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redclercs · 1 year

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DELICATE✰ CHARLES LECLERC.

vii. all of my enemies started out friends

— the one where you get the sense you've been betrayed.

warnings: death threats, foul language, a panic attack. 2.7k words. (+written articles) not proofread whoops.

masterlist ✢ next

By Alana Blake

WELL, all of our doubts have been cleared, here is the reason as to why our ex favorite couple called it quits months ago. Thank you to our anonymous source for spilling the tea!

First things first, let's not lie to ourselves, we all thought it had been Aidan Kim who had finally dumped y/n's ass for good. But as it turns out, he wanted to keep her forever? Aidan, boy...

Anyway, one night in February (ehem Valentine's Day, so cliché) he dropped down on one knee, popped the question with a beautiful Tiffany's ring and... Y/N SAID NO! Insert gasps here.

Without a good enough reason to justify her denial, y/n immediately ran to the opposite coast, where she currently resides with best friend, beauty guru and influencer Victoria Presley.

RELATED: Victoria Presley inaugurates first 'Presley Beauty' store in Beverly Hills.

Our source also confirmed y/n's blooming romance with Formula 1 pilot, Charles Leclerc.

"They are seeing each other, yes," the source said, "y/n doesn't want to call it a 'thing' since she's probably going to get bored of the poor guy.''

Well, there you have it. It looks like y/n's only talent is being a maneater. Somebody warn Charles Leclerc he's just piece of meat in the eyes of y/n!

SEE ALSO:

→ Victoria Presley attends the Monaco Grand Prix.

→ y/n y/ln reportedly auditioned for 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes'

→ Aidan Kim is currently recording his first solo album.

𝙂𝙊𝙏 𝙎𝙊𝙈𝙀𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙏𝙊 𝙎𝘼𝙔? 𝙇𝙀𝘼𝙑𝙀 𝘼 𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙈𝙀𝙉𝙏 𝘽𝙀𝙇𝙊𝙒!

You're seeing the top comments.

Anonymous – 4 hr ago

If I ever see y/n on the street i will literally kill her

sk12z8io – 3 hr ago

I KNEW SHE NEVER DESERVED AIDAN

mickeyyy – 40 min ago

she fucking cheated you cannot convince me otherwise

chiqin– 10 min ago

oh she's vile, rejecting a marriage proposal and getting together with another dude two months later? TRASH.

Anonymous – 10 min ago

I want to know who the source is and why are they speaking until now

WHO would have thought? y/n y/ln the "Queen of RomComs" where cheating is basically a Deadly Sin, is in fact, a cheater!

The news about y/n rejecting Aidan Kim's marriage proposal came out only a few hours ago via Inside Out, and while they claim y/n didn't have a good enough reason not to get engaged to Kim, we believe quite the opposite.

Having a side-piece is a perfectly good reason, actually. Sources, who wished to remain anonymous, confirmed that at the time of the proposal, y/n was already seeing Monegasque pilot Charles Leclerc, but they had been able to keep it a secret until Elix contract made y/n start showing up at Grand Prix.

Although the information spreading around is still unclear, we can be sure of two things: Aidan Kim dodged a bullet and y/n is probably the worst person on Earth.

#Y/NIsOverParty

June 3rd Barcelona, Spain.

You're sitting with Charles and Carlos when you get the first ping on your phone. You don't give it much thought, Mildred told you she'd send you two script excerpts she wanted you to practice for an audition video, plus your phone doesn't even really stop ringing.

Spain has been fun so far, you have been around both Carlos and Charles around a lot lately. Carlos is always keen on dropping facts about his country and you got, just like with Charles, his special edition Ferrari merch. This time you wear it, because fuck fashion podcasts.

Charles doesn't let this slip, feigning annoyance that you prefer to wear a Spain cap than a Monaco one, and telling you he will in fact take it personally. But he doesn't, of course, he's thrilled you're more comfortable around both of them. Enough to join them for dinner yesterday and today.

The Ferrari boys are talking about FP3 and how Qualifying might go later. They've done pretty well this weekend, and you're hoping Carlos will end the Grand Prix on the podium like Charles did last week.

"Is that your phone?" Carlos asks, he's tried his best for the last few minutes to ignore the never-ending flow of notifications, even after you've silenced it, the vibration still makes him lose focus on the conversation.

"Sorry," you wince, knowing how annoying it is. "It's probably Vic."

"Everything okay?" Charles frowns, following your hands as you take your phone out of your pocket again to activate the Do Not Disturb.

"Yeah, I don't—"

Your sentence hangs in the air unfinished as you read the screen, the last notification comes from Matilde an 'are you okay? call me' text. And then your eyes slide to the BREAKING NEWS from People Magazine, whose notifs you forgot to deactivate. You don't even know why you have the app anymore.

The preview shows your picture, a red x on your face and the words 'Cheater Alert' capitalized and bold.

"y/n?" you see the motion of Carlos' hand from the corner of your eye, but by now, you're obsessively scrolling down the 150+ notifications on your phone. Texts, calls, e-mails, tweets, comments.

You stop in the INSIDE OUT EXCLUSIVE the moment your eyes catch the word 'ring'.

They know.

And if they know, everyone knows.

Charles pushes his chair back, making the half empty styrofoam cup of coffee you were drinking spill all over the table. "What's wrong?"

Aidan has told them. Aidan fucking Kim, petty and vengeful Aidan Kim has told them about the ring. Because he wants to bury you so far down, you'll never be able to claw your way out of the hole.

Who else could have been? You told no one. Not a soul. How can a person not even tell their parents that she got a marriage offer and said no immediately, right before hopping on a plane to the other side of the country?

But cheating? Where the fuck did that come from? He's even lying now. Because he hates you, of course he hates you. Aidan Kim is not used to humilliation and that's what you did when you rejected him. And although it was an unspoken accord that you wouldn't tell anyone about it, he has done so, because what is better for his upcoming album than being the heartbroken artist with the bitch for an ex.

People are going to write 'It's your loss y/n!' with their proof of streaming for a retweet from Aidan's account, managed by a 34-year-old guy who can't stand Aidan's fans on a normal basis.

"I– I have to–" your mouth is dry, tongue thick and heavy, and you feel the cold shower of anxiety from your nape to your tailbone. This can't be happening.

And you don't know what you have to do. Call Mildred and Walter? Ask them what the fuck is going on over there and start an actual damage control PR thing? It's too late for that.

"What can we do?" Carlos questions this time, worry flows in his voice at the change in your semblance. "What can we do for you?"

You're scared, because people have talked shit endlessly for weeks thinking it had been Aidan who dumped you, changing the narrative, twisting it time and time again.

They have suspected you broke up with Aidan, they have dragged you through the mud, called you heartless for getting over him so quickly. Paired you up with Charles and called you both problematic for breathing around each other and being friends.

And they might have forgiven you eventually, but not if you actually broke Aidan Kim's heart and burned down his dream of a house, a marriage and a happy family. And by cheating.

He's lying, but who would believe you?

Your already agonizing career is never coming out of this. And at this point, maybe acting seems irrelevant compared to the way people are going to treat you from now on. No one forgets a woman who humiliates a man so publicly. She doesn't deserve to be forgiven, not when she's such a bitch.

"I can't breathe," you wheeze, clutching your hand against the fabric of your shirt. Your hands are prickling, and your brain is fogged, foreign. "I can't breathe."

Neither man touches you as you lean down, hands on your knees, shutting your eyes so hard you think your eyeballs might explode.

You feel one of the boys move, but you don't open your eyes to see who left. Your priority is getting air into your lungs, and you can't seem to do even just that.

"y/n," Charles is the one who stayed, and despite speaking slowly, you recognize the underlying panic there. "I'm going to touch you, okay?"

Your only response is a strangled noise as you breathe through your mouth.

Charles runs his hand down your back, you can feel his rings and the heat of his palm. “Try to breathe through your nose, y/n.”

He feels stupid for saying it, but it’s the only advice he sees fit. Carlos left to look for the medical staff that Ferrari takes with them everywhere.

You squeeze your thighs with your hands and again take a gasp of air. “I can’t. Help me, I can’t.”

Charles makes you straighten up by grabbing your shoulders gently. “Please try. You’re speaking you can breathe.”

You breathe through your nose, but it isn’t enough to relieve the pressure on your chest.

Carlos comes back just when you feel like you will pass out. And you let the medical staff lead you away, leaving both your friends behind, worried sick and wondering what could have possibly triggered you like that.

You're still lying in the gurney after Qualifying is done. The medical team doesn't let you watch it, you should not be subjected to strong emotions right now. The thing is, the strong emotions haven't even started. You need to talk to your team, and you want to talk to Aidan. You've only heard from him twice since your breakup in February, the last time three days ago when he texted you 'out of SoHo'.

In all honesty, you're not certain you'll be able to hold a conversation with him without telling him to go fuck himself or having another panic attack. But you must know the reasoning behind his actions, no matter how stupid it is. How angrier it will make you. You want to understand why the person that once loved you is stabbing you in the back like this.

You're free to go an hour later, and it's some kind of miracle that you're relieved of your Elix duties. Maybe it has to do with the disaster that Ferrari's Quali was, in contrast to the Free Practices. No one wants to make things worse, or have pictures to remember it.

By the time you're back in your hotel room, Aidan's campaign has been transported to Youtube. And it's only 10 am in Los Angeles.

FROM AIDAN KIM’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL “STATEMENT ON RECENT NEWS”

You are looking at the top comments.

star5dan he had to find out he got cheated on thanks to People? fuck

flowerbedkim I'm not even joking, i will end y/n

dropbeats1 it takes a lot of courage to propose, y/n is def a bitch

stardomyn you knew y/n for years and you can't defend her? she is obviously not a cheater.

aidanyn this keeps getting worse i can't pick a side😭

You read the articles sitting in your bed. Legs crossed and back curved, with your shoulders slumping forward. It's like you have the whole weight of the world back in them, and you're not even sure you're strong enough to carry it anymore.

Did you really not have a good enough reason to say no? Not having a good reason to say yes should be enough, at least that's the way you think about it.

But you had many, many reasons. Some you'd denied yourself to even think about before he pulled the ring out of his pocket.

Every relationship has its ups and downs, you knew that. You know that. But how long can you stay in an all time low?

Maybe you lied to yourself saying Aidan had never hinted marriage was in his plans. He mentioned it in interviews, and in casual conversations with other people. He would tell you that “in the future” you’d have to reconsider being an actress. That you should really think about the roles you wanted to take on so they didn’t haunt you (and you hypothetical children) in the future.

Aidan would drop comments about how you should stick to the easy parts of acting, making the same movies, for example. How you should behave a certain way and shut your mouth in specific occasions.

How you had to change yourself to fit into what he wanted.

And you did. Because at first, it wasn’t that he wanted you to change for him. He made you think he wanted you to change for your own good.

And that night in February, you realized you were scared. The thought of spending the rest of your life like that terrified you. So you ran, and that was really the bravest thing you could have done.

And the bravest thing you can do now is stand up to him. Because he cannot keep on stepping on you and destroying what you built for yourself.

"Hello?"

You're shocked he actually picks up your call but you can't back down now.

"What the fuck, Aidan?" you try not to raise your voice, you do your best to help the strain that comes from not crying. You're furious, not sad, but you know Aidan won't recognize the difference. "What the fuck is this whole circus you're putting up now?"

The way he chuckles makes you want to throw your phone across the room.

"Do you really think that was me?" he asks, changing his voice to a lower tone. "Do you think I willingly say the girl I invested three years of my life on said she didn't want to marry me?"

"Well who else could have been? Do you think I'm stupid?"

"It was not me, y/n! Jesus Christ I don't know how many people—"

"So it was your sister, that bitch?"

"Don't you call me sister a bitch ever again."

Well Mia Kim is a bitch. And she was for the whole three years you dated Aidan.

Starting with telling anyone who would listen that you were after Aidan for clout, even after you hooked her up with your acting instructor and helped her get a minor role in Outer Banks. Comments on your appearance, on your acting, and the way you Aidan and you got along. And the worst part was that every time you two saw each other she acted like she adored you.

"She is a bitch, Aidan, and this is something she would do out of spite! Also, cheating? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"I don't put anything past you, y/n." Aidan chuckles again, it's sarcastic and bothersome.

"Fuck you, Aidan. We knew each other for years, and suddenly I'm the worst person on Earth?"

"Yeah, maybe you always were and whoever is letting people know is doing the world a huge favor."

Your skin isn't thick enough yet, and his words hit the way he intended.

"I'm glad people are eating you alive, y/n," he continues as your silence prolongs, you can't swallow the tears now. "It's what you deserve."

He hangs up before you can respond, and it doesn't matter anymore. There's nothing you can say to make him admit to his crimes, and he's happy. He's happy you're being torn down in such a vile way.

The phone inside your hotel room rings and you pick it up before being able to pull yourself together. The 'what?' that lashes out catches the woman downstairs off guard, and this is another thing you add to the list of things that make you the worst person on planet Earth.

"Someone is here for you, Miss y/ln," she says in an apologetic tone, "Mr. Leclerc?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to speak to you like that," you take a deep breath, and then process her words. "Leclerc?"

"Hmhmm," she hums, "Should I send him upstairs?"

The alarm clock next to the phone shows 19:57 in red and you remember you agreed to meet him and Carlos for dinner at seven thirty. You didn't even shower or changed.

"Uh– yeah, please do."

You splash cold water on your face and brush your teeth in the two minutes it takes him to get to your room.

Charles knows there's something wrong the moment you open the door, and it doesn't take a genius, really. But you wish he was oblivious to the way you look and the off-putting energy you give off.

"I'm sorry I'm late," you say making space for him to enter the mess of a room you have. "Is Carlos waiting downstairs?"

"He's at the restaurant already," Charles shrugs, it doesn't matter that you've made them both wait over twenty minutes. "Are you okay?"

You sit on your bed, letting him stand in the middle of the room, like a mannequin out of place. You have two options, lying to him, pushing everything under the rug and lookin for your purse to meet Carlos downstairs. Or tell the truth and burst out crying in front of him.

You don't like either.

So you stay silent, looking at patterns in the rug and trying to get your racing brain to come to a stop, if only to have a decent meal with the two guys that saw you panic hours ago.

Charles sits down next to you, the mattress gives to his side, sinking. "Do you want to talk about it?"

You eye his hand as he places it on top of the washed out knee of his jeans. The prominent veins and the three rings on his fingers. You remember the way it felt when he ran his hand down your back.

"I don't." you reply, taking your eyes back to his face. You wonder if he knows, just doesn't want to mortify you about it. That he's 'just a piece of meat' and a 'homewrecker'. You wonder if Carlos knows too.

"Do you still want to come downstairs?" Charles tilts his head, giving you a smile that lifts one corner of his mouth.

"Sure, let's do that," you get up from the bed smoothing your jeans down although there's nothing wrong with them, and regaining that self-consciousness that you didn't even change your clothes for dinner while Charles is looking like that in a clean white shirt. "Sorry for being late."

Charles lets you roam around the room looking for your purse for two minutes, still sitting on the edge of your bed, before speaking again. "We really like you, y/n. I really like you."

You snap out of your self-induced trance, pretending like you were checking you had everything you needed in your purse. "What?"

"Carlos and I really like you, and so does Matilde, and that friend of yours Victoria. You're not alone, I hope you know that."

He's seeing right through you again.

And the effort that took you to pull yourself together and the self-deprecating words that ran through your head to force yourself not to cry in front of him are all left behind, as you burst out crying.

You let Charles hold you, his right hand on the nape of your neck while the other soothes you the way it did earlier. He doesn't complain about the way your tears stain his shirt, and doesn't even make a sound as you sob.

And you stay like that for as long as you need to, although you haven't cried nearly enough. It has to suffice for now. Because you have to go back to L.A. and fix the mess Aidan created.

─── team principal radio: ❝i feel like i'm doing rowoon super dirty by having him as aidan kim, tbh. anyway, i hope you enjoyed this chapter! reblogs and comments/asks are highly appreacited, i'd love to know your thoughts!♡❞

✰ paddock club members: @sassyheroneckgiant @flowerchild-96 @fangirlika @shegotboreddsoo @roseamongthorns13 @cissyp @chimchimjiminie16 @saturnsrinqs @roni-midnights @gayyvodka6 @studioreader @its-ash-not-grey @lu-morningstar-2 @ferraribabe @reidsworld @feelslikestrawberries @celestialams @kosmosgalore @heeseung-baby @missenclod @buendiabebeta @mycenterfold @aces-tattooartist @burningrred @you-bleed-just-toknowyouarealive @rainybabe25 @ru-kru @lazybot @teenagedreams-cl @cool-ultra-nerd @kuskumu @formulakay3 @bisexual-desi @somanyfandomsbruh @icarus-nex @haziefairy @xjval @xoxoloverb @sainzleclercs @headinthecloudssblog @incoherenciass @bookophiliac @torrie421 @nooshytushie @azxulaa

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skynapple · 6 days

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Rafayel Into The Canvas: Analysis **Spoilers**

Long analysis ahead!! I've tried to break it into chronological chunks!

TL;DR - Sky rambles about Rafayel for a very long time.

I never know when he like, plans his coincidental showing-up-where-she-is things because... they really could be coincidental but I think maybe we're meant to think they're not. But the disappointment here is my weakness. Quality time is one of my love languages so like, the showing up for her and then actually being discontent with not having her time is what's really endearing to me. There's a lot of moments I really enjoy how obvious Rafayel makes it that he wants nothing more than to be around her and share the same space as her.

Then, he knows, right? He knew what she was going to say, he asked anyway, just in case, and just to acknowledge that and make it known to her.

Then ok omg 🥺 his voice.

He gets quiet, and soft, and like he's clearly trying to reassure her, in spite of what he's feeling. Just... the way he knows how she is. He knows how she gets. I could CRY.

Honestly MC really does want to, also. Like you can tell she doesn't want to let him down. That moment of not wanting to say she can't but not knowing if she can agree is sooo real. And then he captures that sentiment immediately, and in so many short words tells her like, 'Hey, I get it. I'll be here for you.' and all without saying that outright but. I used to hate how much he doesn't seem to communicate with her -and yeah he has his secrets- but the more I play this game the more I kinda realize he's the one who's allegedly 'had' her the longest over all the lifetimes so far,* so more than anyone he really speaks her language well.

*Sidenote: Cause current!Zayne doesn't know about any of his other lives with her, and Xavier although he's also spent multiple lifetimes with her... admittedly a lot of their 'long' lives weren't spent together in earnest, in their past lives there has always been a bit of a wall between them. Sylus I'd say comes maybe closest to seemingly not having their barrier but we don't know enough of his lore yet (although from what I've played through it does seem like he also speaks MC very well).

MOVING ALONG.

~5 Days Later~

I WHEEZEDDD

Leave it to Rafayel to bribe a child into making sure she finds him again. Honestly, there's some hidden messages here.

MC acknowledged she's nearly forgotten already that Rafayel said to call her. I'm sure he anticipated that (sadly 😭). And also, maybe that she'd be... directionally challenged in a brand new town? And if he's busy with the painting lessons, he probably wouldn't have been able to get on the phone and try to guide her that way himself or, maybe knew GPS wouldn't have good reception? Anyway he's SO thoughtful.

We're seeing here also Rafayel's unexpectedly very good with kids. But... maybe he's really keen on giving kids the treatment he never got as a child? Kids want to be acknowledged and taken seriously, and be dealt with patiently, and want space to let their creativity soar. Who knows how much of that he got in his childhood.

I love his "teacher" mode and it's exactly his fault for saying "paint wherever you like." Please I would have ABSOLUTELY done the same.

And he does it right back to her but like, also I couldn't help but think of God of the Tides? As a couple, did they also spend time painting their markings on each other? I wonder if it was attendants who did it for them. Was it everyday or was it some kind of water tattoo? I digress. I still think it might've sparked some memories for him.

And she proceeds to stare at him like half the time, really in awe. Same.

It's just a very, very sweet moment. There's something really special about watching someone you love do something they're really passionate about.

This is immediately becoming my favorite Rafayel card (I want to say not because I'm an artist but I'd be lying). Just the admiration they both clearly have for each other. Also, she really gets it, I think now more than ever, just how much she means to him, and also, how much he means to her. These tender moments are just as special and intimate as any physical ones, and sometimes even more so.

It's sooooo soft.

His little blush when he realized he was being stared at took me out alskdhslkg sir please have you looked in a mirror? He's so pretty when he's focused.

What got me also is him saying he'd just wait for her. Of course he kind of "teases" that she promised she'd meet up with him when she clearly didn't, but knew they'd meet up eventually if he waited long enough. This is a constant theme with these two.

Her not necessarily being willing or able to make promises to him, and him just waiting for her to fulfill these unspoken promises anyway. Either because of his love and determination, he knows or is just hopeless enough to think fate be damned, it'll happen anyway.

There's an interesting translation difference. The English "translation" that's captioned says this:

But it was either the voice actors or voice directors choice to change the spoken dialogue. What's actually spoken is this:

And I like the decision because it takes the "no big deal" out of it, which I think gets to the heart of the message and the character more.

As a voice director one of the most difficult things working with translation teams is trying to capture the essence of the story. It's not always about translating word for word, it's - ok, what's going to get this very specific point across to the audience?

Maybe it's not a big deal to Rafayel, or maybe he would say that –because he has waited so long to be physically in her presence the past few centuries already– but it's more impactful that the point is just:

No matter how long he has to wait, he will always wait a bit longer for her, because she means that much to him.

Then of course there's more playful banter, and allusion to a few things. Using the kids as a slight analogy. She did miss Rafayel.

I think it's sweet too how much she honestly does think of him in earnest, she's just not the best at explaining or expressing this. Again, her saving grace is he does speak her language and understands her.

Sometimes I think a lot about why MC is ... like that, and you know I always have to remember like... she was probably always trying to be tough as a kid? Who knows how often "grandma" was actually home, and having a "brother" kinda makes you tougher as a person. She grew up constantly not wanting people to worry about her, and it's really clear in all her routes and stories she has always struggled to express exactly what she means... mostly also because this is her "first" relationship of this nature. And there's always a huge learning curve in navigating communication like this in your first serious relationship. But... she's trying. And she's relying less on him picking up what she's putting down.

I know MC is meant to be "you" in the story but as for me, I like to imagine she probably had a sheepish grin on her face when she mentioned they lantern she made, it probably made it even easier for him to clock what she was thinking about. And even if he already planned on "gifting" it to himself, I feel his bright wide grin is probably just him realizing, 'Really? She would have gifted it to me anyway?' Because as much as you think you know someone, sometimes they find ways to surprise you anyways. You can literally hear in his voice how like,,, excited he gets.

And she's not even really embarrassed, it's heartwarming, and she laughs at her painting skills.

We get more MC continuity here!

I can't fault her for not saying like "I hope I get to spend more time with Rafayel" cause lollll as much as we wish, like, I dunno!! In that moment wouldn't you also be thinking of something like your family or your overall future?

For MC though, this is just one of her strings of continuity. She is very work and 'world peace' focused. It's in all of her routes with every LI. It's not that she doesn't love her S/O, this is just how and who she is. It's not like Rafayel isn't included in that ''healthy, happy life" she mentions.

I see it occasionally in discourse (occasionally from newer players where less lore is accessible) people immediately fault MC for not putting the boys first so... verbally, the way they do. But to me, she doesn't need to. To me, this is her way of doing so. She wants to work hard so everyone can live more peacefully, him and her included, and I think that's sweet. And I think Rafayel gets it.... even though you can tell there's a smidge in him that wishes too that she'd just outright say she wants more of his time too 😆 but, again, I think he gets it.

And then of course there's his wish, too. There's so much to unpack here. And it goes beyond him "getting it" he's... so immediately supportive. He wants to be with her every step of the way along her dreams.

You just know he's going to find ways to continue running into her. But less superficially, again, this is him saying he covets just being in the same space with her.

And then of course the ever-so-subtle lore mentions. Even if he can't be with her necessarily, he's always going to wait for her to come to him (even if she can't or won't because she doesn't remember-- but he knows she will, when she does remember).

All in all there's just this huge boost in trust between them and enjoyment of the mundane intimacy between them. He's not whiny, or pushy, he's patient, and she isn't standoffish, or embarrassed, she genuinely wants to just sit in that peace and space with him. They've grown a lot and it's very, very sweet to see.

#rafayel x mc #love and deepspace #lads meta #lnds meta #lnds analysis #lads analysis #madi plays lnds #lnds rafayel #rafayel love and deepspace #lads spoilers #love and deepspace rafayel #qi yu #homura

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callsignfate · 9 months

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I need you to be okay

Day Fourteen of Writemas/Birthday posts!

If you want to see the scheduled posts go here If you want to see more posts like this go here

TW: Lecturing, mention of dangerous acts, mention of guns and military vehicles, mention and talk of military field work, If I've missed any let me know!

♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡ This is stuck in my head. It's been stuck in my head. So now you all must have to read it. Reader is mentioned to be shorter than everyone and Laswell (I think)

(Soap finds out your married to Laswell might make a part two that he tells everyone)

You had joined TF141 for a temporary, unknown amount of time, often going by your callsign rather than anything else. Because they didn't dare ask your age, and you were slightly immature at times, they all called you different nicknames that had stuck with you.

A mission that was supposed to take no more than a day or two turned into almost a week. Everyone was excited to be back at the base. You could tell by the jokes and more revitalized tones that they were more than ready to shower and rest finally. You were excited, although for different reasons. You wanted nothing more than to see your wife.

"Shower and rest, Laswell wants a debrief in a few hours," Price said, grumbling about it under his breath about how he wanted a longer break for all of you and himself.

You nodded in response as the rest of them sighed and agreed with some small snide comments. You knew your wife well enough that she wanted to do it sooner; hell, she'd be there the second you stepped off the helicopter wanting a debrief if she wasn't trying to be even slightly nicer.

The hot shower and fresh, clean clothes felt like heaven. You finally got rid of the cold feeling that seemed stuck in your bones as you put on your favorite hoodie that you stole from Kate and headed out towards the meeting room. You could see Soap walking that way as well up the hall, also wearing more leisurely clothes.

It had been a few weeks since you had seen Kate. You could already hear her lecturing Price as you pulled open the door and looked to see almost everyone was here but Gaz. Kate's frustrated eyes flashed to yours as she raised her eyebrows with a pissed-off mom look she always gave you before she lectured you.

"And you, what in God's name do you think you were doing? We won't even talk about the reckless mistakes you made with them. I put you with them for a few months, and you begin to share their brain cells?" Kate's hands were moving frantically around as she spoke. She didn't often talk with her hands unless she was upset, and she was.

"I made the best decisions I could with the information and situation provided." You noticed that Kate took a lot of attitude back from the 141. She had vented to you about just how reckless they were, but you saw firsthand how tight of situations they get put in where they, and now you, had to make tough, probably reckless decisions to save their ass or get the job done.

"Don't talk to me that formally—I hate it, and you know it," Kate hissed out. In response, you laughed and sat down next to Soap, who looked bored and tired, although still happy and friendly as always.

You and Soap, while listening to Kate lecture Price, ended up spinning your chairs from side to side, quietly matching each other's movements with a stifled laugh every once in a while.

Gaz finally walked in. He sat near Ghost, who was silently watching it all unfold. Kate immediately went from lecturing Price to everyone as a group, sounding like a mother whose child had chased a ball into the street.

"Every one of you has a death wish or something? I leave for a few weeks, and suddenly the entire team decides to throw themselves into the line of fire like it's a bloody carnival game. I swear, Soap, you better stop making bets with Ghost on who can come closer to getting shot. And you," she pointed at Gaz, "I saw the report. You tried to take on a bloody tank with just a pistol!"

Gaz leaned back in his chair, grinning. "Well, Kate, you always said 'work smarter, not harder.' So, I thought, why not try it the other way around for a change?"

Kate's eyes narrowed, and you could practically see the storm clouds gathering. "This isn't a joke, Gaz. One of these days, your 'work harder' approach is going to get you killed."

Soap chimed in, "But we got the job done, Kate. That's what matters, right?"

"Getting the job done without getting yourselves killed or causing an international incident also matters," Kate retorted, crossing her arms.

You couldn't help but chuckle, earning a glare from Kate. "What's so funny?"

"Just missed your charming lectures, Kate. Reminds me that I'm home," you replied with a teasing smile.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, spare me. Anyway, debrief is over. Go get some rest, everyone, before you all end up in the hospital. And You, you stay."

As the door closed behind the last member leaving the room, you and Kate were left alone in the quiet aftermath of her scolding. The atmosphere shifted, becoming less official and more intimate. Kate sighed, her stern facade melting away as she ran a hand through her hair, a sign of her exasperation.

"You know," she began, her tone softer now, "I worry about all of you. This job... it takes a toll, and sometimes I feel like I'm herding a bunch of stubborn cats."

You chuckled again, standing up and walking over to where she was sitting. "Well, we're your stubborn cats, and you're the only one who can handle us."

She shot you a playful glare but couldn't hide the hint of a smile. "And what about you? Any reckless stunts I should know about? Or are you the one responsible adult in this operation?"

You leaned against the desk, meeting her gaze. "Oh, you know me, Kate. I'm the epitome of responsibility."

She snorted, playfully rolling her eyes. "Right. The 'responsible' one who used to climb out of bedroom windows just to avoid being caught sneaking in past curfew."

You smirked, recalling those rebellious teenage days. "Ah, those were the days. But seriously, I'm fine. No reckless stunts, promise."

She studied you for a moment, her expression shifting to something more thoughtful. "Good. Because... I need you to be okay. More than you probably realize."

Your teasing demeanor softened. You reached out, gently cupping her cheek. "I'm not going anywhere, Kate. You're stuck with me."

She leaned into your touch, closing her eyes briefly. "Good. Because I'd hate to have to chase you down and drag you back."

You chuckled, giving her cheek a light, affectionate tap. "Wouldn't want you to break a sweat, now, would we?"

She swatted your hand away with a mock scowl. "Go get some rest. We've got work to do, and I can't have you falling asleep in the middle of a mission."

With a final teasing grin, you left the room, leaving Kate to her paperwork and thoughts. The banter might be constant, but the unspoken understanding between you two was clear—you were her anchor in the storm, and she was yours. As you walked out, you saw Soap standing near the wall with a slightly shocked but sly smile. He held your favorite cap, the one you wore often. Before you could react, he reached into it and pulled out your name tag that read 'Laswell.' Your face paled as you realized Soap had overheard your discussion with your wife and discovered the name tag you had hidden in your cap.

Soap, holding the name tag between his fingers, raised an eyebrow with a mischievous grin. "Laswell, huh? So, our fearless leader has a soft spot for you. Never would've guessed."

Your face heated up, a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "Soap, don't you have better things to do than pry into other people's business?"

He chuckled, tossing the name tag back to you. "Hey, just having a bit of fun. But seriously, you and the boss? That's interesting."

"Well, if it makes you feel any better, Price owes me twenty bucks. Said he never believed the boss would get involved with someone on the team. Guess we both lost that bet." You sighed, realizing that your personal life had become a source of entertainment for your teammates. "If everyone finds out we're married I will shave off your mohawk in your sleep."

Soap raised his hands in mock surrender, a playful glint in his eyes. "Alright, alright, I'll zip it. Your secret's safe with me. No need to resort to mohawk threats."

"Good," you replied, though the playful threat hung in the air. You headed to your quarters, thoughts swirling. It wasn't that you were ashamed of your relationship with Kate, but the nature of your work demanded a certain level of secrecy. The last thing you needed was the team treating every mission like some kind of love story drama.

After dealing with Soap, you decided to find Kate. She was now likely in her office, buried in paperwork. The familiar sound of helicopters and distant chatter filled the air as you navigated the base.

When you reached her office, Kate looked up from her desk, a rare smile gracing her lips. "Took you long enough."

"Debrief ran late," you joked, leaning against the doorframe.

She raised an eyebrow, glancing at what you were wearing finally. "Is that my hoodie?"

You smirked. "Maybe."

Kate chuckled, standing up and walking over to you. "You know, I missed you."

"I missed you too," you admitted, pulling her into a warm embrace.

♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡~♡

#kate laswell #kate laswell x reader #laswell #call of duty laswell #laswell cod #laswell mw2 #kate laswell x wife #farah karim x reader #cod laswell #kate laswell x you #kate laswell fluff

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storiesbyjes2g · 3 months

Text

3.137 Gratefulness

I didn't expect for Less and Mama to arrive together. Actually, I didn't expect for Less to arrive at all, given she had three newborns at home. But, given her situation and lifestyle, it made sense that she would hire a nanny immediately. One day, I'd probably have to break down and do that, but until then, me and Sophia were the only caregivers Desiree needed. Less seethed with anger, and my parents were quietly upset for her. I almost felt guilty about being so full of joy. But it was my birthday, and I had finally become a father. Surely they wouldn't feel betrayed by my happiness. I could resume my murderous thoughts tomorrow, but for the moment, I wanted to feel joy.

My thoughts were like a broken record sometimes, and once again I considered how my home life may not have been what I wanted growing up, but I could never say we didn't stand by each other. Even while divorced, my parents put aside pride and hurt to come together to give us as much love and support as they could muster. They were both flawed sims and gave me many examples of what not to do, but somehow still managed to show me the way and help me to arrive safely at the current moment. Their unwavering love outweighed all the bad, and I was grateful they were still here to welcome me into this next phase of life.

My sister, my first friend, always astonished me. I watched her go from being a listless little girl who only cared about pancakes to a woman who moved to another country to pursue her newfound passion. She went from being dead set against relationships to being in love—though that ended badly. I feared she would never open herself again, but no matter what happened in her life, she always rose to the occasion in the end, and I loved that about her. When she was involved, I gave more than I received, but I didn't mind. She'd always have a soft place to land in my heart.

I could write volumes of books explaining why I loved my wife, but at that moment, I was just in awe of the woman she was. Life with Sophia had truly been an adventure, and I never knew what to expect next. She was bold and confident, sometimes even more than me. I felt safe with her, and there was no one else on earth I would want by my side as I hiked this next trail.

Today, Maira was the only one who reached out to me, which spoke volumes about our relationship. Our friendship had its complexities, but we remained close despite all the hurdles life threw at us. She was the first sim outside my family I ever felt close to. The first sim I ever called friend. Regardless of what I felt for her or explored in my mind in the past, she had always been friend first, and I was so grateful to have her there with me.

Last, but certainly not least, my baby! We had only known each other for a few hours, but we already had a deep bond. She was my gift, and I was at a loss for words for how grateful I was to have her in my life. All of my favorite sims (plus Dub in spirit), all the sims I could always count on, came together by happenstance to celebrate me, and I finally knew what it felt like to have an inner circle. It was great to know that whatever I faced in life, I'd always have a village to help carry the load.

Happy birthday to me!

#ISBI challenge #sims 4 story #sims 4 gameplay #adolting #adolting gen 3 #luca winston murillo #emerald pope #ali murillo #alessia amina murillo #maira watson #desiree amari murillo

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stardust-kenobi · 2 years

Text

Perfect

Echo x Fem!Reader

Summary: During your shift at the bar, an angry customer yells something hurtful at you, and Echo checks to make sure you're okay.

Warnings: 18+ minors DNI! smut, oral f receiving, TW: body insecurities, self conscious reader

Word Count: 1.8k

A/N: As someone on the curvier side who’s dealt with body insecurities basically my entire life, I was happy to write this with experience on how it feels. This is my first (of probably many) Echo one-shots. Thank you @sageislostinspring for requesting <3

The weekend's familiar patrons crowded the bar, ordering their endless rounds of drinks for hours on end until they couldn't even walk straight. Cid wasn't a responsible bar owner, so she never let you cut anyone off when they were too drunk.

"Drunk customers are paying customers" She'd always say. You roll your eyes every time her voice plays in the back of your mind. She took you in when you were a child, and you always saw her as an aunt, but she wasn't protective of your safety like an aunt should be. Regardless, you loved her anyways.

Luckily, your favorite guys were across the bar tonight, crowded into a corner booth, taking it easy and enjoying their time together. Omega was kicking some ass at Dejarik. No matter how busy the place could get, and even with Hunter watching her like a hawk, you were adamant about making sure she was safe when there were this many people around. This was no place for a child, but somehow she was right where she belonged.

Glancing across the room back to the rest of the guys, you briefly caught Echo's eye and flashed him a smile. He smiled back before you returned to pouring and mixing drinks on autopilot. There was something about him - Echo, that you were so attracted to. The brothers were similar in appearance, but none of them were as kind as Echo.

Wrecker, Tech and Hunter were playing a drinking game, completely oblivious to the fact that they lost Echo's attention a while ago, but he couldn’t help staring at you.

"Can I get another drink?!" A loud, distracting man yelled from the other end of the bar.

"Yep, I'll be right there" You shot him a quick assuring smile.

"Now!” He impatiently demanded, his voice now louder than before, startling you.

“Please be patient, sir, I am working as fast as I can” You told him firmly.

“Maybe if you lost a few pounds you could work faster”

Right then and there your heart sunk into the pit of your stomach. Suddenly every hateful comment you'd ever received came rushing to your mind, clouding your ability to even defend yourself. You stood there, motionless. This man had found your biggest insecurity and attacked it with anger.

You caught sight of Echo again, who was already watching the look on your face turn to sorrow. It was too loud for him to hear what had been said, but he knew something was wrong immediately.

The beat of your heart thumped viciously inside your chest, pressing hard at the lump stuck in your throat. Rushing out from behind the bar, trying to turn the corner before a stream of tears stained your face in front of such a large crowd, you heard a slew of choice words exchanged loudly. One of the voices you recognized…Echo. You took a few deep breaths and poked your head around the corner.

Echo and the guys had cornered the insulting patron. Wrecker had him by the back of the neck, ready to throw him to the streets at any second. Echo and Hunter were in his face, undoubtedly threatening him.

It was all too much for you to handle and you needed some space.

The closing door of Aunt Cid’s office offered the solace you needed to calm down. There was a stinging sensation in your eyes as you shut them tight, trying your damnedest to get it together. No matter how many times in your life you tried to move past your insecurities about your body, someone like that guy will always be around to remind you of it.

Just then, a faint knock came from the other side of the door.

“Y/N?” The gentle voice called

Echo.

“I’m fine” You called to him, but the strangling effort in your voice to sound like you weren’t crying only made it all the more obvious.

“Can I come in?” He asked politely.

Instead of responding, you walked over to the door and pulled it open only slightly. You hesitantly looked up at him, and found the most concerned man in the galaxy. The wetness upon your cheeks instantly grabbed his attention.

“Oh, Y/N” Echo’s brows pressed together, his voice like silk. It took everything in you not to burst into tears just from the tone of his words.

You allowed him to enter, and walked over to sit yourself on Cid’s desk.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to see me like this” You sniffled.

“I’m your friend, Y/N, I’m here for you” He consoled.

“Thank you” You half smiled, thankful for his company.

“What did that guy say to you?” He asked. Something in his tone hinted that he was ready to kill him for hurting you.

“You didn’t hear?” You asked, confirming that he was too far away to know what the guy said, and came looking for you just based on how shattered you looked as you left the bar.

“No. Well, Hunter may have. We all saw your reaction to someone yelling and didn’t ask any questions, the guys took care of it” He explained, and moved to stand in front of you, taking your hand into his own, “I wanted to come check on you, though”

“He made a comment about my weight” You said quietly, somehow ashamed of admitting something that wasn't your fault.

“What?” Echo was appalled to hear this.

Your insecurity and self consciousness overcame you again, and you hung your head, “Yeah”

Echo's rage became obvious despite his attempt to suppress it.

“Listen to me, Y/N..." Echo started, bringing his head down to grab hold of your lowered gaze, but seemed to almost swallow his words before he could make them come out. He shut his eyes tight, realizing he might regret what he says next, "You are the most breathtaking woman I have ever laid eyes on"

The beating of your heart almost strangled you in that moment. Your hands trembled together in your embrace.

"I've never had the nerve to confess that to you before, but you needed to hear it now" He assured you, "I have been all over this galaxy. I've seen women of all shapes and sizes…but you? You are everything"

Your broken heart began mending itself with every word he spoke to you, "Echo" You whispered admirably.

"I mean it. Don't even think about listening to someone like that guy out there"

You were speechless.

"And this?" He began, his hand gesturing to the curves along your body, "is perfect"

"Will you kiss me?" You asked suddenly, knowing you wanted nothing more in that moment than to show him you wanted him.

His eagerness was no match for his nerves. Echo wanted to attack your supple lips, not holding back at all, but he couldn't, not yet. He inched forward slowly, afraid of messing this up, and planted his lips upon yours and delicately entwined the two of you.

Sparks ignited between the warmth of your kiss. A light whimper fell from your mouth onto his, telling him you wanted more. His hand wrapped around the back of your head and pressed you harder into him. Your tongue slipped over his lips and pulled a moan from him, piquing your arousals even further.

Heat began forming in your belly, migrating quickly to the pulsing between your legs. You squirmed slightly, your body craving friction against your sensitive, aching clit. Echo made note of your restlessness, and pulled away slightly.

"I want to taste you" He whispered against your lips. You took that as an invitation to kiss him harder, but you were stopped suddenly when he broke away from the kiss, "All of you".

Just then, a fire rushed through your body with the realization of what he meant. Without even hesitating, you parted your legs wider in your seated position on the desk. Echo placed his kiss on your neck before trailing his pecks further down your chest. His hand worked to inch the fabric of your dress up the length of your thighs, shooting chills down the length of your legs.

"Let me show you how beautiful you are to me" Echo insisted, a hint of hunger settled into his tone

"Please" You breathed.

You watched as he lowered himself in between your legs, putting his face level with where you ached for his touch. Cool air grazed the wetness slicked on your folds as he pulled your panties down your legs.

Gentle kisses peppered the inside of your thighs, inching closer and closer to your pussy. Soft whimpers had already begun falling off your lips before his tongue ever pressed against you.

The moment that you felt the intoxicating sensation of his tongue circling your clit, you were in heaven. It started slow, with soft rotations getting a gradual start on your pleasure. Maker, he was good at this.

"Oh, Echo. Yes" You moaned deep, but gently.

His eyes rarely left yours while he devoured you, wanting to see pretty little faces you'd make from the feeling he provided for you. His cock strained so helplessly against his pants, torturing him to no end. Echo had dreamed of this exact moment for so long, and now he had you in his hold, whining and falling apart under his influence.

He hungered for you, not just to taste your arousal, but to feel you in your most delicate state. His love for you existed from afar, as he was terrified that you wouldn’t want him too. All the passion he felt for you built up to this, and he’d do anything to help you understand how perfect you were to him.

The motions of his mouth grew more eager by the second before he found a consistent rhythm that seemed to earn the most precious noises from your lips. Nothing had ever brought you so close to your orgasm so quickly.

"Maker, it feels so good" You cried out, knowing you were close to falling over the edge. He knew it, too, and didn't dare change a thing about his pace now.

Suddenly, your orgasm burst open with overwhelming ecstasy. Your body squirmed involuntarily in his grasp, so he grabs your hip and pulls your body harder against his face, not letting you relinquish even a second of the full intensity of your climax. Echo groaned against your clit, sending vibrations across your sensitively and driving you absolutely wild. The stars in your vision began to fade as you crept slowly down off of your high.

"Oh my god, Echo" You exclaim breathlessly. Your legs trembled while he slowly stood to his feet.

"Sweetheart, I-" He started, failing to find the words to describe how he felt.

A sudden knock came at the door.

"Y/N? Are you alright in there?"

It was Wrecker, and based on the sounds of feet shuffling beyond the door, you assumed the rest of the guys were out there, too.

How kind of them to check on you, too, but stars, they couldn't have picked a worse time than this. You both exchanged a glance of amusing disappointment, knowing you both wanted to rip each other's clothes off right then and there.

"Another time" You smiled warmly.

He smiled back, kissing you one more time, like he'd never get the chance to again, and couldn't wait to pick up where you left off.

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xecutivecucumber · 6 months

Text

Executive Cucumber's Thoughts on the Bad Batch 03x09!

Spoilers under the cut

Apologies for this being late, I worked overtime and then immediately went to rescue my sister and her kids from a car breakdown. I got overwhelmed pretty quick.

I really liked this episode, but as I was in a not great mood when I watched it, I didn't absorb as much as I normally do. (My mood really affects how much I enjoy something, regardless of quality. I was in a foul mood when I first watched Faster and was fairly critical of it. I was wrong.)

This is really the first time we've seen not beautiful weather on Pabu and that's terrifying.

CROSSHAIR IS PART OF A COMMUNITY!!! Have yall considered that he's never been a part of a community before? Like yes, he's has his family, but a community?

'Does it matter? We're not giving her up.' This man. I love this man. If Tech did not already reign Supreme in my heart, I think Crosshair would be my favorite character in Star Wars.

ASAJJ VENTRESS MY QUEEEEEEEEEN

Oh Omega, that story fell apart faster than Hunter's resistance to adopting you.

They leave a space for Tech 💔

Apparently those blood tester things that Qui Gon had were Jedi issue only.

YOU CAN DO IT OMEGA!!! Wrecker, honey, if Omega CAN do it, that means her life gets WAY harder.

They one hundred percent sent Crosshair to look at Tech's data because Hunter and Wrecker can barely do it.

'Go get a flower kid, I gotta beat up your dads'

Okay, I honestly think Hunter doesn't have the time for romance and could honestly see him as asexual, but-

HIS WAIST IS SO SLUTTY. HOW IS IT SO SLUTTY.

I don't think we've seen such well choreographed hand to hand fighting in animated Star Wars. Except maybe that time that Rex absolutely destroyed those Zygerrians. But I might be biased about that.

'SHE'S A WAR CRIMINAL OMEGA' Okay now I need to know what defines war crimes in this universe. Did they have space Geneva?

You know, good thing Echo's not here. He'd probably be WAY more pissed than these three.

'You're naive' says the man who was changed by the child saying people can change.

I love Crosshair's 'oh shoot she's right' face.

Wrecker's little gasp when Ventress looks at them is AMAZING.

I love it when Star Wars is using the Force to connect with animals.

I'm sorry, Hunter girlies, I guess we getting wet hair everyone except Hunter. (Though Ventress looks SO GOOD)

VENTRESS YOU QUEEN I LOVE YOU YOU'VE COME SO FAR (I haven't read dark disciple but my sister has, and she informed me that Vos' Dark Side training by Ventress culminated in him summoning a water monster and killing it. This is such a beautiful parallel that she calms it.)

Crosshair helping Omega on is my everything.

I really love that Crosshair has decided to give Ventress a chance, because he was given a chance. (And also I lowkey ship them in a one night stand kinda way. Crossajj is such a good ship name too)

DAD DUO.

I don't think Ventress is lying when she says Omega isn't Force sensitive. Omega doesn't show ANYTHING in this episode that implies that she's sensitive. Yes, she uses Batcher, but she'd trained Batcher with normal friend methods. I think that Ventress stops the testing prematurely before she can be more sure, because she sees the possibly unhealthy attachment the Batch have. It might also be to protect Omega to not know for sure. My personal theory is that Omega is slightly more sensitive than the average clone, but not to any natural talent degree.

Oh gosh, I'm so scared for the next few episodes. Ventress gives them such a clear warning. This episode did such a good job of getting the tension tight again.

I know some people call this episode redundant, but the characters NEED this in order to catch up. We as an audience knew that M Counts meant midichlorians. But the Batch had no idea. Sometimes, we need to let the main characters catch up with us.

(This is also why Tech as CX-2 works on a reveal level because the mystery isn't for us, it's for the characters)

But yeah, a great episode! I'm terrified for everything and everyone!

A quick note- I've seen people say that it's too late in the season for Tech to return. I'd like to remind you that it took exactly two episodes in season 2 to get us behind Crosshair's redemption. They can do a lot in a few episodes.

#the bad batch #tbb #tbb season 3 #the bad batch season 3 spoilers #the bad batch season 3 #tbb season 3 spoilers #tbb spoilers #tbb omega #tbb s3 spoilers #tbb crosshair #tbb wrecker #tbb hunter #asajj ventress #tbb tech #tbb echo #tbb batcher #tech lives #take a deep breath #things are going to go downhill from here

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steddieas-shegoes · 1 year

Note

Headcanon sentences!;

1. "You're going to be a good sad someday, Teddy bear" teddy bear = Eddie's nickname

2. "Saying yes to you was the best decision of my life"

3. Based on me playing Steddie in the Sims 4: Steddie playing Sims 4 and "How do you keep setting the stove on fire making Mac and cheese?!"

🖤❤️🖤❤️🖤❤️🐼

Okay assuming that's a typo and you meant dad this one's gooooood shit

No one had expected Max to be the first one with a baby, or a baby at all for that matter.

But here she was, 22 years old, Lucas by her side, holding their newborn baby boy with the biggest smile on her face.

She'd only given birth a few hours ago, Lucas' family coming in to visit before she even got a chance to take it in.

Eddie had never held a baby. Not once.

But he knew how to comfort Max, had been the best at it for the last 8 years or so. She looked exhausted, and he immediately put his arm around her shoulders and let her rest her head on his shoulder.

"Proud of you, Red. Look at this little gremlin. Poor thing looks like Lucas. Hope he grows out of that."

Lucas interrupted his own conversation with Steve to glare at him.

"You wanna hold him?"

Eddie couldn't exactly turn that down, not when Max looked like she was kind of asking for a break without actually asking for one.

She gently placed the sleeping baby in his arms.

He felt it immediately: the why someone would put their body through this, the why people choose to throw a specific type of fun out the window to have kids.

"Decided on a name?"

Max leaned her head up from where she'd rested it on her pillow.

"Yeah. Steve? Stop talking to Lucas and come look at my baby."

Steve did as she asked, like he always did. It was no secret she was tied for favorite kid with Dustin.

"Steve, Eddie, this is Andrew Steven Sinclair."

Eddie and Steve looked up at her together, equally surprised by the name choice.

They both cried, and Max rolled her eyes, but didn't tease them about it, probably already warned to be kind by Lucas.

Steve held him for a few minutes, walking around the room and gently rocking his arms to keep him asleep.

Eddie watched until it was his turn again.

He held him for nearly 30 minutes before Steve finally told him they needed to go and let Max and Lucas rest and bond with Andrew alone.

As they left the hospital, Eddie kept rambling about things he wanted to buy for Andrew, things he wanted to do with him as he got older. It continued on for the entire drive to their apartment in the city and even over dinner that night.

Finally, Steve kissed him, effectively shutting him up long enough to talk.

"You're gonna be a good dad someday, teddy bear."

Eddie blushed.

He saw it now. He saw what Steve wanted so badly and now he wanted it too.

He'd make sure they had it somehow.

--------

2. This could be so sappy but what if it was funny instead

It was late.

They were tired.

Food didn't make itself and they were way too exhausted to do it themselves.

"I could just call in pizza."

Steve had turned down takeout already because of their budget or whatever, but Eddie was too hungry to care about a budget now.

"Fine. But just a small. No drinks or breadsticks."

Eddie jumped up before Steve could change his mind.

Because it was so late, the pizza was delivered quickly. Weird how no one else wanted pizza delivery at one in the morning.

They both let out loud moans at the first bite, smiling at their pizza slices like they found long lost loves.

"Aren't you glad I convinced you to order pizza?"

"Saying yes to you was the best decision of my life."

"And they call me the dramatic one!"

"Shut up and eat your pizza."

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

3. Okay but actually funny story one time I did forget I was boiling water to make mac and cheese (I was in like 6th grade leave me alone) and nothing caught on fire but the kitchen sure didn't smell good for a while

In a strange turn of events, Eddie took on a nanny job when they moved to Chicago. It paid well and he was guaranteed off for any shows his band played, plus all the major holidays and half of summer.

It paid so well, in fact, Steve could focus on his college classes instead of also having to work.

Every Monday, instead of going to the family's house, they dropped their five year old daughter, Emily, at Steve and Eddie's apartment.

They'd have a full day of walking to the park at the end of the block on nice days, or playing with Eddie's "for fun" guitar, or laying out tons of paper across the kitchen floor and finger painting, or playing princess and dragons.

Eddie was great at it. Except for the whole cooking part.

Usually, meals were prepped already when he went to Emily's house. But on Mondays, he had to make lunch and dinner for her.

He stuck to sandwiches for lunch, but dinner could get rough.

He managed to do okay with microwaving chicken nuggets or cooking frozen pizzas.

But he'd gone through two stoves from trying to make mac and cheese.

He was persistent though, knew if he just focused on only the mac and cheese, nothing would burn or catch on fire or break.

Unfortunately, Emily chose to have a Code Red Emergency just when he added the pasta to the pot.

It's fine, I have 8 minutes to fix what she needs me to.

Emily had broken one of the minifigures that Eddie used for D&D and she was heartbroken. Eddie explained it could be fixed, he'd just glue it tonight and she could play with it again next week, but she was inconsolable.

Naturally, he got distracted trying to help her and the smoke alarm started going off.

"Shit!"

"That's a bad word!"

"I know!"

Eddie managed to handle it before the fire got big, but their mac and cheese was burnt and he would just have to settle for some fish sticks.

Emily got picked up and her parents smirked at the smell and slight haze to the air, but didn't comment.

Steve, however, wasn't going to ignore it.

"Oh my God, you did it again didn't you?"

"Did what?"

"How do you keep setting the stove on fire making mac and cheese?!"

"Emily was having a crisis!"

"We're going to have a crisis if you don't get to it in time and burn the whole apartment complex to the ground!"

They made a new rule that night that he wasn't allowed to make any kind of pasta anymore unless Steve was home to watch.

He'd feel stupid if it wasn't such a good idea.

#steddie #steve harrington #eddie munson #headcanon

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honeybunniii333 · 6 months

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(SORRY I'VE BEEN DEAD! Also i just realized I never see content for Dez and Ed. Like they have a sibling like relationship (even tho they're cousins), and they're supposedly really close in Canon! But I never saw anything for them, and I decided that needed to be fixed. SO! Here ya go!)

Again, her dad was in the hospital again. It had gotten to where he was there more than home, and that was scary and awful in its own right. But now, because of the sudden dip in his health. He can't take her to their yearly concert! They've gone to one every year since she was four, and it was her favorite part of the summer. They'd already bought their tickets and everything... and then he started getting sick again. Bad enough to land him in the hospital two days before they were supposed to leave... Dez was angry, to say the least. NOT at her dad. She knew better than anyone that the last thing the man ever wanted was to break his little girl's heart. She was mad at life for making this happen. Mad at the cancer for making her poor dad so sick and weak. He didn't deserve this. She felt so lost, so out of control. She didn't know what to do, she had to do something. She was SO tired of feeling powerless. She didn't even think about it as she grabbed the scissors from the counter.

Horror, she felt true horror as she looked in the mirror. Her hair, her pretty hair, was all over the floor and the sink. Oh god, what had she done... her knees buckled, and she sank to the ground, scissors long abandoned on the counter as she cried and wiped at her face. Her eyes were sore, and her throat was raw. She wanted her dad, but he was not there. And someday, probably soon, he'd never be there again, and that thought just made her cry harder. Dez was an independent person generally. She didn't like being genuinely reliant on anyone, but right now, she'd throw her pride aside for some comfort. Her head shot up at the sound of the almost totally open door, creaking the rest of the way open and a startled gasp following it. Someone stood in the doorway, eyes wide, and God did that make her crumble even further. But this time, there were arms wrapping around her, pulling her close and nails, raking through what remained of her hair. She buried her face into their chest and just let herself cry. She cried and cried until she couldn't seem to muster any more tears.

"Dez..." Ed's quiet response came after a moment or two of prolonged silence. "Desiree, talk to me." he insisted when he got nothing but a sniffle in response, pulling her back by the shoulders to get a good look at her. He frowned a bit and brushed some hair off of her cheek. "I..." She choked out. "Oh god, what did I do... my hair..." She sniffled, trying not to cry again. "Hey, hey..." he hushed "Cmon tell me what's up." he reminded as he pulled her with him to rest against the sink cabnit. Still supporting her with an arm around the shoulder. "I... Dad is sick again." She whispered, and he seemed to understand almost immediately. "Yeah..he is..." he nodded solemly.

"I miss him.." She added, closing her eyes and resting against the strong weight beside her. "I know ya do... he misses ya, too." he reminded, and she couldn't help but smile sadly at that. "He's not coming home anytime soon... and this week was.. supposed to be our concert week." She struggled to get her words out with that feeling bubbling up in her throat again. The feeling that everything was falling apart, Edward just squeezed her shoulder in response. "Yeah Tiá was talking about that earlier this week... you guys go every year..."

"Yeah... and now we can't... " she choked harshly but pushed on. "I know it's dumb. I know he can't help it. It's not that big a deal it just.. it kinda made me realize that there's a good chance that we won't get to do a lot of stuff together, and I don't know... I just cracked, and now my hair is a mess, and I'm a mess.. everything's a mess..." She wiped at her eyes furiously as she spoke. "That's alright." He seemed to have decided. "It's okay to be a little bit of a mess sometimes..." And Dez briefly caught herself thinking about how Ed should probably take that sentiment to heart as well. "And I wouldn't say your hair is a mess..." he laughed a little, moving a bit to get a better look. "it's a bit choppy, yeah... but I don't think it looks bad on ya!" she seemed rather skeptical as she glanced up at the older boy. "Really?"

"Yeah! Just needs a bit of touch up, here..." he insisted, pulling her up and directing her to the mirror as he grabbed the scissors that had been discarded on the counter and immediately started cutting away. "Hey!" she tensed a bit, "Just trust me, Dez." he sighed with a roll of his eyes, and soon he set them back down. "See..?" she was a bit scared to look up at first but slowly she opened her eyes (which she hadn't really registered squeezing shut until now) and... he was right... it wasn't awful. "It'll take a little gettin used to, it is a big change." he hummed, fluffing her hair up a bit to check the length. "But I think you might end up liking it... and if you don't... it's just hair. It'll grow back."

She wasn't sure how to feel, standing there with a boy she'd for some reason expected to be mean when first meeting him.. it was a funny thought now. She stood there studying his work, his hands resting comfortingly on her shoulder... She didn't know how to feel, but another gentle squeeze cleared her mind. "Hey..." his voice was soft. "It'll be okay... I know it doesn't feel like it right now... everything's a bit hectic, and it's hard to see it, but... You'll be okay." And somehow, when Edward said it, it sounded a lot more believable. She couldn't help but feel better with the reminder that even when her Dad was gone. Ed would still be there... he was always there... whether she wanted or not... "Hey Eddie?" She whispered after another long pause. Ed had already gotten to cleaning up the mess she'd made. He seemed to do that a lot... "Yeah?" He hummed, not looking up from his task of sweeping up hair. "Would you wanna go to a concert this weekend?" He seemed a bit confused for a moment, but the confusion was short-lived, and he seemed to understand. He smiled fondly to himself and nodded.

"Yeah, I would."

Dez had a feeling that she'd be okay...

#ibvs #ibvs posts #isaac beamer versus the supernatural #edward quinton #dez gonzalez #Its never stated what exactly is wrong with Dez's dad from what i recall #but anytime i think of a sick parent my brain immediately goes to cancer #so thats what i went with #i love them dearly!

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giantchasm · 10 months

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So I've seen a lot of people posting their Kirby fankids recently...

And so I figured I should finally try and post some of mine! I've had them for a while now, but I've been too lazy to talk about them on Tumblr. Let's change that by making a post about my favorite out of all of them... my special little princess... my beautiful skrunkly.

Everyone, I'd like you to meet Peony!

She is, of course, my Taransusie fankid. She came into existence because I was playing Tomodachi Life and I got attached Taranza offhandedly mentioned that it would be nice to have a family one day and Susie just kind of nodded along but her internal reaction was a strong 'ABSOLUTELY NOT.'

This reaction... unnerved her, to say the least. She didn't understand why she felt so strongly about this. It's not that she didn't like kids. She liked Kirby plenty! And so why...?

Oh stars, it had to do with her dad, didn't it?

Her own unfulfilled childhood. Her resentment for her father. A fear that inevitably she'd fail as a parent in the same exact ways he did.

Realizing this was what was holding her back, Susie proceeded to get extremely angry. Why the hell was her dad still influencing the decisions she was making? He was long gone! She wouldn't let him make her hesitant or boss her around. She wasn't afraid. She could do WAY better than him. In fact, she would make a great mom! She'd show him.

The next thing she knew she was holding a baby she'd grown in a test tube.

Susie pretty much immediately realized she fucked up the minute this thing started moving. She didn't have anything to take care of her. Not even a blanket to bundle her in. What was she THINKING? Did she seriously make a living being out of spite? Maybe that would have been acceptable during her ‘Yeah, sure. I’ll do whatever evil thing I want’ era. But now? It was pretty apparent she made a mistake that she couldn’t take back.

Thankfully Taranza was… mostly understanding? I mean, he was surprised, of course, and he had to be like “SUSIE. Never do something like this again. ESPECIALLY without talking to me about it,” but when she explained he understood why she reacted the way that she did. Plus, as unexpected as this all was, he pretty much instantly fell in love with little Peony.

Which is to say nowadays they’re a pretty happy family! Peony is 8ish and things are going great. That is… except for one teensy, weensy, SLIGHT problem.

There was an incident wherein Peony almost died, and following it, she’s started seeing ghosts. This would be alarming under ANY circumstances, but with her family especially?

…Hoo boy.

Further explanation under the cut, since this is long enough as is

First of all, I figure I should probably explain the circumstances of Peony’s near-death experience. It was all sort of a freak accident. One day, Susie had to perform some inspections at the Works Company, and no-one else was available to watch Peony, so she was just like, “Well. She’s a well-behaved kid. I’ll bring her along. What’s the worst that can happen?”

The ‘worst that could happen’ was her child being fed to an industrial meat grinder. All it took was looking away for ooooneeee second. Peony leaned a little too close to one of the company’s machines, fell, and the next thing Susie knew, she heard screaming.

She. Was. Horrified. She scrambled to shut off the machine, but it was too late. Peony was already hurt. Really hurt. She pulled her broken body from the machine, but there wasn’t much else she could do. She pretty much just had to call Taranza, explain what horrifying thing happened, and then wait for him, a person with actual experience using Soul and healing magic to get there before it was too late.

I cannot explain enough how distressing this was. Susie is someone who isn’t used to feeling helpless. She’s in control in pretty much every situation. But sitting there, holding her actively dying daughter, she had none of that usual control. Despite herself, she couldn’t let her mind wander back to that person. The one that she was thinking about when she first made Peony. She said she’d do better than he did, but…

If Peony were to die now, they’d be the exact same.

Even once Taranza arrived, they weren’t exactly out of the woods. He completely panicked, presented with the idea of losing another loved one, and his attempts to stabilize her were sloppy and desperate. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t seem to find her spirit to tether back to her body with his magic. Was it… already too late?

That’s when it felt as if something was passed off to him. Her spirit practically shoved into the metaphorical hands of his mind’s eye. It didn’t make any sense— it felt as if someone had intervened, but he didn’t question it. He took the stroke of luck as it came, and just barely he was able to stabilize Peony.

…She was hurt, but alive.

When she came to, her family was relieved, but she revealed something strange. When she was on the brink between life and death, she swore she was helped by two mysterious strangers. They comforted her, helped her calm down, and helped her get back to her body.

She described them as a ‘pretty lady’ and a ‘funny old man.’

Taranza and Susie weren’t sure what to make of this. It… couldn’t be, could it? But from thereon out, Peony continued to see these strangers, as well as develop more spectral powers.

You see… Peony is half Neumann— the same species her mom is. Her mom doesn’t have any magic abilities thanks to her cybernetics, but archetypically the species is susceptible to being… overloaded with a certain type of magic, especially when in life or death situations. Look at the Mage Sisters, for example. When on the brink of death themselves, they ended up becoming one with the elements that nearly killed them.

It was the same for Peony. A perfect storm, really. The Arachnid’s predisposition for Soul magic combined with the Neumann’s ability to soak up magic made for a very unique set of circumstances. And so when her dad used Soul magic to heal her, and some spirits perhaps stepped in to save her life…

Peony was overwhelmed. She developed an unnatural connection to the dead.

That said, Peony’s ‘guardian angels’ weeereeennn’t exactly supposed to do what they did. The rules of life and death are very strict. Particularly powerful spirits are allowed to remain wandering if they have unfinished business, but they are NOT to mess with mortal lives.

The arbitrator of life and death was outraged. It said it should whisk the two of them to Hades for their audacity! But this, too, was something Peony overheard, and she rushed to intervene. She begged Morpho Knight not to punish the mysterious strangers who helped her. If if was her who was supposed to die, shouldn’t she have been punished instead? She said she’d take their place.

…She didn’t know they were her granddad and her father’s long lost friend at the time. She just knew they’d helped her out, even though they didn’t know her. She had to return the favor.

Morpho Knight tested her conviction. It made it seem as if it was really going to go through with reaping her, but when she didn’t back down, it relented. It… couldn’t whisk away an innocent child. Perhaps all the time spent watching over Kirby was making it go soft. It allowed Peony to have her way. Truthfully, with the abilities she developed, the boundary between life and death for her family was already going to thin anyways. It would watch and see where this went.

Nowadays, Peony and the ghosts are best friends. She’s learned of their origins, and given a bit of an ego boost from her unlikely survival, she’s promised one day she’ll bring them back to life. This is something that is NOT going to happen, but at the moment she’s convinced she’s invincible— that she has unique, unmatched power and can do anything she wants to.

Her parents are… hardly sure what to make of all this. It’s difficult to believe, really. But the more Peony talks about her brand new friends, the harder it is to deny her uncanny knowledge. And that means old wounds are reopening as they grapple with the complicated implications of the very flawed people they lost not only entering their child’s life but, in a way, reentering theirs.

…But that’s a story for another day. I figure I’ve probably talked enough. All you need to know is god complex spirit medium spider girl. I hope everyone else likes her as much as I do.

#kirby #taransusie #taranza #susie kirby #susie haltmann #susanna patrya haltmann #kirby oc #yes she's self indulgent and overpowered <3 but i'm here to have fun and explore interesting concepts not be realistic #also if anyone's wondering why she doesn't resemble susie all that much #it's because /susie/ doesn't even resemble what susie is supposed to look like tbh #they looked a lot more alike when susie was a kid AKA before she grew up and started like. ripping out her organs

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garden-of-omegas · 9 months

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⚜ FIRST MEETING [SPYXFAMILY - ORGANIZATIONS] ⚜

┌── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

characters: sylvia sherwood | fiona frost | franky franklin summary: the details of your first meeting with your future mate. warnings: spies, war, injuries, references to dying rating: sfw a/n: brain decided to be weird about my writing again, so this got a bit delayed, but hopefully i can be a bit more consistent with these? though the ones i have coming up have a lot more characters so we'll see.

~🎕

└── ˏˋ°•*⁀➷ ••✎•• ──────────

≿━━━━༺❀ sylvia sherwood ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a general of westalis, and a spy for the newly established WISE. being a rather high ranking one, people usually referred to you as "watcher", probably because people around you constantly felt like you were watching them. you weren't, but you let people believe what they wanted to.

✿ you were both in your early twenties, surprisingly. it hadn't been that long since you became a general and sylvia had recently joined the war efforts as a nurse.

✿ you'd arrived at a field hospital with the newest group of injured, hiding your own injury from the staff. it wasn't big enough for you to bother the nurses, especially as people around you were on the edge of dying. but sylvia, despite being a rather new nurse, noticed you favoring your left leg and immediately came over to treat you and scold you for hiding injuries in the middle of war. you couldn't get a word in with her strong voice.

✿ you and sylvia came across each other rather often after that, and every time she would check you over for injuries. you didn't actually ever hide any from her after that, her scoldings terrifying you more than the enemy. but due to this habit of hers, she essentially became your de facto nurse, to the amusement of all the other medical staff.

✿ sylvia thought you were fucking stupid. a brilliant soldier and tactician, she'd heard of you before, but so fucking idiotic all the same. it was like something was compelling her to take care of you, which wasn't very omega-like. not that she ever cared about such things. you're fairly certain it was love at first scolding. sylvia was so strong, and beautiful, and just... perfect. you'd never before felt so attracted to someone, not a single omega or alpha had ever held a candle to her. if you weren't in the middle of war, you'd have already tried courting her.

≿━━━━༺❀ fiona frost ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you were a westalian informant for WISE, though on your average day you worked as a lawyer. you'd just recently been assigned your first full-time agent, so you didn't have an official codename yet, you and your agent had to come up with that.

✿ you were both rather young for your profession, though neither of you would ever actually reveal your ages. far too much personal information.

✿ you were sat at a cafe during it's busiest hours, still in your work suit. you'd set up a meeting with your new agent there, through her handler. the business would create the perfect reason for her to sit with you without suspicion. fiona did arrive, while you were reading your favorite book and almost missed her asking to sit with you. you gladly let her, cracking a joke about the busy day, which elicited absolutely no reaction from her. talk about awkward.

✿ the two of you had decided on the codename "slowburn" for the both of you, after the book you had been reading. and boy did you start hearing that name a lot. fiona really did make it her mission to run you ragged with work, and you made it your mission to try and make her laugh at your jokes. it hasn't worked thus far.

✿ fiona thought you were... fine. for your job anyways. personally though, she found you extremely irritating. your insistence on joking and messing around, it made what she thought would be a good partnership the bane of her existence. you found fiona to be fun. despite her never even smiling at your jokes, her witty replies were just so delightful. you were a bit worried about her lack of emotions, but you knew for certain that it wasn't all there was to her.

≿━━━━༺❀ franky franklin ❀༻━━━━≾

✿ you're a spy, plain and simple. you were most known for your seduction abilities, which is where your codename "heartbreaker" came from. though normally you were simply an accountant for various charities.

✿ you were in your late twenties, a bit older than franky. you'd been working as a spy since you were fifteen, though you'd been in training for far longer.

✿ very simply, you needed information while on your more-or-less permanent mission in ostania, and one of your co-workers recommended franky's services. so you ended up at his work place, the little cigarette stand he ran. and to say he was stunned upon your arrival would be an understatement. you almost couldn't get anything out of him with all the stuttering and stammering, but you could eventually decipher that he'd get back to you with what you wanted.

✿ franky became your go-to informant, and you'd even sometimes help him with his work. but it took an immensely long time for him to be able to actually talk to you normally, only once you convinced him to go on a casual outing with you did he start to get more comfortable with you.

✿ franky found you absolutely irresistible. the prettiest, handsomest... every adjective like that, alpha he'd ever met. it was very intimidating actually, he really didn't know what to do with himself. he was very adorable to you. it was admittedly kind of annoying having to try and figure out what he was saying half the time, but it was an endearing reaction regardless. it made you want to eat him up, if given the change.

#⚜ garden walks #omegaverse #a/b/o #alpha!reader #x reader #spy x family #sylvia sherwood #omega!sylvia #fiona frost #omega!fiona #franky franklin #omega!franky #spyxfamily - organizations

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studywgabi · 6 months

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That Time When I Was 12 That My Mother Accidentally Took Me To A Burlesque Show

Mom's favorite book is The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas, a classic tale of adventure, justice, revenge, love, forgiveness, and, apparently, nipple pasties. So when she saw there would be a play adaptation running for one night only in the Big City near Hometown, she was so excited that she immediately bought the tickets without reading the playbill too closely.

So, there we were: country mice on an awfully big adventure, off to Big City to bond over wholesome, family-friendly fun in manner of Gilmore Girls or similar. The bouncer (there was a bouncer) asked to see our I.D.s, I said I wasn't 21 and asked if I could still sit in the theatre since the bar (there was a bar) was in the lobby. The bouncer said she'd ask her manager, but my mom went all real housewife gangsta on her: "I'm her mom, and it's okay with me that she's here." She wasn't about to miss the show when she'd already bought the tickets and had to take the train to get here, and the bouncer knew that. I love my mom.

We found our seats and I read the program while we waited for the curtain to come up. We started out like this:

"That's so weird, I didn't even know this place was 21+."

"Yeah, that seems strange for just a normal theatre, like any other. But everyone here is, like, super old."

Then we got to:

"Oh, so this is like, a modern re-telling?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Oh, so it must be like Clueless or 10 Things I Hate About You or something like that."

"Probably."

Then:

"Wait, this theatre company is called Manustrip?"

"Huh. That's a weird name."

And eventually:

"Mamá, is this a burlesque show?"

She didn't get the chance to reply before the show started, but I got my answer from Fuschia Folds, Annya Neese, and Miss Trixie Vermouth soon enough. Incredible performances, the highlight was watching two drag queens gag Villefort with her with her own barrister's band and whip her for misbehaving while sitting next to my middle-aged Catholic mother in a very vocal audience.

Where you lead, I will follow.

#burlesque #showbiz #performance #performing art #adult performer #theatre #the count of monte cristo #drama #story

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dramatisperscnae · 1 year

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@thegirlwondcr [x]

"Okay, first off--thank you, thank you, thank you." Emma started off, trying to ease into actually answering his question. "Also, you are my favorite brother, I don't know if I've ever told you that, but you are." This seemed like the best way to approach this. The happier he was, the more chances she had of Bruce never knowing about this. The crime? Embarrassment, to say the least. A misunderstanding that escalated way too quick, that probably would have never happened if she had never been trained as Robin. "I was just getting a few snacks at this convenience store. Because there are just some snacks Alfred will refuse to get me because he says they are way too unhealthy, but sometimes it is just nice to have an overprocessed snack full of dye." Emma justified before actually getting into the crime at hand. "Well, I bought some snacks and on my way out some random customer said 'Hey you didn't pay for that' when after I just did that. So naturally, I argued with him, and then he reached over to me to which I then punched him in the face because I thought he was trying to attack me or something. Then he punches back, and then we are just punching back and forth until the cops showed up..." Then she hesitated, embarrassment and regret clear on her face. "Turns out I had left a pack of crackers in my pocket..." "But you have to promise not to tell Bruce about it, he will bench me for an entire year. You also can't tell Alfred because then he's going to just make me eat vegetables nonstop for the next six months." She begged of her brother. "Nobody got hurt! Well except for the guy--but broken noses can heal! And I can cover all my bruises in concealer or just say I fell off the bleachers like five times."

Quite honestly, it was all Dick could do to keep a straight face as Emma launched into her explanation. He hadn't really cared why she'd been at that convenience store - if she wanted snacks she could have snacks, he wasn't going to tell her no considering his own eating habits would probably have Alfred giving him a lecture on proper nutrition if the man ever found out - he'd been more interested in why she'd been in a fight.

Turned out, the story was so incredibly facepalm worthy Dick really had to fight not to laugh. An overreaction of epic proportions that, honestly, as a lone girl on Gotham streets, Dick couldn't entirely fault her for; strange men grabbing for you would make anyone react, and some people's fight-or-flight only had one setting. Add in an accusation of theft and, well, it was almost understandable.

Almost.

The good thing was that Emma seemed to understand she'd fucked up. By rights Dick ought to be delivering the lecture he knew Bruce probably would, about responsibility and reasonable application of force and all that jazz, but quite honestly Emma seemed fully aware of what she'd done and why she'd been in the wrong here. Mostly, anyway. And she'd almost certainly be getting that lecture from Bruce anyway once the man heard about it; Emma was incredibly naive to think it wouldn't get back to him somehow.

"You honestly think you got dragged down to GCPD Central and Commissioner Gordon isn't gonna hear about it?" he asked her, raising an eyebrow. "And once he hears about it, Bruce definitely will. This not even getting into the fact that since Bruce is your legal guardian he's probably already been notified anyway even though you called me to come get you." No, there was no way Bruce wasn't going to know about this. What there could be was Dick on Emma's side to try and soften whatever punishment might be coming.

"Look, you know you fucked up, right?" he asked. "Forget about should'ves and shouldn'ts, you know you fucked up, right? Maybe the guy could've handled his side better, but you going right to violence?" That wasn't how Bruce trained her. Dick knew that for certain. Especially in civilian life, de-escalation should be the immediate go-to.

#thegirlwondcr #dick ic #dick verse: gone solo #[Dick just out here trying not to laugh at the entire situation and be the responsible one for five minutes XD]

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titlemewickedwonderland · 1 year

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The Manager (Ghost Fic) Chapter 7

Summary: The Ministry announces an outsider coming to be part of the congregation to help with the Ghost project as a tour manager; little did the Ghoul know; she is nothing like they pictured her or how she'd affect them all.

Support My Work!

Chapter 6

As the large group entered the carnival grounds, they were greeted by a grand entrance adorned with whimsical decorations. The air is filled with the enticing aroma of freshly popped popcorn, cotton candy, and sizzling hot dogs. Laughter and the sound of children's delight can be heard all around.

Strolling through the carnival, they encountered a myriad of attractions. There are classic rides like the Ferris wheel, spinning people high above the ground, offering breathtaking views of the entire carnival. The roller coasters race through thrilling loops and twists, eliciting screams and cheers from the brave riders.

Nearby, Ari found the enchanting carousel, its painted horses bobbing up and down to the melodies of a cheerful calliope and from Aurora's expression on her face, the short bubbly ghoulette wanted a turn immediately despite not being a child as she watched as children's laughter fills the air as they joyfully ride their favorite horses, parents proudly capturing these precious moments as they circled the safety gate.

Somewhere down the lane, the woman spotted various games of skill and chance, where you can try your hand at knocking down targets with a baseball, shooting hoops to win a prize, or popping balloons with darts which Dew and Phantom were betting on who could win the most from those kinds of games. Despite the rough start to the morning, the excitement builds as Ari and the ghouls watch the guests all around them as they compete with friends or family, cheering each other on and celebrating victories with gleeful shouts making the ghouls itch to try; she'd almost believe they've never been to a carnival before but the more she thought about it the more she realized...they probably hadn't or at least not in a very long time making her determined to salvage this day before they had to go perform.

"Let's keep looking around before we decide to go do anything; this place is huge."

Ari gently grabbed Mountain's arm who was standing by watching as a vibrant parade of street performers. Acrobats, jugglers, and magicians captivate the crowd with their astonishing tricks and stunts. She can't help but be amazed by their skills just as much as the peers; it had been such a long time since she'd gone to anything like this - not since she was a little girl.

But not only was this place huge and filled with delightful games to try their hands at Ari had to compel Rain and Aurora from the carnival's plentiful assortment of delicious treats and delicacies as they passed. From sugary funnel cakes dusted with powdered sugar to mouthwatering caramel apples and savory corn dogs, there's something to satisfy every craving she imagined and she knew these ghouls could pack one hell of a meal.

Finally pausing the group in a clear spot she examined their wide eyes and excited faces like toddlers having free range to their favorite toys and games, and well she couldn't help but smile too to see them so happy. Digging into her purse she grabbed a few envelopes handing each ghoul their own before holding up a finger.

"I already withdrew some cash from the ATM at the entrance while everybody was in line. You guys have $100 each to do as you please. Some of these games need tickets while others need actual money, so spend wisely; you can always go over there to that booth to buy more tickets if there is something you want to do that needs them as payment but until then here is this as well to help you along." she dug into her purse again and unraveled a roll up ring of red paper tickets and tore off 30 a piece of each of them.

"Ari~" Aurora clapped excitedly as she took them. "Thank you so much!" she smiled.

Ari returned it and nodded. "I know you guys don't have fun like kids very often so have at it. Just make sure to stay with the buddy system and call if you need anything. We have a few hours before we have to be on the road to the venue for sound check." she warned.

"You're the best!" the multi-ghoulette hugged her quickly before grabbing Cumulus and Cirrus by the arms to drag them away.

"I'm hitting the shooting game over there. You coming Phantom? I'll wipe your ass in a game." Swiss threw a thumb over his shoulder with a mischievous grin and Phantom returned it with a cocky one of his own.

"You wish, bitch. Bring it!" the pair walked off and Ari watched with amusement.

"If it's okay, I'm going to go grab a snack from one of the vendors! I don't think I've ever had a funnel cake before." Rain said biting his lip as he eyed the stand.

"Go have fun. Oh, and try those fried Oreos; they're pretty good too." Ari encouraged waving him off. Mountain ended up being dragged away by Rain as the water ghoul chatted his ear off about some sugary goodness.

That left Copia and Dewdrop with Ari. The former looked rather displeased and the latter bored as he stood with his arms crossed.

"What's that face for?" Ari sighed as she saw Copia staring down at the envelope of money and roll of tickets in his hand. But she already knew what he was going to say.

"This is a lot of money..."

"It is, but I don't mind. You pay more than enough to cover the balance." Ari replied before slanting a look at Dewdrop who was staring at the two with a look that screamed he was done with this topic.

"Copia...look." Ari sighed as she gently grabbed his arms; her face sincere and warm but resigned as she scanned his makeup-less face.

"I love you guys. And I promise I'm not breaking my bank account by spoiling you. I suppose my issue with your problem with me spending my money comes from a direction where someone dictated what I should use my money for. Your my friends and I want you guys to have fun; think outside the box and live a little every once in a while. I love the fact I can make the ghouls happy and hopefully make you happy too. Not just from my skill as a manager for you guys but as a friend. I feel as if you wrap yourself around work and tours that you've forgotten to have fun. When I took this job I promised you I would rather make memories and get to know you and the ghouls on a personal level - you guys are important to me and I want to make sure that you understand where I'm coming from so we don't have any more issue okay?" she searched his face as he said nothing for a long moment.

When she feared he may not say anything at all she finally noticed his shoulders slump and he nodded. "Si tesero. si. I understand." he finally replied and gave her a small smile before pulling her into a hug.

"Just don't think we want you to spend your time and money on us like this all the time."

Ari smiled hugging him back with a tight squeeze. "I won't do it all the time but this is what friends do for each other. And believe it or not...I don't have many." she peered up at him and he smiled slightly as he let her go.

"Alright then." he nodded before glancing up at one of the roller coasters.

The woman laughed a bit and nudged him. "Don't think I'm getting on one of those death traps. I'll mill around, maybe try my hand at getting Rain a goldfish or something." she chuckles. "Go enjoy yourself Papa."

He gave her a nod before heading away and the woman turned to Dewdrop with a raised brow. "What about you? What are you planning on doing?" she asked cocking her head before pointing over towards the stall Swiss and Phantom were gathering a crowd watching their competitive display.

"They seem like they are having some fun." she commented.

He watched her a long moment before he turned and pointed to the biggest attraction in the carnival - the Ferris wheel. She blinked at him before shrugging.

"Go on then."

"And leave you alone?" he snorted.

"I came here for you guys to enjoy yourself." Ari huffed playfully and plonked her butt onto a nearby bench behind them.

"You're part of this group, you deserve to have some fun too. Come on. It's boring to go on those things alone." Dew didn't wait for her reaction as he grabbed her wrist and dragged her back to her feet before heading for the ferris wheel line.

"Dew! I...I don't do heights." she hissed nervously looking up at the slowly turning wheel.

He smirked. "Scared?"

"Terrified." she wasn't even joking. Her hands were clammy and cold but she didn't miss the way Dewdrop seemed to sidle closer to her; his long guitarist fingers rubbing along the exposed skin of her wrist where he held it whether consciously or subconsciously at his gesture helped soothe her a little bit.

When it came time for them to board she gripped the railings so tightly her knuckles turned white and she stared down at her feet; a small whimper escaped her when the basket jolted upwards inch by inch when others went on below them.

"Hey, look. You are missing the best part." Dewdrop nudged her and she peeked an eye open at him to give him a glare.

"I rather not have a panic attack thank you very much I'm good staring at my feet." she hissed

The fire ghoul rolled his eyes at her and leaned back on the bench as he stared out at the view as they climbed higher in the sky. He could hear her muttering to herself; giving herself a pep talk to calm down - it kind of amused him seeing her so fragile for once and he found himself staring more at Ari than at the view.

And without thinking; he acted.

"Hey, Ari."

At the sound of his voice, the woman turned to look at him only to have a hand grip her jaw and pull her closer. Before she could even blink or take a breath she felt soft lips pressing against her own. Her eyes widened in shock when her brain slowly caught up with her to realize Dewdrop was kissing her.

It wasn't something she expected. Wasn't something she imagine ever to happen but her body reacted and her eyes slid closed of their own accord and she leaned into him; her fingers leaving the railing in favor of gripping his T-shirt to pull him closer until suddenly she lay on her back with him hovering over her.

The kiss had started innocently enough. Just a press of lips against each other but something sparked the longer the contact lasted and before she knew it his lips parted; guiding her own to do the same until she felt the wet glide of his tongue sliding into her mouth to meet her own tentative one. One long kiss turned into two and from there, her mind went hazy as her arms wrapped around his neck to hold him closer as his mouth moved against hers.

She didn't even register that she was high up in the sky right now in a metal bucket overlooking the view of the carnival as she felt her body heat up whether from her own reaction to the kiss or from Dewdrop's inhuman body heat as he pressed closer; his entire body - lean but strong pinned her down to the cushion of the bench as his lips tore from hers to trail along her jawline making her breath hitch as she felt him place wet open mouth kisses along her neck; his fingers leaving the grip they had on her waist to yank down the collar of her turtle neck sweater to give him more access to her pale skin.

"D-Dew..." she gripped the back of his shirt with trembling fingers.

The sound of her voice seemed to pull them both from the haze of whatever the hell this was and the man pulled back to look down at her; his blue eyes - so human unlike the orange glow of hellfire she was used to stared down at her with a look that was foggy and unfocused; she probably didn't look any better either as she stared back up at him with glassy half lidded eyes.

"Fuck." he cursed as he pulled himself from above her leaving her suddenly cold from the lack of his body's warmth as he took his place on the farthest side of the bench away from her and running his fingers through his long hair.

"Shit Ari. I'm sorry...I just..." he cleared his throat watching as she slowly got up off her back and pulled her shirt that had ridden up from his roaming hands back down to cover herself and fixed her hair.

"It's okay..." she swallowed looking away from him and out the window realizing they were descending back to the ground.

The cabin was filled with awkwardness as it finally stopped moving and the door opened to reveal the attendant who allowed them off the ferris wheel. Ari didn't look at anybody; afraid that if she did they'd be able to tell right away what had happened up there; but what had really happened? What was that all about anyway? She couldn't wrap her head around it.

When they got off; feet firmly planted on the ground once more a flood of relief rushed through her when she spotted Cumulus and Cirrus back at the spot they'd split up at and without a word rushed towards them with quick steps feeling her heart pounding in her chest.

"Hey, enjoying the fair?" she asked trying to put a smile on her face.

"Definitely! Want some?" Cirrus held out a stick of cotton candy she and Cumulus were sharing.

"Oh, thanks!" Ari grabbed a chunk of the fluffy candy floss and popped it into her mouth; sighing when it melted on her tongue with its sugary taste.

"Man it's been so long since I've had this stuff." she pulled off another small chunk; nibbling on it idly with her teeth as she caught the sight of Dew passing to join Mountain and Rain who were at the goldfish stand as the Earth Ghoul tried to win his packmate a little friend.

"What's that look for honey?" Cumulus touched Ari's shoulder making her jump in surprise not realizing she'd been staring so hard.

"Hmm? Oh, I'm fine!" the smile on her face was fake as fuck and she knew the women didn't buy it.

Seemingly understanding something the ghoulette's pulled Ari away from the earshot of their packmates and headed for a little merch stall to browse some cute items.

"What happened? Did Dew say something? We saw you guys get off the Ferris wheel together." Cumulus murmured as she browsed through some T-shirts.

"Dew kissed me." the manager blurted out causing the others to turn their heads so hard she was afraid they'd snap their spines.

"He did what?!" Cirrus gaped.

Ari covered her face with her hands and let out a shuddered breath. "Dew...kissed me." her gaze met the others as she lifted a hand to touch her lips as realization dawned on her face.

"And I think...I think I like it."

Chapter 8

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hoffmansnightmare · 9 months

Text

Keep Away From the Edge

Chapter 3

Pairing: Mark Hoffman x Emmy Hodges

Trauma, hint of torture, hint of depression. Nothing too crazy in this one boys.

You can read part one here and part two here

You can also read it here! Keep Away From the Edge

The Media had found her. It was immediate. Emmy went to sleep on Thursday night, then Friday morning reporters with notebooks and camera men at their backs were clambering on her front lawn. Emmy took one look out her bay window, shook her head, then closed the curtain. There was no way.

She stayed in her house for the rest of the weekend. She ate a lot of ramen noodles, when she could eat. There were still random crying fits, and naps because she wasn’t getting the best sleep at night with the nightmares still haunting her (and the voice, always there at the end). Come Monday they were still there, and Emmy had to go to work. She considered calling in, saying it was a mistake to think she could come back. Then she considered the alternative, staying in this empty house another day, walking from room to room like a ghost trying to find its purpose.

So she threw on some clothes that had actually been washed and grabbed her car keys. The crowd was on her as soon as she opened the door, cameras in her face, asking her the same question the cops had. Emmy pushed past them, head down, not saying a word. She almost closed the door on one guy's camera and sent him the nastiest glare she could manage when he yelled at her. She pulled out, determined to run anyone over if they were dumb enough to stand in her way. Thankfully no one was. As she drove away one pair caught her eye, maybe it was the shock of red hair, curlier and more orange, unlike Emmy’s deep mahogany red. Or maybe it was the fact that they looked a little shabbier than the others. The camera the man was holding was smaller than the big budget ones the news people had.

Emmy didn’t dwell on it too long, hitting the gas and getting out of there. They’d probably be there when she got back too. She didn’t even notice the unmarked police car parked down the street from her house as she drove by it.

The office fell deadly quiet as soon as Emmy was through the door. She could feel every set of eyes on her as a physical weight as she made her way to her desk. Almost worse was that the entire thing was covered in flowers, some in vases already while others were gorgeous bouquets. Her throat grew tight. Dead center on her desk was a first edition copy of Misery's Quest, the first in the Misery Chastain series by Paul Sheldon, Emmy's absolute favorite author.

The gifts were beyond thoughtful. Emmy cleared enough of the flowers so that she'd be able to work, but she was interrupted before she could even sit down.

"Welcome back!" It was her boss, a man named Jeremy Henson. He was older than her, although not by much, later 30's or early 40's. Emmy had never asked his age. He approached her now with a sheepish smile on his face. "You were very missed."

"I see that." Emmy looked pointedly at the mass of flowers surrounding her desk. "And this is too much," she said, placing her hand on the book. Her cheeks grew hot with embarrassment. She didn't deserve all this.

"Don't worry, the books from me, and I found it in a thrift place of all things! They had no idea what they had. Trust me I didn't break my bank." Jeremy said with a playful wink.

Emmy smiled her first genuine smile in what felt like an eternity. He knew she didn't like people spending a lot of money on her. She hoped he was telling the truth about thrifting in.

"You even kind of look like her." He said, tapping the cover.

Emmy's cheeks grew warm. "Yeah, some of my friends even call me Misery. They like to joke that I only started reading them because I looked like the main character."

Jeremy grinned at her. "And did you?"

"No." Emmy shook her head, but she was still smiling. "I'd liked all of Paul Sheldon's previous stuff, so I just picked it up." She leafed through the pages, breathing in the smell of the pages as it wafted up. "It's just a happy coincidence."

Jeremy nodded, then leaned in so he could whisper. "Are you sure you're alright? I can't imagine what you're going through."

"I'm fine. Really I need to be here. I was going crazy at home with nothing to do." Emmy said, forcing more conviction into her voice than she really felt.

Jeremy looked her up and down, a small frown pulling at the corner of his lips. "Alright, but please, if you need to leave, just go. You have plenty of PTO to use. Don't push yourself."

Emmy smiled again, sinking into her chair. "Thank you for worrying about me, but I'll be fine. I promise."

He finally smiled back at her, then excused himself so that she could actually start working.

Mark watched Emmory leave for work, stoutly ignoring the press as they clambered for her attention. He ducked down as her car passed his, then he waited a few seconds before starting his car up and following her. He'd been checking in on her all weekend, but it looked like she never left the house. Mark would check in on her in the morning, then at night on his way home. He'd become a regular at Lavender Tavern Syndrome too, stopping to make sure she still hadn't relapsed. He sat for as long as it took to finish one drink, then headed home.

It wasn't until Monday that she did anything, and Mark assumed she was headed to work. Sure enough he followed her to a gray, unassuming office building. She was part of accounts receivable for some big company. He couldn't remember the name off of the top of his head, but he was pretty sure it was a third party logistics company. It was all in her file, which he'd studied religiously before catching her, but now it was mostly old information he didn't need. Now he was mostly just checking in to see how she was holding up, taking notes for John whenever he returned.

Which should be soon. Mark had found everyone John had asked him to, except for one. Parker Sears was far too elusive. The man knew how to stay hidden, undetectable. He told John he'd have to find another way to get to him. John hadn't seemed too worried about it, the old man had only asked him about Henry.

"Got him nailed down." Mark had told him. "I can get him as soon as you're back."

"Perfect." Was all John had said before hanging up.

Mark didn't bother parking at the office building, driving past it. He didn't need Emmory noticing that he was following her. Hebwanted her to trust him after all. They hadn't spoken since he dropped her off, but Mark thought they'd be seeing eachother soon if Kerry got her way and pulled Emmory into the station for more questioning. That was fine. Kerry wasn't going to get much more out of her than they already had.

For now he went to the precinct and pretended to do his job. His hands were tied for the most part until John came back. John hadn't asked about Emmory yet, and probably wouldn't until he was done with whatever he had planned. That was fine with Mark. He was perfectly content to keep an eye on her without John and Amanda badgering him in each ear. So far she was doing just fine. Mark found it pretty admirable that she was trying to go about her normal life so soon, just like she was picking up right where she left off, save for the drunk nights out. There was still time for her to relapse. Plenty of it. She was still in the honeymoon phase of having made it out alive. How long until that faded?

Mark was back on her street that night, waiting for her to come home, around 6 she drove back into her driveway, just to be greeted by the mass of reporters all clambering for her to say something, anything, about her ordeal. Just like this morning she ducked her head and rushed inside. He waited a while longer to see if she left? Then started his car back up and headed home himself when nothing changed.

Wednesday morning John called him to let him know they were on their way back. They'd be home early Thursday morning. Wednesday night Mark was walking up to Emmory's front door. She'd been home for maybe an hour, and the press had just dispersed. Mark wasn't sure what his goal was with this visit, he just found he wanted to see how she was doing up close. He told himself he was only checking in on her so he'd have more to report to John when he inevitably asked about her. In the back of his mind, though, he knew he wanted to talk to her. He had no idea what she was like as a person, only as a test subject.

Emmory opened the door with a deep scowl on her face, probably expecting one of the reporters to have mustered up enough audacity to knock on her door. When she registered it was him her eyebrows turned up in confusion.

"Detective Hoffman?"

"Sorry for the intrusion, Ms. Hodges. I just wanted to check in with you and see how you were doing?" He gave her his most charming smile. One he used to use all the time when he was a beat cop. It wasn't very genuine, and Emmory didn't look impressed. Her eyes were staring into him, almost through him.

"I'm doing about as well as I can be." It was very much a non-answer. "I don't really have anything else if that's what you're here for."

"No, I simply wanted to make a friendly visit. It's not in the job description, but you survivors are so rare." He widened his smile, showing his teeth. "The department worries. You know?"

She seemed to consider this, then stepped back, turning to the side. "Why don't you come in? I think I have some coffee to make…"

Mark did just that, stepping past her doorstep like a vampire that had been invited inside. Emmory hurried into the kitchen and started opening up cupboards, eventually finding a tin of coffee.

Mark ambled his way toward the kitchen, taking in her home as he did. It was modestly furnished, a couch facing a TV with a coffee table in front of it, very standard stuff. Some house plants added color to the space. Or they had at one point. Most had long since started turning brown. What caught his eye the most was a large bookshelf stuffed to the brim with books. On the top shelf, proudly displayed, were the Misery books, all neatly placed in order. Mark dragged his finger along the spine reading Misery's Triumph. He dragged it out carefully to see a woman that looked strikingly like Emmory. It looked like a bodice ripper romance. If the way the heroine was being held by the man on the cover was anything to go by.

"You must really like to read." He called over to Emmory, carefully replacing the book back into its place.

Emmory looked up at him from the coffee machine she'd been fighting. "Oh." Her cheeks colored a rosy pink. "Yeah. I'm a big Paul Sheldon fan."

Mark took in the other books and saw that not only did Paul Sheldon write the Misery books, but he probably had written half of Emmory's collection. "The guy writes a lot."

The sound of the coffee maker actually starting almost drowned her next words out. "Well he really started writing more after he went through this horrible incident."

Mark moved to join Emmory in the kitchen. She looked normal, not exactly happy, but keeping herself together. It could all be internal of course, but most of her bandages were off, the many smaller cuts healing well, and the deeper lacerations looked pink around the edges. They'd leave scars, but it was all fading on her skin already. "What happened to him?"

"No one knows the full story but him." Emmory got out two mugs. "But we do know a fan of his found him after he wrecked his car in Colorado during a snowstorm. He'd broken both of his legs horribly. She'd bandaged him up, had apparently been a nurse for several years, then she held him hostage for several months." She moved over to the book shelf and pulled out Misery's Return. "Apparently she forced him to write this book because she didn't like how the last book ended."

Mark took it from her. The same woman of course decorated the front cover, but in this one, instead of swooning with a man, she stood straight, covered in bees from head to toe with only her eyes visible. In the background there was the face of a woman idol carved out of a mountain.

"It's one of his best." Emmory continued, "but I feel horrible that he had to write it while being held hostage."

Mark handed her the book back. "He never wrote about his experience."

Emmory slid the book back into its place, shaking her head. "No. I don't think he could. I think after he got out he tried to escape the memories as much as he could. That's why he wrote so much…or still writes. He loses himself in his stories."

She turned away from the bookshelf, looking lost all of a sudden. It was like she'd sunken into her own memories, probably reliving her own horrible experience in that moment.

"Hey, I think the coffee is done brewing." He said, trying to gently bring her back to the present.

Emmory gave a little start. "Oh right." She hurried to go grab the pot, filling both mugs. "Do you like sugar? Cream?" She checked the fridge. "Oh uh…sorry I don't have any cream…that's good anyway."

Mark got a glimpse of the barren fridge before she closed it, going back to her cupboards, which all looked equally empty. Her spice cabinet was stocked enough, and the sugar was there in a clear container. She let out a relieved noise and brought him both the sugar and the mug full of coffee, setting them on the kitchen island. Mark sat on the stool in front of his mug. "Thank you" and he spooned some sugar into his cup. Usually he drank it black, but she'd looked so panicked looking for it.

"Of course." She retrieved her own mug and joined him at the island, sitting on the stool opposite of him.

Mark took a sip of the coffee. It tasted burnt and the sweetness from the sugar didn't help any. Emmory held hers in her hands, eyes empty again, staring down into the countertop. She didn't attempt to break the ensuing silence, probably wasn't present enough to do so. He should know what to say to her, how to talk to her as a victim of a horrible crime. He'd been a cop for so long. So many horrible things happened to so many perfectly good people. But looking at her, knowing he was the one who had done it to her…Mark found he was at a loss.

His eyes drifted to the rest of her kitchen, the empty cupboards and barren fridge. "You need to go to the store."

Emmory came back, blinking her eyes, her mind turning back on. "Yes…I'd needed to go before-" She stopped, swallowed, "I haven't had the energy. I'd have to fight the reporters all over again."

Not to mention she was probably afraid of being surrounded by so many strangers. "They're gone now." He said. "Let me take you."

Emmory stared at him for several seconds. "Take me to the store?" She asked. When he nodded in return she set her still full mug down. "Oh no. You have much more important things to do, I'm sure."

"I'm off duty. Unless I get a call." And he wouldn't get one. John wasn't due back until the morning, and Mark had busied himself with Emmory. "It's been quiet. So I have time. You need to eat."

"I don't know…"

Mark stood, rattling his keys in his pocket pointedly. "Now I'm insisting. Look I won't pay for them if that bothers you, but I can at least go with you. Moral support."

She stood with him automatically, still looking unsure. “It’s so late.”

Mark held up his keys. “Come on, you take much longer and I’ll cook dinner too.”

That got her moving. She was a bright red as she grabbed her jacket, “but I’m no one-”

“Don’t say that.” Mark rounded on her, turning away from her front door. “That isn’t true-”

“I meant I’m no one to you.” Emmy insisted, meeting his eyes. That had him turning back to the door. He couldn’t stand being in the direct line of her gaze. The blue threatened to suck him in.

“Look, stop arguing with me. I offered, don’t make me contemplate how much free time I have anymore alright?” Right, make it sound like he had nothing better to do. It distanced himself from her, but the fact that he was still doing this for her would stick in her mind.

She shopped quickly, staying away from anything fresh and picking out prepackaged meals. When he suggested she get something that didn’t require the microwave she was hesitant. She wouldn’t say it out loud, but Mark knew she was considering whether or not she’d actually cook anything. He didn’t push her too far, eating anything was better than nothing. He pushed the cart for her, which he could tell was driving her nuts. It made him smile to see her squirm every time he denied her trying to take the cart from him.

Mark wondered if she had always hated people doing things for her, or if this was a new development. He also realized he was busying his mind with puzzling her out instead of examining why exactly he was doing this. Knocking on her door was bad enough. Now he was…what? Playing house with her?

No, he was just making sure she ate. He told himself John had practically adopted Amanda. Mark was just making sure his test survivor had food in her house. Mark hadn't been watching her long, but he was pretty sure she wasn't cut out for what they were doing. He didn't want her to become and apprentice. There was a hope in him that she would heal, move on, live as full of a life as she was capable.

On the drive back to her place Mark asked her what she did for fun. Or how she filled her days.

"Oh…mostly I work. During the week I don't have much free time." Emmory kept her eyes looking out of the window. She avoided looking him in the eyes as much as he did her, it seemed. "I used to play a lot of video games. I still do. People say it's for children. But I like them."

Mark thought that explained her choice of bar. She was lucky to have one like that so close to home. "Anything else."

"Hmm" She said. "It's kind of embarrassing…but I try to write sometimes."

“Like Paul Sheldon?” Mark smiled, mostly to himself as she was still turned away from him. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye to see that her cheeks were pink again.

“K-kind of.” She squirmed a little in her seat, folding her arms over her chest. “I mostly write short stories, but just for myself. I’ve never done anything with them.”

“Are they good?” Mark asked, more of a tease. She looked at him then, brows furrowed down. There was a lightness to the expression though.

“I don’t know. I’ve never had anyone read them. Let alone someone who knows if it’d be good.”

“Maybe I could read one. See what it’s like.”

Emmory turned a bright shade of red. “No way!.”

Mark laughed at that, a hearty one from his belly. It shocked him. He didn’t remember the last time he’d felt mirth like that.

Once they returned to her home he helped her put the groceries away, and when that was done Mark found himself running out of excuses not to leave. He could tell Emmory was getting tired as well. She hadn’t eaten yet, but he was probably pushing his luck if he did actually try to feed her. She’d probably chase him out with a broom.

So, with everything put away, he excused himself.

“It was nice having you.” Emmory said as she walked him to her door.

Mark puffed out air through his nose. “You don’t have to be so polite.”

She smiled at him. It wasn’t as empty as her expressions had been before, which filled Mark with hope. “No, really. It was nice.”

“Should I stop by again another time?” Mark asked with a raise of his brow and a small smile. He was teasing her, but she nodded.

“I’d like that.”

Detective Hoffman visiting had been weird, it was somehow refreshing. In the week that Emmy had been home she hadn’t spoken with anyone. Her friends had called her, but explaining what had happened, and then listening to them express how sorry they were that it had happened to her, was exhausting. Her one local friend, a woman named Holly that she had met through a previous job, had offered to come over multiple times. All of which Emmy had declined. She was quite close with Holly, but she knew Holly wouldn’t know how to act around her, or how to even talk to her now. Emmy knew Holly would try to act normally for her sake, but there was no normal…not yet anyway.

Hoffman already knew exactly what had happened to her, and had plenty of experience being around and talking to people like her. She found him easy to exist with, and genuinely hoped he would come back around. She knew he must be swamped, being a homicide detective in a city plagued by the Jigsaw Killer, but he’d made time for her once…

By Friday Emmy noticed the crowd of reporters was thinning. They were getting bored with her. Soon she might actually have peace when she left for work. Work itself could be better. Most of her day was spent trying to stay focused. Emmy still wasn't getting much sleep, the nightmare ever present, and probably not going anywhere any time soon. She was behind on her work. Her email inbox was filled with annoyed clients and exasperated colleagues. No one in her office knew what happened to her and Emmy refused to tell them, worried it would come off as an excuse.

Every evening, once she was finally home from a long day at work, she'd stand in the doorway of her office, thinking if she just sat down, she could write. It had been ages since she'd written anything, long before she'd even been captured. She used to love to write, and had once wanted to be a writer. Maybe not as good as Paul Sheldon, but the idea of having her own book published had always been a dream of hers. When she'd told Hoffman she wrote some, it reminded her how much she missed it.

She always ended up walking away and to the couch to watch mindless TV, or she would crack open one of her books. Her first edition copy of Misery's Quest got a special place on her bookshelf, and she had pulled out her other copy to reread.

Facing Saturday was the most daunting task, having nothing to fill her day with was surprisingly intimidating. She stayed up late Friday night, wanting to avoid the nightmares for as long as possible, and slept in as slate as she could stand. Emmy couldn't stay in bed all day, however, and dragged herself from out of the covers. The last, lingering, fog of the nightmare was beginning to slip away. The voice she always heard fading from her mind.

Emmy made herself coffee and toast to the background noise of the press on her lawn. She had to force the toast down, but wanted to try to actually start eating. With mug in hand she went to stand in the door of her office again. There was the whole day ahead of her, plenty of time to write at least a little. Just do it. Emmy made her feet move to her desk, sat her butt in the chair, and turned on her computer.

Emmy had never written seriously. Mostly she just wrote whatever came to mind, and had never expanded any of her ideas into larger narratives. At best she’d done short stories that then just sat in her machine, never to see the light of day. She considered trying to write a romance, like the Misery novels, but she was so unsure of her writing ability. Emmy had been writing since she was a preteen, filling notebook after notebook. Once she became an adult, moved out, and had to start supporting herself, the energy to keep writing simply slipped between her fingers. Sometimes she still managed to type up a few paragraphs, however she missed the frenzy she used to write in when she had no other responsibilities aside from her school work.

Slowly her fingers started tapping keys. She wasn’t trying for anything specifically. Just a stream of conscience, to write something, anything. Eventually Emmy lost herself in her writing, letting herself fall into it and just keep her fingers moving across the keys.

“You all set?” Mark asked John as the older man slid into his passenger seat. John had placed something in his back seat. It looked to be the device that John had planned for Henry.

“Yes.” John said as he settled in. “You already have him?”

“He’s sleeping in our favorite bathroom as we speak.” Mark checked his watch. “He should be out for a while longer. No need to rush.”

John nodded. “You must have enjoyed the quiet while we were away.”

The old man was joking and Mark snorted. “It was a real treat.”

John chuckled then asked; “How did your first test alone go?”

Mark had really been hoping John would have forgotten, or would be too preoccupied to ask. For some reason he felt uneasy discussing Emmory with him. He shouldn’t. She was just another of their subjects, but he wanted to keep her away from this, from what they did. “It went fine.”

John leaned forward so that he could see Mark’s eyes, which he was keeping firmly on the road ahead of him. “How did she do?”

“Passed.” Mark pulled in a large breath. “She did really well. No panic, straight into survival.” He glanced at John, giving him the eye contact Mark was certain he wanted. “You would have been proud.”

John leaned back against his seat. “Good, and you’ve checked on her since then?”

“Yes.” Mark gripped the steering wheel tighter. “I’ve been keeping tabs on her. She’s doing fine.”

The conversation died there and Mark was relieved John hadn’t asked to speak to her. Mark had already had to yank the phone out of Kerry’s hand multiple times, trying to buy Emmory just a little more time before his fellow detective started hounding her for everything she knew. He didn’t need John sticking his nose in too.

Mark parked in front of the warehouse. It was the dead of night, no light around save the one directly above the heavy metal door that served as their entrance. “Well, let’s see if Henry has what it takes.”

#mark hoffman #saw 2004 #sawposting #saw franchise #saw movies #saw x #mark hoffman x oc #keep away from the edge

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