going to do something extraordinary.

And extraordinary it was. Carrie’s dress is a ballgown, holding true to her princess-like status. But it is also sleek and modern, capturing the very essence of a woman who sees herself as the heart and soul of New York. It is beautiful and paired with the feather, it was stunning. This dress is an all-star entry, deserving of its own spot in an exhibition and I’m sure there a few people who would agree.

Mia Thermopolis-Renaldi’s dress in The Princess Diaries 2: A Royal Engagement

I don’t know how many people know this but I am not the biggest fan of lace, mostly because lace in all its forms disagrees with me.

However, I am willing to forget all that when I watch The Princess Diaries, especially the second movie. I love all the fashion moments, from Queen Clarisse’s dress to Mia’s 21st birthday party to their parade outfits. But the zenith of all moments was Mia, gliding down the aisle in the most regal wedding dress a fictional character has ever worn.

And you know what it had?

Lace, and a good amount of it.

Mia’s A-line beauty was built for a queen-in-waiting, the lace being a sign of that girlish, somewhat careless nature of hers and the smooth silk providing structure to the lace, strong support for a girl transitioning into a woman; a princess into a queen. For anyone who is looking for some sweet royal inspiration, look no further than Her Royal Majesty, Queen Amelia Mignonette Thermopolis Renaldi, Queen of Genovia.

Lisa McDowell’s wedding dress in Coming to America

You know what’s wild about Coming to America?

It’s how they managed to pull off all that Euro-African headgear! It cracks me up every time.

Anyway, Coming to America doesn’t disappoint when it comes to delivering iconic lines and equally iconic fashion. I’m sure by now we’re familiar with the various interpretations of Imani’s court presentation dress during prom season but least talked about is the dress that ends it all- Lisa’s bubblegum pink delight of a wedding dress.

If you’ve read my colors post, my total abhorrence for the color pink is no surprise. That hatred melts away when I see Lisa’s dress. In form, it is the typical choice for an African bride- massive ballgown with a bustier and a towering tiara (the only thing it’s missing is the typical jacket- you know the one). But in color, it sets her apart. That’s not to say that there aren’t members of court who are donning the pink for the wedding. No, this is different. They are clad in soft gauzy pastels but she is the American woman who stole the heart of their prince and she is in a quintessentially American color. She is representing.

And in this thesis, I will discuss why everybody needs to vote Lisa McDowell for president…

Just kidding. Tl; dr: Lisa got the best dress a princess-to-be could ask for.

Toula Portcullis’ dress in My Big Fat Greek Wedding

For anyone who hasn’t heard of Toula Portcullis, she is the much-harangued heroine of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Honestly, her pains are many especially after she gets engaged and has to balance the cares of planning an intercultural wedding while still managing to stay sane. She’s stressed and if not for her fiancé, she would have lost it completely.

That aside, the reason her dress is here is not because it is a great beauty (it’s not quite to my liking, really) but for the sentiment attached to it. Toula, as the last female to wed in her family, is gifted with the poufiest dress in history, a dress steeped in a mix of love, culture and good wishes. It is her family’s wish that she lives and lives well and with the way they handle they dress, the ball of fabric passing from happy hand to happy hand before it gets to the bride, their coos and prayers are following her. Even though she declares, “I am a snow beast” as she sees herself in the mirror, she’s still as her family wanted her to be- the most beautiful bride they had ever seen. Later on- after some reverse tailoring by the new couple- excessively frilly, silly and poufy becomes pretty and sweet.

And that is the end of my story.  

Tiana’s wedding dress from The Princess and the Frog

Tiana’s wedding dress is as a few of my friends from school used to say, special spesh. Besides being the first and only black princess in the Disney Princess franchise, she’s also the only one whose dress can boast of what it’s made of.

First, it is straight up juju- a feat I am yet to see any Nollywood movie accomplished. Tiana had the best dressmaker in the world and I know this because from what I know, any woman who is called ‘The Voodoo Queen of the Bayou’ has got to outrank another who goes by ‘Fairy Godmother’ (I’m sorry, Ms. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Bo but it’s a fact).

Second, her dress is 100% natural- everything swamp material. Tiana marries (pun intended) fashion, function and today’s buzzword, ‘sustainability’ in what is perhaps, the grandest statement a new princess can make. It is green, regal and eco-friendly and who better to wear a dress that striking than a woman who understands how to live a no-waste life.

And next, wedding dresses from real life!

Grace Kelly’s wedding dress

No list about the best weeding dresses is complete without mentioning Grace Kelly.

Before there was Meghan Markle, there was the original American superstar to marry into royalty and her dress… Constructed by her studio’s seamstress, Helen Rose, Grace Kelly’s dress was built in such a way that it did not overwhelm her in the way that many wedding dresses can. The lampshade silhouette of the dress, though uncommon now, is quite unique, especially with the way it stands- with unnoticed support structure, of course. The lace is delicate, sculpted into style that is both modern and old. It fits its wearer perfectly and makes her quite the standout bride. The dress is timeless, an opinion I’m sure most bridal enthusiasts would agree with.

Beyoncé’s vow renewal gown by Galia Lahav

There’s something about Galia Lahav creations that just transport the viewer or wearer into another world. Dresses from the brilliant folks who make them are elegant, stylish and beautiful, and this particular dress – worn by none other than Beyoncé – takes the cake.

I’ve always loved seeing Galia Lahav dresses and this particular dress has been my favorite for a long time. When I saw that Beyoncé had nabbed it for vow renewal, I was practically jumping for joy. It is an elegantly crafted piece, with a structured bodice, statement sleeves, sections of skirt that stylishly expose the thigh, and both delicate lace and rococo-style detailing juxtaposed beside each other. It’s beautiful dress for a beautiful lady who makes beautiful music.

Was that too many beautifuls?

Angelina Jolie’s wedding dress

Just like Toula Portcullis’ dress, Angelina Jolie’s dress was steeped in sentiment. A simple enough dress, pleated at the bodice and attached to an A-line skirt, the main draw of the skirt was what was it’s back. Made by Versace, it was as simple as it was sweet.

Giving her children license to express themselves, the back of the wedding dress was transformed into a canvas for them. Each of her children contributed drawings, doodles and sketches which were then transferred from paper to fabric and transformed into high art. It was, in short, a beautiful tribute from loving children to their loving mother. I bet Maleficent would have loved it.

Kate Middleton’s Alexander McQueen wedding dress

Whenever a royal wedding rolls around, regular folk and royal watchers get buzzing. All royal families are well, royal and there is none more royal than the most famous one of all: The British Royal Family. So, when a future queen gets her wedding day, the best designers are entrusted with the task of making the royal bride look the part.

To execute this task, the Duchess of Cambridge turned to the house of Alexander McQueen. Head of house, Sarah Burton delivered in a big way, turning the volume on the phrase, ‘English Rose’ all the way up. Incorporating motifs of the English Commonwealth into a traditional princess look, lace and silk and delicate detailing were the order of the day. Her Royal Highness’ wedding dress beat all on her wedding and it has continued to be one of the top contenders on the list of the most defining wedding dresses of the last twenty years.

And this absolutely fantastic creation!

This dress looks like Christmas morning, with a side of ‘It’s my birthday!’ You can be sure that though my preferences aren’t with ball gowns, this is one dress I would not hesitate to put on if it were given to me!

And that folks, is the end of today’s post. I know everybody’s got their favorites and I can’t wait to hear yours.

This post marks the end of the ‘clearing out my drafts’ spree and I, for one, am glad that now, I can really begin to work on new stuff. A few pieces are currently cooking in my head and who knows, maybe a certain suspended series might get some new life! It’s the season of second chances and I am just brimming with joy as Christmas Day approaches.

Until next time, ciao!

Top 10 wedding dresses of all time My first memory of a wedding dress is a little vague but I can still remember the feelings of awe and wonder it inspired.

[rassilon-imprimatur]

A Guide to “A Bloody (and Public) Domaine,” my contribution to Faction Paradox: The Book of the Enemy

Faction Paradox: The Book of the Enemy was released by Obverse Books in January 2018 (already over a year ago, sheesh), and it included my first published short story, A Bloody (and Public) Domaine. Last March, Andrew Hickey published  a list of all the references to other stories (Faction, Doctor Who, or otherwise) in his Book of the Enemy story on his blog. Fellow Book of the Enemy contributor and good egg Nate Bumber followed suit with a rundown of references in his wonderful story, and the powerhouse that is Niki Haringsma has done the same with The Book of the Peace. 

I’ve had a fairly rough year beside really struggling to find any merit in my Book of the Enemy and Book of the Peace stories (a writer really is his own worst critic), but finally felt the gumption to dive in! This is a mix of some (not all) of the references in my story, as well as just some general commentary. I’ll be making a similar post for my Book of the Peace and connecting Dossier material next! 

Obviously, spoilers ahead. You should probably have read the story first. If you haven’t and still read through this, please purchase the book, available on the Obverse site! I’m not going through everything, just giving a little bit of commentary.

But first let me say, I will be forever grateful to the book’s editor Simon Bucher-Jones (@thebrakespearevoyage-blog), for taking such a big chance on me with this story, dealing with a rookie like me, and letting me play in his sandbox. An absolute gem of a human being. 

Enjoy!

“The black lessens, crumbles, an Empire sky of temporal red focuses.” A nod to the Eleven-Day Empire and my own assertion of the typical “look” of a Faction alter-time realm, the sky color taken from the Empire’s appearance in the Faction Paradox comic. 

“EXT: THE SHADOW SPIRE... (very Dr. Caligari meets Trying Too Hard).” I’m going to save most of what Auteur and his home Shadow Spire are references to for my Book of the Peace post, but, as a hint, basically picture a crumbling lighthouse as pencilled by the Doctor Who Magazine comic strip legend John Ridgeway... nudge nudge, wink wink. 

Gideon exists as little more than the audience of Auteur’s madness (and to die at the end), but I had fun sketching out this character. He’s a member of the Faction who doesn’t care that he is, a renegade Homeworlder that just had nowhere else to go. I think of all the possible characterizations of various Faction members, the idea of a member of the Houses rushing into the ideology they don’t believe in, embracing the aesthetic because they have no choice, is my favorite. Gideon has more recently received something of a second life in White Canvas by James Wylder. 

This story is set definitively before the Eleven-Day Empire’s destruction in The Faction Paradox Protocols. I felt this was the safer choice given the scope of the full anthology. I went the “definitely after the Eleven-Day Empire’s death” route in my Book of the Peace story.  

“A few Loa, smears of age as twisted as the Spire, swarm the peak like vultures.” Key to Faction Paradox lore and a rather damning example of the Faction’s appropriation of Haitian voodoo, the term “loa” (spirits) refer to the alter-time structures and temporal processes the Faction claim to worship. I have always interpreted them as the familiar gobbledygook we’d hear as “time orbits” or “temporal loops” from the Doct-AHEM-a certain time traveler, but from the Faction’s POV, very much alive. Which POV is accurate? That’s up to you. 

“A phonograph, straight out of Hammer, operating diligently on a shard of glittering sapphire.” Hammer Film Productions’ “Hammer Horror,” naturally. 

“Godfather Morlock’s Personal Record, kept on Phonograph.” Morlock is a major character in Faction lore, appearing in The Book of the War and the BBV Faction Paradox Protocols. He comes across as something of a creepy Victorian taxidermist and scientist, with unknown plans for the Faction and the War. Recording his musings on a phonograph is a reference to Dr. Jack Seward from Bram Stoker’s Dracula. 

Morlock’s account of Vlad the Impaler and the Celestis is all from The Book of the War, an earlier Faction Paradox use of the historic figure that rather interestingly asserts he can’t be Dracula. Believe it or not based on this story, I actually hate when modern Dracula adaptations or remakes try to make him Vlad directly. 

Mention of the Impaler’s “history tangling with the Incremental Effect,” is a reference to the Iris Wildthyme novella The Found World, published in Iris Wildthyme and Friends Investigate, one of my favorite Iris collections. You’ll actually see a lot of crossing with Miss Wildthyme in my stories. I’ve always felt the two series shared a fascinating relationship and rather love what wonderful recontextualization can happen when you view them as partners in crime as opposed to rivals or strangers. 

The “woman in a black dress and porcelain skin” is Lilith, and is, perhaps obviously, Lolita, the true villain of the series. More on her later. 

The timeline Morlock describes, a “What If Dracula Won?” scenario, starts as a soft reference to Kim Newman’s Anno Dracula novels before literally launching into space to become a reference to Hideyuki Kikuchi’s Vampire Hunter D series. 

“They embraced the flesh and blood and were proudly organic, with none of the clinical and pristine mathematics of the Ships of the Great Houses.” A lot of detail is often given to how the Great Houses despise their organic nature, and we know that the enemy have timeships of some fashion if we take Lolita’s word in Lawrence Miles’ Interference-interlude Toy Story as gospel. 

The stuttered “Ghost Point” is the period in the early 21st century where mankind’s limitless potential ground to a halt, effectively killing the advanced civilization humanity should have been. An interestingly important part of the series lore.

“Plus, Morlock can baise lui-même on a candlelit evening.” He can fuck himself. My dear friend Liria has very happily and comfortably let me know that my French is absolutely atrocious. I merely look to The Adventuress of Henrietta Street and hold my head high for maintaining a Faction Paradox tradition. 

I don’t know why the VHS tapes are “crumbling like mouldering Metsovone” because I swear I wrote that they were “crumbling like mortar” when sending my draft in. Either a) Simon has hidden a secret message throughout the entire book, b) I’m losing my mind, changed it and forgot it, or c) I’ve been infected by the either the enemy or the Houses in an attempt to replace my account of things with Grecian dairy. It is a more creative metaphor. 

The “Homeworlder Observer Effect” is just a term given to the Faction Paradox assertion in The Book of the War and The Cosmology of the Spiral Politic that the Great Houses literally force potential into reality by merely observing (while I’m taking cues and terminology from the loose concept scattered throughout the works of Lance Parkin, Kate Orman, and Jon Blum, most notably the unwritten novel Mentor, where an insane Time Lord could literally observe his own will and madness into reality). This plays a major part in my Book of the Peace story as well, so I’ll talk a bit about it there. 

I was a very late addition to the Book of the Enemy’s team, so literally any perceived intelligence and coalescence with my story’s metafictional take on Dracula and the rest of the book’s metafictional take on nearly every example of global literature and imagination is all Simon’s brilliance and the genius of the other contributors. I’ve probably shared a total of three words with anyone else in the book other than Nate. Simon turned all of this into a wonderful, organic unit, and it makes me absolutely proud to be a part, even if I’m still rather embarrassed by my contribution. Give them all the credit! 

“Mina Harker,” the inarguable and objective hero of Stoker’s Dracula. Van Helsing who?

“Brides of Dracula.” Hammer made exactly three good Dracula movies, and this is one of them, despite not actually having Dracula in it. It’s pretty much a feature length “Look How Badass Peter Cushing Is As Van Helsing, Guys.” 

“God’s gaze was nowhere near Bedfordshire that night.” As seen in The Book of the War’s superb take on Dronid (an element of the infamous serial Shada), things that remain unobserved by the Great Houses, either by choice or design, tend to become rather unhappy and miserable places (to put it lightly).

“Not quite the discrete puncture marks of legend” is a line said by Alan Moore’s take on Mina in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I then realized her crimson scarf could be seen as a reference to the comic as well, but I was actually intending to give a nod to the definitive Edward Gorey illustration. 

“Something cruel, built by invaders of metal and spite, digging too deeply and too greedily into Earth’s crust.” An absolutely subtle and completely obscure reference to another Peter Cushing film. 

“A History wrapped tightly into a coil of absence, locked in the rock and dark of the planet.” No comment other than a friendly reminder that the caldera, the lodestone of the structure of History, is described as an “absence” in The Book of the War, later clarified to be a “singularity” in Lawrence Burton’s Against Nature, invoking familiar thoughts of the mythic Eye of Harmony... 

“The aliens were rejected by that History, blown to smithereens, left to die in the streets and in their echoing control rooms.”

“Because he’s fucking Dracula. He’s not some evil god, or conquering demon. He’s a parasite, torn between trying to leech off society’s elite and building a goddamn harem.” Dracula is absolutely one of the greatest villains in all English literature but he is also absolutely abhorrent and literally every attempt to romanticize or “Badass” him into anything other than a diseased and rotting rapist need to show themselves out. 

“Lilith” again. A terrifying revelation in the Faction Paradox series is that the War between the enemy and the Great Houses is a distraction from the real threat to the universe. Her. This has, naturally, spurred theorizing and discussion over the years about whether or not Lolita created the enemy. That’s naturally what this story is implying, but this story is also a stapled together mess crafted by a mad Homeworlder. Lolita seemed very concerned about the enemy in her first appearance in Toy Story...

My interpretation of my story (and The Book of the Enemy as a whole) is that the enemy has so many identities and timelines and possibilities and metafictional infections that it has nonsense like this written around it as a sort of defense mechanism. Auteur’s bizarre narrative is an identity and story to be used as a drifting shield, a history the Houses could nuke to nothing and still leave the enemy happy and safe to continue Warring.

The “Very Fabric” is a cheeky nod to the “Very Fabric of Time and Space” from the Iris Wildthyme side of the universe, first seen in Paul Magrs’ Mad Dogs and Englishmen. 

“’Yssgaroth,’ she hissed, her tongue sliding through her razor teeth behind her mask, ‘the Taint which boils within you.’” The Yssgaroth first appeared in The Pit and were always meant to be a retcon and redefinition of the vague history and lore of the Vampires seen in 1980′s State of Decay. This approach was massively improved by Interference and The Book of the War (though I still assert Philip Purser-Hallard’s Predating the Predators is probably the definitive take on the bastards). 

“Queen Charlotte” was Lolita’s disguise and historical role in the Faction Paradox Protocols. The audios and other stories such as Hickey’s Head of State (and, I suppose, this one right here) show that Lolita takes on these “acting roles” throughout history. “Lady Waki” at first glance may, understandably, be seen as a misspelling of her role of Lady Wakai from The Book of the War, but “Waki” is actually the term for the antagonist/villain performance in Japanese “Noh” musical theatre. 

The blood of the Earth is the same “green pus” from Inferno, later implied to be the Yssgaroth taint in Interference’s assertion that Earth is built around an Yssgaroth bolthole. So what, is the Earth somehow a link to the centre of History, or an Yssgaroth bolthole? Can it possibly be both? 

Yes. 

“A new kind of History.” The literal definition of the enemy in The Book of the War and Lolita in BBV Faction audios. 

“Not like he has a copyright.” Hence the “Public Domaine” of the title. You are reading the work of a comedic genius. Though, the spelling of “Domaine” was Simon’s idea and I like it much better. 

Biodata looking like silver threads pops up a lot in what I write and I completely blame Kate Orman and Jon Blum’s seminal Unnatural History. That book changes a man. 

And there you have it! I’m still convinced that Simon Bucher-Jones is a wizard, as The Book of the Enemy somehow becoming centered on the idea of the enemy as a meta-fictional infection with dozens upon dozens of cobbled together narratives of myth and fact improves this mess of a story rather drastically, I think.