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wearingaberetinparis · 2 years

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Awesome chapter! I can't stop thinking about how the conversation with the Potters went tho lol 'hello parents, remember my fake ex turned real gf turned real ex? um... I got her pregnant and I'm gonna be a dad. shall I make some tea?' 😂 no but real talk, he must have been hella stressed and anxious about it. poor James. I hope he at least got a hug from them (after being told off lol)

Thank you so much, sweetheart! I'm so happy you enjoyed it and I completely understand that you can't stop thinking about it. I sometimes regret not being able to write those scenes due to the fact that the story is told mostly from James' POV. But... I think I've got a little something for you, which you might enjoy! Please read the scene you requested below the cut and ignore any typos you might find. I wrote this in one go and didn’t edit it one bit... whoops!

“You must have missed us over Christmas to come driving down here from London practically the moment we touched down,” his mother said, pouring him a cup of tea and shoving a piece of Greek, spicy walnut cake – his mother always went on a bit of a Greek baking frenzy after returning from what she considered to be her home country – his way. “I’ve barely had time to unpack.” She placed a hand on his cheek now, her thumb caressing his cheekbone, careful not to touch his glasses. “It is lovely to see you, my darling.” He wished he was certain she would still think so after he had told both her and his father what he had come to say. The thought of it alone made him feel nauseous, although he nearly grimaced thinking that too for he realised that he could not complain about feeling sick when he had witnessed Lily make a run for the bathroom every few minutes. Your fault, he thought to himself. He had never thought he would be the one to end up ruining Lily’s life. He had hoped he’d be the one to stand by her side through any storm she would have to weather. Not once had he considered that he might be the one to cause a full-blown hurricane to enter her life. “What did you do for Christmas and New Year’s Eve?” his father asked him. “Fleamont,” his mother interrupted, “are you sure we would want to hear the details of it all?” “It wasn’t like that at all, mum,” he said, remembering how he had driven up to Watford on Christmas Eve to pick up Lily, how his friends had teased him silly over the fact that he would be a father in a few months’ time on Christmas Day itself and how he had spent New Year’s Eve in the knowledge that the upcoming year would be life-changing. Sure, he might have had a bit too much to drink then, trying to drown his misery and the oppressive guilt he was experiencing, but it wasn’t exactly the typical New Year’s Eve he was sure his mother imagined a not-so-willing bachelor would experience. “Well, your cousins were very jealous of the fact that you spent New Year’s Eve in London,” his mother said as she sat down in her favourite armchair, leaning back against the soft pillows, cup of tea elegantly raised. “I imagine they will be terribly disappointed to hear you didn’t enjoy yourself to the fullest now that you’re still young.” He rolled his eyes at that. “I’m to turn thirty this year, mum,” he said, “that’s not exactly old, is it?” “It isn’t,” his mother said pursing her lips. “Although I confess I had hoped you would be a little more settled at this point in your life.” There it was, he thought. Well, don’t you concern yourself too much, mother. It seems like life has thrown a curveball my and Lily’s way. You may be getting exactly what you want sooner rather than later. “How terribly old-fashioned, Mia, my love,” his father came to the rescue, dangling his piece of walnut cake between his fingers. “I thought you had resolved not to be anything like your own mother.” “Yes, well,” his mother said, scrunching up her nose at the mention of James’ grandmother. James only had vague memories of her, but he knew his mother had never been on the best of terms with her own. “Maybe,” his mother then continued, “I am simply disappointed that James is here by himself and still hasn’t managed to fix things with Lily.” His mother shook her head at him. “Please tell me you have at least spoken to her again about the lawsuit. I really do feel that we need to go ahead.” “I have spoken to her,” he replied, wondering if this was perhaps the moment to tell them what they had spoken about exactly. He scooted forward a little, placed his hands on his knees and took a deep breath. “Actually, that’s the reason I’m here –” “Has she agreed?” his mother leaned forward. “Oh, that’s most excellent, James! I must make a few calls now. You could have told me straight away, you know.” As she spoke, she had put down her tea and she had half gotten up from her seat already. “No, mum,” he said, “that’s not what I’m here for.” His mother sent him a look. “Then get to it, so I can get to work,” she told him impatiently. “You know how badly I want to make those absolute miscreants pay. They deserve every bit I’ve got coming for them.” He swallowed hard, avoided his mother’s eye. “You see,” he said, sounding unsure of himself and he rarely ever was, “it’s rather embarrassing, really.” “Embarrassing?” his mother asked, clucking her tongue. “It can hardly be more perplexing than your latest break-up.” Ha, he thought, oh, mum, you really won’t see this coming, will you? “I don’t think any of that will help, my love,” his father said. “I know you’re still upset that James and Lily didn’t last and I have to say I am disappointed too, because I really like the girl,” James very nearly cringed here, “but James was the one who got his heart broken. Surely, he doesn’t need to be constantly reminded of the fact that he messed things up?” No, dad, he thought, I really don’t need that, but thank you for bringing it up once more. “Oh, that he did,” his mother agreed with his father. “Now, James, whatever it is: out with it, so I can get to work on the Riddle Case.” He wondered how Lily had had the courage to just come out and say it. How the words James, I’m pregnant had spilled from her lips as though it wasn’t going to make everything so much more complicated than it already was. He wondered how she had been able to tell her parents – although, obviously, this hadn’t gone well for her at all – while he felt as though he was suddenly sixteen again and was about to confess to some illicit scheme or had to explain why the headmaster had once again called to complain about him, even though he had done absolutely nothing wrong. Perhaps he found it so difficult to confess now, because this time he realised he was actually guilty of something. The one thing he was grateful for, despite it all, was that he had decided not to bring Sirius. Things would be so much worse if he had. He could just imagine Sirius blurting it out for him: “James here forgot to suit up his sausage and got his ex-girlfriend and co-worker pregnant. What’s up with you guys? Did you enjoy the Grecian sun without us?” “All right,” he said, rubbing his sweat-coated palms against this jeans, “so, as you know Lily and I were colleagues that turned into something a little more and I know you know that we had sex –” he felt a blush creep up his cheeks. He truly felt like he had gone back in time and he was a teenager once more. “Well, it appears that we weren’t always as careful as we should have been –” “Oh god!” his mother exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest in a truly dramatic fashion. “You didn’t, James!” He ran a hand through his hair. “It appears that I did.” His mother let out a strangled noise, his father’s eyes darting from his wife to his. “A sexually transmitted disease, James?” his mother sounded scandalised. “Please tell me you didn’t give her one of the bad ones that can cause real damage –” If he hadn’t been bright red before, he certainly was now. “Mum!” he was unable to keep his discomfort and his outrage out of his voice. “What the actual fuck?!” “Well, of course it was you that gave it to her!” his mother snapped. “The poor girl!” “Mum,” he said forcibly, “I did not give Lily an STD!” “How uncouth of you to suggest that the poor girl, who has already gone through so much trauma is the one to contaminate you –” “Euphemia,” his father then said, “I think you might be misreading the situation just a little.” “– I expected better of you, James Fleamont Potter!” his mother ignored his father. “I honestly believed I raised you to respect women at all times and to be a proud feminist, but it seems that you are actually more of a misogynist –” “Truly, Euphemia,” his father tried once more, “why don’t you listen to our son? Allow him to explain?” “– how dare you blame the girl?! I thought you knew how harmful victim-blaming is exactly –” “Mum!” he shouted, getting up from his seat. “For fuck’s sake, I got her pregnant, okay?” His words rang through the living room, his mother’s eyes widened, her mouth snapped shut, her face rapidly drained of any and all colour. His father, on the other hand, appeared calm. “That’s what I thought,” the elder male Potter spoke. “Now, let’s all calm down and talk this through –” While his father spoke, his mother got up from her seat and left the living room. The silence she left behind was deafening and James’ heart sank. “I’m sure she’ll be back in just a moment,” his father told him. “Don’t worry, James.” James very nearly scoffed. Don’t worry? Are you joking? Mum just stormed out of the living room! He let himself fall back on the sofa, groaning loudly as he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “This did not go as I had planned,” he said. “Yes, well,” his father said, “I would wager none of this situation was planned, but what can you do?” Then he had the audacity to take a bite of the walnut cake his mother had baked. “Mmm,” he hummed appreciatively as he swallowed his first bite, “your mother has truly outdone herself with this one. Why don’t you try it too?” He wasn’t sure what he hated more, his mother’s dramatics or his father’s ability to remain calm in the eye of the storm. Before he could truly complain, however, his mother walked back into the room, carrying a red, fuzzy blanket in her hands, which was covered in lightning bolts. He recognised it straight away as having belonged to him when he was little. “I kept this,” she said, he noticed that her eyes had a glassy sheen to them, “for this moment exactly.” The fingers of her left hand brushed against the fuzzy material. “Although, I do admit, I could not have predicted the exact circumstances.” “Mum,” he said softly, but she held up a hand. “The situation is unorthodox, certainly,” his mother continued, “but then again I shouldn’t have expected any less with your tendency to surprise us at every single turn.” “I think,” his father took over, “what your mother means to say is that, while not perfect and perhaps a little unusual, we are delighted to welcome a new addition to the family.” His mother nodded a little stiffly, but James recognised this as her attempt to reign in her emotions. “You know your father and I for a long time thought we wouldn’t ever get to experience this,” she teared up here, “but then you happened and then – a matter of years later – you dragged Sirius home and now –” her lip trembled. James took this as his cue to get up from his seat, walk over to his mother and wrap his arms around her. She welcomed his embrace, leaning in to him. “I’m sorry,” she almost whispered, “I don’t know what possessed me earlier.” “No, mum,” he replied, “it’s okay. I’m –” he closed his eyes, took in a deep, shaky breath, “– I get it. I just didn’t know how to tell you.” “I’m not surprised,” she laughed against his chest, “seeing as I screamed at you like a Greek Fury!” “It was not completely unwarranted,” he shrugged, pulling her just a little tighter before stepping back. “I may not be guilty of the crime you thought I’d committed, but I’m still a conscience-stricken offender.” “Oh, sweetheart,” the look on his mother’s face was soft, “these things happen, especially when you least expect them to.” That they did, he thought. That they did. “How is Lily faring?” his father then piped up. James grimaced. “She’s not great,” he replied. “She spends most of her days in bathrooms, it seems.” “I was the same,” his mother nodded thoughtfully. “It must be something to do with the Potter sperm.” “Mum,” he pulled a face. “Really, James,” she practically scoffed, “seeing as you got the girl pregnant, I would think you would no longer squirm at the use of words such as those.” Then she huffed. “Now, Fleamont, tell him exactly how he should behave around a pregnant woman, so I can wrap this up and write the poor dear a note. She must be absolutely beside herself with worry and stress and some support from one woman to the next goes a long way.” His mother walked off and he turned towards his father, who wore an amused smile on his face. “Truly, son, there is only one thing I can say: when your mother was pregnant with you, the only thing that worked was agreeing with her on every single thing.”

#knocked up by my ex #part 2 #additional scene #james pov #james potter #lily evans potter #jily #jily fic #jily modern au #james tells the parents

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rhysismydaddy · 3 years

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Casual Ruin Pt. 5 (Elriel)

Elain's part of the Damnation series.

Last part! I know I said this would be 6/7 parts, but I realized I have no idea what the fuck I had planned to write in those parts, so it's 5 instead hahah. didn't edit the ending whoops

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

__________________________________________

~Elain~

It's three in the morning when I hear it.

We're laying in bed, and even though I should asleep like the man next to me, I can't stop thinking about how little time we have left.

How has the past month gone by so fast?

It feels like yesterday I was standing on my stoop, watching Azriel open up and tell me things he's since admitted he's never told another person.

It feels like yesterday since I decided that I care for him more than I care about what he does.

But it wasn't yesterday; it was a month ago.

A month that's been filled with dinner dates, soft smiles, laughter, and enough tender moments my heart feels full. He's a

The plane ticket hidden in the bottom of my purse is a constant reminder that this is just a summer fling, that it isn't supposed to mean anything. Two weeks from now, I'm supposed to get on that flight and never look back.

Except it feels impossible.

It broke my heart when I walked away from him a month ago, and that was before he told me the details of his life.

Now I know him.

I know about the way he smiles in the morning and how he shakes his head when he laughs, like he can't believe he's doing so. I've learned how ticklish his ribs are, how he likes his coffee, his favorite type of cigarettes.

I know about his family, how his mother died giving birth to him and his father resented him from the day it happened. I know about the first man he killed, how it made him sick. I know what his tattoos really mean.

And what I never could've expected is that everything I've learned, the good and the bad, have tied me to him in a way that feels permanent.

How am I supposed to just walk away from that?

The thought of never seeing his smile, never feeling his rough hands cup my face with a gentleness he doesn't show the world... it feels like missing a part of me.

And it worries me enough I haven't been able to sleep for the past two nights. Like I'm incapable of wasting a minute, I spend the nights watching him sleep.

Which is why I'm perfectly awake when he pulls me close in his sleep and whispers two words that ruin me.

Ti amo.

Tears well in my eyes as I stay perfectly still, replaying the moment over and over.

He loves me.

It's something I knew--something we both probably knew--ever since that day in the rain, but I think we both never said it because we knew our time is limited.

It's been in every touch, every kiss, every moment where we get caught up just staring at each other.

But I want to tell him, I have to tell him, because however good it makes me feel to hear that from him... I know he needs it more.

He's never been loved--never been anyone's first choice, but he's mine, and I want him to know. And I don't want to be just one more person that leaves him and makes him wondering if he'll ever be enough.

So I start to plan.

~A week later, Azriel~

Well, the worst has happened.

I love the fucking woman.

Now my biggest weakness now walks outside my body, with soft brown eyes and dirty blonde hair and bright smiles that light up the world.

And she's leaving in a week.

It scares the shit out of me.

She scares the shit out of me.

Honestly, I hadn't even realized I was in so deep until she said the words "We're done."

All I remember about that day is feeling I'd been stabbed in the chest and looking down to find the blade but not seeing anything but my own hands.

One moment I was convinced I was dying, the next I was in front of her on her stoop, telling her shit I've never told a living soul.

It wasn't then that I realized I love her, but that was when I realized something maybe even more important. I trust her.

Rule 3's been thrown out the window, and I don't even remember when it happened. Was it when she told me I'm not a monster? Or the first time I noticed the way her lips turn up every time I tell her she's beautiful?

Or maybe it was the first time I laid eyes on her as she stumbled into that opera booth, looking like everything I never knew I wanted.

Either way, I'm about a mile up shit's creek with no fucking paddle.

I trust her, love her, and I've only known her ten weeks. Which reminds me, she's leaving.

Which is irritating, because while the mere thought of watching her leave makes me want to level a building, she's currently acting like nothing's wrong.

She's in the bathroom, putting on red lipstick in a slow, taunting way that makes me want to mess it up. I'm sitting in the chair next to my bed, trying to stay calm.

She's watching me watch her in the mirror, and her eyes meet mine for a split second before she looks away, making me suspicious.

That look... I've seen that look before, more times than I can count.

But never from her.

It's a secret.

She looks like she's hiding something.

"Something you need to tell me?" I ask, putting a hand behind my head to prop it up.

Nodding, she comes to stand at the foot of the bed. "Yep."

I raise a brow. "What is it?"

"I'll tell you tonight if you meet me for dinner."

Suspicion and curiosity make me ask, "Where?"

"La Rosa," she responds casually, making me narrow my eyes. It's outside of the city a bit, a small place on the coast I've never had an interest in owning or visiting.

"I've never been there."

"New experiences are good for the soul," she quips, sliding on her sandals. "Just say you'll meet me."

There's a hint of nerves in her voice, so I say, "Of course, dolce mia."

She smiles, victorious. Then she's bounding over, taking my face between her palms, and pressing her mouth to mine.

Before I can ask what she's up to, she's out the door, calling over her shoulder, "Seven o'clock! I'll meet you there."

I get up and slide my jacket on, slipping my hand in the pocket and toying with the piece of metal I've been carrying around for a month.

Sighing, I take it out and throw it on the counter, knowing that if this life has taught me one thing, it's that it won't make a difference.

When seven o'clock rolls around, I'm seated at a table, frowning at my surroundings.

I've definitely never been here.

No man has, I'm willing to bet. At least not on his own volition.

There are flowers everywhere. Spilling out of vases, growing on the vines surrounding the open windows, lining the doors that are open to the patio out back.

Besides that, I guess the place isn't too bad, actually. The lights are soft, the weather's nice, and by the smells coming from tables around me, the food will be good.

Elain's running a few minutes late, but she called and told me to go ahead and order.

Apparently, she's come here before, because she told me what to order her. Odd.

A few minutes after I relay the information to the waitress, I spot her coming in the front door and wave her over.

She's a little flushed, her eyes are bright, and the smile on her face gives no doubt she's excited.

I stand up when she reaches me, kiss her, then ask, "What's going on?"

"Nothing," she says too quickly. "Did you order?"

"Yeah. Have you been here before or something?"

She nods, diverting her eyes down and to the right in the classic tell of a lie.

I sigh, frustration getting the better of me. "Elain, what are you hiding from me?"

Before she can answer, the food comes. Two plates of pasta are set in front of us, and I know instantly I was right about the food being good.

But no matter how good it looks, there's only one thing on my mind.

"Elain."

She waves a hand. "Just eat, Azriel. I promise I'll tell you in like five minutes."

"Why not just tell me now?"

"It's more dramatic this way," she explains, making me sigh again.

Women.

She's going to give me a fucking heart attack with her drama.

A little aggressively, I stab the fork in the pasta, taking a huge bite.

I feel her eyes on me, watching me eat, but I act like I don't notice, mentally counting down the seconds until five minutes is up.

I'm at 263 when she asks, "Do you like it?"

"What?"

Rolling her eyes, she gestures to the plate in front of me. "Do you like it?"

"It's good," I reply honestly, a little surprised. I've lived here long enough to know the best places to eat, and I've never heard more than a decent review about this place.

"I'm glad," she says, full lips tilting up. "Since I made it."

I don't get it. Did she bring it with her? Is that why she was late?

Also, why did we come to a restaurant if she was going to cook?

"What? Why?"

She tilts her head, smile growing.

Right as my still-counting subconscious gets to five minutes, she explains, "Because I work here."

~Elain~

He stares at me, bite of pasta halfway between his mouth and the plate.

I've been almost bursting at the seems the past four days trying to keep the secret.

I mean, given what the man does for a living, I didn't think I'd make it more than an hour. And while he's definitely been suspicious, I made it.

"What?" he finally asks, dark brows furrowing as he leans in.

"I have a lot to say," I tell him. "So don't interrupt me."

His eyes narrow like they always do when I tell him what to do, but I ignore it and start listing off the different secrets I've been keeping.

I start with the most important.

"First, I love you."

The fork clangs against the plate as he drops it.

I smile, biting my lip and trying not to cry at the look on his face.

"I think I have since that first night when we danced in the bar. Or maybe when you took me to the beach. I don't know." Taking a deep breath, I say, "I tried to stop, when I found out... everything. But it was useless, because I was as in love with you then as I am now."

He shakes his head, almost like he's panicked, but I keep going.

"I love you, Azriel. I want to be with you more than I've ever wanted anything. And I can't bear the thought of leaving you. I don't want to."

Gesturing around us, I say, "I got a job here, and my landlord said she can draw up a lease. And before you say anything, I'm not giving anything up. The past months have felt like paradise, and I love it here. I liked my job in New York, but it wasn't anything I'll miss."

His eyes are so wide, it'd be a little funny if I wasn't so serious.

I take a sip of wine and try to puta brave face on. A lump forms in my throat, but I manage to say, "But we never talked about anything long term, so if this isn't what you want... I'll go. I promise. I just wanted you to know that you're... it for me. You're everything to me. I choose you."

He shudders, closing his eyes, and I take in how tight his jaw is, how close he seems to coming unraveled.

Is he freaking out? I definitely am.

After a few moments, I realize he's still waiting on me, so I laugh and say, "You can talk now."

He doesn't.

He just opens his eyes and stares at me, the shock in his gaze clear to read.

Nerves blossom. I was so sure he'd be happy, but maybe he isn't ready. Voice turning shaky, I ask, "Is this what you want?"

Slowly, he shakes his head, but before I can panic, he reaches into his pocket and pulls out a key, holding it out between us. "I want you to live with me, not at the townhouse."

All the nerves fly out the door, and I laugh, not quite able to believe it.

How long has he been carrying this around?

The tears finally spilling over as I take the key from him. "Okay."

He brushes my cheeks off with his thumb, looking at me like he's never seen anything more beautiful.

Azriel's quiet for a moment, and I give him time, knowing that whatever he wants to say is hard for him.

"Ti amo. Mi spaventa così tanto."

I love you. So much is scares me.

"You? Scared? I don't believe it."

I'm trying to joke and lighten the mood, but he's completely serious as he shakes his head, cupping my jaw with his hand. "You scare the shit out of me, Elain."

My heart clenches, and I fight a fresh wave of tears as I lean into his touch. "You scare me, too."

"But you're not leaving."

It's said like a hopeful promise, like something he needs to hear again and again to accept it's true.

I shake my head. "I'm not leaving," I whisper.

He finally smiles, that big smile I'm positive he only gives me, and leans over the table to kiss me softly. "Say it again."

"I love you."

He kisses me again, and I slide my hands in his hair and kiss him back, feeling like everything before now has led up to this. He's the grand finale, the one I didn't know I was waiting for.

I pull back a little, just far enough to see his reaction as I whisper, "Meet me in the bathroom."

His eyes flare and his mouth drops open, and I laugh as I get up from my seat and try to walk nonchalantly towards the back.

This hadn't been part of the plan, but I've told him I love him, and now... I want to prove it.

Plus, I don't know what it is about him, but he feeds the adventurous side of me like nothing else.

I can feel him watching me from the table as I make my way across the restaurant.

Thankfully, the place is busy tonight, so I don't think anyone notices when, as soon as I shut the bathroom door, he rises to follow me.

A moment later, he slips in with me, taking in the dim lights, closed stall, low music. He flips the lock, and it's like it snaps the thread between us, descending us into chaos.

He's on me in a second, arms wrapping around me and lifting me. My legs bracket his hips as he pushes me up against the wall and traps my hands above my head.

"Say it again," he demands breathlessly, eyes bright and full of heat.

I nip his lower lip, then kiss it softly. "I love you, Azriel."

His mouth crashes into mine, unrestrained and demanding and deep enough I lose myself in him.

My hands are in his hair, his are pushing up the hem of my dress.

There's a brief moment of adjusting, and then he's easing into me. His eyes are on me, his lips are parted, and as I tighten around him, he makes a deep rumbling sound. It's the hottest thing I've ever seen.

"You're mine," I tell him, tilting my hips to take him deeper. "And I'm yours."

He shudders, eyes going black. "You're mine."

His hips claim mine, then, pulling out and thrusting back in, moving me up the wall. I tighten my fingers in his hair as he hits a spot deep inside me, and he groans.

Moving his hands to my hips, he brings me down as he thrusts up, and I moan, then slap a hand over my mouth.

I work here, for God's sake.

"This is not very professional," I mutter, smiling when his lips twitch.

"No," he agrees, thrusting into me harder. "And it's definitely inappropriate."

I clamp my lips together, pressing my hand to my mouth again to stifle the involuntary whimper I let out.

Azriel grins, tugging on my earlobe with his teeth and whispering, "You might need to go to confessional again."

Rolling my eyes, I move my hands to his shoulders, then lean in to lick up the column of his neck. "Between the two of us, I'd say you're more likely to end up on your knees tonight."

He laughs, tugging my head back to kiss me again. His tongue meets mine in a wet, deep slide that makes me shiver. His hips brush mine. His hands hold me just right, keeping me against him.

Pulling back, he brushes his lips over mine and whispers, "I love you."

The easy, conversational pace is abandoned, and we're moving harder against each other, the only sounds our labored breathing and muffled moans.

He brings a hand to cover my mouth, and I cover his with mine, and we're in tandem, both of us lost in the other.

He comes when I do, driving deeply into me and stilling, his head buried in my neck.

We spend a while like that, and when I eventually slide down the wall, we take our time adjusting our clothes. He keeps stopping me to kiss my shoulder or brow, and I waste too much time just looking at him.

When we're both ready, he extends a hand and grins. "Let's go home."

I smile, unable to help it. "Let's go home."

_____________________________________________

Thank you for reading! This is the last part, although I might do an epilogue one day (don't hold your breath lol).

Send me asks if you have em :)

@elorcan-trash @sweetdaisybell @anyblinding @acreativelydifferentlove @loosingdreams @poisonous00 @januarystears @emikadreams @swankii-art-teacher @thedarkdemigod @full-tilt-diva @biggestwingspan-az @bookstantrash @mari-highladyof-feels @pilesofriles @bamchickawowow @teddytdr @perseusannabeth @shinya-hiiragi @cursebreaker29 @a-bit-of-a-cactus @elriel4life @girl-who-reads-the-books @aelinfeyreeleven945tbln @live-the-fangirl-life @ireallyshouldsleeprn @highqueenofelfhame @autophobiax @rowaelinismyotp @nahthanks @ghostlyrose2 @lovemollywho @inardour @tillyrubes10 @claralady @tswaney17 @rowanisahunk @superspiritfestival @thegoddessofyou @awesomelena555 @booksofthemoon @greerlunna @jlinez @studyliketate @over300books @justgiu12 @maastrash @aesthetics-11 @b00kworm @sleeping-and-books @musicmaam @hizqueen4life @maybekindasortaace

#elriel #elriel fanfiction #acomaf #acowar #acotar #acomaf fanfiction #acotar fanfiction #elain archeron #elain x azriel #azriel #a court of thorns and roses

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enbysiriusblack · 3 years

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The Parents

"Can you hear?" Sirius whispered to Peter. Peter shook his head, before sighing and moving away to give Remus room.

Remus' pressed his ear against the heavy wooden door, only catching bits and pieces of the conversation inside.

"I think I can hear your mum, Pete" Remus whispered.

Peter stepped closer again, "what did she say?"

Remus looked back at Peter, "I'm sorry..."

Peter' eyes widened and zir expression turned worried.

"She said... she said your adopted" Remus finished, a grin spreading on his lips.

James and Sirius covered their mouths in an effort to stop laughing.

Peter glared at Remus, and hit him on the arm, "you dick!"

Remus started laughing alongside James and Sirius, soon followed by Peter.

They forgot all about having to keep quiet, and soon Fleamont had opened the door and was staring at the laughing four.

Remus looked up and spotted Fleamont smiling at them with a raised eyebrow.

"We've been compromised"

The other three looked up to see Fleamont.

"I told you four to go to bed, or at least into James' room, didn't i?" Fleamont said, herding them up the stairs.

Sirius sat down on the stairs, and pointed a finger at Fleamont, "did you really expect us to actually do that, though?"

Fleamont let out a small laugh and shook his head as he patted Sirius softly on the back to get xem moving upstairs again.

Once they were all at the top, Fleamont walked back down.

"Daddd!! can you at least tell us the basis of what your talking about... if you're not letting us eavesdrop, which is completely unreasonable by the way" James said, his arms crossed, the others nodding in agreement behind him.

Fleamont turned around and lifted a finger go his lips before going back downstairs and waving a hand at the boys, telling them to go go their room.

Fleamont entered back into the lounge and shut the door behind him.

He sat back down next to his wife and lifted up the tray of biscuits in the middle of the table to offer to everyone.

Hope Lupin took a biscuit, before continuing her story.

"So, when Lyall and I arrived back home, he was covered head to toe in salt and had burnt down his whole bedroom."

"Why did he cover himself in salt?" Fleamont asked, laughing at the story.

Hope grinned, "he thought it would stop himself from getting burnt by the fire, I have no clue where he got that idea from, he comes up with the strangest ideas sometimes"

Lyall put down the tea, "this was the.. second?"

Lyall turned to his wife for clarification, "oh I think it was... the third time? remember the ketchup incident?"

Lyall nodded, "oh yes, yes. It was the third time he had started a fire in the house. So luckily I had set up some charms to stop it spreading"

Euphemia laughed, "and he seems the most innocent of the lot"

Hope nodded, "its all a facade, don't let him into your kitchen, Mia"

"The only one I trust in the kitchen is Pete, bless him. Although Sirius is excellent with baking with chocolate, for some reason"

All the parents started laughing and giggling at that.

"I wonder why that is" Lyall said, a smirk on his face.

Just then, the fire place started spewing and turning a different colour.

"Oh that must be Minerva" Fleamont commented, getting up to put another kettle on.

Mcgonagall popped through, as Fleamont shouted from the kitchen, "sugar, Minerva?"

She say down on the empty seat, and replied, "oh no thank you, just milk please"

The conversation started up again.

"Oh Lydia I love your shoes, are you the reason for Sirius' latest obsession of buying Doc Martens?" Euphemia said

Ms Pettigrew twirled her boot covered foot, "they fell in love as soon as xe saw me wearing them"

Fleamont entered back into the room and placed the tea in front of Mcgonagall.

"Me and Fleamont were planning on getting them a pair for xyr birthday in a few months"

Lydia shuffled forwards in her seat, "oh, I'm so glad you told me. I've got a box of laces I've been meaning to get rid off, perhaps I could get Petey to give them to Sirius to go with their new shoes on xyr birthday"

"Oh that would be excellent, they'd love that" Euphemia replied, a teacup to her lips.

At that moment, Mcgonagall put down her tea and looked around the room.

"Is everything all right, Minerva?" Fleamont said, confused.

A small smile flickered onto her lips as she glimpsed out the window, "James and Peter are at the window"

The parents turned to the window that Mcgonagall had gestured towards, just in time to see James and Sirius fighting over the looking spot, Remus standing just behind them and having spotted the adults, he waved back at them. Peter' eyes went wide and ze ducked from the window, out of view.

Hope waved back at Remus, Lyall sighed and shook his head, Lydia sighed, Fleamont made his way outside, Mcgonagall smiled and took a biscuit, and Euphemia moved closer to the glass and tapped on it to get Sirius and James' attention.

After a moment, James and Sirius heard her and saw they had been caught.

"Why's Minnie here?" Sirius shouted through the glass.

Fleamont had made his way to the marauders.

"I'm just the designated sheepdog tonight, huh?" He said, as he waved to boys back inside.

He stood in front of the door to the lounge and nudged his head to tell them to go back upstairs.

However Peter quickly swooped past him and as Fleamont turned go get Peter back, the other three ran past him.

"Why is Minnie here, mum?" James said as soon as they got in the room.

Fleamont stood behind them, and ruffled James' hair before squeezing past them and back into the room.

"And why are you all cohorting with each other... are you planning a prank?" Sirius asked, suspicious of the adults.

Mcgonagall raised an eyebrow, "you think we're planning a prank?"

Sirius nodded, "who knows what you get up to in your free time, Minnie"

"Well I can ensure you I dont waste my time with pranks, Sirius" she replied.

Sirius stared back at her, not believing a word she said.

Euphemia stood up from the couch, "you boys really stood be getting to bed now, its very late"

James, Sirius, and Peter looked at her in defiance, glaring at her suggestion of sleeping. Peter yawning as ze did so, defeating the purpose of the glare.

However, Remus nodded and looked longingly to the door.

James put his arm around Remus and nodded, figuring Remus was tired and did want to actually sleep now. It was past midnight, after all.

"Traitor" Sirius said affectionately, before marching back out the door.

All four, raised their arms to salute in unison, before clamoring upstairs.

"So, I didn't just come here for pleasure, I do have some news for you" Mcgonagall said.

"I've decided to make Remus a prefect for next year"

Hope smiled widely, and hugged Mcgonagall.

"He'll be so happy about it, thank you so much"

Mcgonagall waved her hand dismissively, "he deserves to get it, he's been working so hard since the start of school. And although he has triple the amount of detentions of an average student, he works 5× as hard"

"He'll love it, and it will be a great help for finding a job, if only short term.. but just to make sure, the pins aren't silver are they?" Lyall asked, worried.

Mcgonagall shook her head, "they normally are but I've gotten Albus to change the metal this year, and for the quidditch captain badges to"

Their faces grew confused.

"Why would you need to do that for the quidditch captain roles?" Hope asked.

Mcgonagall smiled, "well sharing a dorm with the gryffindor quidditch captain, he's bound to come into contact with the badge"

"You mean... James is-?" Euphemia asked, grinning.

Mcgonagall nodded.

Fleamont whooped, and grinned, "the poor team members that have to listen to that arrogant bastard"

Euphemia hit him gently with a cloth. "You're the one he gets his arrogant confidence from"

Fleamont leant in to kiss her, "well you're the one he gets his bossy leadership from"

"How is Pomfrey doing?" Lydia asked Mcgonagall.

"Very well, she was going to come along tonight but she was called away to st mungos to offer some advice for one of the patients there" Mcgonagall replied.

"I'm so glad Remus is able to be treated by her after the fulls, best mediwitch in the country" Hope said.

Mcgonagall nodded, "I'll tell her you said so"

"How's your whole love life going, Lydia?" Fleamont asked.

"I've been seeing this new woman for a quite a few months now, its turning into something fairly serious, she met Petey a few weeks ago. But I'm not sure how to break it to her about the wizarding world if we do get even more serious, she's a muggle see" Lydia replied.

Hope nodded, "well for me. Seeing a boggart definitely made me believe Lyall when he told me about the wizarding world. So I'd say you should definitely try to show her some magic before telling her perhaps. Not many of us would really believe in it all without seeing it for ourselves"

They chatted throughout the night, until the sun started to rise and they agreed to meet again in late September.

#i love the idea of the marauders parents just meeting up and chatting #marauders era #euphemia potter #fleamont potter #mrs pettigrew #hope lupin #lyall lypin #minerva mcgonagall #sirius black #james potter #remus lupin #peter pettigrew #marauders

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paper-chain-queen · 4 years

Text

The Bake Sale * Yuki Soma X Reader

I know I’ve been kind of MIA. Just been caught up in a lot but I do want to get back to posting one shots and short stories now and then. I’ve had this sitting around, practically finished since early Summer. Just got distracted and kind of forgot about it... whoops XD

This is just a little something I thought would be cute :) hope you enjoy

Summary: Kakeru decided that he needs to be a good wingman and his best plan? Lie to the girl that Yuki keeps staring at about a bake sale that’s in need of cookies.

Also a huge thank you to @bubblegumnnebula for reaching out to me with such kind words of encouragement and reading this one over before I posted <3

Rating: Teen

Words: 5,000+

The first week of the new school year and soft pink petals fell like snow in the courtyard. First-year student Sohma Yuki was finally able to find some space from groups of giggling girls as he carried his lunch in one hand, looking for a spot.

“That’s not much of a lunch.” A matter-of-fact voice spoke out, and it made Yuki slightly jump as he looked over and saw a cute girl looking at the single rice ball he had bought for the convenience store last night.

“Oh. Um. I guess I never really learned how to make myself lunch.” Yuki admitted, slightly embarrassed, but the girl just smiled, and Yuki felt his heart skip a beat.

“Well I’ve got lots! Come on.” The girl took him by the hand and started heading to a tree were a few other students were hanging out.

“By the way. I’m (l/n) (f/n). From class 1-B. Nice to meet you.”

“Sohma Yuki. It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Where is Nabe-Kun?” Another student asked as he raised a brow at Yuki, who clearly wasn’t ‘Nabe-Kun.’

“He stole my pudding cup and ran off! But look, a fellow first year!” (y/n) cheered as if she made some great discovery.

It was a group of people he had never seen, but he looked over at the girl who had all but pulled him over was smiling at him. She wasn’t blushing and giggling like all the other girls.

(l/n) (y/n) was just treating him like he was just another student, welcoming him into her group of friends like it was the simplest thing in the world.

He still felt anxious about the new school and worried about by mistake exposing the curse in a school full of girls. But there seemed to be kind people who only wanted to sit and enjoy the sunshine and good company. Even with all of Yuki’s fears about the new experience, he looked over at the girl who had befriended, and she was happily chatting away with her friend before turning back to him.

She was just smiling at him, offering him a tart pastry from her yellow bento and saying that he was free to take whatever he wanted. A smile as warm the sun, and Yuki felt his heartbeat quicken as he joined the small group and took part in their lunch.

Yuki brought the desert to his mouth and timidly bit into it. He was with a burst of flavour and quickly devoured the treat that was a hundred times better than anything that could be bought in a store.

The boy was looking forward to spending more time at school, with people who were kind and shared their lunches. Perhaps even make friends with people with warm smiles.

* year and a half later*

“Have a good weekend!” A cheery voice called out to a few girls who were on their way out.

“You too (y/n)-chan!”

2nd-year student (l/n) (y/n) waved to the girls before checking her phone. Something made her giggle to herself before pressing a few buttons and slipping the phone into her school bag.

“What are you looking at, Yun-Yun?” Vice student council president Kakeru Manabe asked as he tried to follow the popular boy’s eye line.

“Huh, oh um, nothing.”

Kakeru looked over to where the school’s Prince had been looking, and there stood a fellow classmate. (L/n) (Y/n) from Kakeru’s class slipped on her shoes while putting away her school slippers.

“YO! (l/n)-Chan!” The energetic boy yelled out to the girl who looked over at the boys.

“What are-” Yuki tried to stop his VP, but he’d already skipped over to the girl and started up a conversation, throwing his arm casually over her shoulder, and they seemed to be close. Yuki battled with himself on whether to walk over and smack the boy upside his head.

Kakeru said something which made the girl laugh sweetly, and Yuki couldn’t help but glare.

What are they talking about?

The Vice President looked back over at Yuki and waved him over, and the grey-haired boy suddenly felt very nervous. Yuki let out a sigh and walked over, hoping that no one would notice his sweaty palms.

“This is our president, Sohma Yun-Yun.” This earned Kakeru a cold glare from Yuki, but his eyes widened when he heard the girl’s light giggling.

“Ah, we’ve actually met before. But nice to see you, Sohma-San. I’m from 2-A’s class with Nabe-Kun (l/n) (y/n).” She bowed, and Yuki mimicked, trying to fight back the urge to deck the Vice President for dragging him into this.

“Prez and I were just talking about a fundraiser for the cultural festival, and we thought maybe a bake sale.”

“Wait No-” Yuki was about to correct him, but Kakeru brought him into a headlock and covered his mouth.

“AND I know that your parents have the best bakery in town, and I thought maybe you could whip up some treats. With the Prez and my help, of course!” Kakeru proposed a broad grin on his face.

“Sure, I would love to help. I’m working today and tomorrow, but I’m free Sunday if you guys want to come bake. Ah, speaking of work, I’m late. I gotta go, later!” The girl was off, waving to the boys as she speed-walked away before disappearing around the corner.

Yuki was finally able to break free and brought a fist to the top of Kareku’s head.

“Why would you do something like that?” Yuki scolded him, but he just gave him a cheesy grin before raising his arms and resting them behind his head.

“Aww don’t be like that, Yun-Yun, I just thought I would help move things along. You’re always looking at (l/n)-chan.” Kakeru wiggled his eyebrows, and Yuki felt his face go hot.

“I do NOT!”

“You do”

“NOT.”

“Do too.”

“DO NOT! Enough I’m outta here.” Yuki angrily put away his school slippers and marched off.

“Don’t forget about Sunday! I’ll text you her address.” The energetic vice president waved vigorously at the blushing Yuki, who tried to block him out as he marched home.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Prince stood in front of a baby blue and white two-story building. It looked like something out of a small European town, a wooded sign in the shape of a bird reading - ‘blue whisk bakery.’ The display window was full of baked goods, from loaves of bread to glazed donuts.

Just looking at the delicious display made his mouth water.

“Need something?” A tall man who looked to be in his early twenties, a large crate in one arm, glared down at Yuki, and suddenly, he felt like he was the size of a mouse.

“I’m... I’m here to see (L/n)-San?” Yuki told him, a little nervous with the way he was looking at him.

“I’m (L/Y). What do you want?” Yuki was now able to see the slight resemblance between this man and the girl from his school. It was subtle, but it was there.

The colour of their eyes.... but (y/n) ’s are more...welcoming

“(L/N) (Y/N).” Yuki corrected, feeling smaller and smaller the longer he stood there.

“She’s not here. Go Away.”

“Nii-san!” A voice broke through, causing the two boys looked over, and there stood (l/n) (y/n), hands on her hips wearing a baby blue apron with daisies over her simple t-shirt and jeans, her hair up in a ponytail.

Cute...

“I don’t remember saying you could have a boyfriend?” The older boy scolded, but the slightly annoyed girl just rolled her eyes.

“Okay, first of all. Where do you get off telling me that I can’t have a boyfriend? Secondly, He’s not my boyfriend. He’s the student council president, and he’s here to do baking. Remember? I talked about it at dinner last night?” (y/n) explained to him as she put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot.

The tall man then scoffed and turned away, muttering something incoherent.

“Fine, whatever. Figured he’s not your boyfriend, he’s almost prettier than you are.” The brother smirked as he kicked her behind the knee lightly, just enough to make her stumble.

“Just go make your deliveries already, or I’m gonna tell Mom that you’ve been hiding a pet tarantula in your room.” (y/n) threatened, sticking her tongue out at the tall man. Yuki had to slightly turn his head to try and hide a laugh.

“Alright, alright. I’m out.” the man scoffed before adjusting the crate in his arm before putting it in the back of the bike and driving off.

“Sorry about him, he’s kind of annoying, but he’s my brother.” The girl apologized as she smiled at Yuki and invited him in.

Before the two could step in, Yuki’s phone went off, and he excused himself to check it.

A text from Kakeru -

‘Can’t make it, sorry! Enjoy your date Yun-Yun. Oh and don’t worry (l/n)-Chan isn’t one of your fangirls XD’-

“Is something wrong?” (y/n) asked as she noticed that Yuki had stopped dead in his tracks.

“Kakeru-San can’t make it.” Yuki said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, is he okay?” She brought her phone to check her texts and seemed to roll her eyes at something.

He won’t be when I’m done with him

“He’s fine.”

“We can do this another day if you want?” (y/n) offered, worrying that maybe it would be uncomfortable with just the two of them.

“No!” Yuki yelled out a lot louder than he meant to as he reached out and (y/n) widened her eyes a bit.

“.. I mean.. Um. I wouldn’t want to put you out anymore. We should get on with it.” Yuki quickly rushed out awkwardly.

“Okay?” (y/n) seemed unsure, and Yuki cursed himself for his poor word choice; his nerves felt like they were all over the place.

Stepping into the cute bakery, his senses were met with the smell of freshly baked goods.

“Oh is this the boy?” The woman from behind the counter had just finished helping a customer and turned to the two teens.

“Sohma-San this is my mother, (mother’s name). Mom, this is Sohma Yuki, my school’s student president.” (y/n) made the introductions while her Mother fixed something on (y/n) ’s apron, fussing as he supposed good mothers did.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you (l/n)-San, thank you for having me in your shop.” Yuki was sure to be polite and bowed to the kind-looking woman who certainly shared many similarities with her daughter.

“Hello sweetheart, nice to meet you. So exciting that you asked our honey bun for help with a bake sale. She’s been so excited, she was basically vibrating when she told us.” Her Mother teased as she gave the two teens a knowing smile. (y/n) only smiled back, a slight blush on her cheeks.

“We’ll be in the back. Come get me if you need a hand with anything.” (y/n) told her

“No need, enjoy yourselves.”

“Oh, and Yuki-Kun. These cheese and jalapeño scones are delicious. She made them fresh this morning.” The woman grabbed one from under the counter and put it in a small bag before handing it to Yuki.

“(l/n)-San I couldn’t possibl-”

“Please, it’s on the house.” she winked; Yuki bowed his head and tucked the baked good in his bag before continuing to the back of the store.

(y/n) was running around, grabbing containers and placing them at a station in the corner. The back of the bakery was bustling with a few other people working, baking, mixing ingredients and checking the oven for their baked goods.

It smelt amazing, Yuki felt like he could practically taste the air if he just stuck out his tongue.

“So what would you like to make?” (y/n) asked as she washed her hands at the sink and gestured for Yuki to do the same.

“Umm.”

Yuki wasn’t actually very familiar with sweets and (y/n) had might as been speaking another language because after cookies and cakes, what else was there?

“We could do cupcakes or cookies? Cream puffs? Eclairs? Macarons? Macaroons? Or maybe even strudel? Oh, how about tarts!?”

Yuki noticed she sounded a little more excited about the final suggestion.

“Tarts?”

“I’m in charge of the pastry shells, so we already have a lot in stock. We would just have to make a filling. Maybe a lemon meringue tart, they’re pretty easy to sell.”

“........”

“You’re not very familiar with sweets, are you?” The girl noticed the clearly bewildered look on the Yuki’s face and worried that she had overwhelmed him.

Yuki just shyly shook his head, feeling like a fish out of water.

“I’ll be right back.”

(y/n) returned with a plate of various cookies cut in half and a few different tarts.

“I figure we should have a little variety, and cookies would be simple enough to make alongside the tarts.”

“Now, here is a small tart sample, and then these are a few cookies types.” She gestured for Yuki to try them, and he polity thanked her for the desserts.

“The chocolate chip is a classic, but the oatmeal raisin sells well along with the molasses sugar, or we have delicious peanut butter cookies, and then there is the bird-nest, and we have sugar cookies with blueberry glaze. Those are a specialty.” (y/n) spoke with such enthusiasm that Yuki could hardly pay attention to anything but enjoy the beautiful smile on her face or the excited look in her eyes as she explained each cookie.

“But my favourite is the macadamia nut cookie with white chocolate chips.”

(y/n) was about to hand the cookie to Yuki, but it was snatched right out of her hands.

“Thank’s for the cookies.”

“We’ll take those too.”

“WAIT, we were using those!” Yuki’s schoolmate raged, fire in her eyes as she looked at the cookie thieves.

The identical-looking boys just stuck their tongue out at (y/n) before running off.

“Sorry, my brothers are a bit of a pain.” She laughed while shaking her head.

“How many brothers do you have?” The grey-haired boy was still in shock over how quick the two boys came and went.

“Five.”

“Five?!” Yuki’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as his jaw dropped, and this caused (y/n) to giggle. She had seen the infamous Prince around the school but never imagined him, such as an expression.

She liked it.

On the other hand, Yuki was still having trouble imagining having 5 brothers, he only had one brother, and he was a handful, sounded like some sort of nightmare.

“Yep, and I’m the youngest, my parents REALLY wanted a girl.” She laughed while rubbing the back of her head, a small blush on her cheeks.

The two got back to trying to decide what they would bake, but the answer seemed obvious to Yuki.

“Let’s do your favourites.”

“Are you sure?” She asked, but it was hard to hide her grin, excited to share her recipe with the boy. Yuki nodded, and she rushed to grab him a plain blue apron for him to throw over and even tied it for him as she rambled on about what she had to grab from the pantry.

The counter was soon filled with various sheet and mixing bowls, and lots of different ingredients. Yuki could only recognize one or two. The flour and sugar.

(y/n) learned that Yuki is very much useless in the kitchen, but she helped him with everything. Patiently teaching him to properly whisk ingredients and roll out dough.

The brother that been out on deliveries was back and was now working in the kitchen, he made sure to keep his eyes on Yuki, and the boy could feel his stare. Looking over his shoulder as (y/n) was busying and measuring something out, he caught the brother’s eyes as he took two large trays down with perfect balance. Even spinning them one-handed as he was trying to assert dominance over the workplace.

It was slightly impressive to see a big guy so delicate with the baked goods; Yuki would give him that.

“Soo, how long have you been baking?”

“Probably since the moment I could stand up on a chair and reach the counter.” Yuki watched her soften as she thought back on the happy memories. He could just picture it, her as a little girl excitedly helping her mom make cookies in the kitchen, laughing and making a mess.

“You seem to really enjoy it.” Yuki’s small smile made (y/n) ’s heart race.

“I do. I always feel happy when I’m in the kitchen, like everything in the world is right. I get to create something that many people can enjoy, and I get to experiment with things to make something new every now and then.”

“Sorry, I must sound so silly.”

“It’s not. It’s... I think I understand, actually.”

While Yuki wasn’t a cook or a baker, he was a gardener. It was something he did that made him happy, something that needed him, and he felt he could make the world maybe just a little greener.

The two we’re placing their finished creations on the cooling rack when the bakery’s back door was pushed open, and a booming voice filled the work kitchen.

“We’re home!”

“Hey Pops!! (y/n) has a boy in the kitchen!” The twins piped up and (y/n) let out a sign while muttering that she was never gonna do anything nice for the twins ever again.

“WHAT?!” Yuki heard heavy footsteps rushing through the room, and a part of him felt the need to run.

Yuki was now looking up at two tall men, one was clearly (y/n) ’s father, and the other just seemed like a younger, male version of her Mother.

Another one of her brothers?

“And you are?” The tall man stared down at Yuki as if sizing him as he crossed his arms.

“Dad! I told you-”

“Sohma Yuki, I’m the student council president at our school.” Yuki subconsciously put on polite prince act, hoping it would be enough to get him by.

“And you’re here because?”

“....” This man’s stare was something else, and Yuki wished Kakeru was here to help. Or at least there to suffer with him at the mercy of the tall, intimidating man.

“Dad, I told you! There’s a bake sale.”

“And they couldn’t do it themselves?” The man didn’t take his eyes off Yuki, and the teenager had to gulp a bit.

“Dad!” (y/n) whined, embarrassed over her father’s attitude, and that’s when an angel must have been listening to Yuki’s prayer because a saviour appeared.

“Okay dear, that’s enough out of you. How about you go get started on closing up, and I’ll get started on dinner.” (y/n) ’s Mother came to the rescue as she dragged off her husband and what had to be another one of (y/n) ’s brothers.

The Mother sent a wink Yuki’s way, and he covered his face, exhausted by everything.

“I’m so sorry. They’re just... well protective, I guess.” (y/n) sighed as she continued topping the lemon tarts with the meringue.

“I should tell you the truth..” Yuki decided to come clean.

“huh?”

“There is no bake sale.”

“What?! Then... why?” (y/n) looked at him, and Yuki really wished there was a bake sale, so he didn’t have to come clean right now.

“Kakeru-San was trying to help me, I guess..” Yuki admitted, and it made (y/n) freeze in her actions and turn to face him.

“Help you with what?” (y/n) truly had no idea what he was getting at. She was honestly surprised that Yuki, the most handsome boy in school, even knew who she was. The brief meeting in the first week of school was most likely forgotten by the popular boy.

Why would Yuki need help from her friend Kakeru with anything concerning her?

“…. what happened?” Yuki asked.

“What do you mean?”

Yuki had been racking his brain, wondering what had made (y/n) stay away. He had seen her around the school; she had a warm laugh and always seemed to be a kind and friendly person.

He couldn’t help but notice that she would smile at him when he passed her by, but it wasn’t like the other girls. She wouldn’t blush and get all fluttery and call him prince Yuki or anything, just smile like a passing hello and then return to her friends.

“Did I do something to offend you, maybe?” Yuki asked, and (y/n) let out a sigh, and Yuki decided to push forward, knowing he probably wouldn’t have another chance.

“No that’s” Yuki had stepped too forward and somehow pushed the bowl of the whipped meringue into the air, and it flew before landing.

Right on top of Yuki’s head.

I want the ground to swallow me up

Yuki stood there with the silver bowl on top of his head, the white froth of the meringue and a gentle hand lifted the edge, peeking under while trying not to giggle.

“I imagined none of your fangirls have ever seen you this side of you. I feel a little bad for them.” (y/n) giggled cutely as she lifted off the bowl and handed him a towel.

Yuki looked over at her and the soft look on her face, her cheeks’ gentle flush, and warm, inviting eyes. Yuki felt his heart race as she reached out and wiped away some of the sweet froth from his face with a wet cloth. It was done so tenderly, and he found himself wanting to lean into her touch.

“Back at the beginning of first year. You invited me to eat lunch with you but then..”

“Oh..... well... um.”

“You’re… fangirls made it pretty clear that I was to stay away.” (y/n) remembered that day like it was yesterday. She had been cornered the day after she had lunch with Yuki. One of the girls was even in his class and insisted that she had bothered Yuki with her presence.

It had hurt.

Because she was interested in getting to know the quiet boy with the small convenience store lunch. Yuki had been a little awkward at lunch, but there was something aloof and awkward about him, something that made (y/n) want to know more. But there was never a chance to talk to him, and the Prince Yuki Fan Club was more like an army then it was a fan club.

So, she stuck to just giving him friendly smiles whenever they would pass each other in the hallway, which she doubted he noticed.

“And then you never seemed to... always feel so far away. I figured that you just didn’t want to be friends-” (y/n) was cut off by Yuki, who had reached forward and grabbed her hand and (y/n) felt a jolt of electricity from the skin on skin contact. Both looked a little taken back, but Yuki continued on, wanting to be heard.

“I really wanted to spend... More lunches together.” Yuki admitted, and it felt like some sort of mysterious weight had been lifted from (y/n) ’s shoulders.

“Really?”

“I’ll get the bath ready.”

“And... maybe you wouldn’t mind staying for dinner? I know my family is a bit much, but my mom is a great cook.”

“I’d love to stay.”

Yuki was now wearing some of (y/n) ’s brothers’ clothes, the second oldest who was away for college. He was studying business and was supposed to be graduating come the spring. He even came in for video chat for a bit while the Mother fussed over how he was eating and if she needed to go pay him a visit to restock his fridge.

This was a close family, and Yuki felt like it was something that he wanted so bad that it almost hurt.

Yuki was properly introduced to all of (y/n) ’s five older brothers, and while a few poked fun at (y/n) for having a boy over, it seemed she wasn’t afraid to sick her father on them. A glare from him was enough to shut them up.

Yuki couldn’t help but notice that throughout dinner (y/n) would give the best things on her plate, which led to the brother who had come in with her father earlier, cutting his portion in half and sneaking it onto her plate. It was a sleight of hand, but he caught it.

Conversations flowed with ease; Yuki had worried that he would feel like an odd man out, but somehow the family made room for him.

The food was delicious, and the company was warm, and they made him feel like he had been simply part of their family for years. He could see where (y/n) seemed to get her cheerfulness and confidence; how else would one survive in a family with 5 older brothers.

There was a bit of a break between dinner and dessert which (y/n) had made, and there was time for some sort of game that Yuki had never played, but (y/n) ’s father was actually quite patient in telling him the rules of ‘Cheat.’

Turns out the best player in the house was the Mother who came in for one last round and wiped the floor. The woman had a powerful poker face, which was surprising coming from the seemingly innocent woman.

The strawberry shortcake that (y/n) made was the best thing that Yuki had ever eaten, and he even got dragged into an arm-wrestling contest for the final piece. He lost, but the other brother just laughed and split the last piece in two while saying ‘no hard feelings, pretty boy.’

Maybe it should have bothered him, but it also felt like he could fit in, just a little.

A spot for him in that large warm family. Where the siblings looked out for one another, where the parents fussed over their kids’ eating habits, where everyone laughed together as they shared a meal.

“Thank you for having me.” Yuki bowed to the family, and the Mother gushed over how polite he was while the father said he was welcome to come back.

Y/n walked him to the door downstairs.

The two teens stood on the sidewalk; the display window of the family baker way now empty. A ‘Closed’ sign hanging off the door. It had gotten so late, but Yuki had barely noticed as the time really had flown by.

“Here, the cookies we made together and a few tarts to share with your family.” (y/n) handed him a nice blue bag paper bag that had some weight to it. They had certainly made a lot of goodies. Okay, (y/n) had done most of the work, but she would insist that they had shared the work.

“I’m sorry about lying to you... about the bake sale” While Yuki hadn’t been the one to tell her about the bake sale, he had still gone along with it.

“Don’t be, I know how Nabe-Kun can be. I’ve known him since middle school, should have known. I hope you had fun, though. I’m sorry about my family. They can be... a little much.” (y/n) loved her family but they had undoubtedly given Yuki a hard time it seemed, she worried that they had scared him away.

“Your family is very kind. I enjoyed getting to know them.” (y/n) let out a sigh of relief and gave Yuki a smile that could have lit up the darkest nights.

“But I was really happy.... that you wanted to bake with me... And that you spent time with my family and me, Sohma-San.”

“Please... call me Yuki... And It... It made me happy too.” Yuki admitted, and he wondered if only he had been braver, then maybe they could have been making cookies and having dinners together a long time ago.

“See you at school tomorrow?”

“Let’s have lunch.” She smiled, and Yuki couldn’t help but stare at cupid’s bow of her lips.

“oooooh are they gonna kiss?” The twins called from the upstairs window, and the teens both erupted into red.

His heart was hammering in his chest, still not believing he had been so close that maybe if he just leaned down a little, they would have connected.

And soon, the entire family was popping their heads out the windows of their second-story apartment and peeping on the two teens.

“Aww he’s so cute, honey bear, you better catch him before someone else digs in.” (y/n) ’s Mother teased, and she called out to her family to please stop.

“Wait, no! No one’s touching my baby sister!” The 1st most protective brother called out, waving his fist at Yuki.

“Wait I’m not-!” Yuki shook his hands and stepped away from (y/n) as if to give her space, but this started a whole new argument with the brother.

“Are you saying she’s not good enough!”

“NO! I-”

“Then, What?! Do you not like her!? I OUTTA-” The older brother was practically hanging out the window with the middle brother holding the back of his shirt to make sure he didn’t actually fall.

“I DO LIKE HER!” Yuki snapped under all the pressure as he clenched his fists.

Silence.... dead silence, except for maybe the sound of his heart beating so fast that it wanted to jump out his chest and get out of there.

“I like you too.” (y/n) broke the silence, and everyone watching from the balcony above laughed and started goading the two teenagers on.

“Just kiss already!” The twins called out, laughing as they taunted, and Yuki could hear the parents scolding them and trying to get all their kids to leave their only daughter in peace.

Both of the teens were bright red, but Yuki’s chest somehow felt so light. This family was certainly... loud and a little out there. But there was nothing but love and joy to be felt all around. (y/n) smiled up at him, her cheeks still dusted with pink, but her eyes kept looking up at him and then averting to the ground shyly.

Adorable

Yuki wasn’t sure what came over him. He certainly didn’t want the large audience of her family’s hooting and hollering, but how could he resist when she was finally within reach?

The teen leaned down, careful to keep the distance between them, even using his hand as some sort of force to hold her back and slowly, gently met her lips with his.

As he expected, she tasted so sweet, but with a slight tang, a tartness from the strawberries they had been eating earlier.

He wanted to lean down again, but an angry voice brought him back to earth.

“Thats IT!!! I’M GONNA KILL HIM!!”

“You better run.” (y/n) advised, unable to hide her giant smile and her pink cheeks, even in the dim lighting.

“Lunch tomorrow?” Yuki asked, feeling confident that they would no longer just share brief smiles in the school hallways.

“It’s a date.” And she leaned up and placed a quick kiss to Yuki’s cheek before he ran off before (y/n) ’s brother could lay his hands on him.

As he walked home, Yuki felt like he walked on clouds and never looked so forward to school. Yuki could barely wait for the lunch hour where he could look upon that bright smile and perhaps even sneak a sweet kiss.

His phone beeped, and Yuki checked the phone to see another text from Kakeru.

- How did it go, Yun-Yun????????? I GOTS TO KNOW?!?!?!-

Yuki never thought he would find himself doing this, but he was in such a good that he figured it would be fine.

- Thank you -

Yuki also made a note NOT to share any of the tarts or the cookies he and (y/n) had made together.

….

Okay, maybe just one, but that’s it.

#fruits basket fanfiction #furuba x reader #yuki sohma x reader #sohma yuki x reader #Fruits Basket #furuba

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365days365movies · 4 years

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March 2, 2021: The Last Unicorn (Part 2)

Ready to get back to The Last Land Narwhal!

Forgot to mention narwhals in my last post. For the record, that’s a tooth, not a horn, and nobody knows for sure what it’s for. It seems to have functions in defense against predators, communication, environmental analysis, and of course, sexual selection. That last one is the leadng theory for purpose of the tusk.

But yeah, these guys are the unicorns of the sea, so I should’ve mentioned them. OK, back to The Last Unicorn! Part 1 of the Recap is right here!

Recap (2/2)

The journey continues anew, in the right direction this time, and the three head to King Haggard’s castle to find the Red Bull and the other Unicorns. And they find it soon enough, as a bright red light envelops the castle that night. And that light is, of course, the Red Bull.

Well, it’s out of my system...I think. I think. But OK, the real Red Bull, then.

Yeah, this thing is a scarlet MONSTER, and it really does quite monstrous. Molly asks the doubting Schmendrick to do something, and tells him that he has the ability to use magic,, even though he doubts it. With the Bull chasing the Unicorn, Schmendrick tries to do something to stop the chase. And, uh...he succeeds.

Yeah, whoops. Looks like Schmednrick turned her into the worst thing in the world: a human girl! NOOOOOOOOOO! Yeah, everybody (except for Schmendrick) freaks out about this, ESPECIALLY the Unicorn. Now in a mortal body, she’s starting to lose it. However, Schmendrick is right in that this is a pretty decent body.

But yeah, no, the Unicorn is NOT HAPPY about this development. However, Schmendrick does convince her that this is the best way to get into the kingdom of Haggard to find the other Unicorns. They give her the name “Lady Amalthea”, and they indeed get access to the castle.

They go to meet King Haggard (Christopher Lee), whom it turns out is an old, shriveled man who seeks only happiness. He only keeps things around him that make him happy. Molly, clever as she is, convinces Haggard that he has need of a new magician, as his current one clearly does not make him happy.

Seems that Haggard agrees, and pretty much immediately fires his current magician, Mabruk (Paul Frees), who’s none too pleased by this development. He begins to exact his vengeance, until stopped by the magic still within the Unicorn. Mabruk tells Haggard that he has “invited doom through his front door”, and leaves without another word.

The Unicorn, now as “Amalthea”, also quickly unnerves Haggard, as he can’t see his reflection in her eyes, which understandably freaks him out. However, with the help of his son Prince Lir (Jeff Bridges), he quickly calms down and tells the three that they can come and go as they please. And the group settles in, as Lir and “Amalthea” bond.

Lir’s pretty quickly smitten with her, and tries very hard to prove himself a worthy escort and partner, through slaying monsters and becoming a hero. However, she never even speaks to him, seeming cruel to him. He tells this to Molly, and Molly goes to speak with “Amalthea”. However...Amalthea appears to be losing her memory and identity as a Unicorn. Well, fuck.

This is revealed through the song “Now That I’m a Woman”, sing by Mia Farrow herself. And...yeah, she’s not a great singer. Honestly, she’s a pretty poor singer, and it definitely shows. Hell, in the soundtrack, they actually replaced her voice with someone else. And...yeah, that doesn’t surprise me at all.

Molly assures Amalthea that Schmendrick will find a way to speak with the Red Bull, but Amalthea pretty heartlessly writes him off and mocks him as the King’s clown, which Molly rightfully tells her off for. Yeah, Molly’s the best character. The cat named...The Cat (Paul Frees) agrees!

Oh, yeah, there’s a cat with a peg-leg and an eyepatch that speaks with a pirate accent. What? You’ve never seen a pirate cat before? Come on, they’re super-common...I guess. Anyway, the cat tells Molly that soon the Unicorn will become Amalthea, a human woman. Oh, yeah, cats see through magic and lies, including the fact that Amalthea is the Unicorn. It’s common knowledge.

Amalthea, meanwhile, is having dreams of her life as a Unicorn from earlier in the movie. She wakes up, and Lir comes to speak with her. She is quite tired, and is always dreaming of this life, asleep or awake. Lit wants to help her, and she asks for a way to wipe away these dreams. As Amalthea becomes more human, she also grows to love Lir.

Lir serenades her with a song, called “That’s All I’ve Got to Say”. And Jeff Bridges...is also not a singer. Yeah, he’s not the worst, but he’s DEFINITELY not great. Sorry, Jeff, I love ya, but this definitely isn’t your strong point. Fun fact, though, Art Garfunkel apparently covered this song. And it’s...A LOT FUCKING BETTER. Seriously, check it out right here, it’s not bad! And actually, Leighton Meester and Scott Grimes also did a pretty great cover, which is right here, if you’re curious! Sorry, Jeff. You just aren’t my favorite singer.

Anyway, as the two fall in love, Schmendrick tries to solve a riddle passed down by the cat, regarding a clock with the answers. At the same time, Haggard speaks to Amalthea on the parapet, as he reveals that only one thing has ever made him happy. But before he reveals it, he states that he knows who Amalthea actually is.

And that’s when he shows her the one thing that makes him happy: unicorns. The Red Bull, a fire elemental, drove them into the sea so that the King could always see them from this castle on the shore. He commanded the Red Bull to catch them for him, as he had never been as happy as the first time he saw them in the woods. So, in other words...he turned them into NARWHALS, THE UNICORNS OF THE SEEEEEEEEA!

However, it would seem that Amalthea is a little bit too far gone at this point. Haggard notices this when he can see his reflection in her eyes this time, and she believes him mad. Yeah, Amalthea’s taking over, and the Unicorn is starting to fade. Well, shit, now what?

Schmendrick may have an answer to that, as he’s started to solve the riddle, which involves getting a skull to talk or some such thing. I think I missed some of the specifics, because this movie has...a LOT of talking. Like, fuck me, dude, it’s not a long movie, but the amount of talking makes it feel that way. Anyway, the Skull, called...the Skull (René Auberjonois), guards the Red Bull’s lair, and they have to convince the Skull to let them in. Schmendrick does so by bribing the Skull with wine, because apparently he’s a recovering alcoholic. And they trick him with literally an empty bottle. Powerful placebo effect, baby.

As they get to the clock, the Skull realizes that Amalthea is a The Last Unicorn, and raises the alarm to Haggard as they make their way through the clock to the Red Bull’s lair. They make it through, and Lir is also there at the same time. Weird. On the outside, Haggard destroys the clock, trapping the four within.

While in there, Amalthea confesses her love for Lir, and wishes to remain a human, rather than turn back into a Unicorn. However, Lir understands the truth of who and what she is, even if he does still love her. Molly believes she should stay as a human, for the sake of her love, while Schmendrick notes that she must become a unicorn again. However, that’s all made pretty goddamn moot when the Red Bull shows up.

Schmendrick finally gets his shit together, and the magic speaks through him to turn Amalthea back into the Unicorn. The Bull still chases after them, and begins to drive the Unicorn into the sea. Lit attempts to save her, and is nearly killed by the Null in the process.

At the last second, the Last Unicorn rallies against the Red Bull, attacking and driving it into the sea...with the rest of the Land Narwhals.

And with that, the rest of the Unicorns return to the land, and Amalthea is no longer the Last Unicorn. With their stampede, Haggard’s castle by the sea crumbles, and Haggard himself plummets to his death.

As they run off, Amalthea returns, and revives Lir from the dead. Amalthea says that she remembers Lir, and then...fucks off to the woods, I guess. Lir says goodbye to Schmendrick and Molly, who pledge their love for each other in the process. Schmendrick says goodbye to Amalthea, who asks if it makes him happy to be a true wizard now.

Amalthea notes that she’s afraid to go back, as she is the only Unicorn to ever know regret. Schmendrick apologizes for this, but she asks for no apologies. She rides off into the moonset, and into the credits.

And that’s The Last Unicorn! And it was...interesting. I say that a lot, I know, but I’m gonna have to percolate on this one. See you tomorrow for the Review!

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kimnjss · 4 years

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Okay kez, the loml of my brain, I apologize for being mia on you again. School kicked my ass (again🤧🤧) but wooooooh after that binge reading i got thibgs to say here:

1. MIN YOONGI AS MUCH AS I WORSHIP EVEN YOUR DEAD SKIN CELLS, I WILL WHOOP YOUR ASS TO OBLIVION IF YOU STILL WONT TELL TAE HOW YOU FEEL 😠 THE BOY IS AS WHIPPED FOR YOU AS YOU ARE FOR HIM AND WILL DEF DROP EVERYTHING THE MOMENT YOU CONFESS. So. TELL. HIM. COWARD!!! Also, ily and I’d gladly plan a whole event when you confess to Tae 🥰🥰🥰

2. JIKOOK INTERRUPTED BY YN-IN-NAMJOON-CRISIS IS PEAK COMEDY HAHAHAHHAHA 😂😂

3. Hobi, you dear boy, YOUR DAD IS MFING SATAN FOR TREATING YOUR SISTER LIKE THAT AND I HOPE YOU SEE WHAT SHE’S DOING FOR YOU

4. I think yn has some issues w men in general bc she’s like okay with collecting them like pokemons but with extra care 👀👀 like she’s afraid to have commitments but at the same time she’s not??? Yn, darling, i hope you get to talk it out w Joon bc I don’t wanna see his heart break 🥺 also, that drunk story was B O M B 💯istg I’ve tried getting into a fight with my sister while being drunk too and crying in the bathroom for puking too much 🙈🙊 this yn is literally on of the best yn characters you made, kez!

And 5. The song recommendation in your written chapters are literally the reason why i have a whole new playlist for when i read on tumblr. So far my fave is the song by the 1975 called tonight 💯👌🏼👌🏼👌🏼

ughhh . school is the worst :/ welcome back again tho !!

YOONGI REALLY NEEDS TO GET IT TOGETHER ND TELL TAEHYUNG WHAT’S ON HIS MIND LIKE ., THEY’RE OBVIOUSLY A BIT OF ATTRACTION THERE W THE FACT THAT THEY’RE ALREADY SLEEPING TOGETHER . NO WAY JIMIN’S SUBTLE ND HE KNOWS HOW BOTH OF THEM FEEL - so he should just stand up nd go for it ., they honestly are both soo into each other nd scared that the other won’t be w it so they just keep it to themselves .

POOR JIKOOK JUST TRYING TO ENJOY THEIR NEW RELATIONSHIP ND HERE COMES YN W HERE ISSUES LMAOOO .

nd hobi !! he honestly thinks that his dad is the greatest ., but has no idea that it’s only bc he hasn’t done anything to piss him off so he’s never had to seen his bad side - but yn has seen the lot of it ., so he just thinks it’s bc of how yn acts .

yn is really complicated in that aspect . she wants it all but then nothing at all . she wants to feel wanted nd having a bunch of guys fawning over her is the perfect way to feel that way . but she doesn’t want to get so serious when it comes to things like that bc that puts her at risk of getting hurt so she keeps them at an arms length . joon is the first guy that she’s talked to nd connected w on an emotional level ., which is why we see her trying harder to figure him out than any other guy .

AAHHHHH!! that song has literally been on replay for me since i started this fic . it describes joon perfectly w the way he didn’t want anything to do w yn in the beginning nd now he’s all abt her . i love ittt !!

#asks; plot twist 🌬#namjoon sm au #asks; kez 🍯

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authoratmidnight · 5 years

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My half asleep brain this morning woke me up and was like ‘you know what would make a fun crossover? Natsume Yuujinchou x Fruits Basket’

Why? I have no idea. Idk how that would work aside from one of the groups (either Natsume and co or the Tohru gang) going on some kind of school trip out to the city/town of the other and their paths crossing that way.

Also idk how much supernatural stuff aside from the Sohma curse actually pops up in FruBa so idk if it would make sense for them to see yokai so I just split the difference on it and opted for ‘they can sense the yokai and the most they can see is a blurry shape’

But ahem, stupid idea 1) Natsume group goes on a field trip to the city.

Dunno what kind of field trip, maybe to a museum or something, doesn’t matter, they go and during some free time the class splits up and Natsume’s group (him, Tanuma, Nishimura and Kitamoto, maybe Taki too idk) head off together but WHOOPS this city is b i g and none of them know it that well and wait where’d Natsume go??

Natsume got distracted by something and wandered off (or chased after Nyanko who went searching for food) and now whoops he’s lost.

(After an unfortunate encounter with the local girl gang Nyanko takes on Reiko’s form to protect Natsume cause Natsume can’t fight and also Reiko is intimidating and someone gotta keep the beanpole safe till they can find his friends)

Natsume somehow ends up at the Sohma house (either chasing a yokai or chasing a hungry Nyanko idk) tho luckily the only one there atm is Shigure (and Natsume is amused b/c that’s the same name as one of his guardians).

Shigure is a smart cookie and notices fairly quickly two things about Natsume. One is that this poor boy, skittish as a lamb, has def been through some shit at some point and has been hurt by people before like Yuki so carefulness is required. The second is that he’s, different, there’s something about him that’s not like most people. Esp when he notices Natsume looking at the funny blurs that he catches sight of every now and then (like, there’s tiny, harmless yokai running about the house and Natsume notices them).

Also,

Shigure: So, just so we’re clear, you’re not related to anyone with the last name ‘Sohma’ are you?

Natsume: No?

Shigure: *breathing a sigh of relief that there’s no unaccounted for Sohma’s running around.

Natsume: But I mean I know like nothing about my mom’s side of the family so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Shigure: *screeching*

(cause Natsume’s hair and eyes, ESP the manga colours are unusual so, lmao)

And then the teenage trio returns home and Natsume is just ‘oh NO’ b/c earlier in the day his group had had a run in with Kyo(literally) and when Kyo got grumpy with Natsume for not watching where he was going, Nyanko bit him in retaliation before Natsume’s group issues a hasty apology and bolted before the situation could get worse. And it’s very awkward and tense cause Natsume can’t even look at Kyo.

At some point Shigure notices that Natsume’s funky cat is mia and the boy is surrounded by an awful large blurry, misty thing (when Kyo notices this he does try to behave a bit more cause not only does it seem like whatever it is is protecting Natsume, Natsume seems fully aware of its presence so like, what is this boy??? what powerful things is he friends with??? is he even human?) Even more so when Natsume leaves, all but bolting from the room with a hasty apology and goodbye, because the way he moves around the unseen thing makes it clear that he can see it, perhaps more clearly than they do.

And then Shigure sends them, or at least Kyo, off to find Natsume cause ‘are you really gonna let this scared and lost kid just run around this city alone, esp after acting like that? for shame.’ (Kyo’s grumpy but soft and yeah ok maybe he did over react and that kid did apologize and did seem a bit scared so he should do something about this)

(Kyo’s definitely certain he saw Natsume talking to the blur around him and that it also turned back into his weird lookin cat but he’s just gonna, not say anything cause he don’t wanna risk looking like a nut to Tohru-who can’t see/sense yokai at all-or Yuki-who didn’t witness those scenes)

They do find Natsume and reunite him with his friends-Natsume has to keep his over protective friends from flipping out on Kyo like ‘no it’s ok we’re cool now’

Also Natsume buying one of Shigure’s novels (NOT the trashy romance ones haha oh god) to show his Shigure back home cause they share the same name and it kinda amuses him.

Stupid idea #2 FruBa gang goes on a trip to (or to somewhere near) Natsume’s hometown

Idk what kinda of interesting things are in or near Natsume’s home but the group goes there for like a field trip or a vacation.

Much like in scenario one they have a literal collision with Natsume’s group, but Kyo was already in a foul mood for one reason or another so he just snaps at Natsume, something about needing to watch where he’s going. And Natsume just kind of, freezes up, there’s a person yelling at him, berating him for being stupid/clumsy. And before his friends can say or do anything he just books it out of there, absolutely terrified cause whoops there’s some bad memories resurfacing and his mind was outta there before the rest of him was.

Tanuma, Nishi and Kitamoto are not pleased. Nor is Tohru, who for sure gives him a good talking to before everyone fans out to find Natsume (cause he should not be alone atm). I feel like Yuki at the very least would be able to recognize the reactions of someone whose been abused and is just like ‘oh shit’ the moment Kyo starts being an ass.

And in predictable Natsume fashion, yokai shit happens. Which is a bad combo cause Natsume is not in the right head space to be dealing with a yokai that wants its name back atm. And ofc in typical Natsume fashion the yokai are dramatic lil fucks and decides that Kyo and/or Yuki might make a good snack/a ‘well if you won’t give it back then I’ll just eat your friend’ sort of thing.

And even though Natsume is scared and not ok rn he’s also not about to let them get eaten even if Kyo was previously rude to him(like, he deserves a good talking too, not to be turned into lunch lol).

And it must look very strange to them to see Natsume, scared as all fuck, but standing between them and this, something they can barely see but that he can see (and punch apparently cause oh god he just punched it and sent it flying wtf is this scrawny kid?) and then a second big thing comes to Natsume’s aid which he calls ‘Nyanko-sensei’ (which only serves to baffling them later when Natsume’s weird cat appears and Natsume calls it Nyanko-sensei). Eventually the yokai is dealt with, name returned and Natsume begging them to not tell his friends about all that cause they don’t know about this.

And then Natsume has to hold his friends back cause they find him and he’s all scraped up and Kyo is there ofc they think the worst.

But everything gets worked out in the end.

Other random thing I thought of, Natsume meeting Ayame and just being like ‘oh NO. he’s Natori but WORSE’ and praying that they never, ever meet.

Also, Natsume at some point discovering the Sohma family secret and is just like ‘well...it’s not the strangest thing I’ve ever seen or dealt with’ cause like it’s unusual yeah but he deals with yokai on a daily basis. Frankly very little surprises him at this point.

Anyways yeah, Natsume FruBa crossover b/c why not.

#natsume yuujinchou #fruits basket

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artistjojo1228 · 5 years

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Rock and Roll Storytime #9: The Decline and Early Death of Brian Jones (including details I’ve found through personal research)

It was a cool spring morning when, while I was goofing off in art class, I got the bright idea to try writing about the 27 Club for one of those YouTube documentaries. The plan was simple: I was going to talk about Robert Johnson, Brian Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Mia Zapata, Kurt Cobain, Kristen Pfaff, Amy Winehouse, and Anton Yelchin, seven because of being the “Tragic Seven” and the other three because I found their stories interesting (I actually first heard of the club not long after Anton’s death).

And then, in about as much time as it took for me to come up with that idea, I went from being obsessed with Kurt Cobain to being obsessed with Brian Jones. Most likely, in my opinion, because of the mysterious circumstances surrounding his early death. I guess, in a way, all it took was me hearing that there were conspiracies saying he’d been murdered to convince me to look into his story. After all, very early on in my Nirvana obsession, I went through a regretful phase where I believed Kurt had been murdered. I didn’t want to make a similar assumption again.

What I’m trying to say, is that this will be about Brian’s ousting from the band he created, his death on the night of July 2, 1969, and the steps I took to figure out what the hell happened.

By mid-May, I’d already come up with my first theory: that Brian had an asthma attack and drowned as the result of that. Around this time, I learned that Brian: a, had a sister, Pamela, who’d died at the age of two from leukemia (he was just three), and b, within the next year, he suffered a severe bout of croup that left him with lifelong asthma. While I was researching in the usual way I do, I’d also heard that chlorine can trigger asthma attacks or allergic reactions, especially when there is organic material in the pool (e.g. sweat). However, it wasn’t until September that I stumbled upon Brian’s autopsy report, so until that point, I’d had little to no idea that the coroner ruled out an asthma attack. Even then, I’d already been hearing my fair share of complaints that the autopsy report was perfunctory, so I’d just made the assumption that the coroner had somehow missed that if it had happened that way.

I don’t know why my early perspective started changing. I just know that the one constant was that I refused to believe that Brian was murdered (sitting through Stoned on May 31, 2019, certainly didn’t help matters).

Throughout, I began to learn of Brian’s life story, and how he eventually found himself kicked out of the very band he brought to life.

In short, Brian used to play in jazz clubs, and it was on April 7, 1962, that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards saw the young blonde calling himself “Elmo Lewis” play slide guitar on stage for the first time (one of the first Britons to master it, through no small amount of effort). In May 1962, Brian placed an ad for musicians in a local newspaper, and was shortly thereafter joined by Ian Stewart, Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Dick Taylor, and Tony Chapman. In December 1962, Taylor was replaced by Bill Wyman, and in January 1963, Charlie Watts replaced Tony Chapman. There’s also how the band got their name, but I’d prefer to save that for another storytime.

What I should probably talk about instead, is where the first cracks started to form in this partnership.

See, when the Rolling Stones were on tour in October 1963, it was revealed that Brian had an arrangement with the financial advisor, Eric Easton, which basically stated that Brian, as leader of the group, would receive five pounds more than everyone else (this equates to $137.30 today). Everyone else, who was under the impression that they were all earning the same amount of money from each gig, was kind of pissed about it, and maybe rightfully so. However, I don’t see why this should be enough for Mick and Keith to uphold a fifty-six-year-long grudge that includes what is essentially damnatio memoriae, but I guess that’s their business. But keep in mind, Bill Wyman has since stated that, at that time, they were earning 193 pounds per week at this point (roughly $1,963.75 in today’s money). That’s only seven percent of the band’s total income at that point. It still seems like a stupid reason to me for Mick and Keith to still be getting on Brian’s case for something like that fifty-six years later (and before anyone says anything, yes, I know there’s more to it than that, but it’s stupid that it all started with five pounds).

Going back to my personal search for answers for a moment or two, it was now June 2019, and I was also starting to look into the murder theory, if only for posterity. I remember vividly being on a trip to France and accidentally convincing one of the girls on the trip that Brian had been murdered when I was telling her about him.

Erm... whoops.

Even so, in that one brief moment, I allowed myself to entertain that possibility. After all, most of the sources I was reading at that point were all saying that Brian’s death had probably been manslaughter, if not murder, and what was definitely consistent was that the witness reports weren’t consistent, and it just seemed easier to believe that. After all, Brian’s death was suspicious enough, so why not?

Easier...

It only took a day or two for me to remind myself why I had refused to believe it for this long: because of my regrets in believing Kurt had been murdered, and because I no longer wanted to take the easy route.

If I was going to say Brian was murdered, without a shred of doubt, I had to do more research.

And now for part two of Brian’s Jones’ slow decline: his relationship with Anita Pallenberg and the subsequent fallout from it. Now, Brian and Anita met on September 14, 1965 (my grandmother’s seventh birthday) after a Rolling Stones concert in Munich. The two apparently found an instant connection, thanks to Brian’s ability to speak German (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r5N-O8_eB34). However, the relationship afterwards was very much mutually abusive. Keith said in his autobiography that he would sometimes see Brian with a black eye, and in September 1966, Brian broke his wrist. The “official” story was that Brian broke his wrist in a climbing accident, but other stories suggested that he instead broke his hand during an argument with her when he hit his hand against a metal window frame (though in one more salacious telling I heard, he broke his hand on her face, which doesn’t sound entirely possible to me).

Meanwhile, he did write and perform the soundtrack for her movie, Mord Und Totschlag (A Degree of Murder), which gives us a rare glimpse into Brian’s extraordinary musical talent and genius. That was probably the only good thing that came out of all this.

youtube

Then of course, in 1967, Keith’s home, Redlands, was busted, and the Glimmer Twins were charged with various drug offenses. Their lawyers recommended they should get out of the country for a while, so Mick, Keith, Brian, and Anita traveled down to Morocco for a little while. However, in Toulouse, France, Brian became ill with pneumonia, and spent the next few days in the hospital.

Meanwhile, as Brian was celebrating his 25th birthday in the hospital, Anita and Keith went on ahead of him, and they began seeing each other behind Brian’s back. When Brian was finally able to join the group, he surely noticed the newfound chemistry between Keith and Anita, especially considering Keith wasn’t very confident around the ladies at this point in time. He knew he was losing Anita, and apparently, he welcomed the confrontation. In mid-March, 1967, he paid for the services of two “Berber whores,” and when Anita returned to the hotel room, he told her to join them in a foursome. Stories vary as to what happened next, what is typically a constant in this story is that she refused. According to Keith, Brian started throwing food at her (apparently, in a fight sometime around then, Anita had broken two of Brian’s ribs and one of his fingers), and she fled out of fear and humiliation. Bill, in his book Stone Alone, alleged that Brian beat her savagely, to the point where she was in fear of her own life. The abysmal movie Stoned just claimed he sexually assaulted her (which, yeah, I don’t believe happened). Whatever happened that night (lord knows, Brian can’t speak for himself), Anita fled to Keith’s room, where he convinced her to leave with him, basically giving her the “You deserve better” speech and saying that Brian might try to kill her if she stayed with him (which also doesn’t seem likely to me, even being fully aware of Brian’s violent streak).

In either case, the next day, Mick, Keith, and Anita all left Morocco, leaving Brian stranded there for the next two days. Several years after his death, his own father would claim that Anita was the one who broke Brian’s heart and sent him into a fatal downward spiral, but in Paul Trynka’s book, those who knew Brian like Linda Lawrence (mother of Brian’s fourth child) and Stanislaus “Stash” Klossowski (friend of the Stones’) were of the opinion that it had rather been Mick and Keith’s betrayal that had sent Brian into that deadly spiral.

Personally, I’d say it’s a toss-up

In either case, Brian’s drug and alcohol abuse worsened.

Meanwhile, some fifty-two years later, it was July 2019. The fiftieth anniversary of Brian’s death had come and gone, and as my first (emotionally abusive) relationship was reaching a long-overdue close, I decided to get Stone Alone in the mail. Naturally, I had a few reasons for being a bit skeptical, not the least of which included the fact that Bill had dated a thirteen-year-old when he was forty-seven (EW), but still, I had to know what he said about Brian, so I decided to get it anyway. As I was flipping through the pages once it’d arrived, I found the account of Brian’s second child, a daughter whom Bill called “Carol.”

I’d probably heard about how she’d been diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy once or twice in the past, but for some reason, I’d refused to consider it. Reading about it this night, something clicked. Thanks to the way Bill explained, it, it seemed plausible enough that, somehow, Brian had never been diagnosed with epilepsy. After all, it can be hereditary, and mental health wasn’t understood very well back then.

That brings me to major theory #2: Brian had a seizure in the pool the night he drowned, and given that he was alone when he died, this seemed the most likely explanation.

After all, Brian had punctate hemorrhages in his brain when he drowned. It made sense to me, as Brian must’ve been thrashing around quite a bit in his last few moments alive (punctate hemorrhages are typically found in shaken baby syndrome)

It seemed to me at that time that I finally had an explanation for what happened to Brian Jones, but naturally, I wasn’t done with the search yet.

Naturally, with everything I read, the search for answers continued on, even though I thought I’d had it all figured out.

I was trying to write about it for a post I made on Amino, and as I was trying to provide some facts, I remembered that I’d found Brian’s toxicology report not long before then. Looking at it now, I observed the fact that the coroner said that the 1720 micro gms of an amphetamine-like substance found in Brian’s body was likely because of prescription Mandrax.

Mandrax was the brand name for quaaludes.

This brings me into major reason #3 for Brian’s decline: his own drug arrests and convictions. I explained this more in another post (https://artistjojo1228.tumblr.com/post/188166689760/rock-and-roll-storytime-6-the-rolling-stones), but I’ll give the skivvy anyway. On May 10, 1967, just as Mick and Keith were being formally charged with drug possession, Brian’s home was raided by police. Although he’d cleaned the place up, police still managed to find a bit of cannabis, and Brian and Stash were arrested. On October 30, 1967, Brian was convicted of cannabis possession and allowing his home to be used for the smoking of cannabis, and was sentenced to a grand total of 12 months in prison and a fine. Apparently, during his night at Wormwood Scrubs, the guards taunted Brian, threatening to cut off his long, blonde locks, which left him quite shaken. He appealed his case, and on December 12, Brian’s sentence was reduced to three years’ probation.

However, not long after, on May 21, 1968, Brian’s home was raided again, and once more, police found drugs, even though some sources state that Brian was so paranoid about drugs by now, that he wouldn’t even allow friends over if they had so much as prescription pills on them. Brian was found guilty for the second time, but the judge took pity on him, and only fined him, also giving him a stern warning to not end up in court again.

Once again, in the year 2019, it was September now. I was just starting college, and trying to survive my first semester (not easy when you’re a chronic procrastinator), and one night, while I was browsing the internet, I found Brian’s autopsy report.

Morbid fact about me, this was far from my first time reading through death certificates and autopsy reports of celebrities. Also, I’d developed a sort of obsession with medicine after Anton Yelchin’s death (to the point where I was considering being a nurse for a while), so I was familiar with the medical jargon used by now.

So, here we are, major theory #3 and the most likely scenario in this case: Brian, trying to get clean, had relapsed on the sleeping pills he’d been prescribed, and had become incapacitated at some point during the night.

This wasn’t the catalyst for me believing this, but it most certainly reinforced my theories.

As I stated earlier, quaaludes were once sold under the brand name Mandrax, and had been prescribed for such things as insomnia and anxiety, both of which Brian likely would’ve had after facing the threat of prison twice. This was also before anyone realized just how addictive quaaludes can be, so there is no doubt that Brian probably relapsed, and took one or several too many sleeping pills that night.

And now, reason #4 for Brian’s firing from the Stones: his increasingly lacking contributions to their music.

As time passed, Brian stopped showing up to recording sessions, and when he did show up, he was usually intoxicated to the point where he was unable to contribute. In an interview years later, Mick said that one of Brian’s last major contributions to the Stones’ music was the slide guitar on “No Expectations” from Beggars’ Banquet. It got to the point where, on Let It Bleed, Brian only played on two songs: congas on “Midnight Rambler” and autoharp on “You’ve Got the Silver”.

On neither of those songs does he contain the enormous presence he once had over the Stones’ music.

I can’t really say why Brian stopped contributing.

What I can say is what the final nail in the coffin was: Brian’s inability to get a work visa in the United States.

See, by the summer of 1969, the Stones were planning on going on tour again, but as time passed, it became increasingly obvious that Brian would be unlikely to get a work visa in the United States due to his past drug convictions.

Even then, Brian just hadn’t been in the studio long enough or sober enough to learn any of the new songs.

At the suggestion of Ian Stewart (himself demoted unfairly from the Rolling Stones by Andrew Oldham in 1963), Mick and Keith decided they needed a new guitarist (Bill and Charlie had no part in the decision itself). By May 31, 1969, 20-year-old Mick Taylor, formerly of John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers, was starting to record with the band. That just left it up to Mick and Keith to resolve the issue with Brian. On June 8, they went over to Brian’s home at Cotchford Farm in Hartfield, Sussex, and told him that he was being fired, bringing Charlie along in case a fight broke out.

According to some sources, Brian had been expecting this would happen, and agreed to leave the band in either a temporary or permanent split. Mick and Keith left the press statement up to Brian, and possibly to save face, he made it appear as if he’d left the band on his own terms.

I shared the statement in my post about the Altamont fiasco (https://artistjojo1228.tumblr.com/post/188181237510/rock-and-roll-storytime-8-motherfing-altamont), but I’ll write it out again for those of you who don’t want to go post-hunting: “I no longer see eye to eye with the others over the discs we are cutting. We no longer communicate musically. The Stones’ music is not to my taste any more. The work of Mick and Keith has progressed at a tangent, at least to my way of thinking. I have a desire to play my own brand of music rather than that of others, no matter how much I appreciate their musical concepts. We had a friendly meeting and agreed that an amicable termination, temporary or permanent, was the only answer. The only solution was to go our separate ways, but we shall still remain friends. I love those fellows.”

At the same time, Mick and Keith also released a press statement on the matter, also saying that Brian had left the band, not that he was fired.

There are so many questions in my mind surrounding what Brian was doing in the last month of his life. Would he really have started another band, or was he, according some who saw him at that time, musically spent? Did Mick and Keith really agree to give Brian a sort of retirement pension, or was that just to tide him over? (Sadly I wouldn’t put it past them). Was he taking a break from music or was he going into an early retirement?

And most important to me, was he really trying to kick the drugs, like so many have said?

So many questions that we’ll never have a proper answer for.

The only thing that is certain, is that at around midnight on July 3, 1969, Brian Jones was found motionless at the bottom of his swimming pool.

I guess I’d better back up a bit, and explain the chain of events leading up to that moment.

Wednesday, July 2, 1969, featured hot, humid air full of pollen, which affected Brian severely, given his asthma. Throughout the day, he was with Anna Wohlin, his Swedish girlfriend, Janet Lawson, a nurse, and Frank Thorogood, a builder who’d been doing work on Brian’s property. It is worth noting that there are many discrepancies between the witness accounts of what happened, up to and including whether or not the parties involved had been drinking (and if so, how much), whether or not the parties involved watched TV, and even who found Brian, lifeless in the pool, and who pulled him out. The most commonly agreed upon version of events was that Brian and Frank decided to go swimming. Anna was reluctant, but was somehow persuaded. Janet, meanwhile, decided to stay out of the pool. After a while, Anna left Brian and Frank there. When Janet last saw Brian, he asked her to grab one of his inhalers, as he was apparently having difficulty breathing. At some point, Frank also left the pool. When Janet returned some time later, she found him at the bottom of the pool, facedown and motionless. Apparently, she ran off to get help (despite being a registered nurse), and eventually, Anna, Frank, and Janet (or at least two of them) managed to pull Brian out of the pool and began resuscitative efforts. Anna later claimed that she felt Brian’s hand briefly grip hers, but to Janet and Frank, he was very clearly dead. Paramedics arrived soon after, and Brian was pronounced dead after midnight on July 3, 1969.

Based on the small amounts of drugs and alcohol found in Brian’s system at the time of his death, as well as the fact that his heart and liver had been enlarged by substance abuse, his death was ruled as misadventure.

Naturally, as it would seem whenever someone dies young, conspiracy theories also began to circulate not long after. To make this somewhat easier on myself, I’m just going to start listing some of the theories that have popped up in regards to Brian’s death (note: much of this will be taken from Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones).

The most popular of the conspiracy theories states that Brian (who was noted as having mistrusted Frank Thorogood) fired the builder at some point in the 48 hours preceding his death (though, if that were the case, why would he invite him back for a pool party?). After Janet ran off to get Brian’s inhaler, Frank, either in a purposeful act or a bout of horseplay gone wrong, drowned Brian. Not helping Frank’s case is that Tom Keylock alleged that he heard Frank confess to the murder on his deathbed (his daughter has since denied this). Frank’s daughter, Jan Bell, did also claim that her father witnessed an argument between Brian, Mick, and Keith over ownership of the name “Rolling Stones”, during which Keith pulled a knife on Brian (if this did happen, it was likely earlier in the year). Also not helping matters is that after Frank’s death in 1994, Janet and Anna also made their beliefs that Frank was responsible for Brian’s death known (though one of Anna’s friends has since stated that she didn’t start believing Brian had been murdered until later in life). In 2005, this version of events was turned into the movie Stoned, and for those of you who may not have seen my other posts on the subject, I found this movie quite abysmal (”So, I guess you could say this movie... DROWNED on arrival?”)

In 1983, the notion that Brian was murdered first became popularized with Nicholas Fitzgerald’s book Brian Jones: The Inside Story of the Original Rolling Stone. In it, Fitzgerald claimed that Brian had been intending on starting a band with the likes of John Lennon and Jimi Hendrix (those close to Jimi at the time have since dismissed this), and that he and another friend witnessed three men participating in Brian’s murder, and that he had been threatened by someone (likely Keylock) into silence. Most likely, these allegations were used to promote his book, because, you know, there was a real chance for a while that he could’ve been charged with being an accessory to murder after the fact.

A. E. Hotchner in his book Blown Away: The Rolling Stones and the Death of the Sixties claimed that another two witnesses had seen Brian murdered at a party. It is notable that this story claims that Linda Lawrence had been a witness, and that in the years since, one of the witnesses recanted his testimony as “nonsense.”

Another man, David Gibson, claimed that he had been fitting carpets at Cotchford Farm, and that on the day of the murder, Brian and Anna had been away for most of the day, and when they returned, Brian begged him not to leave. He alleged that Tom Keylock had Brian murdered, and that Princess Margaret had been at Cotchford Farm. Those who believe this will likely also believe that Gibson never came forward because of threats and murder attempts.

Laura Jackson’s book, Brian Jones, The Untold Life and Mysterious Death of a Rock Legend, also claimed that Brian had been murdered, and this time added the detail that Frank had drugged Brian with a mysterious substance that stumped even seasoned toxicologists, thereby allowing him to hold Brian’s head under the water with no visible signs of a struggle. I don’t know, if it weren’t for those last couple chapters, I’d probably have an easier time recommending this to Brian Jones fans, because I thought it was pretty enjoyable otherwise.

Geoffrey Giuliano’s book, Paint It Black, alleged that a random guy named “Joe” held Brian’s head underwater for shits and giggles. Last time I checked, that’s not really something people do for shits and giggles. Also, the book claimed that Frank had fled the scene shortly after Brian’s death, despite Frank being noted at the scene when police and paramedics arrived at the scene at 12:10 AM the morning of Brian’s death.

In 2009, Sam Cutler claimed that private detectives hired by Allen Klein found that Tom Keylock was responsible, citing his attempts to blame Frank, his theft of some of Brian’s belongings, and the fact that he apparently told Janet to conceal the fact that she was his girlfriend at the time. However, in 2013, he expressed doubts as to whether it existed. Seems safe for me to say that this was all a big hoax.

In general, several conspiracies center around Tom Keylock. The big problem with this though, is that Tom was in London at Olympic Studios on the night Brian died. Still, I think it is safe to say that he probably stole some of Brian’s belongings after he died, at the very least.

I guess it’s high time I explain one of the big reasons why I always stopped myself from going down that road of believing Brian was murdered (without proper evidence). If Brian was really murdered, and if people did, indeed, witness it, then why the hell didn’t anyone say anything before 1983? I know, I know, some of the theories outright say that the people involved were threatened into silence (Anna claims she was spirited back to Sweden soon after Brian’s death), but even so, I don’t think the people making such threats would’ve had enough sway or power to actually pull off this sort of conspiracy.

With that in mind, I believe that Brian had an overdose on sleeping pills the night he died, maybe suffering a seizure as well, either from his possible epilepsy and/or as a side-effect of taking Mandrax. Of course, unless Brian is exhumed and a second toxicology report is drawn up that can maybe confirm what was in his system on that fateful night (which is unlikely, due to both the length of time and lack of interest in the case beyond occasional murder theories), there is no way for me to confirm this theory for sure. Besides, either way, there is no way to prove whether he had epilepsy or not. Whilst it is what I believe happened, and does line up with the original verdict of misadventure, I have to keep in mind at the end of the day that this is just me speculating.

Even so, the story of Brian Jones is one that is fraught with betrayal, hubris, and a path filled with perfectly preventable errors. It’s haunting to think what might have happened if Mick and Keith had been nicer to Brian (or at the very least spoke a bit more praise about him after his death rather than just shit-talk him all the time), or if the effects of drugs had been better understood, or if Brian hadn’t stopped contributing to the Stones’ music, or if someone had been with Brian in the pool when he became incapacitated.

I’ll be honest, I think the reason I keep coming back to Brian’s story is because of how conflicting his life as a whole was. I’ve seen his life inspire equal parts idolization and vilification, even within myself.

Because even if Mick and Keith would rather forget, it is my honest belief that more people will continue to find out about Brian, and my hope that they actually take the time to learn about him.

Sources/Further Readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tFfzTzOwQ8&t=4s https://asthma.net/living/swimming-pools-triggers/ Stone Alone by Bill Wyman Life by Keith Richards Brian Jones: The Making of the Rolling Stones by Paul Trynka Up and Down With the Rolling Stones by Tony Sanchez https://clearcomfort.com/why-asthma-allergy-sufferers-should-avoid-chlorine-pools/ http://timeisonourside.com/chron1967.html http://timeisonourside.com/chron1969.html Brian Jones, The Untold Life and Mysterious Death of a Rock Legend by Laura Jackson https://people.com/music/anita-pallenberg-rolling-stones-keith-richards-brian-jones-love-triangle/ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-lists/the-27-club-a-brief-history-17853/ https://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-jones-found-dead/ https://ultimateclassicrock.com/brian-jones-murdered/ https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/just-why-was-brian-jones-so-important-to-the-rolling-stones/ https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/obituary-brian-jones-189861/ https://www.denofgeek.com/us/culture/music/281978/the-rolling-stones-and-the-mystery-of-brian-jones-death https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/brian-jones-sympathy-for-the-devil-182761/ https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/15989/brian-jones-it-was-murder http://davidcomfort.org/brian-jones/

#brian jones #the rolling stones #mick jagger #keith richards #charlie watts #bill wyman #ian stewart #this got long #but i felt like getting this all out of my system

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kumeko · 5 years

Text

elevator pitches

Character/Pairing: Kaoru/Kyoya, Tamaki/Kyoya, Haruhi/Kyoya

A/N: Written for the @ohshc-music-room3-zine. Somehow Kyoya ended up being the centerpiece for the fic. You should check out the beautiful artwork that went with my piece.

Summary: Kaoru the rookie detective. Haruhi the upcoming lawyer. Tamaki the procrastinating student. Kyoya’s story interweaved with the others, connecting him whether he liked it or not.

...

I. The Detective

The room was a mess. No, that was an understatement. The room was a disaster zone.

Kaoru shifted the box of papers in his arms as he searched for an empty space to deposit his load. Every free inch of space was occupied with stacks upon stacks of papers and evidence scattered throughout the room. Even the floor was not immune to the mess and he almost danced his way to the table. The place no longer resembled a meeting room in the least.

“Where should I put this?” he finally asked, giving up after a frantic scan revealed there really were no clear spots.

His partner pointed to a box on his left without looking up from the paper he was reading. “On top of that.”

Even his voice was distant and commanding. Kaoru held back a sigh; he had heard that Kyoya was a hard detective to work with but he hadn’t realized just what that meant till now. They’ve been partners for almost a week now and he could count the number of times they had a proper talk on one hand. Kyoya had indicated a tower of boxes, which swayed precariously as Kaoru placed his box atop of it all. Carefully, he adjusted the column to prevent it from toppling. “Anything I should do?”

“Your job,” was the only cutting remark given and really, Kyoya had no intention of helping a rookie out at all. Kaoru bit back a sharp retort; it wouldn’t help him to get the ace detective angry.

Maybe he could go out with Hikaru later and get some drinks. Some strong, stiff drinks.

In the meantime, he might as well see if there was anything left to do. Maneuvering slowly through the room, he started to examine the evidence around him. There were research papers and photographs and something that looked suspiciously like a tutu. Small sticky notes stuck out between pages and perhaps there was more order to this madness than he thought. Even the witness statements were organized in order of most relevant to least.

His partner wasn’t big on social niceties but he was very meticulous. The kind of guy who only paid attention to results. Kaoru could work with that; he had long since learned how to play others like a fiddle and it wouldn’t be too hard to find what makes Kyoya tick. From the documents Kaoru had to recently collect, the majority of them were on the old heritage section of the city. Several old apartments, a theatre, and a series of museums were at the heart of that district. The crime scene was nowhere close to any of those places, but if he overlaid the subway system over the city map, the theatre made a good hideout. With that in mind, he started to gather the witness statements from the theatre troupe and their schedules and performance dates.

He’d gather all of the data and Kyoya would not only be surprised but also impressed. He’d show he was more than a rookie and that he should be taken seriously and—

Kyoya’s voice cut through his thoughts. “Is that Dancing Queen?”

Kaoru snapped his attention towards Kyoya, who was finally looking up from his papers. His glasses were slightly askew, just waiting to be adjusted. A moment of processing and Kaoru used his top-grade detective skills to very articulately answer, “Huh?”

“You were humming,” Kyoya clarified, more patient than he expected.

Kaoru blinked, unconsciously touching his lips. Had he been? Shaking himself out of his stupor, he nodded. “The theatre was performing Mamma Mia the week of the crime.”

“The theatre?” Kyoya lowered his gaze, noticing the documents in Kaoru’s hands. “Why were you looking into them?”

“You’re looking at the old heritage sights and the theatre aligns best with a subway getaway,” Kaoru explained, setting the stack in front of his partner. “I grabbed all of the witness statements and their schedules.”

Silence. All that got him was silence and he started to second guess his actions. He remembered the order to the stacks, the tabbed notes and sticky notes. Maybe he shouldn’t have messed with the system. Hell, maybe he had guessed wrong entirely.

“I’ll put it—”

A hand stopped him from picking up the stack again. “No, it’s fine.” Kyoya was looking at him now, scrutinizing him. There was something deliberate about the way he stared, in how he formed his words. “Kaoru, was it?”

His hand was warm where they touched and he could only nod, not trusting his voice.

“Decent work for your experience level.” Kyoya’s eyes never left his, even as he let go of him and reached for the papers. He was searching for something and Kaoru straightened his back, hoping not to leave him wanting. “I wasn’t expecting you to figure that out.”

Praise? Kaoru stared at Kyoya but the man merely started to flip through the papers, already focused on the next stage of the investigation. His hand was long gone but he could still feel the intensity of his gaze, the heat of his skin. He took back everything he said earlier—he might know how to manipulate others, but this man was a master at it.

Still, he was never one to back down from a challenge, even if he should. Pulling out one of the witness statements, he started to examine it carefully, noting down any clues he found.

Maybe he’d find the criminal before Kyoya. Imagine his surprised face then.

-x-

II. The Businessman

Haruhi pushed the down button. Rolling her shoulders, she looked around the elevator lobby. There was an extravagant feel to it, just like the rest of the building. One side was stained glass doors leading to her employer’s office. On the other, a giant window with a view of the city. A pair of white armchairs with a table between were positioned next to the seat with a complimentary champagne bottle and glasses.

She could not understand the rich. It was a waste of money since she’d seen that bottle get replaced almost hourly depending on the clientele. At the least the view was great.

“Haruhi.”

The voice surprised her and Haruhi snapped her attention back to the office doors, or rather to the man coming out of the doors. It seemed Kyoya did sleep after all.

“Of course I do,” he replied in a deadpan voice. Whoops, she had said that aloud.

Logically, despite being a department head and favourite to be the next CEO, Kyoya was human. And humans did require sleep and food. Looking him over quickly, she noticed that his shirt’s top button was open and his tie loose.

“So even you can relax,” she added and perhaps she shouldn’t have said that one out loud either. Her law teachers had told her once that while her honest streak was admirable, it was a hindrance in the court.

More importantly, a hindrance in life.

He stared at her, mild curiosity painted across his face. “Should a lawyer really say that to their client?”

“Perhaps not,” she admitted, shrugging. The elevator floor number slowly increased. It would not save her from this conversation or anything she said. “But you aren’t retaining me. The company is.”

His brow raised a fraction before his expression settled into a small smirk. “True, but I do have some say on who we employ.”

Haruhi bit her cheek and looked away. Now she was playing with fire and since this was her first job after law school, she wasn’t keen on losing it so quickly. Quietly, she murmured, “Right.”

“I’ve never seen anyone make so many blunders in a single conversation before. And it’s been,” Kyoya’s gaze flickered to his watch. “Only two minutes since we started talking.”

She wasn’t quite sure if he wanted an apology or not. The amused look in his eyes said otherwise, even if his words were cutting. “Two minutes is a long time—the elevator hasn’t even made it to our floor.”

“Were you timing the elevator?” He raised an eyebrow.

“Just since you—”

Luckily, the elevator dinged as its doors opened, interrupting her before she could finish, and she gratefully stepped inside. Only to have him follow immediately after. Any awkwardness they had outside was compounded by the small room. He neatly settled in next to her, barely a hair length away. Kyoya pressed the button for the fifth floor and she looked at him, impressed. “And I thought I had no life.”

He raised an eyebrow and she resisted the urge to cover her mouth. Playing with fire. Right. She really needed to learn control. Fortunately, he left it alone with a single snipe. “I suppose you don’t.”

There was little she could say against that.

After a moment he added,“Considering our latest lawsuit, I need to double check our records.”

“Oh. I should join you then.” Haruhi suppressed a sigh; there went her chance to finally get home at a reasonable time. She didn’t have to look at her wristwatch to know it was past eight. “There were a few things I wanted to check.”

“A hard worker, huh?” Kyoya shifted slightly, his gaze inscrutable. “I was right to hire you.”

That surprised her. “You were part of the—” Her stomach grumbled and Haruhi flushed a deep red. She stared steadfast at the door. “Ignore that.”

“Was that—”

“Don’t ask,” she repeated forcefully.

From the corner of her eye, she could see the bastard repressing a laugh. It seemed every part of her was honest, even her stomach. Maybe the other lawyers were right.

“I guess it is dinner time.” Kyoya pulled out his phone, typing out a text. “I’ll have something delivered.”

She rummaged through her purse. “I should have some cash on me.”

Still focused on his phone, he dismissed the idea entirely. “Not needed.”

“I can pay for my share.”

“You’re not staying. I’m not paying the extra hours.” Kyoya glanced at her. “Besides, you’ll burn yourself out if you keep staying so late.”

Haruhi stared at him. The elevator music filled the silence, the sound of Dancing Queen softly filling the room. The cheerful song did little to alleviate the tension.

Turning back to his phone, he amended, “It’s a little late in the case to hire a new lawyer.”

The clarification sounded about right. Deflated, she looked back to the doors. “I think you’ll overwork yourself first.”

“Not a chance.” Kyoya straightened his collar and closed his top button. While soft, his voice was firm and adamant. “Not at this stage.”

Ambition. She had expected the goal but not quite the passion behind it. Then again, considering how often she saw his office light on after hours, maybe she should have expected it. People never pushed that hard without something fueling them on.

“Famous last words,” she muttered and he scoffed. It wasn’t quite a laugh but it spooked her all the same.

“Do you think so?” He turned to her and she stared, transfixed. There was something predatory in his gaze, in his smile. A thousand deals were closed on this expression alone. “Want to make a bet?”

Haruhi swallowed. She had seen enough people fail against him to know her chances of victory. “I…”

The elevator dinged all too soon and Kyoya stepped forward. His hand brushed against hers as he passed. “Maybe next time then.”

“Yeah.” Oddly enough, she looked forward to it.

-x-

III. The Student

“Stop.” Kyoya looked up from the textbook, shooting Tamaki a glare. He had agreed to bring out the kotatsu for a single reason: he’d be left alone long enough to finish studying for his entrance exams.

Usually, that was a non-issue. The second the kotatsu was out, Tamaki would burrow into it and promptly lose the will to do anything else. For once, the idiot’s lunacy surpassed the kotatsu’s powers, leading him to narrate a series of stories. A series of stories that, for some reason, involved Kyoya.

“Huh?” Tamaki cocked his head, confused. “Why?”

Kyoya rubbed his brow. Only the idiot could stare at all the textbooks and ask that question. “I’m studying. What are you doing?”

“I’m helping you study!” Tamaki beamed from across the table, his chin on his hands. Every part of him was vibrating and he seemed to dance as he leaned left and right repeatedly. “These are potential 'what-ifs’! Think of the future you could have!”

“The future I could have?” Kyoya repeated, not following his thought process.

“Well, once you’re in university you can become anything, right? And meet new people. So you could be a cop or you could take over your father’s hospital or—” Tamaki rattled off implausible scenario after implausible scenario.

Honestly, he should have expected this. At least he stopped him after that second story, the laundry list of clichés was getting tiresome. Closing his book, he gave his friend a deadpan stare. “I already know Haruhi and Kaoru.”

“Well, I’m using them as stand-ins. It could be anyone else.” Undeterred, Tamaki reached for an orange on the table and slowly peeled it. “It’s just possibilities.”

“The romance scenarios?” he prodded, calculating exactly what damages Tamaki would owe him. Should he punish him? Not that it would stop Tamaki from pulling this again. Nothing could really stop him when he went wild.

“Well, everyone likes a good romance story.” Tamaki said dramatically before he hugged himself, flinging his head back as he plopped on the ground. “The drama, the love, how it moves the soul!” His hand reached for the ceiling.

Kyoya sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. The punishment it was then. “And if Haruhi or Kaoru heard that?”

Tamaki froze. He stared up at the ceiling for a long moment, barely blinking, before sitting up. He leaned forward. Quietly, “Don’t tell them.”

“Is that an order?” Kyoya raised a brow and Tamaki balked.

“Please don’t tell them?” He rested his chin on the table, staring at him imploringly. His eyes were wide and watery and Kyoya could sense a headache coming up. A hand reached out to grip his. “I’ll do anything.”

Kyoya stared at Tamaki’s hand before sighing and relenting. Gripping it back, he gave him a stern look. “Then these stories will...?”

“Immediately stop, I promise.” Tamaki shook his head quickly. Beaming, he withdrew and split his peeled orange. Plopping a slice in his mouth, he moaned happily. “The best food for a kotatsu. Want one?”

“Pass.” Kyoya opened his book once more. There were only a few hours left in the day and he really wanted to get to the fifth chapter before bedtime. Before he could read more than a few lines, an orange slice was waved in front of his mouth.

“Just one?” Tamaki offered.

It was sometimes easier to just accept it than to fight it. Relenting, he opened his mouth. Tamaki’s smile broadened. As promised, he returned back to his own interests, creating small flowers out of the peels. Under his breath, he hummed softly. A familiar song Kyoya had heard three times today now.

“That song... you really like it, don’t you?” Kyoya commented offhandedly as he skimmed a page.

Under the kotatsu, Tamaki’s feet started to dance. Every part of him bobbed to an invisible beat. He cocked his head. “What makes you say that?”

Of course the idiot wouldn’t notice. “It was in every one of your stories.”

“Ohhh! You’re like a detective! And you were paying attention!” Tamaki glowed. If it were possible to bounce while sitting, he did so. “Oh, what if you were a detective and Mori was your assistant—”

“Tamaki.”

“Right, right, I promised.” He went back to eating, still humming the tune. “I’ll keep quiet, like a spy.”

Kyoya sighed and started to count down to next outburst. It was impossible to stop Tamaki when he was into something. Still, he hadn’t delivered his punishment. Offhandedly, he casually added, “We are not going to see Mamma Mia.”

Tamaki froze, his humming instantly cut off. Pale, he opened and closed his mouth silently.

Ah, if he knew that was what it took, Kyoya would have said it hours ago.

#ouran host club #tamaki suoh #kyoya ootari #haruhi fujioka #kaoru hitachiin #fanfic

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neganandblake · 7 years

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I think I liked you better when you didn’t have a knife in your hand, Peaches... Chapter 96 - Wine, wives, pants and black dresses

When Blake finds herself sold out to the Saviours by her abusive fiancé, she realises that she's certainly not on her own anymore and finds an unlikely friend in Negan. And Negan does NOT like men who beat their girlfriends, one tiny bit…

MASTERLIST

Chapter 96 - Wine, wives, pants and black dresses

[Blake has a fun evening with the wives...and they have a VERY interesting request for her.]

It was just after seven by the time Blake, having changed out of her gardening clothes, instead now wearing a plaid button down shirt and a pair of clean black jeans, stopped outside the large looming doors to the wives quarters, up on the third floor.

It had been a long time since she had been up here, not since Mia had been around, so it wasn't surprising that memories of the small child being in this room with her, made her feel a little nervous about being here.

Despite how happy she was right now, there was certainly a loss lingering at her mind. An empty space where she felt there needed to be….well, just something.

She was certain that the alcohol that the wives had promised her would help.

But Blake steadied herself now, giving a sigh and wiping down her hands on the sides of her jeans, before she promptly knocked on the wood-panelled door with a gentle 'rat-a-tat-tat'.

From behind the panel she heard a brief shuffle of footsteps, before the door was suddenly tugged open by the dark-haired Tanya (dressed of course, in a knee-length black lbd) who gave a bright smile as she spotted the caramel-blonde woman instantly.

"Blake!" she said her face brightening, as she called back over her shoulder, opening the door wide for Blake to step through. "Everyone, Blake's here!"

At once Blake gazed around the large plush room, to see all four of the other wives milling about, all turning to her and smiling.

"Yay, now we can start our fun," said Michelle, who had the smoothest-looking black skin and long hair flowing down her back, padding over toward the large makeshift bar in the far corner of the room, where six dusty old wine glasses already sat.

They had obviously been awaiting her arrival.

Blake rubbed her lips together, sliding her hands down into the back pockets of her jeans, feeling more than a little self-conscious now, as all eyes came to rest on her.

"It's really good to see you," said Tanya, shutting the door gently closed and hurrying over to Blake's side, her hand finding the crook of Blake's elbow. "We were saying how much we missed you….so thanks for coming."

From their seats on the couch, Layla, Frankie and Amber all nodded in unison.

"Yeah, I mean, being made to chill out with Eugene is ok….but that's about the extent of the people who actually want to hang out with us," said Frankie wrinkling her nose slightly as she spoke, her tone matter-of-fact, just as Layla cut-in, rolling her eyes.

"And I'm pretty sure that's only because he likes to get a good look at our tits.." she murmured, as Frankie nodded, raisng her eyebrows in agreement.

Blake softened at this.

She hadn't thought of perhaps how few people would want to actually get involved with the wives….hang out with them on a daily basis.

They were of course, off-limits to all the men, so the male contingency here would probably rather steer well clear, rather than face Negan's wrath. And the women….well….it would, of course, be easy for other women to judge these girls for their choices.

But before Blake could dwell on this sorry fact much longer, Michelle suddenly spoke from across the room, plucking down several bottles from a shelf.

"Right, I have four bottles of red wine, some tequila…."

At this, Frankie made a face.

"….some vodka…but it looks a bit cloudy….and two beers…" Michelle listed, as she read the peeling labels on each bottle, placing the down on the bar.

"Oooh ooh, beer for me!" Layla, shouted with enthusiasm, lifting her arm, still seated as Michelle promptly passed her one of the green bottles. "Oooh, European! Nice."

"Blake, what do you want?" asked Tanya, pulling her over towards the bar.

Blake glanced at the bottles a little unsurely.

God, why did she feel just as nervous now as when she had first come here?

"Wine is fine for me," she murmured easily, as Michelle nodded and began wrestling with uncorking the three bottles.

"Ugh, god, I miss screw-tops," murmured the black woman in dismay, as Layla scoffed.

"And I miss my vibrator," she said in a simpering voice. "But you don't see me complaining about it."

But Frankie rolled her eyes getting to her feet and going to help Michelle with the cork. "Lay, you complain about it every single day!"

From the couch, Amber gave a laugh, staring at her friends. The blonde woman was sat now, hugging at a cushion, looking as meek and as timid as she always did.

Blake wondered what had happened to make her this way….so quiet and so sad. Was it Negan? Or something or somebody else?

But she caught Blake's eye suddenly, patting the sofa cushion beside her for Blake to take a seat.

Blake immediately complied, as Tanya leant in towards them.

"Shall I put some music on?" she said making finger guns with her hands, looking slightly dorky, as Blake smiled warmly.

"What do you have?" she asked, as Tanya bounced over towards a pile of CD's sat next to a battered-old boom-box on a large side-table just a few feet away from them.

"Um, well, we've got 'Driving hits of the 90s', Styx, Aerosmith.." she read, flipping through the CDs one by one. "Ooh!"

She suddenly held one up to show them.

"Destiny's Child!"

Frankie nodded, as Layla 'whooped' sarcastically, passing a glass of wine each over to Blake and Amber as she took a swig of her own beer.

Tanya hurriedly stuck the cd into the player and started the music, as Michelle and Frankie took a seat on one side of Blake, holding their wine glasses up towards her.

"Cheers, girls…" Michelle uttered. "And cheers to Blake for coming here to see us."

"Yeah we don't get to do this very often….you think we would…but every day just blends in the next cooped up in here, y'know?" said Frankie explaining to Blake.

Blake nodded at this.

"When was the last time you all went outside the fences?" she asked in a quiet voice.

But all the women looked to Amber, as Tanya took a seat beside Layla, picking up her own glass of red wine.

"I was the last one who came here," uttered the meek blonde girl, not making eye contact with anyone. "…w-with my boyfriend…..my...uh….well, he's my ex now….Mark…a-and my Mom. That was probably just over a year ago now…"

Blake nodded, her own eyes falling to the floor.

"And so… after you've arrived here….what? None of you have been out there since?" she asked, looking a little confused. But it was Frankie who spoke up next.

"Why would we? We're not like you Blake, we don't know anyone else outside these walls….and we've all been out there, you've seen what it's like, its horrible," she said shaking her head.

Blake understood, of course she did. For this world was a bleak and terrible place.

But here these women were safe.

She took a long sip of her wine, as Beyonce sprung into a cheery chorus from the boom-box behind her.

"So what are your people like? Where you came from? You knew Daryl too right?" asked Layla titling her head to the side and letting her long brown hair fall over her tanned shoulders.

Blake had forgotten that these women had met Daryl after his stint here at the Sanctuary.

"I…uhh…" she began trying to search for the appropriate words. "They're fine…"

But it stung Blake to even think of the people she had left behind now, after what had happened back there at Alexandria.

"Rick, the leader there…" she continued, shaking her head. "He's kinda different to Negan, but it's not better there….well, it wasn't for me anyway."

Blake's eyes dropped to her lap, remembering her days and nights spent hiding from David, from his fists and his constant hurtful words.

"I'm sorry," said Layla , shaking her head. "I forgot about your fiancé…like we said before, it's a good thing he's gone. No one deserves to treated like that."

The women all gave a murmur of agreement around Blake now.

But the caramel-blonde woman just gave a short sigh.

"I know Negan is far from perfect…" she said toying with the stem of her wine glass now. "But when you compare him to David..."

She let a difficult gulp trail down her throat now…as painful memories flooded her mind.

"I felt like I couldn't breathe when he was around me…like any moment he was going to hurt me, or say something that crushed me just that little bit more. B-But Negan…from the first day I got here, he just…he helped me become my old self again…the way I was before the world went to shit…"

She looked up, her eyes meeting with the women surrounding her.

"Look, I know it must sound crazy," she said tilting her head gently to the side. "But this place….with Negan…it feels like more of a home that any place I've ever been before."

And that was the truth, Blake knew that now.

At her side Frankie placed her hand to Blake's, giving it a small squeeze.

"When you came here, we all thought you'd hate us. Because, hey, everyone else does around here…." she said bluntly, drawing Blake's green eyes up to hers. "But you didn't. And we knew it was because you'd been through the same crap that we had, and so you weren't judging us for it, like everyone else was. So whatever you chose to do here. Whoever you choose to be with. We're not going to judge you either."

And Blake looked around to see all of the women around her nodding back earnestly.

She felt like she could cry, almost overwhelmed by the support of the wives.

For friendship…true friendship and loyalty, well, it was a rare thing in this world.

"Thanks," she said in a mere whisper, her voice breaking slightly as she spoke, truly grateful to them.

But Frankie gave her hand another squeeze.

"Like Amber said earlier, when you're here, things aren't as bad for us," uttered the red-head smiling gently.

On the couch across from Blake, Tanya gave a nod in agreement.

"Oh, god you have no idea, what it was like when you weren't around…when you left….like, his mood swings were crazy!" she said looking slightly distraught at just the memory.

"Yeah, I have no idea what you do to him, but you know he's pretty much infatuated with you, right?" Layla chipped in, taking a sip of her beer. "I mean he's like some big puppy-dog when he's with you."

"A-And when he thought you and Steve were together," continued Tanya hurriedly, but trailed off, suddenly looking slightly guilty.

Blake remembered then how Negan had called Tanya up to his quarters to see him, the memory stringing at her painfully.

"We didn't do anything," said Tanya suddenly, reading her thoughts, her eyes sad and honest and full of worry, staring at Bake almost pleadingly now. "I swear. He just made me sit there and read a magazine. He was just trying to make you jealous."

But Blake nodded, her eyes dropping now to her wine glass.

"Yeah, I figured," she lied, but still unable to stop that bitter feeling of utter jealousy coursing through her veins.

This was harder than she thought. Sitting here knowing that each one of these women had been with Negan intimately on many, many occasions.

But the wives sitting around Blake obviously picked up on the fact that this was all upsetting her, exchanging solemn glances with one another.

"Blake, seriously," said Layla, leaning forward, her eyes wide and truthful. "Since you came on the scene, he's not been with any of us. He worships you. That's obvious for anyone to see."

Michelle nodded too.

"Yeah, this place has changed since you've been here, Blake," she said smiling gently. "You've made this place better and you've made him better. And that's good."

Blake worried at her lips for a short moment before nodding.

"Thanks," she murmured in soft voice, feeling slightly better now at their words.

"But actually…while we're on the subject of that asshole," Tanya said, almost immediately wincing at her own words. "Sorry…"

But Blake merely smirked and gave a wave of her hand, gesturing for Tanya to carry on as she took a small sip of wine.

"…well there was kinda something we wanted to ask you…" continued the dark-haired woman.

"Tan, not now…." Frankie said a little scoldingly, but Blake gazed between the women curiously.

"What is it?" she asked with interest.

But Tanya looked a little embarrassed, smoothing down the front of her black dress.

"Well," she said giving a nervous gulp. "We were kind of wondering…and you don't have to, of course…."

The wives all shook their heads, all of them inching forward in their seats eagerly.

"We were wondering whether you might be able to talk to Negan," said Tanya, taking a shallow breath in. "A-And maybe ask him if….well, if he might let us…..wear.....pants."

Blake blinked.

Huh?

"W-Wear pants?" she asked, sounding a little confused, as Frankie, to her right, nodded hurriedly.

"Yeah, well we're kinda stuck wearing these all day…" she said tugging at her dress, obviously being careful with her words. "A-And it's Fall now…and this place can get kinda drafty in winter-"

"Of course!" said Blake almost instantly, frowning slightly, unable to believe that something she took for granted in her day-to-day life was such an important issue for these women. "I'll get Simon to bring some up to you tomorrow or something…there are loads down in the marketplace. Or I probably have some in my closet that'll fit you. And sweaters and t-shirts too."

"Oh, really?" said Frankie, sounding ecstatic at something as simple as jeans. "Are you serious? Because that would be amazing!"

And before Blake could say another word, Amber at her side gave her a huge squeeze around the middle, causing Blake herself to redden slightly at this grand gesture.

Right now, whether Negan agreed or not, she was determined to get these woman into proper clothes, and not some stupid old dresses.

And if he had problem with that he could blame her for it.

"I mean, if you want to, we can go to my room right and now and try some stuff on…." she offered, giving the woman a smile. "Like I said, I've got a closet full of stuff...all new…some of it doesn't really suit me anyway…"

That was the truth. On being given her room here at the Sanctuary, Negan had provide her with an entire wardrobe full of brand new clothes, most of them with the tags still on. And Blake, having survived with almost nothing for all those many months out on the road, didn't want for anything much these days.

Just a few simple items would do her just fine. And anything else she wanted she would just get from the marketplace anyway.

"Really?" asked Tanya, raising an eyebrow at Blake. "Because that would be so good!"

The women all around nodded, once more, in agreement, as Blake gave a fiendish grin.

"Then let's go…" she said draining her glass and getting to her feet, pulling Frankie up with her.

Michelle gave an exited squeal.

"Ok, but I'm bringing the wine bottles!" she cried, tottering over to the makeshift bar and grabbing the three uncorked bottles and handing them out amongst the women, Blake taking one and taking a long sip, before passing it to Frankie, who slipped her hand into Blake's.

God, was this what it was like to have friends? It had been so long that Blake had almost forgotten!

The red-head took a long swig, before coughing and wiping at her mouth, making a face.

"Ugh, red wine is NOT my favourite," she said making a face, as Blake laughed and the pair headed over towards the door to the wives quarters, followed closely by Amber.

It was quiet out in the long dark hallway now, but the corridor was soon filled with life, as the women, with Tanya kicking off her heels just outside their door and Layla threading her arm around Michelle's shoulders, screeched loudly as they walked, arm in arm, chatting loudly with excitement filling the air.

It was of course, obvious to anyone, that these women, including Blake herself were not big drinkers….and they definitely weren't privy to being out this late unescorted.

And they had barely made it to the stairs leading down to the second floor, when Layla and Michelle turned back to Blake, brandishing their bottle of wine between them.

"Blake!" Michelle cried loudly, her voice echoing through the hallways. "Come on, you can help us escape! We can run away...like right now!"

"What? In three-inch heels?!" said Frankie dismissively, giving a laugh and taking another long sip from the bottle of wine in her hand.

But Michelle waved her hand at Frankie before staggering over to Blake and grabbing her free hand pulling her forward.

"Yes, Blake'll take care of us, she knows her shit!" Michelle shrieked, as the rest of the girls began to descend the metal staircase precariously.

"Yes, but I'm not killing any of those dead things," Amber cut in sounding a little worried, giving a shudder.

But this only caused Michelle to give an enormous roll of her eyes, grasping hold of the handrail and heading off down the steps behind the young blonde girl.

"Hmmm, I don't think I'd survive out there very long anymore either…even WITH Blake's help," Layla uttered matter-of-factly. "I've been cooped up in here wearing this crap for too long."

And with that she tugged at the hem of her short black dress.

But Blake just cocked her head to the side, as she followed the women down the stairs, Frankie still holding tightly onto her other hand.

"Well don't worry," she said, her cheeks feeling a little flushed and her words ever so slightly slurred. "I have soooo many outfits you girls can help yourself to."

At this, Frankie, at Blake's side, gave her hand a tight squeeze, pressing herself close to her.

"Can you just move in with us, please?" she asked in a slightly pleading voice, as a murmur of agreement came from the surrounding women.

"Jeez, Frank, don't make us sound too needy or anything!" Layla said in sarcastic voice, that made Blake smirk.

"Well, I'm just saying…" Frankie whined, taking another sip from the wine bottle before offering it to Blake. "Maybe if she was in charge of this place instead of Negan then it would be so good for all of us…"

But Amber turned, shooting the red-head a worried sort-of look.

"Shush, Frank!" she warned. "If someone hears you talking like that…..well, you know what they did to Mark….a-and Dwight too! They'll do the same to us y'know!"

Blake paled suddenly, glancing up at the blonde girl.

So had Amber boyfriend suffered the same fate as Dwight had?

Had Negan done that?

In Blake's slightly inebriated state, that idea was indeed a little hard to swallow…

To think that Negan could have done that to anyone…

Of course, she knew how brutish and cruel he could be…but hearing that, so stark, was an odd thing to take in.

A hard lump appeared in her throat, and so, taking Amber's lead, she changed the subject hurriedly, thinking it was probably for the best.

"Y'know, I could've been living up with you girls this whole time, if I'd accepted Negan's offer of becoming one of his wives," she said, lowering her own eyes to the ground, before taking another long drink of wine, before wiping at her mouth delicately, as the group of them reached the very bottom of the staircase, coming out onto Blake's floor.

But Tanya turned her head to look at the caramel-blonde woman.

"I'm glad that you didn't though," she said shaking her head. "Look at you now. You've practically got the run of this place. And Negan likes you too much to do anything to stop that now."

Blake felt the top of her cheeks turning slightly pink, knowing that what Tanya said was true.

She stumbled slightly, taking another sip of wine, feeling the room-temperature red alcohol slide easily down her throat, before pulling the bottle from her lips, brandishing it aloft a little tipsily.

"He calls me a queen, you know that?" she said lifting her chin and giving a slightly-arrogant smirk.

And Frankie, bumping Blake with her hip, gave a goading 'ooooOOooohh' in unison with a couple of the others, causing Blake to burst into laughter.

"Well it's better than some of the things that David used to call me anyway," she murmured quietly, shaking her head in bemused honesty as they reached the door to her room.

Michelle at once bounced on the balls of her feet, clapping her hands together, as the girls all swayed on the spot, all seeming more than a little dunk right now.

And it was Blake that stepped forwards, giving her door a brief shove open and beckoning for all the girls to follow her.

"Come on," she said with a grin, pulling Frankie along behind her, as the women all squealed in excitement and headed inside.

Thirty long minutes later and all six of them were currently squeezed into Blake's bigger than average room, all in varying stages of undress, screaming and yelling with laugher and giggles….red wine spilling all over Blake's brown carpeted floor.

Not that she cared of course. Blake hadn't had this much fun in a long time, all of this reminding her of drunken nights out she had spent with her girlfriends in college and the short time after that…getting far too drunk on cheap alcohol at home, before heading out to bars, teetering on high heels, wearing dressed that barely reached their asses and hugging each other after getting emotional in club bathrooms over a lost tube of lipstick.

Blake had been through enough shit lately, to know that she deserved a night like this….where she could let her hair down…without any consequences…and without the dark-haired Saviour here either.

Not that she wasn't forward to seeing him of course…her tipsy thoughts drifting to him and all the bad, bad things he could do to her tonight.

The caramel-blonde woman, who wasn't even in her own clothes anymore, instead was currently shucking the silky black dress she had worn for Negan last night, back onto her shoulder's tying it up at the waist and flaunting it for the surrounding women, who all sat and stood draped over Blake's bed and chairs.

"What do you think?" she purred, wrinkling her nose, trying to look seductive as she twirled around on the spot, gaining a few admiring 'whoooop' s from the wives. "I wore it last night."

"Oh yeah?" said Layla, arching an eyebrow poignantly, grinning. "And I'm guessing Negan liked it? Because, Blake, I know that we're friends and everything, but in that dress, even I'd fuck you."

Frankie and Tanya screeched at Layla's words, as the dark haired, bi woman just shrugged drunkenly and stared back at them. "What? I would!"

Blake gave a giggle, picking up the wine bottle from the table and giving it a shake, hearing just a few last drops of alcohol sloshing around in the bottom, before pulling a face.

"We're out too," said Amber who was reclining on her side on Blake's bed, lifting up her own empty bottle.

"There's some down in the stores downstairs….the men's private stash…" said Layla after a second or two, gazing around at everyone smirking devilishly.

"Let's go then," said Blake, slurring her words slightly, as she padded towards the door, almost toppling over on the way, as Frankie laughed behind her getting to her feet.

Maybe it was the alcohol talking…making her feel almost invincible tonight…or maybe it was the fact that both she and the wives had been right. Negan had elevated her to this status here in the Sanctuary. So it would be stupid of her not to take advantage of that…..right?

"What? Now?" Frankie asked with a grin, smoothing down the light blue jeans that Blake had given to her to wear, but almost bowling into Blake as she did so.

But the caramel-blonde woman just wrinkled her nose, smiling as she caught a hold of Frankie before the two of them toppled over.

"Yep….now," said Blake bit down on her lip and beckoning for the wives to all follow her. "Come on."

And with that, the five women all let out delighted, excited, tipsy shrieks ,before getting properly dressed and following Blake swiftly out of the door….

…on the hunt to find more alcohol before the night was out.

"Fuck, I fold," said Negan, lifting his glass of whisky to his lips as he threw down his cards onto the table before him, giving a grinning sigh.

But Simon, who was sat in a chair opposite him around the table, beside Arat, Dwight and a couple of Negan's other men, more than half way through a couple of solid hours of poker, shot the dark-haired Saviour a bemused look, raising an eyebrow in his direction.

"Now, excuse me for talkin' out of turn here, Boss," said Simon in a goading voice, his voice polite, but full of sarcasm - a trait which Negan very much appreciated in his right-hand man. "But you've lost every single game tonight, and yet somehow you're still in a good fucking mood!"

Negan drained his glass, his fifth of the night, before setting it down onto the table and refilling it from the bottle of Jack that sat just to his right, smirking now.

But Simon eyed him carefully, before dropping his eye to the set of cards in his hand.

"Wouldn't have something to do with the gal I caught you in bed with last night, would it, Boss?" Simon murmured fiendishly as Negan filled his glass with a quart of whisky, before bringing it to his lips once again.

A grin slipped over his long, tanned and bearded features, as he gave a satisfied hiss, before setting down his glass once again.

"May-fuckin'-be, Si," he said giving a nod, and toying with his abandoned playing cards. "Although I really don' fuckin see what it's got to do with any of you boys."

A couple of men almost immediately looked away, avoiding Negan's eye at once, but Simon, who know Negan too well, merely smiled back, giving a shrug.

"It's just good ta' see you happy, Boss," he said, and from the look on his face, of course expecting the reaction he finally got from Negan. The dark-haired Saviour almost immediately raising both his eyebrows and rolling his chocolate eyes at his friend.

"Careful, Si," he said in a mock-voice of warning. "Don't want you goin' soft on me…"

And his right-hand man could only laugh back, pushing a couple of high-quality cigars towards the ever growing pile in the centre of the table.

"Right, I call-" he uttered.

But before he could say even another word….there came a sudden loud shrieking from the corridor…followed by peals of laughter and the sound of several pairs of hurried footsteps clack-clack-claking along the long hallway outside the door to the dimly lit rec room.

At once, Simon and Arat, being the good soldiers they were, snatched up their hand-guns, gazing up towards the source of the noise.

But the sound soon dissipated, as Negan gave a frown, sucking at his teeth and scraping back his chair with a harsh growl, getting slowly to his feet.

And it was only when standing, did the dark-haired Saviour realise just how inebriated he fucking was….having had more to drink tonight, that he had in a good while, probably having had more than half a bottle of whisky to himself in fact.

He narrowed his eyes, languidly grasping up Lucille who was propped up against his chair.

If there was trouble, Negan would see to it. With fucking glee too!

But just at that very moment, another loud laugh came from just outside the door.

"Ahhhaha…wait!" came a sudden voice, a very fucking familiar voice. "I can't carry three bottles!"

There was sudden sound of heels echoing through the hallway, as another voice joined the first.

"Here, come on."

And with that, after another tipsy-sounding bout of giggles, the sound of hurried footsteps disappeared once again off down the corridor.

But Negan had recognised that voice…

Fuck….she really knew how to drive him fucking crazy, didn't she?

He gave a sigh now, lifting a hand to his face and dragging his long fingers down his chin, as he gazed up towards the ceiling, shaking his head.

"Sir?" questioned Arat, sliding back her own chair and gazing at him questioningly.

But Negan waved his free hand at her, before grinning down at the ground, giving a long whining laugh, as he strode toward the door eagerly.

"Don't worry," he said grinning widely and showing off his line of straight white teeth. "I'll fuckin' take care of this one…"

Would you like to be tagged/untagged? Let me know, more coming soon…

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dong-hyucks · 7 years

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[Two Tags Under the Cut]

10 songs we’ve each been vibing to ...

tagged by @justsomekpopstuff tY WE LOV YOU ↬ first five ; CJ’s // last five ; Jade’s

MY DARLING by AKMU - I lOvE this sONg!! it’s such a bop and oh my god, the vocals are amazing~ i’m sorry but AKMU just makes me soft guys

Despacito (JB Remix) by Luis Fonzi and Daddy Yankee - i know, i know ... “wow CJ that song sucks.” “Justin Bieber is trash.” i’m sorry,,,, i’ve fallen into this hole and i can’t get out (blame my spanish teacher;; )

Sing For You by EXO - this song is my life. i love this song, it’s so sad and the first time I heard it, i cried ngl. aND, PARK CHANYEOL SINGING IS MY aEStheTiC

Come Back Home by BTS and Seo Taiji - okay, but like,,,, i was late to discover this song, buT i LObE it. rap line kills it in this song, and their parts legit slaughter me

Brahms Lullaby - i apologize. i’m so boring, but it helps me study (;-;) [ngl, jade has very nICe TAsTe]

Hellevator by Stray Kids - okAY I HAVE BEEN VIBING TO THIS SONG SINCE IT CAME OUT IT’S A STRAIGHT UP BOP it’s so good honestly i love the general beat and their voices?? that rap?? snatched

O Sole Mio by SF9 - aNoThEr BoP !!! it’s so GOOD I DEFINITELY RECOMMEND omg i love how one of taeyang’s lines literally has his name in it

Ikaw by Yeng Constantino // 너에게 covered by Yohan Hwang - oMg these are so good i love thkahfa ikaw is the orig. tagalog version and 너에게 is the korean cover and they’re both so amazing i lov

Cause I Love You by Noo Phước Thịnh - hajhfa i don’t expect many ppl to know this song (or the singer lol) bUt it’s so good i love it and the mv oMg--

Limitless (Japanese Ver.) by NCT 127 - ,,,, i yelled when this came out ngl

,,, not going to tag anyone bc we already did a tag a few days ago and wHoOp i don’t wanna annoy my mutuals sO-- whoever wants to do this :)))

Random Facts Tag (i have no idea what this one is called)

tagged by @nctimagery hihi mia ily even when you’re attacking me :) - Jade

When was your first post of your current blog, and what was it: Jade: hOmYgOd my first post was this abomination that i highkey forgot abt CJ: ewewewewew, it sucks and i cri, but it was a piece of writing called “everything” (hansol fluff)

Do I like anybody: Jade: ,,,, yes CJ: ... ish? maybe? i have no idea, i confuse myself.

Height: Jade: 151cm (4′11″) CJ: 157cm (5′1-2″ ish)

Past urls: for @dong-hyucks : xxwe-all-need-jisoosxx, imagineyourself, jamlesswritings

Meaning behind your current url: ,,, it’s a bit,, obvious hahahah - Jade

First person/thing you remember from your last dream: Jade: honestly i usually can’t see faces in my dreams bUt the first thing i can remember is a snake CJ: ^^same. but, the first thing i remember is a cold bed??

Lucky/favourite number: Jade: oddly enough, 13 CJ: me too, why are we the sAMe?? (reason being, i like to prove people wrong, so i make 13 my lucky number)

What is your name: Jade: <-- my real name is v obvious considering my nickname is jade CJ: my real name is Cassandra

What are your nicknames: Jade: Jade, Jae/Jay, JJ, Dee CJ: CJ, Cass, Cassie, Jean, Sanders

Where were you born and raised: Jade: Canada~! CJ: the USA (wisconsin specifically)

What is your star sign: Jade: aquarius CJ: aries

What was the last thing you bought: Jade: it was a book surprise surprise Grimm’s Complete Fairy Tales by Brothers Grimm CJ: a new headband (i have seven and an addiction h e l p m e)

What are your best features: Jade: none lol ??? i’ve been told my hands are cute ???? CJ: ^^oMG, this always happens to me. but, people tell me i have pretty eyes.

Mac or PC: Jade: PC CJ: PC

iOS or android: Jade: i’ve owned both but iOS probably CJ: android all the way

What’s your favourite season: Jade: autumn !! CJ: winter~

Where do you want to live: Jade: i’m actually v content with canada but if i had to move, france probably CJ: either japan, australia, or korea~ i want out of america (we highkey suck)

Do you believe in heaven or hell: Jade: ye CJ: yeah

Can you speak another language: Jade: very basic vietnamese and tagalog // slightly less basic french CJ: basic-intermediate spanish

Do you like your name: Jade: i like jade better tbh CJ: eh, when people say it right lol ;-;

Who do you want to be closer to: Jade: my friends in general honestly. i feel like, even tho i’ve known them for 10 years, that i’m a bit? of an outside of sorts. i love them all a lot, which is why i’d like to be closer :) CJ: strangers. i’m really shy but also v competitive, so i either shut people out or scare them away, so whenever i see sweet messages in the asks it always makes me super happy ^3^

Pen or pencil: Jade: pen definitely CJ: mechanical pencil

Whats your love language: Jade: physical touch oops CJ: quality time (this is so true,,,, like)

What female celebrity do you wish was your sister: Jade: oo,,, niana guerrero like oml she and ranz are so cute CJ: asdfklja lili reinhart i love her soooo much (i’m riverdale trash)

What male celebrity do you wish was your brother: Jade: to go with ^ i’ll say ranz because they both are such fun ppl i love CJ: um,,, finn wolfhard he’s so funny and just a great person overall (i’m also stranger things trash)

again, not going to tag anyone bUT if anyone managed to read through this entire thing ily aNd go ahead if you want !!

#tagged #justsomekpopstuff #nctimagery #jade talks 🐼#cj talks ✌️

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miaormissinginaction-blog · 5 years

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Anchor.

Mia’s legs moved with an ease that was as natural as it was practiced. She’d trained for years to reach this speed, and she was proud of it. She was the anchor of the 4 x 4 and her team counted on her. The other school’s anchor was close behind her, so she pushed just a little harder, taking more of a lead. It made her feel better. She didn’t like leaving things up to chance.

She cross the finish line, slowing down to a jog before she stopped and eventually leaned over, breathing. A smile played across her lips. She heard a cheer go up from the Cold Spring track team and looked over at them, grinning. Mia stood up more and started going over to them. She smoothed her blonde hair back into her ponytail, away from her face.

Right out front was Cole Archer. Her first love. Her first kiss. Her first. He was tall, lanky, and devilishly handsome. As the quieter of the Archer twins, he was used to Blake getting all of the attention, but Mia knew how lucky she was to have Cole. And he was cheering more loudly than anyone. As she came back to the group, he wrapped her in a big sweaty hug. She didn’t care at all. This would turn into one of her favorite memories. The next meet would be state, and they were ready.

Valedictorian.

All of the years of work had paid off. By normal standards, Mia had a 4.0, but if you counted the weight of all her AP classes, it was higher. It was a moment of pride to sit up front and receive the honor of valedictorian. All the same, she’d never considered herself a public speaker. She’d written a speech. It was okay. But her hands were still shaking.

As she walked up to the podium, she didn’t look at her peers. She knew if she looked she’d be more scared, or worse, feel the lump in her throat that she’d been trying to keep at bay for weeks. Instead, she trained her eye on her younger brother in the stands. His name was Ian, but everyone just called him Anderson.

Ian was on his phone, texting lord knows who. But when she was announced, he looked up and smiled a bit. They made eye contact for a second, and she felt a small amount of calm settle in her stomach.

“Hey seniors, I’m Mia Anderson, your valedictorian. It’s cliche, but I have to say... we did it!” She pushed a big smile and set her notes down on the podium. “The last four years with all of you have been an adventure and I am honored to be graduating alongside all of you...”

She received polite applause at the end, with a few whoops from the track and cross country team people. Her speech wasn’t particularly witty or clever, but it was heartfelt.

Kappa Alpha Theta.

Brown wasn’t necessarily known for its sororities, but Mia was having a great time. She was on her fourth beer and was dancing in the living room of one of the frats. At this point, she didn’t remember which one. Her friend Emma danced with her, back to back. They moved their bodies together slowly, eventually turning around towards each other, getting close.

A guy hollered in approval. Mia’s eyes roved over the crowd slowly until she found him. Tall and lanky, with dark eyes and a grin that stretched from ear to ear. She leaned in to Emma and whispered. “Got one, see you later!”

She laughed at the groan the spread through the crowd as she pulled away from Emma, but soon another two girls had come to join her. No one would miss Mia from this. She wove through the crowd and found the guy who yelled.

“Hey,” she called to him once she was close. “You think I’m cute?”

The guy smirked. “I don’t know. Do you think I’m cute?” he asked.

Mia shrugged. “I did, but I don’t know anymore. I don’t like insecure guys.”

“How’s this for secure?” he grinned and pulled her in, kissing her hard.

Mia wrapped her arms around his neck and jumped up, wrapping her legs around him too.

Runaway.

The bus doors closed and Mia seized up for a second. Her backpack felt heavier all of the sudden, almost like the weight of the world. She’d graduated from Brown and was slated to start law school in 3 weeks. Mere days ago, she completely panicked and planned her getaway.

She left behind her apartment, still filled with most of her things, prepaid for the next several months by her parents. She left behind her roommate, her best friend, Natalie, who she’d left a basic note for. She left behind John, Johnny to his friends: her boyfriend.

He was perfect by any normal standards. Handsome and smart, he was already working on his MBA and was looking at jobs on Wall Street. He would make serious money and provide for her. He was calm, stable, and nice. He was everything he was supposed to be. And it felt so incredibly stifling.

All she wanted was a mountain and the woods and the water and someone to go there with her. Johnny didn’t like outdoor activities, minus drinking beers on his friend’s yacht and skiing in the winter.

It was all weighing on her, and she needed to get out. So she got out. The Blackstone River was calling her name. She just needed to do a bit of walking.

Rebel.

They were mad. Red in the face mad. Shaking mad.

“How could you? Did you have any idea how worried we were? Did you think of us at all? Why on earth would you just disappear? You have everything perfectly set up for you!”

“Mia, I don’t understand. You’ve always been such a good kid.”

These last words seemed to explain everything. Good kid. Sports. Grades. The school. The sorority. The future employment. The boyfriend. The fiance? After she got back, Johnny had proposed. He never wanted her to leave him again. He’d seemed so impassioned at the time, so she said yes, but two days later, it was back to the status quo.

She cast her eyes down, away from her parents. How could you say that the perfect life was boring and predictable and suffocating? “I just needed space,” was all she could come up with.

Craig Anderson, her father, frowned at her, then looked at his wife, Molly. “That explains nothing. This is insane. I expect this will never happen again.”

“It wont.”

Molly sighed and came to her daughter, putting her arm around Mia. “Honey, we want you to be happy. You have such a good life. Don’t risk it by running away.”

Mia couldn’t look them in the eyes, but she nodded. “I won’t, but Johnny... he’s just, I think we need to break up.”

Craig simply frowned more deeply. “Johnny is a great man. He will have a good job and support you and provide for you. And he will be a loyal and proper husband for you. You need grounding. He will ground you. Opposites attract and all that.”

She felt her mother squeeze her shoulder. “You already said yes, baby. He will be good to you.” Molly kissed the side of Mia’s head. “It’s the smart choice for you.”

Mia felt her stomach drop to her feet.

Trophy wife.

“I get that you got the law degree. It looks awesome. It will be great for volunteering. Why are you applying to be a public defender?” Johnny’s nose wrinkled. “You don’t even need to work! I make enough for both of us.”

Mia took a breath and looked at her husband. “I want to do good in the world. I want to help people who may be wrongfully accused or can’t afford to defend themselves.”

He tilted his head. “Aren’t they usually the bad guys? And the pay is shit.”

“It’s not about the money, Johnny...” she trailed off, but her voice was getting quieter.

Johnny sighed dramatically. “I’ve told you, it’s John now. Just John. Johnny sounds like a little boy.” He appraised his wife slowly. “Let’s make a deal. We move to Cold Spring to be closer to your parents. You can do your law whatever for awhile until we’re ready to start a family.”

Her eyes widened slightly. “As in kids?”

“Yeah, obviously. Why do you think your parents want us to be closer to them? They want to help with the kids,” Johnny shrugged.

Mia was speechless. What options did she have?

Doormat.

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asullivan4062-blog · 6 years

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How We Designed a Family-Friendly Laundry Room in the Portland Project

This is the third laundry room I've designed (I think?), and it's absolutely the largest one. I use the term “room” loosely since the first one (in my Glendale house) was a literal closet but a very functional and pretty closet at that…I mean we even wallpapered that sucker. But this one in the Portland Project will make all of your fluff and fold dreams come true. The space was originally being used as storage, so we decided to steal part of it to design the ultimate laundry room. They say kitchens and bathrooms sell a home…I think we can add “killer laundry rooms” to that statement, too, don't you think? I want this to be my laundry room, but unfortunately, I had to leave it behind in Oregon to its new owners. But let's move on…

I, of course, realize that not everyone has the same amount of space (or renovation budget) that we had here to bring in the same fun gadgets and add-ons that make this tedious yet necessary chore a bit more enjoyable (less miserable?). So we wanted to break down the six elements that make a room like this functional and give you tips on how you can implement similar ideas even if you have a smaller laundry room.

A combo of open and closed storage

When you have a bit of room to work with, I think a mix of closed cabinetry and some open shelving with baskets works best in a workspace like a laundry room. Here, we imagined the owners would use a hefty amount of the closed storage for household items (cleaning supplies, bulk items, seasonal goods, tools, etc.) while the open shelving and racks were for easy access to things you use more often in this space (laundry detergent, lint rollers, iron…that kind of thing).

Small space hack: If you have the space, install shelving, but bring in containers (like pretty utility baskets) to corral everything and if you don't have small kids to worry about mistaking laundry pods for candy and whatnot, decant what makes sense into clear containers to bring down the visual clutter.

A utility sink

Here's a funny “behind the scenes” story of this room: this sink right here is a utility sink, which is typically installed with mounting brackets straight onto the wall. It was designed so that the cabinet line would follow the base of the sink, leaving it to be more of an apron front, but somewhere along the way, it ended up getting installed like this and frankly…we don't hate it. Happy accident?

Small space hack: Okay, there really isn't a way around this one if you don't actually have space or an extra water source in your laundry closet or area…sorry about that one.

Another sort of “whoops” moment here is the faucet. Hot tip: Do as I say, not as I do here. While this Kohler fixture (which we got through efaucets.com) is beautiful, to be honest, looking back, it's not as functional as it could be (nothing against the faucet itself, more just about faucet-type choice). Ideally, in a utility space like a laundry room, you would have a sprayer attachment for easy reach to clean and take out stains. You live (and design), you learn.

Something we did do that I'm super happy about how it turned out is that backsplash. You might THINK that's hand-glazed tile, but really, it's a white glass tile from Bedrosians set against white mortar on the wall. It was a much more affordable (but still good looking) design idea I'm glad we moved forward on. What do you think??

Vertical storage for tall, bulky items

An ironing board is a laundry necessity that also happens to be big and kind of clumsy, so we built a taller cabinet to keep it tucked away when not in use. You can also store brooms and your vacuum (as long as it's not a cumbersome beast) here.

Small space hack: If you have little to no cabinetry, consider tucking away a smaller ironing board between your W/D (or just to the side of them where there's normally a bit of a gap), or get a hanging attachment for the wall or behind the door. There are even ironing mats that are made to be used atop washing machines and dryers, eliminating the need entirely for a board.

Designated laundry bins and hanging racks

Okay, this post isn't called “How we designed a tiny, hyper space-efficient budget laundry room” so this is where things start getting a little “extra” as they say these days. But if you're at a point in your life where you have the means and space to create a DREAM laundry room, things like “designated laundry bin area” is how to kick things up a notch. Here, we used three rolling baskets from Rejuvenation that you can easily assign to each kid when they are in charge of their own laundry, or come up with your own system that works for you (maybe one is for things that are clean and folded, one for washed items waiting to be folded, and another for dirty laundry hanging out before their turn in the machine??)

A rod for hanging up those clothing items that are too precious for a dryer is also great for avoiding that thing that happens when you're walking around your home draping shirts and skirts along the backs of chairs, on the floor of a spare bedroom…we've all been there.

Small space hack: Let's say you have a little more room than a typical hallway closet with stacked machines, but not necessarily enough to create a bin station like this one…try out reinforced hooks on the wall and hang a canvas bag with a grommet on each. It's the same idea in terms of creating a spot for everyone's laundry duties. You can also install a rod or actual drying rack on the wall space above your machines (if you don't have those wire shelves all homes seem to force on you), or directly from the ceiling to maximize vertical storage.

Folding surface

The space on top of your large, family-sized washer and dryers typically becomes a resting place for totally random things that you find yourself moving from machine to machine when you have to open your washer, or don't want things flying off during a cycle, but oh man is that a wasted design opportunity (if you have front loaders). Create a permanent surface for all your treating, sorting and folding needs.

Small space hack: This is actually more of a budget saver than a space saver, but Julie found this really affordable DIY from Vintage Revivals that you can do if you aren't building a laundry room from scratch but just trying to make work what you have. Click here for a $90 plywood waterfall surface that not only looks really good but is super practical.

A little bit of style

I can't tell you how happy that little pop of pattern and color from the wallpaper in my old laundry closet brought me, so while it might seem like a waste to add decor to a spot like your laundry room, it's really not. Here, we brought in beautiful art from Mia Farrington (a local Portland artist) and a rug from Annie Selke.

Small space hack: Add a fun paint color or wallpaper to the back wall of whatever space you have (you can even use a temporary peel-and-stick paper if you're a renter).

And there you have it: six things that really took this old storage area and transformed it into a pretty special laundry room with tons of functionality for a busy family. Let us know what you think and of course, leave any questions you have for me or the design team in the comments below.

***Photography by Sara Tramp for EHD

The post How We Designed a Family-Friendly Laundry Room in the Portland Project appeared first on Emily Henderson.

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marvelintimelords97 · 8 years

Note

1,6,8,10,13,14,15,16,17,21,26,29,33,37,39,43,44,48,54,60,61,64,67,68,71,79,84,87,90,92,93,95,96,98,100,104

1. You woke up naked next to the last person you texted, what would you say? good morning babe, you where talking in your sleep again last night.6. Have you ever wanted to have someone but you messed it up?Ya but that is so far in the past that I am over it, it sucked at the time but we made ourfriendship work still and the mess up was on both accounts not just mine. 8. How many times have you kissed the last person you kissed?I haven't exactly counted but probably 30 times a day when I am around him 10. When is the last time you saw your sister? oh man it's been about a week or so, I need to get together with her soon and see if theres anything I can do to help her with involving her wedding, ive been a pretty mia bridesmaid.13. Do you think relationships are hard?they most definitely can be, especially if you yourself have alot of issues going on in your own life but you're trying to not let those problems effect the Relationship you have with your partner. no relationship is a cake walk but if you are willing to put the time and effort into each other they can very amazing. 14. If you could go back and change something in the past 5 months, would you?There is a few small things I would change that would have helped myself and others get through life easier then we had to, there is a lot of things that have happened in these past five months that has caused chaos, stress and even depression for many of the people involved including myself and I hold myself accountable for a lot of it.15. You’re locked in a room with the last person you kissed, any problems?hell no id be locked in a room with my boyfriend I don't have any complaints there.16. Would you rather it be sunny or rainy?it depends on my mood, it is currently very drab out and I would appreciate some sunlight so I can go for a nice walk.17. Do you know anyone with the same middle name as you?god only like a half a dozen people ya! my middle name is Michelle by the way21. Have you ever kissed someone with a name that starts with an S?yup I have indeed 26. What breed was the last dog you saw? a cockapoo, I took her for a walk yesterday and she cuddled with me this morning 29. Do you think you’re old?I wouldn't say old no, the way I see it ( or at least how I saw it was ) I am currently at an age where people treat me like an adult when it comes to money or something they need otherwise I am a child who needs to shut up and not speak unless spoken to.33. Do you prefer warm or cold weather?some where in between, I love fall although that could be a little biased for one of two reason, my birthday is in the fall and it lands on the same weekend as thanks giving so . . . . 37. What song are you listening to?questions like this are kind of dumb cuz like . . . im not listening to nything right now.39. Is there a girl that knows everything or almost everything about you?Ya which would probably be my Sister or an old friend of mine but I guess she wouldnt know everything cuz its been a while.43. How well do you know the last female you texted?I'd like to think well enough, I have known her since grade 9 and we had almost every class together.44. Does anyone disgust you?oh my god don't even get me started I would have to roll out a list starting with someone who mentally and emotionally abused me for a long time in my life.48. What color shirt are you wearing?a black Hottopic Umbreon Tanktop. 54. Do you care if your boyfriend/girlfriend drinks?Not really I don't mind as long as they are responsible and don't drink or drive.60. What do you carry with you at all times?the weight of the world crushing me with all of my different emotions . . . I bet you were expecting an answer like my cell hpone of lip chap . . haha nope. well maybe but still. 61. If you were paid 1 million dollars to spend the night in a supposed haunted house, would you?I do it pretty much every night so where the hell is my money?!? 64. The person you like kisses you on the forehead, do you find this cute?Of course I do! its such a nice way for someone to show you their affection 67. Would you rather pay to get your nails done or do them yourself? Do them myself for sure, I can't be high maintenance I buy to many funko pop figures. 68. Which do you like better- Zebra print or leopard print?Random but I guess zebra? 71. Blackberry, Anroid, or iPhone? Android for sure.79. Did you ever have braces? Nope, probably should have but I personally feel its to late for that now. 84. Have you ever done cheerleading or gymnastics?I wish I had of done gymnastics as a kid but lol nope, I have asthma and get out of breath just walking up a flight of stairs to fast. 87. Would you rather wear heels or flip flops? both, if I where to go somewhere trying to look nice then I would for sure wear the Heels, however I would be prepared with a change of clothes and some flipflops 90. Have you ever snuck out of your house? I wouldn't really say I snuck out cuz I didnt but I have left my house really late at night/early in the morning before but only ever if im with friends, I refuse to walk places alone at night. 92. Have you ever made out in a car? I've done a little bit more then that.93. …Had sex in a car? its really hard to have sex in a car, if you want to do that, invest in a truck go on a long drive to somewhere in the middle of no where, put a big thick blanket down in the bed of the trunk and make love under the stars.95. What were you doing last night at midnight? Playing the sailor moon pops app I have on my phone cuz I am addicted to the stupid thing. 96. When’s the last time you saw fireworks? Oh man I honestly don't even remember, it feels like it was a couple years ago 98. Have you ever had a friend with benefits? Sort of? not exactly its more so as if I was in a committed relationship with the person but I was so scared of being hurt from my previous relationship that I was not found of the idea of putting any titles on it. 100. Are you friends with people on facebook that you actually hate? yea probably I mean not hate persay but I wouldn't say we exactly get along all that well. 104. Would you ever wear cowboy boots with shorts? If I owned cowboy boots I guess I probably would?( I meant to look at the time on the clock before starting this to see how long it took to reply to all these questions . . . whoops )

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