#you wanna be apart of the fronting roster?? please??? please?????? for the love of god hello please?????????? /lighthearted

[euclydya]

we've only been awake for like 2? almost 3 hours i think and in that timeframe we've almost teared up multiple times bc we r So Happy To Be Alive And We Want To Live And Experience The World And We Are So Joyful And Excited For The Future and I'm just like WHO the fuck is co-con rn.* What the fuck. What the fuck is going on**

(*i know exactly who's co-con rn)

(**This is one HELL of a period that's what's going on)

[melodyalanaroster]

Miracle Romance

"Oh my god." Alana gasped with tears in her eyes. She stood in front of a large mirror and stared at herself. "I finally look like Serenity." She smiled as she left the dressing room and showed herself to Nathaniel. "You look amazing." Nathaniel smiled. Alana began to cry. “For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be like her... And now, even for a few moments... I can be her.” Tears made their way down her face as she smiled. "I guess I have to break your one rule." Nathaniel smiled. "You are not dying your hair black." Alana remarked. "I could wear a wig." Nathaniel replied. “But Nath... We talked about this...” Alana began. "I am not letting anyone else be your Endymion." Nathaniel interjected.

★

Throughout Alana's life, she had made it very clear that Sailor Moon had been a staple to her. It was a staple in the Roster family. By the time Alana reached the point of living in the Black Tower, at least four generations of the family enjoyed it. Including both primary sets of sisters, Margaret and little Ravenna.

She would play pretend with Viktor, Severina and Sam when they were children. She would always be Sailor Moon and Princess Serenity, Viktor was Tuxedo Mask and Prince Endymion, Severina was Sailor Venus and Sam was always Sailor Jupiter. The tree house in Alana's backyard was often the Moon Kingdom and they would frequently save the world. The adventures would always end with the power of love winning and the kids going into the house for a snack.

As the kids reached adolescence, they were forced to stop playing. But, their love of the anime was still prevalent. Alana always kept up with merchandise news and rumors about the release of a second anime. Lynne had made sure that Alana and Sam had their own copies of the manga, original anime and movies. Viktor happily talked about being Endymion to Alana’s Serenity until they were forced to break up. They wanted to continue the fantasy, but circumstance parted them. Severina was always happy to talk to everyone, and toss out ideas for a proper cosplay group, but Sam dampened the idea with the reminder that, as long as Viktor’s and Severina’s fathers remained in control of their lives, they’d never be allowed to do so.

When Lynne moved Alana and Sam to Amouria, things began to change. "She won't shut up about that Nathaniel guy." Viktor growled as he sat down next to Severina. “Viktor, you knew from the day one that you and Mels weren't allowed to be together. She has to find her Endymion." Severina sighed. “But seriously? aunt Lynne moves her and Sam to Amouria and they both immediately find guys they like?” Viktor complained. “You know Mels talks about other guys too. Right now, it could be Castiel, Lysander, Armin or Nathaniel.” Severina tried to make things sound better. “No, it's definitely Nathaniel. She barely mentions the others to me. Mostly about Armin playing games, Castiel being an ass, and Lysander losing his notebook. But she dotes on Nathaniel a lot.” Viktor retorted. Severina sighed. "Viktor... Do you remember what happened to Adonis and Beryl? Their envy got the best of them, they became evil and they died. Please keep a clear head.” She reasoned. "I am not like Adonis and Beryl." Viktor shot. “Viktor, I can't believe I have to be the voice of reason here. Both of our moms made it very clear that aunt Lynne, Mels and Sam have more freedom than we do. They're not blue bloods. They have to find their miracle elsewhere... Although, you and I will probably end up being paired together in an arranged marriage set up by our fathers.” She explained. Viktor thought for a couple of minutes and sighed. "I just thought..." 

The first time Nathaniel ever went into Alana's room, he instantly noticed her Sailor Moon dolls. "They're really hard to find these days... And Sailor Moon means a lot to me..." She said as she explained what the show meant to her. “It's a connection to my past, my closest friends, and my family.” She smiled. Nathaniel looked puzzled for a bit, then smiled. "That's really sweet.". He smiled. He noticed a picture of her, Sam, Severina and Viktor on a shelf and picked it up. “You all look like you’re having so much fun.” He mused. “Yeah... That’s the only time we’ve ever been able to dress up.” Alana sighed, wistfully. The kids were in makeshift Sailor Scout uniforms. Their hair wasn’t perfect, and Viktor’s tux didn’t fit right, but they didn’t care. The photo had been taken a few weeks before Cosima Chevalier’s death, and was one of the last happy memories they had as a group. “Its cute.” Nathaniel chuckled as he looked at her lovingly.

When her mother went into the hospital, Nate arranged it to where Alana and Lynne could sit and watch whatever they wanted in the room. Lynne suggested marathoning Sailor Moon. The days in the hospital weren't as bad when they watched the show and Lynne stayed stable, but there were days where not even fighting evil by moonlight could save the day. But, that didn't keep them from trying. It didn't take them long to get through all five seasons and three movies of the original anime. “I heard they're making a second anime that's supposed to be closer to the manga!” Alana attempted to be cheery. She was sure that she, Severina and Sam had told her about Crystal, but she really couldn’t think of anything positive to say.  “That's lovely! Do you know when it's set to come out?” Lynne asked. “I have no idea. I'm sure Toei will update us when they can!” Alana replied. “I hope its soon.” Lynne smiled. Suddenly, Lynne began coughing and her monitors started to go off. “NURSE! HELP!” Alana cried.

Even when Sam and Alana fought so badly that the Military and RDR felt it was necessary to create a treaty between the two organizations to prevent the sisters from ever being enemies again, it was actually their love of Sailor Moon that truly began to bring them together again. Severina had gotten wind of the fight and forced the girls to go to her house. “OW! RINI! YOU'RE HURTING MY EAR!” Alana whined. “Seriously! What the hell?” Sam whined. “I don't care if I'm hurting you two! This kind of fighting is unacceptable! You two are sisters and you know that this behavior will tear the family apart! I won't allow that!" Severina began to cry as she lead the sisters to her home theater. "What's all this?" Alana asked. "You've forced my hand, so I'm pulling out the big guns!" Severina cried as she grabbed a remote and turned on the screen. Sam and Alana looked at the menu then at each other. "Go figure." Sam grinned. "Of course." Alana grinned. The menu on the screen was the DVD menu to Sailor Moon R: The Promise Of The Rose. By the time the song “The Power Of Love” was playing, tears were streaming down the sisters' faces. "Mels." Sam began to choke. "Sam." Alana's voice wavered. They looked at each other, sadness and regret in their eyes. “Mels... I’m s-so s-sorry f-for what I-I said..” Sam sniffled. “I’m s-sorry t-too S-Sami...” Alana blubbered as she hugged Sam. “I love you.” Sam muttered as she held onto her sister. “I love you too.” Alana murmured. 

When Death’s Domain was getting set up, Alana dedicated a whole room to the series. “You’re seriously going to have an entire room dedicated to Sailor Moon?” Derek had asked. “Yes. Its going to have shelves for merch, posters, and a couch to relax on.” Alana mused. “Melody can have whatever she wants for her apartment. And, if it helps her destress, I most definitely approve.” The  Red Death announced. “Well, the majority of my collection will be in there. There’s going to be something Sailor Moon related in every room.” Alana smiled. “Of course there will be.” Derek facepalmed. “I’m not apologizing. I love Sailor Moon and I wanna showcase it in my home.” Alana laughed. “And I’m sure you’re going to do nothing but post about your collection for a while.” Derek rolled his eyes. “Obviously. Moonies have a good presence online.” Alana mused. “I thought “Moonies” were people who followed the Unification Church?” The Red Death inquired. “Yeah, they are called that, but Sailor Moon fans are also called “Moonies”. I know, in certain circles, I have to be sure to differentiate... But, its what we’re called.” Alana explained as she shrugged her shoulders. The room ended up becoming a paradise for fans of the series. Shelves filled with various collectibles, a couch decorated with two throw pillows and a blanket, a coffee table with two sets of coasters, a large rug, framed posters, plushies, moon and star lights along the walls and showering down the window and a tv mounted on one wall. In contrast to the vast majority of Death’s Domain, the room was an explosion of bright colors.

★

Nathaniel stepped into the restroom for a few minutes. Alana watched the door in anticipation. When he came out, he was running his hands along the circumference of the black wig, making sure it was in its proper place. The thought of how similar he looked to Viktor shot through her mind. She did her best to suppress that thought. "You don't even like cosplay..." She muttered as she smiled. "You do so much for me, I don't mind doing this for you." He grinned. "Nathaniel! I love you!” She cried as she wrapped her arms around him. “I knew I was going to see Princess Serenity, I didn't know Prince Endymion would be with her!” someone called from behind them. They turned around and saw Sam leaning in the doorway. “Sam! I look just like her!” Alana cried. "I wonder if I can get Ken to be Nephrite." Sam commented. “I'm sure he would be if you asked him. You two would be the perfect Jupiter and Nephrite!” Alana beamed. “I didn't know this was turning into a full on cosplay group!” Ken laughed as he walked up behind Sam. "Why not?" Sam asked. "I'm not sure Viktor would appreciate being Kunzite." Alana remarked. “He'd have to get used to it. Since Nathaniel is Endymion, that demotes Viktor to Kunzite.” Sam stated. "Right because when you guys were kids, Viktor was always Endymion." Nathaniel rolled his eyes. “Viktor has had years to accept his position in my sister's life. If he doesn't accept it, it will not end well for him.” Sam replied. "Do you think he will?" Nathaniel asked. "If he truly cares about her, he will." Sam nodded. “Viktor has known for years that our time ended long ago. Accepting his new position is painful for him, but he is well aware of the fact that it's something that he must do.” Alana explained.

A few minutes later, Renee walked into the room. “You both look magnificent! The girls and I have gotten a backdrop ready, would you two mind taking a few pictures?” She beamed. Alana smiled and turned to Nathaniel, a very hopeful look on her face. "Would you be okay with that?" She asked. Nathaniel nodded. "Sure." He grinned. They followed Renee into a room. "Oh my god! You two look utterly amazing!”, “You look beautiful Mels! Nathaniel, you look so handsome!”, “True Moon and Earth royalty!” the other girls cooed when they saw them. “I think we should do a cosplay group. I'm Jupiter and Rini will be Venus.” Sam commented when she walked in. "I volunteer to be Mercury!" Renee cheered. "I'll be Mars." Lyra smiled. "I'll be Pluto." Veronica beamed. "I don't mind being Saturn." Nora suggested. "I wonder if we could get Lucy and Noelle to be Uranus and Neptune." Sam pondered. "We could also see about getting Ravenna to be Chibi Moon." Alana proposed. “I think that would be fantastic. Who would be the rest of the Shitennou?” Lyra asked. "I could see if Armin could be Jadeite." Alana thought out loud. "Are we really setting up a cosplay group?" Nathaniel asked. Sam looked at Nath, as if he had said something really stupid. "Do you not realize how highly rated Sailor Moon cosplay groups are?" She asked. Nathaniel shook his head. “Sailor Moon cosplay groups are some of the most elite cosplayers in the anime world. Sailor Moon being one of the most iconic anime in history, it is instantly recognizable. The cosplayers take some of the most beautiful pictures, make some of the coolest videos, and even do events. They may not be unionized like Star Wars' 501st Legion, but they come together and coalesce with great ease whenever they recognize each other. Children who recognize them run up to them the same way that they do with superheroes, and typically, they are nice to them. It is a sisterhood of love and justice.” Sam explained. "Not to mention how fun it would be to finally be in one." Alana cooed. “We'd still need Zoisite.” Veronica stated. "I wonder if Derek could be him." Nora pondered. “Uh, guys? Can we please get to the photoshoot?” Renee asked impatiently. 

After posting for photos for what felt like an eternity, Nathaniel and Alana went into the changing room to get out of their cosplays. "You do look really beautiful in that." Nathaniel smiled as he took the black wig off. Alana blushed. "Do you really think so?" She asked nervously. “Of course. You look magnificent.” He blushed as he walked over to her and kissed her. “Thank you for doing this my love. It means the world to me.” Tears came to Alana's eyes as she spoke. “I love you my Melody.” Nathaniel cooed as he wiped a tear from her cheek. “I love you so much Nathaniel!” She mused as she threw her arms around him.

★

A few weeks later, in the early hours of the morning, several cars arrived at an old castle in the country. “This place looks amazing! Perfect for our photo shoot!” Alana cheered as she got out of the car. “Welcome to the Astarian Royal Palace Lady Melody!” A woman with long brown hair, sunglasses and wearing a knee length blue dress beamed as she walked up to them. “Mrs. Reynard, I presume?” Alana asked as she shook the woman's hand. “Yes ma'am. We spoke over the phone.” the woman smiled. “You are fully aware as to why we need the palace today. Am I correct?” Alana inquired. “Yes. For your little photoshoot. Cosplay, I believe.” Mrs. Reynard replied. “Yes. Sailor Moon. Its important the palace be the backdrop to this shoot.” Alana stated. “The photographer will be here in a few minutes to set up. They'll need time.” Mrs. Reynard explained. “That's fine. We need time to prepare.” Alana smiled.

After a couple of hours, the members of the group began to step out of their respective preparation rooms and into a lounge. Lynne Roster as Queen Serenity, Sam as Sailor Jupiter, Severina as Sailor Venus, Renee as Sailor Mercury, Lyra as Sailor Mars, Noelle as Sailor Uranus, Lucy as Sailor Neptune, Nora as Sailor Saturn, Veronica as Sailor Pluto, Ravenna as Small Lady Serenity, Viktor as Kunzite, Ken as Nephrite, Armin as Jadeite, Derek as Zoisite, Nathaniel as Prince Endymion and Alana as Princess Serenity. When the entire group was gathered in the lounge, tears filled Alana's eyes. “It's so beautiful!” she happily cried out. “Awe! Mels!” Severina cheered as she hugged Alana. “This was a fantastic idea!” Lynne beamed. "How long do we all need to wear this?" Armin asked, slightly uncomfortable. “Just a few hours. We're gonna get a TON of shots! ” someone replied as they walked up. It was a young woman with short platinum blonde hair, bright green eyes, and pale skin. She wore black pants, a white button up top and a deep blue beret. "You all look so regal!" She cheered. “Alright everyone, let me introduce you to you Catarina. She's a friend of mine from boarding school. She's the photographer I told you guys about!” Severina introduced. “Hello everyone! It is an absolute pleasure to meet you all!” Catherine bowed. ” Severina introduced. “Hello everyone! It is an absolute pleasure to meet you all!” Catherine bowed.

The photoshoot took several hours, and took place at various locations within the castle grounds. Lynne insisted on at least one family shot with Sam and Alana, and one with Sam, Alana, Severina, Ravenna, Ken, Nathaniel, and Viktor. “This is odd. I don't quite know the anime, but those characters aren't actually family, aren't they?” Catarina asked, curiously. “Not exactly... I mean, Queen Serenity, Princess Serenity, and Small Lady Serenity are three generations of lunar royalty, and Prince Endymion is Princess Serenity's husband and Sailor Chibi Moon's father... But, this shot isn't about the show's family. It's about their family.” Lyra explained. “Oh. That's sweet!” Catarina smiled. Alana insisted each “couple” got their own picture. Viktor wasn't too happy that his couldn't be with Alana, but he didn't mind posing with Severina. Kentin was very happy to have a romantic pose with Sam. "Nephrite and Jupiter look so fantastic!" Renee cheered. “Are you kidding? I've been wanting to do this set for a long time!” Sam beamed. “My favorite part of all of this. I hate this wig, but being your knight is worth it.” Ken mused as he looked at Sam lovingly. "This is awkward." Derek rolled his eyes when he and Renee had their turn. "Oh grow up!" Renee snapped. "Derek... You know what happens when Renee gets mad!" Alana laughed. “Yeah... She gets pretty scary.” Derek sighed. Everyone laughed as Renee forced Derek into a somewhat romantic pose. "But this is so awkward!" Derek whined. "Just do it!" Renee demanded. When their part of the shoot ended, Derek sat down and shot back a bottle of water. “That was weird. "Lyra, Armin, you're up!" Alana cheered. “Now this will be interesting! ” Ken chuckled. “And in Dragon Ball references Armin! Toei may own both franchises, but now is not the time to try to mix the two!” Sam ordered. “Awe come on! That takes part of the fun out of it!” Armin whined. “Armin, if we were doing a smaller photoshoot, I wouldn't mind a few “fun” shots. So please be more serious.” Alana urgent. "Fine." Armin sighed as he and Lyra took their places in front of the camera. 

“God that was exhausting! Who'd have thought that Cosplay would be THAT much work?” Nathaniel whined he crashed onto the living room couch at Death's Domain. "If you had cosplayed as the Winter Soldier when Armin and I cosplayed as Captain America and Black Widow at that Marvel Exhibition in High School, you would have known, first hand, A LOT sooner!" Alana shot as she crashed down next to him. "You still won't let me live that down?" He asked. "Nope." She chuckled. "Why not?" He asked. “Because Armin and I worked our asses off to do our characters justice and we were hoping you would join in on the fun. Especially considering how Natasha and Bucky get together in the comics several times, so it would have been a cute “couple's cosplay” for you and me. Not to mention how cosplay is more than just “wearing a costume”. When someone properly cosplays, they also wish to play the character, even for just a day. They temporarily escape reality and enter the one the character they're cosplaying as resides in. Weeks, months, and even years are spent building props and even hand making the items and outfits. There is a lot of blood, sweat and tears that go into it!” She explained. "I know you and Armin love it, but I don't think I could do it as often as you want to." Nathaniel sighed. “I get that. Its not for everybody. But, I'm thankful you did it for me.” Alana Mused. “I love you Alana. You always do so much for me... And it has been a long time since I've been the "prince" to your "princess." He grinned. "And I'm sure rubbing it Viktor's face added to your enjoyment.” She chuckled. "That did make it a bit more fun." He smirked. "I really wish you wouldn't antagonize him." She sighed. over you and find someone else. It's the same with Castiel. You're not going to be with him, so he needs to quit pining." He shot. "Yes, but with Castiel, you two have reached a mutual agreement, and he has angered me in such a way that I spat that truth with him." She chimed in. "Which makes the situation with Viktor worse. had your family and Severina telling him for years... Yet he insists." He huffed as he rolled his eyes. "Despite that, he is still one of my best and oldest friends. We were raised together and are still like family. Can you at least try to play nice with him?" She requested. Nathaniel looked at her annoyed. "Please! Pretty please! My sweet Endymion…” Alana begged as she playfully batted her eyes. He thought for a minute and exhaled. ��Fine. ” He sighed. "Thank you." She mused. “But if he oversteps the boundaries that you and I put in place, I won't be so kind.” He stated. She cuddled up next to him and kissed his cheek. "I love you Nathaniel." She cooed. He put his arms around her and kissed her forehead. "I love you too Alana."

★

Several weeks later, after the images from the photoshoot had been posted and gone viral, an idea came to Severina's mind. She turned to Alana and Sam and smiled. "What?" Sam asked. “What if we did a cosplay concert?!” Severina cheered. “Nope. I'm not singing.” Alana stated. “PLEASE! We could choose a song from Sailor Moon and singing it at a convention!” Severina urged. “Really? What song would we even do?” Sam asked. “What about “Moon Effect”? It's sung by all of the scouts!” Severina cheered. “Please no. I don't sing.” Alana begged. "But, you wouldn't be alone... And we can't do it without our Sailor Moon!" Sam sneered. “Honey... You're such a beautiful singer! Please!!!!” Severina pleaded. “No…” Alana muttered. “Damn it Mels! Just do it! We all know that you sing when you're alone! On top of that, Nath, Rini, Viktor, Mom and I have all been telling you for years that we all think your singing is beautiful! So, just do it!” Sam snapped. "Don't forget how your teammates think so too." Severina added. Alana thought for a few minutes and huffed. “Fine. I'll do it.” She sighed. “Huzzah! Let's do it at Comic Con!” Sam cheered. "No! That’s too big a venue!" Alana pleaded "That's why it should be done there! You'll get over your stage fright on one of the biggest stages on the Convention Circuit!" Sam explained. "My babies singing a Sailor Moon song in full cosplay? I'd love to help you with it!" Lynne cheered as she walked up to them. "Fantastic! We'll make it a family project!" Severina smiled. Alana looked around at the other women, thought for a few minutes, sighed, and sheepishly grinned. “I guess the Roster Family women are putting on a show!”

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Words cannot describe how badly I've wanted to write something Sailor Moon related to my story... 

Sailor Moon means a lot to me... It was my mom’s and my “thing”. No matter how much we fought, argued, and went at each other’s throats, we always bonded over the series. The first and last time I watched it in it’s entirety was with her just before her disease started taking its hold. She was the one who got me my first bits of merch, who was always happy to talk to me about it. The last Christmas gift I got her was a blanket with all the scouts on it, and she gave me plushies of Luna and Artemis. When mom died, Sailor Moon came to mean so much more to me. My aunt made me pendants with her ashes in them that look like the Legendary Silver Crystal, I got Pluto’s Garnet Rod tattooed on my back, and I became more adamant about collecting items. Each time I get a new item, I feel closer to her... There are times where I’ll even burst into tears because of Sailor Moon making me think of her....

Yes, I used the character sprite of Nathaniel that I edited from the Dark Chocolate Steward to make him look more like Endymion. I made his hair black, and edited his rings and earrings out.

Little tip... The bit about Adonis won't make sense unless you've read the Codename Sailor V manga.... If you’re not in the mood to read it, Adonis was a lowly Venusian soldier who was in love with his princess (Venus). Venus fell in love with Kunzite instead of him. He found her on Earth and cursed her to never be able to have love again, thus freeing more of her time up to focus on her duty as the leader of Princess Serenity’s Sailor Guardians.

This was originally going to be a Valentine's Day special for 2020. Then 2020 became the dumpster fire that it was and my real life needed more of my attention....

The majority of this does take place during the first year between University Life and Love Life. Before Nath and Alana go on their globe trotting adventure. The flashback section takes place at various points in time.

Credit goes to:

Naoko Takeuchi for Sailor Moon

@candysweetposts for the Princess Serenity Pack (seriously, thank you for going through with my request!)

@chinomiko and Beemoov for My Candy Love

[canumoveurseatup-no]

Date Night (Bruce Banner x POC!Fem!Reader smut)

Summary: Bruce keeps missing date night and he feels bad about it so he does his best to try and make it up to reader.

REQUESTS ARE OPEN 

btw my fics are going to be POC so yeah.

Warnings: none really? except language, dirty talk, a little angst if you squint, 18+

Word Count: 2,676 

-----

“I love you” Bruce kissed Y/N’s cheek and swatted her butt in a joking manner.

She’d finished making his lunch for the day, knowing if she didn’t, he’d starve himself in that damn lab.

“Don’t forget tonight, please” Y/N sent him a warning glare as she handed him his lunchbox.

It was Friday and that’s date night. The past couple of Fridays, Bruce has been too enthralled in his projects with Tony to even remember. But tonight was just a rest night in so hopefully he’ll be looking more forward to that than getting dressed and going out

“I promise I won’t” He rushed out the door and she sat down at her desk to finish up on an assignment for one of her criminal justice classes. Y/N yawns as she’d been working on this assignment everyday this week and was almost finished. Working towards your PhD is NOT easy.

She was ready to finish up and have a wonderful night in with Bruce.

-----

It had taken Y/N all day to finish and send in her assignment and by the time she finished it was almost time for Bruce to be heading home. She’d started dinner and that took about an hour and a half and he still wasn’t home so she called him but no pick up. She’d dialed Tony and also no pick up. Y/N knew that when that happened it wasn’t good.

She waiting another hour before calling both again and decided that Bruce had forgotten again and Tony had sucked him into a new project.

Y/N sighed and wondered if she should let it slide or go to the tower and drag him out. She decided to just shower and go to bed. This was his job after all and though it was tiring for her to constantly miss out on date nights, she understood.

As she was putting her school stuff away she heard the jingle of keys and Bruce stumbled in looking exhausted. He’d seen the somber look on her face before she plastered a fake smile and greeted him.

“Hey hun, dinner is in the kitchen. I kept it in the oven on a low warm setting so it didn’t get cold” she averted her attention back to putting her stuff away and she’d zipped up her book bag.

”Believe me, I didn’t forget. Tony just came up with a new project and it took longer to plan out on paper before we could start making the prototype-”

‘Bruce, babe it’s okay. This is your job”

Bruce could see the tears welling in her eyes but she looked away and headed into the kitchen. He followed her and saw her beginning to make his plate. She had made their favorite and he felt bad.

“Tell me when to stop” she said softly as she started to portion his food.

“That’s good” He came up to her and kissed her cheek, she gave him one back and handed him his plate. “Salad is in the fridge” she told him

Bruce went to the fridge to put a good portion on his plate. He looked at her from behind the door and damn did he feel bad.

Hell, school was a full-time thing for her AND she worked at the police station but she still remembered him and their date nights. She made him dinner and made sure he actually ate throughout the day, she made sure he ate good portions and took care of him.

He knew he had to make up for not only this but the past month and half worth of missed date nights.

She made herself a good portion and sat at the table quietly eating and he sat down beside her. And took her hand in his for a brief moment and she squeezed back.

He could tell she wasn’t mad but she was a little upset.

“What movies are on the roster for tonight?” He shoveled a fork full of his food in his mouth. 

“Actually I was just thinking of resting tonight, that assignment took a lot out of me” she shrugged.

He low key pouted at how she didn’t want to continue their plans but he understood that he kind of stood her up in their own house.

She’d gotten up to get him a beer and pour herself a glass of wine.

“Thanks, honey” he muttered

Dinner was finished in silence and he came up with the plan to at least make her feel a little better about the whole ordeal.

-----

After dinner the two had spent a good fifteen minutes cleaning up with kitchen before retiring to the bedroom.

“I’m gonna take a quick shower” she said before kissing his cheek.

Bruce had the plan in his head and was wondering if he should even follow through with it. He heard the rinkling of her shower cap and the water began running. He waited a couple minutes before getting undressed himself.

He slowly crept into the bathroom and quietly shut the door. He stood there wondering if he should get in the shower with her. If she didn’t want him in there she’d kick him out and he’d respect that.

He open the curtain to see her rubbing her dove soap on her shoulders and down her arms. She tried to get her back and he used that as his cue.

“Let me help”

His voice caused her to jump and squeal but she realized it was him and handed him the wash cloth with a little smile. He got in behind her and started washing her back and running the washcloth down against her ass cheeks. This action caused her to laugh and shake her head.

“Gimme that, ya gotta wash your front bits before the back, ya goof” She took the wash cloth from him and gently cleaned her front before running the wash cloth under the water and gently went back over it washing the soap away. She added another drop of soap before lathering it up and washing her legs then her back bits as she put it. 

In the midst of this, Bruce also began to wash himself. They both stood under the water that pounded down on their skin.

Bruce stepped closer and held her waist in his hands before giving a good squeeze.

“I’m so sorry, honey”

He kissed her neck and down her shoulder before retracing his path.

“I’m going to make it up to you now, is that okay?” He questioned

“Yes, Bruce” Y/N sighed and he took that as his chance to turn her around and kiss her with such passion it almost knocked her off her feet. His hands ran up and down her body, squeezing the love handles that he adored.

His lips trailed down her neck and chest. He nipped here and there which elicited cute little noises from Y/N. He got to her breasts and he knew that was her main weakness.

He took her left nipple in his mouth before sucking and tugging. His hand tugging on the right.

“Fuck, Bruce. That feels so good”

Bruce switched sides and gave the same attention to the right one. His left hand trailed right down to her clit, giving it pressured rubs.

Her hands flew to his shoulders for balance.

“Let’s sit you down, baby” he whispered in her ear and she feverishly nodded.

They have a walk-in shower and luckily a little sitting place was installed. He sat her down before getting on his knees, the hot water pounding on his back.

He kissed her inner thighs giving them a few bites which excited Y/N even further.

“Please Bruce, I need you” she begged.

Bruce used his right thumb to rub circles over her clit, then running it up and down her folds to spread the wetness that was flowing from her. His left arm kept her grounded as she shook from the pleasure.

He leaned forward and took her clit in his mouth

Y/N gasped and her right hand flew to Bruce’s head.

“Bruce” she moaned.

“More please” she whimpered.

He took is middle and ring finger and slowly pushed them into her and he felt the wonderful squeeze of her walls.

“Make me cum, baby please” she cried out.

Bruce used his tongue and flick her clit sideways, up and down, in any direction as he fingered her at the pace she liked.

Her moans and begging became more frequent and he felt the delicious clenching of her before she came on his fingers.

“Ooooh fuck” she practically shouted. She slumped back and sighed trying to compose herself.

In the midst of her recovering, Bruce stood up and grabbed the removable shower head.

She looked at him with a look of confusion.

“What are you doing with that?”

“Oh. don’t act like I don’t know that you use this to get off sometimes. I wanna see it for myself, how it makes you shake and whimper. I want to see those hips buck up as you chase your orgasm”

He fiddled with the dial and changed it so the water jets were closer together in space, that way it could target her clit directly.

“Baby you know how sensitive I get after my first org- FUCK!” she mewled,

He spread her lips and pointed the shower head right on her clit.

Y/N grabbed the shower bar for leverage. She felt the muscles in her calves tense as she curled her toes because of how good it felt.

“Baby, I- I can’t take it, it feels too good”

He shushed her and coaxed her with a smile.

“Be a good girl and take it. You gonna take it for me?” He smiled at her state. 

“Oh my god” she tried to move but he wasn’t allowing it.

“You’re gonna be a good girl and take it, aren’t you, Y/N? Take it” His stare bored into her soul and she nodded her head weakly

“Yes, yes, yes!” Her head flew back against the shower wall with a light thud.

“Good girl” he muttered as he kissed and bit her left inner thigh.

“Cum for me. Show me how you cum from the shower head, baby”

“Baby I’m gonna cum!” Her hips raised up and little and he smiled.

Bruce slowly pushed his fingers back in her and teased her sweet spot while keeping the shower head on her clit.

She opened her mouth in the shape of an O and had her eyes clenched tight.

“No. You’re gonna open your eyes and look at me as you fall apart. Do you hear me?” He moves his fingers faster but she still didn’t open her eyes.

“I won’t let you cum, Y/N and you know it. Be a good girl and open those eyes’

She slowly open her eyes and stared into his while biting her lip.

Her body was shaking, she wanted to cum so bad but he was teasing.

“Are you gonna be a good girl and cum for me again?” He smirked she bit her lip harder and stared into his eyes and gave an innocent nod of the head.

“Baby, I’m fucking cumming” her hands braced herself on the seat as her body convulsed.

His fingers moved in her faster and she grabbed his arm as if to tell him to stop but he kept going.

“Bruce I-” she was cut off by her pussy gushing. He removed the shower head but her orgasm just kept coming

“Fuuuuck” she pulled herself back off his fingers to compose herself.

He moved to hold her and calm her down as she shook.

“It’s okay, baby. You did so good” he kissed her cheeks, forehead, nose and lips.

They stayed that way for a bit before he felt her fingers wrap around his hard on.

“Last one” she whimpered. “I want it”

Bruce took his dick in his hands before teasing her entrance with his tip.

She shivered out of sensitivity and whined.

“I got you, baby” he slowly bottomed out and they both let out a moan that sounded like a beautiful harmony.

“Faster” she pleaded.

He grabbed her ankles and pushed her legs back as he picked up his pace. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the bathroom along with Y/N moans and Bruce’s delicious groans.

She stared into his eyes as he thrusted into her. He moved his hand to wrap it around her throat and gave it a good squeeze. She smiled up at him with adoration and that look alone almost made Bruce bust right then and there.

Bruce moved down and attached his lips to hers in a sloppy manner but neither of them cared.

He pulled out for a minute before reaching for the shower head. The water wasn’t too hot but it wasn’t cold either, it was a comfortable warm. He thrusted back into her before placed the water jets at an angle right on her clit and the way she clenched around Bruce made his hips stutter in momentum.

“Do that again, honey” Bruce bit his lip as she did as he asked and he could tell they were both about to be spent.

Y/N moans and pleadings were flowing out of her almost at the same rate her juices were.

He saw that she was getting weak and he encouraged her.

“Cum for me one more time and we’ll clean you up and get you in bed, okay baby?” He kissed Y/N’s forehead and thrusted harder.

“It’s too much, I can’t take it” she wrapped her legs around his waist and held onto the arm that wasn’t holding the shower head.

“You can. And you will.”

She internally smiled at his dominance that he rarely brought forth.

“Okay, okay” She exasperated.

“Let go, I can feel it. Cum for me, Y/N”

Her eyes rolled back as her back arched and she came on him, she had triggered his orgasm as well.

“Fuck you feel so good” His voice dropped an octave of two as he whimpered. His hips stuttered and twitched as he emptied into her.

He slowly pulled out as they were both sensitive and they both stayed there gasping for air.

Bruce hung the shower head back up and got her washcloth to wipe her down and clean her up as he used his own to clean himself off. He turned off the water and carried her out of the shower, wrapping her in a towel then setting her on the bathroom counter, getting her toothbrush and wetting it before putting toothpaste on it.

“Open”

Y/N tiredly opened her mouth and had him brush her teeth

“Spit” he continued to brush after she did as instructed.

“Tongue out”

He gently cleaned her tongue and handed her a cup of water to rinse. Once he was done helping her, he brushed his own. He removed her shower cap and retied her headscarf before placing the red and black bonnet on her head.

Bruce carried Y/N back into their room where he then rubbed her favorite oil on her, which he then used on himself. He crawled into bed next to her and spooned her.

“Thank you” she yawned. “Best way you’ve made up for missing date night thus far” she snuggled back into him.

“I’m sorry and I promise to be more conscious of time so I don’t keep missing date nights. I know it was bothering you, you don’t have to keep that from me. But I love you and I’m gonna get better with that. I told Tony not to call tomorrow. We’re gonna have a movie day and we’re going out to dinner”

She could tell he was sincere.

“I love you” she whispered before she shut her eyes and letting sleep take her.

“And I love you” He kissed her shoulder, following suit of actually getting some shut eye.

----

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[softmoxymuffin]

“Learning Experience”

forgot to upload this on tumblr but had uploaded it on ao3 i dont know either not a lot of people read my fics on tumblr or the whole censorship thing is affecting my smut more than it really should have but either way here’s chapter 6

Chapter 1: Check Please

Chapter 2: Airplanes and Automobiles

Chapter 3: Tellin’ the Folks

Chapter 4: Hot Cocoa and Surprise Hugs

Chapter 5: Breakfast Sandwiches

Chapter 6: Learning Experience

Chapter 7: Keeping up Defenses

Chapter 8: Confessions in the Bitter Cold

Breakfast was a success. Though Dean wouldn’t call what he did cooking, the Rollins family and especially Seth were absolutely thankful for it. He had prepared some eggs 3 ways; sunny side up, scrambled, and poached. He fried up some bacon and a couple of breakfast sausages. Dean had separated the bread; some he had left plain, some toasted, and a couple he had drenched and turned to French toast. While Dean had done that, Seth had prepared everything else that didn’t require heating up. He had a fresh batch of coffee going. He filled a pitcher full of orange juice. He got the fruit that Dean had been able to buy and cut them up.

Once they were done they had made a decent spread on the kitchen island. It wasn’t until everyone had loaded their individual plates when Brandon, Seth’s older brother, mentioned this reminded him of the taco station their dad would prepare for them as kids. Everything just laid out for everyone else to come and assemble what they wanted. Apart from breakfast his mom and dad would make for them, Seth could easily admit this was one of the best breakfast’s he’d ever.

“This was wonderful Dean,” Holly had spoken while eating her slices of French toast with honey and berries. “Thank you.”

“Neh, don’t mention it.” The blond had replied before taking a sip of his coffee, Seth suspecting the mug was their to hide the blush forming on his cheeks.

“No, really Dean.” Hector who had stood up to grab another cup of coffee, had stopped to put his hand on Dean’s shoulder. “My family and I really appreciate it. It’s been a while since we’ve had everyone under one roof again. And as fun as taking care of these little monsters can be, it was really thoughtful of you to offer us your help. So, thank you.”

Seth’s stepdad Hector was a kind man. It was easily seen in his demeanor. Ever since Seth’s own father walked out on them, Hector had been the man of the house and had taken him and Brandon in his arms like they were his own kids. Though, the whole ordeal had caused Seth to go through a couple of difficult teen years it wasn’t until after all that when he realized how blessed he was to have his stepdad and his mom stuck by him through it all.

Being surrounded by his family, reminded of everything he’d gone through. Now to have Dean, a member of chosen family, be a part of it all and see not only his stepdad but his whole family welcome him so easily, Seth felt his heart full and happy. Whatever the circumstances were, no matter how bad it could be, Seth was glad Dean had chosen to come to him. Seth was glad his family seems to have chosen Dean as much as Seth already had.

After breakfast, Holly and Dd had insisted to do the cleaning after everything Dean and Seth had already done. Hector had plans to clean up the garage and shovel the driveway. Seth and Dean had volunteered to help, but Hector had insisted that he and Brandon were more than capable of finishing the job, much to Brandon’s dismay. Hector had reminded Seth of how much he had wanted to check up on his wrestling school and should take the chance to do so now.

“They’d really appreciate seeing you again.” Hector had said. “They haven’t seen you since November. Think it’s time for a visit.”

“They’re still there? I mean, hadn’t they gone off for the holiday?” Dean had asked.

“Well, most of them have.” Holly had answered with a sad sigh as she put dishes away. “But some of our kids have difficult home lives. Let’s just say they’d much rather stay than go home.”

Before Seth could ask about that, Dean had made a sad sigh of his own and agreed. “I totally get that.”

Now, Seth rudely reminded how he was still clueless about what was going on with Dean. He was tempted to ask, but knew the timing was not right. Instead, he had turned to his friend and asked.

“You wanna come check the place out?” he asked with an excited smile.

“Me?” Dean sounding more confused than he really should have.

“Yeah you,” he repeated. “The kids’ll love it. I mean it’s a wrestling school. It’s basically like you’re coming in as a guest lecturer.” He lightheartedly joked.

The thought made Dean smile but still felt the need to ask “You sure about that? I had never been any good at school.”

“I’m positive.” Seth insisted. “Those kids will shit themselves when they find out you’re there. Plus, they’d actually learn something valuable.” Seth smiled. Then both wrestlers went to their respective rooms to get ready.

It had been a couple of weeks since Seth had gone to “Black and Brave”. He did his best to keep up to date with the place and made sure he had a good grasp on everything going on. But with all the travelling and shows, it can be pretty difficult to run a school so far away from it all. He was grateful he had the chance to do so now. Then to bring Dean along would be such a great opportunity for the kids. Apart from that, he thought maybe the experience would also be a good for Dean. Would be a good distraction from whatever he was going through. It would put him in his element and have other see that too is just a bonus.

By the time Seth was ready, he had gone downstairs. His mom had insisted he take some of the leftovers from breakfast for their lunch with the kids at the school. Seth took the sandwiches and had gone down to warm up his car only to find his friend already there and seemed to have been checking the trunk.

“What you doing?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Dean said innocently the way kid does when he’d done something behind your back.

“Ok,” Seth knew better, but he was willing to see this through.

“What’s that?” Dean asked motioning at the Tupperware he was holding.

“Lunch stuff.” Seth had imitated Dean’s earlier answer but added “Mom wanted us to bring some leftover sandwiches for the kids at the school.”

“Sweet,” Dean had said before he climbed in the passenger seat and took the sandwiches from the other man to place them on his lap.

The drive to the school was made both feel familiar. Seth behind the wheels with Dean shotgun. Dean had asked a couple of questions about the place before getting there, just wanting to orient himself about the school; How many kids they got? Less then 20 maybe even less now during the holidays. How old are they? They ranged from 16 to 23. How far along are they? Some are there for the fun of it, less than a handful seem to be really in for it in the long haul, while most are more or less curious about the whole thing wanting to learn more. Seth couldn’t really think of anything deeply important to tell the other man, and just reassured him that he’ll be great. He honestly thinks the kids will just be thrilled to have another wrestler there to teach them something new.

He had parked right outside the building. The place was a converted warehouse. It had reminded Dean of the FCW headquarters before he and Seth had joined the main roster. Seth hadn’t noticed the resemblance until now, maybe it was comforting to have someplace for other’s start similar to where he started. Both men had gotten out of the car, Dean had handed Seth the Tupperware. Seth was making his way towards the building. Once he had gotten to the door to open it for his friend he had realized rather than follow him Dean had gone behind the car to open the trunk.

“What’s going on?” Seth asked again, fearing the worst.

“Nothing, just head inside and do a little introduction or something.” He had answered without really answering. Seth had looked at him suspiciously but was only shooed away by the other man who was still trying to get the trunk opened.

Whatever Dean was up to, Seth hope to god almighty it wasn’t anything too bad.

He walked into the school and was met with warm welcome. He could see that less than half of the kids were here, but again knowing it was the holidays he was not surprised. He had asked around updates on how everyone was going. Mostly have been keeping up to date on their workouts and practices. They were good kids. Seth wouldn’t have given them a chance if he suspected any different. He had asked how the living quarters were and made sure everything was doing well. Other than a few of them complaining that others were not pulling their weight on the chores, no real problem seemed to have arose in his absence.

He had gotten them to settle down and grab a chair each. He had them sit in semi-circle next to the ring where he had stood to speak to them.

“Ok, first of all; I’m glad to see each and every one of you. I can see a lot of familiar faces, and for whatever reason you may have I’m glad you guys have chosen to stick around. It’s been a while since I’ve been here, but I’m back and I’m glad to say that brought a guest you guys are going to be excited to meet.”

And as if rehearsed cue, the door to the school had been kicked open. There stood a silhouette of a man tall and broad shouldered carrying a heavy load in his arms. He strutted his way in making absolutely no eye contact. When he was a good five feet away from the ring he had bent forward and threw what he had held in his hand hard enough that it rolled to a stop between Seth and the kids, all of whom paled at the sight of the thing.

“Hi kids,” Dean greeted as he now stood in front of him. His smile a mile long and his eyes sparkling with mischief. “My name is Dean Ambrose, and I’m here to teach you the many ways to wrestle using barbed wires.” Then casually pointed to the giant coil of thorny metal in front of them.

Everybody held their breath. The students in question might have just had, as Seth predicted earlier, shat themselves. Seth couldn’t blame them.

“Dean no!” Seth exclaimed with horrified worry.

“What?” Dean asked incredulously. “It’s just the basics.”

Seth looked at the students wanting to give them a reassuring look, but was just as worried as they were. He thought one of them was going to pass out. The another started breathing heavily, as Seth felt the need to ask himself if any one of them had asthma or something.

After a very tense silence in the gym, it had finally broke with a chuckle. A little laugh that slowly transformed into a deep and uncontrolled cackle. Dean was laughing so hard he had to grab a hold of the ring to keep himself from falling.

In that moment, Seth wasn’t sure if he wanted to punch him or kick him. He should have known Dean was just joking. He really shouldn’t have been as surprised as he was.

“Hahahaha Ambrose very funny!” Seth had said sarcastically.

“You should have seen your faces.” Dean had tried to reply between laughs, as he wiped the tears in his eyes. “You turned paler than Sheamus’ ass.”

Once it was abundantly clear that Dean was in fact joking, you could see the collective sigh of relief that fell over the rest of the students. A couple even found the humor in it enough to laugh at their sorry state, but all were just relieved barbed wire was not going anywhere near them in any sort of way.

To seemingly prove this, Dean had bent down and grabbed the coil to heft it back into his arms exactly like he had done when he came in and began to carry it out of the way to against a far side wall.

“Anyway, sorry about the lil scare I gave you. Was just joking, but Seth did invite me of help.” With a giant clap and a big smile he asked the group of 8-9 teens “So, who’s ready to wrestle.?”

For the next couple of hours Dean and Seth had ran the student through basic warm up and passes. Made sure each and every one of them were ready to give show them their best. Seth had called them to pair up and plan a little showcase of what they had been working on since he last saw them. He thought the best way for Dean to be able to help the kids was to first get to see them work and build from there. It was such a welcome not only to have a fresh pair of eyes on his students, but one’s he has such respect for.

Dean had always been an incredible wrestler and performer. It was rare to really have both, and crucial for success in the industry they were in. If you were just a fighter then you should go ahead and move to boxing of MMA. If you were just a performer than go for being an actor or Rockstar. But Dean was both, what was great about him was that Seth believed that wrestling really was what Dean loved. This wasn’t some stupid stepping stone towards something grander like a career being a movie star or pop icon. Dean was really into it for being into it, being a genuine fan and wanting to be apart of something he had always admired growing up. It was something he had always admired about Dean. It was one of the things they had shared.

After the rounds between the students, and a few helpful tips given to each of them. The two were then egged on to put a show of their own. Though it was only for 9 teens in a warehouse, Dean and Seth were more than enthusiastic about showing them how they were. He was sure many of his students have seen them fight before; all on tv and many during house shows in Davenport. But to fight in a gym like this, to fight just for the sake of fighting he had felt like showing them something they hadn’t seen before.

“What you say baby?” he teased the blond.

“I say bring it pretty boy.” Dean replied with a giant smile on his face.

They both charged at the same time. Arms in and out of grappling. Heads tucked and body rolls avoiding each other’s hits. The occasional bounce off the ropes for distance. This was a fight for fun. No pressure for an audience or upper management. Not having to have a script in mind. It was just pure and that’s how Dean and Seth wrestled best.

Though he had met him years prior through mutual friends and being in the same companies, but at different times, their first real match really didn’t happen until they both reached FCW down in Tampa around 2011. He can still remember that day when Joey Mercury unknowingly re-introduced him to Dean Ambrose.

*flashback*

“So what you got planned now you’re here?” Seth asked after their short small talk.

“Oh that’s easy,” he answered. “I’m gonna challenge you for that championship you have.”

Taken aback by how brazen the newcomer was Seth couldn’t help but ask “You sure about that?”

Dean had only shrugged and gave the other man his killer smile and answered. “A far as I can see, you’re the only one worth fighting around here.” He answered then walked away towards his locker.

Seth was instantly intrigued by him, and a little more than annoyed. No matter what was going to happen, he was sure it was going to be interesting when it involved Dean Ambrose.

But what he had thought would just be a gimmick to make a big splash into the developmental pool, was quickly proven wrong once Dean actually approached him before their match to talk strategy. Though he had been bold enough to challenge him outright, he was not the type to just pull crap off in the middle of the ring, at least not if he can help it. He wanted to see if Seth had any ideas on how to make their match a little more exciting. They had quickly traded ideas here and there about what to do and when.

“You a flyer right?” Dean asked.

“Yeah,” Seth answered side-eying the other man.

“Got any tricks I gotta be prepared for?” he asked.

“No, I don’t do that stuff as much here.” He explained.

“Why the fuck not?” the blond asked.

“Have had a couple of accidents already. The space between the ring and the barriers is barely five feet, makes jumping out the ring risk the audience. Plus couple of the other guys have dropped me before. Mercury has advised against it unless we’d worked on it before.” He answered as he did his pre-match stretches.

There was a pause between them as they made their respective preparations for their match. It wasn’t until they had less than five minutes left for their entrance when Dean had added.

“You should do it. Fly out the ring, it would be awesome.” He said, which made the younger man chuckle but clearly not agree with him. “I’d catch you.”

Seth looked at Dean in the eye. He had seemed pretty sure of himself, but he’s pretty sure that’s just his default mode. Seth was still unsure.

“Listen, I know we haven’t ever been the ring together before but I can promise you I ain’t like one of the numbskulls.” Dean looked at Seth sternly, sounding more serious than he ever has. “I’m not gonna drop you.”

Those were his last words before he had gone and made his entrance in the FCW ring, leaving Seth to make a split second decision before he made his own entrance. Dean was right, he and Seth have never been in the ring together. He had figured that was the main reason why they had given Dean the ok to jump right into the championship pool so quickly. Indie fans were excited to see Jon Moxley and Tyler Black finally face off. It was that reminder that Dean basically came from where Seth had come from himself. Dean was right, he wasn’t like the numbskulls NFL rejects who’s botched matches before. Dean more than capable of doing exactly what he said he’d do. With a deep breath, Seth finally made a decision and made his own entrance.

It was at the end of their first fight in FCW when Seth knew for certain Dean was exactly who he said he was, and then some. He was good. There was no question about it. Seth hadn’t really even doubted it knowing where he’d come from. What really stood out for him was though they had never fought each other before, their first FCW fight was the smoothest match Seth had fought in a long time. It just flowed so easily. Where Seth would move one way, Dean was right there to counter, which Seth would do so in return. It felt like they’d been fighting for forever. At one point when Dean was outside the ring, Seth had taken the plunge and flew between the ropes on towards the other man. Just like Dean had said he would, he grabbed him in mid-air then safely got both of them on the ground. It was awesome. He and Dean just seemed to click.

After years of being on the road together, fighting together, fighting each other, that chemistry just seemed to grow between them. Which made their current fighting in Black and Brave just be a constant move and response between the two men. Smiles on their faces and aches in their bodies, it was clear to anyone and everyone who were watching them that they were having more than fun. Neither had even realized they had been fighting for a good 30 minutes already, and it had only ended when Dean had an exhausted Seth on his back and reminded the other man it was probably lunch time.

They had all regrouped around the snack table by the side of the gym. The kids had gone to their common kitchen and grabbed water for everyone. They sat and ate their sandwiches while in companionable chatter.

“Seth,” Alex, one of the teens spoke. “Tell Mrs. Rollins thanks for the sandwiches. They’re really good.”

“Actually,” Seth had slung his arm around Dean’s shoulder. “Dean had actually prepared them.”

The surprised looks on their faces seemed funny to Seth but a little insulting to Dean “Don’t worry, it’s not like I put razor blades in them.” Which had gotten more than one of them suspiciously looking between the bread they were holding.

“Don’t worry… I was there when he made them.” Seth joked. “They’re safe.”

They had continued to eat their sandwiches. Everyone in the group making small talk and goofing around. When it came time to clean up, one of the students had spoken up.

“Can I ask a question?” he asked.

“Sure, Jesse what’s on your mind?” Seth asked the younger man with dark curls.

“How do you, like, make up your character?” he asked, his eyes shyly darting more towards Dean.

“Well, that’s a little advance for this stage Jes,” Seth tried to change the topic.

“No, I know.” He had nodded. “I’m just curious…” he clearly wanted to say something but was having a hard time doing so. “I’ve been a fan of yours since Moxley.” He finally admitted.

“Have you?” Dean asked a little more than surprised. “How old are you kid?”

“19,” he admitted again.

“You must have been 10 the last time I was Moxley,” Dean pointed out. “You were not old enough to have seen any of my old stuff.”

“My brother showed them to me, when I was a kid.” He explained. “He did it to scare me at first, which I kinda did, but looking at them now. You were… insane.”

That had made the two superstars chuckle. Seth remembered the first time he had met Dean all those years ago. They had met at a party of a common friend of theirs. Someone they had both worked with at different times and at different companies. It was just by chance they were performing in a town nearby.

Seth had walked in with his buddies and got introduced to Dean and his coworkers. They didn’t really hang out that night, preferring to stick to their own circle of friends. It was only when one of Dean’s coworkers had brought out a camera and told Dean to bring out Moxley for them. An impromptu promo in the middle of a party where the guy was already more than a couple of drinks in. Seth couldn’t help but want to watch the trainwreck he assumed it was going to be. Seth thought there was no way this was going to end well. The man in question had just stood behind the kitchen counter gave himself a slight slap on the face and motioned for the camera guy to go.

Seth was so wrong. Yes, Dean was more than a little drunk. Yes, he had looked ridiculous with douchy shaded on indoors in the middle of the night. Yes, this seemed like a dumb idea. But Dean made it all seem to work. Right in front of his eyes, he saw the man transform from Dean to Jon Moxley. He had heard about him; people threw around words like crazy, and unhinged, and unpredictable. It wasn’t until you saw it up close when you realized what they were talking about. They were right. Dean as Jon Moxley was that and more.

“Thanks kid,” Dean had only smiled and took another sip of his water.

“I mean, I don’t mean to pry. I know you’re a pretty private guy…” he spoke more today than Seth has heard him all year. “But like, how’d you get to sound like that? Like any of the stuff you said like true?”

All eyes were now turned towards Dean. The students seemed to have been on this weird combination of excitement and also a bit of fear, not really knowing how the older man would respond.

“I mean, yeah.” Dean answered and put down his bottle of water. “Some of it was true. I mean if you’re asking how it started that way, that’s basically it. You start by telling the truth.” His answer only seemed to have made the students more confused. “It all comes from a certain truth you believe. I mean you don’t have to divulge each and every little thing about you. But what you do go out there and share better be something you believe in, coz when you don’t they’ll see right through you.”

“The first character I had was like a varsity blues football player with some other guy I don’t remember. It really didn’t mean anything to me, coz it wasn’t me. I was trying to act like a big dog knowing shit I didn’t know and claiming accomplishments that weren’t mine and you know what happened?” he asked. “They chewed me up and spat me out.”

“It wasn’t until I guess about your age when I started to kinda see something a little closer to home. Like the varsity blue guy was popular, athletic, top tiered… everything I didn’t really feel like I was.” He spoke slowly and carefully like Seth could see him pick his memories out from his past. To be honest, he hadn’t heard Dean open up like this in a while.

“The truth was, or at least what I had grown up to be the truth was more or less the opposite. I wasn’t the popular kid, I was the pariah. I wasn’t really athletic, other than wrestling, I didn’t really give a shit about my body other than taking care of it so I could wrestle. I wasn’t top tiered, I wasn’t even on the damn cake. I below that. I was a gutter rat. Just white trash street urchin bum. No one really thought more of me. Being successful in anything, much less professional wrestling, was the furthest thing anyone would have ever thought of me to do.”

Though the man spoke straight and clearly, Seth was trying to spot any sort of clue to how he was really feeling about telling these kids about all of this. Like Jesse had mentioned, Dean was very private. He really wanted to make sure his friend wasn’t feeling pressured to speak like this.

“There was a point I wanted to bury all that, and maybe the varsity blue guy would have been able to do that, but it didn’t. Instead of trying to become something I just really was not, I started to curve towards being exactly who everyone thought I should be and go beyond that. Like if they were gonna think I was just some white trash piece of shit, then let them.”

Seth heart ached. He knew Dean’s earlier character was based a little bit on the reality that was Dean’s childhood, but even he was never sure what was true and what was not. He had never really tried to ask. Hearing his friend open up so casually about something so heartbreaking was troubling. He was tempted to stop but seeing the kids almost just as affected as he was, and seeing that Dean was not stopping himself. Seth had decided to let the other man speak till he was ready to stop.

“Like, did I grow up poor? Was my mom a whore? Did I sell drugs to survive living on the streets? Whether or not anyone knew the true answers to any of these questions was irrelevant. The point was those were stuff that was expected of me the way I was and how I had come to be… People basically fucking looked down on me like I was something they had stepped on…” his voice wavering on sad at the end but he composed himself before he added “And that was ok.”

“How is any of that ok?” Jesse asked in disbelief.

Dean had sat up straight, looking up at the boy who sat across from him, then gave him a big and genuine smile before answering “Coz I was gonna prove them all wrong.”

Seth was right. Bringing Dean here was a good idea, and his kids were learning something valuable. But apart from that, Seth was learning something valuable too. Seth always thought he was lucky to have Dean the way their friendship was. He realized luck had nothing to do with it. Dean fought to get here, to get this far. Seth was realizing how blessed he was with Dean, and he refuses to ever forget that.

[melodyalanaroster]

Confession

"Nathaniel, what is so dangerous that you have to hold me at arm’s length? We’ve been dating for a while... We’ve even made love... And yet, you still won’t tell me what you’ve gotten yourself into. Please, tell me.” she begged. “I can’t Alana, I don’t want you to get involved.” “But, why? I can help you. Whatever it is, I can handle it.” “You need to rest and relax. You’ve spent so long saving the world, now I need you to save yourself. Let me handle my affairs.” “How long will it take?” “I don’t know. But, until then, you and I can’t see each other as much.” He could see her heart breaking, the tears welling up in her eyes. “N-Nathaniel... No... I just got you back... I can’t lose you!” she babbled. “It’s just until this is sorted.” he attempted to reassure her as he kissed her forehead and walked off, leaving her in the park, alone. “N-Nathaniel... N-No... N-Not a-again... Not again... Not again... Nathaniel!” she began to cry.

"That bastard!” Derek yelled as he hit a wall. “Surely he has a good explanation.” Lyra remarked. “He made our Melody cry! He fucked her and dumped her!” Derek’s fury continued to build. “What if he’s trying to protect her? Just like when she broke up with him to protect him from her enemies?” Nora pondered. “But she’s OUR Melody! She’s one of the most powerful and dangerous people on the planet! She can handle whatever he’s into!” Derek yelled. “I think it’s almost poetic.” Renee commented. “How in the hell is it poetic?!” Derek boomed. “Think about it... Nathaniel knows full well what Melody is, he knows that she can save him from what he’s into... But! His first and foremost desire is to keep her safe. I’m sure he will tell her what’s wrong when the separation causes the agony in his heart to reach a critical mass.” Renee explained. “And while we’re all waiting for that to happen... She’s up there, in her domain, crying her eyes out and losing her warmth... She’s returning to being cold.” Veronica sighed.

A few days later, a little witch paid Alana a visit. “I’m sorry Chani, I’m just not into it.” Alana sighed. Chani had been poking Alana to see what was wrong, why the life had left her eyes, but Alana wasn’t ready to tell her. So, she tried to find ways to keep her distracted but nothing ever worked. She knew she wasn’t the only one who knew something was wrong... She noticed that even Mr. Zaidi had asked her if she was okay during class, to which Alana replied “It’s nothing. I’m fine.”... She had to do something... “I think it would be good for you. Please.” She spoke softly and chose her words carefully. Alana thought for a minute, she knew Chani meant well... Hell, out of all of her friends outside the Tower, Chani had been the one trying the hardest. “Okay, let’s go.” she sighed as she began following her friend.

As they approached the Snake Room, Alana stopped. “Really? Here?” she asked. She looked at the crowd and the security detail. “It doesn’t look like it’s open to the public.” she commented. “Yeah... I feel like it’s a private party.” Chani affirmed. “Let’s crash it.” Alana smirked as they walked up to the front of the line, ignoring the group of people cussing them out as they stood before the bouncer. “Names.” The bouncer demanded. “Lady Melody of the R.D.R and this is my guest.” Alana replied. “That’s cute. But, unless you’re willing to show me proof that you’re actually Lady Melody, I’m not letting you in.” The bouncer commented. “Are you fucking kidding me? The fact that the color has left the faces of the people standing at the front of the line and the fear that has washed over them should be enough proof.” The disgust and insult in Alana’s voice was very apparent. “How stupid. Death Herself stands before you and you demand she show proof of who she is before letting her and her friend inside our party.” A voice called from inside the building. “Castiel! And just what the fuck is this?” Alana demanded. “Come in and see.” He grinned as he held out his hand. “You’d better give one hell of an explanation.” She smirked as she and Chani followed him inside. When they entered into the bar, the rest of Crowstorm looked at Alana and smiled. “Hey! Look who it is!” “Lady Melody! It’s great to see you again!” “I never thought I’d see you at one of these things!” “It’s good to see you Alana!” the band all greeted. “Alana, have you met the band before?” Chani asked. “It’s a long story.” Alana replied. “Miss Roster! What an absolute pleasure to have you at our party! I was almost afraid that you wouldn’t come!” The agent grinned as they walked up to them. “I wasn’t invited.” Alana clarified. “Yes, you were. Castiel was instructed to invite you directly, as you two are friends.” Alana looked at Castiel curiously. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Castiel looked down. “I didn’t think you’d come. You’ve been very preoccupied lately and I didn’t think this kind of thing was your scene.” “If I had known, I might have shown up of my own choosing... But, I will admit, it was Chani that brought me out tonight.” Castiel turned to Chani. “What convinced you to bring her out?” Chani smiled. “She’s not been herself lately, I thought a night out would be good for her.” Castiel turned serious and looked at Alana. “What did that idiot do?” Alana looked down. “I don’t wanna talk about it.” 

As the party went on, Chani told Alana that she was going home and that she should stay and hang out with Castiel more, that it would be good to take her mind off what’s been bothering her. Alana was instructed to sit down on a couch closest to the band. “This really isn’t my scene.” She thought as she looked around at the girls surrounding her. “These girls are all fake.” She thought. She could tell that these girls were all trying too hard. Faces caked on with makeup, clothes purposely chosen to be revealing, figures that proved that they all clearly needed to desperately eat a sandwich, and their body language emitted a sense of competition. “It’s as if they’re all broodmares whose sole desire is to be chosen and fucked by Castiel. Pathetic. The fact that his agent requested that I sit with them is a fucking insult.” she thought. “I knew this wasn’t your scene.” Castiel sighed as he walked up to her. “And yet, I’m still here to support my friend.” Alana answered. “Let’s get out of here.” He grinned. “I think that’s the first smart thing you’ve said all night.” She chuckled as she got up from the couch and followed him out of the building.

As they talked he led her through the park and to an apartment building, a much nicer one than the one she remembered him living in in High School. “I see you’ve upgraded.” she commented. “It’s not as much of an upgrade as what you’ve gotten, but it’s nice.” Alana chuckled. “Is that like when I showed you my R.D.R dorm and said “It’s not much, but it’s home.”?” Castiel chuckled as he took off his jacket and turned the music on. “You could say that.” He walked over to her and motioned for them to sit down on the bed. “Alana.” He lightly growled the desire in his eyes becoming apparent. “Uh.... Cas? What do you think you’re doing?” “You need a distraction... Maybe, I could be that distraction... At least... For one night.” He began running his hand along her leg. “You’re joking, right?” Alana pulled away from his touch. “It’s just a proposition.” He ran his hand through her hair as if to straighten it. “Cas... I...” “Is Nathaniel waiting for you tonight? Do you have something else planned...? Now? In the middle of the night?” The sound of Nathaniel’s name saddened her. “N-No...” He moved closer to her, so close that she caught the subtle scent of his skin. He pushed the strands of hair covering her neck away. “We could have fun...” He moved closer to her, his lips getting dangerously close to hers. His eyes staring intensely at hers. “Are you fucking kidding me? He knows I’m loyal to Nathaniel and yet he’s still pulling this shit? I don’t care if he is hot, and our friend, this is wrong and he knows it.” She thought. “No Castiel. I don’t want this.” She stated as she stood up. “Alana. You know how I feel about you. That’s why I treat you different from the other girls.” “Oh, yeah, really different. That’s why your agent insisted I sit with all of those skanks at the party. That’s why you brought me home and thought it was perfectly okay to suggest a one night stand. Even if I wasn’t loyal to Nathaniel, I’d back hand you for this on the premise of the severe lack of basic human decency.” “Nathaniel does nothing but hurt you! How can you still love him?!” “I know he doesn’t mean any harm by it. For god’s sake Castiel! He’s gone through a lot and is still walking through Hell! And up until recently, he’s had to do it mostly alone!” Fury began coursing through her as she began walking to the door. “Alana! Don’t!” He boomed as he grasped for her hand. “Don’t you dare fucking touch me!” Her glasses immediately turned dark with the blue glow showing where her pupils were supposed to be. “Alana.” He immediately looked defeated. “And I’ll have you know that the trope where the lead singer of the band gets poisoned by a pretty girl in a music video has been done before. Your latest video is a fucking cliche!” She yelled as she threw the door open and slammed it shut.

When she got back to her apartment, she noticed Nathaniel pacing in front of her door. He looked at her, his eyes filled with pain. “He came back.” she thought as a wave of relief washed over her. “I wanted to be sure not to miss you. I thought you’d never get home...” “What are you doing here?” “I wanted to see you. I ran into Derek, Lyra and Nora in the lobby. Derek wanted to kick my ass and kick me out of the building... But the girls let me come up here anyway. I figured it would be best to just wait out here rather than going inside to wait for you.” Alana smiled. “I’m glad to see you.” “Really? I don’t deserve that smile.” “No, you’re right, you don’t deserve it. But, something tells me that you wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t important, so, come on... I need to get comfy and I’m sure you don’t wanna spend the entire night out here.” She sighed as she opened the door and lead them inside.

She lead them to her bedroom, where she took off her shoes and stood before him. “Alright, explain yourself.” Nathaniel looked heartbroken. “I screwed up. I should never have left you. The past few weekends... What’s happened the past few weekends has been... I haven’t experienced something so intense in years... The last time was with you, before you moved away. I wish all my weekends could be like that. If I could, I’d be at your door every night. I want all of my weekends to belong to you. I want you.” “I-It’s hard, Nathaniel. Are you coming back so you can leave better? You shatter my heart every time.” “That won’t happen again.” “Oh? Really?” She cocked her head out of curiosity. “You ended things with me to protect you from your enemies as you rose to power. Now, I’ve been trying to protect you from mine while you attempt to regain normalcy. I couldn’t put you at risk.” “Please, feel free to elaborate.” “I worked for a huge cartel around here. And now they’re out to get me. They threatened to kill me and if I don’t keep working with them they... they...” he began to get choked up, the sadness ravaging it’s way across his face. “Alana, they’re capable of all kinds of things. I’m afraid they’ll come after you. That’s why I stopped everything. I didn’t want to give them the chance to use you against me. To use you period. I screwed up, all these years, I made all the wrong choices. And you reminded me what it’s like to be good, and now it’s too late. It’s much too late.” He flung himself to the floor, wrapping his arms around her. “Please let me tell you. I’m finally ready to.” “Nath...” Seeing him shaking and wrapping his arms around her, tears welled up in her eyes. “Nath... Come on... Sit on the bed...”

When they both sat down, he made sure he was facing her and she took his hand in hers. “It started after high school. I found myself having to get by on my own, financially. My mother kept sending me money, alone, against my father’s will. Then we had a really violent argument one day, about how she was managing my sister’s modeling career... From then on, I had to get by on my own. One day... I ran into the wrong people, a little like you in that alley... The guys were dealing and they spotted me. I tried to negotiate with them to get myself out of there. I promised them they could make even more money. I thought I had been clever, but ever since that day, they’ve never left me alone. Their leader used me to develop the market, to climb the ladder.” “And you haven’t gone to the authorities because you don’t want to risk going to prison.” “Exactly.” “So? Are you an actual dealer? Or just an adviser?” “At first, I was just an adviser. It was convenient for me, I got paid too... The things got out of hand... I started giving orders to some of the guys who worked for us. And without realizing it, I ended up managing the network of dealers...” Alana looked down. “I never thought you’d get mixed up with that sort of thing... If it was hemp, I’d be a little more okay with it... But this is a hard drug ring...” Nathaniel looked down. “I know... And I was eaten up with guilt, so I took action... My way.” “Meaning?” “When they make me transport the drugs, I replace it with inoffensive plant mixtures before they hit the streets and I throw the drugs out. Except that... The jerk I was working with realized it... Its... the same guy who attacked Nina last time, who came after you. And he’s blackmailing me. I thought I could fool them. I thought they were morons. But these guys are... dangerous and they know what they’re doing. When I found out what you’ve become, I wanted to come to you. I wanted your help. But then you and everyone showed me that you’re trying to get out of this life... That you need to rest and have peace. I couldn’t bring you back into it. You’ve gone through so much pain... I couldn’t add to it.” Alana sighed. “Nathaniel, I came back to this city to retrieve you. I came home with the hope that you would forgive me for what I’ve done and leave with me when I graduate. If it means decimating a cartel to free you so you can come with me, I am more than happy to do so.” His eyes grew wide. “Alana...” “You are the most important person to me, outside my family. I will do whatever it takes to protect you. Now, am I the only person who knows?” “No, Amber knows too. She’s kept it to herself. She couldn’t bear to see me go to jail. When my father almost went to prison and the cops dragged him away, handcuffed, she never really got over it... It destroyed her. I can’t put her through that a second time.” “Of course...” “I’m sorry for not having been able to talk to you about it before... But I had to try and protect you.” “By excluding me from your life?” “Exactly, it was the best way to protect you, not to disappoint you, to... not to lose you in the long term. I’m going to leave now... At least I’ve told you the truth.” He stood up and began walking towards the bedroom door. “The hell you are! I’m not letting you leave again!” She grabbed his hand and held him back. “Alana...” He stopped and turned to her. “Why would you come back? Why change your mind and finally admit everything?” “Because I realized you were the only person who made me want to get myself out of this mess. I went home, convinced I had made the right decision... Except that it wasn’t worth it anymore. To keep on doing what I do, without running into you, without being able to see you, or talk to you... You reminded me what it was like to feel carefree. To not worry about anything, for a few hours, long enough to make love.” Alana’s heart began to race as she saw Nathaniel blush. She wanted to kiss him immediately. She wanted to make love to him again... To prove to him that everything is going to be okay. She felt the same desire when she found out what his father was doing to him. But, just as it was back then, she knew this was not the best time for that. He looked deep into her eyes and continued to speak. “Without you, I don’t have the strength. And also because I hope that this time, you won’t let me leave...” She stroked his cheek lovingly and an adoring grin appeared on her face. “And I hope you won’t ever leave again.” He closed his eyes long enough to kiss her palm then looked at her with conviction. “Now, I no longer have anything to hide.” “You won’t ever leave again?” He took her in his arms, hope filling his eyes. “You’ll have me?” “Yes.” “You aren’t afraid of me or disappointed in me?” “Nope. You’re not afraid of getting involved in this relationship?” “You’re important to me Alana. I’ll do everything I can to protect us.” The grin on Alana’s face turned into a tired smile. “That’s more like it.” She took her glasses off, placed them on the bedside table and kissed Nathaniel passionately. Nathaniel held her as tightly as he could while they kissed, abandoning her lips only to place kisses on her forehead, cheeks and neck. “We’ll talk about what to do about your problem later... But, for now, let’s relax.” she smiled as she got up, grabbed her pajamas and walked to the bathroom. He smiled, got down to his underwear and crawled into the bed. Alana walked back into the room wearing a black spaghetti strap shirt and short black shorts. “I love you... You stubborn fool... Don’t you ever forget that.” She sighed as she got in the bed wrapped her arms around him and used his chest as a pillow. Nathaniel wrapped his arms around her and kissed her forehead. “I love you too, Alana.”

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04/06/19: HOLY CRAP this was long for me to write! Especially considering I used a ton of in episode dialogue! But! I have it done! I guess it’s a good thing it was long seeing as I didn’t post any part to Alana’s canon last week! But, yes, this does take place after “It’s About Time!” and it revolves around Episode 11 of UL. As we finally find out what’s wrong with Nathaniel’s situation, I felt like this blurb was very necessary. By the way, to anyone who needs to know what a “Broodmare” is, it is a female horse who is designated for breeding.

I worked my ass off to get the foreground from the Episode 11 illustration and edit it.