#the photo situation ... i think he was punishing me and my mum for going on a trip together

[immortalsins]

my dad sent my mum a message demanding that she return a whole list of stupid petty items (whilst he's withholding some photos she took, some of her grandmother, because he's paranoid she'll refuse) and asked that she give one item to me. it's a necklace with his name on it that he found outside before they got married, and gave to my mum. it's got the scandinavian spelling of my dad's name despite being found in the uk - it's silly and monetarily worthless but had a fun story attached. i cannot stress just how little i want to see this thing, let alone own it. beyond the obvious weirdness of having a piece of jewellery with my dad's name on it (my DAD) it's now a tainted and depressing symbol of a horrifically failed marriage that should be ritualistically burnt but i'm going to have to accept this like it's normal lest he scream at me for not considering his mental issues if i tell him how i really feel

[fific7]

Evil Twins - Part 3

Billy Russo & Aleksander Morozova x Reader

Summary: When two worlds which have already collided then collide with yours - that’s an explosive situation.

A/N: This does not follow canon, it’s mainly a mix of fluff and angst with quite a lot of lemon zest 🍋 My Fantasy Punisher/Shadow and Bone crossover AU.

Warnings: 18+ NSFW due to sexual content including oral and unprotected* sex between consenting adults. Slightly questionable consent to begin with. Some drinking & swearing.

*Irl, please don’t go wild in the country without protection.

(My photo edit)

Your head bumped slightly against the corner of the kitchen cupboard and this brought you back to reality. What did you think you were doing? You pushed Billy away roughly and stepped quickly away from him. He looked bereft but you ignored that, saying, “Okay, Billy - enough. I don’t know what I was thinking!” You picked up some of the crockery and went to the dishwasher.

Billy lounged back against the sink, arms crossed, long legs spread, contemplating you.

“That you were enjoying it?”

You huffed, “So what if I was? But it really wasn’t a good idea.” He smirked, “You don’t really believe that.” He pushed himself off the sink unit and headed back to the living room, saying over his shoulder, “To be continued, sweetheart.”

You clattered the dishes around, loading the dishwasher and mentally beating yourself up for giving in to your baser instincts, when you heard Aleksander’s voice in the other room.

“What are you looking so pleased about?” You heard Billy make a relaxed stretching noise like a cat, and you could visualise him doing just that.

“Oh I dunno. What could I possibly be looking pleased about, huh?” “You…!” shouted Aleksander, and then you heard scuffling noises so you rushed through there. As you’d feared, Billy and Aleksander were rolling around on the floor, grunting and trying to punch each other’s lights out.

“Stop it!” you yelled at the top of your voice, but they ignored you. So you waded in, trying to separate them without success. Eventually you took to landing punches on them yourself. Both of them stopped wrestling and looked at you in surprise, and you took this opportunity to yell at them, “Get up! Stop this right now and get up!”

You all unentangled yourselves, standing up and rearranging clothes. They sat down on a sofa each, while you stood there glaring at them like a headmistress, arms crossed. “What is it with you two?! You’re like a couple of stags butting heads! And I’m not talking about your stupid amplifier!” you yelled at them and glaring at Aleksander. The two of them mumbled under their breaths and you said loudly, “What? What was that? It better have been ‘we’re sorry we make you act like our mum’ or something like that!”

They both laughed, exchanging glances, and you snapped, “This is no laughing matter! I’m sick of it. It’s like having two children around the place.” Billy composed his face into a serious expression, saying, “Sorry, sweetheart. But you must know that a mother’s the last thing we think of you as.” Aleksander nodded, “For once I agree with that idiot.” He looked intently at you, “We both want you, so that’s never going to end well.”

You felt your face pink up, “I’m not some snack to be fought over!” “Course you’re not, sweetheart,” soothed Billy, “but this idiot thought I’d slept with you so he lost his cool.” “Did not!” roared Aleksander, then his head swung to you, “You didn’t, did you?” “No I did NOT!” you insisted. “But she did kiss me,” smirked Billy. Outraged, you screeched, “You kissed me, if you recall!” Billy just kept on smirking and Aleksander launched himself across the coffee table, grabbing Billy by the throat and hissing, “Just as well for you I can’t use the Cut right now!”

“Oh for god’s sake,” you said, “just stop it, will you?” Aleksander stood up, huffing and smoothing down his t-shirt, sitting down on the other sofa again. “What’s the Cut?” queried Billy. “You don’t wanna know,” you said, “now I’m going to put the TV on for you children because I need to do some housework.” You heard a chuckle from Billy, “Yeah! You could put on a maid’s outfit if ya like?” You flipped him the middle finger, switched on the TV and went back into the kitchen.

You could hear a rumble of voices from the other room, and just hoped that war was not about to break out again. What the hell were you going to do about this situation? You had the feeling it was building to boiling point.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

When you emerged a little later having seen to your domestic tasks, you found the two of them sitting on the floor with your old Monopoly set open in front of them. Aleksander was poring over the instructions and they both turned towards you, “How d’ya play this?” asked Billy. You stared at him, “Now him I could understand but you? You’ve never played Monopoly?” His face fell and he shrugged, “No, they didn’t have it in the orphanage.” Immediately you felt terrible and you’d already said, “Oh I’m sorry, Billy,” before your brain caught up with your mouth and you added sarcastically, “I should’ve known you wouldn’t have had it in your fictional orphanage in your fictional childhood.”

His big dark eyes gazed up at you, “Might be fictional to you, sweetheart but it wasn’t to me.” Now you felt bad again, holding up your hands, “Okay, okay - I really am sorry, alright?” He nodded, looking back down and fidgeting with the little dog and top hat tokens. You joined them on the floor, “You two really want to play?” They solemnly nodded, so you whipped the instructions out of Aleksander’s hands, “Okay, I’ll explain it to you.”

Twenty minutes later, Aleksander huffed as he got sent to Jail again, reached over and grabbed a load of Billy’s houses and hotels and dumped them on his own squares. “That’s you all over, isn’t it?” sneered Billy, “you’re a loser but you can’t stand it so you just grab what you want, brother!” “Oh and you don’t, hmm brother?!” snarked Aleksander.

“Billy, Aleksander!” you yelled, then in your wisdom decided to add, “in fact I’m going to call you ‘Aleks’ as your full name’s too much of a mouthful for when I’m yelling at you!” Aleks grinned at you, “Or when you’ll be screaming it in bed.” Billy eye-rolled, “Like that’s ever goin’ to happen!” “Just watch!” “I don’t go in for watchin’!” “Well, that’s all you’re going to get a chance to do, little brother!” “Little brother!?? You were definitely second - after me!!”

By now, both of them had jumped to their feet and - surprise, surprise - were nose to nose.

You cradled your head in your hands. This was purgatory.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

She’d retreated back onto the kitchen to make another pot of tea, and peace had temporarily broken out between the two warring parties.

A discussion had begun, with Billy starting it off. “She’s gettin’ really pissed off with us.” Aleks nodded, “Yes, I know.” “So what’re we gonna do? She can’t exactly throw us out I know, but I’d like it better if she was lookin’ at us with somethin’ other than disgust.” Aleks nodded, then - quickly looking round to check she was still out of earshot, “Ah… I suppose we could share?” Billy’s head shot up, eyes staring into his twin’s, “Ya what?” “Share. We could share her. Separately… or together.”

Billy’s mouth dropped into an ‘O’. “Share,” he repeated, then again, “share? D’you think she’d go for that?” Aleks nodded. “She likes us, I can tell. We both like her, and that could be a problem - well it has been, hasn’t it? - but if we play it right, I’m pretty sure we can charm her into bed with both of us.”

Billy and Aleks sat looking at each other, satisfied little smiles on their faces.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

Unaware that you were now the object of a peace treaty between the twins, you experienced some deja vu when carrying the tea tray into the living room. Both of them were sitting on the one sofa again, gazing up at you with unreadable expressions in their eyes.

You had the nastiest feeling that you’d missed something important while you’d been in the kitchen making tea. What had the two of them been cooking up between themselves? You plonked the tray down on the coffee table and looked at them suspiciously.

“What’re you two up to?” They shook their heads, innocence radiating off them, “ Nothing!” they chorused. Billy continued, “We just decided that we better stop pissin’ you off so much.”

You beamed at them, “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day!” You missed the significant looks exchanged between the two men as you placed the cups of tea in front of them.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The rest of the afternoon and evening passed relatively peacefully, with only a few minor skirmishes between the two of them about whatever film or programme you’d put on to watch. And much to your surprise, you realised that they’d actually stopped arguing themselves without you having to step in. Well, that was an improvement at any rate.

For the evening meal you’d rustled up a ragu sauce, and as you didn’t have any spaghetti left you had to use farfalla. So sue me, you thought. Along with some garlic bread you’d heated in the oven, you dished up three portions and then pulled down your space-saving kitchen table, which folded up into the corner of the room when not in use. You got three chairs out of your walk-in cupboard and set them up round the table. “Dinner!” you yelled, and two tall figures came piling into the kitchen. “Mmmm smells great, sweetheart,” schmoozed Billy, sitting down and looking over to where the plates were on the counter. “It does, moi krasivyy,” said Aleks, not to be outdone.

You brought out three bottles of beer from the fridge. You’d almost got over the way food and drinks just replenished themselves as soon as you used or consumed something. Setting them down on the table, you popped the tops off them with the bottle opener and slid one in front of each of them. You noticed they were both looking at you with what could only be described as ‘heart-eyes’, and you squirmed uncomfortably under their gaze. “What’re you both staring at?” you demanded. “Perfection,” said Aleks. “Gorgeousness,” smirked Billy.

After the food had been eaten and beer bottles drained, amidst more effusive compliments about the meal the twins jumped up from the table and said that you needed to go and relax while they washed up the plates. “Thanks for offering, guys, but that’s why I’ve got a dishwasher.” “Well, we’ll load the dishwasher then,” insisted Billy. He took your arm and led you into the living room, “Sit down sweetheart, and just chill while we do the work now.” He gazed at you, and you saw that look in his eyes again - as if you were some kind of earth-bound angel or something.

Right! you thought, just what are these two up to???

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

You sighed, leaning over and switching off your bedside lamp. The book you’d been reading wasn’t turning out to be quite what you’d expected. You’d hoped for a bit more… well, raunchier content, not to put too fine a point on it. In that respect, a nun could’ve read it and wouldn’t have blushed.

You’d wondered if you should read a fanfic or two instead - Billy Russo or The Darkling ha ha ha - but then you’d remembered that your wifi and mobile data weren’t working due to this ridiculous situation you found yourself in, so obviously whatever force controlled this… this portal?…didn’t want you contacting the outside world.

You’d fallen asleep quite quickly, laughing to yourself as you did that children were extremely tiring.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

The dreams began shortly afterwards, and they were much more vivid than usual.

Your quilt was folded slowly back off you - the rush of cold air was distinctly noticeable - and your top and sleep shorts were peeled off you. You heard deep sighs but you didn’t know who’d made them. Then you were gently rolled onto your back, and you were aware of your mattress dipping down on both sides.

You felt warm skin against your whole body - it almost felt like you were surrounded - and it felt so good that you smiled.

“See! She’s smiling, I told you she’d be fine with it.”

In your dream your brow wrinkled, she’d be fine with what? And who said that?

You felt a tongue lick one of your nipples and a hand squeezed your other breast and then switched - the other nipple was licked, the other breast was squeezed.

You sat bolt upright in bed, and that’s when you realised that you were in fact wide awake.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

In the dim light coming through your gauzy curtains, you could make out two pairs of dark chocolate eyes staring into yours.

“Darling,” said Aleks.

“Sweetheart,” said Billy.

“You fuckers!” you screeched, looking down at your nude body and trying to cover up the relevant bits with your hands and by crossing your legs.

“Too late,” said Billy, giving you a small smile and nodding at your hands which you were still moving around to try and give you maximum coverage.

“We’ve had our hands and mouths on you already,” agreed Aleks.

“Yes and without my permission!” you snapped.

Billy reached across and put on the light. You jumped, feeling like you were under a spotlight, moving your hands about even more frantically. Then Billy’s hands were pulling yours down and away from your breasts.

“Hey!” you yelled at him, and tried to pull your hands out of his but he wouldn’t let go and he was too strong for you.

Now Aleks did his bit, pulling your raised and crossed legs down onto the bed, parting your thighs in your sitting position against your pillows, and then held your legs tightly in position on the bed.

Both men totally consumed you with their eyes, and you were powerless to stop them.

“Oh, darling… you are so, so beautiful,” breathed Aleks.

Billy whispered, “You’re stunning, sweetheart. Absolutely stunning.”

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

“I can’t believe you two!” you were yelling at them, ignoring their compliments and lustful gazes, “Let me go!”

“But you know how much we want you, darling,” Aleks said persuasively.

“Just let us get it out of our systems and things will quieten down,” pleaded Billy, “well, a little bit anyhow.”

“I cannot believe you sneaked into my room!” you hissed, trying to get free from their restraining hands. “Let go of me. Now!!!”

But instead they slid you down the bed until you were flat on your back and then both heads dipped down to your neck, their mouths were on your skin, beginning to kiss and lick and suck.

“Get off me!” you snarled, still trying to get free but you were too firmly held between them - as if you were in a vice. “But we can make you feel so good, darling,” whispered Aleks next to your ear, Billy purring “Soooo very good, sweetheart,” next to the other one.

Then their attention moved slightly southwards. Billy changed his grip on your hands, grasping both your wrists in one big hand instead and pulling your arms up above your head, pinning them down onto your pillows. Aleks moved one of his legs across yours to keep you pinned, and then you saw their hands stealing onto your breasts, squeezing and kneading them before their mouths came into play. Their hands remained on your breasts but each nipple now had one of their mouths fastened onto it, and they began licking, kissing, sucking and biting until you squealed, squirming under them.

Desperately fighting to ignore how good their attentions were beginning to make you feel, you burst out, “Stop it!” but neither of them did. In fact they both stepped up their attentions, biting and licking your nipples and the skin surrounding them until you could hear yourself beginning to gasp uncontrollably.

You caught a look and a nod being exchanged between them, and both of them sat up on their knees. Billy was still holding your wrists and Aleks used one of his knees to keep your leg pinned. Unable to avoid looking at the two lean bodies in front of you, you saw two rampant cocks lying up almost against their stomachs and much to your disgust, you felt a tumultuous wave of arousal wash over you.

They are two very well-endowed boys, your traitorous mind said into your ear. And exactly the same size! - truly twins, it giggled at you. Oh shut up, you silently answered it and get me out of this situation! Of course now it did shut up.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

“Sweetheart,” said Billy, cupping your cheek and suddenly kissing you, tongue thrusting into your mouth, breaking away for a second to say, “We’re gonna take real good care of you now.” He went back to kissing you, and you heard a whine from Aleks, “I want to kiss her!” Billy sighed into your mouth and lifted his lips from yours. “Okay, bro,” he said, “all yours. For now.”

Aleks crashed his lips onto yours, his teeth clashing with yours until he calmed down a bit and wasn’t quite so desperate. His tongue slid into your mouth, not quite as assertively as Billy’s but still pretty forceful. You could hear him making little “Mmmm” sounds as he kissed you then he sat back, stroking your lips. “Taste so sweet,” he smiled down at you, “your lips are so soft.”

Aleks sat up on his knees again and as he did so, you felt Billy’s body lay down fully on top of you and he rested his hard cock just for a moment between your legs. His hands took hold of your hips and angled you upwards ever so slightly, then you felt just the head of his cock rubbing against your core. Wetness began to gather and you tutted, trying to squirm away from the insistent teasing, but Billy just chuckled and moved his cock along with you when you managed to move slightly, still rubbing at you.

Aleks’ thumb went to your bottom lip and he gently pulled it down further, opening your mouth to him. He leant over and licked both your lips, sucking on them gently then pushing his tongue inside your mouth. Now he was hovering over you, his erection brushing your lips, the tip starting to edge inside.

Okay, okay, okay, your slightly panicking brain chanted. This was happening. Really going to happen. They were both going to take you right now.

You weren’t 100% sure how you felt about it.

Angry that they were just going to have you whatever you said about it. Excited because they were both very hot, very sexy guys.

But whatever your feelings on the matter, it was inevitable - that much was obvious.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

“I promise I’ll make you feel like you’re in heaven, darling,” you heard Aleks say and then Billy chipping in with, “An’ I promise I’ll make you scream my name, sweetheart.”

You closed your eyes, waiting.

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

@aleksanderwh0r3 @cleverzonkwombatsludge @s1xthirty @tartiflvtte @slythvoid @edithsvoice @paracosmenthusiast @mizelophsun11 @eroda-harry @theshadowkingsqueen @kestrafagnor @thelightinmyshadows

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

»»————————————-———-　⚜　———————————-————-««

[fundiebabynamebible]

People are speculating on Reddit snark that Lauren and Josiah removed all their photos because of the Josh situation. But if they are so disgusted by what he did and how he was trying to blame it on others at the lot (which could have included Josiah), I don’t see why they would then want to be in the wedding of Anna’s brother and daughter of the man watching Josh. Does Lauren being in the wedding shock you?

I think it may be to do with Dwain testifying. They might know they'll get unwanted media attention so decided to get rid of Instagram to reduce this. There could be multiple reasons but it doesn't have to be suspicious. The fact that Josh used the same password for all his accounts alone proves to me that it was likely him who downloaded the material.

Lauren being in Hannah and David's wedding isn't at all shocking or to me. We must remember that all these fundies all run in the same circles. Jim Bob met the Rebers in church so it's highly likely the Swansons met them at some point and stuck up a friendship too. No matter whether Hannah's parents are providing a bail house for Josh or not, Hannah has done nothing wrong so I see no reason why Lauren wouldn't want to be, or indeed shouldn't be in the wedding. Why punish Hannah for something she hasn't done.

When I was a teenager a friend of mine was getting married and asked me to be bridesmaid. My mum wouldn't let me go and it devastated the friend. It's something I'm angry at my mum for to this day. It deeply upset the friend and eventually created a rift between us.

[wiypt-writes]

Riding High

Ch7: Ordinary People

Chapter Summary: Frank faces the aftermath of his dumbass choice whilst Mary heads to Boston for a few days. When the court case starts, emotions are running high and Frank finally confesses his feelings to Fliss.

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. Flashback at the start involving domestic violence.

Chapter Pairings:  Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: Contains SPOILERS for the film!!!!! If you haven’t seen it please be aware of that before you read on. As a Lawyer I know how long the types of cases depicted in GIFTED can take, however they can also be done pretty fast. With that in mind, and because it fits with how I want the story to go I’m spreading it over approximately 6 weeks or so, so just roll with me!

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Riding High Masterlist // Main Masterlist

Chapter 6

"I saw you...he had his hands all over you."

"John, I didn't want him too...he was drunk, just being over friendly..."

Fliss cowered as a sneer crossed her husband's face, the features she found so handsome once upon a time were distorted in anger, his dark green eyes clouded with rage as he towered over where she sat on the crouch. In a flash he had reached out and grabbed a fist full of her hair, yanking her to her feet. Fliss gave a cry of pain, stumbling after him as he dragged her up the stairs. She tripped at one point, her hip colliding painfully with one of the steps but he paid it no attention.

No mercy.

"You're mine, Sugar.” He said, his voice steely. “You know that."

"I know," she sobbed as he threw her into the bedroom where she scrambled for purchase on the bed as he pushed her so hard she fell face down. Before Fliss could raise herself, John had grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her face harshly into the pillows.

"Why do you make me do this, Felicity?" He asked, releasing his hold as his thighs bracketed hers. Fliss heard the tell-tale clinking of his belt and she gave another sob, knowing full well what was coming. He roughly pushed her dress up over her hips, leaving her underwear clad ass exposed.

And then the leather stuck her. Again. And again. And again.

"I'll mark you so hard no one else will ever want you," he snarled as he continued his assault ignoring her screams of pain and pleas for him to leave her alone. “You’re mine..." Fliss sat bolt upright, gasping as she glanced around her bedroom. She was shaking violently, the dream had been so real, so vivid, she could almost physically feel the pain. John had belted her so badly that night she hadn't been able to ride for a week, and she still bore the marks where the buckle had ripped through her skin.

The worst thing was, that after he had finished, he had held her, stroking her hair, soothing her, explaining why he had to punish her so much. It was sick, twisted. Just like him. "He’s gone, he was to blame. I’m strong, not weak, I’m strong, not weak." she repeated her mantra through gritted teeth. Thor, hearing her breathing deeply and her trembling voice, jumped up onto her bed and shoved his head under her arm as she hugged her kneed tightly. Looking down at her faithful dog, she buried her face into his fur, holding him tight as she ran through her calming thoughts in her head. The sound of the ocean, the wind in her hair as she galloped on the beach, the soft and gentle hugs she received from her dad, her mum...and dare she even think it, Frank. And then another image filled her head. The sight of him kissing Bonnie at the bar.

“Wanker.” She muttered, wiping the tears from her face as Thor licked her cheek, his tail wagging as she stroked him. With a few more deep intakes of air, her breathing evened out and she gave Thor a final squeeze before she pushed the duvet down and swung her legs out of the bed and headed to the bathroom.

***** Frank had also woken up to a nightmare. His head was pounding from the shots he’d downed at the bar and being jerked awake by Bonnie’s screams as Mary had turned up in the apartment earlier than she was allowed on a Saturday hadn’t exactly helped the situation. He had fucked Mary’s school teacher for no reason other than the fact he was drunk, stressed and needed a release.

Well played, Adler, you fucking moron.

Thankfully, Bonnie seemed to be in the same place as him about the entire situation, hastily telling him that it should never have happened, something he profoundly agreed with, as he saw her out to a cab, apologising for Mary’s interruption, literally incapable of thinking of anything else to say. It was the most awkward morning after he had ever experienced in his life.

And there was something else compounding his growing bad mood. When he had finally checked his phone as he stood outside for a few moments after Bonnie had gone, hoping the fresh air would sort his head out, he realised he had a number of messages and missed calls from Fliss. Groaning he remembered that he should have called her after the court case but had completely forgotten. Firing her a quick apology, along with a promise to talk to her later when it was time for Mary’s lesson, before he headed back inside.

Mary was sat on the rug with her lego, pieces scattered all over, Ice Age playing on the TV.

“Awkward…” she sing songed

“Mary.” Frank looked at her for a moment and when she didn’t look at him he crouched down “Stop! Stop! Stop with the Legos. Listen.” he took a breath and she looked at him “Do we have a rule about Saturday morning?”

“What?” she asked softly

“Are you allowed in this apartment this early on Saturday morning?” Frank pressed, looking at her.

“No.” Mary sighed, averting her eyes from his.

“No!” Frank nodded, his voice a little louder before he paused again “Are you allowed to... hey!” he reached out to stop Mary as she returned to her Toys. “Stop! Enough with the Lego. Are you allowed to use Roberta's keys?”

“No.” she still wasn’t looking at him.

“No! So, hey! Look at me. Then why are you here? Huh? Can you answer me that?”

Mary’s eyes filled with tears but Frank was too angry at the fact she had disobeyed him to comfort her.

“You broke every rule! You just embarrassed me. We have these rules.” He angrily stood up, turning to head back out of the door into the kitchen “We've gone over them a hundred times!” And then, when he stepped on a piece of Lego in his bare feet, his frustration boiled over as he hopped on one leg, clutching the side of the dresser which was pushed flush against the wall.

“Shit…God, damned it…” He yelled as he slapped the side of the dresser, leaning against it, bending down to rub his foot. “Can I just get five minutes of my own life?”

At that Mary jumped up and bolted into his bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Frank stood up, before he sighed, one hand on his hip, his eyes closed. He’d overreacted, he knew that. He was more pissed at himself for being an idiot than he was at Mary. He ran his hand over his face and glanced at the clock. Mary’s riding lesson was at two and it was now just pushing ten-thirty. Deciding to leave Mary to cool down before he made breakfast, he headed into the kitchen to clear up yesterday’s dishes.

He heard the door to his room click open about twenty minutes later. Giving her another ten he wiped the counter down before he made his way back into the main room and sat on the edge of her bed, where she was snuggled down in her alcove which sported a collection of shells they had stuck to the wood panels and a few photos, one of her mom, one of her and Frank and one of her and Fliss with Monty. She was huddled in the corner, Fred laying on her knee, the laptop resting on his back as she tapped away.

“Nothing that happened today was your fault.” Frank spoke gently and looked at her “I got mad at you...I was really mad at me,” he looked at her and she continued to ignore him, “and the manufacturers of Legos. They should all be in prison. So I'm sorry.” he said gently. She paused tapping but still didn’t look at him. “Do you forgive me?”

“Sure. Whatever.” she mumbled.

“Hey, close the laptop. Come on. Please.” He watched her as she avoided looking at him. “Doesn't count if it's not eye to eye.”

She hesitated so he asked again, gently. “Come on, please.”

With a sigh she did was she was told and looked at him. Her eyes, so like Diane’s, were full of sadness and Frank felt his gut twist in guilt.

“Do you really have no life because of me?” she whispered, her eyes shining with tears and Frank cursed himself for his outburst before.

He shook his head. “That's not what I said.” he looked at her.

“Did you mean it?” she pressed, not buying his statement for one minute, her voice soft.

“Last week you said I was the worst Uncle in the world, and you wished death upon me ‘cause I didn't buy you a piano.” Frank held her gaze. “Did you mean that?”

“No” Mary replied, her fingers tangling in Fred’s fur “Not entirely.”

“Well,” Frank said, not bothering to ask which bit she had actually meant. “There you go. We say things all the time we don't mean. So let's forget it, okay?”

“Okay” Mary agreed

“Okay.” Frank nodded, standing up

“Frank?” she called as he headed towards the door to head down and check the mail. He stopped and turned back, even though he couldn’t see her.

“Yeah?”

“Can I have a piano?”

“No.” he deadpanned, turning for the door.

He strode down across the lawn to the mail boxes, unlocked his and pulled out two letters. One looked like a bill, the other was in a manila coloured envelope, and was stamped with some kind of official seal.

“Was that really Mary's teacher this morning?” Roberta appeared. He glanced at her and returned to his post “And there was me thinking Fliss would stop you doing anything stupid.”

Frank’s head shot up “Fliss?” he frowned “What are you talking about?”

“She came here last night, to see you. Mary roped her into Karaoke before she left and said she was going to come and find you at Fergs”

Frank frowned. “Well she didn’t. I never saw her last night so she-”

Oh,fuck fuck fuck!

He trailed off with a groan as he realised that she had probably seen him with Bonnie and then felt a stinging slap round the back of his head.

“Shit!” He exclaimed, glaring at Roberta “Jesus, that fucking hurt!”

“Good.” she stared at him. “You know I have a book called ‘Fundamentals of Decision Making’. You can borrow it.”

He glared at her, he didn’t need this. Not now. His attention turned back to the letter and he noticed the seal was from the court house. With a frown he opened it. The header- ‘Highsmith, Kistler & Sellers Attorneys at Law’ -greeted him and he started to read. It was an order for him to surrender Mary for two days into Evelyn’s care, at a time and date to be agreed. It wasn’t unexpected but it was pretty fast considering it had only been agreed yesterday. His mother really wasn’t wasting any time.

“What is it?”  Roberta asked, noticing the frown on his face

“Its nothing.” he said, leaning on the post box, still reading the letter. “Looks like Mary gets to go to Boston for a couple days.” He noticed Roberta stiffen and he looked at her. “It's just two days. Relax.” he said gently.

Because he was always honest with Mary, he sat down once he was back inside and told her about the letter. She knew there was a court case going on, he had explained it all to her as best as he could so as not to cause her any worry. She soaked up the information and shrugged before saying that going to Boston sounded kinda cool. Frank simply nodded and said that he would sort out the dates on Monday. They ate a late breakfast-slash-early lunch and once Mary was changed and ready, they headed up to the riding school.

As Frank drove there his stomach was doing flips, the nerves at seeing Fliss were overwhelming, more so because he had no idea what he was going to say to her. It was strange, he felt guilty about the fact he’d slept with Bonnie, even though he had no real reason to. It wasn’t like he and Fliss were an item.

Fliss greeted Mary with the usual warmth before she turned her gaze to Frank, and he could see the hurt in her eyes, compounding that guilty feeling even more.

“Sorry I didn’t call you last night.” he offered and she shrugged.

“It’s okay, I know you were busy.” her voice carried no sarcasm, it was measured and cool but Frank knew she was referring to Bonnie, his suspicions confirmed. She turned away, barking an instruction to Joanne who looked at her, nodding.

Frank leaned on the paddock fence as he always did, a little way from the other parents and watched as Fliss taught the three girls, that gorgeous smile on her face. Mary was certainly getting the hang of it now and was able to trot around unaided. After about forty minutes they were done and heading out of the paddock. Fliss made no attempt to come and speak to him, like normal, and made straight for her office. Casting an eye on Mary who was leading Monty back to the stable he followed Fliss.

“I take it you’re mad at me.” he spoke tentatively.

“Why would I be mad at you?” she asked, pulling three cartons of apple juice out of the fridge for the kids.

“Because you saw me last night with Bonnie.” he pressed.

He saw her stiffen slightly before she took a breath and turned round.

“I’m not mad.” she shrugged.

“Could have fooled me.”

“I just, well I think you could have considered Mary a little more, that’s all.” “What does that mean?” he frowned.

“You know damned well what it means.” she looked at him “Mary told me before when we were tacking the ponies up that she saw Bonnie this morning, wrapped in one of your sheets. I mean, Jesus Frank that’s her teacher. Can you imagine how awkward its gonna be if any of the kids find out that you’re fucking her?” “Ok, I’m not fucking her.” Frank held his hand out to stop her.

“So what were you doing last night then?” Fliss hissed, “Playing scrabble?”

“Hang on, are we really arguing about this?” Frank looked at her, frowning. “Why? Why do you even care?”

He paused, looking at her. Her eyes locked onto his and she swallowed, and for a moment he hoped she was going to tell him what he wanted to hear but she shook her head and shrugged.

“You know what, you’re right. What, or who you do in your spare time is your business, not mine.”

With that she pushed past him and headed out into the yard. Frank let out another sigh before he headed out to collect Mary.

******

Fliss made no attempts to speak to Frank over the next few days. He messaged her to tell her about Mary heading to Boston at the end of the week and she replied politely, telling him that she was sure it would all work out, but beyond that she didn’t reach out further. However, she did call to wish Mary a safe trip to on the Thursday morning just before Evelyn arrived to pick her up, and told her she wanted to hear all about it when she came home on Saturday afternoon. By the time Frank got the phone back, Fliss had hung up.

“Frank she likes you. “ Roberta said when she popped over to wish Mary goodbye. Mary wasted no time in informing her that the reason Frank was in a bad mood wasn’t just because she was going to Boston, but also because Fliss was angry at him. Of course she had noticed, because she noticed everything. “She’s hurt and it’s yo’ own dumbass fault.”

Yeah, yeah he got that.

With Mary gone, he decided that night to take a cool box of beer down to the harbour and work late. He was in the middle of pulling a gear box apart when his phone went. It was a message from Bonnie asking if she could meet him to talk. Which was how he found himself sat on the deck of the boat, her opposite him, both wrapped in blankets and clutching bottles of Bud.

“I have had a series of nightmares, where I'm fired because of what happened. You get it?” Bonnie shook her head, rolling her eyes. Frank smiled at her as she laughed “And then I remind myself, that everything that happened, was just all the alcohol and people do far worse right?”

At that Frank laughed. “Yeah we were pretty drunk.”

Truth be told whilst he did think Bonnie was attractive, there was nothing there, and that was compounded by the fact that as he sat, looking at her, he felt no urges at all. She was simply another one of his Friday night hook ups, only this had turned out to be slightly more complicated.

Yeah, he should definitely borrow that book from Roberta

“So I guess, what I came here to say,” Bonnie sighed, “I think you’re a great guy Frank, and I’ve got your back on this damned custody case but, me and you…it just…” “Oh, absolutely, I’m with you.” Frank hastily agreed, thanking the Gods she’d brought it up before he had to. “It was a mistake.” Bonnie arched an eyebrow and he groaned. “Shit, I don’t mean that how it sounds but, well, it was, wasn’t it?”

She smiled and nodded, cocking her head to one side as she surveyed him. “I do think you need to speak to Fliss though.”

“Fliss?” Frank frowned, “What’s she got to do with this?”

You like her." Bonnie said simply.

Frank paused before he shook his head, smiling. “Is it that obvious?" "Well, if it wasn’t evident from the way you talk about her, the fact you called me by her name twice last night is most definitely a giveaway." Oh Jesus. Ground please open... "I called you by her name? When we- " he grimaced and she chuckled, raising her eyebrows "Oh God. Bonnie, I'm so sorry." He groaned and ran his hands over his face.

“Like we said, mistake.” Bonnie smiled, “Especially when you’re clearly hung up on another girl. “ "Yeah well, I think I've kinda blown it. Story of my life." Frank sighed taking a pull from his bottle.

“Blown it?”

“Yeah she's pretty pissed. She saw us in the bar and has hardly spoken a word to me since”

"And you’re giving up that easily?" Bonnie raised an eyebrow.

“I don’t even know if she likes me in that way so…” He shrugged and Bonnie leaned forward slightly.

“If she’s that pissed at you over the fact that you hooked up with someone else then she absolutely feels something for you Frank." Bonnie smiled softly. “And it would be a shame to let something as stupid as a one night stand screw it all up for you.”

Frank looked at her for another moment or two before he finished his beer and offered Bonnie another one which she accepted and then asked him about the court case. Frank filled Bonnie in on the running order for the testimonies which would start on Tuesday before she bid him goodnight and left. He contemplated messaging Fliss once she was gone but decided against it. He would give her a few days to calm down, and give himself some time to figure out what the fuck he was going to say.

***** It was Saturday afternoon when Frank reached out.

Fliss was busy on a lesson when her phone went. Taking a quick minute to look at it, she read the message from Frank asking if it was ok if they swung by as Mary was home. With a deep breath she replied telling him it was fine, before she turned back to her client who was one of the boarders on the yard.

She had just about finished some thirty minutes or so later when she heard Mary calling her name. She turned and gave her a smile and a wave. Once she had finished with her client and taken payment, she turned to Mary and gave the girl a hug.

“Hey!” she beamed as Mary hugged her tight. “I missed you!”

“I missed you too!” Mary beamed “And so has Frank.”

“That so?” Fliss stood up straight and looked at him. He took a deep breath and shrugged, but the little smile on his face told Fliss that Mary had completely and utterly busted him. She rolled her eyes and then gave him a little smile of her own. “Coffee?”

“Yeah, sounds great.” He nodded, gratefully taking the olive branch she had offered.

They made their way into the office and Fliss moved to the small kitchenette area at the back, filling the coffee machine before she turned to Mary, leaning against the counter.

“So, tell me all about Boston.” Mary began to gush about all the things she had done, Fliss listening and asking questions as she made her and Frank a coffee. He took his with a thanks whilst Mary told Fliss how she had looked at some photos, learned more about her mom and then done some complicated Maths for a professor at a University. At that Fliss noticed Frank stiffen slightly and she looked at him, gently shaking her head. He smiled tightly and turned to look out over the yard, taking a few steps outside.

“And she has a piano.” Mary finished, “I mean I didn’t get to play it but…”

“You should come over to my mum’s.” Fliss smiled “She’ll let you play hers. That’s what she used to do, teach people music.”

Mary smiled, before she looked over at Frank who was stood watching a few people riding in the paddock, the lessons for the day having concluded which meant the boarders were free to do what they wanted.

“Are you still mad at Frank?” Mary looked at Fliss.

“Not really.” Fliss shook her head “I got a little bit cross but…” “Yeah, he can make me cross too.” Mary said wisely “He does dumb stuff sometimes.”

Fliss laughed and studied the young girl. “Yeah, you got that right.” “But he’s a good person.” Mary concluded.

“I know.” Fliss agreed, her eyes flicking to him before she looked back at Mary.

“I don’t want to live with Evelyn.” Mary shrugged “I mean she was nice and looks like my mom but…she’s bossy.” Fliss smiled.

“I want to stay with Frank.” Mary continued. “Because I know he loves me. And he did before he found out I was smart.”

Fliss felt a lump in her throat at the girl’s confession. She glanced over at Frank again who ran a hand over his face, rubbing at his eyes underneath his shades.

“Hey, Mary, why don’t you go say hi to Monty.” she said gently. “Tell Joanne I said you could help with the feeds.” “Yesss.” Mary cheered, scooting off her chair and shooting across the yard. Fliss saw Frank follow her with her eyes before he turned to her as she walked over to him.

“How you holding up?” she asked him gently.

“Apart from screwing up my life, I’m good.” Frank snorted, taking off his glasses and tucking them into the collar of his t-shirt. “Just hope I’m not screwing hers up as well.”

“Don’t’ say that.” Fliss shook her head “You know that’s not true. Mary’s fine.”

There was a pause before Frank took a deep breath and looked at Fliss. “I hate that we haven’t been talking. It’s been kinda lonely.”

“I thought you and Bonnie might have, ” she trailed off, shrugging, “gone out or something, I don’t know.”

Frank sighed “I’ve only seen her once since. And that was so we could have a straight up conversation about how what happened was a mistake”

“A mistake?” Fliss raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Frank nodded. “And as far as mistakes go, that one was pretty spectacular.”

“And you actually said that to her?”

He nodded.

“Wow.” Fliss snorted.

“She agreed so we’re both going to try and forget it ever happened.” Frank shrugged and he Fliss’ gaze for a second before he took a deep breath “Is that why you’ve been ignoring me?” he pressed “Because you thought me and Bonnie, were, like together?”

Fliss swallowed and looked away, trying to think of something to say that didn’t give her feelings away. He’d hit the nail on the head. She had thought that, and more over she was jealous so had distanced herself on purpose.

“I just,” she looked back at him, “well, I suppose I didn’t want to step on any toes, so to speak, that’s all.”

“There’s none to step on, trust me.” Frank looked at her. “I don’t feel that way. Not towards Bonnie.”

Fliss looked at him, feeling her cheeks growing warm before she turned away and quickly changed the subject. “So err, anyway, she seems to have enjoyed Boston.”

Frank let out a large breath at the fact that Fliss had effectively withdrawn back from what he had felt had been the edge of a breakthrough there for the pair of them but, well, he had no right to be annoyed, especially after everything he’d done. “Yeah.” He nodded with a little smile.

“So what’s next?” she asked.

“Well she has a court interview with the Child Welfare department or whatever they’re called on Monday.”

“Sure it’ll be fine.” Fliss replied “It’s not like she’s treated badly or her welfare is an issue, Frank.”

“And the hearing starts in full on Tuesday.” He explained “They’re opening with a bang.” At his words Fliss frowned as he turned to face her. “Mary’s biological father has apparently signed an affidavit, nominating my mother as Mary’s legal guardian.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Fliss hissed, suddenly seething with anger as Frank shook his head “That’s a real shitty trick.”

“Yep” Frank agreed.

“Does Mary know?”

“No. I’ll have to tell her though, otherwise Evelyn will no doubt.”

“Your mother gets access to her again?”

“Whilst this is going on she gets visitation rights so…” Frank shrugged, and Fliss couldn’t help but notice his despondent nature.

“So when you gonna tell her?”

“Tuesday night, after it’s done. I don’t want her worrying or knowing he’s in town because if she knows and he doesn’t ask to see her, well at least once he’s gone then…” he bit his lip. “She’s gonna be upset either way but, what else can I do?”

“Nothing, just what you think is best.”  Fliss said gently “I told you before that’s all you can do Frank.” He looked at her and she sighed, opening her arms and he gladly stepped towards her, wrapping her up in a hug.

******

Tuesday rolled around far too quickly for Frank’s liking. The interviews on Monday went fairly smoothly, he had a little bit of a questioning over his TV choices for Mary but other than that he’d left that session feeling pretty okay about it.

And then he’d walked into court, seen his mother and the snivelling little shit that was now being questioned by his Mother’s Lawyer.

“Mr. Polland, are you the natural father of Mary Adler?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

Frank sat still, glaring at the ass hole sat in the dock.

“And how you can be certain of this?

“Well, I always knew, but then you had me take a DNA test.”

Course they did…

I would offer the test results as result of evidence of that Mr. Polland is the father and natural guardian of the minor. As well as an affidavit from Mr. Polland nominating Mrs. Adler the maternal grandmother as the legal guardian of the minor.”

Frank sat up slightly, his jaw clenching. This ass hole had no right to decide what was best for Mary, he’d never fucking met her. Greg touched his arm, shaking his head, telling him to keep quiet.

“No objections.” Greg spoke.

“Mr. Polland has Mrs. Adler offered you any monetary reward or employment for coming forward today?” Evelyn’s attorney continued.

No, sir. I have a job of my own.”

Frank suppressed a snort. Bullshit she hasn’t paid you.

“Thank you. No further questions, your Honour.”

Greg then stood up and waited a second before he opened his cross examination “Mr. Polland when was the last time you saw Mary?”

“I've never seen her.” Polland shifted slightly and Frank watched him intently.

“Why not?”

“By the time I heard about Diane…passing the baby was gone already.”

Her name is Mary, ass hole. Frank took a deep breath.

“Well, did you try and find her?” Greg pressed.

“Best I could. I couldn't just go and search the entire country.” Polland shook his head, trying to make a joke out of it. Frank was pleased to see the judge wasn’t laughing.

Greg nodded and paused again, before suddenly asking “Do you use a computer at work?”

“Sure.” Polland replied

“You know what? Help me out.” Cullen turned and grabbed his laptop “Let's google ‘Mary Adler’ and see what we find.” he placed the laptop on the dock and turned it towards Polland. He hesitated for a while and looked at the Judge who gestured with his hand, instructing him to do as he was told. Polland began to tap when Greg spoke again “You know what? You better add her middle name.”

Frank watched as Polland stopped, because of course he had no idea what her midde name was.

“It'll narrow it down. Eileen” Cullen informed him. Polland looked up and caught Frank’s eye, his face sheepish. Frank kept his face straight, his chin resting on his hand, fingers making an L-shape round his jaw as Polland looked away and began to tap.

“Yeah, Hit enter.” Greg nodded. “Okay, now head to page two…second hit. Would you please tell the court what you see there?”

Polland hesitated “It's a newspaper article called ��Not so terrible twos’”

“And one of them is Mary Eileen Adler.”  Greg nodded “Same name as your daughter. Born on the same day as your daughter. With a photograph”

Polland looked at him.

“In your defence, you'd never recognize it…”

“Your Honour, this is...” Evelyn’s attorney stood up but Cullen was quick to cut him off

“Your Honour, if there's one thing here that's sadly obvious it's that Mr. Polland has never been a genuine guardian of the minor and his nomination of Mrs. Adler is no less disingenuous.” he looked at the Judge.

Frank shifted slightly as Judge Nicholls looked at Polland, then to Evelyn, then to him before he turned glanced at the notes in front of him.

“While the state of Florida gives deference to nomination by natural parent, I'm inclined to side with Mr. Cullen's laptop at this time.” he said, nodding at Cullen, effectively dismissing the affidavit. Frank allowed himself a relieved smile as Cullen nodded.

“Thank you, your Honor”

Once court was adjourned for the day, Frank obligingly walked his mother to her car when she asked him to. And as they walked, she told him about his step father Walter. Frank had found it odd how he wasn’t featuring in any of this, but his silent question was answered as Evelyn told him he moved out and bought a ranch in Montana.

“Bullshit.” Frank exclaimed as they walked in the sun, his suit jacket handing over his arm.

“Exactly. A man whose idea of roughing it is being too far from the ice machine at the Ritz Carlton now owns a thousand acres of grass and dung.”

“Walter Price is a cowboy.” Frank smiled, shaking his head, making a mental not to tell Fliss later. “Walter Price puts on a Brooke's brother suit to take out the garbage!”

“Well, now he has a cowboy hat and cowboy boots and a horse that doesn't know dressage.” Evelyn shook her head.

“Is there some logical reason for this?” Frank asked.

“Midlife crisis, apparently.”

“He's seventy.” Frank scoffed

“I know. Must have been on time delay or something. I guess I should be happy it wasn't a twent-five year old cocktail waitress. But then again an affair you can explain to friends in a minute. For this, you put on a pot of coffee.”

“And he's out there right now?”

“Yessiree!” Evelyn imitated a Western accent. “Riding the range!”

Frank lost himself for a moment as he and his mother joked, mocking exactly what his Step Father would look like. He hated to admit it, but at times like this he was reminded how similar he was to his mother. Same dry sense of humour, no nonsense nature…

“The fastest asset management in the West.” he snorted and Evelyn smiled.

“The man who shot Liberty Mutual. That's what I've been calling him” she said as they stopped at her car.

“That's really, really funny.” Frank chuckled, and then sighed as his mother opened the car door. He leaned down and spoke to the driver. “Take her to the airport.” he said, straightening up. “Go home, Evelyn. Or Montana. Rustle some cattle.” he said gently.

“You know I have no desire to hurt you. I hate it that we're at odds.”

And then, he was also reminded just how different they were too.

“We're always at odds.” he shrugged.

“Yes.” She said, almost sadly before she climbed in the car. “Hotel.” she instructed her driver, closing the door.

**** As anticipated, when he broke the news to Mary about her father, she had a meltdown and locked herself in the bathroom. No amount of coaxing from him or Roberta would draw her out. She was sobbing about how her dad didn’t want her…and then Frank was struck with an idea and he pulled out his phone to call in reinforcement which arrived in the shape of Fliss some twenty minutes later.

“I still can’t believe that wank stain was even given the time of day.” Fliss seethed as Frank greeted her outside. “I mean…”

“It’s done, his claim was thrown out but...”Frank nodded to where Roberta was stood outside locked bathroom door.

“Why you had to tell her that waste of oxygen was testifying I’ve no idea.” the woman shot him a look.

“Because it's the truth. And if I didn't, Evelyn would've.” Frank reasoned.

“If I was the dad of a little girl and I never saw her and I was in the same town. I would visit her.” Fliss heard Mary’s crying and Frank saw her face scrunch up in sympathy. “He didn't even need directions. He could've followed you here.”

“Ok, Roberta, can you…” Fliss asked gently. Roberta stood to the side and Fliss spoked to the door. “Mary, sweetheart, it’s me.”

“Lissy?” Mary sniffled.

“The one and only.” Fliss smiled, before she sighed “You know what, you’re right. He could have come to see you. But he didn’t. And that sucks, but it has nothing to do with you.”

“He doesn't even wanna see what I look like.” The girl sobbed again.

“You know I never met my dad either.” Fliss said gently “He abandoned my mum before I was born, made no attempt to see me at all, and then he was killed when I was 4 months old. He died without ever seeing my face. And you know what?”

“What?” Mary sniffed.

“That was his loss.” Fliss continued. “And then my mom met Bill when I was two, and he’s been my dad ever since. He looked after me and loved me, just like Frank does for you.” Fliss glanced at him and he dropped his hand from where it had been cupping his chin, folding his arms round his chest as he shot her a small smile. “Like we all do Mary, you’re so loved. By Frank, Roberta, me…” Fliss continued, “Now come on, open the door.”

There was a pause and they heard a rustle, before the lock on the door clicked and it opened. Mary stood in the doorway, her eyes red and wet from tears before she gave another sob and threw herself at Fliss. Fliss crouched down on one knee and held her back, gently rocking her and Frank felt his chest tighten at the display of affection.

And then he had an idea.

He crouched next to them, his hand gently reaching out to brush Mary’s hair back as she turned her head which was on Fliss’ shoulder to look at him.

“Put your shoes on. We're going for a ride.” he said to her softly. Then he turned to Fliss “You too, that is if you want to.”

“Sure.” she nodded.

“Roberta?” Frank looked at her, and she shook her head.

“Your truck only got three seats.” “We can take mine.” Fliss offered as Mary gently released her.

“No, I think you two got this.” she said, with a knowing smile.

*******

“What are we doing here?” Mary asked as they sat on the seats in the waiting room and Fliss found herself wondering the same thing. She hadn’t questioned Frank, he obviously had something up his sleeve.

“Waiting.”

“We can see that.” Fliss replied playfully, and he looked at her, rolling his eyes as Mary continued.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.” he shrugged, returning to the National Geographic magazine he was flicking through.

“How long do we have to stay here?”

“As long as it takes. And keep your voice down. It's a hospital.”

As long as it takes turned out to be an hour and a half. Through which time Mary had groaned, moaned, used Frank’s legs as a climbing frame, which Fliss noticed he had expertly ignored simply slouching in his seat, legs apart as Mary draped herself over them. Eventually she had curled up next to Fliss and laid her head on her lap, dozing off.

Fliss was busy reading something on her emails when she heard a bit of a commotion and the group at the other side of the waiting room all stood up. Frank’s eyes flew to them and then he gently gave Fliss a smile before he nudged Mary awake.

She blinked and watched as a man walked into the waiting room dressed in scrubs, a huge smile on his face.

“It's a boy.” he announced and the group erupted into cheers. Fliss glanced down at Mary who was watching in awe as everyone started to congratulate the man, all crying, sobbing with happiness, cheering, praising the lord.

“That's exactly how it was when you were born.” Frank spoke softly and Fliss then understood. He was showing Mary that she was loved, that she was wanted.

“This happy?” Mary asked

“This happy.” Frank confirmed.

“Who came out and told everybody?” she asked, and Frank leaned over gently brushing her hair behind her ear.

“I did.”

The emotion of the moment got to Fliss and her eyes watered. Frank raised his head and they shared a look as he smiled and she smiled back before Mary piped up.

“Can we stay for another?”

So they did, and when the next family all celebrated Mary jumped up, heading over to the group. They all smiled at her as she was swept into their celebrations. Fliss reached over and gently took Frank’s hand, giving his fingers a squeeze, a gesture he returned until Mary came back and pulled Fliss over to the group with her. Frank leaned back and watched as Fliss simply smiled and wiped her eyes as she congratulated the family and he let out a sigh, swallowing slightly, lost in his thoughts.

Eventually the family all dispersed to go and see their new arrival and he told Mary that it was too late to stay for another. She fell asleep on the way home against Fliss and when they got home it was a careful manoeuvre to get her out of the car without waking her up. He gently placed her in bed before he walked Fliss down to her car.

“Thank you.” he broke the silence.  “You were amazing before. You’re just amazing full stop.” he said, trailing off.

She blushed slightly and tucked her hair behind her ears.

“I mean it Lissy…” he sighed, “You just…”

He hesitated for a second before he reached out and gently placed his hand on her hip, pulling her softly towards him

“Frank.” she protested softly as his face dropped towards hers, her hands gently on his chest keeping him away from her “Look, I, ”

“I’m sorry.” he swallowed, his head dropping as he sighed at her rejection “You don’t have to explain.”

“It’s not even three weeks ago you were in bed with another woman.” she looked at him and he grimaced, pulling away.

“I know and I really wish that hadn’t happened” he sighed, the hand that had been on her hip moved and ran through his hair “My head was fucked and…”

“How do I know it isn’t now?”  Fliss looked at him “How do I, or you for that matter, know that this…” she gestured between them with her hand “…isn’t just an emotional response to what’s going on as well?”

“Because it’s not.” he shook his head, his eyes not leaving hers as he drove his message home “I care about you Fliss, more than just as friends, and I’m kicking myself now because what I did means you don’t believe me.”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you.” she took deep breath, as she looked down at her hands, the fingers of her right hand fiddling with her left. “And it’s not that I don’t feel the same.” She looked up at him, her voice quiet.

At her words a soft smile formed on his face as she continued to talk.

“But right now, you need to concentrate on Mary, and getting through this week.”

He nodded, swallowing “Yeah, I know, you’re right.”

She smiled, and reached up, taking his face in her soft hands. “But I promise you I’m not going anywhere.” her eyes locked onto his “And whatever this is,” she gestured between them once more, “if it’s right, then it’ll still be there when this is all over.”

She stood on her tip toes to place a gentle kiss to side of his mouth and he leaned down, pressing  his forehead against hers, his eyes closed as he swallowed. They stayed like that for a moment until Fliss backed away gently, squeezing his hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow?” he frowned

“Yeah, the Wicked Witch of The West is testifying is she not?”

Frank gave a huff of a laugh “Yeah she is.” “Like I said, you’re not alone. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He watched her climb in her car and waited until the tail lights had disappeared before he turned and headed inside. Finally all the cards were on the table, and it hadn’t been a rejection, quite the opposite actually.

For the first time in days, Frank slept soundly that night.

**** Chapter 8

[uhforfuckssake]

Holbeck: A Case Study of Hell — FiLiA

By Dr Em

Holbeck is a case study of hell. It is misogyny and objectification in the legal system, a triumph of men’s rights activists. Alan Caton, the detective who led the investigation into the murders of five prostituted women in Ipswich in 2006 and subsequently led the strategy to put an end to street prostitution in Ipswich is highly critical of the Leeds ‘managed approach’. Canton is clear that ‘I totally disagree with it’ he is of the opinion that ‘it plays right into the hands of pimps and abusers of women, and turns a blind eye to the most vulnerable people in our society. It allows men to carry on in their misogynistic ways, to abuse and exploit women who are out on the street selling sex’.1 Canton added that ‘The demand is there in this country because men are allowed unfettered to buy sex from women, to do what they want to them’.2 ‘Because that demand is never quelled, people will use all sorts of criminal avenues to traffic and exploit women. It's all about tackling that demand, telling men it's not acceptable to buy women and abuse them in that way’.3 In Holbeck human trafficking is rebranded as ‘migration for sex work’, paedophilia and child molestation becomes ‘under-age sex work’, rape becomes ‘a disputed sale’.

If one wants to know how unempowering the situation is for prostituted women and girls, one needs only read the punter reviews. Yes – reviews – like one would review a restaurant or hotel. Men describe their experiences to each other using degrading language and slang. For example, women likely trafficked from Romania are known as ‘Roms’, from Poland, ‘EE’, while men bemoan their lack of English or desire to participate, and the presence of pimps. Other men get a sexual kick out of the fact that the women and girls are disengaged. ‘Howaboutit’ related how:

‘i've had a few girls from down Holbeck - usually pass through at about 5am on a saturday morning. Always at least 1 or 2 around, as mentioned above, some are horrors!… total lack of interest while i had her in missionary.. but that kind of turns me on. Bored and checking her texts while i unload bare inside her!!’.4

One particular poster uses the moniker ‘Yorkshireripper’, referencing the serial killer Peter Sutcliffe who murdered prostituted women in Leeds during the 1970s. ‘Many of his attacks came after he had cruised the streets looking for victims, and the area’s reputation as a red light district meant that it was easier for him to persuade women to get into his car while soliciting’.5 ‘Yorkshireripper’ described one prostituted woman thus:

‘she looks a shit fuck based on that video [an uploaded porn film taken during street ‘sex work’] but I just think there's something about her being a really lowlife desperate dirty prostitute with such a shit background who's cunt has had many hundreds of hard cocks up her … that makes me want to empty my filth in her, just for the thrill of it’.6

‘Yorkshireripper’ had actually gone in search of potentially underage girls that night, he informed the other men that ‘I was seeking teenagers or under 25s’.7 ‘Yorkshireripper’ likes to negotiate the already low prices down further, he particularly likes bad weather as a means of creating more desperation in the women. He outlined how he:

‘went for a little scouting mission myself last night, first time in a few months due to reports of increased surveillance by anti whore brigade. Was a cold, wet and rainy night which is my favourite time as it seems gives you that extra cover of visibility and offers a quick respite from the cold as an incentive to the girls when your knocking down the price’.8

The women are looked upon as objects which the men can use, abuse, consume and collect. One ‘Richard1982’ described how ‘Of all the girls I've picked up she's the only one I haven't bb'd [had sex without a condom] so I want to collect the full set lol’.9 And the ‘sex work is work’ champions claim it is empowering for women. Do you feel empowered after reading that? Alan Caton, the detective who led the investigation into Stephen Wright who murdered five prostituted women in Ipswich in 2006 has related that “When I asked the [men] about it, they said: ‘I am paying for it, I can do what I want.’ That helped me form the view over time that this is not right. Men should not be able to exploit and abuse women in that way”.

DESPERATION & DRUGS

Holbeck creates a desperate cycle which we see trapping prostituted women across the world. Drugs and prostitution become a ‘chicken and egg’ problem. Women enter the trade to fund their, or their partner’s, drug addiction and then require more drugs to cope with what they are experiencing. Drugs become a means to endure male violence. While talking about Holbeck, Jenni described how she ‘gave up drugs to get out of the ‘managed’ red light zone – it was too dangerous’.11 Julie Bindel stated that in the opinion of one exited survivor of Holbeck ‘Her biggest criticism of the managed zone is the failure to offer women a route out of a world where drugs are rife’.12 Jenni discussed how “All the girls are down there because they’re dependent on drugs. I don’t believe it’s their choice to do it,” she says. “The key is to stop the drug use and it will stop the girls having to work for drugs”.13 Charles Hymas and Corinne Redfern reported how in Holbeck, it ‘was the sight of a prostitute injecting drugs into her groin on the backseat of a car in full view of residents in the neat terraced street in Beeston, Leeds, that convinced artist Claire Bentley-Smith it was time to act’.14 In 2019 'A woodland of suffering' was discovered by a mum-of-two dropping her children off at school which revealed a ‘sex worker's’ 'home' next to a Leeds primary school.15The drug litter is a constant in the area and a sharp reminder that allowing men to buy women on the street is ineffective at tackling the women’s drug addiction. In one clean-up of one small wooded area it took more than 20 vans to remove mounds of waste from a 'needle and condom hotspot' in Holbeck.16

Then men purchasing the women know they are desperate and many are addicts. One ‘Munterhunter’ said of the prostituted women in Holbeck that:

‘in most cases it's to feed a drug addiction or because some pimp is telling them "go and earn me 200 quid tonight".

I know that a large number of street prostitutes have serious drug habits my mate's wife works with a project which operates all over the UK working with street prostitutes and the biggest challenge they face is drugs. My mate is a support worker working with people on drug rehab and community punishment orders from the courts his wife works for a national organisation working with street prostitutes’.17

Yet he was undeterred from buying women. Mark Edmonds has outlined how in Holbeck, ‘there are no sanctions and no risk of conviction. Widespread drug-taking — sadly an integral part of the lives of many of these women, who have often been abused as teenagers and are subsequently used by pimps who see them as no more than a commodity — is also tolerated, under a scheme that costs local taxpayers £200,000 per year to run’.18 A BBC documentary highlighted the link between drug addiction and prostitution. In the documentary Sammie-Jo described how she ‘has been forced to work as a prostitute in the red-light district of Holbeck in Leeds to fund her addiction’.19 Yet still the ‘sex work is work’ lobby talk about women choosing this.

Safety and Violence

The ‘sex work is work’ pimp lobby and men’s sexual rights activists argue that prostitution should be decriminalised to make it safer for those being sold. Holbeck, and other examples such as in the Netherlands, shows this is false.20 It makes it more dangerous for the women being sold and other women in the area. In 2015, within months of the ‘managed approach’ zone in Holbeck becoming operational Daria Pionko was murdered by a punter.21 Julie Bindel spoke to one Holbeck prostitute who told her: ‘Because [the men] can’t get arrested, they think they can do anything they like. I’ve been raped, and one man urinated on me once and then took a photo’.22 With the first year of the ‘managed approach’ figures released by police show complaints of rape almost trebled … and have remained significantly higher than before’.23Alongside this, rapes are under-reported as the police and courts do not take it seriously, particularly if the woman is prostituted. On the 7th September 2018 Holbeck residents, David and Calum, reported stopping a rape of a prostituted woman. They stated that while walking home through Holbeck after they had finished work at a club they heard a woman’s voice calling for help. They ‘saw a man trying to strangle a woman. He released her as soon as we approached and she ran towards us… she’s a sex worker and he’s a punter. The fight was about condoms. He wanted her to have sex without a condom… but she refused’.24 The fetish killer, Donald Sheridan, who the council and probation service decided to house in the managed zone in Holbeck while he was on parole, told police in an interview regarding his abduction and attempted rape of a woman in Holbeck in 2019 that ‘he still experiences urges to rape and murder women, especially strangling them, and he had recently felt the urge to strangle an older sex worker after using her services’.25

The frequency of sex attacks on women in the small area of Holbeck was highlighted in 2019 when there were three sex attacks within 36 hours. Samantha Gildea and Kristian Johnson reported that ‘A female sex worker was assaulted by a male client in Shafton Lane on Sunday afternoon, then in the evening, a woman was grabbed on a footpath near Kenneth Street in an attempted rape at around 5.30pm. A third incident was reported to officer after a woman was physically assaulted in Holbeck Moor Park at around 10.15pm last night’.26 Julie Bindel interviewed ‘Sammy, who was pimped on her 17th birthday straight into the zone by her “boyfriend”, who told her that the police “don’t give a fuck about the women”. Sammy said that “One night I was screaming my head off when a nasty punter got really rough with me, but these two coppers just walked past’.27 Another prostituted woman, Jenni, told Chris Hymas and Bindel of ‘the constant threat of robbery, sex tourism, exploitation by traffickers, and women so desperate for drugs they sold sex for just £10’.28 Hymas and Bindel reported that ‘the zone, designed to crack down on pimping, was in reality a magnet for men seeking to exploit the women by charging them for protection’.29 Jenni described how “There were loads of young lads who were basically glorified pimps.. There were more and more attacks before I left, of people coming into the area to rob the girls, knowing they were on their own with money’30. Rather than improve relations between the prostituted woman and the police, the managed approach has caused them to deteriorate and the prostituted women feel even less protected.31 Nevertheless, ‘the council says the increase in crime is due to improved reporting and includes Beeston which is not part of the zone. Others disagree. “It was a disaster from day one,” a senior police officer told The Telegraph on condition of anonymity. “Other criminals came into the area quick as a flash. Drug dealers, pimps, even traffickers that brought the women from Romania’.32

Male violence and rape, and police inaction over these crimes, is also a problem for women and children not in prostitution who live near or enter the Holbeck zone. In 2015, ‘Sally – a young woman with learning disabilities, then aged 17 – was approached at a bus stop in Beeston on a weekday afternoon, bundled into a car, and raped in a nearby home. With DNA evidence, the attacker was quickly arrested and prosecuted in court. However, during a gruelling court case which saw Sally forced into a cross-examination, the defence lawyer argued that his client had simply mistaken Sally for a sex worker, and he walked free’.33 In 2017, Ian Staines, managing director of the Fresco Group, a local business, told the Daily Mail regarding the increase in rapes and sexual assaults that ‘these figures do not surprise me. Female members of our staff feel threatened. The police aren’t interested’.34 In 2018, a Holbeck woman was raped on her way home from work by a group of men who assumed she was a prostitute’.35 In another case of rape in the small Holbeck zone, Ed Carlisle reported of the rape of Alice, a previous victim of domestic abuse, that she had moved into a hostel in Holbeck, where she was repeatedly approached by kerb crawlers. Then in May 2018 ‘a gang of men manhandled her into a car, refused to believe she wasn’t a sex worker, and took her to a nearby house, where one of the men raped her. With DNA evidence, the attacker was quickly arrested, but again (supported by the testimonies of his friends) argued for mistaken identity, and was not even prosecuted’.36 At 4pm Saturday 8th September 2018 a resident reported that ‘my 12 year old daughter walking home from school rang me to tell me she’s just seen a lady being raped! 2 men had her pinned against the wall… one was pulling her knickers off as she screamed. My daughter ran home and I’ve called 999’.37 In November 2018 it was reported to the police and the press that a man tried to buy a baby for an hour in Holbeck. ‘The 47-year-old [woman] was carrying her four-month old grandchild in a pram in the area before the man reportedly said 'Give me an hour with it and I will bring it back'.38 In 2019 a woman claimed that while simply out walking she 'was raped in the street in Holbeck'.39 She did not report this as she thought the police would just say her rapist thought she was a ‘sex worker’ and he would thus walk free. Also in 2019 Donald Sheridan, a convicted fetish murderer, was housed in Holbeck while on parole, and later went on to abduct and strangle a woman until a passer-by intervened.40 The housing of Sheridan in Holbeck highlights how the judiciary and police view the women of Holbeck as dispensable. Susie Beever reported in 2019 how ‘many of the area's female residents feel at risk, preyed upon and "constantly scrutinised". Holbeck has one of the highest recorded crime rates in the entire Leeds South policing ward. There were 161 crimes reported in the area in September alone, of which 51 were classed as violent or sexual offences’.41/sup>

The Save Our Eyes community campaign group set up by residents of Holbeck records their experiences. One resident recorded how ‘My granddaughter was approached at 3.15pm in the afternoon in her school uniform by a punter looking for sex’.42 Another resident shared her experience of how ‘My daughter was followed home from school by a man making rude comments and trying to touch her’.43 13 year old Katy tells the story of how while waiting at a bus stop in a residential street adjoining the Holbeck managed zone on a Saturday morning with her mum ‘A man came up to us and said “Are you working?” My mum was confused and asked what he meant. He replied “Not you! I mean her. Is she working?” and pointed at me. My mum… shouted at him “She’s only 13, she’s a child!” but he wasn’t even bothered. He carried on, “It doesn’t matter about her age. She looks like one (meaning a prostitute)… It’s acceptable on Holbeck to ask”.44 Helen, Katie’s mum, described how ‘the man who wanted to buy her on Saturday argued with me. He felt he had a right to ask any woman in the area for sex’.45

Conclusion

Yet despite all of this evidence and Holbeck conforming to the pattern of other decriminalised areas of prostitution around the world in terms of an increase in crime and danger to women Chief Super Intendent Steve Cotter, of West Yorkshire Police, ‘said the force "remain convinced" the system was working’.46 One wonders how Mr Cotter defines success. Mr Cotter elaborated, that the managed approach in Holbeck ‘provides the best opportunity to safeguard the vulnerable women involved in street sex work, to limit the issues that impact on residents and businesses and to reduce the level of street sex work in Leeds," he said’.47 This is contradicted by reality. Still, a controversial report published in 2020 has claimed that the managed approach in Holbeck has had a positive result. This report’s statements are not supported by the data and the report itself ‘failed to comply with the legal obligations of public bodies to consider the equality impact of their policies and did not properly investigate how the scheme affects local women and children’.48 As Nordic Model Now asserts, ‘Prostitution has been recognized by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women to be a form of gender-based violence – meaning that not only is prostitution inherently violent, but it is also an intrinsic part of the systemic oppression of women and girls’.49 Why would this be different in Holbeck?

[what-is-your-plan-today]

Riding High Ch7: Ordinary People

Chapter Summary: Frank feels the aftermath of his dumbassery

Chapter Warnings: Bad Language words. Flash backs to domestic violence.

Chapter Pairings:  Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher

A/N: Contains SPOILERS for the film!!!!! If you haven’t seen it please be aware of that before you read on. As a Lawyer I know how long the types of cases depicted in GIFTED can take, however they can also be done pretty fast. With that in mind, and because it fits with how I want the story to go I’m spreading it over approximately 6 weeks or so, so just roll with me! As always I’m a ho for a REBLOG and COMMENT!

Chapter Song: Ordinary People by John Legend

Series Masterlist Main Masterlist

“I saw you…he had his hands all over you.”

“John, I didn’t want him to…he was drunk, just being over friendly…”

Fliss cowered as a sneer crossed her husband’s face, the features she found so handsome once upon a time were distorted in anger, his dark green eyes clouded with rage as he towered over where she sat on the crouch. In a flash he had reached out and grabbed a fist full of her hair, yanking her to her feet. Fliss gave a cry of pain, stumbling after him as he dragged her up the stairs. She tripped at one point, her hip colliding painfully with one of the steps but he paid it no attention.

No mercy.

“You’re mine Sugar” he said, his voice steely “you know that.”

“I know…” she sobbed as he threw her into the bedroom. She scrambled for purchase on the bed as he pushed her hard so she fell face down, but before she could raise herself again he had grabbed the back of her neck and pushed her face into the pillows.

“Why do you make me do this, Felicity?” He asked, releasing his hold as his thighs bracketed hers. Fliss heard the tell-tale clinking of his belt and she gave another sob, knowing full well what was coming. He roughly pushed her dress up over her hips, leaving her underwear clad ass exposed.

And then the leather stuck her. Again. And again. And again.

“I’ll mark you so hard no one else will ever want you…” he snarled as he continued his assault. “You’re mine…“ Fliss sat bolt upright, gasping as she glanced around her bedroom. Thor, hearing her breathing jumped up onto her bed and shoved his head under her arm as she clamped her hands over her face. Looking down at him she buried her face into the dog’s fur, holding him tight as her breathing evened out. She ran through her calming thoughts in her head, imagining the sound of the ocean, the wind in her hair as she galloped on the beach, the soft and gentle hugs she received from her dad, her mum…and dare she even think it, Frank. And then another image filled he head. The sight of him kissing Bonnie at the bar.

“Wanker…” she muttered, wiping the tears from her face as Thor licked her cheek, his tail wagging as she stroked him. She was shaking slightly, the dream had been so real, so vivid, she could almost physically feel the pain. John had belted her so badly that night she hadn’t been able to ride for a week, and she still bore the marks where the buckle had ripped through her panties and skin.

The worst thing was, that after he had finished, he had held her, stroking her hair, soothing her, explaining why he had to punish her so much. It was sick, twisted. Just like him. “No power over me anymore, no power, no power…” she repeated her mantra through gritted teeth before she pushed the duvet down and swung her legs out of the bed and headed to the bathroom.

***** Frank had also woken up to a nightmare. His head was pounding from the shots he’d downed at the bar and being jerked awake by Bonnie’s screams as Mary had turned up in the apartment earlier than she was allowed on a Saturday hadn’t exactly helped the situation, not to mention the fact that he had fucked Mary’s school teacher for no reason other than the fact he was drunk, stressed and needed a release. Thankfully she seemed to be in the same place as him about the entire situation as he saw her out to a cab, apologising for Mary’s interruption, literally incapable of thinking of anything else to say. It was the most awkward morning after he had ever experienced.

And there was something else compounding his growing bad mood. When he had finally checked his phone as he stood outside for a few moments after Bonnie had gone, hoping the fresh air would sort his head out, he realised he had a number of messages from Fliss and a few missed calls. Groaning he remembered that he should have called her after the court case. Firing her a quick apology promising to talk to her later when it was time for Mary’s lesson, before he headed back inside.

Mary was sat on the rug with her lego, pieces scattered all over, Ice Age playing on the TV.

“Awkward…”  she sing songed

“Mary…” Frank looked at her for a moment and when she didn’t look at him he crouched down

“Stop! Stop! Stop with the Legos. Listen.” he took a breath and she looked at him “Do we have a rule about Saturday morning?”

“What?” she said softly

“Are you allowed in this apartment this early on Saturday morning?” Frank pressed, looking at her.

“No.” Mary sighed, averting her eyes from his.

“No!” Frank said, a little louder before he paused again “Are you allowed to… Hey!” he reached out to stop Mary as she returned to her Toys. “Stop! Enough with the Lego! Are you allowed to use Roberta’s keys?”

“No.” she still wasn’t looking at him.

“No!” Frank said, his voice gathering momentum “So, hey! Look at me. Then why are you here? Huh? Can you answer me that?”

Mary’s eyes filled with tears but Frank was too angry at the fact she had disobeyed him to comfort her.

“You broke every rule! You just embarrassed me. We have these rules.” he said standing up, turning to head back out of the door into the kitchen “We’ve gone over them a hundred times!” And then he stepped on a piece of Lego in his bare feet. His frustration boiled over as he hopped on one leg, clutching the side of the dresser which was pushed flush against the wall.

“Shit…” he yelled “God, damned it…” he slapped the side of the dresser, leaning against it,as he bent down to rub his foot  “Can I just get five minutes of my own life?”

At that Mary jumped up and bolted into his bedroom, shutting the door behind her.

Frank stood up, before he sighed, one hand on his hip, his eyes closed. He’d overreacted, he knew that. He was more pissed at himself for being an idiot than he was at Mary. He ran his hand over his face and glanced at the clock. Mary’s riding lesson was at 2 and it was now just pushing 10:30. Deciding to leave Mary to cool down before he made breakfast he headed into the kitchen to clear up yesterday’s dishes.

He heard the door to his room click open about twenty minutes later. Giving her another 10 he wiped the counter down before he made his way back into the main room and sat on the edge of her bed, where she was snuggled down in her alcove which sported a collection of shells they had stuck to the wood panels and a few photos, one of her mom, one of her and Frank and one of her and Fliss with Monty. She was huddled in the corner, Fred laying on her knee, the laptop resting on his back as she tapped away.

“Nothing that happened today was your fault.” Frank said gently and looked at her “I got mad at you…I was really mad at me…” he looked at her and she continued to ignore him “…and the manufacturers of Legos. They should all be in prison. So I’m sorry.” he said gently. She paused tapping but still didn’t look at him. “Do you forgive me?”

“Sure. Whatever.” she mumbled.

“Hey, close the laptop. Come on. Please. Doesn’t count if it’s not eye to eye.”

She hesitated so he asked again, gently. “Come on, please.”

With a sigh she did was she was told and looked at him, her eyes so like Diane’s were full of sadness and Frank felt his gut twist in guilt.

“Do you really have no life because of me?”

Fuck. Frank cursed himself for his outburst before and shook his head.

“That’s not what I said.” he looked at her.

“Did you mean it?” she pressed, not buying his statement for one minute, her voice soft.

“Last week you said I was the worst Uncle in the world and you wished death upon me ‘cause I didn’t buy you a piano.” Frank looked at her, holding her gaze. “Did you mean that?”

“No” Mary replied, her fingers tangling in Fred’s fur “Not entirely.”

“Well…” Frank said, “There you go. We say things all the time we don’t mean. So let’s forget it, okay?”

“Okay” Mary agreed

“Okay.”  Frank nodded, standing up

“Frank?” she called as he headed towards the door to head down and check the mail. He stopped and turned back, even though he couldn’t see her.

“Yeah?”

“Can I have a piano?”

“No.” he said, turning for the door.

He strode down across the lawn to the mail boxes, unlocked his and pulled out 2 letters. One looked like a bill, the other was in a manila coloured envelope, and was stamped with some kind of official seal.

“Was that really Mary's teacher this morning?” Roberta appeared. He glanced at her and returned to his post “And there was me thinking Fliss would stop you doing anything stupid…”

Frank’s head shot up “Fliss?” he frowned “What….”

“She came here last night, to see you. We roped her into Karaoke before she left and she said she was going to come and find you at Fergs”

Frank frowned. “Well she didn’t. I never saw her last night so she-”

Oh,fuck fuck fuck! He trailed off with a groan as he realised that she had probably seen him with Bonnie and then he felt a stinging slap round the back of his head.

“Shit!” He exclaimed, glaring at Roberta “Jesus…that fucking hurt!”

“Good…” she stared at him. “You know I have a book called ‘Fundamentals of Decision Making’. You can borrow it.” ‘

He glared at her, he didn’t need this. Not now. His attention turned back to the letter and he noticed the seal was from the court house. With a frown he opened it. The header- ‘Highsmith, Kistler & Sellers Attorneys at Law’ greeted him and he started to read. It was an order for him to surrender Mary for 2 days into Evelyn’s care, at a time and date to be agreed. It wasn’t unexpected but it was pretty fast considering it had only been agreed yesterday. His mother really wasn’t wasting any time.

“What is it?”  Roberta asked, noticing the frown on his face

“It’s nothing.” he said, leaning on the post box, still reading the letter “looks like Mary gets to go to Boston for a couple days.”

He noticed Roberta stiffen and he looked at her. “It’s just two days. Relax.” he said gently.

Because he was always honest with Mary he sat down once he was back inside and told her about the letter. She knew there was a court case going on, he had explained it all to her as best as he could so as not to cause her any worry. She soaked up the information and shrugged before saying that going to Boston sounded kinda cool. Frank simply nodded and said that he would sort out the dates on Monday before they ate lunch and headed up to the riding school. As he drove there his stomach was doing flips, the nerves at seeing Fliss were overwhelming, more so because he had no idea what he was going to say to her. It was strange, he felt guilty, even though he had no real reason to. They weren’t an item.

Fliss greeted Mary with the usual warmth before she turned her gaze to Frank, and he could see the hurt in her eyes, compounding that guilty feeling even more.

“Sorry I didn’t call you last night.” he offered and she shrugged.

“It’s ok, I know you were busy.” her voice carried no sarcasm, it was measured and cool but Frank knew she was referring to Bonnie, his suspicions confirmed. She turned away, barking an instruction to Joanne who looked at her, nodding.

Frank leaned on the paddock fence as he always did, a little way from the other parents and watched as Fliss taught the 3 girls, smile on her face. Mary was certainly getting the hang of it now and was able to trot around unaided. After about 40 minutes they were done and heading out of the paddock. Fliss made no attempt to come and speak to him, like normal, and made straight for her office. Casting and eye on Mary who was leading Monty back to the stable he followed Fliss.

“You’re mad at me.” he observed gently.

“Why would I be mad at you?” she replied, pulling 3 cartons of apple juice out of the fridge for the kids.

“Because you saw me last night with Bonnie.” he pressed.

He saw her stiffen slightly before she took a breath and turned round.

“I’m not mad.” she shrugged.

“Could have fooled me.”

“I just…well I think you should have considered Mary a little more, that’s all, instead of simply wanting to get your end away.“ “What does that mean?” he frowned.

“You know damned well what it means.” she looked at him “Mary told me she saw Bonnie this morning, I mean…Jesus Frank that’s her teacher…can you imagine how awkward its gonna be if any of the kids find out that you’re fucking her?” “Ok, I’m not fucking her…” Frank held his hand out to stop her.

“So what were you doing last night then?” Fliss hissed, “Playing scrabble?”

“Hang on, are we really arguing about this?” Frank looked at her, frowning “Why? Why are you so mad about it?”

He paused, looking at her. Her eyes locked onto his and she swallowed, and for a moment he hoped she was going to tell him what he wanted to hear but she shook her head and shrugged.

“You know what, you’re right. What, or who you do in your spare time is your business, not mine.”

With that she pushed past him and headed out into the yard. Frank let out another sigh before he headed out to find Mary.

******

Fliss made no attempts to speak to Frank over the next few days. He messaged her to tell her about Mary heading to Boston at the end of the week and she replied politely, telling him that she was sure it would all work out, but beyond that she didn’t reach out further. However, she did call to wish Mary a safe trip to Boston on the Thursday morning just before Evelyn arrived to pick her up, and told her she wanted to hear all about it when she came home on Saturday afternoon . By the time Frank got the phone back, Fliss had hung up.

“Frank she likes you. “ Roberta said when she popped over to wish Mary goodbye. Mary wasted no time in informing her the reason he was in a bad mood wasn’t just because she was going to Boston, but also because Fliss was angry at him. Of course she had noticed, because she noticed everyting. “She’s hurt and it’s yo own dumbass fault.” the woman concluded.

Yeah, yeah he got that.

With Mary gone, he decided that night to take a cool box of beer down to the harbour and work late. He was in the middle of pulling a gear box apart when his phone went. It was a message from Bonnie asking if she could meet him to talk. Which was how he found himself sat on the deck of the boat, her opposite him, both wrapped in blankets and clutching bottles of Bud.

“I have had a series of nightmares…where I’m fired…because of what happened. You get it?” Bonnie smiled, rolling her eyes. Frank smiled at her as she laughed “And then I remind myself, that everything that happened, was just all the alcohol and people do far worse right?”

At that Frank laughed. “Yeah we were pretty drunk.”

Truth be told whilst he did think Bonnie was attractive, there was nothing there, and that was compounded by the fact that as he sat there, looking at her, he felt no urges at all. She was simply another one of his Friday night hook ups, only this had turned out to be slightly more complicated.

Yeah, he should definitely borrow that book from Roberta

“So I guess, what I came here to say…” Bonnie sighed “I think you’re a great guy Frank, and I’ve got your back on this damned custody case but…me and you…it just…” “Oh, absolutely, I’m with you…” Frank said, agreeing quickly, thanking the Gods she’d brought it up before he had to. “It was a mistake…” Bonnie arched an eyebrow and he sighed .“Shit, I don’t mean that how it sounds but…well, it was, wasn’t it?”

She smiled and nodded, cocking her head to one side as she surveyed him. “I do think you need to speak to Fliss though?”

“Fliss?” Frank frowned, “What’s she got to do with this?”

"You like her.” Bonnie said simply.

Frank paused before he shook his head, smiling “that obvious?” “Yeah, and there’s the fact you called me by her name twice.” Oh Jesus. Ground please open… “What when we… ” he grimaced and she chuckled, raising her eyebrows “Oh God. Bonnie… I’m so sorry.” He groaned and ran his hands over his face.

What a fucking ass hole.

“Like we said, mistake…” Bonnie smiled, “Especially when you’re clearly hung up on another girl. “ “Yeah well whatever may or may not have been there, I think I’ve kinda blown it… story of my life.” Frank sighed taking a pull from his bottle.

“Blown it?”

“Yeah she’s pretty pissed. She saw us in the bar and has hardly spoken a word to me since”

“And you’re giving up that easily?” Bonnie raised an eyebrow. He sighed and she leaned forward slightly “Take it from me, another female, that if she’s that pissed at you over the fact that you hooked up with someone else then she feels something for you Frank.“

They stayed and chatted about the court case for a while and he filled Bonnie in on the running order for the testimonies which would start on Tuesday before she bid him goodnight and left. He contemplated messaging Fliss but decided against it. He worked late again on Friday, for the first time in months foregoing his trip to Ferg’s and by Saturday afternoon he was ready to welcome Mary home. He’d missed her.

“I’m loaded with swag!” she said, with an air of someone out of Gossip Girl, not that he’d seen a lot of that mind, as she skipped towards him and wrapped her arms around his waist as well she could with the bag she was carrying. His hand dropped to the back of her head as he hugged her before he looked up at his mother.

“Wanna come inside?” he asked as Mary skipped off calling Fred’s name.

“Cat.” she said, with a faint smile as she shook her head.

He nodded to her and turned to follow Mary.

“I need to ring Fliss…” Mary said immediately.

“Well, I got a better idea.” Frank said, “How about we head over there and see her?”

“Yesss.” Mary said, before she looked at him. “Are you friends again?”

“We never stopped being friends she’s just mad at me because I did something stupid, but don’t worry, it’ll work out.” he said.

I hope…

***** Fliss was busy on a lesson when her phone went. Taking a quick minute to look at it, she read the message from Frank asking if it was ok if they swung by as Mary was home. With a deep breath she replied telling him it was fine, before she turned back to her client who was one of the boarders on the yard.

She had just about finished some 30 minutes or so later when she heard Mary calling. She turned and gave her a smile and a wave. Once she had finished and taken payment, she turned to Mary and gave the girl a hug.

“Hey…” she smiled. Mary hugged her tight and Fliss chuckled before she glanced up at Frank “Coffee?”

He smiled, taking the olive branch she had offered. “Yeah, sounds great.”

They made their way into the office and Fliss moved to the small kitchenette area at the back, filling the coffee machine before she turned to Mary, leaning against the counter.

“So, tell me all about Boston.” Mary began to gush about all the things she had done, Fliss listening and asking questions as she made her and Frank a coffee. He took his with a thanks whilst Mary told Fliss how she had looked at some photos, learned more about her mom and then done some complicated Maths for a professor at a University. At that Fliss noticed Frank stiffen slightly and she looked at him, gently shaking her head. He smiled tightly and turned to look out over the yard, taking a few steps outside.

“And she has a piano…” Mary finished, “I mean I didn’t get to play it but…”

“You should come over to my mum’s.” Fliss smiled “She’ll let you play hers. That’s what she used to do, teach people music.”

Mary smiled, before she looked over at Frank who was stood watching a few people who were riding in the paddock, the lessons for the day having concluded which mean the boarders were free to do what they wanted.

“Are you still mad at Frank?” she turned back to Fliss.

“Not really.” Fliss said “I got a bit cross but…” “Yeah, he can make me cross too.” Mary said wisely “He does dumb stuff sometimes.”

Fliss laughed and studied the young girl “Yeah, you got that right.” “But he’s a good person.” she shrugged

“I know.” Fliss said, her eyes flicking to him before she looked back at Mary.

“I don’t want to live with Evelyn.” Mary shrugged “I mean she was nice and looks like my mom but…she’s bossy.” Fliss smiled.

“And I want to stay with Frank.” Mary continued “Because I know he loves me. And he did before he found out I was smart.”

Fliss felt a lump in her throat at the girl’s confession. She glanced over at Frank again who ran a hand over his face, rubbing at his eyes underneath his shades.

“Hey, Mary, why don’t you go say hi to Monty.” she said gently, “Tell Joanne I said you could help with the feeds.” “Yesss.” she said, scooting off her chair and shooting across the yard. Fliss saw Frank follow her with her eyes before he turned to her as she walked over to him.

“Hey.” she said, her tone soft. “How you holding up?” “Apart from screwing up my life, I’m good.” he snorted, taking off his glasses and tucking them into the collar of his t-shirt  “Just hope I’m not screwing hers up as well.”

“Don’t’ say that.” Fliss shook her head “You know that’s not true. Mary’s fine…”

“I hate that we haven’t been talking.” he said after a pause,  looking at her. “Been kinda lonely.”

“I thought you’d have been with Bonnie.” she said softly, shrugging.

Frank sighed “I’ve only seen her once, this week. And that was so we could have a straight up conversation about how what happened was a mistake”

“A mistake?” Fliss raised an eyebrow.

“Yeah.” Frank said “And as far as mistakes go…that one was pretty spectacular.”

“And you actually said that to her?”

He nodded.

“Wow… “ she snorted.

“She agreed so…” Frank shrugged and he held her gaze for a second before he took a deep breath “Is that why you’ve been ignoring me?” he pressed “Because you thought we were… you know, together?”

Fliss swallowed and looked away, trying to think of something to say that didn’t give her feelings away. He’d hit the nail on the head. She had thought that, and more over she was jealous so had distanced herself on purpose.

“I just…” she looked back at him, “Well, I didn’t want to step on any toes, so to speak, that’s all.”

“There’s none to step on, trust me.” Frank said gently.

“So err, anyway, she seems to have enjoyed Boston.” Fliss changed the subject.

“Yeah.” Frank said

“So what’s next?”

“Well she has a err, court interview with the Child Welfare department or whatever they’re called on Monday.” he said.

“Sure it’ll be fine.” Fliss replied “It’s not like she’s treated badly or her welfare is an issue Frank.”

“And the hearing starts in full on Tuesday.” he said “And they’re opening with a bang.” Fliss frowned as he turned to face her “Greg called me yesterday. Mary’s biological father has apparently signed an affidavit, nominating my mother as Mary’s legal guardian.”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Fliss hissed, suddenly seething with anger as Frank shook his head “That’s a real shitty trick.”

“Yep” Frank agreed.

“Does Mary know?”

“No. I’ll have to tell her though, otherwise Evelyn will no doubt during her access.”

“She gets access?”

“Yeah, whilst this is going on she gets visitation rights so…” Frank shrugged, and Fliss couldn’t help but notice his despondent nature.

“So when you gonna tell her?”

“Tuesday night, after it’s done. I don’t want her worrying or knowing he’s in town because if she knows and he doesn’t ask to see her…at least once he’s gone then…” he bit his lip “She’s gonna be upset either way but, what else can I do?”

“Nothing but what you think is best.”  Fliss said gently “I told you before that’s all you can do Frank.” He looked at her and she sighed, opening her arms and he gladly stepped towards her, wrapping her up in a hug.

******

“Mr. Polland, are you the…natural father of Mary Adler?”

“Yes. Yes, I am.”

Frank sat still, glaring at the ass hole sat in the dock.

“And how you can be certain of this?

“Well, I always knew, but then you had me take a DNA test.”

Course they did…

I would offer the test results as result of evidence of that Mr. Polland is the father and natural guardian of the minor. As well as an affidavit from Mr. Polland nominating Mrs. Adler the maternal grandmother as the legal guardian of the minor.”

Frank sat up slightly, his jaw clenching. This ass hole had no right to decide what was best for Mary, he’d never fucking met her. Greg touched his arm, shaking his head before he stood up.

“No objections.”

“Mr. Polland has Mrs. Adler offered you any monetary reward or employment for coming forward today?” Evelyn’s attorney continued.

No, sir. I have a job of my own.”

Frank suppressed a snort. Bullshit she hasn’t paid you.

“Thank you. No further questions, your Honour.”

Cullen rose again and waited a second before he opened his cross examination “Mr. Polland when was the last time you saw Mary?”

“I've never seen her.” Polland shifted slightly and Frank watched him intently.

“Why not?”

“By the time I heard about Diane…passing the baby was gone already.”

Her name is Mary, ass hole… Frank took a deep breath.

“Well, did you try and find her?” Cullen pressed.

“Best I could. I couldn’t just go and search the entire country.” Polland shook his head, trying to make a joke out of it. Frank was pleased to see the judge wasn’t laughing.

Greg nodded and paused once more before suddenly asking “Do you use a computer at work?”

“Sure.” Polland replied

“You know what? Help me out.” Greg said, grabbing his laptop “Let's google 'Mary Adler’ and see what we find.” he placed the laptop on the dock and turned it towards Polland. The man hesitated for a while and looked at the Judge who gestured with his hand, instructing him to do as he was told. Polland began to tap when Jason spoke again “You know what? You better add her middle name.”

Frank watched as Polland stopped, because of course he had no idea what her midde name was.

“It'll narrow it down. Eileen” Cullen said. Polland looked up and caught Frank’s eye, his face sheepish. Frank kept his face straight, his chin resting on his hand, fingers making an L-shape round his jaw as Polland looked away and began to tap..

“Yeah, hit enter.” Greg instructed. “Ok, now head to page 2…second hit…would you please tell the court what you see there?”

Polland hesitated “It’s a newspaper article called ‘Not so terrible twos’”

“And one of them is Mary Eileen Adler.”  Greg nodded “Same name as your daughter. Born on the same day as your daughter. With a photograph”

Polland looked at him.

“In your defence, you’d never recognize it…”

“Your Honour, this is…” Evelyn’s attorney stood up but Cullen was quick to cut him off

“Your Honour, if there’s one thing here that's sadly obvious it’s that Mr. Polland has never been a genuine guardian of the minor and his nomination of Mrs. Adler is no less disingenuous.” he looked at the Judge.

Frank shifted slightly as Judge Nicholls looked at Polland, then to Evelyn, then to Frank before he turned glanced at the notes spread out in front of him.

“While the state of Florida gives difference to nomination by natural parent, I'm inclined to side with Mr. Cullen’s laptop at this time.” he said, nodding at Cullen, effectively dismissing the affidavit. Frank allowed himself a relieved smile as Greg nodded.

“Thank you, your Honor”

Frank walked his mother to her car, as she told him about his step father Walter. Frank had found it odd how he wasn’t featuring in any of this, but his question was answered as Evelyn told him he had bought a ranch in Montana.

“Bullshit.” he exclaimed as they strode down the path in the sun, his suit jacket handing over his arm.

“Exactly. A man whose idea of roughing it is being too far from the ice machine at the Ritz Carlton now owns a 1000 acres of grass and dung.”

“Walter Price is a cowboy.” Frank smiled, shaking his head.

“Walter Price who puts on a Brooke’s brother suit to take out the garbage now has a cowboy hat and cowboy boots and a horse that doesn’t know dressage.” Evelyn shook her head.

“Is there some logical reason for this?” Frank asked making a mental note to tell Fliss.

“Midlife crisis, apparently.”

“He’s 70.” Frank scoffed

“I know. Must have been on time delay or something. I guess I should be happy it wasn’t 25 year old cocktail waitress. But then again an affair you can explain to friends in a minute. For this, you put on a pot of coffee.”

“And he’s out there right now?”

“Yessiree!” Evelyn imitated a Western accent.

Frank lost himself for a moment as he and his mother joked, mocking exactly what his Step Father would look like. He hated to admit it, but at times like this he was reminded how similar he was to his mother. Same dry sense of humour, no nonsense nature…

“The fastest asset management in the West.” he snorted and Evelyn smiled.

“The man who shot Liberty Mutual. That’s what I’ve been calling him” she said as they stopped at her car.

“That’s really, really funny.” Frank said, and then sighed as she opened the car door. He leaned down and spoke to the driver  “Take her to the airport.” he said, straightening up. “Go home, Evelyn. Or Montana. Rustle some cattle.” he said gently.

“You know I have no desire to hurt you. I hate it that we’re at odds.” she said as she say in the car, looking at him through the open window.

And then, he was also reminded just how different they were too.

“We’re always at odds.” he shrugged.

“Yes.” She said, almost sadly before she spoke and issued an instructions to her driver, which Frank also realised as a direct defiance aimed at him “Hotel.” 

**** As anticipated, when Frank broke the news to Mary about her father she had a meltdown. What hadn’t anticioated was her locking herself in the bathroom and no amount of coaxing from him or Roberta managed to draw her out. She was crying her little heart out, sobbing about how her dad didn’t want her…and just before he kicked the door in he had a stroke of inspiration,  pulling out his phone to call in reinforcement.

It arrived in the shape of Fliss some 20 minutes later.

“I still can’t believe that wank stain was even given the time of day.” she seethed as Frank greeted her as she strode in the door.

“Well his claim was thrown out but…”Frank nodded to where Roberta was stood outside locked bathroom door.

“Why you had to tell her that asshole was testifying I’ve no idea.” the woman shot him a look.

“Because it’s the truth. And if I didn’t, Evelyn would’ve.” Frank reasoned.

“If I was the dad of a little girl and I never saw her… and I was in the same town… I would visit her.” Fliss heard Mary’s crying and Frank saw her face scrunch up in sympathy. “He didn’t even need directions. He could’ve followed you here.”

“Ok, Roberta, move…” Fliss said gently. Roberta stood to the side and Fliss spoked to the door. “Mary…honey, it’s me.”

“Lissy?” Mary sniffled.

“The one and only.” Fliss smiled, before she sighed “You know what, you’re right. He could have come to see you. But he didn’t. And that’s nothing to do with you.”

“He doesn’t even wanna see what I look like.” The girl sobbed again.

“I never met my dad either…” Fliss said gently “He abandoned my mum before I was born, and then he was killed when I was 4 months old. But before that he never made any attempt to see me. He died without ever seeing my face. And you know what?”

“What?” Mary sniffed.

“That’s his loss, just like it’s your…father’s loss, and I hate to use that word because he’s not really got any right to be called that.”

Mary said nothing, but Frank could hear her sniffling still.

“But then my mom met Bill when I was two, and he’s been my dad ever since. He looked after me and loved me, just like Frank does for you.” Fliss glanced at him and he dropped his hand from where it had been cupping his chin, folding his arms round his chest as he shot her a small smile. “Like we all do Mary, you’re so loved. By Frank, Roberta…me…” Fliss continued, “Now come on, open the door.”

There was a pause and they heard a rustle, before the lock on the door clicked and it opened. Mary stood in the doorway, her eyes red and wet from tears before she gave another sob and threw herself at Fliss. Fliss crouched down on one knee and held her back, gently rocking her and Frank felt his chest tighten at the display of affection.

And then he had an idea.

Fliss watched him as he crouched next to them, his hand gently reaching out to brush Mary’s hair back as she turned her head which was on Fliss’ shoulder to look at him.

“Put your shoes on. We're going for a ride.” he said to her softly. Then he turned to Fliss “You too that is if you want to.”

“Sure.” she nodded.

“Roberta?” Frank looked at her, and she shook her head.

“Your truck only got 3 seats.” “We can take mine.” Fliss offered as Mary gently released her.

“No, I think you two got this.” she said, smiling.

*******

“What are we doing here?” Mary asked as they sat on the seats in the waiting room and Fliss found herself wondering the same thing. She hadn’t questioned Frank, he obviously had something up his sleeve.

“Waiting.”

“We can see that.” Fliss said, and he looked at her,rolling his eyes as Mary continued.

“Why?”

“Because I said so.” he said, returning to the National Geographic magazine he was flicking through.

“How long do we have to stay here?”

“As long as it takes. And keep your voice down. It’s a hospital.” Frank said.

As long as it takes turned out to be an hour and a half. Through which time Mary had groaned, moaned, used Frank’s legs as a climbing frame, which Fliss noticed he had expertly ignored simply slouching in his seat, legs apart as Mary draped herself over them. Eventually she had curled up next to Fliss and laid her head on her lap, dozing off.

Fliss was busy reading something on her emails when she heard a bit of a commotion and the group at the other side of the waiting room all stood up. Frank’s eyes flew to them and then he gently gave Fliss a smile before he nudged Mary awake.

She blinked and watched as a man walked into the waiting room dressed in scrubs, a huge smile on his face.

“It’s a boy.” he announced and the group erupted into cheers. Fliss glanced down at Mary who was watching in awe as everyone started to congratulate the man, all crying, sobbing with happiness, cheering, praising the lord.

“That's exactly how it was when you were born.” Frank said softly and Fliss then understood. He was showing Mary that she was loved, that she was wanted.

“This happy?” Mary asked

“This happy.” Frank confirmed.

“Who came out and told everybody?” she asked, and Frank leaned over gently brushing her hair behind her ear.

“I did.” he said softly.

The emotion of the moment got to Fliss and her eyes watered. Frank raised his head and they shared a look as he smiled and she smiled back before Mary piped up.

“Can we stay for another?”

Frank smiled and Mary jumped up, heading over to the group. They all smiled at her as she was swept into their celebrations. Fliss reached over and gently took Frank’s hand, giving his fingers a squeeze, a gesture he returned until Mary came back and pulled Fliss over to the group with her. Frank leaned back and watched as Fliss simply smiled and wiped her eyes as she congratulated the family and he let out a sigh, swallowing slightly, lost in his thoughts.

Eventually the family all dispersed to go and see their new arrival and he told Mary that it was too late to stay for another. She fell asleep on the way home against Fliss and when they got back t was a careful manoeuvre between them both to get her out of the car without waking her up. He gently placed her in bed before he walked Fliss down to her jeep.

“Thank you.” he said to her gently “You were amazing before…you’re just…amazing.” he said, trailing off.

She blushed slightly and tucked her hair behind her ears.

“I mean it Lissy…” he said, “You…I dunno.”

He hesitated for a second before he reached out and gently placed his hand on her hip, pulling her softly towards him

“Frank…” she said softly as his face dropped towards hers, her hands gently on his chest keeping him away from her “Look, I…”

“I know.” he swallowed, his head dropping as he sighed at her rejection “You don’t have to explain.”

“It’s not even 2 weeks ago you were in bed with another woman.” she said gently and he grimaced, pulling away slightly.

“I know and I really wish that hadn’t happened” he sighed, the hand that had been on her hip moved and ran through his hair “There’s really nothing going on between me and Bonnie…it was just a one night. My head was fucked and…”

“How do I know it isn’t now?”  Fliss looked at him “How do I, or you for that matter, know that this…” she gestured between them with her hand “…isn’t just an emotional response to what’s going on as well?”

“Because it’s not.” he said, his eyes not leaving hers as he drove his message home “I care about you Fliss, more than just as friends…and I’m kicking myself now because what I did means you don’t believe me…”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you.” she said gently, shaking her head as she took deep breath. “And it’s not that I don’t feel the same…”

It’s not that I don’t feel the same At her words a soft smile formed on his face as she continued to talk.

“…but right now, you need to concentrate on Mary…and getting through this week.”

He nodded, swallowing “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”

“No maybe about it.” she smiled, and reaching up she took his face in her soft hands. “But I promise you I’m not going anywhere.” her eyes locked onto his “And whatever this is…” she gestured between them once more “if it’s right, then it’ll still be there when all this is over.”

She stood on her tip toes to place a gentle kiss to side of his mouth and he leaned down, pressing  his forehead against hers, his eyes closed as he swallowed. They stayed like that for a moment until Fliss backed away gently, squeezing his hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow.” she said softly.

“Tomorrow?” he frowned

“Yeah, the Wicked Witch of The West is testifying is she not?”

Frank gave a huff of a laugh “Yeah she is.” “Like I said, you’re not alone. I might bring a hosepipe,see if she melts. I’ll see you in the morning.”

He chuckled at her joke and watched her climb in her car, waiting until the tail lights had disappeared before he turned and headed inside. Finally all the cards were on the table, and it hadn’t been a rejection, quite the opposite actually.

For the first time in days, Frank slept soundly that night.

@the-omni-princess​​  @momobaby227​​ @geekofmanythings16​​ @angelofhell-666​​ @thewackywriter​​ @marvelfansworld​​​  @cobalt-gear​​  @asgardlover75​​ @jennmurawski13​​​​  @jtargaryen18​​​ @saiyanprincessswanie​​​  @navispalace​​​ @patzammit​​​  @joannaliceevans-fanficblog​​​  @icanfeelastormbrewing​​​ @djeniiscorner​​​  @ayamenimthiriel​​​  @coldmuffinbanditshoe​​​  @disneylovingal​​​ @madzmilllz​  @sgtjaamesbaarnes​​ @sweater-daddiesdumbdork​​ @southerngracela​  @goldenfightergir​ @kellymat​ @official-and-unstable-satan​ @pagesoflauren​ 

[teacup-crow]

Next Friday

*this is a repost because Tumblr broke on me earlier!  I was ill for two days and could only really lie in bed and wrote this. Set after S5M15, based more around M17, warnings for requisite Season 5 sadness, effects of hunger and Australian levels of swearing.

Summary: Nadia, Owen and Veronica plan next week’s movie night.

Owen is an idiot, Veronica has always thought. But lately, he’s their idiot. Popping up in the lab asking her opinions on irrigation techniques - not her area, of course, but the science behind some of it is fascinating. Appearing during Friday movie nights with Nadia, which had always been their thing, but still respecting that. Appreciating whatever they chose. Never pushing things too far. He’s really good at cooking, too, eking out the most flavour possible from their smaller and smaller ration packs - and always making sure they eat before he does. Maybe there isn’t too much going on upstairs, but he’s nice. He doesn’t judge her, or set her off, or sit too close, or try and make eye contact like Ian does. 

“Only liars don’t look people in the eye, Veronica,” Ian had hissed earlier that afternoon. He’d asked some inane question about Sigrid’s taste in wine, and she’d tried to brush him off but he was having none of it. “I know you’re the Minister’s precious little poppet, but I don’t trust you. Nobody likes creepy children who hover around where they’re not wanted. You and your nasty, sneaky girl guide friends… although they don’t really like you either, do they? Not really one for friends your own age, are you?”

She’d stared right ahead, still avoiding his face. “I need to get on with my work, Ian. Haven’t you got things to be doing for Sigrid too?”

He got a tad frostier. “Watch your tone. It’s the Minister to you. And she isn’t here right now, sweetheart, is she?”

“Don’t call me that.”

“Say one more thing to me in that tone of voice, Miss McShell, one more thing, and you won’t see your Nadia for a very, very long time.”

The beaker in Veronica’s hand cracked around the base as she squeezed it. What tone? She’d tried to be polite. She could feel his stinking breath on her neck, knew his flat grey eyes would be right there if she looked at them, full of blazing jealousy and spite. And he wouldn’t, couldn’t follow through on that threat, could he? She was here of her own volition.

“Hey, Ronnie! And - oh, hello, I- Commander. We were just going to lunch?” Owen hurried into the lab, his voice bright and giving nothing away, but Veronica noticed from years of analysing it that his posture was stiff for a trained Runner. Beaten, perhaps, or anxious? Ian sneered a little at the sight of him, but backed off, probably appeased by the honorific, and she let Runner Six take her by the hand and pull her away. He’d sat her between himself and Runner Thirteen, and tried to get them engaged in a silly story about the time a koala attempted to steal his mum’s van. She’d ended up explaining to them the high rates of chlamydia among koalas, getting a bit confused when Cameo and Owen found the facts so funny. And the day passed safely - at least until he made a run for it.

The sweat is pouring off Owen’s face now as she attempts to dig the bullet out of his leg, swearing profusely even for an Australian. “Jesus FUCK!”

“I’ve not done this before! I'm trying my best.”

“Fucking Ian, the mangy bastard cu-”

Nadia clamps her hands over Veronica’s ears as if she’s never heard the word before. “Please, just keep it down before someone tips him off!”

Ian hadn’t seen the need to let a ‘traitorous, stupid boy’ use ‘limited medical resources’. Owen is supposed to be back on punishment detail, 5am sharp, or face the consequences. The only thing keeping him from the box is the fact that Cameo is already occupying it. So here they are in the lab, after hours, with a sixteen year old girl trying to stop him bleeding out with very little time, experience or painkillers. 

“Ya know, I’ve been through a fair amount of utter bollocking bollocks this apocalypse but really-“

“Runner Six, will you shut it!” And then, closer to his ear, out of Veronica’s earshot: “Did it work?”

He gives the slightest of nods. She smiles, broad and genuine, though her face is thin. They’re all getting a little more haggard, day by day. Veronica glances at the two of them, lovingly gazing at each other, and resolves that she’ll find some clever way to bring their lack of food up to the Minister. Sigrid is a smart woman; if she had any inkling that her top scientist keeps finding hair on her pillow each morning, that her fingernails are brittle, that three people collapsed in the fields last week, that for the first time since meeting Nadia she can count each and every rib, she’d surely do something to curb Ian’s ridiculous power trip.

She yanks at the bullet. Owen screams blue murder. Nadia shoves a balled up tea towel into his mouth, and deadpans: “So much for movie night.”

“I wasn’t really looking forward to The Green Mile,” Veronica admits. “I don’t know what you have against Planet Earth.”

“The fact that I have seen the same episode of the same documentary a thousand times in the last three years may play a part, Ronnie.”

“...only thirty-three.”

“What?”

“I pick the movie every other week. Because of many changes in circumstance, we’ve only had a hundred and nine movie nights. I pick Planet Earth approximately sixty percent of the time. We’ve seen it thirty-three times in the last two and a half years.”

Nadia sighs, and removes the cloth from Owen’s mouth. “You holding up?”

“I’m sorry for ruining your plans, ladies. Next time I try to escape from budget bloody Percy Wetmore, I promise not to do it on a Friday,” Owen pants, but the pain seems to be receding. “Ya know, if I had a nickel for every time I got shot in this calf, I’d have two nickels.”

“Which isn’t a lot, but insane that it happened twice, right?” Nadia responds with a short laugh. 

“Did you both spend all your time watching children’s shows pre-apocalypse?”

“Hey, I was a kid pre-apocalypse! She has no excuse.”

“Um, ATC work was stressful and I make no excuses for how I enjoyed my free time.”

“But if you’re twenty-four now, you were eighteen on Z-day, Owen,” Veronica points out.

“Eighteen year olds are still kids, Ronnie.” His voice is suddenly quite tired. He squeezes Nadia’s hand as Veronica pulls the first stitch, hissing between his teeth a little.

She juts out her chin. “I’m younger than that and I’m not a child.”

Neither of them dispute that, though she still cuts a tiny figure in a too-large lab coat, sleeves rolled up three times to make it fit.

“How do you know it’s from a children’s show, anyway, Miss-never-watched-Disney-Channel?”

“...I don’t have to answer that if I’m not comfortable.”

Nadia shoots her an expressing your boundaries thumbs-up. She feels the worry in her chest loosen a little. Everything will be fine. She’ll get Owen’s leg stitched, and today’s drama will force Sigrid’s hand. The Minister will come to Abel and fix things, and she can get back to working on the cure, and Owen and Nadia will be safe and look after each other.

“I’m going to head back to my bunk, I think,” Nadia says, a tinge of fear in her voice as she glances through the darkening window. “Better not to be missed too long, and I should check on Cameo. She… she distracted Ian from you for a bit. It didn’t look pretty.”

“We’ll be all right, Naddi, you go on,” Owen squeezes her hand one last time, and lies back on the lab table. Veronica nods, absorbed in her task. They hear her wheels clatter down the ramp and fade across the square, quiet as footsteps.

“So, you like Planet Earth a lot?”

“I used to watch it with Dad.”

“Oh. Makes sense. My mum’s a big Tom Hanks fan. I’ve probably seen every movie he’s been in… well, about thirty-three times as well.”

“You know there’s a video of Castaway in the rec room, right?”

“I brought it back, actually. Years ago, now. But I don’t know if I can watch it, yeah? I’m scared it might make me think about her too much.”

“Owen,” Veronica finishes the stitches, and starts to clean up some of the blood. She’s watched Kefilwe do this dozens of times. Antiseptic. Dabbing rather than smearing. Keep the patient’s mind off the sting. “Do you remember what your mum looks like?”

The silence that follows makes her wonder if this is a faux pas. He eventually responds: “No, not quite.”

“No, me neither. I have a photo, but I can’t picture them as actual living people. Memories are really interesting that way, actually. We’re not as visual as-“

“Ronnie. Can we talk about something else?”

“Okay.” She racks her brains for small talk. “Do you… like it here at Abel?”

“What, now?” He snorts. “With that pinstripe suit cu-”

Veronica clamps her hands over her own ears, knowing Nadia wouldn’t want her to hear it. He smiles, and raises his hands in apology.

“No, not now. Before.”

“It was all right. Home. Safe. You knew Janine was looking out for ya. There was always enough food to go round.”

“But did you feel like you fit in?” she presses.

“...can’t say I did.”

“Me neither,” she says, a little relieved.

“Runners are quite a superstitious bunch. And I’m unlucky.”

Her brow scrunches in confusion. “Bad luck isn’t a very scientific reason to dislike someone.”

“Can you tell that to getting tied to train tracks, set on fire and repeatedly shot at?”

“Actually, Dad was working on a statistical model of danger to Runners in his spare time. I found it a while ago, me and Nadia were repurposing it to make missions safer. When I include Five in the sample, you actually fall under the average for number of dangerous situations encountered.”

“Uh, I think Five is an outlier.”

“You’re probably right.” She wraps the wound in bandages, and tucks them in. “Done!”

“I owe you one, Ronnie.”

“Just… stay safe. Both of you. I haven’t got time to worry about you two as well as curing the zombie plague.”

“You’re only a… you shouldn’t be worried about us at all, squirt.”

She shrugs. “It’s not my fault you do worrying things. If he puts you in a cell and you can’t change the dressings frequently just do your best to keep it clean.”

“Will do!” He swings off the table, avoiding putting weight on his leg as much as possible. “Whatever he does, I’ll try to make next Friday, all right?”

She nods. Next Friday, she’ll pick out Castaway, and they’ll watch it together, and maybe movie night can be Owen’s thing too.

[mystical-flute]

Next to Normal (1/?)

Petunia's worst nightmare comes true in the form of her son's floating game console.

Also on Ao3 || Buy me a ko-fi

Number Four Privet Drive was quiet, aside from the radio playing softly in the living room, as one Petunia Dursley stood dusting off the photos on the mantle, as she did every morning at ten-thirty. Everything was progressing along just as it should, just as it did every day.

Petunia turned, finished with the dusting, and went over to the cupboard under the stairs, grimacing at the spider web. No matter how many times Petunia cleaned this place, the spider webs just grew back.

She couldn't fathom putting anything in here other than cleaning supplies.

Letting out a soft sigh, Petunia made a mental note to fit in cleaning the cupboard in between the rounds of laundry, and went out to sweep her small front stoop.

"Good morning Petunia! Beautiful day isn't it?" called Alice Wexler from across the road.

Petunia gave the woman a polite smile and nod. "Indeed it is! Almost too perfect for March, wouldn't you say?"

"It does seem that way! But we should enjoy it while we have it, right?"

"Indeed. I think Dudley and I will head over to the park when I go pick him up from school," Petunia hummed with a wave as she retreated back inside when she heard the phone begin to ring. That was strange. Marge didn't usually call until dinnertime.

"Hello? Dursley residence."

"Mrs. Dursley, hello. This is Mrs. Nolan, Dudley's teacher. Do you have a moment to talk?"

Dudley's teacher? Her little Dudder? What a strange phone call to get. "Oh! Of course I do Mrs. Nolan. What can I do for you?" she asked with a small frown.

The teacher heaved out a sigh. "Well… it appears Dudley has gotten into a bit of trouble this afternoon. He somehow threw an eraser across the room and hit the board. He claims he didn't do it, but there are… well, a lot of witnesses."

Oh no. This was a phone call parents dreaded.

"Why Mrs. Nolan, I'm sure there must be some kind of misunderstanding," Petunia said smoothly. Dudley was strong, yes, but would he go so far as to throw something across the room? Her Dudders would never do such a thing! "I know Dudley might not be the best student in terms of grades, but I know for a fact he would never throw an eraser!"

"Mrs. Dursley, I'm sorry but I'm going to have to give him some sort of punishment – "

"I said my son is innocent. You will do no such thing!" Petunia protested.

A resigned sigh met her ears. "Very well, Mrs. Dursley. Can you please ask Dudley what really happened, at least? Maybe he'll talk to you instead of me."

Petunia smiled, pleased with the arrangement. "Of course I can, Mrs. Nolan. Thank you very much for seeing it my way."

"You're welcome. Bye now."

Petunia hung up the phone, content, until the end of the day when it was time to get Dudley from school.

"Dudley dear, how was school today?" she asked smoothly.

"Something really cool happened mum!" he said, practically bouncing on his toes as they walked down the lane.

Petunia smiled. "Oh? And what was that?"

"The teacher's eraser flew across the room! It was like magic! No one saw who threw it, and I don't think anyone did!"

Magic?

Color began to drain from her face as they entered the house. "Magic?" she whispered. "And why do you say that, Dudley? You know magic isn't real."

"I know Mum, but it was so weird! And so cool! Besides, it's not like the teacher didn't deserve it. She was really annoying today…"

Petunia pretended she didn't hear that last part as she gave Dudley a bowl of crisps to eat. "Just because you didn't see who did it doesn't mean it was magic, Dudley. And don't worry, I've already spoken to your teacher. She will not be blaming you."

Dudley smiled up at her. "Thanks Mummy."

"Only the best for you, my dear, sweet boy," Petunia replied with a smile. "Now, why don't you head upstairs and play some of your video games before dinner?"

Dudley nodded and got up, heading upstairs as Petunia prepared a roast and potatoes.

"Whoa!" she heard the muffled cry of her son. When he was playing his games, it wasn't unusual for him to cry out during a particularly hard part, it was a bit strange for him to be so… quiet with his shouts.

So it was with a small frown that Petunia set down the knife she was using and made her way upstairs. "Dudley? Is everything alright in there?"

"Mum! Come here! You have to see this. It's so cool!"

Petunia let out a soft sigh. Usually when Dudley showed her things he deemed cool in his video games, it was a new way to kill another character. Hardly the sort of thing that Petunia wanted her son to be interested in, but she couldn't convince him otherwise. Even so, he wanted to show her something, so Petunia pushed his bedroom door open…

And nearly fainted at the sight.

Her son's  game controller was floating in the air, while her son was sitting on his bed in awe. Excitement was written on his face as he glanced from Petunia to the floating controller.

She felt her legs almost give way, but she kept herself steady with her hand resting on the handle of the door to keep herself upright. She couldn't stand this. She couldn't stand the thought that her son could be like her – her sister. The woman she hadn't spoken to in years because she'd gotten everything and Petunia was only left with the scraps. She couldn't stand the thought of Dudley being a – a freak like her!

"It's time to do your homework, Dudley," she managed to whisper. "Turn off your game and do your homework."

"But – "

"Now!" she said sharply. Much sharper of a tone than she'd ever used with him before.

Sensing the unease with his mother, Dudley scurried off to do as she asked. As he disappeared down the stairs, Petunia let her legs drop to the floor.

She couldn't tell Vernon. Not yet. Not knowing how he'd react.

Petunia was cornered. Completely and utterly cornered, and left with only one option.

She had to call her sister.

Taking a deep breath, Petunia steadied her nerves and made her way to the phone she and Vernon kept in their bedroom, pulling out the number she'd kept hidden for a rainy day, and dialed while praying to whatever god was out there that they hadn't gotten rid of the phone.

"Potter residence, Harry speaking."

Petunia's breath caught in her throat at the voice. She remembered getting that announcement. She hadn't sent anything. Had thrown out the announcement, but she remembered getting it in the mail. Harry… her nephew's name was Harry. A perfectly ordinary name, surprisingly.

"Hello? Is anyone there?"

"Harry, if no one's there, hang up the phone!"

"Lily…" she whispered when she heard her sister's voice, jolted back into the reality of the situation. "Hello… yes, I need to speak with Lily, please."

"Oh. Okay. Mum! Phone for you!"

There was a brief pause as the phone changed hands, and finally there was a soft "hello?" on the other line.

"Lily… I… it's me. Petunia."

Another pause, this time of shock. For a moment, Petunia could have sworn her sister had stopped breathing, until she heard a whispered "Tunie?"

"Yes. Lily I… I don't know what to do."

"What is it? Are you okay?"

"Physically yes, I'm fine… I'm not sure about mentally right now."

"What happened?"

Petunia took a deep breath. "I think my son – my Dudley – has magic."

"You… think he's a wizard? What makes you think that?"

She placed a hand on her forehead. "The… he has this video game thing, I don't know if you keep up with technology anymore but… it was floating. They aren't supposed to do that, Lily."

Lily sighed on the other end of the line. "Okay. I'll get in contact with Professor Dumbledore and let him know. I imagine… he'll be in contact soon, if Dudley is. Does Vernon know?"

"He's not home from work yet… I don't know how to tell him," Petunia whispered.

"Petunia… I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I know how much you consider me to be a freak. I'm sorry that your son might have to go through his parents hating him because he's a wizard."

Petunia stiffened, pinching her brow as she tried not to scream. "Lily… I don't know what to do."

Lily was quiet over the phone for a moment before Petunia heard her voice again. "What do you want of your son, Petunia?"

"I want him to be normal!"

"Petunia, this is the new normal for him. He's not a Muggle, and you have a choice to either be a good, supportive mother to him, or you can do to him what you did to me, and end up pushing him away. But if you want to continue to live in denial, wait and see if he gets his Hogwarts letter. If he doesn't, then congratulations, you were seeing things."

She stared, dumbfounded at Lily's words. "Lily, I – "

"Those are your only two options, Petunia. Now, I'm sorry to cut this short, but we're having dinner tonight with some friends and their children. Bye… Tunie."

"Bye Lily…" she whispered, her voice shaking as she ended the call and put the phone down on the bedside table, before resting her head in her hands.  This was a nightmare scenario for Petunia, something she never expected would happen. Yes, Lily was a witch, and that wasn't right, wasn't normal, but for her son, her Dudley to be one…

And then there was Vernon. Her dear husband Vernon. He hated magic more than Petunia did. How was he going to react to this?

Still… normal. She had to pretend – for now – that everything was normal.

Wiping the tears from her eyes, Petunia rose to her feet and went back downstairs to finish cooking dinner. It needed to be done at exactly five-thirty after all, and she had wasted enough time already.

"Mum? I'm done with my homework…" Dudley's voice, unusually quiet, murmured into the room right as Petunia was finishing mashing potatoes.

"I'm glad, Dudley," Petunia said. "You can watch TV now. Your father will be home soon."

Dudley nodded, shuffling a little in the kitchen's doorway. "Mum, are you mad?"

Petunia sighed, setting the beaters down and looking at her son. Her beloved son. If he was a wizard… could she turn her back on him like she had Lily?

"No, Dudders, I'm not mad at you. I know you couldn't help what happened earlier," she said, putting her hands lovingly on his shoulders. "And I promise, I'll tell you what I think happened, but for now, maybe we can keep it our little secret? I don't think your father needs to know about this quite yet."

Dudley frowned. "Why not?"

"Because I still need to talk to some other people about this. If you keep it a secret for your father, I promise we'll go to the shops after you get out of school tomorrow, and you can get whatever games you'd like."

He lit up at that and happily wandered into the living room, and moments later Petunia heard the television flash to life, and normalcy seemed to be returning to the Dursley household with Vernon's arrival home from work. As always, Vernon's coat and hat were hung up neatly, his briefcase put carefully next to the coffee table, he'd ruffled Dudley's hair, given her a kiss, and the family settled in to dinner, with Petunia's heartbeat beginning to slow to a normal pace.

Or, it would have, if not ten minutes later, the fireplace hadn't lit up in a brilliant shade of white, and Albus Dumbledore appeared in the middle of their living room.

"Hello Petunia. It's been quite a while, hasn't it?"

[punkscowardschampions]

Chloé & James

Chloé: You were SO unreceptive at dinner Chloé: more than usual Chloé: your sister is now talking to ME, asking what's wrong James: tell her to forward it to me Chloé: It isn't a business email Chloé: I'm your WIFE Chloé: I should know what's going on in your life but you never tell me anything James: & yet it'll end up in my father's hands regardless Chloé: Oh how dreadful that your loved ones are concerned about you James: they aren't concerned, Chloé James: simply in need of dinner entertainment James: it's as good an icebreaker as anything else, that's all Chloé: How dare you Chloé: I'm very concerned that you won't tell me Chloé: That always been great things, yeah? James: Matilda's crying can you go and be concerned about her, please? Chloé: Trying to change the subject and call me a bad Mum Chloé: Thanks so much, James James: I'm just asking you to check the baby is okay Chloé: She's a baby, they cry Chloé: and you don't know what I'm doing as well as trying to communicate with you James: I know you're not brushing Jay's hair because I am Chloé: Good Chloé: that doesn't change the fact we need to talk Chloé: or you need to talk to your sister and CONVINCE her you're fine Chloé: you make me look bad too when you do this James: I'll call her as soon as I get the chance Chloé: Yes, thank you Chloé: Can you plait her hair, please Chloé: I want it in ringlets for school James: you know she prefers to wear it loose, your punishments are getting more creative Chloé: IT IS NOT A PUNISHMENT Chloé: Don't be morbid Chloé: it looks scruffy loose James: well, if you'd agree to letting her have it cut, that wouldn't be a problem Chloé: So she can look like a little boy Chloé: I'm saving her the future embarrassment of looking back on awful photos James: okay James: I'm sure she'll thank you then if not me right now for these plaits James: would you like them french? Chloé: I'm looking after the baby, I can't be in two places at once Chloé: and no, lots of little ones James: but if I do them as two neat ones they can stay in Chloé: I don't WANT them to stay in Chloé: when you take it out in the morning she'll have lots of curls Chloé: [sends reference pics like he's an idiot] James: fine Chloé: Thank you James: do you know where all her school socks have gone? Chloé: Ugh, no idea Chloé: My Mother needs to bring some laundry back I think Chloé: she'll have to wear tights James: she'll be upset enough about the curls Chloé: I can't magic socks out of thin air! James: no, but you could call your mother while I call my sister Chloé: Please get a grip, James Chloé: I'm not chasing up socks at this o'clock the night before School Chloé: she'll have to deal, you spoil her James: she'll make herself sick, Chloé, you know the state she gets herself worked up into James: & it's me who'll have to deal with that Chloé: She's not a baby Chloé: she needs to learn Chloé: She's jealous of Tilly James: I'm well aware of her age, she's only 6 Chloé: Old enough to put tights on and suck it up James: I'm not having this fight with you again Chloé: Then you do something about it James: I will Chloé: 👏 James: I'm going to your mother's, do you need anything else? Chloé: She'll tell you James: please put Matty in her car seat for me Chloé: Why? James: because the drive will put her to sleep James: I can't be up with her all night Chloé: Okay Chloé: hang on Chloé: [is ages] James: Chloé James: I don't have time for this Chloé: Excuse me Chloé: You think you're the only person doing things? James: my thoughts are currently taken up with asking myself why it is you're incapable of doing one simple thing that I ask you to James: are you that mad at me for my supposed behaviour at dinner? Chloé: Well now I'm mad at you for the way you're speaking to me Chloé: [throws child at him] James: however you feel, don't take it out on our children Chloé: You upset me and then I'm the bad guy Chloé: Sounds about right James: I'm sorry if you're upset but I fail to see what I've actually done wrong James: at any point this evening Chloé: You could barely hold a conversation Chloé: with YOUR family Chloé: it was mortifying James: because I've been working for them non-stop James: & because I can't have so much as a single glass of anything alcoholic without my sister believing that I need to go back to rehab Chloé: Exactly Chloé: You've already proven yourself as weak in that capacity Chloé: Of course they're going to think that whenever you're behaving odd Chloé: I know better but that's not a happier picture to paint James: you'd rather they think I've relapsed than tell them the truth? Chloé: You tell me, James Chloé: Because I don't think I know the truth right now, do I James: what gory details are you hoping I'll divulge exactly? Chloé: Your actual addiction Chloé: Don't play dumb James: I'm a recovering drug addict, that's all James: if that disappoints you, I'm really sorry Chloé: If you were sorry you'd be a faithful, loving husband to me Chloé: I'm sorry you aren't having a spa retreat because you can't keep it in your pants James: like you were so apologetic when you had sex with that guy last time you were at the spa? Chloé: You make me feel terrible about myself Chloé: you don't pay me any attention Chloé: of course I have to go somewhere else Chloé: I'm a woman, I need to feel loved James: sometimes you deserve to feel terrible about yourself Chloé: How could you say that? Chloé: I gave you your kids James: & they'll always be the best thing that ever happened to me James: this isn't Chloé: Then act like it Chloé: it's a package deal, a family Chloé: treat me with the respect I deserve James: I do act like it James: there's no more I can physically or emotionally do Chloé: Well it's not good enough Chloé: I need you Chloé: When's the last time you came near me James: you know when Chloé: Yeah, when you want another kid, I'll get a look-in, okay Chloé: I'm a person too, you know James: it wasn't me who wanted another child Chloé: So now it's my fault Chloé: and Tilly's a mistake Chloé: Wow James: if it makes you feel better to twist every single word that comes out of my mouth James: I love her, you know I do Chloé: You know I won't have you around them if you are going to say things like that Chloé: I have to protect them James: you can't protect them with lies Chloé: You just said you didn't want her! Chloé: and we know Jay's situation is far from ideal James: I didn't want to bring another child into this, no sane person would Chloé: They have everything Chloé: Including a good dad, when you're not going around fucking every whore in sight James: I don't do that any more Chloé: I know you do, you're different Chloé: I know Chloé: I'd rather you were on the blow James: how can you say that Chloé: Everyone still does it Chloé: You just have to take it too far Chloé: Handle your shit like a man, why can't you James: you don't understand, you never fucking have Chloé: You don't wanna admit I have a point, more like James: there are things I'd rather not admit, that's not one of them Chloé: Don't taunt me Chloé: You know when I find out who she is Chloé: I will let everyone know what she is James: there's nobody to find out about James: all of that is over Chloé: you have to be getting it somewhere Chloé: it's not from me James: I told you, I'm not a sex addict Chloé: How can I believe anything you say, James? Chloé: That's the problem James: the problem is, you'd prefer to label me as a sex addict who fucks whores than admit what the actual problem is Chloé: The problem is you Chloé: you don't treat me how you should Chloé: Leave the baby with my Mother James: yes, but not just me, you've never treated me right either James: & no, I'm not going to do that Chloé: I'm not going to be in any state to look after her tomorrow Chloé: Not now Chloé: I'm going to bed, the sofa has your name all over it Chloé: or your whore's, I don't care anymore James: that's barely a threat James: I'll look after her, as I would on a typical day Chloé: University is over, James Chloé: You'll be working full-time now Chloé: You can't turn my own daughters against me James: I'll take her to work with me or I won't go in, nothing is as difficult as you'd like to make it Chloé: Sure, you can explain to your Father why you've got her Chloé: and how you treat me whilst you're at it James: he's well aware of everything I do for you & our family Chloé: Ha! James: we can't go on like this, Chloé Chloé: Goodnight James: you wanted to talk Chloé: And you've made me cry Chloé: Goodnight James: please Chloé: Unless you're apologizing I have no interest in whatever you think you need to say James: I'm sorry I made you cry Chloé: Yes, you should be James: I don't want things to get as bad as they were before Matty, okay? Chloé: You know how to make it better James: no I don't Chloé: Show me you're sorry James: what does that even mean? Chloé: For God's sake, James! Chloé: You weren't an actual virgin when we got together, why are you like this Chloé: it means presents and meals and trips and showing me off James: why do you think that'll make anything better? James: the only person that benefits is you Chloé: You are so selfish James: I honestly wish I could be Chloé: You should have thought about that James: of course I should've James: but I wasn't thinking then Chloé: You have responsibilities Chloé: as a Father AND as a Husband Chloé: and you neglect me and I'm sick of it James: you're sick of it Chloé: And what is that supposed to mean? James: it means what the fuck am I if not sick of it too! Chloé: Well, it's tough, like I said! Chloé: You're my Husband and the Father of my kids and that's the end of it James: I'm taking Matty & Jay & we're going to my parents Chloé: No you are not Chloé: You don't get to take them anywhere Chloé: not away from me James: I'm their dad James: & you said yourself that you're not going to be able to look after them tomorrow Chloé: You aren't taking Jay anywhere Chloé: leave Tilly with my parents Chloé: if you take them, I swear I'll call the police James: I'm not leaving her with you James: not when you're like this Chloé: I'm trying to go to bed! Chloé: You come home Chloé: now James: you're trying to proposition me James: I'm not coming home to that Chloé: I said you're sleeping on the sofa, how could you possibly get that from that? Chloé: I've long since given up on you in that department, as we both know James: explain Matilda then Chloé: She's a bloody year old Chloé: You think I've not had sex in a year? Chloé: and I know you have so don't try to make me feel bad Chloé: maybe if you didn't get it other places, we could have a normal sex life but that's never gonna happen, is it James: we've never had a normal sex life, Chloé Chloé: Cecily and Marc do it every night Chloé: and they've been together ages now James: I'm so happy for them James: but that's never going to be us Chloé: Why are you so shit Chloé: at everything Chloé: I don't get anything James: what more do you want from me? Chloé: That's such a ridiculous question Chloé: I want us to be a happy family, like I have to put on the brave face and pretend to the world we are Chloé: You know this James: yes, it is, because you've got everything that I am capable of giving you James: we're not a happy family, let me go Chloé: No Chloé: You're the Father of my Children Chloé: you're all I've got Chloé: we have to make the best of it James: you don't love me James: don't you want to be in love? Chloé: I want you to love me James: no, you don't James: you want me to do as I'm told James: I'm not a child or a dog Chloé: Why don't you love me? James: because James: I don't even like you Chloé: You're killing me James: we're killing each other James: let me go Chloé: I can't James: I can't do this any more Chloé: We have to Chloé: there's no out James: of course there is, marriages end Chloé: No Chloé: I can't do it alone and I won't Chloé: you know I won't James: you wouldn't be James: I'm not leaving the kids Chloé: Stop Chloé: You aren't leaving anyone James: Chloé Chloé: You aren't Chloé: I will not be divorced James: you can't force my hand forever Chloé: but I can Chloé: I'm the Mum and you know the courts would favour me Chloé: there's nothing you can do about that James: I've still got rights Chloé: Try it Chloé: I can assure you, you'll never see them again James: don't say that Chloé: No, I mean it Chloé: You are not leaving me James: you can't stop me from seeing them, I'm not unfit Chloé: I will Chloé: there's so much I could use against you James: it's been years since I touched drugs James: & everything else I've done, you have too Chloé: If you're willing to risk it Chloé: shows how much they mean James: you know how much they mean to me Chloé: Then stay Chloé: Be a Father James: I am a father Chloé: Not if you leave Chloé: I'll make sure of that James: I told you, I'm not leaving them James: but I can't be with you Chloé: You have to be Chloé: they're mine Chloé: and I'm not being used as a babymaking factory and then discarded James: that's not what happened Chloé: yes it is Chloé: you don't love me and you never have Chloé: you don't even like me James: but I didn't set out to use you Chloé: You made promises Chloé: legally binding ones Chloé: I will ruin you James: I know I did Chloé: Every penny you earn will be mine Chloé: You can't get rid of me, so stay James: I don't care about the money, you can have it Chloé: You don't care about anyone but yourself James: that's not true James: you said I was a good father Chloé: I don't think that now Chloé: you're playing with their lives James: I'm trying to make their lives better Chloé: Why don't you murder me Chloé: you want me out of the way James: stop it Chloé: No James: you're their mum, they need you too Chloé: No one needs me Chloé: and no one wants me Chloé: not even you James: they both do Chloé: you've poisoned them Chloé: Tilly can barely crawl and she already prefers you James: I spend more time with her, that's all James: don't keep giving her to your mother Chloé: Don't tell me what to do Chloé: I try! Chloé: See, you're poison Chloé: they'll never love me James: Chloé Chloé: Leave me alone Chloé: you've ruined my life James: I'm sorry James: I never wanted things to be like this Chloé: Do you think that's good enough? Chloé: You all ruined my life Chloé: I'm everyone's last choice James: you have to take some responsibility Chloé: This is your fault Chloé: you and your fucking friends Chloé: I tried, so much harder than any other girl, to be what you wanted Chloé: and you all just threw it in my fucking face James: this isn't what anybody wants Chloé: Fuck you Chloé: you've said enough Chloé: I know I'm the fattest and the ugliest but I can't help that James: you're not James: it's not about what you look like Chloé: It always is Chloé: McKenna would rather fuck his own flesh and blood just because she's hot James: he's got nothing to do with why we aren't right for each other Chloé: You're all the same Chloé: if it weren't you it'd be one of the others Chloé: you're all horrible James: I am horrible, but so are you Chloé: I'm miserable Chloé: everyone hates me James: you don't have to be James: miserable or hated Chloé: Yes I do Chloé: I've never been anything but Chloé: people pretend to like me Chloé: for a while James: you don't have to have Diana drive you to rehab in order to make changes James: it's not the only way Chloé: I hate my life Chloé: I don't even like the girls James: you don't mean that Chloé: Yes, I do Chloé: at best, I feel nothing Chloé: most of the time there another thing in my life that refuses to go right James: you just need help Chloé: I didn't want them Chloé: I didn't want you Chloé: none of this is right James: so we'll change it Chloé: No Chloé: I don't have the energy Chloé: What I want, I can't have Chloé: so neither can you James: please James: I can help you Chloé: Don't make me laugh Chloé: I want to go away and start again and be another person Chloé: I'll be so so slim and beautiful and everything I say and do will be cool and funny and right and everyone will love me and I'll find someone who worships me James: neither of us get that luxury James: Jay and Matilda exist James: you & me exist as we are, with all our mistakes Chloé: Oh I'm sorry, who got to piss off to rehab like they were some kind of celebrity Chloé: I'm going James: it wasn't like that Chloé: Whatever Chloé: you left James: I had to James: for everyone's sake James: you think I'm useless as I am now, who I was then would be worse Chloé: at least we had fun Chloé: I'm so bored Chloé: this is all so boring James: did we? Chloé: I did Chloé: Who wouldn't rather be at a party doing lines than staring at a fucking baby all day Chloé: changing shitty nappies and feeding it slop James: you didn't have to keep her James: you decided to Chloé: I was 15 Chloé: what the fuck did I know Chloé: who the fuck decided I could make that decision Chloé: it was wrong and I've lived to regret it that's for fucking sure James: you weren't 15 when you decided to do it all again Chloé: You were leaving then too James: how many children do you think will make me stay? Chloé: Only needed the one James: you can't treat people like this James: it's fucked Chloé: If I don't get to be happy Chloé: you don't either Chloé: someone else had to feel it too Chloé: not get happy endings they didn't fucking deserve Chloé: not over me James: our daughters deserve to be happy Chloé: you make them happy James: I try Chloé: you do Chloé: so don't leave them James: I won't Chloé: Good Chloé: come back yeah James: are you going to try too? Chloé: I do James: I mean it, Chloé Chloé: I just told you how hard I try Chloé: listen to me, for fuck's sake James: it's hard to hear, but I am Chloé: Try living it James: okay James: I'll be right next to you living it Chloé: I'm going to bed now Chloé: do not let them wake me James: wait until I get back at least Chloé: why James: because we need to do things differently somehow Chloé: its far too late for that Chloé: I've never loved you either Chloé: you can stay and you can know that Chloé: anyway, i took some sleeping pills Chloé: I'll be out James: how many? Chloé: enough to keep me asleep 'til you're all out of my sight tomorrow James: you understand what I'm asking Chloé: calm down, i wanna feel good not die Chloé: she's watching tv James: I'm coming back now Chloé: yep Chloé: you are

[hollandroos]

Blow A Kiss, Fire A Gun | Part 8

Teaser Pt.1 Pt.2 Pt.3 Pt.4 Pt.5 Pt.6 Pt.7

Summary: You’re arranged to married Tom Holland, Londons most feared mobster, but it’s never easy. He doesn’t seem to want you and you don’t want anything to do with him.

Words: 2.9K

You woke up the next morning with a hangover that maybe wasn’t the worse you’d ever had, but it was definitely up there. But waking up in that room was something else, you simply felt like a princess in the large bed, the sun peeping through the curtains ever so slightly.

Your hands brushed the sheets, noticing they felt different. They were softer than usual and the room seemed warmer. slowly you blinked a few times until your eyes opened enough to see that the sheets were, in fact, a darker colour and the duvet was a simple black one, while you were surrounded with fluffy pillows. It definitely wasn’t your room.

This room looked fit for a king, a dark king at that.

With a small groan, you ran a hand through your knotted hair, tugging at the ends before small flashes started to come back from the night before. Dancing with Haz, playing pool, getting carried up to bed by Tom and even mentioning your mother. Luckily your shirt was still on, or more so his shirt that he’d let you borrow after your pool activities yesterday.

The spot next to you was empty but it was obvious that someone had slept there overnight, Tom be to exact. The sheets were still messily pulled back, pillows scattered around and there was the slight aroma of a manly cologne drifting over onto your side. He’d been soft last night, going along with your drunk shenanigans and practically tucked you into bed.

It was a fun night, you’d give him that and you even briefly remembered kicking a guy in his manhood for flirting but you felt hammered to the bone, so of course, you didn’t hesitate to down two of the painkillers he’d left beside you.

Stretching your arms up, you sighed, regretting the fact that you’d left your phone in your room and now had to get up only moments after waking, but before you could get up your hand hit a piece of paper, the thin material popping beneath your hands.

For a moment you thought that maybe Tom had left it, explaining that he was in his office or letting you know that there were painkillers besides you but that thought quickly diminished when you flipped it over, bold, black letters on the paper.

They were threatening, plain and simple and if you didn’t go into shock mode you would’ve screamed, or at least attempted to throw it onto the other side of the bed. Instead, you sat and gripped the note and stared until common sense kicked in, with a shaky hand you threw back the covers, your legs became exposed to the cold and with Tessa trailing behind you ran straight to Toms office.

Your fist hit the door repeatedly and if it weren’t locked you swore you would’ve barged right on it but you kept knocking, despite the gruff ‘Go away!’s and ‘It’s looked for a reason’. But you kept knocking to the point where Tom shoved his seat back so hard it hit the wall, the photos shaking slightly.

Tom ripped the door open, a frustrated look on his face and he swore before his hand even gripped the handle that whoever it was would be punished for pulling him away from his work so rudely. “This better be fu-, Y/N? What the hell do-” He was expecting it to be one of his men, not you standing there pencil stiff looking dead scared.

You shoved the note against his chest, your hand shaking violently as you held it there until he grabbed it out of your hand. “What the fuck is this? I remember telling you about her, about my mum and you-, and I wake up and you’re- you’re gone and this is laying on your side of the bed” You hiccuped, a sob escaping your quivering lips.

This wasn’t like you, not at all but the fact that someone had snuck into your room and stayed there long enough to leave that beside you, gotten close enough to you that the note was practically touching you without any of Tom’s men noticing made you petrified.

Tom took the note roughly from your hand, absolutely oblivious to what was written on the paper and takes a moment to take in your tear stained cheeks, panting and shaking hands. He wanted to take your hand, to promise that whatever it was, it would be okay but he knew that it was serious by the way you reacted so maybe that wasn’t the best thing to do right now.

Tom noticed that you were wearing that shirt, the one that went to mid thigh and if this wasn’t such a serious situation he could’ve taken you then and there in his office, shirt still on. He remembered passing it to you when you got out of the spa and a glimmer of satisfaction crossed his mind at the fact that it was the shirt you’d thrown on before bed.

“Jesus-, shit”

He read over the paper, his eyes darting back and forth between the words before he tugged you inside, slamming the door and heading over to his desk. Right in front of him in big, black letters was a threat plain and simple. Tom had seen many threats in his time and this was possibly the most simple, but the only to ever send a shiver down his spine.

‘You’re looking for trouble here, leave and you won’t end up six feet under like your mother’

“What do we do, I can’t- I’m not safe” You demanded, standing stiffly beside Tom’s desk. “You’re meant to keep me safe, Tom but this, i-it’s-” you didn’t know what you were feeling, terrified? No. Erratic? Maybe. Shock, that was for sure.

Tom slammed his fist down on the table, his knuckles aching only slightly from the impact but he was too focused on the paper, trying to decipher the writing but nobody came to mind. “Who’d you let in after I left, Y/N? I swear to God”

“I didn’t let anyone in! I was asleep the whole time” You hiss, A fresh set of tears brimmed in your eyes. “I woke up to no you and that- that thing laying next to me”

Tom sighed, gripping his hair with one hand while the other held onto the paper that was crinkling under his tight grip. “It’s an inside job, it has to be” Tom would read over the note again, trying to work out who currently had something against you. Of course, many people had things against Tom but you-, he had no idea where to begin.

“I want to leave, Tom, I’m not- I’m not staying here any longer. I want to go home”

“No, you’re not leaving” That much was sure, Tom wasn’t letting you out of his site.

“Let me go home!-”

“Listen to me, you just had a death threat and even though it came from someone in here, you’re still safer by my side than you are with your father. This is your home now, you’re safest here”

“You just said it was an inside job, Tom! Take me home, now”

“Poppet, you’re staying by my side from now on, you’re either with me or Harrison. No one else, you’re not to leave this house.”

“Your job is to keep me safe but this note somehow ended up in your room while I was in there, how are you meant to keep me safe?”

“We didn’t know there was still a threat before, now that we do we’ll have procedures put in place. You’re staying.”

You choose not to answer, knowing that once Tom had made up his mind, there was no changing it. The silence in the room was anything but awkward, it was filled with nerves, your nerves and Toms anger.

This was just part of the deal, it was what his parents agreed on when they signed that paper and he’d be damned if he was to fail.

“What happens now?” You fiddled with the sleeves of Tom’s shirt, suddenly realizing that you’d been in such a hurry that you’d just slid his shirt on overtop of your underwear and ran through his house like that, where anyone could’ve seen you. God.

Tom sighed, dropping the note. “You stick with me or Harrison, I’ll notify him right now. No more exploring, princess, at least until I sort this out.”

You nod and Tom picks up his phone, dialling who you can only guess to be Harrison. His back is turned to yours so everything comes out muttered and quieter than usual but you hear him informing Harrison about the situation. There’s something about sticking with you, then lining them up, then checking all of the security footage. After a few moments, he hangs up and turns to you.

“We’re gonna sort it, angel.” He put his phone down. “Now, Haz is on his way here and he’s going to stand in my room while you shower. I’ve got some things to do.”

-

They were all lined up, each man Tom had to think twice about against the wall and a gun in his hand. He walked back and forth, eyeing them up and down, looking for any sign of fright or hesitation but found terror in most of his men's faces. They were terrified of him, of what he could do.

The warehouse was cold but each man's face was firetruck red, eyes opened wide and piercing and though they barely took up any space in the large room, they felt confined with their boss waltzing back and forth before them.

“One of you fuckers knows something and we’re not leaving until I get something out of one of you” He hissed. “We can do this the easy way or the hard way and believe me when I say that either way is going to hurt like a bitch, but the hard way will be excruciating.”

One by one, the men gulped, breathing heavily as Tom walked past them. He almost found it amusing, watching the way they shook beneath him. This was what made him a good Mafia boss, he thrived on fear, lived for it. But he also enjoyed the money, the glitz and glam and always having a tasty meal or bottle of expensive alcohol to turn too.

“Do you know anything?” He stopped in front of one of his men, watching closely as the man shook his head. He was telling the truth. Tom moved onto the next person. The man he’d moved on from let out a breath, gripping his chest loosely which caught Tom’s attention, a wicked glint in his coffee coloured irises.

“What about you? Do you know anything?”  This man shook his head too, able to look Tom dead in the eyes when he did it without batting his eyelids or allowing his cheeks to flush. Truth. Another sigh of relief another unforgiving smile from Tom.

“Someone give me something here! I’m getting impatient” Tom clicked his tongue, releasing the safety on the gun.

He moved on to another guy, one that he noticed hadn’t looked up once. His fingers tapped against his thighs nervously and his breathing was oddly uneven. All the signs of nervousness.

“Look me in the eyes and tell me you know nothing about this note” He held it up to the man's face who seemed to be working up quite a sweat. “Tell me the fucking truth or i’ll cut each of your fingers off one by one.” He probably would’ve done it either way, but getting the guys hopes up only seemed to excite Tom even more.

He shook beneath Tom’s grasp, like jelly in a child's hands. “Someone went up to your level last night when I was leaving but he-, he didn’t show his face so I thought that maybe it was you or Harrison so I left”

All of the other men watched on as Toms' hand tightened around the gun, his knuckles turning white. “Were they tall? Short?”

“I’m not sure ahhh, above 5’7?”

“Everyone in this room is above 5’7 you fucking-” He was losing his temper.

Tom groaned, finding that this was going absolutely nowhere, but every small detail counted for something. “Jacob, take him to the basement and find out what else he knows. Let's move onto the next person.”

-

“I’ll sleep on the floor, I had one of my men set up a bed”

You stared at the small, makeshift bed. It looked nowhere near as comfortable as the bed you were about to sleep on but you weren’t going to complain about seeing the biggest Mafia boss sleeping beneath you on a small, kid-sized bed while you practically lay on feathers.

He’d protested that it wasn’t safe for you to sleep by yourself and considering the note was an inside job, Tom didn’t trust simply putting one of his men outside your room. So now you were in his room once again, not even fighting the fact that you would be sleeping with him for god knows how long because his bed was so goddamn comfortable.

“Look, Y/N, I need you to tell me something and I know it’s going to be hard but-” Tom sounded unsure.

“You want to know how she died” You answered before Tom could finish, usually that would’ve made him infuriated but not at the moment. “You forget that i grew up with a former mafia boss, I know what information is important in cases like this”

He nodded, slipping off his shirt and sitting on the small bed. He picked up his phone, checking for any messages. This was a sore spot for you but the information was important.

“Do you know what a gunshot sounds like?” You muttered. “Who am I kidding, of course, you do but-, how about one particular gunshot? One that never seems to leave you alone”

“I don’t” Tom replied, placing his phone down, but not before turning it onto do not disturb mode. He wiggled around enough on the small blow up mattress so that he could see you.

“I was a kid and we were- we were laying in bed watching a movie, Beauty and the beast to be specific because at the time that was my favourite, but that doesn't matter. My father was out at a meeting and he’d been gone a few hours, but back then I refused to go to sleep until he said goodnight.” You stopped, tangling your fingers together and sucked in a deep breath.

“We heard noises from down the hall, banging and shattering and at the time I thought it was the windows but turns out it was the family photos.”

He wanted to tell you that you didn’t have to continue if it was too hard, but Tom wanted to hear this.

“My mum dragged me into the bathroom and made me sit next to the toilet” The bathroom tiles were so cold underneath your fingertips and beneath your robe, making you shiver and no, those shivers weren’t out of fear because you simply didn’t know what was happening. “They came in and looked at me for a moment before turning the gun on my mum and that’s when it clicked and I just- I screamed and he aimed at me and told me to shut up and I just remember crying, Tom.”

If he wasn’t lying on the ground he would’ve placed a comforting arm around you. But all he could do was sit and listen intently.

“Then I heard two gunshots and-, and she was dead, on the floor next to me. Her blood was soaking into my robe and I just cried until my dad got home. He found me covered in her blood later that night and sent me away first thing.”

“Y/N, I-”

“I don’t want your pity, none of it. I just felt like you deserved to know.”

“This information it could-, it could help a lot with trying to figure out who left that note” Tessa huffed from the other side of the room as if Tom was speaking to her, her face nuzzling into the seeming king sized dog bed.

“Now that that’s out of the way, get up here” You moved the sheets on the other side of the bed back, allowing Tom to get up. When he didn’t, you patted the spot.

“Are you sure?

“Awe, Has Tommy got a soft spot?” You tried your best to smile. “As long as you keep your distance, we’re okay”

He got up, the makeshift bed he’d been laying on making him feel unsteady as he stepped along it before colliding with the soft sheets he was used to, the familiar ashy grey.

“I’m not too sure that I can keep my distance but I’ll try my best” As if a switch had flicked, he was back to his usual self. All ounce of remorse and guilt gone on the outside but every word you’d just said remained.

Pt.9

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[elleberquist6]

In The Area

(self repost, my first post was an Ao3 link, and I wanted to post again solely on tumblr to link to my fic page) Written for americanphancakes for the Spring Fic Exchange for @phanfictionevents​ Excerpt: Dan admired him for a moment, running a hand down his milky thigh before paying him the compliment he was due, “You’re a marvelous specimen of humanity.” “You too,” Phil whispered, but then said louder, “I can tell that you’re a testament to your kind, too.”Dan noticed where Phil’s eyes kept flicking and he laughed. “Want something?”Phil’s cheeks got pink and he was having trouble maintaining eye contact, but he said, “Um, well, are you ready? To study me I mean…” Rating: Explicit Word count: 5408 Warnings: Sexual situation

Prompt: "Alien abduction turns into consensual tentacle sex (y'know, for science!).... but neither of them is the alien (or aliens)! Bonus points if the fic includes them watching each other gettin' tentacled down. :D"

I was very inspired by this prompt, though I took some liberties with it ;) I hope you like it

In the middle of the barren Nevada desert, there's a dusty unmarked road that leads to the front gate of Area 51. It's protected by little more than a chain link fence, a boom gate, and intimidating trespassing signs. One would think that America's much mythicized top-secret military base would be under closer guard, but make no mistake. They are watching. [https://www.popularmechanics.com/military/research/a24152/area-51-history/]

This wasn’t where he had expected to end up, when Dan had booked this Nevada vacation a few months ago. This was despite the fact that he had planned his vacation to the last detail at home: a reservation for dinner for one at Caesars Palace, tickets to a performance by Chris Angel, and he’d even exchanged some cash for a bagful of quarters to play on the slots. Despite all these preparations, he’d postponed all his plans in Las Vegas the second he’d heard that Area 51 was a mere 80 miles away.

Dan could have boarded a bus, but instead he rented a car at the airport – something about this trip was making him impulsive and eager to indulge his whims. Maybe it was the proximity to Sin City and the old adage, What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Well, he was headed to a place a little North of Vegas now, but he was going to embrace the spirit of the slogan anyway. He had a feeling that if he did, this could be the best trip of his life.

The heat of the day wasn’t abating as he rolled through the desert – the car’s alleged air conditioning helped at first, but the heat quickly overwhelmed it and it started blasting hot air in his face. He shut it off and rolled down the windows, allowing a breeze to blow through. As the sweat on his skin started to dry and the thin cotton of his black t-shirt rustled in the breeze, he began to enjoy the ride. The wasn’t much to see besides the other cars on the highway, the landscape of scattered prickly-looking shrubs, and the occasional rabbit darting between them. It was a pretty bleak and barren place, but the setting relaxed him. This place calmed his mind, which normally raced with thoughts. He settled behind the wheel as the miles ticked by.

The sun was high in the sky as Dan parked his car in the lot, and walked to the nearby designated meeting point for the tour package that he had purchased – it was a large green sign that said “Extraterrestrial Highway” and was covered with stickers. About two dozen people were already gathered under the sign, and based on the fact that some of them were wearing graphic t-shirts with saucers on them and headbands with antennae, he figured that this was his group and stood beside them. He looked up at the sign, tempted to take a selfie with it.

“Yeah, mum.” Someone nearby said. “Yeah, I am. I’ll call you later. Bye.”

Dan’s ears tingled at the sound of a familiar accent like his own, and he turned to see a man with black hair who wearing a red NASA shirt. The man was disconnecting a call before slipping his cellphone into his backpack. He noticed Dan’s gaze, which prompted Dan to look away, hoping that the flush in his cheeks could be blamed on the sun blazing above.

Before he could dwell on the awkward moment further, someone stepped out of the crowd, waving a manual on Area 51 written by Captain Chuck Clark to get their attention. It was their tour guide, who directed them to board the tour bus. The adventure was about to begin.

Dan was lucky enough to grab a window seat on the bus, so he could enjoy the sights and snap a few photos along the way. The first stop of the tour was an Inn where they would be having lunch. He hadn’t noticed anything odd about the name of the Inn when he had glanced at it while booking the tour, but he stopped to take a closer look at the sign when he noticed the guy in the NASA shirt standing in front of it, laughing.

“The…” Dan read it slowly, his lips curling with amusement. “Little A'le' Inn.”

The NASA shirt guy looked a bit self-conscious, and perhaps his cheeks were pink from the sun. He said, “I know it’s silly, but I can’t help loving a good pun.”

“Relax, I won’t punish you for that,” Dan said, putting extra emphasis on the ‘pun’. Something about this guy was bringing out a playful side of him.

“Thank you for your punderstanding,” NASA guy said. Before Dan could groan, he extended his phone and asked, “Would you mind taking a photo of me with the sign?”

Dan took the guy’s phone and had to admit that he was a photogenic man, since he quickly captured a good shot of him. Belatedly, he reflected that if he were smoother, he would have put his number in the guy’s phone, but it was too late now, as he'd returned the phone.

“Let’s go get lunch,” the guy said, nodding at the Inn and cheerfully oblivious to Dan’s inner turmoil. “I’m Phil, by the way.”

As he watched Phil lead the way, Dan found himself falling into step behind him.

They sat at the same table for lunch, and both ordered Alien Burgers, joking as they ate that aliens didn’t taste like chicken as people always said they did in movies. As the meal wrapped up, the tour guide was talking about what they would be going to see next, but Dan was too distracted by Phil to pay much attention to anything else. The sun was streaming in the window beside them, glazing Phil’s pale face with white light, which sparkled in his blue eyes. He was too beautiful to be a mere human.

The tour continued, and they drove past the mysterious dry lake, and saw “alien petroglyphs”. The whole time, Dan stayed close to Phil’s side, who didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he seemed happy to have someone to talk to and kept up a running commentary about the sights. To Dan, the commentary from Phil seemed was much more interesting than anything the guide was saying, so he tuned out the rest of the world. Phil kept him fully entertained with interesting facts during their visit to the Black Mailbox location too.

By the time they were walking through the Mutant Joshua Tree Forest, Phil’s stream of facts ended abruptly. He asked, “I’m sorry, am I talking too much? I’ll shut up if I’m being annoying.”

“No, not at all.” Then Dan confessed, “I just feel a bit out of my depth. You seem to really know this stuff, and I’m just here in Area 51 because I really like the X Files.”

When Phil snorted with laughter in response, Dan’s face flushed, and this time his face was far too red to blame on anything else. He shouldn’t have said that. He should have pretended to be really into space to impress this guy. Instead, his honesty had humiliated him. Now he couldn’t look Phil in the eye. They had fallen to the back of the pack as their group walked through the forest, and in his embarrassment Dan started to lengthen his stride to escape the situation and join the others.

“Wait, Dan.” A sweaty hand grasped his, and held on tight, refusing to let him escape. Dan swallowed heavily and liked the contact far more than he knew he should. He glanced over his shoulder at Phil, who was smiling. He said to Dan in a mock whisper, “If you can keep a secret, I like the X Files too.”

Dan laughed in surprise. “No, you don’t. You’re just saying that to save me from my humiliation.”

“Really, I do. I’m a total nerd, and not just for space and science. I love Sci Fi, like X Files, Doctor Who, and Star Trek. They’re awesome.”

“Oh…” Dan felt himself relaxing. His hand was still clasped with Phil’s, and neither of them seemed in a hurry to break the contact, despite how sticky their palms were with sweat. The simple contact made tingles run up his spine.

“So,” Phil said slowly. “What are your favorite kinds of aliens from Sci Fi?”

Dan could have answered honestly and named some of his favorite villains from Doctor Who like the Daleks or Cybermen, but instead he impulsively said, “The ones who appear like normal humans at first.”

Phil’s brows knit together with confusion. “What do you mean?”

“Like right now, you and me.” He smirked and said in a flirty voice, “How do you know I’m human? It’s interesting to think about, isn’t it?”

Phil grinned, finally figuring out what Dan was up to, and he said, “Hmm, that is interesting. I think I could pick up on some red flags, if you were willing to let me study you for a bit.”

Dan was willing, and for the rest of the tour he answered questions, like his age (to which he responded 907 years old after his favorite incarnation of Doctor Who), the location where another habitable planet might be in the solar system (1,000 light years away in the Lyra constellation), and what he thought the answer to life, the universe, and everything was. 42 of course.

By the time the tour ended and they arrived back at the parking lot where the rest of the group departed, barely noticed by the pair, Phil concluded, “Hmm, I think there’s a 50/50 chance you’re an alien, but I’m still not sure.”

Dan giggled and was walking backwards in the rapidly emptying parking lot, leading Phil to his rental car by their joined hands. “What can I do to convince you?”

“I don’t know…” Phil’s eyes roved up and down Dan’s body before settling on his stomach. “Oh, there is something! I heard aliens usually don’t have belly buttons. Well? Do you?”

Dan giggled again. His back was now pressed against his rental car, and Phil was standing close. “Well? Why don’t you take a look? You’re the investigator here, Mulder.”

“And who does that make you? Scully?” Phil asked, his eyes still fixed on the shirt concealing Dan’s belly.

“I thought it was obvious who I was,” Dan said, as he placed his hands on Phil’s shoulders, as if to prevent him from running away. “I’m the alien who is abducting you.”

Phil shivered slightly and his pupils dilated. He opened his mouth to say something, but swallowed his words, and his Adam’s apple bobbed in his throat.

Encouraged by how into this Phil was, Dan grabbed the waistband of his jeans and tugged him closer. For a moment, he just enjoyed the warmth of the body pressed against him and noticed the way their chests rose together as they each sucked in uneven breaths. Then Dan whispered, “Human, this is your last chance. Escape now if that is what you want to do. If not… I’m taking you with me.”

Phil swallowed again and pressed himself closer. “Then take me.”

Without breaking eye contact – he kind of feared that doing so would break the intensity of this moment – Dan reached to open the door to the backseat behind him. He took a step to the side, pulling Phil with him, and then shoved him into the backseat.

Phil fell into the back with a small ‘oof’, his blue eyes going wide with surprise, and his legs dangling outside of the car.

Just as Dan was about to apologize for his brash move, Phil slid further into the car, making room in the backseat for Dan. Grinning, Dan climbed in and closed the door behind him. Feeling how hot it was in here, he said, “One sec.” He leaned between the seats to put the key in the ignition and flip on the A/C. As a cool breeze blasted from the vents, Dan started to slide into the back of the car again, hoping that the awkward sight of his bum in the air hadn’t killed the mood. He said, “Should feel less like a sauna in here soon.”

“Mmm hmm,” Phil sighed, hardly seeming to notice what Dan was saying.

Dan glanced over his shoulder, seeing that Phil was staring at his bum. Well, the mood certainly hadn’t been killed, it seemed… With his cheeks pink, Dan knelt in the backseat in the space between Phil’s parted knees. In the glow of the overhead light, he admired the sight of Phil lying beneath him. His red NASA shirt was riding high, exposing a bit of creamy belly, his black quiff was mussed, and his blue eyes were heavily lidded. Dan wanted him so badly but wasn’t sure where he wanted to start first.

“Well? Do you have one? Show me,” Phil requested in a rough voice.

It took Dan’s distracted brain a few seconds to recall what they had been talking about outside. When he did, he lifted the front of his black t-shirt to expose his belly button. “I have one, but that doesn’t mean I’m human. Lots of extraterrestrials have them. It’s where they connected us to the pod where we were grown.”

Phil laughed and reached out to stroke Dan’s exposed stomach, leaving tingling trails behind his tracing fingertips. “Tell me more. Show me more. I want to know all about you and where you come from.”

“The place where I come from is actually the moon of a much larger nearby planet, although don’t think of it like the moon of your Earth. It’s much larger and has an atmosphere. The air is rich in nitrogen, and it has a ghostly green glow. It’s no wonder why the scientists of Earth have been fascinated by it for decades.” As Dan spoke, the grin on Phil’s face showed him that he once more knew exactly what Dan was referencing. He loved how much they had in common. Dan placed his hands on the hem of his black t-shirt. “Well, that’s some more about where I come from. Now, how about me. Are you curious to see what an alien looks like?”

Phil licked his lips. “Not just any alien. You. I’m curious to see what you look like.”

In response, Dan peeled off his shirt, slowly in a way that he hoped was teasing and alluring. After discarding his shirt, he arched his back a little to display his smooth chest, aware of the way that Phil was watching him. He waited for whatever response would be offered, biting his lip self-consciously and hoping that looked sexy.

Phil placed two tentative hands on Dan’s hips and caressed, seeming to admire the softness of Dan’s skin. He slipped his hands along the waistline of Dan’s jeans, and he appeared to be particularly intrigued by the start of Dan’s v-line, which was just peeking out of the fabric of his low-slung pants. Phil’s thumbs caressed the lines, which sent tingles all the way down, and Dan shivered. Finally, Phil spoke in a whisper, “You’re the most beautiful creature I’ve ever seen.”

Feeling cheeky, Dan grinned and said, “And you haven’t seen the rest of me yet. I think you’re in for a surprise.”

Phil seemed distracted. His eyes were now on the dark skin of Dan’s nipples and his hands were inching upwards. “Oh? What’s that.”

Hesitating, Dan almost didn’t say it. He didn’t want to kill the sexy vibe with a kinky joke, and though Phil had been into it before this could be crossing a line… He took a deep breath. He couldn’t think of anything else to say, and the silence was getting too long, so he decided to just say it in the flirtiest voice he could manage. “I may look human right now, but there’s something about me that may shock you. Phil… when I show it to you, you have to promise me you won’t scream.”

Phil’s blue eyes widened. “What is it?”

With his lips pulled wide with a grin, he leaned over to give Phil a quick kiss, only realizing at the contact that it was their first kiss. Dan froze in place, unsure if this was what Phil wanted or if he should have asked for permission first, but Phil responded to the kiss. It felt easy and right. Phil’s lips were soft, and Dan could taste the strawberry milkshake he’d had at the Inn. It was so lovely that Dan found himself sighing contentedly when they broke apart.

“Well?” Phil asked with a soft chuckle.

Dan blinked, trying to refocus his thoughts which had gone swimmy at the kiss. “Hmm?”

“What is the thing you were going to tell me?”

“Oh,” Dan said with a nervous chuckle. “I was going to show you, not tell you. So, you’ll just have to be patient, little human.” He was lying partially on top of Phil since the kiss, so he felt it when Phil shivered in response. Dan chuckled, “You’re enjoying this far too much. Being abducted by an alien is supposed to be scary.”

Phil gave a chagrined smile. “Okay, I’ll admit it. Perhaps this is a recurring fantasy of mine. And you, too. Perhaps I wanted to be lying here with you from the moment I saw you earlier. I hope that doesn’t bother you.”

“Of course it doesn’t,” Dan said, hoping it showed in his voice how flattered he felt. He wanted to give Phil something in return for this this feeling, so he launched himself fully back into the alien abduction fantasy, complete with cocky grin. He lifted himself off Phil and knelt above him once more with his hands playing idly with the button on his jeans, a gesture meant more to draw the eyes there than to accomplish disrobing. “Does it bother you, little human, to know that you’re a fantasy of mine too? That I’m thinking about doing all kinds of things to you right now?”

Phil bit his bottom lip before asking, “What things do you want to do to me?”

“I’d like to make a study of your body,” he said, running a hand across the smooth, pale skin of Phil’s stomach, and then across the ribs along his side. “I’d like to explore your body, to see what I can make it do… for research purposes of course. Human bodies fascinate me, and there’s so much I must learn about you. So, Phil, will you help me with this?”

Phil was biting his lip again, and this time it looked like he was doing it to hide a smile. “Well, I don’t know… What will I get for helping you? I hope I get to explore a little bit of your fascinating body, too. And what exactly will this this study involve?”

“Oh, you can explore me all you like.” Dan’s hands returned to his own pants, and this time made efficient work of his fly and zipper. He kicked off his jeans, hindered slightly by the tight confines of the car, but made it look as easy and sexy as he could. Now that he was only wearing black Calvin Klein boxer-briefs, his arousal was obvious, and he tried to wear it with a confidence that fit with this narrative. The way that Phil was staring at him with obvious desire made that a little easier, so Dan smiled at him. “And as for this study, do you remember when I said I might show you something shocking later? That’s part of this. I’m going to show you my tentacle now, but please don’t scream.”

Phil was biting his bottom lip so hard now that the skin beneath it was blanching white – he was trying and failing to hold in laughter. After a moment of composing himself, he said in a breathy voice, “I won’t scream. I promise. Now, please show it to me.”

As Dan had expected, all of Phil’s attention was now focused on the bulge in his boxers. Dan moved his right hand to it and teased the fabric, as if he were contemplating taking his boxers off, while also stimulating himself. This sight succeeded in captivating Phil’s full attention, which had been the plan. Leaning slightly to the left, he was able to reach into his suitcase on the floor and retrieve a cloth bag from inside.

“What’s that?” Phil asked, when Dan dropped all pretense of stroking himself to dig in the bag for the toy.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Dan said, as he dropped the bag to the floor, and brandished what was inside. “This is my tentacle.”

The toy was dark violet with a stylized design on it in a lighter shade of purple, where there would be suction cups on a tentacle if the toy wasn’t smooth for comfort. It was made of a soft silicone with a tapered point, and there was a slight squiggle to it. The sight made Phil’s mouth gape. He didn’t say anything.

“Do you like it?” Dan asked in a small voice, losing some of his cocky demeanor.

After swallowing heavily, Phil said, “I love it. Are you going to use it on me?”

“If you want me to, I will. Do you?”

“Yes, please,” Phil said with a smile.

“Okay then. Pants off. I need to get something else,” Dan requested, picking up the authoritative manner of an abducting alien once more. While Phil shimmied out of his jeans, Dan returned to his suitcase and grabbed a bottle of lube. He also got out a condom, which he rolled onto the tentacle toy – the toy was clean, but it seemed polite to put a condom on it before using it on a stranger. By the time he returned to place between Phil’s knees, he was nude now. Dan admired him for a moment, running a hand down his milky thigh before paying him the compliment he was due, “You’re a marvelous specimen of humanity.”

“You too,” Phil whispered, but then said louder, “I can tell that you’re a testament to your kind, too.”

Dan noticed the way that Phil’s eyes kept flicking to the tentacle dildo in his hand. He laughed and wiggled it. “Want something?”

Phil’s cheeks got pink and he was having trouble maintaining eye contact, but he said, “Um, well, are you ready? To study me I mean…”

“I am.” Dan put down the dildo for a moment. He uncapped the bottle of lube and drizzled some on his fingers. As he rubbed his fingers together to warm the fluid, he said, “From what I’ve heard about humans, there’s a little bit of preparation that’s necessary before I do any internal exploring. Are you ready?” When Phil nodded in response, Dan reached down to press a finger into his body. He watched Phil’s face for signs of discomfort but saw nothing more than a slight wrinkling of his nose. As he moved his finger in and out, he said, “You have to tell me what you’re feeling. For the study. Be as detailed as you can.”

“Mmmmh, feels nice. It would feel even nicer if you moved your hand faster,” Phil requested, and his breathing got heavier as Dan instantly complied. He shifted his hips, searching for a better angle to receive the attention Dan was giving him. “I can take another. You can add another finger please.”

Dan pressed a second finger into him. He was still watching Phil’s face, but no longer out of concern – there was something intoxicating about the sight of this lovely face in the grip of pleasure and knowing that he was the one causing it. As Phil was swept away by the sensation, his breathing got heavier, and he closed his eyes. Overtaken by a wave of affection, Dan leaned in to place a kiss on the inside of Phil’s thigh.

After a few more minutes, it was obvious to Dan that Phil was eager for more, and he felt the same. He withdrew his fingers and picked up the toy, which he coated with more lube. He asked, “Are you ready for the next stage of the experiment, little human?”

Phil nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, please. I need it. Give me your tentacle. Breed me with it.” He flushed again as he saw the way Dan was pressing his lips together to hold in laughter. He asked in a hushed voice, “Was that too much?”

“No, that was sexy,” Dan insisted, as he moved the tentacle toy into place, but didn’t push it in yet. He asked, “Ready?”

Phil just nodded again. His cheeks were still red, and he seemed wary of saying anything that might be over the line of normality. It made Dan want to help loosen him up.

Dan pressed the toy in slowly, glancing between the sight of it being swallowed by Phil’s body, and Phil’s face as his nose scrunched up again. When the toy was halfway home, Dan paused and asked, “Am I going too fast? How does that feel?”

“Mmmmh,” Phil sighed, and he seemed to need to take a moment to blink and organize his thoughts. “It feels good. More than good. Please don’t stop, I’m fine and I want more. I want all of it.”

Dan’s cock gave a twitch at the words, but he ignored it. He wanted to please Phil right now, so he wasn’t concerned with his own body’s needs. He was about to start again, but then he decided to tease Phil a little. He bit the inside of his cheek lightly to suppress a smile, and asked, “I’m sorry, you want all of what? I don’t know what you’re asking for…”

Phil scowled, though his eyes were sparkling with amusement. “You’re really going to make me ask for it?”

“Mmm hmm,” Dan hummed, continuing to hold the toy still.

Phil sighed, but then said, “Please give me your tentacle. It feels amazing. If you give me more, I’ll be good for you. I’ll let you study me all you all you need. Please, Dan. Use me for your experiment.”

Dan noticed the way that Phil’s erection was pulsing during this plea. It seemed impossible, but Phil might already be close, just from what they’d done so far and this scenario they were playing with. It was adorable and sexy at the same time, and it made Dan want to give Phil everything. He kissed the inside of his thigh again before saying, “Okay, little human. You can have it all.”

Phil gasped as he felt the slow slide of the toy entering him fully to the base. Then he moaned as Dan started to move it in and out. Dan knew from experience how incredible this toy felt – the nearly uneven texture of the toy and the slight curves in the silicone were unlike any other one he tried. Or like Phil had tried before either, Dan would guess, based on how he seemed to be enjoying it. Dan hoped that this was just like Phil had fantasized a tentacle would feel. In between panting breaths, Phil moaned, “Oh my gosh, Dan. You’re incredible.”

“I am?” Dan’s cheeks flushed. He hadn’t expected that kind of praise – he had thought that Phil would be enjoying the toy in this moment, not the hand that was moving it.  

“Oh, yes,” Phil sighed in response. “You’ve been surprising me since the moment we met. It makes me never want to leave, just so I can see what you’ll do next.”

Warmth flooded Dan’s chest because he felt the same way. He smiled and tried to cover up how touched he was with a casual laugh – he could confess later, but this felt like a moment for giggles and teasing. He said, “If you like surprises, I have one more in store for you. Call it… phase two of the experiment.”

Phil giggled heartily, which jostled his body a little; he seemed to realize how good movement felt, because he started to shift his hips as Dan continued to move the toy inside him. “Mmmh, phase two please. I’m ready. Surprise me.”

Grinning, Dan flipped a switch on the base of the toy. It started to buzz in his hand, and deep inside Phil’s body the tip of the tentacle started to wiggle back and forth. He took a break from thrusting it inside Phil’s body and left it buried deep, just enjoying the sight of what it was doing to Phil’s body.

Phil shouted in surprise at the stimulation. His body went tense, and then he relaxed with a groan. Then he tensed again and arched his back slightly. He thrashed his head from side to side, mussing his hair, and a dark strand got stuck to his sweaty forehead. The muscles in his stomach quivered. For a second, Dan considered moving the toy again in an attempt to finish Phil, but he left it where it was. He wanted to see if he could get him off with words alone. He placed a hand low on Phil’s stomach, and said, “I think I’ve discovered what I needed to know with this experiment. You’re perfect. I’m going to breed you.”

Phil came with a shout, spilling sticky seed across his thighs and stomach. Some ran onto the seats, but Dan wasn’t worried about his rental car now. He watched as the aftershocks of Phil’s orgasm shook him, and then turned off the vibrations so the sensitivity wouldn’t bother him. Carefully, he withdrew the toy, and then discarded it on the floor to be dealt with later. Phil was watching him. He licked his lips and asked in a voice roughened by moaning, “How about you?”

“Me?” Dan blinked and belatedly realized that Phil was asking if he wanted to be taken care of, too. His arousal must be obvious, but Dan shook his head. In that moment, it was difficult to put into words, but he knew he didn’t just want to have sex in a car and never see Phil again, and he feared that would happen if he accepted Phil’s offer now. Hoping that some of the meaning made it into his response, he said, “Not yet.”

Phil smiled and sat up, covering his lap with his pants that had fallen to the floor. As Dan settled comfortably into the backseat with him, Phil said, “Sorry about your car. The backseat might need to be cleaned…”

Dan waved away the worry. “It’s fine. It’s just a rental.”

“You’re just passing through then? Me too.”

Dan nodded. This was quickly becoming awkward small talk, but he didn’t know how to fix this. “Yeah, I’m just here on vacation. I live in London.”

“Oh! Me too!” Phil grinned broadly. “That’s an amazing coincidence.”

“It is.” Dan’s heart was racing in his chest. He stared unblinkingly in Phil’s eyes for a long moment, starting to relax once more. “Did you book a room for the night at the Little A'le' Inn?” When Phil nodded in response, Dan said, "I suppose I should get a room, too." "You might not need to..." Phil said, and the intensity of his gaze made his offer clear. "Oh. Yes. That sounds lovely." Dan found himself already mentally remapping the course of his vacation to include a second person. He realized Phil might not share this impulsive nature, so he said, “Just so you know, I’m supposed to be in Las Vegas tomorrow. I booked some plans there. I was just going to visit Area 51 today.”

“I’ve always wanted to go to Vegas!” In a small voice, Phil asked, “Could I come with you?”

“Of course.” Dan laughed and leaned in to kiss Phil. It felt like the first of many.

“Hey!” Phil protested, but kissed him back. “What’s so funny?”

Dan smiled and shook his head. “I was just thinking about coincidences, and how funny they are. That in this massive universe, two lifeforms can somehow manage to find each other. What are the odds of that?”

“You’re such a nerd.” Phil snorted and shook his head. But he was looking out the window to the darkening sky above, where the first stars of the night were shining.

[fedikcaddy]

Penny for your thoughts

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#PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS FREE#

Once the summer growth got going, it would be knee high. The rockery was overgrown, and the grass was lumpy. Pleasant size, easy to manage, lovely garden… well, it used to be.ĭad’s once prized greenhouse had fallen to pieces. Just a sensible, 70s bungalow, three bedrooms and a living room, kitchen and bathroom. She nodded, grateful for the kindness, and not wanting to sob aloud. “I’ll keep an eye on it, don’t you worry. “We’ll be putting it on the market, of course, but…well, despite what they say we don’t mind waiting, as long as we don’t have to pay Council tax on it. She thanked him, not managing to find his name, but remembering all about his fishing exploits and the dog he used to have. “I’ve kept the lawn down, it was no trouble. Standing outside the house, she wondered how bad it was going to be inside. It had to be her, because she was the only one within the allowed distance, and she’d had her vaccinations. Six months on, she’d gone back to see what needed to be done. But in all the confusion, the stress of Mum’s funeral, and putting Dad into a home, the garden plants had been left to fend for themselves. They’d had permission to enter and clear out the fridge and the freezer and everything else perishable. It had been nearly dead when she’d rescued it from her parents’ house. The story is just under 800 words, which seems to be my optimum at the moment. I still have one of his bonsai trees, though.

#PENNY FOR YOUR THOUGHTS FREE#

Meaning: Something that is done that is surprising or annoyingįeatured image: Pixabay, image 1 wikipedia, image 2 wikimedia, image 3 Chris Potter, image 4 Pixabay, image 5 free stock photos, image 6 Pixabay, image 7 Pixabay, image 8 Pixabay.It reminded me of a plant that is flourishing after I nearly threw it out. Meaning: In every bad situation, there maybe good aspects Meaning: Revealing facts previously hidden Meaning: two aims completed with a single action Meaning: To do something that takes the attention from another’s actions Meaning From a reliable/dependable source Meaning: Retain scepticism about its truth Meaning: News that has been passed on through numerous people Meaning: Warning of unnecessary investigation Meaning: Not to worry about a potential problem until it needs to be dealt with We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.Meaning: Don’t judge the quality by appearance Meaning: Something/someone you wouldn’t want to go near Meaning Exercise emotional self-restraint Meaning: Keep positive or cheerful in a hard situation Meaning: To be punished or criticised for something you’ve done Meaning: Everything is alright, or concluding a set of simple instructions. Meaning: Someone is talks about big, important things, but takes no action. Meaning: To deal someone an unfair blow (verbally or physically) Meaning: To ask someone what they’re thinking if they’ve been quiet for a period of time. Why not try a few in a conversation today? We collected our favourite English sayings and have a rough translation for any who aren’t familiar with the phrase. When you have to translate the idioms, it leaves little to no sense as to why we phrase it in that way in the first place! It is fun to look through the extensive list of English Idioms and see why those abroad might think ‘English Idiot!’. The English language is a funny one. We have odd English sayings, words and phrases that just do not translate, providing many funny conversations when abroad.Īs an expat, you’re bound to encounter new friends who just do not get what you’re saying when you dish out some classic English idioms, meaning you have to stop, scratch your head and attempt to explain why you just said, “A penny for your thoughts?”.

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[spaderstories-blog]

Liv and Reddington - Part4

Liv flagged down a taxi straight when she walk out from the arrival terminal. Told the driver the address and she was on the way to home. 

Yesterday she got a phone call from her mother, to go home right away, something happened. She was on the next flight. Couldn’t think straight. She couldn’t even imagine what could happen, but all those different scenarios in her head freaked her out. Never happened anything like this before, that her mom basically ordered her to come home.

Just when she thought finally her life is in track, she was happy, and now something horrible is waiting for her. She could cry. 

She thought maybe the heaven got angry with her to be in love with a man like Raymond Reddington and now she needs to pay the price for that. But the truth is, she had no regrets. After that night when she had the last date with Michael, Red came to see her regularly. Of course it wasn’t like an everyday relationship, because Red was Red, one of the most wanted man, his life is about shady businesses, hiding, always on the go, he never stayed long at one place. But still somehow they could make it work, they didn’t see each other very often, but those hours they spent together meant the world for Liv. 

She lost in these thoughts when the taxi stopped front of her house. She looked up, took a deep breath, paid for the ride and got out. She saw a couple of cars parking on the driveway, family members. Panic clutched around her heart. 

She ran in to the house.

‘Mum? It’s me Olivia, mum what’s happening?’ her voice was a bit shaky. She went straight to the living room. Beside her parents she saw her cousin and her husband and Aunt Mary was there too. 

Ok, suddenly a load was off her mind. The situation didn’t look so bad, than she imagined first. But now she was confused.

‘I don’t understand. What’s going on here? Why I had to come home like this hotfoot? God, I thought somebody died or something.’

‘ I called you home because we need to talk!’ her mother sounded really serious. Her father didn’t even looked at her. 

She got suspicious and somewhere deep in her brain that little alarm bell went off.

‘Ok. I’m here. So let’s talk! But just you all know, if this is about some nonsense stupid thing and that’s why I had to rush here, I will get really cranky.’

‘No Olivia, this is very serious.’ and she dropped few photos on the coffee table. ‘We need to talk about THIS’ and she looked on those pictures like they were infused with some dirt.

Liv took them up and and she knew that the color was leaving her face. She was on those photos with Raymond, it was captured when they left her building one morning, Red held her hand and they were kissing and hugging. 

Holy fuck!!!!! She couldn’t think straight in that moment. She had no regret to have an affair with him, but she never ever planned to tell him about her family!!! She was panicking. Her father still haven’t looked at her.

‘I don’t even know what to say Olivia! We are absolutely disappointed in you. How could..’ started her mother but Liv cut in

‘How did you get these?’

‘We were all here, the five of us, when Mrs. Turner showed up and gave them to us.’ started Aunt Mary, and seemed she was really excited about this situation. ‘ She told your parents, that they should look in to your “big city life”, because there is clearly something wrong.’ 

The first shock was starting to wear off, and anger took place.

‘ I beg you a pardon!!!!! Mrs. Turner?! Michael’s mother? How dare she?’ Olivia was furious.

‘For Christ sake Liv, how could you do that to us? It is shameful and disgraceful! He could be your father!!’ her mother was so upset, her voice was squeaky.

Aunt Mary took over ‘If you had a financial problem, why you just came home and ask for help?’

Liv got more confused, if that’s even possible. ‘Wait, what? What financial problem you talk about?’

‘Oh my God Liv, it’s obvious, that man is your, Gosh how we can call it?’ started Aunt Mary, and her cousin joined in and said ‘ Sugar daddy’

Liv got horrified, this can’t be real! And she went mental.

‘Sugar Daddy?????!!! Are you fucking kidding with me? First of all how dare you interfere with my love life? Second of all, SUGAR DADDY, seriously?!’ that time she was screaming. ‘I thought of the worse after your call Mum, that something happened with you or dad? And you called me home because of this?! This must be a bad joke!’

‘We are not joking Liv! How could I look in the eyes of Mrs. Turner, hm? Your father is working in the mayor’s office! Do you have any idea how this affects him?’ and her mother started to yelling too.

‘I’m really sorry mum, but just don’t give a damn about Mr and Mrs Turner, and of course their son Michael either. I guess that son of bitch took these photos. It seems he didn’t handle well the break-up’

Finally Liv’s father looked up and asked quietly:

‘If you needed money, why didn’t you just come home?’ 

‘Oh my God, this is not happening. No way.’ she lift her eyes to the ceiling. ‘My finances are ok. Yes, I slept with that man, but it’s nothing to do with the money. Even the assumption hurts. That you all think that I’m selling my body for a few dollars?! Please. I’m done here. I’m an adult. I make my own decisions. And I’m leaving now, can’t stay a minute longer.’ and she turned her back for them and left the house.

Outside she tried to take some deep breath to calm herself down a bit. She grabbed her phone and called an other taxi. It was too late to catch an other flight back so she has to stay in local motel.

Her phone started to buzz, she looked down, a text came. 

‘Your pizza is delivered in room 245 at Motel Sunrise’ and the sender was Nick’s pizza. 

For the first time she felt a bit better. He found her again. She smiled. She really needed him right now. This was just too much for her, she couldn’t handle by herself and she didn’t want to either. All she wanted in that moment to find peace in his arms. 

Taxi came, she jumped in and 20 minutes later she was front of the door of room 245. She knocked. 

He opened it. He looked great as usual, gave a kiss to Liv, but he immediately sensed that something is wrong.

‘What happened Olivia? and she told everything to him. When she finished and looked at Raymond, she saw him to smile, he was just about to laugh. 

‘You think it’s funny?’ asked Liv outraged.

‘Sorry Dear, but I was called many things before, but sugar daddy wasn’t one of them.’ and he couldn’t hold it back and started to laugh.

Liv suddenly forgot her wrath. He was adorable when he was smiling and laughing. But of course she couldn’t let him to make a fun of her, so she looked up on him and told him on a sexy voice:

‘I was a really really bad girl Daddy, please let me make it up for you’ and she was biting in her lower lip while she looked up chastely. Red stopped laughing abruptly and took a deep breath.

Liv was very happy, she got the exact reaction she imagined. She continued

‘Please Daddy, please let me show you how good girl I can be’ and she pulled Red’s head closer and gently kissed his lips. She saw how the desire appeared in his eyes and this let free her inside goddess.

She started to lick his lips and gently suck on them too. Red didn’t move, he let Liv to take over the lead. 

She slipped her tongue in his mouth and kissed him passionate while she was caressing his face. After she ran her fingers through his hair, it was a very short cut, but she loved the touch of it, she felt she can’t get enough. 

Liv stopped the kiss looked in his eyes and there was a spark in his eye that made her heart beat faster and she knew that he will let her lead a bit more but she felt that Raymond have to hold himself back. So she decided to use this situation.

She started to unbutton his west and shirt and took them off and dropped on the ground. She stroked his chest with her fingers and followed by her kisses, she loved the touch of his chest hair, it was soft and silky. She wanted more of him. Craved him. She was sucking on his nipples and harden them even more. Red let out a moan.

She started to unbuckle his belt, unzip his trousers and she pulled down with his underwear. She couldn’t take off her eyes from his beautiful erection. She took it in her palm and started to rub it tenderly while she was looking in Raymond’s eyes. He lift up his hand and slipped his forefinger in Liv’s mouth. She started to lick his finger and suck hard too. They were both panting. 

She knelt down and and covered his penis with kisses, and she licked from the bottom to the top, spreading the moisture on the tip with her lips. Red groaned and just couldn’t hold himself back any longer and said ‘Open’ and he guided himself into that hot wet heaven. He pushed in slow till he hit the back of her throat and kept it bit there before he slid back out, then again in and again out. He started to thrust hard while Liv moaned with excitement. She was taking him all the way down. She relaxed her throat, letting him in, breathing through the gag. 

Liv wanted him to come in her mouth, she felt Red is nearly there, when he pulled himself out from Liv’s mouth, grab her hair and help her to stand up. 

‘So you said you’ve been bad girl. You don’t leave me any other choice.’ and he gave a sexy smile to Liv, what stirred the flames of desire in her. 

He sat on the edge of the bed and told to Liv:

‘Lay across my knees, face down Olivia’ and she followed his order.

Red stroked her back and pressed hot, open-mouth kisses along it. Liv moaned and pressed her hip up a bit. 

‘What kind of punishment you deserve Liv?’ and he started to rub her butt. And Olivia let the inner goddess to take over again, turned to him and said

‘Spank me Daddy, I’ve been a very naughty girl. Please Daddy’ and it worked, Raymond’s eyes got darker, twitched his upper lip a bit and hit Liv’s naked butt once and twice, and again and again. Liv was gasping for breath. Her butt turned red, and it turned on Raymond more if it’s even possible. He stroked gently the sensitive skin and slid one finger between her thighs and felt that wonderful wetness. He started traces delicate circles around her clit. The pressure was light, she was desperate for more. The he slid one finger in her. She gasped. And he pushed an other one in and started move slowly, and he tried to keep her on the edge, to make her hotter and wetter.

‘Oh my God Olivia, you are so ready for me’ and suddenly he pushed her on her back. Liv lift up her hips, rubbing against his penis, and she whispered,

‘Raymond, please! I want it so bad!’ 

They were both groaning as he pushed inside, slowly stretching her tightness. He was thrusting in a merciless rhythm, while Liv was wriggling beneath him. Every muscles in her body went tense.

‘Come on Liv, I’m nearly there, I want you to come with me’. Liv’s nails dug into the skin on his back and she felt the blood rushed through her ears and she splinter into a thousand pieces whispering his name. Red felt her inside muscles pulsing around his penis and he suddenly froze and poured himself into Olivia.

They were both panting and slowly trying to cool down. Red took Olivia in his arms, hold her jaws and kissed her softly.

She got very tired after she spent the last 24 hours with worrying and now she felt this tiredness really kicking in. She let out a deep satisfied sigh, snuggled closer to his chest and stroked his face.

‘You are in safe now, I won’t let anyone to hurt you. Now sleep little girl, sleep’ he gave a sweet kiss on her lips and while she was listening his strong smooth heart beat she fall a sleep. 

[fiction-phan]

I Dare You

Day 3 of the 25 Days of Christmas

Summary: “I'm egging your house for a dare but you parent is a cop and they're yelling at me so I told them that you were my ex and you wronged me but now you're coming outside and please go along with this, I don't want to go to jail.”

Words: 2.5k

Read it on AO3

A/N: Day 3! We’re now in full swing of the 25 Days of Christmas!

"I hate you so much."

Dan was so done with Phil and his group of friends. He was tired of the same thing happening everyday.

He got to school, tried to get to class and was interrupted by Phil and the rest who tried their best to make his life miserable.

Sometimes they tried to steal his homework, other times they enjoyed tripping him to see all his books and notes fly out of his hands. Nothing gave them joy like seeing him walk into class late and being glared at by the teacher.

Why was being smart seen as something that needed to be punished?

Dan had done nothing to them. In fact, he always did his best to be friendly, even on days where he was in a bad mood. He liked thinking that everyone could go through hard times and if being nice made someone's day a little better, it was good enough for him.

Everything was going well for him until a new student started attending their school.

Phil Lester.

Phil became known as the rebel of the school. He never did his homework, he missed classes and never wore his uniform properly. It wasn't hard to understand why he was one of the most popular students.

Dan was different. He didn't consider himself to be a stickler to the rules, but he didn't go out of his way to break them. But what caused him to stand out to Phil and his friends, were his grades.

He was considered one of the smartest kids at school. Dan got good grades, and the teachers praised his work.

Instead of being impressed by this, Phil used it as an excuse to pick on him. What started as a few taunts now and then, turned into insults and attempts at ruining Dan's good grades.

It wasn't long before Phil ruined Dan's idea of treating everyone well so they would do the same to him. He didn't want to fall down to their level but, after the third time of showing up to class without homework, Dan lost it.

"You think you're so great, insulting me and trying to steal my work. Just admit you're jealous. You want to see me fail because you're jealous of how well I'm doing while your grades keep dropping."

Phil’s smirk was wiped off his face; it was the wrong thing to say. “And you think you’re so smart Howell, don’t you? You think you’re all that because you get good grades. I’d rather fail all my classes than have no friends like you.”

There interactions only went downhill after that.  

Phil was not the only one throwing insults around. Dan gave as good as he got and their rivalry soon became known throughout the whole school.

“Howell, I heard the teacher refused to let you in class fifteen minutes late. Too busy crawling on the floor after your notes?”

“I’ve heard rumours you failed yet another test Lester. Are you sure you don’t want to take me up on my offer of some free tutoring?”

Their animosity only kept on growing.

Phil’s friends knew how much he hated Dan Howell. They also knew that he never turned down a dare. So during a game of truth or dare, they came up with the perfect dare to rile up the rebel of the school.

“Phil, truth or dare? PJ asked.

“Dare.” In all the truth it dare games he had ever played, Phil never chose truth. For him, truth was for cowards. He wouldn’t be much of a rebel if he didn’t show he was scared of nothing.

PJ smirked, already having expected his answer. “I dare you to egg Dan Howell’s house.”

Phil was left to stare at him, speechless.

All their other friends were laughing and whistling. Phil Lester having to egg his rival’s house? It was like Christmas came early.

“You’re kidding right?” he asked, bewildered. Phil couldn’t care less about Dan Howell and he would be honored to be the one to egg his house but he wasn’t stupid.

This wasn’t some harmless fun. If he got caught, there could he some serious repercussions and Phil was doubting whether winning a dare was worth such a risk.

He shouldn’t do it. Phil should refuse to carry out the dare and carry on with the rest of the game. But he couldn’t. Word of him refusing would spread around their school and his reputation would suffer. He couldn’t let that happen.

“Fine,” he said, standing up. “Let’s go teach Howell a lesson.”

*

Standing in front of Dan Howell’s house with two cartons of eggs in his hand, Phil was having second thoughts. If he was caught and recognized, there would be hell to pay.

All his friends stayed at PJ’s house, not wanting to risk getting in trouble with Phil if he got caught. He was supposed to send them a photo of the done deed so they would know he wasn’t lying.

Phil was all alone.

He imagined the look on Dan’s face at finding his front door covered with eggs and smirked. If all went well, it would be worth it.

Opening the first carton, he got out two eggs. He needed to be fast and ready to make a quick getaway if he saw anyone coming outside.

Throwing the first egg filled him with satisfaction and got rid of all his hesitation.

He stopped worrying over the possibility of getting caught and instead focused on getting the job done. It was time to show Howell what happened when you went against Phil.

He should have known that getting cocky would get him in trouble.

Just as he was about to open the second and last carton, he heard a voice coming from behind him.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

Phil turned around and froze when he saw a woman wearing the police woman looking at him with a glare. Shit. He was in for it now.

“Give me one good reason I shouldn’t arrest you right now for throwing eggs at my door young man.”

Phil could only gape at her in shock. Dan’s mother was a cop? He was going to end up arrested because he was incapable of refusing a dare.

As much of a rebel as he was in school, he was still terrified over going to jail. His mum would have to pay bail to get him out and then he’d never be allowed to leave home again.

Phil needed to come up with a decent excuse, and fast. But how does one explain throwing eggs at a house without sounding idiotic?

“I’m Dan’s ex”, he blurted out in a panic. "Dan broke up with me to date my best friend and I wanted to get back at him. I'm sorry."

He saw Dan's mum face soften and Phil felt relief flood him. If he kept this up, he might just get through this without getting thrown in jail.

Then Dan walked out of the house.

Phil could only stare in horror as his rival looked at the front door covered in eggs and then towards his mum who was looking at him in disappointment. She must have believed Phil's story.

"Daniel Howell, I raised you better than this. Breaking up with your boyfriend to date his best friend? A boyfriend you never even told me about."  

Phil was already thinking of what would happen to him when Dan told his mum that was not what happened at all.

"Please go along with this, I don't want to go to jail," Phil mouthed when Dan caught his eye. It was worth a try, but he wasn't hopeful his rival would cover for him.

Dan surprised him by sighing and giving his mum a guilty look. "Sorry mum, I shouldn't have done that."

Phil couldn't believe what was going on. Dan Howell, the guy who hated his guts, just took the blame to help him. What was going on?

Dan's mum sighed and shook her head. "I'm too worn out to deal with this," she said. "I won't press any charges of vandalising private property but tomorrow morning you're both going to be cleaning the front door."

She walked inside, leaving Dan and Phil standing outside by themselves.

"You owe me one Lester," Dan said, before following his mum inside.

*

The next day, Dan was up bright and early at his mum's orders. Him and Phil were supposed to clean the front door which was still covered in eggs.

Dan walked outside and was surprised to see Phil already waiting for him. He handed him a sponge, and they started scrubbing the door, not exchanging a single word.

Phil was the one to break the silence. "Why did you cover for me?"

Dan sighed, unsure whether he should stick with the truth or make something up. "I only did it so you'd owe me a favour so don't go getting any funny ideas."

Dan had felt sorry for him when he saw his mum yelling at Phil the previous night. He was pissed his rival had dared to egg his house but he didn't want to see him in jail for that either.

Regardless of that, Dan was still planning on taking advantage of the situation. His mum was still pissed at him for having acted so rudely towards his 'ex boyfriend'. The least he deserved was to get something out of it.

"I'll make you a deal," he said, turning to look at Phil. "I'll keep covering for you with my mum but you and your friends have to stop giving me a hard time at school."

"Absolutely not."

Dan had been expecting his reaction, and shrugged. "Suit yourself. I'll just go tell my mum the story you told her last night was complete bullshit. I promise to visit you in jail."

He knew he won when he saw the glare Phil directed at him. "Just remember, you brought this on yourself. The second you or your little friends try anything at school, I'm telling my mum."

Dan didn't care if it made him sound like a tattle tale. He was done being made fun of and ridiculed.  He was sure his mum wouldn't put him in jail for throwing a few eggs at their door but Phil didn't need to know that.

"Fine," Phil snapped, not even looking at him. "I'll talk to the others and see what I can do."

*

A week after the egging incident, Dan could say his plan was working better than expected.

Phil's friends were avoiding him like the plague and Phil himself kept his promise and stopped picking on him. He got close to insulting him a few times and the sight of him biting his tongue to keep silent never failed to amuse Dan.

Word of what happened got around and the other students at their school were quick to discuss how Dan's mum scared Phil so much he was now playing nice. Dan could see Phil tense up whenever he heard them and grinned. It was nice to see Phil getting a taste of his own medicine.

It all came to an end at lunch a few days later.

"I didn't know Dan Howell's cop was a mum."

"Apparently she threatened to get Phil expelled. He must have be terrified of her considering he isn't even talking to Howell anymore."

The rumours kept circulating around their school and Phil could feel himself reaching his limit. How had he gone from being the rebel of school to being the laughing stock?

"Not so fun when you're the one being picked on, is it?"

Phil whirled around to see Dan standing behind him, smirk on his face. He was clearly enjoying himself.

"Come to gloat Howell?"

"I considered it," Dan admitted. "But you're looking like a kicked puppy, so I figured I could cut you some slack. Come on, let's go to the library. There aren't many people there and you can have a peaceful lunch."

Phil followed him to the library but he couldn't help feeling suspicious. "Why do you keep helping me?"

"I've already told you," Dan said, rolling his eyes. "Contrary to you Lester, I don't make it a habit to bring people down when they're already feeling like shit. It's called being nice, you should try it sometime."

Phil felt guilt settle in his stomach and frowned. He never felt guilty. Sure, he was aware he was being mean when he picked on Dan and insulted him, but he never felt guilty.

Something had changed. Dan covered for him with his mum and now he was attempting to be nice to him because he was going through a hard time. Even with everything Phil had done to him, he was still choosing to be the bigger person.

Phil was impressed. He didn't think he could do the same towards a person who treated him in the way he treated Dan. He wouldn't cover for them and he most definitely wouldn't share a safe space to spend lunch at.

They both settled at an empty table in the library. Dan got out a book to read to pass the time and Phil just rested his head against his hands.

"I'm sorry," Phil mumbled, almost hoping Dan wouldn't hear him.

Luck wasn't on his side. "What was that?"

Was he really going to make Phil say it again? "I said I'm sorry. I treated you like shit for no reason other than being jealous over how smart you were without even trying. Yet here you are being nice regardless of that."

"Apology accepted," Dan said with a shrug. "I'm not innocent though. I gave back as good as I got and I used the situation with my mum to my advantage."

He wasn't wrong, but Phil still appreciated it. Dan used the situation to his advantage, but he still covered for him and his mum was unaware Phil wasn't his ex boyfriend. Few people would have done that.

"Does that mean I was right and you are jealous?" Dan said, grinning cheekily.

Phil scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Maybe. Let's say that me failing a lot of my classes weren't just rumours."

"I could tutor you, if you want?" Dan offered, hesitantly. He was scared this was just another one of Phil's ploys to embarrass him in front of everyone. But Phil looked genuine enough and Dan couldn't stand by and do nothing while another student failed their classes.

Phil seemed just as surprised over his offer. "You're being serious?"

"I wouldn't have offered if I wasn't. But I'll only tutor you if you promise to take it seriously. I will not waste my time if you'll just joke around."

Dan wanted to help and he would make sure Phil's marks improve but only if the other was willing to work on it.

"Fine, I'll try my best," Phil promised.

They had gone from being at each other's throats to apologising and talking civilly so Phil was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. He liked how things were changing though and was determined to keep it that way. "I'll even take you out for a nice lunch as a thank you for your help."

*

No one was surprised to see Dan and Phil walking into the school holding hands a month later.

A/N: The ending is a little rushed, I’m aware of that. I finished the fic at 3 in the morning and to be honest I wasn’t sure how to finish it off without turning it in a 7k word oneshot. Hopefully you still enjoyed it! Don’t forget to let me know what you think. Day 4 will be something a little more Christmas-sy.

[yoshimotokouki]

[SUMABO NEW YEAR SPECIAL REPORT] Yoshimoto Kouki's First Fan Event 'Yoshimoto no Moto' Part 1

05.01.2018

Yoshimoto Kouki who appeared in “Hyper Projection Engeki - Haikyuu!! Summer of Evolution” and is also an active reporter for NTV’s ZIP! held his first ever fan event in Space SF Shiodome, Tokyo on 16 December 2017. We will report on the first half of the event and include photos.

(Yoshimoto Kouki-san holding his first ever fan event ‘Yoshimoto no Moto’)

From his debut stage in 'Patalliro!’ in 2016 as a part of the Tamanegi Troop to the 'Hyper Projection Engeki - Haikyuu!! Summer of Evolution’ (as Bokuto Koutaro of Fukurodani Academy) that was in theatres last summer, Yoshimoto Kouki gave a lot of energy to his acting. He appears as a regular model in the men’s magazine 'FINEBOYS’ to showcase his style and is also a reporter in NTV’s ‘ZIP!’

In the opening movie before Yoshimoto-san appeared, he narrated a video showing on the screen precious photos from his baby pictures to his school days as a baseball player with a buzz cut! There were also photos of Yoshimoto-san cooking, modelling activities and older private photos that made all his fans cheer out of joy. It was when all his fans’ applaud reached climax that Yoshimoto-san appeared from behind his audience! After looking at them, with a smile, he greeted everyone: “The day has finally come! I hope I could have the most wonderful time with you all today!”

From there on, a fun talk segment started with Terasako Mori-san as the MC. Regarding 'Yoshimoto no Moto’, Yoshimoto-san said “I want to make this a place (event) where I can feel as if I came back to my parents’ house as a 'source of energy’ in my actor life. I want to let everyone know a lot about me, and to make this meeting an enjoyable time for everyone.” And with that, the fan event continued.

Going back to the opening movie when it showed Yoshimoto-san cooking, he said “When I first came to Tokyo and started living on my own, I was so clueless and I couldn’t even do the laundry or cook by myself.” When I thought “wow, mum is awesome!”, I wanted to be able to do housework by myself and I worked as a part-timer in a cafe and learned cooking. Yoshimoto-san who is good at fancy cafe-meshi (light meals served at cafe) asked his fans “What do you think about men who cook?”, his audience responded with a big applaud to which he said “I’m glad to hear that, I wish I could serve my cooking to you all.” He made such a remark that boosted his fans’ expectations for his future events.

For the first time in his actor career, Yoshimoto-san played the role of Bokuto Koutaro from Fukurodani Gakuen in 'Engeki Haikyuu!!’ “Actually, at the beginning, I didn’t know the story of 'Haikyuu!!’ as I’ve never read it before. But when I got the chance to audition, I read all the manga chapters and watched the anime episodes and got hooked! I felt a connection with Bokuto and when I went to audition for his part, I was confident that I could play his character well. I was totally charmed by 'Haikyuu!!’ and with each passing performance, I was told that I became more and more like Bokuto even in real life. I began to understand that this is what it means to become an actor, and it became an important thing for me.” Yoshimoto-san stated.

Following the talk segment, Yoshimoto-san was challenged to demonstrate the acting skills of an aspiring actor! As chosen by fans in the audience, Yoshimoto-san showed improvised love confessions in the segment titled 'Ba-dump Theatre’ and acted out on different situations depending on the theme. That was the start of a fun segment where the fans would either accept or reject his love confession, depending on whether his fans’ heart went 'ba-dump!’

The first theme was 'the volleyball captain and the female manager.’ When there were only the two of them left behind the gymnasium, the volleyball captain played by Yoshimoto-san said “I’ve been able to give my best everyday thanks to you.. and before I noticed it, I’ve been looking at 〇〇-chan more. I like you. Please go out with me if we win the next match. I will do my best until 〇〇-chan falls for me” - what a manly confession! This confession got a unanimous 'accept’ from the audience.

The next theme was 'the teacher and the student.’ Yoshimoto-san played the teacher and the fans were the students who had to stay behind after class because of failing grades. As the situation continues, Yoshimoto-san started asking silly questions after questions. At the end, he asked “Who are the students who kept failing and giving me a hard time?” To which they said “It’s me.” Yoshimoto-san then said “That’s right, it’s you. But I can’t just leave you alone, so you better stick with me.” And with that he patted their head! It received cheers from everyone while Yoshimoto-san was feeling shy, and of course, the confession got an 'accept’ from everyone.

(At the 'Ba-dump Theatre’ where everyone’s heart was pounding)

Moving on after the 'Ba-dump Theatre’, a new corner called 'Yoshimoto Challenge’ began. 'In order to become a star, one must clear any challenge in one go’ - so a penalty game started where Yoshimoto-san must answer the questions correctly. To start off, a timer was set to ten seconds in which he must answer the question. If he gets the answer wrong, the punishment is 'Sunshine Ikezaki-san’s full power impersonation’ where he will laugh and shout “A man who loves Kansai and is loved by all of Kansai! Sunshine Yoshimoto!” with full power at the venue.

(Showing off 'Sunshine Yoshimoto’ at full power)

The next game was 'Kendama one-shot game’ in which he had to shoot the ball into one of the kendama cups in one go. Yoshimoto-san who failed this game had to do the penalty game 'Face rubber stretching game.’ He had to bite a large rubber band at one end, and his fan had to hold the other end. When the fan let go, the rubber hits Yoshimoto-san’s face vigorously! “It’s really scary! (lol) Everyone in the entertainment industry is awesome” said Yoshimoto-san who had to experience the rubber stretching game. It was a game that brought laughter to the audience by sacrificing Yoshimoto-san’s body.

At the end of the event, as a present to the fans, a 'Yoshimoto-san photoshoot with the audience’ corner also took place. Yoshimoto-san made a lot of various poses as a response to the requests of his fans. He also drew a lot of illustrations on the merchandises available for purchase in the goods section. The handmade parts of the merchandise were prepared by Yoshimoto-san for all his fans to enjoy.

In addition to the fan event, Yoshimoto-san’s 2018 calendar was also released. “I had photoshoots with various themes so I would be glad if everyone could place my calendar in an area where they could always see it next year” Yoshimoto-san commented. Talking about his 2018 stage projects where he is appearing again for 'Patalliro! ★ Stardust Project ★’ and 'Hyper Projection Engeki - Haikyuu!! Hajimari no Kyojin’, Yoshimoto-san enthusiastically said “I will be playing the same role as I previously did for the both of them, but I would try to bring more power into my stage acting.”

“The event was so much fun. Knowing that my fans came from different places just to come see me will be a source of energy for me from now on. I am going to work hard to give back to everyone. This is the kind of day today has become for me!” Yoshimoto-san stated. “I would also like to extend my gratitude to the event staffs who all worked together to make this event possible.” He added. And as his final remark to end the first part of Yoshimoto no Moto, he exclamed “Hey, hey, hey!”

(Hey, hey, hey!)

After the first part of the event has ended, Sumabo went straight to Yoshimoto-san for an interview! The interview and comments video(?) will be uploaded in the coming days.

Yoshimoto Kouki’s 2018 Calendar and his bromides that were on sale on the venue will also be available to be purchased online around mid-January. The details will be announced by Yoshimoto Kouki when they have been decided so please expect it soon.

For the latest information regarding Yoshimoto-san’s future projects, please refer to the official website of each performances and his official Twitter account.

☆ Information

■ Stage play 'Patalliro! ★ Stardust Project ★’ <Tokyo performances> 15 - 25 March 2018 @ The Galaxy Theatre <Osaka performances> 30 March - 01 April 2018 @ Morinomiya Piloti Hall ≪Official Website≫ http://www.nelke.co.jp/stage/patalliro2018/

■ Stage play 'Hyper Projection Engeki - Haikyuu!! Hajimari no Kyojin’ <Tokyo performances> 28 April - 06 May 2018 @ Nippon Seinenkan Hall <Hyogo performances> 12 - 13 May 2018 @ Amashin Archaic Hall <Fukuoka performances> 18 - 20 May 2018 @ Fukuoka Convention Centre Main Hall <Miyagi performances> 25 - 27 May 2018 @ Tagajo City Cultural Center <Osaka performances> 01 - 03 June 2018 @ Orix Theatre <Tokyo performances> 08 - 17 June 2018 @ Tokyo Dome City Hall ≪Official Website≫ http://www.engeki-haikyu.com/spring2018/

■ For the latest information about Yoshimoto Kouki ≪Official Twitter≫ https://twitter.com/ysmt0817 ≪Official Instagram≫ https://www.instagram.com/yoshimotokouki/ ≪Agency Profile≫ https://furutachi-project.co.jp/profile/yoshimoto/

Source

[angelofthenightposts]

Broken Heart. // Ch. 2

 Bill is ready for the next stage of his life after reaching the happy life he can be with the people he loves and the successful career he has always dreamed of. Marrying his fiancé, Alida. But it all takes an unexpected turn when he asks his wedding planner friend, Y/N, to help plan their wedding.

Series Masterlist || My Masterlist.

It's Saturday afternoon; most people spend their Saturdays relaxing, going out to brunch with their loved ones, or doing something they enjoy. But that is not the case for you; Saturday means more work hours for you. You dislike your job at times because there are no holidays or days off like in other jobs. Weekends would be even more intense than other days because most of the couple would have more free time on weekends than on weekdays.

Before getting out of the car, you check your makeup in the rearview mirror. Annabel, the client, is a lovely young lady who has wished for a perfect wedding since she was a child. She wants it to be at an old farmhouse inherited from her family, and the moment you see it, you already have an visual in your head. You make a wave to Annabel and another woman, who looks like her mother.

“Good day, Y/N,” After a quick kiss on the cheeks, as is common in Europe, she pulls back and points to the woman next to her, saying, "And this is my mother, Maria. I wanted her to come with me to see the changes. It's all right, isn't it?

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Rodgualez. Now I understand where she gets her beauty. "The women exchange shy giggles, and you make a mental note that Ms Rodgualez likes to be flattered in case something goes wrong and you need to calm the situation down. “Are you ready to see the final results, ladies?”

“Alex, it's me, Y/N. Annabel and her mother just left, and they liked everything. Except for the napkins on the tables, you'll need to find new ones by Tuesday. I'm leaving now to return home, but don't forget to send me photos when you're finished.”

You've been through a lot in the last few months. You hardly ever left the house during your first week with Bill, he cooked for you, and you two watched every romantic movie together on the couch. Everything was snuggly and cute; you did everything a couple would do. Except for Alida's calls, nobody and nothing bothered you. You were uneasy in this situation, and you felt bad for Alida. When you had doubts about the relationship, Bill would tell you that he was waiting for her shootings to stop so he could talk to her and end it. According to Bill, this was such a sensitive subject that he couldn't discuss it over the phone, and you accepted it. More days passed, Alida's shooting was delayed, and when Bill finally called her to talk it, she changed the subject repeatedly, as if she knew what was about to happen. When you realized how messed up the situation is, you talked to Bill one day. You told him it couldn't go on like this; the secret affair was making your stomach turn. The more you tried to put an end to this, the more Bill tried to persuade you to change your mind.

You weren't going to break up.

Bill was going to find a way.

All of this took place about three months ago. You haven't seen him since Bill left the house the night. You've also chosen not to meet with his family. Bill continued to call and send long texts every night, and he stopped by your door only to wait for hours just to see your face. Deep down, you know it's the right thing to do; yes, it's painful, but there's no other option.

   After you park your car in the driveway and exit it, you notice someone waiting on the patio. The man is sitting on the stairs, his face hidden by his hoodie. You take a deep breath and continue walking up to him; there aren't many tall blonde men around where you live. With your footsteps, he lifts his head, and you look Alexander in the eyes.

“Hey.” You mumble and wave, unsure of what to say, your bag and the files of a new client in one hand. Alexander gives you a stern nod and stands up on the patio; the height difference is enormous, and even in high heels, you appear tiny next to him.

“Hello, you look awful.” You already know that; you've doubled your time in front of the mirror, but there's no way to hide the dark circles under your eyes. You give him a bitter smile, thinking that it wouldn't hurt anyone to hear a compliment, and take your keys from your pocket. He doesn't need to be invited in; he just rolls his eyes and follows you.

“Here, take this; it is cold outside. How long have you been awaiting me?” You place the hot chocolate in front of him on a coffee table and sit across from him; the warmth and aroma of the beverage help to calm you down.

"It's been more than an hour. Time hung heavy on your hands. ” Before taking another sip, Alex says; he looks adorable with the tip of his nose in the sweetest pink.

“I am sorry; I had representation. You should have called me.”

“Would you respond? We've been trying to reach you for weeks and have only received voicemails. I figured if I showed up at your door, you'd have no choice but to let me in.” His words are harsh, but he is correct, and they make you frown and lean back on the couch. It is entirely your fault; just because you are afraid to confront Bill, you did not have to lose contact with his family; they, by the way, feel like your family. You want to apologize for your actions, but something else comes to mind. What did Bill tell his family? What did they know about your messed-up relationship?

"I apologize, Y/N. I didn't mean to annoy you. I just want to talk to you about. You hold your breath and don't blink an eye at the man, so he knows. Of course he knows; Bill always confides in his older brother." In fact, almost all of the family members do. Mum kept asking him what was wrong, and the other day he snapped and told her everything that had happened between you. And even if he hadn't told us, we'd figure it out.

“How is he doing?”

“He messed up. Valter and I had to go to his house a few times because we were afraid of finding a dead body inside. He doesn't return our calls or texts, and I'm sure he hasn't left the house in weeks." You feel like you're dying inside with every word he says, and he doesn't look all that different from you; the worry is visible behind his pupils.

"I am sorry." That's all you could say. Talking about Bill is more difficult than you imagined, and talking about sad Bill is akin to torture.

“You do realize it's his birthday tomorrow, right?” You nod at him; how could you have forgotten? Birthday parties and celebrations are important in your friendships; anything is worth celebrating. “Mum wants to throw a small party. It's a small group of family and friends, nothing special. Will you be there?”

"I'm not sure that's a good idea, Alex." You respond by sucking in your bottom lip between your teeth and pushing a lock of your hair behind your ear.

“Come on, Y/N. It's his birthday; it'd be wonderful for Bill and you. Y/N, please... ”

“I'm not happy either, but it has to be this way, Alex; please don't push it. Ask his fiancée; I'm sure she'll be able to make Bill happy at the party. ”

Alexander quickly stands up, pinches the bridge of his nose, and tries to calm himself down, but he sounds angry, "We both know she can't do shit. Believe me; we're not looking forward to seeing her tomorrow, Y/N. And by that, I mean none of us.”

“I apologize, Alexander, but please do not insist. Please convey my best wishes to your family.” So, Bill still hasn't ended things with Alida, and it breaks your heart. You stand up, approach your friend, and open the front door.

He understands the message and looks back over his shoulder as he walks to his parked car, saying, "Please think again, we miss you."

You can't sleep that night because your phone keeps ringing and buzzing. They are all continuous messages about the party from the Skarsgard siblings. Of course, you delete everything, but just as you're about to turn off the phone, a new message appears.

“I know we have a lot to talk about, but I promise I'll fix everything if you come to the party tomorrow. I need to speak with you, Y/N; please come over.” –Bill.

//xxx//

    You take a deep breath and exit the car; there aren't many parked cars around, indicating that Alex was telling the truth. You knock on the door, and Eija appears in front of you, wearing a colorful party hat; her lips curl into a big smile, "Oh my God, you're here.  Come on in.”

You walk in, glancing around, after a quick but heartfelt hug. It's a small gathering; you've met most of the guests at previous gatherings. Stellan and My are chatting in the corner with cocktails in their hands, but the moment they see you, they smile.

“Wait a minute, you're here.” You smile at Alexander as he approaches, his arms wide open, and you let yourself into his warm embrace; he manages to make you feel at ease. Staying away from the entire Skarsgard family is a serious punishment. You realize that if you don't end the hug, you'll be standing here all day so you try to pull yourself back. When you look over, you see Bill standing in the corner, watching you hug every member of his family.

“You're here; it's the best present I could have gotten.” All of the guests' eyes are on you and Bill, and you clear your throat in embarrassment. “Come on, we need to talk.”

But before you can take his offered hand, someone else enters the frame, and you both look at her at the same time. Her dress isn't particularly stylish, but it's enough to catch everyone's attention. She places her left hand on her fiancé's shoulder and kisses him on the cheek. You know what that means, everyone knows. Back off.

You're standing in the kitchen, your back against the counter. Everyone else, except you, appears to be having a good time at the party; how can they not? There is music and a wide selection of wines. Others can be seen dancing around where you are, but there is no Bill. He isn't here, so you wonder if he's out smoking. Eija approaches you and refills your empty glass; it is clear that she dislikes the party as well, and she seeks joy in a conversation with you. You chug the wine in a heartbeat, and she looks at you in disbelief. “Slow down, are you trying to get drunk?”

“Maybe... Maybe seeing them together won't hurt me so much if I get drunk.” You roll your eyes and turn away from the couple, who are sharing a small kiss on the lips. God, it hurts so much.

“Oh, I despise her; what does my idiot brother see in her?” You reach for the bottle of wine behind you, filling your glass almost to the brim.

“If you absolutely hate her, why haven't you ever spoken to your brother, Eija? How come none of you ever brought it up?” She comes to a halt when she hears her friend's voice; she's never seen you like this before, your voice brimming with rage and jealousy.

"Y/N, please, you know how Bill is. If we wanted him to break up with Alida, he wouldn’t listen to us. He is a grown-ass man; we can’t get involved in his life just like that.”

“Right, whatever…” You ignore the rest of the conversation, loving the company of tasty and expensive wine. After a while, Eija leaves you alone to say goodbye to other guests but sends her brother to look out for you.

"Are you happy there?"

“I was, at least until you showed up.” You accept the truth that alcohol always brings out your cranky persona. Bill takes the bottle away, knowing how the night will end if you keep drinking like this and you whine, “I'd rather be drunk than stare at you and that woman. At the very least, the bottle of 1978 Montrachet does not harm me as much as you do. ”

Bill places the bottle on the counter and, before you move to retrieve it, he stops you, grasping your wrists and forcing you to step back until your back is against the wall. As his fingers move up to your jaw, it is silent; he is so close that your brain shuts down. But before he can make another move against you, you dodge and break free from his grip. “Did you invite me to show how happy you are, Bill?”

"What the fucks are you on about?" He spits out his words, and you don't look away for a second. “Y/N, I didn't invite her. She came in after hearing it somewhere. So, what should I do? Getting rid of her in front of everyone?

Do you really believe I'm happy with her? That I want her to be with me when you're the only one I'm interested in? Do you think I'm truly happy when all I want is to rest my head on your shoulder? Do you think I want to marry her when I want to be happy with you forever?”

“Why don't you call it quits with her? Why are you torturing me like this?

"Don't worry, Y/N; he no longer has to.  Because I'm ending it."