#I played it all day so my sister and nephew could check it out too

[allwaswell16]

🔔 It's December! That means it's One Direction Advent fic season! Advent fics are generally posted daily from December 1 to December 24/25. Don't forget you can subscribe to the author to get a daily email reminder to read their Advent fic! 🔔

🌟 Baking In December by Itstilliswhatitis

Louis can't believe it! His sisters signed him up for a competition at some bakery and they won! Now he has to spend every day of December baking something with a random dude. Except, the random dude is named Harry and he's hot! Louis realises that this Christmas might be extra special!

🎁 Be Merry All by @justanothershadeofblue {Fic post}

there is a specific sort of oppression that comes with a miserable so-cal christmas, when it’s dark and dirty and rainy or else it's too hot and too bright and everyone’s hustling, and your family is all far away and the laundry machines in your building are broken and you’ve eaten too much take-out and all you want is two seconds of quiet and maybe a morsel of holiday joy.

🕯️ Can I Fly Home by @sadaveniren {Fic post}

“Nothing? A seventy-eight year old woman just gave birth. It’s clearly supernatural stuff at work. How could you say no?” “No.” “Come on, the mystery has to be getting to you just a little.” “Granny being horny isn’t a mystery, Lou. We’re supposed to be on a break until the new year. The real mystery is why you aren’t content to just stay in one place. We’ve hunted everything imaginable to hunt.” “And yet weird shit still ends up happening, fancy that.” He saw Louis change tactics, sticking out his lower lip, pleading. “Please? Check it out with me and then maybe we’ll come back here for Christmas.” AKA Louis and Harry have been hunting together since they were teenagers and it's beginning to take a toll. Harry wants to retire. Louis plans to die hunting. Maybe a "Christmas Miracle" is just what they need. An advent fic.

🦌 Christmas Advent Calendar by enchantedlandcoffee / @alarrylittlechristmas {Fic post}

A collection of holiday drabbles written and posted leading up to Christmas. One posted per day.

🥁 Heart Beat by @allwaswell16 {Fic post}

Hideaway Haven is the place that Louis has always called home. It's also the place that Harry had tried to leave behind him. When Harry returns to start a music academy in his hometown, he finds himself face to face with his high school crush—and his charming daughter who wants to learn to play the drums.

⛄ the holiday remix - choose ur adventure advent series by warmcuppatea / @hlplease {Fic post}

“I love you so much, yeah? And we’ve talked about moving in together when my lease ends. And we’ll be spending so much time together for the holidays, and you know, we get on so smashingly-” “Louis-” Harry laughed. “Spit it out!” “-So I was thinking,” Louis laughed, rubbing his face. “Fuck, I don’t know why I’m so nervous!” He laughed. “I was thinking we should test-run living together this month.” Harry and Louis are very in love, but moving in together feels huge. So, naturally, Louis has the idea to do a holiday test-run.

🔔I'll Be Home For Christmas by lovelarry10 / @chloehl10 {Fic post}

Harry's life seems to be going well. He has a great job working at Festive Furnishings, he has an amazing three year old son called Danny, and his favourite time of the year is approaching. Just as Harry thinks everything is finally going to plan, he finds out that he is going to be losing his home just before Christmas. Louis Tomlinson is happy enough with his lot. He's the CEO of a company he started years ago, Festive Furnishings, he has great colleagues, especially his assistant Harry, and he has the best nephew in the world. But the thing is, Louis is lonely. He has a beautiful house but it's too quiet, especially at this time of year. Not that he'd admit that to anyone. While struggling to find somewhere warm and safe for himself and Danny to stay, Harry makes a decision that might just change the course of everything... and bring himself and Louis closer together as well...

🍪 I Really Like Your Styles: The Baking Advent-ure by @homosociallyyours {Fic post}

Louis isn't much for frills, and the coffee shop he co-owns with his best friend Liam is evidence of that. Yes, it's got a decent sized, well-kept industrial kitchen, but Louis insists that people come to coffee shops for coffee, not mediocre pastry and plastic wrapped cookies. When Liam's campaign for serving treats turns into watching a few baking accounts on whichever popular app he's on now, there's one that really gets on Louis' nerves: "I Like Your Styles." With his chipper demeanor and over the top descriptions of the food he makes, Louis is sure that the (unfortunately cute) baker is full of it. Nothing that adorable could possibly be worth the hype. It doesn't actually take much for him to eat his words...and some quality baked goods, while he's at it.

 🎄 kay's 25 days of smutmas by shiptattou / @wecantalktomorrow {Fic post}

Starting on December 1st, I will be posting a new smut fic everyday until Christmas! These are all one shots of varying lengths and content. As they are posted, I will add the links to this post, summaries and lengths will be included under the break! All fics will be Harry Styles/Louis Tomlinson.

💌 Lonely Cards Club by @hellolovers13 {Fic post}

Harry's life in Cardiff is rather uneventful. Until he receives a strange Christmas postcard. It gets even stranger when he finds another one the next day. An Advent story about missed opportunities and second chances.

❤️ Love Actually [L.S.] by @louisthiccsexyglitteryass {Fic post}

Louis Tomlinson has just became Prime Minister of the UK. Harry Styles is a housekeeper at 10 Downing Street. Louis can't help but be enthralled with Harry. But, unfortunately, love has a funny of fucking punching you in the gut.

🎅 Neondiamond's 2023 Christmas Ficlet Party {Fic post}

If you know me at all, you’ll know that two of the things I enjoy most are writing fluffy ficlets, and Christmas. This year, I decided to combine the two and create my own little Christmas ficlet party all throughout December! 8 ficlets, 4 different pairings, many different tropes—all short, fluffy and festive! Perfect for a quick reading break with a warm drink!

☃️ Snow In Love by @lululawrence {Fic post}

Harry and Louis are best friends and have been for basically as long as they can remember. For the first time since middle school, they are both single for the holidays leaving them with the brilliant idea to take each other as their dates to work events. To make things easier they will pretend like they’re dating. But then they learn something funny. People thought they were already dating. Weird. An advent fic featuring childhood friends, fake dating turned actual dating, really horrible secret keeping, and a winter weather surprise.

🌲 'tis the damn season by YesIsAWorld / @louandhazaf {Fic post}

Harry returns to her small hometown over the holiday season and starts to think about the road not taken.

🔔 they're singing 'deck the halls' (but it's not like christmas at all) by doesanyonehearrunningwotah

Louis Tomlinson is no fan of Christmas. Between his douchebag ex-husband/co-parent, his two teenage kids, and the awful fact of his torn-apart family, the holiday season isn't looking to be all that festive. But maybe a boy's trip with his closest friends will lead him to something that'll make the season a little more bearable. Or the one where Louis' a bit of a grinch, Harry's a gorgeous present, and there's more weight to the past than either of them would like.

❄️ We Can Roll in the Darkness by LetTheMusicMoveYou / @letthemusicmoveyou28 {Fic post}

Top and Bottom Construction Co. - “We’ll get the job done, however you prefer it!” Louis looks up from the flyer, and back at Niall. “You must be joking?” Niall shakes his head, his mischievous grin only going wider. “Nope! I already researched them. They have glowing reviews AND they’re affordable. It’s perfect!” He pauses then to give Louis a cheeky wink. “Besides their website says they’re full service.” (Or the one where Louis and his best mate Niall decide to take the plunge and open a pub. The goal is to open Christmas Day, but the building renovations are proving trickier than expected. Insert: a construction company with a questionable name, a certain curly haired builder who catches Louis’ attention, and a little festive chaos along the way).

✨ You Ain’t Gotta Feel Fear Just Mingle by LadyLondonderry / @londonfoginacup {Fic post}

Harry has been at his dream job for less than three months, and he knows two things for sure; first, his project manager doesn't know what he's doing, and second, someone in the office is apparently pure evil, and no one will tell Harry who it is. Oh, and the guy who works in conservation at the other end of the building is the most beautiful man Harry's ever seen, even when wielding a hot iron as a weapon. Happy Christmas, here's to many more.

[headcanonenthusiast]

Alex Keller SFW relationship headcanons 

Since my first post on this man did good, here's some SFW relationship headcanons to feed your delusions 😀

No warnings on this one, folks. Was made with both masc and fem readers in mind, but some of the specific headcanons are leaning towards a specific gender.

Enjoy!

-Love languages are physical touch and acts of service. Loves giving + receiving touch, but feels more inclined to spoil you by doing things for you.

-Will do chores you despise if you're sick/tired. As much as you may insist it's fine and that you can do it, every once in a while you'll find your designated chores (as well as the ones Alex already does) finished.

-He passes out compliments like it's candy, and his words are honestly as sweet as it, too. So sincere with everything he says, no matter how self-conscious you may be, he'll do everything in his power to make you feel like royalty.

-A big fan of just relaxing with you. Y'all could be doing basically anything, whether it's watching TV or making food or cuddling, and no matter how mundane things may be, Alex would much rather just enjoy the simple moments and appreciate the time he's able to spend with you. 

-Nicknames for you include: Baby (baby girl/boy/doll), sweetheart, sunshine, dolly, darling and the occasional love or sugar. 

-I feel like he's a God at back massages. No particular reason why, he's just good at them. 

-The inside jokes are top tier. The type of inside jokes you and Alex have are probably so ridiculous that to anyone besides you two, you guys look insane. 

-Whenever he sees anything that reminds him of an inside joke y'all have, he'll literally have to place a hand over his mouth while snorting. Then he'll text you about it so fast he makes like 12 spelling mistakes. 

-If you have a favorite animal, color, show, etc, you best believe he's going to go out of his way to buy you gifts of those things. He'll just come home one day with a plushie of your favorite animal with the widest grin on his face. 

-"Look what I found at the mall! You still like bears, right?" (Totally didn't use bears as an example bc my favorite animal are bears..) 

-Loves relaxing on your chest. Whether you're taller or shorter, it doesn't matter. Your chest = his pillow. 

-Loves it when you run a hand through his hair or touch his facial hair. Also, please cup his cheek and give him as many kisses as you possibly can.

-Will MELT if you fall asleep on him. 

-His favorite places to kiss you are the cheeks, forehead, nose and ofc the lips. 

-Always has an arm around your shoulder or waist or holds your hand in public. He's not very possessive or anything, but he just feels the need to show you off. Its kinda like he's saying "Hey, look at the absolute eye-candy I scored." And he gets all smiley when someone compliments you. 

-Favorite cuddling positions are spooning (he always insists on being the big spoon), or where you're practically on top of him and using his chest as a pillow (and vice versa). 

-If you also want kids and can get pregnant, he's completely fussing over you the entire time. You're not allowed to lift a finger 

-He'll also do the same if you're sick or on your period if you're afab. 

-Once, while he was on deployment, you got sick and told him about it. 

-"Aw, sunshine. I'm so sorry to hear that :(" is what his text said, before asking you exactly what you needed. Then boom, all of a sudden his mother pays you a surprise visit and makes you some soup. It's totally not like he asked if she'd be willing to check up on you or anything because he couldn't be there..totally not 🙃

-Also, I headcanon him to be a major mama's boy. Maybe he's got an older sister or two as well, idk. 

-I feel like family is very important to him. As such, he's always dragging you over to see his family. 

-Always getting you to play with any nephews/nieces he may have and when you do, he gets massive baby fever. 

-Either way, I feel he's fairly knowledgeable on things like periods and such, which is probably why he's so good at taking care of you

-If you're amab and need some new clothes, he'll gladly go through his old ones and see if anything catches your eye. 

-Will let you wear a shirt of his regardless of gender, though. 

-He knows how much you love wearing his t-shirts and sweaters, regardless of if they fit you or not. So, one time while he was on deployment, he "forgot" a shirt at home and once he "realized" he'd "forgotten" it, he told you to keep it safe. 

-"Alex? I think you left a shirt behind." 

-"Thats alright, sunshine. I've got plenty of other clothes. Can you please keep it nice and warm til I get back?" 

-Y'all always have a meal over FaceTime together when he's deployed. 

-Whenever he sees something that reminds him of you, he sends you a text and a picture of said thing. 

-And said thing is usually either really beautiful, like the sunset or a flower that caught his eye, or something really stupid like a pic of a weird looking cat from the internet or a giant rat he saw around base. 

-"Saw the rat that's been terrorizing the base's kitchen today. Reminded me of you ❤" 

-"Wtf"

-"Why would a rat remind you of me?" 

-"Because it steals my food and leaves crumbs everywhere but is still pretty damn cute." 

-"🖕" 

-"Love you too, dolly." 

-Def wants some sort of pet with you, especially a dog. 

-If you're allergic to dogs, he'll try to get a hypoallergenic breed.

-Although he's certainly not opposed to most other pets! Prefers dogs to cats, but he still likes them, so if you would prefer a cat he's down to get one. 

-Asks for pics of said pet while on deployment constantly. 

-And when he's home, his entire camera roll is just filled with the goofiest pet pics. 

-Such a bad cameraman when it comes to animals for no reason. Will make the most beautiful, expensive and well-groomed ragdoll cat look like a sewer rat with just one photo 💀

-Somehow takes amazing pics of you, though. Manages to make you look absolutely gorgeous/handsome everytime. 

-Stays up late just chuckling at messages between you two on deployment. Does the same for pictures of you, too.  

-When he returns home, though, there's barely a night where he's up past 11 pm, because you're there to cuddle him to sleep. 

-Overall, Alex would just be such an attentive, loving partner. You, your safety, your family and making you laugh are his main priorities.

Another one done! Definitely enjoying writing these, so let me know who I should do next.

[janicho88]

When It All Falls Apart- Chapter 5

Pairing- Jensen x Padalecki Reader

Word count- 5,709

Warnings- Some language. Jensen isn't the best boyfriend. I warned before this started posting it would contain angst, if you need another reminder, here it is. If I missed something let me know!

A/N-You all knew this part was coming sooner or later, some of you even called for it. Starting with this chapter, we'll start to see things from Jensen's side also. A little off canon, SPN ended after 10 years. We still got all the characters in during that time though. Thank you to @writercole and @leigh70 for your help with this. You two are amazing!!

Summary-Y/N Padalecki loved acting on Supernatural.  Working alongside your older brother and your boyfriend, but after ten seasons the guys have chosen to hang up the guns.  Now the three of you are moving on to other projects, but that’s all that needs to change right?  While you have moved to Austin to be closer to your family and boyfriend, Jensen is working elsewhere.  Distance is only the start of your troubles.

Series Masterlist

Jensen takes the rare opportunity to sleep in Sunday morning and is the last one down to breakfast.  His sister and her husband Jeremy have already arrived and are sitting at the table with his parents.

“Did someone have a late night?” Mackenzie teases him.

“Not too bad.  Just taking advantage of catching up on some sleep,” he answers with a yawn.

“What did you and Y/N do yesterday?” his mom asks him.

“I didn’t see her yesterday.  I was meeting with Steve, and we had a few people to go see.  Trying to work out deals for a project.”

“What did she do then?” his mom tries again.

“Not a clue, I didn’t talk to her yesterday.  I was kind of busy.  Why the sudden interest in her day?”

He is filling his coffee cup and doesn’t see the looks exchanged around the table.

“Is everything alright with you two?” His dad questions.

“It’s fine.”

“Yeah, sounds like it,” he doesn’t hear his sister mutter.

Josh and his family arrive after breakfast, while Jensen is upstairs showering.  He misses the kids and his brother coming in to wish his dad a ‘Happy Father’s Day.’  When Jensen comes back down everyone is sitting in the living room with the kids playing in the middle of the floor.  He takes his phone out to take a picture of his nephews and notices a missed text from Gen, making a note to read it later, he snaps a few shots of the boys.

His family asks him questions about work, and what he has been up to.  He inquires about each of them.  They grill out for a late lunch before he has to leave for the airport.  His mom walks out to the rental car with him.

“You’re sure everything is alright?  You aren’t hiding something so we won’t worry?”

“No, it’s all fine mom.”

“Even with Y/N?”

“Yeah. I do have to get going to catch my flight.  It was good to see all of you.”

“I’m glad you could make it home, even for a short visit.  Your dad enjoyed seeing all of you for Father’s Day.”

He’s double checking his suitcase for his passport and not really listening to his mom at the moment, “Yeah, sure I’ll try and make it home then.”

“What?” Donna asks.

Finding his passport, Jensen stands to give his mom one last hug.  “Good to see all of you.  Take care, love you ma.”

While sitting on the plane waiting for the rest of the passengers to load, Jensen takes out his phone and lazily scrolls through it.  He remembers the message he missed from Gen early and opens that conversation, checking the date, he sees it is actually from yesterday.

‘Did you forget something today Ackles?????????????’

“I don’t know Gen, did I forget something?” he mutters to himself, while just replying with question marks of his own.

 Next he pulls up Instagram, it takes him a moment to realize he is seeing multiple posts about Father’s Day.

‘It’s not Father’s Day,’ he thinks to himself, ‘that’s not until the middle of June.”

There is a voice over the intercom telling all passengers to turn off electronics before Jensen has a chance to think more about the holiday or the date.  He goes over the next script for ‘The Boys’ and notes from the meetings with Steve the day before, never giving the date another thought. 

Your Sunday is spent with your parents and Jared’s family.  You and Gen get up to make a big breakfast for everyone.  Tom has homemade cards for his dad and grandpa he places on the table.  Your mom comes down, and helps the two of you finish it all up.

Jared and your dad take Tom out to the park for some male bonding time after breakfast.  Gen, your mom and yourself move to the living room.

 While they are talking babies you excuse yourself to go for a walk.  You are hoping it will help all the thoughts running around your head.  You pass Jensen’s house and pause.  You can’t help but think that he has already started to move on without you.  You’re the one who just hasn’t caught up with the times yet.

On Monday, Jared and Gen have meetings for Walker, so you are hanging out with Tom.   You are used to working twelve to fourteen hour days on set, but somehow this little man wears you out more than those do.  The two of you play outside on the swing set, he has you chase him during a long game of tag, you’re in the pool and back inside rolling toy cars around on the floor.  When your sister-in-law returns you happily hand your nephew back.

Jensen is on set Tuesday, when Jack is talking to some of the other cast members about his parents’ visit over the weekend.  

“They haven’t been to Toronto in awhile and decided to use visiting for Father’s Day as an excuse to come up this weekend.”

“If they were coming for Father’s Day, why did they come this past weekend?” Jensen asks him.

A few people turn and look at him. “Father’s Day was this past weekend,” Chase tells him.

“No, it wasn’t, it couldn’t have been.”

Others are also confirming this.  Jensen doesn’t have his phone with him, or his watch on.  

“What’s the date?” he asks his cast mates.

“21st of June.  Everything all right mate?” Karl asks sitting across the board from him.

“Son of a bitch,” Jensen yells out, “I missed Y/N’s birthday.  It was the 18th.”

He gets up from his chair to head to his trailer where his phone is to call you, but is called to set before he has the chance to get very far.  It’s after 2 am before they wrap for the night, he’s beat just going straight home and falling asleep.

He forgot to set his alarm before collapsing in bed, when he rolls over Wednesday morning and looks at the clock he has to move it.   He has maybe ten minutes before he needs to be leaving the apartment for set.  

Once he arrives he is sent straight to hair and makeup before being ushered to wardrobe.  His PA takes his bag back to his trailer for him.  When they break for lunch he is in the middle of a discussion with Karl and Anthony that completely distracts him.  He makes a quick stop by his trailer before he has to be back on set.  Pulling his phone out of his bag he sees a missed call from you.

“Son of a bitch, I still haven’t talked to her,” he growls out.  He tries calling back, but just reaches your voicemail. He hangs up and throws his phone back in the bag before returning to set.

Wednesday, you finally relent and call Jensen. He never has time to talk long so you make the call on your way to the studio to redo some voice over work for the Netflix show that just wrapped. You shouldn’t be surprised that it ends up going straight to voicemail.  The plane ticket you received for your birthday is to fly out Friday morning, you figure you should probably tell Jensen you are coming up.  Who knows, maybe just showing up would actually get you some time with him.  Leaving your phone in the car you walk into the studio.

Coming back to your car two hours later, you check your phone for messages before leaving the parking lot.  You have to reread the name when you see you have a missed call from Jensen, it’s rare he calls you back this quick lately or even at all.  Hitting the call button you once again get his voicemail, this time you leave a message.

“Hey Jay, I just wanted to tell you Jared and Gen got me a ticket to fly up to Toronto.  I’ll be landing around 2:30 Friday afternoon.  I’ll talk to you later, have a good day.”

Getting back to your brother’s place you are busy the rest of the night.  The two of them went out with a friend of Gen’s and you volunteered to watch Tom.  The little man has a lot of energy to burn tonight.  When you finally get him down, you start going through clothes in your room to take with you this weekend.

In Toronto, Jensen has finally wrapped for the night.  Today’s scenes were a bit…well, what one would come to expect from The Boys.  There is a knock on his trailer door as he’s finishing changing out of his costume.  Chase and Jack are on the other side.

“Hey, we’re going out with Karl for a drink after that mess.  You in?”

“Definitely, let me grab my bag,” he tells them.

One drink turns into a couple and they are out for a few hours.   In the cab on the way back to his place, Jensen pulls out his phone to check his call time for the next day.  Seeing a voicemail message, he tells himself he’ll listen to it tomorrow when he’s in better shape.  Clearing the notification he checks his calendar before turning off the phone. 

Thursday has a noon call time, and sees them filming until two in the morning on location.  It was almost four am before he got to bed.  Walking up after ten the next morning he has a new voicemail notification.  He listens to the call from the director on a schedule change for the weekend.  Because Eric is going to be in town for a few days and they want the big man on set for the shooting of certain scenes, they are going to be moved up to this weekend. 

Then his phone tells him he has a missed message. “Who'd I miss?” he mumbles to himself.  When he hears your message, his eyes go wide in surprise, “crap.”

Just as he’s hanging up from the voicemail, the phone rings with your name popping up.

“Hey pretty girl,”

“Hi Jay, how are you?”

“Fine, tired.  I just got your message.  Are you sure you really want to?”

He hears the tired sigh you let out, “I’m at the airport, waiting for the plane.  If you don’t want me to come up there, tell me now.”

“I don’t know how much time I’ll have to spend with you.”

“We aren’t spending any time together currently, whatever I can get this weekend is better than that.”  You just hear him groan over the line.  “If you want me to call Jared to come pick me back up I will.”

“No.  When do you get in?”

“The plane’s scheduled to land around 2:40, then I have to clear customs.”

“I have to be on set, I’m not going to be able to meet you.”

“Okay, I can take a cab over to the studio.”

“No, just come back to the apartment. I’ll leave a spare key in an envelope with the receptionist,” he tells you.

“Okay.  See you soon. Love you.”

“Yeah, love ya.”

His head falls back against the pillow as he hangs up.  His easy weekend is now going to be a bit more complicated. 

At the airport in Austin, you sit back against the hard seat with a sigh.  This was off to a rocky start and the plane hasn’t even boarded yet.  Thankfully the flight itself was an easy one.  After making your way through customs you exit the building to try and find a cab.  

When you arrive at his apartment building, you need to show your ID in order to pick up the envelope he left with the key.  The doorman shows you up, at least Jensen remembered to tell him you were coming before he left.  

Opening the apartment door, you take a look around.  It’s fairly empty, but you shouldn’t be surprised.  Jensen is only going to have this place a few months. You take your suitcase down the hall, you think this is the way to the bedroom.  It’s the second door you try.  There is a photo of you and Jensen on his nightstand, it gives you some hope seeing it there. Taking a few things out of your bag, you then explore the apartment.  It’s a little bit of a mess, so you spend some time tidying it up.  The fridge is empty, so you go down to inquire about the nearest grocery store.  It isn’t too far away, so you decide to walk over.  With your hands full, you take a cab back to the apartment.

There are a few items to put away in the cupboard, you make a few meals to freeze that Jensen can thaw later, then prepare pasta, salad and bread for dinner.  All this time you haven’t heard a word from Jay, not even checking that you made it in alright. You send a text asking if he knows how late he’ll be working, but don’t receive a response. 

By eight, you fix yourself a plate for dinner and eat alone at the table. Putting the rest away, you curl up on the couch, and find a movie on Netflix.  It’s after eleven when the door opens and Jensen finally comes in.  Getting up from the couch, you go over to greet him.

“Hey honey,” you say before leaning up to kiss him.

“Hi babe.” He gives you a quick kiss before pulling away. “I need a shower.”

He rejoins you in the living room ten minutes later, sitting next to you on the couch.  

“There’s some pasta in the fridge, if you would like me to heat some up for you?”

“I’m good, we ate on set.”

“Okay.  Do you have anything going on tomorrow?”

“I’ve got a 10 am call time.  Should go till 8 or so.”

You just nod in response. It’s been awhile since you’ve had his arm wrapped around you, and you are just going to enjoy that for now.  The movie on the screen ends and you suggest going to bed hoping to feel more than his arm around your shoulders tonight.

You come out of the bathroom ready for bed in a new lace chemise, and find your boyfriend sound asleep.  Grabbing one of his old t-shirts from your bag, you turn around to go back to change.

The next morning Jensen is up before you are.  You find him out at the kitchen counter with a cup of coffee and what looks like a script.

“Morning, do you want breakfast before you leave?”

“No, I already had something. But thanks.”

“Can I come to set with you today? Hang out in between scenes with you?”

“No, they don’t like other people on set.  Don’t want any secrets getting out.”

“Oh, yeah, sure. I guess I’ll go explore the city then.  Text me when you’re done, we can maybe grab a late dinner somewhere?”

“Yeah, sure.”

“Do you film tomorrow?”

“No, it’s just going over some choreography for fight scenes on Tuesday.”

“So it should be a shorter day?”

“Hopefully.  Chase, Karl and I have a tee time at 2.”

“Great.”  You’re only here for a few days, but getting a round of golf in takes precedence apparently.

Once Jensen leaves for work you pull out your phone to find something to entertain yourself with today.   You decide to start the day at Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada.  

The tour of the aquarium takes you first to the Dangerous Lagoon overlook.  There you see sharks, turtles, eels and sawfish.  A sign says it is the largest exhibit at the aquarium, and has around 2.9 million liters of water.  From there you enter the Discovery Center which has interactive exhibits and features Zebra and Blacktip Reef Sharks along with Clownfish.  The Canadian Waters and Kelp Forest are next where you see octopus, lobsters, Cod, Wolf Eel, and Paddlefish.  

On the lower level of the aquarium you see the Rainbow Reef which recreates the coral seas of the Pacific.  Planet Jellies has various breeds of jellyfish. The Ray-Bay is home to five types of stingrays and the Bonnethead Shark.  A sign says that back on the main level you can pet the rays at the top of the tank. 

Back up top, you stroll through the gallery area next.  This is home to Electric Eels, Seahorses, Piranhas, Pufferfish and Mudskippers.  A quick tour of the gift shop and you are on your way out.

The aquarium is right near the base of the CN Tower.  Being so close, you couldn’t pass that up. The tower was completed in 1976 and stands 1,815.5 feet tall.

Getting off the elevators at the observation level you are currently 1,136 feet off the ground. The glass floor lets you look to the ground 114 stories below.  You go up to the Skypod which is 33 stories above the main observation level.  It is the highest observation platform in the Western Hemisphere.  You can see all the way to New York and Niagara Falls from here. You can also feel the building swaying a lot more up here. You hear a guide mention the antenna above the Skypods gets hit by lightning an average of 75 times a year.  The mix of the swaying and lightning are enough to send you back down to ground level.

You grab a light lunch and walk over to High Park to sit and enjoy it.  Finishing your lunch you take a walk down one of the nature trails.  Walking alone your thoughts drift to Jensen.  Once again today, you haven’t heard from him at all.  You are right here in his town and he can’t seem to spare you any time.

That afternoon you end up strolling through the CF Toronto Eaton Centre Mall.  It is a huge shopping center with more than 250 stores.  In your current mood nothing there really grabs your attention.  

By seven you are on your way back to Jensen’s apartment to get cleaned up to have dinner with him.   At 8:30 you send a text asking if he was going to be getting off soon. Almost an hour later, you receive a reply.

Jensen 💗-On my way back

You-Do you still want to go out and grab dinner?

Jensen💗-No

Alrighty then.  You pull leftovers out of the fridge and start warming them up for dinner.  When he walks in, you just about have everything ready to go.

“Hey honey, if you want to shower first, dinner is almost ready.”

“I already ate.”

“What?”

“It was a rough shoot, I went out and grabbed a drink with Karl, Jack and Anthony.  We ordered some food there.”

He heads off to the bathroom, and you just stare after him.  “Well thanks for telling me,” you mutter after him.

No longer hungry you put everything away once more.  Entering the bedroom you change into sweats and sit down on the corner of the couch.  It isn’t long until Jensen returns, he collapses in the middle of the couch.

“What a day.  Anything Kripke was unable to throw at us during Supernatural is sure finding its way out now.”

“Hmm.”

“This season is going to be so sick.”

You don’t respond, just keep your eyes straight ahead on the television.

“What’s your problem?” He turns his head to look at you.

“What’s going on with us?” you ask.

“What do you mean?”

“I feel like I don’t matter to you any more.  We rarely talk anymore.”

“We’re talking right now, or I was trying to but you’re ignoring me.”

“I thought we were going to do something tonight, but you went out with your friends while I was waiting for you.  You could have at least let me know what was going on.”

“It’s been a long couple of days, I don’t want to fight with you.  I’m going to bed.”

You watch him leave, biting your lip, you rest your head back against the couch trying not to cry.  That did not go the way you wanted it to at all. Going into the extra bedroom you grab a folded blanket off the unmade bed, and bring it back to the couch, planning on sleeping there tonight.  The television keeps you company, while your mind replays everything.  

The next morning, the sound of cupboard doors slamming around wakes you up.  Stretching as you sit up, you notice Jensen moving around the kitchen.  He looks over at you when he sees you move, but doesn’t say anything. He leaves a short time later. 

You don’t feel like doing much of anything today.  You hang out around the apartment watching Hallmark.  Why does everything always work out for them?

Around four, you get a text from Jensen that says he has something with the cast.  Another night alone, fabulous.  Why did you even bother coming?  Changing into presentable clothes you head out to find some food, getting into the elevator you are shocked at who you see.

“Eric, hi.”

“Y/N, how are you?  I wasn’t sure if you were in town or not this weekend.”

“Yeah, I just got in on Friday, staying a few days.  Doing alright, how are you?

“Good, are you coming to dinner?”

“What?”

“A bunch of the crew is going for dinner.  Aren’t you going to meet Ackles? I’ll give you a lift.”

His phone rings and you don’t get a chance to reply.  Getting off the elevator you follow him outside, planning to still go off on your own.  When the car pulls up, he waves you inside.  His phone call lasts almost the whole way to the restaurant, even though he keeps attempting to end it.  He is finally able to put it down just before the car pulls into the parking lot.

“Sorry about that.  Everything is a huge problem to some of the network execs.  Talking with Jared, I thought you were going to be here this weekend, but then I never saw you around set with Jensen.”

“He told me I couldn’t come with him.  Are you sure I can be here tonight?  Jensen didn’t invite me.”

“I would have let you on set, no problem. Yes, you are more than welcome to join us tonight.  Have you met anyone yet?”

“Just Karl.”

You follow him through the restaurant, when he arrives at the large table he calls out, “look who I found on my way here.”

Your eyes are on Jensen who has Claudia’s arm around his shoulders as she is whispering in his ear.

“Hey!” Karl yells, “where have you been hiding?”

He gets up to give you a hug, Jensen gives you a questioning look, while everyone else just stares.  Eric looks around the table and asks a passing waiter for one more place setting and chair.

“I’ve been hanging out around the apartment, explored Toronto yesterday,” you finally answer Karl’s question.

“So you come all the way up here, and don’t even visit the set?  Should we be hurt?” Karl’s last question is directed at Kripke.

“What are you doing here?” Jensen interrupts them.

“Are you going to introduce us, Eric?” Anthony questions at the same time.

“I ran into Eric in the elevator, and he invited me to come along,” you answer Jensen.

“Why didn’t you bring her?” Eric asks your boyfriend, who just shrugs in response.

“Some of us still don’t know what’s going on,” Jack calls out.

“This is Y/N Padalecki, this lovely lady was Ali Black on Supernatural,” Eric introduces you.

“She also has horrible taste in men, because she’s dating that brute,” Karl tells them as he points to Jensen.

Anthony, Karen, Jack, Erin and Chase all stand up to greet you.  A chair is added next to Jensen as everyone but Claudia scoots down to make room for you.  

After the group has ordered, Karl looks at you from across the table.  “How long are you here for?”

“I have a flight out tomorrow afternoon.”

“We have some fight sequences to finalize in the mornin’, are you coming to tour the set?” He asks. 

“I don’t know,” you look over at Jensen, who has remained silent.

As time goes on you notice that Claudia seems to keep touching Jensen, her hand is on her arm, his thigh, and shoulder.  ‘Really girl’ you think ‘right in front of me?’

Erin asks about what you have going on now with Supernatural over.  You tell her about Walker.  Jensen seems agitated next to you, you finally turn and ask if he’s alright.  Instead of answering he stands up and nods for you to join him out in the hall.

“I can’t believe you got Eric to bring you along,” Jensen harshly whispers to you.

“It wasn’t my intention, I just ran into him when I got in the elevator.”

“I don’t understand what your problem is.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The attitude you had last night, sleeping on the couch,  now putting yourself in the middle of a cast get together.  What are you trying to do?”

“When did you become such an asshole? Maybe playing Soldier Boy has gone to your head. If you don’t want me here, and it’s such a big deal to have me here, I’ll leave.”

With that you turn back toward the room to grab your purse.  You expect Jensen to stop you, but he never does. The waiter is coming back in and you quietly ask him to cancel your order.  Before walking out the door, you turn back to the table.

“It was nice meeting you all.  I’m sorry, but I have to be going.  Enjoy the rest of your night.”  With that you turn and leave.

Eric is right behind you, he can’t get your attention so he grabs your arm once you step outside.

“Hey, what’s going on?”

“Nothing, I just have to go.”

“Y/N, I’ve known you a long time.  I can see you’re upset, and you’re barely holding back tears.”  He looks around for a moment before spotting a bench.  “Come sit down for a minute.”

“I’ll be alright, you should get back inside,” you try to tell him.

“Not until you tell me what’s going on.”

You know he isn’t going to let go, with a sigh you start talking.  “Things with Jensen and I haven’t been going so great lately.  He barely answers my calls or texts.  I don’t know the last time he even called or texted me to start a conversation.  Gen thought it might be good for us if I came up here and we spent some time together.  I’ve still barely seen him.”

You take a deep breath to try and get yourself back under control, but you can’t help the tears sliding down your face.  “I’m afraid our relationship might have run its course, and I don’t mean anything to him any more.  I’m just someone he used to have around because I was convenient.”

“Oh Y/N,  I’m so sorry you are feeling like this.  I don’t know what’s going on with him, but I know you always meant a lot to him,” Eric tries to comfort you.

“Used to. I can’t keep going like this, the last month has been rough.  I tried to talk to him last night and that didn’t go over well.  Now he’s mad that I’m here.  When things were good with us, he would have been the first one up to give me a hug.  He would have been the one introducing me to his new cast mates, not you and Karl.  We would have spent any free time he had together, going for a drink or golfing with the guys wouldn’t have been more important.”

“I’m sorry, you don’t deserve to be treated like that,” Eric says softly.  You can tell he is a bit out of his comfort zone here.

You nod your head, you know what you have to do and your heart is crumbling into pieces.  Turning in your seat you give Eric a hug.  “Thanks for everything Eric.  Will you do me a favor and keep an eye on him for me?”

“Anything for you.  I won’t let him get into too much trouble tonight.”

You bite your lip and wipe the tears off your face, “I don’t just mean tonight.”

It takes Eric a second, but after all you’ve just said, he understands what you mean.  “I will, you take care of yourself.  He gives you a hug before hailing you a cab and returning inside.

You stare out the window during the ride back to the apartment.  When you return you start packing up your things.  After your bag is ready you pull out your phone looking for a flight out.  You aren’t sure you could make any that are leaving tonight, so you change it to one leaving at 6:10 am.  Sitting on the couch you wait for Jensen to return.

Over an hour later he finally walks through the door. You stand up as he sets his keys down on the counter.

“We need to talk,” you tell him. softly

“We do.  What were you thinking trying to insert yourself like that?  I’m still new here, I can’t have you pushing your way in the middle of things, or asking for special tours around set.  What are they going to think?”

“As I told you earlier, I didn’t ask Eric to bring me along, I was going out to find my own dinner and ran into him when I was going to do that.  He told me to come along, and that it was alright.  Karl asked about me taking a tour, I didn’t push for one.”

“I can’t afford to have you rocking the boat here.”

“You don’t have to worry about that, I’m done.  I can’t…I can’t do whatever this has become anymore.” You gesture between the two of you.

That catches Jensen’s attention, and he notices your packed bag next to the couch. “What are you talking about?  Where are you going?”

“What I started to try and talk to you about last night.  I don’t know what’s happened to us, but I can’t take it anymore.  I’ve changed my flight to leave earlier.  I feel like I am the only one trying to hold this together anymore.  Right now you’re more worried about making a bad impression on people you’ve worked with for a few months, then about me.  You barely answer when I call or text you.  Any of our limited conversations anymore revolve around you, I doubt you could tell me what I have going on in my life lately.”    

“That’s not true, you’re filming that…um…that…”

“The Netflix series?  Maid, about a single mom fleeing from abuse and trying to make it with her child. We wrapped a few weeks ago.  I told you that in Chicago.”

“You’re getting ready for Walker then.”  

“You’re grasping at straws, Jens.”

“I don’t understand why you want to end things?  What was the point of coming up here?  Was it just to break up?  Did you meet someone else?”

You shake your head, not believing what is coming out of his mouth.  “I came up here to see if there was any way we could save our relationship.  But when spending time with you cast mates, who are here with you everyday, is more important than me who you have barely seen, I have my answer.  If you really need an answer to the last question it’s no.  Honestly, going by all the pictures online, and dinner tonight, I should be the one asking that.  But I know you better than that.  At least I used to.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I don’t know when I became so unimportant to you,  something that could just be tossed aside when I wasn’t useful.”

He looks at you in shock. “That’s not true and you know it.”  

“I really don’t, not anymore.  With everything going on in your life, there isn’t time for me.  A backseat is okay once in a while, but it’s not a place I’m willing to stay.”

 “What are you talking about?”

“Your career is really taking off, and I can’t keep up with everything.  We don’t even live in the same county anymore.  I just don’t fit in your life anymore, and I deserve better than what I’m getting.”

“Everything I do is for us.”

“You really going with that? After how you treated me this weekend?  How you’ve been treating me the last few months?”

“Any girl would be happy to be in your place.”

“I don’t know when you became this self absorbed asshole, but that’s not the guy I fell in love with, the guy I planned my future with.  I’m sorry Jensen, but I can’t take the hurt and loneliness that have come from this relationship anymore.  I don’t want to cry myself to sleep over us another night, or wonder when you’re going to feel like talking to me again.” 

“After everything I did for us, if you think it’s really so bad to be dating me, then there is no reason to drag this out,” he spits out, his anger rising.  “Make sure to be out of the house before I get back to Texas.”

You give a small shake of your head, “if you knew how things were going with me.  You would know I’ve been staying at my brother’s house because I wasn’t comfortable alone in yours.  I don’t have much left there, it will be out soon.”   

You grab your bag and head for the door, stopping before you open it.  “I did love you, you meant the world to me.  I told Jared no matter what happens between us, I didn’t want it to affect your friendship.  I wish you the best Jens, and I really am happy for you and everything that’s coming your way.  I just wish there was still room for me in your world.”  Taking one last look at your now ex, you quickly exit the apartment.

Thank you for reading!

Chapter 6

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[megsironthrone]

Swim

Based on this request:  Hi! Could you write a Edmure Tully x fem!reader where the reader is in a relationship with Edmure, and after she tells him she can’t swim, he decides to teach her? Probably modern AU, but if you could pull it off in the GOT setting, it would be super. I’ll be happy to read any version you write. :)

Here you are!! My apologies for the wait! *I do not own ANY familiar characters!*

Warnings: Modern AU, not knowing how to swim, fluff. Also a little short since I’m not as well-versed in writing Edmure

Pairings/Characters: Edmure Tully x fem!reader

Edmure paused at the door, checking his phone for fourth the time. You didn't normally take so long to get ready and you'd been looking forward to this holiday for weeks now. "Y/N? Darling?" Edmure called up the stairs only to be met with silence. He set his own bags down and headed toward your shared bedroom to find you still sitting on your bed.

         "Darling? Are you alright?" You looked up at him and sighed. "I think I should stay home." Edmure cocked his head to the side in confusion. "We've been planning this trip for months. You were so excited, too. What happened?" You sighed and mumbled something. Edmure sat down on the bed next to you. "Love? What is it?"

         "I can't swim," you admitted, clearly embarrassed at your lack of experience. He took your hand, causing you to finally look up at him. Your eyes were a little teary, but he knew you weren't sad. "Why didn't you tell me?" You shrugged a bit. "You grew up near rivers, Edmure. I-I figured you'd think I was silly for not knowing."

         Edmure shook his head and kissed your hand. "You aren't silly. There are plenty of things I grew up around that I don't know how to do. Ask my family how my archery skills are." You giggled at that. "How about this; we go like we planned and, in the morning before the others wake up, you and I will sneak out and I'll teach you to swim away from prying eyes." You blinked at him. "You'd do that for me?" He smiled and told you that, of course, he would.

         That was how you found yourself tightly gripping onto Edmure's hands in the early hours of the morning just a few days later. "You alright?" he asked. You nodded but refused to look up from your feet. "Y/N, love, I can't teach you if you won't look at me." Taking a deep breath, you glanced up. "There. Just breathe. I promise I will not let you go until you're ready."

         You were honestly surprised with how patient Edmure was with you. That helped you to feel a little less anxious in the water. It didn't take long for you to get the hang of treading water. Edmure gave you a bright smile. "Well done. Now, try this." He demonstrated what you should do with your arms and legs. He kept his hands on your waist so you wouldn't panic.

         Thanks to Edmure's teachings, you managed to learn quickly. Over the course of several mornings, you'd managed to learn at least the basics. You wouldn't be winning any races any time soon, but you could at least relax and not worrying about looking like an idiot, or worse. By the time the actual reunion started, you were a little more confident that you wouldn't make a fool of yourself in front of Edmure's family.

         You found yourself enjoying Edmure's sister, Catelyn's company. She was a devoted wife and mother and was very protective of Edmure. You quickly grew to love conversations with her while Edmure played with his young nieces and nephews. Cat and her husband's children were all a delight to be around as well. You couldn't say the same about Lysa and her son. Lysa absolutely looked down on you and you could tell with every word she spoke. You made a mental note to avoid her as much as you could.

         "Y/N!" Edmure called out to you. He waved to you from the water when you faced him. He was surrounded by the children that did know how to swim and they were all looking at you expectantly. With a deep breath, you slowly made your way over to them, keeping your eyes on Edmure as you felt your feet hit the water. You could do this. Step after step, you carefully made your way to Edmure.

         "That's it," you saw him mouth to you. When you couldn't walk any longer, you steadied your nerves before letting yourself float. The kids were cheering at the fact that they had another adult to play with, but your focus was on Edmure until you found yourself swimming into his arms.

         "I am so proud of you, my love," he whispered in your ears when you'd wrapped your arms around him. Your heart was pounding in your ears, but you had done it. "I had a good teacher," you whispered back. Edmure blushed and opened his mouth to reply only to get a mouthful of river water as his nephew splash you both. You floated there in surprise for a moment before you laughed and let go. "Go get him," you declared, "I'm good here." Edmure placed a swift kiss to your cheek then swam away, earning a delighted scream from the Stark boy and his siblings.

(a/n: I hope you like it!)

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[vilfy]

aheehee. answer all the prompts on the meme u reblogged

Aha. This will be going below, for all our sakes.

Why were you named the way you were? Is there a special meaning behind your name (or middle name if applicable)?

My mother was a scholar on Shakespeare's work, so my siblings and I all shared namesakes in the form of plays.

When I decided to go into medicine, my father suggested I honor my grandfather by taking on his name as part of my disguise. I liked being Simon better than Ophelia. So, Simon I stayed.

When is your birthday? What is your ideal birthday?

The 19th of September, 1875. I'm not sure what would constitute "ideal" though... party weather, maybe.

What is your sexuality/orientation? How did you discover them?

The funniest thing about pretending to be a man for medical school is that sometimes you find you're happier as a man than you ever were as a girl. And you still prefer gentleman callers.

What's usually on your shopping list?

Oh, household essentials. Oil for the lamps, fresh candles, blood bags from the plasma centers around town.

Sometimes, if I'm feeling especially lively, I'll even buy groceries.

What are some general hygiene things you do? How do you normally do your hair? What kind of products do you use?

What I use isn't legal to produce anymore. But I learned to tend my curls- what loose ones there are- from my sisters. I've been told I'm a priss about baths, though. I always take too long.

What is in your pockets/bag/etc. right now?

A cigarette book, a bottle cap from my first night out after my hibernation, and... a single penny. Nothing too exciting, I'm afraid. I don't keep much on me when I leave the house.

What is it like where you live? How does it compare to where you grew up if it differs?

It's quiet here, mountainous in a very different way from home. Just as isolated and misty- far less rain but much more latent humidity. The states are interesting that way.

Do you have a favorite food? What's your favorite breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert?

O-

Do you have any other family members? Parents, siblings, grandparents, cousins, etc.?

If I have any little great nieces or nephews, I don't know of them. I could check in on the old estate... I'm afraid to find out if it's even still occupied. Or standing.

How do you feel about makeup? Are you any good at putting it on? Do you wear it often?

Ahaha. I had to adapt to the changing fashions- once the deathly pallor of consumption was out of style, I had to keep up with the times to look less like a corpse. Not much of a problem these days, it seems.

Would you say you are an introvert, or an extrovert?

I've been described as a "tipsy stray" before for how friendly I can be. I suppose you'd call me an extrovert. Gun to my head, I might agree.

If someone were to invite you to a party, would you enjoy it?What would you do during?

Of course I would! And what else is there to do at parties but mingle and partake. Not many mortal-made substances can stagger me, despite my stature. I don't tend to metabolize things much. It's won me several contests, actually.

What scares you the most? And if it really happened... how would you deal with it?

I'm beyond that point, I'd say. All my life, my greatest fear was death. And then I died! I'd say I've been dealing with that admirably well thus far.

My second greatest fear was ships sinking, so you can imagine my mood when I found myself cancelling my visit home after the sinking of the Titanic.

Have you ever raised a weapon towards someone? Was it in self-defense, or was it purposefully? What happened afterwards?

On a hunting trip with my uncle, I put a round in his backside and told my father I thought he was a wild pig, the way he was speaking to us.

I didn't get to go on any more hunting trips.

Do you honestly believe that you are funny? Tell us your best joke!

I find my humor tends to run dry by modern standards.

To quote Beau, "drier than a Popeye's biscuit."

Not that I get the joke, but it was terribly funny to him.

Tell us about something that's happened recently.

Goodness. I've awoken from a coma to find the world around me about 98 years and a handful of wars different, and I still managed to catch someone's fancy as a floundering fish out of water. That's all of my recent news.

If you were to describe yourself in a few words, what would those words be?

I never did like these ice-breaker questions in university.

Do you have any pets? If so, what are their names? What are they like personality-wise? Can we see them?

I used to. There were hunting dogs of my father's, though the particular breeds escape me... and Gertie, our darling nanny. She tolerated a bonnet better than I ever did.

What is something you care desperately about? Something that you just couldn't live without?

I try not to throw myself into such exaggerations, but I really do think I would be lost without my books. There's so little to do in the daytime.

Have you ever broken a bone? Have you ever had surgery?

I've never broken a bone or had surgery, but I was quite a sickly thing for a time. My mother always called me her impossible one. It's funny, I think, that I was the child everyone expected to die before I could walk- now I may live forever if I can help it.

How often do you cry? Do you happy cry, or do you mostly cry in sadness?

Frankly, it's embarrassing how often my eyes mist over. It's one of the precious few things my body recalls how to do, and it does so often, with only slight provocations.

Have you ever lost someone close to you? Who was it? How did you cope with it?

My entire family is dead, and I am all but a hermit.

You're welcome to guess.

What is your favorite holiday? What makes it your favorite? Is there something in particular that you enjoy most about it?

I do miss Juliet's eggnog on Christmas...

But Halloween was always my favorite.

Do you have any crushes at the moment? If so, do you think you will ever tell them? Has anyone ever had a crush on you?

Crushes? Are we in primary school? No, I don't believe I fancy anyone at the moment. Nobody who would fancy me, anyway.

Are there any certain scents, sounds, or textures that you like? What about ones that you dislike?

Vanilla, rose, jasmine, silk, goose down blankets, and the sound of the tea kettle in the kitchen as heard from the parlor are some of my favorite sensory delights.

Would you ever consider starting a family? How do you feel about getting married, having kids, and potentially settling down?

I can't have children, and I can't see myself forcing someone into eternal life for my sake, nor am I a strong enough man to build a family and outlive them all again.

No.

... Not at the moment, anyway.

What are a few things (or one thing) you want to do before you die? Why?

...

Moving on.

Are you happy in your own skin? If you could change something about yourself, would you, and what would it be?

I would like to be able to age again. I think I've earned a few wrinkles.

Oh, thank goodness, that was the last of them. I've been writing so long I think my spine has a new natural curvature.

[daysofourlivesrecaps]

Tuesday, 16 May 2023

We got some real good blorbo action today, friends.

John and Marlena begin to engage in their long-established foreplay ritual of eating strawberries and cream. (This is, admittedly, barely a blip on the Kink Radar but I legit love that these two septuagenarians are still so into each other.)  John even whipped the cream himself! Also he brought 5001 strawberries, which is a completely arbitrary number that you really shouldn't try to read anything into.

Then Brady (John's son, Marlena's stepson; easily in his 40s and still living with these two) comes home and completely interruptuses their coitus. He whines about how he and Boring Chloe broke up and will there ever be a woman as good and pure as Boring Chloe and can you believe Boring Chloe got an apartment with Hot Xander? What does she even see in that guy, anyway?

John, meanwhile, tries to be as subtle as he can as he checks his watch and tries to remember just how long that blue pill he took is supposed to last.

(If you ever wondered if I thought I was too good to make a Viagra joke, I guess you know better now.)

Speaking of BC and HX, they are indeed still cohabitating. Chloe is lecturing Xander on the proper way to hang a picture frame (since they're all falling off the walls now) and Xander is convinced that it's not his shoddy workmanship but an actual ghost.

And sure, you may mock this notion. I did for a minute, until I remembered that the character who got *by far* the most screentime on this show in 2022 was Satan. Yes, that Satan. From school. I mean, Hell.

As he talks this out, we realize that it's *kind* of a ghost in the Scottish play sense of the concept. He's still feeling guilty about his role in the death of Susan Banks (our cat's namesake). Which is valid. We did kinda gloss over that when it happened and it's not a bad thing to circle back to.

But I immediately jumped to *we never saw her body! She could be the Mystery Hostage aboard the USS Lobsterfest!! That's gotta be why the show is reminding us about her, right?!*

Wrong. It's not Susan *or* my dark horse theory, Jan Spears. Why did I even bother hiding that in a spoiler tag yesterday?!

Von Leuschner, who is getting hotter to me with each passing day, reveals that his hostage is, in fact, Andrew. A character we've only recently met and who I'm only a little interested in because he's part of a gay couple and the show is running dangerously low on boys who kiss each other right now.

But I don't particularly care that he's being held hostage . Not when I thought of two much better possibilities right off the top of my damn head.

We also spend some time with Megan and Kristen in prison. Being, as they are, ostensibly sisters (albeit sisters who only recently met and weren't even aware of one another's existence before this year), they do what adult siblings do and pretend to show interest in each other's personal lives.

Kristen reads a letter from her daughter, Rachel, who gloats about finally breaking up her dad and That Bitch Chloe. (These are essentially eight year old Rachel's words. I would never.)

And Megan reveals that she's connected to Von Leuschner who, *btw, is actually your nephew, Kristen*. I then spent 5-10 minutes going through all the DiMeras we know and trying to work out whose kid he is. And then we find out *Megan* is his mother and I feel like a real stupid.

Having gotten the Salem Resurrection Phone Tree started to inform her massive network of relatives that she's still alive, Kate now settles in to enjoy some alone time with Roman.

"I want something," she says, and waits patiently as Roman cycles through food ("I had lobster on the boat"), a shower ("I showered on the boat, before I got into this fancy dress to eat lobster") and sleep ("not tired.")

Roman. Buddy.  She hasn't seen you in *months*. She made exactly one call before turning her phone off and putting the DO NOT DISTURB sign on the hotel room door. *She wants. To. Fuck.* What in god's name is wrong with you, man?!

[travelingtheusa]

NEW YORK

2022 July 20 (Wed) – We spent the day getting ready to move tomorrow.  Things got put away and straightened out.  Paul worked on the RV including a climb up onto the roof where he washed and scrubbed all the bird droppings and leaf residue off.

2022 July 19 (Tue) – Susan came over and we took Xavier and Caiden to Kismet on Fire Island.  Paul stayed home to work on the truck and camper.  The boys had a great time!  It was their first time to Fire Island.  They loved the waves and played in them for hours.  They didn’t want to leave.

2022 July 18 (Mon) – I had a one-week postop check up with the ophthalmologist this morning.  It should have been a quick in and out but it took over an hour.  The doctor was concerned that the pressure in my eye was high.  At first, he offered to give me glaucoma drops to use.  When I said I had the glaucoma surgery to avoid using the drops, he said they needed to take a picture of my eye nerves.  After waiting a while, he said the pressure wasn’t that bad.  I need to be sure to get the one-month postop check wherever we are and be sure to check the eye pressure.

      I fell down coming out of Dave & Fran’s driveway yesterday.  My right hand and wrist have been very painful.  I woke several times during the night with my hand throbbing.  I was afraid that I fractured the hand.  Paul wanted to take me to the emergency room at the hospital but I was too smart for that.  I didn’t want to sit for hours so I called my doctor’s office and asked them to fax a script to the radiology facility so I could get an x-ray taken (the nurse sent the script because the doctor was not in today).  The tech told me it would be read and a report would be sent to the doctor in 3 to 5 days.  Three to five days????  If the hand is broken, don’t you need to set it as soon as possible?  What good would a report do me in five days?  I asked for a copy of the x-rays which I took to the doctor’s office.  The nurse told me there was no one to read the disc or do anything.  I had to go back to the radiology office and pressure them to read the results.  I walked back to the radiology office only to be told there was no STAT on the script so it would be read in 3 to 5 days.  When I pressed for results, they said they would put a STAT on it and it would be read sometime during the day.

      Needless to say, I was quite upset.  I gave up on the whole thing and just went home.  If there is a break, it’s got to be a hairline fracture because the bones are aligned.  My hand hurts with certain movements and not with others.  I’ll wait and see what happens.

      Miranda and Kenny returned from their week away at camp.  Caiden was very happy to see them.

2022 July 17 (Sun) – We dropped Caiden off at Xavier’s house and went to church.  We said good bye to everyone as we plan to leave on Wednesday.  After church, we stopped for bagels then returned the rental car to Budget at Long Island MacArthur Airport.  They have a whole new transportation center built just for car rentals.  At least, the return was better than the pick up.

      Our next door neighbors, David & Fran, invited us over to swim in the pool so we all went over and watched the boys swim for two hours.  It was very nice of them because they had the boys and Paul over yesterday for about four hours and pizza.

2022 July 16 (Sat) – I picked up my cousin Kathy at 7:30 a.m. and we drove 5 hours to South Weymouth, Mass. to meet cousins we had never met before.  My father’s sister’s daughter, Shauna, invited us to visit and meet her two nieces, one nephew, and two children, among all the other children.  They were having a high school graduation party for one of their kids.  Lots of teens were swimming and eating and playing games.  We had a great time!  Luckily, we were able to catch the New London ferry and saved an hour and a half behind the wheel. 

2022 July 15 (Fri) – We drove to Northport VA to get my hearing aid repaired.  When I went in last month to get the stable wire repaired, the tech put a new wire on.  Somehow, it got twisted around and I couldn’t fit the aid in my ear.  I got called into the office, the tech (a different person) showed me how to make sure the wire is in the right position, and I was out in less than 2 minutes.  That’s the kind of doctor’s appointment I like!

      We returned to the house.  Paul worked on replacing the awning on the RV.  I worked on cleaning up around the house.  Caiden complained about having no one to play with.  We walked down to Xavier’s house but he was going somewhere with his family.  He didn’t have fun today.  Boo hoo.

      Xavier showed up at 6 p.m. and the boys played until 9:30 p.m.

2022 July 14 (Thu) – Yay!  I finally got my computer back!  It crashed and I had to order a new laptop from Dell.  They initially said the new laptop would arrive on July 7.  That date slid to July 11.  Then I had to bring it to the Geek Squad to have the memory from the old hard drive transferred to the new laptop.  Finally, I picked it up today.  I’m still learning how to get around it.  It has Windows 11; my old laptop had Windows 10.  Configurations are a little strange.  I’ll get it down.

      So what’s happened in the last 3 weeks?  We had to put Bonnie to sleep.  She developed a very aggressive bone cancer that had invaded her upper jaw and was moving into the nasal cavity.  She would bleed whenever she ate and it was starting to impede her breathing.  We were going to wait until July 19 just before we left but we began to question whether we were doing it for her and for us.  It became clear that she was tired and ready to go.  It was a very hard decision but we feel it was the right one.  A vet came to the house and we all sat in the yard with Bonnie, petting and talking to her as she slowly passed away.  We buried her in the back yard.

      Paul and I have gone to a bevy of doctors.  There was a coloscopy, an endoscopy, cataract surgery, a stress test, carotid artery studies, and an echocardiogram.  In between, we visited with family and friends.  It has been a fast five weeks.  We are eager to get back on the road. 

      Miranda and Kenny left for camp on Sunday and we have had Caiden staying with us in the RV.  He is having the time of his life!  I’m glad we could give him this special time together.

[imrantingnow]

Fentanyl.

I’ve seen a lot of post about how it’s took peoples family members, how to stop it, what it looks like, who to call, the statistics.

But I’m here to tell you the story of my brother. He was an all star football player and wrestler in high school, scored a 32 on his act and fell asleep during half of it, he was smart. He had a full ride to wherever he wanted to go, he didn’t go though. My brother didn’t want that life for some reason, I was about six when he graduated high school. My older brother was my best friend. I spent so much of my childhood playing with him, cheering for him in the bleachers, wrestling and him letting me win even though he was 30x bigger than me, looking up to him. I don’t know exactly when the switch from weed to pills to heroin and meth and whatever else he could find happened, but I do know it was a slow switch, to me anyways. I didn’t know much about my brothers addiction until it was too late, 2018 that’s when I finally noticed. My brother moved in with me and my dad, he was always annoyed with me, he’d nod in and out of consciousness and just wasn’t him. It was weird though it was him, just like if he had just got his wisdom teeth removed and the laughy gas was still in effect. 2019, I went to pick up my order sister, she was going to buy me chick fil a. My older brother got in the car, I rolled my eyes becuase I couldn’t stand to be around him. We pull into the drive thru and I looked in the back seat, he was purple. “Hi! Can I take your order please?” I ignored the woman and reached to check his pulse, 80…70….60 “I need help getting out of the drive thru, my brother his over dosing” I don’t know how I remained calm but I did. She guided me to a parking spot as my sister slapped my brother and poured cold water on him, employees gathering around ready to help drag him out of the car. I could call 911 my phone had lost service, I head him gasp back to life. I took my sisters phone to call and he slapped it out of my hand, he didn’t want to go to the hospital. My sister ordered food they gave it to us for free, I didn’t eat. Matter of fact I didn’t go to work for a week, I was numb and in shock. Two weeks later my mom received a call, “your son has over dosed and has been receiving cpr for 10 minutes, we administered 3 rounds of narcan, he is asking to leave” my mom called the police. I was at a hair appointment that day, I didn’t cry but I answered on speaker so the whole salon heard. My brother had enough fentanyl in him to kill at least 5 people. My brother has a son he’s 4, and in foster care. He had court mandated rehab, left, went back, left, went back, and so on, My mom started putting money away for his funeral. Months went on and I came to acceptance that I’d loose my brother, until he called. “Hey gray bae, could you take me in the morning to visit your nephew? You can come too, you can talk to my councilor, I have 163 days clean!” I was happy. So for the next month every Wednesday I’d get up at 7 am and take him and hour away, we’d have fun, get food and then I’d drop him off, until the text. His girlfriend texted my mom, he relapsed and was on a bender. I was pissed, hurt, and mourning honestly. The rehab cycle continued for a year, I chose to not talk to him, I couldn’t. He made it to a halfway house and relapsed. That was a month ago, he’s living with relatives in another state. Moral of this story is, well. I don’t know yet, I guess I’ll let you know when I see an outcome.

[liaswritesrobots]

I'm feeling a lot better which means I'll be going back to work soon so I'm gonna try to start working on my f/ofebruary stuff and match ups again now that I'm up to it!

[carlsainz]

𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚𝒔𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 – 𝒆𝒓𝒊𝒌 𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒐

summary: you and your boyfriend are babysitting your little niece.

pairing: erik portillo x fem!reader

warnings: a baby?

a/n: hi guys, i had to write this little blurb based in an idea i had today, it's short but i hope you like it.

word count: 1,2k

lowercase intended.

translations: lilla du – little one; mitt hjärta – my heart.

you watched as your sister and her husband entered their car, ready to enjoy a day off for the first time in a while because you and erik said you could babysit your 8 months old niece.

it was spring break, so you were in california visiting your family and you were enchanted by the cute little baby.

"ok babe, it's just us now," you said, turning to your boyfriend, who was holding the baby close to you.

"i hope we can do this."

"of course we can, and if something happens we can always call my mom."

you both looked at zoe, who was looking at erik's face with her big blue eyes full of attention, tiny hand on his chest. he smiled tenderly, caressing her little head carefully.

"she likes you," you whispered.

"thank goodness, because i like her too," he whispered back.

your heart melted at the scene and you almost cried, but managed to hold back the tears and smiled.

"let's play with this little lady," you said.

making a silly childish voice, erik said "do you wanna play, zoey?"

you tickled her little tummy and she laughed, being adorable as all babies. erik led the way to the living room and carefully placed zoe sitting on the floor, as you sat by her side too.

ports spread her toys on the ground and soon her attention was all on the colorful toys. she played and played for some time with both of you, until she started crying because she was hungry.

"babe, can you make her bottle?" you asked.

"sure, i'll be right back," he said, getting up while you tried to calm her down.

you sat on the couch with her in your arms, making soothing noises until she stopped crying. not long after, erik was back with her bottle, handing it to you as you adjusted her in your arms. meanwhile, ports turned the tv on and put frozen to help distract her.

turns out it distracted you two more than zoe, naturally. you were curled at erik's side, his arm around your shoulders, while you were holding zoe and the bottle and were very concentrated in the movie.

when she was satisfied, she made a little noise indicating it, and you quickly took the bottle out of her little mouth and adjusted her so she could digest the milk.

erik looked at the scene with hearts in his eyes. the man was completely in love with you and now he was even more.

the rest of the day was relatively calm and funny. already knowing how to do it because of your other nephews, your brother's kids, you gave her a bath in the middle of the afternoon, erik being excited to set up her cute outfit and brush her few hairs. you both changed diapers, even grimacing, and this part wasn't funny at all.

at some point, she was very irritated and started crying hard and loud.

"what do we do now? i don't know how to calm her down," you said, feeling desperate.

"i don't know, we already checked her diapers and it's all clean, she's also fed up."

"you think we should call my mom?"

"definitely."

"hold her for me," you said, passing zoe to him.

as you went to another room to call your mother, all of a sudden erik realized she must be feeling sleepy. with that in mind, he went to the big couch in the living room, laying down and putting her on his chest.

when you came back, hearing nothing, you faced one of the cutest scenes you've ever seen.

your boyfriend was laying on the couch with zoe on his chest and his big hand was covering almost all of her tiny body, his fingers caressing her back. as you approached, you could hear his low voice muttering something in swedish. he was talking to her, calming her down. you really started crying and got back to the guest room so you wouldn't disturb them, but before, you quickly snapped a picture so you could revisit this scene whenever you wanted.

after some time, you heard erik's voice talking to zoe in english and in a normal tone, making you get downstairs again to see them. he was making her another bottle with one hand and holding her on his other arm.

"...and then we turn off the stove and put it on the bottle and everything is ready for you, lilla du. see?" he said, without noticing you.

zoe only made some baby-ish noises, looking like she was talking to him back and it was cute as hell.

"hi my love, how are you two?" you asked.

"oh hey baby, we're fine right, zoey?"

she giggled at the attention, making both of you laugh.

you fed her and, after a while, she was sleepy again and you helped erik give her a bath, making silly faces all the time to distract her. when she was clean and already dressed to sleep, you dimmed her room's lights and started walking slowly so she could sleep. it didn't take long and soon you were putting an asleep cute baby on the crib, bringing the baby monitor with you before getting out of the bedroom.

you quickly sent some pictures to your sister, updating her and went downstairs to find erik in the kitchen making you dinner.

"i'm so tired," you said, hugging him from behind and resting your head on his back.

"me too, it's surprising how a little baby can get you more tired than a practice."

"well at least she's cute."

"yeah, i don't even mind getting tired taking care of her."

you smiled, disentangling your arms from his body at the same time as he turned off the stove. ports turned to face you and you stood on your tiptoes, his head lowering to find yours and you finally kissed his soft lips. the chaste kiss turned into a desperate one and only the sound of something falling on the ground startled you out of this moment.

"oh my god i hope it's not broken," you said, noticing you let the baby monitor fall and immediately picking it up.

"dude your sister's gonna kill you."

"shut up, portillo."

"is it broken?"

"no it's not, thank god."

"today is your lucky day."

"it really is, now let's eat, i'm hungry."

he smiled at you and kissed your nose before starting to make your plate, then his. you ate at the couch (may your sister never discover) while watching a random hockey game on tv and talking about nothing important. it was a very good day.

later, when you were already on the guest room's bed, with erik spooning you and holding you close, you thought about something. he was breathing softly in your hair and you didn't know if he's awake or not.

whispering, you said "love? you awake?"

"yeah, what happened?" his voice was low and sleepy.

"let's have a baby? we'd make pretty babies"

he laughed and held you closer, "ask this again in a couple years."

satisfied, you closed your eyes. "i love you, portsy."

"i love you too, mitt hjärta," he said, softly kissing your neck.

my tiny taglist <3: @oskarlidblom @pettypeteys

if you want to join the taglist just sent me a message :)

[rubysunnday]

artemis and apollo

Requested by Anon - Hello! I love your bridgerton sister fics! I totally get if your too busy with requests but I would love a fic where the sister is put in some kind of danger (a guy is harassing her or something) and her big brothers save the day

A/N: this isn’t a part of my 1.5K celebration but I’ll shove it in with them. I throughly enjoyed writing this.

It was terrifying.

Eloise was with her - and complaining about it every other second - but that didn’t change just how terrifying it was.

Everyone was looking at her.

Which, considering she was a Bridgerton and was, apparently, the ‘Diamond’ of that season, was understandable. 

It was still terrifying.

“They’re not going to eat you, Y/N,” Colin whispered, a cheeky smile on his face as he leant closer to his sister.

“They might,” Y/N replied, shifting fractionally closer to Colin. She felt safer with her brother’s around (mainly because they intimidated any man who came within five feet of her). “Men could be predators. In fact, I think they are.”

Colin chuckled and grabbed her hand. “Stop panicking. I won’t leave your side, ok?”

“Unless Mother makes you,” Y/N replied, ever the pessimist. “I just... I don’t trust people I’ve never met. Especially men I’ve never met before. It’s a woman thing,” she added, noticing Colin’s slightly blank look. “I trust you and Anthony and Benedict to look out for me but once I’m engaged in a dance with a man, there’s no escape.”

Colin nodded. “Message received - do not leave you alone with strange men and do not let you dance with strangers.”

Y/N elbowed her brother in the stomach and he let out a grunt that turned a few heads. Colin coughed but straightened his waistcoat and cleared his throat.

“I think that was slightly unnecessary,” he muttered.

“I disagree,” Y/N replied haughtily. “I think it was entirely deserved.”

Y/N let out a soft sigh and tried not to let her disappointment at being forced to attend the ball obvious.

“Oh, hello,” Colin whispered into her ear. “Prince Nikolai is coming this way.”

Y/N perked up. Prince Nikolai was a distant nephew of Queen Charlotte and, perhaps, one of the sweetest men she’d ever met. Whilst Y/N and Nikolai had reached an understanding that neither one wanted to marry the other, they were still good friends and often danced with one another at balls to pass the time.

“Miss Bridgerton, Mr Bridgerton,” Nikolai greeted.

Y/N curtsied. “Your Royal Highness,” she said, standing up. “How are you tonight?”

“I’m very well, thank you Miss Bridgerton.” Nikolai looked at Colin. “I was wondering if you I could do you the honour of being your first dance tonight?”

Y/N smiled and nodded. “Of course, Your Royal Highness.”

Y/N took her arm out of Colin’s and accepted Nikolai’s. She gave her brother a brief, fleeting look as she headed for the dance floor and Colin gave her a reassuring smile in return.

“I do hope you don’t think me to forward, Miss Bridgerton, but I’ve heard some rumours regarding the Earl of Suffolk.”

Y/N closed her eyes momentarily. “Oh, yes. Him.”

The Earl of Suffolk was a presumptuous, prick of a man. He thought himself better than everyone else and assumed he could have whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.

Y/N, being the diamond of the season, had attracted the Earl’s attention. He’d put himself forward as a potential suitor and had even proposed and whilst a more naive girl than Y/N would be attracted to his title and money, Y/N suspected something wasn’t quite right with the Earl.

All it took was Anthony and her mother to ask around before discovering that the Earl’s ex-wife had died under mysterious circumstances two years previously. They'd only been married a year and it was rumour that his wife was barren.

Anthony had immediately put his foot down and refused the Earl’s proposal. Y/N had been grateful for her big brother but with the Earl still lurking around - and apparently very angry at the Bridgerton's - Y/N dreaded running into him.

“Did I speak out of turn?” Nikolai asked, looking at her in concern as they slowly danced around the room.

“No, no,” Y/N said, shaking her head. “My brother, Anthony, took control of the situation but something tells me that the Earl isn’t going to give up so easily.”

“If there’s anything I can do to assist you, please let me know,” Nikolai said, flashing a smile at her.

The song ended and Y/N smiled at him. He escorted her off the floor but was immediately overwhelmed by the debutantes and their mothers.

The mention of the Earl of Suffolk had put Y/N back on edge. She kept to the side of the room as she tried to make her way to her brothers, keeping her head down and hiding amongst the numerous guests.

She spotted Benedict in the corner with Eloise and turned to go in his direction when she spotted the Earl obviously looking for a Bridgerton. He spotted Benedict and began marching over to him with a furious expression on his face. Not wanting to be caught up in the argument that was sure to follow, Y/N turned on her heel and headed outside onto the terrace.

Outside was significantly cooler than inside. The sun had only just set and the moon was lighting up the terrace in a cool glow. Dotted around the terrace were numerous fire pits that lit up the gardens and provide enough light for an unchaperoned walk around. There were also a few footmen and servants outside including a lone violinist who was playing a soft tune.

Taking a chance - and assuming she would be watched by the few people and servants outside - Y/N descended the stairs to the garden and walked around it.

It didn’t have tall, sprawling hedges, merely short ones dotted with flowers or bunches of holly. There was a beautiful statue of Artemis set in the middle of the rose garden and Y/N found herself staring up at it in admiration.

Y/N and Colin were both big fans of the Greek mythology. Colin, being a man, got to study it in detail at university and upon his arrival home had imparted everything he knew on to his younger sister.

The two had spent hours together reading numerous stories and staring at paintings of the gods and goddesses.

Y/N had found herself relating to Artemis. The goddess of wild animals, the hunt, chastity and childbirth, Artemis had become a symbol of protection to Y/N and she’d tried to model herself on the myth.

“Miss Bridgerton, there you are.”

Y/N froze. She closed her eyes and forced herself to turn around and look at the Earl of Suffolk.

“My Lord,” she said, forcing herself to curtsey to the man. “What can I do for you?”

“I wondered if we might have a word?” The Earl said, stepping closer. “It’s just... your brother -”

“The matter is settled, Your Lordship,” Y/N said, stepping back. “My brother made my wishes, and his, very clear to you.”

The Earl tilted his head. “Do you think yourself... better than me?”

Y/N sighed softly, not wanting to take the bait and incite the man. “I think I should head back to the ball.”

She tried to walk past him but he snatched her wrist and pulled her to a sharp halt.

“Let go of me!” Y/N exclaimed, trying to pull away.

“You will marry me, Miss Bridgerton,” the Earl snarled, pulling her closer. “Because you will have no other choice.”

Y/N felt herself panicking. Panicking so much she wasn’t sure what to do. She tried to wriggle out from his grasp but his grip was tight and painful.

The Earl held her tight against him and Y/N did the only thing she could think of.

She kicked him in-between the legs.

The Earl grunted and immediately let go of her as he fell to his knees.

“Y/N!”

Y/N turned around saw her three brothers running towards her from across the garden. She quickly made distance between herself and the Earl and all but flung herself into Anthony’s arms as he reached her side.

“Are you alright?” He asked, looking her in the eye.

Y/N nodded even though her entire body was shaking. “Yes, I am now.”

Anthony nodded and gave her a quick squeeze. He handed her over to Colin as he and Benedict approached the Earl with matching steel cold looks on their faces.

“Are you sure you are alright?” Colin asked, tilting her head up to check she wasn’t injured.

“I’m fine, Colin,” Y/N promised, resting her head on his chest. “A little shaken but still in one piece. He didn’t get far enough to do anything,” she added.

Colin hugged her to him tightly and kissed her head. Y/N turned her head slightly and glanced behind her at the statue of Artemis.

The sound of a fist hitting someone’s face turned her attention back to the Earl and she tried not to look too pleased at the beating his face had taken from her two brothers.

“Come on,” Anthony said, shrugging his coat off and wrapping it around Y/N’s shoulders. “Let’s go home.”

Y/N reached over and grabbed Benedict’s hand as Anthony guided her across the garden and towards the side gate. Her three bodyguards protected her from anyone who was watching and soon they were walking down the front stairs to their carriage.

Benedict helped Y/N in and then sat on her right, Colin on her left. Y/N, who usually nagged her brothers about personal space and forced them to sit opposite her, said nothing. She shifted down in the seat and dropped her head on to Benedict’s shoulder, pulling Anthony’s coat tighter around her shoulders.

Anthony climbed in and sat opposite them with unhidden fury on his face. He glanced at his sister and it all disappeared, replaced by a soft and concerned expression.

Y/N smiled at him and nodded once. She reached out her foot and bumped his leg with her toe, reassuring him a bit more.

Benedict moved fractionally closer to Y/N and she felt herself feeling ever so thankful for her brothers.

Just like Artemis had Apollo, Y/N had Anthony, Benedict and Colin to protect her until her dying day.

[im-in-love-with-pizza-bites]

Yours, Mine, Ours: Chapter 25

Single-Dad!Chris Evans X Single-Mom!Reader

Series MasterList

List of OCs for this series

Series Summary: Your husband Caspian Richardson Senior died while serving in the military, so you move your three sons to Boston, MA. Where you meet an actor and his sweet daughter.

Chapter Summary: Chris meets the Butlers

Series Warnings: Death of a spouse/parent, divorce of parents,

Chapter Warnings:

You were really excited because the butlers were arriving today. Now they couldn't actually move into their apartment for a few days so they were staying with you until they could. Caspian offered to let Matty sleep in his room, of course Caspian will be there too but Caspian's bed has a trundle for the younger boy. Now you tried to offer your room up to Hank and Maya but they refused so you bought a blow up mattress for them. They have a pack N play for Paisley, their newborn daughter, to sleep in. Now most of all you were really excited for Chris to meet Maya, you were very nervous for him to meet Butler though. Butler treats you like his little sister, you're also scared because Butler was Senior's best friend.

Really you're scared how everyone you met during your years as an Army wife would react. You kept in touch with most of Senior's buddies. Sure you didn't message daily but they'd check up on you and your kids every so often. You told most of them since it's been 7 months. Butler knows, he's known since before the rest, you're just nervous. You want them to like each other, especially if you and Chris work out, since then they'll probably see each other a lot.

"Mom!!! They're here!" Connor screams from the front door where he's been watching the road for probably an hour waiting for their car to pull into the drive way. You hear two sets of feet come trampling down the stairs as you begin making your way from the living room to the front door.

The door swings open as your sons run outside. You smile to yourself as you walk outside following your kids. You watch as your sons greet their aunt and uncle, and cousins. You then hug the two adults and their sons before you finally greet the baby.

"Hello there princess." You coo. "She's so precious! Aw, Maya she has your eyes!"

"Can I hold her?" Connor asks.

"Yeah in a little while sure." Maya smiles.

———

"My boyfriend and his daughter are coming over for dinner to meet you guys. Butler please play nice." You tell him.

"Don't worry munch I'll play nice. Besides his background check came back clean." He smiles.

"Yeah don't mention you did that."

"Fine.x" he smiles.

"Ah I can't wait to meet him!" Maya says excitedly.

"Yeah. You're gonna like him, but I don't know about Butler."

"I'm sure I'll love him." He laughs as he rocks the sleeping baby. "Just as long as he doesn't think about hurting you or my nephews."

"I don't think he's thinking about that." Caspian laughs as he walks in with Matty on his back. "This little stinker is getting too big for this."

"Hey you gotta be strong for football this year. You're playing again right?" Hank asks.

"Yep! I'm running back, on varsity!" Caspian says as he goes to the couch and drops the five year old onto it. "With my friend Jackson he's the wide receiver and my other friend Henry he's the kicker."

"I'll have to go to some of your games." Butler smiles.

"Yeah!"

"Can you come to my baseball games too?" Jace asks.

"And my soccer games?"

"I'll go to all three of you boys' games. I'll bring Paisley she can be your cheerleader see." He lifts the baby carefully before doing a squeaky voice, "Yeah go Jace! Go Casp! Go Connor!" The room busted into laughter as the doorbell was rung.

"I'll get that." You said as you stood and walked to the door. Chris stood there holding Juniper on his hip. "Hey! Come in."

"Hey baby." Chris smiles. "Hey don't worry I'm a very likable person they're gonna love me, also I brought this little girly everyone loves her." He says noticing that you're nervous.

"Yeah, hey june there's a boy your age for you to play with!"

"Boys have cooties!" She argues.

"Don't worry this one doesn't."

"Fine." You laugh as you lead them into the living room. Butler stands immediately looking at the father daughter pair. Chris notices him quickly, especially that he is at least a few inches taller then him, and very intimidating.

"Hello, I'm Butler." He puts his hand out to shake with the shorter man.

"Chris nice to meet you." The shake hands, as they both hold their daughter.

"What's your name?" Butler asks June.

"June!"

"That's a beautiful name." Butler smiles, "this my daughter, Paisley."

"Okay, Chris this is Maya and Matty. Maya, Matty this is Chris and June."

"Hello!" She smiles.

"Hi. June bug? How bout you go play with Caspian and the boys?" Chris asks.

"Okay!" Chris sets the girl down before the kids go outside.

"I expected you to be taller." Butler states. "You really looked taller in your movies."

"Well I expected you to be shorter, so." Butler cracks a smile at Chris' joke.

"Thank you she looks like her mom."

"Good one." Your smile grows, you are so happy that they get along.

"You're daughter is adorable." Chris comments looking at the sleeping baby that Butler is holding.

"I really thought he was gonna try to fight him." You whisper to Maya.

"Just wait it's bond to happen."

"How little do you think of me." Hank gasps.

"Very little."

"So mean. This is the woman you're dating, she's so mean." Hank begins to pretend to cry.

"Hank, stop being dramatic." Maya laughs sitting on the couch.

"Alright. I'm going to get a beer, anyone want one?"

"I'll have one please."

"Okay."

———

"How long have you known Y/n?" Chris asks looking at the other man. You and Maya were in the living room, the men were fetched to get drinks.

"About 20 years now. Me and Richardson were in basic together. And I met her at the graduation, oh everyone in our platoon was so excited to meet her he wouldn't shut up about her." Butler chuckles.

"Really?"

"Oh yeah, man was really head over heels for her. He told every single person there about this girl back home. He was made fun of, none of us thought it would work out until we met her." Butler said as he opened the fridge. "Juice pouch?" He jokes holding up a box of capri suns.

"Sure." Chris laughs. "So this guy was really something huh."

"Yeah, hey look. Y/n is 38 I know she can protect herself but if you ever lay so much as a finger on her or those boys outside? There's about 15 soldiers who wouldn't hesitate to protect them." He says not looking at Chris.

"Don't worry I promise you I won't do anything to hurt them on purpose." Chris promises looking outside.

"Good."

"Hey uh do you know if there's anything that could I don't know help the boys like me more?"

"Here." Butler pulls out a folded paper. "Don't tell y/n. Senior tossed this is the box right before we buried it a week before he passed. He put me in charge of giving it to the right person so here you go." Chris looks at him confused but took the paper.

"Thank you..."

"Don't tell her though... I don't mention it, I only told her about eight of the letters."

"I won't tell her."

Taglist: @anacrcarvalho @traceyaudette @deputy-videogamer @stillthatbetch @queenofthepouges @dontbescaredtosingalong @hauntedmuffinpersonarascal @food8me @cedricdiggorysimpp @findthebeautyinbreakdowns @selluequestrian @killerqueenfan @lharrietg @liecastillo @denisemarieangelina @wisepeanutlady @unicornblueberry @stitchattacks @milacolibri @spooky-stoner @marvelmenwhore @saahmi @boldlypessimistic @freakyevanss @asuni921 @srhxpci @supriseeshawtyy @nova10711 @nik2write @blueeyeddemon1016 @happinessinthebeing @winterberryfox @sunwardsss @ellerosie2332 @the-photo-hoe @tanyaherondale @hollzo-03 @xuxszx @patzammit @dakotazzzzz @scarletmeii @janaev4ns @channiechanchan @hibernocaledonian

[amxranthiine]

kalon

(n.) the kind of beauty that is more than skin deep.

request:  Can I ask for platonic Thranduil with sister in law reader, reader is Legola's aunt and she saved Legolas' mother from dying but ended up paralyzed from waist down, needing to be on a wheelchair (let's pretend they have wheelchairs), and Thranduil is very grateful and helps reader a lot with things?

pronouns: she/her

a/n: like six months late but ITS FINE

warnings: ANGST n fluff. mentions of death and orc attacks. nightmares.

---

“Nana? Nana! Wake up, nana, please! You have to wake up!” A little Legolas screams as he watches his mother and aunt’s bodies be carried in by his father’s guard. His mother was pale and lifeless - cold hands and dark eyes, staring back into his own blue orbs as he shook her body. Though, he felt no love from her stare. Nothing about her was the same, her soul had already been lifted from her fragile body.

Next to her lay his aunt, Y/n, his mother’s sister. She was alive but unresponsive, blood was leaving her body faster and faster each second, pooling beneath her like a crimson ball gown. From behind Legolas, his father, Thranduil, was quickly approaching the scene. Loud orders from him to his guards could likely be heard throughout the palace. One would be a fool to miss the fear, desperation and anger laced in his voice.

Y/n stirred from the commotion, her eyes burning and her body flaring in pain as she tried to become responsive once again. She could feel every centimeter of her wound, the sword that stabbed her was likely poisoned - and it embedded it’s way into her spinal cord. She could feel her life force being drained, the light becoming far too close for her liking. Even if she lived, she knew nothing would be the same - with her body and with her family. She had been too late to save her dearest sister, and that thought alone was almost enough to make her give up. However, her little sister left her a nephew and a brother, both of which would need guidance recovering from her sister’s death.

“My King Thranduil -” Started the Captain, though he was soon hushed by the horrified Elf. Thranduil was terribly shaken up, his hair was messy and his robes wrinkled, likely from the speed at which he was running.

Thranduil looked at his beloved Wife and sister in law, and he felt his blood run cold. There was - there was so much blood. His wife was nearly blue and unconscious, was she... No, he wasn’t think like that. He looked over to Y/n, where she was struggling to open her eyes, and groaning from the giant hole in her back. He could feel the tears in his eyes, and he knew deep down that his son no longer had a mother.

Y/n heard her brother in law approaching, and even though she was on the verge of death, she felt as though she had to be the one to break the news. “Thranduil?” She croaked, her throat dry and her lips cracked.

The King rushed to her, grabbing a waterskin in the process and lifting it to her lips. She coughed as she drank down as much as she could. “Y/n...”

She ignored the burning in her eyes and looked up at him, and suddenly, she wanted to cry. She didn’t have that much time left, and she had so much to say. Y/n attempted to take a deep breath, then said her last words.

“I’m so sorry, Thranduil. I - I couldn’t save her - I tried so, so - hard. Please, tell Lego - Legolas we loved him.” She used the last of her energy to say those words, and soon, her eyes slipped shut.

“No! Y/n! You can’t leave me! You can’t leave us! Legolas will need guidance. I will need guidance! Legolas just lost his mother, he can’t lose you too!”

The weight of losing both the love of his life and his sister crashed down on him, and he fell to the ground with a heartbroken scream. A tiny body forced itself into his lap as his son wept along with him, not knowing if he’d ever see his mother or aunt again. Thranduil’s arms wrapped themselves around Legolas as he rocked back and forth on the floor, weeping and crying out to the Valar, cursing them and asking to spare them.

Thranduil gasped for breath as he jumped awake, beads of sweat rolled down his face as he regained consciousness, the nightmare - no - memory he had tried so hard to forget was now engraved into his head once again. He felt the urge to go check on his, now paralyzed, sister in law. Her wounds from that awful day were fatal, but somehow she pushed through the worst of it.

Though, not without consequence. Apparently the blade had all but destroyed her spinal cord, and because of it she was paralyzed from the waist down. The healers told him that it was a miracle she was still alive.

He got out of bed and put on a velvet robe, ignoring the chill in his bones from the cold air. He quietly tiptoed to her room, trying to ignore the feeling of dread, likely the product of his nightmarish memory.

Soon enough, as it was right down the hall, he arrived at his sister's chambers and, as quietly as he could, opened the door. His heart dropped when he saw that she wasn't there, and her wheelchair was nowhere to be found.

Thranduil panicked, his mind buzzing for any clue as to where she could be. The kitchens? No, she has trouble reaching the cabinets, and the accident made it even harder for her to see. Legolas' chambers? Hard no. She could be quite clumsy and can't be quiet to save her life. Literally.

He was starting to panic. What if she was kidnapped? His dearest sister in law, kidnapped by the very creatures who paralyzed her in the first place? It seemed realistic. At least, it did to Thranduil - who was losing his mind from worry. Though the only way they could get into the palace was through the-

Of course! The Royal Gardens!

In his state of worry, Thranduil had conpletely forgotten that Y/n liked to go to the gardens when she was having a hard time, because it was one of the only places that reminded her of her sister, the place where they had the most memories.

He took off towards the Gardens, not really caring about it being in the middle of the night as Elves were light on their feet anyway. In moments he was standing before her, nodding at the guards who took place at the Garden entrance.

Y/n was laying on the grass, her wheelchair was forgotten next to her, and she was playing with an orchid she had plucked, twirling it between her fingers carefully. Thranduil's heart throbbed as he realized that orchids were his wife's favorite flower, and that Y/n was missing her as much as he did. If not more, the sisterly bond between them was something he had never seen before.

He cleared his throat, alerting the woman if his presence. Her head turned slightly to the left as a way to acknowledge him.

"You scared me, Y/n. I couldn't find you, so I assumed the worst." He muttered quietly and sat down next to her.

She chuckled, "You've known me for how long and you still don't know that I tend to... gravitate here?"

The King sighed, he had always known that she used jokes as a coping mechanism, a way to escape her reality. "Yes, yes, I know. I just... I was worried," He frowned, taking the delicate flower from between her fingers. She paused, and he could practically see the gears grinding in her head out of his peripheral vision.

"You're having nightmares again, aren't you?" She asked, and he could feel her eyes burn into his head.

"They aren't just nightmares, Y/n," He twirled the flower absentmindedly, "they're memories."

This time, it was her who sighed, "Of that day?" She questioned, already knowing the answer, but his nod only confirmed it.

"I miss her," Y/n said, looking up at the night sky. Thranduil went to say something, but she held one finger up. "Let me finish. Sometimes I wish it were me who died, instead of her. She had you and Legolas to come home to, and I didn't really have anyone. Yes, I had family here, you and my nephew for example, but my sister was your wife and his mother, and the queen for crying out loud. Why am I saying this? I honestly have no clue. I suppose my point is... After the accident, I was overwhelmed in guilt and sadness. I didn't really focus on the fact that I was alive because of you. You and Legolas have taken care of me since day one and I can't remember if I've thanked you for that. So... Thank you. For helping heal my mind, and my body, even if their isn't much left of it. I am eternally grateful for you, brother."

Thranduil stared at her, and Y/n sniffled. At some point along the way she had started crying, and he felt like he was going to as well. He pulled his sister into his arms and held her tight as she cried, holding onto one of the last pieces of family he had left with an iron grip.

"You do not have to thank me, sister. You are family and you will be treated as such, even during hardships such as that one. If anything, I should thank you for being there for both Legolas and I while we were grieving, even if you weren't in the best state yourself."

Y/n giggled, much to Thranduil's delight. The sound had pulled a small smile onto his face and they both relished in the quiet for a moment.

Finally, Y/n pulled away, wiping her eyes with the sleeve of her robe. "Alright, my King, help me up."

Thranduil laughed, a very merry sound, and helped her into her wheelchair. "As you wish, my Lady."

[snelbz]

Life As We Know It {Chapter 30}

Summary: After the sudden deaths of Nesta’s sister and Cassian’s best friend, they gain guardianship of their nephew, Nyx.

Based on Life As We Know It (2010) and a prompt sent in by anonymous for our Nessian fanfic contest. This is a modern au.

Written with @tacmc.

Life As We Know It Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

A/N: Wow. The final chapter. Tara and I are so glad you've come along on this journey with us. We've absolutely loved writing this story for you all and we hope you've enjoyed it as well.

Nesta looked around their home.

It was decorated to perfection - at least, that had been Nesta’s goal. The theme for Nyx’s second birthday was space cowboy, which had happened when Cassian wanted a cowboy theme while Nesta wanted an outer space theme.

It had been a challenge to perfect the space cowboy theme - especially when it came to a two-year-old’s birthday party.

There were aliens with cowboy hats and paper cows on UFO balloons. In the corner of the living room, there was a horse wearing an astronaut costume - a decoration that Cassian had created, and one he was quite proud of.

Nesta herself wore a “space-like” outfit that reminded her fondly of Zenon: Girl of the 21th Century. When Cassian came down the stairs, however, it looked like he had just walked out of the Wild West.

He wore chaps over his jeans, and Nesta found her mind wandering on those chaps alone.

She hoped he kept them.

They would be useful in the future.

He also wore a plaid button down and a cowboy hat.

She thought he should keep the cowboy hat, too.

Nyx, however, looked like the cutest little mess Nesta had ever seen. His onesie looked like a spacesuit, but on his head, instead of an astronaut helmet, he wore a teeny little cowboy hat. On his feet were genuine cowboy boots.

Nesta laughed as they reached the first floor landing, and Cassian’s grin widened.

“Now introducing our two-year-old space cowboy,” Cassian said, unable to control his laughter.

Nyx’s grin was wide as he clapped. “MAMA!”

Nesta laughed, taking Nyx into her arms. Yeah, he looked ridiculous, but he also looked oh so cute. “Happy birthday, sweet boy.”

Nyx took Nesta’s face in his hands and gave her a big, sloppy kiss.

With a chuckle, Nesta said, “Thank you, that was very sweet. Now, let’s go make sure everything’s ready, yeah? Our guests will be here soon.”

“Dada,” Nyx said, pointing to Cassian. “Hi-hi.”

Cassian laughed. “Hi, bud.” He went straight for the corner and adjusted his astronaut-horse.

Nesta just shook her head and brought Nyx into the kitchen.

It smelled delicious.

Nesta had spent the entire morning cooking.

At first, she had no idea what to make for a space cowboy party, but she really felt like she nailed it. She had a taco bar, which worked for every type of party, and baked and decorated a cake that looked like Cassian’s horse in a spacesuit.

It was ridiculous.

And absolutely perfect.

Nesta looked at the clock. “We have twenty minutes, Nyx. We have to make the homemade tortillas and get out the salsas.”

“What about the alcohol?” Cassian asked, sweeping into the kitchen.

Nesta rolled her eyes. “It’s our two-year-old’s birthday.”

Cassian blinked. “So, no whiskey, just wine?”

Nesta clicked her tongue. “Check the wine cabinet.”

“Yes ma’am,” Cassian winked, tipping his hat before he left the room.

Nesta snorted, even though she found it deeply charming and handsome as hell.

Yeah, she definitely hoped he’d keep that outfit.

Nesta took the dough out of the fridge that she had rolled earlier that morning and a rolling pin. When she had countless flat, doughy circles she dropped them in the oil-filled skillet one by one. Fifteen minutes later, she had a giant stack of flour tortillas and was carrying them, alongside a tray filled with different types of homemade salsas, to the table she had set up in the living room.

There was a quick knock on the door and it cracked open before Nesta could even turn towards the door.

“Oh, my.”

She laughed at Azriel’s reaction to the house, turning to see him carrying in a stack of presents, Elain’s camera bag and Persephone’s diaper bag. “Go big or go home, right?” She chuckled.

“You decided to go big at home,” he replied, shaking his head.

Nesta wasn’t surprised to see that Azriel hadn’t dressed up, wearing his traditional all-black attire instead, but a little space princess in cowboy boots ran in right after him and she couldn’t stop the grin as she looked at Seph.

Elain was a just a few steps behind, and as she came in, she dropped a black cowboy hat atop Azriel’s head. He rolled his eyes, but said nothing as he adjusted the hat, and was off in search of Cassian.

“Okay, you’ve outdone yourself,” Elain announced, beaming as she looked around the house. “This is awesome.”

Nesta shrugged. “He only turns two once, right?”

“I’ve got the wine!” Cassian announced, pushing through the kitchen door with two bottles of wine and a glass of whiskey.

Nesta chuckled. “I thought we said wine only?”

“We did,” Cassian said, setting the bottles on the table. “For the guests.”

“Am I a guest?” Azriel muttered.

Cassian snorted and motioned to follow him into the kitchen.

In the middle of the room, Nyx and Persephone were dancing to the techno space playlist Nesta had put on.

Elain laughed, quietly. “I need to get out my camera. Anything I can help with?”

Nesta shook her head. “You’re good. Take pictures and send them all to me.”

Elain promised she would, and Cassian and Azriel came back out with their full glasses of whiskey. Nesta looked around.

Elain was right.

They had done well.

Nesta hoped the rest of the guests thought so, too.

Before they knew it, the house was full, people were laughing and eating and drinking and Nesta couldn’t help but smile from where she stood to the side watching it all.

What a difference 365 days could make. Nesta couldn’t believe it as she watched Nyx and Persephone play with Viviane, who had also come dressed up, much to Nyx’s delight. He kept stealing her hat, and she let him, donning his tiny one instead, though it didn’t fit on her head.

She couldn’t help but think of the two people who were missing though. The two people who should have been here. Her eyes drifted to the cross Cassian had made, where it sat on the mantle, it’s permanent home.

A set of strong arms wrapped around her waist and she leaned back into Cassian’s embrace.

His chin was resting on her shoulder, and he said, “Nyx is happy. We’re happy. But… It doesn’t feel right without them here.”

As always, he knew exactly what she was thinking. She gripped his arms over her abdomen and held him there, letting him know she understood.

“They’re here, though,” Cassian whispered into her ear. “They’re here and they’re watching us, watching him. They wouldn’t miss today.”

Nesta nodded and held onto him tighter. If she would have tried to say a word, the tears would have come.

Sad tears because she missed her sister and brother-in-law.

Happy tears, though, because she loved Nyx, and she loved Cassian, and she couldn’t believe how far they had come in the last year.

Clearing her throat, and wiping a tear that had snuck out, she announced, “Let’s open gifts and have some cake!”

Cassian kissed her cheek before he was on the floor, Nyx climbing on top of him, and helping the two year old open his gifts.

It only took one or two gifts before he was completely distracted by trying to play and wasn’t even paying attention as Cassian opened his gifts one by one. But they made it through the pile and Nesta carried in the astronaut horse cake, which had Nyx on his feet and chanting, “Cakecakecakecakecake!”

With Cassian’s help, Nyx blew out the big “2” candle and narrowly avoided a smash cake for the second year in a row.

“Not this year, bud,” Cassian chuckled, carrying a confused Nyx to his booster seat in the kitchen. “We’re all going to eat this one. Not just you.”

His irritation disappeared as soon as Nesta sat a piece down in front of him, but he made nearly just as big of a mess as he had the year before.

“Nesta!” Elain called, and she turned from where she was cutting more pieces in the kitchen. “Come here, I want to get a picture of you guys.”

Her eyes found Cassian’s and they softened, thinking back to the picture they’d been forced to take a year before.

“Still think you’ll burst into flames if you brush arms with me?” He asked, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“Maybe,” she said, and he chuckled as she wrapped an arm around him. “But I’m not as bothered by it as I used to be.”

Cassian grinned, and Elain took a picture of their little family.

*

It was the day after Nyx’s second birthday and all three of them anxiously waited in the living room. It wasn’t that they were scared about the visit, but after last time, there was a little bit of nervousness surrounding them all.

Well, everyone but Nyx.

He was giddy as he played with all of his birthday toys.

Nesta was pacing, while Cassian watched a hockey game around the path she was wearing into the carpet.

“Come sit down, Nes,” he said, reaching for her hand. “They told us it would be this afternoon, but that could be anytime.”

“I know, I know,” she said, biting her nail. It had been a horrible habit of hers when she was younger, but now it only appeared when she was nervous

He caught her other hand in his. “Sit,” he repeated, tugging her towards. “You know what the doctor said about stress. It’s not good for—.”

A knock on the front door had Nesta bolting for it, and Nyx asked, “Hello?”

Cassian couldn’t help but chuckle as he stood and walked to him, crouching down in front of him. He smoothed Nyx’s dark hair back from his face and said, “I need you to be good today, okay? Be a good boy and daddy will take you to get ice cream after dinner.”

He nodded and repeated, “Ice cream.” Or he tried, but he couldn’t quite pronounce it.

Cassian could only grin down at him.

“You’re taking too long,” Nesta chastised, hurrying toward the door.

Cassian rolled his eyes but said nothing more as Nesta reached the door, smoothed down her non-wrinkled dress, and opened it up.

Alis Birch stood on the threshold, a folder in her hand, and, surprisingly, almost wearing a smile. “Nesta, it’s a pleasure.”

Nesta nodded, hesitantly. “Yes, you too. Come in, please.”

Alis crossed the threshold and nodded at Cassian. “Good afternoon, Mr. Nazari.” She looked at Nyx. “And glad to see you wide awake for one of my visits.”

Nyx smiled as he waved, and said, “Hi-hi.”

“Ah, he’s talking,” Alis said, going into the living room and smiling at the toddler.

“Oh, he hardly ever stops,” Cassian snorted. “Picks a new word up every day, I swear.”

“Sit,” Nesta said, sitting in the chair. “Please.”

“Thank you,” Alis said, taking her place on the couch. “I hear someone just had a second birthday.”

“Yesterday,” Nesta said, nodding. “We had a party. He had fun.”

“Good, plenty of toys and excitement, I assume?” She asked, watching as he played with a chunky, wooden puzzle made of farm animals. As if it were a gift from the gods themselves, he slid the cow into the right hole, and grinned up at Cassian. “Mooooo!”

He chuckled as he sat on the arm of Nesta’s chair. “Good job, bubba. Cows do say moo.”

He kept on grinning but went back to his puzzle.

“So,” Nesta said, clearing her throat. “What sort of questions do you have this visit?”

Alis didn’t say much, just looked around at the living room and kitchen. Cassian’s astronaut horse was still set up in the corner, as he’d insisted it was a work of art and as such, deserved to be displayed for at least a few more days. “Honestly, I don’t have many today. You two have made it very clear that Nyx is your main focus, and I can tell that he’s very happy and is thriving under your care.”

Cassian doubted she knew it, but Nesta released a breath she’d been holding and nodded. “We love him, more than anything. We— We’ll always miss Feyre and Rhys, but it’s not just about doing right by them anymore. Nyx has…” She took Cassian’s hand and continued. “He’s become our son, and we’ve become a family. And we couldn’t imagine it any other way at this point.”

Alis nodded and jotted a few notes in her binder. Nesta could have sworn a hint of a smile was on her face. “And, as far as the relationship between the two of you goes, where do we stand? It’s been a few months since we last discussed it.”

Cassian was the one to answer. “We’re engaged. We have been since Christmas, and, since Nyx’s birthday just passed, the wedding planning will start soon. And actually, we’re also—.”

“We couldn’t be happier,” Nesta said, interrupting him, holding up her left hand and showing the sparkling diamond on her ring finger. She gently squeezed his hand, and he didn’t ask, but nodded. “We couldn’t be happier and neither could Nyx.”

Alis looked from Cassian to Nesta to Nyx, and nodded. “I’m glad to hear it. I’ll put in a good report, and you have nothing to worry about. Truly, I wish you all the best.”

Nesta smiled, and it was genuine. “Thank you, Mrs. Birch. Thank you.”

“I’ll leave you all be,” Alis said, standing. She closed her binder. “If you ever need anything, please reach out.”

“We will,” Cassian said. “Thank you.”

With one last smile, she said her goodbyes and was gone.

Nesta leaned against the closed doors and sighed a loud sigh of relief. “We did it. We’re done.”

Cassian pulled her into his arms and hugged her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. “I never had any doubts.”

She pulled back and looked up at him. “I sure as hell did. Who knew an old woman could be so terrifying?”

He chuckled but shook his head. “What now?”

“We wait for Tarquin to reach out to us. There’s some official paperwork that will have to be signed after she submits her report and findings, but…” She looked over at Nyx who was still engrossed in his puzzles. “We’re officially a family.”

Smiling, Cassian leaned down to kiss her. “And we didn’t tell her about this one because…?”

His hand brushed over her abdomen, over the life that was growing inside.

“I’d say we’re entitled to a few secrets of our own,” she replied, smiling. “Besides, they’re more focused on ensuring Nyx is taken care of. We’ve proven that time and time again.”

They’d found out Nesta was pregnant just a few weeks before. Not even ten weeks, and for that reason, they hadn’t told anyone, not even Elain and Azriel.

“Fair enough,” he muttered and kissed her, again.

Nyx had walked up to them and was tugging on Cassian’s pant leg, begging to be picked up, which is exactly what he did.

They hugged him tight, and felt an overwhelming amount of peace.

A year of ups and downs and chaos had passed, but they had made it.

They were a family.

All four of them.

[agustdakasuga]

Between the Bloodshed | Chapter 13

Genre: Mafia!AU, Angst, Romance, Fluff

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Characters: Doctor!Reader, Gangster!Namjoon, Gangster!Seokjin, Gangster!Yoongi, Gangster!Hoseok, Gangster!Jimin, Gangster!Taehyung, Gangster!Jungkook

Summary: Being a freelance doctor, this was just supposed to be any other job, helping a private client and taking care of him through his recovery. But you were not expecting to get caught in something so much darker that would change your life entirely.

It’s finally time to head to Florida. Your aim is to relax by the beach, forget whatever happened in Korea and reset your brain. The boys also have some important things to tell you. 

Warning: This story is fictional and has nothing to do with real life events or the actual members of BTS. It may contain depictions of violence, blood shed/ gore and mentions of abuse. Please read at your own discretion.

“Yes, omma. I’ll be home in time for oppa’s arrival.” You sighed, standing by your window as you spoke to your mother. You were leaving for Florida tonight but she seemed more worried that you wouldn’t be around when your brother and heavily pregnant sister in law arrived. 

“I’m not a gynaecologist. The only thing I’ll do is look after Jisung.” Your nephew was the only one you could tolerate.

“Bye, omma.” You cut her off, hanging up. You planned to turn off your phone while you travelled as well. Someone cleared their throat from behind you and you jumped slightly, turning around. 

“Busy?” Namjoon asked. 

“Yes- Wait, I mean, no. What’s up?” You forced a smile, tucking your phone into the pocket of your lab coat. 

“You said you have a list of medical supplies that you wanted to order?” He reminded. You facepalmed, forgetting to print the list out to pass to Namjoon last night. 

“Hang on a sec, I’ll print it out.” You sat at your desk, going on your computer. Namjoon just patiently sat opposite you. You retrieved your document that you typed out a few days ago and clicked on the print button. The button whirled to life, starting to feed the document out. You sighed, rubbing your temples as you waited for it. 

“Family stress?” Namjoon chuckled. 

“You already know... Her star child is coming home and her second grandchild is about to be born soon. She’s ecstatic.” You scoff. 

“I hope you enjoy this break then. Before you have to deal with all the bullsh*t when we get back.” Namjoon smiled, his dimple popping through. He was so genuine, you felt yourself melt. 

“Thanks, Joon. I think we all need a break.” You handed him the paper. 

“Right. When do you need these?” He waved the paper in the air. You shrugged, a sign that it wasn’t important. 

“Alright. Make sure you packed everything.” Namjoon ruffled your hair before leaving. You turned around in your chair, putting your feet on top of the desk, something your mother always scolded you for. 

“(y/n)!” Your door burst open, hitting the adjacent door with a loud sound. You jumped to your feet immediately. 

“What-” You yelped when Jimin grabbed your waist, clearly using you as his human shield. You blinked in confusion, until Taehyung and Hoseok ran in with water guns in your hands, cackling. Your eyes widened as the nozzles were somehow pointing at you now. 

“YAH! I DARE YOU!” You threatened. 

“Save me!” Jimin said between giggles. You slapped his hands away from your hips, making him whimper. 

“What are you guys doing?” Jungkook stopped by the door, blinking. At the maknae’s presence, Hoseok and Taehyung turned to face their guns at him. Jungkook jumped with a yelp, ducking behind the wall. 

“Let’s go.” Jimin whispered, sliding open the glass door that led to the garden from your office. 

“What about Jung-”

“Forget him. We need to save ourselves.” Jimin grabbed your hand, seeing the two still aiming at Jungkook. With a tug, he pulled you out with him, escaping Taehyung and Hoseok. From behind you, you heard a loud scream that most probably came from Hoseok. All you could say was, that’s what you get for going against Jungkook. 

“Park Jimin!” You heard Taehyung screech. 

“Run!” Jimin abandoned you, running away in a different direction. Your eyes widened, obviously you threatening Taehyung wasn’t going to work. 

“YOONGLES!” Your eyes caught sight of the pale man, walking back into the house, a book tucked under his arm. Yoongi turned around just to see you running towards him. 

“HELP!” You ducked behind him. 

“What?!” He hissed, dropping the book and taking his gun out from his holster, aiming at whoever was after you. When Taehyung ran over, he froze. 

“H-Hey hyung, we’re just playing. No need to get all serious.” Taehyung stepped back when he saw the pistol in Yoongi’s hand. Yoongi sighed, lowering his gun to put it back into the holster. He turned around, looking at you. 

“In my opinion, I was doing my work when they came and threatened me. I was in real danger.” You shrugged. 

“Yah, leave her alone. She’s working.” Yoongi scolded Taehyung. Taehyung pouted, lowering his water gun. No way would any of them dare to shoot Yoongi, unless they had a death sentence. He ran off to chase Jimin instead. Yoongi shook his head, picking his book up from the ground. 

“Thanks, Yoonie!” You saluted with a grin. 

“As thank you, I’m going to eat your last slice of cheesecake in the fridge.” He said, walking back into the house. Your jaw dropped slightly. 

“B-But... That’s mine! You can’t take it! Min Yoongi! Don’t you dare touch my cheesecake!” You chased after him. Yoongi just smiled to himself, shaking his head slightly. 

The rest of the day was quiet until it was time to leave. You were waiting in the living room, playing with Kookie. 

“I wish you could come with us, Kookie.” You rubbed his ears. Behind you, the boys were all scrambling for last minute items that they forgot to pack. 

“What are we going to do with them, huh?” You held Kookie up, adjusting him in your lap. You yawned, waiting for the chaos to be over. There was Namjoon tripping over Jungkook’s luggage, Yoongi and Jungkook squabbling over underwear, Jin just packing everything but the kitchen sink with Taehyung stopping him and Hoseok scolding Jimin for making a mess. 

“Uh, young masters... The cars are ready when you’re ready to leave.” The butler spoke. 

“I’m ready to leave.” You stood up. The maids brought your bags out to the awaiting cars. You kissed Kookie goodbye before handing him to the butler who would be caring for him in your absence. 

“Take care of him.” You smiled. 

“I will, agashi. Don’t worry.” He bowed his head. You nodded and headed out to the vans. The driver opened the door for you to enter. 

“Think you could leave without us?” Hoseok opened the door with a grin, entering to seat behind you. 

“You guys take way too long.” You scoffed, looking out the window. Namjoon climbs into the other back seat while Yoongi takes the seat beside you in the second row. From your tinted window, you see Taehyung and Jimin climbing into one van while Jungkook and Jin climb into the other. 

“I can’t wait to get on the plane to sleep.” Hoseok stretched his arms with a loud yawn. You nodded in agreement, pulling your hoodie up. The vans pulled up to the VIP entrance of Incheon airport. 

“Right this way, young masters.” The doors opened for you and suited males grabbed your suitcases for you. 

“Stay close.” Jin said, making you grab his arm to avoid straying away from him. 

“Let’s check in.” Namjoon rounded everyone up, giving their passports to the lady, along with yours. You all verified your names and the tickets were issued. From the looks of it, you would all be flying first class. 

“I can’t afford first class. I’ll sit in coach.” You crossed your arms. 

“As if we would let you sit in coach. You may be stubborn doc but you haven’t seen all 7 of us at once.” Jimin challenged. You rolled your eyes, receiving your passport back with your ticket tucked in. When all the luggages were checked in, one of the managers escorted the 8 of you to the private lounge to wait. There were only 5 other people in there, minding their own business. 

“I’m hungry!” Jungkook declared, pulling you up with him to head to the buffet table. You sighed but let yourself be dragged away. 

“Koo, don’t get indigestion.” You told him as you held a plate for him to pile food on. On his dessert plate, you grabbed one of his mini cream puffs, placing it into your mouth. 

“Hey! Get your own!” Jungkook pouted. 

“Then hold your own plate, Jeon Jungkook.” You glared. After he was done, you placed his plates on his table. 

“You didn’t get any for yourself?” Taehyung asked. 

“I was merely a plate holder.” You scoffed. Taehyung laughed, following you back out to get some snacks for yourself. You only took some fruits and water, planes making you feel bloated if you ate too much. 

“Thanks, Tae.” You said, sitting back down. You ate some from the plate in your lap until Jimin leaned over with his mouth open, wanting a piece. 

“Here.” You fed him a halved strawberry. Yoongi was comfortably settled in his seat, enjoying a short nap. Jungkook went for a second round of food, this time bringing Hoseok along with him. Namjoon had his iPad perched on his lap, typing away with a small frown on his face. 

“Frowning is going to get you wrinkles, Joon.” You chuckled, reaching across to give him a piece of watermelon. He shot you a grateful smile before closing his iPad to eat what you offered.

“We should head to the gate.” Jin rounded everyone up. Jungkook stuffed whatever food he could into his mouth before walking with you. 

“Don’t choke. Chew slowly, you big baby.” You patted his back, urging him to chew slowly. 

“Welcome aboard.” The crew greeted you at the door, the flight manager escorted you to the first class cabin. You settled in your comfy seat, realising that Namjoon sat on the other side of the partition. 

“Seat buddy.” You grinned, shooting finger guns at him. He chuckled, shaking his head as the flight attendant placed a champagne flute before him. 

“Mr Kim, we have made sure that you have the entire first class cabin, as per your request. So please be assured that there is optimum privacy for you and your family to roam when the seat belt sign is off.” The manager told Jin, who nodded his head in approval. The flight attendants handed out pre-flight drinks and the menu. 

“You guys can’t be serious. Booking the whole first class cabin?” You rolled your eyes. 

“It’s for privacy, doc.” Namjoon said, flipping through his newspaper. Once the safety demo was done by the flight attendants, the plane took off. You had your headphones on, playing music as you read your book. 

“Are you just going to read?” Jimin asked. You nodded your head and he pouted, sighing in annoyance. 

“I’m gonna sleep too.” You added. 

PING!

The seatbelt sign turned off. Yoongi had the flight attendant turn his seat into a bed, his figure curled under the blanket, ready to sleep. Hoseok was watching a show on his iPad while Jin was snacking. 

“Yah, don’t disturb him.” You chided Taehyung and Jimin, who were trying to disturb a sleeping Jungkook. He hadn’t even lowered his seat, still in an upright position with his neck  tilted down. That was gonna cause some pain when he woke up. 

“Let me lower his seat.” You unbuckled your seatbelt, heading over and pressing the button so he would be in a more comfortable position. 

“You’re starting to baby him.” Taehyung clicked his tongue. 

“I baby Yoongles too, he just pretends to hate it.” You shrugged, adjusting Jungkook’s blanket and fluffing the pillow under his head. Jungkook remained asleep, even when you moved his head. 

“Boring.” Jimin took his switch out, challenging Taehyung in a game. You just turned back to your book. 

“Never thought I’d see the day. You, the fierce doctor, admitting that you care and baby the boys.” Namjoon chuckled from beside you, neatly folding his newspapers and setting it aside. 

“Jungkook’s the youngest and Yoongi can only use one arm. I’m not that heartless, Joon.” You scoffed. Namjoon held his hands up in defence and you rolled your eyes. Taking out your laptop, you began to type out notes that you made from reading your book. You were learning more efficient ways to stabilise fatal injuries such as stabbings or gunshot wounds. 

“Take a break, doc. Stop learning how to kill us.” Hoseok joked. 

“I don’t need to learn what I already know.” You spoke, not looking up from your screen as you typed. 

“Oh doc, you’re just so comical.” Jin chuckled. 

“I try my best.” You raised your eyebrows. Soon, the flight attendants came around to give out menus for the inflight meals. You hummed as you flipped through the selection. 

“What do you fancy?” Namjoon asked. 

“Salad and soup.” You shrugged. Meanwhile, the boys were ordering their steaks and pasta, filling up until they were full and satisfied. 

“The appetite you guys have never fail to amuse me.” You snorted. Yoongi, who was picking and tearing his butter roll, nodded in agreement. You didn’t need to eat much, watching the boys eat their hefty portions was enough to make you feel full.

“Did I miss lunch?!” Jungkook exclaimed. 

“Right on time. We just finished up.” Taehyung chuckled, wiping his mouth with the napkin. While the flight attendants served desserts, Jungkook ordered his huge main course. 

“Can I have some sparkling water?” You ordered after finishing your fruit plate. The flight attendant gave you a weird look but Namjoon cleared his throat, making her jump and scurry off to fulfil your water. 

“You know, ordering something without intimidation would be nice to try for once.” You scoffed. 

“You deserve to be waited on, doc. Not be given attitude from the likes of people like her.” Namjoon sipped his wine. Yoongi, who had a glass of whiskey, nodded in agreement. You sighed as the flight attendant placed the glass of sparkling water down on your side table. She bowed her head to you, keeping her head down before leaving. 

-

“Young masters, agashi. Welcome.” The entire staff lined up before the huge beach house, bowing as you all stepped out of the vans. 

“Get the bags. I hope doc’s room has been prepared like we instructed.” Namjoon ordered and they bowed, rushing to unload all the bags and bring them in. You followed the boys in, carrying your airplane bag with you. 

“Agashi, allow me to show you your room.” A maid bowed and you gave a backwards wave to the boys, following her up. Your room had a balcony facing the sea. 

“It’s beautiful.” You noted. 

“If there is anything, please do not hesitate to let me know. The other members of staff will be up with your belongings shortly.” She bowed. 

“Thank you.” You smiled. She looked a little shocked. 

“I-It’s no problem, agashi. Have a nice rest.” She bowed again before leaving. Once the door closed, you threw your bag aside, falling back onto the comfy bed. You let out a sigh of bliss, staring at the ceiling. Standing up, you headed to the small balcony attached to your room. 

“(y/n)!” Jimin poked his head out from his room window to wave at you. You chuckled, sending a small wave back. 

*KNOCK KNOCK*

“Come in.” You turned around to see two butlers with your bags. 

“Thank you. You can set them over here.” You directed them. After stacking your bags neatly, they bowed and left you alone. You took your time to unpack your things into the cupboards and closet provided. 

“(y/n)! Let’s go swimming!” The youngest 3 burst into your room, the door slamming into the adjacent wall loudly. 

“Yah, you guys need to learn how to knock.” You scolded. 

“Come on!” 

“Guys, we just got here. Let me unpack and RELAX!” You shoved all 3 of them out of your room, slamming the door shut and locking it. You sighed, shaking your head at their protests. Humming, you continued to unpack your things at your own pace. After you were done, you looked out the window and saw the boys playing in the water, splashing around. 

‘I’m outside your door. - Yoongi’

Your phone buzzed. You frowned in confusion at the sudden text, going to open your room door. Yoongi stood there, in black board shorts and a black linen shirt. The first two buttons were undone, revealing his pale skin. 

“Not a fan of the sun, Mr Cullen?” You raised an eyebrow. 

“I’m just here to bring you to the beach.” He sighed. You nodded, going into the bathroom to change into some lighter clothes. 

“Let’s go!” You hooked arms with him. As usual, Yoongi didn’t pull away from you. You walked out the doors and down the back porch, revealing the big beach area.

“Woah.” 

“Don’t worry about the public, this is our private beach.” Jin walked over with a plate of sandwiches. 

“I was never worried about the public but thanks.” You picked up a sandwich, going to sit on one of the lawn chairs. Yoongi took the seat beside you, leaning back with a glass of wine in his hand. With a wave of his hand, the butler offered you a glass as well, placing it on the tiny table. 

“Aren’t you going to swim?” You asked Yoongi. 

“Don’t like the water.” He scoffed. Those that were playing in the water ran up towards you and Yoongi, who didn’t even notice. Suddenly, you yelped as you were being hoisted in the air. 

“Taehyung!” You squealed, wrapping your arms around his neck. He chuckled, running towards the ocean. 

“And I can’t believe you let them rope you into this, Namjoon!” You hissed. The leader just shrugged, crossing his arms as he watched in amusement.

“Kim Taehyung, if you drop me into this water, I’ll make sure you regret it.” You threatened. Jungkook and Jimin waved their hands, encouraging their brother to just dunk you. 

“You know I stay true to my words!” You screamed as a final resort. 

“I’ll save you!” Hoseok ran over with a super soaker water gun. Taehyung jumped in shock, letting go of you. 

“Tae-” You fell into the water. You stood up, entire being wet. Even with the water to your hips, your glare was scary enough to send the boys running to shore. You ran after them while they scattered away. But of course, them being mafiosos, they were able to escape quickly. You couldn’t chase after them so you went for the next best thing.

“Yoongles!” You laid over Yoongi. 

“Yah!” Yoongi cringed as you wet his clothes with your own damp ones. You grinned at him. 

“This is gonna be a fun vacation, isn’t it Yoonie?” You said sweetly, making Yoongi groaned and roll his eyes. 

~~

Ko-fi link

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[sumsebien]

Your Highness pt.5// Prince Friedrich

series masterlist

summary: Y/N and Friedrich are still very much in the fairytale stage of their engagement. Of course, that is before the Queen gives her verdict on this match.

warnings: none

a/n: final part of your highness. the next part is “i’ll be in ruins for you” and it’s already up so check that out. oh and here is the duclaux piece i've been writing about. okayyy i’m too excited i am posting this right now :))))

When you and Anthony told Lord Wilson of your decision, he was happy for you and even invited you to visit his cottage should you ever find yoursef in Scotland. That alleviated parts of the guilt you felt for having strung him along. You wished him all the happiness and fortune before he bid you goodbye and left for his home. After that, you and the Prince had your last dance of the night, both of you trying to keep your giddiness to an absolute minimum as you spun around the room in each other’s arms.

It was utter bliss.

You hadn’t announced the news to the world just yet. So far, the only people who knew of your engagement were your family and Friedrich. And you intended to keep it that way until absolutely necessary.

Everyone was happy. Mama and Daphne were on board the moment they learned that you would remain close, most of the time, for them to visit. Benedict was just glad you had found your match and that you were generous enough to lend him that oil set. Colin was slightly sad that you’d not be living in a splendid castle in Prussia and allow him a tour whenever he made a stop on one of his continental tours. Little Hyacinth was most excited of all, always wondering what you were going to do the moment you became a Princess. Gregory usually answered before you could, resulting in a chase around the house.

As for you, you found yourself singing alone as you sketched in your notebook all the things that reminded you of Friedrich. And it had only been the morning after the engagement. You could not wait for noon to arrive so that you may see him again for the private tour of Somerset.

“Someone’s happy,” Benedict remarked, falling against the empty seat next to you.

“She has been singing all morning!” Eloise said, looking up from her book.

You smiled, ignoring them and went on with your humming.

“Miss Bridgerton?” Humbolt appeared at the entrance to the drawing room. “From Prince Friedrich, my Lady.”

“Yes?” You stood, leaving your notebook behind on the couch.

From behind him, Humbolt picked up a beautiful arrangement of flowers, almost as tall as he was. You hadn’t even fully registered the impressive stature of it yet and Mama was already touching the flowers and sniffing them.

“Darling, this must be very expensive,” she said, pointing at the two-toned roses in white and pink, along with the vibrant pops of blue from the cornflowers. The bouquet was finished with gardenias, adding a wonderful aroma to the room almost immediately.

“But why cornflowers and roses?” Eloise asked and all of you turned to Mama for an answer.

“Roses are the national flower of England as cornflowers are to Prussia.”

You felt an overwhelming sense of warmth just looking at him like so. You decided to sit down on the bench behind you and began to sketch him, “after that day, I went to the library and did my reasearch. Antoine Jean Duclaux, at the time he painted this, was only a student accompanying a more famous artist. While his teacher painted a Queen playing music, Duclaux made a portrait of her from the back. Perhaps so grief-stricken by the recent loss of her dear friend that she could not show her face.” The graphite version of Friedrich was coming to life and you had all the intentions of repainting it onto a canvas. You tried to capture his gentleness with the way his fingers curled ever so gently as well as his strength held mainly in his shoulders. The Friedrich before you had caught onto what you were doing by now. “You’re supposed to draw something that inspires you! That’s the only reason why we are here, my dear!” “I know! And I am doing just that!” He had no objections to remaining still and allowing you to complete your sketch. It didn’t take as long as you made him believe it would. The last five minutes you spent admiring him but he did not have to know that. After you were done, your family arrived to the Duclaux piece. Friedrich joined Hyacinth and Gregory and messed about in the room while you stood next to Benedict. “I don’t have favorites but if I did, you would be my favorite sister, you know that?” Benedict whispered to you when you came to stand by his side. “Do you love me? Or do you love him?” You motioned towards Friedrich who was now helping Hyacinth with her revenge. “Both of you I adore. For you have such fine taste in arts and in people,” he smiled, swinging his arm around your shoulder. You chuckled, about to tease him further when the your guide stopped talking. Through the door came a guard who cleared his voice, looking to Friedrich, “your Royal Highness, the Queen has requested your presence at once.” Before he turned to you, “And yours, Miss Bridgerton.” Dear readers, This Author believes she has uncovered a royal engagement made in secret. It is not hard to guess who the two lovebirds might be in this town. This morning a large bouquet of flowers was sent to the Bridgerton House. Large enough to mean more than just courting. Should the Prince have found himself a Princess so soon? And in someone other than the Diamond of the Season, as well. How very scandalous!

You remembered the nerves you felt waiting behind the tall white ornate doors with Mama and Daphne. You had tried your best not to mess up and in doing so, you paid no mind to your footing which resulted in you almost falling to the ground in front of her Majesty. It wasn’t as much of a disaster as Miss Featherington who fainted at her feet but it was enough to make a terrible and no doubt, lasting impression on her.

You just didn’t expect yourself to be here again. Behind those white doors, engaged to her nephew, you were going to go in and explain yourself to her the reason why you two had hid the engagement from her and have her found out through reading Whistledown. No amount of sophistication and elegance could save you now.

Before you were due inside, you tugged at Friedrich’s hand. He, for one, was not nervous at all, still smiling. The crinkles by his eyes and the dimples by his cheeks offered you a moment of peace. “And what would your mother say? When the Queen tells her that we hid an engagement from her?” you asked quietly. At this point, anything that could delay the possibility of losing Friedrich was good enough.

“She is in Prussia and should not be here until I ask her to. When she does, she will love you. And,” he gave your hand a final kiss, “we did not hide anything. I would never hide my love for you. Not from the Queen, not from anyone.”

You nodded before turning to Anthony who gave you a small smile. “It’s going to be alright, sister.” But you could tell he was nervous too from the ways he kept fidgeting with his fingers behind his back.

Echoing from inside the throne room were your names and suddenly the doors swung open, revealing the longest walk you’d ever taken leading up to the throne. The Queen sat leaning back, her watchful eyes burning into you three, but especially you. Beside her was an army of lady’s maids in extravagant gowns, Pomeranians in their arms. You kept your gaze low and made sure that you did not trip and that your curtsy was perfect.

So far, everything went swimmingly. Up until she opened her mouth. “Care to explain what this is, Friedrich?” She snapped her fingers and one of the servants brought forth a copy of Whistledown on a tray.

Friedrich held up his hand to stop the servant from moving any further. “Lady Whistledown was correct to assume we were engaged.”

She laughed, “You are engaged? To her?”

“I asked Miss Bridgerton to marry me last night and she has accepted. We were going to tell you very soon.”

“You proposed last night?” The Queen sat up in her seat, about to storm forward but stopped herself and slumped back, throwing a hand over her forehead, “do my opinions mean so little to you?”

Anyone in their right mind would be scared out of their wits by now. You were sure Friedrich was the only one you had ever met who wasn’t terrified of the Queen. You glanced to him briefly. He kept his gaze steady on her, still calm and collected. “I love her very much. As she loves me. She may not be what you are looking for in a wife for me but she is what I am looking for. I hope we may have your blessing.”

The Queen did not seem like she was listening or like she cared at all. You knew this was headed. Your hand brushed his, knowing the inevitable was on the horizon. He didn’t look at you, his eyes burning into the Queen.

“No. And you,” she looked to you and Anthony. Contempt in her gaze and venom in her words, “you shall leave.”

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