Tumgik
#oh and one of them gotta die early/late into the series too
bubba-draws · 2 years
Note
What fandoms are you in? And what ships from them?
Oh! Glad u ask! I'm into many of them (mostly animanga/videogames), so the list is kinda big, but the ones I keep rotating in my brain are Jojo's Bizarre adventure, Demon slayer, Chainsaw man, Touhou, Pokemon, Hollow Knight and Stardew Valley! It's mostly boiled down to "if you give me enough world building material to make ocs then *I will*" (On this note, I used to be a big BNHA fan at the beginning of the series, no longer one though, but I have over 100 ocs from that time lmao)
As for ships! The rarepair/less popular ones I made art for are Gionara (jjba) rengiyuu (demon slayer) and nowadays grollow (hollow knight), shout out to ItaJun from jujutsu kaisen
If u want an entire detailed list of ships I like.... That's gonna be a long ass post HAKFHSKFHSJFJ
Edit: can't fucking believe I forgot Undertale/Deltarune oh my god
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raccoonsface · 1 month
Text
“T-Tara?” Pt.2
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Words- About 750
Warnings- angst or fluff, idk tbh. Swearing, idk what else
Just to say some stuff, I lost my other emails’ password and that email was connected to my other account so I’m on this one now. Sorry for being gone for so long too!
Summary- Y/n and Tara have a crush on each other and go to great lengths to make sure they have them all to themselves.
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Part 1
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“Jeez the suns out early”
Tara has just woken up from her sleep, she was tired from all the running around yesterday.
She almost falls back asleep because of it but then she turns over and takes a look at her clock
“SHIT! ITS 10:30 AM IM LATE FOR SCHOOL”
She rushes to get all of her stuff packed so she can make it to school before lunch, which is at 11:30, so it shouldn’t be that hard… right?
“Okay I’m fucked… I can’t find my keys.”
Oh Well she’s fucked
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Tara’s POV
“I’m gonna fucking die”
I’m not gonna make it there in time, come on Tara run faster. Damn it’s hot out
Fuck I didn’t bring my inhaler, again?!What the fuck Tara, you’re gonna die on the side of the street. I’ve gotta sit down, yeah the sidewalk under this tree looks fine.
“Damn two days in a row”
Is this heaven? Ugh it’s too bright here.
“Hah, no this isn’t heaven Tara” oh it’s Y/n
“Well if it isn’t then what am I doing looking at a goddess” damn what’s going on right now
“Geez don’t you got the pick up lines when you’re literally gasping for air”
She’s funny, and really pretty
“Okay, Tara here you go” Her and that extra inhaler
I mean it definitely feels way better when I can breathe that’s for sure, but every time I look at her I loose my breath anyways so I don’t really see the point in it.
“You good Tara?” So kind
“Huh, oh yeah” me and my dumbass self
“Okay good… what are you doing running out here with a backpack on anyways?” Looking for a princess like you
“Oh- uhm I’m running late for school”
“Huh, I didn’t know there was school on Saturdays” shit of course it’s Saturday, that’s why my alarm didn’t go off.
“Oh… I forgot it was Saturday” oh my god you sound like an idiot Tara!
“Huh, well you need a ride to get home?” I think I’m gonna faint
“Uhm I mean if you’re willing to” Oh. My. God.
“I mean if you want me to” of course I do beautiful.
“Uh I mean yeah sure”
“Okay, yeah, alright uhm my cars over there”
“Right! Right, I gotta get up” oh my god she’s reaching out her hand towards me, oh I’m gonna die when I get home
“Thanks”
“Yeah, no problem” She seems kinda shy.. it’s probably nothing I’m over analyzing
“Damn this car seat is comfy” no like holy shit this is comfy
“Yeah, I know, they’re custom seats.” Of course they are
“Anyways where do you live?” Oh right!
“Oh uhm it’s uhh” me and my damn it stuttering
“You wanna go eat instead? I mean you must be hungry from all that running, and I don’t mean to-“ aww she’s so cute I can’t believe I survived without her before
“I’d love to go out with you- I mean yeah I’m down to go eat with you” what the hell Tara
“Huh, right, anyways where should we go?” Shit I don’t know
“Uhm, let’s go tooooooo…” I have no idea where to go eat
“How about we drive around and figure out where to eat..?” Phew!
“Yeah I think that’s probably the better idea” she’s really smart… she could be my wife..
OKAY NO Tara get yourself together. You cannot do this. But she’s so perfect.. maybe just maybe. I can’t even fight it anymore.. I need her. I need Y/n.
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Oh my god. A lot has happened in the past two months. The meaning behind this new account is between the warnings and the summary at the top.
Sorry for the short post! They’ll be way more sooner!
I have a three part series for Astrid Deetz, the last two parts will probably come out after the movie is released because I can’t really get much off of her character just from the trailer
Anyways hope you guys have had a nice day!
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waitimcomingtoo · 4 years
Text
In Case You Don’t Live Forever
~chapter three rewritten~
Pairing: Peter Parker x Venom!Reader
Synopsis: you are Peter’s greatest love and Spiderman’s greatest enemy
Series Masterlist
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Peter arrived at the Avengers tower with a little pep in his step. His new neighbor was on his mind and he couldn’t get her off. He knew it was a long shot, after all you’d only had one conversation, but he felt like there was a connection between you. You were awkward, he was awkward. What more does a relationship need?
Tony was quick to notice the change in Peters mood. A dreamy smile crept across his face every now and then while Tony was trying to explain something about his nanotechnology.
“Alright Underoos, whats on your mind? A girl? Boy? That gorgeous Aunt of yours? Oh wait no, that’s what’s on my mind.” Tony smirked, making a blush paint Peters cheeks.
“Nothing sir. Sorry, I’ll pay attention.” Peter answered quickly. Tony scanned Peter up and down skeptically.
“So its a girl. Alright. Who is she?” Tony asked, motioning for Peter to sit down with him.
“This girl moved in across the hall from me about a week ago. I’d see her on the stairs sometimes, or in the lobby. She’s beautiful, Mr. Stark. I mean, really beautiful. And I know girls are a lot more than their appearance, trust me, but I can never look away. It’s like God made a perfect batch of cookie dough, and then made a perfect cookie cutter, and then hand made her just for me. There’s just, there’s something about her. I feel like I’ve always known her, and I don’t even know her yet. She knocked on my door this morning and I nearly had a heart attack when I saw her through the peephole. I played dumb and acted like I didn’t know she lived across the hall.” Peter started to explain. A twinge of embarrassment struck him at the memory of what he said to you.
“Oh God. You said something stupid, didn’t you?” Tony inquired, noticing the look of embarrassment on Peters face as he recalled their conversation. Tony leaned on his hands like a child, this stuff exciting him more than anything.
“I insulted her dead father and called him smelly.” Peter admitted, and Tony laughed.
“But she found it funny and agreed with me.” Peter quickly followed up.
“Wow. Normally I’d say there’s no coming back from that, but she seems like a keeper. So, are you gonna throw on your Spidey suit and take her for a ride around the city? Works with all the ladies.” Tony wiggled eyebrows, but Peter shook his head.
“No. Spider-Man isn’t a party trick or some tactic to pick up girls. Plus, I want her to like me for me. That’s why I invited her over for dinner tonight.” Peter answered. Tony looked down at his hands, not wanting Peter to see how proud he was. He couldn’t let Peter get too cocky.
“That was a test and you passed.” To y quipped. “Alright, spider child, you have my blessing. But no funny business tonight. If I find out I’m gonna have to design nanotech baby clothes, I’m gonna be pissed.”
Peter blushed at the mere thought of what Tony was implying and spent the rest of his time at the tower going over missions to get you off his mind.
You arrived at Peters at 6:07. You were done getting ready at 5:45, and sat in the living room on your phone until you were slightly late. You didn’t want to be early, like some loser. Or even worse, on time. You had to be fashionably, but not rudely, late.
You knocked on Peters door at 6:07 and waited. The door swung open instantly, as if he’d be waiting right behind.
“I know what you’re thinking.” He stated. “I’ll let you decide if I was waiting at the door for you or if I’m just really fast. “
He had successfully broken the ice, and you gave kudos to him for trying.
You, on the other hand, were drawing a blank. You had no idea what to say and you were a reporter for crying out loud. You didn’t get tripped up on my words, but something about Peter Parker and that damn collared shirt rendered you unable to formulate a thought. All you could do was stand there and smile at him. You felt like you were standing weirdly and all the sudden had no idea where to put your hands. Do you leave them at your sides? That felt too stiff and soldier-like. But where else would they go? You were pretty sure every brain cell had left your body at that point, leaving you defenseless.
“You look nice.” Peter blurted, interrupting the awkward silence that had settled between you. Even he seemed surprised by his statement. You looked down and shrugged. You looked as nice as a lazy person who didn’t fully unpack their clothes could look. You had on a casual grey dress that was made of some sort of t-shirt material, and your hair was in a loose bun with a few curls framing your face. Peter took in your appearance with what looked like approval. Then you noticed Peters gaze falling to your feet.
“Converse with a dress.” He noted. “Bold move.”
You felt your personality re-enter your body, finally, and nodded.
“Oh yeah. You know me. Quirky and cool and not like other girls.” You joked as you clicked your heels together. “You look nice too. Very…Freddie Benson.”
Freddie Benson? Who the hell makes an ICarly reference to compliment someone? This night was going downhill fast and you regretted ever knocking on his door.
“Dude. You’re tanking.” Venom said in your ear, you had to agree. This couldn’t be going worse.
But lo and behold, Peters beautiful laugh filled your ears once again.
“That’s what I was going for!” He cheered. “My friend Ned always teases me for wearing sweaters and button downs but he just doesn’t have the vision.”
“Come in.” He suddenly stepped aside and gestured inward. “Dinners almost ready.”
Peters apartment looked just like yours, but much more homey. You saw his baby pictures on the wall, coupled with pictures of him and his parents through the years. You noticed a framed picture of a different couple on the coffee table. They resembled Peter but you didn’t see them in any photos with him past the age of around 7. There was a candle next to the frame, as well as a ceramic cross. You quickly looked away, not wanting to overstep.
“You must be Y/N. It’s very nice to meet you.” You heard a woman’s voice from behind you. You turned around and saw a woman in high pants and a yellow tank top, recognized her from the pictures with Peter.
“I am. It’s very nice to meet you too, Mrs. Parker.” You said politely and shook her hand.
“Please.” She shook your hand. “Call me May.”
“May.” You repeated with a smile.
You turned around and saw Peter pulling out a chair for you, so you sat down while May finished preparing dinner. You offered to help, being the polite ass bitch that you were, but May insisted that you were the guest. A plate of “meatloaf” was soon placed in front of you and Peter. The term “meatloaf” is used very loosely. It looked more like an old shriveled brain. Peter made eye contact with you and winked.
“It’s not as bad as it looks.” He whispered. He glanced at May, who was busy pouring the drinks, before leaning in closer and whispering, “it’s way worse.”
You playfully kicked Peter under the table and he giggled, quickly masking the sound with a drink of water.
“So, Y/N, where do you go to school?” May started the conversation. You took a bite of meatloaf, nearly died, and swallowed before answering.
“I’m actually taking a gap year before I start my junior year at Berkeley.” You told her. “And I work part time as a reporter.”
“That’s a very good school.” She complimented. “And I thought you looked familiar. I’ve seen your show on YouTube.”
“I haven’t.” Peter realized. “What’s it called?”
“The L/n Report.” You answered. “I started it my freshman year and it just kinda took off.”
“Oh. I’ve read some of yoru articles, but I haven’t seen the show.” Peter realized. “I can’t believe you do that. That’s really cool. You’re really cool.”
“Thank you.” You winked at him, not used to being praised for your work.
“Peter told me about your father.” May changed the subject. “I’m so sorry to hear that he passed. He left the apartment to you?”
“He did.” You nodded. “And it’s all right. We were estranged anyway.”
“It must be so different living alone in a city.” May sighed. “Did you dorm while at Berkeley?”
“No, I lived with my boyfriend.” You shook your head. Peter began choking on his water at the mention of a boyfriend and May shot him a look.
“Peter. Manners.” She said sternly.
“Boyfriend?” Was all he managed to say between coughs and sputters.
Oh great. Time for this conversation.
“Ex-boyfriend.” You corrected. “I got him demoted to traffic duty for two weeks and he wasn’t too happy about it.”
“He broke up with you over that?” Peter raised an eyebrow. “That’s gotta be the dumbest reason for a breakup I’ve ever heard.”
“May I ask how you got him demoted?” May wondered.
“Well, I’m an investigative reporter, and my ex, Andy, is a cop.” You began. “I looked at some classified files on his computer and used them against someone.”
“Carlton Drake, right?” She realized the story sounded familiar. “I read about that. Your exposé about him was everywhere.”
“Didn’t he die in his own rocket?” Peter asked you, fully invested in the story.
“Yea. I was there. Me and…my friend.” You caught yourself before almost mentioning Venom.
“Gosh I read that story forever ago.” May recalled. “It was all over the news here. I remember Peter ranting to me that this girl was straight out of high school and already taking down shady guys in San Francisco. You were obsessed with the article, remember Peter? I’m pretty sure you hung it up.”
Peter, you guessed it, turned bright red.
“I just thought you were cool. You know, taking down bad guys and all at such a young age. It really inspired me.” Peter explained. He suddenly looked panicked, like he said too much, and you wondered what it inspired him to do.
“Thank you Peter.” You smiled fondly. “How old are you anyway?”
“19. I’ll be 20 on August 10th.” He said proudly. “What about you?”
“He’s legal.” Venom whispered in your ear. You couldn’t even be mad at her, you were thinking the same thing.
“I’m 20.” You told him, and smile crept across his face.
“And this boyfriend, where is he now?” May asked. May wasn’t blind to what was happening between her nephew and this new neighbor and knew that’s what Peter was dying to ask.
“I would very much also like to know that.” Peter said, almost robotically. He leaned in closer and stared at you while he awaited the answer.
“He’s engaged, actually.” You said between sips of water, making Peter sigh in relief. “To a friend of mine. They’re getting married this summer.”
It was the first time you said those words out loud. You didn’t feel sad, like you thought you would. You didn’t really know how you felt. The smile that broke out on Peters face gave a clear indication on how he felt, though.
“That’s great. I mean, not great great. Great for him, I mean. It’s always good to move on. Wether it be with an old friend or a brand new one. Maybe it’s with someone you just met. You never know. Things just happen between the most random of people. Could be a stranger. Or, or, hear me out, it could be less of a stranger. Like a barista, or a mailman or a…a neighbor.” Peter stumbled over his words, the last part coming out very quietly. “I’m sorry that things didn’t work out though. Between you and him, I mean. ”
“Thanks.” You shrugged. “It was tough at first but, I’m okay now. He wasn’t the one.”
“When you do find the one, you’ll know. I knew almost immediately that Ben was the one. I saw him and my heart said “that’s the one you’ve been looking for” and I believed it.” May sighed wistfully. You could see her eyes glistening behind her glasses and did something rather bold. You put your hand on top of hers and squeezed. She gave off this loving motherly vibe that you had only seen in movies but never felt for yourself. May gave you the warmest smile and squeezed your hand back.
“That’s lovely May. Although, I always thought when you met the one, your heart wouldn’t say that it’s been looking for that person. I always thought it would say ‘welcome home’, or something like that. You know? Like, you’ve always known them. I don’t know though. Maybe I’ve just seen The Princess Bride one too many times.” You shrugged.
“Ah. That’s a classic in this household.” May recalled. “Peter would refuse to go to bed without watching it.”
“Because it’s a cinematic masterpiece.” Peter sassed. “You’re trying to embarrass me by pointing out that even as a child I had impeccable taste? Oh please.”
You laughed at his remark, making May noticed the smile that broke out on Peters face when he succeeded in making their new neighbor laugh.
May looked at you for a while with a content smile on her face before saying, “Yeah. I suppose you do have good taste.”
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punkrockmads · 3 years
Text
Found Family
Abby x F! Reader Mini Series
Warnings: Small bit of angst, violence, this chapter is a little bit longer
Chapter Four; Light Of Our Lives
*A MONTH LATER*
Abby has been such a joy to have in my life. I've moved out of the guest room and into Abby's bedroom, the two of us rapidly growing closer over the past month. We've had a couple little bickering matches over whether I should be doing patrol at three months pregnant, but that's to be expected for any couple worried for their baby. She's been a huge help with the baby, always staying by my side during my bouts of morning sickness and my occasional nightmares. We still haven't told Lev, waiting for my baby bump to get a little bigger before telling him. Lev is such a sweet kid, always energetic and happy. He and Abby are always jabbing at each other with their sarcasm and jokes. I sometimes cut in with my own teasing remarks, usually teaming up with Lev to harass Abby. The other day, Lev and I got up early just to sneak downstairs and hit Abby with pillows while she was cooking. Scrambled eggs ended up all over the floor and she made us clean it up but we all thought it was hilarious.
I sit behind Abby on our bed, braiding her soft blonde hair back as she talks.
"So we fell like a thousand feet through a glass ceiling and into a fucking swimming pool." Abby chuckles, telling me the story of the sky bridges for the twentieth time. It's one of my favorites, I'm always asking her to tell it.
"It was not a thousand feet!" Lev yells from his bedroom across the hall. Abby and I burst into a fit of laughter. "It was like ten!"
"Okay well it FELT like a thousand!" Abby yells back between laughs. "Anyways." She sighs, feeling my fingertips brush the back of her neck lightly as I continue to braid her hair. "I crawl out of the pool and lay there sprawled out on my back and Lev looks at me like I'm crazy! He's just up and ready to keep moving as if we didn't just almost die!" The two of us laugh as I use a hair tie to hold the ends of her braid together. I lean forward, placing a kiss on the back of her neck.
"All done." I mumble against her freckled skin. Abby turns around, pressing a sweet kiss on my cheek.
"Thanks, babe." Abby smiles. "You ready to head out?" Abby and I have early patrol this morning. It's rare we get assigned together since Abby is much stronger so she's usually doing assignments that put her muscles to use. Things like helping out with construction, moving heavy equipment, sometimes even helping people move furniture in and out of homes. When Abby does go outside of the base, it's for a supply run that's in a more dangerous area. That part always scares me, knowing they intentionally send her places with unknown numbers of infected. I know why they do it, though. She's more than capable of protecting herself and her group.
"Yeah." I nod. "Just gotta get my boots on." I stand up, getting ready to leave the room when Abby grabs my wrist.
"Uh, babe?" I look back at her, confused. "What's goin' on with your buttons there?" She asks, referring to my black button-up shirt. I look down, noticing two of the top buttons were missing.
"Oh!" I laugh. "So THIS is the shirt with the missing buttons!" I shrug, searching through the clothes in our closet. I find a grey sleeveless shirt hanging up on Abby's side of the closet. I glance back, seeing her making the bed. I take off my button-up, letting it fall to the floor as I take the sleeveless shirt off of its hanger and pull it on. It's a little too big, but I tuck it into my jeans and it fits a lot better. I pick up the button-up, spinning around and tossing it at Abby. It hits her in the face.
"Hey!" Abby looks over at me with a playful glare before freezing. She points at me. "Is- is that my shirt?"
"Perhaps." I grin, doing a little pose with my hands on my hips. "New fashion statement?" I chuckle. Abby walks over to me, putting her hands on my hips. She pecks my lips lightly. I place my hands over hers.
"You're such a dork." She smiles. "C'mon. We gotta get going."
"Alriiiight." I groan. Abby grabs my hand, pulling me into the hall. "Lev, don't be late for school!" I yell from the stairs.
"I'm never late!" Lev yells back.
"Literally last week!" Abby reminds him.
"Fuck you!" Lev replies as Abby and I laugh. I kneel down by the door, putting my brown leather boots on and tying the laces. Abby watches with a playful smile. I grab my dark blue backpack and bow before looking up at her.
"What?" I question, standing back up.
"Nothing." Abby shrugs. She puts a hand on my stomach. "Pretty soon you won't even be able to tie your own shoes."
"Six more months!" I sigh. "And then this little bean will be the reason we don't get a good night's sleep for years."
"I can't wait." Abby chuckles, following me out the front door. The two of us head to the main gate, spotting a few people waiting around talking with each other. "Get us signed out?" Abby asks.
"If you grab us lunch." I reply,
"Deal." Abby agrees. She lets go of my hand, walking off to the right while I continue forward to the booth. A woman with long red hair and blue eyes looks up at me.
"Oh, hey Y/N!" She greets, setting down the clipboard she was holding. "How're you doing?"
"Hey, Kayla." I smile. "I'm doing pretty great! They've got you workin' at the booth instead of the farm?" I pick up the clipboard and pen, signing my name and Abby's on the sign out sheet.
"Yep." Kayla tsks. "Shawn's sick today so I said I'd fill in. Nice break from being covered in dirt all day."
"And the booth is always shady." I shrug. "I'd say Shawn's got us beat!"
"Got that right." Kayla laughs. I jump when I feel a hand on my lower back. Kayla laughs harder. I don't even have to turn around to know who the culprit is. "Hey, Abby!" Kayla greets.
"Hey there." Abby replies, looking at me with a mischievous grin. "I'd love to stay and talk but the rest of our group is here. We gotta head out." I reach up to fix a loose strand of Abby's hair that's fallen in front of her face. She's a couple inches taller than me so I stand on my toes to make to easier.
"Be safe out there, you two!" Kayla calls as I follow Abby toward the group.
"Will do!" Abby turns around to wave back. The two of us join the rest of the group, piling into the back of a military truck and heading out to the first checkpoint where we'll all split into pairs and take separate routes.
Ten minutes later, we get to the first checkpoint, an old bar. I hop out of the truck, Abby following close behind. We get inside, everyone double checking their gear and partnering up.
"Okay." I sigh, everyone looking to me for instructions. I'm not exactly sure why, but Abby says I'm a natural born leader and that they trust my judgement. I had taken on the role as unofficial team leader without even realizing till she had pointed it out to me a few weeks ago. "Our team's covering the north routes today. The northeast route's been a little more active lately so I want four people to take that one just in case things get hairy. Any volunteers?"
"Mike and I can do it." A woman with brown hair says.
I nod. "Alright. Who's going with Mike and Bonnie?"
"We are." A man in the back says, gesturing to him and his partner.
"Okay, Mike, Bonnie, Chris, and Eric on northeast. Hayley, I want you and Moira to take north, okay?" Moira nods and Hayley holds a thumbs up. "Abby and I will take northwest. Be safe out there, guys. Be smart." With that, we all head off on our routes. Abby follows me, making sure to keep an eye on the treeline. The woods around us are full of life. Birds, deer, squirrels, insects... they all create a beautiful melody; the song of nature.
"Y'know..." Abby starts, pulling me out of my thoughts. "It's pretty hot watching you boss people around."
I scoff, kicking the dirt on the path as I walk. "I don't boss anyone around!"
Abby walks beside me, a teasing smile playing on her lips. "You so do!"
"Shut up!" I shove her playfully. She laughs, lightly shoving me back.
"You love me." She hums, taking my hand and kissing my knuckles lightly.
"I do." I hum back. We walk for a bit longer before we reach the first lookout, a gas station attached to a mechanic's garage. We sit and talk for a few minutes, writing in the sign in notebook that there were no signs of infected. After dawdling long enough, the two of us make our way to the second lookout. Ten minutes into our journey, I spot something moving in the trees.
"To our right." I whisper, both Abby and I ducking behind a bush and aiming our guns toward the movement. Just as I'm about to move up closer to try and get an angle, I hear maniacal screaming. I spin around to see a runner charging at me. I have no time to react as I'm shoved violently to the ground with the runner pinning me down, using all of my strength to keep the runner from biting me.
"Y/N!!" Abby screams. Before she can shoot the runner, a second one comes out from the trees. Abby quickly shoots that one before rushing back to my side and ripping the runner off of me. "You motherfucker!" She growls, slamming the runner to the ground and crushing his skull with her boot, the blood splattering on her and me. I lay there frozen, feeling like the wind got knocked out of me. "Shit!" Abby whisper yells. She kneels down beside me as I gasp for air. "Are you okay? Did it bite you?" She's panicking, frantically searching for any sign of injury. I grab her forearms, keeping her from moving them.
"I'm okay, Abby." I assure her when I catch my breath. "I'm okay." Abby grabs my shoulders, helping me sit up.
"Oh shit, your head is bleeding." Abby says, seeing the blood drip down the back of my neck. I feel the warm, sticky crimson flow down the back of my shirt. "We gotta get you back."
"The baby." I whisper, feeling lightheaded as Abby hands me her bag and gets in front of me, helping me onto her back. "We gotta check on the baby."
"We will, sweet girl." Abby says, walking as fast as she can while I cling to her like a little backpack. "Just hang on." I rest my head on her shoulder, closing my eyes as she carries me all the way back to the checkpoint. From there, she uses the radio to call an emergency pickup. She leaves a note for the rest of the team before helping me into the car and telling the driver to get us back as fast as possible. The car ride is a blur. I lean against Abby while she presses her jacket against the back of my head to keep me from bleeding out. I keep my hand on my stomach the whole time. Finally, we get to the infirmary. A nurse cleans me up and stitches the back of my head, giving me water and crackers to help with the dizziness. When I tell her I'm pregnant, she immediately understands my concern and checks the baby's vitals and preps me for an ultrasound.
"Ultrasound?" I ask as the nurse moves the hem of my shirt up to the edge of my bra, exposing my tiny bump. I've never heard anything like that before.
Abby takes my left hand in hers, squeezing it lightly. "It's kinda like a camera." She explains. "It's so they can see the baby. I read about it in a book." As I'm looking at her, I feel something cold and sticky being rubbed lightly on my stomach. I flinch, looking back at the nurse who is applying a clear jelly-like liquid to my stomach. Abby immediately senses my panic, leaning down to press a kiss to my temple. The bed creaks beneath her as she moves. "It's okay." She mumbles against my temple. "It's just to help the camera." I take a deep breath, sighing as I nod, letting Abby know I'm okay. I peck her lips lightly before she sits back up.
"You two make a cute couple." The nurse says, reaching for what I assume is the camera. Abby thanks her as I laugh a little. "You ready to see your baby?" I nod eagerly, Abby doing the same. The nurse presses the camera against my stomach lightly, moving it around as what looks like static appears on the camera. "There." She says finally, holding the camera in one spot. "See that little blob that's kinda shaped like a bean? That's your baby." I gasp, suddenly feeling tears running down my cheeks.
"Abby." I whisper, staring at the little being on the monitor. "Are you seeing this?" I hear Abby sniffle, looking up to see her crying, too.
"That's our baby, honey." She sniffs. I take her other hand in mine, squeezing both of them. "That's our tiny human in there." She's just as amazed as I am.
"It's perfect." I say, laughing a bit at our reactions. The nurse simply gives a proud smile.
"The baby's perfectly healthy, no sign of injuries." The nurse says. Abby and I feel immediate relief. "If you want, I can print out a picture of it for you. This old equipment still works pretty well.
"Absolutely!" Abby says, barely waiting for the nurse to finish her sentence. The nurse cleans off the gel, prints out a photo of our baby, and hands it to me before Abby and I head out to go home. The entire walk home is spent gushing over the photo, feeling like a warm, beautiful light is shining down upon us. When the two of us get home, Abby closes the door before grabbing my face and kissing me hard. My hands instinctively move to her cheeks, my eyes closing as I feel Abby's lips on mine, curving into a smile. She pulls away, leaving me breathless. "You are incredible." She says, only loud enough for me to hear. She strokes my cheeks with the pads of her thumbs. "I love you... so fucking much."
"I love you too." I whisper, pressing my forehead against hers. She kisses me again, this time gently, as if I might break if she kisses too hard. She pulls away after a few seconds, taking my hand and guiding me into the living room. I sit beside her on the couch, my legs resting across her lap and my body leaning into hers. We sit there in peaceful silence, Abby and I staring at the photo of our baby while she rubs gentle circles on my stomach with her warm hand. Just as I'm about to fall asleep, the front door opens.
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Of something beautiful, but annihilating🚬2
Warnings: nonconsensual sex, violence and abuse, mentions of miscarriage, mentions of death [other warning to be added throughout series]
This is dark!fic and explicit. Your media consumption is your own responsibility. Warnings have been given. DO NOT PROCEED if these matters upset you.
Summary: Reader’s husband brings home an unexpected houseguest.
Note: Still working a lot but here’s another chapter. I work gaming and the console launches are just killing me for real. Why do (some) gamers have to be idiots?
Thank you. Love you guys!
As always, if you can, please leave some feedback, like and reblog <3
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You awoke stiff and cold. Your legs were tucked up under your nightgown as the early spring turned frigid in the night and your muscles ached as you fell onto your back. You were still young but you didn’t feel it. The deep snores still rose from the bed as you sat up and the soft light of dawn broke through the curtains.
You suspected that Roy would be just as unpleasant once it came time to rouse him. You got to your feet with a grumble and rubbed your tender stomach. You could feel the bruise and winced as you went to the closet to gather your clothes for the day. The usual; a plain blouse and dull skirt. Then you took a pair of old nylons, some underwear and your brassiere from the chest of drawers.
You wrapped yourself in a robe and crossed to the washroom to quickly clean yourself up before you dressed. You stared in the mirror, your eyes puffy with fatigue. You sighed and dumped your robe and nightgown in the bedroom before you continued on downstairs.
If there was anything that would placate your husband, it was food. Since your wedding day, he had put on quite a few pounds, not that he had ever been particularly slim. He had also aged more than three years of your union, though he was ten years your senior already. Well, your father and mother had about the same difference between them; it was far from unusual.
You took out your iron pan and placed it on the stove, a relic of the Depression era but still able to catch a flame. Your father was always proud of his old appliances. Before you were born and in the early years of your life, he’d worked hard to build not only the farmhouse but a home for his young family. Those years before the war had remained his most precious until the end.
You took out the tray of eggs and the small sausages bartered at a discount from the butcher. You hated to think of replacing the puttering fridge but you doubted it would hold up another couple decades. That in itself would be a battle with Roy. He worked hard for his money. It was difficult enough to negotiate a pair of nylons without holes from the terse man you called your husband.
You were startled as you heard a footboard whine. You turned and accidentally cracked an egg onto the floor as you did. Arvin was dressed in jeans and a plain tee. His overalls were slung over his arm as he entered.
“You’re up already?” You asked as you bent to clean up your mess. “Hope it’s not ‘cause of me.”
“I’ve always been an early riser,” he assured you, “Need any help with that?”
“No, no,” you stood with the egg and shell in your hand, “I think I can manage.” You went to the bin and dumped your handful. “You drink coffee? Orange juice?”
“I wouldn’t mind some milk, if it isn’t too much a bother,” he smiled. “But I can fetch it myself.”
“You don’t have to--”
“You keep saying that. I respect that this is your house, ma’am, and you’re used to doing all the upkeep but I don’t mind at all.”
You pursed your lips and nodded. You wiped your hand on a dish cloth and went back to adding eggs to the mixing bowl. You listened to his footsteps as they continued onto the dining room and he returned to search for a glass among the cupboards.
“Here,” you reached up and opened the cabinet, “Milk’s on the middle shelf in the fridge.”
He neared and grabbed a tall glass from the rows. He was awfully close as he did. He set the glass down on the counter and went to the fridge. You listened as he struggled with the handle.
“You gotta wiggle it. Don’t be afraid to put some muscle into it.” You chuckled.
The door popped open and you heard him grunt. You whisked up the eggs as he approached with the milk jug and filled his glass. He paused as he watched you work. A long silence rose between you, interrupted only by the clink of the whisk on the bowl.
“You got any laundry?” You asked suddenly. “I can manage another load today.”
“If it’s not too much,” he lifted the jug and slowly backed away, “The laundromat isn’t much for efficiency. Sometimes I think my shirts come out more stained than before.”
You listened as he put the jug away and took his glass from beside you. You felt his lingering gaze before he left you but ignored it as your tendency to overthink. He was a kind, young man and you had grown unused to that. 
You loved Roy, tried to at least, and you reminded yourself that he hadn’t always been bad. You hoped that he could be good again. Perhaps Arvin could help with that.
You moved stiffly around the stove. Your muscles strained more with each stretch of your arm or bend of your leg. The floor never left you in very good shape and your apron reminded you of the bruise that deepened along your torso.
When the eggs were fluffy and the sausage browned, you climbed the stairs to wake your husband. You stayed in the doorway as you called to him. It was best not to get close when he was hungover. 
He grumbled and threw a pillow. When you reminded him he would be late to work, he lobbed the lamp. It landed a good foot from you but still caused a thunderous thump on the floor before the bulb shattered.
You left him. He would rouse himself and be too late to bother much with you. He would also have an audience to keep him in line.
You went back downstairs and plated the food; you covered Roy’s before you laid it out on the table along with your own and Arvin’s. You sat across from your houseguest as he greedily eyed his breakfast.
“What was that?” He asked as his brown eyes flicked up to the ceiling.
“Silly me,” you twirled your fork nervously, “I tripped over the cord of the lamp and brought the whole thing down.”
Arvin nodded and his cheek twitched. He said nothing as he cut into a sausage and you pushed around your eggs without eating. Your appetite was soured by memories of the previous night. If fate and alcohol favoured you, Roy would not recall it so well.
“Did you sleep well?” You asked suddenly as you tried to distract yourself. “I know the attic gets a bit gusty, walls aren’t very thick and that couch is old…”
“I slept finer than I have in months,” he replied, “Thank you.”
“You’ve been down at the motel, Roy said. You new in town?”
“Was meaning to just pass through,” he swallowed, “But a few odd jobs turned into a full gig down at the garage. I used to fiddle around with my aunt’s truck when I was a kid and… guess I figured a few things out.”
“Oh? And where’s home? Is that where you were headed?”
“Leavin’, actually. Sometimes you just outgrow where you’re from.” He said wistfully, “Life shakes you awake and says ‘go or die’ and you’re too restless to wait around for the inevitable.”
Your mouth fell open. His face had fallen, a lifetime worth of worries and tragedies set in his thin lips and squared his jaw. He looked through you at the past that had chased him all the way to your doorstep. The naive boy fractured before you to the frightened young man. And then, he was gone.
He smiled and was once more firmly sat in the present.
“I know what you mean.” You said quietly.
“So…” He set his fork down, “You from here then?”
“Daddy’s house. Never left it.” You confessed, “Never had the courage to stop waiting, I suppose.”
“You got lots of time for that,” Arvin said, “You know, when life’s seemed to slow down, it starts back up all at once.”
You rubbed your fingertips along the tablecloth. You looked at your plate, your food barely touched.
“You okay? You’re not eating.”
“I’m fine,” you lied, “I didn’t sleep too much…. there’s this shutter that just knocks against the house when it’s windy, you know?”
He leaned back and considered you. He grabbed his glass of milk and drained it.
“So, how long have you and Roy… been married?” Arvin asked.
You heard the stairs creak and stiffened in your seat. You tapped your fork on the lip of the plate and cleared your throat.
“Three years,” you said as Roy’s grumbles grew louder. 
“Oh,” Arvin glanced over as Roy stumbled in and caught himself on a chair. You stood and uncovered his plate as he sat. He waved you away groggily and swiped up his fork. “A long time and not very long at all, then.”
“Mhmm,” you sat and watched Roy nervously. He said nothing as he shoved a whole sausage in his mouth and groaned. 
“Coffee,” he choked out.
You diligently went to the task of pouring him a mug and returned as Arvin watched him with a placid awareness. You set down the cup and Roy emptied it just as fast as it appeared.
“Too much beer, huh?” Arvin chuckled.
Roy tilted his head and gulped down his mouthful. “Maybe you’ll join me tonight,” your husband challenged. “Boy your size, one bottle’ll have you on your ass.”
“Probably,” Arvin said coolly. “Maybe I’m better stickin’ to water.”
You sat gingerly and looked between the two men. You realised how easily Arvin had distracted Roy. How he kept the temperamental man from his usual morning rage with a few words. You wondered if he had dealt with men like Roy before. Or maybe he had no idea what he was doing at all.
“You want me to drive today?” Arvin ventured, “You can close your eyes on the way.”
“Probably best you do,” Roy smacked his lips, “Don’t know I’ll be very useful at the garage.”
“Ah, just keep your head under that old Chevrolet and no one can tell you’re napping,” Arvin laughed at his own joke. “I won’t tell.”
🚬
You filled your day as any. Your chores kept you busy; laundry, sweeping, dusting, prepping dinner for the return of your husband and the houseguest you kept having to remind yourself of.
You made certain to fold Arvin’s clothes and stack them neatly in a basket for him. He didn’t have much; a few pairs of jeans, some tee shirts, two sweaters, and a denim jacket. You would search through your father’s stuff and see if there was anything worth salvaging.
When the old truck rumbled in front of the house, you were shoving a glazed ham into the oven. You wiped your hands on your apron and strode through to peek through the window. Arvin was quicker than Roy, smaller, younger. Your husband stomped across the gravel as the other man kept a deliberately slow pace behind him.
You opened the door to greet them as they neared the porch.
“How was your day?” You asked as you held open the door.
“A day that calls for a beer,” Roy snarled as he brushed past you. You couldn’t remember when he’d stopped kissing you; sometimes, you were certain you’d imagined he ever had. 
“It was good,” Arvin said softly as he smiled at you. Roy ambled into the front room and fell onto the sofa. “How was yours, ma’am?”
“Well enough,” you replied pensively as you watched your husband, “You want a beer too?”
“No, it’s still a bit early… Actually, I’ll get his beer.” Arvin said, “Why don’t you take a break?”
“She can do it herself,” Roy growled. “What else she gonna do around here?”
“I’m goin’ that way anyhow.” Arvin said. “Think I’ll get myself some water.”
“She’s my wife. She can serve me. Well, you would think she could.”
“Please,” you looked to Arvin pleadingly, “Just sit down.”
He stared at you and nodded slowly. His arm jerked as if he was going to touch your elbow but he backed away and turned to drag his feet into the front room.
“I have some Coke?” You offered, “If you prefer that.”
“Water,” Arvin said dully, “Thank you.” 
You slowly retreated but didn’t miss the way Arvin glared at Roy. He sat in the armchair and bit his thumb as he watched the other man. You spun before you could overthink it and scurried into the kitchen. You grabbed a bottle from the fridge and poured a glass of water. You hurried back to offer the refreshments and rung your hands as you hovered in the doorway.
“Your laundry’s on the landing,” you said meekly, “And Roy, I fixed the lamp.”
Roy merely belched as Arvin lifted his chin and sighed.
“Thank you,” Arvin uttered and set aside his glass, “Show me where that bed is and I’ll move it after dinner.”
“I--” You hesitated and looked at Roy fearfully. He was entirely unconcerned with anything but his beer. “Sure.”
Arvin stood and you led him to the stairway. He followed you up and bent to lift the basket from the landing. You turned to him and he was quick to take the clothes from you.
“I didn’t want to go up there without you knowin’,” you said, “Since it’s your space now.”
“I appreciate all you’ve done.” He hugged the basket. He pressed his lips together and peered back down the stairs. “Are you alright?”
You frowned as he looked at you again. You turned your hands out and shrugged. 
“I’m just fine.” You lied.
He squinted then his eyes fell to the clothes. “Well, you let me know if you need help. With anything.” He slowly edged away from you, “I might be payin’ Roy but I won’t be living on your hard work, ma’am.”
“I-- It’s my job to--”
“It’s his job to love you, with all due respect,” Arvin set down the basket and grabbed the cord of the attic hatch, “Ain’t no work hard enough at the garage that he can’t do that.” The stairs slid down and he picked up the basket again. He placed a foot on the bottom of the latter as he cradled the laundry in one arm. “I’ll be down for dinner.”
🚬
Several days passed with little change. Arvin barely seemed to affect things around the old farmhouse; he kept to himself mostly but helped where he could. Roy didn’t change either. His moods, his brutality, his demands. As you always had, you distracted yourself with your chores.
On Saturday, Roy announced that he was going fishing. Arvin refused an invitation and it didn’t seem to bother your husband. It did, however, make you wonder. Most men in the area were eager to be away from the homestead with a rod or rifle in hand. Well, it didn’t seem like your houseguest was most men.
You bid Roy goodbye. He was in a happier mood and let you kiss his cheek as he packed up his bait box. When he was gone, you went about your usual. You would sweep and dust the entire house before you started lunch; a small one as Roy took his with him.
When you got to the dining room, Arvin was at the table. He had a small, leather-bound notebook before him as he scribbled in it with a stubby pencil. He smiled as you hit the doorframe with the broom and apologized under your breath. He went back to his work and you went about your own, quietly, carefully.
As you bent to sweep up the dirt into the pan, you looked at him. His reddish-brown hair hung forward, the strands dangled along his nose. You stood and neared the table.
“I don’t know how you see anything,” you remarked.
He lifted his head and his hair tickled his cheeks. He chuckled and closed the notebook around the pencil.
“Guess I’m just used to it,” he said, “Do you ever sit down? Don’t think I could run around like you in those heels?”
You glanced down at your kitten heels. Not very high or fancy. You gripped the broom and leaned on it.
“I just think my feet are naturally curved now,” you kidded. “Sorry, if I interrupted you.”
“No, no, you’re right. I need a haircut,” he pushed his hair back and stretched as he bent his arms behind his head. “Been a while.”
There was silence between you. You weren’t sure why you’d broken it in the first place. Usually, you wouldn’t dare bother Roy. He always had the first word. And the last.
“I cut Roy’s hair. I could do yours.” You were shocked at your own words and snapped your mouth shut bashfully. “Or you could go down to Hannon’s and get him to give you proper trim. I’m just… offerin’.”
“Really?” He sat up, “If you wouldn’t mind. I’m tryna save my money for a car of my own right now. I’ll pay in labour? Got this old batter recipe I learned as a kid. Roy brings back some good fish and we’ll have some filets.”
“You don’t--” You voice died as he gave you that look. How many times had you said those words? ‘You don’t have to do that.’ You took a breath. “Bring a chair in the kitchen and I’ll get the scissors.”
You went to the kitchen and dumped the dustpan. You leaned the broom against the wall and searched for the scissors in the second drawer. You heard Arvin behind you as you took a dish cloth and turned to him. He placed the chair in the middle of the floor and sat.
You tucked the scissors into your apron along with the comb you kept with the old silver shears. You neared him and held up the cloth. “I’m just gonna tuck this into your shirt to catch the hair.”
“That’s fine,” he smiled at you as you bent to wrap the dish cloth around his neck and tucked it into his collar carefully. Your fingers grazed his neck and you saw him tense.
You backed up and took out the comb. 
“Where do you usually part it?”
“I usually just comb it back but then it just kinda… falls,” he snorted bashfully. “So, just wherever.”
You rounded him and combed his hair back before parting it along the left side. It split naturally from his crown and you did your best to be precise. You pulled his hair up with the teeth of the comb and began to cut away the length. The chopped ends fell over the towel and the shoulders of his tee. 
As you came around the front, he watched you with his deep brown eyes. You tried not to fidget against his intent gaze.
“Close your eyes,” you said and he seemed reluctant to do so. You began to snip as you let the hair hang to see the length and lifted it again to cut away more. 
“So, you got any records for the player?” He asked. The question surprised you but eased you.
“My daddy loved Sinatra and Crosby.” You said. “But I don’t suppose many listen to that anymore.”
“Well, some,” he said, “You ever listen to Ray Charles? I was down at the general store and they… they were selling his album at discount.”
“Oh?” You leaned closer as you softened the blunt ends of his hair, “I think… on the radio. Sometimes, I turn it on when Roy’s workin’ but I always make sure to turn it back to his station before he gets home or he--”
You stopped yourself and focused on your task. You didn’t want to mangle his hair. He had such nice hair. Soft and thick.
“Or he what?” Arvin opened his right eye.
“Or, you know… he just gets real upset. The dial on that old thing is so fussy,” you moved around him so the heat receded from your cheeks. “Just don’t want him breakin’ it.”
“You think he’d break it? Over that?” Arvin asked gently.
You chewed the inside of your lip. “No,” you said after a pause, “No, Roy can be grumpy but he wouldn’t…” You sniffed and combed his hair, “Maybe we can dig out some of my daddy’s records when I’m done.”
“Maybe,” he said evenly as he tapped his fingers along his thigh. “A little music might brighten this place up.”
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StackedNatural Day 101: 1x13, 3x09, 14x12
StackedNatural Day 101: 1x13, 3x09, 14x12
StackedNatural Masterpost: [x]
January 31, 2022
1x13: Route 666
Written by: Buckleming
Directed by: Paul Shapiro
Original air date: January 31, 2006
Plot Synopsis:
Dean is contacted by an ex-flame who asks him for help when black men in her hometown are being murdered by a driver-less racist truck.
Features:
Racist trucks, Dean’s first love, mob justice, high speed ghost chase, hallowed church ground.
My Thoughts:
The thing about this episode that @meg3point0 said is that even though it has all the subtlety of a brick to the face, it wouldn’t actually be so bad if it wasn’t completely insistent that all of the town’s virulent racism was a thing of the past. Cassie is the only one who brings up racism happening in the present, to the mayor, and then the narrative sides with him by having him be part of the cover-up of Cyrus’ death. An old white dude says he isn’t racist and so for Buckleming, that’s the end of that.
Cassie is a great character. I love when Dean gets to be more vulnerable with someone than he is with Sam, especially this early in the show. It’s excellent accidental foreshadowing that her name is Cassie when Cas is going to become such a huge part of Dean’s life later in the series.
This episode makes me very sad about desperately lonely Stanford-era Dean, who fell in love in the couple of weeks it took him and his dad to work one case in town, and then told the truth because he wanted to make it work. The scene where they argue and then kiss works only because both actors are selling it but the writing is quite bad. And it’s so wild to watch the early seasons episodes where there are sex scenes because they used to be really drawn out and in late seasons they do a lot of implying and fade-to-black instead of anything like this episode.
I enjoy any episode where Sam is a little shithead for no reason. Younger brother behaviour.
Notable Lines:
“You told her the secret. Our big family rule number one. We do what we do and we shut up about it. For a year and a half I do nothing but lie to Jessica, and you go out with this chick in Ohio a coupla times and you tell her everything?”
“What's interesting is you guys never really look at each other at the same time. You look at her when she's not looking, she checks you out when you look away. It's just a...just an interesting observation in a....you know...observationally interesting way.:
“Everybody's gotta open up to someone sometime.” “Yeah, I don’t.”
Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 7.0
IMdB Rating: 7.4
3x09: Malleus Maleficarum
Written by: Ben Edlund
Directed by: Robert Singer
Original air date: January 31, 2008
Plot Synopsis:
The seemingly harmless practices of a group of neighborhood witches goes bad when one of them kills a woman. Ruby offers her assistance... but she has a few secrets of her own.
Features:
Teeth falling out, hex bags and witches, coven book clubs, Ruby saves Dean’s life, demons were once human, Ruby is preparing Sam to wage war without Dean.
My Thoughts:
We watched out of order and saved this episode for last today because we wanted to reward ourselves for watching two Buckleming episodes with a Bedlund episode, and that was the right choice.
It actually seemed like just a Fine episode in the beginning, but it really picked up when Ruby appeared. I always forget how much season 3 Ruby rules because I haven’t rewatched season 3 that much.
You can tell that Robert Singer directed this episode because both of the first two women to die died in sexy little black slips. At one point when they were looking at the second body there was a really weird clunky zoom out and @meg3point0 said “oh my god Robert Singer you are doing violence to Ben Edlund”, which I thought was funny so you all get to hear it too.
The coven/book club is fine as a plot point, but it’s the Ruby and demon stuff that really gets me in this one. Also, early Supernatural used to be really gross and that’s a compliment. Just really visceral stuff. Demons used to be really scary, too, and they are in this episode.
I LOVE Ruby. She plays them so well for such a long time. She basically negs Sam into trusting her and that works. She knows that trying to make Dean like her will never work, so she acts like she doesn’t care, saves his life, and gives him a ton of information he can’t get anywhere else. You know it worked, because at the end of the episode he calls her by her name instead of “Bitch”. Her go-to move to trick the other demon is homoeroticism.
I love the reveal of demons having been human. It’s such a huge paradigm shift and they really nailed it here.
Final thought: I really assumed that the internet was just making fun of Dean for the “it tasted like ass” line, but he truly delivered it in a way that made it seem like he’s literally eaten ass before. You didn’t have to do that, Jensen. It’s not the first way you would read that line, either.
Notable Lines:
“And why does the rabbit always get screwed in the deal?! The poor little guy.”
“If she wants us dead, all she has to do is stop saving our lives.”
“If I'm gonna fight this war after you're gone, then I gotta change.” “Change into what?” “Into you.”
“That's what Hell is – forgetting what you are.”
“I remember what it’s like. [...] Being human.”
Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 8.7
IMdB Rating: 8.5
14x12: Prophet and Loss
Written by: Buckleming
Directed by: Thomas J. Wright
Original air date: January 31, 2019
Plot Synopsis:
Sam and Dean must figure out how to stop the bloodshed when Donatello who, in his current condition, is inadvertently scrambling the order of future prophets. Nick comes face to face with his past.
Features:
Ma’lak box nightmares, classic Buckleming torture scenes, Sam and Cas scheme behind Dean’s back, Michael is trying to escape Dean’s cage, Donatello’s successor as Prophet, Nick’s wife’s ghost, the homoerotic undertones of Lucifer’s possession, Donatello wakes up.
My Thoughts:
This one hits a lot of Buckleming bingo slots, including unnecessary torture porn, Mark Pellegrino, scenes the w*ncesties will love, continuity errors, and a deus ex machina.
The frankly kickass opening of Dean’s nightmare of the Ma’lak box reminiscent of Lazarus Rising is a redeeming moment, especially with the transition to his fingers bleeding where he was scratching the walls in his sleep. Cas playing dress up in a doctor outfit is too, although they really missed the opportunity to do a Dr. Sexy callback. I’m glad they call John a bad parent.
Both of the Buckleming episodes today had stupid titles. It’s picky but Route 666 is named as if it’s demonic, but it's a ghost. Prophet and Loss isn’t even a good pun.
The whole plot with Tony Alvarez was completely unnecessary and just an excuse for a bunch of torture. The only thing that comes out of it is that Donatello’s brain is rebuilding itself (the deus ex machina), which sucks because Donatello is one of the most hateable characters on the entire show. I’m still bitter that they killed off Kevin Tran and then gave us Donatello instead.
There’s no reason for Nick to be a good fighter when he’s not possessed, although we can chalk that up to the cop being useless. There are two main problems with this whole Nick plotline in Season 14. The first is that in concept, Lucifer’s vessel becoming psychosexually obsessed with him is a very cool plot, and somehow they flub the execution so badly that it’s either uncomfortable to watch or just plain boring. The second is that I don’t understand what place it has in the greater narrative other than to show that it is possible to pull an angel out of the Empty, and then the greater narrative conveniently forgets that it’s possible when Cas goes to the Empty, which enrages me so much that I have to stop thinking about it or risk medical issues.
They really wanted the scene with the wife to be a powerful moment and reveal, but it's very obvious what they were leading to and the woman playing the wife was not a strong enough actor to pull it off. On a related note, I usually say that Jared is a good actor when he’s trying, but he is trying so hard in this last scene and it is NOT working for him in any capacity. Terrible to watch. Sorry, Samgirls.
More nitpicking: within the lore of the show, there’s no way Sarah’s ghost would still be coherent 10 years after her death. The video Cas takes of Donatello has his face clear while he mumbles Enochian, and then he has a breathing tube when they run into the room mere seconds later (the continuity error mentioned above).
@meg3point0 and I both agree that it would have been a much more fun and sexy solution to have Cas possess Dean and fight Michael to kick him out. This isn’t important, but please just imagine it, or else send me the links to your fanfiction.
I was watching with my roommate (Meg’s husband) and at the end of the episode when Sam was trying to give his big faith speech, he said “this is very ‘man-who-just-discovered-Bell-Let’s-Talk-day’” and “I just think they shoudn’t have put their suicide allegory in the hands of the worst writers on the team”. He’s right, and he should say it.
Notable Lines:
“Dean, you were the one who was always there for me. The only one. I mean, you practically raised me.”
“Sometimes when I was… when I was away, you know it wasn’t ‘cause I just ran out, right? Dad would… he would send me away when I really pissed him off.”
Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 3.5
IMdB Rating: 8.2
In Conclusion:
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Top 5 Best Executed Deaths
A few weeks ago, I did a list talking about the Top 5 Character Deaths That Made Me Side-Eye the Writers and I thought it was only fair that I talk about some of the character deaths that I thought were actually done well. So consider this like a companion to that list. 
Like I said in that T5F, this is TWDG, a game series all about people surviving in a world overrun by zombies. Naturally, characters are going to die. Some of these characters get pretty shitty deaths that only happened to fill a quota, some had effort and thought put into them and how they were going to effect the story and remaining characters. These are deaths that served their purpose, progressed the story, or are an understandable conclusion to a character’s arc. 
Do keep in mind that when I say that I enjoy the way these were done/handled/portrayed/whatever, this isn’t me taking joy outta watching these deaths play out. Hell, I kinda hate most of the deaths on this list, but just because I don’t want this character to die or I wish they stuck around longer doesn’t mean I can’t recognize when it’s executed well, y’know? 
5. Larry and the meat locker incident
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So.... Larry’s an asshole, y’know? He made it on another T5F because he sucks. No one likes Larry. 
He treats Lee like garbage, treats his own daughter terribly, and is overall just a piece of shit. That being said, he played his role well. He did what he needed to do which was be a antagonistic character within the group who posed a threat to Lee by threatening to expose his past. He creates a lot of tension within the group, he puts all this pressure on Lilly, you can’t even attempt to show any kindness to him because he doesn’t care about anyone but himself and Lilly. 
That being said.... his death scene is pretty good. Y’know, you play through ep2 for the first time and you’ve just discovered that these people are cannibals and they have you locked in a fucking meat locker so they can butcher you later, and Larry is freakin’ the fuck out because he’s pissed. Lilly is sick in the corner, Kenny is desperately trying to find a way out because they have his family, and Clementine is terrified, and Lee is just waking up. 
You go over and try to calm Larry down because he’s pounding at the door and this dude.... this bastard has the gall to be like “Fuck you, you must really hate me! I’m plannin’ on bein’ around waaaaaay after you’re dead! I’ll be the one to put you down!”
Then he has a heart attack. 
And you’re stuck in this meat locker with him. You don’t know if he’s alive or not-- Kenny immediately deems him dead, Lilly is desperately trying to resuscitate him, and they’re both yelling at you. You gotta decide if you’re gonna help Lilly try to bring him back, or if you’re gonna help Kenny make sure he doesn’t turn. 
Not matter what you do, Kenny smashes Larry’s head in with a damn saltlick because I guess he missed the opening of the episode where they remind you that your actions have consequences. 
Larry’s death has lasting effects on your relationships with both Lilly and Kenny, though more so Kenny since no matter what, Lilly loses it a little and ends up murdering Carley/Doug and leaving the group. But boy, Kenny will never forget the time you didn’t wanna play hero with him and smash a guys head in right in front of his daughter. 
It’s a damn good scene, I gotta hand it to ‘em. I hate Larry and I can’t say I miss him, but I can definitely see both sides of the argument on what to do there. Plus it’s... I dunno, a creative death? and I kinda like that? No one else is out here getting their heads done in with a saltlick, y’know? 
Anyway, Larry sucks but his death? Well done. 
4.  Minerva and the tragic showdown on the bridge
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Oh man, I really am digging my own grave with the Minnie crowd lately, huh? Ah well, I’m sure it’s fine. 
Listen...okay, look. I have a lot of feelings about the bridge scene. On one hand, I hate it. On the other hand, I kind of love it? 
Like, does it piss me off that Tenn dies here because I trust AJ? Yep. Do I still wish they had maybe put Lilly here so that she could actually do her job as a villain? Sure. Does it upset me that AJ ends up shooting his best friend in order to save Louis? Totally. Does it annoy me that Minerva just won’t fucking die even though I shot her and the walkers keep nom noming her? Absolutely. 
That being said, I can’t pretend that Minerva’s death isn’t pretty great.... which I know will upset the Minnie crowd who always talk about how it’s bullshit she died here and she deserved a redemption arc... but lemme explain. 
Looking at the game itself, the text and story progression, Minerva was never going to get that. She was never set up as someone we were gonna “fix” or as someone who would have a change of heart and switch to our side. From the moment we meet her, she’s too far gone. The delta have their claws sunk deep within her, they brainwashed her, forced her to murder her own sister, and she has completely given up. She never expresses any desire to go back to the school. Nope, the delta is her home now. Her family. And it’s tragic. She and Sophie proof of what would happen to the Ericson crew if the delta go ahold of them-- “which twin will you be?” y’know? 
She fucks us over instead of actually helping us, we escape, the boat explodes, but Minerva doesn’t go down with the boat. Nope, she makes it to land and well... she fucking loses it. She sees her delta family get taken out by walkers and she goes nuts with her gun and gets half of her face chewed off by a walker.
So yeah..... she’s dead. Almost. They try to act like we’re supposed to believe that she’s really dead after she gets surrounded by walkers and throws the grenade at Clementine and all that but c’mon.... unless I see a body or a walker version, I don’t believe shit. 
Which brings me to the bridge.... there’s a lot of dread building up to Minerva’s final appearance, and you just hear her singing the damn song and bringing a bunch of walkers with her. Not to mention that she already looks dead. She looks like a walker who can talk, and not gonna lie, I like it. It’s freaky and sad and fucked up and adds so much to her character at this point. I mean, she’s here to kill Tenn so that they can all be a family again. She’s smiling and relieved that she’s dying and boy she just can’t wait to take Tenn with her and it’s not great.
She’s here to die and to take someone down with her, and she’s not leaving until she does. Hell, if she can take Clementine out, that’s just a bonus at this point. 
ALSO can’t forget that if AJ does shoot and kill Tenn, Minerva is still alive as she’s being eaten by walkers and she looks so damn happy as she reaches out and says, “Yes, come with me...” 
Like..... it’s so fucked, and I hate that I love it. From a storytelling standpoint, it’s a fitting death to conclude Minerva’s character and it impacts everyone there in more ways than one. 
3. Duck and incredible emotional impact
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Oh, Duck... poor, poor Duck. 
This one has stuck with me and I hate it. I was never one of those players who hated Duck from the beginning. It’s interesting to go back and see how people reacted to him in the first couple episodes because a lot of them didn’t like him. They found Duck to be annoying, loud, stupid, and would even wonder “yeesh, when can I kill this kid?” 
Which is yikes but not gonna get into that right now. 
But from my understanding, Telltale got wind of this and knowing they were gonna kill him off, were like “Okay, y’all dumb, so here--” and they added in that little segment with Detective Duck where he helps Lee figure out what’s been going on with the stole meds. It’s a cute scene where we get to hang out with Duck and he proves that he’s not stupid, he’s just... y’know, a child. 
Then the motor inn gets attacked, shit goes down after they escape, and it’s revealed that Duck was bitten. 
Oh man, let me tell you about emotional impact both on the characters and the player because wow. 
Duck’s death is slow, drawn out...and since it’s early in the series, there’s a lot of denial, mostly from Kenny. They find the train and Kenny fixates on it because to him, if he gets it working and they can just get away, Duck can recover. Duck isn’t like the others, he’s just a little sick and everyone is making a big fuss about it. 
Then you have Katjaa, who starts out in that denial stage but she moves into acceptance a lot quicker than Kenny does and well.... that might be because she made up her mind about what she was going to do, which that is a whole other layer of fucking despair to this situation. 
They also do something that I like with Kenny by adding that depth of him believing he had something like this coming after what happened at Hershel’s farm. Y’know, when he grabbed Duck and took off, leaving Shawn to die? Yeah that. 
He’s been so adamant about protecting his family to the point where he doesn’t have anything for the rest of the group, aside from Lee if he helps kill Larry. He did what he could to keep his wife and child safe and in the end, it didn’t matter. Duck still got bit, and now everything is shit. 
Then when you thought it couldn’t hurt even more, you find Katjaa dead in the woods and you still have to take care of Duck, whether you have Lee shoot him or have Kenny do it, or even just leave him to turn. Either way.... Duck’s death is just one big ol’ despairing oof.
It’s really good, guys. The music, dialogue, scenery, the pain....They really nailed Duck’s death in such an emotional way and it doesn’t just end there. This sticks with Kenny all the way through S2 and changes him as a character. It impacted Clementine and Lee greatly because this kickstarted Chuck telling them that Clem would end up just like Duck if things didn’t change. 
S1 just... knew how to kill off its characters... well, for the most part. 
2. Marlon and the death that had to happen whether we like it or not
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Sigh.... okay. 
So... Marlon. Lemme tell you some things about Marlon’s death. 
First, I hate it. Nothing new there. If you know anything about me, you know that I am vocal in my desire for the Marlon redemption arc, for the “Marlon lives” AU’s and the “Marlon lives longer but dies differently” AU’s. I like Marlon as a character, I find him to be a fascinating character study. Ray Chase’s performance as Marlon brings so much personality and I love it.  So naturally, I wanted more of him in TFS. 
Here’s the thing. I may want all of those things, I may take a lot of joy from discussing these ideas with you guys and coming up with different scenarios,  theories, AU’s about him, and I’ll always be the first one to be like “I hate that Marlon dies in ep1, I wish AJ hadn’t shot him! Woulda liked for him to stick around longer!” 
But with the story TFS is trying to tell, Marlon has to die. AJ has to shoot him. I don’t like it, you don’t like it, no one likes it.... but that’s just how it is. 
Marlon is presented to us as this chill and genuine guy trying to keep his group safe and together. He feels the pressure of being responsible for all the lives in this school and that’s a lot to put on a teen growing up in the apocalypse. 
Then we learn that hey, the twins didn’t die. No, last year they ran into Abel and Marlon made a deal with him where he traded the twins in order to save himself, Brody, and the rest of the school. He wanted to plan a rescue mission, but he was too scared, so he and Brody kept it to themselves. They made up a story about the twins dying and moved on, but that continued to weigh down on them. 
Then Abel comes back, Brody freaks out, tells Clementine the truth, and Marlon hits her so hard that it kills her. 
And it gets worse. 
You go through the whole confrontation with Marlon trying to cover his ass and blame Clementine for Brody’s murder, he’s waving AJ’s gun around and threatening to shoot Clem while everyone is gathered around watching. It’s raining, it’s super dramatic and tense and I love it. 
In the end, Marlon gives up and he just wants to leave. Let him become a bad memory, he’ll never come back, just let him go. 
Then AJ shoots him in the head unprompted. He just.... he just does it and then wonders why everyone is looking at him like he’s a murder baby. 
Marlon’s death is crucial, not just to kickstart the plot but also for AJ’s character arc. His death affects everyone in that school. It makes Clementine question herself and if she’s raising AJ right, it breaks Louis’ heart, it pisses off Mitch, it sets Violet off on her bullshit. Everyone is hurting and confused because they don’t know what to do. Marlon is dead and AJ, this tiny toddler, was the one who pulled the trigger. 
From the beginning, we’re told that AJ is always listening, watching, and what we do will affect him for better or worse.... and maybe you don’t think much when you tell him to always aim for them head, but when he says exactly what you taught him after murdering Marlon...? Yeah, you’re sitting there like “Well, fuck.” 
But if this didn’t happen, if AJ didn’t kill Marlon, then.... there’s not a lot left. Sure the raiders are still coming, but AJ no longer has to go through what he has to or realize how much he hurt everyone. He’s no longer on that path that made him such an interesting and layered character. 
Sure, you coulda made him shoot someone else, but the fact that it was Marlon is what made it impactful.
Ugh, it’s good and I hate it. I hate it so much. 
1. Lee and the death that broke all our hearts
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.......Just-
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-y’know?
What else is there to say?
Well, alright, I’ll explain. 
We play as Lee in S1, we go on this whole journey with him and develop him as a character, establish relationships, and care for Clementine. He’s a great character. I did a list on why he’s great, too, if you wanna check that out but all you really need to know is that we all loved Lee.
Lee’s got a lot of baggage, given that he was on his way to prison for murdering the dude who was sleeping with his wife. But then the apocalypse happened and he got a second chance to do some good... or I guess bad? if you do a scumbag Lee run? 
Anyway-- no matter what, he cares for Clementine and it’s nice to see them bond over the course of the season... so when shit hits the fan and Clementine gets kidnapped by the Stranger, we’re just as upset as Lee is.
Then Lee gets bit.... and we realize that even though he’s our playable protagonist, he was never safe either. He gets bit and I can still remember the feeling of like... a bowling ball dropping in my stomach and my heart hurting because no... no, no, not Lee. I basically became Kenny like “No, he’s different! Lee isn’t gonna die! Being bit doesn’t mean death!” and while that is technically true.... had to face it: Lee’s going to die by the end of the season. 
Ep5 of S1 is a whole journey... We’re dealing with trying to save Clementine while seeing Lee get worse and worse-- he’s passing out, he’s growing paler and slower and it’s hard to watch. You maybe get a little bit of hope if you decide to cut his arm off, but that’s just... it’s too late for that. 
Not only is he fighting this, but then you got Ben who gets impaled and Kenny “dies” putting him outta his misery and Lee’s powerless to do anything. So great, that sucks. 
But at least he’s got Christa and Omid.... until they get separated at the Marsh House and Lee’s gotta get through a herd of them by himself. 
This slow burn is so good. His condition gets progressively worse but he’s so determined to get to Clem that it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t have time to think about what is inevitably going to happen to him, even if the player does. 
And just.... the final scene... y’know, the actual death scene? 
It’s so good. It’s a beautiful, emotional punch in the face. Like, way to end your game like this... Lee is trapped her with Clementine and he can’t walk, he can’t get up no matter how much Clementine begs him to try, he just- he can’t. He knows it’s all over for him and so he has her handcuff him to this heater so that no matter what, he can’t hurt her and just.... their final moments together where Lee is minutes away from death but is struggling to tell her as much as he can and I’m crying.
Then of course, the final choice-- Do you shoot Lee, or do you leave him to turn?
Both ending hurt my soul, but they’re both great in different ways. Shooting him is so heartbreaking... seeing little Clem sobbing as she points the gun at him and closes her eyes, then it cuts to black as the shot rings out and you hear Lee’s final breath....
BUT THEN YOU HAVE THE LEAVE HIM ENDING WHICH-
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Lee manages to tell her more when you choose not to shoot him, but just watching Clementine get to the door and her little “don’t go” before Lee closes his eyes and falls over limp... falls over dead, I just--
Ouch... I am applauding this through my ugly sobs. 
It’s the best death in the series. It has everything and then some- emotional impact, works to progress the story and characters, amazing dialogue and performances.... It still gets me to this day. 
---
Honorable Mentions
-Mark’s death technically happens off screen, but I mean, c’mon... Mark wasn’t the most compelling character, but everyone remembers what happened to him. Everyone remembers walker Mark. What happened to him showed us just how fucked the St Johns were and it’s excellent.  -Brody’s death is pretty good, too.  -Abel’s death is an interesting one. He’s a garbage can, but they managed to humanize him just a bit by the way he hands his soon-to-be demise.  -Badger when Conrad kills him. It’s super good.  -I’m looking over this list now and it’s kinda funny that not a single S2 death made it here... it’s almost like all the character death that happened there was because a quota needed to be filled and who cares about complex character development when you got Kenny and nothing really matters I guess... ugh. The best deaths would probably be Carver, and Kenny when you shoot him but they’re not good enough to be in a top 5 so.... good job.
---
So... that was fun. What do you guys think? Do you agree with my choices or nah? Do you have a favorite death I didn’t list that you thought was well executed? Let me know, I’m curious. 
Have any suggestions for future T5F’s? Feel free to send ‘em in! :D
---
Next week’s T5F
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disasterfandoms · 3 years
Text
The Sister Becomes Known || A Trent Sawyer One-Shot
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this is a continuation of these two stories written by @bravo-four-seal-team and I!
cowritten with @bravo-four-seal-team and @galaxysanduniversesinmymind​ (bless you for helping me with Brock)
Summary: Trent receives an email from his sister who he hasn’t spoken to in 5 years. Is he ready to forgive her, and what does she mean by “Amelia was right?”
A/N: This contains Two OCs: Amelia Carter, my OC who is in a relationship with Trent; and Ashley, @bravo-four-seal-team’s OC who is Trent’s sister. This is in the same universe of my Full Metal and Trent Sawyer series, and is set slightly before the pilot episode. this got very long and very dramatic, so apologies!
TW: arguments, mentions of torture, mentions of death, implied sexual activity (very brief, like maybe two to three sentences), implied alcohol consumption, hangover, brief mention of nausea, brief mention of vomiting. 
Word count: 3,000
Taglist: @twentydavid @a-kate3 @rebelwrites @thegirlwhoisalwayswriting @supervalcsi @jayhalsteadfan-2417 @mrsmarvelous1995 @chibsytelford @velvetcardiganbucky @itsonautopilot @pinkrockstar19 @galaxysanduniversesinmymind @softi92 @abby-splace
Sometimes, Trent really hated his internal alarm clock.
Amelia was fast asleep, cuddled up into his side, with her head and right arm on his chest. He still couldn’t believe that she could sleep all night like that, if it wouldn’t disturb her he would toss and turn every which way during the night. He’s gotta admit, though, he sleeps better when she’s here. He lifts his head off the pillow and looks at the alarm clock: 5:05 AM. Of course it is. 
He slowly and very, very carefully tries and untangles himself from the literal sleeping cuddle monster he happened to fall in love with, putting her head on a pillow to try and mimic his chest, found his shorts they threw on the ground and tiptoed downstairs to start some coffee.
Turning the light on, he definitely didn’t expect to see a creature laid out on his couch. He let out a quiet gasp, his hand immediately going to his chest, then squinting to see if he could tell who it was from where he stood.
He took a couple of steps forward, before realizing it was Brock, a nearly empty bottle of Jack Daniels still in his hand. He sighs and shakes his head, he can’t even get one night without one of his brothers ending up on his couch. Though, at least Brock didn’t walk in on them yet again, so he’ll take it. He grabs the bottle from Brock’s hand, careful not to wake him, and puts it in the trash. He then starts his coffee, when he hears a soft ding from his computer in his office. Making a mental note to check that, he finishes making the jet fuel, as Ames called it, when he felt a set of hands wrap around his waist, her head leaning against him.
“Did I wake you?” Trent asked quietly, careful not to wake the tall man drunkenly passed out in his living room. All the feels in response is her head nodding against his back. He reaches into the cabinet and pulls out two mugs, putting coffee in both, before he finally feels her arms leave his waist as he turns to hand her the cup. Amelia sleepily nods a thank you, and he finally realizes all she’s in is his t-shirt.
“Might want to go put shorts or something on, love. Had a late-night visitor,” Trent mentioned, motioning towards Brock with his head. She sighed and wiped the sleep from her eyes while nodding, mumbled something that he swore was “shower” and walked upstairs.
Trent, finally remembering the notification sound his computer had made, made his way into his home office, where his computer, bookshelves, and medkits are stored. He lightly taps the Yoda bobblehead on his desk causing the head to shake, before sitting in his chair. He lightly chuckles, checking the notification that he’s received an email. When he opens it up, he instantly freezes.
Ashley?
He feels his entire body fill up with anxiety, shaking his head at the subject line: “Surprise Bitch I lived. (plz open this)”. He would have laughed if this wasn’t the first time he’s heard from her in... what, five years?
He quickly opens the email, reading it in its entirety. He couldn’t believe that she reached out to him at all, let alone to apologize. He keeps rereading it, trying to make sure his eyes weren’t fooling him until his brain finally catches up and realizes that his baby sister was on the same base with him a couple of months ago, and he didn’t even see her.
Wait.
He rereads one more time, and she keeps saying “Amelia was right.” His Amelia? There was no way, he thought, trying to suspend the belief that his girlfriend of almost three years would have met his sister, talked to her, and didn’t tell him.
There’s no way, right?
“Looks like you’re dating again as well, she seems nice (Let her know she was right, honestly, I am not happy about her being right.). You seem super happy which is good to see.” The sentence is one he keeps replaying in his mind. Why wouldn’t she tell him she met his sister? Granted, he doesn’t talk about that fight or what had happened, bad memories full of angry words and regret, but Amelia, a woman who prides herself on being honest and trustworthy, should have never kept this from him.
“Whatcha readin’ sailor?” Amelia says, leaning on the entrance door frame, a piping hot cup of coffee in her hand. God if he wasn’t starting to get angry with her he would be awestruck about how pretty she is, even with her hair up in a towel and no makeup on. Focus Trent, he mentally reminds himself before asking her to come over and read it for herself.
He sits there, feeling her read over his shoulder, before turning to look at her as she realizes what the email said and sees her eyes widen. He can feel the anger rise in his body, as well as the confusion that she would hide this from him.
“Trent, I-”, she starts, but he shakes his head as if to tell her to not start with any excuses.
“Why?” Trent asks, trying to keep his voice quiet so as to not wake up Brock. God knows he doesn’t need his brother knowing about his troubles more than he already does. 
“I was going to tell you.” She quietly answers him, her hand instantly reaching up to where her locket usually is. She forgot to put it back on, though, so her hand fins the collar of her shirt and starts to pull on it.
“You should have told me the day it happened, Amelia. This is family we’re talking about,” Trent huffed, leaning forward in his chair. Amelia has since decided to lean against the desk, facing the wall as one hand was wrapped around herself, and the other still on her shirt collar.
“You were deploying the next day, Trent. I wasn’t going to drop the bomb on you that your sister showed up unannounced at my apartment right before you deployed.”
“That’s not something you just keep to yourself, Amelia. Why the hell did she even go talk to you?”
“She wanted to know about us, our relationship. I wasn’t about to tell you something like that and then you go get yourself killed because of it. No way in hell, Trent.” She shook her head and closed her eyes as if trying to erase the thought from her mind.
“For god’s sake, Ames, how many times do we have to have this conversation. I can handle myself in the field, it is not your job to protect me.” His left hand coming up to his face, he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“That’s bullshit, Trent. There’s always going to be things I’ll take off the table of discussion until I know you’re home, safe. I won’t be able to handle being the reason you’re coming home in a body bag.”
“It’s my job to compartmentalize things, focus on the tasks at hand. I can handle it, Amelia, I’m not a damn kid.” 
“Trent, I never said you were!”  Amelia threw her hands in the air, wishing this was a non-issue.
“Then stop treating me like one. You and I both know I had the right to know that she showed up. Why did you even let her in? She could have killed you!”
“She wasn’t going to kill me! She showed me a picture of you two when you were younger, you two have the same eyes, and I didn’t have a reason to believe she wasn’t being anything but truthful.”
“You don’t know that, Amelia. She’s a stranger to you.”
“And apparently to you, too, since you didn’t recognize her on base or during missions, Trent.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” He sat up straight, boring his eyes into hers, looking for anything that gives away what she was talking about.
“She told me her unit was backup for you on a couple of missions, that she saw you a couple of times on base and you didn’t recognize her. What kind of brother does that, hmm?”
“You better be joking, Ames.”
“Yeah, because that’s definitely something I would joke about. God, do you even realize what you just asked me?” Amelia asked sarcastically, sick of him and sick of this argument.
“Right now I’m not even sure if I know you as well as I thought I did. You and I both know this isn’t something I take lightly, you should have told me when it happened.”
“When, Trenton? When you were on base, in back-to-back training exercises, packing your cage up for deployment? Or how about when you came home and you were packing what you needed from here? Oh, I know, I should have told you when we were saying goodbye here, because you didn’t want me to see you off on the tarmac.” Her voice was loud and full of rage, still annoyed about him asking her to stay away from the tarmac.
“Yeah, literally any of those instances would have worked.” He nodded.
“Good to know you both share a stubborn streak.” She sighed, putting her head in her hands.
“You act like I don’t have the right to know, Amelia!”
"For fucks sake, Trent. I was going to tell you when you got home, and you were back in your routine. Didn't expect you to get spun-up as early as you did, and I sure as hell didn't expect Nate to die when you did get spun-up." Amelia seethed, and Trent’s heart broke at the mention of his fallen brother. 
“Don’t. Don’t you dare bring him into this. It’s been four fucking days, Amelia. Using him as an excuse is a low-blow and you know it.” Trent says with a warning edge in his voice. He was trying not to yell, but bringing Nate up pushed him over the edge.
“I’m not using him as a fucking excuse, you asshole, it’s the truth. I’m not going to apologize for doing what I believe was right.”
Brock is slammed into awareness by two things. One, a pounding headache that feels like a bulldozer is trying to break his skull. Two, yelling, only slightly muffled by a wall. His hand clenches around empty space where he could have sworn the bottle of Jack Daniels was, and he cracks open his eyes. The sight before him isn’t his apartment, and if he had to guess, he’d say it was Trent’s. He usually crashes at Trent’s after a long night. That doesn’t explain why Trent, and who he assumes is that lady he has around all the time, were yelling, though. He’s told them her name before, Brock vaguely remembers, but it escapes him. Anyways, she was pretty used to various Bravo members crashing at Trent’s place. He began slowly pulling himself to his feet, feet unsteadily settling on the floor. He needed a glass of water and some painkillers, but first, he needed that incessant yelling to stop. He stumbles towards Trent’s study, occasionally stopping to regain balance. When he arrives at the door, he sees Trent in his chair, his computer displaying something, and the woman, god what was her name, standing over Trent, arms crossed. Both of them, without a doubt, look pissed. Trent opens his mouth for what Brock is sure to be a scathing remark, but Brock speaks first. 
“Hi. Don’t know why you’re yelling at each other, but could you calm down? It’s not good for the hangover.” He watched bleary-eyed as both Trent and the lady snapped their heads toward them. Her gaze softened, and she seemed to calm down a bit, meanwhile, Trent looked just as pissed as he did a few seconds ago.
“Fuck off, Brock. Why were you on my couch anyway?” Trent snapped, but he immediately wished he didn’t when a) he heard himself, and b) when he saw the glare Amelia shot at him. He’s only ever seen her give that look to Full Metal, and he’s started to see why Metal was afraid of his sister when she was angry. A deep wave of hurt crossed Brock’s face, as he flinched back and started losing his balance, gripping the door frame for support.
“C’mon, Brock, let’s put you in the guest bedroom. I’ll bring you some Tylenol and a glass of water up in a minute, okay?” Amelia gently ordered him, putting the much taller man’s arm over her shoulders, guiding him to the bottom of the stairs.
“Yes, uh, I’m sorry, what’s your name again?” Brock muttered, thankful someone was being nice to him since Trent was being an ass. The lady under his arm walked him carefully up the stairs, giving him a polite smile of encouragement every time he felt like he was going to fall over.
“My name is Amelia. Not sure if Trent ever introduced us properly,” She supplied, leading him through the bedroom door and onto the bed. He welcomed the softness of the sheets and duvet, though the movement caused his stomach to turn. Before he could reply to Amelia, though, she was already out the door. She returned a few minutes later, with a trash can she stole from the guest bathroom, and the Tylenol and water as promised.
“Here, take these,” she instructed while plopping them into his hand, “and if you get sick here’s something to throw up in. Sorry we woke you.” He nodded in understanding, and she quietly left the room. 
She went back downstairs, walking into the office where she had left her boyfriend.  She was seeing red at this point. Amelia understood he was hurt and upset with her, but snapping at Brock, who didn’t do anything? Out of the question. He could yell at her all he wanted, but they were all still reeling from Nate’s death and like hell would she let him take that out on some of the very few people he could trust with everything. She stopped, leaning against the door frame, trying to compose herself before she said something she regretted.
“I understand you’re hurt that I wanted to wait and tell you your sister reached out to me, but how you acted just now was out of line.” She started, before taking a deep breath.
“Amelia, I-”
“No.” She interrupted him, shaking her head feverishly, “Do not interrupt me, do not even think about trying to backpedal. I understand you being hurt by what I did, and hell you’re probably more pissed now than I have ever seen you, but don’t you dare take that out on him. I can take whatever yelling you want to throw at me, but you aren’t angry at Brock, so don’t treat him like shit for coming to his friends when he was drunk and alone. As you said before, Nate died four days ago, I’m surprised it’s only him on your couch. He needs his friend, his brother, so when he wakes up, you’re going to apologize to him. I’m going home, we both need to cool down and I can’t do that looking at your stupid face,” She finishes and turns around to leave the house before he could get a word in edgewise.
He quickly gets up, moving across the room and reaching her faster than she’d like. He grabs her hand, and she turns around to yell at him again until she sees the look on his face. He nods, takes a deep breath, and starts to speak.
“I’m sorry for losing my temper at Brock. I know he wasn’t the problem, I regretted it as soon as I said it. I’m still really angry, and hurt, but don’t go to your apartment. We can’t talk through this if you leave, and I definitely don’t want this hanging over our heads, not with everything else going on.” He was holding both of her hands now, looking into her eyes to see if anything he just said had its intended impact. 
“Fine, but I’m not the one you should be apologizing to. I’m sorry that my actions, while they were made with good intentions, hurt you. It’s going to take me a minute to calm down fully, okay? I’m serious, though, I know you’re hurting, especially after Nate, but that’s no way to talk to your brother, who is also hurting. You owe him, probably a lot of beer.” That last line got him to smile, even just a tiny bit, which Amelia considered a win. 
“Yes ma’am. Now, breakfast?”
“Yes, please! While you cook it or go get it, whichever is fine with me, we can come up with what you want to say when you reply to the email,” Amelia suggested, being led by Trent into the kitchen. She jumps up to sit on the counter, while he goes and looks in the fridge.
“Who says I’m going to reply?” He says, grabbing the ingredients he needs before shutting the door, turning to look at Amelia, her eyebrows raised.
“I’m sorry, we didn’t just get through fighting for over an hour just for you not to reply to your sister. She took the first step, T. At least reply to her, even if you don’t want to forgive her. Don’t see that happening, though, you were too pissed at the thought of not talking to her 3-4 months ago to not want to try,” Amelia reasoned, hoping this didn’t reignite the fire.
“I hate when you’re right, y’know that? Oh, and by the way,” He turned to look at her, smirking ever so slightly.
“Yeah?”
“My full name is Trent, not Trenton.”
“Wait, you mean to tell me we’ve been together for how many years and I’m just now finding that out?”
“Yep.”
“Well, shit.”
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wiypt-writes · 4 years
Text
Riding On
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Ch 14- Compromise
Summary: Frank is besides himself due to their argument, and Fliss isn’t faring much better…
Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT (NSFW, no under 18s…)
Pairing: Frank Adler x OFC Fliss Gallagher
Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Fliss Gallagher and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.
Riding On Masterlist // Main Masterlist
Chapter 13
Me and you, what's going on? All we seem to know is how to show the feelings that are wrong. So don't go away, say what you say, but say that you'll stay, forever and a day in the time of my life 'Cause I need more time, yes, I need more time, just to make things right.
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As soon as he had left the room, Frank was overcome with guilt at what he had said. He had never spoken to Fliss like that before but his temper had just snapped. He hesitated at the first step of the staircase, debating going back to apologise but as he did so he heard Alex's cries die down to a sniffle so he left well alone. She'd calmed him and the last thing he wanted to do was go back in there and upset everyone again.
Instead, he made his way upstairs and climbed back into bed, waiting for her to come back up, only she never did. He lay awake for another hour or so before his eyes could no longer stay open, but a mere 2 hours after finally succumbing to sleep, Frank was woken by his alarm and Fliss’ side of the bed was still empty.
He found her stretched out on the sofa, the throw blanket pulled over her body. Another pang of guilt washed over him as he walked over, brushing the hair off her face to see her eyes rimmed with red. Shaking his head at himself he swallowed and dropped a kiss to her forehead before he checked on Alex who was fast asleep in his pack and play. Then, as quietly as he could, he put on a pot of coffee and went to wake Mary for school, that horrible sick, anxious feeling gnawing at his insides.
By the time they both made their way back downstairs, dressed and ready for the day, Fliss had woken and was feeding Alex. She looked up and her eyes locked onto Frank's before she turned to Mary and gave a tired smile, wishing her good morning.
"Liss, do you want any breakfast?" Frank knew his first words to her since the argument should have been an apology but with Mary in the room he was trying to keep everything calm.
“No thanks." She replied, perfectly politely "I'll get something later. Once he's fed I'm going to go upstairs and try and get some sleep."
"Okay." He nodded, turning to Mary. “What about you short stack? Cereal, toast..."
"Do we have any waffles?"
"Errrr..." Frank turned to the cupboard, not sure whether they did or not but then Fliss spoke.
"Yeah they're in the bread tin." She informed "I got you some more the other day."
"You're the best Lissy." Mary grinned, settling on the chair round the breakfast bar.
Fliss gave a soft chuckle and looked down at Alex who seemed to have stopped feeding. Frank watched as she rearranged her sleep top to wind him her eyes still not meeting his.
"Can Rosie come stay this Saturday?" Mary asked and Frank's eyes turned to her.
"As in sleep over?"
Mary nodded. Frank turned to Fliss who looked at him and shrugged.
"It's fine by me." She said.
Mary grinned and then she paused. “Oh, we said we would check Monty this morning to make sure he wasn't stiff after yesterday."
"Already done." Fliss assured her. "Jo fed this morning and sent me a message. She turned him out to pasture for the day and his legs are fine. I suggest you let him have today and tomorrow off so he can rest then maybe me and you can take him and Heidi down to the trail ride on Wednesday after school."
Mary beamed. “That sounds great."
They finished breakfast. It remained quiet between Frank and Fliss but civil. However, when he left for work be bent down as normal to peck her goodbye and she turned her head so he caught her cheek. All things considered he couldn't blame her, so he didn't make a fuss about it. Instead he picked up his keys, walked Mary down to the bus for school and then headed to work.
**** Fliss didn't go back to bed. She couldn't. Instead she dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, and went over to the yard for an hour or so to chat to Joanne and look at the lessons scheduled for that week.
"Has the Friday afternoon class been cancelled?" Fliss frowned.
"Just for this week." Jo, who was enjoying cuddles with Alex, looked at her nodding. "I’m off this weekend for my sister's wedding and Olivia can't cover the teaching. The Yard is covered though, we got the yard hands and..."
"Hey, Jo, it’s okay. I trust you." Fliss smiled. "And I'd completely forgotten about the wedding. Are you excited?"
Joanne smiled. "Yeah. It’s going to be awesome. She has a fantastic live band playing and it’s been months since I went back to Atlanta."
Fliss smiled "Why don't you take a few more days? You deserve it. You've worked so hard the last 6 months and you should take the time to spend with your family."
"Oh no, I can't..."
"Yes you can." Fliss cut off her protests and looked at her "Between me, Olivia and the stable hands we can cope. You're already off until Wednesday. Just take a week."
"That...that would be amazing." Jo smiled "thank you so much."
Fliss shrugged, "its fine..."
At that Alex gave a little murmur which Fliss knew all too well was a threat he was going to cry so she gestured for Joanne to hand him back. He pressed his face into her neck, his tiny nose brushing against her skin and she gave a soft smile, kissing his head.
"He's adorable." Joanne smiled and Fliss beamed at her.
"Yeah..." she tipped her head to look at him. “Yeah he is."
She studied her baby’s profile for a moment, noticing not for the first time,  just how like his father he was, before she shook herself back to the here and now. "I'll take Friday's afternoon lessons. Call everyone who was booked on and offer them back a place."
"Are you sure?' Joanne frowned "I mean..."
"It’s an hour." Fliss shrugged. “My mum will watch him or he can nap in the office. It’s cool enough with the AC unit on, and the baby monitor is wired to my phone.”
"Ok, you're the boss" Joanne nodded.
"At least you recognise that." Fliss mumbled.
"Huh?" Joanne frowned and Fliss shook her head
"Nothing, ignore me." She sighed "Okay, I'm gonna take Thor for a quick walk down the pasture path and head home. I'll be over later to ride Cap. I'll feed so you can take an early finish"
Jo smiled "That would be great, I'll make sure it’s all ready."
Fliss smiled before she placed Alex in the stroller and she pushed him over the yard towards the path that led down to the various fields the horses were in. She walked, Thor running ahead slightly, sniffing at any interesting smells he found, the wheels of the stroller gently bounced on the bumpy dirt track. Fliss smiled as her old faithful mare gave a loud whinny and came trotting to her field gate to say hello.
"Hey Hides." Fliss reached out to stroke her nose "How you doing?"
She watched as Heidi bent her neck to take a look at the tiny person in the stroller before Alex gave a wiggle and the horse jumped back slightly, giving a snort. Fliss chuckled. “You daft sod." She reached out and gave her neck a scratch before the sound of her phone ringing made her reach for it. "Hi Bonnie."
"Oh my God Fliss, I nearly called you last night but it was late when we got back and..." her best friend instantly rambled on and Fliss grinned as she had a feeling she knew what she was going to say "...but Simon asked me to marry him this weekend and I said yes!"
"Bonnie that’s amazing!" Fliss beamed as she held the phone to her ear "I’m so happy for you and I need all the details!"
"It’s such a long story but we went for a meal in this gorgeous restaurant on Times Square and afterwards as we were walking back through central park he got down on one knee and…” Bonnie gave a sigh “He made me cry.” Fliss gave a little chuckle “Oh babes, that’s fantastic!”
“We’ve not told the rest of the gang yet, Simon thought we could all go out on Friday and do it properly if you’re up for it?”
Fliss hesitated. She had been about to accept, but with the way things were between her and Frank, she wasn’t sure what was going to be happening that evening, let alone the weekend.
"Fliss?" Bonnie's voice hit her ear "you still there?"
"Yeah sorry...was just...it doesn't matter. Friday sounds great."
"Are you okay?" Bonnie asked.
"Nothing to worry about. Just had an argument with Frank but we'll sort it out, we always do."
"What about?"
"Me going back to work." Fliss shook her head. “But honestly, don't worry. I certainly don't wanna drag your good mood down or eat up your break."
“You're not." Bonnie assured her "I got 10 minutes. Lord knows you put up with my complaints often enough."
Fliss took a deep breath and explained to Bonnie inlarge handfuls so as not to swamp her with details and when she reached the bit about Frank calling her a bitch Bonnie took a sharp inhale of breath.
"Oh Fliss..." she sighed "Sounds like you both said a few things you didn't mean."
"I know." Fliss said quietly, feeling the tears sting her eyes "I just don't see why he can't see it from my point of view."
"Can you see it from his?" Bonnie challenged.
“You mean understand why he wants me to be a stay at home mom?"
"That's not what I got from that." Bonnie placated her softly "Not at all. He just wants you to take some time. Having a baby is a huge thing, Liss. It takes time to adjust. I think Frank is worried if you rush you'll burn out."
Fliss stayed silent, Bonnie's words slowly sinking in.
"I get your point of view, you want to get back to normal but...well, I kinda see his too." Bonnie said gently, and then a bell sounded on the other end of the phone. "I gotta go Fliss but...just talk to him, and listen. I mean really listen. If you need me later give me a call."
“Thanks Bon...oh and congratulations again. I'm so happy for you." Fliss changed to subject, focusing on the reason her best friend had called in the first place. “Oh, and send me a photo of your diamond! I wanna see it!"
***** Frank tapped at the keyboard, scanning the list of jobs, his mind whirring. He needed something physical to do today, to keep his mind off thinking about what an asshole he’d been last night and early this morning. As he realised all the repair jobs had been allocated, he gave a low growl of frustration.
“You alright, Frank?”
His head jerked up from the screen and he looked at Alan who was leaning on the door frame.
“Yeah, I just fancied doing a repair or something today but they’re all booked out.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“You bored of management already?” Alan teased and Frank gave a shake of his head.
“No, just…well to be honest I could do with the distraction.” He said, dragging his hand over his face.
“From the look of you, you could do with a good sleep too.” Alan mused, stepping into the office.
“You’re not wrong.” Frank mumbled. “That little pup of yours keeping you awake?”
“Something like that.” Frank looked at the screen before he looked up at Alan “What are you doing here anyway? Thought you and the Mrs were off to Toronto?”
“We fly tomorrow.” Alan looked at Frank, cocking his head to one side. “Frank, are you sure you’re okay buddy?”
Frank leaned back in his chair letting out a heavy breath. “Had an argument with Fliss last night, I didn’t sleep well. Breakfast this morning wasn’t particularly friendly.”
“Ah.” Alan said, closing the door behind him as he sat down in the chair on the opposite side of Frank’s desk. “A bad argument or…”
“Bad enough for me to end up calling her a bitch.” Frank shook his head, looking down at the desk. “Which I’m not proud of, believe me.”
“We all say shit we don’t mean in the heat of the moment.” Alan said wisely “Christ, if I had a dollar for every time me and Annette had hurled abuse at one another, well I’d have six of these damned shops instead of just one.”
Frank gave a small smile, before his face slipped again and he glanced at his boss. “Her ex used to call her names like that, and…”
“Hey, woah.” Alan looked at him, cutting him off. “I’ve heard all about that shit bag from Bill and I can tell you right now Frank, you are not that guy.”
Frank took a deep breath, licking his lips.
“It’s really bothering you isn’t it?” Alan cocked his head to one side and Frank raised his eyebrows.
“It’s not like we’ve argued before, I mean hell, we’ve had some pretty big disagreements in the past, but…” He let out a deep breath. “This just, I dunno. It’s the first time she ever frustrated me enough to make me say such a shitty thing.”
“Well, ” Alan leaned back, “that’s what being in love does to you pal. We lash out at the people we care about most, because they frustrate the fuck out of us and we don’t know how else to deal with it.”
Frank pondered his words for a moment. He loved Fliss beyond what he felt anyone could comprehend and sometimes, like yesterday, when they argued it became a frustration because he didn’t want to argue with her. He wasn’t naïve enough to think that everything would always be hearts and roses, but at the same time he was sappy enough to want it to be. And when it wasn’t, it bugged the fuck out of him because he was so consumed by this utter love for the woman he wanted to share the rest of his life with, he sometimes didn’t know how to react when they fought. He appeased her most of the time, because it was easier, but damned it last night she spiked something inside him with her inability to listen to the point he was trying to make.
Fuck, he had to make this right. He couldn’t spend the rest of the day in some kind of stupid, angry limbo. He looked at Alan and took a deep breath.
“Any chance I can have the afternoon off?” He hopefully asked. “See if I can go and sort this mess out.”
Alan smiled “Hey, you’re the boss now. Do what you want. Book it as leave or make the hours up, whatever.”
“Thanks.” Frank smiled at him. “I appreciate it.”
Alan nodded and stood up. “Oh, before I go, the reason I actually came to see you was that we had an enquiry the other day about a sale. From someone you might know.”
“Oh?” Frank asked, looking at Alan. “Who was it?”
“Jon Gruden.” Alan smiled and Frank felt his mouth drop open.
“No shit!” He grinned before he paused “What the fuck does he want with a boat? I thought he lived in Nevada.”
“Well, apparently when he isn’t coaching the Raiders he’s residing in his second home in Tampa.” Alan shrugged “And he wants a boat. I figured given your love for football you might fancy handling that one yourself.”
“Absolutely.” Frank grinned “Thanks Alan.”
“No problems, he’s gonna call to arrange an appointment. Now get yourself off and sort things with your Mrs.”
Frank nodded “I’ll do my best.”
Alan gave him another smile and left the office, leaving the door open. Frank leaned back once more, before he reached for his phone which was laying on the desk, smiling at the photo he had taken just yesterday afternoon at Mary’s show. Mary was grinning ear to ear as she sat atop of Monty, Fliss stood by her side, Alex in her arms arranged so he too was facing the camera. He’d changed the screensaver over immediately after taking it, he’d loved the damned shot that much.
He scrolled through to his key contacts and flicked the green call button by the side of Fliss’ name. The phone rang out a few times, and for a horrible moment he thought she was going to ignore him, but then the dial tone stopped.
"Hi." Her tone was flat.
"Hey, where are you?" He paused and grimaced. Fuck, it sounded like he was checking up on her and he hastily started to try to explain. "Not that it matters, I was asking because-.." 
"I’m just out walking with Thor and Alex down the fields." She cut him off, her tone maintaining neutral. He supposed he should be thankful she wasn’t ranting at him. 
"Okay. Well I'm coming home." He informed her.
"Why?" her voice was puzzled. 
"Because I can't concentrate, Lissy" He sighed. "I hate being at odds with you. I just... " He swallowed thickly and rubbed his eye, tiredly. "I wanna make it right so, I'm taking the afternoon off and I'm hoping we can talk?"
There was silence on the other end, other than a bark from Thor and then he heard her sniffle a little, her reply quiet. "Yeah. Okay."
"Oh, honey. Don't cry." Frank sighed softly, the lump in his throat growing bigger. “Please, this whole thing is a huge shit misunderstanding.”
"I know, I just..." She took a deep breath. "I'll see you in half an hour or so" And with that she hung up.
Frank tossed the phone back onto his desk, tapping his fingers against the arm of his chair before he stood up, turned off his laptop and retrieved the keys to his truck from the drawer of his desk. He strode out into the shop floor, instructed his Team Leader to call him if there was an emergency, otherwise he was unavailable for the rest of the afternoon. **** Fliss stood looking at the screen on her phone, the photo of Frank, Mary and Alex looking back up at her. She swallowed a little, but before she could think about what Frank had said any more a WhatsApp message came through from Bonnie. It was a picture of her ring. It was a fairly large, brilliant cut diamond solitaire, set into an elaborately twisted white gold band. It was stunning, and exactly Bonnie’s style.
She tapped a message out telling Bonnie it was gorgeous before she shoved the phone in the back pocket of her cut- off jeans and then glanced at her own engagement ring on her left hand, watching as it caught the sunlight, looking even more shiny and sparkly than usual. She adored the design of it. It was delicate, nothing like the hideously large one John had given her. Frank had put a lot of thought into the type of thing she would like, as opposed to simply picking something to show off how much he could afford. It was all about her. As Alex made a small noise from the pram she instinctively reached down with her right hand to softly rub at his chest, an action the baby found soothing. As she did, her new ring, her 'Push Present' as Bonnie and Roberta called it caught her eye. It was an emerald cut sapphire, very similar in size and shape to the stone in her engagement ring, and it was set into a simple plain white gold band. Frank had given it to her at the hospital just before they brought Alex home. "Blue for a boy.” He'd smiled as she'd beamed up at him before kissing him softly and thanking him for being such a thoughtful, soft sap.
But that was her sailor all over. A thoughtful, soft sap that was so distraught at having called her a bitch he was taking the afternoon off work because he couldn't concentrate until he'd made things right.
Fuck, Bonnie was right. She'd gotten Frank's intentions here all wrong. So very wrong.
Yes, he had shocked her. To be honest, she wasn’t sure Frank even had it in him to call her a name like he did, but now she realised that she hadn't made things easy for him. She'd never, ever dared answer John back the way she did Frank as it would result in her getting a beating, and as such, if she was perfectly honest with herself, she struggled with the whole debating side of things. When challenged and unable to articulate her answer in the way she wanted she reverted to silence, in a lot of ways it felt easier and safer. And when pushed she lashed out simply for the reason that sometimes she didn't know what else to do. But the stupid thing was, the fact she felt able to go on the defensive showed just how safe she was with Frank.
Because the worst thing he had ever done, and would ever do was call her a name out of pure frustration.
He shouldn't have called her what he did. That was a given, but in the grand scheme of things, as she knew only too well, there were far worse things he could do. But he never would. Because he loved her and he wasn't that type of man. He'd die before he hurt a single hair on her head, on any of their heads for that matter.
She glanced at Alex, where he lay, his bright blue eyes looking up at her and she wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"Shall we head back and make your daddy some lunch, baby boy?"
She gave a sharp whistle and Thor bounded back to her and the three of them made their way home. Alex was fast asleep when they got back, so Fliss kicked off her sneakers at the door and parked the stroller in the cool of the family room, heading towards the kitchen area. She set about making a quick penne arabiata and a salad and had just finished setting two places at the breakfast bar when Frank walked in the door. Immediately his eyes flicked her hers and she gave him a small smile.
“Hi.” He greeted her, softly, before his attention turned to his sleeping son. He gently brushed a finger down his cheek before he looked back at Fliss. There was a moment where the two of them simply stared at each other, before Fliss was the first one to move, walking out of the kitchen area. He met her half way, wrapping his arms around her as she pressed her face into his black polo-collared T-shirt.
“I’m sorry.” Frank stuttered, screwing his face up as he lay his cheek on her hair, breathing in her shampoo “Baby, I’m so fuckin’ sorry;”
“Me too.” She sniffed. “I hate it when we fight Frankie.”
“I know, I don’t like it either.” He pulled back a little to cup her face, wiping her tears with his thumbs. “I was out of order calling you what I did. I’m so disgusted in myself honey, I can’t…”
“Hey.” She reached up to touch his face, her fingers brushing his stubble “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.” Frank swallowed thickly “I just…” he trailed off as he shook his head and she smiled up at him.
“Frank, we both said shit we didn’t mean.” She sighed “I called you an asshole, you know, it’s not okay for me to say those things either.”
“I know, but…”
“No buts.” She insisted, standing on her toes to lightly brush her lips against his. “Come on, I made lunch.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” He said softly as she laced her fingers with his and led him to the place at the bar.
“I wanted to.” She shrugged “Call it a peace offering. That and I was fucking starving.”
Frank snorted “Should have known there was an ulterior motive.”
“You wanna eat your food or wear it?” Fliss asked, shooting him a look as he settled down on the stool. Frank chuckled and watched her as she placed the salad dish down on the side before resting the pasta dish on the heat mat that was on the counter. She turned back to the fridge, Frank simply drinking her in as she bent over slightly, the pure domesticity of the scene washing over him as she padded bare foot back towards him, two beers in her hands.
She placed one down and sat next to him, Frank dishing out their food and they silently tucked in, but the silence was a comfortable one in contrast to the dinner they’d shared the night before, and the tense breakfast that morning. Franks left hand gently gave her right knee a soft squeeze and she smiled at him, before she reached for her drink and took a large pull.
“So, we gonna talk about stuff?” She asked, taking the final bite of her lunch before she placed her cutlery down on her empty plate. “I promise I won’t fly off the handle this time.”
Frank took a deep breath and swallowed his last mouthful of food before he licked his lips “Okay.” He nodded. “Lissy, I never said I didn’t want you to work. Yeah, maybe there was a small part of me that loves this.” He said, waving his hand between them. “The idea of just coming home and you being here but I know that’s not what you want, and I’d never, ever dream of making you give up everything you’ve worked for just because of some weird domestic fantasy I have, which for the record, really freaks me the fuck out.”
“What do you mean?” Fliss asked.
“I never in a million years ever dreamed I’d have something like this, someone like you.” He looked at her. “You saw past that utter fuck up I was back then and took me for who I was, Mary too…we made a life together, you gave me the most beautiful gift anyone ever could that’s currently snoring over there in his stroller.”
Fliss looked at him, the tears filling her eyes as he continued.
“I never thought I’d ever get here. A family, a home, and a job that means I can provide for you all.” he swallowed a little, as he shook his head “I’m not explaining this very well.”
“I get it.”  Fliss looked at him, “I do Frank, because I never thought I’d ever have this either.” She reached out and took his hand which was resting on the counter top, squeezing his fingers in hers “It’s so mundane, its normal and it’s such a stupid thing to be grateful for, but every time that door goes and you come home, I feel happiness instead of fear about what mood you’re going to be in and whether or not it means I’m gonna get a kicking.”
Frank bowed his head, shaking it softly as his hand tightened around hers. “Lissy, don’t…”
“It’s true.” She said gently “And last night, earlier this morning when you accused me of likening you to John, I want you to know there’s not a single time, ever, that I’ve done that. Because you’re nothing like him. And me accusing you of trying to control me was a low blow. I know that’s not what you were doing.”
“I just want you to take time, not to rush things.” Frank looked at her. “But if going back to work and expanding is what you really wanna do then…” “No, it’s not.” She shook her head “Well, it is but you’re right. I was over there before with Joanne looking at the diary and it would be too much. I don’t want to miss out on Alex growing up. I mean, God, every morning I wake up and I swear he’s changed in the hours we’ve been asleep.”
Frank chuckled “I know. Before we know it he’ll be walking, talking and answering us back…”
“Don’t.” Fliss groaned as she shook her head smiling “But you were right, so many women would kill to be in my position. So, I thought maybe I could go back first of all, just do maybe one day a week teaching and a couple of evenings where I finish off for Joanne. I can do the rest of the stuff like the publicity and organising, emails that type of stuff from home. And, when he’s a little older then I can work my way back up to more.”
“A compromise.” Frank smiled and Fliss shrugged.
“Yeah, I can be reasonable at times.”
“Sounds good to me.” Frank nodded
“Good, because I’m covering a lesson on Friday.” She smirked and Frank gave a snort, shaking his head. “Just one, for an hour or so. Joanne’s away this week and I don’t want to let the clients down.”
“You don’t need to explain.” Frank shook his head.
“And I want to buy the land.” Fliss finished, looking at him. “Just so it belongs to Sandybrook. We can use it for grazing, maybe even a grass jumping paddock, just until we’re ready to start thinking about expanding.”
“Okay.” Frank nodded “Make the call, put an offer in.”
She leaned over and gave him a quick peck. “Thank you.” She whispered against his mouth before she stood up to clear the breakfast bar down.
“I’ll do that.” He stood up, “You cooked so…”
“It won’t take me long” she shrugged “Honestly I don’t mind.” “Are we gonna have an argument now about who does the dishes?” He teased and she let out a soft laugh.
“No, because they’re going in Dusty.”
“You know, I never met anyone who named a dishwasher before.” Frank shook his head as he moved to grab a tupperware container to place the left over pasta in.
“Well he’s an important part of our life.” Fliss said seriously “I couldn’t cope without him.” 
Frank chuckled as he ladled the pasta into the container, snapping the lid shut before he haphazardly slung it in the fridge. He moved behind Fliss, his arms circling her waist as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Why don’t we go out Friday night? Mary’s going to Roberta’s, I’m sure your mom and dad would watch Alex for us.”
“We can’t…” Fliss said suddenly and Frank gave a groan.
“Why not? Come on we haven’t been out together since before he was born. We can grab dinner, a few drinks. It’ll be fun.”
“There might be something planned.” Fliss tossed the cloth she’d been wiping the place they’d just eaten down with into the sink.
“Oh?” he frowned, and she turned in his arms, looking up at him.
“I got a call from Bonnie before, Simon finally got down on one knee.” “Huh, no kidding!” Frank grinned, before he pouted slightly “The little shit never told me.”
“Yeah well, she said that they were thinking of going out on Friday, all of us and telling everyone then so…”
Frank pondered for a moment before he suddenly had an idea “So, how about we grab an earlier dinner and meet them after.” He reasoned before he raised his eyebrows. “There’s another compromise.”
Fliss chuckled, her hands sliding up his chest, fingers lacing together behind his neck “Yeah, we’re getting kinda good at this.”
“I know something else we’re kinda good at too.” He gave her a cheeky wink and she scoffed, arching an eyebrow.
“You’re a dirt bag.” She mumbled as his head dropped towards hers.
“Oh Dahlin, you love it.” He muttered, his lips pressing to hers. As the kiss deepened, Frank’s hands moved gently round to her back, one splaying at the base of her spine, the other sliding in her hair as their tongues tangled in the familiar yet oh so damned good dance. With a grin he reached down, hooked his hands under her thighs and lifted her easily, setting her on the counter in front of him. She smirked a little against his lips and Frank gave a chuckle, the kiss resuming, her legs hooking round his waist and she pulled him closer, causing him to grunt a little.
“You want something, pretty girl?” He teased, pulling back a little.
Fliss bit her lip, her hands sliding up his arms. “Yeah, can you go to the garage and maybe smear a bit of oil or motor grease onto your arms. Maybe a bit on your cheek?”
“You have an unhealthy obsession with dirt, you know that?” He looked at her and she shook her head.
“No, I have an unhealthy obsession with dirt on you.” She corrected, her arms once more round his neck. “I totally loathe Alex’s nappy changes, for the record.”
Frank snorted “Yeah, they’re not great. Just wait till he starts solids.”
“Yeah, okay stop talking shit Frank and fuck me.”
“Talking shit.” He mused, completely ignoring her request despite the fucking hotwire it had sent to his already half erect cock “I see what you did there.” “Whatever, get on with the other part.”
“Which was?” he teased.
She looked at him, realising instantly he was playing around so she smirked a little and leaned forward, her lips brushing his ear. “Fuck me, Adler.”
“But I’m not covered in dirt.” He titled his head, his lips ghosting hers.
Fliss paused, her eyes flicking around before she grinned a she spotted the dirty pasta dish to the side of her. In flash she wiped her finger round the edge of the dish and smeared the tomato sauce straight across his cheek and down his beard.
“Now you are.” She looked at him, as he stared at her in shock, open mouthed before he gave a scoff.
“You want me to fuck you Cowgirl, you’re gonna have to lick that off my face.”
Her eyes locked onto his, she stuck her finger in her mouth sucking it clean and his eyes darkened a little as she released it with a loud pop and gave a shrug. Her hand tangled in his hair as she pulled his head towards her and gently placed her mouth against his face, sucking and licking at the offending food, making her way down his cheek to his jaw line, where she continued her affections. Frank gave a sigh, tipping his head slightly to give her more access as she skated across his short whiskers to the other side, her kisses trailing back upwards before her mouth caught his again.
“God I fahking love you.” He mumbled, his arms pulling her closer.
“Yeah?” She asked as his hands gripped at her hips.
“Yeah.” He nodded standing in between her legs, his mouth dropping to her neck. She rolled her head back, as he nipped at her pulse-point, before his lips moved to that hollow at the bottom of her throat, his beard scratching her skin as mouth traced a path up her neck, back up to hers and he kissed her hard. His hands moved to pop the button on her jeans before he gently grasped at the waistband and she shifted to allow him to pull them down over her legs, tossing them to one side. His hands slipped up underneath the blue top she was wearing, pulling down the cups of her bra, thumbs gently teased at her nipples, all the time listening to the soft noises and groans she was making as he continued, his nose brushing against hers, smiling softly.
“You like that?” He whispered, knowing full well that she did, but he knew she also liked his soft dirty talk and she gave a sigh and a nod, followed by a little squeak as he shifted her underwear to one side and pushed two fingers insider her.
Her head fell forward onto his shoulder as her hands grasped at his back through his T-shirt, and as he continued to stroke and coax her she bit down on his neck causing him to hiss slightly at the bite of pain.
“Need you.” She purred into his ear. “Please.”
And when she asked like that, he was always powerless to refuse. This woman was his absolute weakness.
He moved his head to kiss her again, and removing his hand from her panties he reached up and pulled them down before he stood up, and she reached for the button and zip on his jeans. Once she’d gotten them open, she pushed them down, over his slim hips as Frank’s hands moved to her back and he gently pulled her forwards, sliding her towards him, letting her feel how ready he was. She reached down and gently gave his hard cock a pump up and down and he let out a groan as he pulled her off the counter slightly, her legs wrapping around his waist, arms round his neck, her lower back resting against the side of the worktop both of them letting out a load moan of satisfaction as he pushed forward, all the way home.
Frank’s head dropped to Fliss’ shoulder, his mouth once more on the pulse point in her neck as he thrust into her, again and again, his hands on her back, keeping her supported slightly
“God you feel so good.” He mumbled, his lips moving back to hers as he set a pace that was torturously slow, and deep, and loving. Thrust after thrust he kept his lips either on hers or centimetres away, watching her intently as her pupils blew as he worked her up, driving into her, as deep as he could go, one hand resting at the back of her spine to keep her back from slamming into the harsh edge of the counter, the other guiding her head so he could kiss her, hard.
Her hands moved, the nails scraping lightly at the nape of his neck, and Frank felt himself falter for a split second at her touch.  
“Fuck, Baby.” He groaned into her mouth as she grinned cheekily, her hands sliding down to his bare ass.
“Harder.” She urged him on, her voice sultry, desperate for him to pick up the pace. So he obliged, giving her what she wanted.
Because he always did.
Fliss held on to his ass for dear life, moaning with her body arching in his hands, his hips hitting hers hard with every thrust and before long she let out a loud groan, her hands tightening on his skin as she cried out as he quickened his pace even more, causing her to gasp his name, a broken mumble of the word before she let out a breathless gasp, her voice catching in her throat as the world began to tip on its axis.
“Come on, come for me Lissy…” He whispered, his breath hot on her ear. And that was it, she dropped over the edge, her head falling back as her hands slid up and grasped tightly on the hem of his shirt as she clenched around him, again and again, groaning and trembling, powerless to stop her body’s reactions. It took him another couple of thrusts before he gave a soft “oh” of pleasure, her name tumbled from his mouth before he bit down on her shoulder softly, reacting his own end. He gave a few erratic thrusts, pumping with short, deep strokes which sent her over another peak, but this was feeble as she collapsed forward, her head laying on his shoulder, utterly spent. They stayed still for a moment, chests heaving as Frank holding Fliss close to him, as they both evened out from their high.
“Love you.” She whispered softly, kissing the tip of his nose causing him to smile, that cheeky smile he saved just for her before his lips met hers again “Good, because I love you too sweetheart, more than you could ever know.”
*****
Once they had tidied themselves up and finished sorting the kitchen out, Alex decided it was time for a feed. They settled on the couch, Fliss nursing their son, Frank's arm round her shoulder, fingers tracing shapes on the top of her arm simply watching Alex feed. When he was done, Frank took him, having missed his morning cuddles with his boy and the three of them sat on the couch, Frank resting his feet on the coffee table, knees pointing to the ceiling so Alex could lay flat against his thighs looking up at his parents. His tiny hands fisted around Frank’s index fingers and he flashed his momma and daddy several huge baby smiles as they talked to him, Fliss capturing the moments on her phone. It wasn't long before his eyes grew heavy and Fliss felt hers doing the same so they set their son down to nap before settling down for one themselves. Fliss shifted so her head was lay in Frank's lap, his hand gently carding through her hair as they both succumbed to the fact neither had slept much the night before. The two of them woke with a jolt an hour and a half later when Mary walked in the door. In the afternoons she was allowed to walk from the school bus stop on the main road because three other kids came the same way and she could peel off from them up the long drive. She looked at the pair of them as they blinked themselves out of sleep and shook her head, telling them both that only old people and babies napped during the day and she wasn’t sure which category they fell into.
Once she had fully come round, Fliss changed into her riding gear ready to head back to the yard and gave a small yell of victory when she managed to fasten the button on her breeches. She walked into the family room and grinned at Frank, pointing out the fact she was back into her pants, even if they were elasticated slightly, and he smirked, giving her ass a stinging slap.
"I prefer you out of them." He quipped, his hands locking at the base of her spine.
Fliss chuckled, her hands curling round his biceps. "And I prefer you dirty but we can’t always have what we want, Sailor."
Frank wrinkled his nose "I already have what I want, Cowgirl" Fliss let out a groan and shook her head as Frank laughed. "I was being serious."
"Course you were, smooth bastard." Fliss rolled her eyes as he shrugged, leaning down to give her a soft kiss.
"You two are gross." Mary mumbled as she walked past them on her way to the fridge to grab a juice box.
“Feel free to leave.” Frank shot at her, “I have the number of a good Children’s Home.”
“Whatever.” She said, her voice airy as she skipped over to the large window seat, hopping up and opening her laptop. 
By the end of the evening Fliss, however, had to concede Mary had a point. Frank had been particularly handsy all night, kissing her or touching her wherever he could. He was affectionate with her anyway, but he seemed to have stepped it up a notch for some reason. 
"What's gotten into you?" Fliss asked him gently when they were getting ready for bed. Frank had just gotten out of the shower and the first thing he'd done upon walking back into their bedroom was pull her in for a searing kiss.
"I just...” He et out a soft sigh, and looked at her a little sheepishly. "If I’m honest, I’m a little concerned you let me off far too easily before so I'm, I dunno, a little thankful I guess."
Fliss cocked her head to one side, her hands sliding up his arms and coming to rest on his shoulders which were speckled with drops of water. "Sailor, it wasn't a case of letting you off easily. I just get that I was wrong too. I was more hurt with what you called me because I know you and I know you meant well so for you to snap like that, I must have pushed you…”
Frank dropped his head giving a heavy sigh. "Sweetheart, that’s not an excuse…”
"Shh." She abruptly cut him off with a finger over his lips. "It’s done, you called me a bitch, I called you an asshole. No one died, no one got struck down by lightning. We move on, okay?"
Frank looked at her, a soft smile on his face. "I love you so faking much" "Well now I know that's true since you gone all Boston on me again." She grinned as his arms circled round her back, pulling her close. His nose gently brushed hers before their lips locked together and with a smirk, Fliss reached down between them and untucked the edge of the towel which was wrapped around his hips, causing it to fall to the floor.
"Whoops." She grinned into the kiss as she gently pivoted shoving Frank gently on the chest. The movement was enough that, coupled with the backs of his knees hitting the bed he fell backwards and sat down as Fliss scrambled over to straddle him.
"Yeah, see, there's only one problem with this scenario." Frank grinned, his hands grasping at the hem of her top as his mouth nipped at her jaw. "You're wearing too many clothes."
"Why don’t you do something about it?" She challenged, her voice a breathy whisper. So he did.
**** Chapter 15
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Text
Riding On Ch 14: Compromise
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Summary: Frank is besides himself due to their argument, and Fliss isn’t faring much better…
Warnings: Bad Language words. SMUT (NSFW, no under 18s…)
Pairing: Frank Adler x Fliss Gallagher
A/N:  Yeah, yeah, ok some of you were pretty mad at me at the end of the last chapter so I hope this makes up for it…
Chapter Song: Don’t Go Away by Oasis 
Series Masterlist //  WIYPT Masterlist
Me and you, what's going on? All we seem to know is how to show the feelings that are wrong.
So don't go away, say what you say, but say that you'll stay, forever and a day in the time of my life 'Cause I need more time, yes, I need more time, just to make things right
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As soon as he had left the room, Frank was overcome with guilt at what he had said. He had never spoken to her like that before but his temper had just snapped. He hesitated at the first step of the staircase, debating going back to apologise but as he did so he heard Alex's cries die down to a sniffle so he left well alone. She'd calmed him and the last thing he wanted to do was go back in there and upset everyone again.
Instead he decided to head upstairs and wait for her to come back up, only she never did. He lay awake for another hour or so before his eyes could no longer stay open. But a mere 2 hours after finally succumbing to sleep he was woken by his alarm to find Fliss' side of the bed still empty.
He found her stretched out on the sofa, the throw blanket pulled over her body. Another pang of guilt washed over him as he walked over, brushing the hair off her face to see her eyes rimmed with red. Shaking his head at himself he swallowed and dropped a kiss to her forehead before he checked on Alex who was fast asleep. Then, as quietly as he could be put on a pot of coffee and went to wake Mary for school, that horrible sick, anxious feeling gnawing at his insides.
By the time they both made their way back down, dressed and ready for the day, Fliss had woken and was feeding Alex. She looked up and her eyes locked onto Frank's before she turned them to Mary and gave a tired smile, wishing her good morning.
"Liss, do you want any breakfast?" Frank knew his first words to her since the argument should have been an applogy but with Mary in the room he was trying to keep everything calm
“No thanks." She replied, perfectly politely "I'll get something later. Once he's fed I'm going to go upstairs and try and get some sleep."
"Ok." He nodded, turning to Mary "what about you short stack? Cereal, toast..."
"Do we have any waffles?"
"Errrr..." Frank turned to the cupboard, not sure whether they did or not but then Fliss spoke.
"Yeah they're in the bread tin." She informed "I got you some more the other day."
"You're the best Lissy." Mary grinned, settling on the chair round the breakfast bar.
Fliss gave a soft chuckle and looked down at Alex who seemed to have stopped feeding. Frank watched as she rearranged to wind him her eyes still not meeting his.
"Can Rosie come stay this Saturday?" Mary asked and Frank's eyes turned to her.
"As in sleep over?"
Mary nodded. Frank turned to Fliss who looked at him and shrugged. "It's fine by me." She said.
Mary grinned and then she paused "Oh, we said we would check Monty this morning to make sure he wasn't stiff after yesterday."
"Already done." Fliss appeased "Jo fed this morning and sent me a message. She turned him out to pasture for the day and his legs are fine. I suggest you let him have today and tomorrow off so he can rest then maybe me and you can take him and Heidi down to the trail ride on Wednesday after school."
Mary beamed "that sounds great."
They finished breakfast. If was quiet between Frank and Fliss but civil. However, when he left for work be bent down as normal to peck her goodbye and she turned her head so he caught her cheek. All things considered he couldn't blame her so he didn't make a fuss about it. Instead he picked up his keys, walked Mary down to the bus for school and then headed to work.
**** Fliss didn't go back to bed. She couldn't. Instead she dressed casually in jeans and a t-shirt, and went over to the yard for an hour or so to chat to Joanne and look at the lessons scheduled for that week.
"Has the Friday afternoon class been cancelled?" Fliss frowned.
"Just for this week." Jo, who was enjoying cuddles with Alex, looked at her nodding. "I’m off this weekend for my sister's wedding and Olivia can't cover the teaching. The Yard is covered though, we got the yard hands and..."
"Hey, Jo...it’s OK I trust you." Fliss smiled. "And I'd completely forgotten about the wedding. Are you excited?"
Joanne smiled "Yeah. It’s going to be awesome. She has a fantastic live band playing and it’s been months since I went back to Atlanta."
Fliss smiled "look, why don't you take a few more days. You deserve it. You've worked so hard the last 6 months or so and you should take the time to spend with your family."
"Oh no, I can't..."
"Yes you can." Fliss cut off her protests and looked at her "Between me, Olivia and the stable hands we can cope. You're already off until Wednesday. Just take a week."
"That...that would be amazing." Jo smiled "thank you so much."
Fliss shrugged, "its fine..."
At that Alex gave a little murmur which Fliss knew all too well was a threat he was going to cry so she gestured for Joanne to hand him back. He pressed his face into her neck, his tiny nose brushing against her skin and she gave a soft smile, kissing his head.
"He's adorable." Joanne smiled and Fliss beamed at her.
"Yeah..." she tipped her head to look at him."Yeah he is." She studied her baby’s profile for a moment, noticing just how alike his nose and eye shape was to Frank’s, before she shook herself back to the here and now. "I'll take Friday's afternoon lessons. Call everyone who was booked on and offer them back a place."
"Are you sure?' Joanne frowned "I mean..."
"It’s an hour." Fliss said, shrugging "my mom will watch him or he can nap in the office. It’s cool enough and the baby monitor is wired to my phone..."
"Ok, you're the boss" Joanne nodded.
"At least you recognise that." Fliss mumbled.
"Huh?" Joanne frowned and Fliss shook her head
"Nothing, ignore me." She sighed "ok, I'm gonna take Thor for a quick walk down the pasture path and head home. I'll be over later to ride Cap. I'll feed so you can take an early finish"
Jo smiled "That would be great, I'll make sure it’s all ready."
Fliss smiled before she placed Alex in the stroller and she pushed him over the yard towards the path that led down to the various fields the horses were in. She walked, Thor running ahead slightly, sniffing at any interesting smells he found, and Fliss smiled as her old faithful mare gave a loud whinny and came trotting to her field gate. "Hey Hides." She reached out to stroke her nose "how you doing?"
She watched as Heidi bent her neck to take a look at the curious little item in the stroller before Alex gave a wiggle and the horse jumped back slightly, giving a snort. Fliss chuckled "you daft sod." She reached out and gave her neck a scratch before the sound of her phone ringing made her reach for it.
"Hi Bonnie."
"Oh my God Fliss, I nearly called you last night but it was late when we got back and..." her best friend instantly rambled on and Fliss grinned as she had a feeling she knew what she was going to say "...but Simon asked me to marry him this weekend and I said yes!"
"Bonnie that’s amazing!" Fliss beamed as she held the phone to her ear "I’m so happy for you and I need all the details!"
"It’s such a long story but we went for a meal in this gorgeous restaurant on Times Square and afterwards as we were walking back through central park he got down on one knee and…” Bonnie gave a sigh “He made me cry.”
Fliss gave a little chuckle “Oh babes, that’s fantastic!”
“We’ve not told the rest of the gang yet, Simon thought we could all go out on Friday and do it properly if you’re up for it?”
Fliss hesitated. She had been about to accept, but with the way things were between her and Frank, she wasn’t sure what was going to be happening that evening, let along the weekend.
"Fliss?" Bonnie's voice hit her ear "you still there?" "Yeah sorry...was just...it doesn't matter. Friday sounds great."
"Are you OK?" Bonnie asked.
"Nothing to worry about. Just had an argument with Frank but we'll sort it out, we always do."
"What about?"
"Me going back to work" Fliss shook her head "but honestly, don't worry. I certainly don't wanna drag your good mood down or eat up your break."
“You're not." Bonnie assured her "I got 10 minutes. Lord knows you put up with my complaints often enough."
Fliss took a deep breath and explained to Bonnie inlarge handfuls so as not to swamp her with details and when she reached the bit about Frank calling her a bitch Bonnie took a sharp inhale of breath.
"Oh Fliss..." she sighed "Sounds like you both said a few things you didn't mean."
"I know." Fliss said quietly, feeling the tears sting her eyes "I just don't see why he can't see it from my point of view."
"Can you see it from his?" Bonnie challenged.
"What him wanting me to be a stay at home mom?"
"That's not what I got from that." Bonnie placated her softly "Not at all. He just wants you to take some time. Having a baby is a huge thing, Liss. It takes time to adjust. I think Frank is worried if you rush you'll burn out."
Fliss stayed silent, Bonnie's words slowly sinking in.
"I get your point of view, you want to get back to normal but...well, I kinda see his too." Bonnie said gently, and then a bell sounded on the other end of the phone. "I gotta go Fliss but...just talk to him, and listen. I mean really listen. If you need me later give me a call."
“Thanks Bon...oh and congratulations again. I'm so happy for you." Fliss changed to subject, focusing on the reason her best friend had called in the first place. “Oh, and send me a photo if your diamond! I wanna see it!" ***** Frank tapped at the keyboard, scanning the list of jobs, his mind whirring. He needed something physical to do today, to keep him focussed and his mind off thinking about what an asshole he’d been last night and early this morning. As he realised all the repair jobs had been allocated, he gave a low growl of frustration.
“You alright Frank?”
His head jerked up from the screen and he looked at Alan who was leaning on the door frame.
“Yeah, I just fancied doing a repair or something today but they’re all booked out.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair.
“You bored of management already?” Alan teased and Frank gave a shake of his head.
“No, just…well to be honest I could do with the distraction.” He said, dragging his hand over his face.
“From the look of you, you could do with a good sleep too.” Alan mused, stepping into the office.
“You’re not wrong.” Frank mumbled. “That little pup of yours keeping you awake?”
“Something like that.” Frank looked at the screen before he looked up at Alan “What are you doing here anyway? Thought you and the Mrs were off to Toronto?”
“We fly tomorrow.” Alan looked at Frank, cocking his head to one side. “Frank, are you sure you’re ok buddy?”
Frank leaned back in his chair letting out a heavy breath “Had an argument with Fliss last night, I didn’t sleep well. Breakfast this morning wasn’t particularly friendly.”
“Ah.” Alan said, closing the door behind him as he sat down in the chair on the opposite side of Frank’s desk. “A bad argument or…”
“Bad enough for me to end up calling her a bitch.” Frank shook his head, looking down at the desk. “Which I’m not proud of, believe me.”
“We all say shit we don’t mean in the heat of the moment.” Alan said wisely “Christ, if I had a dollar for every time me and Annette had hurled abuse at one another, well I’d have 6 of these damned shops instead of just 1.”
Frank gave a small smile, before his face slipped again and he glanced at his boss. “Her ex used to call her names like that, and…”
“Hey, woah.” Alan looked at him, cutting him off “I’ve heard all about that shit bag from Bill and I can tell you right now Frank, you are not that guy.”
Frank took a deep breath, licking his lips.
“It’s really bothering you isn’t it?” Alan said gently and Frank raised his eyebrows.
“We’ve argued before…” he said, “This just…I dunno. It’s the first time she ever frustrated me enough to make me say such a shitty thing.”
“Well…” Alan leaned back. “That’s what being in love does to you pal. We lash out at the people we care about most, because they frustrate the fuck out of us and we don’t know how else to deal with it.”
Frank pondered his words for a moment. He loved Fliss beyond what he felt anyone could comprehend and sometimes, like yesterday, when they argued it became a frustration because he didn’t want to argue with her. He wasn’t naïve enough to thing that everything would always be hearts and roses, but at the same time he was sappy enough to want it to be. And when it wasn’t, it bugged the fuck out of him because he was so consumed by this utter love for the woman he wanted to share the rest of his life with, he sometimes didn’t know how to react when they fought. He appeased her most of the time, because it was easier, but damned it last night she spiked something inside him with her inability to listen to the point he was trying to make.
Fuck, he had to make this right. He couldn’t spend the rest of the day in some kind of stupid, angry limbo. He looked at Alan and took a deep breath.
“Any chance I can have the afternoon off?” he hopefully asked “See if I can go and sort this mess out.”
Alan smiled “Hey, you’re the boss now. Do what you want. Book it as leave or make the hours up, whatever.”
“Thanks.” Frank smiled at him. “I appreciate it.”
Alan nodded and stood up. “Oh, before I go, the reason I actually came to see you was that we had an enquiry the other day about a sale. From someone you might know.”
“Oh?” Frank asked, looking at Alan. “Who was it?”
“Jon Gruden.” Alan smiled and Frank felt his mouth drop open.
“No shit!” he grinned before he paused “What the fuck does he want with a boat? I thought he lived in Nevada.”
“Well, apparently when he isn’t coaching the Raiders he’s residing in his second home in Tampa.” Alan shrugged “And he wants a boat. I figured given your love for football you might fancy handling that one yourself.”
“Absolutely.” Frank grinned “Thanks Alan.”
“No problems, he’s gonna call to arrange an appointment. Now get yourself off and sort things with your Mrs.”
Frank nodded “I’ll do my best.”
Alan gave him another smile and left the office, leaving the door open. Frank leaned back once more, before he reached for his phone which was laying on the desk, smiling at the photo he had taken just yesterday afternoon at Mary’s show. Mary was grinning ear to ear as she sat atop of Monty, Fliss stood by her side, Alex in her arms arranged so he too was facing the camera. He’d changed the screensaver over immediately after taking it, he’d loved the damned shot that much.
He scrolled through to his key contacts and flicked the green call button by the side of Fliss’ name. The phone rang out a few times, and for a horrible moment he thought she was going to ignore him, but then the dial tone stopped.
"Hi." Her tone was flat.
"Hey... erm, are you home?" He paused and grimaced. Fuck, it sounded like he was checking up on her and he hastily started to try to explain. "Not that it matters, I just..."
"No, I mean yeah...sorta...was just out walking with Thor and Alex down the fields." She cut him off, her tone maintaining neutral. He supposed he should be thankful she wasn’t ranting at him. 
"Ok. Well I'm coming home." he informed her
"Why?" her voice was puzzled. 
"Because I can't concentrate Lissy" He sighed. "I hate being at odds with you. I just... " he swallowed thickly and rubbed his eye, tiredly "I wanna make it right so, I'm taking the afternoon off and I'm hoping we can talk?"
There was silence on the other end, other than a bark from Thor and then he heard her sniffle a little, her reply quiet. "Yeah. OK"
"Baby don't cry." He said softly, the lump in his throat growing bigger. “Please…”
"Sorry I just..." she took a deep breath "I'll see you in half an hour or so"
And with that she hung up.
Frank tossed the phone back onto his desk, tapping his fingers against the arm of his chair before he stood up, turned off his laptop and retrieved the keys to his truck from the drawer of his desk. He strode out into the shop floor, instructed his Team Leader to call him if there was an emergency, otherwise he was unavailable for the rest of the afternoon. **** Fliss stood looking at the screen on her phone, the photo of Frank, Mary and Alex looking back up at her. She swallowed a little, but before she could think about what Frank had said any more a WhatsApp message came through from Bonnie. It was a picture of her ring. It was a fairly large, brilliant cut diamond solitaire, set into an elaborately twisted white gold band. It was stunning, and exactly Bonnie’s style.
She tapped a message out telling Bonnie it was gorgeous before she shoved the phone in the back pocket of her cut- off jeans and then glanced at her own engagement ring on her left hand, watching as it caught the sunlight, looking even more shiny and sparkly than usual. She adored the design of it. It was delicate, nothing like the hideously large one John had given her. Frank had put a lot of thought into the type of thing she would like, as opposed to simply picking something to show off how much he could afford. It was all about her. As Alex made a small noise from the pram she instinctively reached down with her right hand to softly rub at his chest, an action the baby found soothing. As she did, her new ring, her 'Push Present' as Bonnie and Roberta called it caught her eye. It was an emerald cut sapphire, very similar in size and shape to the stone in her engagement ring, and it was set into a simple plain white gold band. Frank had given it to her at the hospital just before they brought Alex home. "Blue for a boy" he'd smiled as she'd beamed up at him before kissing him softly and thanking him for being such a thoughtful, soft sap.
And that was her sailor all over. A thoughtful, soft sap that was so distraught at having called her a bitch he was taking the afternoon off work because he couldn't concentrate until he'd made things right.
Fuck, Bonnie was right. She'd gotten Frank's intentions here all wrong. So very wrong.
Yes, he had shocked her. Fliss has never thought Frank had it in him to be so downright vile enough to call her a name like he did, but now she realised that she hadn't made things easy for him. She'd never, ever dared answer John back the way she did Frank as it would result in her getting a beating, and as such, if she was perfectly honest with herself, she struggled with the whole debating side of things. When challenged and unable to articulate her answer in the way she wanted she reverted to silence, in a lot of ways it felt easier. And when pushed she lashed out simply for the reason that sometimes she didn't know what else to do. But the stupid thing was, the fact she felt able to go on the defensive showed just how safe she was with Frank.
Because the worst thing he had ever done, and would ever do was call her a name out of pure frustration.
He shouldn't have done it. That was a given but in the grand scheme of things, as she knew only too well, there were far worse things he could do. But he never would. Because he loved her and he wasn't that type of man. He'd die before he hurt a single hair on her head, on any of their heads for that matter. She glanced at Alex, where he lay, his bright blue eyes looking up at her and she wiped her eyes, taking a deep breath.
"Shall we head back and make your daddy some lunch baby boy?"
She gave a sharp whistle and Thor bounded back to her and the three of them made their way home. Alex was fast asleep when they got home, so Fliss kicked off her sneakers at the door and parked the stroller in the cool of the family room, heading towards the kitchen area. She set about making a quick penne arabiata and a salad. She’d just finished setting two places at the breakfast bar when Frank walked in the door. Immediately his eyes flicked her hers and she gave him a small smile.
“Hi.” He said softly, before his attention turned to his sleeping son. He gently brushed a finger down his cheek before he looked back at Fliss. There was a moment where the two of them simply stared at each other, before Fliss was the first one to move, walking out of the kitchen area. He met her half way, wrapping his arms around her as she pressed her face into his black polo-collared T-shirt.
“I’m sorry.” Frank stuttered, screwing his face up as he lay his cheek on her hair, breathing in her shampoo “Baby, I’m so fuckin’ sorry…”
“Me too.” She sniffed “I hate it when we fight Frankie.”
“I know, I do too.” He said, pulling back a little to cup her face. He wiped her tears with his thumbs, blinking back his own. “I was out of order calling you what I did. I’m so disgusted in myself honey, I can’t…”
“Hey…” She reached up to touch his face, her fingers brushing his stubble “It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me.” He said, swallowing thickly “I just…” he trailed off as he shook his head and she smiled up at him.
“Frank, we both said shit we didn’t mean.” She sighed “I called you an asshole, you know, it’s not ok for me to say those things either.”
“I know, but…”
“No buts, ok?” she said, standing on her toes to lightly brush her lips against his. “Come on, I made lunch.”
“You didn’t have to do that.” He said softly as she laced her fingers with his and led him to the place at the bar.
“I wanted to.” She shrugged “Call it a peace offering…that and I was fucking starving so.”
Frank snorted “Should have known there was an ulterior motive.”
“You wanna eat your food or wear it?” Fliss asked, shooting him a look as he settled down on the stool. Frank chuckled and watched her as she placed the salad dish down on the side before resting the pasta dish on the heat mat that was on the counter. She turned back to the fridge, Frank simply drinking her in as she bent over slightly, the pure domesticity of the scene washing over him as she padded bare foot back towards him, two beers in her hands.
She placed one down and sat next to him, Frank dishing out their food and they silently tucked in, but the silence was a comfortable one in contrast to the dinner they’d shared the night before, and the tense breakfast that morning. Franks left hand gently gave her right knee a soft squeeze and she smiled at him, before she reached for her drink and took a large pull.
“So, we gonna talk about stuff?” she asked, taking the final bite of her lunch before she placed her cutlery down on her empty plate. “I promise I won’t fly off the handle this time.”
Frank took a deep breath and swallowed his last mouthful of food before he licked his lips “OK.” He nodded. “Baby, I never said I didn’t want you to work. Yeah, maybe there was a small part of me that loves this.” He said, waving his hand between them “The idea of just coming home and you being here but I know that’s not what you want, and I’d never, ever dream of making you give up everything you’ve worked for just because of some…weird domestic fantasy I have, which for the record, really freaks me the fuck out.” “What do you mean?” Fliss asked.
“I never in a million years ever dreamed I’d have something like this, someone like you.” He looked at her. “You saw past that utter fuck up I was back then and took me for who I was, Mary too…we made a life together, you gave me the most beautiful gift anyone ever could that’s currently snoring over there in his stroller.”
Fliss looked at him, the tears filling her eyes as he continued.
“I never thought I’d ever get here. A family, a home, and a job that means I can provide for you all.” he swallowed a little, as he shook his head “…I’m not explaining this very well.”
“I get it.”  Fliss looked at him, “I do Frank, because I never thought I’d ever have this either.” She reached out and took his hand which was resting on the counter top, squeezing his fingers in hers “It’s so mundane, its normal and it’s such a stupid thing to be grateful for, but every time that door goes and you come home, I feel happiness instead of fear about what mood you’re going to be in and whether or not it means I’m gonna get a kicking.”
Frank bowed his head, shaking it softly as his hand tightened around hers. “Lissy, don’t…”
“It’s true.” She said gently “And last night, earlier this morning when you accused me of likening you to John…there’s not a single time, ever, that I’ve done that. Because you’re nothing like him. And me accusing you of trying to control me was a low blow. I know that’s not what you were doing.”
“I just want you to take time, not to rush things.” He said gently. “But if going back to work and expanding is what you really wanna do then…”
“No, it’s not.” She shook her head “Well, it is but you’re right. I was over there before with Joanne looking at the diary and it would be too much. I don’t want to miss out on him growing up. I mean, God, I go to sleep at night and wake up in the morning and I swear he’s changed in the hours we’ve been asleep.”
Frank chuckled “I know. Before we know it he’ll be walking, talking and answering me back…”
“Don’t.” Fliss groaned as she shook her head smiling “But you were right, so many women would kill to be in my position. So, I thought maybe I could go back first of all, just do maybe one day a week teaching and a couple of evenings where I finish off for Joanne. I can do the rest of the stuff like the publicity and organising, emails that type of stuff from home. And, when he’s a little older then I can work my way back up to more.”
“A compromise.” Frank smiled and Fliss shrugged.
“Yeah, I can be reasonable at times.”
“Sounds good to me.” Frank nodded
“Good, because I’m covering a lesson on Friday.” She smirked and Frank gave a snort, shaking his head. “Just one, for an hour or so. Joanne’s away this week and I don’t want to let the clients down.”
“You don’t need to explain…”
“And I want to buy the land.” She said, looking at him. “Just so it belongs to Sandybrook. We can use it for grazing, maybe even a grass jumping paddock, just until we’re ready to start thinking about expanding.”
“Ok.” Frank nodded “Make the call, put an offer in.”
She leaned over and gave him a quick peck. “Thank you.” she whispered against his mouth before she stood up to clear the breakfast bar down.
“I’ll do that.” He stood up, “You cooked so…”
“It won’t take me long” she shrugged “Honestly I don’t mind.”
“Are we gonna have an argument now about who does the dishes?” he teased and she let out a soft laugh.
“No, because they’re going in Dusty.” “You know, I never met anyone who named a dishwasher before.” Frank teased as he moved to grab a tupperware container to place the left over pasta in.
“Well he’s an important part of our life.” Fliss said seriously “I couldn’t cope without him.” 
Frank chuckled as he ladled the pasta into the container, snapping the lid shut before he haphazardly slung it in the fridge. He moved behind Fliss, his arms circling her waist as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. “Why don’t we go out Friday night? Mary’s going to Roberta’s, I’m sure your mom and dad would watch Alex for us.”
“We can’t…” Fliss said suddenly and Frank gave a groan.
“Why not? Come one we haven’t been out together since before he was born. We can grab dinner, a few drinks…”
“No, I mean….there might be something planned.” Fliss said, tossing the cloth she’d been wiping the place they’d just eaten down with into the sink.
“Oh?” he asked, and she turned in his arms, looking up at him.
“I got a call from Bonnie before, Simon finally got down on one knee.” “Huh, no kidding!” Frank grinned, before he pouted slightly “The little shit never told me.”
“Yeah well, she said that they were thinking of going out on Friday, all of us and telling everyone then so…”
“OK, well, we can grab an earlier dinner and meet them after.” He reasoned “Hey, there’s another compromise.”
Fliss chuckled, her hands sliding up his chest, fingers lacing together behind his neck “Yeah, we’re getting kinda good at this.”
“I know something else we’re kinda good at too…” he grinned and she scoffed, arching an eyebrow.
“You’re a dirt bag.” She mumbled as his head dropped towards hers.
“You love it.” He muttered, his lips pressing to hers. As the kiss deepened, Frank’s hands moved gently round to her back, one splaying at the base of her spine, the other sliding in her hair as their tongues tangled in the familiar yet oh so damned good dance. With a grin he reached down, hooked his hands under her thighs and lifted her easily, setting her on the counter in front of him. She smirked a little against his lips and he gave a chuckle, the kiss resuming, her legs hooking round his waist and she pulled him closer, causing him to grunt a little.
“You want something pretty girl?” he teased, pulling back a little.
Fliss bit her lip, her hands sliding up his arms. “Yeah, can you go to the garage and maybe smear a bit of oil or motor grease onto your arms…maybe a bit on your cheek?”
“You have an unhealthy obsession with dirt, you know that?” he looked at her and she shook her head.
“No, I have an unhealthy obsession with dirt on you…” she corrected, her arms once more round his neck. “I totally loathe Alex’s nappy changes, for the record.”
Frank snorted “Yeah, they’re not great. Just wait till he starts solids.”
“Yeah, ok, stop talking shit Frank and fuck me.”
“Talking shit…” he said, completely ignoring her request despite the fucking hotwire it had sent to his already half erect cock “I see what you did there.”
“Whatever, get on with the other part.”
“Which was?” he teased.
She looked at him, realising instantly he was playing around so she smirked a little and leaned forward, her lips brushing his ear. “Fuck me, Adler.”
“But I’m not covered in dirt…” he said, turning his head to look at her, his lips ghosting hers.
Fliss paused, her eyes flicking around before she grinned a she spotted the dirty pasta dish to the side of her. In flash she wiped her finger round the edge of the dish and smeared the tomato sauce straight across his cheek and down his beard.
“Now you are.” She looked at him, as he stared at her in shock, open mouthed before he gave a scoff.
“You want me to fuck you Cowgirl, you’re gonna have to lick that off my face.”
Her eyes locked onto his, she stuck her finger in her mouth sucking it clean and his eyes darkened a little as she released it with a loud pop and gave a shrug.
“Ok.” She smirked, her hand tangling in his hair as she pulled his head towards her. She gently placed her mouth against his face, sucking and licking at the offending food, making her way down his cheek to his jaw line, where she continued her affections. Frank gave a sigh, tipping his head slightly to give her more access as she skated across his short whiskers to the other side, her kisses trailing back upwards before her mouth caught his again.
“God I fucking love you…” he mumbled, his arms pulling her closer.
“Yeah?” she asked as his hands gripped at her hips.
“Yeah…” he said, standing in between her legs, his mouth dropping to her neck. She rolled her head back, as he nipped at her pulse-point, before his lips moved to that hollow at the bottom of her throat, his beard scratching her skin as his lips slid back up to hers and he kissed her hard. His hands moved to pop the button on her jeans before he gently grasped at the waistband and she shifted to allow him to pull them down over her legs, tossing them to one side. His hands slipped up underneath the blue top she was wearing, pulling down the cups of her bra. His hands gently teased at her nipples, all the time listening to the soft noises and groans she was making as he continued, his nose brushing against hers, smiling softly.
“You like that?” he whispered, knowing full well that she did, but he knew she liked his soft dirty talk and she gave a sigh and a nod, followed by a little squeak as he shifted her underwear to one side and pushed two fingers insider her.
Her head fell forward onto his shoulder as her hands grasped at his back through his T-shirt, and as he continued to stroke and coax her she bit down on his neck causing him to hiss slightly at the bite of pain.
“Need you…” she purred into his ear “Please.”
And when she asked like that, he was always powerless to refuse. This woman was his absolute weakness.
He moved his head to kiss her again, and removing his hand from her panties he reached up and pulled them down before he stood up, and she reached for the button and zip on his jeans. Once she’d gotten them open, she pushed them down, over his slim hips as Frank’s hands moved to her back and he gently pulled her forwards, sliding her towards him, letting her feel how ready he was. She reached down and gently gave his hard cock a pump up and down and he let out a groan as he pulled her off the counter slightly, her legs wrapping around his waist, arms round his neck, her lower back resting against the side of the worktop both of them letting out a load moan of satisfaction as he pushed forward, all the way home.
Frank’s head dropped to Fliss’ shoulder, his mouth once more on the pulse point in her neck as he thrust again, his hands on her back, keeping her supported slightly
“God you feel so good…” he said, his lips moving back to hers as he set a pace that was torturously slow, and deep, and loving. Thrust after thrust he kept his lips either on hers or centimetres away, watching her intently as her pupils blew as he worked her up, driving into her, as deep as he could go, one hand resting at the back of her spine to keep her back from slamming into the harsh marble edge of the counter, the other guiding her head so he could kiss her, hard.
Her hands moved, the nails scraping lightly at the nape of his neck, and Frank felt himself falter for a split second at her touch.  
“Fuck baby…” he groaned into her mouth as she grinned cheekily, her hands sliding down to his bare ass.
“Harder, please Frankie…” she urged him on, her voice sultry, desperate for him to pick up the pace. So be obliged, giving her what she wanted.
Because he always did.
She held on to his ass for dear life, moaning with her body arching in his hands, the fabric of his jeans chafed delectably against her thighs, his hips hitting hers hard with every thrust and before long she let out a loud groan, her hands tightening on his skin as she cried out as he quickened his pace even more, causing her to gasp his name, a broken mumble of the word “Frankie…” before she let out a breathless gasp, her voice catching in her throat as the world began to tip on its axis.
“Come on, come for me Lissy…” he whispered, his breath hot on her ear. And that was it, she dropped over the edge, her head falling back as her hands slid up and grasped tightly on the hem of his shirt as she clenched around him, again and again, groaning and trembling, powerless to stop her body’s reactions. It took him another couple of thrusts before he gave a soft “oh” of pleasure, her name tumbled from his mouth before he bit down on her shoulder softly, reacting his own end. He gave a few erratic thrusts, pumping with short, deep strokes which sent her over another peak, but this was feeble as she collapsed forward, her head laying on his shoulder, utterly spent. They stayed still for a moment, the only sound in the room was their deep breathing, Frank holding her close to him, as they both evened out from their high.
“Love you…” she said softly, kissing the tip of his nose causing him to smile, that cheeky smile he saved just for her before his lips met hers again
“Good, because I love you too sweetheart, more than you could ever know.”
*****
Once they had tidied themselves up and  finished sorting the kitchen out, Alex decided it was time for a feed. They settled on the couch, Fliss nursing their son, Frank's arm round her shoulder, fingers tracing shapes on the top of her arm. When Alex was done, Frank took him, having missed his morning cuddles with his boy and the three of them sat on the couch, Frank resting his feet on the coffee table, knees pointing to the ceiling so Alex could lay flat against his thighs looking up at his parents. His tiny hands fisted around Frank’s index fingers and he flashed his momma and daddy several huge baby smiles as they talked to him, Fliss capturing the moments on her phone. It wasn't long before his eyes grew heavy and Fliss felt hers doing the same so they set their son down to nap before settling down for the afternoon. Fliss shifted so her head was lay in Frank's lap, his hand gently carding through her hair s they both succumbed to the fact neither had slept much the night before.
The two of them woke with a jolt an hour and a half later when Mary walked in the door. In the afternoons she was allowed to walk from the school bus stop on the main road because 3 other kids came the same way and she could peel off from them up the long drive. She looked at the pair of them as they blinked themselves out of sleep and shook her head, telling them both that only old people and babies napped during the day.
Once she had fully come round, Fliss changed into her riding gear ready to head back to the yard and gave a small yell of victory when she managed to fasten the button on her breeches. She walked into the family room and grinned at Frank, pointing out the fact she was back into her pants, even if they were elasticated slightly, and he smirked, giving her ass a stinging slap.
"I prefer you out of them." He quipped, his hands locking at the base of her spine
Fliss chuckled, her hands curling round his biceps. "And I prefer you dirty but we can’t always have what we want, Sailor."
Frank wrinkled his nose "I already have what I want Cowgirl"
Fliss let out a groan and shook her head as Frank laughed. "I was being serious."
"Course you were, smooth bastard." Fliss rolled her eyes as he shrugged, leaning down to give her a soft kiss.
"You two are gross..." Mary mumbled as she walked past to the fridge to grab a juice box.
“Feel free to leave.” Frank shot at her, “I have the number of a good Children’s Home…”
“Whatever…” she said, her voice airy as she skipped over to the large window seat, hopping up and opening her laptop. 
By the end of the evening Fliss, however, had to concede Mary had a point. Frank had been particularly handsy all night, kissing her or touching her wherever he could.
"What's gotten into you?" She asked him gently when they were getting ready for bed. Frank had just gotten out of the shower and the first thing he'd done upon walking back into their bedroom was pull her in for a searing kiss.
"I just..." he let out a soft sigh, and looked at her a little sheepishly "I’m a little concerned you let me off far too easily before so I'm, I dunno, a little thankful I guess.”
Fliss cocked her head to one side, her hands sliding up his arms and coming to rest on his shoulders which were speckled with drops of water. "Sailor, it wasn't a case of letting you off easily.
I just get that I was wrong too. If I'm honest I was more hurt with what you called me because I know you and I know you meant well so for you to snap like that, I must have pushed you…”
Frank dropped his head giving a heavy sigh. "Sweetheart, that’s not an excuse…” "Shh." She abruptly cut him off with a finger over his lips. "Stop apologising. It’s done, you called me a bitch, I called you an asshole. No one died, no one got struck down by lightning...we move on. Ok?"
Frank looked at her, a soft smile on his face. "I love you so faking much"
"Well now I know that's true since you gone all Boston on me..." she grinned as his arms circled round her back, pulling her close. His nose gently brushed hers before their lips locked together and with a smirk, Fliss reached down between them and untucked the edge of the towel which was wrapped around his hips, causing it to fall to the floor.
"Whoops." She grinned into the kiss as she gently pivoted shoving Frank gently on the chest. The movement was enough that, coupled with the backs of his knees hitting the bed he fell backwards and sat down as Fliss scrambled over to straddle him.
"Yeah, see, there's only one problem with this scenario..." Frank said, his hands grasping at the hem of her top as his mouth nipped at her jaw. "You're wearing too many clothes."
"Why don’t you do something about it?" She said, her voice a breathy whisper. So he did.
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cottoncandyjester · 3 years
Text
kiseichū and dadzuku part 2
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So clearly I was gonna stop this series cause honestly y’all didn’t come here for this you guys came for the sexy yandere ocs not seeing Izuku be a dad for a random oc..but i felt in the mood.
Part one
Warning this contains: near death? Some angst
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"kise, it's time to wake up you're coming with me to work" the pro hero spoke in a soft tone while shaking the male, izuku was already dressed and ready so it shouldn't take them long to go it was just a matter of getting kise awake.
"thirty more minutes.."
"t-thirty?! That's far too long!" Izuku snapped with a shiver before scooping the boy up into his arms feeling him softly wrap his arms around izuku's neck which made the hero smile. The two have been closer lately and it made izuku really happy but since they've been living together izuku never even tested out kise's quirk to see what it could do..should he?
Izuku brushed the bright curls out of the boy's face watching his bright blue eyes open slowly causing izuku to beam with joy before feeling kise sit up only to see that he wasn't pleased to be awake so early.
"Morning kise!" Izuku cheered out and lose turned his head away "it's kiseichū.." he hissed out.
He's really mad at me!
Izuku have a nervous laugh before putting the boy down who rubbed his eyes with a low groan.
"Get ready, kay?"
"whats burning..?"
Izuku jolted and rushed off toward the kitchen, he had completely forgot to turn off the stove! "Our breakfast!" He hissed out only to see that the food was a charred black, he didn't have time to make more food..what will he do?
"you're a fucking idiot deku!"
"I know..."
"dumbass! What would have happened if you burned the place down!?"
Izuku had called bakugo who aggressively cooked breakfast for them and brought it to work. Kise hummed as he ate being the center of attention by the baku squad who all worked with deku at bakugo's agency.
"he's so cute!"
"he's small for a six year old"
"So what exactly is his quirk?"
Kise whined meekly as denki pulled the boy's cheeks and noticed that his teeth were sharp like some kind of wild animal. "Woah dude! This kid could take a chomp oh me if he wanted to!" The blonde said in awe as izuku gave a nervous laugh
"h-hey kaminari I don't think he likes that..you should stop." He stated before flinching when kise started to slip off his gloves and grab denki but was stopped by bakugo who gripped his wrist
"oi! Don't be such a brat! Dunce face leave the little shit alone unless you wanna turn into a puddle of sludge!" The blonde snapped out. Kise coughed lightly now trying to wiggle from bakugo's grip.
"hey kise, could you be hungry?" Izuku asked causing everyone to look his way before their eyes landed on kise who gave a simple nod. Silence fell upon the group before izuku glanced over at bakugo who gave a firm nod.
Kise sat in the white room as the pro heroes stared through the glass wall. "Yo bakubro should we really be doing this? I mean he's still so little" kirishima piped up his red eyes shining with worry ad he watched the boy reads a book with no gloves on.
"we gotta see what happens when he doesn't eat and how long he can last" bakugo stated as he glanced at izuku before a look of disgust crossed the blonde.
"you look like a worried mom deku you might be too attached"
"i-im just worried! I wouldn't say I see myself as a parent to him or anything though" izuku stuttered and mina smirked towards the male. "Oh yeah? What's his favorite food?" She asked and izuku answered within an instant "hamburger steak, or korean bbq though he always wants to cook it himself" he said and covered his mouth his face with a flustered expression of embarrassment.
"dude, you're totally a dad now."
"no more going to bars after work midoribro you gotta take care of your son”
Izuku huffs as sero and denki teased him before a loud cough caused him to shoot his gaze towards kise who was starting to wheeze and cough harder now starting to become antsy.
"we should open the door now, come on kacchan open the door already." Izuku said softly as he pressed a hand on the glass watching lose walk around the room looking for a food source.
"in a little bit, hes not dying yet"
"bakugo that's cold."
Bakugo glanced at kirishima who shared izuku's worried gaze watching at the boy started to get sicker now throwing up black sludge his breathing weaker as he gazed at the glass wall.
"p-please, I'm..hungry"
"kacchan!" Izuku shouted and bakugo walked to the door with a sigh. "Fine fine!" He snapped trying to open the door only for it to be jammed. "Shit.." bakugo hissed out now glancing over at kise who was too weak to walk so he dropped to his knees crawling towards the door as black sludge poured out his mouth and eye sockets.
"bakugo! The door!"
"shut the fuck up kirishima I'm trying! It's stuck!" He snapped and izuku took a few steps back green crackles of energy covering his body as kirishima hardened both of them have the idea of breaking the glass while mina tried melting the door
Crash
The glass shattered just as the door melted down and izuku rushed towards the boy scooping him up in his arms hugging him close. He was so light almost like he didn't weigh nothing at all, kirishima felt the boy touch his arm which kirishima didn't truly mind
"zu..zuku.." kise whispered out before bakugo yanked the kid away holding him upside by his ankle "Are you fucking stupid, do you two wanna die?!" Bakugo hissed out at the two heroes.
Kise looked at his hands watching them harden slightly though it was nowhere near as strong as kirishima. "Oh great good job shitty hair, giving the toddler some of your quirk its like giving a baby a gun!”
Izuku glared at bakugo slightly a wave of annoyance washing over him due to the fact that kiss could’ve died! “He’s just a child..you’re being so cruel. Stop it.” He said softly now scooping kiss in his arms putting his gloves on him.
“We aren’t doing this again, not so soon” Izuku demanded and the group was silent guilt filling them until Mina came up with an idea to cheer them all up. “Have you ever been to the Aquarium kise?” She said with a smile her eyes flickering when he shook his head no.
“We should go! All of us! Even you bakugo!”
“Eh!? Why me!” He snapped out with a growl. He flinched when kise grabbed his shirt and he eyes the boy his eyes softening at his soft little face. “Ugh. Fuck! Fine!” He snapped out “let’s go to the fucking aquarium..” he grumbled out with a huff.
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purple-nana · 4 years
Text
Barriers
Part 7 - Angst, Fluff
1.4k words   ( Part of the Dorm of us Series)
Warnings: Cursing~
You bit your lip as you walk through the crowded hallways.Your eyes searching for the familiar figure of a person, examining your surroundings as you pass by.
The chattering sounds of the people around you makes you even more anxious. You were too embarrassed to face him again. As if you still have a face to face him.
It has been almost a week? Yeah, a week has passed ever since you started to act like this.
The embarrassment was too much for you to handle.You just—can't. You have only one mission to accomplish today. And that is arrive to your locker without interacting with him.
After that, things will be easier. You can go home to the dorm and—immediately lock yourself in your bedroom. Cause no sis, you aren’t interacting with anyone at the dorm. 
If any one of them found out, which you were already sure that one of them already knows about it since you have been acting weird this week. It’s a good thing that it was the weekend. You can lock yourself all you want, and not give a damn to your dorm mates.
You kept on turning your head from side to side in hopes of not meeting him. Not worrying even that you were already looking like a meerkat.
You really have to avoid him.
At last, you finally made it to your locker without seeing him.
‘That’s a relief’ you mumble under your breath.
if it wasn’t for the heavy books that you need to place in your locker, then you would’ve been home by now. However, an aching back was the second least thing that you want right now.
You organized your books, checked if anything was missing and you’re done! You happily closed your locker with the thought of being able to go home after the tiring week of avoiding that guy. At least you succeeded—
“Hi.” 
There he was. Na Jaemin, Leaning against the locker that was right beside yours. He was giving you a smirk that you wanted to erase from his lips because of how annoying it was.
well,
Mission failed.
What was he doing here? Didn’t you just made sure that you avoided him completely?
“H-how? Wait—what?” You gasp in disbelief.
Jaemins lets out a chuckle, then stands up to face you. “Oh come on y/n. How can you possibly avoid me when we our classes are in the same building?” His lips form into a small grin.
Oh, right. You sigh in realization.
But you didn’t see him the whole week? So did he—
“Yeah sweetie, I gave you your needed ‘space’,” He made quotation marks in the air as he says ‘space’ then he crosses his arms. “Why are you even avoiding me by the way. You even let me sleep on the couch.”
Oh that. Ahm so basically you and Jaemin were supposed to be roommates. However something might’ve just happened.
A week ago.
You saw it again. It was the same nightmare.
You hated it. You need to wake up.
So you did. You woke up, catching your breath while cold sweat drips from your forehead, again.
It was starting to get to you, you couldn’t even count how many times you’ve had that dream.
And still, you kept on waking up with your forehead covered in sweat and tears in your eyes. It still haunts you.
You were thankful that you have Jaemin by your side whenever you wake up.
Giving you cuddles and he comforts you until you slowly get back to sleep.
But tonight was different.
It was the same dream, same feeling, same scenes yet, tonight’s dream was somehow more painful, if that was even possible.
You turned to look at Jaemin, who was still peacefully sleeping beside you. You didn’t want to wake him up, he seemed too peaceful for you to bother him with the same nightmare.
You just needed some fresh air.
You wore your slippers and went to the balcony. The air was cold and refreshing in contrast to your state.
Sitting down, you thought about that dream. That damn fucking dream. Why does it even haunts you to this day? You were supposed to be okay but here you are, the one only person who was still hurting.
Tears fell from your eyes. You just want it stop, everything was already over, everyone has already move on yet—you were still who you were from those years back.
You buried your head in your arms as you continue to sob. 
In the midst of your crying, you suddenly felt a large figure wrap his arms around your waist. Hugging you from the back. You didn’t even bother to lift your head, you already know who it was anyways.
He rested his head on your shoulders. “Why didn’t you wake me up?” He softly says.
“I didn’t want to bother you with the same stupid dream Jaemin.”
“No it’s not stupid y/n, it’s fine you know i’ll be always here for you.” He says softly, bringing his hand to your head to gently play with you hair.
Yeah, he was always there. He always have his shoulder for you to lean on, he was always there for you. you knew you could trust him but—maybe you were too scared?
Scared that something might happen if you said that, you enjoy being with him, being in his embrace. That you enjoy his presence alone. Maybe—you were too afraid that things might change.
The atmosphere was calm, maybe too calm that you accidentally blurted out something without your conscience. Maybe it was too late, cause Jaemin probably heard it due to his surprised reaction.
You lifted your head to look at him.
“W-what did you say?” Jaemin mutters in astonishment, his eyes blinking rapidly.
“What?” You asked, immediately trying to remember what you just said. Which you wished you didn’t.
Realization washed over you as soon as you remembered.
“I-i didn’t said anything,” you stood up, making Jaemin confused,”I-i gotta go to sleep now bye.” You sprinted towards your room immediately shutting the door behind you, leaving Jaemin dumbfounded.
You lean against the door, it doesn’t matter if Jaemin sleeps on the couch today. You’ll die of embarrassment if you spend just a minute with him.
The words echoes through your head, did you really just said that? 
It keeps on replaying on repeat.
‘I like you, Jaemin.’
Things really might change from now on.
Present.
You stared at Jaemin in belief. Why was he even asking? Didn’t he heard your ‘so-called’ confession last week?
He just stares at you, innocently. 
“I-i, I got to go now. See you bye!” You said as you ran away from him, your mind immediately thought of more ways to possibly avoid Jaemin.
It was true that you need to talk about this to him but for now, you need to run away from reality.
Since your plans of going home extra early and lock yourself behind the walls of your bedroom was now officially cancelled, you decided to just spend the rest of your time in a coffee shop.
It was a nice place to go after the exhausting day that you’ve been through. 
You spent your time reading your textbooks and reviewed a couple of past lessons cause you never know when a test is coming.
You ordered a couple glasses of strawberry milk, and you looked up to check the time.
7:30 pm
“Oh that explains why it was so dark out already.” You turn to the window, the sky was pitch black.
You should probably go home. You packed your things and went back to the dorm, which was a bit empty?
The lights were off, and the boy’s shoe rack were empty. ‘They probably went out’ you thought to yourself.
You saw a note on the table. 
‘be back late! don’t wait for us -the boys’
That means, you have the whole dorm for yourself! Finally some alone time!
You rejoiced at the thought of you finally having your “me time”, chanting ‘i’m alone, i’m alone’ in a weird tune. 
You kept on dancing and and chanting cheerful words that you were sure that the neighbors might’ve probably heard. But you didn’t care, embarrassment later, just dance for now.
“I’m alone, y/n is finally alone yay she’s alo—”
“What the fuck are you doing?”
You froze. “alonee?” You speak slowly as you check the person who was oddly in the dorm when you were supposed to be alone.
“I should’ve taken a video, that was a rare moment.” Jaemin smirks at you.
The thought slowly sinks into your mind. The both of you are going to be together, alone.
“Oh shit.”
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A/N: I’m so soriii for the super freakin late update. I hate school work so much : /. I’ll try to update as quickly as possible!
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gotmilk5101520 · 4 years
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Trollhunters: Tales of Arcadia Watch Episode 4 Gnome Your Enemy
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And gnome yourself.so you never forget rehearsal.
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“For centuries, the troll and human worlds stood separate and at peace, divided by bridges that acted as doorways between our two realms”
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“But the Gumm-Gumms wanted to devour all of mankind”
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“They were led by Gunmar the Black”
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“The rest of trollkind fought against him, culminating the great Battle of Killahead Bridge, the portal to Gunmar’s Darklands”
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“After many moons, good triumphed over evil”
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“And our great Trollhunter, Deya the Deliverer, locked Gunmar away, exiling him to the Darklands”
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“And sealed the Killahead Bridge with the sacred amulet. After we tore it apart, stone by stone”
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“We left the old world in search of peace. We stowed away on a ship called the Mayflower”
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“Just a handful of us and gnomes we’d brought along for companionship and nourishment”
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“Finally, we arrived in a strange and exotic realm” “New Jersey”
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“We kept walking”
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“Eventually, we came across a new Heartstone”
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“And we realized we had found a new home... Under Arcadia” Random backstory. Also Wizards might want to have a few words about this.
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There are two types of people.
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"¡Lo siento, Sr. Draal! ¡No me mates!" I suck at Spanish, but thanks to ToA wiki this translates to “I’m sorry, Mr. Draal! Don’t kill me!”
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“For these precious early steps will decide whether a young Trollhunter will become”
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“a Deya the Deliverer”
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“Or Unkar the Unfortunate” Translation: “Will Jim be remembered was great or bad”
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Also they fixed Unkar’s arm from last episode.
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“I recommend A Brief Recapitulation of Troll Lore by the venerable Bedehilde. Volume 1 of 47″ Can we get the manga versions? I can read them if they were mangas.
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“Oh, no. Is it the Heartstone?”
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“No! No!”
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“Stalkling?”
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“Is Bular in Trollmarket?”
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“No! Gnome!”
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“Rogue gnome!” Bular? No. Gunmar? no. Gnomes are the real problem.
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This is still a kids show. Right?
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“Why? He can’t be that bad”
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“Oh, no! My belt!”
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“At least he didn’t take my Nougat Nummy”
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“We need to catch that gnome” Belt gone? Oh well. Nougat Nummy gone? Get him.
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“Over there!”
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“Oh! Over there!”
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“No! Over here!”
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“Right here”
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Sonic the Gnome.
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“Oh, no. Where’s the amulet?
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“Oh, no!” And now to rename this series to Gnomehunters.
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I’m Jim when moving things, and my sister is Aaarrrgghh.
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“Come back, come back”
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“Shouldn’t the amulet be coming back to me right about now?”
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“Dolefully, that rule only applies if you’ve rejected it”
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“When thieved, it’s another story” But, why? That makes no sense. Look at the Miraculous. They can be used anyone. If stolen, then they can’t go back to their holders, they have a new holder. But the Amulet of Daylight, which chooses it’s owner, can get stolen in the blink of an eye and it won’t go back to the owner? What the fuck?
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“What else can i do? I can’t fit in that hole” That’s what she said.
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“You broke my tooth. I’m going to break your life”
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“When i’m through with you, you’re going to-” “Is that Diary of a Wimpy Kid?” “Wait what? No. This is you!” “No that’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid”
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“And, by the way, i know Steve is a jerk, like a really big jerk. Okay, what does Aja see in him?” “He’s a himbo. She likes himbos” “Oh, that makes sense”
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“But there are better ways to finish a fight than punching someone in the face. You should’ve fought him in a alley, alone, and if he dies you need to get rid of the body. But don’t worry i know a few places to get rid of a body so no one can ever find it” “Uh... What are we talking about again?” “Uh... See you at rehearsal!”
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“So, what was that all about?” “I don’t know. I think Claire said something about a body?”
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“Whoa. Did you hear what Claire said?. But who’s body was she talking about?” “What do Aja and i see in you?” “Said something?”
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We interrupt Trollhunters to bring you Night at the Museum.
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“Full disclosure, i’m a little worried how i let you talk me into this” Ain’t that a mood.
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“So, how does me going into this thing help me get a gnome out of a hole”
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“If a gnome won’t come out, the Trollhunter must go in” That’s what she said.
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Honey, i shrunk the Trollhunter.
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“I can’t be shrunk! I have exams to take!”
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“I have sinks to reach!” Shit i have sinks to reach too. Oh well.
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“Nothing in this world makes sense” Our world never made any sense.
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This is not creepy at all. Okay yeah, it is. Remind me, how is this a kids show again?
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Gnome pencil sharpeners.
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New meme template.
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“You touched my hat, prepare to die!”
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It was at this moment he knew; he fucked up.
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“And what about this shrinking stuff? When does it wear off?”
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“Don’t worry. Sleep it off. By morning, you’ll be as good as new” They always say that, and it never happens.
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“All that is left is for you to take care of it”
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“Wait, what? Take care of it?”
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“Rule number 2″
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“Always finish the fight”
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“And by “Finish””
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“Deaden. End. Le Coup de grace”
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Finish him!
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“Neither of us are killers”
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“I am”
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“You are?”
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“Detective Snuggles. Nana warned me not to leave my chocolate lying around”
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“But it was just after Easter, and i had pulled in a big haul”
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“I never thought that cat would find my stash”
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“But he did. And by the time i found him, it was too late”
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“Death by chocolate”
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“There are worse ways to go”
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“That wasn’t the worst of it”
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“I never had the heart to tell Nana, so to cover up the murder”
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“I used to eat his cat food just to make it look like he was still around”
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“And i liked it” What a sad, yet funny, but also scary story.
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“By morning rise, the dark deed will be done and my soul will be damned” Wait did he just say damned?
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Well, Jim slept with a girl. Only downside it’s not Claire.
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“Oh, no! School!”
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“We have to call you in sick”
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“Tell them you ate too much chocolate. That always works”
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“No, Senor Uhl can sniff out a lie a mile away” So is he related to Tanjiro?
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“¡Hola! Sorry i couldn’t be en escuela, Senor Uhl, but i just tested on Covid and waiting for the results”
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“No, no... no need to fight at home”
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“Ponce de Leon joined Columbus in the New... New-”
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“What in the world?” That’s my reaction to world events.
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Sonic the Gnome 2
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“It’s happening!”
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“What’s happening?”
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“It’s happen” “High five!”
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“Internet connections, am i right? Gotta go. Bye!”
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“Is this the part where Jim becomes Half Troll?” “No, no it can’t be. Claire doesn’t know yet” “Steve, did you just say something smart?”
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“We can keep him? Jim, i already have a name”
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“Gnome Chompsky” “Not going for Sonic the Gnome?” “Nah, we’ll get sued”
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“Two crises averted it’s not like you get to rehearse these things” I feel like we’re forgetting something.
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“Oh, no! Rehearsal!” Oh yeah. Fuck.
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“Oh, Romeo, Romeo! Wherefore art thou, Romeo?”
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“Shall i hear”
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“Shall i hear more”
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“Or shall i speak at this”
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“Oh, Mr. Lake!”
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“Your repeated tardiness has forced me to take precautions. Mr. Palchuk will now serve as your understudy”
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“I told you i was going to break your life!” “Okay first off, your drawing looked like something out of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and second i thought you meant my Trollhunting life!” “Why would i want your Trollhunting life? I could die” “You do realize Romeo and Juliet dies at the end, right?” “Wait what?” “Yes, they do., Everyone knows this” “I don’t want to be here anymore” “Too late!”
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“Hey! What are you doing in here?”
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“You were followed?
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“Of course not. I brought you a midnight snack”
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And with that, Night at the Museum comes to an end.
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Well, let’s not go to the museum at night.
Wait we’re going there tomorrow? Crap.
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enamourous · 3 years
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YES YES yor is my fave oml shes so cool and when she was getting insecure abt being a good mother to anya i was like noOO T^T ur doing amazing sweetie !!!! the whole gag where each of the family has a hidden secret is so endearing to watch !! since they all almost spill the beans to each other so many timeS :D !! im glad its getting more popular lately and yes im so hyped for the possible anime too !!! ig i have a specific type of show that i rlly like considering how noragami has rlly nice found family moments too as well as comedy w/ action as well !! oh n i read the first few chapters of shadows house and its already p interesting so far !! im already invested hhh !!! as soon as someone says 'interesting chars' i get interested right away so !! and oh okay !! ill just list a few things ive been watching... recently it would be yuukoku no moriarty + bakuten and for cartoons it'd be the owl house and infinity train (specifically season 2 being my fave since its an anthology series, its really interesting as well and a quick watch since its only 10 eps and theyre short ones too !!) which i also rlly recommend if u havent watched them !! and also why would i laugh at viola??? thats so cool and its such a pretty instrument too !!!!!! ;v; i was always jealous when i did music in school bc the few students who did the viola just looked so elegant and professional ?? and i could tell they were hardworkers .. meanwhile i have a tendency to slouch over the piano which is not good :''D plus i bet viola is hard to learn right ?? (im glad u think im not rambling btw !! <3 i need to scream at someone abt how good spy x family is haha)
YESS OMG like!!! that one chapter where yor goes "I'M HER MOTHER!!!" after they think she's anya's maid,, your honor she is officially Mother now she said it and we heard it 😌 omfg the gag is like literally SO funny like did u see the latest chapter recently?? 😂 anya's like "omg dad will find out mom's an assassin AND that she hates frogs!!!!" she has her priorities straight. i love her to death 🥰 and can't get over loid's "omg... this child... she NEEDS love and support. i will now buy the entire store's clothes to make her happy" LIKE. as for the anime... i'm so excited for them to do the first few arcs, i hope they include the little side chapters too like where they go to the aquarium and stuff!! :D OHH so glad you like shadow house so far!!! and yes dflgjfh interesting characters is very much a checklist for this manga, esp with the whole concept of like having a shadow self and etc!! :D i dont know if you've met him yet, but my favorite character is john!! he'll come early on in the manga i think :) and lemme know how the rest of the series goes for you!! 💕 AAH i haven't heard of the animes you've recommended but now that means i've got a list to watch!! :D i'll definitely try to check them out when i get the chance ehehe! also i haven't heard of owl's house but i have heard that infinity train is like so good it's to die for fdk;hg 💕so maybe i've gotta give those a chance as well! kfgjhg i'm so happy with your kindness towards violas, we don't get enough of it aaaa!! :') we're like literally always the butt of the joke ldghkg; it's not too much harder to learn compared to violin or cello i'd imagine, but oh boy,, the heaviness of carrying a big viola on your shoulder all day :') i guess piano and viola are back pain solidarity! however, i still gotta say learning piano is just soo versatile, like i'm sure you can just p much transcribe most pieces into it!! for viola, it's really hard to find music from games / animes etc so i was just always a bit disappointed about it :'(
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komatsunana · 4 years
Text
My Reincarnation Isekai Villainess Rec List
So.  I’ve gone and found myself in Isekai/Reincarnation/Villainess hell.  For those who don’t know Isekai is a genre in which character(s) are transported to a different world.  Initially you might be thinking “oh, she’s gonna share a both a series like Sword Art Online.”  Oh no.  You have underestimated the amount of taste I have.  By which I mean I have none but that SOA is a taste I’m not here for.
Now a very specific sub-genre of that is the reincarnation one, particularly in which a character is reborn as a character from one of their favorite books or games from their previous, modern life.  An even more specific sub-genre of that one is in which the MC is reborn as a villainess from that book or game, thus creating a bit of a challenge as villainesses usually are destined to die in the source material. 
So! Here are my favorites, many of which are all 3 but some combine one or two of the above tropes.  It’s my list so I do what I want.  And most of my faves have a shojo genre tag, or at least a romance tag, because that’s where all the good stuff is: 
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Survive as the Hero’s Wife by Nokki
Canaria is reincarnated as the villainess of a popular cliche novel. Based on the novel, she is destined to be executed but can she prevent this from happening before it’s too late? 
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Why *I* like it:  So this one was the one that really got me into the villainess reincarnation isekai genre!  And it remains the top of my list. The huge draw for me in this one is that I actually really like the main couple!  Like not even just lukewarm, I really like it!  I’d read fic for it, if that existed.  A lot of the villainess genre tend to portray the original heroine as vapid, unworthy of their status of heroine, or the actual villainess but in this case Gracie just turns out to be just an amazing strong woman who doesn’t actually need a man.  (In fact I ship the three together full stop tbh lol).  In fact, it’s a subplot that Gracie realizes (because of MC’s words) that if she wants to inherit her father’s title even though the law says a woman cannot... That she just should strive to change the law rather than be a tool with no use outside of marriage.   And not to spoil anything, but she will definitely do just that.
And since I’m mainly finishing the rough draft of this list out of absolute RAGE at being made fun of for being into this genre.... A compilation of the main love interest, Cesar, because he’s absolutely beautiful.  Look at those eyes!  He’s such a great example of the sullen, dark love interest because he’s not those things when he’s with his wife, the MC!!!  He’s so soft for her.  And the whole point is that the love interest shows a different side to their lover right??
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And like the great thing is Canaria, the MC, totally doesn’t notice for the longest time.  She read the novel in her previous life so she’s *convinced* that one day Cesar will fall for the novel’s original leading woman, and she makes plans accordingly throughout their early days of their marriage.  She completely hadn’t thought about the fact that since she’s not being a villainess this time around and not abusing him and everyone around her, and makes friends with Cesar... Like of course the course of events change.  It utterly baffles Cesar when his wife keeps bringing up divorce because he’s so completely in love with her and you just gotta eat that shit up with a spoon because it’s so good and perfect drama but also funny.
There’s even a Halloween chapter where everyone wears costumes and basically I believe I was pandered to specifically.
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Tbh, the arc going atm is sorta losing my interest but that’s because there’s political intrigue and I’m like just here for the romance lmao.  So someone looking for substance and not just fluff might be more pleased than I. But it’s still on-going so.  It’s just all in all a fun and great introduction to the genre imo.
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I Reincarnated into an Otome Game as a Villainess With Only Destruction Flags by Hidaka Nami (Art) and Yamaguchi Satoru (Story)
Eight-year-old Katarina Claes is the only daughter of a duke, living her life peacefully and without incident until she hits her head on a rock... and then remembers that she is not actually the duke's daughter. She used to be an otaku who died on her way to school after spending the entire previous night playing Fortune Lover, her favorite otome game. After noticing that her current surroundings seem oddly familiar, she is shocked to discover that she has been reincarnated into the world of Fortune Lover as the villainess.
The villainess in the game usually winds up dead or exiled, so Katarina decides to use her knowledge of the game and its routes to avoid any bad situations. But is it even possible for the villainess to reach a good ending?
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Why *I* like it:  Ok ok ok, lol. So this one is probably one of the most well-known of the villainess reincarnation isekai genre atm!  Particularly because of the anime currently running.  And for good reason... the MC is so brilliantly stupid in the best of ways.  While she plots on how to escape her fate of being killed or exiled by learning to sword fight and how to garden, she’s more or less seduced every capture target in this dating game... AND all the female rivals to boot AND heroine.  The thing is that she is completely unaware and continues training for the day she is inevitably killed or exiled, as per the game’s original ending.
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It’s just a silly, fun series and all the women’s feelings for her are taken about as seriously as all the guys’... Which isn’t much because absolutely no one really has a chance of getting this woman to understand they are all madly in love with her.  Not a series to take seriously which is part of it’s charm, but it retains a lot of heart especially when it comes to the MC Katarina (affectionally called Bakarina by fandom) remembering her friend and family from her past life.  
This series also has a manga spin-off about what if she’d been reincarnated while already in high school and bullying the heroine instead of a child... So basically she’s in hard mode, and yet she still succeeds in getting even more people into her little harem she has for herself.  
Whether you chose to watch the anime or the manga (or the LN, which I haven’t got to) you can’t go wrong.
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It Seems Like I Got Reincarnated Into The World of a Yandere Otome Game by  Hanaki, Momiji (Story) and Setsuri (Art)
As a precocious child, Lycoris suffers from a strange sense of deja vu. On the day her father told her about her fiancé, she realizes that her fiancé was a character from an otome game she once played in a previous life.
“I am the heroine’s rival from the game?
And in the bad ending, I get stabbed to death?
What a joke.”
A story in which the protagonist is determined to avoid a yandere situation.
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Why *I* like it: Hear me out! I know what you’re thinking... Yanderes??? But here’s the thing...  Just by the MC being kind and getting 2 of the “yandere” characters out of abusive environments, they no longer end up as yanderes as they grow up.   They aren’t those tropes any more!  While the characters remain protective, they aren’t possessive and are happy to see MC branch out, if a little lonely.  And the yandere that remain aren’t treated as hot, but annoying.   So like sorry to disappoint if you think yanderes are hot but this isn’t the series for you.
Additionally, unlike other series of this trope, the MC is pretty quick to realize she just needs to trust her lover, that he will not turn on her and kill her as he did in the game nor will he fall for the heroine instead of her.  It’s somewhat refreshing, as a huge part of the trope is the MC typically doesn’t realize until it’s spelled out that by not acting as a villain.... the rest of the characters don’t want to harm them... And might even have fallen in love with them.
Another fun aspect is how MC doesn’t remember things immediately, but only remembers things from her past life (and of how the game went) until it comes up.  Additionally, she wonders some interesting things that aren’t even mentioned in other series like... What if she’s destined to be exactly like the game character? Will she be forced to be exactly like her? It’s a fun exploration of some common reincarnation isekai villainess tropes if you have experience with the genre!
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Ascendance of a Bookworm by Shiina You (Art) and Kazuki Miya (Story)
A book-loving student and soon to be librarian ends up crushed to death by the pile of books during an earthquakes and wakes up as a five year old girl named Main in another world where books are scarce only available to the elite.  Main, retaining her memories of her past life, decides to create and print her own books so she can read again.
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Why *I* like it:  So here is we depart from solely the villainess sub-genre (but only briefly!)  Because there is another sub-genre of reincarnation isekai and that’s in which the MC uses the things they learned on our planet earth to re-invent things like shampoo and the printing press.  And no other isekai does it better than Ascendance of a Bookworm imo. Main’s love for books leads her to recreating things she took for granted on Earth and starts selling them from a young age... Which might just end up saving her life as she ends up having a terminal disease that ordinarily she’d only be able to survive by being a slave to a noble... But by selling her products she has a chance to save herself!!!  And the products she creates are available to commoners, not just the nobles who of course make it impossible for the poor to have nice things.
Additionally, a majority of this trope centers around nobles and royalty (and all the best ones are historical settings)... The fun thing about this one is that it actually centers around a povert stricken family.  It’s a good break from the noble hierarchy within most isekai.
Finally, this series is the one that hits most closely to my feelings if I were to be reincarnated in another world... Which is to cry at the realization that I will never finish any of the on-going books and manga I had going on.  That’s absolute hell, I don’t know how any of these MCs deal!! ;_;
btw there is an anime and manga both. Also LN but tbh almost all of these have LN.
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Isekai Omotenashi Gohan by  Shinobumaru (Story) and Medamayaki (Art) 
Akane, an ordinary office lady, gets summoned to a different world along with her younger sister and pet dog. There, she ends up treating rare guests one after another with hospitality through meals!! Can she satisfy the citizens of a different world with home cooking...?! 
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Why *I* like it:   Continuing our brief deviation from the villainess trope, Isekai Omotenashi Gohan is my favorite example of another subgenre of isekai - one without reincarnation - but one in which a “hero” is transmigrated to another world to save it... The problem? Oppsie, 2 people were taken.  Sometimes in this sub-genre there is a question who the true savior is but in Isekai Omotenashi Gohan’s case they figure that out pretty quickly.  They quickly figure out the MC’s younger sister is the savior.  At first the older sister (Akane) is set aside as unimportant... But her sister only wants to eat the food her sister makes and it quickly becomes obvious that Akane’s role is important.
Akane makes lots of allies and friends by sharing the food from Japan and of course has a very subtle romance going on with her guard.  But honestly I just enjoy this series as a person that likes food manga, like that’s it lmao, so much so that don’t be surprised when I make a best food manga list and yeah sorry Food Wars won’t be on it.
But fr, even if you don’t love the food manga genre try it!! It’s a sweet series and mixes domestic with fantasy in a great way.  Plus only a few series are complete, with the rest being on-going, so if you want a complete and finished series try this one!
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The Duke's Fiancee, Why She Had to Go to the Duke by Milcha (Story) and Golae (Art)
When Park Eunha dies in modern-day Korea, she awakens in the body of Raeliana McMillan, the eldest daughter of a nouveaux riche baron. However, this is no ordinary world; it's the exact same one as a novel she once read. Beloved by her family, it would seem as though she is in a fairy tale. But Raeliana is far from the main character—she is a mere plot device, whose murder at the hands of her fiancé instigates the entire story.
Raeliana has no intention to accept her fate quietly. She sets her eyes on someone in a position of great power—the vieux riche male protagonist Duke Noah Volstaire Wynknight—aiming to completely change the original story. Using her knowledge of future events, Raeliana offers information to Noah on the condition that he acts as her fake fiancé, but the Duke's two-faced nature throws a wrench in her plans! 
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Why *I* like it:  This one is a fun one!! It really plays with different concepts that don’t often get explored in reincarnation isekai like where did the original consciousness of the character the MC became go??? Because MC only remembers her life on earth and is otherwise treated as though she has amnesia.... But is it amnesia?  Is she another person entirely?
Also the humor is... great.  Listen I refuse to give the best joke in the series just to make you read it but... the series is worth it just for this running joke.
Of course the romance is good too. The dude is kinda an asshole but she gives as good as he dishes out and it quickly becomes flirting anyway.  I don’t want to say too much and give any thing away... but s’good!
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Who Made Me a Princess? by Plutus (Story) and Spoon (Art)
The beautiful Athanasia was killed at the hands of her own biological father, Claude de Alger Obelia, the cold-blooded emperor! It’s just a silly bedtime story… until one woman wakes up to suddenly find she’s become that unfortunate princess! She needs a plan to survive her doomed fate, and time is running out. Will she go with Plan A, live as quietly as possible without being noticed by the infamous emperor? Plan B, collect enough money to escape the palace? Or will she be stuck with Plan C, sweet-talking her way into her father’s good graces?!
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Why *I* like it:  Ok, big sigh.  How do I explain the pull ‘Who Made Me A Princess?’ has on me?  Now a lot of the pull for many people is how cute the budding father daughter relationship the MC (Athy) has with her dad.  But like, her dad is the worst and I want to fight him.  On the other hand, most of the fandom hates Jeanette, the MC’s sister who has done literally nothing wrong except make everyone around her miserable but it’s not her fault ok, and I’ll fight the entire fandom in her honor.  So it pains me to rec this series knowing that more than likely anyone who picks up this series because of me might have Wrong Opinions and I invite you to tell me just so I can shake my head about another wrong person existing in this world.
Never the less, this series is very cute!  All the other series I have recced had the MC remember their past life at early childhood at the earliest, if not as a teenager.  Athy? She has the misfortune to remember as a *baby* and it’s exactly as hellish as it sounds for an adult to be stuck growing up as a baby and suffer through the absolute embarrassment of having people feed and wipe her ass. 
The MC was an orphan in her previous life and the book that she wakes up in is a shitty book even by her standards but then she really only skimmed it it sounds like that’s what interests me.  As Athy makes changes to the original events of the novel and depth is added to the world, I start to wonder if the added depth was in the original novel or if the world had to add its own depth to stand as an actual lived in world?
Additionally, since I made the cover image Athy and her dad you might as well see her with her 2 love interests (and Jeanette!).  People need to know who to ship, I get it.
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Also I need a moment to appreciate, up close, the beauty of Athy’s eyes. So gorgeous. 
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Living as the Tyrant’s Older Sister by Aperta (Story) and Chyobab (Art)
When I opened my eyes, I was inside a fantasy novel world! The beauty I see in front of the mirror is the future tyrant’s older sister, Alicia! She’s not even a protagonist or an antagonist, but a character that doesn’t appear much and gets beheaded by the (upcoming) tyrant little brother. My life is all about escaping that fate from the novel. In the end, I seduced the male lead’s merchant friend who also doesn’t appear much and was about to leave the country with him. How-e-ver. The face of the man who spent the night with me was extraordinary, and was the male lead himself!
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Why *I* like it:   ……………...keke. Ok so this one is one I like just for the laughs.  The love interest is an arrogant asshole, but see… The important detail the summary leaves out is that the MC’s… cousin (?) wrote the book that she woke up in!  Moreover she’s the one that told her cousin to change the MC of her novel and make him good at everything and also make him a freak in the sack.  Like who is really at fault here??? Lmao.  Especially when she goes out intending to seduce a character she remembers being rich from the novel and accidentally bags the MC from the novel, aka the dude who kills her and her brother in the original novel.
In seriousness though, it really is funny.  The facial expressions of the MC is just… chefs kiss.  She’s got a pretty face but then she makes all these goof ass faces and I love it.  If you need any more reason to at least give it a go, just know that at one point the male lead comes to check on her, expecting to find her crying and instead…. Walks in just as she screams FUCK at the top of her lungs and then begins a tirade of very creative curses including "Bitch oompa loompa ass bitch" which how can you not love her?  Anyway the face the male lead makes after that has me maintaining that’s the moment he fell in love with her lmao.. but this is not Confirmed so it’s not a spoiler!!
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EDIT: as of August 2020, I’ve since dropped this series. It remains on the list since I’d still rec it to people looking for a laugh.
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Seduce the Villain’s Father by bia and dalseul
Upon opening my eyes after a bus accident, I found myself in the fantasy world of a webnovel I enjoyed reading... the only catch is, I reincarnated 20 years before the novel begins! Reborn as Princess Yerenica of the small Lebovny kingdom, I'm determined to change the future in order to prevent the series of unfortunate events that will soon occur!
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Why *I* like it:   How many times have you yourself had a suuuuuper side character be your favorite in a series and be depressed to see them done dirty?  Well MC has a chance to fix that, to save a character that basically one appeared in prologue and basically prevent the birth of the villain character that later kills his own father… by seducing his dad, before he can marry the villainess!!
Yerenica is just adorable in her attempts to thwart the original novel.  And like, I have to give her lots of respect for seeing the villainess character and having herself a good moment where she had to consider seducing her instead lmao.  She knows when to let well enough alone though so she immediately boards back on the dad train, much to his chagrin because she keeps calling him father……………….. Even though he’s like…. Not a dad yet.
The characters are still relatively early on in their romance, but I have high hopes for it yet!
Edit: As of August 2020, I’ve dropped this series.  It remains on this list because I think it’s a cute series and I think anyone who feels really strongly about the main couple will enjoy it.
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Death Is the Only Ending For The Villainess by Gwon Gyeoeul and SUOL
Penelope Eckart reincarnated as the adopted daughter of Duke Eckart and the villainess of a reverse harem dating sim. The problem is, she entered the game at its hardest difficulty, and no matter what she does, death awaits her at every ending! Before the "real daughter" of Duke Eckart appears, she must choose one of the male leads and reach a happy ending in order to survive. But the two brothers always pick a fight with her over every little thing, as well as a crazy crown prince, whose routes all lead to death. There's even a magician who's enamoured with the female lead, and a loyal slave knight! But somehow, the favourability meters of the male leads increase the more she crosses the line with them!
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Why *I* like it:   So this one is another relatively new one added to my list, but it’s shot high up rather quickly!!  The other otome game isekai’s that I have on my list are just like the real world, but the interesting thing about this one, is that it also retains otome game mechanics such as she can see the love interests love meter and also she can chose to use the video game script choices to reply to the characters, in the hopes of raising their love meter.  This adds challenge, since she knows that if she gets any of the dudes to -10 she’ll be killed even as she sort of wonders if she truly would die or wake back up in reality.
What’s interesting also is that while she is the villainess character in the game… It ends up that the character was actually abused for years and that her title as a villain is unfair and that the game can be played as the villainess as even a player as a ‘hard’ mode compared to the heroine character.  It’s up to her to turn things around and it’s actually a fun take on the villainess genre.  I’m really looking forward to how things proceed even as my fears about which dude she’ll end up with continue to increase.
Finally, another layer I enjoy is that the MC lead a similar life in her previous life.  She’d only just escape her own abusive family before she’d ended up here and MC just desperately wants to escape once again… using any means necessary.
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The Villainess Reverses the Hourglass by SanSobe (story) and Ant Studio (art)
With the marriage of her prostitute mother to the Count, Aria’s status in society skyrocketed immediately. After leading a life of luxury, Aria unfairly meets death because of her sister Mielle’s schemes. And right before she dies, she sees an hourglass fall as if it were a fantasy. And just like that, she was miraculously brought back to the past.
“I want to become a very elegant person, just like my sister, Mielle.”
In order to face the villainess, she must become an even more wicked villainess. This was the new path Aria chose to take revenge on Mielle who murdered both her and her mother.
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Why *I* like it:   If you thought that this list might be in descending order, guess again!  This one is one of my favorites.  Now this one lacks isekai, but is a reincarnation of a villainess!! Rather the MC was an absolute horrible person in her past life, but finds out at the last minute that her ~pure~ sister had been leading her by nose into acting like a brat just seconds before she is executed.  Now that she has a second chance, she’ll be a proper villainess and turn the tables on her sister.
In her last life, Aria never bothered educating herself so now that she’s a teenager again she actually has to learn things again (it’s not just like she gets to act like she’s a genius and good at everything) but she works hard at maintaining a sweet image and making everyone love her, even as she snickers behind their backs, all the while subtly setting her sister up for failure.
This is a proper revenge story, I’m promised by those who read the LN!! Revenge stories about women are rare to come back, especially one that doesn’t make revenge look like a total evil thing lol.  What can I say, I have my interests.  Anyway, it’s super cathartic to watch Aria slowly unfold her masterplan to foil her sister’s plans and take everything that her sister had cherished in her previous life. And all that not to mention the certain powers that Aria later discovers she has at her disposal... :3c
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Beware of the Villainess by Bbongdda Mask (story) and Pureunkanna (art)
I became the villainess of a novel! Do I hate it? No! I find it rather nice. A duke’s daughter equals a jobless rich person. How can I miss out on a chance like this?! This is the best chance to just enjoy life. I should throw out the main plot and just live life how I want to! Not long after waking up as the villainess, I witnessed my fiancé, the crown prince and the novel’s male lead, cheating. I saw him embrace a lady other than I and he was smiling so bright. I was brought to tears… Just kidding, I didn’t cry! My tears are worth too much to be wasted on that garbage. Instead of tears, I yelled out, “Your highness, are you trash?”
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Why *I* like it:   Listen there are 2 ways to react to waking up as a villain of a series you once read… Either you turn the tables and become a good guy OR you can embrace it!  The world the novel is based on has the basic premise of the pure and good heroine winning the affection of 4 bratty, horrible men.  MC is the fiance of one of them and says fuck that.  She also has some thoughts that none of these dudes deserve the heroine of the novel but this one is still pretty early on so the jury still out on if she’s going to save this poor girl from her fate of ending up with any of these absolute assholes.
This one is along the veins of the previously mentioned Living As the Tyrant’s Older Sister, in that the pull for this series is even less of the romance and more about the comedy aspect… Also MC’s facial expressions are…. Choice.  Just so good. Enough with pretty girls making pretty faces!!  We need more girls being ugly.  It’s what we deserve.  Yell at cheaters!!!!!! Tell them to fuck off!! Yes please.
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Accomplishments of the Duke’s Daughter by Reia (Story), Umemiya Suki (Art)
Although she had reincarnated as the daughter of a Duke's house, by the time she regained her memories, the Ending was already here.
"After he cancels my engagement, the story would have me confined to a church. Where can I find my happy ending?"
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Why *I* like it:  I never read or watched Wolf and Spice but I imagine this is isekai Wolf and Spice… Well it’s got a lot about the economy at least lmao.   That’s literally the only thing I know about Wolf and Spice.  Anyway!!  The twist in this one is that the MC remembers her past life just as she’s about to be exiled, the end of the original game.  What the series focuses on is her life afterwards, as she scrambles to grab at any semblance of a good life… And she does so pretty quickly!
Her past life comes in handy as she sets to work managing a dukedom and fixes the economy!!  Moreover, even though it pains my heart whenever two women are pitted against each other… It does a great job of putting into question the original heroine’s pure shtick as she spends extravagantly on dresses and would rather just donate to the poor one day, instead of Iris the MC who sets to work on fixing the economy and creating jobs for the poor and putting money into bettering their lives in the long run, rather than throwing money at them and running.  Also, she’s grabbed the attraction of a mysterious man who takes a job helping her even though he is a prince aka the brother of her ex-fiance who he is fighting for the crown for.
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And that’s it!! My list for now!! Tbh by next month there’ll likely be even more faves as I continue to add more and more series to my read list lol.  Because this isn’t even a fraction of all the reincarnation isekai series I’m into, just the best for certain reasons.
BTW, if you’re like... wow this list sure is straight then true unfortunately. I’m waiting for the day “I Favor The Villainess” gets adapted somehow.  Also there are several isekai in which a straight girl reincarnates into a yaoi novel but I haven’t found a true gem among them yet.
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hibiscusangel15 · 4 years
Text
Two Months
Happy @ichirukimonth 2020, everyone! Here’s the first of a series of fics I plan to write!
Summary: He’s only known her for two months. Why does her leaving feel like a betrayal? For Day 5 of Ichiruki Month 2020.
Rating: K+
Day 5 Prompt: Betrayal
Also crossposted to FFN and AO3!
How long does it take to form a habit?
Thirty days. One month.
It took even less than that for Ichigo to grow used to her steady presence in his closet. How odd that spending just another month with her made her absence feel like a loss.
It was ridiculous, of course. Two months was hardly enough time to form a bond, let alone get to really know a person.
And yet, he had come to know Rukia, hadn’t he? She had a strong sense of duty. She loved rabbits. Her drawings sucked ass.
He’d seen her smug. He’d seen her smile.
He made her cry.
All within the span of two months. All because of him. And because of him, she was going to die.
Rukia didn’t deserve such a fate. She’d thrown away everything that night they first met. All on a whim, too. That was what shook him most.
Saving lives to her was as easy as breathing. She saved his family’s lives. Inoue and Tatsuki’s lives. Chad’s life. Even Kon’s.
And his. So many times in a thousand different ways. In ways that put her own at risk.
She was so stupid. She always harped on and on about how reckless he was, but then she went and acted just as foolishly.
Ichigo turned to his now-empty closet. “Hypocrite.”
He wished he could hear what her snarky response would be. At least then it would trigger a petty argument or a wandering conversation. Anything but this awful stillness.
How long does it take to break a habit? Another month? Two?
Nighttime was too quiet without her.
Their late conversations had been sparse, at first. In the early days, Rukia would scold him over improper fighting stances or techniques, and he would ignore her out of pure spite. Ichigo wasn’t sure when exactly this shifted into something more casual. He did remember the topic that sparked it, though.
“What’s it like there?” he asked her one night. “In Soul Society, I mean.”
Rukia seemed startled by the question. Probably because he acted like he didn't care much about their work before. That didn't mean he didn't want to know more about her world.
"It's...peaceful.” She dragged the word out like some unruly dog. Like a practiced courtesy even she didn't believe in. “You never have to worry about hunger unless you have spirit energy. Thankfully, a lot of people don’t.”
“What happens if you do have spirit energy?”
“Then you become a Shinigami.”
“No, I don’t mean that. I mean, if most spirits don’t feel hunger, then they don’t feel the need to eat obviously. But if you even have the slightest bit of spirit energy, what are you supposed to do? I can’t imagine a world where the majority doesn’t need to eat needs farms or food production. Are you just gonna starve? Can you even starve if you’re dead?”
Rukia looked away. “You can. Your soul might even fade because of it.”
“So what’re you supposed to do then?”
“Weren’t you listening to me, idiot? You become a Shinigami.”
Ichigo sat up in his bed. “Yeah, but what if you don’t want to be a Shinigami? I mean, there’s gotta be other ways to help people with spirit energy in the Soul Society.”
“I didn’t think humans could be this naive.” There was a hint of a smile in her voice. “Surely even in the World of the Living, most resources are relegated to merchants and the wealthy.”
“I’m not naive,” he snapped. “You’re the one that acts like Shinigami are doing ghosts a favor by sending them off to Soul Society. That place sounds awful if you have spirit energy.”
“What else can I do? Most humans believe that the life after this one is peaceful. Who am I to take that away from them?” she asked. “Could you honestly tell me you’d say anything different?”
The headlights of a car washed over his ceiling, illuminating his room for just a split second. It was long enough to catch the weary frustration in her eyes, harsh and heavy and cold.
Her gaze became more of a challenge to hold. She was right. It hurt her to be right.
Ichigo’s eyes fell first. “No, I probably wouldn’t. It’s just….”
“Just what?”
“It’s just sad. I don’t know. I haven’t even been a Shinigami that long, but even I know it can be exhausting. Dropping everything to kill Hollows, running the risk of serious injury or death…. Not everybody’s gonna be cut out for the kinda work you guys do.”
“Yes, well. You make do.”
And just like that, she shut the topic down. He still had so many questions he wanted to ask.
“I guess,” he said instead. “Oh, and Rukia?”
“Hm?”
“Sorry.”
“For what?”
“For making you feel bad, I guess. I still have a lot to learn about this Shinigami thing.”
Rukia was quiet for a long time. Then she laughed, a soft, genuine sound that took him completely aback. It was the first time he’d ever heard her laugh that way.
A part of him wanted to hear it again. To see the gentle smile that accompanied it.
It wouldn’t be the last time he cursed the darkness between them.
“Fool,” she whispered. “You don’t need to apologize for something as trivial as that.”
His face grew warm. “Too bad. I just did.”
“Hm.” She shuffled for the closet door handle. “Good night, Ichigo.”
“Yeah, good night.”
The screen sliced through their space and wreathed the room in damnable silence.
                                                         * * *
Ichigo regretted not trying to make her laugh more that night. He regretted not doing a lot of things during those months with Rukia.
Once he finally had time to process everything that happened the night Renji and her brother took her away, all Ichigo felt was angry. Mostly at her.
It didn’t make sense for him to feel this way, he knew. She saved his life. His pathetic, worthless life.
She protected him one last time, and he couldn't even scrounge up enough decency to be grateful.
No, he couldn’t think that way. He would rescue her. He would protect her in the same ways that she was always protecting him.
He was right to be ungrateful. He was right to be angry.
Rukia gave up everything for him. She did so without hesitation. But Soul Society simply decided her years of service, her sacrifice, her life meant nothing.
And she had agreed with them. Kicked him away, yelled at him, threatened him, and agreed with the bastards that attacked her that she had no right to her own life.
It was a betrayal he was not willing to stand for.
So he would stand and fight. It didn’t matter who. It didn't matter how many. Anyone who got in his way was an enemy. Anyone who put Rukia through that hell wouldn’t get to decide her fate. Rukia herself could fight him on this if she wanted to. He wouldn't let her be resigned to her own death.
He already decided her opinion about all this didn’t matter. All that did matter was her safety. Her happiness. The chance to hear her laugh that wonderfully soft laugh again.
Ichigo would let that guy with the cane and weird hat train him if it meant a shot at recovering any of that.
Two months. In just two months, Rukia had changed his world.
Now he would do anything to change hers.
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