#boyfriend and husband putting in work show em how it’s done babies

[miekasa]

Oh oh, can you rank the AoT people from who would make the best breakfast? That egg question got me wanting a soft-boiled egg too damn

BEST Levi / Jean > Porco > Mikasa / Sasha > Connie / Pieck / Annie > Berty > Hange / Eren > Erwin / Armin / Reiner WORST

Levi and Jean are easily the best cooks. They can prepare a meal without instruction and have stuff they’ve been making for years/since childhood that are so good and like second nature to them; but they can also follow an intricate recipe. Strong sense of ratio and taste in general when it comes to cooking, so they don’t need to rely on measuring. From the stovetop to the grill, there’s really nothing these two can’t handle. Levi has just a bit of edge over Jean because he’s the better baker.

Porco is also a pretty good cook and it started as cooking for himself because I think he’d be a little bit of a health nut. Over time his skills just got better and now he’s pretty comfortable in the kitchen. He’ll cook for you if you ask, but stay away from the kitchen while he’s in there. He always waits and watches for you to take the first bite and gets kinda happy when you show signs of it being good.

Mikasa and Sasha are good, too. There are times when the both of them see a recipe they really wanna try and it kicks their chef expertise into gear. Mikasa likes trying different cuisines and challenging herself to cook foods she’s never tried before. Sasha tends to overcook in terms of portions, but it’s okay because she loves to share and you guys have ample supply for picnics and dinners with friends for the week. Sasha’s pretty sick on the grill too, shes got the boys at her feet at the cookout.

Connie, Pieck, and Annie are alright; they can handle themselves, but they’re not trying anything fancy or complicated. Pasta dishes are always a safe bet, so these three stick to that end of spectrum. Connie makes pretty good sandwiches and has an eye for making combinations that seem weird but work out pretty well. Pieck makes good soup and salads and always has you as taster. Annie doesn’t mind cooking, but will cook and force you to eat if she notices you’re not doing it regularly.

Berty is where the scale begins to tip to the “I’m not great at this… but I could be worse?” side of things. He would never call himself a chef; simple (very simple) recipes are the limit of his cooking abilities and nothing that requires any kind of appliance other than the stove, microwave, or oven. No blenders. He learned that the hard way.

Hange and Eren… look, they’re not the worst in the world, but they’re not good, either. In general, Hange doesn’t care much for what they eat, so they’re not inclined to cook for themselves or develop those kind of skills anyway—food is food. Eren is easily distracted and frustrated, so making complicated stuff is not up his alley. Both of them are limited to spaghetti and grilled cheeses lest they burn something or themselves in the process. The one thing Eren can cook well tho is a soup his mom used to make for him as a kid. It’s his little Gordon Ramsay moment.

Erwin, Armin, and Reiner… disrespectfully, keep the blondes out of the kitchen <3 they’re all disasters. Erwin mixes up ingredients all the time then thinks he can substitute for what he has when he absolutely cannot, plus he doesn’t know how to season anything. All he can do is make plain white rice and even then he doesn’t wash it so what’s the point. Armin gets very flustered when cooking and has a hard time managing different elements/parts of dishes that need to be cooked at the same time. He puts the pasta in the water and goes to chop the veggies but forgets about the pot and now it’s bubbling over and knife gets dropped in the process and the steam from the pot is burning him and—just let Mikasa give you guys some leftovers. And Reiner… well, let’s just say he’s made some valiant efforts, but for now he keeps the local Chinese food place on speed dial <2

[packetofsuga]

Kiss of Death - Corpse Fic

Prompt: “He’s a bad kisser” 

Backstory: Y/N is a streamer and secretly dating Corpse, not even their friends know. Other than Dave, of course. They’re playing proximity chat among us with Valkyrae, Toast, Sykkuno, Pewdiepie, JackSepticeye, Pokimane, Ludwig, and Dave (boyinaband). 

Genre: Fluff + humor 

Content warning: Light swearing

Word Count: 1631

A/N: Okay. First of all, writing an author’s note really threw me back to my Wattpad days but, anyway. I just wanna say feel free to send little prompt requests in my ask box for fics. I won’t write smut, I know I have for kpop artists in the past and I may write smut again in the future but for now, it’s a hard no for all fics. I will write mainly for Corpse Husband, Valkyrae, BTS, and Dream Catcher. Possibly other YouTubers or kpop groups just ask and I’ll let you know! I also will write for some book fandoms, I can’t list all of them so again just ask, please. I’ll get to requests whenever I can so please be patient while waiting. 

Until then please enjoy the random prompts I’ve found that I thought would be cute :) 

Disclaimer: this is a work of fiction

You were playing among us with your friends and your boyfriend, as usual. The only difference was you were using the proximity chat mod which you had never done before. Because you guys were using that mod every time Corpse got imposter he was doing his “kiss of death” thing. 

As you loaded into the game you saw the word crewmate pop up on your screen. Everyone started joking about being a crewmate or imposter and you chuckled to yourself. “I am just a crewmate doing crewmate things. I am doing keys, because I am just a crewmate.” You stated while walking over to the keys task, knowing that you don’t even have keys this round. 

“Y/N’s faking keyyysss.” Poki called. 

“She’s just reminding everyone to fake keys, guys, everyone fake keys right now,” Sean said, moving his character on top of yours in front of keys. The was a chorus of agreements as almost everyone did the same. Once that was done you split off from the group. 

“Guys… I think it’s Poki, she didn’t fake keys.” You said to your chat, laughing to yourself. You went around doing your tasks. You came across Sykkuno in O2, “Hey Sykkuno, whatcha doing?”

He paused in the doorway of the tree room, “Oh! hi Y/N. I’m uh just doing my tasks.” 

You cleared the trash shoot, “Oh yeah? Just a crewmate doing crewmate things?” 

Sykkuno giggled, “Uh, yep. Just doing crewmate things. Hey, you- you wanna stand on this vent with me?” 

You hesitated, knowing there’s absolutely no way for you to figure out if Sykkuno is just being himself or is actually the imposter, “I- You know what yes I would love to Sykkuno.” You walked into the tree room.

“Oh- really? That… Was very enthusiastic.” The two of you walked onto the vent by the tree, stacking on top of each other, “You’re not the imposter, right? You’re not gonna kill me. 

“Oh, of course not, Sykkuno. I mean, you know, maybe.” You love making yourself look extra suspicious to him because that’s how he plays, “Here. I’ll click the spot where the kill button is and we’ll see what happens, okay?” 

“Oh, Jesus-” He gasped. 

You clicked the spot on the screen, “Hear me clicking?” You both laughed.

“Uh yeah I do, that means it can’t be you huh?” He said, “Here I’ll do it too.”  

You yelped a little as the body reported screen came up, scaring you. 

“I thought I just fucking died.” You said, trying to calm your breathing.

“Honestly, me too.” Sykkuno said, “There’s so many people dead.” 

Poki reported the body and the screen showed that Toast, Sean, and Dave were dead, “So Rae and I just walked up on Toast’s body. And I don’t think it’s Rae, I’ve been with her for a good chunk of this round.” 

“Soo it could be both of you.” You pointed out. 

“Why are you susing me right now??” Poki exclaimed. 

“You didn’t fake keys!” You yelled. 

“She’s right!” Pewds yelled, remembering that from the beginning of the round, “What the fuck, Poki?” 

Corpse laughed, “That’s a little sus Imane.” 

Poki laughed, “I can’t believe I’m getting sussed cause I didn’t fake a task.” 

“Anyways, I think it’s Rae and Poki. It definitely couldn’t have been Sykkuno, we were chilling on a vent.” You stated. Corpse hummed to himself. 

Sykkuno vouched for you, “Yep that’s true. And we did a foolproof test so it’s not either of us.” 

“What was the test?” Lud asked 

“Well, we both clicked the kill button and neither of us are dead, so.” Sykkuno pointed out. 

“You clicked the kill button?” Rae asked, “Wait, so you’re both imposters? You clearly can’t kill each other if you’re imposters.” 

You sighed, “I don’t know why Sykkuno had to say it like that but we clicked where the kill button should’ve been and nothing happened. So it’s not us.” 

“So there’s two pairs.” Corpse mused to himself. 

Pewds brought his mic really close to his mouth, “Get ‘em out of here.” 

You yelled over him, “Hold on hold on, it’s seven we can’t vote on seven. Kind of sus that you’re pushing to vote on seven.” 

“I’m not sus you’re sus.” He declared.

“Let’s skip, I’m gonna stay with Sykkuno and protect him.” Lud announced as the ‘I voted’ sticker popped up next to his name. Everyone started voting to skip. 

“If Ludwig dies it’s Sykkuno.” Pewds concluded as the timer ran out. 

“What???” Sykkuno wailed. You quickly ran to go to Lab on your own, afraid of Rae and Poki. 

Rae walked behind you into Lab, “ Ahhh- Hi please don’t kill me.” 

“No no no I would never,” Rae said, making her voice sound sarcastic on purpose as you guys walked into decontamination. You started to scream dramatically. 

“Heeeeeeelp. Heeeeellppp! She’s gonna kill me.” You pushed your character into the door to specimen, desperately waiting for it to open.  Once it finally did you rushed down into specimen and she ran after you. You ran around specimen with her chasing after you.

“Stop running. Y/N. Y/N! Hey- Stop running!” She yelled after you.

“Nooooo.” Corpse walked into specimen from the bottom and stood off to the side watching the two of you, “Coooorpse, protect me.” You yelled. He moved his character between you and Rae. 

“Yeah, uh, of course. I’ll protect you don’t worry.” He said. Rae stopped in front of him. 

“I said I wasn’t gonna kill you Y/N.” She insisted. 

You fake cried a little, “You didn’t say you couldn’t kill me though! Corpse, please. Wait-” You realized Corpse could 100% be the imposter right now, “Corpse… It’s not you is it?” 

“No no, I’m gonna protect you.” He promised. 

“....Does that mean it’s you but you’re gonna kill Rae to protect me?” You asked. They both laughed and Rae backed away from Corpse. 

“She knows too much Corpse, she knows too much!” Rae yelled. You started to scream for help again and run around. 

“Hey hey hey, relax.” Corpse said, following you. You ran towards bottom decontamination, getting stuck at the door again, “Don’t worry. Y/N, shhh. It’s okay, just-” He made a smooching noise and the kill animation popped up on your screen. 

You let out a shriek. “I can’t believe- Well, hi chat.” You giggled and started reading the chat again, “‘You got a kiss from Corpse, how do you feel?’ He’s a really bad kisser, guys. I mean it, did you see that? He kissed me and then STABBED me. An awful kisser.” You shook your head. A body was reported and the meeting screen popped up. They discussed yours and Poki’s death Corpse and Rae vouching for each other and Lud and Sykkuno vouching for each other, leaving Pewds the only one without an alibi and got him voted out. The defeat scream popped up showing Rae and Corpse as the imposters. 

Corpse POV

Before joining the lobby again he decided to read chat for a second and talk to his fans. “I’m sorry I can’t really look at chat that much while we’re doing this mod it’s just hard cause everyone can hear you, you know.” He read through the recent super-chats, thanking people as he went. He quickly scanned the rest of the chat. People were spamming that Y/N had called him a bad kisser, “Wait- she- Y/N said what??” He joined the lobby, “Y/N what the fuck?” 

“What’d I do??” Y/N questioned.

“Did you really tell your chat I’m a bad kisser? Why are you lyyyying?”  

“I-” The whole group started gasping and talking over each other, “I meant in the game! You- everyone shut up oh my god please-” 

“Okay okay okay, let her talk guys. Try and talk your way out of this Y/N.” Corpse chuckled. 

“Okay, before I get myself into a scandal. In-game, before you killed me, you gave me a little kiss. Then my chat was like how do you feel and I was like you know what, that was an awful kiss I died from it.” 

“Ohhh, that makes sense.” Corpse said. 

“Wait!” Rae interrupted, “What else would she have to go off of other than in-game?…” There was a long silence. 

Corpse was the one to break the silence. “You know what, gamer bladder. Bathroom break.” Everyone laughed and reluctantly agreed. 

Y/N POV

You tried to stay calm and talk to your chat about any other topic but your chat was going insane speculating about you and Corpse. 

Corpse came into the room and you quickly held up one finger off-camera to tell him to wait a second. 

“Uh, hold on just a second guys.” You muted your headphones and took them off. You started to work on turning your webcam off but he reached over and grabbed the arm of your chair, rolling it towards him. 

You squealed, “Corpse! What are you doing?”

“I’m a bad kisser, huh? I’m a bad kisser?” He started peppering your face with kisses. You giggled. He planted his hands on the armrests of your chair, practically trapping you in place. He raised an eyebrow at you, a smirk plastered on his lips, “Hmm?” 

You cupped his face and kissed him. He started to pull you closer to him but you pulled back, “No, you’re not a bad kisser, baby. You’re the best kisser.” He kissed you again and then went back to his filming room. You slid your chair back to your computer, pretending as if nothing happened. You put your headphones back on and scanned the chat. There were a couple of people being like we saw that hand but you ignored it and continued playing.

[motherjoel]

hostile (spencer reid x fem!reader)

summary: after months of trying to get pregnant and a miscarriage, you finally succeed. will you get the chance to tell spencer this time?

a/n: this is my first oneshot in a veryyyy long time so im sorry if im a little rusty! trying to get back into it :) also i know very little about pregnancy so forgive me! (i got the hostile uterus part from greys anatomy lmao)

wc: 2.3k

warnings/includes: lotsa fluff, angst if you squint, criminal minds stuff, pregnancy, miscarriage

-

“Spence, were you even listening in there? I have a hostile uterus. Not only am I feeling incredibly hostile right now, but my uterus?” you yelled as Spencer guided you to your car.

“All I’m suggesting is that we keep trying, Y/N. And I’ve already done plenty of research on adoption and surrogacy, did you know that 140,000 children are adopted by American families each year?” he asked, opening the passengers side door for you and running around to hop in the driver's seat. “And there's always in vitro fertilization,” he suggested as he reached to shut his door and start the car. 

“Of course you wanna keep trying Spence, all you have to do is stick it in and thrust,” you huffed as he winced at your harsh wording, grabbing your hand over the center console. “I’m the one taking hormone shots in my ass and drinking less than 5 cups of coffee a day,” you complained about your attempts at increasing fertility. “Who knew a miscarriage would be the thing to get me to cut down on caffeine.”

Spencer was silent as he drove back to your shared apartment, both of your minds on your struggles to get pregnant in the past year. You thought back to your miscarriage and the impact it had on you both- it had only been a few months since you and Spencer became official. It was new, and this pregnancy was unplanned to say the least. Not telling Spencer about it was the only solution you could think of at the time- until it was too late. 

You remembered the feeling in your chest, your entire body running cold after being tackled by an unsub. You hadn’t told anyone of your pregnancy, not even Spencer, but as the blood ran down your legs it was pretty clear what had just happened. Derek dragged the unsub away in handcuffs as you sat in the open back of the ambulance, a paramedic wrapping your wrist. You barely remembered JJ’s look of pity or Rossi’s concerned gaze. The only thing you remembered was the pale face of your boyfriend as you had been lying on the ground moments before trying to hide the blood. He eventually made his way over to sit next to you after a few minutes of stunned silence.

“Hey, Spence,” you whispered as he sat next to you, the paramedic finishing up and walking away.

“How long?” He looked at your stomach, fidgeting with his hands in his lap.

“Three, um, three months,” you fiddled with the bandage on your wrist.

“And you didn’t… you didn’t think to tell me?” he asked, eyes welling up as he finally made eye contact.

“I’m so sorry Spencer, I just, we never talked about kids before and we haven’t been together for too long… I just needed time. To think.”

He nodded and swallowed thickly before softy taking your hand in his, running his finger over the fabric of your bandage.

“You never have to hide something like this from me, y/n. We’re in this together and... not to be um, too forward, but I love you,” he confessed. You knew you loved him, but neither of you had dared say it. “I love you now and I always will, so you can trust me with this kind of thing.”

Since that day, the two of you had only gotten closer. Now, a year into your marriage, you were actively trying. And after months of trying to no avail, a trip to the obstetrician was called for- the obstetrician who called your uterus hostile, which was likely the reason for your first miscarriage. You could barely fall asleep for a few weeks after your obstetrician appointment, which made this early morning case call all the more difficult. The two of you dragged yourselves out of bed and began your morning routine of getting dressed and making coffee, moving in sync with each other as you prepared for the day. It was a quick drive into the office and before you knew it you were sitting in a room full of your coworkers looking at pictures of human remains. 

“Four men killed in Ohio in the past month, each left with a note written in the same handwriting,” Penelope says as you all look at the case file. You normally had an iron stomach- in the BAU, queasiness wasn’t an option. But for the first time in your career, your face turned green at the pictures of dead bodies.

“It says here that they are all men in long-term relationships?” Emily asks.

“Correction: Were in long-term relationships. Right before they died, it was reported that they left their girlfriends,” Garcia explained.

“That’s important for the victimology, but there has to be something more to set off the unsub,” Spencer commented.

“Yeah, I bet that there was a common reason for them leaving,” you suggested, closing the case file and averting your gaze from the pictures.

“We’ll discuss more on the jet. Wheels up in twenty,” said Hotch.

You all gathered your things and began to leave for the jet, Spencer walking in stride with you.

“You know what, Spence, I’m actually gonna run across the street and grab some tampons before we go, I think i'm gonna need em,” you said. “Go on ahead without me.”

“Are you sure? I can just come with you,” he offered.

“No, no, go brainstorm with the team. I’ll be right there,” you smiled at him as you parted ways. You were going to the convenience store across the street, but it wasn’t for tampons. Your stomach fluttered as the bell jingled at the entrance. The aisle for pregnancy tests was easy to find, and you were on the jet five minutes later.

“Hey, did you find the, um…” Spencer trailed off as you sat down next to him on the jet. He wasn’t one of those men who got weird about menstruation, but you knew he was avoiding the word “tampon” to save you any embarrassment .

“Yup, I’m good,” you smiled and focused on the team who had now gathered around to further discuss the case.

“So, is there any link between the men yet? There has to be a reason that they were all killed soon after leaving their girlfriends,” JJ mused. You thought back to your past fears and your current situation and something suddenly clicked in your brain.

“Wait…” you picked up the case file. “What if… what if they were pregnant?” you asked, looking up to see furrowed brows. “I mean, the handwriting is feminine, so maybe the unsub is a woman who’s getting revenge on men leaving their pregnant girlfriends?” you concluded.

“I’ll call Garcia. We land in 30, keep looking over the files,” Hotch said before you all sat back down in your respective seats, the outside of your thigh pressed against Spencer’s.

You were trying to think of a good time to take the pregnancy test- you couldn’t do it on the jet, it would be really hard to hide on a plane full of profilers. You decided that the best time to take it would be back at the hotel, but after working for hours you found it hard to focus with the pregnancy test in your bag. Excusing yourself to the bathroom in the local precinct, you snuck the test with you. You locked the door behind you and took the test, trying to control your breathing as you waited for the results. As you waited, you got a text from Morgan telling you that there was new information. The moment you finished reading his text, your alarm beeped. Taking a deep breath, you dared a glance at the stick. With shaky hands, you picked up the test and bit your lip to hold back your yelp of joy at the tiny little +. Shoving the test into your bag, you rushed back to the rest of the team to continue working on the case. You would tell Spencer this time, but you decided it would be best to catch a serial killer first.

Garcia confirmed through the phone that all of the girlfriends were pregnant and shared the same obstetrician who was a single mother with a young child. This seemed to be the perfect profile for an unsub killing men who walked out on their families, but something seemed off to you. You couldn’t quite put your finger on it, but something was bugging you about the case. You were on the way to Shelby Meyerson’s, the obstetricians house, with Morgan and Spencer when Garcia called.

“Whats up baby girl,” Morgan answered, one hand on the wheel.

“So I’ve been doing some digging and it turns out that Shelby actually has a boyfriend, Andrew. Recent social media posts show that they started dating a little over a month ago, and it looks like Andrew grew up without a father” she said.

“Right before the killings started,” you looked at Spencer from the back seat.

“Garcia, send his address,” Spencer spoke into the speaker.

“Already on it my loves,” Garcia replied, and you could hear the clacking of her keyboard as she hit send. You looked at the address in your phone.

“Morgan, that's right down the street from where we are right now,” you pointed out. The three of you didn’t waste any time getting there. You hopped out of the car and approached the door, hand instinctively resting on your gun.

“FBI, open up,” you said, rapping on the door. You waited for a moment, but when nobody answered, Derek took matters into his own hands. Within seconds, the door had been kicked down and the three of you spread out around the house, Morgan going upstairs and Spencer going into the basement as you canvassed the ground floor. You took notice of a cup of tea on a coffee table, still warm. Once you cleared the area, you made your way into the basement, gun drawn. Your heart dropped at the sight before you- a man you recognized as missing tied to the radiator in the corner of the room, and your unsub restraining your husband with a gun to his head. You kept your gun pointed at the unsub as you heard Morgan come down the stairs behind you.

“Don’t move!” The unsub, Andrew, yelled. You raised your hands when he pointed his gun at you, dropping your weapon to gain trust.

“Andrew, there’s no way to get out of this, just let him go so we can talk,” you tried to soothe him, his grip on Spencer only tightening.

“No, no, you don’t understand. These men deserve to die for leaving their children, they-they’re terrible people, I’m giving them what they deserve,” he argued, becoming frantic.

“Andrew, if you hurt that agent, you’re just as bad as the men you kill,” you began, taking small steps toward Spencer. “He’s my husband and…” you started, locking eyes with Spencer. “And I’m pregnant with his child,” you confessed. Spencer's eyes went wide, shock overtaking the previous expression of fear. You continued to speak. “If you kill him, you make him leave his child. I know you don’t want that, I know you don’t want someone else to go through what you went through,” you bargained. Thankfully, you seemed to get through to him, as he dropped his gun and collapsed to the ground, his grip on Spencer loosening as Derek moved in to cuff him.

You immediately ran to your husband, throwing your arms around his midsection as he wrapped himself around you, kissing the top of your head and whispering reassurances to you. 

“I was so scared,” you said into his chest, your voice muffled by his kevlar vest. He put his hands on the side of your face and wiped your stray tears, his own falling as he started to smile.

“Were you serious? Are… are we pregnant?” he asked, his hopeful smile spreading wide as ever. You bit your lip and nodded, squealing with joy as he picked you up and twirled you around, not even noticing the rest of the BAU had arrived at the scene.

“Hey, be careful with Y/N! She’s carrying my god child,” Derek smirked as Spencer set you down, his arms still wrapped around your waist. 

“Hold on, why does Morgan get to be the godfather?” Rossi questioned, putting on a mock italian accent, making you all laugh.

“That’s not important, what's important is that we're gonna have a baby genius running around,” JJ smiled as she walked over to hug you both, which turned into a group hug between the entire BAU. You all broke up the hug when Morgan's phone began to ring.

“Yes, baby girl everyone's safe. Actually… Pretty boy and pretty girl have some big news,” he said, putting Garcia on speaker.

“What! Tell me right now, I can't handle this!” she begged. You and Spencer smiled at each other before you began to speak.

“You’re gonna be an aunt,” you said excitedly, receiving the loudest gasp through the phone.

“You mean… you… Spencer… you guys… oh my GOD!” she began to ramble about her excitement as you all laughed, Derek taking the phone off speaker to calm her down.

“Our kid is gonna be so loved,” you smiled, grabbing his hands and standing on your toes to press a kiss on his cheek.

“We got really lucky,” he blushed, pulling you back into another hug, the world around you frozen in that moment.

-

just ask if you wanna be on my taglist! <3

taglist: @rigatonireid​,  @aworldoffandoms, @moonshinerbynight, @averyhotchner, @s1utformgg

[thelastspeecher]

Best Revenge AU - Junior

I’m still working on the ficlet in this AU that is Angie-centric and has stuff showing her relationship with Max, her divorce, and when she starts dating Stan.  But ever since I decided to create a new kid for this AU, I’ve been unable to stop thinking about said kid.  So here, have some origin story for Stanley Junior.

——————————————————————————————

              The front door slammed open.  Angie stormed into the living room, where Lute and Stan were waiting for her to come back.  After finding out Max had cheated on her, she had immediately gone over to trash his place.

              “Feelin’ better?” Lute asked gently.  Angie looked at him for a moment, then burst into tears. “Angie?”  She ran off.

              “What just happened?” Stan asked.

              “I don’t rightly know,” Lute said.  He chewed on his lip.  “Maybe it would be fer the best if you went to talk to her. She might not want to talk to her brother.”

              “I’m on it.”  Stan got up and went down the hall, coming to a stop in front of Angie’s bedroom.  He cautiously opened the door.  Angie sat on her bed, her head in her hands, sobbing uncontrollably.  Stan took a seat next to her.

              “You all right?” he asked.

              “N-no.”

              “What’s wrong?  I woulda thought you’d be happy after trashing your ex’s house.”

              “I prob’ly would be,” Angie said, wiping her tears away, “if I wasn’t…”  She took a shuddering breath.  “If I wasn’t pregnant.”

              “You’re- but we haven’t knocked boots!”  It was something Stan was a bit disappointed by, but he was fine with waiting until Angie felt comfortable being intimate.  “How could you-”

              “It’s Max’s,” Angie whispered.  Stan stared at her in horror.  “Seems- seems like he got what he wanted.  I was ‘bout a week or two along when I left.”

              “I thought you were on birth control.” Stan’s eyes widened.  “Unless he fucked with your pills.”

              “He didn’t know about the pills.”

              “Then how-”

              “Birth control can fail.”

              “Are you- are you gonna keep it?” Stan asked quietly.  Angie closed her eyes.

              “Nothin’ against folks who decide to- to terminate a pregnancy.  It ain’t my business what they do.  But I- I can’t do that.”

              “You’re keeping it.”

              “Yes.”  Angie put her head in her hands, sobbing again.  “I’m- I’m sorry!”

              “Why?”

              “‘Cause I love ya so- so much, and ya won’t stay with me.”

              “Hold on.”  Stan held up a hand.  “When did I say that?”

              “You-”  Angie stared at him, her bright blue eyes filled with tears.  “Yer not goin’ to leave me?”

              “Nope.”

              “But I’m pregnant with another man’s baby.”

              “So?” Stan said with a shrug.  “Angie, this is the best relationship I’ve ever been in. I’m not gonna throw that away.  You mean everything to me.”  He reached for Angie’s hand and squeezed.  “I don’t want you to go through this alone.”

              “But-”

              “And…”  Stan looked down at the ground.  “Honestly? I’ve wanted to be a dad since I was a kid.  This just means I’ll be a dad sooner than I thought.”

              “You won’t regret it?” Angie asked.

              “I’d regret it if I left.”  Stan kissed the top of her head.  “I’m not going anywhere, Ang.”  Angie pulled Stan’s face closer to hers and kissed him sweetly.

              “I love you,” she whispered.

              “Love you, too.”

-----

              Stan landed in the backyard of Angie and Lute’s house.

              “Mind the flowerbed!” Angie called from inside. Stan quickly shut off his flames. “Thank you!”  Stan walked in through the back door.  “In the kitchen!”  He headed for the kitchen.  Angie was nervously stirring a pot of something on the stove.  Stan walked over to her and kissed the top of her head.  “Are ya excited?”

              “To meet your parents or to finally get all the baby stuff outta my apartment?” Stan asked.  Angie swatted him playfully.  The day after Angie told Stan she was pregnant and keeping it, Stan had gone on a bit of a spree, stealing things from numerous baby supply stores. Angie didn’t mind it, but insisted Stan not steal from small mom and pop stores.  However, because she had wanted to wait to tell her family about the pregnancy, the baby supplies were stacked up in Stan’s apartment.

              “Thank you fer bein’ so flexible on me not tellin’ my folks ‘til now,” she said softly.  Stan shrugged.

              “You’re the one who’s pregnant.  I’m just following your lead.”

              “Well, I’m officially in my second trimester, so now’s the time to tell.”

              “Are you showing yet?”

              “I literally showed ya yesterday.  Do ya really think I’d have started showin’ overnight?”

              “Well, you gotta get the bump at some point,” Stan said.  Angie chuckled.  She lifted her shirt to reveal her stomach.  It was a bit bigger than before, but didn’t look evidently pregnant. “Nope.  Not yet.”

              “I ain’t that surprised,” Angie said, lowering her shirt.  “I ‘member my Pa sayin’ that my Ma didn’t look pregnant until her third trimester fer all the kids.  Well, all of ‘em ‘cept me ‘n Lute, since we were twins.”

              “Yeah, you’re pretty small.”

              “Doc says that the lil bean ‘ll prob’ly be small, too.”  The doorbell rang.

              “I got it!” Lute’s voice shouted from somewhere.

              “Still can’t believe you managed to keep it secret from him,” Stan whispered to Angie.  “Not only is he your twin, you literally live together.”

              “Lute’s been walkin’ on eggshells ever since I left Max,” Angie said.  She turned off the stove.  “He’s very careful to not pry into my personal business, since Max was so controllin’.”  Footsteps sounded.  The front door opened.

              “Ma, Pa!” Lute said happily.  “Angie’s in the kitchen.  I ain’t sure if Stan’s got here yet or not.”  Lute entered the kitchen, a man and woman close behind him.  The man looked like a carbon copy of Lute, while the woman looked exactly like Angie, with one major exception.

              Angie clearly got her dad’s nose.  Wonder if the kid’ll get it, too.

              “Angie!”  Angie’s parents promptly pulled her away from the stove and into a hug.  “Oh, it’s so good to see ya,” her father cooed.  Her mother looked Angie up and down.

              “I see ya fin’ly put some meat on yer bones,” her mom said.  Angie turned red.

              “Ma!”

              “No, it’s good,” her dad said firmly.  “You needed it.”  He smiled at her.  “You’ve always been so tiny.”

              “Maybe it’s ‘cause she ain’t stressed from livin’ with that turd what pretended to be a husband,” Lute groused, leaning against the counter.  Angie kneaded her forehead.

              “Lute…”

              “I’m allowed to call him that.”  A sudden melancholy fell over Lute.  “He was my best friend long ‘fore he was yer boyfriend.”

              “I know.”

              “So, are ya goin’ to introduce us to yer new beau?” Mrs. McGucket cooed.  Angie grabbed Stan’s hand.  He gave her a reassuring squeeze.

              “Ma, Pa, this is my boyfriend, Stanley Pines. He works with Lute, but has a day job sellin’ used cars.  Stan, these ‘re my parents, Sally ‘n Mearl McGucket.”

              “Pleasure to meet ya, son,” Mr. McGucket said, holding out a hand.  Stan shook the offered hand, forcing a smile.  The two southerners seemed like a regular farmer and his wife, warm and gentle. But Stan knew that Mrs. McGucket was actually the infamous Sirocco, his own mother’s archnemesis, while Mr. McGucket had regularly interfered with local government as the villain Hemlock. “I got to say, I’m glad my lil girl fin’ly found herself a proper villain to date.”

              “Pa,” Angie whined.  Mr. McGucket chuckled.

              “I’m just teasin’, junebug.”

              “We’re so happy yer in a good relationship,” Mrs. McGucket gushed.  “Ya had a clean break with Max and can start over.”  Angie took a deep breath.

              “A-about that…” she started.  Stan looked at her, surprised.

              “You’re gonna tell them now?  I thought you were gonna wait until after dinner.”

              “No.”  Angie took another breath.  “I just- I just want to get it over with.”  She looked at her parents.  “Ma, Pa, I’m pregnant.”  Lute slipped from his casual lean, falling to the floor.  Mr. and Mrs. McGucket stared at Angie in shock.

              “O-oh,” Mrs. McGucket mumbled.  Mr. McGucket swallowed.

              “Angie, we try not to pass judgement on you ‘n yer siblin’s lives, but you’ve only been datin’ Stan fer a few months.  To become pregnant with his child-”

              “It’s not Stan’s,” Angie said quickly.  Mrs. McGucket covered her mouth, her eyes wide in horror. “It’s Max’s.  I didn’t know it, but I was a couple weeks along when I left.”

              “Shit,” Lute swore, getting to his feet.  His face contorted with rage.  “He- he just had to get the last word, didn’t he?”

              “Yer keepin’ it?” Mr. McGucket asked softly. Angie nodded.  “I see.”  He looked at his wife.  “Sally?”

              “Yes, dear.”  Mrs. McGucket took Angie’s hand.  “Come with me, sweetling.  I need to ask ya a few questions.”

              “Okay.”  Angie allowed Mrs. McGucket to lead her away.  Stan and Lute looked at Mr. McGucket, confused.

              “What’s that about?” Stan asked.  Mr. McGucket took off his glasses and polished them.

              “We were plannin’ on havin’ Sally ask Angie a few questions in private, due to the sensitive nature of her breakup with Max.”

              “You mean-” Stan started.  Mr. McGucket nodded and put his glasses back on.  Lute frowned.

              “What?”

              “Your mom is asking Angie if her ex-husband beat her,” Stan said flatly.  Lute’s jaw dropped.  “He didn’t, by the way.  Angie’s told me everything that her dick of an ex did to her.  Max treated her like she was made of glass and tried to control her near the end, but he didn’t lay a finger on her.”

              Except for when he tried to keep her from leaving and grabbed her hard enough to bruise.  But Angie had sworn Stan to secrecy in that regard.  She knew her family would go scorched earth if they found out, which she didn’t want.

              “Stanley, she might still be uncomfortable tellin’ ya somethin’ that she’d feel more comfortable tellin’ her mother,” Mr. McGucket said gently.  He glowered. “Especially…”

              “What?” Lute asked.

              “With this new information ‘bout Max gettin’ her pregnant, we have to consider the possibility that Angie didn’t…”  Mr. McGucket closed his eyes.  “We need to make sure Angie consented to the events what caused her to get pregnant and that Max didn’t, ah, counteract any attempts Angie made to prevent a pregnancy.”  Lute shook his head.

              “No, Pa.  Max, he- he turned out to be a real poor excuse of a person, but he wouldn’t have done anything like that to Angie.  And if he’d even tried, Angie wouldn’t have tolerated it.”

              “Hon, yer sister is very strong, but strong people can find themselves strugglin’ in a sit’ation like Angie was in,” Mr. McGucket said.  “I also don’t think that Max would have done that to Angie.  But we can’t ignore that possibility.”

              “It’s smart,” Stan said after a moment.  “Gotta cover all your bases.”

              “Yes.”  Mr. McGucket looked at Stan carefully.  “So, yer fine with raisin’ another man’s child?”

              “Yep.  Angie and I talked it out ages ago.”  Stan grinned, glad for the change in topic.  “I’ve already started stocking up on stuff for the kid.”

              “Yer the one what burgled all those baby stores?” Lute asked.  Stan nodded. “Where have ya been puttin’ the stuff?”

              “My apartment.  But now that you all know, I can finally start moving it here.  Thank god.  I can barely see my bed.”

              “Y’know, if yer goin’ to be with Angie fer the long haul and help her raise her child,” Mr. McGucket said idly, “maybe ya should just move in with her.”  Stan stared at him.

              “Pa, Angie’s the one who should offer that, not you,” Lute said, rolling his eyes.  Mr. McGucket chuckled.

              “Yer right, yer right.”  He clapped Stan on the shoulder.  “Are ya excited to be a dad?”  Stan’s grin broadened.

              “Yeah.  I am. I know it’s gonna be tough and stressful, but I’m looking forward to holding the kid for the first time.”  Mr. McGucket beamed.

              “That’s what I like to hear.”

              “What a coincidence,” Angie said.  Stan turned.  Angie and her mother had returned.  She smiled at Stan.  “That’s what I like to hear, too.”

-----

              “It’s a boy!” the doctor said.  Stan looked over.  The newborn in the doctor’s arms was tiny and covered in body fluids Stan didn’t want to think about.  The doctor handed the baby to a nearby nurse.

              “Hey, uh, where are you taking him?” Stan asked. Angie chuckled.

              “Stanley, relax.  They’re just cleanin’ him up,” she said wearily.

              “Oh.  Right.” Stan grinned at Angie.  “Got caught up in the moment.”  Angie laughed again.

              “What time is it?” she asked.

              “Uh…”  Stan checked his watch.  “Two in the morning.”

              “Geez.”  Angie yawned. “No wonder I’m so tired.  I was in labor fer ten hours.”  Angie had gone into labor yesterday afternoon, prompting Stan to call out of the bank job he was supposed to help with.  “Is yer hand all right?”

              “I’ve had worse,” Stan said.  He’d been by Angie’s side throughout the labor, providing his hand for her to squeeze when she had a particularly bad contraction.  “So, was this a good labor or-”

              “It went about as smoothly as it could,” said the nurse, who had come back with the baby.  “Honestly, I haven’t seen a labor and birth this free from complications in a while.”

              “Good,” Angie said sleepily.  “Is my boy ready?”

              “Yes, he is.  Here you go.  He’s perfectly healthy.”  The nurse carefully deposited the baby in Angie’s arms.  “I’ll give you three some time to get to know each other.”

              “Thank you,” Angie said.  The nurse left.  Angie carefully parted the folds of the blanket, revealing her son.  “He’s so beautiful,” she whispered.

              “He’s really tiny,” Stan said.  “Are babies always that tiny?”

              “Newborns are usually pretty small, but this lil feller is definitely smaller ‘n average,” Angie answered.  She stroked her son’s cheek.  The baby shifted slightly and opened his eyes.  Stan smiled.

              “He’s got your peepers.”

              “He might not.”

              “Uh, he’s got blue eyes.”

              “Sometimes, babies are born with blue eyes, only fer the eyes to turn brown later on.”  Angie smiled. “He’s got the fam’ly nose, though.”

              “And he’s bald.”

              “Mm-hmm.”  Angie’s eyes slowly closed.  “He’s perfect.”

              “What are you gonna name him?” Stan asked.

              “Shh, later,” Angie mumbled.  Stan carefully took the baby from her.  He kissed her forehead.  Angie smiled.

              “Get some sleep.  You’ve earned it.”

-----

              “Stanley?”  Stan opened his eyes.  He looked at the hospital bed.  Angie was awake.

              “Hey, babe.”  Stan stretched.  After Angie had fallen asleep, she’d been taken from the delivery room to her own private room.  Stan had set up camp in the chair by her bed and fallen asleep.  “How are you doing?”

              “Less tired.”  Angie looked around.  “Where’s the baby?”

              “I had him go to the nursery so we could both get some sleep.”

              “Ah.  Smart.”

              “They asked what his name was, but I didn’t know what you were planning on, so they just put him down as Baby McGucket.” Stan grinned.  “Which, honestly, isn’t half bad of a name.”  Angie laughed.

              “It wouldn’t be the weirdest name in my fam’ly. But it ain’t the name I’ve got in mind.”

              “What is?”

              “You’ll see,” Angie said with a grin.  Stan chuckled.

              “Making me wait.  I see how it is.”  He stood up. “Be right back, I’ve gotta go pee.”

-----

              When Stan got back to Angie’s hospital room, she was holding the baby.  Stan walked over to her bed.

              “Yer middle name is Stanford, right?” Angie asked him.

              “Uh, yeah.  Fuck Pops for doing that to me.”

              “Love, there ‘re young ears in hearin’ range,” Angie said gently.  “No swearin’ ‘round the baby.”

              “…Right.”  Stan rubbed the back of his neck.  “Why’d you need my middle name?  Oh, I was gonna sign the birth certificate.”

              “No need.  Birth certificate is all done,” Angie said.  Stan frowned.

              “But who’d you put down as the dad?”

              “I left it blank.”  Angie looked down at her son in her arms.  “I didn’t- I know that yer happy to be raisin’ this lil bean now, but I didn’t want to chain ya to a child what ain’t yours.  Just in case.”

              “Ang…”

              “I don’t want ya to feel trapped,” Angie said quietly.  Stan’s eyes widened.  He put his arm around her shoulders.  “I’ve felt that way.  I wouldn’t wish it on someone I love.”

              “You’re too good for me,” Stan said.  Angie managed a watery chuckle.  “If I’m not signing the birth certificate, why’d you need to know my middle name?”

              “Well…”  Angie smiled. “Hold out yer arms.”  Stan did as he was told.  Angie carefully handed the baby over.  “Meet Stanley Stanford McGucket.”

              “Wh-”  Stan stared at Angie.  “That’s- that’s my name.”  Angie nodded. Stan swallowed.  “It’s- it’s a good name,” he choked out.

              “You’ve been there fer me through all of this.  It’s the only name what feels right fer the lil bean.”

              “I…”  Stan stared down at the baby named after him.  “He really is a little bean.”  Angie laughed.

              “I was thinkin’ we could call him Junior. He ain’t Stan Pines Junior at the moment, but if we get married, he will be.  And since yer already named Stan…”

              “Yeah, I’d be pretty confused if I heard Lute say he changed Stan’s dirty diaper,” Stan said dryly.  Angie laughed again.  “You’re in a good mood.”

              “I’ve got my two boys with me.  How could I not be?” Angie asked.  Junior shifted in Stan’s arms.  Stan smiled down at him.

              “Hey, bud,” he whispered.  Junior watched him curiously.  “I’m not the one who got your mama pregnant.  But I’m the one who’s gonna take care of you.  Got it?”  Junior giggled.  “Good. Glad we’re on the same page.” Stan sat down in the chair he’d slept in, still staring at Junior.  “Sweet Moses. I’m- I’m a dad.”

              “Only if ya want to be,” Angie said.  Stan looked at her.

              “I just told Junior that I’m gonna be his dad.  He understood.  You didn’t?”

              “All right, all right,” Angie said, holding her hands up in surrender.  “All right. Yer a dad.  Yer Junior’s dad.

              “Damn straight.”

              “Language.”

              “Right.”  Stan settled back in his chair.  “These isn’t the Halloween I had in mind, but-”

              “Pardon?”

              “Ang, you went into labor yesterday, on October 30th,” Stan said.  “Today’s Halloween.”  Angie burst into laughter.  “What?”

              “It’s just- I was born on April Fool’s Day.  It feels appropriate fer my son to be born on Halloween.”  Stan held up a finger.

              “Nuh-uh.  Our son was born on Halloween.”  He grinned. “I’m gonna throw Junior the best birthday parties.”  A comfortable silence fell.  “I kinda like how quiet it is right now.”

              “Don’t get too used to it,” Angie warned.  “My entire fam’ly is headin’ over.  It’ll get loud real fast.”  The door slammed open.

              “Where’s my new nephew?” Lute crowed.  Angie looked at Stan.

              “See?”

[gveret-fic]

Alright HtN final thoughts

Similarly to the last book, I’m overstimulated to all hell and back. Gideon is my favorite protagonist of all time, no question. The sheer endorphin rush I get reading her cracking jokes and being insufferable is just bonkers. I started this book with 2 spoilers, without which I might never have even started this book: 1) there was Gideon content in HtN, and 2) there was multiple Gideons content in HtN. On the first point, I’m more than satisfied; I’m currently buzzing with how ecstatic that was as a reading experience. On the second, Gideon 1.0 was a boring lump of dude lmao, the only interesting thing about him was his bodyswap poly relationship with Better Gideon’s mom, which, wow. What a 10,000 year old soap opera. So that was disappointing, but you know what, one Gideon is really enough.

The vast majority of this book was a miserable slog and it genuinely hurt to read to the point where I don’t know that I can recommend this experience to anyone who isn’t already a huge fan. Yeah, the payoff was massive and I was played like a perfect little fiddle, but I don’t approve of the tune. I think Muir could’ve cut out a good third of the book and at the very least 50% of the relentless torture she put Harrow through and it would have still been effective. I still have a bad taste in my mouth. I don’t have a problem with difficult or hurtful stories and I’m not trying to invoke any moralistic outrage here, but that wasn’t what I expected or frankly could have prepared for coming out of the (drastically tonally different) first book and I do believe it was excessive. It was blow after blow after blow to an isolated, terrified, pointedly disabled protagonist with no single moment of relief, comfort or connection until the fucking reveal and I don’t want it, thanks.

Okay that’s enough about that. Now the rest of it.

I really tried to care about the new characters, but no dice. God had his moments, but we haven’t really seen him do too much interesting shit. Ianthe was fucking excellent, though I really really didn’t want her to be. The rest were dead boring, I’m sorry. The blasphemous makeouts were their only redeeming moment. When we finally got some Palamedes and Cam, I could have cried. Wish we could have spent more time with them, but I have high hopes for the next book. Ortus, surprisingly, was awesome! I wish him a happy afterlife with his poetic legendary husband. Also he did nothing wrong and all that nonsense about finally fighting for what’s important yada yada was pure military propaganda, let the man write lengthy poetry about his ghost boyfriend in peace. Dulcinea was a fucking badass! So happy she got a chance to shine, and to say ‘nyah!’ Abigail was also fantastic. Well that whole section of the book had me swimming in endorphins so maybe it isn’t saying much, but I fucking loved them, I fucking loved how much Harrow cared about them, Harrow, who had been an emotionally depleted husk throughout most of the book, now showing the most heartrending vulnerability and care for this little found ghost family and practically rotating through them one by one to apologize in the most terrible, gutpunching way, and finally being told not everything in the whole fucking world is her goddamn fault. This is the only reason I was able to accept no Gideon reunion, not even a single word between them. I’ve been yearning for hundreds of pages for Harrow to find human connection and care, and I’m so happy these are the people she found it with.

Gideon. I’m like tearing up right now just thinking about this. After the endless tedium, suffering, emotional disconnect to the point where characters dying horribly seemed insignificant against the backdrop of unrelenting despair, to have that vibrant, wonderful, dumbass motherfucking voice back---it was beyond cathartic. I reread every single line multiple times and I still don’t think I’ve wrung em fully dry. It was amazing. The personality dripping off the page, the immediate chemistry with any character living or dead or dull as rock, the blatant, beautiful disrespect for the sombre self importance of the whole preceding narrative. It was my favorite character crashing into one of my least favorite books, and making it awesome. I think a lot of people try to write a Gideon, and most of the time the result is completely unbearable, and I’d posit there’s 2 reasons for this: 1) they tragically, mistakenly make their Gideon a man, and 2) they just aren’t funny. Of course an unfunny Gideon would be unbearable. Of course a funny but emotionally vacant Gideon would be dull. But this Gideon is a fucking delight with a real heartfelt gooshy selfless vulnerable yearning center, and every line I got to spend with her was a rush.

Harrow and Gideon. Oof. I’ve been going back and forth on whether I shipped them, whether I even could, whether it was the intention at all. But like, come on. This is clearly a love story. It’s a love story from start to finish, and it’s cool that it got me to doubt that so sincerely when it’s just this level of ride and die, jump into hell, carve out your brain, share a body and preserve its modesty against your every instinct and not even make any jokes about it, universe crossing, death defying, soul melding level of mushy ass romance. Harrow fucking kept Gideon’s shitty sunglasses wrapped in a love note. She did find&replace on her whole personality. She kissed Ianthe. I remember the first time I watched Revolutionary Girl Utena, where almost every other episode would begin with a lil fairytail backstory recap telling you about the little girl who saw a prince and was so enamored she decided to become a prince too. And you believe that narrative, because why wouldn’t you? It’s a stylized repetitive fairytale at the start of a show. Why would it lie? And then you find out, at the very end, that it wasn’t the cool manly prince who precipitated all of this, but baby Utena witnessing another young girl in pain, and deciding then and there that she was going to grow up and help her. And she does, even if she can’t remember why.

This was that level of paradigm shift for me. Harrow and her pile of letters and rules and her obsession and her nauseating work ethic, what was she doing?? Saving the world? Fixing a broken timeline? Trying to unlock unlimited power, bring back the corpse in the locked tomb, serve her god and emperor? Nope! She was just trying to keep her big beautiful dumbass girlfriend a little bit alive. 

Yeah. It’s a fucking love story.

Random thoughts: I liked Harrow’s grudge against food and the word ‘pommel’. I liked the diminishing ages Mercy inflicted upon her. I liked the first/second person shenanigans, tho really, there’s no way that was Gideon’s voice, first of all, there was way too much anatomical knowledge there. (Gideon’s secretly a time traveling bone doctor, calling it now). I liked the fanfic AUs, and very sad we didn’t get a fake dating one or like a nice “there was only one bed”. Not gonna mention soulmate AUs cuz that’s just canon.

That was a ride. Coulda done without some parts of it, but don’t regret it one bit. Let’s see what kinda nonsense the next one brings!

[coll2mitts]

#77 Grease (1978)

Slick your hair back and grab your team jacket, we’re hand-jiving our way through Grease, a movie about bunch of hot, self-motivated ladies with their whole futures ahead of them settling for a bunch of schmucks.

Grease is a strange experience to relive as an adult, because it was (as I suspect with a lot of people) ever-present in my childhood, and I didn’t understand the great majority of references then.  This movie was intended as an 8th birthday present from my mother; I came home from school one day and the VHS was sitting on our kitchen countertop unwrapped.  I didn’t recognize it, so when I asked my mom what it was, she feigned confusion for about 10 seconds before she gave up and said, “I bought it for your birthday, I guess you get it early now.”  She promised me I’d like it when I popped it into the VHS player, and she wasn’t wrong.  I hadn’t watched this movie in over a decade and I still could recite the majority of the dialogue.

While this movie is a toned down significantly from the stage show, it is still fairly raunchy in parts.  What is kind of hilarious to me is Grease’s gradual shift in categorization over time as a “kids musical”.  In 5th grade, my sister played Sandy in her elementary school’s production of it.  I asked if she remembered any of the lines they changed to keep things “appropriate” (the Kidz Bopification, if you will) and she responded, “No, I just thought it was weird I had to go out and buy a sexy outfit.”  Conversely, my 5th grade play was about the history of America and I dressed up like Martha Washington.  I’ll never forget the 50 Nifty United States from 13 original colonies... SHOUT ‘em, SCOUT ‘em, TELL all about 'em, ONE BY ONE till we’ve given a day to every state in the U-S-A.  AL-A-bama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, CON-NE-TI-CUT...

Anyway, do I think it’s weird that a movie about a bunch of horny teenagers has become Baby’s First Adult Musical?  Sorta.  Not really.  I mean, the dudes act like children for the majority of this, so I’m not surprised, at least.  It had, for sure, turned me off from wanting to date high school dudes when I was in high school.  The high school girls, however... we’ll get there.

It’s the first day of school, and the oldest high school seniors I’ve ever seen are poised to take on their last year at Rydell High.  The “T” Birds and their very uncool matching jackets are reunited after a summer apart and their super-senior leader Kenickie, played by the late Jeff Conaway, regales the tale of lugging boxes to earn money for a sweet ride, which you could feasibly do back in the 1950s.  Danny, played by John Travolta, spent his summer getting action at the beach, which he eloquently describes as “flippin’”.  

Frenchy and her new neighbor Sandy rendezvous with the Pink Ladies, who have very cool matching jackets and the unabashed confidence to go with them.  Stockard Channing, who plays Rizzo, is turned off by Sandy’s pure, seemingly holier-than-thou persona, and is dismayed when Sandy starts to describe her sickly sweet summer romance.  Her interest is only piqued when Sandy mentions her hunky date was notorious playboy and Rizzo’s ex, Danny Zuko.  

Sidenote: When I was a child, I thought Sonny asked if her “jugs were bigger than her nets”.  I asked my mother what “nets” were, since I surmised that jugs meant breasts, and she didn’t know, which I thought was weird.  It wasn’t until THIS MOMENT that I realized he was asking if her jugs were bigger than Annette’s.  Who the fuck is Annette?  Like the Mickey Mouseketeer Annette?!  Rizzo sings about her later and I’m just like.. this revelation has lead to more questions than answers.

Rizzo hatches a plan to call Danny out on his shit and reunite Sandy with Danny at the school pep rally, as they know her boyfriend is an asshat.  He predictably reacts maturely; Not wanting to admit his previous story of getting fresh with some cute Australian girl down in the sand was somewhat hyperbolic, he plays it off like he doesn’t give a shit about her, reducing Sandy to tears.  Frenchy comforts Sandy like the supportive queen that she is and invites her to join the Pink Ladies at a sleepover.

Honestly, a Pink Ladies sleepover looks lit as fuck.  As a kid (and now, tbh) I was Jan, I wanted to be Marty, I wanted to fuck Rizzo, and I wanted Frenchy as my best friend.  I would totally be down to drink champagne, eat Twinkies and mutilate our body parts with needles.  Sandy is a bit of a late bloomer and reacts to these series of events by puking.  Rizzo decides to be a bit of a slag and make fun of Sandy for being an inexperienced virgin before shimming down a drainpipe to get laid by some jerk with a shitty car and a 6-year-old condom.

Sandy, whose night has done nothing to alleviate her heartbreak, sings a song about being in love with a coward.  Part of the deal Oliva Newton-John signed to be cast in this movie specified she have her own solo number, so “Hopelessly Devoted” was written and filmed after the rest of the movie had been completed.  This feel pretty obvious, since it gives off a very strong 1970s pop Best Original Song vibe.  When I was a kid, I used this song as a break to use the bathroom or grab a snack, but as an adult I find myself humming it every so often.

Speaking of contract-obligated solos, we’re treated to a Travolta-led “Greased Lightning”, which I always thought was weird, cause like, who is going to sing a song about their friend getting tit in their sweet car?  Jeff Conaway played Danny on Broadway, he deserved better...  Also, I’m CONVINCED this song got the Pop-Up Video treatment, but couldn’t find it online anywhere.  Otherwise, how the hell else would the fact that they thought John Travolta putting the saran wrap on his crotch was too racy live rent free in my head for like 20 years?

After encountering Sandy on a date with a jock, Danny decides he’s going to join a sports team to prove to her he can be a motivated team player.  Instead, he just physically assaults several members of his school, but it’s fine because he’s wearing a uniform when he does it.  This is enough to impress Sandy, as she accepts Danny’s invitation to the school dance.

The other gang members are going through their own drama, as Rizzo is sick of giving it up to Kenickie without receiving a modicum of respect.  

“A hickey from Kenickie is like a Hallmark card.  When you care enough to send the very best.”

Danny regresses and continues to act like a shithead to Sandy in front of her friends.

“I don’t like tea.” “You don’t have to drink tea!” “Well, I don’t like parents.”

Jan and Putzie begin an innocent and adorable romance, which proves it’s possible to start off a relationship with mutual respect, even if your friends make fun of you for it.

“I also think there’s more to you than just fat.” “...Thanks.”

I love this scene, there’s so many good lines.

Frenchy, who had dropped out of Rydell to pursue a career in cosmetology, is also in crisis as her stint in beauty school went very poorly.  After hours, she somehow hallucinates Frankie Avalon advising her to get her high school degree.

As a child, I was so proud of myself when I realized all these women played other roles in the movie, as if facial recognition was an important skill.

The day of the big dance finally arrives, as National Bandstand comes to Rydell High with roofie-wielding predator and television host Vince Fontaine.  Rizzo arrives with the leader of the rival gang, while Kenickie has his best girl, Cha Cha, as his date, because they are both very well-adjusted teenagers that know how to work through conflict by communicating and not using desperate attempts to make each other jealous.  Danny and Sandy are cutting up a rug until Sonny attempts to physically assault Sandy, and Danny just lets it happen because another one of his exes, Cha Cha, starts to dance with him while Sandy is rebuffing Sonny’s advances.  Cha Cha and Danny subsequently win the contest.  Honestly, this is so fucked up, I would have dropped Danny after this lapse of good judgement.

But no, Sandy still allows him to take her on a date to the drive-in, and it’s not until he elbows her in the boob and then tries to cop a feel in front of everybody that she finally blows him off.  Then he has the absolute gall to act emo about it because he’s afraid people will think he’s a loser.  Jesus Christ.

Kenickie is also hurting, as he discovers that Rizzo is pregnant and she doesn’t want anything to do with him, regardless of what being an unwed mother will do to her reputation.  He decides to process these emotions by racing Greased Lighting for pink slips, as he likes to live his life a quarter mile at a time.  Unfortunately, Danny steals Kenickie’s thunder (road) yet again, as he’s forced to take his place in the race because of a car door-related closed head injury.  Sandy is impressed by Danny’s driving skillz and decides to sex herself up for an unreliable and emotionally manipulative teenager.  Danny has a similar inclination and decides to put on a nice sweater to win Sandy back, which is something, I guess.  They declare they’re the one each other needs, oh yes indeed.

The school year ends, and all the boys end up paired with the girls.  Rizzo finds out she’s not pregnant and reunites with Kenickie?!  Marty ends up with Sonny even though he’s a handsy creep.  Danny and Sandy are just an mess with incompatible expectations of each other.  But at least Jan and Putzie and Frenchy and Doodie are fairly inoffensive.  The end.

This movie is great, even all these years later.  The entire cast is fantastic, even those with smaller bit parts.  I was *living* for the school staff, Principal McGee and Coach Calhoun especially.  Grease also jump started my lifelong love for Stockard Channing.  She’s great in The West Wing, but her part as Sister Husband in Where the Heart Is may be my favorite performance of hers.  I’ve watched that movie so many times I can’t even call it a guilty pleasure, I love it so much.

Olivia Newton-John wasn’t even sure she wanted to be in this movie and requested a screen test so she could see if she was good at acting.  John Travolta was enamored with her and helped convince Olivia she was perfect for the part, and he wasn’t wrong.  She gives such a strong performance as Sandy; I bought her transformation from clean-cut cinnamon roll to sexpot completely.  John Travolta was also unbelievably charming as Danny, and I found myself giggling at his line deliveries constantly.

The songs are also unbelievably catchy (albeit somewhat annoying after you’ve heard them 700 times).  Barry Gibb, my favorite Pras-adjacent composer, wrote the theme for the movie and it just bops so hard.  As a well-documented detractor of Doo Wop music, there’s not a whole lot else here for me, but that’s not going to blind me to the excellence of this soundtrack.  There is a reason this movie is revered as much as it is.  10/10, fun for the whole family, as long as the kids don’t understand the references.

[husbandomail-archive]

I heard you wanted new requests, so here I am. Can I get some cute dadcanons for Omi please and thanks? Anything you can conjure to mind works!

I don’t think I can convey to you exactly how excited I got when this appeared in the inbox bc oh,,,,, my god,,,,, Omi as a dad,,,,,,,,

Initially, Omi’s worried— he still has doubts about himself and his past, so although he’s done his best to turn his life around, he doesn’t quite feel like he deserves a family. He’s had important people snatched from his life too quickly; even before children are a thought in his mind, he’s terrified of that happening again. But the moment he’s got a baby in his arms? All those fears melt away.

He’s already a natural at caring for other people, so it doesn’t take him long to adjust to having children. He really can’t wait until they can start eating solid foods— he adores cooking, and he can’t wait to watch their faces light up as they try new things, and when they all get a bit older, he definitely wants to teach them to cook too.

Listen. Listen just hear me out. Omi is buff. There’s room in his arms for so many babies. You come home from work one day and your husband’s passed out on the couch, every single one of your kids sprawled out in his arms or across his chest. When he’s doing housework he is ALWAYS carrying babies. He doesn’t roughhouse much unless the older kids initiate, but he always loves to pick ‘em up and swing ‘em around at any age, hearing them squeal happily is so cute, he’s so cute—

The Master of Calming Down Children, for sure. He’s good at first-aid and he’s a very comforting presence, so whether your kids scrape their knees or just can’t get to sleep, Omi’s there. As the kids get older, he makes an active effort to remain an open and inviting father, so that they can come to him with any problems they may be having; he wants all of them to know that, no matter what happens in their lives, they can rely on their father forever.

Also he’s very much the “Y’know what’s better than one baby? TWO BABIES” type, he loves his children and he loves showing them off to everyone.

He takes pictures and videos of EVERYTHING. He’s not the social media type, so very few people outside the family will see the photos or recordings; it’s more of a personal log for you and him to look back on as the kids get older. At certain milestones, like their individual graduations or weddings, he puts together albums for each of them.

While he’s an adorable dad, Omi is also immensely, overwhelmingly protective. He’s not really the type to preemptively threaten his daughter’s boyfriends, but if they ever make his girls cry, he’s immediately on the way over “just to talk :)”. And he’s always doing his best to keep his sons out of fights— he’s been there, done that, and he doesn’t want his family making the same mistakes he did.

[oingo233]

By The Lake* Part One

Summary:  A family friend offers you a place to stay to get away from an abusive past.  Her home is a place that you are familiar with, an old town with a large lake you spent many days in. You went there years ago for one full summer, where you became close friends with a very young Daryl Dixon.  You two were inseparable until you had to leave.  But now you’re back, escaping from a past much like his.  You will need to weave your way through the town's problematic people, your own problems, and above all the confusing Dixon.  Will you two find your way back to each other again?  Or will he push you further away?  And above all, will your past cease to haunt you?

Part Two * Part Three * Part Four * Part Five

Pairing: Young Daryl Dixon x Reader

Warnings: Mentions of abuse and violence(potential triggers), cussing, more mature themes(not smut or anything tho), slow burn romance

Authors Note: Daryl Dixon is a character from the amazing show The Walking Dead, but this story is modern AU so not with all the walkers and everything.  I don’t own and I didn’t create his character.  Also this story is in no means meant to romanticize abuse, that stuff isn’t romantic. It is such a terrible, terrible thing, but it is sadly a very common thing as well.  Throughout this series I only hope that I can spread awareness about the matter, and let people know that they aren’t alone, things will get better, and that no one is deserving of any kind of abuse. Ever. Anyways, I’m done with my rant, I hope y’all like it, and if not please send in some constructive criticisms I’m always looking to improve.

Word Count: 1.7k

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

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

 I can’t help the dumb smile that spreads across my face, and I can’t help but think of all that is changing.  It felt like I could breathe again, that maybe everything will turn out alright. It has been weeks with nothing bad happening, weeks of trying to stop the burning question of “but for how long?” from ruining my mood.

“What are you smiling so big for?”  Cherry, my moms best friend and my god mom, stared at me from the drivers side.  Before I could answer she cut me off.  “Excited to see Daryl again?”  She sent me a large wink, and her smile almost matched mine.  I shake my head with a loud laugh, and turn to look out the window again. Hopefully she won’t see me blushing.

“God Cherry, we were 13.”I say. She laughs too, her shoulders lazily move up into a shrug.  

“Whatever you say.”  I glare at her jokingly, and she pokes my side, the car moving dangerously close to the right.  She laughs nervously and a small “oops” slips from her lips, before she continues on torturing me. “Well, he is real cute now.  A bit quite though, but then again, he always kind of was huh?”  You nod silently, watching the tall trees pass in a blur.

  Daryl always was so quite, it took you nearly the whole summer to get him to string together a whole sentence.  But once you did, nothing could stop him from being with you.  Sure, he’d never rant to you or anything, but he’d hold good conversations and what he didn’t tell you, you found easy to pick up on how he acted around you.  But this was years ago.  You wonder how much has changed, and if you’ll ever be that close with him again?

“Mark ask’s him over sometimes, to work on this old car he bought, ya know just for some help.  He’d always ask about you.”  We share a look and I stare at my lap soon after, a blanket wrapped around me for the long drive.  She must have noticed my behavior because she quickly kept going, enjoying making me blush.  “Cute lil thing he is, he’d always work up a blush.  ‘How’s (Y/N) doing?’ or ‘(Y/N), she alright?’”  She shook her head with a wide smile, but I stare at her with something like horror on my face.  I try to calm myself before asking.

“What did you tell him?”  He smile drops, her grip on the wheel tighter than before.  

“Not the truth.  Said you were doing good.”  It was silent, her knuckles turned white. “He’d ask about you and Carter...”  Her voice trailed off venomously, before giving me a comforting look. “We tell him it’s nothing he has to worry about.” I nod my head.  It felt weird for me to thank her for lying for me, but I do anyway.  Daryl knowing bout everything, when we haven’t seen or been close to each other in years seems weird, like it would be a burden.

I’m 18 now, Daryl would’ve just turned 19.  You blush of thinking of how good looking he must be now. You always found him cute, but 13 was too young to do anything bout it.  Although you’d never admit it out loud, you always liked him.  He was good to you.  Better than your actual boyfriend...

“You okay, honey?”  Cherry’s voice breaks the silence, and thankfully your thoughts.  You run a hand down your face with a tight smile.

“Just tired, that’s all.”  Her smile faded faster than you would have liked it too.  You looked into her eyes just in time to catch the glistening pity in them before she faced the road again.  She knew your situation, everything you’ve been through.  

“I’ll tell the kids not to bug ya then.  Let ‘cha rest up first, yeah?”  I thank her but decline and face the window once again.  I hated sleeping in the car, always preferred watching out the window and thinking bout things instead. But maybe I should try, I wouldn’t want to make the kids sad.  I loved those two boogers.  Cherry had two little kids with her husband Mark.  One little boy named Monty, and a little girl they named Rosie.  I don’t even know how old they are now.  When I was there for the summer with my family so many years ago, Rosie was just born.  

“How old are they now?” I blush, almost ashamed of not knowing.  But I can hardly keep track of my life, let alone everyone elses.  She puts a hand on my knee, and squeezes it.  Instantly, I feel better, and talking about her kids obviously made her feel better too.

“Monty is 8, and Rosie is 5!  Monty just got super into dinosaurs, and we can’t keep Rosie out the lake.  She just learned how to swim, she got so big...”I listen to her drawl on about her kids with a sweet, unbothered feeling.  My excitement grows as she continues to tell me about them, and we are getting closer to their house.  Finally we pull into the familiar town, only about 15 minutes from her house now, which would mean we are only 26 minutes from Daryl’s.  I try not to think of him, or how nervous I am to see my old close friend, or what goes down in that house.  

I knew about what his father did to him, or I think I did.  He never told me about it but sometimes he’d stop by the old cabin on Cherry’s property where my mom and I stayed, and he’d be crying.  We’d sit by the lake in silence, sometimes I’d be hugging him and tracing the lumps and scars under his clothes, other times I’d catch a glimpse of a bruise on his face in the moonlight.  But whenever I’d ask, he’d push me away and I wouldn’t see him for a few days after, or until he seemed alright and I was dumb enough to believe that.  At my age and time in my life I never knew how bad it was.  Not until the same thing happened to me.  I never should have left Daryl there, knowing all that I did.  How can I face him again with all this guilt?  I was a terrible friend...

I feel an unwelcome burn in the back of my eyes and throat right as we pass the ice cream parlor, the car pulled into the parking lot and I smiled brightly.  Wiping at my eyes for a brief second before looking at Cherry with raised eyebrows. 

“Thought I’d treat ya.”  She chuckles at my expression.

“Giving me a place to live isn’t enough?”  I laugh out, she laughs too and we climb out of the car.  I leave the blanket in the seat, I’d rather die than have anyone here see me with a baby blue fuzzy thing wrapped around my waist.  

We step inside and Cherry says a few quick hello’s, and introduces me to some of her friends in there.  We grab our ice cream but I recognize an older couple from that blissful summer.

“Mr.Henderson right?”  I stop a older looking man from walking out the door, I put my hand out and he takes it with a hint of uncertainty.  His eyes scan me for any familiarity.  They land on my hair, and then deep in my eyes, his face lights up, before I could tell him who I am he beats me to it.

“(Y/N) (Y/L/N)!”  He pulls me into a hug, careful not to get chocolate ice cream in my hair.  “I don’t believe it!  Look at how grown you are!  Sharron get over here.”  He waves his wife over joyfully from the car, she gives him a loving smile before shaking her head at me.

“I’m sorry dear, I don’t reco-” She gasped mid-sentence and pulled me into a hug.  She looked back at Mr.Henderson.  “This is (Y/N) honey!”  He nods at her and she looks back at me grabbing at my hair and twirling it around her finger.  I flinch when her fingers first reached for me but she didn’t seem to notice, I’m glad.  “Look how beautiful...”  She hugs me again.  

Mr. and Mrs. Henderson are Cherry’s neighbors, about half a mile out.  I used to drag Daryl over there with me so we could grab some of their infamous lemonade every afternoon.  We’d stay there for hours and hang out in their tire swing, and their side of the lake has a huge flat rock by the shore.  Daryl and I used to lay on it in the hot sun.  Mrs.Henderson used to joke that if we weren’t careful we’d cook like eggs.  I haven’t seen them since that last summer day, when I went looking for Daryl to say goodbye.

Cherry politely pulled her off me, and gave them a stern look.

“(Y/N)’s a bit tired, I was just about to take her home.”She said.  Mrs.Henderson looked at the empty ice cream cup in my hand and frowned. 

“Well she can’t sleep with a tum full of ice cream.  See Cherry, this is why your kids never sleep on time.  You ain’t feedin’ em right.”  Cherry raised an eyebrow and looked at her wordlessly, lips pulled tight.  

“Well, it was so nice to see you again.  But we really should be going, and Mrs.Henderson, this ice cream never gave me any problems before.”  I wink and pull Cherry away from them before they start brawling.  Mom always got along better with the Henderson's than Cherry did, and they weren’t even our neighbors.  I guess that could be why.  

Mrs.Henderson grabs my elbow making me tense up.  “oh but don’t go.  Daryl just got here...look.”  Her hand left my elbow and she pointed down the street to a young man that I don’t recognize, walking stiffly towards us.  He’s tall, with broad shoulders and arms that looked good in his sleeveless shirt.    

As if sensing our eyes on him, he looks up.  My mouth slacks as I stare back into his startling blue eyes, the same ones that belong to Daryl Dixon.  Daryl stops walking and stares at me, his eyes trail slowly down my body, and back up to my eyes. His face wide with shock, quickly morphs into a scowl.  He shakes his head bitterly, brown hair falling on his forehead, and turns around, walking away from us in quick strides.  

Out of all the ways I imagined us meeting again, that was not one of them.  I can’t help myself from wondering what the hell that was all about?

[maylovexhs]

everytime - THE LUCKY ONE (Chp. 25)

Author’s Note: You better work! (Covergirl!) Work it girl, do a twirl. . . You’ll get it later. Anyways happy ten years of 1D. As promised, here’s another chapter of everytime. -May 

Catch up on everytime here

August 25th, 2019.

I wanna hold 'em like they do in Texas, please

Fold 'em, let 'em hit me,

Raise it, baby, stay with me

I love it

I swayed my foot, listening to the song as I looked out the car window at the countryside.

Love game intuition, play the cards with spades to start

And after he's been hooked, I'll play the one that's on his heart

I felt Lisa poke my shoulder. I took out one of my airpods, turning my head to her.

"Huh?" I asked her.

"I got you an interview with one of Amsterdam's radio stations" Lisa said.

I turned my head back to the window, watching the weeds sway in the wind. We were driving to my Vogue photoshoot in Italy. Lisa especially flew out for it. To her and Adrian, Italy's vogue were notorious for experimenting more with shoots, being more controversial than the US' Vogue. Looking at some of its latest covers, I had to agree. As much as I felt excited for it, I felt something was wrong. Like I was missing something, or someone.  

"You did?" I asked Lisa, not surprised. "When?"

"Next Wednesday" Lisa said. "In the morning. It would be good press for your upcoming show there"

"Don't you think I get enough press already?" I asked her.

"Which is why we should appericate it while we could" Lisa said. "It's always been that way"

I took out both airpods, sighing. I put them in my case, throwing them in my bag.

"What's wrong with you?" Lisa asked me.

"What do you mean?" I asked her.

"You didn't say anything to me since we left the hotel and you're acting moody" Lisa pointed out. "Are you on your period?"

"Last day" I told her. "But that's not it"

I looked outside the window again. The field of weeds reminded me of home. There would be miles of weeds whenever I drove somewhere back home.

"I think I miss home" I said, looking back to Lisa.

"You do?" Lisa asked. "Or you miss the people at home?"

"You know what I mean" I told her. "I love touring but doing night after night, sometimes I need more than a two day break. I like going out not having anything planned for tomorrow. I really can't enjoy the moment when I know I have to leave it soon"

"Well, you toured before" Lisa said. "You knew what you were getting yourself into"

"Knew you were going to say that" I commented.

I crossed my arms, feeling somewhat frustrated.

I was just homesick. I was homesick before but never this early on tour. I just started tour less than a month ago. I expected I would miss home later than sooner, considering how I've always craved space for myself. I guess that part of me changed.

"Maybe I should fly Ali out" I said. "Or Jessie. Or Jie Lin"

"Maybe you should" Lisa said. "If Jessie wants to leave her husband for a week and if Ali wants to quit her job"

I bit my lip, feeling my hands were tied.

"I still have Jie Lin" I told Lisa.

I looked at window, seeing we were turning into a trailer park.

"We're here" Lisa said.

"Trailers? Adrian didn't say anything about trailers to me" I said to Lisa. "Did you tell him?"

"And hear Adrian's wrath about mosquitoes and the heat?" Lisa asked as if it was an answer. "Nope"

The driver stopped the car for us. Lisa got out of the car first, slamming her door shut.

"Grazie" I said to the driver as I got out of the car.

I shut the car door and looked at the set. There had to be more than one hundred people here, strange for a photoshoot. Lisa started to walk through the set as the car we were just in drove away. I followed her. A woman quickly approached us.

"Y/N" She said in an Italian accent, pointing at me.

"Yup" I said, nodding. "The Y/N"

"Follow me" The woman said, walking past us.

I shrugged to Lisa before walking after the woman. She led us to a trailer. A paper was hung on the trailer's door, my face and name on the paper.

"Grazie" I said to the woman.

She nodded to me, leaving. Lisa opened the trailer door, stepping inside. I followed her inside.

It was an average trailer, the same I've seen on movie sets. The only difference was there was a vanity table and a rack of clothes. Adrian was already sitting in the trailer, along with a blue haired woman, a blonde woman and a man.  

"Ugh" Adrian complained. "Finally arrived"

"We're right on time" Lisa said.

"Didn't you always used to say 'early's on time, on time is late and late is unacceptable?'" Adrian asked her.

"We're on time" Lisa said in a deadpan tone.

"Thanks for telling me about the trailer park" Adrian said with complete sarcasm. "Really love the weather outside"

"Enough Adrian" I told him, looking towards the two women and the man. "You must be-"

"Marinette" The blue haired woman said in a french accent, introducing herself. "Your stylist for today."

"Nice to meet you, Marinette" I said to her.

"Call me Mari" She said.

"Oh, okay" I said, nodding. "Mari"

"This is Ralph and Celine" Marinette said, pointing to the man and the blonde woman.

"Hair stylist" Ralph said in an Italian accent.

'Makeup" Celine said.

"Happy to work with you both today" I said, shaking their hands.

"I've already talked to Mari about what you would like" Adrian said. "Everything she picked has been approved by me"

I smiled at Marinette. I placed my bag on the trailer's couch.

"Can I see?" I asked Marinette.

Marinette walked over to the rack of clothes as did I. I looked through the hangers of dresses, in awe of each one. I stopped sorting through the dresses, seeing one that caught my eye. I took the hanger off the rack, holding the dress up. It was a white flowing dress with some lace black cutout on it.

"McQueen Resort 2019" Adrian said. "Had to get it when I saw it"

"I think I want to take this one back home" I said, admiring the dress.

I looked to Marinette.

"Can I wear this one?" I asked her.

"Tresses de cheveux? On pourrait rentrer sa frange" Ralph said to Marinette.

"Je pense que nous pourrions" Marinette said back to Ralph.

Lisa, Adrian and I looked to them, all of us equally confused.

"Braids" Marinette said, pointing to my hair. "For the dress"

"Okay" I said, nodding. "Braids"

"Let's start on the hair" Marinette said, gesturing me to the chair at the vanity table.

I sat down in the chair. Ralph took out my ponytail, my hair falling down on my shoulders.

"Do you want to start the interview now or later?" Lisa asked me.

"Now" I said. "Get it done while they do my hair"

Lisa and Adrian looked to each other.

"Girl, you know I'm not going outside unless I need to" Adrian said to her.

Lisa sighed. She turned around, walking out of the trailer.

"Have fun outside!" Adrian said, sarcastically.

"Shut it!" Lisa said.

Four Hours Later.

"One more photo . . ." Adrian said, dragging himself into the trailer. "One more photo and we're done with this heat and never get to see it again"

"And the less time you keep blocking me from moving, the more time we do stay here" I said, passing him in the trailer.

Marinette, Ralph and Celine came into the trailer after us. Lisa, who was inside the trailer for the remainder of the shoot, was already in the trailer. I sat down next to her, taking off the heels I was wearing.

"Your brother, Harry and Felix called you" Lisa said to me.

"How about this one?" Adrian asked me, holding up a black Gautier dress.

"If I can get into it and out of it, why-" I stopped talking and looked to Lisa. "Felix called?"

"And he left you a message" Lisa said.

"When?" I asked her. "You didn't answer?"

"Of course, I didn't answer!" Lisa said. "I didn't want anything to distract you. It was less than thirty minutes ago"

"Where's my phone?" I asked her, getting up while wearing only one heel on.

"In your bag" Lisa said.

"Can you give Y/N a minute?" Adrian asked Marinette, Celine and Ralph. "Or ten?"

"Call us when you're ready" Marinette said before leaving the trailer.

Celine and Ralph followed her out. I took my phone out of my bag, looking at the screen.

Felix(Voicemail)

Felix(Missed Call)

Daniel (Missed Call)

Harry (Missed Call)

Felix called. Felix actually called.

Felix, my ex-boyfriend and once was the love of my life, called me. We rarely talked after our painful breakup but we only called each other when it was important. The last I called him was two months ago, to tell him there was some songs on my album about him. The last time he called me was more than a year ago.

I unlocked my phone and went to my voicemails. I pressed on Felix's name and held my phone up to my ear.

"Hi Y/N" I heard Felix say in a bitter tone. "I called you, hoping we could talk. I should have expected you not to answer. I know you're probably rehearsing or doing an interview now but . . . call when you can. Bye"

I removed my phone from my ear. Adrian and Lisa, who both looked anxious, stared at me.

"What did he want?" Adrian asked me.

"I don't know" I said, feeling a bit scared now. "He said to call him back when I can"

"Don't call him now please" Lisa said. "I know you. One bad call from him and you'll be upset for the rest of today"

"Gotta side with Lisa on this one" Adrian said. "Something tells me this is going to be bad and it's not the five bottles of water in me"

"But it's Felix" I said. "He never calls me. I usually call him"

"So, what are you going to do?" Adrian asked me.

I looked down at my phone.

Felix, the person who I almost had a baby with. Felix, the person who made me happier than anyone has before. Felix, the person who I swore I would marry one day and spend the rest of my life with. Felix, who I needed to call back.

I clicked on his name, holding my phone up to my ear again. The phone rang, each beat making me dread what I would hear from him.

Was he sick? Did he get into an accident? Did he want to get back together? There was only a few reasons he could call, each could be worse than the one before.

"Y/N" I heard Felix say my name as it was the first time.

"Felix" I said, my cheeks blushing a little. "H-hi"

"Hi" Felix said.

"Sorry, I couldn't answer you earlier" I told him. "I'm in the middle of a photoshoot"

"It's alright" Felix said. "Always knew you were up to something when you never could answer my calls"

I smiled to myself. Adrian looked to Lisa, not knowing what to expect.

"So, I guess you didn't call to check up on me" I said.

"No, no, I didn't" Felix said in that same melancholy voice I heard before.

Felix stayed quiet for a few seconds, debating how to tell me his news.

"I've been seeing someone" He said. "It's serious, almost a year"

"Oh, really?" I asked, trying to sound excited for him.

I had a feeling deep down that Felix was going to tell me he was engaged.

"Yeah . . ." Felix said. "And we're expecting. She's pregnant"

I didn't say anything for a few seconds. I felt a little sharp pain in my chest.

"Umm, that's great news" I said, trying not to sound hurt. "I'm happy for you"

"Thank you" Felix said, sounding a bit hurt.

I felt my eyes start to tear up.

"Umm, I have to go. Got another photo to shoot" I told him. "Send my congrats to her too"

"I will" Felix said. "Bye, Y/N"

"Bye" I said, hanging up on him.

I set my phone down on the vanity table nearby. I looked to Adrian and Lisa.

"I take it as bad news" Adrian said.

"No, no" I said, fighting back my tears. "It's great. He's been dating someone for a year and now she's pregnant"

Adrian and Lisa looked to each other, sharing a worried expression.

"I should be happy" I said, trying to stop myself from crying. "Because if I was still with him, I wouldn't have an album out. I would be stuck at home taking care of the baby and not be on tour. I should be happy, right?"

I looked to Lisa, hoping for her to calm me down. I sat down on the couch, burying my head in my hands as I cried.

He was having a baby with someone else. I was supposed to have a baby. His baby. I knew this day would come and we both would eventually get married and have Kids with other people but now? Two years after we lost our baby. I may be oversensitive sometimes but how can someone get over losing a baby that fast? How could he move on that fast? I was depressed for a year and a part of me still is hurting from losing my baby. Hell, it even took me another year just to move on from Felix and date someone else.

She should be me. I was supposed to be her.

I felt someone sit on the couch next to me. I figured it was Lisa from the touch of her hugging me.

"I know it's hard to move on" Lisa said. "But you have to try"

"I've been trying" I told her. "As hard as I do, I'll always think back to him. Us"

"Here" I heard Adrian say.

"Take" Lisa said, putting a tissue in my hand.

I lifted my head up, seeing my tears fall onto my dress. I dried my tears with the tissue, smearing the running mascara on my cheeks.

"I'm happy for him" I said. "I'm really am and I know everything happens for a reason but that should have been me. . . It should have"

"It should" Lisa said. "You're right, it should be you but it's not"

"Nice prep talk" We heard Adrian murmur under his breath.

Lisa looked at him, sending him a death glare. She looked back to me.

"You'll be happy again" Lisa said. "With someone who truly deserves you. It's only a matter of time"

I sniffled, trying to get a hold of my emotions. I dried my face with the tissue again. I looked down on my dress, looking at the stained teardrops on it. I slightly smiled. I looked back up to Lisa.

"Thank you" I said to Lisa. "I think I have to buy this dress. I've stained it"

"You should" Adrian said. "It suits you"

I smiled at him, nodding.

"Can you tell Mari and them to come back?" I asked Adrian.

"Are you sure?" Lisa asked. "You shouldn't do anything unless you feel ready yet"

"I am ready" I told her, taking off my other shoe. "It's a hundred degrees outside. My crying could wait but they can't"

Adrian walked out the trailer. I got up, walking to the vanity table. I took some makeup removal wipes from a pack and started to remove the wet mascara on my face.

"We could quit for the rest of the day if you want" Lisa said. "I could call it off"

"I'm fine" I said. "Not that fine but . . . I could make it through one more photo. I'm lucky to be here. I'm not going to let one bad moment ruin it for me"

Lisa nodded. She was about to speak but Adrian quickly entered the trailer with Marinette, Celine and Ralph.

"One last photo" Adrian said. "Just one more"

[honeymoonjin]

Displayed from newest to oldest. 

Smut is in bold.

THIS IS MY OLD MASTERLIST. I will not be updating it. My new masterlist is here.

Play Hard Every one of your friends in the industry told you when you were starting out that the secret to fame was Kim Seokjin. Every person that had subbed under him in his exclusive Play Hard webseries had quickly become a sought-after name in porn. The only catch? You had to survive him first. 

darlin’ You’re an actress that needs to learn to ride a horse for your next role. Jin’s the cowboy tasked with teaching you.

pine You’ve been hiding your crush on your best friend Jin for far too long now, but it turns out he feels the same.

transition Seokjin’s job as a Grim Reaper is to guide souls after they die, but you’re not interested in moving on just yet.

pasta la vista  In which you, a food critic, wonders how Kim Seokjin manages to stay in business, considering how terrible his food seems to be. Alternatively, Kim Seokjin does not know how to flirt.

Boseong Breakfast it may be misfortune that brings you to min yoongi’s door looking for a place to stay, but luckily holly lodge has a vacancy.

Empress (yoonji) The most powerful woman in the nation, Empress Min gets whatever she wants. And she wants you.

daegu hold ‘em Sugar daddy au. Not really any plot lmao.

baby fever Doctor Min Yoongi is your fertility specialist, but during the artificial insemination procedure he has some...unorthodox methods.

mi casa When Yoongi brings you home to spend the holiday season with his family, he finally realizes he’s in love with you.

curious ft kth Taehyung is unsure of his sexuality, and you and your boyfriend Yoongi are only too happy to let him experiment with you. Threesome.

땡 / Ddaeng When blackmailed by a sasaeng, you and Yoongi decide to instead release a diss-track featuring audio from an illegally obtained video of the two of you having sex.

dul, set - ft jhs After a tiring week, you relish the chance to cuddle with your boyfriends.

dul, set part two - ft jhs You enjoy a lazy Saturday with Hobi and Yoongi, and they help you unwind.

unravel You just want Yoongi to see himself the way you see him.

warm ft jhs  Officially a sequel to my two-part series, Running Man Bangtan (listed under the OT7 series banner above) but can be read as a standalone. 

hot fuzz ft knj your two boyfriends play good cop-bad cop.

heavy Mafia leader Hoseok is having problems with loyalty in his ranks. Luckily, you’ll always be there for him to relieve a little stress when he needs it.

close enough Hoseok thinks you’re getting a little too close to the other members, and he’s sick of it. part two now available here!

us Amongst the publicity of being an idol, Hoseok wants his proposal to be a private affair.

dul, set - ft myg After a tiring week, you relish the chance to cuddle with your boyfriends.

dul, set part two - ft myg You enjoy a lazy Saturday with Hobi and Yoongi, and they help you unwind.

warm ft myg Officially a sequel to my two-part series, Running Man Bangtan (listed on the series masterlist) but can be read as a standalone. 

“I forgot I was a single parent.” Short drabble.

hot fuzz ft jhs your two boyfriends play good cop-bad cop.

sexual healing When your own hand won’t work in relieving your sexual frustrations, you turn to a professional.

keyed up When your mutual roommate Namjoon gets a little too strung out, you and Taehyung offer to help relieve some tension.

hey mama One-shot for Mother’s Day. You spend an evening in with Namjoon and your two boys.

going up? You didn’t expect to be trapped in a faulty elevator with the President of South Korea, but it’s still preferable to having to take the stairs.

sick day Namjoon gets a week off work, but you don’t, and he's starting to get a little frustrated.

extracurricular  In an effort to make a good impression on his parents, you get Namjoon to teach you some Korean.

chingu?  You reunite with your childhood friend Kim Namjoon on a Korean variety show.

tumble dry

When Jimin overhears you confessing to Jungkook that you want to ride his thighs, Jimin allows you...on one condition.

radio silence Jimin wants to indulge in his exhibitionism kink on the grandest scale: while at the Grammys.

appa Jimin comes home from tour to visit his newborn son for the first time.

breaking point  You don’t think you can continue being in a relationship with Jimin anymore.

arrivals  Things go wrong at the airport when Jimin’s wife and daughter accompany BTS on a flight.

the a.m  Jimin’s not too happy when your alarm wakes him up in the morning.

“Quit it or I’ll bite.” Short drabble.

Upstream Colour You go to Venice to decompress from your stressful job. Instead, you find a soulful gondolier that makes you never want to leave.

keyed up When your mutual roommate Namjoon gets a little too strung out, you and Taehyung offer to help relieve some tension.

roomie Falling in love with your cell mate isn’t generally advisable.

You’re an artsy person This is actually a scenario/headcanon, but since it’s just for Taehyung I’m putting it here. You meet your boyfriend at an art exhibit where he seems completely entranced in a painting.

Confessions of Love are Best Done Sober  Kim Taehyung used to be your best friend in primary school, but he’s changed into a completely different person. While you drink yourself into oblivion at a party, he has something to tell you.

itty-bitty  After finally moving in with your just-married husband, you have some more exciting news to tell him.

curious ft myg Taehyung is unsure of his sexuality, and you and your boyfriend Yoongi are only too happy to let him experiment with you. Threesome. 

anpanman your best friend jungkook finally convinces you to seek therapy for your failing mental health. the only catch? the one therapist that’s within your price range is an alternative marriage counsellor, jung hoseok, and the only way jungkook managed to get you an appointment was by saying the two of you were married. will couples counselling actually be useful for your wellbeing, or will something that runs much deeper rise to the surface instead?

green room Jungkook isn’t happy with how you acted while he was on stage. 

high-rise Getting locked out on a rooftop when you’re meant to be going on stage in five minutes is less than ideal, but luckily Jungkook has his girlfriend to keep him company.

shark week When you get your period while at a restaurant with your boyfriend and the rest of BTS, you just want to grin and bear it, but Jungkook seems determined to show off to his hyungs how supportive he is.

the name game Jungkook likes to think he’s a genius at coming up with baby names. You, his heavily pregnant girlfriend, would have to disagree.

Roll Credits  After a string of misfortunes and troubles, you find yourself crying your eyes out in a movie theater. Luckily, the cute usher wants to make sure you didn’t miss the film.

The Daily Grind 

Jeon Jungkook has a crush on the girl that comes to the coffee shop he works at, but she’s too invested in her studying to even give him a second glance.

makin’ monet + part two Jungkook’s attention is caught by his roommate Taehyung’s odd collection of fake paintings, and he’s determined to find the painter.

“You look pretty hot in plaid.” Short drabble.

miscellaneous ot7 content

“For the hundredth time, I’m not your babysitter.” Short idol!verse drabble.

bangtan baby - ot7 x reader fluff Just a little headcanon I wrote where the reader is dating Hoseok’s sister and he becomes their sperm donor surrogate and then all of bts become like dads to this baby.

seven - ot7 x reader angst You fly out to surprise your touring boyfriends and give them some exciting news, but you find out you’re not welcome.

eight - ot7 x reader angst and fluff A much-requested sequel to seven. The boys find out what happened, and why you came in the first place.

ten - ot7 x reader fluff A look at how your life changes now that you’re parents. The final part to the Seven and Eight one-shots.

[olicitysecretsanta]

Make it Home (I’m still here)

A/N: This fic is a gift for @lupin72 (Em)

Wanted hurt/comfort or angst with a happy ending. I’ve never written anything like this so here’s my take on it. I tried to make it close to canon so I did wait until last minute to write this. I added some scenes that I hope you will like and warm your heart as it did mine while I wrote this.

On a more personal note, Arrow has given me so much. I’ve always loved writing mostly essays but before this show I had never encountered fanfics. Never would’ve thought I’d be here writing my own and sharing it. It’s been very awesome to be a part of something so amazing as is the Olicity gift exchange.

I look forward to reading all the works. I hope you enjoy.

Long Live OLICITY ❤️!

-Annie ( @sparklesannie )

Heroes don’t always make it home and I never forget that.

The very same words Felicity once said to her step-son now echoed heavily in her heart.

It’s been about a month since she’d tracked Oliver in earth-2 and sent John to help him out. John promised to get her husband back. He’d promised, but a month has passed and there’s still no sign of either of them. Her hope begins to dim. 

*****

A couple of months later John finally shows up to the cabin. Felicity had just put Mia down for nap so she closes the door to Mia’s bedroom and guides them to sit down in the living room.

“Oliver wanted you to get William back so that he and Mia can grow up together.”

“Wanted?” She whispers as her eyes well up with tears. It’s surprising she still can considering how much she’s cried since Oliver left, she thought she’d dried up by now. “John, where is he? Where‘s Oliver?”

She had prepared herself for the fact that Oliver might not comeback this time. But she still hoped, he had survived so much the man seemed practically immortal.

“Felicity. I’m so sorry I failed him and you and Mia.”

“Where’s Oliver? What happened?”

“I don’t—“ John takes a deep breath before staring again. “There was this other monitor—”

“The anti monitor, yeah, I know about that son of a bitch. Go on.”

“Well we were traveling from earth to earth trying to save everyone. And Oliver he was the last one out from earth 38. He fought until his last breath…”

“Just say it John.”

“I’m so sorry Felicity. We tried to get him back— hell we even traveled to another earth and threw him in the Lazarus pit. But ultimately he sacrificed himself to create a whole new universe.”

A new universe.

“Well maybe he’s lost somewhere. I bet I can track him!” Felicity jumps up from the couch and runs over to her secret room.

She’s already typing when she hears John come up behind her. She types furiously, with purpose. “Any changes between this universe and the one before? I need to know it might help us find Oliver.” She asks before John can try to stop her efforts of finding her husband.

“Well apparently I have not one but two kids!”

“Baby Sara and JJ. Did you not have kids?”

“Well yeah but just one.” He hesitates a moment before adding, “I don’t know if I should even tell you this but your kids from the future popped up for a little bit. They’re wonderful people.”

Felicity swivels back on her chair to face a smiling John. “My kids? Time travelled? And I missed this?!”

“Oliver wanted to tell you but we didn’t know how William and Mia being here would affect the timeline—time traveling is apparently very complicated.”

“Oh. Right. Ripples. Yeah don’t want those. You know that’s how Barry fracked up the timeline and left you with just one kid.” She joked. But she couldn’t hide the fact that she was disappointed on missing meeting her kids from the future. “Hold on where was Lucas? Did they talk about me? Will I be a good mom?”

“You did an amazing job of raising two wonderful—Wait what? Did you say Lucas?”

“I might have forgot to tell you…I’m eight weeks pregnant.”

“And you already decided it’s a boy?” He asked clearly amused but excited by the unexpected news.

“I feel it in my bones, John. I’m having a boy.”

—————

3 months later

I’m still here. -O

There’s a neon green post it with what she swears to be Oliver’s handwriting on their wedding picture she keeps on her bedside table.

It couldn’t be. Could it?

John said Oliver died.

There was no way it was Oliver. Somebody had to be messing with her.

Maybe it was the Monitor, he’d promised that he’d reunite them again but how could he now that Oliver was dead?

Nothing made sense to Felicity anymore.

——————

Everyone made it to Oliver’s memorial service. His mother, both of his sisters Thea and Emiko, and William.

Felicity had been keeping in touch with William since Oliver disappeared. She’d told him about his little sister and he was eager to meet her.

Felicity would never forget that day.

How surprised he was to see her belly as it just started to show. How William wrapped his arms around her shoulders and held to her tightly. How happy he was carrying his baby sister in his arms. And the sadness in his eyes when he asked “Dad’s not coming back is he?”

She cried her heart out. She really tried not to but she couldn’t keep her emotions in check. “I’m sorry kiddo. I don’t think so. But I really want you to come back home. I— Your father and I wanted you and Mia to grow up together.”

William didn’t say anything right away but she could see his eyes welled up with tears. He reached into his pocket with his right hand while balancing his sister on his left arm. “I actually wanted to.” He unfolded his hand to give something to her.

As soon as it hit her hand she knew what it was. The hozen.

Felicity gripped the hozen tightly inside her coat pocket. She would never get used to not having her husband by her side, even more so now with this pregnancy.

She kept hoping that one day they would reconnect. That the Monitor would turn up again to reunite her with Oliver.

———————

3 months later

Giving birth is not easy. Not even the second time around. Especially when Felicity can’t hold on to Oliver’s hand. This time she holds onto Lyla’s. Thea and Moira wanted to be in the delivery room but the reminder that there was a missing Queen, the most important one, was too much for Felicity. So Lyla kicked them out, nicely of course.

After six hours of labor Lucas Jonas Queen finally makes his entrance to the world.

John’s face is priceless once he meets Lucas and Felicity remarks, “Told you it was a boy!”

————-

A year later on her birthday Felicity finds a letter on Oliver’s side of the bed. She hasn’t had the heart to sleep on his side. The bed seems too big and while Mia and Lucas both sleep with her on it, it always feels a little cold without Oliver’s presence.

Happy birthday.

I’ll be watching over you and our kids.

-O

That’s not the first or the last note Felicity receives through the years. After the first five she starts to get her hopes back up. There’s something about the little notes that make her feel hopeful again.

Even though she knows better she can’t help but believe that it’s her Oliver.

Keep me in your heart.

Love, Oliver.

She always gets that one on Mia’s birthday.

On William’s it reads: William, I love you. Live.

P.S. I know.

And on Lucas’ birthday it reads: He is so perfect. My Beautiful boy.

On their anniversary she gets a rose with a note that reads: You will always be the best part of me for the rest of my life.

Oh how she wishes it were true.

But at least Felicity gets the chance to be there for their kids. She will tell them about the sacrifices their father made so that they could live. She would protect them, love them, teach them how to be a hero in the light and most importantly she would make sure they know their father loved them, even if he didn’t know they existed.

Oliver had created a whole new universe that required the ultimate sacrifice. The ultimate act of heroism. Felicity couldn’t even be mad at Oliver she would always be grateful, he saved not only the city but the whole damn multiverse.

It’s like she once told William, Oliver makes sacrifices so they have to make theirs. That’s what makes—made their love deeper than other kinds of love.

And even if she sometimes felt alone and overwhelmed she could always look around and find pieces of Oliver all over. Moira, Thea, Tommy, now she had the chance to really get to know them and count on them as family just like Oliver would’ve if they had survived in the alternate timeline.

——————

2040

A lot has happened in the last 20 years.

Living off the grid was hard. But not as hard as having to raise Mia and Lucas by herself. William helped from time to time but once he left for college she was, again, on her own.

Since Felicity had managed to get William back he had been sad that his father wasn’t in the picture anymore, but at least he was quite excited and happy to have a sister and a baby brother. And now he was on his way to be a successful CEO of his very own tech empire.

Mia was graduating college and soon hopefully if she said yes, getting engaged. JJ was the perfect boyfriend, much like Oliver was to her, her better half.

Not far behind was Lucas who halfway through college decided to drop out and focus on developing a nonprofit community outreach program.

The kids were happy and thriving. Her job was done. They didn’t need her anymore. Still Felicity hoped that one of them would take over at Smoak Technologies. It was getting old for her, she loved her job and the amazing contributions they were making in the medical field but she really just wanted some peace and quiet now.

Shortly after Lucas turned one Felicity decided it was time to go back to Starling City.

She never would’ve thought that she’d be living with Moira, Thea and Roy at the Queen mansion, but there was room to grow there. Plus the kids would get to know their family, so they did. Lucas was Thea and Roy’s favorite—they’d deny any form of favoritism but it was crystal clear.

—————————-

On May 14, 2040 Felicity summons her kids to the mansion, she had to tell them that it was time for her to go. They understood and of course they were sad but it’s like she pointed out to them, she’s not dying or in any pain, they’re not losing their mother. She’s just reuniting with Oliver.

So they said their heartfelt goodbyes, shared some last minute words of wisdom. She told them that she’d be watching over them and waiting for them from beyond. She made sure to warn them about coming over to the other side too soon.

William thanked her for being a wonderful mother and for always being patient with him. Mia cried her eyes out and said she’d keep both her parents in her heart. Lucas was being eerily quiet about it. He didn’t say much just hugged his mom and kissed her forehead.

Wherever Oliver was he was waiting for her and she felt it was time to go. So she wasn’t surprised when The Monitor appeared by her side while she talked to Oliver’s grave in the backyard of the mansion.

“Ms. Smoak, are you ready? Where I’m taking you there is no return.”

Felicity fiddled with the hozen in her hand and looked up, a soft smile on her face. “I have waited a very long time to see him. I’m ready.”

“Follow me.” The Monitor instructs as he escorts her back inside and leads her to the foyer. “Oliver requested that I bring you from this specific location. Must have some special meaning.”

Felicity looks around and realizes just exactly where she is and what day it is. On May 14, 2013 she stood here on this very same place with Oliver.

“You need to stay here.”

“What? Why? You can’t just ask me—”

“I’m not asking. I will come and get you when this is all over.”

“No!”

“Felicity”

“No. Not unless you tell me why.”

“Because I need you to be safe.”

“But I don’t want to be safe. I wanna be with you, and the others, unsafe.”

“I can’t let that happen.”

“Oliver. You’re not making any sense.”

“Slade took Laurel because he wants to kill the woman I love.”

“I know. So?”

“So he took the wrong woman.”

“Oh?”

“I love you. Do you understand?”

“Yes.”

Felicity is still smiling when the portal finally opens. She walks through and suddenly she’s back in their Ivy Town home. A fire is crackling in the living room fire place, on the mantel are displayed the pictures from their trip over the summer. They looked so happy.

“Oliver?”

“In the kitchen!”

She whips around so fast her ponytail smacks her in the face. There in the middle of the kitchen stands a sweaty Oliver making omelettes. She doesn’t even try to pace herself. Felicity runs full speed at him and jumps into his arms.

“Hey.”

“Hi.” He smiles down at her and gently grabs her chin to angle her head and press his lips to hers. “I’m glad you’re finally home.”

This is where they spend their eternal life. Reliving their best moments as a couple, blissfully in Ivy Town.

Home.

The end.

[queen-of-deans-booty]

The Curious Case of Dean Winchester: Part One

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 2,005

Warnings: typical supernatural violence, language, angst, blood, you know the usual

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Any and all comments on these are appreciated. I really want to hear what you guys think about this one!

Feedback is the glue that holds my writing together.

Tags at the bottom

“He’s out isn’t he?” Amara asked as she observed the city below.

As soon as you closed your eyes, you were on top of a hill, sitting on Baby’s hood, and watching the city life pass you by. Amara appeared next to you, but that wasn’t surprising. Dreaming about her wasn’t that surprising. What was surprising was the memories you got from 2014 of Dean telling you how evil Amara actually was.

“What?” you asked absentmindedly.

“I know what you’re thinking.”

“What am I thinking?”

“I’m not as bad as you might think. What Zachariah showed you wasn’t the real me. He wanted to scare you into saying no—into Dean saying yes to my nephew.”

“You’re evil. I saw the look on my own damn face as you held my throat tightly. I saw the fear in people’s eyes when they realized I was in their camp. You’re not good. You inflict fear and pain. You’re nothing better than the things I hunt. Get the hell out of my head.”

“You’re wrong. That’s what they wanted you to see. I’m not bad, and deep down, you know it. I can’t do this without you, and you can’t do this without me.”

“Do what? I’ve been on my own for my whole life without knowing you even existed. So, what, Amara, do I need you for that I can’t provide for myself?”

“Protection. Notice how your magic protects you against things? The Croatoan virus? One of the Horsemen’s powers? I take that protection away and you’re just like them, but I won’t. Lucifer is out of his cage, I can feel it. Don’t let him find you because if he does he will sense that I am within you and he will kill you. I can’t protect you from that from where I am. Don’t let that happen.”

Your head throbbed from the latest dream you had about Amara. It seems as of late you haven’t been getting them so it came as a shock to you that you got one last night. Maybe she wanted to remind you that she was still there and that she wasn’t going anywhere. Maybe she wanted to control the way you thought and acted just by the mere thought of her. Whatever it is, your head was throbbing because of it.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” you whispered to your boyfriend as you entered the hospital where a potential case might be.

Your father tipped you off of people disappearing from this town and when they turned up dead, their deaths were anything but natural. As soon as you met up with the doctor, you took out a badge that claimed you were with the CDC, something the hospital takes very seriously.

“You expect me to believe you're CDC?” the doctor scoffed.

“Excuse me?”

“It's just that you're a day early. First time in history I haven't sat on my ass waiting for you people.”

“New administration. A change you can believe in,” Dean chuckled humorlessly.

“Right,” the doctor scoffed as she led you three to the morgue to show you the body.

She pulled the corpse of a man named Mr. Xavier who looked to be about eighty years of age.

“Meet Xavier. Date of birth, April third, nineteen eighty-four,” the doctor read from the chart. Frowning, you looked at the brothers before making eye contact with the doctor. She sensed your confusion and discomfort because all she did was nod. “I know. I ran the DNA twice. That's definitely him.”

“Well, he wasn't big on the sunscreen, huh?” Dean joked.

“What’s your theory?” you asked.

“All I know is that the decedent's male, twenty-five years old, and he died of old age,” she said before walking away.

“How the hell is he twenty-five, and he looks like this?” you wondered as you pulled out your cell phone and dialed a number you knew by heart.

“Who are you calling?” Sam asked.

“My dad,” you answered as you left the morgue.

Sam and Dean finished up before following you out of the place.

“You were right about this one. It's definitely a job,” you said as soon as he answered the phone.

“Thought so. Any other stiffs in town?”

“Just the one body.”

“Anything else?” he urged. He seemed anxious, but you didn’t press the issue.

“Couple missing persons, but usual for a town this size.”

“Well, check 'em out.”

“You think they’re connected?”

“Call it a hunch,” he sighed.

“Okay. How are you doing, by the way?”

“Doing?”

“Yeah, you know… how are you?” you chuckled nervously.

“Oh, you mean my legs. Well, I'm just weepin' in my Haagen-Dazs. Idjit,” your father scoffed before hanging up the phone. Shaking your head, you looked at the brothers with a shake of your head.

“Come on, there are other families we need to check out,” you sighed before getting into the car.

A woman named Mrs. Whitlow recently reported her husband missing. Dean sat on her ottoman, looking at a frame photo of her husband, Cliff. Sam sat in an armchair and Mrs. Whitlow sat on her sofa. Everyone was seated except for you who stood by the door and watched the woman’s behavior from a distance.

“That’s the most recent picture,” she said with a sigh.

Dean handed the photo of Cliff to Sam who studied it. The picture was of Cliff as a gold tournament champion, Miami Palms June 2009, holding a golf club and trophy. A USMC tattoo is visible on his right arm.

“How long has he been missing?” Sam asked.

“Oh, I knew right away when he didn't come home Tuesday night.”

“Is there someplace he likes to go after work, maybe? A favorite bar?”

“No. Tuesdays, he always works a bit late, but he always comes straight home.”

“May I use your restroom, ma’am?” you suddenly asked.

“Sure, down the hall and to your right,” she smiled.

Nodding at the brothers, you took off before heading left into the office that was right across from the bathroom. The brothers would keep her busy as you looked through the husband’s things to give you a clue as to where he was or is if he’s still alive. There is a big pile of papers on the desk, and after shuffling through them, you come to find no dirt on the missing man. Looking to the right, you spotted the man’s coat hanging on the hook by the door, and you searched through the pockets to see if there was anything valuable inside. There was a receipt in one of the pockets to a Madame Liu's Golden Palace and totals over $250.

“Working late my ass,” you muttered before shoving the receipt into your pocket.

Exiting the room, you made eye contact with the brothers before nodding to let them know that you had found something and you could leave.

“Thank you for your time, ma’am. We’ll do everything we can to locate your husband,” Dean smiled as he and his brother got up.

The woman escorted you three out of her home, and you explained to the brothers what you found.

“The motel isn’t far from here,” Dean declared as he raced over there to catch the guy red handed—if he was alive.

“Well, at least he's consistent. Same room every Tuesday, hourly rates,” Sam observed as he walked with you and Dean to room 44 which is the room that Cliff rented out every Tuesday.

“Hope I got that kind of kick when I'm his age,” Dean chuckled.

“Yeah, like any of us will live that long,” Sam scoffed.

“What do you think is in there?” you asked as you stopped outside of it.

“A wrinkly, gooey corpse,” Dean shrugged as Sam took out his lock pick kit to open the door. He barely got the second tool out when a man’s voice shouted from within the room.

“Oh, God! Oh, God! Oh! Oh, God!”

“Move!” you yelled as you blasted the door with your magic.

The door slammed opened, but what was inside wasn’t a crinkly old man but a young one with not one but two women in his bed. The shouts weren’t of pain but pleasure. The women jumped out of the bed and raced to the bathroom to get changed into something more decent than what they were wearing.

“Oh,” you gasped.

“Sorry. Uh, got the wrong room,” Dean chuckled nervously.

“Close the door!” the man shouted.

Sam is about to shut the door when he noticed a tattoo on the man’s arm that looked exactly like Cliff’s.

“Nice tattoo,” Sam noted as he walked over to the counter with the man’s clothes on it. “Happen to know anybody named Cliff Whitlow?”

“Never heard of him,” he stranger gulped.

“Well, that's weird,” Sam pulled out an ID from the wallet in the man’s pants, “’Cause you're carrying his wallet.”

Dean crossed the room and lifted up the man’s covers to look what was underneath, and you assumed that Cliff’s wife told the brothers something that would cause Dean to look underneath the covers.

“Huh,” he dropped the sheets once he found what he was looking for. “Your wife told us about your, uh, birthmark there. That's nice. Well, you look great, Cliff. Did you get some work done?”

“Could you give us some privacy?” Cliff asked the two women who hovered by the bathroom.

Handing a robe to Cliff, he put it on before leaving the bed. He met the women by the door and handed them some money. Once they left and the door was closed, he turned to you three with a worried expression.

“Please don't tell my wife. I'm begging you. As far as she knows, I'm dead. For the love of God, let's keep it that way.”

“How can you possibly be Cliff Whitlow?” you asked.

“I can't tell you.”

“You better start talking or we will,” you glared.

“Okay! Okay! It was a game.”

“Like... XBox?” Sam asked.

“What's XBox? No. Poker. High stakes. Instead of cash, you play for years.”

“What does that mean?”

“Look, I know it sounds crazy. Guy comes up to me at a bar and invites me to play. He gives me twenty-five of these weirdo poker chips, right? Chants some mumbo jumbo over them and says now they're twenty-five years. I'm laughing, but then I come out up. Now look at me.”

“What was he chanting?” Sam asked.

“How should I know? All I know is, my bad hip's good, and I threw away my glasses. One of those ladies was here for free! Man's some kind of miracle worker.”

“What does this miracle worker look like?”

“Just a guy. Maybe thirty-five, brown hair. Irish accent. His name was Patrick.”

“Okay, where is this game at?” you asked.

“He said he likes to keep moving. Never stays in one bar long, and he finds you.”

“Great, thanks,” you sighed before leaving the room. The brothers followed you to the street where you dialed your dad quickly. As soon as he answered, you laid down the line about what exactly was going on in this town. “It sounds crazy, right?”

“No, there's lore on it,” your father spoke. “Goes back centuries. Traveling card player pops into town. You beat him, you get your best years back. 'Course, most folks lose.”

“Well, that would explain the crunchy corpse.”

“Supposedly, this player's a hell of a card shark. Got a lot of years in the bank. You find the bar he's working in yet?”

“There's a lot of dives in this town. We're gonna have to split up.”

“Well, why you still talking to me?” he asked before hanging up.

“Man, my dad is cranky,” you shrugged. “Alright, Dean and I will take half and you will take the other. Work fast and work hard.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Dean nodded.

Usually you were a bit more laid back than usual, but Amara is really messing with your head today.

Wanna get tagged? Add yourself to this document! If your tag doesn’t work, find out why!

@sing4mejensen​ @essie1876​ @gh0stgurl​ @redsalv20​ @superrandomnatural​ @scarletmeii​ @babypink224221​ @gaveherhearttotheliontattoo​ @akshi8278​ @a--1--1--3​ @kendlemariee​ @miraclesoflove​ @earthtokace​ @teamfreewillsstuff​ @fandom-princess-forevermore​ @kiwihoee​ @jennazeise​ @phantomalchemist​ @posiemax​ @22sarah08​ @tricksterdean​ @andi-mendes-barnes​ @put-my-favorite-record-on​

[wolfpawn]

I Hate You, I Love You, Chapter 55

Chapter Summary - With Christmas comes dilemmas, such as where to cook all the food. While doing a job for Diana, Danielle and Emma finally talk again. And Tom gives Danielle her gifts, hoping he chose well.

Previous Chapter

Rating - Mature (some chapters contain smut)

Triggers - references to Tom Hiddleston’s work with the #MeToo Movement. That chapter will be tagged accordingly.

authors Note - I have been working on this for the last 3 years, it is currently 180+ chapters long.  This will be updated daily, so long as I can get time to do so, obviously

The book is that of a violinist named Lindsey Stirling. I saw a video of hers on Youtube a couple years ago and adored it, hoping to see more, now she tours and is even more brilliant :) I love her!

tags: @sweetkingdomstarlight-blog​ @jessibelle-nerdy-mum​ @nonsensicalobsessions​ @damalseer​ @hiddlesbitch1​ @winterisakiller​ @fairlightswiftly​ @salempoe​ @lys-syl @youcantcatchafallingstar

If you wish to be tagged, please let me know.

"What are we going to do?" Sarah and Diana stood staring at the food that needed to be cooked. "I should not have changed the cooker." Diana rubbed her hands over her face.

"We'll throw as much as we can on and just wait for that to cook and throw on the easier to cook food later," Sarah suggested.

"I just ruined Christmas dinner." Diana declared slapping her hands over her legs.

"What's going on?" Tom came into the kitchen to return his and Danielle's plates.

"Mum got a new cooker."

"Riiiight?" Tom failed to see the reason why that would cause such stresses.

"It's a lot smaller than the last one, it can't cook everything at once."

"Does it need to?"

Sarah shook her head in disbelief at her brother. "No, we'll have the dinner in drips and drabs, of course, we need to Tom," the second half of the sentence was snapped out at him.

"Yeah, the food usually needs to be done around the same time for one meal." Danielle gently touched Tom's arm as she joined the frustrated group. "Now, if only we had another cooker."

"Not helping," Tom whispered to her.

Danielle smiled fondly at him. "Actually, we have a second one." Tom looked around as though expecting it to suddenly appear in front of them. "If only we had a house, right next door, with full cooking capacities and the key to it, and oh, I don't know, the owner." she grinned.

Diana and Sarah looked at one another for a moment before the pair began laughing, Diana hiding her face in her hands. "Well now, I feel foolish."

"How did we not think of that?" Sarah laughed next to her.

"I was going to go get Mac anyway, let's get everything sorted." Danielle smiled, walking over the table to get a few things.

"Your hand." Tom chastised, grabbing the bowl of potato and sausage stuffing she was about to take hold of.

"It is a fracture, I can still move it, see." She wriggled her fingers.

"Don't, you were told to rest, so all you're allowed do is come over and sort the different knobs."He declared, Danielle mumbled to herself, Tom picked up the words, complaining and earlier in the morning. "Elle!" She looked at him innocently, his eyes flicking to his mother and sister, who, to his relief, were not paying attention to them but to the different foods that would be needed to be cooked, dividing them up between the two cookers. Danielle just winked cheekily back at him.

"Elle, sweetheart, could you get Emma to come in here, we need to bring over the last of it?" Diana asked.

Danielle paused for a moment before nodding, "Sure, one sec." she walked into the hall and listened to see if she could hear Emma anywhere, but all she heard were the two brother-in-laws talking in the living room. Knocking gently, she looked around the door. "Where's Emma, Diana wants her help?"

"She's upstairs, I'll get her." Jack went to get off the seat.

"Don't worry yourself, I'll go." She smiled. "You two stay here and talk about your fabulous women." she joked.

"You laugh, but wait and see, if Diana, and indeed Tom have their way, you will be in this position soon," Yakov commented.

"And what position is that?" Danielle asked fearfully.

"In-laws."

"Jesus, you're all at it today." Danielle dismissed.

"She started already?" Jack laughed, looking at his watch, "You're not even here an hour."

"I am half expecting her to say she booked a place for a reception later if she keeps going like this." She laughed before heading out the door again and to the stairs. She never was uncomfortable in Diana's home, her closeness to the family never made her feel as though she was not welcome there, but as she walked along the upstairs hallway to Emma's room, a place she had been more times than she could give an approximate figure to, she felt nervous. Inhaling deeply she held her breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Emma turned, her eyes widening slightly when she realised who it was.

"Diana and Sarah need help bringing food over to mine, the oven your mum got is too small so we have to divide the food, so they asked for you to give us a hand," she explained plainly. "It looks really good on you, by the way," she stated, referring to the jacket she had gotten Emma. "Fits well?"

"Perfectly." Emma's voice was small in return.

Nodding slightly, Danielle gave a small smile. "Good. Well, whenever you're ready." she went to walk out.

"Elle?" Danielle stopped and looked around. "Thank you, for the jacket." again, Danielle nodded but said nothing else. "I'm sorry I was a bitch."

"I'm sorry we didn't get to tell you properly." Danielle returned, only looking at Emma for a moment.

"I wish we could go back, and I didn't say those things."

"I get it, I do. I became worse than any of the users."

"No Elle, you didn't, you liked me for me, you just so happened to like Tom too. You never planned to try and get to him through me, I knew that; I just...I didn't want to share him, or you, you were my friend, you know, we were the two that stood back and laughed at the girls that fawned over him, but then...the things we said...."

"I became the fame-hungry sad act we laughed at."

"But you're not fame-hungry..."

"Fuck no, but let's face it, to the world, when they find out, I will be. The truth doesn't matter to some of those people."

"It matters to Tom and us, though, I mean, I know I didn't act like it, and I know that I am the reason you backed away and got hurt," Emma began to cry, "And I am really sorry Elle, I just got angry and jealous and I wanted to show you how I felt like I had been hurt, but I wasn't really, not when Paul told us you were in hospital, and you wouldn't say Tom was waiting for you, and I know that is because I used your value of our friendship to force you away and when I saw Tom crying and distraught because we didn't know where you were, and I was so worried and I thought you were really hurt and I knew then I wasn't angry, I just was scared that things would go wrong and I would lose my best friend if you guys broke up and I know I was selfish and I should never have said those things to you."

Danielle just looked at the youngest Hiddleston for a few moments, considering her words. "Being away from Tom, forcing myself to stay away from him for no good reason really hurt Emma, and you just said that he was crying and frantic when I could not be found, remember that; that is how much we care for one another; but being away from you, being pushed away by the only real friend I thought I had, that really hurt me, I know you felt betrayed, and I totally respect that, but I love you, you are the sister I always wanted, you actually understand that though I act like I have my shit together, I really haven't a fucking clue what I am doing most of the time," Emma laughed as she wiped away her tears. "That's our thing, trying to wing it through shit-storms and then bitching our heart out at the moaners and begrudgers, by moaning and begrudging." Emma smiled widely again. "It really hurt Em, I felt like I got punched right in the gut. I hope you can forgive me for making you feel like I betrayed you, I never meant for any of this to happen. I know you cannot understand it, since he is just a dorky brother to you, but I love Tom, I love how behind the TV persona, behind all the silly fangirls, he is still the guy I met here five years ago, a little bit more mature, and in some ways, publically colder, but he is still Tom."

"Yeah, I know, he's still an idiot." she begrudgingly stated. "I just didn't want to lose you."

"So you pushed me away? How does that work exactly?"

Emma shrugged. "I have no idea, I'll let you know if I figure it out."

"Do." Danielle nodded. "Until then, help with the food." she indicated for the door.

"Do I look like crap?" Emma asked, checking her eyes in a mirror.

"Fuck no, you're wearing that jacket, you look awesome." Danielle retorted sassily.

"Bitch." Emma laughed, walking to the door. "I can't believe you broke your arm."

"I can't believe Paul turned up here to tattle on me."

"He's a nice guy."

"Well, Mr Nice guy is off to Surrey."

"That's nice, a promotion?"

"Yep, he went from dumped boyfriend to soon to be husband and dad."

Emma paused on the stairs. "Wait, what?"

"Paul is getting married to this girl Lucia, who is really nice actually, and they are having a baby."

"Wait, you met his future wife?"

"Yeah."

"That is crazy." Emma shook her head.

"Not really, he was my doctor, she came in to see him, introductions and explanations and goodbyes and good lucks, simples really."

They made their way to the kitchen to assist with the food but realised that everything had been brought to Elle's. They went through the gate and into her house, where sure enough, Tom and the others had started putting everything where needed. "Frying pan?" Sarah asked, looking around confused.

"The press over the oven." Tom instructed, "And the lids are in the one under. When he spotted the two women standing in the doorway, he looked warily between them.

"The oven is always about ten degrees off, so be careful," Elle warned walking over into the madness. "And don't forget that the front left hob does not work at all."

"You need to get a new cooker," Sarah commented.

"No point really, not often I need four hobs going with only one person here," Danielle replied. "And nowadays I am never really here. Although..." Her nose scrunched up as she thought to herself. "I guess I am here for a few weeks now."

"What? Why?" Tom half demanded, "I thought you said you were to start on that set after Christmas."

"I was, but," She held up her arm. "This is not allowed. A safety officer has to not have any physical injuries on set, it is too dangerous since they are not able to check everything. I better get the hospital to send my the details for the insurance and send on the documentation to the studio." she sighed.

"So wait, now you are without work?" Sarah asked.

"Yeah, until it heals, it's a fracture, so should be only six to eight weeks, Nothing major." she dismissed. "I guess I can start working on a new project I was planning."

"What about money, though?" Tom asked in concerned.

"That's the thing, thank you, Taylor Swift." Everyone just stared at her. "You didn't tell them?"

Tom shook his head. "Tell us what?" Diana asked worriedly.

"Taylor came to London a few weeks ago, remember?" Diana nodded. "She came to London to shoot a video and made sure Danielle was forced to work on said music video."

The Hiddleston women all looked over to Danielle. "Well, long story short, I got in a few insults and got paid pretty well for my work, actually, that afternoon was worth over ten grand after-tax, so I am okay to take a few weeks to let myself recover. I wanted to start something new, further my CV so this will mean I can condense it all into a few weeks and get it all done." she smiled. "Winning."

*

"Hey, Darling?" Tom came into Danielle's kitchen, having sent his sisters and mother away because he wanted some time alone with Danielle.

"Just making sure the pudding has enough water around it," she answered, as soon as she was satisfied, she turned to face him. "Yes?"

"I have a present for you." He smiled. "Actually a few."

"A few?" she asked with a raised brow.

"Yes, little things I noticed you liked or I thought you would like since I saw them and thought of you," he explained. "Here." He held out a bag, which much to the relief of Danielle, as not altogether too big.

"Thank you, but promise me you didn't go too mad."

"I promise, nothing there came to over a hundred pounds." she smiled. "By itself."

"Tom!"

"Your spa weekend cost a few hundred, don't even try to argue."

"Yes, but as I am apparently going with you, that is not exactly too mad."

"Well, I thought of you when I looked at these, so I am not going to apologise for spoiling you," he stated as he gave her a kiss.

"Fine, I will reserve anger until I see what I am dealing with." she grinned, placing the bag on the table. Reaching in, she recognised the first thing she touched as a book. Pulling it out she smiled as she read the cover. "I love it, I have been trying to get this, but it is only available online." She placed the autobiography on the table and reached into the bag again.

"I found it in the States, I remember you playing her songs on youtube since the beginning." Tom smiled.

"Yes." She beamed, realising he had bothered to pay attention to her when she rambled about the American dancing violinist.

"See what else is there." He smiled excitedly, hoping she would react as well to her other presents. Happily, Danielle reached into the bag and removed the next gift. "Did you walk in and buy these?" She smiled looking at the product in her hands.

"I did."

"Glitter bath bombs, Tom Hiddleston walked into Lush and bought Glitter bath bombs" she giggled. "How is this not all over social media?"

"I am not sure, but I know you like them, so I got you a few, perhaps you should have a bath with one later."

"I would, but I am hoping to snuggle up with my sexy boyfriend and watch a film."

"Hmm, sound cosy, I think he might just be interested," Tom grinned, wrapping his arms around her. "Next present."

"How many more are there?" She asked worriedly.

"Three," he bit his lower lip as he smiled.

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, she reached into the bag and began to pull out something warm and soft. "Oh my God, I love it."

Tom chuckled. "You don't even know what it is."

"A scarf; and I am putting it on now."

"We're inside and your heating is on."

"Don't care, still wearing it, I...is that an Eevee?"

"I have no idea what it is, but I saw a stuffed toy like it on your shelf and you said to Emma before it was your good luck charm since you were a teen so..."

"Eevee is a Pokémon, you bought me a Pokémon scarf." she smiled, kissing his affectionately on the lips. "I love you so much."

"Because of a scarf?"

"Because everything here proves you actually pay attention to little details, little things I make comment about in passing," she explained, kissing him again. He gave her an expectant look. "What has you so awkward? You seem half scared."

"I put something in there, and I am hoping you will react well to it, but I am nervous you won't." He admitted.

The smile on Danielle's face fell and she looked back at the bag. "Tom..."

"Just keep going." He encouraged. "Please."

Worriedly, Danielle reached into the bag and took out a small box, she frowned as she looked at it, realising immediately that it was from a jeweller. "Tom..."

"I said I did not spend too much and I mean it." He stated.

Nervously, she unwrapped it, taking into consideration its size, she knew what she could be dealing with. Glancing at him for a moment, she noticed an excited twinkle in Tom's eye, so she knew that it would not be something that would cause an argument, with that in mind, she held her breath and opened it. When she saw the necklace inside, she gasped out the breath, her eyes filled with tears and her injured hand went over her mouth. "how...?"

"The photo you have of your mum, she has this, doesn't she?" Danielle nodded silently. "You said once to my mum, that you loved it, but it was her favourite, and you and your dad thought it best to make sure she was wearing it when she was laid to rest."

"Dad wanted me to take it. He knew I always loved it, I wanted it, I used to steal it and wear it to school some days, but I always put it back before she came home from the practice. But he told me after that she knew, she realised I would take it, and never said anything, because she knew I loved it." she choked out between tears. "I wanted to take it, but it felt wrong, it just...I couldn't let her go without it. She..." Tom hugged her into him. "Thank you, Tom."

"It's only a silver necklace."

"It may only be a silver necklace to you, cheap and unimportant, but not to me." she held it to her chest. "Never."

Tom tucked some hair behind her ear. "It is not unimportant to me, I know what it means to you. It is not her one, it probably isn't even exactly the same, but I saw it, and I knew, I knew it was close, I just hoped it was close enough."

"It is, It really is so perfect, it's exactly like it, I thought it was it for a moment." she kissed him again. "I'm sorry I'm crying."

"I'm not, I am happy I can make you smile." Tom kissed her back. "Do you want me to put it on you?" She nodded as Tom took the trinket from its box and gently opened the clasp, before putting it around her neck and tying it once more. He said nothing as Danielle looked down at the necklace, the intricate knotting of the metal on the piece. "Did your father give it to her?"

"The day she told him she was pregnant with me apparently," She smiled. "She told him, and he went away, and mam thought it was because he wasn't interested in having a baby, you know, country Irish men were a tad emotionally constipated then, still probably are, and babies were seen as a nuisance, but an hour later, he came back, and he had a box in his hand, probably a lot like the one you had and gave it to her. Why do you ask?"

"It's a Celtic love knot, I was informed, so I had to guess."

"It can only be given between lovers and symbolises eternity because it has no distinguishable beginning or end. That's why I couldn't take mam's, it belonged between her and dad."

"They were married what?"

"Thirty-seven years, I was an absolute surprise, they'd been married over a decade before I was born, no miscarriages or anything, just nothing, then boom, me. Dad said the day she found out she was pregnant, they had no idea what to do, I was something they had given up all hope of every having."

"Thirty-seven years, that is incredible." Tom smiled fondly.

"You know what the worst thing I ever remember them arguing about was?" Tom looked at her expectantly. "The kitchen," He frowned. "They got a fitted kitchen put in, but dad was at work when the guys came to fit it, and mam was busy sorting paperwork for the bookkeeper and she wasn't paying proper attention and they fitted a blue kitchen and not the green my father had paid for. And they argued not that it was wrong but that it was the better colour to begin with and why hadn't they seen it before and who as to blame for that." she laughed. "I mean they had a stinking row over it, and it was just so weird." shaking her head, she laughed more.

Tom chuckled. "Did they argue much?"

"Not in front of me anyway, the usual, but that's why dad didn't last long after mum, they were soulmates, they belonged together, dad's death didn't hurt as much, not because I didn't love him, Jesus I was always terrified no man would ever match up to him, but because he and mam would be together again. They wouldn't want to be without each other."

"I wish my parents had been like that." He stated solemnly.

"But then you wouldn't be you, would you? Their divorce moulded you, you used acting as your escape, and it gave you a depth others don't reach. That scene in War Horse, Loki's anguish, even Adam's melancholy, all born of your experiences." She pointed out. "I wish you knew the feeling of a happy two parent home environment, but I think it moulded you into the man you are."

"Do you think we could last thirty-seven years?" He asked curiously.

"Why, you planning on bowing out at seventy-two?"

"Longer then?"

"Yeah, I think we could." she smiled fondly. "We try, that's the part that matters, the day we aren't bothered to try is the day we'll fail."

"One last present." Tom reached into the bag, taking out a gift that was similar in size to the necklace box. He looked at it for a moment and thought to himself. "I am so scared to give you this, but I feel that after everything, your time in my place, your admission to wanting to be around me more, I feel like this is a step forward for us, though I know I said I need to talk more on this tomorrow with you, but with the way you're talking to me here, saying you can see us making it, I have to give this to you. I won't take offence if you say it's too soon."

Terrified, Danielle took the box and eyed Tom carefully, his anxiety radiating off him. Before she opened it, she shook it slightly, suspecting that it was not another necklace inside. it was hard and banged against the sides. Still unsure, she opened it, as soon as she saw the metal object, she looked up at Tom. "Are you...?"

"I know it is quite early on, I mean, I get that, but work is in London for you now, you said that already, and your projects are all there for the next few months, so it makes sense. I will be going to promote Kong and Ragnarok but in general, I hope to spend time at home more, I want to, with you. You will have your own space, you can even do something with one of the spare rooms to make it a sanctuary if you want, I will respect that, I don't want to overcrowd you. I am not saying get this place on the market, but since you need to be in London for work at the moment as it is..."

"And Mac?"

"Mac is part of the package Elle, there is no you without Mac, I know that."

Danielle looked at the object for another moment. "Yes."

"Yes?" Tom repeated in disbelief.

"Yes, I will move in with you." She confirmed, smiling as she did so.

Tom crashed his lips to hers. "Down the line, we'll look into the leafy suburb house." He promised. "So, did I do well?"

Danielle laughed. "I suppose." She jested.

[netflixandchilis]

Weekly Fic Rec (6/8/19)

*this does not necessarily mean fics posted this week but fics I've read this week

Zimbits

Brunch is (entire series) E 100k

Shitty and Lardo are overly-invested and creative friends. Jack and Bitty are just trying to figure out what's in the box.

Ill Equipped E 70k

Jack's first mistake was getting drunk in a salsa club with Kent Parson. Or, the accidental Vegas married AU no one asked for.

And you may say to yourself, my god, what have I done? E 39k

The last thing Jack Zimmermann remembers saying to Eric Bittle is "lucky shot." That doesn’t explain, at all, why he just woke up in Bittle’s bed.A companion piece -- this time it's Jack's turn to get a peek at his future -- to And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here?

And you may ask yourself, well, how did I get here? M 38k

 Bitty goes to bed after his "lucky shot" having made a decision. When he wakes up he ... is not where he expected to be. He has a career, and a baby, and -- this is the biggest surprise of all -- a husband who looks a lot like Jack Zimmermann.  

Ethics of Journalism  T 12k

When Dan Erikson is assigned to write an article about Jack Zimmermann's years in college, he thinks he knows what he's getting into. 

Then he meets Professor Simpson, Jack's photography professor. 

[also known as: Good Guy Reporter Dan Erikson]

He’s a Baker NR 5k

Jack loves his parents a lot - and they just want him to be happy. So, in order to stop them from worrying, he invents a perfect boyfriend. A man who couldn't possibly exist.

the slow pace of geologic time T 4k

Jack looks at her and then puts her luggage down and leans in, grabs her into a full-body hug, right there on the sidewalk, holding her so close. She can’t remember when he last hugged her this hard. “He told his parents. About being gay. About us,” he says into her shoulder. “They were awful.”

Call Me, Maybe G 3k

Based on a tumblr prompt in which Eric Bittle becomes a famous competitive figure skater whom Jack Zimmermann develops a celebrity crush on.

Jack isn't interested in a Falconers' PR opportunity to be on a reality show ... until he finds out who he'd appearing with.

If Pies Could Talk E 3k

Jack wants to ask Bitty something but he can't find the words. If pies could talk, they'd call him a lovable failboat.

#pickericbittleup G 1k

Everyone has an opinion about Jack Zimmerman figure skating with another man on television. Tater records his reaction in a Falconers' publicity video. 

(Companion Piece to Call, Me Maybe)

Each Time You Close Your Eyes T 1k

“Do you talk in your sleep?” Jack asks over frittata the next morning. Bitty’s cheeks pink up and his eyes get huge. “Oh lord, did I?” “I think so, Bits. You tried to tell me something about pineapples at three a.m.”

Casual Gaming E <1k

Can Bitty distract Jack from his phone?

Harringrove

Give In To Him  (entire series) E 13k

Follows Billy and Steve’s relationship development from roommates to more...

Hargrove T 13k

“Chief?”

“Yeah?” Hopper responded. It was barely eight o’clock; he’d just made it to the office.

“Principal Wallace needs you down at the high school. The Hargrove kid’s sleeping in his car again, and they can’t get him to wake up.”

Jim Hopper Always Knows T 2k

Four times Hopper is pretty sure Billy and Steve are a thing, and one time he's DEFINITELY sure. aka: how Hopper figured out Steve and Billy were together 

Parkner

PROOF SPIDER-MAN LOVES CLICKBAIT WIP G 60k

When Peter Parker gets a job working at Buzzfeed there's really only one subject he can write about: superheroes. And what superhero does he know better than everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?

What he didn't expect was that everyone would think Peter's new obsession with the hero would be interpreted quite like That.

The Corruption of Peter Parker, by Harley Keener E 3k

Harley had meant to intimidate Tony’s intern -that’s the only reason he wore his nice jeans with the stupid maroon shirt that brought out his eyes. He even gelled his hair, for fucksake. Except, the moment he actually saw Peter Parker, baby blue sweater layered over a button up, jeans ripped where the extra fabric dragged as he walked, he threw that plan out the window. OrHarley really wants to fuck Peter so hard that he’s crying for it. He settles for wooing the fuck out of him instead, and maybe making Peter cry when the younger begs him for it.

Baby, Look What You've Done To Me 

T 1kHarley was set in his mind. He wouldn't be pursuing anything with Peter. Yeah, maybe some mildly flirting here and there that honestly went over Peter's head because he was too shy and innocent for his own good, but that was about it.Until Harley saw Peter wearing one of his sweaters that was basically swallowing Peter's small frame.Or: Peter wears Harley's sweater and he loses it.

Broken Promises and Needy Omegas

E 1k

Afterwords, when Harley was pressed up against the omega’s back, knot stuck deep as Peter purred and preened, the alpha sighed as he realized he had backed out of his promise, yet again. Peter was content now, but the shitstorm was coming. OrHarley gets really overwhelmed when Peter tries to ride him. Also, Tony wishes he could bleach his brain.

Stucky

Bucky Barnes and His 1001 Fetishes (or at least eight of them) WIP E 60k

Bucky Barnes is an out and proud, completely unashamed kinkster of epic proportions. From panties to gags to weird, alien dick sex toys--he's game for it all.He's

definitely

game for raining down kinky fiery hell on his new crush: Professor Steve Rogers.

A History of Birds NR 2k

"You look like him," Bucky says. No prompting, no nothing. He just speaks, like this is a thing he does.

"What?" Steve asks. He didn’t really hear it, too stunned by the fact that words were coming out of Bucky’s mouth to understand their meaning.

"You look like him. So did Pierce." His voice is soft, gravelly from disuse. "Is that why they picked you?"

Steve’s heart plunges like an elevator with the cables cut. “Buck, it is me.”

The hard line of Bucky’s mouth softens just a little. “Sure,” he says.

Winterspider? (idk the ship name)

just in case you fall in love with that boy in your chemistry class

WIP E 20k

A collection of mostly unrelated drabbles and blurbs in a Peter Parker/Bucky Barnes high school au. Each chapter is an independent fic/concept, chapters labeled and all contain individual summaries, ratings, + warnings/notes. 

I write 'em as they come. I've got lots planned, but there's no main plot or end goal here, just a relatively non-chronological compilation of generally unconnected, short fics and headcanons. Tags will be updated as I go. Welcome to my trash bin, let's get fucked

**also, its an unpopular ship but if anybody has any prompts that'd be sick

[utterlyhopeful-fics]

Prospect

Request from Anon:  Nestor doesn’t know you’re part of the mc he feels betrayed that you didn’t tell him, “I trusted you y/n, I don’t just let people in” (you used to be best friends with Em n the Reyes brother, you took with ez side over em) and you see her in public one day and you have you’re kutte on and she calls you over to chat and you say to her “this isn’t the life you wanted em” (first part to request cause it’s so long)

Nestor Oceteva x Reader 

Warnings: language, angst

Word Count: 2.3k 

Summary: Emily and Y/N were once best friends. Y/N was in love with Nestor. Y/N supported Ezekiel after Emily’s abortion and disappeared from her current life close to the cartel to now be the first female prospect for the Mayans MC. 

-There is a part two request that I am finishing up and will post early this week! This story was legit one of my favorites to write, thanks anon! 

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

Stillness encumbered her fragile bones, her heart throbbed to a chaotic march forcingly reminding her mind of the goodness of the man now standing in her path of beautiful obliteration. Nestor stared blankly into her icy blue eyes; just like a vicious predator hunting his unfortunate prey. Her chin quivered slightly as Y/N bite her bottom lip restraining herself, any attempt at maintaining a shard of control still placed within her reach.

Tilting his head to the left, a questioning glare reflected off his features before he dared to interrupt the impending muteness trapping the young couple.  

“I trusted you Y/N. I don’t--I don’t just let people in.”

“Ness let me explain, please.

He sighed loudly unable to further detach the emotions he allowed to overwhelm his senses again, especially when it all came down to the girl before him. He adored his nickname when it fell off her lips, and only hers.

“Explain what? That you conveniently forgot to mention you just so happen to hang out with the fucking Mayans? I haven’t seen you in years, and then this Mayans shitstorm bounces the cartel’s way, but by accident we meet on opposing sides? Worst of all, you eagerly manipulated me into giving us another lousy chance, but I don’t fucking know this girl.”

“I think you’re getting confused. We agreed on fuck buddies, with your rules might I add. I am sorry that you persuaded yourself that things would be just like old times. Don’t get it twisted Ness. We aren’t dumb kids anymore.”

His eyes scanned her from head to toe trying to memorize every inch she willingly showed him. It was at that exact moment that Nestor realized he was fighting for the old Y/N and not the bold woman in front of him. Unexpectedly, Y/N shoved him with all her brute strength as she reveled in his minor fall.

“Woah, wait. Fucking rewind -- I don’t just hang out with them you dick, I AM one of them, well a prospect currently.”

Flabbergasted, Nestor was left speechless as he wordlessly watched her lips open and close, but he heard nothing other than a piercing ring reverberating through his ear canals.

“You’re one of them…?”

She could only nod in agreement.

“So, when did they start letting bitches in the boardroom?”

Y/N’s chest suddenly weighed down upon her with heavy force. She knew she had to come clean. Better late than never, right? But, in her defense, they had agreed to keep their lives completely separate, careful to never intermix this time around.

“I’d watch my tone if I were you, Nestor.  I was the first female member to prospect, brought to the table, and voted. Fair and square. Don’t you dare demean me and my choices. It certainly wasn’t easy to prove my power, but I fucking did. What the hell have you done, take orders like the lap dog Miguel groomed you to be?”  

Her murderous smirk shone brightly upon her lips, a dark chuckle slipping through the cracks before returning her attention back to the belittling asshole she mistakenly loved..loves. This was supposed to be their second shot at happiness, but as always, it ended in calamitous flames dooming them to disastrous heartache. The usual tale of ill-fated star-crossed lovers.

“Does Em know about this?”

“You know I haven’t spoken with Emily since her and Ez’s fight behind bars. She only knows what you tell her, Nestor. Playing the fool doesn’t suit you.”

This caught him off guard causing goosebumps to prickle every surface of his skin. This wasn’t the guarded serene girl he had met so long ago but replaced with a resiliently fierce woman. Nestor wouldn’t admit it out loud, but he was enthralled with Y/N, in awe of her ability to adapt to any curveball thrown her direction.

“You should call her. She misses you, believe it or not.”

The conversation strayed towards a lighter note as the room began to clear away any remaining ammunition between the conflicted lovers, both waving their white flags of peace; if only for an instance.

“I can’t, things aren’t not that simple nowadays… She asked me to choose and I did. It just wasn’t the answer she prepared herself for. And for that, I am truly apologetic, but I refuse to turn my back on the boy I’ve known since 3rd grade. It is what it is; an ended friendship.”

Some relationships mimicked broken glass, its unending fragileness, but at times it was better to leave them in shattered pieces than try and hurt yourself putting them back together again. Sadly, the risk isn’t worthy of its cause.

“I’ll pass along the kind words. Now enlighten me, did you ever seriously love me or was it all part of your warped game?”

Y/N’s checks blushed royally, anger taking hold of her persistent consciousness.

“Which time are you referring to? When we were 20 or now?” Only spiteful thoughts flooded her mind proving to be easier than sheer honesty. She thrived off knowing she could still upset Nestor down to his spiny core.

If she had done anything right in this complicated mess of a life, it was loving Nestor Oceteva, but all good things must come to an end, right?

“Well, there’s your answer. Your doubt is enough to prove just how much you didn’t trust me, and you’ve had these reservations for some time. I can only imagine how easy it was for you to paint me as the bad guy these last few years. Its your turn to be honest. Does it unnerve you to look at the man reflected back at you every day? Because if we’re sticking to being truthful, I admit I did see the advantage of seducing you, but I chose to let you in. Well, the first time around. And that obviously ended swimmingly.”

Stepping dangerously close to Y/N, their breaths intently intermingling; “You’re not the only person in a position of authority, Y/N. Miguel Galindo, our dear Emily’s husband wouldn’t even blink if you were to disappear. I’m very good at my job.”

Y/N refused to show fear especially to a man she fell for so purely, but that wasn’t her current reality, and he made sure of that.

“I loved you and I lost you. Cold case closed. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got bigger fish to fry. Hasta luego, viejo amigo.”

*10 days later*

Emily heard the deafening noise of several motorcycle engines rapidly approaching before she braved a glance over her shoulder. She had just finished at the grocery store, marking one trivial chore off her never-ending to-do list all while trying to figure out how to work Cristobal’s newly installed car seat.

Fucking Mayans, it had to be.

She didn’t have time for this shit, not with the looming tension suffocating her husband. Besides, she left the Reyes brothers a long time ago, and didn’t want to risk a chance encounter even if they did live in the same godforsaken town. Ezekiel Reyes was her first love, but Miguel was a man of continuous passion.

Occasionally, she would find herself pondering what would have happened if she had kept the baby or chose the man she promised to love, but life had a different idea for the both of them.

The usual crew pulled their bikes into the adjacent parking lot heading towards the clothing factory. Gilly, Coco, Angel, and Ez came into view as they distractedly chatted, patiently awaiting as the last bike strolled closer.

Emily didn’t need the stranger to turn around before knowing exactly who was underneath that particular helmet on this particularly humid day.

Her laugh instantly gave her away, a laugh she hadn’t heard in what felt like forever. Y/N, someone she considered a sister before she enthusiastically leapt to the metaphorical dark side. Y/N made her decision; to betray Nestor and abandon Emily. She was fortunate Miguel was there to pick up the damaged edges’ Y/N left in her destruction.

After the longest pause in recent history, Emily decided against her better judgement to brave a simple hello to an old friend… acquaintance?

She yelled loud; “Y/N, HI., waving her hand discreetly wondering how the next few moments would transpire. Her nerves slowly trickled into her belly as her chest spasmed disobediently.

Y/N’s elbow was perched atop Ezekiel’s shoulder as he sat on the cool leather seat of his latest ride, her ears perking in response to the shrill noise coming from across the street. She squinted, the sun blockading her vision temporarily before meeting Emily Galindo’s incessant stare.

She locked eyes with Ez giving her the nod of approval before gracefully smiling back, squeezing his shoulder and taking the few steps away from her friends. As both females approached the other, neither were certain who would speak up first.

Y/N popped the bubble of surrounding awkwardness; “Emily, long time no see, stranger.”

Emily hated nicety but went with the flow keeping her existing irritation at bay.

“Y/N, I didn’t realize non-members could wear their boyfriend’s kutte?”

There was certainly a distinct, underlying competition to their complex friendship, and Emily was the kind of fighter that went straight for the jugular vein when her defense mechanism reacted.

Quietly chuckling; “Nope, but you’re allowed to wear it when you’re the newest prospect. Well, of course alongside Ezekiel. You remember him, hmm?”

“How could I forget. I was pregnant with his child at one point.”

“Look, drop the petty act and just tell me why you called me over here?”

Emily was silently stunned, unsure of what drew her to reach out, but she couldn’t let Y/N know that.

“I heard you caught up with Nestor or should I say broke up with him...again.”

“Not all of us can be the murderous power couple you and Miguel seem to be. I know how you get when faced with a rivalry.”

“You knew a façade, a previous version of me. You haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Emily Galindo at work, but you will, soon.”

Y/N gaze met the cold gray concrete they were both standing on, shaking her head; “This isn’t the life you wanted, Em, yet here we are.”

For a brief pause in time, Emily’s eyes teared up before wishing her tears away. This wasn’t the time or place to show weakness especially to the enemy.

“I wished for an exhilarating and purposeful life. I just happened to get a lot more than I bargained for. You don’t know Miguel like I do so don’t you fucking judge him.”

“Easy Emily. You don’t have to defend yourself to me. I could care less now.”

“For the record Em, I never wanted to pick sides. Sometimes I can’t even close my eyes without seeing the hurt expressions etched onto your face from that fateful night…and how heartbroken Nestor was. But you gave me an unimaginable ultimatum and I tried my damnedest to figure out the right path.”

“I know that now. I don’t know what it is about you that brings out the bitch in me today.”

“You’ve got that whole mama bear protective look now. It’s refreshing.”

“You should really think about calling Nestor. He isn’t doing too hot at the moment.”

“Part of me wants to but now I have the MC to take care of as well. I love him, I do. I just don’t think its our time right now.”

“At this rate, will it ever be yall’s time? I mean the boy has been drooling over you since you basically met, and you run away at the sign of anything remotely serious with him. Why?”

“He makes me feel too vulnerable. Conveniently, Nestor is also in love with a girl who no longer resides in this body or mind.”

“Just like he isn’t the same man you left standing there on the balcony all those years ago. It’s a double-edged sword, Y/N. You need to reconnect, get on the same page, and see if this is actually endgame worthy. Because if you ask me, I always knew he was going to be your person, even when you kept adamantly denying it.”

Distantly, Y/N heard Angel yelling for her signaling to hurry the hell up. She smirked back choosing to further test his lack of patience.

“Same things never change though. That’s my que, it was good to actually talk Em.”

“Agreed. Maybe next time we don’t wait so long, huh?”

“I’ll see you when I see you Emily Galindo.”

“Goodbye old friend.”

Emily turned to double check Cristobal’s seatbelt before opening the driver’s side of her car and launching herself onto its expensive leather. Briskly, the engine started, and she merely drove off. Y/N was left standing alone in a parking spot debating if the conversation that just occurred had been an uncontrollable dream she created out of thin air.

Y/N glanced at her watch questioning how she had let 15 minutes slip by before she heard the familiar voice of man clearing his throat. Someone new stood in front of her, his infamous braids in tow and tinted sunglasses sliding down the bridge of his nose.

“So, I see you finally caught up with Em. Good for you.”

“Have you been hiding nearby this entire time or did you discover psychic abilities to eavesdrop while I was away?”

Y/N hand hugged her hip bone as she swayed her weight between her two feet, unable to stand still any longer.

“So, I guess we have some talking of our own to do. Whaddya say?”

 -----

Hasta luego, viejo amigo: Goodbye old friend 

[hazeleyesirwin]

i’ve seen you before (part two)

summary: self-indulgent soulmate au feat. ashton being softer than he comes off. 

Lunch was interesting to say the least. Chloe and I met Calum and Ashton at a little deli a few blocks away from where they were working. Calum and Ashton ended up there before us because Chloe refused to pay for parking so we spent an extra ten minutes circling the block for a free parking space. We walked up to them while they were still bickering about a new song they had been working on all day. Ashton’s eyes met mine and I felt relief wash through my body. He smiled his same smile that engulfed his entire face and made the corners of his eyes crinkle. He leaned down to kiss me and I leaned up to meet him halfway. It was over quicker than I would have liked, but our best friends were standing right there, awkwardly waiting to be introduced. Ashton introduced himself to Chloe more formally than he had the night before then introduced Calum and Chloe. They shook hands which made Ashton let out a scoff. It got slightly less awkward after we sat down and started to eat. Chloe and Calum had easy conversation about their jobs and how at some point they might have crossed paths before. Ashton and I planned our next date and discussed the possibility of introducing our friends to each other in a group setting. I glanced over and saw Calum absolutely beaming at Chloe. Ashton followed my gaze then we shared a look. This was right. 

Chloe and I got back in the car after a rather lengthy goodbye to the boys which involved them slowly walking us to the car while Chloe chattered about dance and Calum listened more intently than I had ever seen anyone listen to someone talk about something. It was like his life depended on this conversation with Chloe. He was crushing on her hard. “He asked me out,” Chloe said, her hands on the wheel as she stared straight forward at the car parallel parked in the space in front of us. “He what!?” I replied, looking over at her with wide eyes. “Calum asked me on a date and I said yes. We’re going out tomorrow night.” 

“Where the fuck was I when this happened?” 

“Kissing your fucking boyfriend.” 

“He’s not my boyfr-”

“He is and don’t even try to argue.” 

“I can’t believe you’re going out with Calum.”

“Why? The fuck is wrong with him?” 

“Nothing, nothing. I’m just surprised it was that fast. Usually it takes a month of ‘talking’ before you agree to go on a date with someone.”

“He’s different.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Yeah, it felt like the right place at the right time.” 

“A little like getting saved from walking into traffic?” 

Chloe looked at me and rolled her eyes, but nodded,”Exactly like that.” 

My bed is soft. Warm. Warmer with him beside me. The book I’m reading has a spine so broken I need to get a new copy. I need to write that on my list in the morning. His left hand grazes my thigh. His hand is warm, but his wedding ring is cold. His right hand reaches over to put my book on my bedside table. He lays it so it’s still open, not losing my page. His hands go to my middle, where I’m growing our child. The baby kicks his left hand which makes him beam with pride. He speaks softly to the baby. I want his attention, but he needs to bond with his child. He’s going to be such a good father. Kind, warm. In a time when fathers are cold and distant toward their families. He wrote a lullaby that he sings each night and will sing when the baby is born. I’m smitten. Husband, father of my children. Soulmate. I hope our baby has his eyes. The eyes that are on mine. The ones that remind me he's really there in front of me when I’m falling down my rabbit hole. 

I woke up, sitting up in Ashton’s bed with a gasp coming from my throat. My head was spinning. I couldn’t make out where I was in the dark. I felt a hand on my back which brought me back to earth. Ashton sat up and clicked on the lamp beside him. When I looked over at him the first thing I saw were his eyes, filled with concern. I hope our baby has his eyes. I couldn’t breathe. He noticed my shallow breathing and pulled me closer to him, taking slow, even breaths to get me to slow my own breathing. My face was pressed into his neck. I could feel his heartbeat underneath my palm. Steady. When my breathing evened out, he asked if I was okay. “Just a dream,” I replied. “Do you want to talk about it?” “No.” He laid back down, bringing me with him. He tucked me close to his side. 

Later that morning after the dream, I woke up to an empty bed and a sticky note on the pillow where Ashton’s head should’ve been. His handwriting scribbled across the yellow paper in black ink. “I texted you the address for the studio. Meet me there at 4?” I hadn’t even looked at my phone. I reached over to the bedside table for it and saw two texts from Ashton. One was him sharing his location with me and the other read: “forgot to write this in my note, but you need to sleep in my bed every night. I’ve never gotten such a good night’s sleep.” I decided to tidy up around Ashton’s house and do the dishes for him before getting dressed and heading out to the studio. He had left keys for me to drive one of his cars which was honestly pretty dumb on his part. I’m not a great driver and this car was expensive. 

When I walked into the studio Calum greeted me with a quick hug then led me to the booth where Ashton was recording backup vocals. He opened the door for me and I was surrounded with the sound of Ashton’s voice. His voice made my chest warm. He paused for a moment and glanced over to where I was standing. He motioned for me to join him and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. He leaned down to kiss me sweetly. A crackly voice from a speaker sounded in the booth as we broke apart,”Guys, you’re literally in front of a mic. Please don’t make me listen to your kissing ASMR.” “Shut the fuck up, Luke. You did the same thing. You’re just bitter because you’re single,” Ashton replied, directly into the mic. He flipped a metal switch and took off his headphones. He leaned down to kiss me again. His hands ran down my back. He pulled away after a minute,”I like this dress,” He commented. “Wanna borrow it?” I teased gently. “Hell yes,” He replied. 

We walked out the door of the booth and to another room where a bunch of guys were sitting around, including the half of the band I hadn’t met yet. “Luke, Michael, this is the girl I was telling you about,” Ashton introduced me. Michael wrapped me in a bear hug which was warm and comforting. Luke shook my hand and had me sit next to him. Calum was recording next. He went into the booth and started to sing. The pitch was slightly off so Luke told him to go again. After five tries, Calum was clearly frustrated. I looked down at the soundboard they were using,”You might want to turn down the higher frequencies because you’re picking up the high pitches in his undertone.” I looked over at Luke and he had a shocked expression on his face. Michael leaned over me and turned a few knobs then told Calum to go again, making slight adjustments as he sang. He was on pitch in the recording this time. “How the fuck?” Luke asked, looking at Ashton,”Where the fuck did you find her again?” “I saved her from throwing herself dramatically into traffic,” Ashton replied, a smirk on his face, dimples painted on his cheeks. When Calum was done, they were finished for the day. 

Ashton suggested we go bowling with everyone. So, we met at a secluded, kind of run-down bowling alley. Honest to god, it was kind of creepy. I introduced the girls and Ashton introduced the boys. Kass nearly collapsed the second Michael smiled at her and asked her if she wanted to help him get drinks for everyone. Ken and Luke wandered behind Kass and Michael to order pizza for all of us. Calum and Chloe went to get shoes. Ashton and I set up the scoreboard on the little screen above our lane. His hand was on my back while he typed in names on the sticky keyboard. He put up bumpers for me, which I complained about for a minute, but let’s be real for a minute, I need bumpers. Michael walked over to the table behind our lane and set down a pitcher of beer. Kass was close behind him with a stack of cups and a stack of plates. “You really labeled me ‘cocksucker’?” Kass protested from behind me. I turned over my shoulder and laughed. “You really had to call me out like that in front of boys I just met?” She gave me a look and flicked her eyes toward Michael who was pouring beer into cups behind her. I shrugged,”It’s your name, dude, I don’t know what to tell you.” 

We got settled, everyone picked out a ball to use, and the game began. Kass was up first and put her ball directly in the gutter while trying to show off. She spun on her heel, stomped back to the table and downed her beer, taking Ken’s spot beside Calum when Ken got up to take her turn. Calum patted Kass on the back and told her to “get ‘em next time”. She shot him a glare that made him slide back in his seat. Ken got a strike, which pissed Kass off even more. By the end of the first game, we were talking and drinking more than bowling. I was tipsy, giggling like a child, and staring at Ashton every chance I got. I swear, he gets more beautiful in every life. Kass was teasing Michael about how bad his score was, clearly flirting as hard as she could. She couldn’t see the absolute admiration in Michael’s eyes through her beer goggles. Ken and Luke were both on their phones, but had drifted closer together throughout the night. They kept showing each other thing on their phones and laughing together. It was very sweet. Chloe was trying to convince Calum to chug the rest of the pitcher of beer that was sitting on the table and had gotten warm. He was refusing, but laughing so hard at her argument he was crying a little. It all felt so familiar. I saw a flash of neon carpet in my mind for a second before I felt Ashton’s hand on my arm. My eyes refocused on his face. I saw his familiar smirk, his warm eyes, his red hair. God, I’m so far gone with him. I’m in too deep. “Ready to go home?” He asked softly. I nodded, standing up. He steadied me when I wobbled slightly. I wrapped my arms around his neck and he pulled me close to him. “You smell good,” I mumbled, looking up at Ashton. “You smell like beer and bowling alley,” He replied, then leaned down to kiss me, contrasting his previous statement. Mint gum, beer, aftershave. If I wasn’t already drunk, his kiss would have intoxicated me. 

I woke up in my own bed for once, a heavy arm slung over my waist, a familiar hand holding mine. I wiggled in Ashton’s arms, turning over to face him. I pressed my face into his neck. I felt him start to wake up. His grip on me tightened as he woke up, tugging me closer. “Ash, you’re gonna suffocate me,” I groaned softly. “If I suffocate you then you can’t get out of bed,” He replied, his voice a little deeper than normal. I pulled back slightly to run my fingers through his hair and sweep it off his face. “Are you ever gonna go back to your natural color?” I asked. I felt Ashton shrug,”Probably. Might dye it black first.” 

“I like the red.” 

“I’m glad.” He paused for a moment, staring at me. 

“What?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Ashton Fletcher Irwin, you have been looking at me like you saw a ghost every time we wake up together for a week, tell me what’s wrong.” 

“It’s like, I don’t fucking know, it’s like deja vu.” 

“Of what? Me?” 

“Us. Yeah. But, you look different. And it’s so clear and real. You’re cooking in the kitchen, but it’s not now. Like clearly, not this time. You come up to me and push my hair back like you do when we wake up together. Your voice is the same. It’s like this hazy fever dream.” 

“Like a past you didn’t know you had?” 

“Exactly… I’m crazy, right?” 

I shook my head,”No, baby, you’re not crazy.” 

We laid there together for a while longer. I could feel his heartbeat under my fingertips. Steady, even thuds that made me feel serene. Completely at peace. With Ashton, there was no anxiety. No panic. No fear. Steady. 

“We have to get up,” I broke the comfortable silence. Ashton nodded and pulled away from me, sitting on the edge of my bed then standing. My eyes raked over the expanse of his back. He turned and threw a shirt at me,”Stop eye fucking me and get dressed.” I stood and tugged the shirt he threw at me over my head. I walked over to him, my bare feet making soft pat noises on the hardwood floor. I had to stand on my tiptoes to reach his lips with mine. He met me halfway and we shared a quick kiss. 

I walked out of my room and was met with three sets of wide eyes. “What?” I asked, stopping in my tracks. The energy of the living room was the opposite of the calm I had just left in my bedroom. The way Chloe was looking at me made me want to cry. “Someone please stop staring and tell me what the fuck is going on,” I begged. Kass and Chloe shared a look. Ken kept staring at me like I was going to break into a million pieces at any moment. “Seriously, what the fuck?” I asked again. “You haven’t checked your phone this morning, have you?” Chloe finally spoke, but didn’t even give me a hint as to why they were looking at me like that. “No, I didn’t pick it up this morning, why?” I started to panic. I walked back into my room and picked up my phone. I saw hundreds of notifications. I clicked on one. A tweet that had an article by the daily mail linked in it. I clicked the link. The headline of the article read,” 5SOS Drummer Ashton Irwin’s New Fling”. I scrolled through the article, skimming over tweets from fans that were linked, saying I was the girlfriend of the week, that it wouldn’t last long, that he didn’t even look happy with me. Ashton approached me with caution,”Sweetheart, don’t take that seriously.” “How did they find out? I never once saw a camera,” I didn’t even look at him, consumed by the thousands of notifications still pouring in on all my social media. Ashton took my phone from me and turned it off. “Am I just a fling?” I asked, finally looking up into the eyes that brought me so much comfort. “No, what the fuck? I would have left last night after we fucked if this was a fling,” He replied. Wrong answer. “How many girls did you leave after you were done fucking them?” I stared at him in shock. 

“Is that really important right now?” 

“Yes, how many?” 

“A lot, okay!? A lot. I had a lot of meaningless sex and left a shit ton of girls in bed by themselves.” 

“Am I just another one of those girls?” 

“No, I told you that. You’re more to me than anyone else has ever been.” 

“I don’t want to get fucking attached to you if you’re going to up and leave!” 

“What about you? Are you going to leave? Are you using me for a career boost?” 

“No, why the fuck would you say that to me right now?!” 

“I don’t know! I don’t even know why we’re fighting!” 

“Because I’m already attached and if you break my heart I’m not going to recover so if you’re going to hurt me just do it now before I’m in too deep.” 

“I won’t leave.” 

Train station. Beige uniforms. I reach up to fix his hat. “I’ll be back before you know it,” his voice reaches my ears and I know he’s unsure. “Just don’t break my heart, soldier,” It comes out more of a plea than I meant it to. “I won’t. I promised, remember?” I do. I hear the conductor ringing the bell. He needs to leave. I lean up to kiss my husband. Mint. Aftershave. Desperation. He kisses me harder than he ever has before. I feel tears slipping down my cheeks as he walks away toward the train. Please don’t leave me. You’re the love of my life. I won’t recover. 

I stared up at Ashton, watching him breathing heavily. He was frustrated, everything in his body language told me that. I reached up and brushed back that one curl that always fell in his face. “I want you. I don’t want to leave. I never want to leave,``he explained, his tone softened as he spoke. “I’m scared,” I admitted. My fingers brushed down his jaw. He took my hand and pressed it to his chest so I could feel his heart beating,”I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere. I’m not deja vu. I’m not a dream that leaves when you wake up. I’m here. For the rest of this life. I’m right here.” “This life?” I asked softly. “And the rest of them. As long as we both come back to earth, I’ll find you,” He had this look in his eyes that I had seen a hundred times before. The look that said “I’m going to love you as long and as hard as this body lets me”. The look that broke my heart because it reminded me that this life was fleeting. That we might get forty years if we’re lucky. Despite the dread my soul was enthralled in, I leaned up to kiss Ashton. Mint. Aftershave. His steady heartbeat under my hand.