#them being dolls makes me want to make them kiss more <3 love is looove

[gubbly]

my dollies

[eerythingisshaka]

Some Weeks Are Better Than Others Pt. 1

(So That’s All You, Huh?)

Part 2 *Part 3*

M’Baku x Reader

Word Count : 3.6K

Warnings: Rudeness, couple of curse words, snippets of smut

Plot:  You and M’Baku have to be apart for a business trip you are taking.  Leaving him sucks for you both, but career is important and he supports.  But the trip is a lot more than a test of your value to your job, but to your relationship as well.

Beep Beep Beep.

Your alarm has a jarring sound that jerks you from your sweet slumber.  Blurry eyed, you reach forward push your home button to silence it.  Arm hanging over the side of the bed, you lay with your eyes closed just for a moment but you know that is too much temptation that could cost you getting to work on time. The oil diffuser purrs in the background as it pumps lemongrass and peppermint in the air, your favorite combo.    You feel his arm come around, hand resting on your belly to pull you back against him.  M’Baku growls lazily playing sleep.

“Mm-mm.  You need to turn me loose, now.  I have laid long enough.”  You say, only half convincingly.

M’Baku smacks his lips exaggeratedly, “You haven’t taken a sick day from that place all year, you can call it today if you wanted.”

Holding his hand on your tummy, you argue, “First of all, I am still trying to make a good impression.   Second of all, I have to catch a flight today.  Did you forget this was my business trip week?”

He groans out loud, “Are you joking?  When did you tell me about this?”

You turn, laying on your back, counting on your fingers, “I told you when I was first offered the opportunity a month ago, I told you every week before now, and last night.”

M’Baku props himself up on his arm looking down at you, “That’s not fair, I don’t remember any talk last night, are you sure?”

You sigh, “Yes, I am.  Between the netflix, the wine, I told you.  Then you started getting sad, quoting Titanic and kissing my neck, and after that if you forgot, well then I am insulted.”

He gives you that awesome chortle of his, “No, my darling, I remember that quite well.  I was just hoping I’d wake up and the week would be over already.  I don’t know what I’d do with myself.”  His eyes twinkle a little as he says this, you feel his sadness heavily as you hold his face.

“I feel the same way and then some.  But this will help get me a good track record within the company, leading up to a promotion, raise, all of that.  I don’t want to be under someone’s thumb forever.  Once I can lead my own way without oversight, I’ll be so good.  It starts with this.”

He takes your hand and kisses the palm of it, groaning against it his bass tickles you, “I always admired your work ethic.  Your strength is my motivation to go on, along with your beauty.”  He looks down your body, snaking his hand from your knee, up your thigh, then gently caressing your tummy, “What time do you leave?”

You take a deep breath, controlling the pulse of your center.  Turning towards him, you  pick the sleep out of his eyes.  “My flight is at 11am.  I have about 5 hours to get ready, double check my packing, and make my way…”  your voice says huskily as it trails off as your eyes travel with your hands over his sturdy shoulders, sheen with his natural oils.

M’Baku tucks his lips, mounting over you on cue with surprisingly acrobatic fashion, “I can work with that, my doll.  If your schedule permits?”

You snatch your bonnet off, heat getting too overwhelming, “Mm, you ain’t said nothing but a word, M’Bop.”

You always get yourself in a position of not having packed enough in advanced.  Everyday , you tried to set aside a couple outfits, narrow down your shoe choices, put your travel toiletries in the bag and STILL you forget things, and change your mind on others.  You sniff the air, smells like breakfast is about done and just in time as you were as well.  You put your tote over your shoulder, roll your bag out and drag it down the steps, one clunk at a time.  You hear thudding footsteps coming towards you, as he rounds the corner up the stairs.

“(Y/N), why are you putting more stress on yourself?  Why didn’t you call your man, huh?”  M’Baku kisses your cheek as he picks up the bag like it’s a disobedient child, over his shoulder and effortlessly downstairs.  

You smile to yourself, thanking him.  “I won’t be able to call on you to help me once I’m there, so I might as well get used to it.”

M’Baku at the stove, he plates the veggie omelettes, “You will not get used to that.  This is a temporary business thing, so don’t get comfortable with this single independence.  You still have a man at home waiting for you, understand?”  He coos, setting the plates down on the table spread of toast, butter and jam, fresh fruit, orange juice for him, apple for you.  He pulls the seat out for you,  pecking your neck gently as you sit before making his way to his side to sit.  A mix of excitement and sadness overcomes you as you think about how compassionate your partner is.  This isn’t the first meal he has cooked for you by far, but he had time to clock your box AND cook before your trip?  He is too good, beyond words.

You pick up your fork, taking a couple bites, “Mm, I know I won’t get this good of food on the road.  What you gonna do while I’m gone?”

He takes a deep breath as he chews as big as his jaw is able without actually opening his mouth.  “I might have some of the guys over sometime.  Redecorate maybe.  Bring back my bear rug for old times sake.”

You clink your fork down, folding your hands in front of your face, “I told you to toss that thing out, M’Baku.  And the other Jabari better not be up in here to mess up my couch, touch my food, and you are cleaning the guest bathroom when all is said and done.  Go over their house with all that!”  You say with an annoyed wave of your hand.

“My, my, my love.  Has travel plans got you on edge?”  He reaches his hand over, you lay yours in it;  warm and rough, but gentle in pressure as he rubs the back of yours.  “My people know how to respect my home.  You saw them in their own habitat, of course they are foolish then.  But don’t worry about our abode, it will remain in tact.  Unlike my heart, that is aching at the thought of you leaving.  No amount of company could fill that void, I just hoped it would serve as an adequate distraction.”

Your face falls with his in that moment.  Getting up, you walk over to him and sit onto his tempurpedic thighs.  Caressing his beard, you study his face.  His big brown eyes that pull you in like Narcissus,  he looks at you heavy lidded.  “I have half a mind to keep accepting these trips if it gives me this much favor from my man.”  you say in jest.  

He squeezes your sides, causing you to fold over in ticklish agony, “You know what happens when you provoke a Jabari, huh?  I won’t hold back, and I’ll be forced to put down my staff to remind you what you need to come back home for.”

Between giggles you say, “Your staff, huh?  Is that what we’re calling it now, M’Bop?  It’s just as much mine as it is yours now, I won’t be intimidated.”  He gives a belly laugh as he rests against your bosom, holding your bottom and thighs while you clutch his head under your chin. 

“Your heartbeat is my favorite lullaby.”  He moans into your chest.

 M’Baku is a towering man in height and stature, but he is a kitten when it comes to you.

You get a notification bell on your phone, indicating your ride is waiting.  M’Baku lets out a whine that sounds like chewbacca.  

“It's time baby, let me up,” You give him a pat on his back as he slowly unravels from around you. You head out the door as he carries your bag, loading it into the backseat.

“You seem heavily packed for a few days by the way.” He looks at your curiously, tucking his hands in his pockets.

“I need options M’Bop. Plus that's just plenty more laundry for you to do for me when I'm back. I know you looove it.” you say teasingly, getting in his face.

“You think you have me domesticated, that's adorable.  Let me find out you're spreading these lies in the streets, you won't handle my fury.” He warns, wagging a finger at you.

You playfully whack it away, reaching around his neck. He grabs around your waist, holding you tightly against him.  You looked from his bright, round eyes to his smooth, beckoning lips.  Controlled by an invisible force, you both lean towards each other until your mouths are intertwined.  Soon as M’baku begins to open his mouth against yours, his hands gravitate toward your ass, slowly squeezing…

HONK HONK

The driver has gotten impatient with waiting or sick of the PDA. You don't blame them either way. You still have to snap M’Baku out of it as he continues to lean with his lips puckered, like a Looney tunes cartoon. Opening the door for you, you step inside as he leans on the door over you.  

“Call when you've landed and settled.  Work hard though; don't let me be a distraction.”

“I will, love. Leaving me with that kiss, all I'll be thinking about is you.”

M’Baku smiles broadly, “and so it should be.  No goodbyes, just know I will see you soon.”

“See you soon. Love you, M’Bop.”

“All my love, (Y/N).”

The driver pulls off as you look back at M’Baku, waving, slowly getting tinier and out of sight.  You turn away and start to look for your headphones to listen to a podcast, anything to keep the tears from spilling out of your eyes.  It's only a week, stop acting silly, you gas yourself.

“Woooowee! So that's all you, huh?”

You look at the rearview mirror at the driver. She had to be bout 50 sum, has large gold hoops with words in the middle that you can't make out, a red trucker hat that says “America was never great”, smacking on some gum.  

You say a little shyly, “Yeah, that's all me alright.”

“Oooh,  GIRL!  I would burn the midnight oil for him in the middle of the afternoon, I tell you!  What’s his name? I’m sorry if I’m being nosy.”

She sure the hell was, “No biggie. M’Baku is his name.”

“Aw nah, girl. You got you a African?? I'm surprised he ain't wheel you out in a chair.  Honey no wonder he looking better than fresh baked manna from heaven.  You been with him a while?”

She worst than your aunties when they first met him, “Yeah a little over three years.”

“Good, hold tight to that. You know how many ladies I pick up and they man is watching them while they load up? And they had waaaay more stuff than you got there.   Gentlemen are hard to find, and in an exotic negro, THAT fine?? Biiiitch, excuse my language, i don't mean you, but biiiiitch, I wouldn't be driving right now if that was at my house.”

You laugh at her antics, co-signing with the usual sister-to-sister phrases.  It was a good distraction to draw you out of your funk for the week ahead -- at least for now.

Finally, you arrive to the airport, checking your bag, and popping a seat that was miraculous to find in the crowded waiting area.  Headphones in to drown out the tired toddlers that are weighing down their parent’s patience, you look through your social feeds.  A notification pops up, it’s him.  

You open up the message, it’s a picture of the kitchen and underneath it says, ‘I don’t appreciate the amount of dishes you left me to clean up after you :P’  

You cover your face, laughing to yourself.  This guy, you think.  Texting back, you tell him, ‘Thank you, love.  It was delicious.  I promise I’ll make it up to you later ;) ’

Then you get the call that it is time to board.  Your phone goes off again and it says, ‘Well I hope I will get a preview later…….’

You stop there, biting your lip.  You guys have never done anything long distance before, maybe a little electronic play could happen between you all.  You decide to leave him on read; sure you were busy boarding, but also, you want him to be real ready to hear from you again later.

The flight was only a couple hours, but it was dreadful.  The babies would not quit crying, the flight attendant skipped you for a drink order, and the person next to you could NOT stop getting up for the bathroom to save their life.  When the plane began descending, it was an answer to your prayers.

Heading to baggage claim, you check your phone, more out of habit than anything, nothing new, but a change in the song playing in your earbuds. You wanted to wait until you were in your hotel room before you texted him that you made it.  Standing by the conveyor belt, you watch all the bags loop around; more added, some taken, until the bags become more scarce and the crowd around you is almost dispersed completely.  

Suddenly you feel a sense of dread, you walk, not seeing any more bags being added through the drop-down.  This can’t be it, you think.  You were standing there the whole time, how could you miss it?

There are some bags in the middle of the floor, but none of them are yours.  You look around for the customer service area, when all of a sudden, you see it.  Some woman has it, walking away with her family that has one of them screaming babies.  Your heartbeat is hella elevated, but you try to keep a cool script in your head as you jog over to her.  

“Ma’am…..Ma’am!” you yell.

The woman has her phone to her ear, yelling at her child to stop running and stay with her until her father comes.  You tap her on her shoulder, making the woman spin with a speed you almost missed if you blinked.

“The hell you want?!” She says with all due disrespect.

“Sorry, but my b-”

“Nah, mom I ain’t talking to you.  This little girl tryna say somthin to me.”

Little girl? You think to yourself, but letting it slide as to not waste time, you continue, “You have my b-”

“Mama, I know, but she don’t look like a sex pimp or nothin.  I wouldn’t get caught up in that I ain’t dumb, ‘specially with my baby with me.”  She looks down and around her, “KAYLA!”

Then you feel the sensation of little hands on the backs of your knees.  You look behind to see her child giggling at her mom trying to hide.  

You step over to reveal her.  “Are you trying to take my baby?!  Mama, imma call you back, this girl finna get it.”  

As she hangs up you take the open opportunity, “Sis, I don’t want your daughter!  That bag you have is mine!”

“I’m giving you 2 seconds to step away from my girl.  Kayla get over here NOW!”  The girl runs back in her mother’s direction, not necessarily to her.

You look up taking a deep breath, but the amount of calm left in you is draining fast, “She came over to me!  I didn’t even mess with her!  But ma’am, the bag!  That’s not yours!”

She takes a step toward you, leaning with her hands in prayer position, “And now you tryna steal MY shit!  You got fucking nerve, thinking you cute up here, walking up on me and my child, the fuck--”

Suddenly a male voice enters the mix.  “What’s going on here, Shay?”

You assume this is her man lookin like a Tyler Perry extra but unfortunately his wack braids aren’t a wig.  But at this point you don’t give a fuck cuz she still has your damn bag.

“Man, she got my bag, but she keeps getting stuck on other shit that we ain’t even able to rectify this!”

“Don’t talk to him like you brazy, bitch!”  She shrieks.

This sent you over.  Clapping, “WHO YOU CALLIN CRAZY, you need to control your light skinned ass attitude and your bad ass baby and run me my bag back!”

“Ok, but I got my man here with me if you wanna try it.  Where the fuck yours, ugly ass--”

“Aye aye AYE!  Aight now!  Airport fights ain’t what’s hot in here.  Shay, come on, we don’t need another strike.  You almost made the no-fly.  And that ain’t your damn bag.”

She looked down at it like she snapped out a trance.  She looked at you with anger then at him, “Then where the hell my damn bag, Carl!  You got the damn things!”

“There it is Mommy!”  Kayla smarter than her own damn mother.

Shay looks up at you as she walks past, barely missing brushing you, which is all you would’ve needed to steal on her, but Jesus makes a way.

Kayla has ran back to Carl, who picks her up, “Sorry…” he starts to say before Shay bellows, “COME GET THIS BAG CARL!”

He purses his mouth to trot over to Shay.  A wave of relief covers you as the stress from the scene dissipates.  You grab the handle of your bag and make way to the exit, hailing your cab, and praying this isn’t an omen for the entirety of your trip.  

Pulling up to the hotel, you unload, thankful for a non-communicative cabbie this time.  Making your way up the steps to the hotel, you are greeted.

“Welcome!  Are you checking in today?”  The perky blonde behind the counter quipped.  

“I have a room for the leader’s conference this week, my name is (Y/N).”

She looks at the computer screen, tapping away at the keys.  “Hmm, I don’t see it…”

You look at her blankly.  No way you have come all this way, with the day you had, and not have a room.

She continues to tap, asking you to spell your name.  As you do, she finds it, “Ah!  Thanks, sorry about that.  Ethnic names always give me a rough time.”  She laughs way too hard at that, and you don’t offer her anything in response.

“Do you have my key?” You say deadpan.

The blonde, oblivious to your discontent, hands it to you. “Yes, sweetie, here you go!  And enjoy your stay!”  She says it with a neck roll on the last set of words that gave you complete racial indigestion.  You roll your eyes and walk on up, thinking about how far you have made it, and how bad you just want a bath.

Getting in your room, you lay the bag down and swan dive onto the bed.  Your  body pulsates with pain in your back, feet and head: the unholy trinity.  In the peace and tranquility of your room, you were ready to fall asleep there, but you felt disgusting so you drug yourself off the bed to the bathroom to start the shower up.  

Disrobing, you step into the shower, feeling the cool water cover your body.  Summer has not been a kind season so far with the humidity wreaking havoc on you and your hair follicles, so the streams hitting your body made for a great escape from the world.  It sent a shiver down you, making you arch with pleasure into the sensation.  Each droplet massages the aches in your back, making your scalp tingle involuntarily.  Turning around you angle the head, letting the streams beat against your lower region, almost bidet style.

A tongue runs down your back, as if your soaked copper skin were melted chocolate, stopping right before the crack of your ass.  Two broad hands find either side of your hips, thumbs massaging the small of your back.  He spreads your cheeks apart, smacking one side.  The wetness of your backside from the shower gives a stereo effect in the shower, causing the sound to reverberate.  You gasp, biting down on your lips to keep peaceful.  A growling voice commands your attention.  “Now, you better hold still, or you won’t get clean properly…” he demands of you, his loyal subject.  Ok, you say barely above a whisper.  “What was that?  Speak up, girl! Closed lips can never be fed...”  He said in a villainous tone, teasing you with possibility. I said that’s fi--, you start but nothing but unintelligible gurgles come from you as his tongue find your sweet spot.  Even his nose tickles you as he buries face beautiful face deep between your crevice,  gripping your sides to keep you from arching away like a frightened cat.  Fuck!  I’m going to cum all over you if you don’t stop, shit!  He stands up at the warning,  “Well doll, that’s the plan, right?  But just so you know, we aren’t done, until I say,”  he growls as he massages your breasts from behind, rubbing his length against your folds causes a jolt through your body with every brush against your clitoris.  You are a bundle of electric passion on the verge of combustion, but not one to turn down a challenge.  Well bring your fat ass on then… you say through gritted teeth.  He guffaws right before inching in...

You hands gripped the walls as the thought fell into your mind.  You hadn’t texted M’Baku yet and it was a little later than you anticipated getting back.  That fat ass would make for a great comfort to you but a FaceTime will have to do.  You step out, toweling down and wrapping a robe around you.  You sit on the bed, grabbing your phone up, and going to his name.  It rings, and rings, which is odd because you thought he would be nipping at the bit to get in touch with you by now.  You get a text then, ‘Hang on.  I’ll call you right back’

Part 2

Since I do fanfics about as often as a humpback whale procreates, sorry if you’re wondering who the hell this is tagging, but you guys asked for it!  And hopefully those I missed will find this  

Tags: @sweetpeachjones  @hairhattedghooligan  @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @groovybbyyy

Other Works:

King Kil’mawalls

N’Jadaka’s Helpful Hands

T’akia

Commencement Day

[livingthroughchoices-blog]

The Marshmallow Chronicles (Ch. 9: Race to the Finish)

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Author’s notes: Hey guys! I know I said I probably wouldn’t be able to update but guess what? I love procrastinating school so this happened! It’s been a really stressful week so it felt great to write. However, idk if you’ll like this chapter that much ‘cause there’s not as much interaction between our favorite idiots in love /: which is also why it’s shorter. But I did my best to make it (somewhat?) interesting. As always, thanks to everyone for reading, liking, reblogging and commenting! And special thanks to @starstruckzonkoperatorbat, @notoriouscs and @simplyaiden-blog for asking me to tag them! Love y’all <3

Rating: T

Pairing: Drake x MC

Words: 3861

Now this was a day Drake had looked forward to! He strolled along the marina, wearing a thin white cotton t-shirt, enjoying the gentle breeze tickling his face and the briny tang in the air. 

Boating was one of the few things that made him feel like himself and, even better, he didn’t have Liam to compare himself to because he hated sailing so much. The corner of his lips quirked up as he remembered his and Liam’s first and only attempt at sailing as teens.

It had been Drake’s idea, of course, eager as ever to get away from the palace and stuck up noble’s taunts. Liam had agreed readily enough, though, after a day full of boring meetings. The King and Queen must have known, even then, that Leo abdicating was a possibility and had insisted Liam receive the same education. They might have hoped Leo would yield his position, in fact; it didn’t take a genius to know the difference between the half-brothers’ temperaments made Liam far more suitable for the throne.

“Are you sure they won’t catch us?” At thirteen, Liam was already very tall, but the usual awkwardness that accompanies this stage seemed to have spared him.

“Positive. My dad told me he would be training the new recruits today, so no one will even come near the marina!” Drake was even taller than Liam, and skinnier. He, unfortunately, did move with the clumsiness that comes from not recognizing your own body. He wasn’t nearly self-conscious enough to be embarrassed, though. Actually, he was a lot freer or somehow... lighter back then. He didn’t have that much of a chip on his shoulder yet.

Liam got on the boat while Drake untied it from the pier and hopped on after. 

“You ready?”

Liam nodded excitedly. Drake unfurled the sails and set them off. He occasionally gave Liam, who was less experienced, instructions, which he followed diligently. It felt good to be the captain, for once.

The wind suddenly died down and they took the opportunity to dangle their legs off the boat. Taking in the view, they dipped their toes in the frigid water, which was a relief in the humid heat. They were still relatively close to the shore, but if they looked in the opposite direction, they could pretend they were out at sea, just the two of them, no court, no responsibilites...

“Drake, do you think I could be a good king?”

Drake turned to look at his best friend who was gazing intently into the water.

“What makes you ask that?”

“I don’t know. I’m second in the line of succession, it could happen.”

“Do you want it to?”

“I’m not sure... I think I do. I want to help Cordonia somehow and if I am not king, then what can I do? That is all I’ve been taught.”

“Calm down, Simba, I’m sure you could find ways to help even if you’re never king.”

Liam shoved him at that, laughing. “Fine, but you haven’t answered the question.”

“Shit, I don’t know, man.”

Liam grimaced and Drake continued hurriedly. “I mean, I can’t know, ya know? But if you’re as good at being king as you are at being a person, then sure.”

“You think I’m a good person?” Liam smiled.

“Duh. I wouldn’t be here with you if I didn’t... A good person for a noble, obviously.”

“And you’re not too bad for a commoner.” 

The usual insult lost all its bite when accompanied by Liam’s kind smile, but Drake splashed him nonetheless.

“Hey!” Liam splashed him back.

This continued until they were both soaked and had swallowed more than their fair share of ocean water. They were so absorbed, they didn’t notice the sky growing ominously darker. Not, that is, until they felt drops falling from above.

“Uh oh,” said Drake. 

They both immediately stood up, and Drake set about trying to turn the boat around. The storm was worsening by the second. Gusts of wind buffeted the boat and their small bodies, almost pushing them around. The sails snapped and flapped uncontrollably. Untied ropes flew around and the fixed ones were taut with tension. Drake tried hard not to panic.

Suddenly, he heard a loud knock. It happened so fast, he almost missed the boom hitting Liam and him falling to the water like a rag doll. 

“Liam!”

Drake’s teeth were chattering, from fear or cold, he wasn’t sure, but he imagined it was a bit of both. Before he could talk himself out of it somehow, he jumped in after Liam, roughly around the spot he’d fallen. By the time he reemerged, Liam had, too. He instantly felt stupid for jumping in. 

It’s not like he can’t swim.

They both got back on the boat with much effort. Drake hoisting himself up and then pulling Liam on board. They sat for a few seconds, panting. 

“You-you saved my life,” said Liam between pants.

“Don’t be stupid,” answered Drake but a proud smile was spreading on his face, “it’s not like you can’t swim.”

“Still. You didn’t even hesitate.”

“Yeah, well, you’d do the same for me, right?”

“I would.”

Liam clapped Drake gratefully on the back. The storm showed no signs of slowing down, so Drake got to his feet decisively.

“Okay, Liam, we need to–”

At that moment, a powerful blast of wind caught the side of the boat and capsized it. Drake resurfaced and looked around for Liam, who’d fallen just a little farther. Drake gestured to him to swim closer. They attempted to right the boat, but the combined forces of two thirteen-year-olds were not enough.

Resigned to their fate, they swam the rest of the way back pushing the boat, hoping against hope they would make it back before they were missed. Sadly, when your best friend is a prince and second in the line of succession, the window of opportunity is pretty narrow, so they had a very angry group indeed waiting for them at the shore.

The subsequent scoldings and punishments were among the harshest either of them had ever suffered, but Drake couldn’t help but smile at the memory now. Oddly, the parts he remembered most vividly about that day weren’t the terror of the storm or the different, but no less awful terror of disappointing their parents. What he remembered most was feeling capable and brave, and like he was a good friend, for once.

He’d been wandering aimlessly up and down the pier during his stroll down memory lane. A low buzz had started growing louder and louder as more nobles arrived for today’s event. Drake sighed heavily, knowing that was all the alone time he’d be getting today. He looked towards the opposite end of the pier, where the suitors and Liam were being surrounded by the press. He caught a glimpse of Riley as she smiled brightly at the reporters, no doubt wowing them as she had done so far. 

He hadn’t noticed he had stopped, but he found himself straining his ears trying to catch a snippet of what she was saying. All he could hear was the cadence of her voice, occasionally mixed with Liam’s, who was standing next to her. She then stood on her tiptoes and kissed Liam on the cheek. His eyes unfocused and he stood there, not seeing anything. After a few seconds, he became vaguely aware that something was bothering him.

“Drake absolutely loooves nobles! In fact, there’s nothing he likes better, except maybe mai tais. You hear that everyone?! Drake drinks mai tais, Drake drinks mai tais, DRAKE DRINKS–!”

He turned around furiously and slapped his hand on Maxwell’s mouth.

“Shut up. I do not drink mai tais.”

Maxwell licked his hand. 

“Ugh! What are you? Twelve?” Drake said disgustedly, wiping his hand on Maxwell’s shirt as the latter laughed.

“Twelve and a half.” He looked at Drake confusedly. “Did you seriously not hear me? I was trying to get your attention for, like, a full minute.”

“I must’ve learned how to tune you out.”

Maxwell let out a great laugh. “HA HA! There’s that classic Drake humor, love it!”

“What do you want?”

“Want? Why would you–” Drake glared at him and Maxwell relented. “Fine, I need a favor.”

“What now Maxwell? I’ll remind you I already said no to being in your dance crew.”

“Oh I’ll get you someday, but it’s not about that! Well, it is a crew, but a different kind... The thing is our boat crew, uh, bailed on us.”

“What? Why?”

Maxwell mumbled something. 

“What did you say? Speak up, dude!”

“Money troubles! We’re having money troubles, okay? Please don’t tell anyone, Bertrand would go ballistic.”

Drake shrugged. “Of course I won’t, man. You forget, I’m the only one here who has actually been through this.”

“You never know, nobles are just better at hiding it.”

“Yeah, I guess it’s easy to hide it when you already have expensive shit to show off.”

“Touché. Anyway, I remember you used to like boats so I was wondering if you could help out?”

“I don’t know, I haven’t been on a boat for a while and–”

“Pleeease?” Maxwell whined. “It would mean so much to me and Riley! She doesn’t even know about this yet, but she’s gonna be so disappointed if we don’t get to race.”

“On second thought, it could be fun to sail again,” Drake agreed quickly, or, as he’d tell himself later, reluctantly.

He and Maxwell boarded the yacht, getting everything ready for Riley. She caught up with them not long after. She waved at Maxwell with a small smile and then grinned as she spotted Drake. He came forward to greet her and tripped on a rope. Riley sniggered and he glared at her.

“Drake? What are you doing here?” She turned towards Maxwell, “Maxwell, didn’t you leave with Bertrand? And shouldn’t there be other people? Like... an actual crew?” She looked around the boat, as if expecting the crew to be hiding.

“Yeah, Maxwell.” Drake pushed him forward. “What happened?”

“Well...” He rubbed the back of his neck, stalling. “I have good news and bad news.”

Riley crossed her arms, bracing herself. “Tell me the bad news first.”

Maxwell sighed in defeat. “The bad news is that the actual crew dropped out... Something about not paying upfront?” He grimaced. “But good news... you still have a crew. In fact, Drake volunteered to help out!” He clapped Drake’s back.

“He ‘volunteered’?” Riley raised an eyebrow skeptically.

Drake smirked. “Maxwell begged me.”

“I thought I was rather dignified,” he defended himself.

“Practically in tears, actually.” Drake’s smirk grew wider as Riley laughed, her eyes crinkling. 

“And you both... know about sailing?”

“I used to own several boats, and Drake is an excellent boatman!” explained Maxwell enthusiastically.

“From what I hear, you’re terrible with boats!” Riley pointed an accusing finger at Drake. “I just heard a story about a capsized boat from Liam that says Drake isn’t.”

“He told you about that?” 

Of course he told her. He was surprised he was as disappointed as he felt. 

Liam told it all wrong, though! From what Addams said, he told it like it sucked! I mean, yeah, it was scary but it was a cool adventure... Of course Liam would mostly remember how worried everyone was ‘cause he’s considerate and not an asshole like I am.

Sure, it was a good story that he would’ve enjoyed telling Riley... or anyone, for that matter, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.

“Okay, that was bad, but after that whole mess, I decided I’d spend a summer learning how to sail properly...” It had been a good one, too. He’d gone out with his dad every weekend, often joined by Savannah and even their mom, sometimes. 

He looked at Riley seriously. “Trust me, you’re in good hands.” She smiled softly and he cleared his throat. “At least mine. Can’t speak for Maxwell.”

“Hey!” he said indignantly.

“Wait, what about Bertrand? Why isn’t he here?” asked Riley.

“His words were, and I quote,” Maxwell swelled his chest importantly in a convincing impression of his older bother, “‘Have we fallen so far? Is this what becomes of House Ramsford?’ And then he muttered something about ruin and reducing our name to rubble and then I hope he went to get a drink or something after that.” Maxwell shrugged helplessly.

Riley giggled. “Sounds about right. What about Tariq? He looks like a guy who could sail a boat.”

Is she serious?! Just when I thought she wasn’t that naive.

Drake burst out laughing, “HA HA ha ha haa.”

Riley scowled at him which only made him laugh harder. “It was only a thought.”

Drake clutched his middle, breathing deeply, and slowly stopped laughing. “Yeah, yeah. I’m sorry to say, Addams, you’re not going to be cruising around like the other ladies. You’re going to have to do some work to help us win. I hope you’re up to the job.”

Riley put her hands on her hips at this, challenging. “Drake, only if YOU can keep up.”

Drake raised an eyebrow. “You’re on, Addams.”

Drake bustled around the boat, tying the last ropes before untying the yacht from the pier.

“Casting off!”

He unfurled the sails and automatically turned his head to see if Riley had been looking. It might have been his ego, but he thought her smile seemed like she was impressed. His chest felt warm.

From their right, Hana waved at them and shouted, “Good luck to you both!”

Both? Oh, ugh.

Olivia’s boat was to their left. She replied with, “I don’t need luck. I know I’m going to win! I hope you both like losing!”

Great comeback. What an idiot. 

He rolled his eyes at Riley, who shook her head sympathetically. She got a determined look on her face. “Maxwell, how do we win this thing?”

Maxwell cheered and Drake wondered at her, feeling almost as proud as if they’d already won the race. “Riley, you’ll be watching the wind indicator for us. Whenever it shifts, tell us, so we can adjust the sails.”

Riley nodded competently and Drake added, “We’ll tell you what else needs to be done as it comes.”

“Sounds doable...” She gave him a small smile that wanted to be confident. He returned it, hoping to reassure her.

Maxwell looked toward the pier, where King Constantine stood with the royal family and the press. “Looks like the race is about to start!”

“Racers, ready!” King Constantine boomed. He put his arm up, pistol in hand.

"Here we go...” Drake said. Riley grabbed his arm and shook it in anticipation. He chuckled. He was about to ruffle her hair when the sound of a gunshot tore through the charged atmosphere.

They barely heard King Constantine’s “And go!” as they all hurried to their posts. Olivia’s boat was off faster than he cared for, but he trusted his skills, if not his companions’. 

Slow and steady wins the race. 

He realized he was staring at Riley and shook his head, continuing his tasks.

Olivia yelled back at them, “I’ll be waiting at the finish line!”

“Hell no. No way carrot top is beating us.”

"NO WAY,” Riley echoed and fist-bumped him. He laughed a little. 

What a dork.

“Hold it steady,” Drake reminded her.

“The wind changed!” Riley shouted.

“Adjusting sails!” Maxwell called back. He did so then went to Riley. “Hey, Riley, tie this down for us! We need to hold the sail in place!”

“Oh, um, okay,” she said half excited, half nervous.

Drake kept a discreet eye on her, not wanting her to think he didn’t trust her to do it right, but also wanting to stay in the race. He shouldn’t have worried, of course; Riley tied the rope with a sturdy sailor’s knot and stepped back to survey her work with a self-satisfied smirk on her face.

“Perfect.”

“It’s okay. Barely in the top five knots I’ve seen in my life,” Drake teased.

“What! I think it’s amazing! But I guess you could say it’s... knot bad,” she replied with a cheesy smile. “Get it?”

“God, Addams!” He shook his head at her, only just keeping his laughter in. “That was terrible! You’ve been spending too much time with Maxwell!”

“Well, you’re never around!” she said reproachfully.

He opened his mouth to reply, though he had no idea what to say to that. 

Does she want to spend more time with me? 

He was saved by Maxwell, who suddenly yelled from up front, “There’s the halfway point! We just have to turn around the buoy and head back to the finish line!”

Drake whipped his head to the front and realized, “We’re coming in too fast! Brace yourself!”

The boat turned sharply to the right, skimming the water. Drake saw Maxwell grab on to a rope and did the same. He turned to look at Riley anxiously, but she seemed to have an iron grip on the rigging, and he felt his breath return. The boat righted itself and they smoothly circumvented the buoy.

Riley let out a sigh of relief. Drake gave her a soft pat in the back and encouraged her, “Let’s keep going. We’re almost there.”

“Wind’s picking up in our favor!” Maxwell informed them.

“Back to stations!” Drake barked. “Addams, secure the jib.”

“And that means to...?” she bit her lip uncertainly and Drake softened his tone.

“Catch the wind coming from behind us!”

“Aye, aye, captain,” she saluted him and followed his instructions, allowing them to finally overtake Olivia’s boat.

“What?!” Drake heard her say. “Make the boat go faster!” she yelled at her crew, to no avail. Their boat had picked up an unstoppable momentum and it would’ve taken a miracle to overtake them. They crossed the finish line with a comfortable lead.

“We did it!” Riley cheered, jumping up and down.

“Wooohooo!!!” Maxwell ran around the yacht with his arms in the air.

“You really pulled through for us, Addams,” Drake said, giving her a one-armed friendly hug. She pushed him off to hug him from the front enthusiastically. 

Well, what the hell. 

He hugged her back and lifted her off the ground. He heard clapping and saw King Constantine and Liam waiting for them on the pier. He put Riley down so fast she almost fell down.

He cleared his throat again. “Um, nice work.”

“Yeah, you too. I mean, I couldn’t– we couldn’t have done it without you.”

He nodded at her and gestured for her to get off the boat first. She made a beeline towards Liam. After a short conversation, she left with Hana, while Liam made his way over to him.

“Where’s Maxwell?”

“I think he went to go talk to Bertrand or something.”

“That was some sailing, my friend.” Liam claps him on the back.

“Thanks. I’ve definitely improved since we were kids, huh? Addams thought I’d still be as bad.”

They start walking together towards the royal yacht to see the regatta.

“Ha, well of course you have! I hope you didn’t mind I told her that story, I was just explaining why I don’t care for boats.”

“Oh. That story is the reason you don’t like sailing?” Drake tried to keep the hurt from his voice.

Liam put his hand on his shoulder. 

Damn it, he knows me too well. 

“I didn’t mean it that way, Drake. It’s actually one of my fondest memories! We were having such a good time before the storm... And it serves as a reminder of why you are my best friend.”

“You need reminders, huh?”

“Constantly, when you’re being a pain in my... rear.”

“Oh, come on, man! Just say it once!”

“I won’t! You know how I have to watch what I say! Even more so now...” Liam grimaced and stopped abruptly, staring pensively at his feet.

“What do you mean now?”

“Are you joking?”

“I mean, unless I suddenly became Tariq and lost all sense of humor, no. What kind of joke would that be?”

They resumed walking.

“Did you not hear my father’s announcement?”

“Nope.”

Liam shook his head at him. “Well, the main point of it was that he is abdicating once the social season is over.”

“WHAT! But that’s so soon! So does that mean–?”

“Yes. I will be king that soon and I am no longer choosing a wife that’ll someday be queen. I am choosing our immediate queen.”

“Shit.” That was really all Drake could say. 

King. That is a tall fucking order. You could not pay me enough to do it, man. Nothing in the world could make me want to be a noble. Not now, not ever. On the other hand, all these girls are gonna be throwing themselves at Liam even more now.

He cracked his knuckles, feeling the urge to punch something.

“I was hoping you’d have more to say...” prompted Liam. Drake realized he’d been quiet for way too long. They arrived at the yacht, which allowed Drake to stall a little longer. As soon as they were on, though, Liam was looking expectantly at him, not even glancing at the race, which was starting.

“I mean, what do you want me to say, man? You seem overwhelmed, but I know this is what you want. So just hold on to that, okay? You can finally help Cordonia, like you’ve always wanted.”

“Right, but what about the suitors?”

“What about them?”

“Now that it is not hypothetical anymore, I believe more than ever I have to put Cordonia’s interests before my heart’s wishes...”

“Well...” The words didn’t seem to want to leave Drake’s mouth, so it took him a second to wrest them out. “What if you could do both?”

“What are you saying?”

“Look, we all know you care about Riley, okay? And like I said the other day, she would make a decent– no, scratch that, a helluva queen. So there you go.”

A waiter passed bearing drinks and Drake blindly snatched two. He’d already drank half of the first in one gulp, when he became aware that the normal thing to do would be to give Liam the second one. He parted with it unwillingly.

“Thank you. And you’re right, as usual. I do not think it’s as simple as that, but there is hope. I just wish there was some way to show her how much she means to me, without giving too much away before the season’s over...”

Liam snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it! The beach party!”

“What about it?” asked Drake monotonously.

“We could ask the chefs to serve something American, to remind her of home and make her feel more at ease. The problem is... what?”

Drake instantly remembered one of Riley’s truths in Two Truths and a Lie being that sloppy joes were her favorite American dish. “Uh, I’m sure I could think of something... You know, being half American and all.”

“Of course! Thank you, Drake! Once again, you’ve helped me more than you know. Someday I’ll have to repay you for everything you’ve done for me.”

Drake waved his thanks aside and strode cheerfully towards the exit.

[tallskinnyvanillalatte]

Castle Episodes (Season 5)

And the season 5 post. You can find the previous posts here.

5x01 After the Storm: This episode contains one of the earliest memories I have of this show (well, except for the kiss in 4x23). I wasn’t watching the show back then but I remember the fandom talking about that scene where Martha walked in on Castle and Beckett and Beckett having to hide in the closet. The beginning is HILARIOUS. One scene after the other. First Beckett and Castle. Then Beckett hiding in the closet. Then Alexis hungover with Castle a little insulted that she didn’t call him to pick her up (she did, he just didn’t answer). Hungover Alexis is just so adorable.

5x02 Cloudy With a Chance of Murder: “Act normal” lol. Lanie notices right away that Beckett had sex because she had that glow. Castle is being so silly on the weather station playing with the green screen, it’s hilarious. “Shouldn’t they [Ryan + Espo] be back by now?” “Maybe they hit traffic.” “Maybe they hit each other.” Well, they both did return with a black eye. Beckett calls Castle and it’s a harmless situation but to Beckett it sounds like Castle is being attacked, so she rushes over to his place, only to find Castle’s date literally on Castle. And the first thing he says is “I know who the killer is”. Ryan and Esposito make up by the end of the episode. “or maybe we’ll be amazing” aww yes you will. Castle and Beckett are so adorable in this episode with their hiding and their jealousy and whatnot.

5x03 Secret’s Safe With Me: Alexis is packing for college. Castle smiles real proud and goes “my little girl is going to college”. The smile on his face is priceless. Martha knows about Castle and Beckett. And Castle told Alexis. And now Beckett is scared that Alexis will tell Lanie who will tell Esposito who will tell Ryan. Castle has two grand in his pocket because he’s a best selling author, so why shouldn’t he lol. Eunice. Now what’s the Castle book that came out after this episode and is there a character called Eunice. “If it’s the reservations you care so much about, why don’t you take your girlfriend.” oooh looks like Alexis is jealous or something. Turns out that the whole situation with her leaving home is just too much atm, so it’s not about Beckett. Gates is starting to like Castle, there’s some really awkward, yet hilarious scenes. She’s even reading the Nikki Heat series. “Best handshake ever” - as if that handshake was more sublte than a kiss though lol. “Because no matter what, you’d be there. And I’d wake up and everything would be fine.” .. “if you need me here, here’s where I’ll be.” Their goodbye made me cry so hard when I watched the show for the very first time because I watched it like a year after I left for University. And now I’m tearing up again because this scene is so beautiful and things are quite tough at the moment and boy does this scene trigger some emotions. In the end, Gates hates Castle again because he broke one of her Gemini dolls she’s been collecting. Castle returning home with no Alexis there - brb sobbing some more.

5x04 Murder, He Wrote: Beckett and Castle are going away for the weekend together. It’s so cute how Alexis and Martha pressure him to pick some nice restaurants and make some plans. No sight of jealous Alexis from the episode before. The shots of the beautiful scenery is really painful - I just got home from vacation a couple of days ago and could really use one again, so why would you do this to me. “I can’t deny that I brought other women up here... but none of them were you.” awww. A almost-dead guy falls into Castle’s pool being dead and he goes “call 9-1-1″ with Beckett saying “ya think?!”. Of course they can’t just enjoy a quiet weekend away. “So we’re Brangelina now?” “No, we’re.. Rickate. No, we’re .. Kate-ick. Cas-kett. Oh, that’s good cause of the whole murder thing, casket.” In an interrogation, Ryan finds out that Castle and Beckett are dating. It’s hilarious when he talks to Castle on the phone omfg. I love that he didn’t tell Esposito, though, but said that they should just drop it because it was Beckett’s private life. Respectful :’)

5x05 Probable Cause: Awwww look, that’s Esther from Torchwood :’) The beginning with Castle and Alexis is hilarious. I just don’t like that Alexis disappeared right away and didn’t spend any time with Castle, only came home for food and laundry. Castle’s fingerprints are on the door and the doorframe at the crime scene. Ooopsy. Ryan tells Espo about Beckett and Castle giving the circumstances because things are not looking good for Castle. It is so intense, they are even arresting him at his place. It’s heartbreaking when Martha and Alexis arrive at the precinct and then also see him behind bars. And then there’s ‘evidence’ that Castle was havin an affair with the victim and that he was also planning the perfect murder which is the exact same murder that happened. God, it’s so intense and emotional. And then there’s 3XK who’s behind all this. “Watching you and your daughter talking a walk” it gets even more intense when he brings Alexis up in all this. The ending was too easy. Too public. 3XK isn’t dead and it’s exactly how Castle said. He wanted to get shot, so that they’d stop looking for him and he could start killing again.

5x06 The Final Frontier: I have no idea who those guys are but I ship the Captain and Chloe. Oh no, she ... shot him or something. A murder at Supernova Con. I loooved the Firefly reference. Castle says that he’s a fan of good Sci-Fi - he mentiones a couple including “that Joss Whedon show”. “Perlmutter, so good to see you again” “Ah, if only the feeling were mutual” I just love Perlmutter’s love for Castle <3. Beckett is such a fangirl of Nebula-9, it’s adorable. It gets so awkward when Castle spots Alexis at the convention dressed in ... well, a bra, some feathers and a bit more fabric on her neck and arms. Castle makes a fuss and wants to give her his jacket (yes, the outfit is hideous but he’s embarrassing her big time). Thankfully, Beckett pulls him away and Alexis can just go. “How do I unsee this” same though. Alexis and Castle later decide to just ignore what happened and never talk about it. “I’ve been waiting ten years to do that, bitch, nobody takes over my ship” loved this. And may fortune guide your journey.

5x07 Swan Song: Ooooh, it’s the episode that is filmed through the cameras. Like a documentary or something. It’s weird but also interesting. And I like it, as long as it’s just for one episode. Something’s wrong with Beckett’s hair. It’s interesting to see how the characters deal with the cameras and the public’s attention - for example Esposito put on a different shirt to show off his body. Also the title card, well, the music, is some rock music for the band. Lanie, Esposito and Castle are so hot for the camera, whereas Beckett is super annoyed, it’s hilarious. It’s just a bit weird when the camera is in the interrogation room and you can’t see it in the mirror (in another scene you can spot it, though). Gates also loves the camera, it’s hilarious how smiley she is. Also, when they went to the black screen, they should’ve added a sound similar to Castle’s “badaba-daba”. There’s Esposito singing. The ending of the episode is HILARIOUS. Beckett tricks the camera men into going in some random storage room and then she sticks out her tongue, winks and closes the door. It’s dark in there, the camera is black, the episode is over. Now, I don’t remember too much of the case but the episode itself is hilarious. Such a different perspective, so many great scenes.

5x08 After Hours: Awww they are having dinner with Beckett and her father at Castle’s place. It does get a bit awkward between Jim and Martha. The argument between the two of them turns into an argument between Beckett and Castle since they both defend their parents and take their sides. Castle and Beckett get into trouble trying to protect a witness that is being targeted by a mobster’s guys. It’s hilarious - Castle and Beckett are ‘fighting’ the whole time and the witness is freaked out and annoyed, and the situation is so intense and dangerous, there’s actually no point in fighting. Jim and Martha bond over their children being missing.

5x09 Secret Santa: watching a Christmas episode in August, fun. That poor little girl that has to watch Santa fall from the sky into the snow, dead. Castle still has some Christmas ornaments that Alexis made for him in first grade <3. I don’t like that Alexis and Martha have other plans for Christmas Eve. I’m with Castle on that one. How hilarious is Castle though, writing “Kris Kringle” on the murder board underneath the victim’s photo :D Gates is hilarious, talking about her mother-in-law. How awesome is the Santa school though. Castle is going through a little crisis with everyone making different plans than celebrating Christmas Eve at home. Beckett’s reason for her different plans are really sad, though. It’s because her mother was killed in January and they still had their Christmas decorations up and when they took it down, it felt like they put Christmas away for good. Ever since then, her father went up to his cabin and Beckett worked the Christmas shift, and they never took out the decoration again. “So go home, make a baby. You’re ready” awww we’re talking about a Ryan baby <3. In the end, Martha and Alexis cancel their plans :’) and then it’s Castle who decides he has to be some place else lol but Beckett is right in front of his door because some detective took over her shift <3. Merry Christmas! Now I’m in such a Christmas mood on August 02 with 25°C outside lol.

5x10 Significant Others: Meredith is supposed to take Alexis on a trip to Paris (it’s ironic how Alexis will be in Paris in five episodes anyway, just for not so fun reasons) but Alexis is sick. It’s adorable. Meredith comes over anyway to take care of her (how is it that we only saw her two times throughout the whole show). Beckett is so upset about Castle letting Meredith stay with him - she’s staying at his place as well because her place is getting fumigated. That whole discussion is so annoying tbh. There’s this annoying scene where two formerly married people destroy each other’s stuff to get back at the other. “I love her but with mono she’s a bit of a bore” lol Meredith. IT’S THE EPISODE WITH A CHARACTER BILLY PIPER IN REFERENCE TO BILLIE PIPER. AND LEANN PIPER ALSO IN REFERNECE TO BILLIE PIPER. I love this. Martha is having a glass of wine and the wine looks a lot like water wow. Alexis told Meredith that Beckett and Castle’s relationship was serious :’)

5x11 Under the Influence: Esposito bonding with the kid is adorable. We also find out that Espo’s parents got divorced when he was five and his father went to Florida with his new girlfriend. Esposito also went to juvi for assault and resisting arrest, unlawful possession. Esposito taking care of the boy <3

5x12 Death Gone Crazy: Castle finds Alexis’ vlog page and he’s not too happy about it because she’s sharing personal information with the whole world (and in three episodes, this will become relevant again). Martha and Beckett think he’s overreacting, but he actually makes Alexis come up to the station to tell her about his concerns and worries. “Sorry we had to cop block you, bro” :D “Dad, I know you want to keep me safe. But the only way to do that is to wrap me up in bubble wrap and hide me in a cave.” “Believe me, I’ve thougt about it.” .. “But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop worrying or I’m gonna stop caring or reminding you from time to time that you are, indeed... wrong.” “And I wouldn’t want you to.” <3 I love their relationship so much, it’s so important to me. Have I mentioned that already? “Do you think he’ll one day accept his granddaughter?” “Absolutely.” “What makes you so sure?” “Because a father would do anything for his daughter.” <3

5x13 Recoil: “Previously on Castle...” hell yes. It’s about Bracken again, but this time he’s not the killer but the target. “You really are remarkable, you know that?” awww. it’s so intense with Beckett protecting the person that killed his mother.

5x14 Reality Star Struck: Valentine’s Day is coming up. Gates is a little “Wives of Wolf Street” fangirl. I love how Martha, Alexis and Castle are watching the show together. And it’s so bad that Castle is like “shoot me now”. For some reasons, he’s watching it all night though. “You watched just one episode? That’s like eating just one potato chip” I LOVE THIS QUOTE SO MUCH. Oh my God there’s this scene where Castle slips his valentine’s gift (earrings or something) into Beckett’s jacket but it’s actually not Beckett’s jacket but Gates’.  “You two are back toget- .. spoiler alert” :D Beckett interrogating Bob is hilarious, she’s basically screaming at him the whole time, it’s hilarious. THe poor guy is so scared :D Aww Lanie and Esposito are going on a date together. It’s hilarious when Gates confronts Castle about the earrings. Beckett’s gift for Castle is too perfect - an empty drawer :’) And then I’m pretty sure there’s a piano version of the song playing that played in 4x23 when Beckett and Castle were making out.

5x15 Target: I don’t really know what to say about this two-parter because it’s my all time favorite Castle episode. I’ve seen it so many times, I know most of the dialogs by heart. I love Castle and Alexis’ relationship so much and seeing him worried sick about her, so devastated, almost hopeless, it’s just... I can’t describe it. The episode holds a special place in my heart.

5x16 Hunt: Same for this one. Though there are one or two things that I wish had gone differently. But I won’t complain because at least we got an episode with Alexis in peril. And it’s so important to me and I love it so much.

5x17 Scared to Death: The victim died three days after watching a dvd that said she was gonna die in three days. And since Castle watched that disk at the crime scene as well, he’s afraid that he’ll die in three days, too. “Ah, Detective Beckett! ... and defective Castle” I just love Perlmutter’s hatred for Castle :D Awwwww is that Romy Rosemont? :’) Awwww, I can’t stop smiling, hi there bb, so good to see you:’) The ending is kinda spooky with Beckett and Castle being at a cabin in the woods to protect the possible next victim - at night of course. “It#S you” omg no it’s not Romy. It then turns out it’s not Romy but you can see the killer passing the window with Castle and the guy talking in the cabin, not knowing that the killer is right there oh my god. It gets a lot less scary when you can actually see the killer. It’s hilarious how Castle beats her with holy water though. Awww Castle’s top 1 on his bucket list from three years ago is “be with Kate” <3 I just find it weird that there’s no mention of Target/Hunt in this episode whatsoever. Like, no worried Castle calling up Alexis to see if she’s alright. No Beckett asking how Alexis is doing. Nothing. It’s also weird because in season 8 “Child’s Play”, Castle tells Alexis that he wouldn’t leave her out of his sight after Paris. Well, I haven’t seen any of that in season 5.

5x18 The Wild Rover: Espo to Lanie “I thought you liked it when I played doctor” and he wants to fistbump Castle who just shakes his head. Aww, hi there, Jenny. We learn about Ryan’s past, about his undercover assignment. “I’m his best friend, she’s just his wife”. It’s heartbreaking when Ryan goes undercover again and you see Jenny’s teary face. It gets really interesting seeing Ryan as Fenton, though. It’s hilarious when Ryan calls his team for backup and then he also calls Castle who says “Seriously? I- I didn’t bring my vest”. The episode ends with Jenny telling Ryan that she’s pregnant and it just makes me smile so hard :’)

5x19 The Lives of Others: Aww Castle hurt is leg showing-off while skiing. Martha is leaving for a spa trip and Castle guilt trips her because she’s away during his birthday. “It is a spa trip, not a guilt trip”. Alexis gave Castle binoculars and he actually starts watching random people in the building across the street because he’s so bored. Then, he actually sees a murder in the apartment he’s been watching - or at least he thinks so because a man with a knife walks into the bedroom where his cheating wife is. He can’t see what happens because the blinds are closed. Oooooh nice, this is the 100th episode - the title card is awesome, the blood showed a little 100. Anyway, when Espo and Ryan go to that house, there is no body. Of course Castle doesn’t stop watching the guy. He’s convinced he killed her and he keeps seeing evidence for that, but Beckett doesn’t believe him, so he wants to film the guy but when something fishy actually happens, it takes him too long to get the camera started ;D It’s hilarious when Alexis starts watching the guy and says that he’s taking off his clothes and that he’s cute, so Castle takes her binoculars, but then she just gets another pair :D They then watch him together eating popcorn, I love this. “If you [Alexis] get caught, you’ll get an B&E on your record and you’ll never become President” :D :D :D  “When you [Beckett] do it, it’s an illegal search. When I do it, it’s just illegal.” I love Castle logic. Eventually, Beckett goes over to the guys’ apartment because Castle thinks the body is in the fridge, but the guy ends up attacking Beckett and then the lights go out and Castle is shitting his pants. He calls 911 and rushes over there, Espo and Ryan kick in the door and then there’s everyone yelling SURPRISE :D WIth a huge “Happy Birthday” banner. They just set that whole thing up as a birthday present and to kill his boredom. He loves it. ANd I just love that Castle’s birthday was actually ABC Castle’s birthday as well. “How many murders do you think we solved since we met?” “I don’t know, maybe a hundred or so?” “A hundred... Here’s to a hundred more.” Spoiler alert: not gonna happen :( Also, you wouldn’t believe that Alexis was abducted to Paris just a couple weeks ago. No sign of ptsd or the like.

5x20 The Fast and the Furriest: “I don’t sleep eat. I’ve never sleep aten.. sleep ate... sleep eaten, have I?” lol at Perlmutter for saying “oh, the B-Team” disappointed when Ryan and Espo came in :D Castle sets up a trap for the person stealing his food and then late at night, he hears it go off and sees Alexis with a blue face (she makes a really cute smurf btw), just running off :D Castle on the hike is hilarious. “Oh, that is not good for my knee” they manage to mention a silly injury from last episode but they can’t keep up with Alexis’ abduction?! Turns out, Alexis was giving her allowance money to some guy named Jonah - she was supporting his project that could change the world. Her talk with Castle at the end is super cute.

5x21 The Squab and the Quail: Let me start by saying that I have NO idea what the title means. Apparently, both are kind of birds.  “One squab, one quail” ah, there we go. Castle decidign between Beckett or a video game, loool. Esposito looks weird. His hair is too long and the stubbles.. nah. There’s a bit of tension going on between Beckett and Castle because of jealousy and taking someone for granted, stuff like that. Alexis is really supportive, reassuring that Beckett is taking their relationship seriously. Martha, on the other hand,... not so much ;) The ending is kinda like ??? with Beckett asking “Castle, where are we going?” “To the bedroom. Come on, you’re gonna love this” and then Beckett looks all ???

5x22 Still: Boy that shot of NYC is gorgeous. I really need to travel to NYC again, it’s been too long. Also, the three times I’ve been there were only for a weekend, so I couldn’t explore it fully. But there’s so many places I haven’t visited that I need to see, ugh, the struggle is real. About the episode. Beckett is standing on a bomb. Castle is worried but won’t leave her side. Aww flashbacks to the early seasons <3 GOD I MISS THIS. They also mentions Beckett’s various hairstyles over the years, I love this. The flashbacks are gold. Castle acting like a cop, I’m cracking up. Beckett says I love you, Castle says it back. “oh for heaven’s sake, detective, just kiss the man” :D The flashbacks on all the kisses though.

5x23 The Human Factor: There’s a scene that’s supposed to be super funny but it’s just not. I’m just not feeling the episode. At the end of the episode, Beckett gets a job offer for a job in DC. 

5x24 Watershed: Beckett in DC does not feel like Castle at all. “Is this about Paris?” FINALLY WE’RE MENTIONING THIS LIKE WOW. “And yeah, I still have nightmares, ... “ tell me more, show me more. “But it’s not gonna stop me from worrying about you or missing you.” awww “And I wouldn’t want you to.” Awww that’s the same dialog from another episode, this would make a great parallel gifset. This scene was really nice, but I wish there had been more follow-up on Alexis and Castle, you know. How they dealt with the events. “..there’s no way I’m letting Alexis go to Costa Rica now.” lol yeah. Ryan tells Esposito that Jenny is pregnant and Ryan is all smiles, it’s beautiful (I didn’t expect that scene cause I thought he had told him already). Of course Castle is upset that Beckett didn’t tell him about the job interview and didn’t include him in her plans. There’s a beautiful conversation between Martha and Castle about the issue - Martha is awesome. Beckett and Castle meet at the swingset again to talk. And then Castle proposes to her and the episode ends. It just ends. Like, in what universe is that okay. Thankfully, I can go right on to 6x01.