#I saw him live over the summer it was FANTASTIC

[ballroomfitz]

Ma’am please these are my emotional support middle aged based as hell comedians from the north of England who played minor roles in 2013 animated movie sequels

[legacygirlingreen]

That time of year again… // Sebastian Sallow x Reader/MC (NSFW)

Hi friends! I have been battling the flu for a week now so there’s a delay on strumming hearts pt 2 but I managed to scrap this together for those who celebrate Christmas! Also hella unedited so RIP.. anyways, Hope your day has been fantastic!

Screenshots in art by: @sinty2ek - seriously check out their page, it’s great if you aren’t already following 💚

Warning: smut (duh), Sebastian gets dom for a moment but overall is worried about her, loss of virginity, consent is hot, size difference, etc

Word count: 7,700

All characters are aged up and MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!

The first December after the events in Feldcroft, he had come down with a bout of dragon pox that landed him in the hospital wing for weeks. The second his finals had come to an end he wound up in a bed, with nurse Blainey rushing around him, and he didn’t realize what exactly was happening until the first of the year when he was released. In a way, he’d been thankful, that not really being conscious or alert through the worst part of the year.

That vile illness saved him from going to an empty home with too many bad memories to sulk and more than likely drink his uncle's firewhiskey. He had “come too” so to speak the morning of his birthday - New Year’s Eve or Hogmanay for the Scots - but in his house it had always been about celebrating himself and Anne. Knowing he’d be unable to grieve the loss of his sister from his life with nurse Blainey in the room he laid in the hospital bed trying by any means to distract himself.

She had come around several times seeing he was much better but still not quite healthy to be released. As his energy grew so had his restlessness. He was so grateful when his friend, the only one he had anymore, had so sweetly continued to try and attempt to see him. He had heard snippets throughout his stay from the nurse about how the girl had frequently attempted to come see him, and she’d caught the girl trying to sneak in a few times, firmly reassuring the hero of Hogwarts that dragon pox was no laughing matter.

It warmed his heart when he was finally awake at how the pile of books slowly started to accumulate, giving him a much needed distraction. She even slipped in a title to the stack he knew she must’ve stolen from the restricted section, and the thought of her puttering around amongst the ghost to get him comfort while sick, made him smile.

And on his birthday in the morning when he awoke he saw a small slice of cake alongside a neatly wrapped gift and a small note containing his name. Blainey had informed him how desperately the girl had begged to stay on the far side of the hospital just to see him and how upset she’d been handing off the gift and pastry before sulking back downstairs.

As sweet as it all was, he was somewhat grateful to the nurse for keeping the girl away. Not only would he never be able to live with himself should he be the reason she contracted the often fatal illness, but he honestly didn’t want to be seen like that.

He’d been quite honest with himself over that first summer holiday on his feelings for the girl. He had come to terms with the awful ways in which he’d treated her and decided her miracle of not turning him in and standing by him should never go wasted. In those hot months in feldcroft he decided that he’d never hurt her again. And perhaps one day he’d tell her how he felt.

Because as the first July without Anne and Solomon raged on as he tended the garden, all he continued to think of was her shimmering eyes dreamily staring up at his own in amazement as he showed her the undercroft. Or how silky her hair had shown in the moonlight that night they raided the goblin mine. How small she felt pressed against him when he’d pulled her to safety from that spider. How brilliant her smile was when they discovered the first of Isadora’s memories. Or how she held him so tightly the night before they left hogwarts in May when she’d found him crying in the undercroft…

But that former Yule where he laid in a hospital bed, covered in sweat, scabs and looking like death itself, he was almost more thankful that the nurse had prevented the girl of his dreams from seeing his current state. Sebastian had always been a bit cocky. And he knew that he had some baseline qualities to which made him attractive, despite the ones he tended to dislike. He often hoped his messy hair would be considered more charming in her eyes. Or she’d notice that he’d started shaving by purposefully leaving it a few days sometimes so she’d have to notice the dark hair adorning his chin. He found the few of his features he could be proud of and he was thankful that she’d not seen him sick when she’d left that sweet gift.

The girl had dropped off a blank, leather bound journal, simply explaining in her note how proud she’d been of him for not messing with dark magic and that she hoped he’d use the journal to vent his feelings, frustrations, discoveries and anything else as he continued to turn over a new leaf. It had been sweet and something he’d never done before but if he was honest in the last year he’d nearly filled the damn thing after he taped in her note to the first page.

That remaining school year and the start of the current left him following around her like a lost crup puppy. Although feeling a bit self conscious earlier on about his newly acquired dragon pox scars adorning his body and the few on his face, he quickly resolved the issue when she come to him with a potion to cure it that she promised she had done the heavy lifting with garreth on. It overall did the charm and returned his face and skin to its original state.

Anywhere she needed to go after that, he was there. She needed someone to hold books? Sebastian had two hands. She needed an escort through the forbidden forest to find a lost niffler? He was carrying the small creature back for her. She wanted company even on a night he was exhausted? He’d brave the lack of sleep and stay up with her.

At some point during the year she had come to him and confessed she hadn’t been sleeping well, professor Weasley and her head of house recommending she relocate to her room of requirement instead of a dorm so she wouldn’t disturb her roommates with the nightmares.

So every once in a while when he too was struggling to fall asleep he’d find a note slipping under his dormitory door and he’d be slipping off to the tapestry in the hall to make sure she was okay.

Deek had found them most mornings still awake by the fire just chatting and decided perhaps Matilda didn’t need to know everything. Not even on the rare mornings he found Mr Sallow’s arms wrapped around his dear friend as they both slept soundly in her conjured bed. As far as Deek was concerned both children desperately needed whatever sleep they got, and the hero of Hogwarts only seemed to sleep in the arms of that Slytherin boy with the brown eyes that never left her.

As they found themselves in their seventh year, Ominis eventually trickled back into their lives. Having seen the changes made by Sebastian, and the reassurance from the girl he truly had given up after the damage he brought, Ominis decided that his found family was still better than his birth family. Despite that, he still had obligations at Yule until he was of age, leaving the pair behind as he boarded the train in Hogsmeade in December.

Sebastian wasn’t looking forward to Christmas this year. Not that he truly had for a while - Yule always brought forth the nasty reminder of those who were missing - a number that was increasing for him by the years. But this was going to be the first he was actually conscious for after his sister left. Given the previous dragon pox year he wasn’t sure what was going to happen this year.

Almost as if sensing his nervousness going into the holidays she approached him during dinner the last day of their examinations as she sat down gently and leaned a hand over to place on his arm, startling him out of his deep thoughts while he stared at his mashed potatoes.

Hey Bash, are you alright?

He looked up with a small jump as he saw her brow furrowed and her gaze laced with concern. Her sweet voice caused that ever present stirring to arise in his stomach as he sighed and turned towards her, making her drop her hand from his bicep in the process.

“I suppose” he said after a moment looking down and seeing where her thigh was almost pressed against his own and where she had laced her hands together in her lap after she let go of him.

After a beat of silence she spoke again.

“You’re feeling sad about the holidays this year aren’t you?” She asked and he almost let out a small yelp at how wonderfully she was able to capture exactly what he’d been thinking without him even having to explain himself.

Looking back at her empathetic expression he nodded. Of course she was understanding. She had always been nothing but caring since the day he’d met her.

Sighing, she averted her gaze and grabbed one of his forgotten peeled orange slices off his plate and popped it into her mouth, slowly allowing the fruits somewhat bitter-sweetness to coat her tongue before she swallowed and looked back at him.

“This is the time of year I feel the most alone” she admitted as she looked back up at him from her seat on the Slytherin bench.

Sebastian recalled the times she had mentioned growing up in a muggle orphanage in London. How abysmally poor and mismanaged it was run. How professor Fig had come, lying that he was a long lost relative to the nuns before “bringing her home” as he explained to the young witch that she had accidentally wound up at a muggle orphanage instead of a magic one when her parents were discovered dead by non magical policemen when she was an infant.

Spending her first Christmas at Hogwarts when Professor Fig was still alive had been wonderful. she’d been allowed to travel to visit him and Ominis and Anne during the last Christmas he’d had at feldcroft with the professor just during the day. Sebastian also remembered fondly how happy she looked celebrating Yule with them before she returned to hogwarts for the rest of the holiday: not before giving him a quick kiss to the cheek and scurrying off behind the late man. It had been Sebastian’s first decent Christmas since his parents died.

Now the pair sat in the great hall carrying the weight of loss and loneliness as they went uncertainty into the holiday season.

“I don’t want to go back to Feldcroft alone this year” he admitted bluntly as he continued to peel the orange, handing her a slice as he ate another. As they silently ate the fruit he kept thinking about how he felt conflicted in returning. A part of him hoped Anne would show up again but he knew deep down it was unlikely.

“What if… what if you didn’t go back to Feldcroft? What if you stayed here… with me?” She asked quietly without looking up at him.

Sebastian had wondered if he should stay at the school given he had no family to return to, but he worried she see him as imposing as hogwarts truly was the only home she had.

“You want me to stay?” He asked, unsure if she meant it but hopeful she did want him there.

“Of course I would. I always want you around. I think it’s silly for us both to be alone during Christmas if we have each other we could be keeping company.” she explained as she finally looked again.

“What about our dorm rooms-“ he asked as she shook her head with a small amount of blushing working its way to her face.

“We can stay in the room of requirement. Professor Weasley was returning home this year so she won’t be checking in and last anyone heard you were going to feldcroft. Only one who would know is Deek and he would never tell a soul. That is, if you are interested…” she explained to him.

He almost stuttered in his reply, taking in that the girl was willingly offering him to stay with her for an extended period of time alone and unsupervised. Sure he occasionally fell asleep there when she invited him but never for multiple nights in a row and with the intention directly.

“You want me to stay with you alone?” He asked and she gently nodded.

“I would. We can conjure a tree and decorate it together in the main room. Take care of the beasts in the vivariums and sneak down the library to get books to read… it could be fun” she reasoned and he nodded.

“Alright. I think I would really like that. Only if you’re sure you are alright with it. I can also sleep on the settee in the main room-“ he offered and she shook her head, opening her mouth to speak before pausing and looking down.

“You can if you prefer that, but I -“ she trailed off as she looked at his wild expression before continuing as she tucked one of those stray hairs so often around her face behind her ear as she admitted, “I do sleep better when you are around… the nightmares don’t usually happen when you are with me…” she told him.

He knew the feeling. In fact he knew it so well that the only peaceful sleep he often found was in her room when they fell asleep after hours of talking together. He never knew how but eventually once he would calm her down and they’d talk, he would wake up the next morning with her nestled against his body as if during the night they had reached over to hold one another.

“I-“ he paused, raking his own hands in his hair as he also admitted, “me too. I think the only real sleep I’ve gotten all year has been in the room of requirement”

“So you’ll stay? With me?” She asked and he nodded.

“I’d love to”

————————

The next morning he’d slipped out of his nearly empty Slytherin dorm room with a small bag over his shoulder of the stuff he usually brought home. Some clothes that weren’t his school uniforms, a few books, a quill and some ink, some snacks, the few toiletries he had and the journal she’d given him the previous year. As he snuck down the empty halls he came across the door to the room or requirement, now revealing itself to him with no problem, before he pushed inside.

Once there he could see the always lit fire in the main room, the vivariums grand entrances, along with all her potting and potions stations. Something about the place always felt so inherently homie and incredibly authentic to her.

“Uh…” he looked around seeing the absence of the witch who had invited him, knowing it was really early in the morning and she possibly could still be asleep, but usually she rose earlier. As he went to check the small bedroom that had appeared a few months prior, the door opened behind him and she shuffled in carrying a small basket.

“Oh, you’re already here. I snuck down to the kitchen for some breakfast and I was going to pop by the dungeons later-“ she started to ramble as he looked at her clothes.

Most of the time she wore her uniform, as most students did, but when she wasn’t in her robes she usually looked a tad mismatched. Often finding random articles of clothing with protection charms while exploring, she wore a tacky blend of them. The girl also usually opted for trousers not skirts or dresses as exploring was easier when you weren’t “worried about the wind blowing up or fabric getting caught” by her own words.

Instead she stood before him in possibly the first time he’d ever seen her without trousers or one of those hideous wool skirts all the students wore. She had a white blouse with an emerald green dress overtop that had only a few white embellishments along the skirt. It wasn’t the most elegant of dresses but it certainly was beautiful, especially since he rarely saw her like this.

He set his bag down and walked towards her, and upon further inspection she also had her hair tied back - not an uncommon sight - but she’d left most of it down, only pulling the front strands out of her way as she tied it back with a bow.

Very different from how he usually saw her.

Upon realizing he had been staring she felt self conscious, asking him “how do I look?” As she awkwardly stroked the material of her skirt down with her free hand.

“You look beautiful” he said without a second thought before he looked at her face, something he’d done so often but as her eyes softened he realized he shouldn’t affirm she looked this way only because of the clothes or change to her hair.

“You are beautiful” he spoke when he found himself planted in front of her, boldly admiring her face and not the wardrobe.

She noticed his correction along with the implications it carried as she fell under the wonderful scrutiny of his gaze. As she did so, she turned to take in his appearance with his lack of the Slytherin robes, swamping them for a simple shirt and vest as he stood in front of her. Usually disguised by school cloaks she could see how wide his shoulders had gotten, along with the exposed skin of his forearms from where he’d rolled his sleeves up. The skin that usually laid covered, now proudly displaying the freckled skin below the light dusting of dark hair, as well as his veins that went into his hand.

“You okay?” She heard his voice ask gently as she looked up from his hands to his face once more.

“Sorry, yeah, I mean thank you-“ she told him as she moved past him and walked down the stairs of the main room into the back area. Sebastian didn’t question as he followed her down into the deeper parts of the room.

Once they emerged in the area he noticed there was a large tree in the middle of the room with some pillow cushions on the floor in front of the fireplace. He realized she must’ve been awake a while to have conjured a tree and made the cozy nest where they likely would read together during the day.

“You’ve been busy” he teased as she walked them over to the fireplace and lifted her skirt ever so slightly so she could settle herself on the ground comfortably.

“I just wanted you to feel as at homey as possible” she explained as he sat down next to her, his long legs stretching out in front of them. Looking between their bodies he noticed her hand sat atop one of the cushions on the floor and he carefully plucked it from the space between them.

As he ran his fingers over the delicate and soft skin of her hand he tried to ignore the way his cheeks flamed at his bold action.

“I really appreciate the effort but you don’t have to play host you know? I am just happy to spend time with you” he explained as he looked at her, giving a reassuring squeeze to her hand to truly affirm his words.

She didn’t respond as she stared at the way he continued to clutch her much smaller hand. He worried she would seem disappointed by his request to remain as laid back as possible so he in turn shifted the conversation.

“You said you grabbed breakfast?” He asked and she pulled her hand back to grab the basket, opening it up with a smile to show the goodies she had brought. As she continued to go through the options he couldn’t shake the way her hand in his own had felt like the most incredibly natural act in the world.

———————

After a day of reading, exploring the room, decorating the tree together, and just talking he was on cloud nine. Everything had felt so comfortable, so natural, as they fell into a rhythm alongside one another.

That was, until it was time for bed.

Once again he insisted if she preferred him to sleep on the sofa he would more than happily oblige, understanding that sleeping in the same bed carried heavy implications. She swiftly reminded him that they had indeed fallen asleep in the very bed in her room of requirement before. But for Sebastian, those moments had never been intentional, and to do so from the jump felt like a much deeper step.

To go to bed willingly alongside one another felt like the kind of thing reserved for married couples, certainly not friends of the opposing genders. And especially not a friend he often dreamed about kissing… as well as other more intense and vulgar things…

Regardless, her sweet smile and bright big eyes told him it was okay in her book, and who was he to question that. So as she slipped off into the small bathroom area to change for bed he stripped himself of his clothes and quickly threw on his own night clothes, tossing his dirty ones in his bag just as she returned.

Sebastian hadn’t recalled ever seeing the nightgown she wore. Usually she had something much thicker and denser but this one seemed… thin.

It was suddenly as if Sebastian’s mouth had lost all its moisture and he couldn’t help but stare as the silk she wore seemed to hug areas he usually wasn’t granted access to see.

Since when had her breasts been this full? Has she always had such an intense dip in her waist?

“Sebastian?” She asked him in mild concern as he stared distantly, his mind very much elsewhere as she came closer to where he stood slack jawed. When she found herself in front of him, he looked at her like a wild animal that had been caught by a hunter.

“I…” he trailed off as he took one more, very obvious, look down at her barely clothed breast. The view from up close confirmed his suspicions that she had forgone any form of camisole as the brief outline of her nipple shown through the silk.

“What’s wrong?” She asked gently, not fully comprehending his reaction.

“I… I think I may need to sleep out there” he said shyly as he pointed to the main area, his voice much more painned than he intended it to sound. At his explanation her heart fell as she couldn’t comprehend his reasoning.

“But why? Did I do something to upset you?”

“What?” He asked her as he looked at her hair which he realized was now completely down, something he’d never been privy to see before. It made him want to reach out and touch the long strands and see if they were just as silky as he imagined.

Quickly snapping his eyes back to her suddenly saddened expression he firmly said “You’ve done nothing wrong”. This further plagued the girl as she couldn’t place why exactly he was acting in this manor.

“I don’t understand. I thought you said you slept better when we were here together… Don’t you want to share the bed?” Her hurt expression cut through him as he realized she was still not understanding that his resistance was not due to anything about her personally… more or less it was about his lack of control in regards to his wandering hands should they lay in the same bed all night.

“Come here,” Sebastian explained as he sat on the edge of the bed, grabbing her palm and pulling her to do the same. She simply sat next to him as he turned to face her, his knee slightly framing her hips and he did his best to try and ignore how close they really were.

I don’t trust myself.

If she hadn’t watched him say it she wouldn’t have believed he muttered the words.

“What do you mean-“ she asked and Sebastian almost grew frustrated with the girl for her lack of awareness at how much of a beauty she was, along with the fact he was so irrevocably in love with her it pained him.

“I mean you are too bloody gorgeous like this that I don’t trust myself to behave like a gentleman” he let out with a frustrated sigh. He knew he shouldn’t get so worked up, especially not to show frustration at her, but the throbbing starting in his lower region was making it hard to fully concentrate on his emotions.

All he heard was her gasp, fearing she’d seen the arousal in his night trousers but when he looked up, all Sebastian saw was the girl cautiously clutching her hair trying to make sense of his words.

Closing his eyes, he ran his hand over his face. Why was he such an idiot? She probably thought him some sort of delinquent. She probably hated him. She-

She had turned her body to face him and placed a hand on his shoulder when he opened his eyes.

“Bash” her timid tone called out and all he could muster upon having her so close was an eyebrow raise to acknowledge he heard her speak.

What if I don’t want you to behave like a gentleman?

Sebastian wasn’t sure he heard her correctly or if he was about to wake up from another one of those wet deans where he stained his sheets dreaming about being buried inside her.

“You don’t know what you’re asking for” he reasoned, knowing how innocent in many regards she seemed. It wouldn’t surprise him if no one had explained the marital act to her at all.

Instead of replying she simply inched closer until she was directly in front of him. Sebastian anticipated her to stop but when she cautiously climbed on his lap his breathing stopped. He kept his hand firmly planted at his sides as she settled herself atop him, her hands resting on his shoulders for support.

“I do know what you’re referring to,” she said bluntly and her boldness made him question just how much he might know of her. Behind those innocent gazes perhaps she’d been a temptress this whole time and he was just to blind by his affections to notice.

He hadn’t realized she had lifted one of his hands until he saw her concentrated expression examining his right hand up close. She studied the calloused skin of his palm before placing his open hand along her waist. Suddenly he felt the warmth of her skin through the silk nightgown along with the beautiful dip of her curves that laid underneath.

“I thought, but you-“ he couldn’t think of an intelligent response as she looked at his face. This led to the both of them staring at one another in silence as he kept his hand firmly planted where she’d left it.

Leaning forward she placed her fingers lightly on his chin, noting the stubble growing from his face as she traced over it. He’d shaved it in the morning but she always enjoyed seeing the small, dark hairs when he stayed with her after nightmares.

“If I ask you to kiss me, are you going to run away Sebastian?” She asked him while continuing to trace her fingertips over his face in the areas his facial hair had started to grow.

Sebastian didn’t reply as his hand finally tightened and curved over her waist. Lifting the other, he placed it on her cheek gently as he let his eyes move to her own.

“Are you sure? If I’m honest I don’t think I can ever let things go back to normal if we do that” he admitted to her with a sigh.

Of course he wanted her. Wanted to be with her. Wanted to kiss her. Wanted to lay with her. But if this was just some Christmas Eve fun that never would go anywhere he couldn’t stomach it.

Instead of replying she simply leaned forward into his hand, smiling to herself as she felt the warmth of his palm against her skin. Sebastian took a shaky inhale at realizing she was signaling he could go ahead while she looked at him through her heavy lidded lashes.

Exhaling gently he leaned forward just enough to ever so softly press his lips to hers.

He could hear the way she inhaled sharply through her nose before he felt the slight pressure of her returning the kiss. It was cautious. Unsure. But still she continued to press on physically and metaphorically.

Sebastian let out a groan as he felt one of her hands tighten in his dark hair, her fingers weaving in and out of the locks along his sensitive nape. In response he pulled her closer to him by the hands firmly planted on her waist and cheek.

Feeling herself more tightly wrapped in his embrace she gained more confidence in the movements, shifting on his lap ever so slightly and letting out a gasp and breaking the kiss when she felt that beautiful ache between her legs at pressing upon his hard thigh.

She had touched herself before, sometimes rutting into a pillow to find relief, but to use the boys thigh in seeking that feeling once more she felt electrified.

Sebastian couldn’t help but feel the full extent of the throbbing in his pants, when he realized she was humping his thigh to get off. The girl he assumed knew little, quickly proving him wrong as her gasps and sighs carved into his neck.

“Hey..” he told her, moving his hand down to her hip to still her movement for a brief moment as she removed her blush covered face from the privacy of his neck.

“I need some guidance on where exactly this is headed” he asked her.

“You’ve always rushed unto everything with no plan before. Why do you need one now?” She retorted one more trying to find the friction she desired on his lap.

Sebastian let out a soft groan as her center moved over his erection and he paused as he considered her words.

“That’s different… I don’t want to be disrespectful or hurt you. I have read that sometimes intercourse can be painful for the woman and I would never want to cause you harm” he explained and she rolled her eyes, catching him off guard with her frustration.

“I’m not made of glass Seb” she told him before aggressively beginning to kiss the side of his neck. Teeth nipping, lips sucking and tongue soothing the skin as she once again resumed rutting her hips.

“But-“

“Oh Merlin, would you just let me do it” she said frustratingly as she pushed his shoulders back until he fell on the bed, as she crawled over top of his shocked form.

Sebastian barely had a chance to get a word in before she was unbuttoning his sleep shirt. He didn’t say anything as he helped her slip it down his arms upon undoing the buttons.

“Do you want me?” She asked him curtly as she looked down at his half naked form with a surprised gaze.

“I - of course “ he told her.

“Then act like it, Sallow.” She told him and suddenly like a fuse had been lit, Sebastian flipped the girl onto her back and started kissing her shoulders and collarbones with vigor. He hadn’t even realized that as he flipped her over he had pulled her nightgown down significantly but he brushed it aside as he kissed her body.

She grew warm at how suddenly the reservations left him body and he responded so well to her noises and gasps. Sebastian seemed to so easily locate all those spots that made her feel weak as he kept kissing her body.

Soon he was reaching for the ties holding up her nightclothes and she leaned up to help him remove it. As her fingers moved to undo the latches he grumpily pushed her hand aside to do it himself.

“Been wanting to unwrap you like a gift for so long now. I want to do it on my own,” he gritted out against the shell of her ear before removing the top of her dress, pulling it up and over her body and tossing it onto the floor.

As she shivered from the draft in the room, Sebastian looked down and realized she wasn’t wearing anything underneath. He assumed that even though she lacked a camisole she at the very least would have breeches, but no. She was fully naked as she lay underneath him.

“You sneaky little witch planned this didn’t you” he gritted out as he leaned down to take one of her pert little nipples in his mouth, groaning at the sweet taste of her skin along his tongue.

“I had hoped it could be a possibility…” she said through a whine as he flicked her now erect nipple with his tongue before moving to the other one.

When he successfully gave it the same attention he release it with a pop as he looked back up at her face hungrily.

“So that innocent routine was just an act?” He asked her as he moved back up her body and leaned his weight down on her. She could finally feel his arousal through his pajama pants and she shivered as he used his free hand to trace down her torso.

“Tell me what you hoped for… did you hope I would kiss you…” he trailed off kissing her now severely flushed skin before pulling back to look up at her through his thick lashes as he kept teasing. “Did you hope I would… touch you here?” Sebastian asked as he ran his fingertips ever so gently over the skin of her chest.

His index finger moved down painfully slow until it was right at the base of her opening and he looked into her eyes intently as he breached her walls with his finger, smiling as he asked “did you hope I would enter you here?”

Sebastian only brought his finger back out slowly as she whimpered at the loss of the stretch that she’d felt around his knuckles and upon hearing the noise he shoved it back in again causing her eyes to go wide as she clung to the quilt.

Shoving another finger alongside it, he continued to work her open so she’d be able to take him with ease. Curling his fingers and scissoring them within her, he took his time appreciating every noise she made and every pull her body made on his appendages.

He wasn’t done teasing the girl yet because just when she was nearing an orgasm he pulled his hand away to look at her exasperated expression with a grin as he shoved the soaked digits into his mouth and licked them clean.

“Well?” He asked her and she remembered vaguely he had asked her what she had hoped for.

“I wanted you to… be inside of me…” she admitted somewhat ashamed and he chuckled at her relapse into innocence.

“My fingers?” He eased as he brought them close to her opening once more before changing his mind and grabbing her hand from where it was still clutching the quilt and bringing it over his arousal before asking “or my cock?”

“Your… cock…” she said as if she was out of breath and he smiled down at her, suddenly breaking the trance he’d been in and softly stroking her messy hair away from her face as he laid down next to her.

“You sweet, darling girl” he cooed as he pulled her into his frame. “You may have whatever you desire” he told her before leaning up to passionately but delicately kiss her once more.

She carefully reached for the tie on his sleep pants as she undid the knot and pushed them off his hips. Sebastian reached down to loosen his breeches and pushed them off his body to assist her before maneuvering his way between her open knees, laying over her.

“I’m sorry if I got carried away…” he admitted, realizing that his brash actions may not have been what she wanted.

“Don’t be. I found it to be… quite stirring” she admitted and he laughed at her choice words. Caressing her cheek he leaned down to kiss the skin between her eyebrows before pulling back.

“We do this at your pace. Promise you’ll let me know if it stings” he asked her and she nodded, brushing off the concerns as she reached for his cock, only to have him palm his manhood with a slight groan as he shook his head.

“I mean it. I don’t want to hurt you.” He told her sternly and she looked up at his concern laced brow.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine-“ she said as she finally unwrapped his hand from his manhood, finally getting to feel the full size of him as she looked down in shock.

Sebastian was much larger than she imagined. Not that she’d ever seen one in real life before but, even from anatomical drawings she’d seen and the girlish whispers she realized he was much more endowed than she assumed.

“Oh…” she said as she looked down, losing her nerve as she saw the way his cock looked massive between their bodies and the way it pulsed under her scrutiny.

“We don’t have to do it if you are nervous” he told her as she tore her gaze from his manhood back to his face.

“I want to” she said firmly and he looked at her for any signs she was lying or feeling pressured.

“You’re sure?” He asked her gently, his thumb tracing over the skin of her chin as he held her face carefully.

“Just… go slow…” she told him, parting her legs further and reaching down to assist him.

Sebastian grunted as he felt her lining his head up with her opening and once he could feel they were properly aligned he let go of her chin to reach for her hand, holding it in his own as he encouraged her to look up.

“Look at me, don’t worry about what is going on down there alright? Just look into my eyes…” he offered and she nodded, pulling her gaze directly into his own as he ever so slightly pushed his hips forward.

Everything went okay for a few moments until her breath hitched and he paused, not tearing his eyes from hers as he stopped pressing in. When she looked as if she adjusted, he continued until the entirety of his head was inside of her, pausing once more.

He couldn’t help but sigh as he sunk into her, enjoying the warmth of her body around him as he parted her. Every so often he’d stop and ask if she was okay to keep going and she never told him it hurt but he could definitely see the discomfort at the new and what he imagined, intrusive, feeling.

However for him… it was like coming home, to a place he’d never known was so wonderful. Her body eventually opened up and accepted all of him and he found his mound of dark curls pressed against her own, slightly more manicured patch of hair atop her womanhood.

He could feel the press of her hip bones on his as he laid there, waiting for her to adjust to the fullness of his length within her body. Sebastian almost felt amazed at where it all had gone, as she was so small in comparison to him and he knew his cock well exceeded his classmates from their time sharing dorms and bathrooms.

“Do you think you’re ready for me to move?” He asked her with the softest tone he could muster despite feeling like he was going to burst free at any second.

“You’ll be gentle?” She asked timidly and he almost removed himself entirely at the tone she asked him with.

“I promise. I don’t want you to be in pain. Does it hurt now?” He asked her, not wanting to know the answer but needing to have it regardless.

“It’s moreso just… pressure? Maybe moving will help” she offered as an explanation and he nodded, ever so carefully pulling his hips back before slowly sliding back inside once more at a snail like pace.

Eventually his movements became more comfortable, confident, and controlled - as well as slightly faster.

At first her face scrunched up as she closed her eyes but after a moment she seemed to relax her eyebrows as her mouth fell open. Sebastian watched her reactions intently as she gave herself over to him.

Somehow he moved to an angle causing a pleasured noise to spill from her lips and he felt himself twitch knowing that she was slowly starting to feel good.

“Hey, I like seeing those pretty eyes Love” he said gently as he nudged her nose with his own, causing her to open them once more and blush up at him as he continued to press within her.

“There you are… so incredibly beautiful. You are an angel…” he whispered as he picked up the pace but kept his tone soft.

His words and his moments caused her to feel a stirring in her stomach that was similar to when she rode highwing and she would dive low.

“Sebastian…” She sighed his name as a mantra while she reached up to hold his cheek in her hand, the other curled around into his hair.

“My gorgeous witch… so lovely inside and out…” he continued to praise her as her eyes grew glassy at his sweet words and without thinking a tear rolled out of the corner of her eye, his thumb moving to catch it the second he spotted it.

“Did I hurt you-“ he quickly asked but she stopped him by leaning up to kiss him, her hips rising to meet his shallow moments as he groaned.

Pulling away she continued to hold him close as she whispered

I love you Sebastian Sallow…

Hearing her call his name like that, and saying she loved him, caused him to stutter in his movements and his cock begin to angrily throb looking for that final push of release.

He moved his hips much faster against hers as he leaned down and groaned out, “I - love you too… so much… uhhh fuck… need to… finish… where” he struggled to choke out as he kept his momentum while driving into her.

Realizing she was likely much further behind he had the foresight to lean his hand down and start playing with her nub, causing her back to raise sharply as she whimpered and clawed at his back.

“Need to pull, out-“ he grunted and she shook her head violently beneath him.

“No. Please. Don’t -“ she said through a loud sob, her body beginning to clench around him as she looked up at him fiercely saying “please finish inside…” she begged.

He didn’t need to ask twice after she gave him permission. Pushing harshly on her clit, she came with a scream and with that, her body pulled his cock so tightly that he followed.

As her body milked him for every drop he had he couldn’t help but feel the strong sense of pride running through his mind as he flooded her with his seed. He looked down watching her wide eyed expression as he continued to pump his load deep within her body, only slowing once he ran out of stamina before he collapsed on top of her.

Sebastian was spent as he laid on top of her chest, his face pressed against her sweaty skin and he slowly began trailing butterfly kisses across her neck at the same moment he felt her brushing his hair off his forehead to do the same.

Suddenly he heard the clock chime loudly in the main room, signaling midnight and he removed himself from the crook of her neck as he softened within her, his spill slipping out of her and between their thighs. It felt so overwhelmingly perfect and then he realized something.

“Happy Christmas” he whispered as he tucked her hair behind her ear and she looked up at him slowly realizing that he was indeed correct and they had made love on Christmas Eve through the official start of the day itself.

“Happy Christmas Sebastian…” she said, her voice slightly hoarse from the screech she’d let out and he leaned down to kiss her once more before pulling her body into his, neglecting the mess between them.

“Well, I for one think this Christmas is already off to the best start imaginable” he admitted before pecking her forehead and he smiled when she laughed, the chuckle causing both their bodies to shake.

“Of course you’d say that”

“What? I’ve got the girl I love in my arms. What more can a man want?” He asked her and he looked down just in time to see her face turn up to meet his.

“You love me?” She asked softly and suddenly it was his turn to chuckle.

“I think that what we just did goes to show that but yes, I do love you. Terribly so.” He admitted as he brought her closer into his arms.

“I love you too” she told him as he smiled, his eyes starting to grow heavy.

“I heard you the first time… although if you feel so inclined to repeat it, I can guarantee that’s not the sort of thing one grows tired of hearing” he told her as he drifted off to sleep holding her in his arms thinking about how much more pleasurable this was than going to sleep with dragon pox on Christmas.

THE END

[jjkamochoso]

Imagine… Making Lemonade for Levi on a Hot Summer Day

Fluff

Postwar!Levi Ackerman x gn!reader

Warnings: none

The summer heat was scorching down on you as you stretched out on a lounge chair in your backyard, soaking up some sun. You were enjoying your lazy day, getting some much needed Vitamin D. You flipped through a magazine, your mind still blown by the fact that the glossy pages had entertained people for much longer than you had even known they existed. There were many things in Marley that were completely new to you and every trip to the market was filled with enchantment as you learned of all the wonders that had been held from you in your previous life in Paradis. Now, you and your boyfriend Levi were living it up together in your cottage and you couldn’t be happier. Speaking of Levi, you had a fantastic view of the raven haired man while he was hard at work, tending the garden. His white shirt was clinging to his sturdy back as he dug the spade into the dirt, his arm muscles flexing with each movement. When he was finished planting, you saw him lean back a little as he wiped the sweat that had accumulated on his forehead. The extra moisture made his whole body glisten; he looked absolutely divine and you couldn’t tear your gaze away from him. He cocked his head, finally acknowledging your unbridled interest in his figure.

“Didn’t your parents teach you that it’s rude to stare?”

“There’s no harm in admiring the spectacular view in front of me,” you said, cheekiness apparent in your tone. Levi scoffed and rolled his eyes, getting back to the task at hand, but you could tell that you flustered him a bit with your flirting as the pink tinge that now graced his face wasn’t just from the heat. You tried putting your focus back on your magazine but you started to feel quite parched. You decided to go inside and make some lemonade for yourself and your handsome boyfriend. You gathered everything you needed and began to squeeze the lemons. When you got enough juice, you made a simple syrup on the stove, then poured both of those and lots of water into a giant pitcher, mixing it all up. Taking out two tall glasses, you filled them up to the brim with ice and the lemonade, enjoying the relief of the cold that seeped onto your hand. You left your glass inside so you had an empty hand to open and close the back door and headed into the warmth of the outdoors.

“I got something to cool you down, hottie,” you greeted Levi, this time earning a groan and an eye roll.

“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” he chided, shaking his head when you attempted to wink at him. Though he found your antics silly, he also thought you were completely adorable with the way you showed your affection toward him. Putting words to his feelings was never his forte so having a partner like you, comfortable in expressing your attraction to him, was something he was extremely grateful for. You reached out your unoccupied arm to help steady Levi as he stood up from the ground, his legs shaky from exertion. You held up the glass of lemonade for him to take a sip from, hoping he wasn’t dehydrated from his time under the sun. He put his lips around the straw and took a long drink, eager to quench his thirst.

“Y/n, that’s really good. Thank you,” he said, giving you a close lipped grin.

“Of course,” you replied, brushing a stray piece of hair from his face. He suddenly got shy from the intimacy of your gesture, opting to study the ground instead of your face, though he still leaned on you as you helped him walk over to the patio where a chair in the shade was waiting for him. You sat him down and retrieved your own drink from inside the house before sitting in the chair next to him.

“Thank you for all your work,” you told Levi, a kiss lovingly placed onto his cheek. “The garden is beautiful. The flowers are going to look phenomenal this year.”

“Not as phenomenal as you look now,” he observed, meeting your eyes once more as you gasped.

“Levi! How uncharacteristically suave that was!” you exclaimed, playfully holding a hand over your mouth in faux shock.

“Tch. I can be romantic, you know.”

“Wow, I can’t believe I got the Levi “Loverboy” Ackerman to fall for me. How lucky am I?” you asked, swooning. “Ooh, maybe next time you can garden shirtless and give me a real show. It’ll be like those romance novels Hange always told me about.”

���Just drink your damn lemonade,” muttered the man, failing to hide the tenderness that appeared on his facial features at the sound of your laughter. You couldn’t contain your giggles, trying your best not to choke on your drink and Levi wrapped an arm around your shoulders, pulling you closer and enjoying this carefree moment with you. The lemonade was the perfect drink for the perfect day with the perfect love of your life.

[vanteguccir]

The right love for me | M.S.

Matt Sturniolo x fem!oc (Elena)

Summary: Where Elena and Matt grew up together, fell in love as kids but realized too late. Will there be any hope for them?

Warning: A little angst and mentions of cheating.

Word count: 4.5k

Author's note: That is my work, I DON'T authorize any plagiarism! | English isn't my first language, so I'm sorry if there's any grammar error.

Part 2

༻✦༺ 　༻✧༺　༻✦༺

Elena was born and raised in Boston, in a two-story house, next door to one of the most beautiful houses in the city, but not because of its external beauty, but because of who lived inside.

Elena grew up being the next-door neighbor of the Sturniolo triplets, she also studied at the same school as the three of them, these two factors made her and the trio become almost a fantastic quartet.

The four of them grew up together, ran down the street every day together, got dirty with dirt and mud on rainy days together, played cooking together (they were forced by her) and, best of all, they made mini "vlogs" together throughout their childhood and pre-adolescence, becoming literally inseparable.

Nick was Elena's confidant, always there to listen to her and give faithful advice to the girl, giving her a shoulder to cry on and a company to laugh when needed. Nick trusted Elena with his eyes closed and loved her with all his heart, so much so that she was the first one he came out to.

Chris was her partner in crime, the two grew up playing pranks on their parents, brothers (on his side) and neighbors. Chris saw Elena as his anchor, losing count of how many times he entered the girl's room through the window in the early hours of the morning to vent or just to be able to sleep with her company, dispelling his biggest fears.

Matt was a different case. Matt was the boy who took her as his date to every school dance and accompanied her to every friend's party. Matt was the boy who bought Elena flowers every week and took her to the city's summer amusement parks, always making sure to get her a different teddy bear. Matt was the boy who made her heart flutter, but also stay in a sacred calm; that made her body freeze, but also warm with affection. He was the one who introduced the feeling of love to her...

But who said he did anything about it? Despite acting almost like her boyfriend, Matt was afraid of rejection, after all, his heart belonged 100% to Elena and he couldn't bear having it completely stolen from him if she denied it. And that's why, out of a silly but genuine fear, he lost her.

At the age of 17, Elena moved to New York with her parents after her mother received a job offer that she couldn't refuse and that would open doors for her career. Seeing her leave was one of the hardest things Matt has been through, but the most painful was seeing her post on Instagram, 6 months after she left. Elena was dating, and it wasn't him.

Over time, things changed, the triplets moved to Los Angeles and grew dramatically on social media, becoming extremely well-known and loved on the Internet.

And Elena... well, Elena finished school and started International Relations at NYU, working at a coffee shop near her house so she could save money, since she was engaged. That's right, her boyfriend, Jeremy, of almost 2 years had asked her to marry him. It was a big shock and Elena had to think a lot before accepting, but it was her dream, to have a successful career and raise a family. Right?

Elena and Jeremy were in the middle of a month of decisions for the wedding, decoration, food, cake, clothes, etc., so Elena was feeling overwhelmed, it was a lot on her mind, and she found herself wondering if that was really what she wanted. Therefore, the girl (now woman) decided to pay a visit to her grandparents, who still lived in Boston. Cooling down in a place more than familiar to her seemed ideal now.

Elena just didn't expect that her grandmother would tell Mary Lou, and that Mary would tell Nick, who would tell his brothers, generating a secret collective trip to Boston. The triplets were dying to see Elena, after all, it had been 2 years since they had seen her best friend, or, in Matt's case, crush.

It was a Saturday morning when Elena landed in Boston, quickly grabbing her small suitcase and hailing a taxi at the airport's main pedestrian entry and exit gate, giving as her destination address her grandparents' house, which coincidentally, was on the same street where she grew up.

Elena planned to stay in Boston only until the next day, Sunday, since Monday she had classes again and she was going back to work, besides she knew that if she stayed much longer away from home, from Jeremy, he would lose his mind.

It didn't take long for Elena to arrive at her destination. The girl got out of the car after paying the taxi driver and took her suitcase from the trunk, thanking him once again before she knocked on the front door, waiting.

It was a big surprise for her when her grandfather opened the door and behind him were her best friends, Nick was holding a sign that said "WELCOME BACK, ELENA! WE MISSED YOU ♡", while Chris was holding three packets of her favorite candy in his hands and Matt held a bouquet of flowers that almost hid his red face, Elena wondered if it was from embarrassment or the heat from the summer.

The girl dropped the suitcase, bringing her right hand to her mouth, covering half of her surprised expression. She felt her eyes fill with tears, God, how she missed the three boys.

Next to her were her grandparents, with big smiles on their faces and bright eyes, watching her with a mix of affection and pride.

"Oh my God, you guys are crazy! What are you doing in Boston? I thought you were in LA!" Elena exclaimed, her voice cracking mid-sentence with high emotions.

"We were, but Grandma told our mom that you were coming here today and I couldn't handle missing my best friend anymore." Nick said as he placed the poster on the couch. He turned quickly and ran to the girl, hugging her tightly. The action seemed to wake Matt and Chris, who quickly moved and formed a mini line behind the oldest.

"Damn, you look old" Chris joked when his brother got out of the hug, laughing loudly when Elena hit his forehead. "Here, to sweeten your life." He scoffed, handing the candy packets to her.

"I have to check if these aren't sour candies, coming from you I expect everything." Elena joked, taking the candies and placing them on top of her suitcase. She opened her arms and hugged Chris momentarily.

Chris pulled away as they separated and positioned himself next to Nick, the two exchanging glances before turning their gaze to Matt.

"They're pink tulips, I hope they're still your favorites" Matt stepped forward, showing the full bouquet before handing it to her.

"Oh Matt, they're beautiful! Thank you" Elena received the bouquet, smelling them quickly and mentally punishing herself for blushing.

Matt smiled widely and watched her for a few seconds, only breaking out of his trance when he heard Elena's grandfather make a fake cough. The boy shook his head and walked away, lowering his gaze to the ground.

Elena quickly placed the bouquet on the coffee table and finally greeted her grandparents, placing kisses on their age-marked cheeks.

"Let's take these things to your room and make plans for the weekend!" Nick spoke loudly, throwing the candies to Chris and taking the small suitcase in his hands, before starting to climb the stairs without waiting for anyone.

Elena laughed loudly as she heard Chris swear at Nick as he bent down to pick up the packages that fell at his feet. Matt shook his head, smiling as he saw the girl take the bouquet with extreme delicacy.

The three following the oldest up the stairs.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

Hours later, the quartet found themselves in the triplets parents car, parked at the Mc Donald's they grew up going to, while eating their favorite burguers and catching up on conversations. They spent the afternoon driving around the places they went when young, which made Elena's heart warm, she missed that, that feeling of calm, without any burden, without obligations or responsibilities, just the interest of being happy.

During that early morning, Elena woke up to the sound of rocks hitting her window, which she quickly recognized. What surprised her was that when she got up and approached the window it wasn't Chris there, but Matt.

"What are you doing here?" Elena asked in a whisper after opening her window, squinting her eyes as she tried to better see Matt's silhouette in the pitch black night.

"Let me in." Matt whispered back, ignoring her question as he looked down to check if he wasn't about to fall off the edge of the roof.

Elena sighed and walked to the side, giving Matt space to enter through the window, closing it shortly after to stop the night wind of entering the room.

"What are you doing here at this time?" Elena asked again, sitting on the edge of her bed and watching him.

"As if I didn't pay you visits in the early hours of the morning before." He responded smiling, sitting on the bed and dragging himself until his back was against the headboard and his legs were stretched out on the mattress. He slapped his hand on the space beside him, looking at Elena.

The girl sighed but smiled, following his silent request.

"I missed you" Matt commented. "It's strange to live life without you with us"

"I miss you too" Elena replied, looking at him. "It's strange to only keep in touch on the phone and find out about some things through social media" She continued, receiving a nod from the brunette.

"You still have them" Matt realized as he noticed all the teddy bears he got for Elena piled up on top of the dresser next to the closet.

"Of course I have them, why would I throw them away? They're cute and remind me that you're actually good at something" She scoffed, receiving a light push from the boy.

"As if you weren't rooting like crazy for me while I was trying to hit the game targets" He mocked back, seeing Elena roll her eyes with a big smile on her face.

"Obviously, getting teddy bears is better than buying them, have you seen the prices of these little things?" Elena gave a low laugh when she saw Matt open his mouth exaggeratedly, soon after the two burst into laughter together.

"So, are you really going to get married?" Matt asked suddenly after they calmed down, looking directly at her.

"Yeah, I will" She replied, lowering her gaze to her hands, specifically to the silver ring on her left ring finger.

"You don't look very excited" He commented, making the girl sigh.

"I just... I don't know, I'm so young, you know? I'm only 20, getting married seems a bit drastic right now, but Jeremy thinks it will be good for our future, us having the same last name will help in the office" She replied, furrowing his eyebrows.

"What does he do for a living again?" The brunette asked.

"He currently works at his father's office and studies law," Elena said, noticing the grimace he made at her response. "What?"

"He doesn't seem like your type. In fact, he seems like quite a daddy's boy." Matt commented, regretting it seconds later after seeing Elena's eyebrows raise in surprise.

"And what do you know about my type, Matthew?"

"I'm sorry, ignore what I said" Matt intervened quickly, the last thing he wanted was to fight with Elena now, knowing that after that Sunday, he didn't know when he would see her again. Maybe at her wedding, the boy felt himself shudder at the thought.

Elena sighed.

"You know that my dream has always been to be successful with my career and have my own family. Us getting married would give me both... Having his last name, I will be able to start my International Relations profession within the office that soon will be his, which will make me grow faster on the career, and I'll have my own family." Elena spoke while gesturing.

"Sounds like there's a lot of self-interest involved" Matt commented.

"Matthew!" The girl exclaimed, making him raise his arms in a sign of redemption.

"Sorry, sorry." He sighed. "I remember, you know."

"What?" Elena looked at him confused.

"How you always wanted a family, when we were kids me, Nick and Chris were always messing around and you were playing mommy with your barbies. You wouldn't let go of that damn Baby Alive even if you were paid to, always taking her everywhere." Matt let out a laugh as he remembered, making Elena laugh along as she saw her own smaller figure running after the triplets with her doll in hands.

"You can't say anything, you always took care of my Baby Alive when I asked you to" The girl replied with a wide smile, watching Matt roll his eyes exaggeratedly while she laughed as quietly as she could.

The brunette turned to her to rebut, but stopped in his action, reinforcing in his mind every detail of the face of the girl who had his heart in her hands, details that he had memorized a long time ago and still found himself remembering and tracing in his mind on sleepless nights.

The two stared deeply at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before Elena looked away and fake coughed.

"Just think about your decision Elena." Matt asked softly before getting up from the queen sized bed.

"Where are you going?" Elena looked at him again, her eyes pleading, as if she was afraid he would leave her there, alone and without him.

"I'm going back home, if my mother wakes up and doesn't see me in bed in the morning, I'm sure she'll freak out, and the situation won't turn out very well for us." He spoke with a sigh, going to the window and opening it, looking back one last time, before moving outside, closing it again before disappearing from the girl's vision.

Elena stood still for a few minutes, processing the conversation and that last moment, feeling her heart sink at the thought of not seeing the boy again for a long time after Sunday. It felt like a goodbye.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

On the next day, Elena woke up significantly early as she felt the sun's rays coming through her window. As she opened her eyes, ready to complain about why it was so bright in the room, she remembered Matt leaving and how she forgot to get up and close the curtains.

The girl sighed, before getting up and getting ready for the day. She felt excited to be able to see her friends again, but her heart ached at the thought that that very night she would leave again.

After getting ready, Elena took her cell phone and saw a message left by Jeremy.

"I hope you're having a good time there. I can't wait to have you here again today, I can't stop looking at the wedding catalogues. Do you prefer chocolate or vanilla cake? xx, jeremy"

Elena sighed again, it's obvious she preferred vanilla, how did he not know that? The girl shook her head, deciding to answer him another time.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

"What are we doing today?" Nick asked as they found themselves in front of the triplets' door, as they had done years before.

"I thought we'd go to the amusement park, the one that only opens in the summer, you know? Like old days." Matt suggested. Elena looked at him when she heard about the park, quickly looking away when she saw him already looking back at her. She needed to stop this.

"Let's go then!" Chris spoke loudly, running over to his parents' car again, fiddling with the passenger door handle impatiently, begging Matt to unlock it.

Elena laughed at the action, running to the car too and soon getting into the back seat, sitting behind Chris's group, having a view of the driver's seat.

A few minutes later the four arrived at the amusement park and started going on the basic rides, which the four liked, bumper cars, roller coasters and carousel.

"Can we go on the ferris wheel?" Elena asked, puting her hands in a sign of prayer and looking at the three of them with a pleading look.

"I'm not going, it's too boring. I want to go to the arcade area" Chris replied, ignoring the girl who was begging.

"I want to go to the arcade too!" Nick shouted, raising his hand like a child and approaching Chris, making Elena roll her eyes and cross her arms with a huff.

"I'll go with you." Matt said looking at Elena, who smiled big, taking his hand and dragging him through the park to the ferris wheel line, ignoring the taller man's protests.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

"Wow, I don't remember the last time I entered a cabin like that" Matt commented, closing the small door behind him and sitting on the single bench next to Elena, who smiled as she nodded and looked at the outside view through the cabin's glass window.

Matt found himself watching her, taking note of her profile, feeling himself falling in love with her all over again.

It didn't take long for the wheel to start moving, the cabin swayed a little making Elena let out a surprised sound, holding onto Matt's arm to steady herself.

"Sorry, I don't remember it moving that much" She commented, smiling awkwardly as she took her hand off the boy's arm, watching him wave his hand like it was nothing.

The two focused their eyes outside the cabin, taking note of the people who looked like little ants as the cabin rose higher, the blue sky with few clouds, the light breeze that blew and the birds that passed by in the distance. Elena looked at the cabin ahead and saw a couple cuddling each other, smiling big as they also watched the view, and she found herself trying to remember if she had ever been through that with Jeremy, but her mind came out was blank.

Her chest tightened as she realized that she had never even been to an amusement park with Jeremy, or a park, or a romantic walk. With Jeremy it was always all about work and having the perfect status.

Her gaze changed from the couple to Matt, noticing that he was also looking at the couple, but quickly his blue eyes focused on her as well.

"I love being able to look at you up close like this," Matt whispered, as if he was afraid of speaking too loudly and end what they were having.

Elena smiled, blushing, but forcing herself not to look away from him, she didn't want to miss that moment for anything. Her eyes took in all the little details of Matt's face, his sparkling blue eyes with dilated pupils, his nose perfectly shaped and the right size for his face, his cheekbones slightly reddened by the heat, his big, messy hair, his beard starting to appear again due to the time without shaving it... She felt like she could stay there forever.

Matt moved slightly closer, stopping with his mouth centimeters from hers, seeming to wait to see if she would pull away, which she didn't. Elena held herself in place, yearning to feel him.

Matt, realizing that there was no movement on her part, moved closer until their lips touched, and Elena felt that everything she read in romance books about the sensations of electricity through her body and the fireworks around her when kissing her right person was true.

Matt let out a sigh through his nose at the sensation, feeling instant relief and as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He never wanted to leave there again.

It was just a touch of lips, but it was enough for them at that moment. It was exactly what they needed.

Elena pulled away first, still with her eyes closed, trying to prolong the feeling and sensations in her body and mind. When she opened her eyes, she noticed Matt already looking at her, smiling broadly, and she returned the smile.

"I love you." Matt blurted out, making Elena's eyes widen. "Elena, I'm sorry for not having said or done anything before, but I've loved you for as long as I can remember, since the first flower I plucked from my mother's garden and gave to you, since the first time you gave me your Baby Alive for me to take care of as if it were the most precious thing in the world, since the first day you asked me to kiss your scraped knee to heal it. I've loved you for so long and I was an idiot for not saying it. And it's okay if you don't want me, you're engaged, you have a life in New York and... Asking you to leave all of this is impossible, but I needed to tell you."

Before Elena could process it, the bubble around the two seemed to burst as the ferris wheel stopped and their turn was over, the little cabin door opening again.

Matt cleared his throat, getting up and helping Elena out. When they both touched their feet on the floor, Elena felt her cell phone vibrate, picking it up only to see that Jeremy was sending her a new message about the wedding, and at that moment she fell to reality, she had cheated on her fiancé with her best friend. A bitter taste entered her mouth, her body froze and a horrible feeling took over her heart. God, what did she do?

Elena quickly pulled away from Matt, feeling her hands shake. She put her cell phone in her bag and turned to the taller man, seeing him looking at her with a worried look.

"Matt I cheated on him... I-I cheated on my fiancé with you." She stuttered. Matt looked at her with a weight on his eyes, feeling horrible for having contributed to that, blaming himself for kissing her, wanting to go back in time and not even agreeing to go on the ferris wheel with the girl.

He loved her, but she didn't love him back, not like he wanted her to.

"Elena look, it's going to be okay, you can talk to him, I swear I won't approach you again, I'm sorry-"

"I-I need to go."

"What?" Matt stopped walking completely.

"I need to go Matt." She looked into his eyes, feeling guilty as she saw immense pain in the blue pools. "Don't go after me, please. I'm sorry."

Elena turned and ran away, wiping the tears that fell from her eyes without stopping and feeling an emptiness and weight in her chest, as if part of her had stayed with Matt.

༻﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡﹡༺

The girl got out of the taxi in front of her grandparents house and walked to the door, taking the spare key that her grandfather had given her, trying to unlock the lock with her blurry vision.

"Elena?" The girl heard her grandmother call from the kitchen after closing the door behind her.

"Hi grandma." Elena responded, her voice cracking from the held back cry.

Her grandmother quickly appeared at the kitchen door after noticing the difference in her granddaughter's voice, approaching with quick steps when she saw the youngest's red eyes and wet cheeks.

"Oh Elena, what happened?" The older woman asked worriedly, taking Elena's shoulders and leading her to the sofa, sitting her on the soft surface and sitting next to her.

"Why does love hurt so much, grandma?" Elena asked, letting out a sob. Her grandmother sighed, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Oh Elena, love doesn't hurt dear. It took me many years to learn that, if love is right for you and your heart, and it's reciprocal, it doesn't hurt, it wasn't made to hurt. It was with your grandfather that I learned that love is free, it is generous, it is safe and it empowers you in a way that makes you feel stronger and like you can conquer the world." The oldest explained with a smile. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"I kissed Matt." Elena said, looking down at her hands, quickly looking away from the ring. "We went to the amusement park we went to as kids, I wanted to go on the ferris wheel and he accompanied me, we had a moment and we kissed."

"He always looked at you differently... And you at him, so much so that I swore you two would end up together. I remember all the times you came running here with a new flower in your hands and said it was from Matt, as If I didn't already know that." Elena smiled upon hearing her grandmother's words.

"But grandma, I'm engaged." She whispered regretfully.

"Do you love Jeremy?" The eldest asked, cupping her granddaughter's cheek and lifting her face so she could look her in the eyes.

"I-I... I don't know." Elena desperately tried to feel for Jeremy what she felt for Matt. "I don't feel about him what I feel when I think about Matt, or when I'm with him. Jeremy is an incredible man, with a planned and perfect life... I feel so pressured sometimes, like I have to be perfect all the time to fit in with him and his plans. It's not light, grandma."

Elena cried harder when she realized how heavy her days were with Jeremy, how she always had to have the most impeccable and perfect clothes, with the best posture, the most flawless makeup, the best-groomed hair and the best modes. How she felt about being looked at and evaluated by everyone all the time, especially at Jeremy's parenting conferences or in her father's office.

"Elena, pay close attention to me, what does your heart say if you spend more time worrying about perfection than kissing him? If you spend more time in the day thinking about a thousand things than living love lightly? Do you feel like to run away when with him? Honey, I'm sorry, but that's not love. Not the right one for you, at least."

Elena looked at her grandmother, surprised by her wisdom and how it all made sense.

Jeremy was a perfect man, but not for her. Matt was her perfect match.

God, what would she do now? She ran out of the park and left Matt all by himself after he declared his love for her. And she still had Jeremy...

"I already know what I gave to do."

༻✦༺ 　༻✧༺　༻✦༺

Part 2

[golbrocklovely]

we went mad // sam and colby

A/N: let me tell you a story of how this came to be. i obviously got the idea from the scream franchise, in particular scream 2 which is set at a college. so originally i wrote this in second person, but i felt like i had already written pretty much everything up until now in that pov, so i had to switch ALL of the writing i had done (which was most of it) over to first person. and then… i had to finish writing it. and that for some reason just took so long for me. i think part of the issue was that when i originally came up with the idea of this fic, i saw the ending, and that was it. i wanted the famous kitchen scene with billy, stu, and syd, but god… getting there was no cake walk. thank christ i'm done with this fic. it's definitely one of my longer ones. let me know what you think ! hope you enjoy :)

prompt: someone on campus is killing all of your ex-classmates. and you fear you're next. || college!sam and colby x reader

trigger warning: murders, slightly gore and blood mentions, cursing, college setting, parties, drinking, douchy/emotionless bf, mentions of hs bullying, surprise/rollercoaster ending

word count: 6582

~~~~~~~~

How could you have missed the signs? How could you not have known all this time?

~~~

Sam and Colby had talked about moving away from our hometown for years. They had major plans to move to L.A. and become big. But instead, they decided to go to our local state college with me, and half of our graduating class. And while I was confused by their choice, I was happy nonetheless. They were my best friends, and I was upset thinking that I wouldn’t see them anymore after graduation. But I understood why they wanted to get away in the first place: everyone at our school bullied them. The number of times Sam and Colby had been shoved into lockers, or had food thrown at them in the cafeteria, or were just badmouthed... let's just say that high school was nothing short of hell for them.

Freshman year of college, while stressful, was fantastic. We all lived on campus, our dorms across the street from one another. Hell, I could even see their dorm from my window. We took a lot of the same core classes together, always making sure to work on projects and help each other out. We hadn’t decided our majors yet and knew that this would be the only time we could be in the same classes together.

Things were good for a long time, all the way through the end of sophomore year. I was so excited to start the next half of college. It felt like the home stretch, even if we weren’t close to graduating yet.

But our relationship changed, our friendship drifted apart. By the start of junior year, we were no longer friends. And the major reason for it? I started dating someone from our old high school. I had met him at the end of sophomore year and dated him secretly during the summer. His name was Davis, and back in high school, he was popular. He got into this university on a sports scholarship.  And you might be wondering, was Davis someone that bullied Sam and Colby? No, he wasn’t. But he was friends with those that did.

I didn’t know that until I was already dating Davis. It was hard to keep up with who did and didn’t bully Sam and Colby back in the day. I told Davis to apologize to Sam and Colby for what his friends did. At first he was a bit confused, but he did it regardless. Sure, it was at a party and he was kind of drunk. But it still counted… right? He later texted the guys about it and they said they accepted his apology.

However, they couldn’t forgive me for dating someone like that. So, our friendship just… died.

But even though I wasn’t their friend anymore, I still knew them pretty well. And the moment we were no longer friends, something felt… off about them. We still shared the occasional class, so I saw them every other day. They seemed darker, broodier. And only ever with one another. But that wasn't that unusual for them. They relied on one another a lot.

On a cool fall day, shocking news broke on campus: someone was killed right outside the dorms late last night. Classes were immediately cancelled. Everyone was on edge. The university did its best to calm the nerves of its students, siting that we were in a major city and cities tend to have random killings happen. Police stayed on campus for the next couple days, and partying was prohibited.

Of course, that didn't stop the frat houses from throwing "secret" keggers in their basements. I didn't really want to go, but Davis begged me to. That I should "live on the edge" since I was never really a go-getter. So I went, and I was surprised to see Colby at the party. I waved at him, but his eyes glared back, and then behind me. I turned to see Davis, my face immediately dropping. I didn't see Colby the rest of the night.

The next day, the police finally released the name of the person that was killed on campus. It was in fact a student, but that didn’t mean there was an issue on campus itself. Since we lived in the city, bad things were bound to happen to us too.

The name sounded familiar, and it finally clicked: it was someone from our graduating class. James Cooper. I didn’t know him all that well, but I was still sad to hear he was killed.

Davis sort of knew the guy too; he had been on the hockey team. They had gone to parties together before, but he wasn't close to him. It clicked for me even more when Davis mentioned the hockey team: that guy shoved Sam and Colby into lockers our freshman year to impress his friends. He was a major dick to them for a while, until finally getting onto the hockey team and just ignoring all classmates that were "underneath" him.

…Maybe karma actually did work.

Less than a week later, another person was killed. This time it was a girl. She was found just outside of the library in some bushes. I knew who she was, remembering her from high school. She was a cheerleader, both years ago and now. Lizzie Campbell.

This was all so weird to me. In the two years of being on campus, I had barely heard about any robberies or petty crimes happening, let alone two murders. And on top of that, two of my ex-classmates? Davis shrugged it off, saying it was just a coincidence. But I couldn’t shake the feeling of something not being right about all of this.

And as time went on, my suspicions became more of a premonition.

Two more students, back-to-back, were found. But what made it worse was this time one was in the dorms. And it was in my dorm too, two floors down. Security had everyone on that floor evacuate and go to other dorms for the time being. I, and many other students, didn’t feel safe in the building. I decided to stay over at Davis’ frat house.

They ended up throwing a last-minute party that weekend. I begged Davis to tell his brothers not to throw one, especially because of how insensitive it was and that they could be fined for it. He told me it was out of his hands, that he didn’t decide whether parties happened or not.

How could he be so blasé about these deaths, especially since he even knew these people?

This was a side to him I had never seen, and I didn’t like it one fucking bit. I couldn’t stay there that night, so I trudged back to my dorm room. On my way there, I ran into Sam.

It was awkward to say the least. We talked briefly, and I told him how I planned to stay in my dorm since I couldn’t stay at Davis’. Sam offered his and Colby’s dorm instead; that it was much safer than mine, especially since I would be alone.

Part of me didn’t want to go to their dorm, mostly because of everything going on between us. But he was right about it being safer, and I did miss them a lot.

I followed Sam back to his dorm. He informed me that Colby was out working on a project and wouldn’t be back until later. Their dorm was nice and spacious, the benefit of being an upperclassman. It was like a mini apartment in some ways. We relaxed in their living room area and chatted for a bit. Eventually, the topic of conversation fell onto the recent murders. Sam spoke of whispers around campus that the killer wore a mask shaped like a melted ghost’s face, that that was how he got in and out of the dorms. My skin crawled at the thought of seeing that mask and prayed that that wasn’t the case. The killer could be anyone on campus, just lurking in the shadows.

I had this urge inside of me to tell Sam my theory. I knew we weren’t close anymore, but I felt like he was the only one that would believe me.

I explained to him what I thought was happening: how all of the people that had been killed on campus were from our old high school. The killer was attacking those from our high school only, possibly hunting them down for some unknown reason. Sam questioned if that was true for the newer victims.

We looked up the email from the university, speaking on the recent victims. "The selfish murders of Christopher Smith and Sara Goodwin..." Chris was from my homeroom. He was on the swim team. He won tons of medals and was celebrated. And Sara… she had dated the quarterback sophomore year and was generally a popular person.

Oh god, I think I’m right.

Sam was surprised at how on point I seemed to be. It was a nice change of pace compared to being shrugged off by Davis. But he didn’t fully agree with my idea. He considered that maybe this was a huge coincidence, that maybe the killer wasn’t targeting our class, just the people that still hung out with one another. Maybe all the victims – Chris, Sara, Lizzie, and James – were all friends and the person that murdered them knew them all and was picking them off.

I snorted, "And what? They saw something they shouldn’t and now they're getting I Know What You Did Last Summer-ed?"

"That could be it." He replied.

I sassed. "You can't be serious, Sam."

But he was. He didn’t argue that he was right, just that if someone was attacking our graduating class, or our old high school, they would have to kill half the population of the university. So, it was unlikely that that was happening. Maybe Sam was right about that. Sure – there was definitely a connection. But it sounded more plausible that Sam was right on his part in some way.

Sam decided to call it night not too long after, stating he had early classes the next morning. I dozed off an hour after he went to bed, sleeping on their somewhat comfortable couch.

I jolted awake suddenly, the front door unlocking slowly. It opened, and Colby tip-toed in. His eyes locked with mine, and they widened.

“Hey…” He mumbled awkwardly.

He wondered what I was doing in their dorm, and I told him what happened with me and Sam. I asked him where he was all night, glancing at the neon red lights of the clock shining back 3:20 AM. Colby spoke of a crazy party at one of the frat houses.

But didn’t Sam say…? Whatever.

I nodded my head at him, yawning loudly. He smiled, said goodnight, and shuffled off to bed.

The news broke two hours later - another body was found. Michelle Robinson. And this time, it was right outside of Davis' frat. He even saw the killer, or who he thought it could have been. A guy dressed in all black with a cloak and a mask running away from the house. But no one saw the body until the morning.

The mask… just like Sam said.

Campus was immediately shut down, all classes resuming online. Absolutely NO parties. How could the university think people were going to be able to learn when there was a killer on the loose? It was insanity to me.

I was forced back into my dorm. Police raided every car and dorm on campus to find clues. They determined after a thorough search that the killer wasn’t a student, just someone that new the dorms well. No evidence was found linking a current student to the killings.

The day the police announced this, I got a very strange text.

UNKNOWN: if they only knew....

I didn’t know the number or what it possibly could have meant. I tried not to think about it, already too concerned with everything else going on. The next day, however, I got another text from the same number.

UNKNOWN: what's it like knowing that people are dying on campus but your bf is throwing another party??? it’s almost like he’s celebrating their deaths. you really know how to pick them

I responded with what the hell are you talking about? and who is this? but the number never replied back.

Were they telling the truth though? Was Davis really throwing another party? He couldn't be.

I went straight over to Davis’ frat house, and when I saw the brothers pulling a keg into the back of the house, I knew the unknown number was telling the truth.

I argued with Davis that night. How could he be throwing a party again after what just happened? He even saw the killer and he’s just… shrugging it off like it doesn’t matter. People he knew from school are dying and he doesn’t care. It was gross and concerning beyond belief.

He rolled his eyes, saying that he wasn’t close to any of the people that died, just that he knew them in passing. And they weren’t throwing a party, just a kick-back with the boys in the house.

“Oh okay, that makes it all better…” I spat sarcastically. “Even if that was just the case, how are you in a partying mood?”

He groaned, walking away from me. “Oh my God, Y/N, you’re such a buzzkill.”

That was enough to set me off. I broke up with him on spot, not listening to another word he had to say. I held back tears as I raced back to my dorm. That was the last night I saw Davis.

And it was also the last night of the murders. At least... for a while.

Three weeks went by. This had been the longest period without any murders. It seemed as if things might have been getting back to normal. Even the university was starting to act the same again. The university announced the soon-to-be-open dorm that was right down the street from mine. I was even excited to stay there next year; I was actually looking forward to it - to senior year. To the future.

After breaking up with Davis, I ended up becoming friends with Sam and Colby again. I told them what happened, and they graciously accepted me back with open arms. It was nice to be with them again, for life to feel somewhat normal once more. But I couldn’t lie: I missed Davis. I knew I shouldn’t have, his weird lack of empathy for what was happening was alarming, but maybe something was going on with him and that’s why he didn’t seem to care. Or maybe I was trying to give him brownie points when he didn’t deserve them. But I couldn’t help but miss him. Even if I knew what he did was fucked up to me, I still cared. I worried something could still happen to him.

The killings might have stopped, but that didn't mean I wasn’t still paying attention and on edge all the time. I think everyone on campus could feel there was still a chokehold in the air from the murderer.

I texted Davis after a month of nothing from him. I asked to meet up with him, but he never responded. My messages were going through, so he didn’t block me. Sam and Colby caught wind of my texting and were highly against it, especially when I said I planned to go to the frat and see him for myself. According to Colby, clearly Davis either needed space or just didn’t want to see me, so I should just stay away for a while. I considered what he said but decided to go anyway. I asked around at his frat house if anyone knew where he was, since I knew he wasn’t in class. His ‘brother’ Kevin replied that they hadn’t seen Davis in a long time. Like, almost a month.

...The last time I saw him as well.

My stomach twisted up in knots at the first thought I had.

Was he the killer?

There’s no way. I was with him when the first killings happened. Maybe he had an accomplice? No. No, Davis wouldn’t kill anybody, let alone people he knew from back in the day… right?

I can’t tell Sam and Colby, even though they know my theory about the killer hunting people from our graduating class. I don’t want to give them another reason to hate Davis. Not to mention, I must be wrong. There’s no way Davis killed all those people. It was just a coincidence that he left and the murders stopped.

Unless… the killer got him too.

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Maybe Davis left because of the killings. Maybe it was too much for him to bear. Maybe a family emergency happened. Maybe he couldn’t handle the classes. There could be a laundry list of reasons why he left.

My heart skipped a beat when my phone buzzed on my way back to my dorm. The number wasn’t the one I was hoping to see, and all the text did was make my thoughts spiral deeper.

UNKNOWN: do you miss me?

~~~

Our campus was known for its Halloween parties, and while I definitely wasn’t in a spooky mood, Sam and Colby begged me to come with them to a random frat’s party. Sam wanted to introduce me to his girlfriend and Colby didn’t want to be left alone when they would eventually disappear off. I agreed begrudgingly. I dressed up in my costume from last year, a witch, and Sam and Colby dressed up as Batman and Robin; and by dressed up I mean they just threw on a t-shirt with the symbol. Walking into the party, I felt my skin tingle with anxiety. The music was loud and there were so many people around in an array of different costumes. I glanced around, hoping to maybe see Davis, but he was nowhere to be seen.

“Stop trying to look for him. He clearly left because he couldn’t handle the pressure anymore, whether from the murders or the workload.” Sam stated, pulling my attention away from the crowd.

“Maybe he couldn’t live without you so he left.” Colby joked.

“Either way, don’t waste your night looking for someone that’s gone.” Sam stood up pointing at me, “I’ll be right back, let me go find my girl.”

“Let’s see how long it takes him this time.” Colby rolled his eyes.

I stayed with Colby for a while, watching a table of zombies play beer pong. After two games had finally played out, I started looking around for Sam.

“Don’t bother. Sam has a tendency to disappear off with his girlfriend and only come back around super late. I don’t know, but sometimes I swear she’s not real.”

I questioned, “You’ve met her before, right?”

He shrugged. “Sorta. It was quick, and honestly, I was super drunk so it could have just been some random girl.”

“Sam wouldn’t lie about having a girlfriend.” I argued.

“Yeah because if he did, I’m gonna make fun of him so fucking much,” Colby chuckled. “I’m gonna go step outside and call him, see if he’s around here. If you want, go… mingle, until I get back.”

“Tell him to hurry back, with or without his girlfriend please.” I laughed, watching Colby smirk as he stepped outside.

I wandered around the party, running into some people from my English Lit class. We started taking shots and bitching about the professors giving us so much work during the murders.

I wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but it felt like it had been at least an hour, if not longer. I pulled out my phone, ready to text Colby where he went off to, and suddenly an urgent email went through. Everyone’s phones around me started blowing up as well, gasps and screams being let out as people read the message.

Three students were just found dead on campus. Police advised everyone to stay indoors and if they were out on the street not to walk home alone.

“Fuck this, I’m getting the hell out of here!” Someone yelled deep from within the party.

A major rush of people started going for the front door, making it impossible to leave. Mayhem was breaking out, people were crying, screaming, and begging to get out of the house as soon as possible. I rushed to the basement, knowing there was an exit there since all the frat houses were built with the same layout.

Fuck! Where was Sam and Colby?

A huge group of us ran back towards our dorms. I stayed with the group as long as I could until I was alone, running to my dorm.

“Y/N!” I heard Colby’s voice shout from across the courtyard.

I spun towards him, running up to him hastily. I fell into his arms, pulling him close.

My voice quivered. “Thank Christ you’re okay! Where’s Sam?”

“He’s with his girlfriend in her dorm. McFranklin Hall.” Colby informed.

“Oh thank god. Okay, let’s just get back to mine since it’s closer.” I urged.

We got into my building quickly, jumping into the elevator. I finally was able to catch my breath for a moment, my heart still pounding. “Where the hell were you all night?”

Colby furrowed his brows, confused. “I wasn’t gone that long, Y/N.”

“You said you were only going to go make a phone call.” I responded.

“Yeah I did, and then I guess I lost track of time.” He answered.

We walked out of the elevator and down to my dorm. “How the hell did you lose track of time?”

He huffed. “Can we just talk about this later?”

I shook my head, pulling my key out. “No let’s talk about this right-”

“Y/N?” He interjected.

“What?” I breathed, still looking at him.

“Did you leave your dorm unlocked?” He pointed.

My gaze fell upon my dorm. The door was open, but only a little. Like someone rushed to get out of it.

“Maybe we should head back to my dorm…” Colby backed up.

I stepped inside, pushing the door open all the way. “No I need to know what happen-”

I flicked on the lights and choked out a gasp.

My room was torn up, everything knocked over and on the floor. Someone ransacked it, looking for God knows what.

I shuddered, “W-who… did this?”

Colby bit his lip nervously. “I don’t know.”

“How did they even get in here? I locked my door, I know I did.” I dissented.

His face twisted in disgust, covering his nose. “What is that smell? I think it’s coming from behind the door…”

Colby pushed the door shut, jumping back as it slammed.

“Oh my god is that… blood?” He whispered.

#9 was smeared onto the door, still fresh from whoever broke in.

My mouth watered as nauseous rushed through me. “Nine… that was Davis’ jersey number.”

“Or… like how many victims there’s been.” Colby deadpanned.

My breathing labored at his tone. “There hasn’t been nine victims. The three tonight make it eight.”

Colby’s eyes were cold as he turned to me, “Well, then maybe you’r-”

A dark figure lurched out of my closet, grabbing Colby from behind. I screamed out, staring into the melted ghost face mask.

“Run Y/N! R-” Colby yelled, his breath hitching as the figure’s knife stabbed into his chest.

Pure adrenaline kicked through my veins as I bolted out of the building. I ran to the stairs, rushing down them as fast as I could. I wasn’t sure if the figure was behind me, but I knew I just needed to run. As I finally made it to the street, there were no cars around. It was late, already one AM. The police sirens and glow of their cars were so far away, possibly on the other side of campus.

I rushed down the street, praying to find a lone car or business open so I could call for help. But everything down the street was dark, deserted.

The only building that seemed to be open or have lights on was the new dorm. I raced around it, trying to find a single unlocked door. I found one towards the back of the building, an emergency exit that hadn’t been installed yet.

I needed to find a space to hide, knowing that once I felt safe, I could call for help. I didn’t want to run through the open lobby, so I kept going up the stairs to the second floor.

From down below me, the emergency exit busted open, the dark figure staring up at me as it raced up the stairs. My screams echoed off the walls of the staircase as I rushed through the second story door. I ran down the hallway, trying to find any room that was unlocked. The hallway was dark, only the occasional work light.

I could hear the slamming of the emergency door behind me. It was near; and getting closer. Fuck! I need to find somewhere to go. I just kept running, not knowing what else to do.

The building was almost in a circle shape, everything looping back around to one another. As I sprinted to the other emergency exit, the figure popped out, stopping me dead in my tracks.

How the fuck did he get over here?

I turned around, running back the way I came. As I got to an open living room area, the figure came down the hallway I was running towards. I spun around, gasping at the now two dark figures in front of me.

I backed up against the wall, the figures closing in. Tears clouded my vision as I stared at them, ready to die.

Suddenly they stopped, glancing at one another, and chuckling. Their laughs sounded familiar as they pulled off their masks.

“Sam…? Colby?” I sputtered.

Sam smiled. “In the flesh.”

“Surprise.” Colby smirked.

“W-Wha? What the- What the fuck?!” I screeched.

“What? Oh shit, did we scare you? Didn’t mean to do that.” Sam feigned concern.

Colby held back a laugh. “…Yeah, we’re only sort of lying about that.”

My body was frozen against the wall, “Is this some joke? A prank?”

“A prank? I think killing eight people is far past the point of a prank.” Sam glared.

“Our sense of humor isn’t that fucked up. What do you think we are, monsters?” Colby scowled, pointing his knife at me.

My stomach dropped as my heart raced faster. I could feel the color drain out of my face.

They killed everyone.

“No. No, y-you guys can’t be serious.” I cried.

“Oh, we’re dead serious. Why don’t you show her her prize, Colby?” Sam gestured.

“Sure. I’ll be right back.” Colby winked, backing away.

I moved forward as Colby turned the corner. Sam shoved me back against the wall, pulling out a gun from behind his back.

He pointed the gun at my chest. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

I whimpered. “Sam, why are you doing this?”

“Don’t worry, you’ll learn soon enough.” He grunted.

My eyes fell on Colby as he pulled Davis’ tied up body from around the corner. He was alive, but barely; blood soaked his clothes, and he looked dirty.

“Oh my God Davis!” I wailed, trying to run towards him.

Sam wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly against him. “Tsk tsk, Y/N. I told you not to move.”

“You’ve probably been wondering where he’s been. He’s been in here, just… chilling.” Colby snickered.

I shook my head, tears streaming down my cheeks. “No, no, no. This can’t be real. You guys-!”

Sam growled in my ear. “What?! We can’t be killers? Oh trust me, Y/N… we are.”

“And you know, all this happened… because of you.” Colby spun the knife in a small circle, until he rested it underneath my chin.

“Because of me?” I uttered.

“Yes. You see, that night you made Davis ‘apologize’, he didn’t actually do that. Maybe to you that’s what he said. But to us, he said something totally different.” Sam explained.

Colby mimicked Davis’ voice, “‘I remember you two dorks. Can’t believe Y/N has put up with you two losers for so long. My friends did nothing wrong in high school. You guys deserved every single thing that happened to you. I ain’t apologizing for shit.’”

“‘Honestly the shit they did was fucking hilarious. And if you’re not over it by now, that’s your fucking problem.’” Sam chimed in, doing the same voice.

“Well… now it seems like your problem too, Davis!” Colby cackled, kicking Davis in the stomach.

“‘You’re not gonna tell Y/N about this. She’s never gonna believe you anyway. I have her wrapped around my finger. She’s in love with me, so you might as well accept this as my apology.’” Sam quoted directly into my ear.

“Do you know how upsetting it was knowing he was right? You would have never believed us. Especially when he sent that dumb poor excuse of a text the next day claiming he was sorry.” Colby hissed.

“We would look like the bitter nerds that just couldn’t get over their dumb bully.” Sam replied.

“So you thought murdering our old classmates would make it better?!” I exclaimed.

“Every single one of them deserved it! They weren’t just our old classmates; they were the ones that bullied us!” Colby lurched at me, getting into my face.

My eyes widen at Colby’s words. He was right.

“The first one, James. That was my doing. Total accident, B-T-W. It was right after we stopped being friends, I was upset and we bumped into each other,” Sam recounted nonchalantly. “He recognized me from high school, and he called me his favorite name – you know, the old one he used to call me all the time back then. I blacked out, and when I came to, I had strangled him to death.”

“I killed Lizzie after seeing you at the party with Davis. You know, she was always so desperate, even back in high school. And she tried to get with me, and when I shot her down, she all of sudden remembered me. Started calling me a loser, and all this other stuff. It didn’t bother me at first, but then she brought up Madison and how she told everyone in school how bad I was our first time. So… I killed her.” Colby shrugged.

“We didn’t even know we had done these crimes until we both confessed to one another. And then from there, we just couldn’t stop.” Sam revealed, tightening his hold on me. “We basically went back and forth, one for one. Except Colby went a little rogue and killed… what was her name? Michelle. That night you were at our dorms. That… that one almost got us caught. Especially since you basically had pieced together that the killer was going after old classmates.”

“I’m sorry. What can I say, Michelle actually surprised me,” Colby chuckled darkly. “I was working on a project with her, we went to a party and… well, it doesn’t matter. Just know it was fun leaving her body outside of Davis’ frat. Too bad he saw me leaving. But that was when we realized Davis might actually be useful after all.”

“We got a burner phone, texted you once or twice, and things just fell into place. You broke up with him – because let’s be honest, we didn’t force him to throw parties after everyone’s deaths. That was all him. And his lack of caring? Also all him. So again, you really do know how to pick them,” Sam joked.  “And once you guys were done-zo, we realized kidnapping him and making him disappear would make you question if he was the one who did it.”

“Plus, we had mid-terms.” Colby added.

“How did you keep him here for a month?” I questioned.

Sam scoffed. “A month? No, we only just kidnapped him. Who the hell told you he’s been gone for a month?”

“A brother at the frat.” I remarked.

“Yeah, no. He’s wrong. Prior to that, Davis was actually ignoring you though. He was pretty upset about you breaking up with him.” Sam related.

Colby stared down at Davis who shook with fear. “He didn’t expect it since you were so wrapped around his finger.”

“I just don’t get it. Why would you do this?” I choked.

“We wanted to forget high school, we really did. The plans we had for life outside of this state were just too big. So, we made them smaller, thought going to the same school as our best friend would be fine and sure, we’d have run ins with old high school assholes, but who cares? That was years ago. We’ve all moved on, right?” Colby huffed.

“The thing is, when you deal with people who peaked in high school… life doesn’t move on for them. Their glory days consisted of making our lives shit day in and day out. They get to go on and not have to relive the trauma. Hell, they didn’t even have to pay for what they did. And what about that is right?” Sam spun me around to face him, his eyes glaring into mine, “Why do they get to live when a part of me and him died back then?”

His cold stare left me speechless. “I-I –”

“And then… you go and date one of them?” Sam shook his head in disappointment. “Now that… that’s fucked up. Which is why you have to die too.”

“Wha? No, no. Sam, Colby, please!” I begged.

Colby grabbed my arm, both of them gripping onto me. “There’s no point in begging now. You chose your fate the moment you picked him over us!”

“Please don’t do this. Just let me go and I won’t tell anyone.” I pleaded, lying.

Sam cocked the gun. “Yeah, right. You have a good moral compass on you, I remember our philosophy class together.”

“Wait! Can I kill her?” Colby interrupted.

“What, no dude. I’m the one with the gun, let me do it.” Sam protested.

Colby frowned. “But that’s no fair, you killed more people than me.”

“No I didn’t. We killed the same amount. I made it even tonight.” Sam bickered.

“Yeah, well, if you kill her than it’s uneven.” Colby complained.

“Then you can kill Davis and that way it’s even.” Sam compromised.

Colby breathed. “Oh oka-”

I punched Colby right in the face, knocking him back into the wall. I kicked Sam hard in the dick. He groaned loudly, dropping to his knees. The gun flung away from him, next to Davis’ body. Colby’s hands were suddenly around my neck from behind, choking me. I fought against his hold, elbowing him hard in the chest. Sam recovered from my kick, jumping up and pushing me back into Colby’s hands. He held Colby’s knife up against my chest, ready to stab me.

A loud gunshot echoed off the walls of the dorm. I felt a sharp, agonizing pain in my side. My vision blurred from the pain and lack of oxygen, and suddenly all was dark. Quiet.

~~~

Y/N’s body dropped to the floor as Sam and Colby turned towards Davis, who somehow came loose from his binds.

The gun was in his hands, pointed at them.

“Holy fuck, you shot Y/N!” Colby boomed.

“No! No! Fuck! I meant to shoot you!” Davis stammered, pure shock coursing through him.

“Oh my god bro, you actually killed her?!” Sam laughed. “Wow… you made this so much easier for us.”

“Don’t you step any closer! I’ll fucking kill you too!” Davis turned towards Sam, his finger on the trigger.

“Gonna be hard to do that. There’s only one bullet in the chamber.” Sam stated.

Davis stared at the gun, trying to open it to see if Sam was telling the truth. Sam rushed up to him, stabbing him in the chest hard.

Sam blinked. “Just kidding.”

Davis’ body collapsed on the floor, and Sam bent down and stabbed him three more times, each with more fury than the next.

“Aw man… I thought I was gonna kill Davis.” Colby pouted.

“Shut up, Colby. Okay, we gotta make this look like we fought. Put your mask on him. I’ll take my cloak off and leave it next to him. Then we gotta make ourselves look… beaten.” Sam barked.

Colby nodded his head, taking his mask and placing it on Davis’ dead body. Sam tore his cloak off, leaving it next to Davis. The extra mask and cloak they discarded, leaving it in the room where Davis had been held captive. They made sure to clean up somewhat, wiping their fingerprints off of all weapons.

“Alright so… I think we should at least give each other a black eye. Maybe a couple slices too.” Sam dictated.

Colby agreed. “Okay, should I go-”

Sam punched Colby in the face, snorting after Colby winced and backed up.

“She already punched me bro! You didn’t have to do that!” Colby whined.

“Sorry. Go ahead, take it out on me.” Sam pulled his arms back, closing his eyes.

“Man, I don’t know. I’d hate to h-” Colby decked Sam across the face, his rings cutting up Sam’s bottom lip.

Sam winced. “Fuck! Okay! Shit. Alright, I’ll slice at you once, and you do the same.”

“Okay…” Colby mumbled.

Sam grabbed the knife, swiping at Colby’s abdomen.

“Ow! Fuck, that hurt.” Colby grimaced.

Sam rolled his eyes. “You’re such a baby.”

“Give me the knife. Tell me how it feels.” Colby yanked the knife out of his hand, jolting it into Sam’s side.

Sam grunted deeply, holding his wound. “Why don’t you cut a little deeper next time, Colby?”

“Sorry, are you okay?” Colby asked.

Sam pulled out his phone, “Yeah I’m fine. Alright, that’s enough. Time to call the police.”

“Dude…” Colby exhaled happily. “I can’t believe we’re getting away with this.”

“Justice is finally being served.” Sam grinned.

Sam called 911, giving an Oscar-worthy performance on the phone. He even shed real tears. The police were over in a flash. Sam and Colby limping down to the lobby of the empty dorm to meet them, for dramatic effect. They made sure to make themselves look exhausted from the crazy night they just endured.  They told the police what happened – they saw the figure murder Sam’s girlfriend, one of the three that were killed tonight, and they followed him over to this building where they saw him dragging Y/N in. It was Davis, Y/N ex. He kidnapped her and killed her and tried to kill them as well. But they were able to fight him off and stab him.

They were escorted to the ambulance, a crowd of students lining up outside the building as they were being checked out.

Sam and Colby smiled at one another as they were loaded into the ambulance, needing to be fully checked out at the hospital.

A loud yell rang out as Y/N’s body was brought down on a stretcher. EMT’s surrounded her as they pulled her into a different ambulance.

“WAIT! She’s got a pulse!”

[vinvantae]

Hiii, could you do something like you did for reader being in come and all drivers coming to visit her but instead (little less sad) reader announces she’s retiring after like 10 years of racing and every driver comes to congratulate her and when Daniel comes they get emotional because they are actually in love even if they haven’t realized it yet. Thank you 💜

I’d love to, thank you so much for the suggestion!! Hope you enjoy ❤️

*******************************************************

As you crossed the line, the realisation hit you all at once - you’d just finished your final race in formula one after 10 years of being in the sport. You lifted the visor of your helmet to wipe away the tears that were threatening to fall as you did your final loop of the track to get back to the pits, waving at all of the fans who held your flag up high.

You loved this sport, more than anything, but you felt like you hadn’t really lived your life. You had just hit 30 and your bucket list was longer than a lap of Spa. Sure, you’d managed to cross off a few during summer breaks but you just wanted to be a normal adult for a while. Something you’d not really experienced joining the sport when you were only 20 years old. You’d been in 2 teams during your time, but Alpine was your last. You’d stepped out of your Ferrari seat when the car just didn’t seem to performing and decided to give Alpine, Renault at the time, a shot. It was a big change but you wouldn’t have chosen anywhere else.

As you climbed out of the car, you were greeted with the warm embrace of your teammate - his long limbs engulfing you with ease. Esteban was like a little brother to you and during your time together as a team you’d really performed and worked well. He always said he saw you as a mentor but you believed he was ready to tackle this new chapter of his career without you.

“It’s going to be so weird without you.” He admitted, pulling his helmet off. “And you’re leaving me with Pierre, of all people.”

“You’re a big boy now, Estie. I’m sure the two of you can be professional.” You teased. “Besides, it means Nyck can get a seat which is pretty cool.”

“That’s true. Speaking of, fantastic race today.” The Frenchman grinned. “You’re definitely my driver of the day.”

“Well it’s my last one, had to put on one final show.” You grinned, proud that you’d made it up to 6th from 14th after you had an issue with the car in Q2. “I need to try and catch everyone before I go.”

“We’re all coming out tonight to celebrate you and Seb, remember!”

You groaned. “You know neither of us wanted that.”

“Too bad. You’re coming out and you’re going to have a good time.”

And for the first time in a long time, you were glad you actually went. Getting to see all of your fellow drivers that you now considered friends, some even family, celebrating you and Sebastian made you feel so warm. The German in question was the first to greet you, a gentle smile on his face.

“All this for us?” He chuckled, offering you a glass of champagne.

“We must be pretty special.” You hummed, chiming your drink against his. “You won’t forget about me will you?”

“I think the kids would kill me if I did.” Seb laughed, giving your shoulder a squeeze. “Now, we better make the rounds, hmm?”

And you did just that, making your way around the room being greeted with hugs and smiles from your grid-mates - even those you didn’t consider close friends. You approached some of the boys stood at the bar, Pierre stepping over so you could squeeze in beside him.

“There she is!” He grinned, draping an arm over your shoulder. “Really can’t believe you’re leaving.”

“Hey, you should be happy, got you away from Redbull didn’t I?” You giggled softly, pinching his side gently. “Am gonna miss seeing you boys all the time though.”

“It’s going to be weird without you.” Charles hummed. “You’re such a big part of the paddock, and still so young.”

“Not all of us can be Fernando. I’d still like to experience life before my back gives out on me.” You explained. “30 is like… a nice age.”

“It’s just going to be so weird. No Seb. No Dan. No you…” the Monagasque frowned a little. “The three of you are… well you are Formula one.”

You felt so touched by Charles’ words, you weren’t sure he knew how much it meant to hear them so you simply pulled him into a tight hug. “Thank you.”

He rubbed your back and squeezed you just as tight, neither of you wanting to let go first. You moving to Renault had opened up the seat for him to move to Ferrari- you and Seb had both been there to support him during his time with Sauber, knowing he’d be taking one of your seats some day.

“We’ll still hang out right?”

“Why is everyone acting like I’ll disappear? You’re not getting rid of me that easy.” You teased, pulling away from him.

“Will you still come watch us race?” Pierre asked.

You smiled. “Duh. I still love F1, just wanna do something else now.”

“Well we thought you’d be out exploring the world, finding the man of your dreams.” Alex interjected.

Your cheeks flushed a little. “We’ll just have to wait and see won’t we.”

Despite being a bit of a household name, you’d never managed to find someone right for you. Guys were intimated by your career and those who weren’t were obsessive fan boys. As time went on, your love life fell onto the back burner - but you didn’t mind, you loved your job and your friends.

“There’s a couple more people I want to talk to, you boys behave yourselves okay?” You gave them all one more hug before continuing your lap of the room.

Your eyes quickly settled on Lewis, of course they did, the Brit’s presence demanded attention. His aura was unmatched by anyone else’s and as you approached him, you were greeted with a charming smile.

“Hello, lovely.” His voice was soft. “Pretty big turn out.”

“Might be a little much for me.” You admitted, rubbing the back of your neck. “Glad to see you’re here though.”

Lewis gave you a gentle hug. “Of course. Wouldn’t miss it for the world, you and Seb are family at this point. It’s going to be hard not having you both around.”

“Just time for me to spread my proverbial wings I suppose.”

“It’ll be good for you. Selfishly, I’d like to keep you around a little longer but I know you need this. You’ve had a hell of a career.”

Your cheeks flushed softly and he chuckled softly - you really had and it was one of the things you were proudest of. You only had one championship under your belt but you’d worked so hard to even get into this career that it felt good. You had podiums to boot and you wouldn’t change a single thing you’d done in your time.

“Hey, you’re wanted.” He said, pointing behind you where Mick was waving his hands wildly in the air to get your attention.

You rolled your eyes playfully and made your way over to the young German who immediately wrapped you up in a friendly hug. “Hi Micky, shouldn’t you be in bed by now?”

“Oh shut up.” He laughed. “You and Seb are my favourites, not letting you both go without celebrating am I?”

“I’ll let you off this time.”

“You managed to say your piece to everyone yet?”

Your eyes scanned the room, shrugging a little. “Not quite.”

“…Daniel?”

You felt your breath catch in your throat. “I’m… I’m not ready to say goodbye to him.”

“You’ll see him again, y/n.” He gave your shoulder a gentle squeeze. “Just see a couple more people to ease yourself and then pull him to one side. This isn’t going to be the last of you two, you’ve been in his life for ten years.”

“Good idea. Thanks, Micky.”

After one more hug, you moved away from the Haas driver and made your way over to Carlos - tapping him lightly on the shoulder. His face lit up when he saw you.

“There she is!” He beamed. “Was starting to think you’d made a run for it.”

“Aye, Carlos, not without saying a proper goodbye to you first. Who do you take me for?” You gasped softly, placing a hand over your heart. “Hurt, Carlos, hurt.”

The Spaniard rolled his eyes playfully. “Hermosa, know what I meant… you enjoying yourself? I know this is not really your thing.”

You shrugged. “It’s nice to see everyone having fun, no stress on their shoulders. I don’t mind as long as everyone else is happy.”

You felt a hand on your shoulder before you heard a British voice from behind you. “But are you having fun, hmm?”

“Hi, Georgie. I am, I’m surrounded by some of my best friends…” You smiled softly, letting him pull you into a one armed hug. “You’ll take care of all of the other kids won’t you?”

“Of course. Don’t think they’d listen to me like they’d listen to you though.” George’s voice was fond, his blue eyes bright even under the dim lights of the bar. “And, I have to admit, I had an ulterior motive for coming over here?”

You raised a brow and followed George’s finger as he pointed over to the corner of the bar, your heart skipping a beat when Dan raised his beer to you. “I.. yeah I’ll go over now.”

You threw back the rest of your champagne and grabbed another before joining Daniel on the curved booth at the back of the bar.

“Not like you to be by yourself mister social-butterfly.” You teased.

He smiled gently, cradling his beer in his hands. “Was kind of hoping to get you alone…”

The flush of your cheeks was inevitable so you lowered your head a little, not being able to cope with the intensity of his eyes boring into yours.

“Listen, y/n… I… fuck…” Dan chuckled nervously. “I’m mad it took me you literally leaving the sport to realise it but I’m… I’m fucking in love with you, y/l/n.”

“I… you are?”

A small embarrassed smile tugged at the corner of his mouth and he rubbed the back of his neck, nodding a little.

“Sorry to ambush you, I just-“

“No, I uh… I’m just shocked you feel the same way.”

His eyes flickered across your face as he processed what you said before he cautiously lent in, a cold hand coming up to cup your jaw as his lips met yours. It was a kiss nearly 10 years in the making and you found yourself feeling weak at the knees and your heart raced a million miles an hour.

“I love you too, by the way… if that wasn’t clear.” You whispered, as he pulled back, his forehead pressed against yours. “And if you thought for one second that me leaving the grid meant I wasn’t going to bother you every single day, you were wrong.”

His face split into a massive grin. “…so, we’re both unemployed next year.”

“True.”

“Fancy taking a trip? Just me and you.” He asked, his fingers laced with yours.

“…I’d like that.”

The next time you returned to the grid was Australia 2023, sure, neither of you were driving anymore but as you stepped into the paddock hand-in-hand, you were definitely the stars of the weekend.

****************************************************

Hope you enjoyed x

@laura-naruto-fan1998 @marianadj99 @tall-tanned-tattoo @wonderlandofsu @lightsoutpierre @monodreme @theplobnrgone @feminismisaflawlessbitch @eitak-t @amulhermaisfelizdomundo @readerselegance @sad-fridge2323 @haterpenny @jamieolivia27 @cringe-kats @skyslowalking @samsationalwilson @dr3lover @fic-for-readers @oneoftwoghosts @care2703 @a-distantdreamer @bigdiccricc @altheahuf @coldmuffinbanditshoe @deviltsunoda @storyteller-le @imnotcryingyouare1 @take-me-around-town @hannahholland1811 @the-scarletbitch @d0ntjudgemy50shades @glitterquadricorn @adiaz-25 @itsmycorneroftheinternet

[danjaley]

Das Leben der Hochgräfin Gritta von Rattenzuhausbeiuns

My favourite book in elementary school (and I still like it today)

In my last book post I wrote that I first heard of Anne of Green Gables when the girl who bullied me in elementary school presented it as her favourite book. So I thought I might show you the book I held my presentation about.

Das Leben der Hochgräfin Gritta von Rattenzuhausbeiuns (The Life of Gritta, High Countess of Ratsareathomewithus) is a fairy-tale-novel by Gisela von Arnim. It was written in the 1840s but only rediscovered and published in the 20th century. It was adapted as a screenplay and simplified children's book by GDR author Christa Kożik. This was the version I read aged eight and loved to pieces. I also saw the film once, but I didn't love it as much as the book. It has some very good songs, I remember.

The story is about Gritta, a girl countess who lives with her father, an inventor, at their run-down castle some time in the 18th century. She loves to read and she's friends with the Queen of the rats which populate the castle in abundance. One day a runaway spoiled noblewoman takes refuge with them and Gritta's father falls head over heels in love with her. They marry and Gritta is sent to a horrid convent school. There she discovers a plot: Young girls are sent to the convent. Once they're there, the nuns find ways to grab their inheritance and keep the girls locked away. This was the fate her stepmother ran away from. Together with ten of her friends Gritta escapes from the convent.

Here the two versions take slightly different paths. In the modern one, the girls live at an abandoned farm for one summer until they return to their homes. Gritta proceeds to the capital city, where she finds her family again. They've lost their remaining money and have gone to sell an invention to the king: A catapult throne that will save him in case of revolution. A twist that you rarely meet and I really loved: Poverty and the birth of a son have turned Gritta's spoiled stepmother into quite a responsible and likeable person and she apologizes for her behaviour. Gritta had already met the king's son while she was on the run. He smuggles her into the palace of his naive and gluttonous father. There she reveals to him the doings of the corrupt royal advisor, who is also at the bottom of the convent's plot.

While this was a quick summary of the simplified version, the original runs absolutely wild. After the girls escape the convent, they go on an adventurous journey, which becomes increasingly fantastical. Some episodes seem prototypical of Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. Finally they get shipwrecked and build up a new life. But their "lonely island" is in fact a valley near the capital. Here the story in which Gritta reunites with her family and saves the kingdom comes back in. In the end the girls set up an alternative convent according to their own rules. Except for Gritta, who in this version actually marries the prince and refurbishes the kingdom, but of course stays their friend.

I think if I'd read this as a child I would have loved that the focus stays on Gritta's girl-gang. They have so many more adventures here. I always thought the modernized story dismissed them too quickly. Not sure what I would have made of the fanciful nature of their adventures. One of my favourite characters today is Wildebeere (Wildberry), one of the girls, who starts out as a botanist, but is later adopted by wood-elves and becomes a sort of forest spirit. And I'd certainly have struggled with the over-the-top 19th century language. Though that makes up the poetry of it.

I've kinda outgrown the modernized version today. As a historian I can't help noticing the GDR mindframe. Indeed the original was written before the 1848 revolution and pokes some acid fun at absolutist monarchy, aristocracy and the church. That's the most likely reason it wasn't published. But the adaptation presents the messages rather bluntly - to children who don't have the foggiest idea what were the problems in 1848.

On a related note, I feel today that the modern book made Gritta a bit too sassy. She's much more gentle in the old one and as so often this clashes in scenes where she's supposed to be insecure. Some scenes actually get funnier with her acting all demure, like the one where she locks the king in a cupboard. Also, I'm all for the concept of becoming an independent spirit through reading. But as a book-historian I can tell that you don't become a cheeky kid by reading a library full of 18th-century books.

What also fascinates me today is the story how Gritta was rediscovered in the archives in the 20th century. The manuscript had been scattered over several bequests and wrongly attributed to Gisela's famous mother Bettine von Arnim. I kinda envy the guy who pieced it together. But I should be content with my lot, because that's exactly the sort of thing I'm doing in my PhD project right now.

Actually this book relates to the McCarrics in two very peculiar ways: For one thing, Gisela von Arnim was the great-granddaughter of Sophie von la Roche, after whom I named Marianne's family.

Then, according to my mother, my first two stories ever were two endless nonsensical serials I always updated her on, aged around three. The first was called The Lady of the Rats' Castle. Sadly I don't remember anything about it and my mother says it didn't have any rememberable plot. Possibly she bought me Gritta because of it.

The other was called The very Elegant Scottish Girl. I remember I started this one because I loved my red tartan skirt and my father had told me that in Scotland everyone is always dressed in tartan, even the men! So I thought this country must be the epicentre of nobility and elegance. I just love that these two titles still reflect my literary activities to the present day.

[piratefishmama]

Live to Serve (You)

Edward Munson, the young lord of Forest Hills, a beautiful little cluster of homesteads built within a man-made clearing in the woods, home to a small but tight knit community of folks, wished he could say the skies were dark when he last saw his little village amidst the woods. He wished he could claim the sun had hidden away, that the clouds had cried tears for his departure when he was taken by the Kings’ men.

But they weren’t crying.

The sun shone as it ever did in those warm summer days, the winds a mere gentle caress on his soft cheeks still full of youthful plump, the skies held no tears for him as his father, the Lord of Munson Manor, sold him away to pay his debts. Which debts, Edward didn’t know, he was still just a boy of seven, the maids often claimed him barely out of leading strings, although he knew that was exaggerating things. He could walk, he could talk, sure his attention sometimes drifted to places it wasn’t supposed to go but he could read, he could write, his tutors claimed him to be a gifted storyteller, fantastical in his depictions of possible faraway lands, of dragons and fae, his big beautiful brown eyes would alight in wonder whenever merchant’s brought their pretty wares -mostly beaded jewellery but sometimes silvers, and golds, books, and dyed cloth- through the village along the Kings Road toward the Great City of Hawkins where the Royal Family resided.

Now he was the wares.

Taken by soldiers bearing the royal crest in beautiful decorative golden filigree across their chest plates. Taken during the day, where the people who’d known him, the ladies who’d cooed over his youthful plump cheeks and braided his pretty brown curls with flowers for him to keep it out of his face whenever he escaped the Manors maids to play with the local children along the treeline, shed tears in place of the clouds for him, they’d always been so quick to snag him to take the flowers out before he returned home.

He always looked so pretty in flowers but his father simply wouldn’t have approved of such decorations.

He figured he wouldn’t be wearing flowers again as the carriage took him away. At least someone was crying for him. He was still young, while his mother was no more, passed during childbirth, his father had proclaimed himself virile enough to make another as he was taken away.

Another heir, someone else who’d live his life, in his home, his room, as if he’d never existed.

He didn’t want to say he was scared, boys weren’t supposed to be scared of anything his father would say, and while the soldiers weren’t unkind in how they handled him, guiding him with gentle gloved hands into the carriage, he was scared.

The city was half a day’s ride. The fear didn’t lessen as they neared it. His in-carriage escort was a broad man, not wearing the same armours as the other soldiers but his clothes were embellished with the royal crest, not just simple leathers, a uniform, but not armour. He had a higher rank than the normal soldiers. “You’re to be serving in the palace” his escort explained as they neared the gated entrance to the city, manned by soldiers at all times.

What did one say to that? Serving. He’d never served before. He was a Lord! He was the one who was usually served. Not that he was spoiled or anything but... how did one serve? Maybe he should have paid more attention to the people who worked at the Manor instead of trying to escape them all the time.

“...What if I get it wrong?”

“I’d suggest you learn quickly, so that needn’t be a concern.” Oh. He fell silent again, hands in his lap, digits fiddling with digits. He didn’t have his clothes, his jewellery, he had nothing but the clothes on his back and they weren’t exactly his fineries, he looked… common. From somewhere high to a fresh start at the bottom of the classes.

He missed his rings. He used to fiddle with them when he was nervous. He missed them now. His father had refused to let him take them. He wasn’t even to use his family name anymore.

Edward. Not Edward Munson, just… Edward. A no-one. Maybe he shouldn’t even be Edward… who could he be then?

“...What if I run?”

“You’d be punished if caught, most of the servants are paid by the crown, employed and can leave at any time, but as you’re to be paying off your fathers debts with your service...” a prisoner in other words “I’d suggest you don’t run.”  

“Ok.” If caught. The maids never caught him. He was small, lithe, he could climb and get through small gaps that the bigger boys could never fit through.

“Best not to even entertain the idea of trying, kid, a boy like you would barely last a day in the wilds, and you can’t go home.” A boy like him? Pfft they didn’t know him at all, he had an uncle who lived a modest life a few villages over, he could make it there on his own easy. Maybe.

“I won’t try.” Not at first. He wasn’t stupid, they’d be watching now. Expecting it. He’d plan, he’d map out where he’d be serving in his head, and he’d get out. Maybe it’d take him a week, or a month, but he’d be out.

“Good.” The carriage pulled to a stop shortly after the conversation died off, Edward staring down at his hands, hands that’d never worked a day in their lives, soft digits, soft limbs, soft… the man sat beside him stepped out of the carriage on the other side, then moments after, the door on his side opened, forcing the young Lo—no he wasn’t a Lord anymore was he? Forcing Edward to squint in discomfort as the sudden sunlight assaulted his eyes. “Out you get, kid.”

The carriage curtains had been closed on the way there, couldn’t even watch the scenery go by. He climbed out willingly, less he be dragged out by force.

Wordlessly his guide led him through the gates, soldiers taking one look at him and no more as they passed by, at least his guide wasn’t rushing, not even a brisk walk, he moved leisurely, so Edward didn’t have to hurry to keep up with his short legs. He figured his guide must have been someone high up in the soldier ranks though as nobody stopped them on the walk through the palace toward the gardens, a few soldiers on patrol nodded their heads to the man but nobody spoke a word against their advancement through the halls, nobody stopped them from entering the gardens. Nobody stopped them from approaching a very tall woman wearing a very fancy dress, her blonde hair curled beautifully and topped by a crown. Edward hid behind the man’s leg.

The Queen. They’d just casually approached the Queen.

Even his father wouldn’t have had the audacity to just walk up to the Queen. “Your Highness” his guide spoke aloud, catching the attention of the woman, who turned to them, surprise flitting across her features, yet she still looked radiant, as though she’d practiced being surprised so that she’d look beautiful no matter the situation. Edward briefly wondered if she’d practiced any other expressions, but surely not. Right? That’d be silly.

“Hopper! Welcome back to the palace, Captain, I trust that your journey to Forest Hills was a lucrative one?”

“One debt paid with servitude, ma’am.” ‘Hopper’ didn’t hesitate to reach back around and insist that he move out into view to be appraised; and appraised he was. “He’s a little small.” The Queen looked down on him with an assessing eye, a single brow raised in curiosity as she took in his tiny self. “Wouldn’t be good for much heavy lifting.”

“No, no he wouldn’t, would he? Doesn’t take after his father then I see.” No. Edward had never taken after his father, his father was a heavy-set man, his body meaty, and large, already balding, Edward had always been slender of physique, lithe, his hair full of voluminous curls and waves, the maids claimed he looked like his mother. Edward didn’t know, his father had rid the Manor of the pictures of her that once decorated the halls. “What of his education? Does he speak? Write? Read?”

“Kid, sound off.” Hopper instructed, gently nudging his back.

“I-If it… if it pleases you, Your Majesty… I read at a level twice my age, I write well, and I do speak, the maids of the Manor often claimed it more of a task to quieten me down than to get me to speak.” Perhaps that was a joke, the queen’s painted lips seemed to quirk a little at the corner as he said it. “I was learning how to play the lute, my tutor claimed me to be… gifted in music, and I can also ride an adult steed.”

“Quite the accomplished little Lord then, hm?” He tried really hard not to preen, he liked attention, he liked praise, he never got it from his father no matter how hard he tried to earn it. “What a waste of an accomplished young heir to sell you away so flippantly, that old goat should be flogged. The Captain of the Kings' Guard is however correct, you’re not very… big, are you?”

“I’m sorry, your majesty, the maids said I take after my mother.” Small and beautiful, a pretty little thing, like a flower so easily crushed.

“Mhm, may she rest in peace. I had the pleasure of meeting her once, a wonderful woman, your maids were correct.” He did take after her, in every way that mattered. “Very well. You will attend to my son, Prince Steven.” The Prince? Thee Prince? The future King? He was to serve that Prince, directly? He’d never met the Prince, never heard anything about him other than his name, and that he was born a year before Edward in the summer months. The bells had tolled for hours in celebration not that Edward remembered it. “Steven!” She turned her head over her shoulder, her torso gracefully twisting with it, one hand raised daintily “Steven, come here!”

And suddenly, all thought of escape drifted away atop the warm summer breeze when his eyes fell upon the most beautiful boy he’d ever seen in his life.

“Oh.” Was the only word he uttered, and he didn’t even realise he’d done that. Nothing else existed in the world, his hearing sounded muddied, sight focused solely on him, he could smell the fragrant brush of conifer on the prince’s clothes, people were talking, and he was staring. Wide eyed and blatant in his gaze, disrespectful but he couldn’t tear his eyes away and why should he? Surely beauty of such magnitude deserved to be looked upon in reverence, right?

“Hey, uh… you can call me Steve.” The Queen scoffed but said nothing, Edward was her son’s personal servant. “…Hello?”

“E-Ed…Edd—ehh—hah uhm…” Oh dear god, words. Words had never failed him before, of all the things to betray him in that moment, why wor—

“Eddie? Haha, okay,” Steve’s laughter like magic and music weaving together in a symphony fit solely for the gods to hear, not for mere mortal boys like him. “Nice to meet you Eddie! Guess we’re stuck together for the long haul then, eh?”

“The long haul… s-sounds… that sounds good.” The long haul sounded perfect.

Part 2

[tightjeansjavi]

Lazuli | Joel Miller and Ellie Williams

A/N: here’s the sweet dad/daughter vibes we have all been patiently waiting for. Bird watcher! Joel is such a sweetie pie.

~word count: 1.8k~

Summary: Joel finally gets to live the simple life with his daughter Ellie by his side.

Warnings: light angst, fluff, lots of dad daughter vibes, Joel is a real softy in this, he’ll do anything to make his kid happy, unconditional love, lots of soft dad vibes, Joel is just a content old man with his bird watching book that Ellie gifted him, Joel finally gets his sheep!!

Joel Miller knows deep within his withered bones that it wasn’t time that did it. He knows that it wasn’t time that did it because time is constrained; as much as it is flighty. Time passes by in a blur. Days, months, weeks, years. No, it wasn’t time that did it. It was a 14 year old girl named Ellie Williams. Joel’s light through the never ending darkness that had once swallowed his soul whole. Ellie was a beacon of hope that shone brightly through the treacherous stormy seas that once resided in Joel’s heart. When you’re lost in the darkness, look for the light. Joel remembers this symbol all too well. Ellie Williams; Joel Miller’s savior.

Joel was stubborn, rough around the edges and hiding years worth of turmoil and demons that haunted his living nightmares. Ellie came swinging at his harsh exterior, and nearly impassable defensives with a fucking sledge hammer. She chipped away at his looming concrete walls with her day in and day out of shitty puns, contagious joyous laughter, and her smile. Her smile that made this grumpy man feel like that for the first time in 20 years, he could find the meaning of home inside a person once more. Yes, it was true. Joel Miller loved Ellie as if she truly was his own. Ellie was his daughter just as much as Sarah was and after everything they endured and survived together, he could not picture his life without her in it.

Everything Joel did was for her. For his baby girl. Ellie didn’t understand it then, and maybe she would never understand why Joel did the things he did, but all he prayed for was her forgiveness. When the truth was uttered from his lips, and the dust settled into calm, Joel was terrified that Ellie would never want to speak to him again. He did it out of love. He did it because she was his world, and she shone brighter than the sun, than any star in the goddamn sky. Ellie was his home, and Joel was hers.

Ellie didn’t speak to him for months after the events at the hospital. She was hurting just as much as he was, and it tore her up inside to not be as close to him as she once was. Summer turned to fall, fall to winter and when spring rolled around she was finally ready to speak to him again.

Joel had just gotten back from another successful patrol run with Tommy and a few other men. He was untacking his horse back at the stables when Ellie had approached him. He didn’t hear her at first, bad ear and all that. He had just hauled the saddle over the saddle rack when Ellie had popped up. “Jesus—kiddo? What’re you doin’ sneakin’ up on your old man like that? Tryin’ to send my ass to an early grave or somethin?’” He chuckled warmly.

“Sorry about that, Joel. I almost forgot about my old man’s bad ear. Did you and uncle Tommy find anything interesting out there?” She was leaning against the saddle rack, arms crossed with her signature little Ellie grin.

“Almost forgot about it? Now that hurts, El. We saw a few deer and some coyotes. No Infected for miles, and not’a lick of raiders out there.” He started brushing down his horse then. The most mundane tasks were becoming a stable comfort for Joel. It was nice to spend some time with the horses. They were fantastic listeners after all.

“Oh? Well, that’s fantastic news! Listen, Dina and I went for a ride yesterday and we stumbled upon this really nice plot of land. Just about a mile's ride to the west, and it’s got tons of tree coverage. I think there’s enough acres for you to even have your sheep farm..” she trailed off as she played with the hem of her shirt.

Joel slowly looked over at her as he ceased the brush movements over his horse’s withers. “You remembered that I wanted to have a sheep farm? Kiddo..what’re you sayin’? That we should skip town and live out in the woods?”

“Dad, of course I remembered that you wanted to have a sheep farm. Remember how romantic I said it was? Just you and some sheep? We could build a nice big cabin and a barn for the sheep and some horses. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Dad

Joel felt his heart lurch from the confines of his chest when Ellie called him Dad. She had never called him dad. It had been so many years since.. “How about this, Tommy and I will go check out this plot of land that you and Dina discovered, and then we can discuss maybe movin’ there. Does that sound like a good plan?” He could feel his eyes sting lightly with freshly brewed tears as the 3 letter word rocked his soul more than Ellie could even imagine.

“Alrighta. That sounds like a good plan. Hey, I gotta run. Meeting Dina at the mess hall but I’ll see you at home, okay?” Ellie was already pushing herself off the side of the saddle rack, taking a few steps before she was wrapping her arms around him in a warm hug with her cheek pressed against his back just like old times.

Joel couldn’t hide the infectious smile from spreading across his face. His dimples poked through as the corners of his eyes crinkled. He was smiling so hard his cheeks began to ache. He turned around in her embrace so he could properly hug her. He pressed a gentle kiss to the side of her head as he held her close. “Yeah, I’ll see you at home kiddo.”

Joel had an increasingly difficult time saying no to his kid after that. He’d do anything to make her happy, and if building a log cabin in the woods would make her happy, then so be it. It took him, Tommy, and any able bodied man in town the rest of the year to build the cabin, barn, and fenced in pasture.

Maria had woven together two wool quilts for Joel and Ellie, while Joel and Tommy crafted most of the furniture together. Stories of the past were shared over a couple beers under the hot summer rays. On Joel’s nightstand he had his favorite photo of Sarah. She had the biggest smile on her face as Joel was playfully covering her eyes. He kissed it before bed every night. Next to that photo was his favorite picture of him and Ellie. Tommy had taken it when Shimmer had her foal last spring. Joel was looking over at his daughter lovingly. The final photo was of Joel, Tommy, and Tess. He still missed her on some nights, and she never looked more beautiful.

Joel even got his dream to own some sheep. Three to be exact. They were named Sarah, Ellie, and Tess. (Yeah he was quite the softy)

When Ellie came to him one crisp fall morning asking if they could get a dog, Joel’s immediate response was no. A few horses and sheep was enough to keep them busy, but a dog? That was going to be a whole other task. He caved however when Ellie had asked him enough times. So, Ellie came home with what Joel first thought was a..rat. Upon closer inspection he realized it was in fact a scrawny puppy. “He was the runt of the litter and Maria told me to take him home. What do you think we should name him?”

“Callus.” Joel responded with a soft smile, his eyes crinkling in the corners.

For Joel’s sixty-fifth birthday, he was surrounded by his family, and close friends he made in Jackson. Maria had made him his favorite cake and Tommy insisted that his older brother wear a party hat that had seen better days. “How old are ya again big brother?” Tommy asked with a light smile as the cake was being cut. “Sixty-five years old, you little shit.” Joel responded with a light chuckle, and a playful glare in the younger Miller brother’s direction.

“Goddamn. Sixty-five? You’re fuckin’ ancient.” He chuckled.

Joel gave him a light punch in the shoulder. “Ancient and can still easily kick your ass.”

This caused Joel’s goddaughter, Amelia to giggle from where she was sitting on the floor next to Callus, sneakily feeding him a tiny piece of her cake. Joel was secretly over the moon when he found out that Tommy and Maria were having a little girl, and even more so when he was asked to be her godfather.

“Daddy? Uncle Joel is sooo silly! He’s the silliest!”

“He sure is, babygirl. Don’t give Callus too much of that, okay? He’ll get a tummy ache.”

Joel was so happy that his brother was getting to experience being a girl-dad. He was a fantastic father, just like Joel always knew he would be.

When it was time for presents, Joel had let out a groan because he insisted that no presents were necessary and he didn’t need anything except for his family to keep him happy. Materialistic possessions were nothing compared to those he held closest to him. “What did I say about presents, kiddo?” He wrapped his arm around Ellie’s shoulder as she sat down beside him on the couch.

“I know, I know dad. Just open it okay? You’re gonna love it.” Ellie placed the gift into her father’s lap with a small smile. “I promise it’s nothing crazy either. I just saw it in town the other day and knew I had to get it for you.”

“Course i’ll love it kiddo. Anythin’ you get for me I always love.” He carefully tore at the paper that had been hand pressed with twine used for a makeshift bow. Once the gift was unraveled, a smile graced his aging features. “Bird watchin’ for beginners? This is actually really neat. Always wanted to do some bird watchin’ out here. Thank you, babygirl. I love it.” He set the book to the side before pulling Ellie in for a warm hug.

“You’re welcome dad, I love you.” Ellie hugged him tightly.

“I love you more kiddo. More than anythin.’”

Rain, shine, or snow, Joel was out on the wrap-around porch every morning with his bird watching book in one hand, and a steaming mug of coffee in the other. Callus would be comfortably sleeping along his feet while Joel would excitedly whisper to his furry companion about all the birds he saw that day. His favorite was the Lazuli Bunting. He would share his bird discoveries with Ellie when she would come home from school, and work at the stables back in Jackson. On the weekends she’d sit alongside him with a book, glancing up every so often to see her dad in his happy place watching the birds.

This is how his life was till his very last day. Bird watching, Callus at his feet, and Ellie Williams; the once stubborn, witty, fun loving teenager that taught Joel Miller how to love again. To live again. It was all thanks to her, his bright shining light in the once vast darkness that encased his heart.

Tagging some friends that I think will enjoy: @chaotic-mystery @peterhollandkait @darkroastjoel @cavillscurls @thetriumphantpanda @morning-star-joy @dinsdjrn @cupofjoel @sinsofsummers @korynnekorynne @kirsteng42

[jo-harrington]

Blurb request: The immortal snail ☠️

…anon what?

But I have an idea.

Find other Hymns of Heaven here.

And find the Master List for As Above, So Below here.

April 1984

Eddie’s first DND character with Hellfire Club had been a Tabaxi Rogue named Perceval Stayne—after Sir Perceval of Arthurian legend…and of course who could pass up playing a cat burglar. He’d been a freshman, eager to play with real players and not just his friends. Mickey had said Perceval was cool.

Harvey Simpson, the founder of the Hellfire Club and the DM at the time, told him that Perceval would have been great…if only his best stat wasn’t charisma, of all things.

“Dexterity,” Harvey tapped at the character sheet. “Or intelligence should be your highest.”

“My uncle says my mouth is my best feature,” Eddie explained. He wanted a cool character..but he also wanted one that felt true to him to begin with. Make a good impression and not fumble endlessly. He’d get better. “I could sell ice during a blizzard.”

Harvey had huffed and puffed but ultimately let him do what he wanted. And Perceval’s big mouth is what got the party out of a few pinches several times.

Eddie’s big mouth got them out of several pinches.

It also got him a second date with you at, coincidentally, the library so he could do some prep for the next few sessions.

“It’s a really cool game, I swear,” Eddie explained. “I’m DM this year and we’ve got this freshman Gareth who is like…he’s been trying so hard. But seeing his eyes light up…that’s just why we play, you know?”

You whispered questions and answers to each other as the two of you perused the shelves—what kind of books you liked to read, favorite book as a child, that kind of thing—and then Eddie surprised you with a study room in the depths of the library reserved just for the two of you.

“So we can have snacks without getting yelled at,” he explained.

“Just snacks?” You teased.

“And maybe kiss a little without getting caught,” he grinned mischievously and you shut the door before planting one on him with a giggle.

The date was spent mostly in silence, the study room filled only with the sounds pages turning, a pencil scribbling, snack wrappers crunching, and the occasional laughter as one of you—usually Eddie—started playing footsie.

You grabbed a few books for yourself, easy reads, simple chapter books with mystery and fantasy and intrigue to keep with Eddie’s theme.

Currently you were lost in the pages of Tuck Everlasting, you even ignored Eddie’s last attempt to get your attention. He watched you for a moment, memorized the way your eyes darted across the pages and your expression changed.

He wanted to live here forever, in this moment. And something at the very depth of his being thought that he would feel this way about every moment, every second, that he was gifted with you.

“Obviously your favorite is Jesse,” he broke the silence and your eyes darted up to meet his. You fidgeted in your seat as you watched him watch you. “Handsome, adventurous—”

“Cocky,” you smirked.

“I would say ‘confident.’” Eddie shrugged. “Tell me I’m wrong though.”

“You are wrong, actually,” you set the book down and folded your hands over it. “Miles is my favorite.”

Eddie frowned.

All of the girls in his 6th grade English class had a silly crush on Jesse. He never understood until he reread the book last summer when he was preparing for his first campaign as DM, hoping to include some secret stranger like the man in the yellow suit. Then he likened himself to Jesse. Enjoying life where he could, despite the hand he’d been dealt…or in spite of it. He was romantic…wanted Winnie to marry him one day…drink from the spring so they could be together forever.

“Jesse…he was impulsive,” you began, as if you could read his mind. “What more did he love about Winnie than the fact that he could be himself around her. Because the family’s secret was finally free. She was just a child who saw this…fantastical thing, this family and this fun older boy, and she thinks she’ll be free of this stuffy life in Tree Gap…and when trouble arose, she wanted to protect her friends.

“Jesse just wanted to repay her…there was no…real love there outside of maybe friendship. But he’s lonely too…wanted to reward himself. Maybe he could actually love Winnie one day…maybe…but he’d always have another person to be free with. Offering her immortality is for him more than it was for her. Or for love.

“Miles though…Miles was bitter, sure. Because he loved with everything he had in him. Love his wife, loved his family so deeply that he never wanted to be without them. He wanted a normal life together with them. No matter the circumstances.

“He would give anything—would rather die—than see his his wife and children hurt or unhappy,” you concluded, breathing heavily.

Eddie watched you for a second and contemplated your words. He’d never really thought of it that way before. Yes Miles was a character you could empathize with, his loss of the ones he loved…but…

“But he couldn’t die,” Eddie muttered.

“No he couldn’t.”

“So what would you pick then?” Eddie challenged. “A normal life with someone you loved, grow old, and die together…or an eternal carefree life?”

“Eddie, eternity isn’t carefree,” you deadpanned as you picked up the book and shook it at him. “Case in point.”

“Ok fine…you can live forever and do whatever you want,” he started and looked around the study room for a second to come up with some idea. “But…your eternal nemesis is a snail that will kill you if it finds you and touches you.”

“What the fuck?”

“Answer the question ma’am, the audience is waiting,” Eddie spoke into an imaginary microphone and then held it to you across the table.

“I would take the normal life, Monty,” you answered.

“Interesting,” Eddie leant back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest.

“Really heavy second date questions here.”

“Thank you. Gotta know if I’m gonna keep you.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” you replied and shook your head. “I already kissed you after you said you’d drink trash juice.”

“Ha fucking ha.”

“Alright, spotlight’s on you now,” you held the imaginary microphone to your lips now. “Edward Munson. Normal life with someone you loved, or a carefree eternity?” You held it out to him.

“You forgot about the snail Alex,” Eddie spoke into the microphone.

“Clock’s ticking,” you urged and hummed the Jeopardy theme song.

“If I really had to choose, sure a normal life with you would be my choice sweetheart.” He winked and watched you fidget again.

“But I think we’re missing one key factor here. Miles didn’t know he was immortal until his kids were grown, until his wife was old. Otherwise, I would bet he would have definitely had them drink from the spring too. Both of the brothers had the same idea.

“So if, if we’re playing by Tuck Everlasting rules here,” Eddie leaned forward and spoke into the microphone, eyes never leaving yours, never blinking. “I think I would say ‘why couldn’t we have both?’”

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: The Fall Guy

When's the last time you saw a film that was just fun? A film that's devoid of all political messaging, agenda bias and was just plain, good old fashioned fun from beginning to end. It has truly been a while where a film like that has existed and especially in the action / romantic comedy genres. This film brings that feeling back with a bang in every conceivable way and I was here for it. I never saw the original 1980's series it was based on, but I do appreciate real stunt work and when it is recognized by the masses. Like Tropic Thunder, this film has the fun and hilarious idea of showing you the inner workings of the film industry while highlighting the unsung heroes of cinema, the stunt men and women. Not only does this film feature some excellent action and stunt work, but it features a truly funny and heartwarming love story that is predictable at times, but still manages to be fresh and classical. Fortunately, this film features a cast that has brilliant chemistry to bring it all home.

Ryan Gosling was fantastic and hilarious as the awkward, charming and fun seasoned stuntman Cole Seavers. Not only did he take so many hits and look great in action, but his trademark charm and comedic timing is on full display. Its always fun to see a character's arc of remembering his self worth and what gave him purpose in life. Cole goes through that arc in a sometimes dark, but always in a fun and energetic way. Emily Blunt was fantastic as his former lover and now film director, Jody Moreno. Their chemistry never stopped being magnetic from the opening scene to the bombastic finale. You really feel the connection they had and the heartbreak between them. The best scene between them was during her direction of fiery action shot that brilliantly brought out the painful conversation that usually happens in a coffee shop or side street in other films like this. Jody gets in on the action as well and Emily shows off her often forgotten stunt capabilities. Winston Duke was awesome as Cole's bestfriend and stunt coordinator, Dan Tucker. He was truly having the time of his life in his fight scenes and of course the execution of the stunt sequences "on set". Hannah Waddingham was great and very manic as the film producer, Gail Meyer. She really nailed the always reassuring and manipulative on set producer that has a metric ton of caffeine running through her veins. Aaron Taylor-Johnson was good as the “movie star” that Cole doubles for, Tom Ryder. As Tom, he nailed that typical and over the top version of a movie star that lives the party life and never takes responsibility for his actions. Johnson was hilarious in a good number of moments and a bit sinister in others. Stephanie Hsu was good as Tom's assistant, Alma Milan and I liked that she wasn't helpless during a particular scene.

Composer Dominic Lewis brings the film to life in an epic, poppy and fun spirited way. I loved the many different variations of the classic "I Was Made For Lovin' You Baby" by KISS. Yungblud's version was raspy, full of soul and plays in a perfect moment of the film. I truly love when stunts are showcased in frame and are not cheapened with shakey cam and this film truly showcases stunts and action beautifully. There is a scene that felt like the finale of an amazing stunt show that I would totally pay to go see. This film was a love letter to the stunt performers in the film industry around the world and I had so much fun watching them work. This was definitely the best way to start the summer film season and one of my favorite films of the year. Let me know what you thought of the film or my review in the comments below. Thanks for reading!

[sylvia-forest]

[CN] Shaw's 6th Anniversary event - Day 1

⚡ Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for an Event which hasn't been released in EN yet!⚡

[Day 1]

MC: Shaw, Shaw!! I'm now a walking koi, the ultimate lucky charm. Why don't you come and give me a big hug and share the joy?

There was no response in the room, only the clear and intense sound of buttons being pressed was heard.

From a distance, I saw Shaw in the living room, holding a controller and dominating the game world. This guy really...!

Just as I was about to rush over to "interrogate" him, the BOSS on the TV screen dramatically falls, spewing out a pile of coins and treasure chests.

Shaw: Nice! Shaw: Why is the rabbit not hopping on land and diving into the water now? The ultimate lucky charm?

Shaw, still picking up the spoils while talking, looks at me with a relaxed demeanor, showing no signs of stopping his gaming spree. I took a bold step forward and stood in front of the screen.

MC: Make sure you won't regret this attitude. Are you sure you don't want some of this good luck?

Shaw raises an eyebrow and extends his hand towards me.

MC: Alright, you know how to appreciate good luck.

I smile, opening my arms, but to my surprise, he firmly clasps my hand and pulls me to sit beside him.

Shaw: I happen to be unlocking a new weapon. Let's test out 20% of the luck first, and then I'll consider if I want to continue. MC: Okay, you're quite thorough.

He shrugs, presses a button with his other hand, and the treasure chest on the screen immediately starts shaking, revealing a dazzling golden dagger.

Shaw: ……….!

The next moment, Shaw pulls me into his arms and, without saying a word, starts manipulating the controller left and right.

With such an obvious "answer," I can't help but feel a sense of accomplishment.

MC: See, my lucky streak is truly well-deserved. Shaw: Don't show off. Are you here specifically to showcase your luck? MC: Of course not! MC: Do you remember the "Love Expedition" activity launched by the municipal hall these past few days? Shaw: Yeah, I got a text saying I won some shopping vouchers or something, but it's nothing interesting.

He pauses, raising his eyebrows as he sizes me up.

Shaw [sudden realization]: You wouldn't...? MC: Well, I actually...

I smirked and took out a brand-new set of car keys from my pocket, dangling them in front of him.

MC: Shaw, I won the grand prize—a RV!

The character on the screen suddenly halts, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Shaw [super duper shocked]: You became an island owner just this summer, and now you're pulling another stunt at the end of the year?

Shaw: ...Tsk, are you playing a prank on me using official events? MC: Hehe, open your eyes and see for yourself.

I pull out my phone to show him the lottery results page, witnessing a flash of astonishment in his eyes, which greatly satisfies my inner mischief.

MC: Moreover, the organizers offer fantastic "after-sales service" with multiple sweet travel routes for citizens to choose from.

MC: How about taking advantage of this and embarking on a nationwide RV tour?

Shaw: Sure, when do we leave? MC: Next week, of course. I've deliberately cleared an extra-long vacation for this.

I glanced at him with a hidden agenda, hoping he won't spoil the fun for himself.

Shaw: Next week? The old man asked me to join him for a field investigation. MC: Oh? Did you agree?

Seemingly surprised by my response, Shaw raises an eyebrow.

Shaw [elongates his tone]: Of course not. Shaw: You really didn't fall for it. MC: Your routine of feigned reluctance followed by agreement is too familiar. Come up with something new, Master Shaw~

I sit cross-legged, smiling, and open my phone's memo app—

MC: After all, it's our first "nationwide RV tour," so there's quite a bit to prepare. I've listed some tasks; take a look.

Shaw: ... Shaw: Tsk, you're bringing quite a lot of stuff. MC: We're visiting so many cities; we need to be well-prepared.

Shaw quickly scans through the list, his gaze stopping at the final note—

"PS: Travel guide section to be completed; will add after MC and Shaw find relevant guides."

Shaw: What does this mean? MC: Hehe, it means that for the next week, we'll each look for guides. I'll handle the food guide, and you take care of the sightseeing guide. MC: This way, we can ensure our travel experience is maximized! Shaw: Isn't that just repeating what others have done? It's not very exciting. MC: Well...

Seeing his disapproval, I quickly change the subject.

MC: Let's leave the travel plans entirely to you. MC: With you as our "folklore expert" leading the way, the journey will surely be more thrilling. What do you say?

He pauses for a moment, as if scheming something.

Shaw: Well, that's not a bad idea. But if I plan the itinerary, what will you be responsible for? MC: As for me, I'll take care of adding a touch of elegance to your itinerary. But the condition is that your "arrangements" need to be exciting enough.

Shaw lifts his chin slightly, and a glint of interest sparkles in his eyes with the afternoon sun.

Shaw [extremely happy]: Alright, let's have a trip where one plus one is greater than two.

—

Shaw: You're right; the official prize is quite generous. They really sent you a legitimate motorhome. MC: →→ What did you expect, a scale model? MC: But on a serious note, there's one thing I want to "declare" in advance— MC: Since we'll be spending the next week here, we need to decorate it nicely. Shaw: I have no objections. The car seems quite spacious. Shaw: I can bring my bass and skateboard along. MC: Great! Let's also get some flowers and plants, and set up some memories that belong to us! Shaw: (⌐■_■) It sounds like this little motorhome is going to "carry a heavy load" ahead.

—

MC: The first stop chosen by the organizers is quite nice; the scenery is fantastic! MC: But it's just too rich; I'm starting to feel overwhelmed. Shaw: (⌐■_■) Greedy people want everything, but they might miss out on great opportunities. MC: Well, you try then. I want to see how you choose from so many options. Shaw: Don't you love local delicacies? Let's fill your stomach first. MC: Good point. Let's go, let's go. I want a serving of every delicious dish!

—

Winter in the water town did little to dampen the enthusiasm of tourists. The narrow alleyways were bustling with crowds and the scent of cooking.

Briskly, Shaw led me away from the bustling area to an undeveloped ancient town. The cobblestone roads here were not as smooth as before, and the ancient houses built along the water showed signs of peeling paint and the passage of time.

MC: Wow, it's so peaceful here. Looks like someone made serious arrangements.

Shaw: Of course, I didn't drive for over ten hours to see the same old tourist spots.

As we spoke, we passed over a stone bridge, and several awning-covered boats moored along the river caught our eyes. Next to them was a wooden sign that read "Boat Ticket Office."

He glanced at it and quickened our pace.

MC: Huh? Are we going on a boat? Shaw: Of course, we're in a water town. Boss, ready for some business.

The boat, covered with woven rattan canopies, smelled of wood and freedom. Though the interior was dimly lit, sunlight streamed in through the side windows, creating a unique atmosphere.

As the boat gently swayed with the flow of the water, I curiously leaned against the window and peered outside.

Shaw: Look around all you want, but make sure to sit tight. I'm only responsible for rowing the boat, not for fishing people out.

He grasped the oar and began to paddle forward, causing ripples on the river surface as we moved slowly ahead.

The view was different from the stroll we had just taken; now, the panorama of the ancient town unfolded like a scroll painting.

A few pastoral dogs wagged their tails, weaving through the alleys, while an elderly woman sat by the river repeatedly washing clothes.

Most residents sitting in front of their houses sunbathing were looking at their phones, and faintly, the abrupt words "Little Beauty, Little Handsome" drifted into our ears.

MC: Haha, this short video is really breaking the atmosphere of antiquity. I thought we might hear some traditional folk songs by the river... Shaw: Who says we can't hear them?

He pulled out his phone and swiped a few times. At the same time, he neatly arranged the headphone cord and handed it to me.

In an instant, a melodious flute and a female voice intertwined, flowing like a mountain spring, drowning out all the modern clamor.

I lifted my head in astonishment, meeting those eyes filled with a smiling gaze.

Shaw: Don't look at me, look at the scenery.

His voice was somewhat indistinct, and I smiled as I turned my head, gazing at the "world" he had brought me to.

The willow trees on both banks swayed with the wind, and the ripples on the water reflected the fragmented waves of sunlight.

A serene and contented mood quietly surged within me, and I gently leaned on his shoulder.

MC: I didn't expect you to have such elegance. MC: I thought in a place with flowing water and small bridges like this, you would take me to do something thrilling.

Shaw: Thrilling? Like this?

With a slight tilt of his body outward, the boat immediately leaned with the motion, frightening me into holding onto him tightly.

MC [screaming]: Ahhhh—stop, stop, stop messing around! Shaw: Weren't you implying that I'm not thrilling enough? MC: That's not what I meant...! Shaw: Then what? Can't I have moments of leisure? MC: Haha, of course you can. When you're doing calligraphy or watching archaeological documentaries, you seem quite at leisure...

I blinked and smiled, and he, unusually, didn't press further, continuing to row the boat.

In the midst of the tranquility, a shout came from the shore—

?.?: Darling, come help me collect the laundry.

In response, raindrops began to fall from the boat's awning, creating ripples on the water's surface.

As if urging pedestrians to quicken their pace, the rain gradually intensified, forming a faint mist before our eyes.

MC: Why did it suddenly start raining? Could it be... Shaw : It's not my concern; this world also experiences natural precipitation.

He complained while averting his gaze, casually adding another remark.

Shaw [in a low voice]: It's just that the weather forecast was unreliable, making us late.

At this moment, a thin mist quietly descended, as if placed in an ink painting. We glimpsed at its most original appearance.

No pedestrians, no clamor, just a quiet city.

"Spring water is greener than the sky, painting boats listening to the rain and sleeping." Those verses passed down for a thousand years finally became tangible in this moment.

I stole a glance at Shaw and found him, for once, gazing earnestly at the scenery, with a subtle curve on his lips.

Could it be that he had been waiting for this moment?

Understanding his thoughts vaguely, a sweet feeling bloomed freely in my heart. I casually moved closer to him.

MC: The scenery now is even more beautiful than before, thanks to this rain.

Shaw: Do you like it? MC: I really like it. Shaw: Then, is that exciting enough? MC: Mm, Eek…

Just as I realized there was more to his words, Shaw suddenly leaned closer to me, with the boat swaying, and he smiled even more.

Shaw [clears his throat]: Now, it's your turn. What about the "finishing touch" you promised? MC [panicked]: Now?

Seeing the teasing look in his eyes, I quickly spoke up.

MC: Now is fine, but I need to think about how to add this flower to make it beautiful.

He made a meaningful "hmm" and casually rested his chin on his hand, looking at me without saying a word.

I pursed my lips, turning my gaze back to the beautiful scenery in front of us.

How could I make this moment even better...

At the very least, I wanted to make everything brighter, like the clear sky after the rain.

I contemplated until the melodious flute sounds in my ear became continuous and uplifting. A thought struck me, and I called out softly.

MC: Shaw, close your eyes.

He raised an intrigued eyebrow and willingly complied. However, when I put the other earphone on him, the noise in his ear increased a bit.

Shaw[irritatingly]: Is this your "flower"? MC: Yes, don't you like it? MC: A small boat flowing in the rain with melodious flute music... it creates a perfect atmosphere.

Shaw: So, replicating mine isn't exactly original—

In the gradually intensifying rain, I didn't respond to him anymore and gently kissed him.

The cool rain fell diagonally on our bodies, only to be quickly melted away by the warmth in our hearts.

Almost imperceptibly, Shaw chuckled softly between our lingering breaths.

Shaw [very pleased]: Hey, isn't this considered cheating? MC: Not entirely. Don't tell me you don't like it?

Shaw lowered his gaze and, seeing me approaching with anticipation, a hint of meaning suddenly appeared in his eyes.

Shaw: Your lines are too naive. MC: Whatever, if you don't want to answer. Shaw: I didn't say I won't answer, just… not now. Shaw: If you want to know the answer, remember every minute and second of the upcoming days. MC: You're keeping me in suspense again! Fine, I won't ask.

Shaw: Oh? Then you've lost more than just an answer. MC: You're just playing mysterious games; I won't fall for it.

Shaw: I'm not lying. In this trip, I've hidden something.

Amidst the misty rain, I couldn't see the color in his eyes clearly, but I noticed as he leaned a bit closer.

MC: Huh? What is it?

Shaw smiled, released his grip on me, and took hold of the oar, steering the boat forward leisurely.

Shaw: It wouldn't be fun if I told you directly. Figure it out yourself. Shaw: See if you can find it before the end of the journey.

—

🚐 Day 2

[lizzybeth1986]

Headcanon: Sloane's Kids - Hamza, Artemis, Orion and Zohreh

(FC: Sloane Washington (center) - Nelly Muse)

Everyone who has read my fics kinda knows I have three separate universes for PM, with some commonalities. One in which my MC dates only Hayden, and two in which they date all the LIs. Hayden and Sloane in two of these universes also actively date other people. So in all universes, Khaan is someone Sloane has a relationship with, as well as Alana. I do plan to develop a "childhood sweetheart"-like character for her sometime in the future as well. So Hamza definitely is like a firstborn child to her, even though Khaan and Sloane don't exactly marry.

Sloane has three other children, twins from a fertility treatment as well as one daughter with Khaan many years later.

I see Sloane starting out trying to emulate Kim because she's such a fantastic role model, but she eventually gets her own groove and realizes she will be a different kind of parent and that's okay. Where Kim was more intuitive, Sloane is a consummate planner and she does bring that kind of energy into her parenting.

Tagging @sloanewashingtonappreciationweek and @sazanes for SWAW Day 2: Written in the Stars (since all Sloane's kids are named after certain celestial bodies).

Hamza Mousavi

(FC: Anthony Cyrus Keyvan)

• Born to an Iranian father and a Filipino mother, Hamza spent his first five years constantly moving house because his father Khaan constantly feared that Hamza would be targeted by Eros. Most of those early years feel like a bit of a blur in later life, because once the group entered their lives, things became far more settled for them.

• Hamza took an instant liking to Sloane the moment he saw her. She was shy and smart, was always sweet to him and tried to make healthy treats he would like, and clearly adored his dad. He definitely encouraged Khaan a bit to ask her out (in all universes).

• Hamza obviously is the oldest of the kids that came from the group, and revels in that fact. He is quite fond of bossing the kids around a little 😄

• His dinosaur-love eventually becomes a fascination for mythical beasts in general in later years. Unsurprisingly, his favourite genre for books is fantasy.

• At some point, Sloane revives her writing hobby, and starts writing books for children. Largely with Nadia's encouragement (she promises to do illustrations if Sloane completes a manuscript). Hamza very enthusiastically becomes the test audience for her first book before she sends it to publishers!

• Hamza got his love for healthy treats and a balanced diet from his father Khaan. It's an interest he grows up with. As an adult, he becomes a very sought-after nutritionist (to the initial chagrin of his siblings and cousins 😂)

Artemis Washington

(FC - Arsema Thomas)

• Artemis and her twin brother Orion were born around 3 and a half years after the events of the second book. Like her mother Kim, Sloane did want to have kids at that point, but wasn't ready to have a kid with the people she was dating. She did talk it over with them tho and instantly had everyone's support before she took the plunge.

• The names were of course a suggestion from all the Hayden's in all my universes 😄 Mostly coz Sloane had always loved that story, even before they came along.

• Arty loved to mix and match different pieces in her outfits from the time she was a kid, including a phase where she wanted to wear colourful underwear over her onesies at home coz it made her look like Superman. She was also known for layering different clothes over each other - there was a point at age 4 where she wore a onesie, wore a T-shirt over that, wore bright rainbow leggings over THAT, and completed that look with unicorn-printed shorts. In summer.

• She gets into haircare and makeup as an adult. Loves testing out different products and inventing new looks. I think she builds a brand of her own much later in her late 20s, when she is more confident of her expertise in the business.

• Her favourite film is the animated beauty "Hair Love".

Orion Washington

(FC - Kelvin Harrison Jr)

• Sloane always feels that Ori took after his Nana Kim in a lot of ways

• He loves cooking, and when he gets older loves experimenting with teas!

• Like Sloane, his favourite meal is also a DC Smoke.

• He loved being in the kitchen, loved mixing and matching things there. Sloane, Khaan and Alana would often find grapes in their cups of tea/coffee, an innovation 4 year old Ori would take pride in 😂

• Cooking is really this guy's love language. He does grow up to become a chef later on, joining culinary school early on.

• At some point both he and Hamza teamed up for a "Hello Fresh"-like initiative, where Orion would devise affordable and healthy meal kits, while Hamza assisted with consulting for meal plans!

Zohreh Washington-Mousavi

(FC- Yara Shahidi)

• Zo is five years younger than Artemis and Orion, and fourteen years Hamza's junior. The three of them did spoil their baby sister quite a bit in the early years 😂 She could bat her eyelashes and get away with practically anything - that was also a perk of being the youngest among the entire group of kids!

• Like her twin siblings, Zo's name was also astronomy-based. Artemis is a Greek name for the moon goddess, Orion is a constellation and Zohreh is the Persian name for Venus.

• The kids of the group (Hayden x MC's kids, Nadia and Steve's kids and Sloane and Khaan's kids) do have their own stargazing parties! All of them love looking out for rare astronomical finds, and have their fave constellations. Zo, tho, has a more scientific interest and cultivates it from an early age.

• Zohreh has her mother's interest in Astrophysics and both her parents' interest in tech, so she does actually enroll into NASA as an adult. She takes on a paid internship through the Pathways program after graduating, and that transitions into a full job there.

• Her favourite planetarium is the Hayden Planetarium in NY.

• Arty did plenty of hairstyling experiments on her baby sister as she reached her teens. That still doesn't change when they're adults and Zo has had a number of her friends vie and pay anything for her older sister's services after seeing her amazing hairstyles.

• Zo's fave dish that Orion has made is a Persian fusion dish - saffron chicken wings.

Family HCs:

• Sloane never actually marries, but she's pretty happy with the life she gets to live with the MC (in my poly universes), Khaan and regular visits from Alana.

• All my Haydens, and Sloane, are still close, and they're in fact is Orion's godmother/father in every universe. The MC is the same for Artemis. Nadia and Alana become Zo's godma's years later.

• As a kid Sloane always kept a stress corner for herself with things that would both calm her down and help her with stimming. She does keep one in the house for her kids and it really works for them.

• Hayden(s) kids, MC's kids, Sloane's kids and Nadia's kids all love to form their own group in every universe. Initially inspired by Hamza's stories about their parents, they also band together and envision scenarios where they can save the world 😁 Hamza is undoubtedly the leader haha, he keeps things from getting too out of hand.

• Sloane already looks up to Kim, but she does so even more after becoming a mother. She definitely does come to her for advice and suggestions from time to time.

--

Other HCs on the PM kids:

The Park-Young Kids (Hazel x Iris)

The Park-Tennyson Kids (Nadia x Steve)

[pomegranate]

tagged by @marley-manson - 6 albums I’ve been listening to a lot lately! plus one track from each that I’m especially fond of:

1) “You Don’t Mess Around With Jim” - Jim Croce

Just picking the one Croce album bc this one’s probably come up the most but I’ve been really enjoying him recently! Funny enough, I had him on while driving my parents & nephews home from the park today and my parents said they both listened to him back in the 70s, and it seems to happen frequently that I tend to enjoy musicians that both of my parents were into as well. I guess it’s in my DNA or something.

2) “Selling England By The Pound” - Genesis

I had an ex who was really into prog rock and got me into a few albums back in the day, and recently I revisited some of those albums & this one is just really solid. Peter Gabriel Genesis > Phil Collins Genesis to me.

3) “Has A Good Home” - Owen Pallett

I first heard Owen Pallett when I saw them perform during a Vinyl Cafe concert in the 2000s and the way they used live recording tech to make musical loops and build melodies on stage was utterly fascinating. I’d totally forgotten about them until a song of theirs came up on shuffle recently & have been revisiting some of my faves, and this record is terrific.

4) “Feed The Animals” - Girl Talk

Another artist that I forgot about until it came up on shuffle recently - there are few mashups that are as well done as Girl Talk’s imo.

5) “SOS” - SZA

This is just one of the albums I’ve been returning to over and over since it came out and because “Saturn” isn’t from any album but has remained stubbornly on my recently played since I first heard it, I’m including this one. It’s just so endlessly relistenable. Is that a word? Idk well it is now. SZA has one of the most beautiful voices I’ve ever heard and I’m a bit in love with her. I would follow her to the ends of the earth.

6) “Bronco” - Orville Peck

Another recent album that I keep revisiting; every single song is fantastic. Apparently Orville is coming to Toronto again this summer but he’s playing at Budweiser Stage which is nowhere near as good a venue as Massey Hall, so idk if I’ll go. But god, he puts on a great show.

Tagging @partlyironic, @amrv-5, @captainhunnicutt, @sequencefairy, @archerism, @etriva, @pherre, @discotexx, @gabsy, aaaand anyone else who wants to do it! I’m struggling to remember usernames 😭

[hp-hcs]

“Where have you been?”

Mrs. Weasley, a short, stocky woman with a shock of red hair, stood menacingly in the doorway, hands on her hips.

Harry unconsciously flinched back, taking a half-step to the side, a little bit behind Ron. Mrs. Weasley’s eyes caught the movement, and her gaze softened at his frightened expression.

“Harry, how good to see you again, dear,” she smiled warmly in his direction, her voice dropping down to soft tone she used with injured bowtruckles or restless ghouls. He had hardly grown at all over the summer, and looked much too thin. No, that won’t do at all, she mused, flicking her wand back towards the kitchen and nodding to herself once the clattering of pancake batter mixing itself could be heard.

“Beds empty!” she turned back to her sons, her voice rising again. “No note! Car gone! You could’ve died! You could’ve been seen!”

“They were starving him, mum!” Ron protested. “There were bars on his window!”

Mrs. Weasley paused and softened. With one last glare at her sons, she turned back towards Harry and invited him to breakfast. She watched as Ron pulled Harry to the table, talking practically a mile a minute about new quidditch strategies.

“Mum,” George murmured, tugging on the sleeve of her jumper. “They really were. We saw-”

“His old bedroom-” Fred cut in.

“In the little cupboard-”

“Underneath the stairs!” the twins finished in unison, both obviously troubled.

Mrs. Weasley pursed her lips and risked a glance over her shoulder at the two youngest boys. Next to Ron’s much more lively appearance, the dark circles under Harry’s eyes stood out much more.

“Wait till I send those Dursleys a howler and give them a piece of my mind,” she muttered, shooing the twins towards the table.

“These are fantastic, Mrs. Weasley!” Harry said in a bright but timid voice, the stack of syrup-drowned pancakes in front of him already half gone.

“Yeah, mum,” Ron piped in. The twins loudly expressed their agreement.

Molly Weasley sat back in her chair and studied Harry’s figure, trying to decide what color to make his next Christmas jumper.

[thelonesomequeen]

i just don’t get why people say chris is a notoriously private person. he’s literally never been😂 /

THIIIIS!!! or when they say his family is super private... mmmm no??? they all have been at red carpets in all of his premieres, I'd say they love to be in the spotlight. I'd say an example of private person would be sebstan, we met his mom only THIS year or scarjo?? idk anything about her but her husband and brother 🤣😅 but Chris? we know his entire family and didn't his mama have a twt account??? idk it feels like they all like the cameras

Seb goes either way for me. But he’s certainly more private than he used to be. Scarlett is a fantastic example of a truly private celeb. She doesn’t have social media, and even her husband barely uses social media. (Side note, I saw him do standup live this summer on his tour and he is SO good looking in person! So much better looking than in photos or on TV. Like dang!) But anyway, she’s had some publicity blunders over the years, but she’s been able to keep her private details fairly quiet. I think Ryan Gosling is another solid example of a private celeb 🦎