#this is extra hard because i am not even an “official” part of my band
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I leave my home and play my silly performances with my band and i am King of the Geeks!! they love me! i play their pop culture songs for them and they gift me offerings: money and food and kandi and compliments. i bask in the praise and bounce to the tunes we create.
and then i return to my life and i am nothing. i fall from my position as outcast royalty, as quickly as i rose to it. no longer worthy of praise or goodies, i fall back into my pocket of the world: too accomplished for geekery, not smart enough for nerdism, too silly to be mainstream.
i practice my songs and arrange more fandom tunes and rosin up my bow, hoping once again for the euphoria of exaltation: back on the stage once more, me and my fiddle and my friends, making both planned and unplanned noise. loving every second of it.
#this is extra hard because i am not even an “official” part of my band#i'm the backup violinist when the professional violinist with 20+ more years of experience doesn't want to go to small gigs#but Bouzouki Friend makes me feel like i'm just as good; that I'm talented and wanted.#i guess that's the reason i like him so much#and why i am still desperate to play with him and his friends#my pocket is a lonely pocket. i do not find many others inside#but the joy from playing a fiddle riff right#or seeing queer teens and saying “let's play harpy hare” or “will wood” or “teenagers by mcr” and getting cheers and tips from them#or having Bouzouki Friend say “Solei take a solo!!” or “You start this one off”#or having a friend say “you're not a burden. i like having you here. you fill out our band”#or making fun of all my friends for being older than i am#that almost makes up for it.#that almost makes the pocket worth it.#anyways thanks for listening to the ramble
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BPP, hi
I choose to ask you this because you’re one of the most sane voices here. I got into BTS and KPop very recently (2022 Dec) and was consuming all kinds of available content (Run BTS, fancams, concert videos, shipper narratives) and fell in love with Jungkook and Jimin. You can say I am double bias.
From what I saw in the content I consumed, both JK and JM are very popular but JM was more popular (Idols bible, face of Kpop being some titles given to him). But then, I started seeing him diminish around dynamite era? And I have lurked on few blogs here who think the same. They think that the company forced Jimin to step back.
After what I’ve seen happen to Jimin during and post Face release, I am inclined to believe that the company actually never wanted him but only retained him because they also could see his power. Now that BTS are the best boy band in the world, Jimin doesn’t really matter and it breaks my heart so much to see that. I am Happy for Jungkook getting all these opportunities but it leaves such a sour taste in the mouth because everything evil that was hurled at Jimin is kind of what could apply to JK (I’m really not saying he should be targeted, I love Jungkook. but his fans literally collaborated with pinks to hate on Jimin).
Sorry, this is turning into a long ask/vent post. I have no hope that Jimins second album will get any kind of support and he will still get as much hate and it makes me wish he wasn’t a part of BTS, a group I got to love.
***
Sigh Anon,
You say you're a new fan so I'll skip most of what I want to say and be extra brief. I'll ask you three questions.
Did you know that until very recently, many people in the fandom, solos and not, were absolutely convinced PDogg had it out for Jimin? Yeah, P - "Park Jimin will end k-pop in 2023" - Dogg. They somehow reached the conclusion that BTS's main producer secretly hated Jimin and sabotaged him with hard-to-sing lines or hatefully prevented Jimin from singing at all. You'd often see them cite PDogg refusing Yoongi's offer of gifting People to Jimin for him to sing as a solo track. I've lost count of how many PJMs hated PDogg's guts based on those theories who are now singing PDogg's praises (though a faction still hate him for the autotune use, because we know Jimin had absolutely no say in the creative process and it certainly wasn't his idea, based on his interviews /s). I wonder what you think about that fan theory now and if that tells you anything about how fan theories are made.
With the little you've seen and know of Jimin so far, do you think he would sign up (a second time) for a work situation and relationship which is hostile to his growth as an artist and as a person? You say you've been following the FACE promotions so I wonder if you've watched all Jimin's interviews where he talks about the process and how the company/producers got involved.
Are you old enough to work in a corporate setting? Because even watching BTS's official content might not be enough for some people to get the full picture if they have little understanding of what healthy team dynamics look like in a work relationship to begin with. I think it's unlikely you're in this bracket of people Anon, but I'm asking just in case because most of the questions, theories, or concerns about mistreatment and favouritism in BTS can be dismissed just on the knowledge of how teams work. This ask I responded to on the 2022 Festa Dinner shows as much.
Feeling discontent with Jimin’s roll-out is totally valid. But it’s also possible you’ve found your way into the fandom spaces that traffic in mistreatment theories for the members you bias, typically solo stan and manti spaces, that new fans tend to fall into. I suggest you spend more time listening to Jimin, not his stans and not me. (But if you have follow-up questions I’ll try to answer.)
Goodluck.
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Weekend WIP - Ask Game
Rules: List your WIPs below (if you only write one fic at a time, feel free to include future WIPs/ideas!) then answer the following questions. Then, tag as many people as you have WIPs (or more).
I was tagged by @bitbybitwrites. thank you for tagging me!! I don't post fics until they are complete, so unless I've mentioned the story on my blog, some of these answers are not going to make sense to anyone but me, LOL. also, I try to only work on one WIP at a time, but I do have a few partially started/outlined stories sitting in my drafts folder on my hard drive, and I guess they are technically WIPs even if I'm not actively working on them, so here goes nothing...
-
1. WIP List:
Andy Hummel's Last Will And Testament
Breaking Stereotypes
I Taste The Truth
You And Me And The Beat
The Escape Plan
2. Which of your WIPs is currently the longest?:
Breaking Stereotypes is currently just over 55k words, so definitely that one ;)
3. Which WIP do you expect will end up the longest?:
Probably Breaking Stereotypes?
4. Which WIP is your favourite to write/the most enjoyable to write? Why?:
Currently, I'm only focusing on Breaking Stereotypes, and I'm really looking forward to finishing it and getting it published.
5. Which WIP do you find the most intimidating to write? Why?:
I Taste The Truth is a pretty intimidating story to write. Which probably explains why I haven't even looked at in a few years. why? because it involves a lot of world building since Kurt is part-Fae in that fic, and I want to make sure I can explain things properly without info-dumping, but also make sure that I'm not leaving out important info that lives in my head but a reader might need extra context for.
6. Which WIP do you experience the most self-doubt about. Why?:
again, I Taste The Truth. for all the same reasons that I explained above.
7. Which of your WIPs will you seek out a beta/sensitivity reader for? Why?:
none of them? I've only ever had a beta read a fic if the story was written for a challenge where a beta was a requirement of the challenge.
8. Have any of your WIPs been struck by the curse of writer's block?:
all of them!! that's why their WIPs, LOL. Breaking Stereotypes was fic I started in 2017. I think I put it on official hiatus in 2019, and have only really done minor edits here-and-there until this year when I finally figured out what direction to take the story.
9. Which WIP has your favourite OC? Tell us about them?"
as of right now, Breaking Stereotypes is the only story with an OC. Her name is Candice. She is the manager of Blaine's band as well as Trent's girlfriend (Trent is bi in my fic). She's a smart and snarky, and she takes her job very seriously.
10. Which WIP is the sexiest?:
I don't have a lot written for it yet, but my guess is that You And Me And The Beat will be the sexiest ;)
11. Which WIP is the angstiest?:
I honestly don't know. Andy Hummel's Last Will And Testament, maybe?
12. Which WIP has the best characterisation (in your humble opinion)?:
all of them? again, I don't know. I think my characterization is about equal across all my stories? I could be wrong though.
13. Which WIP has the best scene setting (in your humble opinion)?:
You And Me And The Beat? maybe?
14. Which WIP have you worked the hardest on?:
Definitely Breaking Stereotypes.
15. Which WIP do you have the highest expectations for? Why?:
I don't put expectations on my fics. not the way this question implies anyway. the only expectations I have are things like "I expect this to have 20 chapters" or "I expect this to be around 20k words" or "I expect to complete this story by next week". I don't expect anything else from them. I really am that annoying person that writes stories strictly for my own enjoyment because these stories are in my head and I want to get them on paper so I can read them. even though I complain about it, the creative process of bringing these stories to life is the best part of writing fic. I just share the completed stories with the fandom for fun, because I figure there might be other people out there that will enjoy it as much as me. if not, no worries. it made me happy, and that's all that matters.
16. Do you dream about any of your WIPs?:
daydream? yes. I think about all of them often. usually just the one that is my main focus of the moment, but sometimes one of the others likes to remind me it still exists, and tries to command my attention ;) however, I don't usually have dreams about my WIPs. (I have occasionally gotten an idea for a story/WIP because of a dream though)
17. Do any of your WIPs have particular complexities that your other fics don't?:
I Taste The Truth has that element of including Fae attributes and otherworldly components, which makes it different from my other WIP stories.
18. Which WIP is the funniest or has the most humour?:
The Escape Plan is a fun and silly fic.
19. Do any of your WIPs contain outside POVs or a deep dive on a character other than the main ship? How are you finding that process?:
nope. sorry.
20. Tell us one thing we don't know about one or more of your WIPs.:
I honestly can't remember what I have or have not shared about each of these fics, so I don't know what you don't know. but if you have questions you can always feel free to send me an ask! I love talking about my fics with people.
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Bakugou, Shinsou, Todoroki, Dabi and Shigaraki checking out their s/o
Request: Pretty pls hcs for Shinsou, Shoto, Dabi, Shigaraki, and Bakugou getting caught checking out their s/o? thank you! - anonymous
Pretty boys you’ve got there sweet anon. Pretty boys with a capital P. Love yaa. 💖💖💖
rules
warning: some suggestive thoughts, swearing
Bakugou Katsuki
-Bakugou doesn’t like showing his feelings.
-Like to no one.
-Not even to you sometimes.
-So when you started to officially date you understood why he would want to keep our relationship a secret.
-He was good at keep it that way.
-Like really good.
-You got no extra attention or special treatment, he never lost his poker face around you and would never NEVER stare at you.
-So you never really checked on him to see if his eyes wondered to ...places.
-Today your skirt had ridden up your thighs while you were bouncing around the room along side Mina.
-Your favorite band was coming near you guys since they were on tour and you both were ecstatic.
-The skin of your thighs looked so soft and plum who wouldn’t stare?
-You did mind when people stared at you but now dealing with your excitement was a priority.
-Your boyfriend had gotten excited by something else though.
-His eyes were glued to your thighs, his red orbs following your every movement.
-Kaminari and Kirishima were telling him something about Mineta but he couldn’t focus on them.
-His head was constantly turned to you to the point that Kaminari had to shake his shoulder to get him to look at them.
- “Yo what are you looking at?”
-His head was again turned to you his eyes widening only by a fraction while he mumbled something to the two boys.
-Kaminari followed his gaze and his own jaw dropped for a moment before a smirk formed on his face.
- “Well he IS drooling over Y/N like a dog.....”
-At the sound of your name on Kami’s lips, Bakugou’s attention was fully on the boys his right eye twitching at the comment.
-He let out a snarl and raised his hand creating a few small explosions.
- “And what if I am drooling sparky boy?? She wouldn’t mind me looking anyways.”
- “And why is that Bakubro?”
-His smirk widened as he said proudly.
- “Because she’s my fucking girlfriend.”
-Way to be secretive Bakugou.
Shinsou Hitoshi
-Baby doesn’t want to show his true emotions to the outside world.
-Heart been broken too many times.. *isn’t that how the meme goes?*
-He shows it to you because you are HIS and he adores you.
-He knows you won’t hurt him so he gives you his all.
-Such a sweetheart OMG!!!!!!!
-While you two are in school grounds there is not many things that would indicate that you two are together.
-People would have to watch closely to see the sings of your relationship.
-How he sits really close to you during lunch.
-How you tend to come to school sporting his hoodie during cold days.
-It’s all cute and fluffy but so so on the down low.
-Yall are out on a date and you decided to go to the arcade.
-You convinced him to have a dance off with you and now you are both sweaty and panting while you are jumping up and down to the rhythm of ‘Party anthem”.
-Shisnou kinda gave up after a while and he is now just staring at you.
-You on the other hand are giving it your all trying to get everything right.
-You are sweaty and feeling gross which is not cute at all since you are on a date but he promised you ice cream if you beat him with a significant difference.
-You are not letting this slide.
-Hitoshi’s eyes are on your chest that is em...going along with your jumping.
-He is stuck and he is already dreading that you’ll look at him and call him out.
-But he can’t stop.
-He really wishes you were at your dorm right now, the things he would do.
-His blush is getting darker as his thoughts are getting dirtier by the minute until the music stops and you are left panting.
-There’s another thing to add to the list of things to add to his small fantasy.
-You notice that he has been silent for some time now and you try to meet his eyes but you see where they are glued.
-Waltzing up to him you leave a kiss to his cheek and another right under his ear, making him shiver.
- “Stop being so dirty we will be back soon.”
-Winking you walked out of the arcade leaving a very turned on Shinsou behind.
Todoroki Shouto
-Baby boy is slow.
-Yall aren’t together yet.
-He really can’t understand what is going on whenever you enter the room.
-His heart starts to race, his palms get sweaty and he has a weird tendency to smile.
-He wants to be the reason you are laughing.
-He wants to talk to you non stop.
-He wants to be around you 25/8, 366 days a year.
-But he doesn’t understand why this is happening so he just plain out ignores it.
-You have a massive crush on him so it kinda hurts when he doesn’t take any hints.
-You dress up just a little bit while you are out with your friend group since he is part of it.
-You cook for him.
-You offer help or ask for help with studies.
-But nothing.
-You were chilling in the common room.
-You were spread out on the couch, your t-shirt exposed your stomach as you were hanging half off the actual couch and just a pair of short shorts underneath.
-Shoto was coming back from his father’s agency, his nerves were everywhere and his mind wouldn’t shut you out.
-Your soothing voice was there when his father yelled at him that afternoon and even though you weren’t there you helped him get through the day.
-So when the poor thing walked through the door and was met with you hanging off the couch in such a suggestive position, his mind ran wild.
-He couldn’t stop the blush that irrupted on his face as his cheeks and ears became the same color as his scar.
-He almost choked on his spit when you giggled at something on your phone.
-Midoriya came through the door next and was shocked when he saw his friend beat red and eyes wide.
- “Todoroki-kun are you alright?”
- “She’s hot- It’s IT’S hot in here.”
-You turned at his voice, sitting up as your shorts rode up your thighs ever so slightly.
-Todoroki saw and he couldn’t take it any longer, covering his red face with his hand as he mumbled a small ‘excuse me’ and left the room.
-He certainly had an image that would get him through the night.....
Dabi
-Salty boy™.
-Him and Tsukishima would have been best buds I swear.
-He is VERY vocal about his attraction to you.
-Like legit non stop flirting even after you are exclusive.
-Compliments, dirty remarks, dirty promises, dirty actions, dirty dirty dirty things in general.
-He won’t hesitate to make a dirty remark in front of the rest of the league.
-He has NO shame whatsoever.
-Look he finally grew the balls to make you HIS okay?
-He wants to show off.
-But he knows when to not look at you like he wants to devour you.
-He is respectful of Kurogiri so he isn’t a horny bastard while he is around.
-But one day he slipped.
-His hold on his horniness snapped.
-Poor guy.
-Actually scratch that poor you, you are the one who is gonna get it rough later so yeah.
-You had just returned from a mission that had gone sideways.
-Your clothes were ripped and your pants were half burned off.
-Your pretty face had smudges on it and you looked exhausted.
-Immediately you went to take a shower not letting Dabi ogle at you.
-When your shower was over you came back downstairs and order a strong drink, rubbing your temples in an attempt to ease your headache.
-Your hair was wet and sticking to your shirt making it wet and Dabi could SENSE that you weren’t wearing a bra.
-That’s his sixth sense.
-The shirt was black so nothing showed.
-That’s why you couldn’t understand why Dabi was giving you that smirk and glancing down your shirt.
-You rolled your eyes at him and shoved him away from you only for him to grip your waist and set you on his lap.
-He left a kiss on your neck and smirked as you shivered.
-His eyes were right on your chest since he could see EVERYTHING from this angle.
-That’s when Kurogiri stepped back in the room, the drink you ordered in hand.
-He almost YEETED you off of him as a blush bloomed on the few patches of unscathed skin that he had.
-Kurogiri *being the Nomu he is IFHOQOASB I RUINED IT* didn’t really respond to the position you were in.
-He just gave you your drink and went back to polishing the shot glasses.
-Dabi wanted to crawl into a whole and die even though Kurogiri said nothing.
-Poor guy every thought and scenario he made about that night was out the window.
-He cuddled you to drown his shame.
-Bastard..........
Shigaraki Tomura
-I dare you to try and make him check you out in public.
-Sure he might stare at you ass in the DIM LIT bar yall are staying in but that’s just because no one can see his eyes.
-He is beyond shy when it comes to these matters and unlike Dabi even after you are together he wouldn’t stare at you like a crazy person.
-He is very very careful with his glances and calculates when would be the right time to stare.
-Meetings are easy.
-You all are sitting down so how hard could it be to keep his horny side in check?
-Well most of the time is easy.
-You are usually wearing your civilian clothes which are very casual and comfy.
-Nothing is showing and nothing really makes him want to rip your clothes off.
-He wants to cuddle at the sight.
-The problem appears when one day you had to go out on a mission and were called into an emergency meeting by Shiggy.
-Your costume is um... sexy to say the least.
-Everything you are wearing is hugging your body in all the right places and the mask you wear shades your eyes just right.
-You look seductive as hell.
-Shiggy rarely sees you in your villain costume.
-He sees you while you are getting ready and might make a comment or go for a quick round.
-But now it was unexpected.
-He didn’t remember you were to go on a mission.
-Totally forgot.
-So when you come down and since all the seats are taken you have to stay standing, Shiggy is in trouble.
-His eyes won’t leave your thighs and he can’t really form coherent words.
-Dabi is drooling over you and so is Toga.
-They keep pointing out how good you look and how sexy your costume makes you.
-More than you already are.
-Shigaraki has to really one up his self control and not cancel the meeting and drag you to the nearest closet.
-He’s so disoriented during the meeting.
-Kurogiri points it out after the meeting ended and you left for your mission.
-Shiggy had the darkest blush the LoV had ever seen and he had to leave the room.
-Took a cold shower afterwards.
-Waits for you like a lost puppy..... which turns feral once you step into the room.
TAG TEAM AY:
@iwaqchan @the-arcana-fan-fic @angelwritings @axerrri @reinyrei
#bnha bakugo katsuki#mha bakugou#bakugou x reader#bakugou#bakugou fluff#bakugou x you#bakugou x y/n#shinsou x you#shinsou x y/n#my hero academia shinsou#shinsou fluff#shinsou x reader#shinsou hitoshi#todoroki shouto#todoroki shoto x reader#todoroki x reader#mha todoroki#shouto x reader#dabi#dabi my hero academia#dabi x reader#bnha dabi#shigaraki x reader#shigaraki x you#shigaraki x y/n#shigaraki fluff#my hero academia shigaraki
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10 Times Yuzuru Hanyu Was Inspiring
Yuzuru Hanyu (26 years old) is a Japanese figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic champion, two- time World champion, Four Continent champion, four times Grand Prix Final champion and five times national champion. He is the only male skater that has achieved a grand slam (won all major competitions in both junior and senior circus). In 2018, he won the People's Honor Award given by the Japanese Prime Minister and became the youngest recipient of this award. He also won the award of the most valuable skater at the International Skating Union Awards for the season 2019-2020. Since his debut in the senior circus in 2011-2012 and until now, Yuzuru's performances have always made a great impact on the audience; allowing him to have the biggest fan base ever in the history of figure skating. His fans are not only from Japan but from all around the world; including other skaters and coaches. The reason behind all of this love is that Yuzuru touches the hearts by performing like an artist, hitting every note, being super passionate about what he does and combining a competitive spirit with a sport soul. On top of all of that, he has an ability to inspire people. His road has never been easy. It is full of injuries, surgeries, illnesses, strong competitors, mistakes and losses. However, he always perserves, pushes through his limits, overcomes adversity and rises in an inspiring way.
Here are the ten times Yuzuru Hanyu was an icon of inspiration:
1- Winning his first medal in the World Championship in 2012 despite having an injury and low stamina.
In his debut in the World championship (senior circus) in 2012, Yuzuru (17) sprained his right ankle during the official practice the day before the short program. His foot swelled up but he decided not to withdraw, taking into account all the effort he has made for this competition and all the people who came here for him (coach, mom and officials). He went ahead and competed. He was ranked seventh in the short program, third in the free program and third overall, winning the bronze medal.
Yuzuru commented on that competition in his autobiography book "Aoi Hono ll":
"Because I was injured the day before the short, I felt that even in that kind of situation 'I landed my quad, I did well’. I felt that I had worked really hard by myself. However, my mother told me, "That is wrong.” Getting injured was my own fault, but there were many people who helped and supported me. That is the reason why I could come to this point. Until about 9 o'clock that night, we were talking about this while having dinner, and in the end, I realized that my thinking was wrong."
Yuzuru was about to get full of himself and let arrogance take over him. However, his mother helped him stay grounded. Thus, he was able to face the free program with a humble attitude. He put out a passionate performance that many people still remember until this day and consider as one of their favorites. During that performance, he tried not to put a lot of pressure on the injured foot so he shifted all the pressure on the other one until it got exhausted and gave up on him. As a result, he fell all of a sudden in the middle of the performance, but he managed to get up right away and perform a great jump right after.
In his autobiography book that was mentioned earlier, Yuzuru talked about this fall and said: "Later, when I watched the videos, I saw that the fall did not take up much time. I was standing up again quickly. But to me, it felt like a long time. When I fell, the feeling was like flying mid-air. Like this (he re-enacts the fall in slow motion), 'ahh, I am stumbling~~’ (laughs). After the fall, I was thinking 'what should I do from here’, many thoughts circled around. Thinking that I won’t make it in time for the next axel jump, I shortened the path by going straight instead of curved. I can jump even a 3A+3A (in practice), so I thought I will be alright. (laughs)”.
One of the most exciting moments during the performance is when Yuzuru shouted out aloud before the choreographic sequence. The shout seemed like a great expression of the emotions of his character (Romeo). It made him look like he was totally into character. However, he clarified that it was unintentional. He said: "I felt like I couldn’t breathe, so I thought, for now just let the breath out. (laughs)"
Yuzuru is known to be suffering from asthma and because of it he had a low stamina at the time. However, even after finding out that the shout wasn't done to express the character's emotions, viewers still find it impactful because it is a genuine expression of Yuzuru's fight against his limits.
That night, Yuzuru made a name for himself internationally. He shed tears of happiness after getting his scores and so did his coach. He also got praised by the winner that night who said: "the one shining the most is Yuzuru".
2- Breaking a World Record and winning gold in his first participation in the winter Olympic Games.
At the age of 19, Yuzuru participated for the first time in the Olympic Games. Young male skaters like him who participate for the first time usually don't dare to dream about winning. The big scale of the competition gets athletes nervous and shaken, even the great and experienced ones of them. Therefore, the young newcomers usually consider their first participation as an experience to have under their belt while preparing for the next Olympic. However, Yuzuru was determind to win. His choreographer at the time, David Wilson, talked about his intense determination in an interview: "he wrote me an email letter that was so touching. He was like please help me do this because I'm ready. I'll do anything. I will die. I'll do anything to be the Olympic Champion. I don't want to wait until 2018. I want it now and I'll do anything. I'm willing to die for it. Anything you tell me, I'll do it but help me."
David Wilson talking about Yuzuru's determination to win the 2014 Olympics
Yuzuru performed a marvelous short program and came out of the rink saying: "I did it!" to which his coach replied: "you certainly did". He broke the world record in his first participation at the Olympics despite his young age. He did get nervous and made mistakes at the free program. However, what he did in the short program was enough to bring him the gold medal and make him achieve his childhood dream.
Yuzuru (11) saying that his dream is to win the Olympics
Yuzuru performing his short program at the 2014 Olympics:
Other Skaters reacting to Yuzuru's World Record at the Olympics:
The moment when Yuzuru finds out he won the 2014 Olympics:
3- Continuing to compete after a pretty bad collusion with another skater during Cup of China 2014:
In 2014, Yuzuru took part in Cup of China, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series. Yuzuru was in second place after the short program and during the 6 minuets warm up before the long program he had an accident. He collided with the Chinese skater Han Yan. They were looking at opposite sides and couldn't see each other until it was too late.
Yuzuru talked about the incident in his autobiography book and said: "My stomach hit the ice (when I fell) and so it felt like I received a body blow. My stomach was hurting so much; I could not breathe nor get up. Then, when I tried standing up, my chin was hurting and bleeding. My head was panicking and I didn’t know exactly where all the pain was coming from."
After a few minutes, Yuzuru stood up on his own despite the arrival of medical helpers. He preferred to exit the rink on his own instead of being carried. Backstage, he was examined and given first aid by American doctors.
The Collusion incident at CoC 2014:
In his biography book, Yuzuru gave some details about what happened backstage after the incident:
"I really gave a lot of trouble to the people around me. They told me ‘Don’t compete’. The doctors also said, 'It is not a concussion, so it is possible to skate but we do not recommend it.’Coach Orser also said, 'Now you don’t need to be a hero. You still have more after this, you still can do a lot as a skater.’But 'it has nothing to do with that. I will skate because I want to go to GP Final.’ I think I might have said that to him in Japanese. I wanted to go to the Final somehow. Here, 5th or 4th place is good enough, I can get 1st place in the next competition, so for now I just want to remain connected. If I compete at GPF, I definitely want to have a second consecutive victory. I also want to win the triple crown again (Worlds, GPF, Nationals). I had those kind of thoughts. Now when I look back I think, 'ah I skated well’."
Yuzuru decided to skate his free program and the people around him respected his decision and allowed him to go. He made sure to meet Han Yan before competing again and they exchanged apologies. After that, Yuzuru showed up in the rink with a bandage on his head and a small band on his chin. He skated his free program bravely after making some changes on the layout to adjust to his condition. He fell on five jumps but did full rotations and got grades for that. He also was able to land some jumps in the latter half of the program, which got him extra points. After the performance, his coach Orser was worried about his feelings if he gets a bad score for falling five times so he was preparing him mentally by saying stuff like: "scores don't matter. What matter is what you did out there" but it turned out Orser had nothing to worry about as Yuzuru received a high score. Yuzuru was so surprised and relieved when he saw his score and he burst into tears after holding on for a long time. He won the silver medal in that event.
Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at CoC 2014:
After the competition, American doctors prepared the massage room to do stitches for Yuzuru. He received 7 stitches on his chin with anesthetics and 3 staples on his head without any anesthetics, which was really painful to him! The next day, he traveled to Japan for a medical examination in a trip that he described as hell. The result of the examination was "head contusion (or bruise), chin contusion, abdominal contusion, left thigh contusion and right ankle sprain’.
For ten days, Yuzuru was unable to walk and the recovery took more time than expected. Every time he finds himself able to walk, he would go to the rink, but once he steps his foot into the rink the pain comes back. He thought that he would never be able to skate again, felt so depressed and wanted to quit skating all together. However, his mother told him "how about just giving it a try anyway? If you skate just a little on the ice every day with the intention of rehabilitation, the situation may change for the better" her response surprised him because she never tried to stop him from quitting in the past whenever he said he wanted to quit. With that new attitude of his mother, Yuzuru became optimistic about being able to skate again, and found the willpower to try and even aim to win at the next competition of the Grand Prix Series, which was NHK.
At NHK, Unfortunately, Yuzuru wasn't able to present great performances and once he finished his free program he thought to himself: "ah, the final is gone!" he thought that all his efforts in Cup of China were for nothing, but luckily, the total of his points combined from the two competitions made him the last qualified skater for the final. Thus, he was able to take part in the final, presented great performnces and won the gold medal after all the struggles he went through.
4- Winning at Nationals 2014 despite bleeding and needing a surgery:
After the short program at the Grand Prix Final, Yuzuru felt some kind of pain in his stomach whenever he stretched or pressed on it. He thought that it must be a damage in the muscle tissue but after the free program, he found something that looks like a Ping Pong ball sticking out beneath his navel. It was so painful to the extent that he couldn't sleep on his flight back to Japan. When he landed, he went to the hospital right away and was told that he might have Urachal Remnant Disorder. He was given some antibiotic and sent home because his condition wasn't bad. However, once he returned home, and got into the shower, his navel burst and started bleeding. He went back to the hospital and it was confirmed that he has Urachal Remnant. He needed to undergo a surgery but he couldn't afford to have it any time soon because the Japanese national competition (All Japan) was a few weeks away. He was determined to attend it so he decided to bear with the pain and delay the surgery. Without telling anybody about his problem, he attended his trainings after wrapping himself with gauze to prevent blood from staining his clothes. That didn't work out well and blood still got to his clothes so when it was time for the competition, he was worried that his costume might get stained. To prevent that from happening, he put a strong tape on top of the gauze, which was painful, but did the job. In this condition, Yuzuru took part in the Japanese national competition, and despite a few mistakes in both of his programs, his endurance of pain didn't go in vain, and he actually won.
Yuzuru commented about this situation in his book by saying: "It was painful to bend forward and backward, but I tried to do whatever I could in that situation. I even did the Ina bauer, but I could not arch back at all. In fact, I also intended to do the biellmann spin! However, when I started the spin, I changed it into an A-line"
Yuzuru performing his free program and putting his hand on his stomach while leaving the ice during All Japan 2014:
5- Rising from fifth place to first in the World Championships 2017:
At the World Championship in 2017, Yuzuru made some mistakes in the short program that left him sitting in fifth place behind his rivals. The gap between him and the first place was around 11 points. He was so disappointed in himself but didn't give up. He wanted to go practice harder. However, his coaches stopped him from overworking himself and made sure that he takes a good rest and goes through a normal practice. After that, he collected himself, focused, stayed calm and presented one of the greatest performances ever. It was flawless and magnificent. His coach Brian Orser said that he felt privileged to have witnessed this performance. Yuzuru got a very high score that made him scream and left him on the verge of shedding happy tears. His coach Brian Orser was speechless while his other coach Tracy Wilson had her mouth wide open in astonishment. With that, Yuzuru was able to rise from fifth place to first and win the championship.
Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at the WC 2017:
6- Winning the second Olympic title right after being away from the ice for 3 months due to a severe injury:
Before the beginning of the Olympic season, Yuzuru was done with his preparation very early and was all ready to compete. His coach Brian Orser couldn't believe how smoothly things were going and felt a little uneasy about the fact that Yuzuru was ready very early. His worry wasn't pointless because soon enough Yuzuru sustained a severe injury. It happened during the official practice before NHK. Yuzuru was practicing (4Lutz) which was a new jump he has been practicing that season. He landed the jump in a wrong way causing ligament damage to his right ankle. The injury forced him out of competition for the rest of the season.
Yuzuru's fall and injury at NHK 2017:
Yuzuru disappeared and was away from the ice for three months. During that time, he didn't make any T.V appearances or interviews. Thus, nobody knew anything about him and his condition. His participation in the Olympics and the mere ability to perform again became uncertain. A lot of people doubted he would be able to comeback. However, he showed up at Incheon Airport in South Korea surrounded by guards and declared that he was ready to compete and that he believes he has the potential to win more than any other skater. After that, he avoided talking to the press until the end of the competition.
Yuzuru's arrival at Incheon Airport to participate at the 2018 Olympics:
According to his coach, Brian Orser, Yuzuru returned to the ice only six weeks before the Olympics and had to relearn everything and take baby steps to be able to perform again. He was practicing strokes, single and double jumps while watching his training mate and rival, Javier Fernandez, do a full run through of his programs with triples and quads. Yuzuru was able to land triples only three weeks before the Olympics and started landing quads just two weeks before the Olympics.
During the official open practice before the competition, Yuzuru made sure not to reveal his abilities and current condition nor his planned layout. He simply did some strokes and single jumps then left the rink. He chose his layout after studying his rivals and calculating how many points he would potentially need to win. He did his calculations on an app that he developed as part of his studies at the university.
In the short program segment, Yuzuru put out a great performance that was so close to the world record (which he holds). He won first place at this segment. Seeing the results, he felt relieved and assured so he allowed himself to reduce the difficulty of his free program. He was one-step away from winning the Olympics again. He needed to put out another great performance during the free program, and fortunately, that's exactly what he did. He performed a memorable free program filled with emotions, and once he finished, he screamed: "I won. I won!" which was true! He became the first skater to win the Olympics consecutively in 66 years.
Yuzuru's free program at the 2018 Olympics:
The moment that Yuzuru is announced as the winner of the 2018 Olympics:
7- Receiving the gold medal on crutches during Rostelecom Cup 2018:
After winning the Olympics, Yuzuru decided to pay tribute to his role models in figure skating; the Russian legend Evgeny Plushenko and the American Johnny Weir. He chose one of Plushenko's programs as his free program and one of Weir's as his short. He adapted the programs to his own style but still kept some touches from the original ones. Since it was a tribute, he decided to perform his free program in the hometown of his Russian idol and in front of his people. That is why he chose to participate in Rostelecom Cup, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series, and is held in Russia. He performed a great short program and everything was going well until he injured his right foot again during the practice before the free program. He was advised to withdraw. However, he absolutely wanted to perform his tribute to the Russian legend, Plushenko, in Russia. He has prepared a lot for this performance and came all the way to Russia to do it so he didn't want all of that to be pointless. He decided to take strong painkillers and perform his free program. He lowered the difficulty of the program and then presented a great performance in front of the Russian crowd that brought him the gold medal. After the performance, he started moving on crutches and admitted that without the painkillers, he wouldn't have been able to skate. He received the gold medal that night on crutches with fans cheering for him and holding up signs that says: "Yuzu we love you from all over the world".
Yuzuru receiving the gold medal on crutches at Rostelecom 2018:
8- Conquering his fears during the season of 2019-2020:
Yuzuru has suffered from a lot of injuries throughout his career. More than once, he thought that he is facing the end of his career because of an injury. Therefore, his main goal during the season of 2019-2020 was to finish the season without injuries. He finished his first two competitions safely and arrived at Japan to participate in NHK, which was his second Grand Prix assignment. Many of his injuries happened in his second GP event and he was conscious about this fact. He was afraid of getting hurt again and was visibly shaking before the beginning of his free program. As a result of his nervousness he missed a combination. However, he pulled himself together and improvised a new combination to recover the points he missed. He thought of the new combination, calculated its points and made sure that it's not repeated all while performing amazingly. Once he came out of the rink, his coach Ghislain gave him a hug and said: "You know what? You conquered your fear!".
Yuzuru shaking before performing his free program at NHK 2019 + full performance:
Yuzuru continued to overcome his fears in the final of the Grand Prix. He was setting in second place after the short program and the gap of points between him and his rival was big. He felt that winning may not be possible this time; nonetheless, he still wanted to do his best and give a respectable performance. He decided to raise the number of quad jumps in his program to five for the first time ever in his career. In addition, he declared that he will bring back the quad Lutz, which is the jump that caused his injury before the 2018 Olympics. It's a jump that he never dared to perform again in competitions since that incident. However, he overcame his fear and performed a flawless quad Lutz during the free program with four other quad jumps in the GPF, challenging not only his fear, but also his stamina that has always been an obstacle for him. He did not win the gold medal, but won his own fight against his fears and limits as well as the hearts and respect of the audience.
Yuzuru performing quad Lutz+ full performance of the free program at GPF2019:
9- Winning the bronze medal in the World Championship 2021 despite an asthma attack and many other hurdles.
During the 2020-2021 season, the whole world was going through struggles because of Corona Virus and Yuzuru was no exception. He had to train on his own in Japan all year long away from his coaches and physical therapist in Canada. He prepared new programs for the season with his choreographers by receiving videos and training accordingly without any supervision. During the season, his hometown was struck by an earthquake twice. The last struck happened right before he traveled to Stockholm to participate in the WC. According to him, the inside of his home was a mess and he couldn't use the train to go to Tokyo and board the plane as planned. As a result, he arrived to Stockholm one day later than planned, thus, he had to change his training plans as well. However, his coach Brian Oreser said that Yuzuru is not the type of athlete who gets phased by such problems and he was right. Yuzuru did perfect run through of his programs during his official practices. He also performed his lively short program very well and won the small gold medal of the segment.
Yuzuru performing his short program at WC 2021:
Yuzuru was all set to win the World Championship for the third time, but something unexpected happened before the free program. He was supposed to start warming up one hour prior the turn of his group (the last group), but he was nowhere to be seen at the venue until it was almost time for the last group to compete. His coach Brian Orser said that he was worried and didn't know where Yuzuru was. He asked the head of the Japanese team but they simply told him: "He is somewhere else". Brian kept on going back and forth between the rink where two of his students were competing and the warm up area where Yuzuru was supposed to be, but Yuzuru did not show up. After Brian's students finished their turn, it was almost time for Yuzuru's group so Brian went to the locker room to see if Yuzuru was there. Usually, Yuzuru would put his skating boots in the locker room before the six-minuets warm up of his group and Brian would come to carry his tissue box, and then they would head to the rink together. However, Brian didn't find Yuzuru in the locker room. Yuzuru was caught on camera sitting on a chair at the warm up area, resting his head on the wall and looking exhausted while taking off his mask impatiently. At that time, the announcement of Keegan Messing's score from the group before the last one, could be heard in the background.
Yuzuru at the warm up area before skating his free program at the WC 2021:
When Brian finally found Yuzuru at the warm up area, he said that he knew something must have happened to him but he didn't ask him about it. Instead, he tried to encourage him by saying energetically: "Let's go!"
Yuzuru showed up at the rink without styling his hair unlike the norm. He made a lot of mistakes in the first part of his free program as if he was not the same person who did a perfect run through one day ago. He said that he suddenly couldn't find his balance but he did try his best. He explained that with every mistake, he tried to at least not fall. Later on, the Russian media reported that the Russian doctor who was accompanying their team at the competition said that Yuzuru has had an asthma attack right before coming to the venue and has asked for his help. Yuzuru never talked to the media about what happened before the free program and why he was late. When he was asked about his asthma he only admitted to feeling a little asthmatic after the free program. Despite all of that, Yuzuru managed to win the bronze medal and contribute in securing three spots to team Japan at the Olympics.
The mystery of what happened to Yuzuru before the free program would have stayed unsolved if it wasn't for the Russian doctor. The reason is that Yuzuru doesn't like to make excuses for himself. He once said in an old interview that he used to make a lot of excuses for himself when he was young but then he realized that real strong skaters don't do that and that he wouldn't learn anything if he keeps on making excuses. He took the renowned Japanese skater Mao Asada as an example when she competed with a bone fracture without uttering a word about it. That must be the reason why he never takes his asthma as an excuse or talks about it.
10- Achieving his childhood dreams one by one:
Since ever Yuzuru was young he declared that he wants to be the Olympic champion and he wants to land a quad Axel. He went on to achieve his Olympic dream in 2014; making history by being the first Japanese male skater to win an Olympic gold medal ever. However, he said that it’s not over yet because the plan in his head is to win the Olympics twice. He kept on improving himself and walking towards his dream while making a lot of sacrifices and overcoming injuries. At the end, he achieved his dream and made history once again by being the first skater in 66 years to win the gold medal at the Olympics consecutively. He then made a statement saying that he feels happy and that this happiness is what he gets in return to the sacrifices he made. After that, he said that he feels freed from the pressure of having to produce results. Thus, he announced that he is going to skate for himself from then on. It was time for him to start focusing on the other dream of his childhood which was the quad Axel. He made it clear that landing it in a competition is his next goal and didn’t allow himself to get swayed by what others are doing or what competitions he is losing. He stayed focused on his goal and is reported to be getting closer to achieving it.
Yuzuru's path has never been covered with flowers. It was hard and painful most of the time but yuzuru always turns the pain into success and fulfillment with his perseverance, becoming an icon of inspiration to many people. We wish him a lot of happiness and success in the future.
Translation of Yuzuru's book is from:
https://bit.ly/3vSGgBz
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Distance Makes the Heart Grow
CHAPTER 1
Series Masterlist
Pairing: Mafia Boss!Neville Longbottom x Reader
Pronouns: She/Her
Word Count: 1.8k
Summary: (Y/n) lives a normal life. But that’s the issue, it’s normal, it’s plain, and it’s growing boring. Everyday she wishes for something, anything to spice up her life. But, when her old school friend (and crush) shows up at her bakery with a new look (and what looks like a new life), what will it bring for her? Will their puppy love grow? Will his big secret lead to the end of them or will it spark a new beginning?
Warnings: None for this chapter!
A/N: Nothing major happens in this chapter, this is sorta just like the beginning stages.
(Y/n) let out a load groan, hand searching aimlessly for the alarm clock on her side table. “Where is it?!” she continued to slap her hand around on her table, many objects falling to the floor before her hand finally landed on the right one, the rooster noises ceasing as her hand collided with the big snooze button. She rolled over, sighing as she stared at her speckled ceiling. “Perhaps I really should take the time to learn how to use the alarm on my phone.” it wasn’t that she was bad with technology persay. It’s just if it was produced after the year of 2008 you could forget it. Could you really blame her though? During all her years at Hogwarts, she had never made the switch her fellow classmates made with modern technology. Sure she had a smart phone but the only thing she could manage to do with it is call, text, and make notes in the notes app (something she had just recently learned as well).
Unwillingly, she crawled out of bed, stretching as she let out a large yawn, bones snapping and cracking like a New Year’s firework. She made her way to the bathroom, looking into the same mirror she always did, watching the light in the center flicker the same way as always. Life for (Y/n) was seemingly unchanging. Day after day, month after month, was spent exactly the same. She’d wake up, get ready for work, and then travel a few blocks down the street to open the bakery. Her bakery.
It wasn’t that (Y/n) didn’t enjoy what she did. She happened to enjoy her job very much. All her friends at Hogwart’s had encouraged her, giving her the push she need to travel the journey of opening her own business. It was something she had always wanted to do but her parents begged her not to. In their words they didn’t want ‘an over zealous and unrealistic’ daughter on ther hands. However, their rude words simply were fuel to the fire. During her 5th year, she began to busk tables at various shops in Hogsmeade. It was hard work, balancing long shifts at 3 different shops and still maintaining decent scores in each class. But, she knew if she couldn’t handle that then there was no way she’d be able to handle running a bakery. So day in and day out she’d work, and work, and work and by the end of her 7th year she had a decent amount of money saved up!
The first issue had been finding a place in a good area that would gain traction and attention while the second one was finding someone willing to sell to someone fresh out of school with no prior business experience. She’d spoken to many people in various different places, some good, and some bad before she finally had been blessed with the chance of meeting Mary and her wife Denise. It was a miracle really. (Y/n) was short on the money, exponentially so however, Mary had sold to her anyways. She said she saw a passion in the girl that she hadn’t seen for a very long time and that it was something she wanted to help foster considering she had had her time to live her dreams and explore passions of her own. So with that, a handshape was exchanged for a beat up envolope filled with the entirety of the girl’s life savings. She had invested every nickel and dime she had ever earned into the place and she prayed it wouldn’t blow up in her face.
Which brought her to where she was today: a proud owner of a highly successful business. And of course, with great business comes a nice chunk of money which caught her parents’ attention. They had began to call her everyday but when that they didn’t work, they showed up at her shop unannounced. At first, she had felt warm inside. Her usual cold and distant parents had come to visit her! However, when they started crunching out numbers and percentages, that short lived happiness was replaced by irritation in which she quickly kicked them out, placing a charm on the building that when they’d attempt to enter (if they really, truly, had the balls to come back), their bodies would be flung right back onto the sidewalk into the heaping piles of trash on the city side walks. Now, (Y/n) was by no means wealthy, but she made a nice amount of money to be engaging in something she enjoyed so heavily, which is why she was confused where they had gotten the idea she had money to share with the main two people who were the cause of her insecurities. Plus, every extra dollar she had she put right back into the shop. Paying her workers, building maintenance, ingredients. She wasn’t a fan of having too much money, her family had shown her what that could cause (and how easily you could lose it all).
Yet still sometimes she found herself wishing she could live the lavish lifestyle her parents once did. She mainly dreamed more so of the more engaging parts instead of the status and power that came with it. As she frosted various different cakes with thick buttercream, her mind would wonder to vivid imagery of beautiful hotel rooms, with breath taking views. Michelin five star meals, coated in delicious cream sauces. Endless adventure waiting to be discovered.
And yet here she was, sitting at a table as she stuffed her face with a raspberry marzipan cupcake. It was a Wednesday, first one of the month and as per usual, her and Twyla were set together, sampling cakes, chocolates, and other treats for the upcoming days. Wednesday had been the official day they had chosen due to the slowed flow of people that would come in. (Y/n) liked to have a different theme each day of the week. The customers lived for it and she had massed a group of frequenters who came each day, wondering what the theme would be that day.
“You know boss, I’ve gotta say it. Working here and sampling all these cakes with you is giving me quite the ass!” Twyla said, turning around as she wiggled her ass in the girl’s face for emphasis. (Y/n) giggled, rolling her eyes as she swatted at the girl, missing as she jumped away from her last minute. “Hey! You gotta take me out to dinner first for that.”
“Just because we’re sampling cakes doesn’t mean that the store is closed! Anyone could walk in at any moment and would you really want that to be their first experience here?” she asked, eyes scanning the silver platter in front of them. She decided on the new dessert flavored chocolates she had been working on. Popping it into her mouth, she let out a moan of approval.
“I mean, I dont’ see why not! We’d definitely make a lot more money with a cake like mine!” the blue haired girl said, sitting down as she grabbed a chocolate as well. “Besides, I don’t think those little noises you’re making would help the scene.” she stated, snickering as the girl across from her tensed up.
“It-it’s not like that! The chocolate- it just- I just- ugh!” she stuttered out, huffing as she crossed her arms over her chest, pouting at the girl. “If you’re gonna keep being mean we can end this process. Just tell me what you think of the blueberry pie chocolate so I can know if we’re adding it to tomorrow’s spread.”
“Oh come on (Y/n) it’s good! Every first Wednesday we sit here, you overly critique yourself, then me and Tiana end up picking out our favorites for the next day!” Twyla was right, even their patterns for trying new things remained the same. (Y/n) wiped her messy hand on her aprons, sighing as she stood up to go back to her position behind the counter. Her employee followed, grabbing the platter to put back into the kitchen before joining her boss behind the counter.
“You’re right. I swear everyday is beginning to feel the same.” She opened her notepad, beginning to take inventory of the sweets they had in the display counter. “I’m grateful for everything I have, I really am. But sometimes I just wish I could have something, anything….”
“New?” the green eyed girl added, catching the (h/c) haired girl’s attention. She nodded, looking at the girl who had snuck a cookie out of the glass case. “I feel ya, girl. Everyday feels the same. Sometimes even when new people come in, I can already tell how they’re going to be. How they’ll act, what they’ll order, what method of payment they’ll use.” (Y/n) eyed the girl up, raising a brow.
“Are you sure you’re not just using legilimens?” she questioned, watching as the girl shifted on her feet, scratching the back of her neck.
“Okay so maybe I do sometimes. But a lot of the times I don’t! Like the other day this weird guy came in and- woah. (Y/n) I don’t wanna freak you out but I have a feeling those hotties in suits across the street are going to be walking in here soon.” Twyla said, in an uncharacteristically quiet tone. The shorter girl followed her friend’s gaze, looking out the glass doors across the street. Three unfamiliar men were crossing over, all in suits that she could only assume cost as much as four months of rent. However, the one in the middle really caught her eye.
Before she knew it, the bell chimed and the three of them made their way in. They looked very out of place in the brightly decorated shop. The one in the middle looked the most important, towering over the other two men. He had dark slicked back hair, an eyebrow piercing, and tattoos that were visible on his neck and hands (which had a few beautiful looking rings on them (none of which were a wedding band…)), yet his hazel eyes held a soft look to them. To his left was a redhead boy, freckles danced all along his face. His eyes were bloodshot from god knows what. He had tattoos as well (not as many as the middle man) and a few unique ear piercings. The guy to the hot tall guy’s right was attractive too but not nearly as serious looking as the other two. In fact, he was humming a song under his breath, a smile causing the tattoo on the right side of his face to crease.
As she went to open her mouth to greet them, the man in the middle eye’s grew wide, his mouth gaping as he stared at her. He walked closer, examining her face closely which caused her to grow confused.
“I’m...I’m sorry. Do I know you?” she asked.
“(Y/n)?” she gasped at the sound of the familiar voice, her notepad and pen dropping from her hands. She made her way around the counter, staring up at the tall man.
“Neville?!”
NEXT||
TAGSLIST: @vayeya11 @pink-hufflepuff @clancyscookies @beewitchedlou @nevillelongbottomsgirlfriend @redpanda-poetry @vibingaesthetically
#neville x reader#neville longbottom x reader#Neville Longbottom#neville x you#neville longbottom x you#Harry Potter#harry potter x reader#harry potter imagines#harry potter imagine#mafia#mafia!neville#mafia!au
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a place of our own - jay halstead
jay halstead x fem!reader
summary: in which y/n and jay throw a small get together in celebration of buying their first house together
requested?: yesss by anonymous (can I request a Jay x reader where it took some time for the together but they've been now dating for 2 or 3 years and decided to move in together and they celebrate it throwing a party with close friends and jay surprises her proposing with a heartfelt speech? please and thank you 🥰 )
warnings: none
a/n: thank you for all your support over the past week :) it literally makes me so emotional to think people are liking what i write. any feedback is always welcomed, thank you for everything
- emie <3
masterlist
in all honesty, when jay had put the deposit down for the house, y/n didn’t know what he saw in it. it was their first time buying a house as a couple, both giving up their apartments that were on the opposite ends of the city to be reunited in a place of their own.
it was beaten up pretty badly; a few of the front windows were missing the glass, spray paint decorated a few of the bricks courtesy of some local kids. not to mention it was cold and damp, not giving off the warmest of welcomes. but jay was adamant that it was their house, their home.
it took its time, but months later y/n had to admit that the transformation the brick structure had undergone was remarkable.
everything y/n could want was handed to her on a silver platter. the once yellow tinted cream, mouldy walls had been covered by a fresh layer of grey paint. the broken floorboards replaced and covered by thick, soft carpets. y/n had nominated herself as chief decorator, since she had no desire to help jay deal with the technical stuff earlier on in the project. not that jay was complaining.
y/n could still remember the look of shock when she had returned from her ‘quick trip’ to ikea with a large amount of pillows and throws, stressing they were essential pieces of her aesthetic. but jay didn’t mind, he loved the thought of living a house that was covered in reminders of the woman he loved so dearly.
it was sometime in mid-july when y/n had declared she had officially finished the renovation of 1135 Butterfly Gardens. for a week or so, the pair allowed them to soak in their hard work, admiring how each room was a reminder that they were finally together.
to think that the two had been so hesitant to start dating in the beginning felt ridiculous. y/n cursed her past self for never daring to admit her feelings to jay earlier, but she was thankful for the last 3 years they had spent together.
side by side till the end of the line.
it had been one of those cliche quotes that jay had bought on a card for their first anniversary, but it had strangely stuck. y/n had assured that in their room hung a picture of the two with the words carefully printed beneath it.
of course, in traditional y/n style, she couldn’t wait to invite their friends over. it had been on their day off that they had invited the members of their chosen family over to the house. y/n had been rushing around cleaning every surface in sight, as if their friends would turn their noses up at the sight of a speck of dusk. but y/n couldn’t help it, cleaning was her coping mechanism. and she couldn’t deny the anxiety raketing through her veins.
unfortunately she had been so caught up in her own head, that she had failed to notice the strange behaviour she was receiving from her other half. jay had been acting rather distant in the days leading up to the party. he would go out for long ‘walks’, coming back and locking himself in what y/n called his ‘mancave’. he would take calls outside and when y/n asked him what was wrong he would brush it off and just kiss her lips in hope of distracting her. obviously it worked every time, who wouldn’t be with a man like jay halstead kissing them?
the ringing of the doorbell had caught y/n off guard. having spent the majority of her day in the kitchen cooking every recipe her grandmother had ever taught her, she abandoned the oven mitts and sprinted in the direction of the front door. thankfully, however, by the time she reached it, jay was already stood with kevin, adam, will and nat.
“there she is, the woman of the hour!” kevin cheered, being the first to embrace her tightly into his large, muscular arms. his lips pressing a sweet kiss onto her forehead in joy of seeing the woman.
kevin and y/n had gone to school together since elementry, in fact y/n had helped kevin for years raising his two siblings. he had been the one to introduce jay to y/n, when she showed up to the district, ready to spend her lunch break with her best friend.
let’s just say kevin had given her a slight nudge to reveal her true feelings to jay, telling her he had already brought a suit for their wedding. classic kevin, dramatic as always.
letting her go, y/n hugged the rest of the group. thanking them for their house warming gifts that they had given to jay. by the end of the hour their house was filled with close friends. y/n had been so busy catching up with those she hadn’t seen in weeks that she had hardly seen jay all day. the times she had seen him, he had made an excuse to leave and go find will, who now she thought about it had been smiling at her an awful lot.
walking into the backyard with kim and nat stuck to her side, she couldn’t help but feel her entire soul relax at the sight of her man sat in a garden chair, chuckling along with something that adam had said.
with a mission in her hands, she didn’t even glance at the spare garden chairs littered around the garden. instead, y/n walked up to jay and perched herself on his lap. a worrying thought passing her mind that she was too heavy, but before she could consider getting off, jay weaved his arms around her waist pulling her closer.
“hey, baby.” he greeted, pressing his lips against the skin her yellow sundress exposed on her shoulder. the feeling was addicting, but with company around, it was gone as quick as it arrived.
“am i losing my mind or have you been avoiding me?” blunt as always, y/n looked back at jay. her eyes studying how his adam’s apple bobbed as he gulped. y/n knew jay was a good liar, i mean part of his job was going undercover and keeping up a lie. meaning whatever he was hiding, whatever he wasn’t telling her had to be big.
“of course not, i’ve just been busy, you know?” y/n didn’t know, because he had been taking extra measures to spend time with anyone but him. she had seen him have a thirty minute conversation with mouch about his favourite type of chile. if that was what busy looked like, she might have muddled up her definitions up.
“okay then.” she stated blankly, standing up with such force that jay’s arms instantly fell off her body. jay watched with cautious eyes, half expecting y/n to dig deeper into whatever was going on, but instead she took a seat in between adam and kevin. her eyes didn’t glance over to him once, instead she began conversation with the two men with no intentions of inviting jay into their whispers.
jay frowned, knowing she was serving him a large dish of his own medicine. the feeling of someone patting him on the shoulder made him draw his eyes away from y/n and land of his brother, who was smirking like an idiot.
“she really has you wrapped around her finger, huh?” he teased, handing jay another beer that he had left for a few moments before y/n’s arrival. not bothering to give his brother the satisfaction of answering, he brought the bottle to his lips and took a large swig. feeling the taste ease his nerves before shoving it back in his brother’s hands.
“i’m gonna do it.” he confirmed, nodding his head more to motivate himself than will. the doctor patted his back lightly, urging him to go on. subtly jay tapped his jacket until he felt the cube-shaped object against his chest. briniging himself to his feet, he wandered away from the group and stood in the middle of the garden.
“excuse me! excuse me!” the music that was lightly playing from the various speakers placed around silenced, thanks to the help of will. all eyes, including that of his beloved, moved to him. a slight chill running through him as his mind reminded him that he was doing this and he was doing this now. “i just wanted to say a big thank you to all of you for coming to celebrate with me and y/n. hell knows, we would most likely not even be together if it wasn’t for some of you guys, so it’s a pleasure to be sharing this step in our relationship with you guys.”
jay’s chest fell tight with anticipation. breath, come on halstead, he thought.
“sometimes i think about the first time i met y/n, i think about how much time we wasted trying to trick ourselves into believing we were ever ‘just friends’. quite frankly i think i fell in love with her the moment i met her. i had this beautiful, intelligent, unbelievably challenging woman in front of me and i nearly let her go.”
jay had to take a second to keep the tears in his eyes at bay, mustering up the courage to look at y/n, who had began to become emotional herself. with a simple outreached arm, y/n got the hint that he wanted her by his side, as she pushed herself away from the white plastic chair and joined him. hand in his, smiling up as he continued.
“i don’t want to imagine a life without you. without your awful singing, without your obsessive cleaning, without your strange taste in tv shows,” the crowd chuckled, but jay wasn’t even paying attention, caught up in the loving storm behind y/n’s eyes. “i’m done wasting my time because for once in my life i know what i want.”
not knowing what was about to happen, y/n’s face dropped as jay fell to one knee. his hands shaking as one of them searched into his jacket pocket before bringing out a scarlett velvet box. y/n had to swallow the sob of pure joy, when he pried it open revealing the significant jewel resting on the gold band.
“y/n y/l/n i love you,” his voice cracked, making the crowd hollar in excitement. the sound of people taking photos didn’t throw off jay’s roll though. “and it would make me the happiest person alive if you would do me the honour of being my wife.” jay’s words were deep from his heart, as both pairs of watery eyes held one another’s gaze comfortingly.
y/n had never imagined a life with anyone but jay. she couldn’t remember how many times they had stayed awake deep within the hours of the morning talking about their future together: getting married, having kids, getting a dog. but none of it felt quite as real as the moment she saw jay on his knee, with hope glazing all his features.
“yes.” she sang so softly that it could have easily been missed by anyone, but to jay it might as well have been yelled through a megaphone.
“she said yes!” kevin yells, erupting the audience of the intimate moment into an uproar. jay stood from his position on the ground, not giving it a minute before pushing his lips against her’s. the kiss was filled with every ounce of passion they had felt over the years they had known one another.
when y/n felt her chest squeeze against her lungs, she allowed herself to retract. keeping her forehead against his, she watched as he slid the ring out of the box and onto her finger. the midsummer sun catching the large diamond, making it light up like a disco ball.
“so this is why you have been ignoring me?” she snorted, feeling ridiculous for thinking that he had been hiding some bombshell of a secret. jay’s cheeks filled with heat, as he looked from her eyes to her lips, before returning them to the loveable pools of colour.
“side by side,” he began, looking at her expectantly.
“till the end of the line.”
#Jay#jay halstead x reader#jay halstead#jayhalstead#jay halstead x you#halstead#hank#will halstead#halstead x reader#halstead x you#chicago#Chicago Fire#ChicagoFire#Chicago PD#chicagopd#cpd#cfd#med#chicago med#natalie manning#kim burgess#erin linsay#hailey upton#trudy platt#antonio dawson#adam ruzek#kevin atwater#romance#love#fiction
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April Contest Submission #15: Schrödinger’s break
Words: ca. 3,700 Setting: modern AU Lemon: no CW: wrong Witcher facts (sorry Yen!)
“What do you mean it doesn’t count?!” Anna could tell that her face was tomato-red, since she could feel the heat in her puffed-up cheeks.
“Well, they clearly were on a break, were they not?!” Elsa’s voice was positively dripping with restrained annoyance.
That was the difference between them - while Anna got heated up and was all fire, Elsa turned cold and icy. Anna hated that version of her sister. Ice queen, indeed. Yet with sick satisfaction, she noted that Elsa’s usually pale complexion also sported a hefty colour in her cheeks. She felt a flare in her throat and belly and, like an out-of-body experience, she couldn’t stop herself and this argument, and so pressed on:
“So you think cheating is okay then at the first sight of trouble - is that it?!”
“Well, how exactly is it cheating if they are not even together, Anna! Of course it’s scummy to-”
“So you think cheating is okay on a technicality? Wow, that’s very assuring, thanks a lot.” Anna huffed and crossed her arms indignantly. What does one even do with arms in situations like this?
“Why are you making this so personal - this is so stupid - I mean, how old is this show exactly now? 20 years?!” Elsa almost whispered to hopefully calm the situation down.
She was painfully aware of the people in the little cafe, giving them harsh side-looks and judging them quietly. Anna was immune to stuff like this, but Elsa felt their stares almost physically. And this was their usual cafe and go-to place on late-work mornings, which made it even worse.
Her fingers found the rounded edge of their table as she rubbed her thumb against it, until she finally found an imperfection that she could push her thumb in even harder.
The blonde side-glanced around them, not making any real eye contact yet trying to mentally ward off the surrounding people. Most of them quickly looked away as Elsa furiously glanced in their direction. She felt a headache coming on.
“So I’m stupid now for caring what my girlfriend thinks about cheating?”
“What, NO- how is that - I-I didn’t say anything like that!” Elsa’s fingers gripped the smooth wood of the table even harder; the pressure on her knuckles made her whole hand ache.
“Anna, let’s not do this right now” she tried to lower her voice even more, but could immediately tell by Anna’s face that it was a mistake. A big one.
“Yeah- okay, I get it. Let’s NOT do this!” The younger sister shuffled her phone back into her backpack, and yanked her haphazardly placed jacket hard from the chair at their table.
“Are you seriously storming out because of-“
“Yeah! Yeah, I am!” Anna roughly pushed her arms through the sleeves of her rain-jacket. Her braids were rabidly bobbing with every jerky action of the furious redhead. “Do you think I’m too stupid,” she angrily signed quotation marks at this “to not know how embarrassed you are right now?!”
Elsa couldn’t help but glance around them, to the other patrons of the cafe, as Anna practically yelled their grievances into the air.
“See!! You’re doing it right now! If I’m too embarrassing for you as it is, I’m going! So - have fun!”
Anna quickly slung her backpack on her shoulder, stomping out as quickly as she could and leaving a speechless Elsa at their table.
She didn’t dare to look around again, since it would have been pointless anyway. She could practically feel all of their stares like daggers.
She kept her eyes down on her now lukewarm chocolate and angrily blinked away the tears that threatened to fall. She stopped gripping the table to nurse her aching head with her fingers.
She always hated Ross.
***
“What crawled into your morning coffee and gave you the biggest resting bitch face I’ve ever seen? And that’s already accounting even your usual standards!”
Elsa pinched the bridge of her nose. She loved Meg, she really did. In fact, she was her favourite coworker in all of Arendelle Corp, but today she felt like she was not capable of the banter and dry wit this required.
“Meg, just leave her alone already! Can’t you see she’s struggling as it is?!” Raps piped up. Leave it to her PA to fend off the inquisitive brunette. But knowing her, it will do no good anyway.
“Hey blondie. I meant snowflake over there. Leave the talk to the grown-ups.” Meg countered with her usual dismissiveness.
“Oh stop it, you two! You’re giving me a bigger headache as is.” Elsa slapped her papers on her desk. When she looked up, she could practically see the concern in her friend’s eyes - a rare sign indeed, to see Meg so open about her emotions.
“I think someone needs a sugar fix - blondie, get your boss some hot chocolate… and make it extra sweet.” Meg sat on the edge of Elsa’s desk, looking over to the short-haired PA to gauge her reaction.
Rapunzel looked over her boss and saw the plea in her eyes, pleading for peace and not the usual shenanigans those two got up to. She sighed.
“Alright, I’m on my way.” She slowly packed her things up, made sure to turn down the volume of her little hot-pink Bluetooth speaker and took her purse with her.
When she quietly closed the door, Meg didn’t waste another second.
“Okay, so what’s wrong? You look like you’re… ” She briefly touched Elsa’s shoulder but didn’t leave it there. She knew her too well for that.
Elsa dropped her head into her hands and breathed in deeply.
“I had a huge fight with Anna this morning… and the worst part is I don’t even know for what and why? We started to talk about what we used to do as children-” she swallowed harshly because she knew she had to be careful.
The official story was that they were childhood friends. It was easy to change the general logistics of their meeting. But it was hard, in some specific cases, to veil how deep their connection was.
“-and we talked about Friends.” she concluded.
“Wait - the TV show?”
“Yeah, Friends.” Elsa clarified “So all of a sudden we get to the topic of Ross and Rachel’s break-up and it goes all downhill from there about cheating and about how I didn’t think he did-“
“You don’t?” Meg asked her surprised.
“No, I don’t. They were on a BREAK.” Elsa felt her cold anger gripping her again. It was so pointless and unnecessary - stupid Ross! - why did this keep happening?!
Meg’s laughter snapped her out of her thoughts.
“I’m sorry snowflake, but this has to be the cutest yet most idiotic lover’s quarrel I have ever heard in my whole life, so far.” Meg ran her fingers through her hair. “I know it’s rude to laugh… but Elsa. I mean.” She stopped there but let out another snort.
“I know, I .. it’s positively atrocious.” She breathed out her frustration. “I really don’t know what this means or what even caused this. Nothing has been out of the ordinary lately. At least I think so…?” She frantically started to question herself. Was she just not seeing it? Was she so inconsiderate and not noticed her sister’s pain or grievances of late? What if it wasn’t nothing and it turned out-
“And is she by any chance on her period or getting there?”
“Meg, that’s sexist!” Elsa said indignantly.
“Yeah, but it doesn’t make it untrue.” Meg shrugged “I always get bitchy around that time and boy, do I get all the feels when it happens.”
“You’re always bitchy.” Elsa deadpanned.
“I know. But you love me for it.” Meg nudged the blonde’s shoulder as another small snort escaped Elsa.
“So in any case” Meg soldiered on, “what’s the grand romantic gesture you planned to show your undying love now that it happened?”
“A… grand gesture?” Elsa didn’t like the sound of this. Not at all.
“Oh Elsa, Elsa… why are you so clueless about women when you are one yourself - of course grand gesture! Something that’s bigger than your fight, so as to leave that the only big impression of the day!” She side-glanced at Elsa, a mischievous grin on her lips.
“Get her something big or better: get some poor street performers and make them sing some positively sappy love-song or something while you stand in a sea of roses telling her how dumb you have been.”
“Well, that sounds totally feasible.” Elsa shook her head into her hand, cradling her chin as she stared into space. She never was someone to openly show her feelings… or her life to others. And the idea was simply ridiculous.
She startled as her PA quietly opened her door with one hand, the other cradling the promised hot chocolate and a paper bag with something positively lovely-smelling in it.
“I thought, what’s better than hot chocolate? A fresh chocolate croissant to it! So… double the fun?” Rapunzel smiled, all teeth, and it was hard to not feel her heart softening at that. She had it good here.
“Alright snowflake, enjoy your spoils and tell me your battle plan once you have it!”
Meg fished out one of her reports on Elsa’s desk - thank god it was already finished - and sauntered off without looking back.
Rapunzel placed her beverage and pastry bag on the very same spot Meg just sat on, and went back to her desk to turn up the volume on her little radio.
“Thanks Raps. You’re an angel.” Elsa smiled as she opened up the lid of her steaming hot chocolate, savouring the smell of the sweet concoction.
As Rapunzel laughed at that, she tugged her short hair back behind her ears “You tell Mr. Weselton that, when you have the chance.”
The radio tuned into an upbeat song they played at least 3 times in the span of a day. If Elsa recalled correctly, her PA told her they’re a Korean girl band and all the rage now. Pink something… hm.
“Say… how does that little speaker of yours work and where did you get it?”
***
Anna tugged on her new and tight yoga pants, trying to get the seam out of her crotch. To no avail. Typical.
“… at the same time there is a lightness; a sensation of floating. Feel both of these things at once. You feel the waves lapping at your feet. They beckon you to step closer. One step at a time, you feel the purifying power of the ocean. Its body envelopes you. Notice if your tongue is touching the roof of your mouth. Let your tongue soften down…”
Anna stood in the middle of the living room, the furniture haphazardly pushed against the walls.
The TV was still on and the PlayStation was still running, but at least it was muted. The Witcher was still standing in the maze, waiting for any input to further this party along. Amiss in between all those pompous Novigrad nobles and probably feeling kind of lost? …
Wasn’t he supposed to look for his missus? Jennifer… or something? It was already some time ago she played it last and had a hard time keeping it all straight.
But Anna tried to not think about this. About how this reminded her of Elsa. Elsa, who loves reading and who devoured the whole series in a matter of days. She just got the game to be able to talk to her about it - and it was really good, actually! She started with the third and last one, but she could piece things together with Elsa’s little anecdotes and the overall pointers in the story, but no - here she was. NOT thinking about it. No sirree!
“… it carries away your sorrows. It affirms the power within you. Life is good. Life is precious. Say it-”
“Say it.” Anna murmured and tried to concentrate on the voice again, pushing any thought of Jen or Elsa out of her mind.
“- out loud.”
“Out loud.” Anna’s voice rose with the last word.
“Life is peace.”
“Oh.” She opened her eyes. Now she felt silly.
With a deep breath, Anna closed them again and envisioned the waves lapping at her feet. Again and again. She pictured seagulls in the distance, imagined hearing their distinctive cry. They got closer. Their cries got shriller as the waves of the water, imaginatively yet unruly, lapped against her feet, quicker and quicker, with harsh -
“Fudge this!” Anna tugged on her braids as she groaned out loud.
Wasn’t meditation supposed to make her feel better? To forget and relax? What a mess she was still feeling. Still an undercurrent of anger and hurt, but mostly regret now. She could see how she took this way too far, how it tugged on her insecurities - mostly unfounded, she could admit! - of her constant abandonment issues, even if Elsa showed no indication of leaving her. Even if she could tell that, sometimes their .. unusual situation was still not sitting right with the older sibling at points. But mostly, it was good! Really.
Now all Elsa had to do was come back from work so they could talk it out, make up, and kiss it better… So that was the plan. But it was already later than usual for her sister to return home. If only she could calm herself down enough to rationally and calmly talk through it so it wouldn’t even be a bigger mess than it was right now. What was the worst that could happen, right? No matter what, they still were family! At least that, even if - Anna painfully tugged on her braids again.
She took a deep breath and tried to banish all feverish thoughts from her head. She listened to her breathing as it flowed in and out. She listened to the little specks of sounds coming from the window. She could almost make out a pattern as the little clanks came almost every three breaths.
- Wait, what?!
Anna hesitantly went over to the window; all the while the suspicious sounds didn’t cease to stop. Just as she reached it, she saw a tiny pebble hit the windowpane as it immediately dropped down again. Pushing the flimsy curtain aside, she looked down wearily. What kind of crazy - serial killer or stalker really- would do this?!
But what she found was her older sister flicking those pebbles up their window. Her cheeks were unusually flushed and Anna could see her breath escaping red lips in harsh puffs, curling in the cold air. Her golden hair was wind-whipped and some loose strands escaped and fluttered in the breeze. She’s never seen Elsa so…disheveled and radiant at the same time. She looked like a spirit stepped out of the night. Like a beautiful and elegant… wraith? Wait, was that even a thing?
As she fiddled with the old window lock, she watched as Elsa dropped all her stones on the ground as she frantically rummaged through her purse with one hand; the other one was clutching her phone tightly.
“Elsa?” Anna called out just as Elsa was straightening herself again, with one arm outstretched above her head with a small hot pink… device held high above her.
“Elsa - what.. ?”
“Anna! I-I’ve been so stupid,” Elsa cried out “it doesn’t matter that we don’t see eye to eye on everything or that we’re different - but whatever happens, I’ve always-” just then a guitar riff cut the blonde off as a familiar male voice started to sing
So no one told you life was gonna be this way
-Clap clap clap clap-
Your jobs a joke, you’re broke
Your love life’s DOA -
Anna couldn’t hold back the manic laughter that escaped her as she frantically tried to take everything in. Was this really happening?!
Her sister making a fool out of herself. In front of their window. In front of their neighbours. In front of everyone. And most importantly, in front of her! That was so not Elsa and yet here she was, doing this to make her laugh and to prove to her how much she means to her. She could feel tears prickling in her eyes even as she sported the biggest grin that she tried to hide behind her hands.
your week, your month
Or even your year but
“I’ll BE THERE FOR YOOOUU” Elsa belted as she stood there steadfast yet with the pink Bluetooth speaker slightly wobbling in her hand as she pushed through the strain in her left arm.
Elsa felt terrified about the whole spectacle, but her worries took a backseat as she saw Anna clearly laughing, her eyes shining with happiness. So - huge success! And worth everything ten times over.
(When the rain starts to pour)
“I’LL BE THERE FOR YOUU” Anna joined her this time even when her voice cracked a bit with emotion.
(Like I’ve been there before)
They both laughed out loud at themselves and couldn’t make it through the last chorus. Both their eyes were trained on just one another. Elsa’s heart felt full and like bursting in any second.
(‘Cause you’re there for me too)
The song came to its conclusion, yet Elsa was still standing there with her speaker held high. This time, Anna could tell the nervousness was replaced by elation and happiness, even through the awkward moment of silence that was now threatening to envelope them.
“Come up here already you sappy fool!”
Not a moment longer after the invitation, Elsa stuffed the speaker back into her purse and dashed to the front gate, avoiding to look into any windows as she did so.
She felt her thighs burn as she sprinted up the two flights of stairs in record speed to join her love.
She could hear the keys turning just on the last steps of the stairs, as the warm glow of their apartment illuminated the dark staircase. She looked up just as her sister stepped into the door frame. Anna was encompassed in the soft glow of the light that looked almost like a halo around the contours of her body. After this rough day, it truly seemed like a vision to Elsa.
“Anna, I’m so sorry-“
“Oh, Elsa. But stop. Just come to me already - please!” the redhead sniffed as she wiped her nose with her wrist.
Elsa practically flew into her arms. Her arms snaked around the scrawny shoulders as she pushed her head into the crook of her neck and breathed in deeply. She felt Anna trembling in her embrace, and she was glad to hear the snort of laughter through the tears as she did so.
“I love you so much, Anna. Let’s never do this again.” she breathed into her sister’s collarbone as she pushed her cheek further into the warm skin of Anna’s shoulders.
“It had a pretty remarkable end, if you ask me - so… I won’t make any promises” Anna left a wet kiss on her forehead as she rubbed the blonde’s back soothingly up and down. “But let’s go inside. I’m sure the neighbours are entertained enough for now.”
Elsa gently pushed Anna and herself inside as she closed the door behind her and double-locked the locks.
Once safe inside, she let herself rest against the locked door and let her fingers push against the sturdy wood as she did so.
Anna was taking her girlfriend in with a soft smile. She knew how much this took out of Elsa and what a big step this was for her to do. And she loved her even more for it. Anna watched her like a hawk as she pushed herself up to take off her boots and her coat and meticulously hung everything up in its space at their coat rack.
With patience never being her strong suit, Anna immediately bounced on her lover once she put everything away and pushed her back into the groaning door. Her lips sought out her sister’s as she pressed her harshly against it. Elsa frantically deepened the kiss, her cold hands holding Anna’s cheeks closely as her fingers stroked her temples. Anna felt breathless at the heat that threatened to engulf her, yet the cold and gentle fingers ground her to reality. She had to break the kiss for air but stayed close to Elsa’s lips, not being able to bear any distance between them right now.
“I love you so much, Elsa I…”
The smile the blonde gave her was a radiant one.
Elsa’s hand found its way around Anna’s hips, brushing the curve of them and enjoying the soft material. She kissed the freckles right beside Anna’s nose, one of her favourite spots in general. It always made Anna melt.
“You’re so sweet, my love.”
Her hands started to warm up, Anna could tell, as Elsa gently tugged on hers to lead her further into their apartment.
“What happened here?” Elsa’s eyebrows rose high as she saw the mess that was left in their living room. Anna felt Elsa’s hand gently squeeze hers.
“Well .. I thought I’d try to center myself with some meditation and some yoga or something.”
“Oh, now those pants make sense… though I wouldn’t mind any occasion, really.” Anna felt her cheeks flush as she saw her sister’s eyes roam over her. “They suit you, you know.”
Why was it that Elsa could make her feel just like a lovelorn teenager just in a matter of seconds, even when they were already together for years now.
“Oh, what’s this? You’re playing the Witcher?” the blonde studied the scene in front of her.
Gerald sitting patiently in a garden - in his finest clothes? Elsa tried to place the scene in her head, considering that Anna started almost at the very end - so very much like her, mused Elsa.
“Yeah, it makes me think of you so…” Anna rubbed her neck. “I’m just at this party with Triss and we just kissed and now-“
Elsa whipped her head around instantly with a sudden and dangerous glint in her eyes.
“You what?!”
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Becoming Mrs. Wayne [The Dark Knight]
Pairing: Christian Bale!Bruce Wayne x OC
Summary: Demetria Gallagher knew her cozy life would change the second she became engaged to Bruce Wayne. But what she doesn’t know is she’s getting more than what she agreed to. ( I am trash at summaries. )
Author’s Note: If you want to be tagged in this, let me know.
_____________________________________________________________________
“By now you already know Bruce Wayne is officially off the market. Wayne is engaged to his girlfriend, now identified as Demetria Gallagher. Ms. Gallagher was an employee with us here at GCN, however, we weren’t aware of the relationship between her and Mr. Wayne. Ms. Gallagher is no longer with GCN and has parted with the network on the most amicable of terms. On behalf of everyone here at GCN, we wish her and Mr. Wayne the best and she will be missed in the newsroom.”
Demetria shut off the television and leaned back in bed.
Amicable. What a lie. It was more of a dismissal, a “hey, congrats on the engagement but we have to fire you because it’s a conflict of interest.”
In truth, she’s expected it to happen. Bruce was a fixture of the media, considering his family company Wayne Enterprises practically ran the city. She knew the second she’d accepted his proposal, she’d have to quit. The plan was to give two weeks notice and then let it be known to the world they were engaged.
But the person who tipped off the Gotham Times had other plans.
The newspaper ran the day she went to resign, the engagement making front page news. A picture of her and Bruce holding hands, leaving the back of a restaurant from two nights prior.
She was mortified as all eyes fixated on her as she walked in and out of the newsroom. The whispers, the side eyes, simple actions weighed heavily on her and made her beyond vulnerable.
There was one that killed her.
“Why her though?”
Throughout the year they’d been together, she’d wondered why Bruce had chosen her when he had his pick of any woman he wanted. She wasn’t unattractive but she’d seen the women he had been seen with prior. Yet she never asked, afraid to step into such a territory.
Now here she was, in Bruce’s bed, jobless and unsure of what she was to do. Granted, it wasn’t the worst position in the world to be in. She still had money she’d saved from working and was about to get her security deposit back from her apartment in Gotham. So really, who was she to complain?
She eyed her notebook on the nightstand and figured if she couldn’t go back to her job, she could make a list of what needed to be done to clear out her apartment and move into Bruce’s place.
Unbeknownst to her, Bruce stepped into their bedroom a towel wrapped around his waist. His eyes fell to the sparkling pear-shaped diamond, with tiny diamonds around the band. He smiled to himself as he sat on the edge of her side of the bed.
Demetria could feel his hand on her legs and smiled to herself as she continued to write.
“What are you writing?” he asked.
“Just what I need to get done today,” she sighed. “Mainly breaking down the moving process for today.”
“I told you, I could hire people for that.”
“And I told you that while I appreciate it, I want to do it myself.”
Bruce sighed, catching the underlying tone in her response. In truth, he’d felt guilty for what happened. He knew how desperately she wanted control on how she left, and for someone to take that away from her angered him. He loved her need for independence, never once in their relationship asking for luxurious jewelry or fancy trips or expensive dinners, just asking for him and his time and his commitment. While it was difficult considering his Batman schedule, it would be worth it when she would look at him and tell him she loved him and appreciated him.
She eyed Bruce and put her pen and notebook down. She scooted toward him and ran her hands through his hair.
“I love that you want to help me, but you know how I am,” she told him.
He grabbed her hand, kissing it. “I know.”
“I will, however, need your help with this whole ‘being Mrs. Wayne’ thing so you’ll have that to look forward to,” she chuckled.
He laughed. “I can assure you, it’s not that difficult.”
“But you always told me how involved your mom was with the charities here and I want to do that.”
She eyed his left forearm where a freshly stitched wound was. She leaned up.
“Holy shit, what happened to you?” she asked reaching for his arm.
He looked down on it and waved his hand. “Training accident. Alfred stitched me up in no time.”
He’d kept his Batman secret from her by saying he was training to do extreme hiking and athletics for when he traveled to different countries. She bought it, thankfully, and her lack of interest in major athletics made it easy for her not to ask to tag along with him.
“I’m fine,” he reassured, kissing her hand.
“Please be careful next time. If not for you, but for me?”
Bruce smiled. “For you, anything.”
_____________________________________________________________
She and Bruce entered the kitchen as Alfred read the paper on the kitchen island.
“Master Wayne, Miss Gallagher,” Alfred greeted, giving them a nod.
“Well I’m headed off to a meeting, but I’ll see you two later,” Bruce sighed. He gave Demetria a quick kiss goodbye before he walked out of the room.
Demetria smiled at Alfred, taking a seat beside him. “Have time for a break?”
Alfred slid over an empty mug he had beside his own mug. “I was hoping you’d ask.”
Alfred and Demetria had become good friends. The old man had taken a liking to her, often times bonding with her over crossword puzzles and talking about old movies they both liked. Whenever she’d stay the night, which later into hers and Bruce’s relationship became frequent, she’d spend the morning bonding with the old man over a cup of coffee.
He grabbed the pot and poured some coffee into her cup. “So I take it you’re going back to the apartment to finish the packing?”
“Yep!” she exclaimed, popping the “p”. “Thankfully I only have one more day left of it and then some of my stuff goes here while the rest of it goes into storage at Wayne Manor.”
Alfred chuckled. “Have you hired helpers for that process?”
She took a sip of coffee. “Some old college friends of Harvey and mine run a moving company in the city so they’re going to help me drop some of the stuff in the storage area. Initially, he told me I could move into the mansion but it’s just so far away .” She stopped and chuckled. “Mansion. Jesus Christ, who’ve I become?”
“You’ll get used to it,” he laughed.
“I don’t think I will, Alfred.”
Alfred tilted his head to the side. “What do you mean by that?”
Demetria pulled her lips back. “I’ve seen first-hand how the media treats people like Bruce. Everywhere he goes, there’s someone with a camera just waiting to capture something they can create a story out of. Soon, I won’t be able to go out for a walk, run errands, go out with friends, or do anything without a camera following me closely, watching my every move. Even if I can’t see it, I’ll know it’s there.”
She paused and leaned forward. “Don’t tell Bruce this, but...the day I was fired from GCN, one of the reporters saw a photographer they knew who worked at the Gotham Times waiting out the door, waiting for me. Our boss had tipped off to their boss I was getting fired and they could catch me walking out with a box of my stuff in my hands in exchange for information for another story. The reporter told me about it and had gotten me out through the back door. She and the photographer snuck me into the news car and dropped me off at my apartment and I spent the next hour trying to ease myself off a panic attack.”
She swallowed hard. “Bruce grew up like this. He knows how to handle it. I don’t and I’m scared that one false move and I...I could embarrass him or the image of the Wayne family and become some kind of joke.”
Alfred’s heart sank for the poor girl. Most of the women Bruce had been out with in the past reveled in having their picture taken with him, smiling at the flashing cameras. He knew Bruce knew and, quite frankly, didn’t care. But when it came to Demetria, Bruce went the extra mile to ensure total privacy was given to him and Demetria, even going as far as paying the restaurant manager extra and waiter for their discretion and for the private dining room. Alfred initially thought it was ridiculous until Bruce gave him an explanation.
Demetria eyed Alfred, an embarrassed smile on her lips. “I guess it’s not like I don’t come with my own baggage though. I mean, no one said dating someone with severe anxiety and panic attacks was a breeze.”
Alfred set down his cup. “When Master Wayne was a child, he would get nervous around photographers so Martha told him that as long as she held his hand, he had nothing to be afraid of. So whenever they went out, he would reach for her hand and she would take it and he wouldn’t feel so scared. When she died, he learned to manage on his own, but he never held another woman’s hand until you came along. You are the only other woman whose hand he’s held.”
Demetria could feel her cheeks warm up. Whenever they were out or he noticed her anxiety kicking in, he’d take her hand. His hand became her security blanket, her lifejacket to save her drowning. What seemed like a natural thing for a boyfriend to do, had completely different meaning for both her and him.
“Do you think Martha would’ve liked me?” Demetria asked.
A small smile crept on the old man’s smile. “Without a doubt.”
__________________________________________________________________
It was around 1:30 p.m. when she heard a knock on the door at her apartment.
“Who is it?” she called out from across the room.
“Your favorite lunch date is here.”
Her lips curved into a huge, childish smile. “What’s the password?”
“Demetria...”
“Can’t you let you in without it.”
“I have hot food.”
“You know the rules.”
A heavy sigh was heard from the other side of the door. “Demetria rules, Harvey drools.”
She opened the door. Harvey stood there, a brown bag in each hand.
“You’re a lifesaver,” she said, taking the bags from him.
“Interesting. I get a gun pulled on me during trial and put the guy in prison, yet I bring you Chinese food and then I’m called a ‘hero’.”
She set the bags on the table, her eyes not leaving Harvey. “Someone pulled a gun on you?”
He shrugged. “One of Maroni’s guys. It was cheap and wouldn’t even go off.”
“Well, I almost pulled my back from lifting one of the boxes so it looks like we’re both having quite the day.”
Harvey chuckled. “Always keeping me humble, Dem.”
She pat his shoulder. “Someone’s got to.”
They sat at her little table. Harvey reached into his briefcase and pulled out a section of the newspaper with the headline “10 Things to Know About Future Mrs. Wayne Demetria Gallagher”.
Demetria rolled her eyes. “Jesus Christ, Harvey. Why’d you bring that bullshit into my apartment?”
Harvey grabbed the paper and began reading. Demetria groaned. “Oh god, I’m gonna be sick.”
“Number one, Demetria is from Pennsylvania.”
“Because that’s an absolute must know.”
“Number two, she attended Gotham University.”
She scoffed. “I’ll be impressed if they know what my GPA was.”
“Number three, she was a junior talent booker for GCN.”
“Guarantee you they reached out to James for confirmation and he made sure they wrote ‘junior’.”
“Number four, she’s reportedly close friends with District Attorney Harvey Dent.”
“Close is a strong word.”
“Number five, she was-.”
She grabbed the paper from his hands, crumbled it into a ball, and tossed it across the room.
Harvey started at her, dumbfounded. “The crossword was in there.”
“Oh please, you probably finished it.”
“Almost finished it.”
She pointed her chopsticks at him. “Eat your lo mein, Dent.”
“So I saw GCN’s statement about you,” Harvey continued. “First of all, it’s all cliché bullshit and you should release a statement back, especially after they tried to sell you out for a story afterward.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not worth it, Harvey. Look, I get where they’re coming from. It’s dangerous for a network employee to be seen hanging out with a public figure because it could promote bias and the network could lose credibility. Remember how I almost lost my job because you sent me flowers on my first day?”
“And then I had an hour long phone call with your news director...” He sighed heavily at the memory. He shook his head. “I still think you should take action for them selling you out to the Gotham Times after firing you.”
“Harvey-.”
He leaned over the table. “I know a great lawyer who could-.”
“Harvey.” Her voice was sharp. “I told you, I’m not doing it.”
She dipped the piece of steamed dumpling into the soy sauce. “What does piss me off is their little ‘she’ll be missed’ bullshit. Half the people there didn’t like me and the other half barely knew I existed.”
“I’m sure that’s not true. You had friends.”
“I had two friends.”
“Better than nothing.”
She rolled her eyes. “You get my point. Anyway, it’s over. It’s done with.”
Harvey smiled as his eyes fell to her engagement ring. “Wayne really went all out on the ring.”
Demetria looked down at it, grinning. “Hm, he did. I don’t mind it though. It’s like having a little piece of him everywhere I go.” She then sighed and sunk back into her chair. “What am I gonna do, Harvey?”
He raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“Honestly, I have no single fucking clue what I’m gonna do and it scares me.”
“Do about what?”
She leaned forward. “People are going to be expect to do what any rich wife does. You know, spend my life living going to galas or attending luncheons for charities none of the women give a single shit about. That’s not me, but it’s also not me to just be a housewife who sits at home doing nothing all day.”
“It doesn’t have to be like that.” He set down his food. “Look, Dem, you’re overthinking all of this. You can still work. I mean, doesn’t Wayne fund a bunch of charities?”
“I was thinking about doing work for the orphanage,” Demetria said. “From what I’ve seen every time GCN has covered something there, the inside could use a massive makeover. I was thinking of re-doing it, maybe get my mom do the interior work.”
“She would love that,” he agreed as he bit into his fried rice.
“But I also want to help the kids,” she went on. “I just...I don’t know how yet.”
“You’ll figure out.”
She sighed. “What if the kids hate me?”
He chuckled. “Then I guess you’re shit out of luck.”
“Now I see why that guy pulled a gun on you today.”
He shook his head as he tossed a fortune cookie at her as she laughed.
Just then, she heard her Blackberry ring. She smiled as she saw Bruce’s name come up on the caller ID.
“Hey you,” she greeted, putting her phone to her ear.
“Hey. Everything going ok with moving?”
“Yep. Just taking break and having lunch with Harvey. How’s your day going?”
“It will be even better if you let me take you out to a nice dinner tonight.”
“Ooh, where?”
“It’s a surprise.”
“Hmm...well you’re lucky I haven’t packed my nice dresses yet.”
“Is that a yes?”
“It is.”
“Then I’ll pick you up at 7 PM.”
“You know where to find me.”
“I do. I love you.”
“I love you too.”
She hung up and put her phone on the table. She noticed Harvey smirking at her. “What?”
“ ‘Hmmm, I love you,’” he repeated in a high pitched voice. “ ‘I love you, Bruce.’”
“Keep it up and I’ll tell Rachel the secret to your coin trick,” Demetria challenged.
Harvey made a face. “Threatening the DA, not a good look, Mrs. Wayne.”
Demetria rolled her eyes and tossed a crumbled up napkin at him. “Eat your food, dipshit.”
“District Attorney.”
“Ok, District Attorney Dipshit.”
_____________________________________________________________________
As the sun set and the night sky rolled in, Demetria finished the final touches of her makeup when she heard a knock at the door.
She quickly glanced at herself in the mirror, smoothing out the bottom half of her form-fitting black cocktail dress. She adjusted the shoulder straps and the sweetheart neckline that gave her boobs a nice, but not overly obvious lift.
She opened the door and was greeted by Bruce leaning on the door frame.
“Well hello there,” he greeted, his eyes fixated on her.
“Hello,” she said, pursing back her lips.
She had those first date butterflies her stomach every time he looked at her. It was a miracle she’d gone this long without melting. She held out her arms. “Is this ok or...?”
He stepped closer to her and cupped her face gently as he pulled her in for a kiss. Her hands wrapped around his neck as he moved them into her apartment.
She pulled back, her lips close to him. “As much as I want to continue this, I am really starving.”
He chuckled as he moved his hands down to her waist. He rest his forehead on hers. “You kill me, Gallagher.”
“My sincerest apologies.”
He moved his head up, eying the one bedroom apartment. “I’m sorry I only spent one night here.”
“Are you though?” she asked, cocking her head back.
He motioned to the bed. “I remember that being very comfortable.”
“Not that comfortable considering you never spent another night here.”
“Because you said you loved my bed.”
“I’ll give you that.” She pat his chest. “Let’s get going.”
She threw on her cream colored trench coat and grabbed her clutch as the two.
Bruce opened the passenger door of his Lamborghini Murciélago LP 640 and closed it as she settled in the passenger seat. He climbed into driver’s seat and sped off.
Throughout the drive, he kept one hand on the wheel, the other on her leg.
“So are you going to tell me where you’re taking me?” she asked.
He turned to her. “And ruin the surprise?”
“Can I at least get a hint?”
“You’ll like it.”
“That’s not a hint.”
“Ok, it’s new.”
She shook her head. “Is this how it’s always going to be?”
He smirked at her. “I’ve gotta keep things interesting, don’t I?”
As they were pulling up to the valet area, Demetria and Bruce couldn’t help but notice the flock of photographers outside, flashing the cameras at the car.
“Fuck,” she mumbled under her breath. She could feel her chest tighten and stomach drop.
Bruce turned her head to her. “It’s going to be ok.” He grabbed a hold of her hand. “I’ve got you.”
She nodded her head. Bruce opened the car door quickly, handing the keys to the valet attendant before rushing over to Demetria’s side. He opened the door, the screams of the paparazzi causing Demetria to jump. She took Bruce’s hand and kept her eyes in the street ahead, avoiding the flashing lights.
She tried to ignore the voices that were screaming around her.
“Bruce, Demetria, look over here!”
“Demetria, how does it feel to be engaged to Bruce?!”
“Demetria, Demetria, look up here!”
“Give us a smile, Demetria!
Bruce looked at her and tightened his grip, his thumb stroking his hand. Demetria looked up at him and gave him a small smile, mouthing “thank you”.
As long as he held her hand, she’d be ok.
#bruce wayne x oc#bruce wayne imagine#batman#batman imagine#batman fanfic#the dark knight#the dark knight fanfiction#the joker#christian bale
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Album Discussion: The Suburbs
Last week I felt like I didn’t have much time to pump an album review out. Was going to be in the lab all day, had work in the night, wanted to cover something quick. Then I finished really early, and had plenty of time in the afternoon to finish things off. This week I am in the same situation as far as scheduling, but someone’s bloody using equipment I need, so I’ve got a bit of extra time now. Time to talk about a >1hr 16 track record!
Also last week, I covered an album that I felt was more interesting from a meta level than it is musically. This week I’m talking about an album that I know nothing of the meta for.
The Suburbs I was reminded of recently. Mostly because I ran into the person who bought me the CD for the first time in like a year. I understand Arcade Fire have A Reputation as far as bands go, but the thing is: I have no idea what it is. I haven’t followed them at all, I don’t know whether they’re considered good or not, I haven’t even seen any of the music videos. I have never deliberately listened to an Arcade Fire song outside of this album.
But I do like this album. So.
Okay the one thing I do know is what the album is about. It’s about growing up in the suburbs of…I think Texas somewhere. I could look this up, but I refuse. The result of this is that the whole thing is intensely nostalgic, full of reminiscence and wistfulness, childhood innocence and what growing up is like. It’s one of those, you know? That does, however, make it fairly easy to like, because I think a lot of people are nostalgic for their childhoods.
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(yeah so the only music videos for this one are at the very start and very end. this is going to be a bit of a wall of words.)
This is characterised by the opening track, which is also the album’s title track: The Suburbs. It’s opening with a very folksy acoustic guitar and piano, and longing for that childhood is its modus operandi. It is, however, tinged by the anxieties of that era- growing up in the shadow of the cold war is going to leave an impact on anyone, and that cultural climate is also going to be running through the album. I think the most poignant section of the song lyrically is the start of the third verse- wishing to become a parent, so they can live vicariously through their child, show them their childhood world before the reality and the memory are completely lost. Okay that’s kinda heavy moving on- the track is pretty much built around that piano/acoustic bit, sounding relatively upbeat but coloured by these lonesome strings running through the background. It’s very effective of conveying the feeling- which is something that comes up quite a bit over the course of the album. The Suburbs is one of my favourite tracks on this album, and having it come right at the front makes it a very solid stage-setter.
Track two is Ready to Start, a faster, rockier track with this grimy bassline running through the verses contrasting the relatively bright instrumentation of the chorus. Considering the themes of the song, about working for the man, dude, and trying to escape that sort of life, it’s fairly fitting, though it’s a very different sort of nostalgia than the previous track. The instrumentation gives the whole thing this sense urgency, which is enhanced by some of the lyrics- I mean the track is called Ready to Start, isn’t it. I feel like this song would be great to try and hype yourself up for something you don’t really want to do, and I’m not sure how many songs we have specifically for that feeling.
Our next song is called Modern Man, and it feels like tumbling through a confusing life. God, I’m really getting pensive today. I feel like this is a lot because this album resonates a lot more emotionally for me than musically. I’m someone with a very weird sense of nostalgia, seeing as my childhood is pretty effectively defined into three segments, and I tend to fixate on one of them because it’s The Weird One. I’m nostalgic for high school which is when I was nostalgic for living abroad which is when I was nostalgic for when I still lived in Perth, which I do now, but I don’t know anyone from back then, so there’s a whole sense of longing, and it’s something I’ve always had, and that’s funky. And I’m still young, this isn’t going to change, it’s going to get worse, and eghhhh I’m supposed to be talking about music. I don’t really have much to say about Modern Man, I guess. It’s aight, the previous two were better, but here I am 800 words into an album discussion, and I’ve gone through all of 3 songs on a 16 track album, so maybe expect this to be a slog.
Rococo at least makes an impact real quick, with fuckin psychotic strings right at the start that’s kind of a shock to the system, especially compared to the relatively mild instrumentation the rest of the song provides. I think that’s a fairly appropriate tone for a song about looking at #thecoolkids, bemusement tinged with utter stark bewilderment. I think I’m too young to really get this, I guess. The song’s title regards an art movement that sounds extremely pretentious and fake deep, frankly, but considering the point of the song is that you don’t bloody know what Rococo means, that’s probably also fitting. I kinda wish the strings were more present throughout the song than they were, they add this existential dread to the track that I do think the later sections are missing somewhat.
Speaking of strings, Empty Room is up next, and it’s one of my favourite tracks as well. It opens with the strings but they’re fast and energetic and they’re going to blow right past you. I thought this track was in like the second half of the album, but nope, here it is. This is also where the album’s second vocalist takes the lead for a bit (she only does for like 3 scattered tracks) and she’s genuinely great here. The songs chugs like an old train, in a way that reminds me a lot of other songs; in particular, the bit between the chorus and second verse (and chorus/outro) reminds me a lot of Teach me About Dying by Holy Holy- I can’t unhear “teach me about dying, teach me about dying-dying” over that instrumental. Despite its desolate lyricism, this song’s energy is genuinely excellent, and it carries really well through the whole thing. I can’t think of a lot of songs that start on this sort of tempo and have it run the whole way through- not to keep referencing other songs, but it’s very Go with the Flow by Queens of the Stone Age. And that’s like in the top 3 QotSA songs for me, so.
It’s only just struck me how much track 6, City With no Children, reminds me of There There by Radiohead. Its mostly the percussion, I think. That’s fucking high praise, but it’s also about as far as the comparison goes. The song is pretty okay outside of that, this theme of a town left lifeless by the commercialism and capitalism of the ultra-rich and what that does to people. Maybe that’s just my reading of it, I do have a bias for this sort of thing, but I challenge you to find another one. Looking on Genius is cheating. I do like the riff the track is built around, but it gets old eventually, since it doesn’t develop at all as the track progresses- lost potential, I suppose.
The next song is the first part of the album’s first of two two-parters, Half Light I, because apparently this one is trying to be a long-running drama show now. With that said, this ballad is kinda gorgeous, and yet also kinda extremely boring? Which is a frustrating place to be, frankly. I get the feeling this is an opinion that would get me crucified, but aside from those strings what fuck, the song just isn’t doing anything for me. Maybe it’s because it’s kinda almost the halfway point and I’m just getting tired, maybe it’s just a generational and cultural divide between America/Australia and 90s-00s/00s-10s and I don’t Get It. But I’m afraid to say this one doesn’t land.
Half Light II (No Celebration), for the record, is one I enjoy much more. The instrumentation is a lot more fun, the tone is a lot more pained (and y’all know I love me some angst), as the rose-tinted lenses of the previous half are replaced by the jade of someone growing up through the GFC (and just, in general). Despite being a two-part song, the halves are very different, a deliberate dichotomy representing two facets of that same look backwards. I feel like this isn’t like other two-part songs I’ve heard before, in that you can kinda appreciate the halves separately- or, in my case, one and not the other.
Track 9, and welcome more officially to the Second Half, with Suburban War. It’s very much about reminiscing about old friends, and I think I’m going to wax personal for a bit, because I have very little to say about the song musically. I mentioned earlier that I basically don’t know anyone from back when I was a kid, and that’s kind of a product of what my childhood looked like. It’s hard to have a “childhood friend” that you still keep up with when you spend 5 extremely crucial, defining years somewhere away from where all of them are. When you leave at 7 years old and don’t come back until you’re almost a teenager. People change so quickly at that age, and I’m no exception, and so I just didn’t have the ability to relate to those same people that long afterwards, even if I could find them. I don’t resent the experience of growing up in such a fractured manner, but it means I have a fundamentally different experience to that discussed in this album. At the same time, as I listen to the closing moments of this song, with the line repeated, “All my old friends, they don’t know me now”, I can’t help but notice the similarity. The writer’s friends don’t know them because they’ve grown up, changed fundamentally as people, whereas I don’t know my old friends in a much more literal sense.
Our next song is a bit more fun. Month of May is unequivocally a rock song, as opposed to the..indie? folk? of most of its surrounds. Much like Empty Room, it’s driven by its tempo and instrumentation, but it’s a bit less dour than that one, almost a bit oldie in its rock and roll swagger. The song isn’t so utterly different that it wouldn’t fit on the album, the traces of The Suburbs still roll through the whole thing, the same guitar and percussion tones driven up a couple notches on the ol’ Mohs scale. Quite solid, ultimately, in my opinion.
Track 11 is Wasted Hours. I think it’s a kind of appropriate title, not because it’s a waste of time, but because it just kinda feels like a nothing song as part of the album. Like, it is unquestionably Part Of The Album, sonically and thematically, but I deadass would not notice if it was missing from the record. Sorry if this one is your favourite, but this one isn’t for me.
Deep Blue, on the other hand, is the song that got me into the album. There’s really something about this track, this sense of discomfort with the passage of time, that really wormed its way into me. It’s a shockingly cold song for this acoustic instrumentation that’s usually associated with quite the opposite. The piano feels desperate, the guitars grim, and there’s actual synths hiding in here- the song relates to technology, after all. It’s concern for the future of humanity, of the youth, and for, well, the Suburbs, through the lens of watching that match between chess Grandmaster Kasparov and the A.I. Deep Blue in 1996. Go watch the Down the Rabbit Hole on that if you haven’t already (and have a few hours), by the way, it’s utterly excellent.
I can’t really describe how Deep Blue makes me feel. There’s just something about it. I feel like if I hear this song again in 10 years, it would genuinely bring me to tears- it feels like loss in a way, and not the meme.
We Used to Wait has a fun instrumentation, glittery piano and that funky guitar noodling in the background, but unfortunately the chorus kinda lets it down for me. I just do not care for it, it’s really built on a vocal line that really doesn’t track for me personally. Like, I’m just young enough that a lot of the theme of the track is utterly unrelatable to me- I hail from an era that is post- the change the track is referring to. I’m focussing a lot this time around about how the songs make me feel personally, but I think that’s kind of the appropriate tack for this album in particular- like the idea of nostalgic reminiscence is so inexorably tied to your own personal experiences that there’s no way around those experiences clouding your perception of this album, and with that, how well you end up liking it. I bet this whole thing hits way harder for someone born in the same couple years as this band.
We’re up to the second two-parter, Sprawl I (Flatland), kind of the finale for the whole thing. I mean, in I’s case, it’s certainly that emotionally. The song is so utterly down, it’s lost in the urban sprawl the title and lyrics describe, and with that comes a very quiet track. Moody strings and guitar, that eventually build during the fourth verse (there is no chorus and they’re short). It does eventually resolve on a more positive note, at least, one that’s hopefully relatable to many of us- eventually, we find our emotional home is, and it’s often not where we grew up.
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Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains) is quite the different perspective. It’s got that other lead vocalist (I could look up her name but I won’t), it’s got a pulsing beat, and it has much more energy to work with. There are synths on this track that are absent from almost the entire rest of the album, but their introduction here, right at the end, is extremely cool. They’re cool, they’re clear, and they’re thematically relevant! I just really like the vibe of this track, and the way it trails off is similarly very good. Would recommend.
But of course there is one final track. Kind of. The Suburbs (continued) is basically a dark reprise of the album’s opener, shaded with more regret than that track is, more strings-y and whispered. It’s very short, but it acts as an appropriate closer for the whole thing.
And of course, that’s The Suburbs. In retrospect, I have a bit more mixed thoughts about this than I thought. There’s some really high highs, and some things that are just kind of bleh, but any album of this length is bound to have some misses. While I was browsing Genius to make sure I had the lyrics right for some tracks, I saw this record described as a Masterpiece, but I’m not sure that shoe fits- at least, not for me. The personal nature of this album, and anyone’s theoretical relationship with it, are such that I don’t think it can be given such a broad, universal title. I like the album as a whole quite a bit, but I personally wouldn’t call it a masterpiece.
It also doesn’t inspire me to go after more Arcade Fire. I’m actually perfectly content having them in my mind as this solitary piece, complete in its own way. Oh, they have like four other albums, but to me, Arcade Fire is The Suburbs. I don’t know why I’ve decided this, but it just works for me. So I’m sorry to any massive AF fans, but I did just dedicated 2.7k words to this album, so I’m sure you’re all satisfied.
God, next time I am going to have to cover something shorter, for my own sanity if nothing else.
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N for Naughty and Nice
Alpha Bucky x Omega Reader
Summary: It’s Christmas Eve and Bucky wants to find out if you’ve been naughty or nice.
Warnings: fluff, swearing, implied smut, oral (male receiving briefly, read only if you’re 18+ please), a/b/o dynamics
Word Count: 872
A/N: So this is officially the last part of Merry A/B/O Christmas. I didn’t get to do all of the letter in the Alphabet, but I hope you enjoyed the few I did manage to make. I enjoyed it thoroughly, loving the a/b/o dynamics so much. Which one was your favourite? Should I do challenges like this more often? Let me know what you guys think, and MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL!! Sim
Merry A/B/O Masterlist __ Masterlist
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You were so full after the Christmas Eve dinner that you thought you would fall asleep right there beside the table. Most of the Avengers, even Clint and his family decided to spend the holidays together at the compound. All the kids were there, making it even more special, and you couldn’t wait till the morning when all the presents would be there and the joy in the children’s and Tony’s eyes. He loved to get gifts. That was a well-known fact.
After the dinner, you and Bucky went to your shared apartment, to what you thought was a calm evening spent with your Alpha. You wanted to maybe watch some movie, rest a little, and don’t do any physical activity. And the evening seemed to go exactly the way you planned until Bucky went to the bathroom.
He was there a little longer than usual, but you didn’t make anything of it, thinking that all that food probably did things to his stomach. You were watching your favourite Christmas movie, Love Actually, engrossed in it even though you’ve seen it at least a 100 times.
When the door to the bathroom opened, you almost choked on your tea. Bucky was standing there, naked except for his green and red striped boxers and a Santa Claus hat on his head. He was stalking to you, like a predator stalking his prey, and you squirmed a little in your seat. Ever since you two mated, Bucky started to feel a bit more comfortable in his own body.
He always said that before he met you, he wouldn’t like to take his shirt off, and definitely not in front of a woman, because he felt extra insecure about not only his stomach (which to you has always been perfect) but especially about his arm and shoulder. He thought that the scarred tissue was unpleasing to look at and to touch, so the first few weeks of your relationship were spent by you making sure Bucky knew how perfect he was, all around. You didn’t care about his shoulder, you thought it made him look even more manly, his metal arm a proof of his own strength. In time, you could see the change in him, the way he stripped off more comfortably, and let you touch him without trying to cover himself up.
So him modelling his beautiful body in front of you, in his Santa attire was even more attractive to you, due to your history. You shamelessly ogled him, taking in his chiselled chest, strong arms you knew would carry you anywhere in the world, his muscly stomach, more prominent now that Steve and he were training like crazy. Your eyes then fell a little lower, the bulge in his boxers more than obvious and it made a small streak of slick gush out of you, especially because you knew what was behind the thin material. His thick legs were magnificent, sending a shiver down your spine, knowing their strength.
“Have you been nice, or have you been naughty my sweet little Omega? Do you think you deserve to get some presents from your Santa?”
His voice was husky and so low that the Omega in you was ready to obey his every request. He could tell you to jump out of the window in the very moment, and you would comply. You had no words, your throat dry, and there was only one thing that would satisfy your thirst.
“You lost your voice now as well, baby doll? Am I turning you on?”
You simply nodded, your mouth salivating at the sight of him. You could see the smirk forming on his lips, and he stuck his tongue, wetting his pink, plump lips. You were a goner, then and there.
“Good. And because I know about all the things you did during the year, I can tell that you were more than naughty and that you deserve to be punished. What do you say? Would you like your punishment right now?”
This time, you couldn’t help it but moaned instead of replying him. He beckoned you to come in front of him, and you basically crawled there, kneeling right in front of his middle part. You didn’t wait for him to tell you what to do, too eager to wait for instructions. You grabbed the band of his underwear, pulling it down swiftly and revealing his half-hard cock. Even like this, it was beautiful and huge, and you couldn’t wait to have him inside.
He was looking down on you, marvelling at the sight of you. You were still dressed, and he couldn’t wait to unwrap you like a gift. And you were a gift indeed. His gift from God or whoever was listening. The way you were looking at him, hooded eyes full of lust and anticipation made a shiver run down his spine. Just the look at you made his cock grow harder and harder every second.
“I can’t wait to punish you, my bad girl!” Bucky smirked and let you take him in the mouth, doing what he loved the most. He couldn’t wait to take you all night, letting him unravel both your naughty and nice side!
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Merry A/B/O Christmas Taglist
@this-kitten-is-smitten @noseyrosey1597 @owlyannah
Bucky Taglist
@sebbbystaaan @paradisiacalsparks @crazybutconfidentaf @owlyannah @lassini @s-trawberryv-eins
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@eileenalone @sasbb23 @p8tn0lish @coffeebooksandfandom @waiting4inspiration @caswinchester2000 @mogaruke
#a/b/o#a/b/o dynamics#alpha bucky barnes#alpha bucky#alpha bucky omega reader#alpha beta omega#omega!reader#omegaverse#bucky barnes#bucky#bucky barnes x reader#bucky barnes fanfiction#james bucky barnes#bucky barnes imagine#avengers#avengers a/b/o#avengers fanfiction#marvel#mcu#mcu fanfiction#christmas alphabet#christmas list#christmas imagines#christmas time#christmas masterlist#fluff#smut
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You or Him.
Your heart was pounding so loud you could hear it in your ears. You quietly opened the front door, sliding inside and immediately against the wall. You held a small nerf gun with only one bullet in your hand and you listened carefully for Harry’s voice. He should be just about done with his conference call. From what you could tell, his voice was coming from the living room- kitchen area. You crawled the last bit of hallway, getting down on your knees and peaking around the corner. Harry stood in the kitchen, his back was to you and phone to his ear. He was leaning against the counter nodding his head and agreeing with whoever was on the other line. You crawled to the island and waited for him to hang up the phone. 1:30pm, just like clockwork. Harry sighed after hanging up, running his hands through his hair. He was shirtless, dressed in his thin grey athletic shorts. You held the gun to your chest and tried not to laugh at how perfectly your plan was working out. Harry walked past the island and you jumped up and shot. The foam bullet hit him in the middle of his back. “Gotcha!” you yelled with a huge smirk on your face.
Harry turned and shook his head laughing. He ran at you and wrapped you tightly in his arms, placing a warm and gentle kiss on the top of your head. He had always been very forward with his touchiness and it was something you looked forward to and loved. When the two of you were together he was almost always touching you, holding your hand, or finding some way to be extra close to you. You hugged him back, breathing in his familiar cologne, your nose pressed firmly against his chest and butterflies in your stomach. “I haven't seen you in ages and the first thing you think of doing is shooting me with a nerf gun.” he laughed and took a step back. “I fucking love you (y/n).”
You laughed along with him, the butterflies flying up at his words. “I love you to H.” He wrapped his arm around your shoulder and walked you into the living room. It felt good to be back, to be around Harry. The two of you had been friends for almost 6 years. You met through your mutual friend, his now ex bandmate, Louis, all those years ago. You had been there through everything with the two of them, Zayn leaving, their first concert without him, and their last concert all together as a band. In fact, you had been sitting front row of that one and afterwards you had hugged the two crying boys until everything had seemed okay. You had stayed more in touch with Harry over the years since Louis had been busy with his family, El, and Freddie, but of course you had checked in on Louis as well from time to time. You had celebrated and supported Harry’s first album, both the completion and release, along with his first solo interviews and his big acting break in Dunkirk. All of the late night phone calls about forgetting what to do and being nervous he wasn't good enough, you had been there for each and every one, waking up at 3:30 am to take the call even when you had classes at 8am the following morning. You had also supported him when he left for his big solo tour, even though it had killed a part of you to watch him leave. He had been away for the last year or so now and while you had been front row at a couple of his shows, you hadn't seen him in almost 6 months. Now that he was home, you wanted nothing more than to be around him every minute of every day, starting right now. “So do tell me, how was traveling the world?”
“Well it was amazing, but it lacked a little something.”
“Oh yeah what's that?”
“Something smallish...cute...sassy...”
“Louis Tomlinson,” you joked.
Harry laughed and shook his head, rolling his eyes at you. His fingers trailed along yours distractedly before slipping between yours and squeezing your hand gently. “You.”
You smiled and leaned your head against his shoulder. “I wish I could’ve been there for more. I really missed you Harry.” You snuggled against his chest and he tightened his grip around you. “I am really really proud of you though. Like seriously, so proud Haz” your heart swelled just thinking about it. You really were so proud of him and everything he had worked so hard to accomplish.
“I missed you too and I know.” He smiled and looked down at you. “Tell me about your life, what’s new with you?” His free hand pulled your legs across his so that you were basically sitting in his lap. You looked into his green eyes and bit your lip as he waited for your life update.
You sighed and looked away. This was the part you had been dreading. Last month you had started dating this new guy. He was okay, you weren't exactly sure how your emotions leveled out with him or even if you wanted to be with him at all, but you had still been dreading this day from the time he had asked you out. Harry never took well to you having a boyfriend. In fact he had stopped talking to you for almost a month last time you started dating someone simply because he thought you could do better. It wasn't just his fault though, you didnt take well to him dating someone either. You and Harry had a special relationship. The two of you had been best friends for so long, you never really wanted to cross the line and risk the incredible thing you already had. Plus before when you had both considered dating, you had Louis to worry about. Now it just seemed like the time had gone. The two of you had agreed to just be friends and you had shoved any feelings for Harry down so deep they rarely showed. Of course, sometimes they did. Sometimes you saw headlines of Harry with another girl and it made you physically ill from the fact that you weren't the one with him. Sometimes you got mad that he had chosen a stuck up model to date. And sometimes you just got upset that his attention wasn't on you. It was a weird situation to be in. Harry nudged you, breaking your train of thoughts. “Well, work is boring as ever.” you smiled and rolled your eyes. “My boss still sucks and treats me like I am just some clueless unimportant woman but thats nothing new really.” Harry frowned. The thought of a man not treating you well always upset him, especially the thought of your boss treating you unfairly. “I uh-I also starteddatingsomeone..” you mumbled quickly.
Harry’s body froze. His arms literally stiffened and you anxiously looked into his eyes, waiting for the outburst he typically had. “Oh.” he grumbled. “Thats nice.”
“Mhm.” you waited for more but Harry just sat there. “I think you might like this one..” you lied.
Harry just nodded. “Maybe.” You trailed your finger up and down his arm, waiting for him to continue on. He eventually lightened up and sighed. “So how’d you meet him?”
“I met him through a friend actually. A friend from school.”
“Oh. Mutual friends always make great relationships...”
“Harry please don't act weird.” you groaned, touching your nose to his cheek.
“I’m not.” he defensively said.
“You are. You always act like this.”
“How do you want me to act (y/n)?” he practically growled. Tears formed in your eyes and you moved as far back as you could without falling off his lap. Harry saw your expression and stopped, his head dropped and he sighed. “I’m sorry. If you’re happy, I’m happy.” he said faking a smile. “How long-uh how long have the two of you been dating?”
“Not too long, maybe a month now?” you answered. Harry just nodded. “I want you to meet him.”
“Oh.”
“Harry please. He's my boyfriend and you're- you're, well you're my best friend.” you said best friend with a certain tone and Harry didn’t seem to like it. “I just want the two of you to like each other. Your opinion matters to me.” It wasn't a lie. You valued Harry’s opinion more than anything. He told you how it was all of the time and that wasn't an exclusion with boys. Most of the time Harry was right about them even though you had always hoped deep down he said what he did because he had buried the same feelings you had.
“Fine.” he grumbled. “But only because I want to make sure the guy is right for you.”
You smiled and kissed his cheek as a thank you. It earned a small smile from Harry, but not his typical smile that made your knees shake. “Dinner tonight? We could make it the official start to Friday movie nights.”
“So now we are including him in Friday movie night?” Harry pushed you off his lap to stand up and pace in front of the couch.
“No. No Harry.” You grabbed his wrist and pulled him back down to you. “Friday movies are OUR thing. I just want you to meet him at dinner and then when he leaves it can be you and I. Just like normal.”
Harry relaxed a little bit after hearing that and you let the breath you didn't realize you had been holding out in relief. “Fine.”
You stood up, hugged him tightly and smiled. “Dinner at 6:00. Don’t even think about being late Harry.”
“When am I ever late to something that involves you?” he asked with a grin.
“I just wanted to make myself clear.” you laughed while shaking your head and walking to the door. You blew him a kiss and grinned. “See you tonight.”
He caught the kiss and placed it on his heart. “7:00 right?” he teased with a deep laugh. You gave him a look and he laughed harder. “I’m kidding. I’ll see you later.”
You got home and anxiously prepped dinner. You made one of Harry’s favorites, spaghetti and meat balls with garlic bread. It was something easy and Harry always said that he loved the dinner because of the face you had once paired it with lady and the tramp. That was what had started your tradition for Friday monthly movie nights. You set the table when the doorbell went off. You walked over and opened it. Your boyfriend had a rose in his hand and a smile on his face. “Hey you.” He handed you the rose and walked in. “It smells amazing in here. I’m really excited for dinner.”
“I am too. I’m excited for you to meet Harry.”
“Where is he?”
You looked at the clock and rolled your eyes. It was 6:05, and just like Harry had promised he wouldn't do, he was late. Normally Harry arrived promptly an hour early to movie night, just because he was so excited to spend time with you. You heart ached a little knowing he wasn't excited like normal but you also knew that your boyfriend intruding in dinner had set him off. Harry walked in a minute or so later. He had a bouquet of flowers, all of your favorite flowers to be exact. He walked over with a big grin on his face. “Hey beautiful.” he half hugged you holding the flowers. He hand them over and you smiled. He placed a kiss on your head and grinned. “Those are your favorites right?”
“Yeah, they are beautiful Haz. Thank you.” You carried the flowers to the kitchen to put them in a vase and Harry followed, trailing closely behind you.
“Dinner smells amazing. You know how much I appreciate your spaghetti.” He winked and you grinned shaking your head in response. Your boyfriend walked over and cleared his throat, reminding you he was also here. Harry glared at him, his hand firmly holding yours.
“Harry..” you removed your hand from his and stood between them. “This is my boyfriend.” Your boyfriend stuck his hand out and Harry just looked at it until you gave him the look. Harry reluctantly shook it and rolled his eyes. Harry was about to say something but luckily the timer went off and you pulled the bread out.
“Lets eat.” you said carrying it to the table. Harry sat next across from you and your boyfriend at the table. He kept kicking your feet, playing games like he normally would while eating mouthfuls of spaghetti. Your boyfriend kept looking between you two with an unreadable expression. Harry didn't say a word to him the entire meal and you were a little annoyed he wasn't trying to get to know him.
Towards the end of the meal your boyfriend had finished his plate. He leaned over and kissed you, his lips locking on yours. “That was delicious. Thanks for cooking baby.”
Harry actually choked on the bite of bread he had taken. He watched your boyfriend closely, his eyes full of anger. “I think I’m done.” he pushed his plate forward and leaned back in his chair.
“You never finish without eating at least another helping of spaghetti, let alone not finishing your plate.” You commented.
“I’m feeling a little ill.” he glared at your boyfriend.
“If you're sick you should probably go home..” your boyfriend countered.
You almost spit out your bite of food. You had never seen him jealous before but he looked like he wanted to hurt Harry. “You know-”
“Actually (y/n) and I have a movie night planned tonight. I wouldn't miss that for anything.” Harry crossed his arms and watched, waiting for a response.
Your boyfriend looked over, his mouth dropping. You shrugged your shoulders in response. You didn't mention the movie night to him because you hadn't wanted him insisting on staying. He had been trying to sleep with you for weeks now, but you just weren't feeling it. You had also wanted to be alone with Harry during movie night but theres no way you would ever admit that to either of them. “Can we talk?” he asked looking at you suddenly. You nodded your head and allowed him to pull you into your bedroom. “What the hell?”
“What?” you asked, placing innocent.
“Were you just not going to mention a movie night?”
“I didn’t see it as an important detail. Harry and I always have movie nights once a month on Friday. He’s been gone so of course we are going to have one now that he's back.”
“So I’m not included because?”
“Because...because...” you stumbled. You knew this question had been coming but you weren't ready to answer it. “Harry’s my best friend. I haven't seen him in literally forever. I just wanted it to be us tonight.”
“You need to choose.”
“Excuse me?”
“Its either me or him.”
“Why?”
“Because. The way you look at him, the way you interact with him. It’s like you're both in love with each other. He’s been back one day and he's already taken priority over our relationship. It’s me or it's him. You cant have both.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes.”
You looked at him, mouth open. He was seriously asking you to choose between him and Harry. You laughed angrily and shook your head. “This is ridiculous.”
“It is. But it's still happening. Me or him (y/n). Who's it going to be?”
You didn't even think before answering. “Harry. It will always be Harry.”
Your boyfriend rolled his eyes and walked out without another glance. You followed him to the kitchen and watched him leave without another word. Harry looked back at you confused. You had tears in your eyes and you didn't quite know why. Harry rushed to your side, pulling your arms out and examining them. “Did he hurt you? What happened?” You pushed him off and wiped your eyes.
“He said I needed to choose.”
“Choose?”
“You or him.”
Harry laughed until he realized you were serious. He stopped and looked at you suddenly afraid you weren't going to choose him. He saw the tears in your eyes and he took a step back. You were crying more now because he was moving away, but you reached out for his hand. Harry reluctantly let you grab it, and he pulled you into his arms, rubbing small circles in your back while you cried. “Shh don't cry (y/n).... I get it. You need to pick him. It’s fine. Don't worry about-”
“Pick him?!” you stepped away, snot falling from your nose. “Harry are you kidding me?” You were still crying and Harry was confused. “I picked you. I’ll always pick you. I love you don't you get it.”
You were crying harder now, your once buried feelings for Harry surfacing. Harry stepped closer and without a word or second thought, pressed his lips into yours. You froze. He didn't give up. He bit down on your lower lip, gently tugging. He patiently waited for you his lips rolling against yours. Your mouth opened and his tongue went inside, sliding off of yours. He kissed you like it was the one and only kiss he would ever get. His arms tightened around your waist, picking you up and placing you on the edge of the counter. You tangled your hands in his hair, while his hands dug into your thighs. You groaned into the kiss and he smirked against your lips. His body rested between your legs as he kissed you. He kissed down your neck, sucking and biting the tender skin below your ear. He smiled and ran his finger along the swollen red mark he left before returning his lips to yours. When he finally pulled away you were both gasping for air, your forehead against his shoulder, his breath falling down the back of your neck while he rested his head against yours. “I love you. I’ve loved you for 5 years and I’m done wasting time.” You smiled and wiped your eyes while crying more. He let you use his shirt to wipe your face and then carried you to the couch where he snuggled you into a blanket and held you on his lap. The two of you were so content, you could have cared less that the tv wasn't on and your movie wasn't playing. You had Harry and as long as you had him, everything else would work itself out just fine.
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Just a small little blurb. Enjoy. xoxo
#one direction#directioners#one direction fanfiction#one direction imagines#Harry Styles#harrystyles#harry styles fanfiction#harry styles imagine#harry styles imagines#harry styles blurb
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Hey! Can I get a really fluffy Lucio x mc where Lucio doesn't know how to get Mc to like him and goes really extra? And in the end it's just Mc liking him for who he is and his heart melts? Thank you so much, and please don't rush. Take all the time you need. Also, I love your blog so much!
Thank you for the request! I am glad you are enjoying my writing!
≿————-————- ❈ ————-————-≾
"And this is the seventy-sixth- no! - seventy-seventh statue of me, this one in specific is one of my favorites, depicting the great hunt I did a few years ago with the Grand Duke of..."
The words just seemed to come to him when he needed them, and Lucio reveled in the amazed gazes you gave this very accurate, yet utterly presumptuous depiction of him. He didn't quite pick up on the tiredness revealed by the wrinkles around your eyes as you squinted to even look up the pedestal of the statue, while you kept nodding slowly - humoring him.
"Amazing that you still know the number of that one," you mumbled as he led you further, one hand on the small of your back, the other one gesturing confidently in the air. "Of course, of course. Something so important shouldn't be forgotten."
For Lucio, this date was going great. You two had had a fantastic dinner, which you at least had seemed to enjoy greatly up to the sixth course where you had started to play more with your food than eat it. The live band he had organized had played every romantic song that must have existed, even when it made it harder to talk most of the time you two had spent together. And you were only in the first half of his statue garden he had privatized for that day. You hadn't even seen the one hundred twenty-two statues of his younger years yet.
Next to you - tired, bored, and exhausted from having just looked into seventy-seven golden statues with the same face that was standing next to you - Lucio looked like he was just out of bed. You feared he was going to have to carry you around by the end of your date, because already, you felt too tired to walk, your legs wobbling under you.
"This fountain was gifted to me by the-" he announced, giving you names you hadn't even known existed in this day and age. Passing him by, you didn't give the fountain the recognition it deserved, and Lucio lost the string of his words, watching you quietly sit down at the border. Patting the vast space next to you, you could amuse yourself with the sight of him fumbling around, the idea of sitting down seemingly not in his plan for the date.
But he complied wordlessly, clearing his throat before he sat down stiffly, looking like he'd jump up at every second. In his mind, the thoughts rattled down a long list of what could be, but a subtle touch to his arms made him flinch a little. His eyes caught yours as you looked at him apologetic, pointing to your toes. "I just need a little break."
"Oh..." he mumbled, thinking about the next words a little too hard before saying them. "Of course, let's sit."
It really had taken him aback as he could barely look at you. A few times, he opened and immediately closed his mouth again, like a fish. However, no words seemed to come out. Not that you minded, he had talked a lot, you were glad to have some well-deserved silence for a minute or two.
Then again, you did feel a little bad as you watched him sit there as if wired to immediately get up and continue his obvious wooing just where he left off. It was strange for you that almost all he did was talk about himself, but some part pushed it on maybe nervousity or the lack of knowing any better to talk about. He could be smooth, that he had shown you, but you guessed an official date was something different for him.
And his seriousness about the date was something that hit you in a strange, yet adorable way.
"Alright, let's go," you prompted him. If it was so important for him to show you all these statues, then you didn't want to be ungrateful. Just as you expected, he was up before you, already starting to talk about the fountain again, when suddenly, your feet gave away under the weight of you getting up again.
One arm flailed helplessly in the air as you let out a small squeak, the unexpected roughness of the tumble getting to you harder than you thought. The moment you felt your fingers touching the sleeve of Lucio's suit, you also felt the cold water soak into your own clothes. If you had listened to him before, you'd have known the fountain was quite deep, pulling you into it like a sinkhole.
But never once did you not feel his hand around your wrist while you pulled him with you, two strong arms holding you up the moment your bum touched the fountain's ground. Coughing, you took a sip of the air again, using your hands to brush away the water on your eyes before you opened them again.
"I didn't know you wanted to take a swim tonight, I would have gotten us a more private pool if I had known that," Lucio grinned, shaking his head in fake-disappointment.
Now it was your turn to laugh as you fell back into the water and his arm, the temporary tension of the fall leaving you again. "Oh no, now I messed it up!" you complained weakly, not all too unhappy to have a bit of a change of plans all of a sudden. It may have been an unlucky fall into a fountain, but it at least got him to smile a little bit more sincere this time.
"What?" he asked, confused about your statement.
"Our date! I mean, look at us, we are soaked through - in a fountain."At that, Lucio, couldn't help but laugh too a few times before getting away from hovering above you. With a firm tug, he helped you up, even considering carrying you out of the fountain, not wanting you to fall again. "Oh... well. Guess that's that then," he mumbled quietly as he stepped out of the waters too.
"But it was fun!" you revealed, and sure enough, it brought back the characteristic grin on his lip as he pulled you closer, hands around your waist, a little closer than even in the water. "Oh? What did you like best? The food, the music, the statues? I did try to make it as entertaining for you, but there isn't much to do in Vesuvia these days."
"I think..." you announced, leaving him to his expectations as you put in a dramatic break. "The falling into the fountain."
"Oh, yes, that was great, like with the- wait."
Turning his head to the side, he gave you a very concerned glance, even trying to check your head for any injuries. "Nooo, I'm fine," you laughed, brushing off his hand that gave basic pushed to your skull. "It was just fun to have the usual funny, chipper Lucio back for a while. Not Count Lucio with the impressive knowledge about statues, but the one I'd fall into a fountain with at any time."
Taking a break from your talk, you just patted his shoulder, squeezing in a little closer with your clothes squeaking up as the water dripped out of them even more. "I appreciate the effort, and I know this is all very important, but I like you even if it's not... important. If it's just silly. If it's just you."
You could watch his expression go through a few emotions from sour, to tempted to lovingly while he reciprocated the hold you had on him. "You know?" you asked, and he nodded, understanding very well what you meant. "It's getting late... maybe we can go see the rest of the statues on the next date?" he suggested, and you smiled wildly.
"I'd love that."
"So what now?" he asked, and you shrugged, though the smile never faded from your lips.
"I heard there are nice - real - baths in the palace, maybe that would save the evening?" Smiling, Lucio leaned forward to you, finally giving you a - surprisingly short - kiss that both of you had yearned for since a while now.
"I'll have that arranged, then."
And this time, you were completely fine with his plans.
#lucio#Montag Morgasson#The Arcana#The Arcana game#The Arcana imagine#The Arcana headcanons#The Arcana scenarios#The Arcana fanfiction#lucio the arcana#the arcana lucio#count lucio
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For the Daft Punk asks: 1993-2021.
Yes, Irene. I want you to answer all of them (except the ones you don’t want to answer, of course ❤️).
/2B
Well well well, this is gonna take a while! I already answered 2011 to 2013 in this ask right here, so I’ll be skipping those!
1993: When did you first hear about Daft Punk? That’s an odd question, and hard to answer.
During my childhood I KNOW I heard songs like Around The World, Music Sounds Better With You, One More Time, Harder Better Faster Stronger, and Technologic later on.
It wasn’t until around 2011 when I had my first contact with Daft Punk, when on a restaurant, on a TV in the background, One More Time was playing. I could not hear the song, but the visuals catched my attention and I became fascinated. Sadly, I did not catch who’s song was that, nor the title.
It wasn’t until Get Lucky and RAM released that I FINALLY figured out who Daft Punk were. The moment I saw the robots, when I rediscovered and watched Interstella 5555 in it’s entirety in one setting, then, was when i got hooked up to them, forever.
1994: What do you find most striking about the band? THE ROBOTS! I love the dessigns, they have SO MUC PERSONALITY. But other things I love are, obviously, their music, the “not giving a shit” actitude, and the way they worked. That’s something I admire a lot, keeping control of your works. As an artist myself, it’s something that can be really important and can help you out in the future.
1995: Do you have any favorite music videos? I love Interstella 5555 with my whole heart. The Homework MVs, specially Burnin’, hold a special place in my heart. I love that in Burnin’ the boys make a cameo for a split second, wearing odd costumes and wigs.
1996: What do you think about the Homework album? Pretty good! I love house music, and it’s certainly the album that introduced me to the genre, so... Da Funk, Around The World, they’re just absolute BANGERS. The “harder” songs on the album aren’t really my thing, tho...
1997: What do you think about Alive 1997? A bit bare-bones, not gonna lie. It’s like 45 minutes long. That’s not a lot. It certainly is something of it’s time. What I love the most are the scarce pictures and videos of that era of them playing live. You can REALLY tell they’re having a blast, specially Thomas.
1998: Do you have any favorite remixes/mash-ups? Their remix of Chord Memory is certainly one of my favorites. It really gives you a... Something. It feels like it’s telling a story, with it’s change of tone later on and then mashing both. Also, that WDPK 83.7 reference!
1999: Has your opinion of the band changed over time? Not really. It just started high and they stay high as my favorite band/musicians. They’re extremely inspiring, specially for the fact they did so many different things, but all feeling so unique to them at the same time. Them also being nice people and supporting of social rights and the LGBT community is certainly a great plus!
2000: Do you have a favorite ‘era’ of Daft Punk? Discovery. It’s the most fun, colorfull, and the one they seemed more “silly”. The robots appeared in their rainbowy marvel and odd/oversized clothes.
2001: What do you think about the Discovery album? It’s My FAVORITE! There are barely no songs I dislike. It have so many different vibes, feelings, you have vocal tracks and instrumental tracks, all with the same quality... And my favorite song from them, Something About Us, is from that album.
2002: Has Daft Punk inspired you creatively? Absolutely. Like, 100%.
2003: What do you think about Interstella 5555? They could’ve worked on that lip-sink a bit better, it’s something that ALWAYS pulls me off. But aside from that, it’s a great concept, and a very special animated film. You can tell there was a lot of care put on it.
2004: Are there any lyrics in particular that stuck with you? Within. That song just, resonates so much with me. Check out my other post with answers, I talk in depth about it!
2005: What do you think about the Human After All album? You can tell it was made in 2 weeks. They were angry, frustrated. And you get a lot of “Thomas Vibe” in that. It feels like it wasn’t a good time for them and it’s reflected in the album.
2006: What do you think about the Musique album? The only good thing from it is that they FINALLY re-released Musique and those remixes! Also, in the special version, you get the Interstella 5555 DVD, which is how I got the movie myself physically!
2007: What do you think about Alive 2007? It’s just great. I wish there was an official version of the entire concert edited by them, where you could see the visuals, the vibes, and the boys all in one enjoying themselves. I’m sad I couldn’t go see them, but at the time I just did not know who they were, and I was only 11. I remember seeing their pyramid on TV when they came to Spain in 2006! I thought it looked really extra, and it really is.
2008: What do you think about Electroma? It’s heartcrushing. I have the feeling they could’ve cutted the ending a little, and I don’t really get why of the dunes looking like a woman and going like, inside the vagina... But still. Also, I can not laugh when they wear the human masks. They’re so ugly x’D Is that how they see themselves?
The bathroom scene ALWAYS gets me. GM08 getting extremely mad and frustrated, while TB3 tries to hold on to what’s left until it can’t be recovered... That says SO MUCH about them, about the robots, as characters and people. You can really get what they’re feeling.
The ending, though... That ending. My god. Everyone always talks about TB3′s death, but the one that really got me the most is GM08′s. It seemed like he wanted to keep going, but finding himself alone ends up being his demise. They need each other. And when he tries to reach to his self-destruct button but cannot, and he just stares in the distance... I really, REALLY felt that.
2009: Do you have a favorite Daft Punk cameo/reference? I talked about the Burnin’ video before, but if I have to think of something else... I think their cameos in different productions are great. Like Sebastien Tellier’s videos of the songs he made with Guy-Man, one with magazines with drawing of GM08, while on the other he appears as a background guy, face partially covered... Also Thomas’ cameo in the movie Realité, where his wife is one of the secondary characters, where he just, again, appears for a split second. I find those really funny.
2010: What do you think about TRON: Legacy? It had a lot going on, but it’s story just... Was bad. The effects are cool (except for the guy they tried to make look younger), and I love that Daft Punk just kept vibing when the fight breaks out at the club. Aside from that, that’s all.
2014: What’s your favorite moment of Daft Punk at the GRAMMYs? The hug. Come on, that’s like, the loveliest thing ever. You can tell how happy and emotional they were. They even had to hold Thomas’ hand because his helmet fogged on the inside.
2015: Do you have friends who like Daft Punk? Hmm... Does all the cool people I’ve met in the fandom count? ;D Specially @edbangingrobot and @invader-777 they’re the coolest people ever <3
2016: What Daft Punk collaborations stood out to you? Probably the one with The Weeknd, but only because of their AMAZINGLY COOL COSTUMES, more than anything. Those have to be my all-time favorite looks for the robots.
2017: Did you get to see Daft Punk live? No :(
2018: How does Daft Punk fit into your taste in music? They have that disco-electro-house vibe I LOVE so much. Why do you think Discovery is my favorite? x’D Tho my tastes go all over the place, if I’m honest. You just have to take a look around my Spotify playlist to see what I’m talking about.
2019: What Daft Punk song makes you smile? One More Time, Digital Love, Voyager and Give Life Back To Music. If you wanna make me get in a good mood, play those.
2020: Did Daft Punk help you get through tough times? They certainly helped me focus on something. I found them in one of the toughest, darkest times of my life. Just had to drop out of school due to my mental illness, only to be abandoned by my old friends, while my family did not listen to me about my depression, anxiety and agoraphobia. Not only that, but we also moved for the third time in a decade, and it wasn’t for fun reasons. Having Daft Punk’s music there as a new discovery to me certainly helped, with their cheerfull, thoughtless songs for a time where everything felt too much.
2021: How are you “holding on” after the split? I am extremely sad we will never get to see the robots again. They’re a really important part of my life. Just like their music. All I hope is that they’re in good therms, and that they’ll be happy for now on. We do not know the reason, but there surely was one behind their decission. If any of them does make something new in the future, I’ll make sure to check it out. It wouldn’t be the first time they’ve done things aside from Daft Punk.
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Willy x female reader
Warnings: language
The sun was scorching hot, the nectar-rich flowers were in full bloom, scattered with colorful butterflies, and school was out, which only meant one thing - summertime had officially begun.
You were on break from college and at home with your family. Although you liked being back home with your loved ones, you didn’t necessarily want to be around them all day, so you decided to get a summer job.
Your mom had informed you the community pool near your house was always looking for “helpers” so you went over to check it out.
The pool area was surprisingly deserted except for one person, a man, who was laying on one of the fold out chairs, scrolling through his phone.
He had black ray-bans on and didn’t seem to notice you approaching.
“Excuse me,” you said. “Are you hiring for the summer?”
“Oh shit,” he jumped in his seat and pulled off his sunglasses. “I didn’t see you there. Uhh, yeah, we are. What kind of experience do you have?”
“Um, well I’ve worked on campus before and-”
He laughed. “I’m just fucking with you, the job is yours if you want it.”
“Oh cool,” you smiled. “So what exactly would I be, like your assistant? I mean you are the manager right?”
“Yeah,” he sat up and stuck his hand out. “Willy.”
“Y/N” you accepted the handshake.
“By the way,” he stood up at his full height, and wow was he much taller than you realized. “You’re not an assistant, there’s no assistants around here, you’re just an employee of mine. Okay?”
“Got it.” you nodded. “So where is everyone?”
“The pool doesn’t open until 12.”
You checked your phone -- 11:32 AM
“Okay, well, I’ll just hang around until it’s time to work I guess.”
“Actually, I have something you can do.” Willy walked over to his small office space and you followed.
The place was a mess to say the least. There were papers scattered everywhere, blankets and a pillow thrown in the corner, and evident coffee stains plagued the desk.
Yuck.
“You can organize these papers for me and put them in the filing cabinet.” Willy picked up one of the papers and wiped the stickiness from the coffee on his shorts. “So this is for people who want to rent out lockers, you get their name and number and blah blah blah, you get it right?”
You nodded silently, stunned that he wasn’t phased by the filthiness you two were standing in. “So I’m supposed to do all of this by myself?”
“Yeah!” he exclaimed, a little too happily. “You seem like the over-achiever, perfectionist type so I’m sure you’ll do fine. Good luck.” he patted your shoulder and walked away.
“Jerk,” you muttered.
“What was that?” he turned around with a smirk.
“N-nothing.”
* * * *
After working at the pool for a few weeks, you were starting to wonder if the extra money was even worth it. You weren’t the only one who worked there but somehow you always ended up doing the majority of the work while everyone else sat back and chilled.
It was partially your own fault for putting up with it and you had an idea of how this job was going to be considering your first day. You had walked up and down the pool aisles, keeping an eye on all the children and their activities, while Willy, who was supposed to be the manager, was chatting with friends. He called you over and embarrassed you by saying, “You don’t need to monitor the kids so hard. Take the stick out of your ass and relax.” You turned away, trying to cover your blush as his friends cackled.
On the bright side of things, the children were well behaved for the most part and you didn’t have any problems with them. Although, there was that one kid that was caught humping the pool noodle.
You were pretty close to quitting until you started noticing a really hot guy appearing at the pool every other day with his little brother. He had beautiful blonde hair that shimmered in the sun and his body was the type of picture you’d hang up in your room as a poster to drool over. Truthfully, you felt he was way out of your league, but that didn’t stop you from flaunting around in your bathing suit, showing a little extra skin at times.
When you finally got the courage to speak with him, you found out his name was Jason and he was in college too. There were times when you even felt like he was flirting right back at you, which was a total surprise but you played it cool.
Today for example, you were talking to Jason about a band the two of you loved and he was hinting at taking you to one of their next concerts.
“They’re actually going on tour next month and I bet they’ll come here. Have you seen them live?”
“Oh my god, no, but I’d love to. Are you going?” you batted your eyelashes.
“Definitely, but there’s one problem though. I don’t have a date.” his eyes flicked down to your chest.
“You know, I’ll be here the rest of the summer and I would love to-”
Splat!
You gasped at the impact of a huge water balloon hitting the side of your face, drenching your entire chest, and the water was dripping down into your shorts.
Someone was attempting but completely failing to cover up their snickering. You looked up to see Willy covering his mouth as his shoulders bounced up and down.
“Holy shit,” he gasped, eliciting another breathy laugh. “I didn’t mean to hit your face like that, I swear.”
“That’s it.” You marched over to the bucket of water balloons and picked up a few before throwing them at Willy, who was running away to the other side.
You missed the first two times but on the third try you got him right in the crotch, which made it look like he pissed himself. Everyone laughed, including Willy, and soon some of the other kids joined in to completely soak their friends in water.
By the end of it, almost everyone was a mess. You looked around to see destroyed balloons all around the pool, some floating in the water as well, which was a funny sight. They looked like tattered colorful condoms.
Once the pool closed down for the day, It was time to start cleaning up but thankfully Willy stayed behind to help. You reflected on the water balloon fight and how it had all started, which made you walk over to Willy with a question in mind.
“Why did you throw that water balloon at me when I was talking to Jason?” You stood over him while he squatted to pick up pool toys, his back facing you.
“Cus’ I’m a jerk, remember?”
“Yeah, I know, but you could’ve struck at any time and yet you chose to do it when I was with Jason. Why?”
He sighed, stood up, and turned around to face you.
“Look, y/n, I know you like Jason but he’s a player. He does the same thing to a bunch of other girls.”
“And how would you know?” You asked with an attitude, crossing your arms.
Willy huffed out a laugh but there was no humor behind it. “Because I’ve seen him do it the past couple of summers. Trust me, he only wants to get in your pants.”
Willy walked away but you followed. It was petty, but you didn’t want him to have the last word.
“Why should I trust you?”
He stopped once again to look at you. “As much as I piss you off sometimes, I still don’t wanna see you get hurt. You don’t deserve that.”
You slowly uncrossed your arms, letting your defenses down. For some reason you did actually trust what Willy was saying but you didn’t exactly want him to know that.
“Well,” you sighed. “Thanks for telling me.”
“No problem,” he said with a sort of apologetic smile.
From that day on you avoided talking to Jason. You still remained cordial and would greet him if you two made eye contact but you kept it strictly platonic and didn’t make any moves to approach him. The sad part about it was Jason didn’t even seem to notice, and if he did, he just didn’t care enough to confront you about it.
It was your day to be on lifeguard duty. All the kids were screaming and laughing, having themselves a great time, until a loud cry broke through. You sprung off your chair to see a little boy had fallen on the concrete, scraping his knee in the process. Willy had made it to the kid before you did and was helping him to calm down.
“Hey, could you get the first aid kit out of my office?”
“Sure thing,” you rushed over to grab the kit and brought it back to Willy. You noticed the kid wasn’t crying anymore, but in fact was smiling.
You watched as Willy cleaned up the blood, disinfected the scrape, and patched him up with a cool Iron Man band-aid. Quite frankly, It was the cutest thing you’d ever seen him do.
Wait, since when do I find Willy cute?
The way he handled the situation was so sweet. You had never seen Willy be so attentive, calm, and confident. When he was done, he stood up and stretched, his shirt lifting just enough to see exposed skin. Your eyes glanced down, trailing the line of hair that led to his-
No. No. No. I’m not doing this.
You looked up to see Willy was already looking at you.
Crap.
“You okay?” He seemed to be genuinely concerned, which made you feel even more embarrassed.
“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”
He shrugged. “Just asking.”
You didn’t really know how else to respond so you just awkwardly walked away, hoping he wasn’t watching you.
I do not like Willy. I definitely don’t have a crush on him. Nope, not this girl.
Your mind betrayed you that night when you dreamt of Willy going down on you.
You couldn’t make direct eye contact with him for the next two days.
The rest of the month was torture. It seemed like every little thing he did now was sexy and the worst part about it was he didn’t even realize the effect he had on you. It got so bad that your stomach would flip flop whenever he would grace you with a smile, which most times wasn’t even because of anything you said, but just seeing him smile over dumb shit was doing it for you.
It all came to a boil when the two of you were the last ones at the pool. It was evening time so the pool had long been closed, but you stuck around to clean up and Willy had mentioned a schedule change he wanted to go over with you.
“So since Summer is coming to an end we’re gonna open up the pool an hour earlier and I was thinking you could hmph-”
You connected your lips to his, fast and hard, as if there was an immediate need to release all of the pent up energy you had inside. The kiss was cut short when he gently pulled away from you.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m...kissing you?” You hated the way it came out sounding like a question instead of a statement.
“Yeah, no shit,” he laughed. “But why? I mean, what about Jason?”
“Jason is a player like you said,” you sighed. “And I don’t want to be with someone like that.”
Willy smirked. “So you admit I was right.”
You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, I guess so.
“And now that Jason is out of the picture you think you like me?” he teased.
“Yes, I mean no! Ugh,” he was making this way harder for you and you didn’t know whether to be pissed or turned on. “I’ve liked you for a while now,” you admitted as a blush crept upon your cheeks. “You just didn’t notice.”
There was a gleam in his eyes. “I notice a lot more than you think I do.”
You blushed even harder.
“Listen,” you stepped a little closer to him. “I don’t want you to think you’re second to Jason, I really do like you. I mean I even had a sex dream about you!”
His eyebrows raised.
“I like you because even though you annoy the shit out of me, I still find myself laughing when I’m around you and you’re so great with the kids and you’re so cu-”
He leaned down to silence you, cupping your face with both hands.
“You talk too much,” he stated quietly.
“One of my many talents,” you joked, earning a smile in response.
“And fuck, I like you too. A lot.”
He dove back in to give you the kiss you had imagined the first time around, the kind that makes you feel a little dizzy, as if you’re floating in the air. Warmth spread through your belly like lava slowly seeping out of a volcano.
You sighed when he pulled back for room to breathe.
“What are we going to do when I go back to school?”
Smiling softly, he placed some of your hair behind your ear. “Don’t even worry about that, kid. We’ll figure it out.”
He leaned in, as if he were going to kiss you again, but dodged your lips to whisper in your ear. “So tell me more about that dream you had.”
@mediocre-megs @3tothe1 @fightingevilbymoonlight13 @damien-kaspbrak
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CELINE: So often in my life I’ve been with people and shared beautiful moments like traveling or staying up all night and watching the sunrise, and I knew it was a special moment, but something was always wrong. (...) But I’m happy to be with you. You couldn’t possibly know why a night like this is so important to my life right now, but it is. I think this is a great morning.
JESSE: It is a great morning. Do you think we’d have other mornings like this?
@cir ——— 14.) The timeline in which they took a chance they didn’t in canon.
Brian traces the silver band on Peter’s ring finger.
It’s an unpretentious piece of vintage work with an engraving of a mostly worn away rose. Peter shifts, pouting even in his sleep from the sunlight hitting his face. Brian watches quietly, curious of what Peter’s reaction will be when he wakes up. Brian can hardly remember most of what transpired the night prior but it’s coming back to him in hazy fragments but mainly the crumpled 77$ receipt from a wedding venue with their vows messily scrawled out on the back is the main indicator that last night was not a dream.
Peter, after sleeping in for a few more minutes stirs again. He groans, rubs his eyes with his hands then freezes in that position. Brian holds his breath as Peter pulls his hand away to inspect the cold metal while still half asleep, half hangover. It takes a minute for the significance to register then his eyes cut suddenly to Brian who holds up his own hand to show off the near identical ring on his own hand.
———
“We met at a party” Peter states but Brian shakes his head. “or it was the cafe?”
“I think it was in that one class— remember?” At least that’s when he thinks is the first time he saw Peter. “Business fourteen something. I showed up for three classes but couldn’t understand french so I dipped.” Jae’s eyes roll so hard the wired frames slip down to the bridge of his nose and he slides them back up. “I don’t care about how you met I just want to know why you got married? Who the fuck gets married after knowing each other half a year?”
“Actually, we’ve known each other five months and a half. I know because we met after Peter’s birthday and— ” Jae and Peter both give Brian a hard look and his voice falls but he finishes his thought. “and It’s...uh, now... december.” then sits back in his chair. Jae holds the look longer than Peter before he turns back to his cousin and shakes his head. “RIP to your taxes.... have you even told your mom yet?” It’s a valid question and Brian’s ears perk up though he doesn’t expect that he has given Brian hasn’t mentioned it to his own parents either.
It’s a bridge they’ll cross once they get to it.
Now, regardless of the time and date of their technical first meeting. Brian likes to think that their official meeting was in the metro, while waiting for the last train to come. He remembers this clearly because it was the first time he’d seen Peter outside of the cafe or rather, to be more specific, without a laptop in front of his nose. Sure, even in this case it was tucked safely beneath his arm to be opened on the chance that there’s a free seat available.
“What are you always working on?” Brian asks, sitting down without invitation in the seat across from Peter. The fact Peter is distracted enough by the question to leave his laptop closed is a small victory in Brian’s book.
“Excuse me?”
Brian is used to Peter’s blunt speech. In the cafe he quietly says his order then goes back to being silent unless he’s on a business call. The lonewolf silent type is kinda Peter’s thing even when in the midst of a group of coworkers. But there’s something about him that catches Brian’s attention and he’s been working slowly to chip away at that outer exterior by bringing him extra sweets on the side in an effort to get to that other side of Peter that Brian’s yet to see but knows is there. And tonight he’s got a few minutes to kill. They’re not exactly strangers— at least not by Brian’s definition. They both have a few stops before they part ways. What better time than now? “Are you a business man? My dad is always working on finance stuff on his laptop too.” Peter remains silent. Brian takes it as his sign to continue. “He owns a shop. A cafe bookshop in Jersey.”
“So you are American.” Peter speaks up and it catches Brian by surprise. “I thought you might be Canadian.”
The fact Peter thought about him makes Brian grin a little before he nods.
That’s the subject that breaks the ice and gets them to talk, so much so that Brian misses his stop but pretends that he’s getting off at the same station as Peter where they both get off then talk even more. Brian’s able to draw out interesting thoughts and commentary from Peter and vice versa. Things like what Peter does on his laptop to discussing their biggest fears, observations of their surroundings and their shared experiences of being only children are brought up. They even touch on the topic of love and how it impacted Brian’s recent breakup and Peter’s long past break up.
It’s in the middle of that that his phone vibrates, cutting them both off mid-sentence.
“Oh, I’ve kept you for too long.” Peter says apologetically as he glances around their surroundings, uncertain of what time it is but Brian shakes his head. “Honestly, I could’ve stayed on that subway until...forever. I like talking to you.” He says before taking another glance at his phone. “It’s just. There’s this thing I promised a friend that I’d— “
“It’s ok.” Peter interrupts. “It’s late and we should both head home.”
Brian nods. “Yeah. I’m sorry for interrupting your evening. I know you said that you had work to do and God, It’s so late— I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet.”
“No, no, no it’s alright. I don’t eat after 7.”
“Is that like a french culture thing?” Brian asks, curious. He doesn’t get it but he can begrudgingly respect it. It tells him Peter’s very disciplined or likes schedules which he could’ve guessed. Peter laughs, and it still strikes Brian how much his whole face changes with it even as he shakes his head. “Doesn’t everyone do that?” Peter replies, eyes still warm. Brian almost forgets to answer the question. After a beat he finds his words. “Oh,uh, I sometimes wake up at like 2 AM to make ramyeon. Don’t tell my roommates but it’s the only time i don’t have to share with them.”
“You should get going then. Is it your roommates wanting to know where you are?” Peter comments, nodding to Brian’s hand when the phone goes off repeatedly. “It’s the group chat. Nothing important.”
Just Jae asking where the fuck is Brian. Kate wondering why the hell hasn’t Brian shown up yet. Angelina wondering when more drinks are coming and the inevitable: who is going to kick these people out of the house after their social filters take a nosedive after the clock strikes midnight in, roughly an hour to thirty minutes.
Yet, Brian is still hesitant to say goodbye. Peter doesn’t move either and it’s almost as if he’s waiting for Brian to make the first move to end their time together.
“So there’s this party over at my place tonight. I — I say that like it’s not going on right now but you should come over and we can have a few drinks, talk about uh what did you say you’re reading Fred....?”
“Friedrich Nietzsche.”
“Wait, like, for fun?” Brian has to take a minute to let that information sink in and almost reconsiders his previous invitation because frankly he can’t think of anything more boring than Nietzshe. Peter shifts his weight, waiting for Brian to get back to the point. ”Ok, maybe we won’t talk about that but do you want to go? I’m sure by now you’ve figured out I’m not a psycho.”
"What if I am?” Peter smirks. Brian gives him a once over, standing back like he’s truly considering the possibility then leans in close, too close. “I don’t know what if I’m into that?” Peter grows quiet again, blinking a few times and uncertain of what Brian’s about to do before the other leans away again.
“Come to the party with me.” Brian turns up the charm voice low, warm and inviting. ”It’ll be fun.” Peter knows exactly what he’s doing. It’s clear by now that he’s hinting for him to at least stay the night. He could say no, tell him that he’s not interested in parties but then he gives a small nod and the rest of the night moves in a blur. That tends to happen when Brian is involved. Time seems to blur from one minute to the next in the way that:
One minute they’re in the park, then the vague familiarity of Brian’s place — loud music, flashing lights, pushed closer by a crowd of dancing people. And a few drinks in it’s Peter who breaks the tension between them and throws caution to the wind when he kisses Brian.
Time and everything else moves entirely too fast after that. Some days they both have to take a seat and remind themselves that it’s ok to go slow, but it’s hard when the clock is ticking down and they both know Brian graduates in December and after that? Where do they stand?
Six months after their chat on the subway they wake up in some shit hotel in Vegas. Bed hair, hung over, admiring the vintage silver on their ring fingers together that Brian picked up for cheap in a pawnshop in L.A. Peter, who always finds ways to surprise Brian is more calm than he anticipated. Brian takes advantage of the slowing in time to make Peter laugh just to see his face transform in that way that made him infatuated before they move onto the next chapter.
It is the start of many good mornings.
#cir#i got the idea for this randomly#obv based of before sunrise but i wanted to write you fluff since i haven't written fluff for them in so long#idk why i just love the idea of them getting hitched in vegas during a road trip or something right before brian is supposed to graduate and#go back to margate in the canon timeline#and they just move fast but like fall in love just as fast
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