#and i think my friends are pretty great and nothing makes me happier than seeing them all get along and running my little communities | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

writingroom21 · 9 days

Text

The Nanny

Pairing: Rafe x Nanny Reader

Summary: Being Wheezie's nanny was great. The only downside was dealing with the oldest Cameron, Rafe. What happens when his fascination with the nanny becomes a reality?

Warnings: Angst, mention of drugs, (Let me know if I missed any)

Wc: 4.8K

A/N: Sorry for the shorter chapter. I got a stomach bug and it's been kicking my ass

Chapter 7: Will we ever be enough?

A thumping noise stirred you from your sleep. Footsteps make their way closer to the bed, quick steps slightly muffled. Crap did you not lock the door last night? The bed shifts right next to you, the person resting their weight there. Your eyes are screwed shut hoping that Rafe will go away and not bother you right now. “Hey get up.” The voice is feminine definitely not Rafe. Peaking one eye open you see Wheezie sitting in front of you. Jumping up, you give her a big hug, pulling her super close. “Jesus you’re going to squeeze me to death.”Even though she protests, her arms are squeezing you just as tight.

“Sorry I just missed you.” You say as you pull back. Looking at the alarm clock you see that it is nine in the morning. “What happened while I was gone?” Wheezie’s words cause you to freeze, shoulders tensing at the thought of the past week. “Why would you think that something happened?” Your words spew out more than coming out calmly like you intended. She just gives you a strange look, her eyes glint behind her glasses. Her stare is making you squirm in your spot, it’s like she was deciphering what was plaguing your mind.

“Well I have been gone a whole week so wanted to see what you were up to. But now I’m thinking something actually did happen.” Her look is questioning, wanting you to tell her what happened but mostly to see if she was right in her thoughts. One of her friends had texted her saying she saw you and Rafe together in his truck. She didn’t believe them at first, I mean come one there’s no way. Everything Rafe did seemed to annoy you, to be fair he had that effect on everyone. But to think that of you two together was weird, Wheezie wouldn’t mind it would just take some time to get used to.

“Nothing happened. It was a boring week without everyone.” You nonchalantly say, shrugging it off and getting up from the bed. Since everyone was back it’s best if you got ready and did something today. “So nothing made Rafe destroy part of the living room last night? Dad was pretty mad when he saw what Rafe did.” Your actions hault, the shirt in your hands slipping back to the drawer it came from. “Rafe did what?” You practically shout as you turn to her. “When we got home today dad found Rafe in the living room. It looked like he was throwing some stuff around last night. I’m surprised that his yelling didn’t wake you up.” She watches you as you gather your clothes, not really saying anything.

“It’s okay if something did happen, I wouldn’t be upset.” Wheezie is being honest. The more she thought about it the more she realized it would be nice. You are already part of the family and she loves you. Not to mention Rafe seems happier around you, she noticed that he isn’t as rude or violent when you are around. It made her happy to see him like that. It brought her back to when she was really young and Rafe cared about her before he changed. It was comforting for her to know that even in all that hate, her brother was still deep down there just waiting to come out.

She just watches as you keep your back turned to her, walking to the bathroom. Right before you walked in you looked over your shoulder at her. “Nothing happened Wheeze.” With that you went in, getting ready for the day. Letting the hot water melt away the tension in your body. When you got back into your room Wheezie was laying on your bed scrolling through tiktoks. “Can I just say I missed the internet while I was gone. Getting up to date on everything in one morning is very tiring.” She exaggerates flopping her body around once she hears you enter. “You were only gone for a week. How much could you have possibly missed?” You detangle your hair as she keeps talking.

“You don’t get it. All of my friends have been going to the parties now, things happen at those. Like this one guy was caught making out with another girl besides his girlfriend at the bonfire the other day. Can you imagine that? What a dick to even hookup with someone when you are seeing someone else.” By the look on your face she can tell that she messed up. That the fun story she thought would lift your moods actually seemed to make it worse. Her eyes widened when she realized that you were the girlfriend and Rafe was the dick that two timed you. Can’t really say girlfriend but the notion still stands, he was seeing you and then did that.

“Oh my go-” “Why don’t we go off the island and do something fun today? It's not even elven yet so we can catch the ferry and go shopping or something.” Your words are rushed, kinda mumbling together from how fast they came out. It’s one thing for Wheezie to be prying into what happened over this week. Now it's another thing for her to be connecting the dots just by telling one story. You know she can tell you were a part of it, the look of sorrow has infiltrated her face. She just doesn’t have to know that Rafe was the guy that hurt you like that. She says your name.

“Wheeze drop it.” If only your words were that simple or that Wheezie actually listened. “I’m sorry I didn’t kno-”

“Wheeze it’s okay. I was seeing some guy and he was apparently seeing other people as well. It sucks but it happened. All I can do is move on and not let it get to me. Now get up and let’s go. We have the day ahead of us.” Reluctantly Wheezie gets up and follows you out of the room. Just as you were about to get to the stairs the door to Rafe’s room opened, causing the two of you to meet face to face again. His eyes are red, you can’t tell if it’s from crying or being high out of his mind. Rafe’s eyes flicker around your face and catch the glimpse of Wheezie behind you.

All he wants is to grab you by the arm and drag you into his room. That way you would be forced to talk to him. Let him explain how he doesn’t want to hurt you, how he doesn;t want to be the person you are afraid of. He can handle the frightened looks from others, the ones that scream he’s a psycho but he can’t handle it from you. He doesn’t want to be like your dad, he doesn’t want to make you feel small. Rafe just wants you to smile again, to hear your laugh even just for a moment. Then he remembers the look on your face last night. The disgust as he tried to explain himself. Just that reminder was enough for the steel walls to come back up and for him to brush past you like nothing.

“What no comment today?” Wheezie jests at her brother, testing out the waters. If she’s right she has to know. “Nothing to comment about. Stop being a little shit.” Rafe snaps back, continuing his trek down the stairs. It shouldn’t sting this much knowing he has nothing to say to you. It still does, a sharp pain radiating in your chest, constricting and then relaxing before repeating the cycle. Once you get by the front door you realize that your car is still broken down at John B’s. “You have got to be kidding me.” You whisper

“What’s up?” Wheezie asks. “I totally forgot that my car broke down yesterday and we now have no way to the main island.” Just before the other girl can answer, Rafe interrupts. “I can take you, Just get in the truck.” His keys jiggle in his hands as he walks to the door. “NO!” Wheezie yells making the both of you look at her. Rafe gives her a look, to anyone else they would be scared but she just rolls her eyes at him. “It’s supposed to be a girls day hence no boys allowed. I see Sarah pulling in anyway, we’ll just ask her if she wants to tag along.” She explains as she drags you out the house and into Sarah’s car without any warning.

“Wheeze what the hell?” Sarah exclaims, staring at the youngest sibling for answers. “Drive Rafe is trying to take us to the mainland because someone's car is broken.” The explanation was all she needed to put the car in drive and speed off. “You told her about Rafe? I knew you were close but I thought you would keep that one to yourself.” Wheezie shrieks. “It was Rafe! I knew it.” Her words die down as you disconnect from the conversation. You look at the back window to catch as Rafe walks out locking eyes with yours as you leave.

✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶

“What do you think about this one?” You ask, holding up a top to your chest. “I like that color on you.” Sarah points out, grabbing a few tops to try on. “Yeah maybe Rafe will get jealous when he sees how many people hit on you.” This is the third time Wheezie has mentioned him since Sarah accidently spilled the beans.The first was in the car directly after. “When did it start? Like where you and Rafe always a thing or did this just happen? I’m just confused by this.” Sarah had shot her a death glare and told her to cut it out.

The second time happened two stores in on your shopping spree. Well more like taking them shopping as you get a few things for yourself. “I’m sorry Rafe did that to you. I stand by what I said earlier he’s a dick.” You just sighed, pushing some jeans around to find your size. “Don’t say that he’s your brother. He messed up but that’s a part of being human. I can be upset because he hurt me but you can’t fault him for making a mistake.” You eye her by peripheral vision.

“He hurt you and you’re upset about it. I’m upset he hurt you.” She huffs. “Exactly Wheeze he hurt me. I have a right to be upset with him. He didn’t hurt you, it’s sweet that you care about mt. He’s still your brother and making mistakes is a part of life, don't be too hard on him, okay.” You place a hand on her shoulder rubbing a small circle. “Fine but I still think he’s dumb.” You chuckle as Sarah walks over. “What do you think?”

Which brings you back to third, now. “I don’t need him to be jealous. It doesn't matter.” You put the top back and dig around for more. “So you wouldn’t care if you saw Rafe with someone else?” Bile tries to crawl it way up and you have to try hard to keep it down. The thought alone was awful enough to make you feel like crying. “Wheeze leave her alone.” Sarah scolds her younger sister. Trying to convey that this is not the time to be talking like that. “No it’s okay. I wouldn’t care, he can do whatever he wants.” Lie.

It would crush you, physically break you. You’ve always been a second choice your whole life. Parents always loved each other more than you. Most of your friends from school don’t even talk to you, deciding it was better to cut you out and all stay friends. Second in your family, second in social life, and now second in love life. Seeing him happy with another person would hurt the most.

Rafe was one of the only people who seemed to actually pay attention to you. Sure at first it bugged the shit out of you due to all the flirting. But you could see the way he noticed the small details about you. Asking about the current tv show you are watching even though you never mentioned it to him. Or when he gets Wheezie a treat and happens to get your favorite as well. Nothing with him felt like you were second best. Yeah you knew about his reputation with girls yet it didn’t matter because he never treated them like that. Now all you can see is how he did all of it just to sleep with you. It was never genuine and he never wanted something deeper.

Giving up on finding any other clothes, you just watch as the girls shop. Giving input on which items they should get or what they should pair it with. It goes like that for a couple more stories until you all decide to go get an early dinner and head back to the island. Missing the Ferry would be a big inconvenience so it’s better to be early.

“You know there’s this party going on tomorrow night. We should all go.” You and Sarah stare at Wheezie. Did she just really suggest going to a party together? “Wheeze I literally nanny you. Taking you to a party would probably get me fired.” You laugh while taking a bite of your chicken alfredo. “You’re practically Sarah’s nanny too and you go to parties with her.” She argues. “One Sarah is older than you and I am not her nanny. Two, you are just going into highschool. It would be weird if I was bringing you to parties or even encouraging that.” You argue back.

Truth be told you actually don’t want to go at all. If there’s a party then Rafe will be there, he always is. It’s bad enough you have to deal with him now at the house, seeing him outside would just be torture. “How about we stay in and watch movies?” You suggest, mostly hoping that she will take the bait. “Come on please can we just go? All of my friends are going to be there, I can’t be the only one not going.” Just as you were about to speak Sarah cuts in. “Wheeze she’s right. If dad found out you went to a party and she as so much even knew, he would fire her. Your friends shouldn’t even be going to those parties to begin with.” Who knew Sarah could be the word of wisdom.

Sighing, Wheezie gives up trying, rather choosing to finish her food. “You should at least go and have fun. Show Rafe what he’s missing.” She wiggles her eyebrows at you. You just look down at your plate, avoiding eye contact so you don’t have to answer her. “We should finish so we can head out before it’s too late.” The two other girls nod their heads. The rest of the dinner had awkward silence. No one knew what to say, you didn’t want to keep talking about Rafe but Wheezie had so many questions. Poor Sarah wanted to help you out but she also had questions.

The middle Cameron knew when she should leave topics to rest, knowing that pushing you too much would cause issues. From experience she knows you don’t like to share things, she only really knows basic things. Maybe a few more personal information but nothing too crazy. It never bothered Sarah because no matter what you are still a great friend. On the other hand it bothers Wheezie how closed off you can be. She has questions and she wants answers to them.

She’s curious on how this even started, was it you or was it Rafe? Had to be Rafe she thought. Did you want the two of you to be together? Duh or you wouldn’t be so heartbroken. But mostly she wants to know what Rafe could do to make everything okay. What he did still makes her upset but she believes that he’s better with you. The car and Ferry ride back home was just Wheezie thinking. She just had to get the two of you to see eye to eye. If she could do that then everything will be okay even better than okay.

“Hey John B just texted me to say that he and JJ fixed up your car.” Sarah looks over at you. The view from the Ferry turns into Sarah’s face as you pan over to her. “Really?” You shift in your seat, sitting up a little straighter. “Yeah I can take you once we get back. That way you can have your car.” You smile at the blonde girl thanking her. You just want to get home now, tired from the day.

✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶✶

“Well hello there gorgeous.” JJ shouts from the dock next to John B’s House. Sarah had just dropped you off, taking Wheezie back home so she can be free for the night. “Hey Jayj! Heard you boys fixed up my car.” You smile at the boys making their way over to you. “That we did. Had a leak in your exhaust it caused the engine to stop running.” JJ slaps a hand on John B’s shoulder after the boy just explained the problem. “Don’t worry we fixed her up nice. It will getcha from point A to B in one piece. Hopefully.” JJ jokes thinking he’s funny like usual.

You roll your eyes at the blonde. “Haha, so funny. Can I get my keys now so I can leave? Wouldn’t want to intrude on your make out session.” You tease the boys. It’s been an ongoing joke since you had to watch them one time. They were in middle school then. You weren’t that much older but Luke didn’t like the thought of his son and no good friend alone. It was one of the very few times Luke spent money on his Boy.

Them being young teen boys started hitting on you and you told them to go make out in the corner. From then on the joke took a life of its own. Anytime they annoyed you the joke always came flying out. “And I thought I was a comedian.” JJ huffs throwing the keys at you to catch them. “Now if you could leave we have some important business to attend to.” John B shoves him off pulling a face of disgust to the other boy. “Take him with you please he won’t leave me alone.”

You laugh as you walk to the car, unlocking the door and opening in. “If I wanted to take Jayj I would have just asked him to come along. It wouldn’t be fair to separate such a happy family.” You say as you get in and start the car. “Fuck you” They yell and flip you off, watching as you back out to the dirt road.

It seems like when they fixed your exhaust they also put AC fluid in your car. The vents are now blowing cold air instead of hot like it's done for the last two summers. It makes the drive back more enjoyable. Not having to stick with the windows down that just blow hot air at you is life changing. No more muggy car rides that make your clothes stick to your skin. A new car, well slightly new, for a new start. Everything is going to work out.

That mindset was put to rest as soon as you stepped foot into the house. Yelling can be heard from down the hall. “What is so wrong with you that you can’t seem to stop yourself from fucking up?” Ward's voice echoes down the hall. “You can’t do anything right can you? I swear Rafe I wonder if you even are my kid. How could you when all you do is cause me headaches. Sarah isn’t like this, why can’t you be more like her?” Footsteps get close to you, panicking you try to leave but run into Wheezie. “I’m sorry I was just trying to ask him questions and dad overheard. I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

She’s crying into your arms, her grip tight. “Wheeze what did you do?” Her glossy eyes look up at you. “I was asking him how he could mess up what you had. Dad overheard and then started yelling at him. I don’t know what to do.” You brush her hair to sooth her, feeling bad for the crying girl. “Where are they?”

“Dad’s study.” she squeaks out. “Okay. Go to your room, I'll find you after.” Your feet carry you closer to the room. Listening closely you can hear Rafe’s voice now. “Sarah? Are you fucking kidding me? Sarah has run off time after time with John B and the rest of them. She has left you more times than I can count and she’s still your favorite?” You can tell he’s hurt, you can hear it in his voice. This conversation is an exact replica to the others you have heard.

“Don’t start this again. Just because you keep screwing up doesn’t mean you can bring Sarah down. She’s a kid, she’s still learning.” Ward yells back. “What about me?” Rafe yells. “I’m your kid too. I have done everything to make you see that I care. I’m the only one who actually wants to continue the family business. I’m the one who has had your back this whole time. Sarah doesn’t care about you, why can’t you get that.”

You are right outside the door now. Rafe and Ward are standing in the middle of the room staring at each other. “If you think I’m letting you anywhere near the account now then you’re just as stupid as I think you are.” You gasp but thankfully it wasn’t heard. “What?” Rafe’s confused, he was promised this account before his dad left for the trip. “You heard me. I left you for a week and you screwed the nanny. On top of that you cheat on her and trash the house up. I don’t know how many times I have given you a chance and you never change.”

“Nah you gave me that account before you left. I fucked up I know but you can’t just take that from me. I’ve worked hard for it and you can’t deny that. You can’t just take this from me for a mistake.” Were you the mistake or making out with Sofia? You shake the thought out of your head, it doesn’t matter. “No Rafe, a mistake is forgetting to buy something at the store you need. You took something good and fucked it up like you always do. That girl is better off without you anyway.” Rafe’s shoulders deflate at his fathers words. “Yes I can take this account and I will. Clearly you can not be trusted for anything.” You see Ward move around the room, scared he will catch you, you try to back away. The only issue was the floorboard squeaking and giving you away.

Both men look toward the door seeing half of you standing there, the other half blocked by the door. Ward calls your name out. “Can you come in here please?” Reluctantly you make your way into the room, eyes trained to the floor. “How much of that did you hear?” Ward asks. You look up making eye contact with Rafe before looking at the older Cameron. “Practically all of it.” You answer.

“You’re wrong by the way. Rafe didn’t do anything wrong, we weren’t together. He’s free to do whatever he pleases. Wheezie caught on to what happened and took it too far because she thought she was helping me. I honestly don’t care that it happened.” Rafe’s eyes are burning into your face. “He shouldn’t be punished for living his life. I know I may be over stepping here and you might want to let me go. But it wouldn’t be right if I stood here and watched him get in trouble for something that isn’t a big deal.”

Your eyes meet Rafe’s again after you finish. The blues in his seem so dull, almost lifeless. “No one is going to fire you. You’ve been good to us, I'm not letting that go. I appreciate you defending him but he needs to learn to fight his own battles.” Rafe shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. “I’m not defending him, ‘m telling the truth.” They open again watching you closely. “Then I guess everything is fine. You can keep the account.” Wards simply states and walks out the room.

Heavy breathing is the only thing heard in the room for a moment. “I don’t need your help. Save it for someone else.” Rafe tries to brush past you, your hand stops him from getting far. “Are you kidding me right now?” He just stares at you, blank stare meeting your angry gaze. “You shouldn’t have done that. I don’t need you to help me. I could have handled that myself.” A scoff leaves your lips, hand falling from his arm.

“I did it to be nice because no one deserves to be yelled at like that. If your head is too stuck up your ass to see that you shouldn’t be treated like that then I’ll see myself out. I don’t need you to yell at me for doing something nice for you.” You try to walk around him but he steps in front of you. “Exactly I don’t need you to do something nice after I hurt you. Oh sorry I forgot that it meant nothing so I shouldn’t feel bad. Should’ve known this was some sick ploy for you to be the better person.” His words strike you, their venom flooding your system.

“Is that what you really think about me? That I would go so low to make you feel shitty. News flash Rafe the world doesn’t revolve around you. I don’t spend my days planning ways to destroy your life. I hate the way he talks to you, always have and I won’t be the reason why. I meant everything I said when we were together. It’s okay that you didn’t but don’t make me feel bad for something I didn’t do.”

You walk past him, reaching the door when he speaks again. “I freaked out. Kelce was saying dumb shit and I freaked out. I didn’t think you wanted more so I just…” His sentences fall short, Rafe trying to tie the words together in his brain. “So you just decided to be with someone else?” You bite back, wanting him to feel the pain you are. He exhales, his walls building back up, blocking off the confession on the tip of his tongue. The hope you gave him when you said you hated how his dad treats him dies. She will never trust you. “Yeah, I just decided that.” It’s better to just agree with you. Arguing has gotten nowhere and the truth falls onto deaf ears.

You may have confessed that you meant what you had said, yet it didn’t matter to him. The key word being meant in your sentence. It doesn’t matter if he wants to say how much he cares about you, that the thought of not having you physically pains him, or how these past two days he can’t do anything but take bumps of coke. None of it matters because however you felt was clearly long gone. It was time for him to do the same, he needed to move on from you. The way your eyes shine at him tell him how much you don’t care, how little he means to you.

The urge to be high is scratching Rafe’s insides as he just looks at you. The pain slowly fades to numbness as he looks at the hate in your eyes. The clear baggy full of white powder burns a hole in his pocket, begging him to take a hit. “I didn’t want to hurt you. You won’t have to worry about me again. I’m sorry.” This time it’s Rafe who is leaving you, walking into the hall and past you like nothing.

“What do you mean I don’t have to worry about you?” Your voice wavers, worried about what he means. He just keeps walking, not paying attention to you. “Rafe.” He looks at you, eyes scanning your face. “I mean I won’t be in your way. I’ll stay as far away from you as I can. You’ll be happier that way.” With that he just leaves. He knew Ward was right, you are better off without him. He’s seen it first hand how happy you can be when he isn’t there to bring down the mood.

Even if he did love you, he was too damaged to deserve you.

#rafe x reader #rafe cameron #rafe cameron smut #rafe obx #rafe smut #drew starkey smut #obx #outer banks smut #rafe cameron fanfiction #rafe x nannyreader #rafe x you #rafe outer banks

122 notes · View notes

imagintheworldaway · 1 year

Text

Hands

No warning just Fluff!

Requests: OPEN

I noticed it a few months ago. Harry and I had been going out for around a year, making it official 8 months ago and I couldn't be happier. Harry had cute little traits that intensified when we were together. Like when he got nervous, excited or frustrated he would fall over his words, most times resorting in a jumbled gibberish that I had to try and decipher. Or the scratching of the spot just below his shoulder. Once again whenever an intense emotion overtook him you could spot him scratching away at the place, however, this was down more to nerves than anything, or when he was trying to hide a secret from me. This just made me giggle and act nonchalant, finding out everything I needed to know just hours later, because no matter how much he tried he was so bad at keeping secrets.

Then there was this new little trait I had found out about 3 months ago. At first I thought nothing of it, just a sweet gesture from a boyfriend to his adorning girlfriend. The first time I noticed it I was watching him play a Sunday 7-a-side with his friends at the small little pitch they seemed to frequent. It was only October but England being England meant that on this particular day a hat, gloves and scarf were needed. I rubbed my gloved hands together as I watched Will aim but miss the goal especially signalling halftime. I smiled as Harry jogged up to me to talk. “Hey, you guys suck” I giggled as he leant on the barrier that separated us. “Yh they do, don’t they” he said with a goofy smile. As he said this he had sneaked his hands in between mine. It took me a moment but soon the ice cold touch of his penetrated the heat of my gloves and I scrunched my eyebrows looking down. Only to see my hands cupped around his own. “You’re freezing” I half whispered, concern lacing my voice “that’s why you’re here.” he said cheekily before the whistle was blown and the players begrudgingly made their way back to the pitch, realising today was not a great day to play football.

The next instance wasn’t even a week later. I was lounging on the sofa in my apartment whilst Harry was showering. I was mindlessly scrolling through TikTok looking at the different dramas of the week when I heard the water turn off and wet feet padding around my bathroom. “Whats this?” I heard Harry's voice from down the corridor. I lifted my head to look in the direction of my hallway and awaited the figure of my boyfriend emerging. “Soon enough he came out, a towel around his torso, holding a black tube, his wet hair flopping in front of his eyes as he squinted at the bottle. “Let me see” I said , reaching for the bottle, moving to sit crossed legged as Harry stood at the end of the sofa in front of me. “Oh it’s my hand cream, the one you like the smell of” I smiled , handing back the bottle. A look of ‘I know what it is you idiot’ crossed Harry's face as a smile quickly replaced it. “Can I have some?” he said, still examining the bottle. “Sure” I shrugged, reaching for my phone. As I looked up I saw Harry with a goofy smile and his arm outstretched passing me the tube. I just rolled my eyes and opened the bottle, taking some cream and starting to massage it into his hands. “Wow your hands are so soft” I heard him mumble, causing a light blush to grace my cheeks.

When we went shopping a month ago it happened again. I tend to get distracted and just walk to things I think look pretty. On this day a beautiful custom bag in the centre of a display in one of my favourite shops across the street had caught my eye. I started walking towards it, to admire it closer, forgetting we had a list of things we needed to get before the shops closed. “Hey hey hey where are you going” I heard Harry's voice as a protective hand was wrapped around mine. “Oh it's fine i'm just going to go and have a look at that shop over there” i smiled at him. “It's way too crowded, I will come with you, just don’t let go” he said protectively as we navigated our way through the crowd so I could reach my destination.

And then last week we sat at dinner with some of his friends. The dinner had finished and we all sat in idle chatter. Talia was talking about the wedding plans and Harry was stuck in conversation with Ethan on the other side of him. “Oh and i was so torn between these two different shades for the flowers” Talia carried on as she showed me and the girls some pictures on her phone when i noticed a presence on top of my left hand. I cast my eyes down for a split second seeing Harry's right hand wrapped around my own hand. I cast my gaze back to Talia's phone as a soft smile graced my lips. I moved my hand so it wrapped around Harrys and noticed his own hand tense a little before settling into its familiar position.

It was not just these obvious acts of affection that I had picked up on either. But whenever we went out for a walk it took less than two minutes for his hands to find mine, or for our hands to interlock over the table at dinner, being sat at one of our apartments and for us to just be sat there and his hands always found mine. I found it comforting, and the fact that this was probably a subconscious trait that he didn’t even realise he was doing made it even sweeter and special to me.

#Harry Lewis #harrylewis #harry lewis imagine #harry lewis one shot #harry lewis x reader #wroetoshaw #wroetoshaw x reader #w2s #w2s imagine #w2s x reader #sidemen #sidemenimagine #youtube

588 notes · View notes

meadowmusing · 4 months

Text

my thoughts before the PJO finale

overall? A good fun show but with some definite stumbling. Faithful in a "remake" sense, but as much as a "port" would be. Still a genuinely good time with a likeable cast, gorgeous visuals, and an engaging (mostly) interesting plot.

Beware spoilers for ep1-7!

My biggest gripes

Pacing. the first episode was horribly paced. Somehow both rushed, not well condensed, and yet also failed to effectively deliver tension in important scenes it was needed in. Scenes like the minotaur felt dragged out and lacked the urgency it deserved, and the fight/victory fell kind of flat. Pacing got better in later episodes thankfully.

Sally Jackson. Yeah I know, not a hot take. She's a more realistic depiction of a mother in that kind of situation but I didn't find her likeable outside of her first scene talking about the name Perseus. She's not necessarily a "Bad Character" per se, but she is not the Sally Jackson from the books. Frankly, I didn't find book Sally all that important, but seeing this version has definitely wised me up to importance of her kindness and patience. Sure she might have seemed like a "doormat" at the beginning, but the more u learnt about her, the more her inner strength and self sacrificial love for Percy was apparent. TV Sally just doesn't have that, it doesn't feel like she has that much affection for Percy, she seems more distant and less loving. TV Sally has far too many scenes of her raising her voice at Percy and being frustrated with him, it makes it seem more like she was randomly stuck with this child and while she loves him, she knows deep down she would have been happier without him. Again, understandable but not book Sally. I feel they've sort of played up Percy's fierce love for his mum (or maybe it just feels more so because its more present in his spoken lines), but it doesn't feel as justified. If anything, id believe a more messy wrought relationship between the two. Its not a bad thing she's not the exact same as her book counterpart, but I do think it was a bad decision when they went so hard on Percy being ride or die for her, when most of her longer scenes are her being just frustrated with Percy being a child.

Gabe. ok more of a hot take I guess but I seriously disagree with his re-characterization. I don't mean to downplay anyone's experiences with toxic or abusive partners, but Gabe is far too bland and inoffensive. At worst, he's kind of annoying and maybe lazy. But he is nothing like the human sht stain that was book Gabe. Book Gabe deserved petrification and a lot worse, TV Gabe does not. The guy deserves a break up, not murder. Me and my friend actually laughed at him, because he didn't give "beats his wife and emotionally abuses her and her child", he gave "dead beat crypto boyfriend". Maybe it was the casting as well, the actor was funny and just seemed more goofy than actively horrid. "what makes u think he hasn't hit sally?" have u met TV Sally?? are u kidding me? she would have that man arrested.

Hades. I don't actually dislike making Hades friendly and more sassy. Sure its not book accurate, but you could argue its a little more mythologically accurate (maybe). My real problem is that he lacks PRESCENCE. Yes he can be nicer ect in this, but he is still the GOD OF THE UNDERWORLD. He should still be able to command a room! His words, even if they're not malicious or intimidating, should hold a certain kind of weight. I don't blame the actor here, I think he does well with what he's given but pretty much everyone else dropped the ball here. If they had supported him, we could have had a friendly Hades that was still a fitting lord of the underworld. Writers, directors, lighting, sound, ect let him down.

Persassy. Percy was great in the beginning but I felt like he started to lose that as the show went on, to give more of his lines/sassy moments to the other members of the trio. Which wasn't a terrible idea, I just think they did it too much, especially with the Ares scenes. Percy is meant to have an epic beef with Ares so much it transcends magic amnesia, but I could not believe that with the current lack of sass. Even the upcoming battle doesn't feel as weighty or deserved as it should. Again, don't hate the idea of sharing the sass around, just don't think it should come at the cost of Percy being toned down so much.

Getting into the underworld / mattress scene WHAT WAS THAT. I can accept that Percy knows more about Greek mythology because of his mom and i feel generally from just current cultural zeitgeist, but WHY THE HELL WOULD HE KNOW WHO CRUSTY IS?? and why was it so quick? there was no quick desperate clever thinking, it was like bro had read the scene from the book and then SPEED RAN IT. Also the Charon scene was far more interesting imo and I don't like that they cut it in favour for Crusty, without even doing that scene well. God that was so poorly executed.

Anyway thanks for reading my rant. Its long so it may seem like I didn't like the series but im being truthful when I say I did. I pretty much liked the rest of it, even some of the changes. I thinks a good show and adaption with some flaws, thats all. Im excited to finish up the season and im so pumped for season 2 and hopefully the rest of the series :D

#just musing #pjo #percy jackson #pjo tv series #percy jackson and the olympians #percy jackson series #pjo series #pjo tv show #pjo spoilers #pjo tv show spoilers #spoilers #percy jackson spoilers

24 notes · View notes

selenitesdawn · 2 years

Text

Scoops Ahoy

pairing : max mayfield x buckley!reader

warnings : none

summary : y/n is robin’s younger sibling and loves hanging out at scoops ahoy with their sister and steve. and they are even happier when max and el come walking in with some pretty big news.

First Person POV

“No because that movie was boring as hell.”, Robin said while browsing through the same magazine she’s been reading the past few days.

“Literally not true but whatever you say.”, Steve replied while doing his hair in the reflection of the fridge.

We’ve been sitting in the back room of Scoops Ahoy for about half an hour now, since no one decided to come in. The past few weeks I would spend most of my time here. First and foremost, because of the free ice-cream. Secondly, because I surprisingly actually enjoy spending time with my sister and Steve. And lastly, my friend group isn’t really my favorite place to be at the moment. We didn’t fight or anything, but since El and Mike started dating, Lucas and Max have their thing going on and Dustin left for camp the entire summer, I didn’t really enjoy hanging out with them any longer. Will and I would meet up occasionally and play D&D, but besides that, I haven’t seen them much. Hearing Max and El just gush about their boyfriends all the time actually made me throw up. Especially whatever the hell is going on between Max and Lucas gave me the ick for some reason.

“But what do you know about movies Harrington?”, asked Robin, raising her eyebrow.

“Well, I-, I’ve watched movies before. What are you? Some kind of professional movie watcher?”, Steve responded acting offended.

“Yeah, that’s exactly what I am. Plus I’ve got great taste. Tell him y/n.”, Robin countered.

“Yup, she’s got great taste.”, I responded.

“Of course you would say that y/n. Robin basically blackmails you with free ice-cream. But guess what y/n, I can give you just as much ice-cream, plus I can scoop way better than her.”, Steve said confidently.

“I would love to keep listening to you lying but I think somebody just came in. See you losers.”, and with that Robin was gone.

After Robin left I was just about to keep arguing about the fact that there is no way one person can scoop ice-cream better than another, but then I heard my sister calling for me.

“It’s your friends y/n!”, she shouted from the other side.

I guessed Will would come in to see me, so I got up and went to the counter. Because who else would come to visit me at this point. But to my surprise, it were the two people I would have least expected to see.

“Hi y/n!”, El said while smiling ear to ear. Max looked just as suspicious. Although I was more than happy to finally see them again in a long long time, I couldn’t help myself but feel weird about it.

“What is going on?”, I asked, obviously confused.

“Nothing.”, Max shrugged.

They looked at each other funny and their grin just widened.

“Yup, I’m out. I’ll be in the back if you need me.”, Robin said patting my shoulder.

Robin left me standing awkwardly behind the counter, not knowing what to say or do. The entire situation just felt really uncomfortable and now I expected the worst. What if they tell me that they want to marry their boyfriends? No, they aren’t that stupid. Or are they? No they aren’t. Being so caught up in my thoughts, I missed Max now standing right besides me, pulling me towards a table by my arm. She pushed me onto a chair and sat down in front of me with El next to her.

“Listen, you guys make me really nervous and I feel really uncomfortable right now. If there’s one thing I learned during summer, it’s that we all need to communicate our feelings more openly. So I’ll start-“

“I broke up with Lucas.”, Max almost shouted, interrupting my heartfelt speech.

“And Mike lied to me. I’m really upset with him.”, El added.

“So we went shopping to remind El that boyfriends are stupid anyways and life can be just as fun without them.”

“Friends don’t lie but boyfriends do all the time.”, El grinned while nodding.

“Yes, that’s what I taught her.”, Max said.

I stayed silent for a minute, checking their faces to see if they were lying. In fact, they were telling the truth. A grin spread across my face and I couldn’t help myself but feel happy about Max’s confession.

“Besides, we’ve been bad friends to you. We neglected you and our friendship during the past weeks and we are-“, Max started.

“-really sorry.”, El finished the sentence.

I got up and hugged both of them, smiling from ear to ear.

“Forgive and forget right.”, I said, knowing well that I forgive but never forget. But they didn’t need to know that.

“And uhm, if you want to, you can join us y/n.”, Max almost whispered.

“Sure, I would love to.”

“Great. But I really need to go to the toilet first.”, El replied while getting up.

After El left for the toilet, there was an awkward silence between Max and I. We’ve never had those before. Before her and Lucas hit it off again, we would hang out almost every day. We had sleepovers, went to the arcade, had hour-long walks, watched the stars at night, visited abandoned places, skipped school together just so we could go to the skate park before anyone else was there. But when Lucas and Max got back together, we met less and less until we didn’t see each other at all.

“So uhm.. How have you been?”, Max asked, breaking the silence.

“Oh just fine. I’ve been spending most of my time with Robin and Steve actually.”

“Great.”, she said, pressing her lips together.

“How about you?”, I asked, taking a seat next to her.

“Just fine. I just..”, she went silent for a second. “I just missed you I guess. Like, a lot. Maybe. But I know it’s my fault so I shouldn’t whine about it whatsoever. I just want you to know that I missed you.”

Max tried to hide the blush that crept upon her face but I didn’t miss that tiny moment of sincerity in her eyes. Her hands went straight to cover her face, seemingly embarrassed of her feelings towards the situation. I reached out to grab her wrist, softly pulling it towards me, away from her face.

“It’s okay Max. I missed you too, you know. Like, a lot.”, I gave her a soft smile, which she returned gratefully.

She grabbed my hand, interwining our fingers with one another. Her smile was contagious. The way her entire face lights up the second the corners of her mouth go up has always made me feel warm inside. Her thumb gently brushed over the back of my hand, while she starred at my face.

“Are you alright Max?”

“Yeah, I just wondered how I never-“

Max stopped herself from continuing since El made her way back to the table. She took her hand back to herself and smiled at her.

“Should we go?”, El asked.

“Sure, I’ll just grab my things, be right back.”

I sprinted towards the back room, just to see Robin and Steve peeping through the door slot. They greeted me with suspicious smiles, acting even weirder than usual.

“Okay, what’s going on?”, I questioned them.

“You like Max.”, Robin said, wiggling her eyebrows.

“You like her. We saw everything.”, Steve added.

Robin rolled her eyes. “Great Steve, that’s really-“

“Did you stalk us? Wow that’s gross.”

“No-, we- we didn’t, I mean- not literally-“, Steve tried explaining himself.

“You messed up Harrington, give up.”, Robin nudged his shoulder and went back to reading her magazine.

I quickly grabbed my backpack and left the shop, not wanting to support their suspicions. But walking towards Max, seeing her smile at me, I caught myself thinking, maybe I do like her.

#max mayfield #max mayfield x reader #max mayfield x you #maxine mayfield #max mayfield imagine #robin buckley #robin buckley x reader #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #eleven x reader #jane hopper #stranger things #stranger things reader insert

941 notes · View notes

charlieconwayy · 9 months

Note

Just curious what you don't like about Cory/Topanga if you feel like talking about it!

hey, i don't mind!

first off i think boy meets world in the context of just a purely heterosexual show makes it age pretty poorly, and that all stems from cory and topanga. i know one of the writers said a while back that the writers room was torn between shory and corpanga, and tbh, rewatching as an adult, that's extremely evident. i'm not gonna make this post all about shory bc that's reductive but i am first and formost a shory girl and a firm believer that cory matthews is a gay man

so let's get into it.

i really really love s1/2 corpanga. idk if it's just bc ben/danielle felt more natural back then or if it's bc they actually allowed cory to be wrong and topanga to be right, but it's just so sweet. one of my all time fav ship moments from the show is the frickin sock basketball scene where they touch hands and he giggles. so adorable! but i think what really makes them suffer after s1 (and kind of s2) is just that they clearly made topanga a normal, kelly kapowski girl-next-door type to make her more "desirable" for the male audience. that could be an entire separate post, but it's so fucking obvious that that's what the change was and it sucks because topanga was great the way she was.

they're not like hatable in season 3 exactly, but the "old married couple haha look how old gross and boring they are" trope when they were legitimately sophomores was just weird? and this is a retrospect thing but i hate how the show just kept retconning shit and pretended they never broke up in season 3, as if a HUGE storyline and one of the most iconic episodes (the happiest place on earth) wasn't about them getting back together? and for me just the concept of the ~universe wanting them to be together~ over and over again is just so fucking lame when they were so toxic. (great video on this here)

they really don't do anything wrong in season 4 either, but a long walk to pittsburgh is honestly so beyond ridiculous LMAO. i know everyone talks about how romantic it is, but i hate it because topanga literally runs away and moves back to philly just for cory. i know they claim it's to finish at john adams too, but i would find that much more believable if they had developed topanga AT ALL outside of cory. we know almost nothing about her home life and they wrote trini out so we never even see any friends of hers! the trend of them fighting and talking down to amy about their love is so fucking stupid too. like you are sixteen. it is fine to love someone and want to be with someone, but amy is right that it's not healthy for them to be as obsessed with each other as they are. like cory literally doesn't know who he is outside of topanga and that's NOT healthy.

oh lordy. s5. i'm not going to get into how much i hate that shawngela (a MUCH happier, more interesting relationship) was reduced to "wanting to be corpanga" in both their intro episode and then fucking gmw, but even the "old married couple" stuff in "chasing angela" at the restaurant is so annoying. "last tango in philly" is one of my fav episodes, but it's the perfect example of how cory can never accept he's wrong. shawn tries to tell him they should stop, and he just tells shawn he knows nothing about relationships and keeps being a dick about topanga and her (obviously gay) friend. but obviously, you're here to hear about how i feel about the cheating. yes, cory cheated and he genuinely liked lauren. for the show to act like he didn't is just gaslighting their audience. and tbh? i think ben and linda cardellini had excellent chemistry (certainly more than he and danielle did at that point . . .) and i think it's completely healthy to date more than one person! it was nice seeing cory be able to open up and bond with someone else, and yes, what he did was cheating. just bc he changed his mind and decided he "couldn't live without topanga" (bless u probably queer writer for what u did w that line :') ) doesn't mean that it didn't happen. topanga had EVERY right to break up with him. it does piss me off that we barely saw topanga's reaction to the breakup when there was a whole ep dedicated to shawn's reaction (and i say that as the #1 shawn stan), but that show hated women lbfr. AND WHY TF WAS IT BAD FOR HER TO KISS JONATHAN JACKSON WHEN SHE AND CORY WERE BROKEN UP????? bc cory can't accept things not going his way and not having control. the "we are a masterpiece" scene makes me so fucking angry omg i cannot

and i mean, bro, the yale shit has been talked about to death, but topanga lawrence going to the same college as straight d-student shawn hunter has got to be the dumbest, most woman-hating shit the show ever did. love can survive long distance if you put the effort in, trust me. (yes i am aware that the show prob didn't want to separate their main couple, but s6 was almost entirely about shawn anyway so????)

then in seasons 6 and 7 we get into the "cory yelling at and publicly humiliating topanga" trend. "undapants" is iconic so i'm not gonna go into that episode (fuck you "take her back to your tornado infested trailer park" line!), but i can name at least seven occasions where cory pressures her into sex. and rider strong is right. it was extremely holier than thou how they constantly made it seemed like corpanga was better than shawngela for not fucking before marriage. like isn't there a line where they call shawngela sluts in s7? the whole honesty bit in "the truth about honesty" (admittedly one of my fav eps) is also just ridiculous bc both of them always get pissed off at the other one for being honest, even in the past. i've seen people get mad at topanga for throwing yale in cory's face but lbr, who didn't see that coming? i guess maybe it's a little weird bc she'd never been resentful about it before, but that's a HUGE thing in their relationship. and yes, it is weird that she's using his razor without his permission but again just the pressuring her to show him her ass is also fucking weird (it's also weird imo that they've been together "their whole lives" but they've only ever kissed, but again, holier than thou bullshit)

one thing i can say about how weak and uninteresting their relationship actually is is that their ENTIRE wedding episode is about shory, bc they are the much more compelling dynamic in cory's life. weirdly enough, i do actually really like cory's vows though?? on a shawn hunter stan note, oblig "that best man speech was bullshit" comment. it's completely normal and healthy to have a best friend outside of your partner? especially when you can't be honest with your partner. god i fucking hate that bullshit. just like how i hate in "seven the hard way/the war" how they portray cory abandoning his best friend/true life partner for topanga AND THEN IN FUCKING GMW THE BAD FUTURE FOR EVERYONE LITERALLY CAME TRUE!!!!!!! omg i will go insane if i think about that for longer than a few seconds.

end of post, but leaving this here

#boy meets world #anti corpanga

28 notes · View notes

lunas-nargle · 8 months

Text

↳ twelve

chapter twelve of “meddle about” series brian o’conner x reader

xii. the club

Y/n decided to go out with a few of her friends. She needed it after the shitty few weeks she's had. After bar hopping for a couple hours, the girls decided to go to this one exclusive club her friend, Adrian, frequently went to.

Y/n followed the herd of girls, laughing and drunkenly giggling. Y/n wasn't drunk but she was a buzzed enough to feel a bit happier than before. The girls danced and talked happily, but soon enough, Y/n was left alone as her friends were whisked away by random men.

Y/n stood in the corner, sipping on her strong mixed drink as she just people watched. But soon, her eyes fell on a familiar man, playing pool in the other corner of the room.

"You're gonna miss." Y/n said, walking towards him. Brian looked up at her, still bent a bit, ready to shoot. "You're aiming too far to the left."

"I have been playing pool a long time, I think I can handle it."

"Oh, yeah," Y/n gestured to the table. "Go on then. Shoot it."

Brian looked back towards his ball, and shot it. As Y/n said, the ball just bounced off the edge of the table. Brian stood up with a beautiful smile on his face.

"I see you aren't mad at me anymore." he said, walking closer to him.

"Oh, I'm still pissed, but I'm drunk enough to not be right now." Y/n said, chest to chest with him now. The sight of her cousin walking past them, made Y/n realize what she was doing. She moved back, clearing her throat. "Um, sorry, I'm gonna go get another drink."

She walked over to her cousin and said, "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Nothing, what the hell are you doing here?" Dom said.

"I told you not to get involved." Y/n said. "To let it go."

"When have I ever listened to you?" Dom retorted making Y/n roll her eyes.

"It too bad about Dwight." Brian said, walking up behind her. "Havin' the feds raid your house the same night you make the team. That's unfortunate."

"I wish I could say I was surprised to see you here." Dom said. "What's to stop someone from tellin' them you're a cop?"

"Probably the same thing that's keeping me from tellin' 'em why you're really here." Brian retorted.

"What up, fellas?" a short man came up behind them, patting them both on their shoulders.

"Hey, how you doin'?" Brian said, dabbing the man up.

"Great. I see you're having a good time." The man looked Y/n up and down.

"Yeah, a great time." Brian glanced at her with a smile.

"Come on. Let's have a better time." the man said. "You can even bring the lady."

Brian stood up, taking Y/n's hand and leading her behind the man, Dom following closely behind. Y/n rolled her eyes and swiftly removed her hand, not wanting to feel those stupid butterflies she got in her stomach.

"How's your car?" the man asked Brian, as he sat down in a rounded seat. "You too a nasty bump."

"It'll be ready."

"Sweetheart, you don't have to stand, please have a seat." the man said, upon seeing Y/n standing there. The side Dom was sitting on didn't have any room so she was kind of forced to beside Brian. "Hey, Julio, get the pretty lady a drink."

"Yes, sir." one of his henchman said, before going off. Damn this man was powerful. Y/n thought, her eyebrows scrunching.

"I also heard you just got out of County." the man said to Brian.

"Yeah?" Dom said, grinning.

"Mm-hm." Brian said.

"You know a guy named Jim Garcia."

"Nah." Brian shook his head, knowing what Dom was trying to do. "Big place. Lots of names, lots of faces."

"And you -- you're wanted by a lot of people, homes." the man said to Dom.

"Man, that kinda heat can't be good for business." Brian said.

"Yeah, well, that depends on how you look at things." Dom said Brian. "I go down, I do time. I do real time." he added before continuing, looking at the man. "but when I see flashing lights in my mirror, I don't stop."

The man leaned back, looking between the two men, "Do you know each other?" he asked, gesturing between the two.

"He used to date my cousin." Dom replied, making said woman tense.

The man grinned, upon seeing the woman's gesture. "You the cousin?"

"Yeah." Y/n said, her voice confident.

"You're a lucky man." the man said to Brian. "She's beautiful."

"I know." Brian said, glancing towards her.

"I surprised you're still breathing." the man then raised a shot. "To the ladies we've loved and the ladies we've lost. Salud."

Y/n looked towards Dom. Veins popped out on his forehead. She could sense that he was angry as she seen his jaw clench. Y/n then realized. This man had something to do with Letty's death.

"So, what's Braga about?" Brian asked, after sitting his now empty shot glass down.

"You know, he's just one of us." the man said. "Came up from the streets. Down for el barrio. Now he's a shot caller. The boss of bosses. See all these cats in here? Any one of 'em would die for Braga."

"Including you?" Brian questioned.

the man gave Brian a serious look, "Especially me." A man walked up behind him and whispered something into the man's ear. "Enjoy the party, fellas. Club's yours. Whatever you want -- booze, broads -- it's all good." the man said as he got up from his seat and walked away.

"Braga's mine." Brian said. "I'm taking the whole house down."

"Good luck." Dom said, as girls swarmed him.

"I wanna help." Y/n said. Dom gave her a look that almost shut her down but she insisted. "She was my friend too. My best friend. I'm gonna help whether you like it or not."

"No, your not ." Dom said, getting up from his seat and walked through the crowd. Y/n got up from her spot and went after him. She tried looking for him but completely lost him.

"Y/n!" one of her friends exclaimed. "There you are, come on. Dance with me."

Y/n looked around, trying to find a glimpse of him. Finally, her search was over when her friend started dragging her to the dance floor where she remained the rest of the night.

#brian o'conner #brian oconner x reader #fast and furious #fast and furious x reader

37 notes · View notes

o-uncle-newt · 6 months

Text

Cabin Pressure Advent Day 6: Fitton

FIIIIITTTTTOOOONNNN!!!!

As someone who said yesterday that I was a fan of when the show went warmer and cozier in the later seasons, OBVIOUSLY I love Fitton!

The interesting thing to me, speaking on the progression-to-warmer-and-cozier thing, is that we know from the Farewell Bear Facts for this episode that it was, understandably, written as a potential finale if the show hadn't been renewed- and as he also points out, it's really the first episode where we see something that really signifies the characters moving from "coworkers who can get along" to "friends" (the hat incident). It's a turning point for Martin and Douglas- and honestly I'd say for Carolyn and Arthur too, humanizing them by telling us more about their backstory, giving both characters vulnerability (as I pointed out yesterday, there really actually aren't many ways in a typical episode for Arthur to be vulnerable- he's pretty impermeable as a rule!)- and the fact that, when writing an episode that could have been a finale, JF decided that he needed to develop the characters in this way is really nice, partly because it just makes for a very sweet episode and partly because it validates the whole "see, haters, it was ALWAYS supposed to get sweet!" argument I sometimes have with the imaginary people in my head.

ANYWAY. Imagine if the show had ended just as Benny C had gotten the credits exactly right!

I think one great thing here is that, to continue the theme from Douz, Fitton is making it crystal clear that the motivating force behind the show is the existence of the airline- and that will take all of them, working together and becoming family to pull off, and each of them needs to contribute something to make that happen. Individually, over the course of this episode,

Martin has to let go of his ego/insecurity for a minute, take himself less seriously, and hand over the reins temporarily

Douglas has to reveal a vulnerability (his sobriety) in order to step forward and save the day

Carolyn has to think of others as well as herself, find reasons for running MJN that go beyond revenge, and earn the goodwill and loyalty of her pilots by acting moderately human

And, AND, and this is something I didn't quite put together until this listen and YMMV... the main motivating factor for keeping the airline going kind of ends up being Arthur? I kind of love that Arthur shows up at the famous "secret of true happiness" scene basically right on the heels of him telling Carolyn that there's nothing that could make him happier than what he's doing right now with all of them at MJN- and that, in the end, is one of the main engines that prompts Carolyn to decide to keep MJN going. And then they all open themselves up, if only a bit, to Arthur's brand of happiness.

Basically, Arthur Shappey is the emotional heart of the show, but we all knew that. (AND HE GETS TO BE THE CAPTAIN! Best cold-open-to-plot-arc ever.)

This episode is also notable for being the first attempt at a "no plot plot" episode- not to the same degree as a Limerick or a Xinzhou, but pretty near. And it's still a rough draft of that kind of episode, but it's extremely effective in terms of giving the episode emotional resonance. Possibly the best part of it is that you get the vibe that while this isn't the first time they're engaging with each other in this way, they don't necessarily usually go this deep (I mean, Martin didn't know Douglas's wife's name!). So just as we're learning more about the characters through scenes in the life, so are the characters, which is a nice way of experiencing the show's world. And, by the end of this episode, they are all far closer than they've been thus far (even Carolyn and Arthur in a way) and they'll be taking that with them.

(On the note of it not being a Limerick or Xinzhou- I think that's probably the main drawback of the episode, that it gets changed back to being the typical hijinks plot at the end, which is funny but just not super necessary. And, to get back to my point from Cremona, Mr Goddard is too normal and so the solution ends up being too weird and cartoonishly unlikely, relatively speaking. Next season, JF will have a bit more confidence to just let the "no plot" be a plot on its own.)

Some early installment weirdness, or otherwise something I don't quite get more generally- assuming that JF had already decided that Martin is unpaid, how on earth was Martin willing to do 28 days of unpaid standby? What was he living on? Did Carolyn not feel the slightest bit bad?! (...well ok, fine, that might not be the most insurmountable of plot-obstacles)

Also- and this isn't a flaw with the episode, just a subjective thought- those last two minutes of episode are SO cringe-inducing to listen to. I know there's schadenfreude for Martin finally being able to see through Douglas and rub it in his face a bit, but that brown sauce thing was really sweet, and he clearly loves his wife- especially given what we learn later about how she's having an affair, there is something kinda depressing about it. But, admittedly, also darkly funny.

Tomorrow we have one of my top-five episodes, GDAAANSK! (I'll be going in A-Z rather than broadcast order because that's the order on the compilation I'm listening from lol)

#cabin pressure #john finnemore #cabin pressure advent #cabin pressure advent 2023 #fitton #i was going to do a whole thing about the true happiness scene #but i have so many complicated emotions linked to it #that i just couldn't #suffice it to say i once played the clip to my therapist

10 notes · View notes

alj4890 · 1 year

Text

L-O-V-E Part 2 (Liam x Riley)

A/N The writer's block is killing me. I know how I want this to go but every time I sit to work on it, the words just don't come. So let's try once more with this storyline.

Rating: G for fluff

@gkittylove99 @kingliam2019 @texaskitten30 @yourmajesty09 @mom2000aggie @ofpixelsandscribbles @twinkleallnight @lodberg @amandablink @neotericthemis @mm2305 @sfb123 @tessa-liam @thesvnsins @krsnlove @choicesficwriterscreations

Masterlist

L-O-V-E Part 2

Charlotte's chambers...

"Your highness?"

Charlotte blinked a few times only to realize she had become distracted.

A servant waited on her to finish discussing the plans for dinner this evening.

"Forgive me." Charlotte's nose wrinkled over her thoughts drifting to the young man her sister had brought along. "I believe there will be at least eleven of us this evening. Perhaps we should plan for twelve in case the Duchess of Lythikos decides to make an appearance."

"Very good, your highness." The servant bowed as he backed out of her sitting room.

Charlotte waited until the door was shut before flopping back onto her couch. She stared up at the ceiling, eyes tracing the intricate crown molding, while wondering why she couldn't get Sean off her mind.

Perhaps it is because he is my sister's best friend. That must be why I'm so interested in him. Shouldn't I want to know more about him to make certain he isn't the type to take advantage of her new status and fortune?

Charlotte could only deceive herself for so long. She knew her reasons for fixating upon the young man were simple: she found him very physically attractive.

His dark, nearly black eyes shined with a great deal of intelligence. His smile was warm with a touch of humor. His thick head of ink black hair made her long to run her fingers through it to see if it was as soft it appeared. He wasn't too terribly tall, which made her grateful.

She'd never liked being dwarfed by many of the noblemen and diplomats who regularly visited her father's court. They almost seemed to use their immense size to push whatever agenda they were after upon her petite figure.

They soon realized that though she was soft spoken and genuinely pleasant, she had a backbone of steel that no amount of posturing or arguing could cause her to bend in ways she was opposed to.

Charlotte released a sigh as her imagination drifted once more to what she found appealing in Sean.

She jumped when her phone rang.

"Yes?"

"Hey. It's Sean."

She rolled off the couch at the sound of his voice.

"What was that?" He asked when he heard her hit the floor.

"Nothing!" She winced as she stumbled to her feet. "How may I help you?"

He cleared his throat. "I was wondering, if um, I could go for a walk. Outside."

"Of course!" She replied. "We have many lovely trails throughout the palace grounds."

"Which one is your favorite?" He asked.

"Hmm." Charlotte contemplated that for a few moments. "I think I tend to take the trail that takes me to the apple orchard more often than the others."

"Would you like to go with me?" He asked a touch nervously. "Or if you're too busy, could you at least point it out."

"I'd love to." She replied. "Nothing would make me happier than showing you one of my favorite places."

"Great! I was hoping you would go with me!"

His enthusiastic outburst brought a smile to her face.

Sean cleared his throat. "I will wait here for you since I'm not sure where your room is."

"I'm on my way."

She set her phone down then ran into her bathroom. She stopped in front of the large floor to ceiling mirror to critically take in her face and figure. A slight groan escaped as she tried to decide whether or not to change clothes once again.

Knowing it would take too long to decide on a new outfit to wear, Charlotte swiped up her powder to touch up her makeup. She brushed her hair until it fell in soft golden waves upon her shoulders. While tucking a stray strand behind her ear, she wondered if Sean found her pretty.

Twirling around to make certain that all was as it should be, she practically skipped out of her room.

Perhaps this walk would allow her to find out if this attraction she felt was mutual.

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

Liam's study, second floor of palace...

Liam glanced up when he heard voices coming down the hall. With a smile forming he got to his feet to greet the group of people who had remained by his side all these years.

Hana entered before Drake and Maxwell. Very little had changed her appearance over the past twenty years. She was still strikingly beautiful, graced with a warm smile that revealed how kind she still was. Her figure made one think it was impossible that she was the mother of three.

Drake's dark hair was sprinkled with gray strands which he swore was from dealing with Maxwell's antics along with now having a teenager of his own.

Maxwell's few wrinkles came from years of laughter and smiling. He still was the same, inside and out, that he'd always been.

"Are they here?" Maxwell asked.

"Yes. They're upstairs resting." Liam asked a servant to bring in refreshments. "And Riley can't wait to see you again."

"I can't believe she's here" Drake remarked. "The night Brooks left, I was sure we'd never see her again."

Hana wiped at the few happy tears that spilled out. "I didn't think we would either."

"And to think that our Blossom went and had a little blossom all on her own." Maxwell shook his head. "That had to be tough on her."

"Did you bring your families with you?" Liam asked.

He was worried that too many people might make Riley and Hope uncomfortable for their first night back.

"No." Hana's smile dimmed some at the mention of family "I told Neville that he should remain at Comery Isle with the children until the night of the ball."

"Candace has to work the night shift at the hospital these next few days." Drake explained about his own spouse. "She'll be off the night of the ball and will come then. Jackson has a big project to work on plus he's got a new girlfriend."

Drake rolled his eyes over Maxwell's catcall.

"He's so wrapped up in her that I doubt he heard me explain the plans we have for this week."

Maxwell grinned when they all turned towards him.

"Sherry's out of town again for a photoshoot." He told them with a hint of pride over his famous photographer of a wife. "She took Annabelle with her to practice with her new camera. They should be back by the ball."

"Good." Liam relaxed some. "I invited Olivia to join us. She said she might come."

He hesitated as he thought of their unusual past. He never understood why Olivia left early the night of the coronation. She'd been in tears and yet she seemed only willing to speak to Riley.

He never found out what had bothered her nor why she remained for the most part in Lythikos. Olivia only came to the capital when it was a direct invitation from Liam. She'd accepted an arranged marriage offer from the late Duke of Domvallier to marry his heir, Rashad.

They had two children, an heir for each of their duchy's, and for the most part lived apart. Rashad's work schedule kept him out of the country for the majority of the year, yet he made certain to spend as much time as he could with his children. He and Olivia got on well together, both having a loyal, determined work ethic, and had been strong supporters of Liam as king and now of Charlotte as future queen.

Liam couldn't help but think how many of them had settled for arranged marriages. He originally thought there was nothing wrong with them. But then, a certain American came along and opened his eyes to possibilities he'd once thought were impossible.

Perhaps they had been. After all, he ended up married to Madeleine. Hana agreed to her parents' decision to match her to Neville Vancouer. Olivia accepted Rashad shortly after Liam married.

It took years for Drake to find someone he could love. One night, shortly after Charlotte was born, he confessed to Liam that he'd fallen in love with Riley. Drake told him how she didn't return his feelings, having fallen for Liam, but that he didn't know if he would ever find someone who could make him feel that strongly again.

When Charlotte was three, she came down with tonsillitis. Candace was the nurse brought in to help care for her during her recovery from surgery. Drake was still living at the palace at the time and the two began to hang out while the little princess slept.

Two years after that, Candace became pregnant. The couple eloped and had settled down on a plot of land Liam had gifted them with. Drake began to raise and train race horses, becoming the most sought-after trainer in Europe.

Maxwell went nearly a decade before meeting someone he could fall head over heels for. He'd become a romance author. His first book was a fictionalized version of Liam and Riley's relationship. He'd made sure to give them the happy ending he'd wished his friends could have had.

After his first novel was turned into a movie, he'd gone on to create an entire Royal Romance series with the cast of characters who eerily resembled those he knew so well. His stories bordered on the line of absurdity with threats from foreign powers if the princess was not put into an arranged marriage along with the fictional king having an unknown sister who was in a secret society that controlled all the powerful people of the world.

Cordonians devoured the books and films that followed.

When HBO offered him a chance to create a series to rival Netflix's The Crown, he not only said yes, but also met his future wife.

Sherry was the one to shoot the photographs from his interview and then those on the set. Her fun loving nature matched his and the two began a love affair that led to marriage and the birth of their own daughter.

Liam wondered though what would have happened to them if Riley had been here. How different would their lives have been if they'd had her friendship and support?

Would they each have different lives or would things have basically worked out the way they had?

As his friends talked about the past, he decided to forget the what ifs in his life and focus on the present and possible future.

"So?" Maxwell nudged him. "You and Riley still have sparks?"

Liam's eyes widened. "I certainly feel them. I'm not certain she does though."

"Ask her out." Drake argued. "You're single. She's single. What have you got to lose?"

"I have a great deal to lose." Liam pointed out. "I want a relationship with Hope like I have with Charlotte. If I ruin things by pushing Riley into a relationship, then chances are that I will ruin them with Hope."

"You can't miss out on love again." Maxwell told him.

Hana nodded, reaching for his hand. "You know what it's like to be in a marriage without love. We both do. Don't lose out on this rare chance."

Liam gently squeezed her hand in understanding. He got to his feet and paced over to the window to look out over the palace grounds. His attention was captured by the sight of Charlotte walking with Sean towards the apple orchard.

His lips curved when the young man stumbled. His daughter stopped him from falling then kept her arm linked with his as they continued on. They both were laughing and gazing at one another as if no one else existed.

He then noticed movement to his right.

Hope and Bartie we're rushing over to the hedge maze. They were holding hands while Bartie pulled her into the entrance. Even from this distance, Liam could see the excited smile upon her face.

He wanted that. He wanted his daughters to find love with two young men he approved of. He wanted to find love again. He wanted Riley to find it too.

But he wanted her to find it with him.

Liam turned back towards the three people he trusted the most.

"I already asked Riley to be my date for the ball."

The hopefulness in their faces made him grimace with what needed to be said.

"She didn't necessarily say no, but she did state that she was a scandalous woman and that she doubted anyone would approve of us being seen together."

The three remained silent.

"Then we'll have a talk with her." Hana decided.

"Playing Cupid is what I'm best at." Maxwell added. "Time to put my skills to work once again."

"If ever there were two people made for one another, it was you and Brooks." Drake said when Hana and Maxwell pointedly looked at him. "We'll convince her to give you a chance."

"Thank you." Liam glanced out the window again. "Hopefully, all will work out like it should."

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

The hedge maze...

"So you're a lord?" Hope asked.

"I am Lord Barthelemy Beaumont, heir to the Ramsford duchy." He replied. "Though I prefer to be just Bartie to those I am close to, which drives my father crazy."

She laughed over the face he made.

"I've never met a real life lord before."

"Am I everything you imagined?" He teased.

"Not at all." She squeezed his hand. "You are way more fun than I expected."

"I wish I could say that all of my rank are like this, but sadly I'm the only one." Bartie tugged her down a pathway.

"What about my sister?" Hope asked. "Charlotte is able to be fun while still maintaining her princess decorum."

"That's what I've always loved about Lottie." Bartie replied. "She is exactly what you see." He winked at Hope. "But she's not a lord."

She rolled her eyes with a giggle. "I know that. I meant she's part of your world yet still fun."

"That's why she's been my best friend since childhood." He turned a corner to a spot he thought Hope would find symbolically beautiful.

"I know that's why Sean has been my--"

Hope gasped at the sight of dozens of rose bushes waiting for the chance to bloom.

"Like it?" He asked with a grin.

"It must be beautiful in the spring!"

"Your grandmother planted these." He told her.

"She did?"

"This is the spot where King Constantine proposed to Queen Eleanor. To keep it special, she personally planted every single rose bush. He had that bench and trellis built for them to sneak off too during balls and such."

Hope walked over to it and read the engraved gold plaque.

For my Eleanor and the endless joy she has given me.

"He must have been a romantic." Hope replied.

"I think so too." Bartie joined her on the bench. "Though their time together was short, I believe they were very happy."

"That's all I want out of life." Hope sighed at the thought. "Someone to simply be happy with, share things with, laugh with..."

"Sneak around palaces with?" Bartie added while draping his arm along the back of the bench.

Hope laughed then turned towards him.

"Who wouldn't want someone to sneak around palaces with?" She teased. "That's the foundation to any romantic relationship."

He chuckled, fingers gently brushing her shoulder.

"So that's what makes a relationship romantic?"

Hope's cheeks flared with color. Her eyes though held his.

"Well yeah. Didn't you know that?"

His eyes dropped to her lips. "I mean, I always assumed it was."

"First comes sneaking around," she explained, "then comes the knowledge of what this means."

"And then?" He lowered his head towards hers.

"And then," she licked her lips, head tilting in anticipation, "there's a kiss."

Her eyes closed over the first touch of his lips. The soft kiss made her melt against him. Bartie moved his lips against hers in an achingly slow fashion as if he was savoring every single second.

Hope tangled her fingers in his hair when he deepened the kiss.

It was, she decided before all ability to think fled her, the most romantic kiss she'd ever received.

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

Riley's room...

After waking from a much needed nap, Riley took a shower. As she went through the typical motions of drying her hair and such, it hit her that not only was she in the same spot she was twenty years ago but that the man she'd fallen head over heels for was once again asking her out.

And just like that young woman she once was, she was highly tempted to say yes to his escort to the ball.

"I guess I've never really grown up." She said to her reflection.

It didn't matter that she'd gone on to raise a child of her own or that she was a successful woman who had managed to have a career and family all by herself.

There was simply something about Liam that made all her common sense disappear.

Logically, she knew she should not encourage anything with him. Her past would be held against her. She'd been photographed in her underwear with another man. That alone would be a source of contempt regardless of whether or not she'd had the reigning monarch's child.

She could only imagine the media blitz that would strike the moment she entered the ballroom with Liam.

Riley couldn't do that to Hope. She wanted her to have a peaceful existence here. She knew there would be whispers and whatnot about her previous visit to Cordonia, but she believed that the people would focus on getting to know their new princess more so than on her mother's past.

As long as nothing scandalous occurred, Hope would be welcomed with open arms.

The only way to ensure that Riley was not caught in anything questionable, was to not do anything to draw attention to herself.

Like going on a date with the king.

With a loud groan, she slipped her shoes on and left the comfort of her room.

If she could manage to get through dinner without any more temptation, then her first night back in Cordonia would be a success.

I can do this, she thought to herself. "No matter what, I'll just steer clear of Liam.

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

"Your grace," a servant bowed as he held the door open.

Olivia gave a short nod as she walked through the front door of the palace. Her attention was immediately drawn to the woman hurrying down the stairs.

Riley looked up and came to a halt at the sight of the duchess she'd once competed with.

Smiles dawned on both their faces as they walked over to greet the other.

"It's good to see you again." Olivia suffered through Riley's impulsive hug.

"And you." Riley stepped back, shaking her head in disbelief. "How did you manage to not age like the rest of us?"

Olivia smirked, linking her arm with Riley's, as they followed a footman toward the dining room.

"The air in Lythikos freezes more than water."

Riley laughed, feeling her earlier tension lessen. "I need to visit. Time is trying to march across my face every night."

"You should. You and your daughter will always be welcome." Olivia replied.

Riley gently squeezed her arm. "Thank you."

Olivia truly meant her invitation. Though she was cold and distant to most of the people from her past, she couldn't be with Riley. For over twenty years, Riley had kept her family's secret. She could have sold it to the press for money, especially when she discovered she was pregnant. Yet, Riley had proven that she was truly a friend, one that the duchess could let her guard down somewhat.

And for that, Olivia would remain loyal to her and her daughter.

The two stepped into the dining room, causing the conversations to abruptly stop.

Before Riley could say a word of greeting, she was snatched up in multiple hugs from Maxwell and Hana. Even Drake gave her a brief hug.

While the four talked over one another, Liam edged around them to be able to speak to Olivia.

"I'm glad you decided to come." He pressed a kiss to her hand. "It's been a long time since your last visit to the palace."

Olivia lowered her eyes. "I know. How is Charlotte?"

"She is in alt over having Hope here. I can't wait for you to see them together."

"Are they not joining us for dinner?" She asked.

"They are supposed to." He checked the time. "It isn't like Charlotte to be late."

Riley overheard him as she talked to Bertrand and Savannah. "Sadly it is for Hope."

At that moment the two girls rushed in with shy smiles for everyone.

The two young men following at their heels also had apologies at the ready for their tardiness.

Liam waived those away with assurances that it didn't matter. He then stood between his two daughters and proudly introduced Hope to his friends and Regina.

Exclamations followed on how much she looked like Riley had all those years ago. Then everyone began to ask her questions about her studies, her hobbies, and anything else that came to mind.

Hope's nerves lessened with having Charlotte and her father practically beaming with delight in having her there. Their kindness and acceptance was still such a shock to her. She didn't know how she'd ended up so lucky to have such people as family.

Her mother sat not too far away and smiled encouragingly at her while helping her answer some of the questions. She didn't know what she would have done without her mother always there as her biggest champion.

Sean too explained their years growing up and what kind of child Hope had been. He made everyone laugh with many of the stories of their adventures around New York. Hope also noticed that he made certain to make Charlotte laugh as much as he could. His eyes always drifted back to the crown princess. Hope couldn't be more pleased with this new development.

Hope also had a new, unexpected champion sitting beside her. Bartie slipped his hand discreetly into hers under the table each time a question was asked. His fingers twined with hers, letting her know she wasn't alone.

As the dinner went on, Hope relaxed and thought she might be able to hold up well talking to more people in her father and sister's world. At least she hoped that would be the case.

She honestly was terrified of the upcoming ball.

#choices trr #the royal romance #trr #choices #liam x riley #trr maxwell #trr drake #trr hanna #trr olivia #choices the royal romance #choices the stories we play #choices fic writers creations

30 notes · View notes

biaswreckingfics · 2 years

Note

Hi! I'm your fans since blurred lines 🔥 i miss them so much that i just finished read it all over again 🤧🤧🤧

If your drabble req are still not exploding i want to req sunwoo 31 + 85 (angst + suggestive)

Love youuu 🥺🥺🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼 and here's your 👑👑👑

Sunwoo + Angst -❤️❤️❤️ I hope you enjoy this!! Also, thank you for the 👑👑😂😂. I'll share them with you for reading Blurred Lines!!-

(If you think I don't feel anything for you, then you're more stupid than I thought. + Let me show you how much I want you.)

The party is in full swing, but you're feeling anything but jovial. Your friends are here, the music and food are great, and to top it all off, the man you're basically in love with is present. The only issue is his ex, who very much wants to get back with him, is also here.

With a sigh, you watch her follow Sunwoo around like a little puppy dog. He does nothing to stop her and even engages in conversation with her whenever she's next to him, making her laugh loudly. Of course, he has every right to. You don't control him. Hell, the two of you aren't even together. You're… you don't know what.

Sunwoo knows about your feelings, and you thought he even returned them, but now you're beginning to believe you were seeing things that weren't really there. Maybe you've been reading into his actions a little too much… It's not like the two of you have ever sat down and had a conversation about it. Your time together is usually about flirting, stolen kisses, and just feeling alive when you're with each other.

"He's not interested in her anymore," Sangyeon says as he comes to a stop next to you.

"No?" You question, though you're pretty sure you know it to be true.

Sangyeon glances sideways at you. "No. His eyes are focused on someone else."

You hum, but don't say much else. Are his eyes focused on someone else? Because he's barely spoken to you since you've got here. You seem like just another acquaintance to him, and not someone he supposedly likes.

"Sangyeon," you start, unsure how to put your thoughts into words. "Is there something between him and me or am I making it all up?"

He studies your face before glancing at Sunwoo. "I know he's not the best at relationships, but you definitely mean something to him. He's happier around you…"

Sangyeon excuses himself after that and you're left alone once again. When you look back at Sunwoo, you see his ex holding his arm, and decide it's time to go elsewhere. Turning around, you wander deeper into the mansion you've somehow found yourself in until you come across an empty bedroom.

Closing the door behind you, you take some time to collect your thoughts and stabilize your emotions. You're in there for maybe five minutes, when you hear the door open and someone enters the room. You spin around - assuming to see a couple sucking each other's faces off - but instead, you find Sunwoo.

He quietly watches you before shutting the door behind him and leaning against it. "How come you're in here?"

Shrugging your shoulders, you say, "Just felt overwhelmed."

The silence that follows has you fidgeting. His stare is so intense, you blurt out words in hopes that he'll look away. "Sunwoo, if this isn't something you want - if I'm not something you want - just tell me so I can move on with my life."

You can see your words startle and slightly confuse him, but he does his best to cover it up. He shakes his head. "What are you talking about?"

"Us. If you don't want a relationship with me, or if I'm reading into things that aren't really there, please just tell me."

He stares blankly at you for a moment, and you begin to believe that your words are true. That he doesn't want anything serious with you and that he's just having a good time. When you start to see that intensity creep back into his gaze, you hold your breath.

"If you think I don't feel anything for you, then you're more stupid than I thought."

His words take you back, and you're unsure if they're a compliment or an insult. The emotions must be clear on your face because Sunwoo's gaze softens and he steps toward you. "Of course, I want to be with you. I wouldn't be making out with you and spending time with you if I didn't… I guess maybe I'm not expressing my feelings properly."

"I guess not," you softly agree.

Determination takes over his features and he strides over to you with purpose. "Let me show you how much I want you. Let me prove to you that you mean something to me… and that you're mine."

63 notes · View notes

gaypeople4itzy · 1 year

Text

Snowday

with Loona’s Choerry

warnings : none !!

wordcount : 1,1k

hello my loves !! missing choerry so so much :< so i decided id write this little scenario about her <3

Enjoy !!

Admiring the snow falling down, you walked around the neighborhood as excited as a puppy. It was the first snow of the year, the official beginning of winter ! As the city was painted in white, your school had decided to close for the day, wanting to keep people from going on the road as it wasn’t very safe to do so since everywhere was covered in slippery powder

Since you had already woken up early, you had decided to go out by yourself, wanting to ease your mind and look at how pretty the world around you looked at that time of the year. You had always loved snow, you can still remember those many hours spent outside as a little kid, building snowmans and making snow angels before rushing inside and wrapping yourself in a warm blanket

Truly a paradise that was !

And now you had been out for a while, not even recalling how long you had been out, you just felt happier here. In the middle of nature you enjoyed the calm and peace it brought you. You knew you would have to head home sooner or later, having a school project waiting for you, but at least for a few more minutes, you’d stay around

Popping your bubble, you felt your moment get interrupted by a sudden something. Cold and seemingly had hit your head, you wondered what that was about. You weren’t so surprised when seeing your dear best friend, Yerim, grinning at you as she laughed

“Of course she would do that”, you thought. There was no day that would pass without Yerim playing a trick on you, or trying to embarrass you. She had been like that since you were little kids, always insisting on staying by your side, getting a bit jealous whenever your other friends were around. She had that habit of making pranks to people, especially to people she “absolutely adore” (her words, not yours). And not only did she love tricking you, there was one thing she liked even better than that, and that was having you flustered

You had never really understood why, it was just part of your routine after all, and you had pretty much gotten used to it ! Sometimes, you’d let yourself wonder about her more than as friends, but your mind had always stopped you before you could think too far. There was nothing worst than ever loosing Yerim, especially over that kind of stuff..

Greeting her, you hugged her tightly as she had come closer to you. Strangely enough, you always felt warm near her, and the cold was starting to get to you, so why wouldn’t you want to rest in her arms ?

“My loveee !! Hi hi hi !! How are you ?? How long have you been outside alone for ? Y’know you could’ve just knocked at my door and I would’ve came straight away ! I’d never miss an occasion to play with you !!”

She always called you that, her love, it was cute you thought

“I did !! But you didn’t answer the door, your mother told me you were busy, so I went on a walk instead !”

She laughed as you said those words, beginning a story about how crazy her morning had been. As much as you were trying to listen to her, you couldn’t help but focus on her pretty lips. Catching you only after a few seconds, Yerim leaned in, kissing your cheek and giggling as you tried to deny the red look on your face

“Did you really think I wouldn’t see that my love ? You must love me so much to stare at me for that long !”

You nodded in response, unsure of what to say. You did feel nervous around her and god was she so pretty and lovely, but she was also such a great friend, and you weren’t even sure of your feelings. Plus, she was just teasing you, as usual, nothing was ever serious with Yerim

Dragging you by the hand, Yerim brought you to a spot with accumulated snow, “enough to make the prettiest snow angels !” she said with a proud smile.

What you didn’t expect was tripping on the way there, it was so icy that you could barely keep yourself steady. On the ground, you reached out for Yerim’s hand, though instead, she let herself fall on top of you

Closing your eyes in embarrassment, you felt her breath down your neck. Softly opening your eyes, you were met with a slightly different Yerim. She still had that beautiful smile and that positive energy radiating out of her, but the glimpse of mischief in her eyes was gone, replaced by a spark

Inhaling the cold air before speaking, Yerim seemed nervous, for the first time in your life you were seeing your best friend being shy… !

Looking at you in the eyes, she spoke

“I really want to kiss you right now Y/n”

Making you freeze in place, you felt your face heat up despite how cold it was outside. Seemingly impatient, she asked “Is that wrong to think of ?”

And maybe it was because you were too tired to think, almost frozen to death, barely breathing, nervous, sweating, scared, excited, unaware of your own feelings, maybe it wasn’t a good idea

Or maybe it was because you loved her

But you leaned in, kissing her like you would never kiss anyone, hoping it would mean something to her

And it did,

It surely did when she pulled away, catching her breath, and pulled you back in, holding you close, apparently enjoying the position she found herself in

Your homework was long forgotten by now, and you couldn’t bring yourself to care about anything other than her lips on yours

What a day !

#gaypeople4itzy #gaypeople4itzytalkingtothemselves #gaypeople4itzysendslove #gaypeople4itzylovesyousomuchmwahmwah #kpop fluff #fluffcember #loona fluff #loona scenarios #loona smut #loona choi yerim #loona oec #loona choerry #loona reactions #loona oneshot

42 notes · View notes

hopeless-angel · 13 days

Note

What's life like at 24? Like, do u know who u r. Do relationships change when ur older. How do people precieve you? Does life get better?

It varies for everyone in their 20s tbh. I had to move back in with my parents and am back in school for a little bit to get on a better career path. I feel like I know who I am, but that was also never a worry of mine. I’ve never struggled with my identity and have always just been comfortable with who I am in the moment.

I don’t know much about relationships, I only dated one boy in high school for a few months and have been with my current boyfriend for a few years. I imagine it changes for some people. But I still feel like a teenager since I’m not financially independent, so our relationship doesn’t feel mature like an engaged couple or something. My friendships are still the same, I’m friends with people I’ve known since elementary/middle/high school. I never made new friends in college 💀 . I get along better with my siblings than when growing up, and I get along well with my parents, but I always have.

Most people tell me I’m sweet, funny, smart, and pretty. But I don’t see myself as those things. It feels more like people just say those things to be nice. I’ve always had a hard time accepting compliments because my siblings tormented me a lot when I was younger (I’m the middle child).

Again, it depends on the person. For me, I loved being a teenager. I loved high school and all my friends. I wasn’t at all popular, but I had great friends and experiences. I never wanted to live past 17. I still feel 17 in my mind everyday. I hate being an adult. College was a good learning experience, but socially it sucked. I was suicidal as a teen, but it got a lot worse after I went to college. I think about death everyday and even though the actual dying process seems scary, being dead just sounds so peaceful to me. I don’t like being alive. I never fantasized about getting married, having kids, and growing old with someone. I just always wanted to be a teenager forever. I feel like I’ve done everything I’ve wanted and have nothing else to live for. I’m just flying on auto pilot trying to figure out my life now since I haven’t died as soon as I anticipated.

Sorry if this was a depressing answer LOL don’t let my life and experiences scare you. Your life could be a lot different and happier at 24. I still try to look on the bright side most of the time, laugh, and enjoy time with my loved ones and make the most of things. There are still aspects of life I enjoy and I still try my best to find happiness each day. But I just struggle with intense depression, so it makes life gray and miserable. That’s why I have this account and am interested in Eric and Dylan.

2 notes · View notes

scarletttries · 11 months

Note

Hey!

I found your profile thanks to my friend, and you’re doing great job! By the way, wish you everything great for your wedding!

Wanted to make a request for myself 👉👈

- “Moon Knight”

- I like all guys from here, so maybe you can choose by yourself?😅👉👈

I think that will be very interesting

- Me: https://pin.it/CIaLnTa

I’m she/her

- I’d like to have something fluffy (but I’ll accept at your ideas!)

Thank you so much for your well wishes, and your pinterest was so cool to check out I love your aesthetic! I ship you with.... Steven Grant 💞

- You would catch Steven's eye walking through one of London's parks, immediately capturing his full attention. He'd be sat on a little bench enjoying his lunch break, watching you go about your day, spending the full hour trying to build up the courage to speak to you. You look so much cooler than him it's a little bit intimidating and before he gets the nerve to speak to you he has to hurry back to work, cursing his cowardice the whole way back.

- So when he sees you walk through the Museum foyer just an hour later he's convinced it must be fate, the stars aligning to give him a second chance at a first impression. He doesn't let himself waste a second overthinking this time, scrambling out from behind his little desk and rushing over to introduce himself, offering you a private tour despite the unimpressed looks being shot his way by his manager.

- He talks your ear off as you go exhibit to exhibit trying his best to seem cool, and knowledgeable, and not at all like he's desperately trying to impress the prettiest girl he's ever spoken to.

- It would be obvious to you very quickly that he was doing his best to impress you, his blushing pink cheeks and stammering words giving away just how nervous he was to have your undivided attention. Luckily for Steven, you found his awkward nerdy demeanour endearing, thanking him for the tour and offering to meet him at the pub after his shift was finished. Poor Steven would be tripping over himself with excitement as he accepted your offer, spending the rest of his shift staring hopelessly at his watch, begging the time to pass just a little bit quicker so he could be back in your company again.

- After a perfect evening of swapping stories curled up in armchairs next to the roaring fire of a local pub, Steven works up the nerve to ask you on another date, and then another, and then another, until you become the earth that his little moon revolves around, the centre of his whole universe, the force he couldn't exist without. It wouldn't take him long to recognise your kindness and company are something he wants to keep in his life forever, planning how to pop the big question and tell you exactly what you mean to him.

- Both the proposal and the wedding would be pretty low key, any kind of public audience enough to have Steven trembling with anxiety, but he would take your every thought on planning incredibly seriously, wanting this day to be perfect for both of you. Steven never thought he would find someone to be this close with, so he gets very excited that he's finally getting married, reading up on all the traditions and insisting you spend the night before apart so that nothing can jinx his dream come true.

- For that one night he has to spend away from you, he writes you a letter you find stashed secretly in your overnight bag. It outlines the hundreds of ways that you've made his life better, telling you that he's not the same man you met all those months ago, he's happier and more confident and there's nothing that will make him happier than becoming your husband the next day, and being the best husband he can be every day after.

#writing #fanfiction #one shot #requests #moon knight imagine #steven grant fluff #steven grant headcanons #scarlettsweddingevent

17 notes · View notes

deadcactuswalking · 2 months

Text

REVIEWING THE CHARTS: 23/03/2024 (V of BTS and... Mark Knopfler?)

It’s a short week, largely to prepare for what chaos should be coming the next, but right at the top, Benson Boone clenches his first ever #1 with “Beautiful Things”. I know pretty much no-one who cares about pop music on a deeper level likes this song, but hey, if I’m the only person happy about this other than Booner Boy himself, I’ll take it. Welcome back to REVIEWING THE CHARTS!

Rundown

Given our few new songs, we also only have a handful of notable dropouts to start with, so we’ll bid adieu to the small but decent selection of “Could You be Loved” by Bob Marley & The Wailers, “Angel Numbers / Ten Toes” by Chris Brown, “My Love Mine All Mine” by Mitski and finally, “Disconnect” by Becky Hill and Chase & Status.

As for what’s back, we see returns for “Asking” by Sonny Fodera and MK featuring Clementine Douglas at #73 and, sigh, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi at #68, and then a spattering of gains. Our most notable boosts are for “if u think i’m pretty” by Artemas at #59, “Wasted Youth” by goddard. and Cat Burns at #58, “We Ain’t Here for Long” by Nathan Dawe at #55, “Happier” by The Blessed Madonna featuring Clementine Douglas at #54, “Thank You (Not So Bad)” by a bestiary of enemies to good taste at #50, “Green & Gold” by Rudimental and Skepsis featuring Charlotte Plank and Riko Dan at #43, “Birds in the Sky” by NewEra at #34, “Never Lose Me” by Flo Milli surging high and fast up to #23 thanks to her releasing an album that includes a pretty great remix of the song featuring Cardi B and SZA, and then “Austin” by Dasha at #15, “Lovers in a Past Life” by Calvin Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man at #14 and finally, making his way into the top 10 for the first time, “Scared to Start” by Michael Marcagi at #10.

Our top five this week consists of “End of Beginning” by Djo at #5, “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims at #4, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” by Beyoncé at #3, “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” by Ariana Grande at a new peak of #2 off of the debut, that could grab a week at the top soon, and of course, Benny Boone at #1. Now for our four new songs, which feel like names picked out of a hat and placed onto the chart.

New Entries

#60 - “Been Like This” - Meghan Trainor and T-Pain

Produced by Gian Stone and Grant Boutin

This is a joke, right? Or a soundtrack to a reality television competition, or daytime talk show? T-Pain has grown into his role as wholesome cuddly media figure surprisingly well and a collaboration with Meghan Trainor, whilst demonic, seems to be the best way to seal that position, with this being the lead single for her next album… Timeless. Well, that’s one thing to call your music. Mean jokes aside, hey, T-Pain is here so at least there’ll be some genuine, not as obnoxious charisma? Well, first of all, it’s electro swing, so my first instinct is to step away from my laptop, keel over and die, especially when Meghan starts to singing about how she keeps it juicy and then eventually that she’s “still that bitch”, as if she was ever that bitch to begin with. There’s something so cynical about Trainor’s vocals that I didn’t notice just the true extent of until T-Pain came in with an infectious call-and-response and weirdly-mixed but fun-extruding harmonies that almost would convince me on the entire song if he didn’t have to play to Meghan’s lack of personality, especially when placed against each other in the bridge. T-Pain can sell this as some goofy cartoon clown, but it probably wouldn’t charted without Ms. Trainor, who brings pretty much nothing to the song other than taking it a tad too seriously, despite the fact that there’s no reason, lyrically, for this to even be a duet. Also, Meghan, I’m not sure you can even sing the line about GRAMMYs in T-Pain’s verse on the account of you only have one.

#52 - “Never be Lonely” - Jax Jones and Zoe Wees

Produced by Jax Jones, Mark Ralph, Neave Applebaum and Tom Demac

I actually really like Jax Jones’ producer tag, it’s cute and rhythmic, has a little stutter to it. It’s nice. I have to say more than that, don’t I? I have to acknowledge Zoe Wees’ voice being misued and manipulated to just sounding characterless, I have to acknowledge how this heavily interpolates the drop from “Rhythm is a Dancer” by Snap!, one of the best Eurodance songs ever despite some… regrettable lines. It spent six weeks at #1 in 1992, blocking off Jimmy Nails, Freddie Mercury, Luther Vandross, Janet Jackson and of course, “Ebenezer Goode” by the Shamen from the top spot, before reappearing in remixed form in 2003 and 2008, reaching the top 40 again both times. “Never be Lonely” doesn’t work as an update of the song because of completely different lyrical content that I actually hate, asking someone to tell her how it feels that she’ll always be there for them, it’s really patronising and weird. It doesn’t work as a reimagining or reinterpretation because it goes for the same tone, and doesn’t adopt or adapt any of the original lyrical conceits. The one thing it does have is a Cascada remix. Yes, that Cascada. I have no idea why, but it exists.

#18 - “Going Home” (Theme from Local Hero) - Mark Knopfler’s Guitar Heroes

Produced by Guy Fletcher

Oh, so I guess this episode really will get as serious as cancer. This one might take a while to explain. So in 1983, Bill Forsyth wrote and directed Local Hero, a highly-acclaimed comedy drama that is actually former US Vice President Al Gore’s favourite film. Its soundtrack features a five-minute instrumental piece known as the “Theme of the Local Hero”. I’ve never seen the film so I don’t know how exactly it appears or makes sense within its narrative but I do know it has far transcended its origin. “Going Home” was the first single in Mark Knopfler’s solo career and has become a staple in both his and his band’s live performances, as well as becoming another theme, now for Knopfler’s home football team, Newcastle United. It’s probably the most lukewarm take of all time to say that “Going Home” is a beautiful piece, it honestly gives me goosebumps from its transcendent new-age introduction and excellently distant sax from Michael Brecker, that eventually transform into a very 80s-sounding but still profoundly triumphant jam that emulates the feeling of a journey in the UK pretty well. Maybe that’s what the film’s about, I don’t know. It peaked at #56 in 1983, whilst Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” was #1 - good week for rock epics, I guess.

If you know Knopfler from anything, it’s likely his band Dire Straits, one of the few important British rock bands that hit #1 in the States and never back over here on the islands - their #1 is of course “Money for Nothing”. The legacy of Dire Straits is not something tangible for me or that I’ve ever really understood, their sound was varied and evolved through what was ultimately a very short career. They’re not a legendary act but are still big names and incredibly well-connected, especially Knopfler, who has played and produced extensively for many artists and soundtracks. In January, Knopfler sold over 100 of his guitar and amp equipment at auction and in March, he’s compiled a charity ensemble to cover “Going Home” in support of cancer awareness.

Its status as a charity single is the only possible explanation for why this nearly 10 minute instrumental piece even touched the charts let alone the top 20, but it is stuffed with big names, from rock icons like Brian May, RIngo Starr and Joan Jett and newer cats like Sam Fender and Orianthi to genuine oddballs like Keiji Haino and head-scratching inclusions like, uh, Brad Paisley, who I will only ever remember for “Accidental Racist”. There are over 60 musicians on this record and damn near all of them contributed through their guitar playing, other than Ringo on drums, The Who’s Roger Daltrey on my favourite, the harmonica (that you can barely hear at times - Daltrey’s harmonica should be put to better use), and a few others. You can tell that Fletcher and Knopfler did their best job to try and collate recordings that were clearly from different times, places, equipment set-ups and audio qualities, but this is still basically a meandering pile of guitar overdubs that lasts longer than some full EPs and doesn’t really let you register any single guitarist as them playing. The collectiveness of it may just be the point, to show a united front against cancer or what have you, and there’s definitely a lot to appreciate if you’re an in-depth fan of guitar playing or a guitarist yourself, of which I’m not. I will admit, this is genuinely impressively easy to sit through for how lengthy it is, largely because of the dexterity on display, the fact that the melody of the original “Going Home”, even when developed on in the many ways it is within this piece, is still so infectious, and also because it comes out of not just cynical philanthropy but a genuine passion for the guitar as an instrument. The cover art is a Sgt. Peppers parody of the musicians standing in front of a famous guitar shop in London, and the wide array of musicians from a lot of different genres, eras and even techniques shows how wide and universal this feels an appreciation of the guitar… but I’ll say what my dad always said about Dire Straits (because, really, dads are the only people with viable Dire Straits opinions): “it all becomes much of a muchness.” My favourite of theirs is “Walk of Life” by the way, it’s so goofy. Love it.

#14 - “FRI(END)S” - V

Produced by Connor McDonough and Riley McDonough

V is the latest of the BTS boys to release a solo English single, seemingly leading towards a solo career like Jung Kook, with credits stacked full of Anglophone pop songwriters and production from the McDonough brothers that results in a very serviceable pop song that I’m not sure would get much attention outside of the fact that it’s a BTS member, hence why sales jacked this one’s chart position up so high. It’s not a bad little song at all, in fact I like the distorted guitar lick and the amount of emotion V shows in his vocals despite all the effects, he has a real unique texture against the slodgier indie drums and the infectious bed of harmonies in the pre-chorus. The one way I could see this getting big organically would be that fun albeit gimmicky chorus that makes this an anti-climactic friend zone anthem, though the gimmick wears off after the second time and doesn’t really develop into anything new in the second chorus other than some pretty gross, reverb-drenched spectacle. I usually wouldn’t give this manufactured bedroom pop much more of the time of day but there’s not much in the way of obnoxious performance or toxic lyrics here, it’s just that it really could be any other vaguely bitter male singer’s song. The first most obvious comparison is Joji due to their vocal textures, but Charlie Puth or Lauv could have easily made this work too, though probably not as well as V does here, especially not Puth. God, that would be horrible. Thank God for BTS that this song was never offered to Puth (not that he’d accept a song he didn’t spend 20 hours writing and producing himself, of course). Ugh, enough Puth talk, let’s end the episode.

Conclusion

God, this was not a great week, huh? Even if I’m not fussed about the new version, the composition of “Going Home” makes Mark Knopfler and friends get a lock for Honourable Mention, and it really does end up as the song with the most - if not the only - human passion in this selection. Worst of the Week goes to Meghan Trainor, surprise, surprise, for “Been Like This” with T-Pain, and that’s all. Future, Shakira, O-Rod, Tyla, Hozier, Headie One, Artemas, Cardi B, Lil Nas X, Bryson Tiller, they could all hypothetically show up next week and it would be a big one, so prepare for that and who knows what else? It’s 2024, anything can chart. As for now, thank you for reading, rest in peace to Cola Boyy but we go on and I’ll see you next week!

#uk singles chart #pop music #song reviews #mark knopfler #guitar heroes #dire straits #v #jax jones #zoe wees #cascada #meghan trainor #t-pain

3 notes · View notes

hellhound5925 · 8 months

Note

Get To Know Me asks:

12, 15, 22, 27, 29, and 30

Thank you for the Ask!

12) What is something you want right now?

Tickets to see Ghost/ for them to come back to the US because I need them in my life 😂😭

15) Personality description.

I have a hard time explaining myself so we shall see how this goes 😂 I tend to be kind of quiet at first but the more you get to know me the less I shut up (ask my husband). I’m definitely outgoing, hardworking, and tend to forget to take time for myself because I get too caught up in things. Pretty sure I have undiagnosed ADHD because sometimes things get wild (like Jutty, iykyk). 9 times out of 10 my brain is working faster than I can keep up with 😂 Not much of a party girl but if you’re in my friend group, theres nothing I love more than spending quality time with my small circle.

I hyperfixate on things like you would not believe. Like when I like something I REALY like something, I’ll eat, sleep, and breathe it until it runs it course or it stays i.e. Supernatural, Starwars, Ghost, and Sleep Token. And then it will likely become a tattoo 😅

My heart is always with other people. I work in a field where I care for people with developmental disabilities and theres nothing that makes me happier than to see people who cannot succeed on their own succeeding even with help. I’ve been told I make a great leader in my field as well.

I’m also not someone who gets angry but when I do, someone really must have done something quite bad. I am a quietly angry person whose usually blowing up on the inside but you’d probably never know it other than the dead silence.

I hope that was that answers that!

22) Descrption of Crush.

🤔 Like fictional or real life? Personality or looks? I guess I’ll start off by saying I’m not a looks person. Obviously I find people attractive but its always been about so much more for me. Someone who is caring and patient enough to put up with my brain is good enough for me 😂 I’ve always been drawn to the personalities like Hunter but obviously he’s beautiful to look at so double win.

27) Things I hate…

Disrespectful people. This is one of my biggest pet peeves I guess we can say. Like you don’t have to like me and I don’t have to like you but you will NEVER catch me being disrespectful to someone. I give it and expect people to give the same which I really don’t think is a big ask.

Grape/Cherry flavoring. I took medication as a kid that made me sick to my stomach that was flavored like that 🤷‍♀️

29) Favorite Film

Corpse Bride (2005) (at least right now because it tends to change)

30) Favorite Tv shows

Supernatural, The Bad Batch, The Mandalorian, The Witcher (these are shows that I will default to when I can’t find anything else to watch).

#Hellhound speaks #Hellhound gets personal #Thanks for the ask

3 notes · View notes

mama-qwerty · 1 year

Text

Darkling Wade and Callie - Qwertyverse Edition

Okay ya mooks. It’s done. Or as done as I’m gonna get it. Everytime I read it I change/add something so I’m gonna stick a fork in this baby and leave it be.

Over 8500 words. A lot longer than I expected it to be, but damnit, I got in The Zone and this came out pretty darn well, I think.

This is from my Qwertyverse, where Callie and Wade had been dating for a while before he was turned. I stayed pretty true to what led him to be transformed (established by @stillafanofsonic and @doomfox ) but just embellished it a bit.

Enjoy!

~~~~~

Callie stood in front of the door leading to the bedroom that used to belong to Eclipse. Silence radiated from inside—one would think it was empty.

But it wasn’t.

Eclipse hadn’t used the room for the better part of a month. He’d moved in with his brother down the hall, and someone else took shelter in here. Someone Callie loved. Someone she missed. Someone who was the same, but different.

This was almost a ritual of hers, developed over the past few weeks. Stopping in front of this door, day after day. Sometimes she’d raise her hand to knock, and it would hover in the air for a long moment, before dropping back to her side. Sometimes she actually would knock, offering food to the person inside.

She was always met with silence.

Well. Not always.

Sometimes she heard crying.

That was worse.

Heart pounding, she lifted her hand and rapped her knuckles on the wood. It sounded louder than she intended, and she flinched.

“Wade?” she called, her voice shaky. She swore her heart was trying to beat right out of her chest. “Can I come in?”

Silence. Then, movement.

“No.” His voice was raspier than before. A side effect of his new vocal cords. “I’m a . . .” He paused, pushing out a harsh sigh. “I don’t want you to look at me.”

Callie released her own sigh, a soft, nearly silent one. “You haven’t eaten in days. I’m gonna make you a sandwich. I’ll . . . leave it right outside the door. Please eat it.”

He uttered another sigh, then a grunt of affirmation. Then, silence once more.

Words piled up on Callie’s tongue, dragging a whirlwind of emotions with it. She wanted to cry, and rage, and just slink away in silence. Wanted to scream at him, beg him to talk to her. Her hands curled into fists, ready to pound on the door with every ounce of strength she possessed, demanding he open it, and if he didn’t, she would. She’d bust it to splinters if she had to. She needed to see him, even now, when he looked so different.

She loved him. It was something that had snuck up on her, creeping into her heart before she realized it was there. But once she saw it, understood it for what it was, it made her feel so light.

She loved him. This man who’d come into her life the same day Silver had. Had stayed by her through that whole crazy time, checking in, making sure she was okay. And they had become friends, good friends, best friends, and that was good. That was great. He was the first person to see through her shell, to see past the Confident Callie mask she wore every day of her life, for decades. To see just how broken and lonely she really was. To see her.

And at some point, months down the line, that friendship changed. That comfortable air between them turned to something more. He became something more. He grounded her when she felt lost. Supported her when she felt weak. Held her when she felt as though she would break. He made her stronger. Calmer. Happier. She needed him beside her.

She needed him. His sudden absence felt as though she were missing a limb. Off-kilter. Broken.

And it wasn’t as though he were gone. He was here! Right here! Right behind this door! And all she had to do was go in. The door wasn’t locked, she could simply turn the knob and walk right in. Just go in and tell him now much she loved him, still, even after everything. Nothing was stopping her.

She reached for the knob, hand hovering over it, shaking.

She wanted to open it. Wanted to see him. Wanted to hold him. To tell him it didn’t matter what he looked like, she didn’t care, he was still him, and that’s all that mattered. She loved him.

Her hand fell back to her side.

He didn’t want to see her. Refused to, for weeks.

Maybe his feelings had changed. Maybe . . . maybe he didn’t love her anymore.

She missed him. So damn much.

She sighed, and headed downstairs. He needed to eat, and she would make sure he did.

Even if she had to force her way inside and cram it down his stupid, stubborn throat.

~X~X~X~

Eclipse peeked around the corner of the hallway, watching as his mom tried to talk to Wade through the door. The amount of pain and sadness coming off her churned his stomach. He hated seeing her so upset.

Especially since this was all his fault.

He hadn’t meant for any of this to happen. He’d been riding along with Wade on patrol one day, almost a month ago. It was so exciting! Riding in the police cruiser, just him and Wade. He’d even been allowed to run the lights and siren! So cool!

But then the deer jumped in front of them as they drove through one of the wooded areas. It hit the hood, bouncing back to roll over the top of the car. Wade slammed on the brakes, cranking the wheel hard to the right. They careened off the road, and Eclipse had panicked and teleported out, reappearing a little way down the road behind them. An ear-splitting screech, glass shattering, and then a terrible, horrible, tail-curling cry of pain.

And then . . . silence.

Eclipse stood frozen to the spot for what felt like a long time. The car sat still, tilted over the embankment, front twisted around a tree. The engine ticked as it cooled, and he could hear liquid dripping.

And that’s all he heard.

“Wade?” he called, inching forward. Why wasn’t he getting out? He was wearing his seatbelt, and Mom always said your seatbelt would help keep you safe in an accident. “Wade?”

Alarms rang in Eclipse’s head. Something was wrong, terribly wrong. He briefly considered teleporting away and getting his mom, she would know what to do, when he heard it. A wheezy kind of groan.

“Wade?” Eclipse hurried forward. Maybe Wade had just gotten the wind knocked out of him. The darkling had had that happen to him before, and it sometimes took him a few minutes to recover. Maybe he just needed to help Wade out of the car. Then they’d call Mom and--

The thought snapped off in his mind like a toothpick. Eclipse rounded the front of the car, and found a long branch had punctured the windshield. Directly through the driver’s seat. The glass was shattered and spider-webbed, but he could see hands still clutching the steering wheel.

And red. There was so much red.

At first he couldn’t understand what it was. Paint? Why would Wade have paint in--

A gasp caught in Eclipse’s throat.

Blood. Human blood was red.

Tail flicking in fear and worry, Eclipse hurried to the driver’s door. Wade was slumped forward, and the branch that had pierced the windshield disappeared into this chest. As the darkling watched, Wade pulled in a wet, ragged breath.

“Wade!” Eclipse reached through the broken window, scratching his hand but ignoring it. He grasped the man’s shoulder and gave him a shake. “Wade, wake up! C’mon, you gotta be okay!”

The man gave another pained cry at the jostling, and Eclipse released him with a gasp. More blood oozed from Wade’s mouth, and his breathing was becoming more shallow.

Eclipse realized with a start, he was watching Wade die. He could smell it on him.

Panic gripped the little darkling, and he hurried back to the road. “Help!” he yelled, cupping his hands around his mouth. “Somebody help!”

Only the birds answered him, calling and trilling to each other as Wade Whipple sat dying in the police cruiser.

Eclipse curled in on himself. Time was running out. He considered teleporting out to tell someone, but he wasn’t quite sure where they were and didn’t want to run the risk of getting lost on the way back. Wade didn’t have time for that.

He didn’t have much time at all.

“What do I do?” Eclipse whined, hurrying back to the driver’s door. Wade sat slumped, head bowed forward, his breathing wet and slow. “Wade, what do I do? I don’t know what to do!”

He was the ultimate weapon, created to destroy and conquer. He had no idea how to help. How to save a life.

Wait.

His mom talked about helping save people. She donated blood every month, because she said her blood was special (something about a letter? O something? Humans were weird.) and that it could be used to help a lot of people, even if their blood was a different letter. It didn’t really make sense to Eclipse, but his mom usually knew what she was talking about, so he believed her.

Maybe that’s what Wade needed. He was losing a lot of blood, so he needed more.

But Eclipse wasn’t exactly sure how that worked. And he certainly didn’t have access to the special blood that would help Wade. How could he--

A thought struck, and the darkling looked at his hand. A scratch lined the pad on his palm, and green blood oozed out.

His blood was special. His blood let him heal really fast. Maybe, if he gave Wade some of his special blood, Wade could heal, too. Maybe just a little, but it could work to keep him alive long enough for the human doctors to help him.

Wade let out another groan, and Eclipse decided. He reached forward, grabbed hold of Wade’s wrist, and teleported them both away.

The little darkling was pulled from his thoughts when his mom moved away from the door. He waited until she disappeared down the stairs, then crawled forward, slinking on all fours, and stopped in front of what used to be his room. Soft sniffles reached his sensitive ears, and he frowned at the door.

He’d only wanted to help. His mom loved Wade, and Eclipse really liked the man, too. Wade was really nice, and would sometimes bring him and Silver presents, and play on the Switch with them. And he was really fun to roughhouse with, even when Mom yelled at them to stop, you’re gonna break something for crying out loud.

He hadn’t really thought about it before, but he guessed he loved Wade, too. Just like he loved his mom.

And now Wade hated him.

He’d only wanted to help.

~X~X~X~

Silver walked into the kitchen as his mom went through the motions of fixing a few sandwiches. Ham on rye, with Swiss cheese and a dash of mayo. Wade’s favorite.

“Did he let you in?” he asked, and Callie turned as Silver climbed onto a bar stool at the kitchen island.

She sighed. “Not yet.”

Silver hummed. It’d been weeks since he’d seen Wade. It was hard on him, as he really liked playing Switch with the man. He always made funny noises as they played Mario Kart, and was really fun to hang out with. Ever since he and Silver’s mom started dating, it was almost like having a dad, like Sonic did.

But now everything was different. Ever since the accident, Wade stayed upstairs in Eclipse’s room, and wouldn’t come out or let anyone in to see him. Silver could kind of understand, it was probably really hard on Wade being so different, and he tried not to talk about it a lot. Because as sad as Silver was about this whole situation, he figured his mom was a lot sadder.

Now he let out a sigh. “I miss him.”

His mom wiped away a few tears she thought he didn’t see. “Me too.”

Silver watched as she spread mayo on the bread. “I miss Eclipse, too.”

The librarian uttered a laugh, but Silver though it sounded forced. “You just saw him this morning. Your brother didn’t go anywhere. He’s bunking with you, for crying out loud.”

“I know, but . . .” He sighed. “He’s been . . . different.”

Ever since the accident, Eclipse hadn’t been himself. The two were normally thick as thieves (and twice as sneaky, his mom claimed), but ever since Wade . . . changed, Eclipse had been quiet and withdrawn. It had started small, just occasional moments of uncharacteristic quiet thoughtfulness, but it was nearly constant now. It was really weird to see his normally energetic and rambunctious brother acting so subdued.

“I’ll talk to him today, Bug,” his mom said, cutting the sandwiches into triangles. “Maybe he’s just worried about Wade.”

“Maybe.”

Worry wasn’t the word Silver would have used. Well, that’s not entirely true. There did seem to be a type of concern, but Silver didn’t think Eclipse’s current behavior was because he was worried about Wade. Now that they shared a room, Silver heard Eclipse at night. The darkling sometimes spoke in his sleep. His strange behavior did seem to have something to do with Wade, but it seemed to be fueled by guilt more than concern.

Silver wasn’t sure exactly why Eclipse would feel guilty for saving Wade’s life the way he had. Sure, it may not have turned out like he’d hoped, but Wade was alive because of Eclipse. Wasn’t that a good thing?

Callie scooped a handful of potato chips onto the plate, grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge, and gave Silver a little head scratch as she passed on her way back upstairs. He watched her go, and hoped Wade would let her in soon. He hated seeing her so sad.

~X~X~X~

As she mounted the stairs, Callie found her younger son crouched outside the door of his former bedroom, his tail curled around his feet.

“Hey, Monkey,” she called, her voice soft. “Just the boy I wanted to see.” She bent to place the plate and water on the floor by the door, and gave a little knock. “Lunch, Wade.”

Then she turned to Eclipse. “C’mon, you,” she said, lifting the boy into her arms. “Let’s have a little chit-chat.”

Eclipse said nothing, but wrapped his arms around her neck, nuzzling his face into the crook. Callie rubbed his back as they headed downstairs, and she gave Silver a little head tilt to motion for him to join them on the couch.

“Been a while since we’ve had a little family gab session,” she said as she sat and positioned Eclipse in her lap. Silver sat on her left. “Think we all need one.”

An awkward silence settled in the living room, and Eclipse kept his eyes cast down to the hands fiddling in his lap. Silver flicked his amber eyes between his brother and mom. And Callie struggled to find the words to start opening the lines of communication. Normally getting her boys to talk wasn’t a challenge—getting them to shut up was another matter—but then again, they’d never been faced with a situation quite like this before.

“I know it’s been hard lately,” she said, placing her hand over Eclipse’s. His stilled, but he didn’t look up. “We’re all having a lot of big feelings regarding how different everything is. And I am so proud of you two sharing Silver’s room so well. Wade’s having . . . a hard time right now, but I’m sure he’ll be okay and--”

“He hates me,” the darkling said, his voice uncharacteristically soft. Callie looked at him with wide eyes.

“No he doesn’t,” she said, her hand squeezing his.

He nodded. “Yuh huh. He hates me because I made him change.”

“Eclipse—”

“I didn’t know my blood would turn him into a Dark!” he cried, tears trickling down his muzzle. “I didn’t know! I was trying to help! He was dying! He be dead right now if I hadn’t given him some of my blood, and then everyone would be sad, and he wouldn’t be here anymore, and it would’ve been my fault because I didn’t help him! I was just trying to help, and now he hates me!”

“Honey, I’m sure he doesn’t.”

Eclipse snarled, giving her an angry glare. “How do you know? He won’t even talk to you!”

She flinched, and he dropped his gaze back to his lap. He wasn’t wrong. After Wade had recovered from his . . . transformation, he had, understandably, freaked out. He looked pretty much exactly like a larger version of Eclipse, complete with gold-on-black eyes, dark scales, sharp fangs, claws, and a long barbed tail. Speech had been rough for the first few days, but when he was finally able to verbalize his feelings, he’d said some things she really wished Eclipse hadn’t been around to hear. Words like “freak” and “monster” fell from Wade’s newly forked tongue in ample supply, until Callie put a stop to it.

Then he had come home—his mother had taken one look at him and immediately declared he would not set foot in her house again—and retreated to Callie’s garage. She’d only been able to coax him out of there by moving Eclipse into Silver’s room and offering that refuge instead.

That had been over two weeks ago. He hadn’t left that room since. Or allowed anyone else in. He refused to talk to anyone, and only left the room in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.

Change was never easy for Wade, but this had shattered every ounce of control he had over his anxiety. Every coping mechanism went out the window when the trigger event was essentially turning into a giant gremlin.

“It’s just really different for him,” she said, finally finding her tongue. “That’s all.”

Eclipse shook his head. “He hates what he is now, and he hates me for making him that way.” His brow ridge lowered. “He says he’s a monster.” Golden eyes locked with hers. “Does that mean I’m a monster, too? Does . . . does that mean he never really liked me? Because I’m a . . . a freak?”

“No.” Her tone was firm, and a feeling rose in her chest. It wasn’t anger per se, but more of the protective urges she felt when one of her boys needed her. Her Mama Bear instincts. “Absolutely not. Baby, you are not a monster, or a freak, and Wade absolutely adored you.”

“Then why’s he so sad about being like me?” the darkling asked, his voice soft again. “Why does he hate it so much?”

“Being a Dark is really different from being a human,” Silver said. “And he’s been a human for a long time. Maybe it’s kinda scary for him.”

“But being a Dark is so much cooler! He’s stronger, and can teleport, and humans can’t do that!”

“But he’s used to being human,” Silver said, shrugging. “What if you woke up tomorrow and you were suddenly a hedgehog? Wouldn’t that be a little scary?”

Eclipse furrowed his brow ridge as he thought. “I guess? I’d be kinda sad to not be a darkling anymore.”

“Why?” Callie asked. “Your brother’s a hedgehog, and he thinks it’s pretty awesome.” She turned to Silver. “Right?” The gray boy nodded.

“Because they’re not as tough, I guess? They have fur and no sharp teeth and aren’t as cool as Darks.” Eclipse shrugged. “I guess I’d feel a little angry and sad that I was suddenly something different.”

“And maybe that’s how Wade’s feeling?” Callie coaxed, rubbing a knuckle along her little darkling’s muzzle. “He almost died, then he woke up as something completely different. He doesn’t look human anymore, maybe he doesn’t feel completely human, either. It’s probably really scary for him.”

“But it’s been a month!” Eclipse said, tears slipping down his muzzle. “Shouldn’t he be . . . I dunno, used to it by now? He’s still him! But he’s hiding away like he’s ashamed. Like he hates what he is.” He scrubbed at his tears with the heel of a hand. “He’s like me, and if he hates being like me, then he hates me.”

“Oh, baby,” she said, pulling him to her. He tucked his head beneath her chin, clutching her shirt in his fists. “You’re not a monster, or a freak, and Wade is . . .” She sighed. “Not handling this the best way he could, I admit. But sweetie, there is nothing wrong with being a Dark, or a Darkling. I love you, just how you are.”

Eclipse hitched in breath. “Promise?”

“Cross my heart,” she said, pulling him away to lock eyes with him. “Eclipse MacPherson, you are the most adorable little gremlin I’ve ever met in my life, and I love you so, so much. You did such a brave, wonderful thing. You saved Wade’s life! And I, for one, am so grateful to you for acting so quickly.”

The boy ran a hand across his nose. “Wade doesn’t think what I did was so great.”

“Wade can sometimes miss things that are really obvious to others. Sometimes things need to be practically spelled out for him before he understands. I doubt that’s changed just because he looks different.”

“You gonna talk to him, Mom?” Silver asked, leaning closer.

Callie smiled. Her hedgehog boy was always a snuggler, and he was obviously feeling left out while his brother got all the love right now.

“Yeah, Bug. I’m gonna talk to him. But first, I’m gonna have a nice little cuddle session with my boys,” she said, scooping Silver into her lap.

The boys giggled and squirmed to find a comfortable position, then wrapped their arms around her. She squeezed them tight, peppering their foreheads with kisses, and whispering loving words into their ears.

“I love you both, so much,” she said, nuzzling between them as tears ran down her cheeks. “You’ve both been so brave and kind through all this. You help me be brave. I couldn’t ask for better sons.”

“We love you, Mom,” Silver said, wiggling to snuggle closer.

Eclipse nodded against her. “You always help us feel better, no matter what.”

She uttered a soft laugh. “Yeah?” she asked, and they both nodded. “Well, hopefully I’ll be able to use some of that patented Callie Charm on Wade and snap him out of his funk, huh?”

“If anyone can, it’s you,” Silver said, sniffing. “’Cause you’re the best mom ever!”

“Oh, you think so?” Callie laughed, and planted a loud, exaggerated smacker on Silver’s cheek.

The boy giggled, pushing her away to wipe at his muzzle. “Gross!”

Eclipse laughed. “My turn! Do me!” he cried, and turned his cheek toward her. She happily obliged, making his smacker last even longer. He laughed when she finally pulled away, wiping his cheek. “Super gross!”

“Your turn!” Silver said, before both boys leaned forward and did the same to her, each taking a cheek and planting the loudest, wettest, most sweetest and hilarious kisses she’d ever experienced.

“Super duper gross!” she cried, and leaned forward to wipe her cheeks on her boys. They laughed and tried to push her away, but she just held them tighter.

The trio soon calmed, finishing their talk with another group hug.

“Tell you what, guys,” Callie said, pulling back and giving them both a stroke on their muzzles. “I’m gonna call Maddie and see if it’d be okay for you to head over there for the afternoon. I’ll talk to Wade while you’re out, and try to knock some sense into that thick head of his. Sound good?”

The boys nodded, although Eclipse looked apprehensive. She cupped his muzzle, stroking his cheek with her thumb. “Everything will be okay, babydoll. You’ll see.”

He nodded again. “Okay.”

“Okay.” She leaned forward to place another soft kiss on his head. “Run and get your shoes on.”

Her boys hopped down and ran toward the door as she pulled her phone from her back pocket.

As much as she loved Wade, this had to end. Her boys were suffering, she was suffering, Wade was suffering. Being stuck in limbo like this wasn’t doing anyone any favors. The man hiding away upstairs either had to face his new reality and decide to move forward, or . . .

She swallowed hard. She didn’t want to think about the ‘or’.

A quick call to Maddie, and the vet assured Callie her boys were always welcome. She thanked her friend, and placed a quick kiss on their heads before Eclipse took Silver’s hand and teleported them to the Wachowski house.

Once they’d gone, Callie turned to look up the stairs. After a deep breath for strength, she made her way up.

~X~X~X~

Wade sat against the wall, his legs stretched before him. The last bits of the sandwiches Callie had left lay on the plate beside him. Like a man in a dream, he lifted the final half and took a bite, grimacing at the way his mouthful of sharp fangs tore through the bread and meat as though they were tissue paper.

The sandwiches didn’t even taste the same. Different taste buds, he supposed.

He huffed through his nose, closing his eyes as tears tried to escape. He didn’t want to cry. He was sick of crying. It felt like that’s all he’d been doing since the day of the accident. Since his body had changed and become alien to him. Since his entire world was reduced to the four walls around him.

The room was dark. He’d pulled the curtains closed the first day he’d come in here, and hadn’t opened them since. The lamp on the desk against the far wall sat unused. But he could see as clear as day with his new eyes. The tiny bit of light creeping through the crack under the door was more than enough to see by.

His hearing had improved, too. If he concentrated, he could hear everyone in the house. It was easier at night, when everything quieted at bedtime. The boys down the hall would chat quietly after Callie tucked them in. He couldn’t always make out what they were saying, but the tone was subdued. Not like how they acted before . . . this.

Callie’s room was across the hall, and he tried not to listen to her. She cried at night. It was soft, and usually started after the boys had fallen asleep. But Wade heard. Sometimes it was just the occasional sniffle. But sometimes . . . sometimes it was such a gut-wrenching collection of sobs, muffled, as she cried into her pillow. He would clamp his hands over his ears, trying to shut it out. If he listened for too long, it threatened to tear his heart in two.

What was once a home filled with laughter and light, had become muted and dark instead. The whole atmosphere of the house had changed, because of him.

Because he was a monster now.

Callie didn’t like when he said it, and he supposed if he was dating someone who’d changed so drastically, he wouldn’t want to be reminded of that fact either. But that’s what he felt like. That’s what he looked like. A big, terrifying monster, with sharp fangs, and claws, and a barbed tail. Whether she wanted to hear that word or not, it was the only one that fit.

He heaved a sigh, before downing the rest of his water. The angry growl of his empty belly quieted for a while. If he were honest, he didn’t really care. Eating didn’t interest him anymore, and he only did it because Callie wanted him to. He slept a lot. And when he was awake, he listened to the goings on in the house around him.

Sitting in the dark was okay, because it was easier to ignore his new body. He could pretend he was still human for a while, before his new tail gave a flick and shattered that illusion. He could imagine himself shaving again, and shampooing his hair, and standing before the mirror, staring at that fifteen extra pounds he’d never managed to get rid of.

But those extra pounds—along with about twenty more—were gone now. Burned off during his transformation. He supposed it was a pretty effective weight loss program. “Lose weight fast! Just give up your humanity and turn into a giant lizard demon!”

A laugh fluttered through his throat, and he felt like crying again.

He was so lonely. He missed his job, and chatting with Tom every day. He missed his mom, even though she could be frustrating. He missed just walking around town, seeing all the familiar faces and feeling the sun on his skin.

He missed the boys, seeing them run toward him when he stopped by, playing video games with them, and roughhousing with Eclipse. Despite this whole situation and how it came to be, he didn’t hold any ill feelings toward the little darkling. The boy had just been trying to help. He didn’t know this would happen.

And he missed Callie. More than anyone or anything. He missed her smile. He missed feeling her hands on his face. He missed her sarcastic comments during movies, her always on-point observations, her laughter. He missed just talking to her for hours, about their deepest fears, their secret dreams, or about nothing in particular. They’d once stayed up until midnight debating the theory that all Pixar movies were connected. They had gotten really into it, creating diagrams and line charts and everything. It’s one of his favorite memories with her.

He missed feeling her hand in his. He missed holding her close. He missed kissing her. The quick little pecks on the cheek when the boys were around, and the longer, softer ones on the lips when they weren’t.

He closed his eyes. Don’t think about kissing her. You’ll likely never kiss her again. Not like this.

Tears slipped out, and he roughly wiped them away.

She was his rock. The one person in all his life who saw him for who he was, and accepted him. Despite his anxiety. Despite his easy confusion. Despite his own feelings of insecurity. She didn’t care about any of that. She looked at Wade and said, “Yep. He’s the one I want.”

Not begrudgingly. Not as a last resort. Not until something better came along. She stood by him and helped him through . . . well, everything.

Because she loved him.

Well. She did. Before.

But now? How could she?

He still loved her. More than he thought possible. His heart ached for her. It was like a part of him was missing.

But things had changed. He had changed. And now everything was different. Everything was wrong.

He should leave.

Callie didn’t deserve to have this burden on her shoulders. She was so kind, and generous, and wonderful, and she could—should—have anything she wanted. Anyone she wanted. What was he now? An anchor around her neck. Dead weight. A monster who used to be a man.

Late at night, when everyone else was asleep, he sometimes crept downstairs and went to the kitchen door. His (claw) hand hovered over the handle, and he stared out into the darkness, his alien eyes allowing him to see into the black.

He could just go. Leave what used to be his life behind, and spend the rest of his days alone, hiding in the forest. Sonic had. The boy had lived 10 years out there, all alone.

If he disappeared, Callie could move on with her life. She could be happy again.

Sometimes his hand would actually rest on the handle. But he couldn’t make himself open it. No matter how many times he told himself that Callie would be better off without him, he couldn’t open the door.

His hand would fall back to his side, every time. He’d turn and walk back upstairs, every time. And he’d promise himself that next time he came down, he’d actually go through with it. Every. Time.

Wade sighed, resting his head against the wall. He’d heard Callie gather up Eclipse when she’d dropped off the sandwiches earlier, and then she and the boys chatted on the couch for a while. Eclipse had gotten upset, but Wade had tuned them out at that point—eavesdropping didn’t sit well with him, even now.

Now the house was quiet again. Maybe they’d all gone out for the afternoon.

Footsteps drew his attention then, and he furrowed his brow ridge. They were Callie’s, he could tell by the gait, but they fell in a more rapid, agitated tempo than normal. She sounded angry. What could have--

His thought broke off as the bedroom door burst open, and a pissed off redhead stormed in.

“Okay, this has gone on long enough,” she said as she crossed the room to the window. With a well-practiced flick, she flung the curtains open, letting bright sunlight in.

Wade hissed, shielding his eyes and turning away. His large, serrated pupils had dilated in the darkness, and now the bright sunlight threatened to blind him. “Callie! What the--”

She turned to him, pointing to the door. “Get out.”

His stomach clenched. Had her goodwill run out? “What?”

“I’m not running a charity here, bucko,” she said, her brows drawn down. “And I’m also not in the habit of harboring dangerous monsters. So get out.”

Wade’s jaw dropped open, his brain taking a moment to process what she’d just said. “I . . . what??”

She crossed her arms. “You heard me.”

“Yeah,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. His eyes had adjusted to the light, and he looked at her in confusion. “I did. But you . . . you think I’m a monster?”

“Isn’t that what you keep calling yourself? Even now?”

He dropped his eyes, and could swear his face . . . muzzle felt hotter. “I . . . uh . . .”

“Uh huh,” she said, nodding. “That’s what I thought. If you’re a monster, you’re not welcome here. Go find yourself a nice cave to live in, monster.”

Wade flinched. She spat the word out at him with such venom, it made his heart twist. “Stop it.”

“Stop what, monster?” she asked, her voice adopting a sharp, snarky tone. “Am I hurting your wittle feelings, monster? You gonna rip me apart and chew on my bones, monster?”

“Stop it!” He covered his ear holes with his hands. Calling himself a monster was one thing, but hearing it from the lips of the woman he loved was like a dagger in his heart. “Stop calling me that!”

“It’s what you are, isn’t it?” The snark cranked up, and she stepped toward him, her face twisted in disgust. “A big, lumbering, monster? A horrible freak? Nothing but a disgusting creature with no feelings or rational thought?”

“Stop it!” Wade dropped his hands and curled them into fists. “Shut up!”

“Why don’t you make me, monster?” Callie’s teeth gritted as she hissed the words out. “Come on! Tear my throat out. Claw my face off. Pull my arm off and beat me with it. That’s what monsters do, isn’t it? So do it. C’mon, monster!”

“No!”

“DO IT!”

“NO!” he shouted, lip curled up in a snarl. A growl grew in his throat. “Stop it! I’m not a monster!”

And just like that, her face cleared. Her brow smoothed, shoulders relaxed, and eyes regained their usual kindness. Tears brimmed in them now, and she pulled her lips together tightly.

“No,” she said, her voice soft and quiet. “You’re not.”

Wade’s anger dissipated, and now he stood still, just staring at her. It was the first time he’d seen her in weeks, and with the sunlight backlighting her, it turned her red hair into a halo of fire.

He thought she never looked so beautiful.

Sorrow burrowed into his heart when he remembered what he looked like. His face pinched in pain and he turned away, lowering himself to sit on the floor with his arms resting on bent knees.

“That was mean,” he said, his voice soft.

“It was the only way I could think of to get you to talk to me,” she said, going to her knees beside him. “To understand.”

They sat silent for a moment, and Wade could hear her heart race near him. His own sped up, seemingly eager to match pace with it. She was looking at him, he could feel it, and he turned his head away. He couldn’t face her. Not now.

“Wade,” she said, her voice soft in the silence. “I know this isn’t ideal. I know this is hard for you, it’s hard for all of us, but--”

“You’re still you,” he said, turning to her, his brow drawn low. “You’re still who you’ve always been. I’m . . . damnit, look at me! I don’t even know who I am anymore! Am I still me? Or am I something else? Someone else? I just . . .” He let out a long sigh, turning away. “I don’t know. And . . . I’m scared.”

Silence returned for a long moment, and Callie swallowed hard. Wade was starting to regret saying anything, when she spoke again.

“Do you remember the first time you took me ice skating?”

The question caught him off-guard, and he turned back to her. She wasn’t looking at him, her focus instead on the hands in her lap.

“I’d never been, and you seemed to think that was some sort of horrible travesty. ‘Saturday,’ you’d said. ‘You and me and the boys. We’re all going.’” Now she looked up at him. “Remember?”

He locked eyes with her, and a warmth in his chest grew. He nodded. “You were terrible.”

A small laugh escaped her, and a tingle traveled up his spine at the sound. “I was. Spent more time on my butt than my feet.”

He smiled, the memory making him feel warm and comfortable. “I helped you. You took my hands, and I kept you steady.”

She nodded. “You did. Do you remember what you said to me then?”

He did. His throat threatened to close around the words, not letting them escape. “I said I wouldn’t let go. I’d be there for as long as you needed me.”

Another nod, and she scooted closer. “That’s right. But you know what?”

Wade unconsciously leaned closer. “What?”

“That goes both ways. I’m not letting you go. I’m here, and will be for as long as you need me.”

His breath caught in his throat, and he forgot to breathe for the next few seconds. “Are you sure that’s what you want? I’m not . . . you know, too different?”

She gave him a little smirk. “I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t mean it. You should know that.”

He did know that. But he needed to hear it. To be sure. “Tell me anyway. Please.”

Callie’s brow furrowed slightly, and she reached forward to lay a hand on his arm. His skin . . . scales burned at her touch, and his whole arm thrummed with her warmth.

“Wade Whipple, I can safely say that there’s no one on Earth I’d rather be with, than you. No matter what you look like, you’re still you. And that’s all that matters to me.”

The world fell away in that moment, and all Wade could see were her blue-green eyes, locked with his. All he could feel was her hand on his arm. Her heartbeat echoed in his ears, and he could smell her—lavender and strawberries, from her shampoo and fabric softener—and all these things and a hundred more combined to make him feel real again. Normal.

He blinked, breaking the spell and turned to focus on his hand. Three fingers instead of five. Each tipped with a sharp claw. He flexed it, tightening it into a fist. “I’m not human.”

Callie sat silent for a moment. “No. You’re not.”

He sighed, tilting his head back to look up at the ceiling. “I’m not a monster.”

“No. You’re not.” Her response came faster this time.

Silence settled between them for a long moment, before he turned to her. “Then what am I?”

She looked him in the eyes for a few seconds, before a smile curled her lips. Wade’s heart pounded faster at the sight of it.

“You’re a Dark,” she said, with a small shrug. “An older version of my second son.” The smile spread, offering warmth and love.

“You are also Wade Whipple,” she said, and fresh tears appeared in her eyes. “A kind, gentle, sweet, wonderful man, who loves his town, loves his boys, and would never harm a single soul.”

The first tear ran down her cheek, and Wade followed it with his eyes. He wanted to reach forward and brush it away. To touch her soft skin, and feel her warmth.

He clenched his hand into another fist instead.

“You also happen to be the man . . .” She paused, biting her lip as if afraid to continue. “The man I love.”

His eyes flicked back to hers. Had he misheard? “Love? Like . . . still?”

She nodded, that smile still on her lips. “Still. Present tense. Right now. Never stopped.”

Shock stunned him silent for a moment. “But I’m--”

“Wade, if you call yourself a monster again, I’m gonna deck you. I swear to God.”

That drew a little laugh out of him. “No . . . I was gonna say I’m not exactly in any shape to really be . . . boyfriend material. I’m so . . . different.”

Callie seemed to study him for a moment, as though this were the first time she’d seen him. And he realized it kind of was. He’d kept himself hidden from her—from everyone, really—ever since he discovered what he was, and this was the first time they’d actually sat and talked since before the accident. Her eyes traveled up and down his frame, lingering on his claws and tail, before finally returning to his eyes.

“There are things I’ll miss,” she said, her voice soft and sad. “Running my fingers through your soft brown hair as we watch movies at night. Feeling your warm arms, hugging me from behind. Watching that blush run up from your neck to your ears when you’re really embarrassed. Lacing our fingers together as we hold hands. Your big blue eyes . . . and that sweet smile that always made me feel so warm.” She sighed, and more tears ran down her cheeks. “Yeah. I’ll really miss that.”

He ducked his head, his own tears threatening to fall. Her voice held so much sadness, he cursed his new form for causing her such pain.

A hand appeared as she tucked a knuckle under his chin, and lifted his eyes back to her. The tears were still on her cheeks, but she was smiling again.

“But,” she said, and ran a thumb over his muzzle. “I already love someone with gold-on-black eyes. And those scales aren’t as hard and cold and it would seem. That crooked, fanged smile is actually really adorable. And honestly? I’m kinda jealous of the tail. I’ve always thought it’d be neat to have one.”

He chuckled at that, and she reached forward to take his hand into hers.

“And look at that. This hand still fits pretty darn well in mine.”

Wade looked down at their hands curled around each other. She gave him a squeeze, her soft skin warm, comfortable, and familiar. His heart hammered in his chest.

“You . . .” he started, his voice soft and shaky. “You really still want me? Really?

She nodded. “Really really.” She reached forward to cup his muzzle with her other hand. His breath hitched in his throat at her touch, and he leaned into her without thinking. “You’re still you, Wade. Do you think I’m so shallow I’d stop loving you just because you look different?”

Wade’s brain nearly stopped working. He did think that. Why wouldn’t he? He wasn’t human anymore. It wasn’t like they could have any type of normal relationship. Well, romantic relationship, anyway. He supposed they could go back to being good friends, even if the idea caused a pain in his chest. Now that he knew how it felt to be in love, to have her love, the possibility of not having that anymore felt like torture. More painful than anything he could imagine.

But that’s all they could be, now. Right? They were too different for anything more. It would just be weird if they were to kiss. Right?

Damnit. He shouldn’t have thought about kissing her. Now that’s all he wanted to do.

“You cry at night,” he said instead, pulling her hand from his face. The feel of her against him sent his heart racing. “I hear you. I . . . I thought it was because you hated what I turned into.”

She shook her head, sending more tears down her cheeks. “I missed you,” she said, her voice a harsh whisper. “So much. I wanted to help you, but you wouldn’t let me. It felt like . . . like you didn’t want me anymore. You shut me out.”

Wade dropped his eyes back to their hands, still locked together. He gave hers a squeeze.

“I . . .” he said, his voice soft. “I felt like a burden. This . . . this whole thing is so hard. I’m still me, I guess, but I’m not. I don’t know where I fit anymore. Well, I didn’t really fit anywhere before, but at least I looked like everyone else. Now . . .” He shrugged. “I’m all alone.”

“I see your complete obliviousness is still intact,” she said, a little laugh in her throat. He looked up, an eyebrow ridge raised. “Wade Whipple, honestly. Have you forgotten about the five alien children currently living in Green Hills? Are you seriously suggesting that you, a recently transformed alien gremlin, are completely and utterly unique and alone on this planet? Seriously?”

He pulled his lips tight, his tail giving an embarrassed flick behind him. “That does seem kinda dumb, huh?”

“Just a tad, Bear,” she said, her mouth pulling into a smirk. Wade felt a tingle move up his spine at the sound of her nickname for him, and he uttered a small laugh in his throat.

“Guess I’ll need a new nickname,” he said, a smile curling his own lips. “Not your big teddy bear anymore, am I?”

Her smile changed to one a little softer, and she shook her head. “Nah. You’ll always be my Bear. I’m really glad I have a second chance to be with you.”

The tingle from before wrapped around his chest, and squeezed his heart. He loved her, he always loved her, even in his darkest moments in this room, the moments that left him wondering if even staying alive was worthwhile, he loved her.

And now, with her hand still cradled in his, and her blue-green eyes locked with his gold, he loved her. She was here, she still loved him, and things seemed so much better than just a short while ago.

Maybe things would be okay. Maybe he could adjust and learn to accept his new body. Maybe he could have a life again.

As long as she stood with him, as long as she loved him, he could be happy.

And now, Wade Whipple, former human, reached forward and pulled the woman he loved—and who loved him back!--into a strong hug. He wrapped his new arms around her, holding her tight, and buried his face into her neck. Tears trailed down his muzzle, wetting her, and he blurted out apologies, gratitude, and declarations of his love for her.

And then her arms snaked around him, to hold him tight against her. She was crying too, sniffling softly in his ear, telling him she loved him over and over again.

They sat like that for a few long moments, hugging and crying and enjoying their reunion. The missing part of each other had been found, returned to make them both whole again.

Finally they pulled apart, and got to work wiping the tears from each other’s faces. Task done, they leaned forward to rest their foreheads together, their hands intertwined in his lap.

“I love you so much,” Wade said, his tail curling around to encircle her waist. “I’m sorry I was being such a dork.”

“You’ve always been a dork, Bear,” Callie said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. “I’m sorry it took me so long to have the guts to talk to you.”

They pulled apart, and Wade untangled one of his hands to wipe the fresh tears trailing down her cheeks. “I wasn’t exactly in the right mood to listen. I was kinda hating . . . well, everything.”

Callie’s face changed, as though just remembering something. “That reminds me, you need to talk to Eclipse. He thinks you hate him.”

Wade’s heart skipped. “What? Why?” She gave him a look and he flinched. “Oh. Right.”

“He’s been really upset about it.”

“I never blamed him for this. But I’ll talk to him. Make sure he knows he’s still my little buddy.”

“Good.”

Silence settled, this time more comfortable than before, and Wade was again struck with the urge to kiss her. He shouldn’t, he wasn’t human, it would be weird, so weird, but holy crap was it hard to stop himself from imagining just reaching forward and grabbing her shoulders, pulling her to him and pressing their lips together--

Which is exactly what Callie did. She cupped his face instead of his shoulders, but she brought him to her before he could register what was happening, and pressed her lips against his. He froze for a few seconds before kissing her back, and it was nice, so nice, so absolutely wonderful to feel her, to smell her, to wrap his hands around her waist to pull her against him.

This kiss was new and familiar, strange and wonderful, weird and oh-so-needed.

And when it was over, they pulled apart, wiping at yet more tears that had fallen. Callie took his head in her hands, locking their eyes together.

“I love you, Wade Whipple,” she whispered, and planted another kiss on his forehead. “No matter what you look like. Never doubt that for a second.”

Wade smiled, thumbing the tears from her cheeks. “I love you, Callie MacPherson. And I always will.”

They shared another kiss before Callie stood, pulling him up next to her.

“C’mon, ya gremlin,” she said, leading him into the hallway by the hand. “I have a phone call to make. There are a couple kids who would love to see you.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Wade said, a smile on his lips and warmth in his heart.

Maybe things were going to be okay after all.

~~~~~

Ugh, you don’t know how long I agonized over adding that kiss. Like, is that too weird? They’re both sentient, consenting adults, and it’s not like they were making out or anything, but would that freak people out?

Then I thought “Who cares, it’s my story and they would totally kiss after going through his very emotional moment, because they love each other so very much” and left it in. The end.

Oh, and in typical Mama Q fashion, I already have ideas for Wade’s talk with Eclipse. That might come later.

Curse you and your Darkling Wade brainrot, @stillafanofsonic and @doomfox! CURSE YOU!!!

~~~

Like this? Check out my other snippets. Reblogs are appreciated!

#my writing #qwertyverse #darkling wade #eclipse the darkling #silver the hedgehog #callie macpherson #sonic fanfiction #wade whipple #sonic the hedgehog fanfiction

14 notes · View notes