#this whole chapter could be summed up with reaction gifs

[fanficwriter101]

CHEATED PART TWO

(FINAL CHAPTER)

Parings: Solo Sikoa x Reader x Jimmy Uso

Warnings: Profanity and slight smut

“Honey I’m home!”. You yelled across the room as you entered your hotel room. Jimmy was just sitting on the edge of the bed on his phone not even giving you any kind of attention. “Ahem”. You began clearing your throat, but the man didn’t budge. “I said, ahem!”. “Hold on, give me a minute babe”. You gave up at this point and sat down beside him waiting. “And done”. You hear your man say as he placed his phone faced down on the bed. “What up, ba-“. He cut himself off once he noticed the beautiful dress you have on. “Damn, you look good. Stand up for me and spin around”. You couldn’t help but smile at his reaction as you stood up strutting and posing for him. “Why you up here looking good as hell for? We only heading out for breakfast”. He grinned.

“I wanted to look good for you”. You leaned forward to kiss him, and he returned it with a kiss of his own. “Mmm, you smell good. What you got on?”. Again, you smiled. “I may have applied some body oil on myself”. You watched him as his grin grew wider. “You tryna get me to tear that ass into two or sum? Because I’m about to rip that dress off of yo ass”. He grabbed you by the face and kissed you roughly. “Too late, I’m about to do sum to you right quick. Get on that bed”.

You obliged and began crawling into bed. With him unable to contain himself, he smacked that ass of yours before you could make yourself comfortable. Jimmy stood up to prepare himself, but was immediately interrupted by a buzzing phone. “Shit, not right now”. He growled. You noticed he was hesitant with his action seeing as he was eying the phone here and there until you told him to answer it. “Sorry baby, it’ll be quick”. You merely nodded, with an obvious annoyed look on your face that Jimmy failed to notice.

The man walked away and entered the bathroom to take the call. You laid back on the bed and sighed, clearly upset by this whole situation. You grabbed your own phone from under the pillow and noticed a text from Solo. You forgot about his message last night about wanting to talk to you. But you did message him back telling him that you will both see each other at the house show, so you could talk then. You had hoped that he would be okay with it and leave it at that but nope. He wanted to talk sooner. Of course you didn’t bother to respond and left him hanging. But this text of his, full of his painful pleas made you reconsider. You were actually kind of curious as to why he wanted to talk to you so badly. But considering how you know how he feels about you, you hoped that he wasn’t trying to make a move or something along that line.

Jimmy exited the bathroom and approached you. “Well now, where were we?”. You smirked flirtatiously at him. But Jimmy didn’t seem too interested anymore. “Sorry babe, I just got called in for a meeting about this upcoming episode on Friday”. You breathed deeply out of your nose and sat up. “Okay..”

“Don’t make that face, we goin’ continue where we left off tonight after the house show”. He grinned. You gave him a funny look. “How long will this meeting be, exactly? The house show is not on for another 7 hours, you have time to come back here and spend time with me”.

You can see Jimmy’s whole face dropped, he began rubbing his face anxiously as if he was trying to come up with an excuse. “Aiight, you right, imma head out right quick, and if I can’t make it back on time, I’ll let you know”. He leaned forward before you could respond and kissed you.

He then proceeded to grab his keys, as well as his sunglasses, and headed for the door. “Love you baby, see you soon. I hope!”. Once you were left all alone, you decided get up and head over to the kitchen to pour yourself a glass of water. Taking that cup with you, you walked right over to the window and observed your surroundings before your attention shifted, now noticing your phone on the bed.

A little while later, you hear a knock at the door before getting up to answer it. You had your phone in your hand which you placed down on the tv stand facing up revealing text messages exchanging between you and Solo. You had given him all the info about your whereabouts so he could say what he needed to say. When you opened the door, your eyes were met with Solo’s, but he doesn’t seem too impressed.

“Hi Joe”. You smiled. “Come on in”. The man didn’t say anything as he entered the room. “Would you like anything to drink? Water? Beer?”. You trailed off awkwardly. “Nah, I just want to talk to you real quick”. You gave him a nod of agreement, nervous about it. You weren’t sure what he wanted to say, but you were hoping it wouldn’t be him trying to make a move.

“You sayin my brother went out for a meeting?”. He questioned. Damn, straight to the point already. You bit your lower lip and nodded. Solo’s eyes wandered around the room for a minute as he was growing impatient.

“Don’t you think that’s a little suspicious?”. You gave him a quick shrug. “I guess? I don’t know. He does get summoned for meetings on occasion”. You say. Solo shook his head as his gaze never left yours. “(Name), my brother been cheating on you”. You widen your eyes slightly, but immediately looked away to hide the pain look on your face. “Joe…”. You began. “I swear, I overheard him talking to someone on the phone yesterday in the locker room.” You took note of his behavior as he has averted his gaze at this point.

“All that meeting talk he been blabbing about? Why wasn’t I informed? It don’t sound right, do it? We both in the Bloodline, come on (Name). You can’t tell me that you believe that fool?”.

“I know”. You nodded your head. “I believe you”. You pressed your lips together as your gaze has veered elsewhere in the room. Solo made a face as his eyebrows scrunched up.

“Hold up, what did you say?”

“I said I believe you, Joe. I’m aware of what’s been going on. I know Jon has been cheating”.

You couldn’t tell exactly what Solo might be thinking, but the look he gave you made you assume he was very much pissed.

“Why you with him still?”. You took a deep breath and exhaled before crossing your arms and gazed out the window. “Because I love him, Joe. I don’t want to lose him. I try to be the best girlfriend I can possibly be in hopes to turn things around for the both of us”.

“At what point was you gonna draw the line with him? He don’t look at you when y’all talk. Hell, that fool don’t even remember y’all anniversary. That ain’t right, (Name).” You felt tears building up in your eyes, but you fought them back. Everything Solo was saying is true, at what point do you draw the line? Honestly, with the way things have gone. You both have reached so far in the deep end that there was no turning back at this point, so you chose to put yourself in this position fooling yourself into thinking it would get better. Essentially, becoming delusional in the process.

With that being said, unfortunately for you, the one thing you didn’t want to happen came crashing like wildfire. Your emotions have gone haywire to the point your tears came pouring down like crazy. Solo watched you as you broke down, his usual calm and cool demeanor has disappeared. He approached your helpless self, and tried to comfort you by patting your shoulder, but to no avail. “My bad, (Name). I don’t mean to hurt you. I just don’t want you going through all that shit no more. My brother don’t deserve you. He don’t even know how bad he messed up. He a fool, you know that?” You nodded your head, but was still sobbing nonetheless.

Solo’s face has changed drastically, now appearing very sad and concerned. He raised both arms to try and give you a hug, but decided against it and dropped them both on his sides again. He wanted to hug you, he really did, but he finds it so hard to do it without revealing his true feelings. As much as he wanted to confess, now wasn’t a good time. After all, this isn’t about him, this is about you, and he wants to make sure you were good than anything else.

You sniffled a little here and there for another minute or so before awkwardly giving him quick glances from time to time. “I’m sorry, Joe. You had to see me like this”. He merely shook his head. “Nah, I’m here for you, remember that”. He placed a hand on your back and lightly rubbed it. That was the least he can do, aside from just listening to you. You observed the man for a moment, thinking about your NXT days. Solo never changed, he was always so nice to you and worried about you that you truly didn’t believe you deserve his love. He really needs to find himself a woman who loves him as much as he loves her, because honestly, you weren’t it. You were a piece of shit. You know how he feels about you but you’ve been avoiding it for years now. You were afraid to lose what you already have going on with him.

“You good?”. You snapped out of your train of thoughts and met his eyes. “You spacing out a little over there”. He chuckled. You nodded your head and wiped the remaining tears from your face. “Right, sorry”. Solo merely shook his head in response. “You good, (Name). We known each other for a long time now, this don’t faze me one bit”. He smiled. That’s it, you couldn’t take it anymore, you approached the man and gave him a huge hug before kissing him on the cheek. “Thank you for taking time out of your day to tell me this. I know how much you care about me, and I really appreciate you for it”.

There was a moment of silence as Solo and you were just staring into each other’s eyes. You weren’t sure what was going through his mind, but his aura changed completely. He looked very serious. “Joe?”. Solo cut you off immediately. “(Name), there’s something else I need to tell you.”

Your heart skipped a beat and you felt your cheek heating up. Unless he has more stories to tell about Jimmy, you were pretty sure where this one is going. So instead of hearing him out, you looked at your phone to try and change the subject, and lucky for you, there was a message for you to read. “Oh, sorry Joe. Just give me a second-“ You quickly grabbed your phone and noticed Jimmy’s name on the screen. Solo observed your features, noticing how your face dropped almost immediately. “What’s wrong?” He questioned.

You lowered your phone to your side and smiled weakly at him. “Jon won’t be coming back…” Your voice cracked. Solo’s eyes dropped to the floor, and nodded. “We were talking about him coming back after the meeting and spend time together, but he won’t be able to make it”.

There was another moment of silence. “It’s okay, because we can spend it together tonight”. You turned things around with a smile on your face. “So what was it that you wanted to say? I’m sorry for interrupting”. Solo shook his head, “Nah, it’s nothing, it’s not important”. Your face dropped again as you watched him check his own phone.

“I’m gonna head out real soon, you gonna be all right?”. He questioned in concern. You nodded. “I’ll be fine, I was just going to head out and meet up with Bianca”. You lied. Solo nodded before proceeding out the door, but you stopped him.

“See you later at the show…Hopefully.”

“See you”

And with that, the door shut with a click. You let out a long exasperated sigh before sinking down on the bed. But before you could relax for a moment, you hear the door open which immediately drew your attention over to it. “Joe?” Your eyes widen real quick when you realized it wasn’t Solo. “Nah, it’s Jon. Your boyfriend?”. You were so lost for words that you just stood there like an idiot. Jon shut the door behind him and slowly made his way over to you with a frown on his face. He was furious.

“J-Jon?”. You managed to call out his name but still stumbled on some other words. “W-what are you doing here? I thought you texted me saying you weren’t going to make it”. Jimmy rolled his eyes. “I lied to surprise you, but I didn’t expect to be surprised, too.” You swallowed hard, unable to figure out what to say. “Why was you with my brother? The fuck were you doing together?”. Oh he’s mad mad. But that didn’t stop you from chucking to yourself, finding this to be comical. “Oh you laughing huh?” He raised his eyebrows as he got even closer to you. “You fucking my brother and you laughing?”. Oh the irony. Not that you and Solo did anything, but Jimmy’s reaction is so ridiculous, you wanted to cry.

“Baby-“ You tried to speak, but he cut you off. “Nah, I don’t want to hear any of your bullshit. Matter of fact, let’s just end this shit.” He said. Your eyes widen in shock. “W-What?” Jimmy shook his head. “How you goin’ invite my little bro over like that while I’m out? Is that what you been doing this whole time? Hell, I ain’t even mad about you cheating, but you fuck with my brother’s feelings, that’s where things get personal”.

You rubbed the bridge of your nose and closed your eyes as you tried to take in everything he just said. You were livid, but you had to try and remain as calm as you can considering you were both in a hotel right now. “You don’t got anything to say? You goin’ just stand there?”

“Hold on, Jon. Please don’t talk to me that way, that’s not fair”. You finally spoke. Jon chuckled, “not fair? What you mean that’s not fair? You fucking my brother!”. He practically yelled. “Please try to keep it down, I don’t want to have police called on us” Jon just shook his head as he stepped away. “Shit, it don’t have to be that way, (Name). Imma just pack up and go, we don’t got nothing else to say to each other”.

You watched him as he grabbed his suitcase and began packing. At this point, you were at your limit. “You just gonna walk away, huh? You don’t want to talk about it?” Jon looks at you. “What is there to talk about? You don’t wanna be with me”. You looked away as tears fell from your eyes. “You don’t think I know about your little secret?”. Jimmy averted your gaze and continued packing. “I’ve tried so hard, for the both of us so that we can stay together, but when it came to me, you wanna walk away?” You sniffled. Jimmy stopped packing and looked at you again. “You know, you right about me doing things. But why you gotta drag my brother into this? Fuck some other guys, why him?”.

“I didn’t fuck your brother! He came over to tell me what your cheating ass did! But I already know all along. You ungrateful piece of shit!”. Jimmy laughs. “Damn, you a little crazy when you mad, huh? Why weren’t you doing all that when we was together? I probably wouldn’t have to cheat”. You crossed your arms annoyed. “Get the fuck out”. You say. “You don’t gotta tell me twice, babe”. You rolled your eyes and looked up at the ceiling. “Don’t call me that..”

As soon as Jimmy zipped up the suitcase, he began his steps towards the door with you following behind. But before he opens the door, he looks back at you. “You goin’ invite my brother over now huh?”. You dropped your arms down to your sides annoyed and opened the door. “Get out!”. You pushed him out and closed the door before sliding down against it bawling your eyes out. “Fuck!”.

Well this couldn’t get any more worse. You showed up to the house show a few hours later to prepare for a match. But after what happened earlier, your mind was no where to be found. You were totally lost and there was no way of helping it. You made your way backstage to grab some food because you forgot to eat earlier. You figured if you had something in your stomach you would feel a little bit better, but who were you kidding?

“Yo, (Name)?”. You hear a familiar voice. Your face was stuffed with food when you turned to face this person. “Bianca!”. You muffled. She backed away slightly making a face. “Uhh, I’ll wait till you done chewing first”. She handed you some napkins. You began to chew and swallowed everything before wiping the crumbs off your face with the napkin. “Sorry girl, I was just so hungry. I forgot to eat”. You explained.

“Girl what? Weren’t you and Jimmy going out for breakfast this morning? Or am I missing something?” You shook your head in response. “We broke up”. You admitted. Bianca’s face lit up surprised, but there was something off about her reaction. You squinted your eyes at her confused. “Jeez, don’t act too surprised”. You sarcastically say before taking a sip of some water.

“Girl..” Bianca raised her hand with her index finger pointing upwards. “You knew that boy ain’t treated you right for months now, but I am still surprised you guys broke up though”. You averted your gaze and crossed your arms. “Yeah, he accused me of cheating”. You explained. Bianca looked at you shocked. “What?! That boy can’t be serious”.

“Literally, he thinks I slept with his brother Joe. Such ludicrous, I swear”. You rolled your eyes, taking another sip of water. Bianca just stares at you without saying anything. You raised an eyebrow, “what?” Bianca shook her head. “And?” She questioned. Again, you looked at her quizzically. “That’s it, he accused me of something that isn’t even true”. You elaborated.

Bianca let out a sigh before scratching her head. “Okay, so why would he accuse you of that if it isn’t true?” She questioned. “Joe came by earlier to tell me about Jon’s cheating, and I guess he saw Joe leave the hotel and got mad”. At this point you noticed Bianca’s face lit up again, this time she was smiling widely. “Girl, he did all that and you still can’t even see that he loves you? Ouu this is too cute”. She flipped her ponytail as she said. “Oh, I’m aware of Joe’s feelings-“. You trailed off. “Then what you doin girl? Get that sexy Samoan”. She smiled. And just when things couldn’t get anymore coincidental, you see Solo making his way down the hall alongside Paul Heyman. Your eyes met for a brief moment before you looked away, and he averted soon after. When he was no longer in sight, Bianca looked back at you grinning. “Why don’t you date him? The one that actually likes you?”

You let out a quick sigh and began walking off alongside Bianca. “I’m trying to heal, girl. I can’t be jumping into another relationship right now, let alone with another Fatu”. Bianca nodded her head. “I guess you’re right, but hey, just think about it though. Okay?”. You looked at her before your eyes dropped to the cup of water you had in your hand, and nodded slightly. “Good”.

———————————————————————-

3 weeks rolled by since your break up with Jimmy. Everyone was made aware of this news thanks to social media. But you didn’t care, now you can try to enjoy life as a single woman again. It wasn’t bad for the most part, it did take a bit of time but you were able to smile again. That to you is a huge step forward. You were currently out partying with a few of your female colleagues which you have been doing for the past 2 weeks.

You would get shit faced, and then do some other wild things right after with the girls. The club you were at is very loud and crowded. You and your friends were seating at the table chatting about life until you piped in offering to bring some drinks over. They obviously all agreed and you stepped away. Before you could make it to the bar, you bumped into Xavier woods, who just smiled down at you. “Look who we have here”.

“Hi Austin” you pointed behind him towards the bar. “I’m going to grab some drinks”. You attempted to walk right past him but he stops you. “Hold on, I heard about your break up, I’m sorry to hear that”. You shook your head. “Thank you, but I’m fine!”. You yelled out loud for him to hear over crowed. You attempted to walk away again but he grabbed your arm. “Where are you going? I’m not done talking to you” He grinned. You smiled back annoyed. “Austin, I’m trying to bring drinks to my friends”. You explained. The man turned around to see the table you were pointing at. There he could see Bianca, Charlotte, and Bailey. “They probably forgotten by now”. He turned back to face you. “Anyway, I wanted to see if you are interested in hanging out sometime”. You shook your head and pointed at your ear. “It’s too loud in here I can’t hear you, sorry”. You lied. You could hear him perfectly clear but chose to avoid that topic.

You managed to finally walk away and approached the bar. “Uhm, hi! I wanted to grab a couple of drinks for me and my friends!”. You were a little tipsy at this point, but paid no mind to it. “Aye, uce!”. You rolled your eyes annoyed. You were trying to have the time of your life but here you are getting constantly interrupted.

Jey appeared beside you and patted your back. “Long time no see, uce. How you been?”. You gave him a fake smile and looked up at him. “Good”. As soon as you looked away, your smile disappeared. “Aye, I heard about yo relationship”. You cut Jey off by slamming on the counter and frowned at him. “Yes, we broke up! Okay? Now can everyone just freaking move on from that topic? Gosh!”. You pinched the bridge of your nose in silence as Jey looked at you weirdly.

“Aight, that’s cool. I was just tryna see how you was doin uce. My brother was a real piece of shit for what he did”. You stopped pinching your nose and looked up at him. “Why you look surprised? You think I agree with him just because he my twin? Fuck that shit”. You couldn’t help but to smile. “Thank you, Josh”. You said. He then proceeded to extend his arm to give you a hug. “Any day, you like my sister, you know?” He concluded as you both pulled away. You then shift your attention back at the bartender and ordered the drinks, making Jey look at you funny.

“Aye, you sure you wanna drink more? You look like you have enough in your system”. He said. You brushed his comment aside and continued with your order with Jey watching you concerned. As soon as you got the drinks, you grabbed them all with your hands and carefully made your way through the crowed. Jey obviously still watching you.

“Ayeeee, there she is!”. Bianca cried out as she grabbed her drink. “What took you so long?”. You shrugged your shoulder. “Got caught in traffic with the crowed”. You sat yourself down next to Bianca and downed your drink. “Ouu, girl. You gotta chill out with that drink. At least drink some water in between”. She suggested. You brushed her comment aside and finished your drink before slamming the glass on the table. “Whoo!” You shook your head as the intensity of the alcohol consumes you. Once that washed away, you look back at your friends. “More drinks, anyone?”. Bailey and Charlotte both shook their heads. “Girl, we haven’t finished ours yet”.

You shrug your shoulders. “Well, I guess I’ll just order more for myself”. You stick out your tongue slightly at them, but before they could stop you, Solo intervened. You didn’t notice him at first due to how drunk you were, but the girls were all looking at him smiling. “What y’all smiling for?”. You questioned.

“(Name)…”. You jolted in place as Solo’s voice pierced right through your soul. You turned to face him, and was surprised to find Jey Uso standing right next to him. “Joe? What are you doing here?”. You stammered a little, eyes half lidded. “Sorry uce, I texted him to come here because you wouldn’t listen to me”. Jey explained. You rolled your eyes. “What does bringing Joe here do? I’ll just ignore him, too”. You looked away from the two brothers and gazed at your friends with your tongue sticking out. “Now where was I..?”. You attempted to walk off but Joe grabbed you by waist and arm before placing you right on his shoulder. “Hey!” You yelled. “Aye bro, take care of her, man”. Jey said. Solo just looks over his shoulder before walking away.

“What are you doing? Let me down! I’m not done drinking!” You wobbled around trying to fight your way out of his grip. “I ain’t letting you kill yourself, (Name), so stop squirming around!”. You pouted, finally listening to him, you stopped fighting. After a few minutes, Solo puts you down on your feet again when he notices you weren’t giving him a hard time. You were still tipsy, so he had to hold you by the arm. “Joe, I appreciate you for everything that you do, but I’m honestly okay. I just had a few more drinks than I could handle, that’s all”. You tell him. Solo doesn’t believe you of course. Because you weren’t okay, otherwise you wouldn’t be out here drinking your pain away.

“I ain’t going anywhere, (Name)”. You widen your eyes at the man as he stares back before he continued. “We may be brothers, but we are two different people. I would’ve never hurt you like he did”. You were still speechless at this point, trying to process his words while fighting back your tears at the same time. “I would cherish you if you gave me the chance to, (Name), because I love you…” There was a moment of silence as you both took your time staring into each others eyes. You hadn’t realized this before, but Solo is extremely sexy right now. And you weren’t even sure if that was the alcohol talking or what, but damn, you are finally seeing him in a different light.

Solo broke the awkward silence and unlocked his car door. “Let’s get you home”. He helped guided you towards the passenger side of the car snapping you out of your own train of thoughts. Once you were both seated and buckled up, Solo pulled out of the parking lot and drove off.

The car ride was a little quiet, except for the car engine running, of course. But other than that, it was just silence. It wasn’t a bad thing, really, it just feels a little weird considering what just happened a moment ago. You took this opportunity to turn your head and took a quick peek at his face. His eyes were on the road, one hand on the steering wheel while the other stroking his beard. Gosh, when did he become so hot? You shook your head and looked away stopping yourself from drooling all over him. What was happening to you? Have you finally fallen for the younger Fatu brother?

———————————————————————-

When Friday finally came around again, you couldn’t contain your excitement. Just a day prior, you were told you were going to win the Woman’s Championship belt, and that alone really kept your mind off of everything that had happened these past few weeks.

“Aye girl!” Hearing Bianca’s voice really added to your excitement. “Ayeeee”. You both ran into each other’s arms hugging. “Girl how you feeling? You excited for your match tonight?”. You gave her a funny look. “What do you mean? Of course I’m ecstatic!”.

“That’s what I’m talking about, keep that positive energy coming, because you earned it, girl!”. You smiled at her, “Thank you”. Just as you two have concluded your little ceremony, you can hear the ring announcer shouting out Jimmy Uso’s name. Bianca looked at you for any kind of reaction but found none. “You good, girl?”. You nodded your head. “I think so”. You let out a quick sigh. “That’s my girl”. She gave you a quick side hug and waved to you goodbye as she reunites with Montez Ford.

While you watched the two couples leave, you noticed the bloodline walking right past them. The camera was rolling at this point seeing as Jimmy was in the middle of talking to Paul, but as soon as he notices you, he decided to put his character into use. “Aye, look who it is”. You rolled your eyes at him, but tried to stay professional for the cameras. “How bout that title shot tonight huh? You about to lose that opportunity right quick, uus!”. You just shook your head before you noticed Solo’s eyes on you. He wasn’t even in character, that’s what shocked you.

You eventually broke the eye contact to stare Jimmy down. “At least I have opportunities, unlike you. Jey Uso is already thriving with the belts he won. What about you, Jimmy? Where’s your title? Exactly”. You grinned at the man as he stared you down. The camera rolled on for a few more seconds to capture Jimmy’s reaction before turning off for commercial break.

Jimmy relaxed a bit as soon as the camera stopped rolling and stared intensely at you. You stared back at him confused as fuck. “What is it?” You questioned. “How you been?”. You shrugged your shoulders. “Never better, at least now with you out of my life”. You grinned. Jimmy licked his lips and nodded. “Aight, I deserved that”.

You had walked away at this point seeing as your match was about to be up soon. Solo was watching you the whole time before Jimmy notices. Jimmy gave Solo a stare down moments before Solo realizes this and looks back at him. “What’s with you uus? You been acting out of character lately”. Solo merely shook his head before walking off. Paul was in the background grinning like a maniac at what he just witnessed.

Making his way down the hallway towards the locker room, Solo was immediately pulled away from his destination not long after grabbing the door knob handle. He sees you standing across the way with both your hands behind your back. “Hi Joe”. The man looked at you confused, looking back a few times to see if you were waiting for someone. You rolled your eyes at him before approaching. “I was waiting for you”.

“Everything good?”. He questioned in concern. You nodded at him. “I just wanted to give you this”. You handed him a hotel card keys which he holds up and stares blankly at it. “That’s an extra key to my room”. You smiled at him. “See you soon?” You didn’t give him a chance to respond as you bolted off to your own locker room.

Solo stared at the card in his hand before shaking his head and entered the locker room.

————————————————————————

Hours after the show ended, you successfully won your first Smackdown woman’s title, and celebrated it by drinking wine in your hotel room in nothing but lingerie and a bathrobe. You set the belt down right in front of the tv and sat on the edge of the bed to observe it. “Oh yeah, things are definitely looking up for me”. You smirked before taking a sip of your wine. Looking up at the clock on the wall, you let out a sigh. “I guess he isn’t coming-“. You realized you spoke too soon when you hear a sudden knock at your hotel door.

Your mood changed completely as you leaped off the bed to answer the door excitedly. Once the door flung open revealing Solo, you smiled up at him. “Hey, you could’ve just let yourself in”. You told him. “I ain’t into stuff like that, (Name)”. You opened your mouth and nodded. “Oh, sorry-I didn’t know”. You awkwardly played with your hair. “I don’t mean it like that either”. Okay now you were just straight up confused. Solo began stroking his beard pacing back and forth as he tried to come up with a better explanation. “I guess, what I’m tryna say is, I don’t want it to be just a one night stand”. You blushed at his words as he handed you the key, but before he could even walk off, you grabbed his arm, pulling him closer to you and smashed your lips onto his.

Solo was a little taken aback by your sudden boldness, but gradually kissed you back nonetheless. The kiss was soft and sweet, which you found very different than what you’re used to, but that’s okay, but you are heads over heels for this man right now you didn’t even care. Once you both decided to pull away, you smiled at him with your beautiful pearly whites. “I’m sorry for keeping you waiting for this long”.

You didn’t know what it is that you did that struck his nerve, but Solo whole aura changed. He was staring at you lustfully before smashing his lips into yours again, but with a twist this time. He grabbed ahold of you and picked you up just as you wrapped your legs around his waist. As you both made out, he kicked the door shut and placed you on top of the desk all while still kissing you. “Mhm”. You moaned against his lips. Solo proceeded to reach his hand towards the string of your robe and undoes it, revealing your black laced lingerie. Solo broke the kiss to check you out for moment and whistled. “My brother’s a dumbass. He don’t know what he’s lost”.

You couldn’t help but to giggle at his comments. They were so cute but it was so embarrassing at the same time. “I love you, (Name). I really do”. You both stared into each other’s eyes so lovingly before you leaned forward and pecked his lips. “I know you do, I love you, too. For real this time, not just as a friend. I took too long to realize this and I don’t even know why you still like me after that”. Now it was Solo’s turn to chuckle. “Rather wait around for you to realize than be a rebound”. You stared at him lovingly again as you slowly leaned forward for another kiss. He kissed you right back. Your lips smacking echoing throughout the room as you both devoured each other.

After that heated kiss, you both broke it to catch some breaths. He licked his lips as he eyes your body down hungrily. “Can we get you out of this lingerie? I mean-“. He trailed off as he tugged at your thong. “This beautiful on you and all, but they hiding the real treasures here”. He bit his lips lustfully. You were about to lose your damn mind with this one, he’s teasing you too much.

Oh well, you figured it’s better to be teased than to be stabbed in the back. Plus, for the first time in 2 years, you actually feel loved. You hoped this will continue on to the day you both die, because this right here, is the best thing you’ve ever gotten to experience.

Thank you Joe, for not only loving me, but for also teaching me how to love myself, too.

Previous chapter

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Parallels | Chapter 13

Add yourself to my taglist! | Here’s my masterlist! | Parallels Masterlist

Characters: OC! Violet Grace Dawson, Luke Patterson, Julie Molina, Carrie Wilson, Bobby Wilson, Reggie Peters, Alex Mercer, Flynn nolastname, Willie nolastname, Nick Danforth-Evans, Dirty Candy 

Guideline: Sunset Universe is the universe in which Sunset Curve is famous and Violet is friends with Carrie, Julie and Flynn. Candy Universe is the universe in which Dirty Candy is more famous and Sunset Curve has broken up. 

Song(s) used: Unsaid Emily - Sunset Curve 

Warnings: Unsaid Emily is the warning... 

Words:  4,255

Gif credits: @amazondancewarrior​

As the band moved off stage and back to the table where Carrie and Julie were sitting, the adrenaline still coursed through Violet’s body. She felt amazing. That whole performance was electric and the vibe the crowd gave off as she sang to them was something she didn’t know she was craving. 

“Violet Sunset?” Julie asked when they reached the table, her eyebrows raised at the lead guitarist who shrugged. 

“Sunset Curve was dead and Violet brought us back to life,” he replied and his eyes flicked towards the girl. “It was only right…” 

Violet couldn’t suppress the smile on her lips. He was such a kind, considerate person and she hated that she had hurt him. Then again, he had hurt her too. In a different way and technically, it wasn’t even him but still… Seeing his face reminded her of that day. 

“You were pretty amazing up there, Vi,” Alex complimented as he sat down next to Carrie. 

Reggie scoffed. “Pretty amazing? Dude, she rocked that stage!” The excitement in his voice made Violet smile like an absolute idiot. Reggie was the best moral support himbo she could ever ask for. 

“Told you,” Carrie chimed in, smiling proudly. “You’re magic.” 

“Yeah,” Luke agreed, capturing Violet’s attention again. He still had that same smile on his face. Tender. Lovesick. “She is magic.” 

While Violet and Luke disappeared in each other’s eyes, Carrie, Julie and Alex exchanged knowing glances. Something was happening between those two and everyone could see it. All the sparks and fireworks went off when those two looked at each other. There was no denying it anymore. 

Bobby saw it too, but he didn’t like it as much as the others did. That kiss they had shared meant something to him. Apparently, it didn’t mean as much to her. It wasn’t like they had talked about it since it had happened, but still. Bobby liked her. A lot. This was a completely different version of Violet than the one he had known for years. It wasn’t the Violet Luke thought she was. And it bothered Bobby. 

It bothered Bobby for the rest of the night. While they chat and drink and watch the other performances and criticize them, Luke and Violet couldn’t stop staring longingly at one another as they made fun of other people. It bothered Bobby that she was having fun with Luke instead of him. Bobby was jealous, and he knew it. Carrie knew it too. 

“Can you put that frown upside down and be happy for her?” she muttered towards her brother, making sure no one else could hear. “You know what she’s been through and how hard it’s been to not see Luke as that jerk from her universe, so for once, please, be happy for her.” 

Bobby grunted. “Are we just gonna ignore the fact you completely changed since Violet turned up here?” he said in a hushed voice. Carrie was taken aback by his sudden confession. “Since when do you care about other people’s feelings?” 

“Since I learned people were allowed to have them,” she retorted, sassily. 

Her brother hummed. “And who taught you that?” 

Carrie’s eyes darted from the left to the right as she mulled the question over in her head. “She did…” 

“Yeah… She’s changing us for the better because we know she’s a different version from the Violet we know. But Luke doesn’t know and he ain’t changing. Don’t you remember what he did to Sophie, freshman year?” 

“He’s not gonna do that to Violet,” Carrie objected. “He’s grown since then. You’re just jealous.” 

Bobby huffed as he sat back in his chair. “Fine, I’m jealous, don’t listen to me and let her fall into that trap.” Carrie’s eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but she decided not to react to it any further. Instead, she went back to a conversation she was having with Alex and Flynn. 

Bobby wasn’t wrong. She had changed. A few months ago, she wouldn’t be caught dead at the same table with Flynn and Julie. But she knew it made Violet feel more at home since she was best friends with them in her universe. All she wanted to do was to make Violet as comfortable as possible until she went back to her own universe. Even if that meant fighting with Dirty Candy. Even if that meant losing that reputation she had built for herself. Even if that meant losing the fame and popularity. 

“Can we go for some food?” Flynn whined after the third band that dared to perform after them. None of them were as good as Violet Sunset, but they earned some gold stars for effort. 

“Yes, please!” Reggie exclaimed. “I’m starving!” 

The whole gang unanimously agreed and got up from their seats at the table. Dodging people left and right, they went upstairs to the actual pizzeria where they claimed a booth in the far back of the restaurant. 

“I actually need some air,” Violet announced before she had sat down. “I’m gonna go outside for a moment.” 

“Do you want us to go with?” Carrie asked, a flash of concern running through her eyes. 

Violet shook her head, “I’ll be fine,” she said and turned around to make a beeline for the door. She pushed through the door but when she thought she’d hear the door fall shut, she didn’t. It took the door a little longer than it should’ve to shut completely. 

Turning her head, she found the reason for the door’s late closing. Luke had followed behind her. He smiled as the two came to a halt near Bobby’s car. 

“Sorry,” Luke started. “I needed some air too. I hope you don’t mind?” 

Violet smiled and shook her head. “I’d like some company, actually.” 

Luke’s eyebrows furrowed for a second before his face softened. “Cool,” he said and hopped up on the hood of Bobby’s car, tapping the spot next to him for Violet to sit. She obeyed his order and wrapped her arms around her legs, which she pressed against her chest. 

“Thanks for helping me out there on stage. I couldn’t have done that without you,” she muttered nervously. 

Biting his bottom lip, Luke watched her every move. The way her lips moved as she spoke, the way her eyes flicked back and forth as she stared ahead of her. She looked gorgeous. She was gorgeous. 

“I think you’d do fine on your own. But it would be pretty stupid of me not to rock out on that stage with you. We sounded amazing together.” 

Violet allowed a smile to grow on her lips. Her eyes found his and he, too, was smiling from ear to ear. “We did,” Violet agreed, nodding.

For some reason, she felt nervous then. But a good nervous. The fluttery, stomach twirling kind of nervous. Luke did that to her. He made her feel this way. He made her feel like a stupid teenager in love. She was a teenager, she just wasn’t sure about the ‘in love’ part just yet. 

“What do you think about our band name, by the way?” he then asked, completely ignoring the fact that he wanted to kiss her then and there. 

“I love it,” Violet replied. “Though I didn’t mind Sunset Curve either.” 

Luke couldn’t wipe the smile off his face. He was glad Violet didn’t hold a grudge against him for ignoring her for days after she said ‘no’. He had to admit, it was a bit childish but they were good now and that was all that mattered to him. 

“So, tell me,” Luke then started, “If Sunset Curve did become the biggest band this earth had ever seen, whose poster would you have on your wall?” He grinned widely whilst pointing at his own face. 

Violet let out a laugh. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!” 

“Nope, not kidding. I wanna know!” Luke laughed. 

“Okay… Uhm… Reggie,” she answered honestly, which earned her an open-mouthed reaction from Luke. “What?! I have a weakness for bassists!” she defended herself between giggles. 

“Maybe I should learn to play the bass then,” Luke said nonchalantly. 

The giggles died down but the comfortable vibe didn’t fade. “Maybe you should. I could teach you?” 

“You play bass?” 

“And drums, and guitar, and piano,” Violet summed up like it was nothing at all. 

“Ah, you’re a talented one, aren’t you?” Luke leaned back on his hands. 

Violet shrugged. “Just very interested in music, is all.” 

A silence fell between the two of them, a comfortable one at that. This felt right. This felt familiar. Like home. Even better than that… 

It felt like the place she belonged. 

A gentle tap on the window before it opened made Violet snap out of her thoughts. Ever since she had gotten back into her room after her day spent with Luke, she’d been all up in her own head, thinking about what she had done. 

She kissed Luke. 

She kissed Luke while she had promised Marcus she wanted him, not Luke. It made her realize that she had been lying to herself for the longest time. That kiss wasn’t just to stop Luke from panicking. She had wanted to kiss him for a while now but never got the courage to do so. 

“I thought you were gonna let your hair down, Rapunzel,” Marcus spoke as he climbed in through the window with that charming smile plastered on his face. Once inside, he made a beeline towards the bed where Violet was sitting and kissed her lips. 

The simple gesture flipped Violet’s stomach upside down. Now she realized she wanted to keep kissing both boys. Both of them. Because Marcus’ lips were so plump and soft, and Luke was… Luke… 

“I don’t let my hair down for just anyone,” she responded, flicking her hair over her shoulder sassily before kissing him again. She could feel him smile in the kiss as he pushed her backwards, onto the mattress. Once on her back, Marcus pulled back from the kiss, hovering over her. He let his gaze caress her skin whilst one hand reached up to stroke a strand of hair away from her face. 

One corner of his mouth curled upwards. “You are so gorgeous,” he said and dipped down again to meet her lips once more. Violet felt her stomach churn. Marcus was so nice to her and she had only gone ahead and kissed another guy. 

“I gotta tell you something,” she told him, her words swallowed by his mouth. 

Marcus pulled back once more. “That you spent the day with Rockstar Patterson? I know,” he said and kissed her again. 

Violet’s hands pushed at his chest carefully. “You know?” 

“Babe, please, it’s all over the internet,” he replied and sat up again, crawling to the head of the bed, leaning against the mountain of pillows. “I don’t care that you spend time with him. I trust that you are just friends and that you like to spend time together.” 

If Violet wasn’t being eaten by her own guilt, she’d be so turned on right now by his nonchalance and utter confidence. “We are, and we just went to the studio to record something for Sunset Curve’s new album,” she told him with a small smile, unable to erase the image of being in a recording booth with Luke. 

“I’m glad you had fun,” Marcus said and pulled Violet to his chest. “When were you gonna tell me you’re friends with one of the most famous bands in the world?” 

Violet let out a chuckle. “I mean, I couldn’t tell you that in the supermarket when we first met, could I?” Marcus laughed at this too, and it was the most beautiful sound she had ever heard coming out of him – aside from the moans he deliciously elicited the other night. “Imagine me telling you in the cheese aisle I was friends with a mediocre band that happens to be well-known.” 

“Mediocre?” Marcus exclaimed. “Medi– Vi, did you even hear their songs? They’re banging!” 

“The songs or the boys?” 

“Both.” 

Violet looked up at him with raised eyebrows. “You’re sexy when you’re so open about your love for other men,” she confessed before pressing multiple kisses to his mouth until he properly caught her lips with his, deepening the kiss. 

Whatever happened with Luke had been long forgotten. All thanks to Marcus’ lips. And tongue. And other parts of his physique. She was with Marcus and she liked Marcus. A lot. She wasn’t going to ruin that for one kiss she had shared with Luke. 

Not even when Luke didn’t talk to her for days. He was avoiding her, she was sure of it. When she called him, he didn’t pick up. When they were all at the club together, Luke left early. When the girls went to the boys’ rehearsal, he either didn’t show up or left the second she walked into the room. 

“What’s up with him?” Carrie questioned when the boy left the rehearsal space for the fifth time that week. 

Violet groaned as she plopped onto the sofa. “That’s probably on me,” she admitted. “We… kissed… the other day…” she carefully revealed, her eyes flicking from one person to another to see their reaction. 

“How am I only finding out about this now?!” Carrie squealed, shooting up on the sofa. “Tell me everything!” 

“What about Marcus?” Julie asked instead. 

All while Reggie opted for the, “Why is he mad about that?”

“I don’t know – We went to the studio together the other day and recorded a song and stuff and when he dropped me back home, we found out we’d been papped and Luke freaked out about that –” 

“Because he promised our manager he wouldn’t be seen with another girl…” Bobby completed her story, either to clarify for the rest or because it dawned on him. 

“Yeah – so… I kissed him, because I read somewhere that when someone’s having a panic attack, you need to distract them, so…” 

“So you distracted him with your lips,” Flynn continued, wiggling her eyebrows. 

Violet hummed and nodded her head. “And now he’s avoiding me.” Once again, Violet groaned and threw her head against the back of the couch. “I’m sorry, guys. I know you need to practice…” 

“It’s fine,” Alex shrugged. “Honestly, we’re used to Luke reacting this way when something bad happens.” 

Violet’s eyebrows knitted together, her eyes landing on the drummer a few feet away from her. “What do you mean?” 

“Luke’s been avoiding his parents for years,” Reggie explained. “He had an altercation with his mom when the band was just on its way to stardom. He ran out on them and never returned.” 

“Okay, I’m gonna ignore the fact you just used the word ‘altercation’,” Alex told his friend before turning back to Violet. “But, yeah, he regrets running out on them, but he’s stubborn. You really have to grab him by the arm before he properly faces whatever happened.” 

Violet perked up at this. This might be her unfinished business. Not only un-jerk Luke, but bring him back to his parents, make him admit that he regrets running out on them, bring them together again. 

“That’s it,” she muttered and, without saying anything else, she left the rehearsal space to go and look for Luke. It took her a while, but eventually found him on the balcony with a cigarette between his fingers. She scoffed and leaned her shoulder against the doorframe while watching him for a moment. “Does that help with the whole brooding thing you got going on?” 

Her voice made him jump, his head snapping around to find her standing in the doorway with a smirk on her face. “Doesn’t seem to keep you away,” he muttered and tapped the butt of the cigarette to get rid of the excess before placing it between his lips, inhaling and blowing it out. 

“You’re gonna need to try a lot harder to do that,” she told him as she pushed herself off the door to take a seat next to him on the lawn chair. “But it does answer the question if you’re avoiding me or not.” 

Luke chuckled and shook his head in disbelief, but didn’t react any further. 

“Riddle me this, Lukas,” Violet started and grabbed the cigarette from between Luke’s fingers to take a drag herself. “We went out on a date, I didn’t wanna go out on a second one and started dating someone else, you get jealous, we kiss and then you avoid me. Make me understand this, please…” 

Luke let out a laugh. “You’re joking right?” Violet looked him dead in the eye, giving him an answer to that question. “I am insanely in love with you, but you’re with Marcus and I gotta respect that. So, I started avoiding you because I can’t stop thinking about you and whenever I see you, I just wanna kiss you again.” 

Violet was taken aback for a moment. She hadn’t expected that answer to come out of his mouth. “You’re in love with me?” she asked, just so she was certain she heard it right. Luke took advantage of her state and stole the cigarette back. “Luke – don’t you remember what you did to me, so many years ago?” 

“Yeah, I do. But I didn’t mean to hurt you. And besides, that was years ago. I’d like to think we’ve grown, don’t you?”  

“I don’t know, have you grown enough to go back to your parents and make it up to them?” Luke’s head snapped up at this. Now he was taken aback. He hadn’t expected her to bring that up, let alone know about. That was after they stopped talking altogether. 

“The boys told me,” she explained. “If you think you’ve grown so much to make me give you another chance, I’d like to think you’ve grown enough to go and apologize to your parents.” Swinging her legs off the chair, she got up, hovering over Luke. “Think about it.” 

Without waiting for an answer from him, Violet walked back inside and downstairs where the others resided in the practice room. She had a good feeling about their chat, she just might have gotten through to him. And if Luke and his parents make up, she might just be able to get back to her universe. Back home. 

“You okay?” Bobby asked when Violet reentered the rehearsal space. 

“Yeah, I’m alright. I had a good chat with him,” she replied with a smile and returned to her spot on the sofa. “I think I might’ve gotten through to him about his parents too.” 

“Yes, you did,” Luke’s voice sounded, causing everyone in the room to look up at the boy who had just entered the room. With his hands jammed in the pockets of his jeans, he shrugged. “I – I think you’re right. About my parents. I should go and talk to them, tell them – especially my mom – what I’ve been wanting to tell them all along. I wasn’t fair to them. I was young and dumb and I shouldn’t have walked away. Or I shouldn’t have stayed away, but I was stubborn and instead of telling them, I wrote a song about it…” 

Violet’s interest piqued as the boy picked up his acoustic guitar. He tuned it for a few seconds and then started playing. A soft, melancholic melody floated out of the instruments and through the room. 

“First things first We start the scene in reverse All of the lines rehearsed Disappeared from my mind When things got loud One of us running out I should've turned around But I had too much pride”

Violet felt a lump in her throat and swallowed it. This was going to be one of those songs she wouldn’t be able to listen to without crying. 

“No time for goodbyes Didn't get to apologize Pieces of a clock that lies broken”

The other boys moved to their instruments while Luke walked to where the microphones were still set up from the rehearsal they were supposed to have. His gaze didn’t leave Violet’s, which didn’t make her feel any better. 

“If I could take us back, if I could just do that And write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace Then maybe time would not erase me If you could only know I'd never let you go And the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave Unsaid Emily”

The boys joined in on their instruments, giving the song all the more power to completely wreck the girls in the audience during that rehearsal. 

“Silent days, mysteries and mistakes Who'd be the first to break? Guess we're alike that way He said, she said Conversations in my head And that's just where they're gonna stay forever”

A single tear rolled off Violet’s cheek when Carrie reached for her hand. Looking up, Violet noticed that she, too, had tears streaming down her face. As did Flynn and Julie. All four girls were going through the motions with this song. 

“If I could take us back, if I could just do that And write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace Then maybe time would not erase me If you could only know I'd never let you go And the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave Unsaid Emily”

All four boys hummed a little during the instrumental bit, and even then Violet could feel every emotion Luke was feeling. He was so good at translating what he felt into song and let the audience feel exactly what he was feeling. 

The other boys stopped playing for a moment, letting Luke’s acoustic guitar do its job as Luke lapsed into the chorus again. His voice sounded more vulnerable this time, more powerful, and it sent shivers down Violet’s spine. 

“If I could take us back, if I could just do that And write in every empty space the words "I love you" in replace Then maybe time would not erase me”

They then joined in again for the last part of the chorus, and as the power of the music grew, so did Luke’s voice. Violet even noticed his eyes glossing over. 

“If you could only know I'd never let you go And the words I most regret are the ones I never meant to leave Unsaid Emily”

The last chords were played and the last cymbals hit until the song faded out. A silence fell over the room. Nobody made a sound except for the occasional sniffle from the emotional girls on the sofa. 

“I–” Luke broke the silence. “I’ve never had any regrets in life. Not one. Except for running out on my parents, especially my mom. I wish I could tell her how I feel, but I don’t think she’d want anything to do with me anymore.” 

Violet wiped her cheeks with the back of her hand before getting up and making a beeline towards Luke. Cupping his face with her hands, she forced him to look her in the eye. “Your mother loves you, Luke. She adores the heck out of you and I’m sure that if you rang her doorbell and told her what you’ve always wanted to tell her, tell her those words you left unsaid, she’d forgive you for running out on you.” 

“How are you so sure of that?” Luke asked in a hushed tone, followed by a sniffle as he, too, had started crying. 

Violet chuckled, “Just trust me on this, okay?” 

Only the girls knew what she meant by this. Luke’s mom must love him in her universe. They had a great bond in her universe, Bobby had told her that. He had told her how amazing they were together and how he wished he had such a relationship with his mother. The Wilsons didn’t even know who their mother was, so Bobby was extra alert when it came to that subject. 

“Hey guys!” Marcus’ voice rang through the room, making Violet jerk back from holding Luke’s face. “What’s up?!” he called out as he approached the band and Violet. 

The girl wiped her tears and smiled up at the boy that had crashed rehearsal. “Hey babe,” Violet greeted and pecked Marcus’ cheek. “How’d you get in here?” 

“Their maid let me in,” he replied excitedly, “They have a maid!” 

“Actually, that’s our manager –” Reggie corrected him, but Marcus wasn’t listening. 

“You ready to head off?” he asked Violet instead, wrapping an arm around her shoulders. 

Violet’s gaze flicked back to Luke and nodded her head. “Yeah. Let’s go,” she sniffled and, as Marcus guided her out of the room, Violet’s eyes found Luke’s again and again. He looked sad, but relieved for some reason. 

She was glad Luke had opened up to her. He got really vulnerable with her just then, something Violet hadn’t yet done with him. Or anyone. Hanging out with Carrie, she learned to keep those feelings all bottled up. Keep your head up. Smile. Don’t let anyone see that you’re broken inside. 

That vulnerability was hot, and it made Violet think that maybe, just maybe, she would have to return that gesture. As a thank you for opening up to her. To show that she wasn’t afraid to be vulnerable either. 

She had to show she wanted to be somebody too.   

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[morievna]

My problems with Haruki’s arc and why it could be done better

Hello, a bit late but still happy halloween ^^

Something a bit different this time - more of rant than meta. As maybe you noticed I don’t post usually about Haruki – it is not that particularly dislike him, just his storyline is not that engaging to me and I feel a bit lukewarm about him. Don’t get me wrong – in real life I think it would be great to have friend like him, but fiction works differently. I was thinking why I feel this way about him and I wanted to put it into words.

Since it is my personal opinion therefore goes disclaimer first - my intention is not to bash Haruki or anything like that. Most of my criticism is more about story, because I think Kizu Natsuki could done it better. Some of choices regarding his arc are really weird to me. Although I love Given a lot, it is not that I consider it perfect story. Nothing is perfect after all.

Okay, so let’s get started.

Honestly, to me it feels like Haruki is more of sidekick even though he is one of main characters. To me it stands out how Haruki’s story is done differently than rest of the band. He is usually there to support other characters or help them moving on, but in regards of his characters development there is not that much going on. I mean – at beginning we had learnt that he is kind, caring and dependable person and currently… we don’t really know more aside that. Of course, these traits are admirable, but it is not how character arc should be ^^

For why it is important:

We tell stories because there is a universal lesson. It’s why we feel humanity in far away galaxies and in magical worlds, it all relates back to the same, very human need. Maybe it’s overcoming trauma, or learning how to be independent, or just bettering ourselves in some way through universal experiences. There must be something your character learns about themselves. They should be a very different person at the end of your story than they were at the beginning, otherwise the story isn’t really about them, they’re just in it.

[source]

The last two lines are especially good explanation why I have problem with Haruki.

For rest of main characters we have characters development going in two ways – honing their music skills and more personal side – working on their flaws, overcoming trauma, following the dreams. Even though their family background is vague, it still gives some explanation for their behavior. We see them interacting with various characters and see how they relate to others. Live performances served as important plot points, where we see them reflecting on themselves, making  decisions and moving on with their life.

But with Haruki with have very little of all of that.

There is no information why he started playing music or why it is important to him. We just know that he is doing it for fun, which is very little comparing how much time was spent on Mafuyu writing songs or Akihiko reminiscing on his dreams about violin. I mean – is it his passion or is he doing it just to be close to Akihiko? I am not really sure. Though Haruki considers his abilities as mediocre, we don’t really know why he thinks like that. His music skills are not really in the focus of the story – only comments are like “ bass and drums are in good sync”, which don’t really are about his skill, but more about what state is his relationship with Akihiko.

On the other side, there is no better situation with Haruki’s character growth. We can see that he has not much of self-esteem and always puts others before himself. But it is done rather in sketchy way and comparing to other characters it is not given that much attention and time.

Let’s look on it closer.

Haruki’s arc started for good after first live - we got more of his POV chapters after that. As mentioned earlier, he believes to be mediocre at everything and later we see him feeling inadequate and not at the same level as others.

Even though both of them are talented he seems to idealize it very much and kind of assume it all came effortlessly – it is a bit weird to me especially considering how much time they all spend practicing in the studio, but I guess it is to show how low his self-esteem is.

Then the issue with his self-doubt skyrocketed after whole situation with Akihiko – although Akihiko had done a lot wrong to him, what mattered the most to Haruki was fact that he refused his help and didn’t even wanted to share his worries with him. It seems like the most he fears that he is not needed by others.

He tends to put others before himself even not thinking about his own well-being beforehand.

And then all of it is suddenly solved by this scene after Haruki playing badly at practice and never brought up again *facepalms*

Though I get from that scene that Gusari’s intent is to tell us that leadership and soft skills are as much important as music skills but still… the way it is executed and whole context is just not satisfactory to me.

Akihiko telling Haruki that it is his own fault for playing badly – sure Akihiko it has nothing to do with what you done *facepalm*

Akihiko telling Haruki that he should focus on solely him  - surely it feels like good solution to focus only on person who hurt you a lot not that much time ago *facepalm*

Overall, i also don’t like how it kind of feels like Haruki’s music skill doesn’t matter and he just should be supporting others and not thinking about anything else.

Though Akihiko’s words helped Haruki, it is very unconvincing to me. This scene feels to me like it was done without thinking through what happened earlier between these two. Even though there is good intent, execution is could be way better – because it makes Akihiko look arrogant and not really being empathetic to Haruki’s situation. I preferred if it would be more emphasis that is okay that Haruki played badly this one time and more like assuring that it is okay for him to take time to heal after what happened.

So in short – we got character which is dependable, who is anxious whether others find him dependable and then his love interest told him that yes, he is dependable and problem solved xD

Which is disappointing to me. I mean  - obviously positive feedback is important and valuable, but still imo self-esteem should grounded not only on that.

What I dislike about all of that is that it puts Haruki in box of being dependable. It is like only that matters when it comes to him. Even more background characters like Hiiragi, Shizu or Ugetsu are given more nuances, but he is defined just by this trait. It looks like his main role is to support other characters and hence he isn’t given more characters development and stay the way he is whole time just to preserve current dynamics in the band.

Next ~~

The other problem I have is that Haruki’s storyline orbits too much around Akihiko. I mean I get it that he is his main love interest and sometimes love stories are like that, but it is just too much. Because of that it feels to me like Haruki is more passive as character – like he is not in center of his story just only reacting to what Akihiko does and wants. Even conversation he had with other characters are mostly about Akihiko. Even when he is not main topic he is briefly referenced. All of it feels like in Haruki’s arc it is Akihiko who matters the most.

Especially looking close on his subplot about playing as support:

he started that to cheer up because was feeling lonely and his one-sided crush for Akihiko weighted down him

Haruki didn’t want to tell Akihiko about playing as support, because he suspected that he will not like it  

Haruki put on hold playing as support because Akihiko was displeased about that greatly

later when their relationship was on better terms he decide to play with other band

It is like what Akihko wants and thinks of him is most important to Haruki. Like that he that matters to him the most and makes his decisions because of that.

Maybe I wouldn’t mind that much if their dynamics were interesting to me. However, their interactions feel to much repetitive to me – it is always Haruki acting flustered around Akihiko or commenting how he is handsome/adorable/whatever.

On the other side, it is a bit odd to me how different Akihiko treats Haruki than Ugetsu. With the latter he is often more patient and understanding, but around Haruki he usually behaves like big spoiled kid. In addition, there is problematic stuff that happened between them that is well, problematic and could be better resolved imo.

Don’t get me wrong – it is still better done than most BL, but still the way it is executed is a bit off-putting to me. It feels like only one aspect is brought up the most – that Akihiko didn’t rely with his Ugetsu problems on Haruki – and the rest are kind of forgotten by the story. Besides, sometimes I not even sure if Akihiko know how much he hurt Haruki by his action – he looks so much shocked by Haruki’s reactions multiple times to the point it is just weird to me.

Because of that his apology rings a bit empty too. It is not like I want Akihko to apologize more or having to prove himself. For me it would me enough if it would be line somewhere like “i know I’ve hurt you a lot” . But no, even during confession scene he talked mostly about himself all the time XD Though he admitted to be childish - it is not the same as regretting wrongdoings. What he done was too severe to be so overlooked even though Haruki forgiven him completely. Or dunno maybe it is again just me being too much of Capicorn.

To sum it up, for me Akiharu relationship is much too close to het romances in mainstream media (like in Marvel movies), where usually you got main male character who has to save the day and his love interest which main role is supporting him on the sideline. And usually she is his kind of reward for his “manning up” when they got together at the end of the story. Therefore these characters are often flawless embodiment of being pure, kind and innocent. They exist as safe haven for protagonist and don’t have usually any arc in the movie. 

And it is the way  Haruki was framed in the story – as being only Akihiko’s salvation and not full-fleshed character who matters as much as him.

Okaaay, so I am done complaining. I don’t want to end here on negative note, so I will add where I hope story would go^^

Basically I want  Haruki to think of himself more, to realize that he doesn’t have to be genius to be good at something, to find out that there are things he is really good at, to realize that he is too hard on himself. That he doesn’t have only to support others, but he matters as person and musician too.

I also want to him to be more independent and be more assertive sometimes. To not putting others before himself and finding out that is okay to selfish sometimes. Even though it would means some tensions and challenges for Given. But I think it is necessary for his growth as person.

If Akiharu is endgame for real, then I want their relationship to be more balanced and it should be shown that Haruki’s needs and wants matter as much as Akihiko’s. And Akihiko should be more understanding and not that he is still too insecure about Haruki’s playing as support (like in the last chapter *sigh*). If not, then I would preferred them to stay as friends.

To put it shortly – I want some proper epiphany for Haruki that he is the one he should love in the first place ^^

Thank you for reading and stay healthy <3

[jekacatrina]

Hi! hope u okay! first of all I wanted to tell u that I LOVE ur writing so much! you're very talented! keep improving your art and doing what you love, you're great! honestly, one of my favorite bkdk fics is 'Here here'(is amazing!), which leads me to my question: how'd you feel reading chapter 284 knowing that some of the scenes and feelings portrayed in it were very alike to some that you'd already written in 'Here here'? e.g. Bakugo confronting AM, the sort of catch-a-kacchan at the gym, etc

I swear, every time someone comes up and tells me they love "Here Here" my soul leaves my body and I level up.

I can't believe how kind you are! Thank you so much for your words and the support, I really enjoy writing and I have so much fun (Though, sneak peek, I've written 15K of the last chapter and I've cried like six times, I'm a mess of feelings). I hope I deliver a great last chapter and that you enjoy it, I'm working hard on it. I have big plans for other fics as well.

To answer your question, I was out of my fucking mind.

The catch-a-kacchan was a fucking gift. I wrote them playing around like idiots back at April, as a self indulgent thing (The whole fic is but that's not the point) and seeing them now in this chapter actually doing that and knowing I'm going to see it animated, I'm going to hear their voices, I teared up. I feel blessed by Horikoshi and the universe.

Now, Bakugou and All Might conversation was even better than anything I could have written, and I couldn't believe a scene I wrote months ago was actually in the author's plan all along (Obviously so much better, Horikoshi is brilliant and I'm a humble peasant). For me, Bakugou standing up for Deku was key for the healing of their relationship and I wanted him to call All Might out because I knew Deku would never. He is too grateful for the chance to be a hero but Bakugou doesn't have those reservations. While I read the chapter, I kept remembering the scene and losing my mind, because it was almost canon! I'm going to see it in the anime! Aaaaaahhhhh!

Chapter 284 will forever have a place in my heart because, at least for me, and I'm sorry if it comes as arrogant, it meant that I was doing Bakudeku justice.

I started writing Here Here because I love both Midoriya and Bakugou and the story grew inside me until I had to get it out or I was going to explode. They are characters that I like to think I understand and seeing some of my scenes in the canon material helped a lot with my anxiety. I can be very insecured and at times writing them is hard, because they are complex and have MANY layers. I feel so much better.

Oh my God, I wrote so much, I'm sorry! I went a little crazy because I noticed all those things but I couldn't talk about it with anyone, thank you so much for this ask. You unlocked my eternal gratitude.

And if I have to sum up my reaction is this gif:

Let's just hope Horikoshi follows the spirit of Here Here and realizes they are soulmates and belong together. Oh well, a girl can hope 💚🧡

[lizzybeth1986]

Quick Thoughts on DD Book 1 Chapter 5

• Content Warning: There are references to slut shaming while speaking about opera singers, and I speak about executions in the Hamid scene (I've not added grisly details or anything, but to me what I have included does sound a little macabre). I don't know if those warrant a warning, but I'd like to err on the side of caution and ensure that anyone comfortable with that knows this before they make the decision to proceed.

• Okay on with the QT!

• Why hello there, fancy hot looking Ottoman prince dude.

• Looks like not one but both of my MCs will be living the thot life.

• Apologies for the huge delay guys. There was a LOT to unpack this chapter, and it took me a while to actually explore, confirm my research and get a clear idea overall of how I wanted to approach this one. I'm hoping once TRR ends I can get these babies out earlier.

• You know what I realised? The Lady Grandma LIKES a sassy bitch. There are several times this chapter she's actually been more approving of my headstrong Marianne than she has been of my more mild-mannered Florence. See all of this:

She's mostly approving of this, however, when Henrietta is the recipient of this behaviour, but there are also points where she appreciates the MC's candor (if she chooses to show it) such as if the MC refers to the art of the fan as "ridiculous". If there is one thing that consistently gets on Dominique's nerves, it is occasions where the MC might speak of herself and her former background negatively, mostly out of annoyance because it shows she hasn't comfortably settled into her role yet, and Dominique needs the MC to do so if Edgewater is to stay within in the family and bloodline.

• Also I love the subtle streak of independence we get to see in Annabelle. She is someone who is doing what is expected of her, someone who tries to make the best of her circumstances the only way she knows how, but she is also refreshingly open about how stressful it is for her to go down this path, even in her free scenes. She is also playful and mischievous and doesn't take herself too seriously, which makes a lot of her scenes a joy to do.

• I also really really liked the option where you tell her she's the one you want to marry, and her reaction is both a disbelief that such a dream could come true alongside a receptiveness to the idea. It's soft and sweet and beautiful.

• So we start out with a crash course on the nobility we'll meet in London (Alfred Halloway, whose daughter Felicity is debuting this season, and the Barrymore family, who are related to the Halloways by marriage). Only this time, Annabelle wants to be a snarky little boss and fill the MC in on all the juicy gossip that Lady Grandmother won't give her.

• Lady Grandmother: Alfred Holloway is the viscount of Lochdale. His daughter, Felicity, will be coming from her estate at Bellington Hall to make her debut this season.

Miss Parsons: Alfred Holloway is an arrogant prig who looks like an Easter ham studded with cloves.

(For the record, this is what a clove-studded Easter ham seems to look like:

Holy shit Annabelle you savage af)

Lady Grandmother: Miss Holloway's family is also tied by marriage to the Earl of Barrymore...

Miss Parsons: Oh, avoid the Earl of Barrymore. His bed has more traffic than Drury Lane!

Annabelle here must be referring to the crowd that tends to flock around the Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, which was popular as a source of entertainment for its plays and had a seating capacity of 3000 people.

• The free scene with Annabelle is important because it eases us gently into the main themes of her scene later on. The women get to speak about the whole concept of a "marriage market", and straight off the bat Annabelle lets us know how uncomfortable she is with having to go through a wedding to another man.

• She also speaks about what else - besides the fact that Harry was her closest friend - about his death affected her. Having been promised to Harry, Annabelle didn't have to go through the rigamarole of finding a husband. She had learned to settle with the idea of being married to someone who she knew and liked at least, if not loved. It's sad to us modern readers now that Annabelle would have to settle for less than passion or love, but back then I don't think she could have imagined a better deal. And now...and now she will have to settle for even less than what she had with Harry. This was a pretty neat way of easing us into the larger conversation she has with us in her diamond scene.

• A few days pass, and Briar is now helping us get ready for the trip to London. You have the option of encouraging her romance with Mr Woods, which...cmon. They cute 😊

•

Ooh so our House Colours are navy blue and gold! (considering that the Earl's default outfit itself is navy blue, I should have figured that would be a house colour). It's nice but MY NECK WHERE IS MY NECK.

Did You Know: that up until the middle of the 19th century, men's and women's riding habits were largely made by men in a distinctively masculine style. This is what Candice Hern's article "Regency Habits, Overview" on her website Regency World, says:

"Though the style and cut of riding habits changed with time and fashion, they continued to be tailored in a masculine style throughout the 17th and 18th centuries and into the early 19th century. In La Belle Assemblée in 1815, we read that: “Habits have, ever since they were first brought into fashion, been considered as decidedly calculated to give even the most delicate female a masculine appearance, and the wits of our grandmothers’ days were unmercifully severe on the waistcoat, cravat, and man’s hat which were then the indispensible appendages to a habit.”"

•

YOU'RE NOT COMING WTF DAD NO.

• WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY'LL DO TO YOU WHILE I'M GONE.

• I'm having a sinking feeling about leaving my old dad around in this house while Henrietta is still there, Grandma had better be his bodyguard (or maybe not. Cordonians seem to have weird ideas of what constitutes a successful bodyguard *COUGHCOUGH Mara and Bastien COUGHCOUGH*).

• Like most of the fandom I have a feeling the Earl will die sooner than we think. @i-dream-so-i-write once mentioned that it could well be towards the end of the book, and I think that's a fitting dramatic turn this book would take into the next. I'm going to miss the hell outta this guy though 😟

• Henrietta sent Mr Marlcaster and Miss Sutton ahead of time so they can screw things up for us, so we will need to butter them up like no tomorrow when we reach there, apparently.

• Hello Luke! It's been exactly one chapter!

• Kinda like the bonding the MC and Luke have with regards to the horse. Their first real conversation began with Clover, so it is fitting that their bonding continues over her at least for their initial interactions.

• Aww man, Henrietta wants Clover the horse to be sold and they give you a diamond option to keep her, name her and get extra scenes with her. Florence calls her Moonstone, Marianne calls her Pepper. Moonstone suits Florence's particular sense of whimsy, and I figured Marianne would want something short and snappy and it helped that Luke gave the horse some salt before the diamond option came up 😂

It's a fairly nice scene I guess, but it drives me batty because this book is already taking astronomical sums of money early on in the book, and people are already beginning to get frustrated. Even TRR, which is a pretty expensive book, took more than half the book before they pushed forward the option to buy the Derby horse. It just is beginning to feel like too much too soon at this point.

• Of all the free scenes this chapter, my favourite has to be the exchange among the four in the picnic en route London.

I found this particularly interesting because all of these people, so far, have been outside the rigors of the Season in some way or other. Briar is the most outside of this system of doing things: she has grown up completely out of it and will probably always struggle to understand the way things work within the gentry. Luke has spent years in that environment (that of the gentry) so he knows some of it, but he still is and will always be an outsider. Annabelle has grown up in this environment and is perhaps the closest to it, but has never had to take active part due to her association with Harry and the Edgewater Estate. And the MC straddles both these worlds. She is an heiress, part of this high society, but she was born in and more familiar with Briar's worldview. And I love how this scene captures all this in just a few bits of dialogue.

• Also Luke's sensible response to Annabelle's question and Briar being a teasing little imp is super cute, I will fight anyone who disagrees with me on this 😂😂😂

• So many gems nestled in Annabelle's scene guys I can't even. There's so much going on in this one. So much.

•

The main thing this scene does is to - without a doubt - establish Annabelle as a closeted lesbian. She's still at the stage where she's aware and finds it odd that she doesn't hold any affection for any man, that the idea itself of marriage frustrates her, and her growing confusion that she's now feeling for a woman all that she "should" be feeling for a man. There are points where she almost welcomes it, like the scene I mentioned earlier, but she still is clearly struggling.

The MC has three ways of responding to this - one where she misses the point completely and says "you haven't found the right man yet" (Marianne, unfortunately), another where she states that she "understands" (which is left open - either it is a gesture of support from an ally, or it is from someone who understands her dilemma to...well...some extent. Florence is the second. She is bi, so her "I understand" was basically "I've fallen for some men sure but I also have a hard time figuring out what my sexuality is"). My favourite is the response where the MC speaks of facing a similar dilemma in her life and is an excellent choice if your MC is also a lesbian. I couldn't use this one for Florence or Marianne because it didn't ring true for either of them, but I did see the screenshots on tumblr and it's quite poignant.

Did You Know: Lesbian/sapphic relationships and sex were not as much seen as illegal as invisible...and this was an attitude that a later monarch, Queen Victoria, would uphold as well, refusing to sign a legislation to criminalize it by insisting that "women do not do such things". Obviously as we all know, she couldn't be any more wrong. Today we know of famous lesbian women of the Regency as Anne Lister, owner of Shibden Hall, and the Ladies of Llangollen - two women from Ireland named Eleanor Butler and Sarah Ponsonby, who had a romantic relationship for over 50 years. Gail Eastwood, in an article titled "Queer in the Regency: a Slice of Once-Hidden LGBT History" says:

Defying their families, the two established an estate in Wales, called Plas Newydd, rather than enter into marriages with men they did not love. Though they incurred significant debt in order to have a staff, they survived on the generosity of friends until a fascinated Queen Charlotte convinced King George III to grant them a pension.

Plas Newydd became something of a haven for writers during the Regency era, especially since the couple living there could afford to keep it. 

Part of me wonders if elements of this story may be found in the Annabelle x MC route. Or like Anne Lister, who was well-endowed enough financially that she could refrain from marriage and have relationships with women. Maybe, or - given the limitations of having to chart out a storyline that will suit every LI - maybe not. Whatever it is, I'd be very interested in finding out how they'll handle the MC's romance with Annabelle.

• The second most interesting thing is Annabelle speaking about her poetry, and the restrictions her father has kept on her talent. She mentions him looking down on women's poetry as being "all bad rhymes and flowery sentiment", and that - in keeping with the times - he prefers Romantic Age poets such as Wordsworth, and that famous influence on Romanticism, Shakespeare. If we choose to ask her about showing us her poetry, she tells us her writing is "of a...delicate nature" (get it, girl! 😀) and if we choose to encourage her instead, the MC makes references to Mary Wollstonecraft, whose ideas of gender equality were considered radical for the times, and who is seen as one of the earliest feminist icons.

Did You Know: that in a time when female education was mainly geared to prepare women for their domestic roles, Mary Wollstonecraft advocated for women to receive an education that would help them survive beyond the home and the marriage market, stating that the one real barrier in the way of gender equality was the disparity in the education women received compared to men. She says, "this homage to women’s attractions has distorted their understanding to such an extent that almost all the civilized women of the present century are anxious only to inspire love, when they ought to have the nobler aim of getting respect for their abilities and virtues".

Her daughter, Mary Shelley, would write the famous novel Frankenstein in 1818, two years following the events of Desire and Decorum.

• Within this scene also lies a little tidbit that will hold some importance in Chapter 7: the MC tells Annabelle that her mother used to sing in the opera:

So this could be the root of some of the snarky remarks Henrietta makes about the MC's mother. She has close pretty darn close to calling her a "prostitute" on more than one occasion, and her comment after the MC sang along with Annabelle in chapter 3 about how it was "no wonder" that the MC could sing, given her mother's profession.

Did You Know: Opera singers had a very different reputation in the Regency era, not all of it very positive. Shana Galen, who is described as a Regency adventure author, speaks about how opera singers were viewed at the time: Of course, it was perfectly acceptable for a young lady to show her talents on the pianoforte or to sing in front of a small group of family and friends, but performing on the stage at Drury Lane or Covent Garden were frowned upon.

Female performers, especially, were shunned by society. One example of this sort of attitude was seen in the ridicule faced by a singer named Dorothea Jordan, who had an long-running affair with a Duke, bore him ten children, and who was the subject of a "satirical cartoon that showed her in her bedroom, gazing adoringly at a duchess’ coronet, which she hopes someday to wear by marrying her lover. A map on the wall purports to show the route from “Strolling Lane” (i.e. prostitution) through “Old Drury Common” all the way to “Derbyshire Peak.” A genealogical chart of the nobility lies on her dressing table, and her bed-hangings are crowned by a Phrygian cap, symbol of the French Revolution. The latter is intended to ridicule her pretensions to nobility; as a common woman, let alone an actress, she should know her place" ("Glimpse at Opera during Jane Austen's Lifetime" by Maggi Andersen, for the blog Historical Hearts).

• Luke's scene on the other hand is lighter in content but is important if you look at it from the viewpoint of establishing his role in the MC's life before they reach London. As a neutral friend, he is happy to serve her and considers her a vast improvement over Countess Henrietta. He tells her that she possesses what Henrietta lacks, understands something that Henrietta would never understand in several lifetimes: that looking down on people she believes as her 'inferiors' will leave her at a disadvantage eventually.

But if you hint at having feelings for Luke, the entire mood of the scene changes, and you see him feeling torn between his growing affections for her and his recognition that any relationship beyond the professional will end badly for them all.

• The thing with both Luke and Annabelle is that to not fall for them is to maintain the status quo. So even if there is an element of attraction, the MC not reciprocating does not tip the delicate balance that governs their lives at Edgewater over. But when she does...it gives rise both to moments of joy...and moments of fear.

• Ooh I love the animation for the train!!

I mean...just...look at this!

• The MC and Briar get to react in awe to their first sight of London before they get down from the carriage. We find out that we're pretty much stranded on the streets of London and no one has come to pick us up. Gee thanks, stepbro.

• Not gonna lie, but seeing Prince Hamid's shocked!face on his full-body shot made me giggle a little.

• He introduces himself as Imperial Prince Hamid, cousin to "his Imperial Majesty Mahmoud the Second, Caliph of Islam, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, and Custodian of the Two Mosques (the last especially was used in royal titles for many Islamic rulers, and refers to the Al-Haram Mosque (al-Masjid al-Ḥarām) of Mecca, and the Prophet's Mosque (Al-Masjid An-Nabawī) of Medina).

• In a sense he kinda reminds me of Kamilah: he is a fictional character positioned as being related to an actual historical figure, so they will give us plenty of background about the countries they were from (Egypt and Turkey [Istanbul in this case], respectively) but keep the actual historical figure at a distance. Making the fictional character a cousin and a person of an important position in that court is a smart choice to make: they're important enough to represent the royals of the times but distanced enough that it doesn't seem unnatural if they aren't that close and ergo can't tell you personal details about said historical figure.

• Did You Know: Sultan Mahmud II (the cousin Hamid mentions) was seen as quite a progressive ruler of his times. 1829 onwards, he tried to bring many, many reforms into the Ottoman empire, including (according to the Encyclopedia Britannica article on him) "adopting the cabinet system of government, provided for a census and a land survey, and inaugurated a postal service (1834), introducing compulsory primary education, opening a medical school, and sending students to Europe. In addition, the sultan’s right to confiscate the property of deceased officials was abolished, and European dress was introduced". It looks like some elements of this way of thought could be reflected in Hamid, from his talk of diplomacy in his diamond scene.

• Hamid not only positions himself as a bit of an outsider to England but also as a man who travels: talk of travelling and seeing the world is his ice-breaker when they get into the carriage. This will allow him not only to help familiarize the MC with London, and his home Constantinople, but also give her (and us) a view of what the world looks like at this point. For instance, if the MC speaks of even London is unfamiliar territory to her, he mentions the Blue Mosque, the construction of which was completed exactly 200 years prior to the events of the story.

• The other very essential point of this scene is to provide a bit of a parallel to Luke, but also as a counterpoint. Luke is disadvantaged both by his class and his race - ergo he has a very layered perspective. Hamid has privileges, but he is also aware of and in some ways used to the reception he gets in England, and has figured out how he wants to respond. Both Luke and Hamid find their ways to cope with their situation, and the MC is allowed - according to the ethnicity chosen for her - to relate to both.

Florence, for instance, relates heavily to this as someone is visibly a foreigner even though England is the only home she has ever known. Marianne does not fully understand this, but she can tell him like any decent human being would that she thinks it's wrong of people to treat him that way.

• Just prior to this the two manage to see the Tower of London, notorious for the imprisonment and execution of many, many people including royals and nobles. There is a short but rather poignant conversation on the "many people tortured and murdered over who had the right to sit on the throne" (among the people executed, you will find names like Anne Boleyn, Thomas More, Lady Jane Grey, Guy Fawkes and Walter Raliegh).

• Did You Know: For a long long time in England, executions were seen as a bit of a spectator sport. The more unusual the criminal, the bigger the crowd. The Capital Punishment UK blog speaks of the kind of atmosphere usually present around the time:

In many counties, executions were held on market days to enable the largest number of people to see them and school parties would be made to attend as a moral lesson, something which is certainly recorded as happening at Lancaster Castle.  Public houses and gin shops always did a very brisk trade on a hanging day.  

However, attitudes towards executions experienced a shift around the late 18th-early 19th century, and by 1864 Parliament established a Royal Commission on Capital Punishment, with a declaration that executions would take place inside the prisons rather than in public.

I'm not sure if this was intentional, but possibly the MC's and Hamid's reactions to the tower may be reflective of their times.

• Interestingly, Annabelle is shown to look jealous if you've been romancing her, and giving you a sly grin if you're just friends. I quite liked that little touch. Luke meanwhile is a little less open about how he feels at this point: whether you're romancing him or not, he is described as "watching you carefully" during your exchange with Hamid.

• So Mr Marlcaster got the letter from the Duchess to send a groom for picking the MC, but didn't...as per his mother's demands, surely. But AT LEAST you should have been a little prepared to answer me in case I dropped by anyway, dude? Instead of just standing there and staring at me like a scandalized goldfish.

• Looks like Edmund is still going to try screwing things up for us, and we'll need to find a way to get him on our side. After all, we get relationship points with both him and Theresa Sutton, and Lady Grandmother did tell us we could find a way to get them to be with us rather than against us.

• I'm looking forward to Chapter 5...but it's Chapter 6 I REALLY want to see. We're going to learn a bit more about the MC's mother's background!

General Thoughts:

• OMG so much was there to unpack this chapter!! A lot of it to do with Annabelle and Hamid, and Luke has taken a bit of a backseat this chapter but I'm hoping that's a taster of what's to come in his case.

• Look I love this story but IT COSTS SO MUCH. WTF. Keeping Clover was a nice option but it really added nothing to this chapter and could have easily been shifted elsewhere. I want this book to do well. I'm happy with how they're writing it, the effort they're putting into their research and into their characters so far...and I would hate for it to not be appreciated because they made it so hard for people to get into the book by making it this expensive so early.

• Florence is going for Annabelle and Luke (leaning more towards Annabelle at this point), and Marianne for Hamid and Sinclaire (I'm not sure yet but Hamid is a very very strong contender!!). Who would have thought I'd have my first polyam MCs in a book on Regency Era England!! Who woulda thunk!

• Annabelle particularly intrigues me at this point. She is clearly established as both inside and outside of this system, and vocally critical of it at least to the MC. She writes about her desires against the chargin of her father, and states that she doesn't want to merely settle into a 'safe' relationship like her mother, not unless she can know and trust that person (which is mostly why she agreed to the match with Harry even if she didn't love him). She is confused, and open and honest about her confusion. I really think the foundation of this character is immensely strong, but they really need to keep working on her and not just drop their efforts on her halfway. And I've seen that happen enough times with female LIs to be afraid.

• At this point, we now have three male LIs (one Master of Horse who is African-American, one family-approved eligible bachelor and one prince of the Ottoman Empire) and one female love interest. Is there space for one more confirmed female LI? I sure hope so but at the same time I don't want keep my hopes up.

However...IF the plan is to keep just one female LI, then they'd better do a pretty darn phenomenal job of her. If you're not going to give wlw players other options it's only fair to make sure the only option is given really, really good writing - consistently. They're doing a good job so far...but there's a long long way to go before I can fully trust PB to do justice to her.

• That's it for now! On to Chapter 6!

• Tagged: @boneandfur @liamraines @thespiritpanda @alanakusumastan @ernestsinclairs @private-investigator-nazario @bcdollplace @thedepthsremember @mcbangle @queenodysseia @novaelaras

If you'd like to be tagged on these QTs, do let me know! 😀

[the--sad--hatter]

Mischief, Meet Your Match - Chapter Four (Loki x Reader)

WARNINGS: Violence, Swearing, Smut, Loki

SUMMARY:

Sam would say your liking for bad boys has gone too far.

Tony would kill the God of Mischief with his bare hands.

Steve would lock you in your room and never let you out.

Natasha would probably just throw you off the roof.

But there’s just something about Loki that draws you to him, and you couldn’t help it even if you wanted to.

MASTERLIST

It felt like being sucked into a vacuum and being dumped into a blender while there was a dubstep concert going on around you.

 Your feet finally hit sold ground and your immediate reaction was to try and faceplant the ground, which you would have done if not for Loki’s hold on you. You tried to swear loudly but what actually came out sounded a lot more like

 “Fwwaaargh.”

 “Eloquently put.” Loki said dryly from behind you.

 You weakly tried to wrestle yourself away from him in vain until he sighed loudly and abruptly released you. You stumbled forwards a few steps and sunk to your knees.

 “The fuck Mischief?” You demanded.

 “Pardon?”

 “You kidnapped me!”

 “I suppose I did but in my defence I had to think on my feet after your betrayal.” He snapped.

You pulled your phone out of your pocket, prepared to call Steve and put up with the ‘eyebrows of disappointment’ if it meant he came and rescued you.

 “Come on.” You muttered, flicking the screen in an attempt to make your phone pick up a signal.

 You held it up in the air, eyes on the signal bar when your finally realised exactly what had just happened.

 “Oh no.” You groaned.

 Loki was stood in front of you with an extremely amused expression, the sunlight highlighting the smugness in his eyes. The sunlight from both of the suns. There were two suns in the sky.

 “Have you finally caught up to the situation?” He asked.

 “I am not in fucking Kansas anymore.” You whispered, horrified.

“Welcome to , Ciegrim-7, known as ‘the Distiller's Planet.’, Kitten.” Loki said.

 You were on another planet. The dirt beneath your knees wasn’t Earth, the sky above you was on the other side of the universe. You were alone, in space, with the God of Mischief… who you’d just tried to screw over. You violently threw your useless phone at his smug face and he caught it easily without even blinking.

 “Send me back!” You ordered.

 “No.” He said simply.

 You ground your teeth together in frustration and pushed off from the ground, not bothering to straighten your stance as you wrapped your arms around Loki’s waist and used your momentum to piledrive him into the ground.

 “I’m not playing Mischief, send me back, right fucking now.” You snarled as you tried to wrap your hands around his throat.

 “We always seem to end up in this position.” He chuckled, catching your wrists with ease.  

 You were in fact straddling him again, only this time you didn’t have a handy pair of magical cuffs to use on him.

 “Why are you doing this to me?” You groaned, trying to tug your wrists out of his grip.

 “It’s not what I’m doing to you that you should be worried about, think more about what I could do with you. What we could do together.” He suggested.

 This was a bad situation, you needed to focus on that and not the fact that Loki’s body was firmer than you expected, or the way his slender fingers were locked tightly around your wrists, or the smirk on his face that said he knew exactly what you were thinking about.

 “You and your team killed or contained my last batch of recruits so as recompense you will be helping me hire some new associates.” He said, breaking through your perfectly innocent internal musings.

 “I’ll be doing what now?” You demanded.

 “The Distillers Planet is one of the best places in the galaxies to find down on their luck cutthroats with no morals and empty pockets. I’m in need of new allies, you’re going to help me.” He said, sitting up so you were face to face.

 “I’d say to give me one good reason why I would help you but I’m guessing you’re not going to send me home until I do?” You sighed.

 “It is refreshing how smart you are.” He admitted.

 “Smart enough to get the better of you almost twice, sure you wanna trust me Mischief?” You asked with a smug smirk.

 “You don’t have a way of containing me anymore kitten and you’re all alone with me. You won’t survive without my help, never mind get home back to your probably frantic Captain.” He reminded you.

 Steve… You couldn’t even imagine how he was going to react to Thor telling him Loki had taken you off world. You needed to get back to him so he could murder you for being so stupid.

 “Fine. I’ll help you Mischief.” You sighed.

 “Isn’t it better to be friends than enemies?” He asked.

 “We aren’t friends.” You insisted.

 “A claim that would have a little more bite to it if you weren’t comfortably sat on my lap.” He pointed out.

 You looked down at the practically non-existent space between your chests. You truthfully hadn’t even really thought about the compromising permission you were in when he started talking, content to just sit there while you spoke.

 “You have proven that you can hold your own against me in a fight, yet you knocked me to the ground, straddled me and then gave up. What am I to make of that?” He asked suggestively.

 “That you have comfortable thighs.” You shrugged.

 It was true, his lap was surprisingly comfy and he might be a psychotic dark god who had tried to take over your whole planet and had kidnapped you and brought you to an alien planet but you didn’t feel like you were in danger from him. Which was probably stupid of you and would definitely bite you on the ass.

 Loki however looked perplexed by your answer as you stood up and brushed the dirt from your jeans. He had probably expected you to be embarrassed or to flirt back with him, not act casual about it but you took great pleasure in being unpredictable to the chaos maker.

 ~~~Meanwhile On Earth~~~

                                                            “Can’t you track her phone?” Clint demanded.

 “It’s not meant to be taken off planet, I can’t track it when it’s god knows how many lightyears away!” Tony grumbled.

 “What about your guy in Asgard, that Heimdall fella?” Sam asked a still sheepish looking Thor.

 “Loki learned how to hide himself from Heimdall a long time ago, he can not help us.” Thor explained.

 “I can’t track the Gamma signature on the Tesseract outside of our atmosphere.” Bruce sighed.

 “So nobody can find them? Loki has her and we don’t have a clue where in the universe he’s taken her? That’s what your saying?” Steve said quietly from the back of the room.

 His voice cut through the squabbling and rendered everybody silent. He had succinctly summed up the sheer hopelessness of the situation while he stared blankly at the wall.  

 “We will find them, we will bring her home.” Thor vowed.

 “She shouldn’t be gone in the first place. What the hell were you thinking?” Bucky asked, frustration pouring off him in waves as he shot concerned side glances at Steve.

 “The Lady believed she could convince Loki to reveal the Tesseract and she was right. We almost had him, her plan was a good one.” Thor argued.

 “Can’t have been that good because not only did Loki escape with the Tesseract he took her! He took my…” Steve snapped, trailing of at the end of his sentence and swallowing thickly.

 “Your what?” Natasha asked meaningfully.

 Steve shook his head and stormed out of the room, his shoulder shaking with tense rage.

 “Let him go.” Sam said softly to Thor before the blonde god could follow him.

 “I will return her, I swear. Loki will not get away with this.” Thor said, more to himself than anyone else.

 “Don’t blame yourself pointbreak, the kids got most of us wrapped around her little finger. She’s talked us into some stupid plans as well.” Tony said, clapping Thor on the shoulder.

 “Like the time she convinced you to let her use the repulsors from your suit so she could make instant popcorn?” Sam sniggered.

 Bucky quietly slipped from the room before anyone could notice him because he knew when it came to your stupid ideas, he was the worst offender. He followed after Steve before the team decided to relive some of his greatest hits. He had a pretty good idea as to where Steve had gone and he was right. He found Steve sat on the end of your bed, a picture frame clutched in his hands.

 “We’ll bring her back. You know she’s probably panicking about how badly you’re going to ground her when she gets back.” Bucky said, leaning against the doorframe.

 “I’m not going to ground her. She’s an adult and I’m not her father.” Steve scoffed.

 “No? What you got there punk?” Bucky asked knowingly.

 Steve turned the frame around so Bucky could see the picture in it. It was a picture Bucky knew well, he was the one who had taken it and it usually resided on your bedside cabinet. After your first ever successful mission as part of the team you had fallen asleep on the quinjet and he, Natasha and Tony had stifled their laughter when Steve paused in the middle of his proud verbal re-enactment of your actions as your head slumped down onto his shoulder. Steve had looked concerned for a brief moment, rearranging his position so you wouldn’t get a cramp in your neck and then proceeded to continue with his glowing praise in a whisper. Bucky had subtly snapped the picture of you sleeping peacefully with Steve was visibly glowing with pride and affection.

 “Get up.”

 “No.”

 “You were supposed to be in the gym ten minutes ago.”

 “Five more minutes.” You bartered, burrowing down into the covers.

 “Kid, Hydra won’t give you five more minutes. I know you’re exhausted and I’ve been pushing you really hard but it’s for a reason. You need to be prepared to fight at a moments notice, no matter how tired you are.” Steve explained.

 You groaned and finally emerged from the covers, sitting up and rubbing the sleep out of your eyes.

 “Good girl.” He praised, turning around to leave you to get ready when he spotted the photo on your bedside table.

 You saw where he was looking and blushed slightly.

 “I… Before this, before you, my life was pretty meaningless. Ordinary and boring and that was ok but then I met you and I thought I could be more but I was still scared. Nobody has ever taken a chance on me like you did and I like having a reminder there that someone believes in me, that I have somebody to make proud.” You whispered, too afraid to meet his eyes.

 He sighed and sat down on the edge of the bed with his back to you. He fidgeted for a moment before he pulled his wallet out of his pocket and flipped it open, handing it to you. You slowly took it, your eyes getting embarrassingly damp when you saw a smaller version of the same photo, slotted between an old black and white photo of the beautiful Peggy Carter and a fairly recent picture of Bucky and Sam laughing at something off camera.

 “I am proud of you, I have been ever since you made me promise to punch that doctor in the groin if you died. I worry all the time, I hate that you chose this path because it’s so dangerous but you knew that and you did it anyway. How could I not be proud of you?” He explained and you looked up to see him staring at you with a meaningful expression.

 “I will never not be proud of you. I will be especially proud if you get up and help me and Buck run laps around Sam though.” He said with a shit eating grin.

 “Aye Aye captain.”

 “This is my fault Bucky. She was trying to get the tesseract because of me, to make me proud. I should have never let her near Loki.” Steve sighed.

 “Can it Punk. You said it yourself, she’s an adult. She’s also an Avenger. Should she have told us what she was up to? Yes, but it was a good plan. Sam said Loki reacted strangely to her, she used that to her advantage to manipulate him. She didn’t learn that from you, she learned it from me and Nat but we aren’t wallowing in guilt. Because she made her own choices and she’ll learn from her mistakes like the rest of us. So lets just focus on getting her back alright?” Bucky said with authority, stepping into the role Steve usually occupied, taking charge of the situation.

 “You’re right. Call T’Challa and see if Shuri can help. Have Natasha get a hold of Fury, I’m going to start digging through all Shields old files on the Tesseract. And I’ve changed my mind, she’s absolutely grounded when she gets back.”

 ~~~On Ciegrim-7~~~

 Loki resisted the urge to roll his eyes and settled for a long, loud sigh.

 “Hurry up.” He snapped over his shoulder at you.

 You ignored him, still standing at the top of the hill, awestruck. You knew you were on a different planet and Loki had already told you that that it was populated but seeing it was a completely different thing. The city not too far in the distance was so alien and so beautiful. It was a strange mixture of a medieval village and a futuristic city. Hundreds of thatched buildings mixed in with towering metal skyscrapers and factories. Smoke plumed over the sky above the city but it was brightly coloured, green smoke drifted upwards and mingling with a purple one. It was insane and beautiful.

 “You’re forgiven.” You said, turning your eyes to Loki.

 He looked taken aback and confused.

 “For kidnapping me. If you hadn’t, I would have never seen this. I’m just a little human from Earth and I’m standing above an alien city. I… thank you.” You elaborated.

 “This is nothing to gape at, just a filthy city filled with miscreants and workers. Of all the things in the universe I could show you that would take your breath away, this is insignificant.” He scoffed.

 “Maybe to you Mischief, but I’m not a 1000 years old. I’m not numb to the beauty the universe has to offer yet.” You argued as you fell into step beside him, both of you making your way towards the wonderous city.

 “I’m not numb to beauty. True beauty is rare and astonishing and I promise, I very much appreciate it when I see it.” Loki said softly.

 It wasn’t often his voice took on that kind of tone and you looked over at him in surprise, curious about what someone like him would class as true beauty. His eyes were locked on yours and he blinked and looked away quickly.

 “Every time I start to forget how small your race is I am reminded. The universe is more vast and amazing that your tiny mind could begin to comprehend.” He sneered.

 “And it’s more beautiful than your jaded and cynical mind could begin to truly appreciate.” You rebutted.  

 “Would you like me to prove how thoroughly I can appreciate beauty, kitten?” He whispered lowly, his hand brushing over the small of your back.

 “What I’d really like Mischief, is for you to explain how exactly you expect me to help you find a band of not so merry men to join you.” You said coldly, stepping away from his touch.

 “I told you, the people here are down on their luck cutthroats. Not exactly pleasant company. I need you to make sure that while I am hiring mercenaries, another miscreant doesn’t try to put a knife in my back.” He explained with a shrug.

 You stopped dead and glared at him. He sighed and turned around to see what the hold up was, raising an eyebrow at the palpable rage coming from you.

 “You STOLE me and took me across the UNIVERSE because you needed a BODYGUARD????” You shrieked.

A/N - If you want please tell me what you thought of this chapter? What did you like? What didn’t you like? What do you want to see in the future? What do you think will happen?

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