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eggtartz · 2 years

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Kakucho meeting his childhood friend. And I'm not talking about Izana, but remember when Kakucho met Takemichi before when the were kids? Let's just say that he also met Y/n before meeting Izana.

And so she meets him again because she was looking for her cousin who turned out to be a Tenjiku member, he was fighting some guys from the rivaling gang and so she finally found him in the middle of the fight, so she stepped in and beat up a lot of guys and started dragging him out of there.

She was so gorgeous and strong and everyone was looking at her shocked by her strength and how gorgeous see was, and so then she spots Kakucho and realized who he was, so then he remembers her and the others start to feel jealous that she knows him. ;)

a/n : thankyou for requesting anon and enjoy this kakucho brainrot of mine 🫶🏻

summary : meeting kakucho when he's older was way more different than you imagined

happily swinging, children laughs could be heard from the neighborhood. "no fair kaku-chan! you're stronger than me of course you'd win"

"then that means you'll have to be stronger than me y/n. ooh it's the ice cream man c'mon!" you two ran after the ice cream man and the memories became a little bit clear now since you've returned to the neighborhood you grew up in. back then, you had to transfer school suddenly and didn't had the chance to tell kakucho so you basically disappeared. but never in your life, you forgot about him. you tried a few times to return but your parents forbids you to, saying the neighborhood has became a deliquent's playground.

even your cousin that lived nearby has became a deliquent according to your parents.

now you finally came back to the place, the place that holds so many memories most of them with the scarred boy.

"on one condition y/n, go and look for your cousin. if he's there at least he can fight bad guys from you" your parents said. for the few past years, you have been wondering how kakucho would look like. he must be taller now right? huh, he might not even remember me you thought. deep in your thoughts, you dragged your baggage and knocked on your cousin's doorstep. he wasn't home so you entered anyway, him telling you before he would home late at night so make yourself at home.

you took off the annoying cardigan and took a shower after placing the bags and belongings in the vacant (and hopefully) clean room. you and your cousin has always been close, you two being the only one who has the same age in the family. after showering, you take new clothes from your bag and wore them. you put on some sunscreen and wore your sneakers before heading out into the streets that you've become familiar with.

strolling through the streets, you walked pass your old home where someone else has moved in. you stopped for a moment but kept walking just to reminisce the old memories you hold dear to your heart.

"asshole c'mon it's not hard to follow us isn't it?"

"tenjiku member my ass, you're too weak man"

you heard loud shoutings came from the alley nearby, hesitantly you peeked through the walls and saw huge men towering some more men who were on the ground. your eyes widened a bit more when you spotted your cousin, all bloody on the ground. out of instinct you came out from your hiding "oi, what do you think you're doing?"

"y/n? y/n goddamnit i told you i'd be back didn't i?"

"yeah come back all bloody and dying like that? what would aunt say huh? want me to spread this to the family group chat or what?"

"oi girl. you're not supposed to be here you know? these streets aren't made for you" one of the men said while slowly approaching you, you stand on your ground and grabbed the wrench you saw nearby. "shut up will you?" you swinged the wrench to his head, his head now bloody and the wrench flying across the alley. the remaining men was startled but wasted no time to tackle you. you tripped the trash can so they stepped on in and slipped.

you stomped on their groin areas and they both winced in pain, clutching their below regions. sighing you told your cousin's friends to go home and treat the wounds while you tried supporting your cousin's weight by slinging his arm on your shoulder.

hearing another commotion, you thought the guys bought more of their members but you were surprised that the men that caused the commotion was wearing a red coat, the symbol of a ying yang and written tenjiku underneath it.

the same coat your cousin was wearing. more surprising, you saw those mismatched eyes staring back at you. "k-kaku?"

"y/n? y/n is that you?" you wanted to drop your cousin and run towards kakucho to hug him but you thought that would be inappropriate since you two haven't seen each other in so long. some of his friends kicked the men on the ground, them still wincing

"what the hell? did you do this miss?" one guy who had braided hair asked you. you nodded.

"you know her kakucho?" the white haired man asked kakucho while inspecting the rivalry members. "yes izana" he replied still staring at you. "well, miss. this your brother?" he gestured to your cousin.

"she's my cousin izana, im truly sorry. this is embarrassing that me a fellow tenjiku member got beaten up by-"

"no, no. it's fine. you just need to train more if that's the case. im sure one of our heavenly kings won't mind to do that do they?" the white haired man, or izana said while slightly looking back.

"now you miss, can we help you and send both of you home?" he said and you quickly nodded. in the car, you shared the same car as izana and kakucho. you were in front while izana and your cousin was at the back seat. "so kakucho? i wanted to ask how are you but i think it's really rough that you're in a gang now?"

"tch y/n what's with the formality? we've been friends for years, drop it"

"yeah we haven't seen each other for years too" the car went silent after that. guilt washed over you. "im sorry kaku, i left you." you lowered your head and tears started to swell that is until kakucho took your hand and kissed it.

"i could care less about that now, you're here now are you not? that's the only thing that matters to me" he stated while his eyes was still on the road, you shyly looked away and you swore you thought you caught a glimpse of izana smirking.

arriving at your cousin's house, he went to his room while you went back to kakucho, intending to talk more about him but you stopped. he's in a gang now, a powerful one at that he must busy isn't he?

"y/n? can we talk?" he said snapping you out of your endless monologue. he patted the space on the sofa beside him and you sat there. minutes passed by and neither of you said anything. "im sorry. you must be surprised to see me like this" he said, still averting his gaze.

"what? no, that's not it. it's just that, i feel so bad that i left you just like that and come back without feeling guilty whatsoever like this. makes me feel like im a bad person or something" you said, swiping your palms againts your shirt as it got sweatier.

"but you came back. if you were a bad person, you'd never come back y/n" he looked up and watched your face that he missed so, so much. he was crushed the day you changed schools. he thought the teacher that informed that was joking but when he went to your house, it was already empty the "for sale" sign on the gates. he never blamed you because he knew, you'll come back so until that day he would wait for you.

the face he missed so much, the person that has carved so many memories in his memory is right in front of him, breathing. "if you feel bad could you do this one favor for me then?" he tried to lift up the mood. your teary eyes looked at him and you nodded aggressively.

"go on date with me" he said while piercing your eyes with his. you turned away as his stare got intense, so with a blush you said "y-yeah sure". he ecstatically kissed the top of your head and hugged you while you hugged him back.

meanwhile outside,

"KAKU-CHAN?!" ran accidently yelled when izana told him and the others that you called him that. "im gonna call him that from now on no one can stop me" rindou stepped in, excited to tease the man. "yeah kaku would kill you first before you get to call him that" mochi butted in the conversation.

then they collectively peeked through the window and saw you there were hugging and said a long "aw" while izana smirked softly, finally kaku. you found her. he thought.

#tokyo revengers #tokrev #tokyo rev x y/n #tokyo revengers fluff #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers x yn #fluff #tokyo revengers angst #tokrev kakucho #tr kakucho #tokyo revengers kakucho #kakucho hitto #kakucho x reader #kakucho x y/n #kakucho fluff #tenjiku #kakucho angst

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acesofspadess · 1 year

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Live {7}

summary: after a silly little comment on Niall's live, who would've thought it bring you...well here....

a/n: I know Adele didn't win a grammy for this song but bear with me. Also, yes this a double update, I want to get us back on track so that the updates are months from the actually date, so hold tight, get ready for the ride.

media2.giphy.com

Atticus who had flown in again to cheer you on ran to you the best he could with his heeled boots on. “Bitch you’re gonna kill it. Fucking slay that shit.” his Australian accent made everything 10x funnier and you laughed as he hugged you. “And you look fucking sexy as hell, i dont know if i like him, but i know youre gonna make Niall weak.” you laughed showing off your outfit as a joke before your phone went off.

Meet me outside, I'm at my car.

You showed Atticus the text and he rolled his eyes. “If you two are gonna have a quickie i will happily leave now.” you slapped his arm and dragged him outside with you towards the car park. When you saw Niall clad in a cardigan you smiled softly and felt like a schoolgirl.

“Oh give me strength.” you heard Atticus mutter as Niall saw you and you both lit up like Irish men in a pub. He held his arms out and you ran into them inhaling his scent. “God, I'm so proud of you baby.” he said, kissing your head and swinging you back and forth. You looked up when Niall stopped moving and you knew he had seen Atticus.

“Niall.” Atticus greeted regrettingly. “Atticus, nice to see you mate.” you nudged Atticus to take Nialls outstretched hand and he reluctantly did. “I'm going to take this,” you said as your phone started ringing. “The both of you are too pretty to die so please be nice to each other.” you whispered as you held the phone up to your ear.

Both men watched you walk away before turning to each other. “You broke her.” Atticus came straight out the gate. Niall sighed looking down, “i know-”

“No you don't know. She lost herself when she lost you. Annabeth didn't give her the same kind of feeling you did, yet she still tried to move on. Did you know that she locked herself in her room on the one year anniversary of the live? Threw her phone across the room when the memory popped up. Did you know she almost didn't go to her own release party because she knew you wouldnt be there- like you said you would be. The songs she sings are just the top layer of frosting on the heartbreak cake. I don’t care if your her boyfriend now, you took a piece of her with you.”

Niall wanted to cry as he listened to Atticus. “Atticus-”

“I'm not done.”

Niall nodded knowing he deserved this. “But you brought that piece and so many others back.” he spoke softly and Niall looked at him through cloudy eyes. “You broke her, dont ever forget that, but you also put her back together in a way no one knew was possible. Being here with you is something she comes home and screeches about- i had to invest in earplugs-” he cut through with a joke making Niall chuckle weakly. “She is so happy, Niall. And she cares about you so much more than you'll ever know. So while i hate you for breaking her heart. I love you for bringing my best friend back.” he embraced a teary Niall in a hug and that's when you came back.

“Well, it looks like I've been replaced then.” you giggled as the men broke apart with eye rolls in your direction. Niall wrapped you in such an apologetic hug, you looked over his shoulder and stared at Atticus quizzically. ‘What did you do?’ you mouthed but all Atticus did was wink and walk away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

“This is so intense.”

You had been at the studio all week. But today was the first Live finale. You, Carson, and Niall all sat at a table together as Carson did a little interview with you.

“Maia, congratulations.”

“Thank you.” you pouted softly

“You're a finalist on The Voice. What did it feel like when I called your name?”

You laughed thinking back on it. “I was so certain that you were going to say Ryleys name that when you spoke I didn't register that it was my name at first. I didn't think i would make it past the Blinds, let alone- make it to here.” you shrugged sadly knowing how scared you were that you would make a complete fool of yourself.

“What do you remember about the Blinds, Niall? About her voice.”

“It was so unique it was,” he told Carson. “I had heard her sing before, and still it was something so new, so unique. And Maia, self-admittedly, was very nervous.” he looked at you, who nodded in confirmation. “But she's got one of those voices, that Ellie Goulding, that Adam Levine.” you looked up at the mention of his ex, and he looked at your reaction with a smug smile. “Its unmistakable, you know exactly who it is.”

“I didn’t want to pick Niall, because of the history we had and that was probably one of my worst decisions,” you all laughed as the admittance. “But after being in rehearsals with him and really learning who i was as an artist because of him, i was like, ‘I guess this guy is onto something’ and he's cute so that helps.”

He chuckled lightly, throwing in a sarcastic ‘thanks’.

“Then you do ‘River Lea’, and even though Kelly didn’t pick you, the other coaches saw your potential.”

“I just knew -while the performance was amazing- it wasn’t what she needed, it wasn't the right song. She needed these dark, moody songs that we've giving her.”

“Which brings us to the Playoffs and ‘Wicked Game’ which I think you kind of had in mind for her.”

“That was actually the first song that came to mind.” Niall confessed, “and that's the best performance.” you smiled softly at his praise.

“Are you gaining more confidence now that you're where you’re supposed to be song wise and everything?” they both turned to you and your eyes went wide at the attention. “I would like to think so. In performances and in my actual life. I was lost for a long time before coming on this show, and both my coaches and teammates helped me gain my self-confidence back personally, and Niall made it his mission to bring the girl he saw 3 years ago not only back, but better.”

He smiled at you with a cocked head, “that's what this show is really about.” Carson agreed as Niall looked at you. “And now we're in the Top 5 and she's the one to beat.” you hid your face in your hands and shook your head.

“I don't think any of our five finalists have grown more than you have. Peaking at the right time is everything.” you and Niall both agreed to that. “So what do you do next? What's left?”

You liked at Niall with a shit-eating grin as what you had planned for today was remarkable. “We are gonna do ‘Oh My God’ by Adele.” Carsons eyes shot open at the knews. “I feel its very diffrent then what ive previously been doing. Its a lot more up beat and fast tempoed, which i want to show that i'm not some one-trick pony.”

Rehearsals were so much fun as you weren't singing a dark song, there was a lot more laughter and you and Niall were on cloud 9.

“We need a little pop in our lives, and what better than to sing a One Direction song.” Niall threw his head back as you practically crumpled into yourself in laughter. “We will be doing no such thing.” he shook his head adjusting in his seat. “I tried America.” you shrugged looking at the camera sending Niall into a fit of giggles.

“We're giving them a Grammy winning song.” he pointed out and pointed back, “exactly.”

“So watch out.” he said in all seriousness, making you laugh. “Not the watch out.” his face scrunched up as he laughed and you wanted to kiss him so bad. He was just too too cute.

“As you would say, we’re about to slay.”

You looked at him in shock. “Oh my god, we are about to slay.”

Niall laughed, “get it.”

`````````````````````

The beginning whistles of the song played and you smiled as the audience roared at the sound of the familiar song.

I ain't got too much time to spare

But I'll make time for you to show how much I care

Wish that I would let you break my walls

But I'm still spinning out of control from the fall

The audience cheered as you stepped forward into the light

Boy, you give good love, I won't lie

It's what keeps me coming back, even though I'm terrified

I know that it's wrong

But I want to have fun

Mmh, yeah Mmh, yeah

I know that it's wrong But I want to have fun

Mmh, yeah Mmh, yeah

Oh my God, I can't believe it

Out of all the people in the world

What is the likelyhood of jumping

Out of my life and into your arms?

You danced around softly to not drain your energy but you were feeling yourself and couldnt help it

Maybe, baby, I'm just losing my mind

'Cause this is trouble, but it feels right

Teetering on the edge of Heaven and Hell

Is a battle that I cannot fight

I'm a fool, but they all think I'm blind I'd rather be a fool than leave myself behind

The audience went up in applause as you hit both lines notes

I don't have to explain myself to you I am a grown woman and I do what I want to do

The audience started clapping synchronously to the song and you smiled into the mic

I know that it's wrong But I want to have fun Mmh, yeah Mmh, yeah I know that it's wrong But I want to have fun Mmh, yeah Mmh, yeah

As you sang you naturally started vibing with the song as had a soft bounce as you walked around the stage

Oh my God, I can't believe it

Out of all the people in the world

What is the likelihood of jumping

Out of my life and into your arms?

Maybe, baby, I'm just losing my mind

'Cause this is trouble, but it feels right

Teetering on the edge of Heaven and Hell Is a battle that I cannot fight

The BGV’s took over as you sang the ad libs with all your power

Lord don't let me, I said Lord don't let me down

I said Lord don't let me let me down (oh Lord)

Lord don't let me, I said Lord don't let me

I said Lord don't let me let me down (don't let me let myself down)

Lord don't let me, I said Lord don't let me

I said Lord don't let me let me down (oh my God)

Lord don't let me, I said Lord don't let me (oh, oh, oh)

As you held onto the last note while the BGV’s continued you could feel the applause

Oh my God, I can't believe it Out of all the people in the world

You joined them again dancing around the stage

What is the likelihood of jumping Out of my life and into your arms?

You pointed to yourself then to Niall but everyone wouldn't know the main direction

Maybe, baby, I'm just losing my mind

You twirled your finger around the side of your head as you bounced to the beat of the music

'Cause this is trouble, but it feels right Teetering on the edge of Heaven and Hell

You moved your hand in a teetering motion watching the wide smiles you were bring to the judges faces

Well it's a battle that I cannot fight

The BGV’s sang the background chorus as you sand the pre-chorus causing a music melody

Lord don't let me, I said Lord don't let me (I know that it's wrong)

I said Lord don't let me let me down (but I want to have fun)

Lord don't let me, I said Lord don't let me (mmh, yeah)

I said Lord don't let me let me down (mmh, yeah)

Lord don't let me, I said Lord don't let me (I know that it's wrong)

I said Lord don't let me let me down (but I want to have fun)

Lord don't let me, I said Lord don't let me (mmh, yeah)

I said Lord don't let me (mmh, yeah-h)

You clasped the mic in your hands and doubled over laughing at how much fun you just had. “Ladies and Gentlemen, that was Maia Quinn everybody.”

“Alright Chance let's get something from you.” Carson spoke cutting through the never-ending ovation.

“Amazing performance Maia, per usual. You have a very unique tone of voice, but also seeing you do pop stuff, reminds me that you are your own artist, and it looked like you had so much fun up there.”

“It was so much fun.” you giggled, cutting him off and making everyone else laugh.

“I can tell! I'm excited to see where you go, in terms of original works.”

You thanked as you looked to Niall who you could have easily mistaken for a football dad the way he was clapping. “Cmon Maia Quinn!!” he yelled passionately. “That is ridiculous.” you thanked him softly with a downwards smile. “You are a superstar- i mean its incredible there's nothing you can't do.” he admired and the audience cheered in approval. “Stop your gonna make me cry.”

You heard Kelly ‘awe’ with the audience and Niall smiled up at you. “When I think of all the performances and how haunting they’ve been, the fact that you wanted to do a pop song, this song was a perfect one for you. We got off to the other side of you and again I'm like Chance, I can't wait to hear what record we’ll get after this. This is incredible. I'm so proud of you.”

You blew kisses and waved at the camera before Carson gave you the okay to walk down. You waved to the audience that were by the stairs and high-fived some of them. When you felt a hand on your waist you turned to see Niall and hugged him softly. “That was so fun!” he giggled while helping you down the second set of stairs.

You ran to Atticus who was waiting for you backstage and he screamed with you as you both bounced. “Bitch!!” he yelled. “I fucking know!!” you both screamed again before you heard the echo of Nialls laugh and you were physically drawn to it as you turned towards the door.

“Ugh,” Atticus groaned, “you love-sick puppies. Moment. Ruined.” as he walked away from your laughing figure. “Atticus, wait!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“And welcome back. Lets close out our season 23 finale with a touching performance by Maia and a song she dedicates to a certain group of people, lets take a look.”

You were sitting on the floor with a phone in your hand.

“I was given this phone and told to press play. I have no idea what this is.” as you opened the phone and pressed play you saw the first face and immediately started crying. “No he didnt.”

“Hi Maia, it's Harry! I wanted to make this video to tell you congratulations on making it to the finale. You are an amazing singer and I know you can win this thing. Hope to see you at a show soon.” he waved as the video cut out and the next one immediately started. “Oh my god.”

“Ello! Liam and Bear here. A little birdie told me you were a big fan and asked us to give you a little message so i just want to say i have in fact watched this season and you are brilliant. Me and Bear are rooting for you. I know you will sing this song much better than i did. You wanna say anything Bear? Good luck! I'll give you a call when you win. Lots of love, bye.”

You laughed through crying as the video ended with Bear waving and the next one played.

“Hi love! Louis here. I'm sending you all my best wishes and my love as you prepare to win this blasted show. Clearly I could learn a thing or two from you. I think my little lad Freddie has a crush on you so this will send him for a spiral. Congrats and good luck.”

You laughed at him talking about freddie and when the video didn't end you gasped. “Do not-”

“Hi Maia, Zayn here. Niall told me you were a big fan, so thank you for your support, wishing you the best of luck on finale day. Hope to see you soon and hear you live. Love you! Bye.”

The video properly ended and you were balling. “I can't believe he did that.” you looked up in hopes to stop the tears from falling. “Niall has been one of my biggest supporters through my entire music journey. Though the song I'm singing has nothing to do with him. This one's for you Nialler.

~~~~~~

As the known beginning of the song played you heard the audience cheer and a ‘No she is not’, come from Blake. You and Niall went all out for stage design.

Now, you say you're lonely

The audience screamed at your first line

You cried the whole night through Well, you can cry me a river

Cry me a river I cried a river over you

You took the mic off the stand and leaned against the stand

And, now, you say you're sorry For being so untrue

Well, you can cry me a river Cry me a river I cried a river over you

You walked towards the front of the stage as you sang

You drove me Nearly out of my head While you never shed a tear, babe Remember? I remember all that you said You told me love was too plebeian

Told me you were through with me And now you say you love me

The audience cheered and Niall stood up clapping

Well, just to prove that you do Why don't you cry me a river? Cry me a river 'Cause I cried a river over you

Over you

You walked back towards the middle of the stage

You say you love me, but you lie

When you made your way to the middle you took a deep breath preparing for your long note

Now, you say you love me

The audience cheered through your singing

Well, just to prove that you do Come on and cry me a river

Oh, cry me a river I cried a river over you I cried a river

Over you

The audience screamed as you sang very deeply and you saw Chance slid down his chair disbelief .

I cried a river Now you can, too Cry me a river

You let the crescendo induce adrenaline in your body as you awaited the famous line

Cry me a river

You held onto that note so strongly the stage rumbled beneath you and you smiled when you finished seeing all four coaches standing up clapping.

“Not a ton of time left, but Niall I know you must be proud.”

“Maia, I am so proud of you. I don’t think you heard but at the beginning Blake said ‘no she isnt.’ and you did. You smashed it. It was absolutely incredible. I am so glad we chose that song to send you out before the votes are out. That- that was a special moment, at least for me. But i don't think anyone will be forgetting that anytime soon.”

Everyone in the room cheered in agreement and you smiled bashfully. “America!” he addressed. “America. This girl has something special. You know it when you see it, get on that app or get online, do whatever you need to do. Vote for our girl. My girl is special and needs to win this thing.” you gave him a quick thanks as Carson spoke again you waved at the camera sadly for the last time. ‘Hi guys.’ you mouthed to the boys you were sure were watching.

You waved as you walked down the steps for the last time meeting Niall at the bottom of the stairs. “God you look so good.” you whispered in his ear away from the mics both of you had. He flushed as pulled away and you waved as you walked down the stairs watching Niall run his hands through his hair nervously and you giggled. What could you say, that man did things to you.

niallhoran

niallhoran America you know what to do

view comments

harrystyles Cant wait to watch! H.

User0t5 what in 1D reunion is happening here?!?!?!?!!?!?!?

liampayne bear voted!

ot54ever niall.... where'd you get this picture from huh??? 👀

↳ narrystorannn ikkk seems very 'my bf took this' 😳👀😫

zayn Good luck Maia!

louist91 best of wishes

~~~~

@youcan-nolonger-run @ravenclawdirectioner

@luxiorchive @maeflowers653

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illiana-mystery · 2 years

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I recently re-watched the NWH Villains interview and got inspired.

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lambourngb · 3 years

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a skeleton of something more [malex wip]

Inspired by the promo/trailer for season 3. Spoilers and speculation ahead.

A tumblr work-in-progress

Pairing: Michael/Alex, Alex/Forrest

Summary: Alex goes undercover to seek out Deep Sky. Starts mid-2x13.

Alex leaned his back against the solid wood of his front door, letting the heavy oak take up his weight. He kept making the standard uneven bargain with his body, of giving just a little more, going through the motions for a little longer, and then it would be over. But the tally sheet his body held was long, overflowing with so many unfulfilled promises that it seemed ever more likely he would end this journey in the red.

If it ever ended.

At least, tonight, he had haggled wisely for some space to breathe. On the other side of the door, he had managed to escape Forrest’s hopeful and not subtle attempts to follow him inside, toward the bedroom for a long-awaited reunion. A reunion that Alex had deftly avoided without a trace of guilt. He had used the bland excuse of fatigue from a long, cramped ride from Holloman Air Force Base to Roswell on a bus that had predated the ADA by a good thirty years. It was transparent but still true, written on every line of pain in his smile as he had said “Not tonight.” that even Forrest could read it, even if only Alex knew the real source of his fatigue.

He waited several long moments, before turning to look out the peephole to watch Forrest’s Prius silently reverse out of his driveway. Exhaling out long and low, the tension he had started carrying a little more than a year ago slipped away, letting the calm certainty of safety of his house slip down his body as he released the facade.

Alex was almost done with this assignment, he reminded himself, as he rubbed the back of his hand against his mouth, scrubbing away the taste of Forrest Long from earlier.

Just a little while longer, and he will have enough good will built up to finally meet the leader of Deep Sky face-to-face, after all who could resist the request of a senior member, especially one with the last name of Long? It had been a lucky find that Alex had made in cleaning out his father’s house after his death, a ring and an old photo of the members. In washed out Kodak colors was the cabal of Deep Sky. Former military men with names Alex had memorized off the salvaged hard drives from the Caulfield prison. Linked not by overlapping time on the alien project, but what had become of their careers after their military service had ended. All of them vowing to carry on the protection of Earth against an alien threat, but without the oversight of the government.

The photo in his dad’s desk had been expected, but the silver ring? He had remembered clutching it, his hands still sore from tearing down the shed with Michael, and feeling the imprint of the symbol press deep into his skin. Searing across what Mimi had called his long-love line, singular and deep on his palm. Searing even deeper inside with the recognition that the symbol matched the ring Forrest Long wore.

The genial historian with the loose-fitting cardigan and blue-streaked hair, who had shown flattering interest in Alex, had worn the same ring. Easy on his hand, flashing in the bright sunlight when he had eagerly met up with Alex at the paintball fields with sharpshooter skills. After that date had crashed and burned thanks to a mishmash of his father’s voice and the feeling he had whenever he thought about kissing someone, not Michael, well, Alex had figured that would be the last he would see of the man.

It hadn’t been.

Suddenly, Forrest was everywhere he was, the Crashdown, the Wild Pony. It should have been suspicious to Alex, after months of sharing the same town with the other man without a single encounter. His heart was still bounding uselessly after Michael, while his hands had been full of his suddenly feeble father, and he had missed the snare of the trap. Not just the one his father had laid. Then after his kidnapping, two things had become clear to Alex, his father would never change from the hateful man he was, and Alex’s heart would never change when it came to his feelings for Michael.

Alex pushed his leaden body away from the door, tottering on his feet for a moment before the new prosthesis shored up his balance and he took a deep breath for the strength to move forward.

Fuck. That was a mistake.

His house smelled like rain. Michael. The unexpected consequence of having Michael watch over his house while he had moved around the country, playing up the role of the grieving scion of the Manes family legacy. After a year of brief trips back to Roswell and long stints on the road, the house now smelled like Michael.

Alex sucked in greedy gulps of air, chasing the taste of green and petrichor with his tongue to wash away his previous actions at the bus stop. His security system, his reinforced door and window locks, the weight of his gun still tucked in his back holster, none of it made him feel as safe as the smell of Michael in his home. It was the smallest crumb of promise, but it filled him.

Moving toward the kitchen for a drink, he clocked the changes Michael had made in his absence. His heavier luggage, shipped ahead of him, was already stored, including the set of crutches and the charging station for his back-up prosthesis. The lights in the kitchen came on with a single touch, all of them bright. Dammit, Michael had fixed the two burnt out bulbs, along with the slightly weeping fitting on the sink faucet.

There was zero sign of neglect in his house, no matter where he looked. Not even the faintest trace of dust on his guitars. The house looked warm and well tended. Loved.

The rush of tears welled in his throat, an impossibly large lump, as Alex fought to keep from breaking down. Don’t fucking cry, don’t do it, that’s for at night, he swore creatively at himself. Tears were only allowed under the cover of dark, in hotel rooms or visiting officer quarters, not in the middle of his brightly lit kitchen.

A knock sounded on the front door.

Abruptly, every drop of tortured longing was gone, as Alex straightened his shoulders and crossed the threshold back to the door. He pasted the right amount of faked aspiration mixed with real annoyance on his face as he yanked the door open, expecting to see Forrest back on his step with a weak excuse concocted to overcome the earlier rebuff.

Michael looked up in the porch light, his black hat in hand and his curls wild with nervous raking. “Uh, hi.” He scuffed his boots against the concrete before growing still under Alex’s gaze.

He looked over Michael’s shoulder nervously, for the distinctive truck that everyone in town knew belonged to Michael, but his driveway was empty.

“I parked a few streets over. I don’t think anyone saw me-” Michael’s explanation was cut off short as Alex grabbed his wrist and yanked him inside. Stumbling from Alex’s strong grip, Michael fell forward, and then back as the front door slammed shut with them both safely inside out of view. His mouth was still open in surprise as Alex covered his lips in a kiss.

The surprise was short-lived. Michael came alive under the kiss, opening and yielding to Alex’s hungry lips and tongue. Alex brought his hands up into Michael’s curls, cupping his head protectively as he pressed Michael firmly against the door, drinking in every sound Michael was making.

Hours before, he had kissed Forrest at the bus station, playing up the role of a dutiful boyfriend returning home. It was the tariff he paid with his body to get closer to the roots of Deep Sky, but this, feeling Michael whole and safe under his hands, tasting him now, that was sustenance. Lifeblood. There was an evolution of difference between the two, like comparing simple bacteria wiggling toward complexity and the finished product of a man, standing upright.

It was both a reminder of why he was doing this and a reinstatement of focus, as he slowly broke the kiss with reluctance. Michael chased at his lips, his mouth red and wet, his eyes dark with want. He could feel the heat coming off of Michael’s thin brown shirt, his hands itched to pull it off, to descend back into the physical, but Alex knew that he owed Michael an explanation for earlier.

“I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t know he was going to be there to meet my bus. I thought it would be okay for you to give me a ride,” Alex explained quietly, as he ran his hands from Michael’s neck down to his fingertips, drinking in all the changes that had happened while he was gone. Michael looked thinner to him, as if he wasn’t eating enough despite the healthy amount of work and money. “I guess he wanted to surprise me and thought it would be romantic.”

Michael made a face at the idea of surprises ever being considered romantic, especially to Alex. He turned sweetly toward Alex’s palm, kissing the center as Alex pushed a stubborn curl out of his eyes. “Are you sure that’s all it was? He wasn’t testing you, was he?”

“I don’t think so.” Alex couldn’t pull his hands away from Michael, and leaned in to kiss him again. It started soft and shallow, trading breaths with Michael, lips against lips, licking deep into his mouth as his previous weariness disappeared now that Michael was here. “He saw you watching us. Now that I’m back, he’s worried about losing my attention to you. He hasn’t hidden his jealousy that I asked you to watch my house last year.”

“Did I look sufficiently broken-hearted?” The question was light, but Alex could hear the grain of truth under it.

“You did.” Alex closed his eyes, the guilt of the situation flooded back inside. The statue of his father looking down on him didn’t make him feel nearly as sick as having Michael’s eyes on him as he let Forrest kiss him in front of the town in a cinematic homecoming moment. It was a cruel reminder to Alex that he had never been able to give Michael that, a public welcome that spelled out who they were to each other, not once in ten plus years of deployments and duty station assignments. Trading a glance across the Wild Pony was as close as they came. “I wish it wasn’t like this, sneaking around, pretending-”

“Hey, I agreed to this, right at the very beginning when I was your only back-up. Remember?”

“We were just friends back then, you couldn’t have known that things would end up like this.”

Michael laughed, his head tilted back against the door, casting an attractive line of his throat to his collarbone. “We’ve never been just friends, Alex, but I knew what I was signing up for when you told me what you planned to do to smoke out Deep Sky. We’re in this together.”

*** to be continued... here

#malex fic #malex wip #season 3 spoilers #isn't everyone writing a trailer fic?#rnm #not forrest long friendly

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365elephantsoap · 2 years

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FEMININITY

How do you express your femininity?

That was a question on a questionnaire that I had to fill out for this retreat. I had zero answers. I ended up writing something about a favorite dress, but even then I felt I was just putting down place holder words. That favorite dress is basically a tent. I might even make it my Halloween costume this year because it makes me look like an umbrella. But I LOVE it. I have always gravitated to clothing that hides my shape. Baggy t-shirts and jeans, oversized slip dresses with giant cardigans, large draping tunics. Clothing that doesn’t touch my skin. That’s my jam. Amani introduced me to a clothing store in Vancouver filled with crisp, clean drapey clothes. With unlimited funds, I would have purchased one of everything.

Expressing my femininity has never been a thought in my brain. Until now. Now, I sit around pondering this question and every answer I come up with is still place holder words. I have excuses. They all center around the patriarchy and living in a ‘man’s’ world. I was a very determined and driven youth. So I hid the feminine parts of myself to avoid unwanted attention and groping. Nothing would deter me from my goals: get to college, be a scientist. It worked so well that I didn’t have my first kiss until I was almost seventeen and it was one hundred percent on my terms. Boys did not look at me and I only had to say a few sentences for them to decide that this was not a girl to hang with. I had too many thoughts, too many views. Chris was different, but then again he was more man than boy when we met. My femininity took second place to my brain. He didn’t mind the thoughts and the views. He relished them.

Hilary Clinton recently revealed her reasoning behind her famous pant suits. She was wearing a skirt while on a visit to Africa. A picture was taken of her sitting on a couch with a diplomat and even though she thought she was sitting properly, apparently her underwear was showing. Photographers took advantage and before she knew it, that picture was being used to advertise lingerie. After that, she questioned every time she walked on stage and the angle of a photographer’s lens. Her answer was to wear pants and not worry about it ever again. So much of our femininity tends to be wrapped around our appearance and the judging eyes of men. We’ve been conditioned to the idea that femininity is in the dresses we wear and paint we put on our faces.

fem·i·nin·i·ty

/ˌfeməˈninədē/

noune

qualities or attributes regarded as characteristic of women.

"she alternated between embracing her femininity and concealing it"

Seeing the written definition of a word has a way of striking cords and changing perspectives. Over time, words sort of lose their original meanings or the meaning becomes hidden, construed. Whenever I am struggling with a word, I always take a moment to remind myself of that word’s basic meaning. One of the things that I told Roze before heading out to this retreat was how excited I was to be going to something like this and not having to do anything. I would not have to teach a class or help with meals. I would not have to care for any one but myself, but after our morning of digging for crystals, I found myself stepping into the kitchen and helping Erica with dinner preparations. I was not asked. I just saw a need and stepped in. Of course I was breaking the rules. Roze had already put a “No Cindy In the Kitchen” rule in place, but in that instance, I ignored the rule.

This is how I express my femininity. I do not express it with appearances. I express it in my actions, in how I care for those around me and in my willingness to step in and help in times of need. Caring. Nurturing. These qualities feel soft to me and my first instinct is shove aside the idea of softness, as if softness is a weakness. But caring and nurturing others requires strength.

I am embracing this softness with open arms.

#femininity #definition #softness

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spade-riddles · 3 years

Text

"Adjusting Expectations" Post

This submission received a lot of responses and 120 notes, so I thought I would compile the comments here.

Anonymous said:

Adjusting expectations anon was so good. If their timetables are right and we do just need to be patient a little longer, can Kaylor please send us a sign? I guess it would be too loud to slip "adjusting expectations" into social media posts, but maybe they could both do something with playing cards? To show they are card sharks right now but they'll find their way home eventually? That would reassure people. And it would fly under the radar.

casuallycruel131313 said:

I agree with a lot of this but I think the main issue right now is that moral and ethical lines have been crossed and there's no coming back from that. In these post-Trumpian insurrectionist times it's unfathomable that they could continue the Kushner narrative I no longer care if or when they come out, I enjoy the music and I'm happy to observe from a distance because I'm interested from a PR/marketing point of view but my opinion of T &K as people has changed irrevocably and I don't see how they can clean the tarnish off.

@theprologues said:

Agree with most of not all if this but I would like to say as a Kaylor the toe Grammy stunt didn’t phase me. I was not crushed by that by any means. I just shrugged and honestly expected it. It was the attributing Betty and exile to him during the LPSS in November that bummed me out and really made me go...really?

rockcrow20 said:

Have to say I also agree with most of this.

I no longer have any expectations on anything changing any time soon and have not been surprised by the recent events its to be expected after everything over the years really

Nothing has really changed (bearding narrative wise) since I fell down the rabbit hole in 2017 (except that great night in nashville 2018 rep)

Honestly I can't say I am as invested anymore about them ever coming out as I was.

I think the wb/Joe thing was the last moment for me and the continual kushner connection just troubles me like many others.

I mean my kaylor motto for awhile now has been hope for the best but expect disappointment.

Low expectations = limited feelings of disappointment.

original-cypher said:

@rockcrow20 the WB was a breaking point for so many. You are absolutely right. There are just so ma'y contradictions that feel like absolute whiplash. (I know I seem to have been the only one experiencing that with Gorgeous but... that was a big one for me, too) But like. You go on a whole PR campaign about speaking up and standing up for yourself. You say you're capable and tired of men trying to take ownership of your success and profit off of your name. And you credit you literal damn work to a bloke? Bitch, 'consistency'? Look it up. It grossed me out. It would have felt iffy if I believed they were real. But since I wasn't born yesterday it just sent me the message "this is how far I'm willing to sacrifice my principles to not be queer".

rockcrow20 said:

@original-cypher exactly why it bothered me and I know alot us so much. Such mixed messaging of being a strong fighting for your rights female and then oh hey let me attribute some of my best work to my pr boyfriend and the pr pics where she is walking behind all the time like 🙄 The Betty thing that was big one for me too!

rainbowdaisy13 said:

This write up and the comments are spot on. I don’t have much to add other than like @original-cypher said, Miss Americana is tainted for me now and seems like at the very least, it was released too soon in the plan. I get we think they have had to pivot but man, that doc, and including her literally saying “gay rights make me me” at the end was such a false flag. To see her wax poetic about not taking shit from men anymore and then see her do the same old hetero weak woman song and dance routine with the WB shit for albums that are of her genius mind has been so disappointing. I still believe Kaylor is real and I hope they get a chance to show the world that. Karlie posting that cardigan pic in the woods before the folklore release cemented for me they are still together. Adding a baby makes me feel all kind of weird ethical things but I hope I live long enough to see it play out and wear my I Told You So shirt 😁

@kellykaylor said:

agree with your post... I dont care about toe stunts but what really pissed me of was hetwashing betty 🤮! beautiful post tho anon!!

roameroo said:

Totally agree with these all comments especially the strong messaging of MA only to turn around & pull that WB = my "bf" crap. I was disheartened by her mentioning him at the Grammy's only bc he's getting credit for sh*t he doesn't/didn't do. That is what irks me the most about this, giving him credit for her life's work.

always-the-last-word said:

Can I throw my pennies in the pool ?? Taylor will put out the big three first Fearless, RED then 1989 that should bring us to about August. This is where the excitement should begin. If Taylor preps and waits for National Coming Out day it's a no lose for her. Lover her money making machine will go through the roof !! If things go bad or good in the public eye she'll have REPUTATION Taylor's Version ready to release. It will be epic and she'll own it and be FREE.

@karlie-what-you-want said:

always-the-last-word I like this take a lot! I try not to be too optimistic but if she wanted to come out sooner rather than later, I think this plan would satisfy both business and PR needs (at least on Taylor’s end). Remains to be seen how Tay will help Karlie dig her way out of the mess they made together regarding the K*shners.

always-the-last-word said:

Always remember that Taylor has a PLAN. Some of her plans are year's old (easter eggs). Taylor's one and only LOVE is her music, everything else comes second. If KK wants to change and be with her full time she'll make moves around the same time frame. That's if she chooses to. In any event Tay will be open and own all her music. I've seen this film before and WE might not like the ending.

chosetherose said:

I’ve been going back and forth for a day trying to figure out what I wanted to say when I reblogged this post. I’m tired. I’m frustrated. I understand I’m owed nothing by Taylor or Karlie. I understand that circumstances out of their control have caused the girls to pivot over and over again.

But, the root of my frustration in the past months stems not from me battling with the trivial (e.g. pap walks, etc.) but with my personal principles. I fiercely believe credit should be given where it is earned and I uphold this in my career regularly. To see Taylor crediting Toe with her art was deeply disappointing. Watch the 1989 and folklore acceptance speeches back to back and tell me it doesn’t upset you. I believe the K******s have blood on their hands and that their actions during the pandemic have killed people. To see Karlie still associating with one of them disgusts me.

I can’t help but think back in frustration - Would you really fall from grace to touch her face? (And in the brilliant words of @9w1ft) But would you die for her in public? I go back and forth feeling like questions like this aren’t fair at all and thinking they are sort of valid. At this point, it sort of feels like Taylor would only fall from grace for her lover if all the stars and facets of her life aligned perfectly. But perfection like this does not happen. Such is life. So why am I here?

I do question why Spade left certain messages in their final days. I am still holding hope a fervent revolution exonerates everyone. I so desperately want Taylor to regain control of her masters or re-records. Maybe this is the plan they thought was best with multiple goals in mind (re-records, having a family, coming out of the closet one day etc). I’m trying to remain patient because Spade told us to trust her endless yearning. But WOW it is asking a lot of us at this point.

Anonymous said:

Despite being a pragmatist kaylor and oftentimes getting into arguments with fellow optimistic kaylors (owner of this blog included) I think it's quite unfair -at this point- to say to the optimists who have patiently sat through the worst kind of stunts with the most terrible kind of people (yes I'm talking about the Kushner's friend group too) that they should have seen it coming. Besides, if it weren't for the optimists we the cynicals would have burned this fandom down by now.

Anonymous said:

Even if we ignore that an insurrection happened partially because of the family karlie's still working for and getting paid from, she literally said before the pregnancy debacle unfolded that j*sh was her last client while talking about cutting hair and doing a cutting gesture. How should we have interpreted that? 😤That a year later she would be more stuck with the Kushners than ever? We don't wake up on day and decide to have unrealistic expectations. She feeds into them. 😠

Anonymous said:

I have no expectation of Taylor coming out anymore. Zero. None. I have no expectation of her dropping Toe or even of Kaylor publicly reuniting. It doesn't even matter that much anymore. But I - do - expect 1 thing. Karlie to drop and completely dissociate herself from the Kushners and this has nothing to do with kaylor. It was everything to do with me being unable to support a person who willfully assists (now using her baby too) and receives money from a family that has made so many suffer.

Anonymous said:

A quick word from an ex-kaylor (who will never become an anti). A year ago, when the Trumps were still in power and untouchable and there was no baby, I was excusing and turning a blind eye to many things Karlie did for the K*shners. Even that dinner in September. I had also made peace with the truth never being revealed. But a year later the Trumps are gone, Karlie is still on full stunting mode now with a baby in the mix, a baby that is already being used by the Kushners, and I've really run out of excuses. Now the only thing that could possibly keep me on board is if I knew there was a good chance that the full truth would come out, so that Karlie's inexplicable and honestly borderline immoral actions could eventually make sense. But as your sub said, this is an unrealistic expectation, thus I became an ex-kaylor and I'm not planning to come back even when they reunite. 😕

Anonymous said:

What baffles me is that Taylor has explicitly expressed her regret about not giving her lover the credit she deserves and her doubt whether fame is worth hiding her true love: "when I walked up to the podium, I think I forgot to say your name", "what's a lifetime of achievement, if I pushed you to the edge". But yet again she didn't do anything to change this. I didn't expect her to acknowledge Karlie, but a nod or at least not falsely crediting her beard would be a good start.

Anonymous said:

1🙁 Let me chime in re: "expectations". I'm one of the kaylors who ever since the pregnancy reveal was trying to tell everyone there's NO way she was gonna dump him soon after birth let alone before that. It would bring too much unnecessary attention and Jerk would have never agreed to something that would make him look like a bad guy/husband. For the exact same reasons, I was also saying there's no way he wasn't going to post about the baby. All the above against the popular opinion back then.

2🙁 So I agree that the day of the birth post was known to T, not the timing though. Simply bc Kushner-leaning outlets made sure to note that detail. If they wanted it to go unnoticed, why draw attention to it? That being said, kaylors would have been more patient with this mess, if Karlie hadn't gone overboard with her freedom "smoke signals" last summer and Tay's "insiders" hadn't been insinuating that the end is VERY near. Both of them SHOULD have known by then how we would react to these.

3🙁 So it's natural that everyone feels played and has no patience for any more bullshit. Another sore point is how Jerk AND the Kushner-Trump klan monopolize the baby news. This isn't just to make it realistic, it's an abuse of Kaylor's baby's name to garner good pr for the worst family in America, with Karlie's blessing. In order for her marriage and split to appear realistic she's putting a LIFETIME burden on her child's back. Unless you believe she's eventually gonna say Jerk isn't the dad.

4🙁 So "we’re in a position we should realistically have been able to see coming". But we did see it coming, that why some made these extreme scenarios, bc this is the worst possible outcome. "Good people try to make it work, even in bad relationships." Ultimately this isn't just a "bad rs". It's a horrific association that should have been resolved ages ago, not one to bring your child into, doom it to suffer a similar fate, and expect people to sit idly and watch. That's what frustrates most.

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fizzyxcustard · 4 years

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Not So Nice

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Fandom: seaQuest DSV

Summary: Just after the episode ‘And Everything Nice’ from season 2. Lucas has just had his heart broken when a woman named Sandra has pretended to want a relationship with him, only to then be ‘kidnapped’ by the people she is working with, and pull Lucas into a game she is part of, wanting to get access to seaQuest’s emergency codes.

Lucas has been quiet and distant for three days after his brief relationship and heartbreak with Sandra. You try and cheer him up, but instead you wind up being the one who opens up old wounds, and feelings are shared.

Pairings: Lucas Wolenczak x fem!LieutenantReader (friendship mainly)

Warnings: Angst, sadness, break up, heartbreak, age difference, admission of feelings.

Comments: If you wish to be added to my seaQuest tag list, which will be separate from all my other tags, let me know, and I will only tag you in these if you specifically request to be tagged. This is practically a dead fandom now, but I would still like to share my writings with you. If you would like to ask any questions, then by all means just ask! People are probably wondering why I’m still continuing this fic when it gets so little feedback, but it’s purely because I enjoy writing it. It’d a pleasure to be reminiscing in old times.

This has no link really to Fear and Loathing, only that the characters are the same.

Lucas had been quiet and distant for the last three days, only answering when was absolutely necessary. It was only natural that he would react in such a way, but it hurt you when he pushed you away. All you wanted to do was help, try and ease some of his pain and take the weight on your own shoulders. Betrayal always cut deep. You knew of betrayal quite well. Lucas was still only eighteen, barely a man. This was his first instance of betrayal, when he’d given his heart to a girl so quickly in sheer innocence. And now you wanted to take the burn and ease the pain.

After your shift on the third day after Lucas had ripped up his resignation letter, you went to the mess hall and made two mugs of hot coffee. Tony Piccolo, Lucas’ bunkmate, had been making himself scarce most evenings to play Poker with O’Neill, Brody and Ortiz, so this would be the perfect opportunity to try and show Lucas that you truly did care.

Lucas was lying on his bunk, staring at the metal pipes which ran above his bed. He had his arms behind his head, and still, all he could see was Sandra. It had all been too good to be true; a beautiful woman like her had wanted him. Of course she had ulterior motives. Not many men would ever be good enough for her.

A sudden tap to Lucas’ door pulled him out of his reverie. “Yeah?” he asked.

“Can you open the door, Lucas? I’ve got my hands full,” you called, your voice muffled.

Lucas sighed and jumped down from his bunk, letting you in to the room. There, on a tray, were two large steaming coffees, surrounded by an assortment of sweets and candies. “Thought you might want a bit of company,” you said, offering a smile. “And some sugar. It always helps cheer me up.”

“Ummm, yeah….” Lucas replied, his voice sounding unsure and sceptical.

You could see from the set of his face that he was going to be a little awkward, but you would do your best to help his sadness. “I’ll put these down on the table,” you said. “I brought extra milk and sugar…”

“Look, thanks and everything, but I’m kinda not in the mood,” Lucas said. His blue eyes met your gaze, and in that moment he saw the flash of upset. A tiny jolt of something hit him in the chest and he moved forward. “I’m…sorry. Please, I shouldn’t have said that. Thank you.” As he focused on you, Sandra seemed to slip away briefly. And those buried feelings stirred. You may not have been outwardly stunning in your appearance with full pouting lips, a model figure and high cheekbones, but your beauty shone through your smile and sparkled in your eyes. It slipped off your tongue when you spoke words of kindness, and it left a sweet scent on the air when you showed a gesture of friendship and compassion. Lucas swallowed hard. You were far more beautiful than Sandra could have ever hoped to be.

To your surprise, Lucas stepped to you and put his arms around you, pulling you into a tight embrace.

You held him and felt him sink into you, his despair finally being let loose. He wept on your shoulder and you couldn’t help but feel yourself begin to fill with tears also, your heart breaking for him.

“I just want one person to not walk away from me,” he sobbed. “I want someone to put me first and love me.”

“You are so special,” you told him as you both parted. Lucas sniffed, his eyes red and sore.

“I want to be special to one person, you know?” he asked. “To be wanted and needed, and not just needed for when a computer needs to be fixed.”

“I need you,” you said softly. “You make me smile, help me laugh. You’re one of my closest friends, and I honestly cherish you more than you know.”

“No one truly needs me though, do they? I’m just a kid to everyone,” Lucas countered. “If you and Miguel hooked up tomorrow then you’d be all him and you wouldn’t need me.”

You took a step back and widened your eyes in shock at Lucas’ words. “I’m assuming you mentioned Miguel purely as a way to make your point and not to actually insinuate that something is going on between us. Being in a relationship isn’t the only way you can need someone, Lucas. It doesn’t somehow magically make your life complete. Trust me, it doesn’t.”

Lucas remained quiet and brushed his hand through his hair, and began to put sugar into his coffee.

“You’re eighteen, and you’ll have plenty of time to meet lots of new people,” you said softly. “I know it doesn’t take away what happened between you and Sandra, but the right people will come into your life. Maybe you just haven’t found the right people yet.”

Lucas looked at you for a second and felt a very weak smile erupt. You were definitely one of the right people in his life. He felt that. He’d always felt it. On the day you first met, when crew were being brought on board after the re-building of the infamous sub, Lucas had been checking on Darwin and you and a few other crew members had been escorted into the Moon Pool on a short tour of the vessel. Immediately you had been overcome with excitement upon seeing the dolphin. Lucas couldn’t help but laugh at your enthusiasm that day and it was here, somehow, something was born. All of the crew on the small tour were dressed in their civilian clothing; mostly the norm, T-shirts, jeans. But you were wearing a bright, colourful T-shirt with a Looney Tunes character on the front and a cardigan that way way too big for you, covered in purple stars. Your shoes were bright red Converse.

“Can you remember the day we first met?” Lucas asked suddenly, sitting down on Tony’s bunk.

You smiled, reminiscing in your first day aboard seaQuest. “Yeah, I do. It was one of the most exciting days of my life.”

“I think you got a bit more than you bargained for, huh?”

“No, I got everything I was expecting and more. I’ve made some amazing friends, had wonderful experiences, and I wouldn’t give it up for anything. I can honestly say that I’m happy for the first time in years,” you replied, sipping your hot coffee. “Anyway, enough of me. I came to see how you’re doing.”

Lucas chuckled.

“That’s better,” you giggled. “Smiles suit you.” You watched Lucas hang his head and blush, a broad smile still beaming from his face.

“You’re the first person who has made me smile,” Lucas said softly. “Thank you.”

“I do have my uses. They’re few, but I do have some,” you laughed.

You sat down in the seat opposite where Lucas was perched, and you gripped the warm coffee in your hand. The smile began to dissipate from Lucas’ face and his eyes wondered towards a space behind you. What was he thinking? You wanted to take all the hurt and worry from him, throw it away, and then hold him tight. He deserved so much better than the hand he had been dealt.

“Has anyone ever broke your heart?” Lucas asked absently.

“I’ve had my heart broken many times, Lucas,” you replied. “It comes with the territory of being human, I’m afraid. Friends, family, lovers…” Well, lover. The word wasn’t plural in your case; you had only ever been in one relationship. It was a secret that you kept close to your scarred heart. At your age and point in your life, you should have had many lovers and now been preparing to settle down with one, to buy your own home, get married and have a handful of kids. But, no, you had decided to join the Navy, see the world, and forfeit that life because you felt you would never have it.

As Lucas looked up at you, he reminded you of the type of teenage boy you would have had a crush on when you were that age. Fair-haired, blue-eyed, cute. However, when you were eighteen, you were chubby, and no doubt he wouldn’t have looked at you twice. You had always been invisible to the good looking boys when you were growing up. Everyone only saw your dependable and loner nature, asking for help when they needed it, but remaining scarce any other time.

The sadness of your past began to rise in your chest and you batted away a tear, which Lucas noticed.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, moving toward you. His hand reached out to you, quivering a little as he felt unsure of what to do.

“I’m fine,” you said, faking a smile. “Your question just brought back some memories. Look at me. I come to see if you’re okay, and I’m the one who winds up crying. How stupid.”

Lucas was lost for words in those moments and just looked at you trying to push your tears away with another fake smile. Would you ever have any idea how beautiful you were? Losing Sandra had hurt, but from the betrayal itself, not losing her. And now that Sandra was no longer in his life, Lucas knew that he couldn’t stop feeling for you what he did. The time with Sandra had only been a temporary relief of the unrequited feelings that he had for you. Was she a rebound for you? Lucas had had many crushes in the last couple of years, many of them being on female crew, but with you, it was more than just a crush. He lay awake at night thinking of you, often dreamed of you and then became very embarrassed when he saw you the day after.

Sandra had seemed like a natural choice for Lucas to make. Clever, beautiful. The female equivalent of him. He’d gravitated towards that, being able to shut off his feelings for you in order to pursue a life with a girl he’d only known one night. But your differences to Lucas were what made you special. They were new, unique and a novelty to him. Sitting with a girlfriend, discussing quantum theories and computer algorithms would have been the norm and to be expected. But talking about rock concerts you attended in your youth, fantasy books you loved, and watching you laugh over the thought of Tony Piccolo getting locked outside his quarters, stark naked, was what Lucas wanted. It was what he was thriving on. You unlocked a whole new world to him, offering it. It was a world of vibrancy, humour and creativity.

“I wish I could hunt down all those people who have hurt you,” Lucas whispered.

You saw the anger in his eyes at the very thought of someone upsetting you, and you curled your hand around his. “I need you in my life more than you know,” you told him. “You keep me upright.”

“You’re good at doing that for everyone else,” Lucas said, a hint of frustration in his tone.

“It’s who I am, Lucas. I’ve always been a helper and a giver. But you’ve got to guard yourself and not give yourself over so willingly. I’ve seen you do it so much since I first met you. You pour your heart and soul into everything you do, and that can mean you lose yourself. In time, through experience, you learn who to trust and who not to. You begin to develop an anti-bullshit radar.”

“Like Tony?” Lucas laughed. Most of what that man spouted really was bullshit.

“He covers up his feelings of inadequacy,” you replied. “I tend to be able to sum people up pretty quickly.”

“How about…say, Brody?”

“Ahh, the ladies man,” you mused. “He’s confident, good-looking, but there’s a lot of hurt in him, probably around his upbringing and his mother. He likes the ladies, but deep down he’s looking for a mother figure.”

“How about Ortiz?”

“He’s pretty much an open book. Honest, practical. I’ve always liked Miguel’s straight talking nature.”

“And me?”

“Oh, come on. Have I got to go through and analyse every crew member? I’ve noticed it’s all the younger men you’re asking me about.” You nudged Lucas with your elbow. “Is there a point to this exercise? I’m guessing you want to see if I have a crush on any of these men?”

“Well, do you?”

You laughed loud. “You cheeky little shit! You had to put yourself in there, I noticed.”

“I’ll tell you if you tell me.”

“What, if you have a crush on any of the guys?” you teased, sticking your tongue out for emphasis. “Okay….I did have a bit of a crush on Miguel when I first came aboard. And Brody’s kinda cute, but that’s about it. Your turn!”

Lucas swallowed hard and then looked at you. “You.”

“What about me?” you asked, your expression turning very straight from your previous amusement.

“I’ve liked you since we first met.”

“What about Lonnie?” you asked, feeling yourself begin to shake. How had you become cornered like this?

“No, you,” Lucas replied simply.

You got up from your seat and sighed. “I’ve got to go. I need to press my uniform for in the morning…”

Lucas looked on, watching you grow flustered in your attempt to escape the conversation and the room. “Sandra has made me realise even more how deep my feelings for you are.”

“Lucas, stop it,” you said, turning on your heel. “I’m not even going to entertain such an idea of anything happening. I’m too old for you.”

Then you disappeared out of the door, slamming it behind you.

***

seaQuest tag list: @shrimpsthings @lathalea

#seaquest #seaquest dsv #seaquest fanfic #fizzyxcustard #Lucas wolenczak #Jonathan brandis #Lucas wolenczak x you #Lucas wolenczak x reader #angst #heartbreak #fic

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marvella15 · 4 years

Text

Astaire & Rogers Rewatch Part 7: Shall We Dance

• Something I didn’t consciously realize about this film until reading Hannah Hyam’s book is that Astaire and Rogers don’t dance together until nearly an hour in. That hasn’t happened since Gay Divorcee. What was anyone thinking??

• Shall We Dance suffers from a lot of extra crap that it didn’t need, such as extraneous characters, far too many interruptions in the Astaire and Rogers relationship, and a bunch of weirdness like life-sized dolls, life-like masks, and backbending ballerinas. The film also has a lot of wasted potential, including a great score and songs by George and Ira Gershwin.

The Gershwins were already well acquainted with Astaire and Rogers. The duo had first met when she was starring in the brothers’ show, Girl Crazy, and Astaire was brought in to help with choreography. Rogers was close friends with George and even dated him. Astaire had known the brothers prior, having starred in a few of their shows with his sister, Adele.

• Our characters/actors: Peter “Petrov” Peters (Fred Astaire), Linda Keene (Ginger Rogers), Jeffrey Baird (Edward Everett Horton), Arthur Miller (Jerome Cowan)

• Around the time I was first really into classic Hollywood films, including these ones, my family and I adopted a new dog. I annoyed my parents to no end by suggesting we name him Peter P. Peters. Don’t know why I latched onto that name but I did.

• Even in the massive portrait of Petrov, you can see Astaire has his fingers curled in rather than fully extended.

• Astaire’s ballet attire lets us once again see just how skinny he is.

• Always loved how Peter does a little tap at the rhythmic sound of his name and birthplace: Pete Peters, Philadelphia PA.

• Rogers’ cardigan with all of its baubles is truly awful looking. It will only be out done by a terrible floral dress she wears later.

• I do however like that she shoves her handsy stage partner into a fountain. Why are men constantly the worst?

• “And why must there always be a kiss at the second-act curtain?” is YET ANOTHER example of these films trolling us. Not once up until this point has any act of an Astaire/Rogers outing included a kiss between them.

• Linda’s disinterest in even meeting Petrov is based on the assumption that he’s a “simpering toe dancer.” While that’s incorrect, she’s not wrong that he is indeed another man who has seen a picture of her and wants to tell her he can’t live without her. So she gets partial credit.

• If Peter wasn’t totally smitten before, Linda’s jab, “It’s just a game little American boys play” gets him.

• As a mixed race number, “Slap That Bass” is incredibly unusual for the era. Astaire was a great admirer of African-American dancers and was strongly influenced by Bill Robinson and John W. Bubbles. I love the blend of all of the voices in this song.

• The dance portion of “Slap That Bass” gives Astaire a chance to show off more of his innovative mind and choreography. He dances in time with the sounds of the ship’s engine and compels the camera to follow him across and up the vast set. The dance is also special in that we have behind the scenes footage of Astaire rehearsing, thanks to a home video shot by George Gershwin.

• Peter making Jeffrey believe the boat is rocking may seem a bit unbelievable but having been on a large ship myself, sometimes you don’t realize it’s rocking until you see other passengers weaving or a giant chandelier swaying.

• I usually skip most if not all of Jeffrey and Arthur’s scenes together. They slow down this film soooo much.

• Like in all of their films, songs are sometimes heard in the background before the actual musical number they appear in. But because this film is scored by the Gershwins, there’s an array of shorter pieces of music that are all their own, such as the whimsical score heard while Rogers and then Rogers with Astaire are walking her dog.

• The dog Peter borrows to give himself an excuse to talk to Linda hits his bark cue perfectly and looks extremely happy about it.

• I would love to know what exactly Astaire and Rogers are talking about while walking her dog. Maybe they were given lines that were then not recorded or maybe it’s improv. But it seems very natural.

Rogers did say that Astaire was a wonderful conversationalist and was adept at talking while dancing, something she noted most men couldn’t manage.

• Wow do I love it when Rogers gets to be extra sassy

Peter: “Isn’t it wonderful being here tonight like this? Still on the same boat together.”

Linda: “Oh, I seldom change boats in mid-ocean.”

• “Beginner’s Luck” is such a charming, fast song that Astaire delivers wonderfully. He hardly seems to take a breath.

A jazzed up version of “Beginner’s Luck” is the song Peter tried to dance to in Paris but the record kept getting stuck.

• Something this movie fails at is letting Linda and Peter’s relationship continue to progress before throwing more obstacles in their way. We know from the gossip of the ship’s staff that they have been spending a lot of time together. When we see them, they are having a relaxing evening that’s incredibly domestic: sitting side by side on the deck while she knits and he smokes. Wouldn’t it have been nice to see more of this part of their relationship?

• Why on earth did Peter think sending Jeffrey to fix the false baby rumors was the right decision? Jeffrey can’t handle a single thing.

• Infuriated at the rumors that she’s married to Peter and pregnant with their baby, Linda tries to call him. “Operator! Get me Mr. Petrov. What? Don’t you dare congratulate me!”

• The theme of this movie is supposed to be the blend of dancing and music styles. Peter’s ballet and Linda’s jazz styles are one example, George Gershwin’s varied score, which switches from jazz to waltz to foxtrot to classical, etc, is another. But it’s a fairly weak concept that doesn’t quite land and reportedly, neither Astaire or Ira Gershwin was wild about it.

• I love the new version of “Slap That Bass” that plays as Peter and Jeffrey enter the rooftop club.

• When Rogers sings “They All Laughed,” she is singing to an off-screen Cary Grant, her friend and sometimes date who was visiting the set at the time.

She is also wearing a dress with a horrible pattern. It’s supposed to be floral but it always makes me think of amoebas. Maybe it looked better in color?

• Astaire clearly has fun during the part where Peter hams it up a bit with his ballet next to Linda’s tapping.

• In some ways, “They All Laughed” is reminiscent of “Isn’t it a Lovely Day.” They’re testing each other, trading glancing as they see whether the other can keep up with the increasingly complex steps. Until now, Linda didn’t know Peter could dance this way so her surprise and amusement unfolds slowly as the routine progresses. But he has been grinning since the start because he’s hoping to win her back through this dance.

• This is another duet where it takes a long time before they touch. The first physical contact is just her executing a series of spins with the help of his fingers. And it’s during this part that Rogers finally breaks into a wide smile.

• When he spins her up onto the piano the first time, she happily waits for him to retrieve her. And when he spins her into a seated position and upright again a few times don’t miss how he looks at her with a wry, slightly mischievous smile.

• The Linda doll is so creepy and not lifelike. Who was fooled by this?

Also, Arthur is terrible. Jeffrey is terrible too but he’s an idiot so I’m more willing to let it slide.

• Peter walking out of Linda’s bedroom in the morning in his robe right in front of her fiancé while she is in her negligee is pretty funny.

• Peter and Linda’s nice day out is just further proof that this movie should’ve spent more time on the two of them together rather than breaking them up every few minutes.

• “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off” is a fun song, though Astaire gets most of the good words imo. However, Rogers does do an extra affectation to some of her lyrics and that makes them funnier.

At one point when she’s singing, he turns to her and for just a moment his face goes soft in that way it does sometimes when he looks at her.

• Some film historians have labeled this dance as not that great when compared to other Astaire and Rogers numbers. But I’ve always found it very enjoyable and innovative. While Gene Kelly probably takes the gold medal for dancing on skates in It’s Always Fair Weather, Astaire and Rogers did it first, did it well, and deserve some extra credit for a duet on skates rather than a solo.

Rogers also deserves some extra credit since the idea to dance on skates was supposedly hers. And probably deserves even more credit for doing this dance on skates while also in heels.

• For some reason I really enjoy that they perform this number in their hats and street clothes. It’s so informal and feels like something you do on a fun date.

• Throughout this dance, Peter continues to be the playful one, as he’s been in their interactions in the film, and Linda is the more serious one who needs to be coaxed into having fun. Maybe this is why Astaire frequently glances at her and even spends long seconds watching her at different parts as they move into the next series of steps. Rogers is more reserved in her expressions but whenever they are face to face, she appears happiest.

A few times she looks triumphant, leading me to wonder if they or she had finally nailed a section that was giving them or her trouble.

• Can’t say for certain but I swear she almost falls when they do the backwards steps. She just baaaarely snags his hand in time.

They had to film this dance something like 150 times so I imagine there was more than one time where at least one of them did indeed fall.

• The circular dance they do leading up to the end is based on a dance Astaire and his sister made famous in their time on the stage.

• Apparently the grassy bank they tumble onto wasn’t padded so those fake grimaces of pain aren’t that fake. Their exchange after the tumble feels very much like married banter to me:

Peter: “Yes, it was my idea.”

Linda: “Have you any more of them?”

Peter, exaggerating: “No.”

• They’re such a good match:

Linda: “Peter, you’ve got to marry me.”

Peter: “Why, Linda, this is so sudden.”

• Oh 1930s Hays Code humor. The cop who overhears their conversation thinks she’s pregnant and pressuring the father of the baby into marrying her. Hurr hurr hurr.

• Heh:

Linda: “I beg your pardon but what are grounds for divorce in this state?”

Clerk: “Marriage.”

• It will never make sense to me that a dance was not planned in this film for “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.” It’s a truly lovely song. I know Astaire and Rogers will dance to it more than ten years later in The Barkleys of Broadway but it’s just not the same.

It’s also a good reminder in the film that Peter has legitimate feelings for Linda and she does for him but they’re far more conflicted. Though he must sense he’s hooked her in a bit since he becomes very aloof once they return to the hotel in the stupid hope of making her want him more? Idk, men are dumb.

• “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” carries special poignancy because it became a form of consolation to Ira Gershwin after his brother suddenly died two months after this film was released.

• Oh Linda’s face when she walks in to see Peter with the loathsome Lady Tarrington is so sad and crestfallen. Ever thought you and your crush were finally on the same page only to find them canoodling with someone else?

Although, she could’ve knocked first instead of just walking straight into his room…

• The ballet portion of the finale is weird and unappealing in every way. Harriet Hoctor was known for the backbend dance she does in this film. Maybe it was something spectacular in 1937?? but it doesn’t hold up.

One thing I’ll say about Astaire’s duet with Hoctor, it’s a great chance to see him in a romantic duet with someone other than Rogers and notice how different he acts. No secret smile, no lingering looks, no whispered words, no soft expressions.

• “Shall We Dance” is another upbeat song that deserves more than being featured in the remaining few minutes of the film. Their dance is far too short but wonderful all the same. Her delight when he finds her always makes me smile. She also executes some impressive full length lunges that I couldn’t do at this moment much less in a dress and heels in the middle of a dance number.

For a few seconds, his fingers press into the exposed dip of her spine in yet another example of Victorian hotness.

• And so we finish film number 7. Shall We Dance underperformed at the box office and wasn’t a critical darling. Everyone, the actors included, started to feel the magic was coming to an end. Coming up next is a film I pretty much never rewatch: Carefree.

#fred astaire #ginger rogers #shall we dance #classic hollywood #old hollywood #fred and ginger #astaire and rogers rewatch #all astaire/rogers gifs without credit are mine

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sopxhiea · 5 years

Text

Blitz

| “My resentment is beginning to outweigh my love.”

Alfie Solomons X Reader

The canvas was empty against the cold surface of the wood, the quiet music playing from the radio was the only noise around. The wet brushes around quietly dried down as the breeze coming from the small window filled the space with the chilly weather. The air was sharp, gentle but subtle in the way that it roamed around one’s soul.

She was quiet while staring at the empty walls. It was an early day for most of the city from what she could muster, noises of footsteps and cars outside filling her ear as a small sigh left her lips. It was cold inside, she didn’t mind. She needed the crisp air’s company to keep herself sane even if it meant that her nails would turn purple, they always did.

She sniffled, there was nothing but a light dress and a thick cardigan on her and somehow, she had thought it would be enough. She felt her fingertips numbing slowly, hurting at first even though the pain left its place for the feeling of nothing as it felt like her fingers were made of air. She didn’t move, feeling too incompetent and restless. This was nothing new but she wanted to savour the pain, remember this moment so if, in the future, a time came where she was more herself, she would have something to look back at.

It had been three weeks since he had disappeared. He didn’t say where he was going, she was sure he had either died or was close to becoming a ghost. She silently let out a prayer that if he ever came back as a ghost, he would stick around. He had broken up with her, telling her that it was necessary and he didn’t want to hurt her. She was his secret, a jewel he kept dear to his heart but he didn’t seem to have any second thoughts when he was calling everything off.

She had just stood there, speechless as her mind began wondering about how he could do this. She was more than sure he had a reason, she just didn’t know what it was. Anything, he could tell her anything and he knew this but he chose to keep it to himself. The fact that he had cancer and he was slowly dying, he kept this to himself. Ollie’s new girl and the new employees that were making a mess: he told her all of this in detail when he’d asked but when he was dying, he had just brushed it off and decided to never see her again.

In his mind, Alfie was right. This was him protecting her from any hurt. He had men protecting her and he always would have that, no matter if he was here or in a ground full of souls. Telling her would upset her at first but what he couldn’t muster is if she would break it off. His heart belonged to her and he wondered, if she would turn into a cold soul when he told her. He decided to turn into that cold soul himself, it was the safest way in his eyes.

Ever since the last time they’d seen each other, many things had changed. He had been shot and then brought back to life, he had abandoned cyril and had been staying at the place he found in Margate for the past three weeks. She had stopped painting, unable to bring herself to begin something that reminded her of the love of her life. She was his, heart and soul but he ceased to see the love sometimes, became insecure and filled his own head with misconceptions.

In all truth, she would be sad for a while but she wouldn’t drown herself in agony like Alfie thought she would. He knew her, way too well maybe but when it came to protecting her, his vision was clouded with the wrong scenarios of what could happen. She was the love of his life, he had promised to take care of her no matter what the day he had realised just how precious she was for him but now there he was, in a big yet empty house in Margate, no Cyril or his precious Y/N in sight.

She sighed, she was missing him more than she thought she would. Somedays, she regretted loving him this much but then the memories filled with his loud laughter and contagious joy came into her vision and she would regret saying such things to herself. She had stood there when he told her, storming off not too long after with no word coming out of her mouth simply because she thought that things made no sense. She hoped it was a joke, some sort of prank on her but it wasn’t when the stars started to appear and he still wasn’t home.

Long hours passed, neither of them moved from where they were sitting, miles apart but in the same daze. She wasn’t sad, that wasn’t what it was. She resented him a little, that resentment grew every time she would see one of his men guard her door and the feeling of betrayal made her chest feel heavy, he could be so cruel.

–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

(A month later)

The clouds slowly parted as time passed, the mixture of feeling tired and dazed could be read from her face as she sat on the chair right in front of the canvas. There was a wedding of a close friend that was coming up and she had decided to paint their portrait and an additional landscape as a gift, she wasn’t fully satisfied but it was good enough. It had been a week since she had restarted painting again and it didn’t feel too suffocating like it did before.

She was healing. It was a very slow and agonising process and it hurt to improve, to keep going but she managed it, little by little. What she missed to see despite improving on her own was the fact that he had been back a couple days ago. He was alive and well, except the scar decorating the side of his face but he seemed to be doing good despite the commodity. He meant to go to her of the first hour of his arrival but the courage never seemed to find him, it felt like he was a powerless teenager again.

Weeks passed, he would contemplate whether he should’ve gone to her house or her shop but the days seemed to pass relentlessly before he could make a decision. That day of the wedding, she was supposed to get ready with the bride as that was the request, she didn’t decline and soon found herself in a room filled with a dozen other ladies and roses around the space. It was a lovely day, calm and sunny as the bride walked in with the dress and Y/N heard people holding their breaths, she chuckled to herself.

There were many times she had thought of how she and Alfie would get married. She knew their religions weren’t compatible but she also knew they would make it work. She had dreamed of everyone coming a wedding in a big house, friends and family filling the spaces as she would stare at his loved one on that day, his eyes would only see her. She knew Alfie would’ve cried, privately if not in front of everyone and she could’ve made a day out of it.

But that wasn’t the case anymore.

A couple hours passed and she found herself in the reception, meddling with her cake as a couple girls spoke about the veil. She didn’t care and she could honestly care less but she kept up the eye contact, acting as if she really cared when in reality, she was just restless as always and a little in pain because of the heels she was wearing. About fifteen minutes later, the dancing started. She got up only to stand next to a wall for the next hour.

A couple gentlemen came up to her, offering their most charming smile and the best pick up line they were able to muster and all they got was the shake of her head and some kind yet insincere words. She decided to go for a walk, maybe have a cigar while she was at it. This was becoming as painful as she had thought it would be and she didn’t want to stand inside where every and each man reminded her of her past lover.

She was on the open field, the grass’ green colour mixing with the sky as it faded from a dark orange to blue, the ends of her dress were flying in the air but she didn’t care, she didn’t mind. The air was cold as usual, she was mad at herself for not bringing a coat but the cold outside somehow made the feeling of inner turmoil disappear for a while, it was only the breeze and her now.

She was standing next to a long tree, watching the sunset as he approached. The man getting married was a respectable friend of his but she didn’t know that, at least she pretended not to know it. She had heard about him being around and a part of her heart wanted this resentment to be over but she was still feeling betrayal in the wounded parts of her heart, she was reminded of the scars every time she tried to breathe.

She didn’t say anything as he walked closer, she recognised him from his footsteps: hard but unstable. She smiled to herself, a feeling of warmth coated her body when she smelled him around her body, the breeze and her own body were betraying her. She was supposed to forget him, never recall a memory but the wounds were still fresh, even though it had been over two months, it was still as hard as the first day for her to stop herself from anything at all.

“Y/N...” he said, his voice was hoarse and deep like usual. She hated how much she missed him, she hated how his voice made her heart feel so weak. She knew her heart was his, would always be but at times like these, she felt betrayed.

She looked at his face, handsome as ever. There was a couple new scars on the side of his face, she almost winced in pain just from seeing his beautiful face but kept it to herself. He was still the same man, with a little more knowledge and pain, but still her Alfie. She gave him a soft smile, he felt his heart melt but stopped himself from feeling anything, or tried.

“You came back...” she said, soft. Her voice was a melody to his ears, he had forgotten how much he enjoyed her voice. There was no betrayal in her voice, just a monotone melody.

“Yeah, I did.”he said, his eyes were apologetic. She didn’t care, the hurt she felt was surfacing.

“Are you alright?”she said, quietly but he heard her.

No matter the amount of hatred and resentment she felt in her heart, she still loved him. He was her dreams and hopes morphed into a human being, she would always love him. It didn’t matter that she felt her heart being thrown into a corner when she saw him, and with a new scar on the side of her face. He was still handsome regardless. This was also her heart betraying her brain.

He almost scoffed, why did she still care about him? He had broken her heart and disappeared all in the same day but all she did was to ask if he was okay because apparently, this was all she cared about. He thought that she looked beautiful as ever with the dress she was wearing, she still managed to take his breath away.

“I’m fine, yeah..” he murmured under his breath as their bodies faced each other under the sunset. “Been better though..” he softly said, the tone of his voice was enough to make her smile.

There was a man she came in with, James. He was a businessman from London, well known and quite the catch for some. He had asked Y/N out on many dates and she had accepted to come here with him, the loneliness wasn’t cured still but at least he would take her home that night. Alfie knew what was going on, from the way they danced inside and how James looked at her. She wasn’t dazed by him, simply a little entertained but not enough.

While she took a good look at his newly found scar, hands on his beard, he enjoyed the feeling of her soft hands while it lasted. He thought this maybe the time to talk to her, she was busy and the last time he wanted her to speak. it hadn’t gone so well and this time he wanted to hear her.

“Dove..” he said, her eyes flickered on his for a second before he continued speaking. “I’m sorry, yeah, It wasn’t right for me to leave that way.” he said, waiting a while as her hands left his face. She leaned back on the tree, eyes never leaving his as she took the time in. She sighed, she hoped her heart wouldn’t betray this time again.

“What happened?” she asked, simple and clear. She needed to know what actually happened so that she would calm the anger down in her heart.

“I......was sick,yeah.” he said, meeting her eyes of worry as she wondered. He had been sick?

She had realised his tired antics and a few new scars gathering around his chin but didn’t say anything. There was times when he would come home with open wounds and bleeding so she didn’t pay that much attention to it, she should have.

“Sick?” she whispered, she was afraid of what he was gonna say but she needed to know.

“They told me, right, that I have cancer of some sorts..” he said, casual and calm. She turned to face him, a wave of shock in her face.

She felt her blood boil this time. He was all he cared about and he hadn’t told her that he was dying, actively and slowly dying. Was it her fault? Maybe she had been too fragile to him and now he thought, if he told her, she would be too unstable. There were too many things going on in her head, so many thoughts filled with worry and anxiety for him.

She could’ve said anything, about how restless the nights had been and how worried she had been. She was angry, tired and confused. Why was he dying? Why was it him? She felt like she’d been left out of something, something important and maybe it was her fault, Had she been too careless?

“My resentment is beginning to outweigh my love.” she whispered.

It was the full truth. She loved him to death but being left out of something like this, she felt so betrayed, even more so than before. She didn’t blink, obvious anger in her eyes as Alfie stared at her, digesting what she had just said.

“I....I wish I didn’t love you so much..” she said softly, hands thrown up in the air while she waited for him to speak but he didn’t. He looked at her like a puppy, he hoped she’d take him back but a part of him also knew that train had left.

She still loved him, he said to himself. And she did, desperately and vulnerably. She loved him to a point where she would leave everything, everyone for him in a heartbeat. He looked at her, taking a step closer and taking her hands in his.

“Dove, I....” he said, not managing to get a word out and before she knew it, her hands were not in his anymore.

“Alfie..” oh how he missed his name coming out of her mouth.

“I’m gonna go inside now, I will stay for a while and the nice gentlemen inside will take me home..” she said, close to his body as he pushed down the urge to kill the guy inside. “..tonight, you can come by my house. We will talk but for now...” she breathed out, feeling like she was doing a mistake but it didn’t matter. She wanted him back but slowly. She was gonna make him wait this time, it wasn’t going to be easy to let him in.

“I need to think....” she said slowly, letting his hands go and walking as she whispered to him one last time, “I’ll see you tonight.”

If you want another part, lemme know!

#Tom Hardy #eames tom hardy #tom hardy imagine #tom hardy fanfiction #tom hardy alfie #Alfie Solomons #alfie x reader #alfie peaky blinders #alfie tom hardy #alfie solomons imagine #alfie solomons peaky blinders #alfie solomons x reader #alfie solomons x oc #Peaky Blinders #peaky blinder fanfic #peaky blinder imagine #alfie solomons fluff #alfie solomons angst

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lesbianlotties · 4 years

Note

Folklore and/or Evermore (the new Taylor Swift albums)

Oh my God. Okay. This got out of hand. There’s too much to unpack here. I have to say folklore wins in my opinion. but I tried my best. it’s probably too much, so....

Folklore AND Evermore x Andy/Quynh

Folklore:

"You know the greatest films of all time were never made” aka the Andromaquynh prequel we deserve

It’s about the “You drew stars around my scars. But now I'm bleedin'” the “Marked me like a bloodstain” the “Tried to change the ending, Peter losing Wendy,” the “But I knew you'd linger like a tattoo kiss. I knew you'd haunt all of my what-ifs. The smell of smoke would hang around this long.” but mostly it’s about Mortal Andy, tired, exhausted, done with the world and all it’s weight, just so Quynh arrives right on time and “when I felt like I was an old cardigan. Under someone's bed. You put me on and said I was your favorite”

“She had a marvelous time ruining everything" sound a little bit like Quynh smiling at Andy after the two of them successfully put an end to the crimes of many villians through history, doesn’t it?

my tears ricochet: extremely Andromaquynh song. I could make an entire post about it. starting with the “if I'm on fire, you'll be made of ashes, too,” and of course “'Cause I loved you, I swear I loved you. 'Til my dying day”

Quynh watching Andy go on without her but still mourning “I didn't have it in myself to go with grace. And you're the hero flying around, saving face. And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake?” And there’s Quynh’s memory haunting Andy, and Andy still wearing her necklace “You know I didn't want to have to haunt you. But what a ghostly scene. You wear the same jewels that I gave you. As you bury me”

and when they’re reunited Andy wouldn’t fight it if Quynh wanted to kill her “And you can aim for my heart, go for blood. But you would still miss me in your bones” So many times she had wished Quynh would be dead, it would be easier than knowing she was still suffering, but still hurt “You had to kill me, but it killed you just the same.”

“Please picture me in the weeds. Before I learned civility. I used to scream ferociously. Any time I wanted” two immortal wives, older than civilization, loving each other and traveling through unknown lands

Now, imagine all the legends these two women started, loving each other for longer than love has been a thing, “Passed down like folk songs Our love lasts so long”

A concept: When she comes back, Quynh find Booker first instead of Andy because “I didn't know if you'd care if I came back. I have a lot of regrets about that.” because “They told me all of my cages were mental. So I got wasted like all my potential. And my words shoot to kill when I'm mad” and “And it's hard to be at a party when I feel like an open wound. It's hard to be anywhere these days when all I want is you.”

When losing Quynh, life completely changed for Andy, colors lost meaning “You showed me colors you know I can't see with anyone else” and she still knows all those dead languages that only Quynh and her remembered “You taught me a secret language I can't speak with anyone else”

Andy lived maybe 3k years of loneliness, just so she could find Quynh, and it was absolutely worth it, “Time, curious time. Gave me no compasses, gave me no signs. Were there clues I didn't see? And isn't it just so pretty to think, All along there was some, Invisible string, Tying you to me?”

Quynh dealing with completely understandable and fair rage toward humanity? oh, you mean “No one likes a mad woman. What a shame she went mad. You made her like that”?

The first time they dream of each other after dying , the first time they allow themselves to hope, “Only twenty minutes to sleep. But you dream of some epiphany. Just one single glimpse of relief. To make some sense of what you've seen”

“you heard the rumors from Sebastien, you can’t believe a word he says i’m still immortal i swear”

“I'm a fire and I'll keep your brittle heart warm. If your cascade, ocean wave blues come” and it’s been five hundred years and Andy has known no peace, not until she gets her lover back, “Would it be enough if I could never give you peace?”

“My only one. My smoking gun. My eclipsed sun. This has broken me down. My twisted knife. My sleepless night. My winless fight. This has frozen my ground. Stood on the cliffside screaming, "Give me a reason". Your faithless love's the only hoax I believe in. Don't want no other shade of blue but you. No other sadness in the world would do” Do i have to add something? That’s complete and absolutely Andy talking about Quynh

Evermore:

“I'm like the water when your ship rolled in that night. Rough on the surface, but you cut through like a knife” Andy is definitely the type to appear too tough and then Quynh shows up as her only weakness.

“There's an ache in you, put there by the ache in me“ and it’s five hundred years of aching

A concept: Andy and Quynh going around killing horrible men while “No body, No crime” plays in the background

“Haunted by the look in my eyes. That would've loved you for a lifetime” for endless lifetimes

okay. coney island. listen... picture Andy wondering why, wondering how did she lose Quynh, weren’t they supposed to be immortal, supposed to be together until the end? “If I can't relate to you anymore Then who am I related to? And if this is the long haul, How'd we get here so soon?”

picture Andy, keeping some of the traditions she had with Quynh, but going there alone “Were you waiting at our old spot, In the tree line”

and worst of all, picture Andy, when she realized she was mortal, when Booker shot her, when she thought she was about to die, but also maybe every day since then “When the sun goes down, The sight that flashed before me was your face”

“you’re an immortal cowboy like me” was the first thing andy said to quynh “Now you hang from my lips. Like the Gardens of Babylon (andy was literally there). With your boots beneath my bed. Forever is the sweetest con” and of course, it’s undeniable Andy has said “I'm never gonna love again“ countless times since losing Quynh

And here we have Andy trying to explain to Quynh the existential crisis she had while waiting for her “And I fell from the pedestal. Right down the rabbit hole. Long story short, it was a bad time. Pushed from the precipice. Climbed right back up the cliff. Long story short, I survived”

“If I didn't know better, I'd think you were still around. What died didn't stay dead. You're alive, you're alive in my head. What died didn't stay dead. You're alive, so alive” SHE IS

There’s Andy going “It's been a long time. And seeing the shape of your name, Still spells out pain” but there’s also Quynh going “Don't treat me like Some situation that needs to be handled, I'm fine with my spite”

Consider: Andy, drowning in guilt, replaying the witches’ trials on her head. Andy writing letters to Quynh, having nowhere to send them, “I replay my footsteps on each stepping stone. Trying to find the one where I went wrong. Writing letters. Addressed to the fire” and then Andy finding strength just because of the thought of Quynh, “And when I was shipwrecked, I thought of you, In the cracks of light, I dreamed of you, It was real enough, To get me through” and finally, Andy desperately believing Quynh would come back, their hope restored, “I couldn't be sure I had a feeling so peculiar This pain wouldn't be for Evermore”

send me an album and I’ll make it about Andromaquynh

#it's unfair how some of these song fit so well #also please appreciate my jokes ghjfdgh #the old guard #andy x quynh #andromaquynh #immortal wives #andromache the scythian #quynh #i need a little pause before doing the next two albums but please everyone you're welcome to send more!#andromaquynh albums

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soulsdontbreaktheybeeend · 4 years

Text

You live to empty my lungs. Part 5 | Joker x You

Summary: A reunion which doesn’t let you decide between pain, desire, fear and lust.

Part 1, 2, 3, 4

Words: 1,549

Anger and bewilderment that he hadn't left your apartment and was now sitting here on your sofa, vanished the second you had turned on the light and saw the suffering look in the eyes. Apologetically and literally screaming I’m sorry.

You were planning on grabbing him by the arm and throwing him out on his ear. The familiar sounds of his condition and oh that look in his eyes shot you back to a time when you were instantly at his side when that rare situation arose. Your thoughts fought against it and slowed you down, when your body had already taken a step forward to approach him, wanting to calm him down.

Your feet were now tied like when your eyes locked with his back in the park. Your body reacted to the constant fight between heart and head and the resulting excessive demands with trembling. Your uncertainty spread to your breathing, your knees weak.

You formed your hands into fists, hoping that this would stop the nervous reaction. When that didn't help, you folded your arms against your chest. Tight. Your left hand and its fingers clawed into your right ribcage, while your right hand squeezed your left upper arm almost painfully.

You literally tried to hold yourself together.

Breathe. Breathe Arthur… your mind repeatedly soothed him, as another voice in your head told you instantly to stop.

Joker couldn't take it anymore. His fit wasn't completely over when he got up and came at you.

As he did so, a tightening feeling settled on your chest. Your breath faltered. Not strong enough to keep eye contact, you let your gaze wander over random things in the room instead, avoiding his captivating eyes.

“Why did you come back?” You sounded helpless, desperate and your voice broke at the last word.

Not that you were completely over him or even forgot about him, but you felt all right in the last two months. That you could never forget him and that he had irrevocably taken a part of you with him, was more than clear to you. But his return threw everything into turmoil and old familiar wounds opened up. On your way to recovery, the same person who caused the road to be built in the first place, interrupted you and threw you right back to the very start.

Carefully he had stopped in front of you one or two steps away.

“I never meant to leave, y/n.” God, to hear the sound of your name from his lips again weakened your knees even more.

You didn't know how many more stabs your heart could take. You just wanted it to stop and your first thought was to simply send him away. Even though you knew that decision would only make the pain worse on the long run. The other would cure it, you had hoped deep down.

You scoffed and shook your head in disbelief at him.

“And it took you a year to figure that out?” You cried out. You were no longer able to control yourself, as you stared him deadly in his eyes and tried to ignore the suffering you witnessed in there, nevertheless.

As you involuntarily lost yourself in his eyes, you only noticed the soft and careful touch of his palm on your cheek when it was too late. His hands were shaking, too. His heart ached so deeply at the sight of you. He wanted nothing more than to erase your pain. The warmth and familiarity of his touch soothed you and made you angry at the same time. As soon as his trembling fingers started to caress your cheek, your hand shot into the air, yanking his hand away.

Your palms hit his chest repeatedly. They clenched more and more into fists with each impact. Your fingers clawed into the material of his shirt. Instead of fighting back, defending himself or catching your hands in his to stop you, Joker endured his punishment. Silently he took every single blow.

Your movements rocked his whole body. You shook him tirelessly as despair squeezed tears from you once again.

“Please just go!” You whimpered with the “o” stressed out into your next sob, inhaling deeply afterwards. Your exhausted body sank into his. Your words and your deed perfectly reflected the struggle that took place within you. Your grip on his shirt intensified at the same moment you had clearly commanded him to leave. He placed his hands over yours and pressed them firmly to his chest.

“The morning on the day we had then spent our last night together so lovingly, one of my men brought me a message that I had always hoped so much that it would never reach me. I had always feared it in the back of my mind. That it had become reality then, I still do not want to believe to this day. However, seconds after the message I knew what I had to do,” Joker began, ignoring your plea to leave. Your eyes roved over both of your hands on his chest, as your head grew full of questions about what he could possibly continue to tell you. You weren’t ready to meet his gaze yet.

“It was a matter of time before any of the mobsters would find out about your existence and therefore my weakness, darling. In the envelope that reached me that day, there was a letter whose text left me cold at first. I suspected they were bluffing. But when I discovered the photos in the envelope, I had no other choice. I had to make my decision. You were on the pictures, y/n. On your way to the grocery store, to work, in front of your apartment, at your favorite spot in the park. They had followed your every move and threatened me that…”

He still had to fight with himself one year later to be able to say, “…that they would hurt you.” When in fact he meant, kill. They threatened to kill you if he didn't give them what they wanted. But that was exactly what he could not do. He couldn't give it to them because he was the one who was bluffing all along; about a meaningless deal he allegedly made with one of Gotham's top underworld mobsters. At the time, he didn’t know what he was going to gamble with and most importantly, that it would fool and harm himself in the deepest way possible for the Clown Prince of Crime. Not to mention the fact that he was putting your life on the line with this bluff. Joker was completely submerged and off the grid for almost a year. Some of his men had joined up with gangsters from all over Gotham. Though none of them said a word about him, the media suspected the Clown Prince of Crime had fallen quietly and secretly in a scheme that kept the city's underworld to itself and devoured it like the garbage piles did the sidewalks.

No one had the slightest idea that Joker was very much alive and was quietly and secretly planning his biggest assassination yet in the shadow of the alleys. With all his men, who had been very loyal to him and supported him in his plan.

You loved me. You still loved me when you left.

The statement clung to your thoughts like a burdock on a cardigan, as you slowly lifted your head, now brave enough to meet his gaze. Yet now it was him who avoided your eyes. The shame that crushed him from within tilted his head sidewards away from you.

The initial relief you felt was masked again by doubts, when you asked him for explanatory extensions.

“You… you could have let me in on it,” you began. “You could ha-“

“I couldn’t,” he interrupted you, squeezing his eyes shut, deeply turning into a frown.

“You could have reached out to me or through one of your men, you could have…” You almost overheard his interruption, not bothered by it. How could you be, while your head filled up more and more with questions, and better solutions from second to second like the water did in a cave at high tide.

“You couldn't have at least let me know you were alive? You let everyone in this city believe you might be dead all this time. You let me believe that!” Your fingers clawed into the fabric of his shirt again, as you continued and raised your voice, only to feel it break again under your sobbing. “Do you even kn-“,

“I couldn’t!” He affirmed in a frustrated voice. His hands grabbed your cheeks and turned your head up a bit. His eyes now found and bore into yours as a shiver hissed through your whole body.

“I couldn’t, because I was too scared, y/n! It scared me to death they’d find a way to find out and…” His grip on your cheeks loosened when he no longer knew how to handle his feelings of guilt. He took a few steps back, his palms pressed against his face as he groaned. Shaking his head, he ran his hands through his hair.

Had the Clown Prince of Crime just admitted to be scared to death? By the thought of losing you?

❤ @sweet-nothings04 @pcrushinnerd @obsessedandthirsty @illusionsinmyhead @hhandley80 @arthur-flecks-lovely-smile @ithinkimawriter @jokers-doll @lynnesm @fleckcmscott @duhliriouss @call-me-harley-quinn @life-or-something-like-lt

#joker x you #joker x y/n #joker x reader #souls writes

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thesimonkshow · 4 years

Text

My thoughts on Folklore

This is about to be a long ass Taylor Swift post, so strap in for the ride.

I along with many others were going about their business (looking at Adam Driver gifs) before my phone alerted me to the notification that Taylor Swift was releasing her eighth studio album Folklore the very next day. Chaos everywhere, my sleep schedule went out the window as I went into the Swifties tag to see how everyone else was dealing with this news. So I eagerly awaited 2PM (Australian time) for the album to drop and after a few listens (sleep got the better of me through my first listen due to my previous sleep schedule), I eventually picked out some album highlights.

The 1 - I love how freely she’s cussing on the album (a point that will be reitriated throughout), and I know Gossip tabloids and casuals will be shooketh because they’d think Taylor & Mr. Alwyn have ‘broken up’ due to Taylor’s personable lyrics but this gave me Better Man vibes. Remember when the Bridge said ‘You might have bern The One if you were a Better Man’ and this is basically that without the angsty fire.

Cardigan - I LOVE how Alternative Folk fits Taylor’s voice, it sounds like she’s telling us a story and we are entrapsed by her. It also works perfectly with the love triangle songs, which I had to understand a bit through a few listens.

The Last Great American Dynasty - The moment I saw this track, I knew it would be epic. I pictured her taking the piss out of the Trump family, but what I got was an awesome song about the woman who owned Taylor’s Rhode Island house and the antics she got up to. I love the descriptors she used when describing the weddings and the party’s Rebekah & Bill had and especially the bridge of antics Rebekah got up to later in her time. The ‘And then it was bought by me.’ Part of the bridge, I love a good twist!

Exile - OH MY LORD. When I saw Skinny Love Bon Iver on this album, I knew this would be something and low and behold it was. The concept of the man in exile in her intro caught my attention but seeing it up close and personal was amazing. The vocals interlaced with each other was perfection, especially as Taylor responds to Bon Iver. I really connected it to the struggles of Seth Rollins in the latter half of 2019, how he seemed to be exiled from the WWE, how his initial opponent Kevin Owens was having his flaws disregarded to drag Seth down, the ‘Always Keep Fighting’ shirt that he wore (raising money for mental health chairties) adding insult to injury for Seth, who had even briefly deactivated his twitter to clear his headspace following attacks/death threats from a fellow wrestler’s fan base. ‘I gave you every sign’ rings true here, the man was struggling and no one seemed to care.

My Tears Ricochet - My WWE ass was happy to see another Wrestler reference after The Man. So this was an interesting look, but I got another story that intrigued me, a man having been involved in a tumultous connection with the songs narrator showing up to her funeral to save face. Listeners drew parraells with the recent Masters drbarkle with Scott Borchetta, head of Big Machine Records with whom Taylor was once signed to, and I have to say it’s a good perspective to take.

Mirrorball - This one took a while but I ended up loving the fact she could sing from a Mirrorball’s perspective and still make an epic song. I loved the part about always fitting in with the crowd because at functions/discos where mirrorballs are used, the lights will change to fit the mood and being a reflective surface, Mirrorballs will reflect the colour change.

Seven - This was a nice ditty about a past friend Taylor once had. I really loved the line ‘Please picture me in the weeds before I learned Civility’ it gives a more sophisticated parraell to Never Grow Up.

August - This is the second in the love triangle songs, and I loved the storytelling aspect as Taylor paints the picture of an affair that Summer Nights would quake in it’s boots if it heard about it. She sweeps up the adience in the Mistresses POV, showcasing the sweetness of love and the sting of toxcisity.

This is me trying - Where are those who said Taylor Swift plays the victim in her songs? Because this is for them. Taylor states in this her regrets of wasted potential, broken relationships etc. at the end of the day no matter how many awards she has, records she breaks, or money she possesses, Taylor Alison Swift is a human being, and we should give her boundries to grow and flourish.

Illicit Affairs - This track title also intrigued me, and whilst it does what the title says, and discusses the highs and lows of the secret passions of mismatched lovers, the second verse & bridge stood out to me the most. The way Taylor’s voice went up on him in the line ‘Leave the perfume on the shelf that you picked out just for him.’ Drew my attention as she later did the same thing on the word high, this had to mean something. And given that we don’t know the narrators gender, this could also be a song about a closeted gay man who’s found love but is struggling to accept this relationship. Whereas the bridge reminded me a lot of the Adam & Hannah breakup in Season 4 of Girls in the episode Sit In where Hannah denounces Adam’s nickname of kid, which he had called her by since the first season, with the episode before that showing her heartbroken that Adam has gotten a new girlfriend behind her back and thus turns into a mess locked in her apartment for a day and two nights. it was a heartbreaking part of the show, one that shifted it into a new era for better or for worse, and the entirety of this reasonated with me.

Invisible String - Around this point was where melotonin kicked in for me on my first listen, so I’ve heard this less than the other songs, but I love how it discusses her relationship with Joe & how for better or for worse, he is hers. It continued the theme with them on Lover of not having a great picturesque love, but having ups and downs like any couple.

Mad Woman - The calmer sister of The Man, she won’t throw big production and actions around, she can take you down with words alone. The track stings brutally as Taylor takes down sexism as it exists in our world today, and even sadly paints a visual of how it must have been for women back in the day fighting for equal rights. ‘Does a scorpion sting when fighging back?’ Line was annother connection, as I was reminded of Vanessa Ives from Penny Dreadful and how the animal symbology that stuck with her was a scorpion, used to great effect in the Season 2 finale in a confrontation with Lucifer’s makeshift doll of her. The chorus line ‘And you’ll poke the bear till her claws come out, and you’ll find something to wrap your noose around’ stuck with me on my listens, and really shows how men will strike and then run away saying ‘it’s a joke, she’s hysterical’ etc. the part about women loving to hunt witches also reminded me of a Doctor Who episode called ‘The Witchers’ and also reminded some listeners of how Demi Lovato took Scooter Braun’s side in the Licencing debarkle, in fact in the first part of the bridge, the song also has a double meaning. It’s also about the state of affairs following Taylor’s songs being stolen from her. The part in the bridge about the wives knowing about their Spinster husbands having affairs and not wanting to show their anger for fear of being outcast like the titular woman is angsty but so lyrically genius.

Epiphany - I had to listen to this a couple of times but once I realised what it was about, I was in shock. This is about her Grandfather Dean who she mentioned in the intro who fought in a war. The song paints the war setting with the helmet, the flesh wound and the rifle within the first few words, and I especially loved the line ‘And some things we don’t speak of.’ because it talked about how some soldiers develop PTSD from their experiences, yet don’t want to discuss them for fear of being perceived as weak. Also the outro beat sounds like a radar scanning for a plane, and the beat of the drum sounds like bombs exploding, really adds to the War theme.

Betty - This is the final track in the love triangle story as it tells the story of James as he fights to earn back Betty’s love after he has an affair with Inez. The eventual pitfalls of Illicit Affairs have come for Inez which causes her to tell Betty of their affair, which is a nice link. This songs gives a classic Greese/Christine/Cheesy 80s Film meets Trixie Mattel vibe which I loved. I also loved the callbacks to August & Cardigan, along with the casual F bomb droppings.

Peace - This is another sweet love song for Joe which calls back to Cruel Summer, Cornelia Street & Dancing With Our Hands Tied as Taylor struggles with the connection she has established with Joe, and contemplates escaping, but eventually knows she’ll stay. How the entire world will be on them, but she’ll be by his side through it all. Similar to Invisible String but different all at once and a perfect penultimate track to lead to the last song.

Hoax - The sweetness brings us to the double edged sword of a closing track. Giving a shattering realisation that love can be tricky at times, the references to Call It What You Want ‘I am ash from your fire’, The Archer ‘You know the hero died so what’s the movie for?’ & ... So It Goes ‘You knew you won so what’s the point of keeping score’. Taylor loves Joe so much that when they fight it’s as painful as when she became Pop Culture Enemy #1 back in 2016. But no matter what, she says herself ‘Don’t want no other shade of blue but you. No other sadness in this world would do’ relationships are always painful, there is no happy endings all round, but there is still love to be found.

All in all this is an incredible album & @taylorswift you have created magic and I hope you know that myself & all the Swifties are so proud of you for flexing your writing skill and crafting such a stunning album.

#Taylor Swift #folklore #TS8 #Surprise Album #Taylurking #Bon Iver #Seth Rollins #Monday Night Messiah #WWE #Doctor Who #GirlsHBO

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blankdblank · 4 years

Text

Next Caller Pt 40

A warm hand stroked your arm and inhaling sharply your eyes cracked open finding Thorin sitting beside you, “I am so sorry.” You shook your head grumbling softly to yourself rolling onto your back, “I promised you dinner.”

“You were tired. Didn’t want to wake you. Heard you snoring, hard shift?”

“More like hard people just off work and angry for a fix. Ought to ban anyone with a mood like that.” That had you giggling and sitting up, “I might scowl but I’m far from rude.”

“I’ll get up and be out in a minute,” he nodded and gave your leg a pat standing up heading to finish readying the table to grant you privacy.

A full change of clothes was followed by primping and out you went to join him. Closing your cardigan over your t shirt hoping it might be warmer after running out of sweaters you giggled seeing the hefty supply of food set out, “Spared no crumbs I see.”

Bashfully he chuckled replying, “Had to,”

“You didn’t. People get tired. Thank you, but you don’t have to make a feast if you sleep in.” You said sitting down accepting the mug of tea he handed you. “I mean it, thank you.”

“You are more than worth it.” He hummed back catching your flinching gaze, “You are.”

With a nod you replied, “I know, thank you, just, getting used to hearing people meaning it.” He looked you over and you said, “Some people just say it, it was hard, to say the least, growing up hearing you’re nothing without the clan, or even to it. I never wanted to prove them right. Part of how that me died I suppose when I got pulled out of that carrier.” Shaking your head you said, “Sorry, not trying to drop the mood.”

“You aren’t,” he said laying his hand over yours, “Talk to me, about anything. You are so strong, you even said you found a way to escape from where they kept you but they drugged you.”

With tears in your eyes you asked, “I said escape?”

Shaking his head he shifted on his seat to be closer to you, “No you said, end-, oh,” Moving onto your bench he let go of your hand to pull you into a hug, “I am so sorry,” pressing a kiss to the top of your head clutching you tightly to him in feeling a tear hitting his arm.

“There was a loose wall panel under my bunk, they found me chewing on a power cable. Jammed a stun rod in the back of my thigh.” Pulling back a bit you sniffled and he tenderly wiped your cheek, “I’m not like that now though, it, I was tired of suffering because of his name. And I changed my name,” looking up at him you said, “I don’t think I can say thank you enough for what your family has done for me. Even the ones I haven’t met.”

“You don’t have to thank us, any of us.”

“No, but,”

“But what?” he hummed out slightly concerned of the worry in your eyes as he stroked your cheek again with his thumb.

“I’m mentioning Durin’s Blering today.” Making him smirk, “I don’t, want you to be upset, or your family.”

“We love your show, your portrayal of Durin and our relatives. There have been portrayals of other favored Dwarves through history with exaggerated Blering or courting decisions. Blundrun of the Stoonefoot’s had five weddings in one adaptation on film. It’s all taken in good humor when done respectfully. The public isn’t meant to see the full details, it’s private.”

“Even if it involves a walrus?”

At that he laughed saying in a tap of his forehead to yours, “We will love it, and I can’t wait to hear how a walrus comes into play, nor will my family be upset. Now eat up. Big day ahead of you.” You nodded again and he eased back to get to eating the large meal.

“Don’t worry,” he said as you climbed into your car, “Be fearless Mafioso.” To yourself you giggled and were off to work while he inhaled and groaned stretching before driving off himself.

Truly you had faced harsh times and in clarifying the wording it settled in his mind just how much stronger you were for healing on that island prison and bursting free to toil until someone gave you a much needed hand up. You had ample reason to be concerned, it was a tender subject to broach, but with how greatly they loved your portrayal so far he had no doubts they would love to hear your thoughts on how mushy the ever bleeding heart of the teddy bear warrior could get. All the same he sent out a message to his elders who rippled it around with eager replies that they would tune in as they could. And parking in his spot he readied for his cousins to begin their questioning until your show kicked on.

The big show finally came. After leaving off that Durin was left aimlessly staring at the floor of his cabin hours till the door was broken in two and he was drug off in chains on the biggest cliffhanger since when Bunny was kidnapped for your listeners. Durin was refused and taken captive needing saving and healing for his badly breaking heart.

“She has stunning eyes you know.” Durin sighed out.

His captor rolled his eyes replying, “I thought if I got you drunk you’d shut up about her.”

“I had it all planned out,” Durin hiccupped and added after another groan from the captor, “Even hired a walrus to give her the spoon I’d chosen,” after a sniffle the King slurred out, “Same shade as her eyes!”

A thud was heard and a relieved sigh came from the captor, “Finally.”

Near to the end of the show after another odd detour of some random bystanders who watched Bunny storming in to rouse up Durin’s allies to fly off to battle for their King. Surely assuring the audience she did truly care for him in return and was taking her place she had said not to want as Queen and leader to his people a muffled explosion was heard and screams followed before a metal door was sent flying into a distant wall and Durin comes to, “BUNNY! You came for me!”

“No. You borrowed my pen. I came for my Twiggums. This is just a coincidence he happened to be with you.”

Song song like he replied, “You saved me,” Bunny sighed hoisting him up, “You missed me.”

“Back to your ship before your head gets any bigger. I came for my pen and found you by chance.”

Through the halls he was carried and his heart thundered as he slurred out dopily, “You brought my armies and allies. There’s a word for the one they would follow other than me you know.”

“Ya, bribed.”

“No,” he slurred, “My men are above reproach.”

Bunny pointed out a man with an arm full of trinkets he took from the captor’s Palace, “Clearly he’s here for the loot.”

“Norib only loots for a good cause and King, or, you know the word.” He teased.

Through the tea shop, while the story bantered on in the adamant refusals and skirting around the subject while Durin swooned more for his now certainly future bride. Along with Mal who was squealing behind her hands unable to help but blush and smile stupidly at how perfect it was leading to your propping up a notebook to keep from getting distracted by her reactions.

“For Mahal’s sake woman! Have pity on us and tell me if this is in the book!”

With a giggle you replied, “Second.”

“Ugh,” she groaned throwing her head back making you giggle again and guide her out through the halls to the garage again, “It’s going to be so hard to read from behind my pillow.”

“Oh trust me you will be squealing more than once I blushed through just writing half of it not even mentioning the editing.”

“I can’t imagine!” Her eyes scanned over your jacket you pulled back on making her smirk, “That is a male coat, you didn’t happen to steal Thorin’s coat?”

“No, he took me to his jacket place, helped me pick it out. It’s got soo many pockets!” You said showing her the pockets both outside and in appealing to your shared Hobbit love of pockets. “And it’s so fluffy inside!” Lowering your hand you lifted the mail bag you had been given.

“Well it looks amazing on you. Gives the illusion he might be coatless somewhere.”

You giggled back, “But we both know I can swim in his jackets.” Making her giggle too. “Need a ride?”

“No, Kili is picking me up, having a lunch date.”

“Ooh, nice, just the two of you?”

“Yes, apparently they convinced Frerin it would be less of a challenge to keep civilized one on one alternating dates.”

“Hmm.”

She let out a weak chuckle, “I know, but it gets me twice the dates this week so I’ll take what I can get.”

“Well I hope it gets easier down the line for you.”

“Oh it will. I am too determined to let it go otherwise.” Eagerly Kili was waiting and scooped her and BamBam up carrying them to his waiting car while you walked to yours you unlocked and with the mail in the trunk lowered into with a quick huff shaking your hands to get rid of the lingering tingles from your nerves at how it would go over.

“They have to get married!” You could hear the words being called across the buzzing shop making you peak inside only to have Balin inch in front of you and point to his left ushering you inside the office subtly. Curiously you popped in only to find the food but no Thorin. Walking around the table you sat on the couch only for you to hear, “You’re a Durin! What happens next! Don’t tell us he gets spurned again!”

Thorin gruffly replied back, “None of us know, our clan didn’t write it.”

“But you have to know something!” Was cut off as Thorin huffed entering and closing the office behind him. “Your lover is listed on the Bunny Show voicing it!”

Taking a moment to gather himself before turning around, “Sorry,” you muttered and he shook his head.

“Don’t you dare apologize. It’s a fabulous story. Mainly it’s dead silent so they can listen in then it just erupts afterwards, they’ll head out eventually when their mugs run out we’ve got a two refill limit.” Next to you he settled down comfortably with his leg against yours flashing you a comforting grin.

“Just don’t want you being harassed over it.”

“It’s not harassment. I take it as a point of pride that you are doing exceedingly well.” His smile split wider playfully as he rumbled, “And very nice touch on making him drunk ramble his plans out mournfully. Very true to his character. Gran messaged me she was on the edge of her seat and Gramps said she was giggling like crazy. Amad is curious to know how one could manage to hire a walrus to do their bidding.”

In a giggle as he uncovered and served the food you replied, “They are far more agreeable than elephant seals.” He looked you over and you added with a smirk, “I made allies to keep the crabs away.” Making him chuckle, “Besides they do love a good head rub. Once they see you won’t hurt their babies you’re free to graze through to see what they’re up to.”

“I will pass that on.” He replied in a chuckle. “You ok?”

You nodded, “Yup, just have another bag of mail to sort when I get home. It’s picking up.”

“I bet. I could help if you like.”

“Only if you want to, gets a bit much sometimes. Sorting by state, county then dividing it even more by language as such. Though I can’t imagine the letters I will get from the Professors this time.”

“Professors?”

“All in good meaning, helping to correct tiny details I’ve exaggerated or tweaked. Always the thickest but they always praise heavily afterwards on my imagination.”

“Any hate mail?”

“Few, then there’s the ones from family. From the first couple weeks haven’t opened them.”

“Well if you want my clan to reply to the haters let us know. I know Dis could come up with some amazing replies.”

The thought made you giggle and reply, “Thank you, I will keep you posted on that. Mainly so far I’ve just replied to kids. Classes that have been listening or sending pictures and such. So sweet really. I have to think of a way to keep them all together. Might laminate them to make a book maybe with the letters.”

“That is a great idea.”

“I just can’t quite get through the more emotional ones yet. The ones where they share what the story has gotten them through, still not there yet I guess. Will be though someday maybe.”

From there on you chatted more about his seen reactions to your show brightening your mood again and shared more responding messages that came in from his clan leading to once the meal was through you leaned against his side scrolling through them until your alarm when he took your bag from your trunk to add to his. His busy task today had him smirking while you were off as he was joined by Dwalin, Balin and Frerin to head home to dump the bag out on the couch to get to sorting. Easily with the group together the task was underfoot when Thorin got up at the door bell ringing. An odd delivery of seven chests had him puzzled after having signed for them luring his cousins to the front hall where they were left.

Curiously he circled them and Balin asked, “Did Jaqi day she was expecting anything?”

“No,” Thorin replied, “So odd, who would send chests?” Looking at the delivery sheet he said, “Valinor, they’re from Valinor...”

Dwalin led the group on inspecting the seam and chuckled finding the hidden lock he unlocked with ease at solving the sliding puzzle and tilted his head seeing the pile of books inside. “Books..”

Thorin’s brows furrowed rapping one with a knuckle, “Not books.” Reaching down he made to lift one only for the top to lift revealing a gold clear wrapped pile of gold filling the disguised box. “Oh I know what this is, she said she also inherited chests from her clan of money.” Balin opened another seeing bound Elven bills with another of silver coins in the one beside that and copper beside that one above one filled entirely with emeralds with scattered more stones in other cases before they closed the trunk that locked again leaving them to look at one another and Frerin to say, “We didn’t open it.”

They all shook their heads, “Nope.”

Thorin grabbed one end as Frerin took the other, “Off to the storage room for now.”

Balin asked following with Dwalin helping to carry theirs, “Do you think they’re all full of funds?”

Thorin replied, “That’s what she said. Wasn’t keeping anything else from their estates. Lawyer Feanor had sent them out to her. Mentioned something about the funds weren’t initially added to her inheritance balance but had to be counted then sent.”

Frerin chuckled, “So she had billions cracked it down to millions and now has billions again. Marvelous.”

Thorin chuckled with the rest of them and replied as they settled the trunks down and turned to grab another set, “I’m certain she won’t share the sentiment.”

Dwalin hummed, “Just think, you could save a bundle on choosing stones, she’s already got them.”

Thorin smirked to himself and replied, “We will get to that eventually.”

The next to last had all four carrying it with the last absurdly light last one took two keep them from flinging it up into the ceiling for how light it was. “That was close.”

Balin smirked looking at the others and rumbled, “How much you want to wager this one’s got mithril in it.”

Thorin rumbled, “I’m not betting.”

Frerin retorted, “Spoil sport, no winnings for you then. Fifty silver.”

Dwalin scoffed, “60!” Making Thorin roll his eyes hearing them on the way to move it with the others how to bring it up when they saw you again to see who won or not on that chest and all the others on amounts and contents. Eventually getting back to and finishing the sorting before each splitting up wishing Thorin a good night.

One odd lengthy shift leaving you with a feeling you’d forgotten something ended with a quiet ride home as you retraced everything you had done until your realized you’d forgotten to take the second cupcake you had promised yourself to take from the dessert cart.

Backed into the garage it sealed and you turned off the car and climbed out to head inside leaving your shoes and coat by the door there. Passing the stack of mail on the table you caught Thorin nodding off at the table beside his spread making you chuckle and steal a picture before waking him to a peck on the cheek. “You’re tired.”

“No I’m not. Just, blinking, check.”

“Uh huh,” you giggled out and sat down, “Well once you’ve eaten off to bed with you to rest your blinking muscles.”

“How was work?”

“Good. Forgot to take my second cupcake at lunch though.”

“I have-,” he pointed at the kitchen making you reach over and pat his hand resting on the table.

“I’m good. This is good. Thank you. How was your work?”

“Good, got back, guys came over and you will be glad to know we have sorted your mail bag.”

“Aw, no wonder you’re so tired.”

“It didn’t take as long as it would seem to for a duffel of letters. Kept the schools separate for you and it’s all bound on the parlor table when you’re ready.”

“Thank you. Anything else interesting happen?”

“Oh, you got that delivery from Feanor.” That had you rolling your eyes and him smirking, “Figured you might not be pleased. All a decent weight except one.”

“Bound to have the mithril in it and shares of the mithril stocks they owned. Back in the high billions again, yay. Feanor is pleased though there was a trunk of paintings I said he could have, apparently a few splatters are ‘priceless’ he has the pleasure of handling the museums for those wonders on his own. At least my paintings are cute or realistic and not looking like road kill.” Making him chuckle again. His eyes met yours and brow twitched up at your lingering gaze his way, “You wouldn’t happen to have relatives in jewelry would you?”

A smirk tugged across his lips, “Of course I do.”

“Well, I might have some gems to unload.”

Lowly he chuckled, “You may want to inspect them first, just to be certain there aren’t any you might wish to keep. Other than that I am certain they would be glad to inspect your hoard.”

“Keep? Oh,” you said and he looked you over again, “You mean like for a ring.”

“Well it could be, unless your kin prefer to have the male design it.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever even considered getting jewelry before.”

“Then best hold on to those gems and I can have some design books sent over for you to browse through. Give you some ideas. If you like a certain style they have some imitation stone settings they could loan out for you to give a test run to see how you like it on you.”

“How do you choose?”

“When we get there hopefully you might have a few ideas of your own.”

“Bet you have fifty ideas already of your own.”

“You would lose that bet.” He hummed back, “Has to be special. Every Dwarf has hundreds of ideas growing up what they might design, but it’s always, different. Has to be. No rush, take your time.”

“Oh, um, how short notice could your builder relatives be called out?”

Smirking again he said, “Well they live two hours out, so, two hours at least. I did send an email when you mentioned ordering the shelving for your studio. They are going to add more built ins to my spare as well. Will they be here soon?”

“It should be here Monday, would have been Sunday but there was a delay.”

“I’ll let them know in the morning.”

“Thank you, and sorry.”

“No, trust me, you are not ready to meet them yet, they’re a bit, odd.”

“Unlike the rest of you,” Lowly he chuckled again smiling at you.

“Yes, best let us handle the build while you are at work. Frerin would be glad to help keep them in line, and away from your door hinges.”

“Door hinges?”

“They like to swap them in houses they don’t like, so the door swings the other way.”

“That’s such bad totems,”

He nodded, “Yes it is. Which is why we will be watching them.”

Once cleaned up you were off separately, him to bed and you into a nice warm shower. A bit stiff from the wet week your formerly knotted leg still gave you a bit of trouble today, less than it had for centuries but still not as good as it should be. You felt terrible thinking of asking Thorin if he had a relative who could help with rubbing or stabbing these cramps out. A bath would be best but you were too tired to soak safely so showered and dried you changed into some warm flannels glad you remembered to light the fire before hand so your room was nice and toasty when you climbed into bed smoothing a heating patch onto your hamstring. Sneering at first of the odd goopy feeling instantly warming up after rubbing the pad with your palms flattening them over your skin. Still into bed you wiggled settling under your covers closing your eyes hoping the pad wouldn’t be glued onto your leg like last time when you woke up.

Soundly you slept well into the morning, a glad thing for Thorin, who got called off to help his family with a few things and left you breakfast in the slow cooker. Waking to the alarm so you wouldn’t miss your appointment. And sure enough you woke to struggle the sheet off your leg you threw away muttering to yourself. Curiously seeing how much food he had used for the meal, once done and cleaned up, you got to searching your fridge to see what you might need. List in hand you went to change and made your way to your car post mail box trip to give the birds some more shredded mail to do with what they pleased.

Through town you drove remembering just where the parking lot for your nail salon was angled off this road. Close to the strip of stores but requiring its own little lot that more than once while on foot you had avoided falling off the sudden end of the curb into traffic. Easier than you had assumed you took the turn and found a spot in view of most seats you might be settled into and out you climbed to walk inside. Brushing your hair out of your face you flashed a grin to the woman blindly passing you on her way out of the shop over a foot too tall to notice your face anyways. Past her a scattered ripple of upward glances and lingering registering of who had just entered the shop were taken before those with clients got back to work and you turned to the counter.

“Miss Pear, welcome back,” she glanced to the side saying after seeing who was available, “Kovu is prepping your chair now. Would you like a beverage, or we have some whale shaped crackers if you need a snack.”

“No thank you, just had breakfast.”

With a nod she turned guiding you back to the station meant for you with the smallest chair available, “Kindly follow me.” Behind her you kept your eyes on her back until her step aside bringing the Dwobbit into view used to tending to your nails who flashed you his same kind smile. “Are you ready Kovu for Miss Pear?”

Kovu replied, “Of course, we have a lovely glittery mint shade for your toes if you are willing. Our Forest green was out.”

“Sure, sounds pretty.” The woman turned to head back to the door as it opened bringing more clients with it. Slipping out of your shoes and socks you accepted his hand to climb up onto the chair settling your bag on the chair beside you taking notice of the whispers of your name in trying to focus on his steps after you had settled your feet into the soaking tub.

“Now everybody by now has been raving about the new show featured on Bombadil Streaming,” The voice echoed through the shop and your eyes turned to the source of it, the flat screen on the far wall. “The show, is phenomenal, to say the least, we could spend all day praising it, however the one really making headlines lately, is none other than Creator, Animator and Voice Artist, Jaqi Pear. Who, for those of you don’t know, happens to be among the cast of the Voice Actors on the Bunny Show. If you have been living under a rock the show mainly centers around Bunny and her good friend Countess Beatrice, all of this leading up to several ties to the Durin clan, including Durin the Deathless himself.

Now all of that would be stunning enough, only, we have it on good authority now with actual pictures circulating of Miss Pear, a visit to the Findis hotel, was spotted among some posted pictures in their lobby of their latest family retreat. Obviously with a show centering the head of their clan they would be close, however we have been digging and recently a purchase was made by Miss Pear from a reputable dealership for a vehicle with another customer having heard Frerin Durin claiming Miss Pear as his sister.”

The second anchor let out a squeal and the third woman at the table excitedly said while the first let out an excited squeak herself, “Now, either Miss Pear has been secretly adopted as a member of the clan, or rather more titillating has managed to snag the heart of the only brother Frerin has, Thorin Durin.”

The second said, “Now Thorin is older, and for the past decade has co owned a tea and herb shop with two of his cousins, which has picked up in business and become quite the spot to sit out the Bunny show with a hot cup. Not to mention this new social handle building the press for the shop from someone called the MugMafioso exploring new drink blends from their shop. From what we can tell unlike his younger brother tries to remain rather mum on relationships if he has been having any. So this is very big if they are together.”

The first said, “And their sister, the only other option here isn’t one, because she has been blissfully wed to Vili Findis for decades now.”

The third said, “Now there isn’t much to be found on Miss Pear, past scattered jobs, performances with her Maiar performer and Master singing stone piano crafter maternal grandmother Sophie. With whom she was recorded performing with on disc,” she said lifting the cd she showed off, “I played it four times, I still have chills thinking about it.”

The second said as you noticed a few of the workers wondering if they should change the channel from the corner of your vision, “Clearly Miss Pear is talented, though there is little to no information of her past her immigration here on the grounds of her retiring from service.” Anxiously you wet your lips and your fingers folded together on your lap seeing papers being looked at by the First woman. “Now that is mainly due to the fact that she has changed her name.” By her tone she was reluctantly inching up to just who you used to be.

The first said in turning over the page saying, “Clearly since she has chosen a public profession we are honoring her choice to privacy on her other relations, whom even her grandmother has been respectfully mum on while sharing that she has children and grandchildren. Just like we assume her parents and siblings are of Miss Pear.”

The pair around her smiled again in their solidarity in choosing not to let that painful cat out of the bag and the third said, “When time comes for public announcements of courtship respectable bonds by two respectable clans no doubt will be made. From our digging Miss Pear has quite a lucrative line herself and very well could be with her current shows the higher earner in the relationship, which is quite stunning seeing how successful we all know the Durin clan to be greatly clearing any worries that fund seeking would be the reasoning behind it.”

The woman from the door was at your side again and you flashed her a grin trying to pretend you didn’t just flinch when Kovu had moved to your second foot to trim the cuticles as you usually did making him smirk at the clearly Elven trait on your sensitive partially Hobbit feet. “Hi,”

“Hello, Miss Pear, we could change the channel if you wished for us to.”

You shook your head saying, “No, it’s alright. Actually I haven’t been seeing much of the gossip lately. I have two jobs so I don’t get much tv time. Mainly stick to court shows.”

“Two jobs?” She asked curious about how that fit with the well circulated gossip you were from money.

“Have to bankroll your dreams somehow.” Making her chuckle at your giggled reply clearly meaning like most Dwarven clans you have been earning your rights to family funds as their heirs normally do.

Stepping back she stated, “If you change your mind just let me know.” Readying to rush over and greet the newest arrivals.

Looking down to Kovu you said, “I will stop flinching one day.”

After a chuckle he said, “No sooner would you stop being Hobbit. It is a welcome reaction.”

Looking up again as they had delved into the rites your clan would be possibly publicly present for you heard, “There is ample chance to get to know her clan while the pressing matters are ironed out. For now the pair seem to have managed to keep a low profile. And the Durin clan especially is not sharing anything, even a confirmation of the bond. In fact they are sharing little to do with Miss Pear beyond Frerin’s statement and the response from Thror himself on their approval and finding the Bunny Show a quite enjoyable tale involving their clan name that has in fact been formerly sent for approval years prior for clearance in using the name.”

The third said, “Which, the Durins own Venture Publishing, so that only gives hints that there very could well be a book in the works with whomever is behind this marvelous story.”

Biting your lip at the start of the lower leg massage you looked down hearing Kovu saying, “Your leg seems a bit looser than before in our past appointment.”

“Went to a hotel spa on a trip to Rohan, they said it was a Mburr knot.”

“Ohh, nasty things.”

“Feels looser, rain just tightened it up a bit again.”

“They do tend to take time to loosen fully. Working on your feet for hours does not help either.”

“Does help creativity though.” Making him chuckle to himself.

“True, absent hands often equal empty minds.”

A rinse of your legs came before he patted them dry with a towel down to your feet he massaged then set up to be painted. A clip on light helped to seal in the paint and he said, “For your nails we have your usual forest green powder. Don’t fret about that. Just the toes are different this time.”

“Either way, your work is lovely.”

“Might I ask, why green?”

“Pears are green. Plus, I spent decades by the sea, couldn’t go straight for blue. Red was too common a color, same as yellow or orange. Thought of purple a bit, but I heard it fades too quickly.”

Kovu said as you glanced up at the screen with the trio again now trying to guess what sort of woman you would be and how you might bring new things to the clan far more flashy than you truly were, “Wouldn’t know a brush from a clipper those three. These years I’ve known you that clan would be lucky to have you, funds or not. Kindness and bringers of hope are never without value no matter the lineage. Durins could always use more Hobbit blood too,” making you giggle to yourself.

“I think a great deal of clans could.” You replied making him chuckle to himself and help you down after removing the cover and adding the offered slippers. Carrying your shoes and socks he showed you to the nail stand where he set up his supplies allowing your nails to soak off.

To the topic of bringing up the differences between the brothers ending in an argument on which you should have chosen the channel was changed as you giggled to the beard, no beard argument as well as Frerin’s shorter hair to his ears against Thorin’s long ponytail to his shoulder blades. Both commenting to your possible race if choosing them on appearance alone with Thorin clearly the more attached to traditional Dwarven appearance. Which changing the channel only led to a debate on how your bond to Thranduil and his clan would affect their racing rivalry clearly being brought up to the pair at races. Once finished however you adjusted the ends of your shorts once your socks and shoes were added again on the walk to the counter where Kovu rang you up and escorted you to the door he opened for you giving you a nice send off.

Shortly you were parked at the store and joining the other random shoppers to the self opening doors. Grabbing a cart along the way you made your way inside to start gathering what was needed. A pause however was taken at a pass from one end of the store to the other on the paint aisle. To your cart you added a small can of chalkboard paint making you smirk on your way to the art supplies. Lost to your focus on one end an elated squeal from the other turned your head to the group of teens who snapped a picture of you then darted off after squealing, “Love the show!”

Nodding to yourself you continued to shop flashing quick grins to any who seemed to be looking your way a bit too long until you had paid and loaded up your trunk after having been vented to by both the woman behind and in front of you in line on their love of your shows. Though neither was speaking of the same show making it a tad confusing for you to keep up with the both of them for the walk out of the store and nearly halfway to your car.

Straight to the kitchen it all went and you put it away and brought a paint brush to paint over a risen section on cabinet. From the handle you hung a small bag for the chalk. “Painting?”

Turning at Thorin’s voice you said, “Chalk board, for shopping lists. Since we mainly meet up at meals.”

“Clever,”

Looking him over the plotting grin inching across his lips had your brow twitch up, “What are you up to?”

“Well, felt bad, missing breakfast and all, so we are having dinner, at a place I know you will enjoy with Mal, the boys, Frerin, Dwalin and Bilbo.”

“Ok, should I change?”

“You look perfect,” you nodded and left the brush you’d cleaned on the edge of the sink to air dry after having put the paint away in the garage. “That was a brilliant idea.”

“Well I have plenty left over, thought I might add some on my sisters’ closet doors.”

“Sounds good,” to the garage he led you helping you into your jacket outside, “I’ll drive.”

“You got a package earlier,” you said when he joined you inside his car luring his eyes to you again and his dopey grin out seeing you in your adorably oversized coat reminding him of his first stolen peck on your cheek making him ache to steal another. “From Diaa and Niro looks like.”

“Ah, more pictures sounds like. Those can wait. For now, focus on dinner.” His hand reached over once he’d hit the button to close the garage behind you, “Have some fun.” Right over your hand laying on your lap his folded and for the brief drive you noticed a group of familiar cars joining you to the ax throwing eatery.

Excitedly you joined the others in grouping up beside your parked cars, his hand folded in yours again with fingers interlocked and as you walked inside the curious ravens back at home peered up at the new addition to the kitchen. Though it was Kuu who realized what it was leading to Belly leading the others in pulling out the chalk to scribble notes across the now dried board.

Around the hand carved tables in the cabin like dining section you all enjoyed your hearty suppers and lost to giggles you took your post dessert stop in the ax throwing half ignorant of the diners across the way stealing pictures of you all. Between the identical brothers a series of skeptical shots were taken as to which you were linked to until between rounds Thorin draped around your back pressing kisses to your cheek and forehead, abandoning you shortly for his turns then returning until yours to hold you again. Briefly the spies did however stop over asking for pictures and autographs.

Widely Frerin grinned greeting the ladies who commented on every stitch of him trying to flatter up a compliment in return through the signing then they asked, “Could we get a picture, with Miss Pear too?” Frerin glanced your way seeing you shifting in Thorin’s hold and the woman asked, “Celebrating something? Engagement perhaps?”

Her friend said, “Got to be nice, find yourself on a show about the Durins and land yourself a Durin to boot.”

Awkwardly you let out a breath trying to chuckle and Frerin said, “Just supper, though like a sister already, we couldn’t ask for a more talented person to man a show involving our clan.” Easing his arm around your shoulders keeping you close to his side lessening your contact with the trio folding around you both as Bilbo took the picture. Across the same receipts you signed J Pear inside a small pear making Frerin smirk seeing it next to his own with a tiny ghost doodle from the ghosts that used to be all across his first racing car he still loved to draw hinting to his roots. The cuddling didn’t go unnoticed and by morning was full spin in the media about the fated match yet to be confirmed by the Durin clan, the elders of which were uncertain if they should confirm anything just yet.

Pt 41

#Thorin x Reader OC #Hobbit #lotr #Tea Shop AU #Fili/Kili x OC Mal

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carlotta-the-nerd-winters · 4 years

Text

Rough Diamond: Chapter Two - It’s Alright, I’ll Be There

Next Morning…

Downstairs was lively for once as she headed down, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. The smell of cooked bacon had her stomach growling as she wandered into the kitchen.

“Morning mum,” Gloria greeted, grabbing a mug from the rack. “Is the kettle still hot?”

“Aye just used it five minutes ago,” Kathleen answered, accepting the kiss on her cheek. “Evie still asleep?”

“Oui, cher,” Gerald answered, appearing in the kitchen, and grabbing plate of food. “Jet lag. Bonne matinée, Ria.”

“Bonne matinée, da,” she greeted, kissing his cheek and grabbed another mug. “You want a coffee?”

“Oh, that sounds good. Charlie, Victor, did you two want a cup?”

“Tea,” they both chimed as she poured a few more cups. Gloria took the cups in whilst Kathleen slowly brought in breakfast as the others sat at the table. The morning newspaper sat in front of her father’s seat, ready and waiting to be read.

“Lee and Raihan’s match is on,” Victor announced, turning on the TV. He flicked through the channels until he landed on the sports channel and sat back. “Isn’t he coming ‘round later?”

“Aye. And we’re having dinner with the Greys,” Kathleen informed them as footsteps came down the stairs. “Breakfast is on the table, Evie.”

“Thanks mum,” Evie yawned, entering the lounge room. Her black hair was sticking up in all places.

“Sleeping Beauty’s finally up,” Charlie teased as she sat down, and Gloria passed her a cup of tea.

“Shove it up your arse,” she flipped him off, earning a look from their mother.

“Leave her be,” Kathleen told Charlie who held his hands up in surrender. They all began digging into their breakfast, chatting amongst themselves while the match was on. “That reminds me. Victor I need you to pick your sister up from the station this afternoon.”

Victor paused, holding his cup in mid-air. “Raihan not joining us for tea?”

“Unfortunately, not. He’ll be busy with the league preparing for the upcoming season. I don’t want Nikki alone this late into her pregnancy,” Kathleen said, cutting into her bacon. “I want my grandson safe and sound.”

“Arceus, you’re going mental with the baby. He’s not even born yet.”

“I don’t see you giving me a grandchild anytime soon, so shush it,” she shot back. Charlie snickered and Kathleen whirled onto him. “Don’t be cheeky. You can’t even find a nice girl to settle down with.”

“Why are you on me?” he complained as the front door opened.

“Hello, hello,” Hop’s voice rang out from the entrance.

“In here, love,” Kathleen called as the young teen entered the lounge room. “Morning, Hop. You want some breakfast?”

“I’m good, thanks. Mum’s already filled me up. I came to get Ria,” he said, leaning on the back of her chair. He glanced at the TV, seeing the match. “Lee beat him again?”

“Like always,” Victor answered as Gloria drained the rest of her tea. “He got close though. Had him down to Charizard,” he sipped his tea and looked at the pair. “Excited for your Pokémon?”

Hop nodded, grinning widely. “Barely slept a wink. What’d you give him, Gerald?” he asked, glancing at Gloria’s father who was reading the newspaper.

“Divulgacher, Hop,” Gerald responded as Gloria rose from her seat. Grabbing the dishes, she headed into the kitchen with Evie behind her. The two washed and dried the dishes, hearing the animated discussions from the lounge room.

“Nikki told me that you’re having trouble deciding what to do after graduation,” Evie said, drying the plate Gloria offered to her. “Why not take up an art degree? Da says your drawings are brilliant.”

��Yeah but what kind of job can I get with an art degree?” she asked, scrubbing the fry pan. “I need something that can guarantee a stable job. Something that says ‘hey, you won’t be broke’.”

Evie tilted her head slightly. “There’s plenty of work. You could be a graphic designer. Or even take over the day-care. Da’s hoping to keep it in the family.”

“Or I could travel for a bit. See the world,” Gloria suggested with a shrug of her shoulders, handing her over the last plate and draining the sink. “Did you always know what you wanted?”

“Arceus, no. I wanted to be a lawyer at first. And then I realised how boring and stifling that job was,” Evie laughed, putting the last dish away. “Going on my journey helped me figure it all out. You have time.”

Slowly, Gloria nodded, moving to hug her sister. “Thanks,” she murmured into her shoulder.

“Just doing my job,” she squeezed tightly before patting her back. “Go and get dressed. You’ve got to meet with Lee at the station or else he’ll end up in Kanto with his shit sense of direction.”

She laughed, leaving the kitchen and ran upstairs. Rookie was now awake, sitting comfortably on his perch. He was cleaning himself as she got dressed in a simple pink button dress and threw the grey cardigan over the top.

“Ready to get going?” she asked, grabbing her brown bag.

“Squi,” Rookie confirmed, shaking himself off and hopped over to the open window.

“I’ll see you down there,” Gloria said, leaving her bedroom. Hop waited at the bottom of the stairs, arms crossed and foot tapping on the ground. “Settle down, I’m here.”

“I don’t want to be late! I haven’t seen Lee in months,” he complained as they left her house. Travelling down the dirt path, the many cries of nearby Wooloo echoed across the valley. Rookie flew ahead with Hop’s Wooloo chasing underneath. “He’s still growling like Lee’s Charizard.”

“Why is that a bad thing? It’s freakin’ adorable to hear it,” she said as Rookie returned, flapping his wings. “Is Lee there?”

“Corv,” he confirmed as Hop grabbed her wrist.

“Better step on it before his fans drown him,” the teen commented, jogging down the dirt road and dragging her with him. As they got closer, the crowd surrounding the station got bigger. It seemed all of Postwick and Wedgehurst had gathered to meet the champion. “That’s gonna be hard to get through.”

“Then we’re just gonna have to be patient,” she said, removing her wrist and crossing her arms over her chest. It took about two minutes before Hop became too impatient to wait as he hollered at him.

“Lee!” the young teen shouted over the crowd, waving his arms up to grab his brother’s attention. It seemed to work as Leon moved through the crowd, smiling at his younger brother.

“So, my number one fan in all the world has come out of his way to pick me up,” Leon commented with Charizard not far behind him. “Look at you,” he marvelled, placing both hands on Hop’s shoulders. “I reckon you’ve grown…exactly an inch and a quarter since the last time I saw you.”

“Yeah, he’s finally taller than me,” Gloria joked, earning an elbow to her side from her friend. Leon turned to her, smiling down at the smaller teen.

“Ria, still climbing everything in sight?”

“I haven’t climbed your brother if that’s what you’re hoping.”

Both of the Grey men had red faces at her comment, with Hop making weird noises that shouldn’t be possible to make from one’s mouth. Leon just hid his face with his hat, no doubt trying to be anywhere but there.

“Ria!” Hop complained as she shrugged her shoulders. He shook his head furiously, lightly hitting both cheeks before staring at his older brother. “Whatever! Bet I can beat the both of you back home,” he challenged before sprinting away.

“What happened to a countdown?” Leon called after him, sighing and sharing a smile with the brunette. “He never changes.”

“Consistency is his charm,” she agreed with a laugh as the pair began jogging back up the dirt road and back to Postwick. As expected, the minute Leon showed up his parents home, his mother ambushed him. Theresa monopolised her eldest son’s time—much to Hop’s chagrin. Then Victor and Charlie came around and the three friends began catching up.

It took about four hours before Hop exploded and dragged his brother outside to the small, makeshift battle ground in the Grey’s front yard.

“Come on, Lee! You promised us a present,” Hop reminded him, releasing the hold on his brother, and standing beside Gloria, hands on his hips. “So out with it! What’d you pick up from Gerald?”

“Impatience isn’t an attractive trait, mate,” Victor commented, having followed them outside with Charlie right beside him. “Turns the ladies off.”

Gloria noticed the tips of Hop’s ears glow red. “Shove off Vic!” the young teen exclaimed as the men laughed.

“Right then,” Leon cleared his throat, the smile still evident on his face. “The greatest gift from the greatest champion,” he reached into his pockets, pulling out three pokéballs. “It’s showtime you guys.”

Three beams of light were released, forming three forms, and revealed themselves to be a Grookey, Scorbunny and Sobble. The three Pokémon knew Gloria already, cheerfully greeting her before popping around the front yard. Grookey climbed the large tree, tapping away at the branch with his tiny stick. Sobble instantly dove straight for the small pond, seeking comfort in the water. Scorbunny ran around like the speedster he was, leaving a small trail of flames in his wake.

Charlie sighed, releasing his Vaporeon and wordlessly pointed to the flames. The water-type let loose a few small squirts of water from her mouth, dowsing the flames.

“All right line up you guys,” Leon ordered, catching their attention. The three Pokémon returned, standing in a line next to Leon. “Who’s going first?”

“Ladies first,” Hop offered, and she rolled her eyes.

“Now you wanna be a gentleman,” she said sarcastically, crossing her arms over her chest. She studied each Pokémon as she thought about the first three gyms. Milo’s was always first on the list as he tended to go easy on Gym challengers. His typing was grass, something weak to fire. By the time she’d reach Nessa’s water-types, she should have caught a grass or electric-type. “I’ll take Scorbunny.”

Scorbunny bounced over as she crouched down, accepting the high-five he gave her with a smile. Hop decided on Grookey while little Sobble was left standing on his own.

“Don’t worry. You’ll be coming with me,” Leon reassured the small water-type, crouching down as Charizard towered behind him. “Charizard will show you the ropes. He’s strict—but real strong and real kind too.”

As Hop got his newest Pokémon to socialise with Wooloo, Gloria brought out Rookie. The Corvisquire recognised the small fire-type, greeting him with a small pat on the head with his beak.

“What am I going to call you?” Gloria murmured, watching the two Pokémon interact. Scorbunny’s energy was on a whole other level and the large smile he wore was infectious. He was positivity in a small package. “How about Blaze?”

Scorbunny tilted his head before nodding, a wide grin on his face. “Scor!”

“Alright, Blaze it is,” she agreed, hearing a snicker behind her. Glancing over her shoulder, she found her two older brothers trying to not laugh. Correction—Charlie was trying to not laugh. Victor was chuckling, holding his brother’s shoulder. “What’s so funny, Chuckles?”

“Arceus, you’ve never been good at names. Blaze?” Victor laughed as she rose to her feet. “Growlie, Rookie…Blaze!”

“Shove it you arse!” she exclaimed, kicking his knee, turning his laughs into groans of pain. “Like you’d do any better.”

“Nah, he’s not clever enough to come up with anything original. He’s used to reading lines someone else wrote for him,” Charlie teased, hands in his pockets before smiling down at Blaze. “Train him well and you’ll breeze through Milo.”

“Aye, that’s exactly what I was thinking,” she agreed just as Hop challenged her to a battle. The only rule was they could only use Grookey and Blaze seeing how they were new additions. Leon supervised the match whilst Charlie and Victor stood on the sidelines. Evie and Sonia eventually joined them, watching the two teens have a battle.

It took three minutes for it to end in a victory for Gloria and she noticed an exchange of money between her brothers. “You bet against me Vic?!”

“Not by choice. Someone had to cheer for Hop,” Victor defended himself as Hop joined her in the protest.

oOo

That Evening…

Evie, Gloria, and Charlie had finished setting up the two large tables when Victor returned with Nikki waddling beside him. Unlike the rest of the older Aegis siblings, there wasn’t a tearful greeting between her and Leon. As the eldest Grey son was the rival of Nikki’s husband, the two saw each other often enough.

Instead, he helped her to a seat and brought her a plate of food.

“No Teddy?” Leon asked as the two families began digging into the large feast prepared by each matriarch.

“Nah. Couldn’t get any leave,” Victor answered, taking a sip of his beer. “I’m just lucky enough that I just finished filming.”

“That spy movie you were bragging about?” Hop asked and Victor nodded. “When’s that coming out?”

The blond pursed his lips. “For Galar? Probably in six-seven months,” he guessed. “After the Gym Challenge season, I’ll be doing a publicity tour to promote the movie.”

“The fun never stops,” Evie commented, sharing a nod with her brother. If anyone knew what life was like in the spotlight out of the Aegis siblings, it was Evie. The brunette turned to Gloria. “Mum says I can use your room to store my work while you’re away.”

“Just don’t mess it up and go through my things,” she warned her, taking a sip of the orange soft drink. As the conversations continued, Gloria tuned them out, choosing to look over at the Pokémon. All of Charlie’s eeveelutions were in full display, along with Nikki’s three Pokémon. Lopunny was holding Blaze in her lap, feeding him. No doubt practicing for when the baby arrives.

Evie’s Beautifly, Ribombee, Ampharos and Meowstic were happily catching up with Victor’s Roserade and Staraptor—particularly Meowstic sharing her food with Roserade. Leon’s team just seemed happy to relax and chill for once.

Gloria tuned back in when she heard Charlie debating with Leon why mega-evolution was better than Dynamaxing. An argument as old as time between the pair and would probably still go on for years to come.

“Arceus, don’t you ever get tired of this argument?” Hop asked, shaking his head. “We all know Dynamaxing is superior.”

“Don’t be daft,” Charlie dismissed immediately. “Mega-evolution tests the bond between a trainer and Pokémon. Dynamax just needs a friggen’ power spot and you’re good to go.”

“Wrong mate,” Leon shot back, pointing his fork at the brunet. “You forgot about the band. You’re getting sloppy over there in Sinnoh.”

Charlie flipped him off as Victor laughed. “Quit laughing and back me up here. Mega-evolution is better.”

Victor shrugged as their attention drew to him. “I mean…it’s easier to shoot scenes than with a giant Pokémon. And Lucario’s form is badass.”

“Vic,” Leon shook his head, clearly disappointed as Charlie turned to Evie.

“I know you’re Team Mega,” he said as she stared at her brother. “What?”

“I’m trying to eat my food and you’re over here having a pissing contest with Lee!” she exclaimed, taking a bite out of her bread roll. She chewed a few times, holding up her left wrist. Sitting nicely in the centre of the silver infinity symbol bracelet, was a clear stone with yellow and red waves running through the middle. “Ampharos is majestic in his mega form.”

The attention shifted to Nikki who smiled half-heartedly at Charlie. “Sorry but Dynamax,” she apologised as he waved her off.

“Your apology is as hollow as Rai’s wins against Lee,” he replied, earning laughter from the others. “But it’s expected you’d side with them. You’re married to a dyna-maniac. And we all know Hop’s gonna agree with whatever Lee says.”

The table fell silent and Gloria noticed the stares pointed at her. She quickly swallowed the mouthful of grilled chicken and shook her head. “I’m not joining in.”

“Oh come off it! You know it’s mega. It’s in your blood,” Charlie said as Leon snorted.

“Half of her blood. The other half calls to Dynamax,” Leon reminded his friend before smiling at the young teen. “So which is better, Ria? And don’t worry, we won’t judge you for your answer.”

“Oh no she’s definitely disowned if she says Dynamax.”

Gloria looked between the two men, taking a sip of her beverage as an excuse to stall answering. No matter what she said, one of them would be slightly pissed—or in Charlie’s case, scandalised.

“Both?” she offered as the two adults groaned.

oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo

Songs: It's Alright, It's Okay by Ashley Tisdale. I'll Be There by Jess Glynne.

Glad some of you are enjoying this fic. Please, comment. It's nice to see some likes but...comments are better. I’d especially like to see how you react to the siblings. Also, a big shout out to @plumbella as I am a massive fan of her work and it’s her voice in my head that helps an Aussie gal like myself capture the northern UK spirit and words.

Also, there's a Spotify playlist for this fic which I'll be updating with each song that I listen to for the chapters. It's called Rough Diamond Playlist so check it out.

#pokemon #sword and shield #pokemon sword and shield #swsh #swash #hop #gloria #leon #raihan #hop x reader #galar #postwickshipping #please like it

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the--sad--hatter · 5 years

Text

Phantom Pain (1)

FANDOM - MARVEL MCU

PAIRING - Bucky X Reader

WARNINGS - Bad Habits and Rough Sex, Angsty and Dark AF.

DESCRIPTION - Everybody in the world knew of you, but not who you really were. Some called you a vigilante, some called you a criminal and some called you a hero but all of them called you The Phantom. Only two people knew your real identity and they swore to never tell anyone but when The Avengers need to infiltrate a high-security facility, Bruce Banner deduces that you’re the only one who can pull it off. That decision puts you and Bucky Barnes on a path you can’t turn back from, even if neither of like where it’s leading.

Chapter One - Perks Of Being Dead

When The Avengers entered the briefing room there was already someone there. She was young, stunning and made the hair on the back of Bucky’s neck stand up.

He was trained to look for details, to see past the obvious and look for potential threats and weaknesses. His eyes roamed over you, taking in everything. At first glance, you seemed like a little rich girl who thought too much of herself and nothing more but simmering below the surface was so much more.

Your expensive high heels were well worn on the soles, but not so much they needed to be replaced. Your clothes were all tailor fitted except the cashmere cardigan wrapped around you. You were rich yes, but not spoilt. You wore your favorite shoes often and favored comfort over fashion.

The way you held yourself oozed confidence, from your casual leaned back position in the chair to your legs crossed at the ankle. But you weren’t posing or flashing yourself off. You weren’t the most conventionally attractive woman in the world, though not ugly by any stretch of the imagination. You sat in a way that let people see as much or as little of you as they chose, indicating that you didn’t care either way. Confident but not egotistical.

“I think you’re in the wrong room.” Bucky said, forgoing a polite greeting.

“No, I’m not.” You responded, almost dismissively.

“Miss King, you’re the heir to King Inc, the global tech and weapons company?” Sam asked and Bucky frowned.

He hadn’t heard of you or the company but judging by the reactions of everyone in the room he was the only one in the dark.

Tony chose that moment to sweep into the room and you smirked at him.

“Mr Snark.” You said with faux politeness.

“Well if it isn’t my favorite hot mess.” He said back with equal fervor.

You grinned and stood up, hugging him.

“So why have you summoned me?” You asked him.

“That was me, I asked you to come.” Bruce said, rushing into the room.

Your expression softened as you embraced the scientist warmly and to Bucky’s surprise, the normally nervous and timid man embraced you back.

His mind immediately spun through the possibilities. Were you a relative? You didn’t look like one but that didn’t rule it out.

“We have a security issue, as in security we need to get through. We need access to Hydra files but we don’t want them to know that we know what they are up to. We need a quiet way inside their system, without them noticing we were ever there.” Bruce explained, getting straight to the point.

“So you want me to break through Hydra’s cyber system?” You asked with what Bucky swore was relief.

Well that piqued his curiosity.

“If you don’t mind?” Bruce asked.

“She’d be happy to.” Tony cut in and you raised a brow at him.

Everybody waited impatiently while you and Stark had a mini stare off.

“What am I missing here? How is, no offense, a socialite going to help us break into Hydra?” Sam asked.

“None taken, and as well as being a pampered little princess I happen to be an excellent hacker. The best in fact.” You grinned.

“Debatable.” Tony coughed.

“How many times have I hacked your systems Snark? Twelve?”

“Thirteen I believe.” Friday interjected.

“Miss King is extremely talented, if anyone can get in it’s her.” Bruce added.

“So you’ll do it.” Natasha said and it wasn’t a question.

“I have some spare time, why not? Friday, you going to help me out with this?”You asked.

“Of course Miss King, it will be a pleasure to work with you again.”The AI responded.

“You’re only saying that because I’ve been inside you.”You said with a wicked smirk.

“Yet you still haven’t bought me dinner.”Friday sarked back.

“Ohhh, Minx.”You sassed back.

“Hey, no, stop flirting with my AI! And Friday, stop flirting back!” Tony admonished you.

“I’m going to need a lot more information about what I’m looking for.” You informed them, waving off Tony’s protests.

“I’ll show you what you need shall I?” Tony said and gesturing to the door.

“I’ll do it.” Bruce said quickly, standing up.

“It was nice to meet you all, seriously, I’m a big fan of The Avengers. Except for Iron Man, that guy is overrated.”You said, waving at them as you left.

“Says the B-List Kardashian.” Tony retorted, raising his voice so you could hear him as you walked away.

“Weak, you’re losing your edge Snark.” You called back.

The Avengers immediately launched into Tony with a verbal interrogation about who you were, how Bruce and Tony knew you and whether you could be trusted.

“A hacker? Really? I can barely switch my computer on, that’s why I just leave it in sleep mode.” You said to Bruce as he led you away.

“Sorry, we had to tell them something. It wasn’t a complete lie though, you can bypass all their security. And Stark’s.” He said with an apologetic shrug.

“Perks of being The Phantom Brucey. Perks of being dead.”

Eighteen Months Ago

He had just put his hand on the car door handle when someone came up behind him.

“Dr Banner?”

“Oh, uh hello. Can I help you?” He said, turning round to look at you with a nervous and suspicious frown.

“I’m Miss King, my father is Alexander King of King inc.” You said, offering your hand.

“I know your father, he’s a very smart man.”Bruce said, trying to find a compliment.

“Not as smart as you Dr Banner, I believe you are the worlds leading expert in Gamma Radiation?”

“I’m something of an expert but I’m very busy with other things and I’m already working with Stark Industries.”He said politely.

“I’m not trying to recruit you, well not for my father’s company. I need your help. The company is building something, something big and my father and my uncle have been acting weird for months now. Can you just look at these? Please?” You said, pulling a bunch of papers out of your bag and handing them to Bruce.

He pulled his glasses out of his shirt pocket and put them on, flicking through the papers. His expression got paler and paler until he looked up at you, horrified.

“These readings are...”

“Bad?”You supplied.

“Ionizing Radiation, Electromagnetic Radiation and Gamma Radiation readings are all off the charts. Where did you get these?” He asked.

“I knew something wasn’t right but I couldn’t find a reason to get into that section the facility so I bribed one of the techs to take a radiation detector inside, hidden in his suit. Yesterday he quit the company and moved to Japan... Apparently. I can’t get a hold of him.” You explained.

“Alright, you did the right thing bringing this to me. Where is this facility?” He asked.

You looked uncomfortable and scared.

“The facility is in Upstate New York. I stole an ID card from one of the scientists on the project and I can get you in the building. But the security systems are all biometric.” You told him.

“We can find a way in, don’t worry about that. You’ve done more than enough Miss King.”

“You can’t though, you can’t just break in. If my uncle finds out...”

“Your uncle is?”

“Secretary Of State. Thaddeus Ross.”

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

“Explain to me again why we’re sneaking in, with the help of a civilian?�� Tony asked as they trudged through the woods surrounding the King Facility.

“Ross is up to something and if we kick down the doors he’ll know we know about it. And find a way to use the accords to make us pay for it.” Bruce explained, again.

“Hey.”

“Jesus Christ, what are you some kind of horror movie killer?” Tony asked, jumping at your sudden appearance.

“If I was, would I tell you?” You retorted.

“Nice to see you again Princess.” Tony said, smirking at you.

“You two know each other?” Bruce asked.

“We’ve met at various functions and parties. Princess is the new me according to the press.” Tony smirked.

You rolled your eyes. You were the only child of a multi-billionaire, set to inherit the company one day if you could dispense of your partying ways and the press liked to call you the Millennial Tony Stark.

“Can we just go? I want to get this over with.” You told them.

You led them to a side entrance, past Scully, the security guard who always fell asleep at his post after eating. You’d personally delivered a box of doughnuts to him twenty minutes prior. You held your finger up to your lips to indicate silence to the two men and Tony rolled his eyes at you.

“I know how to be stealthy, princess.”He whispered.

“Really? I thought you always liked to make an entrance.” You whispered back and Bruce smirked at the little exchange.

“Touche.”

Tony did something with his phone and the red lights on the security camera’s flickered off. The entrance door looked like nothing more than a normal door but you knew better. You placed your palm on a seemingly random brick on the wall which lit up and another section of the wall opened to reveal a retinal scan.

Once you were done you pulled your hand back opened the door.

“We’ve got it from here Miss King, you should leave.” Bruce warned you and you nodded, passing him the pilfered access card.

“The code is 269212. Good luck.” You told them.

Bruce nodded and Tony mock saluted you as they slipped through the door, closing it behind them. You counted to ten and opened it again, following them.

You had to know what your father was doing, you couldn’t just let them go without you so you silently followed them through the suspiciously empty halls.

Where the hell was everyone? Maybe it was just luck that the facility was empty, maybe it was a sign that this was going to go well.

You peered around the corner to watch Tony swipe the card through the door the west wing of the facility and darted out to stop it closing behind them. You popped your head through the door and slipped through, ducking behind a pillar before they could spot you. You followed them through the room, hiding behind pillars or filing cabinets so they didn’t turn around and see you.

The room was huge and strangely warm. You wiped the rapidly forming sweat off your brow as you ducked out of your current hiding place to get a better look at the large metal circular chamber in the dead centre of the room.

The two superhero’s were huddled over a computer screen and discussing something agitatedly but you couldn’t hear what. You had to get closer.

You tiptoed as close as you dared, ducking behind a desk to listen in. What you heard made your blood run cold.

“When that bomb goes off, and it’s going off Tony, the radiation is going to settle over New York and most of the state.” Bruce said.

“The reading are rising by the second, we shouldn’t even be in here. We’re going to need anti-radiation injections asap.”

“We’ve got minutes, not hours before this thing goes critical. The chamber is designed to contain the radiation, but the outer locks been broken. The only way to seal it is from the inside.”Bruce said heavily.

“I know what you’re thinking and no, this thing is Gamma radiated. We don’t know that the hulk can survive it or what it would do to you both if he did.”Tony snapped.

“One of us has to do it and I at least have a chance to survive. Millions will die if I don’t.” Bruce argued.

Tony opened his mouth to argue back when the two mens attention was drawn by the chamber door slamming closed and the lock clicking loudly. They rushed over to look through the small window on the door to see you stood inside.

“Princess, what the hell are you doing? Open this door right now, you’ll die in there.”

“My family built this, it has to be me.” You choked out.

The air was thick and there was no oxygen to be had. The glowing center of the chamber was so hot you were already drenched in sweat and your skin was quickly turning bright red. You were being cooked.

“Miss King if you don’t come out you’re going to die, the radiation will burn you up.” Bruce said through the glass.

“I have to do this, I brought you here to help, not to die.” You gasped.

Your skin was beginning to blister in front of your eyes and the pain was excruciating.

“Radiation levels rapidly rising!” Tony called to Bruce.

“Listen to me, we can still save you if you open the door.”

“It’s too late.” Tony said, just as your screams started.

“Listen to me, listen ok. You’re saving a lot of people, I’ll make sure they know you did that and your father will pay for this.”Tony swore, raising his voice so you could hear him.

The light was blinding him and he had to back away from the chamber. Your screams were bone chilling and Tony and Bruce felt sick.

The pain was like nothing you had ever experienced and all you could do was scream as smoke started curling off of your skin. The last thing you saw was your right hand vaporizing.

Present Day

“You’re not dead.” Bruce admonished.

“I kinda am Bruce.” You rebutted as he led you into his lab and forced you to sit down.

He pulled something out of a drawer and came over to you and you saw it was a stethoscope. He put the eartips in your ears and held the cold metal bud to your chest.

Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.

“Your heart is beating, you’re alive.” He said kindly.

“Yeah, but I died. I literally burned alive, I was vaporized. And now I can walk through walls, I can disappear. I’m a ghost. I’m dead.”

“You aren’t dead.”

“Am so.”

“No, you’re changed. The radiation changed you on a molecular level, we’ve discussed this.”He argued.

“Have I started aging again? Or am I still frozen the way I was when I died?” You asked him.

He sighed and pulled his glasses off, shooting an annoyed look at you.

“Do we have to have this argument every time?” He asked.

“Fine, we’ll agree to disagree. Gimme the information I need to kick Hydra’s ass.” You said.

“Sneak in quietly and steal information...”

“Same thing.”

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

“Romanov.” Bucky said, getting Natasha’s attention before she left the room.

“Google her. Everything about her life is on Wikipedia. You don’t need me to do any digging to find out for you” She said, smirking at him and walking away.

“What about her secrets? Like the fact that she’s a world class hacker?” Bucky asked, catching up to the redhead.

“I’ll let you know when I find out more.” Natasha said begrudgingly.

“So you're suspicious of her as well?”

“I’m suspicious of everybody.”

So was he. He was extremely suspicious of you though, something about you just didn’t sit right with him and he was determined to find out why.

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

This was pretty much taking over my brain and I wanted to get it written out before I forgot it and then I realized there was no reason to wait a week to post it.... So here you are my children, The Phantom Origins.

I'd love to know what you think of this, it's quite a different type of thing to my other stories. Different style, different focuses. I can ditch it if you don't approve though.

You can ask to be added to or removed from tags at any time folks, just comment or inbox :D @lifewanderer @drdorkus @gravedollie666 @sadsoldat @bigplantdaddy @moodyruth @likes-to-smell-books @shirukitsune @inquisitor-selvala@brownlee-22 @myfandomlife-blog @markusstraya @adeleoctobre @vajeenparty @sexyvixen7 @love-nakamura @buckitybarnes @littledeadrottinghood @pinkisokay @jsmith509 @brownlee-22 @angieptt @thosesexytexasboys @liveonce-sodoitright @tarastudiesalot @spnrvt @dahkness @dilaila95 @uuuuuuuuggggghhh

#hattersmarvelverse #Bucky x Reader #Bucky Barnes #Bucky Smut #Bucky series #Bucky fic. Bucky Barnes #The Winter Soldier #Winter Soldier x Reader #Smutty Bucky #Dom Bucky #Hate Sex #Fuck Buddies #Slow Burn

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