#I saved last night's gif coloring so all of these are done with the exact same layers/settings

[basilone]

follow-up to this gifset

[tilly-tilly-2827]

Leave it by Degrees #6

The unhinged love story loosely based on Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost that I can't get out of my head.

Synopsis: "What have we done?"

Post in AO3 from here!

Previous chapter from here

Benedict was at the entrance of Out of The Blue at 19:00 sharp. Being led by a six seat table in the terrace, he had to chuckle seeing Sophie Beckett wearing the same navy suit with a white collar shirt, while the other ladies sat next to her were respectfully in their holidays attires; one in a teal colored summer dress, the other in a pink floral A-line.The restaurant was placed at the end of the island, on one of the seaside Villas, and Benedict silently observed the three musketeers from a distance; the two girls were absolutely dazed by the sunset before them, while the other seemed to be completely focused on the small bucket of breadsticks before them. Somehow Benedict couldn’t take his eyes off the girl who sat at the edge of the table, her short brown curls waving in the ocean breeze, the sunset giving her a radiant gleam. The absolute fascination, joy, and wonder on her face ticked something inside him, as if a certain gear had been reattached to their place in his anatomy. 

“I love that you are more invested in the scenery than me, Ms. Beckett.”  He grinned as he slid into the seat in front of her. Her moss green eyes hardened as her gaze met his, Benedict felt a lump in his throat. Didn’t she want him, like she whispered last night? That she needed him?  Quite honestly, her heated gaze last night was the only thing that he decided to join the dinner, to perhaps grab her offer when she was not, well, heavily drugged. Well, maybe not just her gaze, Benedict secretly thought to himself as he again sized her up over her suit of armor. Yes.Perfect. 

“Mr. Bridgerton.” Sophie gave a brief nod, “Thank you for coming. This is Posy Reiling, she would be negotiating the deal…”

Posy gave a little cough. 

“…This is my step sister. Posy.” 

“Nice to meet you, thank you so much for saving my sister.” Posy smiled sweetly, “Please, call me Posy.” 

“Posy, nice to meet you…”

But just as he was about to shake his hand, there was a huge crashing sound from the back, followed by a small yelp. Benedict was quite surprised to see Hugh Woodson collapsed on the wooden floor, papers and papers of Emails dancing around the air, his laptop screen miserably cracked in two. 

“Hugh, are you all right?”

Benedict hurried from his seat, reaching out to help him, but he was a second late. Hugh was already taking Posy’s hand, with a dreamlike daze in his eyes he had never seen before. 

“Are you hurt?” Posy peered into Hugh’s brown eyes, her neck craning up to match his lean figure, “I’m terribly sorry about your laptop.”

“I, I…I’m…Huu, Hu…”

“Hugh.” Posy smiled sweetly, shaking his shivering hand. “I’m Posy.”

The whole universe stopped for just a second, the orange sunset shining from the distance between them. As if everything was in slow motion, Benedict watched Hugh’s pale face turn into the same shade as the sky before them. 

“P, Posy.” He stuttered, “My sister loves Posies. We, we have a patch in our gardens,” Hugh was still shaking Posy’s hand, his glasses almost slipping out from the bridge of his nose . “The, the most beautiful flower in the universe, in my opinion…”

The three watched in awe as Posy’s cheeks turned into a deep shade of crimson, and Hugh wrapped both of his hands into hers.

“Y, you are the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen.” 

“Thank you, Hugh.” 

“I, I, I…I fell for you.” 

“You fell for me?”

“I think I’m falling in love with you.”

Both Sophie and Benedict snorted sparkling water out from her nostrils. Kate casually took a bite of a breadstick, almost as if she were watching a rom-com on a Friday night. 

“Was it just me or did I just hear a love declaration?”

Benedict sputtered, not quite processing the scene that laid before him, and by the flabbergasted look from Sophie, he knew she had the exact same reaction. 

“I’m afraid I heard it too.”

Hugh, still grasping Posy’s hand into his, fell into one knee, his usually wandering eyes looking straight into Posy’s blue ones, with fervent passion Benedict had never seen on him. 

“I am in love with you.”

“Oh,” 

“Wow.” 

“Damn”

“Posy, will you marry me?”

“Should I stop him?”

“Oh, yes, please.”

Benedict quickly peeled Hugh from the floor (“But I haven’t got her answer!” He cried out. “But Hugh, you don’t even know her full name!”), also picking up the papers on the floor. Sophie quickly joined him, but when the two raised their heads, the couple was already seated at the table shoulder to shoulder, happily giggling over a cup of lemonade. Barely five minutes have passed but they were already like a couple on the honeymoon faze. 

“Well, that was quick.” 

“I know.” Sophie softly said. “But it was quite beautiful, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.” Benedict smiled, taking a stack of paper from Sophie’s hands. “It’s not everyday you get to see people fall in love,”

“Just like a movie,”

“So, you wish for romance as well, Ms. Beckett?”

“Well, that’s a rather private question don’t you think?” Sophie eyed him wearily but Benedict didn’t miss her ears turning slightly red. 

“Worth a try,” He quipped with a small wink, “Do you think your step sister said yes to Hughs proposal?”

“Oh I literally have no idea.”

“So Hugh. Are we hearing wedding bells tonight?”

Hugh completely ignored Benedict’s question, his chocolate eyes entirely focused on Posy and Posy only. 

“We are starting from friends, actually,” Posy replied, but her eyes never left Hugh, dripping with the same dreamily look. “But Hugh was telling me about the beautiful cathedral nearby, and the one built over the sea…”  

Sophie slid into the seat next to Kate, flinching slightly as Benedict casually seated himself next to her. 

“I was rather hoping that you would sit on the other side.” Sophie said hesitantly. 

“Wouldn’t want to disturb the two loves birds, would you?” 

“Well, yes, but if you’re not going to…” Sophie's words trailed off, noticing that there was still an empty seat. “Mr. Bridgerton, I’m wondering,”

“He’ll be here in a few minutes,” Benedict replied gallantly, looking at the watch, “I think he’s just finished his third rotation of meditation.”

Kate choked on her glass of wine. 

“Excuse me,” Kate coughed, “Went the wrong way. So the rumor is true. The Great Anthony Bridgerton truly on a cleanse?”

“Whistledown does it again,” Benedict replied sarcastically. “I can’t figure out why she’s so obsessed with us.”

“I personally think she’s more besotted with Colin Bridgerton,” Benedict was surprised to see Sophie with a playful smile on her lips. “She seems to know every location your brother is at, now matter how far corner of the world he could be.”

“You are quite an observer, Ms. Beckett.”

Sophie blushed for the first time that night, not being able to quite look back into Benedict's eyes. 

“This one is actually obsessed with Whistledown.” Kate quipped from her seat with a teasing grin. 

“Katie!”

“Actually, Sophie clips all the photos of you from Whistledown, Mr. Bridgerton.” 

“Posy!” 

“That’s a pleasant surprise.” Benedict couldn’t suppress a smirk, seeing Sophie’s face change deeper and deeper into a shade of crimson. Yes, he knew that she liked him, “What part of me intrigues your attention, Ms. Beckett?”

“It’s work related,” Sophie mumbled, slightly squirming in her seat. “Nothing personal.” 

“Oh, then do you clip every photo of my dear brothers? For research purposes?”

“Well, no, but…”

“Then I am flattered,” Benedict tried to snake his right hand to her waist, inching closer to Sophie, “Anything it was about me, what caught your attention is a good thing, I believe…” But he gave a miserable yelp, feeling a sharp pain on the back of his hand. 

“Hands off, Bridgerton.”

A pair of sharp brown eyes were glaring at Benedict, eyeing him suspiciously behind Sophie’s shoulders. 

“I believe we haven’t been introduced.” Benedict managed to croak out despite the striking pain. 

“I believe so,.” Kate smiled elegantly, her hands were delicate despite the enormous strength she demonstrated a few seconds earlier, “Kate. Kathani Sharma. Sophie’s friend from uni. I’m here as her guardian and moral support.”

“Ben. Nice to meet you.” Benedict shook her hand. “Which uni are you two from? My brother and I are from Oxford by the way…”

“YOU.”

Benedict turned his head and saw his brother in his green Khaki pants and a white line shirt, the mixed expression of shock and amusement in his brother’s usually stoic expression. 

“Brother! You missed the beautiful proposal from Woodson…” But Benedict was then interrupted by the last person he had imagined, Kate Sharma. 

“YOU!”

Kate pushed the glass in Sophie’s hands, her posture suddenly became rigid, the corner of the lips tightening. 

Not a good sign, Sophie thought. 

“YOU are Anthony Bridgerton?”

Anthony’s lips turned into a slight grin. 

“You didn’t notice me?”

“Why would I notice you?”

“Well, I am quite famous.” Anthony took a seat next to Hugh, puffing his chests as he seated himself deeply in the chair. Kate scoffed at his words, crossing her arms with a frown. 

“So you’re not only deficient but ignorant as well.” Kate rolled her eyes, “Just as I imagined…”

“Hold it right there. What part of me is exactly deficient…”

“Wait, Katie, you’ve met Anthony Bridgerton before?” 

“He’s the aggravating man I told you this morning!” 

“Ohhhh the guy on the running course? Why didn’t you tell me that guy was Anthony Bridgerton?”

“Why in the hell would I notice him? He was in shorts and sunglasses, he didn’t have the gorgeous sideburns I saw in Whistledown…”

“Oh so you liked my sideburns?” Anthony replied with a smirk. “I’m surprised that those were the only things that caught your mind.” 

“I was being sarcastic, Mr. Bridgerton. Do you need an introduction to dry humor?”

“You didn’t seem so dry this morning actually,.” 

“Brother?” 

“Sophs, remind me to add the word pervert in his wikipedia page,” Kate took a swig of wine from the bottle, (“Katie!” Sophie yelped.) “The world deserves to know that as a fact. And by the way, other than the sideburns, nothing about you was even remotely memorable.” 

“Why don’t we step away from the topic of sideburns?” Benedict smoothly interjected, seeing the color slowly drain from Sophie, “Any preferences on the drinks? The drinks from the bar are exceptionally good…” But Benedict was interrupted yet again by his very brother. Well, his brother would die to have the last word in the argument, he mindlessly thought. 

“Well, I would add infuriating at the top of your characteristic traits but I don’t suppose you even have a wiki page. Wouldn’t want to put useless effort in even searching your name.”

“Oh infuriating would be on top of your resume, Mr. Bridgerton. Seeing how you repeatedly kept going over my pace in the course this morning, I’m shocked those words weren't tattooed on your forehead!”

“YOU were the one overtaking me!” Hearing his irritated tone; Benedict was surprised he didn’t see Anthony jabbing his finger towards Kate Sharma, “You kept interfering with MY pace which I was specifically set at eight kilometers an hour.”

“Is mathematics such a difficult subject for you?” Kate snared, “From where I saw, you were definitely NOT running at eight kilometers an hour. I would barely define it jogging, considering your pace.”

“My apple watch specifically says that I was keeping a stable speed…”

“I thought you were on a digital-free holiday,” Kate raised her eyebrows, “Already breaking your oath, Mr. Bridgerton? Never considered you as a weakling,”

“Katie. Katie Cat.” Sophie tried to tug her back to her seat. “You do realize that you are snapping at the head CEO of Audrey Cooperation…”

“His social standing in society doesn’t mean that he gets the special license to be a total dickhead!” 

“Katie!” Sophie froze in horror, but Benedict had an amused smile on his lips, as if he were enjoying the verbal slander his elder brother was getting. Posy and Hugh were apparently still on the topic of the best wedding cakes. 

“I personally think lemon and raspberries are the best combination,”

“I agree with every word you say, Posy,”

“YOU don’t have any right to call me a dickhead,” 

“Well, I disagree with everything you say,” Kate replied. “I find it difficult to find any other description.” 

“I rather thought of you as delusional,” Anthony snared, “Suddenly walking and suddenly sprinting in the road, don’t tell me that was ordinary behavior…”

“Let me teach you the interval running method, Mr. Bridgerton,”

“I’m already well versed in the area.”

“Then you must know that short bursts of high intensity triggers mechanisms in the body that enhance the burning of the fat, building of the muscle…”

“Improvement in the cardiovascular system, yes I know that.”

“So you do know that by using the interval method your Vo2 max improves two times faster than the regular run,” 

“Speed is no guarantee of efficiency.”

“Well, stability doesn’t exactly bring the thrill does it?” Sipping red wine from her glass, Kate crossed her legs, exposing her glowing legs from the slit of shimmery teal summer dress. and Benedict could swear he heard his brother's sanity shatter into pieces. 

“I…I…I don’t exercise for the thrill.”

“You don’t surprise me, Mr. Bridgerton.” 

“I’d rather focus on endurance, stamina, strength, rather than thrill.”

“Really? I doubt that you can last the first six minutes of my routine, considering the speed you consider as running.”

“You’ll be surprised what I can do in  6 minutes,”

“Um, Brother?”

“Don’t believe you.”

“Katie?”

“Won’t need a minute to make you beg.”

“Brother !."

“Prove it.”

“Kate!”

“Oh, Hugh, I would love to meet you parents tomorrow!” 

“Oh my parents are going to love you Posy, Let me pick you up at the Villa at 11:00, my mother cooks amazing dishes from….”

Sophie took a deep breath, trying to keep herself from yanking all her hair from her scalp. What did she do wrong? Perhaps she shouldn’t have invited Anthony Bridgerton to the table, but she needed him to keep the dinner professional. Perhaps she shouldn't have invited Kate, but she needed her  to keep the air casual…Perhaps this situation was inevitable, her plan was conflicting all along…

“Have you noticed that my dear brother and your Katie Cat are practically eye fucking each other from the other ends of the table, Ms. Beckett?” Benedict whispered into Sophie’s ear, his deep voice sending shivers in her spine, “Bet a pound they’ll be fucking each other in 5 minutes.”

Oh how Sophie wished for a cigarette.

Despite Benedict’s predictions, Anthony and Kate did not fall into intercourse right there on the table as he had expected; rather they went further and further into disagreement. It was rather interesting, Benedict thought as he observed the complete opposite sides of the spectrum; Kate and Anthony practically barking insults at each other from the other ends of the table, while Posy and Hugh whispering endearments, sitting practically glued together in the corner. Despite having seven siblings, Benedict knew that this was the correct definition of Chaos. But thanks to the Chaos, Benedict had managed to lure Sophie Beckett to the bar, who seemed quite shaken by the whole fiasco. 

“Do you mind if I smoke?” Sophie asked him with a guilty look as soon as they reached the stalls. 

“No, not at all.”

“Thank you.” Sophie quickly took out a pack from her pocket, lighting one up in one swift motion. Benedict also took one as she offered him wordlessly, knowing that his brother would be too busy arguing than to notice his violation. But he was surprised how smoothly Sophie offered him a light, expertly lighting him with one settled between her lips with a glass of water in the other. 

“Heavy smoker?”

Sophie smiled weakly between puffs. “Trying to quit.”

“Yet, I never see you without one,” Benedict said teasingly, remembering how he had first seen her with a cigarette between her fingers, “But everytime I see you with one, I always feel it doesn’t suit you.”

“Because I am a woman?”

“No, no, no, no, no.” He almost dropped the ashes between his fingers. “You just give me the impression of…being innocent?” 

Sophie’s gaze averted from his, as she slowly shook her head, with somewhat of a wry smile on her lips. Benedict noticed that she had no further intent to continue the conversation, seeing how she looked out in the dark blue ocean, the surface having a mystic glow in the moonlight, her eyes dimming oceans deep. 

“Sorry about my Brother.” He blurted out, “He’s, um…sexually frustrated.”

“I also have to apologize on the behalf of my friend, especially on her language.” 

“Is she the competitive sort?”

“Very.”

“My brother as well.”

Their eyes met just for a second, both breaking out in a laugh at the same time.

“I still don’t know if we are the worst or the best matchmaker in the entire universe,” Sophie managed to wheeze out between giggles. “Hugh and Posy, yes, but Kate and your brother? I didn’t know if they were going to kiss or shoot each other in the head.”

“Definitely the best, Ms. Beckett.” Benedict laughed, “I could just see the sexual tension between the two sizzling.”

“I know!” Sophie cried out jokingly, “The sexual implications in the conversation was just killing me.” 

As the wave of laughter ceased, Sophie dropped the cigarette on the ashtray, feeling the nicotine in her blood, she finally felt she was ready to talk to one Benedict Bridgerton. 

“I wanted to say thank you, Mr. Bridgerton.” 

“For what?”

“For saving me.” 

“Oh.”

“I didn’t get a chance to say it properly, but you truly saved me from a terrible fate.” Sophie continued, “Thank you. For saving me.”

“No worries. Anyone would have done that if they were in that situation.”

“But you were the only one who noticed.”

Benedict again could return in a grunt. 

“And who stood up to help.”

“I have four sisters,” Benedict mumbled, “Just doing the right thing.”

“Not everyone has the courage to do the right thing, like you did last night.”

“Have we ever met?” Benedict asked abruptly, craning his neck slightly. “Your tone, it's oddly familiar. Do you live in London?”

Sophie’s breath hitched slightly as his piercing blue eyes met hers. “I work in the arts department in the Gunnningworth Foundation,” She managed to croak out. “Perhaps our paths might have crossed in the London gallery somewhere.” 

Benedict only hummed in response, taking another whiff of the smoke. 

“Mr. Bridgerton.” 

“Won’t you call me Benedict?”

“I’d rather keep in professional,”

Benedict groaned, tilting his whole body sideways. “Must we?” 

“Mr. Bridgerton, there is only advantages in this offer,”

“I thought this was a private dinner, Ms. Beckett, away from the foundation or the contract…”

“Wouldn’t you like to be independent from your family?”

Benedict froze, stopping dead in his tracks. 

“You have been working on your projects with the financial funding from the Audrey Cooperation for the past four years, including People Watching, your most celebrated work yet. I do understand that your brother must guarantee you the freedom of your artistic agency, but I can assure you that the Gunningworth foundation will support the same artistic freedom at higher costs.”

“Supporting my freedom?” Benedict sneered; he hated his tone, but Sophie was the one who was crossing the line, bringing up the deal when she promised him privacy, bringing up his deepest insecurities about his work and the family money… “Here you are, invading my privacy on a private holiday. Not the best action to convince me that you would support my creative freedom.”

“This is the extent to show you how the foundation is willing to support you at any costs, Mr. Bridgerton.”Sophie’s voice was quiet, but her words were firm and determined. “The foundation believes that gaining independence from your family funds may broaden your originality even more,” 

“Are you implying that my work lacks originality?”

“No.” Sophie shook her head, a slight panic appearing in her almond eyes, “I was saying that the foundation believes further potential in your works…” 

“You keep saying the Foundation.” Benedict interrupted her monologue, his eyebrows narrowed in irritation. “The foundation believes, The foundation believes…you sound like you are convincing yourself, not me.”

Sophie’s lips were curled into a straight line, biting the other bottom part of her lip. 

“Do you even like my work, Ms. Beckett?” Benedict hated the desperation in his voice, hated the fact that Sophie wasn’t answering his inquires, “You only seemed to be focused on pleasing the foundation of yours,”

“Pall Mall.”

“Pardon?”

“Pall Mall.” Sophie continued, repeating the words almost like a prayer. “Finished in the summer of 2013. Watercolor and pencil on paper. Size 31.0×43.2. Inspired by your childhood memories, the summer you spent in the countryside of Kent. The intricate details of each expression of your families. The soft pastel colors bring out the nostalgic air.”

“Ms. Beckett,”

“The Portrait of a Young Man,” Sophie closed her eyes, trying to picture it in her mind. “Completed in the spring of 2014. Winning your first Wells Art Contemporary. Oil on Canvas. Thick coating method, using the palette knife. The gray background, the dark suit almost drawn almost like a rough sketch…but the details on the face was magnificent. The right side of his eyebrows, the highlight under his eyes, each stroke of your brush creating a beautiful shade, bringing out the specific details of your brother’s expression. The absolute focus on the coloration. Now that I’ve met him in person, I can see how you managed to capture his entire aura. Size 64.1×52.8. ” 

“Sophie,”

“People Watching,” Now, Sophie couldn’t stop the words slipping out of her mouth, “The eight series of portraits created between the period of January 2015 to April of 2016. Your masterpiece,”

For the first time in years, Benedict blushed, his gaze dropping to his feet. 

“You exaggerate. It was slandered by the critics,”

“To my eyes, it was a masterpiece. You wouldn’t believe how much it saved me…” But she couldn’t quite continue her words, she didn’t know why she was suddenly on the verge of tears. Sophie raised her eyes to the sky, no she was not going to cry in front of Benedict Bridgerton. 

“You like my paintings,” Benedict softly said.

“No.” Sophie shook her head, but she couldn’t look into his eyes. “I love your paintings.”

Benedict found himself quite a loss for words. 

Sophie took a deep breath, trying to inhale every inch of air around her. “It would be the greatest honor for the foundation,” She stopped for a second, starting the sentence again, “It would be the greatest honor for me to have the opportunity to support your future works, Mr. Bridgerton.”

Sophie was finally able to look him in the eyes, his ocean blue eyes meeting with hers. The waves were still swaying, she thought, but she did noticed the change in the wind, 

“Would you like to come to my studio, Ms. Beckett…”

“SOPHIE BECKETT!”

Benedict’s offer was completely silenced by the angry voice of Kate Sharma, who had stomped into the bar with a fierce look on her face. 

“THE MOST ANNOYING MAN I HAVE EVER MET,”

“Kate, what happened? Are you all right?”

“WE ARE LEAVING, SOPHIE BECKETT.”

“Kate, I’m kind in the middle of something here…”

“I refuse to spend another second with that infuriating man,” Kate snared, taking another shot the  bartender had wordlessly offered, “Sophie Beckett, you shall not talk with Anthony Bridgerton ever again.”

Linking Sophie’s arms to hers, Kate Shama marched herself out of the bar and the restaurant, and Benedict could only stand them dumbfounded to the speed Sophie Beckett disappeared from his sight.

Did she convince him through? 

Sophie’s mind kept wandering as she stared at the ceiling, watching the five petal wooden fan move round and round in circles. She wasn’t confident if she had succeeded, but she knew that it worked somehow, seeing the change in Benedict Bridgerton’s eyes. Maybe he’ll sign the contract tomorrow. The sooner she finished the job, the faster she could get away from him, knowing that if she had to spend another hour with him, she would fall in love with him all over again, melting herself into his ardent eyes. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t make the same mistakes.  

Kate had apologized for interrupting the conversation, (“Lost my temper,” Kate admitted weakly) and had gone to a midnight run to cool off her mind. Sophie was too tired to understand what had happened between her and Anthony, but she vaguely understood that it had to do with patriarchy and toxic masculinity. Hearing Posy’s peaceful snores next to her bed, Sophie closed her eyes as well, finally noticing how exasperated she was from the events of that day.  

-6 hours later-

“Kate.”

“Sophie.”

“Remember your oath?”

“Sophs.”

“Kathani..”

“No relationships.”

“Mmm.”

“I did clearly say that.”

“Mmm.” “May I introduce you to the term, situationships…?”

[withacapitalp]

Hi Liam! I don't feel like doing work so close to the holidays, so please enjoy this half-baked thought I wasted 10 minutes finding a gif for.

So many fics have Eddie wearing Steve's Yellow Sweater™, yet nothing with dressing him up like S1 Assistant Youth Pastor Steve. Please use the space below for a prompt or a rant or anything else you fancy ...

Oh no you don't even know what you've done here. Okay costuming is one of my all time favorite things, so I'm going to talk too much about subtle stuff (fair warning this is just me having fun so if it's at all inaccurate or not true, well I'm just a guy who likes a show too much LMAO)

Okay so let's start with season one. Steve dresses exactly liek you said like an assistant youth pastor lmao but it's also just like very showing of who he's trying to be there

First of all his hair is way more stylized in this season than any other. We talk about Steve's hair so much, but here in this season it's so obvious that he's trying to be someone specific instead of just who he is. He's also always wearing a collared shirt and a very dark jacket, and the costumers have said that they use darker colors for darker moments/feelings, so he's wearing this exact jacket when he destroys Jonathan's camera AND when he and Jonathan have their fight

Really the first time we see him without his collar or his dark feelings jacket is when he goes to save Nancy and Jonathan

He's laying himself more bare and he's let go of the chain jerking him around (his terrible friends and their opinions.

Okay so season two is also really interesting one because Steve's hair is parted the other way now (literally changing sides), but specifically because of Steve's jacket. Yes I know I talked about the jacket being a signifier of Steve's darkness before, but in this season it's different

This is right after the bathroom conversation between him and Nancy. This is him trying to convince her to stay with him, and feeling rejected, and not understanding how he can fix something he didn't even realize was broken. His jacket is zippered up

But when he's walking with Dustin, it's back to being open. Okay I can hear you saying to yourself 'Liam this is a wild leap to take' except is it??? Bc it isn't and I can tell you why

HIS JACKET IS ZIPPED UP WHEN THEY START THIS WALK. But as they keep walking he opens up to Dustin and the kids. His jacket stays open for the rest of the season, even when it's the middle of the night and probably way colder and it would make a lot more sense for him to zip up his jacket? Is this actually a thing that matters? No probably not to anyone else but I like symbolism and I search it out like a little squirrel looking for nuts to store for winter

Also here is where I mention something important. Steve is a social chameleon. He's learned/was taught that the best way to get people to like him is to be like them. That's why he was so easily ranked in with the popular kids, even when it's clear that he didn't really like it all that much given how fast he flips. He also dresses a lot like Tommy in S1, and then in S2 we see him start to develop his own style once he's broken up with Nancy. But even in developing that own style, he's still a social chameleon. He's still going to try and look like the people he wants to have in his circle

Which brings me to the very first sweater we ever see Steve in

LOOK AT THAT COLOR AND LOOK AT THE COLOR OF DUSTINS HOODIE ABOVE Same exact color!!! Now I'm not saying this is anyyyyything conscious. Steve isn't looking at his closet and being like yes I will choose this because Dustin wore this color and I know he likes it, but I am saying we have literally never seen Steve in any shade of red before this moment.

Now season three. I know he was in his Scoops Ahoy Uniform for most of it (thank the gods for those shorts) so I'm not gonna talk too much about that but I am going to talk about that last final outfit as another example of chameleon Steve

This is actually a two fold example of Chameleon Steve. First of all he's dressed pretty much just like Marty McFly the character from Back to the Future which is the movie he and Robin ran into after the Russians. Second of all he's matching her too. Dark blue, Dark blue, White accents, White Accents. Just like Dustin he chooses colors that are similar to the people he likes. We're also once again seeing him start to open up color wise (first time we see him in yellow).

Now Season four. Well Season four we see him getting stripped bare (quite literally) for a good portion of the season. Obviously we have the battle vest and I love that, but I want to talk about Steve's jacket again and one particular outfit that I think sums up growth for Steve in a lot of ways while also showing some other stuff

His Dear Billy outfit.

This outfit is incredibly similar to the one he wore back in s2 when he first protected all of the kids. Light grey outer jacket, inside darker shirt, but he's wearing a collar again. TLDR he's back to trying to button up, back to something familiar that will 'keep him safe', but also a jacket and a color that he would associate with 'protecting the kids'

Anyway that was a very very long talk, but Steve's progression of outfits and the way he dresses himself is very interesting to me, and like I said if there's even a hint of symbolism I'm there

[storiesofmarvelandtwilight-1232]

I don’t want to hurt you 

Wanda x male reader Chapter 2

Y/N POV:

I open my eyes while groaning in pain to see that I’m in a glass chamber. I didn’t remember what happened or how did I get knock out to begin with. All I could remember was accepting an apology.

A few minutes pass until someone enter the room. They appear to be tall man with a small beard and mustache. There’s a glowing device on their and they’re wearing glasses. The only separating me and the man were the glass chamber I was in.

“I see you’ve finally woken up.” Says the man.

“Where am I?” I ask him.

“Where you can’t hurt anyone.” He answers.

I try to use my powers to read his mind, but my powers don’t want to work anymore. I realize that the chamber that I’m in cancels my powers.

“Smarter than you look.” I say with an impressive voice.

“Listen, the thing is you won’t be able to get out.” He says to me. “So just answer our questions.”

“I can’t.” I tell him.

“Why not?” he asks me.

“You haven’t asked me a question yet.” I answer.

Avengers POV:

They all started to laugh at what the man said to Tony.

“Even if you ask me, I won’t answer anything.” I added.

“You just got burned Tony,” said Bruce.

“Please someone help me not forget this.” Says Nat.

Y/N POV:

“Shut up.” Says Tony through the microphone in his ear.

“Well, at least a hint?” He asks me.

“Fine” I answer. “Sokovia, 2000.”

The man leaves the room. I wait to see what results I get from what I said.

3rd person POV:

The Avengers were confused on the hint that the man gave them.

“Anyone know what happened in Sokovia in that year?” asks Steve to the team.

“The only people that know is Wanda and Pietro.” answers Natasha.

Steve looks at the twins.

“Did anything happen in that year?” asks Steve.

“Well, in that year we were just kids.” answers Pietro. “We only had movie nights and then-.”

“Stop lying Pietro.” Wanda interrupts. “You know what happened that day.”

“What do you mean?” asks Tony.

“I think you should get my mom and dad.” Wanda suggests. “They know what happened that night.”

“FRIDAY, bring the Maximoff family here.” says Tony.

It takes two hours for the Maximoff family. It takes a while for feel like home and after a while of chatting they decide to give them the question of what happened in 2000.

“Why is that of your interest?” asks Olek (AKA MR. MAXIMOFF)

“Well, there’s a prisoner here that just talked about Sokovia and the Year.” answers Sam.

“Wait, how does the prisoner look like?” asks Iryna (AKA MRS, MAXIMOFF)

“I don’t know. Tall, not much personality in them, and with powers with dark blue color.” answers Tony.

“Well, back in the year... God I wish I could’ve done something.” Says Iryna as her voice almost breaks.

“It’s ok, I tell them the story.” Said Olek. “Back in 2000, we were having a movie night with our kids, everything was going fine until the whole house started to shake, we didn’t know what was going, all we could do was put the twins under the table.” 

“What happened after the earthquake.” asks Vision.

“Me and Iryna looked outside to see a blue force flied surrounds our house and on the ground was a little boy.” said Olek, “He made the force field, after he turned it off, he turned around, saw us, and ran away before we could get to him.”

“Every day, I feel terrible for not doing anything for the little boy.” say Iryna as she starts to cry.

“I believe we might’ve grabbed the little boy.” says Vision as Iryna and Olek look at him confused. “The color of the force field may be the same as the one color that the man used to attack us.”

“What do you mean?” Asks Olek.

“On the last mission we were at there we brought someone with us with the exact color of their powers.” says Rhodey.

“We may have the man that save your lives.” adds Clint.

“I don’t know if it’s a coincidence, but it worth the try.” says Nat.

“Show us the way” says Olek.

They were about to lead the family in the cell until a red portal opens in front of them. A woman comes out the portal. The Avengers started to tense up, because they don’t know who she is.

“I’m sorry, what did I miss?” asks the woman.

“I’m sorry, who are you?” asks Tony.

“Oh right, where are my manner?” She speaks. “I’m Piper L/N and you have my brother in a cell, so that’s unacceptable.”

“Wait, the man in the cell is your brother?” asks Iryna.

“Yeah, I need to get my brother out that glass chamber.” answer Piper. “So, can you pl-

Piper gets interrupted because she got hugged by Iryna.

“Oook, you know my brother Y/N.” she says.

“Yeah, but when did you have a brother?” asks Olek.

“Since, forever.” says Piper.

“But how? I never saw you in Sokovia” says Olek.

“Oh, the night.” says Piper. “I met him after that night.”

“Ok, you got to explain this to us.” says Bruce.

Piper started to explain who he was. Apparently, Y/N is demon, he always hid his powers because he hated himself for what he was and that he couldn’t control his powers when he’s mad. She explained that Y/n was travelling through world to see if he can find home, but during the half of the travel he stopped a missile and about two people that saw him. She then said that after that she found him, found out that he was her brother, so she took him in her house, and now they had to go separate now. Until now.

“So, your brother’s name is Y/N?” asks Steve.

“Yes, and you guys have him in a cell.” answers Piper. “So, please let him out.”

“Yeah, not happening.” says Tony.

“Why not” asks Piper.

“Because he almost killed us.” answers Nat.

“Hmmm, Strange.” said Piper. “Usually, he never leaves someone nearly dead when he’s mad.”

“Listen, He not coming out.” says Bruce.

“Ok. Let’s make a deal if I can make him get out then you’ll leave him be.” says Piper.

“If you can get him out?” asks Steve.

“Yes.” answers Piper.

“Ha, like to see you try.” says Tony.

Piper POV:

Piper then goes to the cell where Y/N is located. When she enters the room where Y/N is at Y/N is surprised to see Piper again.

“Well, this is quite a surprise.” says Y/N.

“Happy to see me.” Piper asks.

“Yes, haven’t seen you for two years.” answers Y/N.

“Well, here we are now.” says Piper.

“You know that Avengers are here.” says Y/N.

“I know and they know as well.” say Piper.

“... You told them, right?” asks Y/N

“Yep.” answer Piper.

“I’m not trusting you ever again.” says Y/n. “Are you here to break me out?”

“Yes.” answer Piper.

“And how are you going to do that?” asked Y/N.

“I’ll use this ball crystal to get you out.” Speaks Piper as she summons a ball crystal.

“Are you sure that’s not the one the splits you?” asks Y/N.

“Nope, it’s the teleporter.” answers Piper.

She throws the ball that goes through glass wall. Y/N then goes inside the ball which she could only see his face.

“Oh no” Y/N says.

The ball then splits into 5 parts. Each one turn into a color. The first one turn into Red, the second Yellow, the third white, the fourth black, and the fifth green. From each crystal came out a Y/N with their eyes glowing the color of their crystal

To be continued...

To @kram6496​, @maximofflover​ and to all the fans.

[bonny-kookoo]

Jungkook:Dearly Beloved🔞 2

In which you've got a crush on your coworker- and a stalker problem.

Tags/Warnings: I do not condone any of Jungkooks questionable actions, this is fiction, soft Yandere!Jungkook, stalking, criminal actions (trespassing, stealing), obsession, he's really not quite right in the head, mc is kind of stupid for not involving police but wbk

Additional Chapter Warnings: jungkooks sanity is fruit and his heart is a blender, fluffy sweater koo :(

Chapter Length: mid/short

A/N: thank you for reading ♡

<- Previous | next ->

He's left you a gift again- a letter accompanying it.

'I saw you shivering outside last night. Where you waiting for me?' he writes, his handwriting neat as always. He's using a different pen this time however- blue ink unusual to the typical black ballpoint pen he uses. 'you know you shouldn't. I'm a coward- I can't face you yet.' he explains, making you lift your legs to rest on the couch. 'I hope it's okay that I've given you one of mine. It's my favourite actually- I bet it looks way better on you though. And it will keep you warm!' he writes, and you unpack the little bag he'd stuffed into your mailbox. It's in fact a sweater- a hoodie to be exact, white in color with colorful print on front and back.

You can't help but notice the distinctively male scent on it though.

It's pleasent however- not overbearing, more or less faint, and clean. It makes you feel a bit odd inside knowing that it's his- but you don't think much of it. He's probably still sorry for basically breaking into your home.

He's not tried it again after that one time- and you're rather thankful for that.

♥━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━♥

when you place a tupperware container on his desk with a post it note on top of the lid, you didn't think he'd be coming in so early as well. But you basically run into Jungkooks chest face first, the only thing saving you from a broken bones his hands on your shoulder attending you.

Fuck, he's strong.

"I'm so sorry, I'm not trying to be weird, I promise!" you apologize to a rather dumfounded looking Jungkook standing in front of your form, still dressed in your jacket from just having arrived at work. "I just.. I feel like I overstepped a boundary when I hugged you last time, so this.. Take it as an apology.." you meekly tell him, unable to look into his eyes.

He's mesmerized, hypnotized, bewildered even.

"you.. Made that for me?" he wonders, and you nod, squirming in your spot, equally as socially awkward as him.

"I.. It's nothing special, but, I thought homemade food might still be better than cafeteria stuff-" you try and defend yourself, and in front of you, jungkook plays with his hands nervously.

"t-thank you." he brings out. "I- no one's ever done that for me.. And don't worry-" he hurries, hands waving around almost frantically. "your uh.. Your hug just caught me off guard. I- it was nice." he says, and you nod- when suddenly other staff walks in, workday visibly starting. "I- uhm.. J-just call me over if you need help again." he offers, and you nod with red cheeks, before hurrying towards your desk.

It's a quiet day of programming for both of you- Jungkooks hands later on carefully removing your post it note, before he puts it in his wallet for safekeeping. He's about to turn around and ask if you want to eat lunch at the cafeteria with him together, having mustered uo the courage- when he spots you fast asleep at your desk, head on your arms.

Though what he notices most of all, is you attire.

The white hoodie does look way better on you than on him- you're so adorable, body safely tucked away in his favourite item of clothing, wrapped in his scent, the soft fabric able to touch your skin.

He let's you sleep, unable to bring himself to wake you up- though he can't help but grin like a schoolboy to himself, unable to get the image out of his head, even after returning home and writing a letter on his floor.

You really are perfect. He can't wait to have you.

[suicidalslasher]

𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 ➤ 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆

Here's one of three Carrie White fics!! :D This is honestly short and sweet, plus simple... compared to the other two. But.... it's here and I'm very much happy with the way it came out. I hope you all enjoy it, as well.

Although, the gif is of Sissy, you can pretend it's either version of Carrie.

(Chloe or Angela's. I, personally, just prefer Sissy's. Although, I love all three.) And despite it being Sissy, too, I took inspiration from the (2002) adaption with Angela whereas Carrie never died in the accident of her house.

Instead, she lives and runs away. And yadda yadda. Enjoy!! xx

Warnings: None. Unless you count fluff and love confessions UwU.

“I know she was your friend but c’mon, (Y/N). She was nothing more than a piece of shit… Grow up. Move on.”

“She was a monster, (Y/N). Do you really think she wasn’t? After all she had done? She destroyed everything and hurt so many people… she killed several hundred people, too… if that isn’t a cruel, heartless bitch, I don’t know who or what is.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re just like her…. are you a demon in disguise, too, (Y/N)?”

They said the same exact thing. The statements were always said by different people but the topic of the subject remained the same - Carrie White.   Carrie White was the devil. So on and so forth…

It was a constant reminder she no longer was here with us - with me.  

 The tragedy that struck on prom  night wasn’t my fault. Nor, was it Carrie’s.

Carrie had so much anger built up within her, she was bound to explode with rage eventually. And that day just so happened to unravel at the dance. All thanks to the students (and some teachers) of Bates High.

They constantly bullied Carrie for no real given reason, they harassed her for things she couldn’t quite control, either.  Not me, though.

I’m not crazy, even if there are people that  say I am and even if there are those that put words in my mouth I never said to begin with, too -

It’s not true.

None of it is true.

Everything you’ve read about Carrie White is false. Everything you’ve, more than likely, heard about her is furthest from the truth, also.

She’s not a monster. She never was one. She was just an ordinary girl, begging to be loved,  to be happy. And I loved her.

I just… I wish more than anything she realized how much I loved her.  I was in love with Carrie White, truly, madly, deeply…. in love with her.

And nobody could ever change how I felt - how I feel - towards her.

The night I was going to confess my feelings, believe it or not, was before the dance. Before everything happened.

The moment I arrived to the dance, well…by then, it was too late.   I hadn’t known it yet but almost everyone  was trapped inside the gymnasium, nails digging through the doors as they tried - and failed - to escape.

Their blood curling whines and agonizing moans were silenced by the music that played out on the speakers which echoed outside of the windows and bounced back and forth from the building to the parking lot.

I didn’t realize something terrible had happened until I smelled an intoxicating scent that caused my eyes to blur over with tears and caused me to grimace as the odor only grew stronger, thicker.

I winced and gazed around the parking lot which still remained full of different colored vehicles.     Confusion struck but after a moment or two later, realization hit like a ton of bricks.

From where I had stood, I saw a huge  cloud of gray smoke lingering around the building, only growing more and more thicker in the sky.

When I first arrived, the sky was crystal clear.  Not a single   speck of white was seen from above.   Now, that beautiful shade of blue was replaced with dark and haunting clouds of gray.

Even the moon was no longer hanging in the air for the smoke had it hidden.

The odor that swarmed the air, I realized, was people’s flesh burning.   One by one, people within the school were dying and suffocating to death.

Call me whatever you wish, as I’ve been called every name in the book, but I mean it when I say that I could care less  about the students and teachers of Bates High. If that made me an insensitive bitch, so be it.

The only reason I even attempted to try to get inside the building was because I remembered Carrie had gone to the dance with Tommy Ross.  And I’d do anything to save her.

Expect… I couldn’t.

Every area of the school was locked. Every entrance and exit doors were shut tightly. No matter how hard I tried to open them,  the damned thing wouldn’t budge.

I even tried to go through the windows but they were shut, too. There was nothing I could do.

Nothing expect fall to the ground and bury my face in my hands as tears began to fall, one by one, a tear dropped and soaked my hands and stained my cheeks.

Everyone said prom was a night to remember… but I doubt anyone wanted to remember their prom like this.

*~*

The following week after the incident, I heard a knock at my door. Slowly making my way out of bed, I walk down my too small and narrow hallway and open the door once I’ve reached the entrance,  glancing at the  person behind the screen door.

Sue Snell stood there, hands in her pocket and a look of sadness painted across her face.

“(Y/N),” She began.  “Can…. can we talk?”

“About what?” I snarled, not caring if I came off as rude or ignorant or any other definition.  I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to sleep and never wake up. I already knew where the conversation was going and what the main subject was going to be about. And I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to talk about it.

“It’s about last week…  It’s…. it’s about Carrie.”

“I already know. She’s dead, okay? She’s dead and she isn’t going to come back, you don’t have to remind me.” I go to shut the door but Sue sticks her foot out and stops me from doing so. I narrow my eyebrows at her and give her a questioning gaze.

“Please…” She but all begged. “Tonight. Meet me at her headstone, tonight, would you? Midnight. I’m being serious. Trust me on this, would you? I know you have no reason to… but please.. if not for me, for Carrie.”

“Fine. I’ll think about it. Now, I have to go.”

“(Y/N), wait-”

Before she could finish her sentence, I’m  closing the door in her face and storming back to my bedroom, falling onto my mattress with an ‘ugh’ leaving my lips.

For the past few days, I didn’t do anything expect cry and scream into my pillow.

The moment I got back under the covers and buried my face under several blankets and two of my pillows,  the tears came rushing back down.

I was surprised I still had tears left in me from all the crying I had done, truth be told.

I tried, really, I did… to be strong but it was so hard. Especially when Carrie wasn’t here to make things better.

It was so difficult to live when  the one person you kept yourself alive for is no longer around…. it’s hard to live when your heart is no longer beating.

The day Carrie White died was the day a little part of me died, too.

*~*

It was 11:50PM.

The house was eerily silent. The only noise, from where I was at in my bedroom, was the whistle of the wind and the gentle knocking of tree limbs outside on my window.

I glance at the clock by my bedside table. It now read 11:52.

I sigh and sit up, my feet touching the cold hardwood floor. I rub my hands over my face tiredly as I try to come to a decision whether or not I wanted to meet Sue at Carrie’s gravestone.

I came to the decision… yes, I should go.  After all, I wanted to make sure nobody wrote any more harsh and ruthless slurs on Carrie’s grave.

Even in death, they wouldn’t let her rest and wouldn’t stop picking on her.   Carrie should be able to rest and yet there’s hundreds of people who forbid her from doing so. It was a shame.

People say Carrie White is a monster or the daughter of the Devil himself but in reality, the only monsters are the ones  that won’t leave that poor girl alone.

"If you look in the face of evil - evil's going to look right back at you."

*~*

The time I got to the cemetery  it had just turned midnight.  As I exited out the car, it seemed as if the howl of the wind grew louder upon my arrival.

“Hello?” I call out. My voice seems loud against the empty area and I grimace; I didn’t realize how wobbly it sounded until I had spoken.

(I blamed that on all the off and on crying sessions I’ve done recently.)

“Sue? Are you there? Hello?”

Nothing.

I groan and face palm, shaking my head from side to side. I should’ve known not to come. I should have known better and yet-

“(Y/N).”

My eyes dart forward and I feel my knees begin to buckle out underneath me and all the air in my lungs is snatched away from me.

“(Y/N).” She repeats, walking toward me and gives me a wry smile. “Hi.”

“C-Carrie?” My voice shook and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There she was, alive, breathing and all.

And she was right in front of me.

“You… I thought you were dead.” I was speechless. I could barely form any sentences without stumbling over my words.

“That’s why I’m here,” Carrie explained, stepping closer to me.  She rests the palm of her hand across my cheek, fingers brushing over my skin and I shudder, goose bumps prickling ever so softly across my arms.

“I didn’t know how to tell you….” She continued, sighing as she moves a loose piece of hair back and out from my face, tucking it behind my ear.

“I didn’t want anyone to know but Sue found me  on the side of the road when my house collapsed… she took me under her wing and helped me out.” She informed.  Carrie looked up and gave me a shy smile, her cheeks turning a bright rosy red.

“She insisted I should tell you, too… I was wanting to tell you, regardless but… I had been so scared. I’ve been terrified recently…. and with everything that happened, I only got more scared and… well, I thought you’d be like them and laugh at me or go on and tell the world where I was at and-”

“Carrie, I love you.” I blurt, unable to stop the words from forming out my mouth.

“I’d never, in any way, hurt you. I’ve loved you for the longest time and I thought…. I thought you were dead, Carrie… and it truly felt like I lost a piece of myself, too.”

The blush on Carrie’s cheeks grows darker, deeper as she nods. Tears swell in the corner of her eyes and she laughs softly, taking her hand away from my cheek as she wipes her eyes, sniffling quietly.

“I know. Sue told me, too… and I didn’t believe her. How could anyone love a freak like me? The laughing stock? Everyone’s personal punching bag..” Carrie smiled sadly as she shook her head.

“Mama told me it was a sin, you know? Love only is shared between a man and a woman. Not two men or two women together but… I realized I’d rather burn in Hell and be with the person I love than to go to Heaven being the person I’m not. I love you, (Y/N).

“I prayed every night for a friend and you came into my life at the time I needed you the most. You’re not only my best friend but my blessing, too.” By the time she’s finished talking, I’m crying and pulling her into my chest, hugging her tightly.

“I love you, I love you, I love you.” I repeat.  “From the moment I met you in the library and we bonded over our favorite novels together at the start of school, I knew I wanted to be your friend. I could care less what others thought.

And then when we went to the park that Saturday evening and had a picnic, I knew I loved you then…. I knew that no matter what, whether we were friends or more, I always wanted to make you happy, Carrie White.”

“And you do,” she reassured, voice cracking as she buried her head in the crook between my shoulder and neck. “You make me the happiest girl alive. I’ve never known true happiness until you came into the picture, (Y/N).”

I pull a little bit of ways out and take her face, pressing my hands across her cheeks and with little to no hesitation, I press my lips hungrily against hers.

Carrie, almost instantly, kisses back.

“I love you.” I murmur into the kiss, not daring to pull away.

“I love you.” She muttered. Through the kiss, I can feel the corners of her lips curling up into a smile. A grin finds its way across my face, too.

“Let’s go… let’s get out of here.” She said, pulling back as she looks up and into my eyes. “Let’s leave Chamberlain and never look back.”

And so, well, we did.

Carrie White wasn’t your average or your typical ordinary girl. She had powers, as I came to find out. I knew there was something unique, something special about her and now I knew what it was.

Carrie White wasn’t a demon. Or the daughter of the Devil or none of that sort.

Carrie White was simply just a girl, ready to start her own life and accomplish her own goals and seek happiness.

And I, (Y/N) (L/N) would do anything to help her achieve that.

Carrie White deserved better than to live in fear and shame.

Carrie White, just like anybody else, deserved to be happy.

So, whether you believe me or not, I don’t care.

If you still think she is a monster in disguise or whatever; I do not care.

I know the truth. Sue Snell knows the truth, too. Carrie White is anything but a monster.

Carrie White is, and forever will be, my girl.

And that’s just that.

End of story.

[one-sad-human]

•Something There• Slash

Pairing: Slash x Reader

Requested? Yes! By a lovely anon

Theme: Fluff

Warnings: Some language

Word Count: 1.2k

A/N: —

     You take in a deep breath. The letter in the sweaty palms feels heavy and intimidating. It's hopefully an acceptance letter from your dream college, UCLA, but there's a chance you got declined.

     You open the envelope slowly, unfolding the letter and beginning to read. Your smile grows and you jump up from your chair, pumping a fist in the air and jumping around your kitchen.

     You race to your phone and call your parent's phone number, waiting impatiently for one of them to answer. Before a 'hello' is said, you shout out.

     "I got in! I got in UCLA!"

     It's been your dream to go since you were small. America was scary and foreign, but you've always known that you can't live in England your entire life.

     It's always rainy and cloudy, and LA seems bright and gorgeous. It's full of possibilities and excitement. And it helps that your best friend, Saul, lives there.

     You and Saul have been friends since practically birth. Yours and his parents were close friends, meaning that even after Saul and his mom moved to America, you all remained in contact.

     You're parents took you to yearly trips to America to visit the Hudson's, and he visited England once in a while, too. Over the last few years, you haven't been able to go visit him.

     You have a job and have been working hard to save up for college, so vacation was a distant memory. But nonetheless, phone calls are still pretty common between you and him.

     According to Saul, his friends call him Slash now, and he has a band. He seems to be happier with this band than his previous ones, and you wish him nothing but the best.

     You can't wait to be there, to see him on stage with florescent lights beaming on him, his fingers moving quickly along the fretboard of his guitar. You're smiling just thinking about it.

     It's finally moving day. It's bittersweet, bitter because England is all you've ever known, moving so far away is the scariest thing you've ever done. Your parents are also heartbroken your leaving, but they keep smiling faces to not make you feel guilty for leaving.

     But the sweetness is stronger. This is your dream! You'd be able to live in LA and see the ocean everyday, walk along the Sunset Strip, and go to your dream school. Saul being there definitely helps, too.

     The plane ride is nothing new. It's long and tiring, and you just want to sleep when you finally get to your destination. But the familiar heat wakes you a little when you step out of the airport.

And when you get to your very tiny dorm, you rush around to unpack so you can go and explore. The strip is obviously you're first destination. It's colorful and loud and the exact opposite from England, which may be what you love about it.

A poster stuck to a window with drawings and a date on it catches your eye. It's for a local band called Guns n Roses, and you remember that's the name of Saul's band.

So, naturally, you go to the show. The band is loud and the energy is something you've never seen before. It's electrifying.

After, you reconnect with Saul— or Slash as he likes to be called now. You meet his band and they all love you, although all of them tried to get into your pants at some point during that night.

But as time stretched on to months, you and Slash are closer than ever. His bandmates are convinced there's something going on between you, but both of you always brush it off.

"We're just best friends," is Slash's favorite quote.

Axl and Steven were the most vocal. Axl is nosy and notices everything, and Steven just loves love. You can't count the number of times they've tried to set you up with Slash on a date, it hasn't worked yet.

     But nonetheless, Steven and Axl giving up their mission seems impossible. Well, you thought, until now.

     "You set me up on a blind date?" You ask, a slight snarl on your face. "With who?"

     "What the hell do you think blind means? Go and find out! It's this Saturday," Axl says. You put your pen down, as you were finishing up some schoolwork before Axl had called you.

     "Why do you even want me to go on this date anyway? Aren't you the same guy hell-bent on getting me with Saul?"

     "Look, this guy needed a date, you're the only single woman I know that I haven't fucked."

     "You're disgusting."

     "Will you go on the date or not?" Axl asks, ignoring the insult.

     "I don't know, Ax." You sigh. "I'm busy with school and work and—

     "Exactly! A date is exactly what you need to relax!" Axl says.

     "Fine! Fine, I'll go," you agree. You know that he won't give up on asking, he would just show up at your dorm if you hung up. Besides, how much harm could one date do anyway?

     It's Saturday, the dreaded day of the week. You park your car outside of the restaurant that your date will take place at. The restaurant looks nice, it isn't fancy and expensive, but it doesn't look sketchy.

     You walk in, glancing around quickly to see if you can spot your date. Axl said he should be sitting at the first table near the window.

     You walk over, and when you spot who it is, you shake your head in disbelief. He may have his back turned to you, but his curly head of hair is still distinguishable.

     "So you're my date?" You ask, rounding the table. Saul looks up in surprise and laughs, throwing his head back.

     "Axl set us up?" He asks.

     "Apparently." Slash shakes his head but keeps his smile on his face. He gestures for you to sit down across from him.

     "Well, I'm starving and I'm not wasting the reservation. What do you want?"

Once you order and begin eating, you begin to think how nice this is. You wonder if there is something there, if maybe it was there all along and you never thought about it.

You become almost hyper aware of everything Slash does, to the way he looks down when he smiles and how he listens to you intently and hangs onto every word.

When the date ends, you’re disappointed and wish it could last longer. Slash feels the same, which is why he walks so slow exiting the restaurant.

“Can I tell you something?” He asks, walking you to your car.

“Of course, what?”

“I really had fun today.” You nod and smile.

“Yeah, me too.” You get to your car but instead of getting in, you lean against the door.

“Could we do it again sometime?” You raise your eyebrows and your lips part. Slash keeps his eyes low, nervous for your answer.

“You mean you want to hang out again?” You ask, and he quickly shakes his head.

“No, I want to go on another date. Just me and you, no Axl setting us up. A proper date,” he explains, his words fumbling.

“I’d love to,” you say with a grin. Slash looks up, a relieved smile on his lips. He reaches up his hand and caresses your face, leaning in ever so slowly. You lean against your car more, grateful for the support.

It turns out Axl and Steven were right sometimes, not that you’d ever say that to their faces.

[heliads]

Goodbye in C Minor

Luke Patterson was dating this incredible girl, Y/N, until he died along with Alex and Reggie. Now that he’s been stuck in the present day, he doesn’t know how to move on from the girl he left behind in the 90s.

masterlist

A girl leans against an open doorway. She takes in the band playing around her, the black and white Sunset Curve banners streaked with color. Her eyes flash over all members of the band in turn, but they tend to linger on the lead singer, a boy with a shock of brown hair and enough passion for an entire band of his own.

In fact, he doesn’t even notice that the girl has arrived until the song ends and he looks up, finally snapped out of his reverie. Instantly, a smile shoots across his face and he jogs over to her, unslinging his guitar strap from around his shoulders and setting the instrument down on a nearby stand. He picks her up and twirls her around in the air. The girl laughs, and her eyes meet his again once her feet touch back down on the ground.

One of the boys from the band shouts something to her from across the studio, his voice hopeful. “Did you bring us lunch?” The girl turns to face them, attention finally diverted from her boyfriend. She holds up a plastic bag full of boxed containers. “I did! Takeout, hope you don’t mind. And yes, Bobby, some are vegetarian.” A light-haired boy, Alex, does a silent fist pump. “You’re the best, Y/N. Honestly.” 

Y/N hands the bag of food over to the hungry bandmates, and all except one hurriedly dig in. Luke stays, interlacing his fingers with Y/N’s. “You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Y/N waves his concern away. “I absolutely did. You’ve gotten me into the Orpheum for your upcoming show, the least I can do is make sure you’re all properly fed. If I can’t help with music, I can at least help with this.”

Luke grins. “Trust me, I think the food is the best thing ever. By the way, Reggie wants me to tell you that we’ll invite you to every show on the planet if it means he keeps getting free lunch. Although technically you don’t have to worry about that- I want you by my side every step of the way, lunch or no lunch.” Y/N laughs. “That’s one of the most romantic things I’ve heard all week. Maybe you should put that into a new song. ‘I’ll love you even if you don’t bring me takeout.’”

Luke pouts, and Y/N giggles at his mock sadness. “I’m kidding. Mostly.” Luke leans forward to kiss Y/N. “You had better be.” From across the room, Alex yells something at them. “If you guys keep making out in the middle of practice we’re going to ban you from the studio.” Y/N waves her hand at him. “I brought you food, you can’t ban me! I’m too important to the future of the band.” Reggie shrugs. “She’s right, you know. We might starve.” Alex swats him on the shoulder, and Y/N turns back to Luke with a slight smile.

“I can’t believe you’re playing at the Orpheum in a week. That’s so exciting!” Luke nods fervently. “Sometimes it doesn’t even feel real. Like I’ll wake up and find out we were actually booked to some other place, not the actual Orpheum.” Y/N smiles at him. “You’re going to do great, and that’s final. I can’t wait to see you guys perform.” Luke absentmindedly runs his fingers over Y/N’s knuckles, tapping out the beats of half-written songs. “I know we’ll do great. I’ve got my muse. All of my songs are about you, you know that.” Y/N raises an eyebrow. “Even ‘My Name is Luke?’” Luke groans. “Okay, maybe not that one. Almost all of my songs are about you. How about that?” Y/N beams at her boyfriend. “That sounds perfect.”

Luke jolts back to reality. He’s still standing in that same studio, but he’s back to the present day. He’s not in the 90s anymore, and it’s been decades since he was writing songs with Sunset Curve, preparing to take on the Orpheum for the first time. He’s standing in the exact same place as that one memory, when he’d been talking to her. They’d both been so happy, so exhilarated at the prospect of Sunset Curve’s Orpheum performance. Neither of them had known that Luke, Alex, and Reggie would die that night, permanently taking Luke away from everything he knew best. Away from her.

There’s a slight motion next to him, and Luke freezes before remembering that he’s not alone in the studio. Alex has just walked up beside him, although his friend’s gaze softens when he sees the troubled look on Luke’s face. “You’re thinking about her, aren’t you? You’re thinking about Y/N.” Luke sighs. “Yeah. I just- I can’t believe that all this time had passed. She isn’t here with us, and she didn’t eat those street dogs, so she must not have died. That means she grew up and she’s probably older now. I don’t know what to think about that.”

Alex nods slowly, placing his hand on Luke’s shoulder in a show of comfort. “We left so much behind that it’s hard to think about. If you ever want anyone to talk to, you know we’re all here. Julie too, although that might be more of a difficult conversation.” Luke blows out a slow breath. “That’s the problem. Things are going so well with Julie and the new band and everything that I feel like I should be happier, and I am, and then-” His voice trails off. Alex finishes the sentence for him. “And then you remember what life used to be like.”

Luke walks over to a photo tacked onto the wall. Julie had found some old snapshots of Sunset Curve and set them out in the studio. They were nice to see, but sometimes they tended to hurt instead of inspiring fond memories. One in particular catches his eye- the band and a couple of friends, mere hours before the Sunset Curve show at the Orpheum. It’s a faded Polaroid, showing a group of beaming teenagers pointing up at the Orpheum’s sign glowing in neon lights above them. Look what we’re about to do, they seem to say, look what we never got to finish.

Luke’s eye strays on the far right corner. He’s standing there, arm wrapped around a girl. Y/N. They’re both smiling, although in this shot neither of them are looking at the camera. Instead, they’re both turned towards each other, as if delighted by the simple fact that both of them are together. Luke remembers the details of that night in perfect clarity. They’d all arrived at the Orpheum and taken the photo, and then the boys had headed back to begin their sound checks. Y/N had watched them perform, making friends with a girl who worked at the venue. Rose, who Luke now knows is Julie’s mother.

Y/N always had this easy way of making friends. One smile, a few words, and it was like she’d known a stranger all their life. She and Rose had both cheered when Sunset Curve had finished their warmups, and then looked down at her watch in surprise. She’d said something about how she had to run and do some final checks with the venue staff, and she’d be right back. Y/N had kissed Luke quickly before dashing out the door with a promise that she’d be back in a second. Luke, Alex, and Reggie had disappeared down the block to get some street dogs. By the time Y/N had gotten back, papers and signatures held triumphantly in her hand, it was too late.

Luke doesn’t know what happened after that. He’s not positive that Y/N was there when he died, maybe arriving a few minutes after the fact. He’s not sure if that makes it better or not- although she’d be furious with herself for not being there to save him, Luke knows there was nothing she could have done. Would it have hurt more to be next to him, unable to do anything but watch as he breathed his last, or to have missed the entire thing? He supposes Y/N has had years to think the issue over.

Luke turns away from the photograph. His legs are itching to take him away, his heart racing to find something to do. The band doesn’t have practice today, so there’s nothing to distract him from the awful loneliness beating against his chest. He has to do something to get away from all of this, from the memories and the photographs and the knowledge that he had left the girl he loved behind and there was nothing to do to get her back. Luke mumbles something to Alex about how he’s going to take a walk, then poofs out of the studio, no clear destination in mind.

Luke reappears in the middle of a path. At first, he’s not quite sure where he is. There’s a line of pavement under his feet, leading away in front of him. Spring green boughs wave overhead, framing the way before him. The trees eventually clear out to form a clearing, and only then does Luke realize where he is. It’s the local cemetery, the place where all of Luke’s family have been buried. The place where surely he, too, lies at rest. His head must have some twisted sense of humor to bring him here.

Luke wavers one last moment, then decides to take off down the path. He’s never actually visited his own grave, as it seemed too morbid an activity to actually set out and do, but if he’s already here he might as well see it. There’s some sort of curiosity affixed to seeing your own headstone, weird as that may be, and at least now he can glance at it once and forget about it.

Luke passes between the long lines of gravestones, reading through the names. It’s late afternoon, and there’s almost nobody here at all. At least, there isn’t anybody here except one woman, who’s crouching before a headstone in the middle of the cemetery. On second thought, she appears to be around the place where Luke’s family is buried. As he walks over, he realizes that this woman is actually next to his grave. 

She’s speaking quietly. “Nothing much happened today, but it’s a Saturday, so I had to drop by anyway.” Her head drops. “You’ve been gone for 25 years. Can you believe that? 25. I miss you still.” A bittersweet smile cracks her lips, and Luke’s heart twists at the pain in her voice. “I have children now. They’re just beginning to enter double digits. At some point, they’ll be older than you. I wish you could have met them, Luke. I think you’d like them a lot.”

Luke’s head flies up when she says his name. The way she said it sounded so familiar, like he’s heard this woman before. Like he knows her, and knows her very well. The woman freezes slightly- she must have seen his small motion out of the corner of her eye. But that doesn’t make sense, because lifers aren’t supposed to see ghosts like Luke. Yet the woman still stands, lightly brushing dirt off of her legs. “Sorry, I’ll get out of your way. Didn’t see you there.”

The woman turns to face Luke, and her eyes widen. She stands for a moment, staring, and then her voice comes again, faltering and weak. “Luke?” She looks away from him, studying her own hands as if expecting them to be ghostly and translucent. “But you’re dead. How can you be here- Am I dead?” Luke shakes his head. “No, you’re not dead. I mean, I am, but I’m a, uh, ghost. You’re not a ghost. At least I don’t think so.” Luke’s voice trails off when the woman looks at him again. When she’s finally turned towards him, her face seems so familiar. It takes him a moment, and then he realizes who she is. “Y/N.”

It has to be her. There’s no way around it. Indeed, the second her name passes through his lips he knows it’s true. The Y/N standing before him is far older now, maybe in her late thirties or early forties. That would make sense, wouldn’t it? They were teenagers when he died, and if it’s been 25 years since then, she would have to be older. A slight lump forms in Luke’s throat. What would it have been like if he hadn’t died? Would he have been like this too? Would they have grown old together?

Y/N rubs a hand over her face as if in shock. “This makes no sense. I mean, you sound just like yourself and everything but-” Luke laughs quietly. “But ghosts aren’t real.” Y/N gestures loosely with her hand. “Exactly.” Her eyes flicker over him again, taking in every detail of his face as if committing it to memory. This small action itself is so strange to see- Luke remembers Y/N doing this at shows and practices, and it doesn’t feel right to see this similarity in a version of Y/N that is so much older, especially when Luke himself is still a teenager.

Luke’s voice is quiet. “Do you always visit my grave?” Y/N nods. “Every other Saturday. I think your mom and dad come all the time too. I try to give them some space.” She looks back at him, as if she can understand what he’s thinking. “We haven’t moved on so easily. There was a time right after you died when I thought we never would. I didn’t see how the earth could keep turning without my boys. And then the years kept passing by, and although the pain never got any easier we learned how to be happy too, how to keep the grief but remember you with brighter memories instead.”

She smiles, although her eyes are tinged with pain. “I’m married now.” She holds up her hand, and Luke’s gaze is drawn to the ring on her finger. “I think you’d like him a lot. We have two children, a boy and a girl. They know your parents well, we get together all the time. They supported me when I was in over my head, they pulled me out of a well when I was drowning in grief. I check in on them, and they check in on me. We were trying to do right by you.”

Luke feels like his legs are about to collapse underneath him. To see Y/N like this, so much older and calmer, feels like an earthquake tearing him apart. He doesn’t know why, but some part of him had almost assumed that she wouldn’t grow old either, that if he looked hard enough he could find her and they could be the same again. He knows now that he was wrong, although the sight of Y/N is still so reflexively exhilarating that he doesn’t know what to do with himself.

Luke forces himself to speak. “Are you- are you happy? Now, with your family?” Y/N nods, a radiant smile breaking out across her face. “I’m incredibly happy. Things are good now, and they’re going to keep being good for a very long time.” She looks at him, seeing the questions he’s too afraid to ask. “I’m sorry that things happened the way they did. I would have liked nothing more than to see you shine on that stage and have your star career the way that we always planned. I have a feeling that you’ve got a new chance now, a way to move on. I’d take it. You’ve always been able to stay on your feet and keep running forward. Don’t let that go.”

Luke nods. “Thank you, Y/N.” They exchange their goodbyes and then Luke disappears back into the trees. After a moment or two of walking, he poofs back into the studio. Luke walks on leaden limbs towards his songwriting notebook, flinging it open and reaching for a pencil. He turns to one page in particular, a song he’d begun writing for Y/N a few days before their performance at the Orpheum. He changes some lines, adds new chords, transposes the song from a major to a minor key. He doesn’t know how long he sits there, but when he looks up at last, the song is finished.

The title sits at the top, a blurry gray after recent erasings. ‘Goodbye in C Minor.’ The beautiful start to a love he never got to see through.

[kaijudyke]

hello my friends! as you may or may not be aware i have a healthy obsession with the ballad of tam lin, and today i would like to talk to you about the abundance of parallels between tam lin and star trek deep space nine s02e22 the wire! i will be summarizing the ballad for you so you do not need to be familiar with it! strap in for a long analysis and join me under the cut 💖

1. a summary of the ballad in broad strokes

(all excerpts in this section from child 39A)

tam lin is a scottish folktale about a young woman named janet who goes to the forest of carterhaugh, which is known to be guarded by a fairy called tam lin.

O I forbid you, maidens a', That wear gowd on your hair, To come or gae by Carterhaugh, For young Tam Lin is there.

(janet is aware of this, and goes anyway. one of my favorite running themes in the ballad is janet being incredibly headstrong and cocky.) she picks a few roses, he appears and tells her to stop, she stands up to him, and they end up sleeping together (and, ostensibly, falling in love). she returns home to her father's castle pregnant. her father and the other men at the castle are very concerned about her pregnancy, but she defies them and tells her father that this is her own responsibility and that she'd rather be with tam lin than any human nobleman:

If that I gae wi child, father, Mysel maun bear the blame, There's neer a laird about your ha, Shall get the bairn's name. If my love were an earthly knight, As he's an elfin grey, I wad na gie my ain true-love For nae lord that ye hae.

janet goes back to carterhaugh to pick abortifacient herbs and terminate the pregnancy, since she believes she and tam lin will never be able to be together. tam lin reappears and asks her to stop, and she asks him to tell her more about himself (in many versions she asks him if he's a christian), looking for any reason not to give up on him:

"Why pu's thou the rose, Janet, Amang the groves sae green, And a' to kill the bonny babe That we gat us between?" "O tell me, tell me, Tam Lin," she says, "For's sake that died on tree, If eer ye was in holy chapel, Or christendom did see?"

he tells her that he's human like her, but was taken by the fairy queen as a child. he also says that the fairies pay a tithe to hell every seven years, and he's worried this time they're going to sacrifice him. he tells her how to save him: she must be at miles cross at midnight on all hallow's eve, when the fairies ride by, and she must pull him down from his horse and hold on to him as the fairies change his shape several times.

"They'll turn me in your arms, lady, Into an esk and adder, But hold me fast, and fear me not, I am your bairn's father. "They'll turn me to a bear sae grim, And then a lion bold, But hold me fast, and fear me not, And ye shall love your child. "Again they'll turn me in your arms To a red het gand of airn, But hold me fast, and fear me not, I'll do you nae harm. "And last they'll turn me in your arms Into the burning gleed, Then throw me into well water, O throw me in with speed. "And then I'll be your ain true-love, I'll turn a naked knight, Then cover me wi your green mantle, And hide me out o sight."

(the exact details of the transformations vary between versions, but some of the most common shapes he has to go through are adder, newt, lion, hot coal, and burning iron. if you're interested in the variations, i highly recommend this page!) once the transformations are done, he instructs her to wrap him in her green cloak, after which the fairies won't have a claim to him anymore. janet follows his instructions and successfully saves him, much to the dismay of the fairy queen.

2. janet, julian, and their relationships

whichever version of tam lin you are reading, janet is a character with a ton of agency. she has no qualms about encroaching on tam lin's territory (in fact she tells him in no uncertain terms that the forest is hers), and there is some indication that she might have gone to carterhaugh specifically because she wanted to sleep with tam lin; she's said to be wearing a green dress, and since the color green was associated with the fae, wearing green to a fairy wood is pretty clearly inviting their attention. (in medieval literature, green was also sometimes associated with love and sex.)

it's not hard to draw a parallel between janet's decision to pursue tam lin despite the danger he represents and julian's immediate fascination with garak in past prologue even though (or rather because) he suspects him to be a spy. also of note is that janet and tam lin's relationship begins with an argument, where her willingness to challenge him seems to be what draws him to her. one of my favorite retellings, by james p. spence, emphasizes this:

‘I'm here tae guard these woods, tae see that naebodie nor nothing disturbs their peace.’ ‘An was it ma father that gave ye such a job?’ ‘Naw it wasnae.’ ‘Weel, there ye are then. It should be you that's asking ma permission tae set foot in these woods, because it is ma father that owns them.’ Then the young man's face rose up intae a smile that seemed many a long year since it was last there. (scottish borders folk tales, james p. spence, p. 114-115)

i'm sure i don't need to tell you that this is reminiscent not only of garak and julian's fondness for debate but of the way cardassians show romantic interest. more than that, though, i think there's something to be said for the way these relationships are treated by other people in the characters' lives. janet's father and his knights are troubled by her pregnancy, and they clearly think she should be with a normal, respectable man, preferably one of said knights, given that she feels the need to remark "There's neer a knight about your ha / Shall hae the bairnie's name." (child 39I) in the wire, when julian tells jadzia he wishes garak would trust him, she replies "why should he? it's not like the two of you are really friends." julian's friends do not understand why he spends so much time with garak—a cardassian, a spy, an outcast, someone who can't be trusted.

in both cases it's easy enough to see where they're coming from; being pregnant out of wedlock with a fairy's child is certainly not an ideal situation for a young noblewoman to find herself in, and it's remarkably foolish for a starfleet officer to have regular lunch dates with someone he believes to be an enemy spy. but janet and julian are both stubborn, and more interested in what's adventurous and exciting than what's good for them. (remember that, like janet knowingly going to pick roses in a forest guarded by fairies, julian wanted the position on ds9 because he wanted to try his hand at "frontier medicine"; misguided as he may have been, his thirst for adventure is the reason he's even on the station to begin with.)

3. fairyland, the obsidian order, and enabran tain

in the ballad, tam lin is abducted by the fairy queen when he's a child. she takes him to a magical realm where he feels no pain and is far removed from human worries.

And we that live in faeryland, No sickness know, nor pain, I quit my body when I will, And take to it again. (j. holm, verse 32)

garak has been enabran tain's protégé since he was very young. as an operative of the obsidian order, he's been trained to be cool under pressure, to play his cards close to his chest, and to avoid sentimentality and attachment. the plot of the episode hinges entirely on a device implanted in his brain that keeps him from feeling pain. to save his life, julian has to remove the implant, metaphorically rescuing him from fairyland and the influence of the queen who stole him away from the human world. the fairy queen is very possessive of tam lin and very disdainful of his feelings for janet; in many versions of the ballad, after janet successfully rescues him, the fairy queen remarks that if she'd known this would happen, she would have plucked out his eyes and replaced them with wood, or taken his heart and replaced it with stone.

"But had I kend, Tam Lin," said she, "What now this night I see, I wad hae taen out thy twa grey een, And put in twa een o tree." (child 39A, verse 42) 'Had I but kend, Thomas,' she says, 'Before I came frae hame, I had taen out that heart o flesh, Put in a heart o stane.' (child 39B, verse 41)

much like tain tried and failed to mold garak into the perfect emotionless spy, the fairy queen very literally wants to remove tam lin's ability to feel love, because his emotions make him harder for her to control, and in the end are what lead him to escape her clutches entirely. garak and tam lin are both saved by the same thing: their transgressive love for their rescuer, and the fierce, unconditional love they receive in return.

4. hold me fast and fear me not

the central event of the tam lin ballad, of course, is the transformation scene. i'm sure it's what makes the ballad stick in people's minds; it certainly is for me. there's something so deeply romantic about the phrase "hold me fast and fear me not," and about the idea of loving someone so much that you'll hold on to them even as they turn into a beast in your arms. the wire doesn't have as literal a transformation scene as tam lin, but i would argue that it certainly has one.

after julian removes garak's implant (which we can equate to pulling tam lin down from his horse), garak goes through withdrawal. he becomes, by turns, depressed, and angry, and spiteful, and violent. throughout the episode, we see him try to drive julian away. he refuses his help; he insults him; he tells him contradictory stories about his past, all designed to shock him; when none of this succeeds at discouraging him, he physically lashes out.

julian, however, doesn't budge. he isn't fooled by the shapes garak contorts himself into. he takes every change in stride, never wavering in his determination to save him. every person garak claims to be, julian accepts. like janet defying the fairy queen for love of tam lin, he goes as far as to enter cardassian territory and seek out enabran tain in order to save garak's life. when he believes he's about to die, garak tells julian he needs to know that someone forgives him; "i forgive you," julian says, "for whatever it is you did." whatever kind of beast garak is—whatever kind of beast tain has turned him into—julian will not let go of his hand. he will hold him fast.

He grew into her arms two Like iron in hot fire; She held him fast, let him not go, He was her heart's desire. (child 39D, verse 31)

the basic structure of these stories is the same: the main character finds out that the person they love is in immediate danger due to something they went through when they were younger, which fundamentally changed them as a person and is also keeping the two from being together. unwilling to lose their love, they brave the wrath of a powerful villain who's controlled this person's life for a long time. there are undeterred by the frightening changes the person goes through. in the end, they are victorious, and their beloved is free.

5. my dear doctor, they're all true

a closing statement: tam lin is a folktale. like any folktale, there are many, many versions of it, often contradicting each other. there is no definitive version of tam lin (though child 39A may be the most famous). you're free to read every available version of the story, finding meaning not only in the most commonly reoccurring themes, but also in which parts of the text speak to you. like garak's contradictory stories about his life, while it's hard to say whether any one element is true, every element tells you something—about the story, or about the person who tells it. my view of these story parallels is heavily influenced by my own personal interpretation of, and feelings about, the ballad. as it should be.

[tinyyoungblood]

the novelty of lines | tom holland

summary: being trapped with your boyfriend in a bookstore can go many different ways. good and not so good. like getting hit on by a stranger. but does that really matter if tom knows exactly what to do?

pairing: tom holland x reader

word count: 2229

warnings: language, fluff

a/n: if this doesn’t get deleted again, i’ll buy everyone ice cream *laughs through the pain* sorry to anyone who might have already come across the first post:/ this is my first submission to @hollandsrecs​​ ‘s 1k bingo writing event! go check out her amazing fic recs! 

* * *

The echo of another thunder bellowed through the streets, making you shudder and lean into Tom for a sense of safety. His hand grazed your waist and you nuzzled yourself further into his body. “You okay?” You looked up to worried brown eyes and nodded once.

“I’ve always thought being stuck in a bookstore could be quite romantic. Turns out it has some Purge potential too.”

His chuckle conjured a small smile on your lips and you felt him trace tiny shapes into your skin. “Well, the rain does add something,” he said and you hummed. Letting go of your waist, you were turned to face him. “How about you go look for that book we came for, and I’ll go check out some new books they got in the back? We can meet in a few and when the storm is over, we can go grab some coffee. Sounds good?”

You nodded affirmatively and the twinkling in your eyes made his heart melt. “Add some baked goods and you got yourself a happy girlfriend.” Pressing a soft kiss on your lips, you both parted ways and with a fuzzy heart, you watched as Tom disappeared behind a shelf before you started your own quest of finding the newest book of your favorite author. Thanks to an abundance of afternoons spent in this place, you naturally navigated toward a table in the middle of the room that most likely contained what you were looking for—and your inner compass didn’t disappoint. It only took a few seconds until your gaze fell on the familiar name and a smile curved around your lips. Picking up the hardcover, you tugged a few strands of hair behind your ear and examined the paperback in awe.

Unbeknownst to you, your little gesture had caught the attention of a guy your age and invited him to come talk to you. It took you by surprise, but he was polite, so you let yourself have an easy five minutes conversation until he started to hit on you.

Tom was just rounding the corner again when he heard a familiar laugh. He immediately recognized your fake laugh and it made him stop in his tracks. Peering around the corner, his eyes landed on a guy chatting you up. Knowing exactly what was going to happen to the poor guy shooting his shot, he leaned against the wall to enjoy the show for a second.

“So what is a pretty thing like you doing here all by herself?” The guy asked with a smirk pestering his lips.

You eyed him and cocked your head to the side. “Where?”

Taken aback, he stared at you for a moment. “Uhm, you know, here.” He laughed awkwardly and Tom smiled to himself.

Acting like the light bulb over your head lit up, you replied, “Oh, you mean in Chicago?”

Tom had to stifle his laugh as the confused guy ran his hand through his hair. The interaction was painful to witness, but it brought up sweet memories. This was exactly what you did when the two of you had first met in London. You were in a coffee shop and Tom was hitting on you, hopefully, a bit smoother though, and in response, you acted slow and dull like you were doing at the moment. Tom, of course, saw right through and called you out on it. He remembered you only laughed and didn’t hesitate to call him out on his crap too, and that was the start of a beautiful friendship. It didn’t take long for you two to start dating after.

But in contrast to Tom, the guy didn’t seem to pick up on your way to cease the conversation and tried his last sprinkles of luck. “S-Sure…Are you here often?” He hinted and once more, you feigned confusion.

“You mean at the bookstore?”

For a second, you swore you saw his spirit left his body. But he was determined to keep going. “Chicago, bookstore, same thing, right?” He let out a forced laugh and you couldn’t help but smile amusedly. You did have to give him some credit for the effort.

“Hmm. I live in Chicago, so yeah.” His eyes lit up and you felt bad for leading him on, thus deciding to end this talk as fast as possible.

“Sweet, so chances are high that we will meet again…right?” He asked suggestively and you decided to top it off with the sweet cherry of obliviousness.

“No silly, I don’t live in the bookstore, so I guess the chances are pretty slim.” Tom’s eyes widened and he had to cup his mouth to silence his laugh. The guy stared at you dumbfounded and you were almost certain he would leave now. To your luck, that was not the case.

“You can always give me your address?” He tried again and that was Tom’s cue to walk up to you. Wrapping an arm around your waist, he gave the baffled guy a meek smile.

“Sorry, pal. She lost the piece of paper that has her address on it.” Glancing to him with wide eyes, you forced a quizzical smile and Tom grinned back broadly. “Ready to go, darling?” You hummed and turned around to walk away. Looking over your shoulder again, you gave the guy an apologetic smile and lifted your shoulder in a shrug before wandering off with Tom.

When you were out of his earshot, you halted and pointed at the prominent smirk on your boyfriend’s face. “You asshole.” He pursed his lips amusedly.

“What a cute pet name.”

“You were listening to our conversation,” you accused and he shrugged.

“Possibly.”

You gasped and narrowed your eyes at him. The corner of your lips, however, quirked up and you had to hit his shoulder in response to his cocked brow. “You could’ve saved me earlier!”

Tom snickered. “But where’s the fun in that, darling?”

Pouting, you turned your back to him and feigned interest in some of the books displayed on the table in front of you. Suddenly, two arms snaked around your waist, and you were pulled backward, prompting you to squeal in surprise. “Tom!”

He whispered into your ear, “Shhh, I’m trying to be a romantic asshole right now.” He dragged you to the very back of the store where he usually spent most of his time, so you genuinely expected him to simply show you a new book he found. Just in his very dramatic own way. When he let you go and you were planted on steady feet again, you whipped around to face him.

“Not cool.” You jabbed your finger into his chest and he rolled his eyes at you.

Pecking your nose, he stepped aside and revealed a big purple velvet blanket placed neatly in the corner of the store. It was covered in mismatched pillows of all colors, and Tom watched carefully as your eyes widened—fairy lights reflecting in them. You stepped forward and picked up one of the two white mugs that carried the soft smell of hot chocolate.  “Did you do this all by yourself?” You asked, your words laced with every inch of surprise you felt at the moment.

He nodded proudly. “Hannah didn’t mind, so I thought, why not make your romantic bookstore dreams come true.” He shrugged casually, but you could see that he was just as excited as you were. “You like it?”

You placed the mug on the ground and faced him. “Do I like—Tom, I love it! This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me. I still can’t believe it.” Your eyes were twinkling with joy, resembling a starry night sky, and he couldn’t believe how beautiful you were. Softly pulling you forward, you pressed your lips on his and the sweet taste made his heart flutter. You pressed him closer and closer, fingers threading through his soft curls while his hands roamed your sides. Gently pulling away again, you giggled at the dreamy look on his face and grabbed his hand. Once the two of you were seated on the soft blanket, hidden away from the rest of the store due to the big shelves, you were quick to bring the mug up to your lips to get a taste.

Mirroring your action, a strong swirl of chocolate enveloped Tom’s tongue and spread warmth down his throat. You moaned at the sweetness and let your head fall back. “This is too good.” Tom agreed and picked up the book you were still holding in your hand. Reading through the synopsis on the back, a small smile edged around his lips and you giggled. “Tom, that’s a thriller about a guy who goes on a killing spree. Why are you grinning like a psycho?”

He let out a brief laugh. “I’m not laughing because of the book.” He tossed it on your lap. “I just can’t stop thinking about how you did the exact same thing when we first met. You know, with the acting slow.”

The fact that he remembered made you smile and you lifted your shoulder in a half shrug. “I do it with everybody who hits on me.”

“Like a bit?” He asked curiously and took another sip from his mug.

You cocked your head to the side and thought about it. “Kinda. You really have no other choice when guys come up to you with the dumbest lines. It’s a default setting.”

Feigning offense, he slapped his hand on his chest. “I beg to differ! I did not say a dumb line.”

“Probably not the dumbest line I’ve heard.” You brought the mug up to your lips. “But very dumb nonetheless.” Tom furrowed his brows and pouted at you, making you giggle. “Do you remember what you said?”

His gaze averted to the ground for a second, but he shook his head. “No…But it couldn’t have been any dumber than what he said.” Tom jabbed his thumb over his shoulder and you grinned.

“If only you knew…” you trailed off teasingly and he leaned forward.

“What was it?”

You hummed and shrugged playfully, making him grab your mug and set it aside with his own. “Y/N Y/L/N, tell me how I made a fool of myself the day we met.” You had to bit your bottom lip to cease the smile, but that gave Tom the last push to lean forward and tackle you to the ground, fingers attacking your sides and the sound of your laughter seeped through the quiet bookstore.

“T-Tom! S-stop it—Tom, I mean i-it,” you coaxed out and Tom leaned down to your ear.

“Are you going to tell me what I said to you that day?” Reluctantly, you nodded. His hands left your side and you sat up while the last bits of your hysteria died down. Dramatically wiping away some tears, you shuffled forward and placed your arms on his shoulder to lock your fingers behind his head. His eyes locked with yours and he waited in anticipation as you fought with your lopsided grin. You cleared your throat for suspense.

“On the day we met, you came to my booth, and sat down. Then you looked me straight in the eye and asked me Are you from England? ‘Cause I can really see a queen in you.”

You watched as Tom internally broke down from the crippling cringe. He was blushing madly and the tip of his ears were bloodshot red, making you giggle and press a quick kiss on his warm cheek. When you wanted to pull away, he wrapped his arm around your shoulders to nuzzle his head in the crook of your neck. “I can’t believe I said that,” he mumbled and you laughed.

“Don’t be too hard on yourself. It could’ve been way worse.” He leaned back to look at you.

“Oh yeah? How? I can’t see a way to outdo that. It’s really bad, I’m surprised you didn’t die of a stroke that day.”

“Bet. Harrison once came up to me all excited to read me a pickup line he found on Buzzfeed. I think it went My dick is called Big Ben. And you know where you'll find it. And then he just giggled and ran away.”

Tom broke out laughing. At this point, you were sure people must have thought you two were crazy but you didn’t mind. “Oh my god, what did you tell him?” He reached out to your waist as you turned around to lean your back against his chest. His arms wrapped around your figure and you sighed contently.

“Well, he was already halfway across the yard, but I told him afterward that it’s a great line and that he should use it sometime at the pub. I think he actually did.”

Tom’s chest vibrated against your back as the sweet sound of his laughter swept you off the ground. Seeing him this happy was everything to you and you closed your eyes for a second, just to open them again right after to make sure that you weren’t dreaming. Spending an afternoon trapped in a bookstore with your boyfriend during a thunderstorm sounded like it came straight from a novel, but apparently, you lived inside your own novel and within it, you were allowed to dream as much as you wished.

* * *

it’s been a while since my last one shot, so i hope this makes up for it! hope you enjoyed it and if you did, feel free to leave some feedback. thank you as always for reading! have a wonderful day/night peeps <3

taglist: @honeypie-holland​ @himarisolace​​ @duskholland​​ @insidiousslut​​ @siriuslyslyslytherin​​ @hollandsrecs​​ @quaksonhehe​​ @chloecreatesfictions​​ @writertoo18​

[truglori]

Homebody (Ch.5)

Summary: Amiyah is the younger sister of local drug dealer (Durkio). Shy and reserved she keeps to herself and stays out the way. But lately she began to find interest in his right hand man/ best friend (Erik Stevens). Wanting to get him to notice her she discovers that he already had her wrapped around his finger without even trying! There was only a few problems that kept her away from her fantasies , her brother that controlled almost every single breath she took and would kill anyone who looked at her that way and lastly Eriks girlfriend, Alexis , who they called the queen of the hood according to her lavish lifestyle as well as being with the next newest top boy in the making. While Alexis was his girl to the streets all Amiyah wanted to do was be his Homebody...

Pairing: Erik Stevens x Thick OC

Warning: Language, Robbery, Smoking

The smoke from the three burnt out blunts fogged the car. Erik’s head hung low as he tried to focus on the topic of discussion. Looking to his right he watched as Durk sparked a lighter to light up the fourth one and started a new rotation. Taking it from his hand Erik put the blunt to his lips and pulled. He had to admit that he was feeling high but yet nowhere near done with the session.

It was a Monday morning. Almost ten am to be exact. They were parked in Erik’s car in front of Frank’s Auto Garage. To a normal person it look like a regular place of business but it wasn’t. Durk used the shop to clean his money so he wouldn’t have anything tracing back to him. Erik glanced up and watched two corner boys walk out with a backpack each before getting into their vehicle and driving off.

“Aye man I appreciate you for coming through with this assignment. Once I get this nigga Shawn out the way I could finally do some business with the new connect.” Durk spoke before inhaling the blunt.

Nodding his head Erik slouched in his seat.

“I told you it’s nothing. Just don’t forget I’ma need one person to come with me. Someone who can watch my back.”

After going into almost two years without doing a job Erik felt a little rusty. He wanted to be certain that he could bring someone with him who could look out. Someone who he could trust that had to be skilled enough to keep up. The last thing Erik wanted was for this to go wrong and he end up in prison or even worst, dead.

If it was any other person coming to him to offer him work Erik would decline them with a quickness. This wasn’t something that he wanted to be a part of anymore. He had aspirations to become a better man. And with that, that means he had to give up the lifestyle to live a better one. But it was Durk. The man who had the opportunity to gun him down right in front of the trap house when they first met five years ago spared him. Gave him a second chance.

Erik witness Durk do way worst to people who didn’t do nearly as half as much compared to what Erik was going to commit that night. So he felt in a way obligated to come through for his best friend. There was no other option. He owe him his life.

“No doubt. Actually I got this one associate that’s in debt with me. Told him I could use his help whenever I needed him to pay me off. Heard he a shooter that don’t miss. Anybody who have your back I think it’ll be him.” Durk grinned confidently.

Erik nodded his head absorbing the information. Trusting his brother with whatever choice he went with he continue to ask him where the drop would be.

“Okay so what about this nigga Shawn. You got an address.”

Durk pulled out his burner. Going to a text message he clicked on it and passed the phone over to Erik.

He read over it. 4523 Lanely Rd. Pulling up his notes icon Erik typed in the address and saved the information. He gave the burner back to Durk. Realizing the area that it was in Erik shook his head. Nice suburban area where it was mostly Caucasian which amount to one thing. Nosy ass neighbors. It was a risk but he would just have to deal with it.

Hearing Durk sighed he studied him. His hands was rested over his eyes as he was leaned back in the chair. His boy looked stressed.

“You good?” A genuine tone came out.

“I think my sister fucking around with someone but I just don’t know who yet.”

Erik’s eyebrows lifted up. Glancing up to the ceiling as he listened carefully.

“I just really hope it’s not one of these fuck niggas. I might need yo ass for another job after this. We could rob this nigga together.”

The two chuckled.

‘Damn I can’t rob myself.’

Erik thought to himself before engaging back in the conversation.

“What makes you think she fucking with someone?” Erik curiously wanted to know. It would give him an advantage on what he should not be doing.

“Well the other night I walk in the livingroom and there she was sitting there with her titties all out, make up done like she was getting ready for a dick appointment or sum shit.” Durk replied in a stressful tone.

Daydreaming at the ceiling, Erik’s memory jogged back to her outfit from that night. He could still see the way her cleavage appeared in front of him as she sat across from him in the diner. The soft flesh looking at him. He had to control himself multiple times that night from staring at them so much. But he couldn’t with the way they would bounce a little every time she laughed.

Speaking of her smile. Erik adored that about her the most. He love how her lips curled up showing off those pretty white teeth. The way her lipgloss color made her lips appear more fuller than what they already were. The same lips that drove him crazy from the softness. If he could sit in the booth kissing her all night he would have. That was enough to satisfy him. Erik sucked in his bottom lip as if he could still feel hers on his. She just had to let him get a taste.

‘Why she let me do that?’

Erik berated himself with that question as he shook his head about his lack of self control. He felt guilty. He was the nigga who his best friend was worried about hurting his sister. Right now he was feeling like a pussy. It was like he didn’t have the balls to speak up and tell him the truth. He was feeling Amiyah.

“Why you don’t like her dating anyway? I get you trying to protect her but I mean she is 21, you can’t stop her from living bro.” Erik wanted to sound reasonable but without suspicion.

“I know she got a life to live but the fact that mine is tied up with hers don’t help.”

“What you mean?”

Durk paused glancing at his phone. “ I mean besides you I can’t trust none of these niggas man. What if whoever she talk to know that she my little sister? No telling what they’ll do to her just to get to me.”

Erik listened understanding his perspective.

“I done did some foul shit out here that I’m not proud of, you know this. This why I am what I am because if I don’t get them first then I know for damn sure they’ll try to get me. I’m just worry about Amiyah getting caught in between.”

To Erik it seem like Durk just wanted was best for his sister. To him family came first. It was important to him. He valued it and would do anything to protect the ones he love. Erik comprehend this.

“You worried she won’t be able to know who and who not to trust?”

“Every-fucking-day. That’s why I don’t want her going anywhere besides home and work. I just want the best for her.”

“You should that’s your sister. Just trust her. She not gon let you down.”

Durk looked at Erik, who gave him a sincere look. If there was anybody else he could trust with his life aside from Amiyah it was his friend. His brother. Erik.

____________________________

Amiyah leaned against the register as she wrote down her completed work assignment. Blowing the air out of her mouth she let the pen fall from her fingers and on to the counter. She was exhausted and ready to clock out and lay in her bed. Her mind began to wonder about the events that transpired over the weekend.

The last time she spoke to Erik was after he dropped her off. He sent a text asking if she made it in safely and that was it. Nothing else since then. His on and off again of inconsistency irritated her. She wanted him to be all about her just as much as she was for him. Of course under the circumstances they had to be cautious but he didn’t have to go another two days without hitting her up.

Checking the time on her Apple Watch she had an hour left before she was up and out of the boutique. She started cleaning certain areas and rehanging the merchandise back onto the racks to make time go by faster. Hearing the sound of the bell ring brought her back to reality.

“Welcome to Bella Ella’s.” She greeted them without looking up and only focusing on her task out of habit.

“Thank you. Hey girl!”

Peering in the direction of the voice she saw Alexis. She was going through the dress section. Amiyah sighed inwardly before walking over to her.

“Hi welcome back. Can I help you look for anything?” She faked a smile.

“Yes actually, I’m looking for something the same as last time just not too revealing this time. I want to tease him. You know?” Alexis sent her a smirk as she walked in front of one of the mannequins observing the clothes.

Hesitant but curious Amiyah asked her. “For another date?”

“Uh you can say something like that. It’s a surprise.” Alexis eyed her up and down.

“Well we have this ruched bodycon dress. It’s an off the shoulder long sleeve lace type of look. I think it’ll fit you. Check it out.” She handed her the dress.

Alexis put the dress up to her frame. Looking in the mirror she smiled at the choice of clothing. Shaking her head she grinned pointing her finger at Amiyah.

“See girl you get me. It’s crazy. Almost like we like the exact same thing.”

“You can say that again.” Amiyah whispered under her breath.

“Huh?”

“Oh I was just talking to myself. If you’re ready I can ring you out.”

They walked to the counter. Amiyah logged in and scanned the dress. Folding it up and putting it a bag she heard Alexis speak.

“Girl how do you do it?”

“Do what?” Amiyah answered confused.

“Work a nine to five. I mean don’t get me wrong there’s nothing wrong with it, it’s just that I personally wouldn’t do it.” She smiled.

“ I like working honestly. I get to meet new people. I have fun here sometimes. This is where I met my best friend and I get to get away from home.” Amiyah shrugged her shoulders as she spoke truthfully.

Alexis nodded slowly. “Right. So are you seeing anyone? Anybody caught your attention?”

Laughing lightly Amiyah shook her head. “No. I met this one guy and gave him my number but nothing popped off yet.” She was talking about Cane.

“Hm if that don’t work out you should let me hook you up. I know a few niggas that’ll blow ya back out and then pay ya bills after.” Alexis grabbed her bag and started to walk away.

Before she could stop herself the question came out faster than she expected. “Is that what you do?”

She stopped midway before turning back around. Her face was contorted. Sizing Amiyah up as she stepped in front of the counter.

“Bitch I do whatever the fuck I have to do to get what I want. Even if it mean that I have to fuck around here and there. It keeps my bills paid and my nails from getting dirty. Maybe I could teach you a thing or two.” She gave her one last look before she strutted out the shop.

Amiyah rolled her eyes. Taking a ‘How to get a man’ class from Alexis was the last thing on her list. Girls like her and Amiyah don’t mix too well. She just couldn’t understand how you could trade in time spent on a fake relationship just to get what you want with true happiness.

Her shift was finally coming to an end. Amiyah sent her brother a text fifteen minutes early just so he would be on time to pick her up. Looking towards the entrance her coworker Kacy was coming in to relieve her.

“Hey Kace, it was pretty much a slow day so there’s not any go-backs that you have to do. I would just try to act like you’re cleaning up. Look busy because you know Rhonda be watching the cameras.”

They both laughed.

“I know. She think she slick but go ahead and get out of here. Enjoy the rest of the day. See ya Amiyah.”

Waving goodbye Amiyah exited the boutique. There she spotted her brother waiting outside in his all blacked out Audi A4. She strolled in his direction and got in.

“Wow it’s been forever since you’ve been here on time.” She teased fastening her seatbelt.

Durk kissed his teeth as he pulled off driving to their home. “How was work?”

“Boring I do the same thing everyday.”

“So quit.” He took a quick glance at her.

She sighed irritated. “I’m not quitting my job Durk.”

“You the one who said it’s boring. Just quit.” He laughed.

Amiyah rolled her eyes. “Why? So you can keep your eyes on me 24/7. You always trying to babysit me, damn.” She snapped at him. The mood changed instantly.

Durkio’s jaw clenched as he turned looking at her with his eyes blinking rapidly.

“Babysit you? Where the fuck you get me trying to babysit you from telling you to quit-“

“I know that’s what your intentions are! Not that you care about me not liking my job but because you just want me to have to depend on you and ask you for everything!” Amiyah’s voice kept getting higher with every word.

“Miyah you already depend on me. That two thousand dollar bed that you sleeping on I brought that. Your whole bedroom set, I brought it. The apartment that you living in comfortablely without worry about having to pay one muthafuckin bill, is because of ME!”

Durkio’s hand gripped the steering wheel tightly as he parked in front of their building. He could feel his breathing began to spike as he felt himself get more agitated and angry. Getting out of the car he headed towards the entrance to avoid going any further with her.

Amiyah jumped out and followed closely behind going inside. The elevator ride going to their floor was quiet and tensed. Amiyah tried her best to not argue with her brother but she had more to get off her chest that she didn’t want to go unheard.

“You know you’re a fuckin control freak.” She slammed her purse and jacket on the couch one they made it threw the door.

Durk paused his steps from going into his room.

“How? Tell me what I do Amiyah.” He walked leaning against the counter with his hand folded over the other waiting for her to talk.

“Durk stop playing dumb. Everything that I do you have to be a part of somehow. Like the time I couldn’t take the job offer from the mall because it was ‘too far’. Or how whenever I want to hangout with Kelley you think I’m going to fuck some man-“

“That’s because you are! I know Saturday night you ain’t go out with no fucking Kelley dress the way you were. I’m not fucking stupid Amiyah.”

Amiyah got in his face. “Why would I go fuck someone and I’m still a virgin Derrick. I’m not dumb. I’m not just sleeping with any and everyone.”

Her eyes burned with tears threatening to fall.

Durk used his forearm to move her out of his space. It triggered him whenever someone would walk up to him with disrespect. He knew he would never put his hands on his sister but he didn’t want to feel the urge like he would so he gave her a light push.

“Miyah back the fuck up.” His jaws were tensed and his nostrils became flared out.

“So you can speak your mind but I can’t? I’m not your girl Durk so stop putting rules and regulations on me like I am. I wish our parents were still here so I wouldn’t have to be in this shit hole of a place you call home.”

Amiyah’s blood was boiling. She spoke without thinking. She let her emotions get to the best of her before she could calm down to try and talk to her brother like the young adults they were. But it was too late. She’d gone too far.

Durk shook his head before releasing a dark chuckle.

“You an ungrateful ass bitch, you know that?” His voice spoke lowly but loud enough for her to hear.

Amiyah looked at him in disbelief as the tears came down her face.

“I had to put my life on hold to take care of you. I put myself at risk everyday just to make sure you’re taken care of. So that you won’t have to go out there doing anything you didn’t want to do just to put food in your mouth and clothes on your back. And this how you show some fuckin appreciation?”

He looked at her confused.

“Durk I do appreciate-“

“Get the fuck out my crib.” His voice spoke coldly.

“What?” She unfolded her arms before she walked towards him.

“You heard what I said. By the time I get back you better be gone. Good luck supporting yourself with that weak ass job.”

With that being the last thing spoken to her he brushed past her shoulder and left. Amiyah waited in the same spot hoping that her brother would come back and just tell her to forget this whole argument. But he didn’t.The tears that she thought she had control of were now cascading down her face nonstop.

“What the fuck did I just do!” She scolded herself as her hands covered her face.

She walked to her room. Pushing her door opened her eyes scouted around the room taking in all of her belongings. Where would she go? What could she take? How much could she take without having a vehicle of her own?

Walking over to her bed she sat in silence. She had to think. She had to find away to get her out of the mess that she put herself in. Picking up her phone she dialed the number of the only person she could run to without judgment.

“Hey, Kelley.”

_______________________________________

Erik rolled up to Frank’s Auto Garage. It was time for him to go on the mission. His attire was all black to make himself easily invisible in the shadows. Getting out and walking to his trunk he popped it opened and lifted his secret compartment befor grabbing a duffel bag.

Closing the trunk behind he locked it using his key fob and walked to the front door. He banged four times doing the code knock before he was invited in. One of Durks look out men opened the door.

“Oh shit, what’s good E. You working tonight?”

Giving a silent head nod of approval Erik dapped him up.

“Ok. Well boss is in management. I don’t know what’s going on but he definitely not in the mood. Tread lightly man.”

Taking note Erik walked to the room where Durk was. When he reached it he saw him sitting at his desk talking to someone that he never seen before. Erik tapped lightly on the door making his presence known.

Durk eyes shifted up. “Erik what’s good? Why you knocking? You my brother, you know you ain’t gotta do that.”

“Didn’t wanna interrupt. What’s good? How you doing?” Erik gave him dap with a hug. When they pulled apart he looked in his eyes trying to find an answer. Durk was hiding something.

“Yeah I’m straight. But I want you to meet the person who gon be going with you tonight.” He replied quickly before walking back to his desk.

The guy that sat there quietly got up from his seat. From Erik’s view he didn’t look too much younger than him. He seen his attire matched his as he seen that the young dude already had some leather gloves and a ski mask rested on his head.

Erik gave him a fist pump. “What’s up, I’m Erik.”

“Cane. Nice to meet you bro.”

Durk watched the two interact before interrupting.

“Alright it’s almost 3am. Just got word that nigga Shawn was at the club,which should be closing now. If y’all make it to the address before him-“

“That’ll give us time to find an area to stakeout and then bum-rush him. Catch him off guard.” Cane spoke.

Durk turned to look at Erik before smirking giving him a ‘I told you’ look.

“Exactly. Listen just make sure y’all get the M and dip.” He was referring to the million dollars stashed away.

“I know how this go. Just make sure this nigga straight before we go out there. You know what you doing lil nigga?” Erik questioned Cane.

He kissed his lips. “Look man this ain’t my first rodeo and if I didn’t know what I was doing I’m sure ya boy wouldn’t be calling me.”

“Whoa nigga you owe me a solid. Don’t act like I need you.” Durk stepped in to check him.

Cane waved the two off.

“Aight I trust ya judgment Durk but if shit hit the ceiling, you bailing me out nigga.”

Durk laughed. “Nigga get fuck and go get my money.”

They dapped one last time and Erik left with Cane trailing behind him. He went up to a shelf that had multiple sets of keys sitting on it. Erik grabbed one before walking to the back. There were five different cars out there. He hit the unlock button on the key fob that led him to a dark burgundy Toyota. It was the getaway car for the night. Erik never used his own when he had to do jobs.

He opened the back door and place the duffel bag in the bag. It had two Beretta M9’s, an Ak-47, as well as a roll of duck tape and rope in case the situation went left. Erik got in the driver side. He heard Cane slipping in the passenger seat as he place the address in. It would take them 37 minutes to get there.

Glancing at the clock it was now 2:24 am which gave them plenty of time to find a place for a hideout. Entering the highway Erik and Cane rode in a comfortable silence. Cane every now and then giving Erik a quick glance over before turning his head.

Some time had past when they noticed that they were arriving in the neighborhood of the house where Shawn stayed. The houses were a few yards away from each other but Erik knew that they would still be able to hear the sound of a gun if one went off.

“If you park on this side that bush will be a blind spot. That nigga won’t be able to see us when he pull up.” Cane pointed to the area.

Erik shook his head in agreement. “I was thinking the same thing.”

Pulling into the spot Erik parked the vehicle and shut it off. The light from one of the houses landscape slightly shined in the car to make it possible for them to see each other as they waited.

“So you the infamous Erik I heard about. Ya name got some clout to it with all them licks you did when you was coming up.” Cane broke the silence.

Ignoring his comment Erik reached in the back unzipping the duffel and taking out one of the Berettas. He began to load the clip.

“I never thought I see the day where I would be doing a job with you. Heard you was one hard ass nigga”

Chuckling Erik stopped to face Cane. “What you want an autograph or something. Damn nigga you sound like a fan.”

Cane smacked his lips and then laughed.“Aight you got it. But nah I’m just showing respect to an OG.”

“I don’t look that much older than you.”

“Still one of the OG’s.” Cane showed him respect.

“I appreciate the courtesy. I heard some good things about you as well.” Erik was referring to his previous conversation with Durk.

Cane shrugged. “I do a lil sumn.”

Reaching in the back Erik pulled out the Ak-47 and handed it to him.

“So then you should be able to handle this then.” He was testing him.

“What! This is personally my favorite. This thing could make any nigga dance.”

Erik laughed watching the thrill of excitement in Canes eyes. He reminded him of himself when he was first getting started. Ready and down for everything.

The headlights of a Cadillac SUV caught their attention. It was Shawn pulling up. They watched as he hopped out the driver side.

“Heard this nigga keep one on him. You think he gon try and pull it.” Cane took the safety off of the AK. He was talking about his piece.

“I don’t give a fuck what that nigga got. He better not flinch.” Erik pulled the mask over his face. He watched Shawn walk to his passenger side and opened the door.

“Oh shit! This nigga got a bitch with him.” Cane blurted out.

“Plans don’t change. It is what it is.” Erik spoke truthfully. He had to get the job done.

Cane nodded his head and pulled his mask down. They watch Shawn walk to the front door with the girl following close by. Three minutes later the couple went inside the house.

Erik and Cane exited the vehicle making their way onto the front lawn. Staying away from the security lights they crept on the side. There was a side door that they found that lead right into the kitchen. Peaking through the crack of the blinds Erik spotted the two in livingroom sitting on the couch facing the opposite way.

“Let me pick this lock.” Cane bent down to eye level with it. It took him nothing but a minute to get it open.

Quietly Erik turned the knob and entered. Both him and Cane slowly tipped toe to the livingroom putting a gun to both of their heads. Erik had Shawn and Cane had the girl.

“If you want you and your girl to make it to see another day I suggest you to comply with my instructions and not try anything stupid.” Erik threatened as he cocked the gun.

Shawn froze in his seat as the girl next to him started to scream. Cane hopped over the couch and snatched her up by the arm.

“Bitch shut the fuck up before I put a bullet in yo head. You know what get against the wall and stare at that muthafucka.” He pushed her towards the wall.

“Y’all niggas know who I am?” Shawn finally spoke up.

“Yeah nigga. Why else you think we here? We just want the money. It’s simple.” Erik negotiated with him. He pulled him off the couch by his shirt.

“I don’t know what you talkin-“ He was interrupted by Cane hitting him in the mouth with the butt of his gun.

“Nigga quit fuckin playing with us. Run that shit.”

Erik shook his head but smirked. This was one reckless ass dude and he liked it.

The girl screamed again. Erik could hear the terror in her voice. It sounded like she was going to cry.

“You got five minutes to give us that money or you and ya bitch die. Which one is it? Yo life or some dead presidents”

Cane started to run the show and Erik let him as he sat back and watched.

“Aight nigga. It’s in the fucking safe.” Shawn spit the blood out of his mouth.

“Lead the way then bitch.” Cane pushed him and followed him to the back.

Erik was left alone with the girl who was facing the wall. From behind she had a bad ass body. Gazing over her wardrobe she was Burberry down and her fire red locks fell down her back. He kept glancing back and forth between the dark hallway and her back before Erik finally heard a few words slip out of her lips.

“Please don’t hurt me.” She pleaded.

The moment her voice reached his ears his face scrunched up. Walking up to her he turned her around to face him. Backing up he put his gun down shaking his head with disbelief.

The bitch that Shawn had with him was Alexis.

____________________________

Please excuse any mistakes! I will edit this chapter soon!

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[write-orflight]

Like Real People Do. Epilogue

*Gif not mine*

Masterlist

Rating: M

Words: 2.4K

Warnings: none :)

Request: OPEN/CLOSED

A.N Well, we’re here at the end. Thanks to everyone for reading and supporting. Follow for more and send any request! much love, Cia

Epilogue: Like Real People do. 

The lace of your dress is itchy.

You had gone dress shopping with the girls and you had tried a bunch on before settling on the one you chose. It was a long sleeved chiffon dress with a slim bodice that flared into a puffy skirt stopping just above your ankle. It had small floral details along the top and the sleeves. At the time, it had been perfect. You had felt beautiful, and you cried thinking about seeing Spencer for the first time down the aisle in it. But right now it itches. 

Why did it itch?

It wasn’t that you were getting cold feet. You wanted nothing more than to be Dr. Y/n Reid but for some reason you couldn’t bring yourself to move when it was time. You were standing looking out the window when Hotch came to find you. 

“Y/n, are you ready? Everyone’s waiting.” He says, before pausing. “You look beautiful, why are you upset?” 

You didn’t even notice the tears falling. You quickly try to quell them to not ruin your makeup you just had done. “I just--when I pictured my wedding. I didn’t think my parents would be gone and that I’d have to walk alone. And thinking of everyone’s eyes on me is freaking me out.” You sniffle a bit, eyes going wide when the idea comes to you. “Will you walk with me?” You ask. 

“You want me to walk you down the aisle?” Hotch asks, shocked. You immediately back track. 

“You don’t have to—I should’ve asked before. I just didn’t want to go alone—“ 

“Y/n…” he says, looking at you sincerely. “Nothing would make me happier than to give you away, if that’s what you want.” You look at him, seeing he is also misty-eyed. You nod, pulling him into a tight hug. 

————————————

You and Spencer are married November 10th. After months of arguing over the date of your wedding. Him wanting a fall wedding and you wanting a winter one, November felt like the perfect compromise. In the end, he was right just like he always was with your wedding being held in a forested area near the Potomac. The tall trees with the red, orange and brown leaves falling, the view of the lake and the yellow string lights you had around the ceremony. It was breathtaking. Fall had definitely been the way to go. You also argued about writing your own vows. You didn’t want to and he did. In the end he was right again. His vows to you were beautiful, he talked about how some believed soulmates were 500 years in the making and able to transcend lifetimes. And that while he was a man of science, upon meeting you had been the first time he actually believed that. And that he was excited to spend this lifetime with you just as much as he was excited for the next. You tried to hold the tears that were falling involuntarily as the minister announced it was time for your vows. 

“Um, I don’t quite know how to follow that.” You chuckle nervously, inducing a laugh from the people at your ceremony. “My father used to tell me every time I was upset that ‘a lot of rotten luck means good luck was on the way’. For most of my life, I didn’t believe him. I didn’t believe in luck, just in circumstance and that I was a victim of just really bad circumstance.” You say, you gripping Spencer’s hand tighter. His hand reaches up to wipe at a stray tear that falls from your face. It’s in that moment you remember one of the biggest reasons you loved Spencer. He was always ready to comfort you, whether you needed it or not. The action just makes more tears fall. “It wasn’t until I met you that I believed in luck. Meeting you has been the single most luckiest thing to ever happen to me and I plan on spending everyday treating you like I am the luckiest woman alive because when I’m with you, I am.” You tear up, Spencer hands move to wipe your tears again only this time you lean in to kiss him which he happily obliges. 

“Save it til the end guys!” You hear Derek call over the crowd, which induces a chuckle from everyone including the two of you. 

——————————

You still worked well together. Better than ever actually. The first couple of weeks were awkward as someone would call for Dr. Reid and you both would turn. Spencer would always look at you, eyes shining with admiration every time it happened but after a while, everyone knew to say your first names when they needed your attention. 

You meet Spencer’s dad about 6 months after you’re married. A case takes you back to Las Vegas and unfortunately to his offices as one of the victims recently hired him for a case. Spencer absolutely refused to go talk to him, you tried to convince him to but in the end, you understood why he couldn’t. Which was why, you and Derek walked into his office that day. Derek reaches to shake his hand. 

“Walter, I don’t know if you remember me from before but I’m SSA Derek Morgan and this is my associate,Dr. Y/n Reid.” 

He then let’s go of Derek before turning his smile and hand towards you. “Reid, huh?” He says. “What’re the chances?” 

“Slim, actually. I’m married to your son.” You say shaking his hand. He looks at you in shock as does Derek. You had told him you weren’t going to say anything but upon meeting him you decided you didn’t want to beat around the bush. 

“Spencer?” He says, confused. You nod before getting into the actual nature of your visit. As Derek goes through the questions you had for him, you feel his eyes not leaving you. Once you’re done, the two of you thank him for his time before starting to leave. He calls out to you, you nod to Derek to wait for you outside. 

The man looks at you, confused. “Sorry I’m trying to wrap my head around this. You’re married to Spencer?” You nod. “How long?” He asked. 

“We’ve been married for 6 months and together about 2 years now.” You say, the man looks at you sullen. “I told him we should at least invite you but at the end of the day it was his decision to make and I respect him for it.” 

“And is he doing okay?” He asked, “Spencer?” 

“We’re taking care of each other.” You say. “But if you want to know about him, you have to reach out yourself. I lost both of my parents so family is really important to me. I don’t want either of you to miss out on more but at the end of the day it’s his decision to reconnect or not. And I’ll respect and support whatever he decides. Thanks for your help, Walter.” You say before leaving. 

----------------------------------------------

About 8 months into your marriage is when you meet Abigail Reyes. 

She’s a 5 year old whose parents hid her in a closet while the unsub murdered her family. Hotch warned you before the case not to get too attached and you tried, you really did but when she looked at you with those giant almond colored eyes, you couldn’t help yourself. You conducted all her interviews and watched her down at the station, drawing with her, you couldn’t help the tug at your heartstrings. Here was a kid who went through the same exact thing you had yet still had the capability to smile brightly at you. 

That night as you and Spencer settled into the hotel bed, you asked him. 

“Does she have someone?” Spencer looks at you, confused. 

“Who, Doll?” 

“Abigail. The vic’s daughter. Does she have someone or will she go into the system?” You say before rattling off quickly. “Because I know we haven’t talked much about kids but I know we both want them and maybe adopting isn’t what you had in mind but--” 

His arms are hugging you instantly. “Sweetheart, I’m sorry. Her grandparents live in North Carolina and are probably already on their way for her.” 

“Oh.” You say, trying not to sound disappointed. She was still going to a loving home even if it wasn’t yours. 

“Do you want children?” He asks you, you shrug, silently. “Then whenever you’re ready, I am also ready. I can’t think of something I’d want more than a family with you.” He kisses your temple before rolling over to sleep.

You don’t remember when exactly but you turn off your reminder for birth control. 

--------------------------------------------------------

You’re about 10 months into your marriage when you start to feel sick. 

You’re sitting in Penelope’s bat cave drinking coffee and talking about the latest Doctor Who episode when the sudden wave of nausea. You were going to barf right now. You looked around for something before grabbing the nearest trash can. Garcia watches in shock as you lose your lunch. 

“Are you ok? You’ve been sick a lot.” She says, concerned.

“Yea, I’m fine. This bug going around has been kicking my butt.” 

“No one else’s lasted as long though.” She points out laughing. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you were pregnant.” She laughed. You looked up shocked. What was the date? You think to yourself. 

September 14th. 

You were late. 

“Shit!”  You say out loud. Garcia looks at you shocked. 

“Oh my god! Are you--?” 

“I have to take a test. Please don’t tell the others, especially Spen. i just-- I need to find out first.” 

“You told me I wouldn’t have to keep any more secrets for you.”Garcia pouts.

“I know! Just one tiny one though until I can get in with my doctor?” 

“Fine!” She exclaims. “You so owe me.” She says. 

“I know. And If I am Garcie, You’re godmother, I promise.” You say, bolting out her office, smiling.  

Garcia ended up right though. She always was. 

------------------------------------------

You’ve decided pregnancy sucks but Spencer made it a bit better.

Spencer was, of course, over the moon when you told him. Immediately pulling you into a tight hug and spinning you. The two of you cried for at least a couple hours at the thought of your growing family. 

As soon as you found out, you went to Hotch handing him the letter of resignation you drafted earlier yesterday night. He looked at it shocked before looking at you sadly. “Why, Y/N? I thought this was what you wanted?” 

“I’m pregnant.” You say, Hotch’s sad expression immediately turns soft and happy. He pulls you into a tight hug. “I love this job but I saw what it did to my parents and I can’t do that to my family. Someone’s gotta take one for the team and since Spencer is such an asset, I think it’s me. I’ve already accepted a job to teach Criminal Psychology at Georgetown. Don’t try and stop me.”You say, Hotch immediately nods in understanding, putting his arms around you again. 

“You’re going to be a fantastic mother.” He says. You can’t help the heavy sobs that rack through you. 

———————————————

Autumn Alice Reid or as the team has started affectionately calling her, Double A, is born June 25th, despite her namesake. 

You and Spencer had been sitting in the house you had purchased months ago in preparation for your daughter, playing chess when it happened. It was his move when you said. 

“Spen, we have to go to the hospital. My water broke.” 

“Y/N, I’m not falling for that again you say it every single time you’re losing.” 

“I know, but this time I’m serious.” You stood up to reveal your extremely drenched pants and Spencer's eyes widened in shock. 

“We’re having a baby!” He said, excitedly standing to hug you. 

“We are. Now we should leave because I’d prefer to do it in a hospital.” 

Childbirth is just as heinous and terrible as people say it was but the end result made it so much more worth it. Autumn laid sleeping in your arms now, her little fist grasping Spencer’s pinky. You never in your life thought it was possible to love something so fiercely, so instantly. But here she was, your own personal cryptid. 

The team, of course, came in almost the instant the nurses let them. Everyone passes her around Godparents, Derek and Penelope, going first. 

“She’s going to be such a little genius, isn’t she?” Penelope says, holding her little hand while Derek cradles her in his arms. 

“Yea, and she’s going to ride that all the way to Cal-tech, aren’t you, sweetheart?” Spencer says, grabbing her from Derek. 

“Or most likely Stanford.” You pipe up, from your hospital bed. Spencer narrows his eyes at you and you narrow right back at him. That was an argument for another day. 

———————————

You woke up to an empty bed. Which isn’t uncommon, Spencer almost always was the one who tended to your daughter when she woke crying. You told him that you should switch off every once and a while but he would always dead that idea, saying you needed your sleep. He always put you before himself. 

You padded along the cold, hardwood floors until you were at the open door of the nursery. The sight before you made you wish you also had eidetic memory, Spencer cradling your sleeping child in one hand, reading softly to her from the book in his other hand. As you moved closer to him, you could make out what the book was. 

“Spen, we have children’s books. You don’t have to read her Tale of Two Cities.” You whisper, smiling softly at him.

“I know, but she doesn’t seem to like those. Tale of Two Cities seems to put her to sleep faster.” 

“Well, Tale of Two Cities puts me to sleep too, so I get it.” You chuckle softly at the narrowed eyes Spencer gives you, before you sit on the ground next to the chair he’s sitting in with your daughter. “Read it to me too?” You ask, laying your head on his thigh. 

He nods, smiling softly at the two of you. 

“It was the best of times, It was the worst of times....” He starts, you drift off almost immediately.

Finally at peace in life.  

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[popculturebuffet]

Of Moons, Millionares and Mothers (DT17 Season 2 Retrospective): The Most Dangerous Game Night! (Paid for by WeirdKev27)

Welcome all you happy people! As some of you will recall I do a lot of duck based retrospectives on this blog: Ride of the Three Cablleros! which took a look at all the Cabs major American adventures, Shadow Into Light, my Weblena colored look at Lena Sabrewing’s journey from abused teenager to magical protector, and the Della arc which I dind’t give a cool name but covered since Shadow Into Light read right into it’s final chapter and ended up perfectly synching up with the final month of the series. And of course i’m still working my way through the life and times of Scrooge McDuck with a plan to finish the main story in September barring any delays, sickness that sorta thing.

So it shouldn’t be at all a shock that having covered all of season 3 when it came out and covered the two season 1 arcs i’d be taking a look at Season 2′s three story arcs. So I probably would’ve covered them anyway.. but Kev, one of my patreons and the guy who commissioned Shadow Into Light AND Ride of the Three Cablleros, had expressed interest in doing the Glomgold arc from season 2 as it centers around his favorite character, Zan Owlson. He also wanted to do Della’s arc in time for mothers day, and was all too happy to combine both, and politely agreed to my request to do the Louie arc as well. To help soften the blow, I also suggested since he’s a patreon of mine on patreon.com/popculturebuffet he use his second review (You get one guaranteed review a month with 5 and he’s a 10 dollar backer so he gets two, and he’s earmarked marked one for House of Mouse through the end of the year)  to help soften the blow a bit, which means some weeks i’ll be doubling up on this one. He agreed and it’s thanks to him that all of this happened so thanks bud. It’s also thanks to him I have money in the first place and I wouldn’t be here without him.

As for why I insisted on the Louie arc it wasn’t out of greed but out of pragmatism. I covered the Della arc purely on my own time, and gladly did so. But back then I also kept making the mistake of shoving retrospectives back again and again and again and that’s why there’s a rather nasty gap in my New X-Men retrospective I think severely harmed it , and a similar one for life and times which wounded it. I don’t mind taking smaller gaps of say a month when needed, but I learned from the experience I can’t just delay things constantly out of convince and expect it to work.

Not only that but the Lena and Della arcs only interact in the very last part. With these arc? While they don’t really touch at first and run parallel much like season 1′s arcs did, they start intersecting heavily as soon as Della gets back. Raiders of the Doomsday Vault! touches on both Della’s recent return and Glomgold’s bet with Scrooge, Happy Birthday Doofus Drake! has the A-Plot centered around Louie’s plot and the B-Plot centered around Della bonding with Huey as part of hers. And the final four is one one long, sustained arc, finishing up all three in the process. So yeah it was a package deal and as such this will be my third largest retrospective at 17 parts including the prologue. (As i’ll also be covering Della’s four issues in the IDW Comic released back in season 1). For the record my largest will be my Tom Lucitor Retrospective as 24 (in part due to doing the eclipsa arc for the same reasons as Dellas), and ride of the three cablleros at 20 is in a close second. This is going to be a long ride that will take most of summer, so buckle up, get your Louie Inc signs, Glomgold’ posters to jump through and black licorice gum ready and join me won’t you under the cut as we start this fantastic adventure together.

We open season 2 with all but one of our heroes proudly posing as they enter a temple. Scrooge even has his treasure of the lost lamp outfit on. Louie.. just looks tired and bored. One of the things I love about these reviews is that I haven’t watched most of the episodes since they first aired. Sure i’ve revisited some of my favorites like Dangerous Chemistry and the 87 Cent Solution,  but I haven’t really DONE a full died in wool episode by episode rewatch of the series. I’ve got SO MUCH I haven’t watched, haven’t rewatched and haven’t even started, that I really DON’T have the time for it outside of my job. So it is VERY nice to get a chance to do so once in a while with it.

As such knowing Louie’s real motive this episode it makes this scene hit diffrently. On first airing Ducktales was back after a short hiatus, our heroes are operating at full speed and daringly charting through a temple: Dewey and Webby have become tighter than ever and easily stop a pit trap and Scrooge and Huey easily solve an arrow puzzle. But while at first glance Louie is just fed up because as he puts it later “I’m just loveably lazy”, knowing he’s really just burnt out, scared he’s going to die or worse like he likely thinks his Mom did because he’s not good enough.. it’s really tearjerking. Here’s an 11 year old who at his core feels he doesn’t belong in his family and just wants a friggin break from the dangerous shit they do. It hits even harder as a fan of the venture bros but i’ll save that for later. Point is he’s telling Scrooge he’s burnt out.

So then this happens...

It really is almost the exact same joke, but diffrent enough since for one, Family Guy’s is driven by the refrenece (And god how I miss how their refrence humor used to have an actual purpose), where as here it’s to set up something else and hints for later: Louie having parsed how most adventures to at this point. While Scrooge is right in pointing out how every adventure is unique.. Louie’s not wrong that there is a small pattern to it: The Whoah! , The “Wait, What?” and the Aggggh!. Scrooge scoffs.. but Louie is proven correct as Dewey Whoas, a mechanisim trggers (Wait what?”) And everyone screams as they run from a giant wheel.

Back at home though it’s even more apparent poor Louie is miserable while his family is just jazzed. I can’t BLAME THEM, but I can’t blame him either for being, tired, worn out and just wanting ONE minute where they aren’t adventuering. There are some nice touches though as Scrooge runs off and finds a map in the idol: We see Duckworth removing the Scrooge as a Prospector painting based on Carl Bark’s painting of him from the foyer and instead replacing it with the painting of Scrooge, Donald and Della. It’s a nice little acknowledgment of how things have changed.. from Scrooge being alone and running from a painful past to having accepted it and gone back to being a family man. We also get Beakley just casually picking up Louie to vacum.

In the Triplet’s room.. which by the way why do they all share one room? In universe I mean, I mean is it saving on the power bill or does scrooge have the other rooms filled. Only four bedrooms are occupied: the boys, webby’s , Beakly’s (Which we never see but implicitly exists), and Scrooge’s himself. While the mansion isn’t LIMITLESS, it has to have more rooms than that. Is the rest just storage?

Out of universe though I do get why and i’ts why I let this concept of sharing a room when you have enough for everyone in the first place slide: it allows the boys to interact more easily outside of adventures by having all three in the same location. This episode is a good example of that as it kicks off Louie’s plan admirably: Louie is burnt out while Huey is excited.. and in another hint of Louie’s true gift he casually notices part of Dewey’s woodchuck uniform he was looking after is undone, simply making a quip about a sewing patch. He gets the idea for a scheme from there: to finally get his break by convincing Huey he’s slipping and exploiting his brother’s tendency for manic episodes.. which as someone with those I highly don’t approve and is far and away one of the more questionable things Louie’s done. And this is in an arc that includes him nearly wiping out all of existence.

Still it gets Huey on board but Scrooge and the wonder twins are a harder sell. Dewey and Webby are so jazzed on frinedship their even speaking in unions “This Needs to stop!” “I’ve tried but they really do enjoy harmonizing”

Louie insists the adventuring is driving them apart and making them less close.. and while Scrooge insits it brings them closer together  he ends up proving his point when Louie fakes not knowing which triplet is which.. and Scrooge GENUINELY struggles with which one’s Huey and Which ones Dewey. Dewey’s face is at the top of the page.. and utterly and completely priceless.

And while I thought it was the same impressive face from night on Kilmotor hill turns out, nerp their uniquely hilaroius

Same mood though. But I do love this callback: almost a YEAR later, and Scrooge STILL is like...

But while movie night and make your own pizza night, which i’m pleased as punch to find isn’t just something my family does, don’t do anything one thing does... GAME NIGHT. Cue a glorious minute of David Tennant goofily shouting Game Night to everyone in the mansion. Seriously getting him was one of the series masterstrokes. The man has only done a few roles in voicework but damn is he a natural. Not eveyrone can adapt to it this fast. While I love Walton Goggins, it clearly took him a few episodes of invincible to get really comfortable with it. It’s why I have such respect for Voice Actors in general: I’ts not an easy job, it takes a lot of skill, and it can be often thankless. It’s also why i’ve made a concentrated effort ot more know of them by voice simply because they’ve earned that much.

Anyways Beakly pops Louie’s bubble that htis is not going to be relaxing for a very obvious reason: Scrooge is relentless against his enmies and game night makes YOU the enemy. He quickly has them pair off into teams, taking Donald right off the bat.

We also get one of the best jokes in the entire series “If you loose your out of the will” “(Genuinely suprised) I was in the will?”

It’s almost entriely in Tony’s delivery there. The surprise is just perfectly delivered. It’s also oddly touching as despite a decade’s estrangement and Donald understandably thinking he wasn’t in it in anymore, Scrooge NEVER removed Donald from it . Sure he’s thretaning it over game night but he clearly takes this ungodly seriously. Duckworth leaves to go do ghost stuff.. which is code for make up a flimsy excuse to run the fuck away. To make matters worse she’s stuck with Launchpad as a partner. Louie is left with Huey and immieditly regrets sending his brother into a panicy spiral as he’s already set up a creepy scheduling board.

So i’m going to go ahead and cover the Webby and Dewey Plot, and the acompanying Donald and Scrooge antics now to save us some time. I’ll come back to it at the climax of Louie’s plot obviously and to the episodes credit the pacing is exceptional, weaving in and out of both plots , Louie struggling to keep the whole shrinking plot a secret and the rest of the families game night, excelently, it’s just with my brain i’ts harder to do that in a recap so...

Game Night: Crush Your Enmies and See Them Driven Before You Scrooge goes to the Conan of Sumeria/Melissa School of Game Nighting. Or in short...

Why HASN’T there been a Conan musical? So he and Donald dominate the first round, Charades, with Scrooge easily guessing almost EVERYHTING Donald mimes. As Webby puts it “When you’ve been around donald for 30 years you get good at non-verbal commuincation”. Granted they have a commuincation breakdown that results in this magic.

So Webby understandably assumes that given their best friends and Scrooge and Donald, while reconciled, hate each other, that they have an advantage. She is wrong. Not the first time: she also assumed she and Lena were just friends. It happens. you get a few wrong everyone does. Instead we get a great bit of Dewey utterly failing to guess it’s Scrooge despite Webby being obvious because Dewey’s brain is a riddle for the ages. 

Jenga dosen’t really go great for either so they go solo for SCROOGEPOLY. Because of COURSE Scrooge created monopoly in this version. I simletaniously love and hate how eveyr piece is a top hat. I love it because it’s a hilarously quick gag.. but also hate it because one of Monopoly’s biggest draws is having so many diffrent peices. I mean some like the sports car make sense but then you have a dog for some reason and an ironing board. I mean I love that dog, he’s a good boy but I don’t understand why he’s in this. If anyone knows the weird old timey reasoning for either of these let me know in the replies or my asks. 

This isn’t bad stuff mind, it’s just not really deep in stuff for me to make fun of. Apart from Donald ending up in jail... again. At least it’s not as bad as say goblin jail or that time he had to carve pinocchio’s nose into a shiv to surivive whale jail.

Louie: “How Long Before That’s Not Enough?”

Okay I kid, the subplot is good.. but that’s th epotatoes.. this is the potatoes iwth cheese.. look I love meat but potatoes don’t get enough love. They just don’t and you can do all kinds of delicious things to them. It’s why a good third of side dishes at most restaurants are potato based. 

But yeah rolling it back a bit Louie is confident that even with the  this will be mildly relaxing.. then Gyro bursts in thorugh the double doors proudly announcing his invention and pries himself in, ignoring Louie’s desperate attempts to shut him out.

 Gyro is.. different in this episode. He’s peppy and while he’s mildly condescnding to the Gyropludians, more no that in a second, he’s far more enthuastic and freindly to everyone else and less of the awkward ballbag he’d been last season and would be again this season.

This feels like an ATTEMPTED course correct. See a lot of people, if understandably didn’t like how Gyro was in season 1. Fan of the original him from the comics and show iddn’t like the nice, friendly weirdo suddenly being a sour, condesencindg weirdo. Me I was FINE with the change from unintentional mad scientist to intentional one... I just feel they overdid it on the asshole as season 1 went on. In The Great Dime Chase he’s fine, he’s egosticial, angry and kind of a pill.. but he also clearly cares for his creations, rightfully hates the board for constantly doubting him, and is frustrated his creations keep going rouge. It was a nice balance. 

The balance got thrown off entirely however once Fenton entered the scene. The crew just leaned WAY to hard into hwo much of a shitweasel he was to fenton: giving him an office in the bathroom with a cool quip, trying to beat him up (even if his rage over Fenton’s dumbassery was warranted that was not), and finally trying to take the gizmoduck armor back not out of any real concerns but because he’s worried he’ll loose his job... his job iwth the man who freely tolerates his creations going insane and really dosen’t care about his own colateral let alone Gyro’s. It came off as disngenous and that he simply didn’t trust FENTON with it and wanted and excuse to take the armor Fenton had clearly earned. He also pit manny and bulb against each other for a job which just felt out of character even for him to possibly fire one of his children which felt horribly out of character. Toniing this down was a good thing.. I just feel they overcorrected. They tried making him the 80′s version with a slight ego here, and when that didn’t work they just downplayed him for the rest of the season. He’s still around, in fact we’ll be seeing him again soon enough, and he still gets some great jokes... he’s just not really focused on at all. But they managed to fix their fix in season 3: they did have Gyro be a dick to Fenton again but gave proper context, had him apologize and framed it less as a funny joke and more as him being abusive because he was abused himself and breaking the cycle. He also kept the supporting role but kept the shadiness in it, with the earpiece bit from “Louie’s Eleven” being a highlight. 

Gyro has a new device that can pick up tiny sounds and has found a tiny civilization in the ducks house, dubbing them Gyropudlians because he apparnetly likes Gullivers Travels. I do not really know what that’s about, nor have I seen any of the movies. Not even the jack black one made on a dare to see if they could actually sell a movie on the concept “This old story but as a jack black comedy”. And it went horribly wrong because they actually did get it greenlit and someone out there actually watched it. Not me... and I watched the Wrong MIssy entirely of my own volition. I’m not immune from making eye staining mistakes. This just wasn’t one of them. 

Gyro ends up getting shrunk down because he naturally attached a shrink ray to it because...

So Louie shrugs it off correctly figuring out the arc of that sort of story: Gyro becomes a god, he learns a life lesson that sort of thing. Also I do applaud them for making the lost tribe not horribly racist.. that is a hard line to walk. They just make them generic instead which.. still better than racist. “Not Racist” isn’t a very high bar to clear but given this version went out of it’s way to be inclusive while the original show.. what’s a good metaphor for this.. hrmmm... these rakes are all the racism in the original show i’ve encoungered so far and probably will in the future, and i’m sideshow bob. 

Eventually though the Gyropudlians decide to decalre war on the giants because unknowingly the Ducks have been destroying their civilizations time and time again.. mostly louie but donald clearly peed a civiliztion to death..and i’m not grasping at straws there he left the bathroom and the other two possiblities for the floating city are too horrible to comprehend. Or it was just the sink and i’m a bastard... i’m probably a bastard.

So they blast the shrink ray around the kitchen and get Launchpad, so now he’s a part of this cliche. Beakly finds them.. is highly supscious, and Huey’s lie is.. not convincing... but this gets her out of game night with her overcompeitive boss so she takes the out and gets the fuck out and is not seen for the rest of the episode.. probably for several days. Look she does a lot around the house no one’s going to question if she comes back after a mysteirous absence with someone elses blood on her apron and several thousnd ddollars in brazilian cocaine. The sweetest cocaine of all. Scrooge is just used to it by now. 

Anyways things continue to escalate as The Gyropuldians, Launchpad and Gyro launch an assault on the tower of infinity, aka the jenga tower and knock it over. The Good news is launchpad surivives and we get a great bit of the brothers hugging then awkarly and half assedly explaning it to cover. the bad news is the Gyropudlians considered it an act of war and have trained some flies to man the microphone shrink ray dealie. 

It’s here we get the best scene of the episode: Huey is naturally worried.. even more so after he sees Louie’s response to the unfolding chaos: Curling up in a fetal position and rocking back in forth muttering to himself this was supposed to be a fun night in. Huey finally has had enough of this and wants to knwo wha tthe hell this is all about, shooting down Louie attempting to deflect it with his usual lazy schtick. Even at his laziest he’d pride self preservation over doing nothing. This is something worse. And while Huey is furious his rage is coming out of concern. While Huey prides himself on his brain... he has the biggest heart of the three. He’s the most empathetic and the one most willing to reach out to the others when they need him. Not that hte others lack it, Dewey was the one to welcome Webby into the group the most after all, it’s just Huey displays it the most. So his anger comes off entirely as genuine worry at Louie acting out of character and trying to avoid doing what eveyrone else does. And his response.. is heartbreaking...

“BECAUSE I’MMom was great at adventuring, and she still got hurt. I'm only good at talking my way out of it. How long before that's not enough? NOT GOOD AT IT OKAY?!” 

Bobby Monihan.. really dosen’t get enough credit for this show. When he gets to really do something big with Louie he goes for it and he uttelry dominates the scnee here. Danny Pudi is no slouch mind.. but Monihan REALLy gets to show what he can do. His reasoning for his worries is also just as well delivered and heartbreaking. 

“Mom was great at adventuring, and she still got hurt. I'm only good at talking my way out of it. How long before that's not enough?“

It just.. stings a lot. To find that Louie’s exaustion wasn’t out of self intrest.. but just out of fear. That he won’t be good enough at best and that he’ll end up like his mom: lost or dead never to be seen again as far as he figures. As a third of this arc will bear out, tha’ts not even remotely true, but out of the three Louie is the most pragmatic so while he says hurt.. he thinks she’s dead. And if she, someone as capable as scrooge or as close as someone whose not him can be, could end up dead... he’s living on borrowed time. 

This is where the Venture bros comparison really comes out to me... because they had a similar if more spread out storyline in season 5, with bookish brother Dean, Huey if he lacked autisim but gained 80 dozen more issues, found out he and his brother Hank, aka Dewey in his teens, were clones because his dad is really bad at keeping his sons alive because he’s also bad at everything else including science, parenting, being emotinally open, making a cocktail that isn’t a crime against nature, sex, and not treating hank like garbage, which should fall under shitty parenting but I love my empty headed boy.

So why bring this up? Well besides self indulgance because I love both shows iwth a signifgant portion of my heart and frank flat out admitted to being a venture bros fan, and having Beakly take some cues from Brock, I love the accidental parallels here: both are arcs about a boy adventuer coming to grips with their mortality. Both withdraw, both are heavily depressed and both feel there’s no real light at the end of the tunnel for htem anymore. 

And both.. are drawn out of it the same way.. by a concerned brother pulling them out of their misery and self doubt:

It’s the same here... Huey helps Louie through it, understanding how he feels.. and like Hank did for Dean, proving to Louie he’s not alone. He points out that yes Della did get hurt.. but it’s because she went in alone. He’s got his family.. they won’t let him get lost or die.. because their not alone. The reason they can do all this stuff is because their together. Their all amazing alone.. but together their unstoppable. And i’ts fine Louie’s afraid.. but he can’t let that fear kill everyone he cares about.

So our boys run upstairs, but are a second too late as the gyro pudlians shrink the other four down, and the duo’s attempt to grow them just makes one of the gyropudlians giant instead. With things at their grimmist.. Louie finds his TRUE talent, looks at the situation. and takes charge. In the span of two minutes he completely turns the tide: he has launchpad crash his way out, which he does by pure accident because of course he does he’s nature’s perfect Himbo. He next has Donald and scrooge take on some guards to give Dewey and Webby some room and has Huey take out the giant with his sewing. His final part is to have Dewey and Webby work their way up to the ray gun.. which is a probelma s both have lost all confidence due to realizing they have nothing in common and can’t fathom how their friends. Scrooge’s reply? Of course their not.. THEIR FAMILY. It was then that a thousand debbigail shippers cried out and were silenced... I know I was one of them. I couldn’t speak for about a minute. It was awful. 

And yeah.. I had been shipping Dewey and Webby up to this point, but it was becoming increasingly obvious they were being treated like brother and sister and then this happened. And in hindsight i’m glad I jumepd the hell off as they turne dout ot be blood related so I dodged a bullet there an found better ships for both. So no harm no F.O.W.L. clone accidental incest. 

Realizing this the two find their second wind and save the day. OUr heroes are restored and things are good.

The next day, Louie faces the music with Scrooge and is terrified, not helped by Scrooge being dead serious... but his worries are for naught. Scrooge instead only has one thing to say

“You saw all the angles”

Something the crew conciously did was have each of the kids mimic one of Scrooge’s tennants, something that was heavily implied before but made fully explicit here: Dewey is toughter than the toughies, Huey is Smarter than the smarties... and Louie is the oft forgotten Sharper than the sharpies. Scrooge even lampshades how that part of his motto is often left out. And of course as frank made clear post series, Webby made her way into the family Square. 

But back to the sharpie thing, I like this because it defines what that truly means, as it often comes off as similar to the smartie bit hence i’ts exclusion: It’s the ablitliyt to think quickly, strategize, a strategic, critical mind that can come up with a gambit in an instant and use everyone to the best of their abillity. It’s why for an example, Scott Summers is one of my faviorite x-men. Because while his eye laser things are impressive it’s this kind of cleverness and tactical insight, seeing all the pieces on the board and easily manuvering them, friend and foe, that makes him so awesome. And as scrooge muses it could make Louie even richer than he is. And in a truly touching gesture, Scrooge gives Louie the idol, confident in his Nephew’s potetial. His mother reached hers... he only needs time. So with that Louie’s arc truly begins and he hangs a shingle on the triplets door. Louie inc is born. 

Final Thoughts: This episode caught me by suprise: I remember it being decent.. but damn if it wasn’t amazing on the rewatch, with the knowledge of Louie’s weakness helping but really it’s just a funny, tightly paced half hour of television. It has great jokes, a great emtoinal arc and in general is jsut well.. great. I didn’t see this poteitial the first time because I was more hung up on fethry finally appearing, the cabs finally appearing.. all the things in the distance after this ep. But this ep is just damn good and I wish i’d put it on my best of list. Top shelf stuff.

Next time on Of Moons, Millionares and Mothers: The second arc starts up as FLINTHEART GLOMGOLD returns as an amensiac south african fisherman and it’s up to Webby and Louie to unravel his past to figure out why he’s acting like this and if this is another one of his insane schemes. We also meet Zan Owlson buisnesswoman of the year and person about to go through some undeserved shit at the hands of a stupid man.  Later Today: We return to Amity Park for more Danny Phantom and meet his second most intresting enemy as an innocent fuckup turns a spoiled brat into one of most dangerous enemies. Also PUPPIES and Tucker being the worst. 

Wednsday: We grab onto some more ducktales as Donald returns to Ducktales 87. And judging by the content warning so does racisim. 

If you liked this review stop my patreon RIGHT HERE. Seriously please do: you’ll find exclusive reviews, and if you join you’ll get acess to my discord, get to pick a short for my shortstravganzas, and help me reach my strech goals. And at my next one at 20, just 5 dollars away, ALL READERS will get a darkwing duck review a month and reivews of the two ducktales movie as well as the Danny Phantom TV Movie the ultimate enemy! 

See you at the next rainbow!

[19mrs-barnes17]

Wrong Turn

Summary: You’re a hunter arrested by S.H.I.E.L.D. due to a misunderstanding, now you would have to prove your innocence.

Part: 1/3

Pairing: Dean Winchester x reader

Warnings: mentions of death

Word count: 2,242

A/N: Something I worked on to keep myself less stressed with all the work I have to get done. Enjoy!

~

The cool metal pressed against the flesh of your wrists, tugging and rubbing at the skin uncomfortably with every movement. This was officially the most difficult bind you had ever had to get yourself out of and there wasn’t much of a good idea in your head. Between the heavily guarded facility and the grade A pat down, you were running low on options. Even if you could get the bobby pin from your hair there was still the matter of escaping the interrogation room of a government intelligence agency. Sincerely, your ass was absolutely screwed with no chance of rescue. Any attempt would be idiocy, the best you could hope for was to be transferred somewhere accessible. 

Stray strands of hair, too short to be contained, began to slide into view as you lowered your head into your hands. This was going to be a long month, you just knew they would keep you for ages but you wouldn’t give up a thing. Torture was not really a concern of yours. The vents were far too small to fit you. You had been poked and prodded plenty. The glass is probably shatter proof. Most likely the worst part was going to be the monotonous and repetitive questioning. Perhaps if you got a hostage you could make your way to an exit. They may leave you alone a while in an attempt to drive you mad through isolation. A hostage is too dangerous and no certainty you would even make it a foot past the door before being surrounded. They’ll probably send some lower level agent to do the interrogation, no way you were high enough for an Avenger or anyone of importance. God you would kill to have a brain like Sherlock in a moment like this, though if you did you wouldn’t have gotten caught.

No words, the man entered, slapped a typical manilla folder on the table, and sat down in the chair across from you. All this you saw through your hair as you lifted your head, shaking it to clear your field of vision. He wasn’t very impressive in his build, but then again you’ve seen a woman who looked like she had a foot in the grave toss a 180 pound man through a wall, so who were you to say. So far his silent tactic was already worse than him tossing questions at you, but you had seen Good Will Hunting, you knew what he was doing and you wouldn’t crack. 

You wanted to say hours ticked by, the hand of the clock moving so slowly time almost seemed as though it were at a standstill. However, there was no clock. Time either flew by or it moved sluggishly, either way you could have cared less. This was simply the beginning so if you could get used to time no longer existing, the better of you would be. It was only a social construct anyhow. 

“I see you’re not much of a talker Ms… Y/LN.” His gaze scanned you as if he didn’t see what all the fuss was about, his facial expression growing difficult to actually gauge. The happy go lucky act didn’t really convince you, seemed more like a cheap trick to make himself appealing. “You can go ahead and drop the cuffs, I know you picked them 17 minutes ago.”

The clank of the cuffs seemed so loud in the deadly silent room, and yet neither of you flinched an inch. As you rubbed your wrists gently the man finally opened the manila folder, his fingers lifted pages until his eyes found what they were looking for. 

“My name’s Phil Coulson by the way. I know you don’t care, but at least this way you have a name to curse at while you sit there silently staring a whole through my head.” He smiled softly, eyes moving back to the file with a certain flicker of curiosity occasionally popping in. “You’ve got quite the record here: parents dead at 12, taken in by a drunk uncle, arrested for grave robbery at 14, assault of an officer at 15, served two years in juvie before disappearing for 8 years, and then popped back up at 25 with a murder charge before disappearing again. Now here you are, sitting in a S.H.I.E.L.D. interrogation room because one of our agents came across you shooting something they couldn’t quite explain.

“Oh, and we have the body as well as your DNA all over the murder weapon. And yet you sit here, not in a police station, because a man I have known for 6 years claims that he saw the woman you shot transform into an exact replica of you before his eyes. Now, we would have typically written this off as some sort of psychotic break… if not for the fact that the victim looks remarkably identical to you. Down to the DNA, Ms. Y/LN. But there is no record of you having an identical twin sister or any sibling for that matter.”  The man let the folder slip from his fingers and shut itself on the table. “Did I miss anything?”

You arched a brow at the agent, leaning back into the chair with your arms crossed, a shrug manifesting from nowhere. Phil seemed pleased to receive even this tiny gesture and you were mentally kicking yourself for cracking in the slightest. 

“A shrug, that’s progress.” He smirked at you with the strangest look in his eyes, as if he knew he’d crack you in the first go. As a result you stared at the wall until he bid you farewell, it only took a few minutes at most before your cuffs were replaced. The first of your many bobby pins was confiscated and then an escort shoved you to a cell. 

Days passed with the same level of excitement filling them, questions came rarely from Phil Coulson and it perplexed you. His strategy almost seemed like he wanted to gain your trust rather than interrogate you. None of this was what you expected the agency’s interrogation tactics to look like. They never bribed you with good food or promise of television or a book, only ever giving you the same sandwich and water every day. Twice. 

Sure the isolation bugged the hell out of you, but you had spent so much time alone on the road that it didn’t really feel all that different. What actually drove you mad was having to sit through that agent telling stories the entire time of your questioning. Every day you heard what you assumed to be figments of his imagination, and boy did they compel you to speak. You almost held your silence for two weeks, Phil was impressed. But you cracked again, so you only allowed yourself snarky comments and bullshit. Anything close to a real answer was out of the question.

“I’m telling you, totally died for like two days. True story.” 

“Yeah? I know a guy who died for six whole months. What else ya got?” Phil quirked a brow and made a strange face before shaking his head. 

“I’ve saved the world a few times.”

“Join the club, we have cupcakes.” 

Eventually enough time passed that management was less than pleased with the lack of useful information gathered. So today, instead of the slightly-growing-on-you-like-a-weird-uncle Phil Coulson, a man you had read about in history books sat before you. And yes he smelled like freedom, if freedom smelled like a Macy’s cologne and kind of musky. The strangest part was how compelling his disappointment was, almost made you sing like a canary a few times.

With Mr. America now in place, every interrogation was exactly how you pictured it on your ride here. Well, minus the torture. You were quite shocked at how civilized they all acted and how they never seemed keen on raising a hand to you. Sure the impression that they were different had come from years of television and monsters acting to the contrary, but it still caught you off guard. This didn’t mean they were Ellen DeGeneres kind, but they weren’t like that shifter who held you for a whole day before you came to and got loose. 

Today was different. Usually the man walked in, twisted round the chair and sat, but not on this particular day. No he seemed unusually upset, not in a fit throwing way but in a ‘I’m going to stare impatiently at you and huff a lot’ sort of way. It was strange to see a man you had once considered your childhood hero look at you with such displeasure. This entire situation seemed to be getting on his nerves, and quite frankly you had been tired of it from the moment that agent tasered you. He watched as you pulled a bobby pin from your hair, your very last one that you had saved for an escape attempt that you now felt was never coming, and picked the lock of your cuffs with ease. When he moved to undo what you had done you stood and he froze, waiting for you to make a move but was baffled at what you did do. 

“When my parents died and my uncle Bobby took me in, I was unreachable. He thought I was never going to come out of the dark hole that I had crawled into. But when I heard the sound of one of your weird film segments, the ones where you were in a white room and you do that thing you do every day where you flip the chair around and look disappointed.” He furrowed his brow, moved his chair so he could see you as you lie on the floor and stare up at the ceiling. “Well when my depressed 12 year old self heard your voice telling me it was going to be okay… heh, I guess I naively believed it. I was still never the same, but who would be after being orphaned because a monster decided your parents were the perfect dinner.” 

You turned your head to the side, eyes trailing up to those world famous blue eyes that stared at you with uncertainty. He made no move to interrupt you and so you went on, eyes remaining on his.

“Some things you just can’t unsee, and no hero in a colorful outfit can restore what was stolen from me that night. Not my parents nor my childhood. I got 12 years before I had to punch my card and grow up.” His eyes almost looked as though they had a hint of sadness in them, but you ignored this trick of the eyes and returned your gaze to the ceiling. “I began to learn about what killed my parents and the things that go bump in the night. My uncle Bobby helped me safely navigate my new reality, even tried to stop me from hunting. I’m a stubborn woman however, so he had no choice but to teach me the ropes and train me. He said and I quote, ‘If you’re going to do something stupid, you might as well be smart about it’. That was before I lost him too.”

“You’ve lost a lot of people, but you’ve killed just as many.” He leaned forward in his seat, elbows resting on his thighs as his hands clasped together. “This isn’t going to change anything, I still need to know the truth.”

“You want the truth, you have to go through the mud to find it. And yes I’ve lost people, but you get used to that in this life. None of us expect to survive very long, and no one ever successfully leaves the life. Most hunt alone, like me, it’s easier to not allow attachment.” 

“Sounds like a lonely life.”

“The price for other’s safety is always high. I’d have thought you of all people would know that Captain.” You sigh, sitting up and crossing your legs. “Are you letting me sit on this dirty floor because I’m giving you information?”

“Yes.”

“Is it unreasonable to bargain for a better chair?” 

“Yes.”

“Ouch. Dirty floor it is.”

“The floor is not filthy.”

“Oh, yeah? When’s the last time it was cleaned?” He shrugged and you were almost compelled to get up from the floor, likely crawling with bacteria, but it was too late and you were far too lazy to move. “Guess it's my home now.”

“Would you please stop talking about the floor and continue?” 

On it went, for an unknown amount of time you sat on the very likely dirty floor and told Captain  America about your life. From your first hunt all the way to the job that got you caught. It was the therapy session you had expected, and he certainly didn’t seem to believe you when you finished, but it was done and so were you. After he placed your handcuffs on you and confiscated your last bobby pin you were sent back to your cell, no further words. 

“Prove it.” The first words you had heard after a day of solitude and they made absolutely zero sense to your tired brain. Sluggishly sitting up in your bed your brows furrowed and eyes narrowed at the man behind the door. 

“I’m sorry our psychic link seems to be malfunctioning. What am I proving on this fine… morning? Afternoon?” 

“Your innocence.” 

~

Tags: @qtmeryr​ @broken-hearted-barnes​ @asphalt-cocktail​ @gstran18​ @cantnkrusshedevil​

[kickingitwithkirk]

A Kiss Upon Your Shoulder

Pairing: Alpha!Sam Winchester x Omega!Trouble Lacroix (OFC)

WC:3536

Warnings: 18 + only: kissing, humping M/F, intercourse, cursing, mention of addiction, angst

A/N: For @saxxxology #saxxxology vol.1 writing challenge

SONG PROMPT: Off My Mind-my favorite on the album

A/N: Set season 14 during Dean Winchester's possession by Apocalypse World's Micheal. Timeline extended and some events altered from series. I borrowed title from song lyrics.

*no beta- all mistakes are mine.

*GIF not mine

The sound of the bunker door closing reverberates through the room.

Several of the hunters around the map table stop what they're doing to watch an unusually tall Omega with long, smoky pink hair braided in a loose plait and wearing hunters garb descend the metal staircase halting at its bottom.

Sam Winchester is sitting at the far end of the table alternating between his phone receiving updates from hunters out in the field and the laptop looking for clues in the search for Dean while strategizing with Mary and Bobby their next move froze disbelieving his eyes.

“Sammy,” the Omega hesitantly says, her lightly accented voice startles him out of his stupor.

Batten down the hatches Sammy boy, Trouble just done walked back into my life… Dean used those exact words years ago introducing him to this Omega, never knowing how true they would turn out to be.

But not for him.

Sam's eyes shift into a fiery glow as his inner Alphas outrage surfaces at this imposter trying to pass itself as his long gone Omega.

“What fucking game are you playing at?” Sam gets up growling, stalking towards her pulling his demon blade.

“Sam wait!” Mary hollers at her youngest son knowing all too well the damage Sam can inflict under normal circumstances but in the state of extreme stress he’s currently under doesn’t want him to do anything he’ll regret.

The Apocalypse World hunters glance at each other perplexed having never before seeing an enraged Alpha, unsure what they should do.

After their arrival to this reality Sam gave them a crash course on life here, including the multiple genders of humans, Alpha/Beta/Omega, their confusing hierarchies and how they relate to each other.

The Alpha/Omega intricacies and nuances were still hard for them to comprehend since all of them were Betas.

The Omega cast her eyes down in deference to the large Alpha. “I'm here abo...” she doesn't finish speaking as he wraps his hand around her throat, slamming her back against a support column. She seizes his wrist as her eyes snap up meeting his glaring back before tilting her head as far as she can to the right exposing more of her throat.

Sam cautiously leans in, running his nose along her neck. The unique scent of winter, perceptible only to the Alpha under the scent blockers she’s used triggers memories he’s diligently repressed to keep this Omega off his mind come flooding back. The blade clatters loudly on the floor in the now silent room.

Wrapping his arms around her nuzzling into the curve of her neck he sucks on that spot he knows drives her crazy. Biting her lip she tangles her fingers in his long hair drawing him back up, running her tongue over his lips seeking entrance that he grants swirling his tongue around hers.

Someone's wolf whistling snaps them out of acting couple newly presented teens caught by their parents being very naughty.

“Hmm, not sorry,” she whispers nibbling on Sam’s ear making him quiver.

“Behave,” Sam mutters back taking a deep breath and subtlety adjusting himself before turning around to deal with everyone's reactions, not really ready to answer the inevitable questions.

Scenting his anxiety she twines their hands together offering a reassuring squeeze.

They’ve drawn quite a large audience from the library and adjoining hallways. People are elbowing each other grinning, whispering among themselves about their Chiefs and strange woman's reactions to each other then necking in front of everyone.

Mary stands there, arms crossed with the patented mom’s not amused look.

Sam huffs out an embarrassed laugh. “Everyone this is Trouble Lacroix, she’s my...she's an old friend.”

“I’m just an old friend after everything I went through for you?” Trouble snaps and Sam growls a warning at her tone but fuck it, she was right.

When Dean introduced them they were both junkies. Sam drugs of choice were demon blood and the power it gave him. Trouble’s was whatever made her forget her hunter fathers dominance over her as an Omega.

By the time they both got clean Sam found he could love again and she had learned to trust the Alpha in him wouldn't hurt her like others had. Sam swore during his next rut he would claim her as his Omega.

A week before he said yes to Lucifer and the subsequent showdown at Stull Cemetery he went into rut.

At their secret rendezvous, an old hunters cabin in Arkansas with his rut over Sam hadn’t claimed her, saying he couldn’t damn her, that this was his last chance to, unlike Jess, save her from certain death.

Trouble stood at the cabins window overlooking a small lake silently crying, unable to respond. The Alpha scented her sadness wanted nothing more than to comfort his Omega but all he could do was to kiss her shoulder, as he’d always done before leaving that last time.

Almost a decade later Sam can see the damage his refusals done in her sorrowful eyes.

“You kiss all your old friends like that?” Bobby quipped sarcastically eliciting a few laughs and breaking some of the tension.

“You look like Bobby Singer but you...resonate all wrong,” Trouble remarks as her light colored eyes surveys the others in the room finally coming to rest on Jack. “A Nephilim without Grace?”

“Yes, he is,” Mary answers crossing over to stand next to Jack, “how can you know that?”

Trouble shrugs “I’ve always been able to perceive things that are outside the normal spectrum.”

“You can what?” Maggie asks confused.

“The Omega can see that you’re out of tune with this reality,” Castiel states tipping his head to the side studying her, “she also possess other abilities.”

“I don’t need them to see your a dick.”

“Trouble,” Sam warns knowing she’d picked that up from Dean.

“Sorry, Angel of the Lord.” She half ass apologizes.

“And you suddenly show up here out of nowhere because?” Mary tersely inquires in her Alpha voice. Sam bristles unhappy that another Alpha, even his own mother, thinks they can question the Omega.

Releasing Sam’s hand she steps closer to Mary taking the same stance staring her straight in the eye. “I’ve seen Dean.”

Trouble tells them everything about her encounter with Dean in Nova Scotia, where she’s been the last two months.

They question is why he let her live when he’s killed others he has had contact with, another piece in a puzzle not making sense.

Sam asks her to stay but she turns him down, telling him it's safer for her to keep moving. He counters what better place is there for protection than in the heavily warded bunker?

She reluctantly agrees but only until Dean returns.

Mary makes it vehemently clear it’s problematic having an unclaimed Omega stay.

Sam reminds his mother that he is a mature Alpha, been making his own decisions without her input his whole life and with the daily suppressants he’s taken for years can control his instincts.

That got Mary’s back up, ready to argue with her youngest son, reminding him the Omegas already made the unmated Alpha act out. Bobby pulls her to the side and somehow he convinces her that the Omegas will be an assist in finding Dean. She doesn’t like but relents. Trouble is to stay in Dean's room, his Beta scent will help cover hers more to mollify Sam and a physical space between them for Mary.

Sam's frustrations over having not found Dean yet and his personal anxieties were intermittently fluctuating. The stresses he’s under, hardly eating, barely sleeping a couple hours a day while keeping track of people out on cases and figuring out how to help Jack adapt to not having his powers. Then there’s Nick, the mere mention of his name makes Sam shudder, let alone the traumatic physical and emotional memories dredged up by their face to face interactions.

Thankfully, there hadn’t been any real drama between Mary and Trouble. They’ve avoided each other as much as possible in the bunker.

It was really late or early, depending on how one looked at it, and Sam was still setting in the quiet library, waiting for the last couple of hunters to check in. “Sam, you’ve been here for hours, go to bed.” Trouble softly remarks as she walks up behind him gently running her fingers through his hair.

Sam closes his eyes enjoying her touch. “Just waiting on Maggie and Sharon to check in then I'll go.”

She snorts snagging his phone when it sounds, “Who you lying to? OK, their at the one star for the night. Everyone's accounted for.” Sam reaches for his phone and she dodges typing before handing it back and walking off.

“Cas is what...the hell that’s happening!” Sam gets up going after her.

“Bobby’s idea so go bitch to him mister ‘cause technically your off duty for the next twenty-four hours.” Trouble says unintimidated with him following her fuming, “Your exhausted Sam, you need a break so quit fighting and let us help.”

She stops at the shower-room door. “First, go bathe, you reek Alpha, then meet me in your room.” Sam goes from pissed off to aroused in three seconds. Trouble scents him, “Yeah right, it’s Netflix and chill...” She remarks them gives him a mischievous grin sashaying off.

Sam had been making courting overtures towards her, even though they were on a time limit, hoping he'd be awake long enough to make the most of this opportunity.

After the much needed shower Sam heads to his room in nothing but a low slung towel tosses it with his clothes into the dirty laundry hamper. Trouble came in carrying a tray of food locking the door behind her stops, inhaling sharply at the view of a completely naked Sam. He shivers as her eyes rove over him.

Sam’s not as bulked up as he was a decade ago, a leaner version still possessing a well defined upper body leading down to his flat stomach, the sharp v of his hips and those long legs. And between those legs...Swallowing hard and flushed Trouble moves setting the tray down on his bedside table as he hastily pulls on sweats and a grey t-shirt.

“Your three episodes behind in that series, figured you might want to watch it.” Trouble says grabbing his laptop and crawling onto his bed pulling up what he had been watching. “Have you seen it?” He asks sitting next to her.

“No, first your gonna eat,’ she gestures towards the tray with tomato rice soup, crackers and fruit, “then you can catch me up.”

By episode three Sam had eaten everything on the tray, brushed his teeth and was sacked out. Trouble shut the laptop down and placed it on the desk.

Turning out all the lights but a bedside one she slips back in next to Sam picking up the book she brought from the library. She’d been reading for awhile when Sam rolls over in his sleep, one leg landing between hers, arm draped across her waist and his head on her shoulder nuzzling into her neck murmuring, “back in my bed.”

As consciousness slowly filtered through the haze of extended sleep two things simultaneously get Sam’s attention, the cool scent of the Omega he’s spooning and his morning wood trapped between them.

“Must’a been a good dream,” Trouble yawns rolling onto her stomach, the sheet sliding down reliving her long legs and lower cheeks peeking out under her oversized T-shirt burying her head in the pillow mumbling “I was gonna leave after you fell asleep.”

Running a hand up the back of her thighs he pushes till she parts her legs far enough for him to touch her outer folds feeling how wet she already is before slipping two fingers into her tight channel. Trouble moans as he them slides deeper, making her wriggle against the mattress seeking friction against her clit. Sam crawls over wedging a knee between hers.

“Sam..we..sho..shouldn’t.”

Pulling his fingers out Sam moves straddling her legs, pinning them closed as he sits on her thighs stroking himself, using her slick as lubricant. Grasping her hips he starts rutting his cock between her ass cheeks.

Grunting, Sam shifts picks up momentum and with her under him, even like this, knows he’s not gonna last long. “Fuc..fuck Trouble..gonna cum…” Sam jerks back fisting his cock rapidly, cumming on her before falling forward and catches himself with one hand next to her, breathing hard. With his other hand Sam runs his fingers through his spending's rubbing it across her back.

Trouble pushes up onto her elbows looking back at him, “Dude, are you scent marking me?”

“Maybe.” Sam replies with a smug smile.

“So gross, Alpha.”

Sam was beyond frustrated and feeling sick on his drive back from Atlanta. The rumored sighting of Dean end up being a bust, another one of those crazies he’s sick of wasting his time chasing. Switching off the radio that's making his headache pound harder making him wish he was home already.

Trouble, utilizing her abilities, was able to help eliminate some of bogus reports. Unfortunately, when any of them got to close, Dean disappeared.

The last time she had him, he created some kind of feedback knocking her unconscious. Cas checked her over, telling Sam she would be fine.

When she woke up Trouble tells them she’s seeing Dean doing strange experimentation on different types of monsters using Archangel Grace and it scares the hell out of her.

That was Sam’s breaking point. He stormed through the bunker in full Alpha mode from the infirmary to Deans room, packed her duffel and hauled it to his room. Even Mary knew better than to get in his way this time.

Sam couldn’t get her off his mind anymore now he had her back in his bed. She allowed him hold her whenever they slept together but wouldn’t permit anything else since that morning.

The Lebanon City Limits sign was a welcome sight. Sam was sweating, shaky and just wanting to get home.

He arrived at the bunker wondering what the hell he had caught. Mary greeted him with a hug and frowned catching his scent. Sam played it off, saying the Beta who had one too many hits of the brown acid was ill and he must have caught it.

Another hunter handed him a bowl of soup and bad news about some gypsy vamps attaching truckers. He had them set up checkpoints and sat down to hack the traffic cams. Mary gripped his arm concerned as he’s typing but he says he‘s good. She didn't believe him but doesn’t push knowing he wasn't gonna stop.

Six hours later as he left Nicks room he felt a massive surge go through him, no longer able to ignore what was wrong and it was his own damn fault.

Sam had forgotten his suppressants and for the first time in years was going into rut. He made it to the end of the hall before passing out.

Cas had been by his friends bedside since Sam was found unconscious in one of the hallways days ago. He had been able to temporarily bring Sam's fever down and gave him sedatives to help him rest but with his age not being mated and having gone years without a rut his biology was demanding only cure, his chosen Omega.

Cas had called the Omega only getting her voicemail, left a message and began sending multiple texts.

He explained to Bobby that Mary had to leave the bunker, not only for her safety but the Betas also living there, unsure of how Sam will react to having another Alpha present when his Omega returned. Bobby found a case in Oregon that would occupy them for at least a week.

So Cas continued to do the only thing he could and watches over his friend.

Sam woke groggy from the sedatives to the strong scent of an Omega in heat pulling him to full consciousness.

Rolling onto his side he finds Trouble lying next to him naked, covered in a light sheen of sweat fitfully sleeping.

Moving to spoon her from behind he grips one leg hooking it over his rocking his hips sliding his engorged cock through her dripping folds, Half asleep she whimpers pulling out of his grip, drawing both legs to her chest. Rumbling in discontent Sam scoots behind her again, lines up and buries himself in her tight heat making her moan with pleasure, her cunt stretching around him.

Sam pulls out and hauls Trouble onto her hands and knees spreading her legs wide and sinks back in till his hips are flush against her ass. Feeling her relax around him Sam grasps her waist so tight bruises already forming and growling at the sight of his cock sliding in and out of her slick cunt he starts pounding his hips rapidly.

Trouble reaches out grabbing the headboard to stop Sam from shoving her into it since he has six inches and nearly seventy pounds on her and is running on his instinct to mate.

Sam's knot starts to swell he continues thrusting wildly wrenches her hips up, forcing her to arch her back more as he grunts ramming the now fully engorged knot into her cunt locking them together and falls over her back, rolling his hips as she clenches him cumming.

Sam pushes himself back upright pulling her with him, flush against chest seizes a fistful of her thick hair bends to bite deeply into her neck making Trouble cry out loudly and cum again.

As they counterbalance each other Sam runs his tongue over his mark cleaning off the seeping blood helping the wound seal up faster before shifting to lay them down on the mattress.

Feeling the tug of his knot Trouble clenches tightly around him again, sending another orgasm rippling through Sam, releasing more of his seed into her.

Sam wraps his arms around Trouble, their bodies trembling from the exertion and a feeling of immense peace he’s never had before settles within him. He places a kiss upon her shoulder as it dawns on him he’s finally being to call her his omega.

“It's just every time I think about ya know its a..its like a nightmare. I can't eat, can't sleep, it’s always just there watching.” Dean bitched as they’re walking through the hallways.

“Dean, it’s just a beard, I’ve been a little busy lately” Sam remarks back exasperated and relived to have his brother back giving him a hard time.

“Yeah well, that’s not an excuse ya know, ‘cause a.. Duck Dynasty called and they just they want it all back.”

“Some people say I look good.” Sam proudly states almost telling him why he’s really kept it.

“No..no Sam, no people say that.” Dean shakes his head.

“Duck Dynasty is a step up from Dr. Sexy in some peoples opinions,” Dean turns to counter that insult disbelieving his eyes like Sam did weeks ago.

Trouble’s leaning against the wall now sporting titian tresses that rival Rowena's.

“Good to have you back Dean,” She says giving him a hug, “and I like the beard.” Walking over to Sam she pushes him against the wall wantonly kissing in front of Dean.

Breathless, Sam touches his forehead against hers running his fingers along the flannels front, “I was looking for this shirt the other day ‘mega.”

“Hmm, my bad, suppose I need to be punished Alpha.” She teasingly remakes biting her lip as Sam purrs low in his chest sliding the shirt off her shoulders.

“You’re back together?” Dean blurts out in disbelief interrupting them.

Sam turns pulling Trouble with him, her back flush against his chest reaches up moving her hair revealing his mark.

Dean looks between them, “fucking took you long enough Sammy,” he barks before continuing down the hallway grumbling, “there better not be any more surprises.”

Sam nuzzled into her neck breathing in the new honey-vanilla scent mixing with her naturally cooler one reaches down placing his large hands protectively over her womb where their surprise is resting tenderly kissing her shoulder.

[twdxjess]

Knight in a Leather Jacket: A Negan Story (Chapter 10)

Summary: You are terrified about the threat headed toward your new community. But when things start to go awry will you still have Negan by your side in the end? Or will you be forced to start a new life alone, all over again?

Pairing: Negan X Reader

Word Count: 2,102

Need to Catch Up? Master list

Negan had been waiting for this exact moment for weeks but when he saw that ring on the last supply run, he knew it was time to make it official, for you to become his wife. So today, he had left you a note saying he was out on a run, when in reality, he was setting the stage for a perfect night in the place where the two of you magically fell for one another.

"Hey Simon have you and these ass-hats finished setting up the RV yet?” Negan asked Simon as he drove up to the place you two first met.

Simon was finishing up his lunch when he turned to Negan and yelled, “Shit, I knew there was a thing called a bridezilla but I think it is safe to say you have officially turned into a GROOM-zilla!” Simon murmured and the men near by laughed.

"Well she has to fuckin' say yes first Si!" Negan snapped. Everyone froze at the man's tone. After a moment of awkward silence Negan apologized, "Sorry it just needs to be perfect because this is the first time since..."

Just before Negan could show the men any more weakness  Simon quickly interrupted Negan and chuckled, "Well shit no need to get all emotional  and just to let you know BOSS, of course it is ready what do you think we’ve been doing all goddamn morning! Here I’ll give you the grand tour myself.” The others went on about their business as Negan and Simon entered the heavily decorated RV.

Negan’s was shocked what these men were able to do. There was a table set for two with twinkling lights displayed along the walls. They even manage to find some roses and placed the petals down the mini hallway and arranged a heart on the bed. Negan was so excited he gave Simon a giant hug.

“I was gonna ask you what’cha think old man? But I think it’s safe to say,you think it’s fuckin great!” Simon said to Negan while slapping his back.

“This looks fan-fuckin’- tastic Si! Shit,if we hadn’t work together at the high school. I would have thought you were a fuckin’ wedding planner or some shit!”

“Home economics was my best class.” Simon proclaimed then asked,”Where is that girl of yours anyways? Isn’t she done teaching?”

Negan smirked at his question, “Well I told her I was going on a supply run. But I should get back to the room soon or she’ll start to get suspicious.” Negan ran to his truck and headed for the hotel, headed toward you!

It felt like eternity but you had finally arrived back at the hotel. With your mind still continuously playing your recent conversation with Brody , you noticed your reflection in the glass and before entering the lobby you wiped away the last of your tears. “Breathe (y/n)...no need to freak anyone else out...” You thought to yourself. As you scanned the lobby you finally came across Tiffany, coming down the hall. Even though you didn’t care much for her (due to her obsession with Negan) you put on your fakest smile and asked her, “Hey, do you happen to know if Negan is back?”

She looked at you as if you were a servant in her castle when she finally repiled, “Well to be honest sweetie, if I were him and I lived with you I would never come back...but unfortunately nope... haven’t seen that fine ass in awhile.” She grinned at the thought of Negan.

Now, in your past life you would have just slapped the living shit out of Tiffany for her comment but there were more important things to take care of right now. So you nodded your head sarcastically and replied, “Well shit Tif, I'll make sure to take a picture of Negan's sexy NAKED ass when it is in my bed later tonight. That's what friends are for right?” Then as you slowly turned around to walk away, you heard Tiffany whisper “cunt!”

You turned around and looked at her and sarcastically gasped, "Oh, sorry I didn't get that, what did you say?" 

 Tiffany stumbled on her words,as if she was never challenged  by another female in her life then stated, “Oh nothing... Have a nice day!”

"You too Tiffany, you too!" you grinned.

As you were walking out the door you ran into Mandy and her dad walking in. Almost instantly when Mandy realized it was you she embraced you in a hug and asked, “Did you happen to find Dash?”

“Why don’t you see for yourself.” You swung off your backpack and inside Mandy saw the sleeping pup. “You fff-oundd him! I knew I...I..I could count on you! Thank you miss (y/n).” Mandy reached for Dash and the puppy welcomed her with sloppy kisses all over her face. Mandy’s dad thanked you and you continued on in your hopes of finding Negan before it was too late.

As you entered the room you smiled with relief because you saw Negan half dressed looking for a clean shirt. You snuck up behind him and whispered in his ear, "Hey there handsome." while hugging him and gently kissed the back of his neck.

"Hot damn why, hello to you to princess, if you would have arrived a little earlier we could have saved some water and showered together." Negan proclaimed while grabbing your ass.

"What's the rush, you got a hot date later?" you playfully grinned at the older man.

"Hell yeah and if I'm late..." Negan bent down to give you a real kiss,  "She might leave because she "supposedly" doesn't need a tall, handsome, sexy-ass looking man on her ass all the time like me." Negan grinned and wrapped you up in a manly bear hug then continued to say, "but there is still time for her to take a shower." You nudge Negan and quickly ran to the bathroom to freshen up for your date with not only your Knight in shining armor,  but also your best friend.

After a few minutes you were done and looking for something to wear, so you stared at Negan trying to guess where this date might be and what you should wear. He was wearing his "nice jeans" and a collared shirt, which you've never seen, "is that a new shirt?" you asked Negan.

"Why yes it is and I found something for you too." Negan grabbed something from the closet and reviled to you a nice lilac colored laced dress. Your mouth dropped in disbelief. "So does this mean you like it?" Negan asked.

"I absolutely love it Negan! Where did you find it?"

"I found it a couple weeks ago on a supply run in what looked like a small boutique and its also where I found my shirt." He boyishly grinned at you. You took the dress and put it on in the bathroom, once you had it on you opened the door waiting for Negan's reaction. "So, how does it look?" You asked the shocked man while spinning around.

"You..you.. look fuckin' incredible darlin'!" Negan gave you a squeezed and a sweet kiss on the head then asked, "Are you ready to go on this hot date of ours?"

"Yeah, I just need to get something from my bag. I'll meet you by the car. " You told Negan and he started heading out the door. As you rush over to your bag to search for your chap stick all the events from earlier today came rushing back into your mind. You were so caught up in this fantasyland with only you and Negan that you completely forgot that the community was endanger.  But, Negan and the saviors were prepared for something like this so you grabbed your chap stick and ran out to Negan's truck praying while you two were gone everyone else will stay safe.

You and Negan finally arrived to your destination which looked like your RV but something was different it was all decorated and fancy looking. So you asked, "Negan what's going on here because this looks like my family's RV but it is heavily decorated with roses and candles."

"Trust me darlin' it's about time I took you on a real ass date." Negan grabbed your hand leading you into the RV. When he opened the door it was as if you were watching one of those prom-posal videos on the internet. There were twinkling lights with rose petals covering the floors the whole  bit. You smiled and jokingly asked, "Are you asking me to prom mister because someone forgot to..." before you could finish your smart ass remark Negan was down on one knee with a small velvet box in his hand.

Before you knew it tears started to fill your eyes when Negan started to say, "(y/n) when this world went to shit I felt like nothing good would ever come from this but to my fuckin' surprise it did it was the day I meet you. You are not only my hot ass lover but you are also my best friend... someone I truly admire and want to do life with, well whatever kind of life this is... but even if the world hadn't gone to shit, I honestly believe we would have meet in the old world because what we have here between us is fate and we were simply meant to be. So (y/n) will you marry me?"

You couldn't speak so you nodded yes and Negan slipped the diamond on your finger and kissed you for what felt like forever. "Let me guess you found the ring at the boutique as well?" you chuckled.

"Yep, did I forget to mention this boutique was a wedding boutique?" Negan smirked and continued to say, "Now let's eat so we can make sweet love later!"

As you both sat down and started eating you were happy but your community's safety was still on your mind and Negan must have noticed because he asked you, “Hey (y/n) is everything okay? I promise the spaghetti is fuckin' great I made it myself!"

You smiled at the handsome man's comment debating if this was the right time to tell your soon-to-be husband what happened today,  "I know it's just...I have something to tell you and it might ruin our whole night..and I...". Negan grabbed your hand, " What's on your mind darlin' did something happen today? You know you can tell me anything...Did someone do something to you? because I can have them.." 

You abruptly kissed Negan to make him shut up you then revealed to him what had happened in woods earlier today. Negan was stunned and started to get angry and said, "How soon (y/n)?"

"I don't know Brody just said soon..." Negan got up from the table and slammed his fist on the wall. "I'm going to kill all those fuckers...ughh!"

You cautiously went to Negan and asked, "Negan, you and the saviors have a plan right? Whatever it is I can help." Negan just shook his head and said, "Yes... but," then suddenly you both heard what sounded like a blast coming from the direction of the hotel. You both ran outside and noticed flames coming from the same direction. You started to panic when Negan demanded you to stay at the RV and wait for him to come back for you. You responded. "Hell no that is my community too Negan I am coming!"

Negan went back to his truck grabbed a radio and then scooped you off your feet going back into the RV. Once Negan placed you on the bed he said, "NO you are safer here... and I can't loose you... you mean everything to me (y/n)!" It was one of the few times you saw Negan get emotional. And you knew he was serious, so you hugged him and said, "Fine... but you need to come back to me too, Negan... even if the community doesn't survive promise me you will come back because I may mean the world to you but you also mean the world to me!" you both kissed one another like it might be your last. Then Negan gave you the radio and instructed you if they start to head this way leave and he would be able to contact you by the radio.

He then hurriedly rushed to his truck gave you one last kiss not realizing that it would be your last, then you watched as your knight in shining armor rode off into the night sky.  

Epilogue is on the masterlist

 PSA: We have finally reach the end of this series but I will be continuing this story in a sequel called "Hey There Princess" where the Reader and Negan meet up once again, but there is a twist. Thanks for all the love and support for this series. I loved writing it and I hope y'all enjoyed it. :)

Tags: @babygirlmeepi @pseudonymfox @curlyhairedblueeyedangel​