#but whatcha gonna do King Laugh comes when he wants okay

[luanna801]

Maybe a little Jonathan/Mina dialogue right after the ending when they see that her forehead scar is gone?

"It's truly gone?"

Her hand is at her forehead, tracing over the skin. She can't see, of course, but her fingertips move anxiously across the expanse, her heart stuttering when the flesh under them is smooth to the touch.

"It's gone," Jonathan confirms, his arm a steadying brace around her shoulders. They can't help holding each other now, clinging to each other for dear life even now that the battle is over. Perhaps all the more so, now that it is.

"I would show you, but, well..." Jonathan's mouth curls in a half-smile suddenly, and there's a light dancing in his eyes that Mina hasn't seen in months.

"... You might have heard that my mirror met with an unfortunate accident."

For a moment Mina stares at him, and then the laughter comes bubbling out of her, ringing loud and bright across the snow-capped mountains. She can feel eyes turning to the pair of them in disbelief, but Jonathan just smiles and holds her closer, the two of them huddled and laughing in relief and sorrow and freedom.

[whiteqnn]

PURE [5] - Corpse Husband x Fem!Reader

A/N: It’s been a while.  

part 1

part 2

part 3

part 4

PURE [5]

“Did you guys find anybody?” Felix’s voice sounded out when the man repeated the same question for what seemed like the third time since he joined the call. The number of players showed 7 of them, which meant that they were still missing three people. Sure, they could start the game now, but it would be way more enjoyable and funny with a full lobby. 

“Yeah, Toast will be here any moment. “Sykkuno replied right away. “He just texted me; he should join us in a few.”

“Cool. Anyone else?” 

“I think Corpse was also supposed to join us, right? Not sure though why he isn’t here yet.” 

“Oh, yeah, Corpse will be here soon too!” Jack suddenly chimed in with an explanation. “He said he needed to take care of something first, but he’ll be here before we start.” 

“Great. But that means we’re still one person short.” Felix hummed when Toast’s little astronaut appeared in the lobby “Hey Toast."

“Hey man.”

“Do you have anyone coming?”

“I’m afraid not. I asked MrBeast, but he’s busy, so...”

“Well then, we can just start when Corpse is here, and maybe we’ll find someone in the meantime?” Dave suggested, earning a few hums of approval from the other players. 

“Yeah, I think that’s the best option...” Jack agreed. But then his voice blared out in everyone’s headphones with excitement. “Ha! Corpse is bringing someone!” 

“Who?” 

“I dunno, he just texted me he has one coming and that’s all.” 

“Hm, all right. Let’s wait then.”

***

Corpse fidgeted with his phone, glancing between its screen and the chat in his stream. People were already asking countless questions, but rather than answering them, he was waiting for Y/N to call him. He was nervous - the girl still hadn’t commented on his request. 

The idea to invite her to the lobby wasn’t spontaneous. In fact, he’d been thinking about it for quite some time now, but never found the courage to actually ask if she would like to join them for the game.

It’s been almost a month now since that memorable phone call. A month since Y/N last played with her friends; a month since she considerably reduced her social media usage. 

Sure, she was still active on her youtube channel, but not as much as before the whole haters situation. No matter how hard she tried to just ignore them and simply continue her career, she just couldn’t. There were still these nagging thoughts at the back of her mind, reminding her of all those people and their comments, their messages. It seemed like a good idea to take a short break and sort everything out.

Her fans understood it. They were obviously sad that her videos weren’t as frequent as before, but everyone knew what the situation looked like and that Y/N needed some time for herself. 

Her audience knew it, and so did her friends. Especially Corpse. 

The man kept his word and talked to the girl whenever she wanted to. Which, in the end, was almost everyday. Although at the beginning their conversations mostly focused on her current problem and dealing with it, their topics broadened over the time. 

At one point though, Y/N started worrying that maybe she’s annoying him with her so frequent calls. She thought that she shouldn’t bother him that much - even if talking to him was what really helped her cope with her problems. He already had enough on his plate, and sharing her own concerns with him suddenly seemed like a very selfish thing to do.

But she quickly realized how wrong she was for thinking like that. When one day she didn’t call, figuring out that she should stop troubling him with her own issues, she was very surprised when Corpse reached out to her himself. He expressed how worried he got when she didn’t call, and when she explained what was the reason, he spent the next fifteen minutes lecturing her that she should never think she’s bothering him. 

From that day on, they talked every single day. And they talked about almost everything.

Corpse enjoyed their late night-talks more than anything. He liked to listen to Y/N talk about the things she finds exciting, her hobbies, and her dreams. Hell, she could talk about what she ate for breakfast, and he would still listen with interest. 

And even though they haven’t seen each other in person, even though she still hasn’t seen his face, they managed to get really close during those past weeks. For an outside observer (who also didn’t have access to Twitter) they would seem like a couple of very good friends.

But not for Corpse.

He couldn’t pinpoint when exactly did it happen. They were talking one evening and Y/N was telling him about the TV series she had finished watching recently. He listened intently and watched as her facial expressions changed from excited to frustrated, as she was enumerating everything she liked and disliked about the series finale.

And then he suddenly got this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach, and simply couldn’t take his eyes off her. 

He tried to play it off and act as if nothing changed, but he couldn’t stop his heart from doing backflips whenever she laughed at one of his dumb jokes or called him partner. It was still a running joke between them and among the group of their friends, but there was something in the way she said it that made him instantly smile like an idiot. 

He also started paying more attention to the hashtags on Twitter and Instagram. #PartnersInCrime was still rather popular, even though it was a month since anyone last used this phrase on stream. Corpse also found out that #Y/Nforthebride was trending for some time; he even managed to stumble across a few fanarts. 

There was this urge to send them to Y/N, but he was too nervous that it would make things awkward between them... After all, he didn’t know how she felt about that whole shipping thing. 

That’s why he decided to just leave things between them as they are, and be happy that he’s at least her friend.  

Corpse nearly jumped out of his skin, when he was brought back to reality by the sound of an upcoming FaceTime call. Y/N’s photo appeared on his screen, her smiley face which he had assigned as her contact photo. His lips corners curled up in a smile almost unwittingly. 

“Hey Y/N/N” he said after answering the call. 

“Hi Corpse” she smiled softly upon hearing his voice. Although the screen on her side was dark, she didn’t mind not seeing Corpse’s face. She respected his wish to remain faceless and enjoyed their conversations anyway. 

“Whatcha doin’?”

“Just editing the new video. I guess I’ll upload it in the morning... but I’m not sure yet.”

“Well let me know then, I wanna be the first one to see it.” 

“Sure thing, Corpse” she chuckled, lowering her gaze bashfully. Corpse just looked at her face for a moment, unable to stop smiling to himself. Then he remembered why they were talking in the first place.

“So... have you seen my text?” Y/N sighed at his question but nodded her head slowly. “And what do you think?”

“I don’t know, Corpse...” she ran a hand through her hair in a nervous gesture. “...if that’s a good idea, I mean.”

“Well, it’s been a while. No pressure though, if you don’t wanna play then it’s totally fine.” he quickly clarified. “I just thought it would be fun if you joined us, even if just for a moment. I’m sure everyone would go crazy.” 

Her smile widened slightly at his words, but she still didn’t look convinced. Sure, it was tempting to join them. She wanted to do it each time Sean or Felix bombarded her with messages and codes to the lobby, both inviting her to join the group in the game. But then she remembered how people reacted to her appearance in their streams... and suddenly it didn’t seem like such a good idea anymore.

“We’re gonna play on Polus...” he added after a moment when she still didn’t say anything. “That one map with the planetary base... there’s a lava pit, y’know. Just saying...”

She laughed wholeheartedly at his words, remembering their last game when Corpse jumped into the lava for her. 

“Sykkuno’s gonna be there as well” Corpse continued. “And I promise I won’t kill you this time.”

“Even if I’m the last player alive?” she joked.

“Even then, Y/N.”

Corpse stifled a laugh, as she cocked her head to the side and narrowed her eyes slightly as if trying to spot him in the darkness. 

“Are you streaming, Corpse?” she then asked.

“Not yet. I’m gonna start the stream as soon as you say yes, though.”

“Oh c’mon” she laughed at his words “That’s emotional blackmail!” 

“Maybe. Is it working?” he asked.

Y/N let out a heavy breath and ran a hand down her face. Corpse watched in anticipation as she seemed to have some internal battle with herself. He hoped that she’s gonna agree, he really missed playing with her. 

“All right, then.” she suddenly said, and his breath hitched in his throat. “I’m gonna stay for a few rounds I guess...”

“Wait, really?” he asked, a smile on his face only widening. 

“Well, yeah, partner.” she replied, which made his cheeks go warm “Your imposter techniques haven’t been very effective lately... Someone needs to help you out, or you’re gonna lose your title of the king of the Imposters.” 

“Oh, is that’s how it is now?” he laughed in fake shock. “I wouldn’t have to worry about losing the title if my accomplice hadn’t left me all alone!” 

“All right, all right.” she giggled at his accusations. “Your accomplice is on her way to support you.” 

Corpse smiled even wider at the sound of her laughter. Her eyes shined with happiness when she was giggling, which only brought out their E/C color. The fact that his stupid babbling was the reason for her smile was making him feel extremely proud of himself.  

“But just so you know... I still have no idea how this map works, so I’m afraid I’m gonna need you to guide me around it...”

“Y’know you could as well just say you want to hang out with me...”

“Corpse!” she laughed, her cheeks blushing in embarrassment. 

“Just kidding Y/N” he chuckled at her reaction. “Of course I’m gonna guide you, don’t worry.”

“Okay then...” she said after a moment, looking at the screen again. “I’ll be there in a few minutes. Will you send me the code, please?”

“Sure I will, Y/N” 

“Okay. See you later, partner” she smiled brightly. 

“See you, partner.” 

When Y/N ended the call, Corpse let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. He sighed in relief and ran a hand through his hair, before moving to sit behind his desk.

It was only after he started the stream that he realized he was blushing. Not only because Y/N would join them, but because there was also another thing he wanted to ask her about, but didn’t find the courage to yet... 

***

By the time Y/N turned on her computer and started the game, Corpse has already sent her the code, and there was a Discord invite waiting for her as well. She bit her lip nervously as her heartbeat quickened. 

Was she nervous? As hell. 

She did everything she could to avoid being in unnecessary spotlight since she started receiving those hate messages. Perhaps escaping the problem wasn’t the best solution, but it definitely was a comfortable one. People wouldn’t have a reason to hate on her if she disappeared. 

But then she couldn’t say no to Corpse. And truth to be said - she really missed playing with her friends. From what she’d seen on Twitter, the lobby would be filled with those she’d already played with, so she wasn’t that nervous before the game. What she was nervous about though, was how people would react.

Accepting Corpse’s request was something she did due to the sudden rush of courage. And now there was no coming back.

She knew Corpse would understand if she changed her mind... but she heard how excited he was when she had agreed. She couldn’t do it to him. 

So, once she’d taken a deep breath and put her headphones on, Y/N accepted the invite and braced herself for the inevitable chaos that was bound to take place in the call. She decided to wait with joining the lobby though - at least until they realize she’s with them. 

“..the fuck you’re talking about?!” Felix’s voice was the first thing she heard, which made her roll her eyes with a smile. “It’s not my fault I sound like that! At least I don’t have a liar voice like Rae!” 

“HEY!” the girl yelled “I don’t have a liar voice!”

“You do, you’re using it even now!” Jack argued, much to Rae’s dismay. 

“What is going on here” Corpse’s deep voice sounded out suddenly. 

“Oh, you’re here! Finally” Sykkuno immediately welcomed him with his always happy voice. 

“Yeah, sorry that I’m late guys.”

“No worries, man” Pewdiepie spoke up again. “We were just talking about playing the voice card and that you’re basically the only one who can do it.” 

“Not fair at all!” Rae chimed in, making Corpse chuckle. 

“The voice card...” he hummed after a moment, before adding. “I wouldn’t really say I’m the only one though...”

“Well who else then? Everyone else either starts laughing or have a liar voice” Dave asked, and Rae scoffed at the last words.

“Well what about my guest?”

Y/N inhaled sharply, realizing that now she should probably reveal herself. 

“Oh, right! Who you’re bringing man?” Sean asked with curiosity.

That’s when Y/N typed in the game code, and her white astronaut appeared in the lobby. 

“Wait, who’s- HOLY SHIT” Sean all but yelled, when realization hit him. Y/N laughed loudly at his reaction, and her voice only seemed to prove to everyone that she really was there. 

“KIDDO WHAT THE FUCK” Felix reflected Jack’s response, yelling over his friend.

“Oh my god, hi!”

“What a surprise!” Y/N managed to catch Sykkuno’s words. “It’s so amazing to have you here, Y/N/N!” 

“As I live and breathe.” another voice spoke up, and Toast’s little astronaut came face to face with her white bean. “My lifelong nemesis. Back here snap my neck again, huh?”

“Yeah, happy to hear you too, Toast” Y/N giggled at his words, then she adressed the whole group. “Hi guys.”

“Okay I did not expect that in the slightest” Sean laughed happily “You’re here kiddo!” 

“I am” she smiled from ear to ear, even though they couldn’t see her. 

“Wait- Corpse, is that the thing you had to take care of?” her best friend asked Corpse with suspicious voice. 

“Well...” he trailed off and cleared his throat, making everyone laugh.

“That’s so great Y/N! We missed you so much!” Rae thundered over the bickering of the boys. “The game hasn’t been the same without you...”

“Agreed. I suddenly stopped dying.” Toast commented, making her roll her eyes with a laugh. 

“I don’t know if I should be happy or fucking scared right now.” Felix laughed nervously. “With Corpse and Y/N? We’re fucked now, guys.”

“I promise I’ll go easy on you, I haven’t played in so long I think I forgot all my strategies...” 

“Yeah, sure.” Toast’s forever suspicious voice made her smile wider. “Just don’t kill me in the first roung, okay? I won’t vote you off just stay the fuck away from me you little murderer.” 

“Okay, I promise I won’t kill you...” 

She couldn’t stop herself from laughing, and the smile remained on her face even when they started the game. It only seemed to widen, when she saw the sign Imposter on her screen. 

Only to giggle hysterically when she realized that Toast was the other imposter...

And so the game went on with Y/N and Toast cooperating like perfect serial killers. Corpse did as he promised and guided her through the map, both of them being closely followed by Sykkuno. Because of that she’d just sabotage the map most of the time to give Toast opportunities to kill their friends, but eventually managed to sneak out when her two fellow crewmates were doing their tasks. It just so happen that Pewds was walking past her, and she might’ve accidentally snapped his neck... 

“Goddamnit! I knew it! I fucking knew it was you!” Sean yelled once the game was over and Y/N saw the sign VICTORY on her screen, her small character standing next to Toast’s one. He was ejected at some point because Poki managed to walk in on him killing Rae, but Y/N remained undetected until the very end. Perhaps the fact that Corpse was one of the two crewmates who were left alive had something to do wtih it...

“That was rude” Pewds said in a whiny voice, clearly referring to their encounter which led to his death. “I was just happily walking around, doing my tasks like a good crewmate, and then boom! Y/N happened” 

“I would say I’m sorry... but I’m really not” she laughed, making Felix gasp in shock.

“That’s what happens when you work with Toast!” 

“Good game, Y/N. That was amazing” the man in question said appreciatively. 

“Will you finally forgive me for killing you that one time if I say that being imposters with you was cool?” she laughed nervously. 

“Actually... Yeah, I guess we can bury the hatchet now. AND we should team up more in the future.”

“Great!” 

“Excuse me, what?” Corpse’s voice made the whole lobby laugh. “I don’t remember us cancelling our partnership, Y/N.”

“Corpse...” 

“Are you trying to steal my accomplice from me Toast?” 

“Well she’s a great partner in crime after all...” Toast deliberately used the phrase, making Corpse gasp.

“Hey! She’s my partner! Find yourself your own, Toast” Corpse joked, making Y/N laugh bashfully, her cheeks warming up at his words. 

“Yeah yeah, I remember, don’t worry man. No one’s gonna take your partner in crime away from you...” Toast’s teasing voice made them all laugh, Corpse and Y/N included. 

For the next few rounds Y/N played as a crewmate, running around the map with either Corpse or Sykkuno and doing her tasks. During meetings they joked and laughed, and for a moment, she stopped thinking about what people watching her friend’s streams might think about her presence. After all, there was at least a small chance that they didn’t think about it at all, and simply enjoyed watching their favoirte youtubers. Just as she enjoyed playing with her friends. 

Oh, and by the way, Corpse kept his promise and didn’t kill her even when she was the last player alive...

It was soon time when everyone started slowly leaving the lobby, having played for over three hours. Y/N also said her goodbyes to the others and promised that she’d join them to play a game called Raft next week. 

When she turned her computer off and threw herself on her bed, Y/N immediately grabbed her phone to call Corpse. He answered right away. 

“Well hello, partner...” she rolled her eyes with a smile when he accented the last word. “Or should I say, traitor, instead?” 

“Corpse... you know I would never betray you...” 

“Well how can I be so sure, now that I know how cool it is to be imposters with Toast?” she knew he was joking, she could almost hear the smile in his voice.

“Not nearly as cool as it is with you, Corpse” Y/N grinned from ear to ear when Corpse scoffed. 

“I spare your life so many times and that’s what I get in return? You cheat on me with Toast?” he said in disbelief “I’m disappointed, Y/N, I really am.”

“I would never!” she laughed through her words, even though her cheeks were now red because of Corpse’s words. “You’re the best partner in crime, Corpse, I wouldn’t trade you for anyone else!” 

Not only in the game, she thought.

“Hmm, alright. Let’s say I believe you.” he said after a moment of thinking. 

“I mean it, Corpse...” Y/N said after calming down from her laughter. “I... I really wanted to thank you.”

“Thank me? For what?” he asked, genuinely surprised. 

“Well, first of all for inviting me to today’s game... I really had lots of fun, it was great to play and talk with the others. And I wouldn’t be in the lobby if not for you...” Y/N mumbled, before verbalizing her previous thoughts. “And I also wanted to thank you for just... you know... being my friend. My real life partner in crime. I just wanted you to know I’m really glad I met you...” 

Corpse was silent for a good few moments, and Y/N started panicking that maybe she said something wrong, or maybe he found her spontaneous confession funny, or worse, dumb. She was almost ready to somehow laugh it all off, when his voice cut her off.

“Thank you, Y/N. It really means a lot to me too.” he sounded like he had some troubles with speaking, which made Y/N furrow her brows in worry.

“Is everything okay, Corpse?” 

“Yeah, I...” he stuttered, then laughed nervously. “I just didn’t expect that and... yeah. It’s not something I hear on a daily basis, especially from someone like you.”

Someone like me? 

 “But what you said... it’s mutual.” he said after a moment, and Y/N couldn’t stop herself from grinning like an idiot. “You’re the best partner in crime I could ask for. And not only in the game.” 

She could as well just pass out there and there...

“So uhm... there was one thing I wanted to ask you...”

“Yeah?”

“I was wondering if maybe... you know, if you’d have some time... and if you’d want to of course... would you maybe like to visit me here in San Diego?”

Yeah, passing out seems like a good idea. 

***

This is not the last part. 

TAG LIST: 

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[thebookreader12345]

Not Gone Yet

Pairing: Connor Rhodes x reader

Summary: Connor’s supposed to be taking a job at the Mayo Clinic, but when Y/N finds him back at work next shift, she questions why he didn’t leave

Requested: Yes, by anonymous

Warnings: slight swearing, mention of injuries

Word Count: 1,556 Words

It all started the day Connor and I first met. 

Flashback

I was waiting for the next patient to come through the ambulance bay doors. There had been a huge train accident, and dozens of people were being sent our way. All of the doctors had been given people to work on, and now it was just me. Just then, a gurney barreled through the double doors, and on top of my patient was a young, handsome looking man.

“28-year-old male with crush injuries, a severed artery, and massive blood loss,” the man informed me as I grabbed ahold of the gurney and escorted it into the nearest available trauma room. “I got a tourniquet on his right leg and tried to intubate, but I couldn't get his jaw open. He lost his pulse on the ride.” 

“Put him on our monitor and rapid transfuser,” I order the nearest nurse. “Also, grab 4 units of O-neg and start with a round of Epi.” 

“I already hit him with Epi twice. Still no pulse. He's in fib,” the man told me. 

“All right, I’ve got it from here,” I exclaim. 

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay,” the guy stated.

“If you don’t mind me asking, who the hell are you?” I retort.

“I'm the new trauma fellow,” the man replied. After the patient had been passed off to a surgeon, I went looking for the man who had helped me earlier, and I found him in an empty patient room attempting to do stitches on his bicep.

“You need some help?” I question.

The man shook his head. “Nope. I’m good.”

“Okay. And uh, thanks for the help earlier,” I say.

“It was no problem. I’m Connor Rhodes, by the way,” the man greeted me.

I smiled. “Y/N L/N.” I then looked down at his cut, and when I saw that his stitches were near perfect, I was tremendously impressed. “You closed that almost perfectly. Where'd you pick that up?” 

“Riyadh,” Connor replied. “I spent a year there after my residency. Saudis paid me well not to leave unsightly scars.” 

“Well, it was nice meeting you Connor. I hope to see you around,” I claim.

“Yeah. I hope so too,” Connor spoke with a smile.

Flashback End

That was a few years ago, and now, we were friends. Great friends. However, for me, there was always something a little more between us. I had gained feelings for my co-worker, and no matter how much I tried to get rid of them, they wouldn’t go away. So I hid them. And now, Connor was taking a job at the Mayo Clinic, and tonight we were having a going away party for him. I was milling around the little Hawaiian themed bar on the riverfront, talking to other co-workers and such, and when I finished greeting everyone that I needed to, I walked off to find Connor. I eventually found him on a little dock peering at the river down below, and I went to join him.

“You, sir, are missing your lei,” I tell him and slide the bright pink flower necklace over his head. “And you’re also missing out on your party. Whatcha doing here all alone?”

“Just thinking,” Connor responded and stared out at the water.

“About?” I question.

Connor shrugged. “A lot of different stuff, I guess.”

“Well, seeing as you’re my best friend, I am not going to let you sulk in the corner all night. This is the last time we’re going to get to hang out in who knows how long, and I’m going to make it worth every second. Come on,” I demand and lace my hand with his before dragging him back to the party. As the music’s volume loudened, I led Connor over to the designated dance floor and began to dance alongside some of my co-workers.

“What are you doing?” Connor asked and laughed.

“Dancing, and you’re making me look stupid, so please dance with me,” I say. Connor hesitated, but soon gave in, and together we moved to the beat of the music. Connor twirled me around before pulling me back into his arms, and then we just stayed there in each other’s embraces. I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my cheek on his shoulder, inhaling the familiar scent of his cologne. For a few minutes, we just stood there, holding each other tightly, neither of us wanting to let go. “I’m gonna miss you so much,” I murmur.

“I’m gonna miss you too,” Connor mumbled into my hair and gave me a soft squeeze. And that was the last night I was supposed to ever see my best friend. I took my next shift off so that I could gather myself before going back to work, because once I had left the party and made it back to my apartment, I was a sobbing mess. I changed into some comfortable clothes, climbed into bed, and then cried myself to sleep. It was hard losing a best friend, especially someone I was so close with like Connor. After a few days though, my break was over, which meant I had to get back to work. Part of me wanted to take another day off because I didn’t want to go back to the hospital and not see Connor, but the other half of me knew that it was time to get back to my normal routine. I promised myself I would text Connor later, and once I got dressed, I headed to the hospital. When I walked through the ED doors, memories of Connor and I doing the same hit me, but I pushed them away and tried to focus on something else, and that just happened to be the doctor with curly ginger hair standing a few feet away from me.

“Hey, Will,” I greet and lean against the nurses’ station next to him.

“Hey, Y/N. How was your break?” Will asked and set down the tablet he was looking at.

“Good,” I reply. “It was much needed. So, you got any good cases you need help on?”

Will laughed. “You haven’t even put your stuff away yet. Come see me after that and then we’ll see.” I nodded and made my way to the doctors’ lounge, desperate to shed my bag and jacket so that I could get a case that would distract me. However, when I entered the lounge, I froze in my tracks. There, standing not even a dozen feet away from me, was Connor Rhodes, clad in a pair of black scrubs.

“Connor?” I question.

Connor looked up from his phone, and when he saw me, he smiled. “Y/N, hey.” I dropped my bag to the floor and launched myself into his arms, squeezing him tightly. For a few seconds, we stayed in each others’ arms, but eventually, I pulled away.

“What the hell are you doing here? Why aren’t you gone yet? You’re supposed to be in Minnesota,” I point out.

“I know, but the board agreed to run my Hybrid OR project, and they wanted me to stay and run the program,” Connor explained.

I smiled. “That’s great. I’m happy that your project is taking off.”

“That’s not really why I decided to stay though,” Connor stated. “I decided to stay because of you.”

“W-what?” I stammer out as Connor grabbed ahold of my hands.

“I stayed in Chicago for you, Y/N. You’ve always felt like more than a best friend to me, and I didn’t want to pass up the chance to be with you. If you feel the same way, of course,” Connor added. Without hesitation, I leaned up and pressed my lips to Connor’s. He kissed back immediately, winding his arms around my waist to pull me closer. I melted into Connor’s body, enjoying the warmth that emitted from him, along with the way it felt to be kissing him. Our lips moved together in sync for as long as possible, until finally, we had to pull away to breathe. “I’m really glad you feel the same way,” Connor confessed.

“Me too. I uh, I actually have to get back out to the ED to help Will with a case, but can we meet up after shift?” I quiz and shove my things into my cubby.

“Of course,” Connor answered. “I can’t wait. I’ll see you later.”

“Yeah. See you later. Oh, and good luck with the OR,” I call out as I left the residents’ lounge. I made my way over to Will, who was grinning like an idiot, something he didn’t do too often. “What?” I ask.

Will nodded to Connor, who had just exited the lounge and was making his way to the elevator. “I saw that.”

“No you didn’t,” I argue, my face turning a deep shade of red.

“Except I did,” Will countered. “So, are you going to tell me what just happened, or do I have to go hit up Connor for the details?”

I laughed and shook my head. “Neither. What you are gonna do though is cough up that case you said you had so we can get to work.”

“All right, but this conversation isn’t over,” Will said.

“It is for now. So, what do we got?” I question and look at the tablet in front of Will.

________________________

Tag List:

@prettypyschoinpink @securityfriendly-jay @scarletsoldierrr @lorenakaspersen @virtualreader @carnationworld @caitsymichelle13 @king-crockett​

[toomanystoriessolittletime]

Fake Dating Drabble No. 7

This one is with 1.2k of Agent Whiskey (x F!Reader) who is your fellow agent/Partner friend with benefits and is more than happy to prove a point to your shitty ex boyfriend agent

Fake Dating Masterlist

Warnings: implied smut, first (and probably last) time writing for Jack lol

He kissed you and you found yourself smiling against his lips as you pushed against his chest.

“Woah, one would think you’d be a little more thankful to the guy who just blew your mind. Three times,” he smirked and you rolled your eyes, climbing off his lap.

“Well Jack, as nice as this has been, I have to get home and pack before we leave tomorrow.”

“Sure thing. Want me to walk you out?” he offered. You found your jeans, putting them on as you scanned the room for your bra, finding it lying abandoned on the ground.

You put it on, looking at him. He was leaning with his back against the headboard of his ridiculously big king size bed, watching your every move. His hair was a mess from the way your fingers had run through it these last hours.

“No. You stay in bed old man. I’ll see myself out,” you turned from him, picking your shirt from the ground.

“Always so charming sweetheart,” he huffed.

“If you want someone to charm you, find yourself a girlfriend, Daniels. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You okay to work with Agent Diamond?” Ginger asked you and you sighed.

“I’m okay.”

“Really? Because the last time you two were together…”

“I’m not gonna kill him Ginger. He’s not worth it.”

“You better won’t. Whiskey has been more tolerable since you work together.”

“Well I don’t have time for his cowboy bullshit. Ever since I got that into his brain we’re actually been friendly.”

Which was right. Jack was one of your closest friends. Probably the closest friend, you had no other friends you were sleeping with on a regular basis. He knew about your family, about your past missions and about Agent Diamond, also known as Tom Green who you had been dating back when you were still living in italy. You thought he’d be the one, but life got in the way. It got ugly in the end of your relationship and the last time you had met him ended with your fist on his nose after he called you a slut in front of your whole team.

“Friends? With Jack? That must be interesting,” Ginger teased and you laughed.

“He’s actually a really fun guy. Makes some mean chicken wings. Don’t tell him I told you that.”

“My lips are sealed,” she winked as she opened the door. Jack was already sitting at the table in his usual outfit, missing the hat that was lying on the table in front of him. He was glaring daggers to the other side of the table and once you turned your head you could see why. There he was Tom Green, Agent Diamond in the flesh.

“All right, shall we?” Champagne said and your eyes left Tom to look at Jack who was already looking at you. You nodded and walked to the seat next to Jack, listening to the mission.

“He’s staring at you,” Jack whispered. You frowned at him, before you looked over to where Diamond was talking to Champagne. Thankfully you wouldn’t have to work with him much. And not without Jack around which he insisted on because after all you were partners.

“Probably scared I’ll break his nose again,” you shrugged.

“I’m not letting him near you again, Doll,” Jack said and you couldn’t help but grin.

“Whatcha gonna do, old man?” you teased. Jack leaned in closer.

“I could fuck you on this table and make him watch.”

“You are full of surprises, old man,” you shook your head, acting like his words didn’t affect you at all before you pushed yourself up from where you were sitting. He looked up at you, as you squeezed his shoulder.

“I’ll see you downstairs,” you winked before you walked out of the room without glancing back.

“Can we talk?” you didn’t turn around when you heard Tom’s voice behind you. You were waiting for Jack to get on the road. Breathing in deep rolled your eyes.

“I don’t think we have anything left to talk about.”

“I think we do,” you felt him behind you. Turning around you looked up at him, the man you once thought you loved.

“I think you owe me an apology,” he said, his eyebrows raised expectedly.

You chuckled, seeing Jack walk out the building behind, his eyes fixed on yours.

“What for? Not breaking your jaw too after you called me a slut in front of the whole agency?”

“You humiliated me in front of the whole team,” he hissed. You crossed your arms in front of your chest.

“And you don’t think you calling me a slut, repeatedly, in front of the whole team was humiliating to me?”

“Oh please… We all know you’ve been sleeping around with the lower level agents…”

“Oh do we?” you asked, feeling the rage bubbling inside of you.

“Doll, are you ready to leave?” Jack called after you and you closed your eyes, breathing in deep.

“Well Tom, this was nice, but I gotta go. Got some lower level agent to fuck,” you smiled sweetly before you turned away from him and looked at Jack who was waiting for you.

“Kiss me,” you hissed as you walked towards him. He grinned widely at you as he tipped his hat up, his arms coming around you, both of his hands on your ass as he crashed his lips down on yours with a low moan.

“You okay?” he whispered as he parted from your lips.

“Is he still looking?”

“He’s looking like he’s about to explode.”

“Good. We gotta make sure your room is next to his when we arrive at the hotel.”

“Oh is that so?” Jack grinned, squeezing your ass.

“Yep. Gotta make sure he hears the low level agent I’m fucking moan out my name when I make him cum. All night.”

“Lower Level? That hurts. Wow. Though I’m glad to be of service, Ma’am,” Jack tilted his hat again, before he stepped back, holding out his hand for you which you took with an eye roll.

“That doesn’t mean I’m suddenly in love with you, Cowboy. Just so you know.”

Jack laughed.

“Keep telling yourself that doll,” he winked, slapping your ass as he opened the car door for you. You looked after him as he got around the car, putting the suitcases in the back. You were supposed to have Ginger and Tom in your car but he just got into the driver's seat and drove off with a grin on his lips, while humming along to some country song on the radio.

He was your best friend. The one who always had your back.

You weren’t in love with Jack. Were you?

Taglist:

@ladyreapermc / @cherry-gemz / @yespolkadotkitty / @filthybookworm / @knittingqueen13 / @melchills-j / @justpedropascal /  @raspberrymama / @parkjammys  / @novicepearl / @disgruntledspacedad​ / @perropascal​ / @empress-palpat1ne​ / @hotspacepilots​ / @sleep-tight1 / @freeshavocadoooo / @princess76179 / @pumpkin-stars / @evyiione /  @hollydaisy23 / @princesssterek / @palaiasaurus64 / @mouthymandalorian / @turkish276  / @maciiiofficial / @re-reads / @penwieldingdreamer / @trippedmetaldetector / @liviiii98 / @greeneyedblondie44 / @darnitdraco / @tobealostwanderer / @gracie7209 / @rosiefridayrogersunday / @dindjarinneedsahug

[hologramband]

Hollywood Ghost Club p2

(my gif)

Luke x Reader

Word Count: 4k

A/N: So glad this has taken off! I’m so sorry it took so long! I didn’t want to rush it and there's some big things happening here, most will get explained in the next chapter or two! Hope you enjoy it!

---

You lay your head on your dressing room table, the aftermath of the shocks still lingering even after a few hours. 

Caleb had really pushed you to give him the answers that he wanted, you resisted as much as you could, but in the end the shocks got to you. 

Thankfully, you didn’t know too much, so the new boys still had a chance. 

A knock at your door caused you to look up, trying to put yourself together before the person came in, but Willey had already let himself in. 

“No offense, but you look like crap,” Willey tried to lighten the mood, but when he noticed it didn’t help he moved to your side, rubbing small circles on your back to relax you. 

“How hard did he grill you?” He whispered, continuing his previous actions. 

“I’ll be fine, it just hit hard since I was drained, but Willey,” you sat up and looked him in the eyes, “Those boys, they have something, and Caleb feels threatened. I-I don’t know what he’s gonna do to get to them.” 

You sigh and check the time, seeing that you only had half an hour before you went on, you stood up to get ready for your performance tonight. 

“What should I do, I can’t just not bring them here, Caleb will have my head. But I, I don’t wanna see him, erm, them hurt.” Willey was trying to sort through his options while you changed behind a screen. 

“We just have to try to keep them safe. There's only so much we will be able to do, but we have to do as much as we can to get them out of here unmarked, and then never bring them back.” 

You stepped out from the changing screen and Willey whistled. 

“Caleb really went all out with the dress tonight.” He winked and you smiled lightly. 

The dress was floor length, with small spaghetti straps and a slit from the bottom up to the top of your thigh. The color complemented your hair and skin tone perfectly, despite your slight lack of power at the moment, you were truly glowing. 

“Yeah, it’s really some of his best,” You did a small spin and then sat down to touch up your makeup. 

“You know, Luke will probably love it too,” Willey smiled at your reflection, you hiding a slight brush remembering his comment about being excited to see you perform. 

“Oh please Willey, that boy is a total flirt. He was probably just being nice,” You shook the thought away and changed the subject, “But Alex, he’s just as cute and sweet as you described him.” You wiggled your eyebrows at the boy next to you as a smile took up his entire face. 

“Well on that note, I do have to get ready so I can pick them up,” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of your head, “I’ll see you after your performance, you’re gonna be great.” You smiled at him in thanks before he poofed out, leaving you to your thoughts. 

That didn’t last long as Caleb walked in. 

“Ah, Darling. How’s my bird feeling?” He laid a hand on your shoulder, and you slightly tensed. 

“Just getting ready, the dress is beautiful by the way, you’ve outdone yourself again, Caleb.” You forced a smile up at him, he smirked in return. 

“Thank you bird, but I’ll admit my visit was for other reasons,” his grip slightly tightened on your shoulder, “These boys, they possess a power, and I want it. They aren’t allowed to leave here without my mark, or else you’ll feel the consequences.” You moved a hand to your gut where the shocks would be directed, causing Caleb to chuckle. 

“No no no, you’ve felt enough of that for today. I had something, else, in mind.” He smiled wickedly and you started to feel your power levels grow to full capacity. 

“You have come to realize the lock I have on your abilities, if the boys leave here with the mark, i’ll allow you to keep them where they are,” he moved his hand to your wrist, his thumb brushing over the purple fingerprint tattoo, “if they give me issues, if they leave here without me seeing them off, your powers go as well.” He drops your hand and smiles down at you. 

“That would just be a shame wouldn't it.” He finished, and you nodded in agreement, trying to hide the fear that was building inside of you. 

You knew that tonight had the potential to get messy, more than likely it would, so you vowed in that moment to do everything you could to ease the boys and keep Caleb elsewhere, even if that meant losing your powers. 

----

You were prepping yourself up to go on stage when Willey appeared next to you, immediately noticing your change in demeanor. 

“What happened?” He grabs your wrists and spins you around, looking for anything new that may have changed your mood. 

“Nothing Willey,” You were getting too good at faking smiles, “just, follow my lead tonight… okay?” You sent a pleading look into his eyes and he nodded. 

“Okay, but, just dont do anything stupid. The boys and I have front row seats, come talk to us after you’re done.” He slightly smiled and poofed away. 

Taking a deep breath you waited for Caleb's to show up and take you on stage with him. 

Just as the thought came, Caleb appeared next to you and took your hand,

“Ready?” He smiled and as soon as you nodded, you two appeared on the stage together. 

“Welcome! To the party of your Dreams.” He started, the two of you appearing center stage.

“From the Egyptians, the Druids, to the person sitting next to you, we’ve all wondered, ‘Where do we go after the final light is snuffed out?’” You continued after Caleb, these lines the same from when you wrote them 10 years ago upon entering the club, Caleb calling himself your mentor. 

“Let me introduce myself, we’ve got some time to kill.” you started the song, walking on air next to Caleb, showing what you two were capable of. 

“Consider me the pearly gates to your new favourite thrills

We could go make history or you could rest in peace.” 

Caleb again took your hand in his as he spun you around in a dance of sorts.

“But here there ain't no misery

'Cause on the other side we live like kings”

You finished your lines as Caleb spun you, poofing you mid spin to a seat on top of the piano, him now taking center stage.

“Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?

Let your body loose, let your body loose

Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?

Show you a thing or two

'Cause you ain't seen nothing” 

Caleb moved closer to the front table while he was singing, and it was then you noticed that it was Willey and the Band he was singing directly to, all but one of them staring at Caleb in amazement. 

Luke wasn’t looking at Caleb though, his eyes were now directly meeting your own, smiling at you when he noticed you had met his gaze. 

You smile back and throw your head back as the next line came, the rest of the dancers with it. 

“Life is good on the other side of Hollywood

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood

So welcome to the brotherhood

Where you won't be misunderstood

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” 

You watched as Luke’s eyes scanned the entire room, taking it all in. 

The rest of the boys were dancing in their seats, amazed by what was happening all around them. 

The next set of lines came and Caleb was pulling out all the stops, food was being brought from all sides of the club, dancers breaking from the stage and moving into the crowd, for a moment from almost forgetting what was so bad about the club. 

“Everything has got a price but happiness is free

Just so happens, you're in luck

We've got a vacancy

We can set the night on fire and break out of the scene

Your soul print on the walk of fame

On the boulevard of your wildest dreams”

Caleb had moved directly in front of the table the boys were at, waving his hands over the table cloth, and you held your breath for what came next. 

With a flick of his wrist and the pulling away of the table cloth you felt the pull of the magic and poofed to a standing position above all the boys. 

Willey laughed as the other moved their chairs back in surprise, not expecting this to happen. 

You sang the next lines with Caleb as you walked down invisible stairs to the floor directly in front of the table. Caleb grabbing your hand and pulling you to his side.

“Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do boys?

Let your body loose, let your body loose

Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do boys?

It ain't bragging if it's true

Now you ain't seen nothing”

At the start of the next chorus, the two of you poofed back to center stage and threw your arms up, belting the song and engaging in the dance that was happening around you. 

The song continued and you danced around the stage, then down to beside the guys’ table, walking alongside Caleb, playing the part that you were supposed to be, his right hand woman. 

“Watch me make a move

Come one and give me that noise

A tomb with a view

Ain't it something?”

He sang, and you all looked up at Kendra as she appeared on a hoop that was suspended in the air, sending a wink your way as she hung down. 

You watched as Reggie shot out of his seat in amazement and Luke followed, only to grab his shoulders and sit him back down. 

You giggled at the boys' antics and moved to behind and in between Luke and Reggie, placing a hand on their shoulders as the dance number continued. 

They boys were moving in their seats to the music, really getting into the song. 

“Life is good on the other side of Hollywood

So welcome to the brotherhood

Where you won't be misunderstood

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood”

Caleb motioned for you to join him as he walked back to center stage, you squeezed Reggie and Luke's shoulders once more before following and joining your boss. 

He wrapped an arm around your waist as you mimicked the gesture, and you finished the song with your final spoken part, Caleb joining you on the last line.

“Ain't it the best?

Long live the dead!”

As soon as the words came out of your mouth a sheet was waved in front of the two of you, Caleb then poofing the pair off stage. 

As soon as you were alone you felt the unease from before sinking in, causing you to step away from the man, but slowly so he wouldn’t suspect. 

“Let’s go meet these boys, properly this time.” Caleb smiled and held his arm out for you to take, which you did unwillingly. 

The two of you poofed out right as Reggie was talking. 

“Where’d they go?” Turning he saw you two and jumped. 

“Oh WOW, found them!” He laughed as the others turned to look. 

You moved from Caleb's side to be next to Willey, feeling a sense of security from him.

“Hello boys, I’m Caleb Covington, and you have already met my darling little songbird, (Y/N),” he motioned to you, causing you to give a slight wave, “and I’d like to welcome you to the Hollywood Ghost Club.” He opened his arms in a way that made the boys look around them in amazement. 

“You guys enjoy the show?” You spoke up, glancing at Alex and Reggie, but eyes settled when you met Lukes gaze. 

“That was- I mean.. Did you like…?” Luke was at a loss of words, his amazement obvious. 

Willey stepped in to stop Luke from rambling further. 

“Caleb, this is Alex, Luke, and Reggie,” He gestured to each one as he introduced them. 

“It’s, uh, really nice to meet you sir,” Alex smiled and took a small step back towards Willey. 

Reggie followed with a ‘sup’ as Luke nodded. 

“The pleasure is all mine! Nothing warms my heart more than sharing this magic with new friends, please! Sit!” Caleb motioned for the group to take a seat at the table they were all standing around, a ghost bringing him a chair to sit in, another was being brought for you when Caleb held his hand up to stop them. 

“Ah, (Y/n), can you be a doll and run to check on the new girl from this morning, I believe her name was Lucy?” Caleb knew he needed to get you away from the table, you were too good at dropping hints and not activating your mark, you would spoil his plan. 

“Oh, you don’t want me here?” You spoke out loud, slightly narrowing your eyes, trying not to back down too easily. 

Willey looked up at you nervously, seeming to catch on to what Caleb was doing. 

“Now little bird, no need to cause trouble, you just spent so much time welcoming her this morning, wouldn’t want all that to go to waste, would we?” You felt your powers lower, Calebs way of reminding you that he had a hold on you.

You just nodded, and as you were turning away you felt a slight pressure on your wrist pulling you back, turning your head you saw Luke’s hand was the reason. 

“Um,” he stuttered before taking a breath and smiling at you, “will you be back later?” 

You heard the message behind his words, he wanted to know if you had to go for the night or not, if he would see you again. 

“I’ll make my way back around to say hello again.” You smiled and squeezed his hand before you walked away again, not missing the way Caleb was looking at the exchange with a glint in his eyes. 

You walked away and found Lucy standing near Kendra, the two of them dancing together in a corner. 

“Hey ladies, how’s it going?” You smile at your friend before moving down to Lucy’s level. 

“Are you having fun tonight?” She smiled at you and grabbed your hand, pulling you to the middle of the club to dance. 

The small girl spun in circles, then grabbed your hand, jumping around. 

“She hasn’t spoken since she got here.” Kendra was by your side again, swaying beside you with the music. 

“It may be due to how she died, a lot of times children who go through something traumatic either don’t talk about it, or anything, in a way to avoid the memory or feelings involved with it. They’ll distract themselves with things that bring joy.” You picked the girl up and put her on your hip as you spun her around with you, causing a small giggle to come from her. 

You set her back down and she again grabs one of your hands, then one of Kendras, the three of you forming a circle to dance in. 

Looking across the floor you make eye contact with Caleb, diverting your eyes and looking back to Kendra and Lucy. 

Lucy stopped dancing, and looked at you with a shimmer in her eyes, then looked towards Caleb. 

She looked back with a worried look, tugging you down to her level with a sense of urgency. 

“Hey honey, what’s wrong?” you ask confused, you brushed her hair out of her face.

Wordlessly, she moved her hands to either side of your face, and you felt a pressure release in your head you didn’t realize was there, your vision started getting dark at the corners, but your eyes never left hers. 

When your vision went completely dark, you noticed you were no longer in the ballroom, but in your dressing room, but something was different. 

Looking around you noticed the decor was dated, the way you found it before you had come to the club ten years ago. Caleb had told you it was how the person who used the dressing room before you had it decorated. 

This is where things started to get weird. 

Two people had entered the room, they were fighting, you weren’t focusing too much on what they were saying. You were too distracted by the fact that the two people that had walked in were you and Caleb. It was like you were watching yourself in a movie from inside the screen, the weirdest part of all was that it felt familiar, like dejavu. 

Caleb looked younger, his face was softer, not as many scowl lines, and you, wow. 

There was so much different about you, your style was straight out of the ‘80s, and your hair was much longer than it is now. 

You had no memory of this when this happened, but something was telling you that it definitely had, this was real.

“What are you gonna do Caleb? Erase me?” the other you sneered into Caleb's face. 

Just as soon as it had started it was over, you came back to reality, blinking as Lucy let go of your face. 

“Was that… real?” You whispered, and she nodded and bolted back at the sudden added presence beside you. 

You look up and see Caleb glaring down, you standing to meet his glare straight on, feeling the overwhelming need to protect this girl. 

“I think it’s time I take her to bed,” Caleb held his hand out to Lucy and she grabbed onto your leg from behind you. 

“No worries Caleb, i’ll keep an eye on her,” you looked down at her still in shock from what had happened, “I’ll put her to bed in a bit.” you looked back at Caleb and he narrowed his eyes at you. 

He took a step closer, trying to intimidate you, but you pushed your chest out and straightened your posture in return, a sudden burst of confidence taking over, he wouldn’t cause a scene with this many people around. 

“What did she show you?” His words were quiet, and rushed, they conveyed a worried tone. 

“Show me?” You tilted your head in mock confusion, deciding to play dumb, not letting him know what she had shown you, as you weren’t sure of it yourself. 

Caleb shook his head and poofed away. 

“C’mon Lucy, let’s go make some new friends.” You looked down at the girl again and grabbed her hand, taking her over to Willey and the boys. 

As you were reaching the table, Kendra appeared beside you and linked your arms, Willey standing up and meeting you, Luke, Reggie and Alex all missing from the table. 

“Where are the boys? I was going to introduce Lucy,” you asked Willey. 

“Caleb showed them they could eat and they have been going crazy trying foods from all the tables, but that’s not important. (Y/n), what happened to you a second ago?” Willey was looking you up and down, seeming to be looking for anything different, or wrong. 

You look down at Lucy and back up at Willey, but before you had a chance to explain you heard someone calling your name from behind you. 

“(Y/N)!” Luke, followed by Alex and Reggie, rushed to you, all holding a different food in their hands. 

“How did you do that before?” Luke questioned. 

You tilted your head in confusion. 

“Yeah, I wanna glow like you did! Can you teach us?” Reggie asked. 

“I-I did what?” you looked down and saw Lucy hiding behind you again, looking at everyone with big eyes. 

“Hey honey,” you crouched beside her again, “These are my friends, Willey, Alex, Reggie, and Luke!” You watched as she looked at each of them and then sank back into your side, still unsure. 

Luke made eye contact with you and crouched down by your side, offering a hand to Lucy.

“Hey, It’s nice to meet you, I like your ribbon.” He gestured to the purple ribbon that was holding her hair back, and she smiled a bit, reaching out and touching his hand in a thanks. 

Reggie was the next to lean down and talk to her, and the connection that sparked between them was instant. 

He complimented her dance moves from before and apparently that was all it took to gain her trust. She grabbed his hand, then Kendras, and dragged them both out to the dance floor again. 

You giggled as they went, glad she was starting to trust more people. 

“Hey, you looked really good out there tonight. Really owned that stage, and looks like you were able to gain back all your energy from this afternoon.” Luke smiled as he spoke. 

“Oh, thank you.” You smiled back, “It usually takes a few hours to regain it all, but today really took it out of me, thanks again for helping, I think she really felt safe and welcome when she got here.” You thanked Luke again, then happened to look up at the time, it was way past 9pm. 

You tried opening your mouth to tell him that he had to go, that he and his band were missing the gig, but the only thing that happened was the burning on your wrist. You frantically looked around for a way to tell him without the burn getting worse, then an idea hit you. 

“Oh, look at the time! I really should get Lucy to her room, she’s probably exhausted after the long day she's had.” You hoped he would get the hint, and smiled when he looked up at the clock. 

“Ohmygosh,” Luke's eyes widened, “we-we are so late, Julie…” He trailed off, panic setting in. 

“I’m sorry (Y/n), but we gotta go, we are so late, but um, it was really great seeing you again!” He moved towards the boys on the dance floor, then quickly turned around back to you. 

“You know, we practice around 4pm everyday, you should come some time! You can meet Juile, and you know, we can hangout or something…” He scratched the back of his neck and his face held a nervous smile, which you returned. 

“You know what, i’ll have to come see you guys once, see what all this hype is about.�� you answered, watching as the smile grew on his face, then dropped as he remembered he had to go. 

You walked with him to the dance floor where he got the boys, and you grabbed Lucy’s hand, saying goodbye as they rushed out towards the doors. 

“Nice,” You heard from your side, your eyes widening as you realized it came from Lucy. 

“Let’s get you to your room, yeah?” You smile at her and she nodded, holding her hands up, silently asking for you to carry her. 

Picking her up you poofed to her room, tucking her into her bed, watching her eyes slowly close. 

You smiled as you poofed out of her room back to the ballroom, where you saw Caleb shaking the boys hands in a goodbye, but felt anger build in your chest as you saw the marks appear on their wrists, matching your own. 

“No,” you whispered, watching them poof away, Caleb looking back at you, an evil glare in his stare. 

----

p3 coming soon... 

TagList!

 @lolychu  @simplysanha @-episkey- - @kristencoontz @ifilwtmfc @sarcasticsagittarius1998 @perfectlywrongformend3s @bathtimejish @lovesanimals @oswin05 @ashleyleblancx @losers-club6 @parkeret @lukeys-giggle @simplysanha @perfectlywrongformend3s @bathtimejish @lia-faerie-queen @morgandamrose

[godkilller]

will u share some gin aizen gossip?

          GIN'S GOSSIP WITH @keikakudori‘s AIZEN:

Whether or not Shinji used a bowl to cut his bangs

Yamamoto definitely had a lover he doesn’t ever talk about with anyone else or carry records of existing and they’ve gathered that it’s not anyone who’s in the Seireitei  ( or possibly alive anymore ) 

Why does Tessai wear sunglasses even at night????

I bet I can pretend to be you for a day, put yer illusion over me ‘n make me you, do it, coward, you won’t

I freaked Rukia out today just by stoppin’ by to say hi to Byakuya, do you think I should lighten up or double down on creepin’ only her out?

Renji’s either in love with Rukia or wants to impress Byakuya into loving him by being an amazing guy with his sister-in-law,

Before we go out tomorrow, I think them Reiatsu concealing cloaks should have hoods on’em so we can hide our hair, I dunno bout you but I have a bit of a memorable array of features -- not everybody can jus’ pop their glasses off like Clark Kent y’know,

Oh, now we gotta show you those comics, cap’n,

Wouldn’t it be funny if that Quincy girl from that night with th’ White hollow and Isshin eventually fell in love?

We oughtta watch out for more Quincy messin’ up our experiments

Did Hiyori kick Urahara or Shinji in the crotch today?

Are Rose’s eyebrows are simply stuck like that

When Byakuya will finally confess to Rukia about Hisana  ( Gin’s known Byakuya since they first became captains together and presumably beforehand too, so yes, he knew about Hisana -- and you know Aizen likely did too )

A running bet on who would come out as gay first, Izuru, Renji, or Shuuhei

Who they could take in a fight the fastest out of the entire Gotei 13

Renji’s receding hairline tattoos

Does Hisagi know what his facial tattoo means?

Sex talk: who’s banging who -- y’all are heathens and they both know what you’re doin’ in the dark, and we definitely can tell who hasn’t seen a boob before

Laughing about how Toshiro had a voice crack during a meeting, ‘they grow up so fast’

How many times they can allude to kind of disliking one another in public as an inside joke to actually working together without raising any eyebrows but still planting the seed for later on when Gin’ll pretend he killed Aizen

Whilst observing Ichigo during a filler arc post-betrayal: Ichigo’s probably failing all his classes at school, ain’t he?

The Espada, dumbest to smartest / most useless to most useful / most likely to know what the word ‘pedagogically’ means / most to least likely to get laid / most to least likely to live through the war / most to least likely to kiss Aizen’s feet if he asked / most to least likely to enjoy that

Is Orihime stronger than god or is she just a distraction to split up the Gotei 13? How about both!

After Tousen chops off Grimmjow’s arm: ‘Wow, do y’think Tousen’s gettin’ a lil... outta hand?’  ( Aizen groans )  ‘I dunno why he got so up’n arms about that!’  ( Aizen groans louder ) ‘you oughtta put yer .... hand.... down ‘bout that behavior -- no okay that one sucked.’

When will Ichigo confess his feelings to any one single person in his damn life, or will he just keep only knowing how to coherently convey his emotions via conflict and battle that he isn’t even that good at handling, he’s just a tough kid with a decent amount of power who doesn’t know how to give up -- hey maybe you shouldn’t fuck ‘round with another person’s life so much, cap’n, it’s kinda a dick move.

Once you’ve become the new Soul King, what’ll you change first?

Ulquiorra’s trying to understand the concept of love and it’s like a Twilight movie out here

Gin proceeds to show Aizen Twilight

Is Shunsui ever going to admit he’s bisexual

Ukitake should wear a bib so when he starts coughing blood he has a bib to catch it, hey don’t lookit me like that I’m right ‘n you know it,

Does anyone know what the fuck they’re doing?

Does Ichigo realize that if he’s in his Bankai state, he doesn’t need to announce his Bankai’s name / phrase each time he wants to release an attack?

Well, it’s what he gets for takin’ a crash course in trainin’ from Urahara

What if ya lose, whatcha gonna do then? Think you’re ready to die in th’ next week or two? Oh, can ya pass th’ sugar?

Hey, do ya remember how many times Toshiro said he was gonna kill ya? And then he didn’t? That was funny

Who has the biggest yaoi hands

Who do you wanna fuck besides me ‘n Shinji?

Hypothetically, if I were to kill you, would you get mad at me for it?

... AND MUCH MUCH MORE!

[spine-buster]

The President Wears Prada (William Nylander) | Chapter 25

A/N: So this chapter begins the first mention of COVID-19 for the story.  I know it’s not much but I did want to put a little disclaimer because I know it was a traumatic event for many people, especially those who were affected by it personally.  We will obviously get deeper into it as the story progresses in the next chapters (judging by the date...it’s time!) 

Also, no @’ing me about what happens here with a certain someone.

March 2nd, 2020

Aberdeen Bloom was paying attention to the news at the airport.

“While the first case of what epidemiologists are referring to as COVID-19 was recorded in Toronto on January 25th, the novel coronavirus is still baffling some scientists in terms of its symptoms.  They range from severe in some, to completely asymptomatic in others.  While there are currently less than twenty cases in Toronto thus far, Ontario health officials have recorded three news cases today.  One is a man in his 60s who returned on a flight from Egypt, while the other two are women in their 60s and 70s returning on a flight from Egypt.  Public health officials are encouraging individuals to wash their hands frequently and exercise caution whenever and wherever possible.”

“Want some hand sanitizer?” John asked from beside her.  He was laid out in the chair beside her while her knees were against her chest.

She nodded, leaving her bag of pretzels in her lap before she extended her hand and he squirted some Purell onto her hand.  John always had everything readily available – hand sanitizer, band aids, healthy granola bars, breath mints – she was sure he probably had a spare hair elastic in his backpack too, and a full surgery kit for all she knew.  She rubbed the sanitizer in between her hands.  “What do you think about all this?” she asked, motioning towards the TV monitor.

John shrugged.  “I’m a bit nervous about it,” he admitted.  “I know that Aryne is taking some extra precautions with Jace.  A lot of her friends from Queen’s ended up going to med school so she’s friends with a lot of doctors and listening to their advice.”

“I guess we should all be.”

“Wouldn’t hurt, right?” John asked rhetorically.  “Better safe than sorry.  What do you think about it?”

Aberdeen pursed her lips slightly.  “I have no clue.  Science goes way above my head.  But if doctors and epidemiologists are going to tell me to do something – or not do something – so I don’t get sick, I’m going to do it – or not do it – whatever.”

“Atta girl,” John smiled.  “Just listen to the experts.”

“That’s why I listen to you about hockey,” she winked.

He laughed out loud.  “You butter me up too much.  What are you looking for?  A granola bar?  You already have pretzels.”

“Not everything with me has to do with food.”

“Really?”

She pinched him.

***

March 5th, 2020

It was 24 Celsius in Los Angeles, and Aberdeen was loving it.  Though the Leafs had suffered a bit of an embarrassing loss to San Jose the night before, today the team had a day off before they had back to back games against the Kings and Ducks.  Some of them were going shopping on Rodeo Drive (Auston, Frederik), and some were visiting old friends since being traded (Kyle, Jack), but most were doing exactly what Aberdeen wanted to do: going to the beach.

They decided on Malibu Beach.  It was only a thirty minute drive from the hotel, so Aberdeen put on her bathing suit and packed herself in a car with John, Jason, and Justin Holl.  William, Rasmus, Kappy, and Pierre followed in another, with Tyson and Mitch tagging along in the last car too.  It may not have been super-hot to Californians, but for sun-starved Canadians, it would do.  The sun was out, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky, and she was going to tan the entire afternoon.  She would take advantage of it as much as possible.

As she helped set up the blankets and beach towels, she watched as Mitch and Tyson already stripped down to their bathing suits and ran into the ocean together.  Pierre was setting up some Bluetooth speakers and John was passing around the sunscreen.  The visual of these men rubbing sunscreen across their abs made Aberdeen’s heart flutter – but then the image of them having to slather sunscreen all over each other’s backs brought her back down to earth.  She chuckled to herself and shook her head.

“Aberdeen, sunscreen!” John tossed the bottle towards her.  She caught it and stripped down to her tankini before squirting some onto her legs and arms, making sure to cover herself thoroughly.  She could tell William was watching but trying not to make it seem like he was.  Jason took care of her back.  

The guys did their own thing while Aberdeen read her book and tanned.  She could hear them screaming every now and then and watched as they gave each other piggyback rides and splashed water at each other like they were a peewee hockey team on a weekend tournament.  Every now and again someone would come back to the blankets and beach towels to relax, but soon enough, they were back in the ocean, being loud and obnoxious but happy, happy boys.

“Whatcha reading?” Tyson asked as he walked towards her, wet from the salt water and sand sticking to his legs.  She flashed the book at him – Milkman by Anna Burns – and he squinted his eyes to see it properly in the sunlight.  “Is it about milk?” he asked.

She shorted.  She remembered back to when she was reading Women Talking by Miriam Toews and William asked “Do women talk in it?” like a smartass.  “It’s about a woman in what’s very obviously Belfast coming of age during the Troubles.  I thought it might give me some more insight into what my mom grew up in.”

“Is it any good?  Was it as good as the one you were reading last week on the plane?  Normal Girls or whatever it was?”

Aberdeen giggled.  “Normal People, you mean?  No, it’s not as good as that.  Fuck, I loved that book.”

“I know.  You wouldn’t shut up about it!” he joked, wiping his body off.  From behind him, Aberdeen could see John making his way towards them.  William was still off in the ocean, throwing a football between him, Pierre, and Mitch.  “Think you can teach Mitch how to read?”

Aberdeen smiled.  “I can certainly try.”

As if on cue, Mitch’s booming voice was heard.  “Hey T-Bear!  Get over here!” he yelled, putting everything he had into his throw of the football so it reached Tyson, who caught it expertly.

“See ya later, Aberdeen,” he said before running off, throwing the football towards Pierre who had to dive into the water to catch it.

Instead of focusing on the water cascading down Pierre’s abs or the sunlight hitting William’s broad shoulders perfectly, making him look like some Norse god, she focused her attention on John.  “You feeling good?” she asked.

“The best,” he nodded, wiping himself off before lying the towel down again and sitting on it, bringing his knees up and wrapping his arms around them.  “You’ve already gotten some colour,” he commented.

“Thank God,” she said, looking down at her arms.  “The winter has made me so pale.  It’s a bummer I didn’t get my dad’s skin tone.  My sister and brother got lucky with that.”

“You took after the Scottish side?” he asked.  Aberdeen nodded.  “I get it,” he said.  “Aryne can’t tan either.  She burns too easily.”

“Wonder if the Swedes are going to look like tomatoes in a couple of hours,” she said, nodding her head towards them.  “Imagine they’re on TV and beet red?  I might get fired for not slathering sunscreen on you guys or not telling you to put on some hats.”

John laughed out loud, choosing to lean back on his elbows.  “I don’t know about that, Aberdeen.  Something tells me you’ll be around for a long time if certain people have anything to say about it – well, until you want to leave, that is.”

Aberdeen’s body stiffened slightly at his words.  “Wh…what do you mean?” she asked.  

“Ah, nothing serious, Aberdeen.  Don’t worry,” he said, shaking his head.  With the silence between them, Aberdeen thought he may have dropped it, but he didn’t.  He was just preparing to articulate what he wanted to say.  “It’s not just Brendan liking you, you know.  We know William has, like, the biggest crush on you, okay?  We’re all adults here,” he said to her shock.  “It’s cute, but we all know it’s harmless.”

“It is harmless,” she stressed.

“I know, Aberdeen.  Don’t worry.”

“Don’t for a second forget that you’re all Toronto Maple Leafs,” she said.  “Every job in this organization is a dream job for someone and you guys forget that some people spend their entire lives, their entire careers, building up their resumes waiting to get hired by this organization.  Nobody would ever, ever, under any circumstances, want to do anything to fuck it up, because once you’re done here, there’s nowhere else to go.”

“I knooooow, I know.  I’m just ribbing you like we rib him about it,” he smiled.  He was so jovial about it all that Aberdeen calmed down a bit.  He wasn’t trying to get to the bottom of something like he was when he and Morgan asked her about Ethan – he was just being good-humoured.  A human, not a captain of a hockey team.  Maybe her overreaction was a bit much but she needed to remain guarded and vigilant about it if ever, and whenever the guys brought it up.  “He looks at you googly-eyed all the time even though he knows nothing’s ever gonna happen.  I’m pretty sure he’d cry whenever you leave.”

Aberdeen snorted.  Cry from joy, probably, because that would mean they could actually touch each other in public.  “He told you that?  That nothing is ever gonna happen?”

John nodded his head.  “Well, nothing’s ever gonna happen as long as you work here,” he clarified.  “But don’t tell him I told you.  He kind of figures and we all know it’s a lost cause as long as you’re working here.”

Aberdeen nodded, deciding not to say anything as she looked out into the distance.  The boys were still throwing the football, and Justin was attempting a yoga pose on the beach.  She picked up her book and buried her head in it.

***

Adrian Kempe, a Swedish friend of William’s, recommended a taco restaurant in Malibu for the group to have dinner.  It wasn’t a far drive from where they were on the beach, so at around six in the evening, they shook the sand off the towels and packed them back in the cars and headed to Café Habana.  Aberdeen was in the car with John, Jason, and Justin again.  

When they arrived at the restaurant, she looked out the backseat window to see Kappy making a beeline towards someone.  The girl, Aberdeen soon noticed, was Saylor.  She figured Saylor was here for another modelling gig, though Aberdeen did find it somewhat amusing that Saylor always popped up in cities or areas with…well, shall we say distractions.  She was in New York.  Las Vegas.  Aberdeen knew she’d been to Florida.  Now she was in LA.  Saylor didn’t go Columbus or Colorado.  

“Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiii,” Saylor squealed as she saw Willy, wrapping her arms around him and squeezing him.  “Surrrrrpriiiiise!”

“Surprise,” he smirked, but Aberdeen could tell he wasn’t as excited as she was.  “Here for some modelling?”

“Who wouldn’t want to come down to LA to model?  I just came from a shoot,” she said, now focusing her attention on Aberdeen.  “Hey girl!” she squealed again.  

“Hi Saylor,” she smiled.

“I’m so glad I won’t be the only girl here tonight,” she smirked.  “The boys can get so boring sometimes.”

“Aberdeen’s used to it by now,” Jason piped in.  “She’s only been travelling with us since September.”

The group moved towards the restaurant and were seated in the back patio at a long table.  Aberdeen was squished in between Jason and John, and directly across from her sat Willy, Pierre to his right and Saylor to his left.  Saylor and Kasperi didn’t even have to sit down to ask the waiter and waitress attending to them if they had oysters.  They didn’t.  With one quick look at the menu, and a disproportionately long discussion requiring everybody’s calculators to be out to determine how many orders of tacos were required for everybody to have three tacos each (much to Aberdeen’s entertainment), the group ordered four orders of every taco variation (and there were five of them) on the menu, along with some sides of baby broccoli, sautéed zucchini, and French fries.  As a dining group of 11, it should have been more than enough food.  She felt bad for the chefs, but knew the food would be amazing.  She saw it being brought to a table near them and it looked delectable.  

While Aberdeen maintained professionalism at all times when she was in front of the guys, when the tacos came, that professionalism waned.  She made sure to grab the four tacos she was guaranteed and wanted and piled them onto her plate.  They looked delicious.  Even as she bit into her first one, she moaned audibly at the taste, making the guys around her laugh.  Willy eyed her as she did so, taking a bite out of his own.

“So what have you been up to?” Saylor asked Aberdeen as she crunched on a French fry.  “Kappy told me it was your birthday?”

“It was!  I turned 22.”

“Ohmigod, I remember my 22nd birthday.  We went to the rooftop bar at the Bowery Hotel in New York City,” Saylor said.  Aberdeen knew it would be something ultra-luxurious because that was the only way Saylor seemed to roll.  “What did you end up doing?”

“Oh, a bunch of friends and I just got a booth and bottle service at a club.  Nothing as fancy as that,” Aberdeen answered.  

“How many were you?”

“I’d say about twenty.”

Saylor’s eyes bulged a bit.  “When you get older, your friend group gets soooo small,” she said, her tone making it seem like she was the all-knowledgeable big sister bestowing wise knowledge upon Aberdeen.  Saylor was only a year older than her.  If it was Jen, Aryne, or Bee giving this advice, fine – but not Saylor.  “My friend group is so small now.  All the drama that goes on between people is just so tiring, you know?  Less people, less drama.”

Aberdeen didn’t want to be rude, so she nodded her head.  “I can get that.  These are all people I’ve known since high school and throughout university, though.  We’ve already been friends for a long time.”

“And you’re still friends with them?” Saylor asked.

Aberdeen nodded her head.  Before she could say anything else, John piped up.  “I think that’s a testament to your character more so than anything, Aberdeen.”

“But it could also speak to, like, the way people are,” Saylor went on.  Aberdeen indulged her, looking at her so she would continue.  “Like, when I was in high school – my family is from Lake Forest, and I went to Lake Forest Academy – I found out this one friend was talking behind my back and I totally ditched her.  But then we ended up at the same college, and it was really weird for a while, but then we ended up becoming friends!”

Aberdeen didn’t know what point she was trying to make.  Neither did anybody else listening, judging by the looks on their faces.  “That’s good you were able to turn the relationship around,” she commented, not knowing what else to say.

Saylor looked very proud of herself.  “Besides that, what else have you been up to?  Are you still just, like, Brendan’s assistant?”

Aberdeen bit her tongue to smile curtly.  “Just.”

“And a great one at that,” Jason said before stuffing his mouth with a taco.

“I guess that’s enough for you,” Saylor commented.

Aberdeen almost dropped her taco.  So did Jason.  Willy was looking in between them.  She didn’t know how to respond at this point and not sound rude when Saylor’s rudeness was so blatantly obvious.  Aberdeen still wasn’t sure whether or not Saylor actually had the capacity to be underhanded.  She was starting to err on the side of Saylor knowing exactly what she was saying to people but saying it in such a way and with such a tone that everyone thought she was just dumb and didn’t know better.  Aberdeen began to believe Saylor did know better, and her act wasn’t fooling Aberdeen anymore.  It made her reconsider what Saylor said to her in New York about her nose.  “It’s actually not enough for me, but it’s what’s paying the bills right now and I’m not going to discuss career aspirations at the dinner table in front of people who are technically my colleagues and who don’t want to see me leave anytime soon.”

“But you can’t be in a job you hate just because it pays the bills!” she said like some dreamer.  “You need to go out there and be creative!  Cultivate!  Be artistic!  Design!  Sometimes the best opportunities come when you just drop everything, quit your job, and start hustling as you do what you love!”

Aberdeen felt her blood begin to boil.  She tried to remain calm.  “One – I never said I hated my job.  I love this job and I love the people I work with,” she clarified.  “Two – that’s a bit easy to say for someone with family money who grew up in Lake Forest and went to a private school.  I have rent to pay.  Bills – groceries, my cell phone, internet, stuff for my cat – I can’t just up and quit my job with a steady income to hustle and be creative when I have a shit ton of responsibilities.”

“I’m sure your parents would help you if it’s your dream and it’s something you really wanted to do.”

“No, they wouldn’t,” Aberdeen deadpanned.  “My parents have their own shit to deal with.  My mom would kick my ass if I was that stupid.  I mean, my parents are immigrants, so that goes without saying.  They don’t owe me a dollar, and I would never ask them for it.  I would never do that to them.”

“What about your grandparents?”

Aberdeen could feel John, Jason, Pierre, and Willy deflate at the question.  It was almost comical.  “I think you’re missing the point, Saylor,” Jason said nicely.  “Aberdeen is already hustling to get to an end-goal of writing.  This job is actually helping her get to that goal.”

“Writing?” Saylor questioned.  “I thought for sure you wanted to, like, work in sports or broadcasting or something.  Writing, then?  That makes sense, I guess.  Better for you to stick behind the cameras.”

Aberdeen wondered if everybody else could hear what Saylor was saying too.  She felt like she was in the twilight zone or something.  It confirmed to her that Saylor knew exactly what she was saying.  “Yeah, I guess.  Kind of how it’s better for you to be in front of the cameras because you thrive on attention.”

“Yes!  Modelling is all about getting attention and hype around your brand,” she smiled sincerely, so happy that the topic was back on her and her modelling.  She didn’t get the subtle dig at her…extracurricular activities that took up more of people’s attention than any work or collaborations or modelling she’d done.  “I’m working so hard to build mine now, which is why I’m in LA having meetings and doing more collabs.”

“Is modelling enough for you?” Jason asked.

Aberdeen almost spit out her water, but Willy beat her to it.  She saw Saylor’s face light up even more.  “Oh my God, yes.  I looove modelling.  I’m soooo into the creative aspect of it and building my brand.”

“That’s great, Saylor,” Aberdeen smiled.  “I’m really glad that it’s working out for you considering how much you love it.”

“Thanks, girl,” she winked.  “It’s hard because the industry is so saturated these days.  I mean we were talking about this in New York.  Every girl with an iPhone, some makeup, and good angles thinks she’s a model.  It really takes someone creative like me to stand out.  Someone with a unique look and a unique brand,” she went on.  “Like your nose, you know?  It’s big.  Huge.  We talked about that.  You could get a nose job, or you could work with it.  Most would get a nose job.”  

Jason was ready for Aberdeen to snap.  So was John.  So was Pierre.  But William knew better.  When he saw Aberdeen smile, close-mouthed, just a hint of a coy grin playing on her face, he knew better.  “I have a Virginia Woolf nose,” Aberdeen said.  “It reminds me of how much I want to become a writer and not a model.”

***

“I feel like I just watched a WWE match on pay-per-view,” Aberdeen overheard Justin say to Jason in a low voice as they trailed behind her in the parking lot (he sat beside Jason during the meal and had heard everything, but even if he hadn’t sat beside him, Aberdeen had a feeling he still would have heard).  After the tacos were eaten, everybody decided to call it a night and go back to the hotel – well, mostly everyone.  Saylor wanted to go out for drinks somewhere else in Malibu.  Everybody else politely declined.

“Yeah, except it was pretty one-sided,” Jason said in an equally low voice.  “It’s like Aberdeen was Stone Cold Steve Austin and Saylor was the poor jobber her stunnered every Monday night.”

“You picked up on the nose comment too, right?  I mean she was basically telling Aberdeen to get a nose job?” Justin asked.

“Yup,” Jason popped the P sound.  

“I thought I was going crazy when I heard it.”

“Yeah, me too.  But from what I’ve heard from Jen I didn’t expect more from her.”

“It’s good that Aberdeen is mature.  I think if it were me at 22, I would have lunged across the table,” Justin commented.

***

“Who’s Virginia Woolf?”

Aberdeen was lying naked in her hotel bed, tits out, with William lying by her side after he’d fucked her, and that was the question he asked.  Aberdeen smiled.  She loved William and she knew him – she really did, at least she liked to think – but sometimes she didn’t understand how his brain worked.  She knew she liked to call him “Head Empty”, but sometimes she wasn’t so sure.  He clearly had thoughts.  He just brought them up at weird times.  “She was a writer in the early 1900s,” she answered, laughing slightly.

“And you want to be like her?”

She shook her head.  “I’d like my writing to be like her writing.”

“Why don’t you want to be like her?”

“She filled her pockets with rocks and committed suicide by drowning herself in the river behind her home,” she said, looking over at him.  His face was blank, processing the information, and she smiled wider.  “Maybe if my writing was like hers, I’d actually get published in Toronto Life or something.”

“You’ll never know if you don’t try.”

Her smile faded.  She hadn’t told him yet.  She’d wanted to keep it to herself for as long as possible because she didn’t want to burden him with the news.  “I did try.  I sent in one of my personal essays and they rejected it.  They sent me the email on my birthday.”

William remained silent.  He saw the look on Aberdeen’s face and knew that she felt embarrassed and disappointed – in herself, in her writing.  He wrapped an arm around her and propped himself up on his elbow so he could look down at her.  “Minskatt…”

“Don’t, Willy.  You’re going to make me cry.”

“No,” he shook his head, not accepting what she was saying.  “After the Carolina game you told me I needed to talk more and that you’d listen.  Well, you need to talk now and I’ll listen,” he said.  “Talk to me, minskatt.  I’m listening.”

Tears welled in her eyes, and it wasn’t because of her writing getting rejected anymore.  It was because of the man hovering over her.  His head may by empty, but Aberdeen was sure his heart was full of gold.  She didn’t know how she got so lucky.  She didn’t know how he was hers.  “I just don’t know how much more rejection I can take,” she whispered.  “I try and I try and I write and I write and I read so I can write better and nothing is working.  Nothing,” her voice was shaky.  “I just want an editor to read my writing and say ‘This is what I’ve been looking for all along.’  But that hasn’t happened yet.  And I’m scared it’s never going to happen.”

“It’ll happen one day, minskatt.  I promise you,” William encouraged as he tightened his grip around her with his one arm.  “You’re so talented.  Your dreams are going to come true and you’re going to look back and wonder why you ever doubted yourself.”

“Do you doubt me?” she asked suddenly.

“No,” William said without hesitation.  “Not for a second.”

Aberdeen stayed silent, bringing a hand up to wipe the few tears that had fallen down the side of her face.  She rested it on William’s forearm draped across her body.  “When I get like this, all my insecurities come out.  About my future, about everything.  Maybe I was never destined to be a writer.  Maybe I was destined to be a personal assistant or a bank teller.  Maybe I was destined just to be normal girl with a big nose and nothing special.”

“How can you say you’re nothing special when you’re my treasure?” he asked, burying his face in the crook of her neck and placing a light kiss there.  She couldn’t help but smile, and he smiled at the fact he made her smile.  “That has to count for something, right minskatt?” he stressed the word.

She nodded.  “It counts for everything.”  She looked directly into his baby blues, barely blinking.  “The second I leave here I’m going to plant the biggest kiss on your lips, Willy.  You have absolutely no idea.”

That caused William to laugh out loud before he bent down and gave her a quick kiss.  “Not if I beat you to it,” he said.

“You won’t.  Trust me.  God, I can hardly wait,” she said.  “I still don’t know why you keep waiting for me.”

“Are you listening?” he asked.

“Mhm.”

“I wait for you because I love you.  Because I love everything about you.”

“Even my big nose?”

“My favourite part of you,” he kissed the tip of it.  She could have cried again.  “It’s what makes you you.  I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

When she craned her neck to kiss him, she made sure to wrap her arms around his body and pull him close, wanting to feel his body on top of hers.  He got the hint, and stuck his tongue down her throat, and they kissed until he was hard again.  Though he hadn’t expected a second round, he was more than willing to partake.  He even made sure to bring extra condoms.  He always did now – since Valentine’s Day.  He had them everywhere: in his wallet, in his suitcase, in his shoe.  “I love you minskatt,” he mumbled against her lips.

She didn’t respond at first.  But when she did, it was with something he wasn’t expecting.  “Tell me how you want me.”

He froze for a brief second, the previous conversation they were just having still fresh in his mind.  “What?”

“Do you want me from behind?  On top?” she asked in a breathy voice.

He groaned.  “On top.”  

They switched positions so he was lying on his back.  Aberdeen climbed on top of him.  “Willy?” she asked.  “Can we…can we try something different?”

He nodded quickly.  “What is it, Aberdeen?”

“Can we…” she began, almost a bit embarrassed.  “Can I try reverse cowgirl?”

William couldn’t help but smile.  “Of course,” he said, gripping at her hips.  

“D’you have another condom?”

“My back pocket.”

She dismounted him, leaning over the bed to grab his pants on the floor and retrieve the packet.  When she straddled him again, she did it so her back was to his face.  He could feel her pump him a few times before she rolled on the condom, and he sighed at the feeling.  She looked over her shoulder at him.  “I love you, Willy.”

“I love you too,” he said, his hands back on her hips.  He helped her lower herself onto him, the both of the moaning at the feeling.  He loved watching himself disappear inside of her.  He noticed she wasn’t moving yet.  “You okay?” he asked.  

Aberdeen nodded her head.  “It feels so good,” she said.  “I’ve never…you know…”

“It’s okay,” he said, understanding what she wasn’t saying.  He couldn’t believe that her previous sexual partners were so selfish that they never let her explore what she liked or what she could possibly like or positions she could do.  He shuddered at the thought of her potentially asking and being turned down.  It made him angry just thinking about it.  He didn’t want her to be that way with him.  He wanted her to be completely open.  “Do what you feel comfortable with, minskatt.”

She began rolling her hips back and forth.  William groaned in response, and he could feel Aberdeen’s hands grip his thighs and her nails dig in slightly.  As she rocked herself on his cock, she began to moan, gasping out anytime William would buck his hips slightly.  He had to admit he liked the view, but what he liked even more was that she was enjoying herself on top of him, doing what she wanted.  

“Willy?” she asked suddenly.  She looked over her shoulder at him again.  She looked so innocent and he knew that she meant to do it, and he almost exploded right then and there as she bat her eyelashes at him.  “Can you…can you come up here?”

He did as he was told, pushing himself up and wrapping his arms around her body.  He kissed her back and dragged his lips along her skin to her shoulder and neck.  “What is it, minskatt?” he asked.

“What if I wanted to try more?”

If it was possible, William felt even hotter.  The sound of her voice saying those words was…indescribable.  “What do you mean?”

“You just make me feel so good.  I’ve never had anybody make me feel this way.  I feel so comfortable with you,” she said.  “You…I feel safe to try things with you.  Things I couldn’t try with other guys.”

He knew what she was getting at.  He placed a tender kiss on her shoulder.  “What do you want to try?” he asked.  She remained silent, wondering if she should have even said anything.  “Don’t be ashamed, minskatt.  What do you want me to do?”

She hesitated.  “D’you…can you pinch my nipples?”

He smiled because it was such a simple request.  He brought his hands up and cupped her breasts, pinching her nipples between his thumb and index fingers.  He felt her sharp intake of breath and her head leaned back into his shoulder.  He could tell by her reaction that she wanted more.  “What else?” he asked, biting down on her skin near her shoulder.  “What are you not telling me?”

“That,” she stressed.  He didn’t know what she meant.  “The bite.  You—You can fuck me, Willy.  I want you to fuck me.  You can be rougher with me.  I think I’ll like it.”

When William heard those words and how she emphasized them, he wanted to make sure.  Needed to make sure.  The first time they had sex it was a good old-fashioned hookup.  The second time they had sex they’d made love.  In subsequent times since, it was mostly making love, if only because they had waited so long to finally be together and that was what they wanted to “release” – love.  But now, with those words being said, he knew Aberdeen was ready to take the next step.  She was willing to go further.  She trusted him to go further with her, and only wanted to do it with him.  “Yeah?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she nodded.  “I trust you.  Fuck me, Willy.”

He pinched her nipples again, harder this time, and she gasped.  He started to move his hips too, moving inside of her, and she began to moan again.  Without warning, he fell back down on the bed, bringing her with him so her back was flush against his chest, though her knees were still bent and he was still in her.  This was definitely a new position for her, judging by her reaction – a quick “oh fuck” escaping her lips.  He heard her breathing get heavier as she felt one of his hands snake down from her breasts and on to her clit.  “Willy…” she moaned out.  

He started pounding into her, using his athletic physique to be able to so with such force in a new angle she’d never felt before.  Her moans fuelled him, and the moans changed to slight whimpers when he started rubbing at her clit.  “Fuck, Willy…” she managed to get out.

But he wasn’t done.  At least he didn’t want to be done.  His other hand, still pinching her nipple, moved up to her neck.  “Willy,” she mewled, bringing her own hand up and placing it over his.

“Is that okay?” he whispered into her ear.  He wasn’t applying any pressure – it was just sort of there – but that was apparently enough for her.  He wouldn’t have felt comfortable going further, anyway, at least without her verbalizing something.

“Yes Willy, fuck,” she arched her back.  “Fuck me.  Fuck me harder.”

He increased his pace.  Her cries let him know that even with those simple actions, she was feeling pleasure.  She was liking it.  She was getting what she wanted from him.  That was the only thing he wanted.  “I want you to cum all over my cock, Aberdeen,” he growled into her ear.  She didn’t answer, but when she arched her back again, he felt her walls tighten around his cock and he knew she was done.  He let himself find his release too, groaning in pleasure as her body writhed on top of his.  He didn’t stop rubbing her clit until her hand went over his to stop him.  Her body went still as he slipped out of her and she fell to his side, trying to regain her breath.  

After a couple of minutes, she curled around to face him.  “I know that was probably really tame but it was new for me.”

William shook his head.  He didn’t want her to feel nervous about anything.  “Baby steps,” he kissed her.  

“No guy has ever, like…asked what I like in the bedroom,” she admitted.  “So I couldn’t explore things.  Well I didn’t feel comfortable exploring things.  But I know I can with you.”

William nodded his head.  “Don’t worry, minskatt.  We can start slow.  No need to rush.  You can tell me what you like and where you’re willing to go.”

“You too.”

“Hmm?”

“You tell me what you like and where you’re willing to go, and I’ll go there with you too.”

He nodded his head, smiling.  “I love you.”

“I love you too.  More than anything.”

[fallenflowersfromgrace]

How New Year's Eve went.

10:55 am

"EDA! EDA, WAKE UP!" Luz shouted as she slammed the door open. "IT'S THE LAST DAY OF THE YEAR!"

"Luz!" King groaned from his spot in her arms, "It's way too early for this."

"It is not," Luz clicked her tongue before sprinting down the hallway. "EDAAAAA!"

"WHAT'S WRONG?!?!" Eda shouted as she stumbled out of her room and the teen nearly trampled her.

"It's the last day of the year!" Luz ignored the demon's protest when he was sandwiched between the girl and the witch.

"It is?" Eda questioned as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

"YES!" Luz nodded her head. "Now, come on, we need to go wake up Lilith!"

"Lilith is dead," King huffed. "She's not up until almost two."

"Not today," Eda cackled as she allowed the teenager to drag her down the hall to Lilith’s room.

10 am

"Okay, on three," Luz whispered to Eda and King.

"Talk about a rude awakening," King cackled softly.

"Oh, try and avoid the pillow," Eda snorted, "Lilith will throw the pillow first."

The unconscious witch, buried under a pile of blankets and a pillow, would be defenseless to her unwanted wakeup call. Her other three housemates, standing on her bed, were grinning like maniacs with high expectations of Lilith's reaction.

"Three!" Luz shouted and the three of them started jumping around Lilith.

"LILY! WAKE UP!" Eda screamed as she bounced up and down.

"THE YEAR IS ENDING! THE YEAR IS ENDING!" King shouted as he hopped around Lilith's head.

"COME ON! STOP BEING AN OLD LADY AND AWAKEN!" Luz laughed as the older Clawthorne shot up with a gasp, giving the three of them whiplash from watching her.

"WHAT THE FU-"

"GOOD MORNING, LILITH!" Hooty shouted as his head poked in through the bedroom window.

"Flock off," the irritated witch grumbled as she chucked her pillow at him.

"GEEZ." Hooty scoffed as he began retracting out of the room, "RUDE. HOOT!"

"What in the Titan's name are you three doing?!" Lilith demanded as she angrily rubbed her eyes.

"You are not sleeping half way through the last day of the year," Eda smirked. "Now come on, princess, up and at em'." The younger witch led her group out of the room with a cackle.

The door shut, preventing the pillow aimed at Eda's head to hit its target.

11: 30 am

"Oh, hey, look, she lives," Eda chuckled as Lilith entered the kitchen.

"I swear, I'm going to burn your slippers," Lilith grumbled as she gave a half-asleep wave to Luz and King, who were both smirking in amusement at the interaction.

"Whatcha gonna do, curse me?" Eda teased as she sipped her apple blood.

"Pull something like that again, and I might," Lilith huffed. They all knew it was an empty threat. Lilith took at most three hours to become a functioning adult and in Luz's words, regain her Lilithness.

"Well, enough threatening for now, and let's eat some pancakes." Luz offered, "I made sure to grab the syrup."

"Agreed," Lilith nodded.

"GIMME THE SYRUP!" King demanded as he shot across the table to snatch it from Luz.

"King, no!" Luz shouted as she pulled it out of reach. Unfortunately she knocked her apple juice over and spilled it onto Lilith.

"KING, YES!" The demon screamed as he continued to fight the teenager for the syrup.

"I'm going to make some tea," Lilith huffed as she stood up from the table and patted her shirt dry with a napkin.

"Great way to start the morning," Eda chuckled and took a sip of apple blood.

12 pm

"A...7?" Luz guessed as she stared at the witch across from her.

"Miss," Lilith smirked as the teenager groaned out in frustration.

"B...2." The witch broke out into laughter when Luz slammed her fists on the table and sighed in defeat.

"You sunk my BATTLESHIP." Luz threw her hands to her hair, "How?!?!"

"Lucky guess," Lilith shrugged.

"Imma go see if King wants to play checkers," the teen grumbled.

"Sick of losing to my sister at Hexes and Hold Em'?" The witch teased.

"Hey, it's not my fault I'm the best," Eda snorted from the couch.

"It has to be a witch thing." Luz shook her head as she stood up to find her fluffy friend, "I don't understand."

"I can't believe you cheated," Eda scoffed in amusement when Luz was out of earshot.

"I haven't a clue what you're talking about," Lilith smirked. "It wasn't cheating if I didn't get caught."

"Atta girl."

3: 15 pm

"It smells like peanut butter," Luz blinked as she glanced up at Lilith.

"Luz," Eda shook her head, "It's not-"

"Can I taste it?" Luz asked with her eyes big.

"Wait-"

The teenager ignored the two witches and took a fingertip worth of the peanut butter and stuck it in her mouth.

"What was that?" Luz exclaimed in disgust. "WHATEVER THAT WAS, IT WASN'T PEANUT BUTTER."

"Luz," King sighed in disappointment as he handed her a box, "read this."

"IT'S COOKIE DOUGH?!" Luz stared incredulously at the sisters, "I THOUGHT IT WAS PEANUT BUTTER! WHY DIDN'T ANYONE TELL ME?!"

"Luz," Lilith deadpanned, "it's cookie dough."

"Peanut butter cookie dough," Eda corrected.

"This house is a nightmare," Luz shook her head.

6: 30 pm

"Come on, King!" Luz beamed as she gently moved the demon's paws around to mimick dance moves. "Dance with me!"

"The King of Demons doesn't dance!" King huffed but the smile betrayed him as the teenager continued to dance with him. Luz changed the song on her phone, and a more upbeat and energetic song came from the speaker.

"Let's go, King!" The teen cheered as she picked him up and swung him around to the beat of the music.

"Come on, Lily, let's dance!" Eda got to her feet and stood in front of her sister.

"You want me to what?" Lilith questioned as she glanced at her smirking younger sister over the top of her book.

"Up!" Eda demanded as she grabbed her sister’s wrist and pulled her to her feet.

"Eda..." Lilith groaned but amusement was laced her tone.

"Come on, Lilith!" Luz smiled as she handed King to Eda.

"Yes, yes," Lilith snorted as Eda spun her and Luz grabbed her hands to dance with her.

"I shall become the king of dancing!" King shouted as the four of them continued to laugh and spin with nothing weighing them down.

8 pm

"Okay we got four hours left, do we have everything?" Luz asked as she looked over the list.

"We have the modified light glyphs awaiting activation," Lilith shrugged.

"Got those loud noise things that make a noise when you blow them," King held up a plastic bag.

"And the weird human headpiece," Eda smirked as she poked the bright red hat on her head.

"We need the party popers," Luz's eyes widened, "who has those."

"You mean the things you pull the string that will make a loud noise?" Lilith asked.

"Yes!" Luz nodded her head.

"The house demon ate them," Lilith waved a dismissive hand. "He found them a threat."

"You've got to be kidding me," Eda faceplamed.

11: 57 pm

"COME ON, COME ON!" Luz screamed as she literally dragged both Clawthornes by the wrist. "We need to get to the roof!"

"Luz! We need to be able to make it to the roof in one piece!" Eda argued as she tried to pry her wrist from the teen's iron grip.

"We have three minutes!" Luz protested the argument and King gently pulled her hair.

"Three minutes!" The demon emphasized, "Meaning you don't need to be screaming bloody murder!"

"TWO MINUTES!" Luz screamed as she slammed her bedroom door opened and practically threw Eda and Lilith into the room. "OUT THE WINDOW. OUT THE WINDOW NOW!"

Due to the teenager's aggressive pushing, the four of them found themselves on the roof.

"GOODBYE TO THIS HELLHOLE OF A YEAR!" King shouted.

"You say that every year," Eda chuckled as she threw her arms Luz and Lilith. "Glad I'll be entering this year with my Bad Girl Coven so this hellhole probably won't be as bad."

"Yes," Lilith nodded her head, "I'm excited for this upcoming year..." she glanced at her sister and the teenager that Eda considered her own, "and what else the future holds for us."

"Aww, I love you guys so much-" Luz cut herself off with a gasp. "TEN SECONDS."

"NINE!"

"EIGHT!"

"SEVEN!"

"SIX!"

"FIVE!"

"FOUR!"

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

"ONE!"

12 am

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

[chronicallylatetotheparty]

Watching (the Adventures of) Merlin season one on Netflix

Episode One: The Dragon's Call

. . . I feel like going to the capital of the kingdom indiscriminately slaughtering magic users wasn't the best idea.

Why? Well, that guy did just get executed.

And now his mom is mad. You tell that sorry excuse for a king, witch lady.

I don't like Uther, in case it was unclear.

Wait... if you could teleport why not just grab your son and ditch before he loses his head? Literally.

Oh, wow. Arthur is a dick.

Morgana. We have no choice but to stan tbh.

Dragon, you're really rubbing me the wrong way.

That's right Merlin! We need more than Because Destiny Says So!

Where did the spiderwebs come from? That sleeping spell gives me Sleeping Beauty vibes.

Ah, yes. The old drop-the- chandelier-on-the-villain trick. :(

If she went after Uther instead of Arthur I would have no complaints.

Manservant? You call that a reward for saving your son?

Episode Two: Valiant

Snake!Shield

Oh, he's gonna- Yup, dead. That's what happens when you deal with knights who cheat.

Where did that guy even get a magic shield in the first place?

Is there a thriving magic black market or something?

I love Guin.

. . . I feel like Sir Valiant didn't think this through. If bite marks are visible.

Ugh, you're the worst Uther.

It's only the second episode! Did you forget who saved your son already?

Stop being a jerk Arthur.

Lol. Merlin bringing a dog statue to life in order to practice for the Snake!Shield.

Bye Valiant!

Episode Three: The Mark of Nimueh

Whatcha up to with that egg, new witch lady?

You gonna poison the water of all of Camelot? Seems like a jerk move.

Dang that's a lot of dead bodies...

No, I like Guin's dad!

Yes! Cure him Merlin!

No! Stop arresting Guin, Uther!

You tell him, Morgana!

That plague monster that hatched from witch lady's egg is creepy.

Dead monster!

Arthur is kinda oblivious to Merlin's magic ngl.

Yay! Guin's free!

What do you know about witch lady Nimueh, Uther? Hmm? Why she want you dead? Besides the obvious reasons.

Episode Four: The Poisoned Chalice

Wow, Nimueh really doesn't like Merlin saving the day.

Wow, Nimueh really orchestrated an entire diplomatic incident in order to kill Merlin while also ensuring Camelot is destroyed by its neighbor. Impressive.

I really like Merlin and Guin's friendship.

Dang. Merlin really drank poison in order to save Arthur.

Merlin saved Arthur's life, Uther! Let him return the favor!

Oh, wow. Arthur really disobeyed his father in order to save Merlin's life.

I didn't know Merlin could cast spells while deathly delirious. And several miles away from him too.

Uther you b****! The antidote is right there! Let Arthur save his friend!

Putting your own son in a cell is such a jerk move.

At least Arthur and Guin manage to sneak the antidote to Merlin.

Quick aside: Internet spoilers say Uther needs to die for Arthur to complete his himbofication- I mean character development. So, if you could get on with that? Thanks!

Episode Five: Lancelot

Wow, that's a very CGI griffin.

Lancelot is so precious- Uh, I mean effective! Saving Merlin and all.

I know, Guin. I know.

Always thought it was a stupid rule to only let nobles be knights.

You're really going to commit magical forgery for someone you just met, Merlin?

I mean, Lancelot is earnest, hardworking, modest, kind despite his tragic backstory and it's his childhood dream to be a knight...

Yeah, I'd commit magical forgery too.

Lol, knocked you on your ass didn't he Arthur? (The second time at least)

I don't remember griffins being man-eaters!

Uther stop arresting people! Ugh, you're such a classist.

Let Lancelot help fight the griffin, Arthur! You need all the help you can get!

Well okay letting him go was nice of you.

Lancelot-Merlin tag team!

Wow. Lancelot really strode in with Camelot's singular braincell by figuring out Merlin has magic.

(The bar is low, okay.)

No, don't take away the braincell! Stay! The griffin was a team effort!

Okay, Lancelot's lawful good tendencies are a little annoying but, hey, nobody's perfect.

Episode Six: A Remedy to Cure All Ills

Edwin, no. Leave Morgana alone.

Oh, beetles! Curse beetles! That's not creepy at all.

Gaius how do you know Edwin?

What diabolical plot are you hatching Edwin? Oh, you're replacing Gaius in the royal court. That's kinda rude.

Merlin's so happy meeting another magic user that isn't trying to kill him (yet).

Le gasp! Uther's purge killed Edwin's parents? WhO cOuLd HaVe fOreSeEn tHis!?

But seriously. No wonder Edwin wants Uther dead.

I know Edwin blackmailed Gaius with exposing Merlin but he also wants to kill Uther!

That gives him a pass in my book.

Gaius no. Let Uther die.

Edwin stop trying to kill Gaius! You're going to-

Yup, here comes Merlin and-

Edwin's dead :(

Well he was trying to overthrow the kingdom. That's... bad... I guess.

Episode Seven: The Gates of Avalon

That title is misleading. It's more of a natural portal/magic lake type thing.

Arthur saves a father and daughter from bandits (Which they hired but shhh)

And they immediately try to put a love spell on Arthur

For human sacrifice purposes of course

Idk why the Sidhe want a human prince's soul -look at him, you don't know where he's been- but that's the price for readmission

I wonder how the dad killed one of his own kind? Was it an accident or...?

Exiling the daughter too makes me suspicious of Avalon's justice system

Evil laugh is a bit out of place for someone who is trying to restore his daughter's immortality

(They are so whiny about being mortal. Hey, we put up with it all the time!)

The fairy-like Sidhe moving in accelerated time so they just look like tiny orbs of light was an interesting touch. The blue faces and razor sharp teeth is not a good look for them, lol

They make Arthur ask to be married ('cause it takes a while for the love spell to go into full blown mind control or something)

Prompting Uther to threaten to kill both of them

(I feel like they didn't think this through)

Morgana admonishes Uther for being the worst

He replies that first love rarely lasts and that Arthur is inexperienced in such things. Plus that Arthur only met the girl yesterday

... I can't believe Uther is the voice of reason this episode

He doesn't get any points though. Due to the whole "threatening to execution his son's 'crush' " thing

The daughter is having second thoughts about using Arthur as a human sacrifice

Dear old dad puts those to rest and they try drowning Arthur in the lake that is/is the portal to, Avalon

Merlin's really leaning into the whole "Cool motive. Still murder.", thing huh?

Like, he did NOT hesitate to blow up both of them

Episode Eight: The Beginning of the End

Why do magic users keep going to Camelot!? The king is trying to KILL YOU!

Wow, this grown ass man is threatened by a literal child... I hate Uther so much

Morgana is the MVP of this episode. I love her

Protect that druid kid!

I feel like you're being paranoid Uther

You tell him Morgana!

Dragon, no. Stop prophesying death and destruction.

Wow, this grown ass dragon is threatened by a literal child...

Aaaand Morgana got caught sneaking the kid out of the city :(

Uther she is your adopted daughter! Stop putting people in cells!

Arthur is gonna sneak him out now?

While Morgana distracts the king?

Yes, excellent. What could possibly-

Merlin stop listening to that destiny dragon! Hearing his voice in your head is no basis for trust!

Cutting it close... Yay! They made it!

Mordred!? MORDRED!?

THAT little boy is Mordred!?

... Okay, I'm more inclined to believe the destiny dragon now

Still think letting him die would be a dick move

Episode Nine: Excalibur

What're you up to with that tomb Nimueh?

Oh! It's some kind of undead knight. Yes.

Throwing down the gauntlet. Pfft! Always thought that was a stupid idea.

Also: that Black Knight literally crashed your party!

Ugh, knights.

Nimueh if you can just teleport into the heart of Camelot while Uther is alone why don't you just stab him? Grab one of those pointy things he likes so much and stab him in the back. Easy peasy!

Stealing this joke but Don't do evil magic kids. It fries your brain cells.

Wait, the Black Knight is Uther's brother-in-law!?

Arthur's mother died in childbirth!?

Uther asked Nimueh to use her magic so he could have Arthur!?

Equivalent Exchange!?

Uther went on a genocidal rampage because he didn't bother with the instruction manual of ancient and powerful magic!?

Actually, that last one is not surprising at all.

I can't believe they're using the Wife in the Fridge trope. That appliance hasn't even been invented yet!

Ooh, Merlin's going to use his magic to destroy the Black Knight so Arthur doesn't have to fight him

As he's killed two knights already

Aaaaand, yup, he's still there. His cloak didn't even catch fire...

Arthur stop being a bastard. It doesn't suit you

Dragon forged sword! DRAGON FORGED SWORD!

Only Arthur can wield it. Yup, got it. How could this possibly go wrong?

Uther drugged Arthur and took his place in the fight... I have mixed feelings about this.

Wait, the dragon was very specific about only Arthur using that super special sword! Oh, snap.

Well at least the Black Knight is dead. Again.

Oh, dragon is not happy.

I know the dragon said "where no mortal soul could find it" but are you sure you wanna throw it into Avalon, Merlin?

Those people were gonna suck Arthur's soul out of his body

Episode Ten: The Moment of Truth

The way this episode title just lies to your face like that...

Oh, you're Merlin's mother! Thought we had an anime protagonists type thing going on

I... would like to say Uther is being unreasonable when he decides not to cross borders to get rid of some bandits. But I can totally see everyone hating him so that's a no go.

Lady, you were in a whole different kingdom. Why for the love of Merlin did you send him to Camelot!?

We're off to save the village! Morgana and Guin are coming too!

A wild Arthur appears!

Morgana better at swordplay than Arthur confirmed!

Merlin! I didn't know you had friends!

Granted he's a bit rough around the edges but

Okay. If it were literally anyone else besides Arthur. I'd say he was right about lords and knights being useless snobs.

Actually. He's right about lords and knights being useless snobs. Ah, that felt great.

Wow, the homosexual subtext is strong with this one.

The girls can tell Arthur came for Merlin.

But get your foot out of his face! I don't care how royal it is!

Look at Guin over here calling out Arthur for being a dick

And talking him into letting the women fight. She's on a roll

Aw, Merlin's friend died. :(

And he took credit for Merlin's tornado (so Arthur wouldn't find out about Merlin's magic)

Episode Eleven: The Labyrinth of Gedref

Lol, that unicorn could use a haircut.

No, Arthur. I said a haircut not an arrow to the chest!

Bad things? What kind of bad things Gaius?

Uther what's the point of having an expert in magical lore if you're not going to listen to him!

And all the crops are dead. Fantastic.

I know it's a magic thing but stating outright that the blight only targets edible plants is still really unsettling.

And the water's turned to sand. Great.

Who're you and how come Merlin is the only magic user that can't teleport?

What kind of tests mister Keeper of the Unicorns, sir?

Arthur I know you don't want to believe it's your fault... But it's totally your fault.

Uther no. People are starving.

You tell him Arthur.

Oh, the "theif" was a test!

Aaaaand he failed the second one. :(

Merlin's got a lot of faith in Arthur.

It's interesting how the Keeper can only direct the curse caused by the unicorn's death. Or rather the trials surrounding the curse, but can't break it himself.

Unicorns have some powerful magic.

The Labyrinth was barely on screen for five minutes! Surely something with Unicorn in the title would be more appropriate?

Arthur drinking a poisoned cup so Merlin could live?

That's some strong parallels right there.

The Keeper of the Unicorns is such a troll! Sleeping potion, hah!

The day is saved, Arthur lies to Uther's face about killing the Keeper and the unicorn resurrects itself.

Still needs a haircut though.

Episode Twelve: To Kill the King

Whatcha up to Guin's dad?

Oh that guy isn't suspicious at all.

You didn't think it was shady when he asked to meet in the middle of the night!?

Philosopher's Stone!?

Wow, the guards found him quickly.

What- No! Don't arrest Guin's dad!

Uther, he's a blacksmith! Stop being paranoid!

Will you stop executing people!? That inn keeper didn't know that guy was a dangerous sorcerer!

No, nononononono! He surrendered! Why did you do that!? Guin's father was important to Morgana!

That's why she gave him the key!

Dragon has his priorities straight.

Shut up, Merlin. You literally blew up a father and daughter for trying to kill one(1) person. (No really, you could see their hands flying off.)

Morgana deserves a little murder. As a treat.

Yes! Get him! Kill the bastard!

No! Why would you make GUIN say that!? Who are you and what have you done with Guin!?🔪🔪

UGH, he literally committed genocide!

The "that would make me as bad as he is" DOES NOT APPLY!

What- Oh, he still has the fairy's staff.

No. Stop it! Let Uther die!

Oh, God, Uther is such an abusive piece of GARBAGE!

Stop! Don't fall for it Morgana!

*sees dagger being pushed closer to Uther's "heart"* Yes! Yes! YES!

*Morgana saves him* NO!

NO!

NOOOOOO!

*inarticulate ranting in the background*

Episode Thirteen:

Okay, the cgi might be getting a little better 'cause the Questing Beast is freaky

Old religion? What is that? And how come it's conveniently absent from the previous episodes?

Dang, they really here just casually gaslighting Morgana like that 😡

Merlin you know Morgana has visions! You couldn't have been a little more careful? She warned you. Now look at Arthur, he's got the heroic death disease

Granted that thing does seem like a handful

Why do you only act like a father when it's a matter of life and death? Why can't you be a father literally any other time!?

"The old religion is the magic of the Earth itself."

Well that sounds fascinating, dragon. Are you going to elaborate? No? Later then?

Soooooo, is the old religion actually a religion or is it a magic? It's really unclear...

"You will be a better king than your father could ever hope to be." Guin, you're back!

I expected a place called the Isle of the Blessed to be less... creepy

Nimueh! Whatcha up to girl? Plotting the demise of a kingdom? Not today it seems

Oh there some Equivalent Exchange type nonsense going on is there?

Arthur you were supposed to be in a coma not listening to Guin!

Oh. Oh, no.

Merlin saying goodbye as he prepares to trade his life for his mother's is 😢😭

Wow, that dragon really knew Nimueh would give Merlin's mother the curse and didn't say anything. The little b*****!

No wonder Merlin's mad at him. Stop breathing fire at him! It's your own fault!

Gaius, no! Not the dead mentor trope!

"You stood by and watched as our friends died." Damn, Nimueh isn't pulling her punches.

Merlin vs Nimueh! Ready? Fight!

Anime protagonist power up! Dang, Nimueh's dead... I feel like that wasn't supposed to happen.

At least no one else is dying. Since Nimueh's death appeased the Equivalent Exchange laws of the old religion.

[rhys-writes-sometimes]

Music Worth Making Part 5: The Other Side of Hollywood

Requested: sort of

Warnings: some angst, bad writing, the feeling that something is off (I can’t really describe it, but feel free to send in an ask/comment on the fic if you want me to tag it)

Series Summery: When the readers life is ripped from them, they're left distraught. However, with the help of their best friends, Julie and Flynn, and a band of three certain ghosts, the afterlife might not be so bad after all.

Chapter Summery: You and the boys go to the Hollywood Ghost Club

Words: 2964

A/N: I’m going to be trying to write as much as I can this week because school starts up again next week. After that I won’t have a break until summer vacation, so I’m not sure how much writing I’ll get done. I’ll do my best to keep writing, though!

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 6 | Masterlist

______________________________________________________

“That’s him,” you said to Luke, your eyes wide.

“Who?”

“The man who killed me.”

Luke looked at you in shock. “What?”

You didn’t answer him, however. You were staring at the man with a mixture of shock and terror as he started singing and moved towards you. 

You gripped the edges of your chair in horror as you realized you recognized the song. It was the one you had been hearing in the back of your mind since you died. 

“Let me introduce myself, we got some time to kill,” the man sang, moving closer to your table. “Consider me the pearly gates to your new favorite thrills.”

You could feel the music pulling at you, trying to get you to join in, but you held back. Caleb narrowed his eyes slightly as he spotted you.

“We could go make history, or you could rest in peace. But here there ain’t no misery, ‘cause on the other side we live like kings.”

The pulling was becoming so powerful it hurt. You squeezed your eyes shut.

“Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do?

Let your body loose, let your body loose.

Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do?

Show you a thing or two, cause you ain’t seen nothing!”

You couldn’t hold out any longer. You felt the wooshing sensation of teleporting, and suddenly you were on the stage with a bunch of other people you could only assume were ghosts. Your clothes had changed, too. You were wearing a two-piece that revealed way too much in your opinion. It was mostly the color of Caleb’s suit, with a few black highlights. You looked like a matching set with him. 

You had no control over your body as you danced around him. The audience was loving it, clapping and cheering. 

And suddenly, you were singing.

“Everything has got a price, but happiness is free. 

Just so happens you’re in luck, we got a vacancy.”

Caleb joined you, your voices blending perfectly together as you danced. “We can set the night on fire and break out of the scene!

Your soul print on the walk of fame on the boulevard of your wildest dreams!”

You broke away from him and jumped onto the boy’s table, dancing on top of it. 

“Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do, boys?”

“Let your body loose, let your body loose.”

“Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do, boys?”

Your foot almost hit Reggie’s face, but Caleb stopped it just in time. 

“Ain’t bragging if it’s true, no you ain’t seen nothing!

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood! 

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood!

So welcome to the brotherhood where you won’t be misunderstood!

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood!”

You danced around the stage, most often by the boys table. Even though they were seated in the middle, you didn’t think that was a coincidence. 

You belted out the lyrics along with Caleb, until the end when he disappeared behind a sheet. Everyone, including the boys, stood and clapped as you took a bow. 

Suddenly you were back at your table, in your regular clothes. 

Luke looked at you in shock. “How’d you do that?” 

“I don’t know,” you said with a frown. You didn’t know if he meant the dancing or the singing or, well, whatever had just happened, but you had the same answer for all the questions. 

“This is so cool!!” Reggie waved at some lifers across the club. 

“Man, dude, I knew I recognized him! He’s the guy who bumped into me outside the Orpheum,” Alex said. 

“Wait, isn’t he that magician dude that died a horrible death doing a trick?” Reggie asked, causing you to laugh.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t really bring that up when we meet him.”

“Yeah, but you guys should come back when he shows one of his movies,” Willie said with a smile. “I mean, for Titanic, he literally floods the entire place. I mean, the guy has got skills.”

“Alright, but he can just wave his arms and make ghosts visible to lifers?” Luke said, crossing his arms.

“Told you, the guy’s got skills,” Willie said with a small chuckle.

“So… where’d he go?” Reggie asked, looking around. His eyes landed right behind you. “Oh! Found him!”

You turned around and almost ran into him. 

“Hello, gentleman, and gentlefolk,” he added, turning to look at you. “Caleb Covington. Welcome to the Hollywood Ghost Club. Enjoying the show?”

“Yo, that was….. I mean… did you, like….” Luke said, unable to form a complete sentence at the thought of the show. 

Caleb chuckled. “I know, right?”

“This is Alex, Luke, Reggie, and Y/N,” Willie said, pointing to each of you in turn. 

“We’ve already met,” you said, smiling coldly at your host. 

“Indeed we have!” Caleb kissed your hand. “And may I say, you make a wonderful dance partner.”

“Yeah, you guys were amazing up there!” Reggie exclaimed. 

Caleb smiled. “Nothing warms my heart more than sharing this magic with new friends. Please, sit.”

Luke pulled out a chair for you again, and you took it, smiling at him. You glanced at Caleb again, who was looking your way with a puzzling expression on his face.

“Thank you for the invite,” Alex said. 

“Of course, of course. Now! My friend Willie tells me that you boys have some magic of your own.”

Alex glanced between him and Willie. “Well, Willie and I? I mean, I wouldn’t really call it magic, but I mean…” His voice was higher than usual. 

“Oh, no, he means your ghost abilities. You know, like, to be seen by everybody when you play with Julie,” Willie corrected him. 

Alex stared at him for a moment before continuing. “No, totally. Right, no. ‘Cause when you said that, I was like ‘Is that what he said’? ‘Cause….”

Caleb waved a hand, letting him know it was fine. 

“Yeah, but we can’t really, uh, wave our arms and do all this magic stuff,” Luke said, trying to save his friend from further embarrassment.

“Well, I’ve had a lot of practice. Our gifts are so rare, so special. It’s not often I come across other spirits that possess similar talents.” Caleb smiled at the boys. “It’s no surprise we found each other.”

“Yeah, that, definitely,” Luke said.

“Well, if you forgive me fella’s, I gotta go pay the bills, if you know what I’m saying,” Caleb said, standing up. “I’ll be back later to chat.”

Reggie had a dopey grin on his face. “I love that dude! Please tell me this party is never gonna end.”

Your uneasy feeling from earlier was starting to fade into the back of your mind. He couldn’t be the man who killed you, could he? He was so nice.

A little while later, you found yourself talking to some lifers with Luke and Reggie. Alex and Willie had stayed behind to talk. 

“Wait, they made eight more Star Wars movies, and they killed Han Solo? What kind of future is this?” Reggie asked with tears in his eyes. He stormed away.

“We found out like, two weeks ago, okay? We just didn’t have the heart to tell him,” Luke said after he was gone. “Just please don’t mention Jar Jar.”

You heard Alex and Willie talking behind you. “There’s a lot to, um, like here,” Willie said before getting up from the table. 

“Oh, you got a crush on Willie!” you said, walking over to him.

Alex looked at you. “What? No, no, we’re just-”

“Alex, we’re happy for you,” Luke cut him off, coming over. 

“You guys are not gonna believe this,” Reggie said, walking over. “But someone just told me they added a character named Jar Jar. What’s a Jar Jar?!”

“I take it you all are enjoying yourselves?” Caleb asked, appearing behind Reggie.

“Yeah, I mean, you’d have to be insane to have a bad time here,” you giggled, all bad feelings gone. 

Caleb smiled at you. “Well, entertainment is our specialty. Now, I understand there is something I can help you with.”

“We hope so. There’s an old buddy of ours who ripped us off big time, and we wanna make things right,” Reggie said. 

“Yeah, we wanna look him in the eyes and make him admit what he did to us. So if you could make us visible, that would be perfect,” Luke added. 

Caleb hummed. “Well sure, I could do that, but we’re at a party! Why focus on those who have wronged us when we’re among friends?” He seemed to be speaking directly to you.

A bad feeling started to creep back in, but it went away before you could even realize why it had been there. 

“What about you, my little raven? What can I do for you?” He asked you. 

“Me? Oh, I’m fine! I just follow the boys around,” you giggled, a bit surprised by the pet name. You put your arms around Luke and Reggie’s shoulders, pulling them into a side hug. They seemed a bit surprised, but pleased.

Caleb nodded. “Well please, sit,” he said, gesturing to the chairs as he sat.

“What if I were to tell you that with a wave of my hand, you could share the spotlight with me… and join my houseband?”

“Oh, uh, we… we already have a band,” Luke said awkwardly. 

“Yes, but when you’re done performing, you disappear. You cease to exist. No bows. No soaking up the applause. No… no real connection to the audience. Here, the audience knows what you are, and more importantly, they know how special you are.”

You all looked at each other. 

“Well, it could be cool to play here,” Luke said hesitantly.

“Oh, it’s not just here,” Caleb said quickly. “No, we party like this all over the world. Tonight, Hollywood, tomorrow, Paris!”

“Oh là là,” Reggie said, leaning forward in his chair.

“It is all your dreams come true, forever.” Caleb drew out the proposal, then stood up quickly. “I’m gonna give you some time to think about it.”

“Oh, by the way,” he called out as he walked away, “make sure to try the sliders. They’re to die for.”

“We can eat?” Reggie asked excitedly.

Caleb nodded. “Here you can.”

A waiter came by carrying trays heaping with food and set them down on your table. 

You started to reach for a slice of pizza, but Alex suddenly said “Wait!” You all looked at him in shock.

“I want the one without cheese.”

You dug in, eating for what felt like the first time in forever. 

You all mumbled inhoherntly for a bit, enjoying the food.

“This is a meatball sub!” Luke exclaimed. “Oh my god!”

A little while later, you had finished shoving your face. Willie had come back over. Luke and Reggie were still eating, however.

“Pizza, man, I missed you!” Luke said, staring at the pizza. You laughed. 

“Reggie, are you kissing that meatball sub?” Alex questioned. You looked over at Reggie to see a blush creeping over his cheeks. 

“It’s what you do with the things you love,” he said defensively. Luke reached over and took your hand. You smiled at him.

“I take it you’re all enjoying the feast?” Caleb called from the stage. You hollered along with the rest of the crowd. 

“So many delicious sights, so many tantalizing sounds… but your eyes still hunger for more. Something sweet. Something… savory. How many newcomers do we have in the club tonight?”

You raised your hand along with Luke, holding your joined hands for everyone to see. 

Caleb smiled and turned to his band. “Ladies… let’s show our guests how we do dessert.”

The music started up again, Caleb scatting along. 

“I said, watch me make a move, watch me make a move, yeah!”

“Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do?” you sang along with the rest of the crowd.

Suddenly you were on the dance floor again, in your normal clothes this time. You found that you didn’t mind. Willie was there with you.

“Life is good on the other side of Hollywood!”

The boys stood up as a girl danced over to them, swinging around Luke before doing a full body shimmy in front of Reggie, causing the poor boy to almost faint. You felt a twang of jealousy in your heart, but you couldn’t figure out why. 

Two of the showgirls moved in on them, dancing with the boys. You caught a glimpse of Alex dancing with two of the men that worked at the club. Suddenly you were pulled into a dance with a guy and a girl. Smiling and laughing, you danced with both of them, gasping in delight as they dipped you at the end of the song. 

The clock chimes rang out the hour.

“Oh, the haunting hour is upon us!” Caleb said ominously. 

You looked at the clock in fear. “How is it midnight?”

You heard Luke calling your name. “Sorry,” you mumbled to your dance partners before jogging over to him. Reggie and Alex were already walking towards the door. 

Before you could leave, however, Caleb teleported in front of you. 

“Gentleman, gentlefolk, what’s the rush? The party’s just getting started, and you have an eternity, after all.”

“You know that girl who can see us? We sort of bailed on her. See there’s this dance at her school, and her friend, Flynn, is a super cool DJ, like-”

“Yeah, I don’t think he has an eternity to hear this story,” Alex said, cutting off Reggie’s hasty explanation. 

“Basically, we’re late for a gig,” you said. 

Caleb frowned at you. “But what about my offer?”

“It’s very cool of you, Mr. Covington,” Luke said. “But like I said, we already have a-”

“A band of your own. I understand.”

You started to move past him, but he stopped you. 

“Oh, boys,” he said, looking past you. “If you ever want to come back and fix that little problem with your friend, the Hollywood Ghost Club is always open.”

Luke smiled. “Yeah, we’d love to come back.”

“Music to my ears,” Caleb smiled back. He shook hands with the boys, leaving a stamp on their wrists. You all looked at him in confusion. You were more confused why you didn’t have one then what they meant, however. 

“It’s just a little club stamp,” Caleb said in response to the boy’s unasked question. 

“Excuse me? Mr. Covington?” you asked. You didn’t usually ask questions, but something in you made you feel a bit more reckless than usual. “Why don’t I get one?”

Caleb smiled. “You already have one, my little raven.” Noticing your confusion, he added: “Check your ankle.”

You had forgotten about your ankle. Strange, it hadn’t hurt at all after you met Caleb. 

Sure enough, when you glanced down, there was a purple stamp.

“Whoa!” you exclaimed. “How’d you do that?”

Caleb smiled. “Magic. Until next time.”

You nodded and walked past him. 

“Peace,” Luke said. 

Reggie smiled at him, then walked past him to you and Luke. Alex joined you a moment later.

“Ready to go see our girl?” you asked, grabbing hands with Luke. The others nodded as you poofed out.

-----

“Julie, we are ready to rock this dance!” Reggie said as the four of you ran into the gym. “Which….is clearly over….”

“Jules, we are so, so sorry that we bailed on you,” you started, tears starting to form in your eyes as you truely realized what you had done to one of your best friends.

“Yeah, I mean, the night really got away from us,” Alex said. 

“And the twins,” Reggie muttered. Luke smacked him. 

“Y/N, I know you wouldn’t do this to me on purpose,” Julie said, ignoring the boys. “Flynn’s in the cafeteria getting ice cream. Do you wanna go help her?”

“Oh, um, yeah. Thanks,” you said, poofing out into the cafeteria.

“Hey, Flynn,” you said glumly. She jumped slightly, startled at your sudden appearance. 

“Oh, hey, Y/N. Where were you guys?” She asked, shutting the freezer door with her foot. 

“The boys dragged me along to a club. We only meant to stay an hour, but it was some kind of… time warp.” You shrugged. 

“Oh. And I’m assuming Jules is yelling at them now, but knew you would never intentionally hurt her, so she sent you to go find me?”

“Pretty much, yeah.”

You had been walking as you talked. Before you realized it, you were outside of the gym again. 

Sharing a look, you and Flynn both pressed an ear to the door. 

“This was a mistake,” Julie said.

“You- you mean the school dance, right?” Luke asked.

“No. I mean joining a band with you guys”

You heard footsteps and shooed Flynn away from the doors. You poofed down the hallway so it would seem like you were just heading in that direction. 

“Hey. You okay?” Flynn asked as Julie came running out of the gym. 

She sighed. “I will be. Let’s just… go home.” She turned to look at you. “Y/N, if you don’t mind, would you mind staying with the guys? I don’t want them getting into any more trouble.”

You nodded. “Goodnight, guys,” you said before poofing back into the gym. 

“Uh, hey,” you said awkwardly. Luke nodded as hello. 

Reggie looked worried. “If… if Julie’s not in the band, then….”

“Then there is no band,” Luke sighed. 

Pain coursed through your body, starting at your ankle.

“Agh!” you heard the guys gasp as the same thing happened to them. 

“What was that?” Alex asked.

“It felt like we were dying all over again,” Reggie said, breathing heavily. 

Luke locked eyes with you. “How can we die if we’re already dead?”

Taglist: @sunsetcurvej @ifilwtmfc @xplrreylo @phantompogues @caitsymichelle13 @yagorlemmalyn

[dream-a-little-bigger-x]

Chapter 13 -- Perfect Harmony | Charlie Gillespie

Summary: Emily Fox is a talented 17-year-old with a passion for all things music. Her dream is to become a successful singer-songwriter one day. But to achieve that dream, she needs to get into one of the most prestigious music schools in her district – it’s all been part of her plan since she was six. Sadly enough, those schools cost a ton of money that her parents don’t want to invest. They don’t even want her to pursue her dream. So, now Emily’s hustling, working at the music store to save up to get into college. That’s until she meets Charlie, an annoying seventeen-year-old boy with the same dream as her. The only difference is, he’s just doing it. He doesn’t need a fancy college to pursue his dream to become famous with his band. He just writes his songs and books small gigs here, there and everywhere. Will meeting Charlie defer her from her dream college, or will he actually help her achieve the dream?

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x OC (Emily Fox)

Warnings: mentions of death, sexual assault

Important note: the characters of Charlie, Owen, Jeremy and Madison are based on the characters they play on the show and i do not own their names, only OC are mine. The songs aren’t mine either, they’re all from the show except for one.

Chapter thirteen 

~|Emily Fox|~

“Good morning, party girl!” Uncle Mitch shouts a little too loudly on a Sunday morning. “You look rough.” I sit down at the kitchen table on the opposite of him. “Gee thanks,” I rub my face harshly, then rest my head on my hand with my eyes shut. “You got in late last night. Didn’t think you’d stick around at a Brianna Holly party for so long. It surprised me you went in the first place, but you know, you do you.” My eyes shoot open at the reminder of last night. Jake’s eyes. Jake’s hands. On me. Jake’s lips. On me. “I shouldn’t have gone,” I tell him honestly which only earns me a worried look. “I mean, it was fun teasing Brianna a little and standing up for myself and playing a song with the boys but then Jake…” I trail off, not wanting to talk about it but Mitch and I are all about the open-book-policy. Talk about anything and everything with each other even if it might worry the other. Better to share the load than take all of it on one’s shoulders. “What did he do?” Uncle Mitch’s voice sounds darker, heavier. Almost villainous. “He was talking about how great we used to be and that he wanted it back, I think? I don’t really remember what we’d talked about, all I know for sure is that he’d tried to kiss me. The boys had to literally tear him off me.” Mitch’s eyes are intense, but at least he’s not trying to go and murder Jake. “We left pretty much straight after that and the boys took me to the Music Store. We stayed there, talking, pretty much all night.” I smile at the memory because even though what preceded that beautiful moment was literally the worst thing, it’s still a moment to cherish forever. “I’m glad those boys were there to help you out. They sound like great friends.” I smile a little and nod determinedly. “Wish I could hear you guys play.” “We’re having band practice later tonight, if you want to come and li—” I can’t even finish my sentence, because Mitch has already gotten up excitedly, dancing around the kitchen – though I wouldn’t call that dancing – and running up to me to hug me tightly. “But first!” He lifts a finger in the air. “Let’s grab all the snacks and watch some movies!” I nod excitedly and get up to gather up some snacks. With hot cocoas and all the chocolate in the world, we settle onto the sofa with blankets wrapped around us and Disney+ open to pick a movie since today is Disney day. We alternate between Disney+ and Netflix, one week Disney, the other non-Disney. “Can we watch Aladdin?” I suggest, mainly because it reminds me of mine and Charlie’s moment on the balcony, unbeknownst to my uncle. It’s been a little while since we’d made out on the balcony. Might have to suggest it soon. Mama needs her sugar. “Your uncle Bobby loved that movie,” Mitch comments as he presses play, “Do you remember you two singing A Whole New World together when you were really young, and he gave you a bath?” I nod my head at the far, but beautiful, memory. “That first weekend I came to stay at this house?” Mitch nods his head, “Yeah, I used to make a Sultan out of Bobby with the bubbles.” Uncle Mitch laughs at the memory. “The bathroom was such a mess after that!” I can’t help but laugh at the desperation in Mitch’s voice. “But you two were the cutest duetters alive. I loved having you around when you were really young too, you know? Still so innocent, not knowing how big and bad the world was. It made me forget about the big, bad world too.” I smile at him and rest my head on his shoulder. I don’t know what I’d do without Uncle Mitch. Live on a street, I guess? Probably? He might not be family by blood, but he sure does feel like it. I never knew anyone being with Uncle Bobby than Mitch. They were my one true pairing. I wanted someone to love me the same way they loved – and still love – each other. Their bond is unbreakable.

“Ready to go, Mitchy?” I ask when we’re both changed out of our pajama’s after dinner, ready to head to Jeremy’s garage for band practice. It’s the first time we’ll be rehearsing in his garage, but I’m excited to find out where Sunset Curve previously used to rehearse. Pre me. “Yes! I am ready to partaaaay!” I roll my eyes at him, an amused smile on my face. “Behave though? Don’t go and embarrass me on the first day meeting them, okay?” “Yes, mom.” Mitch can be such a child, but I love that about him. “Boys?” I knock on the wooden door that’s ajar. There’s some rummaging inside, but nothing else. I push it open to find all three boys inside already. Charlie’s sorting through his loose songbook papers, Jeremy is tuning his bass, and Owen just sitting on the couch, playing around with his drumsticks. “Hey! I brought my uncle; I hope you don’t mind?” “Oh, not at all!” Jeremy says, and gets up from his spot on the armchair. “Hey, I’m Jeremy,” he introduces himself with a smile, reaching his hand for my uncle to shake, which he does. My uncle has this look on his face that I recognize as his gaydar. He literally scans people to find out their sexuality. His gaydar is very accurate. “Mitch, nice to meet you.” Owen gets up next, shaking my uncle’s hand too. “I’m Owen, the drummer,” he shows the sticks in his hand. “I see,” Mitch replies with a smile, and then comes Charlie. “Hey, I’m Charlie, I’m—” he points at me, and I know what he’s going to say, but I can’t have him tell my uncle about us yet. “The lead singer!” I chime in and give him a knowing look. “Right, yeah, the lead singer,” Charlie looks kind of hurt, and it breaks my heart in two as well. Just an us-thing, for now. Then it can be an everyone-thing. I hope he understands. “Nice to meet you, guys!” Mitch then leans closer to me, “And which one of the two cute semi-straight boys is the Cutie from the Music Store?” he whispers with Charlie just a few feet away. His head turns slightly and his mouth curls upwards. He heard Mitch. “Semi-straight?” I ask for an explanation. “Jeremy is questionable.” “Right…” I trail off, still whispering, “Let’s get to work, guys,” I speak up now, so the band knows I’m talking to them. Uncle Mitch looks a little hurt at me ignoring his question, though I’m pretty sure he knows it’s Charlie. “What song first?” Charlie queries while my uncle takes a seat on the couch and we get ready. “Why don’t we let the guest choose?” Jeremy suggests, pointing at my uncle. “Me?” I nod my head, encouraging him. I’d told them all the songs we’d made or already sang together. Which are three, four if you count This Band Is Back. “I really liked Perfect Harmony when Ems showed it to me the other day.” Charlie and I exchange a glance, a shy smile plastered on his face, and I’m pretty sure mine mirrors his. He goes to grab his acoustic guitar for this one. “Perfect Harmony it is, then!” Owen says and counts us in. Where Charlie and I imagined the soft beat and melody, that’s where Owen and Jeremy come in with the drums and bass. We’d only practiced this one a couple of times before. It still has the same, electric vibe it did when Charlie and I sang it alone. I still feel the same sparks, the same tingles rushing over my body. “I feel your rhythm in my heart, yeah,” I sing without taking my eyes off of him. “You are my brightest, burning star, woah-woah” “I never knew a love so real” “So real,” he echoes. “We're heaven on earth, melody and words When we are together we're In perfect harmony Woah, woah Perfect harmony Woah, woah Perfect harmony” I glance at Uncle Mitch. He’s staring at us with so much pride and intensity. When he catches my glance, he mouths “Cutie from the Music Store”, which makes me smile like an idiot. He knows. “We say we're friends We play pretend You're more to me We create a perfect harmony” Uncle Mitch gets up off his seat, clapping and whooping like an intense fan. “My favorite song ever! So beautiful!” he shouts in between cheers. We play Now or Never, and, upon Jeremy’s request, This Band is Back before calling in a break. “I need a wee,” I say and patter towards the bathroom in the back. When I’m about to head back inside, I hear the boys playing a song I haven’t heard before. Or at least I don’t think I have. It intrigues me even more when I hear Mitch’s voice through the microphone. “Let me introduce myself We got some time to kill Consider me the pearly gates to your new favorite thrills We could go make history or you could rest in peace But here there ain't no misery Cause on the other side we live like kings” I find the boys in their regular spots, Uncle Mitch probably having told them what chord to play in or something. Either that or they’re just playing around, and Mitch’s song just matches. “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Let your body loose, let your body loose Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do? Show you a thing or two 'Cause you ain't seen nothing” That’s when I recognize the song. It’s the one Uncle Bobby wrote for a Halloween musical at his school once. It was the villain song of the whole story and stuck in all our heads for months. I still know the words, and thus decide to sing along with my uncle, much to the boys’ surprise. “Life is good on the other side of Hollywood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood So welcome to the brotherhood Where you won't be misunderstood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” I get behind the keyboard and play a couple of notes, leaving the verse for my uncle. “Everything has got a price but happiness is free Just so happens, you're in luck We've got a vacancy We can set the night on fire and break out of the scene Your soul print on the walk of fame On the boulevard of your wildest dreams” I now grab a mic too, properly wanting to join in now. “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do boys? Let your body loose, let your body loose Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do boys? It ain't bragging if it's true Now you ain't seen nothing” I walk up to Jeremy whilst I sing along to the chorus and Jeremy’s shredding the bass. “Life is good on the other side of Hollywood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” I walk over to the drumkit and jam out for a moment with Owen. “So welcome to the brotherhood Where you won't be misunderstood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” I then move to Charlie while my uncle gets to the bridge. The boys stop playing and clap along with me. “The rain don't blind the rising souls They got too much to see I got your glamour, got your gold Got all you'll ever need Let me hear you now!” The boys have somehow remembered the lyrics my uncle just sang, and sing them with me now. “The rain don't blind the rising souls They got too much to see” “Yeah,” Mitch goes for a high note, chilling my spine. “I got your glamour, got your gold Got all you'll ever need,” the four of us continue. “Yeah,” Another high note from Mitch. The boys now pick up their instruments again. “I said watch me make a move, watch me make a move boys” “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?” the boys and I echo. “I said watch me make a move, no, I don't disappoint” “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?” “Watch me make a move I'm ya number one choice” “Whatcha gonna do? Whatcha gonna do?” “Watch me make a move Come one and give me that noise” The boys take a break. “A tomb with a view Ain't it something?” And pick it back up with a bit of bass before all three of them join in again, and even join me into singing the backing vocals for my uncle. “Life is good on the other side of Hollywood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood So welcome to the brotherhood Where you won't be misunderstood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood So welcome to the brotherhood Where you won't be misunderstood Life is good on the other side of Hollywood” Charlie and Jeremy stop playing and leave Owen a little drum solo.

“Ain't it the best? Long live the dead!” Mitch shouts out dramatically, and then Owen goes off again on his drums. “I thought your Uncle Robert was the musically talented one?” Charlie asks with an impressed smile on his face. “How do you think we met? It was musical night in our favorite bar, and we sang a song together. That first scene in High School Musical?” The boys nod, knowing what he’s talking about, “It’s based on our story… Just straight.” The boys laugh light-heartedly at his story. “That’s not true,” I whisper, making them laugh even more. “That was a fun song though! How did you know it?” Jeremy asks me. “Uncle Bobby wrote it. He is – was – the music teacher at this high school and he wanted a cool villain song for the villain in his Halloween musical, so he wrote himself one. The song used to be stuck in our heads for months on end. It surprised me I still knew it.” “The boys were playing around with their instruments and it reminded me of Bobby’s song,” Mitch tells me, “I couldn’t help but chime in and start singing.” He wraps an arm around my shoulders, pulling me closer to him. “It’s such a tune,” I say with a smile, “I think Bobby would’ve liked us singing it together.” “I think so too,” says Mitch and he presses a kiss to my hair. “Let’s get home now, yeah? Give your boyfriend a kiss and we’re off.” Charlie and I freeze, neither of us expecting Uncle Mitch to know about this since I never told him. “Oh, come on. You could not sing Perfect Harmony without staring at each other like that heart eyes emoji-thingy. I don’t only have amazing gaydar, I also have amazing love-dar.” He winks at me as I shake my head in disbelieve, but I can’t help the smile either. My uncle knows me well. “See you tomorrow, guys,” I say with the most awkward wave. I mean, I’m not going to kiss Charlie in front of my uncle. Especially when he specifically told me to do so. That’s just weird. Uncle Mitch gives me a look, which I shoot back. He then rolls his eyes. “I’ll meet you outside. Say goodbye properly.” He leaves the garage, and then it’s the four of us. Neither Charlie nor I move, still unsure of the public displays of affection in front of the boys. “Seriously?” Jeremy groans before leaving the garage with Owen. They’ll be able to entertain my uncle for a while. I don’t even know why it’s so hard for me to show PDA. It never used to be this way with Jake. But maybe that’s a good thing. Maybe us taking it slowly and not showing us off too much is healthy for us. “I’ll see you at the store tomorrow?” I ask whilst the two of us slowly walk up to each other, inching closer and closer by the second. “Definitely,” he replies with a smile. Once we’re inches away, he grabs my hands in his. “Isn’t your uncle going to be annoyed you didn’t tell him sooner?” I shrug. “I don’t think so. He knows how private I am about relationships. And besides, you heard him, he’s got amazing love-dar.” Charlie’s laughter intertwines with mine. “I think he knew before today already too. He’s all-knowing.” “As long as he doesn’t know about our sneaky dates on your balcony, I think we might be fine.” I chuckle at that comment, and then both of us fall silent. “He probably knows this’ll happen though.” The words come out just above a whisper as he inches closer and dips down. His lips meet mine in a sweet, somewhat long-lasting kiss. “I’m pretty sure they’re eavesdropping, though,” I say when we pull away. “No, we’re not!” Jeremy shouts from the other side of the door. “Yeah, definitely,” says Charlie, and he lets go of one hand, intertwining the fingers of his other hand with the one he’s still holding. He leads me out the door and then lets go of that hand too. “She’s all yours, Mitch,” he tells my uncle, and reaches out the hand he’d just held mine with for a handshake. “Hey!” I shout, “I’m no property!” Both Charlie and Mitch raise their hands in defense. “Yes, girl! Tell ‘em!” Owen preaches, holding his hand up and I slap mine on it in a high five. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow.” I kiss Charlie’s cheek quickly and then leave the boys with Uncle Mitch. “They’re really nice boys, Muffin. I’m glad you’ve found them.” I smile at that. “Me too, Mitchy, me too.”

Taglist: @parkeret​​ @lukeys-giggle​ @hannahhistorian92​ @gingerxarmy​ @marinettepotterandplagg​ @lovesanimals​ @thequirkybookaholic​ @calamitykaty​ Lemme know if you want to be on my taglist for this story/any of my other works!

[bxcketbarnes]

Your Sick Boy - Part Two

Pairing: Ashton Irwin x Reader

Words: 1600+

Author's Note: Part twooooo! Ashton made so much good content that we've all missed when Wildflower came out. So, I created this beauty. 🖤

You woke up to Ashton pressing kisses to your shoulder, his giggles bouncing off the walls in his bedroom. Your eyes flutter open and you glance over your shoulder, seeing the smile on your boyfriend's face.

"Evening, baby," he grins and you smile softly. Ashton leans forward, kissing your lips gently. "You slept longer than me and I'm sick."

You roll your eyes, chuckling and turn your body so you're facing him. "I haven't been sleeping much," you inform him and he trails his fingers down your arm.

"Because of me?" He asks quietly and you shrug.

"I mean, sure, you're part of the reason since I was worried. But, I just couldn't sleep," you tell him and he nods his head.

He kisses your head, pushing some of the messy hair from your face. "I know I've apologized a couple of times, but I'm truly sorry. I didn't mean to make you worried."

"It's okay, baby. I get your intention," you grin and he gives you a smile as well. Ashton leans forward and captures his lips with yours. You let out a breath through your nose, moving your lips against his. You run your hands up his arms, wrapping your arms around his neck.

Ash hovers over you, his hands resting on either side of your head. "Fuck, I love you," he mumbles against your lips, his nose brushing against yours.

"I love you, Ashton," you whisper back, your fingers combing through his hair. "So fucking much. I'm in love with you."

He grins, kissing your lips once before pulling away from you. "I'm in love with you too, sweetness," Ash giggles and gets up from the king-sized bed. "You want dinner?"

You stretch, letting out a high pitched squeal while nodding your head. "Dinner sounds lovely. Whatcha gonna make?" You ask while cuddling one of his pillows.

Ashton pulls on his green sweater and a pair of red sweats, shrugging his shoulders. "No idea yet. Maybe someone can get out of bed and help me," he winks and you hum, giggling.

"But your bed is so comfy, baby!" You sarcastically tell him, a smirk on your lips. Ashton raises an eyebrow and walks towards his bed. You watch as he dips his hand under the blanket and it takes you a second to realize what he's doing. Ash grabs a hold of your foot, dragging you towards him. A shriek leaves your lips, laughing afterward as the hand on your ankle moves to your hips.

"Come join me in the kitchen, babe," he pleads, giving you the puppy dog look. You groan playfully, looking away from him.

"No! Not the puppy dog look!"

Ashton giggles and throws the duvet off of your body before lifting you into his arms. You wrap your legs around his waist and your arms around his neck, the two of you moving towards the kitchen.

"Now this is unnecessary, mister," you giggle and run a hand through his hair.

"Apparently not since you didn't want to get up," Ash grins and sets you down on top of the kitchen counter, standing in between your legs.

Ashton's hand strokes your thighs and butterflies setting off in your stomach. “Ever think that maybe I like to be in your bed?” You giggle and he smirks a bit.

“Oh, yeah? You like my bed, huh?” He asks you and nods your head slowly, stroking his cheekbone. Ash brings his hands to your outer thighs, just below your ass cheeks. “I like having you in my bed as well.”

You lean forward and press a kiss to his lips, hands pressing against his cheeks. “As you should,” you wink after pulling away from him, a laugh coming from his lips. He places a quick kiss to your lips before heading over to the fridge so he can find something to make. "So, are you excited about Wildflower coming out?"

Ashton sets the leftovers you two had last night onto the counter before grabbing a frying pan. "I am. I can't wait for the fans to hear it, for you to hear it," he grins and turns on the stove, spraying the pan with some pam. "I know you've been dying to hear it."

You hum in response, kicking your legs back and forth while leaning forward. "I have. The little clips you've shown me are fucking amazing and ya girl needs the whole thing," you laugh while telling him, smiling widely before hopping down.

"You'll love it. I think you'll love the whole album. I hope you do anyway…" he chuckles nervously while scratching the back of his head.

You kiss his shoulder, grinning softly while stroking his arm. "Of course I'm gonna love it. You four are so talented, so dedicated and passionate. This album is gonna be incredible. A weird release for sure, but, nonetheless amazing," you reassure him and Ashton smiles down at you.

"God, I fucking love you," he states and kisses your forehead. "You're amazing."

You shrug your shoulders, squeezing his forearm. "It's the truth," you wink before heading back towards his bedroom. A slap echoes off the walls as a gasp leaves your lips, your hand rubbing your ass cheek. You look back at Ash, seeing a smirk on his lips while he puts the leftover food into the pan. "I'm keeping my eye on you, lover boy."

Ashton giggles and moves some of the hair from his face. "Sorry, baby. I couldn't help myself. You got a nice ass," he mentions and you shake your head, chuckling as well. "Also, you're coming back out here, right?!"

You turn to face him, walking backward down the hallway. "Yes, baby. I'm coming back. Just gonna put some leggings on."

-

"Two minutes, baby!" Ash calls out from his music room and you chuckle, pausing the movie you were watching.

You push yourself up from the couch, heading downstairs into the basement. You see your handsome boyfriend leaning back in his office chair, scrolling through Twitter. You comb your fingers through his hair, pressing light kisses to his forehead.

His hazel eyes look up at you, a smile dancing on his lips. "Are you ready for this?" He asks you and you nod your head. Ashton brings one of his hands up, resting it on the back of your head before pulling your lips to his.

His nose bumps against your chin as you kiss him upside down, giggling against his lips. "You know, you've been kissing me a lot for someone who didn't want me to come over," you tell him after pulling away from him, winking at him slightly.

Ashton rolls his eyes, swiveling around in his chair and grabs the back of your thighs, pulling you into his lap. "I know and I was wrong. I think if I was alone I'd be in a weird mindset. I'm glad you're here and I can't resist these pretty lips of yours," he mentions while dragging his thumb across your lower lip.

"I can't resist yours either, baby!" You giggle and purse your lips against his thumb. You glance towards the clock, seeing it was five minutes past nine. "Alright, Ash, it's past nine! Show me Wildflower."

Ashton giggles and swivels the chair back around to face the computer. "Up, baby," he pats your ass and you lift yourself off his lap. He pulls up Spotify and searches for Wildflower before pressing play.

You bob your head as you listen intently, standing behind his chair again. Ashton's hand rests on yours, his thumb stroking the back on your hand. You rest your cheek against the side of his head, his hair tickling your skin. As soon as the song finished you pull away from him, patting his head.

"That was incredible, baby!" You grin as you stand beside him. He smiles widely at you as your hand slides down his arm.

The song started playing again and you grab his phone as he starts dancing around in his chair. You press record after bringing up his camera, Ashton glancing up at you before giggling. You move and bring the camera to his face, loving the large smile on his lips.

"Stop!" He giggles and you pull away from him, leaning forward to kiss his cheek. You watch as he does a little dance with his hands before fiddling with the hem of his sweater, giggling at you. You stop the recording and set his phone back on the desk. "C'mere, love."

Ashton's hands reach for your hips and you giggle, placing yourself back on his lap. You rest your forehead against him, his hands sliding around your waist to rest on your lower back. "I love you," you whisper to him, your fingers gliding through his hair.

"I love you too, love," he whispers back and presses his lips to yours softly. You kiss him back, letting out a low moan while resting your hands on the back of his neck.

Ashton lets out a growl, moving his hands to the back of your thighs. You reach behind you, turning the music off before he stands up, holding you against his chest. You pull away from him and his lips attach to your neck, sucking gently. "Fuck, Ash," you trail off and tilt your head to the side as he walks the two of you to his bedroom.

"Gonna make you feel so good, baby," he groans and sets you on the edge of the bed before kneeling on the ground, spreading your legs apart. "I want you to be loud for me, sweetheart."

-

Taglist: @galcalirwin​ @sexgodashton​ @myloverboyash​ @h0tsos​ @mysticalhood​ @g-l-pierce​ @maluminspace​ @tea4sykes​ @abb-lan-5sos​ @itsasadfishworld​ @here-for-the-uproars​ @gigglyirwin​ @bloodmoonashton​ @lmao5sosimagines​

[demigodreading]

Family Cuddles: Ella Alina Series

ROLLINS WEEK

Day 4: Cuddles

Characters: Amanda Rollins, Olivia Benson, Noah Porter Benson, Ella Alina Benson. Mention of Jesse Rollins

Relationship: Amanda Rollins / Olivia Benson. Olivia Benson/ Original Female Character

Warnings: Mention of Cheatin. Fluff

Read on AO3

Amanda was laying in bed a book in her hands as Olivia finished tucking Noah into bed. Jesse had already been sleeping for two hours by the time Noah finally ran out his zoomies. Amanda lazily ran her fingers over her growing baby bump. Olivia had been hesitant about having another baby. Ella was in her second year of college, Noah was just about to start kindergarten, and Jesse was barely two years old. Olivia had just been promoted to sergeant but Amanda had smooth-talked her into having just one more hoping that she would have another boy to play with Noah.  However, last week the OBGYN had confirmed that they were having another girl. Ella had been ecstatic about the news but Noah had groaned saying that it wasn’t fair he was the only boy. Both Amanda and Olivia had laughed as Ella followed Noah to his room after a storm out.

“Whatcha thinking about beautiful?” Olivia asked as she stood leaning against the doorway to their bedroom.

“I’m hopin this little one doesn’t make me as sick as Jesse did.”

Olivia crawled in the bed next to Amanda placing a hand on her stomach, “You hear that Amanda Jr? You better not make your Mom sick… cause Momma has cleaned up enough puke to fill up a lifetime.”

Amanda laughed, “You did not just say that Liv. Amanda Jr?”

“I don’t hear you making up any better names,” Olivia shrugged.

As they began to discuss baby names there was a small knock on the door. Olivia immediately sat up in bed thinking that Noah had wandered from his room. However, it was a much older voice that called out to them.

“Momma, Mom. It’s Ella. Can I come in?” Her voice sounded shaky.

“Of course baby girl,” Olivia said as Amanda laid down her book.

Ella was supposed to be away at Columbia University getting her bachelor’s in Criminal Justice. She was staying on campus to cut down on commute times but spent pretty much every weekend at home but never on a Wednesday night. Especially when she had an early morning class on Thursday. However, there was their nineteen-year-old daughter leaning against their bedroom doorframe. One of Olivia’s old cardigans she had stolen from her closet was pulled tightly around her. A pair of Amanda’s grey sweatpants from her Georgia college hung loosely around her hips. Her eyes were red and tears were still rolling down her face. 

“Oh sweet pea, what’s wrong?” Amanda asked.

“Mel.. Mel was cheating one me,” Ella sobbed, “I caught her in the act.”

“Come here baby,” Olivia said opening up her arms. 

Ella ran into them burying her head into Olivia’s chest. Olivia pulled her close rocking her gently back and forth. Amanda pulled the blanket around Ella scooting close to her. She rubbed gentle circles on Ella’s back. Olivia whispered I love you. You are okay. You are safe. Momma loves you. They stayed tangled together until the small patter of feet reached their ears. All three of them looked towards the door where Noah was standing holding his elephant. When you locked eyes with Ella he let out a tiny scream.

“Sissy!” 

“Shh!” Amanda warned, “Jesse is sleeping. Come climb up here to see Sissy.”

Noah nodded running towards Amanda’s side of the bed. Amanda reached down lifting Noah onto the bed. Ella moved to lay next to Olivia moving just enough where Noah could give her a hug. She kissed Noah gently on top of the head.

“Shouldn’t you be sleeping lil guy?” Ella asked him.

“I heard you talking. I was scare you were sad,” Noah said holding his elephant close to his chest.

More tears fell down Ella’s face, “It’s okay lil man. I’ll be okay.”

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die,” Ella whispered giving Noah another hug.

“She’s gonna sleep in bed with Mom and I. Do you want to stay with us?” Olivia asked running her fingers through Ella’s hair.

Noah nodded quickly crawling under the covers. Ella kept her head on Olivia’s chest but gave one of her hands to Noah. He wrapped his tiny fingers through her hand putting his Elephant between them. He laid his head on Amanda who gave him a small kiss on the forehead. Soon both of the kids were fast asleep snoring every once in awhile. 

Olivia looked over at Amanda and whispered, “You doing okay my love? Have room on the bed?”

“Yes,” Amanda laughed, “I’m glad that we decided to get the king-size mattress. Just imagine when all four of them want to crawl in bed with us.”

Olivia shook her head thinking of that image, “They are just going to hog the bed and we will be out sleeping on the couch.”

“I love you, Olivia Benson. Thank you for creating this crazy family with me,” Amanda said sending an air kiss to Olivia.

Olivia caught the kiss pretending to put it in her pocket, “I love you too Amanda Benson-Rollins. Thank you for giving me the family that I always dreamed of.”

Amanda smiled and then curled closer to Noah. Olivia flicked off the light wrapping her arm around Ella. She fell asleep almost immediately laying her head on top of Ella’s. Amanda looked at the scene for another moment before she turned off her own light. When she was back in Georgia she never imagined her life to be like this. A beautiful wife where she found something new to love every day. A brilliant eldest daughter who wanted to follow in her moms’ footsteps. An energetic boy who always kept her on her toes. A mini Amanda running around already causing trouble at just two years old. Plus another one on the way. Amanda’s heart filled with joy as she gave Noah one final kiss on the forehead. Family. This is what life was all about.

[holidaywishes]

i wanna marry you

part eight: i wanna marry you

  Summary: You and Freddie finally decide to get married a year after Vita is born

  Warning: a wedding, so lots of fluff. I think that’s it though... I guess a tiny bit of angst because I couldn’t help myself

  Author’s Note: So here’s what’s up! Since it had been a full year that I added another chapter to this story before I posted part seven, I’m adding a HUGE time jump so that we’re all in the same timeline -- and so I don’t get confused. I probably won’t have too many more chapters (maybe I’ll go to 13 because it’s 31 backwards? and my lucky number? who knows, I haven’t decided yet,) but I hope you enjoy these next few chapters. I was going to include the wedding in this chapter but I changed my mind but on the plus side, I at least know what the next chapter will be so hopefully the next chapter will be out relatively soon after this one. AND REMEMBER! my asks are always open but I will never promise when I will get to them but I love getting them no matter what! 😘

  masterlist

  the other masterlist

xx

  The world going into quarantine four months after your baby was born felt like both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because Freddie would actually get to bond with Vita and a curse because, well, neither of you would be able to get away from each other until it was over. But when Freddie told you that Auston had invited him to spend some of the quarantine with him in Arizona, you were back to feeling overwhelmed

  “You’re really just going to leave?” you snarled through the phone

  “It won’t be long. We’ll be back together before you know it”

  “Freddie, you have a newborn baby here”

  “I know”

  “And a fiancé”

  “I know”

  “You’re already on the plane aren’t you?”

  “No”

  “Why are you being so secretive right now?”

  “I’m almost home. Do you wanna just wait to talk?”

  “FREDDIE!” you yelled

  “Don’t wake Vita!” he yelled back

  “I swear to god Freddie...” you started to chastise him just as he walked through the door, ending the call so he could walk toward you, “you’re just here to grab some clothes and take off?”

  “It’s just for a little while.. to get away from the city”

  “Why do you need to get away from us?!” you whisper yelled, gesturing to where Vita was sleeping

  “Come with me...” he stated, “both of you”

  “What?”

  “Come to Arizona and we can all isolate in the sun”

  “Freddie.” you sighed before rubbing your temples, “aside from the fact that our daughter is barely four months old and has seen very little of the sun, Auston is an immature man child who I know for a fact isn’t going to follow any of the guidelines”

  “Maybe he will!” Freddie argued

  “He won’t!”

  “He will if you’re there...”

  “That’s a bullshit lie and you know it!”

  “(Y/N), baby, elske, do you trust me?” he asked, resting his hands softly on your arms and you cocked your eyebrow in response

  “I trust you. Not him. I don’t think it’s necessary for you to get out of the city for three months. Away from your daughter when you could be bonding with her”

  “We just need some clarity... and some sun”

  “I think you should be here”

  “Trust me, okay, quarantine won’t be that long and I’ll be back here before you know it; all up in your space so much you wish I was gone...” He was wrong, obviously, just like you knew he’d be the second he said it. He came back in late June, four months into the quarantine, but he didn’t have much downtime with you and Vita before he went right into training mode for the qualifiers. Your heart sunk when you couldn’t be there to cheer him on or bring your daughter to see her daddy on the ice but honestly, with how the rest of the season turned out, maybe it was better that she couldn’t fully comprehend anything yet. When he finally came back, he looked like he hadn’t slept in days and he crashed into you as though you were a life raft saving him from the treacherous waves of the NHL.

  “Hi baby” you whispered as he knelt down in front of you to rest his face in your chest and wrap his arms around your waist

  “Hi” he groaned

  “Wanna pick-me-up?” you asked, trying to get him to stand up

  “Whatcha got for me?” he said, smiling as he looked up at you

  “Your daughter would love to see you. She’s gotten so big”

  “Is she awake?” he asked, standing up happily with a goofy grin on his face

  “I don’t know,” you giggled, “why don’t we check?” He followed you to the living room, quietly, where you both saw Vita playing with coloured blocks and Freddie made his way to her.

  “Hello, little one!” he cooed as he sat gently in front of her, making you laugh at the enormous size difference between the two of them.

  “Vita’s been falling asleep to your voice notes every night” you told him

  “Yeah?” he asked her, handing her a block for her to play with and she looked at him as he spoke to you

  “Look,” you said, nodding at her, “she recognizes your voice”

  “Do you? Do you recognize my voice baby girl?” he cooed, before leaning in and poking her stomach, earning an adorable giggle from her

  “Your head is the size of her entire body...” you laughed

  “She’s perfect” he said, continuing to tickle Vita

  “We missed you so much” you whispered, finally sitting down next to them before Freddie picked Vita up, bringing the two of them close to you

  “I think I missed you more” he replied, kissing your temple and the top of Vita’s head

  “Don’t leave again, please, just..” you pleaded, “stay, okay?” He smiled as you leaned into him, watching as your daughter fit perfectly into his arms

  “Okay” he replied with a kiss to the crown of your head.

xx

Two months later

  “Trade rumours are beginning to swirl around Frederik Andersen of the Toronto Maple Leafs,” the voices on the T.V. blared through the house as Freddie watched from the living room, “The Calgary Flames and Carolina Hurricanes are both looking at the Danish Goaltender.” You turned the corner to find your fiancé in front of the T.V. with his head in his hands

  “Freddie,” you whispered while carrying your daughter on your hip, “baby, don’t watch this stuff...”

  “I haven’t heard anything from Kyle” he replied and you sat down next to him, bouncing Vita on your knee

  “Maybe that means that these rumours are just that. Rumours.”

  “Maybe,” he said quietly, “but it all sounds very.. real”

  “Okay? So, what if it is?” you said, trying to get him to look at everything differently

  “Well then I won’t play for Toronto anymore...” he returned and you shook your head

  “And...?”

  “And we’ll have wasted our money on this giant house...”

  “So...?”

  “So, I’ll have to spend my last years in the League in a city that isn’t... doesn’t feel like home”

  “Baby,” you whispered, moving closer to him to kiss his cheek, “whatever happens, if you get traded or not, you’ll have us. I will go anywhere with you”

  “I know, I’m sorry,” he said, “I’m just worried.”

  “Well, why don’t we take our minds off of it? Off the trade rumours. Off the Leafs. Off the NHL in general...”

  “Oh yeah?” he smirked, pulling you closer to him to sneak a kiss

  “Yeah,” you smiled before pulling away from him and handing over your daughter for him to hold while you made your way back to the kitchen, “but I wasn’t talking about that.”

  “Okay.. but you can think about it now” he smiled at you, his footsteps following closely behind you

  “I was talking about the wedding,” you admitted, “start sending out invites. Pick out décor and dresses and tuxes, locations...”

  “You want me to help you plan the wedding?” he asked and you laughed at his response

  “It’s our wedding. Of course, I want you to help. Give me your input, taste test the cakes..”

  “You know I’m just gonna go along with whatever you want”

  “Oh, I know,” you scoffed, “but that’s what makes it so fun.”

  “Alright. If you say so,” he smiled as Vita let out a playful squeal, “let’s start with the date. I have a feeling, everyone’s going to be pretty available this December. And you said you wanted a New Year’s Eve wedding...”

  “I did. In a perfect world...”

  “Well, here’s your perfect world. New Year’s Eve, 2020.”

  “New Year’s Eve, 2020?”

  “New year’s Eve, 2020.”

  “You sure?”

  “Of course”

  “Alright. New Year’s Eve, 2020, it is!”

  “We’ve got the when, how about the where? Here? Denmark? Vienna? New York?”

  “I love New York... I think most people can get there easily. Easier than Denmark or Vienna”

  “New York it is. Let’s look online for availability...”

  “Can we look at the Kings Theatre?” you asked and he seemed to be shocked at your request

  “You’ve already put some thought into it, huh?”

  “I love Theatre and could you imagine the opulence of it all? It’s been newly renovated and on New Year’s Eve? Everyone will be willing to go full black-tie!”

  “Alright... let’s give it a shot” he smiled, standing up and swaying Vita side to side as he cooed at her and made his way to his laptop, “mommy and daddy are getting married, little Vita.”

  “Oh my gosh, how cute will she look as our flower girl?!” you cooed to both of them, rubbing your thumb on the soft skin of your daughter’s hand. Freddie laughed before kissing the top of Vita’s head and turned to you

  “I love you so much,” he smiled, “both of you.”

  “We love you too, daddy” you giggled

xx

Freddie’s P.O.V.

  It didn’t surprise you that (Y/N) had thought of nearly every detail of the wedding, including the location, but hadn’t told you. When the two of you looked up dates at the Kings Theatre in New York, she was convinced there was no way they’d even have an opening or that they’d even let you in with a big group of people because of the pandemic but you decided to call them

  “They’re available on New Year’s Eve” you told her and her eyes went wide as she mouthed ‘are you serious?’ and you nodded with a smile, “you want to book it?”

  “Capacity?” she whispered, referring to how many people you were allowed to invite, once you got the answers to all your questions, (Y/N) told you to book it and you set off to make everything go as smoothly for her as possible but as soon as you hung up with the Theatre, you noticed her face go pale

  “What’s wrong, babe?”

  “I don’t know if I can get a dress in time...” she said, her eyes keeping straight, almost refusing to look at you

  “Of course you can!”

  “No, no, no..” she said, walking toward the bedroom, “you don’t understand. Finding the dress is one thing. But then it has to be ordered in my size and any alterations have to be done. We have two months until our wedding. And to send out R.S.V.P’s? Everyone is going to hate us”

  “They’ll be fine. It’s not like anything is really happening..”

  “How am I supposed to shop for a dress when we’re confined to our home?” she snarled

  “Get someone to come here?” you suggested, “make a custom dress?”

  “Oh like that’s gonna be any better” she scoffed

  “It could be!” you laughed, “think about it. You get someone over here today, they take your measurements and talk with you about how you want the dress to look. Tell them to start on it right away and we send out the invites tomorrow...”

  “It’s not that simple, Freddie..”

  “Why not?“

  “A custom dress with a rush on it is going to cost as much as this house. Probably more..”

  “I don’t care,” you smiled, “I want to marry you on New Year’s Eve. I want to give you everything you want. If that means a custom made dress that sets me back 100 grand, then so be it. I love you, elske”

  “I’m going to be so stressed”

  “I’ll help you”

  “Who’s gonna be in our bridal party?”

  “Mitch, Stephanie, Zack, Alannah, Morgan, Tessa, Seb, Amalie, Lauren, and.. COGS!”

  “Okay.. fine,” she scrunched her eyebrows and shook her head at your quick response, “what about the ring bearer and flower girl? Vita can’t do it, unless someone carries her down the aisle...”

  “Valdimar, I’m sure, would make an excellent Flower Girl,” you laughed and she scoffed, rolling her eyes at you, “what about Oma?”

  “What about Oma?”

  “What if she walked Vita down the aisle, then they could both be our flower girls?”

  “And your brother?”

  “Ring Bearer”

  “You don’t want him in the Bridal party? The grooms party?” she hesitated, going back and forth between the right phrasing, “you don’t want him to be a Groomsman?”

  “I think 12 people up there is more than enough don’t you?”

  “Yeah..” she bit her lip, “it’s actually a lot...”

  “Who do you want to cut?” you smirked

  “I don’t want to cut anyone. Who’s your best man?”

  “Mitch” you said quickly to both yours and (Y/N)’s surprise

  “So, Steph stays.”

  “Easy. Who’s your Maid of Honour?”

  “It’s gotta be my sister. She’d be pissed if it were anyone else”

  “Fair, we’ll pair her with Andrew? So that leaves Zach and Alannah, Seb and Amalie, and Mo and Tessa”

  “I love them all”

  “But...” You pushed

  “I don’t know Tessa that well...”

  “Then there you go. Take out Mo and Tessa”

  “But I thought you wanted Mo to be up there with you..”

  “I do..” you said, “okay how about this. We keep Mo but put him with Alannah and take Tessa and Zach out?”

  “Yeah.. okay. Yeah, I guess that works.” After those few decisions were made, everything seemed to fall into place. Invitations were sent out with an urgent R.S.V.P included and, as you expected, friends and family were quick to get back to you.

  “New Year’s Eve huh?” Willy said over the phone, “that’s pretty fast. You sure you’re ready?”

  “Yes, Willy” you replied, rolling your eyes before hanging up the phone

  “Am I your best man?” Auston asked

  “Sorry, not this time” you laughed

  “Who then? You stayed with me for four months!” he was starting to get angry so you tried to calm him down

  “I know. But I already promised Mitch...” you lied, hoping Auston wouldn’t catch it

  “Fine. Whatever.” he scoffed and hung up the phone, leading you to smirk to yourself as you prepared yourself for more calls while (Y/N) and her sister went out to look at decor options. Before long, everything was sorted -- (Y/N) and her bridal party had their dresses picked out and sent for alterations, your groomsmen had their tuxes fitted as did you and everyone had sent back their R.S.V.P’s -- and all that was left was to decorate the venue and do a run through of the day.

  “This place is amazing” (Y/N) cooed with Vita situated on her hip who was looking around in just as much awe as her mother

  “It’s perfect” you replied as you followed your soon-to-be wife through the Theatre

  “We’re getting married in two weeks!” she exclaimed, letting her mouth gape to let out a silent scream and you smiled at her before turning to the wedding planner

  “We really appreciate you letting us do a run through now. I’m not sure what the typical protocol is, but since everything happened so fast, we had to focus on (Y/N)’s dress and the bridesmaid’s dresses...” you explained

  “I absolutely understand. We’ll make any notes today if you’d like to change anything and make sure the changes are made before we leave so we can see if there will be any problems the day of.”

  “Awesome” (Y/N) said from where she was standing, a big smile on her face that your daughter seemed to replicate when she looked at (Y/N)

  “You have a beautiful family” the planner whispered to you

  “Thank you,” you smiled, “I’m very lucky.” As the four of you made your way to your ‘dressing rooms,’ you noticed your fiancée stop a few times and just stare at the space, “babe, elske, what are you doing? We don’t have all day” you laughed

  “Can you picture it?” she asked softly

  “What?” you said, walking over to her and picking up Vita from (Y/N)’s arms

  “The lights. The snow outside. Our guests coming in all in black tie attire. The pictures that we’ll have forever will be so... magical”

  “Of course they will,” you smiled, kissing her forehead, “but we have to continue the tour.”

  “Can you get a list to our photographer? About what shots we want on the day?” she asked the planner

  “Absolutely!” the planner exclaimed, continuing to walk through the Theatre before asking if you wanted to do a run through of the ceremony.

  “Sure!” you said and (Y/N) nodded emphatically

  “Where should we put baby?” the planner asked

  “I can just hold her” you giggled and the planner said that it might be easier if you weren’t, “I don’t mind.” He shrugged and proceeded to go along with the run through and (Y/N) nearly cried every five seconds, it was exactly what you’d imagined.

  “Are you sure you want to go through with this?” she asked as you both stood on stage where you would be saying your vows, “marrying me, I mean. You still have time to back out. We’ve got the kid, if you don’t wanna be a husband, tell me now. Because I only intend to get married once.”

  “I’m not going anywhere. I only want to get married once. And I want to marry you.” You smiled at her as she blushed at your words

  “I love you” she said before leaning up to press her lips to yours

  “I love you, too” you replied when she pulled back from the kiss

  “Alright! And there it is! You say your ‘I Do’s,’ you kiss and then you walk off the stage back to the lobby, where you’ll be able to take a few pictures before the guests filter out and you say your thank yous before the reception. There will be a small break for everyone to go back to their hotels to change or whatever they’d like and so we can rearrange the lobby for when they come back for the party.” The planner explained and (Y/N)’s smiled beamed through the Theatre seats as you made your way to the lobby

  “Perfect!” You exclaimed

  “I’m so excited!” (Y/N) exclaimed in return and tucked herself into your side as a car was waiting for you out front. You waved goodbye to your wedding planner and let out a sigh of relief

  “Whew!” you laughed, “you don’t want to back out do you?”

  “WHAT?!” she scoffed, playfully hitting your shoulder, “NO. I told you up there, I only want to get married once and I wouldn’t have agreed to your proposal if I couldn’t see growing old with you.”

  “I was only kidding,” you teased and she smiled back at you, “we’re going to get married and it’s going to be amazing”

  “I will have nothing less.” She laughed before kissing your cheek, cuddling close to you as you rocked Vita on your knee.

[nataliedanovelist]

GF - Growing Old(er)

Alternate Title: Growing Older

Summary: Everyone has a sinking realization that life is temporary and that we’re all gonna die, and unfortunately sweet Mabel has her’s.

~~~~~~~~~~

“Come on, Stanley, be serious!”

“I am serious! Dipper can have my boxing gloves and Mabel can have my old collection of photos.”

“This is an important document that goes above and beyond a few keepsakes!” Ford tried to explain this, yet again, to his brother. “We need to discuss more important arrangements…”

“Look, Wise Guy, the Shack already belongs to Soos…”

“But what about the car? What about the Stan O’ War?”

“The boat’s gonna be burned down with us in it.” Stan held up his hands in front of him and moved them apart as he elaborated. “Picture this: two old sailors lying in their boat, their friends and family shooting flaming arrows at it across the sea as some farewell-bar song plays. We’d go down like kings!”

“Yeah, no.” Ford said firmly. “We’re not doing that.”

Mabel skipped into the living room and found her grunkles at the card table. They had a bunch of stupid-looking documents covering the table, but Ford seemed like the only one really interested in it, a pen in his hand and he was leaning forward to work while Stan was sipping a can of soda and sat back in the chair. “Whatcha doin’?” She asked.

“Constructing our will and testimony.”

“WHAT?!” Mabel shrieked and covered her mouth with her hands. Her uncles stared at their niece as her eyes filled with tears and she struggled to ask with a choked whisper, “Are… are you guys…”

“Oh no, pumpkin.” Stan scooped her up into his lap and hugged her. Mabel clung onto his undershirt tightly and bit her lip as she tried not to cry. “Sixer and I are fine, I promise. He just thought it’d be a bright idea to get this outta the way for when we do kick the bucket.”

Ford leaned forward and rubbed her back. “I’m sorry, my dear, I never meant to scare you like this. I swear, we’re both perfectly healthy and going to be around for awhile.”

Mabel wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her sweater and sniffed. “O-Okay. So… why are you making a will?”

“Well, unfortunately someone bypassed the downsides of faking your death and stealing another man’s name.” Ford said lightly as he gave Stan a crooked smile. His twin just stuck his tongue out at him. “So there are some things we need to discuss to simplify complicated actions and it would be a good idea to make certain arrangements.”

“Like what?”

“Well, since in a way we both share the name ‘Stanford Pines’, it would be wise to make such legal documents together. This will ensure that the right people receive the right gifts and inheritance, and that our bodies are properly taken care of in an orderly manner that best helps the living grieve and keeps the government off our backs.”

Mabel still didn’t like the sound of all of this. “But why do you guys need to talk about it? You said you’re fine.”

“We are, sweetie,” Stan said warmly and ruffled her hair. “But we’re not gonna be around forever. Eventually these old farts are gonna be sleeping with the fishes, and when that happens we just wanna make sure everything’s taken care of. At least that’s what Sixer wants. I don’t care what happens as long as my tombstone is bigger than his.”

“That is not going to happen.” Ford said firmly with a smile.

“Too bad, I called it.”

“Since when?!”

“Since the election last summer. The niblings can back me up, right Mabel?”

The brunette grinned and shrugged. “Sorry, but since you two aren’t fighting anymore it doesn’t count. Clean slate!”

“What?!” Stan gasped with a smile. “Betrayed by my own pumpkin! Fine! Someone’s not getting my old stop-motion movies!”

“Good!” Mabel laughed with her uncles for a little bit while Ford wrote some stuff down, still trying to complete the task. The teenage girl looked up at her hero and she remembered the reason why she came in here in the first place. “Hey, do you guys wanna go make some cupcakes with me? I’ve got extra sprinkles!”

“Sure,” Stan let Mabel slide off his lap and he stood, but his brother stopped him.

“Not so fast, Stan, we have to finish this at some point. Why don’t we make cupcakes after dinner?”

Mabel’s concerns were coming back. She looked at Ford carefully to try to pick up a lie. “I thought you said you two were okay.”

“We are, Mabel, I promise.” Ford even paused his work and crossed his heart for his niece, making her smile. “But no one lives forever. One day we won’t be here. It’s like Stanley said; we just want to make sure everything will be okay.”

“It’s the way it works.” Stan said with a shrug and plopped down in his chair. “We’re born, we live a little, and then we die. S’long as you don’t just survive but live too, it ain’t so bad.”

Mabel stared at her uncles. “Aren’t you scared?” Her voice was meek and lacked her usual confidence.

“Of death? Not really.” Ford admitted. “Death is nothing but the next great adventure. An unseen destiny awaiting all mortals at the end of their lifespans.”

“And hey, that doesn’t mean I’m ready to go just yet.” Stan added in. “I wanna see my kids graduate and get married and have their own little gremlins to terrorize them.”

“Oh, absolutely!” Ford quickly agreed with. “I didn’t mean we’re done with life, but the more familiar we become with death, the less frightening it is.”

“Besides, we’ve both faced the hooded dude so many times, leaving with him will be like seeing an old friend.” Stan barked a quick laugh and added, “Maybe I’ll grab drinks with him!”

Mabel giggled, but then slowly wandered onto a dark train of thought. The idea of death was not new to her; she and her brother had nearly died at the hands of an evil triangle (she still sometimes had nightmares about it). But even though she had come to terms with growing up, she hadn’t put two and two together and realized that growing up also means growing older and then dying. It was new territory Mabel had not yet ventured into, and suddenly she didn’t feel like making cupcakes anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~

The next day the subject was still on Mabel’s mind. One day, her favorite people in the whole world were going to die. Stan was going to die, Ford was going to die, Dipper was going to die. Then she would be all alone until she died. But then what? The end? Lights out? There were such things as ghosts, so maybe they could come back and haunt Gravity Falls as a family, but the ghosts didn’t seem quite like themselves on Earth; they were vengeful and angry and hurt. Mabel’s grunkles had enough of that in life, so maybe it was for the best that they don’t come back.

Mabel was so distracted that she tripped on a rock while walking in the woods and scraped her knee. She held it and winced with tears in her eyes, a little bit of blood trickling down from her small wound. “Ow, ow, ow! What the…”

She looked at the rock that had caused it and saw something odd by it. A necklace with a silver chain and a red ruby in a circle sparkled by the rock. Mabel picked it up and looked at it. Scratches of some kind were around the ruby and it sparkled and looked pretty. The ruby was a darker red than most normal rubies, but there was no denying the sparkling gem. “Wow, cool! I bet Grunkle Ford would love to look at this.” For safekeeping, Mabel put it around her neck and tucked it under her sweater as she stood.

She continued on her way to town and she smiled at the arcade. As she approached, she was oblivious to her changing body. She grew a few inches taller, now maybe slightly shorter than Wendy, and her hair was shorter, now only to her shoulders. A few zits littered her maturing skin and her curves were growing in. Mabel was so distracted by her thoughts and the need to think of something else that she didn’t even notice. Her clothes magically changed with her so she didn’t feel tight or uncomfortable.

Mabel entered the arcade and happily played that new battle video game she had her eye on. Shooting aliens made her feel a little bit better, but it also made her hungry. She left the arcade a little while later and talked to herself as she wandered around Gravity Falls for something to eat. “I mean, I get it. There’s nothing wrong with change. I know there’s nothing I can do about it, but I guess I never really thought about everything changing like that.”

As Mabel walked, her hair grew back to it’s normal length and her zits went away. Her vision was a little blurry, but Mabel just shrugged it off and dismissed it as a sign that she was tired. She did feel emotionally drained as she purchased a jelly-filled doughnut and munch on it, her mind now in a rut. She had no idea what to do or where to go to feel better, so maybe a walk in the woods would help.

Mabel strolled through the forest and continued to think about life and death. “Poor guys… what will happen to them if they’re not together? What if Grunkle Stan dies first? Grunkle Ford will be all alone, but what if Grunkle Ford dies first? Then Grunkle Stan will be all alone again. None of that’s fair.” Mabel then gasped in horror and her eyes became more blurry due to tears. “What if Dipper dies first and I end up all alone? Or what if I die first and then he’ll be all alone? Ugh, why can’t every twin die of duel heart attack?!”

Mabel was very tired. Her back ached and her legs ached and her knees ached and she had a headache… everything hurt. She realized she was at the lake and she decided to sit by the shoreline and rest. She held her knees by her chest and peered down at the water. “I guess I just gotta… WHAT?!” Mabel yelled in horror and jumped away from her reflection, but then forced herself to make sure she wasn’t crazy.

An old version of Mabel stared back at the thirteen-year-old. Her gray hair was the same shade as Grunkle Stan’s except for a stripe of darker gray down her long hair, kinda like Grunkle Ford. She had wrinkles from all of her past smiles and her hands were ached with arthritis. In fact, everything hurt, but if Mabel had to guess, her reflection was only in her fifties.

“Wow… I look so cool!” Mabel cheered as she peered down at the lake. “Look at me! I look like a silver fox! This is great! I can buy all the drinks and magazines I want! On weekdays I get half-priced dinners! I get free money from the government! And now I don’t have to go to high-school!” She laughed at her own joke, but then her back popped painfully and she yelped. “Ouch! Is this how the guys feel all the time?” Mabel asked as she looked at her curly gray hair and her wrinkling skin. A scary realization started to sink in. “Oh no. This… This is bad… What if I… Ford!” She gasped and quickly stood up. “Grunkle Ford will know what to do! He can fix me!”

Against better judgment, Mabel ran as fast as she could for home. Her hair became grayer and curlier as it began to lose it’s life. Mabel suddenly felt an overwhelming pain in her chest, making it hard to breathe, and she tripped over her own feet and fell, unable to get back up. The old lady moaned on the grass, helpless. She looked up and with her horrible vision she could have sworn she could see a brown triangle up ahead, indicating the Mystery Shack.

“Help… help…” She breathed weakly, but no one was coming. She sighed with exhaustion and laid back down on her front to try to regain some rest so she could move forward.

Dipper, meanwhile, had been looking for his sister. He guessed she was hanging out with Candy and Grenda, but in case she was somewhere in the house he wanted to ask her if she had borrowed his BABBA CD. “Mabel? Mabel?” He called on the porch. He shrugged and was about to head inside, forced to be patient, but then he heard and saw Waddles scamblering out of the woods alone; immediately Dipper suspected something was off; Mabel never lets her beloved pig explore alone, but maybe he had been adventurous and sneaky and now regretted it.

“Waddles?” Dipper scratched the top of his head to calm him down. “What’s up, buddy? You okay?”

Waddles suddenly bit his vest, tugged, and then let go and ran back to the edge of the woods. He oinked and squealed, begging Dipper to follow him. Taking his chances, Dipper followed, wondering if something - or someone - was out there. Only a few steps into the woods and Dipper saw a woman on the ground face-first. He saw the long gray hair and gasped with shock when he realized it was an old lady. “Whoa, hey, are you okay, miss?” He asked and was on his knees by her side, unsure how to help.

“Dipper…” The old lady sighed and looked up at the boy.

“Mabel?!” Dipper gasped; she may be old, but he could recognise her own twin. “What the heck happened?! Did you time travel? Are you from the future?!”

“N-No…” Mabel sighed. “Ford… Grunkle Ford… get…”

“Come on, I’ll take you to him.” Dipper said firmly to mask his fear. He draped one of his sister’s frail arms over his neck and helped her up to her feet. Slowly but surely they were heading back towards home.

Meanwhile, Ford was at the kitchen table, pleasantly munching on his lunch. Stan, on the other hand, shivered, put down his fork, and gulped down some soda.

“What, you don’t like my tuna salad?” The scientist asked.

“No. Who puts raisins in tuna salad?”

“The French.”

“Well, it’s not right.” Stan grumbled as he started on a new task: picking the raisins out of his meal.

Ford rolled his eyes and got up to refill his glass with water. The door opened and they heard Dipper’s voice before they saw him. “Grunkle Ford!”

He smiled kindly and turned, “What is it, m-” He dropped his glass, letting it shatter by his boots.

Mabel hung loosely by his shoulder, her hair gray and her skin in wrinkles. The elder twins rushed to her and Stan got to her first, holding her gently by the chin to look at her face. “Mabel, sweetie! Can you hear me? What happened?!”

“I don’t know, I just found her like this!” Dipper answered.

“Set her in the armchair.” Ford instructed. “We can fix this…”

“What if we can’t?!” Stan dared to ask. “I’m not just saying this cuz of her age, but she doesn’t look good.”

“No, you’re right.” Ford elaborated. “She’s not that much older than us, but the sudden change must have taken a toll on her body; we’ve had time to adjust and keep our bodies in good shape… or at least prevent aches, but she hasn’t had that kind of time. But she’ll be fine, we can reverse this, I’m sure of it.”

Dipper had Mabel sit on the armchair, her eyes closed, and now sitting back the amount of effort she had to put into breathing was more apparent. She groaned slightly and the boys were shocked to find her aging again more rapidly in front of them. Her wrinkles were deeper and her hair slowly turned white.

“Dipper, get the first aid kit, now!” Ford commanded and the teenager was off like a rocket.

Stan sat on the dino-skull and held her thin hand. “Just hang on, pumpkin, we’ve got this.” He soothed, his voice trembling slightly due to his tightening throat.

Mabel moaned slightly and tried to open her eyes. “Gr-Grunkle Stan…”

“Yeah, it’s me, sweetheart.” Stan smiled and squeezed her hand. “You’ll be fine, you’re a Pines for crying out loud, so just hang in there, okay?”

Mabel cracked a small smile and nodded.

Dipper was back. “Here!”

“Good,” Ford opened it and took her opposite hand, pulling out a stethoscope and listening to her heartbeat through her wrist. “Let’s see…”

Mabel was aging again; her hair was thinning and some of it was falling out of her scalp. Her hand in Stan’s grasp was now nothing more than skin on bones, her veins sensitive. She moaned and had to put more effort into her breathing; now she looked almost a hundred.

“No, no, no!” Stan called. “Mabel?”

“Hold on, sweetie, it’ll be okay.” Ford gently coached Mabel as he listened to her heartbeat, praying it would never stop.

“What the…” Dipper began to notice faint glowing behind Mabel’s sweater. He pulled down to see her neck and upper-chest and he gasped at a red ruby necklace with a silver chain. The gem was glowing and vibrating, almost looking like it was hot, and when Dipper went to touch it, it almost burned his skin and it was stuck to Mabel’s skin like it had been super-glued onto her.

“That’s not any gem!” Ford gasped. “That’s a Youth-Sucker! It drains the wearer’s youth until the host dies and then the necklace will feed off of the body.”

“What do we do, what do we do?!” Stan asked.

“We have to remove it, carefully.” Ford said and turned to Dipper. “Get the tool kit.” And the teenager was gone, again.

Too soon Mabel was aging again. More hair was falling out, now half of it was gone and the rest remaining was thin. Mabel tried to swallow a moan but it was very apparent on her face that she was in a lot of pain. The pain would definitely explain the sou-sucking leech. Ford eyed the anomaly on his niece’s chest as it began to pur happily over the approaching meal.

“Dipper, hurry!” Ford barked harshly.

Mabel struggled to open her eyes, but she was tired of looking at the darkness. “I… I love you…” Her voice was so quiet and so weak it was a miracle it could be heard.

Stan squeezed her hand as tightly as he could risk without hurting her. “We love you too, pumpkin, but don’t gimme any of that mushy stuff like it’s goodbye, okay?” He blinked to try to ease the stinging in his eyes.

“M’scared…”

“Here!” Dipper was back and practically threw the tool box at Ford so he could get to work.

The scientist pulled out one of his electronic gloves and a pair of tweezers and instructed,” Dipper, hold down the sweater’s neck so I can work.” Dipper helped the gem being showcased and it continued to vibrate and burn and pur. Mabel would probably have a very nasty burn on her chest for a while, but that didn’t matter nearly as much as saving her life.

“Easy, easy,” Ford said mostly to himself as he carefully pinched the gem by the hook where the string was, reading to pull when the anomaly was at its weakest. He would have to do it quickly to not worsen Mabel’s burn with his glove, and so in classic Stanford Pines action, with one swift movement he shocked the gem and pulled it off of Mabel’s chest the second it screeched with pain and anger.

The moment the Youth-Sucker was off Mabel her youth returned her to and soon she was a tired thirteen-year-old, rosy cheeked and with a full head of beautiful brown hair. She blinked her eyes open and rubbed them with her fists, like waking from a dream, and was surprised to find still electrocuting the Youth-Sucker in his fist as punishment for trying to kill his Mabel. “Whoa.”

“Mabel!” Stan cried out and swallowed her into his lap for a tight hug. “Don’t scare me like that, pumpkin, I thought I was gonna lose you!”

“I’m sorry, I just thought it looked cool.” Mabel tried to explain but her face was buried in his chest and she happily hugged him back.

“Well, all’s well that ends well.” Ford breathed, his anxiety finally going down as he stood normally and pocketed the Youth-Sucker to dissect for science. “I’m sure there’s a valuable lesson to take from all of this.”

“Meh, too tired to figure that out.” Mabel moaned as she nuzzled her face against her grunkle.

“Alright, then bed sweetie.” And Dipper and Ford knew better than to point out that he was taking her to his bedroom instead of the attic; Stan needed a nap, too, and there was no way he was going to let his little girl out of his arms for a while after that traumatizing scare.

[incorrect-ikevamp-quotes]

@theeyethatbinds​ Girl SING IT. SING IT LOUDER FOR THE GIRLS IN THE BACK, SWEAR TO GOD.

Like I’m gonna be real wit y’all I was looking forward to le Comte for a while, but I was always side-eyeing Jeanne. He’s a blunt hermit and grump and 100% mood, so I hoped his route would give me more insight into how I feel about him.

Ladies. When I tell you. It was EXCELLENT. I mean there are so many gr9 routes in the game, I don’t want to take away from them, but there was just something about his that hit me so hard???? (MY KOKORO BROKORO)

More under the cut since his route won’t be out for a little while (we still got Isaac, then Theo, then Jeanne), as a little treat. As usual, pls don’t read if you don’t want spoilers, thanks!

Okay so going into this route I was fully expecting the big sads. I mean, if history has taught us anything it was that Joan D’Arc was a badass but good lord, that doesn’t mean the people of her time were kind to her. (I need to do more thorough research on her, so if I’m getting any of her pronouns wrong or neglect something, I do apologize.)

That being sad, I was like aight DECK MY SHIT WITH TRAGEDY, JEANNE. And at the beginning it’s p fascinating. He’s very ornery and resistant to any kind of consideration or attempts at friendship MC extends. But eventually, after a good deal of persistence, he relents little by little.

I’d also like to level with y’all for a sec. Being someone who knows a great deal in regards to the kinds of mental and emotional shit Jeanne struggles through, I think they handled that part of the route so, so well. Granted, I’m not the kind of person to launch a crusade over different writing styles--but for me it just feels all the more poignant when it makes sense; when certain dispositions or trauma are conveyed with that depth. To me, it made 100% sense that Jeanne would be so against accepting other people into his life immediately.

He and Mozart vibe because they’re so similar, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he’s comfortable letting just anyone in--much less a complete stranger. I think it’s more that Mozart and Jeanne share a kind of indelible bond/mutual recognition through their talent, actually. They were both prodigies, absolute geniuses in their fields (military vs. music) but their social skills were shot to hell for the very same reason. To be brilliant--beyond one’s potential posthumous legacy--tends to mean being hated. Plus, they’re both principled to absolute extremes. When they’ve decided on something, they will not waver. They’re stubborn and austere, but behind those walls lies a molten core of sensitivity.

This is important to understanding him, I think, before I move forward.

While one could argue that their reaction is a result of that deficiency of emotional and social support (which I entirely concede does contribute to the matter at hand, it shouldn’t be overlooked) I think the real crux of the matter here is control. Think about it. Among the oldest residents in the mansion (let’s say that were born more than 100 years within the range of the present period of the game) are Mozart, Jeanne, Isaac, and Shakespeare. What do they all have in common?

Extremity. For Mozart, it comes in the form of a kind of OCD, as perfectionism. For Jeanne, it is generalized anxiety and PTSD. For Isaac, it is primarily social anxiety--but it’s still noticeably severe. And Shakespeare runs around with a knife, insecurity through the roof, literally unable to trust anything or anyone (psychosis? schizoaffective? I’m really not sure, these are all ballpark assessments based on the evidence I have). In order to adjust to their new surroundings, there was a cost--and in some ways their coping mechanisms become noticeably maladaptive. They were born into eras that were mercilessly unpredictable, and the only way they knew how to cope was to was to either take the blame--make it a personal failing that tragedy struck--or try to immerse themselves into their craft. They all seek to regain some kind of control (this is even visible in Vincent, to a degree--painting was an escape from his emotionally turbulent world).

Granted that’s not to say that the others don’t struggle with such issues at all, I just feel like the characters from more unstable time periods tend (as a general trend) to mirror that instability within their personalities.

All that being said, (I apologize I am a tangent-monger and love meta), Jeanne’s self-imposed isolation is only partially caused by the above dynamic. Yes, he is unwilling to let people into his heart for fear of betrayal. (It’s almost like an entire nation clamoring to watch you burn for something you didn’t do after spending your entire life and talents trying to protect them would do that to you, but I digress >:| ). But there’s another devastating and potentially less obvious reason for keeping people out.

He thinks he deserves it.

Loneliness, melancholy, aimlessness. These are all the punishments that he incurred on himself after a life of what he conceives to be considerable sin (hahaha battlefield enemies go ripppp). Whether or not he was operating purely out of a sense of duty, even if he felt sympathy for his enemy combatants, it’s not enough. And the condemnation of his king, of his entire nation, only served to magnify that self-loathing to a dangerous degree. (Don’t get me started on his parents I’m still so angry >:| they more or less disowned him since he was constitutionally weak as a young boy, and thus could not serve as an adequate farmhand. Don’t work? Don’t eat/live).

It’s hard enough living in a reserved way because you’re afraid of getting hurt, but to think that you deserve it when hurt finds you, no less? And my favorite part, that he’s so profoundly sure that it is an extension of a personal, fundamental failing? That for a person to survive, they must be strong, that there can be no other way--that there is no time or space for ruminations on fairness or unfairness, there are only those who manage to survive and those who die.

Now my friends, esteemed comrades, legendary sluts. Is that enough for us, Cybird asks, are we feeling enough pain quite yet? Fuck no.

Most of his route after we get over the hurdle of his hesitation is just him. Being. Bashful and gentle as all FUCK. Like he is the definition of “I'll kill you, but also I’m babie.” For instance, she insists on teaching him how to read and write at night when she finds him trying (and not succeeding) to read “The Ugly Duckling”. Yes I mean the children’s book. I CRIED THE FIRST TIME AND I’M CRYING NOW. So, naturally, MC buys him a notebook to practice with and he puts his name in big letters on the front. When MC sees this, she asks him about it--wondering why he would given he’s so self-conscious of his own writing (boy writes all squiggly like a little kid because he’s never done it before ;-;).

The scene goes a little something like this:

MC: Wh....whatcha go there Jeanne? Jeanne: ? My notebook? MC: I...mean that you wrote your name on it? Jeanne: Yeah? MC: Why? Jeanne: ._. It was a gift from you, and I figured it'd be hard to practice if I lost it...so I put my name on it... (HE WAS SECRETLY TOUCHED I BET AND IM--) MC: Why such big letters? Jeanne: So people can spot it quickly, obviously MC, inches from crying and laughing: Jeanne: Mademoiselle??? Why are you laughing? MC: Because you’re cute, Jeanne!

Like. They start out so rocky and Jeanne is so SIGH. I guess I’ll agree if it’ll get her to stop looking so sad and ask me to join her for stuff. But then he just can’t help but go full softe at how patient and kind she is, starts feeling comfortable just...being who he is deep down. A man that’s always hoped for better in life, a person that only ever takes up his sword to protect--that has an incredibly pure and clear heart, despite so much pain.

And good lord, they are GOD TIER romantic slow burn???? Swear to everything holy, I was BEGGING for them to make out by like chapter 10, I was just suffering for most of the route until the bangarang premium. Here’s probably my favorite moment in the entire route:

Basically Sebastian and Mozart pull out all the stops trying to bring Jeanne and MC together (once they see Jeanne show some interested in her). And so Jeanne asks her to join him in the courtyard the next morning, and they’re playing with Cherie (Jeanne’s pet baby white tiger). Besides being ungodly adorable--because Jeanne invited her for the sole purpose of hoping to see her delightfully surprised--Mozart begins to play a love song nearby. They don’t name the tune, but Jeanne canonically starts singing along (I wholeass cried, I WANT TO HEAR HIM SING????). And so she asks what the song is about, and he explains that Mozart once played it for him, but he couldn’t make out the words at first. Mozart explained that it was a love song that speaks to the difficulties of being in love (the worry, the strife) but also the beauty of the intensity and passion. He goes on to say that even when he learned the words, it never made much sense to him back then--it never resonated.

He’s singing softly with a fond look, and so she asks, does he understand it now? And he looks her dead in the eye, and says “...I think I’m starting to.” Like. AM I SUPPOSED TO NOT LOSE MY MIND AT THE TENDERNESS????? WHAT A SMOOTH MOFO????? MAN RAISED TO BE A SOLDIER, NO KNOWLEDGE OF ROMANCE OR WOMEN, AND KILLS ME IN MILLISECONDS?????? I DEMAND JUSTICE. (Or it’s just me thinking sincerity is the best aphrodisiac, but that’s beside the point.)

This has been your quarantine 2d boy meta and yelling, provided by your local mod Minnie. Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to get to the things I’ve been procrastinating on while reliving/dissociating about one of my favorite rts in the entire game. Stay safe and well out there y’all, peace out!