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tweedlydumbtweedlydoo · 4 years

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Spencer Reid x Reader

Request: Spencer has made an enemy with an unsub. The team believes it’s over after they catch him, but they don’t realize one big detail; unsub isn’t working alone and that partner has gone after Spencer’s girl. Will Spencer make it in time to save her?

// Anon request: can u do one where reid saves the reader from getting kidnapped or shot pls🥺🥺 //

// Anon request: ok this might be confusing but can u do one where the team goes on a case, but like the unsub actually had a partner back at reid and the readers apartment and kidnaps her and he gets super like protective and cute and like awe reid is so baby🥺🥺 //

A/N: sucker for angst. So I combined these two requests because they’re so similar. I steered away from the request a little and may have gotten carried away while writing it, but I’m kind of proud of this one. Thank you both for your request! I hope you enjoy :) xx

**MASTERLIST**

Requests: {OPEN} CLOSED

I am currently taking requests for:

The Vampire Diaries/The Originals

Elijah Mikaelson

Damon Salvatore

Criminal Minds:

Spencer Reid

Derek Morgan

Supernatural (I’m only up to season 2, so please don’t request something with spoilers)**

Sam Winchester

Dean Winchester

********************************************************************************************NOT MY GIF, CREDIT TO OWNER

WHO GAVE HIM THE RIGHT TO LOOK THIS DAMN SEXY UGH

Finally, the BAU team tracked down the unsub. Currently he is in custody, chained to the interrogation desk. This was the man who’d taunted the BAU team for months. He’d sent them on numerous goose chases and they finally caught up to him when he made a mistake, which then led to his capture. This man got under Spencer’s skin the last time they faced him and since then Spencer did everything in his power to find him and take him down.

The first time they had caught up to the man at his home, they were all shocked to the core, Spencer specifically. Inside the home, the team found a room dedicated to photos of him and his wife, in their home, his wife at the grocery store, the two of them on dates. The man had been following them, taking photos of them, invading their privacy. Spencer was sick at the thought and since then, he couldn’t sleep until he knew his wife was safe. Until he knew the man was put behind bars.

The man had killed numerous women, up and down the coast. They caught up to him outside of Georgetown and when they arrived at his home, he’d already slipped away into the darkness. The man had laid low for a few weeks, then the murders began again, this time, the women favoring Spencer’s wife. Spencer and the team knew exactly who was behind these murders. He was back, this time in a small town on the coast of South Carolina. After the 3rd woman, the man made a mistake and slipped up, allowing the team to finally put an end to this.

However, the BAU team made a mistake, a very big one. They’d missed key information, that could potentially put the woman Spencer loved in danger.

Spencer stood across from the man that had tormented him and his wife for months, anger boiling inside him. It took everything he had not to reach across the table and strangle the man.

“This is the end for you. You’re facing charges for over 20 women up and down the east coast.” He slammed his hands against the metal table, “You’re facing the death penalty. You will get what you deserve!”

The unsub smirked, “Oh but Dr. Reid, this isn’t the end. You really didn’t think I would leave without making sure your suffering will continue?” He sits a little straighter in his seat, leaning forward, “Tell me Dr. Reid, have you spoke to your wife today? Told her you loved her?”

Spencer straightens, fear washing over him. He hadn’t spoke to you today. He was caught up in the case to bother to call you. The unsub began to laugh wickedly, seeing Spencer’s fear. Spencer then stormed out of the interrogation room, the rest of the team waiting by the door. Hotch already on the phone, “We need officer’s at (you and Spencer’s address) right now!”

The team was in South Carolina, you were back at your home in Quantico. He checked the time. It was Thursday, 5:43 pm. You would have been on your way home from work by now. You would have stopped by the grocery store on 4th to get groceries to cook dinner. Thursday’s were chicken night. He knew you probably would have splurged and bought a bottle of wine for yourself along with cookies. Cookies were your weakness.

Spencer’s hands began to shake, “How could we have missed this?” He roughly runs his hands through his hair. How could he have missed that this unsub had a partner? How could he be so stupid?

“Reid, calm down. Hotch has officer’s on their way to your home now.” Morgan tried to calm his friend, but all Spencer seen was red.

“I’m going to kill him.” He mumbles. Before anyone can act, Spencer has barged into the interrogation room and has thrown the unsub into the wall, his hands wrapped tightly around his throat.

“Reid! Stop!” Hotch and Morgan are grabbing at Spencer, trying to pull him off the man.

“You sick bastard!” Spencer’s hands tighten and he can feel the life draining from the unsub.

“Reid if you kill him, we have no way of finding her!” Hotch yells, ripping Spencer off the man. Morgan’s arms wrap around Spencer’s body, holding him back, “Kid, you got to calm down!”

“Get him out of here!” Hotch yells at Morgan, who begins dragging Spencer out of the room, the door clicking shut behind them.

“Morgan, he’s got her… he’s got y/n..” Spencer’s body goes limp in Morgan’s grip and begins wracking with sobs.

You push open the door with your foot, your hand full of groceries. You only needed a few things for dinner, but you hoped Spencer would be home this weekend so you two could spend the weekend at home, binge watching tv and eating your weight in junk food. You grunt, setting the grocery bags on the counter. Slipping your shoes off by your bedroom door, you enter the kitchen and begin putting away groceries, continuing to play your playlist you were jamming in the car to.

Your body tenses as you feel the cold barrel of a gun pressed against your back, “don’t move.”

Your breathing becomes rapid and you slowly raise your arms, “Please.. please don’t do this.” You whisper.

The man puts a cloth over your mouth and you thrash, trying to keep it away. “No!” You throw your head back into the man’s nose and groan. That hurt more than you thought it would. The man staggers back against the counter, holding his nose, “You bitch!”

Your head throbs and spins as you slip passed him and head for the door. Just as your hands grasp the door, the man grabs you, throwing you into the wall, the mirror falling to the floor and shattering. Your body falling into the broken glass.

You whimper as he grabs you by your hair, your hands going to his, “Let me go!” He drags you along the floor into the living room, tossing you into the coffee table. Pain shoots across your body, but you ignore it grabbing a vase from the side table, hitting him in the side of the face. He falls to the ground and you stagger to your feet heading for the door once more, but you never make it.

A gun shot rings through the home you and Spencer shared. The last thing you see is the smiling photo of you and Spencer on the wall. It was your wedding photo, taken moments after you two promised to love and protect each other.

Spencer and the team were on the jet within the hour, heading back to Quantico. Back to you. When the police arrived at you and his home, they found the door opened, broken glass and a trail of blood out the door, but you were no where in sight.

He stares aimlessly at the wall in front of him, the gears in his head running a mile a minute. He racked his brain wondering how it come to this. He had caught the unsub that had terrorized you two. He promised you after he was caught, this would all be over. You two could live normal lives. Now, the unsub was locked in cell somewhere, but you were gone, disappeared. The only thing left was a blood trail out the door.

“Kid.. we’re going to find her.” Morgan says quietly, his hand going to Spencer’s shoulder.

“We won’t stop until we do. She’s family, Reid.” Emily says, taking a seat next to him.

He figured he was in shock. He couldn’t speak. He couldn’t function. When they arrived at your shared home, he could see you put up a fight. Those self defense classes must have helped. He glances at the kitchen counter, the groceries still there, untouched. Sure enough, there sat a bottle of wine and a box of cookies. He’s broken from his trance as Hotch’s cellphone rings.

He’s nodding, listening intently to what someone’s saying. He looks up at the team standing in the living room, “That was the sheriff from next town over. Said he just received a call about a woman stumbling up onto a porch, bloodied and beaten. Thinks it could be y/n.”

Spencer’s heart was beating out of his chest as Morgan drove to the hospital. The sheriff informed Hotch, they took her to the hospital immediately. She suffered extensive injuries, but kept telling people she escaped, that a man had kidnapped her and kept muttering that she needed to speak with Spencer Reid.

He practically ran into the hospital to the room where the unknown woman was. His heart dropped when he entered. It wasn’t you laying on the bed. He slowly walked over to the bed, the woman’s head rolled over to face Spencer, wincing as she sat up a little.

“Are you Spencer Reid?” The woman asks. Spencer only nods in response.

“Your wife…” Her voice is hoarse, “She saved my life.”

“Y/n? How? What happened?”

“The man brought her in, there was blood everywhere. I thought she was dead. But he left her in the room with me. I rushed to her side and she had a pulse. He’d shot her in the side. The bullet grazed her. I patched her up with what I had. Which was only a few t shirts. She finally woke up later that night. She told me that she knew where we were, she’d woken up long enough during the ride. We were in the middle of the woods, not far from civilization. So, we thought of a plan. She knew she couldn’t run so she told me to run and get help. She would attack the man when he came in. She made me promise if I got out, to tell them I needed to talk to Spencer Reid. It was late that night, the man came into the room and she attacked him from behind. I was able to slip out the door and I ran to find help.”

Spencer was quick to get on the phone with Penelope with the information. She worked her magic and soon there was a location.

Swat and the BAU team had the small cabin surrounded. There was no way out of this for the guy. He knew that. When he entered into the room, he was panicked. You used that to your advantage and was able to fight the gun from him, getting a clear shot through his chest.

Spencer’s heart stopped as the gunshot was heard. “Move in!” Swat yelled and begin closing in on the home.

Morgan was the one who saw it first. The door began to open and a figure limped out of the door. “Hold your fire!”

It was you. You were safe. Before he knew it, he was running to you, his body colliding with yours.

“Spencer!” You cried. The collision sent pain through your body, but you ignored it. Spencer was here. You were in Spencer’s arms and that is all that mattered.

Spencer’s body wracked with sobs and he held you, “Oh god… I’m so sorry. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

You shook your head, “I’m okay. I’m fine..” You pulled away to look at him. He looked rough. Bags under his eyes. His face was red and wet from crying. A tear slipped down your cheek and you wrapped your arms around him again.

“I love you so much… god I love you.” He says into your hair.

“I love you too…”

Spencer carried you to the ambulance and he never left your side, riding in the ambulance to the hospital. He never let go of your hand either, scared that he would lose you if he were to let go. He finally had to let you go as they took you into the hospital. He didn’t want to leave your side then, but your reassured him, you would be fine. You were safe and everything would be okay.

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#spencer reid #spencer reid imagines #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid x #spencer reid x you #spencer reid x y/n #Matthew Gray Gubler #matthew gray gubler imagines #matthew gray gubler x reader #x reader #Criminal Minds #CRIMINAL MINDS FANDOM #Criminal Minds Fanfiction #criminal minds imagines #criminal minds imagine #imagines #imagine

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angelaiswriting · 4 years

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Closer | Hugo Stiglitz x fem!reader

✏️ Pairing: Hugo Stiglitz x fem!reader

✏️ Summary: stranded in a spooky village, Stiglitz confesses his feelings, but she’s caught off-guard and panics. Back at the base, though, she’d like to see where the future takes them. (Requested by my new and unexpected love for this man)

✏️ Prompts by peaskyblonders (link below): # 4, 5, 7, 19, 20

✏️ A/N: the truth is, I should write more blowjobs instead of fearing new fandoms. HAHA. Italics are supposed to be German (unless it’s for emphasis). Prompts used are in bold. Kudos to @kind-wolf for throwing this new obsession at me without warning 💛 Also, please, for the love of all that is holy, listen to Closer by Kings of Leon (it probably has close to nothing to do with this story, but I had it on loop as I wrote and it’s absolutely stunning – and it did give me a title in a time of need).

✏️ Warnings: 18+ ONLY (oral m/r, sex... haha + mentions of a bullet wound and of someone who’s not a pro poking around in it + plot... eh, kinda there, kinda a decoration lol)

✏️ Word-count: 4,785

“Stop whining, it’s just a bullet!”

The voices in the room gradually quiet down to a churchyard silence when Y/N groans, surgical pliers still poking around in the hole in Smithson Utivich’s leg and face set into a frown. English sounds weird on her tongue, almost cut down with the wrong kind of knife, and there’s no safe hiding place for her German origins.

‘It’s just a bullet’ in my fucking leg – they all know those are the words Utivich was about to spit out like burning venom before he opts for the safest solution, the one that lies in silence. There’s a reason if her German accent keeps on being so prominent when she speaks English and that’s because she just does not speak English unless she absolutely has to. She’s more similar to Stiglitz in this than anyone would ever dare express out loud – she either speaks German or French, or she doesn’t speak at all.

“I should leave it in here,” she mutters again when Utivich’s leg jolts up and someone – Andy – has to step forward and keep it pushed down on the table. “You’d deserve it, stupid idiot.”

“It was an accident,” Smithson mumbles, voice low and full of embarrassment. Just half an hour ago he had been outside by a fire, drinking with the guys, until Donny convinced him to play some trick with what should have been an unloaded gun. “And you don’t have to take it out, we can wait for Wicki.”

When the door opens, everybody turns into its direction holding their breath, but it’s not Wicki.

“What happened here?” Aldo asks, brows set into an unconvinced frown as his gaze lands on Utivich first and then Y/N.

“Stupid Americans, that’s what happened.” But then she sighs, shrugs her shoulders, and pulls the bullet out of the man’s wound. “Children shouldn’t play with guns,” she glares. “Someone get off their ass and go call a fucking nurse.”

When half the men in the room scramble out, almost stepping on each other’s feet, Aldo Raine steps forward. He’s expression is set and unreadable as he examines Smith’s leg and a couple of minutes go by before he speaks again. “I need you and Stiglitz on a mission. I have an informer down south that says there’s a couple of Nazis you two might have the pleasure to take out.”

“How’s our exit?” Stiglitz asks, crouching down next to Y/N and taking the binoculars she’s passing him. She’s tense and he can see right through her façade, right through that ‘I don’t fear this has all gone to shit’ mask she’s been wearing for the past few days.

“Still no sign of our guy,” comes her whisper when he finally brings the field glasses to his face and stares off into the distance. “I’m scared, Stiglitz,” she confesses right after, before that temporary bravery stops her from opening up like that. “I have a bad feeling about this. It’s the same I had the day we got arrested.”

He says nothing to that, just stares at the horizon for another minute before he hands her back the binoculars and moves to sit down, his back against the wall of the abandoned house. It’s a spooky village, the one they’re using as their hideout, and the temperature during the day has already started to scratch like an angry cat. Winter is approaching quickly and right there, in the skeleton of what was once somebody’s home, there’s no running away from it.

“I should have gone myself,” she goes on as she scoots closer to him in search of some warmth. “Raine doesn’t know how these people work. You just can’t trust them. He thinks he can, but…” Her rambling dies down and he knows she’s thinking back to that night she’s had to take a bullet out of Utivich’s leg. He doesn’t know how he knows, he just does. He’s worked with her long enough to just be able to understand how her mind works.

“We’ll get back.” It sounds like a promise on his lips and whether he means it as such or not, it’s met with a soft sigh as she relaxes against his side, her head falling back in surrender against the wall. We’ll get back, the words echo in his mind and he does his best to believe them like she at least pretends to.

Neither of them says it out loud, but that’s why they’ve always worked solo – or just with each other after they met back in Bavaria. They’re good at this, good at driving Nazis out, and even better at taking them out. Not as good as the Basterds consider them, but they get the job done and move on to the next name on the list. They jump from name to name and never collab with anyone – or so it used to be before their arrest. Now they’re made to trust other people and that’s just not what they’re used to. You don’t go trust the next person; you don’t lay your life in their hands if you don’t know who they are and what they’ve done to survive.

“You should try and get some sleep,” he says when her stomach complains. Had they known how things would go, they would have packed more food. But they’ve had to ration what little they managed to stash into their backpacks before fleeing the town Raine had sent them to, and now they have to face the consequences. “I’ll keep watch, wake you up in a few hours.”

The old boards of the parquet creak under his boots when he stands up but it almost feels like those are his bones, turned cold and brittle by the still young winter. It’s surely not that long, but the last time he’s laid down feels like it belongs to a past life. A split second before he takes the first step forward, toward one of the rifles they left in a corner of the room with their stuff, her fingers wrap around his wrist and he’s rooted to the spot.

“How long has it been since you slept?” She tugs his arm when she stands up, inhaling sharply when half of her weight comes to rest on the foot she sprained the day before. And even though she’s been trying to shrug it off – because that’s what she does: she clenches her jaw and moves forward, that’s how it’s always been and probably how it always will be – he knows it’s been bothering her every time they move.

And much like her, he shrugs his shoulders once, frees his hand from her gentle grasp, and moves to pick his rifle up. It’s always a comforting weight in his arms but as he peeks from the empty hole that had once been a window, the heavy clouds in the sky make it feel like some sick kind of doom.

“Don’t do this, Stiglitz. Don’t close me off again.”

He doesn’t turn around when he corrects her – Hugo, not Stiglitz.

You never let anyone call you that – that’s what the look in her eyes tells when he eventually turns around and finds her staring at him. He’s been with her long enough and after a while, you just start reading people. All the unspoken words are paint strokes on a face that’s better than an open book; on a face that’s more like a canvas.

“Hugo.” The smile that stretches her lips is the tired shadow of what he knows could fool Nazis before he stepped in, his weapon of choice in his hands. “You go to sleep. I’m fine, really. By the looks of it,” she continues, hinting at the sky with a movement of her head as she stretches her arm out for him to hand her the rifle, “no one will come: it’s going to start snowing soon.”

He wakes up to a snow-clad scenery outside the open window – and to snowflakes dancing in the chilly air a few meters from him, in that opening (one of many) nobody’s stuck around long enough to fix. The snowflakes flutter as they fall, and it almost looks like white flour. It’s been a while since he last saw flour with his own eyes and that’s what tears him from the cozy embrace of slumber and brings him back to reality.

The smoky tendrils of a past life still alive in his dreams are still caressing the edges of his mind, though, faint echoes that mix together into unintelligible whispers. They stuff him with cotton and he needs a few minutes to feel the hard floor underneath his back, the chilly air biting at his cheekbones and nose.

There’s enough light for it to be day already and as that realization dawns down on him, wrapped as he is in his cold blanket, he jolts up to sitting.

“No one came, I told you.”

His head turns to the side so quickly he gets whiplash.

“And it snowed all night.” Her eyes are sunken in, her eyelids heavy with missed sleep and the constant worries that are gnawing at her from the inside and from which he still hasn’t managed to distract her. Shoulders weighed down by an invisible weight, she looks smaller and less dangerous than she really is.

“You didn’t wake me up.” His voice is still drowsy; the words don’t roll as freely on his tongue, so the accusation comes out as a simple observation.

She smiles. I never said I would, the faint twinkle in her eyes seems to say. “We’re waiting one more day,” she decides as she comes to a stand, stiffened hands still holding onto the rifle she’s hugged to her chest like a child the whole night. “But tomorrow at dawn we’re leaving, I don’t care about Raine’s spy.”

Silence settles again between them when she sits down next to him, in the corner further away from the chilly winds outside. They share her last chocolate bar, something she’s clung on to ever since she won it at poker more than two weeks ago. He stares at her as she eats, her head resting against the wall and her eyes closed. There’s a tear trickling down her cheek and it takes the dust that has settled on her skin away.

“I think I might be falling in love with you.” His confession hangs in the air, in the closed space between them. And all he can do is stare as that tear slowly rolls down her cheekbone. He can’t even remember when the last time he ate chocolate was and now that he has a piece in his hands, he can’t even chew on it.

Her eyes open slowly and she looks at him almost from underneath her lashes, her head still tilted back and at an angle. For the first time, he can’t read them as they focus on him, bore right into him.

He’s a man of few words. He opens up, but only with the right people and only so much. And he knows she’s just the same – bad at opening up, but not at talking – she talks maybe too much at times and while it would annoy him if it were someone else, he’s alright with her babbling on and on. About the weather, about the next target, about how stupid people are, how hungry she is, but never about before. Who she was, what she did, where she lived, whom she loved – those are still well-guarded secrets, and Stiglitz is not one to pry.

“Don’t.” She swallows hard eventually, almost as though she’s trying to swallow down her voice – or his confession. “There’s a war out there.” Her eyes move to his right, to the blown-open window behind him on the opposite side of the room. “People are dying.” Her jaw clenches and as she swallows, he sees her struggle, her attempt at not crying. “If something happens…”

He sits in silence, eyes set on her as hers try to avoid him. They do their best but ‘their best’ doesn’t seem to cut it, not this time.

“We fuck, that’s it. Just… fuck, from time to time.” It’s a whisper and her lower lip quivers as his words still shake her bones. When did war stop being scary? When did love become something to fear? Neither of them knows. Was it the first time they killed? The first time they enjoyed it? The moment they understood they had to keep on doing it in order to survive?

When she turns to look at him, it’s a desperate animal the one sitting in front of him. Her eyes beg him to stop, to take it all back, because they both know where that if something happens is bound to end. And it’s not six feet under, but rather, somewhere up there, on the surface; face up or face down into the mud, it doesn’t really matter. Maybe that’s what brought her to murder, he reasons for a second; maybe she’s lost someone she loved and that turned her into a spy and a murderer that knows no mercy.

Her hand is trembling as it digs into the pocket of his jacket, the one where she keeps cigarettes – they’re usually for him, but she never turns down a smoke, either. He knows it’s empty, for they smoked their last one two days ago, a crumpled up cigarette that seemed to last less than a minute that day.

“I’ll check the perimeter,” he eventually says, laying the last of his chocolate bar in her hands. He doesn’t meet her eyes, doesn’t utter another word as he takes the revolver from his pallet and leaves the room.

Three days later they’re both back at the camp base – no resentment between them, just the usual, content silence of two people that don’t always need to talk to work just fine. But while everything seems normal on the surface and they both enjoy the welcome-back celebrations at the tavern, they’re both lost in their own thoughts.

Hugo has stopped thinking about the fact that maybe he made a mistake when he confessed his feelings to her. Because she was right – there is a war out there, and it’s not even that far away, no matter how distracting the passing of shots of alcohol might now be. He stopped being a sentimentalist years ago, but if there’s a conclusion he’s come to, it’s that it’s better to spend your last days next to the people you love than running away from them.

There’s a couple of occasions in which he almost told her that.

The first was when they found a working telephone. Clothes soaked by snow and weapons now heavier than their backpacks, they sat in that empty house for hours, after calling one of Raine’s safe numbers, some French family collaborating with the Allies on the other end of the line. He had fixed the makeshift splint keeping her ankle in place and had reasoned, for the first time, that she shouldn’t have come, not this time.

The second was when they got back and the nurse managed to take her in only after the debriefing. She had smiled a I’ll find you later as Wicki dragged him away and the first thought his mind could form had been that he was glad that she seemed to always be able to find him anywhere.

But even though they’re sitting right next to each other now, shoulder pressed against shoulder as everyone seems like they want to sit at the same table, he can’t turn around and shake her awake. Why would he, though?

“We thought we’d never see the two of you again!” Donowitz is tipsy already and he doesn’t seem to notice how his drink sloshes out of his glass every time he moves his arm to gesticulate as he speaks. “Fucking bastards! You have nine lives, just like cats!”

Wicki’s laughter seems to drown out the roaring of the celebrations when he laughs. “I told them you’d both come back on your legs, still breathing,” he chuckles in German.

Y/N joins Wilhelm’s burst of laughter and then turns to her left and smiles up at him. It’s a weird thing, it reaches her eyes more than it does her lips and she seems on the verge of saying something before she shakes her head once and finishes her beer.

It’s midnight when she knocks at his door. Her knocking seems to echo through the whole once-abandoned house the Basterds converted into a place to stay, at least temporarily, for everyone’s still out drinking the winter away.

“I didn’t mean to turn you down,” are the words that greet him when he opens the door. He’s still only half-dressed after the bath he’s finally managed to take. “Back in that house. I got scared at the idea of something that might not even happen and I’ve spent the past few days thinking about what a gigantic fool I’ve been when I said those things. You took me off-guard because I thought I’d never love again, but…” She breathes in sharply and looks up at him, stares right into his eyes for the first time as she realizes she’s been rambling again. “Can I come in?”

Hugo nods and takes a step to the side before closing the door behind her. “You don’t have to say anything. I understand.”

“Oh, you and Wicki have a heater.” It’s soft and he almost misses it, but it’s gone before he can reply and she’s already back on the topic she’s most likely come to discuss. “I don’t know what I feel for you.” She doesn’t turn around when she speaks. Instead, she holds her hands close to the stove and sighs under her breath before she squares her shoulders again. “But I would like to find out, when we win this war. A while after you left, Raine started talking about how we’re all going to America when we take out the High Command and I realized that I could leave all of them behind but I couldn’t leave you.”

“I never considered the idea of leaving before.” He moves to stand next to her and hangs the towel he’s used on one of the hangers above the heater. “But we could,” he nods, turning towards her.

She’s looking at him this time, tired eyes staring at him from an even more tired face. But before she can add anything, he pulls her in and kisses her. He’s always preferred actions over words – words can be misinterpreted, but some actions…

Her hands are trembling when they move over his hips and then up his back, over the scars ridging his skin. She’s one of the few who’ve seen them – he’s not ashamed of them, but he does feel weird at the idea of showing them to others. It felt natural with her, though, almost as though they weren’t even there to begin with, the first time they slept together fully naked. It just, happened, it fell into place like anything else about her. She just fits in his arms, to his side, and when he’s inside her, his hips grinding against hers as they both lose themselves into each other and forget for a few precious moments what their survival revolves around.

“How’s your foot?” he asks in between kisses when he picks her up to lay her down onto his bed.

“Foot’s fine, don’t worry about it,” she laughs, her tone getting louder when he just drops her onto the mattress. Her laughter dies down when he settles between her legs, props himself up above her, his nose barely brushing hers. She smiles as he observes her, swipes his gaze across her features and breathes her in.

He contemplates saying something, but whatever innocence he had left at the beginning of his story has been swept away with his words by the things he’s done. He only moves when she speaks again – Kiss me, Hugo. That he does; he leans down and presses his lips against hers for a moment before his tongue comes out to swipe along her lower lip.

Her knuckles brush against his chest every time her hands move as they unbutton her shirt, a too-big garment she’s been given by God knows who. By the time she’s reached the last button and his mouth has moved down along her jaw and her neck to kiss her chest, she’s panting lightly, her hands wrapped around his biceps as he smiles against her skin.

She’s warm and smooth, even though there are irregular scars marking her skin. Just like his, they never matter, and even less when they get into bed together. His fingers just caress her and she this close to him is the only thing that truly matters in this moment. He kisses her collarbones, nudges his nose against the side of a breast before he allows himself to close his eyes and take a nipple into his mouth.

He feels the moan more than he hears it, it vibrates deep into her chest and almost buzzes against his lips as her fingers rake upward through his short hair. There’s a breathy moan of his name before his kisses and licks move lower down.

“I know for sure that I’m falling in love with you.” He’s serious when he says it, fingers fumbling with the button and zipper of her pants. Then, as he drags them down her legs with her underwear, he smiles at her. Sometimes he thinks that he only remembers how to smile when she’s around, almost as though she’s always able to swap his grimace with an actual sign of happiness.

She smiles back at him – at his words, at how caringly he removes her left boot, almost as though his only priority is not to revive the dull pain in her ankle. And then at how he covers her body once again, at how he looks down at her with that unreadable expression of his that just makes her fall for him a bit more every time.

It’s not love – she doesn’t want to call it love, but it sure does make her feel all warm inside as it tugs at the corners of her mouth even now, with her fingertips lightly tracing the lines of his face. Forehead, cheekbones, jaws, and then his lips, and he smirks when she outlines them.

When she pushes him onto his back and she moves over him, straddles his thighs, it’s sudden and unexpected, but surely not unwelcome, and he lets her do. His hands move up her thighs and hold onto her hips, and her bare body above him somehow makes his heart swell with pride. A thought crosses his mind, but it lasts only for a fraction of second before she leans down and pecks his lips once, and then once more – yeah, he could do this all day every day, even in America, if it means staying by her side.

Her lips trail down the column of his throat, then, before moving to the crook of his neck. She kisses and suckles as she grinds down against him, and he doesn’t care if he’ll have marks tomorrow – he won’t, because they’re both careful, but one day he’s sure he will – and she will as well.

She says something then, something he doesn’t catch, before she takes his hands in hers and moves further down his body, leaves kisses all over his chest and belly. For a moment, they both giggle, and she looks up at him with those eyes of hers that just, make him forget about the war and the Basterds and anything in-between.

She’s quick at unbuttoning his pants, but not so much at taking them off his body. She takes her time, and the lower she pulls them, the more kisses she leaves on his navel and then thighs. It’s funny and sexy at the same time, and when he’s fully naked and she’s kneeling between his legs again, that’s truly all he craves for at the moment.

“Come here,” he says, but she shakes her head, a smirk tugging at her lips, and bends down towards him.

He’s hard in her hands and when her lips press a kiss to the underside of his dick, he groans in the back of his throat. The muscles in his thighs tense when she takes him in her mouth, and his exhale is shaky as he does his best not to move his hands over her head.

It’s slow and slippery as she focuses on the head of his dick – suckles and kisses and licks, before taking him deeper every now and then, her hand slowly working the rest of his erection. Hugo Stiglitz is rarely ever vocal in the bedroom, but when someone – when she – is going down on him…

“Fuck.” Quick and breathy, almost like a half-formed word, that ‘fuck’ leaves his lips when she moans around him.

His breath almost hitches in his throat when she pulls up and smiles at him while repositioning to straddle his thighs again. He’s still in her hand and no matter how hard he tries, he can’t bring himself to look away from that sight. It lasts less than he thinks it does, though, because before he has the time to move his hands over her hips again, she’s sinking down on him.

She’s warm, and wet, and when she rests her left hand on his chest to balance herself as she takes all of him into her, her hands are wet.

His hips thrust up at the mental picture of her fingering herself and as he does so, she almost loses her balance. They both giggle, but when he moves to sit up, she pushes him back down and grinds her hips against his.

“Stay down,” she whispers against his skin, lips brushing right next to his left nipple before she leaves a kiss there.

The rhythm she sets is slow and sensual, something neither of them is used to – or has been used to for a while, now. It’s a nice change compared to the usual, almost-too-quick routine that’s just hunger and desperate, desperate need. It’s good, and Hugo Stiglitz finds himself relaxing underneath her, for once, hands moving from her hips to her back when she presses herself down against him. His hips start thrusting up into her, and he does his utmost best to keep it just as slow, but the feel of her around him just drives him delirious.

Her lips latch onto his pulse point again and when she starts licking and sucking, he swears his temperature spikes up. His head leans back into the pillows, neck almost arching, and his thrusts get quicker and snappier the tighter he holds her against himself. Her breathing grows shorter and every time he thrusts up, he can hear as her moans get stuck in her throat.

It’s a while later that the door creaks open and Wicki slurs Stiglitz’s name in his drunken, post-celebratory state. Hugo hums in acknowledgment, but his eyes are closed and there’s still a smile on his lips.

“Hugo,” Y/N whispers against the side of his neck, still naked and still laying between his arms, one leg thrown over his hips as his own leg rests between hers.

He nods his head against hers, but she knows he’s already falling asleep. They went at it again as soon as he flipped their positions over, and she should have known better than to agree on spending the night.

She whispers his name again when Wicki starts fumbling over the words of a song she doesn’t recognize, too distorted by his drunkenness. “Please, Hugo, you know he can’t hold his liquor!”

“Y/N!” Wicki almost yells her name when he finally switches on the light and finds her in his friend’s bed. “‘S good to see you again.”

She’s quick at turning back around, pulling the blanket over herself to cover her body from the other man’s eyes. “Stiglitz, come on! You need to wake up. I can’t do this without you.” But when she tilts her head up on the pillow and her eyes land on Hugo and that faint smile of his still plastered to his lips, she knows there’s no way in hell he’s waking up again soon.

Feel free to leave feedback xo I hope Stiglitz wasn’t too OOC but the truth is, idgaf, I just had to write about the man of my dreams haha

Links: prompts by peaskyblonders https://peaskyblonders.tumblr.com/post/622451655662845952/random-prompt-list // photo used for the banner https://www.pexels.com/it-it/foto/albero-freddo-ghiacciato-innevato-909016/

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Everything: @idhrenniel @saibh29 @fuckthatfeeling @aya-fay @pebblesz892 @mblaqgi @becs-bunker

#angelaiswriting #inglourious basterds #hugo stiglitz #hugo stiglitz imagine #hugo stiglitz fanfic #hugo stiglitz smut #hugo stiglitz x reader

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terreisa · 3 years

Text

Love Down the Line: Chapter 9

The last thing Indie musician Emma Swan needs is a gigantic wrench thrown in the workings of her biggest tour to date weeks before its launch. When her backing guitarist that caused the problem says she has the perfect solution Emma is skeptical but left with little choice but to accept. Unfortunately she isn’t really prepared for said solution to be former Rock Star and leading man of Emma’s teenage fantasies, Killian Jones. With no other options and a month of performing across the country ahead of her Emma just hopes she doesn’t come to regret letting Killian onto her stage and into her life.

Ch 1, Ch 2, Ch 3, Ch 4, Ch 5, Ch 6, Ch 7, Ch 8, AO3

~*CS*~

Los Angeles, May 24th

“-and there’s a bit of a backup on the 405 just south of the 10 due to a two car accident in the southbound lanes. That’s the morning traffic report brought to you by your local Southern California Honda dealer. This is Treena in the morn’ and I got some Yaz on the way along with Echo and the Bunnymen and Talking Heads after this-”

“A clock radio?” Emma mumbled into the pillow, “Really? What are you, like, three hundred?”

Killian’s chuckle stirred the hair at the back of her neck, “Try thirty-five, love.”

“So you say,” she groused as he reached over her to turn off the alarm. She blinked up at him as he set his hands on either side of her shoulders, looming over her with a smile, “I bet you still have a landline, old man.”

“And a rather impressive laserdisc collection,” he said with a wink.

“You would.”

He laughed, a bright joyous thing that had her smile stretching from ear to ear. It was the last of the three days of no shows that they had while in LA and the second morning she’d woken in the bed of Killian’s house in Malibu. Since their first night together in Denver they hadn’t slept apart, much to Tink’s delight and Will’s annoyance. When they’d arrived in LA Emma had been surprised and pleased to discover that Killian had a house there where no one would disturb them as long as they kept their phones on silent. Unfortunately it hadn’t really been an option as her suddenly vibrating phone reminded her.

“What time is Regina sending the car?” Killian asked as he dipped his head and started trailing kisses down her throat.

She hummed in pleasure, blindly swiping at her phone to dismiss the call, “Nine. We’re having brunch with people from the label to talk about the next album and then it’s interviews for the rest of the afternoon.”

“And after all that we’ll rendezvous back here for dinner and a bit of Netflix and chill,” he murmured into her collarbone before dragging his tongue across it.

“You go-” her breath hitched as his hand travelled up her thigh, “going somewhere?”

He paused his ministrations, much to her frustration, and said somberly, “Aye, Robin still lives out here with his son. I haven’t been in town for… well, quite a while and I’m long overdue for a visit.”

The delicious tension she’d been feeling mellowed into something warm and soothing at his earnestness. Ever since they’d landed he’d waxed nostalgic about all the things he’d used to do in the city, places he’d eaten that he wasn’t sure were still around, venues he’d played, museums he’d spent hours getting lost in and all the interesting people he’d met in that time. What he hadn’t mentioned once was his former bandmate and friend. In the bright morning light streaming through the wall of windows she could see that for some reason he was nervous about seeing him again.

“You guys talk all the time,” she reminded him, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair and cupping his cheek, “I interrupted one of your FaceTime dates just a couple of days ago.”

Killian chuckled, “Aye, and don’t think I haven’t received more than my fair share of nosey texts about that since.”

She blushed, forgetting that when she’d done the interrupting she’d been wearing one of his shirts and not much else.

“Seeing as Robin has come to Boston several times in the years that I’ve been there it’s only fitting that he gets to monopolize some of my time while I’m here,” he said, one shoulder lifting higher than the other in a half shrug. “I’ll be home by the time you’re done with your interviews.”

“You don’t have to rush back just for me,” she said quickly, guilt already pulling at her, “Just text me when your male bonding time is over.”

“We’ll deal with the logistics later, love,” he murmured, turning his head slightly to press a kiss to her palm, “For now I’d like to pick up where we left off before-”

Emma sighed in disappointment as her phone began to vibrate again. Knowing that Regina was the only one who would not only call but do so before nine a.m. no matter the time zone she couldn’t ignore it. She’d made the mistake of doing it before a show in Arizona once and had sworn Regina would have pushed her into the Grand Canyon if she’d been given the opportunity.

Gently nudging Killian off of her with an apology she sat up and grabbed her phone. Killian sat up behind her, pushing her hair to one side as he nuzzled into her neck. Giggling but in no way discouraging him she swiped up to answer.

Regina started talking the second the call connected, “The car will be there in thirty minutes to take you straight to the restaurant-”

“Wait, what?” Emma jerked away from Killian’s ministrations to look at the clock on the bedside table and saw it was only a little after seven. “I thought you said it’d be here at nine!”

“Plans have changed,” Regina said off-handedly. “The brunch meeting is now a breakfast meeting and I’ve pushed up one of your radio interviews to give you the time you’ll need for the streaming exclusives.”

“Exclusives?” She asked warily.

“Enchanted XM wants you to curate a ten song playlist and record intros for their Alt Rock station and then there will be an in-depth interview with one of their djs. Snowdrops and Buttercups has been their number one request since its debut and is poised to take the number one spot on the chart next week. It’s also been getting increasing play on their hits station. We need to strike while the iron’s hot.”

Emma tipped her head back to stare at the ceiling as she counted to ten to keep her patience. She was well aware that self promotion came with the territory, especially as a solo artist, and usually she had no problem giving interviews or whatever little fun extras needed to do so. What she hated was that Regina tended to take liberties with her schedule whenever they were in a big enough city and there was extra down time. It was all the more frustrating that Regina knew that things between her and Killian had shifted and apparently didn’t care about infringing on their time alone together.

“We’ll still be done by six right?” She asked, resigned, Killian’s warm hand gliding across her shoulders calming her much more than her counting had.

“Yes,” Regina huffed and Emma could practically hear her eyes rolling, “You and lover boy can have your romantic evening together and don’t think we won’t be discussing how to play whatever it is you two are doing to the press.”

“Really?” She growled.

“Really.”

Before Emma could even begin to shoot down that idea Regina had hung up, leaving her staring at the phone in her hand with disbelief and anger. Even Killian’s gentle ministrations were no longer helping.

“I need to get ready,” she said mournfully, moving to stand from the bed.

Killian stopped her with a hand on her wrist, “Everything alright, love?”

“Yeah, everything’s great. The meeting with the label got moved and there’s already a car on its way. Which normally wouldn’t be a big deal but-” she shrugged, still angry but also starting to blush, “We were getting to the good stuff.”

“That we were,” he agreed with a salacious grin. Then the grin faded and he narrowed his eyes at her, “Was there something else she said? You seem upset over more than just an earlier meeting.”

Emma hesitated. As much as she wanted to share her frustration with Regina dictating her life she couldn’t do so without bringing up the questions she’d successfully avoided since the morning after they’d first slept together. First and foremost, was what they were doing just as important to him as it was to her and if it was, then what did that mean for them once the tour was over and they returned to their respective lives. Chickening out she figured they could talk it over later, when there wasn’t a time constraint or a full day of interviews where she’d need to keep focused.

She shook her head and smiled, “Nothing you need to worry about. Regina just has me getting some list of songs together for some streaming thing and I have no idea what I’m going to pick. It takes me two hours to edit the playlists I already have, how the hell am I supposed to choose ten songs and then talk about them?”

“Simple, pick one of your playlists, put it on random and the first ten songs that play are the ones you choose,” he said easily. “You already know and enjoy those songs if you spent two hours picking them and there’s no pressure of trying to curate a perfect list from scratch.”

“That’s… actually a really good idea-” she beamed, grabbing her phone and bouncing up from the bed. She spun around and gave what she hoped was a come hither look, “You know, I hear California is in a drought. It’d be a shame to waste water by taking separate showers.”

His lips curled wickedly, “I’d say that I love the way your mind works, Swan.”

Taking his hand she led him into the bathroom and made good use of the less than twenty minutes they had before her car arrived. Several hours later, however, she wished she had pushed back a little more against the schedule Regina had set up for her. Of course she’d had no way of knowing that her too short morning with Killian was going to be the least stressful of her day.

Sitting in one of the green rooms at Enchanted XM between the recording session for her song picks and her interview she let her eyes slide shut. It had already been a long day and it was nowhere near being over and done with. The breakfast meeting had been good, the representatives from the label had been pleased that she had already written a few songs that she felt were strong contenders for the next album and they had easily agreed to giving her three months off after the tour to work on the rest. Even Regina had been pleased with the meeting, if her short and not too unreasonable list of demands for moving forward were any indication.

The interview she’d done directly after had been the kind that she’d gotten used to over the years. Questions that were more often than not the same ones others had asked her time and again. She’d gotten good at making it sound like she was hearing them for the first time and varying her answers just enough so she didn’t sound like a robot. The best part were the teasing texts from Killian waiting for her once she was done. She was surprised and touched that he had taken the time out of his day to listen to her interview, especially since he knew how unexciting they could be.

As her day continued Regina had left her to make her way to the Enchanted XM studios on her own. Once there she had immediately had to get to work ironing out her list of songs and recorded the intros with the program producer. It had been more fun than she’d anticipated. She’d already had her choices written down in one of her ever present notebooks, having listened to a randomized playlist in the car on her way to breakfast like Killian had suggested. The first ten songs that had played had been perfect but she’d made one substitution to make sure that a Realm of Jewels song was one of her picks. It was her thank you to Killian for giving her the idea in the first place and a not so subtle wink to whatever was going on between them.

The producer, a woman named Gwen, had been impressed with her choices. They’d spent nearly an hour talking them over, working through a rough script of what she would say about each one. Then she had been taken to a small recording booth where it had taken less than an hour to get what they needed. She’d wanted to text Killian about it but Gwen had immediately invited her to lunch and she hadn’t had the chance. Once they’d returned to Enchanted’s headquarters she’d been asked to record a few small promos for the stations that played her songs in heavy rotation. Not willing to say no she’d been ushered to another recording booth with barely any time to take a breath.

Being left alone in the green room was a welcome break from what had become an increasingly busy day. Just as she was about to pull out her phone for the first time since after her first interview the door opened and Regina stormed in, angrily snapping at whoever the poor soul was that was still in the hallway.

“-not recording as scheduled and I want to know why a rider was requested when nothing that is on it is in this room. There’s not even a bottle of water. See that it gets taken care of.”

“Of course, Ms. Mills.”

The disembodied voice wavered slightly and Emma's earlier annoyance at Regina flared back up.

“The water that’s in here is fine,” she called out, leaning forward and catching the eye of the young woman in the hallway giving her an apologetic smile. She turned pointedly to Regina and glared, “I don’t need anything else.”

“That’s not the point,” Regina sniffed, her dark eyes narrowing followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. “Certain expectations were to be met and they weren’t. Just one more thing this company has failed at. I have a mind to stop booking appearances here if they’ll just be treated like this.”

“Okay, this is about something more than water bottles and a missing box of Milk Duds. What’s going on?” Emma asked suspiciously.

Regina pursed her lips as she took out her phone and began rapidly typing. Emma waited patiently for her to answer, knowing better than to push if she wanted to keep her head on her shoulders. With a final tap on her screen Regina focused back on her with a wary look that immediately had her on edge.

“You were supposed to do the on air interview with Graham Humbert but apparently due to an ‘unfortunate’-” Regina rolled her eyes, “scheduling conflict you have to do it with Walsh Hoakley instead.”

Emma groaned. An interview with Graham would have been fun and easy. They’d both gotten their start in the business around the same time, so he not only knew what types of questions she enjoyed answering but what her boundaries were when it came to her personal life. Walsh, on the other hand, was the complete opposite.

Every interview she’d had with him had her sitting through bad jokes and his comparing her career against his own. He had been the frontman of a pop punk group that had taken a break almost a decade before, though he insisted that it was only a matter of time before they would release another album. It was bad enough she had to play nice as he gave her unsolicited advice but once the mics were turned off he tended to dial up his smarmy charm and invite her out for drinks or a meal. She’d always firmly said no but he’d kept it up and after their last interview nearly two years earlier she’d told Regina that she preferred not to do any more with him.

“I thought he was with that big station in New York,” she said sullenly.

“Apparently not,” Regina sniffed. Her eyes softened fractionally, “Do you want me to reschedule?”

“No,” she sighed, “We’re already here and I know we don’t have any time to come back while we’re still in LA. Plus I don’t want rumors starting that I’m being difficult over Walsh Hoakley. I don’t want to give him that honor.”

Regina smirked, “I’m sure he’d dine out on that for years.”

“He would. So where’d you disappear to?” Emma asked, through talking about Walsh.

“I do have other clients that happen to conveniently live where their label’s offices and some of the best recording studios are,” Regina said drolly, perching herself delicately on a chair. “You might want to reexamine the benefits of moving out here after this tour is done. You’re only going to get bigger from here on out.”

She hummed noncommittally. For a few seconds she let herself daydream about moving into Killian’s beachfront house, waking up in his arms every morning before heading to the studio that would admittedly be leaps and bounds better than the one back in Maine. She could almost see herself returning at the end of her day to find Killian preparing dinner in the kitchen or strumming his guitar on the balcony. Before her thoughts went any further than that she stopped them in their tracks, forcing herself to remember all the reasons why she loved living in Storybrooke and to not let herself get wrapped up in a fantasy. She didn’t let herself dwell on how her imaginings had given her the same feelings of home that her real memories of Storybrooke did.

Ten minutes and an increasingly impatient Regina later another assistant came to show them to the recording booth. From behind the glass they watched as Walsh introduced the next group of songs that would be playing and teased her interview. As soon as he switched off his mic she was ushered into the booth, shown which headphones and mic to use and then left alone with him. To her great relief he smiled and shook her hand, seemingly not knowing that she had requested not to do interviews with him. She smiled back, settling in the chair in front of the mic she’d been shown and adjusted everything to her liking. As they waited for the queued songs to finish playing they made small talk about their day and the thankfully very few mutual acquaintances they had.

The interview started off well. Walsh only mentioned his band Behind the Curtain twice and kept his advice to a minimum. Emma found herself actually enjoying the questions he asked, responding with enthusiasm when he asked about living in Maine and her writing process. She was so caught up in lightheartedly debating with him over notebooks versus a phone app to write lyrics that she was surprised when he mentioned that their time was drawing to a close.

“So, Emma, before you go, how has this tour been so far? You’ve only got a few shows left right?”

“Yeah, just the last few cities heading north but it’s been really, really great,” she enthused, “This is the biggest tour I’ve ever done and the fans have been amazing in every city we’ve played. I’m actually really looking forward to tomorrow night’s show since it’s where they have the Oscars.”

“Right, the Dolby theater, when we played it was still the Kodak and it’s a great venue. Bigger than what you would think when you see it on tv,” Walsh said with a wink and a grin.

Emma fought against a cringe at his bad innuendo, glad that he hadn’t been like that through the whole interview.

“I haven’t had a chance to get in the space yet and, I know this is really nerdy or whatever, but I’m really excited to stand on the same stage that some of my favorite actors have been on. I mean, some of my idols have played there and it’s always an honor to get to perform where they have too, but come on, tomorrow I could be standing in the exact spot where Meryl Streep or Tom Hanks or Oprah have stood. Oprah!”

Walsh chuckled, “So you still get starstruck meeting other celebrities?”

“Oh, yeah,” she said with a nod. “I don’t even think of myself as a celebrity. I live in the same town I mostly grew up in, all my friends are ones I’ve had since before I even thought about recording an album, I don’t even have ‘people’ or whatever. I nearly had a heart attack seeing Lady Gaga from across the room at a benefit concert once.”

“So how was it when you met Killian Jones, famous guitarist for Realm of Jewels, before the start of your tour?”

She shot a glance to the window into the sound booth where Regina had been throughout the whole interview. Regina barely looked up from her phone and nodded, twirling her hand in a gesture Emma took to mean keep going. They had talked about what would happen when Killian was finally recognized but the longer they went without it happening the more she had convinced herself that they could get through the whole tour with no one the wiser. It seemed their time was up. Taking a deep breath to settle her racing heart she looked back at Walsh and found him watching her closely.

“I was surprised and a little annoyed actually,” she said with a small laugh. “Ruby, the guitarist I usually tour with, had broken her arm but said that she’d found her replacement for me. The thing was she wouldn’t tell me who it was so I walked into the recording studio and Killian was there. Realm of Jewels was one of my favorite bands, still is, so seeing him sitting there was a kinda surreal fangirl moment and intimidating too, knowing how good of a guitarist he is.”

“Rumors have been circulating on social media for a few weeks that it was Killian onstage for your tour and then earlier this afternoon uber-producer Robin Locksley seemed to confirm it-” Walsh pulled up a sheet of paper and began reading, “He said in an interview: ‘I’m very excited to begin working with Killian Jones on new music and other projects moving forward. He’s been touring the past few weeks as a backing guitarist and he told me it’s been a great first step to getting back out there. I was even fortunate enough to hear a few rough cuts of songs he’s already written for a new solo album and they’re amazing. I really can’t wait.’ Since you’ve confirmed it yourself have you heard any of his new songs while on the road? He’s already with your label and turns out he signed on with your manager Regina Mills back in March so will the rest of the tour be a double bill? Maybe even a possibility of a duet in the future?”

Emma felt dazed, like she’d been hit with a pillow shot out of a cannon. She had completely forgotten that Robin had become a music producer after Liam and Milah had died. He’d even sent her an email after her last album had been released, saying he wanted to work with her at some point. That little detail was nothing compared to the realization that Killian hadn’t mentioned that his lunch with Robin was really about business. He hadn’t even hinted that he had whole songs written let alone recorded anything. Worst of all was that he had signed on with Regina before he’d joined the tour and she knew without a doubt Regina would do anything necessary to further a client’s career. Especially if the final outcome would prove advantageous for two clients at once.

“I, uh, haven’t listened to anything he’s recorded-”

Her phone buzzed at her elbow. There were several notifications but the preview screen showed a text from Regina. She opened it in a daze.

Regina: No double billing, play coy about duet, plug rest of tour, still seats in Vancouver

The fog she’d been in cleared away as white hot anger took its place. She looked at Regina through the glass and found her making the same ‘continue on’ motion she had before. There was no sign of an apology on her features, only impatience and the ever present look of expectation that she perform well. While acting wasn’t her forte she was more than ready to give the performance of a lifetime.

“Killian was only brought on temporarily until Ruby was well enough to play again. Luckily her recovery happened to work out perfectly with us arriving in LA-” she knew she sounded too upbeat but pushed through, “I’m sorry to dash any hopes but Killian has decided to stay here and focus on his own music. Ruby will be back for tomorrow night’s show and will be finishing out the tour. We’re sold out for most of those shows but I think there’s still some tickets left for Vancouver, but not many.”

“So, no duet?” Walsh asked hopefully and Emma wasn’t sure if he meant musically or hinting at something between her and Killian.

“Nope,” she said decisively, her heart cracking as she did. “I’ll be taking some time off after this tour is done. Rest and relaxation are the only duets I’ll be performing any time soon.”

Walsh laughed, “Now that’s a duo everyone loves. Well, Emma, it’s been great talking to you.”

“You too,” she said with feigned pleasure.

“Here’s Emma’s latest single ‘Snowdrops and Buttercups’ which has been flying up the charts. Safe to say you’ll be playing it tomorrow?”

“Yup. It’s been fun to see the responses get more enthusiastic as it gets played on the radio more,” she said, finally feeling like she was being genuine.

“That’s always a great feeling,” Walsh said with a grin. “Alright, here it is ‘Snowdrops and Buttercups’. Thanks for stopping by, Emma.”

“Thanks for having me.”

As the first notes of her song filled the studio Emma ripped off the headphones, ignoring the constant buzz of her phone at her elbow. She wasn’t sure who it was that was calling, she’d told everyone important to her about the interview and she knew they had probably all tuned in to listen. With the way her pulse was pounding in her temples she wasn’t too sure she could keep herself from unfairly snapping at whoever it was and whatever questions they were going to have.

“Emma?”

She looked up at Walsh and by the way his grin faltered a bit she was sure that her anger was painted clear across her face.

“Yeah?”

“Er, I was wondering if you wanted to grab a drink?” He asked hesitantly. “Talk a little shop, maybe?”

“I already have plans,” she said shortly, the words tasting like the ashes of the evening she originally thought she’d be having.

“Coffee then? Or lunch? I’m up for anything really,” He said with a wink and a chuckle.

“Look, I don’t know how much more clear I can make this but I’m not ‘up’ for doing anything with you,” she snapped, his annoying persistence the final straw. “I thought that you’d gotten better than the last time you tried this but apparently not.”

She snatched up her phone and turned to leave when she heard him scoff and mutter something under his breath. She spun back to face him.

“Wanna share with the whole room?”

“Yeah, actually,” he said with a sneer that twisted his face into something vicious. “You act all high and mighty but you’re just a step away from falling into obscurity just like me. That whole thing about Jones was given to me by your people and by tomorrow morning both your careers will be reaping the benefits from it. I could have helped you along even further with the contacts I have in this business.”

Emma gaped at him, “By going out with you? Classy, you sack of shit.”

Something flashed in Walsh’s eyes, “You-”

“Emma! Let’s go, now.”

For half a second she was grateful that Regina had burst into the room, then she remembered why she was angry in the first place. She brushed past her, ignoring her stream of hissing admonishments and the stuttered apologies of the producer. Halfway back to the green room she realized her phone was still buzzing non-stop. Her stomach lurched, not wanting to know if it was Killian calling when she was walking the thin line between yelling at him or breaking down in tears. Steeling herself she finally looked at the screen and breathed a sigh of relief, swiping to answer.

“Ruby, pack your shit. I need you in LA tonight.”

#captain swan #captain swan fan fic #captain swan ff #captain swan fanfiction #captain swan fan fiction #cs ff #cs fanfic #cs fan fic #ouat ff #my writing

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sarah-blue-eyes · 3 years

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2020 In Review

Hoo boy, here we go.

[Ok just before I begin. I had this queued to post in the first month of January but it doesn’t seem like that ever happened haha. Better late than never I suppose!]

So I am a nostalgic bitch, and since 2011, have loved to make memory boxes for each year, where I put trinkets and memories into a shoebox. This year I have continued that tradition, but I have also kept track of my happy memories throughout 2020 in my planner. This was done with the intention for me to upload a year-in-review sort of thing in hopes that maybe like, 3 people max on this god-forsaken site will read it. This sort of reminiscence was inspired by my friend @a-lbeit, who has done these for a few years now and me, as a slut for nostalgia, was encouraged to do the same back in January (I think? What even is my memory at this point?)

2020, as it has been for many, was a very shit year, and I am no different. I would safely say that this year has undeniably been the worst I have lived through. But I am here. I am present. And I have made it through some of the darkest times to face 2021 with a new sense of hopefulness. Keeping track of my happier memories has been something that has truly got me through this clusterfuck of a year, so I am glad that I can finally go through them all again and share them with you.

Read it, or don’t, I don’t give a shit what you do with your time, but if you do, I hope that you aren’t bored to tears. And I hope to keep myself accountable to continue to do this for years to come.

Buckle up, grab a hot drink and a snack and get comfy, because this is a JOURNEY.

January:

· Kicked the new year off with hosting a 1920’s themed party with some of my closest friends at my family home at the beach. Had fun with drunk SingStar, playing What Do You Meme, creating a playlist with everyone’s top 3 songs of the decade (it was a bangin’ playlist I must say), and just overall drinking too much and having a riotous time

· I remember going to the beach New Year’s Day (as is tradition in Australia) and playing ultimate frisbee in the shallows and completing a crossword puzzle on the sand (I am a 75-year-old woman, it is just a fact of life)

· I also had my friend Kirsten from South Australia stay with me for the New Year’s period and it was lovely to have a guest over! I haven’t spoken to her much this year, she sort of fell off the face of the planet, but I hope she is doing ok.

· Went town to Torquay (a beach town in Victoria) for the 6th time for Beach Mission, which is essentially a holiday program for kids in preschool-year 9 where we run activities for them. It’s a Christian-based program but the aim isn’t to convert the kids or anything like that, it’s more to show God’s love to them through our actions and how we as Christians live our lives. It’s also a convenient way for parents to dish their kids off for a few hours too haha. This was my final year of being a part of this program, and I am so pleased to have made so many memories and (hopefully) impacted many children’s lives during my time there

· I remember going on a late-night beach walk with my boyfriend Josh, talking about what the year had in store for us. We were just sitting on the beach, as you do, and I saw a shooting star. I can’t remember what I wished for (if anything) but in that moment, life was a dream.

· The week after beach mission I started at my new internship! It was for a place called KidsCo, who run school holiday programs at workplaces, so parents don’t need to take time off work to look after them. I helped with client relations and a lot of behind-the scenes stuff. I really loved it there

· On the very first day of my internship I remember there was torrential rain, and the train home was delayed by like, an hour or so lol

· One of the best parts about interning at KidsCo was that they were the official child-minding service for the Australian Open. I make an effort to go each year, but I was lucky enough to get free ground-entry for me and a guest for the duration of the event. I went quite a few times and got to take my mum and Josh along as well.

· Saw my only concert of the year, The Veronicas, at the Australian Open. When I say the moment the violin riff at the start of Untouched absolutely went the fuck off is an understatement. Grade 5 me would have cried (and 23 year old me did a little bit too tbh.) Yet another of one of my “all-time-favourite-songs” that I’ve had the pleasure of hearing live. (I also went through the year feeling sad that this was the first time in 11 years I hadn’t gone to a concert, but this one certainly fell through the cracks)

· Started planning my trip to the UK to see my twin sister, and best friend, Jess

· Went away to Rye for the Australia Day weekend #changethedate. An excellent time with excellent mates, and went to the beach pretty much every day and got mindlessly sloshed every night

· Listened to the Triple J Hottest 100. I think 4 of my picks made it in, which was pretty good

· Continued my job as the office manager/events coordinator at my church

February:

Basketball started back after the summer break for my two different teams, The Vikings and The Wildcats (honestly such a highlight of this year with how the rest of it ended up going)

As a team-bonding activity at KidsCo we hired a boat for a few hours and I got more drunk that I had been for a while. It was a very fun time jetting down the Yarra, waving drunkedly at the people jogging by

For Valentine’s day Josh and I had an indoor picnic with our favourite food! The weather was shit for Feb, hence the indoor nature of the picnic

Saw Shrek the Musical with two of my closest pals, Bec and Katie (I honestly forgot that this happened in 2020 hahaha) but it was ICONIC

Had a Jackbox night with The Boys

Had my cousin Amy from England over for dinner! I hadn’t seen her in 5 or 6 years, so it was so lovely to connect again like no time had passed at all

Went to Healesville Sanctuary, a lovely conservation park which focuses on preserving and educating its visitors about Australian animals, with Amy

Went to mini-golf for a friend’s birthday on the leap day. He technically celebrated his 6th birthday which was excellent

Saw Cody Ko and Noel Miller live with Bec and Katie

Finished working at the church office to make room for the potential job opportunity at KidsCo

March:

Ahhh March, you shitstorm of a month. This is where everything started going downhill.

The first thing of note that happened this month was me injuring my ankle at basketball, which had me out of action for a few weeks. It was especially bad because I was nearing the end of my internship and was hoping to do my best work so that I would be chosen to stay on as an employee, but had to take a week or so off to rest my ankle. My ankle would continue to be tender and sore for most of the rest of the year

Went away for the Labour Day long weekend with the family

Finished up my internship at KidsCo. Honestly was lead to believe that I would be staying on as an employee and felt sort of betrayed after all the work I did for them, but whatever

Had a party at Bec’s house to listen to Triple J’s Hottest 100 of the Decade. One of my favourite songs was number 1 which was a pleasant surprise

Went down to the holiday house for a few days just to have so me time and sort myself out

Animal Crossing New Horizons came out haha. Honestly was one of the highlights of this year though. I stayed up until midnight so I could download it as soon as it was available because that’s the sort of person I am

Mum’s birthday dinner with Dani, one of my best friends, and her girlfriend Amy

Went for a hike at Sugarloaf Reservoir with Josh and got spooked by a mob of kangaroos

April:

My mental health started really taking a downward spiral this month for multiple reasons which I won’t get into here, but this is more a note to my past self to say that it will all be ok I guess? Idk I just felt like this needed to be here

Did my ankle badly again on Good Friday

Watched the Overwatch League live with my friends and just memed in the livechat lmao

WARNING - this is a bit TMI but I am going to share anyway since it was a big part of this year, and if you are reading this you are either a stranger or a good friend so I really don’t care lmao: This month I also started to get bad pains in my uterus, like, not period pains but deep, stabbing pains. This continued on for the next few weeks without me doing anything about it, except for increasingly getting stressed about it, although I will talk a bit more about this later.

Josh and I celebrated our 6th year together which was ~wholesome~

Called my friend Ashley from the US and just caught up. It was nice to see her face again. She is a good egg. I haven’t talked to her since but I really hope she’s ok.

May:

Watched Star Wars with Josh and his family for “May the 4th”

Started a volunteer job at Kivuli, a non-for-prophet that is based in Kenya, and started helping out with their website and social media stuff

Zoom movie time with my friends, we watched How To Train Your Dragon I think? Athough everyone was talking over the movie so I didn’t really get anything out of it

Played Scattergories (one of my favourite games) with Bec and Jess on zoom and just wrote really stupid and funny answers and I remember this being just what I needed

Went for a long walk with mum and one of her friends and her daughter on a track we don’t usually go on, which was a nice change of scenery

Went down to the holiday house for the first time in forever since restrictions were eased, at least for a little while lol, with the fam

Went to Portsea for a walk along the beach with Bec and her husband Trevor

Did an online trivia night that night with a big bunch of friends

Had a doctor’s appointment to see what was goin’ on down there. Honestly freaked that it could be something REALLY bad. Got booked in to have an ultrasound the next week, so at least I’d be finding out what was wrong soon.

The day after I got my results was the 21st of May, the day my mum and I were meant to be flying out to the UK to see my sister and her boyfriend. It was already hard enough a month or so before when I had to cancel my flight, but this day was so SO difficult. I can’t remember the last time I cried so hard. I am so blessed to have a boyfriend like Josh though. He was by my side the whole day, and held me as I cried. Oh man I am crying as I write this now, it was such a hard time but I know I will see my sister again.

And then the day after THAT whole ordeal was my birthday, which was meant to be spent in London with Jess but it turned out to be the first birthday we’ve had apart. This day was also hard, but made better by being with loved ones and having dinner at my grandma and grandpa’s house. Grandma’s roast potatoes make everything better.

Went to Geelong to see the other side of my family, it was so good to see my nan again. I love her very much.

Went to the Briars with Bec and went on a lovely nature walk and saw a lot of little wallabies and even an emu

Had an ultrasound and my pain turned out to be a 10cm wide cyst!!! So fun!!!!! Thank the heavens it wasn’t a child. I was so relieved. It is still in my body so that’s cute tho.

June:

Applied for a bunch of jobs, and even got a few interviews! Still no job.

The absolute highlight of this month, and maybe even the whole year, was going away to Lake’s Entrance and Yarram with mum, dad and Josh. It was so good to go to the country, I love country towns so much and the wildlife and nature is so beautiful in the eastern part of Victoria. If you ever get the opportunity I recommend going there!

We ate so much nice food and just relaxed. It wasn’t a perfect replacement for not going to Europe, but it was something at least.

Did more work for Kivuli which kept me busy

Went to Bec’s house to bake a cake. She came out to me as bi this day too, and the cake was coloured like the bisexual flag!

Started a short course through the university I went to in Facebook for Business. It was a great way to build up my skills.

Played Animal Crossing with Dani’s little sister, Tami, a very wholesome time

Looked after Josh’s dog Jed while his family went away for the weekend (also went into the start of July) and was honestly the greatest time

July:

Halfway through the year. Thank fuck.

Had another job interview

Went on lots of walks

Was just generally cold

Did a lot of cleaning

Painted the downstairs rooms at church, which took a few days and a lot of back pain, but it’s cool to think that I was able to contribute my energy and time to something while I was not feeling good at all

The restrictions were tightened again, meaning that I couldn’t go further than 5kms away from my house, except to see Josh, so this was a really lonely time for me.

Really got into Masterchef with mum this season. They had all returning contestants from other seasons so that was really fun to watch.

Got and assembled a new couch upstairs that I can say I actually own myself. I absolutely love it.

More walks, despite the cold

This was a very uneventful month, but that’s ok!

August:

Had a call with the hospital I’ll be having my cyst surgery with. It was good to know that things would be started. I had to have a blood test and a second ultrasound then put on the waiting list for surgery. Still no sign on when that will be happening though 6 months later. Just so lucky to live in Australia where all of these appointments are free.

Went for a really nice long walk with Josh. Got shat on by a bird.

Did lots of stuff around the house, just tidying and watering the plants and sorting through my wardrobe to purge all the clothes I grew out of

Had an online Switch games night with some friends which was fun. We played Smash Bros. and Mario Kart and just had a great time!

Ok this sounds super lame but my favourite podcast, The Jenna & Julien Podcast, finished forever which came as a surprise and was just really sad. I really hope it comes back one day.

Did my tax return lmao

Baked rice puff/marshmallow bar things

Made an ASOS order to fill my happiness with material things. Did get some cute clothes and lingerie tho 😉

More games with Bec and Jess, we played Golf With Your Friends this time

Had a cocktail night with Josh, where we just made a bunch of fun cocktails and got drunk. I can’t wait to live with him so we can do this all the time.

Lots of Kivuli work, as we are planning for our 10th anniversary fundraising event

September:

Baked cookies, which was something I did a lot at the start of lockdown but sort of drifted away from. I absolutely love to bake.

Started working for Media-Wize, a small PR company that was started by someone I know at church.

Started playing Among Us at the start of the month

So many Among Us nights omg, just call me queen impostor please

Did my induction for Media-Wize

Got n e r v o u s because I kept getting things wrong in my new job. I always seem to fuck up the good things and opportunities that I get

Did a livestream reading of The Great Gatsby on my friend’s Twitch stream. It was really fun and something I had never done before. I voiced Tom Buchannan, which was interesting but cool to sort of get into the character. I hope to do something like this soon.

I burnt my hair while cooking dinner and had to give myself a haircut lmao. It was the first time since 2018 that I had cut it so it was a long time coming anyway.

So much Media-Wize work. It felt good to finally be getting paid to do a job

Got locked out of my bathroom so I had to climb up the laundry chute to unlock it from the inside, all because a fly outsmarted me (it’s a long story… and honestly best told by speaking it)

October:

Had the Kivuli 10th anniversary livestream. Lots of work went into it and it was so much fun! It’s incredible that a non-for-profit that has benefitted so many children and families is still going strong. Such a blessing to see.

Dad’s birthday, and we had a picnic with grandma and grandpa and saw them for the first time since lockdown was somewhat lifted

Walked to Beasley’s nursery with Josh and got a coffee. This was the first proper, not McCafe coffee I had had in months and it was SO good

Played Animal Crossing with Dani

More Among Us, a theme for the last few months of 2020

Watched the AFL Grand Final. Wasn’t super exciting this year tbh, especially since we couldn’t have a BBQ or party or anything, but hopefully next year will be different

Nearly moved out of home with a friend of a friend, but since I didn’t have a job, didn’t think it would be a wise decision. Would’ve been nice though

Did some more Media-Wize work. I haven’t been given anything to do since this time though, so I don’t know what’s going on with that? They really be ghosting me tho.

Applied for JobSeeker so I would at least be getting a little income

New Jackbox came out, and had a games night with The Boys playing all the new games

Voted in the local election

Went to Westerfold’s Park with Josh for a lovely long walk

Played lots of The Sims 4 (but tbh I have been doing this all year)

November:

This month things sort of started to turn around, as Covid wasn’t hitting my state hardly at all, so I was actually able to see family and friends again!

Went to my old primary school with Dani and played basketball and just shot around and talked. She also came over for dinner. It was so nice, and she is a true friend.

Had a picnic at the park at the top of the street with my dad’s side of the family, all together at last

Melbourne Cup Day, not that I really care but it’s nice to get a day off. Went on a day trip to the Dandenong mountain range. It was so, so nice and bought some lovely little things from local shops, went for a bushwalk and had a bakery lunch

Went to the park to throw the frisbee and kick the footy around with Josh and his friends, although they are my friends too tbh

Had a picnic with a group of friends that I hadn’t seen since January, so it was so, so good to catch up with them and have a delicious BBQ dinner

My favourite online comedy group, Aunty Donna’s Netflix series came out! Had a virtual watch party with a few friends and binge watched it all in one go

Had lunch with grandma. This used to be a weekly occurrence but for obvious reasons was put off for this year. I absolutely adore her and every lunch we spend together is so precious to me

Went to Kyneton with some of the family as another day trip

Christmas shopping time again. So weird to be at the shops and feel sort of normal? I went 4 different times in the span of a week and a half haha

Josh’s birthday! We went to this maze place with has a bunch of big mazes and other fun activities. It was such a perfect day. Then we had dinner with his family.

Got a letter from the IRS saying that I needed to provide them with proof of identity, so that was fun trying to sort that out. We love the outdated US tax system <3

Went to a bridal shower for my friend Katie

Went for another hike with Josh to the mountains

Drove down to Geelong for a friend’s wedding and stayed at my nan’s house

Had a pub dinner and Jackbox night while down in Geelong with The Boys

A good friend of mine was leaving to live in Japan for two years, so I went to her house one last time to say goodbye and chill in her pool and just hang out

God why is it so hard to get a job?

December:

Omg we have made it to December. It truly is a miracle with how this year went tbh. And if you have read this far, thank you but also, how little of a life do you have?

Went to my friend Katie’s wedding. Sort of surreal to go to a wedding during a pandemic but it was fun and I got to see a lot of friends I hadn’t seen in a while

Enjoyed the hot weather and went to the beach a number of times with a variety of friends

Went Christmas shopping, and just shopping in general since it was safe to and shops had finally opened again

Got a job at a talent agency where you get gigs as a paid extra in TV shows and movies, which was pretty cool! I even had a professional photoshoot to get headshots done, something that I had never done before. Glad that I could get some pictures to use on LinkedIn though haha. Still haven’t been cast in anything but here’s hoping.

Had dinner and drinks with Josh, Bec and Trev in the city for the first time since it reopened. God I love Melbourne so much. It is just so magical on balmy summer nights. This was such a special evening, and was so good just to be in the city again

Had a lovely day with Dani, starting with breakfast and then going on a hike before the weather got too hot. We went to Sherbrooke Forest, a place I hadn’t been before, and it was incredibly beautiful

Had a number of job interviews this month too, none of which got back to me which was annoying :/

Now it was heading into the time where every weekend is packed with Christmas do’s so I’ll just collate them in this point. Lots of drinks were consumed and many delicious roast dinners

Had our annual Christmas Carol’s service at church. It was a blessing to be back in the building for the first time since March, and to be able to do something I love (singing) with some of my best friends was the best

Christmas eve I went to my grandma and grandpa’s house (on dad’s side) to help them set up for Christmas lunch. Spending time together just the three of us is so special, and I am so glad I was able to come over and just chat and be in their loving presence. Then that night I went to our 11pm church service to bring in Christmas day. It was a great service and was great to see our kick-ass minister give a sermon face-to-face.

Ok here we go, Christmas was a doozy, let’s go. So Christmas lunch was, as I said, with my dad’s side of the family, which is always a great time. Cracking open crackers and fighting over who’ll get the bottle opener or nail clippers is always a highlight haha. But we had the fucking best roast potatoes I swear. I need to know what my grandma puts into them because I could genuinely eat 20 of them and still have space. Then the rest of the afternoon was spent in a food coma until I went to Josh’s house to spend dinner with his family. Another delicious meal and great banter was what I needed, although I can safely say that I put on at least 5 additional kilos after that day.

The next day the fam and I headed to Geelong to see my mum’s side of the family. Was a great drive down and I listened to all of The Avalanches new album which had just released. Easily the greatest album of the yeah hands-down. So we spent lunch there and absolutely stuffed ourselves with more food. Three Christmas meals really took a toll on me, but I am just blessed as it is to have a loving family and food on the table.

The next day dad, Josh and I headed to the beach to spend that weird time between Christmas and New Year’s. To get there we took the ferry that goes from Queenscliff to Portsea, which is always a fun time, since we don’t often go from one side of the bay to the other (if you don’t know the geography of Victoria I apologise lmao). Mum didn’t come with us as she had some symptoms of Covid, so went home to isolate and get tested. Thankfully she tested negative and she joined us the next day.

Once I got back home I had to prepare the house for my friend Jono who was visiting for new years from SA. Many last-minute chores and cleaning was done haha.

New Years Eve! Went to pick up Jono and my other friend Sarah from the airport and dropped Sarah off at her accommodation and ended up staying there with Jono for a while as this was where the New Year’s party was going to be. Although, in true Victorian fashion, our premier announced that there was going to be a limit of 15 visitors at any house from 5pm that night. Excellent. We love a last-minute change of plans. So we had lunch and spent the afternoon at my friend’s house before heading to a local park to chuck the frisbee and kick the footy around. We also had our second annual NYE trivia competition, which my team lost by 1 point!! Dang I get so competitive, but we will win next year, I can feel it. The new year came through uneventfully, we were in the middle of a game of Scattergories or something like that when someone changed the channel on the TV to see the Sydney fireworks across the screen and like, 4 second left of the countdown. I gave Josh a bog ol’ smooch and gave my friends a big hug. We had done it. 2020 was defeated.

Conclusion (damn this really be an essay tho)

This year was undeniably the hardest year I had ever been through. Going through unemployment for the majority of the year and having no sense of purpose hit me hard but I am entering 2021 with the hope and willingness to get on track with my career. And I think I will be successful. A lot of truly awful things happened around the world this year as well, with the devastating bushfires at the start of the year, the powerful BLM protests, Coronavirus absolutely destroying lives and many, many other global events but through it all, here we are. I hope you all keep well this year and that your 2021 is infinitely better than your 2020.

Song of the Year: Tangerine – Glass Animals

Album of the Year: We Will Always Love You – The Avalanches (I CANNOT stress this enough, but you absolutely must listen to this album!)

TV Show of the Year: The Mandalorian - Season 2

Movie of the Year: Bombshell (the only movie I saw at the cinemas so didn’t have much to go with)

Memory of the Year: Going away with my family and just enjoying time away with each other

Thank you for reading this, if you’ve made it this far, you’re a real one <3

#me #2020 #2020inreview #nostalgia #anactualnovel #iapologise

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7team7 · 4 years

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Choosing Fate: Chapter 5

Fanning the flames. // Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4

A/N: I hope this chapter gives you more insight on the oh so mysterious ~uchiha clan~

“Dedicating yourself to your books again, I see,” Fugaku observed. Hard to read as always, Sasuke couldn’t tell if he approved or not. He decided to be blunt.

“It’s because of her. She’s smart. It would be unwise to let it all go to waste just because she had to marry me.”

“I see. Be sure to use your time wisely.” He walked out of the study, leaving Sasuke feeling frustrated. It grated on his nerves to think of his father disapproving of how he spent his time with his wife. If Fugaku gave Sakura trouble for doing a little reading of all things, Sasuke would have a hard time holding his tongue, he thought.

He grumbled to himself as he finished laying out the materials for the evening. Since when did he get so protective over this little pink woman?

Said woman walked into the room, her hands hardly done drying after finishing washing the dishes from dinner. “Okay! I’m ready now. I didn’t want to leave your mother with all that work, sorry.” She was a bit late, but Sasuke waved his hand and said awkwardly, “No need to apologize.” It wasn’t like he was anxiously waiting or anything.

Sakura, though, had been waiting all day. She didn’t want it to seem like she was shirking her duties as a wife, even taking care to make a particularly labor intensive stew for dinner so that she wasn’t spending all her time locked away in the little room with Sasuke. No, her priorities were perfectly balanced.

“So what are we doing today?” she asked eagerly.

He gestured to the thick, dusty books on the table and the scattered loose leaf papers, “Some history.”

Uchiha family history, to be exact. He had given her tons of readings on medicine, agriculture, literature, but she was still mostly kept in the dark about the family she had married into. Sasuke was incredibly proud of his heritage, even if he had a few issues with the way things were run lately. He didn’t want Sakura to have another reason to resent their situation, but she deserved to know what she had married into.

“The Uchihas have a long-spanning history. My ancestors are some of Konoha’s founders.” Sasuke ran his hand reverently down the cover of one red book. The family tree was updated recently to include Sakura. The blank spaces for his and Itachi’s children stared back at him uncomfortably.

“Our ancestors,” Sakura softly corrected. Might as well embrace her life as Uchiha Sakura, at least out of respect for the elders before her.

When he swung his head from the book to look at her, Sakura thought he might narrow his eyes and spit out some remark that she wasn’t a pure Uchiha like he was. Instead, he smirked, “They certainly didn’t have your hair.”

She giggled, suddenly feeling shy, and turned her attention back to the table. “What’s a pottery book doing with all this? You pulled a metal working one too,” Sakura pointed out. Smart girl, but this time Sasuke hadn’t made a mistake.

“Haven’t you wondered what my father and I are up to when we leave the house?”

“Of course I have.”

He was a little stunned at her nonchalance, so he asked grumpily, “Well then why haven’t you asked?”

She shrugged, “You never seem to like it when I ask questions.”

He blinked and set his shoulders. Oh. That was true. He should work on that. Sasuke continued gruffly, “We go to sell our wares, but all of them are made by the clan. For generations we’ve specialized in firing pottery and metalworking. We’re able to withstand the high heat needed to do this kind of work. Fire is our specialty, I guess. Some of your father’s field tools are probably made by an uncle of mine.” This time, she didn’t even have to ask, the explanation just spilled out of him.

“Artisans, merchants...what can’t your family do?”

“Heal,” he said meaningfully.

“What if I went into town with you next time? You know, to sell my medicine. I’m sure it could help people besides just Mikoto-san.” They had wrapped up their history lesson for the day and were preparing to go to bed.

“I’m not sure if that’s a good idea.”

“I could go at a different time than you and your father if scheduling or space are a problem?” The market was rather packed at peak hours.

“No,” he rejected quickly, “You cannot go alone.”

Jade green eyes blinked in surprise. “What? Why not?”

He shifted uncomfortably, “The Uchihas are an old clan, remember? That means they’re very...traditional. Conservative, even.” He didn’t want to spell it out for her, knowing that many of the elders held outdated, even discriminatory, views. His Uchiha pride was often conditional these days.

Now, Sakura’s eyes narrowed. “I see. So I would require some sort of escort to protect me while I go sell what I worked hard on. I understand. Wouldn’t want to get scammed.”

He sighed. “If you ask, I will give you permission. It’s a formality. But…” he trailed off.

“But what?”

“But I would still want to go with you. It’s not always safe to go alone.”

It was Sakura’s turn to sigh. “I’ve been to the market plenty of times by myself. Remember?” Those days felt so long ago. The handsome stranger at the market was now her husband, but she couldn’t tell how much more familiar he had become with her really. He opened up slowly, giving her bits and pieces, but there was still so much left to be desired.

“Of course I do. That doesn’t mean I can’t worry about you.”

She gave him a meaningful look. After a pause, “Your mother...when she goes out, she visits other members of the clan?”

“Most of the time, yes. Nearly all her friends are Uchihas.”

“So if I wanted to go visit my family, I’d have to get your permission?”

His heart squeezed. Wasn’t he part of her family now too? “Yes.”

“I see,” she clipped.

“Well, there are some family members you can visit at will.” He wanted to save another conversation from going south.

His heart squeezed again seeing the ray of hope light up her face. “Really? Who?”

“My brother and his wife.”

Sakura couldn’t help but hum happily as she prepared to venture out. She felt like she woke up on the right side of the bed that morning. Itachi and Izumi lived close by, but leaving the house felt so liberating, she would’ve taken any opportunity to stretch her legs. She hadn’t seen them since the wedding and even then she didn’t get much of a chance to speak with them. She wondered what they were like, if the brothers were similar.

“Do we need to bring anything?” Sakura asked her husband before they set out.

Sasuke shrugged, “It’s just Itachi.” His brother would appreciate that they bothered visiting at all. Despite his need for privacy, he knew Itachi missed him.

“What I meant was do I need to bring anything?” Whether it was a jab at the gendered expectations within the Uchiha clan or her desire to impress, the answer was still no. Sakura sighed and decided to bring a jar of herbs, just in case. It would be rude to show up empty handed.

Their house was significantly smaller than the main house, but it still stood proudly with the classic Uchiha elegance. When Itachi opened the door it was with a warm expression, but Sakura couldn’t help but note how tired he looked. She ought to bring ginseng next time.

Izumi seemed a little on edge, but quickly relaxed after some careful small talk. She had kind eyes, but like Itachi, she looked tired. Sakura couldn’t help but notice that her hair was a bit thin and she moved without much energy. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but after observing her sister-in-law for the majority of the visit, she could tell something was wrong.

“How have you been, Sakura-san? Settling in comfortably, I hope,” Itachi said smoothly.

“Ah, everything has been..fine. I miss my parents and my siblings, but I don’t have much else to complain about,” Sakura spoke with equal diplomacy. She still had yet to figure out why they did not live in the main house and wanted to tread lightly.

With this, Itachi visibly eased up a little, “Oh? So my little brother has not been too disagreeable in the mornings?” This caused Izumi to laugh too, a more full bodied sound than Sakura expected from someone who appeared rather delicate. They both gazed fondly at Sasuke, clearly full of affection for someone who was just as much a younger brother as he was a husband.

Sasuke grumbled beside her and quickly switched the subject, “It’s been fine. We came because Sakura just learned about some of our clan’s more backwards expectations. She should know where you live.”

The other couple nodded in understanding, “It is unfortunate, isn’t it? Don’t let our father hear about this. He cannot know that his own children oppose the long standing, ah, values that our clan upholds.” Sakura heartily agreed, “I’ve tried to keep my interactions with your father to a minimum, he’s a bit intimidating. Your mother is lovely, though.”

More laughter from Izumi and Itachi: “You’ve learned our family well already. Father’s loyalties are often with the clan at large, but he means no harm. He’s too proud to ever consider that he’s wrong. And please make sure my mother doesn’t spoil Sasuke too much, he is her favorite.” Sasuke rolled his eyes.

“Don’t let them pressure you too much,” Izumi advised with particular urgency. “I hope you don’t mind me speaking so plainly, but between two sons and their wives, an heir will be born soon enough.”

The gears in Sakura’s head clicked into place and she understood. Even if Fugaku was not so cruel as to effectively banish his first born son to a different home, the pressure he put on the couple to produce a child forced them away. Sakura supposed she and Sasuke weren't subject to the same pressure yet because the older son should have a child first if all went according to tradition.

“If it will be, then it will be,” Sakura said firmly. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t take care of your health in the meantime, or all the time.” She bowed her head in promise, “If you want, I can try to help.” She had a bit of knowledge on fertility (admittedly, some from farm animals) and women’s health that could be useful.

“Oh?” Izumi said with great pleasure, “We have a doctor in the family now?”

“She took care of Mother when she got sick recently. Don’t let her trick you into thinking she doesn’t know much. Her abilities are nothing short of impressive.” He didn’t expand on the lessons he’d been giving her, but he already felt bashful following his easy praise. She was his wife, after all, he supposed.

“Ah, thank you, Sasuke,” she said softly before clearing her throat. “If you’d like, I can visit more frequently and suggest herbal medicine to foster greater wellness for the both of you. And...if it gets to that point, I’d love to help with a baby.” While her experience here was also limited to farm animals, she earnestly wanted to give Izumi a hand in any way possible. Hopefully next time she visited, they could speak with greater familiarity and ease.

“We welcome your help. The Uchihas have their weaknesses, but they also love more fiercely than any other. You fit right in.”

The walk home was quiet, Sakura mentally taking notes on what she would bring next time, questions she would ask. She was glad that Sasuke took her to see his brother and his wife, it was a welcome relief from her routine at home.

The sun was still high enough in the sky that Sasuke said, “Wait. Before we head back, there’s somewhere else I want to take you.” Sakura tilted her head in question, but still followed him. “You’ll see when we get there.” They turned back from the path home to head in a new direction.

They didn’t need to go very far when Sasuke stopped and it was clear that they were still in an Uchiha-dominated space. The air was warm, dry and smelled of smoke.

He got right to explaining the layout and pointing out certain spots and people. “My cousin Obito over there does pottery. Don’t talk to him, he’s kind of weird. I know a bit about swordsmithing, but not nearly as much as others. My other cousin Shisui makes a fantastically thin, but sturdy blade. Every time we bring his knives to the market they get snatched up quickly for a high price. But he’s weird too.” Even if his tone was exasperated, Sakura still smiled hearing the affection he had for his family and their practice.

“There are so many of you…” Sakura said wistfully. She had always thought of her family as being big, but now she missed their familiar comfort. The Uchihas were truly a clan. They walked further into the cluster of buildings; Sakura noticed Sasuke had slowed his pace to allow her a moment to really look at their surroundings.

“And when are we going to see some more Uchiha babies running around here?” an elderly woman asked kindly as they walked past, taking a break from sweeping to smile at the married couple. Despite her good intentions, the young couple winced.

“When the time is right,” Sasuke said evenly. He nodded at her again as they passed, grabbing Sakura’s hand so she wouldn’t get caught up in an unnecessary conversation. Besides, it was getting late and it was time to return. He didn’t let go until they reached the wide road to the house.

Sakura was glad to finally get some insight on the Uchiha clan, but the knowledge of it all weighed heavily on her shoulders. She looked forward to taking a bath at home.

The old woman’s words echoed in his mind. He knew they were expected to have children eventually, but he tried to push that thought away as soon as it threatened to crop up. The thought of Sakura pregnant with his child made his neck prickle with heat. He stood by his words: when the time was right, they would bring a child into the world. But that time was not now, not yet. He felt a little better after making himself some tea. It was time for bed, the day had been long.

Sasuke swung the door to their bedroom open without a thought, only to be faced with the creamy expanse of Sakura’s back as she finished getting dressed. The skin there looked pale, smooth, and soft, unmarred by the harsh touch of the sun. “Why didn’t you tell me you were changing?” Sasuke bit out more harshly than intended, more embarrassed than mad. He closed the door behind him but turned to face the side wall after entering.

“Do I need your permission to do everything?” Sakura asked sharply.

“Sakura, it’s not like that —”

“I know.” As she adjusted her clothes, she sighed, “It’s just that..we are married.”

“I know.”

#sasusaku #my writing #arranged marriage AU #fan fic

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padfootagain · 4 years

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Balaenoptera Bonaerensis (I)

Chapter 1: Security Measures

This is the first chapter for my fic with a Bodyguard AU for our dear Cap! Thank you so much to @marvelcapsicle, who is hosting the writing challenge this fic is made for.

I hope you like this fanfic, please, read the author's note on the masterlist for this series concerning any link with real events!

I did, however, spent more than 8 hours researching different elements for that story so far, and have no doubt it's just the beginning… being a writer is hard…

Word Count: 3400

"Have I ever told any of you how much I hate our job?"

"Just… twenty times today. And hundreds more if you count all the times we had to wake up early to get on a plane."

"Taking a flight at 4 am doesn't make you 'get up early', it makes you not sleep at all!"

"I'm sorry you couldn't get your baby sleep, Bucky. But there were no better flights available on such a short notice."

"Did we really have to take that job?"

By Natasha's side, on the two seats before Steve and Bucky, Sam snorted, waving the newspaper he was reading to make his point.

"In these days, you should consider yourself lucky to have a job at all," Sam replied, shaking his head. "Seven months since that mess happened in Wall Street, and it's not getting any better."

By the window, Steve took a look at the clouds they flew across, cotton-like forms drifting slowly against the blue sky. He didn't react at all as the plane shook with turbulences, too used to flying by now to even truly notice. And if his blue eyes rested on the white puffs of water outside, his mind was set on work already. The file where he had gathered the information he had found - in the little time he had had to prepare their new job - was set open on his laps. He had stopped listening to his colleagues somewhere above the Pacific Ocean. Now that they were en route towards Townsville, having changed their flight in Darwin, he had stopped to act like he was listening altogether. Maybe others would have taken it badly, but his three partners were too used to his working routine to think anything of his behaviour. And as they flew across a cloud, the world turning solely into shades of white and light grey, Steve wondered who could have sent the threats that had pushed the editor of the Townsville Bulletin to hire Steve and his team to protect one of his journalist and three scientists they worked with. Apparently, it had something to do with the scientists' study of whales, although Steve couldn’t possibly imagine why someone would want to kill anyone about a study of the population of whales in Antarctica. That was beyond him.

But the threats were real, and at the thought, his eyes travelled back to the printed letters that were sent in an attempt to stop the research, and he had no doubt that it was a threat to take seriously. The message was, after all, quite explicit. Besides, they were paying for his services, so even if the threat wasn't real, it didn't exactly matter. He wouldn't complain about an easy job for once.

However, he wasn't sure to find who could have sent the threat. In the week he had been given to prepare his departure, he couldn't really find any lead. He reckoned that talking with the people involved would help clarify the situation, or at least, he hoped so.

He went through the file again, memorizing the names and faces of the people he would have to protect for the coming months.

Sofia Longbrook – PhD student

Dr. Rosa Alvarez Santiago – Postdoctoral researcher

Dr. Y/N Y/L/N – Researcher

Luke Savoy – Journalist

Lucy McGreed – Lawyer

Joshua Alexander – Lawyer

If the threats had been pointed towards only the journalist and the research team, chances were that the two lawyers involved in this whale study might get threatened as well soon.

At least three locations for their professions were to be secured, even without taking into account the lawyers for now. Plus each of their homes. And having some of them working on a major campus that held thousands of students would be a challenge to say the least. Adding to that limited resources, So much work to be done…

The voice of the flight attendant cut Steve's thoughts, forcing him back to reality. They would soon be landing. While he folded his papers and fastened his seatbelt, the plane slowly descending under the clouds, he checked the address of the hotel he had booked one more time. After dropping by the hotel, they would meet with the people who had hired them to discuss how the security could be handled, and more importantly, what kind of threats they were truly facing.

In the seats before ad next to him, Sam and Bucky were bickering, as usual, and he chose to ignore them for now.

All he hoped for was a smooth, calm mission for a change.

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

"This whole ordeal is absolutely ridiculous, Mark."

"Look, for the last time, Y/N: you've received threats. I will not sit down and wait to see if they were serious or not. You don't want to stop your research, and for some unknown reason, my reporter also refuses to drop the story, so all we are left with as alternative is to hire professionals who will keep you safe."

You rolled your eyes, crossing your arms before your chest.

"Look, we're talking about a trade. About something that involves money," Mark continued to argue. "And just like everything else that involves money, it is not so surprising to find people ready to go to extreme ways to deal with whatever goes in the way of their profit."

"I know, but…"

"No 'but'. By the way, Richard, I could use some help."

The director of your lab turned to you, but could only shrug.

"Honestly, I don't know what to say."

"You don't agree that it was the right decision to hire professional security?" the editor of Townsville newspaper asked with a frown.

"No, no, I think you were right to propose that," Richard replied, shaking his large moustache as he spoke. "All I'm saying is that Y/N is so stubborn, I really don't know what you want me to say."

You rolled your eyes again, but the ghost of a smile appeared on your lips this time.

"I just think that we're overreacting. Opinion with which you disagree, so I have to follow your and Richard's lead anyway."

"Exactly! Thank you!"

"I have to admit that I'll feel safer with a bodyguard around," Sofia, your PhD student, added. "Plus, if the one in charge of us at the lab could be a very sexy American wearing a tuxedo and dark sunglasses, that would be even better."

"They've hired bodyguards, Sofia," you replied. "Not Agent J."

"Aren't bodyguards supposed to dress up like that all the time? Kevin Costner was all dressed up too in that movie with the singer!"

"I don't know, honestly. I have to admit that I have never asked myself that question."

"I feel like the conversation has drifted…" Mark tried to bring your attention to the matter at hand, but he had already lost you and your colleagues.

"You have to admit that it's a rather good question!" Richard jumped in.

"Maybe they'll even have this kind of earpiece, you know, with the wire and everything," Sofia went on, a dreamy expression on her face as she tried to picture in her mind how her bodyguard would look like.

"They've hired only four of them," you replied. "I don't think they'll need any earpiece."

"Which, by the way, doesn't sound like much security," Joshua added. "I mean, shouldn't we all have one personal bodyguard?"

"There were no threats against you and Lucy, so…" Mark replied with a shrug.

"Of course, let the lawyers defenceless, as usual."

"What do you mean 'as usual'?"

"Ha… nevermind. I guess it's just my fate to die like this. You know, according to my astral theme I'm supposed to die a violent death."

"If you mention astrology again today, I can guarantee that you will die a violent death," you replied, pinching the sides of your nose.

"Sorry, but I'm nervous. And I always ask the stars when I'm nervous."

"Are they more talkative than Jesus? Or is the line busy for them as well?" Richard mocked, earning a kick from under the table.

Mark let himself fall down on a chair, heaving a dramatically tired sigh.

"You know, working with you guys, who are supposed to have brilliant minds and all that, kind of brought down my expectations on life."

None of you bothered to reply to his comment, too busy discussing the bodyguards who would soon arrive.

Indeed, you waited now for their arrival, all of you gathered in a meeting room in your lab. The Marine and Aquaculture labs at the James Cook University formed a large ensemble of buildings, from the tanks used for experiments and research to the offices where you were now. The buildings were often referred as MARFU for Marine and Aquaculture Research Facilities Units. They were not the most impressive buildings of the campus, and yet their research was among the most advanced in the world in terms of understanding marine life. The studied topics were vast, and your own little team was but a fraction of the people devoting their lives to understand and protect sea life.

On the north-east coast of Australia, Townsville held one of the four campuses of the James Cook University, one of the main institutions in the country. Hidden behind the large medical centre, on the south tip of the town, the university stretched to the edge of the wilder areas of Mount Stuart, the town stuck between its slope and the ocean. The white buildings for Marine Sciences research were all gathered on the eastern part of the campus, in an ensemble of about 20 separate buildings.

You were for now waiting in one of the meeting rooms on the first floor of the main building for Marine and Aquaculture, looking around you at the blank white walls and wooden tables and chairs. A poster for the defence of sharks was hung on one wall, the light of the sun falling partially on its dark blue shades, causing the colours to wane after years of exposure to the too bright rays of the Australian sun. In the corner of the room, up to the ceiling, a spider had threaded its web, but it was only a little one, and none of you could be bothered chasing the arachnid away.

While your colleagues kept on bickering, your own mind wandered off, drifting back towards the element that had caused all this to happen.

You remembered getting the letter at your office, opening it without worry, thinking it was merely linked to your research. You were expecting some documents for a field trip with your students after all.

Instead, you found a letter reading that if you didn't stop your surveys on whales, you would pay for the consequences of your actions. If the word 'killing' was not explicit, the meaning hiding behind their phrasing was evident, and whoever had sent you this letter was ready to use violent ends to shush your voice.

Clearly, whoever they were, they had never met you in person, or they would have known that threats would be far from enough to make you back down.

Nevertheless, Mark and Richard had decided that it was best to call professionals. Apparently, Richard had a friend in the security business, who had recommended the team he and Mark had hired. Why did they have to go to all the trouble to hire Americans, that was another mystery in this crazy story, but you simply accepted whoever they chose, as your complaints were dismissed.

You doubted heavily that anything would actually happen. You were a researcher, and none of your work was secret. If it had turned into a political stance over the past few years, it was still not a secret. All your colleagues in the lab knew about your research. You had asked for help from the press and a law firm when you realized that your research might have more impact that you had thought of on an international scale; yet, here again, you were not trying to keep any secret. What were they going to do? Destroy the entire university? If whaling held a lot of potential money, it was still no reason to make so much damage, at least, not in your mind.

When you started to investigate the migrations of whales in Antarctica, nothing could have made you think that you would come to discover that a Japanese research program was misused. If your accusation that it was merely a cover story for killing whales and selling their meat had always been denied by the Japanese authority, over the course of the past years, it had become your crusade to shut down the whole program. One could not, after all, excuse the killing of hundreds of animals and call it 'science', not in our day and age, at least.

You knew you had made enemies by taking a stand. You had never tried to hide your purpose. It didn't seem to you that it was a game people would play with death and threats. Maybe you were wrong, though.

And now you were up to get a bodyguard follow you everywhere. That was probably the most ridiculous position you had ever found yourself into.

Who would be your guardian angel though? Your mind started to play a game, trying to picture features and hair and clothes, and you found it funny to imagine a rather large sixty-year-old bald man wearing a cowboy hat and a heavy Texan accent as your protector for the coming weeks.

Just as you settled on an image, Richard was called by the reception as the four bodyguards had arrived. And when the four of them stepped into the room minutes later, Sofia gave you a look that meant I told you so.

And indeed, they were all wearing suits, which you imagined was not that comfortable considering it was a warm 27°C outside and quite humid after the strong rains of the day before.

And well, they were all pretty… attractive people, you guessed. As you introduced yourself to each of them, you kept on thinking about how much your two female colleagues would make your life annoying for the whole duration of this nonsense, gushing about their bodyguards.

Everyone took place around the circle of tables at the centre of the room. A little bit of small talk went on for a moment while they were all served coffee, about their flight, and their accommodation here in Townsville, but the man in charge, Steve, soon became more serious.

"We've started to research suspects, but for now I have to admit that we couldn't pinpoint any individual as being a threat in your direct acquaintances."

"To be completely honest, we highly doubt that it's coming from anyone we are close to," Richard answered.

"Not any colleagues, or a rival from another paper?"

"No, no one comes to mind. The only suspects for us would be someone linked to the whaling industry, as Dr. Y/L/N's research could have negative impact on their business, if we manage to give it a proper exposure."

"No one else is working on this project, you're all here?" Natasha asked, and you nodded.

"On the research side we are three active scientists on the project, plus our boss Richard. Luke here is our link with the press, and Mark his editor. Lucy and Joshua are advising us on legal issues."

"Why? Does your research break the law?" Bucky asked, lifting his eyes from the notebook where he had been taking notes.

"No, of course not. On the contrary, we think someone else is breaking the law."

"Our final goal is to bring the situation to an international court," Lucy added. "That's why we're helping them."

"And the two of you didn't receive any threat?"

"No, none."

"What about the police?" Sam inquired.

"They have no lead. They asked for the University to strengthen their security," Mark answered. "The investigation is still on-going, but for now they have nothing. And a simple letter is not enough for them to dispatch officers, which is why we called you."

"As we have discussed before, we have made arrangements to stay here for three months. We'll assess the situation again in a few weeks, to see if you would like to extend your contract or not."

Mark and Richard nodded in silent agreement.

"We're going to need to make an inspection of the facilities to determine which areas are the most dangerous. Same for your personal homes. We'll spend a couple of days adjusting to the situation. Do you all work in different buildings at the University?"

"No, all three of us share the same lab, and Sofia and Rosa have the same office, mine is next door to theirs," you answered. "But I teach, and the classes take place on the other side of the campus for the most part."

"Alright," Steve nodded, and he seemed to be thinking hard. "We're going to take a look around, and one of us will be assigned to each of you who has received direct threats. If you want, we can take a look at your workplace tomorrow as well, and give you a few advices on how to lower the risks," he added to the two lawyers, before focusing on the rest of the group again. "Ms. Romanov will be in charge of Mr. Savoy, Mr. Barnes and Wilson will protect Ms. Longbrook and Dr. Alvarez Santiago, and I'll be protecting you, Dr. Y/L/N. We're going to take a look at all the areas where you go here, in these facilities, and tonight we'll check your homes. We'll continue our investigation as well to find who has threatened you. Depending on how large the areas we have to cover are, we might have to use cameras as well."

"We'll show you around, if you want," Richard offered, and you were all soon leaving the meeting room.

Steve had already studied the map of the building, but he did find some interesting details that were worth writing down. Some areas difficult to see from afar, and other hidden corners. He would have thought that the lab would be a challenge, but it was tidy and ended up not being a problem at all. You showed him your office while Natasha was leaving for the newspaper headquarters, and Bucky and Sam were taking a look at your colleagues' office. Steve walked around, checked the windows and what was outside, looking for an angle from which a shooter could fire.

"It would be safer to move your desk a little closer to the door," he advised. "That way, there's no chance anyone outside can see you by the window."

"Okay," you nodded, hiding your annoyance, and helping him move your stuff around the room.

Luckily, none of the piles of files on your desk fell, and in a matter of minutes, Steve seemed satisfied.

You checked the time. It was quite late already, but you still had a couple of things to finish tonight, you hoped to keep on working at the office for a little longer.

Steve exited the room to talk with his colleagues for a moment, and when he came back, he asked you if you could stay at the office for a while, which matched your plans perfectly.

"I need to talk to the security on site, and take a look at the building where you give your classes. Please, don't go home without me, ma'am."

You gave him a smile.

"I was going to ask you if I could have more time before going home, I have still some work to do. And, please, call me Y/N. Anyway, you would have to call me doctor, not madam," you joked. "Let's keep it simple though."

Steve gave you a little, pinched smile, but shook his head.

"It wouldn't be very professional of me, doctor. I'll be back soon. Mr. Barnes will stay in the corridor, if you need anything."

"Alright, thank you then, sir."

He gave you a nod and exited the room, closing the door halfway behind him, probably so that his colleagues could keep an eye on you from the corridor.

You heaved a sigh and unlocked your laptop.

Of course, you had to fall on Mr. Serious out of all people, huh?

These were long, long three months awaiting you…

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

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gaamagirl565 · 4 years

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Matters of the heart S2 Ep13

Matters of the heart Season 2 Episode 13 Lost Dreams

{OPENING CREDITS}

{Open to Isaiah opening his small pouch and counting out the coins; Benny walks by with a cloth bag} Isaiah: Find anything good? Benny: not really... a couple of moldy pieces of bread, an old turkey wing that looks like it was already eaten, and some old fruit. ‘Saiah, if we eat in any of this we’re gonna get real sick. {Isaiah doesn’t listen and keeps counting with a conflicted face} Benny: ‘Saiah?...Isaiah? {He still doesn’t listen and she leaps on him} Benny: ‘SAIAH! Isaiah: AH! WHAT!? Benny: what’cha doing? Isaiah: I'm counting out how much funds I have... it's not enough… Benny: Not enough for what? Isaiah: enough for a map and food... I can't get both. Benny: then it looks like you're in a pickle. Food is necessary and it's a long trip back to Corona on foot. Isaiah: and I can't leave without a map. I've no idea how to get back to Corona from the dark kingdom.

Benny: Well don't look at me I've never left the dark Kingdom. I was practically born here. Isaiah: Benny you were born here. I can't really afford to make this choice. a map or food. both are necessary. Benny: there's always another option. Isaiah: and what would that be? if I get a map I'll barely have enough money for food, and if I get food I won't have enough money for a map. but please tell me your grand scheme. Benny: don't buy food. Isaiah:... and here I was thinking you were some sort of survival genius Benny: watch it stinky! you didn't let me finish! don't buy the food... hunt for it! Isaiah: Hunt for food? I've never really killed anything before. Benny: well boo hoo! where do you think the leg of mutton that you eat for supper comes from? it's either that or starve on your trip your choice! {Isaiah looks back at his coins and sighs; Cut to Varian looking over the map of Corona with Eugene and Lance} Eugene: From what we've been able to gather from him The cult has multiple hideouts. they never stay in one place very long. Varian has told us this before but now we have it confirmed by an actual member. or rather a former member. Varian: I was able to find out some of the previous hideouts from him and under your order I've already sent some Scouts to the areas. perhaps we'll be able to find some members still lurking there. Lance: if that's true that means that this group is bigger than we ever thought. Varian: it's because they target those low in spirit. basically people who have been screwed over in life, people easy to manipulate. Eugene: like trying to train an animal to be violent. you can do the beating yourself or let Society do it for you. {a knock sounds through the room; Rapunzel walks in} Eugene: Sunshine! Rapunzel: I think I have an idea. Eugene: well do tell cause this is just getting depressing honestly. Rapunzel: from what Noremoth has told us the cult targets the weak, gives them false promises of Glory, and a better Society. we also know that Noremoth was one of the first to join. Varian: and? Rapunzel: he told you about his past. he was a child on the street. an orphan misanthrope. he may have been given a high rank within the cult but I think he's just another Pawn. and given the fact that he was one of my subjects I feel just as responsible for what happened. Lance: how do we know he's not lying? Rapunzel: the kingdom keeps a book of all subjects, homeless, and those passing through. I decided to take a look back at the pages during my father's reign. he's telling the truth. his name is written in the book. it looks like he came to Corona a little bit before I was found. Varian: I knew King Fredric was a control freak but… Rapunzel: the point is he was a member of Coronin Society. he was ignored and had to fight every day of his life. he never really got to see the true beauty of Corona or life as a whole. Eugene: so what are you suggesting? Rapunzel: we show him some Corona spirit. we show him what it means to be a true Society! to work together! Eugene: we integrate him into our kingdom? Rapunzel: exactly! we show him life doesn't have to be dark and depressing and a constant fight for survival. we teach him to trust again. Varian: I don't know if that'll work. Rapunzel: we have to try. The most beaten of dogs can become the most loyal of hounds if given the chance and a little bit of kindness. {Varian sighs} Varian: sorry but I have request. Rapunzel: Oh um...okay? Varian: it takes place in Old Corona. that way I can keep an eye on him. I’ll alert you if I see any funny business. Lance: sounds fair to me. this whole thing has been really hard on Akina. My girl lost a good friend and Varian lost a son. as long as we can get answers from this guy I don't care what has to be done. Eugene: then I guess it's agreed. I'll have Noremoth released within the hour. {Both rapunzel and Eugene walk out of the room; Lance looks at Varian who groans}

Varian: My wife is going to kill me. {cut to Isaiah being rung up by a cashier} Cashier: one map to Corona. that'll be twenty gold pieces. {isaiah hands it over} Cashier: thank you...you seem a little young to be venturing out. Isaiah: you seem a little old to still be working cashier. Cashier:... touche...now get! {Isaiah walks out of the store and Benny runs over} Benny: Did ya get it? Isaiah: Yeah and it cost me twenty gold pieces. Benny: ouch...how much ya got left? Isaiah: Well that was all my gold pieces. I have 10 silver and 4 copper. Benny: that'll maybe get one loaf of bread and some jerky… Isaiah: I had a sailor tell me the four days walk to Corona but I reason to believe that it's more than that. mostly because he was sleeping on some crates and was probably not in his right mind. Benny: oh yeah it's totally more than 4 days. also he was using a boat so his sense of time is probably a little..meh… Isaiah: Great!...just great...so I got the map but now I do need to hunt for food. how am I supposed to do that without any wea- OOF! {Isaiah falls back after bumping into someone} Isaiah: HEY! WATCH WHERE YOUR-..... {He looks up at Hector} Isaiah: ...Okay...N-Nevermind. Hector: don't I know you from somewhere? Isaiah:... I hope not… Hector:.... you're that kid that was passed out in the cave a few days ago. I told Juniper you were a kid from town. {Hector pulls him up making Isaiah yelp} Isaiah:...gah...A-actually... I'm not from this town I'm not even from this Kingdom I'm trying to get back to Corona. Hector: Corona? you're a long way from home. Isaiah: yeah I just practically spend all my money on a map to go back there. now I need to find a way to get provisions. Hector: you don't need to pay for Provisions around here. the forest has all you could possibly need. Isaiah: do you know how to hunt? Hector: did you really just ask a man with the fur cloak on his back if he knows how to hunt? Isaiah:... that is a very fair point and that one is on me. maybe I should be a little more clear do you know how to hunt when you don't have a weapon. Hector: Good lord kid, how are you not dead? I'll say it again the forest has all you need. break off a stick from a tree and then sharpen it with a rock that should make a pretty good spear. And as for traps.. your little friend hiding By The Fruit stand over there should know all about those. Isaiah: hiding by the-!? {Isaiah turns around to see Benny hiding behind a cart of apples} Isaiah: BENNY! {Benny ducks} Isaiah: I can still see you! Hector: she's always sabotaging traps in the forest trying to steal food. she should be more than aware of how to build and work one. Isaiah: this is some really useful information I don't know how to thank you. Hector: when you get back to Corona... if you could say hello to some people on my behalf it would be most appreciated. {Isaiah turns to leave} Isaiah: yeah I'd be more than happy to just tell me who they are. Hector: my sister Adira and my nephew Varian. Isaiah: Adira and dad!? {Isaiah turns around but hector is already gone; Benny runs up to him} Benny: well did you get an answer to your problem? Isaiah: yeah... but I also think I gained more questions… {Cut to Noremoth sitting next to Varian on the wagon; Cat and Keira sit in the back} Keira: Thanks for giving us a ride, V. Varian: really it's no issue. {Noremoth looks back at Catalina} Noremoth:...Cat? Catalina: I have nothing to say to you. Noremoth: please cat I just want- Keira: she said she has nothing to say to you. back off! {Varian motions Noremoth to turn back around} Noremoth: women will always continue to be a mystery to me. Varian: Noremoth... she's right there. {Catalina stares Angrily at him} Noremoth: nevermind. {She rolls her eyes; as they pull up to Old Corona a Villager runs up} Villager: Varian! Sir! Thank goodness! {Varian is immediately at attention and hopes down} Varian: What's going on? is everyone okay? Villager: it's Nathaniel! we're all worried about him. he went into the South Orchard some time ago and hasn't come out. we sent someone to go check on him and they came right back saying he was just striking a tree with a dagger. Varian: ugh...alright I'll go talk to him. Keira can you put the horse back? Keira: yeah no problem. {Varian walks off; Noremoth grins at Catalina and hmphs and turns away; cut to Nathaniel driving a dagger into an apple tree that is already covered with many holes} Varian: I think you about got that tree, Nathaniel… Nathaniel: AH! Mr.V-Varian!...I was just..I...um..it’s not what it looks like. Varian: well it looks like you're stabbing a tree I don't know how else I'm supposed to take that. {Varian holds out his hand and motions for him to hand over the dagger; Nathaniel hands it over} Varian: now tell me what this is about. recently you haven't been the one to be causing trouble. Nathaniel: I just...umm… {Varian sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose} Varian: Nathaniel you have to tell me what's going o.n this isn't like you. hasn't been like you for a long time. {Nathaniel’s shoulders heave and Varian jumps slightly but his face softens} Nathaniel: I-I’m sorry… Varian: you don't have to apologize Nathaniel I just want to know what's going on. you stabbed a tree it's not like you stabbed person. Nathaniel: me and Isaiah came up with this... it's a way to relieve anger...started off with a flour sack in a pumpkin head. B-but Isaiah started to do it to trees. {Varian bites his lip at the mention of Isaiah} Varian:...Okay... so you developed a healthy way to get rid of your anger. so tell me... what are you angry about? Nathaniel: I..I’m.. Varian:...C’mon buddy... I'm not mad at you I want to make that clear. Just tell me what you're mad about. Nathaniel: I’M MAD AT EVERYTHING! {Varian jumps at his shout} Nathaniel: I'm mad at everything! I was an idiot! I made fun of Isaiah and then he went blind and I got these burns on my arms! my dad betrayed The Village and killed Quirin as a result! A-and with Dad gone I have to put bread on the table by going out to the field every morning! Varian:....Buddy...thats- Nathaniel: and now my best friend is dead! he was murdered! And there's nothing I can do about it! I feel so useless and stupid, and...and tired. I just want everything to go back to the way it was. I want my dad back... I want Isaiah back. I want everything to go back! {Varian walks over, bends down and pulls Nathaniel into a hug; Nathaniel looks shocked at first but eventually hugs back and sobs out loud into his shoulder} Varian:....it...it’s okay...it’s gonna be okay… {Nathaniel continues to cry and unbeknownst to Varian he is crying to; Fade out to Isaiah walking into the forest with Benny} Isaiah: Okay... look for a stick and sharpen it with a rock... seems simple enough. and you little missy since you like to steal from people's traps you get to make some. {He hands over the bag of supplies} Benny: Or ya know we could just steal what’s out here. {Isaiah glares at her} Benny: Fiiinnnee! No Stealing I get it…. {She walks off to set up the traps and Isaiah jumps up and pulls a branch off a tree; He grabs a rock and strikes it a few times} Isaiah: Okay this is going to be a lot harder than I thought… {He hears barking and growling; Benny screams} Isaiah: BENNY! {He grabs his stick and runs in her direction} Isaiah: BENNY! WHERE ARE YOU!? Benny: Over here! {He runs towards her hiding behind a tree} Isaiah: Benny! Are you hurt? Benny: No...but look! { Isaiah turns and sees a thin canine of some sort with its leg caught in a trap} Isaiah: that was fast... did you-? Benny: no! That trap was already set up by a hunter! a professional Hunter! {The wolf lunges but yelps with its leg still caught} Isaiah: H-hang on...hold this… {Isaiah slowly walks over towards it} Benny: What are you doing!? {Isaiah shrugs and slowly inches closer; the wolf growls} Isaiah: Steady... Steady girl... it's okay.. {The wolf bites at him and he dodges} Isaiah:...Verbena... give me your apron. Benny: What!? Isaiah: just give me your apron! I have to trigger the release mechanism on the trap! Benny:... we're all going to die… {She unties it and hands it over; Isaiah takes it and moves to the side} Isaiah: Easy…. {he cautiously places the apron on the wolfs head and pets her side} Isaiah: good girl… {Isaiah reaches down and springs the trap; once the wolf feels that the Trap has been released it immediately moves its foot. the wolf shakes the apron off of its face and stares at Isaiah} Benny: ‘Saiah! Isaiah: Steady...easy girl… { the wolf inches closer and sniffs Isaiah’s face; Isaiah clenches his fists and try to remain absolutely still; after a few moments the wolf begins licking his face} Isaiah: Ah! Haha! Good girl! What a good girl! Benny: Huh!? Isaiah: see you're not a big bad wolf you're just a little puppy dog. Benny: we have very different ideas on what is a little puppy dog. {The wolf flops over for belly rubs} Isaiah: I've read about this breed of wolf it's native to the dark kingdom. a very lean and thin body perfect for running through the trees. a Sleek coat... perfect for blending in. looks like a dog but is actually a wolf. Benny: You're crazy… Isaiah: we could use a nice Guard Dog in Old Corona. Benny: you know what we can also use? some food! stop playing with your puppy and lets actually get some hunting done. Isaiah: all right all right! Benny's quite the Grumpy One! but you'll learn to like her. you need a name. hmm... I know! Gaia! Like the forest! {The wolf groans as he scratches her chin} Isaiah: Oh good girl… {Cut to old Corona; Zapada stares at Noremoth} Noremoth:...Can... can I help you? Varian your wife is staring at me. Varian: she tends to do that at people she doesn't like careful she also bites. Zapada:...grr… Noremoth: what the... anyway... thank you for taking me in. I know you didn't have to. Varian: you're right I didn't have to especially after everything you've done. let's make one thing clear I still don't like you and I don't have to like you. the only reason that you're here in my house is so I can keep an eye on you. the queen believes that you have the chance of being rehabilitated. and considering what happened with me...I want to believe her. Noremoth: what? Varian:.... I want to believe there's good in everyone. you've had it rough I'm not going to lie. you've been used and abused in many different ways. I just need one thing to be made clear. you may not like what I have to say. Noremoth: honestly what could possibly be worse and what I've already went through? Varian: I want to know...are you clear on the fact that the cult has betrayed you? I need to know this because we're giving you a straight shot here. I need to know if you'll take it. Noremoth:.. yes... I do know that. Varian: Good the-!? {Screaming is heard outside} Varian: never a dull moment! {Noremoth watches Varian grab his alchemy belt and sword and run out the door; He looks at Zapadawith concern and follows him; once he’s outside he sees Varian toss a goo bomb at a bandit} Varian: oh petty thieves back for round 2. Bandit 1: do you ever take a vacation? Varian: no not really... {Varian dodges an attack and clashes swords with one of the bandits; Noremoth watches from the road; Varian swipes the feet out from one bandit but is cut on the cheek but another} Varian: Augh! Zapada: Varian! {Varian is hit with the hilt of a sword and hits the ground harshly; Noremoth looks around for a weapon; one of the bandits prepares to bring his sword down on Varian; Varian looks up in shocked horror} Bandit 2: RAGH! {Just as he brings it down Noremoth jumps in with a wooden leg from a table and blocks it; Varian’s eyes widen; Noremoth pushes against the man, his body trembling; eventually he overpowers him and shoves him before smacking the man in the head with the wooden table leg} Bandit 2: AUGH! MY EYE! {one of the other bandits runs over and grabs him} Bandit 1: Fall back! Run! {They jump on their horses and ride away; the crowd of villagers cheer; Noremoth drops the wooden table leg and helps Varian up by the arm} Noremoth: You alright? they did quite a number on you there, you might need some stitches in that cheek..seriously those guys weren't even Petty thieves they were just bullies. Bleh… {Varian rubs his cheek and Zapada runs over and hugs him} Zapada: Iubirea mea! Thank the heavens...O, Doamne! Your face! Varian: I’m okay Zapada...just tired. Zapada: I go fetch the first aid kit! {She runs off} Varian: ...You... you saved my life. Noremoth: I couldn't just stand there and let them decapitate you. despite popular belief Varian I'm not heartless. Varian:...I...I um...thanks...thank you Noremoth. Noremoth: yeah. Don’t mention it. {Cut to Isaiah walking into town with Benny holding a rabbit by the feet and himself holding a bag of three fish; Gaia walks behind them} Benny: I can't believe you're actually keeping that thing. Isaiah: if the dog follows how can you turn it away? Benny: by saying no, go away, or shoo! Also, that’s not a dog. Isaiah: ... well we have a rabbit three fish and two loaves of bread. plus at least we know how to hunt now. we should be able to get back to Corona. Benny: I'm sorry… “we”? Isaiah: yeah! umm... I was going to ask you... I don't really feel comfortable leaving you behind it in the town where you’re scraping by for food every day. {something catches benny’s eye and she walks away from him} Isaiah: you know Coronas a nice place. big Kingdom, lots of people… I'm sure somebody there would be willing to-...Benny? {he looks over and sees her staring in a shop window; curiously he walks over and looks; in the window on a display is a silver pendant necklace with a blue gem in the middle} Isaiah: …. you like that? Benny:.. yeah.. I kept my eye on it every day. it was my mama's. Isaiah: what? Benny: after the fire people started looting around my house. pulling whatever they could from the wreckage. that was my mama's necklace. My papa gave it to her when I was little. Isaiah: and you just come here every day to stare at it? Benny: until the store owner chases me off with his broom… Isaiah:... you got to be kidding me. Benny: huh? {Isaiah walks into the store} Benny: ‘Saiah! Isaiah: excuse me? Shop keeper: how many help you? Isaiah: I was wondering about that pendant in the display window. Shop keeper: that piece of junk? I only put it out there because it looks nice and catches the eye, in reality, it's pretty worthless. Isaiah: Is that so? Shop keeper: quite. the pendant itself may be made out of silver but the gemstone is so comedy. a typical blue sapphire. Not as rare as beautiful as the other gemstones in my shop. if you want to go give you a nice deal on a pretty emerald necklace for a lady friend. Isaiah: what do you want for the pendant? I have 10 silver pieces and 4 copper pieces. I'll give you all I have for it. Shop keeper: hmm...10 silver and 4 copper. Isaiah: you could always smelt down the 10 silver pieces and make a new necklace. I'm sure you have plenty of gems in here to make a far more illustrious necklace. you said yourself it's pretty worthless. Shop keeper: I did. That I did...fine. Deal. {Isaiah throws his money pouch on the counter; The shop keeper goes over and takes the pendent and hands it to him} Isaiah: Pleasure doing business with you. {He walks out of the shop and over to benny} Isaiah: here turn around. {She does so and he places the necklace on her} Benny: ... Mama's.. necklace…Thank you! {She tackles him in a hug: he hugs back} Benny: Thank you so much ‘Saiah! Isaiah: trust me.. I get it. and I was wanting to ask you something. Benny: huh? Isaiah: I don't feel right about leaving you behind. I know the dark kingdom is your home and it's where you were born but you have to think about this. you're only seven and you're living on the streets eating scraps from garbage cans. you talk like you're a grown adult because you’ve been surviving like one. I want the chance to show you how to be a kid. Verbena... will you come back to Corona with me? Benny: what? Isaiah: there's plenty of warm homes and a lot of kind villagers! especially my Village! we're always welcoming of newcomers! I'm sure you'd be able to find a great home there and you wouldn't have to eat loves of moldy bread ever again! I swear it! will you come home with me? {She nods} Benny: mmhmm! Yeah! of course, I'll go! {Gaia runsover and licks them both; Isaiah laughs} Benny: EWWW! Dog germs! {END CREDITS}

#tangled #tangled the series #TTS #RTA #rapunzel’s tangled adventur #matters of the heart #MotH #Noremoth #Rapunzel #Eugene Fitzherbert #lance strongbow #Varian #tts oc #rta oc #fanfic

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abiteofnat · 4 years

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AN ANXIETY-APPROVED GUIDE TO SOCIALLY-DISTANT DINING IN THE NORTH SHORE

A headline I truly thought I would never write, because I used to be the type of person to leave work, jam myself into an L train packed with people, scroll through my phone while breathing in someone’s backpack, and then get to a busy restaurant to meet friends and dive into food without washing my hands. My entire immune system was chock-full of city scum, and eating indoors with dozens of other people who likely got off an equally full train? Not even a question of a doubt in my mind. Things took a quick and dire turn in May when suddenly I became afraid of everything and grossed out by anything, and after moving home with family I was certain I would never leave the house again. I miss being the fearless gutter rat I used to be, but times are different, and staying safe is key.

Alas, while my family has been taking quarantine very seriously, we reached a point in August where we all felt “ok” with sitting at a restaurant once or twice a week to feel like we were still part of society and because we all mutually hate cooking. After not being at a restaurant once since March, we nervously ventured out to a local Italian restaurant, sat outside very far from others, and ate pasta that was still piping hot from the kitchen and that didn’t taste mediocre after sitting in a takeout container for an hour. It was refreshing as FUCK. Rose? In a real wine glass? Served chilled? What am I, a QUEEN?

Ever since we have been carefully dining, only ever sitting outdoors, and carrying packs upon packs of antibacterial wipes and hand sanitizer like actual loons. But safe loons! Being home and enjoying the local restaurants through new eyes and new level of appreciation has made me love them 10x more, even if we’ve eaten somewhere a hundred times before. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to dine with these spots, eat favorite dishes & try new ones, and be out of the house for 1-2 hours on a Friday during these wild times. So, why not share some of my favorite spots?? Maybe you’re also living back in the good ole North Shore, and looking for any excitement at all in the quiet of the suburbs. Here you go.

1. Mino’s Italian - Winnetka

This restaurant is newer to Winnetka, however it became an instant local favorite and is always, always full. They have a huge patio area with lighting, cozy wooden benches, tons of tables, heaters, and a menu packed with classic Italian dishes done so right. Their Calamari is unreal due to the seasoning and the roasted garlic aioli it comes with for dipping. Their Cacio e Pepe is magically light but still full of cheese and fresh cracked peppercorns, and the seasonal Risotto consists of warm mushroom richness. Their pizza is great to-go as well, and tastes like an NYC slice if you order the largest size.

2. Pescadero - Wilmette

Ok to be fair, Pescadero is not somewhere we’ve actually dined AT during the pandemic. We do pick it up quite often though, and it is some of the best carryout in Wilmette. The Fish & Chips is mouth-watering, with fresh fish covered in a seasoned batter that alone is delectable. Their chips (really more french fries) are thin, crispy, and topped with a parmesan and herb dust. DO NOT MISS OUT ON THE FRIES. The Mahi Mahi tacos are excellent and a lighter, fresher dish with broccoli apple slaw and avocado crema, and for fuck’s sake order a side of the Mac & Cheese just to stick a fork in. Pro Tip: You want as much extra tartar sauce as they will give you!!!

* Edit - since I wrote this post a few days ago, we ate on the Pescadero patio and it was delightful. Even though it was 55 degrees, the hot Clam Chowder and Fish & Chips warmed me up real quick. Clam Chowder served in a hot mug = a new fall dinner staple. Will only accept soup in a mug from now on. And, they do have heaters!

3. Depot Nuevo - Wilmette

I have eaten here no fewer than 3,456 times in my life and every single time I feel like I’m on vacation because the vibes, the food, and the booze are immaculate. Located in an old train station turned restaurant, Depot Nuevo is warm and inviting no matter if you’re inside (pre pandemic) or on their gigantic patio that allows for spaced out and comfy seating. They’ve added heaters for the fall, so don’t worry about being chilly- and if you are, the Pomegranate Margarita will warm you right up. It’s strong, delicious, and comes in a very pleasing traditional margarita glass. I always order the Appetizer Trio as my entree, which has queso fundido (ordered without the chorizo!), guacamole, and ceviche composed of scallops, shrimp, and calamari with vegetables and lime. Usually this comes with tortilla chips as it’s meant to be shared, but I ask for corn tortillas instead and then pile a little of everything in there for the taco of my DREAMS. Do it. Order it. I dare you.

The staff is exceptionally friendly and have taken COVID precautions seriously, so menus are disposable and everyone has gloves on. They will treat you like family, and they are family to us because we go there so often. See you on Friday, Depot!

Other good things on the menu are the Fish Tacos, Shrimp Tacos, BBQ Salmon, Chipotle Mashed Potatoes, Cheese Quesadilla (smothered in their salsa verde of course).

4. The Noodle - Wilmette

Can you tell downtown Wilmette is the place to be? It has truly popped off and the majority of restaurants aren’t serving up your typical “suburbs” food (you know- fried appetizers and burgers and weird salads and overpriced meat dishes) so I am always happy to be out in our little mini city. The Noodle is as classic Italian as you can get, with overflowing ceramic boats of buttery garlic bread, a salad OR soup included with your entree, and no bar- only wine (or beer) if you want a drinky drink. Incredible. I am partial to the house-made spinach linquine with Roasted Garlic and Sun-dried Tomatoes sauce, and the starter salad with house Creamy Garlic Parmesan dressing. Their Tomato Basil soup is also delicious, however I have some suspicion that that soup is the same as the Roasted Garlic and Sun-dried Tomatoes sauce... just served as soup... they refuse to confirm or deny whenever I ask. Either way, delicious. I tried a NEW DISH when we went last week to sit at one of the 6 large tables they have spaced out outside, and let me tell you that the bowtie pasta (not house-made) with Alfredo sauce is THE SHIT. It may be my new go-to when I just want to carbo-load the hecking out of my night. On your way out, get a Pot de Creme to go- it’s the richest, smoothest chocolate dessert on this side of town.

5. Hometown Coffee & Juice - Glencoe

Hometown deserves a round of applause for breathing life back into the stuffy grandmother of the North Shore - Glencoe. Between the gorgeous Writers Theatre and countless boutiques selling blouses and hand-blown glass jewelry, it used to only really serve a certain demographic, however Hometown said “let me give it a try” and changed weekends in Glencoe for good. This coffee shop, smoothie bar, bakery, & cafe hotspot is the perfect afternoon spot to grab a drink, enjoy avocado toast, and sit outside at one of the dozens of tables they’ve lined the corner and two streets with. They’ve moved their registers outside so you don’t even need to go inside to order, and the wait staff will bring you your order right to your table to make it as organized and safe as possible. The tables are spread out, the corner it’s located on is beautiful in the fall, and there are lots of good dogs out and about.

I will say that while Hometown is doing a great job with COVID precautions, the people of Glencoe are a little high & mighty, and seem to think they’re exempt from wearing a mask to wait in line to get their smoothie. It’s irritating that they’re putting the staff at risk and just ignoring state mandates because they feel safe in their little North Shore bubble and because it’s entirely outside, but come on. Be respectful and understand the privilege of these places even being open to serve you, and just wear mask. I hate people. ANYWAY. Love you, Hometown.

6. Coast Sushi - Evanston

Ok, so this gem is not open for dining indoors OR outdoors, however they have their carryout system down and their sushi is so, SO fresh and good. I’ve picked up from here a few times and eat time I fall more in love with the flavors and how consistently tasty it is- and with sushi, it’s always a gamble if it’s going to be really good or kinda fishy and old. The Coast in South Loop was a favorite spot for a while, however it has shut down and I am so happy to be able to get my favorite rolls up in the burbs. My go-to order is a Spicy Tuna Maki, Spicy Scallop Maki, Spicy Miso Soup, a side of Spicy Mayo, and a side of Sushi Rice. This sounds odd, but hear me out- I like to mix the spicy mayo into the sushi rice and eat it just like that. It’s. So. Good. Am I gross? I might be gross.

Anything you get from here is going to rock your socks off, so for your next night in (aka every night lol) treat yourself to some sushi, babbyyy!

I sincerely hope that we can keep dining outside for at least a few more weeks, and I am absolutely ok with wearing Uggs and a full-on coat to be able to. Just a reminder to keep your mask on when talking to wait staff, be polite, be patient, and don’t be an asshole. You don’t NEED to dine out- it’s a treat- and you should treat it as such. Don’t be a Karen, or don’t leave your house. Those are literally the only two options.

I hope you try somewhere new, whether it’s carryout or dining out, and tell me if you have any favorite North Shore spots I missed!

Until next time, Happy Eating!

- Natalie

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joyfulsongbird · 5 years

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Livin’ It Up On Top- 3/4

y’all this is like my favorite chapter, I’m in love with writing Seph, she’s the best

***

Eurydice isn’t a shy person, but spending time with Orpheus makes her feel like it. and it terrifies her. she keeps trying to bury the warmth that pools in her chest when she sees him, pushing it down until she can’t see it anymore. but it’s like plugging a faucet with your finger, the pressure builds and something is going to leak out, she’s going to blurt something out and ruin it. she knows Orpheus feels things for her, hell, he approached her with marriage first.

she convinces herself that staying with him, for just the one night can’t hurt anything, that sleeping on his couch while the cold passes over won’t do anything. he tried to get her to sleep on the bed, but she outright refused, she is just a tourist in these parts and this is his home, he has to sleep in his own bed. she’ll leave soon, she’ll leave and Orpheus will be heartbroken, and she’ll never see him again. good. Orpheus deserves someone... someone who isn’t like her, he deserves someone besides damaged goods. when summer comes, she’ll go, she’ll travel farther south where the winters aren’t as harsh and the summers are even more intense.

the problem is, when summer does arrive, she stays.

she watches the green come back, the train roll in, and her feet stay planted. she doesn’t even know Orpheus very well, all she’s done is sleep in his small home for a night and hear him sing a... beautiful melody. and yet, here she stands, long gone and staying.

she feels separated from this crowd of people, all of the members of this town are so close, having lived with each for so long. when the train rolls and the door opens, a cheer starts as a few claps and then a women in green appears and it rises to a roar. Eurydice has heard myths about this women: Lady Persephone, the women who used to bring spring to them but now only summer, married to the king of the underworld. she’s well known in all parts of the world, but she only visits certain places personally and it seems that this town is the jackpot. she had no idea when she arrived in the rusty, small village that she’d be heading into the unknown summertime hotspot.

Eurydice watches warily from the back of the crowd, sticking by Orpheus side, but not too close, just close enough so that she can’t lose sight of him. he’s grinning, straining to see over the many heads of the crowd. they watch as Persephone throws her arms around the silver suited man, who she now knows as Mister Hermes, Orpheus’ godfather. they embrace tightly, a familiarity to the both of them, like they’ve known each other their entire lives.

“they’re siblings you know.” Orpheus says, as if sensing her thoughts

“what?” she exclaims. “that’s not possible, she’s a goddess and he’s...”

“he’s not mortal, that’s for sure.” Orpheus shrugs, as if it’s the most casual thing to be given a drink on the house by a god, or to shake his hand and be introduced like you’re the important one. “c’mon, let’s go to the bar, before the crowd gets the idea first.”

“okay.” she agrees instantly, still in awe over what she’s seeing. green, everywhere. the birds suddenly come back from wherever they had migrated for the winter. they sing, and fly about the sky. flowers bloom under her heels and she’s walking across fields of them, the rolling hills around the town are aglow with the sunshine. she can feel Orpheus watching her as they walk, his face turned to hers. she keeps her face forward, lips pursed into thin lines to keep herself from smiling.

they arrive at the bar, and Orpheus gets to work, moving quickly to set everything up before the patrons arrive and the place becomes buzzing with life, distracting and inviting. he’s the bartender tonight, though he’d been forced to promise to grace them with his music later in the night. Eurydice looks forward to it. she’s only heard him a select few times and she yearns to hear it again.

“so this is... a big part of the year?” she asks, sitting atop the bar and watching him work. “this party and Persephone coming back? everyone seems to really be into it.”

“oh yeah,” Orpheus answers. “since we’re the place Lady Persephone spends most of her time, all the regular patrons prepare gifts even though she tells them not to and makes a big party to thank her.”

“so she’s friends with everyone? And Hermes is her brother, so you’ve gotta know her pretty well.”

“I wouldn’t say she raised me, but she... helped raise me, in the summer months.” he reaches up to grab a pitcher from a high cabinet, catching it between two fingers. the muscles under his shoulder blades become more prominent and she averts her eyes right away, unable to divulge in just looking at him. she’d get too caught up in that.

“she must be very kind.”

“she is.” he says, holding out the pitcher. “hold this please?”

“um... sure.” she gently takes it, turning it over in her hands. It’s a lovely glass pitcher, with engravings in the handle, flowers and symbols in a language she doesn’t understand. “what is it anyways?”

“Just her favorite piece that we have, mister Hermes always has be take it when she arrives so she can use it and we can set it out to be admired. A stupid tradition, I know, I’m not sure why we don’t just keep it out year round but- oh, here they come!”

Persephone is striding in front of the group, heading straight towards the two of them. she practically glows, lighting the entire place up even brighter.

“I see you’ve got my favorite piece, I promised my husband I’d bring it back this year!”

“I’ll miss it, Lady Persephone, it’s very beautiful.” Orpheus says, but he’s looking at Eurydice, still seated on top of the bar and holding the pitcher close to her stomach, to make sure she doesn’t drop something so important. she feels warmth lick at her cheeks that she tries to push down, but she can’t help that her pink cheeks easily light up. Persephone sees, her eyes flitting back and forth between the two of them, a knowing look dawning on her face.

“Ah- it is.” Persephone says, a mischievous glint in her eye. “I don’t think I’ve seen you around, miss. a new face?”

“Quite new, actually.” she extends one of her hands to shake Persephone’s. “I’m Eurydice.”

“nice to meet you, Eurydice. Thanks for holding onto my vase, I’ll take it now.” Eurydice gently hands the piece over to the women who unceremoniously places it in her bag without a thought. “Let me get you a drink, you look like you could use it.”

“oh, you don’t have to-”

“it’s summertime!” she yells, loud enough for the other patrons to hear, they all cheer. “indulge in life a little! live minute to minute for once! have a drink and come dance with me!”

she loops her arm through Eurydice’s and tugs her along, Eurydice gets one glance back at Orpheus. He’s laughing, a wonderful sound that she wishes she could record to play again and again. The bubbling noise of his laughter follows her, always twinkling in her ear and reminding her that there are good things in world. right before her, she has the embodiment of summertime cheering her on. And behind her, a boy filled with hope. miracles can happen if someone who’s been broken for this long can find solace in a random town, on a random night, on a day she meant to leave.

***

An hour or two and a couple drinks later, Eurydice has realized that this town is different than any of the others she’s been to before. they sing, they dance, and they welcome a runaway with open arms. she’s different from them, deep down she knows that, but right now, she feels one with summertime.

“c’mon songbird!” persephone shouts over the crowd. “come dance with me! show off those moves.”

“songbird?” eurydice laughs. “why songbird?”

“oh don’t ask me that!” Persephone grins at her. “the feathers in your hair, your skinny little legs, that pretty singsong voice you’ve got.”

“I guess I’ve been asking for it then.” Eurydice laughs. “but I am not- you can’t!”

Persephone drags her forward, into the center of the crowd, effectively parting it with just her ethereal presence. Eurydice’s laughing without even thinking about it, this is what she’s good at, she’s always been a natural mover. she can feel the energy of the crowd, seeping into her bones and warming her entire insides until she’s moving and dancing. this is nothing like how she’s had to dance before, with men watching her every move and with her mind screaming for help. this is freeing. this is what she always hopes for when she moves on to a another town, she hopes for these brief moments where she can breath. she feels the energy seeping from the crowd into her bones.

When she sways her hips, they cheer. when she spins, her dress fans out and she feels like a bird, with tailfeathers for all to see.

she stumbles over to the bar, where Orpheus still stands, smiling and clapping at the crowd of people.

“dance with me!” she shouts of the music and noise.

“what?” his eyes widen to huge saucers.

“you know what I said!” she grabs his wrist, pulling him around the bar.

“are you drunk?” he asks as she tugs him into the crowd.

“no,” she assures. “I’m completely sane.”

she’s always had a high tolerance for alcohol and now is no exception, she’s just high on the experience, on the energy of the room. she takes both of his hands in hers, swinging them back and forth to get a feel for the way they feel in hers. his hands are large, deft from all of his playing, calloused in a way that says he is a kind musician, not a fighter. with scars on his fingertips.

she laughs at how uncomfortable he is. “loosen up! I don’t bite.”

“I don’t know how to do this!” he laughs, his cheeks bright red.

“I’ll show you.” she takes his hand again, harder so that he’s sure that she’s leading. “it’s fun, just... dance. move around, this isn’t a waltz, Orpheus. be silly.”

as if to show him, she shakes her head, fanning her hair like a lion’s mane. he twirls her under his arm in the same movement, leaving her unbalanced at the sudden change.

“yeah! exactly like that!” she shouts, bouncing on the balls of her feet. it goes on like that for awhile, Eurydice jumps and twirls and Orpheus watches her, swaying the music, copying Eurydice’s movements here and there, moving with her. after a couple minutes, he gets up the courage to do something he’s been wanting to do for awhile, ever since he saw her starting to dance.

as the music begins to slow to something less high energy, he places both hands on her hips, gently so that she could pull away when she wanted. but to his surprise, she doesn’t, instead choosing to clasp her hands at the back of his neck. drawing the two of them even closer.

she’s even prettier close up, is what he thinks.

he’s even prettier up close, is what she thinks.

she could look into his eyes forever, she can see now that they are a wonderful hazel color, green and brown and deep.

they’re one of the only people left on the dance floor, everyone else’s lack of a partner and exhaustion got the better of them and they sit at nearby tables. the songbird and the poet can’t seem to hear the rest of the world, they’re too absorbed in their closeness to pay attention to everything else. the band keeps playing and that’s all that matters, is that the music should go on forever and they never stop dancing.

“I-” the band interrupts Orpheus just as he’s about to speak, his tone was soft and she actually wanted to hear what he was going to say but they strike up a fast tune again. they break apart, as people flood the dance floor again.

Eurydice wipes sweat off of her brow, her mind is in turmoil. she never meant for this to happen, she never meant to care for him. what is she doing? why is she still holding his hand? why is she standing so close to him? this is bad, bad, bad. she’s in too deep already and everything is screaming at her to run. all of her past experiences, her instincts that she always listened to, her physical body aches to escape. but whatever it is that’s holding to this poor boy is stronger than all of that.

“let’s go home.” Eurydice suggests quietly.

“okay.”

she allows for him to lead her out of the bar, across a field of daisies and back to his home.

This isn’t going to end well, she knows that. but despite her screaming mind, her body carries herself inside. and she’s long gone before the weather can change.

#hadestown #hadestown fic #orphydice #orphydice fic #orpheusxeuryduce #orpheusxeurydice fic #persephone & eurydice #the brotp #persephone is the frickin best #i love her with all my heart

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misslisterkeepsajournal · 4 years

Text

1822 Tuesday 23 July

12 3/4

Good bed, very clean and comfortable, and slept well - Rainy night, and rainy morning - yet no prospect of doing any good by waiting, and off from Bala (the White lion Inn, John Ellis) at 7 25/60 - the upper road to Corwen only ten miles, but have come the lower (14 miles) thro’ the vale of Edeirnion, on account of the scenery - Beautiful vale - the Dee nearly close on our right most of the way - winds most beautifully, flowing gently between its low banks occasionally prettily wooded - what a contrast to the torrents to which we have lately been accustomed to. A beautiful vale - But it rained all the way to the last of the 2 turnpikes about or near 1/2 mile from Corwen, and our view was sadly spoilt by the thickness of the weather and the gig-top up -

Did not know the town or the Inn again - could scarce believe it the same place we stopt at on Sunday-week - (page 44). Left Bala at 7 25/60 and got here in 2 20/60 hour at 9 3/4 - Breakfast immediately -

(Llangollen - King’s head, new hotel - Mrs Davis. 2 3/4 p.m.) Left Corwen at 11 35/60 and got here in 1 1/2 hour (10 miles government-made road, most excellent in spite of having been almost deluged with rain) at 1 5/60 - the vale of Corwen beautiful certainly, but, as I have repeatedly told my aunt would be the case, it now seemed tame after the scenery we have seen - yet the vale of Edeirnion pleased us, even in the rain, and we prefer it to that of Corwen which saw more distinctly - as we had the top down all the way - a drop or 2 of rain just after setting off, and a shower for about the 3rd mile from Llangollen - heavy rain just after we got in -

Mrs Davis received us at the door, and came into our room to answer our inquiries after Lady Eleanor Butler - Mrs Davis was called up at one last night, and they thought her ladyship would have died - she was however rather better this morning - the physician does not seem to apprehend danger, but Mrs D- is alarmed, and spoke of it in tears - Miss Ponsonby too, is alarmed and ill herself on this account - pain in her side - “She is a lady” said Mrs D- “of very strong ideas; but this would grieve her too” - Mrs D- has only known them 13 or 14 years during which time she has lived at this house but she has always seen them “so attached so amiable together” - no two people ever lived more happily - they like all the people about them are beloved by all, and do a great deal of good - Lady Eleanor had the remains of beauty - Miss Ponsonby was a very fine woman - Lady Eleanor Butler about 80 - Miss P- 10 or 12 years younger - the damp this bad account cast upon my spirits I cannot describe - I am interested about these 2 ladies very much - there is something in their story, and in all I have heard about them here that added to other circumstances makes a deep impression -

Sat musing on the sopha scarce wotting what to do - irresolute and moody - thinking of Pi [Mariana] low about her I cannot shake off the impression of what she said at Chester about delicacy in calculation delta’s [Charles’] life Mr Powis etc I know not how it is I am shockingly low altogether - Mrs Davis being going to inquire after lady Eleanor Butler my aunt and I walked with her to wait for her giving an answer to our inquiries - the physician there - strolled about for 10 minutes, and not being gone and it threatening to rain, returned and only just got in before a tremendously heavy shower - then sat down and wrote the above of today - I feel better for this writing - In fact, come what may, writing my journal - thus as it were throwing my mind on paper, always does me good -

Mrs Davis just returned - brought a good account of her ladyship and a message of thanks for our inquiries from Miss Ponsonby, who will be glad to see me this evening to thank me in person - shall about go 6 1/2 or 7, just after dinner - this is more than I expected I wonder how I work my way and what she will think of me Mrs Davis wishes me to give all the comfort all I can and not to mention that I know of her having been called up last night -

(9 p.m.) Dinner at 6 before dinner about two hours upstairs washing cutting my toe nails putting clean things etc At 7 went to Plasnewydd and got back at 8 - just an hour away and surely the walking there and back did not take me more than 20 minutes - shewn into the room next the library the breakfast room, waited a minute or 2, and then came Miss P- a large woman so as to waddle in walking but not taller than myself - in a blue shortish waist-cloth habit, the jacket unbuttoned shewing a plain plaited frilled habit shirt - a thick white cravat, rather loosely put on - hair powdered, parted, I think, down the middle in front, cut a moderate length all round and hanging straight, tolerably thick - the remains of a very fine face - coarseish white cotton stockings - ladies’ slipper shoes cut lower down, the foot hanging a little over - altogether a very odd figure - yet she had no sooner entered into conversation than I forgot all this and my attention was wholey taken by her manners and conversation - the former perfectly easy, peculiarly attentive and well bred, and bespeaking a person accustomed to a great deal of good society - mild and gentle, certainly not masculine, and yet there was a je-ne-sais-quoi striking - her conversation shewing a personal acquaintance with most of the literary characters of the day and their works - She seemed sanguine about lady Eleanor’s recovery - poor soul! my heart ached to think how small the chance - She told me her ladyship had undergone an operation 3 times - the sight of one eye restored - couching by absorption - I said I believed it was neither a painful nor dangerous operation - she seemed to think it both the one and the other - mentioned the beauties of the place - the books I had noticed in their rustic library - she said lady E- read French, Spanish, and Italian - had great knowledge of ancient manners and customs, understood the obsolete manners and phrases of Tasso remarkably well - had written elucidatory notes on the first 2 (or 4 # I think) books of Tasso, but had given away the only copy she ever had - contrived to ask if they are classical - “no!” (said she) thank god from Latin and Greek I’m free” - speaking of translations she mentioned La Cerda’s (I think it was) as the best according to some + bishop friend of hers of Virgil, and Cary’s as being most excellent of Tasso, literal and excellent for a beginner, and which she should recommend to any one wanting assistance - She somehow mentioned Lucretioius but it was “a bad book and she was afraid of reading it” - I asked why - He was a deistical writer - I mentioned Dr John Mason Good’s translation adding that I believed he (Dr Good) was not a high church man - “no! She knew he was heterodox” - I observed that she might think all the classics objectionable - “yes! they wanted pruning; but the Delphin Editions were very good - as people got older, she said, they are more particular - she was almost afraid of reading Cain, tho’ lord B- [Byron?] had been very good in sending them several of his works” - I asked if she had read Don Juan - she was ashamed to say she had read the 1st canto - She said I had named Mr Bankes - and asked if it was Mr Bankes Cleaver - I thought not, did not know him; but he was the most particular friend of a friend of mine - it was Mr Bankes the great Grecian, said to be now the best in England since Mr Porson’s death - She did not think he had ever been there did not know, did not remember him - she asked if I would walk out - shewed me their kitchen garden - walked round the shrubbery with me - She said she owned to their having been 42 years there - they landed first in South Wales but it did not answer the accounts they had heard of it - they then travelled in North Wales, and, taken with the beauty of this place, took the cottage for 31 years - but it was a false lease, and they had had a great deal of trouble and expense it was only 4 years since they had bought the place - Dared say I had a much nicer place at home - mentioned its situation, great age, long time in the family etc She wished to know where to find an account of it - Said it had been their humble endeavour to make their place as old as they could - Spoke like a woman of the world about my liking the place where I was born, etc said I was not born there - my father was a younger brother - but that I had the expectation of succeeding my uncle - “Ah! then”, said she, “you will soon be the master and there will be an end of romance” - Never! never! said I - I envied their place and the happiness they had had there - dared say they had never quarrelled - “no! they had never had a quarrel - little difference of opinion sometimes - life could not go on without it - but only about the planting of a tree - and, when they differed in opinion, they took care to let no one see it” - At parting, she shook hands with me and gave me a rose; I said I should keep it for the sake of the place where it grew. She had before said she should be happy to introduce me sometime to Lady Eleanor - I had given my aunt’s compliments and inquiries said she would have called with me but feared to intrude, and was not quite well this evening - she (Miss P-) gave me a sprig of geranium for my aunt with her compliments and thanks for her inquiries - Lady E- was asleep while I was there - Miss P- had been reading to her “Adam Blair” the little book recommended to me by M- at Chester - I had told Miss P- I had first seen an account of them in La Belle Assemblie a dozen years ago, and had longed to see the place ever since - She said some people had been very impertinent, particularly Dr Mavor who had in some way displeased (laughed at or something) their old housekeeper to whose memory they have erected a monument in the church yard - and it seems the ladies have a particular objection to Dr M- but Miss P- appears to have lost her teeth, and occasionally mumbles a little, that, as a stranger, I did not always perhaps quite understand her - It seems 2 of the Cromptons and their brother (of Esholt) were lately sketching the place - the ladies sent them chairs - went out to speak to them (for they were retiring fearing they had offended the ladies) formed an acquaintance and wanting to know something aobut the Derwentwater family which the C-s could get to know, there has been a correspondence - Miss P- said she had not answered their last letter, but meant to do it - Lady E and Miss P- seem great pedigree-people antiquaries, topographers, etc -

The Ladies of Llangollen: Miss Ponsonby on the left, Lady Eleanor Butler on the right - Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons

I came away much pleased with Miss P- and sincerely hoping Lady E- will recover; to enjoy a few years more in this world - I know not how it is, I felt low after coming away - a thousand moody reflections occurred; but again writing has done me good - went to and returned from Plasnewydd in a gleam - showery afternoon and evening - I mean to dry and keep the rose Miss P- gave me - ‘Tis now 10 1/4 - sat talking to my aunt came upstairs at 11 10/60 forty minutes siding my things in the imperial - used the syringe with cold water three times today great deal of discharge -

Reference: SH:7/ML/E/6/0031

#anne lister #anne lister code breaker #gentleman jack #1822 #the annes go to Wales #the ladies of llangollen

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wildflowerirwin · 5 years

Text

Runnin’ Just in Case - ai (7)

Previously Fic Playlist

Summary: It wasn’t love he was chasing, but he’s running just in case.

Rating: PG-13

Warnings: some heavy stuff happens in this chapter :/

Words: 2k

As fall approached and the leaves began to fade from green to orange, life on the ranch slowed. Preparations for Piper’s arrival had begun and the small bump on Bethany’s frame was slowly growing. Ashton had been keeping a detailed calendar of all the milestones and often tried to get everyone to celebrate with him, but it was usually only himself and Bethany. “Guess who reached 24 weeks.” Ashton grinned, pulling a cake from the fridge.

“Ash, please. We don’t need a cake every 4 weeks.” Calum groaned. “I’ve gained as much weight as Bethany has.”

“Are you calling me fat?” Bethany asked, looking at Calum.

“Well..” Calum started. “Yes, and no. You’re fat because you’re pregnant and you have a beautiful baby growing in you. You’re not fat in an unappealing way.”

“So, you’re saying fat people are unappealing?” Bethany raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.

“No! No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Calum sighed. Bethany knew what he meant, but she enjoyed giving him a hard time.

“Enough, you two.” Evelyn shook her head and stood up. “Who wants to go into town and get the remaining lumber and supplies for the stables and barn?”

“Ashton and I were gonna go to town anyways, so we can get stuff.” Bethany said, pulling a slice of cake onto her plate.

“I’ll go too, because Bethany can’t lift anything.” Michael said, smiling at Bethany. It had only been a week since Michael had noticed the calf chart, but earlier than anyone had assumed. He was upset with himself that it had taken 3 weeks to notice, and the subtle comments from the others never registered in his mind.

“Thank you, Mike.” Evelyn smiled and began taking the dishes to the kitchen. “If you see that Barry guy in town, tell him to stop calling. No matter how much he pesters us, I’m not selling my ranch.”

“I really don’t get good vibes from that guy. It’s like he’s only here to start something.” Luke sighed. “He’s been very friendly with the Atkins’ though.”

“Money attracts money.” Bethany rolled her eyes and forked another bite of cake into her mouth.

“Well, we better get going if we want to get back before dark.” Ashton sighed and put the cake back in the fridge.

The three of them made it town faster than usual, as Michael was driving. “What are we picking up?” Mike asked, parking at the lumber yard.

“Dax has it all set aside for us. My mom called it in a few days ago.” Bethany said and slid out of the car. She let out a deep breath as she rubbed the side of her bump.

“You good?” Ashton asked, his large hand rubbing over her stomach.

“Yeah, she just kicked my kidney.” Bethany sighed, placing her hand over Ashton’s. Ashton pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before leading her inside.

“Was wondering when you lot would be by for this here lumber. Been sitting in the bay for a week.” Dax said, coming out of the back room.

“Sorry, things have been a little crazy at the ranch.” Bethany smiled. “There’s a lot to do to get ready for the baby.”

“Speakin’ of your little one, the guys and I have a little surprise for ya.” Dax grinned and led the three of them out to the shop where an oak crib was waiting.

“Dax, it’s beautiful!” Bethany gasped. “Y’all didn’t have to do this for us.”

“It was nothin’.” Dax chuckled. “Besides, this here wood came from your daddy’s tree.”

“What?” Bethany looked up at Dax, tears pricking her eyes.

“When that storm hit back in August and knocked the tree down, Old Man Montgomery let us take the tree for the wood. When we heard you was expectin’ a little one, we thought we’d use the oak to bring your daddy home again.” Dax smiled, his eyes soft.

“Thank you, so much, Dax.” Bethany sniffed and hugged him. “You have no idea what this means to me.”

“Your daddy was a good man and a better friend. Now, he’ll always be there for your little one.”

“How much do we owe you for the crib?” Ashton asked, pulling out his wallet.

“No, no, son. This here is a gift for y’all. No need to pay for this.” Dax smiled softly at Ashton.

“Dax, y’all must’ve worked late nights to get this done. The least we can do is offer some compensation.” Ashton said, hoping Dax would let him give something.

“Keep your money. I know times are tough with the ranch right now.” Dax offered a small smile.

“We really appreciate it, mate.” Ashton smiled and loaded the crib and the supplies into the truck. As they were getting back in, Michael noticed Bigshot Barry walking out of the grocery store.

“What’s that guy still doing here? He’s been here for months.” Mike rolled his eyes and started the truck.

“I don’t know, but I have a really bad feeling about that guy.” Bethany sighed and buckled her seatbelt. Michael sighed and pulled out of the parking lot.

“Do we need anything else in town?” He asked, glancing at the couple.

“No. Now that we have a crib, the nursery is almost set.” Bethany said, her palm rubbing across her stomach. Michael nodded and turned onto the highway, driving them home.

Michael and Ashton brought the lumber over to the barn and the stables, where Luke and Evelyn were doing the finishing touches on the beams of the stables. “There you are. I was wondering when you’d get back.” Evelyn said, setting the drill down.

“Yeah, we got the lumber and screws and shit.” Mike said, nodding to the truck. “Dax made a crib out of Dave’s tree.”

“He did? Oh, that’s perfect.” Evelyn smiled softly. “A little piece of him will always be with our little Piper.”

“It was exactly what we needed.” Ashton smiled.

“Yes, it was.” Evelyn smiled at him. “Why don’t you guys get started over here. I’m gonna head to the west barn and finish up some of the interior so it’ll be ready when the frost hits.” She pulled off her work gloves and laid them on a hay bale before walking away.

“Did you see the asshole in town today?” Luke asked, looking at Michael and Ashton.

“Yeah, when we were leaving. Why?” Ashton furrowed his eyebrows.

“He called about an hour ago. He told Evelyn that if she doesn’t consider selling, she’ll regret it.” Luke sighed softly.

“That sounds like a threat.” Michael said, picking up the drill.

“That’s what I thought too. Then, after Evelyn hung up on him, she got a call from the Atkins’ farm. I guess some cows got loose and wandered into their pasture. Calums over there now trying to round them all up.” Luke explained.

“How would they have gotten out? They’re in the south pasture, which has an iron fence. The only way they can get out is if someone opened the gate.” Ashton pondered.

“Calum said the gate was open when he went over there, but the lock was still locked.”

“So, someone broke the gate open.” Michael said, shaking his head. “It was probably the Atkins’ trying to scare us.”

“That’s what we figured. We’ll just have to keep an eye out.” Luke sighed and went back to work.

Bethany had left the group and gone to the house to make dinner. As the time passed, the boys slowly made their way into the house. “Hey, we talked to your mother and she said she’s gonna eat later. She wants to get the barn finished tonight.” Michael said as he hung his hat by the door.

“Okay, I’ll leave a plate for her in the microwave.” Bethany nodded and filled a plate, setting it in the microwave. She handed out plates to the boys and they each filled their plates.

“How are the stables looking?” Bethany asked as she sat at the table.

“They’re coming along nicely. The framing is all set up, we just need to install sheetrock and plastering, before any other major changes can happen.” Luke said, scarfing down his meal as if it were the last he’d ever eat.

“That’s good. Mom was hoping to have them done by the time the fair started, so we could enter it in the building event.” Bethany said, slowly eating her food.

“You okay?” Ashton whispered to her softly.

“Yeah, my stomach’s just feeling a little weird. You know that feeling you get before something bad happens?” She looked back at him as he nodded. “That’s the kind of feeling I have right now.” She sighed and ate a couple more bites. “It’s messing with my appetite.”

“Nothing’s gonna happen, love. Please finish your meal, you barely had any breakfast or lunch today and you are eating for two now.” Ashton said, pressing a kiss to her temple.

“I know, my love.” Bethany smiled softly and ate another bite. Ashton’s heart fluttered at the nickname. Neither of them had said the L word yet, so hearing her call him her love made his heart skip a beat. He smiled to himself as he continued eating his own food.

When they had finished, Michael helped Bethany bring the dishes to the kitchen. Bethany had just started loading the dishwasher when a loud booming sound shook the house, the front windows shattering. A scream flew from Bethany’s lips as she backed up against the counter. “What the hell was that?!” She yelled, placing her hand over her heart.

“I have no clue.” Michael said, following Luke and Ashton out of the house. Bethany jogged behind them to keep up, her heart stopping when she looked up. The barn was nearly completely enveloped in bright red flames.

“M-Mom?” Bethany tried to call out for her, but the words were stuck in her throat. Luke quickly grabbed hold of Bethany’s arms, keeping her standing.

“She’s probably not in there. She’s probably getting buckets of water.” Luke said, though he knew his words weren’t helping. Bethany let out another scream as the wood cracked, part of the roof caving in.

“N-No..” Bethany gasped for air, her lungs denying her of a breath.

“I’m going in.” Ashton said, looking at the three of them. “I have to get Evelyn out of there.”

“Ash, no.” Bethany whimpered softly as tears streamed down her cheeks. The thought of losing her mother and her boyfriend on the same night was sending her into a panic.

“I have to.” Ashton said, pressing a lingering kiss to Bethany’s lips. “I love you, so much.. Both of you.” He whispered softly as his hand gently rubbed along her small bump, before running into the barn.

“No!” Bethany screamed, a new wave of tears cascading down her reddened cheeks. “Ashton!” She screamed, beginning to run after him.

“Bethany, stop!” Luke yelled as he grabbed ahold of her arms once more, holding her back. Michael pulled out his phone, quickly dialing 9-1-1.

“I can’t lose both of them.” Bethany sobbed, her eyes never leaving the flames. The wood of the barn crackled in front of them as the rest of the roof tumbled down, the flames rising higher and higher. Bethany’s knees buckled as she fell to the ground, Luke kneeling with her. Bethany let out a final pained scream before collapsing into Luke’s arms, the sobs wracking her body.

Tag List: @lukespumpkinspice@calumculture@kinglycalum@babylon-corgis@novacanecalum@spookymashton@dontdoitluke@isabella10028@calumamongmen@bumblebet-20@lockthisheartinchains@bitterbethany@sublimehood@myloverboyash@ironicallyirwin@lashtoncurls@mukesreject@sanfrancjsco@boytoynamedcalum@opinionatedpisces-official@blahehblah @lukehemmings@harry-hallows-eve@findingliam-o @gh0st-0f-y0u-95

#5sos #5 seconds of summer #Ashton irwin #5sos smut #5sos fic #5sos writing #my writing #fic #fanfic #5sos fanfic #imagine #imagines #5sos imagine #Ashton imagine #Ashton fic #Luke hemmings #Calum hood #Michael clifford

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katlyn1948 · 5 years

Text

An Unexpected Journey: Part 5

Arya meet with Ser Rednick at dawn. Even with the dim twilight, the harbor of King's Landing was alive with working people. It took a good while for Arya to actually get to Nymeria because of the gathering crowds. She had wanted to get to the ship before the workers started their day, but she had an unfinished conversion with her sister that she needed to address before she left.

It was early, so Arya wasn't sure if Sansa would even be awake, but none the less, she knocked on her chamber doors. She heard a few shuffles and a grunt of what sound like someone hitting their foot on the bed post. After several minutes, Sansa opened the door. She was in her nightgown and a robe covering her round belly.

"Arya? What in seven hells? You are aware that the sun hasn't even broken the horizon. What are you doing up?" Her sister said with a sleepy voice.

"I wanted to bid you a farewell. I'm leaving in just few short hours and I wanted to apologize for my behavior as last night's supper." Arya said.

Sansa eased a bit and small smile grew on her face. "You do not have to apologize. I should not have pushed you. You are a woman grown and you do not have to explain yourself. Just promise you'll be back."

Arya quickly embraced her sister, "Of course I will be back. I cannot miss the birth of this babe."

Sansa gave her sister a tight squeeze. She normally didn't cry, but with the babe in her belly, it made every little thing emotional. "Be safe." She said to her sister before she shut the door behind her.

Arya made haste after her goodbye to her sister. She wanted to get on the sea and be at Storm's End before the the morrow drew to a close. She was anxious and ready to take the voyage south.

Ser Rednick was waiting at the dock where Nymeria was stationed when Arya arrived. He had the sails hoisted and the crew ready for sailing. Arya was truly greatful for the old navigator. He took the reigns when she could not. He had taught her the proper way to sail and run a ship. Without him she would have been truly lost.

"Ser Rednick, how was your stay?" she asked as she boarded the ship.

"Quite well, Lady Stark. I was able to send a raven to my son and let him know of my journey to Storm's End."

"So he is aware of our impending arrival?" Her eyes were quizzical.

He nodded, "Aye, he'll be joinin' us as we dock. He said the weathers ought to be good for an easy sailing." Ser Rednick looked up to the skys. "And I will have to agree with him."

Arya's eyes followed. The skys were clear with not a cloud in sight. The winds were steady and sails were eager.

"Well then, Ser Rednick, let us not waste anymore time. Lift the anchor and set sail for Storm's End."

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

It took two days for them to reach the port of Storm’s End. Two days on her ship did nothing to ease the nerves that she had been feeling ever since she docked at King’s Landing.

She hadn’t seen him in five years. Had not sent a raven to ask about his well-being nor even asked her siblings when she did write. She had absolutely no idea what he had been up to or if he was still the same man she left all those years ago.

Ser Rednick hardly talked about Storm’s End unless it was about his son and she had purposefully avoided talk about the damned place if it was ever brought in conversation.

But standing on the dock with the light drizzle that had ascended upon them she couldn’t be more ecstatic. Her nerves were high, but her excitement was higher and she could scarcely believe that she was finally here.

She has never been to Storm’s End, but she could remember her father’s stories of the seas side castle and how it over looked ocean. The impregnable keep and it’s ability to weather any storm. It truly was a glorious castle. She even dared to think that it was more beautiful than Winterfell.

Ser Rednick had mentioned of it’s magnificent beauty, but one could not truly understand until they looked upon it with their own eyes.

It was slightly shocking to Arya that she never took the time to visit this place. Perhaps if she did, she may have never left Westeros.

The harbor of Storm’s End was just as busy as the one in King’s Landing. The fisherman were reeling in their morning catch and vendors were out and about selling their oysters, clams, and cockles. It was like any other bustling town thriving with common folk and Arya couldn’t help but smile.

When she left Westeros, Storm’s End had been on the brink of mutiny. The locals and bannermen alike were starving and unorganized and she heard that if it wasn’t for the new Lord and his trusted advisor, there would be no more Storm’s End. Perhaps, she thought, he isn’t a stupid bull after all.

Arya’s thoughts were quickly disrupted by sounds of joyous laughter. To her left she could see Ser Rednick and young man that could pass as Ser Rednick’s former self, embrace in a bearly hug. No doubt it was his son that he could not stop talking about.

“Lady Arya,” Ser Rednick motioned her to come. “This is my son, Archibald Rednick III.”

Arya lifted her brow to the navigator. “The third? Your name is Archibald? I thought you said it was Roger.”

“Aye it is. My second name is Roger. I hate Archibald.”

Arya glanced at the young man the back at Ser Rednick. “Then why did you name him that?”

“I have asked him that same question everyday of my life since I could talk.” The young man spoke. He quickly bowed to Arya.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Lady Arya. I’ve heard all I can about you from the few letters my father has sent.”

Arya retuned the bow, “Likewise, Lord Archibald. And please do just call me Arya.”

The young man smiled, “Of course, Arya. But I must also ask you to please call me Archie. I may be a Lord, but the title is new and I do hate all the formalities. However, I cannot say the same for my wife.”

“Ah yes! How is that daughter-in-law of mine doing?” Ser Rednick asked his son.

Archie grabbed a hold of his fathers shoulder and lead him towards the seaside town. Arya was in step with them both as they made their way through the people.

“She is always well, father. She taking quite nicely to being a Lady, although she does not wish to do typical lady things.”

This tickled Arya’s ear. “What do you mean, Archie?”

“Well...she cannot sew to save her life. She hates the way some of the other ladies speak about common folk and she’d much rather spend her times in the stables than to gossip around in a circle. Although, now a days, she is tending to our young children.” Archie spoke freely.

“The stables?” Asked Arya. She was becoming more curious about this Lady Rednick.

“Aye. Her father was the former stable master before he passed. Her brother took up the job, but she does most of the work. Teaches our daughter how to properly care for the horses. Our son is only 4 moons, so all he is interested in is his next meal.” Archie says with a chuckle.

“And you do not mind her working in the stables? With her being a Lady?”

Archie shook his head, “No, not at all. But I wouldn’t be able to stop her if I tried. She gut me like a fish, that one. Her uncle is the swords master and taught her how to properly defend herself if necessary.”

Arya shook her head. She would have to meet this Lady Rednick, for she believed they could be fast friends.

They talked more on their walk through the town. Archie has mentioned that the bannermen of Storm’s End had taken a liking to their new Lord and that he truly cared for his people. Ser Rednick would tell his son about the adventures of the sea and how they encountered more than just islands.

Arya enjoyed seeing the father and son talk. They were close, she could tell and she enjoyed seeing the familiarity between the two. They may been apart for five years, but they conversed as if they had seen each other the day before. It was a familiarity that Arya could not wait to experience. She can only hope that is how it would be once she sees Gendry again. Old friends, picking up where they left off.

They had finally reached the gates of Storm’s End after walking for what seemed like ages. It hadn’t been a difficult trek, but for someone who had been on a boat for the last five years, climbing the hills and rocky terrain had winded Arya. She as glad when they finally saw the guards because that meant they had reached the top.

“Halt! State your business.” One guard said.

“Aye! It is I, Lord Rednick, Of House Rednick. Newly appointed bannerman of House Baratheon.” Archie spoke clearly. “I am here with guests of House Baratheon that have arrived from a long journey.”

The guard nodded to his fellow guardsman and they let the trio pass.

Inside the grounds of Storm’s End was just as busy as the harbor. People were running around doing their daily tasks. The kennel master was training new pups, the swords master was teaching new guards the art of sword play, and the ringing of metal against metal echoed from the forge. It was an all to familiar sound for Arya and she was anxious to see if he’d be in the smithy. Her feet seemed to have a mind of their own as they were guiding her into the direction of the smithy. But is he in there? Would the Lord of Storm’s End be along side his fellow smiths? She thought. But it would not matter, for a familiar voice broke her thoughts.

“Is that Arya Stark of Winterfell?”

Arya turned to the voice and immediately recognized the old smuggler.

“Aye it is, Ser Davos.” She smiled as she approached him.

She welcomed his embrace, taking in another memory of home.

Her and Ser Davos had not been close, but she would be eternally grateful for the old man, for without him she believed her brother would be dead.

Ser Davos released her from the embrace and she was able to truly see his aging face. Being an advisor to a lord had taken its toll on the smuggler, but he seemed to remain his eager old self.

“How have ye been, my dear?” He asked her.

“Well. I’ve just returned from my travels west and was hoping to see an old friend. Where is our Lord Gendry?” She asked with sudden realization that this was the first time she said his name aloud since she’s gotten back to Westeros.

“He’s out collecting monthly rents. He should be back before supper.” The old smuggler answered. “In the mean time, I’ll have rooms drawn for you lot.”

“No need for us, Ser Davos. My father will be staying with me. As you know, my keep is just a few minutes ride outside of Storm’s End. We will be leaving right after supper.” Archie said.

Ser Davos nodded. “Very well. Please Lady Arya, if you follow me, I can show you to your temporary chambers. Where are your belongings?”

”They are back on my ship at the harbor. I can send for them on the morrow.” Arya hesitated. “And Ser Davos, if it is alright with you, I’d like to explore the castle grounds. Make myself aquatinted.”

”I don’t see why not. I’ll have on of the maids fetch you once supper is ready.” With that Ser Davos turned and headed off to the armory.

Arya smiled and turned to the father/son duo.

“I had no idea you knew the Lord.” Ser Rednick said.

“Yes, he’s an old friend.” She let the old man know.

“Old friend, you say? Is that why you so eagerly agreed to come with me?” He questioned with knowing eyes.

“Mayhaps.” A small smile had creeped onto Arya’s face.

Archie hadn’t acknowledged the interaction between his father and Arya, for he had an eagerness of his own.

“Come father, let us go meet your grandchildren.” And with that, Archie dragged his father in the opposite direction.

Arya was left standing there in the middle of the castle grounds. She didn’t know which direction to go in first. On one side there was the armory, along with the training grounds and stable. The other side looked like it had housed the smithy and the kennels, while straight a head were the kitchens. Everything seemed surreal to Arya. She was actually here and couldn’t quite believe it.

When she was a little girl and her father told her the stories about Storm’s End she always thought that she would hate it but standing here in the middle of the grounds surrounded by hard working, dedicated people that were loyal to their Lord, she came to realize that maybe it wasn’t such a bad place after all, even if it was wet all the time.

Arya decided to take a left and head towards the training groups. It had been a while since she has sparred with anyone of decent skills. Perhaps she could find someone in the stormlands that could take her on. As she made her way to the training grounds a young girl of maybe three namedays ran into her.

The little girl had land on the ground with a thud and tears began to well in her eyes. Arya knelt beside her to make sure she was alright.

“I’m sorry little one, I’ve must have not seen you. Are you alright?” Arya asked. It felt strange to her, to be kind. She hasn’t had much interaction with children, so she wasn’t sure if she was being kind enough. Although this would be good practice she thought.

The little girl hesitated when she looked up at Arya, but nodded.

Arya smiled at her and helped the little girl on her feet. “Well that’s good. What’s your name? Maybe we can find your mother?”

The little girl sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeve. “I no have a mother.”

Arya’s heart squeezed with sadness. She, of all people, knew what it felt like not to have a mother.

“Do you have a father?” Arya asked.

The little girl’s eyes lit up in excitement. Her mop brown curls bobbed up and down.

“Really? Where is he then?” She asked. Arya was trying to maintain her patience with the young lass, but trying to get answers out of a child her age was next to impossible.

The child looked around the courtyard frantically, but couldn’t quite place her stare. Perhaps she is to small to see, thought Arya. With one quick movement she lifted the girl into her arms. She had nestled perfectly onto Arya’s hip and held on to her for dear life. Arya began walking around the courtyard for the little girl to see. For several minutes the girl was silent, that is until they made their way to the castle entrance.

“There is papa.” The girl said as she pointed towards the castle gates.

Arya turned and her breath had caught in her throat. Coming into the castle on a brown horse was a man with the most beautiful ocean eyes that she had ever seen. Ocean eyes that she never thought she would see again.

But that is impossible. The little girl she had in her arms looked nothing like him. Her hair was a muddied brown and her eyes were an undeniable hazel.

“What is your name?” She asked the little girl in her arms.

She looked up at Arya and smiled, “I am Lyra Baratheon. My papa calls me the little Lady of Storm’s End.”

Arya’s mind begins to get fuzzy. She was trying to put pieces of an impossible puzzle together. Had she really expected him to wait all this time for her? And what about the child’s mother? Why did she not look like him? How could she have been so stupid? Of corse he would move on. She gave him reasons to. But that didn’t mean that it still didn’t hurt.

Arya looked up one more time, this time those ocean blue eyes were staring right at her.

Only one thing could come to his mind, “Arya?”

#gendrya #arya stark #gendry waters #jonerys #got #gotspoilers #jon snow #daenerys targaryen #d&d #arya x gendry

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minyoongimoods · 5 years

Text

My First True Love

A/N : Hi all so this is my first short little sad post on here :) I'm a bit nervous but some people told me to post so here it is. I want to say thank'youu in advance if you read it. If you have any thoughts while reading I'd love to know them, if you have any ideas how to make it better or if you liked it please comment what you liked or what I could change about it 🥺💕

Description : You were in a relationship with Yoongi, a famous rapper known worldwide. You stole his heart and since then you were inseparable. However one split moment change your whole world in two. If you want to find out what happens keep reading, thank'youu.

Start //

He was my first love and I was his.

The relationship. Our relationship it wasn't always bad. There was some amazing times we had spent together. I'm grateful for the 4 years and 6 months of loving, affection and pure happiness he gave me. Ever since that first day we met it was like I was living a fairytale. He did absolutely everything he could to make me feel like I was on cloud nine and I did the same for him. He is mine. No, he was mine.

Our relationship didn't just happen. There was difficulties yes but we worked through them because we wanted nothing more than to be with eachother through the good and bad times. We did long distance for the first 3 years. I still remember all the facetime calls even if it was an 8 hour time difference. He would lose sleep for me and I would for him. All of the early morning and goodnight texts he would send me, the random texts through the day, even if he was busy or not. He prioritised his time for me. He told me that no one is just busy, if someone wants to talk to you then will make time for you. He did exactly that in his busy work schedule. I remembered the good times and the bad where I'd be devastated I couldn't just hold him when I was feeling upset and want nothing more than to lie with my head on his chest hearing his heartbeat and feeling his hands running through my hair. The times when he wanted to hold me too when he was feeling upset. When all I wanted to do was try and make him laugh, or be the shoulder for him to cry on. We got through that for us, together. I remember the first time we facetimed he was so shy and didn't want to show his face half of the time but when he did my heart kept beating so fast. Just seeing him on the other end of my screen made it all worthwhile. His little soft squishy cheeks kept going red and he kept playing with his ears. That's how I knew he was nervous. We were both were at first but I wouldn't have changed it for the world. He kept reading random things out to make me laugh. We really did laugh a lot whenever we facetimed. He made that laughter appear. Nothing compared to when I saw his smile. That gummy smile that I wanted imprinted in my mind. He really was the one person I thought I was going to have a little family with, our babies, dogs, kittens and us being married.

However saying that lying in bed at night, not being on your phone does a lot to your mindset. It makes you think about a lot of things. I often thought about how a lot of people would ask me how I explained my relationship with Yoongi that famous rapper. That's what they used to say. I just giggled about those 3 words because he wasn't that famous rapper to me. He was Yoongi. He was someone who persued his dreams and worked hard for everything good he got in his life.

I knew that I was living an ocean away whereas he was living in South Korea and I was living in the UK so I eventually took a risky decision to move over to where he lived. I got everything sorted. Where I would live, my job and everything else in between. He didn't know I was going to do it but I surprised him. At the time I told his bestfriend Namjoon so he could help me surprise him. I packed up and moved across the world so I could be with him. To hold him, cuddle and kiss him whenever I wanted too. Just like every relationship, parts of it were like hell but we got through it. He made me feel like every moment we spent together I couldn't put it into words. It really was something else. Everytime he complimented me, how his eyes looked like they held the world when he looked into mine. He looked at me like I was his world. At the time I was. He made just the simplest of moments magical and he made me happy at the time. That's all that mattered. However despite all of the good things happening things really started to get rocky when I did move to Korea. I was there about a year and 6 months. I was starting to get settled with living in a different place. Nearly every day I would get people messaging me photos of Yoongi with girls at clubs and events. First it didn't bother me because I knew what his job and life meant. I knew that even though he was pictured and surrounded by these girls but I also knew that I would be the one in his arms at the end of night. I'd be the one to know all of his secrets. I'd be the one to take care of him when he was ill not the others. I knew he would be surrounded by girls but that day it was so different. Damn was it so different. Not even just that day it was the past couple of days leading up to it. The calls and texts were getting less frequent and more one worded answers. I didn't think it was anything at that time. I just thought he was busy. I really wished he was busy. He never reassured me like he always did. He never cuddled me when I was crying thinking I wasn't good enough for him. He never did anything that day. He just ignored me, didn't answer my questions and didn't come after me when I left. Whenever we had a problem we would always sit down and sort it out. That's how we got through the bad times. We worked to make our relationship work. We didn't just give up after the first try. That was the first time I really regretted my decision of moving to be closer to him because that day even though I was with him in the same room as him I felt like I was a million miles away. Remembering that day still breaks my heart into a million tiny shards but when I see him happy. I knew I did it for a reason. He deserved to be happy with or without me by his side. I can tell he is.

That day was one I'll never forget. That day ended a 4 year and 6 month relationship. It started off like any other day as most of these things do. He woke up, did whatever he had to do then woke me up at 8am and made me coffee, before he kissed me with the biggest grin on his stupid beautiful face. The one that showed his perfect gummy smile and the little teeth I loved. I had some news for him that day. A few days before I had found out I was pregnant.

"Baby don't take too long at work today I've got something planned and news for you, so be home by 9 okay?" I told him before he left. He run up to me, grinned, and picked me up. He spun me around and gave me the biggest hug and kiss I've ever had from him then he left for work. I went to work aswell as I'm an foreign English language teacher. I got home at 7pm ready to sort everything out. That day I was planning to tell him that he was going to become a dad. I had made us dinner, spaghetti bolognese our favourite and made him a poem with little baby shoes and the tiniest baby grow I've ever seen along with my pregnancy test in the smallest box I had ever seen in my life. Time went on and before I knew it, it was 10pm. I had tried calling, texting him, literally everything to see when he finished work. I had no reply. It was around midnight when I had a text from Namjoon. We were both close with him. I was grateful for him that day. So he had messaged asking if I knew where Yoongi was and I said no I had been waiting for him since 9pm. He started to get worried as he hadn't come back into work since 11pm. I didn't panic as much as he was just working. No warning signs came to mind. He said he was going to look for him. That was until I recieved 3 texts from Namjoon half an hour later. First it was a photo of Yoongi pictured with a woman, arms around her waist and kissing her on the cheeks like she was his woman instead of me. The next was a photo of him making out with the same woman at his studio and then a text saying that Namjoon had walked in on them having sex. I was heartbroken, devastated and angry all at once. I started to pack all of my belongings into my suitcase, even the little baby things I had planned to tell him. Thankfully for me I didn't bring that much over from my home town. I finished packing around 1am and he came home around 20 past 1. He tried to be all over me when he came in. I pushed him away and he asked what was wrong. I just started at him in disbelief. I asked him where he had been and he gave me the excuse of work had gone over. I couldn't stand the excuses and the fact he was blatantly lying to my face so I showed him the texts I had recieved. He didn't say anything. What could he say? It was there in proof. He didn't deny any part of if, he just stayed silent. That's when I knew it was true. I saw red at that point. I was so heartbroken. Just shattered. It felt like my soul had left my body at that point.

"You're not leaving are you?" He stared at me with devastation in his eyes.

"Give me one fucking reason why I shouldn't leave. Why I shouldn't grab my stuff and walk out this door and never see you again" I spat, vemon clear in my voice.

"Because I love you" he whispered as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

My breath hitched as I stopped dead in my tracks not knowing what to do, what to say, what to think. All the shouting, the hurt, the pain turned into a deafening silence.

"No. How fucking dare you say those 3 words to me, thinking that once you say then then everything will all be okay and dandy and I'll forgive you because it was just a slip up. Well it was a slip up too far." The meaning those 3 words had before made my cheeks glow and smile widen but now makes me feel like there are thorns stuck inside my throat.

"You didn't love me. You loved the fact I was there at your every beck and call. You loved the thrill that you knew I was at home waiting for you to come back. Knowing I would willingly jump into your arms again and love you always. The truth is If you loved me you wouldn't have had sex with another girl. I love you Yoongi. I do, I always have and I always will. I truly did love you more than you could ever realise but I can't stay. I'm sorry" I walked closer to him, the anger that was once in my voice all gone. Just vanished.

"If I stay, I'll keep picturing you with her, your hands over her body and hers over yours. Marking the places that was once mine. Staying would break my heart into pieces every single day" I took a deep breath and said the next sentance that hurt me more to say out loud than to think.

"Yoongi she's got your heart. I can tell. It's okay, you can't help who you fall in love with if you're even in love with her. It's my time to walk away and let you be with her to see how your relationship would go. I see the way you are with her, your smile was bigger than any smile you've had with me. It's not the first time I've seen you pictured with her. If I love you I'll let you go and that's what I'm doing. Isn't it ironic that you're the one who broke my heart and yet I'm the one saying sorry" I chuckled. A heartless laughter with no emotion to mask the pain I felt inside. I sighed then said the 2 words that made my heart break that little bit more.

"Goodbye Yoongi" my voice cracked at the end of the sentance and I knew it was time to go before I would have started saying how I wanted him to work on us, to fight for this relationship so I looked into his eyes one last time making sure to drag it out as much as possible to remember how his eyes glimmered and shined when he looked at me just one last moment longer. I took a few steps over to the bed where he sat, his head in his hands covering his tear stained face. I knelt down so I was at his level, took his face in my hands and pressed our foreheads together. I looked him straight in the eyes. The gloomy dark brown eyes that once shined as bright as the sky when the sun rays hit them was now dark and guilty. The deep dark pools that I could get lost in, I'm now drowning in. My eyes filling up with tears as I looked up and admired the man I loved with every single of my entire being. I gave him one last hug and kiss on the squishy cheeks I once loved. I grabbed my bags and suitcase I had already packed beforehand and took my first steps to the foreseeable future. I said one last thing.

"Just promise me one thing, you won't do the same to the next girl who gives you her heart. Don't leave her wondering or questioning. Love her properly or don't love her at all" and with that I walked out of the door and out of his life forever. No one knew this up until now but I waited a few seconds for him to come after me and beg me to stay in his life. Nothing. He didn't come. 'Come after me' I thought. He never came. So I just did what I do best and fake a smile and walk away.

I can't say it was easy to get over him. Still I don't think I'll ever get over him. Someone who had such an impact on your life you can't forger but what I do know is it hurt like fuck. I had a miscarriage that morning around 9am. I drove myself to the hospital when I started getting pains in my stomach. The nurse told me it was due to stress. I felt numb, I couldn't cry that moment at the hospital but I sure did when I got home. The heartbreaking sobs that came from my mouth filled my apartment. I was pretty sure my neighbor's heard every part of my tears. I didn't know what to think or how I felt. That moment was a blur. He had tried calling and texting me but I got rid of his texts. He contacted me plenty of times I just ignored him. I couldn't go back to him, wondering if he was having sex with another girl if he was out somewhere. The only messaged I responded to was a text asking me if I was pregnant with his baby as Namjoon had told him. I responded saying I had a miscarriage at 9am the morning after the break up. All he said was "I'm sorry" and I replied saying "me too". I stayed in my spare house that I used for my writing and teaching space. I spent many countless nights on my sofa with ice cream, alcohol and sad songs but then after 6 months I saw him on tv with the same girl in the photos. The one he's meant to be with. The media commented on our situation. He told his side but not so many words. The genuine smile he had on his face, I knew it was the right thing to let him go. It's strange, really strange. A couple of months ago I couldn't live my life without him. Now, here I was without him and becoming myself more but my heart was still broken beyond repair. I think the hardest part of leaving him was knowing that no matter how slow I walked, he'd never catch up and come after me.

I used to lie in bed awake, staring at the ceiling. Just wondering if he was truly happy in his life or if he was just like me. Trying to fill the hole in his heart with girls before like I was filling mine with alcohol and sad music now. Or maybe he was missing me like I was missing him. Maybe he would regret the way we ended and came after me begging for the relationship to stay and continue. Or just maybe he was truly in love with the girl he was with now and I was the one who couldn't move on without seeing his face everything I turned. Even though I gave him everything I had, he chose someone else. I couldn't stay. That way was breaking my heart waiting for him to return to my arms again. Awating his warmth that felt like home.

I led awake just starting at my phone wishing for his name to just pop up on my screen and we could fix this whole mess. Weither it be a message or a phone call. I didn't delete his phone number I couldn't bring myself to. I missed his deep voice, the one I could listen to forever. I just wanted to hear him speak about anything and everything even the simplest of things like the weather. I just wanted to hear him because you never really miss someone's voice until they stop calling and you never hear from them again. But in the end he never called and I was just too tired to continue waiting. I knew that no message was also a message.

At the end it doesn't matter how many new haircuts and new makeup looks I try. It doesn't matter how many gyms I join trying to make myself feel better and it doesn't matter how many glasses of alcohol I down and tubs of ice cream I eat because still when the darkness falls on the sky. I still go to bed wondering what went wrong, picking at every little argument or thing I've said that was out of line or how life changes from going happy as can be one minute to feeling dejected and on my own the next. Sometimes in my loneliest moments I even convince myself he will call, text or come to my doorstep looking as worse as me. That we'll both cry and get angry but then forgive and love yet again like we did before. I used to do that before with the past relationships I was in. I used to give them chance after chance after chance but I couldn't do that anymore.

Now I know that after all that happened there will be a day where I can see his photo on my tv or around Korea and not feeling little shards of glass in my body or the gut wrenching pain I felt before. I know that one day all of that will go. That I'll feel okay again and the pieces of my soul he took will slowly but surely come back to me. As a quote by Oscar Wilde said "the heart was made to be broken". I know what he meant. Before, I realised I set myself on fire for someone who only watched me burn down. It took me a while but I realised I'm not burned down. I'm a phoenix rising from the ashes of my old pain. I've grown stronger. I've grown into someone new. I knew it would take time to adjust to life without him. Sometimes people are just better apart than being together because after all we don't need people to get hurt sometimes it's the memories that tear us apart and make us realise what we had before we lost it in a split second decision.

He was my first love but she was his.

#min yoongi #bts #bts army #short story #yoongi x y/n #yoongi x reader #writing #bts scenarios

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soundofseventeen · 6 years

Text

Anywhere But Here (Boo Seungkwan)

I hope the Joshua one wasn’t too terrible! Unto Seungkwan! (I own nothing except the words.) -Bee

Masterlist

Seungkwan remembered when he was a teenager, he read a book by some American author about a guy who was looking for a girl, but he didn’t actually know who she was or where she lived, but he found her by chance and he remembered thinking how that was the stupidest thing a person could ever do. But it wasn’t how it conveniently played out that made him think that. It was the fact that the guy walked the whole way to her. Granted, if his curiosity wasn’t as great as it was, he’d be on his couch back in Jeju and not walking in the forest in the middle of the night following the red string that was visible only to him. (He did however, vow not to critique any other fictional character since he now knew their struggles.)

This endeavor might have been his most challenging feat by far. He could recall being younger and following the string coming out of his pinkie to see where it’d lead him but he would make it to the end of the block before one of his family members would come out and take him back inside. Of course as he grew up, he ventured a little more just to see where it ended, often growing frustrated because the end never arrived. (On one occasion he ended up somewhere in Taiwan, and another between the North and South Korean border when he was supposed to be on vacation.)

Many times he found himself holding a pair of scissors ready to cut the accursed thing, only to be scolded by his mom not to be doing that because it was dangerous. However, the one time he did manage to do it, he ended up breaking the scissors and he didn’t even know why that happened. His dreams plagued him on what was on the other end from finding the lost city of Atlantis to picking up the lottery ticket off the floor that could earn him millions and once he even found the famous Michelle Obama at a comic convention. The final straw for him was when the end led him to a spaceship that took him to a different planet and the people there made him their king. He tried to ignore it, but when that left him restless, he sold his safe house (probably not his best idea if he was being honest) and with that money, hit the road with nothing but his backpack with necessities and the skin on his back. He supposed he could’ve used that money to drive to the destination, but he figured that would’ve been anticlimactic and what could he say to friends back home if he didn’t go above and beyond? Well, if he had friends that’s what he’d tell him, at least.

By day, he roamed where the red string led him, sometimes through the woods, other times through a suburban neighborhood, and by night, found a hotel that would meet his standards so he could shower and wash his clothes. In one instance, he rented his own boat to cross the water that led him to a dock that led to nowhere where he walked and walked until he ended up in Busan. Sometimes he felt like giving up and when he wanted to turn around, he’d feel a light tug as if pulling him closer to where he needed to be. He backtracked maybe once or twice but pursued nonetheless. He ran out of cash a lot sooner than he expected and instead of withdrawing from his bank account, he resorted to busking in the streets and relying on his voice to keep him going. Nature was his constant companion and he didn’t know how he ended up enjoying the quiet, but he realized that once he did, he couldn’t get enough of it. He eventually bought a blanket to carry around with him when the days were cooler but even then he came down with a cold, which made him stay indoors a lot longer than he liked, like now. At one point, it got so bad, he was bedridden for a couple days, and right before his fever broke, he felt like something was pulling towards him, but because of his lack of strength, he couldn’t do anything except moan and groan that he couldn’t. He could feel the physical force of the something pulling at the thread and if he wasn’t so weak, he would’ve gone up and searched for the culprit. By the time he recovered a bit, all he could see was the string he was supposed to follow.

“Thanks for the help DK!” You exclaimed, stepping back to admire your newest painting that had been delivered. You might’ve been fond of art, but when it came down to the flowers and trees and everything that Mother Nature created, there was only one person who could capture its beauty and that was Chinese painter The8. You’d had your eye on one of his works that would continuously sell out but had finally been able to snag it albeit you had to go through different cities all over South Korea (and sometimes leaving it!) to find it. You handed him his paycheck once you were back at one of the counters before he clocked out for the evening and he gave you the day’s sales from his deliveries plus loose change and tips despite the fact that he was alone for a few days. He chatted away of the day’s events, filling you in on the events from how one of the people at the retirement homes was looking more and more like the undead and how one of his friends at the thrift shop was consuming an unhealthy amount of coffee and the neighbor’s dog Aji chewed on his welcome mat while he was on lunch break.

“Aren’t you pissed about that?” You asked him. “If that was me, I would’ve...never mind, I wouldn’t.”

“Nah, she was just hungry. Usually I leave her snacks since Mingyu is okay with it, but how you left early and I had to open, I didn’t have time, so I guess there’s that.” He glanced up at your painting. “I still can’t believe you went all the way to Jeju for that. Where’d you sleep anyways?”

“At a hotel somewhere in Busan…”

“That’s...quite a tourist move.”

You didn’t tell Seokmin about your time in Busan. It’s not like he wouldn’t have understood, but there was something there that kept you from leaving. Your curiosity had gotten the best of you and used part of your free time to see how you far you could get following the string around your finger. It led you to a hotel on the other side of town and that’s where the fear set in, mentally using the excuse of being needed for orders at Smile Flower and keeping things in order even if you were short handed. (You hated to admit that you went up to the door and deliberated whether or not to knock, and opting to pull the string.) You scratched your pinkie finger, digging your thumb nail into the soft material of the red thread that wouldn’t be seen by the boy you were conversing with and opted for a shrug. “A change is good sometimes.” A fake yawn. “Well, I think we should we head out now. I have a long list of orders for this weekend and please remind me to put up a help wanted sign in case we stop being able to handle it. Good night.”

At precisely 4:47 the next afternoon, you delivered the bundles of flowers to Adequate Eternity, the coffee place next door with the help of Dino, one of their workers. He was a colorblind boy who often asked you about the colors you picked and you were always happy to answer. The reason was because of the eccentric old lady who owned the place. You figured Yoon Jihye must’ve been alive during the Great Depression (maybe longer!) but she had the youth of a child. She liked telling tall tales of soulmates and how some people were born with one (like you, she once said but you’d laughed nervously at that.) She was also one of the few people who could see your red string even without the help of the full moon so you trusted her judgment, even if she sounded a bit far fetched at times. She claimed she had a gift and that wasn’t a doubt you had for a second.

Auntie Jihye usually had Jeonghan, her great (you weren’t sure how many greats he was if you were being honest) grandson and caretaker call in an order weekly to place on the tables so the guests could have something good to smell and different types to see. You bid a good day to Wonwoo who was sans Jihoon (probably in class or something. Wonwoo himself didn’t go to university until dark from what he’s told you when you bumped into him out in the streets) but working quietly on an assignment. Seungcheol had your check ready along with the small order Seokmin had placed beforehand.

“Lovely day isn’t it?” Seungcheol commented, using his permanent marker to draw a happy face on your coworker's cup of chocolate milk. “It feels like Christmas is upon us.” He stopped long enough to assess your reaction, knowing that you had no rest.

You plucked a chrysanthemum from the bouquet and handed it to him. “I love it but not that I’m not ready for overtime.”

“Ahh my young soul. Your impatience is that of a toddler. Yah, Chan! I told you to open it now!”

“Oh, I’m impatient?” You had to snicker. “I just don’t wanna feel like I’m wasting my life away to make sure everyone’s arrangements are perfect.”

“Why not make a post on FaceTwit or however you youngsters get your news out nowadays?” He looked out the window a little too dramatically. “In my days, why, I think we had only a newspaper.”

“Seungcheol? I’m pretty sure we’re about the same age.”

“Don’t mind him; full moons make him nervous,” Jihye interrupted the conversation. She had a bright smile on her face, arms wide open, expecting you to give her a hug, which you did because who wouldn’t wanna hug an elderly woman that loves you to bits? “Look at you, looking prettier everyday.”

“Good day Auntie. Where are you headed at this hour?” You waved at Jeonghan who had just appeared behind her. He smiled at you politely, busy chewing on his granola bar to answer. Your eyes widened. “Oh! Is it Saturday already?”

“Just some errands; we’re all in for an exciting remainder of the day...things to do and people to meet, words to explain. Not me, of course, but rather to guide them. Full moons mean I have a lot to do,” she mumbled more to herself. “Let’s see candles, wax figures, oh and can you get some roses ready for me too? Any color will do.” She grabbed your hand without warning. “My, my. Is it me or is your string looking...better? Ah yes, you’re in for some changes. I can tell by the look in your eyes.”

“Come on Grandma...let’s leave Y/N alone, shall we? We have a full day ahead of us. Ow!”

“You rapscallion. I wasn’t talking to you, or are you in a hurry to get somewhere?” She waggled her finger at him. “We’ll get there when we get there. But you’re right. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can come back. It’d be rude to keep my guests waiting. And you have plans with the dream boy. What was his name? Joshua. ” She turned her attention back to you. “Now, if you don’t want an angry customer, I’ll expect my roses tonight.”

“Yes Auntie!” You saluted her. You picked up your drinks, bid them a good rest of the day and went straight back to Smile Flower, sighing when you realized the rest of the work ahead of you and then the phone rang an hour or so later. When Seokmin came in a few minutes later, you were rushing out the door, with only a vague explanation of you leaving for an auction in China and finding help for the time being. You heard him laugh at your enthusiasm but promised to keep to the place standing. By the time you turned and waved at him, a handmade help wanted sign already on the front window for passerby to see and you waved to Jeonghan who was coming back from the presumable dinner with his friend. In an instant, there was chaos but you were already running late to see for yourself. You cursed The8 for being an artist with too much talent. The only thing you had caught was Jeonghan kneeling on the floor and struggling to pick something up.

It was a little after dusk when Seungkwan finally set foot in Seoul and he cursed under his breath when he saw that his string was leading him the same way he showed up. He put his foot down though and decided to settle in Seoul for a time because he didn’t leave Jeju just to probably go back. He walked around aimlessly, looking at the department stores, thrift shops, a few malls, a couple of chains that sold international products, recording studios, too many coffee shops to keep track of and even a flower shop sporting a help wanted sign. The door opened not much later and out came a boy carrying a rather large bouquet of flowers in a vase. He set them on the floor and locked up when he noticed Seungkwan. “I’m sorry, did you need something? I’ll be back in like five minutes.” He picked them up. “I just need to take these next door.”

“I uh, couldn’t help but notice you were hiring.” He decided to walk with the boy. There wasn’t harm in asking a few questions.

“Yeah my manager is currently on the way to China and I need someone to deliver while I stay there….HI EVERYONE!” Not being used to having eyes on him (it has been awhile since he had attention) he picked nervously at his string. The barista at the register acknowledged him with a greeting and he deemed it rude to not respond, so he ordered a hot tea and a cake pop, waiting for the boy he was walking with to finish his run so he could discuss the possibility of a job. He sat at a table where no one would question being alone, feeling at home despite the fact that he was an outcast. There was people despite the hour, two boys chatting amongst themselves at their own table near the door, a couple of actors with killer makeup skills that gave them an undead look, and a guy with his grandma, looking expectantly around them. She would say something to him and he’d nod in response. The only other worker was asking about the colors of the flowers and Seungkwan almost snorted at him for not being able to differentiate the red from the purple.

“I was starting to think I wasn’t going to meet you.” The old lady startled his people watching and he stared at her confused. “The red string,” she elaborated. The boy escorting her pulled a seat out for her and she sat across from him while his just jaw dropped. The boy then called for a Hansol who had emerged from another door, while they bugged the zombie looking actors. He only caught the name Joshua, but the other slipped his mind, remembering someone claimed his attention.

“I don’t-” She sighed, took his pinkie and yanked at the thread and his hand involuntarily shot forward. “How’d you know about that?”

“I don’t need a full moon to see it,” she laughed fondly. “And I can tell you we’ve been waiting for sometime to meet you. How rude of me! What’s your name young man?”

“S-Seungkwan.” He furrowed his eyebrows. “What do you mean we, Auntie?”

“Goodness, look at the time! Everyone out. I must get this done by midnight.” She looked at the analog clock on top of the entrance doors. “Anyone who dares contradict me is more than welcome to help me get this ready. I am old and frail after all. Seokmin! Get this boy a job with you! Lord knows you and Y/N need the help. He will be a very good asset to the business.”

“Uhh, yes Auntie!” The boy named Seokmin pulled on Seungkwan’s arm. “Come on, I guess you’re hired. Let’s go get you a form filled out and you can get started tomorrow!”

Seungkwan surprised himself by staying a lot longer than intended in Seoul. He got the hang of making his deliveries in maybe one week. Granted, he had to learn the lay of the land first, but once he did, he realized how different life was here and he wasn’t complaining. He liked the rush of feeling like he was living in the fast lane. Seokmin turned out to be a really great coworker as well as friend. (He hated to admit he was slightly afraid of him though because of the “ghost girl” as he called her that followed him everywhere. DK swore though that she never tried to harm him, but he didn’t like the fact that he couldn’t see what he looked like.) They went to a lot of places together, from the thrift store they regularly delivered to an aquarium on the coast near the outskirts of Seoul. He had a friend who worked there regularly and despite the minor clashes, Seungkwan liked him right away. He also befriended the boy named Hansol, a boy who was literally cold to the touch, only because his roommate started spending more time with a boy she’d met, as he had learned his friends weren’t actors, just heavily sleep deprived.

He became an everyday customer at the Adequate Eternity, learning the names of Wonwoo and Jihoon who both seemed rough on the edges but melted that exterior rather quickly as well as Seungcheol who had a funny way of talking and Chan who he learned couldn’t see colors (and that made him bad for judging the boy when he first saw him. He made it up to him by trying to explain what they looked like though.)

He learned to confide in Jeonghan about his doubts and any worries. Seungkwan knew that he knew about the string (he figured it was Auntie Jihye who told him since they spent so much time together. Jeonghan simply adored her even though she was very sarcastic and tended to hit him playfully. He also learned it was part of the relationship) but he never brought it up in conversation or even hinted if the string even had an endpoint.

He spent many years accepting the fact that it was the mathematical vocabulary word ray; it had a starting point but the string could go on forever. Jeonghan would simply shrug and pull out the pendant he wore around his neck. “It’s like this,” he explained one day when it changed color. “My grandma said it changes according to moods, but it’s not my mood, but rather someone else’s. Some things just don’t have an explanation, and sometimes it’s up to us to find them. That’s why you’re here, right? You didn’t come all this way to get away from home. You want to see where it leads you. I don’t blame you though. I’d be curious too. But regardless, I’m glad it led you here.”

“Hey hyung, what do you think it could be? Why is it us?”

He paused, toying with the object. “Soulmates,” he finally admitted. Some things are much too powerful to be anything else.”

Seungkwan nodded, feeling oddly satisfied with the answer. It was the first time he thought a person could be on the other end and it seemed more probable. He didn’t grow up scorning the idea that someone was out there just for him and he thanked his family for being as open minded as they were about it.

However, he supposed a lot of his nervousness came from the fact that he didn’t know who his manager was, despite the fact said manager phoned in a few times a day. Seokmin often filled her in on the day’s events and assuring her that Seungkwan was being a lot more helpful than he thought, spoiling the fact that he was hired on Auntie’s recommendations. He did speak to Y/N once though and he floored by knowing how friendly she seemed. She shortly explained that she left often because she was a fan of The8’s works and his art popped up all over Asia but she was thankful for him helping out. She was due at the end of the month though and he was excited for that notion.

You were gone a lot longer than you thought and you felt guilty that you hadn’t paid either of your employees but were grateful that they were understanding. You were bummed that you couldn’t get The8′s newest work but it wasn’t a complete loss since you managed to buy one of his books, so it was a small victory. The growling of your stomach made you stop with Yoon Jihye, despite the fact that that it was a little passed closing. Okay it was almost midnight but still. You knocked on the door, and Jeonghan opened the door, giving you your welcome back hug. “Here I was thinking you skipped town and moved to America,” he joked. His pendant was clear that night, but still illuminating the dark place. “Shouldn’t you be home, or on your way there?”

“I was hungry and I needed to check next door first. My priority is to pay whatever damage DK and his friend caused and them too for being good sports. Hi Auntie.”

“Welcome back dearie. We missed you. How was your trip? Unfortunately Seungcheol burned our last batch of zucchini bread so I can’t offer you anything. Poor boy must’ve had a bad day.”

“That’s okay. I guess I can just stop by one of the stores still open. But I guess I’ll see how my business is. Good night.” Luckily for you, Seokmin had started the filing the receipts that needed to be sent out as well as stamping the checks that could be sent out for depositing and you saw several orders with upcoming deadlines as well as rough outlines of how to bunch them together. The place was spic and span, albeit a few stems strewn about. You texted him and told him you’d be closed tomorrow so he could have a couple of days off (which were gonna be paid as a thank you for taking over with no complaints) but you told him to let the new coworker meet you at the coffee place so you could decide if you really wanted him or not. Based on your conversations with Seokmin, he was new to the area but was rather efficient so keeping him definitely seemed likely.

Your growling stomach didn’t let you do much else so before heading home, you did a quick shopping trip just so you could have something in your system because ordering out took too long and it was too late to get pizza delivered. You deliberated with yourself the whole way there. Instant noodles seemed like a really tempting option but you really didn’t want to be hungry again after an hour but a home cooked meal would take too long to prepare and you were sure you’d fall asleep before it finished. You weren’t really a fan of microwaveable food either, so frozen was definitely out of the question as well. So your best option was to have what teenagers ate for lunch: chips and an energy drink. It’d keep you full until morning but you’d switch that for water for the simple reason that you wanted sleep.

You waved to a few of the workers, chatting idly before getting back the mission at hand. You finally found the aisle you were looking for, craving salty and going to the other end of the aisle until you can across the specific brand you were looking for and it seemed like your luck ended there because there wasn’t anymore, or so you thought. You crouched to the bottom row and there was one more left. You didn’t even have to stretch far to get it but you didn’t notice that someone else had their eye on it because they grasped it at the same time you did. “Hey, that’s mine,” you grumbled, ready to fight. You looked at the chips in your hand, and almost dropped them in surprise. The red string on your finger was tied to the other person who was looking just as dumbfounded as you. You stared open mouthed at each other for sometime, the food in question already on the floor. Slowly, painstakingly slowly, extended his hand out in a greeting, which scared you a little but otherwise shook it, disregarding the fact that the custom in South Korea was to bow.

Behind you, a trio of old ladies giggled at the sight which made both of you whip your attention towards them. They said nothing but looking satisfied at how the situation turned out. “Congratulations,” you heard one of them whisper and they disappeared almost as quickly as you noticed them. “Two down.”

“It was you I’ve been looking for,” he murmured in awe. Tentatively, he reached for your hand again, both of you watching the string grow in length when he pulled away and shrinking when he came close.

You broke out into a smile and you were sure you could’ve cried if you weren’t in public. You weren’t weird after all. And then it hit you. Against your better judgment, because hello you just met him, you asked him a single question. “Can you come with me?”

As it turned out, Jeonghan and the old lady were long gone by the time you reached them. Not that it mattered because you had gone back alone because he declined saying he to get ready for work the next day and you respected and admired him for that. He left you his phone number in case he finished early and he suggested Adequate Eternity which was more than convenient for you. You had more than enough time to spare to get to know Seungkwan so you decided to grab him a cup of hot cocoa before you finally met him. Saturday mornings for some reason were busier but that was beyond your control, not that you were in a rush or anything. You took your time starting an order for a grand reopening of an art museum you were so fond of and and giving the place an overall cleaning Since you had finished earlier than planned, you decided to go for the coffee run, locking up just as slowly, well once you were sure someone had your small order ready. The only thing out of the ordinary was quite literally bumping into a girl who seemed more focused on her watch, and before you could open the door for her, she gasped. “My card!” She exclaimed and turned around just as quickly. “I’m sorry!”

Inside, you heard a cry of frustration, followed by the sight of an annoyed Jihoon running out of the bathroom, a bit of toilet paper stuck on his shoe. “Damn it, not again,” he groaned. He resumed his spot next to Wonwoo, and they continued writing down some notes. (At least that’s what it looked like to you.) They argued quietly and it never ceased to make you think they’d end up being those friends who grew old together but instead of spending their days in the park, it’d be here.

Chan waved at you and continued his window cleaning with a newspaper and some kinda drinking alcohol while Seungcheol read his copy out loud. And the people you were looking for were were looking for some keys. “Grandma, where did you leave them?”

“If I knew, I wouldn’t ask you to look for them, right?”

“Good morning Auntie. Hey Jeonghan. Auntie, guess what happened last night?”

“From the light in your eyes, I can assume something good.” She pushed Jeonghan slightly. “Isn’t Y/N glowing?”

“Radiant Grandma. Ow! Hey, that wasn’t sarcasm! I meant that.”

“Oh hush, it’s rude to interrupt when someone is talking. Find the keys. Joshua said Babylon’s shipment is a can’t miss! You were saying, my dear?”

“I think-” you snickered at Jeonghan’s face and composed yourself, “I saw someone on the other end of the strand. What does that mean?”

“That I will explain when Jeonghan and I come back. Poor soul didn’t know where he left my keys. I think he’s the one with bad memory.” She winked at you. “Have you met the young man that’s been helping around?”

“Not yet. I told him to meet me here at noon. Um, this is kinda embarrassing, but do you know what he looks like?”

“He’s already waiting for you.” She pointed in the direction of where Seungkwan was sitting, eyeing the red string connecting you both and smiling smugly to herself when she saw the look of surprise on your face. “By the way, you’re soulmates. Jeonghan, let’s move! I have them right here!”

To say the least, you were nervous as you walked up to him. But then again, actually no, there was no then again. How the hell did something like that happen. Soulmates were extinct, weren’t they? There hasn’t been any evidence of them in years, so why now?

“Some things don’t require explanations though, right?”

“Holy shit, can you read my mind too?”

He smiled at you. “No. I was really surprised too but it makes sense. Hannie hyung helped me to understand that.” He pulled at the string and it brought your hand to his. “I guess what we decide to do with the knowledge is up to us. I know I came a long way to find you so I know I’m staying here for the time being. If you’ll have me as an employee and friend, that is.”

“Seungkwan, it would be a privilege to have you here as long as you’d like.” You returned his smile. “It’s officially nice to finally meet you by the way.”

“The honor is mine Y/N.”

A few days later, he took you out to the aquarium his friend worked, casually linking pinkies as you walked along, seeing the marine life, watching them swim in circles and come up for air. “Hey Hansol-ah!” He waved at someone you recognized, but he looked like he was on a date with a girl you noticed as someone from the museum you frequently visited and you smiled shyly at her. “What brings you here?”

“Enjoying the beach vibes my friend.” He waved excitedly at you like you were good friends and you returned the gesture. Anyone Seungkwan was fond of, you adored, especially him because of how well they got along and how there was no secrets between them. “Are you on a date too?”

“Yeah, this is my soulmate Y/N.”

“Nice to meet you. Well, we better get going but it was great to see you Kwannie.”

“You know, I hope he’s as lucky as I am and has a soulmate too. Do you think it could be her?”

You shrugged. You’d found out from Jeonghan that they came back in this century but only a rather near nonexistent percentage. “I’m not sure. It’d be nice if he did too, but if he doesn’t, well, I hope he ends up with someone that could be like one.” You agreed that not everyone was lucky enough to have an other half though. He threw his arm around you as the wind blew and he kissed your hair, messing it up that much more.

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xjoiexgabriel · 5 years

Text

Meet the Parents }} Vabe

Who: Gabe Beiste and @vincechambers

When: 11/8

Where: Joie University and South Haven, MI

What; Gabe meets the Chambers (tw: mentions of abuse)

Vince finished up making himself look presentable after he had worked out and showered. Vince smiled reading the text from Gabe and made his way out to find the other on campus. He made his way towards the most common areas someone would be, keeping his eye out for Gabe and Myles.

Gabe had text his boyfriend, waiting for him with Myles. the little boy was getting better at walking and he wanted him to practice more on something that wasn't carpet or linoleum. Seeing Vince, he waved him over.

Vince finally spotted Gabe and waved back, making his way over to the other. "Hey!" he said, leaning down to kiss him. "And hello to you too." He said tapping Myles' nose with a smile on his face.

Gabe kissed him back. Once he had greeted Myles, Gabe pulled Vince to him. "Hey so I was thinking... What would you think about a road trip this weekend?"

Vince wrapped an arm around the other and shrugged some. "I wouldn't mind that. Where were you thinking of going?"

"Maybe to New York... Or to see your family. " Gabe shrugged, nuzzling his cheek softly.

Vince smiled a little and looked up to him. "You'd want to drive to Michigan to meet my family?"

"Yeah, I would. I think since we're planning our future they should know me and meet your future step son. " Gabe sucked his lip nervously.

Vince grinned a little listening to him. "Can we drop the step and just say son?" he asked, running his hand along Myles' head gently.

Gabe smiled, kissing him. "Yeah, I think we can do that. " He whispered, kissing him once more.

Vince kissed him back before smiling at him. "Then we'll head up to Michigan." He told him before looking to Myles again. "We'll need to get him some more cold weather stuff too. Mom said it's only going to be in the 20s this coming week."

Gabe grinned, nodding. "I think I can handle that unless you want to come along and all. I'm kind of excited to meet your family. "

"Of course i'm coming along." He laughed, nudging him gently. "Is that all you called me \all the way over here for?" he teased.

"Well, yes. I wanted to see you and Myles needs to practice walking on grass... Plus if we're going. We need to get things together and maybe we'll stop on the way for warmer clothes? " Gabe suggested.

Vince hummed a little before nodding a little. "How's he doing on the grass?" he asked curiously. "And yeah, we can pack stuff up and head out and stop to get some stuff on the way."

"He's falling some but he's getting better. Just got to let him do it. " Gabe smiled, watching Myles stand again and toddle along. "He got some warm stuff so I'll pack that." Running over, Gabe scooped his son up and smiled to his boyfriend. " Let's go pack. "

Vince smiled watching Myles, making sure he didn't toddle off too far from them. Vince got up and nodded his head, holding his hands out to Myles. "Sounds good to me."

The three of them made their way to the frat. Gabe got himself packed for the weekend then packed up some more things for Myles so he was ready for anything. "Hey babe, I found some good snow gear for Myles so I think we're good on that front." Calling out as he finished backing everything in one suitcase for both of them.

Vince walked back with him and up to his own room where his winter stuff was still. He came back down to help since he knew it would take Gave a little longer with Myles. “Oh good, are we all set then!”

Gabe had just finished changing Myles and putting him into some pajamas. "I'm pretty sure that he'll be asleep when we get there. Do you want to tell your parents were on the way?" Picking Myles up and putting the boy on his hip as he grabbed the backpack, his luggage bag and the portable crib. "Well I know its a lot but we need it." He chuckled.

Vince nodded, sending a text to his mom letting her know. “I know we need it but I also don’t need you dropping him. Let me take some.” Vince said, grabbing the luggage bag and crib for him.

Gabe chuckled some then handed it over. The walk to his vehicle wasn't far and soon they were loaded up and everyone strap in for the ride. Gabe had given Myles a bottle for this part of the drive. "So its about an 8 hour drive right? So we'll get there around 10?" He asked as he pulled out and hit the freeway.

Vince packed everything in the back before climbing into the passenger seat. “Between here and South Haven?” He asked before shaking his head. “Only about 4 and a half hours depending on traffic.” He said, reaching out for the other’s hand.

"Oh okay, I wasnt sure. " Gabe taking his hand as they drove. "So what did your mom say about us coming? I'm kind of nervous to meet them and what they'll think about me and having a kid and all. "

Vince pulled his phone out to look at the text again. “And I quote, ‘Oh Vincey I’m so happy to hear you’re coming home for the weekend. Dad and I can’t wait to meet Gabe and his little guy. See you all soon.’ So she’s excited about it.” He laughed.

"Well okay, that's good. " Gabe kissing his hand and checking the mirror to see that Myles was asleep already. "Gotta keep up the walking, seems to really tire him out. "

Vince turned around to look at Myles and smiled seeing him. “Didn’t even finish his bottle he was so tired.” He said, turning back around with a smile on his face still.

"Yeah, I think its the upside to all of it. He's going to start getting better which means we have to watch him more but at the same time, he's going to be very tired." Gabe chuckled a bit. "So anything I need to know about your family before we get there? What do they know about me?"

Vince nodded along to what he was saying. "True. But I'd rather he be tired then up all night." He told him. Vince smiled a little before shrugging some. "I mean, they know how we met, they know about Myles. They know you play football and baseball with me."

"So nothing about my past and all? Just wondering." Gabe shrugged. He was a bit worried as to how they'd react about his trans father but that wasn't something he was going to focus on right now. "Did you tell them I seduced you for 2 years?" he winked.

Vince shook his head a little. "nah, I figured you'd be better at telling the story of your past when they ask you about it." Vince said, giving his hand a small squeeze. He laughed softly and shook his head some. "Nope. definitely didn't say that to them."

"So they don't know how much we messed around before we got together?" gabe wiggling his brow to him then smiling even more. "I'll have to make sure to tell them...kidding baby. And yeah, I guess it is best it comes from me." With that, he focused on the road. They were getting close to Vince's when Myles woke. He moved and then starting to make noises. "I think he needs a change." Gabe pulling over, he could feel the chill as he let Vince climb into the back to change him.

Vince blushed and shook his head. "Please don't." He laughed a little. Vince kept the smile on his face as they drove. He turned his head hearing Myles waking up before nodding a little. "I got it." He said, getting out to go change the baby. He placed the dirty diaper in a plastic bag to throw out when they got to his parents' house. He got a toy out for Myles to keep him entertained before getting back in the front. "All ready again." He said.

"Thank you, babe." Gabe smiled to him, taking his hand again. "Okay, now I need you to direct me where we're going from here." They were reaching South Haven and he didn't want to get them too lost.

Vince nodded his head a little, directing him through his home town. "Alright, right up here..." He said, pointing to the driveway to his parents' house on the lake. It was a rather large, cabin looking house. "Welcome to the Chambers Residence." He smiled to Gabe.

Gabe took it all in. Now he could see that Vince came from money but it didn't bother him much. Pulling up, he parked and got out. "Well this is something." he told Vince as he grabbed Myles out and wrapped him in his wrap to make it easier to carry it all. With bags in hand, he followed Vince up to the door. "Wait....are your brother's here?"

Vince smiled, grabbing their luggage and everything else out of the car. He looked to Gabe as he wrapped Myles up before handing over his bag. "Um..." He said, looking to the cars. "Coty might be unless he just left his car here and flew somewhere else."

"Which one is that?" He whispered to him as Vince led them into the house. His nerves were high but he'd be alright as Myles 'talked' against his chest.

"He's my oldest brother. He's very free-spirited. Definitely a modern day hippie." He grinned, holding onto his hand. "MA!" He called opening the door and headed inside. Elizabeth made her way into the entrance way to greet them. "Vince!" she said, throwing her arms around her son before looking to Gabe and Myles. "and you must be Gabe and Baby Myles!" She said, hugging them carefully.

Gabe nodded some and then they were in. He could see Vince's kind eyes came from his mom. He hugged her back, nodding. "yes ma'am. Its nice to meet you, thank you for letting us come and visit."

"oh please, Call me Elizabeth." She told him before smiling to Vince. "Vince knows he's welcome home whenever he wants to. I'm just so happy he's finally foud himself a nice young man." She said, taking their bags. "I have Vince's old room all set up for you guys." She said, heading up there. Vince looked to Gabe and nodded towards the stairs, a small blush on his face. "Come on..." He whispered, heading up the stairs

Gabe smiled, even blushing as well. "Thank you Mrs...Elizabeth." He followed Vince up the stairs and to his room. "So they're cool with us sharing a bed and all the things?" he asked, though he knew they probably wouldn't do much with Myles close to the bed.

Vince nodded his head a little, giving him a smile. "Matthew, my second oldest brother, had people over all the time." He shrugged some before walking into his room. "Thanks Ma. We'll just get stuff settled and be down so you can embarrass me." He said, giving her a kiss on the cheek.

"Oh okay, I just wasn't sure." Gabe wanting to make sure they really were okay with this part of them being together. "I can't wait to hear all the stories she has for me."

Elizabeth made her way back downstairs to get pictures and things sorted to show Gabe. "Babe, she loves you already." He told him seriously. "She's never told a guy to call her Elizabeth at the first meeting. She loves you." he grinned, getting Myles' play pin set up so he'd have somewhere to sleep.

"If you're sure. Sorry I've never done the meet the parents until now. " Gabe set his bag down, then pulled Myles out. "Someone is due for another change." Changing his son then grabbing some of the baby food from the bag to take down stairs with them.

Vince got things settled before opening the door to his room again. "Ready to look at what i'm sure are embarrassing photos of me?"

"Yes but first." He pulled Vince into his side and kissed him softly and slowly, smiling as Myles seemed to coo and cheer from them. Gabe even saw clapping that made him chuckle. "Okay, lets go."

Vince couldn't help but laugh a little at Myles clapping at them kissing. He ran his hand lovingly over the baby's hair before leading Gabe down the stairs. "Alright..." he said, taking a seat in the living room, seeing all the albums out already. Elizabeth made her way back in with a tray holding mugs. "I made hot cocoa." she said setting the tray down on the empty spot on the coffee table. "I'm just so happy you three are here. And Myles is adorable. May I hold him?"

Gabe followed and sat, pulling Myles out and letting him sit on his knee. "Thank you Elizabeth, I'm happy to be here and to meet you as well. Oh sure." Gabe set Myles down, letting his son walk towards her. "We're trying to encourage him to walk more then be carried."

Vince grabbed for a cocoa for himself before sitting back on the couch. He smiled watching the interaction between his mom and Gabe and Myles. "Oh look how cute!" She said, seeing Myles walking towards her. "Hello sweetheart!" She said, picking him up to sit on her lap. "So I thought maybe we could go through some pictures so Gabe can see what you were like as a little guy."

Gabe looked to Vince then smiled. "Only if you want to, I mean i can picture it and he told me about his speech thing with he was young too."

Vince motioned to the pictures, knowing better than to deny his mom this moment. "You couldn't understand a word he was saying." Elizabeth laughed, holding Myles as she leaned to get the first book and handed it to Gabe to flip through.

Gabe took the book though he watched his son as well. He was overprotective and he did trust her, just wasn't too sure how Myles would take it. So far he was doing okay so Gabe started to flip through it a bit. "Is that you?" He turned to Vince.

Vince sipped on his cocoa before leaning up to look at the picture Gabe was pointing at. He laughed a little and nodded. "Yeah. Zack was being mean to me." He said, pointing to his brother who was closest in age to him in the picture.

Gabe chuckled, going through them all. It was quite something to see, seeing him so young and quite the little ball player. "You loved the Cubs even then huh?" he grinned.

Vince grinned proudly at him and nodded. "Of course I did." Vince said, giving his mom a smile. "I'm working on converting Gabe to a Cubs fan." He explained. Elizabeth smiled watching them, her attention going between them and Myles. "Sweetheart, you can't force everyone to love the same things you do."

"Yeah, it wont happen. My dad is a coach for the Seahawks and I'm a good old Seattle sports boy but its okay, I think it will be fun for us to have rival teams at times." Gabe closing that book and leaning over to give Vince a quick kiss.

Vince rolled his eyes a little at the two of them. He kissed him back before grabbing the next book for them to go through. "I'll end up being the only person in Seattle rooting for Chicago things." He laughed.

"Hmm well i think you might get Myles to cheer for both until he sees how good Seattle is." Gabe winked and sat back to look at the book with Vince now.

Vince shook his head a little "you mean until he sees how good Chicago is." he grinned back at him before glancing to his mom. She smiled at the two, nodding towards the book in their hands. "That's a good one. That one is all of Vince before he turned two."

"So this is going to have the bathtub pictures?" Gabe smirked and started to look. He heard Myles start to whine some and he looked back to him. His brow furrowed then he smiled as he got into the bag he brought down. Pulling out a container of yogurt bites, he handed it to Elizabeth. "Its almost his dinner time."

"Bathtub pictures as well as his phase of never wanting to wear clothing." She grinned proudly at the fact she took all those pictures. Elizabeth looked to Myles before grabbing the yogurt bites. "Is someone hungry?" She asked in a higher pitched voice, opening the can and poured some out in her hand for Myles to pick one.

Gabe chuckled some. "Well I don't think he's grown out of that one." Winking to Vince. He looked through it then kissed Vince's cheek as he looked over to Elizabeth and Myles together.

Vince's cheeks immediately turned bright red. He nudged him before looking away to hide the blush from his mom. "Oh Sweetheart, believe me... I know how boys work. There are four of you." She rolled her eyes playfully.

Gabe chuckled, turning Vince's face back and stealing a longer kiss. "These were cute, thank you for letting me see them. It gives me a good idea of just how cute kids could be in the future."

Vince made a face at him after the kiss. "Well duh." He laughed a little before sitting back with his mug again. "He should probably eat something more than just the yogurt bites, Ma. You're gonna have to give him over." He said, knowing how his mom was.

Gabe nodded some. "Yeah, I think I need to feed him." Reaching out to take Myles and sitting him on his lap. "Where is the dining table and kitchen?" Looking between the two of them.

Elizabeth frowned but understood, handing Myles over. "Just through that archway, sweetie." She said, pointing to the room behind them.

"Thank you." With his son on his hip, Gabe carried him off. He warmed up some dinner for him and sat Myles on the table to eat so Gabe could feed him easier. He grinned as his son took bites and made faces to him.

Vince sat with his mom, talking about things while Gabe fed Myles. Elizabeth eventually got up and made her way into the dining room. "So, Vince is pretty quiet about things normally. He hasn't really told me much about you other than the sports things..." She said, sitting next to Gabe so Myles would keep his focus on his dad.

Gabe smiled to her, then nodded some. "Yeah, its understandable why he might do that. So what would you like to know?" Finding it easier to have them ask question rather then just give out information right away.

"Well you said your dad is the coach for Seattle. Did you grow up there? Tell me about your childhood and stuff." Elizabeth said, leaning against the table to look at him better.

Gabe scoffed for a moment. "You dont want to know my childhood. It's not something anyone would ever want to know..." he looked to her as Myles finished eating. "Just give me a moment." Picking up Myles, he took him to Vince as Vince knew the routine and then went back to the kitchen. "My childhood involved a lot of abuse to myself, my younger bother and my mom. My dad, he's still alive but we haven't seen him since we were young. Mom finally left him and he moved on with the woman he was cheating on her with. Then when i was about 12, my mom became my dad. The one thats the coach."

Vince took Myles as Gabe brought him back, going to get him ready for bed. Elizabeth stayed at the table while Gabe came back after handing his son off. She frowned listening to his story. "I'm so sorry to hear you had to go through that. No one should have to go through that." She said softly to him. Elizabeth leaned her head to the side, trying to follow along still. "So your dad is transgender? I just want to make sure I'm following corrently." She said, giving him a smile.

"My sperm donor is gone and yes, the dad I refer to is trans. His name is Sheldon Beiste." Gabe smiled a bit. "I know no one should have to go through what we did but its what I went through, I'm just never going to let that be something that Myles ever has to be around."

Elizabeth nodded, giving him a soft smile. "Well I think you've turned out to be a wonderful man. Your dad did an amazing job raising you. Especially under the circumstances he was going through." She told him seriously. "I've honestly never seen Vince this happy about something that wasn't baseball related."

Gabe smiled. "I should give you his number if you want to ever talk to him. I know he'd love to meet you and your husband." Hearing her talk about Vince and him, he blushed now. "We've kind of been dancing around this for a couple years. Never really worked out until now and now...I never want to let him go. I mean I know we've been together a short time but I've never felt before what I do with him."

Elizabeth nodded with a smile. "I would love to meet your dad and get to know him as well!" She told him before smiling at the blush. "Oh really? Vince never mentioned you two being a thing before." She told him before smiling more. "All I ask is that you don't hurt him. He's fallen hard for you if he's agreed to a weekend here with you."

"Yeah? Okay, I'll give you his number before we leave." Gabe smiled to her. "Sorry I didn't mean to embarrass you...but yeah, we knew each other outside of sports." He blushed more now. "He's not alone in that, I wouldn't want him around Myles if I thought it wasn't going to be a bigger thing then just dating.

"oh no, sweetheart, you didn't embarrass me at all." Elizabeth told him seriously. "I'm really glad that you two have found each other." she said with a smile on her face. "And please, make yourself at home while you're here."

"Thank you." Gabe hugging her for a moment. "Umm where is Mr. Chambers?" Looking around a bit. "I thought I would have met him by now or is he still at work? "

"you're welcome." She said, returning the hug. She looked at the clock before nodding. "He doesn't get home until 11 tonight so he'll be here in a couple of hours. He's in the ER today."

Oh right, he was a doctor. "Oh okay. Well if you excuse me, I want to check to see Myles isnt giving Vince to hard of a time. He's only 9 months but he's got an attitude." Gabe smiled to her before leaving the room and making his way up the stairs to Vince's room.

"Of course. And if you two are hungry, kitchen is open." She told him. Vince was sitting in his room with Myles. He was sitting on the floor playing with the different toys they brought for him. He knew Myles was still too little to understand, but Vince would pick up a block and tell him the color of it just to get him used to learning things.

"You know he does understand that. They start to comprehend when they're about his age. He can even start putting toys away at one and by one he should be able to tell us some body parts." Gabe coming to sit with Vince on the floor. "Did he do okay in the bath for you?"

Vince looked back hearing Gabe before smiling. "I know, but it's never too early to start." Vince told him before handing Myles the block in his hand. "Thank you." He said as Myles passed one to him. He smiled and nodded at Gabe. "Yep! We had a fun time taking a bath tonight. We played with the duckies, right?" He asked Myles with a smile.

Gabe smiled to see them like this. "Your mom was very serious with me about not breaking your heart and I did tell her about our 2 years together." Nudging him some as he made a face at his son.

Vince glanced back to Gabe and hummed a little. "What'd she say?" he asked softly before setting the blocks down. "May I have one please?" he asked, holding his hand out to Myles to see if he'd actually do it.

Myles picked up the block and handed it to Vince but then took it back and gave it back to him again. "Told you, he understands. And she said she didnt know but was happy we found each other." Gabe replied.

Vince gasped playfully as Myles took it back before holding onto it once he finally gave it to him. "Thank you." he said with a smile. He turned his head to Gabe again and smiled listening to him. "I told you she'd like you."

"Yeah, yeah." Looking at the clock, he looked at his son. "it is bed time for little man." Picking him up and setting him in his play pen, Gabe laid him on his stomach as he rubbed his back and Myles sucked on his bottle a bit. "Lights babe, and remember we need some sort of nightlight on too."

Vince nodded a little, getting up to get the lights. He pointed to the wall next to Myles' play pen. "Got it covered already." He said with a smile before turning the light off so Gabe could see the nightlight turn on.

"Thank you, I love you." Gabe whispered to him as he still rubbed his son's back. Soon though the boy faded to sleep and Gabe removed his hand from his back. "He's out. So what should we do until its our bed time?" he smirked to Vince.

Vince smiled listening to him. "I love you too." He told him softly. He watched the other as best he could in the dark before shrugging. "I could show you around if you want? I don't know how tired you are."

"I was thinking other things but sure, show me around." Gabe's hand slipping into Vince as they quietly left the room. He knew Myles would be okay for a bit, he didn't tend to wake up right after he fell asleep.

Vince took his hand and shrugged. "I figured that's not that you meant but I don't want to wake up Myles and I'd feel awkward doing that here." He admitted, grabbing the baby monitor and put it in his pocket as they walked out of the room. "I'll show you around outside completely tomorrow. But maybe we can cuddle by the fireplace out on the porch? I know it's chilly so we can get a blanket and the fire will keep us warm."

"Hmm I know you do but I will demand I get to at least make out with you in nothing." Gabe wiggled his brow a bit and walked along with him. He was thankful they were still dressed for being outside as they walked. "So do you think your brother or your dad will give me the full "Hurt him I kill you" talk?"

Vince rolled his eyes a little, giving his hand a squeeze. "It's a good thing my door locks." He said with a smile. Vince shrugged a little. "I don't think Coty's actually here or he would have made himself known. Mom probably drove him to the airport so eh didn't have to leave his car there. Dad on the other hand... he might." He said. "But he's harmless."

Gabe winked. "Very good then. I mean, I can't help it plus your mom just said you've always liked to be naked." He teased with him. "Well my dad gave you that talk, I think I can handle your dad's version."

"oh my gosh, shut up." He said, his cheeks turning red again. Vince lead him out to the porch and turned the fireplace on before resting on the couch out there. "I'm sure dad's will be just like yours was for me."

"Oh no I will never shut up, you have to make me." Sitting by him at the fireplace. "So it will be a lot of bluffing and threats that are semi untrue?" He chuckled, pulling Vince in close. "Still waiting for you to shut me up." he whispered to him, then kissed behind his ear.

Vince nodded his head with a smile. "He's definitely all bark and no bite." He told him, watching the fire. He hummed a little at the kiss behind his ear before turning his head to kiss him gently.

Gabe gladly took the kiss. He smiled against Vince's lips and cupped his cheek all the while. He could get use to this, the idea of them in their own house, cuddling by a fire.

Vince sighed into the kiss. He pulled back after a moment and smiled at him. "Love you." He whispered before resting his head on Gabe's shoulder to watch the fire.

"Love you too." His head resting on Vince's as they sat there. "Vince....I want to marry you some day." The words fell so easily from his lips and he didn't even pull away because in that moment, Gabe knew it was exactly what he was feeling.

Vince pulled the blanket up a little, just watching the fire. He smiled hearing him, moving his hand to hold onto Gabe's. "I can't wait for that day to happen." He responded back to him, giving his hand a squeeze.

Gabe looked down at their hands, grinning. It wasn't a proposal but it was a promise. Even though it was early it was one promise he knew he'd keep. So slipping his plain silverband from his finger he slipped it onto Vince's right hand. "I promise." he whispered to him.

Vince looked up at him before he looked down to his hand with a smile. "I'm holding you to that." He said, looking to the ring now on his own finger instead of Gabe's. He leaned up and kissed the other's chin before turning slightly to cuddle into his side.

#pvince #meet the parents

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