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rosesloveletters · 2 years

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Slow Dancing.

pairing: Tony Montana x Reader

word count: 3,304

warnings: language (Tony himself deserves a warning label)

summary: As reader and Tony settle in to their new life of luxury, they find less and less time to spend with each other; reader and Tony reconvene on the open-air balcony, brought together by the press of their bodies, soft music and strong-willed determination.

notes: let me preface this by saying: I wasn’t going to post this. I doubt anyone’s going to read this so I’ll keep my notes brief. I’ve wanted to write about Tony for a little over a month now & this is my first attempt. I don’t know why I felt the need to write this, but what can I say? I had fun & that’s the most important part I guess. Enjoy~

You expelled a breath of air you’d been holding in your lungs for far too long; you were finally alone and you liked it that way, for the most part. Tonight was the night that all your inner demons crashed to a head, like the harsh, undulating waves against the hot sands of Miami beach, and came crawling out from the cracks of your outward façade to visit you unpleasantly under cover of night. These greedy, gluttonous spirits devoured your confidence, self-worth and left behind no more than a hollow shell; once ready to take on the world, you now bent and bowed beneath the weight of your own anxiety and stress like willow branches reaching towards the Earth in melancholy regalement. It wasn’t until the night came and you found yourself alone and occupying one of the quiet balconies at the rear of the large estate that your mind had begun to process all that you attempted to push aside. With nowhere else to turn, your thoughts blazed through your cognition with dizzying rapture, formidable with the pressure they caused inside your skull. Your brain pulsed as if from headache, but you felt no pain aside from the crippling realization of how alone you finally were and how little you were enjoying it now.

The swelteringly humid nighttime Floridian air only added to your discomfort, but the night sounds soothed your aching spirit and the gentle breeze blowing in from the northeast made it tolerable enough to stand being outside for longer than a full minute. You felt trapped indoors most of the time, desperate to free yourself from that stage of captivity like a tiger pacing the length of its ill-suited enclosure. Perhaps that very turmoil within yourself had led to you acquiring control over Tony’s large, exotic feline and provided it with the natural habitat it needed in order to thrive, one which you could not give to yourself and therefore could only be given to the next best and deserving living being.

Tony had not fought you on this, grateful was he to have your help on something he did not have time away from his work to handle himself. You were aware how helpless he felt sometimes, as if he believed he possessed the capability of handling everything on his own and could not rely on anyone else to keep things up to par and meet his necessary standards. That belief and strain on his personal resources rendered itself into helplessness when he concluded that he could not, in fact, do as much as he liked to think he could all on his lonesome.

However, Tony despised handing things off to you that were not your responsibility and even though he thought it was important that you had something worth working for, he wanted your life to remain as uncomplicated as possible. He wanted to provide for you, yet the importance of self-discipline and hard work was a lesson he wanted you to respect as much as he did.

He did not see what you saw, all the little tasks which continued to pile up that often fell by the wayside; no one else remembered to take care of them and you found yourself responsible for more things than you felt plausible for one person to handle and keep up with comfortably. Someone had to do them, you reminded yourself, and Tony was already more than busy with more than he could even handle. You both had wanted this, you often reminded yourself, and you were not the type to sit around all day without a care in the world.

Hiring household workers was always an option; with the money he had, Tony could pay anyone to do just about anything, and you knew that he would if only you should say the word, but that was not the way you had been raised. Early in life you had been taught the importance of having independence and responsibility without relying on someone else to clean up your messes. It was something which impressed Tony, albeit frustrated him about you. You kept yourself busy and felt it important to always do so. You won some and lost some, you supposed, because Tony could be as much agreeable as he was stubborn.

Only occasionally did you become so overwhelmed that you wished you could stop time and, if only for a few seconds, the world would cease turning and you’d get a moment’s peace to catch your breath. This fast-paced world was only quickening its pace from a jog to a full-on sprint and the days never seemed long enough to allow for completing every task which demanded your attention. There were times when there was less to do and you had more time for each other, but ever since Tony had bought himself this grand Miami estate and had security features installed amongst every dark, secluded corner, things had become strained like a rubber band pulled taut till it was ready to snap. His paranoia seemed to strengthen and raged within him like a wildfire; most days did he keep to himself in his office until the night came and then would he seek you out. The two of you had moments of quiet, still, or would find the time to relax in the bathtub side by side and watch whatever came on the television before retiring to your bedroom for the night.

You had decided that this night would be different.

Having put aside your unfinished list of chores, decidedly taking a well-deserved break, you turned on your stereo and left the door ajar as you stepped onto the open-air balcony and leaned on the metal railing as you peered out into the blackness beyond. As your pupils dilated to allow more light in, dark shapes in the night began to evolve into stately palm trees and other various native plant life and tended landscaping. You could hear the musical bubbling of the fountains at a distance, just above the sound of the actual music playing out in the background from beyond the open door to your back. The grounds themselves were beautiful; often did you go for walks around the villa during the day and admired the natural works of flora art.

You could not remember the last time you’d had this much time on your hands, to think such things or to appreciate them. You closed your eyes to the outside stimuli and focused on the music. The gentle melody drifted through the open door and the notes unfurled into the night, the honeyed voice on the record played to all your senses and put your heart at ease. Music helped you escape from the realities which plagued you; Tony had, in fact, bought you most of your records and enjoyed listening to them with you on nights he found himself in the mood for it. It filled you with great wonderment and hopeful promise, to listen to the words poured forth from someone else’s soul that somehow held the power of your own within them, even though the both of you were strangers. How funny it seemed to you, but still made sense nonetheless.

Slowly did your body begin to sway to the music seemingly of its own accord and volition. You kept your eyes closed, making pretend that the world as you knew it was no more and all that was left was the sound of the music, your own breathing and heartbeat matching the song note for note, beat for beat. A quiet reverence for the moment unfolding in its midst, the rest of the world faded against the starlit tapestry before you as you painted yourself back into primary existence.

You almost forgot to breathe…

"You look like you could use some company."

A male voice, heavily accented and recognizably Cuban in its origin, snapped you out of your imaginings and you spun around, eyes wide and heart racing startlingly fast. Before having a chance to respond, Tony smiled wide at you with a genuine gleam in his eye that you would’ve sworn you had not seen in him for months. So rare was it for him to crack a smile like that, you’d almost forgotten what the sight of it looked like or how it made you feel. You heart must’ve skipped a beat inside your chest because you faltered then, at a sudden loss for words as you wracked your scattered brain for an appropriate response.

Tony did not want to wait that long; he stepped across the threshold and onto the balcony with you. If he noticed your sudden inability to find the right words to say, he did not address it. You clenched your jaw, every cautious inch of you aware of him and his presence and your skin prickled, a shiver forcing its way down your spine despite the oppressive humidity and you felt your soul reaching towards his, the ghost of your essence taking hold of him before your corporeal form could lift a finger in his direction.

You had always liked his voice and the way he spoke. It was not often that you felt unique or special, but in those moments where he spoke to you, only you, were you forced to acknowledge the fact that you were.

Somehow, he knew where to find you, probably following the sound of the music up to your room only to discover the balcony door ajar and you, beyond. He came closer, far enough for you to make out the details of his person up close as he swept an arm around your waist, then the other, and encased you against his front as he continued to grin fondly at you in the pale moonlight.

It was then that you realized what he was doing; you let yourself be taken in on a whim, pulled against his solid body under the clear night sky as the music shifted into a quieter, dreamlike tune, a slow tempo that warmed you from the inside out, cradling you just like Tony’s arms now did against the small of your back. You stumbled a little over his shoes in your bare feet and that made him smile more, his arms tightening their hold on you until you righted yourself and grasped the backs of his shoulders, arms slipping themselves underneath of his.

You drank in the scent of him through his unbuttoned shirt collar: cigar smoke and alcohol, mostly. His strong presence enveloped you and all that was left to your imagination was being in his arms; nothing else were you capable of thinking in any moment, now or next. Your stresses and anxieties left you as they flooded out of you in a great purge of emotion and you clung to him tighter, both of your bodies swaying to the light tempo emanating from the stereo in your bedroom.

Tony couldn’t dance; you had seen for yourself the damage he could do on the dancefloor at the Babylon, the thoughts of which never failed to bring a smile to your face, but this was something else entirely. You relied on each other’s movements to guide you, bodies connected and arms around the other to steady yourselves on the dimly lit porch. The two of you were pressed so close together that to the naked eye you barely seemed to move, but your heart was beating hard and fast against Tony’s as you held him, chests touching and bumping against the other’s. You loved to hug him, your hearts connecting between layers of skin, muscle and bone as they beat together, for one another. You didn’t get quiet moments like this, not often, and when you did it meant so much more to you than you could have put into words.

Tony kissed your forehead, his unique voice breaking the silence, not your chagrin but to your relief as he smiled, “I would have come out earlier if it wasn’t so fuckin’ hot. What are you doing out here?”

His tone was unassuming, but you could tell he was concerned, else why would he have asked?

You lifted your head and met his gaze, deep brown eyes darkened by the night and the black shirt he wore. Glittering gold chains looped around his neck and peeked from his beneath the collar, unbuttoned to mid-chest to spare himself from heat exhaustion, and capturing what small amount of light bled outward from the well-lit room only a few feet away. You resisted the urge to touch them with your fingertips and instead did you finally find your voice, laughing airily at his comment about the heat, “I needed a break. It’s just as stuffy inside the house.”

If you hadn’t been looking at him you might’ve missed how his eyes narrowed slightly in either confusion or recognition, you were not sure which, but he heard you clearly, more intrigued by what you didn’t say than what you did. You sensed he was apologetic, except this time he kept his mouth shut while you looked at him and you were not sure if it was because he felt like there was nothing he could say to make things better or because the moment spoke for itself, so much so that he needn’t say anything at all. Perhaps you were wrong on all fronts, only Tony would know, but the way he looked at you made things clearer: if nothing else, there was love.

There was so much you wanted to tell him then, screaming it all in your mind because you couldn’t put it into words for what it was without stumbling over each syllable like it was a chore in and of itself to get the words past your lips. You didn’t need anything fancy, the flash, the luxury, the striking clothes, the fast cars or the overstated mansion you both had made into a home. All you needed were moments like this; your idea of heaven on earth stood before you now and dared to call you nothing but his own, the sheer self-confidence it took on his part to demand such made you tingle. That was all that you would ever need from him. That, and nothing else.

You eased into his embrace, shoulders slackening and you let your head fall against his shoulder. One of his hands idly rubbed your back as he swayed with you, “it’ll get easier,” he reassured you as he looked out over the tended grounds below on the quiet manor and you silently wondered if he believed what he said, “once we can catch a fuckin’ break, we’ll be unstoppable. It’s gonna be okay, baby. It’ll all be okay. If you trust me, I can prove it to you.”

Tony had always been one of two things: full of bullshit or full of himself. His self-confidence made him bulletproof, insusceptible to words, perceptions and, sometimes, even actual bullets. He believed in himself, his capabilities and that if he worked hard enough, he could have anything his heart desired.

At first glance, he was a just a small frame swimming inside a suit that was comically almost too big for him, figuratively and literally, both in style and in price, but anyone who looked at Tony Montana for too long learned the harsh realities and falsehoods of this initial perception. There was a fire that burned inside of Tony that not many other people had and that was what pushed him to the top. That, and his pugnacious tenacity of spirit and desire to rise above the rest.

His mouth might have told lies, but his eyes did not. Tony’s brutal and somewhat conflicted relationship with honesty and trust betrayed him most of the time. He could have said everything he wanted to say in one breath, only because he spoke from the heart. He meant what he said and he never hesitated. Even if you did not like what Tony had to say, at least he was never afraid to say it and lay it all on the line. Tony’s raw honesty impressed you and you wondered how someone like him got to where they were if they spoke like that, but that jarring reality was just it: no one else had the confidence of someone like Tony Montana. No one else lingered in your mind like the tattoo kisses he adorned your skin with as if it were fine jewelry. It pleased you to know that he was one of a kind, full of heart in all ways not just one, and as authentic as they come.

You tilted your head and kissed the underside of his jaw, angling your lower body till your hips connected with his which he acknowledged with a soft grunt, “it’s been difficult not seeing much of you,” you whispered breathily against his bare skin, damp with sweat and glistening in the light, “I know you’re busy, but…I miss you.”

Tony rested his chin on your shoulder and he squeezed you with fervor even though the humidity made his skin sticky and, though he’d not been outside for long, he felt like he needed a cold shower to cleanse the sweat off him. The breeze had died down now; he felt stifled and annoyed because of it but he didn’t care. He needed to feel you close to him, no matter what it took from him to get there. You deserved that kindness, that much was owed, but Tony did not have to buy your love.

“I missed you too.”

His confirmation made your heart swell with relief to know that he felt it too; the loss of connection was almost too much for you and you knew Tony would personally see to it that he spent more time with you, away from the headaches and tension of his and your work. There were things he could grudgingly pass off to Manny if he needed to, time allotted could be better spent elsewhere, he reasoned, and you were much more important to him than to risk losing you amid all else he had achieved. You made it all worth it, as cliché as it sounded.

He needed someone as strong and as capable as you by his side, how else could he have made it to the top so quickly? He was emboldened by you, strengthened in your presence and made whole again after so long of not knowing what that was supposed to feel like.

He spun you and now your back was to the open door, your body silhouetted in the lamp light from inside, but you could see all of him now and the way his eyes shined darkly like stars in the sky far above your heads. The raised scar tissue on his left cheek was a shade lighter than the rest of his skin and your eyes gravitated to it, highlighted in the light. You kissed the old injury like you had so many times before and the forced exhale of breath from him told you he was in good spirits about it. He liked that you paid attention to all of him, the bad memories as well as the good.

The song that was playing was nearing its end and you let yourself get swept up in the feel of Tony’s body pressing into yours and in the finality of that moment, you realized you could have asked Tony for the world and he would not have rested until he found a way to give it to you. Only, what more could you need when your entire world was staring straight into your eyes from only mere inches away?

You didn’t need anything at all from him, except for him.

‘Slow dancing, with you.’

#tony montana #tony montana imagine #tony montana x reader #scarface #scarface imagine #scarface x reader #al pacino #I have reached rock bottom goodbye for the next 20 years #biblio :: 📖

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whitexwingedxdoves · 3 years

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a love like war | part one

Sequel to The Other Side

Pairing: Negan x Reader Pronouns: She/her Warnings: Language, Violence Summary: Despite your best efforts you just cant seem to avoid Negan A/N: SHES HERE. IM EXCITED <3 Again all the thanks goes to @jinxeee <3 Tags: @aubageddon91

“You belong to me” he whispered, catching you off guard and it showed “you always will” he added before you stepped away from the man, the confused look creasing your soft face as you reached for the door.

“Go to hell” you snapped before leaving the room, once you were outside you pressed yourself against the brick wall to catch your breath

You avoided the gardens like the plague after your interaction with Negan and it brought up some questions with Daryl, he’d grill you day after day, asking what was wrong until you had enough and told him everything. At first he was taken back by the assumption you and he were somewhat an item but he soon channelled that into anger, he hated the idea of you and Negan. He’d tell you, you deserved so much better than him and of course you’d agree. After that day, he promised to stay by you whenever you went out to the gardens so that Negan couldn’t corner you, and he thought he could get some revenge of his own by purposely flirting with you whenever the prisoner was watching. Of course his flirting was much more subtle than what you usually encountered, he’d pick you a fresh strawberry and tuck your hair behind your ear every so often but mostly he made you laugh to the point you’d forget that any one could be watching. You’d scold him when you’d get home at night but you’d never tell him you enjoyed knowing Negan would think of nothing else in his cell at night.

You felt confident walking through the gardens on your own today, you did your job checking up on people as you inspected the quality of the crops all while your face flushed red, attempting to avoid Negan’s stare. You left his section until last, thinking you could quickly get it done and leave before he had a chance to say anything to you but of course, that was too good to be true. Brandon stood over Negan as you approached but quickly dropped his weapon to his side as you did, he looked eager to ask you something “Im really sorry Y/N but I ain’t feeling all too good and there aint no one else I can ask'' You took a deep breath anticipating his question “Do you mind taking watch while I visit the doctor?” you cleared your throat before taking the spear he held in his hand from him, sending him a small smile and a nod.

“Sure” you watched as he hurried along to the infirmary, your heart dropping once you noticed you were now alone with the one man you didn’t want to be alone with.

You looked down at the man who was already staring back up at you with a wide smile, you rolled your eyes and turned your attention back to the rest of the garden. “You know when I first saw you sat on that rock, covered in all that shit” he started, pulling at weeds from the ground before turning slightly to face you “I still though, my god is she beautiful” his tone made you snap back to his direction, scoffing at his words

“Did you think I was beautiful when you locked me up in your little torture chamber?” you spat back at the man, he held his hands up defensively, his smirk seemingly disappearing.

“I never apologised for that” his tone was much softer now but you still shook your head at him

“It’s a little late for apologies now, Negan,” the man sighed at your truth, and turned back to the weeds, pulling at the leaves while biting down on his bottom lip.

“I am. Sorry that is. If I had known- I can’t help but think how different everything would be” he sounded defeated which pulled at your heart a little until you realise who you were talking to.

“It’s gonna take more than a meaningless apology for me to forgive you” you didn’t mean for it to come out as a hiss but it did. Your eyes now scanning the area to track down someone to take over for you, Negan surprisingly stayed quiet as you did just that. You signalled for someone to come over before you looked back down at Negan. “I don’t think I’ll ever forgive you for what you did to me” you whispered before handing the spear to the man who saved you from Negan duty.

The next day you gathered before the council, you stood by Daryl as you listened to Gabriel explain a situation with a hoard of walkers and his plan for getting rid/diverting it. He put together some teams of people and explained their jobs, Daryl and Michonne were to take down any walker that strayed from the path and Aaron, Eugene and Rosita were to divert the crowd into the next town and attempt to trap them there. You embraced Michonne and Daryl as they left the room, wishing them luck and warning them to be safe, just as you were about to leave Gabriel called on you to stay behind for a moment.

You waited behind like he had asked, waving goodbye as people passed you. “Thank you for waiting” Now that the room had cleared, Gabriel took a few steps closer to you, you flashed him a smile and perched yourself on a desk that stood behind you.

“What can I do for you?” you questioned, oblivious to his intentions. He gave you a warm smile as he paced before you

“I want you out there too. I haven’t forgot that you were one of the best back at the sanctuary and think its time we put our skills to good use!” you couldn’t disagree with him, you pushed your lips together as you nodded at his words, waiting for further instructions. “I want you – I want you to go out there and keep the walkers on the right path” you cocked a brow at the man, you figured Daryl and Michonne already had that covered but he seemed convinced they may need extra help. “I also would like for you to take Negan with you”

You wondered if you had heard him correctly as you pushed yourself away from the desk “I'm sorry? You want me to take who?” You scoffed at the man when he repeated the prisoners name, shaking your head at his suggestion. “The man who left me in a room to die, that Negan?” your words tasted a little salty as you questioned the priest, his head hung low as he took a deep breath.

“I see how he acts when you’re around. I have faith he will keep you safe!” you rolled your eyes at his words, chewing on the corner of your mouth as you thought of all the possibilities of being left alone out there with Negan “He’s a good fighter, we need that!” He added, walking closer to you before placing a hand on your shoulder, you avoided his stare as you looked down at your feet. “We can’t let anything bad happen to you but Negan? He’s a life I’m willing to risk for the safety of the community” Eventually he broke you down enough to get you to agree with his ridiculous plan. Before you even left the gates, you warned Negan not to speak a word to you, threatening his life if he even breathed in your direction and off you went, leading the man to your station.

Negan seemed to keep to his promise and not a word was spoken during your time travelling, when you reached your spot there were already a couple of stray walkers roaming around. Reluctantly you handed Negan a knife and watched him run off to kill the walkers, you offered no help as you stood back and watched him take down each walker, he barely had time to rest when the next set came limping over to him. You decided to sit down in the grass, drinking out of your canteen ignoring his struggles. By this point he must have killed over 20 of those things, he was panting and sweating yet you did nothing to resolve his exhaustion. It felt like it was the perfect display of karma, like the world had finally given you what you had been asking for, for years. The walkie on your hip started to buzz before Rosita’s voice spilled through the speakers notifying you that their plan worked and they would see you all back at Alexandria, Michonne’s was next claiming that she and Daryl didn’t have a lot of strays and they were ready to head home. You thought it was best you didn’t reply, none of them actually knew you were out there and you didn’t want them to panic.

You looked up at Negan, he had a couple walkers on him but you figured after they had gone, you’d be fine to head home too. You picked yourself up and brushed off any dirt that may have collected over time and turned on your heels to get the car started. What you didn’t expect was the dead that seemed right on your tail, You grappled with the creature before it took you down. You managed to keep it at arms length but you knew if you reached for your knife it would get you, you called out for help as you struggled to hold its weight. It felt like you were under the dead for a while, the feeling far too familiar as it snapped its jaws at you, suddenly the snapping stopped and the body became limp over the top of you, allowing you to throw it off to the side.

A hand reached out for you to grab and you did, a little too hazy to realise who’s hand it was. Once you were on your feet, your gaze met Negan’s and you allowed a small sigh to pass your lips “Thanks” you whispered, brushing off your clothes “you know if you’d have left me to die, you’d be free right now” you added, disguising your grateful words.

“Na, wouldn't be worth it” you cocked your brow at the man now you had finished cleaning your clothes, he shrugged at you a small smirk gracing his features, his tongue caressing his bottom lip. “the five minutes a day I get to see you, is worth way more than freedom”

#negan twd #negan #twd negan #negan smith #the walking dead #jeffrey dean morgan #negan fanfiction #twd negan fanfiction #twd fanfiction #negan x reader #negan x you #negan x y/n #twd negan x you

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jmeddows2 · 5 years

Text

Purple Thunder (Roger Taylor Series) - Part 6

(present/old) Roger Taylor x Reader

Summary: The relationship between Roger and Reader takes a huge turn as they get closer than they’ve ever been before. They also confess something to each other which has been long overdue

Notes: I hope y'all are ok with the fact that this is a bit different than everything that’s been happening before. Please let me know if you want more of it in the future or not. I appreciate every single one of you that is still sticking around. :) I have used Taylor Swifts lyrics of the song ‘Daylight’. also, this is a mobile update, sorry if it’s a bit fucked up

Warnings: cursing, cheating, smut

Words: 2.1k

This chapter is dedicated to @oldfashionedlovergirlsblog for giving me a few prompts to work with :)

The next day in the studio was restless. Especially for Roger.

Brian basically warned him about how things between him and you could never EVER work.

“Think about he future” Brian said. “She is young and you're far from that, Rog. She'll want to marry, have kids.. Do you really want to hold her back from living life like that? Throw away everything you’ve establish with Sarina? “

The words kept repeating in his head as he watched you set up your microphone on the other side of the room. He watched you as you were standing there, excitement in your eyes and a crumbled up, folded piece of paper in your hand. You carefully opened the paper, trying not to bruise it any more.

He saw you wave at him with a smile and your lips moving. Too lost in thought, forgetting to press the button that let your voice shine through the speakers.

“Oh sorry, what was it, (Y/N)?” Roger’s voice was quiet, his eyes half lidded in thought and his mouth in a small line.

“is everything alright? “ you asked, he put on a fake smile gave you a thumbs up and pressed a button and the playback started rolling.

“My love was as cruel as the cities I lived in

Everyone looked worse in the light

There are so many lines that I’ve crossed unforgiven

I'll tell you the truth but never goodbye”

The sound changed, you changed. But the sad look on Roger’s face remained. “I’ll tell you the truth but never goodbye”? He thought it must be obviously about Josh. That all of this was a mistake and now you felt guilty. He wanted to leave the studio, stop keeping his hopes up high, hoping that Brian was wrong all along.

“Could we do that again? I’m not so sure about this first verse” you called from the other side.

“Sure” he replayed the whole sequence when the first chorus kicked in.

“I don’t wanna look at anything else now that I saw you

I don’t wanna think of anything else now that I thought of you” he still didn’t get the memo, even when you tried to make eye contact with him. He never looked your way.

“I’ve been sleeping so long in a 20 year dark light

And now I see daylight, I only see daylight”

“so how was it? ” you hurried through the door, in anticipation for his opinion.

“great” he kept his head down, pretending to set everything up for the next song.

“didn’t you like it? Why are you acting so strange?”

“s’alright”

“no, something is wrong”

“That’s where you are right! I’m married for God’s sake. “ he blurted out with a raised voice, throwing his hands in the air.

You felt your heart brea. And the hot tears started to dribble down your cheeks. You didn’t even know what to say anymore. Roger was trying his best not to give in and show his feelings, to apologize for his sudden outburst, but he remained in his seat.

“Then why did you treat me like you care? The kiss, the holding hands? In the restaurant when he you kept touching me? It didn’t mean anything? “

The guilt was eating him alive.

“is that why you acted so strange earlier? Because you-“

“Do you really want to know why I acting ‘strange’? “Roger interrupted looking into your eyes. “this” he gestured his finger between the two of you. “could never work. We have no future! you’ll want to get married sometime, have kids and I’m not sure if I would want that anymore. I’d either be much older than now or even dead. I don’t want to be the one holding you back. Besides, we both have partners”

“yeah we do. But I want you, Roger”

He shook his head. “you don’t get it”

“please tell me. Tell me what I don’t get? “

“that I’m trying so hard. So hard not to think about you. To think about what you’re doing when we’re not here in the studio. Or if you’re ever thinking about me like I keep thinking about you all the time. You’ve been on my mind since the night we first met. No! Even before that you consumed my thoughts, making up scenarios of how I would be able to have even a hint of a chance,if I was just about your age now. It’s so hard to keep myself away from you. Then I make a move and Brian said-“

“I don’t care what anyone else thinks, Roger. How could you ever think of not having a chance? I should be the one asking you that” He stepped closer to you, close enough to take your face in both of his hands, wiping your wet cheeks with his thumbs.

“I just don’t want to fuck this up. You’re way too important to me”

Your heart started to race as he traced his thumb along your bottom lips.

“I'm in love with you, (Y/N) “

He closed the space between the two of you and you felt your lips brush, the bristles of his beard scratched against your soft cheeks. He was quick to gently brush the pad of his thumb to over your slightly bruised skin.

“I’m in love with you too, Roger” he pulled you into a tight hug, burying your face into his chest, making you feel warm inside and out.

He gently placed you down on the bed, crawling towards you until he was hovering over you.

"You have no idea how much I want you right now“ he growled as you sat up a little to remove your shirt. He was hovering above you, peppering kisses all over your still clothed breasts, continuing along your stomach, earning several moans from you.

"Is it ok if I-“ you nodded, allowing him to take off your trousers. By the time his attention was back on your upper body, the bra was taken off.

"Wow“ he breathed. "You‘re so beautiful! I‘m the luckiest man on this planet.“ you smirked, pulling him down to you, giving him a passionate kiss. He turned his attention to your neck, kissing slowly, savoring your scent as you fiddled with the buckle of belt, then finally freeing his member. He was half hard already and dripping precum when you gripped him, pumping his length a few times but Roger stopped you.

"I want to make you feel good tonight, my love“

His lips were still on your neck, one hand on your right boob, squeezing firmly, making your nipple erect. He continued pinching it between his and index finger before moving on to your other boob. He made his way down to your tummy, his beard scratching along with the movements of his mouth and your breathing got heavier the closer he got to your core.

He asked for permission once again, taking your panties off, you answered with a nod.

Roger positioned himself between you legs, his eyes fixated on your flower.

"So beautiful“ he whispered, planting gentle kisses to your inner thighs, making his way closer and closer to your already dripping core.

Roger flatened his tongue out to lick a long stripe along your folds. It felt so good as he tasted you entirely, getting him even more excited. He wrapped his arms around your legs, to gain more access, soaking his lips in your wetness. His tongue brushed over your precious pearl, earning a string of moans from your mouth as your hand reached out for his messy, white hair.

He gently inserted one of his experienced fingers into your wetness.

"Oh my, you‘re so tight." he thrusted in and out, watching your chest rise and fall, bringing his tongue back to flick it across your clit. You gasped as he inserted another finger and sped up his movements, hitting all the right spots, quicky bringing you to your high as he watched you fall apart.

He removed his fingers and his mouth dived back into your wetness. "You taste... so delicious“ he licked you, then his slick fingers clean.

Roger was now rock hard. You tried to reach for his member, but he pinned your hands left and right to your head.

"I said I want to make you feel good tonight“ with a cheeky smile he leaned down to kiss you again. This time very passionately, making you taste yourself on his tongue.

He was in between your legs, holding his cock in his hand, teasing your clit with his tip to spread your juices all over it.

"Are you sure you want to do this?“ he asked softly.

"Yes, I love you.“

"I love you too, darling“ he slowly pushed in, his thick shaft stretching and disappearing into you, earning a moan from you.

" God you‘re so tight. Might need to give me a minute here, I‘m not used to it.. fuck so fucking tight“ he looked deep into your eyes, and your hand found its way into his hair. You were biting your lip even thinking about how the two of you are connected in this very moment.

After a short while he started to slowly thrust in and out of you.

"You fill me so good Roger.“ you moaned feeling eager, pushing your hips together with his, making him go even deeper. He almost slided all the way out, before pushing even harder back in.

"God Rog.. I think I‘m..“

"Let go love, cum all over my cock“

A last hard thrust and his fast fingers on your clit made you clench down on him, making you see stars in the process.

The sensation of your tight pussy made Roger feel the cum rising in his balls. His strong hands were digging into your waist, making sure to leave his marks, pushing his cock deeper and deeper into you with each thrust.

He leaned forward and pinned your arms again, intertwining his finger with yours. He was in complete control.

"I‘m going to cum“ he moaned.

"Cum inside me Roger“

Keeping eye contact, he buried himself as deep as possible into you as he released his seed. Your body was trembling from the sudden rush of another orgasm.

Roger collapsed on top of you, nuzzling his head into your neck as he panted heavily. You brought your hand to gently stroke his back, then into his hair, trying to calm him down. You could feel his cock soften inside of you.

"Who knew an old man like me still has it in him, huh?“ he chuckled against your neck.

"Dork“ you pulled him down to you and gave him a peck. "I don't want to hear you say that again. You I don't care about your age! ....that was pretty amazing though" you said with a smile.

"See? But I agree. Only because of you though. I love you so much, (Y/N)"

"I love you too"

He gently slid out of you and his cum started oozing.

"I‘ll run you a bath, love“

"No Rog, wanna lay with you“

"Ok let me at least grab a towel for you“ he rolled from the bed and went to the bathroom.

" top shelf on the right“ you called after him.

After cleaning yourselves up, you cuddled into his bare chest. He kept playing with the ends of hair and tracing circles along your skin until you fell asleep to the steady rhythm of his heart beat.

You woke up to the chirping of birds, slowly opening yours to find Roger’s strong arms around you.

You lifted you head a little only to find two blue sparkling eyes looking into yours.

"G’morning beautiful"

"Good morning handsome”

You took his right arm to have a closer look on his tattoos, tracing your fingertips along the inked skin. He smiled in awe as you kept inspecting his arm. There was no spot of skin left that hasn’t been painted in ink and you admired it.

"I could take you to get one yourself” he said making a motion for you to lay back on his chest. "A tattoo”

There you were now again, with your head on his bare chest, his hand on your bum. And it felt like is was the safest place on the planet.

It was until he spoke the words you never wanted to hear.

"I wish I could staz here withyou. My wife is coming home today"

“Oh”

"It’s going to be so hard, when you’re the only one I wanna wake up next to.” his hand found it’s way into your hair, trying to comfort you.

"But you’re not going to” you rolled of the bed, stormed into the kitchen with him quickly following.

At this point you couldn’t even hold the tears back anymore. He would go home. Not have anymore time for you. Tell his wife he loves her. Spend all day with her. Sleep with her. And you could do nothing about it.

"Please don’t cry! Not because of me. I promise we’re going to sort this out. You and me my love”

A peck on the lips.

And he was gone.

#roger taylor #roger taylor fanfic #roger taylor x reader #Queen #queen + Adam Lambert #old roger taylor #present day roger taylor #purple thunder #roger taylor smut

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ladydragonhawke · 4 years

Text

Breath of the Dragon Chapter 2: It Opens at the Close

Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic.

20 years later after saving all of Amestris, the Elric brothers may have gotten themselves into something worse than human transmutation. Only the strength of their wit and knowledge they gained through their travels can aid them in the trials to come. They'll have to do more than just save Amestris this time, and this time alchemy can do more harm than good.

“Well this is a surprise, normally you’re not dressed till you’ve eaten. Something’s wrong, what is it? The dignitaries?” Lan Fan pondered as she took the nearest seat at a lavishly decorated table. Ling huffed in frustration at the complexity of his royal footwear that was beginning to get him flustered, but that wasn’t the sole reason. “Did you sense or feel anything odd last night?” he huffed, trying to keep his composure.

Chapter 1: A Little Tremor

Chapter 2: It Opens at the Close

It didn’t take long for Edward to hug his young son and daughter goodbye and give a goodbye kiss to Winry. He always had a suitcase ready for situations like this, mostly in preparation for whatever trouble Alphonse got himself into. It was as if the roles reversed with age. Now Edward was the one to cover and protect his brother’s ass. Not that he needed it much in the first place with Zampano and Jerso still tagging along with him. Their search for finding a way to restore their bodies proved fruitless so far, but they were tenacious. It only proved to be more of a challenge, a challenge they looked forward to beating soon. That was until Ling’s call. Edward knew the source of the tremors were indeed alchemy based, but he couldn’t wrap his head around how or why.

“Let’s go Al, daylight’s wasting and Lan Fan said the train from here won’t be making any stops!” Edward shouted past Winry, making her flinch from how loud he was.

“I’m coming, I’m coming.” Alphonse panted loudly.

“I’ll be back soon, I hope. I’ll call you when I get there.” Edward said softly to Winry.

“Don’t make promises you don’t intend to keep. Look just, be careful alright. No heroics.” Winry gave him an affectionate pat on his chest and one last peck on the cheek as Alphonse rounded the corner with two suitcases in hand.

“Jeez Al are you bringing the whole library with you?” Edward joked.

“We don’t know what we’re dealing with, so I’m bringing all of my Alkahestry research. It’s only a few tomes and some papers.” Alphonse stated as he set the suitcase next to Edward’s who promptly tried to lift it and had to strain himself to lift it even a few inches off the ground.

“Only a few tomes he says!” Edward wheezed. A large muscular arm reached past him and grabbed the handle of the suitcase. Edward spun his head around to see he was face to face with Zampano.

“Let me get that. Jerso brought the car around.” He smiled.

“Thanks, Alphonse let’s go! No more books!” Edward turned his attention back to Winry who was just patiently waiting for him to finish. It was always like this when the boys were heading out, she knew better than to try to pry his attention away, it would only frustrate both parties. “Sorry, I promise I will give you a call when I get there.”

“Just tell Lan Fan I said hi for me okay? And don’t forget to oil your automail!” Winry scolded.

With that Edward grabbed his suitcase and started for the door, he gave one last look at Winry and his two kids hugging her legs as he took a deep breath and opened the door. His son was nearing ten years of age and his daughter eight, inside he thought about how his father left him and his brother in much the same way. He hated himself for even comparing himself with Hohenheim. Leaving was always the worst part, and inside he hoped this was only something minor, but his gut said otherwise. He gave a wave to Pinako Rockbell who was sitting in a rocking chair on the porch. She waved back with her pipe in her hand lazily as she watched the boys load up. Zampano had the car door open and waiting as he took Edward’s suitcase and added them to the pile in the trunk. Alphonse came storming out of the door with another two in hand while shouting his goodbyes to Winry. Edward gave an exasperated sigh at the sight and loaded himself into the back seat.

After finally being loaded up with half a library in the trunk they chugged along to the Resembool train station. Nearly everyone there knew the brothers and the two hulks that followed them. Being frequent flyers on the train they knew which seats the boys preferred and made sure they got everything squared away before leaving the station. The train was nearly empty, not many people were heading straight to East City station. The boys made themselves comfortable, while Edward and Alphonse started diving into Xingese lore and Alkahestry. It would be a day’s ride to get to East City, and then another day’s ride to get to Xing. Giving them plenty of time to flit through any and all things Xing with Alphonse as the primary knowledge on the matter. Having spent nearly 15 years collectively in Xing he knew many of the customs and culture.

After arriving at East City, Edward and Alphonse were basically pushed onto the next train without given any time to stretch or relax from the long first day’s ride. As they boarded the next train, they entered their personal cabin to find a familiar face.

“Lan Fan!” Alphonse shouted in surprise.

“Hello Alphonse! Edward. How have you boys been keeping?” Lan Fan smiled and stood from her seat to give them both a friendly hug.

“Doing alright. How’s his highness? Still being a royal pain in the ass?” Edward asked with a grin on his face. He knew how Lan Fan reacted to any insults to her lord but to his surprise she smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

“Emperor Ling is still Ling. I’m here in case you boys have any questions you want to ask on the long ride, and to show you this.” She pulled out the torn and blood-spattered paper with the crude circle drawn on it. “Please tell me you can read any of this.” She sighed exasperatedly. Edward took the paper gingerly trying not to rip or tear the paper any more than it already had. The two brothers stood close to each other studying the circle with great concentration.

“I recognize some of these symbols, but the array, it’s odd.” There was a jolt from the train as it started moving.

“Care to sit down and study it or are you going to stand in the doorway the whole ride?” Lan Fan joked. The brothers took the cue and moved to sit across from one another as Zampano and Jerso took their seats across from themselves. All eyes were on the disheveled paper. Edward and Alphonse would occasionally point out symbols and remark on their origin from possibly Xerxes, then a few Drachma symbols would come to light as Edward would point out. It seemed to be quite the mess that neither brother could make out clearly.

“It’s no good, we’ll have to see the real thing up close. And Ling said it’s in some cave in the east?” Edward finally removed his eyes from the paper to look at a slouched Lan Fan leaning against the window.

“Yes, once we get to Xing, we’ll take a carriage to that village.”

“Not wasting any time, are we? No chance for a food break or anything is there?” Edward whined.

“Once you feel what we’ve been feeling for the past few months, you won’t want to wait either.” Lan Fan turned serious, making Edward straighten.

The rest of the ride was spent trying to decipher what little could be seen on the drawing. All got a few hours of sleep until the train reached it’s final stop. They were hurriedly transported into several carriages, all black in color with the same color horses pulling them. Edward and Alphonse were shoved into one specific one along with Lan Fan who wore a frustrated frown on her face. Once they were in, they looked up to find Ling sitting in wait.

“Ling! Aren’t you…?”

“Supposed to be back in the palace! What are you thinking!” Lan Fan finished with anger. Her shouting could be heard from outside. Ling shushed her as best he could and motioned for her to sit next to him. He wasn’t worried about any retaliation from her with the brothers around but knew he would be getting what for the next time they were alone.

“I’m not about to just sit this one out. You didn’t experience the last one nearly three hours ago. And I’m sure this next one is going to be worse.” Ling’s face made Lan Fan cease her angry tirade. She knew the severity of the situation and promised herself to be mad later.

As if on cue another sudden quake began and lasted a full five minutes before stopping. Edward and Alphonse peeked outside the carriages to find some houses were on their last legs and many of the people were on the ground from the sheer force of the quake. The carriages sustained some damage but were fixed easily with alchemy. Once all things were in order, they took off east.

“You weren’t kidding. And it’s been like this for three months?” Alphonse asked.

“It wasn’t as bad at first, it’s only gotten worse within this last month. I tried to send another group in, but we haven’t made any contact as of yet. I’m seriously starting to worry about this.” Ling stated, with lines of worry on his face.

“I don’t blame you Ling, have any of your guys asked anything from the people in the village?” Edward asked.

“Of course they have, but all we get are tall tales and folklore.”

“There’s always some truth in folktales Ling. You never know. But we’ll see when we get there.” Alphonse said with a sigh.

The rest of the two-hour ride was spent conversing about the possibilities of what may lie in the cave. They also concluded to ask some of the elders of the village about the lore in the area. With sore bottoms and creaking backs, they finally arrived at the small village, the villagers all gathered around to gawk at their arrival. As soon as Ling exited the carriage all bowed low before him.

“Rise good people, I’ve come to ask a few questions of your village elders. May we please meet with them in the nearest home that is available?” Ling announced.

Edward and Alphonse were surprised by his candor and how he carried himself in front of his subjects. They only ever witnessed him being kingly once during his coronation. One of the elders, an old man by around eighty years of age, stepped forward toward Ling but were stopped by armed guards. They were ordered to back off, angrily by Ling.

“My home is always open to you my lord. There we can discuss the source of these tremors. This is why you’re here is it not?” The old man queried.

“It is. Your name sir?” Ling asked kindly.

“Chang Fao my lord.” He said while bowing slightly.

“Lead the way Chang Fao.” Ling smiled. He turned and gave a few motions to the guards who were quick to move and started to unpack and move things toward the mouth of the cave. Edward, Alphonse, Lan Fan, and Ling followed the old man to his humble home, which was being held together by boards and stilts to keep the stone walls from falling. Half the roof was gone and the rest unshingled. Looking around the village proved that this house was the better looking one of them all. The rest were merely just walls or were completely destroyed. They ducked beneath the low doorway and entered his half-furnished home. Seats from other houses were brought in while the old man’s grandson made tea for them all. At first the layout of the seats made Ling the dignified head of the house, but he grabbed the chairs himself and formed them into a circle. This made the old man smile greatly as he took a seat that was offered to him by Ling.

Once all were seated and tea handed to each person, the old man started first.

“So, what would you like to know?” He asked while looking around at each person in the room. Ling looked to Edward and Alphonse for a response, he’d like to leave the questioning to the professionals. Edward recognized his cue and leaned forward holding his cup of tea out in front of him.

“Can you tell me the folklore of this area?” he asked with great respect.

“I can. But where to start. Hmm. Firstly, this village was founded by the monks of the Western Sage. You know of this sage yes?” He asked.

“More than you could possibly know.” Edward mumbled under his breath.

“What? Sorry I’m a bit hard of hearing.”

“Yes, we are aware of the tales of the Western Sage.” He motioned between himself and Alphonse as he said this.

“Over two thousand years ago he brought his knowledge of what we now call Alkahestry, or ‘The Dragon’s Pulse’. Which, believe it or not was not named from the energy that courses through the earth, but by a real dragon. A dragon that was brought with him from the west and buried here. There is a tale of the dragon’s body becoming one with the earth and we draw from her to perform our Alkahestry.” He paused a moment to sip his tea. “Here monks of the western sage would pilgrimage from the west to pray to the shrine built for the dragon within the cave. But those practices have long been forgotten. And the paths within the cave are no longer known, no maps were drawn, and the cave is much like navigating a maze in the dark. Many men have ventured inside and died; their bodies never recovered. I’ve noticed you sent in men recently. We tried to help them as best we could my lord.”

“And I thank you for your assistance. We’ll be sending smiths and stonemasons here within a few days to help with repairs.” Ling said with sympathy.

“We thank you my lord. Is there anything else you wish to ask me?” He looked back to the brothers who finished their tea and were whispering to each other.

“This dragon you speak of that my fa-, I mean this sage brought. Did any of the tales talk of where it might have originated from? Other than just ‘the west’ I mean.” Alphonse asked.

“Hmm, I’m not sure. It’s always been said that the sage came from the land in the west, but nothing was said of the origin of the dragon. We all assumed it resided in the same location as the sage himself. My grandfather always told stories of the sage and the dragon. When I was a child, I loved his stories and took them as gospel. But when I got older, I saw them as nothing but fairy tales and so forgot them with time. These tremors we’ve been experiencing, they’re not natural, are they?” he asked with concern.

“That’s what we’re here to find out.” Ling stated. “Is that all boys?”

Edward and Alphonse whispered to each other and once they were finished turned to look back at the old man and Ling.

“I think we’ve got everything we can gather; we’ll have to see what’s inside this cave ourselves.” Alphonse stated.

“Oh no good sirs. Please don’t enter there. All who enter and manage to return come back less than a man. Please heed this old man’s warning. Only men righteous of heart may enter the cave and live.” The old man pleaded.

Edward moved to answer the old man but was stopped by a raised hand of Ling who spoke instead. “We appreciate the warning Chang Fao and thank you for your time. We must be off. My men will be in contact with you about the repairs of your village.” Ling stood, and everyone followed suit. After the old man bowed one last time, they exited the house toward the cave. Before entering they climbed into a carriage to talk amongst each other.

“So, did you get anything from that?” Ling asked the brothers.

“We’re not sure. Father never mentioned anything about a dragon before.” Alphonse pondered.

“When has Hohenheim ever mentioned anything about his past before, other than that one time. And boy did he leave out a lot if you ask me. A dragon? Come on. It has to be some kind of symbol or meaning for something, like for us it’s meant to be a symbol of a perfect being. Not a literal fucking dragon. There has to be more to this, and we’re not finding anything out by sitting in this carriage.” Edward’s anger was only rivaled by Ling’s frustration.

“I’ve sent nearly an army in there and have gotten hardly any knowledge on what could be in there. Things like traps and the like. We can’t just blindly charge in without knowing what kind of dangers are in there Edward. My men haven’t been able to find any end to this maze, not to mention how some of them have been coming out crippled mentally.” Ling half shouted at Edward, causing him to cross his arms in frustration. “But,” Ling continued with a sigh. “These tremors are getting worse, and I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to stand them.”

“Take us to the victims.” Alphonse interrupted. “We might get some clue to protect ourselves from examining the victims. Are any here?”

“Yes, we have three already. I was going to have them transported to the nearest hospital, but I’ll indulge your curiosity. Come on.” Ling sighed. With that they exited the carriage and made toward a large field tent near the mouth of the cave.

Once inside they got a firsthand look at what happens to those who dare to venture too far inside the cave. The three men were either curled up on the floor in the fetal position, hunched over on a cot, or pacing in a line, all while mumbling to themselves. Alphonse was the first to move toward them and attempted to talk to the one pacing. He tried simply speaking to him as he paced, then waved a hand in front to try to get his attention. The man paid no heed to his hand or his voice and continued to pace. Alphonse then tried to snap his fingers directly next to the mans ears, but to no avail. Then he noticed it, blood on the inside of his ears. Barely noticeable but there, nonetheless.

“This mans’ ears have ruptured.” Alphonse announced. Everyone gathered to take a look, then looked to the other three victims who all seemed to share the same wounds. “So, whatever is in there is loud, loud enough to burst eardrums. Does anyone have a small flashlight?” Alphonse looked to the nurses in the tent and to his brother and company. One nurse brandished her flashlight and handed it to him. He moved to the one laying on the floor and gently touched him on the shoulder. There was no reaction to his touch. Alphonse frowned then gently moved his hand to the mans face holding one eyelid open as he shown the flashlight in his eyes. The pupils retracted normally. “Their vision is fine. Does anyone have anything to shock with?”

“Just what are you doing Al? I won’t stand here and let these poor men be tortured any more than they already have.” Ling ordered firmly.

“I’m not, I’m testing their nervous system, but I need something stronger than just human touch. It might explain why they don’t react to any external stimuli.” Alphonse stated as plainly as possible, to show he wasn’t trying to be disrespectful.

“Fine but be careful Alphonse.” Ling warned. Edward gave him a terse look and was about to say something but was stopped by a telling cough from Alphonse. One of the nurses stepped away quickly and returned within moments carrying a chunky device with wires dangling from it.

“This can emit small electrical pulses. We use them on patients with back pain.” She spoke softly.

“That will work perfectly, thank you.” Alphonse gingerly took the device from her and placed it next to the man on the ground. “Can you help me use this on him? I don’t want to cause more harm than necessary.” She nodded and assisted in showing him where to place the needles connected to the wires on his body and how to turn it on. They started on the lowest setting and watched for any changes or reaction in his muscles. As they slowly turned up the frequency, they noticed no change, no reaction even as they reached the highest level possible. Alphonse removed one of the needles and put it in his arm to check if it was indeed working. With a shriek he pulled it out as soon as he had put it in.

“His nervous system is completely wrecked. Something in there can cause this much damage to his nerves. And I have no clue what it could be.” His revelation was met with more questions that could not be answered.

Suddenly another tremor started the severity of which made it so not a single person could remain on their feet. The tent shook violently but did not collapse thankfully, but no one was watching the tent. All eyes were on the cave victims who were all standing and screaming at the top of their lungs with their hands over their ears. How they were even able to stand during a tremor this strong was impossible to comprehend. Once the tremor was over the men resumed their previous positions as if nothing had happened. Everyone slowly got to their feet watching the men as they rose. Everyone had questions they wanted to ask but knew the answer wouldn’t be found here. They had to enter that cave.

As they stood at the mouth of the cave, Alphonse used his alchemy to whip up earplugs and muffs to cover their ears. He apologized after handing them out as he couldn’t figure out what they would need to avoid the nerve damage. But as he was handing a set to Ling, he was stopped by Lan Fan.

“No, absolutely not.” She ordered. “You are not going in there.”

“Oh, I’m going in there Lan Fan!” Ling shouted at her.

“Have you forgotten who you are Emperor Ling Yao! Have you seen the men who exited this cave? We can’t let that happen to you! You are staying here!” she grabbed the set from Alphonse, if looks could kill Ling would be dead ten times over.

Ling frustrated with how right she was grabbed a nearby soldier and pulled him into the group. “You are going with them and will relay anything that happens to me. Here.” He turned and grabbed a hand-held radio with a transceiver backpack. A device that Fuhrer Roy Mustang shared with him as an act of good faith. The guard would carry one with a cable attached to it leading to another transceiver that would remain with Ling. Edward thought it resembled the tin can phones he used to play with his brother when they were children. The soldier only bowed and accepted his role.

“What’s your name soldier?” Ling ordered, trying to ease his anger.

“Chan Po my lord.” He bowed.

“Take care Chan Po, stay with them. Help them in any way, shape, or form. Their orders are no different than orders from me. Got it?”

“Yes, my lord.” He bowed once more and took up the transceiver.

Once Lan Fan, Alphonse, Edward, Zampano, Jerso, and the soldier had their earplugs and muffs in their small tote bags, they entered the mouth of the cave. Edward and Alphonse inspected the entrance with a discerning eye, looking for any detail they could.

“Anything?” Lan Fan asked.

“No, nothing here. Let’s check inside the entrance.” Edward suggested.

They entered the cave into a hollowed-out room with ornately carved walls along the sides and a carved stone doorway in front of them. The carvings on the walls depicted dragons with four legs and two long wings in flight or in battle with humans in a mountainous area. It seemed to be the same dragon depicted on either wall. The doorway was also ornately carved with the head of a dragon at the top and what looked to be it’s legs as the frame. Wings with more battle scenes were depicted on either side of the doorway. Alphonse and Edward were completely enamored with the carvings and spent more than a long while looking at them thoroughly.

“I wonder what these are meant to symbolize.” Alphonse pondered aloud while staring at a carving of a dragon fighting an entire army of humans who were shooting arrows at it.

“Look here! Glyphs! Hey Al, can you read these?” Edward shouted from across the room. He was standing at the doorway and pointing at the frame. Alphonse rushed over and began studying the glyphs. Upon inspection he pulled out a roughed-up journal from his backpack and flipped through the pages until finally stopping on a page filled with nothing but glyphs.

“I’ve been waiting for a chance to use this! Let’s see…” He passed his fingers over the glyphs on the frame then on the page for each glyph. Giving time between each one to find their respective meaning. After inspecting each side and jotting down the meaning on each side he finally cleared his throat.

“Alright so, you want the direct translation? Or a rough?” Alphonse asked to the group. Edward didn’t give anyone any time to think about it and answered for them.

“Please just the rough, no one has time for the direct.” Edward sighed. He knew his brother would translate each glyph which could take between fifteen to thirty minutes per glyph. He had experienced the direct on more than one occasion and liked to avoid it whenever possible. Alphonse sighed, and cleared his throat in preparation.

“Well with this combination on this right side, it basically says ‘Only the sage may enter’. And the left roughly translates to ‘The circle opens at the close’.”

“Well, what the hell does that mean. There isn’t a circle in here.” Edward called angrily. They all spun in place looking along the wall and at the floor. The floor was half covered in dirt and Edward started sifting through it with his shoes. The soldier ran out of the cave and returned a moment later carrying two brooms. Edward made a motion for him to toss one to him and as he did Edward caught it deftly. They both started sweeping away the dirt and dust on the floor into the corners of the room revealing a large patterned circle on the floor. The stones forming the circle were dark grey in color with four painted stones along its edge. A black stone sat on the north edge of the circle, a green on the east, red on the south, and white on the west. A large bright yellow stone sat in the middle of the circle. Beneath each colored stone ornate carvings of different animals surrounded the large yellow stone in the center. The image of a writhing snake for the black stone, a dragon for the green, a phoenix for the red, and a tiger for the white.

“Wait! I know this!” shouted Lan Fan. “It’s the Xingese seasons. This is also our cardinal directions. Black for north, green for east, red is south, and white for west. Black is winter, green spring obviously, red summer, and white for fall.”

“What order does your seasons go in? Ours is spring, summer, fall winter.” Alphonse asked as he got closer to inspect the circle more thoroughly.

“Ours is winter, spring, summer, fall.” Lan Fan answered.

“I wonder…” Edward pondered aloud as he moved to step on the black stone. As he did so a loud snap could be heard. Everyone stood frozen waiting for anything to happen, when nothing did Alphonse moved to stand on the green stone. Another loud snap sounded, again nothing happened. Lan Fan moved to stand on the red one and Jerso stood on the white one. Loud clicking sounded through the room and the middle of the circle began dropping creating spiral stairs that went down. Once the clicking and grinding of stones stopped, they removed themselves from the stones and the stairway remained.

“How cool is that!” Alphonse shouted excitedly.

“Man your flashlights guys, let’s see where this leads.” Edward pulled out his flashlight and began the decent into the unknown space below.

#fullmetal alchemist #fullmetal alchimist brotherhood #Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic #Alphonse elric #Edward Elric #alex louis armstrong #roy mustang #tim marcoh #Emperor Ling Yao #lan fan #riza hawkeye #van hohenheim #pinako rockbell #izumi curtis #olivier mira armstrong #zampano #jerso #truth

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sexyupsidedownpineapple · 5 years

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Popping Our Cherry

Hey there :)

To maintain absolute discretion, every name and location you read on my blog has been changed. But I can assure you.. every story is 100% real.

Before I delve in to the incredibly amazing and sexy experience that my husband and I had our first time at a local sex club, I think it's important that I give a little back story, and how we got in to this lifestyle in the first place.

So hi! I am your very typical suburban Mom. Mid 30's, two kids, golden retriever, we even have a fucking white picket fence. Totally, unabashedly, suburban. But only at the surface.

You see, I grew up in a very conservative household. Which is odd really, because my parents we're quintessential hippies. I've seen the photographic evidence! Him with this long ponytail and 70's mustache, her in a scantily clad bikini top with bell bottoms. They grew up in a time of free love and promiscuity. So why the fuck didn't they teach me anything about sex.

Now I don't mean that in a perverted, call CPS kind of way. When I was 9, I asked my Mom where babies came from. She mumbled something imperceptible and told me "We don't talk about those types of things sweetie" and that was the first and last time we SPOKE about sex. A few days later I found a library book on my bed entitled "The Birds and the Bee's". And that folks.. was my sex education. Fucking pitiful. Fast forward 20 some years and I was an insecure woman who had trouble talking about sex. So fucking pitiful!

So let's head back to present time. I am 36, I have been married to the most incredible guy for 14 years. We have two beautiful children, a gorgeous house, and an amazing life. We are rock. fucking. solid. And I mean it, we've been through some shit in our marriage and we are still standing here on the other side, madly in love. I consciously make the choice to spend my life with him everyday, and he chooses me too. I could not ask for a better partner!

One night, after a few too many glasses of wine. I confessed a secret I had been holding on to for a very very VERY long time. I was attracted to other females and I wanted to have a threesome. I swear..I thought he was going to fall off the bed! But.. to my utter surprise.. he was receptive to it. Hell, he was on board! And so the hunt began..

So, being in between the millennial and Gen X generations, whenever I have a question, I turn to the one true almighty, all knowing, entity.... Google. I quickly learned that finding a "unicorn" (single female, seeking a couple to play with) truly is a mythical thing! So, I found a few swingers blogs and articles. They all had one thing in common... if you want to get in to the swingers lifestyle.. start with a local swingers club. Now, I live in the midwest, in a red state.. surely there are no clubs like that close to where I live... right? Oh so wrong! I found SO MUCH INFORMATION! It was very overwhelming!

After a fair amount of research and reading I found a local swingers/sex club and made a profile. To my surprise we generated a good amount of "likes" and "wants to meet" in those first few days. It boosted my confidence like you would not believe. I was still rocking my post baby bod (my baby is 5 years old, by the way!) So I hadn't been feeling particularly sexy or attractive in the last few years. Though my husband is always very complimentary, I ever felt very confident in my body. My once size 2 waist was now a size 8-10. So the validation felt good. We started chatting with couples and made plans to attend our first event at the club.

Now the juicy stuff...

So what was the club like? So fucking hot! Since it was our first time we got a guided tour of the club. There was a bar, and dance area. An area with a pool table, and an outside patio. Typical club right? Oh, except for the 10 private play rooms, glory holes, sex swings, and the BDSM room. Holy shit. This was going to be an EPIC night!

So we spent a fair amount of time in the bar area and outside. It was a gorgeous September night. Slight chill in the air. Just enough to make my nipples stand erect under my thin slinky white dress. We spent the evening sipping on our drinks and making conversation with our new friends. Eventually we ventured inside and to the dance floor. Drinks still flowed and we were all dancing and grinding on each other. We had arrived at the club with a couple we met on the site, Jen and Adam. They were so incredibly nice, answered all of our questions, and made us feel very welcome. Jen was gorgeous, small waist, gorgeous hips, and huge tits. Her boyfriend, Adam, super sexy. Shaved head (just like my hubby!) and just the right amount of confidence. We also met Shelly and Micah, a super fun couple! She had a commanding presence and was instantly the center of attention, and he was the strong silent type with a witty sense of humor. So we were all dancing and having a good time, when we saw another couple we had been chatting with standing by the bar. James and Anna. Anna has a gorgeous body and beautiful blonde hair, and James was really attractive and confident. They joined us and we had a blast on the dance floor! Eventually we all needed a break and some fresh air, so we decided to head to the patio. Now, to get to the patio.. you have to walk through the private room area. By now, the party had been going on for several hours.. so the rooms had lots of interesting things going on.

As we proceeded down the hallway James and Anna stopped outside a room to watch what was happening inside. As I went to pass by, Anna slipped her arm around my waist to stop me. So I paused and turned to face the doorway where the "show" was happening. There were 4 people in the room. The BDSM room. One woman was strapped to giant X, while another woman played with her body. Her hands were everywhere, on her breasts, on her waist, on her pussy. Then, she slid the thin fabric that could barely qualify as lingerie over to the side and began to lick. Anna's hands began to move over my body. My hips, my stomach, my ass.. It was so fucking hot to watch, and be touched by another woman. Before this point, I had never done anything more than a small kiss (once) with another female (a dare in the 11th grade) So I was in completely new territory!

Eventually we moved on down the hall and came to a stop outside an empty room. We all wanted to go in, but hesitated. We stood in the hallway talking and flirting and laughing for some time, before we all eventually entered the room. This is the first time I felt some nerves kick in. So as we all stood around the room, no one really making the first move. Anna looked at me and said "I guess it's time to sacrifice the virgin." I thought my pussy was going to burst in to flames. I was very ready. Shelly then came over to me and led me over to the bed. I gently laid down. She asked me "are you ok with this" I suppressed the urge to blurt out "fuck yeah!" and instead went for a gentle head nod and seductive smile. Shelly started kissing me. Very gently, with her hands on my face and neck. She then moved her hands and mouth to my chest, to my stomach, and then eventually.. down further. She gently pushed my white lacy thong to the side and licked my pussy from bottom to top. I let out a soft moan. she continued to lick and caress my pussy, so gently. Just then, Adam slid over and gently pulled the top of my dress down. He took my right breast in his hands and and sucked on my nipple. Then, he kissed me and reached down with his hand and slipped a finger in my very wet pussy, while Shelly flicked her tongue back and forth over my clit. I looked up to see Anna standing in front of James against the wall, he was fondling her breasts and they were both watching me. I smiled at her and she made her way over to the bed to attend to my left breast. Sucking, and licking, and squeezing. She moved her face up and kissed me, massaging my tongue with hers. She was a good fucking kisser. I moved my hand though the tangle of bodies to find her breasts. I gently squeezed them and her mouth was back at my chest. She also reached down to fondle my pussy. I was on fire. Anna then moved back to James, and they started making out against the wall. My husband moved in to take over just as Shelly made me come for the second time. It was euphoric.

Then it was Anna's turn. Shelly went down on her as she sucked James's cock. Once Shelly had made her come, James flipped her around and fucked her doggy style. Adam came over to fondle her breasts. She came again, and James finished inside her. It was the hottest thing I have ever seen. Once we were all done we got dressed said goodbye to our new friends and rode the sex high back home. It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life, and I can't wait to go back and see what happens next time.

Until next time.

XOXO,

Mrs. Pineapple

#swingers #swinglifestyle #firsttimeswinger

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otheroutlandertales · 5 years

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A/N: This story was inspired by Brianna showing off her shooting skills with Jamie in The Birds and the Bees.

“I used to go barefoot all the time when I was little. Daddy—Frank—took us to the mountains every summer, to the White Mountains or the Adirondacks. After a week, the bottoms of my feet were like leather; I could have walked on hot coals and not felt a thing.”

-----------

“Daddy—Frank—taught me to shoot when I was eleven or twelve. He gave me a twenty-two when I was thirteen, and by the time I was fifteen, he was taking me to shoot clay pigeons at ranges, or to hunt doves and quail on weekends in the fall.” Roger glanced at her in interest. “I thought Jamie’d taught you; I’d no idea Frank Randall was such a sportsman.” “Well,” she said slowly. “I don’t know that he was.

The Fiery Cross (Chapter 20)

Meant to Be

by @futurelounging

It was easy, in the beginning, to hold his daughter in his heart as his own. As if his blood truly mingled with hers. Her skin was smooth and pale, freckles dusting her nose. Her tiny fingers wrapped around his thumb and squeezed. He could lift her with her fingers gripping his, hanging like a monkey from a tree. Her hair, though nothing like his own or his wife’s, was only a minor irritation, and only if remarked upon. For he found the image of her was simply her. Her face as familiar to him as his own, until the lines and shape of her no longer felt distinct from her essence.

She toddled and fell, scraped her nose, bruised her knees, drooled on his shoulder while she gnawed with her gums like a puppy. She threw her small body from chairs, trusting he’d reach out and grab her at the last second. Being a child, he thought, was about doing without consideration, letting your body learn the consequences. Being an adult inverted it, the consequences ever etched in one’s vision, until doing felt impossible.

He had not expected to think about her quite so much. When he’d imagined fatherhood before Claire had gone, he’d pictured waving goodbye to his wife and child in the morning, going about the business of his day, then later, when his work was finished, conjuring them in his mind as he ventured home. But his daughter was not so easily dismissed. She invaded his thoughts throughout his days, appearing in the bit of cereal crusted on his trouser leg, in the tiny orphaned sock he found at the bottom of his briefcase. She must have pulled it off and tossed it in there last night, he’d think. And she appeared in the corners of his mind always, as he watched the students walking with oblivious confidence, imagining her grown and barreling through these halls.

As she grew older, his fantasy of her being merely his faded. It wasn’t so much that she was physically resembling the mysterious man who shared her DNA. It was in her manner, a presence, a confidence that felt entirely different from his own or Claire’s. The tilt of her head and the hum of her thoughts as she contemplated a problem. How could blood be so strong, he wondered.

This change spurred him to pull her closer, to leave his imprint in some way. His suggestion to begin spending a week in the mountains each year might have seemed deliberate in hindsight, but in truth, it was a whim in the beginning.

“The Adirondacks?” Claire looked up from the journal she had folded over on her lap. Her hair had loosened from the pins and had begun to fall across her brow as she read. She pushed it back behind her ear with a sigh of exasperation.

“I thought perhaps you’d like some time away from the city, but if you’re too pressed with work I can go alone with Bree.” Frank pushed his glasses higher on his nose and glanced at her.

“No, I… No, that sounds wonderful! It’s been so long since I’ve gone anywhere.” The strain that normally pulled on her face began to loosen and a smile tugged at her lips.

“Work won’t be an issue?” Frank asked dubiously.

Claire’s brow furrowed, her lips pursing. “How long?”

“A week.”

“Hm. Well, I don’t know if I can do a full week at the moment, but at least a few days. Perhaps I could drive separately so you and Bree can stay a bit longer.”

He’d not expected such an enthusiastic response from her. He knew she adored nature and longed for time away, but still, time with him didn’t seem a good selling point. While he was relieved that she was receptive, he felt a pang of guilt for how pleased he was to hear that she’d not be with them the entire time. He cherished his alone time with Bree and if he were to examine his feelings a bit deeper, he’d find that he worried Claire’s presence would somehow resurrect the other man, the one who seemed intent on haunting them.

“Why would this man let us stay in his cabin, Daddy?” Bree asked as the car rattled over the bumps in the narrow road snaking through thick forest. Claire’s car followed close behind and Frank glanced in the rearview to make sure she didn’t blow a tire on the rocks.

“Why?” he laughed. “Well I daresay he considers me a friend, darling. Is it so hard to believe I might have friends who want to do nice things for me?”

Bree snickered from the seat next to him. “No! It just seems like lending someone a house is a bit more than lending someone your… power saw.”

“Well then, my dear, that is my challenge for you. Become the sort of person who is offered houses rather than… hand mixers.” He smiled widely at her, tightening his grip on the steering wheel at a particularly deep pothole.

“I’d rather be offered a power saw over a hand mixer, if those are my options.” She smirked and winked at him. Or, more accurately, blinked. She had not yet mastered the art of winking just one eye and instead blinked with a slight dip of her head, something he found utterly charming.

“Here we are,” Frank said, leaning forward to see the cabin as he pulled the car to a stop at the top of the drive.

Frank and Claire unloaded the cars and gave up trying to get Bree to help as she ran through the cabin chattering about how perfect it all was, especially the screened sleeping room off the back. She bolted out the door, leaping over a steel wash basin, her voice swallowed by the forest.

The cabin was small, but modern enough that they had running water, a wood stove for heat, and a bathroom. Frank’s shoulders relaxed as he dropped a stack of shirts in the dresser drawer. The place was a bit musty, so he pushed open a few windows and ventured back toward the kitchen where he’d left Claire to organize. He found her standing at a window, looking out through the trees, her eyes seeing something else. He hadn’t seen that distant look in a long time and felt a panic rise in him. He couldn’t let her slip away now. He couldn’t pretend what they had was ideal, but if she let herself drown in her past, she’d be lost not just to him, but to Bree as well. That fear gnawed at him.

“Shall we go for a hike? Stretch our legs and get the lay of the land? Bob said there’s a creek a half mile or so away. Good for fishing.”

“Hm?” She turned to him, eyes slowly refocusing. “Yes, let me find a basket.”

The trail to the creek was well worn, but the summer had been wet and new growth began to crowd the edges, pushing tiny branches and brambles into their path. Frank made a note to bring the hatchet next time to clear some of it away. Once settled in with their fishing rods, feet propped on smooth stones along the edge of the water, Claire began wandering, crouching now and then and dropping herbs into the basket hanging from her arm. Bree lost interest in staring at the water with Frank and joined her mother.

“What are you going to do with these, Mama? Are we eating them? They don’t look very good.”

“Ha! No, I suppose they aren’t all that appetizing. I might use some in our food this week, this thyme for instance. But some I will take back with me to the hospital.”

Bree looked at her mother as if she’d spoken another language. “Why?”

“Well, some herbs have healing properties, settling stomachs, soothing pain, all sorts of things. I like to have options.” She spoke matter-of-factly, but her smile was nervous, having been on the receiving end of suspicious looks from her colleagues when introducing herbs to her treatment plans.

“Did you learn about them in medical school?” Bree asked.

“Hmm, no. No, I had read some books before I went to medical school and… Well, I spent some time using more natural… remedies.” Claire’s voice trailed off, catching her words before they shattered the walls she’d built to keep the past at bay.

“‘Learn by doing.’ My biology teacher says that all the time.” Bree added a handful of yarrow to the basket and brushed her hands on her pant legs.

“Books cannot always prepare you for the reality of things. That is very true.” Claire leaned forward and kissed the top of her daughter’s head, pulling a leaf from her curls.

The days at the cabin were long and peaceful. The fresh air and exercise knocked them all out cold before the sun fell below the horizon. Bree woke on the fourth day and found her mother setting her bag on the front porch.

“Do you really have to go?”

Claire turned back to her daughter, a sad smile on her face. “I do. I’m sorry, dear. But I’ll see you in three days. And you will have a wonderful time with your father. Although you are in charge of extracting any splinters he gets now. Think you can manage?”

“Ugh no! I hate splinters. Daddy will have to live with them. I think I’ll pass out if I have to pull any out,” she said, half-joking.

Claire kissed her daughter goodbye and slipped away before Frank woke.

After breakfast, Brianna washed the dishes and went outside to find Frank. He wasn’t out front chopping wood where she’d expected him, but rather behind the cabin, about twenty yards into the woods. He held a rifle at his side, and Brianna’s eyes went wide.

“Bree. Come here.”

“Really?” she asked, disbelief shadowing her face.

A conspiratorial smile answered her.

“You’re going to teach me how to shoot?” she asked when she reached his side.

“Well, yes. I was thinking, Bree, about what you said in the car. That you are not the kind who will be pleased to borrow a hand mixer. You get that from your mother, I think. But you are bright and meticulous and determined, which are all good qualities for a marksman. Or markswoman, as it were. And based on your glee this week, I suspect you may find yourself living in the woods someday so this skill might come in handy.”

She grinned back at him, bright and eager, and his heart swelled with pride. So much of his life as her father was lost to the mundanity of existence, the unrecognized coming and going, the tiny steps that led to big leaps with little to remark upon if only because it was merely part of life. But in this moment he felt the gentle nudge of time, that he, and she, would look back on this memory, distinct and pivotal. That when she thought of him years from now, after he was long gone, she might think of learning to shoot with him in the woods.

It was not deliberate. He did not know when he taught her to shoot that she truly would find herself living in the woods someday. But he did consider, later when he found proof of his wife’s return to the past, that perhaps there had been some subconscious truth behind it all, that he was meant to take her shooting in the woods. That he was meant to come to America. That Claire had to go through the stones and return to him. That it all was meant to be.

#outlander fanfiction #otheroutlandertales #mod fulo #pair: frank x claire #ch: bree #ch: frank #ch: claire #canon compliant #missing moment #oot #*

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thefinnkinnie · 6 years

Text

I Keep Running Ch. 1

Pairing: Taehyung x Jeongguk

Summary: Taehyung has a lonely and broken past he’s been hiding from Jeongguk since they met 5 years ago, but he can’t hide it anymore. He decides the best way to protect Jeongguk is to go back, but Jeongguk is having none of this “leaving” business. Will Jeongguk breakthrough Taehyung’s walls and get him back?

Word Count: 1K

Genre: Mostly Angst but with a happy (might be subject to change) ending

Triggers: None for this chapter, but expect some for the coming chapters

A/N: First of all, credit goes to @/flirtaeguk on twitter for the original inspo, I saw this picture like a month ago and couldn’t get it out of my mind. I decided to move this fic over from AO3 since there was a couple of people interested, and honestly why not. There’ll be around 20 parts to this fanfic in total. LIke I said above, the ending is still undecided, but most likely, if this fic ends up being popular, I’ll write a happy ending, and if not, I’ll go with my sad ending. Or, if you guys like, I’ll just write both and let y’all choose. Anyways, enjoy the first chapter!

Taehyung’s hands shook. He didn’t want to do this. His lips pressed against Jeongguk’s quickly. He hated knowing it was the last time. Jeongguk stirred awake, a groan escaping his lips, his hand reaching out to pat Taehyung’s face.

“Go to sleep…” he whined, tugging lightly on Taehyung’s bangs, “its late…” Taehyung smiled bitterly, a tear leaking from the corner of his eye. He was so cute like this, a pout framing his lips, his eyes dazed and sleepy.

“I will in a minute, go back to sleep. I’m just going to get some water baby.” He pulled Jeongguk’s wrist away from his face, setting it back down on the pillow. For once, Jungkook actually listened to him and rolled over, a sigh escaping his lips as he fell back to sleep. Taehyung got up from the bed, its creak resounding through the air as if the mattress knew what he was doing and didn’t approve.

“I don’t have any other choice.” He answered it as he picked up his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder. Taking a blue sticky note out of his pocket, he placed it on the nightstand next to Jeongguk.

Jeongguk. The bathroom light, peeking its head out from behind the almost-closed door, illuminated his face. His milky skin, his black eyelashes, resting on his cheeks like blooming flowers, their petals framing eyes that Taehyung got lost in. How could someone as beautiful as this love Taehyung, and all his faults? He wouldn’t, not after tonight. It wasn’t right, leaving in the middle of the night like this, but Taehyung couldn’t imagine any other way of leaving him. To do it in the morning would mean facing him, and those stupid doe eyes that twinkle like stars when he starts to cry, and that stupid way his hands clench together as he tries not to let his sadness turn to anger that makes Taehyung’s inside rock because he hates seeing Jeongguk in pain and that stupid way he tries to hug himself and pretend everything is okay but Taehyung can tell he’s not, that he just needs a hug and someone to call him love. He had seen it so many times, with the customers that abused Jeongguk at his day job, with the bastards who beat him up coming home from his night job, and with the landlady who shook her head to see two boys sleeping together in the same way. Every time, Taehyung had been there to comfort him, but this time he couldn’t be, because he was the reason why.

Tearing his eyes away from Jeongguk’s face, Taehyung choked down a sob. He didn’t want to wake him again. Shutting the bathroom light off, he thanked it for his last glimpsed of Jeongguk. To an artist, light is key. To Taehyung, it was a blessing. He walked away, and like any character in a cheesy drama, when he reached the front door, he looked back. These four walls and two rooms had held his life with Jeongguk for the past year. Ever since that rainy-day last May, when the two had first crossed past. Taehyung still remembered that day.

His face was covered in bruises, and his bottom lip was covered with blood, and the café waiter with the pretty smile had been the only one to notice. And he was the only one who would notice now, as Taehyung walked out of the apartment, with a thunderstorm pounding outside, washing the traces of him as he walked away. Taehyung barely felt the rain. In fact, Taehyung barely felt anything, except the way his heart was folding in on himself, like a collapsing black hole. Black hole was the perfect word to describe him. His heart wasn’t just a black hole, he felt like he was spiraling down into one for the past five years, and his time with Jeongguk was just a temporary lull in his drop to death.

Taehyung blinked the water from his eyes; he couldn’t tell if they were tears or the rain. He supposed he should get out of it before he caught a cold, but who cared if he caught a cold. As he hunched his shoulders over against the pounding rain, the sign for a 24/7 café caught his eye. He wondered if they served hot chocolate this late at night.

The sun coasted over Jeongguk’s eyes, eliciting a deep groan. Reaching across the bed, he groped for Taehyung’s shirt, wanting to make the older get up and close the blinds so they could sleep for a little longer. But his hands found nothing and Jeongguk’s brows furrowed. That wasn’t right. Bolting up, his eyes flew open. Taehyung wasn’t there.

Rolling his eyes at his early morning stupidity, Jeongguk laughed. “He’s probably in the kitchen.” Jeongguk lifted his arms up to stretch, but as he turned to get out of bed, a blue sticky note on his nightstand caught his eye. His gut dropped as he picked up the note, with three words on it.

“I’m sorry. Goodbye.” He read it in Taehyung’s voice. Taehyung’s stupid deep voice, that would sound like it was full tears, and broken into a million pieces. Jeongguk crumpled the note as he ran out of the house, calling Taehyung on his phone.

Hands wrapped around a long-since-cold cup of hot chocolate, Taehyung sighed. He felt exhausted, like the little bit of energy and motivation he had left in life he had left on the bed next to Jeongguk. The sound of a ringing phone came from Taehyung’s bag. He sighed again. It must be Jeongguk. He considered letting it go to voicemail, but he didn’t have the strength anymore. Taehyung raised the phone to his ear, answering the call.

“Hello?”

“Taehyung! Where- where are you? Let’s talk, please” Jeongguk pleaded frantically, running down the street as he searched for Taehyung in the streets and shops near their apartment.

Taehyung sighed, laying his head on the table and staring out the window. “I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying that, it doesn’t fix anything.” Jeongguk answered harshly, stopping in the middle of the street, his chest heaving as he tried to calm his erratic breath, “let’s just talk, okay? We can figure this out together, you don’t have to leave.”

“I love you Jeongguk-“

“Don’t do this”

“I’m sorry-“

“Don’t say that”

“Please be happy”

“You know I can’t”

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moonchildjoonie · 6 years

Text

Shattered [Prologue]

Parts: Prologue │ 1 │

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Genre: Post Apocalyptic / Fallout!au / Fluff / Angst

Summary: “Okay princess,” he began a mocking tone laced into his words “so you're telling me you want me to go on a wild goose chase to find your friend, who was most likely lunch to a Super mutant?”

Though his thick brows were covered by his wavy dark hair you could still see them raised in question. Clenching your jaw you looked at Nochu in the eye.

“Listen here, you muscled pig.” You began jabbing a finger into his built chest as you stood your ground glaring at the handsome smirking man ahead of you “I did not kill a whole camp of raiders and risk my life in your fucking trap infested hideout for you to tell me this bullshit. Are you going to take my fucking money and help me find my friend or not?”

In which you leave the comfortable safe life of the vault and lose your best friend only to hire a conceited mercenary with trust issues.

Warning: This is a fallout!au and for those who never heard of Fallout, it’s a post apocalyptic rpg game with dark themes. So this series will have mentions of death, blood, gore, bigotry, drug abuse, mental illness, sexual / nonsexual abuse, swearing, etc. So if you are not comfortable with anything mentioned above please DO NOT read this series.

A/N: I’m thinking about making a post on Fallout items descriptions and definitions for those of you who have never played the games. Please let me know if you’d like me to do so.

The outside was an enigma to you, but it was what entranced you the most about the Wasteland. The Great War ended after the bombs dropped and the outside world had been uninhabitable. The only survivors were those who paid monthly installments to a reserve a place for themselves, and their families, in the vaults.

Vaults being underground building equipped with construction equipment, hydro-agricultural farms, water purification systems, defensive weaponry, communication systems, surface monitors, social / entertainment files and anything else needed to survive in case of a nuclear attack. Vaults were what kept humanity alive for hundreds of years after the bombs fell and irradiated the land. Those lucky enough to have access to one learned to enjoy their privileged lives no matter how mundane it was to live life underground. You, on the other hand, had dreamed of the day you could escape the tedious lifestyle of the vault.

You always hoped for something more than life underground. You wanted adventure and thrill, not the same repetitive dreary lifestyle you were living. Growing up you loved hearing the stories your father use to tell about life outside the vault. Of course, he didn't know it firsthand, but he had read it from one of his ancestor's diaries before it had been confiscated by the previous Overseer.

In vaults you were taught to obey the Overseer. It was the most important rule to follow. The Overseer being the leader of the vault and most often than not a dictator. Anything they say goes no matter how unfair.

The Overseer during your grandfather's time wanted all old-world remnants removed in hopes that no one would try to leave the vault. Though in time fights broke out between those who believed they had the right to leave and those who believed the vault doors should remain shut for all their safety. After years of problems between the two groups and the change of Overseers an agreement was made. Every 20 years the vault doors open to allow those, 18 years and older, who want to leave to do so. It minimized the amount of radiation and threats that could enter the vault but also gave a choice, to leave, to every generation. You knew what you wanted since the age of seven when you snuck into the Overseer's room and took the restricted old-world books. The next time the vault doors opened you would be, 20, free to make the choice to leave. You had nothing holding you back, you were the sort of kid who constantly got into trouble and had parents tell their children to stay away from you. Which led you to not have any friends other than an older boy who went by the name of Jin. His full name was Kim Seokjin, but he always told everyone to call him Jin. He was popular in the vault with his charismatic personality and attractive appearance, but he always spent his free time with you. The first time you met him was during one of your many trips to the infirmary. His mother was the vault doctor and he, often than not, was in the infirmary helping his mother with miscellaneous tasks. While you, on the other hand, spent a lot of your time in the infirmary due to constantly being injured either by your tinkering or by getting into a fight with one of the many kids in your class. Seokjin practically became your older brother looking after you and making sure you weren't getting into too much trouble. By age 16 everyone in the vault is forced to take the G.O.A.T, or the generalized occupational aptitude test, to determine what job you qualify for. Personally you enjoyed more hands-on jobs compared to mental work. In the end, you ended up as the vaults technician which you didn't absolutely hate for the four years you did it. Now at age 20, the day had come. The day the vault doors would open once again. A smile graced your features as you stood in front of the large vault doors. Rocking on the balls of your feet you were excited for the adventure that awaited you outside the giant slab of metal. Glancing to your left you looked at your partner's anxious face. Biting on his full bottom lip in worry, his eyes met yours in hopes you would change your mind. On his back sat a bag full of all the essential items to survive water, nonperishable food, medication, change of clothes, a blanket, a few holotapes to record on, and other little items that held sentimental value. You had the same packed in a bag of your own, give or take, with a bit more ammo stuffed into your bag for protection. Taking his large hand in yours you gripped it tight trying to convey some kind of comfort to the older boy. "Jinnie you don't have to come with me you know. I told you multiple of times I can take care of myself. Have been for years now." You said smiling softly at the taller boy.

Seokjin scoffed rolling his eyes at you. His grip on your hand growing stronger. "Liar who's been patching you up since you were seven? I don't trust medication in your hands." Tugging on your joined hands his eyes met yours and he gave you a serious look "I could never let you go on your own." Staring at you fondly his hand patted the top of your head "You're my cute younger sibling and it's too late to get rid of me." Seokjin jokingly added shrugging his wide shoulders. Seokjin often hid his emotions behind jokes and smiles. You knew him well enough to know he was afraid of what lies behind the closed vault doors. His fingers drummed against his thigh as he kept biting down on his plump lower lip. Both obvious signs that he was nervous. Your heart clenched painfully in your chest. You would love to have Seokjin join you on your adventure out into the wasteland, but you would never force him to go with you. The two of you had multiple disputes during the months leading to this day. You could always see his hesitation, but he always ended the argument with a firm "I'm going with you whether you like it or not. I don't care how sick of me you get I'm not leaving your side." "Seokjin" you called out straightening out your posture to show how serious you were "I know you said you're coming with me, but I want to give you this last chance to back out before the door opens. This has been my dream since I was a little girl, but this was never yours. Please think this through once more." You hoped he would agree to join you on this adventure but part of you also wanted him to choose to stay. You knew he never planned on leaving the vault like you did Seokjin prioritized practicality and safety. He found that in the vault not out into the unknown behind the vault doors. You were not going to take it away from him unless he was positive about his choice of joining you on your adventure. Jin let out a long sigh before interlacing your fingers together. "We are in this together. Like a package deal okay? We're going to say goodbye to my mom who's waiting over there for us," he signaled with a nod of his head in his mother direction "and we're going to walk out of the place and show the wasteland we aren't to be messed with." Seokjin exclaimed a large smirk playing on his lips as he tugged you over to his mother. Standing tall she waited by the controls that open the door. A faraway look rested on her tired face. You don't recall when she began to look so worn. To you she always looked beautiful and strong. She constantly emitted an air of confidence in her infirmary with her proper straight posture, long black locks always pulled up in a tight bun and her lips pulled in a soft smile. Her hands were always soft as she checked you over and patched you up. Her movements slow and careful making sure her patients were comfortable and never in too much pain. She was the kindest person throughout the whole vault. Though today was different her hair was thrown into a messy bun that was threatening to fall out its hair tie. Her usual clear skin had dark bruises under her eyes from lack of sleep and worry lines on her forehead. It never dawned on you how much stress this day must have caused the doctor. Her only son leaving never to be seen again. This was her final day to see her son alive and well. Her affectionate gaze turned towards you and her son. A soft smile pulled at the ends of her lips as she met the both of you halfway. Seokjin unlaced your fingers and reached out to his mother who quickly pulled him into a tight hug. His tall height and broad shoulders engulfed his mother's smaller build. Her arms held tightly at his thin waist and her face pressed into his shoulder as they embraced for the final time. Tears threaten to spill from your eyes as you watched their emotional farewell. They were holding back their tears afraid of breaking the other's heart more than it already was. Silently they took in one another. Your heart clenched painfully in your chest knowing you were the cause of their separation. Seokjin loved his mother with all his heart doing all in his power to help lessen her load in the infirmary and making sure she didn't feel lonely when his father returned late. His father being the Overseer of the vault made him spend most of his time in his office figuring out how to make the vault more efficient and comfortable for the dwellers. Seokjin and his mother having a close bond full of trust. They always believed in each other's judgment no matter the circumstance. It was clear the doctor didn't question her son's choice in leaving only making peace with it. Pulling apart, Seokjin and his mother held each other's hands tightly as they exchanged some words. Sorrowful smiles played on their lips taking in each other's appearance. Before separating Seokjin's mother pulled him down to place a kiss on his forehead. Running her thin fingers through his hair a few times before turning to look at you. Her eyes glistened in the light with unshed tears as she walked over to you Seokjin following close behind her. Reaching out for you she pulled you into a tight hug. "Y/N please take care of each other okay?" her usual soft voice was slightly hoarse due to her suppressing the sobs that threatened to pass her lips. "I love you and wish you luck on your adventures honey." Pulling back her dark eyes met yours. Softly she threaded her fingers through your hair. Taking a shaky breath, you tried to swallow down the lump rising in your throat. You didn’t think about how difficult leaving would be. When you thought back then there was nothing holding you back. You had no friends, other than Seokjin who continually told you he was leaving with you, and you had no family. Your mother passed away while you were 7. It was one of the factors to your rebellious actions. Some of your classmates teased you for not having a mother and others stayed quiet in fear of being bullied as well. Ten years later your father passed away only a few months after your 17th birthday. It hurt but it gave you more of a reason to leave the vault. It never occurred to you how much you would actually miss Seokjin's mother. She treated you with the love and care she would for her own child. With your mind so set on leaving you never factored in Seokjin's mother as a reason not to leave. Now with a few minutes left till the thick vault doors open you were being hit by the blunt force of what your choice entailed. Not only were you leaving behind the difficult times but the happy times you spent in the infirmary with the Kim's. You're leaving behind the time you spent with your father tinkering with the radio and other objects he found. You were leaving behind the only thing you knew for 20 years. Trying to blink back the tears burning in the back of your eyes you took one of her hands in yours. "Thank you, Mr. Kim, for everything you did for me." you faltered with a weak smile lifting at your lips. A smile lite up on her face as grabbed Seokjin, with her free hand, and tugs the two of you back into an embrace. "Take care of each other okay?" She softly says her voice trembling. "I won't be able to look over you two anymore so make sure you eat. Seokjin won't forget but I know when something catches your interest you forget everything else." Seokjin's mother fretted with a soft chuckle. "Seokjin try out new things be a little more daring. I know you like to be safe and you aren't a fan of taking risks but you're heading to a new place, seeing new things, and meeting all kinds of people. I want you to know you made the right choice leaving the vault and enjoy life out there okay?" Pulling back slightly she glance at both you and Seokjin. Her bright smile contrasted with the wet trail of tears on her cheeks. "I love you both so much. Take care and make the most out of the adventure you two or going to have. It might get difficult. There may be times you regret your choice and during those times support each other like you two always have." The doctor gave you two one last squeeze before pulling away completely. "5 minutes till we open the vault door!" Call out the security guard at the controls. The sudden yell caused Seokjin to stiffen and quickly turn in the direction of the security guard. A shaky chuckle left his lips, as he turned back to look at both you and his mother, an embarrassed look crossing his face. Both you and his mother glanced at each other in amusement. "You're going to have to work on that honey." The doctor chortled teasingly. Patting his shoulder softly his mother made her way back over to her spot next to the security guard. Goosebumps pricked at your skin as a sense of nervousness flowed through you. Running your hand through your hair a few times you took a deep breath trying to relax. This was what you had been waiting years for. The chance to experience something new and live a more fulfilling life. No longer would you have to sit around and wait till something needed to be fixed. You had a whole world of new experiences waiting for you outside the large looming door of the vault. The soft brush of a hand against yours broke you out of your thoughts. Looking up you met the tender gaze of Seokjin. His gentle smile calmed your pounding heart. Taking a deep breath, you stood tall a confident smile pulled at the ends of your lips. Interlacing your hand with Seokjin's the both of you looked towards the flashing lights of the vault door. The last thing you could remember was the blaring alarms notifying the vault that the door had been opened once again and the warm sunlight against your skin.

It was the start of your new life.

#I've had this written for way to long I just wanted to make it longer but I think its better as a prologue #I finally know where to go with this fic so expect more soon #bts imagines #bts scenarios #bangtan imagines #bangtan scenarios #bangtan boys scenarios #bangtan boys imagines #seokjin imagine #seokjin scenario #jungkook imagine #jungkook scenario #shattered #mar's writing

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skippingthesurface · 6 years

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The Netherlands: Week Two

We packed up the cars and our friends drove George, Saskia and myself to the local train station where we hopped on the next train departing to Amsterdam. We got off at Amsterdam Central station and caught the tram to Leidseplein, the location of our hotel and where Saskia would be collected by her friend who she would be staying with for the next week. We said our goodbyes and made our way to the ‘King Hotel’ to check in.

Not the most attractive of hotels but in the best location for tourists! We were right on the canal (with a canal view room), a mere 60 seconds from the centre of Leidseplein and the tram stop. Everything we needed was on our doorstep, including Vondel Park, the Bulldog, the Heineken museum and much more.

I’ve left this part of my blog way too long to remember everything clearly but i will tell you the highlights and what i would recommend. First of all the hotel is perfect for travelers on a budget and the location is perfect for both food and drinks and also for quick travel around the city.

Leidseplein has a wide range of eateries all within walking distance. My favourite for general cuisine was ‘In De Buurt’, a very modern and classy restaurant with complete wine list and bar also available. They served fantastic rustic food for a reasonable price. The other restaurant i cannot forget is about 20 minutes walk from Leidseplein square or 10 minutes on the tram and goes by the name ‘De Bekeerde Suster’. This one is great for people who love beer and BBQ ribs as much as i do! They have a generously sized menu consisting of honest, hearty meals and a huge range of beers, ales and lagers on both draught and by the bottle.

When it comes to drinking, the famous spot to be is ‘The Bulldog’. Once you go you will understand why. This place is jam-packed full every night of the week and open till late. They have many around the city but the biggest is in Leidseplein square. It’s a place you can go for live music, cocktails, sports and beers on the ground level or the place you can go to smoke your favourite seed alongside freshly squeezed juice, closely followed by a mountain of pancakes in the lower level. They also have cafe’s under their brand name where you can go for special brewed tea and space cakes. The best night we had in there might even have been on a supposedly ‘quiet’ Monday night (even though to our virgin eyes it seemed full) to listen to a live Jazz band. Fantastic atmosphere! If your style is a little different to mine then fear not as Leidseplein square has something for everyone, from comedy clubs, to dive bars, to live rock music, to swanky cocktail bars playing lounge music. The majority of these places also have outside seating with overhead heating, perfect for a romantic glass of wine and people watching.

As for museums, site seeing and excursions, here are my top 10;

1. ‘Anne Frank’s Huis’ is of course a must. People all over the world, when they think of Amsterdam, connect it to Anne Frank (give or take a few other attractions!) and are eager to feel the history behind it. When i say ‘feel’ i mean feel... the aura inside is enough to make your hairs stand on end. The building now, due to the influx of tourists is remarkably big as far as Amsterdam houses go but only because it’s been extended to fit in a reception, cafe and gift shop. However, the house itself is preserved and is the absolute original. We paid a mere €9 each for a full tour plus the extra optional costs in the cafe and gift shop.

2. A canal cruise was also one of the best things we did in the city. It’s called ‘100 Highlights Cruise’, costs €15pp and lasts 60 minutes. The description is in the title but i’ll tell you anyway! It takes you on a guided tour along some of the canals, explaining what you are seeing along the way through headphones. (These headphones are included in the ticket price and give you the option to select which language you desire). We were lucky enough a witness an unusual and rather funny occurrence on our trip, as half way along one of the canals we narrowly had to squeeze past a water skip. It was obviously supplied by the council to do some canal cleaning, much like a road-sweeper but the range and peculiarity of the objects they were retrieving from the bottom of these canals were incredible. I’m sure there are more bicycles 6ft under water than there are in the Tour De France! The local joke when tourists ask ‘How deep are the canals?’ is for the locals to answer 'Three meters; one meter of water, one meter of mud and one meter of bikes’. Only in Holland.

3. Vondel Park! This was such a beautiful part of the city, full of lakes and grassy pastures and is again only about 10 minutes walk from the ‘King Hotel’. It became clear that this must be the place-to-be in the summer months, as scattered around the park where huge stages and remnants of concerts and festivals. However, even in February the park was beautiful and full of life, both wildlife and human life. Many people jogging, walking the dogs, busking, feeding the ducks, taking photographs. It really is a hub of life all year round. Take a stroll with your morning coffee and breathe in the fresh air, i assure you it won’t be a waste of time.

4. I am not a massive fan of museums in the true sense of the word as i tend to enjoy other attractions a lot more but having said that the ‘Rijks Museum’ might have been an exception for me. This place was truly stunning inside and out. Even at first glance it is a treat for the eyes because of it’s enormous size, regal design and the big ‘I AMsterdam’ letters outside it’s front door. The entrance fee is €17.50pp for a one day ticket allowing you to stay as long as you wish and includes a floor plan.

5. The Sex Museum was possibly the most entertaining. I’ll leave this to your imagination but it is definitely worth a visit and cheap entrance fee. It’s located in ‘Damrak’ the area exactly where the central station is.

6. The Heineken was also one of the few museums i enjoy, one where it is 100% acceptable to drink whilst inside the building. It is actually a distillery turned into an interactive tour in the heart of the city. It’s an 8 minute tram ride from Leidseplein and costs €16pp entrance and tour, if booked online.

7. The Red Light District is a real eye-opener and a 100% must see! The district is located between Nieuw Market and Dam Square and very close to the central station (15 minute by tram from Leidseplein). We visited here in the night time, purely because we thought it was the logical thing to do so i cannot tell you what there has to offer in the daytime. However, in the night time, the long street with the canal running through the middle, is lit up exactly how you would imagine in neon lights and offers you everything you could want. There you can wander through the side streets and admire the gorgeous women behind the red doors, peruse the sex shops, attend a live sex show or one of the countless strip clubs. The hidden gem is the VIP area on one of the side streets. Inside here are again beautiful prostitutes behind red doors but the most expensive and elite ones. Spoiler: 75% of these ones are actual men and i swear they are more stunning than the regular women!

8. A flower market may sound boring to most people but I personally adored the famous one they have in Koningsplein! The edge of the canal is laced with floating stalls selling thousands of different types of flowers and seeds, whilst on the other side of the walkway you have many tourist and souvenirs shops, so taking a walk down there will definitely keep you entertained for a few hours. This is only a short 10 minute walk from Leidseplein and is open everyday, normal working hours, even on Sunday.

9. Dam Square lies in the historical district of Amsterdam and is a lovely day out to take in the sites of the heart of the city. It’s a short walk from central station to Dam Square, a place filled with beautiful architecture, a combination of highstreet and designer shops, cafes and restaurants. Here is the perfect place to do all your shopping at once, souvenirs, gifts for the family and a quick stop in H&M or Zara along the way, interspersed with pit stops at quaint cafes within easy reach. Here the buildings are magnificent and include structures such as, the Royal Palace, the National Monument, Madame Tussaud’s and many more. The square is never quiet and always has some kind of event going on. Whether it be a fun fair, a market or just full of some of the many street performers. We saw an incredible magician the day we passed through!

10. The Albert Cuyp Market! This for me was one of my favourites! It’s located in De Pijp, a 12 minute tram journey from Leidseplein and is open every Monday - Saturday. This place is incredible, doused in stalls selling everything from antiques to clothes and serving up street food. Here you can buy local fish from the mongers, real Dutch cheese or watch them make traditional baby pancakes or stroopwafles in front of your eyes.

That sums up our busy week in the city! We stayed for 7 days and for us it was the perfect length of time but if you are organised (people who wake up early!) or on a budget I would say you can easily do Amsterdam in 3 or 4 days and manage to squeeze in the highlights. It’s a fabulous city and has something to offer for all walks of life.

One other important tip i should mention is to purchase a travel card. You can get these from the kiosks or at central station and you choose how many days you want the pass for. The prices change depending on which deal you select. This card includes trams and buses and you just swipe the card at the available machines once on board your form of transportation.

One day i hope to return and see it familiar, not with flustered eyes. I would do it all again in a heartbeat. Here are my personal favourite photos of the city break...

#amsterdam #holland #netherlands #kinghotel #leidseplein

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juniperandmagpie · 8 years

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Zion National Park

For Bobby's birthday this year, we made the trek out to Zion National Park to celebrate inside the deep canyon walls with plenty of extreme hiking, breath taking views, and the awe-inspiring beauty of nature.

We were cramming a lot in to one weekend, so in order to get to Zion as quickly as possible, we left straight from work and split up the drive time with an obligatory pit stop in Las Vegas (about 6 hours from San Diego and less than 2 hours from the park). Although Vegas was a sinfully good time, we lost track of time (and money - as Vegas has the tendency to make one do) and made the mistake of accidentally staying up until the sun rose at 5am. We took a nap, reluctantly got our of bed at 8am, and then finished our drive to Zion.

We originally intended to stay at the South Campground right inside the park because of it's proximity to the bike trails, but because it was Memorial Day weekend, that site was already booked up by 8am (reservations aren't accepted. The Watchman Campground right near by does accept reservations, but you must book it out 6 months in advanced). We were cranky and angry with ourselves for our Vegas shenanigans causing us to miss out on the campground, but since we arrived at the park on a Thursday morning (instead of the start of the Memorial Day weekend on Friday,) we were able to snag an even better campground on the East side of the park: Hi-Road Campground (formerly know as Zion National Park RV and Campground).

Our site outside the park at Hi-Road Campground

Although you have to drive through the canyon for 20 minutes to get in and out of the park from this campground, the drive is beautiful, and the site itself is much more secluded. We opted for a primitive site nestled fittingly beneath a juniper tree. The facility was well maintained, with hot showers, and access to laundry on-site, and a well-stocked convenience and gift shop across the street (where you actually buy your site pass from). In the end, I was thankful we ended up at that campsite, because the sites inside the actual park were very crowded with absolutely zero privacy from both other campers and from park goers (we prefer our solitude).

After we were settled in to our site, we ventured to the Canyon Overlook Trail on the East side of the park to get a taste of what Zion had to offer. This was a short and easy 1 mile round trip trail. There is a tiny bit of elevation gain, and it ends with a beautiful view overlooking the east side of the park.

Canyon Overlook Trail

We woke up early the next morning and headed for the most famous hike at Zion National Park: Angel's Landing. This summit towers over the land with a complete panoramic view of the park. It was once said the point was so high that only angels could land there, but luckily for us mere mortals, there are now chains to help pull you up the steep rock ways and steady you so as to not fall off either side of the 1,500 foot drop offs.

The 5 mile hike took about 5 hours to complete. The trail starts with The Wiggles, a 2 mile set of repetitive switch backs that take about an hour to complete. This trail felt very strenuous until we reached the cool Refrigerator Canyon where we could take a "break" from the steep trail and the hot sun.

The Wiggles up to Angels Landing

From there, we reached the "point of no return" where one must decide that the views are "good enough" or can continue upon the most strenuous .5 mile trek up Angel's Landing. We obviously powered on.

The view right before the last trek

The point of no return before heading up Angels Landing

Although the final portion of the hike to the summit is only a quarter of the distance as The Wiggles, it takes just as long, if not longer to get up. The trail is very steep and narrow, and there are 1,500 foot drop offs on either side. You must climb on all fours on the ascent and brace yourself on the trail chains to climb through the rocky terrain. 6 people have actually died on this trail, but the risk is half the fun, and the views are a total pay-off. Read our in-depth Angel's Landing trail tips here.

The final bit right up those “stairs”

Little ants headed up the steep, narrow trail

Almost there

The view at the top is completely magical. It is incredible to look down and realize you made that entire 1,500 foot climb from the bottom of the canyon to the top of the peak! A true feeling of accomplishment washed over us (in addition to a feeling of sore muscles, buns of steel, and blister ridden feet). I'd love to say it was easy to get down once we reached the summit, but because of how steep the trail is, it was actually just as hard, and potentially more dangerous, to descend.

The Views!

We bathed our blistered feet in the river at the bottom, and then headed over to Zion Lodge to relax with a couple beers and look up at the peak to revel in our accomplishments. With a rush of adrenaline and a desire to waste no time during our short stint in the park, we decided to hike over to Emerald Pools: a 3 mile round trip with 3 levels of pools dropping in to one another. Although it doesn't seem possible, more people have actually died on this trail (7 to be exact) than on Angel's Landing.

Emerald Pools

Exhausted, we hopped on our bikes and rode back via the Pa'Rus bike trail to our parking spot at the entrance to the park. Luckily the trail back was completely downhill and we flew through the canyon with the breeze sweeping across our faces.

Pa’Rus Bike Trail back to Camp

For our final day at Zion, we decided to hike The Narrows: the trail in which you are constantly submerged in the Virgin River as it bends through the most narrow parts of Zion Canyon. After completing a feat like Angel's Landing, any other trail seemed like it would be easy as pie. The Narrows was not.

The entrance to The Narrows

This trail does not test your fear of heights, or your climbing skills as Angel's Landing did, but instead, your power of mind over freezing water temperatures! One foot in and you toes and legs go completely numb! We rushed the distance to the nearest portion of dry land. The frigid waters were unbearable, but we wanted to perservere. So we kept on at that same pace - freeze, rush to dry land, freeze again. After about 3 or 4 times of rushing the waters, the numbness really does take over and you can venture on (we went about 5 miles deep, but the trail can be up to 16 miles round trip).

Freezing, but smiling

I wish we were more prepared for how cold the water really was. If you are thinking about venturing in to The Narrows, I highly suggest you read our trail tips here beforehand!

We changed out of our soaked shoes (fresh socks never felt so good) and we headed back to our bikes for our final epic bike ride through the canyon.

Traveller's tip: biking really is the best way to get around the park. No cars are allowed in the canyon, walking takes way too long, and the shuttles are dank and crowded. It is relatively small compared to other National Parks, so you could actually see the whole park via bike if you choose. The bike trails steadily incline the entire time in to the park, but the ride home is all down hill and completely glorious! Plus you can park anywhere knowing that you can easily bike to your spot instead of having to dread walking anymore than you already have on the trails. (Parking during high peak seasons is a real pain!)

We said goodbye to the gorgeous canyon, grabbed celebratory birthday blizzards from DQ, and began the 8 hour car ride back to San Diego. Miraculously, Bobby made it to his extremely physical job for the County Parks the next day (I don't know how he did it. I luckily was able to rest - and rest I did).

We hope you enjoy Zion as much as we did Wild Ones! Be careful out there!

#zion np #zion #zion national park #NPS #national park #hike #hiker #hiking #camping #camp #outdoors #angels landing #the narrows

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mirkwoodshewolf · 7 years

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Sleepover comfort; Sebastian Stan x teen reader

This was a recent request from my wattpad account that I had just posted today. This request was inspired by one of my favorite Full House episode and I hope you guys enjoy it. Now there are some major sensitive topics mentioned so I’m just gonna say, TEXTING OR DOING SOCIAL MEDIA WHILE DRIVING CAN WAIT!!! DON’T END A LIFE JUST BECAUSE U WANNA SEE WHAT YOUR FRIEND JUST SENT YOU. IT CAN WAIT SERIOUSLY!! One swear world is said, but all in all there is fluffiness in the end with daddy Seb. I hope you all enjoy it :)

________________________________________________________

I rode up to my backyard and just dumped my bike on the ground before storming in the backdoor of my house. I saw my dad, Uncle Chris, Uncle Anthony, and Aunt Scarlett all sitting in the kitchen.

"It's official! I quit! I'm quitting the Dance team!" I proclaimed as I handed my dad Sebastian Stan, yep that's right I am the 14 year old daughter of the Winter Soldier himself, Sebastian Stan.

"(N/n) you can't quit, I just spent 25 dollars buying you this Dance Varsity jacket" he said as he pinched the collar of my dance jacket.

"And there's no way I'm going to the Varsity sleepover this Saturday!" I then ran up the stairs leading up to my room.

"What was that about?" asked Anthony Mackie.

"I know what," Sebastian stated solemnly. He then walked towards the kitchen table and sat down on one of the chairs and he said to his Marvel friends, "those sleepovers are for Mothers and Daughters".

"Ohh man poor (n/n)" said Chris Evans.

"It's gotta be devastating for her" said Anthony

."At times like this, especially now I wish (y/n) had a mother" said Sebastian.

Now I wasn't really told this because it was always so hard for my dad to speak it to me; but when I was just 2 years old, my mom and I were driving home from the mall my dad was away filming Infinity War when it happened, a young teenager texting on their phone didn't pay attention and rammed into my mom's car. It flipped a total of five times and was completely totaled. It took over and hour and a half to get me and my mom out of the car.

When my dad got the news, he immediately booked a flight from Atlanta to New York and rushed to the hospital asking where we both were. For 2 weeks my dad refused to leave both me and my mother's side, unfortunately my mother was soon pronounced dead after failing to get out of her coma but I came around.

The young teenage girl who was texting on her phone went to trial for reckless manslaughter and attempted manslaughter on an infant and was sentenced to 25-40 years in prison.The press was all over my dad after the trial, asking him questions of what he was going to do now. Did they give him a fair trial even though he was a celebrity? His only statement was this before refusing anymore questions.

"Kids today do not realize the pain they can give to another family. All they care about is what's on their phones or what text they've received than the life of someone else. I'm only grateful that I get to take one of my girls home today".

After that my dad went out of the spotlight for a while to raise me, he had only just started back into acting just a few years ago after I had watched him in the Marvel movies and asked him to be an actor again so that I could see him on TV and say 'that's my daddy!'

Sebastian raised his head up in an idea and turned to Scarlett and said.

"Hey Scarlett, I know this is a big question to ask,"

"No Seb I will not marry you". Which got Chris and Anthony to call him out on it, Scarlett smirked knowing what Sebastian was really meaning and said, "But I will be happy to take (y/n) to the slumber party. I'll be in Boston Saturday morning for a photoshoot but I'll be back in plenty of time".

"Thank you Scarlett, and know that if little Rose needs someone and you're too busy, I'll be there for you". The two actors hugged each other before Scarlett went up the stairs towards my room.

I was currently on my bed holding my 'Bucky-bear' given to me by my dad as a birthday present when I was 6 years old when I heard a knock.

"I'm fine please go away".

"(Y/n) it's Scarlett" I heard her say.

"Come in". My door opened and in came in my Aunt Scarlett

"Hey Big (n/n) can we talk about this Saturday?"

"Sleepovers are so boring, all you do is just sleep on the floor and eat junk food, besides Uncle Don would have my head if he found out about that".

"Well gee that's too bad cause I was hoping maybe you and I could go to that party?" My eyes widened in hopefulness.

"You mean it? You'd go with me? AWESOME!! We're gonna sleep on the floor and eat junk food!" I jumped on my bed and hugged my Aunt Scarlett who chuckled and hugged me back. "Thanks Aunt Scarlett, I can't wait till Saturday!"

"Hey I'm there for you babe" She rocked me back and forth and then as we separated she told me that even though she had a photoshoot for People Magazine, she would be back in plenty of time to pick me up and take me to the sleepover slumber party.

*FF to Saturday*

It was Saturday afternoon and I was busy packing up for the slumber-party when my dad came in with a load of my clean laundry and when he saw my packing my sleeping bag he said.

"Whatcha doin packing now? I thought the party wasn't for another 6 hours?"

"You know the Varsity motto. 'Always be one step ahead'" I said. My dad smiled then he said,

"Well can yah take a break and help me with your clean clothes?" I paused my packing and went over to help my dad with my clothes. I put my underwear and bras into my top drawer, my pajama shirts in the middle and pajama pants at the bottom drawer.

Suddenly I was glomped by a mass of fur and next thing I know something is licking me. I looked up to see Dodger standing over me.

"Hi Dodger!" He barked and I ruffled his head and face as I playfully wrestled with him making him growl and grunt.

"Dodger! Dodger where did you get to you mangy mutt!?" Uncle Chris soon came in and saw us playing together then he said to my dad, "Sorry man, as soon as we came in he just got away from me".

"No worries Chris, we love having Dodger here, out house is his house, so long as he doesn't shit on the carpet".

"Uncle Chris! Tati said a bad language word!" I proclaimed.

"Did Robert tell you about that?" he asked. I smirked then next thing I knew I was in between my dad and uncle who were now tickling me. Dodger soon turned to my team and he would get on top of either my dad or uncle and lick them trying to get them to get off me.

*FF 6 hours later*

I was downstairs on the couch with my bag all packed up, Dodger was lying on his stomach just a few inches away from me. Now should've been the moment when Aunt Scarlett would come through the front door ready to take me to the slumber party. I soon heard the sound of footsteps coming down the staircase and soon my dad and Uncle Chris were just getting on their jackets and baseball caps on.

"Dad, where is Aunt Scarlett?"

"Calm down squirt she's only 20 seconds late she'll be here. Now your Uncle Chris, Anthony and I are gonna meet with your Uncle Don and the other guys for a Nightly gym session before having our own Guy's Night Out while you're at your party. I want you to text me whenever you get leave, when you get there and have fun and be safe, okay?"

"Alright". Dad then kissed my cheek and hugged me goodbye then Uncle Chris gave me a kiss before saying.

"Have fun tonight with Scarlett, you girls are gonna have fun tonight".

"That is if she gets here" I stated.

"She'll come, Scarlett isn't one to dump you without good reason, just be patient, and you know how traffic is on a Saturday afternoon between Boston and New York". He gave me another kiss on my temple and soon the boys left saying bye to me and I told them bye back.It was then my cellphone rang. I turned to Dodger and told him.

"I got it," I reached out for my phone and saw that it was labeled 'unknown landline'. I slid the answer button and said, "Hello?"

'(Y/n) it's Scarlett'.

"Aunt Scarlett where are you!?" I asked.

'Honey I'm in New Haven. I've finally managed to get to a phone since my phone died, look my car broke down. I dropped my transmission'.

"Well pick it up and get your butt over here we're gonna miss the party!”

'Honey I don't think I'm gonna be able to make it, I feel terrible' she stated solemnly. My heart dropped but I told her.

"It's okay. Thanks anyway, bye". I hung up and just sat there on the couch broken-hearted. "I didn't wanna go to that party anyway Dodge, it's just a bunch of girls with their moms, how boring. We'll have much more fun by ourselves, won't we Dodge?" Dodger then leaped onto the couch and placed his head on my shoulder as I turned around and hugged him.

I decided that since Aunt Scarlett wasn't coming, there was no point in having my bag still packed. I walked upstairs back to my room and began unpacking. I then heard a flush from the bathroom across the hall and it was then my Uncle Anthony came pass my room and saw me.

"Big (n/n) what are you doing? Scarlett's gonna be here any second".

"No she's not, her car broke down in New Haven" I told him solemnly.

"Aww (n/n) that's awful". I looked down sadly when he then suddenly proclaimed, "Hey! I'll take yah!"

"To a slumber party?" I asked skeptically."Hey I slumber and I bring in the party, ain't no party starts without the Mack-Attack!" He stated strongly.

"But it's for Mothers and Daughters, and you're a guy. Plus you only have a son, no offense but you don't know what girls do at slumber parties".

"Well I won't tell if you won't. Come on Little Stanner your friends all know me. Now we are going to that party and we are going to have a ton of fun!" He said as he walked right up to me and put my Bucky-bear back in my sleeping bag.

"Are you sure about this?" I asked him skeptically.

"Hey I'm there for you my little Stanner-rama!" He wrapped his arm around me in a one armed hug. But I had a little voice telling me that this was going to end badly.

Anthony drove us to our Head instructor's, Amy's mom's place. I rang the doorbell and answering it was Amy herself.

"Hey (y/n)"

"Hi Amy".

"What'd yah bring Anthony for?" she asked confused.

"Oh don't mind me tonight I'm just one of the girls". We entered inside and soon my instructor Mrs. Perry came up and she and Anthony exchanged some words.

"Hi Anthony".

"Hello Deb, ladies"

"Where's Scarlett I thought she said she was coming?"

"Oh she had car troubles so I'm the DDM. Designated Dance Mother".

"Well you and (y/n) are just in time for some Monster".

"Oh none for me thanks, tried it once didn't like it". I mentally face-palmed and explained it to him as my dance team all looked at him confused.

"Uncle Anthony, that's Monster High Dolls".

"Oh well now—hey that's even better I love those crazy High school girls!" We set his sleeping back down while Mrs. Perry told me where to set mine at while Uncle Anthony went to sit down on the couch with the rest of my team and their moms and he grabbed Lagoona Blue. "Oh look its Aqua-girl. Sea-creatures come forth" he then began making beeping noises acting like she was sending out a telepathic signal.

"Her name's not Aqua-girl. It's Lagoona Blue" stated Tayandra.

"Oh yeah I knew that, well I'm—I'm more of a manly monster anyway". Uncle Anthony said as he picked up Clawd Wolf and stated in a deep, masculine voice. "Hey she-wolves, looks like we have a lot in common. I mean, we howl at the moon, we're real werewolves and we're a whole lot better looking than those Twilight pups. So let's Boogie baby!" he then moved Clawd side to side making him dance.

"Hey Mack-attack. Cut. The. Check!" I used his catchphrase against him as I sliced my finger across my neck telling him to just stop.

"Mother-Daughter Double-dutch!" exclaimed Allie. The girls all cheered and we all got up and Uncle Anthony said.

"Alright (n/n) let's show these girls how we superheroes do it!" I looked up to the ceiling and muttered.

"What am I doing here?" Then as Tayandra and Amy held the two jump ropes and began turning them around and around. I leapt in first and the girls and their mom's plus my Uncle Anthony began doing the Teddy Bear rhyme.Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, turn around,

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, touch the ground, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, show your shoes, Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear that will do!Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, call a friend.

"Anthony Mackie!" I proclaimed. It was then Anthony jumped in successfully and the rhyme continued.

Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear, go upstairs,

Teddy, Bear, Teddy Bear—

But it was then Uncle Anthony got caught on the rope to his right and he joked out.

"Get caught in the rope like a big dumb dope".

"Next" I said as the two of us left the ropes and Amy and her mother came in.

Out in the streets of New York, Sebastian, Chris, Don and his workout team were walking from the restaurant to the gym.

"I'm wondering why (y/n) hadn't texted me yet?" said Sebastian

"Maybe she's having such a good time with Scarlett maybe she just forgot, don't worry Seb, she'll be fine". Said Don as he placed a strong hand on his shoulder.

"I hope so. I just—I just worry about her that's all, especially now. Starting next year she can legally go out and test for her diver's permit then the next year, her license".

"I know how much you worry for her Seb, even after all these years but you can't go about your life always worrying about her. Yeah it's scary out there on the road, hell I was a nervous wreck when my sisters first started driving, but if you keep holding onto that fear forever, how will you trust her out there on the road. She won't be like those other teenagers". Said Chris.

Sebastian took the advice from his friends and nodded. That's when his phone began to ring and on the caller ID it said 'Chocolachino'. He swiped to respond and he said.

"Hey Chocolachino where were you? You didn't follow us after we left".

'Scarlett had car troubles so I'm here with (n/n) at her slumber party'

"Is she alright?"

'Oh yeah she's doing great. By the way I took second in the PJ competition'.

"Not gonna comment to that".

'You just jealous cause they made Falcon PJ's and not Winter Soldier ones'.

"Shut up!"

'Alright hey listen I gotta go they're about to start the relay race!'

"Okay, tell (y/n) I love her".

'Aww I love you too Papa Bear'.

"Seriously Mack-Attack".

'Yeah, yeah, yeah I'll tell her, bye!' The two then hung up.

"So he went with (y/n) to the slumber party?" asked Chris.

"Yeah apparently Scarlett had car troubles so Anthony stepped up and took her there".

"Oh man that must've sucked for (n/n). But bless Anthony for taking her there" said Don.

"Yeah well at least now we'll actually be able to work-out without the Mack-attack bringing us out of focus" joked Sebastian which made all the guys laugh as they continued walking towards the gym to work out their meal.

Back at the slumber party, all the girls and their mothers plus Anthony were now all in their pajamas.

"Okay now girls, mothers—I mean parents—uhh.... Adults" Mrs. Perry began but as she took notice of Anthony she tried to come up with a better word for the grownups in the room until she finally stuck with a good one before continuing. "The object of the race is to carry an egg and a spoon without dropping it but the tough part is...we'll be wearing High-heels" my friends all laughed and giggled out as their mothers held up their high heels but I just looked down embarrassed.

"Hehe silly me I guess I left my High-heels at home" Uncle Anthony stated jokingly.

"Don't worry I've got an extra pair" said Mrs. Perry. Then we all began to prepare for the relay race. First me and my friends wore the high heels as Mrs. Perry explained, "Alright everyone we're gonna go three times around the coffee table then back to your starting places, you'll hand off your eggs and your spoons. Girls go first, ready. Set—go!" I then took off like a shot and circled the coffee table three times without dropping my egg.

The mothers and Uncle Anthony were all clapping for each of us then as I came back Uncle Anthony proclaimed.

"Yeah gurl! Cut the check!" I then handed him the egg and spoon and quickly took off the high heels and Uncle Anthony tried to get his big feet inside them before slowly starting to walk as did the rest of the mothers as we now began screaming and cheering.

The rest of the mothers then began to pass him with no trouble at all and in the end Mrs. Perry won while my Uncle hadn't even completed one turn before falling to his knees on the carpet floor dropping the egg.

"Ahh Mack-attack" I said shamefully as I walked up to him. He breathed a sigh and said.

"Sorry there Big (n/n), if these heels were my size we'd have definitely won, besides the blonde cut me off". I placed my hand on his shoulder and admitted to him.

"I knew this was a bad idea".

"Let's do Beauty salon. Daughter's makeup mom's, then mom's makeup daughters" proclaimed Amy. The girls and their moms all cried out at what a great idea it was then all gathered around the couch and chairs while Mrs. Perry looked at us mainly my uncle worriedly.

"No, no this works out fine, my wife sometimes tests out her makeup on me".

"Umm, why don't we skip Beauty salon and do something else" Mrs. Perry said. All the girls whined then Amy whined out.

"Why can't we do the makeovers?" All the girls soon turned to me and that's when I finally snapped.

"BECAUSE OF ME YOU DUMB BITCHES THAT'S WHY!!!" I then turned and ran out the front door and slammed it shut. Uncle Anthony took off the heels and ran after me calling out my name.

Back at the house, Sebastian and the guys were now settling down after a quick workout at the gym just talking and drinking a couple of beers.

"So then Ton here comes up to the Bell weight and he—" the door suddenly opens revealing me stomping in the living room.

"(Y/n)?" My dad stated in disbelief.

"(Y/n) will you just stop and talk to me?" said Uncle Anthony. I whipped myself around and faces all my dad, uncles and a few of my dad's workout friends before exclaiming.

"There's nothing to talk about! I don't have a mother and there's nothing you guys can say to change that! Right!?" They all remained silent before I finished, "See". I then took off up the stairs towards my room. I shut my door loudly before knocking random objects off my drawers in anger before ripping the sheets off my bed and threw my pillows at the wall before finally sinking to my bed.

My door slowly opened and I felt a dip in my bed and I heard my dad's voice say.

"I'm sorry you had such a bad time tonight baby girl. I know exactly how you feel". I sat up and choked out.

"No you don't! When you were a kid, you had grandma to take care of you and go to anything that required a mother!" He looked at me sadly and said to me.

"But that doesn't mean I don't miss your mother just as much as you do".

"IT'S NOT FAIR DAD!! ALL THOSE GIRLS WITH THEIR MOMS TONIGHT WERE SO HAPPY! Why couldn't I be happy too?" Tears spilled down my face and next thing I know, dad scoots himself closer to me and I'm crying against his chest with his arms wrapped around me.

"Iubita mea it's okay. You know I look at guys with their wives and feel the same way". He rubbed my back and that's when I finally had to ask him.

"How did it happen?" I felt him tense up and he finally confessed to me everything all the while holding me tightly refusing to let me go. After hearing the full and heartbreaking story I asked my dad.

"How do you deal with something like that? How do you make the feeling go away?"

"It's hard. But something that helps me is, I try to think of the things I gained, instead of what I lost that day" he said as he lifted my chin up. I sniffled before asking him.

"Like what?"

"Well your Marvel aunts and uncles were really supportive of us. Whenever your old man wasn't being such a stubborn ass they'd send in money, clothes and gifts for your birthdays and Christmases. They were there to help keep the press off my back even after the trial, but there's one thing I will always be grateful after all that".

"What's that?"

"I got to keep you". He choked out as he smiled at me with tears glistening in his eyes. I hugged my dad and he hugged me back as the two of us just sat there in silence with tears falling down our faces. "If I had lost both my girls that night I don't know what I would've done. Your mother must've made a deal with whoever is up there to take her soul instead of yours. And even though I had to lose one of my girls in the end, at least I got to see you grow up into this beautiful, strong, determined young woman. Your mama would've been so proud of everything you've accomplished in your life".

"Te iubesc tata" I said.

"Si eu te iubesc ingerul meu" he said back to me lovingly as he peppered my face with kisses making me laugh and giggle.

After our little moment together, papa called up Mrs. Perry and told her that Anthony would be arriving to pick up my sleeping bag as well as his and told her that everything had been taken care of but I wasn't going to go back to the slumber party.

When Uncle Anthony came back with our stuff, I thanked him for taking me to the slumber party and I apologized for running out like I did. He said it was no prob and gave me a hug and a kiss then the guys all left to head back to their homes leaving me and my dad alone again in the house.

We then decided to have our own slumber party. We did a three legged race, nerf gun war, pillow fights then to end the night, we got our sleeping bags, made ourselves a blanket fort and decorated it with beautiful lights and stars and we just lay there watching some Disney movies before I finally fell asleep curled up to my dad.

He smiled down at me and wrapped a blanket around the both of us before wrapping his arms around me. He kissed the crown of my head and whispered softly.

"Thank you God for allowing me to keep my little girl. And (m/n) I know you're looking down at us now, being our Guardian Angel". Then my dad fell asleep holding me in his arms never letting go.

#sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan imagine #chris evans #anthony mackie #sebastian stan one shot

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deadcactuswalking · 5 years

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REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 15th September 2019

This is a pretty damn busy week all things considered, especially in comparison to the last few weeks which have been incredibly dry, by that I mean “No new arrivals” dry, so without further ado, let’s review the charts.

Top 10

Now I’m puzzled, why hasn’t “Take Me Back to London” by Ed Sheeran featuring Stormzy, remixed by Sir Spyro with additional verses from Jaykae and Aitch (Yes, I’m saying that whole thing every time) been dethroned yet? It’s its third week at #1, and I understand that it’s Ed Sheeran making watered-down white-washed grime music which follows somewhat of a UK hip hop trend with pop sensibilities and riding off the waves of a late 2000s grime/UK garage nostalgia phase, it’s essentially the perfect #1 for late Summer-early Autumn 2019 in Britain, but come on, this isn’t a great song and it’s been so close to stepping down from this spot in the past three weeks, in fact...

Aitch may as well have dethroned himself by technicality this week, since the release of his AitcH20 mixtape (I don’t like the dude’s music but I respect the pun) has propelled his lead single “Taste (Make it Shake)” up a spot to number-two, which is a new peak but not the #1 spot as I very much expected, and dreaded, this week.

Potential #1 “Higher Love” by Kygo and the late Whitney Houston is down a spot to number-three thanks to Aitch’s impact, which fortunately, isn’t notable enough for an Album Bomb feature; neither is Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding but we will see some of that later on.

“Ladbroke Grove” by AJ Tracey is staying still at number-four.

Meanwhile, we have a humorous blunder on the BBC’s part, who said that Post Malone’s “Circles”, at number-five this week, is “down 6”, implying that Post Malone reached the impossible: A #0 spot on the UK Singles Chart. Pretty impressive. This song has grown on me, especially in album context, but I’m not bothered about it all too much still and I do think “Goodbyes” with Young Thug is miles better.

Joel Corry’s “Love Island anthem”, “Sorry” featuring uncredited vocals from Hayley May, is at number-six this week, which isn’t a change at all from last chart.

Unfortunately missing its chance of #1 now is “3 Nights” by Dominic Fike, down two spots to number-seven. I predict Fike’ll be a one-hit wonder because of his general apathy for promotion and performing live, especially since none of his other singles seem to have matched the success of his breakout song, but that debut album will be what decides it, I suppose.

Lil Tecca is down one space to number-eight with “RAN$OM”, which still isn’t plummeting fast enough – I did a UK Top 40 ranking on my Twitter @cactusinthebank and this just barely missed the bottom of that list, so if you wanted any insight on how I feel about that track, there you go.

Young T & Bugsey ride off the Aitch feature as “Strike a Pose” is up another chart position to number-nine.

Finally, we have a gain I’m ecstatic about, as “Goodbyes” by Post Malone featuring Young Thug gains a second wind, up four spaces to #10 thanks to the album release. More on that later, but I’m glad this returned to the top 10, it is a near-perfect pop song.

Climbers

I’m ecstatic about this gain too as Regard’s Jay Sean remix, “Ride It”, is up 10 spaces (or “down 10” – thanks, BBC) off the debut to #15, becoming Regard’s first ever UK Top 20. Congratulations, but man, who cares? Jay Sean has another hit. It’s his ninth UK Top 20 hit overall and first ever since 2010, I hope this guy makes a comeback. Speaking of people getting their first UK Top 20 hits, “Dance Monkey” by Tones and I had an unexpected boost 12 spaces up to #19, becoming her first ever as well. There are no other climbers but there are a ton of fallers, so...

Fallers

I think I need for the first time in months to separate these fallers by genre, so...

In reverse order of how high up these songs are on the chart unless noted, and starting with pop, EDM and rock(?), “bad guy” by Billie Eilish (Featuring Justin Bieber, kind of) is down six spaces to #37 as this one’s definitely on its way out. Skipping two songs for the sake of the writing to flow, “Ritual” by Tiesto, Jonas Blue and Rita Ora is down four to #28, “Someone You Love” by Lewis Capaldi is down six to #27, “Castles” by Freya Ridings is down six as well to #26, “Beautiful People” by Ed Sheeran featuring Khalid is down five to #24 and “boyfriend” by Social House featuring Ariana Grande is down five to #22.

Our second genre is Taylor Swift, as “You Need to Calm Down” has an end to its second wind thanks to the Lover album release, down eight spots to #36 (It’ll be out pretty soon), and the title track (That’s “Lover”) is down nine positions to #31.

Our third and final genre category worth noting is hip hop and R&B, starting with MIST and Fredo dropping a whopping 26 spaces to #35 with “So High”, just as I start to actually like this song, thanks to what are probably streaming cuts... and that’s actually all for that genre. Huh. Maybe I shouldn’t have split this in the first place.

Dropouts & Returning Entries

Our drop outs seem to all be songs from the last stretch of the charts, in fact all of last week’s #36-#40 have been replaced this week, mostly some songs barely holding onto the UK Top 40, specifically in the realm of hip-hop seemingly, with “I Spy” by Krept & Konan, K-Trap and Headie One dropping out from #39 and “Location” by Dave featuring Burna Boy out from #40, as well as “Wish You Well” by Sigala featuring Becky Hill from #38, while some recent debuts are also out of the chart. “The Man” by Taylor Swift is out from #36 but won’t be back and is probably the result of a combination of a busy week and Lover hype dying off, while “Lalala” by Y2K and bbno$ is out from #37 off of the debut, but will re-enter next week at even possibly a higher position actually. It’s just because it’s a busy week and it happened to break in late, it’s not losing in performance.

There are no returning entries so let’s get into the most EPIC part of the show:

NEW ARRIVALS

#40 – “Slide Away” – Miley Cyrus

Produced by Andrew Wyatt and Mike WiLL Made-It – Peaked at #11 in Slovakia and #47 in the US

You’d be hard-pressed to find a Miley Cyrus song I enjoy, even in eras people seem to praise like Bangerz and... well, just Bangerz. I don’t think I’ll ever be a fan of Cyrus to be honest, I’m definitely not a fan of the slight country twang she has in her voice and I never think her production is any good or even worthwhile, usually provided by Mike WiLL. It’s either completely misguided and cringeworthy like SHE IS COMING or to an even worse extent, Miley Cyrus and Her Dead Petz, or generic, country-influenced pop slush like her Disney efforts and once again to an even worse extent, Younger Now. I did see a lot of buzz about this track in particular that seemed pretty positive, and I’ve got to say, it took her 16 UK Top 40 hits and a music video being released recently, but she’s finally got a charting song that I like, in fact, I might love this. Those slick guitar riffs that start the song off as well as soulful pitch-shifted vocals set a really sombre atmosphere, propelled by the trap percussion with 808s that really dig into the centre of the mix, and an odd scatting and incoherent vocal sample, which is actually an interesting addition and probably Mike WiLL’s contribution. The chorus here is insanely powerful, with Cyrus’ country twang being more subtle and overall, her performance here is a lot more bearable than normal. The swell the airy synths have here especially in the hook is less non-descript than most modern pop and doesn’t present any grandiosity like you’d expect, especially backed by the strings. It sounds more like acceptance, which is incredibly fitting for the subject matter, which as a result from Cyrus’ split with one of the Hemsworths, is focused on how she wants to safely move on rather than focusing on the past as it’s pretty unhealthy especially as she’s now a grown woman (Which she points out in the pre-chorus), with the fully instrumental and surprisingly lengthy outro (Really love the subtle touches there as well, as the vocal sample comes back briefly as well) full of vocodered synth brass and strings flailing out and going nowhere... much like her marriage. Was that on purpose? Probably not, actually, I doubt Mike WiLL really cares, he was probably there to programme some trap drums that sounded a tad sombre and then move on to giving Rae Sremmurd a reason to be making music. Yeah, this is pretty great, although I’d prefer the writing to be a little less undercooked, with a variation on the verse rather than a simple reprise, but I’m not complaining about how it is now really, considering this is a massive improvement on... pretty much everything else. Check it out if you haven’t already.

#38 – “Liar” – Camila Cabello

Produced by watt, The Monsters and the Strangerz and Jon Bellion – Peaked at #13 in Singapore and #56 in the US

I love how history repeats itself. In 2017, Camila Cabello released a double A-side single of sorts, with a trendy pop song following what was popular at the time and a slightly left-field Latin-tinged R&B cut. The trendy pop song, “OMG” with Quavo, underperformed, although the Latin-tinged R&B cut with the incoherent Young Thug guest verse was “Havana”, a #1 hit and one of the most popular songs of the decade, later ending up on the album. Similarly, the “dark pop” Billie Eilish rip-off that is “Shameless” was given the obvious label push but fans seem to really prefer the Latin one, “Liar”, which shows they should probably stop marketing Cabello as a pop star, but we’ll see how that goes in a few months when the album releases. For now, however, we’ve got “Liar”... wait, why the hell does Lionel Richie have a writing credit?

Okay, so I’ve covered 1994’s Year-End list for a Top 5 Best and Worst Hit Songs feature, and I’ve listened to the 1984 list as well for a Top 10 Best Hit Songs feature for that one, and as I guess is a gift of fate, one of the best songs from the 1994 list and one of the worst from the 1984 list are both sampled and/or interpolated in this Camila Cabello song, and trust me, once you hear both of them, you can’t un-hear them, and I heard them immediately. It’s not subtle, but it doesn’t necessarily need to be, the song can still be a catchy pop ditty with the blatant sample... but no amount of Melodyne and vocal manipulation can help Cabello from her rubbery and squeaky, slightly off-key(?) falsetto cooing. It’s not sensual or “Broken”, it just sounds awful. Oh, yeah, and the ska beat is mediocre, with hilariously plastic horns, especially in comparison with “Havana”... Honestly, replacing Pharrell with Jon Bellion and removing Young Thug entirely is probably the worst decision the label made. Nothing here is enticing except an admittedly tight bassline, but what’s the point? Just listen to “All That She Wants” by Ace of Base, download some extra FL Studio saxophone sound effects (Even though the cheap horns in the original are dated, they sound a lot better than the recreation here), and you’ve got a somewhat better version of this song. It’s a weak effort, but my expectations weren’t high in the first place. Still better than “All Night Long (All Night)” though, but that’s a pretty difficult feat.

#21 – “Buss Down” – Aitch featuring ZieZie

Produced by Mojam

Remember ZieZie? I wrote paragraphs on paragraphs about that “Fine Girl” song he had but it really was an enigma to me at the time and still kind of is. Anyway, this is the instant grat single and breakout song from Aitch’s second mixtape, AitcH20 (There are layers to that pun and I respect it). I don’t care about Aitch all that much, he just seems to be a safer alternative and pretty accessible guest rapper, like your grandmother’s favourite British trap artist. This is his fifth UK Top 40 single and ZieZie’s second (I never thought I’d say those two words in my life)... but first of all, I commented on this when I talked about “Fine Girl” but the dude’s released more singles so it’s even more jarring now – why is his pre-fame single “Low Life” still listed on Spotify as “ZieZie- “Low Life”” in both the album and track title? He’s signed to a major label, he’s on one of the biggest UK rappers’ promo single, how has no-one fixed this? Sigh, well, the song’s okay. It’s very much not a trap cut, it takes some influence from the Afroswing that people like MoStack make, especially with the piano riff that’s used as the main synth melody, as well as some cute 808s and an admittedly great hook from ZieZie... but the beat doesn’t change and Aitch is existent. The chorus is four lines, all of which sung twice in one chorus, which happens four times in the song. It’s mostly Aitch with corny lyrics and a really sloppy flow on the verses, with a third verse from ZieZie that is absolutely dreadful, pushes this song to mediocre for me. Not only is it incoherent enough for there to be some [?]s on Genius still, but it’s about taking your girl... but letting ZieZie’s friend have sex with your girl, although apparently your girl likes it when her and ZieZie have rough sex, even though your girl is having sex with ZieZie’s friend instead and your girl loves how caring ZieZie is... Huh?

#20 – “Sounds of the Skeng” – Stormzy

Produced by Sir Spyro

Now, THIS is some good British hip hop. This is Stormzy’s 17th UK Top 40 hit and tenth UK Top 20 single, and it’s pretty great. I understand why it didn’t have a Top 5 debut like the sweet gospel-pop number “Crown” or addictive bop that is “Vossi Bop”, because this is just straight-up grime. It’s not UK garage, there aren’t any pop beats or Jorja Smith vocal samples, it doesn’t go soft, it goes hard. It’s produced by Sir Spyro, it has three rapidly-flowing verses, and it’s an absolute banger. You can barely even hear Stormzy under the dramatic synths and bursts of brass, but you can tell he’s just going and going and going. The only sense of melody we get in this bass-rattling single really, other than the synths and smooth jazz horns in the left channel, is the producer tag that plays briefly in the chorus and never again. There are several moments here I just love, not even necessarily lyrical moments although those are usually on point here, but Stormzy’s wild inflections throughout. Most verses start with a simple, Westernised modern flow and then go into a more speedy and aggressive delivery that barely doesn’t clip in the mix. The first verse is comparatively relaxed, with a pretty lazy cadence, making a pretty obscure Kendrick Lamar reference for whatever reason, with the “Perfect!” sample from Street Fighter perfectly implemented. I like how the first verse seems more like a threat while the second verse and third verse are right into the action, as he asks “old Mike” not to resurface, and in the chorus, even mentions old persona Wicked Skengman or Mr. Skeng. The title of the song has a lot of thought into it as well, being a reference to The Sound of Music juxtaposed with grimey London slang term “Skeng” and the Sir Spyro producer tag, “Sounds of the Sir”. Stormzy starts dissing British rappers who use too much Americanised slang and beat selection in the second verse, with lazy, dismissive ad-libs almost mocking trap-rappers overseas like Migos, and then he reaches the peak of the song. The second verse, personally my favourite, is where he has a machine gun flow enraged outburst, and it is insane, mentioning his two BRIT Award wins while also keeping an impressive delivery that is pretty much just really quick yelling, it’s really intense, but he sounds focused and determined. The third verse is the cooldown, paying tribute to So Solid Crew and their flow and ad-libs, as well as some pretty clever wordplay regarding other rappers Flipz and MIST, as well as Giggs, whose song “Whippin’ Excursion” is rhymed with a brag about how tall he is. He’s 6’5’’, which is towering above me. All three verses here have their own unique flow and cadence, as well as theme seemingly, but that’s not all that clear right now. I’m excited for this one in album context, but this is great already. Check it out.

#11 – “Hollywood’s Bleeding” – Post Malone

Produced by Louis Bell and Brian Lee

Really? The title track? I mean, understandable, it’s the first song on the album and it’s not a bad song at all, but there are so many better and more interesting songs on the album that you’d figue would debut high. “Saint-Tropez”, the “Wow.”-type banger? “Enemies” with DaBaby? The awesome alt-rock banger “Allergic”? Kanye West-produced “Internet”? Future and Halsey pretty much saving the ballad “Die for Me”? Hell, I figured the record-breaking “Take What You Want” with Travis Scott and the legendary Ozzy Osbourne of Black Sabbath would be the obvious choice to chart in the UK, it has Ozzy on it for goodness’ sake! Thanks to UK chart rules, this is the only track from the #1 album allowed though, and it’s not a bad song at all, far from it. It’s just a good more than half of the album, which admittedly is pretty great especially for a Post Malone album, is better than it, most by far. Regardless, it’s Post’s twelth UK Top 40 hit and 11th UK Top 20 hit, and it’s a pretty good introductory song. I should note though, that Post’s last album, beerbongs & Bentleys, also had its non-single intro track with no features, “Paranoid”, also co-produced by Louis Bell, debut and peak at #11, just more than a year ago. What a coincidence. Anyway, the song (And album may I add) starts with some sombre vocals from Post complaining about Hollywood and he sounds pretty great, with less strained vocals than usual and a slight warble which I’m actually a fan of, which is well integrated into the chorus, but when that trap beat hits, it knocks. It’s a great drop. Otherwise, eh, I love Post’s performance here, with a lot of flow shifts throughout both verses, but it’s a pretty standard beat until that one note Post holds into a beat switch, with a very glitchy rock beat with oddly mixed 808s, and it sounds pretty great... until it’s gone in like less than 10 seconds. Good song, but nowhere close to his best.

Conclusion

All things considered, this is a pretty great week. I’d probably give Best of the Week to Stormzy for “Sounds of the Skeng” with tied Honourable Mention going to Miley Cyrus and Post Malone for “Slide Away” and “Hollywood’s Bleeding”. Worst of the Week is going to Camila Cabello for just plain mediocrity in “Liar”, so Aitch is scot-free (Although ZieZie is both the best and worst part of that song). Follow me on Twitter @cactusinthebank for, to be honest, SpongeBob memes and very infrequent musical commentary and ramblings, and I’ll see you next week!

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britttracey · 7 years

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**Blackspur Ultra 54k** Saturday August 19th 2017 Kimberley, British Columbia 7:55am I stood shivering in the small, gathered crowd of Ultra and relay runners awaiting the 8 am start of my third attempt at an ultra distance, hoping desperately for my second finish. After my failure at Elk Valley Ultra I was looking solely for a redemption finish. I really thought about dropping from Blackspur after my DNF but the race director messaged me with some kind words of encouragement prior to my decision and I ultimately decided to stay in the race. This time around I came armed with advice and backing from my newly acquired coach Tara Berry, experience (from my failure at EVU and the previous years BSU finish) and support from two friends running and one friend and her daughter crewing. 7:58 am I knew the course. I'd run and finished it before. It was hot last year and much cooler this year. I was going to finish. Finish feeling good. "You've got this" I said to myself. The only thing to go wrong had already gone wrong. I forgot the hose for my water bladder at home and had to buy a whole new water bladder the day before the race. 8:00am **Leg one: Goat** *16.1km and 886m of gain* We set off and immediately headed up the ski hill. I had a plan to go slow on leg one. I wanted to come in a half hour slower than my previous years time. My training buddy Jackie was determined we'd climb the first hill together and linked arms with me pulling me up the hill. At the top I told her to get moving cuz I'm going easy. She started into a run toward the next hill and I walked along with our other friend Suzanne who had decided to sign up last minute despite suffering a back injury for the week previous. We kept together up the gradual incline until the base of the steep section that last year I had dubbed "The never ending Jungle hill" due to its steep grade, never ending climb and over grown jungle feel. It was on this climb that I caught up with a woman from Chicago and my awesome tattooed friend D(and her cousins wife!)(that I had met at this same race last year). We all kinda stuck together, the two girls ahead of Chicago and me for a while, as we popped out of the woods and ran down along the top of the ski hill to get to the first aid station. I didn't stop for anything as my pack and flask were still full, I was drinking every ten and eating every 20 (fruit 2 bars, pears and beef jerky) and feeling really good so I just kept going. We headed down some more and Chicago started to fall a bit behind as I held on to my easy trot through the very rocky and technical trail eventually winding up in the bottom of a Valley of shale slides. I passed the girls ahead of me in this section and offered up some words of encouragement as I kept on my way out of the valley and back down the top of the ski hill to the main transition area. My god was I feeling good! I rolled in at 3:27:46. Slow, but steady and very much on time. **Leg Two: Toad** *18.3km and 674m of gain* My crew Terri checked my water, it was still almost full, she gave me a concerned look, but I had been drinking and it still was cool out. They offered me a shot of pickle juice and it sounded good so I went for it. I refilled my food with help from her daughter and she grabbed me a piece of peanut butter sandwich from the transition area tent to take with me cuz I was starting to feel actually hungry. I said goodbye and cheerily headed back up the ski hill to start leg 2. I had set a rather unrealistic (for that day anyways) goal of 3 hours for that leg. Which I could definitely do but not if my goal was to remain feeling good. The first big climb on this leg killed me last year, reduced me to a near crawl and ruined the rest of the leg. I was determined to be able to get up the climb feeling good and be able to run down the other side. I started up at a steady hiking pace, keeping it easy but continuously moving forward. It felt good, I still felt solid and I made it to the top with a smile on my face and jogged back down the other side keeping the pace easy through the rocky, technical parts. I found myself alone heading up the second climb into the shale fields, it was this point last year where I had been feeling sick and low and had caught a girl that would spend the whole leg walking with me. I was still feeling good, still eating and drinking and moving forward. I crossed the shale fields and headed into the woods, jogging the flats and downs and walking the hills. I popped out at the next aid station smiling. I refilled my soft flask but figured I had lots in my pack still so I didn't check. I grabbed a pickle and thanked the volunteers. They told me I was looking fantastic and positive. I really felt it. I continued on much in the same manner, keeping to a schedule for nutrition and water, for some reason I couldn't get anymore water from my pack although I could feel it in there, I just resorted to taking sips from the soft flask. I was still walking the hills, running when I could, but I was alone, and there were way more hills than I remembered there being on leg 2. I could feel myself slipping into a bit of a funk. My legs were protesting the climbs and I was starting to get upset that I was feeling that way. I turned some music on on my phone speaker and walked a bit. I took a deep breath, and tried to change the direction my brain was taking me. A relay runner came up behind me and I shut off the tunes. She had slowed to a walk up the hill and we chatted a bit about the race. She had gotten briefly lost having missed a turn off sign and was ready to be done her leg of the race. We chatted all the way up the hill before she took off running again. I was refreshed. All I had needed was a bit of company to regain my positive perspective. I jogged it in back to the top of the ski hill and down into transition, once again smiling, happy to be back in and also dreading the last climb up the ski hill. I came in at 3:40:39 for the leg. Way slower than anticipated but feeling better than I could've hoped for. **Leg three: Bear** *19.4km and 670m of gain.* Terri filled my water up for me and her daughter gave me a cup of water and another shot of pickle juice. They handed me a Boost and some fresh snacks and I headed out to go up the ski hill one last time. I kept thinking of the full 19 km I had left to go, while climbing up the hill. Break it down, I thought, small chunks, 10 km to the next aid station, I can do that. I got up the first climb and the second, and cruised through a little downhill and a flat section. The only issue I had was with my water bladder, the hose kept coming out so I'd be sucking back air and I had to take my pack off twice to try and clip it back in. It was a bit warm in the direct sun but the wind was giving nice gusts and my sauna training seemed to help because never once did I actually feel hot. The temperature only reached 24 Celsius at its highest though. Perfect weather. I passed a guy on a smooth downhill into the Kimberley Nature Park. His knees were hurting on the downhills, so as soon as we hit the next climb he caught me and pushed on. I shut off my brain on the climb, my hips were sore, I tried to focus on pushing from my butt and just shut down any complaints that were bubbling up. It worked and I hit the top of the hill where an older guy caught me, he was hiking fast but no longer running, we chatted for a bit while I recovered from the hill, he was 71 years old, had been running since he was 65. I hope I'm still running at 65, let alone 71. I found my feet and picked it up into the best pace I could manage and cruised the long long downhill into the next aid station. I passed the guy with sore knee through here again. The aid station was packed with runners that didn't want to go up the long exposed hill leading out from it. I tried to be quick though, I filled my flask, grabbed some pickles and pretzels and joked with a girl sitting down that I'd carry her the first half if she'd carry me the rest. That was a no go. I headed out and chatted with a 108km runner the whole way up the hill before picking up into a jog along the top. I was still feeling fantastic. Sore and tired, but absolutely great. I cruised through the next section and sent a text out to my crew when I hit 50k so she knew I was 4K out from the finish. I found myself alone again, the woods were making sounds and I had been seeing bear poop all day long. I picked up a couple rocks and clacked them together to make some noise and pushed on trying to catch someone. On the very last section of hill I caught up to a woman who insisted I pass her, so I did. We chatted a bit but I think both of us were more focussed on getting to the finish than on the conversation. As soon as we came out of the woods and onto the dirt road I knew we were close and I picked up into a run again. I cruised through back to the ski hill, back down and over the finish line with a huge smile on my face. My crew was waiting for me just over the other side and gave me a huge hug. The race director shook my hand then pulled me in for a hug too, he asked if I felt redeemed. To which I replied "Fuck yes! I've had the best day ever!" **Post-Race** I finished the race in 10:59:07, barely squeezed in under 11 hours, and almost a whole hour slower than the previous year. My friend Jackie finished in 10:34:11 with some massive blisters, and our friend Suzanne had ended up dropping after leg one when her back began seizing up on her. My tattooed friend and her cousins wife ended up being the last two finishers sneaking in just under cutoff. I had my post race beer, we ate our meal and watched the awards and then headed back to the condo to soak in the hot tub. It was the best race experience I've had. It was slow but it was worth it to feel that great all day. I'm hoping that working with a coach I can get faster while still feeling good during races. That's the goal.

#blackspur #ultrarunning #race report

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samwinchestermarryme-blog · 7 years

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The Party

Author: samwinchestermarryme

Pairing: Destiel

Genre: Birthday party, happiness, love

Fandom: Supernatural

Timeline: January 2017? I guess

Word Count: 2,146

Rating: PG-13

*****

Dean never really thought about his birthday every year until it started to get closer to it. He never wanted a party, nor did he expect one. And if he had to be honest, the thought of a birthday party made him sick. The planning, the constant attention, it was all so unnecessary. It was simply a day that he was born. He didn’t understand the big fuss. He also didn’t enjoy presents. People put so much pressure on themselves to get something the person liked and the person receiving the gift always had to pretend to like it if it wasn’t something they liked. The only good presents Dean usually got were from Sam, and maybe Cas. Sam would usually get him something like a Busty Asian Beauties magazine or some beer from a gas station near the bunker, but it was still as special every year.

Cas would usually get him pie, although it wasn’t even good pie. Dean liked every pie, but the brand that Cas bought just wasn’t good in any way. But he always looked so proud of himself and Dean just didn’t have the heart to ask him how he managed, every year, to get him his least favorite pie. Even in Dean’s head it sounded like something Cas probably didn’t want to hear.

They were the only ones who remembered Dean’s birthday, so the day usually started with opening the presents that were stuffed in a plastic bag. Dean would thank Sam for his magazines and Cas for the pie, and when Cas wasn’t looking, he would empty it in the bottom of the trash can, covering it in the bag from Sam’s gift. After, they would continue on with their normal activities, looking for cases for the next day because Sam would always say that Dean deserved a day off on his birthday.

But it was getting nearer to Dean’s birthday, and he had a feeling deep down that something was going to happen. They had found a case, and Sam had insisted that Dean go with Charlie instead of him and Cas, because according to Sam, he just needed to change it up a bit. Dean simply rolled his eyes and called Charlie asking if she wanted to go on a hunt. She seemed too fast to answer, but he ignored that and waited for her to get to the Bunker.

Sam and Cas seemed too antsy. Neither of them could sit still; Sam tapping his foot and Cas playing with his tie which was as always backwards, which made Dean smile, and always left him confused as to why he was smiling. Sometimes he would do little things that made Dean laugh or smile without him realizing.

No one talked either, which was even more odd. All that could be heard was the ticking of the clock against the wall. Sam and Cas shared a look and then broke off the stare, leaving Dean confused.

“Okay, whats going on, guys?” Deans eyebrows furrowed.

“Nothing,” Sam and Cas answered in unison, and again, too fast. They shared another look and Dean stared at them with confusion for what seemed like the hundredth time that day, but they were interrupted when Charlie knocked on the warded door. Dean grabbed his bag and waved goodbye to Sam and Cas, who both looked very happy, and made his way up the stairs to meet Charlie. He opened the door and said said hi to her while making his way to the Impala. While Charlie was on a rant about the new Harry Potter play, The Cursed Child, Dean shoved their stuff in the backseat where Cas usually sits, and Dean felt a quick flash of sadness before shoving it down and paying attention to her again. She was saying something about how she shipped Scorpius and Albus when Dean stopped paying attention and started thinking again about that backwards tie and that wrinkled trench coat.

*****

As soon as the door closed behind Dean, Sam jumped up and walked to the closet where bags and bags of stuff were shoved in the back.

“Sam, I’ve always wondered, why do humans get so excited about birthdays? Isn’t it just the day you exited your mother? It just doesn’t feel that special,” Cas wondered aloud as Sam grabbed the bags of party supplies.

“Cas, I really don’t know, but we are just going to go with it, because it’s Dean, and we all care very deeply for him. And don’t say you don’t, because I know you do.” Sam shoved a stack of cone shaped hats that said ‘Happy Birthday!’ in bright letters into Cas’s arms, walking away to start to set up various party foods and beverages that Cas didn’t think he would like to eat or drink if he still had to.

*****

Even before Dean opened the door to the bunker, he could tell something was up. The row of beat up cars that lined the street were a dead give away. He had been wondering about it for the past two days while Charlie and him were hunting down a massive nest of vamps, constantly thinking about the mischievous looks shared between his brother and best friend.

But what he wasn’t expecting was when he opened the heavy metal door, there was a full on birthday party waiting on the floor below him. Sam, Cas, Crowley, Rowena, Eileen, and so many more people were there, shouting happy birthdays at him. It was overwhelming, but it was nice. Dean did hate being at the center of attention, but this was different. He knew everyone there well enough that he wouldn’t have to deal with awkward family small-talk and hugs from people he didn’t even know the name of.

A genuine smile reached Dean’s eyes as he went to hug Sam to thank him for what he assumed he had planned. He looked over Sam’s shoulder to see Cas staring at him before awkwardly looking away. Sam whispered before he let go of Dean, “he helped plan it too.” Dean knew who he was talking about without hesitation and broke away from Sam’s embrace. He smiled at him before walking slowly over to Cas, who was filling a red cup with punch which was most likely spiked by this point.

“Cas,” Dean says, somehow scaring Cas, causing him to spill some of the drink on Dean’s shirt.

“Oh, Dean, I’m really sorry. Here, let me get you a napkin,” says Cas, turning away, but not before Dean can grab Cas and give him a hug (which he was not intending on doing, but he saw the opportunity and took it), making Cas’s white shirt instantly red too.

“Dean! This was my favorite shirt!” Cas shoves Dean off of him with a smile.

“You have like 20 of same shirts. Anyway, thanks for the party. I really appreciate it.” Dean thought he saw some emotion in Cas’s eyes, but it was gone soon enough. Cas put a hand on Dean’s shoulder, smiled that beautiful smile, said happy birthday, and walked away.

*****

The party was the most fun Dean had had in awhile. There was tequila that he got slightly tipsy off of and there was music. So much music, mostly Led Zeppelin, Bon Jovi, and more classic rock that Dean couldn’t remember the names to. He caught Cas staring at him countless times throughout the party, and each time Cas would look away and blush. Since Dean was in that crowded bunker for who knows how long, he decided he needed some air.

He somehow ended up sitting in a pile of freezing snow on the hill by the bunker, looking at the full moon and stars. He heard the crunch of the shoes on the ice and snow and knew who it was before he sat down next to him. The smell of the familiar trench coat took over Dean’s senses and all he wanted to do was breathe in that smell for the rest of his life. They sat in silence, until Cas broke the quiet.

“Dean, what do you think your heaven would be like?.”

And maybe because it was the tequila, or maybe it was the smell of that god damned trench coat, but Dean said, “This is my heaven. Right here. With you. And maybe Sam.” A blush crept up Cas’s neck and up to his cheeks, but he cleared his throat and handed him a box. Dean looked at Cas, silently asking if he could open it. Cas nodded and watched as Dean’s shaking fingers pulled at the sloppily tied bow.

Inside the box was a gun, no, the most beautiful gun Dean had ever seen. Its barrel shined in the moonlight and the wooden handle was carved with intricate designs that looked like it would take so many hours to do. Right at the bottom, almost too small to see, were the initials ‘SW’. Next to the gun in the box was a small pocket knife. Dean looked up to Cas with the biggest smile on his face. He carefully set the gun back into the box. He looked at Castiel, who was smiling so wide it was almost blinding.

“Cas, where did you get this? It must have cost a fortune.”

“Dean, please don’t worry about that. It’s your birthday. You’re my best friend,” Cas choked on the words ‘best friend’, but continued on. “And I would fight through hell again for you if it meant that you were here safe.”

Dean’s eyes were starting to fill with the smallest amount of tears, and so he leaned in and hugged Cas, bringing him closer. Small, fluffy snowflakes started to fall around them, one landing on Cas’s eyelash, melting with his body heat.

Dean could feel every touch through his leather jacket that Cas laid on his back, his neck, his hair, and he could only smell that stupid trench coat. Dean pulled back slightly, enough that he could see those shining eyes and those rose colored lips that belonged to the most beautiful angel. Cas glanced down at Dean’s lips and moved his hand to the back of his neck, bringing him closer. Their lips lightly brushed before Dean couldn’t take it any longer and crashed his lips onto his angel’s. As the kiss got deeper, they moved in sync, their breath coming as one and their lips exploring each other. Cas’s other hand made its way to his dirty blonde hair, gently tugging on the roots, earning a soft noise from Dean. Cas smiled against his lips, coming up for air, and immediately going back in, moving as close to Dean as physically possible.

He couldn’t stand the way Dean made him feel. It was like he was soaring through the air, breathing for the first time in so long, that feeling when you go over a hill on the road and you can feel your stomach drop. Dean made him feel all of these things all at once and it made him invincible. He could face the world with just one simple kiss from him. But he also made Cas want to pull out his hair from the teasing and he wanted to shout into the void his love for this human being and oh my Dad he was kissing Dean Winchester, something he had been waiting to do for ever since he laid a hand on him in Hell.

He could feel Dean’s heartbeat wild against his chest, his own heart at a dangerous rate as well. After what felt like hours, they pulled apart, heavily breathing, their swollen lips still millimeters from the others, both of them smiling like idiots.

“The gun,” Dean whispered against Cas’s lips, not wanting to move. “You should carve your initials.”

Dean reluctantly pulled away, but still left a hand in Cas’s, and reached behind him for the gun and knife. He quickly and carefully carved his initials into the gorgeous wood and then handed them to Cas. He looked at Dean, asking if he was really okay with it. Dean nodded with the biggest smile and watched as Cas carved a small ‘C’ into the handle. He handed it back to Dean, who set it carefully back into the box. He looked back up at the stars and sat down next to Cas, who wrapped a protective arm around his shoulders.

“Cas?”

“Yes?”

“I love you. And I’ve loved you for so long, I’ve just never realized it before now.”

Dean looked up at Cas through eyelashes covered in snowflakes. There was not shock, but love in Castiel’s eyes as he heard the words, and he said them back to Dean so calmly it was like they had been saying it for years.

“I love you, Dean.”

#destiel #deanxcas #one shot #fanfic #supernatural #dean winchester #sam winchester #castiel #fanfiction #deancas #fluff #spn #cas #writing #castiel novak

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vicbartons · 7 years

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we´re on the right side of rock bottom

ao3 link

Robert awoke with a low grunt, running his hand over his face before squinting open his still heavy eyelids. The bedroom was dark with the curtains closed shut, only illuminated by the red light of the electronic alarm clock sitting on his bedside table. 5:20 am.

“Happy birthday to me”, Robert grumbled, rolling onto his side and curling in on himself. “Thirty-two...You´re getting old, Sugden.”

Aaron had his back turned towards him, his frame disappearing almost completely under the duvet he had wrapped around himself, his face buried deep in the pillow. Robert reached for him practically out of reflex, slowly combing his hand through his husband´s dark brown curls.

After the year they had been through, he still didn´t know how he had made it back here. How they had.

What he was fairly certain of was that he didn´t deserve it. Regardless of how many times Aaron tried to convince him of the opposite, whenever he saw the doubt and fear creeping up in his husband´s green eyes.

This time last year he had woken up in a king-sized bed with big white fluffy pillows to a breathtaking view of the Indian Ocean, about to receive the best birthday blowjob of his life from his husband. Everything should have been perfect.

Aaron had been so happy to have his mum and Liv back, and that - combined with the peace and quiet of the island, as well as the notable distance they´d put between themselves and the cell in Hotten that Aaron had had to call home for six weeks time - had lifted his spirits immensely.

Aaron had seemed calmer, more carefree. Settled even. The nightmares still plaguing their nights in that big hotel bed, but their days so much better since they got to spend them together again. Both of them had been desperate to be close to the other, which had let to far more PDA than either of them were usually comfortable with. Even if that only meant that Aaron would let his fingers slip between Robert´s under the breakfast table or that Robert´s would find its way to the small of his husband´s back whenever they were walking next to each other.

Aaron hadn´t been the only one who the change of scenery had had a positive effect on. It had helped Robert as well. Every now and then he would even manage to genuinely enjoy their makeshift honeymoon, as just seeing a smile on Aaron´s face made his heart feel a little lighter.

At the end of the day, he hadn´t been able to push everything that was waiting for him back at home out of his mind though. The metaphorical baggage he had dragged 10.000 kilometres down south with him far too heavy to be ignored for more than a few hours at a time.

He had felt like he was living on borrowed time and Aaron had grown more and more suspicious of his behaviour. The younger man´s ability to read Robert like a book slowly returning, once his mind had stopped being clouded by thoughts of the horrors of prison and worry for his little sister 24/7.

Not only the sad look on Robert´s face every time he had caught the blond looking at him had given away that something wasn´t quite right between them, but also his husband´s nervous demeanour whenever he had found him lost in thought, blankly staring into space, which had happened far more often than Aaron was used to.

He just hadn´t been able to put his finger on what exactly it was that was keeping Robert awake most nights.

He couldn´t have known that Robert´s mind had been running a hundred miles an hour thinking of him and Aaron. Of Emmerdale. Of all the mistakes he´d made. Of Ross. Of Rebecca.

And of that baby.

His baby.

It hadn´t been his.

There hadn´t even been one to begin with, but he hadn´t known that back then.

Neither had Aaron.

So Robert´s life had still come crashing down once they´d returned to the village and the look on Aaron´s face, when Rebecca had smugly played the damn voicemail in the middle of the pub to an audience of villagers, would haunt Robert for the rest of his life.

Finding out that Rebecca hadn´t actually been pregnant had helped, even though that revelation had come months and months too late to soften the blow. Robert was well aware though that even if it had come out earlier , it wouldn´t have fixed things.

Wouldn´t have fixed them.

Because the real damage had been done a long time before everything had blown up in their faces. Before the lies and the scheming of a certain blonde, dead set on tearing his life to shreds to fulfil her own sick revenge fantasies.

The real damage had been done months before that, in their bedroom in the Mill. Had been done earlier that same day within the four grey walls of a prison visiting room. The damage had been done when both men had given up on themselves and on the two of them as a couple - even if just for a few hours - and had turned to drugs, sex and alcohol instead of each other.

You´d think a few hours wouldn´t mean much in the grand scheme of things - not when you were planning on spending forever together - but they had found out the hard way that they did.

That they could mean everything, if you let them.

They hadn´t let them.

It had taken them a long time to rebuild; for Aaron to start trusting Robert again, for Robert to stop treating his husband like he was made out of glass and even longer for him to be able to look Aaron in the eye again without feeling nothing but shame and self-hatred.

But they had somehow made it to the other side of rock bottom. Had somehow climbed out of the hole that they had been digging themselves into since the day Aaron left for court together. There had been tears, and screaming and words both of them wished they could take back. They had had to fight tooth and claw for every inch. But they had made it out. Holding hands. Both of them too afraid and far too stubborn to face whatever they would find once they reached solid ground again on their own.

Aaron had continued to go to counselling.

Robert had started to go as well.

And it had helped.

It was still helping.

Looking back on it now, it had been a good year. Well, maybe good was too big a word, but it had definitely been an important one. It had chipped at them, at their relationship, at their family, at everything they held dear, but it hadn´t managed to break them.

And as cliché as that may sound: Robert knew that they were stronger for it now.

There was still a little voice in the back of Robert´s head telling him that he was going to mess this up, that nothing this good could ever last and at thirty-two now - with a few months of counselling under his belt - he knew himself well enough to understand that that voice would never go away. Had in fact become part of who he was.

It had been engrained in him since childhood.

Since the day he watched the barn burn. Since he watched that farmhand leave at fifteen, not even having dared to say goodbye. Since he played that fatal round of chicken on a country road just outside of the village with his brother. Since his father looked straight into his eyes, without a hint of guilt or sadness in his voice, and told him to leave his home and never come back.

That fearful voice wasn´t about to just go away. It would always be a part of him.

But whenever he looked at Aaron and Aaron stared back at him with those piercing blue eyes of his, the voice in his head got a little bit number. Became more of a humming, than the unbearable wall of noise he had become so used to over the years.

As the voice had grown quieter, Robert had become a little less fearful, more trusting in the relationships he had built and - most importantly - he had learned to be a little kinder to himself.

And while he still wasn´t quite sure how the younger man managed to do that – to dim down his fears, to sometimes even shut them up completely, even if only for a little while – he loved him more than anything for it.

Aaron twitched then, letting out a small groan. “Morning”, he made it sound like a question as he leaned into his husband´s touch, shuffling backwards until his back was pressed against Robert´s chest.

Robert put his arms around him instantly, pulling him closer and burying his nose in his husband´s shoulder. Aaron´s hand found his and linked their fingers together before he even opened his eyes. “What time is it?” he whispered, his voice still groggy.

“Early. Far too earl for a Sunday for sure” Robert murmured, his breath soft against the younger man´s neck. “Didn´t mean to wake ya up.”

Aaron´s leg found his way between Robert´s, their feet touching, Aaron warming up his husband´s, which somehow managed to feel like icicles every morning, no matter how many blankets they covered him under.

“What are you doing awake then?” Aaron asked quietly, knowing well enough that the only two things that would ever have his husband wake up before 9am on a weekend were a desire for sex or him going into one of his tailspins, thinking too hard and too loudly for his own good.

The lack of innuendo in their conversation so far and Robert´s apologetic tone made Aaron certain that it was the latter.

“Just thinking, I guess.” he muttered, confirming the brunet´s suspicion.

“Mhm” Aaron hummed knowingly .“Come here.” He turned on his back, an arm wrapping around his husband´s shoulder, carefully pulling him closer until Robert´s head was lying on his chest, his nose nuzzled into the crook of the younger man´s neck.

“I love you, you know that?” Robert murmured softly against Aaron´s skin, while running a hand over his chest, drawing small circles with his index finger.

Aaron´s nose was buried in an unruly mob of blond hair. “I love you, too, soft lad.” he whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of his husband´s head. He could feel Robert smile against his shoulder as he let his hand stroke up and down along his spine.

“Now go back to sleep so I can wake you up properly for your birthday in a few hours, Mr. Dingle.” Without having to look at him, Robert knew that he was smirking.

Back when Aaron had come out of prison, Robert had promised him that everything would be perfect soon. That they´d be. He couldn´t have been more wrong.

They still weren´t perfect. They never would be. Life never would be.

But lying in bed like this, listening to Aaron´s heartbeat, their legs tangled together, feeling the shallow breaths of his husband tickling in his hair, Robert knew that this was as close to perfect as he would ever need to get.

#robron #aaron x robert #robert sugden #aaron dingle #emmerdale #rebecca kept creeping into my fluffly mauritius fic to ruin it #like she ruins everything #so i jumped a year into the future when all of this will be over and done with #and you get this instead #robert being all thoughtful and introspective and some birthday fluff #sometimes i write stuff

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