#yes glenn is a terrible dad

[storywriter12]

How do the react to you asking them to sleep with you?

Rick:When you asked him if you two could do it, he stopped eating to look at you 

(Rick)Are you sure ?I mean, we haven't done it before 

(You)Yes, I'm sure. I mean, we both love each other, right? He nodded sooo do you want to I mean, we can take it slow you said, and he stood up and kissed you on the lips 

(Rick)as slow as you want 

Daryl:you didn't know if to ask daryl it kind of never came up about your two sleeping together one day the group was playing games and Carol asked you of you and daryl ever DID IT.you looked at her and shook your head darul must of heard because later he asked you 

(Daryl) What were you talking to Carol about ?

(You)oh um she wanted to know if me and you did it. You looked at him, and he went quiet, so you carried on. I told her we haven't “do you want to do it?”you looked at himself in shock and nodded. Yes, he kissed you on your lips “we can “

Glenn:You and Glenn were in your tent having a hot make-out session. You pulled away from him and looked at him deeply in his eyes. Do you wanna have sex ?

Glenn:What..um …now? I can't. I'm going on a run with Rick  she laughed “no not now. I mean whenever “ Oh, I smiled, um yeah, I nodded OK she pulled me down for another kiss

Negan :it was a miserable day it was raining you wanted to stay in bed but instead you went to to and see your boyfriend negan you grab your coat and a car going to the sanctuary when he saw.you on the rain he was kind of annoying with you coming out in this weather but he was happy to see you he kissed you taking your coat off he walked you to his room and you both were cuddling on his big soft bed he started to kiss your neck softly and a shiver went down your spine you pulled away to look at him “let's sleep together “ you just said out loud a devilish smile came to his lips and he kissed  you softly 

Simon:You were walking around the sanctuary and you stopped.seeing Simon laughing and joking with Negan and Dwight, a smile reached your lips as you dreamy looked at your man.his eyes lit up with happiness his smile was so cute and cheery like the old world his eyes glanced at you and he smiled even more excusing himself and walking to where you were standing.he bent down and kissed.you,you of course kissed him back wrapping your arms around him he picked you up a little pulling away from the kiss he took your hand into his and walked.with you to his room were he made you a hot chocolate and you two just talked you were lying on his chest looking at him as he talked about his day he stopped to look at you and smiled “what's wrong?” He asked you to look at him 

(You)well, you know we've been together now for a while, and I was wondering if you wanted to …. Get to the next stage?

(Simon) ohhh…you mean ….sex ?she nodded and so did I we just stayed silent for a little bit I smile I think that's amazing idea 

Abraham:you guys were talking about stuff normal day to say thongs and then the subject got.on to sex somehow it was random but it 4:20am in the morning so you two were sleepy you two were cuddled in bed 

(You), so do you remember your first time?

(Abraham)mmm I groaned deeply and then spoke i was.about 17 years I had no idea about sex well I knew a few things you know what my dad told.me and sometimes at night time I would hear him do it with my mum but my first time was terrible I don't even.know how it happened i think the girl who I did it with we just got bored so we did and then never spoke about it after . What about you?

(You)my first time was at my exs house his mum and dad was go for a weekend so we did it and then after we acted like everything g was.normal we.were both 16 at the time and none of my friends did it so I was the first one out of them  I feel his head nod .I think it would but fun and nice if we had sex “what?” I looked at him in the darkness. I've been thinking about it for a while.now I couldn't really see his face, but I knew he was thinking of  joke, but he never said it 

(Abraham) I nodded OK yeah it will be fun 

Paul rovia “jesus”: you two both came to each other about it he was more nervous than you were you two were making dinner together you were chopping and you felt his arms wrapped around you and softly kissing your neck you moan a little he pulls back 

Do you wanna sleep together? He asked and you turned to him 

(You) I smiled… yeahh OK I kissed his lips softly and we continued making dinner 

Dwight:you didn't know how to approach him about it you didn't know how he would reacted you she him gathering supplies bringing them into the  sanctuary you told yourself that you will want till later to tell him as he didn't like to be interrupted at work so later came you were cuddling up to him.softly Dwight you called his name as he looked at you “yeah?” I've been thinking about us two having sex you said and he just looked at you in shock and then something came.to his face it was sadness he moved away from you and say at the end of the bed the last thing you wanted was to upset him you moved down to where he was linking your arm around his 

(You)I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you 

(Dwight)it's not you it's just .. when I was married to sherry I couldn't really satisfy her when she married negan I was cold about it for a bit we had an argument and she said I never satisfied her at all and that really hurt me what I'm trying to say is I haven't been with anyone else since her and of we did.it I would be wondering if I was any good . But I wanna do it with you it's just a big thing for me 

(You)you kissed him on his cheek  then we will take.it slow you said hugging him from behind 

King ezekie: you never thought about asking him to sleep with you but you did you said it out loud and he is now just staring at you in a shock expression on his face his eyes changed and he smiled he kissed you softly 

(King ezekiel) yes my queen 

Merle:you found him onw day talking to the governor when the governor walked away he saw you and hugged you kissing your lips you pulled away looking at him you smiled 

(You)Hay, can I ask you something?

(Merle) Of course, sugar, what's up?

(You)I think we should sleep together you said he looked at you and a smile came to his face quite a sexy smile he pulled you to him and kissed you which was a hotter kiss you took that as a yes 

Sorry, I took ages on this, guys. I've had a lot going on in my personal life, but this chapter is now up on here and I am going to put it on wattpad

[carlsdarling]

How do you feel about step brother Carl..

Stepbrother Carl headcanons

Just some random headcanons. Everyone is 18 or over.

WARNINGS: smut, nsfw

When your mom told you that the two of you were going to move in with Rick und his two kids, you weren't thrilled. You didn't want a new dad (yours had died long ago, right at the beginning of the apocalypse) and you didn’t want a stepbrother and a stepsister also. Your mom looked at you sadly. "I don't want to spend the rest of my life alone, Y/N. Can't you understand that? And Rick is a sweet, decent guy. You like him, don't you? He doesn't want to be your father, just your friend." Yes, you already liked Rick, as well as you liked Carl, but that doesn't mean you wanted to live with them and a cry baby!

However, it turned out that you and Rick got along fine. The same was true for you and Carl - you definitely got along too well.

The next problem was not far away, however. You had only been living with Rick for about three weeks when your mom caught you and Carl watching a movie on the couch in the living room, cuddling under a plaid. A serious talk ensued, in which your parents made it clear that a relationship between the two of you was undesirable. "You are too young for this, you would break up again, and then the harmony of the family will be permanently destroyed. Please do not do it," Rick said insistently.

Carl and you were not dating at that time, but you were in the process of falling in love with each other. Then you resisted it for a while and tried dating other people, but your feelings for each other were too strong. Carl and you felt very miserable. You soon refused to date anyone else; you just wanted Carl. Him or nobody. You often cried in your room at night when he was seeing Enid, and then got terribly angry with him, shouting at him and ignored him. Carl couldn't stand that for long. So you met secretly in lonely places somewhere in Alexandria, sometimes out in the woods, to make out (as if you weren't living under the same roof!).

On a road trip, Carl scavenged condoms, and you two had your first time shortly after in the haystack of the horse stables. You were both super nervous, but it was wonderful and loving, and you've been doing it regularly ever since - even though it's almost never possible to do it at home unless your parents are away for an extensive period of time.

Once Glenn caught you naked in the haystack, but promised to keep his mouth shut.

Again and again you found excuses that you supposedly had to do something together, and so your parents did not suspect anything at first.

But it became more and more difficult to hide your feelings for each other, and finally the inevitable happened: Your parents came home too early when you were taking a shower together and had left the bathroom door unlocked. You thought you would be alone with Judith until the evening. Your mother walked in just as Carl was fucking you eagerly from behind, moaning loudly. Rick stood in the hallway looking utterly shocked. He hadn't expected Carl to actually have sex yet. Your mom, though, had a suspicion. "Get dressed and then come into the kitchen," Rick ordered tersely.

There was a terrible fight where you all yelled at each other, and ultimately Carl got his way. He said to his dad, "We're over 18, you can't forbid us anything anymore, and if you don't accept that we love each other and are in a relationship, we'll go to Hilltop and live together there, and you will rarely ever see us." In response, your parents reluctantly gave in and allowed you to officially share your bedroom and bed.

Despite their concerns, you two are even closer now and love each other more than anything. They have realized that you simply belong together. ❤❤❤

[i-3at-s0ap]

I've been having some (scattered and unhelpful) thoughts about Nicky being transmasc and how that affects the Nick vs. Narcolas situation, and I thought I'd make a post abt it!

Senseless blabbering under the cut ⚠️

(for the purposes of this post, Nick is pre Meth bay and Glenn's son, Nicolas/Narcolas is post Meth bay and Jodie's son and Nicky is post demon-ification)

Ok! So, I headcanon Nick Close to be transmasc (whether binary or not isn't important rn). The real question is, Is Nicolas also transmasc?

Possibility 1) Nicolas is transmasc. Growing up Jodie's kid, he was exposed to queer people, yes, (I don't think Jodie is transphobic/homophobic or anything) but it would've definitely been a very sanitized, corporate, binary queerness. I think Nicolas would've realized he was trans at a very young age, Idolizing his dad and wishing he could be like him. Realizing he was trans kinda made that fiction seem more reasonable and attainable, so he wouldn't have pushed the feelings down. I think talking to his dad about this would've been a fairly "typical" coming out. Lots of "I love you no matter what" and "this is a big decision but I will support you". Support, but it was also a serious matter.

Nick on the other hand would've grown up with Glenn and (only while he was very young) Morgan. At least in my head, they would've both been pretty down with gender fuckery and playfulness around gender expression and identity. Like Nicolas, Nick would've also realized pretty young, given his parents exposing him to Queer culture and making sure he knew he could be whatever he wanted. When he came out it wasn't ceremonial or anything, and was met with a resounding "fuck yeah! Rock on man".

When Nicky was """created""" these memories coincided and heightened his awareness of the differences in his upbringing and also how he lives now. I'm sure there's some good potential for stories, angst and fics in there.

Possibility 2) Nicolas is a cisgender boy.

Nicolas grows up surrounded by men like his dad, masculine and, in his eyes, perfect. He is constantly trying to be like his dad, and feeling inadequate because of that. Alongside this impossible standard of manhood he is being raised in, he is also having to face the challenges and toxicity of cis boyhood.

As he becomes Nicky, the memories of the playfulness of being raised by Glenn and being trans are mixed with the experience of being surrounded by unachievable toxic masculinity of being Nicolas. Nicky has no idea if he counts as trans or not, being he technically has the body of a cis boy, (something Nick longed for.) He has a very complicated relationship to womanhood and being trans, while also having lived as a cis boy too. Let's face it, at least in my experience cisgender boys are taught to be transphobic, homophobic, racist, ableist and every terrible thing in the book. Although I doubt Nicolas was the worst, he still grew up in a "agree with these terrible 'jokes' or you're out" environment, one that is suffocating and hypnotic to be in. The cognitive dissonance and later guilt he would've experienced upon remembering his life as Nick, as a transmasc, would've been painful at best, downright excruciating at worst. (Kinda a really extreme version of the human experience of doing something wrong then regretting it later.)

In my personal experience, I spent the first 12 years of my life as a cisgender girl, and to be completely honest I had some fucked up opinions on neopronoun users, furries, alt people and people who are nowadays called 'cringe'. It fucking sucks looking back on that even though I've since come out as trans and bi (and am dating a neopronoun user!!!! Hi Leonardodicapriowo!!!!) I still (correctly) feel incredibly guilty about the things I thought and the things I said. (I'm fairly sure I wasn't vocal about my opinions and never really hurt anyone, but you can never know) I also feel like that concept could be explored really interestingly with Nicky.

Idk these thoughts have just been floating around in my head for a while and I thought I'd write em down somewhere!

[thatweirdfandom]

ron stampler: he’s not a better dad then glenn

hear me out, i feel and love all the characters of the dndads and they are all fucked up in their own way.

but i think what kinda throws me off is how fast we move past ron and terrys relationship vs the downfall of glenn’s. ron is a big charcter with a lot of story to him so it’s hard to balance his arc when well yeah…

maybe it’s myself projecting my own relationships i have with my ‘parents’ but terry is the parent to ron in the relationship, every time they interact it’s ron having terry be his emotional support he missed with his own dad (not saying he does this with intent he’s a deeply troubled person with a terrible past that has effected him forever) but i really hope past season 1 we see ron step up as a real dad- because terry being upset about his fake vampire dad dying? that hits harder when you realize that was probably the one time he had a father son relationship.

VS

glenn and nick having the best friends relationship- where neither are the parent. glenn reaped the consequences of his actions- he doesn’t have a devastating backstory to back him up to explain his actions (granted bill wasn’t a 100% dad figure himself)

here’s where i get put off:

ron gets to play his tragic backstory card to explain his current psyche as a person and dad. (unintentionally yes, but also no one in the dads point this out, or the kids which is kinda the character progression we get with everyone else.)

i know this is only the first season, and i can’t expect ron to be fully reformed or fixed by the end- he has a entire part of himself he needs to recover and go through with his own past and dad. i just i really hope that terry gets to be a kid properly instead of having to dad his own dad. (i really like their complicated relationship and i sympathize with both and the overall story i just i don’t want it to be pushed to the side for later)

anyway that’s my rambles

disclaimer: my own experience is mixed into this thinking. being a parent to your own parent really fucks you up later in life. you miss out on so much.

[flossy2003]

Storms- Oneshot

Just a warning- includes angst involving parental loss and sickness.

Wolf walked into the sitting room, and was surprised to see Scarlett, curled up on one of the sofas, sketching by the light of a candle.

“Scarlett? What are you doing in here?”

The girl jumped.

“Sorry! I’ll go back to bed!” She said, hurriedly sitting up and gathering up her drawing materials.

“No, no, don’t be sorry. I just wanted to know why you’re not in bed.”

“I couldn’t sleep, the storm was keeping me awake.”

“It was keeping me awake too.” Wolf replied, taking a seat next to his daughter.

“I hate them,” Scarlett spat.

She regrettably recalled one winter, when she had forgotten to bring Relica her morning tea, so the cruel woman had locked her in a leaky barn. She was only fourteen at the time.

She’d tried pleading with Relica, apologising, promising to do better, but her cries fell on unforgiving ears.

The barn held no animals, having been abandoned many years ago, so Scarlett had no one to talk to, no one to confide in.

Danielle would hear her sobbing when she went out to tend to the garden in the afternoons. She wasn’t allowed to speak to her, let alone comfort her, otherwise Relica would have her locked up too.

On the third night of her punishment, there had been a terrible storm. Part of the barn’s rotting roof had been torn off by the gusts of wind, leaving Scarlett exposed to the freezing cold temperatures and harsh rain.

She got was found in the morning, unresponsive.

Relica had reluctantly called a doctor out to check on her. She’d told him that she was her aunt, that she had adopted Scarlett and her “sister”, Danielle, after their parents died and that she’d found Scarlett wandering the gardens that morning, before she collapsed. Unfortunately, the doctor had bought the story.

Scarlett was diagnosed with influenza and was ordered complete bed rest (or rather, wooden-slab rest) and heavy doses of medication.

The doctor would sometimes be called out in the middle of the night, because Scarlett had woken up screaming from tummy pain or hot flushes.

While she did recover physically, she never recovered emotionally.

Wolf completely understood.

“Have I ever told you why I don’t like storms?” He asked.

“No?”

“It’s not a very happy story, but I think you need to know that you’re not alone, when it comes to trauma surrounding storms.”

Scarlett nodded.

“When I was a little boy, your aunt Stella and I lived with our parents in a cottage right in the middle of Harmony Glenn. One night, there was a great storm, one that nearly wiped Harmony Glenn off the map.”

Scarlett’s eyes widened.

“Your grandparents died and our home was destroyed…”

“Oh, dad! I’m sorry.”

Wolf put his arm around Scarlett and pulled her close.

“Your grandparents were amazing people, they stood up for what was right, always encouraged us to ask questions and loved everything life had to offer. I wish they could’ve met your mother and you kids…they would’ve loved you.”

Scarlett smiled.

“I wish that too. They sound wonderful.”

“You know, you’re very much like your grandmother and your great grandmother, come to that, they were creative too.”

“They were? Did they like to sew, like me?”

“Your great grandmother did, she would make a lot of mine and Stella’s clothes when we were babies. My mother preferred painting.”

“Ooo! Like Auntie Rapunzel?” Scarlett asked.

“Yes. In fact, Auntie Rapunzel and your mother were the first people outside of my family to see the little art workshop that we owned. They loved the paintings and Stella’s mosaic pieces.”

Scarlett smiled.

“So, what happened to you and Aunt Stella after the storm?”

Wolf took a bated breath before continuing.

“Many lost their homes and businesses. The orphanage was gone and those who still had their homes didn’t really care about orphans. They filled their homes and with families who still had the money to pay them.” Wolf explained, bitterly.

“Stella and I, like many other children in our position, were left on the streets, to fend for ourselves. The adults around us were always fighting and looting from one another…so much for “Harmony Glenn”, huh?”

Wolf’s dry chuckle made Scarlett frown. She knew that he was trying to make a quip to make the story a bit lighter for her sake, but it just made her feel more sorry for him.

“It was very scary. I still remember what it was like to scrounge for food and huddling under torn-up blankets to keep warm at night,” Wolf resumed, “that is why I hate storms. They took everything from Stella and I, and I’m always afraid that it’ll happen again.”

Oh. That explained a lot, Scarlett thought.

Her dad was very attentive to his family. He had special nicknames for them (“Princess” for her, “Beautiful” for her mum, “Warrior” for Edith and “Little buddy” for Harry), and he cried when he had to go away on business trips. All he wanted was to keep them as close as he could and give them all the love he didn’t have for so long. He was terrified of losing them or them losing him.

“I’m really sorry you went through all that, dad.”

Wolf kissed her head.

“I’m just thankful for what I have now.”

“Me too,” Scarlett mumbled.

“Me three.” Cassandra said, from the doorway.

Wolf and Scarlett looked up.

“How long have you been standing there, honey?” Wolf chuckled.

“Not long. I woke up to this hungry little guy,” she said, holding up Harry, “and noticed the bed was empty. I figured you’d be down here, on a night like this.”

“I can feed him, if you want?” Scarlett offered.

“That would be great,” Cassandra replied, passing Harry to her.

While Scarlett took Harry to the kitchen, Cassandra cuddled up next to Wolf.

“Cute’s not really my thing, but our kids are insanely cute,” she grinned.

“You know, you always say that cute isn’t your thing, but if it wasn’t, how come you’re so adorable?” Wolf teased, booping her on the nose.

“Ugh, you are the world’s most soppiest husband.”

“And you’re the world’s most beautiful wife.”

“I love you, Wolfie.”

“I love you too, Cassie.”

Wolf made a silent vow that nothing would ever come between him and his family again, especially not storms.

[usernoneexistent]

Summer 1895: Glenn gets dropped with a bomb from his father and he has to deal with it.

Warnings: Scott is a terrible dad, arranged marriages.

Glenn stared at his parents in abhorrent horror. They had sat him down in private to get away from the earshot of his little sister, Winona, who, as recently, was acting strangely. Some days, she was skittish and looked like she wanted to say something to him however disappeared all day.

"I am to be engaged?"

"Well, nothing is official yet but we wanted to tell you since..." His father trailed. He seemed more fidgety than usual. Glenn found it all far too suspicious. Was his sister in on this? No, he waved the thought away because had she known, Winona would not have been able to keep her mouth shut.

"The girl, Euphemia and her family will be joining us for dinner today." His mother looked more saddened than joyful at the news. "Though, they have sent an owl writing that they intend to arrive an hour early to allow Glenn and Euphemia to make themselves more acquainted."

"Is that so, Evelyn?"

"Yes, dear."

"Can I be excused? I need some time to myself."

His father wanted to refute, but his mother stopped Scott. She gave a soft nod of confirmation and let Glenn leave the sitting room. Typically he would have fled to the library and found comfort in the words of Aristotle and Doyle. However, he followed Winona's example and listened to his parent's conversations.

"I can't believe you have done this, Scott!" He heard his mother cry. "He's just a boy of fifteen. I thought we agreed that our children were given the freedom to choose their spouses as long as we find them suitable."

"I know, Evelyn, but have you seen the boy." Scott sighed; he could imagine his father shaking his head. "He has shown absolutely no interest in women."

"Maybe he has other preferences? Or maybe he doesn't want to show?" She suggested.

"I tried and there was still nothing. It's abnormal for a young boy his age to show no signs of worldly desires."

"So you just went and got him a fiancée!" Glenn was comforted that his mother seemed just as bewildered as him.

"Mr Macnair made an offer I couldn't refute. His manufacturing business is expanding at great speeds, and think of the dowry we would receive." His father sounded so excited and eager, like this was a mere business transaction between two families, the business of marriage. Glenn couldn't bear it any longer and left as he knew what would happen next. His mother would scold his father and cry later in private.

Glenn left for the library until the servants told him to prepare himself and prepare for the arrival of the Macnair family. He did a little digging of what he could. The Macnair's are a well-to-do pureblood family despite some having chosen a more humbling life in the highlands of Scotland. A servant boy called Glenn to the entrance.

Their butler guided the eight members of the Macnair family to the Rosewoods. He noticed Euphemia instantly. She wore a white dress that made her already pale skin like snow, and her brown hair was framed her hair in such a way that made her look younger. Despite the girl trying to smile, she looked more grimaced than anything else.

"Glad to make your acquaintance, Mr and Mrs Macnair." His mother plastered her best fake smile. Meanwhile, Winona didn't seem to be interested or engaged with them and took off to read. The two men took off, probably to have pre-dinner drinks and a smoke. At the same time, his mother, Mrs Macnair, and the Macnair boys toured Stromview manor, Glenn and Euphemia tailing behind.

"I'm Glenn Rosewood. A pleasure to make your acquaintance," he offered to shake her hand. Glenn knew the proper etiquette was to kiss her hand, but the thought made him repulsive.

"I'm Euphemia Macnair. The pleasure is all mine." She spoke with softness, but her words were all carefully pronounced.

Both remained in painful silence for several minutes before they were in the library, out of earshot. It seemed to cheer the girl up.

"I would rather that we cut to the chase as I don't want you having false hope..."

"You detest this arrangement as much as I do." Euphemia said, almost like she could read his mind.

"I see that we are both in agreement on that." Glenn felt some hope of getting out of this engagement. They both didn't want this and could say the arrangements didn't work.

"Oh, you possess Doyle," Her blue eyes brightened as she scanned the books. "Do you enjoy his work?"

"Yes, I've all his novels including his latest work, The adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I have always preferred A Study on Scarlet, his original work." He was a little intrigued and surprised by her knowledge of Doyle. "I didn't expect you have his books."

"I have five older brothers, so I just read their books when I'm bored with mine. I've always preferred The Signs of the Four by Doyle, and Sherlock had more soul there." Euphemia explained. Though what he said next surprised him.

"What if we kept this arrangement. Only temporarily," he added quietly before Euphemia could retort without hearing him out. "Think about it. Our families won't bother us with other suitors and leave us at peace for a while, and you'll be the one to break the engagement."

"Why me?" She asked; her blue eyes pierced him.

"A man's reputation can be repaired faster than a woman's if she were the one to break it off. It's an unfortunate truth of our society." Glenn offered.

"Oh gosh, are you sure you want to do this?" She asked, worried. Glenn found it slightly amusing that she was more concerned for him than herself.

"I'm sure I'll be fine but you should be more concerned about yourself."

"I guess. If you're fine with this, then I'll accept this engagement for the time being."

Neither of them wanted this, but at the same time, it could prove helpful for the time being. Though Glenn realises that he doesn't mind Euphemia's company much. It's going to be alright; it's only to save face for a few years.

Previous story: The Perfect Daughter

[wrightiverse]

Chrysanthemums

When he was drunk and maudlin, Bill Close had a phrase he used to explain why he’d never become a star: timing is everything. If he hadn’t done a certain audition right before lunch, when people were hungry and distracted. If he’d been playing the night the agent was in the bar, instead of at home babysitting. If he’d been five minutes earlier here, two hours later there, a few seconds in either direction, he’d have the life he was actually supposed to have. Bad timing. Good timing. Didn’t quite pull off the timing. Timing is everything. Glenn buys all that as a kid, but he eventually realizes that Bill only had it half right. It’s not just the bad stuff that comes down to being in the right place at the right moment. Sometimes, everything aligns to give you much more than you deserve. (Posted this on AO3 originally but we’re all in sad Close boys hours this week anyway so I may as well bring it over here. Full version below cut has references to a car accident, pregnancy, and a certain canonical death that I’m sure you can guess. It was also written before we realized that Wrightiverse Nick was trans but fuck it, why go back and have Glenn and Morgan misgender baby Nick when I don’t have to. Nick is much younger when Morgan passes in this than in the show’s canon now but canon is optional, free your mind.) 

When he was drunk and maudlin, Bill Close had a phrase he used to explain why he’d never become a star: timing is everything. If he hadn’t done a certain audition right before lunch, when people were hungry and distracted. If he’d been playing the night the agent was in the bar, instead of at home babysitting. If he’d been five minutes earlier here, two hours later there, a few seconds in either direction, he’d have the life he was actually supposed to have. Bad timing. Good timing. Didn’t quite pull off the timing. Timing is everything. Glenn buys all that as a kid, but he eventually realizes that Bill only had it half right. It’s not just the bad stuff that comes down to being in the right place at the right moment. Sometimes, everything aligns to give you much more than you deserve. *** It’s not exactly a fairytale love story. They literally meet in a dumpster.

It’s been most of a year since he told his parents to go shove their advice and their money up their respective asses, three months since the semester ended and he lost access to the dorm room and meal plan, a week since he ran out of cash, and at least 24 hours since he ate anything. Couch-surfing is keeping a roof over his head, and his friends are generous with food and booze and weed when they have any to spare, but that only goes so far. One year of college courses under his belt, no idea how to make a resume, no work history even if he did, no permanent address. The job offers aren’t exactly flooding in.

But to hell with it, Glenn Close isn’t gonna just lay down and die. He’s already cased a bakery a few blocks away and he knows they usually throw out the stuff too stale to sell around 11 p.m. He’d hoped not to have to use that info, but whatever. Someday this will make a great anecdote for his episode of Behind The Music.

Glenn hovers across the street until he sees a silhouetted figure toss a bag into the dumpster in the alley, then casually strolls over once the figure goes back inside. The sides of the dumpster are taller and have fewer handholds than he’d pictured, but he drags over some pallets and manages to climb in. It’s half empty and the bag has landed right on top, safe from the nasty trash juices that are soaking the cuffs of his jeans.

The first thing he sees when he tears the bag open is a plain bagel, and the first bite he takes is so good that he almost passes out. He’s so busy wolfing it down that he doesn’t notice the approaching steps from outside until another bag of trash flies over the top of the dumpster and bounces off his head.  

“Watch it,” he says reflexively. Then he freezes, not even chewing as he strains to listen for movement outside. Nothing. Maybe they just tossed the bag and walked back inside. He might get away with this.

“Yo, Templeton,” a voice says from outside the dumpster. “You gonna quit pretending you’re not in there, or should I close the lid?”

Glenn considers his options for a moment, but now that he comes to think of it… “Yeah, I’m realizing I don’t have anything to stand on in here. Little help?”

That’s the first time he hears her laugh. Even knowing he was the butt of the joke, he wants to hear it again. He gets his chance seconds later, when her head pops above the wall of the dumpster.

“Would you look at that? Somebody threw away a perfectly good dumbass.” Then that laugh rings out for the second time

Even his innate panache can’t overcome being hungry, chest-high in trash bags, and covered with flour. He’s humbled, and she’s amused, and that somehow turns into a connection that surprises both of them with how deep it gets and how fast.

If Glenn meets her at any other moment than that, he blows it by trying to be cool and charming. He lucked out. It’s perfect timing.

Morgan’s too good for him on any level you can name. Too cool for him, too smart, too tough, too beautiful. A better musician than him, both with the actual music and the business side. She’s the one who teaches him how to scrounge and hustle, how to read a contract’s fine print and argue with a booking agent who doesn’t want to pay up. Sometimes it feels like every other living soul on earth is elbow-to-elbow with them, fighting for the same scraps that they are, but it’s clear that Morgan’s the one in a million who’s going to make it. And he’s along for the ride, feeling like the luckiest son of a bitch alive every single damn day.    ***

***

Seven years hearing her laugh every day. Seven years getting to be the one who makes her laugh, sometimes even on purpose.

“I think we should get married,” he says one day, and she laughs in his face.

“You still think it’s more legit if the government knows about it, huh?” But she softens, because she knows what he’s actually trying to say, because of course she does. “I get it, baby. This is the real deal. In sickness and health, for better or for worse, and so forth. I’m not signing any paperwork, but you know we throw a good party. Let’s just do the fun parts. You down?”

It’s a very good party, and afterward she calls him “my husband” and they make plans to get rings. Later, if she’s tipsy and feels like teasing him, she calls him “my first husband,” and she laughs. Then she squeezes his face in her hands and gives him a kiss to make sure he understands that she’s only joking. He always knows she’s joking. He always lets her kiss him anyway.

***

Morgan spends a few days thinking she’s got food poisoning before realizing a stowaway has outwitted their precautions. Glenn’s always counted that as very good timing by Nicholas -  if that tricky little bastard shows up any earlier than he does, there’s no way Glenn even considers becoming a parent. But once they decide to go for it, it’s more fun than they’d have ever imagined. They build a lot of castles in the air together while they’re waiting to meet Nick. Glenn says he wants enough kids for a Partridge Family style band, and Morgan agrees as long as nobody plays the tambourine.

They discuss it endlessly, but finally decide a percussionist is the first priority. The closer the due date gets, the more it seems like their new bandmate agrees. Morgan grabs Glenn’s hand and puts it on her belly so he can feel the urgent kicks. “Check out this sick drum solo.”

Nick inherits his parents’ knack for knowing how to make an entrance. He’s so fashionably late that Morgan decides they should just party without him. It’s like ditching the friend who’s taking too long to get ready, except for the part where they can’t actually leave him behind. She and Glenn hit up their favorite venue that very night. The music thumps through their bodies like a pulse. The energy of the crowd makes them forget how long they’ve been waiting. And if anybody has any concerns about seeing a ridiculously pregnant woman dancing her heart out until her hair sticks to her face with sweat, they’re smart enough to keep their mouths shut.

Fear of missing out is apparently hardwired, and Nick graciously deigns to join them a few days later. Everything changes. Three a.m. feels a lot different when you know you’ll be awake again at 4:30, and 5, and probably 7, and maybe 8 for good measure, and…

“This new guy can’t hang,” Morgan mutters. She’s standing beside the bed, Nick tucked against her shoulder, patting his back and swaying. Glenn’s sitting up in bed, trying to stay awake out of solidarity, losing the battle.

“New guy is a lightweight,” he says. “And he’s pretty nasty. That dude does not know what a toilet is for.”

“Come on, man, get it together,” Morgan says softly to the fussing figure in her arms. “We can’t take you anywhere.” Baby Nick finally burps and spits up a little onto Morgan’s shirt. A few additional angry hiccups are all he can manage before he falls asleep.

“Did you hear that?” Morgan murmurs as she lowers him into the crib. “He said he was gonna fight me. Slow your roll, new guy, you aren’t ready for this heat.”

She collapses back onto the bed next to Glenn. “I’m bluffing. He’s kicking my ass.”

“Me too,” Glenn says, “but at least we outnumber him.” ***

***

Not long after Nick’s second birthday, Morgan notices that she’s a couple of days late. It’s not a big deal, it usually doesn’t mean anything. Glenn makes a joke about the Close Family Quartet, and Morgan says she’ll grab a test when she gets groceries that weekend. But whether their lead guitarist was about to debut or still waiting in the wings, she made an amateur mistake and left things a little too late. The band broke up first. That’s show business for you.

People always want to know what happened. Glenn never gets into details. They must make up their own pictures in their head: a rain-slick curve taken too fast, a semi truck jack-knifing across the highway. It makes more sense for something like that to happen when you already know you’re in danger.

It’s the middle of the day. He’s going maybe five over the speed limit, keeping pace with traffic. He’s not high or drunk or tired or even distracted. They’re just in the wrong place at the wrong time. A dog runs into the road, someone swerves to miss it, someone else tries to get out of their way. Barely a fender-bender, except that their car gets just enough of a push to end up in the intersection.

Early on, he thinks a lot about how a few seconds here and there could change things.

The dog runs into the street a little later, and then the oncoming traffic isn't trying to beat a yellow light.

The dog runs into the street a little earlier, and they drive home with a scraped bumper.

But that’s Bill’s half-assed way of thinking about it, and Glenn knows better. It’s true, it could have been different. It could have been much worse.

He drives a split second slower, and the other car meets theirs with a direct hit, crumpling the back seat as well as the front with far more force than Nick’s booster seat can deflect.

He drives a split second faster, and the clipped bumper spins them into the next lane, and he never makes it to the hospital at all, and Nick doesn’t have anybody left.

Glenn knows now what his dad was talking about in those grumbling laments. It’s like trying to put together two tracks that are just slightly out of sync. Where do you snip out a piece to make things fit right again? What if you’re already balanced on that tipping point with the fewest misfortunes and the most lucky breaks? What happens if you start messing with that?

He can’t second-guess. It happened the way it happened, and he’s still here, and Nick’s still here, so he still has a job to do. He’s going to be there for Nick the whole way, along for the ride, feeling like the luckiest son of a bitch alive because he gets to be here at all. It could have gone another way. Timing is everything.

[haruhey]

chronological thoughts of 11x14

- okay so i heard there were some good caryl scenes in this episode so please please PLEASE deliver because i had a bad day today

- omg we’re back to the carlson storyline yes pls

- they just let them turn holy shit

- his hair is so structured omg it’s kinda fire?

- MAGGIE AND AARON AND LYDIA YES YES YES

- oh and elijah but who rlly cares

- CARYL CARYL CARYL

- daryl said ‘hi! 🥰’ and carol really said ‘hey! 🥰🥰’

- carol looks so good in the red omg

- ITS A DATE HELLO?? HELLO???

- aw not him being clowned by rosita for his donut love

- no not that fucking asshole i hate him

- i hate even the look of him omg

- oh no daryl’s gonna get into some trouble and miss their date isnt he

- YES SLEUTHING GIVE ME THE SPY MOVIE SHIT I LOVE IT

- NEGANNNNNN

- wait am i lowkey a negan stan ??

- LYDIA ITS UR DAD

- HEY KIDDO???? HEY KIDDO??? IM LOSING MY SHIT

- that is such a shitty hiding place omg

- omg i love negan and annie’s friendship they’re so cute

- oh no i feel bad about this

- man fuck this prick i hate him

- you want CASH???

- YEAH BECAUSE YOU FUCKING DESERVED IT

- man fuck this guy so much FUCK THIS GUY

- DONT HURT THEIR KIDS

- YES DARYL YES DAD DARYL PROTECTIVE DARYL DAD DARYL IM LOSING MY SHIT GOD HES SO COOL

- I HATE THIS PRICK SO FUCKING MUCH

- assassination plot for this prick i don’t even know his name and i hate him

- did they send someone in there already omg

- THIS IS SO FUCKED UP

- OH MY GOD NEGAN AND ANNIE ARE MARRIED THEYRE NOT JUST FRIENDS OMG

- period lydia speak facts only

- NO THEY HAVE HERSHEL

- HES JUST A KID

- omg negan to the rescue

- omg annie’s pregnant

- oh my god why am i liking negan no no no no no i hate it here nooooo

- wait i kinda like annie’s perspective on negan

- negan please reflect on urself

- okay wait this episode is making me feel for negan

- i hope when he looks at hershel’s face he sees glenn and feels terrible

- OH MY GOD HERSHEL????

- NEGANNNNNNNN

- no no no no no no no no negan is genuinely sorry for what he did i hate this i hate him i hate him omg why do I FEEL BAD FOR HIM NOOO

- i feel like i’m going through an identity crisis rn omg

- DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL DARYL

- i have sUCH A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS

- BADASS DARYL

- daryl lowkey has bad form omg my decade of taekwondo and karate r cringing

- oh no oh no oh no

- JUST FUCKING CUT THE WIRE ROSITA HOLY SHIT

- get april to get the money omg daryl you guard the door

- oh god no not the gunshots

- MERCER AND CAROL SCREAMING CRYING SHAKING THROWING UP CUMMING PISSING SHITTING

- carol saving her bf <3

- gut up and go just fun date tingz for my middle aged parents <33

- someone hold bestie april’s hand omg she is literally going THROUGH it rn

- THEY ARE SO FUCKING COOL

- omg no i thought they were gonna show rosita bit omg

- daryl has 0 guts on him omg

- omg how convenient for maggie and annie to overhear

- oh no oh no oh no

- is carlson drinking

- oh god oh my god oh god

- I TOLD YOU IT WAS A SHIT HIDING PLACE

- decoy decoy decoy

- oh yeah its that specific effect where, as a character gets progressively more insane, their hair gets messier so we as the audience can understand where they are mentally as of this moment

- yes slay everyone

- YES THATS WHAT HE DESERVED

- YES EVERYONE ELSE EAT HIM EAT HIM EAT HIM

- periodt

- its kinda evil but like slay

- woah woah woah woah woah mercer okay slay ig

- why do daryl and i have the SAME HAIR this is so camp

- I CAN ALREADY FEEL THE STORYLINE COMING WHERE MERCER TURNS ON THE COMMONWEALTH

- why dont u just like… kill sebastian idk that prick needs to GO

- I FUCKING HATE HIM IM GONNA GO ON A RANT NOW BECAUSE I ATTEND A PREDOMINANTLY MALE PROGRAM AND I MEET GUYS LIKE THIS ALL THE FUCKING TIME AND THEY ACT AS IF THEY DESERVE THE BEST AND THAT THEY OWN EVERY SPACE THEY WALK INTO WHILE I LITERALLY QUESTION MY WORTH EVERY TIME I MAKE EVEN THE SMALLEST MISTAKE AS IF I HAVENT WORKED HARD TO GET TO WHERE I AM AND IM NOT ATTENDING THIS SCHOOL ON SCHOLARSHIPS I WORKED MY ASS OFF GETTING LIKE PEOPLE LIKE SEBASTIAN LITERALLY MAKE MY BLOOD FUCKING BOIL

- anyways wistem

- omg carol carol carol carol

- hornsby was in on it omg

- fucking loan sharks stfu

- literally miss me with this system bullshit this is why people wanted to fuck the government in the first place THIS IS HOW PEOPLE REVOLT YOU FUCKING I D I O T S

- yes carol yes girlboss gaslight him

- carol fr is not into this

- i love it when carol manipulates yes i love it when women do bad things

- omg negan and hershel wwe fight to the death colosseum gladiator style

- not another fucking group guys i cannot deal with this istg if another group gets introduced im gonna lose it

- unless its that one group that rick is in?? MAYBE??

- ooo flashback

- IS IT PEOPLE WHO GOT EXILED FROM COMMONWEALTH MAYBE??

- oh fuck off its leah

- oooo we finally got to the maggie daryl beef

- honestly if i was daryl and grew up the way daryl grew up (EVEN IF I DIDNT) and ultimately fell into being the gaurdian of my BEST FRIENDS’ kids, i would put a knife up to that fucker’s neck too if he threatened them like wtf that’s such a shitty thing to do

- i keep forgetting how shiny gabriel’s little head is

- im sorry i really dislike leah im not excited

[masterofmunson]

all i ask of you (4)

Harry Styles x Fem!Reader Broadway AU

Summary: You’re forced to work with your famous ex boyfriend on Broadway.

Word Count: 6.1k+

Warnings: language, drinking, drama, cliff hanger!

Author’s Note: woohoo! i’m back baby! so sorry for the long delay of part four of the story. please tell me what you think! reblogs, comments, and asks are encouraged and appreciated <3

Jane nearly tramples you as the two of you make it out of the basketball arena with your college diplomas in hand. You laugh and hold on to her tightly as you walk through the arena to the front doors where you know your entire family is waiting. 

“We did it! We graduated college!” Jane shouts. 

“I know! Can you believe it?” you ask her. It had been a long and hard four years for the both of you. You constantly questioned if it was worth it. People always doubted you. They didn’t believe you could have a promising career with a Music and Theater degree. It didn’t matter if you had prospects on Broadway in the near future. No one but your closest family and friends believed in you. 

You walk out the front doors and eagerly search for your family. Jane tugs on your arm, finding your families first. You hurry over to your mother and brothers, hugging them tightly in a group hug. Your oldest brother, Garrett, lifts you off the ground into a tight embrace. You laugh and cling to him before your family friend Glenne tackles you for a hug. 

It surprises you that she’s here for your graduation. You knew she’d been invited, but you hadn’t expected her or her boyfriend to come. It makes you slightly upset that they took the time to come celebrate your accomplishments with you, but your boyfriend Harry couldn’t. You understood why, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. He wanted to be as private about your relationship as possible, even though he could’ve still come to support you as one of your closest friends. No one would ever know that the two of you were dating if Jeff and Glenne were around.

“What are you doing here?!” you laugh as Jeff kisses your cheek and hugs you tightly. “I told you that you didn’t have to come!”

“Nonsense!” Glenne shouts with a growing smile. “We wouldn’t miss this for the world, and we brought a surprise with us!”

Your eyebrows pinch together as you stare at her. What surprise? Your loud mouth baby brother surely would’ve spoiled it for you. “What do you mean?” 

There’s a soft tap on your shoulder and Glenne smirks nodding her head at the person standing behind you. Jane gasps in surprise as she stands between her dad and sister. 

You spin around and your eyes meet those of your handsome, rockstar boyfriend. You gasp and he grins, taking you in his arms. You cling to him and he secretly presses a kiss behind your ear. 

“You said you couldn’t come,” you whisper in his ear as he holds you. 

“I would never miss my girl’s biggest accomplishment, even if it means I’d have to hold off from kissing her until we're in private,” he answers back sweetly, making your insides all warm and fuzzy. 

…. 

On opening night, you made the executive decision to let bygones be bygones. You wanted the show to succeed, regardless of how you felt towards Harry. Everything is water under the bridge. You’ve moved on. You’ve healed. You’re a different person now than you were four years ago. At least that��s what you’ve convinced yourself. 

So as a sign of good faith and a step towards the right direction, you went to your favorite coffee shop and bought Harry a coffee and bagel for breakfast. You had a good feeling about tonight. You always do when it comes to opening night. It doesn’t matter how nervous you are. 

Keying into the back entrance of the theater, you open the door and walk down the hall into yours and Harry’s shared dressing room. The door is already open and the lights are on which tells you that Harry’s inside. You take a deep breath before stepping into the threshold of the room. 

What you don’t expect are the amount of visitors this early in the morning. The first person you recognize is Kendall. You know you shouldn’t be surprised that she’s here. They were together before you were with Harry and are still friends. It never sat right with you while you were dating, but you never told him that. You were too busy falling in love with him. 

Then you recognize his sister and his mom. You’d only met them a handful of times, while you were still friends and when you were dating. They’re lovely women and you liked spending time with Gemma whenever she visited. There’s a few others sitting on the couch when you realize they’re a part of his band. 

It’s silent when you stand at the door. They’re all staring at you and you feel like you can’t breathe. This wasn’t how you wanted to start your day, especially today of all days. Right now isn’t a good time to give his friends and family a tour of the place, especially when curtain call is 10 hours from now. 

Harry moves to approach you from his spot next to his mother. You immediately exit the room and walk down the hall away from prying eyes and ears. Harry gently places a hand on your shoulder, causing you to spin around and face him. You recoil from his touch and shove the food and drink you bought him in his hands. 

“Here,” you say. “Consider this my olive branch.”

Harry murmurs your name gently. “Listen, I had no idea this many people were coming to the show and wanted a tour of the place beforehand. I didn’t know Kendall was coming. I’d gotten the okay from Frank and it was Jeff’s idea—”

You interrupt him with a bitter laugh and shake your head at him. “Right, because nothing is ever your fault. Whatever, Harry. I don’t care. Invite whoever you want, I don’t give a shit. Stop acting like you feel the need to run things by me. I’m not your girlfriend. Just do what you want and leave me alone,” you snap at him. You walk into Aaron’s dressing room and shut the door loudly behind you. 

Harry frowns, staring at the empty hallway before walking back to the dressing room with the bagel and coffee in his hands. He avoids the shocked looks directed at him as he enters the room, especially from Gemma and his mother. He tries to pretend not to notice. 

“Jesus, Harry,” Gemma chastised him. “Why didn’t you tell us you were in a show with your ex girlfriend? Especially considering how things ended!”

Anne gently slaps her eldest in the arm. “Now’s not the time, Gem,” Anne answers for her son. “He needs to focus and we should all leave. It’s unfair to the rest of the cast to be a distraction, including Y/n. I’m sure seeing all of us just scared her.”

“That’s painfully obvious.” 

Everyone leaves the room and exits the theater, leaving Harry alone. He sighs, sitting down in his chair. He runs a hand through his hair and groans in frustration. He’s so sick and tired of messing things up with you. Harry understands why you’re so cold and hostile towards him. He knows he deserves it. 

Having his family, friends, and even Kendall in the dressing room scared you. He knows that but did it anyway. You don’t know what he told them when your relationship ended. Did he put the blame all on you? Did he make you the bad guy? The aforementioned crazy ex girlfriend never to speak of? Knowing how terrible of a boyfriend he was to you at the end of your relationship, he probably did. 

Harry reaches for the cup of coffee you bought him. He takes a gentle sip and hums in approval. Even though it’s been several years, you still know that he takes his coffee black. You always teased him about it and called him grandpa as a result. He thought it was sweet. 

He pulls the bagel out of the paper wrapping and takes a bite. You remembered his favorite bagel too, even after all these years. Even after all the things he did. There’s just some things you don’t forget, no matter how small. 

In Aaron’s dressing room, you finally reveal the true nature of your relationship with Harry to him. Jane couldn’t contain her smirk or laughter as you rant about your famous ex boyfriend. 

“Wait, what?!” Aaron shouts, shaking his head at you in disbelief. “Your ex boyfriend, the ex boyfriend that made you choose between him or Broadway is Harry? Harry Styles thought he could make you choose him over your career?”

“Yes, Aaron,” you say for the umpteenth time. “I know it’s a shock that the Harry Styles is and was an asshole considering what his brand is.”

Your co-star frowns in response. He stops pacing the room and takes a seat beside you on the couch. He takes your hand and gives it a firm squeeze. 

“I’m sorry you had to go through that.”

You nod your head in response before sipping at your coffee. “It’s okay. It’s history now. I’m over it, and despite what happened, I forgave him. I know in my heart that he’s a different person now than he was when we were together but he just made me realize that I shouldn’t be with someone who isn’t willing to put in the work or compromise to be happy. Maybe that’s why I’ve been single ever since,” you laugh, leaning into him. 

There’s a soft knock at the door, causing you to sit up. Aaron shouts that the door is open and Harry pokes his head in. He laughs nervously and scratches the back of his neck. Both Aaron and Jane glare at him. 

“What do you want, Harry?” Jane snaps at him, standing up from her spot on the couch. She puts herself between you and the door, blocking you from his view. 

“I just need to talk to Y/n. I have something for her,” Harry answers, peering over Jane to look at you. 

You sigh and stand up from your spot on the couch. You pull Jane away from the door and walk out of Aaron’s room without a word spoken to Harry. You return to your shared dressing room without anyone else inside. Harry trails behind, shutting the door. Taking a seat at your makeup table, you watch Harry carefully pick up a bouquet of beautiful lilies in a glass vase. He sets them on your table and you smell the flowers immediately. 

“I know I keep messing things up between us. I say something stupid and I do things without thinking. I’ve been incredibly selfish and despite the fact you want nothing to do with me, you’re still helping me because you want the show to be a success regardless. I’m really sorry and I also wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done,” Harry apologizes with a gentle, sincere smile. 

You swallow hard. You hadn’t expected him to apologize. Knowing he planned to apologize with a bouquet of flowers that symbolize forgiveness twists something inside of you. You don’t know what it is exactly, but it feels good. It’s a step in the right direction. 

You laugh softly. Despite not seeing each other since the break up, you and Harry still seem to be in tune with one another. Of course he would get you flowers, a personal favorite of yours, on the day you bring him breakfast. Some things are harder to break than others. 

“What?” 

“It’s just funny to me that even after all these years, we’re still in sync. You brought flowers for me on the same day I brought coffee for you. I guess some habits are harder to break than others,” you answer softly. 

Harry laughs too and the room falls silent. “Thank you, though, for the apology. I understand that you’re just excited. I was too. All I wanted to do was introduce my family to the cast and show the sets when they flew out to watch me in Cats for the first time,” you tell him, rubbing your hands on the top of your thighs. You bite the inside of your cheek and Harry winces the moment the words leave your mouth. You shouldn’t have brought it up. 

When you started your career on Broadway in Cats, it had only been two and a half months since the messy breakup with Harry. You had blocked his number, but you were too afraid to do anything else normal couples would when they broke up. You didn’t want his fans to figure out or piece together scenarios if you unfollowed him on social media or deleted the photos you had together off your profiles. As far as they knew, you were only mutual friends because of Glenne, Harry’s manager’s girlfriend. Jane took you out drinking for a week straight after the break up to try and cheer you up. 

“Sorry,” you mumble, “I didn’t mean to mention it like that, only that I was just excited as you are now.”

“Yeah, I know,” he says quietly. 

You cough and quickly change the subject. “You should definitely invite your family and friends to the after show after party. I’m not sure if anyone’s told you yet but we always have a massive party after the premier of a show. It’s always at The Plaza and it’s all for the publicity for the hotel and luxury sponsorships so the cast spends the night free of charge. It’s a lot of fun.”

“Aaron told me about it yesterday,” Harry confirms, nodding his head. “I already gave them invites.”

“Sweet.”

There’s a sharp knock on the door before it’s pushed open. One of the photographers, Trevor, steps inside. You smile warmly at him and hug him quickly. 

“Hey, sorry to interrupt. Frank wants cast photos before everyone starts to get busy with vocal warm ups, hair, make up, and costume changes,” Trevor tells the two of you. He shakes Harry’s hand and introduces himself. 

You nod your head and Trevor holds his camera up to his face. You pose, grinning at him as he takes a photo of you. He takes a quick glance at it. 

“Absolutely stunning,” he says before leaving the room. 

You leave the room first and Harry follows close behind. You make a quick stop to Aaron’s dressing room and link your arm with Jane’s as you walk to the stage. Walking through the curtain, you and Jane move to the front of the stage and take a seat on the floor. 

The rest of the cast walks on stage as a group of photographers move to the front. Everyone squeezes together for a variety of photos. Harry and Aaron join you and Jane on the floor in the front. Frank points to the small space left between you and Harry. 

“Get closer,” Frank directs the two of you. Harry glances over at you before inching closer. He carefully places his arm around your torso. It makes your heart stop. 

The photographers take a number of photos before Frank dismisses the cast except for you, Harry, and Aaron. Harry’s careful to touch you as they take photos of the two of you. Trevor looks out from his camera lens. 

“Aaron and Harry, kiss Y/n on the cheek!” he says. 

“I dunno—”

“It’s fine, Harry,” you interrupt with a gentle smile. 

Harry’s mouth touches your skin and you hold your breath as Trevor captures the photo with Aaron and Harry pressing their mouths to your face. They pull away and you scratch the back of your neck bashfully before returning to your room. 

Kelly, your assigned hair and makeup artist, enters your dressing room a few minutes later. You hug her tightly and the gorgeous redhead laughs. She sets her kit on the table. Mandi, the costume coordinator enters the room and makes a beeline towards the hanger rack with the dresses. 

Kelly helps you secure your hair in a wig cap before gently placing the wig of Christine’s gorgeous, long, curls on your head. She moves it in place and teases up the loose strands. She pins it to the cap and it looks as if the hair is your own. It’s your favorite part of becoming Christine. 

Harry arrives a few minutes after Kelly starts working on your stage makeup. Zoe and Bridget work with him on hair, make up, and his costume at his table. Music plays softly in the background as the two of you get ready side by side. You sing along softly and ignore Harry’s gentle gaze. 

He’s always been terrible at trying to hide the way he looks at you, even now. 

Mandi helps you change into the first costume Christine wears for the first few scenes. Despite the fact that you’ve grown so used to the costumes, changing into them, especially with Harry close by makes you feel weird. 

You continue your vocal warm ups and drink water as Kelly works on your makeup. You’re careful to relax your eyes and face as she works on your foundation and eyeshadow. 

The dressing room door is pushed open and Trevor reappears with your manager trailing behind. He takes behind the scenes photos of you and Harry getting ready for curtain call. 

“I have your dress for the after party,” Gretchen, your manager tells you, side eyeing Harry from her spot on the couch. “I’ll bring it inside when the show’s over.”

“Sweet, thanks, Gretchen,” you tell her. 

“There’ll also be journalists and reporters at the after party red carpet, so you’re more than welcome to speak to them. Talk about the show, how you felt it went, whatever.”

You hum in response as Kelly lightly applies lip gloss to your mouth. You keep your eyes closed when you hear Jeff come inside and greet Harry. They talk quietly and Jeff tells him what kind of questions to expect at the red carpet. You’re guessing it has to do with you, knowing that the gossip columnists will more than likely ask about what it’s like working with Harry since they only knew that you’ve met in the past. They don’t have a clue that you and Harry used to date. They care more about linking Harry to any woman he knows rather than his music or other accomplishments. 

“You look absolutely gorgeous,” Kelly compliments you. 

You grin and wink at her. “It’s ‘cos I have you to make me look all pretty,” you say. It makes her laugh. 

“When you and Harry are done getting ready, I wanted to take photos of the two of you in costume if that’s okay,” Trevor says, snapping photos of you and Harry at your respective makeup tables. 

You nod your head and Harry does the same. You hop off the makeup chair and take a sip of water before leaving the dressing room to the stage. Trevor follows behind before you pose for photos in character until Harry’s done getting into costume. You start some vocal warm ups in the meantime as you wait for him to join you on the stage. Jane appears in costume and starts her vocal warm up with you. Trevor takes photos of the two of you together as you sing and dance with your best friend. 

Harry appears on stage with Jeff and Gretchen behind him. You glance over at him and you swallow hard. You try not to think of how handsome he looks in costume. His hair is parted down the middle and the costume fits him perfectly. Your eyes meet his briefly as he approaches you. He leans forward and presses an unexpected kiss to your temple. You cough uncomfortably when you hear Trevor’s camera click, capturing the image. 

“How cute,” he says, smiling at the two of you. You fake a smile and bite the inside of your cheek. “Harry, can you hold Y/n like you’re dancing with her and dip her close to the floor? I want to catch the intimate relationship Christine and Raoul have with each other.”

He nods and you turn to face each other. You carefully wrap your arms around his neck and his hands settle on your waist. You slowly dance with each other and your heart starts to race. Harry’s hands slide to your upper back as he dips you down towards the floor. You cling to him as you feel yourself start to fall. He laughs softly as your noses touch and a loose curl of his touches your face. It makes your heart stop. You hear the camera click before Harry gently pulls you up. You take a step away from him to put space between the two of you. 

“Fantastic, thanks,” Trevor says, quickly looking at the photos he captured before running off the stage, leaving you, Jane, and Harry on stage. 

“I’m going to go decompress before curtain call,” you say to no one in particular before hurrying off to one of the practice rooms. You shut the door behind you and let out a loud breath of air you were holding in. 

You settle on the piano bench and rest your fingers gently on the keys. You press the keys softly as the music fills the room. You sing quietly and don’t hear the door open until you see Jeff out of the corner of your eye approaching you at the piano. You turn to face him. 

“Hey, I just wanted to wish you good luck before curtain call. Harry said you’d be in here,” he says. 

Your hands drop from the piano and into your lap. You move to the end of the bench to make room for him. He sits down next to you. 

“Thanks. Now why are you really here?” you ask with a soft laugh. 

Jeff laughs too and shakes his head. “Nothing gets past you, huh?” 

“You’re Harry’s manager, Jeff. It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why you’d come and talk to me without Harry if there’s something that concerns you about your client and their image.” 

“I just want to warn you about possible gossip columnists. They’ll try to link you to Harry regardless of what either of you say. They’ll ask incredibly intrusive questions and—”

“Jeff, I know,” you interrupt him. “Only a select few know that Harry and I dated and they know better than to say anything to anyone. I know how to handle it. I’m not a crazy ex girlfriend.”

“I know.”

You stand up from the piano bench and rub out the wrinkles of your dress. “Then don’t worry about it. Harry’s image is still safe. Can you imagine the uproar if his fans found out how terrible of a boyfriend he was to me? They’d somehow make it my fault.”

You leave the practice room and return to your dressing room. You finally have the chance to relax without Harry looking over your shoulder and staring at you.  

“They’re starting to let the audience in,” Jane comes to tell you with less than two hours to spare until the show starts. 

You thank her quietly and lightly touch up on your makeup before walking around back to try and find Harry. You find him with the makeup artists that are putting on the beard for the opening scene. You laugh softly from behind and he turns to look at you. 

“At least it makes you older,” you tease. 

“Sexy, right?” Harry asks. 

You nod your head. “Oh, yeah, definitely,” you pause and scratch at your hand. “I just wanted to wish you good luck.”

Harry stares at you, surprised that you’d go out of your way to wish him good luck on his first opening night in his first Broadway show. He smiles at you. 

“Thank you, darling.”

You ignore the twist inside your stomach. 

….

Adrenaline is racing through you as you hear the orchestra start. From behind stage, you watch the dancers and ensemble cast move on stage. You trail behind Jane and the rest of the dancers as you dance on stage. 

Your muscle memory kicks in and you become Christine. You move across the stage as Christine. You sing as Christine. 

As the show progresses and as you change in and out of costumes, you get closer and closer to All I Ask of You. 

Off stage, you quickly change into another one of Christine’s gorgeous dresses. You run on stage and Harry’s not too far behind. You grab at his shoulders as the music starts and the two of you begin singing. 

The two of you move together perfectly on stage and his touch lingers. It makes your heart race as you approach the lyric right before you’re supposed to kiss him. 

“Say you love me,” you sing to him as Harry reaches to hold your face. Harry smiles gently and brushes a stray curl out of your face. 

“You know I do,” Harry sings back to you. Your hands squeeze each other’s tightly and you take a careful breath inward as Harry leans in to kiss you. 

The music roars in your ears as his mouth meets yours. You cling to him as Harry spins you around the stage with your mouths still together in a loving, passionate kiss between Christine and Raoul. 

The audience cheers when the song finishes and you kiss Harry two more times before the curtains close for intermission. You quickly run off stage with the rest of the ensemble cast and change into a new dress before running to the bathroom. Kelly is hot on your heels and helps you with the overflowing fabric before you hurry back to your dressing room for her to touch up on the wig and your makeup. 

Harry returns to the dressing room and Zoe and Bridget touch up his hair and stage makeup, quickly fastening the microphone in the right place. He takes a few gentle sips of water and watches you sit back against your chair as Kelly fixes the fallen curls on the wig before placing the crown on top of your head. 

The five minute warning bell rings and both you and Harry hurry back to the stage. You shake out your nerves. There’s only 45 minutes left of the show. It’s okay. You can do this. 

Harry reaches for your hand and you nearly pull away when you realize you have to hold his hand as you go on stage. He squeezes your hand tightly before leading you on stage. 

Music rings throughout the theater. Harry holds you securely as you dance and go through the scene. 

Time flies and before you know it, you kissed Harry for the last time on stage for the night before curtain call. The last song fades out and the audience begins to clap and cheer for the cast and crew. 

Harry’s hand leaves yours as he goes for his curtain call. The audience screams and claps in admiration for him, of course. He’s Harry Styles for crying out loud! 

Then it’s your turn to run out and bow in front of the audience. You take great pride in knowing that the audience was significantly louder for you than for Harry, and he’s the superstar. 

Once the curtains close, you reach for Harry. You squeeze his hand and give him a hug. “You did amazing, Harry,” you compliment. “Congrats on finishing your first Broadway show.”

He grins at you. “Thank you. That means the world to me coming from you.”

You smile again and the two of you walk together towards your shared dressing room. Kelly and Mandi are talking with the women in charge of Harry’s makeup, hair, and costume when the two of you arrive. Kelly and Mandi both give you congratulatory hugs before you settle down in your chair. 

Kelly quickly and carefully takes the wig off your head and sets it down. She works with the wig cap and unclasps the pins to your hair. She takes it off and you sigh in relief, leaning back in the chair as she combs through your hair. 

You take off your stage makeup in record time. You feel like your pores can actually breathe now. 

“Here’s your dress!” Gretchen exclaims, entering the room. You gently take it from her and gasp. It’s a gorgeous black dress with beautiful lace and embroidered flowers of a variety of colors. 

Kelly helps you change into the dress and fixes your hair. Jane comes into the room wearing a yellow dress. She grins and steps to the side. You scream excitedly when your brothers step into the room. 

You tackle the two of them into a hug. They laugh and Gretchen chastises you. “Don’t ruin the dress!”

“What’re you doing here? Mom said you were busy, especially with Molly!” you tell them as you stare at your brothers. 

“And miss your premier? No way,” Garrett laughs as your sister in law comes into view with your three year old niece in her arms. 

“Auntie!” Molly shouts, reaching for you. You immediately take her in your arms and shower her with tickles and kisses. “You look like and sing like a princess!”

“Thank you, baby,” you tell her. “I missed you so much. I’m so happy you’re here with your mommy and daddy.”

“Me too!”

Jeff walks in with Glenne and Harry’s suit in his arms. You scratch at your arm and Garrett glares at Jeff and Harry. Your little brother Nolan does the same and they cross their arms over their chest. You didn’t anticipate having to put yourself between your brothers and Harry. 

“Garrett, Nolan, you remember Harry,” you introduce them to each other once more. 

“How could we forget,” Nolan responds bitterly. You glare at him as Molly clings to your neck. “Nice job, though.”

Harry smiles uncomfortably and you hand Molly back over to your brother. You quickly say your goodbyes to your family before they leave the theater for the hotel. You gather your things together as Harry changes into a pink suit. 

“Gretchen and I think that the two of you should arrive at the after party red carpet together,” Jeff tells you and Harry. “Y’know, since you’re playing love interests. It would create good publicity.”

Your eyebrows crease together in confusion as you stare at Jeff. “I thought you didn’t want the columnists to speculate? If they found out that we have history, they’ll have a field day. They’ll do anything to try and link us together as a couple.” 

“That’s not the reason why I think you should go together. Just show them that you get along with each other off stage. Some are starting to speculate a strained off stage relationship between the two of you,” Jeff replies. 

You scoff and roll your eyes at him. Of course they are. Jeff doesn’t want to make it seem like Harry is hard to work with or a diva. It’s all about protecting his image. “Fine.”

The two of you leave the dressing room together and walk out the back door where the limousine driver was waiting. Screams immediately reach your ears the moment you and Harry step out of the theater together. Cameras flash at the two of you and you’re immediately sent into a daze. You stumble back into Harry and he carefully guides you to the vehicle. His hand finds yours as he blocks the cameras from your view. 

He opens the door for you and you climb inside. He quickly shuts the door and you carefully pull your hand out of his grasp and set it on your lap. The driver pulls out of the alley and takes you and Harry to The Plaza Hotel for the after party. 

“Is it always like that when you leave places?” you ask after a few minutes of silence on the road. “Fans screaming at you and people taking photos of whoever you’re with?”

“Yeah, I suppose. I’m used to it though. ‘M sorry you had to go through that. It can be overwhelming if you’re not used to it,” he answers. 

You hum and fall into another awkward silence. You arrive at the hotel ten minutes later and the driver opens the door. Harry gets out first and screaming fills your ears again. He reaches into the car and holds out his hand for you. You hesitantly take his hand and he squeezes it reassuringly. 

He helps you out of the car and shuts the door behind you. His hand wraps around your torso and you momentarily forget that he’s your ex boyfriend. The feeling of his hand settling on your waist feels strangely comfortable, almost as if you’ve missed the feeling. You swallow hard and one of the event workers guides the two of you to the start of the red carpet. You walk on together and pose for the photographers until you’re pulled away for individual shots and interviews.  

“You were absolutely fabulous tonight, Y/n!” a reporter compliments you. “How does it feel to work with someone like Harry? Is it any different than when you shared the stage with John?”

“Thank you!” you grin at her. “It was definitely intimidating at first, considering his level of fame and stardom, but he just wants to be treated like everyone else. I have to help him here and there since he’s new to Broadway, but he’s a fast learner.”

It goes like that for a while. Reporters compliment you and then immediately ask you what it’s like to work beside Harry. Now your own accomplishments are being overshadowed by his stardom. It bitterly reminds you of the break up. 

When you make it inside the hotel and into the ballroom, you make a beeline for the bar and order a Jack and Coke. You find your seat beside Jane and you cheers before taking a generous sip of your drink. Harry doesn’t join you until dinner starts.  

Everyone at the table makes small talk as you eat when Kendall takes the empty seat next to Harry. Great. Just what you needed. Kendall says her hello’s before she turns her attention back on to Harry. You nudge Jane under the table when you realize that she’s glaring at her. 

You stand up and head to the bar to get more drinks. You just wanted the after party to go by as fast as possible. You don’t want to be near Harry, and you certainly don’t want to be near Kendall. You return to the table and Harry leans towards you. 

“What?” you ask him. 

“Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Harry. Just leave it alone,” you mumble. 

He looks like he wants to argue, but lets it go. He knows better than to start a fight with you when Jane won’t hesitate to cause a scene. 

Music starts and Jane grabs your hand, pulling you to the dance floor. You drink, laugh, and dance together. You don’t notice Harry watching you. 

After some time, you and Jane are both drunk on the dance floor. You can’t seem to control your giggles as you sing and dance. You stumble towards your table when Harry catches you before you fall. 

“You okay?” he asks, helping you to your feet. He pushes hair out of your face. 

You smile drunkenly and nod. “Perfect, H,” you answer, swaying on your feet as Harry struggles to keep you up straight. 

He laughs. “You’ve had too much to drink, darling. Let’s get you to your room.”

You pout, whining at him. “No! I’m having fun. Leave me alone!”

Harry gently guides you to your dinner table and grabs your bag. He helps you out of the ballroom and into the hotel elevator. Your head rests on his shoulder. 

“Why are you helping me?” you ask him softly. Your warm breath hits his skin and it makes him shiver. 

Harry shrugs. “I dunno…. I think there’s always going to be a part of me that always wants to look out for you. I think that’s why.”

You hum and the elevator doors slide open. You step out, holding Harry’s hand as you walk to your room. He fishes through your bag for the room key. 

“Harry?”

“Yeah?”

The door clicks open and he tugs you inside. “I think there’ll always be a part of me that always wants to be with you, despite how things ended between us,” you confess drunkenly, sitting on the bed. 

Harry stares at you with wide eyes and your eyes linger on his lips. Your hand reaches for his tie and you tug him towards you.

Without a second thought, you kiss him. 

[wanderingguest]

a few reminders about my muses:

anna cannot have kids, physically. any kids would have to be heavily plotted and would not be her biological kids.

bucky is also infertile. this is a hard limit for me. he cannot make babies.

steve can have babies, but he does not want them. he doesn’t think his life is right for kids. he used to kind of want a family, but that was because he thought it was what he was supposed to want.

shuri has no desire to be a mother. she wants to be a scientist. and a good black panther. but not a mother.

okoye does want chidlren, but lbr, she’s mad as fuck at w’kabi still.

sam wants a family, very much so. he loves his nephews. his only real reservations are that he’s now captain america and that could be hard on kids.

helmut had a family. he doesn’t want another one. ever.

red skull has a daughter. but please do not ask me to have him make other children. the idea makes my fucking skin crawl. just. no.

tony has reservations about being a dad. he wants kids, wants to be a good dad, but it makes him nervous, too. and yes, morgan will be a thing for anyone who writes morgan.

fitz wants ALL THE CHILDREN. even if his child annoyed the fuck out of him in the future.

homelander does have a son. homelander will not be having any other children. full stop. he’s a terrible person. just no way, no how.

waller does like kids, believe it or not. but men get on her nerves, lol.

alex has a son. he wouldn’t mind more kids, but uh...he’s not a good dad.

bobbie has no desire for curtain climbers. she avoids them. a lot.

prax loves his daughter, but he doesn’t think he’d ever want another. mei is enough for him.

mei...is an actual child. pls don’t.

usnavi wants a ridiculously large family. though he’d be hard pressed to see that happening with anyone other than vanessa.

glenn always wanted kids. he loves kids. in the zombie apocalypse, though, it does worry him.

the countess (elizabeth march) DOES NOT EVER NEED CHILDREN OMFG.

killian wouldn’t mind being a dad. i have a few verses where he’s a dad. but uh...he’s also fucking captain hook.

newt...isn’t much for kids. he doesn’t mind the idea of teaching them, but babies of his own? he has more than enough fur babies, thanks.

thomas is also a child. like, he may be 18-25 depending, but the dude lives in a weird world where children were put into a maze. that he helped create. he doesn’t want any friggin’ kids.

father mike...is....a catholic priest....

poseidon is...fucking poseidon? like. he has kids everywhere. ffs. 

triton? loves his wife. he doesn’t want babies with anyone else. sorry.

ronnie/ghost is a spy and absolutely out of his mind. like...jfc. please don’t try to have kids with ronnie.

leto is not the kind of man to have a ton of children. many of the dukes were, but he’s very particular. and his love for jessica would preclude a lot of babies from happening with anyone else.

duncan...eeehhhh. he’s very loyal to the atreides family and he’s a swordmaster. kids are pretty low on the agenda. like...REALLY low.

[baseballbitch116]

Stay At Camp(1.2)

Your Walking Dead - Daryl Dixon Interactive Love Story

Introduction: Follow along on your journey with Daryl and the others throughout the series... You choose your actions... Will you end up with Daryl? YOU have the power to decide that!

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x reader

Setting: Atlanta camp - before Rick has joined (S1E2-3)

Word Count: 3263

Series Warnings: Gore, violence, strong language, potentially triggering content, sexual themes, death, mentions of drug/alcohol consumption and abuse...

Chapter Warnings: Violence, gore, death, strong language, angst,

A/N: I’d just like to note that I used a lot of true dialogue from the show, which does not belong to me; however, Y/N and the rest of the writing does.

Masterlist

Send Me A Request! | Series Masterlist

“What’s going on?” You ask Glenn as he passes you. “Going on a run. Wanna come?” He asks, stopping and turning to look at you.

You had never gone with them on a run before, what exactly do you do? Would you just get in the way? But then again, you’ve been wanting to find a way to pull your weight… What should you do?

~~~

“Uhh, nah... I’ll stay back.” You respond with uncertainty. You feel slightly guilty, but you just don’t think that you’re ready to go out there just yet. Glenn nods and shoots you a reassuring smile before turning and heading toward the others. With a sigh, you head the opposite way to help out with some cleaning.

Your mind is preoccupied for most of the remainder of the day, wandering between your insecurities or fears, sometimes to different terrible scenarios that could be taking place on that run. Trying to keep yourself busy was the only was that you managed to stay sane - so that was what you did. You helped Amy clean and gut the fish her and her sister caught earlier in the day, tidied up the RV, helped Shane gather firewood, asked Carol to try to teach you how to sew, and even assisted the kids with homework - seeing as you were recently graduated from college with a degree in education.

The day drug by slowly, but eventually the sun set and everyone gathered around the fire Shane set up in to eat. It was a simple meal of canned beans and canned soup, each of you getting small portions in order to feed everyone. You sat beside Amy as you spooned at your food, listening to Dale explain his reasoning behind adjusting his watch every morning. You lent against the log that the others sat on, not overly concerned with dirtying your shorts, as you and the women wash clothes every morning.

This certainly wasn’t a meal that you would have eaten a few weeks ago - not only did beans and soup not go together, but you really steered clear of the weird mushy food. You wished you had a nice cheeseburger or bowl of Fettuccine right now - but that was a luxury that no longer existed. It was not easy to cook meals in a pot over a fire, with minimal ingredients and two dozen people to feed.

You chuckle as Dale finishes his story, taking one more spoonful of the beans into your mouth as you listen to the others speak. Your eyes wandered to Carol and her family gathered around their own smaller fire off to the side - grimacing at the sight. You liked Carol and Sophia a lot - but Ed was another story. The man wanted nothing to do with the rest of the group, contributed less than nothing, and was very obviously abusive toward his wife. You also took notice of the fact that once again, Daryl was not here.

Typically, Daryl would bring back whatever he killed, cook it up and take his plate off to his tent to eat alone. You had not seen him eat alongside the rest of the group before, it made you curious. Why did he insist on being alone? Today, he was still out hunting, having only returned for an hour or so earlier before heading back into the woods. You couldn’t help but worry - he was alone in the woods in the night. Still, it wasn’t your place to worry. The man had probably spoken a total of two words to you since meeting him - if that - you were by no means friends.

You are drawn out of your thoughts when you spot Shane standing up, approaching Ed and Carol over at their fire. Some of the group watch as the others try to mind their business as Shane asks Ed to keep the fire low, so they can’t be seen from far away. You clench your spoon as you see the man tell Carol to remove the log that he just tossed into the fire - watching as Shane stomps it out and thanks Carol, bidding her and Sophia a good night. You liked Shane - he was a pretty good guy to lead this group.

-

The next day goes by relatively the same as the one before, with the exception that the others never returned from the run. Typically, they would be gone from morning until close to sun down, which worried everyone immensely. Amy was panicking and demanding that they go out to try to find her sister, but Shane refused. You could see both sides, feeling bad for Amy but understanding Shane’s reasoning. You tried to reassure her that they were probably fine, but the younger girl wouldn’t hear any of it.

Not long before sundown, you heard the sound of an alarm blaring through the hills. Shane jumped up from where he sat cleaning his shotgun, Lori pausing in trimming Carl’s hair as she followed after him. You tried to spot where the sound was coming from, but you could not see anything. “Talk to me Dale!” Shane shouts at the older man on watch atop the RV. He is looking out with binoculars, trying to pin point what was approaching. “Can’t tell yet.”

“Is it them? Are they back?” Amy asks anxiously. You place a hand on her back to try to comfort her, your heart pounding as you anticipate what is coming.

“I’ll be damned.” Dale mutters.

“What is it?” She demands.

“Stolen car is my guess.” He replies, dropping the binoculars as the red car comes into view.

Everyone gathered around camp when the car pulled up. Shane was furious that Glenn pulled up to camp in a red sports car, laughing excitedly as its alarm shrilled.

“Holy crap, turn that damn thing off!” Dale shouts at Glenn as he grins.

“I don’t know how!” He hollers with his arms open. Shane taps the hood impatiently, asking him to pop the hood as Amy bombards Glenn with questions over the loudness of the car.

“Pop the damn hood please!”

“Is she alright?! Is she okay? Where is she?!”

“Yes! They’re all okay! Well... Merle not so much.”

“Are you crazy driving this wailing bastard up here - you trynna draw every walker for miles?!” Shane exclaims, leaning on the open hood after he shuts the alarm off.

“I think we’re okay.” Dale mutters. You run a hand through your greasy hair as you wrap your head around everything. Everyone’s okay except Merle? Why was Glenn driving this in the first place?

“You call being stupid okay?” Shane asks, shooting a look over his shoulder at Dale.

“That alarm was echoing all over these hills - hard to pin point the source. Shane stands and places his hands on his hips, giving Dale a look. You can’t help but admire how he looks for a moment - his blue button down shirt with the top buttons undone, exposing his chest. His cargo pants were snug on his long legs and his black hair was disheveled from running his large hands through it so frequently. If it weren’t for Lori...

“I’m not arguing, I’m just saying.” Dale remarks. “But it wouldn’t hurt you to think things through a little more carefully.” He points a finger at Glenn, the smile long gone from his face. You shake your head and shift your weight as a white truck pulls up behind the other car. You feel your heart swell in happiness for your friend when Andrea steps out, running for her sister with teary eyes. You watch as Morales and everyone else reunite with their loved ones, both you and Shane exchanging a look as Lori comforts a saddened Carl.

When a new man steps out of the car, dressed in a cop outfit, you are confused when you see Shane’s face fall. He looks like he’s seen a ghost - does he know this man? “Dad!” Carl screams, running into the arms of the unknown man. You watch in awe as Carl and Lori reunite with who must be his father... You and all the other smile at the scene, a single tear strolling down your cheek as you rejoice for them.

Until it hits you.

You look at Shane, his face rising and falling, his expression changing every second. He’s been sleeping with Lori... From what you knew, her husband was shot and died in the hospital right as this all happened... Was this really that man? You had so many questions but instead went over to give Andrea a hug, happy to see your friend has returned safely.

After the others settled in, the fire was once again set up and everyone feasted, listening to stories and the man - Rick - explained what happened when he woke from the coma he was in. You kept glancing back at Shane, wondering whether he was happy his friend was alive or not. He explained that he thought he died, that he didn’t hear a heartbeat and was attached to machines, which sounded like enough reason to believe he had passed to you. Still, you noticed how he looked at Lori throughout the night and you knew that there was going to be tension after tonight.

Once again, Daryl had only appeared once in the morning, asking about the whereabouts of his brother and eating before heading back into the woods. You had met his eye when he strode off, ducking your head from the intensity of his stare.

The next morning, you awoke shortly after sunrise in order to get a head-start on the day. You were going down to the quarry to wash clothes with the women while Shane and Carl tried catching frogs. You dressed into denim capris that hugged your legs and a black tank top, your hair pulled up into a pony tail as you spooned leftovers from last night into your mouth alongside Amy and Andrea. You are sitting beside them on the RV stairs when you spot Daryl approaching the camp from the woods, a string of something swung over his shoulder as he heads your way.

Swallowing the lump that formed in your throat, you exchange a knowing look with the sisters - Merle was left behind. Daryl stops a few feet away from the RV, hollering for his brother as he sets down his crossbow. “Merle!” He hollers again, making you cringe as you note a string of squirrels thrown over his shoulder. You meet his eye for a moment when he glances over his shoulder toward the RV. “Get yer ugly ass out here! Got us some squirrel!” He shuffles the weight of the dead animals over his shoulder. You grimace at the sight - knowing that it was a good thing and you should be thankful, but it was gross and sad. “Let’s stew em up!”

“Daryl?” Shane calls out, stopping Daryl in his tracks. Everyone is gathered around by this point and you exchange a worried look with the girls when you spot T-Dog heading over with an armful of firewood. “Why don’t you slow up a bit? I gotta talk to you.”

“About wha?” Daryl asks, his southern accent prominent. You try not to seem too nosey but at this point a lot of the group was gathered around, anticipating his bad reaction. You set the bowl of food aside and stand, crossing your arms and leaning against the vehicle beside your friends. “This isn’t gonna be good.” Amy mutters to the two of you, keeping her voice low. Shane makes his way over to Daryl, Rick following behind.

“About Merle... There was a uh... There was a problem in Atlanta.” You watch anxiously as Daryl takes in the information, looking around the camp at the people gathered, chewing on his thumb.

“He dead?” He asks, glancing up at Shane sideways.

“I’m not sure.”

“He either is or he ain’t!” Daryl shouts, approaching Shane. Your body is tense now and you worry that he is going to do something stupid.

“There’s no easy way to say this, so I’ll just say it.” Rick steps up, approaching Daryl. He glares at him angrily. You notice how Rick looks a lot different in his large white shirt and jeans than he did yesterday in his uniform.

“Who are you?”

“Rick Grimes.”

“Rick Grimes...” Daryl sneers, sarcasm dripping off his tongue. You feel the tension growing in the air. “You got somethin you wanna tell me?” He growls.

“Your brother was a danger to us all. So I handcuffed him on a roof, hooked onto a piece of metal. He’s still there.”

Daryl begins stalking back and forth, glaring between Shane and Rick, clearly bewildered. If you were in his shoes you would be too - it sounds pretty bad. “Hold on,” He starts, wiping his face and gesturing to his head. You notice that Daryl speaks with his hands quite a lot, mentally adding it to the things that you know about him. “Lemme process this. You’re saying you handcuffed my brother to a roof?! And you left him there!” He hollers at Rick, his tone raising with each word, making you jump at his loudness.

Before anyone can react, Daryl tosses the squirrels at Rick - who dodges them - and goes to lunge at him. Shane is quick to roughly shove him to the ground - making you cringe when he hits the ground on his back. You want to intervene but it’s not your place - and what would you do to stop the older, larger man?

Daryl whips out his large dagger, making you and Amy gasp when he swipes at Rick. Between Shane and Rick, they work together to disarm and get Daryl to the ground, Shane holding him in a choke-hold as Rick tries to reason with him. “You best let me go!” Daryl shouts, his face turning red as he struggles against Shane.

After a moment, Shane releases Daryl. He shuffles to his feet and resumes stalking and glaring at the men. “The hell with all y’all!” Daryl shouts, waving his arm in no real direction. You spot the tears he roughly wipes away and your heart drops for him. If that were your brother abandoned on a roof you would be pretty furious too. You can’t imagine how he must be feeling.

“Just tell me where he is.. So I can go get him.” Daryl grumbles.

“He’ll show you. Isn’t that right?” Lori speaks up, looking over at her husband. When he nods, she stomps past you into the RV and you exchange a confused look with Amy.

You, Andrea, Amy Jacqui and Carol decided to head down to start on the laundry after the scene. Ed tags along, irritating you, but you bite your tongue. Eventually Shane follows with Carl and you watch them mess around in the water, trying to catch frogs. The sight warms your heart - until Lori shows up and tells Carl to leave. You try not to watch too much, but everyone can hear and see her hollering at Shane, telling him to stay away from Carl.

You feel that is a little harsh, given all that Shane has done for her and that he says he thought Rick was dead. You keep your opinions to yourself as you scrub clothes in the water, droning out Carol as she talks. The girls start listing things that they miss and you all laugh when Andrea brings up her vibrator, Carol agreeing with her. The moment is cut short when Ed interrupts, saying that you guys are laughing too much.

You and Andrea turn and shoot him a look as he looms over you guys, lighting a cigarette. This man had nothing better to do than to supervise? You watch as Andrea stands up, approaching him and you dread the worst. You will not hesitate to stand up for her if he acts out of line - unfair to butt in in this situation.

“Ed, tell you what. You don’t like how your laundry’s done, you are welcome to pitch in and do it yourself.” She suggests with a calm tone. You slowly stand from where you sat and turn to face them, ready for him to pull a dick move. “Here,” She suddenly tosses a wet pair of pants at Ed’s chest, which he immediately tosses back into her face, making her gasp. “Ain’t my job missy.” He drawls, taking a drag of his cigarette. The situation very quickly escalates as Amy tries to get her sister to back down but you take her side.

“No, what exactly is your job Ed? You think you can stand around and watch us all day? Got news for ya - we sure as hell aren’t your bitches.” You growl, daring the man to try you. You’ve had it up to here with this asshole, you’re dying for an excuse to fuck him up or go down trying.

He demands Carol follow him when he pussies out of the confrontation and ends up slapping her - sending all of you over the edge. Everyone is screaming as you and Andrea quickly start pounding on Ed’s chest, you digging your nails into his arms as you try to pull him off of Carol. You manage to get a punch in before he is literally drug off by Shane. You hold your throbbing fist as you watch Shane begin pummeling Ed, climbing on top of him and relentlessly beating him.

You almost want to cheer as he does so, grimacing as Carol cries and begs Shane to stop. Eventually he takes it too far and you all start hollering for him to stop. Carol runs over to the asshole’s side and sobs over him, making you sick as she apologizes to him. You and Shane meet eyes for a moment, your gaze landing on his bloody fists. “Shane-” You start, but he shrugs and shifts his weight, walking backward from the scene.

-

While some of the men got ready to go back to Atlanta to get Merle, you iced your throbbing hand on the steps of the RV. “You okay?” Glenn asks, shooting you a worried look. You nod and give him a halfhearted smile.

“I wish I could’ve beat his ass like Shane did.” You remark, shifting your weight slightly. Glenn lets out a chuckle and removes his cap, brushing his hair away.

“He deserved it.”

“Damn right he did.” You respond, wincing as you readjust the ice. You look up to spot Daryl getting ready a few yards away. He glances up, squinting at you in the bright sun as you sit there. Word quickly got around camp about what happened and it didn’t take a genius to figure out how you hurt yourself. You watch Daryl chew on his bottom lip, looking at you sideways before dropping his gaze back to his crossbow in hand.

“What’s that all about?” Glenn mutters. You glance up at him and cock a brow.

“Whaddya mean?”

“That. Daryl.” He clarifies, a smirk tugging at his lips. You drop your head as you feel your cheeks heat up, checking out your hand.

“Nothin. We don’t even talk.”

“You want to?” He asks, leaning his body against the RV, shooting a look back at the others that he is waiting for.

“I dunno, he doesn’t seem so bad.” You mumble, glancing up one more time when you see Daryl approaching the other men at the jeep, not looking at you this time. Glenn doesn’t respond, replacing his hat on his head and patting your shoulder. “Be careful.” You tell your friend, shooting him a weak smile that he returns as he walks off.

You watch as Glenn stands a few feet apart from Daryl, Shane giving Rick some bullets. “Let’s go! Wastin sunlight.” Daryl rushes them, making you chuckle slightly. You stand up and after one last look at your friends, you head back into the RV.

| NEXT CHAPTER |

~~~

And that’s the end of the second option! This next chapter will end with more choices that you will need to make to continue through the story. You are heading down a spiral of choices and consequences. A simple decision like choosing to stay at camp is going to set the foundation of this story and all of the choices you are going to need to make following it! If you read the first option, you would see just how different the story has become, and it will only go more into depth as you continue down more paths.

Please leave me some feedback in the comments!! I’m looking forward to seeing everyone’s reactions to this series!!! ♥

If you want to know when this series has been updated, feel free to turn on my notifications and ask to be added to my taglist! ♥

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[faultlessfinish]

As long as I’m screaming into the void anyway, Anthony going "Grant Wilson, a character between 11-13 years old, is attracted to a forty-something" three fucking separate times in the show is a bad vibe. Particularly given that the cast/their characters treat it as funny or normal each time.

I know somebody called Anthony out on it on Reddit a while ago and he said he’d do better. Congratulations, how wonderful. We are once again begging you to hire somebody who can vibe check y’all when you’re being creepy. The current “internal team” and “outside experts” don’t seem to be catching some pretty gross stuff (under the cut). 

Episode 21

Matt: You know when you go to a restaurant and they have an inspection checklist? He has one of those on the mirror and he goes "Inspected by Dad on Wednesday 2 p.m. Clean up your underwear, son" and he puts little notes for him every morning so he knows when Darryl cleaned up his bathroom for him.

Anthony: That's horrifying.

Beth: That is so terrible.

Will: It takes a brave man to clean a teenage boy's bathroom.

Anthony: Grant has never jerked off in that house. He goes somewhere else to do it.

Matt: That's part of the plan-

Anthony: If you're that thorough, there's no way he's squirting in that house. * 

Episode 27

Matt: Wow. What happening? My name's Darryl Wilson. This is my deep voice.

Freddie: Darryl became the hottest Dad.

Beth: Oh my God. Wow.

Matt: He only puts that voice on in the bedroom.

Anthony: That's horrible. Everybody in the house can hear that. Grant's like, "why is Patrick Warburton fucking my mom?" * 

Episode 35

Will: It's just that tub. You ever see the movies, they got the guy in the tub in the locker room.

Matt: Okay, so I like the locker room. All right. So Darryl comes out of the steamy shower, he's got the towel wrapped around him.

Anthony: God damn it! Why? Why?

Matt: Because, it's the end of the football game.

Freddie: That's true. You got to shower up, baby.

Anthony: Why would you describe it like that? Darryl comes out, sweat glistening on his titties.

Will: I want to put it out there that Henry is naked and soaking in that little tub that they have. The little locker room tub for your aching bones? Henry is like, "Oh man." And then he farts and a feather comes up. He's like, "Oops."

[...]

Darryl: As they walk off, I open my locker which I guess I have, and I pull my pants out and I start putting my pants on and I sit next to Grant, who I'm assuming is at his locker and I say—

Darryl: Hey, Grant.

Anthony: Grant is definitely staring at Henry, but yeah.

Matt: He's staring at Henry?

Anthony: Yeah, Henry is in a hot tub.

Matt: Henry is just, in our line of sight. * 

Episode 38

Matt: I just want to say that 300 was the first rated-R movie that Grant got to see, because Darryl convinced Carol that it was historical and important. So, the moment you brought it up—

[Freddie laughs]

Freddie: And Grant convinced Darryl that he was—

Anthony: Yeah, Grant kept asking. Over and over and over.

Matt: Well, yes, Grant loves it, obviously also because of the fricking hot dudes, but I just want to say, in the background, Grant and Darryl are definitely doing “This is Sparta!” Over and over again in the pool. He's just kicking—

Anthony: Kicking him in the pool.

Matt: --Darryl into the water, and then Darryl gets out and then he kicks him into the water. And they just keep doing it. *

And also Episode 38:

Matt: By the way, Darryl, seeing that Grant is just sitting there under the waterfall, Darryl's like, “Oh, good idea,” and he takes his shirt off and he goes to go under the waterfall, too. He's like—

Darryl: Guys, it's time to clean up!

Grant: [embarrassed] Dad!

Darryl: Nice shower down here.

Beth: Ron sees Darryl take off his shirt, and he thinks it must be some sort of fighting thing, like “Bro, I'm taking off my shirt.”

Grant: Everyone put their shirts on! I just miss the rain, I just like getting—

Freddie: Glenn peels off his shirt, revealing rippling abs underneath. Beth: No!

Anthony: God... Grant turns around for that one.

[teaveetamer]

That's one of the big things I never got about the people who do know what the words Rodrigue said to Felix are and act like he's the worst guy ever for the "he died like a true knight" thing. Those guys act like Felix is the only one mourning Glenn's death. Yes, Felix has every right to not find any comfort in those words. But, likewise, Rodrigue also has every right to say those words in hopes of finding some comfort for himself. He's Glenn's dad and he's grieving too. Parents are people too.

As much damage as I have about my parents (and really, I think everyone does) yeah at a certain point you gotta just acknowledge that they did their best with what they had, assuming they weren’t abusive pieces of shit. Not being able to communicate with your angsty teen about his feelings over his brother’s death doesn’t make you a bad person. by default.

I do think a good chunk of “ugh Rodrigue is a TERRIBLE dad!” is just projection from people who maybe don’t have the best parents or the best relationship with their parents for whatever reason. So I try to take their interpretations with a heaping grain of salt.

[onisiondrama]

"Onision Rant (live)" May 1, 2021, Speaks

Summary Part 2

RealStream asks about the 9 hour phone conversation James had with Sarah. James asks if RS is milking him for more information? RS says no, he's just trying to talk. James makes a couple sarcastic remarks to RS. RS says he's not making content on James anymore because it's a headache.

Someone in chat said James left the military because he refused to kill a bunny. James says he left Survival Evasion Resistance Escape training and cross trained into security forces. He says this person is a lemming moron who didn't look into things themselves. He says he debated an actual military vet. The vet couldn't find a single lie and quit the stream. This is why commentary channels don't want him on their streams. He'd have so much to say that would blow up all the credibility Blaire White, Jaclyn Glenn, all these fucking frauds have left. The things they say about him are baseless and easy to debunk.

He says if you go on the Wayback Machine and look up the Go SERE website, his name back then, Gregory J Daniel, was at the bottom of the website. He says his middle name was James and it's now his first name. RS asks when he changed his name. James says 2 years ago.

They get back to the phone call. James says he found out Sarah was participating in the documentary and he had a panic attack, so he called her. He knew if she went on there and played victim, nothing he said would matter because she's good at being a liar and crying on command.

RS mentions 9 hours. James says he was shocked she was willing to talk to him for that long. Not only that, but they talked until 1 or 2 in the morning her time, she was in Michigan. The next morning they talked again and her sister snatched the phone and called him a monster. Her sister kept hanging up on him. He says it was January 23rd.

He tells RS to ask him any question about the conversation and he'll answer. RS asks if Sarah even seems like she's interested in this situation. James says she said she just wants this to be over. James asks then why did she go on a documentary? She said because Shiloh and Regina are liars and she wanted to set the record straight. He asks if she said that in the doc. She said yes. He told her they won't include that, they'll edit that out.

He said Shiloh was a fraud and a psychopath, Billie was dishonest, and he didn't know Regina. When they formed a posse, they couldn't get along and called each other liars. He warned people about them and kicked them out of his life. No one wants to pay attention. They can't get along because they're terrible people. They can't hold a relationship with anyone.

RS asks if this next episode will be just about Sarah. James says he doesn't know.

RS says he's surprised James didn't give in and go on the doc. James says he wouldn't do the documentary without them paying damages to him first. RS asks how much would they have to pay him for him to get involved? James says he wants what they were all paid combined. He says the show is named after him so he deserves what Chris Hansen, Steven Asarch, what all of them made.

RS says he tried talking to Steven. James says Steven's a phony. He proved Steven didn't know what he was talking about when he spoke about his dad. In the doc, Steven said James called him out of the blue when he really joined a livestream. They cut to the middle of the live where James called him out for exploiting victims of molestation.

James says Sarah said his dad called her and said he was sorry on behalf of James. James says you realize he's an actual, real world pedophile, right? Did sexual things with an actual child. Sarah said that's disgusting. James asks why she went online saying someone is remotely bad when you know they're not? Why is she associating with actual pedophiles now because she's petty as fuck?

Someone says they're surprised she talked to him for that long. He says they talked for that long because he had so much to say. There was tons of shit to say and he was being really polite to her so she wouldn't hang up. He was trying to get as much information out of her as possible.

RS says they're accusing him with no charges. James says no one even took him to court. The only people who were taken to court were Repzion and Hansen. Someone asks if James won that case? James says he withdrew because he knew he's a public figure and since they are associated with reporting news, it would be very difficult to take legal action against them.

RS says they would have made more money if they made a documentary on Hansen. James says that's true, Hansen is way more relevant than him. Hansen is real world relevant and not just Youtube relevant.

James stops the conversation to point out his bullet proof vest wasn't backwards. (In response to chat I assume.)

He says they could make a documentary about Hansen's affairs, the guy who killed himself, the guys who got away with crimes because they were entrapped, him being in the same room as ICP.

The person from earlier joining VC and says he meant it when he said James helped him stop cutting. He says it was the 2012 video James put out and it helped him and he appreciates it. He says he thinks James is a really good person and he should get more feedback. McFly agreed. James thanks him.

James says he likes it when people have their own reasons for liking someone and not because other people are telling them to because those people will flip on you. He says 5 to 10% of every audience is legit.

The fan says they like his videos. They're like Filthy Frank, satire but kind of not. James says he wishes he could still get away with offensive comedy.

[izzielizzie]

can you do a one shot of addy interviewing to work at Contigo and maeve goes for moral support and sees Luis there? Maybe an AU where they didn't sit together at lunch?

Yes. Maeve and Luis sort of know each other, and this is in the weird point of time where Luis has a crush on Maeve and Maeve doesn’t have one on him yet. Enjoy!

I know there is always a point where your love for your best friend is tested, but I just didn’t know it would be so soon after I met mine. Addy Prentiss, usually the most confident girl in the room, is now clinging to the door of my mom’s car like her life depends on it.

I sigh for what feels like the billionth time. I’m starting to get a little light headed. “Addy. It’s just an interview.” I’ve been saying this since dinnertime yesterday.

“Maeve. I can’t do it,” Addy wails in response. Again. I’m glad I took my sister’s advice and drove Addy here an hour early. It’s taken forty minutes to get her to unbuckle. Now I’m standing outside the open passenger door. Addy is twisted at a weird angle to remain seated, but also be able to hold the handle. Even though Addy only has an inch and a half on me, I know I won’t be able to drag her out of the car. I wish Bronwyn was here, but she’s ditched me to go study across the country.

I crouch in front of the door so I’m closer in height to Addy. “Ads,” I put a hand on her knee, “I’ll be there the entire time. I promise. And you said yourself the restaurant owner is really nice. All you have to do is be yourself. He’ll hire you.”

Addy’s blue eyes narrow. “If you lie to me Maeve Rojas, I’ll-”

“Have my head, I know,” I interrupt calmly. Addy gets a little formal when she’s threatening people. I tilt my head to the side and wait Addy out. She’ll cave eventually.

“Okay, fine. Let’s get this over with.”

“Thank you.” I stand and hold my hand out to Addy. She takes it hesitantly, but lets go when I slam the car door shut. We walk side by side to the entrance of the restaurant, and Addy seems her bubbly self for a moment. When we walk into the restaurant, however, it’s a different story. Addy stops in her tracks when she sees the deep blue walls, tin roof, and tiled tables. I do too, but only to take in the beauty. I’ve never been here before, which is surprising since it’s so close to my house.

“Addy, now what,” I hiss. She had made a weird shrieking noise and now she looks like she’s seen a ghost.

“That’s Luis Santos.”

I follow Addy’s gaze to see a tall boy who seems about our age with dark hair, a sharp jaw, and tanned skin. I vaguely remember him from when he sat with Bronwyn, Addy, and their friends at lunch. He’s standing behind the counter, wearing an apron.

“So?”

“So? What if he’s interviewing me?”

I make a face. “Doubtful. He probably just works here as a waiter. Like you will be doing if you ever go through with this.”

Addy ignores me and instead puts a hand to her forehead. “I feel faint.”

I think she’s being dramatic until she starts wobbling. “Oh, okay.” I rush forward and grab her around the waist, helping her lower herself into a chair.

She stares ahead for a second before she grabs for my hand. “I’m so nervous!”

I let her hold my hand. It’s only three more minutes until her scheduled interview anyway. About one minute later, I regret letting her hold my hand though, since her grip is so tight I can feel my blood circulation stop.

“Addy, do you mind loosening your grip a little?” I ask irritably. Addy’s nervousness has made me nervous too, which is making me annoyed. All in all, it’s not a good look.

Addy obliges, but squeezes again a moment later when Luis walks towards us. I can feel one of my joints crack. I didn’t even know finger joints could crack.

“Hey,” Luis says when he reaches us. He drops into a chair in front of us.

Addy squeaks in response. Luis looks at me, confusion etched across his face. I just shrug. Luis shakes himself a little. He looks kind of affronted, as if Addy had interrupted a speech he had planned.

“Um, did one of you have an interview planned today?”

Addy nods frantically. I don’t know how close Addy and Luis are, but Luis clearly thinks she’s insane. “Addy has in interview,” I supply.

“Oh. What are you doing here then?”

“Moral support,” I say, holding up my hand, which has surpassed red and is now purple.

“That looks painful,” Luis says. I widen my eyes and nod. Luis smiles at me, and it makes my heart flutter a little. He has a really nice smile.

“Well, when you’re ready Addy, my dad’s in the back room. Just pass through the beaded curtain. Good luck.”

That’s a very obvious cue for Addy to get up, but she doesn’t. “Um, Addy? You gonna get up, babe?” I ask.

Addy looks on the verge of hyperventilating. I sigh. “Addy, if you don’t get up right now I’ll call Bronwyn and tell her you stole her favorite sweater and lost it.”

Addy balances even more. My sister is a force to be reckoned with, and Addy, since she has logic, knows that getting on Bronwyn’s bad side is a bad idea. Addy pushes her chair back from the tables, sighs, and stands. “I’m gonna walk over there myself, Maeve.”

“Okay,” I say. I’d make a comment about how I wasn’t planning on walking over her to begin with, but that would be mean considering Addy’s current state of mind. I watch her walk away, her fists clenched at her sides. They’re tapping a rhythm on her thighs, and I’m positive that if the treat of Bronwyn’s anger wasn’t hanging over her head, Addy would have already been out of the door and halfway back to her sister’s apartment by now.

“So, you’re Bronwyn’s sister, huh?” Luis asks me. I turn back to see him staring at me. I nod. “I knew I recognized you. You sat with us at lunch sometimes, right?”

“Yeah.” I pause for a moment. “Your dad owns Contigo?”

Luis leans his chair back and smirks. I’m suddenly reminded of Nate Macauley, Bronwyn’s boyfriend. “Yep. We’re looking for some new waiters for the fall. You sure you don’t want to apply?”

“I’m pretty sure I’d be a terrible waitress.”

Luis shrugs. “You might be. But you might not be.”

“Yes, thank you for laying out the only two possibilities.”

Luis laughs and brings his chair back to the ground with a bang that makes me flinch. “Sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

We sit in silence for a few more minutes, and I’m starting to wonder why Luis is still here when he suddenly says, “you should swing by more often.” I tilt my head quizzically, and Luis shrugs sheepishly. “I mean, if, you know, Addy gets the job. Which she probably will. It’s good to support your friends, you know.”

“I know.”

“Good. So, you should, you know, stop by.”

With that eloquent sentence, Luis stands jerkily and heads back to the counter, where he busies himself with the cash register. I don’t have much time to figure out what Luis meant, because a second later, Addy comes barreling towards me, nearly crashing right into a chair. “Oh, whoops, damn that hurt. Maeve!”

“Yes?”

“I got the job!” I let Addy pull me into a hug.

“See? I told you'd get it, Ads.”

Addy grabs my hand - gently this time - and leads me towards the door, talking a mile a minute. “You have to come hang out sometime.”

“I’ve already been invited to, actually,” I say when Addy pauses to take a breath.

“By who?” she asks as I pull open the door.

“By whom. And to answer your question: Luis.”

“Wait, Luis Luis?”

“How many Luises do you know?”

Addy ignores that. “He likes you Maeve.”

“No he doesn’t,” I mumble as I glance back inside the restaurant. Luis is watching us, leaning against the counter with his arms crossed. He nods at me when our eyes meet. I smile at him, and his gorgeous smile is the only thing that I can see in my mind as Addy leads me away. She studies my face as we sit in the car.

“Oh yeah, you like him.”

“I-”

“Don’t. Yeah, okay. I think we should get ice cream to celebrate!”

Addy switches topics so fast I nearly get whiplash. It isn’t until we’re sitting in Glenn’s Diner sharing one of their sundaes does she bring up Luis again. She goes on and on about how we’d be a perfect couple, and I’m not really paying attention to her because I’m too busy figuring out how I can get Luis to smile at me again. 

I guess maybe I do like him.

Notes:

ahh okay so that ending was rushed and sucked and I apologize

that was fun to write though

feel free to request more

especially stuff with Maeve and Addy being besties

I love their relationship.

[quadraphonictypewriter]

Jon Lord, Deep Purple

Original article by Lee Marlow which was first printed in the Leicester Mercury in July, 2000.

-

You join us in the hallway of Jon Lord's sprawling Henley-on-Thames home.

Him, Leicester born, millionaire keyboard maestro with rock legends Deep Purple and Whitesnake; me, Leicester-born over-eager hack with a headful of daft questions he's answered a thousand times before.

Holding out a hand, Mr Lord, the David Niven of rock 'n' roll, greets me like a long-lost friend.

Grey stubble frames his face and a head full of slate grey hair is tied neatly in a pony tail.

"Good to see you... find it all right?... blah... terrible weather again isn't it... blah... Yes, it is nice round here isn't it... George Harrison lives just down the road... blah... we're touring in August... blah... on the road in South America..."

He hardly stops to draw breath as we settle in the cream lounge.

I can't help but notice the luxurious off-white carpet is so plush that I can trace my footsteps from the oak door to the immense sofa and, in the corner, a small cinema screen masquerades as a TV.

Life has been kind to Jon Lord.

He's sold millions of records and, erm, "rocked" the biggest audiences the world over – from the 200,000 fans at the California Jam in the mid-1970s to last year's hybrid Royal Albert Hall gig featuring Deep Purple and the London Symphony Orchestra.

Purple, his mainstay band of the past four decades, are about to hit the road again.

Lord admits that after all this time it's hard to resist.

"I don't need to do this anymore," he says, "but it is immense fun.

''I do see a time when we'll have to call it a day, of course, but when? I know I can't do it when I'm 90, but..."

It's all a long way from life at 120 Averill Road, where Mr Lord senior packed socks by day and played sax by night and where the young Lord enjoyed "a perfect childhood," roaming through the nearby countryside with his grubby-faced pals.

An after-school diet of piano lessons, homework and bike riding, however, left a teenage Lord facing an extra year at Wyggeston School.

"I just wanted to play with my friends," he says. "But it was always homework and piano lessons. Something had to give – and it was usually homework."

After being sacked from his first two jobs in Leicester, Lord left for London to study acting and played roll-out-the-barrel-style standards in smoky pubs to pay his rent.

Despite his best intentions, Lord's hopes of becoming an actor were overtaken by his desire to play rock 'n' roll and by the mid-60s, he'd been roped in to play keyboards on The Kinks' You Really Got Me.

"All I did was plink, plink, plink," he laughs. "It wasn't hard."

But from there, Lord and his trusty Hammond organ didn't look back.

He had a top 10 hit with Let's Go To San Francisco with The Flowerpot Men and was pocketing the princely sum of £60 a week.

Lord's future was bright. In fact, his future was Purple.

The group formed in 1968 and had a smash hit in the US with Hush at the end of the year. Three decades later, Kula Shaker took the same song to No 1 in the UK charts. ("Good version as well," says Jon, "if a bit too fast.'')

Purple opened for Eric Clapton's Cream in the States, but after five storming gigs they were taken off the tour as the energised Purple boys blew Slowhand's shambolic drug-addled trio off stage.

"We got on well with them. They had no idea we were to be taken off the tour – they were too stoned!" recalls Jon.

Back home, Purple instigated the first of many line-up changes, welcoming new singer Ian Gillan and bass player Roger Glover – a switch which heralded a new era for Purple and, with it, British rock.

"We knew we had something. It was just so exciting. We used to practice every afternoon and then gig every night."

Gillan brought more than great vocals to the band – his jet-black long hair and charisma attracted the ladies as well.

"There were plenty of groupies at that stage," smiles Lord.

And?

"Well, let's just say if you give a young lad a bit of money and untroubled access to nubile young women – it's not a bad life is it?"

Even at the wrong side of 50, Gillan, it appears, still has a certain charm with the opposite sex. Lord and Gillan were recently interviewed by former Watchdog beauty Alice Beer for the BBC1 religious show H&E.

"I might as well not have been there," smiles Lord. "She was completely taken by Gillan. And after the show they left together and went for a drink. No, I don't know what happened!"

The first five years of the 1970s saw Deep Purple trapped in a perpetual album-tour-album loop. The shows were sold out and the albums – In Rock, Fireball, Machine Head, Made In Japan, Who Do We Think We Are? – all went platinum.

They made a wodge of money, concedes Jon, but their managers made more.

Yet despite the excess (they also had their own plane, naturally), Lord steered clear of drugs.

"I can say hand-on-heart we were never really a drug band. My Dad bought me my first pint and I was still very much a lad from Leicester, you know.

"I experimented with drugs, of course I did. I smoked grass, but it left me sitting in a corner, introspective and giggling to myself.

"I had a brief flirtation with cocaine in the late 1970s but, to be honest, I don't really like being out of control."

The drugs came later. American Tommy Bolin, drafted in to replace the increasingly moody and erratic guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, succumbed to a long-term heroin habit in 1976 and Lord still recalls the time a cocaine dealer chased bassist Glenn Hughes on to the band's private plane, demanding $3,000.

By 1976, the writing was on the wall for Purple and its elaborate brand of rock music. Punk was the new king.

Lord retreated to the States for two years. But former Purple leader David Coverdale was looking for someone to become the new ivory tinkler in his new outfit, Whitesnake, and Lord fitted the bill.

"He wouldn't take no for an answer. I harboured no ambition to be Whitesnake's keyboard player, but he was very, very insistent."

Persuasive Coverdale might have been, but financially generous he certainly wasn't.

"I was in Whitesnake from 1978 to 1983 and he paid me abysmally! I complained regularly and he'd say 'Ok, leave it with me', but it never changed.

"It was a good laugh – that was the main reason I stayed in the band. It was ironic that in the middle of this punk revolution we were playing white R&B and selling out tours."

Strangely, considering the times, Whitesnake's brand of sexist crab-paced rock was a hit.

They were the biggest-grossing tour band in Europe by 1981. But Coverdale – secretly nicknamed Elsie by the band because of his louche on-stage antics and some of his cheesy lyrics – wanted success in America. At all costs.

"It was all style over substance towards the end," sighs Lord. "The band lost its heart. It was just about posing."

The music might have lost its soul, but Whitesnake – complete with a new band of poodle-permed hired hands in black spandex and glitter jackets – went on to sell 17 million albums in 1987.

Lord, meanwhile, had answered the call to reform Deep Purple.

"The critics said Purple getting back together was about money. It was never about money," says Lord. "It was exciting for us and the fans when we got back together."

And that's where he's been ever since. In truth, the reformed band never quite graced the same artistic heights they reached in their heyday, but on the concert circuit they're still capable of selling out a Wembley Arena or NEC.

"I don't enjoy touring in the way I used to, but those two hours on stage make up for it.

''The day I can't open that door and look forward to it is the day I say, 'Thank you very much and goodnight'."

And that's about it. Interview over. I've got more daft questions but, crikey, I've been here for more than three hours and he needs to finish a musical extravaganza he's writing for the local church. Phew, rock 'n'roll.

"Take care driving back," he says, "and give my love to Leicester."