#tom x catherine

[9xyzt]

OMG I m no longer at christmas family gathering so i can reblog this with all my love

oh how beautiful it is....

doodle i didn post yet

[9xyzt]

umm this for an art project ALSO THIS ID YTE BEST I CAN DO ON PAPER sorry there are a lot of anatomy and face mistake ehememmem ALSO JUST UGLY COLORING but ummm idk

um this almost most recent wip im gonna finish it tomorrow and turn it in end of period so idk when ill hsve the finished back😅😅

[eobard-thawne]

"I don't want your promise. I don't need it. Perhaps no one will understand my marriage to you. But I speak to you, and you answer. I ask you to do things. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't... but you do at least listen. To my thoughts, to my decisions. As if I were a person." CATHERINE PARR IN BECOMING ELIZABETH (2022)

[lovetgr76]

When worlds collide... Succession's Matthew McFadyen and Slow Horses' Saskia Reeves!!

On stage in the Cheek by Jowl Theater Company's production of Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" at the Playhouse Theater.

[weclassybouquetfun]

More Met Gala 2023 fashion.

TEAM THOM BROWNE Jenna Ortega

Bella Ramsey

Janelle Monae

Teyana Taylor (who is incredible in ONE THOUSAND AND ONE)

Olivia Rodrigo *Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice!

Baz Luhrmann (with wife/costume designer Catherine Martin)

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander

Sora Choi

Conrad Gray

Teams Chloe and Dior

TEAM CHLOE Maude Apatow

Olivia Wilde

Vanessa Kirby

TEAM DIOR

Lil Nas X*in the gents with Harris Dickinson (who is wearing Dunhill)

Alexandria Daddario

Robert Pattinson (with Suki Waterhouse who is in Fendi)

Tom Sturridge (with Alexa Chung in Roisin Pierce)

Ke Huy Quan (perfectly channeling Lagerfeld)

[ficsofabotchedmind]

Prodigal Son Masterlist

Angst-; Fluff-^ Smut-* Comedy-+ MTBA-? Hurt/Comfort-' Agere- Dark-!

Ainsley Whitly Masterlist

1. Family that slays together, stays together !+

Jessica Whitly Masterlist

1. Family that slays together, stays together !+

Malcolm Bright (Whitly) Masterlist

1. Family that slays together, stays together !+

Martin Whitly Masterlist

1. Family that slays together, stays together !+ (Mentioned)

Jessica Capshaw Masterlist

[kbade]

[queerographies]

[Biografia di X][Catherine Lacey]

Svelando i segreti di X: un viaggio alla scoperta di un’artista geniale e camaleontica Titolo: Biografia di XScritto da: Catherine LaceyTitolo originale: Biography of XTradotto da: Teresa CiuffolettiEdito da: SurAnno: 2024Pagine: 470ISBN: 9788869983962 La trama di Biografia di X di Catherine Lacey Alla morte dell’amatissima moglie – un’artista famosa ed elusiva che si nascondeva sotto lo…

[foundtherightwords]

(most of my fics are CC x OFC unless otherwise stated)

Tom Grant (Make Up)

Winter Light (AO3): angst, slow burn, sickfic, post-canon, non-explicit smut | 5 chapters + optional epilogue, 14.8k

Arthur Havisham (Dickensian)

The Road Forgotten (AO3): angst, slow burn, fix-it, post-canon, revenge, non-explicit smut | 14 chapters, 42.7k

Irresistibly Contagious (AO3): sequel to "The Road Forgotten", Christmas fic, fluff, found family | One-shot, 7k

Billy Knight (Lethal White/Strike)

The Quiet Chaos (AO3): angst, slow burn, developing relationship, post-canon, non-explicit smut | 10 chapters, 36.2K

The Simple Thought of You (AO3): sequel to "The Quiet Chaos", angst, childfree, proposal, non-explicit smut | 3 chapters, 9.2k

Ralph (Timewasters)

All Our Yesterdays (AO3): friends-to-lovers, slow burn, a bit of angst, time travel, post-canon, non-explicit smut | 14 chapters, 53.8k

Come, You Spirits (AO3): sort-of-sequel to "All Our Yesterdays", fluff, funny, spooky, established relationship | One-shot, 4.6k

Time Out in the Upside Down (AO3): "Stranger Things" x "Timewasters" crossover, funny | One-shot, 1.8k

Leonard Bast (Howards End)

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Prince Paul (Catherine the Great)

The Firebird (AO3): fairytale AU, magic, adventure, slow burn, non-explicit smut | 16 chapters, 66.7k

Michael (Hoard)

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Derwin Grunauer (Overlord)

As the Sun Will Rise (AO3): post-WWII, Beauty and the Beast retelling, friends to lovers, non-explicit smut | 21 chapters, 82.3k

Emperor Geta (Gladiator 2)

Fallen Empires (WIP): canon divergent, alternate history, slow burn | 20 chapters, ~70k

Hellcheer Masterlist

[bawbawbridgie]

HPCC year 8 performance notes:

Part 1, Act 1

Part 1, Act 2

Part 2, Act 1:

- first note is something my friend said ‘i kinda forgot to pay attention because i was blinded by harrys lethal side profile’… i mean she’s not wrong!

- catherine!umbridge does these little harmless giggles then continue and turn into such an evil laugh

- not rock paper scissors for harry!scorp this time, but jazz hands when trying to do the hand thingy

- harry geeking out over snape even before talking to him and bowing towards him

- jade!hermione ‘im minister for magic’ while looking directly at snape proving him wrong

- jade ‘i am sorry what it’ll cost you’ breaking down in tears was actually the most heartbreaking thing

- ellis!albus straight away holding on to harry in the lake

- then harry literally jumping right on ellis genuinely almost drowning him

- steve!draco throwing the robe right at harrys face

- jaden!craig playing rock paper scissors by himself before he gets passed the scroll of paper

- ellis not even paying attention to debra… just directly looking at harry instead… awesome that’s so casual!

- ‘i agree it doesn’t sound good’ harry!scorp looking at ellis!albus shaking his head with 😐 face then ellis looking at him then straight away putting his head down with 😐

- eve!rose sliding away from the stairs when hermione comes in and matty!james jr making sure she is ok once they say she didn’t exist

- ‘i am… i am beginning to… understand…that…’ now what are you implying here david?

- ellis literally starring down harry when he sits down on his bed with again that look 😍

- LINE CHANGE ALERT!!!!! LINE CHANGE ALERT!!!!!

- instead of albus saying ‘did you?’ after scorp says ‘i was fighting for you’, he says ‘oh!… i mean… good!’ IM DOING JUST FINE SO WHAT DOES THIS MEAN NOW WHY DID THEY CHANGE IT WHO CAUSED THIS CHANGE I WONT STOP UNTIL I FIND OUT

- maybe im going insane but in the owlery, it looked like ellis was debating on where to put his hand… ON THE STAIR OR ON HARRYS HAND YEAH KILL ME

- julia!delphi ‘the augurey??? I rather like that…’ was so good!!!

- steve!draco and david!harry eyeing each other when tom says ‘older girlfriend’… that’s normal right!!!!!!!!

- ‘just like that…. spare did.’ i see what you did there julia, she seemed rather pleased with herself when she used the term spare… wonder why x

- claire!ginny poking tom!ron with her wand after he mimicked steve in delphis room

[humanpurposes]

Just for a moment, part iii

Tom Bennett has a habit of climbing through her bedroom window whenever he's in trouble // Main Masterlist

Tom Bennett x OFC

Warnings: 18+, mentions of war and death, friends to lovers, angst, fluff, smut, Tom Bennett's daddy issues

Words: 5400

A/n: Also available to read on AO3.

Monday 27th May, 1940

The morning starts off with a miserable drizzle. Kitty watches the grey fade to warmth through her shift, until the early evening sun shines brightly through the wide windows of the shop.

The month of May has very much been the same, cold and wet at first, but the weather has been clearing up nicely. Dad is devoted to the garden now, digging up the grass and planting vegetables in every free space he can. It’s on posters all over the shop: Dig For Victory. Live off spuds and SPAM when the rations run out.

Life feels mechanical; most days she doesn’t feel like a real person at all. All week she stands behind the counter, exchanging coupons for pitiful amounts of tea and sugar, stocking up the rack of newspapers and skimming over whatever horrors the headlines are screaming about that day. When she gets home, she pulls together some kind of dinner from what food they have while dad sits by the wireless. When mam gets home from the munitions factory, they gather around the table and eat in silence.

The house is so quiet without the boys. The only time it feels a little lively is when they get a letter from one of them, but they aren’t very consistent, especially considering there’s three of them.

Every so often, she gets a letter from Tom Bennett, but she tends to keep those to herself.

Her life has become a waiting game, she realises, existing between brief moments of happiness with nothing but her memories to entertain herself. She finds herself thinking about Tom an awful lot. It’s not so bad during the day when she has something to do, but when she lies alone at night, her mind can wander. She still leaves her window unlocked and huddles close to the wall because maybe— just maybe, he’ll come through the window and fill the space beside her.

Once she’s packed up the register and put up the shutters, she waves goodbye to Mr Gregory and leaves him to lock the door.

She runs into the postman at the top of Slade Grove. She feels slightly less guilty for not remembering his name when he greets her as “Catherine.” It’s what her teachers at school used to call her, and it’s what mam calls her when she’s in a particularly foul mood. Now it just puts her on edge.

“Can I give these to you now?” he says, handing her a stack of three envelopes. “Saves me a house later on.”

She flicks through them as she carries on walking. Two are addressed to Michael Wheelan and they look boring, letters from the bank or something official, but upon seeing the third she stops and smiles.

Miss Catherine Wheelan 28 Slade Grove Longsight, Manchester United Kingdom

It’s written in Tom’s handwriting.

She tears it open immediately, her eyes flickering between the page and the street ahead, weaving through any passersby.

Dear Kitty,

Sorry it’s been a while since the last one. Morale hasn’t been the best to be honest. Do you know what they’re calling the last eight months now? “The phoney war”. Apparently things are only going to get worse from here, not that it’ll help your nerves.

Thanks for checking up on dad for me. I do worry about him being on his own, with Lois being away and all. I wonder if she’ll be back yet by the time you get this. Have you heard much from your lads? I hope they’re doing alright.

You’ll be pleased to know I haven’t been picking as many fights, but sure you know me, sometimes I can’t help myself. I’ve been reading over what you said. I know it’s not helpful, I know it’s stupid, but then I’ve never been one to think things through, have I? I suppose that’s not much of an excuse. It’s instinctive. It’s like my head tells me what I’m doing is wrong, but I don’t know what else to do.

And we could die any day. Kitty, the state I’ve seen some of these men in…

The writing becomes crooked and trails off, ending with a smudge of ink.

Maybe I should write about something less depressing? Did I tell you about this gorgeous bird I met at Port Stanley?

Kitty’s heart drops.

Beautiful thing she is. The moment I saw her I knew I had to have her, so I stowed her away and brought her on board with me. She whistles a lot, and she has these lovely yellow feathers that really brighten up the bunk. She’s a noisy eater though, munches on seeds like she’ll never eat again. I’ve named her Vera.

I can see the look on your face now. Don’t worry, pretty Kitty, there’s no other bird that could ever replace you.

“Charming,” she mutters to herself.

I think I quite like these letters really, it’s nice to give myself a moment to think, even if I can’t hear from you straight away. That’s when I miss you the most, right after I’ve sealed the envelope and written your address. I hate the waiting.

She glances up, seeing she’s only a few doors down from her house.

I should have leave coming up soon. I’m looking forward to putting my legs on dry land and sleeping on a proper mattress…

She checks the top of the page. The letter is dated from weeks ago. “Soon” could mean anything.

… and the odd late-night tryst to see my fancy woman at number 28.

She scoffs a small laugh.

I bet you’d slap me for that. God I hope your mum doesn’t get her hands on this before you. Ey up Mrs Wheelan, see what I meant was, your Kitty’s a very well-mannered lady.

She purses her lips in an attempt not to laugh, coming to stop before her own front door.

Take care of yourself Kitty. Don’t spend too much time fretting over me.

Your dear friend,

Tom Bennett

Her smile fades quickly— why shouldn’t she worry about him?

It’s always the same with letters from Tom. Her heart leaps and for a few brief moments she feels so bright, just to have some kind of news from him. She could read pages and pages of his stupid ramblings and his moments of sincerity, but then it’s over all too soon. He signs off as her dear friend, then suddenly the words on the page are no longer new, and he’s still thousands of miles away, picking fights with his crewmates and launching shells at German ships.

The days pass slowly, but when she stops and looks back, the eight months have felt like nothing. Her life is flying past her and she hardly even notices, too caught up in the memory of those nights in September.

All for him to call her his fancy woman and feed her jokes about birds.

She knows better than to get her hopes up with Tom; she’s seen him go through every crush he’s ever had. He used to go through phases of ditching her for whichever sweetheart he was entertaining at the time, only to come crawling back to her when he’d inevitably cock it all up. Because he’s Tom Bennett, and he can’t help but make a mess of everything.

And like a good friend, she always kept her window unlocked for him, always held him when he needed it and did her best to set him straight. Because that’s what friends are supposed to do, surely, and he never said they were more.

Is that truly all she is to him? A dear friend, a listening ear and a convenient shag.

She rubs her fingers over her eyes because she will not cry over Tom Bennett. With the letter back in its envelope, she puts it into her bag and tries to find her keys, when she notices the smell of cigarette smoke. It’s hardly a rarity, but it makes her think of him.

For whatever reason, she glances over her shoulder at number 27. Low and behold, she sees a man with a cocky smile in a tight, white t-shirt, leaning in the doorway, lowering a cigarette from his mouth.

“Alright, pretty Kitty?” Tom says. “Was waiting for you to notice me–”

Suddenly she’s flying across the street and flinging her arms around his neck. She stands on her tiptoes to put her head over his shoulder and he leans into her, holding one arm over her back and one around her waist.

She closes her eyes. His breath is hot against her neck. He is here. He is real. He is more than a memory or words on a page.

Tom presses a soft kiss to her temple and she feels him smiling against her skin. “Take it you missed me then?”

She pulls away, holding back the urge to cry again, hardly able to catch her breath. This close, she can see every detail of him this close, the texture of his skin, the lines around his mouth and brows, the circles under his eyes, the scruff along the sides of his jaw, the little cleft on the tip of his nose. “Maybe a little bit,” she says.

She gives a little yelp of surprise when she feels him pulling her into the house. He closes the door behind them and then her back is against the wall, her handbag dropped by her feet.

Tom shrugs her coat from her shoulders before he surges in to kiss her, fiercely, desperately. Their bodies are tangled in one another, her hands in his hair, his tracing over the curves of her body through her dress.

And then he moves away. She tries to follow him only to realise he’s smirking.

“Missed me just a little bit?” he teases.

She wants to roll her eyes, but she just smiles. “Quite a bit.”

He drags his thumb over her lower lip, pulling it down to watch it come back into place.

Kitty huffs impatiently as she nudges her nose up into his.

Their eyes meet and the anticipation lasts a lifetime.

Tom hums as he leans in to kiss her again, slower and deeper, pressing her a little further into the wall by the firm hold on her waist.

“Missed you,” he utters between kisses, “so fucking much.”

She runs her hands over every part of him she can reach, his neck, the sharp line of his jaw, over his ears and into his hair.

“How long have you been back?” she breathes.

“Since this morning,” he says, coming to kiss her neck, the spot he knows will have her back arching against him.

“You didn’t come to the shop,” she says.

“Wanted to wait for you.”

She glances down the hallway, to the seemingly empty kitchen.

Tom huffs and pulls away from her, leaning with one hand against the wall. “Dad’s flogging his paper. Lois is out. Empty house for a few hours.”

She turns her head back to face him, pleased at the flush in his cheeks and the mess she’s made of his hair.

Tom’s eyes look down to her waist, where he presses his thumb into the fabric of her dress. “Come upstairs,” he says lowly, “I want to fuck you properly.”

She nods mindlessly, closing her hand around his as he leads her up the stairs, to a bedroom with two single beds, separated by a curtain. The room is about the same size as the boys’ bedroom in her house, but with only two beds, there’s enough space for two separate wardrobes. Her brothers make do with sharing everything.

Nothing about the room denotes Tom Bennett, not the floral wallpaper or the knitted throws on the beds. Not the books, perfume bottles and silver candelabras on the mantle, and certainly not the lingering scent of hairspray.

He leads her to the bed furthest from the door. She follows the stream of sunlight coming in from the window, and then she notices the details that are his. The ashtray and the empty beer bottle on the bedside table, the ditty bag and the pairs of boots at the foot of the bed, and the sailor’s hat left on the floor by the wardrobe.

The door closes and his footsteps tread softly behind her. His hands snake around her waist and turn her to face him.

She places her hands on his chest, running her hands over his torso, mapping his body through the soft cotton t-shirt. He feels firmer than he used to, a consequence of loading shells into guns and living off rations. She feels along his arms too, over muscles, veins, tendons and the scar below his bicep.

Tom presses a kiss to her forehead before he starts to undo the buttons on the front of her dress. A familiar restlessness rises in her belly, and suddenly she thinks she can’t bear to wait another moment. With the buttons undone, she puts her hands over Tom’s as he slides the dress down to the floor, along with her stockings and quickly slips out of her shoes.

She wastes no time unclasping her brassiere and muffles Tom’s awestruck groan by pressing her lips to his.

Somehow he manages to rid himself of his t-shirt and slacks without parting from her for too long, and he guides them both to the bed. She giggles as he lands on top of her and the metal bedframe squeaks.

“Now,” Tom says, pressing a delicate kiss to her neck. “Don’t have to worry about being quiet like we usually do, do we?”

“No…” Kitty breathes as he moves down, dragging his lips and tongue down her body. When he comes to her breasts, he cups one with his hand, and takes the other nipple in his mouth. Her head rolls back against the pillows but she brings her eyes back to him. She wants to cling to every moment, every sensation, all the movements of his tongue against her skin and his hair falling in front of his face.

“Eight fucking months,” he half growls as he moves further down, kissing along her stomach and running his hands over her hips. “I couldn’t stop thinking about you.”

She instinctively bites her lip when he ghosts his lips over her clothed cunt.

He tuts. “Don’t hold back on me now, sweetheart. I want to hear how much you missed me,” he says, curling his fingers around the hem of her underclothes before dragging them along her legs, leaving them somewhere on the floor.

He trails teasing kisses along her thighs. She squirms and whines every time he edges closer to her centre, until finally, he drags his tongue through her folds, from her entrance, up to her pearl with a deliciously agonising pressure. She doesn’t hold back the moans that sound in her throat, curling her fists through the bedsheets.

He works over her pearl with his tongue and lips, groaning against her as he does it and squeezing his fingertips into the flesh of her thighs.

It’s been so long since she’s felt like this, even on the nights when she felt herself getting too desperate, she can never quite match the feeling.

In a way it infuriates her that he can make her feel so good, but what’s worse than that is that he knows it. She can see his smug, half smile as he mouths at her cunt, so pleased at the noises she makes and the way her hips are starting to move against him.

She curls in on herself as her peak washes over her, but he manages to hold her down, right where he wants her, and keeps going until her whole body shudders and her legs are quivering.

“Fuck,” she breathes, “Tom…”

Even then he doesn’t give her much of a reprieve. He moves back for a moment before he positions her legs over his shoulders. His tongue is against her again, only now he moves lower, teasing over her entrance.

She whines impatiently.

“Fucking greedy, aren’t you?” Tom chuckles. He licks over her again— too much and not enough. “Just take it, take what I give you.”

But it doesn’t take long for him to slip his tongue inside her while his nose nudges against her. His name is a dreamy chant on her lips now. The pleasure rises and burns until she’s sure she can’t take anymore. She threads her fingers into his hair, gripping at it, urging him on, just a little more, and she’s sure she’ll fall apart.

Then he’s gone without warning, but he soon compensates the loss by replacing his tongue with a single finger.

Tom gazes up at her through his lashes. He keeps his eyes on her face as he pushes inside of her, deeper, deeper, until she takes a sharp intake of breath when he finds her sweet spot.

“Give me another one,” he groans, lowering his head down to circle his tongue over her. “Come on, pretty Kitty.”

She follows it like a command. Her second peak is sharper than the first and has her gasping for breath as she feels herself come undone around him.

“There you go,” Tom grins as he brings her legs from his shoulders and starts to make his way up her body.

He props himself over her, one hand on either side of her head. His silver chain, usually hidden below his shirt, dangles in front of her as their eyes meet. They breathe together, chests rising and falling in perfect unison.

He hesitates for a moment, before he places a lazy kiss to her lips. “God,” he utters, “you’re so fucking gorgeous, do you know that?”

“Just keep saying it,” she says.

He takes one of her hands and guides it down to his briefs. She traces her fingers over the hem before she slides underneath and wraps them around his already hard cock.

“Fuck—” Tom hisses through his teeth, his brow furrowed and his jaw tight. He reaches for the bedside table and hands her a condom. “Do the honours for me,” he grins.

She tears it open and reaches back down to slide it along his length.

Slowly, he lets his weight fall against her as he slides inside of her, burying his face into her neck and letting out a shaky breath against her skin.

She brings her arms around his shoulders as he rocks into her, gently at first, but she can feel that it’s not enough. His breaths are getting sharper and his thrusts harsher as he whimpers into her neck.

She holds him as tightly as she can, hoping it will somehow soothe the ache in her heart, because she still feels the absence of the last eight months. Because she can already feel the time slipping away.

Tom withdraws from her neck. “Look at me,” he pleads.

She does, and he brings his forehead to hers. His nose presses into hers and their lips barely brush over each other.

“You feel so good,” he says. His expression fades into something darker and more determined as he fucks her harder and faster, “so fucking tight.”

She feels it too, the urgency to make up for the time and the distance with a carnal need.

They reach their climaxes together, moaning into each other’s mouths and keeping their bodies tight together. It never feels close enough.

Once they’ve caught their breath and they feel their desire mounting again, Tom lies back on the bed and brings her to straddle him.

While the position isn’t unfamiliar, the movements are, but she’s eager enough, gauging both of their reactions as she grinds her hips against his. She goes slowly, at first, bracing herself against him while Tom keeps hold of her waist to guide her movements.

“Nice and slow, just like that,” he whispers, gazing up at her with a slight smile, “show me how much you missed me.”

She doesn’t care how the bed creaks under them, that she’s breathing and moaning too loudly. There’s something freeing and unashamed about how they fuck. Seeing Tom’s face twisted in pleasure and hearing his needy whines as he starts to buck his hips to match her movements.

And when another climax tears through her, she wishes she could drag the moment out forever.

Tom takes her in his arms as they collapse back on the bed.

She feels like she’s dreaming, not quite awake but still aware of whose arms are cradled around her, whose heartbeat she feels against her ear, who reaches for a packet of cigarettes and flicks his lighter.

They talk about things they’ve already discussed over letters, the bloody war and all the misery that comes with it. Life in Longsight seems dull in comparison to Tom’s tales of sea battles and antics on board the Exeter. But even in the middle of the Atlantic, in the midst of a war that’s consuming the whole world, he still found time to wind everybody up. She can’t tell if she hates him or admires him for it.

There’s something different about him. Where he used to sound so cocksure and carefree, his voice is duller.

Tucked under his shoulder, she shifts her head to get a better look at him, propped up against the pillows, taking drags from his cigarette, pouting his lips as he exhales the smoke and tapping the ash into the tray. Her eyes tell her it’s the same person, the same jaw, the same nose, the same lips, the same shade of blue in his eyes.

No… he looks different in the way his face falls. He seems less smug than he used to be. He seems tired, older, colder.

Of course he’s different, how could he not be? The war has reached every corner of the world, but he’s been in the thick of it.

“Your dad must be glad to have you back,” she says quietly.

Tom’s body tenses underneath her. He brings his cigarette to his lips again, giving a little irritated huff as he exhales. She wonders if that’s a thread she should avoid tugging on, but it already seems to be unraveling. He reaches to stub the cigarette out in the ashtray.

“I didn’t want to go back,” he mutters, his expression stern and sad. “I thought I was doing the right thing by going. I’ve spent enough of my life making a mess of everything, I thought if I did something good then…” he glances down at her, then shakes his head. “But I was so fucking scared—” his voice breaks his eyes are glistening.

Kitty sits up and clenches her hand around his. He’s trembling.

“You’re alright,” she says, softly, “you’re alright.”

He breathes quickly and she can feel his heart thundering in his chest. His descriptions of the attacks on the Exeter and the aftermaths had been brief, which she thought must have been a way to protect her from it on his part. Maybe he didn’t want it in writing, maybe he didn’t want to think about it once he had lived it, to be surrounded by fire, smoke and death at every turn.

“I thought dad would help me. I told him I didn’t want to go back, I thought he could help me somehow.”

“And what did he say?”

His nostrils flare as he huffs again. “He thinks it’ll be a bad look for the movement. He doesn’t think I’m genuine.”

Kitty strokes her thumb over his knuckles and his fingers tighten around hers.

“For a moment I thought he’d be pleased,” he says, his voice thick and coarse, “just for a moment.

She breathes through the tight feeling in her chest. “Maybe if you spoke to him again—”

“No,” he says bitterly. “Made up his mind now. Sure, what does it matter either way? I’m not much use here.”

The light feeling in her limbs is starting to fade. She feels solid and heavy where her body meet the mattress.

“Your dad needs you,” Kitty says, “and Lois.”

He scoffs.

“Don’t tell me you’re upset with her too?”

Tom frowns. “Stupid fucking mistake. What does she think she’s going to do now?”

“She told you then?”

“She sent a letter.”

Lois had called in a few weeks ago to tell them the news. Mam already had her suspicions, even though Lois was barely showing. She and dad were horrified, but of course they didn’t make that clear until after she had left. “A baby on the way and no husband, for shame.”

“She knows it was stupid, but she’s not asking anyone else to deal with the consequences,” Kitty says.

“All because she wanted to mess around with some posh boy.”

Kitty swallows down the dry feeling in her throat. “I don’t think what she did was much different to me and you.”

Tom looks down at her with wide eyes. “Me and you are different,” he says.

“How so?”

His lips shift, like he might say something, but he doesn’t. “I don’t know, I thought Lois was more sensible than this.”

“She’s certainly not done herself any favours, but you won’t help by being angry at her.”

“But she’s always been the responsible one, you know?”

“That’s not fair, Tom, she’s your sister not your mother.”

Tom stares up at the ceiling with his lips parted. “No… I suppose not.”

He turns his head into her. “I should never have gone in the first place.”

There’s lots of things that she thinks she would want to change. Sometimes she wishes Tom wasn’t so reckless and impulsive. She wishes he’d find an interest that wouldn’t end him up in trouble with the police. She wishes he really was a pacifist, and that way he would be here, and the only thing separating them would be a single street and two windows. It hurts to think of what could have been.

But those things cannot be changed, and even then, he wouldn’t be him. He wouldn’t be the Tom Bennett she’s adored for as long as she’s had memories of him.

She shifts against him, hooking her arm over her chest and her leg over his hips. “I know things are hard,” she says. “Just don’t leave them on a bade note. You’ll regret it if you do.”

They don’t speak for a while. The evening drags on, the sun dips lower in the sky, voices and the shouts of children sound from the street and Kitty is content lie beside him, listening to his heartbeat and his slow, controlled breaths, while he plays with her hair.

“I love you,” he breathes, so softly she thinks it might be a voice in her head. “When we got hit, it was all I could think about. That I might die then and there, and you’d never know.”

She feels her mouth break into a smile. “You love me?”

“Oh leave off, I’ve said it now,” he says with a grin.

They dress and he leads her downstairs to the kitchen. While he fusses with the kettle, Kitty takes a seat at the table.

“You’ve not met Vera yet,” Tom says over his shoulder, nodding at the small birdcage on the table. Inside, a little, yellow canary with black, beady eyes tilts her head and chirps.

“Hello, Vera,” Kitty says.

Vera chirps back.

Tom turns back around with a single cup of tea and a plate of toast. “Have to be stingy with the butter and milk, obviously,” he says setting them in front of her.

“Oh,” she says, “no, I won’t have any, don’t waste your rations on me.”

Tom angles his brows at her. “It’s not a waste.” He takes a seat in the chair opposite and lights a cigarette. “Come on, you’ve been on your feet all day.”

She hesitates before she reaches for the milk, spilling the smallest dash she can manage into the cup and skipping the sugar. Then she takes a cut of butter no larger than her thumbnail and spreads it across the toast. She takes a few tentative bites, ushering some back to him and tearing off a few crumbs to feed to Vera. Even the most mundane parts of life have become luxuries now.

“How long are you back for?” she asks.

“A week.”

“And then?”

“Off to Dover. They’ve got some big operation planned.”

“And will you be back after that?”

He draws his tongue between his lips. “I don’t know.”

Before long, the front door unlocks and Lois’ heels click through the hallways as she comes into the kitchen. “Dad not back yet?” she says, tossing her coat over the banister. She stops at the head of the table and looks between the two of them. She’s holding a brown paper bag. “Hello, Kitty. I’ve just been in to see your mum.”

“Oh she’ll be wondering where I am,” Kitty says, glancing across to Tom.

His chin is tilted down, and he looks up at her through the smoke with pleading eyes, like an injured puppy.

“Tell ‘em the Gregorys invited you up for tea,” Lois shrugs. She reaches into the bag and pulls out tiny pieces of clothing that are vaguely familiar to Kitty. “For the baby,” she says. “Thank God your mum kept all your old stuff.”

“Make do and all that,” Kitty says, briefly catching Tom’s eye.

She downs her tea and hurries to the hallway. Tom had left her coat over a sofa in the front room, and her bag is still on the floor. She tuts at his carelessness and shouts a farewell to Lois as Tom comes to see her to the door.

“Thanks for stopping by,” he says formally, with the corners of his mouth curled.

“Of course,” she replies, peering round his shoulder to see if Lois can see them.

Tom looks round too and smiles back at her as he leans into her ear. “A pleasure, as always, pretty Kitty.” He catches her lips in a quick peck before he opens the door for her.

She hurries across the street and finds her keys in her handbag. Before she opens her own door, she looks back to number 27. The glow of the spring evening beams off the red bricks of the houses and Tom looks golden, watching her through the haze of smoke from his cigarette.

It’s like before, all those months ago, before he first went away.

Each night, Tom steals into her bedroom. They kiss as quietly as they undress each other and set themselves down on her bed.

It gets more unbearable with every day that goes by. Each hour is an hour closer to carrying on with her life without him, when he’ll become another person to wait for, another reason why she wants this war to end.

On their last night, he fucks her from behind, keeping her mouth covered and muffling his own sounds in the crook of her neck. His breath and the hold on her mouth only makes her more desperate.

If anything, that first evening has ruined her, going back to gentle lovemaking is excruciating.

She quietly pleads for “more… more…”

Tom clamps his hand tighter around her mouth. “No, no, no, be a good girl,” he whispers harshly, “just be a good girl for me, Kitty.”

Once they’re both too tired to carry on, he wraps his arms around her. He tells her he loves her, and she says it back.

Dover is closer than the Atlantic at least, but the distance is all the same. He’ll still be gone.

She watches him as he dresses and follows him to the window. Before he leaves, he kisses her, deeply and desperately, pulling her still bare body against him.

When they move away for breath she gazes into his eyes. She could never forget them, the storm of blue and grey rings around his pupil, but he already feels like a memory, something intangible, there but not quite.

He presses a kiss to her forehead and his lips linger there. “When I get my next leave, I’ll come straight to you,” he says.

She doesn’t doubt it’s a promise he’ll keep. Tom Bennett doesn’t often make promises to her, but so far, he’s never broken one.

Tags (comment to be added to either)

General taglist: @randomdragonfires @jamespotterismydaddy @theoneeyedprince @tsujifreya

Series taglist: @hanula18 @azxulaa @whoknows333

[lostfirefly]

Masterlist

(just not to lose my stories on the page, coz I don't know how it all started :))

One Piece - Buggy x OC, Buggy x Reader (placed on a separate link)

ᐢᗜᐢ Buggy x Reader Masterlist ᐢᗜᐢ

Buggy x Catherine (OC from You've Got the Same Dream as Me series)

(AU: No ships, no marines, Buggy lives in Cairo and runs a circus, periodically goes in search of gold with his girlfriend)

A brilliant art by UlfJack

• You've Got the Same Dream as Me

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10 (the final)

Catherine, a librarian who is searching for the trail of her sister who went missing on an expedition. Notes in books and diaries lead her to Cairo. There she finds a retailer from an artifact shop who, in exchange for selling her a map and equipment, insists that Catherine take her along. They get into a little (or maybe a big) adventure..  (based on my dream with Tom Cruise and Henry Cavill, but they have been replaced). Main characters: Sir Crocodile x OC, Buggy x OC. The Mummy and Indiana Jones vibes.

• Life Must Have It's Mysteries Cathie-pie and Buggy are going to their new adventure to find the blue diamond.

Chapter 1, Chapter 2 (nsfw part is included), Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12 (the epilogue)

• You are what my sins enclosed, lust as not as creative as its discovery (nsfw!) Buggy and Catherine live happily together in Cairo and they return home from the walk. Catherine made one mistake :)

• With each word your tenderness grows, tearing my fear apart, and that laugh that wrinkles your nose, it touches my foolish heart Buggy and Catherine were spending their evening at a bar. He was busy all week with his circus, so they hardly saw each other (yes, this happens too). A simple game leads to their first fight. 

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (nsfw!)

• 'Cause honey your soul can never grow old, it's evergreen, baby your smile's forever in my mind and memory Catherine's birthday. Buggy wants to give her a fun day.

• Let's stay together lovin' you whether, whether times are good or bad, happy or sad Buggy had a rough day, he came home upset and got a share of comfort from his Cathie-pie :) • Tell me what you want to hear, something that will light those ears I'm sick of all the insincere, so I'm gonna give all my secrets away Catherine came back home and found Buggy lying on the couch with the headphones. • If you ever find yourself lost in the dark and you can't see, I'll be the light to guide you Buggy and Catherine have been living together for about a month one and a half to two months. Catherine sees him without his clown makeup for the first time (for a completely stupid reason, because these two couldn’t have it any other way) • Cooking in the kitchen now that's what we do, there's something cooking in the kitchen just for you Cathie-pie is making breakfast for her beloved clown.

• What do you do? What do you do in the bath? (NSFW part is included) Buggy came home from a short tour. He and Catherine are taking a bath. Something gets out of control :) • Just a second, we're not broken, just bent and we can learn to love again Buggy asks Catherine out on a date, and they accidentally run into an old friend of hers. • The score will show we're pretty bad, but look at all the fun we've had Buggy screwed up (as always) and Catherine made him take her to the bowling club. • Desire, I'm hungry, and I hope you feed me. How do you want me, how do you want me? (nsfw is included!) Events take place after chapter 10 of "You've got the same dream as me". Catherine decides to stay in Cairo. Buggy brings her home. • Dust the shelves and polish the glass-ware, the housework makes you happy Catherine once again pulls out the trio Buggy, Cabaji and Mohji from the prison's point of view and forces them to clean the apartment. • Sharing horizons that are new to us, watchin' the signs along the way, talkin' it over, just the two of us, workin' together day to day Catherine and Buggy are celebrating six months since they first met. • I stand in fear as she gets near, then everything's okay I hope this feeling never goes away (flashback) Catherine and Buggy are going on their first date. Buggy sometimes reacts to simple little things in a very strange way. • I'm still learning about life, my woman brought children for me, so I can sing them all my songs, and I can tell them stories One morning if Buggy and Catherine had kids. • Well, I don't know why I came here tonight, I've got the feeling that something ain't right Neighbor asks Catherine and Buggy to look after the kids at their birthday party while she goes to get the cake. • In my midnight confessions, when I say all the things that I want to (Bedtime Story Series) Catherine's backstory in the format of fairy tales. Chapter 1 • Today, my love, all I want, I wanna sing for you, yeah, I'll sing for you, baby! Happy birthday to you! (sfw + nsfw) Buggy's bday! Catherine throws a party!

• Your nose is runnin', and your eyes are red, your head is achin', you'd be better in bed

Catherine caught a cold. Buggy takes care of her.

• I wanna kill something, I wanna destroy something

Catherine and Buggy are spending time before his imminent departure at their favorite bar. A nasty guy starts hitting on Cathie and our blue-haired hero finally finds the strength to stand up for his woman.

• I will dry your eyes, I will fight your fight, I will hold you tight and I won't let go

Catherine has a dream where she introduces Buggy to her parents (who are long dead)

• Ah, the snow is fallin', passion's callin', a glass of wine or two, I want a cuddle up, cozy down Christmas with you

Catherine and Buggy celebrate their first Xmas!!

• Watching it come true, it's taking over you, oh, this's the greatest show (flashback)

Catherine visits Buggy's show for the first time.

ᐢᗜᐢ Buggy and Catherine's Lifetime Sketches ᐢᗜᐢ

Bugust (lifetime sketches, stories)

OC: Day 1, Day 2, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 12, Day 14, Day 15, Day 16 (nsfw), Day 19, Day 20, Day 21, Day 22, Day 24 (nsfw), Day 25, Day 27, Day 28. Day 30 (nsfw), Day 31

Reader: Day 1, Day 12, Day 16 (NSFW), Day 23 (NSFW), Day 26, Day 29

Sir Crocodile x OC

• Trembling, crawling across my skin, feeling your cold dead eyes, stealing the life of mine (a bday present for my @yujo-nishimura)

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5 (The Finale, NSFW part is included)

Yujo is a young girl whom her father has betrothed to Mr. 3. She and her sister come to the ball, where she meets one of the members of the Cross Guild Corporation Sir Crocodile.

[slimpicklns]

so   like,   who's   going   to   give   me   these   pairings   ?   i'll   bold   the   ones   i   would   like   to   play   ! if you're interested pls react to this so i can dm u.

lily   rose   depp   x   bill   skarsgard.

lily   rose   depp   x   nicholas   holt.

tom   ellis   x   grace   van   patten.

tom   ellis   x   sarah   catherine   hook.

[wifeofsnowbaird]

You put a spell on me

[A/N: I was too lazy to wait for the end of the poll. also i haven't watched the show and wikipedia is kinda holding me up so don't get mad at me for messing smth up, i'll go on the fan wiki tho, they always have everything.]

[EDIT: guys I forgot about the civil war 💀💀💀 I finally fixed it tho so yay]

Part 1/Part 2

Masterlist

[Billy the Kid (Tom Blyth's version) x desi!oc]

Warning: description of blood, slight violence, flogging, racism, flogging, slaves, smut in maybe part 6?

Summary: Sheila was a slave taken by a British couple at the age of 12 for her singing. She was brought to America even though they had the 13th Amendment where slavery was abolished. She saw a friend of hers, who was brought with her, getting flogged and that was her last straw, proceeding to run away. Until she sees the most notorious outlaw in the South, then she settles to free her friends from the British couple that came to America for money.

It was July.25, 1878, Lincoln County, New Mexico. Sheila woke up to nothing but harsh screams coming from one of her friends as she was beaten and whipped. She felt worried because the girl was new…Unlike Sheila who had been with the owner since she was twelve, merely because his wife liked her singing when they had come to visit British India.

Her friend, Catherine, was a sad sixteen-year-old, mourning the death of her parents. They had threatened the owners of telling law enforcement what was happening but they knew that they wouldn't do anything about it.

The other slaves ran to her screams but were faced with fear and did nothing besides revel in their powerlessness. Sheila sat there, her damp brown skin and greasy raven hair clinging to her shell of a body. She knew how this would end, knew that they would be feeble against the man–Edward J. Mason– but she was ready to clean Catherine’s wounds and reassure her that she would be alright.

“Oh, look at my slave, Sheila, so obedient! You never have to hurt her, Edward!”

The sadistic gray-haired man chuckled, kissing his wife.

“ And aren’t I glad, Penelope! We chose her when she was twelve, it has been seven years since, of course, she’d love us, this is why I love Indians! They always gift us with beauty and trust.”

They both glanced at the gaunt, starved girl before chuckling. The Mistress patted Sheila’s head and reached for a rake beside her, beckoning to the other slaves. 

Penelope Mason was a woman no different from her husband. Many wives were afraid of their spouses but Penelope was a wife who had nothing but pride in her bones. The rake in Penelope’s hand was covered in blood, meant to whip the slaves that threatened their control and most times Sheila could willing block out the screeches and screams, but now she just felt angry, ready to beat the couple with no morals. 

But she was stuck being useless to defend them.

Fear is a burden that was attached to her like a drug, and only withdrawal held her back from screaming her heart out.

Until she found a boy with the brightest blue eyes. 

From what she’d heard, he was an outlaw.

Billy the Kid was infamous because he was the man who killed a sheriff months ago, and chased out of the state. It was a mystery how he gained the courage to return to New Mexico.

“ Who’re you?” The man questioned, his vibrant cobalt eyes gazing at her with hostility.

Sheila didn’t want to think more about the dominant color in his entire posture and frame. His clothes were darker than sin and brighter than the sun, but his eyes were the only thing she could pay attention to, causing her to ignore their proximity.

“ I am a slave, belonging to the Mason family.”

He tilted his head, shocked eyes analyzing their surroundings.

“ I didn’ ask what you were forced to be, I asked who you are.”

“ My name is Sheila, is that what you want?”

“ Huh, I’m Billy, but considerin’ the poster you were starin’ at a min’ ago, you already know that. But...how did you...No, how dare they have slaves!”

The dividers were made by @wandanatromanova

[bluetiefling]

Ours Are The Moments I Play In The Dark: Peter x Catherine Playlist Vol.3 | tracks arranged by @saint-cecilias | edit by me | spotify

Vol 1. and Vol. 2

Part 1:

Paloma Faith - Only Love Can Hurt Like This

Fall Out Boy - Hold Me Like A Grudge

Alice Smith - Fool for You

Steve Lacy - Dark Red

Lorde - The Louvre

Raleigh Ritchie - Bloodsport

Taylor Swift - Don't Blame Me

Fall Out Boy - Love From The Other Side

Bishop Briggs - Baby

Joel Sunny - Young and Beautiful (Violin)

Rihanna - Love On The Brain

The Script - Walk Away

Dua Lipa - Last Dance

Brandon Flowers - I Can Change

Snow Patrol - Set The Fire To The Third Bar

Matt Maeson - Tribulation

Elton John, Stevie Nicks - Stolen Car

Aaron Grubb - Ocean Eyes

Part 2:

Tom Odell - Can't Pretend

LULLANAS - Queen of Disaster

Andrew Belle - Pieces

Lorde - Sober II (Melodrama)

Joel Sunny - Running Up That Hill (Violin)

Christina Aguilera - Twice

MIIA - Dynasty

Ruelle - The Other Side

Florence + The Machine - Cosmic Love

Joss Stone - The Love We Had (Stays On My Mind)

LEON - Die For You

Lorde - Supercut

2CELLOS - With Or Without You

Taylor Swift - The Great War

Hozier - Francesca

Sasha Alex Sloan - Dancing With Your Guest

Fall Out Boy - So Much (For) Stardust

AC/DC - You Shook Me All Night Long

[amongthestackspodcast]

Among the Stacks is officially 1 year old today!

And what a year it's been! 4 preludes, 10 Tales, and 2 special episodes. We know it's been a bit rocky, but we thank everyone for sticking with us that far, and we really hope you stick with us as we do bigger and better next year

While we're here, we want to thank everyone that's made this possible so far.

@hangingslothcentral for producing our first ever episode and being the voice of X. Libris.

@reefsharkivist for making our ending theme.

Morgan Champine for doing our early transcripts

Maty Parzival for doing the rest of our transcripts and production assistance

@alexyquest for being our director, the writer of Tale 4 and being the voice of Luna Tom Chaney for being the voice of Blaise

@pentoll-meh for being the voice of Endo

@inkathebadger for being the voice of Claude

@swiftlymurmurs for being the voice of Mark

Melissa Bowens for being the voice of The Pilot

@monstrousproductions for being the voice of Dr Walker and script editing

@clansocreations for doing all our episode art and writing Tale 6

Neo Upod for being the voice of Emmett

Jeremiah 'Jokr' Rendr for being the voice of Aisosa

@thestoragepapers for being the voice of Balam

Jesse Syratt for being the voice of Nora and for helping write Tale 5

@kirstywoolven for being the voice of Maria

Kanin Donattelli as the voice of The Guardian

@penofsteele for writing Tales 2 and 9

@bullshotuk for being the voice of Mr Phillips Alex Nightingale for writing Tales 3 and 8

David Ault for being the voice of Lan

Nooria for being the voice of Zaida

Cameron Weldon for being the voice of the Master Fisher

Rhys Subitch for being the voice of the Street Musician Ben Meredith for being the voice of Marvin

@ratgrimes for doing all our monster noises

Oliver Graham for being the voice of Luke and The Cat

Alasdair Stuart for being the voice of Brother Dust

Mary Catherine O'Harte for being the voice of Rose

Michelle Kelly for being the voice of Pop

A J Fidalgo and Ray O'Hare for being the voices of Cultists

@jomendacium for being the voice of The Hierophant

@thecellarletters for being the voice of Dr Nocebo

@wakeofcorrosion for being the voice of Dr Erebus

@taytayheyhey for being the voice of Dr Arawn

Polybrow for production, sound editing and music going forward

@ghostwaxpod for doing the special guest artwork for our World Audio Drama Day Special

Candace McAfee for being the voice of S., and narrating The Raven for our Halloween special

@somewhereohio, Quest of Ruin, @transmissionfolklore, The Lost Power, The Strange Garden, @hellgatecity, @thenightpost, Super Suits, @howitendsstudio, The Godfrey Audio Guide, and @knaveofheartsad for letting us include their trailers at the end of our Tales

@strongbranchpro, @careandfeedingofwerewolves, @surceasepod, @ghostwaxpod, @hoteldaydream, @room56pod, @tranthologies, @jarofrebukepodcast, and Regina Prime for letting us do feed drops of their shows on out feed

Alright, I'm going to go cry over this now. This is incredible and I'm having trouble processing it all.

Thank you,

Nigel