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soulofapatrick · 1 year

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Never Leave Me Tommy - Tommy Miller x Reader

Summary: Part 5 of the Instant Attraction series. Tommy and Y/N spend your first day apart and well... Tommy realises he never wants you to leave him; the feeling being mutual

Words: 2.9k

Warning: Smut (p in v); overstimulation

Y/N’s POV

The bed is empty when I awake to the sunlight streaming in but there’s a messy scrawl of a note on the bedside table. Tommy got called on an emergency patrol as there’s apparently a bunch of infected that the original patrol need help with. I can’t not smile at the way he thought about leaving me a note even if he was in a rush as time is of the essence when patrol goes wrong - it was one of the first lessons Maria taught me.

Tommy won’t be back for a while so it’s probably a good time to explore Jackson and try make some friends as Maria told me I should try and settle in, not just with the Miller brother and Ellie. She’s right. Annoyingly. So I pull my aching body from the soft sheets, finding my worn bra and some jeans to add to the boxers and shirt so I look somewhat decent and keeping my modesty. There’s socks in the top draw so I borrow a pair before trudging down the stairs, slipping into my boots before grabbing a jacket. It’s Tommy’s fleece lined jean jacket again, he must have left it for me. He’s such a damn sweetheart, I hope he’s okay out there. He better come back to me alive or I’m going to raise fucking hell.

The settlement is loud and bustling despite the outbreak and I envy the community feel to it all, knowing they stare and whisper. The canteen is still open, luckily, so I grab a plate and help myself to a portion of breakfast before turning to find an empty space but every table has at least one person. Someone’s waving, he seems a little older than Ellie but I’ll take it as he’s not judging but offering me the empty seat opposite him so I weave through the tables until I’m there.

“Y/N right?” His voice is oozing with southern charm but it’s not flirty like most and it definitely doesn’t fit his appearances. He’s obviously Asian American, I expected an American just not the amount of southern lilt to it and he seems to understand my surprise, “I was raised in South Carolina before my mum brought me and my younger brother here for sanctuary.”

“Nice to meet you…” I trail off, he hasn’t said his name.

“Jesse,” He holds out his hand politely so I reach over the table and shake it before digging into my food, “I’m seventeen if that’s going to be your next question.” So three years older than Ellie and three years younger than me. Exactly between our ages. He’s so easy to talk to, I love it, and I can just tell we’re going to be best friends. From the lopsided smile he sends me, he can sense it too, “So you and Tommy hit it off pretty quickly. I think everyones glad as he was starting to drive us all crazy.”

“They seem more judgemental,” I reply quietly and he laughs lightly, a musical sound, “I guess that’s a given as I’m new?”

“You did arrive with the famous Joel Miller that Tommy could not shut up about and that mouthy girl, Ellie.” Jesse points out and yeah, he has a fair point. I didn’t arrive to Jackson quietly, the way Joel and Tommy reunited in the town square and the way everyone could finally put a face to the name seeing as Tommy would not talking about Joel it seems. He really does love his older brother, Joel should know all those fears he had about Tommy not wanting to see him again were stupid and Tommy painted him like a hero. Joel is a hero even if he doesn’t see it.

Jesse and I fall into a comfortable silence, eating breakfast and drinking the sweet orange juice that makes me think of before the outbreak. I haven’t hadn’t half of this food since the outbreak, the QZs not being generous with their food and then on the road, it was a miracle when we found canned goods like ‘Chef Boyardee’. It takes a lot of self-restraint not to eat like a starved animal as I don’t want to make more of a scene than I already am by being in the canteen. I want to spend every day from here on out, the sense of community a little overwhelming but it’s definitely something I could get used to.

“Come on, I have inventory to do, you can join me.” Jesse stands once our plates are clean so I just nod and follow him, putting my plate and cutlery in the designated racks. It’s cold outside, Tommy’s jacket putting up a fight to keep me warm as we walk through the settling snow. It’s pretty, the snowflakes clinging to every surface as we head towards the small hut I saw a few days ago, curious about what it was. Guess I’m about to find out seeing as Jesse is pulling keys from his pocket and unlocking the door, holding it open for me to go first. As much as I trust Jesse my nerves are still fried so I just stand there, staring at him until he shrugs, “Understandable.” Stepping in first. I follow him to find myself in a small shed that is full of all types of weapons and ammo.

Ellie would lose her fucking mind if she saw this room, the same reaction she had when seeing Bill’s armoury. Fucking nerd. She’s right though, all this is so fucking cool, I can’t help myself as I run my hands over every gun. The cool metal familiar under my rough fingertips, having been brought up to fight with any available weapon but the one thing I want the most is hidden away in the corner. A bow and quiver of arrows, they’re tucked away as if not touched for years which is fair enough as you’d have to be faster than a clicker grabbing the arrows and firing them. Guns are the ideal weapon for this post apocalyptic world but they’re calling me so I’m picking up the bow, feeling Jesse watching me. It’s a little old but still strong, the string still taut as I pull it back as if firing an arrow, it sings when I let it go and the sound is beautiful. I don’t know why people wouldn’t use bow and arrows when able to anymore.

“Is it true you’re the Ghost?” Jesse asks, sitting on the table as he watches me with those dark eyes, no judgement or any emotion in them really, “I’ve heard stories but I don’t think you’re the antihero people paint you as. I’m guessing you did it out of love or loss. Only those two emotions can cause a reaction like…” He trails of, shrugging lightly.

“Loss,” I mumble back, setting the bow back down and joining him at the table, eyes skimming over the notes laid out with the amounts of ammo and guns and what types there are. People’s names are next to some of them so I guess that’s for whoever they belong to or who uses them the most, “My older brother got infected and I had to look after my little brother.”

“I’m sorry.” Again, no judgement or sympathy. Just words, “We should begin counting everything or Maria is gonna be annoyed. She’s already stressed about the recent influx of infected in the area recently. You can keep the bow and arrows by the way. Take them home with you.”

“Thank you.”

“Nothing to thank me for.”

It’s almost dark by the time Jesse and I are emerging from the mini armoury Jackson has. The bow and arrows are secure on my back, the weight of them being familiar like a weight I’ve missed. I wait for Jesse to lock the doors before we head towards the residential area of Jackson, the snow heavier now and ankle deep. It’s refreshing, the way it clings to Tommy’s coat and my hair and the way Jesse’s voice carries my way with the soft breeze. He’s telling me about his arrival in Jackson and making friends with Dina who is his girlfriend, she sounds like the girl Ellie yelled at when we arrived. Jesse laughs at it and confirms it is her, I must tell Ellie that then.

“See you tomorrow Y/N.” Jesse hugs me when we stop outside of Tommy’s, surprising me so I barely have time to hug him back before he’s disappearing into the night with a grin and a wave. The lights are on in the house, meaning Tommy’s back from patrol, he’s probably tired as well so I try and be as quiet as I can when slipping inside.

Tommy’s passed out on the couch, still in his patrol uniform so I take extra care with being silent. It comes natural to me, all those years creeping up on clickers and bloaters so he doesn’t even stir as I take my shoes and jacket off, setting the bow and quiver next to the door. I decide it’s my turn to cook so I lightly pad to the kitchen, stretching my tired shoulders until they pop before raiding the fridge. There’s bacon, milk, cheese which could be made into cheesy pasta if we have pasta and flour. Not infected flour.

He stays asleep until the aroma of sizzling bacon and creamy cheese sauce fills the air, causing him to sit up with a soft groan. The sauce is bubbling happily away enough for me to leave it for a few minutes to check on him, having not seen him all day. I’m kneeling between Tommy’s legs, holding his face in my hands as I memorise the freckles smeared across that sun kissed skin, bringing my lips centimetres from his, “I missed you.”

“Missed you too baby girl.” He mumbles back before closing the gap, his kiss soft and delicate, rough pads of his fingers holding my jaw in place. It’s different compared to other kisses we’ve shared and I could definitely get used to this, “I love you.”

“I love you too Tommy,” I can’t hide the smile when I stand, him trailing after me to the kitchen. His arms wrap around my waist as I turn the bacon and stir the sauce and pasta, making sure nothing is burning, “Why don’t you get changed sweetheart, it’ll be ready by the time you come back down.”

“Missed you.” He numbers into my neck again and I can’t stop the light laugh escaping me, even when he lets out a whine of protest, my heart melting even more.

“I will be right here when you come back down.” I turn in his grip, holding his face in both hands once again and making him look me the eyes, tiredness and fear settled deep in the cognac of his gaze, “I promise.”

He stares at me for a few seconds more before nodding once, pressing a kiss to my forehead and disappearing upstairs so I can grab us bowls and mix everything together before serving it up. By the time he comes back down I’m sat on the sofa with my bowl in hand and his on the table, waiting for him. He practically dives into the seat, sitting almost too close to me but I’m not gonna complain, I want everything Tommy has to offer me and it’s obvious the feelings are reciprocated. We don’t talk while we eat. We don’t have to. Each other’s company is enough until our bowls are empty and his lips are on my neck.

Tommy’s grabbing my hands and guiding me upstairs, hands on my hips and lips leaving scorching heat over every bit of bare skin he can find walking me backwards until my legs hit the bed. I pull my shirt over my head, him doing the same before I lay back, watching the way Tommy climbs over me and his fingers trail up and down my body as if trying to map it out and remember it for future, just in case, “You’re so beautiful baby girl.” He murmurs, lips trailing down my stomach to the waistband of my jeans, popping the button with his nimble fingers and I lift my hips for him to slide them down, his boxers going with them until I’m bare. He kneels above me, taking me in and I try hard not to squirm away or cover myself as he seems to need this after the patrol today, the featherlight touches and bags under his eyes say it all, “How did I end up getting so lucky.”

“I think it’s the curls.” I joke, watching the way his eyes crinkle in an amused smile before he’s leaning down and capturing my lips in a kiss that has me trying to follow his lips with my mind but his hands holding my shoulders down stops me.

“If it’s my curls then no touching.” He growls in my ear, drawing a whimper from my parted lips before he’s sliding down so he’s between my legs. He wraps his arms around my thighs before burying his face in my weeping mound with no warning, my hands going for those curls but I have to stop myself, wrapping the sheets in my grip as my back arches into the thrusts his tongue begins. If he continues at this brutal pace I’m not going to last much longer, he’s dragging me closer and closer to the bliss with every moan he lets out against my sensitive clit as he eats me out like a starved man. My body acts on it’s own as I ride out the bliss but it stops suddenly, dragging an anguished cry from me and my eyes flying open to see my hand is in Tommy’s hair.

Fuck.

He’s got a smirk on his lips, glistening with my arousal as he pulls my hand out of his hair and stands. I whine, hips rocking down onto nothing, needing him to get me there. He just watches, eyes almost black and blown wide as his voice comes out low and strained, as if he’s struggling to hold himself away from me, “What did I say baby girl.”

“N-no touching. Baby please.” I’m practically a blubbering mess, needing him, and I should be embarrassed but the way he licks his lips has me far from it, “I need you.”

It’s like his restraint snaps as he’s climbing back over me, lining himself up and pushing to the hilt in one quick move. It has my nails dragging down his back as he catches that sweet spot with the first thrust, my back arching up and my eyes rolling into the back of my head. My mind blanks out and I’m chanting his name like a prayer as I clench around him as I ride out my orgasm, the shock of it tensing even muscle in my body. Tommy just holds me close, thumb soothing over my cheek and hips twitching as he tries to stay still until I’m coming down, voice soft and wrecked as he practically begs, “One more baby girl.”

He’s waiting for my consent despite being balls deep and I’m nodding, not trusting I’ll be coherent if I try and talk. My body can’t decide if it wants to try and scramble away from the quick thrusts or move into them, a cry escaping me when he begins to circle my now oversensitive clit. It has me trying to scoot away from him as my body reacts with both pain and pleasure but his tight grip on my hip holds me in place as he grazes his teeth across my neck and collarbone. I’m letting out dirty sounds, barely able to hear them as all I can focus on is the way he fucks me raw, another building orgasm making itself known, my walls fluttering around him. My ankles lock up around his hips as he lets out a beautiful sound, my name falling between it and he’s filling me up. The feeling alone has me clamping tightly around him, milking his dry as I practically yell in pure ecstasy. Tommy’s caressing my hair as I slowly come back down, whispering about how much he loves me and how good I am just for him. It has me pulling him closer, blushing furiously at the chuckle rumbling in his chest.

“Bed.” He nudges me up, neither of us wanting to part, having been one after a long day apart. He manages to roll us onto our sides so we’re facing each other, my legs unwinding from his waist as he pulls the duvet up. I should care about the sweat or the mess leaking out around his softening dick but I can’t because it’s Tommy and he’s all encompassing and everything I’ve ever wanted or needed. This is the future I want.

“Never leave me Tommy.”

“I won’t if you won’t.”

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Part One // Part Two // Part Three // Part Four // Part Five

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tryingtimi · 2 years

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TIIMIIIII. 6, 15, 17, 18, 23, 34, 39, 44, 48, and 49, right back atchu! >P

HAH, FAIR ENOUGH. I’M READY!

6. Single or multiple POV? Multiple. I’ve started with single POVs, but then somehow I always ended up with a bunch lol.

15. How do you deal with writer’s block? Basically same as self-doubt. Stepping back from writing and painting, modelling instead. Cleaning, organising and reading a whole lot, also working out, meditating. I start every healthy habit again I left behind some months ago for some reason. Plus watching a new series or movie, meeting up with friends and family. And/or asking or searching for prompts :D.

17. What writing habits or rituals do you have? None. I just need a clean space and music to start writing, so if I have that, I’m ready.

18. If you could collaborate with anyone, who would it be, and what would you write about? You and anything ;) Also Brandon Sanderson among famous people with some quirky sci-fi fanatasy stuff.

23. Favourite author My keyboard is gonna get worn out on the letters of Brandon Sanderson’s name.

34. What was the hardest scene you ever had to write? Huh, there’s a lot, but recently there was a scene where Syonehlia and Avelyn from Metalsea are getting homesick and they’re having some sister bonding time. That was a very hard one because happy moments are not coming to me that easily than angsty ones do. Idk why tho.

39. Weirdest character concept you’ve ever had Umm. Maybe this bloodsucker (no, not a vampire exactly) dude who wanted to sacrifice himself to perish his kind from earth because he was the first and last one, but then he kind of changed his mind through the process of killing him because deep down he thought it’s unfair from the others to wish him die. This is from a story that I have among my docs in a year now but I'll still leave in the backburner even though I really love that idea. I'll finish those I've started already before I dive into that one.

44. How much research do you do? "A metric fuck ton." :D I am a research freak that's for sure. I really love to learn about new things and I have this thing that I want to be expert on the interesting stuff I stumble upon. So that means, if I start to search for something I end up in a rabbit hole of new information which leads to not getting actual writing done.

48. What’s the most self-insert character/scene you’ve ever written? I give all of my characters a little piece from myself usually, but, to be completely honest, Avelyn Dione from Metalsea turned out too much of like me. So, uh, yeah. You'll see, I guess.

49. Which character would you most want to be friends with, if they were real? Oooo, I love this one too. Bra'aka from Metalsea and Auva from IQRUS. Bra'aka would be very fun to hang out with, because he would literally mother me all the time, but also we could bicker a lot and write poems together. For Auva, I would love her questions on how things work and why we do what we do, or why it's really confusing what we do and we say, etc. She would also be the one who would encourage me to write and read a lot when I'm with her, so she can basically study these things and she would love to know everything about the process, the "why"s in this topic too.

#ask game #writer's ask game #aschlindartroom #so much fun #<3 #get to know timi

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dear-heather-gray · 3 years

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“Front lines”

About: Smut of Kaeya having your services being served in the front lines ;)

🧍‍♀️I might redo this, this is just based on a daydream I had.

Wattpad: Tainted_Desires

——

“Oh? It seems you made it on time for once.” The cryo user said, his arms crossed against his broad chest as he stared down at the famous “honorary knight”. “Yes, what did you need my help with?” Y/N said, tilting her head up to face Kaeya. “Well, you see...” He began, pausing soon afterwards as he walked around his desk slowly, almost tauntingly. “The Abyss order has been a bit more active than usual, so I’d like it if you came with me to investigate. After all, maybe you can find more use for me on the front lines. How 'bout it boss?” The traveler blinked, tilting her head before agreeing after silently eyeing the exit. “Haha, just don't feel intimidated by what I can do.” He finished, his lips pulling upwards into a small smirk before he reached for a paper on his desk, soon presenting it to Y/N.

“This right here, is our main suspect. This fire mage, from what we know, has been the one causing all this trouble.” He started to explain. “The odd thing about him? He throws a red shimmery bottle filled with god knows what.” Y/N frowned a bit. “Do we know what exactly it does?” A chuckle passed his lips as he stared down at her. “It’s been making people behave...interesting, to say the least. It’s best we don’t get hit with it ourselves.” With that last bit of information, the two went on their way to confront the fire mage behind the ruckus.

—

Upon arriving, Y/N couldn’t help but notice what seemed to be red shimmery slime on the tiles on the bridge. The closer they got to the end of it, the more there was. Speeding up her walk into a light jog, she quickly came to a stop when Kaeya held out his arm, his other hand resting above his sword. In front of them laid a scene unlike no other. A few of the knights were laid out passed out on the ground with their swords not too far from them, cheeks flushed with red along with their suits being splatted with that same shimmery red liquid Y/N show on the bridge. Looking at their faces more clearly, she noticed a red hue painted on their face. Mouths part open slightly as drool came slowly trailing down, eyes dazed while some had theirs closed. Y/N squatted down next to one of the fallen knights, fingers reached out to touch the liquid when her wrist was harshly grabbed before she felt her body being jerked away. “Ah ah ah, remember what I said in the office? Let’s not touch it. But then again,” He released her hand. “If you’re dying to touch it, be my guest.”

Y/N stared at the captain before scoffing, what was it with him and his words? “Kaeya, we don’t know what it does! We can bring a sample back to Lisa, for her to test. Wouldn’t it be best if we do tha—“ “Kufufu...” Standing up and summoning her sword, Y/N turned around and gritted her teeth. “You!” She seethed out at the fire mage, her hidden frustration with working with Kayea coming out. “Wait, Y/N—!” Charging at the mage, she rose her sword to strike when he disappeared in flames, causing her to swing at nothing but the air. Turning around quickly on her foot, she turned around ready to strike once more when she noticed the mage appearing behind Kayea as they threw the liquid bottle at Kaeya who was caught off guard. Pausing her attack, she watched with wide eyes as Kayea turned around to swing at the mage only to be hit with the red liquid, staining his white parted shirt. It seemed as soon as the liquid hit Kayea, the mage did a brief dance before disappearing shortly afterwards.

“Kaeya! Are you okay?!” She asked rushing to his side, watching as he fell down to his knees. Her sword forgotten as she searched over his face. “I’m...fine..” He muttered out, placing a hand on his chest, pulling it away to reveal the red slime texture. Y/N cupped his chin and brought it up to her face, finding it odd how he seemed to purr in her grasp. “Y/N...” He began, traveling his gaze up to her face, a lazy smile on his face before he pushed her down with strength she was not expecting. “Kaeya?!” She exclaimed out, winching when her head made contact with the ground.

“Shh...You’re so cold...mind cooling me off?” He whispered in front of her face, lips slowly closing in on hers as Y/N’s eyes grew wider and wider. Just what had gotten into him? “Ka—“ Closing her eyes, she allowed herself to become victim to his touch. Kaeya gently connected their lips together while one of his hands gripped her hips, holding them to the ground while the other laid beside her head. A soft moan escaped his lips as he nuzzled his body closer to hers, grinding against her with no shame while Y/N’s face turned red as a tomato.

It wasn’t till he pulled away that she was able to speak, although not for long as Kayea went towards her neck. “W-What are you doing asshole?! Let...me go!” She said in a flustered panic, her hands placed on his shoulders to push away only to receive a playful bite on her neck. “Mhm...” Ignoring her passive aggressive response, the cryo user sat up on her waist, officially trapping her as he ran a hand through his hair, his signature smirk appearing. “Why, I’m showing you how you can be more use for me on the front lines of course.” Peering down at her, he couldn’t help but chuckle. Her cheeks flushed with slight sweat coating her body, eyes wide and panicked but most of all, helpless. His smirk seemed to grow more smug as he released a small chuckle, trailing a finger down her cheek. “Look at you...” Tilting her head back over to face him, he tilted his own and sneered down at her. “All hot and bothered by simple touches...” Releasing his touch from her, Kayea briefly glanced at the other fallen knights. “It seems that...this, thing can actually work in our favor—“ Leaning down close to her face, he continued. “Wouldn’t you say, Y/N?”

“Get ahold of yourself, this isn’t you!” Just what was in that bottle that mage made?! Her heart couldn’t take this abuse, especially from Kayea. As cliche as it as, she actually helped out more around town in order to gain his attention. She wanted to become closer to him. She had a crush on the most flirtatious person in this world. “I could say the same for you.” She jolted when she felt a pair of fingers trail over her shorts, directly on her pussy. “Just how wet did you get..? It’s seeping through, it’s almost pathetic.” He degraded with ease, his playful tone causing Y/N to burn with embarrassment. Trailing his hands over his own body this time, he made sure to put on a show as his hands went lower, bringing attention to the growing bulge in his pants.

“Just how long do you plan on denying it?” His hands went down to his zipper. “I can’t think straight...” He lightly whimpered as he freed himself from his personal hell, his pants. “Let me fuck you, Y/N.” He panted out, lightly grinding himself against her shorts. She stared at him through narrowed eyes before huffing, pulling down her shirt and soaked panties. “...” The moment he placed his dick onto her outer walls, he released a moan. “Oh fuck...” He held her hips, gaze staring down at her before he began to hump himself against her. The action alone caused her to feel her liquids starting to run down her thighs, her gaze flickering towards the dazed knights to the horny Kayea ontop of her. “Come on princess, I need you...don’t you want to help me?” He began to tease. “Use your voice, tell me.” He sneered once more. “I didn’t know you were such a slacker. You cant even tell me you want me inside of you, despite grinding against me?” Y/N glanced down only to see that he was right, he long stopped moving his hips. “I-I...” “Come on, you can do it. Just say, “Kayea~ Please make my pussy feel good~.” He said breathlessly, rolling his eyes back in a sense to mock her future expression. Y/N bit her bottom lip before lightly spreading her hole for Kayea to see, looking away as she harshly pushed the words out of her mouth. “I-...Kayea, p...please make my...p-pu...” She inhaled. “Pussy feel good.” The man had the audacity to laugh at her, wiping away a fake tear. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t hear you?” Although this was torture for him to do, it was worth it. “Kaeya! P...PLEASE MAKE MY PUSSY FEEL GOO—MMFH?!” His hand placed itself on her mouth as soon as he pushed inside of her, watching her expression carefully before he shivered. “Damnit...Why are you so wet..? I fit right in, like a glove.” Removing his hand he watched as she herself shivered and gripped at his pants. “...I’ll...kill you...” She glared at him before closing her eyes, only to have her jaw grabbed forcefully. “Hm? Do you really want to say that?” To prove his point, his hips lightly thrust into her, immediately causing her to release a moan. “Come on, why don’t we enjoy ourselves?” Sitting up, he trailed his hands back down to her hips, massaging before grabbing them. “Try not to wake up our friends here, yeah? We wouldn’t what Amber to hear all from inside, after all..” Pulling out till the tip was in, he slammed back into her. “We’re right at the edge of the bridge.” Y/N gripped harder as she stared up at the peaceful sky, keeping her moans to a reasonable level.

“Oh god yes! It feels so good Y/N, you’re swallowing me whole at this point...Have you been practicing?” He teased, not giving any mercy to the girl underneath him as he chased after the pleasure and coolness he felt as he kept diving deeper inside of her. The deeper he went, the more his body felt better. “Come on now, wake up.” Y/N barely managed to glance at him as Kayea tilted his head. “Don’t want to be late, right? But then again, you really are a slacker...”

When she next open her eyes, she was inside the library. The amount of disappointment that she felt was almost as large as Zhongli not understanding when she told him a dad joke. Rubbing her face she released a frustrated groan. Standing up, she decided to see just exactly what the hell happened when suddenly she gripped the table. Just as she gripped the table, the door to the library opened to reveal the one person she was not expecting. “Oh? Here you were. My dear, were you trying to avoid me?~” Kayea said as he made his way over to her, wrapping one of his arms around her waist while the other cupped her cheek. “I thought you were resting in bed after yesterday, but I’m afraid I was mistaken. So, how was it?” He leaned closer to her face. “Did you like helping me on the front lines?”

#genshin impact #genshin imagines #genshin kaeya #genshin smut #idk what else to tag #what did i get myself into

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i-am-a-bad-influence-writes · 3 years

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Red, White, and Blue neon lights

Steve Masterlist - Full Masterlist

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: Bucky knew damn well Steve wasn’t going to get any action himself and after the fiasco at the fair, he decided it’d be better to just have him look at women instead of having to keep them entertained. But leave it to Steve to fall in love with a burlesque performer.

Word count: 2616

Author’s note: This is with Steve after the serum. Just pretend they’re on a break from the war or smthng. I know full well that it doesn’t work like that, but I want to do this around the forties. Also, I wrote this quite quickly cause I was inspired so I didn’t preread it. Gif isn’t mine.

In the darkest alleyways of the city, Bucky drags Steve along to a bar with red, white, and blue neon lights forming the, now iconic, uncle Sam poster. From outside, Steve can hear music that is nowhere near the music you ordinarily hear in bars. It slow and sensual. He reads the sign above the door. Doll Dizzy*. America’s finest broads. “Of course they had to word it like that,” Steve thinks to himself, almost visibly shaking his head.

‘Why are we here again,‘ Steve asks Bucky, obviously uncomfortable because of the unfamiliar scene while Bucky looks to fit in.

‘Well, I was thinking-‘

‘That’s never a good idea.‘ Steve gains a slap to the arm from Bucky while he grins at him.

‘Oh shut your hole,‘ Bucky laughs, ‘see, I was thinking. If Captain America is worse at pulling chicks than a chrome dome geezer, than why not bring him somewhere where the girls are already in their unmentionables?‘

‘I feel like I should be offended.‘ Bucky grins again and puts his arm around Steve’s shoulders.

‘Come on, lets just enjoy the night.‘ Steve sighs and nods, following Bucky into the dim establishment. Bucky buys the both of them a ticket and they walk into the bar.

Inside, everything is doused in neon lights. On their left is a bar with more liquor than even Steve could ever consume and in front of them are tables, booths, and a stage. Everything looks quite overly dramatic to Steve. The curtains that cover the stage are the same ones you see at the theater and the booths and tables look a bit more like they belong in a club uptown.

Nevertheless, Bucky guides them to a booth in the back. A little discreet spot and Steve thanks him for it. His image as America’s golden boy is still imminent and he wants to keep it going that way after all that’s happened.

A scarcely clad woman comes to their table and Steve turns a bright shade of red. He tries to look anywhere but her body, but all he gains are giggles and laughs from both the woman and Bucky.

‘Afternoon gents, what can I get ya?‘ She seems friendly, but Steve still finds it hard to stay respectful.

‘My friend here has to get a bit of a buzz,‘ Bucky tells the woman with a pat on Steve’s chest, ‘what’ll do that for me?‘

‘Got just the thing. I’ll be right back.‘

‘Thanks doll.‘ The girl scurries off and Steve finally breathes again. Bucky laughs.

‘Where in the heavens did you bring me?‘

‘It’s a burlesque bar,‘ Bucky grins, ‘it’s about as much fun you can have without anyone being naked.‘

‘I don’t think-‘

‘No, stop,’ Bucky waves a finger in his face, ‘don’t think. Just enjoy the show. It’s just singing and dancing, but the girls just aren’t wearing their petticoats. That so bad?’

‘I suppose not.‘

‘That’s a good lad,‘ Bucky speaks proudly. The girl comes back over with their drinks and puts them down. She brought them a shot and a beer to chase it. Bucky hands Steve a shot and clinks their glasses together. ‘To beautiful women.’

Steve sighs and throws the shot back, knowing it’ll do nothing for him. At least Bucky is having a good time.

The curtain opens and a man in suit stands on the stage holding a piece of paper and a microphone.

‘Good evening gentlemen,‘ he says with a dirty smile. It’s the kind of smile that makes Steve feel dirty to be here. ‘We have some beautiful dolls waiting to perform for you, but first the rules. Rule number one, you don’t touch the girls. Touch the girls and you will be escorted out. Number two, no forceful behavior towards our girls. We care for our girls and we will throw you out. Number three, no vulgar language about our girls. They are here performing for your pleasure. Thank you very much for your attention. We have a beautiful line of women standing ready for you. Rose, Pansy, Lavender, Peony, but right now I have the pleasure to introduce to you, our pride and joy, Jasmine.‘

‘Are those their real names,‘ Steve asks Bucky in a whisper.

‘Of course not,‘ Bucky chuckles.

They watch as the curtains close for a short while. When they open again, a woman in a red, floor-length dress with a sweetheart neckline and a slit all the way up to her hip so you can clearly she see isn’t wearing knickers steps onto the stage. Her lips painted as red as her dress and her hair done beautifully. She stands behind the microphone, barefoot.

The men begin cheering when the piano man starts playing and the girl starts swaying her hips. Steve’s eyes go wide when he hears her voice. She has this southern sound to her voice, but it sounds heavy and dragging. It’s the kind of voice that has a story. It’s to beautiful to be like that naturally. She could put most famous singers to shame in Steve’s opinion.

‘A real looker, ain’t she,‘ Bucky elbows Steve to get his attention, but he just hums in agreement. It doesn’t strike Bucky as anything strange when Steve seems to be staring so intently at the woman. After all, they are here to ogle women.

The number ends too soon. Steve turns his attention back to his glass while Bucky continues to enjoy the women on the stage.

Song after song passes until Jasmine returns to the stage, this time dressed in much less. To Steve, she’s still as beautiful as she was before. He enjoys her singing and her enjoyment in singing. This time around, she seems to be looking at him as well. When she dances, she seems to look for his reaction every time it’s a bit more scandalous.

Or maybe he’s just imagining it. After all, there are lots of guys here. Maybe she’s looking at Bucky. Bucky is much more confident and was always considered the better looking one of them. And suddenly the song has passed.

A few minutes later, their waitress puts a bottle of champagne on their table with three glasses.

‘Oh, we didn’t order this,‘ Steve says, looking at her in confusion. She throws him a smile and just walks off. ‘What was that all about,’ he asks Bucky, but he just shrugs.

‘Good evening gents, may I join you,‘ a female voice asks them. The two look to their side and there she stands. Jasmine dressed in her clothes from the last song, or lack thereof, and a sheer robe tied over it.

‘By all means,‘ Bucky smirks, pulling Steve to his side so she’ll slide into the booth on his side.

‘I must say, I never expected Captain America to visit a place like this one,‘ she looks smug, almost proud, ‘I think this kind of corruption calls for celebration. Bucky, darling, could you open the bottle for us. Don’t shoot it please, it’s expensive.‘

Bucky follows her orders to a tea, like a good soldier should. He pours the glasses, handing her the first as a gentleman should. But she seems to have much more attention for the bigger man.

‘Cheers, to your corruption,‘ she says to Steve. He gives her a shy nods and the three take a sip. ‘So how’d this git manage to drag you down here?‘

‘Git?‘

‘What’s that? Can’t take a bit of ragging**, Barnes,‘ she teases, but quickly turns back to Steve, ‘well? You don’t seem a man who goes around in the sticks***.’ Steve isn’t sure what to say. It’s not like there’s any way to talk this into a good thing. He was nearly dragged by his hair.

‘The man has a hard time talking to women,‘ Bucky tells her, ‘so I thought I’d bring him here so he wouldn’t have to talk.‘

‘Ah, like so. Well, if I’m bothering you, you can just say.‘

‘Oh, no, I quite enjoy your company,’ Steve mutters barely audible. She grins brightly an shuffles and bit closer to him. Most of the talking is still done by Bucky and Jasmin, but he quite likes her with them. She leaned into him more and more, teasing and playing with the cuffs of his sleeves.

‘Well gents, thank you for a wonderful night. I best get going if I want to catch the last bus,‘ she smiles and gets up, ‘maybe I’ll see you two around?’ Bucky nods, but Steve is still amazed and quiet. She leaves looking utterly amused and Steve knows he’s blown it. His heart was beating too damn fast for him to be able to get any words from his mouth.

‘Ey, loverboy,‘ Bucky snaps his fingers in front of Steve’s face, ‘you good?‘

‘Yeah, fine.‘

Into the cold of the night they step. Bucky and Steve. Bucky obviously fairly buzzed, Steve awfully sober. If only he’d be able to get at least a little buzzed to match his friend. But hey, at least he doesn’t have to call a cab.

Steve drags Bucky in the direction of the car when he sees this pretty little thing sitting by the bus stop. He recognizes her right away. Jasmine.

‘Evening,‘ he greets with a small smile. She looks at him and smiles, leaning back a little to straighten her back and make herself look bigger.

‘Evening capt’n, did you have a good night,‘ she asks cheerfully.

‘Wonderful. Thank you for spending some time with us,‘ he gives a small nod in appreciation.

‘Your friend ok?‘

‘Buzzed,‘ he explains to her with a shrug, ‘nothing I can’t handle.‘

‘I can see that. He’s basically sleeping.‘

‘You miss your buss?‘ She nods, her smile faltering. ‘Need a ride?‘

‘Sorry I was acting so-‘

‘Don’t bother,‘ she giggles, ‘most proper men get weird around the bar. Just glad you’re one of them. Would be a real shame if Captain America turned out to be a dick, wouldn’t it?‘ He smiles at her joke. He know she’s just saying it to make him feel at ease, but it sounds sincere and he grasps onto that part rather than the other.

‘May I ask your name? I feel strange calling you Jasmine.‘

‘It’s Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N.‘

‘Y/N? That’s a very pretty name,‘ he compliments, trying to sound smooth but the happiness on his face is hard to miss.

‘Thank you.‘ He notices she’s staring at him while he drives. Bucky is snoring in the back seat, but it still feels quite romantic in the front. He does feel nervous, but she makes it feel easier.

‘Say Y/N, I know this isn’t quite how it’s supposed to go, but may I ask you to join me for dinner sometime?‘ He takes a quick peek over at her shocked face.

‘Oh, ehm, wow,‘ she stammers.

‘You don’t have to of course,’ he quickly tells her to make her feel at ease, but then he hears her giggle.

‘I would be honored to join you for dinner,‘ she gleams, ‘I just didn’t expect you to have the guts to ask.‘ She looks to the snoring figure in the back. ‘He’d be proud of you if he heard.’

‘We’re here.‘ Steve parks the car on the curb and runs out to open the door for her on her side. She smiles brightly when he does and takes his hand.

‘Such a gentleman,‘ she comments, pressing a quick kiss to his cheek while she gets up, ‘I like it.‘ His face turns bright red again as he walks her to her front door. ‘Wait here for a second,‘ she asks him before slipping inside. He watches the lights turn on and some rumbling inside. It takes her no longer than a minute or two before she comes back to the door holding a piece of paper. ‘My address and phone number.‘ He nods and takes it, putting it in his breast pocket.

‘I’m sorry I sound so impatient, but would you be free tomorrow,‘ he asks her, ‘see, I don’t know when I’ll be deployed again.‘

‘Tomorrow would be wonderful. Pick me up at six?‘

‘Certainly.‘ The two stare at each other for a moment, his eyes looking at her soft lips. She took off the red lipstick, but they still look amazingly inviting and soft. ‘Would it be improper to kiss you right now?‘

‘It would,‘ she answers with a mischievous smile, ‘but you’ve already seen me in my unmentionables.‘ He takes a step closer to her, gently resting his hands on her hips as she lays her hands on his shoulders.

‘We’ve been doing this whole thing backwards, haven’t we?’ She smiles at him as she feels her heart beating faster and faster. Men like this are hard to come by. And she even found one she actually likes.

‘We have,‘ she answers and presses her lips against his. It’s a short, but wonderful kiss. The both of them gleam when they let go of each other in a state of pure bliss. ‘I’ll see you tomorrow.‘ He nods and watches her go inside before he gets back in the car.

‘Who would’ve though.‘ Steve jumps out the sound of Bucky’s voice.

‘Jesus Christ Buck, you scared me,‘ he puts a hand to his chest trying to control his breathing and the adrenaline running through him.

‘I’m proud of you punk,‘ Bucky smiles and pats Steve on the back, ‘she’s quite the catch.‘ Steve smiles proudly, but looks down at the steering wheel.

‘Of course I have to manage to fall in love with a woman completely out of my reach,‘ Steve laughs, ‘it’s not the first time.‘

‘But this woman obviously wants you too,‘ Bucky tells him. They both know they’re revering to Peggy who has always been out of reach for Steve.

‘How can you be so sure about that?‘ Bucky gives him an unbelieving look, confused at Steve’s words.

‘I’m sorry, did you forgot you were just kissing her at the door,‘ he asks the man next to him, ‘believe it or not, this woman is interested in you.‘ Suddenly, Steve gets scared once again. This time because of tapping on the window. Steve rolls his window down and sees Y/N again.

‘Hey, I’m sorry to intrude, but would you want to come inside? Oh, hi Bucky.‘

‘I would love to.‘ She nods with a disappointed look on her face, knowing where this is going.

‘But you have to drive Bucky back.‘

‘I do.‘

‘No you don’t,‘ Bucky stops him, ‘we’re less than a mile from base. I can walk. No problem. Need to sober up anyway. They don’t like drunks at the base.‘ He’s more talking to her than to Steve. He knows the only convincing Steve needs is her convincing. His won’t work. He’s already overused that today.

Before Steve can say anything, Bucky is out of the car. He salutes Steve and Y/N and head in the general direction of the base. Speechless, Steve gets out of the car and follows Y/N inside.

She sits him down on the couch and curls up on the other side, both of them holding a cup of tea. She seems much shyer than before, but a good kind of shy.

‘Tell me if I’m going to fast,‘ she mumbles, ‘but I’ve never met a man quite like you and I’m sure my momma would tell me to keep you as close as I possibly can.‘

‘That’s a big compliment. Thank you,‘ he smiles shyly. She puts her cup of tea on the coffee table and moves towards him on the couch.

‘Can I kiss you again?‘

*Doll dizzy: A boy who’s crazy about girls. **Ragging: Making fun of, nagging. ***In the sticks: Undesirable location.

A white Jasmine stands for sweet love.

#steve rogers x reader #captain america x reader #captain america #captain america fanfic #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfic #marvel fanfic #marvel fanfiction #marvel #steve x reader #cap x reader

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arkannis · 3 years

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Hello,

I just recently got into the Old Republic Fandom, and the Eternal Empire is my favorite arc. I do wish there was more story content to give more development to the characters, particularly in Arcann's case. While I love his romance scenes, I wish there were more scenes about his redemption and relationship with the Outlander or a dark side ending where the Outlander or Arcann takes the throne with the other as a consort. I found your blog while trying to find content further developing his character. Thank you so much for posting all your headcanons and musings!

With that being said, what are your headcanons for Zakuul culture? And could you post a masterpost compilation of your Arcann headcanons? I am trying to find the post where the romance novels headcanon originated in the tags and not having much luck.

Hope you have a nice day!

Hi anon!! Sorry for a late reply. First I’ll answer the second part of your message. The romance holonovels headcanon originated from the this post ; the post doesn’t outright say it, but some people in the tags (when they reblogged it) mentioned that Arcann probably seemed like the type to read romance in his free time. As of what I can remember the tags were from this reblog and this other reblog and both say that Arcann reads romance holonovels. The continuation of this headcanon were in replies or tags, so it’s hard to track them all down! Secondly, my Arcann tag is a mess, and I probably threw in multiple headcanons in reblogs or tags so it would be hard to find them all... I’ll think about making a masterpost, but I don’t think I have time for something like that right now. Ok, now that’s over with... I 100% agree with you, anon! I HAVE so many things to say about the possibility about that dark side ending. I don’t think devs were planning to make Arcann a possible romance option in the beginning, so it wouldn’t have been possible to be his LI and rule as emperor/empress. I also agree with the development of the characters... however, Arcann’s redemption and relationship with the Outlander was definitely rushed, because the plans to make a third expansion was apparently cancelled due to the backlash from fans who wanted pub vs. imp back. I made a whole post complaining about that... Otherwise, I definitely think they would have had more time to flesh out his characters and the other Zakuulan characters as well (Vaylin, Senya, Koth, etc.). I’m like pretty much sure content was cut out from KOTFE/KOTET to make them shorter. Due to such lost content, I have to create my headcanons from extrapolation based on the Sacrifice trailer, available codex entries, existing dialogue, and implications of existing issues. As well as other people’s hcs and commentary!! WARNING: SUPER LONG BULLET POINTS for Zakuulan culture headcanons.

The reason why I don’t have that many Zakuulan culture headcanons is because.... I feel like it’s so weirdly explored in the expansions.

I think the arts is a big thing in Zakuul! The Dragon’s Maw chapter gave me that kind of vibe. I also discussed this mildly (not) with Arcann. Most specifically THEATRE, PERFORMANCE AND SINGING.

Evidence: Senya sings and composes and there’s the famous Zakuulan holoperformer, Malita Tal. No, I don’t have evidence for theatre, but honestly? Zakuulans are so goddamn dramatic, they most definitely have reality TV series or drama series...

arcann be like oh you listen to malita tal? name all of her albums in alphabetical order or you get exiled

Zakuulan culture most definitely has idol culture, based on Malita Tal (and reportedly her performances were watched by millions). And those fans apparently also protested against Arcann’s rule. personally i think if they had twitter the u.s. gov*rnment would be wiped out.

I just think singing is a big thing in Zakuulan culture. I mean, even Valkorion sings (if you decide to kill Senya, his force ghost appears. They both have an exchange and it’s actually sweet for like 0.1 second).

I also think there would be typical Zakuulan fairytales embedded in the culture. Hear me out. Most specifically those type of royal fairytales with the princes and princesses. This can be heavily contributed to the fact that a royal family is essentially in power.

You cannot expect me to believe not a single person in Zakuul has written a Prince Arcann x reader holofic. You just can’t. Or Prince Thexan. Actually, I think Thexan would be more common, I think he was perceived to be more compassionate and kind compared to Arcann by the common folk? Since I know there’s that NPC dialogue where one of them goes how different it would be if Thexan took the throne instead.

The fairytales would probably involve a lot of references to the Old Gods. I kinda imagine that the enemy would be some sort of serpent, that is, Zildrog, because apparently he’s just a bedtime story to scare children away.

I think these Zakuulan fairy tales would contribute to the theatre and performance, acting culture that Zakuul has.

Furthermore, I just think the Tirall kids probably read these fairytales as well. francis dont talk about arcann reading again

I want to talk about the Old Gods and that religion, which is one of my favorite things ever... probably because the Gods are machines. Superweapon machines... ok ill shut up

Even if Valkorion basically got rid of the religion, it’s clear that the religion is still incorporated into heavy talk in Zakuulan culture (e.g. eyes of Esne, heart of Scyva).

My headcanon is that there are sanctuaries or small secret churches (?) for those who want to worship the Old Gods. Obviously the Herald of Zildrogs who believe in the Old Way are a cult, so I think people would look for an alternative.

I think there would be great effort to hide these places, as it can get you exiled. Thus these would probably be located in the Old World, rather than in a more obvious position like the Spire.

The beliefs of the Old Ways isn’t exactly clear, they aren’t exactly touched upon, which is a shame. I think people would ask for help from each of these gods depending on what they want.

Those who ask for Izax’ guidance want to seek success, accomplishments, power, and glory.

Those who ask for Scyva’s guidance ask for her to guide souls peacefully to death (she is described as someone who weeps beside Zakuulans as they march towards Izax - basically death) , or ask for help/compassion from her. Maybe maternity as well? Or parental love?

Those who ask for Aivela (goddess of passion) want her to guide them with her passion (Aivela accompanies Tyth, who is kind of a god of war/warrior). I think there would also be romance related stuff as well. If someone asked for help regarding their love related issues, it would probably be from Aivela!

I’m not sure about Esne - but maybe in a similar sense, if someone is suffering with jealousy - in any situation, they would ask guidance from her. I don’t know where I read this but I think the “eyes of Esne” expression meant like having eyes of jealousy.

Nahut? I don’t think he was worshipped. “Nahut was considered to be gray, formless and cold, and was denied worship by all except his mother Scyva.” But regardless, I think he still had a role to play.

After the Outlander takes the throne, and Zakuul renounces their membership from the Eternal Alliance, I think people would be allowed to openly express their religious beliefs, that is, the Old Ways. Oh, personally I headcanon that they would build beautiful places of worship in the Spire with similar geometrical pyramid designs...!!

Yeah...I think that’s all I got! I’ll need to see how I can somehow make this post easily found, lol. This is quite a long list, and I have to emphasize that these are my headcanons! They are based on what I see and I just kind of fill in the gaps to fit my own stories. This took a while to write because I KNEW I had these headcanons, but they just didn’t appear at the time I saw this anon ask. Anyways, I’ll probably create more headcanons in the future. Also:

a dark side ending where the Outlander or Arcann takes the throne with the other as a consort

I have so many things to say about this. I know the game won’t permit it, because if you think about it, both the light side choice (Eternal Alliance) and the dark side choice (Eternal Empire) are happy endings for your characters anyways. They can continue as the “hero” or the “protagonist”, so I don’t think this route could ever be implemented. However, I think it would be absolutely interesting if throughout the gameplay, players are given a choice to flirt with Arcann. The Outlander and Arcann agree to get rid of Valkorion, but thats if the Outlander decides to betray the Alliance and joins Arcann instead. And should they join him, they have the choice to romance him... and I guess it’s a happy ending for you both :P Obviously this won’t happen, but maybe it will. I wouldn’t mind being the prince consort of Arcann lol idk! me and vaylin are gonna be besties and we’ll paint each others nails or something Oh and have a nice day too anon...!!

#Anonymous #THIS IS A SUPER LONG POST AAAAAAAAAAAA #swtor #arcann #zakuul #kotfe #kotet #i need a special tag for this #zakuul hc

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thadelightfulone · 3 years

Text

All I Want... 25 Days of Christmas Challenge, Day 17

December 18th - Part 2

DeeDee parked in front of her apartment building and Erik pulled up beside her in his rental. He got out first and walked over to her car to help her out.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

“A girl could get used to this kind of treatment.”

“Is that right?” He grabbed her briefcase from her. “So, where are we headed?”

DeeDee pointed forward, “This building, Apt B15.”

Erik followed DeeDee as they walked into the building. He looked at the numbers on the doors as they passed them. Even numbers on the left and odds on the right. A quick assessment let him know her apartment was at the end by the other set of entry doors.

As soon as they passed B10, Erik slowed up to let DeeDee pass him. Then he scooped her up in his arms in a basket hold.

“What are you -” DeeDee squealed as she turned and held onto him for dear life.

Erik never broke his stride and kept walking. He laughed as DeeDee buried her face in his neck. “You ok there?”

“You couldn’t just hold my hand again?”

“I mean, I could have. But nah,” He stopped in front of her apartment but did not make a move.

“Erik, you can put me down now. I have to open the door.”

“Do you?” He shifted her in his arms. He gave her two quick squeezes to her side.

“Seriously?” She huffed and let go of him long enough to hand over her keys. “It’s the purple and silver key, Mr. Extra.”

Erik opened the door to her place, and set DeeDee down before they stepped inside and he closed the door.

“Take a look around, I’m gonna freshen up real quick before we go.” DeeDee took off her heels and walked towards her room.

“Sure thing. And don’t forget, you’re picking where we go. It’s your night.”

She turned back to him, “Ummm no. I am sure there are places that you want to go to since you are back. Pick one.”

“Little Miss DeeDee.”

“Ewww, not you combining names like that.” She walked up to him and poked him in the chest. “Why are you so difficult?”

“How am I being difficult? I want to go where you want to go.”

“What happened to what the lady wants, she gets.”

Erik’s face fell and DeeDee smirked.

“So, as I was saying, I know there has to be somewhere you want to eat at again.” She pointed a shoe at him. “The first place that comes to your mind is where we’ll go.”

Erik opened and closed his mouth, she had him. DeeDee winked at him and bounced down the hall to her room.

He walked over to her desk and set her laptop case and purse down. He made his way around the living room. The space really spoke to DeeDee and her personality. She had pictures of various floral and nature scenes on the walls interspersed with painted wooden framed photos of her, her family and friends. From the curtains to her furniture accents, if he didn’t know purple was her favorite color, her living room alone gave it away. All the pillows on her gray couch were various shades of it.

Erik unbuttoned his suit jacket and sat down on the couch, “Maybe I should start calling her a purple faerie.”

In the corner off to his left, he saw there was a small little potted tabletop Christmas tree decorated with silver tinsel and 3 simple handmade ornaments. Erik smiled as he looked everything over. In the midst of everything, she still had some time for Christmas spirit.

“Actually, I’m just good with plants, but don’t have space for a big live tree.”

He didn’t realize it said that last part out loud. Erik shivered and turned around at the sound of her voice. It was so nice to hear it in person and not over the phone. It made him feel things, he never thought he would again. And they are attached to the beautiful breath-taking woman standing before him.

DeeDee had changed into a taupe and gray sweater dress. The material hugged her curves in all the right places. In her hands, she had some matching booties.

“So, have you decided where we are going yet?” She asked.

Erik looked at DeeDee, “Uhhh, yeah.” He cleared his throat, “Yeah. Does Miss Carrie still have her spot up the street?”

“You mean, The Juke Joint?”

“That’s the one.” He stood up and walked over to her, “I remember she had some of the best gumbo I have ever had, and her seafood boils were the best, too.”

“Now, her food is good,” she scrunched her face, “but the best?” She leaned on his shoulder to put on her shoes. “Ehhhh.”

“Oh, so Dr. DeeDee cooks?” He held her hand to balance her.

“Thank you. I know how, yes. Do I cook regularly, no.” She straightened up and smoothed out the dress. “I just haven’t had the time but I definitely enjoy cooking when I can.”

“So, will I get a homemade meal before I leave?”

“Of course. Will it be from me, definitely not.” She shook her head and went to the desk to get her purse.

“Wow, ok.” Erik laughed and walked to the door, opening it, “We should probably go, so we can get a good table.”

“Yes, we should.” DeeDee walked past him and handed him the keys.

He locked up and held the keys out to her.

“Good boy.” She patted his hand as she took the keys back.

“Like that?”

“Yop,” she popped the P.

“I see you Little Miss Dr. DeeDee.” He watched her walk in front of him, “I see you.”

DeeDee looked back over her shoulder and switched her hips, “My eyes are up here, Mr. Erik.”

“Yeah, I wasn’t even trying to look at them though.” He directed his fingers, “Gone ahead and turn back around.”

“Mister Erik!” DeeDee squeaked.

“I like the view, so sue me.” He moved his hand again.

Suddenly, DeeDee ran for the door. He followed after her. “Girl, if you don’t -” He slowed down and watched her ass. “THANK YOU!” He yelled after her.

Erik roared with laughter, when DeeDee flipped him off as she dipped out the door.

---

The parking lot was full when they arrived at The Juke Joint. They walked in and were immediately seated at a booth. Erik waited as DeeDee slid in first, then followed after her.

As they looked at their menus, they heard a loud sound come from the back of the restaurant.

“Where is my baby?” A loud boisterous voice made its way closer to them, “I heard he was here.”

Erik tried to hide his laughter while DeeDee looked up in alarm.

“Oh my god, this woman.” She lowered her eyes to the table.

“Erik! Boy, where are you hiding?” Shuffling could be heard down the aisle. “Ooooh, there he go.”

DeeDee watched Erik as the voice approached their table. An older woman with silver grey hair in a long ponytail and hair net stood in front of them. Her blue and white gingham dress was covered by a white apron that read ‘Mama’s House.’ He slid out of the booth, stood up and pulled down his jacket.

“Ooooh, lemme get a look at you. All sharp in a suit. And your hair. I remember when you couldn’t even grow a beard and wore that awful mini fro.” She looked him up and down, “This grown ass man standing in front of me. You look good baby.”

“Thank you ma’am.”

“Now now, you know it’s Miss Carrie. You ain’t been gone but a minute, but you still one of my babies. Now, give me a hug.”

“Yes, Miss Carrie.” He leaned over and engulfed the much smaller woman in a hug.

“Lord, I always knew you would grow up to be something spectacular.” She shook her head and mumbled, “If I was a few years younger.”

Erik laughed while DeeDee groaned from her seat at the table.

Miss Carrie looked at her, “DeeDee? Girl, why you so quiet?”

“I didn’t want to interrupt you, ma’am.” DeeDee slid out of the booth and hugged her.

“So, you just gonna let me run on about this man and not speak. I know I taught you better.”

“Hi Mama. And I didn’t even know you knew him.”

“Knew him. This boy practically lived here when he was at Southern.” Miss Carrie watched her, “But how do you know him?”

“I, uh --” DeeDee wrung her hands in front of her.

“We met through Quis, Miss Carrie.” Erik interjected.

“Oh yeah, that’s right. Quis is your doctor mentor. Okay then.” She waved them both to take a seat. “Still doesn’t explain how my great-grandbaby can’t talk to me.”

“Your what?” Erik looked over at DeeDee.

“Yeah, DeeDee’s my oldest son’s only boy’s oldest daughter. The one child I have a relationship with.”

DeeDee sighed and put her elbows on the table. A quick chirp from Miss Carrie and she pulled her arms down into her lap.

“I did not know that Miss Carrie.” He eyed DeeDee, “But you know she was telling me earlier that your gumbo isn’t the best.”

“She said what now? Boy, everything this girl knows how to make, she learned from me.” She glared at DeeDee and pulled out her spoon, “You ain’t too old to get my spoon neither. Don’t play with me.”

DeeDee kicked him under the table and scooted away. Erik winced and leaned over to rub his shin while laughing.

“I hate you.” She mouthed to him.

“No, you don’t.” He mouthed back and winked at her. “Mama, can we have two bowls of your famous gumbo.”

“Of course, baby. You want your mix, too?”

“Your sweet tea and lemonade? Yes ma’am.” His eyes lit up. “It’s been years since I’ve had it.”

“Great. I will be handling your table myself since you are my special guest.” She picked up their menus, “And I should put DeeDee in the kitchen for talking that mess. Better be glad you on date.”

“Mama!”

“Nah, girl. I see your dress and we know you live in them yoga pant things. This is a date and I’m happy for ya.” Miss Carrie smiled at Erik, “You did good, girl. Real good.”

When Miss Carrie left the table, Erik scooted closer to DeeDee. She pushed him away.

DeeDee crossed her arms, “I didn’t know the good Doctor was a snitch.” She huffed.

“Snitch??? Who talks shit about their grandma, no great-grandma’s gumbo recipe? I’m surprised you didn’t get popped with that spoon.” He laughed, “You would have deserved that.”

“Shut up. And look, if I knew she named the Stevens lemonade after you, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

“Wait, she named it after me?” Erik looked at the drink menu and smiled. “I knew I loved that woman.”

“You gotta tell me about how you know her because apparently I know more about you than I really thought.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, she talked a lot during those cooking lessons.”

“What did she tell you about me?”

“Mama always talked about this lonely boy with a huge appetite. He came down south to learn about his mother’s family after his parents passed away.” DeeDee’s voice faded away.

“No, it’s ok. It’s true.” He looked at her, “I found this place after connecting with my dad’s side of the family. It was a lot to take in, finding out I was royalty and stuff. Like real royal lineage.”

Miss Carrie quietly slipped the drinks on the table and winked at DeeDee.

“I was just walking down the highway and spotted it. Mama came and sat with me. I poured my heart out to her that day.” He grinned, “Actually, she was the first person I told after I found out.”

“Wow. And then you became regular here?”

“Yeah, I was here at least 3 times a week. I have tried everything on her entire menu. In fact, I am sure that I may have helped create a few items.”

“You did.” Miss Carrie arrived with big bowls of gumbo. She set them down along with some hush puppies and with a medium clay pot. “Here’s your rice, baby. I loved this idea you had of keeping a separate container to control how much people want.”

“Thank you, Mama.” He said. “I’m glad I could help out in any way.” He immediately dug into the gumbo.

“I know another way you can help me out.”

Erik cleaned his mouth with a napkin and laid his spoon in the bowl. “Ma’am?”

“Take care of this girl.”

“Mama…”

Erik looked at DeeDee as he answered, “It would be my pleasure.”

Taglist: @teakturn @ghostfacekill-monger @shaekingshitup @nahimjustfeelingit-writes @woahitslucyylu @ladymac82 @bugngiz @eyeknowmywrites @ajspencer1892 @arafatih @issimplyaamazinggg @tchallasbabymama @killmonger-fics @beautifullmelodyxx @raysunshine78 @fd-writes @ljstraightnochaser @just-peachee @kaleidoscopeofsoul

#25 days of christmas challenge #erik killmonger x oc #black panther fanfiction #bp christmas #all i want #thadelightfulone

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tanakavox · 3 years

Text

Look into the mutiverse chapter 4

Thanks again to ExiledDarkness for writing the charcters reaction for this chapter. Please go check out his stuff. And if your wondering where Qrow came from, We forgot to add a scene for Qrow and didn't feel like going back.

This chapter is based of the Youtuber SomecallmeJohnny and his review of Super Mario 64. I had to cut it short because my laptod was acting up again and google docs was acting wonky, parts of the fic getting erased. Rest assure for the Somecallmejohnny fans, I won't just do his reviews. I have plans to do Super gaming bros reaction as well. And for those who don't know Johnny, go check him! Enjoy the reaction.

The screen lights up again and shows Jaune wearing a cap and hoodie and sitting on a bright red couch. He had a bit of stubble on his face and he was currently holding a controller in his hand as he turned on a device known as the N64.

"Oh? Jaune looks good with stubble." Blake comments. Everyone looks at Jaune and then back to the one on the screen. They all nodded in agreement.

"It's a go time! Super Mario 64!" He said in a high pitched voice with a bad accent.

The Jaune on the screen sighed seemingly tired. "Lady and Gents welcome back to the Super Mario marathon, And just like with Ocarina of time, this is a game that haunted me during the N64 lifetime. Jaune looked the the N64 sitting on his dresser and continued. "It was like the console itself was actively mocking me like: "Hey Jauney? How about you ditch that playstation and try me out instead?" The blonde's eyes lit up in anger. "Well I didn't have a job in 1996 you sensitive prick!" Jaune snapped at the console.

Everyone blinked at the sudden anger. Ruby turned towards JNPR and asked, "Are you okay Jaune?"

Jaune, still frozen from the sudden burst of anger from his other self, snaps back to reality and nods at the question. "Yeah, I think I understand what's happening here. But I'll stay quiet until I know for sure."

Jaune turned toward the screen and went on like nothing happened. "Last time I gave Mario attention, I was focused on what made the Italian "Plumber—"" He said with quotation marks. "—the video game icon he is today. Now we're gonna do it again only in 3d."

Jaune turned to his audience and smiled. "You guys ready for another Super Mario marathon?"

"Aha!" Jaune says as he slammed his closed fist on his hand. "This is me doing video games!"

Ren paused at hearing this information. "Then that explains the sudden burst of anger then." Nora and Jaune nod while the rest of the audience looks on confusedly.

RWBY look at each other before Yang hesitantly asks, "So why did he get so angry?"

Jaune laughs before scratching the back of his head. "I like video games but I hate it when I can't progress further into the game. Sometimes I get really into it, I guess."

"Here we go, Super Mario 64, the 64 being figureded to the console and not the 64 game in the series, Mario's first 3d game, and a launch title for the N64. It was highly praised and hailed as the 3d version of what Super Mario bros on the NES did for platemors at the time, Mario 64 did the same. But I came into the 64 train late, So I don't have what you call: Super Mario 64 memories. In fact my first 3d Mario game was the next game we'll be looking at: Super Mario Sunshine on the GameCube. Jaune's expression darkened as he smiled hurmlousy. "But that can wait. Oh it can wait." The tone of his voice was bitter and venomous.

Everyone laughed now knowing the context of Jaune's anger towards video games.

"Alright booting the game up and the first thing you see is Mario's head. You know to really hammer in that this is Mario's first 3d adventure. You can even fuck around with the face a bit but it doesn't really effect the game it's just there for fun.

We're also greeted by Mario's new voice, provided by Charles Margent. Shockingly this isn't his debut as the Jumpman, that was in Mario Fundamental, a Pc game released a year before. Pretty sure no one heard of it before someone did a document on it.

"This idea of a floating Mario head, perhaps more infamously in Mario teaches typing two. A floating deformed head pop on the screen.

"Hey? Are you ready for Mario type?" It asked.

"Mother of God." Jaune deadpan in horror.

"Despite the new voice, Mario doesn't speak much. It's mostly hiyas woohoos throughout the game. And he only speaks a full phase when he completes a goal or he falls asleep on the job. It shows the red clad mario on the ground sleeping.

"Ha spatgai, Ha ravioli." The plumber mutters in his sleep.

Nora drools over the names of food. They sound pretty good right now.

"Charles as Mario is so absorbed into my head I can't imagine anyone else doing the role. It's not like the acting is amazing or anything, he's been voicing Mario for nearly 20 years at this point. If Charles stepped out of the role for any reason, the next guy would just try to simulate Charles' voice.

"It's weird that way," Ren piped up, "No matter what happens people are going to remember the original no matter how much the new one tries to be the old one.

"Hear hear ninja boy" Qrow cheered a bit and took a swig of his beer.

"Okay nearly forgot that I was looking at a video game, Sorry about that. Well let's look at that plot shall we?"

"I'm curious to hear about the kind of story this game might have," Ozpin said as he crosses his legs.

"Boswer kidnaps Princess Peach, Mario must go save her, now that didn't take long now did it?"

Ozpin blinked and sat back in his seat, a bit disappointed.

"I'll let it slide this time since they probably wanted to keep it safe for the first game in 3d. Hell, the menu theme is the main theme for the series."

Qrow snorts. "Fair enough. I guess you can't expect these guys to be that ballsy."

The entire game is set in Peach's castle. Boswer has taken the power star, which I believe gives the castle power? Jaune shrugged. I dunno what they do, it's not really explain and getting more powerstar allows you to get into more levels, and that's the name of the game here. Bowser had set up routine courses in painting.

"The courses tend to varies but nothing here gets too crazy like other Mario games. It's not until late game you go to more odd place like in a clocktower or riding rainbow.

"The game's openness is the first thing you'll take note of in Mario 64. You can start a mission with a hint on what to do,but there is nothing stopping you from just doing a different mission and grabbing the star despite not being the mission you clicked on.

There are a handful of expectations like racing against against Koopa the quick who not gonna show up unless you chose his mission, but most of the time you can go at it on your own pace. Eh, I didn't wanna fight King Bo-mb yet, I want free the chain chomp and get the star there. I could take down King twop, or I could do a well place jump and get this unrelated power star. And that's where a lot of Mario's replay value comes in, not just getting the power star but how you get them.

"Oh, this game sounds fun! I should get it if we ever get out of here." Nora exclaimed.

"With what money Nora?" Jaune asked. Nora looked at Jaune with a wide smile. "No." Jaune deadpan. Nora pouted at his response and turned to Ren with a wide smile.

"No Nora. And do not ask Weiss either." Ren said with his eyes still on the screen and Nora pouted again.

Peach's castle acts as a hub world, the place you're exploring and using to get to other stages to get more power stars. But in order to duke it out with Bowser, you need to get a certain amount of power stars to access the level. As a guy who doesn't care for hub worlds I don't mind Peach's castle. The levels aren't too far apart and there are things you can do in the castle that can help you increase your star count. Like a secret race track that gives you two stars if you're fast enough, or an underwater level that contains an easy to get star. It challenges you in a way that makes it still feel like a Mario game.

"It sounds pretty easy at first glance, but I can understand how annoying it can become if you mess up at least once or twice." Jaune says. Ruby, Nora, and even Ren nod in agreement.

The biggest change to the formula was the jump to 3d, like with Ocarina of Time. He still has to break boxes, stomp on enemies, the works but this game gave the man a few extra moves to go along with the change to 3d. The analog stick is used to move Mario, the further you tilled it the faster he moves, instead of the run button we knew from the past game. Mario still has the jumps he's famous for, but pressing the jump button can allow Mario to reach the heights he's never seen until this game without a power up. He can crouch and crawl but I've only used this a total of once. But you standstill and jump you can do a backflip, and if you crouch and run you can do a long jump which I love using so much and because you can do some real fancy shit with it, and it makes Mario move faster to boot. If you snap the anlong back and jump he can do a somersault and if you jump towards a wall, Mario can wall jump as well.

Nora makes a face at the detailed review. "All these moves and stuff sound annoying. Why can't games be as simple like they are now?!"

Ren sighs and begins to explain but Qrow cuts in. "It's because of games like these were like test models that you get to play the good quality games you have now. I remember playing Soaring Ninja back when he was literally unplayable and useless. Now look at him!"

Ruby and Yang gasp, Soaring Ninja was unplayable?

"I wouldn't be surprised if this move came from the gameboy version of Donkey kong. That remake has a fucklord of levels and a handstand jump for Mario. He still takes damage if he falls too far, so he's just a pale imitation. Jaune had Mario wall jump a wall to prove a point. "The Mario I know could fall from any height and take no dam-" Jaune cut himself off his eyes widening when he heard Mario grunt in pain and his health go down a bit. "WHAT THE FUCK! He took damage from a large height! Mario! What's the meaning of this?" He asked in bewilderment, looking at the floating Mario head from earlier."

"Oh nice computer you have here. Can I have it?" the Mario head asked

"No!" Jaune exclaimed.

Everyone's eyes widened at the scene. Ozpin checked his mug with scrutiny to see if he was still drinking the right drink. Looked normal enough.

"Peach's castle has 120 power stars in the castle, but you only need 70 of them to beat the game." Jaune had a strained smile on his face as he continued. But where the fun in just getting 70 power star and beating the game that way, it not like getting all the star is that time com- for fuck sakes yes it is!"

"Let's just get one thing clear, I fucking depise the 100 coin misson. It's as simple as it sounds, grab 100 coins and then grab the star that appears over your head. Lather rinse repeat, for all 15 courses. In a game that usually has you go to once place and grab the star, collecting these coins brings the game to grueling crawl. Mario 64 doesn't have a checkpoint system. It doesn't bother me much. The levels are usually small and with Mario's new moves getting the Power star is not only comartable, it's also pretty fucking fun. And then their these." That venomous tone from before came back. The screen showcased the blue coins that have appeared throughout most of the video so far.

"Aw it's one of those games! The type that needs you to waste your time actually going through all of what the game has planned for you before you get to the final boss! What a rip off!" Qrow exclaims, tossing his hands in the air. Jaune agrees, crossing his arms and trying not to join in on the rage.

"No amount of looking of cute puppies. can cotain the amount of rage i have when I fuck up these mission with a impeferct jump or when a enemey hits me from behind. It's not always a painful process, but sucks so hard cause the coins are either place so far part or because they're so goddamn scarce! "Gotta kill those enemies before the coins blink away and scatter when they spawn. These blue coins are 5 regular coin a piece but you gotta get them before they blink away and you only got one shot! Was there area I didnt search, an enemy I skipped, I did I fuck up somewhere since I only have 64 coins after look around what feels like for fucking ever?!

"And try not get the last coin in a dangerous area or impossible to backtrack to. The star will always appear right above Mario's head, so make sure it's a safe locati-GODDAMN!"

The star had appeared in a caged area that Mario couldn't reach.

Everyone laughed at the other Jaune's misery. The Arf viewing the screen feels relieved that he himself isn't on the receiving end. Or was he?

"Couldn't just tell the star to come to you Mario?" Jaune asked the Mario head on his computer.

"When a moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that's amore!" Mario began to sing and Jaune facepalm when he didn't get answered. "When an eel lunges out…

"UNGAI?!" Jaune jumping up. A eel appeared and let out a roar and Jaune wasn't in his chair anymore, It being left spinning by how fast he booked it.

"That's amore!" Mario finished singing and chuckled. Get it? Amore eel? I said funny.

"Fuck you!" Jaune said from somewhere in the house.

All the immature audience members fell out of their seats in laughter while the more mature chuckled at the scene.

At the end of the day, I really shouldn't be going for all the Power star, and that's more of a technical issue, but I'm gonna bitch anyway. But despite the age, this game is still a treat to play even today. This has been Somecallmejohnny, and you guys have a Good Day.

Nora stretches and yawns. "Well, that was a nice one. Funny too! I wonder what's next?"

The end

#rwby #jaune arc #rwby ruby rose #blake bellodona #yang xiao long #qrow branwen #rwby ozpin #headmaster ozpin #rwby salem #rwby nora valkyrie #rwby lie ren #rwby mercury black #emerald sustrai #rwby qrow branwen #rwby oscar pine #somecallmejohnny #somecallmejauney #look into the multiverse

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cockasinthebird · 4 years

Text

“I pray you, do not fall in love with me, for I am falser than vows made in wine.” -William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 3 Scene 5

Brown and blue both stare up at the many a love declarations on the underside of the bleachers of Hawkins High. Football practice has begun, along with their ever so faithful cheerleaders, and while Robin was here just for how short those skirts went, Steve was here for both those legs, and the sweaty muscles of the blonde haired quarter back; how he shone like diamonds underneath the ruthless summer sky.

Robin hands him the roach, and he has possibly never felt more at peace than now, in the shade with the occasional breeze. But of course, he thought so every time the two of them decided to get high and lie in the grass.

“Tommy + Carol 4 Ever,” Steve reads out loud. “Fucking asshole.”

“Aw, does poor Steve still feel abandoned?” Robin pouts falsely and puts both hands behind her head.

“Shithead was my best friend for most of our lives, and now he's off somewhere licking Billy Hargrove's boot.” He frowns whilst pressing the final embers of their joint into the grass.

“You're just jealous,” she laughs mockingly at him and turns her head to peek out through the seats.

And Steve leans up on his elbows to look past her and in the same direction, to where he sees Billy Hargrove tearing off his helmet with a victorious smile, mullet done up in a low bun, bangs clinging wetly to his forehead.

“Fuck no,” he lies.

“Come on, Dingus.” Robin knocks their shoes together. “You know you can't lie to me.”

“I can try,” he huffs a laugh and looks at how she mimics him genuinely.

“You think I got it any better?” her laugh turns to a scoff and points up. “Tammy Thompson loves John Johnson.” And there's a deep silence for a few short seconds as she keeps her finger in the direction of that etching. “Who the fuck names their child John Johnson?”

Steve cannot contain his chortle, and she is right behind with her usual snort; the one that only comes forth when they're this high.

“It would be like-” Steve takes a deep inhale. “If you were named Robin Robinson!”

“Or you Steve Stevenson!”

“Is that a real name?!”

“Y-yes?” Robin fights against the grin that wants to spread all too wide, and looks at him. “Robert Louis Stevenson!”

“Who?” Steve keeps breathing slowly to try and calm down from something that isn't actually that funny, but when you got bloodshot eyes like these, everything is.

“The famous writer? He wrote Treasure Island and Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde.”

Steve leans up on his elbows again to stare down at her with the most bewildered look this illiterate teen can manage. “Mr Hyde as in... our chemistry teacher?”

“Oh...” Robin's blue blue eyes grow as wide as they can. “My God... Steve... No wonder you're failing literally every class.”

And his expression falls from confused to somewhat offended, but it is the inevitable truth. “It's fine,” he says with nary a worry, “I will get a job at my father's office as... I dunno, coffee guy? Mailman?”

“You really think he'd put you in charge of something as important as their postal service?”

Rather than come up with a sensible reply to that remark, he simply grabs a fistful of grass and throws it at her.

He smiles, she laughs, and the both of them settle down once more with only the loud cheers from the girls in uniform to fill the comfortable silence they find themselves in again, as they continue reading everything that's been carved and written into the far too old wood.

Steve's name can be found numerous times, both in forms of compliments-

“I wish Steve Harrington would notice me.”

“Mrs Harrington is my dream job.”

“Steve Harrington the Keg King.”

All surrounded by hearts.

On one step it reads, “Steve 'The Hair' Harrington” in suspiciously familiar handwriting.

He used to bring girls down here, too, and would have them watch as he reached high above them and wrote his name + theirs.

Steve + Laurie. Crossed out. Steve + Amy. Crossed out. Steve + Becky. Crossed out.

He never got to bring Nancy here. Brought Robin here originally for the same reason as the rest, but she was quick to tell him the truth as he stood too close.

At least they remained friends.

“Is your name up there somewhere?” he asks her, having never actually found it.

“I'm a band dweeb, what do you think?” she sighs but acts like it doesn't bother her.

“Do you want it to be?”

“Nope,” she lies and pops the p.

And of course he doesn't believe her, but he considers himself too nice to press her on any of it.

Silence drags on for what feels like eternity crammed into one minute, and he's got something on his mind, but has absolutely no clue how to work it into conversation all casual like, because it's kinda a big deal, but he doesn't want to seem a fool for thinking so.

So he tries to just flat out say it, “Robin?”

“Steve.”

“You're... smart, right?” He feels himself failing at just saying what he's thinking.

“Smarter than you, although that's not saying much,” she chuckles out and looks to him, but he seems... nervous, and she stops. “What's up, dingus?”

“I... I got a note in my locker today, and I don't really know what it means,” Steve speaks hesitantly and rips small pieces off of a blade of grass.

Robin's brows quirks up. “Oh? And you want me to decipher it for you?”

He sits up far too fast, and even though his body remains still, the world spins for longer than what is possible. “Would you?” There is such a brightness to his tone.

“Sure, what does it say?” She gets up as well and crosses her legs.

Steve fishes out a paper that has become impossibly crumbled up in his front pocket, to a point where the letters written in beautiful cursive is almost unintelligible.

“I love you more than words can wield the matter; dearer than eyesight, space and liberty.”

And while she turns the paper around and re-reads those words, Steve stares unblinkingly so at her.

“So?” he finally asks, bursting with anticipation.

“So, it's a love letter.” She hands it back, and he looks at the paper with such admiration, as if he had forgotten he was worthy of such, just to be reminded of it now. “It's Shakespeare, King Lear. It means that she loves you more than words can describe.”

At that he looks up, beaming with elation as he asks for reassurance, “Seriously?”

“Yup.” She is clearly far less excited, but there's optimism to her tone, to know that he might find what they're both longing for, whether out loud or in secret.

“Someone wrote me a love note...” His smile wide with shocked disbelief.

“Congratulations.” She rolls her eyes although with raised lips, and lies down again.

The very next day, shortly after lunch has begun, he finds another in his locker and runs to where Robin would be eating her lunch alone in the unattended library.

Steve slams down the paper in front of her, and she pauses just before biting into her boring ham sandwich.

“Well well well lover boy,” she mocks lightly and places her food back down on the tray. “I assume you're in need of my service once again?”

The chair next to her screeches across the floor as he sits down with a hard bump. “Yes, and it's the same handwriting as last, so that means it's the same girl, right?”

“Hey now, I haven't agreed to anything yet!” She slaps her hand down on top of the paper, and smirks. “I will help you with this, again, if you buy me pizza after school.”

“Yeah, deal, whatever, just-” He gestures wildly to the neatly folded paper. “Tell me what it means!”

Robin shakes her head and slumps back into her seat; slipping down a bit with her legs splayed out all comfortable and taking up far too much space.

“Love is blind, and lovers cannot see, the pretty follies that themselves commit.”

She nods for a moment in thought, fully ignoring the way Steve's eyes could drill holes in her skull.

“I think it's from The Merchant of Venice. It means... something like, how love makes you act different?”

And since she seems satisfied with that, nods more and lets out a little “Yeah,” so is he.

“Okay, so, someone that acts differently around me?”

Robin taps her temple with a blackened nail and continues nodding like it's all he understands. Still, to ensure he gets her point, says, “You got it.”

Now it is his turn to slump into his chair, but far more confused. “How... how am I supposed to know that they act differently around me? Isn't that how I'll always have seen them, then?”

She raises her brows at that and sits up a bit more straight. “How astute!”

As if he knows what that means.

Through the weekend he waits on his bed, each note in hand and smiling so wide his cheeks grow sore.

Two love letters in two days? They are meant for him, right? This girl didn't accidentally put it in the wrong locker, right?

Steve catches himself briefly hoping she's beautiful, but pushes that aside by the fact that she's so poetically inclined, so sweet and shy that her looks hardly matters, for her choice of words warms his heart and makes it beat in a way that he has oh so missed.

Another thought is what if it's Robin, but he shakes his head violently at that stupid little thing, because no, she's his best friend and that's all they'll ever be, and he truly is happy with that. But everyone gets wrong and bad ideas from time to time, so he won't fault himself for her name popping up, as he mentally goes through a list of all the girls he knows. Or thinks he knows.

And though he tries to distract himself with TV and swimming in his pool and letting Robin paint his toenails, Monday always feels so far away.

It is the first thing he does when he shows up at school; pushes his way through his peers to fling open his locker, and sure enough a little note slips out.

He skims it for just a second before he rushes off to stand by Robin's locker for when she eventually moves to it and shoves him aside.

“Another?” she asks with her head in her locker as she rummages for gum.

“I knew she was gonna leave me another! I could feel it in my body the entire weekend!” his tone pitched high with excitement.

“Ew, gross, I don't need to know that!” she jokes and yanks it from his grasp.

“Come what sorrow can, it cannot countervail the exchange of joy, that one short minute gives me in her sight.”

And Steve folds it, lovingly so, before placing it inside his wallet, and thankfully he doesn't have to wait long for a more modern translation of it.

“Something something about how her pain and misery goes away in your presence; in the presence of a loved one. Romeo and Juliet, which is not a happy love story!” she says ardently and points a stern finger at him for emphasis.

“Okay, but does that mean we have classes together at least then?” Steve shrugs and runs a hand through his shiny hair.

“Probably? Or maybe some extra curricular activity,” Robin's tone careless and she starts down the hall, with Steve right behind.

“But the only other extra whatever I take is basket.”

“So maybe your admirer is a guy.”

He shakes his head with conviction. “Nah, I doubt that completely, I mean you've seen the handwriting! And what guy is into Shakespeare?”

“Anything is possible Steve, don't be so close minded.”

For once he is early to first-period history class, and he sits on the desk Robin usually occupies, to which she responds with throwing her bag into his lap, accompanied by a cocked brow and strong stare.

Steve doesn't say a thing, simply lifts up a fourth note, and she snags with from his fingers with an exasperated sigh.

“I would not wish any companion in the world but you.”

She groans out loud now and pushes him off of her table. “Come on dingus, this one is easy! You cannot be this stupid.”

“Just tell me what it is!” he says as he shuffles into the seat in front of hers.

“She only wants you, no one else, Jesus.”

“Oh,” he breathes out, his wide grin that of pure joy, and although this is a tiring thing to be bothered with every day now, she does appreciate his happiness to some extend.

Wednesday morning Robin is already by Steve's locker, arms crossed and a friendly smile painted across her face.

“Let's see what your stalker has come up with this time,” she says and leans away so that he can twist the lock in the right order.

And today it is a far shorter note.

“Love hath made thee a tame snake.”

She doesn't bother waiting before saying, “Love will humble and soften even the most hardened individual.” And there's a glint in her eyes, so short and easily missed, revealing that she might have an idea as to which hardened individual this could be. Not that she hadn't thought about him before already.

For she had seen his copy of As You Like It by Shakespeare fall from his bag in English Literature, but it is not her place to out anyone.

“That's a weird one, right?” His brows furrowed as he awaits affirmation. “Hardened individual? What does that even mean?”

“Steve, I-” She rubs her eyes hard and nods. “Yeah, it is a weird one. But it probably means someone who's acting tough, but in truth softens around you.”

He folds it back up and slips it into his wallet together with the other four.

“Tomorrow, then,” Robin says and pats his shoulder a few times before heading to class.

Steve stays still for a moment, looking at how the five notes stretches the leather of his wallet. His thumb runs over their ripped edges, all seemingly from the same piece of paper, thinking about the dainty fingers that must hold the ballpoint pen to write him such loving words.

Cheeks flushed, smile tender, eyes soft, he wanders towards class as well.

Months ago when he and Robin became best friends, she took a very slight interest in him and his education, because he very clearly needs help with school, and she's suspicious of the fact that he might be dyslexic, but when asked about it he gets mad.

So instead she demands food and favors from him whenever he starts screwing up in school again, starts falling behind, or shows up late to class. And of course he has slept through his alarm for the first time in weeks on this Thursday, the one day of two where they have first-period together, and now he'll have to pay for dinner at the diner, but he has a good excuse!

Sat up all night with several books written by none other than William Shakespeare that he had checked out at the library.

He's hungry and tired and in a goddamn hurry to get to class ASAP; the hallways empty and silent save for the occasional teacher yelling at an unruly student, but even that he can hardly hear over the beating of his heart, which is just great, because now he'll spend all day with floppy hair and reeking of sweat.

He just has to make a quick stop by his locker to see if there's a new note, the only thing that truly matters and overshadows the importance of getting passing grades or upholding his deal with Robin.

Around the next corner and... and...

And it never dawned on him at any point, even with Robin's constant droning of “Guys can read Shakespeare, too!” that his secret admirer might not be a girl at all. Maybe he was just so stuck in the expected reality of the world, the one he's so used to, before Robin helped him see the light, to help him realize that there's other options than gay or straight.

No he never even bothered thinking that way, till he sees Billy Hargrove slip something into his locker.

#Harringrove #My Writing #Steve Harrington #Robin Buckley #Billy Hargrove #Shakespeare #Fluffy fluff fluff #pining #I got drunk last night and listened to #twelfth night #And was like #Poet Billy? Poet Billy.#I think I've seen some other people talk about their love for that #and altho out of character imo #it was nice and fun #I write a lot of smut so stuff like this is RARE and a breath of fresh air to me #10/10 would write Poet Billy again #Also dumbass oblivious Steve #too much fun

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skarletterambles · 5 years

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Mummy re-(re-re-re-)watch blog

Because sometimes self-care is rewatching your favorite movie for the first time in many years, I’m currently enjoying The Mummy (1999) on a nice big flat screen TV and eating pizza. Life is good.

Random thoughts typed while watching (so expect typos) below...

[Disclaimers: Obviously, this post contains massive spoilers for a 20-year-old movie, if anyone actually needs to be told that. There are spoilers for The Mummy Returns, as well. Also, I’m an unapologetic Imhotep fangirl so don’t expect me to talk about him like he’s some kind of villain. That’s just silly! Ahem. I have the hots for Rick and Ardeth, too, though, so the drool will be spread out a bit.]

..............................

Imhotep’s priests really got the raw end of the deal. They were just there to watch the door and make sure nobody interrupted their boss’ booty call, and they ended up witnessing regicide and then getting mummified alive. Dang.

I bet the noise of the battle with all those horses and guns above him irritated Imhotep. No wonder he sent sand jets up to scare away Rick and the others. Damn kids, get off my lawn--er, necropolis!

Honestly, the havoc Evy wreaked on her library only made it look slightly worse than my workplace this summer. :p At least she didn’t have to worry about DVD shelving... [Only I get this reference, but trust me, to me it’s hilarious, in a “if I don’t laugh I’ll cry” kind of way.]

Rick is damn good-looking when he’s all bedraggled and beat up, and even better looking when he cleans up. The look on Evy’s face when she sees him after a haircut and a change of clothes, well... Same, girl. Same.

Beni is one of my favorite comic relief characters of all time.

The Med-Jai wouldn’t have threatened Evy on the boat if they knew she was the reincarnation of their long-dead boss’ daughter. I’m picturing Seti in the afterlife facepalming...

I had forgotten how hostile and scary the Med-Jai were at first.

It’s amazing how much of the dialogue comes back to me, though. Even throwaway background lines like Jonathan complaining about the price of the camels.

Evy’s sheer joy over everything camel-related is so freaking adorable.

That first chitter of scarab beetles...my least favorite part of the movie. Heh.

I can just imagine Imhotep in his sarcophagus, feeling the first hint of movement around him in over 3,000 years, and then freaking out as his sarcophagus falls through the ceiling and goes THUMP on the ground. And then there’s screaming and everyone leaves. He’d be like, WTF?

“He must have been someone of great importance...or someone who did something very naughty.” Both correct, Evy...

It’s so not fair that Ardeth can be that drop-dead sexy-looking and have such a sexy voice.

And here’s that “I...AM A LIBRARIAN!” line that everyone in my line of work loves so much. Heehee...

Mummy: *bursts out of sarcophagus* Evy: “Gah, I hate it when these things do that!” LMAO

Of course Imhotep scratched “Death is only the beginning” into the inside of his sarcophagus lid like a bored emo kid in study hall.

“If you dry that fella out you might be able to sell ‘im for firewood!” As I’m sure the writers knew, they actually did burn mummies to fuel trains back in less enlightened times. And grind them up for medicine and paint and all kinds of stupid, disrespectful things.

I love how they refer to Imhotep as “our friend” and “our guy” when they’re discussing how horrible his curse was. That sympathy fades quickly enough once they meet him, though.

“Probably got a little too frisky with the Pharaoh’s daughter.” No, Rick, that’s you. Bwahahahaha!

“No harm ever came from reading a book.” Evy, you’re a librarian. You should know better.

Poor Imhotep must have been so stiff after not moving for a few thousand years. I bet he had to do some stretches before he went looking for people to drain life force from.

Forecast for today: mostly sunny with a 90% chance of locust plague.

Gotta love Imhotep’s one-track mind. Woke up for the first time in 3k years, just regained sight and speech, and the first freaking thing he does is assume the first woman he sees is Anck-su-Namun. Because of course he does.

I wonder if Ardeth got any backlash from the rest of the Med-Jai for giving the interlopers a chance to leave Hamunaptra. If he had just slaughtered them all the previous night, none of this mess would have happened.

“He will never eat. He will never sleep. He will never stop.” Awwwwwyeah.

Because he looks so rotted, Imhotep looks threatening as he slowly advances on Beni, but if he was fully regenerated I bet his expression would have been confused and even slightly amused at Beni’s religious roulette, something along the lines of “WTF is this idiot doing?”

Imhotep, did you really need to wear a mask to meet a blind guy? (I know, I know, he needed the disguise to get through the hotel, but it’s still funny.)

He was even polite enough to thank Evy for saving him from undeath. What a nice mummy!

Med-Jai discussing Imhotep and Anck-su-Nam: “Even after 3,000 years, he’s still in love with her.” Evy: “Well, that’s all very romantic, but...” Me: “Yes. Yes it is. Shut up.”

“You came back from the desert with a new friend, didn’t you, Beni?” One of my all-time favorite lines, and one I randomly quoted to my late goldfish, Benny, many times over the years. LOL

Couldn’t Beni have found some better clothes for Imhotep to wear? Those ragged robes make him look like a beggar. Although considering he was running around in nothing but a few wisps of rotten bandages before, they couldn’t afford to be choosy.

The casual way Imhotep chews that scarab beetle that crawled into his mouth is such a power move. LMAO

The longing in his voice as he whispers Anck-su-Namun’s name almost makes up for the fact that he kissed Evy right afterward. I know you’re impatient to get your girlfriend back, man, but control yourself. :p

Another classic bit: Evy, trying to translate hieroglyphics: “Patience is a virtue!” Rick, looking at incoming torch-bearing mob: “Not right now it isn’t!”

The crowds chanting “Im-ho-tep” are so iconic, and the way they part to let him pass gives me shivers.

“It’s the creature!” Thanks for the reminder, as he’s now fully regenerated and looking damn fine.

OMG that little smirk Imhotep gives to Rick as he turns to walk away with Evy... Imhotep isn’t stupid. He can see Rick’s in love with her.

Ardeth wearing that flight cap and goggles, grinning as he rides on the plane’s wing, is the funniest damn thing in the movie. It’s such a departure from his usual demeanor, which is what makes it work so well from a comedic perspective.

Why did Imhotep stop the sand vortex so far from Hamunaptra? He could have deposited himself, Beni, and Evy on the doorstep, but instead he stopped on the other end of the valley. I mean, sure, it gives plenty of room for the famous sand wall attack scene, but it was still weird.

Evy: “Stop it! You’ll kill them!” Beni: “That’s the idea.” Well...YEAH!

Beni to Imhotep: “I loved the, uh, sand wall trick, it was beautiful. Bastard.” That’s funny enough, and then you remember that Imhotep doesn’t understand English, and it’s even funnier. Stop trying to brown-nose a man who doesn’t speak your language, Beni!

The whole Winston subplot always seemed so pointless. Just deus ex machina to get the airplane in there. Honestly, that’s my only complaint about the movie.

Yeah, Imhotep, you had better bow back when your newly-risen priests bow to you. You owe them big time after the shitstorm you dragged them into.

OMG Ardeth is even more gorgeous in the glow of gold artifacts. Heehee...

And then some of Imhotep’s priests barely rise from the ground before being mowed down by machine gun fire. Damn, they get the short end of the stick every time, don’t they?

One second I’m like, “Oh hai Anck. You need to moisturize better, lawl,” and then the next Imhotep strokes her face with such tenderness and whispers her name and I’m like, “Awwwww!” That’s what’s so much fun about these movies. There’s the silly, campy fun intertwined with actually poignant, emotional moments, in perfect balance.

I just noticed that Anck-Su-Namun’s reaction to being resurrected both in the prologue and later as a mummy was the same gasp and fluttering of her hands over her collarbone. Neat detail.

There’s this little glimmer of “Whoa, cool, I did that!” sometimes when Imhotep uses his powers. It’s adorable. (Yes, I just called an undead plague-bringer summoning mummified soldiers to kill his enemies “adorable.” I warned you in the disclaimer.)

I love how Anck-su-Namun’s first response when waking up was to try to beat the crap out of Evelyn/Nefertiri. Old habits die hard, y’know. She was probably disappointed that her opponent didn’t remember the old ways of combat...yet.

I hate that poor Imhotep had to watch the love of his life be killed in silhouette twice.

And again he promises, “Death is only the beginning.”

Then it’s time for one last moment of Ardeth being hot beyond all reason, some Rick and Evy kisses, Jonathan getting a face full of camel breath, and a happy ending for at least those four characters. ;)

The end...for now!

#the mummy

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stereksecretsanta · 5 years

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Merry Christmas, @Superwhumper06!

For @superwhumper06. Happy holidays and I hope all your wishes come true!

(Edit: This may look completely different later after the reveal. I had to wrap the story up somehow in a time crunch to hand it in on time and try somewhat to respect the word limit but it’s literally missing two scenes).

Read on AO3

******

Home for the Holidays

“So...Stiles...What do you say?”

For someone that always had something to say, in this precise moment, Stiles couldn’t say a whole lot. He wanted to, though. He wanted to scream it out actually. But for the first time in his life, he was rendered speechless.

Maybe it was because the love of his life was on his knee in front of him asking him a question he’d been dying to hear. Or because the Golden Gate Bridge was like the most romantic location for something like this ever. Or maybe it was because Derek had given such an inspiring speech before asking Stiles to marry him. Maybe, it was all of it. Yeah, definitely all of it.

If only he’d had an inkling that this would be taking place today. He would’ve made sure to be more prepared. Derek had gotten him good, asking Stiles’ parents to invite them on a hike so he could pull this off. And he’d been successful, Stiles was completely surprised and in a state of shock. He was also sweaty and gross and starting to ugly cry. A mess. He was a complete mess.

Of course, it didn’t help matters that Stiles still hadn’t answered yet. He knew exactly what he wanted to say, but had difficulty processing how to get the words out of his brain and into his mouth. Thankfully, his dear old dad was there to come in the clutch.

“Son, why don’t you cut the boy a break, huh,” John Stilinski joked, yanking Stiles out of his silent stupor.

And with that, Stiles was able to compose himself, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, before letting out an eloquent shriek and gracelessly jumping on top of Derek, sending them both crashing into the dirt.

“Yes! Fuck yes!” He could finally say, kissing Derek eagerly and laughing against his mouth. “Did you honestly think I’d say no?”

“You had me worried for a minute there,” Derek admitted, letting out a sigh of relief.

Derek sat them up and held out the ring box. Stiles gasped, it was so beautiful and sparkly; a white gold band with two rows of diamonds. Stiles loved it, like beyond loved. And he’d totally show Derek later just how much he appreciated it once his parents weren’t in the near vicinity.

Stiles could barely sit still as Derek slipped the ring on his finger. Once it was on, he turned to his parents and pointed at his mother accusingly.

“Did you know!?��

His mom was his best friend and they told each other absolutely everything. Nothing was ever “too personal.” So, if Claudia Stilinski actually managed to keep this to herself, then who knew what else she could be holding back from him.

“Of course I didn’t, sweetie,” Claudia scoffed, easing Stiles’ concerns of his mother being a potential sociopath. “If I knew, I certainly would’ve spilled the beans. Your father knew though. I guess Derek thinks he’s the better secret keeper.”

“Sorry!” Derek winced when Claudia crossed her arms over her chest with a sour expression.

“Oh, don’t be like that, honey,” John said, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “Just because you’re god awful at keeping secrets doesn’t mean we love you any less.”

Claudia harrumphed and pinched him.

John just laughed, nodding at Derek to say, “Welcome to the family, son.”

“Yes, welcome,” Claudia said warmly but scowled and rolled her eyes when John kissed her on the cheek.

Stiles grinned, well used to his parents' silly bickering by now. It was pretty gross how they were still so in love after all these years. Stiles looked back to Derek who was laughing as well watching Claudia tell John to talk to the hand. He smiled to himself, thinking about him and Derek being like that in the future.

“Now moving onto decorative napkins…”

Planning a wedding was a breeze when your best friend was a wedding planner. As soon as Stiles broke the news to Lydia that he and Derek were engaged, she immediately hijacked the operation, citing that Stiles’ taste was trash and he would just mess everything up. Stiles indeed had trash taste and, on his own, would definitely have messed everything up. So, while her harsh delivery needed work, he was grateful to have her on board.

“You do know the wedding is in a year and a half, right?”

Stiles knew that most couples couldn't wait to get married, but he and Derek had only been dating for a year. Not that Stiles had any doubts that Derek was the one for him, but they had always moved kind of fast in their relationship…

They first met at the hospital Derek worked at when Stiles was asked to paint a Christmas-themed mural in the nursery. Of course, Stiles saw a hot doctor and just had to make a move, but he hadn’t expected his shameless flirting to work. He also hadn’t expected for them to go on their first date that very night or for them to fall so in love with each other by their second date. By their third date, they were already living together and adopting a cat.

It was quite the whirlwind romance, to say the least. And they were still in the infatuation stage, fully wrapped up in each other as they swung their laced hands back and forth while following Lydia through the store. This wedding was going to be the best day of their lives and, with such a quick beginning, they didn’t want to rush it.

Lydia stopped and swung around, placing her hands on her hips and donning a menacing power pose that had both Stiles and Derek shrinking back a little bit. “I will not let you guys procrastinate in the planning of this wedding,” she lectured, glaring hotly at them. “A year and a half is barely any time to throw together a wedding. And every detail matters, no matter how small!”

With another scorching glare, she turned and flounced off, her voluminous red hair bouncing fiercely with each step. Stiles looked over at Derek and lifted his finger to his temple, twirling it and mouthing that she was cuckoo before rushing to follow her so they wouldn’t get in trouble again.

“I’m confused,” Derek said as they watched Lydia deliberate between two different table runners for twenty-five minutes. “Are we paying her? Did we ask her to do this?”

“Nope,” Stiles said, popping the p. “She most definitely took this upon herself and we’ll almost certainly be getting a bill in the mail.”

Derek groaned, looking miserably up at the ceiling as if the boredom of picking out cloth napkins and napkin rings was actually painful for him. Stiles knew just how to lift his spirits, singing along loudly to Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You.” Nothing was more healing to Derek than Stiles’ beautiful singing voice, and sure enough, Stiles’ shrill crooning and pitchy high notes managed to get a laugh out of Derek.

Stiles loved when Derek laughed, especially when his eyes got all crinkly and he wrinkled his nose. He couldn’t resist kissing his adorable dimples, then just had to taste his lips, then absolutely needed to slip in a little tongue. Then they were lost in it and it was just the two of them making out in the middle of a department store as cheesy Christmas music played over the speaker.

A throat cleared and they jumped apart, finding Lydia standing there tapping her foot testily. “Seriously,” she condemned, “Would you two keep it PG and stop dilly-dallying when we’re supposed to be working.”

“Sorry,” they both said in unison; Derek blushing a bright red while Stiles shrugged unabashed.

“She’s scary,” Derek whispered after Lydia walked away again.

“Eh, her bark is bigger than her bite.”

If you asked him years ago, Stiles actually would have thought he’d be doing this with Lydia: getting married, that is. He’d had a crush on her since grade school, and in high school, they’d dated for a while before Lydia realized she kind of liked girls and Stiles realized he kind of liked boys. Luckily, they were still able to remain close friends.

“Hey, Lyds, can we get an In-N-Out truck at the wedding?” Stiles called.

“Absolutely not!” Lydia cried from a distance.

Stiles snickered and elbowed Derek, looking over at him and expecting to see him laughing as well. But Derek wasn’t laughing or smiling; in fact, he looked deeply unhappy. Stiles was about to ask him about it when out of the corner of his eye he saw why.

Even though they lived in San Francisco, the gay capital of the world, there were still asshole bigots out there whose strived to ruin other people’s happiness even though they were doing nothing wrong and hurting nobody. Homophobia didn’t bother Stiles as much as it bothered Derek, probably because Stiles had always been out and proud. Stiles was Derek’s first boyfriend; his first everything when it came to that. And it always made Stiles sad to see Derek get so upset over the fact that some old geezer had a problem with them being in there affectionate in public. Stiles wrapped his arms around Derek and kissed him again in spite, which made Derek smile again and had asshole grandpa over there huffing and puffing and going on his way with the rest of his Christmas shopping.

Derek’s phone rang in his pocket, and he pulled away from Stiles reluctantly to fish it out. “I have to take this. It’s probably work.”

“‘Kay,” Stiles nodded, well-used to Derek’s work interrupting their private time by now. Being with a doctor that brought new life into the world each day, Stiles had discovered that babies were major cock blocks. Cute ones, though.

Stiles located Lydia in the dinnerware aisle perusing charger plates. “Want to know what I think?” he asked.

“Not in the least,” Lydia shot down.

Though his singing talents were somewhat questionable and his wedding designing left a lot to be desired, Stiles wasn’t without some capabilities. He was still an artist, a well-known one at that, with artwork displayed in famous galleries all over the world. He knew colors and which ones went well together. After annoying her enough, Lydia begrudgingly let him help, which made things go so much faster. Lydia was actually impressed with his choices and they managed to get the place settings all sorted out by the time Derek got back.

“Looks like I’m going to have to cut out early,” Derek said, tucking his phone back in his pocket.

“Nooooo!!” Stiles whined, latching onto him so he couldn’t leave.

“I’m sorry, but a patient at the hospital needs me.”

“Let her die!”

“Stiles,” Derek said sternly then rolled his eyes.

“You can’t leave me here with Lydia! I’ll die. So pick, your patient or your fiancé.”

“You’re ridiculous,” Derek snorted, kissing Stiles’ pout. “I’ll see you at home.”

“I’ll remember this!”

“Love you.”

“Traitor!”

“Have fun!”

“Fuck you!”

Stiles slumped his shoulders, life bleak now that he was off to war on his own. Cheerfully, Lydia linked their arms together and dragged a spiritless Stiles off to more stores for stupid wedding stuff.

“We must talk seating arrangements,” Lydia informed him. “Has Derek made a list of everyone he’s inviting?”

“No, because the wedding is a year and a half away and we’re not thinking that far ahead,” Stiles said, using his favorite excuse for when Lydia asked him why they hadn’t done anything for the wedding yet.

“The both of you are slackers,” Lydia complained. “I mean, you, I understand. I’ve known you almost your whole life and you’re only getting worse, but Derek is a doctor. He should be a lot more organized.”

Stiles shrugged. “Derek doesn’t have that many friends, so it won’t be that long of a list.”

“What about his family?”

“Hmm?” Stiles cocked his head to the side.

“His family, Stiles,” Lydia said slowly, “Does Derek have a lot of relatives…”

“Oh,” Stiles frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve never met them.”

Lydia’s eyes bulged out of her head. “What?!” Her jaw dropped. “You haven’t met Derek’s family? Like his immediate family? Oh my god! Why are wemarrying him then!”

“Because I love him loads and want to spend the rest of my life with him,” Stiles responded, not sure why Lydia was making such a big deal about this. Or why she always used we when talking about his and Derek’s relationship.

“Don’t you think it’s a little weird that you haven’t met the family of your fiancé?” Lydia asked. “He’s met your parents, right?”

“Of course,” Stiles said. “Plenty of times.”

“Has he even talked about them to you? Are they close?” Lydia’s questions were coming too fast for Stiles to respond. “Do they send Christmas cards or birthday wishes? What about Facebook? Have you tried stalking them though Derek’s Facebook?”

“Derek doesn’t have a Facebook.”

Lydia gasped, “What if you finally meet them and they hate you? That’ll make this wedding so awkward. You’re a very hate-able person, Stiles!”

“Relax, Lydia.” Stiles places his hands on her shoulders. “I don’t think it’s that weird. I think he said his family lives in New York or somewhere far. And we don’t get to travel much with him working all the time.”

“Whatever,” Lydia huffed. “Just get me that list.”

“Fine.” Stiles surrendered. “Will do.”

The more Stiles thought about it, the more he realized that Lydia was right. It was weird that Stiles knew nothing about Derek’s family. And now that he was paying attention, he noticed that Derek never talked about having a mom or a dad or siblings.

Stiles had the good fortune of being extremely close with both his parents and his Babcia. They were all so important to him and were the reason he was the person he was today. He talked about them constantly and shared many stories from his childhood, but was wondering now why Derek had never shared anything back. Had something terrible happened when he was a kid, and if so, wasn’t it still something that Stiles should know?

“Stiles, would you please sit down. I think we have enough snacks to watch this movie.”

“Hold on,” Stiles yelled from the kitchen, “I forgot the raisinets!”

Derek didn’t get nights off from work very often, and it was kind of chilly out, so they were staying in to watch cheesy Christmas movies. Derek already had the Netflix queue up and ready to go, starting with A Christmas Prince: Royal Wedding. Stiles, on the other hand, was running behind with the snacks, but only because he completely disagreed with Derek. One could never have enough snacks while watching a movie.

“Okay, I’m ready now,” Stiles said and dropped down onto the couch next to Derek, placing the box of raisinets on the coffee table with all the other junk food. Derek shook his head disapprovingly and picked up the remote to press play when Stiles stopped him again, “Wait, we need marshmallows!”

“Stiles!” Derek groaned.

“And hot chocolate!”

Stiles ran back into the kitchen to grab the hot cocoa mix and the marshmallows, ignoring Derek’s bitching and moaning. He was positive it was moments like these that had inspired Derek to propose in the first place. He came back out with two cups of steaming hot chocolate and grimaced when he saw Derek cuddling with their evil, ugly, fat cat, Mojo Jojo in his place.

“Get you gone, demon!” Stiles shouted, sending the vicious fiend scurrying off.

Ever since the first day they brought her home, “Bubbles” as she once was called, had been nothing but nice to Derek and vicious to Stiles. So, Stiles renamed her Mojo Jojo so she had a name that better suited her mean personality.

“That wasn’t very nice,” Derek reprimanded and picked up the remote to press play again.

Stiles intercepted him once more to say, “Before we start, Lydia wants a list of all the people you want to invite to the wedding.”

“Oh,” Derek frowned. “I thought we were keeping things small.”

“Yeah, we are,” Stiles told him, “but we still need a list.”

“Alright then,” Derek said, scratching his brow, “I guess some of my close colleagues at work like Erica, Isaac, and Boyd.”

Stiles picked up his cup of hot chocolate and took a sip then asked, “What about your family? Don’t you want them to come?”

Derek winced and averted his eyes, a sign he used often when he wanted Stiles to drop a subject. But Stiles couldn’t let this go now. Not after that reaction.

“Why don’t you ever talk about them?” Stiles continued. “Did something bad happen?”

Derek didn’t say a single word. A queasy feeling ran through Stiles’ gut as an overwhelming sense of dread came over him. Had something horribly tragic happen to Derek’s entire family? Had he been keeping it inside this whole time and dealing with it all on his own? If that was the case, then all Stiles could do was cry.

“No, Stiles, it’s not that,” Derek said quickly when he noticed Stiles getting emotional. “Nothing bad happened. My family is alive and well. They just don’t…” He stopped, making a face as he fought with his words, “They don’t know that I’m... bisexual.”

“What?!” Stiles screamed so loud that even Mojo Jojo came up from her nest in hell to check out what was going on.

“They don’t know about us.”

“Why the hell not?!” Stiles demanded, shooting up from the couch.

“It’s complicated,” Derek explained and stood too. “My mom and sisters aren’t like your parents. You grew up in San Francisco around all sorts of LGBT+ representation. I grew up on a ranch deep in rural California and the only reason I knew our community even existed is because my family hates it so much.”

“Ohh my god!” Stiles paced, rubbing his temples. “We’re about to be married, Derek! Shouldn’t you have told me sooner that you’re on the DL!”

“I didn’t think it was that important,” Derek mumbled, looked down at the floor as he shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t communicate with them a lot.”

“Did you use to?”

“Yeah.” Derek squirmed. “We were all pretty close before…”

“...Me,” Stiles whispered, his stomach dropping to the floor.

“Don’t do that,” Derek snapped. “I love you and I’m not ashamed of the life we have together. Of course, I want them to know the person I’m madly in love with, but I don’t think they’ll change.”

Stiles couldn’t feel anything but deeply saddened. Because of him, Derek now had an uncomfortable relationship with his family. How could he live with himself knowing that he and his dick were at fault for this?

“Fuck it.” Derek dug into his pocket and yanked out his phone. “I’ll call my mom right fucking now and tell her about us.”

“No!” Stiles yelled before Derek could do anything drastic. “That is not how you’re supposed to come out, Derek!”

Derek’s forehead puckered. “What do you mean?”

“I mean that you should be doing this for yourself,” Stiles argued then muttered bitterly, “Not for me.”

“This is for me, though,” Derek stressed. “I want to marry you and I don’t want this to become a thing between us where you start having crazy thoughts—”

“I think we should call off the engagement.”

“—Kind of like that. Stiles, you are not breaking up with me over this.”

“It wouldn’t be a breakup,” Stiles said weakly.

“It sure as hell feels like one!”

“I don’t want you to have to choose me over your family, Derek.” Stiles twisted the engagement ring on his finger. “I can’t let you do that.”

“Stiles, come here,” Derek prompted, beckoning him forward. “Come on, you’re standing too far away. I can barely hear you.”

He stepped forward, upset and unsure, then laughed despite himself when Derek pulled him close and smothered him in kisses.

“Listen, I will call my mom tonight and tell her I’m coming home for the holidays and that I’m bringing a friend. She’s been begging me to visit for a while now so I’m sure she’ll be fine with me bringing whoever I want.”

Stiles opened his mouth to protest but Derek thoroughly kissed him silent.

“Please come with me. If I’m going to do this, I need you with me. If you’re there, I know I’ll have the courage to face them.”

“Okay,” Stiles nodded, cupping Derek’s cheek.

“Okay,” Derek grinned back, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he smiled and kissed Stiles again fiercely.

Stiles honestly hadn’t believed Derek when he said his family lived in the middle of nowhere. After all, Derek had lied to him for months when he told Stiles that his family resided on the other side of the country, which was why they could never meet. He assumed Derek was lying to him once more or exaggerating, especially after finding out that the Hales not only lived in California but were just a few hours away from San Francisco.

However, the closer they got to Beacon Hills, the town Derek had grown up in, the more Stiles was starting to believe that Derek’s description might actually be true. As they drove through acres and acres of pastors and plains on the open road, Stiles hounded Derek with questions about his upbringing, wanting to know every detail.

He thought it was so cool that Derek got to grow up on a farm with lots of animals, like cows and chickens and ponies. Derek told him that the farm had been in the family for generations, but not many Hales ventured off into the big city. Only his Uncle Peter had done it before him, going off to L.A and marrying another man, which wasn’t exactly well-received by the rest of the family.

Stiles questioned Derek on how he thought his family might react to his coming out, but Derek seemed conflicted. Apparently, he’d had a bunch of girlfriends growing up (which Stiles wasn’t jealous about at all, nope, he was totally fine with finding out his fiancé was a former manwhore) and they would have trouble understanding that he was bisexual and that it wasn’t by choice.

“There are two very important things that I need you to remember,” Derek said seriously as they turned onto a narrow dirt road. “One; the things my family say and do and the ideologies they hold dear have never been a reflection of me and what I think. And two; I’m really, really, really sorry. We’re here!”

Derek pulled into the driveway and put the car in park, turning off the ignition. He jerked his head forward, directing Stiles’ attention towards the house, though Stiles wouldn’t have missed it on his own. When Derek had talked about his life on the farm, he’d made it sound a lot like Little House on the Prairie, and from that description, Stiles had imagined that Derek’s family lived in a cute tiny farm house with no heat, electricity or modern technology. Which was why he was obviously surprised when he saw that Derek’s childhood home was neither cute nor tiny, but a massive extravagant mansion.

“Wait a minute, I thought you said you lived on a farm.”

“A ranch, yes,” Derek concurred, unbuckling his seatbelt.

“Dude...are you rich?!”

Derek flinched. “Kind of,” he downplayed then gave in when he saw Stiles wasn’t buying it. “Yes, okay. My family is rich, extremely so. This place makes a shit ton of money and I do have a sizable inheritance, but don’t freak out.”

Stiles gaped, mouth opening and closing like a fish. “Don’t freak out?” he echoed. “How can I not freak out, Derek! You’re farm boy royalty! How can I even compete with that! Do I even know you at all?”

Derek huffed, “Stiles, are you ready?”

“No,” Stiles said truthfully.

“Great!” Derek opened his car door. “Let’s go.”

After seeing the house, Stiles was scared of how Derek’s family might look and act. He was worried that they’d be too sophisticated for him and was annoyed that he now had two strikes against him, instead of one. How could he make a good first impression on Derek’s family if he was both gay and lower class.

His fears were put to rest though when he caught his first glimpse of Derek’s mom as she ran out to greet them, dressed in a pair of cowboy boots and jean short-shorts, which weren’t exactly the luxurious ball gown he’d been imagining her in.

“My goodness,” she squealed as she raced over and jumped into Derek’s arms. “Is that my baby finally home? Glad to see, Mr. Doctor-Man, that you’re remembering you have a momma!”

Derek laughed and wrapped his arms around her in a tight hug. “Sorry, it’s been so long, Momma.”

“I guess I can’t be too mad at you,” she said and put a hand on Derek’s cheek as she beamed with pride. “You’re out there saving the world and such.”

“I just deliver babies, Momma.” Derek ducked his head, his ears turning pink. “Something I learned from helping with calving right here on this very ranch.”

Her eyes moved onto Stiles next, smiling graciously as she regarded him. “And just who is this?”

“This is the friend that I telling you about,” Derek said as he placed her back down on the ground. “Momma, this is Stiles.”

“Ooo, he a Doctor-Man too?”

“Nope, just merely an artist,” Stiles answered for himself with a nervous laugh.

“A very talented one, though,” Derek interjected in his defense.

“An artist, huh,” Derek’s mom hummed, sizing him up and down. “Well, alright then. Great to meet you, Stiles. I’m Talia Hale.”

“It’s great to meet you too, Miss,” Stiles smiled, shaking her hand as she held it out to him.

“Gee, you artists sure got dainty fingers and wrists,” Talia commented, squinting down at Stiles’ hand in displeasure. She turned Stiles’ palm up and tssked at it, shaking her head. “We’ll have to toughen you up in the next four days. Get you some calluses on these palms and teach you how to give a firm manly handshake. No matter the profession, there’s never an excuse to be a sissy. Now come on in, Stiles, I’m sure everyone will be ecstatic to meet you!”

Inside the Hale mansion was just as lavish and luxurious as the outside. And, like Talia, Derek’s two sisters, Laura and Cora, weren’t dressed up in expensive designer brands or silk princess dresses. Stiles was sure glad that he wasn’t underdressed, because for once in his life it wasn’t his sense of style that was being critiqued; just everything else about himself that he’d ever taken pride in.

Hit after hit after hit, it was like a firing squad of finding every fault in Stiles for why he wasn't man enough. His name was too weird; real men didn’t use nicknames. He slouched too much and needed to carry himself better so he wouldn’t get beat up. He was too scrawny; his bird chest and long limbs made him much too effeminate. He needed to grow facial hair; he looked like a teenage girl.

He did get one nice compliment from Derek’s older sister Laura, though. She told him he was hot and was thankful that he wasn’t gay because all the hot ones were nowadays. Oh, the irony! It’d be funny if it didn’t stab so much.

“You were right,” Stiles said when they managed to escape to get their luggage out of the car. “You were right and I was wrong. This is bad, Derek. This is horrible, actually. Let’s leave now. I’m cool with us living in sin forever and never telling anyone about us.”

“Stiles,” Derek called, catching his arm before he could pull open the passenger side door, “We can’t leave. I came prepared to tell my family about us.”

“Yeah, I know!” Stiles cringed, looking over his shoulder anxiously, lest anyone catch them touching for too long. “But that was before I knew the circumstances! And I understand it now, Derek. I get it loud and clear!”

He realized Derek’s dilemma now after having experienced it for himself because Derek’s mom and sisters weren’t necessarily bad people. They were actually nice! Like super nice and welcoming and friendly, well except for Cora but Derek had already told him that it took her time to warm up to new people. They all truly thought they were helping Stiles in their berating of him, like a charity case without the tax breaks.

Things would have been so much simpler if Derek’s mom and sisters had been genuine assholes. In fact, Stiles would have preferred it, because then he wouldn’t have to give a shit about hurting their feelings and could hate them outright. But here, he sensed how deeply they cared for Derek and how excited they were to have him back home and just didn’t think he could mess that up. Damn those pesky microaggressions!

“What do you want me to do then, Stiles?” Derek requested, “How do you expect us to survive the next four days?”

“I have no idea!” Stiles raked his fingers through his hair, “But you told them that I’m your friend, so let’s just be that for now, okay. I’m just your good friend Stiles with the dainty wrists and sissy fingers.”

“Hey, I love these fingers.” Derek reached out and took Stiles’ hand in his, dropping a light kiss to Stiles’ fingertips. “I’ve come with them inside numerous times.”

“That is so gay, Derek!” Stiles snatched his hand back. “We’re just buds now.”

“Buds.”

“Bros.”

“Alright then,” Derek nodded.

“Alright then,” Stiles echoed back.

Being a guest at the Hale Ranch kind of felt a lot staying at a five-star hotel. Stiles had been put up in a ginormous guest suite with what had to be the world’s most perfect bed. It was like laying on a heavenly cloud. Too bad Stiles hadn’t gotten much sleep in it last night.

Stiles never really liked going to sleep without Derek and Derek’s bedroom was all the way on the other side of the house. So, in the middle of the night, he decided that he was going to sneak over there, but the operation was a total fail. Stiles got so lost that he couldn’t even find his way back to his own room and ended up having to be saved by Cora like some pathetic damsel in distress. He made up some lame excuse about not being able to find the bathroom, even though he had two of them in his suite alone. He promised himself that he wouldn’t venture anywhere too far to get lost; so not needing Cora emasculating him to happen again anytime soon.

Other amenities of the Hale Ranch included a gourmet breakfast cooked by the ever so charming Laura Hale. Her flapjacks had honestly been what brought Stiles back to life after a restless night of tossing and turning. Her flirting was also pretty hilarious, and if things didn’t work out with Derek, Stiles knew he had a backup Hale to fall onto.

There were quite a few facilities on the grounds as well, Stiles’ favorite being the horse stable. Watching Derek muck out messy horse stalls and fork manure all afternoon, in theory, hadn’t sounded like a very pleasant experience. But Stiles found himself changing tunes the second he saw Derek in his sexy cowboy gear.

He also got to feed and pet all the pretty horses, and even sat on one for three whole minutes before freaking out and begging Derek to help him get down. Thank god, Cora was nowhere to be found for that scene; he didn’t think her opinion of him would improve much by seeing him whine like a little bitch.

Stiles still really liked the horses though and wished he could take one home as a replacement for Mojo Jojo. Derek promised to teach him how to ride someday but seemed to be forgetting that Stiles already knew how to ride. He rode Derek all the time, didn’t he?

It was so captivating to see how well Derek thrived out here. He could tell that Derek had missed it. He was so nurturing with all the animals and worked his butt off all day while still being patient with Stiles whose clumsiness wasn’t always conducive to most ranch tasks. Stiles would definitely be encouraging Derek to come back more often. It seemed like things were looking up and that the trip wasn’t as doomed as they’d originally thought. Or at least, those were Stiles’ sentiments before supper later that night.

“It’s frightening how much control the LGBT community has over the government. I mean, you can’t say anything without offending someone today. It’s all part of their agenda. Our lawmakers have allowed them to worm their way into our judicial system and corrupt all of our core values. I tell you, I have no idea what direction this country is heading in, but I know it isn’t a good one.”

After a long day in the field, Stiles was famished and, up until this point, had been dying to eat. Sadly, he couldn’t eat a morsel off his plate, too sick to his stomach to even pick up his fork.

Thinking back to Derek’s preemptive apology in the car yesterday only made Stiles feel even more ill, because Derek had to have known with absolute certainty that this was going to happen. And Derek could only know that because he’d been forced to endure this kind of vitriol in the past. And that made Stiles see red. He was absolutely furious for him.

What made it worse was that this tirade began completely unprompted. As soon as they sat down at the table, Talia unleashed her narrow-minded ideologies as if these were things that were totally okay to say. At one point she blamed pregnant women and their choice to consume foods with GMOs for the reason why the number of transgender youths in the world was growing.

As for the reactions around the table? Well, Cora nodded her head along with everything her mother said, fully endorsing all of the sheer ignorance spilling from Talia’s mouth. Laura appeared indifferent, choosing to examine her split ends instead of taking a stance. Derek hadn’t looked up from his lap the entire time, expertly hiding his hurt after years of practice. And Stiles, well, he’d just about heard enough.

“Say, wasn’t America one of the last few modern countries to legalize gay marriage? Which means the LGBT community and their nefarious agenda couldn’t have sunk their claws in that deep. If they had, I’m sure it would’ve happened sooner, so I think we’re all safe.”

All eyes were on Stiles now that he’d abruptly cut into Talia’s rant. Laura and Cora looked astonished as if they’d never seen anybody challenge their mother’s opinions before. Derek was silently pleading with him to fall back and retreat. But Talia’s eyes gleamed now as she regarded Stiles and he knew he was in for it now.

“I know that was sarcasm, young man,” Talia laughed merrily, “But I don’t fault you for it. You grew up in a place full of propaganda that makes you think my unpopular opinion makes me a bigot.”

“Oh, I don’t think anything like that,” Stiles waved, keeping his tone serene and sweet. “Trust me, you’re not the first homophobic person I’ve met.”

“Homophobic?” Talia looked appalled. “Oh no, honey, I’m not anything like that! I have nothing against those kinds of people. My own brother is one of them.”

Stiles was a little thrown off by that. “Then what exactly is your problem with them?”

“My problem is that men in this country aren’t acting like men anymore and families are breaking up all over this country. Look at the divorce rate, it’s sky high!”

Stiles gasped loudly and covered his mouth. “The gays had a hand in that too?”

Talia grinned, “Is sarcasm always a rebuttal for you?”

Stiles pursed his lips. “Yeah, pretty much.”

Talia noticed the uncomfortable tension at the table then and smiled, picking up her fork and knife. “Let’s just agree to disagree,” she said courteously, “Who am I to tell you how you should view the world. I just know my Derek always agrees with me. Right, baby?”

Stiles didn’t think he’d ever known such a rage until he watched Talia reach out and take Derek’s hand, forcing him to pick a side. For a moment, Derek looked torn, eyes flitting over to Stiles but ultimately going back to his mom as he smiled and gave her a small nod.

Talia winked over at Stiles, her smile smug as she sat back in her chair.

It took a lot of self-control for Stiles not to slam the fucking door when he got back to his suite. His hands were clenched into fists and he was shaking all over, his heart galloping at a fast pace due to all the adrenaline. It was usually best for him to go for a walk when he got this angry, but he couldn’t exactly leave the ranch house. What if he got lost again and Cora wasn’t there to rescue him this time?

Good thing his suite was fucking massive and he could pace all over it like the maniac that he was. Stiles went from room to room, burning a hole in the carpet as he fumed and talked angrily to himself. He didn't even notice that Derek had slipped into his room, too busy muttering under his breath about Talia’s audacity.

“I’m sorry.”

Stiles froze mid-pace, whipping his head around and finding Derek there, leaned up against the door and looking distraught and in need of comfort. He cursed, feeling selfish then, well almost selfish as that narcissist Talia. He should have checked on Derek first thing after supper was over. It had to have been a difficult dinner for him to sit through, what with his fiancé going up against his mom like that.

“It’s not you.” The pacing started back up again. “You have nothing to be sorry for. But phony people like her that are the worst kinds of people in this world!”

Derek looked away, sticking his hands in his jean pockets. “I would say she’s the worst. More like misguided, misinformed, ignorant…”

“Oh, shit!”

Stiles may not appreciate Talia’s toxic gender restrictions, or her harmful political views, or the fact that she truly thought she wasn’t being a hateful person when she spouted her bigotry, but she was still his future mother-in-law. She was still Derek’s mom.

He softened and abandoned his pacing to rush over to Derek and throw his arms around him. “I’m sorry,” he mumbled, “I didn’t mean that.”

“No, don’t apologize.” Derek brushed his thumb against Stiles’ cheek. “I’ve dealt with this for a lot of my life and I know her opinions can cut pretty deep.”

Stiles leaned into his caress. “Has she always been like that?”

“It’s a generational thing,” Derek told him. “My grandfather was just as bad.”

Stiles hugged Derek again, burying his face into his neck. He felt for Derek and for so many others who experienced rejection for who they were by their own flesh and blood on a daily basis. It was almost 2019 and families were still inflicting this kind of pain on queer folk. Who knew how many people were suffering through this type of awkwardness this holiday season.

“I will say, I’ve never seen anyone hold their own so well against my momma. It kind of made me hot.”

Stiles snorted. “The weirdest things make you hot... and you took her side.”

Derek lowered his head. “You know I had to.”

“Yeah, I know,” Stiles said, even though he didn’t completely agree.

Derek could’ve spoken up, he could’ve done something to challenge her, hell he could have come out. But Stiles knew these things couldn’t be rushed and Stiles had his own fears about Derek’s family finding out about them, which was why he’d suggested they pretend to be friends in the first place.

Though, they didn’t have to pretend to be friends behind this closed door. Stiles released a harsh breath as Derek’s mouth seized his; it felt like ages since they’d last kiss. They traded spots, Derek kissing him hungrily as he pressed Stiles up against the door. In the haze of tongue and lips and teeth, Stiles heard the sound of the lock click shut on the door and pulled away, panting as he struggled to catch his breath.

“What are you doing?” he asked, his chest rising and falling.

“What’s it look like?” Derek rumbled and nibbled along Stiles’ neck.

“Here? Now?” Stiles hissed, jolting off the door as if someone was already on the other side listening in. “We are supposed to be bros, Derek!”

“It’s a big house, Stiles!”

“Yes, I am aware!”

Of course, he knew that after having gotten lost in it.

“No one’s going to hear us, Stiles, and if they do,” his expression hardened, “then tough shit! I fucking miss you and dinner was awful and I just don’t give a shit anymore! So fuck everybody today, okay? Fuck the world! I just need to be with you right now. Just you and me.”

Stiles’ eyes rounded at the intensity in Derek’s voice and the weight of his words. He’d never seen Derek like this, like he was ready to jump off an edge. Stiles was ready to go with him though, for better or worse.

“Okay,” Stiles swallowed and stepped forward, approaching Derek cautiously like he would a wounded animal. He kept his voice gentle as he consented again, “Okay.”

He allowed himself to fall easily into Derek’s brutal embrace. The want was something feral. There was nothing tame about the way they kissed now and it both thrilled and scared him. It was almost spiteful the way he let Derek use him, put him wherever he wanted, take whatever he needed. It was just the two of them as they lost control. And the world was loudly and thoroughly fucked.

After last night’s tumultuous supper dispute, Stiles was rather nervous to be back at the same dining room table for a festive Christmas Eve meal. He didn’t feel much like getting into another altercation with Derek’s mom or wasting more of Laura’s delicious food due to a lack of appetite. However, none of that was really up to him and depended mostly on how Talia would act.

Thankfully, Talia was in a jolly good mood and hadn’t said a single rude thing to Stiles all day. He thought she’d have something to say about his dinner attire at least since his tight burgundy suit wasn’t exactly traditional or masculine. He’d also styled his hair when she’d told him on the first day that real men didn’t use hair gel, just spit.

The talk at dinner wasn’t exclusively limited to gay bashing either. Talia touched on lighter topics and even shared some stories with Stiles about what Derek was like as a kid. His favorite one so far being about the year Derek spent only wearing roller skates as shoes when he was nine. Stiles couldn’t stop laughing now that it was confirmed that Derek had been a dork his whole life. Stiles was just about to beg Talia to tell him more when the doorbell rang, interrupting their meal.

“I’ll get it!” Laura hopped up from her seat and headed towards the front door.

“She’s exaggerating, you know,” Derek told him, rolling his eyes while Stiles continued to snicker. “It wasn’t a year. It was just a couple of months and I wasn’t allowed to wear them to school. Why’d you let me do it anyway, Momma?”

Talia grinned. “I’ve always believed you kids should express yourselves any way you see fit. And you did pose a good argument when you brought it up to me. You did get your chores done a lot faster on roller skates.”

The hypocrisy of the statement instantly jumped out to Stiles and he was flabbergasted that Talia couldn’t see it for herself. How could she possibly think that she’d encouraged her children to express themselves when she constantly restricted them to heteronormative gender roles. Stiles had even heard her telling Cora earlier that she needed to be more ladylike so she could find herself a husband. But Stiles didn’t understand why that was necessary when Cora was badass just the way she was.

Laura had been gone for some time, which made Stiles start to wonder who it could be at the door. Talia hadn’t said anything about expecting other guests and they lived in the middle of nowhere, so it wasn’t likely that it was some friendly neighbor deciding to pop in on Christmas Eve with sugar cookies.

“Oh, Momma, you won’t believe who’s here,” Laura exclaimed, smiling brightly as she re-entered the room with three new dinner guests.

Talia stiffened and sat up straight in her chair, the comfortable smile she’d worn all evening falling from her face. Cora’s dinner utensils dropped from her hands, the fork and knife scraping loudly against her plate. Derek didn’t fare any better with the surprise, choking on his water and sputtering everywhere. And judging from all their different reactions, Stiles had a strong hunch of who this mystery visitor could be.

Talia was the first to recover from the shock and Stiles watched as she awkwardly stood and greeted her brother and his family. Derek was able to recuperate as well, introducing Stiles to everyone as a work colleague which was just weird. How had Stiles gone from being his fiancé to his friend and now demoted to a work colleague? Meanwhile, Cora resumed eating without saying anything in what was so obviously a snub.

Only Laura was most genuinely excited to see her uncle Peter, jumping to get more plates of food for him, his husband Chris, and stepdaughter Allison. Stiles looked over at Derek, curious to know what his opinion was of his black sheep uncle, but Derek left his face completely blank and purposely so. Stiles was very intrigued as to why as well.

“It’s been years since we’ve seen you, nephew,” Peter said, taking a large bite out of his steak and chewing noisily. “Allison is starting to grow boobs now.”

Allison snorted, her dimples deep as she cracked a smile. “I’m twenty-five, Dad. I think this is as big as they’ll get.”

Peter took another bite of steak, his interest still zeroed in on Derek. “Where’d you say you’re living again?”

“San Francisco,” Derek said evenly.

“Oh!” Peter’s eyes lit up. “Have you tried the cock?”

“Peter!” Talia scolded. “We are at the dinner table.”

“Since when did you start bringing home male friends?” Peter asked, eyes moving over to Stiles next.

And Stiles understood now why Derek was being weird and emotionless. His uncle Peter was kind of a creep. He had a very keen and invasive gaze that made Stiles squirm as his eyes scanned over him. Stiles wondered what profession he must be in to have that kind of superpower; it was like he was downloading information about Stiles without even talking to him first.

Peter began smiling then, slow and sly, like a cat that got the cream. His eyes darted between Stiles and Derek then down to the band on Stiles’ left ring finger then once more between Stiles and Derek. He simpered, practically bouncing up and down in his seat, “Well isn’t he a cutie.”

“Don’t, Peter,” Chris cautioned sternly.

Peter pouted, “But you don’t even know what I’m thinking.”

“Still. Don’t,” Chris smirked, dropping a fond peck onto Peter’s mouth.

It was barely a kiss. Hell, Stiles had seen people do more with their dogs. But from Talia’s extremely repulsed reaction, you would think Christ and Peter had been fucking right there in the middle of the table.

“I see you still hate Anderson Cooper, sister,” Peter remarked.

That was all it took to get Talia started in on a rant about how CNN had this big conspiracy to force people to accept gays by shoving Anderson Cooper into their homes every New Year. It was just as ridiculous and outlandish as her claims during last night's dinner. Only now her words were a bit more vicious as she started attacking Peter directly, which then caused Chris and Allison to get involved, which then brought Cora into the mix as she came to her mother’s defense, then Laura naturally swooped in an effort to keep the peace...and yeah, weren’t holidays with the whole family just amazing?

“I just don’t agree with you marrying, Chris,” Talia yelled. “It was obviously just rebellious attention seeking behavior to tear a rift into this family!”

“Alright, that’s enough!” Derek slammed his fist onto the table and jumped to his feet, his chair flying out from behind him with a loud screech. “That’s enough, Momma.”

Talia frowned, looking around and behind her as if Derek was talking to his other mom that he didn't have because that went against Talia's beliefs. She furrowed her brows when she saw no one and pointed at herself, “Wait, you mean me?”

“Yes, you! I can't listen to you anymore!" Derek shouted, then took a deep breath and came clean, "Everyone, Stiles isn’t my friend. He’s my fiancé.”

“Hi,” Stiles addressed everyone, displaying his engagement ring helpfully to the room.

“I love him," Derek informed Talia, "And I know it’s disgusting to you and goes against your beliefs but I refuse to let you and your opinions ruin my relationship. I understand if you never want to speak to me again, but I’m not going to apologize for who I am.”

"Never speak to you again?" Talia's mouth opened and closed several times as she stared at Derek in disbelief, "I don't want that. I don't care if you're gay, Derek."

"Bisexual," Derek corrected. "And I don't want to hear that you don't care because I want you to care about me and about Stiles. I want you to be more tolerant of people that are different from you and I want you to know more about my community. I want you to come to my wedding and I want you to be a part of my life. I want Stiles and I to be able to come home for more holidays. I want you to do better. I want you to accept me."

“Derek," Talia stepped closer and pressed a hand to his cheek. She smiled softly, "I want a lot of that too. Stiles seems like a really nice boy and I want to learn and better for you, but it might take me some time. Still, I think you and I should have a really long talk."

Derek nodded, tearing up as he took her hand off of his cheek and kissed it. "I'd like that."

They left the room together to go somewhere private to talk, leaving everyone else in the dining room who'd been a witness a little touched. Stiles was shocked at how receptive Talia had been to Derek wanting to talk things out. He was so happy for him and hopeful for the future. Even Cora surprised him. He thought it would take her much longer to come around because of how tough she was, but she softened pretty easily, giving Stiles a hug as she welcomed him to the family. Laura hugged him as well and asked him tons of questions about the wedding plans. He ended up Facetiming Lydia so that she could give Laura all the details herself, but didn't miss the way Cora's eyes locked on Lydia through the screen.

Stiles left them with his phone and moved over to Peter, needing to ask, “You were a bloodhound in a previous life, right?”

Peter nodded. “Yeah, I was. I was also Lady Godiva."

#Superwhumper06 #stereksanta18 #*fic18 #*gifts18

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the-canary · 6 years

Text

Languages of Saints - C.R (7/10)

Summary: A deal isn’t supposed to involve feelings, right? (Reader/Carter Baizen).

Prompt: “Did you enjoy yourself last night?”

A/N: for @imcarterbaizen old challenge. shout out to my bff @ilsa-faustus because i know nothing about high end brands, and she helped picked the clothes for this. please don’t take the person wearing the dress as an actual visual of the main character, it is simple a reference for you to make a basis out of.

Masterlist

Feedback is always appreciated.

It’s easy to let work pile up, to let it be the only thing that dominates your mind to and back home from work. Numbers and words are easier to handle the people and emotions, you tend to ignore those until the fester and it’s too late -- work is always there with a straightforward answer in its numbers and it doesn’t talk back. You can disconnect with it and it doesn’t hurt like when a person stops interacting with you, maybe that’s why you could handle Rocio so well. Roci was forest fire that hid after she burned herself out and didn’t come back until she was some semblance of her former self -- for all the insane schemes she had put you through the years, she had never showed you that softer side of her personality -- and you never had either.

Okay, maybe that wasn’t the complete truth. There bits here and there, like the garden party, where you would stand by your best (and only) friend if it was called for. And in the same, twisted sort of way -- Rocio tried her best to protect you too. Though, it was too damn early to be sending her cryptic text messages when you had work in the morning

Don’t do it. You’ll just get hurt in the end.

You move from your bed, as Monsieur makes a loud meow at the interruption to his sleep. You check the time again to see that it’s 4am. You groan and wonder what she means, roll around a bit more -- forgetting all about the message and going back to those strange dreams filled with cold numbers and equally as icy blue eyes -- not that you remember anything when your real time to wake up when morning comes around.

However, Carter Baizen isn’t the same type of rich person as Rocio. He likes poking and prodding at people in his own way until he finds something that bothers them. It had taken him a long while, but once he had found a weakness of yours; he went in for the kill. You were a natural workaholic and while it was something that he admired, it was also something he exploited after the gala event incident. No, it wasn’t that he made you work more, but in his own cheekiness of mentioning how he could ruin the events leading up to gala.

Since agreeing to being his plus one, it had opened some type gate to him trying to get a rise out of you. In the events you needed to attend, he was always dressed to the nines in Hugo Boss suits, but the moment someone turned around he was always making some type of slide remark and he did in moments where the possibility of getting caught was high. At this point you weren’t sure if he was trying to make you mad or trying to make you laugh. As in the current moment, Carter Baizen had taken you to a quick dinner with some “very” important people in downtown Manhattan.

Personal assistant could be added to your resume at this point, but you weren’t sure that the scantily clad woman next to the man was here for the same reason as you. The man was complaining to the waiter about his steak when you hear a small murmur above the classical music.

“Always does it,” you glance to your right side to see sparkling blue eyes and a wagging eyebrow and you put two and two together. This man of high status complained about his steak to get it cheaper all the time. You don’t know why, maybe it’s the lack of sleep, the way he shakes his head with a silent laugh, or just how ridiculous the situation is that it has you letting out a snort, catching everyone’s attention as you grab your handkerchief pretend to sneeze.

“Excuse me,” you manage to say, as the man simply scolds you before going back to talking with Mr. Baizen. You can’t help the smile that blooms on your face for a moment, one that you try to hide behind the wine glass, as the meeting continues.

However, after everything is said and done, after the drunk business man and his “date” leave, Carter Baizen can’t help but let out a loud laugh into the humid New York air as your shake your head.

“What an idiot,” Carter lets out with while placing his hands into his pockets, you just shake your head but can’t help but agree silently, not that you would ever tell him. However, as he runs a hand through his hair with laugh lines around his eyes, you can’t help but think it looks good on him compared to all the other times you have interacted with him.

“You’re child, Mr. Baizen,” is all you’ll say on the subject, as he keeps laughing.

The second time you think Carter Baizen is playing with you is when you come back from lunch and have a beautifully suited woman sitting on your desk. Her blonde hair is flowing to her shoulders. She’s wearing a pure white suit and accessories all over her hands and neck that you are sure cost more than you’ll ever make. However, the thing that stands out most are her high heels that shine gold in the artificial light, you pause momentarily out fear at the entrance of your office door, as beautifully painted brown eyes stare at you. Her mouth twitches just a little as you duck your head in.

“Umm, where you waiting for me?” you ask timid to stare, much less speak to such a stylish woman. It was easier with Rocio after years of friendship, but this woman was something all together. She drops down her legs from the desk and smiles.

“I’m Cameron,” she explains as you close the door, “One of Carter Baizen’s personal stylists, but for today I’ll be handling your dress attire for the gala.”

“I don’t think I need help dressing up,” you freeze up mortified at the attention and money suddenly being placed into what you wore, something that you still aren’t used to even after that shopping spree, “I’m sorry for wasting your time.”

“Ah, he said you would say that,” Cameron just keeps smiling while pulling out her phone and relaying a certain message, “Mr. Baizen says: Tell my lovely date, that I am personally paying for your services. It is a waste of your time and my money not to have her at her best, especially with so many potential donors for the children’s hospital. If not I could find someone with --”

“Please stop ,” you groan out, as she gives you a pointed smile, “So what do you need of me?”

“Your body,” she states as your eyes grow wide at her tone. She stands up, heels echoing on the linoleum, and crosses the distance between the two of you before pushing you outside once more, “And for you to do everything I say without a fuss.”

“I-I can try,” you say nervously as she drags your across the office and into the elevators. It isn’t much of a scene, but Cameron’s outfit and you just being out is enough to have a few eyes staring at you. Nick looks on from the water cooling station before waving at you to have a good whatever it is you’re doing.

“Thanks!” you yell back, as the blond chuckles behind you. You’re a little fearful over her next words as she takes you to the elevator -- where she is leading you, you have no clue.

“Just watch, we’ll have Carter Baizen graveling at your feet, sweetie.”

You don’t know if you should be excited or angry at the man who you are sure will be laughing about this later.

Carter Baizen isn’t sure why he is feeling so nervous as he walks around the large hallway leading to the gala he is too attend this evening. He is perfection in a black on black Armani suit with his hair slicked back in just the right angle. He had his selling pitch ready for anyone that is even hesitating to give tonight with the charm amped up to 10x more than usual. Nothing could get in his way tonight, except that his date wasn’t here yet. Cameron had messaged him that there were few problems with the original dress and she was getting a new one last minute. It meant that you didn’t come together as planned, now he was waiting with no updates -- something that drove him a little stir crazy. He’s about have a very angry phone call with one of his favorite stylists, but then he hears it.

“And who are you with, miss?” the maitre d asks.

“I’m Mr. Carter Baizen’s plus one,” there is an unusual pitch to the voice that is usually so sarcastic and fiesty with him, but Carter at this point knows it by heart. Blue eyes look up and freeze at the sight in front of him. Hair pinned back with just a bit of makeup but bright red lips. They match your knee-length dress and jacket in its red-and-black combo with red heels to finish the combo.

He’s mesmerized, making a reminder that he needs to give Cameron extra the next time he sees her. He gets tunnel vision for a moment, as you get closer to him -- a worried look on your face.

“I’m sorry, something happened to the Chanel dress last minute. Cameron found this though,” you sway a little to emphasize the new dress and smile, “I think it looks better though.”

“Yeah, it looks great,” he tries to says as nonchalant as possible before grabbing your hand, though you give him a look that causes him to laugh, “None of that tonight. Smile and sell what you gotta for those kids, but not everything.”

His joke causes you to shake your head but he can feel you ease up just a little at you take your first steps into the large and highly decorated ballroom . Your eyes growing for moment.

“Mr.Bai--” you start, only to have him cut you off.

“ Tut tut , it’s Carter for tonight,” he reprimands you, which causes you to frown as blue eyes stare at your red lips for a moment. He knows for sure they are going to be a distraction for the rest of the night. But, instead of listening to whatever fears you might have due to fully emerging into the world of the filthy rich and famous of NYC, he just grabs your hand tighter and pulls you head first into the shark den. It was a bit harsh, but he knew you had it in you.

“Don’t forget to smile,” he chuckles quietly as the first old, wealthy couple makes its way to the two of you.

Carter knows that there might some ramifications in letting you go on your own to talk to people here and there throughout the event. You were fresh meat for them without the cynical nature some rich people had. There was also the chance that someone might get too touchy-feely with you or someone talked in a certain way about your relationship with him because there were also rumors floating around when it came to him. But, he believed in your level-headedness and natural charisma that seemed to shine in the oddest of moments, plus he knew by now that you cared deeply about cause like this.

Nevertheless, he always stays close to you and as he watches you work your magic on the Livingstons, then the Winthrops, hell even the old Vanderbilt heiress falls under your spell as he watches each one of them head up front and make a donation after talking to you. You just might be even better than him, as he watches you laugh and talk to a certain famous news anchor. And for a moment he wonders it this is just all naturally you or something you have cultivated from knowing Rocio for so long. Eventually after talking and mingling, you end up sitting in one of the many side tables, jacket resting on the chair, as he comes to your side.

“So, how are you enjoying yourself?” he asks, as you look up from your small tray of finger food with a tired smile, though the effect from hours before still hasn’t faded away. He grabs your hand and drags you to the large dancing space. You groan in annoyance, but say nothing, which Carter considers a win as he slips a hand around your waist and you place a hand on his shoulder, frown in place like always. He’s just getting used to it to live with it.

“It’s nice, I guess,” you explain after a smile, as the song dies and a new one begins. It isn’t the same as the garden party. There isn’t any joking around as the soft jazz music plays and he drags you just a bit closer.

“But, not your thing?” he asks, as you shake your head. You bit your lip in thought for a moment, as blue eyes zoom into the action before you start talking once more.

“Hmm, I’m sure that some people would love this glitz and glamour, spending time dancing and eating the best food while wearing an expensive dress,” you look down motion to said fancy thing before admitting the truth, “But in all honesty, I would rather be eating Thai with Monsieur right now.”

“Monsieur?” he has heard everything you had said, and while he mull over it later, Carter asks about the thing strange in that statement.

“Ah, my pet cat,” you clarify as he nods, though ready to add something. However, you beat him to the punch, “And yes, I’ve already heard the old cat lady jokes.”

He laugh as you look away in embarrassment but then think about everything you had said on how you would rather be relaxing than putting up pretenses, and he can’t help but agree. So instead of going back to the table were your jacket is placed, he starts heading toward the entrance. In your confusion you protest just a little, though thankful that all your important stuff in a small pocket on the side of the dress as Carter Baizen drags you from the gala event --clock close to striking midnight-- and to god knows where.

You never make it an easy job for Carter Baizen to have you enter his car, as you frown and complain that you aren’t going anywhere without knowing to which borough he had in mind. He can’t help but reminisce to the party all those months back and grin before letting you know that you were heading to Brooklyn for some real food -- something your stomach greatly approved of. This lead to you and the Carter Baizen to be sitting in your formal wear on a bench on the side of of the Brooklyn Bridge with a pizza between the two of you. It’s silent for a long while, as both of you take your fill, though you try your hardest to make sure the dress doesn’t get any food on it. The silence eventually bothers Carter too much, as he asks the first thing that pops into his head, while staring at the murky waters not that far away.

“So, do you enjoy this type of stuff,” he asks as you turn to look at him, searching for a further explanation, “Charity, helping people?”

“You’re really are a rich boy,” you say with a little malice, as if you had an old anger for something you couldn’t stop years ago, “But, not everyone has the type of money to have preventative care or to pay for their medicine.”

“Who?” he can’t help but ask because he knew the everyone at Baizen Co. had a pretty good healthcare packet compared to other companies, especially you. So, it had to be something connected to your past and it go him curious.

“Doesn’t matter,” you cut him off from learning anything about the part of your life, before taking a bite of pizza, closing off this part of the conversation, “Nostalgia won’t bring the things you love back.”

“How noble of you,” he bites back like a child, as you frown.

“Ah… thank you for the backhanded compliment,” you bite back and he can’t help but be caught off guard that you are calling him back on his attitude in your own way.

“I didn’t mean like that,” he gives a weak excuse as it’s your turn to have that particular grin on your face, in order to push back the unpleasant thoughts of what you had just talked about.

“Hmm,” is all you say as a response.

“You’re a tough one to crack,” he admits in annoyance, before running a hand through his hair as it to emphasize his exasperation towards you even more. Though, he should know that the feeling was mutual by now.

“Would you want it any other way?” you start before going off, while pointing at him with annoyance in your voice, but not much else as when he first meet you, “Or do you enjoying having those young ladies falling at their feet, calling you nicknames, what are they --Saint Carter, Car Car -- while none of the work gets done? I’ve known you long enough to know that you appreciate efficiency over anything else.”

“Ah, you have me there,” he states with a shiteating grin on his face at your little tirade, leaning back onto the bench, full from the meal as he adds on,“Spitfire.”

“Now that’s a compliment, Mr. Baizen,” you nod, before adding much to his surprise, “So, got any good stories to tell?”

“Like what?” he asks while turning just to look at you -- more carefree than usual underneath the moon and streetlights that he wished he had a camera to capture the moment.

“Like Texas or Machu Pichu?” you tease, remembering what Rocio had told you once from her own stories, and hopeful to move the discussion into something happier, “Maybe even that Bass famous rivalry?”

“You really wanna hear about all that?” Carter asks, a curious uptick in his voice as he wonders why you would want to know about all the stupid things he had done back in his youth. You just shake your head and laugh.

“Entertain me,” ( It’s a date isn’t it?) is the thing you want to tack on, but shut your mouth at such a thought, regardless of anything else this man was your boss ahead of anything else.

You pause even more staring at the pizza in your hand, as Carter starts telling you stories that have you laughing at his antics and the general attitude that all these rich people had, but you could see how this allowed Mr. Baizen to con them, though things didn’t always end up well for him as times either. And while you enjoy the rest of the night, you can’t help but think towards the end -- when the hell did your view of Carter Baizen change?

Don’t do it. You’ll just get hurt in the end.

You hear Rocio’s words ringing in your head, completely unaware that said man was looking at you like you have hung yp all the stars in the sky.

Part 8

#baezens4k #carter baizen #carter baizen x reader #carter x reader #carter baizen fanfic #carter baizen fanfiction #carter baizen au #gossip girl #gossip girl fanfic #gossip girl fanfiction #series: of saints #fabiola trying to write

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spookyscullies · 6 years

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last days of sun: installment one

alright, so i’m starting a new series. i blame @jodie-fosters-foster-child for suggesting that i actually write it :’) inspired by that scene from up where it goes through ellie and carl’s marriage. here you go my dude !

Scully and Mulder are newly-weds who’ve just bought their first home (the unremarkable house). this series follows their life as a newly married couple, from putting together their new home, to the proposition of children, and the upcoming issue of Scully’s diagnosis of cancer

rating: PG

Mulder helped Scully out of the car, reminding her to keep her eyes shut tight. She grinned widely, laughing as she stumbled into his arms.

“You okay?” He chuckled, steadying her.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Just anxious to see why we’ve been driving for so long.” Scully replied. Mulder slid his hands over her eyes to shield her further, just in case she decided she was too curious and wanted to sneak a peek.

He had scoured and saved for this; put every penny in his jar for safe-keeping. It had taken a while for him to gather the funds, in fact, the entire length of their engagement, despite the derelict condition of the property. The thing that took so much time was that first, he had to find the right home. Once he found this place, he had to save up even more money for them to make repairs.

It was a fixer-upper, no doubt, but it was an ideal location, hidden away from the world. It would be just him and her. Trees shrouded the house, wild grass and flowers clambering up the sides of the house and practically overrunning the front porch. The house itself was unkempt and in an apparent state of disrepair. The front door hung off its hinges, the windows were without panes, the paint peeling, the roof needed some shingling done. It was nothing they couldn’t fix together, though.

Mulder had stocked the car with supplies they’d need for today, industrial paint buckets, paint brushes, saws, hammers, nails, screws, everything anyone would need for redesigning a home; he’d even told Scully to wear clothes she wouldn’t mind dirtying up. She had elected a pair of old cut-off overalls and an old t-shirt of Mulder’s with a pair of Converse to go with them, a bandana tied in her hair as a headband. Mulder had donned a pair of basketball shorts, tennis shoes, another t-shirt of his, and a baseball cap. He’d even brought a picnic lunch.

This was all assuming Scully liked the place. He really hoped she did. He had been serious about living in the country. Once they fixed the house up, it’d be tremendous. The lot it was on was absolutely beautiful, and he knew when he saw it, it would be the perfect place to start their life together.

Mulder guided Scully closer to the house, reaching the front step, where the blue and purple wild flowers snaked their way around the railing of the stairs.

“Mulder, come on! Can I open them now?” Scully whined, her hands reaching to push Mulder’s off her face.

“Okay, open!” Mulder removed his hands from in front of Scully’s eyes, revealing what was before them.

“Where are we?” Scully inquired in awe, turning all around her, taking in the sight.

“I bought it. This is our new home.” Mulder stated proudly, holding his arms out, presenting the setting to his new wife.

“Mulder,” Scully bounded up the stairs and knocked on a chipped white column. “This place is safe, right?”

“Of course it is, Scully. You think I’d buy a place that wasn’t fit to live in?”

Scully gave him a look that he knew meant, “really, Mulder?”

“Okay, well, it’s not fit to live in yet. I brought stuff to help, you know, buff and polish it up.” Mulder pointed toward the backseat of the car, which was stuffed with items. Scully inspected the splintering door silently, her eyebrow raising as a spider skittered across it before her eyes. “You don’t hate it... do you?” Mulder asked, his stomach filling with dread.

Maybe he should’ve asked her before making the purchase. It probably would’ve been a more responsible thing to do, really and wow, he shouldn't have done this. Regret pulsed though him, rushing through his body and pounding in his ears.

“Mulder,” Scully descended the stairs to him, noticing the hint of uncertainty playing in his eyes. “I had you big time.” Scully broke out into a wide smile, watching the uneasiness wash away from Mulder’s figure.

“I love it! It’s breathtaking, the scenery, the fresh air. It’s peaceful and serene and the perfect place to begin our lives together.” She cupped Mulder’s face and kissed him tenderly.

“Yeah? I’m glad you like it.” Mulder pulled her into his arms and held her tightly. “But I’m gonna have to get you back for pulling the whole disapproving act,” He whispered in her ear, then hoisted her over his shoulder, despite her shrieks of refusal.

“Mulder, put me down!” The shrieks soon turned to giggles as Mulder treaded through the weeds to the car to gather the supplies.

“Just a reminder that as newly-weds and this being our first home, it’s absolutely necessary that I sweep you off your feet and carry you across the threshold, so prepare yourself for that.” Mulder slid Scully off his shoulder and set her down on the gravel driveway.

“In your dreams.” Scully deadpanned and opened the car door to the backseat. Tugging a bucket of paint and a paintbrush into her arms, she trudged back up to the porch and set them down. “Maybe today we can just start with the easy stuff?” Scully waved the paintbrush in her hand.

“Sure,” Mulder grabbed another paintbrush and a flat-head screwdriver. He joined Scully on the porch and pried the lid off the paint bucket using the screwdriver. Scully dipped her paintbrush in the white paint and looked at Mulder with a gleam in her eye.

“Ready? I’m about to start the official renovation of our home.” Scully informed Mulder, the paint covered brush hovering in front of her chest.

“I’m ready, Scully.”

Just as she was about to make the first swipe of color on the faded porch, a glop of paint landed on her overalls.

“Damn it!”

* * *

They painted for an hour and half, and by the time Mulder called a halt for lunch, they were each covered in splotches of paint everywhere, ranging from their legs to their face. Scully had purposefully smudged wet paint on Mulder’s chin and in retaliation, Mulder pressed some on the tip of her nose.

Mulder had packed the lunch in a cooler filled with ice so the food would keep on a hot summer day like it was. He’d made a pretty simple lunch: sandwiches, chips, sodas, and cookies for desert. He’d actually made the cookies himself, according to Maggie Scully’s recipe. He’d followed the directions to the “t”, so he hoped they were as good as the ones the Scully’s mom was so famous for making.

Mulder retrieved the cooler from the car and took hold of Scully’s hand, leading her down the trodden path of their driveway.

“There’s a place just a few minutes from here that’s really nice. I thought we could go there for lunch today. I think you’ll really like it.” Mulder glanced over at Scully, who beamed at him adorably, her bright blue eyes shining in the noon sun.

“You’re such a romantic, Mulder.” Scully hummed.

“Pretty sure that’s the only reason I got you to marry me.” Mulder quipped, extracting his hand from Scully’s to remove his cap and push it down on Scully’s head.

Scully adjusted it with her free hand. “That and other reasons,” Scully reclaimed Mulder’s hand and pecked him on his jaw.

“Those being?” Mulder’s lips quirked up into a smile at Scully wearing his baseball cap. It was the cutest thing he’d ever seen, the navy of the hat contrasting with the starkness of her red hair. It was obviously too big for for her head and was a little loose, but it seemed even more suitable that way.

“Well, for one, your good looks.” Scully shrugged, swinging their arms back and forth, fingers intertwined.

“Who, me?” Mulder feigned shock.

“Your humor, for that matter.” Scully added aptly.

“Of course, go on.” Mulder nodded, causing Scully to laugh with that Scully laugh of hers.

“You’re just real, you know? You’re not pretending to be someone else when you’re with me, or when you’re with anyone. What you see is what you get, and I think that’s hard to come by in this world. It’s refreshing.” Scully continued while they walked along in the heat, birds chirping quietly in the trees above them, insects buzzing in the distance surrounding them.

“That’s one of the reasons why I married you too.” Mulder concurred thoughtfully.

They came to a stop at the bottom of a hill. A tree stood atop the hill, leaves colored a lush green, creating shade beneath it.

“Is this it?” Scully asked, releasing Mulder’s hand and turning to face him. Mulder set down the cooler next to his feet.

“Yep. Whadd’ya think Scully?”

“I think...” Scully stepped in closer, wrapping her arms around his neck. “it’s wonderful.” She leaned in, gently placing her lips against Mulder’s. His tongue pushed against her lips and she granted him access, deepening the kiss as his tongue explored. Mulder’s hands slipped down her body, resting at the dip of her back and the curve of her behind. With one last juncture of their lips, Scully pulled away and began walking up the hill.

“Another reason I married you was because of that ass. It never quits.” Mulder called out and snatched the cooler, hurrying after Scully, who was almost to the top.

Scully tossed back a smug look.

“I know.”

Scully settled under the shade of the tree, her back against the trunk. Mulder sat beside her and began unpacking their lunch. Immediately, they chowed down, starving from their morning of excitement. They were quiet as they ate, apart from the stifled snickers from Scully when Mulder opened his bottle of soda and it fizzed and bubbled over.

Sated from their lunch and weary from the hot weather, they laid on their backs in the warm grass.

“Picnics like these can be regular, can’t they?” Scully absent-mindedly picked at a clover next to her hand.

“Of course they can. Every weekend.” Mulder stole his cap back, positioning it on his head. He stroked the soft ginger of Scully’s hair and brushed a piece out of her eyes.

“Good.” Scully’s eyes fluttered at Mulder’s touch. They were silent again, the sounds of the atmosphere filling their ears.

After fifteen minutes had come and gone, Mulder spoke again.

“Scully, you ready to go?” Mulder asked. No reply. “Scully?”

Mulder sat up to find Scully’s eyes closed, peaceful and asleep in the sun. He smiled to himself and collected their things in one hand, and scooped his new, sleeping wife into his arms and carried her back home.

#msr #msr au #msr fan fiction #mulder #scully #fox mulder #dana scully #txf #txf fan fiction

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lightsandlostbells · 6 years

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Skam Italia episode 7 reaction

Edoardo: looking good just by comparison.

Clip 1 - A sandwich and a spoon

This is not a substantial comment but Silvia’s sandwich made me hungry.

So Silvia made out with the famous Rocco Martucci? That was the guy eyeballing her? I guess since we got a visual, he can’t be Italian Julian Dahl.

If I didn’t know better from having seen where the storyline goes, I’d say Silvia does a fairly convincing job of acting like she doesn’t care about Edoardo. You know, except for the part where she’s already making travel plans to accompany them on their vacation.

Lmao, Silvia and Eleonora allowed this spoon sucking to go on when Martino was right there in their faces. I appreciated how awkward this scenario was and that like, none of them attempted to make small talk to distract from Fede’s innuendo.

Clip 2 - Skate park

That skate park looks fun. It kinda looks like a swimming pool that was converted into something else, based on the colors, but I’m assuming it was always a skate park. But on that note, the visuals and colors of Skam Italia are usually great. I’m not going to do an in-depth analysis at the moment but it seems like the majority of scenes are very warm with a lot of brown/orange/yellow, and sometimes they do a scene that sticks out to me because it’s so cool and blue. It’s all rather striking. And of all the remakes, this one is making the most of its setting (Skam Austin is doing some things with the city but I feel way more of a sense of place in Skam Italia than Druck or Skam France).

I like when the Isak character prods Eva a little to tell him what’s up, since I think it fits what Isak is about to do to her in a few scenes, and because I always wonder why Eva didn’t just tell Noora if she was feel guilty - it helps to have the prompt from Isak to get out her confession. That being said, Eva and Martino’s relationship has been established as close and comfortable on its own merits that I can certainly buy Eva opening up to him. They’ve put in the work to make them have a rapport.

Lmao, Martino making that hand motion about Fede and her spoon. Thanks for the S3 teaser!

Tiny thing but when Eva swallows out of anxiety, you can see Martino half out of frame swallow right after she does, like he’s got some conflict on his own. That might not even be a conscious choice but it’s a good acting detail nonetheless. I think I mentioned previously that these actors have known each other for years and it’s stuff like that, the mimicry and feeding off each other, which makes the chemistry more convincing.

Yeah, this is my favorite Eva-Isak friendship after the original by far, so it’s really going to sting when the reveal happens.

Clip 3 - The wall

I’m glad that Eleonora checked in whether Edoardo wrote back to Silvia before she snapped her back to reality. You know, just in case he did.

Also in this scene Silvia still seems stuck in Edoardoland and firmly convinced that he’s into her, whereas I remember Vilde seeming a little deflated and knowing that Noora would not approve of her talking about William when she entered the scene. She’s pretty good at putting up a confident front when she needs to.

I think Silvia’s hooking up with Rocco Martucci was a misguided attempt to make Edoardo jealous and get him back, which is too bad. I wish she was legit trying to have fun or move on. I know for plot reasons that’s not how it goes, but still.

Both Eleonora and Eva were very sweet to Silvia and not too harsh or judgmental.

I really love making it into a wall of conquests instead of the sweatshirts, and I appreciate that Silvia gets to save face a little bit since the sweatshirt is a public “I fucked Edoardo” marker but the wall gets to preserve her anonymity and (some of) her dignity while still communicating that the boys think of the girls as trophies. But I almost hate it, because now I need that scene where the girls paint over or draw or deface the wall in some way, and I don’t think I’ll get it. Give me that thing, Skam Italia!

For a minute I thought Eva was going to pull out a marker or something and draw over the chart.

Based off the wall, Rocco Martucci sure has been busy.

Clip 4 - Eva on the phone with “mom”

Federico roleplaying as Eva’s mom toward the end of that phone conversation … I’ve never been a huge fan of P-Chris or any version of this character but this is a detail I often forget and I have no idea why, it’s one of the best things he ever did.

Gio deserves all the roasting he can get about his weed use. It’s nice that he’s being honest about having weed on him, but like … she’s made it clear he behaves like an asshole when he’s high, and that this isn’t some vague ideological problem for her but something based on his past behavior. So some of the banter is cute and all but him offering her some pot, even in a joking way, annoys me more than it should with this dynamic in mind. Dammit, Gio.

Clip 5 - Eleonora goes in on Edoardo

Silvia opening with some random mundane topics was kind of cute - either a bit clueless and rambling, much like her many many texts to the girls, or you can also take away that she was building up to the big news and trying to psych herself up.

I’m glad Eva called Sana on the dignity comment since that always seemed like one of the least necessary Sana comments about Vilde, particularly in this context, and probably just egged her on to confront him.

Silvia didn’t need any convincing from the girls whereas Noora was encouraging Vilde in the other versions. Silvia is dead set on it.

I like how they built up to it with the catchy music that cuts out as Edoardo bursts Silvia’s confidence bubble.

Sooo … Edoardo is still a dick, but maybe less of a dick that William? Who knew?

He still does the fake forgetting Silvia’s name, and his comment about the wall is outright lying but not as personal of an attack. He does laugh more at her which is a dick move, especially in front of his crew. However, he doesn’t tell her she isn’t worth it.

“What were you doing behind the boys’ toilets?” I’m assuming he’s insinuating that she’s a slut? That’s horrible and Edoardo is a creep, but I also have less of a fuuuuuuck youuuuuuu feeling toward him. Because the whole thing about Vilde not being worth it/not being pretty enough plays directly into Vilde’s worst insecurities and body image. And we’ve seen that Silvia has the body image issues as evidenced by her picking at her sandwich. I’m not positive that Silvia has the same hangups about being labeled a slut? She has the hesitation to go upstairs with Eduardo and you could interpret that as fear of her reputation, but she’s also down to make out with Rocco Martucci and stresses that she wanted to.

So while I want to make it clear, Edoardo is being an asshole, and being called a slut is hurtful and misogynistic … I actually will find this easier to forgive than William’s comments. I mean it mostly depends on how Edoardo reacts in future episodes, whether he regrets it or not, how it all plays out, but so far he doesn’t have as high of a hurdle in getting me to like him. Like how is Edoardo going to justify his comments the same way in S2 when Eleonora calls him on it? It’s not the same context. (And again: NOT excusing slut-shaming but I think there may be a difference in terms of how someone with poor self-image might perceive this comment, because “slut” is an insult dependent on behavior, vs. telling someone they aren’t pretty enough which is perceived as a more inherent, unchangeable characteristic. But again, William’s comment directly feeds into Vilde’s ED; how will Edoardo’s comment affect Silvia on a similar level? “Slut” doesn’t have much to do with an ED, at least not in an obvious way.)

Lmao, I feel kinda gross writing anything vaguely positive about Edoardo in this scene, since “not as much of a dick as he could have been” is not a ringing endorsement, but since this incident is a huge roadblock in me liking William in the original version, it’s worth talking about.

This was also the best version of this roasting in the remakes. Eleonora has the attitude to back up her comments, and Edoardo has some personality in how he responds to her.

Love that Eleonora got in her comment about his stupid hair as a last dig, but also, Edoardo has the best hair of any of the Williams, IMO.

Clip 6 - Fight

Gio opens his mouth so much for the kisses, damn. I’m not knocking him, I would rather see enthusiastic kisses than a bunch of pathetic pecks, but the dude is like Pac-Man.

Um that bit about the teacher siding with Alice over Federico and making him run laps is really funny, but you can see why it would alarm Eva, because she realizes she’s on the side of the bad guy in this situation. Would the teacher side with Alice against Eva, too?

The fight was brutal! All the girls jumped in to protect Eva. Sana went in with the dictionary, Silvia with the backpack. Eleonora is straight-up snarling by the end. Eva wasn’t even fighting after a certain point, just standing back as her girls defended her. The most heartwarming brawl of all time.

General Comments:

How does Skam Italia have the worst Jonas (outside of Marlon from Skam Austin) and the best William? How?

Listen, I am really not expecting to love Eleonora/Edoardo or Edoardo himself. It’s not a relationship type I’m fond of, he’s not a character archetype I enjoy. But if they can eliminate the worst of his behavior and modify certain actions ... then I can be fine with him and with the ship. I am being very, very hesitant to assume Skam Italia will make enough radical changes just because they did a few things that weren’t as bad; however, I am willing to give it a chance.

It’s kind of funny because there was a rumor going around that they’ll jump to Martino’s story in S2 instead of Eleonora’s and lmao, not sure how legit that is but of course they would do it for the one remake where I hate the William the least. Not that I’m objecting to the gay storyline getting the spotlight sooner, though I do wonder how they will adapt certain plot elements without the buildup (Eskild’s S2 introduction, Isak’s background storyline of dating Sara and living in the basement).

Skam Italia seems by far the most popular and well-liked of the European remakes, which I can quite understand. Skam France is too much of a copy without much of an individual personality and Druck, though I’ve liked many of the scenes and characters, has a lot of hiccups in terms of production and updates, which is unfortunately turning people off and making the show less accessible. Not to repeat myself too much but: I have some big gripes about Skam Italia but it’s for the most part consistent, is nicely made with beautiful locations and nice cinematography, and has integrated the local culture well, putting its own spin on the material and not being a direct copy. None of the actors have really wowed me so far but there are some likable personalities in the bunch. My hope is that they will keep it up and either improve on the Eleonora/Edoardo relationship, or do a respectful job of Martino’s story, depending on what S2 is. (Even though I don’t want them to attempt Evak 2.0 at all ... but that’s a larger topic.)

I’m not Italian so if I misunderstood or missed something, feel free to correct me.

If you got this far, thank you for reading!

#skamit reactions #skam italia reactions

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