#today I spent time with Liz.

[stilin-ski]

pay no mind to the man behind the curtain.

[becausegoodheroesdeservekidneys]

Clownfall: the Election Cometh

It's a long one, lads. Buckle up, get comfy, but the circus is in town for its final run. Ambient music as you read can be found here or here, take your pick. Get popcorn. Get snacks and water and a blanket.

Are you sitting comfortably?

Wednesday 22nd May

7.12am

Household favourite and queen of our hearts Pippa Crerar of the Guardian (her who did the investigative journalism that revealed PartyGate to the world) reports that UK inflation fell to a mere, paltry 2.3% in April.  The lowest level in three years!  Huzzah! But … still smaller than the decline that was expected. 

Nonetheless, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Cunt whoops I'm so sorry I meant Cunt haha whoops said it again make a big fuss about how brilliant this news is, and how it shows that they are Good At Maffs after all that trouble with Liz Truss and Kwasi Kwarteng, who defined themselves as being Good At Maffs and then obliterated the economy in a single day.  Remember that! Good times. But hey, look, THIS PM/Grand Vizier combo are great at this! Inflation has fallen! Stop looking at the predicted rate! A fall is still a fall!

Crerar wonders whether people will actually feel better off, though – prices and mortgage rates are still high, after all. Food for thought.

10.04am

Jeremy Hunt is asked on the Today programme whether Sunak will call a general election.

Now, the logic here is that the government is likely to do better in an election if the economy’s improving; which, SunakCunt are now shrieking from the rooftops. So, is now the time? It's a win, and they've had so few of those, but historically people really do like to fall for the right wing = better economy myth... 

BUT – the Tories are doing so very badly in the polls.  Journalists favour the idea of an autumn election.  Tories do better when the weather’s bad, because fewer people go out and vote.

 “Well that’s a matter for the prime minister, it’s not a matter for me,” says Cunt. 

... Well.  Not ruling it out, then? Diddorol.

10.30am

It's Wednesday, aka the date that Tory cabinet ministers have their weekly meeting. They are duly sent the agenda.

There is no mention at all of an election announcement, nor any plan for an election.

Fair enough! 'Twas an idle thought. Plus, it would actually be bad timing from a logistical perspective - David Cameron, Foreign Secretary and Bae of Pigs, is currently flying out to Albania for an important international meeting, and Jeremy Cunt is on TV all day today - ITV next.

12.18pm

Sunak is asked at Prime Minister’s Questions whether he’ll call a general election.  He doesn’t rule it out.

12.56pm

Fun tweet alert!

2.31pm

Pippa Crerar asked Sunak’s press secretary whether he was calling an election.  She refused to comment.

Surely it’s a terrible time to call an election! Everyone hates them!  But suddenly …

A Cabinet meeting is scheduled for 4.15pm.  David Hameron suddenly u-turns in Albania and comes straight back home, his meeting un-met.  Jeremy Cunt cancels his ITV appearance.  The afternoon meeting is cancelled. Number 10 stops responding to journalists.  Manifesto work has stepped up.  Sunak’s chief-of-staff is spotted wearing a suit and tie WHICH IS UNUSUAL.  Senior ministers have spent the last few days doubling down on dividing lines.  And Tory bosses had a meeting this week to discuss how much money they could spend before a summer election.

The UK press sense blood in the water.

3pm

Okay.

There’s something you need to understand:

People suspect Rishi Sunak doesn’t actually want to live in the UK.  He’d prefer to be in California.  He’s here because he’s an MP.

You need to know this to understand this truly historic incident.

Nadine Dorries has produced a good tweet.

...

...

...

No, we all need to sit with this one for a minute

(For the record... to us, that is an excellent joke. But I strongly suspect she wasn't joking and was trying to make a catty accusation instead, which coincidentally appeared like a roast.

Scientists are referring to this as Stopped Clock Syndrome.)

5.17pm

With great dignity, Rishi Sunak stands outside Number 10 and announces a general election on 4 July.

And by “great dignity”, I mean he’s soaked by rain, while “Things Can Only Get Better” plays in the background courtesy of an anti-Tory protestor with a big speaker and a dream; the song adopted by he Labour Party for the 1997 election, where Tony Blair famously won a landslide victory after 18 years of Tory rule. Eventually, the volume of it is raised so high Sunak is, on more than one level, drowned out.

5.37pm

According to Gabriel Pogrund of the Times, Labour can’t believe Number 10 allowed this to happen.

One Labour insider texts: “Umbrellas are woke”

6.06pm

Good tweet alert!

8pm

A later Guardian article reports that Sunak greeted around a hundred Tory activists – still wearing the same rain-soaked trousers from the announcement.

No word at all on why he doesn't have aides capable of fetching him dry trousers. Perhaps those, too, are woke.

8.14pm

A Sky News reporter is at Sunak’s campaign launch.  But, bafflingly, he’s forcibly removed.  Extraordinary scenes

Elanor's Pro Tip: Removing a journalist may not be the best PR move for the start of an election trail.

8.27pm

9.36pm

A GBNews reporter claims that some Tory MPs are trying desperately to replace Sunak as leader in order to call off the general election.  For this to work, they’d need a vote of no confidence before the dissolution of parliament on Thursday 30 May.  Except actually, that would have to happen before the proroguing of parliament on Friday 24 May.

So … this won’t work.  But how very incredible - and hilarious - that they’re trying.

10.39pm

Let's take a look at the evening headlines!

A great start to Sunak’s campaign, with newspapers - including the Tory giant The Telegraph - celebrating the triumphant launch of his campaign:

Well! WHAT a day! Let's see how Thursday goes.

Thursday 23 May

8.00am

The BBC takes a moment to gleefully throw off the shackles of political oppression of the last 12 years to reveal that Rishi Sunak's announcement of a July election, the single most important announcement for a sitting government, the most sensitive and vitally-timed event in their calendar...

Was a total surprise to the rest of the party.

Tory party MPs found out when we did that they were about to have to campaign again. For a snap GE. Three weeks after having just done it for the council elections, in which they experienced the greatest single loss of their councillors in history. Even the damn meeting agenda was fake.

Still. Perhaps this explains the lack of umbrella or trousers.

9.09am

Nigel Farage confirms he will NOT stand at the general election. 

*pause for applause*

That’s because he’s helping Trump get re-elected in the US right now.

*pause for screams*

This is good news for the Tories!  And the rest of Britain, actually (commiserations to America. Please shoot him). Farage’s right-wing populist party - Reform UK - is the spiritual successor to UKIP and the Brexit Party, who’ve been splitting the right-wing vote for years.  Farage is popular; it’s bad news for Reform if he’s not part of their campaign, but simply fantastic news for those of us who think queer folks, women and people of colour deserve human rights.

9.19am

According to BBC News and others, Sunak has hired Isaac Levido, the election strategist behind the Tories’ landslide win in 2019.  Levido knows his stuff, and advised Sunak to stick with an autumn election.

Sunak ignored this advice.  Lol.

9.20am

In the Guardian, Sunak says there WON’T be planes of immigrants flying to Rwanda before the general election.  Good news for those of us who think it’s monstrous to deport immigrants to countries with unsafe governments.  Bad news for Tory voters who were hoping to get racists to vote for them.

Now, this is particularly funny, because promising to deport refugees to Rwanda in spite of overwhelming legal opposition on human rights grounds is probably the single hill that the Tories have chosen to commit genocide on. This bill has been in and out of every court in the land since they promised it in 2019. It's been on again off again more than a tawdry tabloid romance. But, they finally managed to push it through, and the first planes were set to fly in July.

This means! That Sunak's strongest cards going into the election were the drop in inflation, and the Rwanda bill. He could sell it as "In spite of those bleeding heart liberals, we persevered and managed to tenaciously get rid of these browns and thus fulfilled our promise", and the fact that it won't actually affect the immigration numbers wouldn't be clear until after the election. And make no mistake, it is VITAL that those planes fly before any election - quoth one influential Conservative MP on the right of the party to the BBC:

“I know what question you’re going to ask us again and again. "You’ll say we’ve been banging on about Rwanda for years and we’ve only managed to fly one migrant out there - and we paid him to go”.

It took a single day for that gamble to dramatically fail.

Lol. Lmao, even. One might almost say rofl.

9.21am

Sunak is emphasising his own role in managing the economy.

The Guardian’s Rowena Mason points out that it might be better to sell this as a Tory victory rather than a Sunak victory, considering how badly Sunak’s doing as an individual in the polls.

10.45am

I'm obviously giving a lot of attention here to the funniest and most ridiculous stuff, but let’s take a moment to celebrate some genuinely brilliant journalism:

0_o

The whole article’s worth reading. It confirms that at least one more hi-vis wearer was a Tory councillor in disguise (in this case Ben Hall-Evans). Perhaps this is why they started by removing all the real journalists.

12.42pm

Sunak’s campaign takes him to a brewery in Wales!  He attempts some Bonding With The Working Man and asks the workers if they’re excited for the football.

Top tip: if you don’t realise the country you’re in hasn’t qualified for the Euros, maybe don’t even mention the subject.

6.55pm

... here is a new problem. Ish.

As mentioned, three weeks ago, England held local council elections. In that time, the Tories lost over half their councillors; an unprecedented and staggering loss in one event. We are all still bathing in the schadenfreude.

But, many of those then left the party (probably fairly, actually - monsters though Tories are, that cannot have been fun.) But, the way politics in the UK works is that when you vote, you don't vote for the party - you vote for your local representative, and then it's a numbers game as to which party gets to rule. This means, with this sudden last-minute possibly-impulsively-declared-by-one-soggy-madman election now six weeks away, those candidates all need replacing so that the Tories will have a shot at getting the numbers they need to form a majority government.

Channel 4’s Paul McNamara reports that Conservative HQ have emailed asking for candidates in almost 100 seats.  The deadline’s tight for this – and apparently, joining the lengthening list of people who weren't informed of this stupid election plan, Tory associations are livid at being left so unprepared.

Now, a lot of these seats are Labour strongholds, so you don’t necessarily need more than a token Tory candidate for them. Phew! A great relief.

But some of them are actually good Tory seats. Uh oh!  Basildon, Bury St Edmunds, Wellingborough and Rushden …  It’s a bad hit to the Tories to have so little time to find good candidates for these seats.

8.59pm

Labour launch a campaign video.  It’s long, but the message is, “Remember life before the Tories got into power?  Wasn’t it BRILLIANT?”

And to prove how great 2009 was, they’ve included a clip of David Tennant’s Dr Who saying “I don’t want to go.”

Lol.

9.57pm

Filmmaker Richard Cubitt jokily suggests he could stand as a Tory candidate, and immediately defect to Labour as soon as possible once elected.

I don’t know if the deadline’s closed, but I am now speaking to the chat. Lads: the time will never be better. Do it. Tell the Tories you'll stand for them. Immediately defect. You have the opportunity to do the funniest thing. Be the rot in the barrel. The time is now.

ANYWAY. Oh boy. Day one of campaigning was quite bad. Ah well! Onwards and upwards for Wali Heb Broli. Let's see what Friday brings.

And of course: the losses are staggering (100 candidates!), but it could be worse.

At least it's not senior MPs.

Friday 24 May

7.00am

Over 70 MPs confirm they will not be standing for re-election.

7.35am

It’ll be lovely to see this election get rid of some truly awful Tories.  But no need to wait that long!  John Redwood stands down.  I haven't mentioned him before, but let's look at his clownface eggshell.

He opposed reducing the age of consent for homosexuality in 1994 and 1999, he voted to keep Section 28 in 2003, he opposed same sex marriage, he voted to reintroduce the death penalty in 1988, 1990 and 1994, he’s argued against Greta Thunberg over the UK’s climate emissions.

Although English, he became Secretary of State for Wales in 1993, and at a Tory conference, had to mime badly to the Welsh national anthem which he hadn’t bothered learning.  In 1995, he cheated Wales out of a £100 million grant by returning it unspent to the treasury, so it could go back to England.

So, John – if by some fantastically rare chance you’re somehow reading this – it’s wonderful to see you step down.  I wish you a very warm fuck you.  And I hope the rest of your life is absolutely horrible and filled with immeasurable pain. Kisses.

7.58am

Vicky Spratt of the i newspaper announces that, with an election announced, the Renters’ Reform won’t pass.

This is a big deal, actually - this was a rare good promise in the Tories’ 2019 manifesto to protect renters by ending no-fault evictions.  A good promise!  With cross-parliamentary support, only slowed as much as it was because most Tory backbenchers are landlords and so tried to block it. But the fighting raged on, and it was finally agreed.

And now it’s broken.  Wasting months of work by stakeholders, and thus forming another election promise that would have sailed through if only the election hadn't been called for July.

8.09am

Jeremy Corbyn – remember him? Former Labour leader, who was expelled from the Labour party in 2020 – confirms he’ll be standing as an independent.  He’s continued to be a member of Labour despite being an independent MP – but standing against Labour in an election means he’ll have his membership revoked too.

9.26am

So where are we at? How do you reckon the normal Tories in the party are faring? Do you think they're positive of a win? Do you think they expect to lose?

Great Guardian article here:

Highlights - one government minister happened to bump into his equivalent opposition member, and immediately thrust his official folder towards them, saying, “You might as well have this now.”

Another Tory MP hugged a Labour colleague and cast their arm around the room.  “Good luck.  This is all yours.”

One Tory backbencher was asked if it was a good idea to call an election.  “It’s a disaster. I can’t understand it.”

Even when they’re being optimistic, the Tories seem a little glum.  One long-standing MP said: “Of course I’m going to fight it, I don’t believe in just giving up like the prime minister has obviously decided to.”

A former minister raises an interesting point.  It’s not long, after all, since the Tories suffered those major defeats at the local council elections.  That's impacted the number of candidates, of course - but, local canvassing is largely done, on all parts of the political spectrum, but activist volunteers.

That loss was three weeks ago. If you were a volunteer who just spent weeks knocking on the doors of your neighbours and community, trying to convince them to vote for the dead horse, and then lost – maybe you won’t feel like hitting the streets again so soon. Maybe you'd prefer to be able to meet your neighbours' eyes when you bump into them in the bread slicing queue at Morrisons.

Some MPs have even admitted they won’t be cancelling holiday plans to fight the election.  On top of that, there's over 70 MPs that have already confirmed they’re quitting and won’t be seeking re-election!!! Absolute scenes.

Interestingly, some anti-Sunak Tories report frustration.  They reckon they were close to calling a vote of no-confidence, in the hopes of replacing Sunak with a different leader.  No idea if this is true – and if true, whether Sunak knew it. But given the panicked speed at which it seems to have been called...

11.08am

The campaign takes Rishi Sunak to the Titanic Quarter, to be interviewed by Belfast Live.

Elanor's Pro Tip: if you’re the leader of a failing political party, maybe don’t let journalists interview you on a site named after history’s most famous sinking ship.

11.57am

How’s the campaign going, Rishi?

Oh, Rishi. Looks like someone else is not meeting anyone's eyes in the bread-slicing queue.

1.12pm

Politics UK reports that 75 Tory MPs are now standing down at the election – the same number of Tories who stood down ahead of the 1997 election.

2.49pm

Sunak’s campaign takes him on board an aeroplane.

Elanor's Pro Tip: if you’re the leader of a failing political party, maybe don’t be photographed in front of an exit sign.

7.07pm

MICHAEL GOVE ANNOUNCES HE’S STANDING DOWN AS AN MP!

I could honestly use that gif like seventeen times in this write up. You can all thank me for my restraint in choosing just one.

The 79th Tory to do so at this election – an all-time record exodus.  Hey gang, would you like to see some familiar names joining him in this?

Theresa May

Sajid Javid

Dominic Raab

Matt Hancock

Ben Wallace

Nadhim Zahawi.

It’s just … not a great sign for the party, is it? That so many prominent MPs don’t reckon it’s worth sticking around.

7.50pm

Hey, remember those parody videos of Hitler getting angry with funny subtitles?  Someone made a good Sunak one:

10.48pm

The Guardian’s Kiran Stacey reports that Sunak will retreat from the campaign trail, spending the next day at home.

Honestly... that's probably best. Let him recover from the bread excitement.

10.50pm

We round off the day with Andrea Leadsom announcing she too is standing down as an MP. Bye, bitch.

WHAT A DAY! Still, Saturday will probably be better.

Saturday 25 May

12am

New episode of Doctor Who drops! It contains Welsh faeries. I later write a post explaining this. You're all welcome. Back to the circus.

10.06am

Good tweet alert!

11.14am

Keir Starmer promises to lower the voting age from 18 to 16 if he wins the election.

2.43pm

Hey remember how David Hameron was supposed to be in Albania? And actually went there? And then had to come back because of Rishi's totally-planned-for election announcement?

The Mirror reports that David Cameron spent £60,000 of taxpayers’ money getting to Albania for that trip.  He was there for 89 minutes, before he had to come back in light of the general election announcement.

This means it cost the country £674 a minute for Cameron to be in Albania for about as long as it takes to watch The Lion King.

6.14pm

Labour and the Tories put candidates forward for 650 seats in a general election.

Of course, that's not quite all of them. The Times’ Patrick Maguire understands that Labour have only 13 candidates left to select, which is pretty good.  The Tories are missing slightly more than that. 

They need to find around 190.

(The number is rising. Chat, you know what to do.)

9.29pm

According to the Telegraph, Theresa May has said if she was still PM she would have used an umbrella to declare the election.

She probably would have, too.

10.11pm

Now then!!! Gather round boys and girls and all the rest!

Remember: the election was called based upon the following main cards in Sunak's hand:

The Rwanda bill

Inflation falling

The Renter's Reform Bill

Inflation fell, but not by as much as it should have. The Rwanda plan fell through a day later. The election itself has blocked the Renter's Reform bill.

Rishi needs a new set of promises stat, in order to shore up votes from his most important bastions of support. What can he offer?

The evening brings the answer!

At 10.11pm - note the time - in spite of having taken the day off, Sunak promises mandatory national service for every 18 year old if he wins the election.  Either a year-long army placement, or a weekend a month volunteering for a year.

Sounds like a good pledge, if you’re hoping to motivate 18-year-olds to vote against you.

10.16pm

The Financial Times’ Jim Pickard reveals that the National Citizen Service (David Cameron’s legacy project) had its funding slashed by two-thirds in a 2022 review of government youth funding - when the chancellor was Rishi Sunak.

Five minutes.  That’s how long it took a journalist to melt Sunak’s new pledge.

Still; Tories never let facts get in the way.

10.27pm

Politics UK reports that leaked documents suggest teenagers would be jailed for refusing this national service.

11.47pm

Sunak's bad ideas generator works hard, but the meme makers of the internet work harder:

Still. Sunday is a day of rest! Hopefully Sunday will be better.

Sunday 26 May

9.50am

Let’s check the Sunday tweets.

Starting to think whoever is in charge of optics for Rishi Sunak may be a Labour plant.

10.21am

Fantastic tweet alert:

I Agree With Gabby

3pm

And then... PLOT TWIST!!!

FT’s Lucy Fisher reports that Sunak’s national service pledge - including assigning up to 30,000 18-year-olds to the military - was rejected this week by one of his own defence ministers.

Defence personnel minister Andrew Murrison warned of a hit to morale, headcount and resources if “potentially unwilling national service recruits” were introduced alongside Britain’s professional armed forces.

EVEN THE ARMY DON'T WANT THIS.

6.47pm

And then:

Incredible story from Gabriel Pogrund of the Times.

St Paul’s School, if you haven't heard of it, is an expensive and famous private school in England somewhere (I forget where and don't care).  As with other private schools, they’d be subject post-election to a Labour plan to remove their VAT exemption.

Tory MP Greg Hands took matters into his own Greg hands, and messaged the school’s parents’ WhatsApp group to try and drum up anti-Labour sentiment.

I can see the logic. These are parents with money, who have chosen to send their children to a private school that often means an easy track into politics generally and the Tory party specifically. I see why he thought he was safe.

Tumblrs, he was not safe.

Parents intervened, complaining about Hands spamming the chat, and claiming his use of the chat was “inappropriate”.

One parent messaged: “Can we stop assuming everyone is a Tory in this group.  A return to more morality, less corruption and more social conscience in British politics is not something to oppose necessarily.”

Another expressed that some parents will “feel it is hard to defend private schools being vat exempt.”

Ouch. Swing and a miss, Greg Hands.

Anyway. New week, new campaigning. I am writing this on Tuesday, and so our tale is nearly at an end for now; so let's see what happened on Monday.

Monday 27 May (Yesterday)

7.40am

Britain's teenagers respond to the national service plan. I love this tweet and the video it reposts:

And here, for your viewing pleasure, is the video:

8.17am

Tory MP Steve Baker (more on him later) actually tweets a public criticism of Sunak’s national service plan.  You might be thinking "Well yes, obviously"! But no! For you see, when approaching elections, parties need to be united. Divided parties generally find it harder to win elections.

Naughty Steve.

8.41am

Foreign Office Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan, having seen the absolute shambles of Sunak’s campaigning, wakes up this fine Monday morn and invites him to hold her beer.

Appearing on Times Radio, she’s asked whether the parents of teenagers could be prosecuted if the teens refuse to take up national service.

And she doesn’t rule it out.

NO BUT WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT ARE YOU DOING ANNE-MARIE. IS THIS YOUR FIRST DAY OUT OF THE HOUSE.

Parents are NOT prosecuted for any wrongdoing of their ADULT CHILDREN.  How do you not understand this basic legal concept. The answer to that question was “no”!  You say “no” because it makes your party more likely to be elected, and you say “no” because the answer is no.

Oh dear. What a gaffe, as the papers say. Gosh, I really hope Anne-Marie Trevelyan’s gaffe stays contained.

8.56am

The Telegraph duly reports that parents of 18-year-olds might be fined if their children refuse national service.

Anne-Marie Trevelyan’s gaffe did not stay contained.

10.55am

Looks like the Tories are unhappy that the press revealed that Sunak took a day off from campaigning.

But that’s okay, they have a new strategy!  Reported by Politico, they’ve decided to suggest that Keir Starmer is too old to be a good Prime Minister.

They called him “weary” yesterday afternoon;

Tory Party Chair Richard Holden says it’s “bizarre” for Starmer to rest at home the day before a speech (but not for Rishi to - ? You know what, never mind);

A Tory aide tells the Sun that Starmer should be dubbed “Sir Sleepy” (what a Zinger, as those conscripted into national service say);

Another Tory aide calls Starmer “Sleepy Keir” according to the FT.

Keir Starmer is 61 years old.

11.17am

Let's check Tory candidate numbers!!!

Now last we looked it was 190, but obviously, as this is possibly their most urgent priority, they've been working flat out and recruiting across the land and so they have, fair play, managed to reduce that number.

The Spectator therefore reports that the Tories have 12 days to select 160 candidates.  Would you like to see the maths?

This means, on average, they need to select one candidate every 100 minutes.  Which is slightly less time than it takes to watch Toy Story 3.

#ChatYouKnowWhatToDo

12.41pm

The FT’s Lucy Fisher reports that Tory HQ has accidentally sent out an email criticising Tory MPs for failing to campaign, and warning of financial concerns in some seats.

Cannot stress this enough: even if the Tory campaign was going really well and they were predicting a landslide their way, this would be a terrible blow.

5.02pm

The Mirror reports that Tory MP Steve Baker is on holiday in Greece.  That’s pretty irresponsible, isn’t it?  What does Baker have to say for himself?

"The Prime Minister told everyone we could go on holiday and then called a snap election. So I've chosen to do my campaign work in Greece."

… this is the greatest Tory campaign in history.

(And once again... when exactly did you decide to do this, Rishi?)

5.15pm

In an absolutely baffling move whose motives I still cannot entirely fathom, Tory MP Lucy Allan - a repugnant, malignant liar of a woman who once altered an email from a constituent so she could claim it contained a death threat against her - is suspended by the party, for telling voters in her ward to vote for Reform UK instead of the Tories.

...

...

...

...wwwhyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

6.18pm

Good tweet alert! Here's political journalist Jonn Elledge:

6.30pm

Meanwhile, a Tory chooses to contact journalist Theo Usherwood over WhatsApp, criticising the election strategist Isaac Levido:

Now this is particularly interesting, because Levido is the guy who managed to swing the last GE to BlowJo, even though Labour were riding high on Corbyn. And I don't know, maybe he is actually shit at this and all that was luck.

I just... wouldn't have said he was the reason for this one going the way it is. Necessarily.

Finally, let's finish off Monday with a last good tweet:

10.06pm

***

That's all for now, folks! Thank you for reading, enjoy the circus playing out this week!

[sirianasims]

Chapter 43.9

I arrive at GeekCon both sweaty and with a vague sense of unease. The stifling heatwave has turned the city into a pressure cooker, and it feels foreboding, like something terrible is building and about to break free.

I’m greeted by my own face by the door, advertising the panel that I’m supposed to be on this morning. I never got comfortable seeing myself like this, I prefer it when they just use the logo or my masked promo pictures. At least today is the last time I’ll appear as Llama Man in any official capacity, and then…

Then I don’t know.

But there’ll be time to figure that out later, right now I’m about to see Julia again. I can’t believe it’s only been a year since we met, and I have no idea how she feels about me right now.

I spent most of the night in my hotel room tossing and turning, thinking about what I’ll say to her, but I still don’t have a plan. I just want to apologise for ending things so abruptly.

It really wasn’t my best work.

She said she just wanted to be with you. And then you dumped her.

I groan inwardly as I scan the faces of everyone I see. There’s no sign of her, but the cosplay competition isn’t until later, she may not have arrived yet.

I wonder if she’ll refuse to speak to me at all. I wouldn’t blame her, but she never seemed like the type to carry a grudge. I just want to see her and make sure she’s not too upset about how things ended, something I should have done months ago.

I need to make sure she doesn’t hate me. I can’t handle if she hates me.

I guess I’ll have to play it by ear, although Lee would tell me that’s not my strongest suit.

I leave my jacket in the wardrobe and linger a bit, fiddling with my VIP bracelet. The gallery’s air-conditioning is working overtime, and it helps a little with the heat but I still feel uneasy. My eyes are drawn to the bathroom door.

If this was a movie, Julia would come out of the bathroom right now, exactly like last time. Our eyes would meet. A beat, as the camera cut from her face to mine, both of us too surprised to speak. I would recover first, tell her that we can’t keep meeting like this, and her face would crack into a smile. Then she’d leap into my arms and I would kiss her like there were no tomorrow.

Get it together, Romeo. She’s not kissing you ever again, you’re going to be lucky if she even speaks to you. Focus. You’re at work.

At least I’m not in full costume this year, I would probably have died from heatstroke. And it would have made me feel silly trying to have a serious conversation with Julia.

I decide to take a quick tour of the convention floor before the panel starts.

Even though it’s still early in the day, there’s people everywhere. Some tabletop role-players are recording their podcast on location, kids are running around, and several people are dressed up despite the heat. I wish Julia had shown me pictures of the costume she was planning so I knew what to look for.

A woman with long, red hair makes me do a double take, but I know it isn’t Julia before she even turns around, the way she moves is wrong. I know every inch of Julia’s body and this isn’t it. Everything Julia is, the way she walks and talks and laughs is imprinted on my brain, and it feels like I should be able to locate her by telepathy, by following some sort of invisible string tying me to her.

“Uh, Mr. Romeo! Sorry, hello.”

“Oh, hey. Edmund, right?”

The young man beams, clearly pleased that I remember his name. His booth was next to mine last year, we talked about old movies. I wish I could introduce Julia to him, she would have loved to discuss Cow Plant Love with an expert.

“Wait, you do know him? I thought you were lying!” The teenage girl next to him sounds somewhere between impressed and angry.

“Yeah, why would I lie about that? Sorry, sir, this is my sister Liz, she’s a big fan of Llama Man.”

“Can I have your autograph? I collect them, I already got the Coolala guy and the Freezer Bunny lady this morning. Oh, and can you make it out to ‘Lizette’, with a Z, please?”

“Of course. That’s a very cool costume, Lizette with a Z.”

“I made it myself! It’s Michelle from Doherty’s Revenge, have you seen it? The one with the zombie gym teacher?”

“Oh? Haven’t heard of it, do you think I should watch it?”

“You have to, it’s so good! I used to think it was actually really scary but now I just think it’s funny. Me and Edmund watch a lot of like, retro movies with dad, we even watched the really old Llama Man movies once. I’m gonna tell my dad I met you, he won’t believe it!”

“I’m flattered. Thanks for the movie recommendation, I’ll make sure to check it out.” I hand her the autograph before waving goodbye to Edmund who mouths a silent thank you.

Retro.

I know everything seems ancient to a teenager, but the word tastes like dusty VHS tapes, like lava lamps and shag carpets, like mid-century kitchens. This is my demographic, I suppose, nostalgic dads and their excitable kids.

Julia is not in the panel crowd either, but I guess that would have been too much to hope for. I would probably have found her presence too distracting anyway.

I know one of the other panellists, Mei Zhang, the iconic voice of the Freezer Bunny for over fifteen years. We’ve met briefly at conventions and even on a few gigs, but never really got a chance to speak much.

The third panellist is a young man named Andy Okeke, who seems to be voicing a few Voidcritters as well as a bear-like creature I’ve never heard of. It’s his first time on a panel, but he’s already annoyingly good for his age, and I can imagine him having a pretty impressive career at the speed he’s going.

I answer the same questions I’ve answered a million times before and try to find some sort of comfort in the fact that it’s the last time. As much as I loved my job, it got repetitive after almost a decade. Maybe I should get that number for Sierra’s agent, try to get back on screen. Maybe I’ve grown too complacent, stagnant.

Finally, the questions dry up and the last people leave the room, and just like that, I’m free from my contract. It doesn’t feel like freedom, though, more like a free fall.

“Hey, Romeo, wait up.” Mei stops me by the doors.

“How are you doing? It must be so weird.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know what I’ll do if they ever retire Bunny.”

“You’ll still have others, won’t you?”

“I know, but I’m known for Freezer Bunny, not for… four or five Voidcritters. I can’t even keep track of their names, which is ironic since it’s all they ever say.”

I’m not sure how to respond so I just nod. I’m impatient to get to the cosplay competition, but I don’t want to be rude.

“Mei, it was great seeing you again, but I’m in a bit of a hurry, actually.”

“Sure. Would you – would you want to grab coffee some time, though?”

Shit. Before Julia, I would have gladly followed Mei home tonight, maybe we’d even go on a couple of real dates before things fizzled out as they normally do. But right now, every muscle in my body is telling me that I have to go, to move, to be somewhere else.

“Sorry, I’m, uh. Maybe another time, I don’t…”

The giant poster of my face is judging my lame attempt at stringing together a sentence, and I’m painfully aware that the woman behind us has been sweeping the same spot for a minute now, pretending not to eavesdrop.

“I’m a big girl, Romeo. If you’re not interested, that’s fine.”

“Right. I am sorry, though, it’s not…” I mumble something politely incoherent and more or less flee the room.

Fuck. One year and I’ve completely lost my touch.

I hurry up the stairs, the competition must be just about to end. I can see through the doors before I even reach them, all of the contestants are on stage – and she’s not there.

I stand in front of the doors, frozen, arm still outstretched. This doesn’t make sense, she loves this, she told me about the costume she was planning, she should be here.

There’s no time to dwell on why I so desperately need to see her again, what I would even say to her, the only thing left is fear.

What if something has happened to her? Would I ever know? We’re not together anymore and we have no friends in common, no one who would think of me or assume I’d want to know if she got hurt or sick.

She could be dead. She could be dead and I would never know.

I’m vaguely aware that I’m spiralling but I can’t stop, I feel dizzy. The heat and the lights and the people, everything is too much and I can barely see.

Somehow my feet carry me outside, to the very same bench where we talked for hours on that first night. I try to breathe, deep breaths, but the air is too warm and feels thick.

My hands shake as I log into the anonymous account I made during a moment of weakness after she blocked me, and I pull up her social media in the hopes that she posted something recently, anything that can reassure me that she’s fine.

Relief floods through me when I see the timestamp on her latest updates. San Sequoia Aquarium, just a couple of hours ago. But the relief dissipates quickly as I scroll through the photos.

Nestled between fish and family pictures, there are two selfies with her friend Marten.

I stare at them, suddenly feeling numb.

Her eyes are shining like stars in the lights from the tanks. She’s smiling, and so is he. His arm is around her, possessively, and there’s a hint of triumph in his eyes that I don’t like.

He seems to be carrying her on his back in the other photo, and the thought of her legs wrapped around him awakens an urge to tear him away from her that is almost suffocating.

If they’re not already dating, it’s a matter of time. They would probably have gotten together a long time ago if I hadn’t been there. A petty part of me wonders if he was really being her friend or just biding his time, waiting for me to fumble, but that’s crazy. I barely know the guy. Actually, I don’t really know any of Julia’s friends, I just have a vague idea about their names and who they were to her.

I wasn’t a very good boyfriend, was I?

I told you it was better this way.

I’ve kept reminding myself that I didn’t make a mistake, and here’s proof at last. This was meant to be, they were meant to get together, I just happened to get in the way. He’s been a good friend to her, nice and considerate, while I only brought her chaos and pain.

I was so worried that Julia was wasting my time, but all along, I was the one wasting hers. She deserves better, I know this, but it still feels like I lost her all over again.

I put away the phone and take a deep breath of the scorching air. And then I reach for the tiny, secret corner of my heart where I was nursing my last hope of getting her back and stomp it out.

beginning / previous / next

[asmutwriter]

The Gangsta's Wife (Part 10)

DESCRIPTION: You decide its time to show off your new found home that your husband had bought with a big, celebratory party.

A/N - This part was about 2K words shorter. But then I made the smut part way more graphic and slightly longer. I hope you enjoy

WORD COUNT: 5401

From Beginning / Previous / Next / Master List  

WARNINGS: smoking, swearing, talk of a breakup, guns, smut, hair pulling, oral (m receiving), praise, spit, mild masochism (both m and f), pet names (sir, love), possession kink, pussy slapping, fingering, mild orgasm denial, sub reader, dom Tommy, creampie, unprotected sex, teasing, dacryphillia

DISCLAIMERS

This is fiction. Please always talk to your partner before doing anything and make sure they are ok with what you are doing beforehand

This story does not follow the timeline of the show

You'd spent a month or so in your new house. Although your husband had bought this house as a family home for the three of you, it somehow always had your sisters or his brothers round. Today was no exception. Your sisters are here at lunch time. Sat around the table as you cooed Charlie.

Tommy walking into the room to join you. Nodding slightly at his in laws before looking at you. A smile coming over his lips at seeing you and his child. His happy expression doesn't last long though. Shifting slightly as the three of you go quiet at his presence.

"What is it?" he looks at the three of you. You point at your sisters.

"They are the ones with the idea. Ask them" he looks at them. Mary nudging Liz as he gives his in-laws a quizzical look. His smile having faded but a touch of amusement in his blue eyes remains.

"Ask him" she whispers to her sister.

"Ask me what?" Liz fiddles with her hands as she speaks.

"When are you having a party here?"

"A party?"

"The only people that have seen this house is us and your family. Why have such a grand house if you aren't showing it off?"

"We asked Flo" Mary speaks up, helping her sisters case. "But she said she needed to pass it by you first Mr Shelby". He smiles at the notion. Turning to look at you. Taking out a cigarette as he speaks.

"Your thoughts?". Placing the item in his mouth before lighting it. You pull your bottom lip between your teeth. Letting it go before speaking.

"I agree with my sisters. I love this house. And I'm not ashamed to want to show it off" he nods. Removing the stick from his mouth with his thumb and middle finger.

"When shall we have it then ey?"

"Next Saturday" Mary says, drawing his eyes back to her. "It gives us enough time to send letters out. But not so far in the future that people will forget. We can then prepare catering and anything else we need for a party. If anyone needs to stay the night before or after then they can do so as that day accepts those type of arrangements." He nods again. Using the hand, the one holding the cigarette in, to exaggerate his speech.

"Flo, I will give you a list of names I'd like you to invite on my behalf. Other then that, feel free to invite whoever you want" he smiles. Placing it back into his mouth before turning. Walking out the room.

-

Your new maid helps you get dressed. Ready for the day of the party. Placing a beautiful silver necklace around your neck. You place two earrings into your lobes. Taking a minute to admire your wedding ring before adding a couple more to your fingers.. You stand up. Looking at yourself in the floor length mirror in your bedroom.

"You look beautiful Mrs Shelby" your maid says.

"Thank you Betty" you stroke down your dress. You turn to face her. Smiling. "You should borrow one of my dresses. Come to the party tonight"

"Oh now Mrs Shelby. I couldn't do that. It wouldn't be proper".

"If you change your mind and fancy an hour or so away from everything then you know where my dresses are. You're welcome to wear one of them tonight if you'd like". A knock at the door before it opens. Thomas walking inside holding Charlie. You go over. Seeing your son looking teary. "Oh no what happened?" you go over. A hand going to his cheek.

"He was crawling and fell down mid crawl. I did comfort him but I think he wanted his mothers love"

"Oh my poor baby" you gently take him. Kissing his head as you stroke his hair. He hides into you. Hearing a very sad sniff coming from him. Thomas places a soothing hand onto his back. Rubbing it gently. You start to hear the chatter of voices downstairs. Mary runs up. Pushing open the door as she runs in.

"People are here! Come on!" she smiles. Coming over and grabbing at your hand.

"I'll be down in a second" she nods. Grinning from ear to ear before skipping out the room. Betty comes over. Holding her hands out.

"Allow me Mrs Shelby". You kiss your child's temple. Passing Charlie over to her. Linking an arm with your husband. Him looking at you before you both head downstairs. Betty following shortly behind. Minding your son during the night.

You and Tommy go different ways. Socialising with different people throughout the night. You meet Vanessa. Linking an arm with her as you catch up with your gossip.

"I don't believe it" a voice interrupts your conversation. One that sounds very familiar. Turning you see Miss Finnley. A woman long forgotten in your past. Vanessa leans close to you as the woman makes her way over. Whispering into your ear.

"You invited your exes mum?"

"No. Not purposefully anyway" she comes over. Eyes scanning over your body as she places her hands in front of her. Delicately placed one over the other.

"Florence Hastings. How did a woman like you get into a party like this?".

"You know, you haven't changed a bit since I last saw you". You try not to laugh at the obvious disgust in her eyes. Like your some sort of scum of the earth.

"Who did you steal this dress from then, hmm?"

"I bought this dress. With my husbands money"

"What a poor man. Being married to a woman like you. How did you drag him into marrying you then?" you half smile.

"I've got a great set of tits and a rocking ass" her eyes widen. A look of shock on her face, jaw dropping. You smile at her. Linking an arm with Vanessa "I hope you have a good rest of the evening". You turn again. Walking away from her.

"You know something" Vanessa says as you go to the food table "I think you've gotten more ballsy since being married to that Shelby fella" you chuckle slightly. Grabbing a cupcake.

"I have to be quick witted in his family. They'd eat me alive otherwise" she laughs as you eat the cake. Betty comes over to you. A very tired looking Charlie in her arms. You smile sweetly at him as you stroke his hair.

"Someone is sleepy so we thought we'd come and say goodnight before heading to bed". You smile. Kissing your child's head.

"Goodnight my sweet boy. I love you" you kiss his head again. Stroking his hair as you watch her go over to Tommy. Him giving the boy the same treatment you did. An admiring smile coming over your face as you watch. Betty taking your son to bed.

Vanessa watches you. A knowing look in her eye. You tun back to her. Your smile changing as you look at her. "What's his name?"

"Charlie. His names Charlie"

"Wasn't that your dads name?" you nod. Your smile saddening slightly as you pick up another cake. "Its a lovely name. Your father would've been proud of the woman you've become". You nod again. Taking a bite of your food. Some other people come over. Chatting with you as you stay around the food table for the evening.

You hear a familiar voice again. "This is her Mr Shelby". You turn. Seeing Miss Finnley with your husband. His eyes meet yours, a look of confusion and amusement in his eyes. "This is the girl who used vile language in front of myself and your guests". You look down. Biting at the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from laughing. "Honestly. Some people have no manners. I demand that you make her leave at once"

"Mrs-"

"I think it'd be best for you and the other guests to not have such a disgusting girl here at your grand party. Goodness knows who she stole the dress from"

"Mrs Dickinson" he manages to cut her off. You look puzzled at the name but try not to let it show on your face. "I see that you've met my wife ". She looks at him. Blinking a few times.

"I- your-" she stutters for words.

"Please get back to the party. Enjoy the food and drink that my lovely wife has prepared for you". He smiles at her. An extremely amused look on his face as he looks at you. You smile at him as he turns. Going back to the social group he was with. She turns to you. More disgust on her face as she eyes you up and down.

Giving a soft 'hmmp' she turns. Her nose sticking upwards as she practically storms out. You turn back to Vanessa. "That actually happened..." Grabbing a few grapes. Popping them in your mouth as she lets out a low laugh.

"You said that your husband made a list of guests to invite?" you nod. "Was the name Mrs Dickinson on this list?". You think for a moment. Recalling the name as you nod. "Well that'd be it. She must've remarried. Changed her name. Meaning that she is no longer Miss Finnley, instead is Mrs Dickinson"

"I feel sorry for the poor sod that married her" she laughs. A low snort coming out, causing her to laugh more. You smile. Offering her some sweet treats as you both continue chatting. Vanessa sticking by your side the rest of the night.

During the early hours of the morning the party disbands. Your guests depart. Either going to the rooms you've provided for them. Or taking various cars and carriages home. You retire to your room. Soon followed by your husband. You sit at the edge of the bed. Taking off your shoes as he goes over to the vanity unit. Lighting up a cigarette. Sitting on the arm chair. You pick up your shoes. Placing them neatly away.

Your husband draws a drag. Placing his hand down, resting on the arm of the chair as he exhales the smoke. Putting his head back as he looks at the ceiling. You look at him as your hands go up to your ears. Taking out the earrings from them. You go over to the vanity unit. Placing the jewelry onto the side. His head remains back. Not paying you any mind.

You put your hands around your back. Unbuttoning your dress as you walk over to the bed. Bringing it down your body, stepping out of it. Leaving you in your bra, underwear, and stockings. Folding the dress over your arm as you go over to the wardrobe. Taking out a hanger and placing it onto it. Stroking down the material before placing it inside the wardrobe.

"I liked that dress you were wearing" Thomas says. You look at him. His eyes now on you.

"Thank you. I made it whilst I was at the safe house. Edward got me the material". You admire the fabric one more time before shutting the door. He places the cigarette back into his mouth. Inhaling before removing the stick.

"Come here". You turn and walk over to him. Him snubbing out his smoke before you make it to him. He takes your hand. Admiring the rings on your fingers.

"These are new"

"I spent a long time in that house... so when I got out I went a bit overboard with buying things". He lets out an amused scoff. His thumb running along the jewels as he looks at them.

"A beautiful woman deserves beautiful items such as these". You smile.

"Mr Shelby, you flatter me" he looks at you. Eyes warm and inviting. Your joyous smile softening as you look at him. You bend down. Kneeling between his legs. His hand remaining on yours. Stroking over your fingers as you keep eye contact. Your other hand coming to his leg. Your finger dancing on his thigh.

"What did you say to Mrs Dickinson?"

"Oh no. You don't need to know that" you drop his gaze. Tilting your head to the side.

"Do you know her?". You nod slightly. Knowing the silence holds questions he wont ask you, but requires an answer for. You take in a breath. Looking at his leg as you continue to circle his thigh.

"I used to date her son" your voice small. Feeling his eyes on you. "We had plans to elope. Run to Scotland and get married. But his mother found out. Told him that if he married me she wouldn't give him any of her fortune". You still your hand. Taking in a breath. "He chose money. Money over love. I waited for him at the train station for 3 hours. Longest three hours of my fucking life". You remove your hand from his leg. Turning away from him as you wipe a tear that threatens to fall down your face. "Jesus fuck" you say.

He gently takes you chin. Leaning forward. Making you look at him. His grip soft as he meets your eyes. "Fuck them both, ey? Fuck 'em". You take in a breath through your nose. A slow breath as he watches your eyes. His face about a foot away from yours.

"Miss Finnl- Mrs Dickinson asked how I had managed to get married. So... I... told her that it was because of my... tits and ass". His face cracks. A smile coming over his lips and going through his cheeks to his eyes. Admiration in his gaze. His hand moving slightly. Brushing his thumb over your lips as he lets out a soft laugh.

"You always amaze me Mrs Shelby". Your eyes darting between his. Piercing blue orbs stay fixed onto yours. You move timidly. Placing your hands onto his knees you kneel up slightly. His eyes remaining on yours as you search his. Closing the gap between you. Your lips pressing onto his. His hand remains on your chin as you kiss him. You move away slightly. Noses brushing as you look at him. Pressing your lips together before speaking.

"You know..." you tilt your head slightly. Gently brushing your lips over his. "I don't have any duties tonight...". You run your hands up his thighs. Gripping near the top of them. "Betty is looking after Charles... My sisters are likely tired from the party... as are all of our guests. They'll probably sleep through tonight". You bring your hand up. Fingers lightly tracing his groin. Your lips finding his again. Kissing him as you rest your palm onto him. Softly pushing down. Palming him through his trousers. A soft grunt escaping his lips. Passed into yours as you continue kissing. His hand moving from your chin to the back of your head. Gripping your hair.

He pulls you away, hand knotted into your curls as he meets your eyes. "That pretty little mouth of yours seems to get you in trouble" he taunts. "Lets see if you can use it for more... practical uses, ey?". You bite your bottom lip. Him removing your hand with his free one as he keeps eye contact with you. His eyes filling with lust as he takes himself out of his trousers.

His cock half hard from your palming. He pushes you down. Hand still firmly holding you as he brings you closer to him. Your hands gong to his thighs as you look up at him. Mouth in line with his length. He takes himself in his hand. Gently putting the tip to your mouth. Going soft on the grip of your hair. "Open". You oblige. Sticking your tongue out as he pushes himself into your mouth. His cock growing increasingly hard by the second, soon becoming fully erect.

His hand tightens. Feeling him pull at the roots. You let out a soft whine. The action causing him to push you down onto him. Feeling him intrude your throat. You try your best not to gag as he fills you. Shutting your eyes as your nose hits his pelvic bone. He lets out a hiss before he releases you. You cough, a trail of saliva connecting your lips to his cock. Taking in some deep breaths before he brings you to his length again. Welcoming him in as he proceeds to bob your head up and down. Feeling it hitting the back of your throat with each thrust.

Your hands grip his thighs. Nails digging into the trousered flesh. "Good girl" he coos. The praise going straight to your wetting core. You rub your thighs together. Wanting some sort of friction. He pushes your down again. Relaxing your throat as he enters you. Hollowing out your cheeks as you run your tongue under him. A low grunt escaping his lips. Forcing you down more. You feel tears come to your eyes at the intrusion. Struggling for breath as you hum around him.

"Fuck" he mutters. Somehow managing to push you further down. You shut your eyes. Hands clenching to fists. Feeling the tears fall down your cheeks. He keeps you there. A deep hum coming from his throat as he deprives you of oxygen. You lightly tap his leg once you need air. Pulling you from him. You breath deeply. Chest rising heavily. Trying your best not to cough. Spit falling from your lips as you look at him. His eyes watching yours. The sharp blue cutting into you. He removes his hand from your hair. Tilting his head as he watches you. Eagerly waiting for his next words.

"Stand" he demands. You get up. Pushing yourself up on his legs. Standing in front of him as he watches you. He traces his finger over the waistband of your underwear. "Take them off". You hook your finger into them. Pushing them down, stepping out of them. His hand comes up. Barely touching you.

"Hmm" he hums. Finger going between your slit. You catch your breath. A whine coming out. "Have you been touching yourself?". Your breathing becomes deeper. Quicker. Distracted by his finger dancing on your clit that you forget to answer him. He retracts his hand. Causing you to whine out. Looking down at him. "Have you touched yourself since I last fucked you?". You feel your cheeks redden slightly at the question. Shaking your head. A soft 'no' coming from your lips. He brings his hand back up. Running over your folds before pushing a finger into you easily. A broken moan leaves your lips at the sudden intrusion. Fluttering your eyes.

"Poor thing. Completely touch starved". He rolls it inside of you. Your hand goes forward. Resting on his shoulder as you steady yourself. The other coming up. Cupping and squeezing at your still clothed breast. Eyes shutting fully as you lull your head to the side.

"Please...". You beg. Not even sure what your asking for. He lets out an almost sadistic chuckle before removing his finger as quickly as he entered. Your eyes open again. A look of desperation on your face. "No. Please". You bring your hand to his other shoulder. Running them up his neck as you shuffle closer to him. Eyes darting over his face as he looks up at you.

"Tell me what you want, love". You whine. Rubbing your thighs together. His eyes glance down. A smile coming over his lips as he looks back up at you.

"I-I want to feel good. Please make me feel good". He pulls his trouser down slightly. Letting his cock out more. Taking your hips in his hands. Pulling you onto his lap. Your hands falling back onto his shoulders.

He lifts your hips. You hovering above him as he takes hold of his cock. Lining it up with you as you lower yourself. Slowly. Feeling your heart beat fast with every inch he fills you up. You wrap an arm around his neck. The other going to his cheek as you kiss him. His arms wrapping around you as he fills you completely.

Your hand goes to his torso. Gently gripping at the fabric of his layers. His hands snake up the length of your back. Going to your bra and discarding it onto the floor. His hands coming to the front. Gently running over your breasts. You pull at his top layers.

"Off. Please Tommy" he looks at you. "Please". He moves. Removing his blazer and waistcoat. He loosens his tie. Pulling it over his head. Your hands go to the buttons of his shirt as he places his tie around your neck. Tightening it as you undo the last button. He strips himself of it. Tossing it onto the floor. Letting the length of his tie fall between your breasts.

You brace your hands onto his shoulders again. Your body flush against his as you start to grind against him. His cock molding inside of you. Hitting all of those delicious spots. You dig your nails into his skin. Whimpers and moans escaping your lips as you grind against him. His hands tracing your spine. Lightly dragging his blunt nails over your skin. The dull pain causing you to tighten around him.

"Fuck" he mutters. Arms going around you as he stands. Your legs going around his waist. Wrapping your arms around his neck as he walks to the bed. Lying you down as he comes on top of you. Kissing your neck before sitting up. Still firmly inside of you as he grips your hips. Not hesitating as he begins to piston his hips into yours.

"Shit" Your hand coming down. Grabbing at his holding you still. He takes yours. Letting you grip onto his fingers as an unholy groan scratches through your throat. Feeling your high getting so close to you. "Please. Please Tommy".

"Cum on my cock". You cover your mouth. Muffling your moan as you scream out. Your hole spasming around him as he slows his movements. Helping you ride out your high. Your breathing laboured as you drop your hand. Fingers still tightened around his. His hips still slow against yours. Eyes fluttering from the feeling. His free hand grabbing the tie around your neck. Pulling you up so your face is inches away from his. One hand resting on his chest. The other holding his wrist.

"I forgot how good you feel" he says. A whisper as he keeps you close to him. His hips still slowly moving in and out of you. "So fucking good". You tighten around him. Causing him to smile. "You like praise ey? Like being a good girl for me? Letting me fuck this needy cunt of yours" he pulls out of you. You whine at the lack of contact. His hand still gripping the tie around your neck as he kneels in front of you. Free hand coming up. Your hole slightly agape from his member as he dips his finger into you. His eyes look up at you.

"Such a pretty little thing" he lightly taps you clit with his fingers. Gently slapping it. You flinch at each hit. Over sensitive due to your recent orgasm. Both hands going down to try and stop his torment. He drops the tie. Taking your hands in one of his. Holding them to your stomach. "This is mine" he plays with your clit. Your hips stutter at his touch. "I get to do what I want with it. Understood?". You nod slightly. A shiver going down your spine at both his touch and his words. He drops your hands as he stands up. Pulling his trousers down fully. Stepping out. Leaving him naked before you. He takes the tie again. Pulling you towards him as your lips meet.

He pushes back into you. You moan against his lips. Him gripping the tie as he plunges in and out of you. You grip his neck as he fucks you. Screwing your eyes shut. Nails digging into his skin as you mold your lips to his. Muffling the noises you make as he comes closer to his high. Bringing you along with him. He grunts against your lips. Pulling away as he pushes his hips into you. Feeling him cum deep inside of you. You let out a satisfied moan. Your toes curling. Letting your own orgasm wash over you.

Leaning forward and kissing his shoulder as he gently rocks against you. Pushing his cum into you. The sound of both of your juices mixing filling your ears. He pulls out of you. Kneeling before you like a man in prayer. His arms wrapping around you. Resting where your hips meet you ass. His head resting against your stomach as you wrap your arms around his head. Holding him close to you as you shut your eyes. Playing with the long hair atop his head.

"We should get some sleep..." you whisper. He doesn't say anything. Unsure if he heard you or not. "Mr Shelby?". He moves away. Thumbs rubbing your skin.

"Back to formalities already, ey?". You feel your cheeks redden. "You can drop the nicety"

"I-"

"Unless you get off on only saying my name when we fuck". Your cheeks redden more.

"That's not... That's not what that is Mr Shelby..."

"Then call me Thomas. We are married and you did carry my child"

"Mr-" he doesn't say anything. Instead, he watches you with those damn eyes. "Thomas". He smiles.

"Good girl". He stands. Grabbing his underwear and placing them on himself. He grabs his shirt. Bringing it over to you, his arm outstretched with the fabric in his hand. You take it from him. Putting it on your torso.

"Thank you" you say softly. He goes to his blazer. Taking out two cigarettes and a lighter. Rolling one over his lips before keeping it in place. Handing you the other one. You take it. Placing it in your mouth as he lights the end for you before lighting his own. He goes to the top of your bed. Getting under the covers.

You stand up. Undoing the tie around your neck as you place it onto the vanity unit. Folding it neatly. Tommy's eyes on your thighs. You wearing his white shirt, plus the stockings still on your legs. You were an extraordinary sight. You go to the edge of the bed. Sitting onto it, placing the smoke into your mouth. Taking off your stockings and throwing them onto one of the various piles of clothes on the floor. Swiveling around so you can put your bare legs underneath the warm blanket. Taking one last inhale before putting it out in the ashtray by your bed.

You wake up early the next morning. You see Tomas still sleeping in the bed next to you. Usually he was up early working so this was a surprise. You stretch. Sitting up you look at the clock on the wall. 5:30. You let out a deep sigh. No wonder the rest of the house was quiet. You scratch the back of your head. Wincing slightly as you feel the nights events effect your body. Rubbing your forehead with your palm. You scan the bedroom. Seeing your clothes dotted around the room.

You swing your legs over the side of the bed. Doing up the buttons of the shirt you're wearing before bending down. Picking up the various clothes items. Sorting through as you determine them to be clean and dirty. Thomas's jacket being clean, you sling it over the back of the chair. Hearing a 'thump' you jump slightly. Eyes darting to what made the noise. Your blood goes cold. You must've knocked his gun from the side, or it might've been in his jacket and it fell out.

Regardless. The weapon is now sitting on the floor. You kneel beside it. This item being the last thing so many men saw before they died. Your hand shakes slightly. You clench them before you trace over the weapon. Admiring the dangerous beauty. Fingers gently touching over the length of it before you get the nerve to pick it up. Laying it in both your palms as your eyes dance over it.

"I'd be careful with that" you turn your head. Thomas was sat up, watching you. His back resting against the bed rest.

"I was just- It must've fallen whilst I was tidying our clothes" you motion at the chairdrobe now in the room. He looks at it, then back at you. His eyes focusing on the weapon as you haphazardly stand. Placing it back onto the side. "Its a beautiful pistol". You look back at him. An amused look on is face. "What?"

"Revolver. Not pistol". You pause for a moment. Your brow furrowing before speaking again.

"What's the difference?" you say. An almost embarrassed whisper as he laughs. He gets out of bed. Walking over to you. You continue to look at him. Watching as he stands a foot away from you. Reaching behind you, taking the gun from the table. He holds it. His eyes on yours as he brings the weapon up. You look at it. Body stiff as he speaks.

"A revolver has a revolving chamber. A pistol has a stationary chamber". You nod slightly. Wide eyes still on the weapon. "Look at me Florence". You tilt your head up. Meeting his gaze. Unable to get how he can be so calm whilst holding such a deadly object. A slight fear in your eyes as he brings the gun down. His free hand coming up. Gently running over your cheek bone. "I'm not going to hurt you love". You nod. Timidly at first but growing stronger as your voice comes out quietly in the room.

"I know. I know". He moves his hand from your face. Holding it out, palm upwards.

"Give me your hand". You hesitate before you bring a hand up. Placing it in his. He notices you shaking "Trust me". He speaks as he turns your hand. Palm facing upwards. Bringing the gun back up. Your eyes flashing down. Placing the gun into it. Wrapping the digits around the grip. You go to protest but he interrupts you. "The more you get to know a weapon the less intimidating it can seem". Nodding slightly as your eyes stay fixed on the firearm. "Hold it here. Pull back this to cock it. Aim at whatever you want to shoot. Then pull the trigger" his fingers pointing at the different aspects.

"How do they not scare you?". Your voice quiet. If he wasn't as close as he was he likely wouldn't have heard you. He takes in a breath through his nose.

"I've been around them to long for them to scare me as they scare you". You force your eyes away from the weapon, looking at him. Blue orbs glance up into yours. "Getting better already with them". You give him a curious look. "You can actually look at me whilst there is a gun in your hand". A small smile comes over his lips. "A few months ago you wouldn't even be in the same room as a gun, let alone be holding it". You let out a small scoff. Nodding as you let him take the weapon from your hands.

"You're right. You're completely right, Mr Shelby". His face shifts. His smile growing as he appears charmed by your words. "What?" you speak softly. Placing it onto the counter behind you. He comes back in front of you. Eyes looking between yours as he has a soft yet loud smirk on his face.

"Were you so cock drunk last night that you forgot what I said?". Your face burns up at the comment. Your mind trying to remember quickly.

"I-" His smile grows. His eyes narrow marginally as he continues to tease you. "Or is it some sort of turn on - saying my name only during sex?"

"Its- its not like that. I-" you stutter. Cheeks a burning red as he smiles at you.

"Its alright love. Either way, I understand". He moves away from you. Grabbing out a clean shirt from the chest of drawers. "Get dressed. We have guests to entertain this morning". Taken aback by his words you let out a little nod. You start to disrobe and get dressed too.

Previous / Next

TAGS

@whorecrux-of-slytherin @kkrenae @ireallydontcareanymorebrooo @frozenhuntress67

[youvebeenlivingfictional]

Hi! I love love love the other half. After the last chapter I hope Bruce does something nice for shop girl (and for himself to ig). Them being sweet just makes me screech.

Previous Part | Masterlist | Final Part

Some sweet Bruce comin' riiiight up

Warnings: Very light angst; mostly fluff

Not beta-read

“Are you awake?” Bruce’s breath brushes against the bare skin of your shoulder. You grunt softly, shifting where you lay on your belly. The sheets are soft and warm beneath you; you can see sunlight beginning to creep in between the curtains of the master bedroom of the mansion. 

“...No,” You finally mumble, voice grumbling and thick with sleep. Bruce chuckles, pressing a sweet kiss to your shoulder as his palm brushes over your back, dipping beneath the covers. You hum softly, arching up into his touch and sighing through your nose. 

“Why are you awake?” You counter. “What time did you get in?” 

“A little after two.” 

“Oh, wow. Early night for you.” 

“Moderately.” 

You roll onto your back, gently dislodging Bruce’s hand. You scrub the sleep from your eyes with the heels of your palms before you finally tip your chin up, getting a better look at him. He does look more well-rested than he has in a while: his eyes are bright as he smiles down at you. 

Christmas and New Years had passed with little to no incident. Your Christmas celebration had been small; the most tense point had been a short video call with your parents. Conversation overall had been stilted, but not as bad as pulling teeth. New Year’s had been spent at Liz and Grant’s for their blowout celebration, but your night with Bruce had ended early when the signal had shown in the sky. 

Still, despite your bumps and hurdles, you feel like the two of you are slowly inching toward where you had been before your break-up. Some of the buoyancy is coming back to both of you. With your relationship no longer Gotham’s best-kept secret, Bruce openly picks you up after work. Sure, you’re still mobbed by the press, but you’re so used to it that it hardly makes a dent anymore. You aren’t tip-toeing around one another. If you have a disagreement, Bruce stays to talk it out. Now and again he may step out of the room to get his head together—but he always comes back. 

It isn’t perfect—it will never be perfect—but it feels more solid, and safe. 

You raise your hand, sweeping it gently across his cheek, and giggling softly as he tips his head to press a kiss to your palm. 

“Someone’s in a good mood.”

“Well someone,” Bruce leans closer, brushing his nose against yours, “Has plans for you today.” 

“For me? Little ol’ me?” 

You hardly have a chance to get the tease out before Bruce captures your lips in a tender kiss. You sink back into the mattress as he presses closer, looping your arms around his shoulders and smiling as his tongue gently probes between your lips. You hum at the feeling, shifting your hips as Bruce’s hand skims across them, then down your thigh. You pout as he draws back just a little, dropping another peck to your lips before his forehead rests against yours.

“What are these plans, exactly?”

“I don’t want to ruin any surprises.” 

“Surprises?” You lean into it as your brows raise. Plural?” 

“You’ll see.” Bruce gives you one more quick, warm kiss before he leans away. “Shower, get dressed. I’ll get you some coffee.” 

You push yourself up onto your elbows, an intrigued smile curling your lips. “What the hell are you up to, mister?” 

“You’ll see!” 

-- 

Bruce doesn’t let a single tip slip throughout your shared coffee, or on the way out—not even when you crowd him into an alcove by the stairs and nibble on his earlobe. He nearly crumbles for a moment, but he rests his hands on your hips and gives them a lusty squeeze before reassuring: “There’ll be plenty of time for that later.” 

You narrow your eyes slightly as Bruce steers you out of the dim space, a smile curling your lips as you take in the rising flush in his cheeks. 

“Looking a little flustered there, Mr. Wayne.” 

“What ever gave you that idea—Alright,” He chuckles as you lean in, pushing cool air over his earlobe. “You can’t get secrets out of me that way.” He curls his arm around yours, steering you toward the front steps of the mansion. 

“Mm, but I was this close. What would the sinister of Gotham think if they found out that Batman needed so little teasing to crumble?” 

“Why do you think the helmet covers my ears?” 

You snort, bumping your hip against him before the two of you slow at the sight of Alfred standing in front of one of Bruce’s cars. 

“Go on,” Bruce urges softly when you meet his eye again. “I’ll see you tonight.” 

“At one of my many surprises?” 

“Exactly.” 

You pucker your lips, and grin as Bruce leans in for another indulgent kiss. 

“Love you.” 

“Love you, too.” He pats your lower back, urging you forward. “I’ll see you later.” 

You grunt, jogging down the front steps. 

“Morning, Alfred.” 

“Good morning, miss.” 

“I take it you’re in on these shenanigans?” 

“Shenanigans may be a rather harsh word for the day ahead.” He shoots you a wink as he opens the door for you. 

“Any hints?” 

“I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” 

--  

Alfred leaves you at the front door of Grove, one of your favorite restaurants, at 11:30 AM on the dot, and tells you that your name is on the reservation. You linger in the reception area as the waiter prepares your table. 

“Ugh, tell them to hurry up, I want a fucking mimosa.” 

You shriek at the familiar voice, whirling around from the reception desk and right into Michelle’s arms. She cackles, and the two of you hug one another tightly for a long few moments. 

“What are you doing here!” You ask, reeling away to get a better look at her. 

"Moneybags offered to fly me in. No way was I turning down first class, a free brunch, and…Some other stuff.” 

“Ugh, not you, too,” You whine. You let it drop just long enough for the waiter to show the two of you to a quiet table at the back of the restaurant. You let Michelle order the two of you a round of mimosas before you lean across the table. “Come on, not even a hint?” 

“Well, I’m going to be around for a few hours, but that’s all you’re getting.” 

“When did he reach out?” 

“Like…I don’t know, sometime during gooch week?” 

“During what?”

“Gooch week—you know, the week between Christmas and New Years? Like the bit between the asshole and the—” 

“Okay, I got it, I got,” You wave her off as the waiter sets down your mimosas. “What did he tell you, at least? That made you come down here.” 

“He said that he wanted to do something nice for you.” 

You hum thoughtfully, narrowing your eyes as you consider what that could possibly mean. Bruce does nice things for so often.

“I think he still feels like he needs to make up for the whole…Situation.” 

“Well, he does,” Michelle mutters, taking up her glass and taking a deep swig. You fight back a chastising frown. 

“...He’s been getting better. We’ve been better,” You insist. 

“Do you think he’s going to propose tonight?” 

Her question stuns you, and for a moment, you can’t say anything. The prospect makes your head spin, and you actually lean back in your seat with the weight of it. 

“I…” You shake your head, “I don’t…” 

Michelle’s lift with interest, and she leans in. 

“You don’t…what? Know how big the ring is gonna be?” 

“I don’t think he’s going to ask,” You laugh. “I mean, at least, not right now. He and I haven’t spoken about it in a long time.” 

“Not even after the attack?” 

“We’ve talked about a lot of things, but that’s not one of them.” 

Michelle grunts softly. “If he proposed tonight, what would you say?” 

“He’s not going to.” 

“But if he did?” 

“Knee-jerk reaction? Probably yes. But we’ve still got a lot of crap to sort through.” 

“Like what?”

“Like…” You flub for a a reasonable answer before you manage: “He’s an insomniac.” 

Michelle's expression is rife with disbelief, and you couldn't blame her. To a reasonable person, it's probably not a great reason to end a relationship.

“That’s a deal breaker for you?” 

“I know it sounds kinda petty, but it makes more of an impact than you’d think.” 

“What else?” 

“I mean, I’d kind of like him to make peace with my parents before any of that. Not like, go to them and ask for my hand—I don’t care about that and they don’t, either. But if he’s going to be family to them, I just want all of that bad blood from Thanksgiving cleared up.” 

“He wasn’t given the green after the office?”

“I mean, they appreciated it, but my mom is convinced that bad luck just follows him.” 

“Maybe it does.” 

You purse your lips, swirling your mimosa a little. 

“Maybe.” 

The two of you consider it for a few moments before Michelle reaches out, patting your hand and pointing to your menu. 

“Let’s order. I don’t want to miss our spa appointment.” 

“Spa?” 

She winces. “Just act surprised when we turn up so Lord Fancy doesn’t report back to the billionaire that I spoiled anything.” 

-- 

“Are you kidding me?” 

Bruce smiles smugly as he watches you nearly double over in laughter. You don’t care that the entire floor staff of Chef du Roi is looking at you like you’re insane. 

“I figured we should try the food here at least once,” Bruce insists as you calm, steering you by the arm toward your table. You swipe a few tears that had gathered from your eyes, chuckling still as he draws your chair out for you. 

“Thank you.” Your smile widens as Bruce leans in, pressing a gentle kiss to your cheek before he rounds to his seat. You take the proffered menu from the waiter, flipping it open. You wait until the waiter is out of earshot before you comment, “You know, I’ve been dying for Chipotle lately.” 

“Ha-ha.” 

You giggle, wriggling your foot out of your new pair of pumps and gently brushing your toe along his calf. Bruce’s gaze flickers to yours from beneath his lashes, and you fight back a devilish grin. 

“So, the spa, the shopping spree, flying in my best friend…May I ask what triggered such largesse?” 

“Well, it’s not every day that I have to scramble to make up for missing our first anniversary by bringing you back to the scene of our first date,” Bruce comments, glancing between menu pages. It feels a little like a goad—especially considering the fact that he’s the reason you’d missed your anniversary, and you both know it. You just hum thoughtfully, glancing over the entrees. 

“...Technically the scene of our first date was the diner near the store I worked at,” You remind him. “This was our second date—And we didn’t even eat here.” 

“Nitpick nitpick nitpick.”

“I learned from the best.”

“Michelle?” 

“Alfred.” 

Bruce chuckled, setting his menu aside. “How is Michelle?” 

“She’s doing pretty well. Still adjusting to Keystone City, obviously, but she said that she enjoys how quiet it is by compairson…Thank you, by the way.”

“I know how much you’ve been missing her.” 

“...She’s worried.” 

“That I’ll do it again?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Are you worried?” “Should I be?” 

You don’t look up from your menu for a moment. You can feel him watching you heavily, but you don’t let it bow or shy you back from the question. You feel the table shift as he leans forward a little. 

“Baby.” 

“Mm?” 

“If for some reason I lose my mind and do that again, I want you to take everything out of the mansion that isn’t nailed down.” 

You bite back a smile, nodding. “Do me a favor and jot that out on a napkin. Alfred can notarize it when we get home.” 

“Alfred can notarize it tomorrow morning. He has the night off.” 

“Why’s that?” 

Bruce’s foot hooks around your ankle, tugging a little closer beneath the table. You can’t help but wonder what sort of picture you make to the staff—Bruce, watching you so closely, you, studying your menu as if the waiter’s going to quiz you on it, and your feet hooked together, visible just beneath the end of the tablecloth. 

“Because if you’re amenable, our plans don’t end with dinner.” 

“What do they end with?” 

“That is up to you.” 

“Do I get to know my options?”

“I think you know your options.”

“Mm.” You make a show of turning the page of your menu, stalling and trying to weigh your words. “...So is this going to be an evening on the…Earlier side?” 

“Not if I can help it.” 

“...But if you can’t help it?” 

“It’s going to take a lot to get me away from you tonight.” 

“You know if you changed one word and omitted another, you would’ve been quoting Toto’s Africa.”

“That wasn’t on purpose.”

“Wasn’t it?” You cast him a glance from beneath your lashes.

“No.” 

Your brows tip up, and his stern insistence melts before he shrugs. “Heard it on the way over.” 

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s catchy.” 

“It’s very popular.” 

“I mean it.”

“...I know.” 

“You know?” 

“I know it’s catchy.” 

He laughs softly, and you reach out, curling your hand around his. 

“I know you mean it,” You reassure gently. Bruce smiles, raising his hand and pressing a kiss to your knuckles. 

“...How long do you think the staff is going to linger over there?” He asks. 

“I think they’re afraid to come over.” 

“I don’t bite.” 

“Sure you do.”

“Not with an audience.” 

Final Part

[angstywaifu]

Black Dahlia - 8. Prove You Wrong

One tragic day changes Dahlia's life forever. Despised by her father and brother, she's spent her entire life trying to be the child and sister she use to be. But nothing she ever does is good enough. She joins the Rider's Quadrant to prove them wrong. Garrick now in his second year has proven he is more than the mark on his skin to his fellow riders, and taken leadership of his own Squad alongside Xaden. Little does he know the girl walking across the parapet is about to send him on a rollercoaster of a year. Set Pre Fourth Wing/Books

Garrick Tavis x OC (Dahlia Aetos)

Black Dahlia Masterlist | Masterlist

I join the crowd of cadets making their way to the gym, the first round of challenges finally here. My staff firmly grasped in my hand. Before I can pass through the door with everyone else, a hand grasps my arm firmly, pulling me roughly from the crowd as I stumble over my feet. I right myself, prying the hand from my arm to look up and see Dain staring down at me.

”What the hell do you want?” I snap at him.

I’d gone most of the last two weeks without interacting with him. Only catching his eyes on me during battle brief and during meals. Luckily our squads had not been paired together for any classes, meaning I got a lot of time away from him. Otherwise I know I would have crossed paths with him already.

”Just wanting to make sure you do your best in there and don’t disappoint dad.” He tells me bluntly.

”Oh don’t worry, father dearest won’t have to worry about that.” I snap before pivoting on my heel and walking away.

”What about those marked ones you’re training with?” He calls out, causing me to stop in my tracks.

Shit. Clearly Dain was paying more attention to me than I thought. As well as training with Austin and Liz, Bodhi had brought along another marked first year called Ciaran . But we weren’t always the only squad in there. Every night there would be marked ones from other squads scattered around the gym, keeping the allocated distance as dictated by leadership. Marked ones weren’t allowed to hang out in groups of more than three. And I knew exactly what it looked like to Dain. I turn back to him, that smug smirk on his face that I had grown to know as a look he got when he thought he had caught me out. Not today.

”I’m not training with them. I’m training with my squad, helping those who need it. No rules against that. And the other squads are more than welcome to use the space as well.” I tell him with the smile I usually used when talking to our father.

”You need to be mindful of the company you’re keeping. Word might get out. Not exactly a good look for us.” The tone almost similar to the one our father used when giving orders. Except Dain hasn’t nailed the commanding authoritive edge to it needed to drive it home.

”Oh yes, because me being a good squad member and helping others is such a bad look. Leadership are definitely going to hate me doing that, and being able to work with others. Maybe you should take some notes if you want to impress dad and have a leadership position next year. Wouldn’t want to disappoint him.” I mock back, before pivoting on my heel to walk inside the gym.

By the time I get inside challenges have already started up. I push my way through the crowd to where I can see Bodhi’s head sticking up above the crowd. And on the mat in front of us was Austin, facing off against a far bigger first year from First Wing. Two weeks ago I would have been a little nervous for the outcome of the fight. But as she ducks under his swing and takes his knee out with a well placed kick, I have nothing to worry about. And I can’t help the slight smile that works its way onto my face. It had only been a bit over a week that we had been training together, but her and Liz had come a long way since then. Both practically sponges with the information and techniques I was showing them. They weren’t perfect, but they knew enough to hold their own more comfortably.

”Durran and Stoll, you’re up. And Cardulo and Huxley you’re up to.” Emetterio calls out, pointing to the boy standing next to me and the pink haired girl I now knew as Imogen from the few times I had seen her in the gym.

I lookover as she pushes through the crowd, drawing my attention to Dain who is looking right at me, with a look that tells me he is not convinced about the conversation we had outside. He was definitely going to go and tell our father about this. And as much as I wanted to say it didn’t worry me. It did. I might be away from our father, but he still had power over me here.

”For someone who apparently took a third year down so easily two weeks ago, you’re looking pretty nervous Aetos.” A voice drawls from next to me.

I turn my head, and standing right where Bodhi had been moments prior was someone I hadn’t been this close to since conscription day. Someone who had shown how much they wanted nothing to do with me every time our eyes met. Garrick. I almost have have to crane my neck to meet his eyes. He was easily the tallest rider in the quadrant. And probably the biggest. And yet he had managed to squeeze into the space Bodhi had once been. But I had seen the way other riders moved out of his and Xaden’s way in the halls. No one wanted to mess with them. And I couldn’t blame them. One look at Garrick and I knew I had no chance against him on the mat. Maybe if I could wear him out, but I could tell that wouldn’t be easy.

”Don’t call me that.” I snap back before turning my gaze back to the challenges in front of me.

”Someone’s touchy about their name.” He teases before chuckling.

Gods I wish I could punch him and shut him up.

”Yes, something you should have learnt on my first day here.” I point out before clenching my jaw.

Something he must notice as he chuckles again. “Oh I did. And before long you and that brother of yours will learn your name will only get you so far here. I can see it in your face, you got lucky with that third year.”

Oh but he was wrong. Very wrong. The emotions that must have crept onto my face were nothing to do with the challenge awaiting me when my name was called. There was no denying my fight against Nari and I had been over and done with quicker than a lot of others during assessment day. And due to Garrick not having shown up to any of the training sessions I had been at in the gym, he was yet to see me actually fight.

”Henrick and Ae- Dahlia! You’re up!” Emetterio calls out, pulling me from my moment with Garrick as I turn to watch another first year from Dain’s squad walk onto the mat, sword clutched in his hands.

Goosebumps work my way onto my neck, causing me to shiver as Garrick leans down to place his mouth next to my ear. “Go on then little Aetos. Try prove me wrong.”

Oh don’t worry Garrick Tavis. I will prove you wrong. Though I don’t say the words out loud, keeping them to myself as I grip the staff in my hand tightly before walking onto the mat. I didn’t need to live up to my name. Didn’t want to be anything associated to that last name. I needed to prove that I was more than just the Colonel’s daughter. That despite my last name I had worked and earned what I was here to do. Not just handed it on a silver platter because of that name. I almost feel sorry for the boy stood in front of me, his light brown hair curling on his head, the freckles scattered on his face giving him a youthful look to his appearance.

With a flick of my arm, the staff that I’d had retracted till now expands to its full height. The one upside to my last name was the weapon smiths. Any idea they had, they were willing to help create. One of which was the staff in my hand. I was good with the staff, even if it wasn’t a popular choice. Especially amongst riders. Mastering a staff meant you had a lot of flexibility in finding something you could use as a weapon. A handy skill to have out in the field if you got caught out. I swear I can hear Garrick snicker from behind me at my choice in weapon.

The boy and I circle each other, eyeing each other up as we look for an opening to attack. I lung forward, testing to see how he would react as I hadn’t seen him fight before. He easily deflects my incoming attack before coming back at me with a series of powerful slashes. He clearly knew his way around a sword. Good. I wanted a challenge. But I could tell he was unsure of my weapon of choice, his eyes moving up and down the staff as he takes in how I move.

I feign an attack to his right before pivoting towards his left as he takes the bait, swinging to block an attack that never comes. I watch as his eyes go wide as I swing low, taking out his legs from under him as he falls to the ground. He quickly bounces back as he rolls out of it before spinning back towards me, sword gripped tightly in his hands again. He comes at me with a series of strikes, trying to closer the gap to gain the advantage. But I block every single strike with ease.

I can see the frustration building in his eyes each time I dodge his attack. He’s skilled, but I hold the advantage with my weapon. I take a moment to catch my breath, waiting for an opening. Which comes seconds later as he charges forward with a powerful swing. I quickly side-step, lashing out with my staff in a quick jab. The impact sends him stumbling back and I see my opening and I don’t hesitate to make my move. I thrust my staff towards the unprotected area, meeting its mark with ease. My staff connecting with a satisfying blow that sends him sprawling to the ground as I sweep his feet out from under him. He hits the mat with a solid thud as his sword flies from his hand. He makes a move to grab his sword, his movements sluggish after hitting the mat. But I’m quicker, pinning him as I place my boot on his chest, staff pushing down on his neck. The boy looks up at me wide eyed, shocked I had pinned him within two minutes, before nodding his head in a sign of defeat.

”Aetos is the winner!” Emetterio declares, before moving to select the next cadets to take to the mat.

I release the boy from beneath me, pivoting on my heel to return to my squad. I can’t help but smirk at the scowl on Garrick’s face before he turns and pushes his way through the crowd. Told you I’d prove you wrong.

@imtoanonymousforyou @simplyme-fornow @omalmal @lalaluch @wolfbc97 @leptitlu @fullmoon-94

[shaunamilfman]

they got no idea about me and you

Summary: "When Shauna got her license and started picking Jackie up for school it seemed easy enough to just bum a ride from her: you were, after all, Jackie's neighbor. You resented Jackie at first for all the time you and Shauna spent waiting in the car for her, but you've really started to treasure these secret moments spent between the two of you."

A/N: nothing like super nsfw but it's not strictly sfw either

You can't help the grin that crosses your face the second you hear her car coming to a stop outside of Jackie Taylor's, your neighbor's, house. Truthfully you could hear it coming a long way down the road, but like always Shauna refuses to admit that anything could be wrong with Kevin Car-nold himself– itself? You were never quite sure how naming your car worked. 

You impatiently wait a minute or two before you throw your bag over your shoulder and try not to rush your way out of the door. She's staring down at her journal as she writes, so you take the time to admire her on the walk down your driveway. She looks good today, not that she doesn't always look good, but there's something about the way her hair looks when it's down that draws you in. 

There's just a hint of a frown on her face as she writes, but you're more than used to Shauna Shipman's particular brand of moodiness that you can't help but view it in an affectionate light. You can appreciate what the journal does for your otherwise emotionally unavailable girlfriend– God knows she'd explode without it. Still, you're almost embarrassed at having to compete with a pen and paper for Shauna's attention. 

It feels strange to be jealous of an inanimate object, but sometimes you find yourself wishing that Shauna would hold on as tightly to you as she does to her journal even if you know it's not an entirely fair comparison. You try to shake the thought from your head as you pop the handle open. 

Shauna glances up at the rearview mirror as the door opens, her hand never stilling as she looks back to her journal with a small smile. You slide into the seat directly behind her, haphazardly letting your bag fall onto the floorboards. Shauna hums in greeting as the angsty sounds of Liz Phair play quietly from the stereo. 

I can feel it in my bones, I'm gonna spend another year alone. Fuck and run, fuck and run.

“Fuck and run?” You quote, grinning as Shauna finally looks up from her notebook with a vaguely amused look. She finally closes her journal and places it lazily on the passenger seat as she turns to face you. 

“Is that what you do?” You ask wryly, leaning forward against the back of her seat. Shauna sputters slightly, glancing back and forth between you and the stereo. There's a light flush to her cheeks, not embarrassment so much as a hint of shyness. 

“You player,” You accuse lightly. Shauna huffs a laugh as she gives you a wry look. 

“Oh, you know me,” She says, rolling her eyes. As much as Shauna likes to poke fun at others she never seems to like it nearly as much when it is turned on her. You think it's probably because of how easy it is to make her flush, whether with anger or with embarrassment. 

“You dog,” You murmur teasingly against her ear, pressing a quick kiss against her cheek as you scoot back against the passenger side window laughing. Her eyes follow your movements, almost as if she can't bear to tear her eyes away. She's got what you've termed ‘the look’ on her face– eyes narrowing with an intense expression on her face as she glances around, head tilted in consideration– signifying she's about to do something risky or stupid. Shauna stares up at Jackie's house for a long moment before suddenly pulling herself over the center console and into your lap. 

She misjudges the distance and ends up slamming you against the door, making you groan in pain as your head smacks against the window. “Shit,” Shauna mutters, hand sliding to the back of your head as she starts feeling for damage. You gently grab her by the wrists and pull her hands away, wincing at the way her fingers press against what you’re sure is going to be a nasty bruise. She gives you an apologetic look and a murmured apology that you wave off as you rest your hands on her hips.

“Not too good at the running part, though,” You say, still referencing the song she’s left on. Shauna smirks, surely about to address the first part of that particular lyric before she gives you a confused look.

“My dad heard you leaving,” You comment wryly. Shauna's eyes widen as a sudden look of unease crosses her face, she looks over at your house with a level of apprehension you've never seen directed at a building. You'd think it was haunted by the look on her face. She slaps lightly at your shoulder as you start snickering.

“Don’t laugh,” She hisses, still sounding a little panicked. 

“Mm, no. Don't worry. For better or worse my dad thought it was next door.” You say, making Shauna relax instantly. She leans forward and buries her head in your shoulder, her arms coming up to wrap around your shoulders and she breathes in the scent of your cologne.

“What do you mean for worse?” She asks after a moment, making you shiver at the feeling of her breath against your neck.

“He thought you were That damn Sadecki boy,” You quote wryly. Shauna winces.

“I was that loud?” She asks, embarrassed at the comparison. You laugh softly, caressing your thumbs across her hips.

“You’re very pretty,” You offer, not wanting to keep kicking her while she was down. She muffles a laugh into your neck before pulling back, tilting her head down as she gives you a knowing look. 

“Oh, Is that right?” Shauna asks smugly, trailing her hand across your face to cup your chin as she tilts your head up to look you in the eyes. 

“Prettiest girl I've ever seen. Gorgeous. Breathtaking. Beautiful–” 

“Good at sneaking out your window?” Shauna interrupts, fully relaxing on your lap to rest all of her weight on you as she leans forward till your lips are almost touching. You try to lean forward to close the distance between you, but Shauna gently holds your head back. “Good at sneaking out of your window?” She repeats slowly, making it all too clear she's not going to let you kiss her till you say what she wants. 

You can't help but roll your eyes as you sigh fondly. She's so fucking stubborn. “So good at sneaking out of my window. The best, even. I don't think there's been a better window climber outer in the history of–”

She interrupts you once again as she finally closes the distance between you to give you your hard-earned kiss. You can feel her smile against you and it only makes you more enthusiastic. Shauna was intense in everything she did, and smile or not, this was no different. 

She's so easy to get lost in, every movement practiced and deliberate. You always lose track of time wrapped up in her, whether minutes or hours have passed you have no idea. Not that you were particularly concerned with the concept, honestly you weren't sure if you could remember your own name if asked. 

Shauna finally pulls away as the need to breathe overwhelms her, laughing breathlessly as you try to follow her with a noise of displeasure. You move your way to her neck as she catches her breath, her hand sliding into your hair as you bite down. 

The noise she makes in response is far too loud for a public setting, but neither of you seems to care as Shauna's hips rock in response. She's verging on a whine as you roll the skin between your teeth, fist clenching around your hair as she murmurs praises. 

She starts grinding down in earnest as you pull away with a wet pop, gently soothing at the teeth marks you've left behind. You'll be damned if you're letting her leave this car without a mark on her. She definitely isn't complaining, nearly rocking the car with her enthusiasm. She moans breathily, hand tightening in your hair as she tugs you away. 

There's a hungry look on her face, your saliva on her neck nearly glistening in the morning light. She starts to speak when her eyes suddenly go wide with panic as she sees something over your shoulder. “Shit,” She panics, scrambling away and back over the center console. You turn back in shock only to catch Jeff Sadecki running across the lawn. 

Shauna slides back into the driver's seat about as gracefully as she slid out of it; Which is, to say, not at all. She slams into the horn on the way down, making you jump in surprise as you whirl your head around to stare at her in surprise. She seems mortified as she meets your gaze, quickly facing forward as she starts adjusting the way her flannel lays on her neck. 

You groan in irritation as you quickly fix your rumpled clothes, glancing out the window as Jackie marches down the lawn with a frown on her face. Shauna goes scrambling to move her journal out of the passenger seat, tossing it haphazardly towards you. You set it down on the driver's side seat just as Jackie slides gracefully into the car. 

Jackie looks back and forth between the two of you suspiciously but seems to shake it off and she turns fully towards Shauna. “You didn't have to honk at me,” She says in a whiney voice. “I was coming.”

“Were you, though?” You joke, referencing Jeff's hasty exit. Jackie sputters, whirling around to face you as her face flushes bright red. 

“Shut up,” Jackie says finally, unable to come up with a decent response as she crosses her arms and stares moodily out of the window. You catch sight of her pouty expression in the reflection and have to stifle the urge to laugh. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see Shauna grinning at you as she glances into the rearview mirror, but she pulls the car down the street without another word.

You were content to lean your head against the window and listen absentmindedly as they spoke. You would never understand how Jackie managed to be so perky and upbeat this early in the morning. You interjected a comment every once in a while when Shauna would glance up at her rearview mirror at you, but you mostly thought about Shauna. You found yourself doing this more and more lately, it was like she’d taken over your entire existence. You weren’t exactly complaining, but it was still a strange thing to come to terms with.

You’re suddenly pulled out of your thoughts at the sound of Jackie’s door slamming closed. You quickly extract yourself from the car, shutting the door much more gently than Jackie did: Shauna babied the hell out of this car, for some unknown reason. There’s a slightly pleased expression on Shauna’s face as she watches, so you figure it was probably the right move. You give her a knowing smile as you wave your hand in goodbye, leaving Shauna in Jackie’s clutches as you go to find your own friends.

“Wait! Hold on,” Shauna calls out, abandoning Jackie for a moment to follow after you. You stop and turn around, watching as she shifts her bag to one shoulder as she looks through it. She pulls out a small object, carefully hiding it as she hands it to you. You glance down at it quickly, respecting Shauna's clear wish for nonchalance but can't help the way your face lights up at the sight of the tape. 

“Did you– did you make me a mixtape?” You ask, almost reverent as you resist the urge to stare at it. 

“Is it lame?” Shauna asks embarrassedly, fiddling with the zipper on her bag as she swiftly closes it again. “I just… was thinking of you when listening to them, or whatever…” She trails off awkwardly, shoes scuffing the ground as she tries to decide whether she regrets giving it to you or not. 

“No, no,” You rush to reassure her, affection clear on your face. “I love it. I can't wait to listen to it.” Shauna grins widely in relief, her brown eyes practically shining with joy. “I wish I could kiss you right now,” You admit quietly. Shauna starts to speak but is quickly interrupted by Jackie. 

“Shauna,” Jackie calls out impatiently, verging on a whine. “Come on!” You and Shauna share an amused look before she turns and walks off after Jackie. You watch the two of them leave with barely repressed awe before finally turning and walking off.

[kangshxrtie]

ch. 32 ⤍ i'm yours

"hey, wanna be in my vlog?" you asked kazuha, grinning as you held up your camera.

she nodded quickly, and you couldn't help but smile at the way her face lit up, eyes sparkling with excitement.

"is this our official couple debut?" she teased, raising an eyebrow with a playful smile.

"not exactly," you chuckled. "this won't go up until after tomorrow, so technically no... but, yeah, this is our first couple vlog."

with the tripod steady in your hands, you set it up and settled onto kazuha's lap. she immediately wrapped her arms around your waist, holding you close as you looped an arm around her neck.

"alright," you began, focusing the camera on both of you. "we're currently getting ready for an event. unfortunately, i'll be with my team, and she'll be with hers, so we won't see each other much today, but—"

"i'll be cheering you on from afar," kazuha chimed in, squeezing you a little tighter with a soft smile.

you shifted a bit in her lap, bringing your face closer to hers, your voice dropping playfully. "can't wait to beat you, though."

kazuha laughed, raising a brow as she shot you a competitive look. "oh, really? you think you can beat us?"

"definitely," you grinned, leaning in just enough to make her blush, the camera capturing the teasing moment between you both.

she smiled, shaking her head in mock disbelief. "we'll see about that."

"well, that's enough distracting the enemy for now," you said, standing up from kazuha's lap.

kazuha pouted, watching you move away as she leaned back in her chair. "i'm sad that we're going to be in the same place all day, and i'll barely see you," she sighed, already missing the closeness.

you grinned, leaning down and whispering as if it were a secret, though the camera definitely picked it up. "i'll sneak over and come see you when i can."

kazuha's face brightened instantly, her pout replaced by a soft smile. she formed a heart with her hands, holding it up for you as you began to walk away. you chuckled, sending her a quick wink before making your way back to your team's booth.

as you returned, gaeul was quick to comment, grinning ear to ear. "oh, you're back; are you done macking it with the enemy now?"

"i had to say my goodbyes," you laughed, trying to downplay it.

liz leaned against the table, shaking her head in amusement. "as long as you try your hardest to beat her today everything is fine"

"oh, of course. they're going down." you laughed, settling into your seat.

"you better," leeseo teased.

as the event continued, your group had some downtime before it was your turn to participate in the next round of games. you spent most of that time either hanging out at your booth, taking photos, or wandering around the venue to check out the various pop-ups.

you and the rest of your team took turns posing for pictures with fans who passed by. but in between, you couldn't help but steal glances across the room at kazuha, who was busy with her own team. she caught your eye a few times and gave you a wink with a knowing smile that made your heart race just a little.

after a while, rei nudged you as you both browsed one of the pop-up stalls. "stop flirting with the enemy, we must stay focused," she teased.

you shrugged, trying to play it cool. "what? i can't help it."

rei laughed, shaking her head. "i get it. she's your weakness."

"true," you replied with a grin, picking up a cute keychain from one of the stalls. "but don't let her know that."

kazuha was fully glaring at the other people in the room. sure, you looked cute whenever you laughed at something somebody else said, but only she was allowed to think that. she crossed her arms, eyes narrowing as wonyoung came over to chat with you. she tried not to let it get to her, but when you motioned to her that you'd be leaving for a bit and she nodded, her mood soured again when she overheard a group calling you "cute" and making comments about your body.

she rolled her eyes, her annoyance slipping through her usual calm exterior, forgetting for a moment that she was live on stream. all she wanted to do was go off on them for checking you out, but she couldn't, not with the cameras on. plus, you didn't seem to notice, and they hadn't directly hit on you. yet.

chat, of course, noticed immediately.

user1 who made kazuha mad??? 😳 user2 she looks like she's about to throw hands lol

chaewon and yunjin tried to pull her attention back to the stream, but kazuha was too distracted, glaring at the group across the room.

when you finally returned with wonyoung, carrying snacks and drinks, kazuha visibly relaxed. having her eyes on you again made everything feel a bit better. you were, of course, oblivious to all of it, smiling and waving to her as you held up the snacks, excited to share them when the stream was over.

but as one of the guys who had been checking you out earlier whispered something to his friend and stood up, kazuha stiffened. when she saw him walking toward you, she started to stand, her protective instincts kicking in, but chaewon grabbed her arm, pulling her back down.

"i don't know who you're mad at, but worry about it later," chaewon warned quietly.

the chat blew up again, speculating, but you finally noticed what was happening through the comments. your eyes darted to kazuha, who looked like she was barely restraining herself. you grabbed one of the snacks meant for later and made a beeline for her, determined to defuse the situation.

but before you could get far, that same guy stepped in front of you, blocking your path. wonyoung gave you a questioning look, clearly confused as well.

"can i help you?" you asked, keeping your tone polite but firm.

he shrugged with a smirk. "just thought i could join you. looked like you could use some company."

you held up the snacks, smiling at him, but your words were direct. "not really. i was just bringing these to my girlfriend."

you brushed past him without giving him a second glance, making your way to kazuha. you could tell she was about to get up, her irritation still simmering, but before she could do anything, you swiftly sat on her lap, stopping her from making any rash moves. you knew she wouldn't risk you falling.

you smiled at her, wrapping your arms around her neck and getting comfortable in her lap. kazuha's tension melted away as she wrapped her arms around your waist, pulling you closer. without hesitating, she leaned in and kissed you, a quick but possessive gesture that left the chat in chaos.

user3 THEY KISSED user4 i'm dying omg user5 kazuha's face when yn sat on her lap 😍

though you both wanted to stay in the moment, you knew you were still on a live broadcast, so you pulled back, grinning at kazuha. the two of you shared the snacks, chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened, but kazuha's protective grip on you never really loosened.

when you felt she had calmed down enough, you finally tried to get up to return to your team, but kazuha tightened her hold on your waist, keeping you from moving.

"stay here," she pouted softly. "so people know we're together."

you blushed, glancing around at all the eyes still on you. "zuha, i'm pretty sure they know by now."

"just stay with me," she insisted, her grip firm but affectionate.

you almost gave in, tempted to stay in her arms for the rest of the stream, but you remembered why you were here. even though kazuha looked incredibly hot when she was being possessive, you had to stay focused on the responsibilities that you had to take care of.

"i have to go, babe," you said softly, giving her a quick peck on the lips. "but don't worry, i'm yours."

kazuha reluctantly let go, and you hopped off her lap, shooting her one last playful wink before running back to where your team was.

as soon as you arrived, rei raised an eyebrow, "are you finally done with the pda with kazuha?"

you shrugged nonchalantly. "i don't know. i might go back later."

yujin immediately noticed you and jumped in, grinning. "oh, look who's back! i thought you were joining le sserafim for a second."

you laughed, playing along. "maybe i should. they treat me better."

yujin smirked, leaning in as she mumbled, "i bet she does."

as you and your team headed backstage, the excitement in the air was palpable. both teams were about to face off in the next game, and the competitive tension was starting to build.

the lineups were set: you, yujin, gaeul, rei, and leeseo for ive, facing off against kazuha, sakura, chaewon, yunjin, and eunchae representing le sserafim.

as the teams took their places, yunjin grinned from across the room, her voice playful but confident. "hope you're ready to lose. we've been practicing, you know."

gaeul chuckled, folding her arms with a smirk. "practicing for what? losing? don't get too comfortable up there."

kazuha caught your eye, her voice softer but just as teasing. "don't expect me to go easy on you just because i like you so much."

you smirked, feeling a little more competitive after hearing that. "i wouldn't want it any other way, babe."

as the game started, the atmosphere became tense with both teams taking it seriously, but there was still an air of playful competitiveness. you found yourself locking in quickly, your hands flying across the keys as you communicate with your teammates. the first few rounds were close, with both teams trading wins back and forth.

yujin, as the team leader, was barking out strategies, while leeseo's sniper skills kept le sserafim on their toes. meanwhile, eunchae and sakura coordinated like pros, giving you a real challenge as their tanks barreled through your defenses.

user6 leeseo sniping? she's cracked user7 madmakz best duo

"stay on point, stay on point!" yujin yelled, pulling everyone back together as the game approached the final round.

you all scrambled, working in perfect sync as you and rei held the frontline, while gaeul and leeseo provided solid backup. the final phase was fast-paced, with both teams neck and neck. kazuha's team was giving you a run for your money, but you were not about to go out like this.

user8 yujin best leader user9 rei's defense was actually so good

"okay, go all in now!" you shouted, executing a well-timed ult that wiped out most of le sserafim's team. your side exploded in cheers as the match ended in your victory.

"we won!" leeseo cheered, raising her arms in the air.

you let out a sigh of relief, pulling off your headset as your teammates celebrated. "we did it!"

on the other side, le sserafim groaned, yunjin dramatically threw her head back. "nooo, not like this!"

sakura just shook her head with a smile, while eunchae pouted. "we were so close!"

kazuha crossed her arms, looking disappointed but still smiling as she glanced over at you. "looks like i'll have to admit defeat."

you grinned, walking over to her side. "told you we'd win," you teased, offering her a hand to pull her up from her chair.

she took your hand, standing up with a playful roll of her eyes. "yeah, yeah. i'm not mad that i lost against you."

"oh, of course. you have to beat everyone else, just not our team," you said, pulling her closer for a quick hug before stepping back to join your team.

user1 IVE WIN LESSGOOO user2 GG user3 actually so close user4 the way kazuha's not even mad losing to yn 😭

the organizers came over to hand out the prize money, and some merch for the winning team, which you proudly held up for a quick team photo. after the picture, you brought everything back to your booth, leaving it with the managers before finally heading off to enjoy some much needed time with kazuha. you had been waiting all day for this moment.

"i'm so glad there wasn't an actual competition and that was the only game," you said as you walked next to kazuha.

kazuha chuckled, nudging you with her elbow. "tired from all that winning, huh?"

"something like that," you laughed, "but now i finally get to walk around with you."

kazuha smiled warmly, her eyes softening as she looked at you. "i've been waiting for that too."

as you strolled through the venue together, browsing the different stalls and enjoying the relaxed atmosphere, kazuha suddenly glanced over at you with a playful gleam in her eye. "so, are we going for round two later?"

you shot her a knowing look, pretending to think it over. "if by round two, you mean a rematch, then sure. but if you mean something else..." you trailed off, stepping closer with a mischievous grin.

kazuha blushed, catching on quickly, though she tried to play it cool. "we'll see," she murmured, leaning in to give you a quick, soft peck on the cheek.

you smiled, your heart fluttering as you walked hand-in-hand through the venue. it felt like the day had finally slowed down enough for the two of you to enjoy each other's company.

"so," you began, glancing around at the booths, "what's the plan?"

kazuha tilted her head thoughtfully, her hand still intertwined with yours. "hmm... maybe some food? i've barely had time to eat today"

you grinned, squeezing her hand. "food it is, what kind of food are we feeling?" you asked, casting a glance around at the different food stalls lining the venue.

she paused for a moment, her eyes scanning the options before locking onto a stall. "what about that one?" she asked, pointing toward a food booth tucked in the corner. the sign read ssambap in bold letters, and the smell of sizzling meat immediately caught your attention.

"solid choice," you grinned, leading her toward the stall. "i'm starving too, so this is perfect."

the two of you got in line, and while waiting, kazuha rested her head lightly on your shoulder, a small smile playing on her lips. you felt warmth bloom in your chest, the casual intimacy between you two a stark contrast to the earlier adrenaline rush of the games.

"i didn't think i'd miss you this much today," kazuha murmured softly, her fingers gently playing with yours.

you chuckled, leaning your head against hers. "i know, right? it was weird being in the same room but barely being able to talk."

kazuha lifted her head slightly to look at you, her eyes softening. "and i may have gotten a little jealous when other people were talking to you," she admitted.

you couldn't help but laugh. "oh, i noticed. you were definitely giving them the death glare from across the room."

kazuha sighed, her cheeks tinting a light pink as she bit her lip. "what can i say? you're mine," she said softly, squeezing your hand a little tighter.

you smiled, leaning in to give her a quick kiss on the forehead. "well, i'm glad, because i'm yours too."

the line moved quickly, and soon enough, it was your turn to order. you both chose a mix of options, grilled beef wraps for kazuha and spicy pork for you, and a side of kimchi and rice cakes to share. as soon as your food was ready, you found a quiet spot off to the side where the two of you could sit and enjoy your meal in peace.

you sat across from each other at one of the small tables set up near the food stalls. kazuha handed you one of the wraps she'd prepared, her smile bright as she watched you take your first bite.

"this is so good," you mumbled through a mouthful of food, nodding approvingly.

she took a bite of her own wrap, nodding along with you. "we should do this more often. just walk around, try new things... and eat like there's no tomorrow."

you grinned at her enthusiasm, watching as she happily devoured another bite of her food. "i'm down for that. honestly, i'm just glad we finally have some time to ourselves. it's been such a busy day."

kazuha nodded in agreement, pausing to take a sip of her drink. "yeah, i've did so much today. it's nice to just... be with you."

her words were simple, but they hit you right in the heart. it didn't matter what you were doing; being with her always felt right.

the rest of the meal flew by with you two laughing and teasing each other between bites. it felt really nice to just chill, away from all the attention, and enjoy the moment. you could tell kazuha felt the same, she seemed relaxed and happy.

after finishing your meal, you both leaned back in your chairs, feeling full. "i think i'm in a food coma now," kazuha said, rubbing her stomach with a satisfied grin.

"same," you agreed, stretching your arms above your head. "but totally worth it."

kazuha smiled, reaching across the table to grab your hand again. "let's walk around a bit more, maybe grab some dessert? does ice cream sound good to you right now?"

you grinned, nodding eagerly. "it sounds perfect."

with that, you both stood up, hand in hand once again as you made your way through the venue.

as you walked, the colorful booths and pop-up stalls caught your attention. kazuha glanced around, her eyes lighting up at the various stands. "look at that!" she pointed excitedly toward a booth with a sign for custom bracelets. "we should get matching ones to remember today."

"good idea," you replied, squeezing her hand. "what kind of design do you want?"

"i'm thinking something simple but meaningful, like our initials," kazuha said, "maybe with a small heart or something cute."

"yeah that'll be cute," you agreed.

the two of you stopped at the booth, admiring the designs on display. the bracelets were made of delicate cords with various charms that could be personalized. after a moment of indecision, you both decided on a design with matching cords, each bracelet featuring a small heart charm and your initials engraved.

the booth owner promised to have them ready in a few minutes, so you both continued your stroll through the event while waiting.

you both stopped at a few more booths along the way and looking through accessories before finally picking up your matching bracelets. kazuha slid yours onto your wrist with a smile. "i love it."

"me too," you said, fastening kazuha's around her wrist.

eventually, you reached the ice cream stand. kazuha looked over the menu, her eyes scanning the options. "what are you getting?"

"hmm... i think i'll go for cookies and cream," you told her.

kazuha smiled, already sure of her choice. "i'll get the same"

the two of you placed your orders, and after a short wait, the ice cream was ready. you handed kazuha her cone and took your own, savoring the first bite.

"this is perfect," kazuha said, smiling as she took a bite of her ice cream.

"definitely," you agreed. "best decision ever."

the two of you wandered for a bit longer, chatting about everything and nothing. eventually, the ice cream cones were gone.

"well, what now?" you asked, glancing around.

kazuha shrugged playfully, her eyes scanning the area. "how about we just walk around for a bit? i don't think i'm ready for today to end yet."

"i was hoping you would say that," you said, squeezing her hand.

you both continued to wander through the venue, chatting about everything and nothing, exchanging stories about your day and things you hadn't yet talked about.

at one point, you passed a photo booth. you turned to kazuha with a grin. "wanna do it?"

without hesitation, she agreed, and you both squeezed into the booth together. the pictures were full of silly faces and kisses and when the strip printed out, you couldn't help but smile at how cute you both looked.

"this is definitely going above my desk," you said, grinning as you handed kazuha the other strip.

kazuha smiled, holding it up with a soft chuckle. "my new wallpaper."

you both made your way to a nearby bench, feeling your legs ache from all the walking and excitement of the day. once seated, you leaned back, letting the tiredness of the day hit you. kazuha rested her head on your shoulder, letting out a soft sigh.

you both sat there in comfortable silence, the soft lights around you making everything feel cozy. there were no crowds or distractions, just the two of you, relaxing together. you leaned your head against hers, enjoying the calmness of the moment.

eventually, it was time to head back. after a soft kiss on her cheek, you both stood up, hands finding each other as you walked back. the day was wrapping up, but there was no disappointment, you're just glad you were able to spend some of the time with kazuha.

you both made your way back toward the venue, fingers still interlaced, a quiet smile on both of your faces. as you walked, you exchanged a few soft words about the fun you had, already thinking about the next time you'd get to do something like this again. kazuha glanced at you, her eyes soft and warm, and you couldn't help but smile in return.

when you reached her team's booth, you gave her one last lingering kiss, soft and sweet, before pulling away. "see you soon?" you asked.

she nodded, her smile bright. "definitely."

with one last squeeze of your hand, you turned and headed back to your team, already looking forward to the next chapter of this relationship, and everything it would bring.

ALL CHAPTERS !!! | FINISHED

[whosbloom]

James Patrick March » Boo Basket

day 12 of flufftober

⋆.˚ summary: after many failed attempts to win your heart, james finally goes to liz for some help, hoping for a good result

⋆.˚ fluff , mentions of murder , pretend the hotel has wifi for the sake of this

James had been practically yearning for your attention for months now, constantly attempting to get your attention when you entered the lobby, delivering expensive food and drinks to your hotel room (courtesy of Liz), constantly complimented you.. but no matter what he just couldn’t get you to look his way.

He was absolutely enamored by you and he didn’t know why, he had been so hung up on The Countess for years, but the second you stepped into the Cortez’s lobby his heart leapt for you instantly.

He had nearly gone on his knees to beg Liz to get to know you, befriend you almost, just so he could have a sense of what you liked in a person, what you were like.

As Halloween neared he found you leaving the hotel more and more each week, leaving him lonely until your return, to which he would perk up and instantly question you about your day—even if you barely acknowledged him.

Truth was you did find James attractive, it was just strange. You knew he was dead, Liz told you all about it, but it confused you more than anything.

How could the living and dead be together?

Which inevitably lead to your acting like you weren’t interested, watching him bend over backwards just to get a simple greeting from you.

The food, drinks, random presents, all day pretty outside your door made you smile more than you’d like to admit. You told Liz to never reveal this to him, and of course she listened like any good friend.

The one time you had Liz tell him anything was after finding out he offered to kill for your attention after witnessing another guest flirting with you—and of course you couldn’t bring yourself to let an innocent man die, you would feel like the blood was on your hands, so you told Liz to let him know his efforts made you aware of his infatuation with you.

Today was like any other, entering the lobby and greeting Liz, only for her to call you over to the front desk.

She sighed and leant against it, arms folded while giving you a stern look, one that reminded you of a mother scolding a toddler for drawing on walls.

“What did I do? You’re giving me a look.” You pointed out, brows knitted together as she awkwardly shifted your weight between your legs.

“It’s not what you did, well, you did help with this.” She explained, a not-so-impressed look on her face as she leant behind the counter and picked up a basket filled with goods for you.

“He didn’t.”

“He did.” She gave you another look, lips pressed into a thin line and brows raised. “I told him about whatever social media trend you’re obsessed with, the boo baskets? Watching him try and figure out a computer to order things was the most embarrassing thing ever.”

You remember the conversation all to well, getting all giddy about boyfriends surprising their girlfriends with Halloween themed baskets filled with their favorite things.

“He used a computer?” You questioned, an amused yet confused look on your face as you glanced back at the basket. “Somehow he did.. and from my reports back on you he knew exactly what he wanted to get you.”

Of course that showed with what he had chosen for you. A book you mentioned wanting to read for weeks now, your favorite candy you’d get whenever you went to a gas station, your favorite drink and snack.

Then there was personal touches from James—luxury things you knew he insisted you deserved. An expensive wine was the first thing that caught your eye, along with a note attached to it, reading out ‘Meet me at room 64’ with a J.P. signed underneath.

“Do I wanna know how much he spent? Or where he got the money from?” You raised a brow, pulling the basket closer and continued to inspect it. There was some personal care things—skin care, a candle, sleeping mask and fuzzy socks.

“The hotel still makes money. Though I’m not sure how he spent it.” Liz smiled, before pointing back at the stairs, drawing your attention to the very man who had gifted it to you. “Go thank him.”

You rolled your eyes playfully before grabbing the basket, holding it carefully before turning to head up the stairs, stopping just a step or two infront of him.

“Is this your way to my heart?” You raised a brow at him, lifting the basket with a smile toying at your lips.

“Well, my dear, if you haven’t noticed—“

“I have.. trust me, I have.” You cut him off, raising your free hand as you stepped up to stand next to him, your hand finding purchase on his forearm.

“I was just on my way to room 64.” You pointed to the note he left on the wine bottle, before stepping past him towards the elevator, waiting for him to follow after. “You coming, James?”

He took a moment to process your words, a wide smile forming pm his lips as he nodded and quickly scurried after you, standing close and leant down slightly to meet your height.

“I take it that my efforts worked on you?” He raised his brows, watching you pressed the elevator button and leant back against the cold wall.

“Definitely. Though, I will admit, they’ve been working for a while now. I just didn’t understand how the whole ghost and alive person thing works..” You explained, shrugging as you looked up to meet his gaze, watching as his softened at your words.

“I see.. if you want to wait for any further affection, I will. Whatever you’re comfortable with, my dear.” He spoke reassuringly, planting a quick kiss to the side of your temple, before placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Why don’t we discuss this over wine?” You smiled, watching as he eagerly nodded and held you a bit closer to him.

“Sounds like a plan.”

tags: @lemoniiiiiii , @xrag-dollx , @jazz-berry (ask to be added!!)

[that1fangirrl]

okay i wrote a little sumn sumn with no editing, just thoughts... it's not finished but I figured I'd put something out...if you want me to write some more for this and fix it up, lemme know cause i love writing for college!matty 😩Inbox always opened, so feel free. also it's pretty smutty so umm minors get out.

LAST WARNING... IM DEADASS!!!

“11:26 am”, you had been studying for almost two hours now. Foggy and your friend, Lizzie were off in their own world, abandoning any thoughts of you or Matt. The two of them spent every study session, giggling and flirting. Sure, you weren’t a law student and didn’t have to tag along, but Lizzie always invited you. Something about “being with people your age makes you more social”. But really she just wanted an excuse to be around Foggy even more. It wasn’t completely terrible. You weren’t completely alone. Foggy’s roommate, Matt, was always there. A slight grimace on his face like he could see what was happening from across the room, then somehow shaking it off and turning back to his books. You, being the top of your classes left you with not much to study. 

Today was no different. Matt was reading his notes in disgust and the lovebirds were already packing up their bags to go back to Lizzie’s. The two of them stood up, rushing out a quick “we’re just gonna go pick up some food. See you guys in a bit” and running out the room. Foggy wasn’t even trying to hide the boner in pants at this point. You looked down at your watch then at Matt. His shades met your gaze. “How many days do you think it’ll take for them to realize we know they’re fucking?” You giggled a little, fixing your glasses. “Who knows? I told Liz, I didn’t care. But she insists they haven’t done anything yet.” Your eyes roll. You stand up closing your book, walking over to Matt’s bed. He does the same, sitting up and pushing his notes over. His arms stretch out as you reach him and straddle his lap. Your lips connect with soft moans following behind. 

“Enough about them. What about us? Two months and they’ve hardly noticed we’ve been fucking.” You sigh into Matt’s mouth. A soft questioning look on your face. “We are? Man, I just thought we were studying anatomy.” His hands reach up to your blouse, unopening the three buttons at the top. His hands squeeze down on your breasts, face settling nose first in the valley of them. He takes a deep breath, before looking back up with a dopey smile. “Well then, I must be amazing at anatomy. My favorite body part is this one.” His hands reach down towards your ass. A loud sigh leaves your lips. “I guess that would make this one… mine.” You reach into his sweats and palm his cock. “Mmmhh. It’s definitely yours Angel.”

The two of you hadn’t done nearly as much as the previously mentioned couple. Mostly, just grinding, making out and the occasional giving and receiving of head. The first time it happened shocked you both. Matt had been late for one of the study sessions. You were the only one there, not wanting to ruin your groove after Foggy and Liz left. Matt looked like he ran a marathon. Sweat dripping all over ,chest still heaving, sweats hugging the right places and hair all over the place. Apparently, after failing one of his tests, he went out to the gym to “punch out his feelings”. You tried your best to stay focused on helping him, but he looked so fucking hot. Unbeknownst to you, Matt was catching onto the shift in you. He had never smelled something so sweet. When you went in for a comforting hug, he let slip that he was still a bit pent up. So being the good friend you were, you slid down to your knees and offered to help him “relax”. 

Ever since then, you guys continued to relax together. Matt was a huge tease. Especially during the last few study sessions. Just last week, your covers were almost blown. Foggy had come back and found you and Matt cuddled up next to each other on Matt’s bed. If he weren’t so oblivious, he probably would’ve noticed how your legs were wide open and splayed on Matt’s lap with his hand moving at the slowest pace on the planet. You thought he had finally figured it out, when your head fell forward and you let out a small squeal. Matt, being quick on his toes, said he had accidentally grazed a spot where you were known to be quick ticklish. After Foggy finished whatever it was he was up to, Matt went right back to finger fucking you under the covers. Let’s just say the laundry attendant was pretty confused seeing Matt again for the second time in two days. 

Back to now, you both were breathing in each other. Hands everywhere. Rediscovering places you had been before. You both were so caught up with each other, that you hadn’t even heard the door opening. A loud gasp sounded from the doorframe. Following it was an even louder, “WHAT. THE. FUCK?!” Your head whipped around hard enough to give whiplash. Both Lizzie and Foggy were standing shocked with pizza and drinks in hand. The four of you continued to stare before Lizzie squealed out, “I. Knew it!! I knew they were fucking Foggy. 25 bucks, right now.” You blinked at her, “you bet on us? How’d you know?” “We share a wall. I could hear buzzing and a particular name being mentioned more than a few times.” You blushed, tucking away into Matt’s arms as he chuckled. “Don’t laugh. I’m sure Foggy hears you sometimes…right Fog?” Foggy and Matt laughed loudly. “Puh-lease. I snore so loud, a bomb could go off and I’d still be asleep.”

Sooooo. Should I write some more for this or noooo???

[bloatedandalone04]

Wrapped Around Your Finger - Part 1.1

Series Masterlist | Original Fic

➪in which you pack your bags for paris, still unsure of whether or not you’ll return to london for anything other than the rest of your belongings, and anakin is forced to reach out to liz after she crosses another line.

PSA: strongly suggested to read the warnings before proceeding.

WC; 3.2k | Do not repost this anywhere, reblogs are fine ♡

Guilt had followed Anakin all week.

He talked to you for a good hour over the phone on Wednesday, and not once did he mention the fact that Liz had kissed him. He knew the longer he kept it from you, the worse it’ll be for him, but he was terrified of your reaction. 

Anakin had been faithful for nearly five years straight, and the one time he’s away from you for more than a few days he lets another girl get close to him. Close enough for him to break that streak in a single night. 

He knew that as soon as he told you, it could very well be over, and he never wanted to lose you, let alone because of something so out of character for him. 

Still, it wasn’t fair for you to be kept out of the loop, and though he hated to do it, he’d rather tell you in person. He could only hope that you saw it from his perspective, and how hard he’s been trying to get rid of her. 

Anakin was sitting on the couch, the passing scenery doing wonders at keeping his mind busy. He wanted to call you, but you told him that you needed to sort some things out today, and he’d just have to wait until you were able to talk. 

He had headphones on with the track Vinny and Theo had recorded during all the time Anakin spent with Liz, and he felt like the worst excuse of a friend and band member ever. 

They were actually trying to get music out while he just went out and partied. But he wouldn’t be doing that anymore. 

If one good thing came out of that whole club situation and the wake up call, it was that Anakin was finally inspired to write. Theo had come up with the idea to create a slower song rather than the loud and intense songs they’ve been playing for the last year and a half. He was sure it was because the bass player was feeling down a lot lately and needed a way to vent, and Anakin and Vinny were more than willing to agree to it. 

He listened to the track on repeat as he thought about possible lyrics, and Anakin was happy that Vinny had decided to try his luck with a piano. He played it for about four years before he switched to drums, but he clearly still knew how to play the string instrument as it sounded amazing through his headphones. 

Before long, he had a whole page done and was starting his second when Vinny emerged from the back of the bus. His hair was a mess, signaling to Anakin that he had just woken up from a nap. 

Anakin could probably use a few more hours of sleep, too, but he knew it would never come. He’d just end up tossing and turning and wasting time, so he didn’t even bother. 

Vinny sat down next to him with a huff, taking the notebook out of Anakin’s hands as he did so. Anakin scoffed at him, taking off his headphones and setting them aside as he turned to face his friend. “Is this for a new song?” Vinny asked with a yawn as he read over the page.

“Yeah,” Anakin answered, grabbing his phone and sending you a quick text. 

Vinny set the notebook aside after reading it over. “Sounds good,” he mumbled. “Glad to see you got your inspiration back.”

“Yeah, but at what cost,” Anakin muttered.

“Anakin, Y/n will understand,” he tried to reassure him, but probably knew that it was pointless as Anakin would continue to feel like shit until he knew for sure that he wouldn’t lose you because of the mistake he made with Liz.

So when he didn’t respond, Vinny just shook his head and stood back up. He rummaged around in the mini fridge before grabbing two water bottles and heading back to Clara, leaving Anakin to finish up the song he had titled ‘Falling’.

-

“I feel like I’m wasting everyone’s time,” you confessed as you sat on the grass in the Quad. “I completely messed up that last assignment. I didn’t even try.” 

Evan gave you a pointed look as he sipped from the straw of his smoothie. “You’re not wasting everyone’s time, Y/n,” he stated, making you roll your eyes. “I’m serious. Kenneth would’ve sent you running on the first day if he thought you were wasting his time.”

You shrug and look at different flights on your phone. “Maybe, but I still accused him of favoring me when he was literally just trying to be nice,” 

“Y/n,” Evan called out to you, making you look up. “You’re a good writer. You’re one of the best in the class, don’t think that you’re not. One bad piece doesn’t make you a bad writer, you know that.”

You shrug again, sipping on your own smoothie. “Yeah, I guess,” 

Evan set down his drink and moved closer to you. “I mean it. You’re going places…if you decide to stay, that is. While it’ll certainly give me a better chance at getting published, it’ll still suck to lose you. But if you’re no longer happy here, then you deserve to do something that does make you happy.”

You give him a smile and lean over to hug him quickly. “Thanks, Ev,” 

He returned the hug before standing up. “Are you coming to class today?” 

You think about it for a few seconds then shake your head. “No, I have some thinking to do,”

He nods and gives you a reassuring smile. “Okay, I’ll just see you later then,”

You nod back and watch as he makes his way to the building the class is in before pulling out your phone. 

Ani: I hope you’re having a better day today, baby. I can’t wait to see you tomorrow. I love you. 

The text brings a smile to your lips as you stand up and throw away your garbage as you reply to him.

So far so good. I can’t wait to see you, too, Ani. I love YOU.

You head in the opposite direction of your class, planning on going back to your room and packing your bag for Paris. Maybe you’d even start packing up to go back home. While Evan’s attempts at reassuring you were nice, you still didn’t feel confident in yourself anymore. 

Anakin had even tried to reassure you, but he also said that you didn’t have to force yourself to stay if it wasn’t what you wanted anymore, and to have that support from him had your head feeling clearer than it had in weeks. 

If all else failed, you still always had him, and that was enough for you to know that you’d be okay. 

You pack the essentials and set your bag down next to your desk before sitting down on your bed. Grabbing your phone, you begin to look through more flight options. There was one for three in the afternoon, meaning you’d be able to be in Paris by five thirty at the latest. You’d have to swing by class tomorrow to talk to Kenneth, and to possibly say goodbye to him. 

You really weren’t sure if you were going to come back for anything other than the rest of your belongings once Anakin and the guys leave France and you’d have to say goodbye again. Maybe you could just pack the rest of your things and meet him at the next location. You wouldn’t mind sharing that small bunk with him for the next two months, and you knew he wouldn’t mind either. 

Without another thought, you buy the ticket and set your phone down, pulling out your laptop and continuing to write the rough draft of your short story, despite your plans potentially dropping the class.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur, and before you knew it, it was the next morning and you were packing last minute things and making sure you had your ticket ready. You set everything on your bed, excitement pulsing through you at the fact that you’d be seeing Anakin in less than nine hours.

His text had you feeling the happiest you’ve been all week, and you had shamelessly read it more than once. 

Ani: I can’t wait to see you tonight. I’ve missed you so much, princess.

He was the sweetest, and you were shaking with nerves at the thought of feeling his arms around you again after four weeks of zero physical contact.

You leave your dorm and make your way to class, well aware that it had ended at nine and it was now nearing ten. With a quick inhale, you enter the classroom and meet Kenneth’s eyes from across the room. He was sitting at his desk, his brow furrowed as he looked back down at the papers he was reading. “Miss Y/l/n,” he greeted in a monotone voice. “Glad to see you could make it to class today, though you are an hour late and the class is already over.”

Giving him a forced and embarrassed smile, you step into the room. “Yeah,” you trail off, playing with your fingers as you stand by the door. “I’m sorry I missed the last two classes, it’s just….I don’t know if I’m cut out for this.”

Kenneth didn’t look up from the papers as he said, “Well, you’ve certainly done a great job at trying to prove that,” 

Your face heats up and you look at the floor. “Yeah…I’m really sorry, Kenneth,” you murmur, glancing down at the A on your wrist. You feel the smallest bit of comfort from just looking at it, and you lift your head with a newfound confidence. “I didn’t mean to waste your time. That was the last thing I wanted to do.” 

That had your instructor looking up at you. He studied your face for a few seconds before sitting up in his chair. “You didn’t waste my time, Miss Y/l/n,” he stated. “In fact, I quite enjoyed reading your previous pieces, so I don’t know why you think you wasted anyone’s time.”

You shrug at him and avoid eye contact. You just needed to get through this, then you could go to the airport and be with Anakin again after a month of not seeing him. 

“I assume you came here to tell me that you’re dropping out?” Kenneth asks and you look over at him.

“Do you think I should?” You ask.

“That’s not up to me,” he says. “It’s your choice.”

You huff, “Do you think I’m…..good enough?”

Kenneth raises his brows. “Do I think you’re good enough?” He repeated your question and leaned back. “I think you’re a great writer, Miss Y/l/n, and it would be  unfortunate to lose you before I got to really see what you can do. But, it’s your decision, and I can’t make it for you.”

You give him a small smile and nod. “Right. I guess that’s a good answer,” 

He returns the smile before asking, “Are you going somewhere?”

“Yeah, I’m….my boyfriend is performing at a few venues in Paris, so I’m going to meet him there,” you tell him. “I’m sorry, but I’ll be missing a few classes next week.”

Kenneth nods. “It might be best for you to take some time to figure out what you want to do,” he says. “If you decide to stay, there’s always a spot for you in my class, but if you want to go then I can’t stop you. But just know that one bad piece doesn’t make you a bad writer, and you shouldn’t let it have that much control over you.”

Your smile fades a bit at how similar his and Evan’s words are. Maybe they were right. “I’m trying,”

He shrugged, “That’s all you can do,” 

A few seconds pass before you nod. “Well, I should get going. I don’t want to be rushing to the airport,” 

“Before you go,” he called out to you just as you began to turn around. “I want you to know that, whatever you decide to do, I support you.”

That had a genuine smile forming on your lips. “Thank you, Kenneth, and I’m sorry for…everything,”

Then you were off. You headed back to your room to grab your bag, finding Evan leaning against the wall next to your door. Your look of surprise had him raising his brows, “What, you thought I was gonna let you leave without saying goodbye to me first? Especially since I might never see you again after this?”

You laugh and walk into his open arms. “I haven’t decided if I’m dropping the class or not, Ev,” you say and rest your head against his chest. “And I’d say goodbye to you before I left, anyway.” 

“How generous,” he teased and pulled away. His eyes flickered all over your face before he met your gaze. “Have fun, okay? Go spend time with your famous boyfriend, and don’t worry about anything else, alright? You deserve it.”

You smile and nod, “Okay,” you agree. “I’ll see you next week, Evan. Promise.”

He squinted his eyes at you. “You better,” he said back, giving you another smile before leaving. You grab your bag and look around your room one last time before setting down the note you had written to Bailey. She was still at her parents house since there was some family emergency, and you didn’t get the chance to say goodbye to her. 

You leave it on her bed before locking the door and ordering a ride to the airport, the stress of everything finally beginning to lift once you’re seated on the plane. 

-

Anakin could not stop pacing the length of the small hallway on the bus. 

He was shaking, he was so excited to see you. 

He couldn’t think about much else other than your sweet scent, your kind smile, your achingly pretty face, and the way your body fit perfectly against his own. He was craving your touch and the sound of your voice. He couldn’t believe he had gone a month without you.

Vinny was watching him with a tired expression, his arm draped over Clara’s shoulders as she slept next to him on the couch. “Dude,” he grunted after watching him pace a few more times. “What are you doing? Why are you pacing?”

Anakin flexed his fingers as he shrugged, passing by the brunet once again. “I can’t help it,” he answered. “I have to leave in less than half an hour to pick her up and bring her back here. Half an hour, Vin, then she’s here.”

Vinny let out a laugh of disbelief, glancing down at his sleeping girlfriend. “I hope she’s this excited to see me at some point in the future,” he muttered to himself as Anakin tried to calm himself down. 

“I missed her so much, Vin,”

“I know,”

“I can’t wait to see her,”

“I know, Anakin,”

“Please tell me that you and Clara are doing something tonight,” Anakin was powerless to stop the desperation from coming through in his voice.

Vinny smirked up at him, “Is that your way of asking if the bus will be empty tonight?”

“I need to be alone with her,” Anakin groaned. “I need it to be just the two of us, so we can talk. I need to clear a few things up with her.”

Vinny laughed. “I understand, man,” he said. “I’ll take Clara out for dinner or something and we’ll tour the Paris nightlife.”

Anakin gave him a grateful smile. “Thank you,” then he checked his phone and nearly dropped it when he saw Liz’s newest Instagram post. “Fuck.”

It was a close up picture of Anakin on stage a couple nights ago, his hair damp and his skin sweaty as he finished the last song of the set. He remembered feeling the high of that night, and he would’ve been happy to see that Liz had captured a photo of it, but right now all he felt was rage as he read the caption. 

elizaphotography: Thought you’d all enjoy a hot, up close and personal shot of the sexy lead singer of Screaming Whispers ;) 

She added a bunch of stupid hashtags and even tagged him, and Anakin wanted to throw his phone at the nearest wall. Vinny must’ve sensed the sudden change as he sat up a bit and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“She- I can’t fucking believe her,”

Vinny reached forward and grabbed his phone, his gaze hardening once he saw the post. “Wow, this bitch won’t quit,” he muttered, reading the caption over and over again. “She must think she’s invincible or some shit, because- what are you doing?”

Anakin had swiped his phone out of Vinny’s hand and clicked on Liz’s contact as he left the bus, hoping that the air would cool him off at least a little. It rang for a few seconds before the call connected, “Ah, I knew that would get your attention,”

“Back off, Liz,” Anakin rasped, leaning against the side of the bus as he felt his heartbeat quicken. “I mean it.”

“You’ve been avoiding me like the plague, Anakin,” she stated. “You’re acting like a prick. I thought we were friends.”

“You thought wrong,” he said and tried to take back control of his breathing. “Change that caption, or better yet, delete the entire fucking post.”

Liz hummed, “Thought I was allowed to post you? In fact, it’s on the contract that I get your image out there for the world to see,” she laughed. “Well, it says something like that, anyway.”

“I’m not joking, Liz,” he muttered under his breath, and her annoying voice had his body heating up in rage.

“I’m not joking either, Anakin,” she said back. “You led me on. I can claim that. Don’t piss me off, Anakin, or I’ll tell Y/n myself that you cheated on her.”

“I didn’t-”

“But you did,” she cut him off. “I’m living proof.”

“What do you want, Liz? Huh?” Anakin asked in frustration as he tugged on his hair. “Why do you insist on being such a-”

“A what, Anakin? What?” She pressed. “Call me anything other than my name, and I’ll message her right now.”

Anakin bit his tongue, holding back on calling her every bad name he could think of, because it really wouldn’t help much at all. “Keep her out of this,” he said as calmly as he could. He didn’t like her holding you over him like this when she had no fucking clue about anything involving yours and his relationship. She was just the fucking tour photographer, why did she think she had such an important role in his life? 

“Yeah,” she hummed. “Maybe I’ll do that.” 

Then she hung up and Anakin cursed under his breath as he opened the Instagram app. He deleted all the photos she took of him from his account, wanting nothing to do with her at all anymore. Sure, the photos were great and he actually liked them quite a lot, but he refused to be associated with her in any way. 

Before he got off the app, he clicked on Liz’s account and saw that she did actually change the caption, but it still didn’t settle the anger brewing within him. Without a second thought, he blocked her and pocketed his phone after calling a ride that would take him to the airport and to you.

-

They reunite soon :') (but is that a good thing?)

[heyyallitsbeth]

Ghost of You

The sun beamed down on the two lovers resting on a giant mushroom top in Alfheim Online. They had been working on clearing a bunch of side quests with their party that day. But to one of the two, it felt off. His movements were sluggish, his body disconnected from the avatar it resided in. To most, it would seem normal, his movements still had the disciplined form of someone who had spent his life training in combat, despite him giving up the sword in the real world long ago. But to his partner, both in combat and in soul, she could tell he was struggling. 

“Kirito, are you feeling alright?” The autumn-haired girl stoked the dark hair of the noir boy who laid his head on her stomach.

“Hmm? Yeah everything’s fine Asu, why?” While his demeanor was calm, she could tell there was something eating him up inside.

“Honey, I’m your wife, and your partner too. If there’s anything troubling you, I’ll be right by your side to fight it with you.” The raven haired spriggan closed his eyes and weakly smiled. He knew that Asuna was his true other half, a partner in life and in love, but he was worried about something that might tear them apart.

“Asuna… I need to convert my account over again. I might be gone for a bit, so if you could… While I’m gone, please give Yui and Strea twice the amount of love as normal.” He thought of his daughters, and hated the thought of needing to leave them behind for any time, but he knew there was something he had to face alone.

“Of course honey, but call them every night at least okay?”

“Heh, been doing that since we escaped SAO. I can promise that won’t change one bit.” But some other things might.” He left the thought to himself, he wasn’t ready to commit to any real change, but he needed to see the truth for himself.

“Do you need me to look after Excalibur for you? You lost most of your items the last time you converted over…”

“Haha, nah that’s not an issue. Sinon's already got that covered, after all, it’s her sword, she just knighted me with it.” He laughed seeing the flustered face of his wife, even though their situation was more open and fluid than most, she still got a little jealous of the girl’s hanging off of him, especially the teal sniper who taunted the two of them the most. “And if she converts, it should default to Yui now since she’s taken my inventory any other time I convert.”

“Alright, we should get back to the others to continue the quests now, good chance for you to say bye before you log off for a while anyway.”

“Of course. Dontcha go marryin someone else without my permission first~”

“H-hey!”

“Oh come on, I’ve seen how Liz stares at ya Asu. I’m sure she’ll take great~ care of you while I’m gone~” He giggled, imagining the sight of his wife and Liz locked in an embrace together.

“Even if she does, you’ll still always be my beloved partner, promise~”

“Heh. Didn’t take much convincing- you’re so cute.”

The spriggan rested on the undine, never wanting to leave her. But today, he needed to face his fears. Alone. A mission for the solo player. 

…

A year prior, an event stuck itself to Kirito’s brain like a parasyte. He could never fully escape the thought of it. He had logged into Gun Gale Online in order to investigate the DeathGun case. Due to the gacha system that determined avatars in the game, Kirito had awoken to the sight of his hair in his face. Long streaks of grey locks adorned him, framing his soft face. Staring at his reflection in the windows of nearby shops in the dark brutalist environment, he noticed things in himself he was afraid of. His figure was soft and feminine, far from the typical soldier of this world. It was not too dissimilar to his real life appearance, but the pronounced hips and narrow shoulders made him shift in place uncomfortably. He stared at his visage, noting he looked as if he was Sugu’s big sister instead of her big brother. He slowly met his own gaze. His eyes had always been a dark grey, something his adoring sister always teased him for, calling him a zombie with the dead gaze that adorned him. But that day he saw something different in them, where a blank glaze once covered his view, there were now highlights visible for the first time, and a deep purple hue that left him breathless. He grasped at his chest over his heart and was hit with a deep pain, and an even deeper longing. But he had to move forward, he had a mission.

A week ago Kazuto had been out with his sister Suguha, though they were only related tangentially as cousins. That became something Kazuto had become fixated on, as throughout their day out, multiple people had stopped them, asking if they were twin sisters. Kazuto didn’t look his age due to his years in Sword Art Online, his body permanently stunted by his inability to move for so long. But he was really wondering if he truly looked that similar to Suguha because of it. He recalled that as he was young, they were confused for twin girls all the time, but they were younger then… It made sense right? Kazuto stole an old skirt from Suguha’s closet one day as she was out practicing kendo. She hadn’t worn it in years, he figured she wouldn’t notice if it were gone… He slipped it on and stared himself in the mirror that spanned the back of his bedroom door. Despite the clear difference in their “endowment” Kazuto had seen as bright as day the connection. Even if his chest wasn’t voluptuous, even if his hips weren’t as pronounced, he saw the obvious connections between him and his sister. His face was soft and round like hers. And in the center of it all, he saw it again, his dead eyes replaced with the loving purple gaze he’d seen back in Gun Gale. He threw off the skirt in a fit of anger at himself. He stashed it beneath his bed, he didn’t wanna look at it. But… his heart longed for something regardless.

Today, as Kirito logged out of Alfheim Online, he converted his account over to Gun Gale Online once more. He needed to spend more time there… She needed to see herself again. 

…

A dark raven was prone atop a clocktower, aiming down at the streets below. Through the scope of their Hecate sniper rifle, they could nearly see the stubble on the men in the party stories below them.

BANG!

A single clean shot had decimated two of the party members.

“I’ve gotten good with this thing… heh.” The shadowy figure smiled to themselves as they lined up another shot. “Maybe now I can give her that duel I promised…”

BANG!

A full party wiped in such a short amount of shots. Too easy. The slender gargoyle on the roof brushed their long locks behind them, the deep grey shimmered with silver highlights despite the soot and ash coating it. Suddenly, they heard someone ascending the wall in front of them. They prepped their shot, but they were caught off guard by a blur of seafoam green, before their eyes met a familiar smiling face in their scope.

“Hey Sinon, come here often?” A playful taunt escaped their lips.

“Yes actually, I do believe you’re in my spot after all Kirito.” She giggled, a sight Kirito had grown to love as Sinon had opened up more and more. “I’m surprised you’re using a real weapon instead of wildly flailing your photon sword about.”

“Oh you just miss seeing me with my sword in my hands dontcha?” Sinon blushed and angrily pouted, another adorable sight. “Well, my lovely partner here in GGO taught me so much, I figured I’d honor her by using the same weapon as I practiced. I need to give ya a good duel sometime after all.~”

As he grew closer to each of his friends, the one-sided teasing evolved into a playful banter between them, learning how to push each and every one of their buttons.

“So that’s why you left ALO huh? Trying to get a headstart on training for our next B.O.B. huh?”

“I think you’ve got years ahead of me Sinonon~ One week away won’t save me. But truthfully that’s not the full reason.” Their eyes shifted away from Sinon, and towards the floor before smirking and shaking the thought away.

“I’d hope so, it’d be such a shame if my Star-Crossed Soldier was training without me~” She playfully pouted at Kirito.

Ever since the last B.O.B. ended, article after article dubbed the two winners as the Star-Crossed Soldiers, after Kirito’s embrace with Sinon in the trials, their close encounters in the cave and Sinon’s literal fiery embrace at the end to claim their tied victory. Liz had given Kirito an earful before the articles came out with how close he’d been to Sinon, but after the nickname appeared online, Kirito became convinced Liz and Asuna would actually kill him. Up until Asuna proposed the poly arrangement at least.

“Jeez, don’t let Asu hear you callin’ me that, otherwise I won’t be the only one getting pierced by her rapier.”

“Oh don’t worry, I’m not lookin’ to get inbetween ya- in that way at least~” The look she gave Kirito with that comment seemed to literally take health off the poor player.

“Anyways, why’re you here if not to train to win over me?”

“...” Kirito shifted his look away from her, and with that motion he accidentally revealed the accessories adorning his hair. Sinon snickered.

“Ah, I see you’re just here to play dress up huh?” Her eyes wandered and looked over the rest of the boy. He still had his trademark carbon fiber cloak, but now his outfit beneath was…

“Kirito… is that my outfit in black and silver?”

The noirette blushed a vibrant crimson, and smiled.

“I think there’s someone you need to meet Shino.” The girl was surprised by Kirito’s use of her real name ingame. He typically tried to refer them as their avatar’s name. This was deeper, this was personal to her. 

Shino grabbed the hands of the shadow before her and looked into it’s eyes.

“I think I know who you mean.” She smiled with pride as they drew closer. “What’s your name? Who is my partner in this world?”

The eyes of purple and blue had met, a synthetic gaze between them escalated into a whirlwind. In a moment, they were back in that cave again, holding eachother close, the heat of their bodies pressed against eachother.

“In this world… And all others… My name is Kiriko.”

With those words, Sinon saw Kiriko revert back to how she saw her initially. Another girl, just like her.

They spent the next week training for the upcoming B.O.B. ingame, and shopping for Kiriko in the real world. The night of the battle, Kiriko had stayed at Shino’s apartment, so they could celebrate their victory.

…

A flurry of gunshots was silenced by the cruel end of a photon sword. Despite her training with a sniper, Kiriko decided to return to the classics for most of the match. Her and Sinon made for a perfect duo as front line and supporting fire. Her favorite moment had been when Sinon and her had been cornered, with Sinon facing her while she had her back to two enemies. Sinon fired at Kiriko, and she split the bullet just like in their trial duel, with the two pieces finding their home in the skulls of their attackers. It was a game now, just for fun, and they wanted to perform.

“I suppose that is the last of them huh?”

“Suppose so.”

The two stood against the other, scratched, bruised, covered in virtual blood of both their own, and of others. And now with all cameras on them. 

“You ready to give the girls at home a show Kiriko?”

They smiled devilishly at each other.

“Always.”

In a swift movement, Kiriko removed her heavy black cloak, revealing the matching outfit with Sinon’s own. It was practically bikini armor, except for soldiers instead of for knights, despite Sinon’s insistence it wasn’t. Sinon revealed a photon sword of her own, and as the cloak hit the dusty ground behind Kiriko, both lept towards eachother with fire in their eyes. The clash of purple and green blades sent small debris around them flying, each strike was more powerful than the last. But it was less of a duel, and more of a dance. Every movement, despite the power, was elegant, with perfect footwork and seamless motion. They circled eachother, blade against blade. With every strike forward, the other responded with a dodge and their own strike. Neither had grazed the other, only their sword’s connecting the two. The chorus of slashes against slashes sent both blade’s flying, as Kiriko caught Sinon’s and Sinon caught Kiriko’s, and they continued their masquerade. They drew closer and closer together, despite the blade’s repelling eachother, their bodies had called to eachother. In a flash both lights extinguished, and the two embraced. They smiled at eachother, aware of the camera right beside their faces. They closed their eyes and their lips clashed against eachother. Love blooming on the battlefield. Sinon pressed Kiriko’s blade against her back, and ignited it, impaling the two of them together, as they tied another B.O.B.

…

The pair awoke from their brawl back in the real world. Both had imprints on their faces from where their Amusphere’s had sat on them. They giggled to eachother as they traced the marks, holding eachother’s faces. 

“I’m glad you got Asu’s approval before all that, I know that Liz’ll still tear both of us apart though” Sinon snicked, imagining the pink leprechaun’s stunned face watching their dance.

“Hehe, yeahhhhh. Just because me and Asuna are poly doesn’t mean the jealousy’ll ever just up and leave. Liz is probably upset that I managed to steal both Asuna and you for myself.” 

“Oh I think she’ll be more jealous of me, after all, I was the first one with the new girl in the group.” She laughed at the thought, knowing all of the girls’ not-so-subtle-crushes. 

“Oh yeah, speaking of, I guess tonight they all get to meet Kiriko at the party in ALO huh?”

“As long as you’re not nervous, and I’ll be there supporting you always.”

“With you by my side, I’ll always be ready. Let’s hop over and meet them.”

An evil grin reached Shino’s lips.

“Welllllll you and I both need to transfer our accounts back over, so you should set that up real quick.”

“Right, right of course. Better not keep them waiting-”

Kiriko turned away from Shino to her laptop, starting the slow transfer of their accounts. With her attention away, Shino slipped out of her top and pajama bottoms, and waited for Kiriko’s full undivided attention.

“Alright we should be good in around twenty minu- HUH!”

Kiriko’s face was lit ablaze by the sight of the scantily clad girl infront of her.

“Hehehe, whatcha waitin for? I know we got the cash prize, but it’s time for our real~ reward now.”

She unbuckled the back of her bra and let the garment slip down, exposing her modest, but perky chest with a light bounce.

“We won’t keep them waiting long- but I already told Asuna- I get first dibs tonight- which means I get first ever dibs on Kiriko~”

She pounced on Kiriko, pinning her to the bed. 

They showed up in Alfheim, an hour later than everyone expected.

…

Sinon entered the main living space of the home their party had shared. Luckily everyone was enjoying themselves already, but she still stammered out an apology for being so late. 

“Jeez, is Kirito not coming?” Liz said in a huff. “I suppose he just doesn’t wanna show after that little stunt you two pulled.”

Sinon blushed heavily, knowing that stunt was far from the worst thing they’d done. Asuna crept behind Sinon and pulled her in, kissing her on the cheek.

“Mwah~ That’s for stealing away my poor innocent Kirito~” She playfully toyed with the cat, happy with the new arrangement they’d found. But the cat’s face lit up, imagining how there was no innocence left in either of their bodies laying beside eachother in the real world. She shook the thought away.

“Hehe, just borrowing her~ she’s yours again tonight”

The party went silent

“HER?!”

As if on queue, a new cait sith appeared from the door. She was adorned with a black cloak and risque armor set. Her signature long grey hair fell down her back, looking just like Kirito in GGO. And she could barely look up at the party as she announced “H-hey everyone. My name’s Kiriko…”

Before anyone had the chance to say anything, Asuna, Yui and Strea all embraced the girl.

“Yayyyyy I get two mommies now!” Yui cheered

“Ah well that explains the armor choices…” Leafa sputtered out.

“We leave Sinon alone with Kiriko for a week and she comes back a girl… Yeah that tracks actually.” Liz was practically beaming.

“I was wondering about Kiriko’s choice of attire in GGO… But now I can’t wait to see her choices in here~” Philia dreamed of all the different event cosmetics and rare treasures Kiriko could now be adorned in.

Silica and Argo were hovering around the new cait sith in their presence. 

“So was I the only one who suspected Kii-gal was a girl?”

“Maybe! But now I get an adoptive big sister!” 

“Hey! Kiriko’s my actual big sister!”

“We can share!”

The crowd started talking inbetween themselves, talking about all the fun things they can do now that Kiriko’s a girl, and Asuna took this as an opportunity to pull her to the side.

“So this was what you were worried about earlier huh?”

“I was worried that you’d leave when you found out what I’d been going through… I’m glad I can still be yours.”

“Oh honey… I love you, husband, wife, partner, I didn’t fall in love with a boy, I fell in love with you. The hero who saved us from Aincrad, and the caring parent to our kids. This is just a new side of you I get to love, and I’m going to love every second of learning about you Kiriko. Now ummm. After the party can I head over? It’s been a bit since we um.”

“Heh- about that… If you wanna head over, you’ll have to ask Shino if she’s okay with you staying…”

“Sh-Shino? Are you diving from her apartment?”

“Hahaha, well, she did call first dibs…”

Asuna laughed and pulled Kiriko into a kiss. She was glad that Kiriko was still hers, even if she was being shared between a few others. Since for the both of them, regardless of all the others they would come to love, they were still that happy couple from back in Aincrad, soulmates from then, to forever.

[gingersp1ce547]

Thiago was not expecting to be dad. Not now, nor anytime in the future. He knew how he was, and the life he led. Neither of which were suited for parenthood even though since his own father passed the idea of what kind of one he would be refused to leave his head.

Would he be able to give them half as good as a childhood as the one his father gave him? Would he leave them grieving and wondering how much of their father they knew like he did?

Should someone that shot a 15 year old in the foot be trusted with a child at all?

In the end these questions didn’t matter. Because he had a kid now and she was a sentient egg.

Fortunately, his work on the island was much less dangerous than it was back in brazil. So he could bring hope with him on his daily rounds. She seemed to like it a lot, which was a good thing because he wasn’t sure what he would do with her if she didnt other than leave her in the house with cesar but she spent more than enough time with the hacker already.

Before they had learned what liz had been up to and saved hope, thiago had been spending a lot of time with one badboyhalo. After he had saved dapper bad insisted on giving him a gift, which ended up being a whole thing of enchanted gear. He took some of it but he kept a couple pieces of his old set that liz and cesar had enchanted on, and the rest in an unsorted chest somewhere in his room like everything else he couldn’t get rid of.

He kept hanging around bad after that. Mostly because he was a real good source of information on pretty much everything happening on the island, but also because something he said to Thiago once wouldn’t seem to leave his mind.

Bad was asking about what thiago did before the island, around a month into their stay here they decided it would be ok to tell people the truth as long as they didn’t go into too much detail, so he did. Only for bad to reply “why would somebody marked by death want to fight her creatures?”

“What?”

Bad tiled his head like some kind of owl. His pure white eyes staring through thiago from under his hood. “Or at least i think it’s death. Maybe not our goddess but something similar.”

He looked thiago up and down once more. “Do you not feel it?”

The urge to throw off his hoodie and run to the nearest mirror to double check that the symbol of that fucking place was still gone was tempting. But thiago knew he didnt need it. He knew what it was like for his hand to not be his hand and this wasn’t it.

He shook his head, forcing his tongue to move from where it had glued itself to the top of his mouth, “No.”

Bad made a noise of curiosity in response but moved on. Thiago wasn’t sure if it was out of noticing his discomfort or something else entirely but he thanked the change of pace.

Unfortunately, the fact that he even got that bit of information in the first place meant he needed to go back and continue to prod for more

So far hed gotten out of bad that only the rest of team was “marked” like this. Some clearly were by an entity like thiago, cesar and arthur (bad upset about blood), but with joui and liz it was unclear. Same went for the mark itself, which bad described as almost being fuzzy. Like fog was obscuring his vision of it.

He was pretty sure that this was all bad knew, but bad was bad and liked to be a tricky little shit. One of his coworkers once wrote an article just for fun about creatures from folklore across the world. He was bored on his break and read it which was a good thing because he was not unconvinced that bad wasnt some sort of Irish fae creature. It definitely wouldn’t be the strangest thing a person was on the island (that was etoiles).

Even if bad didnt know anything else about their team, he definitely knew a lot about what happened on island, Especially when it came to politics, or as liz liked to call it, a telenovela pretending to be politics. Which was a blessing in disguise as it made writing about it much less boring on thiago’s part.

Hope was with him today since her quests had already been completed for the week. They bounced across the map as he handed out the latest information about the islands happenings as well as gathered it.

Cellbit and roier were off being sickeningly romantic somewhere and hope asked very politely if she could go say hi to him. Not that thiago would ever say to no to something asked as sweetly as that, he told her yes since Cellbit was technically also her dad even if it was only like 5% since he helped in the investigation to find her.

They then headed to pierre’s to restock on some potions, only to find him and maximus… maybe arguing? Thiago wasnt really sure but it could have also been flirting, or manipulation. It could go many many different ways with those two and honestly even though it was his job to know, thiago didnt wanna know. Neither did he want hope to have to witness it. So he quickly sweeped her up into his arms and turned back around to the teleporter.

She gave him a look of silent curiosity but didn’t ask. He was thankful for it today as opposed to usual worriedness. She had been alone in one spot for so long, and had so much curiosity about the world. Thaigo (and the rest for the team) wanted her to be cautious of the what she was getting into yes, but he also wanted her to feel safe enough to be able to run up to a flower she liked without asking if it was ok first.

Deciding to foster her curiosity at the cost of having to try and find a child friendly way to explain whatever the fuck pierre and max had going on, he told her that they were having a private conversation that he didnt want to interrupt. Hope, who knew all about private conversations because of her secretive ass parents, nodded seriously at this and thaigo took a mental note to explain to her at some point that not all private conversations were matters of life and death.

Next they headed to bad’s, who thaigo knew had a good stock of potions he wouldn’t mind missing if it meant keeping an egg safe. He wasnt there and a look at the map told him he was off on some adventure with dapper most likely in search of creature that the kid wanted to tame.

There was a couple other people awake but he really didnt feel like crossing thousands of blocks to go and find them, so instead the two wandered about spawn. Hope taking the lead and investigating the different buildings up close. She already knew at this point that her pais and mae where not the people to ask about how crafting materials worked and seemed happy just to silently investigate.

In the past he would have expected it to be a good break from taking care of a kid, a time to collect his thoughts. Instead he just watched her and his heart felt warm. No thoughts of the what he was gonna write about next, or how everyone back in brazil was doing drifted through his head. All he could focus on was the way hope would walk up to block, completely transfixed by it, bend down to get a look at it better, maybe tilt her head or touch it lightly before moving on to the next one.

Or at least it was all he could focus on till a sound caught his attention. Mentally, he praised the fact that his still functioning ear worked perfectly if not better than that before turning to look in the direction of the sound. In it’s place he saw “charlie” slimecicle teleporting off somewhere.

This was odd for a couple of reasons. The first being that slime did not wake up often. The second was that when he did he usually hanged around big groups of people and the third was that thiago wasnt sure where he got enough exp to teleport in the first place.

Ok, maybe that last one was a stretch but still. Call it investogators intuition or whatever you want but there was something odd happening here and thaigo wanted to know what.

A light tug on his pants brought him out of his head. He read hope’s sign pai, who was that?

“He’s another islander my dear” he replied

She broke the sign before placing down another, Where is he going?

“Most likely home”

Hope stared at him. It was a stare she most definitely learned from cesar and liz because it screamed bullshit

“He really could be going home,” hope’s stare persisted in intensity “buuuuuuuuut your instinct is right. Theres something fishy about this. I feel it too”

Are you gonna go check? she didnt have to write the and can i come for thiago to know she was thinking it.

“Yep. Do you wanna go teleport to pai cellbits and go hang out with him and tio roier while i do?”

I can go there if you want.

He frowned. A sentence like that was the hope equivalent of saying no. She was just too afraid to say that was what she actually wanted.

Still. There was a possibility, however slim, that whatever awaited them on the other side of that waystone was dangerous. If something ever happened to her and thiago knew he could have prevented it he wasnt sure what he would do with himself outside of that it wasn’t good.

He had a enough innocent peoples blood on his hands already, but to have a child’s?

You don’t know if there were any children in the holy cradle, a voice whispered. It swirled around his ears and even though the non-functioning one was well non-functioning, he swore he could almost hear in it and yet you burned them all the same.

Now wasn’t the time for thoughts like this. Hope was still waiting for a reply and who knew what slime was doing.

“You can come with if you promise you’ll teleport away when i tell you too”

Hope beamed up at him nodding vigorously before placing a sign down quickly writing I promise! And then beginning to run over to the waystone excitedly.

“Woah woah woah slow down my dear!” He called out after her. Once he caught up he added “let me go first and hold my hand the whole time.”

Trying to contain her excitement hope gave one strong nod. It seemed to be an attempt at showing she was serious.

Smiling at this and taking her hand into his, thiago and hope teleported to charlie’s base

There wasn’t much there outside of a small shack which thiago assumed was Charlie’s house. The two investigating the outside area a bit before thiago used his still functioning ear to listen to the door. After hearing nothing inside, the two carefully proceeded to enter the building with thiago leading the way.

He didnt notice anything odd at first glance until hope gently tugged his hand in the direction of something, a small opening made of dirt.

Traveling into it, they found a large cavern filled with various plants and some sort of train system. Ignoring it, thiago and hope stealthily made their way down till they could see charlie standing in front of what seemed to be. a house. Only, he wasn’t alone.

There was an egg with him. One that thiago hadn’t seen before.

Grabbing a sign of hopes he had stored away he wrote out do you know them? Before breaking it and passing the back sign to hope.

No, Was the response he got. So not another test subject egg, which meant considering how Charlie was treating this egg (with warmth and excitement), they were most likely Charlie’s egg.

Only issue was that Charlie’s egg, juanaflippa if thiago remembered right, had died months ago.

“Stay right here,” thiago whispered to hope before giving a light kiss to her head and letting go of her hand. “I’ll be right back.”

Hope nodded and stayed in her spot as thiago got closer and focused his eyes on the outline of this egg. It was times like this that he missed the range of his gun but sword and shield would have to do.

The dead don’t come back. Thiago had known this as fact since the day he learned about the “airplane crash.” But it wasn’t till he joined the order that he learned the second half of the statement.

The dead don’t come back, so when they do. It’s not them anymore. Whether that meant they were a hallucination or a creature, thiago wasn’t sure. What he was sure of was the fact that he wouldn’t let slime be killed by whatever was pretending to wear his child’s face.

Thiago jumped down ready to strike but just as he did, the egg ran back into the house with Charlie sprinting after them, leaving thiago’s sword stuck in the ground. Cursing, he ran after them, only to see the egg disappear into specks of code as Charlie cried out for it.

Code meant code monsters. Thiago was not prepared for code monsters, he was prepared for paranormal bullshit even though none had ever appeared on this island before.

Regardless, he needed to write all of this down while it was still fresh on his mind. It didn’t matter if this wasn’t paranormal, it was still dangerous even if that danger had momentarily passed.

So, thiago turned and quietly walked out the house, back to hope and then the two teleported back home.

Pai, hope wrote upon arriving what was that?

Thiago bite his lip. God what he wouldn’t give for a cigarette right now.

“We’ll figure it out.” He crouched down to her level “So for now let’s not worry about it. Okay my dear?”

Worry crossed over hope’s face for a split second, and it landed sharp like a stab in thiago’s chest.

“This scar?” Arnaldo said pointing at a long scar that wrapped around his upper arm. Usually it was hidden by long sleeve shirts but he had rolled those up to be able to kneed the dough of the bread he was making, “It’s just from a stunt that i messed up once. Nothing to worry about my dear”

Thiago took a deep breath in. No nicotine hit his lungs but the oxygen worked just fine. “How about this? I’ll let you know everything new i learn about this case. After all i need an expert on eggs, and who’s a better expert than the best egg on the island?”

Hope looked down at her feet bashfully, but with a glow of praise, “you promise?”

Extending out his pinky finger, thiago smiled gently, “of course my dear.”

Hope wrapped her own around it, and the promise was sealed.

[friend-of-wisdom]

100/100 days of productivity

Friday, September 27th 2024

WE DID IT!!!!! After almost two years, I got to the end of this challenge!!!! It really motivated me, to be real. Thinking about writing for myself as well as telling yall about my daily achievements motivated me to finish writing assignments, not giving up reading research papers, reading books... And now I also have a written online diary of all of those moments that I can be proud of! I can read them and feel motivated again, see how much progress I've made.

I do have more things to say at the end of the post, but let's take a moment to see what I've done today!

worked on burocracy

finally went to the medical lab to do another round of medical examinations

read 2 whole articles!!!! they're part of the articles I needed to read for my research. The first one was only 6 pages, but the second one was 21 pages and they both were REALLY helpful for my thesis. I made so many relevant annotations that I'll use!!

wrote a whole page of my thesis (now i have 10 pages in total!! which is so good!!)

studied japanese for around 30 minutes

I wanted to write more today but I was already so tired! So I rested by playing a bit of Papa's Freezeria, watching one episode of Grey's Anatomy and a few episodes of Winx. I also played with my cat and spent some time with my bf (i actually went to his house to read articles lol but we had lunch together as well).

I want to thank you all that have been following my journey in this blog, that have liked and reblogged, or commented. It's really nice to have interactions with other studyblrs or just people that are interested in academics in general!

I have some plans with my friends for this weekend. Also going to take some time to dye my hair and cut my bf's hair. But the studying never stops! I'll come back with a new challenge, or a new type of posts that I have yet to decide. Anyways, I'm so glad I got here!!!

Remember, productivity can be tiring, and you all deserve rest and fun. Don't worry too much about being productive all the time - enjoy life. Doesn't matter if it takes 100 days, or 1 year, or 2, or 3 years to complete a challenge like this 100 days challenge. It's your pace and you should respect it!

xoxo, Liz 📚✨

[planetsandstarsandstuff]

Thoughts on Chiron in synastry?

I actually just read the book 'Chiron in Love: The Astrology of Envy, Rage, Compassion and Wisdom' (2023) by Liz Greene, and I would really recommend it to anyone who wants to do a deep dive on Chiron in synastry! The book is based on a seminar she originally gave in 2005 and it goes over: 'the nature of Chiron', 'Chiron in synastry', 'Chiron in the family,' and 'Chiron in the composite chart'. I don't think I could possibly explain anything from this book better than Liz Greene herself, so the majority of this post will be made up of excerpts (some of the quotes are very long so bear with me). And unfortunately there's a word limit on tumblr so I'll have to split this into multiple posts. This post will be focusing on Chiron alone, and the next post will delve into Chiron in synastry.

In order to understand Chiron in synastry, it's important to first develop a clear understanding of Chiron itself. In her book, Liz Greene begins by giving some background to the myth of Chiron, "The story that astrologers tend to relate to Chiron is his wounding by Herakles' poisoned arrow. But the way it's usually presented today in [astrological] circles is significantly different from older versions of the story. According to the updated version, Chiron is wounded and then becomes a healer because he has experienced deep suffering and develops compassion. I'm not suggesting that this idea is 'untrue', as it's a powerful theme connected with the emergence of genuine empathy and the capacity to turn one's suffering into a creative tool to relate to and alleviate others' pain. Chiron is a potent image of the healer who has acquired wisdom through personal pain. This version of Chiron has learned how to heal others because he has been wounded, and he reflects the process by which life's damage can enhance consciousness and put us on a path connecting us with [deeper] realities. The fact that Chiron can't heal himself is a necessary part of the story. If we could fully heal our own wounds, we might [lose] our compassion for others who are suffering. It's only the ongoing recognition of our frailty and damage that allows the continuance of empathy. There is profound truth in this interpretation. The only problem is that the idea of healing gifts emerging as a product of wounding is not what the myth of Chiron as it has come down to us from antiquity actually tells us. There are [many] sources for myths, and they inevitably mutate over time according to changing cultural contexts...I'm not suggesting that only the earliest rendition of a mythic story is the 'right' one. Myths are living entities and, because they are symbolic, many meanings may be simultaneously 'right', and different readings of a story may be especially applicable at different epochs of history. But when we're seeking astrological insights, it's always worth looking at versions of the story different to the ones we're most attached to, because they can offer us a new perspective on the pattern." (Greene, pp. 28-31)

She goes on to describe the original myth of Chiron, "Whatever version of the story we consider, the most striking difference between the one given in ancient sources and the one told in contemporary astrological circles is that in earlier sources, Chiron doesn't become a healer because he's wounded. He's already a healer, and his wounding not only puts an end to his career but also results in the relinquishing of his immortality. There seems to be agreement about the fact that the wounding occurs accidentally through the agency of Herakles; the [superhero] of Greek myth who is given 12 Labours to perform as a penance for the inadvertent murder of his wife and children, and manages [to complete all of them]. Herakles had just finished the second of his 12 Labours; the fight with the Lernaen Hydra, a poisonous snakelike monster with nine self-regenerating heads. All the hero's spent arrows were covered in the Hydra's deadly blood. After he put the arrows back in their quiver, he set off to visit his friend Pholos, the wisest and most benign of the wild centaurs. Pholos had a sealed jar of wine hidden in his cave which he had vowed to never touch because he knew that wine could drive centaurs mad. Pholos [was] determined to be civilised and loyal to his vow. Despite Herakles' insistence, he refused to open the jar of wine. But Herakles, being somewhat pushy, finally bullied Pholos into opening the wine. The other centaurs [caught a whiff of it]. They went mad from the mere scent of it, seized the jar, and started drinking. They began to tear up trees and smash boulders and hurl rocks, shooting arrows at each other and also at Herakles. Chiron, their King, rushed out of his own cave to stop the madness, because these were his people and he was responsible for them. Herakles meanwhile was pulling arrows out of his quiver and shooting them in every direction, killing many of the centaurs. In the midst of [this chaos], an arrow passed through the arm of one of the centaurs and accidentally struck Chiron. The arrow lodged in Chiron's hip, knee, foot/hoof (depending on which myth you read), all three of which belong to the horse part of him. Because the arrow was coated in the Hydra's [poisonous] blood, the wound it inflicted couldn't be healed. Chiron rushed back into his cave howling in agony. No matter what remedy he tried, his skills couldn't heal the injury. Because he was immortal, he couldn't die the way the other centaurs did. His situation was impossible and tragic. He couldn't function because of his agony, so he lay in his cave screaming in pain. Then a divine intervention occurred. The Titan Prometheus, who had offended Zeus by stealing the god's fire to give to humans, had been punished by being chained to a rock in the Caucasus mountains, where Zeus's eagle visited every day to devour Prometheus' liver. But this torture didn't quite kill the Titan because every night the liver miraculously regenerated and heralded another day of agony. Zeus, displaying his most spiteful face, decreed that this misery had to go on until some divine being was willing to surrender the gift of immortality to Prometheus. There had been no volunteers. Herakles, who felt guilty because Chiron was his friend, said to his father Zeus, 'I know someone who might be willing to do it.' Thus Chiron relinquished his immortality to take the place of Prometheus in the underworld, freeing the Titan from suffering and at the same time freeing himself from his own pain. Before his wounding, Chiron was already a healer and teacher, good and wise, gifted and kind. But through no fault of his own, he is caught in the [crossfire]. He blunders into the middle of the conflict to stop it, but [is not successful]. He can do nothing to heal himself despite all his wisdom and all his arts, because the Hydra's poison is an eternal poison." (Greene, pp. 31-34)

In this myth Chiron is faced with an impossible situation, one that he isn't personally responsible for, "Chiron can't keep his immortality without eternal misery and wretchedness and the loss of his purpose in the world. He can't remain a god. He isn't to blame, and his blamelessness seems to be one of the major themes of the astrological Chiron." (Greene, p. 35) In our natal chart, Chiron points to an area of life where we feel unfairly and irrevocably wounded, and perpetually unable to soothe the pain of this wound. It's where we feel we are "a victim of life" as Liz Greene puts it, being arbitrarily subjected to pain and suffering by something much larger than ourselves, something completely outside of our control and beyond our capabilities as individuals.

She continues, saying, "It's only when Chiron is ready to relinquish his immortality that he is granted release from his suffering. This is a disturbing denoument, and it's understandable that is has been reinterpreted so that Chiron's wounding results in compassion and healing gifts. But I think it's important to explore the myth in its original form as well as acknowledging the value of the latter version, rather than trying to convince ourselves that there will always be a happy ending to this story...The myth tells us that Chiron's wound can never be cured. But perhaps we can try to transform our way of responding to it and turn it into something more [creative and life-affirming]. That effort might itself constitute healing." (Greene, pp. 35-41) She then discusses what it might mean to 'relinquish immortality', "Audience: I think the relinquishment of immortality means a kind of humility in life, and an acceptance of your own death. Liz: Yes, I agree. The sacrifice suggests an acceptance of life's imperfections, the limits of our power as individuals, and our inevitable mortality..." (Greene, p. 47) There may be no 'cure' to Chiron's wound, but through adjusting our perception and reaction to this wound, and through profound acceptance, we can slowly begin to heal.

I'll end this post with an analogy from the book that relates to viewing life circumstances through different lenses, or, rather, through the lens of different planets, I think it's helpful in demonstrating how Chiron actually feels in a chart. Greene says, "Think about your last trip to the dentist. If you view the experience through Saturn's lens, it's an uncomfortable but necessary part of keeping your body healthy. It's unpleasant but you put up with it stoically and leave the dental surgery quite pleased because you've discharged your duty to your oral hygiene for another year. And if you have to lose a tooth or be fitted with a denture, well, that's just the hard reality of life. Viewed through Venus' lens, the important issue is having a beautiful smile, and it's worth putting up with just about anything and paying any amount of money to achieve it. And it's even more rewarding if you fancy the dentist. But viewed through Chiron's lens, it's a terrifying experience because of the expectation of suffering. You'll put off the visit for as long as possible, and the delay may worsen the condition of your teeth. The hygienist becomes a sociopathic sadist and the dentist transforms into the slasher from A Nightmare on Elm Street. If you must have a tooth extracted, it confirms your conviction that life is brutally unfair, because surely they could have saved the tooth had they cared about you enough or if you could have afforded a top-quality private dental clinic. You leave the dental surgery feeling as though you're suffering from PTSD because it was so traumatic. We can bring many different archetypal perceptions to our experience of injury. When we bring Chiron's perception to it, the experience carries all of the connotations of Chiron's myth." (Greene, p. 68)

In the next post, we'll place all of this into the context of synastry.

Greene, L. (2023) Chiron In Love: The Astrology of Envy, Rage, Compassion and Wisdom. Swanage: The Wessex Astrologer Ltd.

[angelofrainfrogs]

Into the Pit: Ch. 4

~Coauthored by @zeitghest~

Fandom(s): Five Nights At Freddy’s: Security Breach

Description: He should be in the Daycare. 

Gregory emerges from the ball pit to find not the bright, rainbow room he’s accustomed to, but a house with a huge backyard and a kiddie pool of plastic “water.” Calling for Gregory is a familiar voice—Michael. Only this time it’s not Charlie or Freddy by his side, but someone completely new. And why do they insist on calling him their son?

Gregory soon comes to realize this existence is vastly different from anything he remembers. Perhaps these last few weeks at the Pizzaplex have all been a dream…?

Rating: T

Read on Ao3

Without fail every time they visited the Pizzaplex, after family check-in Gregory’s goal was to immediately find Freddy and say hello. Even if he had other plans for the day, the kid made sure to track down the huge bear and at least give him a quick hug before scampering off. It was endearing, and Mike was grateful that Freddy seemed to love Gregory just as much as he did. Whether this was because the kid was technically an Afton or simply because he spent so much time with the animatronic was anyone’s guess, but no sane person would deny that the robot seemed to have a soft spot for the little ball of energy.

Gregory led the way at first, though as the crowds started to spill back in he deferred to Michael’s side and let Liz take the lead. Eager to be free of the tiny workshop, her pace was fast and direct while she headed towards Rockstar Row. The area was just as Gregory remembered, with the Glamrocks’ rooms lined up neatly. All the curtains were open except for Freddy’s, and there was a sign outside the plush red velvet that read:

SORRY! FREDDY IS RESTING, BUT WILL BE BACK ONSTAGE SOON!

It was Evan who knocked on the door, seeming nearly as eager to see the bear as Gregory. Despite his horrible fear of animatronics as a kid, he’d grown to love them—especially as their designs became friendlier and friendlier.

“Fredbear, it’s Evan and some of the family!” the man called, and a heavy shuffling could he heard in the room.

“Come in!” responded the deep, familiar voice. Evan obliged, opening the door just long enough for the family to squeeze in before guests saw and thought they were getting special treatment.

There standing in the center of the floor was Glamrock Freddy, as shiny and pristine as the day Gregory first met him. His smile was as warm as a robot’s could get as he catalogued today’s visitors, and of course his focus was immediately directed to the sole child of the group.

“Gregory!” he exclaimed, kneeling down and holding his arms out for a hug. “It is so good to see you, superstar!”

It was him, just as he remembered from his dream.

“Freddy!” Gregory found himself shouting, careful not to call him Dad. Still, the urge persisted even as Gregory fell hard against Freddy; the stalwart mechanical bear was a steady rock in an ocean of uncertainty right then. Gregory knocked hard against the bot, deriving a loud “Aww!” from his Aunt Liz as he flocked quickly to his idol.

She hoped that Gregory never got too old for these characters. His love for Freddy never failed to bring a contagious smile to her face, watching as Gregory nestled in before remembering exactly why they came here to begin with.

Pulling back after the short but intense embrace, Gregory sighed with relief that the bear seemed pretty much the same overall. “Boy did I miss you, Freddy…”

Then, it was down to business. Hopefully Gregory could start getting some answers around here.

“Are you feeling okay? Notice anything weird?” he interrogated, scrutinizing every slight flex of the emotional responses he saw in Freddy’s eyes and ears.

“I am feeling wonderful; thank you for asking!” Freddy replied brightly, still crouched to speak on Gregory's level. His incandescent blue eyes tracked the boy's movements as normal, and they flicked up to Michael when he bent at Gregory's side.

“I hear you got a big software update,” Mike remarked with a grin, examining him with the same ferocity his son was. “Sammy asked us to check in and make sure you're doing good.”

“Your concern is greatly appreciated,” Freddy replied, not minding the scrutiny in the slightest. Looking back to Gregory, he added: “I am not sure what you define as 'weird,' superstar... but I did receive an alert regarding a security threat in the Daycare earlier, though Roxanne and Monty seem to have taken care of it.”

“Yeah, irate parent.” Michael stood, shrugging with a little huff. “We got it sorted, so no worries.”

“Ah... I am sorry you had to deal with that.” There was a beat of silence, until Freddy reached out a blue-clawed paw to gently push Gregory's choppy bangs out of his face. His head tilted curiously, looking the boy up and down with an appraising gaze. “Gregory... are you feeling alright? My health scan indicates a mildly elevated heartrate indicative of anxiety.”

Too late, the bear realized Gregory might not want to go into that topic—although at least Freddy stopped before mentioning the word “nightmares.” The boy had confided in him many a time about his dreams, and since they weren't a direct, physical threat to his well-being Freddy didn't feel compelled to share all the details with his guardians. It was no secret they talked, but still... Gregory had explicitly said he didn't like bringing the topic up around anyone but his dads, and here he was mentioning it with Evan and Liz in the room.

Ah, well. He was just a robot after all, and even the most advanced AI can err.

Michael did say it was alright to be honest. Gregory was around people that understood him and his situation. Everyone already seemed to know he was a little different...

“No, my heart feels like it's gonna explode. I've been really anxious all day.” That was the shortest explanation he could give. Hopefully, it would take suspicion away from him and his sudden bout of amnesia. Gregory laughed; it was humorless and unconvincing to his parents and the guardians around him. “I woke up inside the ball pit in my backyard after a REALLY long nightmare...”

After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence on his part, the façade of calm shortly fading before he fumbled for the little robot on his belt loop. “Look though! Pappy gave me this little guy! I'm gonna call him Ditty.”

He held the spider-like musical bot flat in his small palms. The little guy shimmied slightly and played a midi tune while waving to Freddy, and Gregory desperately hoped the little bit of good news would mask how fucked up he was really feeling.

Jeremy looked to Michael, unsure of what to do. Gregory was indeed acting strangely. “Greg, let us know if you need to take a minute to yourself... I'm worried you're gonna get a burnout today.”

It'd happened before: Gregory trying to take on the stress of socializing and having full-on panic attack without either his or Michael's knowledge until he was deep in the throes of stress. It was painful to watch and sometimes even harder to get Gregory to talk about what set him off. Though it certainly gave Jeremy a bit of hope that he'd feel alright, given he mentioned this nightmare he had. Even if he didn't go into details, even just admitting it was a huge step.

“I-I'll be fine, Dad. Promise,” Gregory assured, holding Ditty tenderly in his mitts, careful not to squish or restrict his free movement as the little music man played a sympathetic score for him. Ditty wasn't big like Freddy; all he could do was hug his thumb to show his support.

“Hey, trust me, kiddo—” Evan smiled down at Gregory with a hint of worry deep in his eyes. “—the worst thing you can do is hold it in or not take a second to breathe. Remember how I told you I used to get scared all the time?” He shook his head, glancing to the floor with a far-off gaze. “I can't tell you how many times I tried to push past it and just ended up crying on the floor...”

Sometimes, Evan's honesty was jarring. The adults all knew about his past, of course—Michael and Liz lived through it, and Jeremy absorbed the information through stories and osmosis of being tied to the Aftons for 20-odd years. Evan found that the connection with Gregory, though admittedly not a fun one, made it easy to understand what he was going through to a degree. If he could help his nephew in any capacity when it came to emotional setbacks, he'd jump at the chance.

“...What Evan's trying to say is don't bottle it all in, okay?” Michael clarified after a moment, running a hand through Gregory's hair. “We're always here for you.” His eyes drifted to the large animatronic and he couldn't help letting out a soft chuckle. “Even Freddy. You can turn off Papa Bear mode, Fred—he's going to be alright.”

“Ah... I apologize if my focus was unnerving,” the robot stated, finally getting back to his feet. He'd been watching Gregory intently, analyzing for further signs of distress. Bad dreams weren't nearly as easy to treat as bruises—Moon would be the best animatronic for consolation regarding that topic. Regardless, Freddy still knew a few ways to comfort a child, and a topic change was a good one. With another bright smile, he held out a claw for Ditty. “That is a wonderful little invention! May I hold him for a moment?”

It wasn't Gregory’s intention to worry anyone, and while that was partly why he was apprehensive to tell them much, he had to talk at some point. The boy bit his tongue, feeling the distinct and sudden sting of tears about to break. Against Evan's advice, he held it all in after hearing Michael's words.

Papa Bear...

“Yeah… Yeah, here hold your palm out flat. There you go, Ditty...” Gregory offered the little man up for Freddy to take. The mini musician scuttled into Freddy's palm immediately, waving his teeny arms at him to get his attention while playing an entirely new midi. Toreador's March chimed through his crystal clear speaker.

Gregory watched the two interact out of the corner of his eye, leaning into Michael with a half-buried face as he knew he wouldn't be able to hide emotional distress from Freddy's ever-watchful sensors. It was hard being a priority sometimes. It meant he couldn't hide.

Maybe his uncle was right. He needed the issues to come into the light to stop feeling so badly.

But how do you explain a dream so messed up, it incepted your very memories?

Briefly surprised, Gregory pointed out: “Oh that's a new song...”  

Michael didn't hesitate to lift Gregory up and hold him against his chest, one arm underneath to keep him stable and the other wrapped securely around his back. Most thirteen-years-olds would cringe at the thought of their parents holding them like this, but Mike was secretly grateful Gregory didn't mind. The day he refused to be picked up would mark a turning point that meant he was growing up, and Mike didn't know how in the world he was going to deal with that.

When the little music man started playing a new tune, Michael huffed a laugh that shook Gregory slightly in his arms.

“Oh my god... one of the earlier Freddy models used to play that,” he explained, watching the robot with interest. 

“Oh yeaaaah,” Evan drawled, vaguely remembering the pizzeria Michael referred to. “That was one of Fredbear's idle songs, right? Man, I swear dad never forgets anything those guys performed...”

It was nice how William's gift brought back little memories for each other them. Charlie found herself sighing contently at the music. “Yep—that's a classic...”

It was such a long time ago. The older models long-since retrofitted with newer AI to keep up with the popularity of the Pizzaplex. Still, their old vintage charms never escaped the grownups even now. Charlie could almost hear the music box at the prize counter, Grandfather's Clock perpetually stuck in her head given how long she stayed by her Puppet's side.

Elizabeth watched in awe at the teeny marvel. Looking to Jeremy, a devious little smirk slid across her face. “Still have that fear of Music Man, Jer?”

“No way!” He laughed, albeit sounding nervous when Liz didn't look quite convinced. Ditty was fine! It was the big fella in the West Arcade that made him nervous. Looking to Gregory now, he told their kid: “We don't talk much about the old locations. We should try to find our old photo albums later! That'll jog some good memories of the place.”

Gregory was previously under the impression that working for any of the old locations was a complete nightmare. The things Evan told him were few and far between, but with Michael to constantly remind him that it was a surprise to everyone in the community that their family was never run out of town from gross incompetence shocked him to his core.

Grasping Charlie's arm, Liz asked her: “Wait—remember when our dads got into that screaming match in the back parking lot at Fredbear’s?”

Holding her friend back, Charlie's eyes went wide. “Oh my GOD! Yes! Our moms made them hug it out!”

William and Henry liked to yell at each other. It usually wasn't for real, as they both would just get equally excited about things that annoyed them mutually. Though their mothers hadn't exactly liked them screaming in front of the kids, so in an effort to seem more “normal” they had the two CEOs hug it all out instead. The two made it a point for the next week to hug in front of their wives, much to the poor women’s annoyance.

“Your mom was fed up!” Charlie reminisced, showing Gregory just how warped his perception of everyone was in his dream.

“They’re ridiculous,” Michael agreed with a shake of his head.

Freddy, who’d been completely content to listen to the family reminisce, used the lull in conversation to hand Ditty back to Gregory. “What a sweet new friend; be sure not to lose him!”

Just then, a chiming jingle issued forth from Evan’s pockets. He pulled out his phone, making a face with a muttered “Uh-oh” as he checked the caller ID. “Hey, Cas—”

“Evan, I love your little gremlins but will you please come get them before they melt my ears off?”

Faint screeching could be heard in the background, and Evan winced at the distinctive sound of his triplets annoying the crap out of his best friend. Even the others could hear despite the lack of speakerphone, as evidenced by Michael’s brows shooting up to his hairline. When with their parents, Evan’s kids were little angels. But when they were with a babysitter…

“Yup, noted; on the way asap!” Evan responded, clicking off the phone before Cassidy could gripe at him more. He was already going to get an earful in person. Looking to the others, he gave a short laugh. “Heh… guess that’s our cue to get moving. Bye, Freddy!”

“Goodbye!” the friendly bear waved, and everyone wished him well in succession. He saved Gregory for last, gently ruffling his hair with that happy grin. “I will see you again soon, superstar—please do not hesitate to visit anytime you wish!”

Gregory was preoccupied with clipping Ditty back onto his belt loop. It was jarring to be taken away from his friend so quickly, but his cousins were growing impatient. Though Gregory wasn't sure how much he'd like hanging around little kids so much… He hoped June was more around his age.

“Bye, Freddy!” Gregory called, grasping onto his father's shoulder as the group made it for the door. Alas, there was no time to ask Freddy about what was happening in his life. The visit was over so fast because of Cassidy's distress call. She could clearly only take so much babysitting before Evan's kids took over Mazercise with their overwhelming hyperactivity.

As they approached Chica's noisy attraction, Gregory grumbled and buried his face hard into Mike's shoulder. “It's loud in there.”

“You don't have to stay in there long if you don't want to. Just let us know where you're going, got it?” Jeremy said, reaching up to pat Gregory’s shoulder. It was fine if he wandered off, so long as he could find Gregory after he left.  

They’d barely opened the door to Mazercise before Evan was set upon by a group of three identical children. The Afton genes were strong, since—unbeknownst to Gregory unless he remembered looking in old photo albums—the kids were nearly a spitting image of young Michael… meaning they also shared quite a bit of William’s looks as well.

“DAD!” they cried in unison, nearly bowling Evan over with the force of their combined hug. He’d preemptively braced himself, feet locked in position as six hands tried to wrap around his waist.

“Hi, munchkins!” Evan greeted warmly, wrapping them in a bear hug. With an apologetic smile, his eyes lifted to Cassidy meandering nearby. “Thanks again for taking them, Cas. Hopefully they weren’t too much to handle…?”

Gregory had looked over the various kids. Oh man, how was he going to tell the difference between them? They were all nearly identical and with the way they all swarmed Evan, he couldn't keep track of them as they circled their father like hawks. Cassidy, with her messy black hair set up in a curly low bun and hands on her hips shook her head at her friend.

“Not yet! Glad you came when you did, though; I couldn't hold them back for much longer,” she laughed, rolling up the sleeves of her loose-fitting top as she said her hello's to the group. Judging by the bags under her eyes, she was getting pretty tired and needed the well-deserved break from babysitting.

When Gregory was caught in Cassidy's stare, he immediately knew what was coming. Despite the obvious age difference, there was no doubt the snippy girl was going to pick on him—

“Evan's clone! Good to see you, buddy,” she subverted, smiling sweetly at Gregory. It made him want to question her and everything he knew all over again.

Who the hell are you and what did you do with Cassidy?! his mind screamed. Would Cassidy turn out to be sort of nice were she not a vengeful spirit? In a strange way, Gregory would almost rather she picked on him at least a little bit, even if his feelings weren't going to be spared.

“Hey, Cassidy,” Gregory greeted, cut off as he felt something poking his dangling leg. A girl with dark hair and a face full of freckles stood beside him, nudging Gregory to get his attention.

“What are you doing all the way up there?” she asked, somewhat annoyed. The girl’s tone was muffled, mouth full of candy as the stick of a lollipop stuck out from the corner of her lips. It was clear who she was without anyone even saying: this was Charlie's daughter, as she was the spitting image of his friend when she was much younger and closer to what Gregory knew.

“Uh... It's got a nice view?” Gregory said, managing to bring a smile to June's face.

“Well, get down here. You don't get to be taller than me yet,” she scolded, a playful smile forming over her candy-stained mouth. She seemed fairly nonthreatening; the way she spoke to Gregory sounded as if they’d been long-time friends.

Gregory poked his dad now, queuing for him to let him down to say hi.

“You just wait, June,” Michael teased as he set Gregory back on solid ground. “One day you’re going to turn around and Gregory’s shot up like a beanpole.”

Jeremy couldn't stand the thought. One day their son was going to be just as, if not taller than himself. Another sobering reminder that he was quickly growing before their eyes, along with the rest of the tikes in the family.

“Don’t remind me of that possibility,” Evan remarked with a slightly pained expression. “That means it could happen to these ones, too…”

“Daaaad!” the sole girl whined, tugging Evan’s pant leg. Now that greetings were over, it was time for business. She stared up at him with hands on her hips not unlike Cassidy—perhaps Evan’s bestie was more of an influence than she realized—the little brown pigtails tied under her ears bouncing as she talked. “Theo and Teddy said I couldn’t play golf with them ‘cause Monty said I suck!”

“Tabitha! You know we don’t use language like that!” Evan chided in the age-old lilt of an exhausted parent.

“But they said it first!” the girl insisted, to which the boys shook their heads vehemently.

“Nu-uh!” Teddy and Theo countered. “Monty told us! He doesn’t want Tabby playing with us anymore!”

In response, Evan could only sigh and massage the bridge of his nose.

“Look at him,” Jeremy whispered, leaning into Mike. “One bad PTA meeting away from totally losing it.”

While Gregory was trying to figure out which triplet was who, he was slowly let down from his dad’s hold and relinquished to June. She was short for her age, and like her mother she had unique, smiling Irish-green eyes. After popping the lolli from her mouth, she silently offered it to Gregory without so much as a glance. Gregory looked to her, confused for a moment until June gave him a questioning look. It silently begged to know why he didn't grab the thing from her. When Gregory finally got the memo, he looked to the grape-flavored treat and shrugged.

Now was a time, as good as any, to get over his fear of cooties. He ended up shoving the sugar stick into his cheek and attempted to act cool about it as June leaned in to hug him.

“Sorry I wasn't here Wednesday. Band practice was a freaking nightmare,” she whispered, not wanting her mother to hear her pseudo-cusses. Gregory, still holding nervous energy inside him, spoke with a shrug.

“It's whatever. I wasn't trying to hang out with a whole lot of people anyways,” he remarked nonchalantly, like he knew what she was talking about.

“One of those days?” June questioned rhetorically, not needing a real answer. She was understanding in the way that best friends were, her mental wavelength usually matching.

Though... There was certainly something off about Gregory today. He was more nervous than usual for sure.

Nearby, Evan was desperately trying to convince his kids that Monty did not, in fact, play favorites and would certainly never tell someone they sucked at golf. The triplets weren't having it though, snapping at each other like Chihuahuas until Evan suddenly proclaimed:

“Alright, I think it's time for a little sibling break!” With a strained smile, he grasped Tabby and Theo's hands, walking them over to the other Aftons. “Tabby, sweetheart, you hang with Uncle Mike and Jeremy for a little bit, okay? Theo, you go with Aunt Liz. Teddy—stop climbing the stage!”

Evan had whirled around to see the youngest troublemaker attempting to scale the stage while his back was turned. Grabbing Teddy's hand tight, he narrowed his eyes sternly. “You're staying with me for a bit. Uh—” He glanced at his siblings, realizing he'd yet again signed them up for impromptu babysitting. “—that okay? They just need to be split up for like half an hour, then they'll chill out; sorry...”

“It’s fine, Evan,” Michael chuckled, keeping a tight grip on Tabby's hand as he could already feel her start to pull away. Looking to Gregory and June, he raised a questioning eyebrow. “You guys want to check out another attraction? The bowling alley usually isn't that crowded this time of day.”

He was more than happy to look after part of Evan's brood, but his own son was top priority. Gregory seemed overwhelmed again, so Mike figured a relatively relaxing time at the bowling alley would be a welcome change.

...Plus it'd give Jer a chance to sneak in the back with Gregory and make the famed kitchen-sink-slush for them to enjoy in secret.

Cassidy could be seen smirking at it all. Evan was the one that left her alone with what she would affectionately call 'crotch goblins' when out of earshot from the kids. She did love them—but in the fun loving Aunty way. There was obviously a priority for their fun and safety when she was on babysitting duty, though there was only so much she could take. Seeing how her friend was already at his wits end, she would stick with him. Theodore was being a little instigator today and was working up his siblings.

“Theo—be good for your dad and I'll get you something nice later,” Cassidy remarked, which seemed to grab the laser-guided attention of his siblings. Before they could start, she pointed to each of them with both her hands. “That goes for you guys, too! You will be good and you'll all get surprises. But if one of you acts up—” Cassidy clapped her hands together to provide emphasis. “—nothing!”

Going to Evan, she was recognizing that iconic Afton glare in his eyes. The hard look usually deterred most children from acting up... Unless it was their own flesh and blood. The triplets called their dad's bluff constantly.

“Easy, Evan,” Cassidy warned, touching a light hand to his bicep. “You're getting the scary eyes...”

Overhearing this, Charlie would chuckle lightly in passing. Scary eyes. She hadn't heard that nickname in years. Not since the last big meltdown that William had at Fredbear’s before he moved management... Coming over to her daughter, Charlie saw that June had given up her lollipop to Gregory and made a face.

“Gross guys. Gross,” she remarked, a hint of a smile peeking through the cringe. Like she hadn’t shared food with Michael over their younger years, sometimes to a questionable degree. Jeremy looked between them and laughed raucously.

“It's just germs! No worries.” Jeremy was laid back about it, even if it was just a little gross.

Gregory popped the candy out self-consciously, but managed to answer Michael. “I could go for some bowling.”

To which June replied with a nod as Tabitha joined their flock. Ditty clapped his tiny hands, excited to make more friends on his first day of being powered on.

“That settles it—meet in the Daycare in an hour?” Michael suggested, looking to the group. If the kids still had energy, who better to help burn it off than the Daycare attendant? By the time they returned naptime would be well over, so Sun should be wandering around ready to pull more kids into his fun and games.

“Sounds good.” Evan nodded, his face softening from the “scary eyes” he really couldn't keep up no matter how hard he tried. There was a reason his wife was usually the disciplinarian... he caved far too easily when it came to his kids. “Call me if they're trouble—we'll have to give Aunt Cas a report at the end of the day.”

“I'll be good!” Tabby insisted, her hand shooting up in the air to wave frantically. Whatever the promised surprise might be, she wanted it.

“Me too!” Theo insisted, while Teddy nodded vigorously with a hum of affirmation.

“Let's get a move on, then!” With a gentle tug, Mike urged his niece forward. He held out another hand for Gregory in case he wanted to take it, though his attention was diverted as Tabby suddenly gasped and jerked him slightly in excitement.

“Uncle Jer!” the girl exclaimed, thankfully still walking forward despite her clearly trying to make a break for the blonde. “Guess what?! I beat Theo and Teddy at laser tag yesterday! I was on a different team, so we were hiding but trying to find each other and then Teddy found me and he was like pew pew! But he missed, so it was my turn and...”

Michael couldn't hold in his snort as the kid started to ramble, recounting her story to the group but looking mostly at Jeremy while she spoke. It was easy to tell the favorites, especially when they were young—clearly, out of the Fitz-Aftons the Fitz side was the winner in Tabby's book.

As she rambled, Gregory looked to June who walked in quietly besides her friend. When she caught him glancing over, she would flap her fingers and thumb open and closed while mouthing “Bluh bluh bluh...” Playfully mocking the rambunctious cousin.

Charlie diligently nudged her daughter to tell her to knock it off. The damage already was done, and Gregory had to shove the lollipop back into his mouth to stop himself from laughing. Sometimes, June joked around far too much. Though now that she was a teenager, the boundary pushing was getting worse. She was starting to take on a rebellious streak that reminded Charlie far too much of Michael in his younger years.

“Wow...” Jeremy concluded, looking down with an impressed eyebrow raised high on his forehead. “You must be some kind of sharp-shooting space cadet, Tabby! It's a good thing you're in our group, then! Who knows what danger we'll run into?”

Gregory held in his opinions about the dangers of this place, finding himself scoffing quietly under his breath as they all went merrily along to Bonnie Bowl. Crowds parted for the first portion of their trek. However, the group did not anticipate the highly sought after and prized plushies going on sale in one of the many retail shops on the way. The patrons swelled, standing and crowding the aisle...

Gregory glared at the large crowd, then refused to move his feet. No way was he going over there. Big, lumbering elbows like that were unpredictable. You could get stepped on! Or elbowed.

Or taken right from plain sight.

He remembered that dream; the way it first started with him watching Freddy and the Glamrocks performing. How Vanny, still looking like a helpful security guard at the time, came and tried to lure him away just like she’d done for all the others. How Gregory had run for his fucking life when he’d caught that evil glint in her eye.

As his family walked, sure that he was holding onto someone's hand, Gregory's thoughts were pounded by intrusive flashbacks.

It was in fact Michael Gregory managed to get ahold of, and therefore it was Michael who noticed him stall like a car that'd run out of gas. For a second, they were nearly pulled apart by the crowd and Tabby's insistent tugging right towards the center of the build-up—but then Mike managed to pass her along to Jeremy with an appreciative smile and slip back to Gregory's side. He didn't say anything as he hoisted his son up and made a beeline for the backrooms. Gregory hating crowds was nothing new, and as Jeremy and Michael reasoned earlier that day, surely the Saturday rush would get to him at some point.

And so, without fuss or drawing extra attention, Mike carried Gregory to the safety of the employee-only areas for a little breather. Rubbing soothing circles on Gregory's back as the kid clung to his shoulders, Michael remained quiet until they were in the blessed sanctity of the closest security office.

“Whew!” Mike breathed, locking the door and sitting down heavily in one of the swivel chairs. He allowed Gregory to rest in his lap, spinning in a slow circle with a little grin. Hopefully his son wouldn't pay attention to the obvious concern in his eyes.

“I don't know why we keep trying to come on Saturday,” he mused, stilling the chair only to scoot closer to the computer monitor showing a few nearby security feeds. This office was tiny and had a limited range of cameras—the perfect place to hide without worry of being bothered. “I've gotta either get Sam to stop asking me to help on my days off, or start charging overtime...” He hummed thoughtfully, glancing down at his son. “I'm thinking overtime—more money means more fun stuff we can buy, right?”

Gregory had already been pressed so many times today about whether he felt okay. The last thing Mike wanted to do was prevent him from talking by showing over-concern. His son would open up in his own time, as long as Michael was patient.

Gregory was indeed snatched away, but not by any stranger with ill intentions. Michael charioted him from any perceived danger and took the utility hallway to the nearby security rooms—a place that had always felt safe for Gregory. He relaxed visibly, a long sigh escaping him as he finished the candy in his mouth. The danger wasn't far from his mind on top of everything else, but being here for a clam moment with his father was just fine.

“Sam doesn't pay overtime?” Gregory asked, finding that surprising. Maybe this version of Sam was a little more frugal considering all the family members he was employing. Experience or not, the nepotism was real.

Gregory shook his head; that wasn't really what he wanted to talk about. Instead, in a low voice he murmured: “Dad? I don't think I'm good...”

Still keeping him on his lap, Michael held Gregory out by the shoulders. Now that they were alone and without fear of family barging in with another exciting thing to do, Michael could really look at him. To his relief, his son didn't appear to have any physical injuries. He'd really started to get worried that Gregory bumped his head, but a hand through those shaggy locks didn't reveal any concerning lumps.

His face, though... never before had it been so haunted. The look in his eyes was far beyond Gregory's almost-thirteen years, and—

Those eyes.

Michael thought something was off about them earlier, but he'd chalked it up to a trick of the light. A gentle inspection by turning Gregory's head from side to side proved that this wasn't the case. Somehow, they were a strange, practically glowing silver.

“...Okay.” Michael's tone was calm, despite the screaming in the back of his mind. He'd never seen something like this before. Did Gregory even know? It seemed like he could see perfectly fine, so clearly this wasn't affecting his vision... “Okay. Can you... tell me anything that feels wrong? I need to know as much as I can so I can help you best.”

Gregory was fine with his father's seemingly routine inspection of his face. Though the moment Michael locked eyes in his, he realized what exactly he was trying to deduce.

Were Gregory's eyes always like that? the boy could practically hear him think. It raised alarm bells in his head. If he didn't always look like this, then his dreams may have been more tangible than he previously thought...

“It's my head—my memories...” Gregory tried to explain, blinking away the feeling of harsh scrutinizing. “Dad, my dreams were so bad I can't remember anyone here... It's so scary; I-I remember you, and Charlie and Evan but—wrong. Same with the others!”

Balling his fists in his lap, Gregory used the pressure to keep himself from shouting from the frustration he felt. What horrible thing had he done in a past life for the universe to keep messing up this one?

“I'm so confused... I-I don't know what to do.”

The crease in Michael's brow deepened the more Gregory spoke. He'd had some horrendous nightmares before—ones that woke him up screaming or left him shaking in a near-comatose state until one of his dads rushed in to soothe him. That first year of Gregory's adoption had been rough... but since then he'd been steadily improving. Each day was a little better. To see Gregory fall so far back because of one fucking dream was deeply distressing.

Michael tried his best not to let it show, but he knew he was doing a horrible job of it. If not for that startling thing he'd just discovered, he could chalk this all up to a flashback or emotional regression—something they could deal with in time. It may take another round of intensive therapy, but they'd gotten through it before and they'd get through it again.

And yet, there were those eyes staring back at him, silver and almost pained.

“I... I wish I could give you some answers, Gregory,” Michael admitted. He took a deep breath, trying to center himself. “I wish I could reach into your head and see what you're going through so I can understand. But... all I can say is that this is your life. This is your family just as they've always been, and even if you're a little confused please don't doubt that we all care for you deeply.” He shook his head, huffing in frustration. “I wish I could fix this all with a snap of my fingers, but the best I can offer is to take you home and let you spend the rest of the day in bed if this is too overwhelming.”

He'd certainly be calling the shrink for a second opinion while Gregory was resting, too.

Gregory breathed out through his nose and leaned his head on Michael's shoulder. The only reassurance was that his family would still care about him no matter what which reality was the true one.

“Okay...,” he muttered with some acceptance, knowing there wasn’t much else he could do.

In the end, he would trust Michael. The man was one of the only few people Gregory could truly rely on in the short list of family. And, though he’d never got the pleasure of meeting Jeremy in his dreams, the blonde had swiftly been added to that list.

“...I love you,” He reminded Michael. Wires crossed in his brain, slowly accepting the reality while trying not to think of his fucked-up dreams. This was real; that glitched Pizzaplex wasn’t. “You and Dad. Both of you are really good to me. I appreciate you guys a lot...”

Gregory had no clue if he ever spoke to them so candidly before. He blinked slow, glowing eyes at Michael as he calmed down in his hold.

“We love you, too,” Michael reassured, a smile breaking through as he rubbed a thumb over Gregory's cheek. “So very much.”

Gregory had said things like this before, though they weren't as common nowadays as they used to be. He'd taken time to adjust, of course, but once he realized that Michael and Jeremy did love him unconditionally, Gregory had been eager to return the affection. With the years together came more silent ways to show they cared for each other, so the phrase I love you wasn't uttered as much—especially in recent times as Gregory entered the dreaded preteen years. It was so nice to hear those words again, and Michael could feel a few tears well up in his eyes before he could stop them.

“Ah, shit...,” he murmured, swiping the liquid away with his sleeve. Then he froze with a guilty expression, quickly telling his son: “Uh... don't use bad words, Gregory. And don't tell your dad I said that.”

Gregory's eyebrows silently raised for his hairline at Michael's curse words. Apparently his sailor mouth was a habit he’d never grow out of. As a ghost, Michael didn't exactly encourage this way of speaking, though he never scolded Gregory for any harsh language displayed between them.

Now that his nerves were eased some, Gregory could joke with his dad. Laughing, he attempted to haggle for a deal. “I won't tell Dad you cursed, but I get a freebie later.”  

“Mm... okay, but you can only use the freebie when it's just you and me,” Michael haggled right back. “Don't want Jer lecturing both of us...”

Michael’s phone chimed with a notification that rumbled in his pocket. Jeremy and the crew had landed at Bonnie Bowl and his husband so delicately inquired:

Did you guys split to go take a leak?

Mike snorted at the eloquent text. With a chuckle, he typed a response while saying to Gregory: “Your dad sure has a way with words, kiddo.”

Greg got overwhelmed by the crowd so we hid in a backroom... doing better, but he's overstimulated so gonna take him home soon

He sent the message, then paused when he realized Jeremy was in fact their ride—or at least, the keys to the ride were currently in Jeremy's pocket. Thankfully, Jer had the message open, quickly replying as he laughed to himself at the Bowling alley.

Good luck hot wiring the van boo

Not wanting his tone to sound facetious, he then quickly offered him a better solution to get home.

How about I get our slushies and drive us instead?

Obviously that choice was a decision placed solely on Gregory’s shoulders. All things considered, with Gregory’s inability not to trust anyone so easily until they’d proven their dedication to not attempting to kill or maim him in one way or another, he should naturally fear Jeremy. Yet Gregory found himself unable to be wary of the man. Jeremy was easy-going; a man of naturally calm aspect—and nurturing on top of that. Clearly Michael found something good enough in him to marry the dude, which meant a lot in Gregory’s book.

“Yeah! I mean—” Gregory laughed, almost feeling silly that Mike had to ask such a question. “—he’s my Dad. He’s gotta come back with us…”

He was unwilling to leave Jeremy behind now. His presence was welcome, despite being an unknown variable.

Sounds like a plan, babe; meet u at the car

Michael sent the message while chuckling at Gregory's comment. “That's very true—if we left him here, Pappy would have to drive him back and I still don't like the thought of those two being in an enclosed space together for more than five minutes...”

Locking his phone and slipping it back in his pocket, Michael once against lifted Gregory into a secure carry. “One more trek through the crowds, then its home free.” He walked them to the door, pausing with his hand on the knob to check in once more before they set out—and to offer a warning. “I'm about to hone my years of high school track to get us out of here at the speed of sound... Ready?”

Gregory laughed at this. Opening up really did help; he just needed those words of affirmation to push through the hard feelings. And while he was being hoisted into Michael’s protective grasp yet again, he couldn’t help but think of his dreams.

Maybe in his own brain’s interpretation of Pappy, he’d pictured his grandfather’s and Jeremy’s bickering as something more extreme on William’s end. A murderer and betrayer of their family. That obviously wasn’t the case in real life; this delusion was something carved from nothing more than misguided, deep-rooted anxiety.

…Probably.

“You got this, Dad. I’m just gonna—” Gregory folded his face into Michael’s shoulder. He didn’t care to see the judgmental masses as they ran by, though he was ready now for whatever came their way.

Outside, the afternoon sun was beating down on Jeremy. Cold drinks were safely inside the van with the AC gently blowing over them as he waited for any signs of his family in the crowded car park.

“Aha—target spotted!” Michael announced once they'd entered the harsh glare of daylight and caught Jeremy's blonde hair shining like a beacon. Still keeping up the fast pace, he made it to Jer in a matter of seconds. Mike wouldn't admit he was winded, though it'd been a long time since high school track...

“Hey!” he greeted, pressing a quick kiss to Jeremy's cheek. Gregory had lifted his head to look around by this point, and with a grin Michael lowered him to peer into the car. “Seems like you're getting that slushie after all, huh?”

“Whaaat?” Gregory asked, leaning away from Michael to glance through the tinted windows. Sitting inside the little family van along with two identical slushies was a rainbow concoction: a menagerie or flavors layered but not stirred, meant to be enjoyed by those who favored variety in life. His mouth watered at the sight.

“I couldn’t leave my two favorite guys hanging!” Jeremy laughed. Unlocking the van and sliding open the door for Gregory, he lifted their son from Michael’s arms to aid his winded husband. “I’m making grilled cheese when we get home.”

He figured the kid would be pretty hungry by the time they got back as well. He was happy to see his son’s face light up with the simple phrase; Gregory did look like he was feeling better! But it was still evident to Jeremy that the boy must’ve been crying, judging by the strange glossiness to his eyes…

Apparently, Gregory just wasn’t ready for Saturday’s at Freddy’s yet.  

The drive was spent mostly in silence, save for the sound of slushies sucked through straws with reckless abandon. When they finally parked at the house, Michael was quick to let Gregory out and usher him inside, noting the boy definitely seemed better with the drink in hand.

“Greg, you wanna hang out in your room for a little bit while we get sandwiches ready?” he suggested with a knowing look in his eye. Perhaps going through some of his old things would jog the kid's memory...

Too bad Gregory tried that before with minimal success, though Michael didn't know this. Really, Mike wanted a second alone with Jeremy so he could fill him in on the situation. He was glad Gregory trusted him so much, but this was a lot to deal with on his own... and since their son expressed his trust of Jeremy Michael felt it alright to give him at least an overview on what was happening.

That's right, Gregory still needed to go through all those notepads and papers he found... He hadn't even touched the locked journal under his bed yet. It would give him a chance to reacquaint himself with the world around him. Whatever dissociative spell came over him might be lodged loose with some help from his own personal thoughts and feelings.

“Yeah, I need to chill for a second. Thanks for the slushie, Dad!” he told his caretakers. The drink was halfway full, he'd have to hurry and drink the rest before it became a muddy brown color from the melting flavors.

Gregory was mindful of no running in the house rule, though the sugar certainly helped his mood and begged for him to move his legs. Before he could fully walk away, Jeremy grasped him around the back of his shoulders and hugged him tightly. Much to his pleasant surprise, Gregory didn’t fight his embrace.

“Go unwind; love you, kid.” Grinning, he planted a kiss to the very top of Gregory's skull. He probably flustered the poor teen, as Gregory laughed at this and tugged away. After Gregory meandered upstairs with Jeremy watching as if to make sure he got to his room safely, Jeremy planted his hands on his hips.

“We really need to pick that kid up some eye drops. His allergies must be going crazy today...” Jeremy sighed sympathetically as he made his way for the kitchen to start on dinner. More likely, Gregory’s eyes might be dry from sobbing all day. He remembered being sad at his age—always getting choked up for one reason or another.

Michael was watching the stairs too, though his gaze shifted to Jeremy as he spoke. God, he hated to worry him... But he had to clue him in that this was something much more serious than they'd anticipated.

“Jer—” Michael caught Jeremy's hand as he reached the counter, speaking in hushed tones in case Gregory wandered out of his room. “—I don't want to freak you out, but... I think we might need to call Gregory's therapist again for an emergency appointment.”

He could see Jeremy gearing up to speak, that tell-tale widening of his eyes at the notion of something amiss with his son. Michael pressed on, lacing their fingers together as he did his best to explain.

“I... honestly have no idea what's going on, because Gregory doesn't either. But when we were in the security office, he—” Michael faltered, running a worried hand through his hair. “—he said he didn't... remember any of us. I mean, not like we are now. That nightmare he had was apparently so real it made him think we're the dream. Also, his eyes—”

He winced, looking to the floor and finally showing the emotion he'd been trying to hide from Gregory all day: fear for his son's well-being.

“I don't know how to help him, Jer...”

With Jeremy’s attention captured, Michael’s husband leaned against the counter to listen to him with an increasingly broad worry line that formed in his forehead. It made Jeremy wonder how the hell he didn’t notice anything before—and now that Mike mentioned Gregory’s eyes, he felt so dumb for not doing anything the moment he saw there was something different.

Jeremy dragged his palm up and down his face to try and ground himself. Though when he opened his eyes, the distress on Michael’s face made him flock to his husband and hold their hands together, unsure how much it would help.

“Do we need to take Gregory to the hospital?” Jeremy finally asked. This was going to be a hard decision, something that might cause Gregory a ton of undue stress should he be perfectly fine.

But the near-complete intrapersonal memory loss was insane to Jeremy. How could such a thing happen just because of a dream? His boy didn’t remember any of the fun things they used to do together… No wonder Gregory had been looking at him like he had four damn heads!

“I think with his eyes and the memory loss, this might go beyond the therapist—he might need medical attention,” Jeremy said very quietly. The last thing he wanted was for Gregory to overhear his fathers talking about what might be wrong with him.

“I don’t… know,” Michael admitted softly. He knew how insane that sounded—with everything going on, they should take Gregory to be checked out immediately. And yet…

“Something’s telling me not to.” A harsh, confused frown twisted Michael’s face as he rubbed his thumbs over the backs of Jeremy’s hands. “It sounds crazy, I know—I’m usually the worrywart who’d be the first in the car. But…” He shook his head, then cast a glance in the direction of Gregory’s room. “I think we should give him until tomorrow—see if he snaps out of it. I’d hate to stress him out more with hospitals.”

That was another thing Mike and Gregory shared: a strong dislike of hospitals. Michael didn’t know where his aversion came from, but for whatever reason the sterile air always unnerved him. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t take his son in his time of need, of course—but like Jeremy, he didn’t want to put Gregory under undue strain.

“He doesn’t seem to have any vision problems; maybe we can wait until morning and see how he feels,” Michael suggested. “He was getting a lot better until the crowds kicked up, and you already saw him acting more like himself in the car. I don’t want to take him to the hospital and, I don’t know… have him regress more. What do you think?”

Jeremy was soothed by this admission. Thank god this wasn't something that might require an emergency visit to the ER or therapist whenever possible. Jeremy nodded along with what Mike was saying, as he raised good points.

“I'll call Doctor Freeman, get an appointment scheduled, and we'll go from there,” Jeremy said with certainty and calm. “Do you wanna get dinner started? This might take a second.”

Jeremy slowly let go of Michael's hands—even though his own were fumbling with shaking nervousness as he grasped for his phone. This was nerve-wracking. How does something like this have to affect their son?

The kid never did anything wrong in his life; nothing on purpose, anyway. Gregory was one of the coolest kids he knew—and he wasn't just saying this because he was his kid. Jeremy just didn't understand why life had to be so cruel sometimes. Gregory was probably freaked out all day and unable to communicate this.

Scrolling through his contacts, Jeremy found the therapist’s number and began to dial it. He held the receptor to his ear and listened to the dial tone while nervously rapping his fingers on the smooth counter top.

Grilled cheese. Michael could handle grilled cheese.

“Sure thing,” he said, managing a tiny, shaky smile. Before Jeremy pulled away fully he was able to snag a quick, appreciative kiss on the cheek. “Thanks. I’m sure he’s going to be fine.”

Michael’s tone betrayed his lack of confidence. It was useless to dwell on the situation though; they’d check in at dinner and see how Gregory was feeling. Hopefully his memory will already improve and set a pattern for his recovery. With that worried crease seemingly etched into his brow now, Michael got to work making the sandwiches.

That kiss made Jeremy stay in the room. Something about it had given Jer the feeling that his husband couldn't be alone with his thoughts on the situation right then. On instinct, Jeremy's hand came up to tenderly caress Michael's cheek.

“Of course he'll be fine. This will all blow over soon enough,” he managed to say before he heard the receptionist pick up with her usual greeting. Gently pulling back, Jeremy would answer her. “Yeah this is Mr. Fitz-Afton, and I'm calling to schedule an emergency appointment for my son, Gregory.”

After another firm squeeze around the waist, Michael was released to compete his grilled cheese preparations. A few minutes later the first sandwich was ready, and with a reassuring smile directed to Jeremy, Michael plated it and climbed the stairs to Gregory’s room.

“Greg?” he called, knocking on the closed door. “How are you doing, kiddo? I’ve got food for you!”

***

Previous Chapter ~~ Next Chapter

Looking for more? Check out the Chapter Masterlist on Tumblr!

Or check out the entire Wires that Bind Us Series on ao3!