#(which could also tie into her not Noticing how Chip’s kind of hurt by it— she doesn’t think to check

[enderspawn]

thinking.. jay can be so undiagnosed-until-adulthood autism coded <3

[harryskalechips]

one and done

A/N Hi everyone! I’m back with a one shot :) I know I don’t write as often anymore but since I’m self quarantining and I’m just about finish with high school, I thought I should try and give it another go? I’m also re starting up my jewellery business so ahhh many goals in mind but no motivation ??? Okay, I hope you guys enjoy this one!!! It is definitely a slow burn with smut but part 2? I dunno!!

Y/N and her brother’s best friend Harry, has had some pent up sexual frustration for a while. Wouldn’t it be best if they just had a one and done? you know to get it out of their system ;) 

*smut includes spanking, choking, male and female receives oral, harry dom but Y/N rides, magic face cream treatment for anti wrinkling results? Yes, and what else? sub space, hair pulling, gosh I forgot please read it 😁

Word Count: 6.1k // Masterlist // one and done PLAYLIST

“Don’t you think it's a bit of a cliché to be crushing on your brother’s best friend?” Ness teases Y/N as they walk out of her house. They were just on the steps about to go on a walk around the block. It was definitely one of their favourite things to do as the sun was just about to set.

Y/N had her butt sat on the spruced wooden steps as she ignored her best friend’s comment. First off, she knew it was a cliché. Secondly, her last encounter with him just seconds ago was already making her plan her own execution.

In her head, it was simply her just jumping out of her window multiple times until she lost consciousness. Ness on the other hand was standing up, watching the poor girl tie her laces. “Okay, I was just teasing. We can change the topic.” She lends her hand out for Y/N to take.

“It’s not just that Ness.” She gladly accepts the gesture and stands up. She wipes off her butt and glances back at the door. “I’ve never had a thing for him! Ryan and Harry have been best mates since what? 8th grade and for some reason ever since the cruise from last summer, I can’t stop thinking about him.”

“It’s because he was shirtless half of the time.” Ness laughs as she hands Y/N’s water bottle to her. “Okay, we can admit it though. As a senior he is 10 times more attractive than he ever was. He looks like a frat boy that could jump my bones.”  Y/N stops walking and just stares at Ness while the girl continues to walk. She grabs her hand and pulls her forward. “Okay, I’m sorry for the bad comment.”

“He is hot though. Really hot.” Y/N smiles.

“See, that’s why you should sleep with him.”

“What are you crazy? Ness, Ryan would kill me or him -maybe the both of us!” 

“It’s pent up sexual frustration. Harry legit watched us walk out your door while eating a banana and you still managed to trip on your shoes.” She laughs.

“He was making eye contact with me!”

“All I’m saying is that he throws parties at his house and always invites us despite y’know us being juniors. Just offer, do it, slip out, and never say anything about it ever again.” Ness elbows Y/N as she crosses her arms. 

“Maybe I will.” She laughs pretending to actually sound confident in the idea.

“Good, there’s a party this Friday anyway.” Ness shrugs her shoulders. “It’s the best remedy sis.”

~

“Harry, can we talk?” Y/N follows him into the kitchen while everyone else is God knows where around the house. 

“Ryan is in the backyard, trying to get Cassidy back.” He barely glances at her as he pours himself a drink. He notices an empty one in her hand so he decides to pour coke in hers. 

“I um wasn’t really drinking coke.” She states confusedly as she watches the bubbles in her cup dissolve.

“You think I’m trying to get you drunk at this party. One alcoholic beverage is good enough for yeh.” He smiles at her as he screws the cap shut and taps the top of her head. He was treating her as if she was a child, which definitely pissed her off since she was going to ask him a really fucked up favour in the matter of 60 seconds.

“I can handle myself, you know.” 

“Yup.” He rests his back against the counter and bites the rim of the plastic cup as he looks at her. “What do you need though?” He genuinely asks her. Although they weren’t that close, Harry knew her long enough to know she wouldn’t start random a conversation with him. It was more like a hi and bye situation. Not her trying to actually talk to him. 

“I have a favour and you can’t tell Ryan.” Y/N lets out a big breath as she watches his reaction change into a confused one. 

“Look Y/N, if you want to try and smoke a blunt, I think it’s best you find yourself a dealer that doesn’t know your brother.”

“No, not that.” She whispers as she moves in closer. There were more people entering the kitchen and this was about to get really fucking awkward. 

“What?” He looks at her and notices her body shifting closer to him. Her chest was touching the side of his arm, making his eyes look towards the cabinets instead.

“I-”

“Yes?”

“Do you wanna fu-?” His eyes widen as he downs the rest of his drink in one go. Harry doesn’t even let her continue as he steps away from Ryan’s little sister. 

“I’m sorry do I already know the rest of that question?” He tries not to obviously choke on the liquid in his mouth.

“Well, I don’t know you didn’t really let me finish.”  Her sassy tone comes out. Her cheeks were really red and although Y/N came to the party with Ness feeling really confident in the dress she picked. She just wanted to go home and not show her face to him ever again. This was the stupidest idea! Why on earth did she think Harry would want to sleep with her when there are so many girls that try to get his attention. 

“I’m sorry Y/N.” He bites the inside of his cheek and watches some familiar people leave the room. Once it’s clear again, he speaks up. “Like are you serious?” He could feel his throat becoming more stuffy. “You and me?” She nods. “Really?” She nods again. “That’s crossing the line and Ryan is pretty overprotective. I can’t do that to him.”

“Cool.” Y/N stands perfectly still as she tries her best to maintain eye contact with him. She takes a sip of the coke but later, grabs the bottle of alcohol and pours it into her cup regardless of him watching her. “Well, don’t let Ryan know.” She shrugs her shoulders and laughs. “Thanks for answering my survey!” She gives him an awkward smile then walks out of the room. How can a guy pass up on her??? First rejection has gotta sting. 

This wasn’t some weird guy she was asking though. This was Harry, Ryan’s best friend. If Ness was put in his position, she wouldn’t want her to say yes either. God, she was also going to kill her best friend for putting the most ridiculous game plan in her head.

And although the party continued on, Ness and Y/N didn’t let the earlier events bother them. The two spent hours just fucking around until they found a comfy spot in the living room.

“Y/N, don’t look.” Ness sits beside her on Harry’s couch watching a few strangers play an unfamiliar game on the floor. 

“What?” she quickly looks up to see what Ness is talking about. It wasn’t a surprise to see Harry holding Carla Laws’s hand as they walked up the stairs. They looked pretty excited for a room tour too.

Oh hell no, everyone knows a girl doesn’t go to Harry Styles’ room to just hold hands and a cute sentimental room tour!

“Are you sure he didn’t want to with you?”

“Yes Nessa.” She rolls her eyes and drinks her third cup. “Whatever, if anything at least I don’t feel attracted to him anymore. I found a new ick. He doesn’t even find me attractive.”

“Good. Rejection may hurt but it makes you wake up and face reality.” 

~

Okay if there was one thing Y/N could say now, it was that she is finally over Harry. Overall, he was nothing but a phase. Yes, she was crushing on him for the first semester of the year but after that weird conversation they had, it made sense why they couldn’t work out anyway. He’s a stuck up douche - a typical senior, all while she was a junior who was either too infatuated with him or too horny. Maybe both?

It’s been about two weeks and although Ness made sure to keep trash talking the guy, Y/N knew there was more to him than what her best friend thought. She knew him for years! Maybe the fact he was athletic, charismatic and just kind that made her realize what a perfect guy he was. She knew he was a bit more complex than what other people thought of him and it wasn’t bad at all. 

What she never thought was how awkward it was going to be the next time she saw him. “Hey, Haz.” Ryan opens the door for his buddy as Y/N covers herself with the blanket more all while pretending to watch TV.

For the past couple of days, Ryan was going over to his house and maybe Harry asked him too to come over, but what she didn’t expect was to see him again so soon. 

“Hey Ryan.” Harry takes his jacket and boots off as it just begun to snow outside. “Hey Y/N.” She quickly glances at him and waves. 

“Let’s go to the kitchen first, I wanna get snacks.” Ryan suggests as he walks away, assuming Harry would follow him like usual. 

After thirty minutes, Y/N thought the boys would be upstairs but as she entered the kitchen wearing nothing but her shorts and her brother’s old t-shirt, she was surprised to see Harry and Ryan eating sandwiches at the breakfast bar, looking pretty serious. Did Harry tell him? 

As she walked closer, she noticed both boys were just on their phones, scrolling through different social media platforms. She quickly brushes past them to put her dish in the sink. Ryan seemed unbothered but she could definitely feel Harry’s eyes on her. Once she makes eye contact with him, he quickly takes a sip of his juice and looks at his phone once more. “Y/N can you grab the chips in the cabinet please?” Ryan looks up at his phone and notices his sister was standing right in front of the cupboard. 

“Yeah, no problem.” She turns her back on them and opens the cabinet. She goes on her tiptoes reaching for the only bag of chips. Once she grabs them, she puts them on the counter and walks out of the room, only hearing her brother murmur a thank you. 

It was about 6:30 PM and the parents weren’t home yet. Ryan and Harry decided to chill in the living room when the doorbell rang. Pausing the game, Ryan opened the door to see Tom standing in front of him. “Y/N it’s for you!” He calls out for his sister since he knew Tom was her friend.

“Who’s that?” Harry mouthed.

“Her boyfriend.” Ryan shrugs as he unpauses the game. 

“Tom? What are you doing here?” Y/N walks down the stairs, pulling her shirt down. 

“Vanessa told me to come by. Apparently you need help with the calculus homework? I’m free tonight anyway.” He smiles and gives her a hug. Tom was a really good friend of Ness and Y/N. He was a smart boy that was really kind and obviously had a big crush on Nessa. There was anything he could do for her. 

Y/N instantly bit her cheek and laughed as she remembered Ness’ text message a couple of hours ago when she told her Harry came by. This was definitely one of Ness’ master plans. “You’re so sweet.” She pulls away and laughs. “We can go upstairs, I have a few questions to ask.” She quickly glances at her brother who doesn’t care all while Harry tried his best to maintain his eyes on the screen. 

“Y/N, Put some shorts on!”  Ryan finally yells out as the two went up the stairs. 

~ 

“I don’t get why he throws parties every weekend.” Ness takes a sip of her drink as they sit inside Harry's dining room. They probably weren’t going to stay too long. Everyone was inside due to the cold weather with the occasional smokers outside. Being the only few juniors, there wasn’t much the girls could do other than loiter around, drink a few cups and play the games they knew so well. Y/N wasn’t the type to have random hook ups but you know her exception with Harry. 

“Gemma has gone off for college and Anne is always working really late shifts at the hospital. He’s pretty much anywhere and everywhere besides his house unless it’s a party.”

“True.” 

“I’m going to say bye to my brother then we can head back to mine if you want?” Y/N offers as Nessa nods and downs her drink. 

“I’m going to drink a cup of water. Meet you at the front?”

“Mhm.” They both stand up and leave the room. Nessa was heading straight to the kitchen while Y/N began to wander around the house. 

“Y/N.” Harry calls out her name over the music. He was wearing a while long sleeved shirt that was unbuttoned. It made him look really attractive which almost made Y/N lose her breath. 

“Hey Harry, You know where Ryan is?” The only typical thing she would ever ask him before that one time. (Pretending as if she didn’t sexually harass him last time.) 

“He’s downstairs with the rest of the boys.” He glances around at everyone and looks at her once more. “I’m sorry, are you um- leaving?”

“Yeah me and Nessa are going to call it a night.” She wraps her hoodie around her figure and tries to make her way to the stairs. 

“Want me to give you girls a ride?”

“No no, it’s okay!” She smiles and waves her hand at him. “Nessa drove. You also have a party to h-”

“It’s kind of late maybe she should head home and we can-” And that’s when it hit her. Was Harry Styles trying to isolate her? 

“Oh.” She widens her eyes and slowly nods. “Okay. I’ll let my brother and Ness know. Should I meet you in your car outside?”

“Yeah.” He runs his hand through his hair and quickly leaves her side. After bidding her farewell to Ryan and explaining her interpretation of Harry to Ness, she was  quietly leaving the house as she watched Nessa walk by herself to the car down the street. What surprised Y/N more was to see him in his brown jacket standing by the passenger door. 

“Did you tell Ryan I was dropping you off?” He  nervously smiles as he opens the door for her. He makes sure no one is watching them leave together as he feels the butterflies forming in his stomach. 

“No.” She puts her hood on and sits in his car. She was picking on her stockings trying to avoid the awkward tension between them. Once Harry sat inside and they both put their seatbelts on, they were on their way to her house. It was weird knowing she was actually leaving a party with her brother’s best friend so she could suck his- 

 “What happens if they notice you’re gone?”

“Um, I’m sure they’ll think i'm elsewhere doing stuff.” She knew what he was thinking about and that made her a bit uncomfortable but it didn’t change the fact it was true.

“Are you still down to y’know?” Harry honestly never thought he would be this nervous talking to Ryan’s little sister. 

“Yeah.” She bites her lip as they glance at each other. 

“Cool. Are you like a virgin or something. I mean is there anything that I should know about?”

“No.” She shakes her head and low-key observes how he drives. 

This was going to be one hell of a night. 

Harry has seen Y/N’s room a countless number of times but to actually be with her by themselves in Ryan’s house made him feel really guilty. That guilt however, was shoved in the back of his throat. The girl in the room with his was obviously the best distraction. “I like your room.” he smirks at her as he looks at her soccer trophy collection from grade school. 

“Thanks.” She laughs lightly as she takes off her jacket. She quickly texts an update to Ness before putting the phone on do not disturb. 

“So before we start, what made you ask the offer?” He takes his jacket off and throws it on her chair. He sits on her bed and glances at the time. It was still early, so people probably weren’t going to be looking for him. 

“This is going to sound really dumb but I’ve had this crush on you since the cruise last summer. Well, you know Nessa... she had this thought and she thinks it is just pent up sexual frustration?” She shakes her head of saying the whole idea out loud. “So I thought maybe I should just get it out of my system.” Harry laughs as he takes in of what she just said. it made her smile as well.

“You were checking me out all summer?” He asks her in disbelief. “Little Y/N wanted to jump my bones?” He started to smirk at her. Although they didn’t know each other too well, the awkward tension was gone with just one simple laugh of his. 

“Stop laughing.” She throws a pillow at him. “I didn’t think you would say no.”

“I didn’t want to say no Y/N are you crazy? I’m laughing because I kept checking you out in those tiny bikinis you used to wear.” He throws the pillow to the side and shakes his head. “I don’t want to cross Ryan like that but I think i need to get you out of my system too.”

“Mhm and why’s that?” She locks her door and sits on the bed with him. “Because Carla couldn’t distract me from seeing you in my sheets.” He leans in and kisses her. “Tom coming by a few days ago with you wearing nothing but those little shorts was already making me lose my mind.” He whispers and kisses her again. 

Y/N immediately sits on his lap while trying her best to keep his mouth on her’s. Everything about this was so hot. She was about to just rip his clothes off. 

“One and done yeah?” Y/N rubs herself on him as her fingers tangle themselves in his hair. He kisses down her neck while grabbing her ass. 

“One and done. Just to get you out of my system.” He confirms with her as he gently throws her on the bed. He’s pulling his long sleeve off and taking his shirt off but once he begins unbuckling his jeans, he couldn’t help but notice Y/N trying to take her shirt off as well. “Fuck.” He murmurs as he gently unbuttons her long sleeve to help her take it off. In a flash, he’s on his knees unzipping her skirt and taking her stockings off as well. “You looked really pretty tonight by the way.” His cheeks flush as he throws her bottoms behind his back. Y/N laughs quietly and she sits up and brings his face closer to hers. 

“I actually would like to say the same exact thing.” He leans in to kiss her once more. Her lips were extremely soft and forbidden and it was making him slowly lose his mind all over again. Y/N thought Harry was just a phase but that seemed impossible as she was already dreading the fact this was a one and done situation. 

“You’re just so fucking soft and alluring.” He whispers in her ear as he unclasped her bra. “I already know I need to fuck you hard.” Y/N eyes’ roll back as she feels his wet mouth on her nipple as the other one massaged the other. Her hands were trying really hard to focus on the task at hand which was to undo his pants but it was definitely not working with the way he was distracting her. Not a single thought could process in her mind.

“I think since this is a one and done situation, you better make this memorable.” She whispers and bites her lip as she tries to hold back a moan. His fingers were teasing her covered entrance but Harry could feel her drenched spot already clenching at his presence. 

“Memorable? I’ll definitely leave my mark on you.” He sucks on her mouth more roughly than usual as he rubs his fingers on her centre. “You wanted me so bad baby? You just had to beg me huh?” He gestures his hips more forward to help her with his pants. 

“I’m kind of new to this. Be a bit patient.” Y/N laughs as she gently unzips his pants after numerous attempts.  

“You just ruined the moment.” He laughs with her as he kisses her forehead and takes his pants off as well. “Just kidding, this is probably the most fun I had.” He hovers over her again and teases her entrance. 

“What do you mean?” She lays on her back and roams her hands all over his chest. 

“Never got the chance to tease the fuck out of a pretty girl then fuck her hard.” He slaps her clit and bites down on her lip. She suddenly lets out a moan that makes her eyes flutter and her chest rise closer up to his face. 

He brings two of his fingers to her mouth and slowly lets her lick on it before rimming her entrance and shoving it in without any warning. His thumb slowly rubs her swollen numb as he can’t help but rub himself on her sheets as well. “You mind if I get a little bit of a taste? I’ve been dying to know. I saw you earlier at the party and I had to jerk myself off seeing you in those little stockings of yours.” 

“You. You jerked yourself off thinking about me, baby?” She looks down at him and smiles softly. He gives her a little smirk before pulling his hand away and heading his head down a bit south. His tongue dips slowly on the left side of her leg as his hands grip her thighs tightly, sure of the bruises to form soon.

“You’re like a fucking wet dream. How can I say no to you?” He urgently swipes his whole tongue on her centre. “I saw you earlier and had to go to my room.” He takes another lick. “Fuck baby, the best i’ve fucking tasted. Fuck oh fuck.” He precisely observes the way your whole swallows his fingers in and clench so tightly around him. His tongue dipping and switching with his fingers because he honestly can’t decide which is best. 

“Harry, fuck me please baby.” Y/N moans loudly as she harshly grabs on her boobs. She’s never been fucked this good. It was honestly feeling like a dream. With that being said, she’s only had sex a handful of times but Harry seemed like such an expert in the field. “Oh God.” She tries to pull away. She wasn’t sure if she could continue on with Harry obsessively licking and sucking on her wet centre. 

He looks up and watches her eyes roll back as her fingers begin to pull on his head aggressively. His only reflex is to spread her legs wider. After her first orgasm, Y/N lays on her back staring at her ceiling trying to catch her breath. 

“Fuck me.”

“We aren’t done yet, love.” He laughs at her cuteness. He can’t remember the last time where he wasn’t rushing to finish himself off. He was taking his time with Y/N since it’s what she deserves. He lays down beside her and kisses down her chest. “Tell me when you’re ready to go, yeah?” He dips his tongue on her shoulder until it reaches the huge hickey he left on her collarbone. He gently licks around it and sucks on it again. 

He was a bit surprised to see Y/N sit up and grab a condom from her drawer. “Thank you for fucking the shit out of me, I’ll gladly return the favour.” She smiles and tucks her hair behind her ear as she focuses on putting the contraceptive on him. Just touching it was already forming butterflies in her stomach. 

“I could’ve been fucking you on that cruise.” he mischievously smiles at her as he watches the way her pretty tits move. 

“You were sharing a room with my brother.” She hisses as she holds onto his shaft trying to gently ease the pain as she fully sits on him. 

“But you were alone.” He grabs onto her waist and helps her. “You’re so beautiful fuck.” He sits up on her headboard as her palms rest on his chest. Both of their eyes couldn’t help but watch the way he was easily penetrating her. 

“Was touching myself because of you.” She mumbles out as her speed begins to increase.

“What did you say baby?” He almost chokes on his breath as he can feel her fully taking him in. 

“Couldn’t stop thinking of you on that cruise. I needed you to rail the fuck out of me.” She moans louder as she starts to feel his hips meet her. 

“Fuck me. So perfect, Shit.” He quickly turns them around and shoves himself back into her. His hand immediately tightens around her neck and once he is about to pull it away, she keeps his hand on her. 

“Fuck me harder.” She cries out as his arm begins to push her legs up. He spits in between their centres before thrusting as hard as he can. All you could hear was her headboard banging against the wall as his hand continuously choked the fuck out of her. 

“I bet you like getting spanked too huh?” He bites his lip and semi turns her body before slapping her ass. 

“Harry fuck.”

“Come on, baby. Be a good girl and come around my cock.”

“Fuck fuck fuck.” Y/N cries out as her fingernails scratch his back. “Come in my mouth. I want to taste you so bad please.” tears begin to form in her eyes as she continues to clench around his dick. Harry immediately pulls off the condom and helps her sit up on her knees. She absolutely could not feel a thing below her stomach but with Harry’s hard cock in her mouth, she was already closing her eyes and trusting him with everything she was. She’s never been this fucking vulnerable, she was literally about to pass the fuck out. 

She was softly holding onto his thighs but her hands found comfort on his waist as he began to fuck her mouth harder. Harry on the other hand, kept his eyes on how her mouth was taking him in. He watched the way his fingers wrap around her hair tightly as he brought his hips closer and closer until he could feel her gagging on his dick. Without a warning, he immediately pulls out and spills all over her face.

“Why’d you do that?” She opens her eyes and pouts. She was pretty upset how she couldn’t taste him spill into her mouth. So her finger immediately takes a swipe of his spill and puts it in her mouth. Without hesitation, she’s taking his forming soft dick in her hands before softly licking it clean and softly sucking on his balls. She takes his shaft and swipes her cheek once more before licking the rest of his spill from his shaft. 

“You’re going to make me hard again if you keep doing that baby. Might not be as nice as I was this time.” 

“Maybe I want another round?” She gestures him to lie down as she continues to kiss and suck on his cock. 

“Thought it was a one and done.” He softly smiles as he removes some of the hair from her face.

“How about a one and done night?”

“Deal.”

And although they thought this was crossing a line, they already knew the moment their lips touched, they wouldn’t be able to stop.

~

“Wait so he changed his mind!” Nessa laughs as they drive back home. “Bitch how are you at school today? I literally saw you limping at lunch.”

“Shut up.” Y/N mouth widens as she rubs her face. “I don’t know what happened okay? We said one and done but we honestly went a couple of rounds before I had to wake him up so he could drive back home.”

“But is he out of your system? Don’t get me wrong Harry’s a fine guy but like dating wise? He’s been with other girls but somehow always goes back to Carla. They’ve been like that before you and Ryan moved here.” 

“Yeah, he’s out of my system.” Y/N laughs but truth be told, some nights when she can’t sleep, she’ll find herself staring at the ceiling. 

“Why are you guys home so early?” Nessa asks once they step inside the house. There was a good comparison between Nessa and Ryan with Y/N and Harry. First off, Nessa literally saw Ryan as her older brother which meant they were pretty vocal towards each other. Secondly, Nessa was very comfortable at Y/N’s house almost as if this was her second home. 

“Carla and Cassidy are coming over.” Ryan smirks as Harry cleans the living room behind him. “During the party last night, I may have asked if they wanted to come over for a double date game night thing. Mom and Dad are cool with it since it's a Monday which is their date night too.

“Oh have fun.” Y/N buds in and laughs. “Make sure to actually vacuum please. You don’t want the girls finding your crumbs on the carpet.” She takes her jacket off as Nessa follows behind her up the stairs. Harry obviously tried to ignore the fact, she bluntly ignored him. 

“Double date? Damn, you guys really did just fuck and brushed it under the carpet.”

“It meant nothing right. So?” Y/N tries to brush off the topic as she sets her backpack down. “Why won’t you sit down?” “On that bed?” Nessa smiles awkwardly as she glances at the double bed near the wall. 

“I changed the sheets.” Y/N takes her shirt off and replaces it with another loose top. She unzips her pants and wears her black tights instead.

“So should we invite ourselves to their double date?” Nessa raises her eyebrows as she lays down on the bed. 

“No because it’s weird and I don’t want Harry to think I’m jealous.”

“I think you are.”

“Nope, I told you I don’t like him like that anymore and he’s out of my system.” She tries to ignore the fact, how she swallowed him without hesitation.

“Okay but wouldn’t it be better to prove to yourself you are just by being around him.” And although Y/N wanted to protest that, the two best friends ended up being invited by Ryan to play downstairs anyway. 

“You girls want a refill?” Ryan sits up from the coffee table as he cleans up the empty red cups. Ness, Carla, and Cassidy wanted a new one which made Y/N go help her brother out in the kitchen. 

“Are you having fun?” Ryan asks as he throws the cups in the recycling. Y/N pours the preferred drinks in the new cups as she looks up at her brother. 

“Yeah, I was wondering why you invited Ness and I. Don’t you think we’re cock-blocking?”

“Harry suggested you guys hang out with us while we played games. More competition is fun y’know. Plus you and Nessa can leave whenever.”

“Oh cool. Thanks, I guess?” 

“Yup.” He grabs two cups as she does. She couldn’t help but notice how Ryan suddenly started cheering. “Yeah, Styles get it! Woooo!” Y/N turns her eyes to notice Harry and Carla making out on the floor by the coffee table. 

“Are you guys dating again?” Cassidy laughs as she tries not to watch them make out.

“Sure.” Carla pulls away and pecks his cheek. Nerissa was just watching Y/N’s reaction and she knew it was a bad one. 

“Y/N could you walk me to the car? Appa just texted me and he’s wondering where I am. I forgot it was his birthday.” Nessa speaks up.

“Oh shit.” Y/N was clueless of her excuse. Which thankfully made her seem more genuinely in a rush to get out of the room. She sets the drinks on the table before going upstairs with Ness.

“How did you forget it was Appa’s birthday, Ness?” 

“I don’t know.” She packs her things up. “Why don’t you come with me? He’s gonna blow his cake soon.”

“Oh, I don’t want-”

“Come.” And if there was one thing Y/N knew well about Nessa, it was that she wouldn’t ever forget it was Appa’s birthday, especially if she just celebrated it a couple of months ago. Without a fight to say no, Y/N immediately grabs a hoodie as they walk down the stairs. 

“Ryan, I’m going to Ness’ to celebrate Appa’s birthday. I’ll be home soon before Mom and Dad comes home.”

“Oh okay.” Ryan waves at his sister as his arms rests on Cassidy’s shoulder. 

“Bye guys!” Ness and Y/N wave as they both exit the house immediately. Harry stays unbothered as he takes another sip of his beer. 

“Thank you for getting me the fuck out of there.” 

“It’s okay. We don’t actually have to leave you know. It’s 6 PM, I can drive the car to a different neighbourhood and you can cry all about him there.”

“I love you.” Y/N begins to tear up. 

“I love you too.”

~

“What’s Tom doing here?” Ryan’s eyes are in shock as he watches his sister hold hands with the familiar boy. What’s confusing is that Y/N went to Ness’ for a birthday. 

“He just wanted to come over.” She smiles innocently as she waves hi to the same party. It was just about 7 PM and the double date duo was watching an unfamiliar movie on TV. Nessa called Tom and Y/N had to explain their situation. Although he didn’t really want to do it. He knew Y/N wanted to prove something to the Harry guy. So as long as they didn’t do anything romantic or weird that would cross his boundaries, Tom was okay with it. 

“Aw, I didn’t know you were dating Thomas?” Cassidy smiles as she walks in with a bowl of popcorn. She hands it to Carla who is cuddling up against Harry on one of the sofas.

“We aren’t dating.” They both look at each other and laugh. Tom shakes his head and pulls Y/N up the stairs instead. 

Once the pair is gone, the dates begin to watch their movie again. “Ryan, you really don’t care if your sister is by herself with that boy?” Carla laughs as she feeds herself and Harry popcorn.

“I’m definitely not going to interfere with that, they’re probably doing the nasty already.” His eyes widen as he stuffs more popcorn down his mouth and although, Harry was keeping his eyes on the screen, there wasn’t anything sitting well with him knowing the girl he was with on the weekend was already in somebody else’s arms. 

The goal was to get each other out of their systems, why the fuck are they so jealous then?

great plan Vanessa. 

Part deux ici 

[1plus1kiyoomi]

Chapter 8: Actions Speak Louder Than Words

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[masterlist]

“Are you sure your grandma won’t mind taking care of Rice today?” You ask Kita as you two go back to your car. He humms, starting the engine of the car. “She’s really nice and down to earth. No wonder why you’re such a good boy.”

“You call me good boy as if I’m Rice,” Kita sighs, and follows the map on the monitor.

“Well, like father like son,” you chuckle and you hear him click his tongue in annoyance.

“Where are we going anyways?” Kita changes the topic, eyes on the road.

“You’ll see when we get there,” you say excitedly.

Kita continues to drive for about 10 more minutes until the navigation devive announces that you two have arrived at your destination. You hop out of the car and Kita follows behind you. You skip going to the elevator of the building, thrilled about the date you planned.

You two arrived in front of the entrance of the store and Kita reads one of the posters posted outside in confusion. “Learn how to bake treats for you and your furry friend...”

“If you wanted to bake, we could have just done it at home,” he tells you as you enter the store.

You sushed him and proceeded to the counter. “I don’t want to do the dishes.”

“Lazy ass,” he mumbles, but you hear, making you kick his calf weakly. You continue to speak with the lady behind the counter to confirm and pay for your reservation.

You have rented the whole place for a time period for the two of you. Since you’ve posted that video with him, fans have been speculated on who he is and are making theories. Being seen in public and risking his privacy are two of the things you least want on your date right now.

“You’ve reserved the whole place this morning, Miss (L/N). And you wanted to make dog treats, and cookies?” The staff confirms with you and you just nod and hand her your card. Kita sighs in disbelief. He didn’t want you to spend so much on your date. “Please come this way.”

She leads you to the kitchen where all baking needs are arranged. It was like the Sugar Rush kitchen but in brighter colors. “You requested for the recipe only tutorial so here is the tablet where you can find all the recipes you’ve requested. Your aprons are here. If you need anything, just press this button and we will assist you.” The staff instructs before leaving you and Kita alone in the kitchen.

Once she’s out of sigh, Kita turns to you. “Isn’t someone supposed to teach us or something?”

You look away, your lips pressed into a pout. “I wanted to spend this time alone with you so I kind of reserved a different type of class,” you explain to him.

He chuckles and messes your hair. “Let’s start baking then. Since you wanted to make a lot today.” He goes at the counter where your aprons are located.

“Can I set up my camera here? Just for documentation. I won’t post it,” you tell him and he nods. You set up the camera and go to the counter as well.

The pink aprons had your names embroidered on it as it’s included in your package. He puts it on without hesitance and hands you yours. While you are trying to tie the back of your apron, Kita approaches you and ties it from in front of you. Basically, he’s hugging you.

He notices your red face and asks you about it. “What’s wrong with you?” You don’t answer him and hold up the tablet to your face. You aggressively look for the first recipe, not able to look at him in embarrassment.

“First, we’re gonna make the sweet potato biscuits. Baby, can you get these ingredients for me? 1/2 cup peanut butter, then sweet potato puree in the same measurement. 4 eggs. 6 cups of whole wheat flour,” you narrate and Kita goes to the shelves to get them for you. You start preparing the ingredients while Kita preheats the oven and cleans the baking trays.

“These are a lot. I don’t think Rice can finish all of these,” Kita states, scrolling through the tablet to check the next recipes you will be following.

“It’s not all for Rice. It’s for the dogs I’m going to adopt.” You start and Kita has his eyebrows raised already from the word dogs. “I’m actually planning to start a foundation on stray and unwanted dogs. I plan to adopt all the dogs in the city compound and provide them a safer and friendlier shelter before they find a home. I found this abandoned land near our place and bought it last week. I’m still looking for someone who can feed and look after the dogs full-time since I’m busy with school.”

You mix the puree, peanut butter, and eggs first. Then, add the flour last. Kita just watches you, admiring you from the side. You sounded so proud and passionate about your plan. His heart beats faster just from the thought of it. He knows how busy you are with school and your work, but you still manage to spare some time in helping these dogs.

“Don’t just look at me, babe. Help me shape these treats,” you complain and he stands next to you. The new pet name causing him to smile for a bit. He starts rolling the dough in silence and you wait for him to finish, the cutter shaped in a dog bone in your hand.

You put the treats in the oven to bake for 13 minutes. While you two wait, you start making the frozen. Your eyes are stuck on the screen, looking for the perfect flavor for Rice. “I think he’ll like the peanut butter and banana more.”

“Nope. Strawberry and mangoes.” Kita disagrees with you.

“I know our son better than you. We’re making the banana and peanut butter,” you argue but he doesn’t give any reactions. “Fine. Let’s make both and see which he likes more later.”

You both start making the dog-friendly frozen yogurt. Your recipe only needed a cup of yogurt, 1/4 cup peanut butter and one mashed banana. ‘It seems edible,’ you think before taking a spoonful and eating it. ‘Weird but not bad.’ Kita catches you on act and he grimaces at what you just did. “It’s human food!”

“We’re making this for a dog,��� he rebuts. You take a look at his yogurt mixture, and stretch your arm to his mixing bowl. He moves it away from you but you go after it. He stretches his arm up, holding his bowl in the air. “No. This is for Rice.”

“It’s just yogurt with mangoes and strawberries!” You fold your arms together, glaring at him.

“Are you Rice?” He deadpans so you turn and go back to your area. Kita puts the bowl back on the counter top, looking at you from time to time to make sure you won’t eat from it. He looks at the mixture he made and pokes his spoon in it. He licks the back of the spoon and you see it.

“See! You’re doing it!” You point and try to take a spoon from his bowl again, but he quickly hides it from you. “You’re a meanie!” You stick your tongue out at home and he mirrors your action, annoying you. “It doesn’t matter. Rice will like my frozen yogurt better.”

You hear the oven’s alarm go off so you forget about your little banter and run to the oven. You open it and quickly touch the steel tray, forgetting that it’s hot. You wince in pain and Kita clicks his tongue before going over with oven mitts. He takes the trays out and puts it on the counter to cool.

“Let me see your hand,” he orders you, removing the mitts from his hand and placing it beside the trays.

“It’s fine. It was a quick touch anyways,” you put your hand behind your back but Kita gently grabs your wrist to expose your burnt fingers. He slowly pushes your head back with his finger on your forehead, causing you to giggle because you know what’s about to come. Before he can start to scold you, you beat him to it. “I’m so clumsy and excited. I should be more careful next time.”

He narrows his eyes at you before giving the treats his full attention. Yours is also back on the treats, not minding the uncomfortable burn on your fingers. You don’t want to ruin your date just because you got hurt from your very own actions.

“Try it.” Kita takes one piece and hands it to you. Shaking your head, you for an x using your arms. “Why not? We made this with human food.” He tries to convince you using your own words. Hesitantly, you take the treat from his hand and take a small bite. You spit it out immediately and he starts laughing.

“It tastes awful! It’s like dirt!” You complain, running to the water dispenser at the corner of the room. “I hate you!” You stay away from him, upset.

“Come back here,” he tells you but you shake your head. “I’ll take a bite, too. Just come back here.” You slowly take small steps towards him, a cup of water ready for him. He takes a small bite from the treat and then another one. You gasp in disgust, moving away from him again. “You’re over reacting. It does not taste that bad. It’s actually pretty good.”

You gag from his words and he pulls you back by your wrist. You offer him the cup of water and takes it. “No wonder why Rice likes eating dirt.”

“How do you know what dirt tastes like?” Kita asks you, turning the tables. You chuckle sarcastically before looking at him.

“Oh, you’re changing the topic now, baby?” You give him a sly look and he just shrugs. You leave the treats alone to cool and you two proceed to making the cookies.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Ingredients

227 g unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup caster sugar (or white sugar)

1 large egg

2 Tbsp water

1 and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups flour, sifted

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp kosher salt

chocolate chips

“Okay so first you cut the butter into smaller pieces and cream it with both of the sugar,” you read the instructions on the tablet. Kita takes a whisk and starts creaming it manually. “You’re not going to use the electric mixer babe?” You look at his arm and his sleeve is tightening on his bicep from whisking. “You know what, stick to what you’re doing. You’ve already started it.” You lean your elbows on the counter, and goggle on his arm muscles. ‘To be held by those arms and chok-.’

“Done. What’s next?” His voice snaps you out of your thoughts. You hurriedly look for the tablet, obviously distracted. ‘She really was just staring at my arms the whole time.’

“Next is to add an egg, water, and the vanilla extract,” you instruct and he follows. You on the other hand, prepare the dry ingredients. You sift the flour, salt and baking soda, creating a fog made of the powders.

“(Y/N),” Kita calls you sternly so you carefully do it this time. Scared, you clean up the dusts of flour on the counter. You give the dry ingredients to Kita and he mixes it together. It’s time to choose to the chocolate chips.

“Milk chocolate.”

“Dark chocolate.”

You competitively stare at each other before Kita grabs both. He puts 1/4 cup of each, but you’re unsatisfied. “More.”

“If I add more this will just become a chocolate chip with cookie,” Kita tells you. You take the jars of chocolate chips and pour more. Kita takes a deep breath in, extending his patience. He mixes the chips with the dough then puts it in the fridge so you’ll stop adding more chocolate to it.

The dog treats have dried so you look for a packaging. You find a cute little paper pouch and decide to use it. You grab a random tape and pen from the stationary station. You sit on one of the stools and put your phone on the counter.

“Baby help me name the dogs.” You request to Kita and he obliges. He sits beside you, very much interested in naming the dogs with you. “So luckily, there are only 20 dogs at the pound. So we need to put three pieces of treats per bag. You put the treats in and I’ll write their names on the bag.”

“Okay,” Kita complies and you scroll through your phone to find the photo album of the dogs. This is one of the times he finds you serious and loves the look on you. He likes you being playful and childish, but he digs this relaxed and composed personality as well.

You show him a picture of a dog, a smile growing on your face. Your smile is infecting him, he can’t hold his in. “She’s cute right? Should we name her Carrot? She has a brother who we should name Pumpkin.”

“You’re naming the dogs after crops?” Kita raises an eyebrow and you nod eagerly. “It’s because of Rice’s name, isn’t it?”

“They’re Rice’s siblings, babe. It’s normal to name them after crops.” You explain, writing the name Carrot on the paper bag. He scoffs, his smile growing even wider. He leans his elbow on the counter, the side of his head on his palm. A strand of hair drapes on your face, so his free hand tucks it on the back of your hair. You eye from the side, his stare and action causing you to turn red.

“We should name the dog Tomato,” he suggests, obviously making fun of your blushing face. “To give tribute to your face right now.”

After baking the cookies and putting them in packages, the two of you head to Osamu’s store for takeout and give him your baked goodies. You then head to his grandmother’s house to pick Rice up.

“Oh, it really is not Ayako,” his grandmother, says and Kita stiffens. “I was wondering why she was acting like a stranger this morning. What’s your name dear?”

“(Y/N),” you say politely, suspicious of Kita’s sudden change in behavior.

“Are you my Shinsuke’s girlfriend?” She asks you and you look at Kita. This will determine your relationship.

“She’s a friend,” Kita answers, breaking your heart. And you thought you were something after that kiss and your date today. “We’re heading out now. I’ll visit you soon. Don’t forget about your checkups, okay?”

Your can’t even think of anything. Kita’s words are repeating in your head like a broken record.

‘She’s a friend.’

‘She’s only a friend.’

‘She’s only my friend.’

‘I’m a friend.’

‘I’m only friend.’

‘I’m only his friend.’

“(Y/N), let’s go,” Kita calls you, Rice already in his arms. You politely bow to his grandmother before following after him. You go back to your car, more quiet than usual. Rice is sleeping on your lap, probably tired from playing with Kita’s grandmother the whole morning. “You’re quiet. What’s wrong?”

“Do you really see me just a friend?” You finally ask, looking out of the window. He puts the gear on parking mode, and his hand goes reaches out to squeeze your cheeks before he makes you face him.

“I only said that because my grandmother watches your videos. If I say yes, she’ll most likely share it to her friends, the nurses and doctors at the hospital, and pretty much anyone she knows,” Kita explains, letting go of your cheeks.

‘You didn’t even answer my question.’ You give up from fighting any further, already tired from baking. You close your eyes and force yourself to sleep so you won’t think about his words. Sleeping the whole ride, you are shock too see that you’re already back to your house.

The three of you enter the house, and head straight to the dining room to eat. After eating, Kita hands you the frozen yogurt he made at the baking studio. “I made another one for you. It’s with your favorite fruits.”

You are still sulking from his words, but you are weak for his actions. You take a clean spoon and start munching on the frozen yogurt. He takes your burnt hand, so you stop eating. He puts your fingers near his lips and he kisses them. You choke on the yogurt, surprised by his move.

“I wanted to do that since a while ago but we were in public,” he tells you, then shifts his body closer to yours. He cups your cheeks and pulls your face close to his. “This, too.” He plants a short kiss on your lips then moves away from. “Get some sleep. You look tired.”

‘Actions speak louder than words, (Y/N). Actions speak louder than words.’

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Facts:

It's important to mix your dry ingredients in the right order, because all of your ingredients are fighting for water.

The absence of sugar in a confection allows flour proteins to create gluten, which is why gluten-free foods contain high amounts of sugar.

Egg yolks contain something called lipids, a special kind of fat that adds color and flavor to cookies.

Cheesecakes date back to Roman times, when mild, milky cheeses got a jolt of sweetness from honey.

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Note: I was supposed to post this chapter 3 hours ago, but I fell asleep watching this ASMR baking video HAHAHAHAHA

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[mami-kouga0]

Just Finished revolutionary girl Utena and I am outstanded by how much Anthy energy Oberon had. FGO X Utena au

Zettai ume mokushiroku...

I really really enjoyed this show and putting aside how great the themes were, one of my favourite realisations near the end about how much of it seemed to have influenced Nasu in his writing for fate/stay night which may tie into why I could see so much of Anthy in Oberon. Forgive me for the upcoming word vomit that is both simultaneously too much and too little. And oh yeah:

Spoilers for both Utena and LB6 coming right up!!!!!!!!

Nasu has stated in the past that be was inspired by shoujo which was a claim I found a bit questionable after reading his works for years since they have very very strong shounen sensibilities to them especially with the boy meets girl narratives, so I was surprised to notice about halfway through how obvious some of his inspirations were. Sakura is very obviously inspired by Anthy (more powerful than initially presented while also more weak to her own vices than initially believed) while Shinji has a combination of Saionji and Akio (superiority-inferiority complex, lots of complicated feelings towards his old male friend, the eventual strong loathing towards someone they might have cared about at first, the incest...). There's also a bit of Utena spread between Shirou and Saber. Ultimately Nasu was pretty honest but Utena expresses itself through its shoujo sensibilities while breaking down some of the stereotypes in it meanwhile Fate/stay night very much has shounen sensibilities which is why it's easy to miss the resemblances between the two.

How this ties to Oberon, I don't know if it's just become Nasu's way of writing now, whether Utena was still at the back of his mind, or whether it's just a coincidence since LB6 has a theme of responsibility and that just happens to interact with Utena's theme of people being restricted into specific societal roles, but regardless Oberon and Anthy ended up having lots of parallels between them. Putting aside they both cosplay as European royalty, Oberon and Anthy are both characters trapped in roles. Anthy's trapped in her roles as a trophy wife, a witch to take in the hatred of others and as her brother's punching bag/partner in crime while Oberon is trapped in the role of a natural disaster doomed to destroy everyone and everything in Britain. And they both pretend as if they're fine with this, it's more conceptual in Oberon's case but both characters have many "outs" of their toxic mindsets but they're just trapped in the cycle of hurting others in order to fulfill the goals thrust open them. But for a while, they actually are genuine- with Utena/ Guda/ Castoria/ Blanca they actually do see a hint of what they actually want. They let themselves be happy with them and it's chips at their armour. But in the end they can't let it go, and so they just end up using those people while pretending to themselves that it's fine and they're actually okay with the way things are.

I'd say the one big distinction in them is their conclusion- there's no ambiguity in the fact that Anthy finally puts her foot down even after she betrayed Utena and let's herself be free of Akio's pathetic ass and walks out into the world to go find her girlfriend. Oberon's in a somewhat similar position but not quite, he went through with his betrayal and also ended up opening his heart enough to let Guda summon him, but his conceptual rejection is kind of permanently stuck on him thanks to his class so he can't ever really completely break free from his role. He gets close enough at least, so hey! You win some you lose some!!

Wow this was a long blabbering over me drawing Oberon in a dress haha, anyway it's MY birthday so I'll draw my faves how I see fit

[wsgeon]

hey everyone! ummm this is peyton (also the mun of lee hyeon) taking a second shot at a second character — i have a lot of muse for this one, so i swear he’ll be around for a while… 🥵 this is ryu geon, yes his name rhymes with hyeon’s & no i do not care ♥️ he’s the lead guitarist/vocalist of meta and also the son of a former nobody rockstar, but i’ll get into all that below! like this post if you’d like for me to come into your ims to plot, click the read more for more info on geon, and/or click here to be taken to his pages: CAREER, DOSSIER, PINTEREST.

HISTORY.

born in autumn ‘97 to a “budding rockstar” (translation: “no yeah i swear our band’s really starting to take off, we sold twenty-three tickets to our last show!”) & a woman with commitment issues ♥️ geon’s dad always told him that his mom left because she had some dire matters that needed to be taken care of and SWORE that she cried the last time she held her dear baby boy, but all of his dad’s bandmates say that she was just some groupie and had to be persuaded into carrying her child to term… who can say for sure?

naturally, there are no pictures of this mystery woman. there was one (1) of her holding infant geon, but then he found out that that was actually a sound tech who worked for his dad’s band… and he just never corrected geon’s assumptions LOLLLL

anyway! he was always really close to his dad, considering they were a two-person family. he has a set of grandparents, an aunt and a couple cousins but they were never involved with geon’s life because his dad is the #blacksheep of the family. geon and his dad against the world, am i right?

uhhh geon was also kind of a black sheep growing up, but he didn’t really notice? he was a happy kid, very energetic and enthusiastic. a lot of adults in the area looked down on him & his dad, but he was SOOOO blind to it because his dad’s a god in his eyes and HE’S always been nice to everyone, so why would they not like him??? because his clothes smelled a little like dad’s cigarette smoke??? big deal

wasn’t troublesome (beyond talking too much), but a lot of people still expected bad things from him :/ “his father’s a dirtbag, i’ll be surprised if that boy doesn’t end up in jail by 20”, “he won’t amount to anything without a proper role model in his life”, “his dad is teaching him how to slack off”, “he won’t contribute anything to society”, etc. he kindaaa picked up on this as he got older but pretended not to because it was more rewarding to play dumb and keep being a good kid(tm) to prove them wrong

was basically a mini version of his dad. same style, similar features, birthmarks in the same places, same “live today, die tomorrow” approach in life, same affinity for singing & playing rock music. ummm he loved his dad a lot. a lot. a lot. wanted to make him proud SO BAD, started his first band when he was 15 and they sucked so bad but his dad was their biggest fan… you know how it is. a lot of people misunderstood him, but he was a very good guy and such a great parent

TW DEATH unfortunately he passed away just shy of geon’s 18th birthday and your boy still hasn’t forgiven the world for taking his dad when he was in the middle of his angsty teen phase — had he known that their time together was dwindling, he would’ve been so so so much better to him END TW

his dad’s band actually rocketed into the charts after he passed & suddenly they were getting loads of publicity, lots of “what a shame that he went under-appreciated” which pissed geon off SOOOO bad because why couldn’t they have had that energy when he was still alive? he’s still mad about it five/six years later

this is getting kinda long, so uhhh tl;dr, he ended up staying with the drummer of his dad’s band until he was old enough to live alone/READY to live alone, but he changed quite a bit. was really going through it, quit his band, stopped putting effort into school. barely graduated. went from being a social butterfly spending every weekend at a gig or with friends to spending all of his time on a pc or in front of a tv, playing console games. the internet comforted him when nobody else would/could and then he met the future members of meta <33333333 #newbeginnings

present day geon is still struggling, has to go to counseling bi-weekly but he’s coming back out of his shell! he wants to fall in love with life again, just wants to tread carefully... outgoing & will talk to absolutely anyone, but he still spends most of his time alone. hard to reach by text, so if you wanna talk to him, you better call/facetime LMAO. talks a mile a minute, especially if you get him going abt something he really likes. laughs a lot, smiles a lot, more habitual than actual signs of happiness but yk. ummm he has a really loud voice, mostly controlled nowadays but he still gets carried away sometimes. an absolute menace during long drives/flights, sorry meta.

funny but only when he’s in large groups. feeds off of other peoples’ energy, really good at reading a room and breaking the ice/making everyone comfortable, but if you meet him 1-on-1, none of his jokes land quite the same.

i envision him as being the kind of guy who carries himself in such a way that you’d assume he’s really popular/out of reach/maybe even full of himself, but he’s... not like that... at all... in fact, he’s kinda irritating when you get to know him. the personification of a flood followed by a drought and vice versa, always either too much or not enough. gets used/ghosted/dropped/dumped/whatever a lot because he’s soooo fun in the moment (if he isn’t in his feelings), but draining long-term.

really emotionally intelligent, in touch with his feelings in a way that a lot of people never thought he would be (probably thanks to counseling tbh). he’s very very rarely the type of person who will make you wonder what your place in his life is — he’s communicative, kind, honest. ummm he thinks that intimacy between friends needs to be more common, so he’s really affectionate with the people in his life. type of guy to tell you he loves you every chance he gets (calling you when he’s drunk, sounding like a clingy ex type beat) & greet you/depart with a hug. losing his dad kinda fucked him up in the way that he won’t leave/hang up until his friends say “i love you” back, gets kinda (re: very) upset if he’s denied that and/or a hug.

TRIVIA.

has been playing the guitar “longer than he’s been walking” (not really, but he swears it’s true).

uhhh he really likes nail art, but he’s kinda hesitant in what he tries? mainly sticks to black polish (or other plain colors), but sometimes he’ll get little designs added in as well. mainly does it himself because he still doesn’t feel comfortable in salons... if his work looks bad, leave him alone <3 he’s trying

inspired by people like kurt cobain, nicky wire, yungblud, billie joe armstrong & damiano david in the fact that he’s not against wearing dresses or skirts on stage. doesn’t do it ALL the time, but often enough that it doesn’t go unnoticed. some people say that he does it for attention because he doesn’t dress like that elsewhere and tbh they’re probably kinda right

interested in history (only SOME... dinosaurs, ancient civilizations, specialized areas like the history of circuses/clowns/skateboarding/punk, stuff like that yk), stand-up comedy & documentaries. could spend a whole day watching documentaries and would say he had fun, has a lot of useless knowledge that nobody gives a fuck about and is kinda dumb when it comes to things that matter

when it comes to music, he prefers playing really fast and heavy rock or punk over anything else, but he actually listens to a lot more soft indie on his own time... he’s too tense these days to be listening to anything else RIPPP

the vibe: homemade tie-dye, ripped slipknot t-shirts, frosted tips, neon crocs with alien & peace-sign charms, chipped black nail polish, calloused hands, cheesy pick-up lines used NOT to land a date but to pull a smile, driving until he’s lost, stupid socks paired with pressed suits, dramatic poetry in an iphone note, etc. 

PLOT IDEAS.

people he met through online support groups about coping with grief

uhhh an on & off relationship that’s been going for who-knows-how-long. the reason for this is up for discussion, but i imagine that he hasn’t given up yet because the constant highs and lows are a good source of inspo 🤪 artists must suffer for their art!

opposite side of the coin — someone he’s interested in, but he’s NOT disloyal so it’s a pattern of persistent courting when he’s single vs intense friend-zoning when he’s not and they’re getting tired of trying to figure out what he wants from them

someone else who likes nail art & can convince him that NOBODY cares if he goes to a salon

someone (probably female but doesn’t really matter tbh) who feels like his feminism is entirely performative… maybe they attack him directly for it or maybe they just REALLY don’t like him and they’re super vague about it idk. either way, please tell him that activism is much more than recommending one female artist a year and saying “clothes have no gender 🤪” so he can be praised for the bare minimum (his heart is in the right place but his skull is empty)

someone super introverted who comes out of their shell with geon! uhhh maybe they think that he’s the one doing them a favor, but in reality spending time with them has been doing wonders for his mental health

other people who like to skate. let’s congregate at the local skatepark and scare the middle schoolers away

someone who inspires him musically, for whatever reason. lots of late nights in studios, idly strumming his guitar and writing lyrics that definitely aren’t about how their eyes look in these dim lights… umm maybe he thinks he has a crush on them but really doesn’t and ends up hurting them eventually, maybe he really DOES have a crush but will (probably) never do anything abt it or maybe it’s entirely platonic and he just admires them a ridiculous amount

someone who likes to make music as a hobby, prob won’t publish/release any of it but it’s fun to imagine. spontaneous meetings with geon in the middle of the night, recording songs together and keeping the WORST takes for the laughs. there’s probably a diss-track of them going in on each other floating around somewhere even though geon can’t rap for shit

night owls who keep him company on the phone, even if they can’t be there physically. them talking really quietly vs geon shouting at them while he plays games LMAO

gaming buddies. come over, maybe you can carry geon through his game of the week or you can both fail but have fun while you’re at it… or you can scream while he fends off that hoard of zombies behind you

i’m typing this at the last minute (literally) so i’m gonna stop here, but i will get a proper plots page put up asap with a wider variety of connections!!! but as always, please do let me know if you have any other ideas. i’m always happy to plot and write with you all 🌚

[popculturebuffet]

Carl Barks: Back to the Klondike Review: Blinkus of the Thinkus

Welcome one and all! If your a longtime reader of this blog, you know I love a good birthday celebration, having started with my first year reviewing animation last year with Donald’s and deciding to do Mickey and Scrooge’s later that year. But since I misseda  LOT of disney birthdays, and found several Non-disney birthdays and anniversaries I just gotta celebrate, this year i’m making it up and style and have a whole calender set up to tack these big milestones to the wall. So over the year expect tributes to the greats of disney, looney tunes, and mgm both behind and in front of the scenes, as well as to various shows I like. It’s gonna be a good time. 

So to start us off, it’s only fitting my first duck birthday since Scrooge, is for the love of his life and the stealer of his wallet, Glittering Goldie O Gilt! And I felt the best way to celebrate this storied day was to go back to her very FIRST apperance, one of earliest Scrooge headlined comics and a forever fan faviorite, Back to the Klondike!

But before we get into that, a little history on our gal in gold. Goldie was created for this story by comics god, the late great Carl Barks. Barks ended up just using her once, which is a shame but understandable as he probably only thought of her for that one adventure. While some characters like Gyro ended up being used again and again he probably just didn’t have any more stories in mind for her and figured Scrooge would return to her one day or he wouldn’t, but it wasn’t up to him.  Fans however loved the character, her feisty dynamic with scrooge, and the fact she brought out his good side, so naturally other writers would bring her back. In paticular Barks Superfan Don Rosa cemented her as the love of his life and wrote several more stories with her, fleshing out their backstory and saying that at least in his personal canon, Scrooge retired to spend his final years with her. And while his fanboy was clearly showing, and that can end nasitly just ask Dan “Hates Wally West because he’s not barry allen” DiDio, glad he’s gone.. Rosa’s work with goldie is an example of what happens when it’s done right. Less DiDio or Bendis and more Al Ewing. Using the continuity and what’s there to build on a character who deserved better.. to me that’s one of the BEST things you can do in comics and Rosa’s work is proof of that, ironing out the.. questionable elements we’ll get to and leaving the gold in.  So Rosa’s work combined with Ducktales not only adapting this story but bringing Goldie back a few times after that has elevated the character to a storied and permenat part of the duck canon, with her excellent heavily revamped Reboot counterpart currently carrying the torch with the help of the wonderful Allison Janey, perfect casting there. So with a legacy of gold behind her, let’s take a look at where it’s started and see if it still glitters after all these years under the cut. 

We begin our story at the Money Bin. Scrooge has been counting his money.. but has already forgotten, and forgot where he put the slip he wrote the number on and even forgets who Donald is when he shows up until Donald, while having some fun with him as Scrooge is trying to phone him while he’s right there. As for how he got into the most secure place in the bin.. the story actually answers that both worringly and hilariously: Scrooge left the door unlocked.  Naturally he’s not happy about this and Donald states the simple solution: Go see a doctor something’s CLEARLY very wrong, and the fact this could possibly be something like Demntia is VERY bad for someone who runs a zillion dollar company. Scrooge of course scoffs at “wasting his precious money” But Donald not only points out the obvious, that two bucks now saves him from having someone rob EVERYTHING, but Scrooge’s attempt to tie a string around his finger.. instead triggers a trap. And this entire sequence is decent with some good gags.. it’s just hampered a bit by making light of something that’s kinda bad. Not old people forgetting things.. but an old person with a disease as we find out forgetting things. Not helping is I laughed at first at the gags.. till I remembered a kind, old, friend of the family who had it and forgot me entirely by the end. So yeah, not the worst gags and the boxing glove and donald bits aren’t terrible, but it hurts now my brain’s made that connection. 

Our heroes head to the doctor’s office where Scrooge is diagnosed with... 

That.. might be the best name for a fictional illness i’ve ever heard in my life.. just inching out “Brain Cloud” and “Whale Cancer”. Still not the most SENSITIVE gag.. but it was the 50′s and mental issues weren’t given a lot of respect. IT’s why the above sequence and this whole part of the plot dosen’t scuttle things: It’s not the most repsectful.. but it wasn’t a time where these things were givne proper respect, treatment or knowledge, so barks wasn’t being an insentive douche on purpose, he just didn’t know. It dosen’t make it 100% okay btu it dosen’t wreck the story like say his blatant racist caractures in Voodoo Hoodoo. Seriously that’s.. not okay, and given he’s the kind of guy who researched locations he used, unlike with mental illness i expect BETTER of him than most men at the time. Still respect the guy, but it dosen’t mean i’ll overlook the fact he made some pretty bad mistakes. Same way while I love and miss Stan Lee I won’t ignore his blatant sexisim or racisim towards Chinese and Vitamise people. You CAN like a creator even if their work has some questionable and unjustifable elements, times do change and people do mamke mistakes when their young. It just depends on exactly WHAT they did or wrote that makes that distinctoin.  So on that bombshell, Scrooge is given medication after a needle gag. He needs to take his pills every 12 hours. It’s then he starts to remember something, mubling abotu skagway, goldie and dawson and telling Donald to get the boys, their going to Alaska! Once they get on the boat Scrooge explains: he remembered thanks to the medcince he left a stash of gold nuggets there from his prospecting days.. and part of why this story ended up being one of the single most important to Scrooge’s character. While it establishes some character traits, something I dind’t realize till wikipedia pointed it out, it also establishes Scrooge’s days as a prospector. While other things made him what he was and got him to that point as Don Rosa would later flesh out, it was his days in the yukon that, for better or worse defined who he is now and shaped him into the man he is today: Tough, fair, badass as all hell, mean as the devil and richer than god.  This time would be used a lot to set up stories, which made sense as it was the cleast and most agreed upon part of his past by all writers, and him at his abosltuely peak physically and mentally and the gold rush motif of the time perfectly fits someone defined by being rich. It’s also honestly nice that the Yukon is used, as Canada sometimes gets lost in the shuffle wise and hell until reading life and times I gneuinely had no idea what the Yukon was or where Calvin was headed when he and hobbes ran away from home. 

Scrooge also first mentions Goldie and while clearly remembering her fondly.. goes into a rant about her howing him a thousand dollars which has compounded to a billion the second the boys catch on he was sweet on her with Donald assuming he’s just not a good person. But this is really just setting up another vital part of his character and the other thing: his heart. Before he’d been show as a pretty heartless, greedy asshole. While the previous story, Only a Poor Old Man, had softened him up a bit, this is the first to show that beneath the pile of greed and mean lurks a decent human being. Just don’t tell anyone or he’ll throw his money at you.. then tell you to bring it back to him. It’s what makes the character who he is: he’s cruel, onrey and selfish.. but he CAN care when the chips are down and can do the right thing.. as we’ll see later. 

God I love the little poems Bill Watterson would put in the books. I didn’t as much as a kid, but god I do now. Anyways before our heroes can get going Yukon Ho, they stop in Skagway for suplies before heading out, Scrooge softing at taking a plane as “Soft” and him and the nephews hiking a week.. before running into the same flying service again, and finding out Scrooge OWNS it and forgot, because being scrooge he forgot to take his meds. Something I can relate to and i’m not proud of as staying on them is important to my well being. Seriously always take your meds. Unless their not working for you then talk with your doctor to get new ones. 

So we arrive in Dawson, as our heroes will have to walk rest of the day Scrooge takes the boys to the Black Jack Ballroom, which used to be a hot spot and was where he met Goldie for the first time. After another covering for his reminscing with greedy bollocks, he tells the boys the story.. one that was cut from the original printing despite introducing goldie and something the editors dind’t bother to tell carl till they berated him over trying to sneak a blackjack saloon and a kidnapping in there... and to them, or their long dead skeletons probably, I say. 

Yeah not wanting that in a kids story, while bollocks, tha’ts their perogative.. not having him send in replacement pages to keep story flow.. is dickish and underestimates kids intellegence as Don Rosa, while loving the story felt something was off till he saw the missing pages years later thanks to a fellow fan. So yeah kids, and adults, into the work noticed. Nice job. Again I can’t BLAME them for not wanting Scrooge to be a kidnapper as we’ll see and Don Rosa had to massage the hell out of that, but I can blame them for not caring enough to fix the obvious hole int he story. Though it’s now complete and unabriged and has been since the 80′s so there's that. 

So in a nutshell Scrooge came to town for a coffee, and while the bartender ignored him he didn’t once he plunked down his goose egg nugget, what made his fortune and one of Scrooge’s most treasured possessions. It’s here we meet Goldie. 

Yup.. just in case you thought her being a thief and greedy as hell was a new thing, and I kinda forgot how much, she dirves for the nugget, has Coffee with scrooge.. and drugs it, but makes the mistake of NOT clearing town, so Scrooge fights his way through the ballroom to her, gets the nugget back, forces her to sign the money for the iou he spent.. and then uh.. kindaps her to force her to work on his claim for 50 cents to try and teach her how to work honestly. 

Yeahhhh as I said Don Rosa tried his best to fix this , and did so in his final story, which we’ll get to some day, revealing Goldie had a shot gun on her the whole time and was going along entirely to find out where Scrooge’s claim was. That.. actually makes more sense with the character and is far less horrifying and Scrooge finds this out fairly quick, so them forming an attraction out of this becomes 100% more plausable. So yeah good on Don Rosa for fixing the implications here. I may give out on him from time to time.. but he is a genuinely talented writer and did what a good comic book writer in an established continuity should do: update elements so they aren’t so... eugguuhhh after they become horrifingly outdated. And look YES she did do horrible shit to him.. but you still can’t kidnap someone over that. just put her in jail. What was any of that. 

Anyways Scrooge HAS been taking his medicine, and proves it by showing the boys his pills and the next day they head to Scrooge’s old claim.. only someone’s living there and using it, and his old cabin.. and a shot gun. Yeah so they aren’t getting through in the day what about the night.. well they get attacked by Blackjack, who turns out to be owned by the claim jumper.. and is also you know a bear> And Donald left his back in new quackmore so their outmatched. 

So outgunned and outplanned, if not outnumbered or outmanned, our heroes make a camp fire and whiel Donald again suggests the obvious, call the police.. Scrooge can’t. He didn’t pay taxes on the claim so he’s technically jumping his own claim and techincally she has a right to it. So techncially.. Scrooge is the bad guy here as he left the money here, didn’t pay his taxes and didn’t ever come back for it. Still beats trying to terrify your nephews or deny orphans a train because your an asshole buffet. 

So the next morning Scrooge dosen’t want to rush her because “We Daren’t Get Rough with an old woman”. Two things.. 1... think before you put images in my head scrooge.. brrrrrrrrr. I mean Goldie. is not in the best shape in thie story as you’ll see and neither are you. In the reboot sure you two kept up a lot better but here.

And it’s not even an old people thing. Ann Margret was still fine so fine by the time of Grumpy Old Men, not to get creepy jut to prove i’m not being ageist. For a still alive example Keith David is also still a smokeshow at the tender age of 64. So yeah, not an age thing just not these paticular old people. 

But they need a plan so the boy suggest luring the bear into a trap with honey. Donald and Scrooge build the cage while the boys.. find the jar of honey. 

Regardless since the boys won’t do it for what Scrooge pays and neither will donald Scrooge goes to lure the bear with the honey. Once that’s done, and Scrooge is being covered with honey and licked by a bear...

So while he washes that off, the boys come up with another plan: they run around back while Donald makes noise to draw Goldie’s fire, with that being Dewey’s plan to meet her since he’s figured this out already. But Goldie has a backup plan and when she figures out they disabled Blackjack unleashes mosquitos... ugh. Having been stung like hornets about 50 times in animal crossing I feel you boys. So while Scrooge and Donald run off naked... troy if you will. 

Thank you Troy, the boys confront Goldie who reveals her identity... and that she’s broke, her dance hall having failed with the rush and this claim being all she has.. and her suspecting scrooge woudl gladly take it. The boys vow not to tell scrooge.. but he’s on his way so they kinda have to and he primps to go visit and Donald starts to see through his BS about collecting the debt. Sure enough despite being taken aback by her putting on her old dress , he takes her for all she has and is.. genuinely suprised as she thought she’d have more and she’d actually changed since the old days, donating her profits to orphans from mining disasters. Scrooge.. is clearly rattled by this. Whiel it turns out to my shock he was clealry after the money, though givne who we’re dealing with I shoudln’t of been really, he still cares and still realizes he’s being kind of a dick. So he challengers her to a gold digging race, and if she wins the claim is hers and any gold she finds.. and naturally, while he seemingly puts her soemwhere where there isn’t she finds the claim and Scrooge bemoans not taking his pill.. but while the boys boo him for it, Goldie who fondly waves them off and Donald know better: Donald points out he counted the pills this morning.. and recently. SCrooge DID take one today... he’s just has his cane shoved firmly up his ass with pride so he coudln’t ADMIT he was wrong and instead simply staged that whole thing with the full knowledge Goldie would win. It, again, sets up one of his defniing traits; how he keeps people at arms length. How he’s just so proud and full of himself he can’t bear to admit anything resembling weakness.. but WILl find a way to do the right thing without that or forgoe it as a last resort. He may project being a stingy cretionus old man.. because he is.. but he’s got a heart as big as that nugget.. it’s just locked tight in it’s own bin... his body is complicated and weird that way Final Thoughts:

This story is a classic with a decent setup, great backstory for scrooge, and a great guest character and unquestionable impact on the character. However.. it does have it’s problem; As Don Rosa, who as i’ll remind you is both a huge barks fanboy and huge scoldie shipper, himself pointed out he wrote his final story, and had planned to for years ENTIRELY because this one never quite explains how Scrooge and Goldie went from old enmies to lovers.It did lead to one of his best stories and one of the first I read post life and times so, props to that. And of course as I pointed out some things have just.. not aged well, especially the kidnapping so their relationship kinda comes off like stockholm syndrom as a result of both of these. 

That being said.. warts and all.. it’s still a really damn good story and a good one to try if your intrested in barks work or where Goldie came from: it has adventure, some really good jokes and if you can get past the dated bits the plot is solid. And while it goes without saying i’ll say it anyway Barks art is goregous as always ESPECIALLY in the flashback sequence. Overall not the best AGED Scrooge story, though not the worst either see Voodoo Hoodoo, good god, but defintely a classic for a reason.  If you liked this review, follow me for more, and for more duck content as I still have more of the three cablleros to work through, another chapter of life and times coming up this week befor ewe break again for feburary, and some other fun stuff. Until the next rainbow, it’s been a pleasure. 

[vintage-writes]

Happy Birthday Captain (Levi x Reader)

Pairing: Levi Ackermann x Reader

Summary: It’s Levi’s birthday and the entire Scout Regiment has come together to celebrate. The Huge party is great but as a Long time friend of Levi’s you can tell how tired he is. After stealing him away you hope to show him something he’ll never forget.

Warnings: None, Fluff content for his birthday. Implied Nsfw.

A/N: This was originally supposed to be longer but I have been busy due to the Christmas season. I really wanted to get this out though so I do hope that you enjoy it. >-<

___________________________________________

Erwin Smith and Hange Zoë are probably two of the world’s greatest friends. Not only did both of them remember Levi’s birthday, but they are also probably more excited about it than he is. Although, that is relatively understandable considering most soldiers in the Scout Regiment don’t even touch the age of 20 while Levi’s hitting the 34 mark. Even you were unsure if you could make it to that age. 

However, perhaps the two had gone slightly overboard. Streamers, cakes, candles and about a million people were all crammed into the mess hall to celebrate the Captain’s birthday. At the beginning of the party, you could tell that Levi was pleasantly surprised over the event, allowing a gentle smile to grace his lips. His movements were relaxed and anyone could tell how much he appreciated the effort.

But it’s been five hours.

Levi is no longer looking impressed or grateful. If anything he looks like he’s about to murder someone. Many people may mistake his current expression for his everyday scowl but you’ve known him long enough to see how drained and irritated he’s become.

You decide to be kind and rescue him. It’s the least you could do for your Captain after all. You excuse yourself from your current company and weave your way through the crowd. Your eyes lock onto Levi as you approach. He tilts his head at you in a questioning manner as you mutter apologies for squeezing through. 

Eventually you land in front of him and lean in to talk over the loud crowd.

“Happy Birthday, Captain”

“Thanks”, he nods, raising an eyebrow. Oh, he knows you well. Already recognizing the scheming look on your face.

“Be Honest, are you really having fun?”

He scans the crowd before turning back to you with a blank look and says, “I don’t even know half these people.”

You chuckle next to him. You send a glance Erwin’s way noticing how intoxicated he’s become. You spare another one towards Hange who, while definitely sober, is talking about the complexity of titans to a group of young recruits. Poor Levi.

Levi notices your stare and seems to figure out what’s brewing in your head.

“Absolutely not.”

“You don’t even know what I’m about to say”, you shoot back.

“You might take me somewhere weird”

You frown at him. Where could you possibly take him that constitutes as weird? You’re not going to push him down a well.

“So you’re not entirely against leaving?” You say, fighting back a smile. He huffs.

“Not exactly”

“Then have a little faith in me, Captain. If you regret it, I swear that I’ll run one hundred laps”, you say into his ear, “Besides, if you’re worried about hurting their feeling, remember that they all just want you to enjoy yourself.”

He thinks about it for a second, eyes locked onto yours. He sighs. 

Bullseye.

“Alright, but don’t take me anywhere weird.”

You slip your hand into his and plunge back into the crowd. The bodies packed together like sardines working in your favour as you drag Levi through unnoticed. Emerging from the crowd, you dart through the doorway, Levi in tow.

Skidding around the corner you make a mad dash towards the stables. You keep holding onto Levi’s hand. You don’t need him changing his mind on you last minute. You careen around the corner and stop in front of the gate leading into the stables. Levi’s huffing behind you sending you a look that simply says, “You’re crazy”

You reluctantly release his hand and unlatch the gate. Heading straight for the stables, you pick out two horses and begin to saddle them. Levi offers you another strange look.

“I said to not take me somewhere weird”, he chastises.

“Getting on a horse doesn’t mean we’re going somewhere weird”, you say, “It means we’re going somewhere fun.”

He folds his arms and looks around at the deserted stable. Most of the stable hands had probably snuck in to join the party. No one was around. He folds his arms again and his eyes observe your movements. His gaze burns into you making you feel hot.

“Horses mean we’re going somewhere far”, he states. You grab the two horses you tacked up and walk out of the stables. You take a moment to take note of Levi’s dark eyes and slight slouch. He’s tired.

You stop in front of him and hold out his reins. 

“Captain, I say this in the nicest way possible”, You begin, “Stop whining and get on the horse.”

_____________________________

Levi eventually got on the horse. His shoulders were stiff but he followed without asking anymore questions. You know that this is his way of saying that he trusts you. After 20 minutes of travel you see the cabin beginning to take a shape. A large wooden house built on the edge of a lake with a boardwalk stretching over the water. As you approach you see Levi give the place a once-over. Eyes keenly observing every nook, every scratch and chip of the wood.

You dismount and tie the horses to the horse station. You give each one a pat before turning towards the boardwalk. On it are tables and chairs arranged neatly, spaced far apart from one another. Above the steps is a sign that reads “Lake Carigan Tea House”.

“Tada!” You proclaim. Levi comes to stand next to you.

“A Tea Shop?” He asks. Although he may seem uninterested, you can see the spark in his eyes. The glimmer of interest.

“Yes, they’re normally closed today but they’ll make an exception for us.”

You stride forward and knock on the door. An elderly couple emerge from the house. Both smile down at you as you explain your situation, although the shop is closed, your past experiences with them allow them to make an exception. Levi stands behind feeling awkward as you exchange short sentences with them. Eventually you wave at them with a smile and walk back to Levi. You reach out to grab his hand again, to which he reluctantly accepts. You lead him up the steps onto the sturdy wood floating above the lake. 

“I want you to see something”, you say.

The sun droops in the sky. The air feels fresh on the lake. You direct Levi to stand beside you. Leaving forward, you prop your arms up on the railing, staring down at the clear blue water.

“What?”, he asks.

You turn your head to the side and smile at him. The sun droops again, finally low enough that the sky begins to change. Colours vibrantly stretch across the sky. Shimmering and resonating in the atmosphere. The various rays of colour pierce through the clouds as if shining through broken glass. The air has come alive with warmth. Each incandescent charge of light is striking and bold. The lake water below reflects the imagery perfectly, the scene becoming awash in a glow that resonates an indescribable feeling. The world has stopped breathing.

“This”, you breathe out. Each and every time you witness the sunset at this particular place, it steals your breath away. However, for the first time, you tear your eyes away from the scene and focus on Levi. The Captain’s face has brightened considerably. Eyes wide with a childlike curiosity as he witnesses one of the greatest gifts of nature.

“It’s Beautiful”, he says, lips tugging upwards into a smile.

“I like it when you smile”, You say, keenly observing his reaction. For a moment he seems surprised. He looks down at the wood of the boardwalk before looking back towards you. Your breath catches. Never before would you believe that you would see Levi silhouetted by the light of a setting sun, just able to make out the smile on his face and adoration in his eyes.

“Tea is served”, comes a shrill voice from behind you. The elderly lady happily places a pot onto the table along with two cups. She nods her head as you thank her before she takes her leave.

You sit down across from Levi. You clear your throat awkwardly before beginning. “This is Lady Grey tea, I also asked her to put aside a few leaves for you. This tea is only grown in the valley beyond that mountain”, you nod your head towards the nearby expanse of land. 

You focus your gaze more intently on him, “happy Birthday Levi.”

Your words come out far more earnest than you expected. Your use of his actual name instead of title somewhat surprises him, you have always teased the Captain using his rank. Your face flushes red before turning your gaze back to the still water as you sip on the hot drink. Levi stands up from the other side of the table, drawing your eyes towards him. His gaze feels too hot, stealing the air from your lungs. He stands in front of you before kneeling down, lifting up your left arm he places a tiny kiss on the inside of your wrist.

“Thank You, Y/n”

You freeze for a moment before raising your right hand to cup his face. You run your thumb across his cheek in a soothing manner. In this moment he brings your left hand towards his face and snuggles into it as though he is some sort of cat. Placing more kisses, but this time he runs from the wrist to the palm of your hand.

You simply can’t help it. His intoxicating presence has you spellbound. You lean forward before hesitating. Lips hovering over his own.

“Y/n, You are incredible.”

He makes the move. Taking your actions as permission he surges upwards to lock his lips onto your own. Soft, pouty lips connecting with yours. Fires burn in your heart. Heat rising. You have never loved this man so much. With both hands on either side of his face, you caress his smooth skin and slip your fingers into his hair. You feel him move before two strong hands land on your legs, creeping upwards. Gently they rub your thighs. He pulls away, takes a long breath of air before hastily diving back into your presence. Both of your lips dance against the other as a battle of dominance ensues. You remain like this for a long time. A hot exchange of breathy kiss after kiss. Eventually you're able to pull away from each other. A string of saliva connecting your two lips as you flush red before swiping shyly at your mouth.

“Captain”, you say, “If you’d like, I don’t live far from here.”

He nods, standing up again before helping you to your feet. The offer hangs in the air but Levi is not hesitant in his response. Eyes darkened with lust.

“Let’s go”

[fangirlingincamouflage]

Blind Hope: Chapter 7

Title: Blind Hope Author: Rosie Dayze Word Count: 1,232 Pairing: Nick Jakoby x Reader Chapter Rating: PG-13 Themes: Angst, Plot, affectionate frustration Disclaimer I do not own Nick Jakoby, he is the intellectual property of Netflix Originals, I make no money from this fanfiction. Dedication: @14readwritedraw96 and @thezucchini​ (For being so wonderfully enthusiastic) TW/CW Descriptions of pain, long term hospital stay

Previous chapters:

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7 <~ You are Here

You are standing in the middle of the pasta isle at the grocery store when your cell phone goes off. It's that distinctive ping of an unknown number texting you. You sigh, roll your eyes, and wonder what is the easiest possible thing that you can make for dinner that night. In the past six days your workload has tripled. June and Em are on a much needed vacation and Nick is still unconscious at the hospital.

You know that because you called right before you left to go grocery shopping. You also called first thing this morning, and last night, and the morning before, and the night before that. You have called the hospital at least twice a day for the past thirty-seven days. You got the exact same information.

“Officer Jakoby is still in an induced coma, and he is not ready to be seen by friends or family.”

It was maddening.

Your phone goes off again and you set a jar of premade sauce back on the shelf. Your stomach isn't feeling red sauce. It isn't feeling pasta. Or oranges. Or any one of a thousand other things you were totally down for eating. You hadn't been hungry since the night part of LA went up in magical flames. Since Nick had been hospitalized.

With a sigh you eased into the snack isle. Is a bag of chips an acceptable replacement for dinner? Probably not, but you've had take out for the past two weeks and absolutely none of it has filled the steady, continuing ache in your heart.

Your phone goes off again.

“What?” you snarl loud enough to make the old lady with a basket full of frozen dinners blink with bewilderment. “Sorry. Not you.”

You pull your phone out and waive it at her. She doesn't look convinced, and doubles her speed to get into the next isle.

With a few swipes you bring up your new messages.

“This is Jessica, the Head Nurse at the Intensive Care Unit at the UCLA Medical Center.” The first message reads.

Your heard pounds so hard in your chest that your vision goes a little hazy. You grip your phone tightly enough to make the screen rainbow with protest.

“Nick Jakoby has achieved a state of continuing consciousness. One of my nurses made the mistake of telling him that you had stopped by.”

That hazy feeling turns to ash. You had wanted to see him yourself, to let him know what had gone on, and why you hadn't talked to him in six, not seven, months.  He must be angry, furious.

The third message is brief, and comes across as a little mad. “In order to keep him in bed, I promised him you would come see him tonight. Do not make me a liar.”

You desert your cart, and take the shortest possible trip to the hospital that you have ever taken. Which is impressive, considering all the times you driven up there in the past month, just in case something had happened between your morning and evening check-ins.

You don't stop at the front desk, you know where you are going. The elevator doors close as you turn the corner, and the wait for the next ones seems like an eternity. The moment the doors whoosh open, you surge inside hitting the buttons for the ICU floor. You don't even wait. You ht the close-door button and watch your reflection stare back at you as the lift starts to rise.

What are you going to say? Should you have gotten balloons? Flowers? A stuffed animal? Would he even be allowed those things? Did he want them from you? Did he want to see you to make up or to have a final talk? In the twenty-eight seconds that it takes to get to your floor, your mind plays out you greatest hopes and worst fears in a strange, overlapping loop that leaves you feeling a little lightheaded.

Though maybe that has something to do with the fact that you haven't eaten well in a month.

Your clothes don't fit right, you think as you tug at the fabric. You should have gone home to change. You were wearing your comfy clothes to go shopping. The fabric weird. Then you realize its not the fabric, its your own skin. You are so nervous that your skin feels like an electric current is running through it. With a huff you roll your shoulders, trying to settle your nerves. It doesn't help.

The doors slide open and as fast as you got into the elevator, you hesitate to get out. This could go wrong. What if his mother is there? His partner? What about Johnassen, the jerk who broke his phone so long ago?

It doesn't matter you tell yourself as you take that first step off the elevator. All that matters is he's awake. You'll be able to see him with your own eyes.

A stern looking woman with stark gray curls looks up from a desk as you approach. She tilts her head and inspects you.

“For Jakoby?” she asks like she already knows the answer. “Follow me.”

Your heart is in your ears as you follow in the steps of her worn out shoes. She swipes her badge, taking you through a set of secure double doors. The sounds of the hospital change. The ICU is bereft of human noises, but it isn't quiet. You can hear televisions on a half a dozen channels turned down low, doing what they could to preoccupy patients who were in layers of pain. The sound of breathing machines hiss and whirl. A man in green scrubs wheels supplies down the hall. There's no happy, warm chatter. Just a strange sense of desolation and pain.

You do not like it here, and you can't imagine Nick here. Nick, with his warm laugh and kindness. Nick who kisses you like the universe exists in your lips. You want to scoop him up and take him away.

The nurse stops outside of a door at the end of the hall.

“They are quarantined behind a see through partition,” she tells you in the kind of no-nonsense voice that must come from years in her work. “Do not attempt to breech this partition.”

She holds out a long medical gown. Confused, you shoved your arms into the sleeves. She spins you, and starts to tie it up, and then she puts another one on your back, spinning you again so she can tie it in the front. She hands you a cap, and a mask, and you put them both on as she helps your feet into medical grade booties.

“How dangerous is it?” You ask as she holds up a pair of gloves to slip on your hands.

“Unknown,” she tucks the end of the gloves over the wristband of the double set of gowns. “But you saw the news, you know where they were. Better safe than sorry.”

She types a number into the key pad. “You get ten minutes. No more, no less. I'm not being mean, but we need to minimize any chance of exposure.”

You nod your understanding. Ten minutes isn't much time, but you'll make the most of it.

“There are armed men in there,” she finally says. “Don't do anything to make them think you are a threat.”

It's the last bit of advice she gives you before the pad turns green and the door is opened.

The room is long, white, and empty save for what looks like a box made out of hanging plastic. Only a few of the lights are on, casting half the room in evening darkness. There are several beds, but only one of them is occupied. The long, lean body of a black male is visible beneath the harsh lighting. Three other people stand guard, dressed from head to toe, AR-15 clutched in their hands. The door closes behind you.

For a moment you stand there, frozen and unsure. A little, ugly thought makes you wonder if this is some weird trick. Then you hear your name.

Your eyes are drown to the shape of a man sitting in a chair. You hadn't noticed him at first because the dark lines of his body blend a little too easily with the pseudo darkness on that side of the room. But now that you've seen him, you can't pull your gaze away.

Nick. You'd know the shape of him anywhere. The broad, strong line of his shoulders stands guardian against the pitch black behind him. There's a blanket across his legs, and an IV in his arm.

“It's you,” he says softly, disbelieving.

“Nick.” You take one step, and then another, and before you know it your legs are carrying you across the room. You almost forget the plastic. When you foot hits it, you're startled. The guards watch you with cold glares. “Sorry.”

And once you start saying it, you can't stop. Over and over again you apologize. You don't realize you are crying until you taste the hot salt of your own tears. You are sorry you didn't call him. You are sorry you left. You are sorry you didn't answer him back. You are sorry for everything you ever did in the last six months because none of those things was going to him. You sink to your knees at the edge of the partition, the tears making it impossible to speak.

He says your name again, so soft you wonder if you dreamed it. You look up, and he's shaking his head.

“Please, don't cry.”

Slowly, unsteadily, he gets up. He doesn't look at you as he pulls the chair from one side of the plastic sheet box to the other. Right in front of you, he plops the chair down, and then lowers himself into it. His staccato motions belie how hurt he must still be.

The pair of you are silent as you look one another over. You see the bruises beneath his woad blue spots; purple and yellow and, in some places, black. You see the stitches in his arm, the thick swelling of his hands. The skin around his cheeks is slack with the lack of food he's gotten in the past month. But his eyes, those gorgeous eyes that are yellow and red and orange all at once, they are filled with pain that has nothing to do with being thrown half a football field by a magical explosion.

“You're here,” he says, his voice soft. “I thought-” He stop short, shrugging, and then wincing.

“I know,” you tell him. While you aren't sure of the exact words he must have thought, you know that it couldn't have been good.

“Why?” he asks.

You open your mouth to tell him, but the words wont come. You remember Elizabeth, his mother, and the way she had looked at you. You could tell him everything, but what good would that do? He might get angry at his mother, it might cause some kind of rift between them and how many people did Nick really have who cared that much for his safety? Not nearly enough, you think as you take in injuries you hadn't noticed before.

Instead you shrug. You can't bring yourself to lie, but you can't bring yourself to tell him the truth either, no matter how much it's burned inside of you. You turn the words that she said over in your mind, pulling an answer from them without revealing their source.

“You got hurt because you were with me.” Your voice cracks as you say it.

His eyes close and his shoulders sag. His body leans forward. You think he's about to slide out of the chair. The pair of you kneel on the floor, staring at one another. Emotions that you don't think have ever been named whirl through you. You want to touch him, you want to hold him, you want to vanish together into the night.

“No,” he said shaking his head. “No. You were just the excuse. When they saw me-” he cuts off, coughs, and shakes. “They'd already decided what they were going to do.”

He looks away. You can tell that there's more to say, that he's struggling. Rather than push you give him a moment. He deserves that at the very least.

“It wont happen again,” he says.

“Why not?”

He opens his palm, I can't see anything there, but he must because he's staring down at it like it's something special.

“I can't talk about a lot that happened that night,” he says. “I want to, I want to tell you everything but...I can't.”

You shake your head. “I just need to know you are safe.”

“I think I am. I mean-I gotta tell you, it was not a normal night. I was...I was blooded.”

Your eyes go wide. You can't help but stare at his lips. He smirks.

“It'll take a while for the tusks to grow. But I don't need to file them anymore.”

You sit back on your heels. “Are you okay with that?”

He shrugs. “I guess that depends.”

“On what?” you ask.

He takes a deep breath and looks at you. It's a long look, a scared and hopeful one. It's like he's weighing a thousand dreams as he watches you and all you can do is wait.

“I thought I was getting over you,” he finally says. “It'd been months. Long months. Really, really long months. My mom even set me up on a couple dates with some unblooded girls from other states.”

Your stomach twists.

“Yeah?” you say, hoping that he's not about to tell you that he has moved on and this whole thing was about him saying goodbye.

“They were nice, but they...they didn't understand me. They didn't like what I do. They didn't like my jokes and they all thought Alaska is stupid.” The two of you laugh and it feels so good. He shifts his position until the two of you are nearly the same height. “I wasn't falling for someone else but I was pretending really hard like I was getting over you.”

You nod, you know what he means. You'd been going through all the motions, acting like you were moving forward when all you were doing was playing the role and hoping.

“I was going to come see you,” he said. “As soon as my shift was over that night. I was going to go right to your apartment. Everyone said I shouldn't because I'd just get hurt, but I thought that it would be worth it. I just..”

Slowly he reached into the blanket still twisted around his legs. His thick, injured fingers shook with pain as he pushed the fabric around.

“Where-hold on-it's here, I swear.”

Your heart, which has already gone through far too much, pounds all over again. Your mouth goes dry.

“Nick...”

“I almost died you know,” he says as he lifts a corner, continues to look. There's a little wetness on his brow, and you wonder if it's fear, nerves, or pain that's put it there. “And not just once. I almost died like four times.”

One of the guards cleared their throats.

“I know,” Nick said, holding up his free hand. “I know. I can't tell her anything. But you only have to look at me to see that it happened.” He went still, and bowed his head. “I did die.”

It's not even a whisper, there's no sound. It's a breath of words that you are sure the guards couldn't hear. You pounding heart turns to ice in your chest.

“What?”

But he doesn't say it again. Instead he looks up at you and his eyes are bright with a hundred emotions. “And all I could think about, was you.”

He holds out his hand. Nested there is a black velvet box. Carefully, he opens it, revealing a ring. It's made of two metals, platinum and rose gold, twisted around one another to form a very simple braid, and right there at the center is a stone in the exact same shade of blue as his spots.

“All  I thought about every day has been you,” he is saying when your ears start to work again. “And I don't want to ever have to worry again.”

You swallow twice before you can speak. “Are you proposing?”

You aren't sure if he's blushing, but his ears twitch. “Only if you're saying yes.”

“You have to ask,” you say. “You have to...ask.”

“Is it a spell? A human thing?” he says.

You shrug, because it kind of is, but mostly you just need to time to stop your thoughts from making such a commotion in your head. There are a hundred ways this could go wrong, a thousand even, but even so-

He says your name and you find that he's shifted yet again, down on one knee in front of you. “Will you marry me?”

[oswildin]

An Old Face, An Old Foe, And A Crush ~ Dhawan!Master x F!Reader

Request: Y/N accidentally ends up travelling with Eleven, a Doctor that she travelled with years ago, threw shenanigans. They meet O during an adventure and she immediately pulls him aside like “Oi, dickhead. I know it’s you” and he’s all confused and playing innocent until he drops the act but she can’t reveal to The Doctor that it’s The Master without breaking the timeline so it’s just the two of them arguing whilst trying to avoid Eleven. ( @giantolivia )

Summary: (Y/N) travels with Eleven again, she hasn’t seen him in years... They bump into someone from (Y/N)‘s past and the Doctor’s future...

Warning: Bickering, Angst, All things good and pure.

Y/N had travelled with The Doctor for a long time. She didn’t know how she’d managed to survive for that long, or put up with his antics for that long either, but she had. She had to watch him go through the most pain she’d ever witnessed someone go through, losing friends, everyone around him dying, the loss of his planet... and the regaining of it.

It was like a rollercoaster with him. She liked to think she knew him extremely well, but with each Doctor it’s different. She had to relearn their expressions, their troubles... She knew they were the same person but each regeneration came with new worries and fears.

(Y/N) wasn’t there when his twelfth regeneration changed. He had decided it was best she left the TARDIS and him. After losing Clara, he became scared to lose her too. The one person who had been there through years of his travelling. So, she was a little confused when a woman appeared at her flat door, acting like nothing had happened and that she should know who she was. It took a little minute before (Y/N) recognised her. It was The Doctor.

Instead of staying on the TARDIS this time round, (Y/N) would go home after their adventures. She felt it was healthier for her. After having some time away she finally was able to work on herself. Her life didn’t revolve around the Doctor anymore.

They had just had a run in with the Master, who was pretending to be a special Agent for MI6. (Y/N) had run into the Master previously, with her travels with twelve, but they were different then... They were almost... Good? But not really... it was hard to explain. Whereas this regeneration was hellbent on killing the Doctor and her companions.

(Y/N) woke up early one morning to loud knocking on her door. She groaned as she wondered who it could be. She wasn’t impressed to have to be up at such an ungodly hour. She threw on a cardigan as she headed towards her door, sleepily. She yawned as she unlocked it, swinging it open to see who on Earth was disturbing her beauty sleep.

“(Y/N)!”

(Y/N)‘s eyes widened at the sight of an old face. She looked confused but also felt happiness seeing the person she started her travels with, the one person she could count on.

“Doctor...” She whispered, seeing the bow-tie wearing Doctor grinning madly at her. She instantly reached out, pulling him in for a hug. He was shocked at first but gave her a hug back.

“You only saw me a few hours ago!” He exclaimed as he laughed lightly, pulling away from the tight hug. “Did you grab what you needed to get?”

Realisation dawned on her. He got the wrong time. She rolled her eyes. Classic Doctor. She dragged him inside as she shut the door behind them.

“You idiot.” She told him. “It’s 2019.” She told him as realisation also dawned on him. He began to stare off into the distance.

“Right...” He muttered. “Did think you looked a little different.” He commented as she folded her arms.

“Be careful where you’re going with that comment.” She warned playfully as he smirked at her.

“Well... seeing as I have once again messed up, can’t really blame the TARDIS this time. You may as well assist me in my adventure.” He told her happily. “Like the good old days!” He cried. “For you at least, I only saw you a few hours ago.” (Y/N) smiled at him as he went to pull her with him.

“Wait! I’m not going out like this!” She gestured to her PJ’s and messy hair. He rolled his eyes.

“You have clothes on the TARDIS, remember?” She paused before nodding:

“Oh yeah.”

The Doctor filled her in on the readings he had picked up in London. Always London. It appeared as though alien technology had been used around the MI6 headquarters. (Y/N) had made herself look presentable as she strolled back into the console room. The ship finally landed as they stepped outside, guns aimed at them by guards as they quickly held their hands up in a surrender.

“It’s ok. They’re with me.”

(Y/N) recognised the voice instantly. She looked over to see none other than... O... Well, the Master. She narrowed her eyes at the man, before the Doctor smiled at him. The guards lowered their guns as they began to back off.

“Apologies for the rude welcome.” O told them both as the Doctor shook his hand, rather excitedly.

“Oh don’t worry! That was probably one of the nice welcomes to be honest.” The Doctor told him. “Think the worst welcome I’ve had was from her.” He gestured to (Y/N) as she raised an eyebrow at him.

“Right. Well.” O raised his brows, smiling slightly. “Thank you for coming, Doctor. I’m Agent O.” He turned to give (Y/N) a hand shake as she tightly smiled, reluctantly shaking his hand.

“I bet you are.” She muttered just loud enough for him to hear. He looked confused at her words before leading them to an office.

The Doctor was scanning the room with the sonic as (Y/N) approached O. He was sat at the desk as she leant forwards, resting her hands on the wood.

“I know who you are.”

She told him lowly, knowing the Doctor couldn’t know. It was his future, her past. Now she knew how River felt. O raised a brow, pretending to act confused.

“I’m sorry?” He questioned, leaning forwards in his chair.

“Little Agent O... befriending the Doctor... Trying to take down the Earth.” She whispered as he proceeded to not know what she was talking about. “Don’t play dumb, Master.” She hissed as his eyes widened slightly, his expression darkening for a moment.

“Right! I think I may have found where the readings are coming from!”

The Doctor interrupted them as he noted how close they were to each other. He smirked slightly as he proceeded with his explanation.

Whilst the Doctor was off doing something, The Master grabbed (Y/N) by the throat, shoving her against a wall. She gasped at the sudden impact as he glared down at her. O’s once kind eyes turning angry.

“How do you know who I am...” He asked, his eyes narrowing. She smiled slightly, despite the situation. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her anyway, he couldn’t, not with the Doctor about and him playing undercover.

“Let’s just say, we kick your butt in the future.” She taunted him as he growled.

“Where did I go wrong?” He asked threateningly. “You will tell me, or you will die.” She laughed lightly.

“That’s where you’re wrong... you can’t kill me. If you kill me, there’s a risk of blowing your cover...” She smirked. “And a risk of you altering the timelines in the future, meaning something may drastically change and screw up your plans even more.” He sneered before releasing her. She got back her breath as the Doctor poked his head round the corner.

“You guys coming or what?!” He exclaimed, noticing the pair out of breath. He smirked once again, wondering what on Earth they could’ve been up to. (Y/N) sent him a look that clearly read ‘fuck you’ as she followed the Doctor, leaving the Master to compose himself, falling back into O’s character.

“Okay! So! Plan!” The Doctor exclaimed, clapping his hands. “Looks like you have an infestation of cybermats in your network. Which means we need to find the hive, destroying it so we can’t stop them. They’re collecting information, and where better to get information than MI6.” He explained, as (Y/N) listened intently.

“But why didn’t they just sent in the big guns?” She asked. “I mean, Cybermen usually just go in headfirst, convert the humans yada yada, but what do they need information for?” The Master was actually impressed at the human asking the right questions. Not that he would ever admit that. She turned, sending a glare his way as the Doctor began to look at blueprints of the building.

“Good point.” He told her. “Perhaps their planning something bigger... Something more than just converting anything and everything that isn’t Cyber.” He finally found what he was looking for. “There! We need to get down there.” O looked at the map.

“You need clearance for that.” He told him as the Doctor stared at him.

“Good thing we’ve got it then.” He showed O his physic paper as (Y/N) smirked, the three of them heading underground.

“Why don’t you have clearance?” (Y/N) questioned O as she raised a brow. “Not trustworthy enough?” He bit his tongue, as the Doctor looked at the pair. He had noticed the tension between them.

“I am an Agent. Only the top dogs get clearance.” He simply stated, trying to control his anger as she nodded at his answer.

“Bet it’s annoying having the follow someone else’s orders all the time.” She pushes him further.

“Oh I don’t know. It’s better than being someone’s loyal dog.” He fired back as she glared at him. The Doctor continued leading the way, trying to ignore the obvious bickering between the two.

“I need you two to attach this into this device.” The Doctor told them as they stood in front of a panel. “It’ll corrupt the Cybernet for a few minutes, giving me enough time to hack into the hive and shut it down.” He handed (Y/N) the tiny chip.

“Do you always just carry around things incase you need them?” O asked, raising a brow as the Doctor shrugged.

“You’ll need this as well.” He went to hand O his sonic, but (Y/N) quickly snatched it from the Doctor, knowing she couldn’t trust it in his hands. “I’ll meet you back here in two minutes.”

(Y/N) shoved the Master back, kneeling down to the panel. He rolled his eyes as he knelt beside her, looking at the panel, trying to figure out how it worked.

“Okay, so, I’m assuming this piece fits in there.” (Y/N) spoke to herself as she saw a chip shaped hole in the panel. “But we need to figure out what wires to attach.”

“Let me have a look.” He told her as she moved out the way hesitantly. He inspected the wires as he held his hand out for the chip. She handed it him.

“This is ironic.” She said. “You’re saving the same planet you intend to destroy in a few years time.” He ignored her. “Which doesn’t work, by the way. I mean, it was so flawed. What idiot comes up with such a flawed plan-“ He snapped his head round to her, causing her to jump back slightly.

“And yet, you are still afraid of me.” He smirked, pleased with himself.

“Yeah, who wouldn’t be. You’re a psycho.” She told him as he rolled his eyes.

“Yeah, and you’re a puny human.” He started to pull out the wires as he held his hand out for the sonic. She laughed.

“No chance.” She shook her head, sonicing the wires to the chip as they both stepped back, seeing the chip attached.

“You know I could kill you at any moment.” He threatened.

“But we’ve already discussed this.” She folded her arms. “You can’t. You’d break the timeline.”

“Time can be rewritten.” He argued.

“And would you really risk that?” They didn’t realise how close their faces were are they argued.

“I hope you know how much I loathe you right now.” He spoke lowly as she raised a brow.

“Ditto.” She scowled at him. She didn’t know why, but she was enjoying their interaction... way too much. She couldn’t explain it. Little did she know, the Master was also enjoying it. He didn’t know why at all. She was infuriating, annoying, petty but it made him want to entertain it more.

“How we getting on gang?!”

The two pulled their glares away from each other as the Doctor reappeared.

“Great!” They both forced tight smiles as they responded at the same time. The Doctor raised a brow as he gave them a suspicious glance. (Y/N) threw him back his sonic as they moved onto the next room.

They all stood in front of the Cyber hive. The Doctor circling it to try and stop it from working. They only had a few minutes to do it before the chip would be destroyed by the cybernet.

“How do I know you aren’t behind all this?” (Y/N) asked quietly to the Master.

“And why would I do that?” He turned to her, hands behind his back.

“For attention.” She shrugged. “Future you admitted to a few things. One of them being you can’t live without the attention of the Doctor.” She teased as he flared his nostrils.

“It’s more than that.” He told her sincerely. “You wouldn’t understand. You’re just a human.”

“Stop taking cheap shots!” Her volume raised a little. “I’ve seen more than most, I’ve been with him for years, I’ve seen death, life, planets fall, destruction, invasions...” She paused, her anger evident in her face. The Master smirked slightly, knowing he’d pushed her to the edge. “I’ve probably seen everything you ever have. And I’m not a psychopathic killer!” The Doctor noticed how annoyed his companion looked as he quickly intervened.

“Okay gang!” He exclaimed, distracting her. “Let’s save the world!”

(Y/N) sighed, walking away from the Master as she followed the Doctor to the hive. He threw a large metal wire her way, as she caught it. He also threw one O’s way.

“Now, listen carefully. I need to you hold those two wires together for as long as you can. They’re going to heat up. And I mean... really heat up.” (Y/N) sent him a cautious glance. “But I need them to be touching as I shut this down.” The pair nodded. “Get ready.” (Y/N) felt slight panic as the two wires connected, electricity flowing through them. She instantly felt the metal burning up as she tried her best to keep her grip. She struggled as O noticed.

“Doctor-“ O said as he glanced up to see (Y/N) struggling.

“One second!” He exclaimed as he frantically typed in something on the screen of the hive. O looked over as he began to see the pain forming on her face. He didn’t even think before grabbing the wire from her hands, keeping them together himself. She fell back, her hands sore, but not burnt on the skin. She looked over to see the Master holding the two wires himself. She knew Timelords had a higher body temperature than humans. A second later the machine fell dead, the wires falling to the ground as the Doctor ran to check on (Y/N). She waved him off.

“Why did you do that?” She asked the Master as he looked over at her, offering his hand as she hesitantly took it, helping her off the floor.

“It’s in the job description.” He shrugged, as the Doctor sighed as everyone was ok.

The Doctor and (Y/N) were back at the TARDIS, standing outside as O joined them. The Doctor and O said their goodbyes as he went into his ship. (Y/N) sighed, looking over at the Master.

“So... About what happened down there-“ She began.

“Do not breathe a word of it to anyone.” He told her. “I did it because if the cybermen had succeeded with their plan, it would’ve messed up mine.” She gave him a small smile.

“Sure.” She smirked. “I think you just have a soft spot for me.” She teased. “Besides you were a lot nicer to me than the others in the future.” She commented as he rolled his eyes.

“You probably annoyed me so much I couldn’t be bothered to even deal with you.” He retorted as she pursed her lips.

“Well... this is goodbye for now. See you in a few years.” She told him as she went to turn away. He grabbed her wrist, turning her round as he placed a rough kiss to her lips. Her brows raised in shock as she pushed him away, confused. He smirked down at her.

“I look forward to it.”

(Y/N) entered the TARDIS seeing the Doctor at the console as she walked up to him. He quickly pushed the screen away from him as he smirked at her.

“What?” She questioned, confused.

“Seems like someone has a crush.” She shook her head, laughing to herself as realisation dawned on her. Just because she found him handsome and interesting, and somewhat charming in a weird evil twisted way didn’t mean-

Oh. God.

~

Taglist: @blamerogertaylor @a--1--1--3 @dannighost @koschei-taylor @impalasquiptyseven @hannahlilyyx @the-sweet-space-bi @yourlocalspacebisexual @drapetxmaniia @lostshadow12 @imthedoctorlove @wonders-of-the-multiverse @crescentandstar @koschei-studies

[ibelieveinharrystyles]

In the Name of Love

Harry regrets ending things when he sees the girl he once loved has moved on with none other than Timothee Chalamet [2.2K Words] [some angst]

Another night alone meant another night of American chat shows, Harry found himself slumped on his large L shaped sofa, a bottle of wine sat on the coffee table as he munched on a bowl of lentil chips. “Mr Chalamet it’s great to have you here on the late late show again, can I just say I think Little Women is an impeccable piece of work.” the audience clapped in agreement, Harry had always appreciated Timothee’s work and regarded him highly.

“Thank you so much James, I wish I could take all the credit for it, but Greta has created an exquisite piece of work, and I am eternally grateful she wanted me to be a part of it.” As the interview continued Harry shuffled into the kitchen, serving up the bowl of pasta that had finished boiling, adding what can only be described is a truly necessary large portion of pesto. “And as we know, you aren’t here alone in LA are you? You’ve bought back more than just a postcard from your trips to London haven’t you?” James continued, holding a picture close to his chest that he was sure to reveal to the audience.

“I guess you could say that James.” Timothee replied, an endearing grin plastered over his face.

“For those that don’t know, a good friend of the show shared this adorable tribute to you on the night on the golden globes with caption, ‘forever proud of you my beautiful boy’, that his truly a beautiful picture of you with the incredibly talented YN.”

“You’re right, she’s insanely talented,” Timothee grinned, his smile stretching from cheek to cheek. It was probably just as well Harry had put his bowl down on the table before James revealed the picture, there she was, his girl, except she wasn’t his girl anymore. The hands she once ran through his hair were running through Timothee’s, the daybed she once shared with him she now shared with Timothee, the same smile he had fallen in love with when she was the only one to laugh at his terrible jokes was now probably laughing at something witty and charming Timothee had told her. The sunglasses that she had worn on countless occasions when they were together, in many ways she was the same girl she was when she was Harry’s but as a whole that couldn’t be further from the truth. “She makes me really happy and I’m really lucky to have her you know...she’s going to tease me so bad for being like this on TV.” Harry thought about that, about how she was the same with him, as much as she loved when he got all soppy she never always used to tease him for it too. “We’re not here long if I’m honest with you James, a friend of ours is getting married next week, so we’ll be here for that.” Harry glanced atthe envelope that was sat on his coffee table, inside it was an invitation to a wedding that two weeks ago he hadn’t even thought about going to. But now he couldn’t think of anything he’d rather do.

“What’s up Haz, you alright?” Ben asked as he answered his phone from the control room at Late Late.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” He asked, bluntly and to the point, biting his lilac and yellow nails as he did.

“Tell you what? Mate what are you on about?” Ben asked, clearly taken aback.

“About YN, that she’s with Timothee.” He muttered.

“We all just assumed you knew, you still follow her on instagram I thought you knew.” 

“I muted her, knowing where she was and what she was doing wouldn’t have done me any good. Was she there? With him?”

“Do you really want the answer to that question?”

“Would I be asking if I didn’t?”

“Well yes, she is, but Haz I don’t think it's a good idea for you to come down here, I don’t want anything kicking off.” Ben sighed.

“I got an invite to that wedding, the one Timothee was talking about, I think I’m gonna go, for closure,” Harry explained.

“Just don’t get your hopes up H, they seem pretty loved up, don’t do anything daft.”

Harry hadn't really been bothered when he saw the wedding invite,but somehow knowing that she would be there, dancing the same way she always did, singing out of tune to every eighties song they played, it changed everything. It was one of those high profile weddings that gained a lot of media attention, it was typical of LA, something Harry had recently got used to. Intent on making a good impression he riffled through his wardrobe, looking for just one suit that he hadn’t worn before, and would make it seem like he had his shit together, which frankly he didn’t. He hadn’t shaved in weeks, his hair was a chaotic mess, so in some way he saw this wedding as a turning point, to prove he was alright.

It was the day of the wedding and Harry stared himself up and down in the mirror, he had spent the last week working out profusely in the gym, hoping that would make some sort of difference, he had recently had his hair trimmed, and had made the conscious effort to remove any trace of stubble from his chin. He’d managed to find a suit that was understated, yet still allowed his personality to shine through, a bottle green suit, paired with a white shirt and white shoes. He had no clue what he was going to do or what he would say if he saw her, he didn’t have a plus one, so he would most likely end up standing awkwardly talking to people he had worked with once or twice.

Harry loves love, and usually a wedding would be the appropriate place for him to express that love, but he couldn’t help but feel a fraud, as he arrived at the venue walking up the path that was littered with photographers he thought about his ulterior motive. The desperation he had to see the girl he once called his, the girl he stayed up until the early hours putting the world to rights with, the girl who would make the most delicious smoothies every morning, the girl who would run him a warm bath with his favourite bubbles and bath bomb when he’d had a long day at the studio. As he turned a corner towards the venue he saw them, in each other's arms, if you could define love with just a picture it would be that. She was looking up at him, her hands interlocked with his as they giggled about something mundane that would probably have them in stitches all day. Harry could tell that she adored Timothee, she seemed so content, and was still the beautiful girl he had once loved. Her hair fell in gorgeous curls, resting neatly on her shoulders, the colour of her baby pink dress matched the colour of his tie perfectly. Harry knew he had to bite the bullet at some point, he’d have to walk past them to enter the venue he couldn’t just stand there awkwardly. 

The ceremony was beautiful, a true celebration of the love the two people shared. Once the ceremony had finished everyone made their way to the venue where the reception was being held. Everyone found their respective tables, Harry found his name on the list realising he was going to be sat with two people he probably didn’t want to be sat with. He sauntered awkwardly through the venue to the table, YN was sitting by herself, he assumed Timothee was getting drinks or something. “Hi.” he whispered softly.

“Hi,” she responded, “You’re sitting there I believe, '' she gestured to the seat across from where her and Timothee had been positioned. 

“How’ve you been?” He asked, taking the seat across from her.

“Good, I’m better than I was.” She assumed he knew what she meant, and he did, he had hurt her badly, and now she was healed, he had only begun to realise he was hurt too.

“You look wonderful by the way.”

“Don’t. Don’t do that.” She told him sternly, 

“Do what?” 

“Play with me like that, you hurt me bad Harry, really badly, and for the first time in years I’m truly happy.” 

“Hey dude it’s so good to see you,” Timothée placed his hand on Harry’s back in a way of greeting him, Harry couldn’t help but find his kind smile annoying.

“You too.” He shook his hand and returned to his seat.

“You alright angel?” Timothée asked her as he sat beside her, placing his hand on the small of her back, Harry couldn’t help but wince as he did, remembering when he used to do that and how much he had hurt her.

“I just don’t get it Harry, six years has never stopped anyone before.” She whimpered, sat on the sofa opposite him, he was doing everything he could to avoid eye contact with her, knowing it would only make what he intended to do even more painful.

“I can’t love you YN, we can’t work, you’re barely eighteen, I’m twenty four, the press have already got wind of it and it won’t take them long to work it all out.” He explained, the sincerity in his voice broke her heart, it baffled her that he could be so blunt about it, she had loved everything about the four months they had been together and she felt herself loving him more and more each day. 

“Camille was eight years older than you Harry, what’s the difference?” He looked up at her, noticing the red puffiness of her eyes, the pinkness of her cheeks where her makeup had rubbed off from wiping away her tears. “Don’t tell me, it’s because she knew what she was doing, she didn’t have to tell you to go slow, you didn’t have to show her what to do the first time you were together. Harry. Fuck. Fuck you Harry. Fuck you. So is this it? Is this the end of us?” 

“Yeah, I think it’s for the best.” he replied, combing his hand through his knotted hair.

“The best for you or the best for your fucking career?” She stood up, taking the few things she had left in his house and left, slamming the large door behind her.

YN loved a wedding, she also loved having a date at a wedding, she sat on Timothée’s lap, running her hand through his messy curls as he stroked her back soothingly. The reception was dragging on into the night and the two lovers had found themselves in the garden on one of the many benches, “You happy bubs?” She asked, cupping his cheek as she peppered him with a flurry of kisses.

“I’m happy cause I got you, my girl,” He assures her, reciprocating the kiss, pulling her close to his chest, “Are you alright? I get that it must be uncomfortable for you, with Harry being here.”

“I couldn’t be happier, I’ve got you, and that's all that matters to me, right imma go get another drink, you want anything?” He shook his head in reply as she stood up from his lap and made her way into the venue.

“You two look good together,” The voice startled her as she poured a glass of wine, she looked up at Harry, despite the fresh haircut he looked worse for wear. “How long have you two been together?” 

“ten months, we met on the set of a film we were both working on.” She explained.

“Four months after we broke up?” 

“With all due respect Harry, you were the one who did the breaking up. Congrats on the album by the way.” She said before turning to head back to her other half.

“Most of it is about you ya know.”

She looked at him blankly, not knowing what sort of reaction he was expecting from her, “That doesn’t make me special Harry, I’m just one of a long list of women, Kendall, Camille, Taylor and Me. And that’s just the ones you told me about.” She continued to head outside before turning on her heel, “You know what’s ironic? You might. e six years older than me, supposedly making you more mature than you, but Timmy is a mere two years younger than you and I have no qualms with trusting him, I don’t have to hover over my laptop waiting for the next picture of him to pop up with another woman, I don’t have to pry when he comes home late from a night out. I don’t feel the need to seek his validation, I don’t have to ask if an outfit looks okay or if I look too bloated, because the four months we were together I constantly compared myself to the girls you’d been with before, thinking I wasn’t good enough for you, and I was right, because I wasn’t good enough for you.” Harry was left speechless, once she had finished she slipped out of the door, returning to her man, she was right, she was happier, and more loved than when she was with him, he knew he was going to have to accept that she had learnt to love someone else, and that someone could never be him.

[redschillzone]

I Don’t Fucking Care (Iden Versio x Reader)

(Gif found here!) Pairing: Iden Versio x (Gender Neutral) Reader Word Count: 2.0k Words Warnings: A couple cuss words  Summary: Iden has had enough of you disobeying orders and being reckless, she finally snaps.

A/N: Sorry it’s so short, was having a very rough day. I hope it’s okay, please enjoy! Maybe a part two will follow? :)

You had done it again, and she was livid this time. You had disobeyed her direct order to retreat and insisted that you could handle the threat alone. She knew what you wanted, and it was to go down in a blaze of glory any chance you could get; You wanted to be the hero that the Republic would talk about for years to come, and it pissed Iden off every time you did it. When she first saw you, she could tell right away what kind of pilot you were. Reckless, daring, headstrong; You were someone only flying to run off of the adrenaline it gave. She was sure you had joined the Republic with good intentions but whenever she was paired with you for missions, you were always throwing yourself recklessly into the middle of the fight. It was always the same thing with you; Her giving you a command, you completely ignoring it and doing your own thing that would damn near get you killed, and you two would return to the base and argue it out in the hangar with the other pilots and mechanics standing around to watch. She would always tell herself she wouldn’t work with you any more if it meant you putting your life on the line, yet she was always dragged back in. She just assumed that maybe Leia thought she could straighten you out, but Maker was she beginning to lose help with you.

“(Y/N)!” Iden’s voice rang out through the hangar, and you couldn’t help but sigh and turn to her as she began to make her way over. You crossed your arms as you leaned back on the x-wing that was marked as yours; It’s paint chipped and covered in so much soot and ash you could make art out of it with your finger if you so wanted. You raised an eyebrow at the commander as she stopped just a few feet in front of you; She was wearing her usual orange pilot suit, the top half tied tightly around her waist and her grey long sleeved shirt fitting her form nicely. You couldn’t help but scan her over, noticing the rage that filled her eyes as she stared you down with a look that could probably kill you if looks could kill. You gave a hum before you replied.

“Yes, Commander Versio?” You spoke, remaining cool and level headed even though you were sure you were about to get your ass chewed out for your little stunt. 

“What was that little stunt you pulled out there, huh?” She hissed out, putting her hands on her hips. She was going to get an explanation from you, whether it be the truth or your little lies you liked to tell. It’s how it always seemed to go, you would either lie your ass off to try and make it sound like it was the truth or tell her the honest truth. You couldn’t help but sigh as you pushed yourself off the x-wing, standing with your back straight and your eyes locked on her as you put your arms down beside you.

“I wasn’t about to let my squadmate die out there, Versio.” You hissed out. And you were speaking the truth this time. 

The battle was a long one, and it seemed the Empire just wouldn’t run out of ships to send. You had noticed your squadmate had at least three TIEs on their tail; Their engines were already beginning to smoke and you could still recall their screams for help, that they were being chased down by a couple of TIEs. You had heard Iden’s call to retreat and that they’d formulate a better plan, but if you were to listen to her command and retreat instead of going and saving your squadmate, they would surely be dead. So, you kicked your ship into overdrive and flew after them, turning your comm off after hearing Iden yelling at you to return to base. 

You spun your ship several times to avoid debris that floated about around you; Debris that had once been ships you had seen close friends fly alongside their droids, also with several Imperial  TIE fighters which now floated by in pieces. But you also spun to avoid the TIE fighters that still flew about the area. A few did spot your ship and even flew after you, but you made quick work of them; You used the debris around you to your advantage, flying in as close as you could before spinning away or going straight into the air. You look back just in time to watch as the TIE fighter would explode, crashing into the debris as if they didn’t see the pieces of metal flying about them. A small laugh escaped your form each time; They always fell for the same trick, you noted after many attempts at it. It wasn’t long before you were behind your squadmate and took out the TIE fighters. They gave you a thanks once they spotted your x-wing flying beside them, said that they owed you their life but you just said it was nothing and returned to base with them. 

And here you currently were, having this talk with one of your commanders. You had this talk with so many other commanders on base, but eventually they learned there was little to no hope of stopping you from such reckless flying; But Iden thought differently. She thought that maybe she could get you to at least get the thought out of your head that reckless flying got you nowhere, to tell you that there were people here who cared for your safety and hated that you were ready to throw your life away at a second's notice. 

“I don’t know how you guys ran things back in the Empire, but we do things differently here. We don’t leave our squadmates behind if we can do something about it.” You spat back, watching as Iden couldn’t help the frown that appeared on her face. You were touching on a subject she really didn’t want to go back and look at, but if this was how you wanted this argument to go she’d gladly bring it up if it meant keeping you alive longer .

“We knew what we were getting into then. We watched out for our squadmates and that’s what I’m trying to do for you, (Y/N). You’re getting yourself into more and more dangerous situations with each risk you take and it’s going to put you to an early grave! I can’t be there to save you each fucking time” She said to you, taking a step closer to you as you scoffed at her words. There was no way she cared for you, she came from the Empire after all; They were trained not to form attachments, weren’t they? It always seemed that way when the Empire would retreat and leave several of their own soldiers behind. Regardless, you shook your head at her.

“I don’t want your sympathy, Versio. I’m here to help win this war, and if I die trying to do what is right then so be it. Nobody here cares for me, so why stick around, huh?” You snapped back, watching as her hands turned to fists. She was beginning to shake a bit. She hated that this is what you were doing to yourself; She had read your file, Leia had given it to her. That thought she had of you having good intentions was still there as she read through it alone one night in her room. You came from a decent family from Naboo, your father having been a pilot for the Rebels and your mother worked at a cantina just nearby. Sadly your father was killed in the line of duty, leaving your mother to raise you by herself. Your mother had succumbed to drinking to forget your father, and it began to take over her life. It didn’t take her long before she crashed and burned, going and joining your father in the afterlife and left you in the hands of your aunt and uncle. They lived on Naboo as well, but supported the Empire more than the Republic. You hated every minute of it and once you were of age you joined the Rebels and took over your father's place as pilot, and here you were. Trying to live out what was left of his dream of stopping this war so you could live a peaceful life, whether you were to live that peaceful life by yourself or with someone by your side was up to your stubborn self. But as you had just said, nobody cared for you, so what did it matter. Right?

All Iden could do was stare at you with wide eyes; You were ready to die here and now and it shook her to her core. She loved you, she was falling for you and she hated it because you were so stubborn, but at times you had a caring spirit. She would occasionally see how you would help out the newer pilots by teaching them where everything was on their x-wing, how you would often share your food with some of the others when away on recon missions. She loved seeing that side of you, but this side? This reckless, adrenaline junkie side of you? It hurt her, and it hurt her bad. You didn’t care what happened to yourself during those missions and if that was the case how would you care for someone you actually loved? Would you treat her like you did your fellow pilots and soldiers, or would you treat her how you treated yourself? She was beginning to have enough of it, and her eyes began to well up with tears before she snapped at you.

“Do you ever think that maybe we don’t want you to die? That maybe we actually want you around?” She snapped, stepping towards you until your back was pinned against the x-wing. You stared into her brown eyes, watching as they glazed over with tears. 

“Do you ever think that maybe, just maybe, that there’s someone out there who actually loves you? Who actually cares for your well being and safety? Who panics each time you go out there and has to almost see you fucking die?!” She snaps at you once more, tears running down her face in streaks. If this was how you wanted to be, then that was fine with her. She’d at least get everything off her chest.

“I fucking love you, (Y/N). I love you so damn much but it seems like you’re too damn stubborn to notice how much I love you. So hyped up on adrenaline to notice that when I call for you to come back to base, to step away from the fight that I’m doing so out of my own being. Not as your Commander, but as a friend and a potential lover.” She hissed out, to which your eyes widened once more. Iden loved you? How long had she loved you, and how long was it going to take you to realize that? You swore to yourself you wouldn’t let anyone get close, afraid of losing them like you had your parents. You were afraid if someone else got close to you, they would be ripped away from you just as quickly. 

You clearly missed the signs now that you thought about it; Her arguments were her telling you to knock it off, that she was the one waiting for you to come back from those missions and your crazy suicide runs. She was the one who would wait well into the night to make sure you arrived back at the base in one piece and if you were injured she would be there to patch you up and tell you off, telling you to be more careful and to knock off the crazy stunts. You just swallowed hard, watching as she just shook her head at you and began to back away.

“I was wrong to fall in love with you, (Y/N)... You clearly have given up on yourself.” She hissed, turning and began to storm off, wiping her eyes as she did. You watched as her shaking form left the hangar, leaving you alone with just your thoughts and a broken heart.

[voidingintotheshout]

December 6th: Oh Fudge!

Jake had started feeding Trevor almost as soon as they got home. There was never a time where Trevor didn’t have some food in his hands. Supposedly, it was to get Trevor used to stuffing his face with as much food as possible all the time. Trevor would just be sitting there with his laptop working on an email and Jack would come over with a plate of food, all warm and hot and place it on Trevor’s belly so it wouldn’t get in the way of his work. The first day was the hardest, because Trevor was always full and he wasn’t used to that. His brain was telling him to stop eating but it took about a day or two for him to stop listening to that and just continue eating. Although, like all good things, eventually it came to an end and four days later they had gotten through most of the perishable things from the party, with Jack eating the healthy things like fruit and vegetables and Trevor eating all of the fattening food, surprising himself by not really even thinking about how fat he wanted to get because he knew that it wasn’t up to him anymore.

Eventually the long weekend was over and it was Monday morning. Jack had already gone out to go to the gym before work, taking Abigail to school, and he had left Trevor to stuff himself with the breakfast that Jack had prepared, and then he would go to his own job, stuffed fat and full with a big lunch to tide him over until he got home in the afternoon.

Jack decided to take the job with fewer hours so some days he would only needed to be at work for about six hours. It would also mean that he could pick up Abi directly from school and she wouldn’t need to be in the after school program anymore. He was looking forward to being able to spend more time with their daughter. Because he would always go to the gym twice a day, he only got to spend time with her from dinner onwards. Now they could hang out at the park, and play together while Jack did the long hours. He was excited. He was sick of being ‘office daddy’ to her because he was never home.

His new job started in the new year. He couldn’t wait. Usually his current job was easy and he could munch on food while he was writing emails or answering phone calls. He managed to get a microwave and a refrigerator in his office so he could heat up and store all of the food that Jack would send him and he was grateful for it because he had privacy in his office and no one could see how much food he was eating.

The day had gone well so far with him hoisting his heavy frame up off of the kitchen chair and slowly plodding back-and-forth from the kitchen table to the sink where he would pile all of the dirty dishes, hoping to be able to wash them if he had time, but today was not that day. He was so full from the last three or four days of stuffing himself that all nonessential movement was impossible. The idea of walking all the way to his car and then walking from his car to his cubicle seems like a marathon. Eventually, he just decided to be lazy and rinse all the dishes off and put them straight in the dishwasher and run it. At this point, there were so many dirty dishes from all of the Tupperware that they were cleaning to return to Gavin and all of their own pots, pans, and dishes from breakfast that they need to run the dishwasher sometimes twice a day.

The thing was, Trevor was not used to the extra weight and how much it slowed him down so by the time he had finished with this he looked and noticed that he needed to leave for the office in 20 minutes or he was going to be late. That normally would’ve been plenty of time but he was slow from all of the food. Not only his breakfast, but his wake-up donuts and his midnight snack were all teaming up to make him slower than usual and he still needed to take a shower, get dressed and grab a carry-on suitcase sized lunch to bring to work. He needed to skip the shower this morning. Sacrifices need to be made. He got some wet wipes and went over the problem areas, making sure to brush his teeth and wash his face and then went to grab his clothes to get dressed for work.

That was the problem. He hadn’t taken into account all of the bloating from all of that food. Days of eating to the point of pain. All of that food had to go somewhere and it had gone straight to his stomach. Wearing polo shirts around the office was frowned upon and also he found that when he lifted up his arms his belly hung out the bottom of the polo, which was definitely unprofessional look for someone who had just gotten a promotion.

He needed to get new clothes. He just figured he needed to suck it up and suck it in to get the dress shirt on, even if he had no hope of being able to button up the collar button, he could put a tie over it and no one would really notice. It was the same with the dress pants that had no hope of being able to button, because when he put a belt on over it, no one would be able to see that his dress pants weren’t buttoned up all the way.

He could feel that the seams right around his crotch were like sausage casings and he needed to make sure to pull up the pants a little bit on the knees just so he had enough fabric so he didn’t tear his pants when he sat down. If he held in his stomach ever so slightly, with the last bit of his abdominal strength, He was able to sit down and slide on his shoes without too much trouble. He looked at the clock and noticed that he was already about a minute late. He started to lumber out of the bedroom and then thought better of it and rifled through his closet to get his boyfriend’s oversized sweater. He pulled it over his body and then felt grateful that he didn’t need to suck in his stomach anymore, because even a few minutes was too long.

He went to the table in the entryway which had the lunch bag that was packed into a gym bag that had enough space in it for him to put his laptop and papers he needed for work.

He grabbed all of his stuff, grateful that he grabbed a sweater that had pockets because he was not going to be able to fit his wallet, keys and phone into those pants pockets anymore. All of a sudden he got a text. It was from Jack. It said: I bet by now you’ve realized that there is a cost to being a pig. If I’m guessing right you probably are running a couple of minutes late and have noticed that even your biggest set of clothes isn’t enough to cover your fat greedy frame anymore. Do me a favor and take a photo of yourself in the mirror before you leave and send it to me. I want to have it as a before picture to show people how thin you used to be at 245. Have fun at work, pig.

Without even thinking, Trevor went to the full length mirror and snapped a photo and immediately sent it to his husband. He did it without even thinking and it surprised him. Had he become so comfortable surrendering control of his decisions to his husband already? He looked at the clock and realized he needed to hustle so he went out the door and started the trip to work.

Several hours later he had done a morning conference and intentionally avoided all of the food that has been placed by his staff as a way to curry favor with the increasingly corpulent manager because he knew that if he started eating now he wouldn’t have clothes that would fit by the end of the day. The kiss of death was between 10:30 and one because he had work to do in his office looking over budgets, overseeing proposals from his employees, dealing with issues, putting out fires, taking care of budgets and looking over performance reviews. He opened the bag just out of curiosity and was grateful that none of the food that Jack had made him need to be heated up. It was all finger food. There was a note: After seeing you at that party, I kind of liked seeing you stuffing your face with your hands so I decided to get you some food that you could eat without having to hoist your fat ass up off the chair. I thought you’d appreciate that. Eat up big boy!

Jack knew it was a bad idea to indulge. There were potato chips, cookies, and a huge block of fudge that was broken up into little squares and seem to have a little things added to it. Some had nuts, some were a blend of different kinds of chocolate. It looks like an assortment that Jack had probably gotten from somewhere. It was probably that bakery he liked to frequent. Jack loves cooking desserts but making a variety of fudge was a difficult ordeal. It wasn’t like making ice cream that you could just mix in some stuff at the last minute and chill it. Each variety needed to be a separate pan of fudge and that ended up being a lot of everything.

Before he knew it, he was finished with the presentation that he needed to deliver at one that was outlining some objectives that his team needed to hit over the course of Q1, which was scheduled to start after the holidays. He absentmindedly reached his hand and found that the presentation was about to start in half an hour and he only had one or two things left in the bottom of the lunch bag. He could finish it. He could indulge. These clothes were already toast. A couple of extra bites weren’t going to hurt him. His clothes felt really tight so he wiggled in a seat a little bit trying in vain to give his fat ass and hips a little bit of extra room. He was already full and his stomach was a little bit sore but he wanted to move beyond that to when his stomach was going to have a dull ache all afternoon. He pushed himself and managed to finish everything.

Feeling massive and exhausted as he leaned forward, hands braced on the desk to push himself up and that’s when he heard it: the tear. He grabbed the stuff for his presentation, already having to unbutton some of the buttons on his shirt underneath his sweater just so he could breathe and sure enough, the back of his pants had torn when he had bent over.

The strain had just been too much. It couldn’t be helped. He looked at the time and the conference room, which was only a couple of doors down the hall I was going to start filling with members of his team in a couple of minutes and he knew that he needed to get in there first. He didn’t need to stand at all during his presentation and this would be a really great way to avoid having to avoid anybody noticing what the fudge had done.

He grabbed the stuff and plodded over to the conference room trying to make sure that no one could see the back of his pants which were tearing ever so quietly as he took each step closer to the conference room.

Unfortunately for him, Ben Sanders was already in the conference room so Trevor just took the long way around endeavoring to make sure that he never had his back to the young fit man.

The presentation went without a hitch and he opened up his laptop after all of the presentations were done under the auspices that he was going to work on emails and help anybody with any questions they had and after about 15 or 20 minutes everyone filed out and he was able to make the way back to the office hoping that nobody saw. He felt dirty and hot.

He couldn’t help it, so he texted Jack: I see now what your evil plan was with all of those finger foods. I ate it all by lunchtime and then I tore the back of my pants wide-open and now the rest of my day is just trying to avoid anybody seeing that I’ve torn my pants open. I only have a couple of hours before I can go home and then we can deal with these wardrobe issues. Maybe you can teach me a lesson for being such a greedy pig that I tore apart my clothes.

A few moments later he got his reply: That will be fun. What am I going to do with you? I need to teach you a lesson. You’ve become far too greedy. Part one of my punishment is already on the way. See you at dinner time!

Jack tried messaging back but he just got an auto response that the user wasn’t available at this time and that all messages will be delivered later. He gave up and went back to work, taking care of a conference call and dealing with a couple of clients who needed overviews on how their campaigns were going when he gets a page from the secretary. “Sir? There’s a guy here from Martinelli’s Pizza who has an order for you? Two large pizzas. I tried to sign for them but apparently whoever ordered these says that you need to sign for them yourself. Can you come up to the front desk?”

Shit. Jack. “Can you send him back to my office?”

“Sorry sir. He’s not on the visitor logs, so he’s not allowed into the office. Security thing. I promise I’ll have everything ready and you can just sign and get back to work.”

“I understand.” Trevor got himself up off of his chair and walked gingerly past all of his employees and coworkers through the office to the front desk at the other side of the very long open office design. He tried to walk quickly but he was just way too full and his clothes were way too tight for that to happen.

He went to the office and saw that it was some lean pitbull-faced** teenager holding a clipboard with a pen pointed towards him so Trevor positioned himself so his backside was facing the wall and quickly sign for the two pizzas and then grab them and then turned to go back to his office, hearing the snicker of the pizza delivery guy behind him, knowing that his secret has been revealed, but happily the secretary was too busy on a phone call and didn’t notice.

He made sure to keep his backside facing the bear wall so that no one would see his torn pants and managed to get the pizzas back to his office, red-faced from the effort of walking across the room after having eaten so much earlier, and from embarrassment.

Three hours later, he had finished all but about four pieces of the pizza and it was time for him to go home. He had stuffed himself so full that he was actually in pain. He thought about trying to eat the last four pieces but he knew that he wouldn’t be able to do that without feeling sick, so he took the four pieces and tuck them into an oversized Ziploc bag to put in his refrigerator so that he could eat them at some point tomorrow. He then put the boxes discreetly into his trashcan so that only the nighttime cleaning person would know how much food he had packed away.

He grabbed his now very light empty bag and lengthened the strap so it hung covering the now sizable tear in his pants and he started making his way through the office, past the mail room to drop off some outgoing inter-office mail to the front desk and out the main entrance to the parking garage where he could drop the bag into his trunk and then drop himself into his car and drive home, towards the punishment he was excited to receive.

**Note: my dictation auto-corrected pimple-faced teenager to pitbull-faced teenager—but I liked it, so I kept it in. FYI.

[djjarins]

dark passenger

pairing: stenbrough warning: murder, breif mentions of past abuse and drug use summary: stanley uris has it all. a gorgeous boyfriend, a beautiful view of the atlantic, and his dream job of blood splatter analysist. he’s made a name for himself by helping to put away some of miami’s most deadly serial killers, but what his colleagues might never crack is that he is the most dangerous one of them all. a/n: the dexter! au is here!! let me know if you wanna be tagged!

"Please, please you don't have to do this!" A woman yells out, her cries falling on deaf ears throughout her large home.

Her husband left the night before for a business trip, leaving her alone for the weekend. The last thing she remembers was coming home from work and placing her purse down before the world went black.

She tries to pull against her restraints, to her what looked like plastic wrap, which tie around her chest, legs and lower stomach, binding her to her dining room table. A strap of plastic wrap keeps her head still on the table, only being able to use her eyes to look around her grand dining room.

Whoever was doing this to her covered her whole dining room in the plastic, leaving no inch uncovered.

The sound of heavy footsteps startles the woman, her heart rate accelerating as the figure gets closer.

"Please, I'll do anything! You don't have to do this to me!" She screams, hoping he has some sense of mercy.

"You see, I kind of have to do this," her attacker says firmly, moving to stand at the head of the table so he can look at her face to face.

The first thing she notices are his deep green eyes, which have no sense of life behind them. She shudders as he brings a small blade down and cuts her cheek, using a pipet he had in his other hand to extract some blood and place it on a glass slide.

"Why are you doing this?" She gasps, looking up at him helplessly as he stares back down at her, face devoid of any emotion.

He reaches down to the side table and grabs a handful of photos, flashing them to to the woman, who immediately shuts her eyes.

"Oh so now you're ashamed?" He asks, a few of his golden curls falling down in front of his eyes as he leans over her. "So you weren't ashamed when you killed these men?"

The woman tries shaking her head, only to be stopped by the plastic wrap. "I didn't do anything!" She yelps, tugging at the plastic binding her arms. Her attacker rolls his eyes, showing her the photos taken from the crime scene.

"Roy Beckett, Zach Mauzy, Carson Mckay, Sam Wyatt, you killed these men," he deadpans, flipping through each photo, causing the woman to wince, refusing to make eye contact with the man.

"You did this to them, you lured them in and killed them. You didn't care that they had families or that they had loved ones, you just took their lives away as if they were nothing."

A tear falls down the woman's cheek, mixing with the blood from her attacker's cut, causing a red trail to flow down onto the table. "Crying won't save you now, God knows it didn't save your victims."

The blonde reaches for the small table, ghosting his hand over his collection of weapons before settling for the large butcher's knife. The woman below lets out a deafening scream, only silenced by the wad of gauze being shoved inside her mouth.

"You won't get sympathy for me," he says plainly, playing with the blade in his hands. "I'm just like you, but I have standards."

Before the woman can process his words, the blonde violently jams the knife into her chest, a small, final gasp for air being forced out of her lungs as a pool of blood collects underneath the plastic wrap.

-

"Stanny!"

A young, brown-haired boy comes running full speed towards the blonde, his arms open wide, a toy truck still held in one hand.

Stanley gasps as he picks up the boy, swinging him around in a circle before settling him on his hip, holding him tight in his arms. "What did you bring me?"

Stan chuckles to himself. Alexander always wanted to know if there were presents.

"I brought you and your sister ice cream buddy!" He smiles, watching how the young boy's face lights up at the mention of his favorite treat. "Lia get in here, Stanny has ice cream!"

As if on cue, Alex's older sister Ophelia runs out of her room and straight into Stan, wrapping her small arms around his waist. She had come a long way since the first time they met, having shied away from her dad's new boyfriend, bad memories of the last one still etched into her memory.

"Alright kids, let's get you settled," Stan smiles, leading the two Denbrough children into the kitchen, settling them into seats at the kitchen counter before dishing up their ice cream. Chocolate with rainbow sprinkles for Ophelia and mint chocolate chip with chocolate sauce for Xander.

The blonde watches the kids for a few minutes, before excusing himself. He walks up the stairs, passing numerous family photos and pieces of art, before coming face to face with the master bedroom door, which was closed.

He knocks gently before peering inside, seeing his boyfriend of 6 months, Bill Denbrough, typing away at his computer.

He smiles to himself, noticing the way Bill pulls his bottom lip between his teeth as he edits his latest chapter, his reading glasses perched upon his nose.

The brunette continues typing as Stan sits down next to him, finishing his edits on the second to last paragraph on the page before briskly closing his laptop and shoving it out of the way.

It takes less than 3 seconds for Bill to crawl into Stan's lap, their lips crashing together gently, with Stan's large hands moving to grip his lover's hips.

The pair remain entangled for a few moments before pulling away, with Bill leaning to rest his head on one of Stan's broad shoulders.

"How way your day?"

He could tell him the truth.

How the day started with an officer giving him shit for not getting a blood analysis into him exactly when he wanted it. The feelings inside of him of how quickly he could slice the officer up and clean it up as if it never happened.

He could explain how annoyed he was when his adopted brother, and officer, Eddie wouldn't stop complaining about his hatred of working VICE, how he deserved to be on homicide, how unfair it was that he was stuck in VICE just because the lieutenant "has it out for him."

Or how difficult it was to wait for the perfect time to kill his latest victim. How weeks of waiting and observing had driven him crazy. How hard it was to clean up her place and dispose of her body into the Atlantic, having to sneak out onto his small boat around 3 am with 3 black garbage bags, making sure to dump them far enough out and away from people.

But he couldn't do that.

"It was okay, just a lot going on at work," he breathes out, bringing a hand to run his fingers through Bill's brown locks.

It wasn't necessarily a lie. The precinct had seen a jump in gang-related activity within Miami in the past few months, with officers feeling pressure from the Captain to find the connections between different cases.

This pressure had also been felt by Stan, as one of the best blood analysts within the state, he was called to almost every crime scene to help officers understand the type of people they were up against. It all seemed so simple to him, but having to explain how these criminals used certain techniques to the average detective just gave him headaches.

"Well I know something that could help you," Bill starts, lifting his head off Stan's shoulder so he can lock eyes with him. "The sitter should be here in a few minutes, that will give us some time for ourselves," he says, pressing a few kisses to Stan's neck, causing the blonde to tense up a bit at the sudden affection and attention he was receiving.

It's not that he didn't enjoy this, hell he really enjoys it, but something about possibly having sex with your boyfriend after you have just murdered someone is not really what Stan was looking forward to.

Bill feels the hesitance in Stan, using his fingers to tilt Stan's head so he can look into his eyes, having not have noticed how the blonde ceased eye contact moments prior.

"Sorry if that was too much," Bill stammers, "We don't have to if you don't want to."

Stan nods softly, flashing his boyfriend a small smile, bringing hands up to cup his face. "Thank you baby, I just feel a bit tired, is it okay if we just lay here and maybe watch a movie?"

Bill smiles back, a look of utter happiness in his eyes.

"I'd love that."

- 

Eddie was the one that introduced Stan to Bill.

Just about a year ago, Eddie was the responding officer on a domestic assault call. He remembers rushing to the scene, a small white house in a residential neighborhood just within city limits.

He remembers making his way inside, seeing a coffee table flipped over, its prior contents spilled across the carpet. Chairs were knocked over, items askew and out of place.

He followed the trail of blood upstairs, coming face to face with the man who did this.

Other officers rushed passed him to cuff the man as he shouted extremities, forcing multiple officers to have to drag him out of the house and down to the station.

Eddie remembers opening the master bedroom door, seeing a young man, his face bruised and bleeding, his lip split and eye starting to swell, holding a young boy to his chest. A young girl next to them clenches the phone in her hands. She's the one who called him here.

"Are you here to help my daddy?" The young boy asks, peeking his head out from his father's chest with watery eyes.

Eddie remembers nodding his head, promising no one would ever hurt them again.

Eddie learned the man's name was Bill, and that the man forcibly dragged out of his home was his husband, Jacob Mills.

The pair had been together for a few years, being there for Bill after his long-time girlfriend, and mother of his children walked out on him.

Jacob was there for Bill every step of the way, helping him to raise his two beautiful children, who reminded him of their mother every day. He loved and supported Bill, but over time they began to fight.

At first, it was over small things, like forgetting to sign Ophelia's permission slip, or not being able to make it to a date night. But over time things got worse.

Things started to become physical after Jacob started using.

It started with smoking. Bill didn't mind at first, hell he smoked in high school and college, but he always made sure Jacob didn't bring it around the kids. But then weed and cigarettes escalated to drinking.

There were nights where Bill wouldn't know where Jacob was, or when or if he would be returning home.

When he did return, it was bad.

The first time, Bill waited up that night for him. Around 3 am he stumbled in, slamming the door closed, only to be startled by Bill turning on the kitchen light.

Bill told him that this was unacceptable, how he and the kids were worried sick, but Jacob was too far gone. He just brushed past Bill, muttering something about going to bed, but Bill kept going, telling him that he was scared for him, how he never answered his messages, how he-

SMACK

Next thing he knows, he is on the ground, clutching his now red cheek, with Jacob walking right upstairs and plopping right into bed.

It didn't happen again for a few months.

Jacob always insisted afterward that he was sorry, and that he would never do it again.

But it just kept happening.

The night Eddie was dispatched to the scene was the night Bill decided enough was enough. Jacob was out at the bar with some friends, so he knew he had time. He planned on packing his and the kid's things and getting out of town, probably with his parents, while he filed for a divorce.

He was just finished packing Ophelia's toys when Jacob got home.

The next thing he knew he was on the bedroom floor, with Eddie leaning over him, promising that he would keep them safe.

Eddie kept good on his promise, helping Bill find the right resources and people who could help him, recommending a therapist that Bill could work with to figure out how to plan out his next moves.

Bill was eternally grateful to Eddie for saving them, insisting that if he didn't receive that dispatch, he wasn't sure where he would be right now. The kids got attached to Eddie quite quickly, finding his demeanor quite calming and his jokes hilarious.

Bill and Eddie from then on had standing "lunch dates" where Eddie would check in on him and the kids, making sure that they were okay and if they needed any help.

It was on one of these "dates" that Eddie introduced Bill to Stan.

Eddie's car was in the shop for repairs, repairs that he insisted he do himself much to Stan's dismay, which ended up making the problem worse. This led to Stan becoming his brother's taxi, driving them both to and from work, and any other place they had to go.

Eddie had mentioned that he was going to check up on one of his old victims and that he needed a ride.

Stan agreed, driving the two of them to the small white house. Eddie had insisted that it would only take a few minutes, but after 30 minutes, Stan was getting a little frustrated. He gave it another ten minutes before he got out of his car angrily, slamming the driver's side door shut loudly.

I should be out getting my next victim, not here just sitting out in the middle of some neighborhood. I could be halfway done by now, what the hell am I doing just waiting for-

Just then, the front door had opened and Stan's eyes widened. Before him stood the most gorgeous man he had ever laid eyes on, his smile bringing an unfamiliar sense of warmth and comfort over the blonde.

God, he could look at his smile all day.

Eddie chuckled from his spot on the couch with Ophelia and Alexander, the younger of the two playing with an airplane toy, dragging it along Eddie's arm, claiming that it was the best runway for the plane.

Conversation between the pair came naturally, even out of earshot Eddie could tell something was up there. He swears he had never seen his brother talk to someone that easily and eagerly before.

It was about a week later when Eddie set them up. He told both of them separately that he wanted to go to dinner, arranging a sitter for Bill, and promising Stan that he would do some of his paperwork for him.

But when both men arrived at the restaurant to see no Eddie, they weren't disappointed.

-

The sound of Stan's phone woke him up a few hours later.

The tv was still playing softly, a re-run of a Law and Order episode he and Bill had seen at least 10 times playing as he picks up his phone.

"Stan its Eddie, you have to get down to the 7 Seas Motel right now, you need to see this."

Stan lets out a sigh and assures Eddie he will be there soon before hanging up. He places his phone back down on the bedside table and looks down at Bill, who is currently nestled into his side. He hates to leave, but work calls.

He carefully maneuvers his body as to not disturb the sleeping brunette, pressing a gentle kiss against his forehead before making his way downstairs and out the front door.

It's about a 15-minute drive to the motel.

Stan fidgets with his fingers as he waits at a stoplight, his mind wandering to the previous night.

He watches silently as the blood begins to accumulate underneath the plastic, sighing in relief. The first blow was always the hardest.

He makes quick work with his buzzsaw, making sure to make as little of a mess as possible. Even though he covered the room in the plastic, he still wanted things to be somewhat neat, even down to the cuts he makes.

When he's done, he feels a sense of relief wash over his body, his work finally being done.

Once on the scene, Stan pulls a pair of rubber gloves on from his bag, showing an officer his official badge so he can gain access to the scene.

Several motel guests and onlookers wait behind the yellow tape, craning their necks to try and look at the crime scene.

Voyeurs. Stan thinks to himself, walking a few feet before seeing Eddie leaning up against the doorway of one of the motel rooms. He's dressed in a pair of short, red athletic shorts, just like the ones he would wear when they were kids. 

He wears no top, which could be blamed on the Florida heat, or the fact that he's trying to fit in with the hookers he is working alongside with as an undercover. 

"It's one of the girls who works here," Eddie rushes out, pulling Stan into the small room. "I was asking around about her when some other girls noticed she was missing, but then she turned back up."

Stan notices the pain in his brother's voice. Working VICE is hard, you form connections with those around you, even if you aren't telling them who you really are.

"What sick son of a bitch gets off on cutting up people into pieces like this?"

If only he knew.

Stan shakes his head, promising to talk to Eddie later and telling him to stay safe before walking over to the taped off area around the pool.

A few officers are already in the drained pool, a few taking photographs of what sits at the end of the deep end. He makes his way down the stairs and over towards the end, seeing Richie and Ben already on scene.

"How's your brother doing Stan? Fitting in well with the other whores?" Richie teases, a small smirk pulling at his lips.

It's no secret that Richie has some sort of infatuation with Eddie. Whenever the smaller detective is brought up, Richie cannot help himself from cracking jokes or making remarks about getting with him. It mostly just annoys Stan, but Eddie knows how to stand his ground, but Stan swears sometimes Eddie blushes when Richie talks about him.

In this instance Stan ignores him, moving past the two detectives, feeling his blood run cold when he sees what the detectives have been looking at.

Lying before him is the body of the woman Eddie had mentioned, sectioned into several pieces across the tiled pool floor. But what shocks Stan is the lack of blood. No blood to be exact.

"We think the guy drained her blood before dumping her here," Ben says, "But what he did or is doing with the blood is what's throwing us for a loop."

Stan bends down to get a better look at the body. "These cuts are very precise," he states, "whoever did this has some sort of medical training or expertise to understand how to get clean cuts like this, with no hesitation marks."

Ben nods, taking a few notes on what Stan said before patting him on the back. "You can go since there's no blood we don't need you here."

Stan nods, standing back up and turning toward the black-haired forensic science investigator. "Let me know if you find anything Rich."

Richie nods, making a mental note to check by Eddie's room as Stan walks away.

Stan decides to head back to the station, where he can get a jump on finding his next target. He heads back under the crime tape and over towards his car when his phone starts ringing.

He pauses for a moment to look at the caller ID before picking up.

"Miss me already Denbrough?" He asks with a smile, getting into his car and placing his keys in and starting the engine.

"Stan you need to come here right now, the prison called, they let Jacob out due to overcrowding and he's here right now."

Stan doesn't miss the sense of panic in Bill's voice, and he speeds off before he can get a word out.

Looks like his next target already found him.

[j-whirl44]

rebel ashes

This is my most self indulgent Star Wars story to date!

The Mandalorian/Dameron family crossover event you’ve been waiting for.

Read it on Ao3! (X)

Or down below!

It’s been two months since Cara and Din clashed with Gideon on Nevarro and things had been far too quiet for Cara’s liking. The city was by no means peaceful now even with the ex-Imperial threat gone, but it wasn’t anything more than petty crimes and drunken squabbles. Nothing worth her time. Not to mention Karga annoyed her every chance he got, and she still didn’t trust him at all.

Nevertheless she could admit she did like the stability she had here. The impulse to look over her shoulder started to fade; which lifted a weight from her but also filled her stomach with dread. Cara Dune had always walked through life with an ever present chip on her shoulder and it felt strange to not have it around as much anymore.

As she sat alone again at the bar and watched the others bicker and trade amongst each other she’d wonder what Din and the child were up to. If they were safe. A few weeks back she had heard one troubling report that Gideon might have survived the crash.

She went to the site right away, but the TIE had already been stripped of all major parts. There wasn’t a body, but no surrounding footprints either. He couldn’t have gotten far on foot and she thought she would’ve noticed someone come in and help him escape. So for once, she hoped for the best and that Gideon was gone from their lives, or at the least, if Din ran into trouble he’d contact her for help.

Lost in thought, she heard someone sit across from her. She focused again and rolled her eyes as she saw Karga looking at her. He put up his hands in mock hurt.

“Now Cara when are you going to play nice with me, huh?” he asked. She gave him a small smile. It wasn’t entirely friendly, but not entirely cold either.

“What do you want now, Karga,” she said flatly. He put down his arms. She could now see that there was a seriousness in his look. She leaned forward a bit as she focused more of her attention onto him.

“Got a new batch of bounties today,” he said as he reached into his pocket. He spread out the chips on the table in front of them.

“And?” she said.

His hand hovered over a specific one as he picked it up and tossed it to her. She almost didn’t catch it.

She opened it to see a familiar face light up in the palm of her hand. Along with a pretty substantial bounty.

She muttered a curse under breath as Karga let out a hollow laugh, “Yeah I’d thought that might interest you,” he said.

“What did he do to get that kind of a bounty on his head,” she said.

“Besides the obvious?”

Cara looked back up at him with a troubled expression, “But we got rid of that problem...Gideon he’s…” she trailed off; she thought back to the empty TIE.

“He might’ve not been the only one looking for the baby. Hell we know he wasn’t the only one. We did a good job scaring others off but maybe it’s been long enough that someone’s back on his trail,” Karga said. Cara shoves the bounty chip in her pocket and takes a long sip of her drink.

“He’s going to have a lot of people after him with a price like that,” she said. If she didn’t know him, she herself would probably take the bait.

“Yes I imagine I’m not the only one to receive this offer. Not to mention things have been slow as of late. A payout like that would have even the better off hunters in the fight,” he replied.

Cara gripped her cup tighter and squeezed her eyes shut. She thought about what her next move would be.

After a moment she brought out the chip again and examined it once more. “What’s he doing in the Yavin system?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, friend,” he said. Her face twisted once more. Karga cleared his throat, “Look. We both know you’ve wanted to get off this planet for a while now. And we both know he’ll need help. He’s capable, but not that capable.”

Cara’s fingers ran over the bounty chip once more as she contemplated his words. He was right by all counts. She wanted off world for a bit, and a small part of her missed Din. The child too. She just would have liked to be seeing them again under much better and simpler circumstances.

She stood and Karga watched her every move. She gave him a nod, “Looks like I have a job to do.”

The trip to Yavin 4 was uneventful, which she was grateful for. Karga hooked her up with one of his “best and most discreet pilots” as he put it. As they were getting ready to take off she saw him slip the man a lot of credits. He gave her a stiff wave as a send off which she returned and off from Nevarro she went.

Sometime along a trip she fell asleep and was woken up by the rough landing. She groaned and rubbed her head as they touched down.

“Sorry miss, the atmosphere is sticky here. Wasn’t prepared for it,” the pilot said. She just gave him an annoyed sigh as she checked to make sure her belongings were okay. The landing dock was full of vendors and sound. Different from the barren desert of Nevarro, Yavin 4 had the tallest trees that Cara had ever seen. They lumed over the makeshift marketplace and seemed to make the planet always look like it’s in its night cycle with the way the leaves blocked out the sun.

She slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way down the ship’s ramp. It was crowded, which made it easy for her to blend in. Her plan was to lay low for a few days and see if she can find Din while also keeping tabs on any noticeable bounty hunter or otherwise undesirable characters in the area.

She was stopped by a very persistent vendor who was pushing a bowl of something in her face. She jumped and politely declined as she made her way towards the local cantina. She figured it was as good of a place as any to start.

She didn’t expect to see Din immediately, him and his shiny armor stuck out like a sore thumb. She also noticed he wasn’t alone. He was talking to someone who’s back was turned from Cara. She quickly made her way over to the bar and tried to not be seen in the process.

They were sitting slouched and in a darker part of the room. She looked down at Din’s feet and sure enough there was the little green child clinging to his calf. She couldn’t help the smile that played at her lips upon seeing them again. She ordered a drink and tried to settle in as best she could.

As she sipped her drink she now focused her attention on everyone else in the room. It seemed to be mostly locals; which in turn made her and Din stick out even more. There were a few off worlders, she assumed, but they didn’t look like they were in the business of bounties. She glanced back over at Din and noticed his body language. He was relaxed, his arms limp on his lap, hands calmly clasped together. Whatever conversation he was having seemed to be going well. The person he’s talking to looks down at the Child and reaches out their hand to them. Cara sees the soft face of a woman who smiled kindly down towards the little one. Din tensed at this, but the Child slowly walked towards her and reached out their hand in response. Cara gets so caught up in the sweet moment that she almost doesn’t see it.

A stocky figure from the other corner of the cantina starts to walk over to them, a hand on his hip. A blaster just out of sight. He moves fast and is behind them in a few short movements. Neither Cara nor Din can react.

The woman does.

In the time it takes the bounty hunter to reveal his blaster she already strikes him with her own. She’s just stunned him by the looks of it, not fatal. The cantina stirs into a frenzy and she rushes Din and the Child out through a backdoor in the chaos; Cara follows them.

They’re just a few steps away and she stays back to catch part of their conversation.

“I can take you to it, just promise we won’t be followed,” the woman says.

Cara recognized the voice and swung her head to look at her more clearly. Her eyes widen and she lets out a gasp.

Din and the woman both look towards her direction. Din unclasps his blaster from the belt around his waist and the woman does the same.

Cara shut her eyes and banged her head against the building she was hiding behind. She took a deep breath and walked out with her hands up.

They both pointed their blasters at her, but both dropped them just as quickly.

“Cara?” Din said dumbfounded.

“Cara…” the woman whispered, her eyebrows shot up as realization made its way to her face, “Carasynthia Dune?”

Cara cringed at the use of her full name as she lowered her hands.

“Hi,” she said. The Child immediately started to walk towards her. She crouched down and smiled, patting them on the head. They already look bigger from the last time she saw them. They started to fill out the little napsack they wore in lieu of clothing.

“You two know each other?” Din asked.

The woman laughed, “something like that,” she said.

Cara stood back up and approached them, “Hi Shara. It’s been a while,” she said.

To her surprise, Shara hugged her, “Indeed it has,” she mused as she broke into a big smile. Shara looked between the two of them, “I would ask why you’re here but I’m guessing I already know the answer. I was just going to show our friends here to my home. You’re welcome to join us,” she said.

Cara looked at Din who just nodded. She then looked down at the Child who also gave the tiniest of nods. Cara sighed, this wasn’t at all how she expected this to go.

“It’s not far from here. We’ll have to use some unmarked paths through the forests, however, I'd rather not repeat the same incident from the cantina,” Shara said.

The four walked in silence for a moment before Din cleared his throat, “So how do you two know each other,” he said. There was a hint of intrigue in his voice that he tried to mask but Cara heard it. 

“Cara here helped me protect Leia Organa when I was her personal pilot. Nothing serious but Force knows how big of a target that woman had on her back. The Imps couldn’t stand her,” Shara said.

Cara brushed her off, “It never was anything serious. Like I said I was mostly just a security detail,” she said.

We definitely could have used you during Operation: Cinder,” Shara said with a laugh. Cara’s chest tightened a little. She heard vaguely about that fight. The Empire’s attempt at one last hurrah before they were finally taken down. She was sent to a more discreet location to take down Imperial leftovers.

She would’ve liked to be on Naboo to help protect Leia. Cara admired her more than she’d care to admit. Growing up on Alderaan she’d see her face and feel her presence everywhere. They both were fighters in their own ways.

As they continued to walk, Cara noticed that the Child walked close to Shara and looked up at her intently rather than the trail in front of them. Shara looked down at them and smiled, she stopped to pick them up.

“Now it seems this little one needs my help huh?” she said as she rubbed her finger up and down their stomach. The Child almost sounded like they were laughing. “I have to say I wasn’t expecting to be in the company of a Mandalorian or an ex shocktrooper today,” she finished. Cara noticed how calm Shara always presented herself, even in times of immense stress and panic. She thought back to what happened in the cantina just a few moments earlier and how unphased she was at the bounty hunter coming up behind her.

There weren’t many women; many people out there like her, Cara knew. She’d seen first hand how she could fly any type of ship. Her hands were always steady and she never broke a sweat. “No I don’t have the Force,” she had said to Cara one day, “I’m just that damn good.” It was a few more minutes before they came up the walkway to a modest home settled just beyond the tree line. She stepped inside, the Child still wrapped in her arms.

“Kes? Sweetheart where are you?” she called out. Cara observed just how cozy the home was. There wasn’t much but it was cluttered with little things to show it was well lived in. There were two helmets that sat on display next to each other by the entrance, but that seemed to be the only reminder of the war. Cara tried to focus on anything else.

“Out here darling,” a voice called out. Shara looked back at Din and Cara and motioned them to follow her.

“Come! Meet my husband...besides the reason you’re here if out there as well,” she said.

Cara gave Din a look but he ignored her as they followed her outside into a spacious backyard.

A man was hunched over a spot in the garden, he looked up with a smile but that soon went away as he saw the others.

“Shara…” the man said.

“Kes I can explain,” Shara started. The Child squirmed in her arms from Kes’s worried tone.

“Mamma!” a voice rang out in the yard.

Cara watched a small boy rush out of the A-Wing that was stationed along the side of the house. Shara knelt down and smiled at him as he hugged her. The boy instantly noticed the small green child in her arms.

Shara set the Child down. The boy sat down next to him, examining him.

“What is it?” he asked bluntly. Shara attempted to hide her laugh as Kes gave an exhausted sigh. Cara felt Din stiffen beside her, she reached out and touched his arm.

“Relax. He’s just a kid,” she said. Of course she couldn’t see his face but she could imagine the expression he was making right now.

“Poe why don’t you take this little one to the tree over there while your father and I speak to our guests,” she said.

Poe turned his attention to the two of them and his eyes went wide with wonder at Din. Now it was Cara’s turn to try and hide a laugh. She really wished she could see his face now.

“Your armor is so cool,” Poe said. He ran up to Din and reached out to touch it before Shara stopped him.

“Poe please I won’t ask again,” she said with a tone that Poe must have known meant business. He nodded and skipped back over to the Child.

“Hi! My name’s Poe. Do you want to see my special tree!” he said. The Child gurgled in response, which Poe must’ve taken as a yes as he started to walk towards what Cara now sees as a big glowing tree that seemed to engulf almost the entire side of their yard. The Child doesn’t delay in following him.

“So you get back after a morning patrol only to run off again and bring home three strays huh,” Kes said. He looks Din and Cara up and down, he spots the tattoo on Cara’s arm, “A shocktrooper?” he looks over at Din again, “a Mandalorian? Shara what is happening.” Kes sounds exhausted but the fondness in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed either.

Shara walks towards her husband and puts her hands on his shoulders and gives him a kiss on the forehead.

“Why don’t we all sit down and talk,” she said. The four moved to a small table just off towards the side. Cara watched as Poe seemed to talk the ear off of the Child as he pointed out different branches and leaves of the tree.

Shara gave a small laugh, “My son’s a real people pleaser,” she said, “though that tongue of his is almost too sharp. I suppose it’ll get him in trouble someday.” Cara noticed an almost sad look in her eye as she watched her son but it faded quickly as she turned her attention back to the group.

“Well on my morning patrol I saw a ship, his ship,” Shara started, pointing at Din, “docked in an unsanctioned area and I went to go investigate.”

Cara watched Kes watch Din as Shara explained the ordeal. He was protective of her; a side effect of war maybe.

“So we met, nearly stunned him on the spot until I saw that little green over there,” she turned her attention to Din, “thought you might be in trouble. Turns out you are, if that incident at the cantina has anything to show for it,” she said with a wink.

“What incident?” Kes asked.

“Our friend here has a bounty on his head I suspect. And I also suspect that it has something to do with this child you brought with you. And why you needed to see our tree,” she said.

Cara looked between the two of them. No one spoke for a moment and then Din finally answered, “I used to work with the Bounty Hunters Guild. Imps on Nevarro gave every hunter in the place a tracker leading to the child. They wanted it for some sort of experiment. I,” he hesitates, “I couldn’t let that happen. The Imps...didn’t agree,” he explained.

“A Mandalorian with a moral code?” Kes said under his breath. Shara gave him a warning.

Cara chimed in now, “We were able to flush out the Imps on Nevarro. The planet’s been clean for a few months now,” she looked at Din, “but…” She took out the bounty chip in her pocket and laid it on the table and activated it.

Shara gasped and Kes whistled, “That’s quite a lot of credits for your head,” he said. Cara saw Din’s hand instinctively reach for his blaster. She tensed. She knew Shara and Kes; they wouldn’t be the type to collect credits for lives.

Shara laughed, breaking whatever tension was forming, “You really must have pissed off someone, huh,” she said, “the only people able to pay that much for a bounty are ex-imperial. Impressive.”

Din nodded stiffly at her, hand falling back from his hip. Cara relaxed.

“I’m sorry I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced. I’m Kes,” he said, he stuck a hand out to Cara, she shook it.

“Kes! This is Cara Dune. She helped as extra muscle sometimes when I was flying with Leia,” she said.

Cara blushed under Shara’s intense introduction and the way Kes smiled at her. A mutual sign of respect between them.

The moment passed as the four of them heard a scream come from Poe by the Force tree. Shara and Kes both shoot up at once and Cara and Din share a concerned look between each other.

“Poe!” Shara said. The four rush over to the tree but stop as they now hear the boy laughing. The four of them try and take in the scene in front of them.

Poe is floating. About four feet in the air. The tree around him is glowing brighter round the two of them. The Child has his arms outstretched, the branches around them seemed to copy that movement.

“Mamma! Dad! Look at this!” Poe said as he twisted and turned in the air; a big smile sprung across his face.

They all were dumbfounded as Poe and the Child laughed. There's a smile on Shara's face and Kes seemed to have a glimmer of wonder in his eyes.

The Child slowly turned to look at the four of them. They then focused on Din and suddenly seem to forget what they were doing and are now smiling as they walk towards him.

Poe fell was a gasp and the thump and not one of them can hold in their laughs; even Kes who until now had been taking this whole situation with worry and apprehension on his face broke into a smile at his son's expense.

"Ow! Hey!" Poe said with a pout. He laid down with a huff and crossed his arms.

Kes rolled his eyes and went over to pick him up and spun him around a few times making both of them laugh. Cara looked over at Shara; she had that same sad look in her eyes as before. It now began to worry her.

"Alright you two, why don't you start to get dinner ready," Shara said. Kes put Poe down and the two of them went back to the small garden and began to pick the various foods that grew there.

She turned to Cara and Din, who was now holding a sleeping Child. "Both of you are welcome to stay tonight. We...only have one spare room, but the couch is also spacious. Please I-we insist."

Cara could feel the slight hesitation in Din. He looked down at the Child and then back at Shara, "thank you, Shara. That would be nice."

Cara raised her eyebrows, Shara smiled politely and went to go help her family with the meal.

Cara turned to Din, "since when are you so trusting?" she teased.

"I don't really have many other options. Besides sleeping on the forest floor," he replied.

"I think maybe you're just going soft," she replied. She rolled her eyes when she got no response from him.

There's a moment of silence between them before they both turn to each other.

"How are you feeling," she asked. Her tone is soft.

He looked down at the Child and then back up at her, “I’m okay. We’re okay. Haven’t gotten into much trouble since we left,”

“Until now,” she said.

Din hesitated, then nodded his head, “until now.”

“So why are you here anyway? What does Shara and her family have to do with the kid?” Cara asked. Ever since Karga handed her the bounty chip she’s been a little on edge. She thought things were going back to normal, but now this new threat is upon them. She didn’t want to drag Shara and her family into it like they did with the village on Sorgan. Although, Shara and Kes could certainly handle themselves better than they could.

“Not her family. It’s...the tree. I got a tip about a powerful tree that supposedly connected with the Force. I thought maybe it’d be a good place to start,” Din said.

“The Force? You think that exists?” she said.

It’s not like Cara didn’t believe in the Force. It was hard not to growing up on Alderaan and having parents that believed wholeheartedly in it. Plus the short time she spent with Leia, she could tell that something was inside her. In the way she spoke and just overall presented herself.

But the Force just, existing inside a tree? She didn’t know if she believed in it that much.

“I didn’t. Until I met the kid. The things it’s been able to do since I’ve had it. There’s just no other explanation. You saw what it did just now by the tree,” he said, again looking down at the small green child in his arms, “It’s connected. To the Force. Something bigger. That’s why the Imps were after it in the first place.”

Cara looked back over at the tree. It now stood like a normal tree, but it was the only one in the yard that seemed to sway. Not to mention it was still glowing. There was definitely something about it. She looked back at the Child.

She was about to respond when Poe walked over to them. Eyes on the Child. “Dinner will be ready soon,” he announced. Cara nodded. “Is it okay?” he asked, there was the same worry in his eyes that his father had when they first arrived. In fact, Cara notices now just how much the boy looks like Kes. He gets his curls from Shara, though.

“It's fine. Just needs to rest,” Din said.

“I can show you to the spare room and you can settle it down there,” Poe said. He smiled brightly and waited for Din’s response.

Cara could tell he was going to turn the kid down so she answered for him, “That’s a good idea, Poe. He’ll follow you up.”

Poe rushed ahead and she pushed Din to follow. He sighs but obliges.

Shara walks back over to her, “Come. Let’s talk,” she said.

They sit back down at the same table as before and it’s silent for a moment. “So how did you get involved with a Mandalorian?” Shara asked.

Cara smiles, “I was just trying to enjoy my retirement. Thought he found me on a bounty. Then he recruited me to help him with a village in peril. We went our separate ways until he dragged me into another favor. Now I’m just here to try and make sure he and the kid are safe,” she said.

Shara smiled, “Well you’ve always been a capable woman.”

Again Cara found herself blushing at the compliment. She shook it off quickly though, “You want to explain to me why that tree is glowing,” she said.

Shara laughed, “it’s a very popular tree as of late. When I found your friend this morning he explained to me he was looking for a certain tree. Only that might help explain the powers his little one has. I told him to come find me later at the cantina in town. And here we all are.”

“So that tree has the Force?”

Shara nodded, a smile creeping on her face, “We went through a lot of trouble stealing it back from the Empire,” she said.

“We?”

“Luke Skywalker and I. He brought me on a mission to Vetine to recover the last two fragments of it. He gave me one and took the other. Kes and I planted it as soon as we returned home.”

“Luke Skywalker?” was all Cara could say.

“The one and only,” Shara said. “It’s a tree that apparently used to help the younglings with their training. The Emperor had it destroyed so it must’ve been important. Your friend was right to seek it out, I think. I’m not sure we can help figure it out though.”

Din came down to them at the table. “Your son asks a lot of questions,” he said. Shara laughed loudly. 

“He certainly does. Where is he now,” she said.

“He wanted to stay with the kid. Make sure it’s okay,” he said.

Shara shook her head, “That sounds like my boy.” She hesitated, Cara can feel she wants to say something but doesn’t. Her eyes get glossy like she’s holding back tears.

“Shara. Sweetheart why don’t you go wash up. I’ll keep our guests company,” Kes said. She stood and gave him a smile as well as another quick kiss on the forehead before she retreated inside.

Kes gave Cara and Din a tired smile. She bit the inside of her cheek to try and stop herself from asking questions.

“My wife is sick. Of what we don’t know,” he said. Cara’s breath caught in her throat. Even Din bristled a bit at that statement. “We don’t know how much longer she has left. We haven’t told Poe yet,” he gives a bitter laugh, “We probably won’t tell him at all until it’s too late,” he looked at Din with a harsh look, “She’s a fighter. She’ll always fight for what’s right. You coming here with a cause like this, it’s no surprise she helped you. But after this. After you find the answers you’re looking for. You can’t come back to this place. If you need people to fight, I’m sorry but we can’t do it.”

There’s a tense feeling in the air now, especially between the two men. Kes’s jaw is clenched and his hand on the table is in a fist. Despite this, Din seemed calm. Like he understood.

“I understand. We won’t impose any more than we already have. I’m...sorry,” he said.

Neither Cara nor Kes expected that answer. You really are going soft, she thought.

“I- thank you,” Kes said, relaxed now, “We fought with the rebellion because we couldn’t stand by and watch others being hurt. And more importantly we didn’t want Poe growing up with the Empire surrounding him. Our boy deserves better than to fight in wars.”

The three of them continued to sit there in silence as they all took in the heaviness of the conversation that had just happened. There was a small ding that came from inside. Kes stood up, “That’s dinner, hope you’re hungry,” he said.

After another few minutes they all had their plates of food. Of course, Din took his upstairs to the spare room and sent Poe down to be with his parents.

Cara watched the family interact. Poe sat and asked her a million questions. Like who she was, how she got that tattoo, if she was from Yavin. He was exhausting, but Cara tried to answer the best she could.

His parents laughed under their breath at their son. The room was light and Cara couldn’t help but bask in it. She knew going forward after she and Din left them wouldn’t be easy, she still had to tell him that Gideon is probably still alive. So for now she let herself feel the love that this family had for each other, and it gave her the hope she needed for the future.

[allaroundcringey]

Dependency ~ Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 4 ~ Park Benches and Deductions

Pairing : Sherlock x Female Reader

Summary : After a few years John Watson was left no choice but to call his old school mate Amelia Harold. The matter of the call you ask? Sherlock's drug problem. What started out as a simple phone call to help out his friend turned out to be so much more: it gave Amelia Harold a chance to find out who deemed her father guilty of murder. Full of friendship, truth, heartbreak, suspense, and love this story showcases what matters most in life: your friends and family.

Warnings : mention of drug abuse, addiction, and emotional abuse in later chapters

TW : Panic attacks

A/N : as you might have noticed in the first few chapters I tend to tie the story in a bunch. I'm going to start leaning away from doing that because truly there is a theme and moral and ect to my story that I want to convey- not just the television show of Sherlock. I plan on mentioning the plot a few times for key plot points but other than that it'll be a lot of original work!

Also, some of this chapter hits close to home so if anyone else deals with those issues I wish you the best and just know everything will be okay <3

***I do not own any of these characters, plot ideas, and lines taken directly from the show (though there are only a few of those) anything pertaining to Amelia is my original work.***

Of the many mornings Amelia found herself stumbling into 221B she had not been met with such disarray. The scene that unfolded in front of her was Sherlock frantically running around, leaving behind his monstrously loud footsteps. He seemed to be searching through everything possible in the flat with no true plan of where and how to look. Papers flew everywhere along with several components to Sherlock's experiments.

John was sitting on the couch, head in his hand clearly looking fed up with the mans actions. A small part of Amelia wanted to slowly back out before anyone noticed her, but before she could seize the chance Sherlock spotted her from the corner of his eye. Moving like a trained dog he looked her body up and down and even grabbed the small bag Amelia was carrying. He dumped the contents across the floor and shuffled through them swiftly.

"You absolute arse! What the fuck was that for?!" Amelia exclaimed, waving her arms every which way.

"Drugs." Sherlock bluntly stated with absolutely no emotion.

"Sherlock you complete lunatic take a minute to breath and sit down!" John yelled which shut Sherlock up for a minute and made Amelia quiet down as well.

"Has he been like this all morning?"

"No-" Sherlock started.

"Oh yes he has. Since precisely 4 am last night. Woke me up from the sound of his gun. All because he was bored! Bored. I am at the expense of him because he can't find anything to entertain himself." John sounded exasperated and Amelia couldn't blame him. Living with Sherlock seemed like living with a toddler.

Before Sherlock could run past Amelia for the god only knows number of time she stopped him dead in his tracks by placing her hands firmly on his shoulders. Sherlock's expression was displayed as if he was a shocked child who got in trouble.

"Do you need the drugs or do you just need a distraction from whatever is going on in your brain?"

"Drugs." Sherlock grumbled, but instead of continuing his search in an act of defeat he flopped down into his chair.

"How are you John? Do you need anything?" Amelia asked, walking towards the couch and sat next to him.

"A cup of tea would be lovely-" Before John could finish his request Amelia shot up from the couch and steadily made her way over to where Sherlock was sulking.

"I know what we're going to do. I'm taking you to the park. Right now." Thankfully Sherlock was already dressed so they could go right out the door. Abandoning her bag and the spilled contents, she marched right over them while dragging Sherlock behind her.

"I'm already a third wheel." John muttered as the door slammed in front of his face.

~

"Mother of 3. Want's to separate from her husband. Does NOT want the kids." Sherlock pointed at the woman across the park who was walking past with a phone held to her ear, obviously in a heated conversation.

Amelia and Sherlock found themselves sat next to each other on a park bench. Between them sat a serving of chips that they were taking turns indulging in. Amelia's idea to distract Sherlock was to simply give him a task he had to complete. He had to deduce the public who found themselves at the same park. Amelia was glad they couldn't hear his deductions- most of them were quite rude and blunt.

"How do you know she's a mother of 3 and doesn't want her kids?"

"For one her body looks like she has had at least one child. Considering she is discussing divorce over the phone means that her and her husband have had time to grow apart, meaning time to have more kids. The average amount of kids a family has in this part of England is 3. And the fact that her kids are not with her at a park means she has some kind of resentment towards them."

"Makes sense." Amelia sighed.

"It's more than makes sense! It is fact. I am never wrong." Sherlock heatedly replied.

"Yes you are." Amelia wore a smug smile, knowing she was about to prove him wrong.

"No I'm not."

"The other day. You treated me differently because you thought I was fragile."

"I did nothing out of the ordinary-"

"I am not fragile. I have my moments like everyone else. But never mistake me for fragile." She took a moment before continuing on. "And I'd like to think you are the same way. You have your moments. Like this morning. But you are also not fragile."

"That man is currently having an affair with his wife's brother." Sherlock muttered turning away from Amelia.

She noticed anytime Sherlock was given the chance to open up and be real he always shut it down. She understood why he did, she acted the same way when anything about her dad was brought up. Amelia wasn't ignorant enough to think it was fine to live like that though. Sherlock was the exact opposite.

"You try." Sherlock spoke up suddenly.

"What?"

"You take a turn deducing people."

"No way in hell I'm capable of doing that." Amelia laughed in doubt at what Sherlock suggested.

"It's quite simple actually. For example," Sherlock took a moment to look around at the people who made up the park, "if someones finger nails are short and dirty they work in construction.'

"Well there's a bunch of construction workers over there. They definitely work in construction." Sherlock rolled his eyes at Amelia's sarcastic response.

"Which of the workers are on their break though? Look away from the construction scene itself." Amelia took his words to heart and started intently studying people's hands.

"Aha!" A few minutes later she spoke seemingly have found something. "That man over there eating a hot dog. Look at his nails."

"You are correct." Sherlock wore a small yet proud smile at Amelia's first deduction.

"Did this work?" Amelia turned to sit sideways on the bench to fully face Sherlock.

"Did what work?"

"Going to the park. Did it create enough of a distraction to keep you entertained?"

"Possibly."

"You're welcome."

"I would have figured it out on my own."

"Keep telling yourself that Holmes. We should probably head back to the flat. Johnny boy might be getting lonely."

"Do me and everyone else on Earth a favor and don't call John that again." Sherlock rolled his eyes.

"Alrighty Sherly." Amelia could hear an audible gag erupt from Sherlock's mouth at her words. Taking her time at the park as a victory she started to lead the two of them back to 221B Baker Street.

~

Amelia had ended up leaving to go back to her own flat shortly after dropping Sherlock- the more tamed version- back home. Dropping her keys on the counter top, she made her way slowly towards her bedroom.

Since she left their flat she felt something building up inside. Her head felt light and hurt. Overall she felt off. It made her uncomfortable that she couldn't shake it.

When she arrived she took a deep breath and let it go. Over and over. Sitting herself on the soft ground that made up her room, she continued keeping a steady breath. Feeling the ground beneath her hands beneath her being to remind herself she was still here. Breathing in and out and feeling the carpet between her finger tips.

After being alone for so long she forgot how much it could consume her. The silence, the loneliness, the boredom, the urges. When alone every problem she accumulated piled on top of her. It was hard to breath now.

Amelia knew she had to take herself away from herself before she did anything she regretted. Going to lay down, back on the floor, she placed her hands on her stomach. Control. Control her thoughts. Breath in. Breath out. Start counting backwards in a pattern of 3 from 100. 97. 94. 91. Do it until everything

Stops.

Her panic attacks didn't last long but when they hit they hit hard. They would cause her not to be able to breath, and most times her heart would begin racing. On the outside her composure would look fine, at the most only a bit agitated. On the inside a storm was created in her mind. The wicked witch of the west would swoop in and take away her self control until she decided it was time to give it back.

Mustering enough energy to bring herself up, Amelia stood and gently lay herself on her bed. She said her affirmation statements that her therapist taught her from all those years ago. She was okay. She was alright. Everything was going to be good.

Falling into a soft slumber, Amelia allowed her body to go limp, and give herself a break.

~

"How are you liking Sherlock?" John asked Amelia as they were leaving a victim's place they had to investigate, courtesy of Sherlock's wishes.

"I don't feel anything definitive but I think he has potential." Amelia shrugged, answering John truthfully.

"Potential for what?" John had a look in his eyes that Amelia immediately picked up on. John couldn't hide the smile creeping onto his face.

"I do not plan to do anything of the sorts. I meant as a friend. Although he has few of those which is why I said nothing was definitive." Amelia explained, retaliating the suggesting looks Sherlock gave.

"Stop overthinking Amelia. You two click like two pieces in a puzzle. Dare I say more than we did." John faked gasped at the end causing Amelia to laugh.

"Straight lies you're feeding me John. Quite rude to lie to your old mate!"

"Oh stop it. You'll prove me right soon enough. Trust my love instincts." John wriggled his eyebrows in a concerning manner.

"That was the most repulsing thing I've witness in my life. And I've seen some shit. Please never do that again." Amelia shook her head in disappointment.

"Don't MAKE me do it again!" John laughed.

Amelia knew that her and Sherlock would only be friends. If at all. Right now she was mainly making sure he didn't take any drugs. Even though all of that was true she couldn't help but think of what could happen though. What if something happened that was beyond friends? Not wanting to entertain the thought she pushed it away and tried to enjoy the rest of the day with John.

[unfortunate-stranger-losers]

Six Baudelaires AU, Part Three: Reference Guide

A quick guide for everything I intentionally referenced in The Six Siblings, That’s Not How the Story Goes.

{ao3} {tumblr} {part one reference guide} {part two reference guide}

Without further ado…

Chapter One / Prologue - in which the Baudelaires get lost at the train station 

“We’re dead as heck.” Nick shrugged.

Considering the younger age of the children here, they use much lighter swear words.

Klaus had his hands over his ears, and he looked on the edge of tears. “It’s too loud! It’s too loud!” 

Klaus is overstimulated. 

They were in some kind of shoeshop, and a ginger man glanced at them. “Oh, hello!” he said. “Are you- where are your parents?” [...] “When did you see them last?” [...] “Why don’t you have some snacks? It’s all vegan, if-” 

The shoemaker that helps them out is Drumstick from File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents, who is noted to have made money repairing shoes. 

“Lilac is almost-nine,” Klaus said, “And she’s got two braids cause she wants to be like Wednesday Addams on TV.” 

The Wednesday Addams reference should be obvious, though I should point out that Lilac wants to emulate the 1960s Wednesday, which is the one she’s seen on TV; the older show once again makes the time period ambiguous. 

“Oh my God.” Beatrice was saying. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.” “Kids, are you alright?” Bertrand asked, the second they pulled away. “Did anything happen?” 

Pretty clearly, the Baudelaire parents were terrified that VFD had abducted their children while they were separated. 

“No! No, we’re gonna be fine!” Lilac said quickly. “We just need to find Klaus and Nick. I… I’ve gotta find them. I’m in charge. I’ve gotta find them-” 

Ah, Lilac’s already got Anxiety™.

Rest of the fic under the cut.

Chapter Two - in which Violet saves everyone’s asses

No major references in this chapter. 

Chapter Three - in which Sunny cusses quite a bit

“Their species can completely freeze over in cold temperatures.” Solitude assured him. “So they may stop moving, almost look dead, but they’ll be alright, and they’ll unfreeze when we get somewhere warm. We’ll have to catch them up on whatever happens.”

Babbitt’s based off of a wood frog, which do freeze in low temperatures. 

Also to note: by this point in the fanfiction, Solitude no longer uses babytalk, and instead speaks in full sentences. 

Chapter Four - in which the Baudelaires join the Snow Scouts

“Oh, yes.” Klaus said. “Those snow gnats behaved like Violent Frozen Dragonflies.” “Guys…” Nick whispered, but none of them heard him.

Nick is not a fan of VFD at this point, but his siblings are too busy trying to get help from this scout that they don’t immediately notice his discomfort. 

As her story continued, Nick pulled on Klaus’s sleeve, gesturing that he wanted to talk, but Klaus shook his head; the other Snow Scouts would notice them leaving.

Trying to tell Klaus something about VFD. 

“I mean it.” Nick shook his head. “Things can’t ever go back to the way they were. Even if one- or both- of our parents is up there, and they shove Olaf off a cliff and take us home… it’s not going to be the same. We… we know too much.” His siblings remained silent, processing this, as Nick wiped his eyes on his sleeve. “They won’t protect us.” 

Nick knows how VFD recruits its “volunteers”; his fear is that their parents are alive and consented to them being recruited, and will just turn them over to VFD. 

Chapter Five - in which Nick gets to climb something again 

She hmmed, brushing her bangs out of her face as she considered what she could make with all of this. 

Sunny already has long hair that she’ll need to tie back while thinking, like her big sisters. 

Sunny held out the mug of orange juice, and said, “Aurantiaco,” which meant, “Chip away at the juice until you have shavings, so I can make orange granita.” 

“Aurantiaco” is derived from the Latin adjective “aurantiacus”, meaning “orange.”

Chapter Six - in which Sunny makes a signal 

Quigley gave her a smile, and then looked back down, as the Baudeaires crowded around him- all except Lilac, who was still staring at the smoke. “Well, we’ll have to go back through the Vernacularly Fastened Door, down the Vertical Flame Diversion, hike the path the Snow Scouts are taking- and they might notice we’re gone by now so we’ll have to come up with some excuse, Duncan always said you could never go wrong with an exit pursued by a bear-” 

A reference to a famous stage direction from William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.

Chapter Seven - in which Lilac goes feral 

Nick bit his lip and pushed a charred novel back onto the shelf, before moving to scratch his arm.

TRIGGER WARNING: SELF HARM MENTION

Once again, Nick’s arm scratching occurs whenever Olaf or his troupe are mentioned. 

Klaus walked over, too, and he pulled his siblings into a hug. “We’ll protect each other.” he said. “Okay? No sacrificing ourselves, no kidnappings, no separations. No more.” 

Klaus really wants to make sure Lilac doesn’t try to trade herself, like she tried to do with Nick. 

“Lilac, seriously, I can’t breathe-” “Then suffocate.” 

A reference to the popular meme:

“We hate to interrupt!” came Lilac’s voice, and Violet and Quigley turned to see her and the twins run back into the kitchen, “But we found something!”

Lilac: Y’ALL BETTER NOT BE FLIRTING IN HERE

Chapter Eight - in which the Baudelaires raid the fridge 

Solitude looked up. “Sure, hon.”

A reference to the meme:

“I was making them an anniversary present- a map of all the places they’d traveled.” Quigley sighed. “And I never got to tell them that I don’t…” he hesitated, and then said, “I mean, Duncan and Isadora came out to them, but I never told them that whenever I was doing astronomy class and called myself a space ace…” Violet laughed, and Quigley flinched. “No, no, I’m not making fun of you, it’s a good pun, I’ll have to make sure Nick knows it.” 

Quigley and Nick are both asexual. 

“I think my parents found out when I told them I wanted to marry both Elizabeth and Darcy.” Violet smiled. “Lilac and Nick teased me about that for years. I don’t even know if they remember now.” Quigley stared at her. “Holy shit. Vi… I said the same thing.” 

A reference to Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. 

Violet is bisexual, Quigley is biromantic.

Nick slid against a half-collapsed wall, screaming into his lap, hot tears springing to the edge of his eyes and streaming down his face. 

TRIGGER WARNING: PTSD, SELF-HARM

Nick goes away to have a panic attack without his siblings worrying about him; it’s also explained in this segment how his scratching is him desperately trying not to slip into a flashback. 

Chapter Nine - in which Lilac and Nick are very pissed off 

“Nocere!” Sunny said, which meant something like, “I’m alright, they haven’t done anything too bad.”

“Nocere” comes from the Latin verb “noceo”, meaning “to hurt.” 

“Uncus!” “The hook-handed man made it so I didn’t freeze.” 

“Uncus” is the Latin word for “hook.” 

And then she asked, “Senio?” which meant, “Where are the others?”

“Senio” is the Latin word for “six.”

“Nosra,” Sunny said, which meant, “A man with a beard but no hair and a woman with hair but no beard; they’re arsonists who burned down the Headquarters.” 

“Nosra” is “arson” spelled backwards. 

“Coquus.” Sunny said. “I can do that. There’s enough ingredients to make spinach rolls in the trunk, including an eggplant that’s about as big as I am.” 

“Coquus” is the Latin word for “cook.”

“I know, Vi! I know what they’ll do to her, what they’re probably already doing to her!” 

Obvious reference to Nick’s time as a captive, but subtler reference to the fact that Olaf tortured him with the information of what he’d do to each sibling in turn. 

“Yes, she is!” his voice broke. “I was helpless! I thought I wouldn’t be, but I was! And she’s a baby! I was almost thirteen!” Tears streamed down his face, as he pushed her again. “I was almost thirteen, and I was wrong!” 

Reference to a similar line spoken in every All the Wrong Questions book. 

Chapter Ten - in which Nick spills some Bitter Tea 

Title is a reference to Kit’s quote, “Tea should be as bitter as wormwood and sharp as a two-edged sword.” 

“Sure.” Nick said. “We can be Volunteers who want to recruit our innocent little baby. They’ll believe that.” 

A reference to VFD recruitment tactics. 

“Isa had a huge collection of what me and Duncan called ‘goth poetry.’” Quigley said, smiling. “She likes to recite, too. Verbal stim.” 

Isadora (and all the Quagmires in my headcanons) is Autistic. Nick has ADHD and also stims with recitation. 

“It’s not. Snicket’s real. And he…” Nick shivered. “Let’s just say he’s definitely real. Maybe even still alive.” 

“He’s real and he fathered my oldest sister.”

That’s when they heard the crash, and Esme’s scream. They all fell silent for a second, and then Nick let Quigley go. 

An intentional combination of the Book version of this scene - where they decide to warn Esme- and the Netflix - where she traps herself. 

There was a flash of recognition, and then she smirked. “Well, well, well.” she said. “If it isn’t Beatrice’s little angel.” Nick’s hand flew to his necklace, as his glare intensified. “Fancy seeing you here, I thought you were supposed to be smashed at the bottom of the mountains.” 

Something Olaf called him in Chapter Fourteen of Part Two; Nick was very close to Beatrice, whom Olaf and Esme both despise, so you can bet they took a lot of their anger on her out on him. 

“Fancy seeing you here.” Nick said. “I thought you were supposed to be somewhere in the second circle of hell, but I guess you can’t have everything, can you?” 

In Dante’s Inferno, the second circle of hell is the circle of Lust. 

“Why he’s here doesn’t matter.” Nick said, and then he smiled very coldly and said, “What matters is you’re our hostage now, so I’d suggest you shut the fuck up and do what we tell you to do.” 

Was going to make this more obvious in the text but decided against it, so here’s a fun fact: this is something that was said to Nick during is captivity. He’s getting a lot of joy out of saying it to Esme. 

Chapter Eleven - in which Carmelita gets adopted

Nick took a deep breath, and then said, his voice breaking, “Don’t act like I don’t know what you’d do to her. If you have laid a single fucking hand on my sister, there will be hell to pay.”

Once again, a reference to Olaf torturing Nick with information on what he planned to do to the other Baudelaires. 

“Why are you recruiting us, too?” Colette asked, peering from the net. “We already work for you.” 

Changed from Fernald to Hugo, Colette and Kevin in order to explain their absence in TGG.

Esme glared at him. “We don’t need that ugly girl. Having an infant servant was fun.” 

TRIGGER WARNING: CSA MENTION

Esme knows about Olaf’s attraction to Lilac/Violet and is jealous, instead of being, you know, disgusted and horrified. 

Carmelita just smiled and gave Esme a hug. She turned towards Olaf, starting forwards, and just then, Nick thrust Solitude into Violet’s arms and raced ahead of her, pushing her back. 

Even though Nick hates Carmelita, he doesn’t want her suffering like he did. 

Chapter Twelve - in which Lilac is a Disaster Lesbian

“No- she can curl up inside a diving helmet! Aye! The helmets have a tiny door on the neck just for such a purpose! Aye! I’ve seen it done!” 

Though this doesn’t happen in-fic, this did happen in the original book lol. 

“Actually,” Nick sighed, laying his head on Klaus’s shoulder as Soli wriggled around to try and get a good view of the captain, “He’s the researcher, I’m an… well, I…” 

Nick’s having an identity crisis brought on by the PTSD; he’s not sure who he is anymore.

“Come on, Lilac will be fine in a minute.” Nick said, elbowing Klaus. “She just needs to time to adjust. You know. Like Sappho.” 

Sappho - a famous lesbian poet. 

Chapter Thirteen - in which I bang my head against a table because I have to pay attention to Widdershins 

“No, no, we do!” Fiona looked ecstatic, and Lilac let out a squeal as Fiona grabbed her hands. “One of our previous crewmembers, the one who later turned out to be stealing information on VFD headquarters, she stockpiled a shitton- oh, sorry, I mean a lot of coffee.”

The “spy” may-or-may-not have been an anti-VFD Ellington Feint... 

“Now, I’m sure you have lots of questions.” Fiona said as they walked.  “Definitely.” Nick said. “Number one, how d-” 

A reference to the meme/quote from “The Office” (US) 4x11: 

Chapter Fourteen - in which the Baudelaires encounter a Great Unknown

“Let Violet work on the wheel,” Klaus suggested, “And maybe Fiona can help Lilac with the telegraph.”

These kids are gonna get Lilac a girlfriend if it kills them. 

“Don’t worry,” the captain replied, “We’ll find a spouse for the others, too! Aye! Perhaps we’ll find your long-lost brother, Fiona! He’s much older, of course, and he’s been missing for years, but if Klaus can locate the Sugar Bowl he can probably find him! Aye! He’s a charming man, so one of the girls would probably fall in love with him, and then we could have a double wedding! Aye! Right here in the main hall of the Queequeg! Aye! I would be happy to officiate! Aye!” “Okay, well,” Nick said, as everyone stared at each other incredibly uncomfortably and he finally made his way to stand beside Klaus, “That’s not going to happen, for a number of reasons. First of all-” 

First of all, Klaus is gay.

Second of all, Fiona is gay. 

Third of all, Lilac and Fiona are the ones flirting. 

Fourth, everyone’s too young to get married. 

Fifth, Nick is aromantic. 

Sixth, “your older long-lost brother” is not a good phrase to throw around to a group of children who’ve been trying to escape a man who tried to marry Lilac. 

Seventh, your children are not fucking prizes to hand out???

Eighth, what the fuck dude. 

Chapter Fifteen - in which Lilac and Fiona are Gay as Hell 

“I mean, you could call them King stropharia. I just like the scientific names. They’re fun to say.” “Oh, that’s completely valid.” Lilac smiled. “I learned Russian when I was younger just because the boys read Anna Karenina and all the names were fun to say.”

Autistic verbal stims!!

“Lentinula Edodes.” Fiona said, smiling at some fungus growing on a hardwood log. “Also known as Shiitake Mushrooms.” “Shiitake?” “Don’t start.” Fiona giggled. 

It sounds vaguely like “shit.”

Lilac and Fiona returned to the dorms very late, arms linked together as they chatted about a book they’d both enjoyed, about another sugar bowl whose contents were actually very well known.

A reference to We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

Nick, meanwhile, was passed out on a chair near the door, almost having fallen over; Lilac recognized this position quickly, from the many times he and Klaus or Violet would sit at the bottom of the stairs waiting for their parents to come home late at night. “He was waiting for us.”

Nick was waiting up to talk to Lilac, probably to tell her about the Snicket Thing. 

She carried him to a bunk, lowering him onto it. “Go back to being five years old, okay?” Lilac whispered, reaching over to grab a blanket. “We’ll lock you in the closet again and then make ice cream towers.” 

“Lock you in the closet” is a reference to the one-shot. 

Ice Cream towers are a reference to the prologue of part two.

Lilac sighed and pulled the blanket over him. “You’ll be okay. You want me to sing?” 

All the references to Lilac singing someone to sleep are reference to the song “Asleep”, performed by Emily Browning, Movie!Violet’s actress. 

“Good or bad cry?” Lilac shut her eyes. “Both.” she admitted. 

Chef’s Salad. 

Chapter Sixteen - in which the Crew goes swimming 

They heard what sounded like a very suspicious watery noise, and Nick said, “If this submarine is flooding, I’ll take one for the team and die first.”

Reference to this line from Part One, Chapter Four: “Do you think if one of us died, the rest’d get transferred somewhere else?” Nick asked, hanging upside-down from the rotting couch. “I’ll take one for the team.”

“Nobody’s dying.” Lilac sighed, not looking him in the eye. 

Nick’s lowkey suicidal remark scared her quite a bit. 

“How about some of us stay here and do more research,” Violet suggested, squeezing Nick’s hand, “And the rest of us look for the Sugar Bowl? I can stay with Nick and try to work with the submarine. Nick, maybe you can dig through books and see if you can find anything on the Gorgonian Grotto, or the Great Unknown, and read it to me while I work.” [...] He’d found something that seemed to be filed under the Great Unknown, but it was probably misfiled as it just talked about a tearoom and a roadster. 

Probably my most blatant reference to Movie!Klaus’s actor, Liam Aiken, narrating the All the Wrong Questions audiobooks. 

“Ekab!” Sunny said, which meant, “I can stay here and cook!” 

“Ekab” is “bake” spelled backwards. 

“I’m sure someone did, aye.” Widdershins waved his hand. “Whoever got assigned the job. Perhaps R, or her daughter, they may have been nearby at the time. Or Larry, aye! We weren’t told about who was in charge of you, just that we needed to document information and track the Sugar Bowl!” 

A reference to Jacquelyn (the Duchess of Winnipeg, making her either R or her daughter) and Larry Your-Waiter following the Baudelaires in the Netflix series. 

“Don’t you worry, Nicholas! Everything’s for the Greater Good!"

While Widdershins usually calls him Nick, he slips up here, much like Poe always does; Nick hates being referred to as Nicholas. 

“Besides, VFD wouldn’t abandon you! Aye! You’d be a great volunteer! You’re a dedicated researcher! Aye! You’re a saint! Aye! You’re an angel! Aye! You’re a-” Nick stared at him in horror, and then said, “I have to go!” and took off running. 

Nick was already put on edge by this victim-blaming conversation,  the revelation that multiple people could’ve helped him, his siblings leaving, the VFD cult stuff, and Widdershins’s constant bullshit, but the use of the word “angel” sets him off the edge; it reminds him too much of being referred to as “Beatrice’s Little Angel.” 

“Okay, so, I found a box of rubber bands.” Lilac sighed, sitting atop a chest. “And half a gun, a broken mirror, what might be a microphone, and a scattered notebook with sketches of some kind of snake.” Solitude peered over her shoulder, her arms full of bottles. “I don’t recognize it.” she said sadly. “Also, it’s not a snake. It’s got legs, see there?” 

Lilac found sketches of the Bombinating Beast. 

Chapter Seventeen - in which Violet doodles 

“Precisely.” Lilac said. “It’s something that’s not a choice at all. Our Mother used to give us Hobson’s Choices. She’d say, ‘Lilac, you can dust the furniture, or I can play polka music all night.’”

A reference to Lemony Snicket’s dislike of polka music in File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents. 

“She’d do that with the others, too.” Lilac recalled. “Violet could clean her room or we’d stand in the doorway and sing Row Your Boat, and Nick could be nice to guests or be made to read that third book about those kids in a maze, and Sunny could have a bath or a pink dress.” 

A reference to The Maze Runner: The Death Cure by James Dashner. I hated the entire series, but the third book was the worst. 

TRIGGER WARNING: Following references for Chapter Seventeen discuss Nick’s self-harm in detail.

She ran a hand over her ponytail, and then she said, “Nick, I will be right back, but you have to promise not to lock the door.” 

She is scared he’ll lock her out and continue self-harming. 

As soon as she was out of Nick’s sightline, she buried her head in her hands, struggling to remain calm. Don’t freak out. Don’t freak out. Help him now, freak out later. You need to help, Vi. Just keep moving. 

Violet knows freaking out in front of Nick will just make him feel worse

Do the scary thing first, get scared later. 

“No come in!” Sunny shouted. “Surprise!” 

Sunny’s preparing Violet’s cake. 

“Nodnaba,” Sunny said, and Violet heard her sliding from the counter. “He and Widdershins stepped out a moment; they’ll be back soon.” 

“Nodnaba” is “abandon” spelled backwards. 

Widdershins and Phil have “stepped out”, and either right now or very soon will be abandoning ship. 

“Crayola,” Sunny said, which meant, “There’s a whole box of markers right here, for writing labels on cannisters. Can you bring them back when you’re done?” 

Very obvious reference to Crayola art supplies.

“Alzatadispalle,” Sunny said, which meant, “Eh, fine, I don’t care about this submarine much anyway.” 

“Alzata di spalle” is Italian for a shrug. 

But she swirled the marker- a light blue color- around her brother’s arm, until there was just a jumble of color. Then, an idea finally coming to her, she took a black marker and drew some squiggles above it, mirroring the shape of their Uncle’s prized snake, the Incredibly Deadly Viper. It felt like a lifetime since they’d seen him.

A reference to Ink swimming through the sea at the end.  

Violet took his hands, squeezing them softly. “When you feel… feel like you want to scratch without an itch, I want you to take these markers and draw where you… where you want to hurt. Do that instead. It should help. And if it doesn’t, I want you to tell me, okay?” 

This is a legitimate coping mechanism for self-harm; drawing on skin with pens or markers. 

Violet waited until he met her eyes, and she admitted, “About two years ago, I asked Father why he had pen drawings on his arm.” 

Bertrand dealt with depression and self-harming tendencies, as well. Violet was the only kid who knew, and only because she asked. 

Chapter Eighteen - in which Solitude catches a cold

“I found a newspaper scrap.” Lilac said. “I, uh, read a bit. Maybe we could discuss what we’ve read while we eat.”

She read the stuff about Fernald starting the fire. 

“Like… ‘poached egg’ means ‘half the battle.’” Klaus said. “Remember when Nick used that metaphor and we punched him for it?” 

A reference to a tangent Lemony went on in this section of The Grim Grotto. 

Soli nodded, passing Klaus the wasabi and Lilac two cannisters, and soon they put on their diving helmets, suiting up for their return journey. Solitude hmmed as Fiona helped her put her helmet back on, saying, “Sand’s inside, I think.” 

The spores.

“Senso-orario,” Sunny said, which meant something like, “I fell asleep in the kitchen, and when I woke up, Phil and Widdershins still hadn’t returned, and now I can’t find them anywhere.” 

“In Senso orario” is an Italian term for “clockwise.” “Widdershins” means “counterclockwise.” 

Chapter Nineteen - in which Olaf is a dick

“Ha ha ha heepa-heepa ho!” came a villainous laugh from the hallway, and within a few moments, Count Olaf entered, dressed in a similar suit of slippery material, only with a portrait of Edgar Guest instead of Herman Melville. “Tee hee tort tort tort!” “No, no,” Violet looked up, giving him a glare. “Don’t do that.”

A reference to me not wanting to write Olaf’s villain laughter for like three chapters.

He stepped closer, putting a hand on Fiona’s chin. Lilac gasped and ran forwards, slapping his arm away. “You must be Fiona.” he said. “Why, you’re all grown up! The last time I saw you, I was trying to throw thumbtacks into your cradle.”  Nick shot up his head, giving Olaf a glare that could have killed him. “Get away from her!” 

OLAF 👏 IS 👏 A 👏 CREEP

Lilac and Violet glanced at each other, and then around, trying to spot an escape route. This, however, was a mistake; Olaf figured out very quickly what they were planning, and before they could do anything, he reached forwards and ripped Nick out of Klaus’s grasp. 

Once again, Olaf knows the kind of effect he has on Nick, and how protective of him the others are, and uses this to his advantage. 

“My henchperson will simply torture the information out of you.” He smirked down at Nick, who was shaking uncontrollably. “Isn’t that right?” Nick didn’t respond, barely keeping himself from sobbing. 

Nick’s been captured again, with his siblings. Olaf is taunting him, heavily implying that he’s going to follow through on his threat to torture Nick’s siblings in front of him before killing him. 

“Umore,” Sunny said, which roughly translated to, “God, that’s a mood.” 

“Umore” is an Italian word for “mood.” 

“What did we tell you, you little beast?” she hissed. “You can’t get away from us.” 

Most of Nick’s worst trauma came from “punishments” from when he tried to escape, which is why he panics whenever they’re about to be caught. 

“Holy fuck,” said a girl at the oars, “What the hell is wrong with you all?” 

Not really a reference but I just want to point out that none of these recruits have any context for this so they’re probably just. seeing all these crazy shits saying whatever they want 

“I’m getting tired of this.” Olaf said, waving his sword and gesturing at Nick. “You all get to see the first brig, it’s deluxe, as it comes with a noose. I think we should put this one in the second brig for-” 

A reference to Netflix’s The Vile Village: Part Two. 

“I think,” Olaf said, pressing his sword against Nick’s throat, “We should put those two little rebels in with our little Nick.” Nick finally started to cry, tears streaming down his face as he almost collapsed, and Violet shouted, “You bastard! Leave them alone!” 

Once again, Olaf’s planning on following through on the threats that scared Nick so badly. Violet, the only one who knows about what Olaf threatened him with, is the first to start panicking. 

Chapter Twenty - in which Lilac leads a jailbreak 

The title itself is a reference to Chapter Sixteen of Part One: in which Solitude leads a jailbreak. 

Her younger brother finally pulled away, but only to run off to the corner of the small brig, where he leaned over and vomited onto the floor, barely keeping his own balance. Lilac jumped to her feet and dragged him towards the wall, as he shook more and clung to her arm. [...] Nick shuddered beside her, and he finally choked out, “I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” 

Nick knows exactly what Olaf’s threatening, and he’s falling back into a pure traumatized state; he doesn’t think they can escape, he thinks he’s going to die while Olaf torments his siblings, and nothing is going to stop him. 

“I…” Lilac slid onto a hard bench, where Nick sat beside her and refused to stop clinging to her side. “I glanced at the locks on our way in. They’re ordinary enough pin-tumbler locks, so- hold on a moment. Nick, Nick, please-” 

A reference to a repeated phrase in When Did You See Her Last?

And then Lilac quietly sang, “Pretty when the window blows, I love my tree in autumn… Like I love my tree in summer, like I love my tree in winter… They put me in a room, and I thought of you in autumn…” She shut her eyes, humming the next line, and then she picked up again. Fiona kept working on the lock, and Nick kept clinging to Lilac, terrified to let go, and she kept singing. “Pretty when you sing me a new song in autumn, or a new song in winter, or a new song in summer…” 

The song is “Pretty When The Wind Blows”, sung by Emily Browning, Movie!Violet’s actress. 

The line she hums is one that would definitely not cheer Nick up - “And I’m sad I won’t see you again.” 

Violet leapt in front of her siblings, and Klaus reached out to grab Sunny, who honestly didn’t look too worried. 

Sunny is friends with Fernald, she knows he won’t do anything to them. 

“We could pretend the Great Unknown showed up and is about to eat everyone.” Violet said. “I’m sorry, do you have a small black statue that can imitate its call?” Fernald said. “Why would I-” 

A reference to Violet and Klaus’s escape in Netflix’s The Grim Grotto: Part Two.  

A reference to the Bombinating Beast statue from All the Wrong Questions.

“Smelled like horseradish.” Sunny nodded. 

Sunny, the chef, would remember.

Chapter Twenty-One - in which Fiona is Volatile 

“I-” Nick stuttered. “I know TS Eliot.”  “Macavity,” Sunny said, which meant, “Wasn’t that from your musical phase?”

A reference to a song/character from Cats the Musical, based on a poetry book by TS Eliot.  

“I’ll make this simple.” Olaf smiled. “I could torture you until you tell me, or we can trade information- or a lack of information, if you so prefer.” Then, in a sickly sweet voice, he called, “Nick?”  [...] “We don’t make deals with bastards.” Lilac crossed her arms. Olaf smirked, eyeing her in a way that made her incredibly uncomfortable. “Interesting choice of words, my dear Lilac.” Nick sat up, horrified, as Olaf took a step closer to his oldest sister, and then he shouted, “It’s in the kitchen!” 

TRIGGER WARNING: CSA MENTION

Nick is terrified of Olaf hurting/assaulting Lilac, as well as outing her as Snicket’s daughter to everyone. 

Sunny sighed and said, “Cruciatu,” which meant, “Can they kill us now?” 

“Cruciatu” comes from the latin verb “crucio”, meaning “to torture.” 

“I’ll be fine. If we get caught, we have a potential escape plan that involves a seaside town, a train, and a vineyard.” Fiona said. “And releasing a bunch of wild new recruits to perform chaos.” 

Firstly, a reference to the Thistle of the Valley train that goes out of Stain’d-by-the-Sea.

Secondly, a reference to Netflix’s The Grim Grotto: Part Two. 

As she moved slowly towards the controls, Violet at her heels, Nick curled up on his chair, and he whispered to himself, “But they were fucked up in their turn, by fools in old-style hats and coats… who half the time were soppy-stern…” He hugged Solitude very close, shutting his eyes and trying not to think about everyone who had left. “And half at one another’s throats.” 

The poem later recited by Olaf in The End - “This Be the Verse” by Philip Larkin. 

“Mr Poe,” Klaus said, looking from the taxi to Poe, “Have you ever heard of a Hobson’s choice?” 

“You can either get in the taxi, or go with Mr Poe.”

The woman smiled at Lilac, as if she’d asked the right question. 

Another All the Wrong Questions reference. 

Chapter Twenty-Two - in which Kit cannot drive

“So,” Nick said, kicking his feet and glancing down at Soli, “Are we in agreement that we are ‘fucked’, a word which here means, ‘holy shit’?”

Obvious reference to Lemony Snicket’s way of defining words. 

They looked to each other, thinking hard. “Well,” Lilac finally said, “In the few minutes we’ve known her, Kit Snicket has broken at least nine safety laws, driven into a hedge, and seems intent on recruiting us to spy for a secret organization.” “I like her.” Violet decided. “Me, too.” Klaus added. “Same!” Sunny said. 

A reference to similar lines in Netflix’s The Penultimate Peril: Part One. 

“Mother said she purchased it during intermission.” Lilac said. “She said it was the most interesting time she’d ever had at the opera, and she never wanted to forget it.” “I’m sure it was interesting.” Nick muttered, curling up a little.

Nick knows about the murder.

She moved behind Lilac, tying back her hair for her. “You look just like your father.” Kit sighed, not noticing the flinch Nick made as he reached for some food to pass to Soli. [...] “Really?” Lilac asked, smiling a little. She’d never told that she looked like her parents. 

She looks like Lemony.

Violet and Nick shared a quiet look, one that their siblings didn’t quite understand, but the two of them read perfectly.

Violet and Nick, after Widdershins’s shit, are very anti-VFD. 

“That’s fine.” Lilac assured her, reaching for a cup. “I like my coffee bitter.” “That is surprising.” Kit said absent-mindedly, still looking through papers.

Considering Lilac is Lemony’s daughter, and Lemony doesn’t like coffee (All the Wrong Questions), this comes as a surprise to Kit.

“That’s why you’ll be together.” Kit said, putting her hand gently over Nick’s. “I’ve received reports on your progress, Baudelaires, and while I haven’t been able to reach you, I have seen that you take care of your own.” [...] Kit gave them all a reluctant and sad smile, and then repeated, almost to herself, “You Baudelaires take care of your own.”

A reference to a line from When Did You See Her Last?: “We Snickets take care of our own.” 

Chapter Twenty-Three - in which the Baudelaires enter the Hotel Denouement 

Nick bit his lip, thinking about everything. VFD. The secrets. The Sugar Bowl. That reminded him of a book Lilac read him. “We’ll live on the moon.” he said quietly, his voice almost blank. “And we’ll have flying horses.” God, he wished he was still young enough to believe that.

A direct reference to We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

When it was time to go in, Klaus and Lilac immediately threw their hands over their ears.

Overstimulation. 

Exactly six bells were ringing- the extra bell, 371, 547, 674, 781 and 954. 

371 - Dewey Decimal Classification (DDC) Education and Social Sciences. 

547 - DDC for Organic Chemistry; Colette’s mission involves her sneaking in here. 

674 - DDC for Lumber processing. 

781 - DDC for Jazz is 781.65; Ellington’s career has something to do with jazz.  

954 - DDC for India and neighboring countries; it’s an Indian restaurant. 

Chapter Twenty-Four - in which the first three bells ring 

The woman smiled, and while Lilac did not recognize the white coat or black uniform underneath, she did recognize the woman standing in front of her, even though she wasn’t bending in any unusual positions. [...] “You see, I am a brilliant chemist, as you can tell from my outfit, but I’m afraid some of these fumes have gone to my head, and I’m having trouble recognizing some words here.” 

A reference to Cleo Knight, the brilliant chemist from All the Wrong Questions, who only wears black-and-white to honor the family ink business. 

“I told you they’d judge us.” Kevin said. “I should’ve just called up my old gangmate.” “She wouldn’t have gotten here in time, she lives on the other side of-” Hugo began. 

A reference to the theory that Kevin is Kevin Old from File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents; his “gangmate” would be Florence Smith, who had a special interest in reading and thus have a large vocabulary. 

Lilac narrowed her eyes. She recognized the chemical compounds- her and Violet had gone through a celebrity crush phase on a chemist about three or four years before- but she was having trouble figuring out what they combined into. “What is this for?” 

Another reference to Cleo Knight. 

He doodled the shape of a pegasus on his arm, beside the moon. He remembered that book. What else had Merricat thought would be on the moon? Rose petals. He could draw roses next. 

Once again, a direct reference to We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

“Can I help you, concierge?” Hal asked. “Um.” Nick froze a moment, panic clutching his chest. You’ve been caught! You’ve been caught! You’ve been caught! 

Once again, Nick is immediately put into a panic by being caught, due to his trauma from his captivity. 

Chapter Twenty-Five - in which the next three bells are answered 

The door swung open just as Klaus stepped back, and he saw Charles exit, blinking over at him in a bathrobe. “Sorry,” he said, “I was hoping I wouldn’t have to call someone just to take me down the hall, but my eyesight isn’t what it used to be, and I’ve recently developed a phobia of optometrists.”

This entire scene is based on a scene that had to be deleted from the Netflix adaptation due to Rhys Darby (Charles) being stranded because of a hurricane during filming. It can be read here. 

“Don’t step on the crack, or you’ll fall and break your back!” Soli sang, laughing a little as she jumped down to Room 781, trying to imitate Babbitt’s hops.

While this is a slight variation on a popular children’s game song, it’s specifically a reference to the scene between Ducky and Littlefoot in The Land Before Time.

The woman looked at her very, very carefully, and then said, “It’s alright. That’s a fake, anyway.” “Fake what?” Solitude turned to look at the statue, as the woman knelt to put it back. “It looks like a snake, but there are those little claw-shapes there, suggesting hands.” “Well, it’s a replica, made by my foster-brother-in-law’s sister-in-law. Just in case we need to switch out.” “Switch out what?” The woman glanced down at Solitude, smiling and brushing the young girl’s hair back; it had fallen a little from her hat. “It’s a long story, and you probably have work to do. I’m sure you have more important things to get to.” 

The woman is clearly Ellington Feint from All the Wrong Questions; she is still very into Jazz music (hence her room), and may-or-may-not have access to the Bombinating Beast statue. 

Her foster-brother-in-law (Kellar)’s sister-in-law is Ornette Lost, implying Ornette married Lizzie Haines. 

Solitude blinked. This woman couldn’t know her; Soli didn’t recognize anything about her, except the record currently playing. She hesitated, and then pointed to the record, saying, “That’s a pretty song.” The woman smiled slightly. “It is, isn’t it? Do you know the name?” “Do you?” 

The song is “Solitude” by Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong; aka Ellington’s song in All the Wrong Questions. 

“Really?” the woman sighed. “Okay, sweetheart, you run along. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to find my wife before she can fistfight Geraldine Julienne in the lobby.” 

Her wife is Moxie Mallahan, a journalist who would definitely get kicked out of the hotel for fighting Geraldine Julienne. 

“Plumber,” Sunny said, which meant, “Yeah, but she writes those shitty articles from The Daily Punctilio about us, so she deserves it.”  “I thought that was Ms Poe.” Soli said confusedly. 

A reference to Katherine Plumber, the journalist from the musical Newsies.

A reference to Eleanora Poe and Geraldine Julienne being combined into one character in the Netflix adaptation. 

“Klaus Louis Baudelaire, are you suggesting that we have not been having a good time?” Nick said. 

Klaus’s middle name is taken from his actor, Louis Hynes.

“I mean,” Nick said, considering, “The whole ‘VFD’ thing totally explains that weird-ass letter they sent us from Europe.” “What?” Lilac narrowed her eyes. “You remember?” Nick said. “When they went to Europe for, like, two weeks, and sent us that fucked-up letter about how they loved us and that even if life sucked we’d always have each other and all that bullshit?” Lilac, Violet and Klaus groaned. “Oh, fuck, you’re right!” Klaus said. “That makes so much sense now.” Lilac said. 

A reference to “The Letter That Never Came” scene from the 2004 film. 

Chapter Twenty-Six - in which the harpoon is fired

The Baudelaires sighed, and then Nick said, “Yeah, a little suspicious, isn’t it? Your parents burned to death the same night VFD saw fit to drag you all out.”

Highkey reference to the theory that Volunteers kill the parents who don’t want to give their children up for recruitment. 

Violet nodded grimly, while Lilac and Klaus gave Nick careful looks, and Solitude and Sunny gasped quietly. Dewey scanned him with his eyes. “You would get along with Ernest.” he said finally. 

The implication here is that Ernest joined the firestarters partially due to speculation about their parents’ murder, or at the very least, Ernest is incredibly critical of the way VFD is run.  

“You can’t rely on associates.” Count Olaf said. “More comrades have failed me than I can count. Why, Hooky and what’s-her-face double-crossed me just yesterday and let you brats escape, and then stole my submarine!” “Good for her.” Sunny said, almost unfazed, too furious at Olaf to feel much fear at the moment. 

A reference to the meme from Arrested Development:

“How do you know us?” Lilac asked, putting an arm around Violet. The man looked at her sadly. “That’s the wrong question.”

A reference to All the Wrong Questions. 

Chapter Twenty-Seven - in which Nick finally spills 

“Diviso?” Sunny asked, which meant, “What if they try to split us up?” 

“Diviso” is a Latin adjective meaning “divided.”

Chapter Twenty-Eight - in which Everything Goes to Shit 

The title is a reference to many of my other fanfictions: In the Stranger Things Superhero AU fic Shatter: Pirouette in the Dark, Chapter Nine was titled “Everything Goes to Shit”, and Chapter Thirty was titled “I already used the title ‘Everything goes to shit’ but I need to use it again”, and people thought that was so funny that it became a running joke in basically all of my fics. 

“Lilac Emily Baudelaire.” “Violet Malina Baudelaire.” “Nick Liam Baudelaire.” “Klaus Louis Baudelaire.” “Solitude Theodora Baudelaire.” “Sunday Theo-dora Bau’elaire!”

The first four children have their middle names from their original actors- Emily Browning, Malina Weissman, Liam Aiken and Louis Hynes.

Solitude and Sunny’s middle names are both Theodora, to further confuse people as to what the S stands for. See: S Theodora Markson, All the Wrong Questions

Nick took a moment to respond. “E-Explorer?” 

Identity crisis! Getting a bit better though. 

“He murdered…” Lilac bit her lip. “He murdered Jacques Snicket!” 

Lilac’s realizing here that that was her uncle. 

They all turned to look at Olaf, who didn’t even look uncomfortable. They wanted him to be uncomfortable. They wanted him to be scared. 

A reference to a line from Shouldn’t You Be In School?: Someone cleared their throat and we both looked back at a tall, masked figure, watching us calmly. Too calmly, I thought. I wanted him worried.

Sunny and Soli were crying, too. “Audit,” Sunny said, meaning, “People never listen to children.” 

“Audit” comes from the Latin verb “audio”, meaning “to listen.” 

They stood up, with Nick lifting Solitude and Violet moving to lift Sunny, and then they walked back together, holding their heads high and ignoring the stares and whispers and chills. They sat again in the front row, still holding onto each other and refusing to let go. 

“Bene?” Sunny asked. “Is that good?”

“Bene” is the Latin word for “good.”

The elevator shot down to the basement, and as it did, Nick and Violet leapt onto Olaf, pummeling him with their fists and trying to rip Justice Strauss away. Olaf shouted, and Lilac and Klaus immediately jumped help, managing to pull Justice Strauss out of his grip as Soli and Sunny screeched and started biting at his ankles, with Babbitt jumping over to the judge so they didn’t get squashed. The siblings had been waiting for this a long while, and they weren’t going to waste time. 

a reference to the original shitpost that inspired this au. 

Chapter Twenty-Nine - in which Sunny turns to Arson 

“Alexandria,” Sunny said, which meant, “Unless she has a backup, you son of a bitchass motherfucker.”

A reference to the Library of Alexandria. 

Chapter Thirty - in which the Baudelaires have had ENOUGH

“And the only fucking reason,” Lilac said, sitting up and grimacing as her stomach wound flared up, “That we haven’t thrown you overboard already is that we might need bait to catch larger fish to eat.”

A slight reference to “Shipwrecked” by The Gothic Archies, which was inspired by The End. 

“Cazzo,” Sunny said, which meant, “Which won’t be long, dickhead.” 

“Cazzo” is an Italian curse word.

Chapter Thirty-One - in which Nick is not taking Ishmael’s bullshit 

“You cannot force me to wear white.” Lilac said.

A reference both to Lilac being incredibly goth, and to her trauma from the Marvelous Marriage, where she was forced into a wedding dress. 

Nick said. “Listen up, you- someone cover Friday’s ears.” Klaus reached forwards and slammed his hands over Friday’s ears. “Alright. Listen up, you bitchass motherfucker.”

I’VE COME TO MAKE AN ANNOUNCEMENT, SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG IS A BITCHASS MOTHERFUCKER-

“I was drugged up once, it’s not fun.” 

I left this to be interpreted in separate ways: one, like Duncan guessed in Part Two: Chapter Twenty, Nick was drugged as part of his torture. Two, like Klaus said in Chapter Twenty-Four, Classical Literature Camp was wild. 

“Yeah, it’s not.” Violet agreed. 

Reference to her being drugged in The Hostile Hospital. 

Chapter Thirty-Two - in which the Baudelaires make camp 

“I feel like we weren’t supposed to do that.” Violet said, as they walked away from the beach.

A reference to me going very off-book. 

Sunny nodded, as they placed them in front of her. “Crusoe,” Sunny said, which meant, “We can drink the milk inside, so long as we don’t allow it to ferment, and I can make us toasted coconut flakes, if you give me some room around the fire.” 

A reference to Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.

“Sandstone,” Sunny said, meaning, “Can someone get me something like a bowl?” 

A reference to her first line in the Netflix series: “Can you find a rock that’s not sandstone?” 

They were silent again, and then Lilac said, “Um, speaking- speaking of hard things to tell- oh.” 

She was going to tell them about her biological father. 

Nick’s face fell. “You’re right, we don’t wanna kidnap.” 

Don’t wanna emulate VFD.

Chapter Thirty-Three - in which the Baudelaires begin to heal 

“Wait.” Friday narrowed her eyes. “Bears don’t live on beaches.” “I know!” Klaus laughed. “Shakespeare had no geographical knowledge whatsoever.”

Once again, a reference to a famous stage direction from William Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale.

“Yeet!” Violet shouted, as she threw herself beside her siblings, and after a second, Lilac flopped over, too. 

A reference to the vine/meme. 

Chapter Thirty-Four - in which Friday goes off-book 

“Kit Snicket?” Lilac shouted. “No, Kit Kittredge.” Solitude sighed.

A reference to the American Girl doll, Kit Kittredge.

Friday sighed and stood up, taking a few steps forwards. She looked at her mother, and her mother’s outstretched arms, and then out at the crowd. Watching her. Waiting for her to listen. And then she stepped back. “No,” she said. “No, I don’t think so.” 

A quick rundown of Friday’s mentality here. 

Chapter Thirty-Five - in which the Baudelaires plan a mutiny 

Klaus nodded. “Cinderella. East of the Sun and West of the Moon. The Juniper Tree. Little Match Girl- might skip that one, actually. Do you want to try to read it?”

Skipping “The Little Match Girl” because she dies at the end. 

“Suit yourself.” said Olaf. “But you know what? I bet those islanders won’t let you back onto Olaf-Land, now that you’ve recruited one of their own.” 

Intentional use of the word “recruit” here, just to taunt them. 

Chapter Thirty-Six - in which we go surprisingly more off-book 

“I know this.” Nick was the first one to move, stepping towards a tall fish statue, the red paint slightly peeling. He shook quite a bit as he ran a hand over it, and Klaus rushed over to put an arm around him. “We were trapped in here. How… how did we fit in here? Klaus, how did we fit?”

A reference to the fact the Red Herring statue can be seen in the arboretum in the Netflix adaptation. 

Nick turned to Klaus, eyes wide. “We did fit? We were in here? I didn’t make that up?”

A very lowkey reference to We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson; Uncle Julian sometimes doubts the traumatic arsenic incident that paralyzed him and killed the rest of the family really happened. 

Chapter Thirty-Seven - in which Lilac has a costume change 

“Why would I-” Violet asked as Lilac grabbed a knife, drew it up to one of her braids, and chopped it off. Violet leapt to her feet and gasped, while Nick’s dropped his marker in shock. Soli and Sunny let out tiny shrieks, as Friday stared and Klaus said, “Lilac!” “I need to think.” Lilac said, and she grabbed another braid and chopped it off. “And this hair is getting in my way!” “Lilac-” Klaus started forwards, but she held up a hand to stop him, and then grabbed her loose hair and started cutting. Her braids fell to the floor of the tree, as she kept cutting to get rid of the strands that could reach her face. Within a few moments, her hair was cut even shorter than the boys’, with only a small, thin braid on the side of her head.

Firstly, a reference to the fact the dramatic haircut is my favorite trope of all time. 

Secondly, specifically and heavily inspired by the scene in IT: Chapter One when Beverly Marsh cuts her hair. 

“Oh, fuck yeah! Deus ex Rana to the rescue!” Klaus said, rushing over first. 

“Rana” is the Latin word for “frog.” 

Chapter Thirty-Eight - in which the Medusoid causes a ruckus 

“Hey!” Lilac shouted, stepping forwards. “What in the nine circles of hell is going on here?”

A reference to Dante’s Inferno. 

“So are you, my dear.” Olaf said. He eyed her with his shiny eyes. “Why’d you do that to your hair? It makes you look much less pretty.” 

Unfortunately, another reference to Beverly’s haircut in IT: Chapter One: this was the response it elicited from her abusive father. 

Chapter Thirty-Nine - in which man hands on misery to man 

Solitude looked to her, narrowing her eyes, a seemingly insignificant memory floating back to her. “Question mark.” she said, “Beast.”

When she realizes some stuff about Ellington’s statue. 

Kit looked at her, and Lilac saw in her eyes that her choice not to take the apple had nothing to do with her child. 

TRIGGER WARNING: SUICIDE 

It’s often theorized in canon, and confirmed in this fic, that Kit was suicidal, which was why she decided not to take the apple.

Chapter Forty - in which the Baudelaires go on together 

“We didn’t.” Sunny said, putting a hand on Lilac’s leg. “We have each other.”

A callback to “We lost everything.” “Except each other.” 

“We don’t need to escape.” Violet said. She turned to Lilac. “Do you remember that musical, based on that movie, based on that movie, based on that book-”

The song they proceed to sing, “Finale”, is from the musical The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which is based on the Disney movie, which takes a lot of inspiration from the 1939 film, which was based on the Victor Hugo novel.

Also I made a gifset with those lyrics and I’m still very proud of it. 

“I know.” Violet nodded. “I… I guess we can’t lock you in the closet anymore, huh?” Her smile only lasted a few seconds. “I’m sorry. Just trying to cheer you up.” 

A reference to the one-shot. 

They never told Bea she had the same shine in her eyes as her father. She didn’t need to know. 

Bea is biologically Olaf’s daughter. 

Solitude found all the herpetology books, which Klaus and Friday read to her. She furnished Babbitt’s habitat, and let her hair grow out so that she could braid it.

Just like her big sister Lilac. 

“A statue normally wouldn’t mean anything,” Violet had told Friday, “But, well, Nick found some interesting accounts, didn’t you, Nick?” “Li’s Dad is a wordy motherfucker,” Nick said, tossing a file that had been slipped into a bowl of honeydew melons, “But yeah, I did.” 

Huge reference to All the Wrong Questions. 

Chapter Forty-One / Epilogue - in which Beatrice leaves the island

“Well, maybe we only have to last a year until Lilac turns eighteen, and then we spend our fortune on pop tarts and Pokémon cards.” Solitude said.

A reference to this Alex Hirsch tweet:

“We’ll have to come up with fake names.” Solitude giggled. “I’ll be Sensible.” “You will not, I called dibs!” Sunny shouted.

A reference to Netflix!Sunny’s name in @ornettelosts‘s Nine Baudelaires AU. Love ya, Sammie! :D

“I still wanna know how Babbitt had-” Nick began, but Klaus slapped a hand over his mouth. 

“I still wanna know how Babbitt had sex.” 

Lilac ran her hands over the title. “Yeah. Let’s leave this behind.” She smiled and said, “Time to go. Sound off! One!” 

They’re leaving their series of unfortunate events behind. 

Lilac smiled and said, “Let’s go find something new.” 

There’s always something. 

Perhaps, in ten years, Beatrice would have a much happier message for her uncle than he expected.

A reference to The Beatrice Letters and, lowkey, the happier version of it in Netflix’s adaptation of The End.