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narrans · 3 months

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My Borrowed Son | 37 | Borrowing 101

Chapter Thirty-Seven | Borrowing 101

Parker crouched low, hand resting on the cool tile of the kitchen counter. His heart was pumping steadily, every sense feeling heightened as he stayed perfectly still. His entire body was like that of a statue. Everything felt perfectly in place.

Cocking his head to one side, he heard his mom getting her cup of morning coffee mere feet away. He counted the seconds and had everything perfectly timed. Three seconds to pour. Two for the creamer. Five seconds stirring. One quick sip lasting one or two seconds.

He felt himself smile as he spotted the thing he was going for – a sugar packet.

His mom turned and headed for the main counter, book in one hand and mug in the other, and sat down on one of the swiveling chairs. The time was not now, however. She usually forgot something on the opposite counter, which would bring her inches from him, and then it would be time to move.

Sure enough, Parker’s prediction came true.

Amanda turned back to the main counter once everything was on the island counter. She reached for the breakfast bars she had been eating for breakfast for forever, which was directly in front of him. Only two inches from him, Parker felt the urge to flee, but he fought it. He paused and watched as his mom’s fingers lingered there for a long time before she returned to the counter.

This is when Parker made his move.

He darted along the backsplash, ducking behind various jars and even managing a perfect tumble as he cleared the bread bag. Silent and unseen, he managed to make it to the coffee station, snag one of the sugar packets, and slip it into his bag and slide to safety on the other side of the refrigerator and down the safety line before his mom turned around again.

The moment he touched down, he turned toward the awaiting crowd. Kers, Toulouse, Mira, and the two oldest siblings Kit and Finnick, all stood at the end of the line by the base of the refrigerator. He fished out the sugar from his pack and grinned, heart still skipping a beat now and then from excitement.

“So? How’d I do?” asked Parker. Mira was the first to break, naturally, as a maternal smile of pride spread across her face. Kers was the second to break as he stepped up to Parker’s side and ruffled his hair playfully. Finnick, like his father, gave a nod of approval while Kit kept her arms folded.

“Beginner’s luck,” Kit quipped as she turned and headed back for the safety of the walls.

“Don’t listen to her. She’s just jealous that you’re a natural,” stated Finnick. “Just make sure to keep your tumbles to a minimum. They feel cool in the moment, but depending on what’s in your pack it might throw you off and cause problems. Otherwise, good control.” Toulouse smiled and gave his son an approving pat on his shoulder.

“We’ll drill more tumbles tomorrow,” he said gruffly before, like his daughter and his wife, they too vanished into the walls.

Kers nodded as he patted Parker on the shoulder.

“As for borrowing basics, I think you’ve got it, kid,” commended Kers. “Now, the main test is seeing what your mom noticed. So, let’s go find out.”

Parker felt himself beaming as he and Kers both stepped out from the corner of the counter that met the appliance door and headed for the secured lines that had been installed for them. It was hard to believe that it had only been one month since Parker’s return home after his harrowing misadventure.

After Parker’s return, he and his mom had another long talk about what happened. Parker talked about the things he remembered and how he’d been taken by Rachel as well as everything that happened. It took all the strength that Amanda had to not drive over immediately and give Rachel a piece of her mind, especially when she helped Parker change his bandages and she saw the teeth punctures Rachel’s bearded dragon gave him.

Lyn was still permitted to come over later that day where she and Amanda had a long talk about Rachel. Lyn happily informed Amanda that Rachel had to give up her pet and would be talking to some professionals in order to better understand what was going on. While Lyn didn’t have any ideas as to why Rachel was acting the way she was, her parents were absolutely invested in finding the root cause of it.

Apologetic and understanding, Lyn swore she would do everything she could to make sure Rachel was going to realize the severity of what she had tried to do and said she understood if Amanda limited contact with her son, to which Amanda assured wouldn’t happen once Parker had earned back some trust.

The two teens had a chance to talk a bit at the kitchen counter independently before Lyn had to leave to finish some errands for her parents. They promised to talk as often as possible and that things would be back to normal soon.

Normal, however, had taken on a new meaning.

During dinner that very night, Kers had come forward in front of both Parker and Amanda and had proposed that Parker learn more about his Borrower lineage. Though Kers didn’t know Parker’s family and assured he wasn’t trying to cut in where he wasn’t welcome, he offered his services in teaching Parker how to hone his Borrower skills.

“It’ll help keep you safe if you do decide to strike out on your own one of these days and help you in everyday life when it comes to maneuvering in the human world,” stated Kers. “No pressure and no rush. Give a shout when or if you’re ready.”

For both Amanda and Parker, it wasn’t a difficult decision. Now that Amanda knew about Borrowers, she wanted to make sure Paker had all the knowledge and skills possible to help him succeed. The discussion was a brief one, but they both decided that Parker needed to learn from Kers.

It took a week, however, for Parker to begin earning back his privileges. Amanda knew she was being soft on her son, but she’d added additional responsibilities and contingencies for him having some of his freedoms back. Both of them also knew that Parker wasn’t the type to run away to avoid his responsibilities and wouldn’t be running away again anytime soon.

By the end of the second week, Parker was actively training with Kers and, a few days later, the other Borrowers in the house. As soon as school was over, Parker logged out of his devices and went down to the kitchen or the living room where his mom was and, from there, began his training regimen.

Some of it was simple athletics training. Running. Jumping. Pushups. Sit-ups. Squats. Climbing. Tumbling. Anything and everything that he could do to better hone his physical abilities and make him a better Borrower.

Another portion of it was learning about Borrower history; at least, what little of it Kers knew. Kers talked about the stories he’d heard about different Borrower tribes who lived out in the wilderness as well as Borrowers who lived in the walls of human homes. He told Parker about some of the stories his family had told him as well as a little bit of his own history.

The entire encounter felt surreal, like it was out of some kind of weird dream. It didn’t feel real, and yet Parker knew he was awake and taking in everything like a sponge. Hearing about different traditions and rules as well as the daily grind of Borrower life was eye opening. From preserving food to improvised construction, Parker took everything he could get. More than that – he began writing it down.

One thing that he’d noticed with all of Kers’ stories was that they were verbal, which wasn’t good in Parker’s opinion. He started recording everything in his journals at the end of every session, writing down everything from front to finish. It helped the teen’s memory and helped preserve the existence of an entire secret species of being.

So, a month later, Parker had completed his first practical test. With the help of his mom, he had just practiced running along the counter and hiding in plane sight and it was time for the results.

The countertop towered over Parker, but it didn’t instill that same sense of vertigo that it used to. Sure, there was still a bit of swirling that happened when craning his neck upward, but Parker was better prepared now and had been growing accustomed to seeing things both as the son of a human and being a Borrower.

The teen glanced around the corner and saw his mom’s leg bouncing nervously up and down. It made him smile. She’d been told to stay in her seat until the “test” was over unless she heard something, and she was trying to do so even now. Parker cleared his throat and stood out in the open while Kers, on the other hand, stayed pressed along the edge of the counter while he tried out the rope for security purposes.

Amanda’s eyes immediately snapped down to the ground where she spotted her son. The silhouette of his mom brought back the haunting image of Rachel, which made him shudder. It would take more time for Parker to get over that image which now helped fuel his nightmares, but knowing justice was being done was what really mattered.

“Hey, so? How’d it go?” asked Amanda as she leaned forward and rested her hand on the ground. For a moment, she looked like she hesitated as she glimpsed at Kers, who was peering around the corner of the island counter at the two of them. “Oh… were you… going to climb up?”

The thought that his mom was trying to keep the “Borrower rules” intact was nice, but it would be an impossible habit to break. He knew it, and so did she. The exchange made the two of them smile and Parker knew the answer before his mom had even asked the question.

“If it’s okay, I’ll take the lift,” said Parker as he turned to Kers. “Want a lift?”

Kers looked up at Amanda before politely shaking his head, saying, “No. Thank you though.” Parker acknowledged with a nod and climbed onto his mom’s hand. He remembered the feeling of unease when he let his mom carry him from place to place, but now he understood the reason behind it. Still, he fought off his instinct and braced himself by crouching and keeping one hand on the crook of his mom’s thumb.

The lurching sensation his insides gave him was a welcomed and familiar one, and it only lasted for a second as Amanda placed Parker onto the counter. Waiting there were little sandwiches on a clean dish cloth which made the whole area look like a picnic. The memories of picnics in the shady wooded area at his old home made the Borrower teen smile.

Waiting patiently was hard, considering the sandwiches were one of Parker’s favorites, but wait they did until Kers huffed his way up on top of the counter and dusted himself off before walking over and sitting on the cloth beside Parker. The older Borrower’s eyes widened at the feast in front of them. Chips. Dip. Sandwiches. Even pink lemonade. All of this would have taken weeks to obtain, and it wouldn’t have been set out so lavishly or preserved so nicely if not assembled by a human.

Kers knew this and looked up and smiled at Amanda, saying, “Thank you,” before snagging one of the chips and breaking off a piece to chew on.

“You’re welcome,” she replied as she sipped on her coffee. The three of them ate in silence for a few minutes before Kers broke the silence.

“You should consider climbing a bit more just to get into the habit of it,” stated Kers. Parker sighed and nodded as he wiped his face clean.

“I know, but I don’t want to change everything all at once. And I did climb up to the counters twice last night as well as today for the exercise; which, mom, how’d I do?” asked Parker. His mom set down her cup and gave a little thumbs up.

“Honestly, I didn’t notice you. I tried looking around and had an idea that you were hiding near the creamer, but I didn’t say anything and kept going as normal,” said Amanda. Parker couldn’t stop smiling as a surge of pride swelled in him, and Kers knew it too.

Parker wasn’t hiding anywhere near the creamer, and the fact that his mom hadn’t noticed was a true testament that Parker’s training was successful. Phase one was complete, and it was bittersweet because it meant Parker was getting better at vanishing in plane sight.

“Well, Parker, I’d say that your training test today was a success,” stated Kers, not mentioning the fact that Parker was in an entirely different place. Parker nodded and kept quiet as well. Kers probably didn’t want to give away that spot just in case they needed to use it at some point in the future. Parker would probably say something about it later when Kers was back in the walls, but not now.

“So? What’s next?” Amanda prompted.

“Next? Mostly continuing training and enhancing his body. Instinct enhancement and anticipation are going to be key,” replied Kers. “You have an advantage seeing that you’ve been raised by a human. You’ll be better at figuring out what someone is going to do before they do it.”

“So, more practical tests?” asked Parker. Kers nodded quietly as he wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. His instinct to not waist potential resources for perceived “unnecessary” made for some interesting table manners, but no one said anything about it. It had become normal, which made Parker feel at ease.

“Absolutely,” Kers stated. “Making some obstacle courses with difficult terrain will be the most helpful. Also, we need to work on your hook tossing. So far, you’ve never been under pressure when tossing. A real scenario would have you practice that. Also, fast line descent. We’ll need to adjust your wardrobe and make you some line gloves.”

“Okay. Sounds good, but could we do that next week? I’ve got some papers I need to write for class and Lyn, and I have to finish our science fair report. Well, I need to finish my part of it. So?” asked Parker. Kers sighed and folded his arms across his chest. Parker was starting to pick up on the habit, and it was usually when some “human” thing interrupted a Borrower thing.

Still, Kers nodded in compliance. “Very well. If it’s important for this class stuff, then yes. You need to keep up your presence for a little while until you… what is it? Graduate?”

“Yeah, graduate,” confirmed Parker. The word was a crazy one to say. In a little over a year, Parker would graduate high school. He would be one of the youngest graduates in his classes, but that’s what he got for excelling in his studies. Parker didn’t have the heart to tell Kers that he was actually considering going to college virtually and continuing his studies.

Again, that would be a conversation for another day.

“Well then, that’s just going to have to work then,” sighed Kers. “Apologies I can’t stay longer, but I have a few things I need to prepare in my area. I did want to bring something up for both of you, if that’s alright.”

Amanda felt herself stiffen, and Parker felt a bit of unease settle over him as well. Kers wasn’t usually the bearer of bad news, but he did have some interesting requests when Parker first started training with him, such as Parker keeping Borrower history to himself as well as not disclosing some of the Borrower trade secrets with his own mom because it could be used against Borrowers if the information fell into the wrong hands.

“Um… sure. What is it?” Amanda prompted.

“It’s nothing serious,” stated Kers. “But it would require your permission.”

Amanda nodded as she attempted to keep an open mind about what Kers was about to say.

“We’re all having dinner together tonight. The… others… and myself. I wanted to see if you would be alright with Parker coming along and having dinner with us. It’s just something social and meant to be fun. The kids talked about possibly playing games or something after we eat,” stated Kers. “You’re free to decline, Parker, but I promise you’ll be back before nine o’clock.”

Parker glanced at his mom and then back to Kers. He wanted to go with him, but also remembered the rules and consequences of his actions a month prior. Limiting his external social time was one of those consequences. Except for training, which had a purpose, Parker was supposed to spend most of his time out in the open while he studied and worked.

“I’ll… uh… I’ll see,” said Parker hesitantly.

“Alright. If you’re coming, be on the counter by six and I’ll pick you up.” With that, Kers approached the edge of the island counter and slid down the secured line all the way to the ground. Parker wasn’t sure if it was tension in the air that he was feeling, but something did feel a bit different between he and his mom.

It wasn’t a bad sensation, but it was primed with discussion and words unsaid.

“Well, Parker? How are you feeling?” asked his mom. Parker played with the edge of his plate as he thought about the question. It could be taken in so many directions after all.

“About training? Pretty good. It’s weird. It’s like… all natural. Everything makes sense and my body just knows what to do most of the time; and if I don’t know it, it doesn’t take long for me to get it,” stated Parker. “And, just feeling in general, I feel pretty good. I’m not going to lie. I do miss talking to my friends and writing and everything, but I understand why I don’t get to partake in that stuff anymore.”

Parker noticed his mom shifting out of the corner of his eye and she inhaled and exhaled slowly as if in contemplation.

“Parker, I know this past month has been tough on you with not getting to speak with your friends, and I hope you know that your happiness is what really matters to me,” said Amanda. Parker wasn’t sure where she was going with this. He wasn’t sure why, but an initial sense of worry began to swell in him. When he looked at his mom’s face, however, he already saw her signature smile accompanied with a nod.

“I know you, and I know that you’re not the type to run away. We were both emotionally raw at the time, and while I know it’s only been a month, I think you’ve earned back some of your privileges. You’ve kept to our house rules without complaint, and I think you’ll continue to do that. So, I think that would be acceptable if you want to go have dinner with the others, I think that would be okay.”

Parker felt himself beaming, a smile spreading across his face from one side to the other. He didn’t think that it would be only one month of punishment, and Parker knew it would continue for months to come, but he wasn’t about to complain.

“Really?” he asked eagerly. His mom nodded and smiled. Parker could see forgiveness in her eyes, which made him smile even wider. It would take more time to mend the crack the two of them had between them, but already it was being mended and filled once again with trust.

“Really,” she echoed. Parker leapt to his feet and ran toward his mom’s hand, which she splayed ever so slightly so Parker could throw himself against her palm and hug her fingers as he’d done for years.

“Thank you, mom!”

“You’re welcome, my love. Make sure you’re back by nine so we can finish our book. We’ll see about you visiting a little more for fun and social visits if you’re back on time,” said Amanda. As a mother, she knew it was her job to keep Parker safe and to discipline him as needed when problem issues arose. Frankly, she didn’t think she would even last a month simply because Parker had always been such a good kid except for this one incident.

At the end of the day, all of this was for the best and Amanda knew it. This relative lock down wouldn’t last for too much longer. Parker was almost back to his old self, but now he knew so much more. He knew more about himself through his experiences, and he understood where he came from because of the people around him.

She couldn’t protect him from the world forever, and releasing the reins a bit more every day would be good – for both her and Parker.

“Alright, now go finish your homework and be on the counter at six o’clock sharp. If your science fair write-up isn’t finished before then, you won’t be able to go,” stated Amanda. She saw parker nod eagerly and, from that look alone, knew he was already finished except for the final touches.

“Yes ma’am,” said Parker. With that, he hurried to the edge of the counter and quickly skidded down the line to the floor. The ascent up the stairs wasn’t nearly as hard as it had been before the Borrower teen’s training, but Parker knew it wouldn’t be for long. He already had plans for that elevator he wanted to install from before leading from the kitchen to the second floor by his bedroom. He’d finalize the plans and show them to his mom before too long.

Six o’clock raced at Parker full force and, in no time, he was on the counter ready to be picked up by Kers. He’d already shown his work to his mom, proving he could spend the evening away, and promised he’d be back by nine.

“Mind your manners and have fun,” reminded Amanda. Parker nodded, and just in time too. The electrical outlet cracked open right at that moment and Kers’ face appeared in the darkness. A smile tugged onto the sides of his lips as he held the cover open for Parker. Giving a wave to Amanda, Kers promised to have Parker back in time before the two Borrowers vanished into the walls.

They didn’t say much on the walk there, and it wasn’t until Parker crossed the threshold of the house that conversation really started up. Finnick talked to Parker the most, and it had to do with tumbling and training. His suggestion was having Amanda make an obstacle course that Parker didn’t see her make and have Parker run through all of the blind challenges.

Kit was still being standoffish, but the youngest boy, Reed, said that Kit wouldn’t shut up about Parker when he wasn’t around. This sent the two Borrower kids into a tussling match which Kit barely managed to proclaim herself as the winner.

Meanwhile, Mira pulled Parker into the kitchen and quizzed him on his knowledge of the food they were baking and how to store food in the best possible way. Considering they were having mac-n-cheese, rehydrated beef jerky, and green bean fragments which were also being rehydrated, Parker was able to provide the answer to everything.

It wasn’t until they were about to sit down when there was a knock at the door. It was so unexpected that Parker whipped around and instinctually reached for the pin he now kept at his side. Startled, the Borrower teen glanced around and felt a bit surprised when no one else had the same reaction. It was almost as if it was expected.

“Is that them?” asked Reed as he untangled himself from Kit’s hold and ran for the door.

“Hey! Don’t just charge at the door! It might be a stranger,” Kit scolded as she charged after him. Parker listened to the door open as muffled voices began conversing. Based on their tone, they all knew one another.

“Hey there, bobbins,” said an unfamiliar voice. “What on earth happened to you two? Wrestling again?”

“No! Punishing this one because he was being rude,” Kit replied.

“In your dreams,” snapped Reed. Toulouse and Finnick also approached the hallway leading to the door, postures relaxing as they vanished around corner and into the hall.

“It’s good to see you two, and you’re just in time. We’re about to sit down for dinner. Um… mind if we chat outside for a second?” suggested Toulouse.

“Uh, sure. What’s up?” asked a second strange voice. The door opened and then closed as the muffled voices continued talking outside. Kers followed behind moments later.

“It must be our two friends from beyond the yard,” remarked Mira as she gave Parker a little nudge on his arm with her elbow. “You don’t have to worry. They’re friends. If you feel uncomfortable, we don’t have to invite them in.”

“N-no,” replied Parker. “It’s alright. You said they’re friends from beyond the yard?”

“Yes. Though we don’t know too much about where they’re from since they don’t talk about it much, we do know they’re excellent Borrowers and live somewhere far away. They go around from house to house figuring out what other Borrowers might need and take the risks to get it. They’re very good at what they do. They’re the ones who borrowed the pieces for my leg.”

“Oh,” said Parker as their names came back to him. “It’s… R… Rey? And…”

“Hero,” filled in Reed. “They’re seriously the coolest Borrowers out there, other than my mom and dad. I’m definitely going to try and join their team one of these days. They’ve got so many cool things that they’ve borrowed, and their stories are seriously the best!”

“Alright mister adventure. Would you please set the table and get the extra chairs?” asked Mira. Reed obeyed while continuing to talk about the two newcomers, rambling about this and that as Parker moved to help him.

As he did, Parker glanced over at Mira’s prosthetic leg once more as he placed the cups and plats onto the table. To him, it looked a bit odd. There was something about the way the ridges on the side were put together and the way that it fit Mira perfectly that bugged him ever so slightly. He couldn’t quite place where, but something about it was just different.

It took a couple of minutes, but soon the sound of the door opening and the multiple sets of footsteps following told Parker that the two had decided to stay. He wasn’t sure why, but he felt a bit nervous meeting these two new guys. Maybe it was just because he was still getting used to interacting on a regular basis with other Borrowers or maybe it was because Parker feared the strangers’ reaction if he accidentally let it slip that he was raised by a human all his life.

Whatever the case, Parker took a quick, calming breath as he turned and faced the two strangers. Both of them were dressed in what looked like fortified leathers that covered them almost from head to toe. The top part was obviously a removable coat, which both of them had started to unbutton, and had a hood with a partial face covering that came up to the bridge of their noses.

One of them had pale blue eyes while the other had bright green eyes, and both had light sandy blonde-brown hair. They might’ve been brothers if their features weren’t so different, the one having slightly rounder features while the other’s features were a little more narrow, filled in only by a goatee that was definitely a little scruffy. Parker would’ve guessed they were a little younger than Kers, but it was hard to tell. Both of them looked strong, deceptively so, and full of life based on the twinkling in their eyes.

“Well, hey there. It’s always nice to see a new face. You’re Parker, right? I’m Rey, and this is my friend Hero,” said the one with the goatee. He held out his hand for Parker to shake. Parker reached out and immediately shook the stranger called Rey’s hand. He did the same for Hero.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Hero said. “Sorry to intrude. If we’d known the family was going to have company, we would’ve just camped outside tonight.”

“No, it’s alright. The more the merrier,” Mira stated as she began loading up the table with the prepared meal.

“So? What kind of stuff did you bring?” asked Reed, which earned him a scolding glance from his father. The young Borrower didn’t say anything else and merely took his seat while looking eagerly at Rey and Hero. He was so excited he was squirming in his seat, making it squeak as he did.

Both of the strangers glanced at one another and laughed as the gestured to the hallway. “We do happen to have a few things in our packs that you all might find fun and useful, but we’ll wait for your parents’ permission. Sound good?” suggested Hero.

“Yes!” Reed grinned. Finnick and Kit both attempted to take a seat right next to Rey while Reed elected to sit next to Hero. The squabbling siblings resulted in Parker being placed next to Rey while Kers and the other adults sat on the other side of the table. The cramped quarters made Parker think about how this felt like a real family gathering.

He’d seen it in movies before, but he’d only ever had his meals with his mom.

It felt oddly welcome, and Parker was going to embrace every second of it.

They ate and conversed amongst one another. Mostly, Parker felt himself listening as he heard about Rey and Hero’s travels. They did indeed come from beyond the yard and further beyond that still. They talked about how they were trying to tame birds for faster travel and even showed off some of their scars from recent lizard based encounters.

“I see you’ve got some scars of your own,” Rey pointed out as he nodded his head toward Parker’s left arm. Everything had long scabbed over, but there were still distinct teeth marks all along his shoulder and arm from where he’d almost been taken by the bearded dragon. “How’d you get those? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Um…” Parker wasn’t sure what it was, but there was something intuitive in those pale blue eyes that were on him.

“It’s okay, little man. You don’t have to say. I think I know what those belong to. Bearded dragon, right? Nasty things if you wake them up and they’re hungry,” stated Rey as he continued to eat.

“You’ve fought one before?” asked Reed.

“Yeah, definitely. A human was walking her pet a while back and let it loose in the grass to hunt bugs. Found my hiding place immediately and grabbed my leg pretty good. Got out in time though, which is the important thing,” said Rey.

“Yeah, I had to carry his pack for the rest of the day while he recovered,” chimed in Hero. Parker felt himself grinning knowing he had something in common with these awesome adventuring Borrowers. He wondered for a moment if it was the same bearded dragon that got the both of them, but that would be too much of a coincidence. “But! Enough about that! Parker, since you’re new here, have any questions for us?”

Parker thought about the question for a second. As he did, he felt a tap under the table as Mira was readjusting herself in her seat, and the nudge was from her prosthetic leg.

“Oh, I’m sorry Parker. I didn’t mean to hit you,” she apologized. Parker waved it away and smiled. He glanced back down at the leg when it finally hit him. He’d seen grooves and patterns like that before – on a 3D printer. Some of his friends had done 3D printing before, and between the color and the custom fit, it seemed like too many coincidences to be brushed off.

Someone who wasn’t familiar with models and the whole process wouldn’t know the difference between a doll leg and a printed one. And, if that was the case, how did Hero and Rey have access to something like that. They needed supplies, electricity, and the programming skills in order to do all of that.

That’s when a question came to mind.

“Um… I do actually. Um… how’d you do that?” asked Parker as he pointed to Mira’s leg.

“Huh?” asked Hero as he glanced over the table at Mira’s leg. His body shifted from openly friendly to a distinct shiver going down his spine. Rey obviously saw that too and smiled politely.

“Ms. Mira’s leg. She said you all were the ones who brought it. How’d you make it? If you’re… wait, what is it? ‘Outies?’ How’d you get the supplies and everything to make it?” asked Parker. The two Borrowers glanced at one another, now a bit tense, which prompted Parker to continue. “It’s 3D printed, right? How’d you manage to pull that off?”

Rey turned toward Parker, a sly grin in the corner of his mouth, as he looked Parker in the eye. Immediately, Parker saw something in those pale blue eyes that told him that there was far more to these two than any of them knew.

“We borrowed it, naturally,” stated Rey. “You say it’s 3D printed?”

“Um… y-yeah,” said Parker. His instincts hadn’t led him astray, and Parker knew he was on the right path talking to these guys about this.

“Well, that’s fun. That’s usually a human thing if I remember correctly,” stated Hero. “You’ve got a good eye for something like that, kid.”

Hero’s words seemed to disperse the relative tension that filled the air and Toulouse and Kers began striking up a conversation with both Rey and Hero, letting Parker off of the hook as he helped clean up after dinner. Parker wanted to stay and talk, but the adults dismissed the kids, even Finnick, to go to the living area to show Parker some games that they had.

Together, they played “Pictionary,” some dice game called “Pig,” and even started their own checkers tournament because they didn’t know how the chess pieces actually worked. The rest of the evening progressed smoothly, each group keeping to their own relatively speaking until the very end when Kers came to the living area to collect Parker.

“It’s time to go, Parker,” said Kers. “Don’t want to make your mom worry.”

“Yessir,” said Parker. “I’ll teach you guys chess next time.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Kit said as she rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

When Parker went around the corner to the hallway, he noticed Rey and Hero also loading up their bags, which looked like they were made of some light, durable fabric that must’ve been hard to find. Leaves were plastered on the outsides as well as small bits of grass and twigs. It looked like there was a soda cap shield on the sides of both of them as well as helmets and other useful implements.

“Oh… are you… leaving too?” asked Parker.

“Yeah, we’ll be following Kers out the backway to camp below the floorboards. We’ll probably hang around for a few days just to rest and everything before heading back,” replied Hero. “As long as that’s not a problem.”

“No, not a problem. We look forward to seeing you all around. Don’t be strangers,” said Toulouse. They all parted ways, waving good-bye as they did, as Parker, Kers, Rey, and Hero vanished into the darkness of the walls.

They’d walked for a few minutes when Rey began keeping pace with Parker. The air around him changed, alerting Parker to the fact that Rey was about to say something.

“So, Parker, tell me a bit more about yourself. And, if you don’t mind my asking, why didn’t your mom come with you to dinner? Is she not feeling well?” asked Rey. Something about his pale blue eyes threatened to lure the truth directly out of Parker. He felt his mouth dry as if he’d stuffed his cheeks with cotton.

“Um… well… yeah, she… didn’t feel up to it,” lied Parker.

“Oh, right,” nodded Rey. “And the stuff you said about the 3D printing? You’ve got a keen eye for human construction. How’s that?”

Parker wasn’t sure how to answer. At this point, their group of four had completely stopped. Kers had just heard part of the conversation and had stopped mid-step to turn and look at Rey. Hero was only a few steps ahead.

“Um… I just…”

“You just know? Because you’ve done it? Or have friends who do? Human friends?” asked Rey. The bluntness of his question threw both Kers and Parker off guard, but Hero simply placed his hands on his hips and sighed.

“Rey, I thought we were going to talk about this later before asking Parker and Kers about this,” Hero scolded.

“Wait, what? What are you two…” Kers started as Hero directed his attention to the older of the two Borrowers.

“When Toulouse brought us outside and told us that Parker was in a bit of a unique situation and that we shouldn’t pry too much because it would upset him, we suspected something was a little different about Parker. And not just the normal Borrower trauma thing. Then, Parker said that thing about 3D printing, which only someone who is familiar with the look would really know what to look for. So, we had the same idea,” said Hero. “I thought we were going to talk about this before, but here we are.”

“I… wait… you don’t understand. I… I know humans are dangerous and stuff, but… not all of them are! Please, don’t worry about the whole secret stuff. I…” Parker was interrupted by both Rey and Hero chuckling as they exchanged knowing glances.

At this, Rey crouched and removed his pack, keeping eye-contact with the Borrower teen the whole time.

“Parker, it’s okay. We know,” grinned Rey. “Not all humans are bad. Believe us, we’d know more than most.” Parker’s eyes widened as he looked back from the adults’ faces around him. He and Kers both shared the same look of stunned silence while Rey and Hero looked mildly amused.

“But… how?” Parker stammered. “And why didn’t you just say that in front of the others?”

“Let’s just say our situation is probably not so different than your own,” said Rey. “And it’s a tricky thing bringing up in front of another Borrower family. They’re great Borrowers, but they’re a bit more traditional than Hero and me. How about we all do some training together tomorrow? And then we can talk about it?”

“Y-yeah! Absolutely!” said Parker, his eagerness getting him excited for training the next day.

“Well then,” chuckled Rey. “We’ll see you tomorrow at some point? We’ll be in the crawl space under the house by the backdoor steps. Come outside when you’re ready.”

“Definitely,” said Parker.

“Good. Then I think we’ll take our leave. See you tomorrow, Kers.”

With that, the two Borrowers diverged from the path and vanished into the darkness. The conversation had Parker reeling, but he was more than excited to talk to these new Borrowers and finally talk to others who understood his point of view. For Parker, tomorrow couldn’t come fast enough.

He and Kers made quick work of the rest of the trek and, true to his word, Kers had Parker back on the counter at exactly nine o’clock. Parker thanked Kers for bringing him along and asked if he would come by to talk to Rey and Hero the next day, to which Kers agreed. He was also curious about these two and, like he’d promised to himself years prior, he wanted to help protect and guide Parker along his journey.

With that, Parker ran back out to the embrace of his mom and the two of them retreated to the couch to finish their book. Parker couldn’t imagine sleeping tonight but was asleep within minutes.

His future was growing brighter by the moment, and he was ready for every step of it.

~~~~~^*^*^*^*^~~~~~

Continue | Final

Beginning

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nerdieforpedro · 5 months

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Sure inside, but will you stay for more after we’re done?

Chapter 5 of Weddings 101 with Dieter

This fic and my blog overall is for readers 18+ MDNI

Dieter Bravo x Maya (plus size AFAB OFC)

Word Count: about 4.7k (We’re back! Sort of! 😆)

Summary: Oscar comes up with another plot for Dieter. He’s fine with collateral damage. Maya and Dieter finally make good on their constant flirting but there will be ramifications beyond just the villa. Enter Vanessa joins the fray!

Warnings: plots, angst, unprotected p in v (wrap it up people), oral sex (male and female receiving), fingering, Spanish (because Nerdie wanted it), overstimulation, birth control mention, paparazzi

Notes: I did not realize I had not updated this since last December! 😑 I am so sorry. I wanted to really dig into what Dieter and Maya’s mindsets are and focus heavily on events that transpire. I totally have a plan for this fic. (Narrator: Nerdie believes she does but she really doesn’t. But you gotta believe first right? It’s 50% of the equation.)

Main Masterlist / Dieter Bravo Masterlist / Weddings 101 with Dieter Series

The rest of dinner settles down and the couple can eat their food, happy that Oscar was gone. Dieter and Maya enjoyed their evening, soon blocking Oscar out of their minds. They shared drinks, food and more laughs. Walking to the car, Maya kissed the small heart in Dieter’s beard and told him “corázon.” Bravo told her to be careful with what she says, many words in Spanish aren’t just direct translations. They also have different meanings, though he wouldn’t tell her how strong of a word it was. It could mean a lover or your soulmate and not just an anatomical heart. He wasn’t sure if he could say it because that might mean he’d need to confront feelings he’s been having the last few days for the woman he wants to keep smiling and laughing. Dieter made a joke instead about placing his hand over her heart, touching the swell of her breast. She pinched his cheek as they got in the car to go back to the villa.

Dieter Bravo might be confronted with an issue he hadn’t had since Cliff Beasts 2: The return of the Primordial Terrors. Has he fallen this fast?

The guitar player had found something he could use though. He wasn’t aware that Bravo had anyone significant in his life - no mention of this Maya woman. He asked his people to look into it, he needed more information. “Talk about my ass Bravo? I got yours.” Oscar squinted at a picture taken of the two of them. His assistant chimed in that maybe that line wasn’t as menacing as he thought, but Oscar waved him off. He’s Oscar Isaac, he always knows what to say. Stupid Dieter. Stupid goat. He wouldn’t call the woman stupid, just likely misguided by who she thinks is someone cool. Dieter isn’t cool at all, he’s a washed up actor who’s making some money with his splashes of oil on a canvas for some pretentious douches. That shaggy bastard does make money from his art though, he couldn’t dispute that.

He may be able to use this Maya woman to get to Dieter. Oscar knew about the optics of Dieter having a woman by his side who doesn’t look like any of the women the actor had been seen with previously. He could leak their photos, he had another assistant snap pictures of them together. Had Oscar liked Dieter at all, he’d be happy for they guy in that he looks giddy with the Maya woman, but revenge is best served cold and she’s going to be collateral damage.

“Now that I think about it, Hanri. Send the pictures Alexis took over to TMZ, Entertainment Tonight and everyone. Dieter Bravo has taken his lady love on a trip to Hawaii. Who is she? Why is she? How is she?”

Hanri hesitated, staring at his boss with concern, him having his pissing match with Dieter was one thing, but never had he gotten other people involved. This was a new low, if the pay wasn’t so high, he’d quit but those student loans for the Arts Institute weren’t going to pay themselves. “Sir, are you sure? This seems…”

“Let the vultures cook Hanri.”

Hanri sent the pictures of Maya and Dieter like Oscar wanted. Soon there would be all the buzz from the press and hopefully no one would find out the source.

Dieter and Maya arrived at the villa, giddy from the night aside from the ‘half-ass’ incident. Watching as she kicked off her shoes, Bravo wondered if this was the right time, she spun around her champagne dress in front of the couch. They had been pawing at each other in the car the entire time, Dieter had been nipping at Maya’s neck, giving her more tastes of his lips. He wanted to have his hands in more places on her but they weren’t back at the villa yet.

Upon arrival, she noticed his soft gaze on her, “Dieter you look like you’re thinking way too hard. Come on.” Maya didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t need to, she’s in paradise with a man she’d never meet otherwise. It’s not wrong at all to want him and if the car ride was any indication, Dieter was more than fine with what she planned tonight. For once she wouldn’t worry or put herself into knots about what might happen, she’d accept the flow. Tugging on his hand, she led him upstairs, “Which room should we go into Dee?” Her hands cupped his face while pulling him close outside of her own room. Dieter’s hands went to her waist, he’d never questioned if he should sleep with someone before, if now wasn’t the right time, then when? Would Maya want to if they didn’t now? But why was he really hesitating?

I want to fucking savor her, but I don’t have time. How can I have more time?

“We’ll start in your room then move to mine Almond Joy. If you’re able to, that is.”

I’ll just have to make it count. So she’ll want more like I want more. I’m good at that.

“That’s quite a promise, Dieter. My sweet fluffy man. Come inside here with me.” Dieter followed Maya into her bedroom and placed his hands on her shoulders facing her toward the floor length mirror that had been on the wall next to the walk-in closet.

“Maya, you’re welcome to tell me no at any time and I’ll stop. You want to continue right?” His hands skimmed her arms and settled back on her hips. Maya nodded.

“Yes, but why am I facing the mirror? We should be on the-”

“We don’t need to be the entire time and I want you to see what I see, especially when I take this dress off of you. We’re going to do it my way.” Bravo smirked, his lips nibbled on her earlobe and she sighed, placing her palms flat on her thighs to have them ground her, she’s never watched herself like this.

“Didn’t realize you could be so bossy. Dieter. Alright, show me what you see then.” She was able to keep her voice even, but her eyes betrayed her anxiety. Dieter would continue because even if this might only happen once, he told himself he’d be the one to show her how she should be viewed.

“Gladly.” The parting of a zipper and cool air tickling Maya back made her shiver before Dieter’s fingers were lifting the thin straps of her dress off her shoulders. He didn’t drop them, his lips pecked each shoulder where they had been sitting before lowering slowly exposing her breasts. Almond Joy was able to see how wide his eyes became, felt him speak a soft “Eres muy bonita (You’re very beautiful) Maya,” he let the straps fall and told her to keep her hands on her thighs to hold the dress up over the bottom half of her body. His hands traced up her arms and cupped her heavy breasts grasping them lightly as he felt Maya lean back against him, a deep groan releasing from her chest. He used his nose to trace a circle on her neck, his eyes looked up at the mirror. Maya’s eyes were closed and her legs widened to accommodate his bulge. “Mira (look) hermosa.” He told her, his hips were grinding into her, but he reminded himself to slow down, he can’t just bend her over. His mind is screaming for it but savoring is what he’s doing tonight.

Opening her eyes, she viewed their bodies in the mirror in a slow loop, with them flush against each other. He was solely focused on her, making her watch as she became louder from the pads of his fingers on her nipples. Her knees buckled and one of Dieter’ hands dropped from her breasts crossed her torso to brace her as he licked the back of her neck. “Estas bien (Are you alright)?” He asked despite knowing the answer, she smiled and reached up and behind his head to grab a hand full of his hair.

“You know damn well I’m not. Dieter, can we move to the bed now?” Feeling the rumble both in his chest and against her skin as he released a purr from her touch, she gasped.

“Give me one more thing.” He whispered as he tugged her dress down and moved the both of them forward toward the mirror only a few feet away, “Well, two things.” Dieter crouched down and slowly peeled her panties down.

“D-Dieter wait!”

“This happens before we move to the bed Maya. Just let me do this.” He looked straight in the mirror as she watched him continue to move them down and then had her step out of them. She stood before him and herself in this mirror naked. Everything, all the rolls, stretchmarks, scars on display, she wanted a sheet, towel, shirt, anything to cover up. But Bravo wouldn’t allow it and had his hands rubbing circles into her thighs. “You’re beautiful Maya. I knew what I was looking at in that airport. I wanted you to know Toblerone.” Covering her face with her hands, Maya took a deep breath and exhaled. He’s making this so difficult. I’m not supposed to be thinking. I just wanted a romp or two. Why does he have to be so…What am I gonna do? Standing back up, Dieter took her hands in his and turned them both to the side in the mirror. “Considering I got you naked, it’s only fair you do the same right?” He had that same crooked grin when they’d met near the customer service counter as he held Daisy in his arms and she thought he was insane then. Maya was considering she might be the crazy one here for entertaining any possibility of seeing him after this wedding.

“Agonizingly kind and fucking sexy jerk.” Maya quickly had Dieter out of his shirt and her hands tickled the scant hair on his chest, Dieter attempted to make a joke about a bad wax job decades ago but she placed a finger to his lips. “You’re gorgeous, Dieter. Let me feel you too.” He let her continue. Hooking his pants in her hands, she flopped them down and squatted, but couldn’t quite hold it so she flattened his pants out to place beneath her knees. Dieter held her hands as she steadied herself and kneeled eye to tip with the source of his swollen bulge.

“Maya don’t feel you have to-”

“I want to, and we’re supposed to be appreciating each other aren’t we?” Releasing one of her hands allowed her to place it on his shaft, warm in her hand, she grinned, now seeing Dieter unravel a bit. Pecking the tip, her tongue claimed the precum that had gathered before making a trail down to the base, having her hand cup his balls. Dieter moaned loudly, trying to hold himself still. Making her way slowly from the base of his cock, her teeth nibbled briefly on the wrinkled skin. She kissed the head again before opening her mouth wide and taking him in her mouth a third of the way. Just watching her, Dieter felt himself twitching inside of her mouth as she sucked, he held her hand tighter before moving his hips forward in a small thrust. Knowing he wouldn’t last like this, he deemed this safer than where he really wanted to come. Maya took him deeper, now half way as her cheeks were hollowing out.

“Just a bit more…” Dieter began moving his hips faster, feeling himself so close. Maya could tell and kept going, she wanted to drink him in. The thought of it, his moans and the heat in her mouth was going right to her core as she rubbed her thighs together for any friction. His hand cupped the side of her face as he gave her some irregular thrusts and groaned as he climaxed. Hearing her gulp had him repeating small ‘fucks’ until he finished. He drew back and pulled her up by the hand that he never let go to him. Maya was a bit dazed, getting her air back and turned her face away to which Dieter cupped hers with both hands. “Maya you’re perfect.” Tasting himself on her lips had him push her back toward the bed, where she wanted to be in the first place. “It’s your turn now cariño (sweetheart).” Dieter slunk halfway down her body before she grabbed his shoulders.

“You don’t have to. Your fingers might be a bit much..” He frowned, what sort of request was that?

“If you can’t handle my fingers, how are you planning to have me inside of you?” In protest, two of his fingers part her wet folds and he watched her hold in a moan.

“I don’t do well with fingers other than my own so we can just wait.” Dieter could tell she was serious which made him even more confused until it clicked. He nodded, but had one finger stroke her entrance, not pushing in yet. He needed to prove another point, though this one might be more out of anger at those before than just focused on just her pleasure.

“Let me just try one and if you don’t like it, then I’ll stop, okay?” He gave her the pitiful ‘baby cow’ eyes, holding contact with her honey ones as his finger entered her slowly. He felt her tense and he paused until she relaxed again. “How is it so far?”

“O-Okay. You can go further.” Maya is completely unsure why he’s focusing so much on this. Her body was one thing and she’d never held a man's hand while she went down on them. All of it felt so much more intimate and not helping her state of mind she felt. It also wasn’t helping that Dieter was moving back toward her breast and taking once in his mouth while looking right at her. She was starting to wonder if they teach that in some acting class - eye contact like that or if that’s just Dieter’s skill. His finger began moving back and forth slowly, it was quiet but he could hear the sounds of her accepting his finger and her whimpers after he added another one. They grew louder, his lips moving toward her collarbone above her breast, “Dee that’s too many…”

“It’s not Almond Joy and you’re going to need at least another one.” Dieter captured her neck again and continued working on a hickey he had started in the car. Adding one more finger stretched her further so he slowed down and curled them upward, making her hips lift off the bed toward his hand. He smiled into her neck as she squeezed his fingers and her hips moved slowly, she was trying to keep still as he had previously, but it was clear her control was worse than his. Placing his mouth next to her ear, “You’re so responsive Maya and you were already wet from taking care of me. It’s just me and you. Come.” With a loud scream, Maya drenched Dieter’s fingers and he kept moving them slowly until her body fully settled.

“You…Dieter…H-How…” She could only look at the ceiling. Just with his damn fingers and they felt wonderful. “How in the world…” Her chest rose and fall, she looked down to see Bravo licking his fingers clean and she felt herself clench around nothing. He’s insanely good at making her do that. Dieter was taking extra time to get in between each of his fingers, just to show off and to buy time. He was only half hard, not fully recovered yet. It would allow for one more thing. Grabbing her legs under the back of her knees, he parted her legs and placed them on his shoulders. “W-Wait! It’s too sensitive Dee…” She watched as his face inched closer to her mound kissing it before aiming lower and sniffing, exhaling purposefully blowing on her clit. “Haah…fuck it’s…dammit it Dee…” Maya’s legs shook, trying to get free from his grasp but he held tight. She also tried to wiggle her hips away from him but he bent her legs a bit further back spreading her further.

“Kit Kat, you’re not getting away. Maya you’ll remember what this feels like. What I give to my sweet girl when she lets me take care of her properly.” Her hands that had been gripping the sheets, released them. She closed her eyes. He wants me to remember? I already won’t forget any of this. This is orgasmic torture already and he hasn’t even….Fine. Just fine. Bending forward, she’s pressing her thighs down on Dieter’s shoulders. He held steady as her hands dug into his hair, tugging on his curls. He groans, biting into her thigh, “Jokes on you, I enjoy my hair being pulled. Manipulate me more Almond Joy.”

She can’t respond with anything other than a moan. The small circles his tongue is making around her clit has her babbling a mix of Dieter's name and curses. The more she pulls on his hair, the further he pushes his face into her core, moving his tongue from her clit to her entrance. He traces it gingerly at first before beginning to lap gently up her slit. Maya feels his groan vibrate within her, causing her hips to buck. It’s then that Bravo pauses to give her a short break. “D-Dieter…you…fuck..” Is all she’s able to pant before he returns to her wetness, this time using his tongue to explore the crevices she has within, feeling her tighten around his tongue already. For his part, he’s been grinding himself into the sheets, leaking pre-cum once more. Dieter’s ready, but he desires to see her gush for him. Have her slick so he’ll slide right in. With a cry and curving of her back, Maya finds her peak again with his tongue gliding over her clit to help her body through it. Once she starts to relax, Dieter pulls back and crawls up next to her, placing an arm around her.

“Maya, you sound heavenly when you’re enjoying yourself. Looks like you can handle fingers and tongue.” Despite being exhausted, she let out a snort. He would make a joke right now. She shook her head and ran her tongue over his lips before kissing him, his saliva mixed with her own gloss made her moan into his mouth. He pulled back as he had something to ask her before they continued, “I don’t have any-” Reaching down and taking hold of the base of his cock, Maya didn’t want any more questions. She needs one more thing from Dieter.

“Sugar lips, I’m on birth control pills. It’s going to be inside.” He thrusts a few times in her hand after she speaks, but she holds him a bit tighter.

“Shit…are you sure? Even if you are we could still-” Another kiss shuts his concern down as Bravo moves above her and she opens her legs for him to settle between. He lets his tip graze her folds and she whines. “Maya, I want to, but-”

Her hands cup his face and she kisses his chin. “I want to be dripping from you Dieter. It’s a horrible idea, but so was getting on a stranger’s jet. I’m not having any regrets. Not anymore. You told me I was worth it so I’m going to be greedy. Let me.”

“I’d be an idiot to say no to that.” Dieter takes hold of his shaft in his hand, pressing just his head inside of her core. With the stretch comes another whine from her and he feels himself twitch, advancing until he halfway in, “Cómo estás cariño (How are you doing sweetheart)?” Her walls quivered with his Spanish and he let out a soft chuckle. “You like that Maya?” Her hands pinched his cheeks before moving down to his shoulders.

“I’m more than fine, Dieter. Move.” Maya’s skin was covered in sweat and so was Dieter’s. Once his hips were flush with hers, she felt him take up even more space within her. Calling her name softly, he rolled into her wetness. It kept sucking him back in so he drew back further, slow pumps continued while he heard his name whispered from her lips. “Good Dieter…there Dee, spread me…hahh…Dieterrr…” Maya kept calling him and when her fingers ran through his hair, tugging it. Releasing a groan, Dieter took hold of one of her legs and pushed it upward, exposing a different angle. His speed increased and her nails scratched his scalp. Bravo felt his sac tightening, with his cock throbbing within her, moving his hand that was supporting his upper body from being pressed against hers, Dieter leaned forward to lick a stripe up her neck before sucking on it, Maya turned her head away from him to allow more access to her skin. His thumb pressed on her sensitive bud, flicking it while her walls vibrated around him.

Dieter’s teeth made a shallow impression on her neck with another lick, “You’re sure you want it inside mi amor?”

“Yes! Inside Dee!” Maya held one handful of his hair, and her other one scratched his back. Her cavern kept oscillating around his shaft while he spilled inside, filling her with slow thrusts, churning it inside of her. Placing a hand on the back of his neck, Maya pulled his head back, his chin pointed up. Her tongue ran over his lips first before claiming them again, Dieter rolled on his back and pulled her with him, Maya was on top. Her hair had become frizzy from the sweat, her lips swollen and a few tears were holding steady in her eyes.

“Mi mujer perfecta Maya (My perfect woman Maya).” Admiring from below, his hands roamed her hips. Will she want to see me after this wedding? If I said I wanted to visit her would she let me? This isn’t Anika again is it? No, I haven’t proposed and she hasn’t asked. Maya kissed his chest and attempted to move, but Dieter held her steady.

“Dieter, we should clean up.” Shaking his head, Bravo kissed her shoulder, his eyes were soft and Maya felt her lips part slightly. He’s probably worried, but I’ll let him go. I’ll never forget him. Dieter Bravo, that last woman was an idiot. I don’t know if I’ll ever feel this cared for again. I’m not going to be some crazy stalker. I have a job to go back to. If there was a reason to stalk him it would be making me come so many times…I’m horrible for thinking it.

“Just…alright. Move slow.” Maya raised slowly to allow Dieter to slide out and was able to roll to the side of the bed facing the bathroom. It was also facing the mirror from earlier. The bite mark on her neck and the drips from between her legs had her staging at herself. She saw her own tears, puffy cheeks and lips. Bravo slid next to her with his flaccid member covered in her slick and his own spend. “You look stunning and fucked Maya.” She pinched his nose while he helped her up and they waddled to the bathroom together cleaning up. The pair opted to sleep in her bed since they wouldn’t have to go far.

Dieter resolved to talk to Maya tomorrow morning about what had been on his mind. He’s scared though, what if she doesn’t want to? Thinks he’s too much of a hassle because of his status and fame? There’s nothing he can change about that. She fell asleep first in his arms, tracing circles on her back while he wondered what to do.

Elyssa keeps calling and texting Maya. Her sister in law is not answering. She’s looked up who Dieter Bravo is and why some of her bridesmaids were making a big deal about him being there. He’s a famous, Oscar winning actor…with her sister in law?!

“Honey, I need to know how this happened! What do you know about it Michael?” Maya’s youngest brother, the very reason she was in Hawaii looked at his soon to be wife and shrugged his shoulders. He didn’t know either. He and his sister don’t talk about relationships if they chat outside of family gatherings and him borrowing money occasionally. So far there hadn’t been any issues so he didn’t see the problem or why his fiance was yelling at him at eight in the morning. Elyssa pulled up instagram on her phone and Michael's eyes went wide.

Dieter and Maya in some swanky restaurant. Giggling and eating. Fine.

Dieter and Maya, in the same restaurant, snuggled up and a few shots of them kissing. Well, she did bring the guy to the wedding.

Maya getting out of an SUV followed by Dieter and they’re going into some fancy boutique. Eh…okay that’s more than a date.

Maya getting out of a limo and walking….wait that’s the hotel for the wedding party. Dieter’s in the limo and he comes back to pick her up. Damn that might be why Lyssa is pissed.

Dieter and some guy, maybe a driver or bodyguard carrying dresses followed by maya wearing the same dress from the restaurant pics. The story is unfolding or catching up, but clearly they’ve spent some time together.

Maya at the airport walking next to…well that looks to be Dieter, but he’s got on a robe, pijamas and is holding a goat. They’re getting on a jet? So…she came with this guy to Hawaii?! How long have they known each other?! Did mom know? Elyssa mentioned they seemed cozy at the hotel.

Micheal sighed and looked again at his fiance. “Honey I don’t know what to tell you, given who he is. It makes sense that they would keep it under wraps.”

“He better not mess up my wedding! I don’t want paparazzi sneaking in and distracting us from our day! It’s supposed to be about us Michael…” The soon to be bride whined to her fiance. He’s going to have to try calling his sister as well and his mother. They both turned on the news and saw an entertainment report about the new lady in Dieter’s life. There was someone else who had an issue with this:

Vanessa - Dieter’s publicist.

Her issue wasn’t Maya. She doesn’t know the woman from Timbuktu, the problem is that Dieter didn’t say anything about this woman so she could spin things and get ahead of any possible crap storm. So far, she’s been able to figure out that Dieter has been taking this woman around eating and shopping. In her communications with Zack, he hadn’t mentioned her. Only that Dieter was enjoying his time in Hawaii and was staying sober. When she pressed the assistant, he said that ‘Ms. Maya’ is a lovely lady who’d been able to get Dieter on time to his event. He even took her shopping and they avoided too bad of a fight with Oscar.’

“Avoided him? More like pissed him off to the point where he released pictures of Dieter which meant he had someone following him, probably…” As she sat on a jet headed to Hawaii, she was concocting a plan to use her knowledge that Oscar’s camp was the one who released the pictures in case feedback was negative. In her searches of different media, it was leaning positive though there were of course some trolls commenting on how Maya looked and speculating why she was with Dieter in the first place. Vanessa was curious about that as well, but it would need to wait until around noon or one in the afternoon. Despite getting a red-eye, the flight to Hawaii was still extremely long from New York where she’d been wrapping up some things in Dieter's gallery there. He’d opened that one up after his Los Angeles one had been so successful. Vanessa la Roux would get to the bottom of whatever Dieter had gotten himself in now. She’d need to if she was doing her job right.

Oscar felt a chill down his spine while both ears itched. “I may need to do another cleanse or something. What was that? Ugh..”

The Trash Panda Possse 🦝: @morallyinept @pedritapascal @pascalsanctuary @nissaimmortal @grogusmum

@katw474 @readingiskeepingmegoing @theywhowriteandknowthings @beefrobeefcal @iamasaddie

@megamindsecretlair @pamasaur @pedrodascal @marcus-is-my-muse @clawdee

@trulybetty @perotovar @joelslegalwhre @josephquinnswhore @secretelephanttattoo

@sin-djarin @maggiemayhemnj @rhoorl @sp00kymulderr @joelmillers-whore

@guelyury @laurfilijames @missladym1981 @magpiepills @alltheglitterandtheroar

@din-djarins-riduur @daddy-dins-girl @ramblers-lets-get-ramblin @yorksgirl

@saturn-rings-writes @gwendibleywrites @pedroshotwifey @musings-of-a-rose @soft-persephone

@angelofsmalldeath-codeine @mysterious-moonstruck-musings @handspunyarns @i-own-loki @tinytinymenace

Chapter Four

Chapter Six

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aswegoalong72 · 2 months

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July 2024 Writing Update

Hello again! It’s been a few months since I’ve done one of these, and I apologize for that! Between art, life, and illness, I haven’t had as much time as I had hoped for writing.

I'm going to be very busy these next few weeks still, especially when I get a chance to get a new art pen, but I'm hoping to still make some steady progress when I can from time to time!

My last update was on March 6th, 2024, back when I would do weekly updates. Instead of doing that and adding unnecessary pressure unto myself, I'll just be doing monthly updates!

Before I formally begin the update, I would like to share a bit of news in regards to the project; I'm re-writing almost the entirety of Piercing The Veil!

Back when I had a bit of downtime to read what I had over in April, I found I had way too much exposition, not enough dialog, or character development. PTV is the first book I ever wrote, and a lot of the early chapters are definitely showing their lack of experience and age. I started PTV in like... 2021, I think. A lot has changed, and I want to fix it up to better represent all that has since then!

I think, or at least hope, that this will be the final re-write before I get the time to actually finish it. There's still yet a lot to add even once this rewrite is done, as this is going to definitely be considered a saga or epic. In my outline, I have roughly 101 more chapters I plan on adding before I can consider PTV "done". Even then, once I do finish it, I'm going to let it simmer while I work on the first four opening novels.

It's going to be a very, very long process before any of these books come out, or are even considered done. I'm hoping that once I get my art pen back, finish my art backlog, and finish reading my friend's webcomic outline, I can devote myself full time into writing. Until then, thank you for sticking along and keeping me company on this journey!

Without further ado, here's my progress since March!

Dawn - 12% complete (9,323 words) -146 words since March, rewrite for "Alkan's Will" underway Yuniv & Semat - ~1% complete (0 words) Planning stage, waiting on Dawn to be finished Deep Freeze - ~1% complete (0 words) Planning stage, waiting on prior books to be finished To Touch Tenav - ~1% complete (83 words) No change, partial intro only, planning stage Piercing The Veil - ~22% complete (120,531 words)/(8,610 rewrite) +8 words since March, rewrite well underway Head Above Water - ~2% complete (483 words) No change, partial intro only, planning stage Book 7* - ~1% complete (0 words) Planning stage, waiting for prior books to be finished Universal Ideal - ~1% complete (0 words) Planning stage, waiting for prior books to be finished

That's about where things stand. I expect to maybe get back into the art scene by late this month, finishing my backlog by late September if I push it enough, with writing resuming by early or mid October. I will most likely pour all my time into Piercing The Veil, and maybe a little bit of Dawn as well.

Once I get finished with those two, I'll get into the process of getting beta readers, fixing typos & plot holes, finishing an accurate timeline, and getting art for the covers and chapter titles. I'd like to get a decent part of the way into Yuniv & Semat before I publish as well, that way I don't have as much pressure to release things in a "timely" manner as well.

If, and this is a very big if, all things go according to plan, I should be able to publish Dawn by Q2 of 2025. Dawn is a collection of short stories spanning from the prehistory of Lyratet to the stagnation of civilization in what would be the early 1100s in the Gregorian calendar. It's sort of a primer for understanding Lyratet civilization, their early days, and what drives them in their quest for a better society.

Thank you for reading, and for continuing to stick around! Have a lovely day!

-GB

#my posts #writing update #as we go along #writeblr #writers on tumblr #scifi writing #writing

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atths--twice · 8 months

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Chapter Two

Chemistry 101- A Study In Organic Interactions

Mulder and Scully have made plans for a first date after their school trip to the forest. What will be on the agenda?

Mulder took a deep breath as he walked up the stairs to Scully’s dorm room, his hands sweaty and his mouth suddenly dry. He willed his body to calm down before he arrived at her door.

They had been talking on the phone for the past few days and every conversation they had was better than the last. Her sense of humor was wickedly funny and she was wonderfully intelligent.

One night, he had found a late night movie he had seen many times. As he had it playing in the background at a low volume, she excitedly found the same movie and suggested he turn it on and they could watch it together. He had smiled and agreed, not telling her he was already watching it. He had not paid any attention to the movie, however, choosing instead to listen to her talk about the movie. He knew it by heart and hearing about her favorite parts had made him smile.

Thursday they had been in class together, the majority of which was spent discussing the weekend they had all spent together. She had smiled at him a lot, rolling her eyes when Kyle and Brian spoke about what they had liked, even going so far as to ask if falling in the mud had been a favorite moment for him. He had glared at her as everyone else had laughed and she had shrugged her shoulders.

When class was over, Hannah had pulled her away before they could talk, following after Craig and laughing. She had looked back at him and mimed calling him and he had nodded, his heart pounding and hands sweaty. Even after the weekend and all the time they spent speaking on the phone, seeing her in person still made him feel nervous.

When his phone had rung that night, she had apologized for running out earlier and he had asked her out to dinner. Silence ran down the phone line, as he had waited, listening to her breathing.

“Well… I wasn’t expecting that as a response to my apology, but to your question, my answer is… finally.”

“Is that a yes?”

“No. It’s a hell yes.”

He had grinned and punched the air, before they settled on Saturday evening for their first date.

Now as he approached her door, he let out a deep breath, nervous and excited for the date. Taking another steadying breath, he knocked on her door and waited, wiping his hands on his pants.

The door flew open and before he could utter a word, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him into the room. He stumbled and looked back at her, as she stuck her head out of the door, looking left and right down the hall. She closed the door and hurriedly walked past him to the window, looking through the blinds.

“Did anyone see you coming in here?” she asked, glancing back at him. He stood there dumbstruck, not knowing how to respond to her question. “Mulder? Did anyone see you?”

“I… I don’t think so… I didn’t see anyone,” he answered truthfully.

“We’re not allowed to have men in our dorm, or even on the floor.” She checked out the window again and then closed the blinds.

“What? Oh my god. I… I had no idea. I could have waited for you outside. If you had said…” He stopped as he saw the smile slowly crossing her face. “Oh… you’re… you’re joking with me?” She shrugged and he exhaled a nervous breath, shaking his head, as she laughed.

“I thought it would be a funny icebreaker.”

“Yeah… hilarious.”

“I knew it would be,” she said with a grin. “I just need to put on my shoes and we can get going. Have a seat,” she said, gesturing towards a desk as she grabbed a pair of black Converse and sat on a bed.

He sat down at the desk and looked around the room. There were two beds, each with different bedding. A large light blue rug was between the beds and each side of the room had the same identical desks. Her roommate, Kimberly, whom he had heard speaking to her as they spoke on the phone one night, seemed to be more messy, her desk piled with papers and books, while Scully’s was tidy.

There were two dressers and two small closets with storage space above. It was decorated minimally and the overall feeling of it was comfortable, which he appreciated as he calmed down from her little prank.

He looked at her as she sat on the bed. She was wearing dark jeans and a black sweater with light pink, purple, and blue stripes. Her hair was down and falling forward as she tightened her laces and tied her shoes.

“Okay! Ready!” She stood up and smiled, pushing her hair back and tucking it behind her ears. “What are you sitting around for?”

“You’re just a regular comedian aren’t you?” he asked, as he stood up, smiling as she picked up her purse and placed it over her head and across her chest.

“I am pretty funny.”

“Hmm,” he hummed, unable to stop smiling as he headed toward the door.

“Wait,” she said softly and he turned around. She stepped closer to him and put her hand on his arm, staring into his eyes.

Pushing up on tiptoes, she kissed him and he pulled back in surprise. Staring at her, he bent his head and kissed her again, softly and slightly longer than the first one.

“Good,” she whispered with a smile. “I didn’t want to miss it this time.” He laughed nervously and nodded, putting his hands in his pockets, his heart racing.

Taking a jacket from her closet, she laid it over her arm and smiled at him, as she cleared her throat softly. He nodded again and stepped back so she could walk out the door first.

“Keep an eye out for any resident advisors,” she said as she locked the door. “We may need to make a run for it.”

“Nope, not falling for that again,” he said as they walked down the hall and down the stairs to his car.

“Well, I’ll have to think of something else then,” she teased as he opened the car door for her.

“Bring it on,” he said with a shrug and she grinned.

“Oh. I will.”

Driving away from her dorm room, he could not stop smiling. The fact that she was with him and would be for the next few hours, filled him with happiness. Already he was feeling less tongue tied and comfortable.

It was nearly sunset, his favorite time of day. Glancing over at her, he saw that she was smiling, and the beauty of the day could not compare to the happiness he saw on her face.

“So I was thinking,” she said, looking at him, and breaking into his thoughts.

“Oh yeah, what about?”

“Well, ever since you told me the story of Maurice and Lyda, I’ve been thinking about it.”

“Oh you mean the cursed house on Larkspur Lane?”

“Wait. The cursed house? Cursed? It’s not enough that it’s haunted, it has to be cursed too?” she teased and he smiled.

“Well, I mean…” He made a scale weighing motion with his hands and she laughed with a shrug.

“Are you comparing a curse to a haunting? Because, well, I’d have to say that the two are very different,” she stated, running her fingers through her hair.

“Please elaborate,” he said with a grin and she nodded with a smile.

“Well, being a layman- or laywoman- my explanation may not be up to scratch compared to yours, but I’ll give it a shot.” She smiled at him again and he slowed down at a stop sign, nearly going through it as he stared at her.

Quickly glancing around and finding that no cars were approaching, he raised his eyebrows, waiting for her to continue. She licked her lips and bit the bottom one before smiling at him and taking his breath away.

“So, by my way of thinking, and I am pretty intelligent, if I do say so myself,” she said, with a shrug. “A haunted house tends to indicate that there is the potential of spirits or ghosts, but a cursed house… well, that just implies scary twins in a hallway, an elevator full of blood, and a dead naked woman in a bathtub. I mean that just screams cursed as opposed to haunted.” She raised her eyebrows back at him and smiled.

He shook his head slowly and had to physically stop himself from kissing her thoroughly. She tilted her head and he nodded with a smile.

“Does that explanation suffice?” she asked, twirling her hair in her fingers. He could smell her shampoo and he took a deep breath, breathing it in.

“Yeah, it’ll suffice,” he said and she bit her lip again, staring into his eyes. She started to lean toward him and a horn honked behind them, causing them to jump and then laugh.

He cleared his throat and turned left, heading to the restaurant he had picked for dinner. As they pulled up, she sighed and he looked over at her.

“Did you want to go somewhere different?” he asked and she looked at him, sighing again. “You want to go check out the house, don’t you?”

Her eyes widened and she actually stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. He laughed and nodded, putting the car in reverse and backing up.

“Yes…” she breathed and he laughed again. She looked at him and grinned as he shook his head.

“You tell me you don’t believe in ghosts or ghost stories and yet you want to go explore a haunted house.”

“A seemingly haunted house,” she said, giving him a look. “And one that just so happens to be close by.”

“So, what? You want to prove me wrong?” he teased and she shrugged with a smile. “Okay, let’s go check out the house.” Again she said yes under her breath and he laughed.

They were quiet as they drove over, comfortably quiet. The fact that she was there, that he could smell her shampoo and perfume, that she had kissed him, and nearly had done so again, made him unable to stop smiling.

It was not far to the house, a place he had driven to a few times, his own curiosity piqued by the idea of it. Turning down the street, he glanced at her as they approached the house. Stopping the car, he parked and shut it off, and they sat in silence as they stared at it.

“This is it?” she asked after a few seconds and he nodded. She looked out the windshield and grinned. He smiled as he watched her, the house in his peripheral. “Well, it does have a spooky feel to it, but that’s probably because I know it has a story behind it. Any other time, I wouldn’t have looked at it twice.”

She unbuckled her seatbelt and opened her door. Scrambling after her, he felt his heart pounding. He had never gotten out of the car before, nor been this close to the house.

“Wait!” he called out to her and she turned around.

“What? Don’t you want to see if it’s actually haunted?” She smiled and he sighed, looking at the house. “I mean, I know you said it was just on Christmas, but shouldn’t we check? Just to be sure?”

“It’s just…”

“Oh,” she said, her eyes shining. “You’re scared.”

“Pfft. Scared? Hardly.” He shook his head, glancing at the house.

“You are! Oh my God, that’s so cute,” she said, stepping closer to him as she folded her hands by her mouth, and grinning adorably.

“It’s not that I’m scared,” he said with a deep sigh. “I just, okay fine… I… I am a little scared.” She giggled, covering her mouth, trying to hold it in, as he shook his head with a sigh. “It’s an irrational fear, but…”

She moved her hand and nodded, looking at him with a smile. Glancing at the house and back at him she nodded again.

“So, we won’t go inside. We could just… walk around the perimeter? Peek in the windows?” she asked and he smiled with a relieved sigh.

Stepping back, she nodded again and then glanced down, her eyes seeming to land on his hand. Looking back up at him, she made to step towards the house, but he stopped her with a touch on her arm. She stared as he moved his hand down to grasp hers, giving her a nervous smile, as she bit her lip. Giving her hand a squeeze, they walked up to the house.

”Question,” she said as they arrived at the front door. “You said Maurice and Lyda died in 1917.” She looked at him and he frowned with a nod. “1917. And yet, the house looks nearly perfect and it’s been over 60 years. How is that possible? Do they have a caretaker? Why has this place been kept at all? I mean, a big place like this…” She gestured and he looked around at the house and the grounds.

“Good questions, all,” he said with a grin and squeezed her hand again.

“I mean, it seems like a strange thing to keep a house like this, with no one living in it and… what?” she asked, looking at him in confusion.

“Live here? Would you want to live here?” he asked with a smile. She stared at him and then grinned wickedly.

“Well, I know you wouldn’t,” she retorted and he raised his eyebrows.

“You’re damn right,” he said with a shudder and she giggled.

Letting go of his hand, they walked around, looking in the windows and exclaiming over the way it appeared to be in very good repair, considering the amount of time it had been sitting there uninhabited. He had actually been imagining a classic type haunted house setting: one full of cobwebs, broken windows and ripped billowing curtains.

“It looks... okay. Safe even. Sure you don’t want to go inside?” she asked, as they stood by the front door, her hand on the door knob. She raised an eyebrow at him and he shook his head with a grin.

“Fine,” she sighed, moving her hand and smiling. “Next time, I get to tell the interesting story.”

“Hey, you asked me for a story,” he countered and she laughed.

“To be fair though, I didn’t expect a story that would be true or at a place that is practically in our backyard. How could we not come out and investigate it, even if you’re too scared to go inside?” She raised her eyebrows with a smirk.

He stared at her, shaking his head at the happiness he saw on her face every time she teased him. He smiled and nodded.

“Okay, you’re on. Although, I don’t know if any story you tell could top… Jesus Christ!” he yelled and jumped back, her laughter ringing nearly as loudly as the door just had.

“Oh… you are so easy,” she said between fits of giggles.

Shaking his head, he looked at her hand on the door knob where he had not noticed she had placed it again. His gaze had been on her and he had not seen her reach out for it. While he was distracted, she took advantage and shook the door violently; the sound scaring the absolute shit out of him.

She laughed and then let out a satisfied sigh, staring at him with a huge smile. Despite the fact that she had nearly scared him to death, he had an overwhelming desire to kiss her. He worried it would seem too forward, regardless that they had already done so.

Licking her lips, she stepped closer and then bit her bottom one, staring at his own. The scent of her shampoo blew in the breeze and he felt his knees buckle slightly, propelling him forward.

She placed her hand lightly on his chest and he gripped her elbow as their lips met in a soft kiss. She clenched his shirt as he kissed her twice, the tip of her tongue touching his, causing him to pull back, both of them breathing hard.

She pressed her lips together, her eyes closed as she took a deep breath.

“You’re a really good kisser, Fox Mulder,” she breathed, opening her eyes slowly as she smiled.

“I… thank you,” he said, clearing his throat, and taking a deep breath.

“I can’t be the first person to have told you that,” she said with a smile staring at him, her head tilted to the side.

“Umm… I haven’t dated much, to be completely honest with you.”

“You don’t have to “date” to kiss someone,” she said, crossing her arms and smiling at him. “There are parties and… games…”

“Not really the places you would find me.”

“You? The country club boy?” she asked, stepping past him and going down the stairs. “I find it hard to believe you’ve never found a hidden corner for a bit of debauchery at those cotillions you told me about.”

“Debauchery?” He stopped walking and stared at her. “What do you think goes on at those parties?”

“I don’t know. I’m not a country club girl.” She grabbed a handful of her hair, bringing it over her shoulder, twisting it as she shrugged.

“Debauchery…” he said again, taking his car keys from his pocket. “It sounds so dark and seedy.”

“All those women in jewels and fancy dresses, with a young Fox Mulder in their sights… ” She shrugged again and he shook his head. He knew she was just teasing, but he also did not want her to have the wrong idea about him.

“Nah. No debauchery for me.”

“Well, I’m sure there are many women who are sorry to have missed out on some of that debauchery.” She smiled with that dimple showing, her hair still being twisted around her fingers, and he shook his head with a chuckle.

She walked to the passenger door and got in the car. Shaking his head again, he walked over and got in, starting the car and glancing at her.

“You’re a good… you... a good kisser too,” he said with a sigh. She turned to look at him and smiled slowly, her entire face lighting up.

“I know,” she replied and he raised his eyebrows at her.

“Ohhhhkay…” he said with a smile, drawing it out, as he put the car in reverse and backed up.

They got on the main road and he headed toward the restaurants in the college part of town, foregoing the original plan he had for dinner.

“Do you have a preference? I was thinking Italian, but I can go for whatever,” he asked, glancing at her at a stoplight.

“Italian sounds good,” she agreed. He nodded and when the light changed, he pulled into the parking area.

They walked across the street and before they walked into Zona’s, the best Italian restaurant in the area, she stopped him with a hand on his arm, and a nervous look on her face.

“I… I haven’t kissed that many men.”

“What?” he asked her in genuine confusion.

“You said I was a good kisser and I said I knew, which may have implied I had been told before, or I knew because I had kissed a lot of men and therefore they must enjoy kissing me, so I figured I was good at it.” She took a deep breath, her tumble of words coming to a halt. “I just… I didn’t want you to have the wrong impression of me.”

“Dana… Scully,” he said with a smile. “I… none of that was… that was the furthest thing from my mind.” She let out a sigh and smiled tightly. He put a hand on her upper arm and squeezed gently.

“No debauchery on my end either,” she said softly and he smiled. “But, if I had been at those country club parties with you, I think we may have changed that.”

“You would have terrified me,” he whispered, not realizing he said it out loud until her eyes widened. “Oh, I… I didn’t mean…” He stopped speaking as she smiled, the biggest one he had seen yet and his heart pounded hard in his chest.

“You have no idea,” she whispered back and he let out a shaky breath. She turned around and walked toward the restaurant, leaving him standing there feeling almost dizzy.

How much more enjoyable those countless cotillions and holiday parties would have been with a redheaded young woman causing his heart to race, her blue eyes full of mischief as she looked for some hidden corner to drag him into…

“Mulder? Are we going to dinner or not?”

He looked up at her and grinned slowly, nodding his head as he joined her, opening the door of the restaurant and placing his hand on the small of her back as they stepped inside.

______________

As they walked out of the restaurant, she reached for his hand and bumped her head lightly against his shoulder. He squeezed her hand and she looked up at him with a smile.

“So, where to next?” she asked and he smiled.

“How about some dessert?” He pointed towards an ice cream parlor and she nodded with a squeeze of his hand.

They walked into the shop and waited in the line of families who must have been visiting for the weekend with younger children running around excitedly with chocolate on their faces.

“Which flavor will you choose?” he asked, looking up at the menu.

“The answer to that question is always chocolate,” she said with a grin. “With hot fudge and whipped cream whenever possible.”

“So, I take it you like chocolate?” he teased and she nodded happily.

“No. I don’t like it. I love it,” she answered as she stepped forward and gave her order. Taking her wallet out of her purse, he stopped her with a shake of his head, and a hand on her arm.

“You paid for dinner,” she argued and he shook his head again. “I also nearly scared you to death. The least I can do is pay for our ice creams.” She smiled and then scrunched her chin in such a cute way, he would have kissed her, if not for the large crowd of people bustling around them.

“Okay,” he agreed quietly. “Although, I wasn’t that scared.” She gave him a look and raised an eyebrow at him.

“Order your ice cream, you liar.” She moved aside so he could step past her to the counter, shaking her head with a smile.

Placing his order for butterscotch ice cream, with no toppings, she paid for their treats, watching as the ice cream was scooped and put into two large waffle cups.

Picking them up, they walked past the families, Mulder grabbing a handful of napkins on the way and shoving them in his pocket as they headed outside to an empty table.

It was warm out and many people were enjoying the evening. They were quiet as they ate their ice cream, looking around at fellow classmates, families, and children all sitting around in the spring air.

Looking over at her, he saw she had chocolate on the corner of her mouth. Taking a napkin out of his pocket, he handed it to her and she took it with a smile. Wiping at her mouth, she missed the spot entirely. Chuckling, he shook his head and pointed at it. Foregoing the napkin, she ran her tongue along the corner of her mouth and then across her lips to the other corner, staring at him before wiping her mouth with a napkin.

He swallowed hard, knowing how soft her lips were and remembering the feel of her tongue touching his briefly. Her eyes were on his and his heart raced as he thought of kissing her again.

“Did I get it?” she asked softly and he nodded, swallowing again. She smiled and put the napkin on the table, taking a bite of her ice cream. Letting out of breath, he shook his head and continued eating his as well.

When they were finished, they walked back to his car. As he opened the door for her, he paused and looked at her.

“I didn’t plan anything past this, not exactly sure what you would want to do besides dinner, and possibly dessert. Visiting a haunted house had not been on the planned agenda.”

“Or, was it cursed? We never went inside to find out for sure. Some of us were too scared.” She shrugged and he shook his head, giving her a half smile.

“What I’m trying to say is…” He took a deep breath and cleared his throat. “Unless you want, I’m not quite ready to take you home, but I don’t have anything planned and I don’t…” He stopped talking as she suddenly leaned forward and kissed him softly, grabbing a hold of his shirt and holding tightly.

This time as her tongue touched his, he did not pull back, but placed his hands on her hips and pulled her closer. His head began to spin at the sweet taste of the chocolate ice cream lingering in her mouth. Her hands began moving up to his neck, when he heard someone loudly clearing their throat, followed by an even louder “excuse me.”

He broke from their kiss, breathing hard, but not releasing his grip on her. Looking up, he saw a middle-aged man standing in front of the car parked beside his own. He raised his eyebrows and smiled at Mulder, nodding at his car.

“Would you mind pausing for just a quick moment and allow me to get into my car?” he asked, his keys spinning on his finger.

Scully’s head fell onto his chest and he held onto her as he stepped back, allowing the man to close Mulder’s open passenger door, and get into his own car. Backing up, he smiled as he flashed them a peace sign, and drove away.

“That was so embarrassing,” she said, her voice muffled in his chest. Pulling back, she looked up at him, and he laughed bringing a hand up to cup her cheek.

“Doubt we’ll ever see him again, so who cares?” She licked her lips with a nod and he took a deep breath. “So… what do you say?”

She reached up and kissed him softly before stepping back and tucking her hair behind her ears.

“I know it’s not too late, but I go with my family to mass on Sundays and then we go out to lunch. I have to be up early to get ready and then take the bus over to my parents house, so… it’s probably best if we call it a night.” She seemed almost nervous at her words and he did not like seeing her that way.

“I understand. Would you… I could maybe pick you up in the morning? Give you a ride over to your parents house?” He shrugged, offering but doubtful she would accept.

“Are you asking to join us for mass?”

“God, no!” he said with a scoffing laugh, until he saw her raised eyebrows and serious expression. “I mean… I’m not Catholic and I uh… church isn’t exactly my thing. I uh…”

“Oh,” she said, looking down. “I didn’t realize.”

His heart sank at the thought that maybe that was a dealbreaker for her. Maybe she wanted someone who was religious, or at least had some interest in it. As he opened his mouth to say he could at least try it, see what the hype was about, she looked up with a grin and he exhaled.

She got him again.

“You are so easy, Fox Mulder,” she whispered, shaking her head with a smile.

“Hmm,” he agreed with a chuckle, opening her door and stepping back. She rubbed his arm as she got in the car and he walked around to the other side. As he started the car, he looked at her and smiled.

“Well, how about a ride over tonight? Then you don’t have to get up so early. Or take the bus.”

“You would do that? Really?” She stared at him, searching his face.

“Yeah,” he said with a shrug. “Like I said, I don’t exactly want to take you home just yet.” She smiled and reached for his hand.

“Okay then. I accept your offer.”

“Good,” he laughed, squeezing her hand, backing up the car one-handed.

___________

Walking into her dorm room, he waited as she gathered her things to stay the night at her parents: a couple of bags of dirty laundry, her backpack, a dress and cardigan on a hanger, and a pair of low heels.

Handing him the bags of laundry, she put her backpack on, laid her dress over her arm, hung the heels from her fingers, and grabbed a toiletry bag. Giving him a nod, they walked out the door, and she locked it behind them.

Putting all of her things in the backseat, they got in the car and headed to her parents house. She fiddled with the radio, finding a station she liked, quietly humming along with the song.

Glancing at her, he smiled before looking back at the road. He had fun with her tonight, a lot of fun. They could have done it a while ago, if he had not been so awkward with women and afraid to make a move. What a fool he had been, missing out on spending time with her.

“I had fun tonight,” she said, the song ending as she turned to look at him with a smile, almost as though she could read his mind.

“Me too,” he grinned, reaching for her hand.

“Turn left and then take the second right,” she said, squeezing his hand. He followed her directions and stopped when she pointed to the Cape Cod style house on the left.

Parking the car, he shut off the engine and turned to look at her with a smile. She smiled back and then bit her lip as she stared at him.

They both leaned forward at the same time, his hand cupping her cheek and moving to her neck, his fingers tangling in her hair as they kissed. Her hand was on his mid thigh and the kiss deepened, unable to control himself.

“Ohhh…” she exhaled, pulling back and breathing hard, her hand moving to his knee. He was breathing hard too, his fingers still in her hair.

“Hmm,” she hummed, letting out her breath and shaking her head. “I should go inside. I think that’s enough debauchery for one night.” Giving his knee a squeeze, she pulled back further and licked her lips.

Letting go of her hair, he pulled back too, opening the door and getting out to grab her bags of laundry. She gathered the things on her side and they walked quietly up the brick walkway, mindful of the late hour. Up three steps, they stood in front of the door where he set her bags down and smiled at her.

“So, I guess I’ll talk to you on Monday?”

“Why not tomorrow?”

“You said you’d be at church and then lunch with your family,” he reminded her. “I don’t want to infringe on that and besides, I don’t have your parent’s phone number.” He smiled as he raised his eyebrows.

Laying her dress on the railing and setting her shoes down beside it, she took off her backpack. Searching inside, she found a pen, and set it down.

Reaching for his right hand, she wrote: Scully home- 555-6627 and then drew a small heart beside it. She blew on the ink to dry it and that simple act shot desire straight through him.

“I usually stay over on Sundays, because I don’t have classes on Monday, and it gives me time to do my laundry,” she said quietly, staring at him as she still held onto his hand. “You have the number here now. I don’t want to wait until Monday to talk to you.”

She let go of his hand and capped the pen, putting it back inside of her backpack. He nodded with a smile as she put her backpack on again, and picked up her dress and shoes. She reached inside her purse and took out her keys, staring at him, her eyes intense.

“I really like you,” she whispered and he grinned.

“We have that in common,” he whispered back.

“You really like yourself?”

He laughed quietly, shaking his head at her quick wit. “I do, but I obviously meant you, smart ass.”

“Hmm,” she hummed with a smile.

They stared at one another, the quiet of the night settling around them, until her watch beeped, announcing it was midnight.

“Time to head inside Cinderella. It’s getting late and you're literally holding a pair of heels. Don’t want to tempt fate and lose one.” He grinned and she looked down at the black heels swinging from her fingers.

“Seems like your task to find me would be pretty easy if I did, you’re literally standing right here in front of me.”

“Are you implying that I’m your Prince Charming?”

“Depends. I know you know how to dance, but do they teach you country club boys how to wield a sword?”

“I learned in fencing class, yeah.”

She stared at him, her face running a gamut of emotions and expressions, her mouth opening and closing. Until he smiled at her and she laughed softly as she shook her head.

He finally got her.

“All right, don’t look so smug,” she said with another shake of her head. “You had me going, but I’m definitely in the lead.”

“For now,” he told her, picking up her laundry bags with a smirk.

She took the cue and unlocked the door, pushing it open quietly, as she turned to look at him. He set the bags just inside on the floor and turned back at her.

“We’ll have to start keeping a tally,” she whispered and he nodded. “Thank you for tonight and the ride over here.” Stepping closer to him, she placed a hand on his chest and kissed him softly one time, leaving him leaning in for more.

Pulling her closer, one hand on her hip, the other on her neck, he kissed her again, his tongue softly grazing hers as she gripped his shirt and leaned closer. One more and he pulled back, his thumb moving in small circles on her hip.

“Goodnight,” he whispered, his forehead resting against hers.

“Uhhh… mm-hmm,” she murmured, stepping back, and breathing hard. “A really… really good kisser. Whew...” She shook her head and stumbled dazedly through the door. He smiled as he watched the effect his kiss had on her, knowing how it affected him.

“Huh,” she breathed, turning around and staring at him. “Gonna spend some extra time in the confessional tomorrow.” He raised his eyebrows and she smiled wickedly. “Totally worth it.” He chuckled and nodded.

“Completely agree.”

“Goodnight, Mulder,” she said, shaking her head and humming again. “Use that number you were given.” He glanced down at his hand and then looked up at her with a nod. “Goodnight.”

“Goodnight… Scully.”

The door closed softly and he heard the lock click, before he walked off the porch and back down the walkway to his car.

Turning around when he got to the door, he saw her at the window, the curtains pulled back. Waving to him with a shake of her head and a smile, she closed the curtains and he got in the car with a smile of his own.

Before he drove away, he looked at his hand and took a pen out of the glove box, writing the number down on a scrap of paper, not wanting to forget it or chance it smearing. He copied it just as she had written it, including the small darkly penned open heart.

Once it was copied down, he put the pen back and placed the paper on the passenger seat. He started the car with a final glance at the house. Not seeing her there, he drove away, with a chuckle.

He grinned the entire drive home, replaying the date in his mind. Her smile, the shine of her eyes, her laughter, the scent of her hair, and the intoxicating taste of her kiss.

Pulling into his parking space, he picked up the slip of paper with her parents phone number on it and headed inside. Dropping his keys on the counter, he walked into his room to get ready for bed.

Lying down a few minutes later, the paper with the phone number on his nightstand, he traced the now faint heart on his hand, remembering the feel of the pen pressing into his skin, and her soft breath blowing across it as she made sure the ink was dry.

Closing his eyes, he turned onto his side and took a deep breath. He suddenly remembered something she said, and his eyes flew open. She did not have classes on Monday. And neither did he.

Maybe we could have lunch at the country club. Or perhaps take a fencing class, he thought with a smile and a chuckle, thinking of what she would say if he told her that was the plan.

No, he thought, the perfect idea coming to him. The yacht club.

Wouldn’t she tease him mercilessly once she learned they were also members at a yacht club? But some of his favorite summers had been spent there. First learning to sail and then teaching others.

The yacht club… yeah that could be fun. He had not sailed in awhile, but it was like riding a bike. Maybe that was something she would enjoy.

Hell, her family are Navy people, he thought with a laugh. She might be able to sail better than me.

Tiredness beginning to set in, he closed his eyes with a yawn, and shook his head. Tomorrow. Tomorrow he would suggest a day of sailing and see what she had to say. Hopefully she would be keen to get out on the water.

That night he dreamt he was on a boat, the warmth of the sun shining down on him and the glassy water. He smiled as he looked to his left and found Scully sitting beside him, smiling with happiness. Her long hair was like fire in the sunlight as she reached for his hand, and the wind caught the sail and her laughter danced in the breeze.

#the x files #msr #alternate universe #college au #college classmates #first date #teasing #flirting #laughing #haunted house #holding hands #kissing #dinner #discussions #ice cream parlor #1980s #happy

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valos-venus-doom · 9 months

Text

Drawn & Quartered [Chapter 4]

February 10th 2007

Ville sat looking at the alluring brunette in front of him, her eyes sparkled in the light of the candles between them. He was on his first "first date" in eons.

Her name was Caitlyn. A stunning 25 year old Starbucks barista Ville had met when a new location popped up in his neighborhood. He began going first thing in the morning, every morning (because sobriety meant he was up before the birds most days) because the gorgeous girl behind the counter charmed him and made him laugh. And genuinely laugh. Not the polite laughter you do when a stranger makes a bad joke. He learned her schedule and was there every single day she worked until he worked up the courage to ask her out.

To Ville's surprise, he wasn't nervous. Not at all, in fact, it felt like being out to dinner with a longtime friend. He was completely at ease and comfortable around her, which was a big deal for him.

She had big hazel eyes, full lips, and a body he couldn't stop thinking about getting on top of. But more than that, she was extremely smart and captivated him. Caitlyn was going to school for business management and he loved listening to her talk about it. She was unlike any woman he had ever dated and he told anyone who'd listen that she was the one.

And when she laughed? It made Ville's stomach flutter. She had the best laugh he'd ever heard.

"And long story short, this is why taking Philosophy is terrible and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone." Caitlyn concluded her tirade on why Philosophy 101 was the worst class she had ever taken. She had saved it for last and it wad the last credit she needed to graduate.

"When do you graduate again?" Ville asked, sipping his water.

"May." Caitlyn said with a smile before sipping her white wine.

"Nearly there." Ville smiled.

"Yes and oh my God I am so ready to be done. As soon as that Master's degree is in my hands, I'm quitting Starbucks with two middle fingers up in the air."

Ville laughed, "But then where am I going to get coffee from every morning?"

"I said I was quitting, not burning down the joint." She teased.

"But your coffee is better than anyone elses."

"You get your coffee black. Anyone can do that." She rolled her eyes playfully.

"Mm, not sure that's true. You must do something special to it." Ville smirked.

"How about making it at home?" Caitlyn stuck her tongue out at him.

"You gonna come over every morning and make it for me?" Ville stared her down suggestively.

"Maybe..." Caitlyn eyed him seductively over the rim of her wine glass.

An hour later, Ville had Caitlyn on her back on his couch. They couldn't hold back long enough to make it upstairs to his bed.

"Oh god, Cait, fuck yes." Ville groaned before attacking her lips again, moaning into the kiss passionately.

Caitlyn pushed him off her til he was seated on the couch, she straddled his hips and held his shoulders as she rode him, nails slightly digging into his flesh. Her dress was pulled down to reveal her tits that Ville attacked lustfully, bringing Caitlyn to orgasm.

"God yes, I love your dick." Caitlyn groaned through gritted teeth, her body a vice around his cock as she came.

Ville realized she was dirty talker and he fucking loved it. He exploded immediately with an orgasm so intense he couldn't even breathe, let alone make noise. His mouth agape, eyes squeezed shut, hips spasming. Thank God Caitlyn already came because he literally couldn't stop himself.

When he reopened his eyes as the orgasm subsided, Caitlyn was gazing at him with a small smirk. Ville was convinced she was a goddess. She had to have been, she was not of this realm. It was in that moment he was sure of two things:

1. He was madly in love.

2. Caitlyn was The One.

Christmas Day, 2011. 10am.

Ville awoke with a start. He stared into the cold grey morning light creeping into his bedroom. It was a dream. About her. Again.

Ville held Caitlyn's pillow tightly in his arms, inhaling its scent; Redken shampoo, Victoria Secret perfume, and her natural smell. Eau de Caitlyn.

Too numb to cry, the last 2 days since getting home had been a nightmare of his own creation.

He flip-flopped between grief and rage. Both at himself and at Cait.

He had written out so many texts, but never sent them. He didn't know how to say "Fuck you, come home." eloquently.

Suddenly a text came through and his heart jumped. He grabbed his phone so quickly he lost grip and it flew across the floor and he rolled out of bed after it, looking at the text on his knees on the floor, blanket wrapped around his waist.

He knew in his heart it was Caitlyn.

But it wasn't. It was his mother wishing him a Merry Christmas and asking when he and Caitlyn would be over to spend the day with them as per tradition.

Ville felt like he was going to be sick. It was Christmas. He'd forgotten completely. But he was so far from the spirit he may as well have been Ebenezer Scrooge.

"Hey, sorry, I've been up sick all night. I must have caught something from the tour. I'll come by another day. Love you." He texted back to his mother, lying.

"Well if you haven't infected her, send Cait. We love and miss you both. Xx" his mother replied.

That text made it so much worse. He knew his family adored Caitlyn, and she them. They all got along so well. It warmed Ville's heart when he'd see Caitlyn in the kitchen helping his mother. Or playing retro games on their 20 year old Super Nintendo with his brother. Or talking business and current events with his dad over coffee.

She was a perfect fit for the Valo family. She was perfect in general. And she was gone.

Ville didn't answer his mother's text. Instead he climbed back into bed. He gripped Cait's pillow tight, inhaling deeply, before rolling over and going back to sleep. Before he drifted off, he relented, he was going to call Caitlyn. White flag flying, he surrendered. He couldn't take another day with her. But first, sleep.

Ville awoke hours later to his phone ringing and it was dark. 'I slept all day?' He immediately thought to himself before looking at the screen to see who was calling, hoping desperately it was Caitlyn, hoping she was feeling the same sense of longing and wanting to surrender, too.

But it wasn't Caitlyn. It was his brother, Jesse.

"Hello?"

"Hey, dude. I've been knocking. It's fucking cold and snowing its ass off out here. Open the door."

"One sec." And Ville hung up. He pulled on pants before scurrying down to his front door. Jesse never just showed up, so this was odd, Ville thought to himself.

Ville opened the door to see his brother standing on the other side in the snow that began falling at some point. "Hey. What's up?"

Jesse walked into the house taking off his snow covered boots. "Well, I heard from Mom that you were sick. So I was coming to check on my big brother. It is Christmas after all."

"How very sweet of you." Ville replied blankly. He loved his brother, but right now he was in no mood for visitors. It was interrupting his miserable self-loathing.

Jesse stared at Ville straightfaced, "You don't look sick to me. So, wanna tell me what's really going on?"

"Nothing." Ville stared back at his brother who was clearly calling him out in his lie... but there was something else Jesse clearly knew, he could see it in his eyes. And Jesse didnt ask where Caitlyn was, as he usually would have.

"What do you know?" Ville asked quietly, not breaking eye contact. He was dreading having to finally tell someone that he and Caitlyn broke up.

"Well one of two things happened," Jesse began. "Either you and Cait broke up, or she's in the mountains cheating on you right now." Jesse's tone was serious.

"But," Jesse continued, "I doubt she'd be this open about cheating on you publicly on social media. I'm no Sherlock Holmes but it seems like you broke up with her and haven't told anyone. Which would explain why you lied to mom and didn't show up for Christmas."

"Cheating on me?" Ville asked blankly staring at his brother. His face suddenly hot, his ears felt like they were on fire, and his stomach sick. It felt as though there was barbed wire in his windpipe.

"Why the fuck else would this be on her Instagram?" Jesse pulled out his phone and showed him a picture of Caitlyn and Matthias kissing on a ski lift.

Jesse knew Ville had no form of social media, so when he was scrolling through Instagram at his parents' house and came across that picture, he was stunned. And he knew Ville was probably none the wiser.

Jesse scrolled through both Caitlyn and Matthias' accounts finding a lot of pictures together with a group of friends, both tagging each other in all the pictures, with heart emojis galore. Some were innocuous enough, sure. But the kissing picture was a glaring red flag. And so was the picture of Caitlyn in a jacuzzi, breasts barely hidden under the bubbling water, and cuddling Matthias.

Ville stared at the photo, his hands began to shake as rage rose within him like boiling flood water. After a moment of staring he averted his eyes and began to chuckle darkly. "That fucking cunt...." he turned away from Jesse. His arms raised and he interlocked his fingers together behind his head and began pacing. Breathing hard.

"So she is cheating?" Jesse asked, extremely confused. Unable to gauge his brother's crazed reaction.

"Nope! She can do whatever it is Her Highness wants! That fucking bitch..." Ville broke into a fit of crazed laughter. "Oh wow."

"Are you high?" Jesse asked blankly. "Or do you need to be?"

"She moved out." Ville sighed, a delirious smile on his face, a millisecond later, Ville threw his fist through the drywall beside him. "Fuck!" He screamed at nothing in particular.

"She broke up with you?" Jesse asked unphased, he'd seen Ville put his fist threw many a wall. It was a Ville Valo signature move.

"Nope. I broke up with her." Ville shook his head, laughing, pacing

"When?"

"Two weeks ago. Didn't take the cunt long to move on, did it?" He sighed as he moved to sit on his couch. "Fucking slut. Of course she's in the the next one."

"What happened?"

"She and her little dumb cunt friends, as you see pictured on the Facebook-a-gram," he gestured dismissively at the phone still in Jesse's hand, "All went on a ski trip two weeks ago and KNOWING full well I was about to leave on tour. But she didnt care. No, no. Instead she ignored my texts, and refused to come home. And then she DID come home, acting like a cunt, calling me an asshole and bitching that I never let her do anything, so I told her I was done." Ville explained viciously.

"Ville..." Jesse knew that probably wasn't the case. He knew Caitlyn pretty well, that didn't sound like her. And knowing his brother, knew some details were being left out.

"Okay. Maybe I was being a passive aggressive asshole, but she made me feel so fucking unimportant. All I wanted was to spend time with her! Was that too much to fucking ask?!" Ville ranted, kicking over the coffee table in front of him.

"Ville.... you broke up with Caitlyn 2 weeks ago?" Jesse asked, connecting the dots.

"Yeah." Ville replied, sitting back against the couch, his heart beating in his ears.

"On the 11th?" Jesse asked.

"Yeah." Ville responded, more irritated this time. "What the fuck are you getting at? What does that fucking matter?"

Jesse stared at his brother. "Did you realize the 11th was on the 6 month anniversary of her father's death?"

Ville froze.

"You know, the 6 month anniversary ofthe death of her last living parent, and right before her first Christmas without him?"

Ville's stomach turned as Jesse spelled it out like he was a Kindergartener.

Jesse continued, moving closer, speaking downward at his brother who was seated on the couch, "And you made her feel like shit for going on a trip, doing the one activity that she and her father held dear? And then broke up with her? What in the entire *fuck* is wrong with you, man? I'm surprised she didn't break up with you herself."

Ville's expression changed from stunned realization to a scowl. He stood up fast, furious at himself but ready to direct it towards his brother, he got nearly in his face "Jesse, fuck off. You weren't even there! You're really gonna side with her? She's fucking my friend, first of all!"

Ville didn't appreciate the feeling of being being judged, especially when it was dawning on him that he was in the wrong. "And sec-second of all," Ville, ready to defend himself, paused and swallowed hard. But it felt like swallowing a razorblade, "Second of all...." he struggled to continue. "W-when you put it like that..." Ville's voice broke, his lip trembled and he dissolved into tears, face in his hands.

Jesse's expression softened as saw his brother break. He wrapped his arms around his big brother and sat them both down on the couch to better hold and console him.

"I was going to propose." Ville sobbed into his brother's shoulder, snot and tears getting on his jacket but Jesse couldn't have cared less. "Midnight. New Years. On stage. I had it all planned with manager at Tavastia--" he choked. "What am I gonna do?" Ville wept, his voice cracking.

Jesse held his older brother, "Ville. Ville, come on. It's going to be okay. Have you even talked to her since all this happened?"

Ville lifted his head and wiped his face on a t-shirt he'd thrown on the couch days ago. "N-no." Ville answered. "I was so fucking angry... I refused to call her. I wanted her to call me. I didn't think I did anything wrong." Ville sniffed. "At the time." He clarified.

"Okay, well that's step number one. Talk. To. Her." he urged him. "Maybe she feels the same--"

Ville shook his head, interrupting him "No. She is clearly with Matthias right now." He looked tearfully at his brother. "She clearly moved on."

"That isn't necessarily true..." Jesse tried to

"She fucking wasted NO time getting on another man's dick, did she?" Ville's emotional pendulum began to swing back to rage from sorrow. "And with Matthias? My fucking friend? That fucking bastard. What a friend, huh?" Ville stood up, pacing again.

"Before you put another hole in the drywall, remember you were the one who broke up with her." Jesse tried to calmly remind him.

Ignoring Jesse, Ville grabbed his shoes. "I fucking gave that bitch everything. I moved heaven and earth for her, and this is what she does? Do I not mean anything? Did WE not mean anything? And with my friend? How fucking dare she." Ville seethed and raged. "I'm getting a drink. Come with me, or don't, I don't give a fuck."

"Oh I'm coming with you, I'm not letting you out into the world unsupervised in this state." Jesse replied, grabbing his boots too.

#ville valo #vv #ville valo fan fic #ville valo fan fiction #neon noir #him #h.i.m #heartagram #his infernal majesty #love metal #jesse valo

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darkpoisonouslove · 9 months

Text

2023 in Words

We got 2024... tomorrow. 0_0 Normal. I am so fucking normal about this.

How's it going? My eyes are closing, my hands are shaking and my to-do list until the end of the day has several tasks more than I can handle on it as usual which is all a pretty good summary of 2023. Let's see what came out of it:

Word Count:

101 079 words

Phew. I was afraid it would be much worse. That's not super bad considering I've been stuck on one story for more than half of the year and those words are not included here. (Also not included is my almost 40k-word outline for said story, nor any other outlines, so... uhh... actually way more words were written this year.)

Stories:

(I'm not bothering with an overview of the fandoms because it's just Winx.)

A total of 7. And that's counting the first chapter of Fallen Love as a story. Ouch! I hoped to get more done this year but on the plus side, I really love the stories that I did write (and the ones I am still planning)!

Actually, there's 3 other finished stories that I do not ever plan on publishing, which rounds up the total number to 10.

Favorite writing moment - this is tough but I'm going to go with coming up with a completely new angle to Griffin's motivations for pretty much anything she's ever done. I've decided to step away from the righteous fight for getting dark magic users the equality they deserve and see how her character looks through a more selfish prism. I have to say that I love what's currently brewing in my head and the newest reason I've given her for leaving Valtor finally is something really personal that only has to do with the two of them and isn't just... guilt in a trench coat. I like to think that means I am healing as well and don't need to work out my subconscious guilt through her.

Wildest writing moment - definitely one of those 3 never-to-be-published fics. It was a total nothing smut idea and then I'm suddenly left with the most cohesive piece I've written since... ever. Usually when I try to explore several different angles of something in one piece, I start to get tangled up in the different threads and completely lose myself in the story. Whether because this was for fun and I wasn't stressing or for another reason, that didn't happen with this story and all threads are in their perfect place. I'm... thrilled about it! :D

Ships:

This department has suffered too. There's the usual Griffin x Valtor, Griffin x Faragonda, Erendor x Samara (in my documents) and a side of Marion x Oritel and Marion x Griffin (yay!)... and that's about it. Frankly, I am not truly disappointed by this as it has allowed me to focus more on the relationships (that interest me) and on the characters.

I wrote Oritel PoV for the first time this year! Truly an accomplishment considering that he's just Marion's husband in my head and that's pretty much it.

I am also confident in saying that I have a much better grasp on Griffin and Valtor both as characters and as a pairing and most of the enlightenment happened over the last couple of months. I am looking forward to applying all this new knowledge into my fics next year!

That would be videos. I'm pretty sure those are also less than I made last year but that doesn't matter because I feel that I made some really good ones this year!

Other works:

Naturally, my favorites are Griffin x Valtor ones:

Griffin x Valtor - Haunting

Griffin x Valtor - "It's turned to an obsession"

Griffin x Valtor - Daylight

I do have to mention these two:

Griffin x Faragonda & Valtor - Another Love

Griffin x Faragonda - Slumber Party

They are so polar and I love the contrast of Griffin being unable to move on from Valtor in the first versus Faragonda stealing Griffin from Valtor in the second. XD

And last but not least, the video that I am proudest of because of how little material there was to work with and because this is my ship that I made from the ground up:

Griffin x Luna - Lethal Woman

#my writing #my fanfiction #my fanfic #about me #personal #my videos #2023 #2023 in words #winx club #griffin x valtor

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makima-s-most-smile · 1 year

Text

Trigun Maximum 8.2

Ugh, one day left to chew through Vol.9 and then the bookclub and I can skip hand in hand through Vol.10. Why did the heatwave just hit? Gimme my thunderstorms back.

... I reached 30 panels for two chapters... Part Three comes soon... Why does Nightow have so many banger panels and why do I have to be like: Look! Look! I like this and this is why! And blabber on?

Trigun Ultimate: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4 Trigun Maximum: 1.1, 1.2, 2.1, 2.2, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 4.2, 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 6.2, 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, 9.1, 9.2, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3, 10.4, 10.5

04: Escape

I read that in Chapel’s voice.

And he still hesitates. Maybe hesitates because he had to work with Chapel in all these months and had to do repeated senseless slaughters. Wolfwood may just not be able kill anymore. Even Legato.

Just the thought of your body moving not only against your explicit will, but in an active attempt to kill you. Legato IS scary. It says so much about him that his power (wherever it comes from) is about robbing other people of their ability to act.

And Nightow draws movement and poses so godly. I wanna chew on his art.

Wolfwood seems to have run in without a true plan. His face reminds me so much of little WooWoo when he was shot the first time. He is scared for his life and does not want to die. But he still has nowhere else to go, he has to do this. No one else could do this.But at the same time, it shows his absolute trust in Vash. He can only survive if Vash has prevailed like he did over the months.

This I do not completely get. Has Legato made Wolfwood miss? Or did Wolfwood miss unconsciously? Or did the other Eye of Michaels somehow interfere?

The blood splatter reminds me so much of 98’ Ep 23.

Wolfwood has put his life on the line to get Vash out, again. And he paid a massive price for it, again. But again, he had to, necause he knows that only Vash can stop the ongoing genocide by undoing Knives (with whatever methods. I don’t believe Wolfwood trusts that Vash could kill Knives.)

This says so much about Wolfwood. He is so used to transactional relationships, but the orphanage didn’t take anything from him, it just gave him a home. That’s why it is his paradise. That’s why he needs to protect it, because he still feels indebted to it. That’s why he so easily fell into parentification (last chapter of the volume). Outside of the orphanage, Vash and the insurance women may be the first people Wolfwood has met where it wasn’t about him being of use and it may be why he harbours an comparable guilt towards them as to the orphanage, because he benefited from the betrayal against Vash.

Brainwashing 101: Take any personality from the to be brainwashed, erase his personhood, give him a goal that aligns with your wants.

Perfect, Perfect and Perfect again. Why does Livio want to be perfect? Because in Chapel’s eyes, Wolfwood’s betrayal came to be because he was not perfect. And Livio as his replacement thus had to be perfect, better than Wolfwood the perfect pupil in any way. This is not Livio speaking, it is Chapel’s indoctrination.

There is much to be said just about that, but also that Wolfwood was indoctrinated like this, too. But his love and “debt” to the orphanage was in the end greater than the indoctrination. But we still see him struggle so much with being a person.

I love how the drawing style of Livio changes infight. His face disappears behind the mask covering half his face. A skeleton face, a person ground down to its bare bones, something missing humanity.

And I just love how Wolfwood is drawn fighting. He is so quick to think and react, even with this unhandy weapon. It is so quick and fluid and fast. Truly a god of battle, in the best and worst meaning of it.

I snickered at the panel of the explosion behind Chapel and him hopping/jumping awayffrom it with his wheelchair.

B… Batman? Is that you?

The closeup to Wolfwood’s face gives me the impression that he could have avoided the critical hit, but then Vash would have been hurt (more). So he shielded him with his body.

And Wolfwood cannot shoot Livio. He could shoot Legato in the end, but he cannot shoot Livio. Livio is a symbol of the orphanage. Wolfwood, as the caretaker and protector, cannot shoot Livio. It would be equal or even worse than Vash deciding to kill someone in cold blood. It is against the very core of his person. If he kills Livio, Wolfwood ceases to exist.

Livio was such a cutie... and then he got this mob of a hairstyle.

This injury is just so… uh… physical? How Wolfwood’s state of body is shown, the blood just flowing freely from his mouth like his mouth istself was the artery cut. And how it comes back to the attackers looming and coming closer all in black. And then it gets countered with this dreamlike looking panel of Wolfwood’s and Livio’s childhood, how they moved together, how they were happy at each others side and content (even though they seem to be working at that age). Chapel corrupted Livio, he corrupted Wolfwood. He is the difference between these panels, the thing that separates Wolfwood and Livio from their past relationship.

And that’s it. Wolfwood falls. It looks so simple and not “that” bad. But we know from his expression, from the one “Shit!” that Wolfwood has reached his limit. It changes from Wolfwood successfully fleeing with Vash to Wolfwood dying while trying something. These four panels are for me one of the most impressive ones from the manga. It just feels so real. You just know... And that is just... damn... Fuck... I need a minute.

We, the readers, have seen Wolfwood’s complexity from the start. We saw how he grew, how he constantly reflected upon his actions and how hard he judged himself.

But Wolfwood never does. Like Vash, Wolfwood is unable to forgive himself. He is unable to realise that he is a victim of Chapel, that he did so much good and that he can continue to be better, that he has already gotten into a better place. There is no forgiveness for Wolfwood in himself. Even as the one who protects, he is not enough.

Say that to yourself first, Vash!

Can Vash hear people’s thoughts when they are near death? Or just people he feels close to? While the scene is so awesome, it also confuses me so, so, so, so much. Answer me, Mr. I-go-by-vibes-Nightow!

Even being at death's door, Wolfwood is not about himself, he is about comforting Vash. And that’s, again, just sad. Even when receiving protection, most likely for the first time ever, he cannot stop being the protector.

Oh, you just realised, you selfabsorbed butt! Vash, I love you. But Wolfwood truly has done so much for you. Kiss him when this is over and say it to him when he is not actively dying! Give him the appreciation!

Yeah, typical abuser behaviour from Chapel here. No surprise. Now that his revenge has not only failed, but it was actively stopped by some”thing” that he has to revere, Chapel shows himself as submissive. Or… if he only reveres Knives, since the Eye of Michael has never had any contact with Vash and it is exclusively under Knives, Knives put out the rule that Vash is a) to be unharmed and b) is not allowed to use his powers, no one should dare to make him use it. I really despise him more for it.

I think it is interesting that they still think that Knives has any hold over Vash or humans as a whole. The thing that Vash protects, humanity, will die if he stays. If Knives kills him now, he at least tried to prevent it instead of letting it happen. Same reason why Wolfwood acted, he knew that Knives is unstoppable for humans, but not for Knives. Knives means no future for the orphanage or himself. So why sit by and let it happen, waiting for death that will come anyway? They are helplessly underpowered, but a death by letting gruesome things happen or a death by trying to prevent it. Vash and Wolfwood would choose the latter.

While… it is nice that Vash has a reason to fight, Wolfwood would truly like for Vash to care for his life… I mean, he made Vash point his gun at his temple to make him understand that one day Vash cannot avoid the trolley problem. Wolfwood cares about Vash’ life… But Vash care cares not for what Wolfwood cares about, but about Wolfwood’s life. (Because he doesn’t understand the complexity of relationships and connections, since he runs from them since forever)

*surprised Pikachu face* If I constantly abuse my brother, he will leave me at the first true chance he gets?!?

Vash is going BECAUSE you are really going to end it this time!

Oh, Knives… Knives and his weird obsession with Vash. He still does not recognise that Vash has not only another opinion about the continuation of humanity, but that he himself is acting actively against it. Vash does not exist to Knives beyond being a body that has to be there for him.

That is just a “GOTCHA!”-Smile! And how he got them!

And the hit every deck on their way down. As if they weren’t hurt beforehand.

*insert Hercules-meme of Hdes: “Okay, okay, fine, I am cool. I am calm” while his fire hair explodes*

NOT THE PUNISHER! HELP HER!

I still love that we next to never (beyond the introduction) see Wolfwood talk preacher-like or do churchstuff, and still everyone is like: Yeah, priest, preacher! It is the guilt, isn’t it?

05: Parting ways

NONONONONONONONONONONONO! Have you learned nothing from horror movies?

Deus ex machina, uh… deus ex phiala.

Ah, yes, the way to make a lesson stick... Child abuse.

I am unable to not think about Tesla here.

A kid, experimented on, unable to say no or safe themself. Well, Wolfwood survives, but does he really? Physically, he does. But the rest of his measly childhood dies, the rest of hope he had for himself, hope he may have had for a future for himself. From then on, he is a tool, a weapon. And his only choice has been to be a shield for the orphanage and not completely Chapel’s weapon. From then on, his body is not his own. Nico has died, crucified to protect the future of the orphanage children.

But another kid ended up like him. This is the moment Wolfwood decides to leave Vash. He goes from relaxing to determined.

Wolfwood killed Chapel not only to get Knives, but mostly to protect the orphanage. Wolfwood followed along until he found out that Chapel still procured children from the orphanage to use as weapons. That’s when Wolfwood broke out.

Nightow mentioned somewhere that the ageing up and the vials were something spontaneously added. And you feel it when reading this. I still like it, but I know that if the vials were planned, they would have been introduced earlier, making other fights either shorter or more brutal (*stares at Midvalley or at Ninelives*). I mostly like them, but they come so out of left field. Same with the experimentations.

I’d love to have that more explored, because the comparison between Tesla is a big one. (I like what Stampede does with it.) Tesla is a being without agency whose existence gets used for horrific acts as Wolfwood. But Wolfwood still has a voice and dreams, unlike Tesla had. We see the results in his psyche, how he completely fixates on one part of him, his usefulness as protector, how that makes him up and what his dreams are after all he has lived through. And that is, in the end, to prevent other children from going through the same and, maybe, “if he could be selfish” to not having to kill anymore. And that makes the answer to the question of: “What would Tesla think about Knives’ actions?” at least for me, much less vague.

Same with the comparison Knives/Wolfwood. Knives received a massive amount of trauma by adults and has been on a revenge trip since then. Wolfwood’s trauma is somewhat different and much more personal, but even when killing his (then) main tormentor, he didn’t kill out of revenge or hate. He killed out of the need to protect others like him. Knives so often declares how he is protecting his sisters and Vash as justification for his hate, but Wolfwood protects so without declaring it and still owns up to the responsibility of his actions and is hurt by his guilt.

He is not talking about his encounter with Knives. He is talking about Livio. Killing Livio means Wolfwood’s own death. Letting Livion stay like this means Wolfwood’s death. Being the protector of the orphanage and ALL the children there is Wolfwood’s one main motivation to exist, it is the one thing that kept the guilt and the self hate at bay. There is no peace or future for Wolfwood, if he cannot get Livio out.

This is also the farewell. Because the orphanage and Livio is a bigger priority for him. This is the second time ever that Wolfwood decides the path on his own. First was killing Chapel/Knives and the second was rescuing Livio. Since getting the orders from Knives, Wolfwood was back to following orders and Vash’ whims. (Remember how often Wolfwood tried to point Vash to the goal of Knives and Vash was like: Yeah, no, I wanna go there instead.) Wolfwood leaves the big future to Vash, the big problem, Knives. He trusts Vash with the planet’s future. But it doesn’t read like Wolfwood considers his own future being part of it.

And Nightow’s modus operandi: Interrupt heartfelt openness by sillies so no other questions can be asked.

Burrito Wolfwood just gives me life. I wanna hug him so badly.

Does Vash get that Wolfwood plans to leave? That Wolfwood is zoning in on December? After the closeup of Vash, Wolfwood hides his face. And he hides his face when he has something to hide. And just from the positioning from the panels it looks like he understands it. WHY DOESN’T HE TALK TO WOLFWOOD AFTERWARDS!

The ships from earth truly mean hope, but since the resistance now know about Knives’ sucking up his sisters, the researcher is right in pointing that danger out. What I also think is important, Knives is breaking apart by all the power. He broke apart in front of Vash when he trapped him seven months ago. Shouldn’t absorbing more plants accelerate that process?

Protect Meryl! Meryl still had hope and her hope infected others. People need to fight for a future and not just leave it to Vash or give up.

That’s so nice.

It also means that Brandon knows that Wolfwood is not just an alpha-dude that has a big pistol for “Biggus Dickus”-reasons, but uses it responsibly.

And this… Why would Knives do this? More power? Nah. Knives absorbs his dead or nearly dead sisters to absorb as many bad memories of them as possible, so the plea to stop from his sisters stop, so they finally agree with him and do not hinder his deeply “rational” actions.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! *sobs* Stop carrying your burden alone!

One little detail. We do not see Wolfwood’s eyes. This has become such an important visual cue for Wolfwood if he is lying or not. Wolfwood is lying. He doesn’t leave to protect himself or anything. He feels guilt for leaving and tries to avoid it by giving these reasons… That he’d be useless in the final battle anyway, so he can allow himself to betray Vash like this, his work is done here.

#trigun bookclub #trigun #trigunbookclub #Trigun Maximum 8.2 #Why do I talk so much?#I needed to delete like 5 pics because even for two chapters I went over the limit #trigun maximum #trigun rant #zard rant

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kayssweetdreams · 2 years

Text

Prim and Proper Problems Bonus Chapter: The Worst First Day

The moment that the bus pulled up to Prim, Proper, Perfection, The girls finally began to stir from their strange and long slumber. The first thing that they noticed was Madame Prim giving them a strange, smug, stare. "Come along now. It's time for your first day." She said, as the girls slowly got their bearings.

Yuri and Kaylo slowly got out of the bus as they walked towards the doors of the large imposing school, anxiety in them. Unlike Timeville Public and The Barnum Naka School, There was nothing that made the girls calm down. The girls saw no color, heard no music, instead there was only the loud clicks of Madame Prim's shoes as they followed her down the halls of the school. When they reached her office, the two girls were given their schedules...and boy where they strange.

Yuri had received her classes (English, Advanced Beauty, Proper Playthings, Etiquette 101 and Language Arts) while Kaylo received hers ("Chemistry" Respectable Music, Etiquette 101, English, and Perfection Personified) and both girls were quickly sent off to them. As soon as they stepped foot in the classes, they immediately hated them

Yuri ended up getting bored about what a 'proper' girl should play with, and almost got her hands smacked when she DARED to try and investigate a small butterfly near a window, while Kaylo had been forced to play a very long and very elaborate song on a harp that ended up lulling her to sleep...and it resulted in her getting her knocked off the stool.

By the time lunch rolled around, both girls were exhausted beyond belief. "I don't know how much more of this I can take..." Yuri whimpered "I'm starting to think that Juvie was a better option." She said as she and Kaylo got their lunches...and they were very small portions of food. The two of them took a small bite from the small meal...and found that they had absolutely no taste whatsoever.

The two of them struggled to try and swallow it, as it was the equivalent of eating that horrible stuff you got in cavity fillings. When they finally DID get it to go down, they paled "We're never going to last a month are we..." Kaylo said, her eye twitching. Yuri shivered "I miss your aunts cupcakes. At least those were edible..." she said. Kaylo gave a small smile. "I actually have one on me, we can split it." She said, revealing a small chocolate cupcakes with pink icing.

The girls smiled and cut it in half, but before they could even take a bite, they heard a all too familiar voice. "What on earth are you eating?!" Yuri's eyes widened and Kaylo suppressed a groan. That same trio of girls had come back...and they were staring at the small cupcake. "Something actually edible in this place." Kaylo retorted as she and Yuri lifted up the cupcakes to bite. However, before she could even get a single bite, she felt something swat it out of her hands and onto the ground.

"Sweets aren't permitted here. Are you trying to become as fat as a whale?" She heard the girl state. Kaylo's neon pink eyes twitched angrily. "If anything you should be thanking Madame Prim, and Me." He heard her say. That however was a very bad thing...because something that made Kaylo angry was getting between her and Sweets.

In her anger, she loudly slammed a hand on the table and her eyes flashed into The girl's face "NOW YOU SEE HERE YOU LITTLE-" What then happened was a very long, and very angry tirade from Kaylo, with more swears than a sailor could ever dream of saying. The entire cafeteria looked on in pure horror "-AND IT'S ALSO YOUR FAULT THAT WE'RE EVEN IN THIS STUPID SCHOOL!! IF NOT FOR YOU AND THAT HAG NAMED MADAME PRIM!!!" She finished.

The entire cafeteria looked on in silence after Kaylo finished her raging tirade. Even Yuri was in shock at the pink haired girl. However, a familiar clicking caught their attention. "What on earth is going on in here?!" Madame Prim asked with the upmost authority. A orderly whispered the entire ordeal to Madame Prim who gasped in horror. Her eyes then narrowed at the girls.

"Bring them along. It's time to get a well deserved Disciplining." She said. The orderlies grabbed Yuri and Kaylo as their protests and yells echoed through the halls...and they became the newest model students of Prim, Proper, Perfection...

#Balan Wonderworld #Yuri Brand

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jrob64 · 2 years

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I posted 4,239 times in 2022

53 posts created (1%)

4,186 posts reblogged (99%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@pirateherokillian

@kwistowee

@paradiselady19

@laschatzi

I tagged 801 of my posts in 2022

#**pipsgifs - 274 posts

#365 days of colin characters - 269 posts

#cs fic - 123 posts

#csff - 110 posts

#captain swan - 101 posts

#cs fanfic - 96 posts

#captain swan fanfic - 91 posts

#killian jones - 79 posts

#ouat - 79 posts

#cs ff - 78 posts

Longest Tag: 98 characters

#everything killian jones does is perfect and i will not accept any other discussion on this matter

My Top Posts in 2022:

Faultline - Chapter 3/3 “Aftershocks”

I’m happy I didn’t have to leave you hanging too long after that last chapter! Special thanks to the best beta in the business @hookedmom for checking it over quickly enough for me to get it posted this soon. Please see the first chapter for the list of people who were at least partially responsible for encouraging me to write this story.

Story Summary: On the day Killian and Liam Jones meet Emma Swan, a major earthquake rocks San Francisco and the trio has to help each other survive. Based loosely on the movie “San Andreas”.

Rating: M

Words: Ch. 3 - 7937

Total words: 21,030

Find the rest of the story on Tumblr: Ch1 Ch2

Also found on ffn and Ao3

*********

Liam looked helplessly at his brother, seeing the anguish in his eyes over losing the woman he had come to care for, and knew he couldn’t give up on trying to bring her back to life. With renewed determination, he turned back to Emma and began pumping her chest again, all the while chanting, “Come on, lass! Come on!”

He gave her three rescue breaths and pumped her chest twice more, then she suddenly coughed and sputtered, pitching forward and spewing water out of her mouth. Liam gently pounded her on the back as Arthur and Gwen cheered.

“Emma!” Killian gasped, surging forward to gather her into his arms. She continued to cough and gag as she held onto him.

“Welcome back, lass,” Liam said, smiling with relief.

With the crisis averted, Arthur settled back into the captain’s chair and started the engine, then turned the boat and continued moving cautiously through the bay. Liam and Gwen resumed their seats too, but Killian and Emma remained on the deck of the boat, clinging to each other tightly.

“I thought I lost you,” he murmured into her ear.

“I’m s-sorry,” she whispered, beginning to shiver, both from being wet and the shock of what had just happened to her. Gwen stood up and moved across the back of the boat to lift the top of the bench seat, pulling out an armful of towels, which she handed to Killian.

He unfolded and draped two of them around Emma, then one over his own shoulders. Using another, he began to dry her hair, all the while telling her how relieved he was that she survived.

Liam watched the scene in front of him and realized his brother had already fallen hard and fast for the lovely lass they had just met less than half a day ago, although it seemed more like an eternity after all they’d been through together.

*********

Fifteen minutes later, Arthur steered the boat up to the pier closest to Millbrae. As the trio began to disembark, Arthur stopped Liam and returned the money Killian had given him earlier. “This trip is on me,” he said firmly.

“Thank you, mate,” Liam said, shaking the man’s hand.

Gwen hugged all three of them, saying, “Take care and stay safe.”

Liam carefully climbed onto the dock, then turned, put both hands around Emma’s waist and lifted her easily to set her beside him. Killian shook Arthur’s hand also, expressing his thanks, then joined his brother and Emma on the platform. All three of them waved as the boat pulled away, heading further down the bay.

“How far away is your apartment?” Killian asked, wrapping his arm around Emma’s waist to give her extra support, since she was still weak from her ordeal.

“About a twenty minute walk from here. There’s a dollar store a few blocks away that’s always open late, where I think we should stop and get you guys some clothes, sleepwear and other essentials. I know it won’t be top quality, but at least you could change out of those clothes.”

“I don’t care what kind of quality they are,” Liam uttered. “I can hardly wait to get out of these bloody clothes.”

“And he means that quite literally,” Killian chuckled.

“We really should go directly to the Medical Center to get you guys checked out, though,” Emma said.

“And you, as well,” Killian stated. “Near drowning can cause all sorts of complications.”

“Where is the Medical Center?” Liam asked.

See the full post

67 notes - Posted February 25, 2022

Faultline - Chapter 1 “Tremors”

Here it is - my contribution to the Captain Swan Movie Marathon Collection! This story is loosely based on the movie San Andreas and I have many people to thank for encouraging me to write it. My very loyal beta @hookedmom was with me once again, despite being on a well-earned vacation for the past week. Thanks also to @teamhook, who has been asking me to contribute to the collection for months now, @kmomof4, who flailed over my last lines and helped me with the pic sets, @gingerpolyglot, who helped me plot out the story, @motherkatereloyshipper, who found lovely pics of Liam for me and used her magic to make him look ‘younger’ and last, but far from least, @apiratewhopines, who has been messaging me every night to see how close the story is to being finished! The enthusiasm for it from all the ladies on the CSMM Discord has also been very much appreciated!

Summary: On the day Killian and Liam Jones meet Emma Swan, a major earthquake rocks San Francisco and the trio has to help each other survive.

Rating: M

Words: 6072

Chapter 1 of 3

Also found on ffn and Ao3

*********

“Liam, would you please stop jiggling your leg? It’s annoying,” Killian Jones growled at his older brother.

“I can’t help it. This interview is very important for my future, and yours as well,” Liam said.

Killian checked the time on his phone. “You still have nearly twenty minutes to wait. Why the bloody hell did we get here so early?”

“I wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be late. You could have stayed at the hotel, you know.”

“I thought that would be boring, but sitting here doing nothing is probably even worse.”

“Stop your grousing, brother. Why don’t you use your little book to plot out our itinerary for the week?” he said, gesturing toward the San Francisco tour book laying on Killian’s lap.

After giving him an indignant look, Killian flipped open the well-worn book and began paging through it.

A few minutes later, he heard Liam give a low whistle before whispering, “Wow! What a stunner!”

Killian looked up from studying the book to see an absolute vision in front of him. A blonde woman dressed in a red blouse, black leather jacket, and jeans which deliciously hugged her curves, was coming up the escalator from the parking garage. He could feel his mouth drop open in awe of her beauty as she approached, accompanied by a man of average height, with slightly shaggy brown hair, dressed in a gray suit. Killian’s eyes narrowed as he appraised the man, sensing an air of superiority and arrogance about him.

“Now, stay right here. I’ll be back as soon as my meeting is over,” he was saying, and Killian couldn’t help but notice he was talking to the woman like she was a small child.

Evidently, she felt the same way. “Do you think I’m five-years-old, Walsh?”

“Of course not, Darling,” he replied in an oily tone. “I just don’t know how long I’ll be gone and I don’t want you worrying about where I am.”

“I’m sure I’ll be able to entertain myself for a while,” she said, and Killian smirked at her eye roll.

“Very well, I have to go. Mustn’t be late and make a bad impression, you know,” the man said, holding up his wrist to check his large and garish watch. “Try not to miss me too much, Darling.” He aimed a kiss at her lips, but she turned her head to accept it on her cheek instead.

The woman watched him walk away, then sank down into the chair across from Killian with a sigh. When she glanced up to see him looking at her, her eyes widened behind the dark frames of her glasses and then she smiled.

Killian could feel the heat creeping into his face, but he didn’t look away. “Uh, hi,” he ventured. He felt Liam shift beside him, his elbow digging into his side a bit.

“Hi.” she replied.

“Oh, um, I’m…I’m Killian Jones,” he stuttered, offering his hand.

“Emma Swan,” she responded, accepting his hand and shaking it.

“And I’m Liam Jones, Killian’s big brother,” Liam said, also shaking her hand.

“Older brother,” Killian corrected.

Emma giggled. “You guys don’t sound like you’re from around here.”

See the full post

70 notes - Posted February 21, 2022

My contribution to the ‘Heatwave Collection’

With the hot temperatures that many people have been experiencing recently, several of us have written Captain Swan ‘heatwave stories’. The idea was suggested by @cs-rylie on the CSMM Discord, so I owe her thanks for that, and also for looking over this story as I wrote it. Of course, @hookedmom was once again my fabulous beta, catching all my errors, and giving helpful suggestions to make this story better.

You can find the ‘Heatwave Collection’ on Ao3 here. Be sure to check out all the great stories!

SUMMARY: A heatwave in Storybrooke has everyone on edge, and Emma is feeling the heat of being the town sheriff. Her pirate takes it upon himself to help his wife find some relief from the weather and the pressures of her job.

Rating: M

Words: 3623

Also found on Ao3 and ffn

*********

“Good afternoon, Love,” Killian greeted as he entered the stuffy confines of the Storybrooke police station.

Emma looked up from the paperwork she was attempting to put in order, but was being hindered by the oscillating fan sitting on the corner of her desk. How could her husband look so damn hot when it was…so damn hot? Even the way the sweaty, rogue strands of hair fell across his forehead into his eyes was sexy.

“What’s good about it?” she grumbled.

He crossed the room in four quick strides, his smile fading a bit as he took in his wife’s scowling face. “Something wrong, Swan?”

“Wrong? Oh, no, nothing’s wrong,” she spat sarcastically. “The heat is just making every citizen in this town lose their damn mind! And of course, it’s the sheriff’s job to solve all the problems around here, so half the morning was spent running from dwarf to dwarf, trying to figure out who stole whose fan. Then there was the case of the fender bender in the grocery store parking lot, where the worst damage was the ice cream that melted all over the back seat, while they waited for me to arrive. I caught hell for that! It’s not my fault it’s almost a hundred degrees and nobody can handle it!”

Recalling how they both used those same words in the sultry jungle of Neverland before their first kiss, Killian smirked, which was probably the worst thing he could have done at that moment. When Emma looked up and caught sight of his expression, she jumped up from her chair, her hands in fists as she leaned on her desk. “What the hell is so funny, Jones?”

He held his hand up placatingly. “Calm down, Swan, I’m not making light of your challenging day. I was simply reminded of those particular words being used several years ago, while experiencing a different sort of simmering heat.”

Her brows scrunched together as she tried to decipher his meaning. He could tell the exact moment she figured it out, because her face melted into a soft smile. “Oh, yeah. Well, that heat was much more fun.”

“Aye, and it still is,” he purred, sauntering up beside her and rubbing his hook against her hip, while his hand slid up her bare arm. Her attire of a tank top and khaki shorts wasn’t exactly professional, but he couldn’t say he minded.

“Don’t start anything, Killian. This office is a furnace and I’m a sweaty mess.”

“You look ravishing, Darling.”

She rolled her eyes disbelievingly, but couldn’t keep the corners of her mouth from turning up a bit. “All the same, in this heat, even fooling around with my hot husband doesn’t sound appealing.”

“In that case, what do you say we sail away, Love?”

Emma sighed. “I can’t, Babe. I’m supposed to be in the office until five, so I’ve still got a couple hours of insanity left.”

“I would say you’ve done enough for the fair citizens of Storybrooke today. Let them figure out their own issues for the remainder of your shift. Just think how lovely it would be to feel the sea breeze in your hair and on your face.”

“Don’t tempt me. You know Madam Mayor would be after my head if she hears I left work early.”

He nuzzled behind her ear, murmuring, “Regina doesn’t intimidate me. Besides, this pretty head belongs to me, Mrs. Jones.”

“Killian,” she groaned, though her attempt at rebuffing him didn’t have much effect, since she was tilting her head to allow him access to the column of her throat.

“You know you want to get away from here,” he whispered. “No more dwarves, no more hot office, no more complaints. Just you,” he paused to nibble on her collarbone, “me,” another love bite, “and the Jolly Roger. I’ll even mix up some of your favorite concoction to bring along.”

“Rum punch?” she asked breathlessly.

“Mmhmm. What do you say, Love?”

“I say you had me at ‘no more dwarves’.”

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71 notes - Posted June 20, 2022

Lunch is on Me (A CS AU Story)

This story is inspired by a post that’s been circulating on social media and I thought it was perfect for our beloved Captain Swan. Many, many thanks to @motherkatereloyshipper who created Liam’s tombstone picture for the pic set, @apiratewhopines who constantly fluffs my aura and who gave me useful feedback for the story, the ladies on the CSMM Discord for their help on the pic set, and (you know what’s coming next!) my dedicated and loyal beta @hookedmom, who has been with me through thick and thin and who makes every story I throw at her 100% better!

Story Summary: Emma Swan makes a mistake when ordering a DoorDash delivery and tells the driver to keep the food for himself. The response she gets moves her to tears and has her hoping to meet the man in person someday.

Rating: T

Words: 3544

Chapter 1/1

Also found on Ao3 & ffn

*********

“Dammit!” Emma Swan cursed, reading the message on her phone.

This is Killian, your DoorDash driver. I’m here to deliver your food.

In her haste to get lunch delivered while she had a break between regional business meetings, she forgot to change the address for delivery to her hotel in New York City, instead of her apartment in Boston. Now, some poor guy was standing at her door with her food order, and she was going to have to resort to stale vending machine snacks.

I’m sorry, I forgot to change the delivery address. Enjoy the food. Lunch is on me.

She quickly checked her hair and makeup in the mirror, gathered up her room key and purse, and was on her way to the door when her phone dinged with another notification.

Umm…okay. Thanks very much.

Sighing, she went out into the hallway and turned left, in search of the nearest vending machine.

*********

Emma’s meetings in the hotel conference room stretched on into late afternoon, while she grew increasingly bored and hungry. How many times could they reiterate the plummeting sales numbers and explore possible interventions to halt the decline and improve the bottom line? She knew she should be more concerned, but at the moment, her growling stomach was demanding more attention than the lack of sales.

When the final speaker of the day began wrapping up his presentation, Emma chanced a look at her phone to check the time. Her screen displayed another message from DoorDash and as she read it, tears instantly filled her eyes.

Thanks again for your generosity. Your home is very near the cemetery where my brother is laid to rest, and since today is his birthday, I had lunch with him there. That means more to me than I can say and I truly appreciate your kindness.

Emma checked the time stamp and saw that the message came through over two hours ago. She wondered if she should reply to it or not, and finally decided that such a heart-wrenching admission deserved to be answered.

Please accept my sincere sympathy for the loss of your brother. I’m glad you had an opportunity to spend some time with him, and that the food helped make that happen. I hope it was a good day.

Noticing that the presenter was finally finished, she closed her laptop, stuffed it into the case, collected all of her belongings, and hurried out of the room, intent on placing an extra large DoorDash order to be delivered to her hotel room this time.

*********

The week after Killian had lunch at the cemetery with Liam, he turned on his DoorDash app and scrolled through the requests. One name and address in particular caught his eye, and he sat up straighter on the couch, tapping on it quickly to claim the request. He was happy he would get a chance to thank the woman who treated him to lunch in person.

*********

On the Wednesday after Emma returned home from attending the regional meetings, she placed a DoorDash order and was pleasantly surprised to see that the driver’s name was Killian. Of course, it didn’t necessarily mean it was the same delivery person as the one to whom she’d donated her lunch, but how many Killians could there possibly be in Boston? It wasn’t exactly a common name.

Her question was answered with the next communication she received from him. This is Killian, your DoorDash driver. I’ll be making a delivery to you in about fifteen minutes. Will you be home this time?

She laughed and typed out a response. Yes, this time I AM home, so I’m afraid you’ll have to buy your own dinner tonight!

She hoped the man didn’t mind her playful teasing. He seemed to be a good sport and she was curious to put a face to his name. She assumed he was an older man, since he had a brother who was deceased. Maybe he was earning some extra cash to supplement his retirement income, or was helping one of his children pay for college expenses by DoorDashing in the evenings, after working another job during the day.

The knock at the door took her by surprise. She had gotten busy sorting through her winter clothing before storing it away for the summer and lost track of time. She hurried through the apartment, stopping to grab her phone off the arm of the couch, checking to see if she had a new message from the driver. Seeing that he had sent one a minute ago saying he had arrived at her apartment building, she threw the door open without checking through the peephole.

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73 notes - Posted March 12, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Where Her Heart Belongs (my CSSNS story)

This is my first contribution to the Captain Swan Supernatural Summer event, and it wouldn’t be possible without many people.

First of all, thank you to the CSSNS 2022 mods for having this event.

I am beyond excited to be paired with @winterbythesea, who created not one, but FOUR absolutely gorgeous pieces of art for this story! Her banner is at the top, and the other three pieces are scattered throughout the story. I only hope it is worthy of her beautiful work!

Thank you to @hookedmom, who read over the story at least a dozen times to help me plot and make it as error free and enjoyable to read as possible. Thanks also to @winterbythesea and @snowbellewells, who read over it to give me suggestions and feedback. It has definitely come a long way since the first draft!

Story summary: In the Land Without Magic, Emma Swan is quietly living her solitary life. When she finds a unique storybook in the library, strange things begin to happen. A canon divergent story which started out based on the movie “Somewhere in Time”, but evolved into something else entirely.

Rating: T

Words: 9191

Also found on ffn and Ao3

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Emma Swan pushed through the doors of the Columbus Public Library and inhaled the familiar scent of paper and ink. She knew many people relied on various forms of technology to do their research and reading these days, but in her opinion, nothing was better than the feeling of having an actual book in her hands.

“Good morning!” greeted the man at the circulation desk.

“Good morning,” Emma returned, looking at him curiously as she placed the books she had finished reading in the return slot. In all the times she had come to the library, she’d never seen this man working before - he must be new.

“Looking for anything in particular today?”

“Umm…I’m not sure. I guess I’ll just follow wherever my mood takes me.”

“You should check out our new fairytales section on the second floor,” the man said, gesturing toward the staircase to his left.

“Oh, uh, thanks. I might check it out a little later,” Emma replied.

“Be sure you do. I think you’ll find something there that will spark your interest.” He threw her a warm, dimpled smile, before resuming his typing. Emma’s curiosity about the man was piqued even more when she noticed that instead of using a computer, he was using an old-fashioned, manual typewriter.

She walked through the adult non-fiction section and peeked into the periodicals corner, where several retired senior citizens were reading newspapers. When she reached the area containing adult fiction, she ran her finger across several of the bindings and pulled out a few books to read the summaries on the back cover. None of them drew her attention, so she decided to go upstairs to search for the area the librarian recommended.

Every now and then, she liked to check out picture books, graphic novels or books for younger readers. She rarely had the opportunity to visit libraries when she was growing up in the foster system, so she ignored the social conventions and selected whatever struck her fancy.

She preferred coming to the library in the late morning when it wasn’t very busy, since most young patrons were in school. The quiet solitude of being among her beloved books was a balm that renewed her soul, and restored the faith in the goodness of mankind that her job as a bail bondsperson often depleted.

When she reached the top of the stairs, she glanced around and didn’t immediately see the new section, but something instinctively told her to turn right and go around the corner at the end of the aisle. There, she saw two very realistic columns decorated to look like those that would belong inside a castle. As she stepped between them, she took in the dozens of books neatly stacked on the shelves.

After collecting a couple of books with gilded edges, she carried them to a nearby armchair to peruse them. Losing herself in the stories, she was unaware how much time had passed, until she pulled her attention away from one of the books and checked the display on her phone.

When she glanced around the perimeter of the area, her eyes were drawn to an oversized book sticking out over the edge of the top shelf. Rising from her chair, she approached the shelf and reached up with one hand to slide the book toward herself. Realizing too late she had misjudged its weight, she tried to grab it with her other hand, but failed to catch it. The book clattered to the floor, flipping open to a page which revealed a very detailed color illustration. She looked around in embarrassment before bending down to pick up the book. Upon getting a better look at the picture, her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

The full-page image featured an extremely handsome, but dangerous-looking man. He was dressed in a black leather coat with a high collar, a black blousy shirt unbuttoned to the middle of his chest, and wore a chain with numerous charms around his neck. He was holding the ship’s wheel and had a hook in the place of his left hand. Mesmerized by his cornflower blue eyes and his dark, wind-blown hair, Emma dropped down to her knees to get a closer look.

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85 notes - Posted July 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

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