thecartersiblings - Tumblr blog

[thecartersiblings]

@likewanderingstars

“Sometimes you just don’t wanna sleep alone.”

Tales of the City (2019– )

[thecartersiblings]

Monty was a healthy mix of both.

“…Yes.” He responded simply if with apologetically upturned brows, “I mean, you are quite spectacular, please don’t get me wrong it’s just… This is my job — or it was—” he lowered his hands when she waved off the guards before motioning towards the scattering people by the lake, “And those are my people. Most of whom didn’t even know you and yours existed.” He hoped his genuine concern not only for the modern Faerune citizens but to stay as respectful to a wronged, displaced species of people he didn’t — couldn’t— fully understand was forthright. This was a situation that called for more than reparations; Monty understood that. “Please understand… I deeply apologize for interrupting your celebration but the mere promise of you taking care of things or having plans set in motion (which I sincerely hope you do) isn’t enough to pacify an entire population of confused and afraid citizens.” A pause, “While I’m not completely incompetent; I’m a human. There is little I can do to interfere other than what I’m doing now. And that is trying to be as much of a voice for people as I can. At the very least allow me a platform to speak to them. A press conference — something. It can happen tomorrow. I can have it posted on the council’s social media today. I’ll seek out your husband tonight and gather what information I can from him in preparation. You don’t need to lift a finger; I will do it all.” He stepped forward then, keeping a respectful distance but so that they could truly face each other (as much as was possible from her position up on her throne)…“People are going to have questions. And people are going to be angry. I’m trying to stop an uprising before it happens.” Because the last thing Faerune needed was any more bloodshed.

“I know its not the same… but my family has lived here for generations. I’ve been to the mortal realm but I came back. Because I love this land too.” He paused, “…Ok… Yeah, I think… I think that’s it. That’s my speech. Kinda had to go off the cuff there.”

It took a while to get to her all things considered; between the crowds and the screams and the soldiers it was an almost impossible task. Or it would have been for someone who was… a little more upset than Monty was.

Sure, he was the Human Councilman. Sure, his family had been in Faerunean government for years. And yet… He couldn’t bring himself to be as devastated as he knew Elizabeth or even his sister were.

He had done well until he got too close to where Opal was sat. Immediately putting his hands up when surrounded by Fae soldiers with sharp weapons.

“…Um, hello? Ma’am..(?) Your highness(?)” He took another step over the ruble, particularly bold of him considering the circumstances but to be fair, Monty was a human and Opal knew who he was. He wasn’t a threat to her and didn’t ever anticipate being, “I’d really like to speak with you about, well…” he motioned with his head around the ruble before calling out again, “– Town hall being in ruin. I do have most of our files in the cloud but…I’m just a little concerned about the logistics of… This…” for lack of better term.

Like, what was Opal’s 5 year plan? What was her stance on outsourcing material from the mortal realm? Are they getting rid of certain national holidays and traditions? How were taxes going to work now? How are they going to talk about this in schools? Surely, there were text books that needed to be changed to include history about the Unseelie and that was a whole bureaucratic nightmare…

“– Preferably without your, uh, guards pointing weapons at me. If now’s not a good time I can come back.” Monty did have a werewolf in his lake house and a sister to keep from doing something brash, “Of course, you can pencil me in whenever… But I do recommend it be sooner rather than later. For everyone’s sanity.”

@mytarnishedsilver​

[thecartersiblings]

“Man, I don’t EVER drink water.”

- 😬 …forreal..? I mean - uh - eh… look… 😅

[thecartersiblings]

Monty’s phone was already buzzing non-stop; he couldn’t will his fingers to go fast enough to keep up.

He was half way down the porch’s stairs when Grayson responded.

“Hey…” he slipped his phone in his pocket, turning to face the werewolf again. “If I came back tonight and you were just… gone? I’d be looking for you.” He brushed his thumb against Grayson’s chin, then made the spontaneous decision to press a gentle kiss against the man’s forehead.

Monty was quickly distracted again though, “There’s stuff — Blankets, books, towels…” he motioned towards the house as he made his way back down the stairs again. “I’ll be back. — Hello? Yeah, I’m on my way…”

He wouldn’t be back till late — not till after his conversation with Opal, and his attempt at calming Olive, and his regrouping with Reyna and Elizabeth and Wis who all had vast and varying feelings on their new positions in Faerune.

When he returned, bags in hand, he found Grayson on the porch. Monty had enough energy to make it to him before simply grabbing a pillow off a nearby bench collapsing next to him.

“Next time I’ll cook you a nice dinner.” He ran a hand over his face, “Right now take-out is the best I can do.”

thecartersiblings​:

xxx

So you can…

“Leave?” he asked, knowing Grayson wouldn’t answer, “…I did say that, didn’t I..?”

What was this? It was Monty being a weak simp and Grayson willingly following him back to the Carter lake house even though they both knew this behavior wasn’t allowed.

His lips were pressed against Grayson’s neck and jaw as they stumbled through the dim cabin. His sunglasses had long fallen from the top of his head to the floor, Monty didn’t even know when or how Grayson had undone the buttons of his shirt, they were probably popped which was fine. Fuck the shirt.

They were at one of the bedroom doors when the ground rumbled; Monty’s hand pressed against the wall by Grayson’s head to steady himself, “Did you feel…” the second, more forceful rumble knocked paintings off the wall, “Shit.” Not again. He was on the porch in enough time for his gaze to follow crystals shooting up to the sky. 

“Grayson!”

Was this bad? Was it bad that Monty wasn’t sure?

“…I… I have to…” What the fuck was he supposed to do? What could he other than help clear the lake and then speak… to… The Queen of the Unseelie? He’d figure it out. In the meantime he turned to look at Grayson, “If I ask you to wait for me here. Will you do that for me? Please?”

-

Was he proud of the fact that one look from Monty had him following the man to a second location? No. At least he could say with certainty that it wasn’t going to end with him getting murdered. Honestly he just wanted to feel something that wasn’t pain or shame or self hatred and the last time that had happened he’d been with Monty. 

He was already a little lightheaded. The heat of the day radiating off of their skin meaning any layer of fabric between them was unbearable. Grayson may have ripped Monty’s shirt. Just a little. In his defence he wasn’t really paying attention. All he knew is that Monty’s lips had moved to his neck and he was trying to find the goddamn handle to his bedroom door without disturbing him.  

Then the ground rumbled and instinctively Grayson held him a little tighter just to steady them both. “What was that?” He murmured. Another rumble hit, this one louder and Monty slipped from Grayson’s grasp to head outside. “Wait…” 

Should he be going outside, if something was happening wasn’t it safer to be here? He followed slowly, only really stepping out when Monty called his name. He stood there staring up at the crystal as a voice filtered through the air. What did this mean? He.. He was trapped here? He couldn’t go back home? Thomas couldn’t find them…

He snapped back to reality when Monty spoke directly to him. “Wait for you?” He was going to question why he was going out there now that he had effectively been removed from office but he realised it was because Monty cared. There were people he probably needed to look for, things he figured needed to be done. “I… Yeah. Fine. It’s not like anyone is looking for me.”

[thecartersiblings]

It took a while to get to her all things considered; between the crowds and the screams and the soldiers it was an almost impossible task. Or it would have been for someone who was... a little more upset than Monty was.

Sure, he was the Human Councilman. Sure, his family had been in Faerunean government for years. And yet... He couldn’t bring himself to be as devastated as he knew Elizabeth or even his sister were.

He had done well until he got too close to where Opal was sat. Immediately putting his hands up when surrounded by Fae soldiers with sharp weapons.

“...Um, hello? Ma’am..(?) Your highness(?)” He took another step over the ruble, particularly bold of him considering the circumstances but to be fair, Monty was a human and Opal knew who he was. He wasn’t a threat to her and didn’t ever anticipate being, “I’d really like to speak with you about, well...” he motioned with his head around the ruble before calling out again, “-- Town hall being in ruin. I do have most of our files in the cloud but...I’m just a little concerned about the logistics of... This...” for lack of better term.

Like, what was Opal’s 5 year plan? What was her stance on outsourcing material from the mortal realm? Are they getting rid of certain national holidays and traditions? How were taxes going to work now? How are they going to talk about this in schools? Surely, there were text books that needed to be changed to include history about the Unseelie and that was a whole bureaucratic nightmare...

“-- Preferably without your, uh, guards pointing weapons at me. If now’s not a good time I can come back.” Monty did have a werewolf in his lake house and a sister to keep from doing something brash, “Of course, you can pencil me in whenever... But I do recommend it be sooner rather than later. For everyone’s sanity.”

@mytarnishedsilver​

[thecartersiblings]

stressball​:

Zeke had been doing his own thing most the day and was always happy when Olive was able to pop back around. He watched with a grin on his face as she beat him yet again in a game of corn hole. “Dammit,” He said laughing wrapping his arm around her planting a kiss on her head forgetting they weren’t officially out as a couple yet. 

“You know I keep letting you win,” He retaliated looking down at her smiling with his arm still wrapped around her. “I’m glad you seem to be enjoying yourself, you’re laugh always sounds like music to my ears.” Zeke admitted. He realized he was still holding her and quickly let go looking around for a moment trying to see if anyone had seen them, “Sorry I forgot about the whole pda thing.” 

xxx

Olive rolled her eyes at him, “Stop trying to butter me up.” she hadn’t noticed that for the first time, her own fingers had attached themselves to the bottom of Zeke’s shirt. It was her own way of saying ‘mine.’

She wasn’t far from the lake when the crystals shot up through the water, spraying her with mist. The display of grandeur disgusted her. It angered her. And there was little she could do about it. Though she would have tried if it weren’t for Zeke grabbing her.

“NO.” Olive kicked her feet, struggling against him. “That’s it? We’re just taking this?” She was literally watching her dreams crumble in front of her eyes. She didn’t know who she was without the council. Her entire life had been built around serving them with the hope that one day she’d be in a position of power. “She’s got moth wings so I have to bow to her? She doesn’t give a shit about us. Look what she did.” Her things that were in there. The portraits, the pictures, the statues, the Carter memorabilia that solidified their legacy in Faerune history. So much of it was gone now. It took generations for humans to get where they were in Faerune, and they still fought tooth and nail for scraps of respect. Now they had nothing, again, Opal wasn’t going to protect the humans from shit -- and Olive knew how fae royalty could be. She knew how fae with status could be. For all Opal cared human’s were disposable.

Olive wasn’t dumb

“LET. ME. GO.”

[thecartersiblings]

stressball​:

“Enjoying as much as I can be,” Zeke watched as Monty stepped closer, he could feel that the vibe was slightly off. “Oh yeah, she was just checking in, same as you.” He smiled back.

Ah Shit.

That’s why the vibe felt off, he figured Monty knows something. “Olive and I? Yeah we’ve been getting along pretty well I guess. She is a friend after all.” He awkwardly laughed a little after saying that. “Well, thanks for checking in! I should really get back to my stuff, don’t want anything to get stolen!”

xxx

“Same as me...” Monty hummed, “I don’t think so.” 

Zeke’s laugh did little to smooth things over. Really, what Monty wanted was to establish that he knew something was up and that Zeke should tread cautiously -- a feat he felt he’d accomplished well enough. “Yeah... You do that. -- Oh and Zeke.” He called before the man could get too far, “There is nothing I love more in this world than my sister. And I think I am a very gracious man...” He lowered his voice, not wanting to cause a scene. He respected Zeke enough for that, “(But if you so much as singe a baby hair on her head? We’re going to have a problem. And that’s a promise. Please do not test me.)”

He waited for a moment before offering a bright smile, “Wellp!” patting Zeke’s shoulder, “Enjoy!”

[thecartersiblings]

likewanderingstars​:

-

He did. Grayson would agree that maybe Monty did get attached too fast but Grayson hadn’t had a day where he hadn’t thought about him. It was always easier to think about Monty than Thomas. If he started to get too stuck in his self hatred and thoughts of handing himself over he’d remind himself that Monty didn’t want him to do that. It wasn’t full proof but it meant he hadn’t tried yet. 

“I’m fine. Clearly. So you can… I don’t know. You said we couldn’t hang out. What is this?”

xxx

So you can...

“Leave?” he asked, knowing Grayson wouldn’t answer, “...I did say that, didn’t I..?”

What was this? It was Monty being a weak simp and Grayson willingly following him back to the Carter lake house even though they both knew this behavior wasn’t allowed.

His lips were pressed against Grayson’s neck and jaw as they stumbled through the dim cabin. His sunglasses had long fallen from the top of his head to the floor, Monty didn’t even know when or how Grayson had undone the buttons of his shirt, they were probably popped which was fine. Fuck the shirt.

They were at one of the bedroom doors when the ground rumbled; Monty’s hand pressed against the wall by Grayson’s head to steady himself, “Did you feel...” the second, more forceful rumble knocked paintings off the wall, “Shit.” Not again. He was on the porch in enough time for his gaze to follow crystals shooting up to the sky. 

“Grayson!”

Was this bad? Was it bad that Monty wasn’t sure?

“...I... I have to...” What the fuck was he supposed to do? What could he other than help clear the lake and then speak... to... The Queen of the Unseelie? He’d figure it out. In the meantime he turned to look at Grayson, “If I ask you to wait for me here. Will you do that for me? Please?”

[thecartersiblings]

stressball​:

Zeke never really could help himself when Olive came around, he only wanted to be holding her or kissing her but had to refrain most of the time. When she came to see him last, his arm wrapped around her waist, his handing trailing her back as she walked away. He couldn’t help but smile to himself. 

He was about to head back to his things when he turned and almost ran right into Monty letting out a small yell. “Jesus dude! Warn a guy next time.” He said laughing slightly. “What’s up?” He put his hands in his pockets after readjusting his shirt slightly.

xxx

Monty spoke through gently clenched teeth -- an attempt was made to look anything other than stressed.

“Ohhh, nothing much. -- Are you enjoying the festivities?” He slipped his hands into his pockets, approaching casually, “I saw that Olive has already spoken to you but...” A shrug, “I just thought I’d check in.” then a small smile, “You two have been getting along lately. That’s good.”

[thecartersiblings]

likewanderingstars​:

-

They weren’t suppose to be around eachother because of the things Grayson had done. Monty had made that clear. Grayson needed to sort his shit before they could hang out again. “I’m fine.” He mumbled. He hated that he could barely take care of himself, that Monty kept having to step in and save him. 

“Lizzie can sort herself out. No doubt Scout is already up to something to spring her.” Grayson mumbled, staying against the tree. “…Well. Your cat gets attached too easily. That’s not my fault.” He shrugged and looked down. 

xxx

Monty knew Grayson hated being looked after; still, he hoped the werewolf understood Monty didn’t mind. It was who he was. Monty gave to others before even thinking of himself.

“No, it’s not your fault...”

He allowed his voice to trail off, considering if he should continue or not.

“Maybe I do too. Also not your fault.”

[thecartersiblings]

KEKE PALMER 📷 Playboy Magazine

[thecartersiblings]

Monty was happy for a break. This was a quiet section of the lake and if he was careful he could breathe easy for a moment. That is until he saw Grayson.

Unnoticed by peering eyes he approached, leaning against the tree.

“Don’t. Stay and relax…” he paused, “— Do you need me to bring you anything? Now or…. Later…” Another care package snuck to Grayson like it was contraband. Monty would do it again. And as often as Grayson wanted (or needed.)

It was stupid how sentimental and soft and hopelessly romantic Monty was. He knew he couldn’t and his fingers still ached to comb through Grayson’s hair. Of course they had stayed in contact via text and the occasional face time but this was the first they saw each other in person in… too long. So it was different. “One of your, uh… captors got arrested for disturbing the peace.” He shouldn’t have, but he sat anyway. He picked up a stone and with a flick of his wrist sent it skipping across the lake. “Gerald keeps looking for you.” Like Grayson was a permanent fixture in the house that suddenly wasn’t there anymore. “My hoodies just aren’t as good I guess.”

He was really considering going in the water but he wasn’t too sure. It would leave him vulnerable. He’d have to take the brace off too. Sighing Grayson decided to find somewhere quiet to sit instead and headed for the activity areas knowing it was likely no one would be behind them. Once there he leaned against a tree and sighed. What was he even doing? He heard someone approaching before he realised who it was. Looking about Grayson wondered if he should leave. “Sorry, I’ll go. I just needed five minutes.” @thecartersiblings​

[thecartersiblings]

Monty was so happy everyone was having a good time, genuinely; it made his heart happy.

That said these damn kids were also giving him heart palpitations every time he turned around.

“Oh, no — Nope! Hey!” He jogged over to where the young witch was attempting to jump from a tree branch into the water. “I would really recommend you —” don’t. But it was too late and there she went, falling from her perch. Luckily Monty was close enough to semi break her fall, catching her before she could completely bust her head open.

“Are you ok?” She looked fine but that didn’t mean the entire encounter hadn’t given Monty a heart attack. He leaned over attempting to recover from his panic, “Please? Keep your feet on the ground from now on??” He looked at her properly again, “I’m begging you.” This girl looked familiar but he’d have time to place her face later.

@lizzievelnias

[thecartersiblings]

Everything seemed to be in order and Monty was relieved. They really needed this Founder’s Day event to go off without a hitch — if something horrible were to happen today (more than during any other event where tragedy stuck) it would dismantle if not completely destroy what little faith the public had in the council and the validity of Faerune as a united nation of peoples, peacefully living side by side, as a whole.

He exhaled, dabbing at his forehead with a towel.

“Everything’s going well.” A nod, an attempt to convince himself just as much as Reyna, “Right? We’re… doing good. Just a couple more hours… — I feel like I’ve been holding my breath since this morning.”

@mytarnishedsilver

[thecartersiblings]

Monty had been up on the stage speaking with Simon when he saw them. Completely distracted now he placed an apologetic hand on Simon’s shoulder.

“Excuse me… I’ll be right back.”

His brow was furrowed, weaving through the crowd in enough time to see his sister brush a hand over Zeke’s bicep before slipping away again. They really were quite hidden between the trees, shaded from the sun but they hadn’t taken into account the extra height of the stage. Not that anyone would be looking or care other than Monty who was on the stage at random. But why or how he was able to spot them didn’t matter; what mattered was Zeke’s hands had been places they shouldn’t have and Monty was about to get to the bottom of it. Like a scene out of a horror film when Zeke turned Monty would be there.

“Hey, Zeke.”

@stressball

[thecartersiblings]

“Detective Goldstein.” Olive greeted, making her rounds, “Thank you for so graciously volunteering your time.” She offered him a water bottle, standing beside him as they looked over the lake. “I do hope that while you wont be able to enjoy much of the festivities today your bonus pay makes up for the inconvenience…” That was one thing Olive was good for: she always made sure Faerune’s public servants were paid for good work.

A pause, eyes scanning over the crowds of happy, laughing citizens, “Any sign of trouble?”

@detectivegoldstein

[thecartersiblings]

Olive had certain Carter Family duties she and Monty bad to check off their list — talking to people, smiling when appropriate, making sure everyone was happy and content. God, Olive could not have cared less about anyone ‘‘‘important’’’ at the lake except for Zeke.

So she snuck away and sought him out every chance she got. And every time she seemed to get closer and looser and less concerned with who was watching. (Still cognizant, of course, but maybe she was allowed to enjoy herself too.)

The sac left her hand and went right through the opposing corn hole; it forced a laugh of delight from her. “YEAH BABY!”

“I win… again!” Olive flipped her hair over her shoulders, “Undefeated..” gloating as she pranced around in her coverup, lowering her sunglasses over her eyes like the celebrity that she was, “Masterful technique.” She leaned against him, “And the crowd goes wild!” continuing like a little annoying newscaster, “What an upset. Mr. Hunter, how are you fairing after such a brutal defeat???”

@stressball